BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us and after a few pages, yup, I’m going to read it. I love how the author throws out a scrap of information then gradually builds a profile, advances the story, and captures my interest – all at the same time. I can’t wait to hear what happens next.
I can tell you one more thing. After reading the synopsis… the beginning was totally unexpected. Love it.
Of Good and Evil
Amazon quote:
Evil comes in many forms, and it isn’t always in the devil you can’t see.
Olivia O’Reilly leaves Charleston and her career as an investigative journalist behind. She finds refuge in the small town of Pine Hill, Georgia, where no one knows who she is or the mistakes she’s made. She needs anonymity as much as peace and quiet.
However, when unusual things begin occurring in the sleepy community of Pine Hill, Olivia’s innate curiosity draws her back into dangerous habits.
The old Hadley Mansion, a vacant and dilapidated eyesore, is purchased by a company called A Vital Force. This seems like a good thing. But during an uninvited visit to the house, Olivia makes a sinister discovery that sends a chill down her spine.
A suspicious gas explosion kills and injures dozens of citizens. The survival of one victim is being kept a well-guarded secret. Why?
Olivia knows she must discover the truth about what’s happening in this small town she now calls home…whatever the cost.
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There have been other suggestions this morning but nothing to capture my interest the way this one book has. The standard has been set and I won’t spoil the mood by filling this list with stories not measuring up. Maybe another post can happen later on, if I happen to see another must-have.
Currently I’m reading (just started actually) one of yesterday’s great choices. We are still getting to know Gwyneth in chapter one.
One thing is already clear; the villagers don’t really know her and that doesn’t stop them from hating her.
From Across the Ancient Waters: Wales (The Green Hills of Snowdonia Book 1)
After being sent to his uncle’s estate, young Percy Drummond has no intention of letting the country atmosphere soften his rebellious ways. Then he meets a village girl, Gwyneth Barrie, and her friendship changes his life.
When Percy later returns, his intriguing friend has grown into a young woman. But by this time, Percy has caught the eye of his beautiful cousin Florilyn…who has also become Gwyneth’s friend. What will result of their threefold friendship? And what repercussions will his uncle’s surprising request have for them all?
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Happy reading!
… maybe we’ll meet again a little later, you just never know.
This post has turned into an introduction to Michael Phillips, well known, eclectic, prolific author. I will admit – I’ve read and enjoyed Michael Phillips for years, decades. His stories do not qualify as light reading. But they are interesting and captivating to those who enjoy deeper subjects.
It all started with this morning’s FREEBookBub daily suggestion. I’ve read the author’s note and the first few pages and I’m hooked on this one. I don’t recall reading anything of his similar to this one so this will be a new experience for me.
Destiny Junction: Behind Every Door is a Life, and Behind Every Life is a Destiny
Amazon quote:
Destiny Junction is a small town, not unlike any other small town in America. As its name implies, however, it becomes the place where many people’s lives meet destiny.
Through one young lady’s obedient Christian life and the work of the Holy Spirit subsequent to her murder, the lives of many people in the town of Destiny Junction are transformed.
This is their story…a story about life…and what it means…or what it ought to mean.
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Then the – Customers who bought this item also bought – string was the beginning of the abundance coming next. Most everything from this point on is at the bargain price of $0.99 each.
First is the three book historical series American Dreams. All three of these books follow the same family as they live through the American Civil War with the freeing of slaves in the southern states. This story is not for the faint of heart. The series needs to be read in sequence to get the full story but you could pick and choose and it would still be OK.
Dream of Freedom, Dream of Life, Dream of Love
Amazon quote:
Best-selling author Michael Phillips transports readers to the South, as the seeds of Civil War are sown—and those against slavery take a stand.
In the antebellum South, Richmond and Carolyn Davidson live lives of ease as wealthy plantation owners. But even though their prosperity and livelihood depend on slave ownership, their Christian consciences speak against the practice.
When the Davidsons decide to follow their own moral conviction and God’s will by freeing their slaves, they face consequences they never could have anticipated. Risking their lives as an important link in the Underground Railroad, helping runaway slaves escape to the northern states, the Davidsons must rely on their wits—and God’s protection—to stay alive.
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Next is the Secret of the Rose series set in Russia. Over the course of four books it follows the life of a single family from the 1930s pre-war Prussia to escaping divided, Berlin Wall, Germany, to America post cold war with Russia, Another story not for the faint of heart.
The Eleventh Hour, A Rose Remembered, Escape to Freedom, Dawn of Liberty
Amazon quote:
In 1930s pre-war Prussia, Baron von Dortmann lives an idyllic life with his daughter Sabina. A devoted gardener and father, the Baron teaches his daughter powerful lessons about life, creation, and Gods love during treasured walks in the estate’s beautiful gardens.
But Sabina is growing up, and the Baron’s beloved Prussia is changing. Now a beautiful young woman, Sabina has caught the eye of a handsome young American, Matthew.
Meanwhile, a cloud is gathering on the horizon as the Nazis seize power in neighboring Germany. As he strives to protect his family and follow his own moral compass, Baron von Dortmann will face heart-wrenching decisions, with only Gods guidance to light the way.
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Next is the two book series The Green Hills of Snowdonia set in Wales. This one also needs to be read in order. Judging by the reviews it will be an emotional experience
From Across the Ancient Waters, The Treasure of the Celtic Triangle
Amazon quote:
After being sent to his uncle’s estate, young Percy Drummond has no intention of letting the country atmosphere soften his rebellious ways. Then he meets a village girl, Gwyneth Barrie, and her friendship changes his life.
When Percy later returns, his intriguing friend has grown into a young woman. But by this time, Percy has caught the eye of his beautiful cousin Florilyn…who has also become Gwyneth’s friend. What will result of their threefold friendship? And what repercussions will his uncle’s surprising request have for them all?
******************
I’ve read many American Civil War stories over the years and since I don’t have a hope of reading all ten of today’s more than full length novels I’m gong to pass on the American Dreams series.
I have also read series by other authors, and maybe even this one too, set in Russia during the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, but not nearly as many as I have of American Civil War stories. There probably isn’t much hope of me making it through all four of these 600 – 700 page books either but …. I hate to break up the set when I have a good chance to get it all. I’m sitting here thinking I may have read this Secret of the Rose series before. If that’s true I’ll be finished sooner than expected. Good deal.
I’ve not read The Green Hills of Snowdonia series and it does look interesting.
I’m going home with seven new lengthy not-light-reading books. (smile)
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Happy Reading!
… on this brain foggy Thursday that feels like Friday. I’m hoping today’s rambling made sense.
This afternoon while checking to see if I’d purchased a recently published Charles Martin book (one of my favorite authors) I stumbled across another book and decided I must read it. I’m drawn to fresh story ideas that promise interest and intrigue. This is not one of the many run-of-the-mill stories we often see.
It will also an introduction to a new-to-me author. I’m excited to read this next.
It’s at a bargain price too.
Promised Land (A Chosen People Novel Book 2)
Amazon quote:
Bestselling author Robert Whitlow explores the meaning of family and home—and how faith forms the identity of both—in this breathtaking sequel to Chosen People.
Despite their Israeli citizenship, Hana and Daud cannot safely return to their homeland because a dangerous terrorist ring is threatening Daud. Hana is perfectly fine remaining in the United States, working for a law firm in Atlanta, especially when she learns she’s pregnant. But Daud can’t shake the draw to return home to Israel, even if it makes him a walking target.
Hana is helping her boss plan a huge summit in Atlanta when Jakob Brodsky, her old friend and former co-litigator, asks for her help with a case. His client is attempting to recover ancient artifacts stolen from his Jewish great-grandfather at the end of World War II. Because the case crosses several national borders, he needs Hana’s knowledge and skill to get to the bottom of what happened to these precious artifacts.
Meanwhile, Daud is called in to help a US intelligence agency extract a Ukrainian doctor from a dangerous situation in Egypt. While overseas, he can’t resist the call of Jerusalem and thus sets off a series of events that puts thousands of people in danger, including his wife and unborn child.
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My current read is not as deep and thrilling as this new book will be but it does have a fresh slant on an old story, so far anyway. I’m a third of the way through and enjoying the experience. It’s still a bargain price.
Mail Order Bride: Montana Brides and Babies
An unexpected baby can build a strong relationship. Or tear one down. Three women will soon find out if they are destined for true love or heartbreak.
A sweet western romance from #1 Bestselling author Emily Woods
Three courageous women risk everything to find love on the Western Frontier. They get more than they bargained for when babies are unexpectedly thrown into the mix. Will they have enough love for a new baby and a new husband?
A few books will always rise to the top and become a special favorite. This is one of them for me. The experience will not be soon forgotten.
Once Upon a Christmas: Inspirational Romance (The Christmas Card Series Book 3)
Amazon quote:
If I only see you once…
When her flight home is canceled a few days before Christmas, Moe Scott spontaneously agrees to spend a few hours sight-seeing with a fellow passenger. At the time, she doesn’t know the moments with James will change her life, nor does she know that before her plane takes off the next morning, she will turn around to find James gone.
With no way to contact him, Moe returns home only to lose everything before the new year dawns. Completely alone, jobless, and faced with the news that she is going blind, Moe remembers her time with James and clings to the idea of embracing the moments of vision she has left.
When opportunities for love and friendship come in the most unexpected places, Moe faces the choice of whether to continue to wait for the man who changed her life.
Will Moe and James ever find each other again? Can she learn to appreciate the beauty in each moment God provides and inspire those beyond her own darkness, even if she never sees again?
A once upon a Christmas inspires her story. Her ever after changes the world.
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This next one was memorable as a fun read.
The Silent Governess
Amazon quote:
Believing herself guilty of a crime, Olivia Keene flees her home, eventually stumbling upon a grand estate where an elaborate celebration is in progress. But all is not as joyous as it seems.
Lord Bradley has just learned a terrible secret, which, if exposed, will change his life forever. When he glimpses a figure on the grounds, he fears a spy or thief has overheard his devastating news. He is stunned to discover the intruder is a scrap of a woman with her throat badly injured. Fearing she will spread his secret, he gives the girl a post and confines her to his estate. As Olivia and Lord Bradley’s secrets catch up with them, will their hidden pasts ruin their hope of finding love?
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My current read is still FREE
Seaside Surprises (The Hunters Book 1)
When Tiffany Saunders winds up stranded in a seaside town, she wants nothing more than to forget her past and keep moving. But a chance meeting with a handsome local changes everything.
Jake Hunter has some deep emotional scars and is trying to cope with running the family business on his own. The last thing he wants is a relationship—until a mysterious brunette walks into his store and complicates it all.
Tiffany prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong—in her rearview mirror. But dark secrets cannot stay hidden forever.
Just as the walls around Tiffany’s heart start to come down, the past catches up with her. She needs to rely on Jake, but sharing the truth could put him in danger too.
Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt–and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?
Observing both brothers as an “invisible” servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?
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LPC Books has a few FREE suggestions for us
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Deception: Missing … Presumed Dead (When Darkness Falls Book 2)
Amazon quote:
Their parents paid the ransom — the kidnappers released one child.
Haunted by her sister’s desperate cries, Tess Howard spent twenty-four years searching for Rhona. Now, reunited at last, the sisters unearth a mystery that could cost them their lives . . . and the life of the one man who knows their dark secret.
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Out of all of today’s treasures, Deception is the only one I’ve read. A good day indeed.
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The Ticket
Amazon quote:
Tray Dunaway, an ordinary teenager from a poor Southern family, longs to become part of the popular clique at school. Her mother, Evelyn, lies in bed most days with her bipolar tendency toward extreme highs or desperate lows. Meanwhile, Tray’s grandmother Ginny, still grieving over the loss of her husband, would love to move out and find a place of her own. Maybe even a bit of romance to replace the loss she feels. But given the sorry state of the family’s finances that’s not possible.
Then the Dunaways’ luck changes. Or so it seems.
Tray’s father drives a down-and-out friend of the family, Pee Wee Johnson, to Hazard, Illinois, so Johnson can buy lottery tickets. As a gesture of thanks, Johnson gives a ticket to Tray’s father. And what do you know? The Dunaways’ are suddenly rich.
When Johnson demands his cut of the winnings, Tray’s dad refuses. As Evelyn’s illness spirals toward madness, Johnson threatens the family. Now, what seems like a stroke of good fortune becomes a dangerous game of life and death for Tray Dunaway and her family.
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The Widow of Rose Hill (The Women of Rose Hill Book 2)
Amazon quote:
Widowed during the war, Natalie Ellis finds herself solely responsible for Rose Hill plantation. When Union troops arrive with a proclamation freeing the slaves, all seems lost. How can she run the plantation without slaves? Inorder to save her son’s inheritance she strikes a deal with the arrogant, albeit handsome, Colonel Maish. In exchange for use of her family’s property, the army will provide workers to bring in her cotton crop. But as her admiration for the colonel grows, a shocking secret is uncovered. Can she trust him with her heart and her young, fatherless son?
Natalie Ellis is everything Colonel Levi Maish loathes: a Southern slave owner. When he and his men arrived in Texas with the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves still in bondage despite the war having ended, he feels little concern for the trail of plantation owners left in its wake without workers. But the plight of the beautiful Widow Ellis stirs to life his compassion and the heart he’d thought cold as stone after witnessing the carnage of war. While the army camps on her land, Levi finds himself contemplating a future with Natalie and Samuel. But when he learns where her husband perished during the war, he knows a life with Natalie is impossible. How could she ever forgive him for what he’d done in battle on the banks of the Bull Run?
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And, one more I happened upon. Free
Summer Storms (Seasons of Faith Book 1)
Amazon quote:
Her job as concierge at Hotel Lago, a boutique hotel in downtown Orlando is challenging and fills her need to be successful but one thing is missing. She loves the historic homes in the downtown area but fears she will never be able to afford one.
When a once in a lifetime opportunity to renovate a broken down home comes along she snaps it up. Sparks and clashes with her handsome, but deeply troubled contractor, Jeffrey Robbins threaten to slow the renovation but they fade as Orlando becomes the target of three summer storms, hurricanes Charlie, Frances and Jeanne.
It all started with a suggestion for a book I’ve already read. That happens to me a lot. So far there are no other suggestions yet this morning and I thought why don’t I check out this author, maybe she has some other free books we might like. Guess what…
She does.
The second one I found was on my reading list four years ago and I still remember.
******************
Miss Main Street The Complete Series: Books 1-3
Amazon quote:
Secondhand Secrets: Every small town has its secrets. Darcy’s have been locked up inside her since that last summer when she left Wimber, Texas, and the boy she loved, for a glitzy life in Los Angeles. Seven years later, her gran’s passed away. Darcy’s been named as the sole owner of the Tangled in Time antique store. Darcy can’t wait to get back to the place where she’s always felt she belonged. But owning a business isn’t as easy as it seems. And sometimes the past is better left alone. But Darcy is determined to push forward, despite the obstacles that cross her path. And maybe even have another chance for love with the man who stayed behind.
Blessed Arrangements
Lila’s Flower shop and wedding business keep her plenty busy. Add in a handsome firefighter and crazy hits the fan. When Lila’s sister and nephew move back in and a terrible disaster threatens her tiny Texas town, Lila realizes she might not be able to fix everything on her own. Will God send the miracle she needs to help her out of this mess?
Inn Dependence
For two years, Sammi Morretti has cared for her home-bound grandfather. Now he’s gone, and she’s left with no place to go. Then a mysterious aunt invites her to work at a tiny bed and breakfast in the town of Wimber. Can the Main Street women and a kind youth pastor with a dangerous history pull Sammi out of the darkness she’s lived in for so long?
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The Comanche Girl’s Prayer, Texas Women of Spirit Book 2
Amazon quote:
Experience an incredible journey of faith and courage as nineteen-year-old Soonie Eckhart travels to an illegal Comanche and Kiowa settlement in North Texas to become a teacher for the children in hiding. Despite her Comanche roots, she finds many in the group, including a volatile young man named Lone Warrior, refuse to accept her. After a chance encounter in the hills with a band of dangerous men, Soonie must draw on the deepest parts of her faith and courage to survive.
*********************
***
Currently: I’m about to start …
The Red Siren (Charles Towne Belles Book 1)
Can ladies be pirates? In 1718 Charleston, there are few other choices left to women in need of large sums of money. And Faith Westcott needs such a fortune to protect her two sisters from forced marriages or their aloof and often-absent admiral father will do just that upon his return from overseas. The only problem is, he has assigned a naval officer to keep guard over Faith and her sisters while he is away—a very handsome naval officer, and one whom Faith recognizes as a victim of her piracy from long ago.
Dajon Waite longs to make a success for himself in the British Royal Navy, not only to cover a host of past sins but to prove to his father and brother that he isn’t the wastrel they accuse him of being. When he is stationed in Charleston, Carolina to rid the nearby seas of pirates, he is thrilled to meet up with his long-time mentor, Admiral Westcott. But Dajon must pass a test before receiving the promotion he desires: protect the admiral’s unruly and headstrong daughters! Not an easy task when Dajon’s past dealings with women ended in disaster and shame—including a run in with a lady pirate.
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I’ve no idea what to expect with this new read but I hope it’s good.
Happy Reading to you …
on this cool day that could reach a warm 21c. It’s currently 11c.
Long john weather for those of us who haven’t adjusted to cooler weather quite yet.
BookRunes has a FREE Romance suggestion for us today. I’ve not read this author so we get to meet someone new, unless you’ve encountered her before. Looking around a little, I’m thinking this may not be a five star read. It may be a tell rather than show experience which is not my favorite.
The Baron’s Malady: A Smithfield Market Regency Romance: Book 4
Lord Gideon Ward lived for adventure.
With unrest brewing in India, it was all too easy to ignore the trials existing back home with the Scarlet Fever ravaging the country.
It wasn’t until the disease struck his own father that he was forced to contend with the actual trials of his own country. Coming home to accept the title that was his birthright, Gideon, now the Baron Dunstable, must once again face the world he left.
A frantic search for a doctor brings him into contact with Josephine Noe, whose own life has been fully changed in the wake of tragedy left behind by the disease.
He is a Baron now, and who is she but another poor young woman.
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A friend mentioned this next FREE collection on FaceBook. I’ve read book one but it’s been awhile and the memory is dim. I need a refresher.
Titus Ray Thrillers: Books 1 & 2: (A Titus Ray Thriller Box Set)
Amazon quote:
Book I, One Night in Tehran
When he starts searching for answers, an assassin begins his own search–for him.
In Tehran, while hiding out from the Iranian secret police, CIA officer, Titus Ray, finds shelter with a group of Iranian Christians. Compelled by their unwavering faith, the battle-hardened agent becomes a believer shortly before they smuggle him out of Iran to freedom in Turkey.
Returning to the States, he discovers his Iranian mission failed because of political infighting within the Agency. After delivering a scathing indictment against the Deputy Director of Operations, he’s forced to take a year’s medical leave in Oklahoma.
Before leaving Langley, however, he discovers a Hezbollah hit man has targeted him for assassination. Now, while trying to figure out what it means to be a follower of Christ, he must decide if the Iranian couple he meets in Oklahoma has ties to the man who’s trying to kill him, and if Nikki Saxon, a beautiful local detective, can be trusted with his secrets.
Book II, Two Days in Caracas
On the hunt for an assassin, Titus Ray faces a threat he never imagined. Can he overcome the obstacles and capture Ahmed Al-Amin before it’s too late?
In this pulse-racing Christian thriller, CIA intelligence officer, Titus Ray, travels from Costa Rica to Venezuela in an effort to stop Ahmed Al-Amin, a Hezbollah assassin, from murdering a high-profile government official. Along the way, a family crisis jeopardizes his mission, and an Agency division head threatens to destroy his career. As the danger mounts, he’s forced to partner with an untested operative to complete the mission and bring Ahmed to justice. Will he make it in time?
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An interesting bargain showed up while browsing. This book is new to me but not the author.
The Butterfly Recluse
Amazon quote:
Learning to love is like learning to fly . . . Eccentric. Weird. Crazy. Whatever people call her, Lila doesn’t mind. Most of the time. She finds solace in her sheltered world by raising butterflies and surrounding herself with their gentle beauty. They’re all she needs.
Most of the time.
Until a motorcycle-riding stranger roars up her driveway, invading her safe haven, throwing her life off-kilter, and forcing her to question everything. Persistent and stubborn, Harvey Sanford may be just what she needs—or everything she doesn’t.
He’s easy on the eyes, but hard on her emotions. What exactly is he after, and what is he not telling her? Should she safeguard her heart or follow it?
Today is my daughter’s birthday. The baby of the family. A grown woman making a difference in the world, and a lover of books like her mom. Happy Birthday Rose-Ann! May the year ahead be successful and filled with wisdom for the tasks appearing in front of you.
Alright, back to books.
BookBub has a bargain suggestion for us. We’ve seen book one in this series before but not the other three so this will be a new read.
Dakota Brides Boxed Set: Books 1-4
Amazon quote:
TEMPORARY BRIDE Lena Stevens has lost everything. Everything except her son. When her neighbor Anker proposes a marriage of convenience, she has no choice but to accept, but makes him vow to annul it come spring. Anker has longed for a wife–but not like this. A forced marriage with an end date. Can what started as a pretense turn into something more?
ABANDONED BRIDE Elin Hanson has traveled across the ocean as a mail-order bride. When she arrives in the Dakota Territory, she finds the man she has planned to marry has abandoned her–and left her to care for his young son. Sam Andrews has his hands full running his ranch. The last thing he needs is a woman and little boy getting in his way. When Elin’s groom-to-be comes home, she must make the choice: settle for a loveless marriage? Or hold out for love?
SECOND-HAND BRIDE America was supposed to provide a new life, but Freyda has found only bitterness since making the treacherous journey from Norway. She has no choice but to strike a reluctant bargain with her neighbor. In exchange for his help, she will care for his two little boys. The more she is forced to work with Ward, the more she begins to realize that maybe God didn’t intend her to be alone. But Ward’s walls of distrust and past hurts are high–maybe too high for her to scale. Can she, and two little boys, open his heart to love again?
RELUCTANT BRIDE Agnes Bland has learned the hard way just how crushing it can be to trustin someone else. When she is made guardian to three little girls, the boarding house refuses to rent to them, and Agnes and the girls are left with nowhere else to go. Nels Hanson has an empty house. When Agnes and the girls fill up the structure–and his life–with their giggles and tears, he decides a marriage of convenience isn’t the worst thing in the world. Until Agnes rejects his proposal…
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This is a skinny day for new books but at least it’s a four in one kind of day.
BookRunes has an interesting FREE suggestion for us.
The Red Siren (Charles Towne Belles Book 1)
Amazon quote:
A Woman Pirate desperate to save her family. . . An ambitious Naval Officer longing for a promotion . . . Is their love strong enough to defy the noose?
Can ladies be pirates? In 1718 Charleston, there are few other choices left to women in need of large sums of money. And Faith Westcott needs such a fortune to protect her two sisters from forced marriages or their aloof and often-absent admiral father will do just that upon his return from overseas. The only problem is, he has assigned a naval officer to keep guard over Faith and her sisters while he is away—a very handsome naval officer, and one whom Faith recognizes as a victim of her piracy from long ago.
Dajon Waite longs to make a success for himself in the British Royal Navy, not only to cover a host of past sins but to prove to his father and brother that he isn’t the wastrel they accuse him of being. When he is stationed in Charleston, Carolina to rid the nearby seas of pirates, he is thrilled to meet up with his long-time mentor, Admiral Westcott. But Dajon must pass a test before receiving the promotion he desires: protect the admiral’s unruly and headstrong daughters! Not an easy task when Dajon’s past dealings with women ended in disaster and shame—including a run in with a lady pirate.
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BookBub has a FREE suggestion we’ve seen before but we can handle seeing it again.
A Doctor’s Promise: A Sweet and Emotional Medical Romance (Lifeline Air Rescue Book 1)
Amazon quote:
Dr. Jared O’Connor has given his parents a promise–to find his dead brother’s fiancee and child. But his mission is derailed when he meets beautiful flight nurse Shelly Bennett. The sadness in her eyes, mirrors his own, and he is drawn to her and to her young son in a way he’s never experienced before.
Shelly can’t afford to be distracted by Jared’s attention. Her son’s upcoming testing may confirm he has kidney failure–there’s no room for anything else in her life. But when Jared uncovers the truth, she realizes her days of running from the past are over. But can she forgive Jared long enough to accept his love?
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LPC Books has a few FREE offerings for us today.
Chapel Springs Survival (Chapel Springs Series Book 2)
Amazon quote:
A mail-order bride, a town overrun with tourists, and illegal art ~ How on earth will Claire and Chapel Springs survive?
With the success of her Operation Marriage Revival, life is good for Claire Bennett. That is until the mayor’s brother blabs a secret: Claire’s nineteen-year-old son, Wes, has married a Brazilian mail order bride — one who iseight years older than him. When Claire tries to welcome her new daughter-in-law, she’s ridiculed, rebuffed, and rejected. Loving this girl is like hugging a prickly cactus. Will Claire and her family survive her son’s marriage?
Lydia Smith is happily living alone and running her spa then the widow on the hill becomes a blushing bride. Along with her new marriage, she has a dream to expand her business by adding guest rooms. Things are going according to plan. That is, until her groom’s adult son moves in on everything. Will her dream survive her stepson?
From the first sighting of a country music star in Claire’s gallery, The Painted Loon, to the visit of a Hollywood diva, Chapel Springs is inundated with stargazers, causing lifelong residents to flee the area. When her best friends, Patsy and Nathan, put their house on the market, Claire is forced to do something or lose the closest thing to a sister she’s got. With her son’s future at stake and the town looking to her to solve their problems, it’s Claire who needs a guardian angel.
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We’ve seen this second LPC BooksFREE offering before but it’s worth another chance.
Broken Things – Faded Photographs Series
Amazon quote:
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.
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Another repeat FREE
The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman
Amazon quote:
How far would you go to avenge the murder of your daughter? Is beyond redemption too far?
Caralynne Hayman is angry and bitter over the abuse and death of her eleven-year-old daughter at the hands of a radical religious cult—The Children of Righteous Cain. So when her husband, a founding member of the cult, suffers a massive heart attack, Caralynne does little to help.
Caralynne’s secret seems safe until Dayne MacFarland returns. Determined to learn the truth about the cult, his investigation, and his rekindled feelings for Caralynne, lead the pair toward a confrontation with the group’s elders. But can Dayne’s comfort help Caralynne bridge the gulf of anger and bitterness that divide the community? Or will Caralynne’s deadly secrets prove too high a price for her redemption?
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A good day for book selections. Two new ones have been added to my TBR list and I’m happy. I’m hoping you are finding some to be added to your list as well.
Happy Reading …
… on this cool and cloudy day. A furnace kind of day to be comfortable. Such a drastic change after the hot weather of a few days ago.
It’s the perfect day to bake. A nice bread pudding with lots of fruit will make a perfect lunch, and a few breakfasts.
I couldn’t wait for it to cool down enough to make a good looking slice. Raisins, cranberries, bananas, zucchini, and best of all, lots of chocolate chips. Yum. Along with bread, milk and eggs … you could say it’s a sandwich. Don’t you think?
The first thing to come to mind for this weeks prompt was … There’s gold in them thar hills.
You could justly accuse me of reading too many penny dreadfuls. There are a zillion stories of men afflicted with gold fever. Selling all they had, heading for the gold fields where rumor had it fist sized nuggets were sitting in the streams waiting for men to come by and pick them up.
The many fictional stories are based in fact. The gold rush was at it’s height in the mid-to-late 1800s and stretched from California to Alaska. It’s true there was gold to be found by some but more often than not it was the outfitters who made money on the phenomenon. Life was beyond hard for many of these dreamers and their families. Many loved ones were left behind to wait for a man who may or may not ever come home.
One positive fallout from men chasing their dreams – many areas of the US and Canada were settled with residue from the influx of hopeful prospectors.
Some settlements were short lived and a few of those survived as ghost towns. One is Barkerville in British Columbia, Canada. It’s listed as a world class historical site and well worth seeing. As a BC resident most of my life, I’ll admit to travelling through the Fraser Canyon dozens of times without making the short detour to visit Barkerville. It’s still on my wish list.
There are many non fiction books to be had on the subject but here is one such book by a celebrated author with personal connections to the Klondike.
The Klondike Fever: The Life And Death Of The Last Great Gold Rush
Amazon quote: In 1897 a grimy steamer docked in Seattle and set into epic motion the incredible succession of events that Pierre Berton’s exhilarating The Klondike Fever chronicles in all its splendid and astonishing folly. For the steamer Portland bore two tons of pure Klondike gold. And immediately, the stampede north to Alaska began. Easily as many as 100,000 adventurers, dreamers, and would-be miners from all over the world struck out for the remote, isolated gold fields in the Klondike Valley, most of them in total ignorance of the long, harsh Alaskan winters and the territory’s indomitable terrain. Less than a third of that number would complete the enormously arduous mountain journey to their destination. Some would strike gold. Berton’s story belongs less to the few who would make their fortunes than to the many swept up in the gold mania, to often unfortunate effects and tragic ends. It is a story of cold skies and avalanches, of con men and gamblers and dance hall girls, of sunken ships, of suicides, of dead horses and desperate men, of grizzly old miners and millionaires, of the land — its exploitation and revenge. It is a story of the human capacity to dream, and to endure.
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If I lived in those times I think I would have become an outfitter to amass my share of the gold. Seems like a safer bet.
For the Love of Books 