It's me, Charity

  Once again I was lucky enough to be on the ARC team for another book by LJ Evans. Since I have discovered LJ she has become one of my top 5 must read authors. LJ’s books are like Christmas Day. Or your birthday if you’re like me and obnoxiously celebrate both. :) You count down the days until it happens with great expectation and excitement and then it gets there and you almost don’t want it to be there because then it will be over and you have to wait another 364 days for the magic to come by again. Thankfully for all of us LJ writes more than one book a year so we are all #blessed in that aspect. I’m always super excited to get and read her books, but it’s a mixed feeling of not wanting to start reading it because then it will be over, and I can’t wait to read it and see what happens. Oh the struggle of being a book lover! I had some FEELINGS over Parker and Fallon. I felt like they were real people and at several points I wished they were real people so I could take t...

  Buckle Up Buttercup, because Sadie Hatley is finally getting her story!!!! And it did not disappoint at all! The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it ended. I could have kept reading for 1000 more pages.  L.J. Evans is a Masterclass in how to write Romantic Suspense (that's not so scary you can't sleep at night) with witty banter, heroines who kick butt (figuratively and literally). Her books are full of real people with real problems. And I think that's one of the things I appreciate the most about her writing. Yes, her books are an escape for me, but they also show that whatever you're going through in life, everyone else is also going through something.  In the case of Sadie and Rafe alot of those issues they contained to themselves and kept the hurt and pain inside of them, in order to be strong for others and what they thought they needed to be. But L.J. shows us that not only is it okay to let people in, but the beauty and redemption that come...

  Unknown Threat is the first book in Lynn H. Blackburn's new Defend and Protect Series. This series focuses on the men and women of the Secret Service and I found it FASCINATING!! I'm a big fan of law enforcement and crime books, and getting to see the innerworkings of things I will never be a part of. So getting to learn a ton about the secret service and how they operate, and even just how their careers work was beyond interesting to me.  Ms. Blackburn always does a phenomenal job of mixing intrigue, murder, danger with romance and God's truth. I highly enjoy the fact that she can write an awesome Christian Romance, that gives you all the feels, but still keeps it clean and Godly and Christ honoring.  She writes flawed individuals who are trying to do their best in following God. She's not afraid to write about the hard stuff or the fact that, GASP, Christians are not perfect! Her books are always spiritually sound and leave you better than before you read the boo...

Today I am excited to talk about a recent book I received from Revell to read and review. All opinions are my own and I thank Revell for providing me with a free book in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions! So the Way of the Brave is the first book the new "Global Search and Rescue" series by Warren.  I have been reading her books for years and I always amazed at how much technicality she writes in her books. This book focuses a lot on mountain climbing, and by mountain climbing I mean hard core mountain climbing that takes weeks and months. Her last series, which was the Montana Rescue Series had a myriad of different characters with extensive rescue training. One character was a snowboarder (Or skier, can't remember which) and she wrote about that in extensive detail. It boggles my mind how much research she must do to write these books because they are so detailed and technical. I always walk away learning things that I had no clue about after reading one...

Y’all. I think I have a new favorite contemporary author! Any author who can tell you about something you don’t know much about and that doesn’t sound all that fascinating, and make it super interesting. That my friends is a winner. And that my friends is what Lynn H. Blackburn did! This book is the first in a series (HURRAY!!!!!!) about a group of Dive Team Investigators that work for a law enforcement agency. I bet you never thought about the police having a dive team investigation section now did you? I sure didn't! I love a good mystery, and I love a good romance, and when they are put together and in a Christian book. Well, it’s rare. It’s rare that it is done well. Other than Dee Henderson’s books I really haven’t found many romance mystery Christian authors that I really like. But now I am adding Lynn H. Blackburn to that list. This book was filled with a good mystery that kept me on my toes but also allowed me to sleep at night. And I appreciat...

Becky Wade- Falling for you So this is my second time writing a review for this book. The first time I had several reviews written in word and then my computer restarted and ate my document. ARGH! This is the second book in the Bradford Sisters series, and it focuses on Willow, who is a model. Now just from reading that you probably would think you don’t have a lot in common with the main character, but that is where you would be wrong! Willow is a homebody and although she is very famous, doesn’t act like it. She is very humble and kind.  This book picks up when Willow is home and running the Inn while her parents are away. She needed a break from modeling and to reassess her life. As she is doing this her ex boyfriend Corbin comes onto the scene, with his adorable tween niece Charlotte, who has a family mystery that she needs help in solving. I love that these books have not just romance but a little mystery to liven things up a bit more than your typical romanc...

Justice Betrayed pulled me in from the first chapter. This book is a continuation of her cold case series.  This book focuses on Detective  Rachel Sloan that we met in the previous book. As well as Lt. Boone Callahan. They used to date, but broke up and now work together in the homicide division. Boone is determined to win Rachel back, and she is as determined as he is to NOT fall for him again.  I think we all can see where this is headed. But it was entertaining to be along for the ride! As is the way for these books it goes between two mysteries, one in present day, and one in the past. The present day mystery is several Elvis TRIBUTE ARTISTS, Not impersonators mind you, are being murdered. The cold case mystery is Rachel's Mother whom was murdered several years ago. It delves into Rachel's feelings of what happened that night and the guilt that she has carried with her for years. Are these two mysteries connected? Well, You will just have to read the book to...

Storm Front is Book 5!! in the Montana Rescue Series by Susan May Warren. I'm starting to wonder how long this series is going to go, but when you add in as many of natural disasters as there are I guess the series could go on for quite some time!! I felt like this book was more my speed than some of the others in the series. This one centers around a tornado and the after effects of that, which is definitely something I can relate to, more so than the others with snow avalanches and all that good stuff! I always have a hard time doing recaps on these books because I don't want to give any spoilers away! Suffice it to say it keeps in with Susan May Warren's genre of action and Romance. YESSSS ROMANCE. And just a little bit of intrigue to keep you guessing. And even more guessing at the end, will there be a book 6 in the series?? What other natural disasters will happen in Montana??! ;)

Just when you think everything has been wrapped up nice and tidy, Susan May Warren throws something else at you! That is basically the theme of this series of books, for me at least! I'll admit I really do like it when books tie up all loose ends at the end of the book. It drive me a little crazy when they don't, kind of like a TV show that has something crazy in the last minute and you have to wait until the next week to find out what happened. (I'm looking at YOU Shonda Rhimes!) Troubled Waters is the 4'th book in the Montana Rescue Series by Ms. Warren, and it follows the same thread as the other books in this series. The Mystery of what happened to Ian Shaw's niece is FINALLY and I do mean FINALLY revealed (it only took 4 books....) And of course along side the mystery comes rescue missions, because, hello, it's Montana Rescue. I get that they are in the business of saving people, but it's kind of funny to me that whatever can go wrong...

This book draws you in from the first chapter. I had put off reading this book, and then got an email reminder that my review was almost due. So I opened it up Sunday afternoon and was immediately swept into the story. I really didn't expect to love it, yes I said LOVE IT as much as I did! I read half of the book Sunday night, and the rest on Monday! And I will say, for a book dealing with heavy topics, Race and Racism in the 1960's, the divide between rich and poor, this book was surprisingly funny. Now just to be clear, they don't joke about those topics, those topics are met with much respect and not taken lightly. But the characters do have some funny moments and funny thoughts in their heads throughout the book. I was actually laughing out loud at several parts, which again, given the subject matter, not something you expect to be doing. This book was just beautiful. It spoke of the love, affection and friendship between Isaac and Pete and his family, an...

This year Kristi Ann Hunter has become one of my very favorite authors. She writes Regency England Romances, that have comedy in them, and completely relatable characters despite being so far away from the time period! This is the last book (SOB) of the Hawthorne Series, and unlike other Authors and Book Series you can jump in reading any book in this series and not be confused or wondering who is who and what is happening! This book focuses on Griffin, who is the oldest brother of the Hawthorne clan. He is very by the book and has a plan for everything, very type A, methodical, list maker and carry-out-er. (Is that a word? I just made it one!) So of course being the in charge, planner that he is, it's only appropriate that he would approach love and finding a wife in the same manner. As you can expect life, and love, don't exactly work that way. Although it takes Griffin a good long while to figure that out. Its humorous for the readers as he bumbles on his carefully p...

(Does anyone else have the song in their head? ANYONE??!) I was SO excited when I saw this book by Victoria Bylin in the monthly book email from Bethany House. I really like her books, but my Library only has a few of them, so when I saw she was coming out with a new one, I hopped on that as fast as I could!! Once again, her writing does not disappoint! I love her books! Christian Romance and Comedy at it's best! The Premise of this book was actually a little different than normal, and I liked it. It is focused around the main character Mia, but also around her younger sister Lucy. Mia is the reliable type A one, and Lucy is the loveable screw-up who has a lot to learn. I thought it was interesting how the author covered Lucy's pregnancy out of wedlock. You don't really see that in a Christian book that much! But she handled it with grace, and I thought it was neat how she showed the ups and downs and the emotional side and effects that choices ...

So this book review is going to be a little bit of a struggle, because I feel like I can't say much without giving the plot away!! This book was a fairly large book, at 388 pages. The first two pages were nothing to get excited about and then WHAMMY!!!! 4 pages in and you've got massive action! I wasn't quite expecting that since most books build up a little bit. I have to say this book kept me wondering, which in turn kept me turning the pages trying to figure out what was going on. It had more twists and turns than a mountain road. If you start reading this, do it during the day, because you will have a hard time putting it down if you think you're going to read for a little bit before bed. #NotAGoodIdea #BringOnTheCofee If you like action and want to be on the edge of your seat, pick up this book! Thanks to Revell for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinions!

I love Susan May Warrens Books. The Deep Haven series is a favorite of mine. I have read the previous books in this series and devoured them, but for some reason I really had a hard time getting into this book. I would pick it up. Read a little bit. Set it down, and repeat. That's not my reading style! Usually I pick a book up and read it as much as I can until I have finished it. But I just had a hard time getting fully immersed in this story. I think part of the issue is that there was a lot of carry over from the previous books. (This book is the Third in her Montana Rescue Series) I struggled remembering each couple and their issues, and the mystery(s) that had went through all of the series. I really like it when story lines are wrapped up in one book, and not carried all the way through. I'm guessing she wanted to build interest and make sure people kept coming back for more, but for me, I would have preferred that each story line was wrapped up in one book. Its jus...

Dee Henderson is by far one of my all time favorite authors. Whenever she has a new book out it is always a MUST READ for me. Earlier this year I went way back to the 90's and re read her O'Malley Series. Despite them mentioning things like beepers, :) the books were still SO good and their stories still ran true today. And that I think, is a mark of a truly great author. Each month as part of the blogger review program, an email goes out with the books available for that month, and it's always first come first serve. I just so happened to get the email a minute after It was sent and I hopped on to request Ms. Henderson's newest book as fast as I could! Superbowl Tickets? Or Dee Henderson's newest book? I'll take the latter. Needless to say I was BEYOND thrilled when I got the email that I was one of the few that got chosen to review it! I was even more thrilled when the book arrived right before my day off. Y'all.. this book is 428 pages long, an...

Well it's Officially Summer Reading Program time, so I will be reading like a doggone fool until July 31'st, in hopes of winning more awesome prizes from my Library again this year! Today we're going to talk about What Hope Remembers, by Johnnie Alexander. This is Book Three in her "Misty Willows" series, and while I have not read any of the previous books (or any of her other books!) I found that I was able to follow along easily without reading the previous books. She did a good job of introducing the characters that had already been in the books,And summarizing it quickly and easily, which I liked! I did think that the pace of the book was kind of slow. It took me awhile to really get into it, and sink my teeth it. I would have liked things to move along quicker, and perhaps have less descriptive parts, and less of the characters thinking in their heads, between dialogue.  I did like that she wrote characters that were flawed, and actually ha...

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano This was a rather long book and I enjoyed it more then I thought I would. The main character Permilia Griswold was fun to read about. She was very interesting and was strong in faith. She wanted to do what was right and help others. Her step mother and step sister were not very nice and yet Permilia had a good attitude about things and didn't let how they treated her stop her from doing the right things. Permelia's Dad should of been paying more attention to how his daughter was treated and also not agreed to not have anything to do with how his step daughter was raised. She was horrible with throwing tantrums along with items. She needed to grow up and act decent. Was happy that Permelia found a man who could love her for who she was and not for who society wanted her to be. They made a great couple and I enjoyed reading about their relationship and how it progressed. There was plenty of humorous things in the book wh...

 I.LOVED.THIS.BOOK.  Period. I found myself reading this way past my bedtime, and then contemplating getting up EARLY so I could read before I had to teach. Considering my love of sleep and hatred for mornings this should tell you how GOOD this book was!!! This book centers around a couple who is forced into marriage, without knowing each other or really having met but one time. It's set back in the early 1800's in England, and focuses on the younger Hawthorne brother, Trent.  I love books like these, were strangers or people who barely know each other have to get married and then you eventually watch them fall in love. I think especially since something like this would never happen in our day and time, it's even more fascinating. This book went back and forth between Adelaide and Trent's point of view, and it was so well done! Usually it's hard to go back and forth between two different minds but the author did such a great job, it was seamless. ...

Confession: I tried Really, REALLY hard to like this book.  I thought the premise sounded really interesting, seeing as I'm a fan of Scandal and Madame Secretary, it seemed like it would be right up my alley. A Shady, potentially evil and corrupt President. The Attorney General who has a moral compass and wants to do right. No matter what the cost. It sounded great!! But alas, it was not my favorite. The Book switched off characters point of views in every chapter. I had a seriously HARD time following along, remembering who was who and keeping track of what was happening. This book was also book three of "The Worthington  Destiny" series. Some books you can pick right up in the middle of a series, but for this one I think I really needed to have read the previous books. I think it would have made much more sense to me. And I would have understood what the characters were talking about. They seemed to reference a lot of things that had happened previously, and t...

Fatal Frost by Nancy Mehl   I enjoyed the book and watching the main character, Mercy, come to terms with the things in her life and to see her learn to trust the Lord and let go of the things in the past. Forgiveness is so important in our lives and how we deal with others. Mercy had a hard childhood but worked hard in making a good career in law enforcement.   Reading about the drug culture and how so caught up those who deal and those who take drugs are. So very sad and real. Something that touches so many lives. Choices that some of the characters made in the book and how that impacted their lives from the choice whether it was a good choice or a bad choice helps the readers to see how the choices in our lives make a difference.     Nice to see the good guys win. Some of the evil that was involved with the drugs and the cartel was an eye opener. Had to keep focused on the fact that the battle is already won through Christ and he kno...