Bargain book August 28, 2021

August 28, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Male Authors. The subject of today’s search.

There are male authors showing up on my favorites list but in all honesty the vast majority of books featured on this blog are from women authors. I’ve been wracking my brain for names and can’t come up with more than a couple of handfuls. Most of the writers coming quickly to mind are people I’ve read in the last 10 years and I know there were many others prior to that. I am sure with a little more time many others would come to mind. To feature more of them I need to be intentional in seeking them out.

I decided to focus today’s deep dive on men and I’ve come up with a couple of writers I’ve not seen much of. I’m not going to share more than one at a time though or I may run out of material for future posts. I’m hoping that isn’t the case but you just never know.

Looking at the pricing on their books it seems to be structured differently for some of them. Maybe they don’t come up as bargains often enough for me to have noticed them. With that in mind, I think it would be a good idea to explore the possibility of ebooks through the public library. It would definitely help open up new possibilities. They may even have recommendations for me.

This first one is an author I’ve not read but a quick examination of his book has me wanting to.

Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales

Amazon quote:

Landon Reed is an ex-quarterback convicted of organizing a points-shaving scheme. During his time in prison, he found forgiveness and faith and earned his law degree. Now he longs for an opportunity to prove his loyalty and worth. “Be careful what you ask for.“

Harry McNaughton is one of the founding partners of McNaughton & Clay—and the only lawyer willing to take a chance employing an ex-con-turned-lawyer. Though Landon initially questions Harry’s ethics and methods, it’s clear the crusty old lawyer has one of the most brilliant legal minds Landon has ever encountered. The two dive into preparing a defense for one of the highest-profile murder trials Virginia Beach has seen in decades when Harry is gunned down in what appears to be a random mugging. Then two more lawyers are killed when the firm’s private jet crashes. Authorities suspect someone has a vendetta against McNaughton & Clay, leaving Landon and the remaining partner as the final targets.

As Landon struggles to keep the firm together, he can’t help but wonder, is the plot related to a shady case from McNaughton & Clay’s past, or to the murder trial he’s neck-deep in now? And will he survive long enough to find out?

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I’m hoping you will check out this author with me. Chime in with your favorite authors too.

Happy Reading.

Remember, I’m looking for clean.

Clean doesn’t mean boring. Not interested in boring.

Another read and enjoyed August 27, 2021

August 27, 2021August 26, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

This was a good story but not a favorite. Not a very good lead-off for something to do with a favorite author.

I’ve read many of her books and have positive thoughts whenever I see her name come up. But the truth is, not every book written is going to be the author’s best one. It wasn’t all bad though, really.

Vanished in the Night (Wrangler’s Corner Book 6) is the book in question.

The Amazon quote is really short so I’ll use it.

After saving Kaylee Martin from abduction and delivering her baby boy on the side of the road, Dr. Joshua Crawford can’t get them out of his mind.

Unfortunately, neither can Kaylee’s violent stalker. He’ll stop at nothing to get to the new mom and her child. Can Joshua keep them safe so they can become the family he’s dreamed about?

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It was a good story, when I stop and reflect honestly. It was well put together and had new and interesting twists and turns. I mean they weren’t entirely new, it was the variations that were new and fresh.

I enjoyed the characters. They were well developed and not always as they seemed. Which was good for the advancement of the story.

So, I enjoyed the read. Mostly. There was one just one frustrating element. I know it happens in real life. We get lost in our heads, fixated on certain aspects that we worry to death. It works in real life but in a book it’s annoying, reading the same pieces of information over and over. It’s OK to reflect real life, but it pays to look at things from a reader’s perspective, to avoid frustrating them.

Overall, I liked the book and Lynette Eason is not in any danger of removal from my favorite authors list.

Now that I’ve said my piece I can figure out what I’d like to read next.

Happy Reading.

This and that August 26, 2021

August 26, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

A little this, a little that, and a whole lot of not-much.

Have you ever noticed how sometimes recharging a device seems to take forever? I have and I was inclined to blame it on the device?
It was frustrating, especially since it was a new purchase and my expectations were high. It turns out I was experiencing misplaced blame. This afternoon my Kindle was taking forever and I couldn’t wait long enough for it to finish. Tonight, having to plug it in already, it charged in record time. I guess the fault lies with the power grid not the device or the power cords.

It could even be the fault of neighboring power hogs. I wonder who that could be? Hmmmm. I know it’s not me, a couple of lights and a laptop is all I’ve got going on.

I’m sad, as I sit here blogging and looking out the window at the darkness of night. A couple of months ago it would be getting dark just about now, not this full on night thing. Summer is on it’s way out. That’s why I’m sad. To think it has gone by so quickly.

It’s a good thing, I didn’t put my Christmas tree away. In another two or three months it will be time to put it up again, this way I don’t have to bother. Besides I like using it as a shield to hide behind. Privacy screen.

I’m excited, in a couple of weeks two of my young relatives will be moving back to Canada, specifically to the area where I live. I can hardly wait to see them. I’m sad that I didn’t meet the criteria for them to spend their two week self-isolation at my house.

This will be a great adventure for them. And an even bigger adjustment as they have never lived here, they left as babies. I think they have been dreaming of it for a long while though. Coupled with early onset adulthood I think they are ready for what comes next in their lives. Living with their same-age cousins won’t hurt either.

Overall, I’m happy with life.

Now I just have to figure out what book I wish to read next.

Maybe I will give this one a try. It looks to be filled with spies and intrigue.

The Captain’s Quest (The Leeward Islands Series Book 4)

Innocent mistakes can have dire consequences.

Pricilla Middleton only attended the Lemoore house party to keep her friend out of trouble. Now, her only chance to keep from becoming a gossip column headline is to sneak aboard her brother’s ship and pretend she’d been visiting him instead of taking part in the debacle. Before she can speak to her brother, the ship sets sail, and the man in charge is not at all who she expects.

Captain Tobias Prescott, son of an infamous war hero, has been assigned on a critical mission to deploy warships in St. Kitts for battle in New Orleans. Unfortunately, his orders require him to assume command of a friend’s ship, and he must weigh anchor the instant the former captain is escorted down the gangplank. When they reach open waters, the last thing he expects is to find a woman hiding in the captain’s cabin, yet his mission is too urgent to return her to England.

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I’ll let you now how it goes.

Read and enjoyed August 26, 2021

August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

This will be short and sweet. No long explanations or opinions. They say short is popular in some crowds. Works for me tonight.

So, I have four books to share and I liked all of them. I can tell because it didn’t take me very long to get through them all.

Currently I’m reading and enjoying book 2 in the First Responders series by Susan Sleeman. Book 1, Silent Night Standoff is pictured above.

It took me a while to realize what that building was on the cover of Silent Night Standoff. It’s actually an old fire-hall, which seems much more appropriate than the old estate house that I thought it was. It was gifted to the county as a residence for the special first responders team and by the description it sounds like an awesome place.

Book 2 is Explosive Alliance

I’m having a good time. I hope you are too.

Happy Reading.

Bargain books August 25, 2021

August 25, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

BookBub has a suggestion for us, a book that’s been in my file since 2013. It says I’ve read it but scanning the first few pages I have to say I’m not remembering. It’s on it’s way to my device for a refresher.

The Forever Stone (The Dumont Chronicles Book 1)

Amazon quote:

The paperweight—a summons to courage . . . A new home, new love, new fears . . . and a mystery. How will she face the challenge? And what does God have in mind? ~ Madeleine, a young widow, is determined to break free from her paralyzing memories and controlling family.

The paperweight, a gift from her father, spurs her to declare independence, and she joins her aunt’s house-restoration project in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Two men enter her life, bringing joy, conflict, and danger. She’ll need courage to fight the treachery she discovers, and faith to step into a new life of promise. Can she do it?

THE DUMONT CHRONICLES

The Dumont family, French Huguenots, settled in New Jersey during Colonial days. Certain Dumont women led adventurous lives, and they held in common the gifts of artistry, courage, and a growing faith in God. Madeleine Dumont Burke is one of them.

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1531 Entertainment has a suggestion from a mystery writer we see often.

Rosemary Cottage (The Hope Beach Series Book 2)

Amy came to Rosemary Cottage to grieve, to heal, maybe even find love. But there’s a deadly undertow of secrets around Hope Island . . .

The charming Rosemary Cottage on the beach offers Amy Lange respite she needs to mourn her brother, Ben. She’s even thinking of moving her midwife practice to the Outer Banks community. It’s always been a refuge for her and her family. She also wants to investigate Ben’s disappearance at sea. Everyone blames a surfing accident, but Amy has reason to wonder.

Coast Guard officer Curtis Ireland has lost a sibling too. His sister, Gina, was run down by a boat, leaving him to raise her infant daughter. If anyone knew who little Raine’s father was, Curtis could lose his beloved niece. Yet he can’t help being drawn to Hope Beach’s new midwife, Amy. He even agrees to help her investigate what happened to both Ben and Gina.

Can two grieving people with secrets find healing on beautiful Hope Island? Or will their quest for truth set them at odds with each other…and with those who will go to any length to keep hidden things hidden?

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That’s it. That’s all there is for today.

Tomorrow may be better. In the meantime …

Happy Reading

Bargain books August 23, 2021

August 23, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

1531 Entertainment has a bargain suggestion from one of my favorite mystery writers. The sequel is also at a bargain price and I can’t help but go for both of them.

Silent Night Standoff: Faith in the Face of Crime (First Responders Book 1)

Amazon quote:

HOSTAGE SITUATION

When armed robbers strike her bank, hostage negotiator Skyler Brennan’s life is on the line. Rescue comes from the last person she thought she could count on—the ex-boyfriend who chose his job over their relationship.

FBI agent Logan Hunter knows how much is resting on this case. The promotion of his dreams…and the safety of the woman he’s never been able to forget. But when an unexpected twist in the case pulls Logan in two separate directions, he’ll have to make an impossible choice.

Will he manage to have it all by Christmas—a career and love—or will he lose them both?

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Explosive Alliance: Faith in the Face of Crime (First Responders Book 2)

Amazon quote:

RACE AGAINST TIME

The last thing Krista Curry expected to find in a soccer stadium was a time bomb. When she alerts explosives expert Cash Dixon, she becomes a local hero. But the attention could expose her real name—and the infamous past she fought to escape.

Cash promises Krista protection from the bomber’s retaliation. Yet she hesitates to trust him as she sees his suspicion about her grow with every question she dodges. She can’t expect Cash to continue to safeguard her unless she tells him the truth.

Now Cash must decide if she’s an innocent woman or guilty accomplice. But the clock is ticking down—and the real bomber is still on the loose…

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This has been a good day for new books.

Currently I’m reading a piece that’s fluffy compared to hostage situations and bomb threats, but hey, fluff is good once in a while, right? It’s not total fluff though. It’s definitely got some angst and misunderstandings going on. They do say that tension makes a good story.

Love at Wild Harbor (Wild Harbor Beach Book 1)

One chocolate shop. Two fixer uppers. Three feisty sisters. One sweet love story to bring it all together.

Lily Woods never expected to start life over again at thirty. But when she opens a chocolate shop and buys a dilapidated beach cottage in Wild Harbor, she’s ready to begin a new chapter, spending her days and nights creating fabulous chocolate treats.

TV star Alex Briggs isn’t about to put his heart on the line. He’s finally landed his dream job as the host of a wildly popular home renovation show. Now he’s returning to Wild Harbor to flip a beach cottage, but he never imagined the project would land him next to the captivating girl who rejected him in high school.

Alex never recovered the piece of his heart he gave to Lily all those years ago. How will he keep his distance now that he can’t escape the girl next door?

Lily’s determined to fix up her beach bungalow on her terms, but Alex isn’t about to let her do it alone. Before Lily can stop him, Alex is on a mission to renovate her home and prove he’s the kind of man she can trust. But secrets from their past threaten to destroy their relationship before it begins.

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Happy Reading!

Story prompt – Angel

August 22, 2021 / For the Love of Books / 3 Comments

This story prompt is courtesy of Sunday Scribblings

Be an angel and bring me a coffee, will ya.

Thanks, you’re an angel.

It looks like angel is a word we use flippantly, much like the word love. In most cases the way we use it doesn’t really mean anything of any significance.

Wouldn’t we be shocked if there actually was such a thing as an angel?

Some of us must think they are real. There are movies, TV shows, sermons preached, and even books written about angels. With a little research into the ways they are portrayed I can tell I’m behind the times. I didn’t know there was a spin off of Buffy The Vampire Slayer called Angel. I wasn’t into a lot of TV back then and it looks like I was missing out.

There were other angel shows and movies I did notice, though, (Touched by an Angel, Twice in a Lifetime, Angels in the Outfield to name a few) and I have to say I enjoyed them immensely.

Then there are books, maybe movies too, where there are angels of both stripes, both good and evil, doing battle in heavenly places. This Present Darkness: A Novel by Frank Peretti is one of them.

Speaking of evil and angels, there is one story I’ve never been able to forget.

It happened in a primitive foreign country many years ago. A team of nurses and their helpers were accosted one night. They heard the war cry of a band of men who wanted to rob, torture, and kill them. They were terrified. Inexplicably, the band of men stopped, looked, and fled. They were faced with a circle of giants standing guard around the nurse’s compound.

It sounds hard to believe but I’ve heard stories similar to this more than once through the decades. Different time, different place, same story. I love to think that someone bigger than me could send his angel armies to protect me in drastic circumstances.

Again, we bandy about the idea of a guardian angel as liberally as we do the terms angel and love.

What if we really do have a guardian angel watching out for us?

If it is true, just think what life could have been like without them, without someone catching us all those times we should have crashed and burned.

I can think of a few times I should have crashed and burned but didn’t and I’m grateful beyond words.

There is a verse in the Bible …

Psalm 91 verse 11, it says “He shall give His angels charge over you. To keep you in all your ways“

I believe and I’m grateful for my guardian angel.

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I couldn’t have planned it better. One of my daily emails had a book suggestion with a reference to angels. This saved me from having to find a picture for this post. I was having trouble finding one to do justice to my guardian angel. I will use this book cover to dress up the post instead.

I’m not sure how the angel angle works out in the Dead Man’s Journey story, not having read beyond the first few pages, but as the character in the opening paragraphs prepares to go for a run he senses an angel presence. Guardian angel.

On further thought: there is another book where I know for sure angels, both good and evil, are part of the story. Frank Peretti has written many books involving heavenly beings and this is one of them. This Present Darkness.

I’ll use a separate post to share more about this book.

They say the veil is thin between this world and the next. I believe that is true. We are not alone on our journey. God and his angels are looking out for us, more than we realize.

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I hope you like the books.

Bargain books August 22, 2021

August 22, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

BookBub has a bargain suggestion for us. I’ve not read this author and haven’t checked out this book beyond a few pages to determine if he can write. It seems he can and from the little I’ve seen so far, I want to read this book.

Dead Man’s Journey (The Unseen Series Book 1)

Amazon quote:

A dangerous invention.
An invisible realm.
One man’s deadly search for answers begins.

When Aaron Fitzpatrick is called away from his army base in northern Australia, he is told that his father’s body has been found, missing one finger and far away from his usual jogging route.

Confused and sceptical, Aaron can’t help but suspect foul play when he learns his dad’s death isn’t the only local oddity. Several of Brisbane’s homeless have seemingly vanished from the earth, only to be returned after a wildly unsettling experience…

As Aaron investigates his father’s death, all signs point to a sinister device that is manipulating the boundaries between the earthly and spiritual realms.

When Aaron’s childhood sweetheart becomes an unwitting victim of the deadly scheme, he has just one chance to save the girl he loves from a madman with unimaginable power.

Could a reverend with the key to resurrection be the saviour of Aaron’s rescue mission? Or is he destined to lose all those he holds dear?

Dead Man’s Journey (The Unseen Series #1) is a thrilling and adventurous piece of Christian speculative fiction that asks the big questions, while delivering a stellar plot and a memorable cast of characters.

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Interesting.

I had been participating in a fellow bloggers weekly story prompt for quite some time but was on an extended break. With no clear plans to rejoin. This week I took the bait and wrote a piece, on Friday. It’s not been posted yet but will be in a few hours. Judging by the opening paragraphs, it seems this book fits with today’s story prompt.

Interesting.

Read and enjoyed – Vestige of Courage & Grave Consequences

August 21, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Two books. Enjoyed for the same reason.

Different genres with each covering different time periods. Past and present. There were many similarities with these books but there was one major difference.

There was one shared effect that I found intriguing. There are huge differences in the culture of the times and both authors highlighted the differences in interesting ways. By the end I think we had gained an appreciation for the lives our ancestors had to live.

Most of us cannot imagine living without our modern conveniences. On the other hand, if all you’ve ever known is the old style way of life, a sudden exposure to modern life would be traumatic. I think Vestige of Courage did a very good job of making that point. The time travelling character was about undone with some of her first time experiences with modern technology. It was eye opening to see our electronic life from her perspective.

I’ve often thought about that very thing. My grandmother died in 1976 before electronics started taking off. I’ve often thought about what her reaction would look like if she could suddenly come back now in 2021, with all the advances that have been made. Her mind would be blown. Imagine what it would be like for someone from the 1870s, still dependent on a very primitive way of life. Incomprehensible. It’s kind of cool when I think about it. I think the reader will be left with a new appreciation and a new perspective.

Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed both books.

In this first one a young lady from 1879 is suddenly thrust into the year 2019

Vestige of Courage: A Christian Time Travel Romance (Vestige in Time Book 4)

Finding herself in the future is Beatrice’s wildest dream come true, until it shatters her long-held illusions.

Beatrice Thomas lives a simple life on an isolated mountain homestead in 1879, Colorado, but she longs to experience the world past the rugged peaks and lonely months that her life has become. Unfortunately for her, that requires a miracle.

Chase Bennett’s life is on hold while he searches for his missing brother. When he stumbles upon a woman who’s looking for answers of her own, she provides a distraction he doesn’t need.

As their friendship grows, Beatrice is bewildered by the fast pace of the modern world. The adventure she longed for may be more than she can handle.

Torn between the past and the promise of a better future, can Beatrice and Chase move forward and grasp the vestige of courage buried deep within?

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This next one is a mystery. A killer needs to be discovered and while everyone in the story is living in the present the clues are all rooted in the past. And, some of those living in the present have found themselves stuck in the past. Too many secrets were tying them there.

Grave Consequences

Sometimes finding the living is more difficult than searching for the dead.

In 1968, twenty-six-year-old Charlotte Graves wrestles with more than just her decision to return to her hometown, Loblolly, Alabama—she is also fleeing a broken heart, colliding headlong into a second one, and about to stumble onto a deadly secret.

Now settled back in Loblolly, Charlotte is hired to oversee the Woodville County Historical Society, a job she was born for. But no sooner has she banged the gavel to bring order to the first meeting than she is accused of being incompetent to lead the group by her old nemesis, Boopsie Sweets. Later that night, she finds herself arrested by her old beau, the current deputy sheriff, Roan Steele, for killing Boopsie.

After being released on bail, Charlotte uses her skills as a genealogist to leap into the investigation. And when Charlotte goes digging up dirt, she unearths a long-kept family secret. Will it lead to Boopsie’s murderer … or to grave consequences for Charlotte and her family?

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I loved the resourceful characters in these books too.

I would definitely read both of them a second time.

Happy Reading

Free and bargain books August 18, 2021

August 18, 2021 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

We have a nice bunch of FREE and bargain suggestions today, most of them authors I’ve not read.

The first one is brought to us from BookBub, a great resource for book suggestions.

When Love Returns (Small Town second chance Christian Romance): A Small Town Romance Novel (Star Lake Book 2)

Amazon quote:

Can a daughter’s love rekindle an old flame?

Presley Hays and Brandon Scott were best friends in High School until Morgan entered their town and stole Brandon’s heart. Devastated, Presley took a scholarship to Le Cordon Bleu, but five years later, she is back in Star Lake after a tough breakup.

Brandon thought he’d never return to Star Lake after Morgan left him and his daughter Joy, but when his father needs help, he returns home and finds more than he bargained for.

Can Presley and Brandon forget past hurts or will their stubborn natures keep them apart forever?

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1531 Entertainment is responsible for the next three suggestions.

Grave Consequences

Amazon quote:

Sometimes finding the living is more difficult than searching for the dead.

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Deep End of the Lake

Amazon quote:

Who Says Giving Up Dreams Isn’t Success?

Ally Cervantes has all she wants in life—an upcoming wedding, a chance to prove herself with a writing gig, and two great kids. But her life turns for the worse when the unexpected happen and she soon finds herself struggling with a rebellious teen daughter, a shaky job, and a shakier engagement. With her newfound faith acting as a life preserver, Ally discovers if you’re in the deep end of the lake, you’d better learn how to swim.

Although fiction, Deep End of the Lake, is written from the authors’ personal compassion for families who have the privilege and responsibility to care for a child with a disability. Having worked with autistic students, Carol has seen first-hand the stress and demands these parents face and wanted to capture in a story those pressures, all while providing the encouragement that a beautiful hope and faith can bring into the struggles.

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Abigail’s Secret

Amazon quote:

Newly widowed mother Abby Baker goes home to Hope Harbor to help her ailing mother and restart her life. Weighed down by grief and fear of failure, she wishes she had the strength of her grandmother, who raised a young child alone while taking on the role of lighthouse keeper after her husband drowned. What was the secret of Granny Abigail’s strength?

Carson Stevens is a lighthouse enthusiast who has bought the deteriorating Hope Island lighthouse to restore it and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. When he meets Abby, he wants the attractive granddaughter of the former keepers to be part of the restoration.

As Abby and Carson work together, they uncover clues to a family secret that threatens to change Abby’s life forever. But someone is trying to sabotage their efforts at restoration.

Renovating the old lighthouse is Abby and Carson’s goal, but as they grow closer, they discover that what they’ve really needed is a renovation of their hearts.

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There seems to be a nice variety in story treatments and I’m looking forward to checking these out.

I’ve also found more interesting bargains but I’ll save them for another post.

Happy Reading!