More news… February 15, 2022

In yesterday’s Oops post, found here, I shared about much time spent watching the live stream walkabouts and the things I’ve learned about the truckers Ottawa Freedom Convoy 2022.

The post ended with the concerning news of Justin Trudeau, Canada Prime Minister, invoking the Emergency Measures Act. This was concerning because the criteria for using this action is the need for force, which clearly is not the case. It turns out he is using this as a scare tactic to force the protesters to bow to him.

This tactic won’t work and this morning’s short video explains why. Such a relief.

The truckers and the supporters joining them have been amazing in their commitment to peaceful protest.

There were a couple of short videos confirming some of what goes on over there but I can’t find them again. One showed the protesters giving out Valentine red roses to police officers on scene. The other was of the conversation/one sided altercation between a counter protester and the father of a thirteen year old girl who had her flag stolen. It did not end well for the belligerent counter protester, many witnesses – besides the camera, saw the one-sided altercation and the inebriated man was arrested.

There are many new videos today and I would love to share them but will leave you with just one. Dave Rubin, a popular figure in the US is a huge supporter of the Canadian protest and definitely NOT a fan of Trudeau. Dave is excitable and the video is long but he is informative and inspiring.

I’m sure I will be back with more news.

This whole thing is important because they are not just fighting against mandates, they are fighting against tyranny. And this is not just a Canadian issue, it’s world wide.

The truckers are amazing in the way they manage to keep their cool under immense provocation.

I can’t go to Ottawa but I can watch videos. Every view and like counts for them. Subscribe helps them too.

Happy viewing. Be informed.

Free and bargain books October 05, 2021

BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us, one that comes highly recommended. A biography that reads like a novel.

The Rabbi’s Wife, The Bishop’s Wife: A Historical Novel

The moving story of Joana Halevi – one brave woman who was willing to give up the most precious things in her life to maintain her faith.

Spain, 1391. Joana, wife of Shlomo Halevi, the Rabbi of Burgos, mother of five, and daughter of a wealthy and respectable family, is living a comfortable, carefree life. Until her world is shattered without warning one summer day.

While her husband Shlomo, now Pablo de Santamaria, joins the Catholic church and takes their family with him, Joana struggles with the unrelenting yearning for her children. Will her soul find relief? Will her children return to her side?

Jerusalem, 2020. Ruth is struggling with personal conflicts when the Covid-19 pandemic shakes her world, adding loneliness and isolation to her struggle. With her new online friend, she embarks on a voyage that will set Joana Halevi’s memory free from oblivion.

Based on the true story of Joana Halevi, The Rabbi’s Wife, the Bishop’s Wife addresses human behavior and condition: true and false alliances, betrayal and loyalty, destruction and redemption.

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1531 Entertainment has a suggestion from an author we’ve seen before.

Autumn Skies (A Bluebell Inn Romance Book 3)

When a mysterious man turns up at Grace’s family-run inn, it’s instant attraction. But she’s already got a lot on her plate: running the Bluebell Inn, getting Blue Ridge Outfitters off the ground, and coping with a childhood event she’d thought was long past.

A gunshot wound has resurrected the past for secret service agent Wyatt Jennings, and a mandatory leave of absence lands him in Bluebell, North Carolina. There he must try and come to grips with the crisis that altered his life forever.

Grace needs experience for her new outfitters business, so when Wyatt needs a mountain guide, she’s more than happy to step up to the plate. As their journey progresses, Grace soon has an elusive Wyatt opening up, and Wyatt is unwittingly drawn to Grace’s fresh outlook and sense of humor.

There’s no doubt the two have formed a special bond, but will Wyatt’s secrets bring Grace’s world crashing down? Or will those secrets end up healing them both?

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I’m looking forward to both of these books.

Happy Reading!

Happy Mother’s Day

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It’s a day to be grateful for Mothers, We all had one or we wouldn’t be here, that’s reason enough right there, to be grateful. Life is a precious gift.

Giving life is not an easy thing and wanting to do it more than once can seem like insanity. Those of us who are not firstborn are grateful Mom was excited about a new baby and seemed to forget the down side to the whole process.

If the pregnancy/giving birth thing wasn’t enough to discourage her, the terrible-two’s and potty training surely should have done it. That alone tells us why mothers need to be appreciated. For a week or more at least, never mind this business of only one day.

If we are truly honest, it’s a wonder some of us made it past childhood. You know who you are, don’t try to hide.

We are grateful for moms who gave us life and loved us enough to let us keep it.

Photo by Secret Garden on Pexels.com

Love you Mom!

Bargain books April 08, 2021

I’m reminded today of Charles Martin, the well loved author of deep and engaging stories. My sister-in-law introduced me to his books. and I have to agree, they are everything she said they would be. More than a read they are an experience. To be honest, they have spoiled us. It’s not easy finding other authors with stories that move us the way his do.

One of his books came up as a suggestion this morning. It doesn’t qualify as a bargain but I decided to mention it anyway. Then I noticed the two books included in this collection can be purchased individually at a combined price that is lower than the price of this book. A good deal indeed.

Down Where My Love Lives

USA TODAY bestseller from the author of The Mountain Between Us, now a major motion picture!

Collected together for the first timeDylan and Maggie’s love story.

Down Where My Love Lives is a bittersweet yet triumphant love story—a tale of one man’s spiritual journey through the darkness of despair into the light of hope.

The Dead Don’t Dance was New York Times best-selling author Charles Martin’s debut novel. Even then, the deep characters and emotional power for which he has become so well-known were apparent in his writing. Now, this story—and its sequel—are together in one volume.

The Dead Don’t Dance—A sleepy rural town in South Carolina. The end of summer and a baby about to be born. But in the midst of hope and celebration comes unexpected tragedy, and Dylan Styles must come to terms with both love and loss. Will the music of his heart be stilled forever—or will he choose to dance with life once more?

Maggie—Life began again for Dylan Styles when his beloved wife Maggie awoke from a coma. In this poignant love story that is redolent with Southern atmosphere, Dylan and Maggie must accept their past before they can embrace their future.

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Here they are

Enjoy

More later….maybe

Read and enjoyed … mid February edition

Six books and I loved them all.

The first two were a nice surprise, the author was new to me and it was awesome experience. I’m looking forward to more from her somewhere in the future. I have to tell you, this was not a fluff romance, to say there were tense moments would be a grievous understatement.

P.S. Goodbye (Prequel Novella) (Restoring Heritage)

What if a woman who’s all about the goals and plans falls in love with man who no longer believes his life has a purpose? A novice life coach needs to cement her reputation with one great success story. When a wounded former Special Forces operator walks back into her life looking for a job, she decides to work with him—a win-win for them both.

​If Caroline Williams had her way, she’d help everyone in town find their purpose in life—unfortunately, no one seems to want her help. But she refuses to give up, and her new status as a certified life coach should provide her with some badly needed credibility. All she needs is her first client. When Grant Quinn walks in looking for a job, Caroline knows he needs more than that—he needs a new plan for his life. But when Grant refuses to be honest about his dreams and his struggles, Caroline’s business might come crashing down before it starts.

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You Belong with Me (Restoring Heritage Book #1) 

Realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents. Unfortunately, selling houses in the town where her family name is practically poison isn’t one of them. When a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop him. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map–and hopefully finally repay the financial debt Hannah’s mother caused the town. But at first no one supports her efforts–not even her best friend, Luke.

Luke Johnson may have grown up in Heritage, but as a foster kid he never truly felt as if he belonged. Now he has a chance to score a job as assistant fire chief and earn his place in the town. But when the interview process and Hannah’s restoration project start unearthing things from his past, Luke must decide if belonging is worth the pain of being honest about who he is–and who he was.

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The next three authors were all known to me and I loved these books. There was nothing simple about any of these stories, I think that was what I liked best about them.

The Lonesome Librarian: A Heartwarming Journey of Faith, Hope & Love (First Street Church Romances Book 5)

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Small-town librarian Sally Scott’s life is made up of a series of tremendous heartbreaks.

Her parents died when she was young, the love of her life just married somebody else, and looking after her agoraphobic aunt means she can’t leave town despite having no true friends to confide in.

Only her beloved books provide any true escape, until a town outsider returns and causes her to question everything she once thought she knew about herself.

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There was one thing spoiling this next experience for me. The abundance of detailed technical information. It was probably a detraction only because I’d read a similar book in the not too distant past and once was enough. The story was worth it though.

The Way of the Brave (Global Search and Rescue Book #1)

Former pararescue jumper Orion Starr is haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong. He may be living alone in Alaska now, but the pain of his failure–and his injuries–has followed him there from Afghanistan.

He has no desire to join Hamilton Jones’s elite rescue team, but he also can’t shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost climbers on Denali.

Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun’s yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her.

As a consultant during a top-secret mission to root out the Taliban, she green-lighted an operation that ended in ambush and lives lost.

When her cathartic climb on Denali turns deadly, she’ll be forced to trust her life and the lives of her friends to the most dangerous of heroes–the man she nearly killed.

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The Island House (Brides & Beaches Romance Book 1)

Thirty-seven, recently divorced, and childless. That’s Charlotte when she disembarks from the plane in Getaway Bay. She wants to get away, that’s for sure. She thought the best way to do that was to buy a run-down house overlooking the bay, knowing she’ll need all her fixer-upper skills to get it in shape. Which is just fine. She’s hoping as she overhauls the house, she’ll get a life makeover too.

She was not expecting a tall, handsome man to be under the kitchen sink when she arrives at the supposedly abandoned house. She wasn’t expecting to get drenched when the non-plumber twists something the wrong way. And she certainly wasn’t expecting her heart to be well enough to feel anything for anyone.

But former Air Force pilot, Dawson Dane, has a charming devil-may-care personality, and Charlotte could use some carefree laughter in her life. But everything with Dawson isn’t sunshine and unicorns. He’s estranged from his family, though he does speak to one of his brothers. And he’s never committed to anything except his career, even choosing flying over an engagement years ago.

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Aloha Hideaway Inn: A Sweet Beach Read (Getaway Bay Resort Romance Book 1) 

She’s got big plans for her tropical bed and breakfast, but the new high-rise resort in the bay is throwing a wrench into everything. So Stacey Stapleton does what any savvy businesswoman would do—she goes to spy on the resort stealing her business and ruining the beautiful Getaway Bay skyline.

Her undercover operation doesn’t do more than show her how flawless the Sweet Breeze Resort is—and that the owner is as handsome as he is smart.

Though annoyed by the new resort, Stacey focuses on Aloha Hideaway Inn, more determined than ever to give tourists the vacation of their lives. But when a tropical storm hits the bay, she and her guests have to take refuge in the high-rise hotel she hates.

Not only that, but the more time she spends with Fisher DuPont, the owner of Sweet Breeze, the more she has to admit that he’s not a monster.

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These were all fun reads and some of them are even still at bargain prices. You should give them a try if they look interesting.

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I’m between reads again and think I will go for a change of pace with a cowboy story.

Rafferty: Cowboy Trail Boss: Christian Historical Western Romance (The Kavanagh Brothers Book 9)

It’s chaos at the Kavanagh Ranch between cattle rustlers and his brother’s wives having babies Rafferty becomes the Trail Boss. He’s taking on the Chisholm Trail from Fort Worth, Texas to Abilene, Kansas. The trail is fraught with hardship and danger.

Just when Rafferty thinks he has everything under control he finds Mae along the trail and nothing in life has prepared him for her stubborn, feistiness. 

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Happy Reading!

Bargain books for September 23, 2020

I can never pass up the chance for an Alana Terry book. Especially when it is a bargain. $0.99. Thanks to BookBub for the suggestion.

Save Me Once: A Safe Refuge Christian Thriller

Amazon quote:

It’s every mother’s worst nightmare. Except she isn’t dreaming.

If only she’d been more attentive, none of this would have happened.

Now her daughter’s missing, abducted by a man with a criminal past. A man who has been grooming her daughter for a life on the streets.

Is it any wonder Margot fears the worst?

Fueled by love, terror, and unwavering determination, Margot will stop at nothing to save her little girl. Enlisting the help of a police detective with a sordid past and a host of problems of his own, Margot is determined to blow this case wide open.

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My current read…

The Socialite

Glamour, treachery, and espionage collide when an English socialite rushes to save her sister from the Nazis.

As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has a certain set of responsibilities. But chasing her wayward sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Now accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle that her Nazi boyfriend provides, Ellie has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate for them—but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.

Arrested for simply trying to defend himself against a drunken bully, Barrett Anderson is given the option of going to jail or serving out his sentence by training Resistance fighters in Paris. A bar owner serves as the perfect disguise to entertain Nazis at night while training fighters right below their jackboots during the day. Being assigned to watch over two English debutantes is the last thing he needs, but a payout from their father is too tempting to resist. Can Barrett and Kat trust each other long enough to survive, or will their hearts prove more traitorous than the dangers waiting around the corner?

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Pickings are scarce this morning but at least there was a good one. And there is always hope for surprises tomorrow.

Happy Reading!

Free and Bargain books September 17, 2020

This post has turned into an introduction to Michael Phillips, well known, eclectic, prolific author. I will admit – I’ve read and enjoyed Michael Phillips for years, decades. His stories do not qualify as light reading. But they are interesting and captivating to those who enjoy deeper subjects.

It all started with this morning’s FREE BookBub daily suggestion. I’ve read the author’s note and the first few pages and I’m hooked on this one. I don’t recall reading anything of his similar to this one so this will be a new experience for me.

Destiny Junction: Behind Every Door is a Life, and Behind Every Life is a Destiny 

Amazon quote:

Destiny Junction is a small town, not unlike any other small town in America. As its name implies, however, it becomes the place where many people’s lives meet destiny.


Through one young lady’s obedient Christian life and the work of the Holy Spirit subsequent to her murder, the lives of many people in the town of Destiny Junction are transformed.

This is their story…a story about life…and what it means…or what it ought to mean.

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Then the – Customers who bought this item also bought – string was the beginning of the abundance coming next. Most everything from this point on is at the bargain price of $0.99 each.

First is the three book historical series American Dreams. All three of these books follow the same family as they live through the American Civil War with the freeing of slaves in the southern states. This story is not for the faint of heart. The series needs to be read in sequence to get the full story but you could pick and choose and it would still be OK.

Dream of Freedom, Dream of Life, Dream of Love

Amazon quote:

Best-selling author Michael Phillips transports readers to the South, as the seeds of Civil War are sown—and those against slavery take a stand.

In the antebellum South, Richmond and Carolyn Davidson live lives of ease as wealthy plantation owners. But even though their prosperity and livelihood depend on slave ownership, their Christian consciences speak against the practice.

When the Davidsons decide to follow their own moral conviction and God’s will by freeing their slaves, they face consequences they never could have anticipated. Risking their lives as an important link in the Underground Railroad, helping runaway slaves escape to the northern states, the Davidsons must rely on their wits—and God’s protection—to stay alive.

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Next is the Secret of the Rose series set in Russia. Over the course of four books it follows the life of a single family from the 1930s pre-war Prussia to escaping divided, Berlin Wall, Germany, to America post cold war with Russia, Another story not for the faint of heart.

The Eleventh Hour, A Rose Remembered,  Escape to Freedom, Dawn of Liberty

Amazon quote:

In 1930s pre-war Prussia, Baron von Dortmann lives an idyllic life with his daughter Sabina. A devoted gardener and father, the Baron teaches his daughter powerful lessons about life, creation, and Gods love during treasured walks in the estate’s beautiful gardens.

But Sabina is growing up, and the Baron’s beloved Prussia is changing. Now a beautiful young woman, Sabina has caught the eye of a handsome young American, Matthew.

Meanwhile, a cloud is gathering on the horizon as the Nazis seize power in neighboring Germany. As he strives to protect his family and follow his own moral compass, Baron von Dortmann will face heart-wrenching decisions, with only Gods guidance to light the way.

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Next is the two book series The Green Hills of Snowdonia  set in Wales. This one also needs to be read in order. Judging by the reviews it will be an emotional experience

From Across the Ancient Waters, The Treasure of the Celtic Triangle

Amazon quote:

After being sent to his uncle’s estate, young Percy Drummond has no intention of letting the country atmosphere soften his rebellious ways. Then he meets a village girl, Gwyneth Barrie, and her friendship changes his life.

When Percy later returns, his intriguing friend has grown into a young woman. But by this time, Percy has caught the eye of his beautiful cousin Florilyn…who has also become Gwyneth’s friend. What will result of their threefold friendship? And what repercussions will his uncle’s surprising request have for them all?

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I’ve read many American Civil War stories over the years and since I don’t have a hope of reading all ten of today’s more than full length novels I’m gong to pass on the American Dreams series.

I have also read series by other authors, and maybe even this one too, set in Russia during the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, but not nearly as many as I have of American Civil War stories. There probably isn’t much hope of me making it through all four of these 600 – 700 page books either but …. I hate to break up the set when I have a good chance to get it all. I’m sitting here thinking I may have read this Secret of the Rose series before. If that’s true I’ll be finished sooner than expected. Good deal.

I’ve not read The Green Hills of Snowdonia series and it does look interesting.

I’m going home with seven new lengthy not-light-reading books. (smile)

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Happy Reading!

… on this brain foggy Thursday that feels like Friday. I’m hoping today’s rambling made sense.

Grandma, I still miss her

I think I posted this tribute once before but can’t find it anywhere… so here it is again. Especially for my brother who is trying to find the blog he keeps hearing about.

I even mentioned he should follow me if he finds this. He claims he gets so many annoying notifications he’s not sure he wants more. I say as his favorite sister I’m entitled to special privileges. He pointed out I’m his only sister. No special privileges.

He loves me. He even called me for my birthday. A sweet guy.

He loves our grandma too. She holds a special place in the hearts of all three of us. I’m blessed with two sweet brothers.

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I Still Miss Her

I think about my grandmother often. She was a major part of turning our broken lives around and we still marvel at how well things turned out for our family after such a horrible beginning.

Grandma was a strong, courageous lady. You couldn’t tell it by looking at her short little self but if you looked closely at the course of her life, you’d notice. She was loving and funny and, in my estimation, she was a saint to accept the three of us the way she did.

As mentioned, the circumstances of our childhood were not great. I don’t want to spoil this day by getting into all of that but referring to it helps to explain the reasoning behind Grandma’s desperate actions.

My mother was about to go to hospital for a second round of cancer treatment.

The first hospital visit had my brothers and I staying home with our dad while Grandma tried helping from a distance. I don’t remember much about it so can’t enlarge on exactly how things went for her but I’m guessing it did not go well. That would be why she declared an ultimatum the second time around.

If mom wanted her to look out for the three of us, we would have to stay with her. Somehow, we are not sure how, she managed to persuade our dad to agree. In later years, Mom told me Grandma’s courage was because she couldn’t bear to go home at night leaving us in the uncertainty of Dad’s care.

In today’s terms – we were removed from an unfit home and placed in foster care with Grandma as the caregiver. A huge undertaking when you think about it. In today’s world, we would have been removed but Grandma probably wouldn’t have been the one to take us. Not with modern day Social Services regulations.

Fifty-five years old with heart related health issues, married to an elderly man, nearly twenty years her senior, with serious heart issues of his own, I suspect she would have been disqualified. And while their house was amazing compared to ours, it was only a small single story with two bedrooms. Grandma was determined to make it work.

Taking in three hurting children ages twelve, ten, and seven, indefinitely, was life changing, on so many levels.

We never did go back. This move was for the long haul and I’m sure Grandma was relieved. Mom joined us after release from the hospital and Dad didn’t complain, not that I ever heard anyway. I’m sure there were many conversations my brothers and I were not privy to, so I guess we wouldn’t know, even if he did object.

The change in our life was like night and day. The most impactful difference for me was peace and stability. The provision most appreciated by my oldest brother was food – there was always plenty in the frig and we were allowed whatever we needed. We had to get used to regular baths, meals, bedtimes, and church attendance. None of us were not complaining about any of it. We loved our new life.

An undertaking like this meant extra work, and the three of us were required to help. I don’t remember feeling like it was a hardship although I’m sure there were times when I was reluctant to do what she asked. Grandma was a patient teacher and having to work with her provided skills that would set me up for life. I learned how to garden, mow lawns, can and freeze, make bread, pick fruit and vegetables. I learned how to wash clothes with a wringer washer, hang them on a clothes line to dry, iron starched white shirts, wash and wax floors, paint cupboards, and much more. In short – I learned how to work and found I liked it. Working with her was a special gift.

Life wasn’t all work and no play. Grandma was fun, deviously so sometimes. Her antics proved it. She was usually the mischief instigator, shooting watermelon seeds, cherry pits, or peas across the table at one of us, starting a war. It’s a good thing the kitchen was set up for easy cleaning.

Then there was one warm summer day with open windows, a perfect time to take a break from watering plants and shoot a little spray at the person doing dishes. Or one day throwing glasses of water through the space at top of the crooked bathroom door just when someone (my lucky mother) was drying off after a shower. Water everywhere was just part of the fun.

There were many more tricks – rubber sealer rings in bologna sandwiches, chocolate covered ants at church socials, disguising herself as a vagrant on Halloween night to fool the kids. That last one backfired when the army fellow next door noticed a shadowy figure and went striding out to challenge the scruffy trespasser. She revealed herself quickly, I think she was worried he would take her down with a tackle. So many good memories.

We always felt safe and loved at Grandma’s house. Her love wasn’t restricted to the three of us either. It extended to all her grandchildren, even her great grandchildren.

When my first child was born, we (baby and me) would pack up for the drive back home to spend time with her. She loved babies and was always thrilled to have us.

There are special moments in the memories of those days. Baby was six months old when we went shopping for a table and chairs for her new apartment. A set I inherited a few years later and eventually passed on to one of my kids. A few months ago, my daughter bought a new table and passed Grandma’s on to one of her friends who appreciates retro. Her memory lives on.

My second child was born three years after the first. By then Grandma was not doing well as her heart was giving out. She was determined. She was going to live long enough to see this new baby. And she did it. We were able to lay him in the bed beside her so she could look her fill. The next day she was gone.

I still miss her. She was mother to me through my teen years. She was grandma to my first born. The picture I have when I miss her most is the way she was on those visits with Gerald, my first boy. When the missing gets to be too much, I remember how weak and frail she was in those last days. I couldn’t wish her back.

She would be 119 years old this year. It tickles me to imagine what she would be like if she were alive and well today. I’m sure she would be serving bologna sandwiches with hidden sealer rings, while shooting us with cherry pits or watermelon seeds, enjoying every minute of it.

And she would have loved every future baby born to call her Great Grandma and beyond.

Free books June 15, 2020

Happy Monday everyone.

We have a few sources with book suggestions this morning.

1531 Entertainment mentioned a FREE book in their email this morning. I’ve read and enjoyed a number of this man’s books. By the glowing review I’m looking forward  to this one too.

Get Up, Eleanor 

Get up Eleanor

Amazon quote:

Eleanor Petersen’s life shatters when her mother falls on the ice outside her Wisconsin farmhouse. In the process of settling her mother’s estate and sorting loose ends, Eleanor discovers the joy her mother brought to her little town. Despite her spiritual doubts, Eleanor forms an instant bond with a widowed Lutheran pastor. And she uncovers a secret that upends her view of her parents … and of herself.

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LPC Books has a number of FREE suggestions for us. Most of these I’ve seen before although I don’t think I’ve read them all.

The Caretaker’s Son (Secrets in Savannah Book 1) 

The Caretaker's son 2

Amazon quote:

Symon Sinclair grew up in the caretaker’s cottage. Now a successful writer in New York, he’s returned home to Savannah to thank his mentor, Miss B, for all her support. But it’s her niece Annabelle who greets him at the door. Symon remembers the little rich girl who never gave him a moment’s notice. Now she’s a beauty who has more depth than he’d ever imagined. As they spend time together, Symon begins to question his attitude toward life—and Annabelle.

Former beauty queen Annabelle Yarwood had her life all planned out—until she came face-to-face with the caretaker’s son. Suddenly those plans seem stifling. Just as Annabelle begins letting Symon into her heart, she discovers he’s been keeping a secret about his life in New York. Has their love story ended before it’s even begun?

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I’ll Watch the Moon 

I'll Watch the Moon

Amazon quote:

A single mother embittered by an abusive marriage. An adventurous 14-year old son and the 10-year old daughter who adores him. A boarder in the house, a war refugee with a murky past. It’s the summer of 1948, hot, and Polio stalks the children, taking them one by one. When it strikes the son, she wonders if he will be in an iron lung the rest of life? And when redemption comes, it arrives from a most unexpected source.

 

 

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Whatever Is True

Whatever is True

Amazon quote:

Bullfighter and ranch hand Clint Palmer yearns for a family of his own and desires a relationship with barrel racer Lacy Roberts, a fellow ranch employee. But what would she see in a guy who was abandoned by his father and has an alcoholic mother? If he’s ever going to be seen in a different light by Lacy, he needs greater financial security than what a ranch-hand position provides.

Lacy’s parents have scorned her ever since she opted for ranch life rather than pursuing a business career. She’s attracted to Clint, who has shown enough interest in her that she reveals a secret about her past—only to be rejected by him. She’s about to move on when Clint learns a secret related to his own life that changes everything.

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When You Come

When You Come Home

Amazon quote:

Taking its title from a poem Daphne sent her soldier-husband during World War II, When You Come Home tells of the couple’s young love in the heartland of America on the brink of war, and of the crushing uncertainty and fear they feel as they find themselves a ripped apart. Through pain and worry, the grieving young wife finds that her faith provides hope and healing amidst the uncertainty of war.

 

 

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Currently, I’ve just started a thriller, on my TBR list since October last year. Haven’t gotten far enough to know if I’ll finish but it does look promising.

Kill Order

Kill Order

Grammy-winning pianist Landon Jeffers’s brain cancer has given him only a few years to live. But when he sleeps, the forgotten terrors of his past torment him. When he wakes, shameful memories come rushing back. Desperate for answers, Jeffers discovers that a brain implant intended to treat his cancer is really a device to control him, forcing him to commit terrible crimes. Now he’s being manipulated by an evil crime syndicate and a crooked cop.

When he sleeps, the forgotten terrors of the past come alive … and his future is a dead ending.

 

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Happy Reading

On this warm and hazy day.

Free LPC Books March 24, 2020

LPC Books has some great FREE suggestions for us today.

With Each New Dawn (Women of the Heartland Book 2) is the first one.

With each new dawn

Amazon quote:

London – Summer 1943. To honor her husband’s sacrifice—and in hopes of learning more about her father, a World War I vet—widow Kate Isaacs joins the Special Operations Executive and parachutes into Nazi-occupied France to work with the Resistance. Domingo, a Resistance saboteur, meets her drop, tends to her sprained ankle, and carries Kate to her first assignment.

During a clandestine mission Kate finds herself attracted to Domingo, but as Allied forces push across France and the Waffen SS closes in, the pair must put aside their feelings for the good of the Underground Resistance.

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Also Free, I recall this one coming around last fall.

The Baker’s Daughter – Braving Evil In WW II Berlin

the baker's daughter

Amazon quote:

While chaos reigns over WW II Berlin, seventeen-year-old Liddy returns to her family’s bakery only to be confronted by a new customer—Keppler, a Nazi officer. Marek, a young man with a secretive past, labors just a few paces away in the kitchen, but where do his loyalties lie? With the Nazis? With Liddy?

Liddy’s father, Klaus, secures a night job as a prison guard where anti-Nazi dissident, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is being held. Klaus smuggles out the pastor’s letters, but tensions rise as Keppler establishes a tenuous relationship with Liddy’s young brother, Willy. Does the Nazi officer wish to recruit Willy, or is Keppler there to spy on Liddy’s family?

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This FREE book also appeared a year ago. It was one of my favorite books.

A Season to Dance

A Season to Dance

Amazon quote:

Everyone has a dream. A passion. You work hard, you get there. Right? But what if you don’t get there? Despair? It happens… Then what? Give up? Try harder? What if all this time, you’ve been going after the wrong dreams? What if the best part of life hasn’t even started?

Ana Brassfield tries everything to be happy. An important career. A dream of dancing. A famous boyfriend. A move overseas. But all she experiences is a series of almost successes with a side of heartbreak. Then when she hits rock bottom, a stranger opens an unexpected door. Could she change her whole life? Should she? Or would this be another mistake in a life defined by rushed decisions and wrong turns?

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FREE. More from a year ago. This was intense with surprising twists and turns.

Abide With Me (The Barn Church Series Book 3)

Abide With Me

LPCbooks quote:

After ten years of marriage to the only man she’s ever loved, why is Angelina so unhappy? As a wealthy yet lonely wife, Angelina Rousseau pours all her emotions into her paintings. She’s so desperate for affection and attention, she finds herself willing to do almost anything to feel loved. Her husband Nick is determined to provide everything Angie could possibly want, including finally giving her what she’s asked for most—time with him. When what seems to be the perfect investment turns sour, he’s arrested for real estate fraud, and then learns that being accused of multiple felonies is the least of his worries.

Could “having it all” cost Nick and Angie more than they ever imagined?

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I’m currently reading and enjoying…

The Silver Suitcase It is an excellent read and is still a bargain at $0.99

The Silver Suitcase

Amazon quote:

It’s 1939, and Canada is on the cusp of entering World War II. Seventeen-year-old farm girl Cornelia has been heartbroken since the day her mother died five years ago. As a new tragedy provides Cornelia still more reason to reject her parent’s faith, a mysterious visitor appears in her hour of desperation. Alone and carrying a heavy secret, she makes a desperate choice that will haunt her for years to come. Never telling a soul, Cornelia pours out the painful events of the war in her diary.

Many decades later, Cornelia’s granddaughter, Benita, is in the midst of her own crisis, experiencing several losses in the same week, including the grandmother she adored. The resulting emotional and financial stress takes its toll on her and her husband, Ken, who is unemployed. On the brink of divorce, she discovers Cornelia’s diary. Now the secrets of her grandmother’s past will lead Benita on an unexpected journey of healing, reunion, and faith.

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Happy Reading on this fruitful book day