romance

Free and Bargain books June 17, 2022

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

It’s a beautiful sunny day. A cheerful start to any day and I’m loving it.

Even better, we have book suggestions to make it a doubly nice day.

BookBub has several Romance suggestions for us. Light reading compared to Mystery/Suspense. As a bonus they are short reads and one is free.

In Love with Alaska: The Alaskan Sunrise Romances Full Series Collection (Alaska Sunrise Romances) 

Brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends—are all about to learn that love has a way of finding you when you least expect it. From rescue dogs to avalanches and every possible scenario in between, the one thing that doesn’t change is how hard each is willing to fight to secure a happily ever after.

This special full series collection of the Alaska Sunrise Romances by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Storm includes nine novellas full of heart and humor, the perfect pick-me-up for any day!

***********************

Someone to Trust (Life Unexpected Book 2)

She wants to give him her heart. He wants to give her the best chance at a happy life. They’re headed separate ways . . . until faith steps in.

Chess Summers never got to have a “real” family growing up. Thankfully, his makeshift family of former foster kids has given him the sense of belonging he’s always been missing. However, insecurities about his dark past may cost him the future he longs for, especially when it comes to Brooke, the spunky and beautiful woman he has found himself falling for. He’s determined to protect her, and convinced she deserves someone much better than him.

Brooke Pierce may have had a rough childhood, but she also had her trust in Christ, which sustained her through it all. When Chess crushes Brooke’s dreams of a future together, she must rely on faith once again to heal her heart and help her move on. But is walking away from each other the answer? Or does redemption lie in these two broken spirits facing the past together?

**************************

1531 Entertainment has an interesting bargain suggestion from an author new to me.

A Strike to the Heart

She’s fiercely independent. He’s determined to protect her.

Wisconsin, 1933—When a routine mission becomes an ambush that kills his team, Craft Agency sniper Miles Wright determines to find the persons responsible and protect the woman he rescued. But the fierce independence that led Lily Moore to leave her family’s dairy business for the solitary life of a dog trainer and the isolation of her farm don’t make that easy. Neither does his unwanted attraction to her. Meanwhile, escalating incidents confirm that she’s far from safe.

Lily fears letting the surprisingly gentle retired marine into her life almost as much as she fears whoever is threatening her. As Wisconsin farmers edge toward another milk strike, one that will surely turn violent, it becomes clear that the plot against Lily may be part of a much larger conspiracy. When the search for her abductor leads close to home, she must decide whether to trust her family or the man who saved her life.

***********************

Not a bad start to the weekend.

Happy reading everyone.

So good … read and enjoyed June 14, 2022

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

A well written, delightful story. Delightful in regard to humorous, well-played interactions. Dark and stressful due to an adversary with criminal intent. It was an engaging book just the same. I had to spend every available moment reading until the end.

Murder In The Dunes: A clean-read private investigator mystery (Smiley and McBlythe Mystery Series Book 7) 

A detective’s perfect vacation: sun, sand, surf… and murder.

When blind PI Steve Smiley visits his friend and writing mentor, Kate Bridges, he anticipates an idyllic South Padre Island getaway. The island’s magic spell is broken when Kate is accosted by her abusive ex-husband. Two days later, his body is found in the dunes, and she becomes the prime suspect.

With the police in a hurry to close the case and Kate arrested for the murder, Steve sets out to find the real killer. His investigation leads him into the dangerous world of dirty cops and the Mexican cartel—a world where there are no rules.

In a last ditch effort to prove Kate’s innocence, Steve lays a trap for the murderer. Can he outwit the devious opponent, or will the next blood spilled in the sand be his?

***********************

Three more read and enjoyed… very much.

A few more flagged as read but my memory of them is foggy. All I can be sure of… they were recent purchases and they are marked read. They haven’t been removed so that means they were enjoyed.

It has been an excellent reading month.

Read and enjoyed June 12, 2022 Part two

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

It’s time to clear out some of the backlog. The latest binge read has been the culprit, all due to such a great run on awesome books. Some of them have risen to the top as most memorable but on the whole they have been a cut above the average story.

It was hard to put this one down, I loved this story.

In Search of a Prince: An African American Royalty Romance Book (Christian Fiction by Black Authors)

Brielle Adebayo is fully content teaching at a New York City public school and taking annual summer vacations with her mother to Martha’s Vineyard. But everything changes when her mom drops a bombshell–Brielle is really a princess in the island kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé, off the coast of Africa, and she must immediately assume her royal position, since the health of her grandfather, the king, is failing.

Distraught by all the secrets her mother kept, Brielle is further left spinning when the Ọlọrọ Ilé Royal Council brings up an old edict that states she must marry before her coronation, or the crown will pass to another. Brielle is uncertain if she even wants the throne, and with her world totally shaken, where will she find the courage to take a chance on love and brave the perils a wrong decision may bring?

**********************

This is another one that kept me up half the night reading.

Shadow Game: A Christian Romantic Suspense (Shadow Alliance Book 1) 

Morgan Caine spent three years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit before being acquitted, but that doesn’t mean she’s innocent. While trying to rebuild her life, she takes a gamble and hacks into a computer network, stumbling across an assassination plot in the process. But despite the possible risks, she refuses to sit back and let a man die, even if he represents everything she’s never had.
But Oliver Wright is not the man she thinks he is, and her good deed traps her in a conspiracy that forces her to question everything she’s known to be true and reveals to both of them that they have more in common than they first realized. Now, with time running out, both Morgan and Oliver must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to save each other.

***********************

One more all night read from a favorite author.

Tranquility Falls (Miramar Bay Book 4) 

Six years ago, Daniel was a Los Angeles financial analyst who was too handsome for his own good. Too smart for his anchor job on the nightly news. And too enamored with the heady addictions of the high life. That man died in a tragic accident with his fiancée. With grief and guilt battling for control, Daniel moved to the quiet California seaside town of Miramar Bay with his best friend—a rescue Labradoodle who still sees him through rough times. Daniel’s a different man now. Clean, sober, and taking things one day at a time with no commitments to anyone except himself. And just as his solitude begins to chafe, two souls in need of fresh starts unexpectedly enter Daniel’s life . . .
Realize that it’s time to wake up.

Daniel’s self-centered sister has dissolved several longtime relationships. Theirs included. The latest? Her restless teenage daughter, Nicole, whom she’s dropped off in Miramar Bay without a backward glance. For Nicole, who’s never felt at home in the world, it only confirms the disconnect she’s always had with her mother. Now, left with an uncle she barely knows, Nicole is more adrift than ever. Yet to Daniel’s surprise, playing surrogate father is forging a bond that he needs, too. More difficult for Daniel is the possibility of romance with lovely and fragile Stella Dalley. Struggling with a trauma of her own, the single mother is as cautious about love as Daniel is—no matter how healing it could be. But for Daniel, Stella, and Nicole there’s still hope for a tomorrow they can call their own. All they have do is to learn to trust in each other, and in themselves.

*********************

There’s more but they will take another post.

Currently, I’m reading a nail biter. They are being hunted and they are in a tough spot.

Point of Impact (Last Chance Downrange Book 1)

As an FBI Profiler, Addie is on the edge of burnout. When she returns home, she has to face down every nightmare she’s ever had. Is the resurgence of a series of all too familiar deadly crimes the work of a former ally, or a mastermind who has been pulling her strings all along?
Recluse and artist Jacob likes his life. It’s how he’s managed to cope with who he became all those years ago. But he can’t avoid the past any longer. Not when Addie walks back into town, and right back into his life.

The past returns in a wave of unexplained crimes. Addie and Jacob find themselves at the heart of it all, at the place where their lives were torn apart

*******************

Now back to my book.

Until next time.

Read and enjoyed June 12, 2022

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

A follow-up on my last current read post: to my great delight – the best was saved for last in this collection.

Books 1 and 2 of the D. B. Burns Mysteries (books 5 and 6 in this collection) were a perfect blend of light-hearted and sad. There was mystery/suspense; vindictive neighbors and secret rooms. A whole team of good guys came together and they won in the end. It felt wonderful to have the power hungry tyrants exposed in the most dramatic of ways. (can’t say too much here and spoil the fun)

The smart people were definitely on the good side this time and it was an enjoyable ride.

The Courtship of Harry’s Wife by Jeanette-Marie Mirich

The Last Roses by Jeanette-Marie Mirich

If you appreciate irony and dry humor, you will love this too.

Current read June 10, 2022

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Mixed emotions.

That’s what I have about this book collection, mixed emotions.

I like the stories, they are interesting with well developed characters. I guess my quibble is with story progression. Two things; excessive detail that doesn’t add-to or advance the story, and situations that feel contrived. It’s time for another tense moment, let me see – what could it be? The stories drag on too long and are mildly frustrating. Not enough to toss the book but enough to make me skip through multiple pages without really reading them.

Fortunately, I wanted to see how the stories ended and that kept me going.

I’m up to book 5 now. It’s a book that appeared in last years collection, I thought I’d read it but have no recall at all. Maybe I didn’t finish the collection after all.

Reading the first few pages I’m interested mainly because of the sense of humor. The characters are hilarious. So far anyway.

The Courtship of Harry’s Wife by Jeanette-Marie Mirich (D. B. Burns Mysteries #1)

Delilah Morgan planned to mourn in private after her husband Harry passed, but he had other ideas—leaving his wife in good hands & protected from the elite of their small Kentucky town. Harry has selected handsome local judge Lyle Henderson to court his widow.

The judge acquiesces to Harry’s wishes until Henderson’s life spins into a maelstrom after the discovery of bodies in his long absent wife’s car. The police & FBI suspect him of murdering his wife & her apparent lover. Determined to clear the judge of murder, Delilah resolves to hunt down the true story. But will the adventure cost them their lives? Or will it be a wild-goose chase toward love?

*************************

Check it out, this collection is still a bargain.

Free book June 08, 2022

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

BookRunes has a FREE suggestion with an author we’ve not seen before now.

The Trust Charm (A Finding Faith Romance Book 1)

After losing her brother-in-law in a fire, Avery Sanders makes a vow to never put her heart on the line for a man with a dangerous career. And then Liam Reed walks into her life and everything is suddenly beautiful in ways she’d never imagined.

When Liam meets Avery at the youth center where he volunteers, the attraction is instant. But then he learns that she won’t date guys with a dangerous profession. So he keeps his career as a cop secret until the time is right. When Avery discovers what he’s been hiding, will she trust God with their future? Or will she let it all slip away when tragedy strikes?

***********************

That’s it for suggestions today folks.

Happy Reading!

Bargain books June 07, 2022 part two

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

1531 Entertainment has a great suggestion for us. It is a ten in one collection by an author we’ve seen often. Basically it is book one of all ten of Jessie Gussman‘s series. I’ve read five of these first books and I think this will be a good way to check out all of her work.

Sweet Beginnings (10 full-length sweet romance novels): A collection of beloved series starters 

This collection contains the first book in each of Jessie Gussman’s ten series. Be swept away by cowboys, enjoy some relaxing time at the beach, laugh in Good Grief, Idaho, and feel the cozy warmth of small town life.

Book 1 – Cowboy Walking Away: After being fired from her waitressing job and coming face-to-face with her ex, Rose Baldwin lets a little lie escape. She forgot there is no such thing as a “little” lie.

Book 2 – Heartland Joy: Bridget Rawlings isn’t exactly considered a catch in Prairie Rose, Iowa. In fact, the locals all but shun her and her three children. A cloud of death and disaster seems to surround both her and her farm. After all, The Bad Luck Widow has already buried two husbands.

Book 3 – Harvest Moon Homecoming: When the high school’s float explodes five days before the National Farmer’s Day parade, Principal Calvin Finkenbinder sees his chance at the promotion to Superintendent disintegrate. Unless he enlists the help of Ellie Bright, the most annoying, disorganized and kissable woman he knows.

Book 4 – Yesterday’s Treasures: She doesn’t want a divorce, she just wants…something. Something more than being a single mom yet doing a man’s laundry.

Book 5 – Me and the Cute Catastrophe: I live in Idaho. (Yes, potatoes. *eye roll* Can we talk about something else?) And I love it here. Small town values galore and it’s right where I want to raise my girls after my jerk ex traded me in for a “younger, newer model” (his words, not mine). I was pretty happy with my life until the hot shot, all-state baller from my teen years moved back in next door. (I babysat him, yes, but I never changed his diapers. Just wanted to be clear about that.)

Book 6 – Best Friends in the Show Me State: They’ve been best friends forever. When violent weather sparks an unexpected attraction, will they risk their friendship for a chance at a lifetime love?

Book 7 – Dreaming of Her Cowboy’s Kiss: A simple cowboy in love with a surgeon. A decade of unrequited love. A hopeless, one-sided romance. Except sometimes, if you’re patient, God writes your love story.

Book 8 – The Cowboy’s Best Friend: He’s a cowboy with a billion dollar problem. His best friend can solve it, but it might break his heart.

Book 9 – The Small Town Boy’s Redemption: Blade Truax did some street racing when he was younger. Illegal, sure. But that’s not what sent him to prison. It was the lying, conniving Watkins girl and her father, Judge Watkins.

Book 10 – Always With You: He doesn’t want her to owe him. He wants her to love him

************************

There are 2553 pages in this collection and you can’t beat $1.29 as a great way to experience an author.

If you enjoy sweet romance, check it out.

***********************

I’ve started a new read, also a collection and still a bargain. It appears three of the books were in the first collection (which I’ve read) and three are new. I’m enjoying the first new one and look forward to the other two. There are three contributing authors which is interesting.

A Second Date with Danger: Inspirational Romantic Suspense Boxed Set

Until tomorrow, maybe.

Happy Reading!

Read and enjoyed June 07, 2022

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Book 2 is coming soon! I can hardly wait.

Christ Barritt’s newest book arrived in my electronic mail box a day or so ago, the first book in a new series. It was everything I hoped it would be. All new characters, new locations, new organizations involved, and fresh situations. I loved it.

At the very end book 2 was introduced as coming soon and guess what, it is already a bargain price on pre-order. It won’t be released until August but with the way this year is flying by it won’t be a long wait.

So book one… it’s still a bargain and I highly recommend it.

Forgotten Secrets (Vanishing Ranch Book 1)

FBI Special Agent Jesse Marx doesn’t know which is worse—waking up in a horse stable with no memories of the past several days or waking up to discover he’s wearing a wedding band. Not only has he been injured, but he’s also gotten hitched—something he vowed never to do.

Sienna Fleming refuses to feel a connection to any man, much less be tied down to one. But when she needs help solving a string of murders, Jesse is the only man she can turn to for help. Unfortunately, Jesse is ready to bolt. Considering the circumstances, she can’t blame him . . . but she also can’t let him go.

The two are roped into this together. . . for better or worse . . . because it will take a united effort to stop this killer before someone else dies.

**********************

Book two… coming soon.

Necessary Risk (Vanishing Ranch Book 2)

Former Navy SEAL Hudson Carmichael came to Vanishing Ranch in hopes of making a difference. The ranch helps people desperate to disappear start new lives–and escape from imminent danger.

When his dead fiancé shows up, her appearance rocks his world. She supposedly died in a scuba diving expedition in the Caribbean. So why is she there now? And what happened to her in the two years since she’d been “dead”?

Hudson will have to put his feelings aside to keep her safe . . . especially as more secrets are revealed.

********************

This book, book one will be remembered as the highlight of my week. It has actually been a good run for excellent books this week. the best.

Checking out today’s emails, I may be back with more suggestions. It looks like there is a good chance!

In the meantime…

Happy Reading!

Free and bargain books June 06, 2022

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Playing catch up again on great book suggestions.

1531 Entertainment has several suggestions for us.

The River Beautiful by Andrea Carmen

A difficult past. A strange letter. An unsolved mystery.

Someone is following Lena, mapping her every move.

Where strength can be weakness and vulnerability-an asset, the greatest danger that threatens Lena may just be herself.

After the death of her father years ago, Lena ran from the quiet community of Kennerdell, but she’s back, forced to face a past she’d rather forget.

To make things more difficult, awkward, and terrifying, her old friend, Will, is back in her life. Even worse, she needs him there if she hopes to figure out what the letter she found in her father’s study means. They’re on a mission to find answers before her stalker does.

The River Beautiful mingles history and legend in a fast-paced ride through the deceptively peaceful Allegheny Mountains on a quest for answers amid loss, strength in the face of love, a whirlwind of self-discovery, and learning to use faith to illuminate even the darkest places.

I will admit to downloading this book several years ago and not reading it. Probably the darkness of the story was the stumbling block. Maybe I should try again, just in case now is a better time.

*****************

This next one is another downloaded book I’ve not read. I have read and enjoyed other Ted Dekker books though. His books chart as Science Fiction and Metaphysical Fantasy.

Black (Circle Book 1)

Thomas Hunter narrowly survives a shooting attempt only to awaken in an alternate universe of green forests, a world to which he subsequently travels every time he goes to sleep.

This is the short version of a synopsis. The longer one is… long… and wild.

Check it out. He is on a quest to save the world. Both of them.

*********************

Changing the subject totally…

BookRunes has a suggestion I have read and enjoyed.

Red Rose Bouquet: (Grace Revealed Book 2)

Cheryl Thompson learned over a decade ago to guard her shattered heart with a veil of cold indifference. Life since that day has been an endless cycle of detachment and loneliness, followed by superficial relationships. Break up, rinse, and repeat. Until something in her snaps. This life…she can’t do it anymore. She returns to her childhood home in the Colorado Rockies to help her nana.

Brock Kelly lived high as King of the Slopes in the world of snowboard cross racing. Medals. Money. Fame. But after a visit to an orphanage in Mexico, he gave up his adrenaline-packed lifestyle to follow a calling from God he didn’t know he had—helping kids who’d been damaged emotionally.

When Cheryl finally tells Brock what she’s never told anyone else…no wonder she is the way she is. It would take a miracle to heal that wound, and a love bigger than Brock had ever imagined to walk with her through the process.

**********************

I think there could be more but that will have to be a new post.

Happy Reading y’all…

Although, with this lot it may be more tense than happy.

Tense can be good though… right?

New bargain from Christy Barritt June 03, 2022

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

It has been a busy week around my house with visiting family and I’ve loved every minute of it. This is the first time in years that I’ve had this much time with them and I learned some things.

My son loves to cook, fancy things, not just your regular meat and potatoes. It’s been a surprise because no one else in the family loves to cook. Not even me. I am impressed. And he cleans up after himself too. What a treasure. His wife knows when she has a very good thing going for her and lets him know how much she appreciates him.

They will be back and I can’t wait.

There wasn’t much reading and next-to-no blogging happening while they were here but that has changed already. I think I’m on my fourth book since they left and they were good ones. The kind that keep you up all night reading just-one-more chapter.

The other thing I’m excited about is the speed of spring. The trees have gone from sprouts to full leaves in a little more than a week. The newness of it all is inspiring.

So, getting back to blogging and books…
I’m excited to see a new series from suspense writer Christy Barritt. This is another of her pre-order bargains and with a vanishing ranch I’m trying to imagine what it will be like. It sounds intriguing.

Forgotten Secrets (Vanishing Ranch Book 1)

FBI Special Agent Jesse Marx doesn’t know which is worse—waking up in a horse stable with no memories of the past several days or waking up to discover he’s wearing a wedding band. Not only has he been injured, but he’s also gotten hitched—something he vowed never to do.

Sienna Fleming refuses to feel a connection to any man, much less be tied down to one. But when she needs help solving a string of murders, Jesse is the only man she can turn to for help. Unfortunately, Jesse is ready to bolt. Considering the circumstances, she can’t blame him . . . but she also can’t let him go.

The two are roped into this together. . . for better or worse . . . because it will take a united effort to stop this killer before someone else dies.

**************************

I hope you will enjoy reading as much as I plan to this weekend.