Fiction

Bargain books November 06, 2021

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BookBub has an interesting suggestion for us. It is book 2 in the series and since book 1 is also a bargain I think we need them both. I suspect book 2 will make more sense after reading book 1.

Tomorrow’s Blessings: A Blueberry Beach Novel Book 2

Anitra Pollard has lived in Blueberry Beach all her life, an idyllic small, lakeside town where regular people go to escape real life.

Unfortunately Anitra’s real life couldn’t get much worse, despite the idyllic setting.

Her husband left not long before her oldest son was diagnosed with leukemia. Worse, the head doctor on the team assigned to her son looks very much like the man she had a short, but very sweet, summer fling with…and the father of the child she carries.

Her life couldn’t get any harder or messier, but she will let nothing get in the way of getting the very best care for her son, even if it means staying married to her cheating husband to keep his health insurance and rebuffing the overtures of the doctor who thinks he recognizes her.

Thankfully she has the support of her friends and neighbors in Blueberry Beach – her safe harbor in the middle of life’s storms.

But even they can’t protect her from the heartache of losing everything she’s always held dear.

Will her new baby be the beginning of tomorrow’s blessings?


Reviews for Tomorrow’s Blessings:

★★★★★ “Could not put this book down! …this story has interesting twists that keeps you reading; along with doses of humor that will make you laugh out loud. Life is sometimes hard and this book reminds us that God accepts us where we are.” -KBH

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Yesterday’s Treasures: A Blueberry Beach Novel (Blueberry Beach Book 1)

She doesn’t want a divorce, she just wants…something. Something more than being a single mom yet doing a man’s laundry.

After fifteen years of her husband never having time for her, Lindy Coats moves with her teenaged daughter to their summer cottage on the shores of Lake Michigan outside the town of Blueberry Beach.

With a lonely single dad on one side of her, a crochety old business owner on the other and a young mother with terrible secrets and a son fighting leukemia across the road, it doesn’t take Lindy long to discover that learning to enjoy life is less about what she chooses to do for herself and more about what she chooses to do for others.

As she sinks into the small town atmosphere, healing her soul and excited at a new business opportunity, her ex shows up, wanting to reconcile.

Can she decide between her bright tomorrow or come to see the values of yesterday’s treasures?

Enjoy this delightful, heartwarming beach read today!


Reviews for Yesterday’s Treasures:

★★★★★ “Jessie has written an absolutely beautiful story of forgiveness. This story and her characters are believable and relatable. She has perfectly described the raw and real feelings of a couple who’s marriage is in trouble…This is a powerful and gripping story.” -KKRG

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One thing for sure, the lives of these characters look messy. Very messy. It will add interest to the stories, no doubt about that.

If we are honest, messy is not all that unusual in human relationships. Some us may be able to relate and maybe even gain a little hope reading these stories.

Happy Reading this weekend.

Read and enjoyed November 05, 2021

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I have a couple of books to share. They were different styles but both were enjoyable in their own way.

This first did not turn out the way I expected. It was kind of nice actually. A surprise ending is always a good thing.

The second book was my favorite though.

Caitlyn’s Christmas: A Christian Romantic Suspense (Smoky Mountain Secrets Book 7)

When an injured cat runs across the road, Caitlyn doesn’t hesitate to rescue the feline. But she isn’t prepared to witness a brutal murder. She slips away, only to lock eyes with the murderer, recognizing him as someone she’d seen earlier.

Now the killer knows who she is, too. Caitlyn calls her cop friend Devon Rainer for advice, humbled when he agrees to protect her.

Devon is concerned about Caitlyn’s safety, especially after they return to the scene of the crime to find the dead woman gone without a trace. The escalating attacks against Caitlyn, prove the killer intends to silence anyone who can identify him. Devon’s priority is to keep Caitlyn safe, while finding the killer. Will they survive long enough to celebrate Christmas and their newfound love?

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Whispers of the Heart: A Regency Romance (Soldiers and Sweethearts Book 2) 

Miss Ann Whyte has been sent to London under the care of one Earl of Ware, doing so to honor a promise to her brother. Attempting to make the best of the situation, she is deeply affronted when the Earl ignores her entirely and thrusts her into the care of his mother. Ann determines to throw herself into society and hopes to quickly find a suitor, thinking that no gentleman could be worse than her host!

Geoffrey, the Earl of Ware, cannot help but be attracted to Miss Whyte but resolves not to be distracted by her. Hearing that French spies may already be in London and having been forced to return home from the war himself, Geoffrey is determined to protect his country. However, when other gentlemen begin to pursue Miss Whyte, Geoffrey struggles with his feelings. When Miss Whyte finds herself unknowingly in danger, Geoffrey knows he must protect her.

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Free and bargain books November 04, 2021

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BookBub has a FREE suggestion for us. This book popped up several years ago and I still remember the read.

Refuge at Pine Lake: A Pine Haven Novel

A twenty-six-year-old former kindergarten teacher, has her summer and her life all figured out. She’s ready to be on her own, writing and illustrating her children’s stories at her family’s beloved lake house. Once there, she intends to rekindle a romance with Caleb Jackson, the area’s top hunting and fishing guide, and bag him for herself.

Complications arise from the start when Robin finds out her mother has rented the lake house to a man they know nothing about. Matthew McLaughlin, forty-year-old widowed university professor and author from California, shows up at Pine Lake in crisis. A sabbatical might be his only hope to save much more than his career. He needs a place of refuge.

Sharing the lake house with a lighthearted young woman and her dog is the last thing on his mind. Caleb Jackson has his own plans. He’s used to things going his way, but a man staying in Robin’s house presents unforeseen challenges. When paths unavoidably entangle for these three, hearts are on the line.

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1531 Entertainment has an interesting suggestion. I love it when the story line does not resemble anything I’ve ever read before. I’ve not read one like this one.

A Lady in Attendance

Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel’s real name. So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts’s lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future after all.

As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can’t help but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by forever rob the future of its possibilities?

Rachel Fordham pens a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they work toward a common purpose–to expunge the record of someone society deemed beyond saving–and perhaps find love along the way.

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It’s another beautiful day here.

Hopefully you’re enjoying a nice day too wherever you live.

At least with a good book if nothing else.

Happy Reading

Bargain books November 03, 2021

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BookBub has an interesting suggestion for us. One I’ve read and enjoyed.

Deadly Proof (Atlanta Justice Book #1)

Riveting New Series Offers Legal Suspense with a Romantic Twist

In the biggest case of her career, attorney Kate Sullivan is tapped as lead counsel to take on Mason Pharmaceutical because of a corporate cover-up related to its newest drug. After a whistleblower dies, Kate knows the stakes are much higher than her other lawsuits.

Former Army Ranger turned private investigator Landon James is still haunted by mistakes made while serving overseas. Trying to forget the past, he is hired by Kate to look into the whistleblower’s allegation and soon suspects that the company may be engaging in a dangerous game for profit. He also soon finds himself falling for this passionate and earnest young lawyer.

Determined not to make the same mistakes, he’s intent on keeping Kate safe, but as the case deepens, it appears someone is willing to risk everything–even murder–to keep the case from going to trial.

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1531 Entertainment has a fun suggestion. I use that word loosely. It has serious stuff going on but is promised to be fun.

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind: A Novel

Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly bemused when one Hazel Marie Puckett appears at her door with a youngster in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the bastard son of Miss Julia’s late husband. Suddenly, this longtime church member and pillar of her small Southern community finds herself in the center of an unseemly scandal-and the guardian of a wan nine-year-old whose mere presence turns her life upside down.

With razor-sharp wit and perfect “Steel Magnolia” poise, Miss Julia speaks her mind indeed-about a robbery, a kidnapping, and the other disgraceful events precipitated by her husband’s death. Fast-paced and charming, with a sure sense of comic drama, a cast of crazy characters, and a strong Southern cadence, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind will delight readers from first page to last.

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This last book may be my next read although it may take awhile. I’ve spent far too much time paying attention to the Governor election races in the US. I’m happy about the results on some of them though. Crazy times.

I hope you enjoy these mysteries.

Happy Reading

Free and bargain books November 02, 2021

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1531 Entertainment has several suggestions for us.

Mysteries, all.

Starving Hearts (Triangular Trade Trilogy Book 1)

“Not only is this a delightful regency romance but it is also suspense filled mystery of the very best kind.” ~ Amazon review

“The author did a great job, maybe too great a job, describing the slave scenes. Spine tingling and suspenseful. I was biting my nails throughout much of this book.” ~ Amazon review

Plagued by nightmares, Annette yearns to find her anonymous rescuer — the man who saved her life from a near deadly assault. Deep inside she is starving for companionship and a mutually respectful relationship.

When Mr. Peter Adsley, an abolitionist pastor dealing with his own emotional baggage, agrees to a clandestine meeting, the event appears providential. But self-doubt, deception, and the schemes of a mutual enemy threaten to keep the pair apart. A phantom adversary will stop at nothing to win Annette’s dowry for himself, even if it means killing Peter.

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Hush (Amelia Island Suspense Book 1)

Lacey Campbell dreams murders before they happen.

The night she dreams of a man strangling a young woman while crooning the lullaby “Hush, Little Baby,” she tries to convince herself it doesn’t mean anything. The next day she’s horrified to learn her dream was reality. Then she dreams the second murder….

Detective Ford Jamison is called in to help the local police, and he soon has a working theory about the murders. His belief that the killer is using the lullaby as a “blueprint” to target women who resemble Lacey, doesn’t slow the killings. Lacey is now afraid to fall asleep at night because the next face she sees in her dream might be her own.

As a hurricane churns ever closer to the little coastal town, danger and suspicion spins out of control. Time is running out. Can they stop the killer before the last verse of the lullaby?

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I’m betwixt books again and I think I’m going to check out a Christmas story for my next read. Another mystery.

Caitlyn’s Christmas: A Christian Romantic Suspense (Smoky Mountain Secrets Book 7) 

When an injured cat runs across the road, Caitlyn doesn’t hesitate to rescue the feline. But she isn’t prepared to witness a brutal murder. She slips away, only to lock eyes with the murderer, recognizing him as someone she’d seen earlier. Now the killer knows who she is, too. Caitlyn calls her cop friend Devon Rainer for advice, humbled when he agrees to protect her.

Devon is concerned about Caitlyn’s safety, especially after they return to the scene of the crime to find the dead woman gone without a trace. The escalating attacks against Caitlyn, prove the killer intends to silence anyone who can identify him. Devon’s priority is to keep Caitlyn safe, while finding the killer. Will they survive long enough to celebrate Christmas and their newfound love?

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Happy Reading!

Currently reading a mystery October 29, 2021

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I’m currently reading the new Christy Barritt book in the Salt Water Cowboys series. It has a interesting twist not seen in any other book I’ve read thus far. I wonder how they are going to get out of this situation. Of course we know they will because it’s still the beginning of the book and they are the main characters after all.

Unwavering Security (Saltwater Cowboys Book 6) 

Her plain Jane past still plays on her insecurities. His betrayal at the hands of someone he trusted leaves him on edge. Can they overcome their pasts and rely on each other when danger closes in?

Thaddeus Blackwell and Miranda Stewart have one common goal. As best man and maid of honor, it’s their duty to make sure Grant Matthews’ and Abigail Ferguson’s big day goes off without a hitch. However, after a fantastic first date several months ago, things went downhill and are now awkward, at best, between Thaddeus and Miranda.

Both were hoping to avoid each other except when absolutely necessary. But things don’t go as planned when the Texas FBI agent and New York City reporter literally fall into danger. What they uncover turns their plans upside down.

Now they’re not just helping with the wedding, but they’re trying to stay alive. Can Thaddeus offer Miranda the safety and security she craves? Or is he like every other man in Miranda’s life? Someone may silence both of them before they can find out.

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Check it out, it should be fun. Although there is a dead body, so maybe not so much.

Happy Reading y’all

Free and bargain books October 28, 2021

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BookBub has a FREE suggestions for us.

Dillon (Circle A Cowboys Book 1)

Maude’s husband, John, had been injured and she desperately needed some cowboys to work the ranch. She found Dillon down on his luck and gave him, and five other young men, a home and trains them. Seven years later she is set on finding brides for all of the young men. Dillon’s not interested. He was robbed of everything by Slick McCall—someone he trusted. A girl he loved has also treated him poorly. He doesn’t intend to open his heart to anyone. His plan is to stay right there on the ranch and take care of Maude and John.

Abigail has been duped by a slick-talking charmer and is now expecting a baby with no ring on her finger. Posing as a widow, she flees west, intending to start over and create a new life for herself and her unborn baby. However she arrives at Logan Crossing and discovers her money is missing—stolen. She has nothing. Maude offers her a job on the ranch, thinking this pretty young widow will be suitable for one of the boys.

Slick McCall was the man who sweet talked her into making Abby’s baby. She was prepared to tell Dillon the truth about being an unwed mother but hearing his words makes her realize she must guard her secret.

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A suggestion from 1531 Entertainment.

Running With The Wind: A tale of courage, love and survival aboard the Mayflower (The Mayflower Collection Book 1)

Jedediah Trelawney joins a small, overcrowded ship bound for America. A young man from a privileged background, he struggles to adapt to life at sea. Determined to earn the respect of his fellow passengers, he undertakes arduous tasks alongside the crew, but Jed is not cut out for the life of a sailor.

Sickness is rife aboard the Mayflower. Inspired by Samuel Fuller, a self-taught physician, Jed develops a fascination with the healing arts. He thrives as Doctor Fuller’s apprentice and challenges traditional ideas, seeking kinder methods for treating the sick.

Smitten by Desire Minter, Jed dreams of a future as a respected colony physician with Desire as his wife. Hostile passenger, John Billington, has other ideas. When Billington threatens to reveal Jed’s past, Jed becomes the victim of bullying and bribery. Somehow, Jed must silence Billington for good, or risk losing everything — including his life.

A page-turning tale about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

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Happy Reading …

On this cloudy but not terribly cold day at the end of October.

Bargain books October 27, 2021

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1531 Entertainment has several suggestions for us.

Don’t Leave Me: A sweet, faith-filled second chances romance at Christmas

Can two people with wounded souls and secrets in their past find love during the most wonderful time of the year?

A DNA match leads Lara Margulis to a small coastal town in search of her father weeks before Christmas. She surprises herself by buying a beach house in need of repairs that reminds her of her childhood home. As an elite fitness trainer, she travels to her clients’ locations and never stays in one place for long. Can her handsome neighbor finally bring home to her heart?

After a tragic loss, Jason Carrington became a hermit. But when his lovely new neighbor needs his help with repairs, he finds himself spending a lot of time with her and gradually falling for her. However, she doesn’t intend to stay—or open herself for love. Will the truth behind her secret bring them closer—or tear them apart?

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A Christmas by the Sea: A Christmas Novella

When Wendy Harper inherits her family’s beachside cottage in Seaside, Maine, she sees it as a way to finally pay off the debts that have mounted since her husband died. But before it can be sold, the neglected property must be renovated. She and her 12-year-old son Jackson move in–temporarily, she reminds him–in order to do the work themselves, even though Christmas is coming.

The charming town, along with local craftsman Caleb Colton, pulls on both Wendy and Jackson, who even registers himself for school in a bid to get his mom to move them there permanently. Wendy knows that the most responsible thing to do is to sell the cottage and return to Ohio, but the lure of the sea is hard to resist.

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I haven’t done much reading today. I’ve been busy responding to a rather deep conversation that has spanned most of the day, off and on.

It has been rather nice, the novelty of someone to talk to.

Maybe reading will happen tomorrow.

In the meantime…

Happy Reading!

Current read October 26, 2021

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Not much to share in the way of new books today. Well, it’s closer to nothing to share, to be honest.

There were a few suggestions but they were all recent acquisitions so no need to share them here again.

There was one completed read but I flipped through it to the end and only gave it three stars. It was not worth mentioning, in my mind anyway.

Finally, there is a book worth mentioning. It is a three book collection, I’m on book 1 and quite enjoying it.

A Taking Chances Christmas 

Dreaming of More

One girl, one problem, and two possible solutions.

An orphan herself, all Norah Monroe wants to do is adopt three kids from the Stanthorpe Children’s Home, giving them the home she never had.

Head of the adoption board, Octavia Stanthorpe, driven by her own self-importance and prejudice, is determined to rid the town of riffraff like those Monroes. Her solution? To dust off an outdated and long forgotten rule stating all adopters must be married…and Norah is not married.

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It looks like I’m going to have to read all three books to find out who got the girl.

It’s only the end of October and already we have been having heavy frost. Winter seems to be arriving early this year. It will soon be time to break out the long-johns.

I don’t mind, I like being warm.

Happy reading, and stay warm.

Unless you are in Florida or south of the equator, in which case we would have to say, stay cool.

Free and bargain books October 25, 2021

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us, This is an author new to me and when I checked out her other books I found a second one free. I figured why not so we’ll go for both of them.

Way of the Raven

Two Converging Paths…NYC editor David Wappelhorst has everything going for him except what he’s wanted in life. Concerned he’s waited too long to pursue his dream of writing a bestseller, he ditches his prestigious career and relocates to his hometown.

After witnessing a murder and given a new identity, Megan Summers finds herself in a Podunk Pennsylvanian town far away from family. Stunned with grief, she wonders if it’s possible to rebuild her life. A nearby abandoned brick house with a grim history lends more unease to her situation. Has she escaped one deadly past to live in the shadow of another?

David is intrigued by crossing Megan’s path. Why does she seem familiar? And by meeting her has his desire turned tragically unattainable?

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Rafe’s Cafe

Rafé always thinks of fall in a strange, sweet way. That’s when he met Patty.

With a flair for retro style and a feisty pet ferret, Rafé Sinclair is not the ordinary pizza chef of the 1990s. Although he enjoys hard work, nothing in his life has ever gone right. The dream of having his own café has vanished, and love has passed him by. When a friend sets up a blind date, he’s not sure what to expect. Is his life finally taking a turn for the best?

Running from a painful past, cute Goth Patty Blackford is matched to an unlikely suitor. Possibly he will be entertainment for several months or more. She will win his love with the intent of breaking his heart. Then she can fully receive the compensation the male gender owes her and rebuild her life.

Everything is looking up for Rafé and Patty. What could possibly go wrong?

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1531 Entertainment has several collections we might like.

A Taking Chances Christmas 

Synopsis for the first book.

One girl, one problem, and two possible solutions.

An orphan herself, all Norah Monroe wants to do is adopt three kids from the Stanthorpe Children’s Home, giving them the home she never had.

Head of the adoption board, Octavia Stanthorpe, driven by her own self-importance and prejudice, is determined to rid the town of riffraff like those Monroes. Her solution? To dust off an outdated and long forgotten rule stating all adopters must be married…and Norah is not married.

Therefore… “Application denied.”

Enter Thad Davis, the town doctor, and Clay Barrett, a local rancher. One offers a marriage of convenience and a guaranteed solution to the adoption issue. The other offers the chance to fall in love with no guarantees at all. Supported by her brother, Norah needs to figure out what she’s going to do now.

If that wasn’t tricky enough, it’s early December and she has until the new year to do it. Will she run out and do something stupid or will she trust in the LORD forever?

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Faith & Family Christmas Collection (20 Book Box Set)

Take courage this Christmas and join these brave women as they leave behind all they know for a new life out west.

In these delightful stories, the magic and hope of Christmas are never far away. Love will always find a way to melt even the coldest of hearts.

This collection of clean festive stories reminds us that there is nothing more important than family and faith at Christmas.

The box set contains these stories:

Finding Christmas
The Christmas Journey
Christmas Memories
Finding Faith at Christmas
Christmas Secrets
Her Christmas Joy
Christmas Miracles
The Christmas Bride
The Christmas Delivery
A Christmas Hope
The Christmas Gift
The Bride’s Christmas Blessing
The Two Christmas Gifts
The Christmas Choice
The Christmas Grieving
Finding A Family at Christmas
A Christmas Story of Two Sisters
Kitty’s First Christmas
A Cowboy’s Christmas Carol
The Christmas Heart

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Hopefully there will be something here you like.

Happy Reading!