It’s been a warm and productive day, working on yard clean up. My neighbor took pity on me last week and spread weed killer on some of my overgrown flower beds. I’ve been trying to go green and deal with weeds by pulling them out by the roots. It was a losing battle, getting worse every time the weeds flowered, which was often. The killer did a great job and I’m loving the look of the big bed I managed to clear out today.

The previous owner was responsible for the beautiful landscaping and they were intolerant of any weed daring to grow in their yard. The first few years there were few weeds for me to deal with, I was reaping the benefit of their zealousness. I was away a number of summer weeks several years ago and that was the downfall. It’s been an uphill battle ever since.

This week has been very productive, if I can manage to fit in another one of two weeks  of the same it could be celebration time. Fingers crossed. If I can get it all clean I’ll share some pictures.

No time has been spent looking for books today, at least not until now.

I see one that’s a possibility. It’s a start anyway. This is another author new to me and I don’t know what to expect but it looks interesting.

When the Heart Calls … a $0.99 bargain

Amazon quote:

Claire Sallaway has lived with an unpredictable heart condition for most of her life. With a plan in place to manage her symptoms, she has been able to avoid any major health problems and live a relatively normal life. With work, church and friends, her life is indeed full. Or so she thought. Settled in her job as a forensic scientist, Claire is content with her comfortable suburban life – until the day her heart betrays her and a man with the most intriguing ocean-blue eyes steps in, turning her world upside down.

Aaron Thurnham is the answer to Claire’s prayers. With the handsome, fun and God-fearing man by her side, life is blissfully perfect and full of adventure.

Until it isn’t.

When tragedy strikes and dreams are shattered, Claire clings desperately to the fragmented remains of her life. Heartbroken, and with every good thing stripped away, she is faced with a choice. Will she become paralyzed by fear? Or will she listen to the still small whisper of God and place her heart in His hands?

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Another bargain with the same author. Three books set in Australia for $1.34

The Hope Rising Series Box Set

Amazon quote:

River’s Edge
How does a successful businessman end up with nothing but the clothes on his back and all his worldly possessions shoved into a bag? That’s the question Ben Tarbett asks himself time and again. When his world falls apart, Ben finds himself calling the banks of the Brisbane River home – a vastly different view to the one he had when working from a highrise in the heart of the city. Sheltering from the elements, and relying on food handouts, he longs for the day when he can once again have a roof over his head and be the father his daughter needs him to be.

All Natalie Allcroft wants to do is serve Jesus and bring hope to the less-fortunate and downtrodden who wander the streets of the city she now calls home. Volunteering with Hope Street Church, she is inexplicably drawn to the man who visits the breakfast van every morning. There’s something different about him. Something not quite as rugged and worn out as the other itinerants she meets. She’s seen the way he treats others, and is curious about his story.

Natalie’s desire has always been to serve. But when it comes to matters of the heart, there’s a big difference between guarding and giving. There’s a big difference between compassion and attraction.
Is the line worth crossing?

Valley’s Reach
It’s been two years since Brad Rowland witnessed an accident that changed his life forever. Two years of trying to escape the images that constantly haunt his dreams. Two years of finding comfort in the bottom of a bottle and pushing people away. His life is consumed with guilt and angst. No one understands his pain, and it’s better that way.

Receiving Treetops Bed & Breakfast as a gift from her aunt gave Eve McNeal the perfect excuse to escape the hectic pace of city life and the loneliness that has consumed her for so long. Amid the rainforest, she is free to tend to her guests and deal with the guilt of putting her mother with Alzheimer’s in a care facility. By offering hospitality to others, she is free to be herself and ignore the deep hurt she carries from a childhood injury that left her with visible scars.

But life’s not meant to be lived in solitude.
When Brad finds himself on Eve’s doorstep, he is challenged to face up to his past. Eve is curious about the broken man she has taken in, and must face her own struggles if she is to show him the reason for her hope.

When broken souls collide, can wounds be healed and wholeness found?

Ocean’s Drift
Shame and guilt follow Vanessa Silverton everywhere. A preacher’s kid, she rebelled from her parent’s faith years ago and has since lived with the consequences of making one wrong decision after the other. After one fateful night, she severs all contact with her friends and flees to the Sunshine Coast, longing to leave her past far behind. She escapes to a quaint coastal town finding work in a beachside cafe in an attempt to start afresh where no one knows her name or the past that haunts her dreams. But life doesn’t always go to plan, and soon her past catches up with her in a way she never anticipated.

The ocean is where Joel Ruthven finds solace from the grief that weighs heavy on his heart. Wrestling with God over the loss of his wife and daughter, he buries himself in his teaching job at the local high school and running the youth group at Seaside Fellowship. It’s better that way. Keeping busy means he doesn’t have time to entertain the melancholy that threatens to pull him under. He is inexplicably drawn to the new barista who serves up his daily coffee fix, yet is left questioning God about the fairness of life when her secrets come to light.

When a near tragedy brings past and present together, Vanessa and Joel must learn to surrender their fears and doubts to the One who holds them in the palm of His hand.

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I’m currently reading a book I’m having trouble getting in to.  I may have to do some major skimming to see how it all ends. It’s still FREE. Check it out to see if you like it better than I do.

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I hope you have had a good weekend too, along with some Happy Reading.