More new books August 12, 2023

It’s feast week by the looks of it – and I’m not complaining, far from it.

Feast or famine is definitely a thing. Experience backs this up. I love feast but famine, while definitely not a favorite, balances things out for us. That will be next week.

So we have another box set suggestion, it’s from BookBub this time. We downloaded and enjoyed three books from this author last year. I think we’ve seen her name often in read-and-enjoyed multi-author collections too.

Heart Lake Box Set 1: Sweet, Small-Town Romantic Suspense Collection, Books 1-3 (Heart Lake Boxed Set) 

Winds of Change: Getting hired as a high school principal in her hometown is a dream come true in this sweet, enemies-to-lovers romance, except for one small detail — her ex is the new head of security…

Song of Nightingales: A billionaire heartbreaker turning over a new leaf and the small town family doctor he falls for — the one woman he can’t have in this opposites attract romance…

Perils of Starlight: A policeman who exclusively works the night shift to hide his scarred face, a lovely detective determined to solve a cold case, and the trail of clues that leads to an accidental attraction…

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Browsing showed up another interesting choice from an author we’ve enjoyed many times before. Both in stand alone books and multi-author collections. I’m excited to see this one.

The Cairo Curse (A Freddie and Grace Mystery Book 2)

Clue meets Indiana Jones with a fiction-loving twist only Grace Percy can provide.
 
Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair-share of suspense, but when a honeymoon trip takes a detour to the mystical land of Egypt, not even Grace with her fiction-loving mind is prepared for the dangers in store. From an assortment of untrustworthy adventure-seekers to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret, Frederick and Grace must lean on each other to navigate their dangerous surroundings. As the suspects mount in an antiquities’ heist of ancient proportions, will Frederick and Grace’s attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands?

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This has been fun. Time to go back to, hopefully, finish my current read and move on to the new downloads I’m anxious to read.

New books August 09, 2023

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

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 books, Romance, July 15, 2023

It looks like this could be a Romance kind of day. While browsing through the usual suggestion emails a couple of interesting books popped up, with authors new to us. Now, it’s interesting on two levels.

Sorrento Girl (The Historic Hotels Collection)

It’s 1938, and Ann Brooks has big dreams of her new life as a Seattle College coed. She’s left the old-fashioned ways of her small country town behind to pursue higher education and a teaching career.

But not everyone is ready for change.

Society still preaches that a woman’s place is in the home. Some refuse to see Ann as an equal deserving of an education — let alone a career — and Ann’s friends think school is simply a springboard to pursue a marriage of wealth and convenience.

When Ann meets Paul, an aspiring journalist with strong ideas of his own, she learns an unexpected lesson in courage and discovers what it really means to live her dreams.

Will Ann give up everything she thought she wanted for love? Or can she have it all?

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Juliet’s Journey to Love: Women’s Fiction – Inspirational Romance (Great Smoky Mountain Getaways Book 1)

Escape to the Great Smoky Mountains…

Juliet isn’t sure of God’s plan for her life, but the opportunity to serve as the leader of the Freedom and Faith small group, helps her to feel needed, like she belongs. The group plans to hike sections of the Appalachian Trail, using the back to nature approach to grow closer to God. Determined to succeed, Juliet leads two other women on a hike, but when she falls ill and they’re days away from the exit point of their planned journey, her friends must call 911.

When a man shows up looking more like a grizzly bear than a rescuer, she’s forced to accept his help. Loner extraordinaire, Jake wants them gone. Except when Juliet and her friends are ready to leave, it’s Jake who succumbs to the illness, and this time it’s Juliet to the rescue.

In the process, she discovers a man with a heart and a past. Her failure to lead the group prompts her to renew her efforts to be needed, and she’s determined to help Jake get through more than his illness. When she learns of an opening at the medical clinic in Hollow Creek, she applies, knowing it would give her a reason to stick around town and give her time to help Jake get his life back on track.


Her methods aren’t always squeaky clean, but her heart is in the right place. When Jake finds out the truth, the walls come tumbling down. Can the two of them muddle through the past and their own issues to work out their differences?

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The Complete Blueberry Beach Box Set Books 1-8

Escape to Blueberry Beach in this charming collection of sweet, heartwarming romances!

Book 1 – Yesterday’s Treasures: When Lindy leaves her workaholic husband and moves with her teenage daughter to their summer cottage on the shores of Lake Michigan, will she find joy and healing with the help of her new neighbors in the town of Blueberry Beach? And when it comes down to a choice between her bright new future or the value of yesterday’s treasures, does her husband dare to hold out hope that he can win her back?

Book 2 – Tomorrow’s Blessings: Dealing with her husband’s departure, her son’s leukemia diagnosis, and an unexpected pregnancy from a short, sweet summer fling, can Anitra navigate the complexities of her life and find hope with the support of her friends and neighbors in Blueberry Beach?

Book 3 – Beautiful Forevers: Can Gage and Zariah’s relationship, which seems too good to be true, survive the outrageous actions of Zariah’s teenage niece, Macie, who’s caught in a crime spree in Blueberry Beach? And will the small community ever feel safe again?

Book 4 – Precious Memories: Although dealing with a mysterious illness that has depleted her energy and left her listless, can Laura find a future with the mysterious stranger who rents the small apartment above her grandfather’s shop in Blueberry Beach?

Book 5 – Misty Mornings: What will happen when Leiklyn reunites with her high school friends after eighteen years to renovate the Manor they bought for $1, only to discovers her daughter’s explosive secret? Will Leiklyn’s own dark secret come to light?

Book 6 – Sweet Afternoons: Can Willen overcome perfectionism and learn that she’s worthy of love? And how will Drake Jensen, a Hollywood leading man who wants to disappear, choose between Hollywood and the new life that could be his, especially when he falls in love with a woman determined to make him her enemy?

Book 7 – Magical Twilights: Can a broken woman, who has a lot of regrets, sins, and secrets, and a pastor with a secret past of his own, find love and forgiveness in Blueberry Beach despite their troubled histories?

Book 8 – Tender Mercies: Can Bev and Bill, who lost their baby and broke up when they were fifteen, find their soulmates and a family in their fifties, after a long-held secret from the town’s pillar is disclosed and directly affects them, destroying everything they thought they believed?

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Today is a good day for authors we don’t see as often, or ever. The stories look pretty good too.

Clearing out the read pile, July 12, 2023

One thing I really enjoyed about these first books – they were situations unlike anything I’ve read recently, and I loved them. There were several others standing out for me this way too but I’m not sure I can identify them again. Too many read after them and my memories have become foggy. Everything included in this list was excellent and a great experience, though. There were a few others that didn’t measure up and won’t be shared.

A Christmas to Remember was definitely a different and highly enjoyable read.

My current read is Within These Gilded Halls and I’m still trying to decide if I love it.

One more enjoyable read that I missed including.

That’s it for now.

New book suggestions July 10, 2023

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.

New book suggestions June 29, 2023

We have new suggestions today, they could lead to something good, maybe. This first one is from an author we’ve read and enjoyed twice.

Revealing the Truth (Agents of Espionage Book 1)

His suspect holds a secret, but can he uncover the truth before she steals his heart?

When Katherine Jenkins is rescued from the side of the road, half-frozen and left for dead, her only option is to stay silent about her identity or risk being shipped back to her ruthless guardian, who will kill to get his hands on her inheritance and the famous Jenkins Lipizzaner horses. But even under the pretense of amnesia, she cannot shake the memory of her sister and Katherine’s need to reach her before their guardian, or his marauding bandits, finish her off. Will she be safe in the earl’s manor, or will the assailant climbing through her window be the death of her?

British spy, Stephen Hartington’s assignment to uncover an underground horse-thieving ring brings him home to his family’s manor, and the last thing he expected was to be struck with a candlestick upon climbing through the guest chamber window. The manor’s feisty and intriguing new house guest throws Stephen’s best-laid plans into turmoil and raises questions about the timing of her appearance, the convenience of her memory loss, and her impeccable riding skills. Could he be housing the horse thief he’d been ordered to capture—or worse, falling in love with her?

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Well, that didn’t work out too well, in regard to more books. Nothing else surfacing while browsing piqued my interest. One is still good, though.

A change in genre, new books June 26, 2023

We are checking out a few genres today that we haven’t looked at in a while. The suggestions this morning are leading us in that direction, that’s what started it all. More authors new to us too, so it’s worth a look, I figure. LPC FREE eBooks from Iron Stream Media is promoting the first one and the rest showed up in my usual nosy browsing.

Where Wild Roses Bloom: Heart of A Mountie

When Lenora Perry’s dream of becoming an acclaimed singer dies a painful death, she attempts to escape her mistakes by fleeing north—directly into the path of an all-too-dashing Mountie. Though the man in scarlet appears eager to be rid of her, his home provides security, and his sister offers friendship—two things Lenora is desperate for after discovering her pregnancy. With the past dogging her footsteps and her future uncertain, dare she consider new dreams?

Upholding the law makes up the fabric of Constable Edmond Bryce’s existence. As his five years of service draw to an end, he must decide whether or not to continue in his father’s footsteps—an increasingly difficult decision now that Miss Perry has infiltrated his life. Though she’s the daughter of a parson and a close friend to his sister, Edmond can’t push aside the feeling that Lenora hides more than she tells. But duty calls, leaving little time for matters of the heart.

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Until I Knew Myself (Bentwood Book 1)

RITA and Carol Award-winning author Tammy L. Gray delivers an unforgettable series following five struggling friends in search of the true meaning of family through secrets, betrayal and the unexpected influence of an outsider…

Journey Hawthorne has always been the peace maker within her childhood friend group, willing to do whatever she must to heal hurts and protect those she loves, even if it meant losing herself to do so. She never dreamed a choice made at sixteen could haunt her ten years later, especially when that decision was made to protect the man she’s loved since childhood. But when a phone call exposes her greatest secret, Journey soon learns that not all mistakes can be forgiven.

Tyler Mitchell grew up an orphan, taken in by his best friend’s family when he was only sixteen. Even though ten years have passed, and he’s been given everything he should ever want—a loving home, an adoring girlfriend, a successful career, and lifelong friendships—Tyler has always felt a foreigner in his own life. When the sudden death of his biological grandfather reveals long kept secrets, Tyler’s seemingly perfect life starts to unravel.

Torn between their loyalty for each other and the need to uncover who they were meant to be, Tyler and Journey soon discover the true meaning of love and family goes much deeper than they ever imagined.

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We have read this author before but a different genre, so these are new to us. They look good. The others, read and enjoyed, were Regency.

Checked Impressions (Original Six Hockey Romance series Book 3)

Sparks fly when a hometown hockey hero meets a classy art-loving museum guide hiding a secret…
Jai Mullins is used to being the fastest man on ice. Trouble is, his ability to find a genuine woman is tracking at glacial melt levels. He’s trusting God she’s out there, but he’s wary of getting trapped by a superfan, when all he wants is someone with whom he can be real.
Allie Davis has two great loves: impressionist art and hockey. More specifically, a certain hockey player. But between her shyness and her family, she’s convinced she’ll never meet him, let alone connect with him in a non-embarrassing way.

Until she does. And they connect. And romance sparks.
But she is hiding a big secret, and he’s about to find that first impressions sometimes need a reality check. Will they learn to trust and find a way forward, or will half-truths lead to further hurt on opposite sides of the country and lonely lives?

This Windy City romance has plenty of heart, humor, and swoon-worthy kisses in the third book of the Original Six, a sweet, slightly sporty Christian contemporary romance series.

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Daring Mr Darcy

Elissa Bennet has jumping to conclusions down to a fine art, and her first impression of Liam Darcy leaves her less than impressed. Liam isn’t so easily put off, but is his interest in Elissa real, or a determination to meet his sister’s dare?

Because it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man in charge of a large fortune must be in want of a wife. Or so Liam Darcy’s grandma insists, and his sister, Georgia, agrees. But no sweet grandmotherly ultimatum or sassy sister dare can influence Liam to go so far outside his comfort zone as hunt for a woman to marry.

That is until new-to-town Elissa Bennett makes an appearance. Hey, a dare is a dare, right? But Liam’s attempts to impress end in disaster, and feisty Elissa is not afraid to say so. Liam Darcy is the last person on earth she’d be tempted to date. Until sparks fly…

Carolyn Miller and Meredith Resce have retold Miss Austen’s timeless Pride and Prejudice in a laugh-out-loud contemporary rom-com. Daring Mr Darcy can be read as a standalone novel, and is perfect for lovers of sweet, clean romance.

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Today is a departure from our usual mystery/suspense reads; romance, this time, mostly in a lighter vein. It’s nice to have a good laugh now and again.

Free and bargain books June 19, 2023

It’s been awhile since we’ve had any new books and today we have one. How great is that? It’s a dark theme but the beginning looks interesting. I’d like to see how it all goes for the sisters as they uncover secrets.

Fresh Scars: A Tale of the Power of Dark Family Secrets

Time heals all wounds. . . or does it?

Asia Butler and her sister, Ivy Butler Morelli, have not spoken in fifteen years. The two endured brutal emotional abuse from their mother, Veronica, and want only to forget the past . . . and each other.

But the past comes calling when they each receive a letter from Veronica’s attorney promising much needed cash if they will fulfill her dying wish and consent to cleaning out their childhood home. Asia and Ivy reluctantly return to their hometown of Emerson, Florida, only to discover the house is a hoarder’s nightmare filled with strange mementos and clues hinting that they were not the only victims of Veronica’s sadistic nature. Can this new pain be the path to their healing? Will they be able to choose forgiveness over resentment?

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Browsing was a good idea today, another interesting book showed up. We’ve seen this author several times and now I’m looking forward to a third experience.

The Letter from Briarton Park (The Houses of Yorkshire Series Book 1)

In Regency England, one letter will alter a young woman’s fate when it summons her to Briarton Park—an ancient estate that holds the secrets of her past and the keys to her future.

Cassandra Hale grew up knowing little about her parentage, and she had made peace with the fact that she never would. But her world shifts when a shocking deathbed confession reveals a two-year-old letter from Mr. Clark, the master of Briarton Park, with hints to her family’s identity. Stung by betrayal, Cassandra travels to the village of Anston only to learn Mr. Clark has since passed away.

James Warrington is a widower and the new master of Briarton Park, where he lives with his two young daughters, his sister, and his mother-in-law. When Cassandra appears at his doorstep with a letter from the previous owner and then proceeds to assist his family in an unexpected way, he is honor bound to help uncover the answers she seeks.

The more time Cassandra spends in Anston, the more she begins to suspect not everything—or everyone—is as they seem. As details emerge, the danger surrounding her intensifies. Using wit and intuition, she must navigate the treacherous landscapes between truth and rumor and between loyalty and deception if she is to uncover the realities of her past and find the place her heart can finally call home.

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A Colleen Coble book showed up, one I’ve not seen before. This is a good day! We’ve read and enjoyed book 1 in this series, a few months ago.

Dark of Night (An Annie Pederson Novel Book 2)

The law is about justice—not grace. But perhaps ranger Annie Pederson can find a way to have both.

As if the last few months haven’t been hard enough—complete with threats on her life and the return of her first love, Jon—Annie has to figure out whether or not to believe a woman who claims to be her sister, Sarah, who was abducted twenty-four years ago at age five. Annie’s eight-year-old daughter, Kylie, has plenty of questions about what’s going on in her mother’s life—but there are some stories Annie doesn’t want uncovered.

As Annie grapples with how to heal the gulf between her and her would-be sister and make room in her daughter’s life for Jon, she’s professionally distracted by the case of yet another missing hiker in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A woman named Michelle Fraser has now been abducted, and though the woman’s estranged husband is at the top of their suspect list, Annie and her colleagues will need to dig deeper to determine whether these recent mysteries are truly as unrelated as they seem.

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Another awesome book that I can’t say no to. Lynette Eason is a favorite author we see often. This is book 3 in the series and we’ve read book 1. Book 2 could always show up later, it’s been known to happen.

Critical Threat (Extreme Measures Book #3): (An FBI Suspense Thriller and Action-Filled Crime Fiction)

FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley tracks serial killers, using her skills as a psychiatrist and behavioral analyst to get dangerous people off the street and safely behind bars. But prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe knows that just because a killer is incarcerated doesn’t mean they’re not a threat. His own father, Peter, is a serial killer–in prison but certainly not out of Sam’s life, as much as he wishes he was.

When bodies start showing up with Peter’s MO, Sam and Grace are both called in to consult. They’ve met before–and though Grace thought they’d made a real connection, Sam ghosted her. They’ll have to get past the awkwardness and mistrust to solve this case–especially because it’s about to get personal.

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I think I’d better stop looking.

Another new author June 12, 2023

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.