BookRune

A Tempting book day April 28, 2024

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I can’t believe I succumbed to temptation and I’m happy about it. As if I need a pile pf new books added to my list.

Suggestions from BookBub and BookRunes started the whole landslide of opportunities. 6 downloads covering 27 new books between them! I think I’m a little bit crazy. That’s a lot of books.

The enticing book to start this all off is written by an author new to me. The storyline is also new to my bookshelf, if my memory serves me right. Two things I am always excited about.

It isn’t that I haven’t heard many real life stories about the hazards of winning big, I have but I don’t recall seeing much in the way of fiction. Although I’m sure it has been used before somewhere. I’m curious to see if I will love this book. I certainly hope so, it sounds tempting.

The Lottery Winner’s Greatest Ride: A Millionaire, A Young Reporter . . . And A Journey To Find What Matters Most

$250 million dollars . . .
That’s what Phillip Westford received after winning the largest lottery in history.
But little did he know, the sudden wealth would soon cost him everything he held dear, leaving his once perfect life now in shambles.

Then on one crisp fall day in a New York City park, the despondent lottery champion meets an old, kind, mysterious Irishman named Patrick O’Rourke, who freely offers a way to healing, and a new life . . .
That is, if Phillip is willing to undertake a trek around the globe to find three wise mentors that hold the keys to the happiness he is frantically searching for.

Traveling on a train through Ireland, Phillip meets the brash and talented young reporter Juliette McKelvey, and he shares with her the inspirational tale of his empowering spiritual trek to find peace . . . A tale with secrets and wisdom Juliette soon realizes she desperately needs in her own life . . .

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This next book also has authors new to me and I love it. The stories are short but will be long enough to offer a good introduction to each of them. Robin Lee Hatcher has appeared 10 times in my downloads so I’m familiar with her. I’ve had a chance to read Melissa McClone once but Kathryn Springer is totally new.

Kiss the Bride: Three Summer Love Stories (Year of Weddings Novellas)

Meet the people who make it all happen—the photographers, chefs, and the writers who have helped orchestrate and document the perfect day for countless couples—as they find their own happy endings in three sweet novellas.

Picture Perfect Love: A June Wedding Story by Melissa McClone

When image becomes everything, it’s up to love to refocus the heart. Photographer Jenna Harrison wants every bride and groom to look picture perfect on their special day. But her own heart is still broken, the unworn wedding dress hanging in her closet a reminder that relationships aren’t always as perfect as they look through her camera lens. Attorney Ashton Vance is the one that got away, but he wrongly blamed Jenna for ruining his political aspirations. Even if Jenna can forgive him, dare he hope for a second chance at her love?

I Hope You Dance: A July Wedding Story by Robin Lee Hatcher

Will a sworn bachelor determined to stay single fall in love with his dance teacher? Grant Nichols is a genius in the kitchen and a klutz on the dance floor. But his friend’s wedding is shaping up to be a shindig the likes of which Kings Meadow has never seen—including dancing. Lots of dancing. Former rodeo queen Skye Foster is offering dance lessons for the wedding party. Grant and Skye are no match on paper. But when they step onto the dance floor, they create a melody all their own.

Love on a Deadline: An August Wedding Story by Kathryn Springer

MacKenzie “Mac” Davis returns to her hometown of Red Leaf, Wisconsin, and takes a job at the weekly newspaper writing about social events. When Hollis Channing, Mac’s high school nemesis, returns to Red Leaf to marry her celebrity fiancé, the editor asks Mac to cover all the festivities for the newspaper. The last thing Mac wants to do is reconnect with the person who made her life miserable when she was a teenager . . . unless it’s spending time with Ethan Channing, the bride’s older brother—and Mac’s first crush.

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This next collection is with an author not in my downloads at all. Unless she shows up in a collection somewhere that doesn’t come up in a search. I’m anxious to see what she is like. Hopefully I can add her to my favorites list.

A Divine Christmas: Four Christmas Romances + A Bonus Story 

The descriptions for these stories are long so I will keep them short and sweet. Hopefully it’s enough to still be tempting. I’m tempted just adding this to the post.

Book 1: When Wynn Mason sees police lights at Misty Cove’s one-and-only bar, she goes in to make sure the trouble isn’t caused by one of the juvenile delinquents that her father is attempting to rehabilitate and is just in time to see her ex-boyfriend punch Ryland Sage in the face. 

Book 2: Actress Cheyenne West heads north to join her family for Christmas, with no idea that a storm will strand her in the small town of Misty Cove on the Oregon coast. 

Book 3: When Havyn Jessup agreed to join her church’s building trip, she had no idea the man who broke her heart was coming as well. 

Book 4: When Chelsea Tan looks up from the mocha she’s making to see Cannon Jones standing across the counter, she nearly drops the cup. 

Book 5: Fresh out of rehab, Rayne McQuaid wants a stress-free Christmas. She’s determined not to fall back into her old coping mechanisms. 

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OK, the next two collections have 6 books each and they are part 1 and part 2 of the same series. This post is getting out of hand so there will have to be a part two of it too. Only because I’m happy about more new books.

Looking it over, I think I will love the books in this post best but you never know, maybe I will be thrilled with the next ones too. That would be awesome.

Another new book January 10, 2024

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BookRunes has a suggestion for us this time. I’ve not read this author before but after checking out the first chapter in her book I’m wanting to read the rest of it. It may even have to be next in line since I haven’t started a new one yet.

To Belong Together: (Rhythms of Redemption Romances Book 2)

Opposites attract, but do an undercover rock star and a female mechanic belong together?

Erin Hirsh’s life would be easier if God hadn’t given her a booming laugh and a love for cars. Though she can hold her own in a shop, only her father truly understood her, and she’s losing him to dementia.

Fame and fortune have complicated love for introvertJohn Kennedy. It’s even come between him and his sister, causing her to push him away just when he could help her most.

Thankfully, the spunky female mechanic who catches his eye has no idea he’s the drummer for the iconic rock band Awestruck. John’s determined to keep it that way as long as possible.

John and Erin’s worsening family situations and shared faith draw them closer, but as their relationship grows, the full truth of their differences emerges to divide them.

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It’s another good book day.

A Change of Pace November 10, 2023

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A nice change with two new-to-me authors and a detour to the romance side of things after a long stint with mysteries. Both of them, historical fiction set in the American wild west. Add to that a couple of spunky women and it should be a good read times two.

When Love Comes in Disguise: A Historical Western Romance Book

After meeting in an orphanage many years ago, Ellen and Alice promised to stay close and protect each other, no matter what. When Alice attracts the attention of a kind man who wants to marry her, Ellen follows her to Fort Worth without a second thought… not even about where she will stay in this new town. Fearless and determined, she quickly comes up with an outrageous plan; she disguises herself as a man and gets a job at Alice’s husband’s ranch. Yet she never counted on meeting a handsome man there who complicates her thoughts and feelings. Should she risk telling him who she really is? Or should she keep her secret and never even have the chance to be with him?

Ben is happy helping at his best friend’s ranch, learning a lot and guiding the new ranch hands. When his best friend finds a wife from a newspaper ad, Ben thinks he’s quite careless to marry someone he has never met. His thoughts are completely forgotten though the minute he meets a mysterious woman in town and becomes determined to learn more about her. Much to his frustration, she disappears and reappears at the ranch out of nowhere, visiting a friend and always seeming to keep her distance from him. Where did she come from and why doesn’t she allow him to spend more time with her? Can Ben solve this riddle and earn her trust?

Both Ellen and Ben feel a strong pull to each other from the very first moment their eyes meet. Ellen’s heart flutters during their fleeting moments together but sinks as soon as she has to disguise herself again. When everything inevitably comes to light, will it shatter their growing connection forever? Or could their feelings be enough to keep them together?

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The Wagon Master’s Wife (First Families of Sterling Book 1)

A woman set on escaping her circumstances. A man determined to start a new life, and a past that haunts them both.

Amanda Crumb is determined to have a fresh start. After hearing her brother’s plans to offer her as a prize in a high-stakes poker game, she knows she must leave the only home she’s ever known immediately. When she is rejected by the local wagon master to join his traveling party, she takes matters into her own hands. What she didn’t expect was a man with hard rules and a secret that is closer than she could ever imagine.

Charlie Holstead has rules he lives by. No unmarried women on his wagon train. Never get married…again. He is ready to lead his final wagon train and settle down in the town of Sterling, Co. and he doesn’t want any complications. But when he finds a stowaway in one of his wagons, things just became more complicated.

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I’m ready for a change after the intense mysteries I’ve been reading the last while. I do like mysteries though.

To break things up a little I’ve been re-watching my plentiful music video collection while redoing a ten puzzle box of jigsaw puzzles, puzzles I don’t remember doing in the first place. There’s plenty of evidence to convince me I have though. Lots of fun on a snowy Friday.

A little ADHD kicking in here.

Interesting new book September 27, 2023

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This BookRunes suggestion will be emotionally challenging, adding a high level to the interest factor. They say a good story always has a requisite number of crisis points and intense interactions. While it adds interest to the story it’s sad that a situation like this happens at all never mind more often than we realize.

Picking Daisy (New England Inspirations Book 3)

It’s never too late…

to find the love of a family.

When divorcee Elise signs up to be a foster parent at the age of 50, she wonders if she made a huge mistake.

Her fear increases when her first placement comes straight from the police station in the middle of the night. Elise struggles to care for the angry teenager who is more difficult to love than anyone she’s ever met before.

At only 15, DJ has lived a harder life than most other orphans.

A terrifying step-father and a string of unfit foster parents has left DJ with a fragile heart that keeps its distance. That way no one can ever hurt her again.

When DJ is sent to live with Elise temporarily, the two struggle to connect while DJ makes secret plans to run away. But as Elise shares God’s love, both hearts begins to soften and believe that a happily family might not be completely out of reach.

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I’m excited to find another Lynette Eason mystery not in my library yet.

A Silent Terror

A deaf woman navigates a maze of danger and intrigue in the first High Stakes thriller from the USA Today–bestselling author of A Silent Fury.

When Marianna Santino’s roommate is killed, Detective Ethan O’Hara can’t fathom the motive. Then he realizes the deaf teacher was the intended target. Marianna must have something the murderer desperately wants. But what?

Digging for the truth, the guarded cop tries to learn everything he can about Marianna. Her world. Her family. Her beauty, faith and fierce independence. In spite of himself, Ethan finds that he can’t keep his feelings at bay. Soon, he’s willing to risk everything—including his heart—to lay the silent terror stalking Marianna to rest.

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Another treasure turned up. This is a good day.

Thread of Revenge (Coldwater Bay Intrigue)

There’s no quit in a Coast Guard investigator trying to save a woman from his past in this stormy thriller from the USA Today–bestselling author.

Marine biologist Sadie Strand is back in her coastal hometown to prove her best friend was murdered—but searching for evidence almost costs Sadie her life. Abducted, drugged and left for dead on a sinking boat, she’s barely rescued in time by Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Gage Sessions, an old friend. Assigned to protect Sadie and connect three complicated cases, Gage risks his life time and again to make sure the woman he once loved survives. But although the handsome, guarded agent vows to protect her, someone will keep killing to ensure the truth never rises to the surface.

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My current read is pretty interesting.

Still Waters (Low Country Series Book 1)

Apologies – The cover picture is unavailable in a form suitable for this space.

Welcome to Edisto Beach where the days are slow and the past is never far away…

Recent graduate Cora Anne Halloway has a history degree and a plan—avoid her own past. Then her beloved grandmother requests one last summer at Still Waters, the family cottage on Edisto Beach.

Despite difficult memories lingering among the oak canopies and gentle tides, Edisto tempts her with forgiveness—especially since Nan hires Tennessee Watson to oversee cottage repairs. A local contractor dedicated to the Island’s preservation from development, Tennessee offers Cora Anne friendship and more, if she can move beyond her guilt over his father’s death.

For this young woman on the cusp of a new life, peace with her past means reconciling her family and her Edisto memories. But acceptance of her story may mean loving the man determined to preserve a history she’d rather forget.

This is a heartwarming story of young love, old tragedies, and new life wrapped in an idyllic Lowcountry setting praised by NYT bestseller Patti Callahan (Becoming Mrs. Lewis) as a “moving tale of reconciling the past and living for the future.”

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That’s it for today folks. It’s been fun.

More books September 24, 2023

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Good morning! The last post seems like a distant memory. I guess it hasn’t really been all that long but it sure feels like it. I have been paying attention to the suggestion emails but there hasn’t been anything I wanted to read until now.

When I looked at BookRunes suggestion today, I recognized the author and knew I had read some of his books before, a time or two. It was a shock to see there are 17 of his books in my collection dating back to 2012 and I’ve read most of them. For sure now, I will have to read this one too. Even more so since Books 1 and 2 in this series are in the read-books list.

The Scandal of Mercy (Joe Boyd Suspense Series Book 3)

Lieutenant Joe Boyd gets some surprising news from his wife, Kate. He barely has time to process it when he’s given an assignment to confront an aging ex-con, just paroled for a brutal murder committed 36 years ago.

The man’s on his way back there now, even though he has no friends and no family left in Culpepper. The chief’s convinced this can only mean trouble. When Joe and his partner Hank visit Sam Clemens, their instincts tell them there might be more to this story than anyone imagines. Much more.

But their captain, the courts, and everyone else in town believes this murder was solved decades ago. Are they right? Is a paroled killer coming back to town now? Or has the real killer been here all along, roaming the streets of their lovely little town?

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Nothing else much is showing up for me, although I will admit to being distracted from a proper search by closely checking out a few possibles that in the end, didn’t work out for me. There was an almost but practicality prevailed. Time is an issue, must use it wisely.

I’ll share my current read instead. Since it is almost finished, maybe I will also take the chance to count it as read and enjoyed.

Daisy and Jack are friends and the journey to be something more is not without complications. His friends interfere in his love life, or lack thereof, and it could back fire on him. A dating app is involved and I’m sure you can see where this is going. No where good.

On Magnolia Lane (A Blue Ridge Romance Book 3)

Online, Daisy shares some of her greatest fears with TJ, but in person, Jack and Daisy are spending more time together. When a devastating family secret surfaces, Daisy knows that only her trusted friend and counselor can bring her comfort. Jack wants nothing more than to be both men for Daisy, but revealing his secret will prove to be the ultimate test of Daisy’s grace.

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I may as well mention book 2 in this series as I’m reminded it was also read this week. And thoroughly enjoyed, I should add.

Mulberry Hollow (A Riverbend Romance Book 2)

When a handsome handyman faces a medical emergency on the Appalachian trail, his sudden appearance in town challenges an ambitious doctor’s plan to remain single for life.

When he decides to help her renovate a rundown carriage house, the obstacles to their attraction sprout like weeds—starting with the woman waiting for Wes at the end of the trail. Will he be able to relinquish the debt he owes his best friend? And will Avery find the courage to risk everything for love?

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Not too bad a day after all. It was nice to take the time to at least say hi. I’ve enjoyed the visit, I hope you have too.

New books August 09, 2023

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We have a new suggestion for an author we’ve read and enjoyed once before. This one is historical fiction and the first few pages have me wanting to read more. BookRunes has come through for us today with this idea.

Burgundy Gloves (Mighty One Book 1)

How can a God-fearing man be a Good Samaritan when a confusing young woman is making it impossible?
Levi Graham is a resilient, independent backwoodsman, who stumbles upon the injured young woman. Good Samaritan, he’s finding out the hard way, is not his best strength. In addition to caring for this beautiful, confusing woman, he encounters a robbery, a fire, visits from relatives, and the cabin’s previous owners, all disrupting his former peaceful life of solitude and trapping.
Suspended between two worlds, Allison Kent is helpless to find her way back home without hurting the kind and handsome man who has graciously taken her in.
Clutching her late mother’s Burgundy Gloves, Allison can only hope time will awaken her from this awful nightmare. Strange people, strange ideas and a strange young man looking long and ardent at her. How can she convince him she has nothing to give when she no place to call home? Will she rouse from the dark fog before she’s left to fend for herself?
Will her heart heal before she breaks his to pieces?

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It looks like this is it for today. It’s been fun browsing but one is all that’s showing up for me.

Well, that’s not entirely true. BookBub has a ten book box set suggestion that we’ve seen several times this week. One book is fine at the moment but I’m feeling reluctant to add ten more to my overloaded TBR pile all in one fell swoop.

On the other hand this collection is light-hearted romance. Maybe it would be a welcome change of pace from a long run of intense mystery.

There’s no law that says I have to finish the whole set.

OK, let’s do it.

Sweet Water Ranch Box Set Books 1-10 (Sweet Water Ranch Western Cowboy Romance)

Book 1 – The Cowboy’s Best Friend: He’s a cowboy with a billion dollar problem. His best friend can solve it, but it might break his heart.

Book 2 – The Cowboy’s Secret Baby: Will Ty pick up his cowboy hat and come back home? Can he convince Louise that he’ll stay this time?

Book 3 – The Cowboy’s Beauty: Can he trust her with his face? Because he’s very close to losing his heart.

Book 4 – The Cowboy’s Best Friend’s Sister: Should he follow the plan, or follow his heart?

Book 5 – The Cowboy’s Convenient Marriage: The cowboy’s not afraid of anything…except losing his heart again.

Book 6 – The Cowboy’s Fairy Tale: He’s the billionaire heir of Sweet Water Ranch. His family is throwing a ball and he must choose a wife.

Book 7 – The Cowboy’s Secret Romance: Called The Preacher, Clay Stryker has lived a life as straight as a North Dakota highway. He made a promise to her. And she’s riding west to make sure he keeps it.

Book 8 – The Cowboy’s Bargain Bride: Can love bloom between a woman who was forced to sell herself and the man who bought her to get her ranch?

Book 9 – The Cowboy’s Enemy: Can you love someone and hate them at the same time?

Book 10 – The Cowboy’s Mistletoe Kiss: Mack didn’t trust her, but he needed someone to help him with his nieces. She needed someone to help her put on the best Christmas festival Sweet Water had ever seen. Could they trust each other enough to work together? And what about that mistletoe kiss?

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New book suggestions July 22, 2023

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This is catch-up day. Neglected suggestion emails are back-logged and need attention, especially since the first email I looked at just now had an attractive recommendation. This could turn out to be a good day for books! Let’s hope. This first one is suggested by BookBub and it looks like we’ve read other books in this series so it won’t be entirely new.

The Art of Rivers: A Coastal Hearts

Rivers Sullivan bears both visible and invisible scars—those on her shoulder from a bullet wound and those on her heart from the loss of her fiancé during the same brutal attack. Not even her background as an art therapist can help her regain her faith in humanity. Still, she scrapes together the courage to travel to St. Simons Island to see the beach cottage and art gallery she’s inherited from her fiancé. When she stumbles upon recovering addicts running her gallery, she’s forced to reckon with her own healing.

After the tragic drowning of his cousin, James Cooper Knight spends his days trying to make up for his past mistakes. He not only dedicates his life to addiction counseling, but guilt drives him to the water, searching for others who’ve been caught unaware of the quickly rising tides of St. Simons. When he rescues a peculiar blond woman and her sketch pad from a sandbar, then delivers this same woman to his deceased grandmother’s properties, he knows things are about to get even more complicated.

Tragic circumstances draw Cooper and Rivers closer, but they fight their growing feelings. Though Cooper’s been sober for years, Rivers can’t imagine trusting her heart to someone in recovery, and he knows a relationship with her will only rip his family further apart. Distrust and guilt are only the first roadblocks they must overcome if they take a chance on love.

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BookRunes has a suggestion we’ve not seen and it will be an introduction to another author new to us. The ratings and reviews look good too.

Heiress of Comrie

When Ismay finds herself in Crieff, Scotland, without coins to give the tax man for her small estate, she resorts to stealing a horse and selling it to a cattle drover during the early morning hours of the day. After paying her debt, she wastes no time fleeing to her home and property in the highlands to avoid retribution.

Though hanging on the gallows is no longer a punishment for horse thievery in Scotland, in 1810, Ian MacAllen isn’t about to allow a wee tinker’s daughter to swindle him out of his horse and money without paying him back in full for the amount. He quickly turns his horse in the direction of Comrie to find Ismay and settle the matter between them.

Grizel Hawthorne, a wealthy noblewoman, is furious when she sees, Ismay, a blue-eyed lass with raven-dark hair and rosy cheeks, working to pay off a debt to Ian at his estate. Grizel is determined to find a way to oust the young woman from Ian’s home and out of his life for good.

Ismay holds her father’s necklace in her hand as she eyes the inscription on the back. What was it he’d tried to tell her on his deathbed? Who was the mysterious old woman, Morag Duffy, and what ties did she have to Ismay’s past? How might Ismay rely on her faith in God to find out the truth of the matter?

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Sheep Gate Publishing has a suggestion from an author we’ve read and enjoyed a number of times in 2023.

Over the Horizon: Horizon Series, Book 1

Alone in 1870s Idaho Territory, Paisley Abbott has nowhere to turn. With no other options, she finds herself consenting to an unconventional, but mutually beneficial agreement.

During an unplanned return to his family’s farm, prodigal Tyler Shepherdson inherits three orphans. When Tyler finds a woman hiding in the back of his wagon, an idea begins to form and he makes a rash decision that results in perhaps one of the most spontaneous marriages of convenience ever.

Despite an unorthodox beginning to their marriage, will Paisley and Tyler trust God as they forge ahead to create a home for three children? Will love arise from a desperate situation?

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Then there is a suggestion for a box set from another author we have enjoyed a number of times. It looks like the story of the same couple is spread over all four books. I will have to go back and reread book 1, we read it back in 2019 and a refresher would be in order.

A Time For Everything Series Box Set Books 1-4

Following her husband’s untimely death, Wendy Miller’s life revolves around her adult children, but when she accepts an invitation to her late husband’s grandmother’s birthday party in London, she meets a dashing, silver-haired Texan cowboy in Dublin who captures her heart.

Bruce McCarthy did his best to hold his family and ranch together after his wife died in a car accident ten years before, but following a recent health scare, he decides to live every day as if it were his last and books a flight to Ireland to find his Irish family.

The captivating woman he accidentally spills coffee on one morning stirs something inside him, and Bruce wonders if God might be giving him a second chance at love…

As they meet again in London, Paris and Venice, their friendship grows deeper, but while Bruce is eager to take their friendship further, Wendy is unsure if her adult children will accept a new man in her life, especially when one of them still blames God for allowing her father to die prematurely.

If Wendy can trust God to take care of the details, and Bruce can overcome his fears of his cancer returning, they may just discover that you’re never too old to fall in love…

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Well, I’m finished but not finished. Some of the suggestion strips look like they really need to be explored. Maybe something good will pop up and we will have a follow up post, we may even see each other again before the day is done. I have a good feeling about this.

New book suggestions July 10, 2023

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It’s catch-up time, for the build-up of regular suggestion emails. With my nose in a book most of the weekend, emails were not on my radar and things have gotten a little out of hand. I see some of the mentions are still available and one seems interesting. Maybe there will be more than one. That would be awesome.

We’ve read this first author several times and it’s nice to see her again. BookBub is responsible for this suggestion.

Grave Pursuits (Pennsylvania Parks Book 1) 

When a hiker goes missing and Emily discovers a skull, she finds herself targeted by a dangerous serial killer, putting her faith and love to the test. As the case gains national attention, Emily turns to her high school sweetheart and seasoned detective, Wade Brunner, for help in this Christian mystery thriller. Together, they embark on an exciting adventure, uncovering sinister secrets lurking in the park and solving a small-town mystery.

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This next one is an author we’ve seen several times and it will be a light read for a change of pace after the last one. Sounds like fantasy. A BookRunes suggestion.

A Christmas to Remember

Time for a Little Christmas Magic?

It’s December in small-town Indiana, and the life of nineteen-year-old Ellie Amerson has been turned upside down. Her mother remarried, and Ellie is no longer welcome in her own house. Sent to Grandpa’s cozy home, she finds a comforting refuge but is handed a detailed project. Can she complete the tasks in time? Her job at the diner has demands of its own.

When a mysterious cat named Trance appears, Ellie begins to have unusual dreams, too vivid to be imagined. She is shocked to learn the places where Trance had taken her are real. In the shadowy time between times, she discovers a handsome young man who desperately needs her help. The more she learns about him, the fonder her heart grows. Can she put the pieces together and save him before time runs out, or will she be lost from her world forever? What will this Christmas bring?

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So, browsing produced this next one. I’m interested for more than one reason but one is that we’ve read book 3 in this series, so why not read book 2 and see what it is about?

Love on Ice (Original Six Hockey Romance series Book 2)

She’s focused on winning gold. He wants to lose the player tag. Can a fake relationship become something real?

Aussie short track skater Holly Travers has one goal – make the Vancouver Games, no matter what it takes. She has no time for distractions, even if they come in the handsome form of her Canadian best friend’s twin brother. This hockey player may say he’s not a player, but can she trust him?
Brent Karlsson has one goal – make his sister’s best friend realize he’s a changed man and she should give him a chance. When a set-up in Hawaii helps these two opposites realize they have more in common than they thought, what happens when he wants to turn their fake relationship into something real? And how can a relationship work when these two elite athletes never see each other and live on opposite sides of the world?

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Another complete change of pace from BookBub. We’ve read a number of books from this author but very few quite like this one.

Keeping Bailey (A Forever Home Novel Book 4)

Through no fault of her own and after spending her entire life with an owner she loves, Bailey’s life is turned upside down. She’s dropped off at the Humane Society where Kim Harper works as the Animal Behavior Manager. Alone and confused, Bailey shuts down completely. She won’t eat or even acknowledge anyone who reaches out to her. Kim knows older dogs are hard to re-home. If Bailey can’t come out of this, it will be impossible.

A retired widow named Rhonda Hawthorne volunteers at the shelter. Rhonda’s dog recently passed away after a long and full life. Rhonda can’t even think about getting another one but hopes doing this will give her a chance to be around dogs, make a small difference in their lives, but without making a permanent commitment. Soon she decides to do whatever she can to help Bailey, before it’s too late. What life-changing difference will this decision create in her own life?

Kim Harper is also wondering about something else…will Ned, the boyfriend she loves, ever get serious and pop the question?

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Last but not least, from a final browse. This will be a new experience with an author new to us. The first chapter has sealed the deal for me.

Within These Gilded Halls: A Regency Romance

Hidden treasure and betrayal mingle with unexpected love within the walls of Avonthorpe Hall.

After studying art under Miss Drake, a renowned painter, Phoebe Radcliff is certain she can finally move beyond the childish mistake that’s kept her away from home. She is thrilled when Miss Drake employs her to complete a complicated ballroom renovation.

Everything changes, however, the moment Miss Drake is murdered. With her last breath she imparts the location of a clue to Phoebe. Can the biggest secret of Avonthorpe Hall be true—the rumored treasure real? Phoebe is tasked to finish her work in the ballroom by Miss Drake’s infuriatingly regimented yet all-too-handsome nephew, Lt. Graham Burke. Determined to fulfill the promise she made to her beloved teacher to find the treasure, Phoebe also works to uncover the truth about Miss Drake’s death—and she must do so before Lt. Burke leases the house.

But dark shadows line the gilded halls of Avonthorpe, and soon enough Phoebe realizes she’s not the only person who knows about the clues. What’s worse, she needs Lt. Burke’s help to stay ahead of whoever is hard on her heels. If only she weren’t so attracted to him.

Caught up in a deadly race for answers, Phoebe must find a way to breach the shroud of lies that surrounds every last resident in the house and, more importantly, face a past she’s been running away from for far too long.

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Five new books! A very nice way to start off the week.

Before heading into today’s search I was having trouble settling on a new read. This new list is looking entirely too enticing.

As for next post, the read pile is building into the double digits and needs to be cleared out again. Sounds like a good plan to me.

See you again soon.

Another new author June 12, 2023

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BookRunes has a good looking suggestion for us this morning. This is a relatively new author and one I’ve not read but want to. I’m excited to get into it.

The Burning Sands

Can an old tavern’s secrets free two women from their pasts?

After a year, Olivia Griffin still drowns in grief from losing her beloved husband in a tragic accident. To cope with his death, she loses herself in her art and genealogy research that follows her grandmother’s lineage to Trerose, a small fishing village on the Cornish coast of England. In a bid to start fresh, she travels to Cornwall to discover more about her grandmother’s past, where she is captivated by an old tavern and the story of a young woman who lived there in the seventeenth century.

In the autumn of 1671, Grace Atwood and her brother still mourn the loss of their childhood friend while they struggle to protect their mother and siblings from their abusive father, who operates The Burning Sands Tavern. Grace’s life sinks further into turmoil after her father arranges her marriage to a local merchant with secrets of his own. When two strangers arrive in the harbor and the village is set alight with rumors, Grace finds herself caught between her family’s secrets and a romantic interest in Rig, a mysterious young man who is determined to help save her family.

In the present day, Olivia dives deeper into the history of the village, tavern, and young Grace’s story, alongside two eccentric elderly sisters and the handsome vicar. The longer she spends in Trerose the more she is drawn to the village and tavern, which may very well hold the answer to both the past and her future.

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As usual, I was hoping for more in the way of new books and thought for a moment that it would happen. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. I’m excited to start this new one though so it’s still a good day.

Free and bargain books June 10, 2023

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It’s been a dry spell but relief is in sight. We have one book and, hopefully, there will be more. So, BookRunes has this first one and it’s FREE.

Season of Hope: (The Seasons Series Book 1)

Memories of his abusive father fuel Tyler Armstrong’s desire to make the world a safer place, so Tyler will do whatever it takes to become a Navy SEAL. Falling in love with his best friend, Amanda Jarvis, though, wasn’t part of his plans. Maybe his failed attempts to confess his love turned out for the best. Even if their shared faith helps them navigate the demands of SEAL life, he fears asking her to live with the uncertainties of his career. Amanda deserves better.

When Amanda’s plans for college fall through and her summer job in New York catapults her into a modeling career, she welcomes the distraction. Not only is she falling for her best friend, Tyler, but his impending deployment is also turning her world upside down. The more she learns of Navy SEALs, the more her dreams of finding out Tyler’s in love with her fade behind the fear that she’s not strong enough to spend her life with him.

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This bargain book looks interesting and it’s also an exposure to an author I read once or twice seven years ago. Experiencing something current from her would be awesome.

Love and a Little White Lie (State of Grace)

There’s a lot of irony in hitting rock bottom

After a heartbreak leaves her reeling, January Sanders is open to anything–including moving into a cabin on her aunt’s wedding-venue property and accepting a temporary position at her aunt’s church despite being a lifelong skeptic of faith. Choosing to keep her doubts to herself, she’s determined to give her all to supporting Grace Community’s overworked staff while helping herself move on.

What she doesn’t count on is meeting the church’s handsome and charming guitarist. It’s a match set for disaster, and yet January has no ability to stay away, even if it means pretending to have faith in a God she doesn’t believe in.

Only this time, keeping her secret isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. Especially when she’s constantly running into her aunt’s landscape architect, who seems to know everything about her past-and-present sins and makes no apologies about pushing her to deal with feelings she’d rather keep buried.

Torn between two worlds that can’t coexist, can January find the healing that’s eluded her, or will her resistance to the truth ruin any chance of happiness?

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I was hoping for more but it didn’t work out. Next time.