Suspense

Bargain books April 28, 2021

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BookBub has a suggestion for us with one of our favorite authors.

Never Forget the Past: A Clean Romantic Suspense (The Men of Fire Beach Book 3) 

Amazon quote:

Could you let your family believe you were dead if you thought it was the only way to save them?

Five years ago, Billy “Bubba” Campbell had a different name, but after narrowly escaping an attempt on his life, he fakes his death and leaves town to keep his family safe. He’s adjusted to life in Fire Beach, but when Makenna re-enters his life, he is forced to make a gut-wrenching decision: Continue living his lie or return to his hometown to help her catch the killer.

Captain Makenna Drake believed she was saving Matt Fisher’s life when she convinced him to leave his life behind, but now the fires have started again. As the only victim to survive, she hopes seeing Matt will fluster the killer enough to make a mistake. But can she protect him this time or will the killer finish the job started five years ago?

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This next book was suggested yesterday and the suggester’s name escapes me. It’s definitely still a bargain.

Flying Fossils (Women of Fossil Ridge Book 1)

Amazon quote:

“Some women play bingo and go quietly into the night. My mother steals cars and breaks out of Alzheimer’s units.”

From USA TODAY bestselling Author Lynne Gentry comes this heartwarming peek inside a mother/daughter relationship turned upside down.

My aging mother is proof that not every southern woman is sweet tea and sympathy. Momma can’t remember which road to take when she has to drive from her ranch to the small town where she grew up. But she can recount every detail of the day I broke her heart. Her inability to forgive me has made her as crusty as the tiny fossils that cover the river’s limestone bluffs. After wasting twenty-five years trying to chip away this hurt, I finally decided it was just easier to stay away.

Then Momma fell and broke her hip. I flew home to try to mend fences with her one more time. Her refusal to let me take her back to Washington DC to convalesce left me no choice but to leave her in an assisted living center in Texas. I regret telling her that I thought her memory lapses meant it was time to sell the ranch. The moment she was strong enough to manipulate her walker, she stole a car and broke out of rehab. Just to prove me wrong. Again.

Now Momma is missing and I’m sandwiched between two impossible choices: stay in DC with my troubled teenager or go to Texas to find my demented mother. Either way, I feel like I’ve already lost.

The story of the Slocum women is the story many of us are facing. Navigating the care of an aging parent while parenting our own children is never easy. Some days you just have to laugh to keep from crying.

This series serves up a generous helping of laughs and hope. It’s a touching addition to your collection of southern small-town, generational authors like Ann B. Ross, Jan Karon, and Beth Hoffman.

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Currently I’m reading and enjoying an author new to me, it is still a bargain and so are books 1 & 3 in the series. This is definitely holding my interest.

Every Secret Thing (Acts of Valor, Book 2): Romantic Suspense

Amazon quote:

Former NFL Player Turned Navy SEAL Battles Life and Death for Love and Justice in the Christian Romantic Suspense, Every Secret Thing, by Rebecca Hartt

–Present Day, Virginia Beach, Virginia–

Navy SEAL Lt. Lucas Strong isn’t about to let his platoon leader, Lt. Mills, go to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. It’s their retiring commander who should face court-martial for amassing stolen weapons. With the evidence proving the commander’s guilt destroyed, and every witness dead, Lucas must find his only remaining hope, Charlotte Patterson, a gutsy NCIS intern with a photographic memory–missing but believed alive.

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Another interesting book showed up just when I thought I was done.

Copycat Killer (True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn Book 1)

Amazon quote:

Murder strikes close to home for a new K-9 unit in Brooklyn

When a double homicide is strikingly familiar to a twenty-year-old cold case, Detective Nate Slater is rattled by the parallels. With a child as the only witness, he and his K-9 partner must protect little Lucy and her aunt, Willow Emery. Nate’s rough past means he always keeps an emotional distance…but in this case getting closer is the only way they’ll all survive.

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OK, I’m going to stop looking now.

If you have opinions on any of the authors shared here I would appreciate hearing about it. It would be help me make good choices, to know your likes and dislikes. I’m guessing on somethings and could be wrong. Please leave comments. Much appreciated.

Happy reading.

Free and bargain books April 26, 2021

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This will be quick.

Free

Shelter from the Storm: A heartwarming tale that brings together hope and happily-ever-after (Hope and Hearts Romance Book 1)

Amazon quote:

Sometimes the person standing in your way is your only hope…

As the director of the Port Provident Animal Shelter, Becca Collins had devoted her life to helping the furriest residents of Port Provident. When a special Labrador retriever, Polly, needs her help on the eve of Hurricane Hope, Becca can’t say no—even if it means she’ll have to ride out the hurricane on Provident Island. When she shows up on the doorstep of local veterinarian and Army veteran Dr. Ross Reeder, Becca throws a wrench into Ross’ plans to evacuate himself and his combat-weary former service dog, Cookie.

Ross and Becca are used to disagreeing with one another, but they soon realize the only way they’re going to survive the wrath of Hurricane Hope is to put their differences aside and work for the good of the animals who depend totally on them. As they discover they have more in common than they thought and work to rebuild the Texas beach town where they’ve both put down roots, Becca learns secrets about her past that threaten to change the whole direction of her life.

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Bargains, both of them

A Homecoming To Cherish (Cherish Series Book 5)

Amazon quote:

Hard-working accountant Nora Lancaster returns to her modest hometown to help manage an inn that her parents once owned. In order to escape small-town living, she’d married young and moved away. Now, as a single mother of a rebellious teenage daughter, she doesn’t intend to stay long—only a few weeks at most—or until the current owner of the inn recovers from his heart attack.

World-weary Julian Wilson is a businessman who arrives in town for one reason—to open another restaurant. He’s lived life as a bachelor and is at the peak of a rewarding career. Interested in the possibilities of another profitable venture, he views the town as a place to manage an extensive restaurant chain and finally settle down.

Nora never expected to meet a man like Julian—all business, as well as a formidable opponent—or to be instantly attracted to his kind nature and faith in God.

But can Julian convince Nora he’s not the rival she fears?

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

Amazon quote:

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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Later…

Bargain books April 25, 2021

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It’s casual browsing day today and it’s been fun. By the look of the first treasures found (I’m needing some light reading) I thought today was going to be a Cowboy – Marriage of Convenience theme. Several books are like that but then I came across something interesting with a darker side to it. There went my lighter theme. Oh well, variety is nice.

A Marriage of Convenience in the Show Me State (Cowboy Crossing Western Sweet Romance Book 5) 

Amazon quote:

Zane Hudson just got custody of his four young children. Only problem is, he can’t watch his kids and run his farm, too. He needs a permanent housekeeper. He has every intention of hiring someone until…

Waverley Madris is two months behind on her rent and about to lose her house and her children. Getting stuck with handsome Zane Hudson and his four kids in the Diner bathroom seems like just the type of thing that was just her luck.

Except she emerges from that bathroom an engaged woman.

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Show Me a Marriage of Convenience: Small-Town Single-Father Cowboy Romance (Cowboy Crossing Romances Book 1) 

Amazon quote:

An ex-player cowboy with a little son, the boy’s shy plus-size aunt, and a reluctant modern marriage of convenience only the boy is excited about… A sweet, clean, wholesome romance with a happily-ever-after!


Kade agrees to a crazy proposal from the woman his child adores. But as a former foster kid, Kade learned to walk away before getting hurt. Can he now learn to stay and love?


Heather Johnson dreams of a real marriage with the man her sister abandoned. But the rumor is Kade might leave their small town again and take her darling nephew with him. She’s reluctant to trust a womanizer, husband or not. If she allows love for him to ignite her heart, will her marshmallow-soft heart become roasted and burned?

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This next one is in the serious category. There are many forms of abuse in our world today and this is one of them.

Shattered Dream (Prisoners of Hope Book 1)

Amazon quote:

Cassie True dreams of the day she can resume her music career. Only one thing stands in her way, a court-ordered rehab program sponsored by a religious cult determined to steal her soul.

Singer/songwriter Cassie True enters a rehab program that promises to change her life. And it does…in ways she never expected. Caught in a religious cult’s ever-constricting web, she fights not only for her sanity but for the freedom to form real friendships. She longs to put alcoholism behind her, finish the program and return to her career. But when her friend is forcibly separated from her husband by the cult leader and a young boy is abused at the cult’s elementary school, she can’t stand by and do nothing.

Bucking the system is dangerous and could result in dismissal from the program—and a return to jail. Can Cassie and her coworker, Corban Dahlstrom, toe the party line yet work together behind the scenes to help others escape the cult’s clutches? Will they be able to withstand the fiery backlash that’s sure to come? Does their budding romance have a chance in a world where an iron-fisted leader controls all relationships?

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One more in the serious category. This is a second look for me, at this suggestion. In many ways it will be a tough read but the topic is timely. The reviews tell me I should take a chance on this. The writer’s treatment of the subject makes all the difference and reviews suggest this has been treated well.

More Than Us by Dawn Barker

Amazon quote:

When parents disagree on how to care for their child, is it justifiable to take extreme measures?

Emily and Paul have a glorious home, money in the bank and two beautiful children. Since leaving Scotland for Paul to play football for an Australian team they have been blessed. But sadness lies behind the picture-perfect family – sixteen-year-old Cameron has battled with health troubles his entire life. There’s no name for what he has, but his disruptive behaviour, OCD and difficulty in social situations is a constant source of worry.

When Paul’s career comes to a shuddering halt, he descends into a spiral of addiction, gambling away the family’s future. By the time he seeks help, it’s his new boss Damien who recommends and pays for a rehab facility.

While Paul is away, Emily has to make a tough decision about their son. She keeps it from Paul knowing he’ll disapprove. And when a terrible accident reveals the truth, Paul takes his son and goes on the run, leaving Emily to care for fourteen-year-old Tilly, who unbeknown to her parents is fighting battles of her own.

Can the family join together for the sake of their loved ones, or will their troubles tear them apart?

What people are saying about More than Us:

‘Dawn Barker has the reader enthralled and reading as quickly as possible to find out what happens to the complex, flawed, yet endearing main characters.’ Reader review

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Of the four, the book I’m looking forward to most at this moment is the first one, I’m in need of a lighter read to brighter my day. I’m not sure why that is exactly, it just is. Moods seem to be like the weather, unpredictable and change at a moments notice.

Before I can get to the new read I must finish the current one…

I think this one isn’t helping my mood. Probably because the villain reminds me of someone in my past. I think maybe I’d better speed read through this one.

Other than all that it has been a good weekend. I enjoyed a fun visit with my family and a pleasant sunshiny drive to get there yesterday.

I hope the weekend has gone well for you too.

Happy Reading

Bargain books April 24, 2021

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BookBub has a bargain suggestion that looks good. I’ve read and enjoyed books 1 and 5 in this series and that’s a good recommendation.

Pawleys Island Paradise boxset, Books 1 – 3 

 

Amazon quote:

Boxset contains these books:

  • Book 1: Roadtrip to Redemption — Her escape brought her home.

Leslie Malone faces an empty, lonely summer. Her marriage is over. Her daughter is overseas, living her dream. Her students are enjoying a carefree summer break. What’s the purpose of her life if she’s not a wife, mother and teacher? The idea of a roadtrip beckons her. Aimless wandering? Or inspired discovery? A woman of faith, she asks God for His guidance, then does her best to follow His direction.

Hank Harrison is a quiet man, good with his hands, but short on words. He’s paid a heavy price for not forgiving his son for horrible mistakes made years ago, mistakes with vast consequences. Hank recognizes Leslie as an answer to his prayers, and together, they begin to mend their futures.

  • Book 2: Tide to Atonement — Life knocked him down. Faith raised him up.

Jeremy Harrison served his time — ten years in prison paid his debt to society for bad business practices. Now released, his plan for rehabilitation is clear: put his faith in God, work hard and put his past mistakes behind him. The last thing he wants is to be featured in a magazine article about ex-cons who successfully re-acclimated into society. Worse still, the gorgeous reporter takes an instant dislike to him.

Emma Jean Slotky knows that one of the interviewee names in her new magazine article assignment sounds familiar. Her dad helps her figure out why — Jeremy Harrison was responsible for the destruction of his employer and ultimately, Emma’s family, all those years ago. How can Emma possibly face the man who ruined her family with professionalism, and not disappoint her boss?

  • Book 3: Journey to Fulfillment — Let no man put asunder

A traumatic family event. Distinctly opposite ways of dealing with it between husband and wife. Instead of joyfully celebrating the safe return of their kidnapped daughter, Tom and Marianne are struggling to understand why they’ve landed on polar opposites of this parenting issue.

Accepting her husband’s approach would require Marianne to disown a beloved family member. That can’t be God’s will.

Accepting his wife’s approach would require Tom to relive past mistakes made by his own father that he forever swore he’d never repeat.

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I’m currently reading a new book from yesterday. I’m only just starting chapter three so it’s too early for an opinion but I’ve loved all her other books and expect to enjoy this one too. It sounds like the bad guy in this story is one scary dude.

Axel: a clean romantic suspense (Lantern Beach Blackout: The New Recruits Book 2) 

Women are missing. Private security firm Blackout must find them before another victim disappears.

Axel Hendrix likes to live on the edge. That’s why being a Navy SEAL suited him so well. But after his last mission, he cut his losses and joined Blackout instead. His team’s latest case involves an undercover investigation on Lantern Beach.

Olivia Rollins came to the island to escape her problems—and danger. When trouble from her past shows up in town, she impulsively blurts she’s engaged to Axel, the womanizing man she’s seen while waitressing. Now, she may not be the only one in danger. So could Axel.

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I feel like I’m copy and pasting things in all the wrong places and it’s hard to find what I think I’ve done. I’m having trouble staying awake long enough to finish this and that is likely a contributing factor to my sleep deprived, drunken journey through this post. If things are weird… my apologies.

I’m not confident I can keep my eyes open long enough to read before lights out but I’m sure going to try.

It’s fiction, it doesn’t matter if I can’t read it right, it’ll be fun anyway.

Happy Reading and a good night.

Bargain books April 23rd Part 2

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I promised if anything else showed up I’d let you know. Well, it has. Book 1 in this new series by a favorite author was available last week and now book 2 is available this week. They are both at bargain prices… a good deal. I’ve read book 1 and I’m excited to see book 2 already.

Axel: a clean romantic suspense (Lantern Beach Blackout: The New Recruits Book 2) 

Amazon quote:

Women are missing. Private security firm Blackout must find them before another victim disappears.

Axel Hendrix likes to live on the edge. That’s why being a Navy SEAL suited him so well. But after his last mission, he cut his losses and joined Blackout instead. His team’s latest case involves an undercover investigation on Lantern Beach.

Olivia Rollins came to the island to escape her problems—and danger. When trouble from her past shows up in town, she impulsively blurts she’s engaged to Axel, the womanizing man she’s seen while waitressing. Now, she may not be the only one in danger. So could Axel.

Axel knows Olivia might be his chance to find answers and that acting like her fiancé is the perfect cover for his latest assignment. But he doesn’t like throwing Olivia into the middle of such a dangerous situation. Nor is he comfortable with the feelings she stirs inside him. 

With Olivia’s life—as well as both their hearts—on the line, Axel must uncover the truth and stop an evil plan before more lives are destroyed.

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Book 1 in this series was my favorite read last week. I couldn’t put it down until the last page was turned. Here is the description as a refresher.

Rocco: a clean romantic suspense novel (Lantern Beach Blackout: The New Recruits Book 1)

Former Navy SEAL and new Blackout recruit Rocco Foster is on a simple in and out mission. But the operation turns complicated when an unsuspecting woman wanders into the line of fire.

Peyton Ellison’s life mission is to sprinkle happiness on those around her. When a cupcake delivery turns into a fight for survival, she must trust her rescuer—a handsome stranger—to keep her safe.

Rocco is determined to figure out why someone is targeting Peyton. First, he must keep the intriguing woman safe and earn her trust. But threats continue to pummel them as incriminating evidence emerges and pits them against each other.

With time running out, the two must set aside both their growing attraction and their doubts about each other in order to work together. But the perilous facts they discover leave them wondering what exactly the truth is . . . and if the truth can be trusted.

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My current read is not easy. Lives are messy and people who should be loving are anything but. They are rigid and judgmental. This book is well written in that the story unfolds layer by layer. At 2/3 of the way through I have no solid idea how it might end. I have some guesses but there are too many unpredictable players to say for sure.

illusions (The Apple Hill Series Book 2) 

One reckless night. A lifetime of regret.

Corey Schaffer has spent her entire marriage privately repenting a horrible mistake made the week before her wedding. When her teenaged daughter is in car accident, Corey blames herself and aches to confess all to her husband.

Additionally, their son’s thoughtless rebellion has put her husband Paul’s pastoral position at risk, and he’s finding it hard to forgive. If he can’t forgive Michael how can he forgive her?

It all comes to a head when a disgruntled church member sees an opportunity for revenge.

Corey must dig deep to find the courage to help her family. Even if that means walking away.

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Until tomorrow,

Happy Reading!

Bargain books April 21, 2021

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BookBub has two bargain suggestions for us. One I’ve read and one not. In that order.

Bitter Autumn: Clean Romance Mystery (Northern Shore Intrigue Book 2)

Amazon quote:

Will anyone in his hometown ever forgive him for what he did?

A changed man, Grey Lawson returns home on parole after serving seven years of his sentence.

The only reason he’s coming home to small town Winfield on the shore of Lake Superior is to care for his great-aunt Elsie who raised him.

He can’t believe he didn’t realize seven years ago that everything he did affected this good woman. But will his return cause her more grief?

Create trouble for new deputy sheriff Trish Franklin whose father has reason to hate Grey? But one truth many don’t realize until it’s too late—vengeance can be dangerous.

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While looking at this book I happened across book 4 in the same series, also at a bargain price. How awesome is that?

Spring’s Storm: Clean Romance Mystery (Northern Intrigue Book 4)

Amazon quote:

Sometimes the storm takes you with it~
Thea Glenheim’s new next door neighbor turns her small town upside down.

Trace Della’s handsome, successful and committed to helping high risk boys.
And he’s changing things in ways a lot of people don’t like.
One in particular.

Bad things begin happening on Trace’s property and troublemakers compete with each other to stop him in his mission to provide a place for kids who need help.

All the while Thea is caught in the middle–between the people she’s known all her life and this new man in town. He’s a mover and shaker. She’s a quiet piano teacher. Yet opposites attract, don’t they?

But when and how will the nastiness end? And will it end before someone gets hurt? Badly?

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This is the second BookBub suggestion. It is looking very interesting.

Every Secret Thing (Acts of Valor, Book 2): Romantic Suspense

Amazon quote:

Former NFL Player Turned Navy SEAL Battles Life and Death for Love and Justice in the Christian Romantic Suspense, Every Secret Thing, by Rebecca Hartt

–Present Day, Virginia Beach, Virginia–

Navy SEAL Lt. Lucas Strong isn’t about to let his platoon leader, Lt. Mills, go to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. It’s their retiring commander who should face court-martial for amassing stolen weapons. With the evidence proving the commander’s guilt destroyed, and every witness dead, Lucas must find his only remaining hope, Charlotte Patterson, a gutsy NCIS intern with a photographic memory–missing but believed alive.

Freed by a real-life hero, Charlotte Patterson is happy to join the fight, certain the corrupt commander murdered her supervisor. But her detailed memory is fading fast, and Lucas’s belief that God has everything under control could get them killed; Charlotte knows first-hand God doesn’t oversee everything.

Now with mercenaries hot on their heels, taking on a man protected by rank becomes deadly, pushing Lucas and Charlotte ever closer, turning their friendship into something much more and leaving Charlotte with just one prayer; that Lucas is right…God really is the master planner.

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I’m so excited. Browsing the suggestion strip, I found that books 1 and 3 in this series are also bargain priced. I’m going for it.

Returning to Eden (Acts of Valor, Book 1): Romantic Suspense

Amazon quote:

Presumed Dead, Navy SEAL Returns Home to Fight an Unseen Enemy in the Christian Romantic Suspense, Returning to Eden, by Rebecca Hartt

–Present Day, Virginia Beach, Virginia–

A dead man stands on her doorstep.

When the Navy wrote off her MIA husband as dead, Eden came to terms with being a widow. But now, her Navy SEAL husband is staring her in the face. Eden knows she should be over-the-moon, but she isn’t.

Diagnosed with PTSD and amnesia, Navy SEAL Jonah Mills has no recollection of their fractured marriage, no memory of Eden nor her fourteen-year-old daughter. Still, he feels a connection to both.

Unfit for active duty and assigned to therapy, Jonah knows he has work to do and relies on God, who sustained him during captivity, to heal his mind, body, and hopefully his family.

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Cry in the Wilderness (Acts of Valor, Book 3): Romantic Suspense

Amazon quote:

Navy SEAL Finds Freedom, Love and Redemption in the Christian Romantic Suspense, Cry in the Wilderness, by Rebecca Hartt

–Present Day, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma–

Rachel LeMere is certain she’ll never love again. It’s taken three years to move past the tragic death of her husband and high-school sweetheart, Blake.

Rachel’s adoptive brother, a military lawyer, has managed to gain shared custody of her twelve-year-old son, Liam. Forced to live with her brother and endure his cruelty, Rachel promises her son they will escape to freedom and a new life. If only she can convince Blake’s best friend, Saul, to help them escape.

Legendary Navy SEAL Saul Wade is headed to Oklahoma to reclaim the ranch where he grew up. It’s bad enough Saul has to face his tragic past. Honor also demands he risk his entire career by helping a woman he scarcely knows.

What begins as a debt to a friend sets Saul on a journey of forgiveness, healing, and love. But when evil threatens his and Rachel’s burgeoning relationship, Saul is forced to make a life-changing decision—remain America’s top sniper or allow God’s grace to give him a whole new reason for living.

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Well, it’s been a good day for books, I’m looking forward to reading all of them. It doesn’t always happen this way and I like it when it does.

I’ll save my current read to share tomorrow, just in case I’m short on something to talk about.

In the meantime…

Happy Reading

P.S. If for some reason these books don’t come up for you, keep trying. I don’t know what’s going on with their system these days but these books are there somewhere, that’s for sure

Free and bargain books April 19, 2021

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1531 Entertainment has several Free and bargain suggestions for us.

We have previously seen books 2 -5 in this first series and I’ve read and enjoyed book 2.

Sooner Fled: Oak Valley Secrets 1

Amazon quote:

Clean suspense with a touch of faith!


Small-town pastor Peter Andrews has a secret. His real name is Tony Stratton, and the Witness Protection Program left him in Oak Valley, a rural Oklahoma town. Waiting to testify against a ruthless drug lord in Detroit, he is learning to adapt to his new life and solving crimes with the help of the church secretary, Stephanie. 


Stephanie Martin yearns for excitement, but the new pastor is more than she bargained for! And what is he keeping from her? Can she trust a man who has something to hide?


Across five connected stories, they encounter reclusive authors, mob debt collectors, Confederate treasure hunters, and Soviet sleeper agents, all leading to an explosive showdown with Tony’s past.
Mystery, murder, and romance – Oak Valley has it all!

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Next is a FREE suggestion

illusions (The Apple Hill Series Book 2)

Amazon quote:

One reckless night. A lifetime of regret.

Corey Schaffer has spent her entire marriage privately repenting a horrible mistake made the week before her wedding. When her teenaged daughter is in car accident, Corey blames herself and aches to confess all to her husband.

Additionally, their son’s thoughtless rebellion has put her husband Paul’s pastoral position at risk, and he’s finding it hard to forgive. If he can’t forgive Michael how can he forgive her?

It all comes to a head when a disgruntled church member sees an opportunity for revenge.

Corey must dig deep to find the courage to help her family. Even if that means walking away.

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LPC Books has suggestions for us too. Both FREE

Escaping the Tiger’s Claws

Amazon quote:

Chamron Phal was a carefree teenager when Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge overthrew Cambodia’s capital, forever changing his life.

Almost immediately, Chamron and his family, along with millions of Cambodians, were ejected from their home, herded into the forest, and forced to labor under torturous conditions. With barely enough food to survive, Chamron watched helplessly as members of his family died and countless individuals were dragged from camp, never to be seen again. Yet through each trial and near-death circumstance, Chamron marveled as one miracle after another saw him through.

Eventually daring to risk escape, Chamron journeyed into the unknown, promising God that if he survived, he would serve Him the rest of his life. Would the God he hardly knew spare his life once more?

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Never Past Hope (Triangular Trade Trilogy Book 2) by Janine Mendenhall

Amazon quote:

Miss Mary Hope Adsley always considered herself to be the sensible one. But now, her sensibilities are unraveling around a man she thought she knew.

After he attempted to marry her best friend—for money, no less—authorities charge Sir Steven Likebridge with masquerading as a gentleman and abduction.

With his execution days away, Mary Hope desperately seeks to learn the truth about the man she loves.

Will the truth turn out to be worse than his lies?

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Four new books. Not bad.

Happy Reading …

… on the bright sunny but still cool day at my house.

Free and bargain books April 16, 2021

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us from a frequent flyer author on this blog. It appears I downloaded this book in 2012 but after checking out the first page I don’t think I’ve ever read it. I will be reading it this time, it’s already on it’s way to my latest Kindle. I can’t believe I’ve downloaded 55 books from this author. Actually I guess I can since she has been doing Freebie Fridays forever it seems. Sign up to her newsletter or Face Book page to hear about them.

Argosy Junction (The Rockland Chronicles)

Amazon quote:

With a past more like a tragic ballad than a sweet love song, Lane’s life is about to change forever.

Montana—rugged, wild, and full of sheep that Matt Rushby had never imagined in his childhood dreams. Much to his relief, the local rancher’s daughter arrives just in time to save him from certain death by sheep smothering.

If only her family’s faith could have survived that fate.

They’ve left the local church, rejected God, lost their first Love. What had once been a close-knit fellowship of believers became a restrictive cult, and Lane wants nothing more to do with them or their God.

He didn’t mean to fall in love with her. She can’t let herself love someone who belongs to Jesus. The inner-city man meets rancher’s daughter and shakes up their lives.

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1531 Entertainment has a bargain suggestion for us. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a novel from this era, I think I’m due and this one is appealing to me at the moment. This author is new to me and that adds extra intrigue.

A Clever Alliance: A Regency Romance (Regency Brides: A Promise of Love Book 1)

Amazon quote:

Lady Madalene Ramsbury has been summoned home from Miss Bell’s Finishing School to some unfortunate news. In three weeks, she is to be married to a man she’s never met. Rather than face a life she does not want; she flees from her own engagement party and elicits help from a most unlikely source.

Society’s golden boy, Everett, the Marquess of Northampton, was outraged when a young woman suddenly appeared in his curricle. Was she attempting to trap him into an unwanted marriage? It would be just like some overzealous mother to put her up to such a ploy. However, it doesn’t take long for him to discover that Madalene is unlike any woman he has ever known.

With her reputation in shambles, Lady Madalene and Everett hatch a plan to solve both of their problems, a fake engagement. But as they spend time together, they realize more is on the line than just a blossoming friendship. And with danger ever present from her jilted suitor, Everett and Madalene find themselves relying on one another in ways they’d never imagined… but can they trust each other with their hearts?

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Another interesting bargain from this new author popped up on the suggestion ribbon.

Saving Lord Berkshire: A Regency Romance (Regency Matchmakers Book 1) 

Amazon quote:

After losing her fiancé to a terrible accident, Miss Katherine Blackmore found contentment as a matchmaker to the members of Society. Working alongside her sisters, they strive to secure the most unlikely people with love matches. Everything is perfect until an infuriating lord steps into her office, turning her world upside down.

Edward Simpson, the Marquess of Berkshire, has a problem. His sister needs to marry, and quickly. When he approaches Miss Blackmore to hire her services, he does so poorly and ends up soundly insulting her. Luckily, he fares better with his second attempt.

Edward is boorish. Katherine is headstrong. Though their relationship begins on rocky footing, they soon realize that they need each other if they want to save Edward’s sister from making a horrible mistake. But Katherine works hard to keep Edward at a distance, even if he is worthy of her heart. Can Edward prove to Katherine that he is the man for her, or will he lose her forever?

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I’m currently reading a new book from another favorite author.

Safe and Sound (Lantern Beach Guardians Book 3)

A call for help draws Police Chief Cassidy Chambers deep into a wooded, isolated area on Lantern Beach. What she finds shakes her to the core—a friend is bleeding out, and his last words before dying are: They know.

Figuring out who killed her friend and what his final words meant becomes Cassidy’s mission. Have members of the notorious gang that placed a bounty on her head discovered her new life? Or is someone else trying to teach her a twisted lesson?

Elements from past investigations surface and threaten more than one person’s safety. Cassidy and her husband, Ty, must make sense of the deadly secrets that unfold at every turn. If not, the life they’ve built together might come to a permanent end.

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I’ve just finished reading and enjoying the latest book from Christy Barritt, a spin off from Safe and Sound: The Lantern Beach Guardians series. It is the start of a new Lantern Beach series, Lantern Beach Blackout. It’s still a bargain, grab it quick.

Rocco: a clean romantic suspense novel (Lantern Beach Blackout: The New Recruits Book 1)

Former Navy SEAL and new Blackout recruit Rocco Foster is on a simple in and out mission. But the operation turns complicated when an unsuspecting woman wanders into the line of fire.

Peyton Ellison’s life mission is to sprinkle happiness on those around her. When a cupcake delivery turns into a fight for survival, she must trust her rescuer—a handsome stranger—to keep her safe.

Rocco is determined to figure out why someone is targeting Peyton. First, he must keep the intriguing woman safe and earn her trust. But threats continue to pummel them as incriminating evidence emerges and pits them against each other.

With time running out, the two must set aside both their growing attraction and their doubts about each other in order to work together. But the perilous facts they discover leave them wondering what exactly the truth is . . . and if the truth can be trusted.

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I’m looking forward to these new books. It’s going to be a good weekend!

Happy reading y’all

Read and enjoyed middle of April 2021

/ For the Love of Books / 6 Comments

It’s time to clear out some of the backlog of finished reads, once again.

This first one was a fun read. Definitely a different twist on a romance story. Autumn MacArthur does come up with well crafted stories regularly, always worth reading.

Forget Paris: Sweet and clean Valentine’s Day Christian romance in Paris and London with an anti-romance heroine! (Love In Store Book 5) 

Zoe’s determined to prove that romance is an illusion and love based on it doesn’t last. Though when she meets Gabe Ross, there to fulfil his mother’s dying wish by placing a lovelock on a bridge for her and his father, even she finds it hard to resist the most romantic city in the world on the most romantic day of the year.

An impulsive challenge to try a psychological experiment isn’t part of her research plan.

Especially when it feels like more, much more, for both of them.

Zoe tells herself their one wonderful day together proves nothing, only gives more evidence her theory is right.

But on her return to London, she discovers she needs Gabe’s help to learn the biggest lesson of all, that love does last.

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I really liked this next story too. It held my attention, was believable and was a story worth reading. It didn’t feel like any other story I’d read and that’s a very good thing.

Run With My Heart: Sweet, Christian Christmas Romance: (A Texas Tornadoes Single Author Sports Romance book 2) (Texas Tornados)

Pro football player Tucker Jackson has a chip on his shoulder. His mother died when he was young, his father threw himself into his work, and the team he now plays for is in danger of losing their season.

His anger drives him to a bar where an ensuing fight earns him service at a community center. Can he find a way to tame his ire before it destroys his dreams forever?

Shelby Doll has a heart for kids, but the community center she runs is short on funds. Tucker Jackson is her last hope to keep the doors open, but will he leave her in a lurch when it matters the most?

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This next one is about the life of a young Jewish woman from the Bronx who found herself with a singing career back in the hippie days of the seventies, the child of Holocaust survivors.

Eventually she married into a bluegrass family and music became a lifelong way of life for her and her family.

Life is always affected by dramatic experiences of all family members and Lily’s was no different. She shares both the good and the painful, but mostly the good.

I enjoyed this book even more because I have closely followed her family’s career or the last decade or two.

You Don’t Cry Out Loud: The Lily Isaacs Story 

An unforgettable autobiography of Lily Isaac, the daughter of Holocaust survivors who rejected her Jewish heritage for a life with Jesus Christ and a music career.

Throughout her music and that of her children, who together form the beloved and multi-award winning group The Isaacs, you hear the resonating inspirational legacy of this family’s faith. Fans struggle to put the book down and are captivated by:

  • An autobiographical look at Lily’s life, from being a Jewish folk singer to serving as vocalist and matriarch of The Isaacs
  • The powerful account of her struggle with a once unknown faith and how she finally “cried her way to God from the church’s back pew”
  • The incredible insights behind heartbreaking moments which were her greatest opportunities of faith.

Whether surviving breast cancer or a challenging career, Lily’s steady refrain has been one of God’s constant love, comfort, and strength. Her story of survival is raw and compelling. It will inspire your Christian faith and help to put your own personal struggles in perspective.

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Now for a bunch that were read and enjoyed. It will be a just glimpse to fit them all it.

There’s more but I think this is enough for today.

Happy reading y’all

Bargain books April 14, 2021

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

We have books. I am so excited. It’s been feeling like a long dry spell. I know it’s not really been that long but to me a day or two feels loooong. I start to go through book withdrawal.

So, first, on the lighter side, BookBub has a suggestion for us. This author is new to me. The first page starts out well so I’m going to take a chance.

All of You, Always (Walker Beach Romance Book 1)

Amazon quote:

Going undercover is Bella’s only hope.

Her mission?

Convince Ben to sell his inn, and she’ll get the information needed to locate the family she’s never known.

Should be simple, right? After all, he’s behind on his mortgage, and a recent earthquake has rocked the town—and his finances. His beachfront property is ripe for the picking.

But the big-city executive didn’t count on him being so stubborn. So rooted in family and tradition and everything that small-town America stands for.

She also didn’t count on him being so attractive and wounded and … good.

And Bella has to wonder if the ends really justify the means.

But more than that—can love survive a lie?

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Next, 1531 Entertainment has a suggestion. Colleen Coble is right up there near the top of my favorites list, I never pass up the chance for one of her books.

Strands of Truth

Amazon quote:

Suspense, romance, and generational secrets meld when a DNA test helps Harper Taylor locate the family she’s always longed for . . . but has it also put her in the crosshairs of a killer? 

Harper Taylor is used to being alone—after all, she grew up in one foster home after another. Oliver Jackson finally took her under his wing when she was a runaway teenager, and now Harper pours her marine biology knowledge into Oliver’s pen shell research. But she’s never stopped wishing for a family of her own.

When a DNA test reveals a half-sister living just two hours away, Harper is both hopeful and nervous. Over warm cinnamon rolls, Harper and Annabelle find striking similarities in their stories. Is it just a coincidence that both their mothers died tragically, without revealing Harper and Annabelle’s father’s name? 

Oliver’s son Ridge still sees Harper as a troubled teen even all these years later. But when Oliver is attacked, Ridge and Harper find themselves working together to uncover dangerous secrets that threaten to destroy them all. They must unravel her past before they can have any hope for the future. 

Strands of Harper Taylor’s childhood are resurfacing—but will the truth save her . . . or pull her under? Suspense, romance, and generational secrets meld in this engrossing new novel from USA

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Another favorite author. That may be a bit of an understatement since there are 34 Christy Barritt books in my downloads library.

Rocco: a clean romantic suspense novel (Lantern Beach Blackout: The New Recruits Book 1)

Amazon quote:

Former Navy SEAL and new Blackout recruit Rocco Foster is on a simple in and out mission. But the operation turns complicated when an unsuspecting woman wanders into the line of fire.

Peyton Ellison’s life mission is to sprinkle happiness on those around her. When a cupcake delivery turns into a fight for survival, she must trust her rescuer—a handsome stranger—to keep her safe.

Rocco is determined to figure out why someone is targeting Peyton. First, he must keep the intriguing woman safe and earn her trust. But threats continue to pummel them as incriminating evidence emerges and pits them against each other.

With time running out, the two must set aside both their growing attraction and their doubts about each other in order to work together. But the perilous facts they discover leave them wondering what exactly the truth is . . . and if the truth can be trusted.

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Currently, I’m reading and thoroughly enjoying a book by an author I’ve loved before.

Out of Hiding 

After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents as a child, Sadie Lane was placed into Witness Protection. Now as an adult, she has a thriving business as a private investigator, but her biggest case is yet to come.

Sadie’s on the hunt to find the man who killed her parents—a brutal crime boss running a dangerous and corrupt syndicate.

Her quest for justice collides with FBI Special Agent Kip Moore who is targeting the organized crime network.

Sadie can’t trust anyone with her secrets—even Kip, but she must work with him to get the killer who forever changed her life. Sadie must put her faith in Kip even when it seems impossible to trust anyone.

The secrets of her past catch up to her when she stares into the eyes of the murderer. Can she keep her true identity secret long enough to bring the killer to justice?

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I hope you all are half as excited as I am to have more new books.

Happy Reading!