Current read April 03, 2022

Willow works with her grandfather searching for and finding unknown or lost descendants, usually to settle the estates of the recently departed. The dead looking for the living. This time the search is commissioned by someone living.

Twenty-one years ago a woman posing as a nurse walked out of her room carrying her newborn daughter. The FBI have never been able to catch a break in solving the abduction. Subsequently, many private investigators haven’t fared any better. Katelyn has faith in Willow’s grandfather and his reputation. He has the uncanny ability to find people others haven’t been able to.

Now, Willow is in a tough place. This is the only case her grandfather had going, and he is not here to carry it out. Several weeks ago he was hit and died while riding his bicycle. Willow is feeling reluctant about her ability to solve this case but her attitude changes when someone tries to kill her. First burning down her home where she should have died and then attempting to destroy her office building with her in it. With these recent developments the accident case is now also under suspicion.

It is unsettling to think someone wants to end her life and even more unsettling to find her grandfather has enlisted unexpected help with the case. A case she knows nothing about. Why is that?

Never Let Go (Uncommon Justice Book #1) 

As a forensic genealogist, Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather’s footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from the hospital more than twenty years ago. The case may be cold, but things are about to heat up when someone makes an attempt on her life to keep her from discovering the truth.

Ex-FBI agent–and Willow’s ex-flame–Austin McKade readily offers his help to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they’ll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he’s spent much of his life trying to forget. And even if it puts Willow’s tender heart at risk.

In this fast-paced and emotional page-turner, USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard keeps the stakes high, the romantic tension sparking, and the outcome uncertain until the very end.

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I’m not so sure about the fast paced part but it definitely is emotional. I’ll admit to enjoying the read while skipping quickly through many places. More detail than is needed to advance the story.

Check it out if this synopsis appeals to you.

Happy Reading!

Another new current read April 02, 2022

This one has been on the back burner for a while now, neglected, lost in the shuffle. Over shadowed by the popular crowd. There are three books in the line-up by this author but none of them have had a fair chance at being chosen.

This book didn’t catch for me back when it first joined the list. With this attempt, continuing on from the last page read (which was only the first chapter or two) seems to have been a good choice. I must say it is catching my interest this time around. Maybe I just needed to be in the right mood. Timing is everything sometimes.

Always Look Twice (Uncommon Justice Book #2)

At the advice of her therapist, homicide survivor Harper Reynolds has traded her job as a crime scene photographer for a more peaceful life taking photographs of the natural world. But her hopes for a life surrounded by the serenity of the outdoors are dashed when she inadvertently captures a murder being committed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She flees the scene in fear–and loses the camera.

Former Green Beret Heath McKade is a reserve deputy in an understaffed county who has been called in to protect Harper, a childhood friend he is surprised to see back in the area. When Harper learns that the sheriff’s department can’t find any evidence of the murder she witnessed, she is determined to do what she can to see that justice is done. What neither Harper nor Heath could know is how many explosive secrets from the past will be exposed–or how deeply they will fall for each other.

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I’m glad it’s working for me now. I’ll let you now how it all turns out.

It’s at a decent price too if you are interested.

Happy weekend Reading!

Bargain book April 01, 2022

BookBub has an interesting bargain suggestion for us.

Never Let Go (Uncommon Justice Book #1)

As a forensic genealogist, Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather’s footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from the hospital more than twenty years ago. The case may be cold, but things are about to heat up when someone makes an attempt on her life to keep her from discovering the truth.

Ex-FBI agent–and Willow’s ex-flame–Austin McKade readily offers his help to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they’ll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he’s spent much of his life trying to forget. And even if it puts Willow’s tender heart at risk.

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That’s all there is folks. For now anyway.

Enjoy this beautiful sunny day.

Happy Reading.

More bargains March 31, 2022

Today’s current read ended with an ad for the book next in the series. Irresistible. We actually met Maddox in newly read book 2.

Maddox (Lantern Beach Blackout: Danger Rising Book 3)

He’s on the case . . . and she’s his prime suspect.

Former Navy SEAL Maddox King’s latest assignment for Blackout is to obtain information on a possible domestic terrorist operation. To do so, he must go undercover as a maintenance man at an estate owned by real estate tycoon Seymore Foggerty.

Taryn Parsons is his prime suspect. The woman was plucked out of obscurity to become Mr. Foggerty’s personal assistant. Beneath her innocent demeanor, does she have ulterior motives and plans to gain from the man’s wealth and connections?

Maddox has trouble believing Taryn is guilty. But someone is trying to kill Mr. Foggerty and has plans for his property. Maddox is running out of time to find answers, and with more suspects than he can count, this assignment may be his most challenging yet . . . for his heart and his skills.

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There were several other bargains crossing paths with us but this one stood above the rest.

It promises fun humor.

Time After Tyme

WITH TIME ALL THINGS ARE REVEALED

Nancy Drew meets Tom Sawyer in this delightful and thought-provoking romp through the third book in The Watch Series of clean mysteries. Secret codes and university intrigue combine to give Kathryn Frasier and Cece Goldman a new and puzzling mystery to solve. But things get dicey when two misguided young girls wander into the middle of the investigation and decide to solve it themselves.

Can Kathryn and Cece decipher the codes and protect the youngsters before the killer strikes again?

Delightfully clever!” — Jodie Renner, author of the award-winning writing guide Fire Up Your Fiction.

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Enjoy!

Free books March 31, 2022

BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us. Another author we’ve not seen before. Awesome.

Second Chance in Summit County (Summit County Series Book 1) 

They both declared themselves done with romance and love. God had other plans.

Her marriage, career, and reputation crashed around her and eliminated the little trust she had left in herself to make good decisions. She packed her bags, shook the dust off her feet, and started driving, begging God to tell her where to go. When He led her to a charming little northern Michigan town, she started recreating her life from scratch—without men.

His world turned upside down when he lost the love of his life and had to start over as a single father. Now playing both mother and father to his little girl, he’s built his life around taking care of her and protecting his heart from ever being hurt like that again. Love is not a part of his life anymore.

God has a better idea.

Can two people who have sworn off love stop fighting their attraction long enough to see that God is working? Can they trust Him enough to risk giving happiness a second chance?

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BookBub has a FREE suggestion from an author we’ve enjoyed often over the years. This looks intriguing.

The Discovery

Gerard Warner was not only a literary giant but a devoted family man. When he dies he leaves his Charleston estate to his grandson, Michael, an aspiring writer. Michael soon discovers an unpublished manuscript his grandfather had written, hidden from everyone but clearly intended for Michael to find. Michael reads an exciting tale of Nazi spies and sabotage, but this story is very different from all of Gerard Warner’s other books. It’s a love story.

As Michael delves deeper in, he discovers something that has the power to change not only his future but his past as well. Laced with suspense and intrigue, The Discovery is a richly woven novel that explores the incredible sacrifices that must be made to forge the love of a lifetime.

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Not too shabby today. Two free books.

I’m 2/3 of the way through my current read. It has been a pleasure and it’s still a bargain.

Dylan (Lantern Beach Blackout: Danger Rising Book 2)

Former Navy SEAL Dylan Granger’s new assignment requires him to use both his tactical abilities and his acting skills. Hired by Katie Logan’s father, his job is to protect the gutsy university professor while concealing his identity. To maintain his cover, he takes the unassuming role of her new assistant.

Katie—a disgraced reporter—has stumbled upon a lead she can’t ignore. Now it’s clear someone is targeting her, but she refuses to back down. Her handsome new assistant is a welcome distraction from the chaos. But Dylan’s skillset goes way beyond his job description, and Katie begins to suspect there’s more to Dylan than he’s letting on.

Dylan’s mission can’t be disclosed—not if he wants to keep Katie safe. But as his feelings for her grow and the danger increases, keeping his secret becomes more of a challenge than he ever imagined. With innocent lives on the line, Dylan must choose between protecting Katie or saving others.

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Happy Reading y’all

Read and enjoyed March 30, 2022

Three books and the first one was my favorite.

Catching Katie: A Novel 

Katie is strong willed and unconventional. Definitely raising eyebrows everywhere she goes. There are many restrictive expectations put on the women of her day and Katie defies pretty much all of them. University – where women are the oddity, arriving back in town driving a motor car… unescorted. All of it scandalous. Even more so when she hops out of said motor car wearing bright pink bicycling bloomers, showing off her stockinged calves. It is more than her scandalized audience can bear.

The only one not running from Katie is her lifelong best friend. He knows all of her quirks and supports her vehemently, even when he would rather not. They’ve been on many wild childhood adventures together, this day is just an extension of all that.

I loved the way the story unfolded. Katie is caught up in the cause she vowed to support with her life. Then finds herself in a tough place when conflict develops between her pledge to the cause and her blossoming love for her best friend.

Experiencing history in a story like this is enlightening and in this case, enjoyable.

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My next favorite was…

Charming the Troublemaker (Mitchell’s Crossroads Book 2) 

This story was enjoyable and engaging. Both characters have experienced hard places in their lives. Trust and insecurities prove to be mountainous obstacles for each of them at times. But then, tense keeps the story interesting.

The story line was unremarkable, other books use similar bones. It was a good thing the details worked to make it unique.

Why didn’t I love this like the first one? There were too many repetitive scenes. I confess to scanning through many pages aiming for the good parts.

I did like the read though and I have enjoyed other books by this author. I don’t recall this experience with other Basham books so it’s likely just not one of her better books. It was good enough though, that in good conscience I couldn’t help but give it 4 stars.

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This next one I gave 3 stars. The three stories in the collection were OK but they were basically all the same. Maybe if I hadn’t read them in one sitting I’d think differently. But then again, maybe not.

Carsen Brothers of Sweet Rivers Ranch Books 1-3

At first it reminded me of past reads and it took awhile to figure out if I had or hadn’t read some of them already. The details were different enough to finally convince me this was a new read.

There were six brothers in this series. Unrelated by blood they still developed tight knit relationships as a band of adopted brothers. There wasn’t one healthy romantic relationship among them and it’s easy to see why they unanimously decided to be done with love and marriage. Breaking the pact was unthinkable.

Their beloved adoptive father’s tender heart was committed to family and he wanted that for his boys. For a legacy to live on there must be offspring. You get the picture.

To their collective horror, their dad succumbed to cancer, leaving an iron-clad will specifying all six brothers must be married within twelve months for them to receive ownership of the ranch they love. How could he do this to them?

Not my favorite style of writing but I’m not sorry to have stuck with it to the end. (albeit with lots of skimming)

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I’m between books and think my next read will be the latest Christy Barritt mystery. This one is still a bargain. Check it out.

Dylan (Lantern Beach Blackout: Danger Rising Book 2)

Happy reading y’all

Free and bargain books March 29, 2022

BookBub has an interesting suggestion for us.

Shattered Treasure 

Addison Morgan has spent years ignoring the broken pieces of her past that etched deep scars in her heart, scars that left her vulnerable to remain in a relationship with an unfaithful boyfriend. Her feelings for him have been fading for months, and after he betrays her again while she’s still hurting over the untimely death of her sister, Addison causes a car accident involving a teenage girl.

Police Officer Logan Tant is devastated when his sister’s in an accident involving a drunk driver. And he’s determined to bring the driver to justice. When he finds out the driver has befriended his sister and family, his anger escalates. It isn’t until he meets Addison face-to-face that the truth becomes blurred and there’s an unstoppable connection that draws him to her.

When Addison falls for Logan, her ex-boyfriend seeks to reclaim her at all costs, leaving her abused and with a life-altering choice to make that will change the course of her relationship with Logan and both of their lives forever.

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion

Coming Home: The Route Home: Book 1

He was her first love…
… And the reason she left.
Now she’s falling for him.

In 1881 Oregon, Becca Wilson is a successful university student, determined to be a modern woman and not a resident of the frontier boomtown she grew up in. With her brother’s death, she needs the help of his best friend to find justice. But can she avoid rekindling her feelings for him?

Seth Blake wants answers about his best friend’s suspicious death. But will it come at the expense of his secret? Can he make the choice between justice and love?

As the stakes get higher, Seth must keep both himself and Becca alive long enough to offer a future to this woman he’s fallen in love with. And win her forgiveness.

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1531 Entertainment has an interesting suggestion.

Uncertain Spring: Clean Romance Mystery (Northen Shore Intrigue Book 5) 

By starlight, a frantic dog leads Lois to a young woman lying in the snow, unconscious…

In the morning, the girl is diagnosed with a state of dis-associative fugue, a form of amnesia. No ID, no car, no clues. Taking in the nameless young woman and her dog, grandmother Lois finds an ally in the local vet, Dr. Jacob. Attraction sparks but isn’t falling in love only for the young?

And why isn’t anyone searching for the young woman? Or is someone?

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These look like good books, something to be excited about.

Happy Reading!

Free books today March 28, 2022

1531 Entertainment has a FREE suggestion for us.

FIRE: Contemporary Christian Romantic Suspense (Spiritual Warfare Series Book 3)

When a violent gang re-organizes, an undercover cop could lose everything…including the woman he loves.

Following a gang war, the undercover cop known as Patriot is forced to flee his hometown and assume a new identity. When the gang re-organizes and threatens a friend, Patriot—now a firefighter—returns to face them.

Chloe Swearingen confines herself to the fast pace of the ER and away from interpersonal relationships—for a reason she keeps to herself. But when she helps save a gangster’s life, she’s thrown into a cauldron of relationships from which she can’t escape.

Then a series of fires target Chloe, her church and her friends, and she and Patriot must risk their lives to bring an end to the forces of darkness arraigned against them.

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LPC Free Books has a FREE suggestion for us. I remember reading and enjoying this book.

Midnight Is My Time

Loner Andy Mayer is on the run from a past he cannot escape and headed into a future he cannot foresee. But along the way he meets Missy, a mysteriously gifted and blind woman, whose senses point him in the right direction.

Andy and Missy need to get to Maine but it seems every force in the universe is against them. Navigating a post-apocalyptic landscape, the two fight their way north where they eventually come face to face with an enemy so powerful it will take their collective efforts to defeat it. And only then will they both realize the true purpose of their journey.

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Two good books. Awesome.

Happy Reading!

Free and bargain books March 24, 2022

BookBub has a FREE suggestion for us. Another author who has been around awhile.

Catching Katie: A Novel

Katie Jones is committed to fighting for the cause of woman’s suffrage. She has no time for romance, especially not with her best friend Ben Rafferty. But when Katie’s column in Ben’s newspaper stirs things up, sparks begin to fly. Ben is set on winning Katie over, but Katie is just as determined to stay true to her 1916 feminist ideals. With such strong obstacles in the way, their relationship can’t possibly progress. Unless somehow love finds a way…

“You can run all you want, Katie. You still can’t run away from your feelings or from my love. Not today. Not ever.” With determination in his voice, he added, “I will catch you, Katie.”

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While Catching Katie entertains us with an appealingly feisty heroine and a tender love story, author Robin Lee Hatcher is not afraid to challenge us with thought-provoking issues and valid spiritual insights. A truly enjoyable read! — Cindy Swanson, host of Weekend Rockford radio show.

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1531 Entertainment has bargain suggestions. This author is new to me, it’s nice to meet her and experience her writing.

Pride, Prejudice and Poison: A Jane Austen Society Mystery

This charmingly bookish cozy mystery sees an antiquarian bookstore proprietor use her sense and sensibility to deduce who killed the president of the local Jane Austen Society

Erin Coleridge’s used bookstore in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England is a meeting place for the villagers and, in particular, for the local Jane Austen Society. At the Society’s monthly meeting, matters come to a head between the old guard and its young turks. After the meeting breaks for tea, persuasion gives way to murder—with extreme prejudice—when president Sylvia Pemberthy falls dead to the floor. Poisoned? Presumably . . . but by whom? And was Sylvia the only target?

Handsome—but shy—Detective Inspector Peter Hadley and charismatic Sergeant Rashid Jarral arrive at the scene. The long suspect list includes Sylvia’s lover Kurt Becker and his tightly wound wife Suzanne. Or, perhaps, the killer was Sylvia’s own cuckolded husband, Jerome. Among the many Society members who may have had her in their sights is dashing Jonathan Alder, who was heard having a royal battle of words with the late president the night before.

Then, when Jonathan Alder narrowly avoids becoming the next victim, Farnsworth (the town’s “cat lady”) persuades a seriously time-crunched Erin to help DI Hadley. But the killer is more devious than anyone imagines.

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Two more books to add to our reading list. It’s a good day.

Happy Reading!

Bargain books March 23, 2022

BookBub has bargain suggestions.

Secrets She Knew: A Secrets and Lies Suspense Novel

Boston police detective Dani Lake dreads returning to her small hometown of Skye, Alabama, for her ten-year high school reunion—and not just for the normal reasons.

At only fifteen, Dani tragically discovered the body of her murdered classmate, setting in motion events leading to the unjust conviction of a dear friend and an unshakable burden of guilt she carries to this day. So when new evidence surfaces during her trip home which suggests the truth Dani’s always suspected, she embarks on a mission to expose the real killer. Unexpectedly, she finds help in Skye police detective Chris Newton—who happens to be the man Dani’s best friend is dying to set her up with and the only person who believes her.

But when Dani pushes too hard, someone pushes back, endangering Dani and those closest to her as she unearths secrets deeper and darker than she ever imagined she’d learn—secrets that may finally bring the truth into the open, if they don’t get her killed first.

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A Reluctant Bride (The Bride Ships Book #1)

Living in London’s poorest slum, Mercy Wilkins has little hope of a better life. When she’s offered an opportunity to join a bride ship sailing to British Columbia, she agrees. After witnessing so much painful heartache and loss in the slums, the bride ship is her only prospect to escape a bleak future, not only for herself but, she hopes, someday for her sister.

Wealthy and titled Joseph Colville leaves home and takes to the sea in order to escape the pain of losing his family. As ship’s surgeon, he’s in charge of the passengers’ welfare aboard the Tynemouth, including sixty brides-to-be. He has no immediate intention of settling down, but when Mercy becomes his assistant, the two must fight against a forbidden love.

With hundreds of single men congregating on the shore eager to claim a bride from the Tynemouth, will Mercy and Joseph lose their chance at true love, or will they be able to overcome the obstacles that threaten to keep them apart?

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1531 Entertainment has bargain suggestions as well.

Ember (Ladies of Garfield Book 16)

A DIFFERENT SORT OF LOVE:

At twenty-two, college student Ember Monroe thought she’d found her happily-ever-after in Quinn Abbott. All it took was one ill-fated night and the worst betrayal imaginable to rip those dreams to shreds. Now, almost a decade later, Ember’s happily-ever-after has a new look as she raises the two daughters of her deceased best friend. With a business she loves and a family she never expected, Ember has all she wants…until Quinn comes back into her life determined to break her heart a second time.

HE ONLY WANTS HIS FAMILY BACK:

Quinn went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit and it cost him every good thing in his life. When new evidence sets him free, all Quinn wants is a fresh chance with his children. Unfortunately the only way to repair his family is to tear Ember’s apart.
Can Ember find the forgiveness required to embrace the blessings God has for her? Can Quinn rebuild the family that was taken from him? It’ll take a miracle…Maybe God has one.

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The Girl in the Painting

An orphaned young math prodigy in need of family. A painting that shatters a woman’s peace. And a decades-old mystery demanding to be solved.

Australia, 1906: Orphan Jane Piper is nine years old when philanthropist siblings Michael and Elizabeth Quinn take her into their home to further her schooling. The Quinns are no strangers to hardship. Having arrived in Australia as penniless immigrants, they now care for others as lost as they once were.

Despite Jane’s mysterious past, her remarkable aptitude for mathematics takes her far over the next seven years, and her relationship with Elizabeth and Michael flourishes as she plays an increasingly prominent part in their business.

But when Elizabeth reacts in terror to an exhibition at the local gallery, Jane realizes no one knows Elizabeth after all—not even Elizabeth herself. As the past and present converge and Elizabeth’s grasp on reality loosens, Jane sets out to unravel her story before it’s too late.

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Happy Reading!