Pages

18 March 2024

Book Review | One Wrong Move by Dani Pettrey

 



Today I am Reviewing One Wrong Move by Dani Pettrey

Book description

Taunting riddles.
A deadly string of heists.
Two broken hearts trapped in a killer's game.


Christian Macleod was pulled into a life of crime at a young age by his con artist parents. Now making amends for his corrupt past, he has become one of the country's foremost security experts. When a string of Southwestern art heists captures the FBI's attention, Christian is paired up with a gifted insurance investigator who has her own checkered past.

Andi Forster was a brilliant FBI forensic analyst until one of her colleagues destroyed her career, blaming her for mishandling evidence. She now puts those skills to work investigating insurance fraud, and this latest high-stakes case will test her gift to the limit. Drawn deep into a dangerous game with an opponent bent on revenge, Christian and Andi are in a race against the clock to catch him, but the perpetrator's game is far from finished, and one wrong move could be the death of them both.

My Review

Thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.

I watched an interview with Dani Pettrey about this book and it made me want to read it. There is something about Private detectives that interest me. In this book Andi is an insurance investigator and Christian is a private detective with skills in security. They meet at a crime scene and end up working the case together. The bad guys are playing with them leaving clues on Andi's car. We learn early on Andi was a former FBI agent working in the lab. From the blurb we know Christian was raised by con artists for parents but will take a while to learn his whole story. Other characters include Christian's brother Deckard and sister Riley, along with Andi's friend Harper plus a couple others. As well as the bad guys.

The action starts from the start and continues right through the book. We also have the romance happening as well. there are many twists and turns which kept me reading. This wasn't a light read but each day I ended wanting to read more but I also needed sleep. It is my first book by Dani Pettrey but it won't be my last. I normally don't read a lot of suspense mainly stick to Love Inspired Suspense but may now read more in this genre. I eagerly await the next book in this series to see what will happen next in this family of Detectives.

There is a strong faith thread throughout the book as well. I would love to say more but I don't give away spoilers.


11 March 2024

Book Review of Just for the Summer by Melody Carlson

 


Today I am reviewing Just for the Summer by Melody Carlson releasing 19 March 2024

Book description:

Ginny Masters manages a popular boutique hotel in Seattle and manages it with aplomb. But the daily challenges and irritations of a fast-paced job and a demanding boss are starting to get to her. Jacqueline Potter manages her grandfather’s fishing lodge in Idaho because it was the only job she could find after graduating with her hospitality degree. She’s grateful for the work but longs for a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan life she’s just not going to find in this backwoods town.

The solution to both their problems seems obvious. Just for the summer, they’ll swap jobs and lifestyles. But they never anticipated swapping love interests . . .

In this fabulous new twist on an age-old fable, award-winning and bestselling author Melody Carlson introduces you to two career-focused women who are about to discover that there’s more to finding happiness than just switching up the scenery.

My Review:

Thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.

I was hooked from the first paragraph. The story is about Ginny and Jacqueline. Both are in jobs managing hotel or resorts of different sorts. Ginny in Seattle in a Boutique hotel and Jacqueline in a fishing lodge. Through a site for a job swap they are able to swap jobs for a set time. In this case the summer. There are quite a few interesting characters. Ginny’s boss Diane is very demanding and comes across as unreasonable and difficult to work for. Jacqueline is working for her Grandfather who she portrays as being stuck in time and unwilling to change the lodge.

There are other characters that help make the story but I won’t say much as I want you to find out more. Its also Ginny and Jacqueline have a few things in common from childhood but interesting how different the Women reacted to this. I loved Ginny and her get up and go attitude but at times I wanted to reach in and shake Jacqueline for her attitude. It was interesting to see how the Summer played out and how the characters grow. I would love to talk more about this book as there is so much to unpack but you will have to read. Then we can talk about it.

The book does have a romance thread but its not the main thread.

Have your read any books by Melody Carlson. Have you ever read about a job swap before.


8 March 2024

Book review of Levi's Vow by Penny Zeller

 


Today I am reviewing Levi's Vow by Penny Zeller

Book description

A man running from his past. A woman facing an uncertain future.

Wrongfully imprisoned for a crime and disowned by his family, Levi Callahan endeavors to put the past behind him. When he travels to the Idaho Territory and secures a job on a small farm, he has no idea he’ll once again be defending the vulnerable.

Norah Hammett knows what it means to suffer loss. After her husband leaves her and their children for a “better” life and her hired hand steals from her, she is left to run the farm alone. When ruthless men attempt to steal Norah's Idaho farm, can Levi, a man running from his past, help her save it? Or will he prove to be disloyal like the rest of the men in her life?

Will God use desperate circumstances to bring two hurting hearts together?

My review

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

I was hooked from the very beginning. We meet Norah at the general store placing an ad for a hired hand for her farm where she is accosted by a man warning her off hiring someone. We also meet Levi who has been falsely accused and in jail. Both characters have past hurts and are determined to protect themselves from being hurt again. We see the man warning not to hire someone again and there is a lot of action throughout the book. I use the term action as some people equate drama with angsts which is totally wrong in this case. 

I didn't want to put the book down and I didn't want it to end. I could see this as a movie as I was seeing the scenes play out in my mind. I have to mention the children 6 year old Enoch and 4 year old Hazel. Hazel steals so many moments in this book. She is a chatterbox and some of her comments and questions are so funny.

This is a faith filled, action packed novella by Penny Zeller. I haven't read a book by the author I haven't like but I think each book gets a little better. Looking forward to her next book





4 February 2018

Book Review The Calico & Cowboys by Mary Connealy



Description
Love sneaks up on eight couples in the Old West.

The Old West comes to life under the talented pen of bestselling author Mary Connealy. Enjoy a lighthearted ride alongside seven historical and one contemporary cowboys and the women who tame their hearts.

The Advent Bride
Melanie Douglas is alone on the Nebraska plains, teaching school to get by. She finds a unique box with hidden drawers to use over the advent season to engage a young boy in his schooling. When Henry O’Keeffe sees a positive change in his son, he has to see for himself what this new teacher is doing.

A Bride Rides Herd
Matt Reeves arrives at his brother’s ranch to find Betsy Harden alone with the little girls during a cattle drive. Will the ladies be too much to handle when Matt steps in for the missing ranch hand?

His Surprise Family
A lonely young rancher orders a mail-order bride and after the vows are spoken, she “surprises” him with her three little brothers. No amount of apologies Meghan McCray gives are going to make Silas Harden, Jr. believe a word she says. Should Silas just build himself another house and let his mail-order family take over the one he’s got?

Homestead on the Range
Widow Elle Winter meets new homesteader Colin Samuelson on the Nebraska prairie, but the attraction between them is soon dampened by the discovery that they have seven children between them. Soon their children are working against them to bring the two families together.

Sophie’s Other Daughter
Dr. Ike Reeves comes home to visit his family only to bring trouble in the form of outlaws who believe he witnessed their latest crime. When the gang traps Ike and his old nemesis, Lauren McClellen, in a cave, they must work together to outsmart the thugs. But will their time together put them in a compromising situation that will threaten both of their good reputations?

The Sweetwater Bride
Debba McClain takes offense at being offered a wedding in exchange for valuable water rights. But she doesn’t like to see a good man’s cattle die of thirst—and the rancher Tanner Harden is rather handsome.

Texas Tea
Luke Reeves has gotten wealthy in the oil business and goes to visit his uncle to convince him to sign over the oil rights to his land. But when he meets his grown up adopted cousin Libby Cooper, he may be forced to give up one dream to win another.

Hope for Christmas
It might be 2016, but Montana is still a mighty rough place to survive the winter. When Silas Harden finds the very pregnant Kelsey Black in a wrecked car surrounded by a pack of wolves in the heart of a blizzard he takes her to his remote home. What will Silas do when the baby decides to come and Kelsey confesses why she was out in such a terrible storm?

My Review
I love Mary's books. This book is a series of novella's that include siblings that have full novels and here we get to know what happens to the siblings that do not have a novel. For example the youngest of Sophie's Daughters, and the Reeve's Boys and even Belle's children. The first novella is totally new characters and the last is a contemporary but the hero is related to the historical characters.
I loved the book I loved seeing what happened to different characters and loved the dangers that Mary always adds to her books. A really good read.

Thanks to Netgalley for my review copy

28 January 2018

Australia Day giveaway

In honour of Australia day 12 authors are giving away a book and a $50 Amazon gift voucher. For Australian readers mostly will be print books and for international readers an ebook.

http://www.iolagoulton.com/paperback-giveaway/

Click here.


Book Review: Cracked Ice Featuring Darlene Franklin


One December night, an ice storm blows through Oklahoma City, leaving thousands without power. Meet the residents of Primrose Apartments. Young, old, alone, in love, prey and predator. What happens when the lights go out? LINDA’S YULETIDE LINKS by Darlene Franklin Linda Turner doesn't mind being homebound. Not as long as her aides arrive on time. Not as long as her life-sustaining machines keep running. But what happens an ice storm makes driving impossible, power unavailable--and her batteries run down? SIBLINGS by Toni Chism Matt and Harry have remained both brothers and friends their whole lives, strengthened by a boyhood vow to never let anything come between them. When an ice storm blows both frosty air and two beautiful women into their midst, will their vow hold to the very end? EVER AFTER by Bill Garrison Kim is starting life over in a new apartment with her three kids, when an intruder breaks in and threatens everything she holds dear. Survival may depend on the one thing she had given up on, her family. VEILED IN ICE by Kat Lewis My name is Celeste Ventris and there are two things I'm sure of. One, my wedding is tomorrow. And, two, I'm pretty certain there's a thief in my apartment. Merry-freakin'-Christmas to me. FOLLOWING AFTER by Sue Merriam Nora Bitterman has just completed the perfect crime. Everything so well planned, she’ll never get caught - or will she? BAD HAIR DAY by Shannon Pearson Ashlee wonders if she will ever get married. An ice storm cancels their plans, is it the end of the line for her and Ryan? BINARY by Chris Tarpley Jacob has been free of his sadistic and wicked twin brother John for years. Now, John is coming to visit. With John and Jacob together again in the same small space, what will happen when the lights go out? CRACKED ICE: What Happens When the Lights Go Out? is the second volume of short stories compiled by members of Oklahoma Christian Fiction Writers. Several authors appear in both Legacy Letters and Cracked in Ice.


My Review:
This book has several short stories in it all totally different. There were some I really loved and a few I didn't connect with as well but I am sure others would connect with them. I like the premise of this book where we see a blackout in one apartment block and what happens to different residents. I have to say I am not sure I want to be in this apartment building. I also have never been in an ice storm to have this happen but we did have a statewide blackout a year ago for many hours and its interesting how you realise just how reliant we are on electricity.

30 November 2017

Herald Press Blog Tour God's Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church by Brad Roth

 
God's Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church 
by Brad Roth. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rural places are often seen as insular and declining, all pickup trucks and gas stations with no gas. Another popular vision of rural life is more nostalgic: amber waves of grain, quaint streets, and the idyllic family farm.

Neither story meets rural communities and congregations on their own terms, writes Brad Roth in his new book, God’s Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church (Herald Press, September 2017). In an era in which many are prescribing solutions to rural dilemmas, Roth writes, “We need a new approach, one that sees rural communities not as places to pity or lionize but simply as places, places open to God’s goodness and in need of God’s grace.”

Addressing issues such as population shifts, economics, and value systems, Roth takes a comprehensive look at issues facing the rural church today. He then offers a theological and practical alternative to church growth strategies, which are frequently imported from suburban and urban congregations and which rely on success stories and flashy metrics.

Calling leaders, pastors, and outsiders to “love the church as we discover it while still dreaming of where God is leading us,” Roth outlines a vision for vibrant rural churches that includes disciplines such as praising, abiding, watching, praying, growing, and befriending. “The rural church represents Christ’s commitment to be among all people everywhere, regardless of the value attributed to them by global centers of power,” he writes.

“This is a book I will assign to divinity students and to a prominent position on my shelf,” says Leonard Sweet in the book’s foreword. “Brad Roth tells stories that will linger in my mind and imagination and shape how I think about the future of all churches.”

 
 
 
 
ABOUT BRAD ROTH

Bradley Roth serves as pastor at West Zion Mennonite Church in Moundridge, Kansas. He grew up baling hay, tending sheep, and shearing Christmas trees on a farm in Illinois. He is a graduate of Augustana College, Harvard Divinity School, and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. Brad has a heart for serving God and God’s people in rural communities. He’s passionate about sharing faith in word and deed and living out God’s love in the community. He and his wife, Lici, enjoy bicycling, tending a garden, keeping chickens, and playing with their two sons.

$16.99 USD
5.5 x 8.5 in. paperback
ISBN 978-1-5138-0161-2
eBook  $13.99 │ 978-1-5138-0240-4

Release date: September 19, 2017 

Available from Herald PressAmazon, and your favorite bookseller.

29 November 2017

RABT Book Tour Hayden The Perfect Hedgehog by Arla Jayne





Children's Book
Date Published: 6/5/17
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Hayden has always lived in Tiny Yard with his mom. He has never met anyone different. Come along with Hayden the Perfect Hedgehog on this first adventure away from home and witness how differences should be handled.



About the Author


Arla worked in corporate America for over 30 years. Her favorite responsibility was diversity training. This experience, combined with her love of children drove her to create this series with the intent to bring diversity and acceptance understanding to the youngest readers. Arla is married to her wonderful husband, Ron. She had one sonwhich this book honors. Marriage have her 4 beautiful young ladies. Being a mom to these wonderful people is her favorite job!

Contact Links


Purchase Link




Reading Addiction Blog Tours


My Review:
This is a sweet book about a Hedgehog on his first trip outside his yard and he encounters another animal and makes fun of him. His mother sings a song he doesn't understand about being yourself. She explains that by making fun of others it is mean and she is disappointed with what he said. She explains how we are all different but that makes us all special. This is a book that shows children that everyone is different and that we should embrace them. I loved the book. 

27 November 2017

The Beloved Christmas Quilt by Wanda, Jean and Richelle Brunstetter


Description

20 November 2017

The 25 Days of Christmas Devotional by Sonya Davis and Ruth O'Neal Blog Tour



Description
Many of us get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas. One way to prevent that is to focus on the reason for the season. Taking a few minutes each day with this different kind of devotional book will help your family think of others. Each day focuses on one word and includes a story from Daniel and Holly's family, a Scripture reading with the devotional, the YouTube link to a Christmas Carol, and an activity that the entire family can be involved in.
Reviews
"We love it! You posted it just the right time. God's providence!"
"My kids love it! Especially the song and the activity."
"The kids like to read the verses during the devotional part. It has been a good way to get the whole family involved."


Bio
Ruth O’Neil has been a freelance writer for 20-plus years. She sees everything as a writing opportunity in disguise, whether it is an interesting character, setting, or situation. You can find her book series “What a Difference a Year Makes” on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or her website (http://ruthoneil.weebly.com/). You can also visit her on her blog at http://ruths-real-life.blogspot.com/. When she’s not writing or homeschooling her kids, Ruth spends her time quilting, reading, scrapbooking, camping and hiking with her family.

Links


Amazon -             https://www.amazon.com/Ruth-ONeil/e/B00AJ5S3YQ


Excerpt
Advent
Story
"I have a surprise for you kids," Mom said as soon as Daniel and Holly walked in the door after school.
"What?" They both wanted to know.
"Follow me," Mom requested as she walked toward the family room.
Two-year-old Evie followed along behind, clapping her hands and giggling.
"She must know what the secret is," Daniel commented to Holly.
Holly laughed when Evie shouted, "Sec-et! Sec-et!"
Mom smiled as well. "That's her new word for the day."
Then Mom held up a box that had a bunch of what looked like little doors. Twenty-five of them to be exact. They each had a number.
"What's that?" Daniel asked.
"It's an Advent calendar. Each day we'll open one. Behind each door is a treat for each of you and a word we can talk about to help us prepare for Christmas."
"Can we open one now?" Holly wanted to know.
"You may." Mom pointed to the first door.
"Advent," Holy read after she took out three small candies and handed one to Daniel and Evie.
"Advent is all about the days leading up to Christmas. We can talk about what Christmas really means and prepare our hearts to worship Christ."
"Why did Jesus have to come to earth as a baby? Why couldn't He come as a grown-up?" Daniel wondered as he picked up the baby Jesus from the Nativity set.
"Well, Jesus needed time to prepare, too. He needed to experience all the things we experience. He experienced what it was like to grow up, have a family and friends, and be tempted by sin just like the rest of us. No matter what problems we face in life, Jesus truly understands."
"But I thought Jesus was perfect and never sinned?" Holly questioned.
Mom nodded her head. "He was perfect. He didn't ever sin, but He still went through a lot of the same things we do. Because He lived a perfect and sinless life, that's what made Him a suitable sacrifice for our sins. Only a perfect Man could pay the price for us."
Daniel and Holly didn't say anything. For a few moments, the only sound heard was Evie slurping her candy and quietly repeating, "Sec-et."
Mom continued. "God had to prepare the world for Salvation to come in the form of His Son, Jesus. It wouldn't happen overnight. It would take Jesus' entire life time here on earth."
Daniel, always the one who wanted to learn more, said, "I think this will be interesting."
"I think this will be fun," Holly gave her opinion.
"I think it will help prepare us all and help us to understand Christmas just a little bit better."

Devotion
Read Matthew 25:1-13
This man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Luke 2:25b-26
Advent is a time of preparation. The Christmas Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas. Many families, especially those with young children, have Advent calendars. Each day the children get to open a door, receive a little gift, or remove an object in the countdown for and in anticipation of Christmas.
Children, for the most part, look forward to Christmas because of the gifts they will receive. That’s not a bad thing, but we as adults, should have a much deeper anticipation of Christmas. We take the time to buy and wrap gifts, prepare food, clean the house for guests, buy new outfits, attend parties, etc. But how much time do we put into meditating on the actual birth of Christ and worshipping Him?
Many years, at least in our household, we spend time putting up the tree and decorating it, only to ignore it. We more often than not, sit in the room with the TV. Unfortunately, that’s often the way we are with God as well. We accept Him as Savior. We attend church on Sundays. Other than that, we pretty much ignore Him, too.
This Christmas, in anticipation of the celebration of His birth, let’s focus on Him a little more throughout the month. Let’s prepare our hearts by reflecting on why He came to earth.
Christmas will be that much more special when we focus on the true Reason for the Season.

Activity
This activity will take some extra planning. Get together as a family; you can even invite your extended family members to take part in this one as well. Choose a family that is in need; try to find a specific need if possible. Gather together money to give to that family for the specific need that they have. If possible, try not to let them know where their Christmas gift is coming from. That makes it all the more exciting for both them and you.

Song - The Twelve Days of Christmas (How I Want to Sing)


My Review
This is a really good family book for the Christmas season. There are 25 devotions each with a story, devotion, activity and song. I have been enjoying the story of the family which follows through the whole book followed by a devotion which is associated with the story. The activity is something that the whole family can be involved in and then some lovely songs I haven't heard before but I am really loving. I have to mention the stories are based in America so snow is mentioned but many of the activities can still be done in Australia. (We may not go sledding but we do go to a pool and can still look up at the stars). If you are looking for a family devotional advent book I would highly recommend this book.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...