This has been another week of good books.
One of them was so good it kept me up all night reading. I love it when that happens….. even if I do regret it the next day when I have to get up for work. You’d think I could plan things a bit better wouldn’t you, but how can you predict an ambush.
And, like someone said …. once I open it, how can I be expected to put it down.
Exactly!
When I looked at the clock and it said 5 AM… I figured… might as well finish it. 🙂
The thing I liked most about this selection of books was variety. Different genres, different eras, different countries, different social strata. Reading doesn’t get old with that much variety.
I’d say it was fun, but not in a light hearted way. They weren’t so much dark as they were intense. Some less so than others, which was helpful. We need lighter somewhere in the mix.
The darkest ones would have been the Jess Williams Trilogy and Digital Winter.
The Jess Williams trilogy really did have a take-no-prisoner mentality, and there were many burials in each book. In spite of that though, it wasn’t as dark as you might think- there was a bit of a Robin Hood quality to it. Jess was a man with a soft heart underneath the tough exterior, and he was out to bring justice, and protection, to those who needed it most.
Digital Winter was dark because it was easy to visualize battles for power happening in our present digital world. And that’s scary. On the other hand though, it’s good to be scared a little, maybe it will spur us on to be mentally prepared for the possibility of such a disaster.
I managed to carve out time for a 4 day binge and it was great! Loved spending time with these books.
Wild Wyoming Hearts – Marrying Miss Marshal book 1 – Lacy Williams ….. Dana Carpenter, the town marshal, with abilities unrecognized by local citizens, has to work alone because no one is willing to work with her.
Chas O’Grady is caught in a cattle stampede and Dana’s sense of responsibility compels her to risk her own life to rescue the greenhorn from certain death. Not a good first impression to make when you are coming to town hoping to enlist the help of the local marshal. He has the skills and might be willing to be deputized and work with her, but she’s not willing to work with him. Until powers-that-be leave her no choice.
Clayburn Novels – Remember to Forget – Deborah Raney …. Maggie Anderson has been living under her boyfriend’s tyranny for two years, but circumstances change with a carjacking on the middle of the night run to pick up his whiskey.
Trevor Ashlock has been locked in grief and burying himself in work, until a beautiful stranger comes to town. The suspicious circumstances of her appearance leaves them both on edge trying to protect secrets. Will Maggie’s abusive boyfriend find her? Will Trevor be able to admit to his loss?
Crowns and Courtships – Heart of a Prince book 1 – Carol Moncado …. Vacationing Jordan Haines has been on the water longer than he should have. Needing a rest, he spies an empty secluded private beach.
Crown Princess Astrid of San Majoria, doesn’t expect to find her personal sanctuary breached by someone using her beach chair. She would have ordered him off the property but he seems to have no idea who she is…. and there is something about him that feels safe somehow.
Crystal Lake Series – A Soldier’s Promise book 2 – Laura Scott…. Julie Crain has a soft heart for people in need but doesn’t want to get involved this time. Not after the last attempt to help turned into a relationship that ended badly.
Derek Ryerson and his young daughter need a place to recuperate from a serious car accident but there are no rooms available on this July 4th weekend. Julie has the room but is this a man she can trust? Derek needs help but can he trust her if his secret is exposed.
The Jess Williams Trilogy books 1 – 3 – Robert J Thomas – This is a Western thriller series with a take-no-prisoner outlook on life.
The Reckoning …. Jess Williams is eleven when he comes home from town to find his parents and sister brutally murdered, and he knows who did it. In that moment he vows revenge on the three men and plans relentless practice with his dad’s Colt .45 until he can shoot better than anyone else. The sudden and mysterious appearance of a new and unique pistol with holster make that goal possible in a way never seen before.
Brothers Keeper …. Jess returns from his successful mission to find himself in the middle of a bloody war with a father bent on revenge for the death of his only son, an evil man who clearly deserved to die. His mission after winning this war is to find the brother he never knew he had.
Sins of the Father …. Jess has been hunting his birth father for two years and has him in his sights when a friend needs his help. A range war has broken out between two cattle barons and everything, including the town, is about to taken over by one powerful greedy man. Jess arrives and men are dying one by one.
Women and War Series – Molly book 3 – Ellie Keaton …. Molly wants to join the war effort as a pilot but the US Air Force is not admitting female pilots, yet. Britain on the other hand is desperate for pilots. Travelling by ship, Molly and her friends face the threat of U-boats and other perils before they even set foot in Britain. The man she loves is over there somewhere too, as a fighter pilot, and it has been two years since she last heard from him.
Cornerstone series – Goodbye, Magnolia book 1 – Krista Noorman … Maggie is secure in the smooth operation of her successful wedding photography business, until uncertainty shows up in the form of an old, and unloved, classmate. Forced by circumstances to form an alliance with a man she considers the enemy, she has to face up to her fears, and incorrect assumptions.
8 Minutes to… Digital Winter – Mark Hitchcock and Alton Gansky … a twenty-two year old savant, with physical limitations, spends all of his time on his computer, creating a virus capable of taking out power grids everywhere. Aided by a shadowy companion he sends out the virus causing world wide blackouts, everywhere but in his New York apartment. Government agencies scramble to figure out who is behind all this, and his parents wonder at the power they have while others around them don’t.
Happy reading in your part of the world.
Here’s to finding more great books!
I’m calling time on rewrites so hope there are no glaring pot holes left over after the latest rearranges. If there are I apologize 🙂
Chasing Fireflies…. Never settle for less than the truth, she told him. But when you don’t even know your real name, the truth gets a little complicated. As Chase Walker found out, finding the truth about yourself can be as elusive, and as magical, as chasing fireflies on a summer night. A haunting story of discovery.
Awakening – The Dead Don’t Dance book 1….. In a sleepy rural town it’s the end of summer and a baby is about to be born. In the midst of hope and celebration comes unexpected tragedy, and Dylan Sykes must come to terms with how much he’s lost. Will the music of his heart be stilled forever….or will he choose to dance with life once more, in spite of sorrow and heartbreak? A bittersweet but triumphant love story.
Awakening – Maggie book 2 …. Life began again for Dylan when his wife awoke from a coma brought on by the intense two day labor to deliver their son. In this poignant love story, to embrace their future they must first come to terms with their past.
A Life Intercepted… Matthew Rising had it all. He was married to his high school sweetheart, was one of the best quarterbacks in college football and a number one NFL draft pick. On the night of the draft he was accused of a heinous crime with irrefutable evidence and he lost it all including his freedom. Out of prison, he wants to find his wife who has been in hiding since the trial. He finds her living among the nuns of the Catholic school, coaching a teenage boy with exceptional ability. She will speak to him only enough to let him know she wants him to coach the boy. This would violate his parole if discovered but would it be enough to get his wife back.
Long Way Gone…. Eighteen year old Copper O’Conner leaves home with his dad’s treasures, to find fame and fortune in Nashville, a dream that doesn’t materialize. Just as he is falling in love with Daley, a rising star in the music world, tragedy strikes and with nowhere else to go, he returns home. Daley shows up in his home town, 20 years later, and he wonders if he is being given a second chance to get it right.
The Mountain Between Us….. When a blizzard strands them in the Salt Lake City airport, total strangers (a gifted surgeon, and a magazine writer on the way to her wedding) anxious to get home, decide to charter a plane. The unthinkable happens and the plane crashes on a rugged mountain top. Injured, and with no way of calling for help, will they be able to survive long enough to be rescued?
Thunder and Rain ….. Tyler Steele is a third generation Texas Ranger, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a tough outer shell that worked well in his job but brought an end to his marriage. Retired and raising his son on his own he is at risk of losing his ranch. He has to find a way to rebuild his life but doesn’t know how. Samantha and her daughter Hope are on the run from danger and are desperate and alone. Ty knows he can help, because that’s what he does.
Unwritten…. An actress running from her past finds escape with a man hiding from his future….. Two boats and a good knowledge of fishing, makes it easy for him to live off the grid on Florida’s coast. Until the one person linking him to the real world asks a favor. Helping a self destructive, high profile, actress has complicated his life and made him face things he has been running from. From Florida, they travel to the French countryside, where they will discover the unwritten story of both their pasts and their future.
Water From My Heart…. Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living on his own by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a full scholarship to Harvard where he did well and developed friendships that allowed him to move in privileged circles. Social skills learned in college helped him successfully navigate lucrative, cutthroat, and dangerous business ventures. He tried to keep personal and business separated but his poor choices created devastating results and now he has gone to Central American to attempt to make amends with the ones who suffered the most by his bad decisions.
When Crickets Cry…. a spirited seven year old with a scar on her chest does a brisk business at her lemonade stand. The bearded stranger understands more about the scar than he wants to admit. A beat up bread truck careens around the corner, about to change their lives, teaching them both about unexpected miracles, and the painful reasons why crickets cry.
Where the River Ends…. He was a fishing guide and a struggling artist from a George trailer park; and she was the only child of North Carolina’s most powerful senator. They met by accident, and knew from the start they had found their soul mates. Ten years into their marriage she has developed terminal cancer and has a list of ten things she hopes to accomplish before she loses the fight, and he will do anything to make it all happen. They steal away in the middle of the night to start the 130 mile trek to the mouth of the St Mary’s river, a promise from the early days of their courtship.
Wrapped in Rain…. an internationally famous photographer, Tucker has travelled the world, capturing things other people don’t see. What he can’t see is how to forgive his father. His brother has escaped from a mental hospital and an old girlfriend has shown up with her son and a black eye, forcing him to go home and face the agony of his own tragic past.
Out of the Blue Bouquet (Crossroads Collection book 1)
Logan Point Series – Shadows of the Past book 1 – Patricia Bradley is one I read a couple of years ago. I was reminded of it today as I was considering another of her books and was trying to remember if I had read anything of hers before. I found this one and read the last of it to see if I enjoyed it. I did and now I am looking forward to reading the latest download from her which is;
A Memphis Cold Case – Justice Buried book 2 – Patricia Bradley
The last one to recommend tonight.
For the Love of Books 