It has been awhile since we’ve met like this.

It feels like forever since the last time we had a new book to add to our reading list and I’m excited to see one today. Not only is it a new book but it’s a new-to-me author as well. The endorsements look encouraging.

The Dark Guest: A Standalone Christian Romantic Suspense novel (The Cold War Legacy Book 1)

When Violet Lundy isn’t cleaning rooms at Happy Hills Assisted Living Facility, she loves spending her free time with resident Rainer Kopecek. Hearing his stories of the dangerous life he led behind the Iron Curtain in East Berlin makes her own life seem more tolerable. But when Rainer is found dead and his room in disarray, Violet suspects foul play.

Dr. Henry Silverton lives among his books, teaching and writing about the Cold War. A letter about an East German traitor known only as “The Wolf” propels Henry out of academia and into Violet’s life. Together, they embark on a perilous quest to uncover the truth about Rainer’s death and the traitor’s identity.

Can Violet and Henry uncover the secrets of the past before one of them ends up as The Wolf’s next victim?

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There are still slim pickings when it comes to bargain books this morning. It seems they go in cycles and this is the downstroke.

I have several books on the go when it comes to reading. You know how that goes, the cream of the crop has been exhausted and the rest are not as compelling at this moment. Maybe it’s just me and the place I’m at these days. What appeals some days doesn’t appeal today. Whatever it is I’m determined to finish them. I take comfort in knowing I’m probably not alone in this state of affairs.

Here are the three I’m currently bouncing between.

Well that is not working so well for me.

The first one, it turns out, is not available on Kindle any more. I purchased it in 2015 but haven’t read it and now when I search for the picture and descriptive blurb it is unavailable without a deep dive. At least it is still contained in my library of books and there is a blurb available about the paperback. Books come and they go, it looks like. Probably more often than we know.

When trusting others only leads to pain and rejection, and loving ends only in loss, what will it take to restore hope again? Shamed by the uncovered truth about her missing husband’s secret life, Cora Buchanan sets out on a road trip for home to mend her broken relationship with her parents. When her car breaks down, she’s stranded in a small Georgia town. While staying at the struggling Southern Hope Ranch, she meets little Susie O’Reilly, who unexpectedly fills a void in Cora’s heart. But Rex, Susie’s rugged cowboy father who lost his wife a year earlier, seems to go out of his way to either confront or avoid Cora.

It doesn’t help her comfort level that the news continues to report missing and murdered women in the area. Cora has no idea just how close to home the crimes will hit…or how much the sweet sound of the meadowlark’s song at the ranch will impact her future. Plunge into pure romance with a twist of mystery. Set in the charm of contemporary small-town Georgia. By the beloved author of To Dance Once More.

So, it looks like Sherri has written other books and there is still an Intertwined series of three or four books but Song of the Meadowlark is no longer part of it.That’s probably why it has disappeared. Maybe at some point I will run across her again. to check out the series.

I can see why it has been removed, the serial killer aspect is not a strong part of the story. It would take a complete overhaul to make that happen. It was probably less work to leave it start over.

Here are the other two I’m working on. One is non-fiction.

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I’ll be back if anything else shows up.

Happy reading.

We are back. BookBub has an interesting FREE suggestion for us. From another one of our popular authors. A rivalry. This could be exciting.

A Vote of Confidence: Historical Romantic Fiction (Beneath Sweet Western Skies) 

Who says a woman can’t do a man’s job?

Put up or shut up! Complaining about Bethlehem Springs’ dissolute mayoral candidate, Gwen Arlington is challenged to take on the role herself. For seven years, she’s carved out an independent life in the bustling mountain town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho, teaching piano and writing for the local newspaper. But now she’s a single woman running for mayor — and in 1915 this decision is bound to stir up trouble.

Morgan McKinley is fed up with the delays that hinder the construction of New Hope Health Spa, a place where both rich and poor can come for rest and healing. New to the area, he’s determined that serving as mayor would help him push through his agenda for progress.

Gwen and Morgan each want to prove they are the most qualified candidate, not only to voters but to each other, and so sparks fly as the two campaign. Although Morgan has learned to guard his heart as fiercely as Gwen guards her independence, could they learn to be allies instead of adversaries?

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BookRunes also has a FREE suggestion, this time with an author I have not heard of. She has a number of other bargain books too I see. Must check them out. Later.

This one sounds intense and intriguing.

After Night Falls: Walking away from everything, she sought shelter on the river…vanished almost completely out of sight & then he found her. (Secrets of the River Book 1)

Tragedy, secrets, and heartache. It’s been the story of her life for years. Abigail knew that she should be afraid of him…but she wasn’t. Not even when he told her who he was…and why he was there.

She’d taken a job on the cruise ship years ago with the thought that if she was never in any one place for very long she would be safe. No one would ever think to look for her here.

At least that’s what she believed.

Gabe had suspected for a couple of days that something wasn’t quite right. He’d taken this particular job thinking it would be a simple deal and tied up quickly and easily. Too bad the client had been less than forthcoming. That never worked well for anyone involved.

Then there was the additional fact that Abigail wasn’t anything like what he’d been led to expect once he found her. But then nothing about this job was turning out the way he expected it would and least of all…Abigail.

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For a minute there it looked like there would be more than two new books for us but nope.

We do have books though, so we won’t complain. Conveniently, I’m between reads, one of these just may be next up.

The read file is becoming crowded again so we will have to be back soon for a clearing out.

These free books have a short time limit, they say, so there is a need to move fast.

Happy reading

It looks like the no-book dry spell has come to an end, 1531 Entertainment has a suggestion for us. It’s such a good one that I will be abandoning my current read in favor of this one. Book two in this series was in the lineup a month ago so we know by experience that this read will be just as good.

Tough as Steele: (Steele Guardians – Book 1)

Searching for an abducted woman…
Detective Londyn Steele is thrown into the deep end when she’s assigned to find an abducted socialite. Problem is, her family’s company, Steele Guardians, was supposed to protect the family matriarch at her eightieth birthday party when she disappears, and Londyn fears her investigation will expose problems in her family’s company and bring them down. Especially when County Detective Nate Ryder declares jurisdiction over the scene, and Londyn must take a back seat in one of the most important cases she’s ever investigated.

Could put them in a deadly killer’s crosshairs.
Londyn has no choice but to work with Nate and bristles at his interference at first, but soon forms a working truce so they can combine forces to locate this missing woman before it’s too late. As they search for leads, emotions he hasn’t felt since before his service as a Navy SEAL come to the surface. He credits Londyn for unearthing the guy he used to be before his military service, and Londyn can barely fight her attraction for him. But when they fear the socialite was murdered and the killer is still hunting, seeking another prey, their feelings for each other have to be put on hold to stay alive.

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Although now that I read a bit more in my current book I may have to change my mind about ditching it for this new one. And now that I remember the current read is a three book collection maybe a compromise would be in order. Take a break after book one and then come back for the other two. Definitely worth thinking about.

Black Hills Song: A Sweet Historical Romance Set in the Black Hills

After losing their Ma and Pa to a tragic illness, Ezekiel Wagner and his brothers are plagued by a mysterious addendum in their will. A threat against the only family they have left forces them to risk everything to save their aunt’s life before the curtain closes on the construction of her opera house.

Tender Melody

As an orphan, Martha never had a family. When she is falsely accused and loses her position, she’s left penniless and desperate. Desperate enough to consider Ezekiel’s marriage of convenience offer. The business arrangement will benefit them both, but will she end up falling in love with the honorable man who saved her from poverty?

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That’s all I have for today but I could be back soon. My already-read list is getting out of hand again and needs some clearing out.

Until then. . .

Happy reading!

It’s time again to clean out the accumulation of read and enjoyed books.

All of these books were great.

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This was a pleasant reading experience and I’m looking forward to it happening again.

It seems wrong to share all this without much comment but the truth is my memories are too dim to have much to say.

That’s the trouble with reading so many books on a short timeline. Lots of skimming to keep things moving and then when it’s finished and instantly starting a new book, there is not much chance of good memory retention.

It gets so bad that sometimes when I pick up a story where I’m a few chapters in, I have to stop to ask myself what story is this again? Then there is a long pause while I allow memories to flood back in.

I do like to read slow enough to savor the experience but it isn’t practical most of the time. Unless it’s an especially compelling story then I do slow down for a stroll through the book.

It’s the constant temptation to buy more books that has created this need to hurry.

My newest justification for buying more than I can read is the thought that one day I may not carry on with this blog with bargain books but I will still have a long list of unread books to fall back on.

I don’t think about this reasoning too deeply because if I do it sounds like a frail excuse.

Frail or not that is my excuse and I’m sticking with it.

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My current read, just started.

The detail I’m most impressed with so far?

Three sisters are fleeing from their controlling and abusive step father, with their mother’s blessing. Part of their journey includes a precarious ride down a nine mile wooden flue used to carry logs down the mountain to the river. They are familiar with the water flue and how it works because of time spent with their father who owned and operated the business.

I think it was a pretty gutsy thing for them to do.

Hopefully the rest of their journey will go as well. Probably not though, as tension makes for a good story.

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With their sharp engineering minds, Laura Stiles and her two sisters have been able to deal with their mother’s unfortunate choice in husband until they discovered his plans to marry each of them off to his lecherous friends. Now they must run away–far and fast–to find better matches to legally claim their portion of their father’s lumber dynasty and seize control from their stepfather.

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Now back to the story.

Happy Reading y’all