Never Forget: 9/11

 

I was old enough to remember what it was like the day the terrorists took down our towers.  I woke up that morning with my mom hurrying into my bedroom and telling me that America was being attacked and people were dead.  We didn't have a tv, so I sat at the kitchen table glued to the radio while Mom called our friends and told them to turn on their tvs and see what was happening.  Within hours, the second plane had hit the second tower, one was down in Pennsylvania, and one had landed partly in the Pentagon.  Newscasters worried how many more planes would hit before the last planes of the day could get safely to the ground and out of immediate danger.  (Planes across the country were grounded, but many were in-flight as all this transpired.)

I recall the sudden rush of patriotism as Americans realized that a controlling society who hated us wanted to take us down, to remove our freedoms, to impose their own versions of morality on us, to make us irrelevant and take away the things we loved the most: our freedom to worship, our freedom to live as we pleased, our freedom to be the vibrant culture we'd fought so hard to defend more than once.

I recall visiting DC soon after, in November of 2001.  My first views of the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the White House, and all of those rich historical locations, was under the periodic roar of low-flying Black Hawk helicopters patrolling over the nation at war.  It was with watching well-armed mounted police on their circuits around the White House and the Capitol mall.  It was with the amazed wonder of a newbie Metro rider, boldly exiting the subway station called "Pentagon" to get a glimpse of the damaged building, only to have a massive escalator spit us out right at the toes of dozens of soldiers guarding the damaged wall--definitely intimidating, so we took a hasty glimpse of boarded-up windows and busy construction while immediately turning around and going right back to the Metro station for the next train out.

It was terrible to see our nation at war.  

Yet--it was wonderful to see the "team spirit" of flags flying and neighbors united in national enthusiasm.  I do miss that part of it.  I wish we as a whole hadn't forgotten our love for our country so quickly.

____________

Well, the years rolled on.  We always knew the culture of the enemy was one reverent of anniversaries, so we often wondered if another attack would come on another 9/11.  Thankfully, the next big one never came.  But in 2012, an embassy was attacked on the 11th anniversary of 9/11.  Red tape kept backup from helping our ambassador until a brave group of special forces men went in to attempt a rescue.  

While the death of this group of men didn't have the same force to Americans--after all, it was four men, not a few thousand people which involved everyone's neighbors and relatives--these men have a wonderful thing in common with the first responders of NYC.  They knew the danger of the country there and they faced it head-on without flinching.  There aren't very many folks saying their names these days, but they deserve to be remembered also.  

Here are their names:

Once again our country faces a time of turmoil.  Now it's a new sort of threat: an internal one.  What do we really stand for?  What do we really believe about our country and about the people around us?  Now the enemies of our country are trying to lie to us about our past, to try to tell us our past is bad and their anarchy is better.  I pray that we stand strong once more and refuse those who would try to turn us against each other based on our race.  We are stronger together and we will always be stronger together: United we stand: divided we fall.

Let's all be praying for a revival.

God's spirit poured out among people has always brought about forgiveness and healing and love for each other.  There is no other answer for our nation.

What I'm reading:

I haven't read political books in ages.  Here's the nonfiction book I'm currently reading which is very informative and traces the origins of the divisive movement we're currently facing:

Next up for me, the story of a man who was at Benghazi and fought as a true hero: 

(note: I have no clue if there is objectionable content in this book, since I haven't read it yet)

Are you reading anything this month to honor our nation or the heroes who fought and died?

Thanks for stopping by!

Be sure to visit my buddies on this blog tour in support of 9/11 remembrance:

And here are all the links to the blogs!

http://amandatero.com/
https://beautifulthingsbylaura.com/
https://bookslifeandchrist.wordpress.com/
http://therosesheart.blogspot.com/
http://akansasfarmersdaughter.blogspot.com/
http://maidensformodesty.com/
https://photosbyabbyrose.com/
http://fireflysstoryspace.blogspot.com/
http://jessaswhimsicalwritings.blogspot.com/
Www.lifeofheritage.com
Www.soldiergirlstories.com

Book Review: Kind by Kellyn Roth

Okay, a group of my friends is doing a fun thing!  We're all coming together to make a surprise blog party for our mutual friend, Kellyn Roth.  She's a dedicated writer and a great encouragement to all of us and is also the founder and manager at the Reveries Company author services group.  You've perhaps read my review a few posts ago for "Souls Astray," which I really enjoyed, so for today's party I'm reviewing a short story of hers, "Kind."

 

 

Here's the synopsis:
Lt. Neil Hudson is sure to have a rotten Christmas.

How can he have anything but a rotten Christmas when he's stuck in war-torn Germany away from his family, friends, and all hope of a decent turkey dinner?

That's when the Slades come into his life.

Here's my review (which is overly short because the story is short):

5 stars

Neil Hudson is the protagonist of the tale, and I instantly bonded with a lonely military man feeling growly about Christmas away from home.  When he accidentally stumbles on a family in need, though, my heart went head over heels for him, and for what he did when he started reaching out to them.  So many books automatically portray all Germans as bad, but this view is fresh and engaging; the German people were all too often the first victims of Hitler's regime.  Here is a warm and Godly family trying to eke out survival after the total downfall of their society. 

It was also refreshing to find a Christmas story that didn't focus on romance.  I feel like the Christmas story market is highly oversaturated with Hallmark-style works (which have their place for light entertainment, but shouldn't be the only thing available) and that it leaves those who don't enjoy that style high and dry for the season.  This book avoids clichés and is even set in one of my favorite time frames, WW2! 

I read Christmas stories throughout the year, but if you're one that doesn't, perhaps you'd be in the mood to include this story in a bit of midyear "Christmas in July" in about ten days.  It's free if you have a kindle unlimited account, and of this post is just 1.99 for the ebook purchase.  I highly recommend it for personal reading and also family read-aloud.

Here's Kellyn's website:
https://kellynrothauthor.com/

Also, a lot of sweet folks wrote notes to Kellyn in a Google doc, but since I'm a serial misser-of-deadlines, I didn't get it added in time.  So, Kellyn, here is my note of encouragement!

Dear Kellyn,
You're a huge encouragement to me as a writer and I strongly admire your commitment to excellence, even down to researching the small things of life in other eras, such as how people shopped, and even to stopping for a while in editing to get that one awkward sentence right.  You take that a step further by mentoring other authors and even running a company to help writers get it right.  You're one of my top favorite indie authors, and I'm glad and proud to call you a friend.
~Hannah

Book Review: A Borrowed Dream by Amanda Cabot

4.5 stars
Finished reading 8/17/18

Synopsis:
Catherine Whitfield is sure that she will never again be able to trust anyone in the medical profession after the town doctor's excessive bleeding treatments killed her mother. Despite her loneliness and her broken heart, she carries bravely on as Cimarron Creek's dutiful schoolteacher, resigned to a life without love or family, a life where dreams rarely come true.

Austin Goddard is a newcomer to Cimarron Creek. Posing as a rancher, he fled to Texas to protect his daughter from a dangerous criminal. He's managed to keep his past as a surgeon a secret. But when Catherine Whitfield captures his heart, he wonders how long he will be able to keep up the charade.

With a deft hand, Amanda Cabot teases out the strands of love, deception, and redemption in this charming tale of dreams deferred and hopes becoming reality.

My review:
This is the second book in Cabot's Cimarron Creek series, set in Victorian-era Texas.  The first book, A Stolen Heart, featured Catherine quite a bit as she befriended the new-in-town Lydia Crawford, the heroine of book one.  From that book we saw her lose her mother and lose her trust in a man she had loved.

This story picks up with Catherine still teaching at the local school as she was in the first book.  She is living alone and trying not to be lonely, so when an abused boy catches her eye it's easy for her to dream of rescuing him and taking him in.  But his abuser is his drunken father, who's not about to give up his boy, and her efforts to convince the man that the boy is worth sending to school are sure to meet with some decided resistance.

Austin, the hero, is new in town.  He has more secrets than any man ought to have, and a little girl who's sure to steal everyone's heart.  He seems to know quite a bit about health and wounds for a normal rancher, but he brushes it off and goes on with hardly an explanation, which of course makes the heroine and the readers instantly wonder what he means by the knowledge and how he came to know it.

Before long Catherine finds herself acting mother to both the abused boy and to Austin's lonely little girl, and these are some of my favorite parts from the story.  I really, really enjoy such stories!  And then we also have more of the continued mystery from the first book, which I won't specify because of spoilers, other than to say how much I enjoyed getting to know Grace through this story.

We just get comfortable with the town and characters, though, when danger arrives in town, and it's time to keep those pages flying to the very end.  Wow...I didn't see some of the stuff at the ending coming!

In all, an enjoyable and suspenseful read!

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy.  A favorable review was not required.

Book review: Souls Astray by Kellyn Roth

Souls Astray by Kellyn Roth

I honestly jumped at the chance to be part of Kellyn’s blog tour just so I could read another of her stories early!  So far I’ve enjoyed everything of hers that I’ve read, so I knew I was in for a treat with her newest release.

I didn’t stop for a thing except work while reading this story!  It’s very easy to flip from page to page and is so well written,  I slipped into the story world and didn’t want to come out even while the characters were enduring so much.

I knew going in that there was some sad stuff in the story.  I found that Kellyn did her level best to make me cry over these characters and their troubles!  I never cry in stories but I was tearing up a bit for these.

Adele really isn’t the most sympathetic character ever in her actions, but she was so well portrayed as a hurting soul herself that I didn’t find it hard to hurt for her and excuse her for her problems.  That’s with a caviat, of course, that she will learn the error of her ways in a later book in the series!

Troy....ah, Troy.  Wee bit of a hothead, I think.  Plenty of his own issues to work through even while trying his best to do what’s right.  Troy has some growing ahead as well!

The side characters were colorful and interesting in their own ways and I hated to say goodbye to most of them.  I loved Lola and Millie in particular and couldn’t stand Adele’s mother.

I can’t wait to see what happens next and am so happy that I can read the next book soon!

Be sure to grab your copy of Souls Astray right away.  I’m sure you will love it!

Quickie review: A Stolen Heart by Amanda Cabot

A Stolen Heart by Amanda Cabot

The synopsis:

From afar, Cimarron Creek seems like an idyllic town tucked in the Texas Hill Country. But when former schoolteacher Lydia Crawford steps onto its dusty streets in 1880, she finds a town with a deep-seated resentment of Northerners--like her. Lydia won't let that get her down, though. All will be well when she's reunited with her fiancé. But when she discovers he has disappeared--and that he left behind a pregnant wife--Lydia is at a loss about what to do next. The handsome sheriff urges her to trust him, but can she trust anyone in this town where secrets are as prevalent as bluebonnets in spring?
Bestselling author Amanda Cabot invites readers back into Texas's storied past to experience love and adventure against a backdrop of tension and mystery in this first book in a brand-new series.

My review:
5 stars
5/27/17

I really enjoyed this story, set in 1860s Texas!  It reads smoothly and is interesting from start to finish.  I loved Lydia's sweets shop and her relationship to Aunt Bertha.  Travis is a nice, manly sheriff, and their romance is sweet and realistic.  It was a nice surprise for me to find a strong mystery thread in the story, with a mysterious person attacking people, stealing items, and engaging in other criminal mischief.  

I loved that the romance wasn't all touchy-feely sensual, but was about two mature adults coming to care for each other in a way that wasn't merely physical lust.  I also was glad to find no profanity or crude speech as well.  

The one thing that bugged me was that someone forgot that measles patients were always subject to quarantine.  :)

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

Book review: Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin

Far Side of the Sea, Kate Breslin: 5 stars

Finished reading 2/10/19
Synopsis:
In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield.

Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.

When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives.

I devour Kate Breslin books like potato chips, so no surprise that I loved this one!  Here's my review:

What a treat to read another Kate Breslin book!  I've really struggled this year to read any ebooks, but this one was a quick and absorbing read and kept me flipping pages despite that difficulty.  While there isn't a lot about faith, it's clear they are steadied by their belief in God.

The twists and turns in the plot left me reeling.  We met Colin in Not By Sight very briefly, but this book stands alone.  I loved seeing more of Marcus in this one!  Colin is an interesting young man from the very beginning, and I found it easy to care about him and Johanna from the very beginning.  I guessed one plot facet at 53% and thought "there--I got it--that's the big reveal!" only to have it told to me at 62% and have plenty of book left to read.  :)  So the plotting was extremely well done and very absorbing.

I do love a good spy story and this one is one I'd easily recommend. 

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for a free copy.  A favorable review was not required.

Quickie Review: The Laird O' Borrans by Harold Bindloss

The Laird O' Borrans: 4 stars

Harold Bindloss has been a favorite author of mine for awhile.  He wrote about 40 novels between 1902-1945 and I have about twenty of them to date.

Here's my review:
2/17/19

3.5 stars

I have to say, this is the very slowest and calmest spy story ever written!  It's one of Bindloss's last novels and set in the Border area of Scotland during WW2.  As a picture of the home front it was fascinating, with just a mild spice of danger from the intermittent spy activity and related murders in the area.  There were lots and lots of characters to keep up with, but eventually I got used to them.

If you're interested in home front Scotland in WW2, grab a copy.  If you're looking for your next spy thriller, though, this isn't a thriller!

Quickie Reviews

Introducing...Quickie reviews!

Since February 2013, I have been reviewing nearly every book I read on Goodreads.  That total is a nice chunk of reviews, and I've made a lot of close friends through my time there.  It has come to my attention, though, that because of some major changes in Goodreads over the past few years, my bookshelves may not remain accessible in the way I want them to be, as they work toward getting rid of traditional desktop view.

So, why not use my space as a blogger?

As I get used to adding my reviews here, I'll warn of several things: there are going to be A TON of them at first.  I have years of reviews (six years!) that I hope to transfer over here.  There may be many posts a day on days I have time to work on it.  I apologize in advance to what I will be doing to your inboxes.

Longer reviews will be given a regular post of their own in the style I've previously posted in.

When I can, I'll include links to free ebooks when applicable for older novels and classics.

I'll be using tags to help with finding books, such as:

Author

Genres or subjects

Star rating 

and so on.

My star ratings explained: (two negative and three positive classes)

1: Dislike or despise.  A book I don't want to ever read again and don't recommend.

2: It was okay.  Others might like it, but I'm underimpressed.

3: Good.  This is an enjoyable read, a story I may read again, and one that will stay on my shelf and might get recommended.  This is my default rating for enjoyable books, the equivalent of a B in a college class.

4: Very good.  Books from favorite authors generally fall into this category, and my most common rating generally ends up closer to four because I keep trying to look for five star reads. Grade A.

5: Excellent and/or favorite.  Books that sweep me away, that make me think, that haunt me for months afterward.  Books that make me love them so much that I forgive every single flaw they might contain.  A+ rated books.

Half stars: for when I can't decide between the above.

Emotional ratings: for when I love or hate the story so much that I forget everything else.  These are generally one or five star books.  😉

Questions and comments: 

I'd love to get lots of these!  Please bear with me, though, as I don't always have access to a computer with a browser that Google approves of, and thus may be unable to comment back quickly.

Book review: Live Without You

How's that for a gorgeous cover?  Sarah Grace is a graphic designer and the gal who created my business cards.  When I heard she was releasing her first book, I was extra eager to read it!  

The book's blurb made me even more eager:

Piper Redding is a loner, but lonely. Everyone she loves has abandoned her and opening her heart to others is just asking for more pain. She can’t help but blame herself for her brother’s tragic death six years ago, and in her guilt, she shuts herself off from the world. No one could love her—not even the God who promised to be there for her but wasn’t.

For paramedic Ezra Bryant, failure is not an option. He’s had enough of it, and only by God’s grace is he able to put it behind him. But when a traumatic event brings Piper’s greatest fear and Ezra’s failures to light, can they use that event to allow God to mend their broken pieces? Can love triumph over fear, and grace over guilt?

So I was very eager to sign up for this blog tour and to get a review copy to read.  It's even better than I anticipated! Piper and Ezra hop off the page vividly, and both of them are dealing with a lot of pain.  Wow, the past was not a walk in the park.  These two are not hurting this deeply because someone snubbed them one day; they have real reasons for flashbacks and nightmares.

But with the help of a budding friendship together, and some strong friends who come alongside (that Miss Cecile—oh, yeah!  I love that vibrant, spicy lady.), they begin to see some resolutions from the past and some healing.  And, just maybe, the healing might also mean they're ready for a little bit of romance??

You definitely need to read this one when you get a chance!  And a giveaway might make it easier to get a chance, right?  Here's a link to the giveaway on the Ruffles and Grace blog.  Be sure to follow this link to enter for one of the great prizes below! 

http://rufflesandgrace.com/2019/01/22/live-without-you-release-and-giveaway

Feature and giveaway: A Royal Masquerade

Note: my images seem to not be working.  Please visit Allison’s site for the photos!  Sorry...http://allisonswell.website/2018/10/24/a-royal-masquerade-blog-tour-day-one/

My original post:


So I have another friend who writes books, though we’ve known each other from before she started publishing.  She’s a witty young lady with a wry sense of humor, and does that humor ever come out in her fairytale retellings and their unexpected twists.  I never liked the fairy tales themselves much in the past, but I did start getting into reading some retellings a few years ago.  The first book in this series, “The Reluctant Godfather,” had me in stitches with the humor and the fun.  I really enjoyed that the “magic” was written as a natural talent instead of a supernatural sort of thing—which is hard to explain in a few words, but aligns much better with my beliefs than your average sort of magic.

Here is the book blurb for “A Royal Masquerade”:

Burndee can barely tolerate the mischievous Prince Colin, but the two of them are invariably thrown together in a way that keeps them at one another’s throats.

While attending a noblewoman’s wedding, Burndee and Colin’s private feud comes to a climax when Burndee loses his temper and does the unthinkable. With Prince Colin unable to attend to his royal duties and Burndee bound by an inconvenient spell, can the two of them work together long enough to unsnarl the mysterious goings-on around them?

A madcap and magical novella of The Goose Girl from a unique perspective. 

And here’s the fancy cover:



There is also a giveaway...or, rather, two giveaways!  Because there is a first and a second prize.

This giveaway has TWO prizes!

First prize: a paperback copy of “A Royal Masquerade,” a fairy-tale candle, a darling glass goose, and Godiva chocolate.   

 

Second prize: a paperback copy of “A Royal Masquerade” and a $5 Amazon gift card. 

Here’s the link to the giveaway!

<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7da968f54/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="7da968f54" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_5zkxq3sl">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>

Here’s the link to get a copy!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K8V455P/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541630794&sr=8-1&keywords=a+royal+masquerade+allison+tebo

When a Friend Writes a Book

This is a new sort of post on my blog, because normally I feature books by writing reviews of them and yet I won't be giving a review of the book until after it releases later this month.

So, what is it like to have a good friend write a book?  Well, first of all, if you're a writer as well, you get to hear the squeal of eagerness as someone comes up with a great new idea for a plot.  All friends can hear that squeal, but not all friends are writers who know firsthand the euphoria of getting to know your new characters (which rarely seen like strangers—only friends newly met, excepting the villains, of course) and of harnessing the words onto paper.

Then comes the revision process.  Conma here, or comma there?  Would it be better to add to a scene or not?  You get to watch your pal wrestle with those decisions that affect how posterity will see their book, and even as you give advice you wonder if the advice you give might hinder their particular author "voice." (I neededn't have worried about Angela's author voice.  It's engaging and energetic and not at all in danger of becoming watered down by a friend's suggested edit.)

After the revision comes the formatting and cover selection process.  Now let me warn you right here: if your sanity hangs by a small thread, formatting will run you the very real risk of landing in the loony bin.  It is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who have a hard time with attention to detail.  It is a computer screen war zone in black and white!  This is when you as a friend need to be ready to join "sprints" (time frames of generally fifteen to twenty minutes wherein you focus only on your project and see how much you can get done) and to send plenty of virtual chocolate and ice cream! The cover is the fun part; watching cover elements take shape and getting to see previews of color, font, style, placement, and perspective is a great deal of fun and also leaves you feeling somewhat useful.

But then----the best part of all: the day you get to announce to the world that your good friend's book is ready to meet the world.  What a fun feeling that is!  

How can you support your favorite writer friends?  Whether it's just listening in while they ramble about Charater This and Character That, or talking through the expediency of tweaking Plot Point K, or if you're instead the Head of Comfort and provide the shoulder to weep on and the foot rubs and the chocolate, or if you're the one that runs to be first in line to buy the book in print....don't let these fun moments pass you by!

Anyway....here is the graphic for Angela's new novella.  Isn't that a beautiful cover? And the story inside is even better!

And here’s my review!

From the very first line, the atmosphere is gripping and interesting.  “Being a lone wolf in a world full of lone wolves could get as messy as fast as a squirrel could climb a tree.”  If that doesn’t put you in the mood for a good story with a fine dash of authentic country to it, just keep reading and you’ll soon find that mood.  The main characters, Lucy and Ed, are both very individual and equally interesting.  The whole arc of the thief and what he meant to do kept me guessing the entire story, and the impossible situation is masterfully handled.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I’ll just say it is a very good debut and that I am glad to award it four out of five stars!  Well done, Angela.  I loved story and the fun I had finding bits of my friend in the way the story is written.

Here’s a link to her blog with more info on how to get your copy!
https://thepeculiarmessenger.wordpress.com/

Story excerpt: Zach and the Hurricane

(Public domain photo from pexels.com)

It's been awhile since I posted an update on my writing.  This month I'm doing NaNo Camp with friends to get my word goal along.  This is the beginning to a short novella featuring Zach, one of the guys from the modern-day spy story I've mentioned here before.  I kept having trouble with the scene not going anywhere, so this month I just started it all over from scratch.

Pretty soon it was obvious what Zach and I were missing: God in his story.  Wow.  What a lesson to me as a writer.  So here's the scene.  Enjoy!  

(All writing copyright 2018, Hannah Gridley)

{-----}

The last thing Zach needed was a hurricane to barrel in and disturb his vacation.  On the other hand, if it caused enough chaos, perhaps it would instead lengthen his time off.  He certainly didn’t feel ready to face more grueling days of work, more time of spending every day looking over his shoulder and wondering which day would be his last.  No morning runs on the beach, no sunning himself in the open and trying to pretend he could live life without fearing to show his nose in public.  The job he signed up for wasn’t known for its safety.

He made a run to a nearby village for some extra supplies.  He wouldn’t need much; he was renting a two-room beach shack from an acquaintance, and it was already equipped with sturdy shutters for the two windows and a strong storm door for the door.  He had arrived there only two days before and had just gotten a little bit of sun and surf before the cloudy skies and heavier surf had alerted him to the changing weather.  When he checked the weather reports, there was a great deal of chatter over how Hurricane Janis had gone overnight from a tropical storm in the Gulf to a churning Cat Three and changed course abruptly, as though a bull’s eye were painted right on Zach’s stretch of beach.

He sighed and picked up his satellite phone.  His boss should know ahead of time that he might be delayed by the storm.  The man answered on the second ring.  “Yes?”

“I’m right in the path of the hurricane now.  I might be delayed a day or two getting back,” Zach said.

“That’s fine.  In fact, you have an easy month coming up.  Go ahead and take another week off, and then you have an assignment in Brazil the third week, followed by one in Belize.  Suppose you get your pal to give you the place for the whole month?”

Zach could hardly believe his ears.  "All month, sir?"

"Yes.  All month.  Just make sure your phone is handy after that second week of vacation in case something comes up."

"Absolutely, sir.  Thanks."

He took a deep breath after hanging up.  That was unexpected.  Would he be bored stiff by then?  But the idea of a long rest was delightful.

His pal was quite happy to let him use the place for the rest of the month, and glad someone was watching it during the storm.  For awhile, he kept busy finishing storm prep and making sure he had plenty of clean water ready.  He was prepped for at least two weeks of essentials—very bare ones; he didn't waste time on other things—by early afternoon.  Now what?

The beach grew more and more stormy, more and more lowering.  Heavy clouds swung just above bended tree trunks, and large waves competed with each other in smashing the sand.  It was oddly mesmerizing, entirely absorbing.  Having nothing better to do, Zach lashed his hammock to the cottage's front support beams and settled in to watch. 

**

After a long while, he grew sleepy.  The storm was increasing in power, and even at times bits of spray from the waves splattered the hammock, despite the distance from the beach.  Rain was coming in shortly, but Zach wasn't worried.  He had all the time in the world now.  

He generally spent his vacations in a place in Colorado that he had paid cash for awhile back and had not shared the location of with his boss.  For this vacation, though, he had been told to keep his phone with him in case of emergency; he couldn't very well do that without revealing the location of his secret retreat, half rustic cabin and half bunker, built with his own two hands.  Without building or finishing to do, he was at a loss.  He had enjoyed reading before his days as a secret agent, but those books had been thrillers, and he simply couldn't stomach more war and death and devastation in the realms of fiction.

Perhaps this is a good time to think about God, a thought whispered.  True.  He had neglected God entirely in recent months.  The destruction he saw too often among men had made him withdraw, distancing himself from life and becoming a loner.  Being expected to lie and kill made him feel unworthy to even speak to God.  He still believed in God, still believed in the sacrifice Jesus made and its power to cleanse his sins; but he felt unworthy still—if he intended to quit sinning, he would feel more welcome repenting.  Who could repent with no honest intention of quitting?  But he was owned, body and soul, by the boss he had agreed to work for.  No way out except by death.

Not owned in soul.  No man has the right to another man's soul, whispered the thought in his mind again.  

Did that mean it would be better to turn in his notice and be "eliminated"?  And yet that is a suicide of sorts.

All too long he had been avoiding this inner debate because of the massive ethical questions it raised, questions he had no way of answering.

You have the Bible.

Indeed he did.  But he hadn't read it in years, shrinking from the condemnation he feared he would find there.  Seek Him while He may be found...

The storm crashed hard around him.  The rain splashed over him, wetting him to the skin, and yet he did not pay it mind.  His thoughts were far away, as the whispers of conscience spoke to him and woke his soul once more to his Savior's Voice.

{-----}

So...what do you think?  Will Zach find what he longs for when he turns back to the Bible?  Any guesses as to what caused him to sign up for a job that he can't quit?

Book review: Beneath the Surface by Lynn H. Blackburn

I'm a bit late posting a review of this one (I read it three weeks ago!) but I really enjoyed it!  Here's my review:

Well, it's not what I expected, but it was definitely interesting!  I thought the diving part would play a larger role in the story, but it only is featured at the beginning.  Leigh is drawn into the story when the dive team needs to use her lake access to remove a murder victim from the lake.  But pretty soon the action ramps up when someone makes an attempt on Leigh's life, very nearly succeeding and landing her in the hospital.

So that was twist number one.  This tale takes the cake for twists, which kept me guessing all day long while reading it!  Though I was quite busy, I was able to finish reading it in two sittings simply because I had to know what happened next.

I have to say, I loved having an Asian lady as a main character!  Leigh was adopted from China as a child and raised in North Carolina, and her brother was adopted from Brazil.  I liked this a great deal!  All too often, Christian fiction tends to feature characters that look like they came from Maine, the least racially diverse state!  I'm not one of those that wants every book to force diversity where it doesn't fit, but this was a nice treat.  However, I found myself wishing that Blackburn had described Leigh to us more carefully, because I kept catching myself thinking of her as Vietnamese in feature.

Predictability: Well, very little, other than in the romantic interest!  The killer is a slippery one and hard to think ahead of.

Content: Okay, so this one got really near the edge for me.  If you don't care for really creepy and determined serial killers, make sure to read this one in the daylight!  It's quite intense and the killer does mutilate victims' bodies.

Christian content: a storyline of coming back to God after one's faith has been shaken.

Overall, a solid four star read and a series I will be continuing.  Thanks to the publisher for a free review copy.

Book review: The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron

Not a fancy picture because I read the ebook version!  Pardon it, please.  But still a beautiful cover!


This week, I read Kristy Cambron’s fourth book, one that is more mystery than she normally writes—exactly what I always like to hear, with my love for mysterious doings in stories!  I gave it four stars. Here’s the review I posted on Goodreads:

I tried to start this a couple times a few months ago and never got past the first chapter or two.  Thanks to a group read, I dove in and soon found myself entirely absorbed.  Then I had the opposite problem of being unable to lay the book down at all!

The mystery of Peale and his double death soon morphs into a bigger mystery of who is calling the shots in a very literal sense.  I enjoyed the atmosphere of the Prohibition years and the unique character Wren is.  Add to that Elliot and his fascination with Wren and her art of illusion, and we have all the elements for a good tale.  The story has several shocker twists that left my mouth ajar.

I didn't care for the lack of specification about what a seance could do (for those who don't know, it is a summons of demons)...it was rather chuckled as a materialistic fraud, but the portion of the story that dealt with actual spiritualism was somewhat dismissed as being unreal.  Spiritualism as a sort of religion wasn't mentioned or defined beyond using the word to describe characters and to mention seances to contact the dead as a mainstay of their philosophy.  Wren and Elliot speak of faith and prayer and make a few comments about "only one man ever rose" as an oblique reference to Christ (which isn't truth anyway, since they are talking of people being summoned from death—Jesus was different because He had the power to raise up from the dead without being summoned—He Himself restored many, including Lazarus, Jairus's daughter, the widow's son, and the saints at His death).  In a story so full of spiritual cloak-and-dagger, I missed Jesus.  I needed to see that clear ending conclusion that the Jesus way was the ultimate answer to the claims of the spiritualists.

Also, several phrases were too modern for the twenties...most notably "gone missing," a 1990s term used more than once.  "Alright" used for "all right" also bugged me.

But, overall, a beautifully written book that is worth a read and very hard to put down!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free copy for an honest review.

Book review: The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin

I must say, I have read every Sarah Sundin book to date and was eagerly awaiting this release.  The only downside?  Now I have to wait until next year for Adler's story!  Here's the glowing five-star review I posted on Goodreads.

Oh, what a delightful read!  I won't deny that I didn't wish to slap Dorothy a few times for her naïve attitude toward the guy who had too many women in his life, but even then the character roused some caring attitude in me.  She believed his words because she wanted to believe them, and she didn't want to believe the opposite.  And, given that she had staked every hope in her battered life on what he said was true, I can even forgive her the willful blindness.  Not saying it was right to accept his kisses when she knew she wasn't the only girl getting them, though!

I did love her work and found it very interesting.  The whole idea of making a map for the invasion based on pictures was something I wasn't aware of and was fascinating.  

Wyatt was a neat hero.  His good humor and his strong faith put me on his side right away, and it was a delight to watch him encourage all the best qualities in Dorothy.  He's determined to be a man of honor, and when Dorothy challenges him on things like his decision not to contact family, he's humble about it.  

The plot...oh, my!  There were a couple of epic twists that had me on the edge of my seat.  Who knew a little poking after an embezzler could lead to such a discovery?  Whew!  

Highly recommended, especially to lovers of WW2.

Thanks to Revell for a free review copy.  A positive review was not required.

Book review: Beneath a Prairie Moon by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Ah, happy sigh!  This is one of the books that I have to digest before I can manage to review it.  The cover is gorgeous, but the story inside just as much so.  I knew I would love it, since it's Kim Vogel Sawyer, and each phase of the story was like unfolding a new leaf of enjoyment.

It's impossible to be tempted to peek ahead because the plot twists around on itself so many times, which is right up my alley.  I love having books surprise me with unexpected occurrences! No great predictability in this story, excepting only that the hero and heroine are going to end up being interested in each other.  

I loved the original twist on the matchmaker story!  A bride who's been returned to the agency more than once and gets reassigned to assistant and etiquette coach.  But do we see a prissy etiquette story?  Ah, no!  That's not all there is to it, because...Twists.  Indeed.  All the way from sunburn to kidnapping.  

One of my favorite things was the deep spiritual lessons.  I've heard the topic as naseum in other CF books, but this approach is fresh and engaging and feels authentic.  

Content/language: Nothing objectionable.  Could be given safely to ages 14/15 

Thanks to Blogging for Books for a free review copy.  A positive review was not required.

I Survived NaNo...plus doggie pics

Well, I made it for another year of National Novel Writing Month madness!  In case you don't know what that is, it's when novelists around the world attempt to write 50,000 words in only thirty days each November.  

Of course, I was nuts enough to adopt puppies the same month!  This definitely reduced my writing time.  But puppy cuddles are so therapeutic!  And just look at those faces.  Forgive me while I show off my dog family.  :)

This is Chester.  He loves to play with leaves and is going to be a big pup when he is grown!  The breeder says 60-75 pounds.  He's a standard size golden doodle, a "breed" I have been wanting for awhile now.  Don't you love those golden eyebrows?

This is Bernie.  It's hard to snap a picture of his face, since he prefers to eat the phone!  He has the cutest little white chin as though he dipped it in milk.  I didn't plan to pick another pup, but when I went to meet Chester and saw some of the other pups, he stole my heart.  He is a medium size Bernedoodle (Bernese mountain dog and poodle) and is very intelligent.  Yes, he is sitting in his toy box; he loves to knock the toys out and crawl in!

Mia is my senior rescue dog and the biggest cuddler you could imagine.  This is her pose of choice when I sit on my sofa to read or write!  She does hate to be away from people, so when I am home she is right there by my side.  She's been great with the puppies.

So, there is my November recap!  Stay tuned for some snippets of my writing progress, which will post tomorrow.

Book review: A Dangerous Legacy

Along with having one of the prettiest covers of the year, this one is one of my favorite Camden has ever written.  I gave it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.  Here is what I said in my review on Goodreads:

I definitely enjoyed this tale of New York, reporters, Morse Code, and danger.  It came in the mail today, and I was glad to dive right in.  I intended to read a single chapter and get back to the other book I'm reading, but the story grabbed me from the beginning.  

Lucy is likable from the start, and it's easy to identify with her longing to find justice and to shake off her uncle's stalkers, who are content to spy on her life and keep her and her brother from realizing their full potential in life.  From there the story moves swiftly, as she encounters Sir Colin Beckwith and as he stumbles across her family's nasty history.  With Colin's eyes fresh on the family secrets, Lucy and Colin quickly realize that much more is going on in the family than she first imagined.  In other words, the Saratoga Drakes aren't scrupulous about crushing more than family, if others get in the way of their plans.

Before long, Colin is mixed into the issue, despite his being an unlikely ally.  After all, he's a reporter at heart, and the draw of a good story is hard to resist.

It fell just shy of five stars for me, but makes four (very good) easily.  It's Camden's best in years (since Beyond All Dreams, in my opinion)—well-researched, detailed history, and two lead characters with clear chemistry.  (Their banter is excellent.  Brings to mind classic movies like Desk Set and His Girl Friday...)

Things that helped shy away from an "excellent" rating: 

-An "oh my heavens" exclamation

-"Hear, hear" misspelled as "here, here" (pet peeve)

-Woman referred to as "hero"...in 1903, she'd be offended.  She's a heroine.

-Content.  Lucy entered a situation that requires a forced bathing (not something she was expecting ahead of time).  For me, it got a bit too far into her feelings as the two women scrubbed her down.  It's only a paragraph, but I'm intensely visual and didn't want to have that image.

It's also MUCH better edited than the last two releases, and the words flow with a lot more authenticity.  Definitely worth a read!

Thanks to the publisher for a free review copy.  A positive review is not required.

...This is the first book I got through Bethany House Publishing's blogger reviewer program.  I was so excited to have this copy come in the mail!  Be watching for more Bethany House new release reviews here in the near future.  

Has anyone else read Elizabeth Camden's work?  Do you have a favorite of her books?