historical fiction

Bargain books part two August 28, 2022

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Two more appealing books stumbled across in today’s browsing session. This first author is new to me.

The Missing Piece: Inspirational Love Story

How does a man pick up the pieces when his world crashes around him? Misplaced priorities shattered his marriage. Problems almost crushed him. Love motivated him to mend the damage, once he found all the pieces. After only a few months of marriage, Lorraine left Dylan on a wintry night after he’d spent one too many nights out with the guys.

Unable to cope with the loss, Dylan escapes the painful feelings by drinking them away. This decision costs him a year-and-a-half of his life after he stops in a little mountain town and ends up in the local jail. When he’s released, he returns home in search of a job to get his life—and his wife back.

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This second one will be a challenge, time-wise, 414 pages. I’m a fan of long books though.

Shadows of Swanford Abbey

When Miss Rebecca Lane returns to her home village after a few years away, her brother begs for a favor: go to nearby Swanford Abbey and deliver his manuscript to an author staying there who could help him get published. Feeling responsible for her brother’s desperate state, she reluctantly agrees.

The medieval monastery turned grand hotel is rumored to be haunted. Once there, Rebecca begins noticing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey’s cloisters. For all its renovations and veneer of luxury, the ancient foundations seem to echo with whispers of the past–including her own. For there she encounters Sir Frederick–magistrate, widower, and former neighbor–who long ago broke her heart.

When the famous author is found murdered in the abbey, Sir Frederick begins questioning staff and guests and quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the man, including Miss Lane and her brother. Haunted by a painful betrayal in his past, Sir Frederick searches for answers but is torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something. . . .

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It has been such a profitable day that it’s tempting to keep looking. Prudence says I’d best quit and save more for another day.

Free books August 22, 2022

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BookBub has a FREE suggestion for us this time. It could be good. I’m not sure, but the price is right to give it a try.

Even Forever: A Clean Western Romance (Boulder Creek Romance Book 1)

The last thing Rosalie Tomkin wants is another man trying to control her life.

Rosalie’s abusive jailbird father and her ne’er-do-well brother have cured her of that. Not even the wealthy visitor staying in her beleaguered mother’s boarding house can tempt her. She plans to leave Boulder Creek as soon as she can scrape together the funds to do so, and when she does, she won’t ever look back.

Michael Randolph is in a high-stakes competition for the family business and intends to beat his half-brother, no matter what. So when an innocent encounter with Rosalie threatens to cost him everything he hopes to achieve, he’s willing to pay the price demanded by her no-good father. Even if it means marrying a damsel in distress.

Strangers placed in an impossible position, Michael and Rosalie can agree on one thing. Neither of them wants to stay together any longer than they must. What they don’t know is that fate might have a better future in store for them than either could imagine.

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LPC Free Books has a FREE suggestion for us (they aren’t always free.) I’ve read other books by this author but I don’t believe I’ve read this one. Unless it was in a collection somewhere. It does sound a little familiar. I’ll give it a shot and see.

Mountain Man (Finding Love in the Blue Ridge Mountains Book 2) 

A “Briskin” had dared to trespass on forbidden Maxwell land—and that spells trouble.

Meera Briskin is determined to find out for herself whether the Maxwells are the unmitigated rogues she has been taught to hate. The long-standing feud between the two families that began three generations ago—the result of a chestnut tree blight brought in from the Far East—is still very much alive.

Posing as a participant at a writers’ conference held at the famous Chestnut Lodge, run by none other than Elliot Maxwell, Meera soon is caught in the web of her own deception. Should she admit to being a Briskin and face immediate expulsion? Or should she linger, knowing that with each passing day that her feelings for her enemy grow stronger?

There’s madness in these mountains—and in the heart of one Briskin daughter.

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I’m moving on to the next read. This is my second try to find something to hold my attention. The first one was WWII era, I have read too many of them and find it’s not easy to engage anymore.

I think I’ll try a mystery instead.

Wow, it’s been on my list since April 2021, how did that happen? I’m guessing there were other Lyn Cote books in the recently read pile and I needed a change

Spring’s Storm: Clean Romance Mystery (Northern Intrigue Book 6) 

Thea’s new next door neighbor turns her small town and her life upside down.

Trace is handsome, successful and committed to helping others. He’s a mover and shaker. She’s a quiet piano teacher. Yet opposites attract, don’t they?

Bad things begin happening on Trace’s property and troublemakers compete with each other to stop him in his mission to provide a new place for kids.

All the while Thea is caught in the middle–between the people she’s known all her life and this new man in town. When and how will the nastiness end? And will it end before someone gets hurt? Badly?

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Supper is sounding really good right about now.

Supper and a good book.

Happy Reading y’all

Free book suggestion August 21, 2022

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us by a man I have never read. It seems I downloaded but didn’t read two of his Young Adult stories in 2013. This one is adult fiction although I see by his booklist he has written extensively for children and teens.

The first few pages of today’s book caught my interest so I’m looking forward to this read.

Men writing romance novels seems like an oxymoron to me and curiosity has me wondering what it will be like. I’ve read a few over the years and so far they have been a pleasant surprise. I expect this will be as well.

When I stop and think about it, many of my favorite authors over the decades have had a romantic element in their stories and I didn’t think twice about it. Must be I’ve gradually become jaded by contemplation of life’s experiences. I look forward to it anyway.

The Duet

Four hands. Two hearts. One song.

When widower Gerrit Appeldoorn takes his granddaughter to piano lessons one day, he finds himself drawn to her music teacher, a woman unlike any he has known. It’s an unlikely attraction. He’s a retired dairyman with mud on his boots; Joan Horton is a world traveler and former piano instructor at New York’s prestigious academy of music. Not quite “beauty and the beast,” but close.

Even so, Gerrit slowly begins to open his heart to Joan, to music, and to the possibilities that may be found in both. Yet as their relationship deepens, Gerrit faces crises concerning his family and farm, and Joan confronts a dark secret that threatens her future. While coping with these challenges, neither can predict how their duet will sound as they practice the music of renewed hope and second chances.

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Last night I was trying to pick a new read and had three possibles. I settled on the Regency Romantic Suspense and it turned out to be a good choice. It has the perfect blend (in my estimation) with the suspense element being the stronger of the two. Two thirds of the way through and I’m still loving it.

A Perilous Plan: A Regency Romantic Suspense (Imperiled Young Widows Book 1)

Penelope Hammond finds herself a widow at the age of twenty-three, having been married five years to a man she barely knew. Her husband, David Hammond, Lord Hampstead, was a member of the House of Lords who rarely said more than a few words to her in a week’s time–and often did not come home at night.

Henry Gilchrist seems to know more about her husband than she does–that he was unfaithful to her with a young Frenchwoman who Penelope thought was her friend, that his gambling problem had sunk him deeply in debt, and that he had stolen some very important plans that could put the entire country in danger. And now both the French and the English governments think she knows where these plans are.

Penelope had no idea that her husband stole secret plans and intended to sell to the French, but no one seems to believe her, except Henry Gilchrist. When she starts to fall in love with the handsome young Member of the House of Commons, will he be too embittered from a former lost love to accept his own growing feelings? But first they must save themselves from those who would do them harm, or there will be no future for them, either together or apart.

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It has been a good book day. A good reading day too.

Happy Reading y’all

Bargain book August 20, 2022

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The way things were going I didn’t expect to find any new books today. This Lisa Phillips mystery is a nice surprise. Here I thought I was going to have to resort to a this and that post and I’ve been wracking my brain for something to say. Saved by the bell, I mean, book.

Hunted 

When zoologist Elise Tanner is brought home to re-open a zoo destroyed by flood, she takes on more than she bargained for. This single mom is determined to set up her son Chase for his future, but the cost might prove too high when she runs into the last man she wants to see again.

US Marshal Jonah Rivers is the head of a Fugitive Apprehension Task Force hunting Elise’s brother. When a threat brings them together, both Elise and Jonah must contend with their shared past. There isn’t a moment of his life she wasn’t a part of…until she married his brother. Connected by grief and the betrayal of his family, the future they want is just out of reach.

Torn apart, life has brought them back together.

Jonah will protect Elise and his nephew while his team works to figure out who is targeting her, as long as his feelings don’t cloud his judgment. Locating her brother is the key piece to this puzzle, the answer to discovering who is behind illegal animal trading. Until an old friend proves more deadly than they ever imagined. But can they protect their hearts?

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That’s all that came up in the search. It’s not like I need more, I just always want more.

I’m investigating the choice for next read after skimming through a dissatisfying romance (all cotton candy, no meat and potatoes) so that didn’t last long. There is no clear winner, so far, on what’s next. So many choices.

Here are three possibles.

Decisions, decisions.

I’ve started the first one A Perilous Plan, let’s see how that turns out. So far so good, there is hope.

I’ll let you know later how it goes.

Happy Reading

More free and bargain books August 08, 2022

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As promised:

Suggested books we have seen before. I’ve read and enjoyed all of the them through the years.

Hope’s Gentle Touch 

After her abusive husband’s death, Misty Stephens returns to her job as a nurse and volunteer at a women’s shelter. She intends to put her life back together and has no intention of ever being vulnerable to a man again. But when an abuse victim dies in her care, Misty finds herself consoling the girl’s brother … and fighting attraction.

Adam Jenkins sees Misty’s heart for the oppressed and implores her to help build Hope House, a women’s shelter, in honor of his sister. Though grieving, Adam is drawn to Misty. But he approaches romance the way he does ranching—quick and decisive—an almost disastrous mistake. While dealing with family fallout and troubles at work, this new project and Misty become a light shining into Adam’s grief.

The Socialite: A Novel of World War II

When her younger sister runs away to Paris to live with a German officer high up in Hitler’s favor, English socialite Kat embarks on a dangerous journey to save her sister from the Nazis. Glamour, romance, and espionage collide in this exciting, high-stakes adventure.

As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has certain responsibilities. Chasing her wayward younger sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Unfortunately, Ellie has grown accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle her Nazi lover provides and has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate—but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.

Barrett Anderson was arrested for defending himself against a drunken bully of high birth. Given the option of jail or training Resistance fighters in Paris, Barrett chooses the latter. He poses as a bar owner, entertaining Nazis at night while his men train right below their jackboots during the day. An assignment to watch over two English debutantes is the last thing he needs, but a payout from their father is too tempting to resist.

Broken Things – Faded Photographs Series

Returning to her hometown, Chicago, Allie Littenberg learns her actions had worse repercussions than she realized – especially for Jack Callahan, the handsome Chicago cop she loved, but left. She finds Jack is now a bitter shell of a man, his tenderness erased by years of anguish.

Can God use Allie to not only mend the hurts in her own family, but also bring peace to Jack, his son, and estranged wife? Allie is compelled to find out.

Island Refuge (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 1) 

Five-Star-Chef Zoe Griffin walked away from her dream job. Did she make a mistake?

Her engagement off, Zoe Griffin retreats to tiny Wildflower Island in the Puget Sound. Hiding out as a cook and maid at a shabby bed-and-breakfast seems crazy for a chef who’s used to running her own five-star kitchen. And just as she starts to feel at home, her klutzy mishaps make Zoe fear her handsome new boss will fire her.

Dr. Nick Jackson is done with medicine, and owning a B&B is as far from doctoring as he can get. He needs help, but his only employee’s mistakes give him doubts. As Zoe lets her defenses down, Nick begins to see a competent and caring woman. One whose wounds are as deep as his own. But as they fall for each other, Nick and Zoe must learn the hardest lesson of all—to forgive. Only then can they heal the past and embrace the future . . . together

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Happy Reading y’all

Read and enjoyed August 05, 2022

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As I considered my next read I wasn’t sure how it would go. Surprisingly, it was excellent. You can tell because it is finished early.

I thought the story’s focus would mainly be on the striking dairy farmers but it wasn’t. The main character’s story took center stage and it was good.

I’ve started another read and it wasn’t the one under consideration earlier. It is from today’s downloads and it catches my attention enough to be nearly finished the first book of three. I’ll share read and being read, in that order.

I need to mention a few more and clear them out of my device backlog of read books. These were all enjoyable.

more good reads

This is the weekend and nothing is happening, after weeks of busy. There will be reading time for sure. That means more read books to share before long.

Join me in Happy Reading!

Bargain books August 05, 2022

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Morning! Hope you are having a good day. Or night, depending on where you are.

We have another suggestion today, from 1531 Entertainment. One more collection from an author we read a few weeks ago.

Brothers of Belle Fourche: Books 1-3 (Brothers of Belle Fourche Collection Book 1)

Three brothers, driven by perseverance. Three women, trying to fulfill their dreams.

Teach Me to Love
Conrad is shamed by his inability to read. When a woman shows up on his doorstep who may give away his secret, he will be tested to the limits of both his honor and his heart.

What the Heart Holds
Arnold lost his first love young. A teacher arrives in Belle Fourche and is convinced he saved her life. Her hero worship forces him to examine what he holds dear. Can he remain true to the woman he lost, or could there really be another love meant for him?

Deep Longing of the Soul
Eli killed a man in self defense. He hides his black soul from everyone by keeping his distance. A new nurse arrives in town with her own sordid secrets. A revelation, and understanding, lead to a choice: his pain or a new life?

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Who knew I could be away camping with no internet and still download 20 books since July 15th. It has been a good book month.

With so many to choose from it’s not easy deciding on what to read next.

Heavy? Light? Hmmmm.

Maybe one of these.

Or maybe something else.

Decisions, decisions.

I’ll keep testing until I find a winner.

Happy Reading y’all

Bargain books August 03, 2022

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An interesting bargain book showed up in my bookish travels this morning. I enjoy Susan May Warren so this is the beginning of a good day.

Flee the Night (Team Hope Book 1) 

Ex-CIA operative Lacey Montgomery is a liar, a murderer, and a fugitive—or is she?

Former Green Beret Jim Micah must either prove her innocence or bring her to justice. Too bad his heart won’t stay out of the way.

With a little girl’s life and national secrets hanging in the balance, Jim and Lacey must trust God to help them flee the secrets of the night.

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Another bargain, this time from an author I’ve read once.

A Perilous Plan: A Regency Romantic Suspense (Imperiled Young Widows Book 1) 

A new Regency Romantic Suspense series by New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson.

Penelope Hammond finds herself a widow at the age of twenty-three, having been married five years to a man she barely knew. Her husband, David Hammond, Lord Hampstead, was a member of the House of Lords who rarely said more than a few words to her in a week’s time–and often did not come home at night.

But Lord Hampstead was from a wealthy, powerful London family with no enemies, so why was he murdered?

Penelope is a penniless widow with few friends and only her cold grandmother to lean on. When she finds herself pursued by both English officials and French spies, she doesn’t know who to trust—until a handsome Member of Parliament, Henry Gilchrist, saves her from being attacked and kidnapped. Mr. Gilchrist seems so determined to help her, but can she trust him?

Henry Gilchrist seems to know more about her husband than she does–that he was unfaithful to her with a young Frenchwoman who Penelope thought was her friend, that his gambling problem had sunk him deeply in debt, and that he had stolen some very important plans that could put the entire country in danger. And now both the French and the English governments think she knows where these plans are.

Penelope had no idea that her husband stole secret plans and intended to sell to the French, but no one seems to believe her, except Henry Gilchrist. When she starts to fall in love with the handsome young Member of the House of Commons, will he be too embittered from a former lost love to accept his own growing feelings? But first they must save themselves from those who would do them harm, or there will be no future for them, either together or apart.

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It looks like a FREE book is in our future, that will be post part two in a little bit.

In the meantime. . .

Happy Reading

Bargain books August 02, 2022

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1531 Entertainment has an interesting Mystery suggestion with another author new to us. Mysteries are good. This cover looks familiar, not sure where I’ve seen it before.

INTERCEPTED: A Girl Gone Missing Christian Suspense (Agents of Justice Series Book 1)

Nora Milton believed her calling was to help lessen the suffering in a world filled with pain.

It’s chasing that calling, on a mission to help finish the construction of an orphanage in Mexico, that Nora meets mission pilot, Anthony Goldburg. A spark is kindled between them but it’s cut short when Nora finds herself kidnapped at gunpoint.

Desperate to save the woman his heart longs for, Anthony sets out on a search for Nora on his own. All too quickly he learns just how dangerous leaving the safety of the compound can be and finds himself entrenched in the dangerous drug trade.

Hot on the heels of a notorious drug lord, DEA Agent Greg Nelson is on a mission of his own – to clear the streets of drugs. Joining forces with FBI Agent Grisham they work to close off one of the major drug pipelines from south of the border when they discover a young woman being held against her will.

Together, can these two agents help Anthony save Nora before she’s lost forever.

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Another bargain suggestion from 1531 Entertainment. This is a Prequel to book one we downloaded in June, which I have not finished reading, not sure why. Must do it.

To Stand in the Breach (Strike to the Heart Series)

She came to America to escape a workhouse prison, but will the cost of freedom be too high a price to pay?

1933, Wisconsin — Large animal veterinarian Katy Wells takes her patients’ welfare personally, so it’s no surprise when she stands up to angry farmers planning a milk strike or takes in an injured draft horse to save its life.

But after a visitor from the past discovers her location and reveals a threat, she must choose between her work and her freedom, and whether to trust a man to keep her safe.

Prequel novella to A Strike to the Heart and As Silent as the Night.

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Have a good day, reading or otherwise.

Free and bargain books August 01, 2022

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LPC Free Books has a Free historical romance/mystery suggestion for us. This is book two in the series, we read and enjoyed book one several years ago.

I’ve added links as suggested by one of my followers, I hope it helps. Let me know in the comments.

Shadowed by a Spy (Suspicious Shores Book 2)

When Lexie Smithfield boards the early morning Long Island train to Manhattan in 1942, she feels safe having left the threat of danger behind her at Jekyll Island. Little does she know, the four men who boarded the train with her are Nazi spies sent to wreak havoc in the United States.

Did the so-called Smithfield family curse follow her to New York?

What will happen to Lexie when she innocently befriends one of the spies and gets involved in the spy ring? And with her fiance Russell overseas, who will protect her?

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1531 Entertainment has a FREE suggestion. We’ve read and enjoyed this author but this is the first book we’ve seen in this series.

A Grave Secret: A clean police procedural full of action, mystery and suspense! (Star of Justice Series Book 3) 

How many college students will die before CJ stops the deadly menace?

Moonshine and fentanyl are wreaking havoc on her campus. One student already paid the ultimate price. As assistant chief of police, it’s up to CJ to rid the campus of the lethal threat. In the meantime, the body count goes up in nearby communities.

While CJ and her team work to discover the source of the illicit substances, another body is found. The murder points to a calculating drug lord from CJ’s past… and he plays for keeps. The name that’s haunted her dreams ignites her worst fears.

His deadly reign must end, but will the cost be more than CJ’s willing to pay?

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There is also a bargain suggestion from an author new to us.

Of Horse and Rider: Hearts Unlocked Series 

Plans overheard, a bargain to devise…but is it playing with fire?

In 1849 Mercer County, Kentucky, beautiful Clara Stanton loses her sight, freedom, and fiance after a horse-riding accident. In the throes of her desperation, her family leaves her to recover in the capable hands of an elderly widow while they travel to England without her.

New minister, Daniel Merrick, weary from scandal, is unwittingly led by blind Clara into the most important mission of his life. But will she dare to soar beyond the limits those around her deem safe?

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One thing led to another and we have a bargain pre-order book by the same author. I’ve not read this author but would like to take a chance on her.

Of Pens and Ploughshares: Hearts Unlocked

In a duel of words, the son and daughter of opposing politicians go head-to-head until their hearts collide…

At one time, Rachel Enger thought she loved Warren Kendrick, except he left without responding to a single letter. Now he’s returned home to help his father win the mayoral election opposite her father and that means war.

Their battle spills from the Op-Ed section of the local newspaper to engulf the town. Sparks fly, eggs thrown, and mayhem ensues. Not to mention Mrs. Taylor’s rampaging goose is on the loose. Desperate for a measure of peace, the community leaders give the pair an unexpected ultimatum: work together until the election.

Can Rachel and Warren unify the town or will their divide continue to break it apart?

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This has turned out to be a good book day after all.

I hope some of these appeal to you too.

Enjoy and Happy Reading.