Today is Sadie Hawkins Day! The one day (according to folklore) when a woman can propose to the unmarried man of her choosing. Of course she has to catch him first, and there will be a stiff penalty if he refuses. A silk dress or maybe a nice pair of gloves. It’s a good thing it only comes round once every four years.
Most of the single men I know live in books, so there is that. Maybe we’ll notice an awesome man we could dream of asking today, in one of our spectacular finds.
The Runaway is an interesting FREE suggestion from BookRunes, although I’m not sure if we will feel the need to propose while reading it. Maybe, I guess anything is possible. The series is called Legacy of Love.
The Runaway: A Legacy of Love Novel
Amazon quote:
Anna Brent, a Quaker woman in Indiana, secretly hides runaway slaves in her home on the Underground Railroad. When her work is threatened, can she turn to the outspoken newspaper editor, a man she barely knows, to ensure the safety of the slaves so dear to her? Will she and Daniel risk everything to help these fugitive slaves remain free?
“A compelling historical romance intricately woven with suspense, page-turning tension, and tender glimpses into a passionate young heroine’s heart. Melanie Dobson’s strong storytelling skills will have you glued to the pages of this intensely satisfying book.” -Miralee Ferrell, author of The Other Daughter
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This bargain book ($1.32) showed up for me five years ago and while the story is a little murky in my mind I do remember liking this great author. I’m feeling rather tempted to reread this mystery.
I don’t think this one will be inspiring us to propose today either, although you never know. Love can pop up in the most unusual of places, especially if you like tough lawman types.
The Demise (A Braxton Mystery Book 1)
Amazon quote:
Tiny Braxton, Tennessee, is a quiet, tight-knit community wrapped around an old town square just a stone’s throw from Nashville. But when the town’s most prominent citizen is found dead at the base of its water tower, news of Peter Lanham’s apparent suicide roars through town like a massive tsunami.
Peter, the handsome, beloved CEO of Lanham’s Fine Foods, had taken a small, family-owned grocery store founded in 1927, and grew it into a successful national chain. With most of Braxton’s residents employed by Lanham’s corporate headquarters, word of Peter’s demise left them searching for answers. What could possibly have made him take a swan dive off that tower?
Julie Parker is convinced he didn’t. As receptionist at Lanham’s executive office suite, she’s determined to find out what really happened to her boss. An aspiring actor who also stars as “The Lanham Girl” in the company’s TV commercials, Julie prides herself on her perceptive observations and people-skills. Who better to find out what happened to Peter up on that water tower?
Matt Bryson, on assignment as a rookie Special Agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, isn’t about to let the attractive receptionist intrude on his first case. She may be a hometown insider, but he’s perfectly capable of solving the case without “Miss Marple” screwing up his investigation.
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I’m currently reading Above the Fold and while it’s a good story I’m not feeling the urge to propose to anyone. There’s too much tension and drama to incite warm fuzzy feelings with dreams of love.
Amazon quote:
After losing the love of her life to a big city journalism job, Elissa Tillman pours herself into the suffragette movement and her secretarial work helping keep her father’s Pittsburgh newspaper afloat.
Cole Parker returns to the steel city with the phantom failures of his past nipping his heels. All he asks of the future is a second chance with the woman he once spurned.
The murder of a millionaire offers the perfect chance for Elissa to prove to her father and the world that she’s a serious journalist. But there’s a catch—she has to compete for the story. Against none other than Cole Parker, the very man who shattered her heart.
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Well, I guess that was a bust. Anyone feeling tempted to propose on this Sadie Hawkin’s Day? Me neither. I do feel like reading one of these books though.
Happy Reading
… on this warmish day half way through winter. It’s warmed up to -1c, for the next while hopefully. It’s overcast today but the past few days have been sunny enough to melt wherever it touches. The snow banks on the street are looking brown and dirty with sand but hey, we’ll take it. Not a bad day for chasing down a single man.
Return to Paradise – Tim Speer
A Rifle by the Door – Dan L Fuller… many tense moments but it is a great story of cheering on the underdog. Who says the little guy always has to lose?
The Spindle Chair – Shellie Arnold. The haunting story of one couple’s struggle to have a child.
Northern Intrigue – Summer’s End book 3 – Lyn Cote… This small town spent six years paying medical school expenses, expecting to receive six years of doctoring in return. Now the big city recipient wants out of the contract, for family reasons. They can’t afford to have her to walk away from her promise, their need is too desperate.
Yesterday’s Mail – a box set with various authors – Alana Terry, Cynthia Hickey, Hallee Bridgemann, Chautona Havig, Amanda Tru. All of them excellent authors, I loved every one of these books.
Ella Dessa’s Story – Within the Candle’s Glow book 2 – Karen Campbell Prough … This is a complicated love story where hearts are broken. Ella Dessa and Samuel are best childhood friends and he’s grown to love her. She loves him as a friend but it’s his older brother Jim she’s in love with. Then there’s Josh. A dirty, unkempt, and injured miner, Josh has recently come to town with a bag of gold and wild tales about how he got it. He fancies himself in love with Ella and will resort to kidnapping to have her. Samuel loves her enough to risk his life to rescue her and return her to his brother.
Ella Dessa’s Story – With This Peace book 3 – Karen Campbell Prough … There is a third brother in the McKnapp clan, the wanderer Duncan. He’s spent many years away from the family farm always returning with grand tales of fame and fortune. This time he returns with arguments to convince his brothers, Jim and Duncan, to join him in a venture that he says can’t lose. He tells them stories of vast fertile farmland in Florida, just for the taking. Ella Dessa was not in favor of the trip to begin with and with confusing inaccurate maps and continually changing plans she faces hardship like she’s never known. Left alone with her children in an unfamiliar part of the world, she would have died without the help of kind souls travelling the same lonely, isolated path.
When Darkness Falls – The Gathering Storm book 1 – Barbara Warren … Stephanie hasn’t seen her undependable and dishonest father in three years. She’s shocked to see him at her door now. He’s here to convince her to visit the grand hotel he shares with his celebrity wife. Suspicious of his motives she refuses to go with him.
The Other Side of The Sun – Madeleine L’Engle … Stella is barely married when her new husband is sent on a diplomatic mission to some unknown place in the world, for an indefinite period of time. He’s left her alone in the deep south, beach front, family cottage. Living with elderly relatives she’s just met, in a culture she knows nothing about.
The Gilded Curse – Marilyn Turk … Her brother Robert died at Pearl Harbor. Shortly after, came the death of her mother in a mental hospital. Lexie is left as the sole heir to a crumbling family empire. A common dilemma for the wealthy of those days. Her empire has been reduced to an abandoned family cottage on a holiday isle of the wealthy. A cottage her mother claims is cursed.
For the Love of Books 