Everything on this list was a winner. Every single one of them kept me reading much longer than intended and planned tasks were sorely neglected and most did not even happen. The positive effect on my emotional state though was more than worth it. My attitude about life at the moment is upbeat and I’m grateful. Inspired even.

My absolute favorite was this first one. The synopsis didn’t do it justice. It wasn’t until I was immersed in the story that I realized what a treasure I’d found.

Living Lies (Harbored Secrets Book #1)

In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everybody knows your name–but no one knows your secret. At least that’s what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.

Lane must work with Walton’s newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she’ll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.

Debut novelist Natalie Walters pulls you to the edge of your seat on the first page and keeps you there until the last in this riveting story that will have you believing no one is defined by their past.

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The next favorite read was possibly the last book in the author’s latest series, although I’m not clear on that point. There are new books being released every few months it seems. The next book was mentioned at the end of this one and I can hardly wait to see what it will be like.

Deadly Intent (Vanishing Ranch Book 4)

Sarah Chamberlain enjoys a new life far away from her abusive ex-husband, thanks to help from Vanishing Ranch. But when she starts to have unexplained, dangerous episodes and suffer memory lapses, she begins to doubt her reality.

She senses her ex has found her. But she doesn’t know if the problem is real or if her mind is playing tricks on her. She can’t contact the police—they would ask too many questions. So, she turns to the very people she knows can help her.

When former Secret Service agent and Vanishing Ranch operative Ruger Stark is assigned to check in on Sarah, he comes determined to find what exactly has her so spooked. But when he arrives at her lakefront home, he realizes he has much more to handle than a typical protection detail.

Ruger and Sarah must stick together to sort through the lies and uncover the truth. Is Sarah drowning in confusion. Or is someone playing a deadly game?

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This one was a great experience and I’d like to read more from this author. Life for Delilah seems bleak until the unexpected shows up.

Appalachian Serenade (Appalachian Blessings): A Novella 

Delilah Morrissey has always wanted to be a mother, but when she becomes a young widow, that dream now seems farther away than ever. Unable to continue to live alone in Chicago, her only option is to accept her sister’s offer to move in with her family back in West Virginia. Will Delilah have the faith to pursue a new dream–even if it means giving up the old?

In this charming novella, debut novelist Sarah Loudin Thomas introduces readers to Wise, West Virginia–a small town nestled in an Appalachian valley where the everyday miracles of life and faith play out in stories of healing, hope, and love.

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Last but not least, was a tale that still has me smiling. Hector was quite the character and Amanda knew just how to handle him. The deep connection formed between them was an unexpected blessing.

Carry Me Home (New England Inspirations Book 2) 

Unlikely friends…

... can be the hardest to let go.

Amanda became a nurse to save as many lives as possible.
After her mother died while being swindled by a church leader, Amanda swore off religion and turned to medical science to solve all of life’s problems.
But when she loses her home and job, and struggles to make a new life in a new town, Amanda’s feeble beliefs can’t withstand the pressure.

Hector’s work on earth is done.
He spent 92 years living, and now he’s ready to spend eternity with his late wife in heaven.
But when a foolish accident lands him in the hospital, he’s saddled with a home nurse who wants to keep Hector alive as long as possible, much to his dismay.
When Amanda meets Hector, their personalities clash, but as they learn to open their hearts and listen to each other, they grow to realize the value of true friendship.

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It has been a good weekend for reading… and the day is not over.

The next read is still to be determined, and another bargain has been stumbled upon. I will check that out and share it and maybe the new read in the next post

Oops. There is one more excellent read that I forgot about.

A Flicker of Light 

Secrets are like pennies. Everybody’s got one, even the poorest among us.

For generations, the Jensens have raised their families in the small Montana town of Moose Creek, where gossip spreads faster than the wind. Yet some secrets need to be told.

When twenty-one-year-old Bea discovers she’s pregnant on the heels of her husband losing his job, she’s forced to admit she needs help and asks her dad for a place to stay. But past resentments keep her from telling him all that’s going on.

Mitch Jensen is thrilled to have a full house again, though he’s unimpressed with Bea’s decisions: dropping out of college, marrying so young–and to an idealistic city kid, of all things. Mitch hopes to convince Bea to return to the path he’s always envisioned for her, but she’s changed since her mom died. And he refuses to admit how much he’s changed, too, especially now that he might be losing his mother as well.

Grandma June is good at spinning stories, but there’s one she’s never told. Now that her mind is starting to fade, her time to tell it is running out. But if she reveals the truth before her memories are gone forever, the Jensen family will never be the same.

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Happy Reading y’all

It looks like this is the day for another Historical novel, 1531 Entertainment is behind this suggestion.

Great Lakes Light: A Sweet Historical Romance Set on the Great Lakes 

Tossed on the stormy waters of Lake Superior, can three best friends risk everything to bring the safety of a lighthouse?

Guide in the Storm

April is a journalist, working tirelessly the night of November 28, 1905. She captures photographs of ships going down in the gale. A lighthouse could’ve saved them. When she shares her story and a lobbyist comes to team up with her, can the pair work together, or will his connection to the men trying to stop them keep them apart?

Safety on the Rock

Danielle travels to Washington D.C. to watch the lighthouse hearings. Her lifelong friend and confident, Oliver, sits by her side as the legislature determines what is more important, men or money. She takes a risk to keep a representative safe, but can Oliver keep her from the danger of people who’d like the world to forget the stormy waters of Lake Superior?

Light in the Darkness

Candice has watched her friends help the process of bringing a lighthouse to Split Rock, but what can she do? Her father is a ship’s captain and she’s far too close to the problem. He introduces her to Acke, a young captain who is the answer to the problems at the build site. But will he survive the dangerous conditions to bring the needed supplies when fall storms hit the Great Lakes?

Will anyone see a light over Lake Superior from Split Rock? Follow these three friends in their quest to bring a lighthouse to the largest of the Great Lakes.

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Then there is another one of their suggestions that looks like it could be interesting. Checking out my stash on Amazon I see I’ve downloaded and read one from this author before but it’s been seven years, too long to remember much about it. This will be a new introduction.

The View from Coral Cove: A Sweet Contemporary Romance

When a jilted romance novelist escapes to a small beach town, the last thing she expected to find was the start of an even better love story.  In the wake of a broken engagement and the death of her last surviving family member, wholesome romance novelist Maya Reynolds moves to the haven of Coral Cove, North Carolina, to take over her great-aunt’s toy store. 

Some of her grief is immediately eased by the local veterinarian’s daughter, eight-year-old Ashlyn Tanner, who talks her into adopting a kitten.  Ashlyn’s dad, local veterinarian Brody Tanner, is quickly smitten by the newest resident of his hometown. As a single parent, he sacrifices a lot in order to give Ashlyn the world, so a romantic entanglement with Maya is not a distraction he is looking for. 

As the three develop a deepening bond in the seaside town where Maya experienced some of her happiest childhood memories, clouds cast a shadow over Maya’s hope for the future. But together, they just might discover that sometimes happy endings happen outside the pages of Maya’s novels, too. 

“The View from Coral Cove is Amy Clipston at her best—a tender story of hope, healing, and a love that’s meant to be.” —Suzanne Woods Fisher, bestselling author of On a Summer Tide  A wholesome stand-alone contemporary romance  More contemporary romance to love by Amy Clipston:?The Heart of Splendid Lake 

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That’s it for now, for new books anyway, but I did just start a new read I’m excited about. The unique beginning has me hooked. It’s still a bargain too which makes it even better.

Living Lies (Harbored Secrets Book #1)

It’s rough to stumble across a dead body while you are running for your life.

Happy Reading y’all

What a disappointment. I’ve read both of these but forgot. I kind of remember the second one but have no memory at all of the first one. I may have to read it again to jog my memory, it sounds like a fun read.

BookRunes has the free suggestion for us.

Daughters of the Heart (Texas Romance Book 5)

God’s perfect plan is sometimes so hard to determine.
Gwendolyn, Cecelia, and the youngest, Bonnie, make a pact never to break their father’s heart like their big sister did. Then their determination is sorely tried when suitors show up, and he gets so pigheaded with his rules.
Will Henry survive his daughters coming of age? Will they endure and keep their promises to each other?
From one man asking to court her—who Daddy sends packing—Gwen goes to three! How can she ever decide? Cecelia knows exactly who she wants, but she’s still a year away from Daddy’s acceptable courting age. What if her beau doesn’t know or won’t wait? And Bonnie hates being the baby and wants to be grown-up more than just about anything…except her man. She is for sure and for certain in love.
In his life, Henry Buckmeyer has never been so beside himself. His little girls are so young, just babies, too young. He hates the whole idea of men coming to take them away and is inclined to shoot every one of them, but praise God for a level-headed, loving wife and step-mother! She helps keep him sane amidst the female chaos. Packed with fun, romance, deception, action, heartbreak and tears, this delightful Christian novel keeps the twists and turns coming.
Will the Buckmeyer home ever be settled and peaceful again? Will any of his daughters find true love…a man he’ll approve and to whom he can give his blessing?

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Traces of Guilt (An Evie Blackwell Cold Case)

A Riveting Cold-Case Mystery from Dee Henderson

Evie Blackwell loves her life as an Illinois State Police detective . . . mostly. She’s very skilled at investigations and has steadily moved up through the ranks. She would like to find Mr. Right, but she has a hard time imagining how marriage could work, considering the demands of her job.

Gabriel Thaneis a lifetime resident of Carin County and now its sheriff, a job he loves. Gabe is committed to upholding the law and cares deeply for the residents he’s sworn to protect. He too would like to find a lifetime companion, a marriage like his parents have.

When Evie arrives in Carin, Illinois, it’s to help launch a new task force dedicated to reexamining unsolved crimes across the state. Spearheading this trial run, Evie will work with the sheriff’s department on a couple of its most troubling missing-persons cases. As she reexamines old evidence to pull out a few tenuous new leads, she unearths a surprising connection . . . possibly to a third cold case. Evie’s determined to solve the cases before she leaves Carin County, and Sheriff Thane, along with his family, will be key to those answers.

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Nothing else interesting has come to my attention so that’s it for books today.

I did finish one of our recent downloads and was disappointed with it. I will share my thoughts about it in another post.

I’ve been binging on Fox news clips today rather than spend time reading so I must turn to books to have something more to say. It’s quiet now, videos are all shut down so I can think about this post and my next read. I’ve got one picked out but haven’t started it yet. I’ll wait to share it until I’ve read a chapter or two to see what it’s like.

Do you ever look at words and think they just don’t look right. I often find myself thinking that way and that’s how I’m thinking right now about binging. You know binge-ing, as in I’ve been binging. I Googled it for spelling clarification and binging is what came up but it’s been flagged as incorrect here. It looks wrong to me too but… I’m not seeing a better spelling.

The other word that drives me crazy is read and read. And it comes up often.

Like – my current read is . . . and I just read . . . I am so tempted to use read and red. I would but that doesn’t sit well with me either. It feels so wrong but I really want to. I don’t but I want to, you have no idea.

It would be nice to come up with another spelling but thinking it through I can see that it could potentially create even bigger problems. After all, read is not the only word in the English language with multiple meanings. Once started where would it ever end?

Anyway, moving on. I’m going to read now. I’ll be back hopefully.

Happy Reading.

Before we get into the current read I have to tell you that I was wrong. Last night I shared my guess, it was the doctor behind the unexplained murder attempts. Well, the book is finished, the mystery is solved and I couldn’t have been more wrong. I would love to tell you who it was but that would spoil it for you when you decide to read the story.

On the other hand by the time you may get around to reading it you will have forgotten this conversation and it will still be a surprise. Maybe, if I remember, I will mention who it was as I say good bye.

This book was so much fun. Yesterday’s post had the synopsis, if you would like it I’ll leave the link here.

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Moving on . . .

I was excited with the thought of reading this next book when we downloaded it but sometimes the excitement fades when a little time goes by. I was worried that’s what would happen. Something that would make me sad because I wanted to love it.

It was a needless worry. I’m only 1/4 of the way in but I’m hooked. I was doing my usual walk/read laps around the long dining room table when I woke up to the fact that I was still walking, perfectly. Auto pilot kicked in. It’s crazy how that can happen. It does prove I was off in another world.

So here’s the current read. It’s set in medieval times, it isn’t dark but it leans in that direction, compared to the lightness of my last read.

The Healer’s Apprentice (Fairy Tale Romance Series Book 1)

A realistic, fast-paced reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale full of royalty, romance, and danger. This masterful combination of love and heartbreak—combined with the novel’s surprise ending—is everything fans of fantasy, historical, and medieval fiction yearn for.

Rose has been appointed as a healer’s apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter’s daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she’s never felt before and wonders if he feels the same.

But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose’s life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

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I hope you like these two too.

Happy Reading.

( shhhhhh, it was the butler. Seriously!) laugh

This first one was my favorite. It’s book 1 in the series and I liked it so well that I’m now reading and loving book 2. Book 2 is a continuation of their story although Marian’s sister Ellen is the main character this time. I’m halfway through and the sisters are currently together in a castle back in 1382.

We don’t know yet whether Ellen will be left there too or will be drawn back to present day. We don’t know if the crooked scientist forcing her to travel to an earlier time to find more of the healing water will be able to harm Ellen and her beloved friend if she fails or if he will be caught and charged with his crimes. I know what I expect to happen but so far nothing as gone as expected. Which is awesome.

Here they are.

Book 1

That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising.

William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian’s rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to?

Book 2

In the last stages of a genetic disease, Ellen Creighton has decided to live out her remaining days at the estate of her longtime friend Harrison Burlington. Harrison cares deeply for Ellen, but as a wheelchair-bound paraplegic, he’s never allowed himself to get serious in a relationship. However, he’s desperately trying to save her by finding the holy water that is believed to heal any disease.

When he locates two flasks, Ellen refuses to drink one of them because she believes the holy water killed her sister and father. In an effort to convince her to take it, Harrison ingests the contents first, and when Ellen witnesses the effects, she can no longer deny the power of the substance in the bottles. Dangerous criminals are also seeking the holy water, and Ellen soon learns they will go to any lengths to get the powerful drug–including sending her back into the past to find it for them.

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And now for the rest.

It has been a pleasant run on good books this week.

Now back to see what will happen next in my story.

Danger abounds.

Happy Reading y’all.