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Free books March 31, 2022

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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 Michael soon discovers an unpublished manuscript his grandfather had written, hidden from everyone but clearly intended for Michael to find.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

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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

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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

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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 25, 2022

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BookBub has a bargain book collection to share with us. Another author I’ve never met but look forward to meeting.

Carsen Brothers of Sweet Rivers Ranch Books 1-3

Carsen Brothers of Sweet Rivers Ranch Books 1-3 (Sweet Clean Marriage of Convenience Western Romance Series). Three inspirational, sweet, clean, marriage of convenience western romances in one edition. This inspiring collection includes: Her Christmas Cowboy, Her Cowboy Hero, and Her Fake Fiancé Cowboy.

This description is short and sweet and doesn’t fulfill our need for detail. It’s a good thing I read the first two chapters in the sample.

Six adopted boys have become tight knit brothers with loving adopted parents. The boys loved and appreciated them enough to do anything for them. That is until the reading of the will. All six of them have been unlucky in love and now the will insists all of them must be married before any of them can inherit the family ranch. Oh, and they have one year to make it happen. Between the short time frame and thick protective walls around their hearts life is looking bleak.

We know all six have to be married but at the moment we’ve only met one possible woman. Her story is a dying grandfather with a desperate wish to see her married before he dies. The trouble is, that is probably only a month away with his cancer in the final stages.

That’s all I have out of the first two chapters. We will have to read on for the bigger picture.

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us. One more author new to me.

Broken Trails: A second chance sweet western romance (The Montana Trails Series Book 1)

A lonely cowboy finds a second chance at love. But her time is running out. Can they find love before it’s too late?

Nathan Rourke lost almost everything he holds dear. What he still has, he’ll do anything to keep.

His Montana ranch is not just a place, it’s his home and what’s left of his family. He’s holding his own, making it work.

But then high-school sweetheart Emma reappears … and suddenly this cowboy’s life is as rough as a ride on an untamed bronc.

Emma Benson left high school without a word to Nate, rather than admit she was too ill to go on. Now she’s desperate to prove she’s more than the disease that keeps her dependent on her family and friends.

And she craves just one more chance at love. Nate embodies the promise of a life free from the confines of her small world. But will loving her mean he must give up his own freedom? 

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My current read is:

Over the Waters

“Dr. Botox” to the bored rich women of Chicago, plastic surgeon Max Jordan is shocked by his son Joshua’s decision to focus his medical degree and talent on Haitian orphans. Embittered by Joshua’s sudden death, Max searches for resolution in the place his son called home—an orphanage outside of Port au Prince.

The selflessness of Joshua’s coworkers stuns Max. He is particularly taken with American volunteer Valerie Austin, whose dream of a tropical honeymoon has been crushed, replaced by a stint working in the impoverished orphanage. But Valerie’s view of Joshua’s sacrifice—and her own—challenges everything Max knows. Have the doors to his gilded cage finally opened to a freedom he’s never known?

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I’m a little more than half-way through and it is a good read. It is nothing like my expectations either which is a pleasant surprise.

This has been a good week for new books and that means we will have many great reading options for the weekend.

Looking forward to it. Hope you are too.

Happy reading y’all

Free and bargain books March 24, 2022

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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!

Free book March 23, 2022 Part two

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I missed one suggestion email, it landed in my junk for some reason.

BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us.

Charming the Troublemaker (Mitchell’s Crossroads Book 2)

When Dr. Alex Murdock is demoted to a university in rural Virginia, the last thing he expects to find is a future. But country charm never looked as good as it did on Rainey Mitchell.

Rainey Mitchell does not need a high-class flirt in her wounded world, but trouble and temptation wafts off the new professor as strong as his sandalwood-scented cologne.

When circumstances thrust them together to save her tutoring clinic, can the troublemaker find the hero inside and encourage the reticent Rainey to open her heart again?

“Rainey Mitchell is doing just fine. She has a great job helping children in need, her family is around her, she is mother to a fabulous little girl, and is getting over the betrayal of her ex-husband. Dr. Alex Murdock is not doing so well, as he is forced to work at a rural university, his life is full of secrets surrounding his family, and he has to start over in a new town. Luckily, Rainey, the daughter of his landlord, is there to get him settled. Rainey just wants to stay away from the new professor, who has the same charm as her ex. Unfortunately, they seem to need each other. Rainey needs his grant-writing ability to save her program, and Alex is terrible at the lecturing at which Rainey excels. The two must work together to fulfill their goals, but will they be able to do it? Rainey’s insecurities and Alex’s obsession with protecting his family could be their undoing. 

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Happy Reading y’all

Bargain books March 23, 2022

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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!

Free and bargain books March 21, 2022

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LPC Free Books has FREE suggestions for us. I’ve not read this author but it looks interesting.

Fifteen-year-old Adriana Nicu lives in the sheltered world of Bucharest, Romania, in the year 1987. Under the rule of Communist president Nicolae Ceaușescu, citizens of Bucharest live with the eyes and ears of the government ever present. Adriana’s future, which will involve becoming an engineer, is locked in against her will.

During a visit to her aunt’s apartment, Adriana walks through a wardrobe into a hidden room filled with stacks of forbidden novels. Stories bring light into the darkest of circumstances as her family begins to unravel and her life strangely parallels those of her novels’ heroines. Adriana’s childhood loyalties and her belief that God doesn’t exist are called into question as her circumstances force her to rethink things she once believed were certain.

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Another author new to me.

The Chamomile (Women of the American Revolution Series Book 1) 

Lilyan joins Patriot spies in British-occupied Charlestown, South Carolina, to rescue her brother from a notorious prison ship. She’ll lie, steal, kill or be killed in order to protect her family. Desperate for help, she seeks out Nicholas, a scout with Francis Marion’s partisans.

Together the pair set out to save her brother. But will they reach him in time? Or will her growing feelings for Nicholas compromise their mission and send the pair to the gallows?

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My current book is still a bargain and it is a good read. The main character is strong willed, smart, but she has her flaws. She makes the story worth reading.

Bittersweet Motives (Serena Manchester Mysteries Book 1)

Former reporter Serena “Rena” Manchester has transitioned into her new career as a private detective. The Clayton Matthews Law firm sends a few investigations her way that pays the bills, though the work is hardly exciting. However, a shift occurs one day while she is taking photos of a prominent businessman, Edwin Peters, with his young mistress. When the woman shows up dead, Serena has no doubt that Edwin Peters is the prime suspect.

A monkey wrench is thrown at her theory when Serena realizes her client, Mrs. Judith Peters, has just as much motive to kill the young woman. Rena is going to need her hard-nosed tactics to find a murderer because the suspects keep piling up.

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Enjoy.

Happy Reading!

Current read March 20, 2022

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Is it OK if I don’t have anything momentous to say this morning?

These days, my thoughts are consumed with several heavy duty subjects but it doesn’t seem appropriate, for many reasons, to talk about any of them. The trouble with immersing myself in these off-limits but important topics is a shortage of time spent pondering things I would be comfortable talking about.

At the moment, it is quiet in here, deadly quiet. All of the normal voices have been turned off.

The temptation to turn some of them back on will be high, I’m sure, but I want to spend time listening to discover what my mind is telling me on acceptable subjects. Sometimes, most times actually, our mind needs input, to help prime-the-pump so to speak.

This is a “why study math when you need to study literature” sort of moment.

I have several non fiction books I should be reading, I’m sure inspiration would be found in that activity.

I was toying with that idea but decided it might be good to start the day a little lighter. So I picked another book instead.

This choice sounds like it will be a fluff book but it’s likely not. This author writes books with meat on the bones. I think this one will be a positive influence on my thought life and who knows, maybe I will be inspired to write something momentous. Maybe not momentous but a smaller scale seems doable. I’ll keep you posted about my progress toward inspiration, later.

Catch of a Lifetime – Low Country Love (Finding Love in the Low Country Book 3)

From an early age, Adella believed that love brings only pain. First her mother dies, and Adella struggles to deal with her grief and care for her younger sisters. When the young girls decide they don’t need Adella anymore, she concludes she can’t trust anyone but herself. With few options, she determines she will use her good looks and intelligence to catch a handsome, wealthy man who can give her the security she craves. Derek Goodson appears to be the man of her dreams, and at first their marriage is wonderful. After a few years, however, Adella discovers a restlessness that nothing seems to satisfy. She is bored with exclusive parties, clothing, and vacations. When introduced to a handsome stranger, she wonders if he is the answer to her secret longings. Adele must face some tough choices, along with a tender tug on her soul. She married Derek for his money. Why can’t she love him for it?

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I’m looking forward to seeing what this day had to offer by the time it’s over.

I’m wishing a good day for you too. Whatever your day may look like.

Maybe it will even include a book.

Happy Reading if it does.