There are many TV shows that could possibly qualify as one of my favorites.
Touched by an Angel is one of them. A team of three angels is assigned to help a human in a difficult situation. They must appear undercover, assuming a persona and occupation that will allow them to become a regular part of life for their assignee. They’re allowed to be friendly, as long as they don’t reveal who they really are … unless their person has figured it out first. They can help things along a little by using their heavenly powers but it would have to be done discreetly.
The angel personalities are so different and that’s a big part of the appeal. The older lady is bossy, the younger is tender hearted and helpful. The sweet guy fills two roles; he is also the angel of death. Most of the time, though, he just makes himself useful. When the three of them have trouble seeing eye to eye, as often happens, the carrying out of their assignment is a challenge — so much fun to watch.
Twice in a Lifetime is another of my favorite TV shows. There is just one angel this time. He’s been given advanced warning and he’s already in place waiting for the event. It is always a premature death of someone who has managed to made a mess of their life. Sometimes the cause will be bad attitudes, bad choices, or both. The angel (a cute young guy) will take the newly deceased person before a heavenly judge (an older man with a twinkle in his eye and a heavy hand on his judge’s gavel). To address confusion about why they are there he will show flashbacks of their life, highlighting their bad choices. If they exhibit understanding and remorse they will qualify to attempt a do-over. If they agree to his terms they will be sent back (accompanied by the cute angel) to an earlier date in their life. They won’t go back as themselves but in some other role meant to cross paths with them. They have several weeks to convince their younger self (without direct influence) to change their ways. If they are successful their life path will change, avoiding the dreaded death scene. Of course, this is never as easy as it sounds. So many things can go wrong, and usually do. The angel’s patience is severely tried at times, as he attempts to coach them toward a good ending.
The Shack by William P. Young is a book that reminds me of an extended and expanded episode of Touched by an Angel. The similarity is in the part heaven plays in changing lives and it always takes patience on the part of the angels. They can’t cause, or convince anyone to do anything. They need to find loving ways to influence, but not force, people to make changes and good choices. Fortunately, for the struggling humans, angels do not give up easily.
The Shell Collector’s Daughter reminded me of these past enjoyments and I had to share them as an introduction to this heart warming story.
Surf’s Up Series – The Shell Collector’s Daughter – Beth Wiseman
Carianna has an unusual and close relationship with God… has had all her life. Every Thursday she has afternoon tea with Him, and they talk. She listens to him every other day, too, but Thursdays are special. The rest of her routine for the week, Monday to Friday, has her catching the early ferry to Shell island. She stays until she has her day’s quota of beautiful gleanings for her father’s shop
Her kindness is legendary. She is loved by everyone in the village, and they take her safety personally. Her father is grateful because Carianna is very beautiful and has gained the unwanted notice of many men, young and otherwise. As protector, he has a fierce reputation with the men of the village and beyond. So far, not one of the local men has ever gained his approval and they value their life too much to make any unsanctioned moves toward his daughter.
Carianna is oblivious to all of the drama. She’s never shown any interest in a boyfriend, never mind a husband. This is going to have to change. Her father has been diagnosed with cancer and time is quickly running out for him. He’s worried. He’s trying to plan a safe future for her life without him.
Reporter Dominic is spending time on her beach researching an article for a travel magazine. There are a number of beaches in the country popular for shell collecting and this is one of them. He’s writing a fluff piece, really, but since he’s still grieving the death of his mother he appreciates the simple distraction of an easy subject. Other than work, he has nothing on his mind, not even attractive women. The very last thing he wants to consider right now is love. That’s why it’s such a shock when he encounters a beautiful young woman; feeling an instant and strange bonding with her. She is unlike any one he has ever met. He can’t quite find a way to adequately describe the aura of puzzling innocence about her. The unsettled feeling each time he sees her has him attempting to escape. It never works. Somehow he finds himself drawn back into her life instead.
This afternoon she’s insisting on taking him home to meet her father. Dominic is trembling in his boots. A fellow passenger on the ferry to the beach told him what would happen if her father ever saw him showing interest. Now he’s in shock; her father has just issued an invitation for him to stay and share a meal with them … a confusing, and scary development.
She’s not surprised at her father’s invitation. God has been whispering in her ear. He’s shared with her the description of a man … this man.
Beth Wiseman has done an awesome job, telling this beautiful and unusual story.
Now comes a varied selection of interesting, sometimes scary, sometimes compelling, books. Hopefully you will find them enticing too.
Dakota Brides Series – Temporary Bride book 1 – Linda Ford.
Lady Katherine Regency Mysteries – An Invitation to Murder book 1- Leighann Dobbs and Harmony Williams
An Edisto Novel – The Bridge Between – Lindsay P Brackett
Medic-7 Series – Paramedic Killer book 2 – Pat Patterson
To Claim Her Heart – Jodie Wolfe
The Tox Files – Conspiracy of Silence book 1 – Ronie Kendig
Strong Women, Extraordinary Situations – Deadly Night, Silent Night book 8 – Margaret Daley
Happy Reading, ’til next week.
Boy in the Darkness – Anne Schroeder … A young indentured Chinese boy was injured and left behind by his wagon train. He failed to show up when it was time to move on and was considered expendable.
Cape Ann – John Theo Jr. … Danger lurks above and below the water.
Return to Walhalla – Laura Hodges Poole …
Down to Earth – Patricia PacJac Carroll … A sweet feel good romance
Genesis – What Happened to Lori book 1 – JA Konrath … a thriller. Is she dead? Or is it much worse? (Mind-Blowing Twist Thriller Duology)
Fields of the Fatherless – Elaine Marie Cooper … a historical novel based on a true story
Lightning on a Quiet Night – Donn Taylor …. Beneficent, Mississippi views itself as a perfect town with perfect people. There is no crime and, until now, there has never been a murder. It’s a major shock to everyone. The killer has to be a visitor, someone passing through. It’s unthinkable this could be committed by a local.
Jill Shepherd Suspense – Her Deadly Inheritance book 1 – Beth Ann Ziarnik … Jill fled seven years ago, after the untimely death of her mother. Now after all these years, her aunt Lenore is putting an application in motion to have her declared legally dead. She plans to claim the mansion and all it’s historical attributes for herself.
Roaring Twenties Series – You’re the Cream in My Coffee book 1 – Jennifer Lamont Leo …
Heart of the Mountains – This Daring Journey book 6 – Misty M Beller
A Million Miles From Home – Mike Dellosso
In a Pirate’s Debt – Elva Cobb Martin
Wondrous Love Series – By Grace Draw Near book three – JoAnn Durgin …
All the Way Home – Ann Tatlock
Runaway Heart – Teresa Slack
Impossible Dream – Gemma Jackson
Memphis & Me – Diane Moody
Second Chances Series – Running Home – Barbara Ellen Brink
Eye For Revenge – Cheryl Bradshaw … She’s lost her will to live. Her marriage is in trouble, they are fighting all the time. She needs to go back to work to ease her depression. Her husband won’t hear of it. Her best friend Evie has just been murdered, her four year old traumatized son was there to witness it.
Picture Perfect – Emily C. Reynolds … Lily is working two jobs trying to save enough to open her own photography studio. There is an empty shop in the perfect location but the landlord is elusive. It’s frustrating. There are rumors of a new owner and she wants to be sure of a signed lease before that happens.
Tarnished Silver – Chautona Havig ….. Friends helping friends. Chautona spins a tale like no one else can. It’s always a surprise.
No One To Trust – Lynette Eason ….. It was still dark when Summer opened her eyes to find a man standing over her bed with a gun pointed in her face. In the shadows she could see there was a second man.
A Ty Buchanan Legal Thriller – Try Dying – James Scott Bell ….
Nanostealth Series – Stealthy Steps book 1 – Vikki Kestell …. Gemma Keyes is unremarkable. With a degree in business and little-to-no knowledge of science she find herself employed in a high level nanophysics research center and she’s not sure how or why it happened. The lab is housed in an abandoned military weapons storage facility built into the side of a mountain, with unobtrusive escape tunnels and multiple security fences. Her duties are to care for the administrative needs of two researchers – physicists who seem to hate each other.
Reluctant Melody – Sandra Ardoin … Joanna is anxious to sell her rundown property after the death of her husband. Partly for lack of upkeep funds, partly to escape vicious rumors. There are some who think she was responsible for her husband’s death. Joanna’s willingness to sell disappeared when she discovered the prospective buyer is a mistake from her past. How did he know where she was, or did he know?
Be Mine – Rick Mofina … Molly has been waiting at Jake’s Bar & Grill for over an hour. It’s not like Cliff to be late without calling. Something is really wrong.
Conclusive Evidence – Al Macy … Garrett Goodlove used to be an arrogant defense lawyer and he’s lost the stomach for it. Family Law is easier to live with. His twin sister, Carly, finds herself in need of a good defence lawyer and insists she wants him. He’s worried he’s lost his edge and won’t be able to give her the defence needed. He may be right.
A Preston Barclay Mystery – Murder Mezzo Forte book 2 – Donn Taylor … Two professors stop by a colleagues office, as requested, and discover she has been murdered. This time they have witnesses to prove they aren’t the killers. Unlike their first involvement in discovering a body.
The Lazarus File – Donne E. Taylor … Undercover Agents are dying and they don’t know how it’s happening. Even off-the-books, deeply embedded agents no one is supposed to know about are having their covers blown. The challenge is; to stay alive – and uncover the person behind these killings. Everything points to insider information but how is that possible with only a handful of trusted knowledgeable people? It’s time to involve an outside agency as handlers, keeping inside information to a minimum. It looks like they are trusting a double agent but who.
Secrets and Wishes – Kathleen Rouser …. Maggie, and Thomas, each widowed, struggle to do their best as single parents. Maggie goes to great lengths to avoid Thomas. It’s hard to see her husband replaced by the new pharmacist in the store he loved.
Beauty in Flight series – Beauty in Hiding book 2 – Robin Patchen ….. Harper has an undeserved prison record which limits her options and she’s desperate with a sudden need to go into hiding. It appears Red, her Alzheimer patient, is being poisoned and she suspects his grandson is behind it. Money and security are major hurdles in this flight. Red is wealthy but she has no way to safely access any of his money, not with his grandson in charge of finances. The first priority is finding a place to hide, she will have to figure everything else out after that.
An Angela Marchmont Mystery – The Mystery at Underwood House book 2 – Clara Benson
Larry Macklin Mysteries – March’s Luck book 5 – A.E. Howe
Walden Beach Series – Love’s Redemption book 3 – Andrea Boyd
An Alex Vane Media Thriller – The Mockingbird Drive book 3 – A.C. Fuller
The Hearth Land Volume One – Chautona Havig
Crazy Love – Francis Chan
A Heart Set Free – Janet S, Grunst …… Heather Douglas is desperate for a new start after the death of her father, and the betrayal of both her intended and her brother. Left with no resources, fleeing an unjust scandal, she books passage to America as a seven-year indentured servant.
The Hope Series – Flight 259 book 1 – Staci Stallings …. Three years and Jenna is still reeling from the loss of her father, husband, and daughter. Claustrophobic living with her mother, she decides on a drastic change. Missing her flight by seconds, she can’t turn back or she will lose the courage to try again. A ticket on the next available flight anywhere, as long as it’s East, is what she has to do.
Midnight is My Time – Mike Dellosso …. Andy Mayer is struggling to survive. Just like everyone else after The Event, the one that saw many people mysteriously disappear. War has broken out between animals and the remaining humans. The animals seem to be winning.
The Bargain – Aaron D Gansky ….. Connor Reedly is devastated, his beloved wife is dying of cancer, and he doesn’t want to miss a minute of the time she has left. They’ve made the long trip to visit Nadine’s sister because there is an urgency about her dying wish. He thinks they would be better staying home but he can’t deny her anything.
That First Montana Year – Donna L Scofield ….. Beatrice Anne and Will had been best friends all through school. They had talked of marrying one day…. until beautiful, flirtatious Victoria came to town and Will was hooked. His mother had grand plans for her son and encouraged the romance, hoping Will would go to university, read law, and marry into a wealthy family.
Mitchell’s Crossroads – A Twist of Faith book 1- Pepper Basham …… Dee is caught in a bad place. She has earned her doctorate and landed a research position in a small university near the Blue Mountain area where she was raised. Alex, her immediate supervisor, visits her office on the pretext of checking in with her. Before he leaves the real reason comes out, he wants her research notes on accent modification for his presentation as keynote speaker.
Serenity Landing Second Chances – Discovering Home book 1 – Carol Moncado ….. A lost and bedraggled puppy on the edge of his country estate is about to change Jonathan’s life in unexpected ways. It all happens after a trip to the vet, followed by a stop at the grocery store for puppy supplies. A chance meeting with a precocious little girl is only the beginning.
The Agency Files – A Forgotten Truth book 4 – Chautona Havig …. This is a mystery thriller. I appreciated it but ….. the reading experience was a little murky in places. As always, Chautona comes up with interesting and engaging stories and this one was interesting and still worth reading.
A Jeremy Winter Thriller – Dead of Winter book 2 – Tom Threadgill …. For reasons Jeremy Winter does not understand, he’s been transferred to an FBI desk job in the middle of nowhere, working cold cases. It’s a lonely adjustment and he’s missing his girlfriend, who also happens to be his current boss. Occasionally he gets called in to help on a case, one of her cases.
Crossroads Collection Betwixt Two Hearts ….. ….. Betwixt Two Hearts – Amanda Tru, The Swedehearts Glory Quilt – Cathe Swanson, Whole Latte Love – Kari Trumbo, Seoul Refuge – AlanaTerry, Guardian of Her Heart – Carol Moncado, Random Acts of Shyness – Chautona Havig
Blow Out the Candles and Say Goodbye – Linda S Glaz ..
A Smokey Dalton Novel – A Dangerous Road – Kris Nelscott (pen name of Kristine Kathryn Rusch) ….
For the Love of Books 