Suspense

Free and bargain books October 18, 2021 Part two

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We have more exciting prospects, both from the same popular author. BookBub suggested this first one and it’s FREE. We are having a good day.

The Strongest Love: A Page-Turning Tale of Mystery, Adventure & Love (Alaskan Hearts Book 5)

To claim her future, she’ll need to forget her past.

When Brenna’s abusive father dies, she seizes the opportunity to flee to Memory Ranch in hopes that the majestic horses and caring staff at the ranch can help her overcome a past filled with abuse and neglect.

But as she starts her new life, complete with a new identity, Brenna finds she can’t outrun her pain. Not even with the help of a charming local, who’s faced his own demons and won. He wants to help Brenna conquer hers as well, but opening up to friendship–and possibly love–is the scariest thing she’s had to face yet.

Will Brenna find the strength to move forward and forgive those in her past who turned a blind eye to her helplessness? And when at last she strips all the hurt away, will there be any part of her left?

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Happily, this one showed up in the suggestion strip, browsing after the last book.

The Happiest Place: A Page-Turning Tale of Mystery, Adventure & Love (Alaskan Hearts Book 6)

Memories are especially sweet, when you have so few of them left…

Kate can’t believe she’s losing her mother. For as long as she can remember, it’s been the two of them against the world. That is, until early-onset Alzheimer’s robbed them both of the relationship that had always been so special.

Kate accepted a job at Memory Ranch to keep an eye on her mom, but is left wonder whether she’s the one who really needs to heal. Especially as a certain handsome therapist named Jack keeps finding more and more reasons for them to spend time together.

What will be left of Kate when her mother leaves her behind? And can she justify spending time with Jack when she knows her mom’s time left on earth is limited?

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It’s been a good day for books. I’ll let you know if any more surprises show up.

Happy Reading!

Free and bargain mysteries October 18, 2021

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I stumbled across a mystery from a popular author.

Double Exposure: An Inspirational Private Investigator Romantic Suspense Novel (The Justice Agency Book 1)

The Justice Agency: Family and law enforcement go hand in hand

Photographer Jennie Buchanan unknowingly captures a drug cartel meeting on film. And now she has become a killer’s next target.

Even worse, her only protection from the danger that threatens her life is the man who threatens her heart. Dodging bullets almost seems safer than facing the feelings stirred up by seeing ex-FBI agent and ex-boyfriend Ethan Justice again.

Ethan vows to safeguard Jennie from the deadly men on her trail. And for a second chance at Jennie’s love, he’s willing to risk anything to expose the truth—about the drug smugglers, the past and the future together he still wants.

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1531 Entertainment has a FREE suggestion for us, another author we’ve seen often this year.

Pursued: Christian Contemporary Romantic Suspense

The man Cristina Torres has fallen in love with kisses her and then disappears for ten years. Now he’s back but with two detectives as shadows, and someone’s trying to kill her. Should she trust him or run for her life?

Dr. Chase Richards has fled his Christian roots long enough. He’s returning to his hometown in Tennessee to make amends—at what he thinks is God’s direction. But the way is not just hard, it’s almost impossible.

The girl he once loved is now a woman—and she wants nothing to do with him. In addition, the opioid study he started and left in Virginia has followed him across state lines. The police have warned him that he’s in imminent danger. His well organized life is no longer safe or ordered—and neither is Cristina’s.

Can he discover who’s trying to kill them before she becomes collateral damage?

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It’s a beautiful Monday here in southern Manitoba. What a great start to a new week.

Two new books on top of it. What could be better than that.

Have a good day, everyone.

Happy Reading

Free and bargain books October 13,2021 Part Two

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This author is one we’ve seen a number of times. It’s been enjoyable.

Caitlyn’s Christmas: A Christian Romantic Suspense (Smoky Mountain Secrets Book 7)

Will she survive to celebrate Christmas?

When an injured cat runs across the road, Caitlyn doesn’t hesitate to rescue the feline. But she isn’t prepared to witness a brutal murder. She slips away, only to lock eyes with the murderer, recognizing him as someone she’d seen earlier. Now the killer knows who she is, too. Caitlyn calls her cop friend Devon Rainer for advice, humbled when he agrees to protect her.

Devon is concerned about Caitlyn’s safety, especially after they return to the scene of the crime to find the dead woman gone without a trace. The escalating attacks against Caitlyn, prove the killer intends to silence anyone who can identify him. Devon’s priority is to keep Caitlyn safe, while finding the killer. Will they survive long enough to celebrate Christmas and their newfound love?

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This author is new to me. I did read a few pages but not enough to have much of an idea about what it’s like. It will be an adventure to discover this author and see who she is.

Tea for Three: A heartwarming story about life, love, and true friendship (A Mulberry Lane Novel Book 1)

Three women. Three cups of tea. Three new beginnings.
Sarah Gardner’s husband went to sleep one night in November and never woke up. At forty-years-old, the new widow is left to care for their three children, all of whom are under the age of five.

Twenty-five-year-old Filipina, Kate Morgan, thought she had met the man of her dreams during what was a perfect summer vacation. Now married to the handsome American who had swept her off her feet, and over 8000 miles away from home, Kate soon realizes that her mother was right: vacations end and people change.

Louise Delaney couldn’t ask for anything more. At fifty-nine, she had enjoyed almost four decades of blissful marriage to Warren–may his soul rest in peace. But Louise’s seemingly perfect world is upended when she gets a visit from a sixteen-year-old who says she is Warren’s daughter.

Three exceptional women–each of whose hearts are broken into a million pieces–come together in this extraordinary tale of life, love, and true friendship.

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Currently I’m reading a Christmas collection. I was fortunate enough to read last years edition and enjoyed it so much I’m doing it again this year. The stories are short and I’m about to start # 3. It’s been a wonderful experience so far. Life is real and relatable with the characters in these stories

The Heart of Christmas: A Mosaic Christmas Anthology III 

“At Christmas, we always…” And thus a tradition is born. The rituals stay the same, but if betrayal, illness, unfaithfulness, or tragedy strike, can cherished traditions survive?

When unexpected twists throw life out of kilter for the people in these stories, will beloved, time-honored customs lead them back to the heart of Christmas?

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Happy Reading!

Free and bargain books October 02, 2021 Part two

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I mentioned this Lori Wick book in my last post and promised to share it with you. Here it is.

Leave a Candle Burning (Tucker Mills Trilogy Book 3)

Lori Wick’s bestselling Tucker Mills trilogy concludes with Leave a Candle Burning about a widowed physician, Dannan MacKay, who creates a new life for his daughter but longs for the faith to love again.

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The blurb for this book is pretty short and does not reveal much of anything.

I guess I’ll just have to read it to find out what this story is all about. At least I know this author and her writing, I can trust this will be another good one.

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us. It’s a mystery, just what I was hoping for, to offset the long list of romance we have had going on lately. I’ve read this author but have not read this book.

Murder at Black Lake

Film actress Jamie Riedel was barely a teenager when, while on a camping trip, she witnessed the brutal murder of her father. Fourteen years later, Jamie returns to Jackson Ridge to settle up the estate of her estranged mother. Soon after her arrival, a note appears on her door: ‘I saw you in the woods today.’ Now Jamie is questioning if the right man was sent to prison for her father’s murder.

Helping her to answer that question is childhood friend, Deputy Chief Gage Hansen. He’s more than willing to find the truth that will finally bring Jamie peace in her life, but at what cost? A nasty divorce from his cheating wife has made Gage gun-shy when it comes to relationships, especially with beautiful women who use their feminine wiles to get what they want in life. His defenses start to crumble once he learns that most of the stories he’s read about the starlet are lies, and that Jamie is basically the same girl he had a secret crush on when they were best friends. They live in two separate worlds, though, and Gage knows he could never fit into her celebrity lifestyle.

When it becomes apparent that someone in Jackson Ridge will go to any lengths to get rid of Jamie, the pair risks everything to solve the fourteen-year mystery that’s haunted the town.

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For current reads I have two, as of a few minutes ago. The collection I’ve been caught up in for the last few days is down to the last book and a change was needed, so I started (barely) a new one.

Oops, I didn’t notice the new read is also a collection. I was looking for a single read or two to make the list decrease a little faster. This 4-in-1 business just doesn’t cut it, especially two in a row.

Maybe I’ll read this mystery next instead.

I will get back to the other two eventually, promise.

Happy Reading y’all

Read and enjoyed September 27,2021

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Five awesome reads, held back from instant removal so I could share them with you.

A Wish for Christmas had some cool twists to it. A beautiful old family Inn, in danger of being sold for a defaulted mortgage. A unproven legend of hidden treasure and a deranged crook trying to force the owner to marry him for access to imagined wealth. A mix up, unexpectedly has a wealthy family with handsome single sons spending Christmas with Mila and her grandmother. Will they be an answer to Mila and Nora’s desperate prayers?

Written in Ink is full of angst as Renee ends a very long courtship, leaving Cash reeling with shock. He would give his life for her, he loves her that much. With no idea why she’s walked away from him, it’s impossible to fight for their relationship. When he gathers himself together enough to confront her, she blurts out the reason and his heart is completely broken. Determined to stick to her decision they both know it means the absolute end of them, ever. How can he live with that?

The next three were greatly enjoyed and may have been mentioned earlier. At any rate, they are definitely worth seeing again. I would read any of them a second time, gladly.

Some of these are still available as bargains, I think.

Happy Reading…

…on this warm sunshiny day.

Read and enjoyed September 24, 2021

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It’s been awhile since I shared my current read, or my last read and enjoyed.

I finished Jack. Chautona Havig always has interesting and quirky characters. This story was about a cowboy. I don’t recall ever reading any such characters in any of her books. She definitely doesn’t have any one type of story that’s for sure. I like that about her. I will admit though, I enjoy some of her styles better than others. That’s why I keep coming back, you just never know what it will be like this time. It may be a nice surprise, like this one was. I should mention too, it’s not free anymore.

Jack: a lot of hullabaloo on the prairie (Ballads from the Hearth Book 1)

Women are trouble—lying, cheating, untrustworthy bundles of trouble.

Jack Clausen doesn’t need anyone but his horse and a boss who won’t interfere in his personal life—or lack of one.

Sure, he’s a lonely cowboy, but better lonely than brokenhearted.

If only he hadn’t met a girl who made him hope that honest and true women do exist. Maybe he wouldn’t be riding off into a snowstorm with a fresh determination to avoid women—indefinitely.

When Hazel Meissner sees a cowboy risk life, limb, and horse to save a child, she knows he’s someone special. When he finally gives her his heart, she considers herself the most blessed woman alive.

However, when he rides off without a word, she wonders if her heart will survive the loss.

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Currently I’m reading a medical mystery. I haven’t decided how I feel about it. I’m having no trouble putting it down, I always take that as a bad sign. lol I should mention this is no longer a bargain either.

Lethal Intent by Cara C. Putman

If they expected silence, they hired the wrong woman. 

Caroline Bragg’s life has never been better. She and Brandon Lancaster are taking their relationship to the next level, and she has a new dream job as legal counsel for Praecursoria—a research lab that is making waves with its cutting-edge genetic therapies. The company’s leukemia treatments even promise to save desperately sick kids—kids like eleven-year-old Bethany, a critically ill foster child at Brandon’s foster home. 

When Caroline’s enthusiastic boss wants to enroll Bethany in experimental trials prematurely, Caroline objects, putting her at odds with her colleagues. They claim the only goal at Praecursoria is to save lives. But does someone have another agenda? 

Brandon faces his own crisis. As laws governing foster homes shift, he’s on the brink of losing the group home he’s worked so hard to build. When Caroline learns he’s a Praecursoria investor, it becomes legally impossible to confide in him. Will the secrets she keeps become a wedge that separates them forever? And can she save Bethany from the very treatments designed to heal her? 

This latest romantic legal thriller by bestseller Cara Putman shines a light on the shadowy world of scientific secrets and corporate vendettas—and the ethical dilemmas that plague the place where science and commerce meet.

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There were no enticing suggestions today but maybe tomorrow. Actually it’s already tomorrow but since I’m very late with lights out it still feels like today.

I’ll let you know if anything good shows up in a few hours.

Happy Reading

Bargain collections September 22, 2021

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The first one is a pre-order than will be released October 12, 2021. Mine has been ordered since the end of May. It’s almost here.

Dangerous Pursuits : 15 Stories From Today’s Most Popular Mystery and Suspense 

Crisp Days. Cold Nights. Dangerous Pursuits.

The chill of fall brings with it a hint of peril in Dangerous Pursuits, a clean and Christian suspense anthology featuring some of today’s most popular female authors.

Start your fall off right with 15 gripping tales of Clean and Christian suspense from today’s most popular ladies of mystery and suspense. Join Mary Alford, Lisa Harris, Therese Heckenkamp, Cynthia Hickey, Gina Holder, Ronie Kendig, Loree Lough, Dana R Lynn, Ann Malley, Dana Mentink, J. Carol Nemeth, Cara Putman, Sharee Stover, Terri Reed, and Lenora Worth, as we take you on a dangerous journey filled with mystery and suspense that will keep you turning pages until the very. Last. One.

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Dangerous seems to be a theme today. This next collection is Dangerous too but at least it has been released for immediate download. There is no waiting around for this one. I’ve read a number of books from this author but don’t recognize any of these. I’m excited about that.

Dangerous Holidays: Christmas Suspense/Mysteries with Romance

Three fast-paced Christmas romantic suspense novellas with a dash of mystery!

SEASON OF AFFECTION. A celebrity in peril and the small-town boy who crushed her heart years ago. Can a Christmas reunion bring them a second chance at love?

DANGER UNDER THE MISTLETOE. Eager to heal after losing her husband, security consultant Rachel Evans moves to the small Texas town of Rios Azules. When one of her clients is found murdered under the mistletoe and her rental is broken into, the former thief realizes danger has found her once again. Her neighbor’s widowed son volunteers to help her. But as Rachel’s attraction to him grows, can she trust him with her heart-or her secret-before someone takes her life?

NOELLE ON THE RUN. Small-town nurse Noelle Rochester seems to have a target on her back since her elderly neighbor confided her murder suspicions. After the neighbor is killed and somebody starts following Noelle, she flees to her uncle in Christmas Tyme, Colorado. Nearly run off the road, she turns to a former private investigator, Juan Rivera. But is he ready for or capable of a case like hers? After his fiancée’s death, Juan closed himself off to the world. But he can’t refuse help to a scared stranger, especially one who reminds him of the woman he’s grieving. Two dead bodies, one drive-by shooting, and a kidnaped pet later, Juan and Noelle need to solve the mystery before Christmas—or die trying.

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Happy Reading!

Free and bargain books September 21, 2021

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1531 Entertainment has several suggestions for us, This first one is FREE from an author I enjoy.

Dead Wrong: A Cozy Mystery (Agatha’s Amish B&B Book 1) 

Who killed Russell Dixon?

When Agatha Lapp’s brother and sister-in-law are tragically killed in a buggy accident, Agatha relocates to the new Amish community in Hunt Texas, nestled in the Texas Hill Country. She’s there to make a success of her brother’s dream–an Amish B&B. Agatha is friendly, efficient, and capable. She’s also a fifty-five year old widow who has learned to be independent. When she discovers Russell Dixon’s lifeless body in Cabin 3, she runs next door where retired detective Tony Vargas lives. The police determine that her guest died of natural causes, but as Agatha and Tony put together the events of the previous two days they become convinced that the police are Dead Wrong.

Dead Wrong is a story of discovering new friendships and embracing a different path in the midst of tragedy. Above all else, it’s a story of God’s grace and provision.

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I’ve noticed this author as a contributor in several collections I’ve read, I’m trying to remember what I thought of her. This book have to serve as a refresher.

The Inn at Cranberry Cove (Cranberry Cove Series Book 1)

After her boss fires her on unfounded grounds, twenty-nine-year-old Ashton Price leaves Denver for Cranberry Cove, Washington. She’s inherited her aunt’s B&B and is determined to carry on her legacy. Upon preparing for guests, she learns of a century-old tale of treasure within the inn. Many have searched for the illusive gems but to no avail. She discovers a man working on the inn’s grounds, but is he the gardener Gina Price hired? Perhaps he’s searching for the hidden treasure.

James Atwood, corporate executive, works in the Atwood’s thriving cranberry business. Tragedy strikes, and he’s numb and riddled with guilt. Befriended by Gina Price, he finds solace working evening and weekends in the fresh earth, fescue grass, and aromatic blossoms of the inn’s gardens, helping to divert his mind from his dishonest cousin Robert, bent on destroying the Atwood business. He continues tending the grounds after Gina passes, and the new owner believes he’s a gardener. After she calls late one night upon hearing a prowler, James races to her rescue and discovers his feelings are more than protective.

Ashton’s first guests, the Claxton’s, appear out of nowhere saying they’ve had reservations for a year though she finds no record of a deposit. She chalks the failure up to faulty accounting before she arrived. When an elusive intruder continues to make frightening midnight visits, Ashton fears for her own safety and that of the Claxtons. But then, their odd comings and goings cause Ashton to wonder. Are they really vacationing visitors from California, or do they have other motives for staying at the inn?

Can two people allow the majestic northwest and fragrant coastal air heal their wounded hearts? Will they discover the secret of The Inn at Cranberry Cove?

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Happy Reading …

… on this sunny but chilly day. I was hoping the warm weather we enjoyed on Sunday would last a little longer.

At least it’s cheerfully sunny today. And the furnace works.

Free books September 19, 2021

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BookRunes has several FREE suggestions. They are both favorite authors and favorite books. We’ve seen them before but they are worth seeing again.

Hailey’s Haven: Christian Romantic Suspense (Smoky Mountain Secrets Book 1)

A safe place to call home…
After escaping her abusive foster parents thirteen years ago, Hailey Donovan thought her nightmare was over. Gatlinburg Tennessee had been a safe place to live, until she’s nearly hit by gunfire while hiking the Smoky Mountains. Her instincts are to avoid law enforcement, especially handsome park ranger Rock Wilson, but when more gunfire echoes around them, they’re forced to work together to escape.

More attempts against Hailey convinces her to leave the city to start over someplace new. Rock talks her into staying and fighting against the unknown assailant. Rock senses Hailey has been traumatized in the past, and is determined to uncover the mystery surrounding her. As Hailey and Rock seek the truth behind the escalating attacks, Rock realizes he’s also in danger of losing his heart. Can Rock provide Hailey the save haven she desperately needs?

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The Demise (The Braxton Mysteries Book 1)

From five time Amazon All-Star author Diane Moody comes The Demise.

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.

A perfect setting, a cast of oddball characters, and just enough drama to raise lots of suspicion. The stage is set.

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Happy Reading!

Bargain books September 15, 2021

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Another good day for books. BookBub has a bargain suggestion by an author we see often.

Show Me a Second Chance: Small-Town Single-Father Cowboy Romance (Cowboy Crossing Romances Book 2)

Frightened by a possible stalker, a big-city marketing manager flees to her uncle’s B & B in the small town where she once felt safe. A place where neighbors know each other and where she fell in love with a hometown hero over two decades ago. Only now, that handsome cowboy is a large ranch owner with a little daughter and soul-deep scars left by his alcoholic ex-wife. Kimberly Byrd made mistakes that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Can she allow herself to love and be loved again?

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1531 Entertainment has several suggestion for us. Both from familiar authors.

Miriam’s Song

In her eventful lifetime, Miriam was many things to many people: protective older sister, song leader, prophetess, leper. But between the highs and the lows, she was a girl who dreamed of freedom, a woman who longed for love, a leader who made mistakes, and a friend who valued connection.

With her impeccable research and keen eye for detail, bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith offers this epic story to fill in the gaps and imagine how Miriam navigated the challenges of holding on to hope, building a family in the midst of incredible hardship, and serving as a leader of a difficult people, all while living in her brother’s shadow. 

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Lynette Eason is one of my favorite authors.

Acceptable Risk (Danger Never Sleeps Book #2)

Sarah Denning is a military journalist with the Army in the Middle East when her convoy is attacked and she’s taken hostage. When former Army Ranger Gavin Black is asked by his old unit commander–Sarah’s imposing father–to plan an extremely risky rescue, he reluctantly agrees and successfully executes it.

Back in the US, Sarah is livid when she’s discharged on a false psychiatric evaluation and vows to return to the Army. Until she learns of her brother’s suicide. Unable to believe her brother would do such a thing, she puts her plans on hold and enlists Gavin to help her discover the truth. What they uncover may be the biggest story of Sarah’s career–if she can survive long enough to write it.

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I’ve read this last book and it was a favorite.

On a more personal note:

Previously, I’ve mentioned two of our beloved teenagers were attempting overseas flights for a move back to Canada. They first attempt was interrupted by a typhoon. Their second attempt was successful today. They’ve cleared customs and will soon be at their final destination. So happy for them and their anxious parents left behind. We are excited that now we get to enjoy them for a little while. Enjoy them before they establish a life and move on.

I hope you enjoy some of today’s books.

Happy Reading.