Ready for a change of pace! A casual browse this morning produced one interesting possibility at a time when nothing else in the pile is appealing to me. This is one of those times when I’m hungry but nothing on the menu looks inviting. How sad is that? I’m not sure if this new read will fill the need. The first few pages say yes but you never know if the rest of the book can deliver. Hopefully it will. This author has never failed me yet, not that I can remember anyway.

Reclaiming Nick (Noble Legacy Book 1)

Nick Noble hadn’t planned on being the prodigal son. But when his father dies and leaves half of Silver Buckle—the Noble family ranch—to Nick’s former best friend, he must return home to face his mistakes, and guarantee that the Silver Buckle stays in the Noble family.

Award-winning journalist Piper Sullivan believes Nick framed her brother for murder, and she’s determined to find justice. But following Nick to the Silver Buckle and posing as a ranch cook proves more challenging than she thinks. So does resisting his charming smile. As Nick seeks to overturn his father’s will—and Piper digs for answers—family secrets surface that send Nick’s life into a tailspin. But there’s someone who’s out to take the Silver Buckle from the Noble family, and he’ll stop at nothing—even murder—to make it happen.

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A tempting collection is calling out to me. Should I or shouldn’t I? That’s the question. So many collections lately. Add them all together and that’s a lot of books needing to be read. Trouble is, the price is right. 0.99 for four books, how can I say no to that? Especially when it’s a special promotion by a favorite author.

Heroes of Purple Heart Ranch: Four Sweet Military Romance Novels

In On His Bended Knee, in order to save his beloved ranch for wounded veterans, Dylan must get married. Maggie needs to find a home for her and her special needs dogs. A marriage of convenience could solve both their problems, but can two wounded souls believe in the power of true love?

In The Rancher takes his Convenient Bride, insta-love alters the plan when an Army Ranger makes a calculated deal to wed a female rancher in a modern day marriage of convenience.

In His Pledge to Honor, a general’s daughter can rehabilitate the most wounded of horses. But when an injured soldier shows up at her ranch as part of her father’s last command, will she follow his lead down a trail of love?

In His Vow to Love, Air Force Pilot Charlie Matthews has flown to the farthest reaches of the world, but he can never seem to reconnect with his first, and only love. Will their latest reunion finally land them on a path to forever?

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I caved and hit the buy button before I could change my mind. It should be a good decision.

I have a confession to make. I’ve been binge reading books trying to survive my off-the-charts stress levels these days. It has been working. The distraction has helped to keep my head in a good place, mostly. The trouble with avoidance is that annoying physical symptoms show up, like a messed up digestive system.

Most of the stress trouble comes as a result of unsavory tasks that must be faced. I’ve managed to strike many of them off the list but there is one left that I will do anything to avoid. Hence, all the time spent reading.

I know, I know. Deal with it and get relief.

Then there is the side effect arising out of binge reading. Normally, when I do a post like this I like to highlight a couple of books that I loved the best. This time, when I look back through the read pile they all blend together and nothing stands out to me.

I can say that this last stretch of reading, in the last week or two, most of them have fallen short of the “love it” goal anyway. It’s funny how that goes. There will be a stretch of awesome books followed by a string of tolerable books. That has been how it is for the latest batch of books. There have even been some I decided were not worth mentioning.

There was one bunch of books that would have been three star, if I was honest, but didn’t get a rating because I recognized my dissatisfaction was the result of personal preference rather than poor writing. I know the stories would have been loved by someone just not me. Nothing wrong with that.

In no particular order, here are some of the books read since the last time I shared, a few weeks ago I think. Thankfully, they meant my sanity is mostly intact.

Wow, I didn’t realize how many unfinished reads there are piling up. A number of them are partially read collections.

I was entertaining the thought of saying “good enough” and calling it quits on some of the 8/10-book collections and designating them as read. Until I checked the first one and got caught up in the story. Maybe I will at least speed read through them all before bailing out.

I’m half way through this collection.

The Complete Blueberry Beach Box Set Books 1-8

Book 5 – Misty Mornings: What will happen when Leiklyn reunites with her high school friends after eighteen years to renovate the Manor they bought for $1, only to discovers her daughter’s explosive secret? Will Leiklyn’s own dark secret come to light?

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Now, it’s time to get ready for a family birthday party. Three of us celebrate birthdays within a few days of each other. It’s a good job we don’t care about having to share the limelight. It’ll be fun and I’m looking forward to it.

It’s a slow day for suggestions but browsing has been lucrative. There are two authors we’ve been following for some time and today’s the chance to add a few more books to the mix.

The first one; we’ve experienced four of the seven books in the series and today we get to download two more – books 4 and 5. I’m looking forward to the chance to read them.

Crashing Into Jake (Stryker Security Force Book 4) 

An injured ex-soldier struggling with being a bodyguard. A country music darling with an eerie stalker. Can he resist her allure to get the job done?

All Jake has ever wanted was to serve his country, get married, and raise a family.
When a mission goes wrong, leaving him with a prosthetic leg and raging nightmares, his plans for the future lie shattered like his career. He joins his brothers-in-arms at Stryker Security Force to help protect others, determined to find contentment in his job as a bodyguard — until protecting Chloe Rose makes him long for more.

Chloe Rose dreams of getting her break as the next country music superstar.
Though her parents would rather she buy her way in, Chloe will make it on her own or not at all.
An invitation to a Colorado music festival has Chloe believing her time has finally come. But when frightening messages arrive on her doorstep, she’s forced to hire protection. Jake is an attractive surprise, and sparks fly when he shows up.

Can Chloe trust Jake when the malicious attacks threaten all she’s worked so hard for? Will Jake’s disability keep him from saving Chloe and the love he’s found in her?

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Discovering Rafe (Stryker Security Force Book 5)

Her brother’s best friend has always held her heart. Now that she has his attention, will her happily ever after be ripped away?

Piper Fields finds contentment in managing her cousin’s music career from the safety and anonymity of staying behind the scenes.
Since her parents’ death at barely thirteen, Piper’s fear of losing others has kept her focused on caring for those she loves. Meanwhile, her own dreams have been left backstage. Not that it really mattered anyway. Her dreams were out of reach and so was her brother’s friend, Rafe Malone.

Rafe Malone approached life with a firm desire to safeguard those who couldn’t protect themselves and have fun in the process. That all changed the day a mission for the Army turned south, forcing him to take the life of a child soldier. Now, the jokester mask he wears to hide his pain is put to the test when his best friend’s sister needs his help. No matter how hard he tries to convince himself he shouldn’t taint her with his tarnished soul, her nurturing presence tempts him to break the bro code of staying away from your friend’s sister.

Can Rafe keep Piper safe when the evasive threat turns deadly? Will Piper trust what she’s discovered in Rafe or is it just another childish daydream?

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This next one is an author we’ve been following for awhile but we’ve only had book 1 in this particular series. Today, the chance is to buy the complete series in the box set and I’m delighted to have found it. There 1843 pages, how great is that?

Cold Harbor – The Entire Series Christian Romantic Suspense Collection

OVER ONE MILLION READERS HAVE ENJOYED SUSAN SLEEMAN NOVELS. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN with the entire Cold Harbor series. Readers are raving about Blackwell Tactical – a law enforcement training facility and protection services agency made up of former military and law enforcement heroes whose injuries keep them from the line of duty. When trouble strikes, there’s no better team to have on your side, and they would give everything, even their lives, to protect innocents.

Join the team as they investigate crimes and provide protection services for people whose lives are in danger and find love along the way. Now you can have all Seven of the bestselling Cold Harbor books for less than the price of 2 books. Cold Terror, Cold Truth, Cold Case, Cold Fury, Cold Fear, Cold Pursuit, and Cold Dawn.

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This has been quite the week for books. Two sets with a total of 17 books between them.

It’s tempting to keep looking but I’m going to quit now – quick, before I change my mind.

Yesterday we were blessed with Romance, today we are back to Mystery, my favorite.

It’s been a good day.

It was definitely a mistake to start a new book in the middle of the night. I was pushing it by trying to finish my current read before lights out; finishing and then moving straight on to a new book at that time of night was crazy. Especially since it turned out to be one to grab hold of my interest, not letting go easily. On the plus side, it was the start of the weekend and I could sleep all day if needed. I didn’t but maybe tonight will be early to make up for it.

We have seen other books with a similar premise but this one captured my attention in a way the others didn’t. Well developed, quirky and believable characters were a big part of it. The smooth story flow was a huge part too. The ending was unpredictable. I loved it.

This is still available at a great price, check it out. Book two is a great price too and it is mighty tempting.

Under the Honey Moon: A Honeyhaven Romance (The Honeyhaven Series Book 1) 

A honeymoon cottage reunites a pair of childhood friends. Can it offer them a future filled with a happily-ever-after?

When B&B owner Juliet Miller’s childhood crush shows up on her doorstep, she thinks he’s come to honor a pact and pop the question. But he’s already engaged and offers her a bargain she can’t turn down. Bowie Nichols has always seen Juliet as a friend until shifting feelings has him second guessing whether or not he’s marrying the right woman.

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This is the book I finished before starting the awesome read above. It wasn’t as compelling but it was still a very good read. The characters were believable and relatable. Some were not all that lovable. Most were though. There were sailboats, wild adventures, and relationships we wanted to see turn into something special.

It also had three times the number of pages.

Becalmed: A Carolina Coast Novel (Carolina Coast Stories Book 1)

When a Southern woman with a broken heart finds herself falling for a widower with a broken boat, it’s anything but smooth sailing.

With her days chock full—designing jewelry for the shop she co-owns with her best friend, sailing her sharpie, and hanging out with girlfriends—Tadie Longworth barely notices she’s morphing into the town’s maiden aunt. When Will, a widower with a perky daughter named Jilly, limps into town in a sailboat badly in need of engine repairs, Tadie welcomes the chance to help. Her shop becomes Jilly’s haven while Will hunts boat parts, and Tadie even takes the two of them sailing. It’s the kind of thing she lives for, and it’s a welcome distraction from the fact that her ex-boyfriend Alex, aka The Jerk of Jerks, is back in town. With his northern bride. Oh, and he’s hitting on Tadie, too.

Those entanglements are more than enough, thank you very much, so it’s almost a relief when a hurricane blows into town: at least the weather can match Tadie’s mood. When Will and Jilly take shelter in her home, though, Tadie finds herself battling her attraction to Will. Even worse, the feeling is mutual, tempting them all with what-ifs that petrify Will, who has sworn never to fall in love again. Mired in misunderstanding, he takes advantage of the clear skies and hauls Jilly out of there and back to his broken boat so fast, Tadie’s head spins.

With the man she might have loved gone, and the man she wishes gone showing up on her doorstep, Tadie finds herself like a sailboat with no wind; becalmed, she has to fight her way back against the currents to the shores of the life, and the man, she wants.

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There are a few more read and enjoyed to share too.

There are others but that will be another post.