Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Looking for a Western Adventure? Inventions of the Heart by Mary Connealy is full of adventure, romance and a gold mine to keep safe. Michelle Stiles is hiding at Two Harts Ranch, owned by Zane Hart--along with her sister, Jilly, after their other sister gets married and goes back to their home that they ran away from since their Stepfather was evil in his ways and actions. Zane is a good guy with a lot to figure out--what should he do with the gold he found? What about his attraction to Michelle? How can he take care of his sisters? Inventions of the Heart is an interesting book with strong female leads. Overall I enjoyed the book but sometimes it got a little old listening to how smart the sisters were. I am not sure that really needed to be stated in those ways. There is a bit of romance and some mystery entwined in the story, along with adventure in the West. If you like clean reads and Western fiction, you'll want to check out Inventions of the Heart. It does not have to b

  I do love a good mystery with some heart-pounding suspense. Deception by Patricia Bradley is full of mystery and suspense both--there are more than a few unanswered questions that the reader has while reading this book. ISB Ranger Madison Thorn is back in her home town of Natchez to investigate a white-collar crime. It has been a few years since she investigated violent crimes and she isn't anxious to work in that area again. Unfortunately, she is forced to investigate a violent crime--and it is personal one--in more ways than one. However, a former childhood friend, Clayton Bradshaw, comes alongside her to help with the investigation. Deception was an intriguing book from start to finish. I really didn't want to put it down. I was amazed at how Bradley wove several mysteries together to create an amazing tapestry of both deception to the characters in the book and clues that build up to an exciting conclusion for the reader. I liked Madison and Clayton and their budding r

  Are you looking for a book that mixes sweet romance with fast-paced Suspense? The Deadly Shallows by Dani Pettrey is the latest book in the Coastal Guardians series. CIS Agent Noah Rowley and his team are shocked when a mass shooting happens on the Coast Guard Base. Coast Guard Flight Medic Brooke Kesler also becomes a target when one of the gravely wounded shooters talks to her--and the wrong person sees that he did. Brooke and Noah face a lot of danger and challenges as they seek to figure out why the shooting happened and who the mastermind behind it is.  At the same time, Caleb and Austin are involved in a different mystery. Who polluted the waters with a dangerous chemical--and why?  This is my first book by Dani Pettrey. I have been wanting to read her books for awhile and so glad that I did read this one. However, I read it as a stand-alone. It was quite good but would likely be even better if I read it within the series.  I liked all of the good-guy characters and didn't

  Are you a bird watcher? Or do you know a bird watcher? In the Shadow of His Wings by Roslynn Long is a simply gorgeous devotional book with forty uplifting devotionals inspired by birds.  Long is an author whose photography has been featured in Birds and Blooms magazine, Minnesota Weatherguide calendars and other publications. Her beautiful bird pictures grace each and every devotional throughout In the Shadow of His Wings . Eagles, ducks, owls, bluebirds, Indigo Buntings and many other birds are featured throughout the book. The pages are thick and shiny making the photos really stand out nicely. Each of the forty readings throughout In the Shadow of His Wings are two to three pages long and based on Bible verses. Each reading also ties in to birds and our modern life today through a variety of subjects: Obeying God, Patience, Fruits of the Spirit and more. Long's readings are all short but also thought-provoking. I also felt a sense of peace as a nature and bird lover in look

  Are you grieving or do you know someone who is? A Hole In the World by Amanda Held Opelt may be just the book to read right now. Opelt is the sister of New York Times' bestselling writer, Rachel Held Evans, who passed away in 2019. Opelt also had three miscarriages nad her grandmother passed away shortly before her sister. This writer suffered a big season of loss and she chose to write about it in this book. A Hole In the World is a mix of her personal stories along with some history of the rituals of grief in both our modern world and through the ages from Bible times forward.  The book begins as the author navigates Ash Wednesday after her sister died. She is struggling to understand her own grief process and what it means to grieve well. As she struggles to find those answers, she takes the reader through the rituals of grief through the ages: Keening, Covering Mirrors, Sitting Shivah, Wearing Black, Sympathy Cards and more. I found a lot of this information to be fascinati

  Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd is a split time story with both the modern-day story and the story from the late 1950s showing the value of friendship. Navy Widow Helen Devries received a call from Choi Eunhee, also a widow, who needed help after her husband passed away. Eunhee is a Korean woman who married an American. Together, they learn and grow through both life's challenges and everyday adventures.  Cassidy Quinn's mother passed away when she was a young girl. After she passed, Cassidy spent the summers with her grandmother, Helen, at her farmhouse and finds her passion for flowers and gardening. When Helen passes away, Cassidy inherits her home and garden--along with a task Helen asks her to do with Grace Kim, Eunhee's granddaughter and her friend. Together, the girls discover some of their grandmothers' secrets. Both women also have love interests and challenges in their own modern lives that they can help each other through. Heirlooms is a character-driven novel.