tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38478822156746852412024-03-13T12:37:58.476-04:00Stuff & NonsenseAnne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.comBlogger1414125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-10801468023169726992024-01-23T09:25:00.004-05:002024-01-23T09:25:40.987-05:00Books I've Read This Month<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">While it may not seem like I read books other than fiction or devotionals, on occasion I am intrigued by a book advertised and pick it up. In this case, I borrowed the non-fiction book <i><b>Unoffendable</b> by Brant Hansen </i>from the Libby app.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><b>About the Book</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">It turns out giving up your “right” to be offended can be one of the most freeing, healthy, simplifying, relaxing, refreshing, stress-relieving, encouraging things you can do. It’s a radical, provocative We’re not entitled to get offended or stay angry. The idea of our own “righteous anger” is a myth. It is the number one problem in our societies today and, as Dallas Willard says, Christians have not been taught out of it. But what if Christians were the most unoffendable people on the planet? In Unoffendable you will find concrete, practical ways to live life with less stress, In a humorous and conversational style, Unoffendable seeks to lift religious burdens from our backs and allow us to experience the joy of gratitude, perhaps for the first time, every single day of our lives—flourishing the way God intended.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdwsFXag8rjUq0dXK5X3XuAzSWHiuTGbxkEhuXJneV9uETg4GHho73UM249SLs_9FInjfGxcNEAS_VF6BlxzRXuxaYTTi4dNdnL2tTr-G2z5cV0RoaaXMotWfadx6geRV67w_y26kr_g_m1vkMG0u8wrJuW9tD5Px33x0xPYC1iU_PmfzKuzLkrlH-LxqD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdwsFXag8rjUq0dXK5X3XuAzSWHiuTGbxkEhuXJneV9uETg4GHho73UM249SLs_9FInjfGxcNEAS_VF6BlxzRXuxaYTTi4dNdnL2tTr-G2z5cV0RoaaXMotWfadx6geRV67w_y26kr_g_m1vkMG0u8wrJuW9tD5Px33x0xPYC1iU_PmfzKuzLkrlH-LxqD=w421-h640" width="421" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">5 STARS</span></b></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Well, let me tell you...It. Is. Excellent! Anyone calling themselves a Christian needs to read this book. I listened to the audio edition read by the author. Such a great experience. I found myself verbally agreeing with his statements while at the same time remonstrating myself for doing what he plainly and compassionately states that we should <b>not </b>do as Christians. I mean really, what is the point of going around being offended all the time? Be <b><i>UNOFFENDABLE</i></b>!!! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">This is a book that I will definitely order a paperback copy of, and that doesn't happen too often for me, especially when I'm not required to write a review. But this book is so good, I want to be able to make notes in the margins.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">The first fiction book I listened to this year on the Libby app was <i><b>Country Bride</b> by Debbie Macomber</i>. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFptncAox03vL8xjvdmSNVbo_iK0-zI5RvrrPZL5vHf5VT0nzvj3iDFs8hVapa6UWeolpYQMv1i7gOyY9gp5meTI0Afy68jEEFHLOqLmQLyWM6c7zbq-EOgsHKiXxCJZRY0cPkDSTLbtI1yrAwLGmd-_t_1z5gLK38SDjEIu191L6sVWRI_bInWI-Q62Yt" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFptncAox03vL8xjvdmSNVbo_iK0-zI5RvrrPZL5vHf5VT0nzvj3iDFs8hVapa6UWeolpYQMv1i7gOyY9gp5meTI0Afy68jEEFHLOqLmQLyWM6c7zbq-EOgsHKiXxCJZRY0cPkDSTLbtI1yrAwLGmd-_t_1z5gLK38SDjEIu191L6sVWRI_bInWI-Q62Yt=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2 STARS</span></b></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">She is a secular author but her books are considered clean with moral teachings. I've read several before and enjoyed them. But this one...</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">No. Just no. But saying that didn't work for Kate. Luke is a bully. Macomber has written some great stories but this isn't one of them. It sends all the wrong messages about how a healthy relationship is supposed to be. I listened to the audible version, which the narrator did a good job on, hence my two stars.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">It pained me to have to give such a low rating. I think it's only the second time in about 12 years I've done that. It's only 5 hours on audio and I kept hoping something would happen to redeem this story, but for me it didn't. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Why leave a low review you may ask when I wasn't obligated? I don't always. Macomber is such a popular women's author and her books aren't cheap. I would have been extremely disappointed had I actually spent money on this one, so that is why I left the review. Of course, you can go look at the number of 3 star and under reviews and see how they outnumber the 4 and 5 star reviews. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I won't discourage anyone from borrowing her books from your local library, an online app where you can get them for free, or borrowing from a friend. Most of her books I've read, I liked. But read the mid-range and negative reviews and carefully consider the amount of them. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">My two cents worth which probably isn't even worth that!<b> :-)</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">_______________________________________</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I already posted my review of <i><b>The Juliet Code</b> by Pepper Basham</i> in a separate post because that was an 'official' review.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">You can read it <a href="https://annepayne.blogspot.com/2024/01/review-juliet-code-freddie-grace.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://annepayne.blogspot.com/2024/01/review-juliet-code-freddie-grace.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="420" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMjgeYA4Uijg5lwlEoghNaK6-bbHVRRWCVs7T4gxZVkE2t9_llswl3RsxbW_feNiprLilB_fzcRB00LRMEmNEuIRc6NpWyKmNW5FbTB0LUGhPqbG8LqtwXDaw3_DqQ7c44Pjvb8i2ajs7e8WtweACd7j2jGZSL6Fry8n6nDBchJeR56UazxXNvM5b9A99M=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I want to say that <a href="https://pepperdbasham.com/" target="_blank">Pepper Basham</a> has become one of my favorite authors to read. She is able to write across a pretty wide spectrum of subjects/genre and always does such a fabulous job on her stories, both contemporary and historical. If you're looking for romance, adventure, down-home folks, and faith look no further. Grab one of her books today!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY4jdEsW7ln3NRitrAOohH4RwVlhzNhh3rJ5G2mJv_3BQoh6dQBdk42igxTMADNb_ecz7HMBmalHDcOS34Fn98Q3Z1iC7gE4zVkKfTFrCUUsbsVoVQNVKP24GZ_3SziBJ8dy8uX3flAIvL9tyoOfyQWkGV8OGqmywv68qfsMcnA9vRgb5s7ETfYZLFJmvx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY4jdEsW7ln3NRitrAOohH4RwVlhzNhh3rJ5G2mJv_3BQoh6dQBdk42igxTMADNb_ecz7HMBmalHDcOS34Fn98Q3Z1iC7gE4zVkKfTFrCUUsbsVoVQNVKP24GZ_3SziBJ8dy8uX3flAIvL9tyoOfyQWkGV8OGqmywv68qfsMcnA9vRgb5s7ETfYZLFJmvx=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-26596700203536654472024-01-19T10:58:00.003-05:002024-01-19T10:58:25.565-05:00Review ~ The Juliet Code (A Freddie & Grace Mystery #3) by Pepper Basham<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-5Cy57J_Pu1HQzX2nrfCTTVq9YCuNEhOlIwDQK0mGatoUzTVZyDzQP2yvItNnZcBW0DLXAx9rwGybX1RG2tWx9G-wKPktu2ufrb6nP671IXw-Thou34SxtmjWaONZCnfbeGehRE1e_b9GVUvR3C5ldNkAsY8mCYB-OFgam6MPEXBs0dhXOaRmDnSkahB/s1966/123009792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1966" data-original-width="1290" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-5Cy57J_Pu1HQzX2nrfCTTVq9YCuNEhOlIwDQK0mGatoUzTVZyDzQP2yvItNnZcBW0DLXAx9rwGybX1RG2tWx9G-wKPktu2ufrb6nP671IXw-Thou34SxtmjWaONZCnfbeGehRE1e_b9GVUvR3C5ldNkAsY8mCYB-OFgam6MPEXBs0dhXOaRmDnSkahB/w420-h640/123009792.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Newlyweds
Lord and Lady Astley Finally Reach Their Honeymoon Destination Only to
Encounter a New Mystery in Need of Solving</span></b><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Frederick and Grace Percy finally make it to Italy
to enjoy a delayed honeymoon and explore the beauties of the historic city of
Venice. To their surprise, their friend, Detective Jack Miracle, is also in the
city, investigating a series of art heists starting at the house of eccentric
millionaire, Laraby Covington. Drawn into a world of boat races, mysterious
houses, and parties of the rich and unusual in Venice, Frederick and Grace
learn of the existence of the Juliet paintings, (Renaissance paintings feature
Shakespeare’s tragic heroine) rumored to hold a secret code to an underground
vault of similarly treasured artwork assumed lost over the centuries. As
Freddie and Grace are pulled deeper into the mystery and their beloved
Detective Jack disappears, can they use their wits and work as a team to find
the thieves and Jack before it’s too late. </span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background: white;">The Juliet Code</span></i><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> is a Freddie and Grace Mystery, sequel to </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Mistletoe Countess </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">and </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The Cairo Curse</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My
Review 4 STARS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>“If Frederick wanted to shower his wife with the
types of presents she loved best on this honeymoon, the answer came clear and
evident. No expensive jewelry or extravagant gifts for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>But near-death experiences and daring adventures?
His shoulders dropped for a moment. Well, at least he didn’t have to try and
wrap them.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><i> </i> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What a way to spend your honeymoon! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Freddie and Grace show their enthusiasm for
sleuthing in slightly different ways, which made a riveting read. Grace is eager
to help solve this mystery of the missing paintings and the thought of hidden
treasure...well, what fiction aficionado wouldn’t want to be in on that? Freddie,
on the other hand, is a bit more tempered outwardly but inwardly he really does
enjoy their mystery solving exploits. The Juliet Code is an artful concoction
of adventure with a delightful cast of characters. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202020; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I received
a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and
was under no obligation to post a review.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202020; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202020; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-74400044518694980962023-12-08T14:46:00.001-05:002023-12-08T14:49:38.421-05:00Last Minute Books for Christmas!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Rebecca and I thought we'd share a few of our favorite Christian fiction books (not all are published in 2023) that we think might make excellent Christmas gifts for the avid reader in your life. It's not too late to order them and receive them before Christmas, but hurry! Don't delay. :-)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll list the books with links to the reviews on Goodreads.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi807BR0oZB9u4-c3cZO2MfybBHDFilmlH73IkuBb0XSjy5-v9VdIddEOoOCHv9y7bk0lyvl-nwziDOsr6LEof3BCoyTlXm8DjcMlauAIzgl8oHTjyPhRj4zhoiDHt1pM2lrjMOcv2vvxMgWVW659fJ52Oj4IpKrMkopFgNE6sTePtPxm0bWLSWrq5sSRZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi807BR0oZB9u4-c3cZO2MfybBHDFilmlH73IkuBb0XSjy5-v9VdIddEOoOCHv9y7bk0lyvl-nwziDOsr6LEof3BCoyTlXm8DjcMlauAIzgl8oHTjyPhRj4zhoiDHt1pM2lrjMOcv2vvxMgWVW659fJ52Oj4IpKrMkopFgNE6sTePtPxm0bWLSWrq5sSRZ=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4880882621">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4880882621</a></span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3RAKrPf0Bkf1A2p134xvLCAwxHgDRGGTDAHho2eCV8HiXXWCiamv0VVof6MMsnt6-IXAoC7p3SeGVnBE-BDlzq3EXduLj5-nq7WMIv1eBVIEVt4oerPQWNMdfT4ZRyjk7DjfQg0nlf-67YlizLUPgoagfw_pnJj2HBkil5y-gDeeUEvAxHcOTeHJ7BXpa" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3RAKrPf0Bkf1A2p134xvLCAwxHgDRGGTDAHho2eCV8HiXXWCiamv0VVof6MMsnt6-IXAoC7p3SeGVnBE-BDlzq3EXduLj5-nq7WMIv1eBVIEVt4oerPQWNMdfT4ZRyjk7DjfQg0nlf-67YlizLUPgoagfw_pnJj2HBkil5y-gDeeUEvAxHcOTeHJ7BXpa=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Girl from the Papers by Jennifer L Wright</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5805662768">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5805662768</a></span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4FFAJrjItHZpkoO0guVyFdHM130GPQBDI17gJDqqIuyvr0pKBpP53i4Ety9eihG7zAf_gANuGDVo00A6GGE8JH3CySCa8ruhyzTZVG5MiIfDbpwnnTj76hqeWcnMHz3YcXDbS_V7agWijpw6Xo3TqnfdjZNogVk9Ct2XxuV_gIXXcHPoqAZqVdI_E_15X" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1546" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4FFAJrjItHZpkoO0guVyFdHM130GPQBDI17gJDqqIuyvr0pKBpP53i4Ety9eihG7zAf_gANuGDVo00A6GGE8JH3CySCa8ruhyzTZVG5MiIfDbpwnnTj76hqeWcnMHz3YcXDbS_V7agWijpw6Xo3TqnfdjZNogVk9Ct2XxuV_gIXXcHPoqAZqVdI_E_15X=w242-h400" width="242" /></a></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A Return to Hawthorne House by Kristi Ann Hunter</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5971387968">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5971387968</a></span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3Dho_vjSlRlFy0Xp8xXTC17Qno0wZ3qUbmt_vN-Ox4bHQeJfuA4m5gbn5qiQX9p7f7s0EDEuWMsVUzD0pf98Viwrho4Ck0IUCAzK9p-E7V22ecxyMZGcoq_pITd4NwH-fzXE9PFDvre5BtAILmOI49ENbofpw83kroOENk5HI2nmdPjLw8Y9BSqqoBzjP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1651" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3Dho_vjSlRlFy0Xp8xXTC17Qno0wZ3qUbmt_vN-Ox4bHQeJfuA4m5gbn5qiQX9p7f7s0EDEuWMsVUzD0pf98Viwrho4Ck0IUCAzK9p-E7V22ecxyMZGcoq_pITd4NwH-fzXE9PFDvre5BtAILmOI49ENbofpw83kroOENk5HI2nmdPjLw8Y9BSqqoBzjP=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6034047071">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6034047071</a></span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6DJ-gSSXwKXF89O0GvIVvxSoy3bbSVwg2cNjjjZtDdGq1xzUrerqvVSjZo1d4JgY3m_MKZvr_XlNzFlp5WS8SU7wQFppeupX2NadI1hWt0m5gHnTDoC9KIqr6SFR5W5jkM1kDiC9-MHssxepvrwcksqQGERWSngeDvDec908_abKAyXVZsqXo9ZoIINz_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1293" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6DJ-gSSXwKXF89O0GvIVvxSoy3bbSVwg2cNjjjZtDdGq1xzUrerqvVSjZo1d4JgY3m_MKZvr_XlNzFlp5WS8SU7wQFppeupX2NadI1hWt0m5gHnTDoC9KIqr6SFR5W5jkM1kDiC9-MHssxepvrwcksqQGERWSngeDvDec908_abKAyXVZsqXo9ZoIINz_=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5524155052">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5524155052</a></span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqgT7oYgcZ06RwH1_idWaoHq8KXYQ29vrmfrG8jn0AFGl93wYyBgq1IHTQYnsKfkTHuv0S17Arjyzo38JX6Yz-xBIrnptdneORq-HpCP06UTnBUnJoXnhAr3oLtT9G2aNE813yYCjDCBXD4h6kr3e5BBGLSIQ3OVkzkTDAjZo7LTpmowoqxnFdXVC3Aauu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2200" data-original-width="1415" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqgT7oYgcZ06RwH1_idWaoHq8KXYQ29vrmfrG8jn0AFGl93wYyBgq1IHTQYnsKfkTHuv0S17Arjyzo38JX6Yz-xBIrnptdneORq-HpCP06UTnBUnJoXnhAr3oLtT9G2aNE813yYCjDCBXD4h6kr3e5BBGLSIQ3OVkzkTDAjZo7LTpmowoqxnFdXVC3Aauu=w257-h400" width="257" /></a></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Just the Way You Are by Pepper Basham</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1932993954">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1932993954</a></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">We would love to know if you take any of our recommendations to heart and purchase them for yourself or a loved one!</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHToOWfKoWTc_ph-5pYDYqiz10Tr9xDfuwpACdCikH2G3qPjUyYQd9TchfexkULe0mAxN-xMg6tuTAJ-qSItn4FIgKBib_ICbXlrXpYGuUBP7EpudwhvMn1ej208c15nkvCWvyuOlNmM7uzlJBESbqKSRHlJtD3Oxowx8einw81-dWgf4sfFl7uaiYpN_/s1774/button2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1774" data-original-width="1774" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHToOWfKoWTc_ph-5pYDYqiz10Tr9xDfuwpACdCikH2G3qPjUyYQd9TchfexkULe0mAxN-xMg6tuTAJ-qSItn4FIgKBib_ICbXlrXpYGuUBP7EpudwhvMn1ej208c15nkvCWvyuOlNmM7uzlJBESbqKSRHlJtD3Oxowx8einw81-dWgf4sfFl7uaiYpN_/w428-h428/button2.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><span face="ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"" style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i> "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><span face="ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"" style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i>who is Christ the Lord."</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><span face="ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"" style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i>Luke 2 :11</i></span></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-6522976271739462632023-11-05T11:00:00.002-05:002023-11-05T11:05:52.382-05:00Short Review ~ Bride by Beguilement (Moonlight and Magnolia Series Book 2) by Debbie Lynne Costello<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1HBR5XDQ6ctdgZkFuPEyZtiyVamEj8D4ZTJUZuRefFrZljpQcIwsbPBWAXqPmObepwsiT5O2U3Z7pVtBbSfBqBZccQ3YZ7F11lxh1eYyU099Ed0s2MIgJ0WPlDV_juWJeueiCf9IXYkzz4J1nw9Y_xuuvGH2pcqqt4xeh0sz_nC_oOIcSRu3dc10Mw8Q3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1707" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1HBR5XDQ6ctdgZkFuPEyZtiyVamEj8D4ZTJUZuRefFrZljpQcIwsbPBWAXqPmObepwsiT5O2U3Z7pVtBbSfBqBZccQ3YZ7F11lxh1eYyU099Ed0s2MIgJ0WPlDV_juWJeueiCf9IXYkzz4J1nw9Y_xuuvGH2pcqqt4xeh0sz_nC_oOIcSRu3dc10Mw8Q3" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kirsten Macleod is
in a bind. Her father’s last will and testament stipulates that she must either
marry, lead the plantation into a first year profit, or forfeit it to her
uncle. But marriage is proving no easy option. Every suitor seems more enamored
with the land than with her. Until her handsome neighbor sweeps into her stable
to the rescue… of her beloved horse.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="text-align: start;">Silas Westbrook’s last year at veterinary school
ends abruptly when he is called home to care for his young orphaned sisters.
Troubles compound when he finds an insurmountable lien on the only home they’ve
ever known, and the unscrupulous banker is calling in the loan. The neighbor’s
kind-hearted and beautiful stable girl, Krissy, provides the feminine influence
the girls desperately need. If only he had a future to offer her. But to save
his sisters from poverty, he should set his sights on Krissy’s wealthy relative
Kirsten Macleod, the elusive new heiress. Surely this hard-working and
unassuming young lady and the landowner could not be one and the same?</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My Short Review ~ 4 STARS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The characters
brought out all kinds of emotions for me which made the story engaging. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Costello is an excellent
wordsmith and brings a unique dynamic to her historical novels. Pick one up today!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiupAQQghW7dgh0dvl9IasW_ycBdb5duRacD8a89jwI3dwTAUsW2ksuGZ0Kw0JoWjLjgxPgaq3yN5dv3BZd6TAFntiAM7u_p6JOqit6K3LQUup6w2WXthZ4kBKiOQe8-HasDjja_r4-5FWQLnLba3Fm60WNT8QOL1liHt5iH7_xCn2Dc6VxYXI2xTJrKcqD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiupAQQghW7dgh0dvl9IasW_ycBdb5duRacD8a89jwI3dwTAUsW2ksuGZ0Kw0JoWjLjgxPgaq3yN5dv3BZd6TAFntiAM7u_p6JOqit6K3LQUup6w2WXthZ4kBKiOQe8-HasDjja_r4-5FWQLnLba3Fm60WNT8QOL1liHt5iH7_xCn2Dc6VxYXI2xTJrKcqD=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p></div><br /></div>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-24795867423619343912023-11-05T09:41:00.001-05:002023-11-05T09:41:39.264-05:00Review ~ Julia Monroe Begins Again (Beignets for Two #1) by Rebekah Millet
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRpOCp5qaH-wqegweExcA8hYosh9oYB-YsFy2fC_TFyM0VCl--sm0hzNnAvKSAO2JGsUmx1y54caIppxHtuTOny2VtNlbZbXOCi1CaxlxNtLTguUX-i8_hWbaPg-g71g3fqmXQRYWbvz1CJfFgJoB5-ZUNQIXKfHuBR8xY2AeykivGBshgwfqYM3STvxEo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRpOCp5qaH-wqegweExcA8hYosh9oYB-YsFy2fC_TFyM0VCl--sm0hzNnAvKSAO2JGsUmx1y54caIppxHtuTOny2VtNlbZbXOCi1CaxlxNtLTguUX-i8_hWbaPg-g71g3fqmXQRYWbvz1CJfFgJoB5-ZUNQIXKfHuBR8xY2AeykivGBshgwfqYM3STvxEo=w413-h640" width="413" /></a><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 14pt;">Julia Monroe has
just turned forty and hopes this next decade goes much better than the last, in
which she became a young widow raising two children on her own. With both her
boys off to college, it's time for new beginnings, and she can finally focus on
expanding her New Orleans-based cleaning business--but God has other plans.
Samuel Reed, the ruggedly handsome Green Beret who broke her heart over twenty
years ago, has returned to town and is the kind of distraction she never saw
coming.<br /><br />After their first interaction in years leaves her
mind spinning and her emotions out of control, Julia knows she needs to keep
her distance from him if she wants any chance of keeping history from repeating
itself, but her meddling best friend has other plans to throw them together. It
seems inevitable that Julia will have to face her past with Samuel, but only if
she can work up the courage to embrace the kind of new beginning she never
thought she'd see again.</span></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 14pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">__________________________________________________________________</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">My
Review ~ 3 STARS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As much as I wanted to love this contemporary
rom-com, I just didn’t. Julia grated on my nerves. Her behavior toward Sam was
too much like a resentful and grudge-filled middle school girl. He was a
genuine repentant <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">grown</i> man being
constantly judged for past behavior. There are plenty of one-liners that are
notable but they just didn’t make up for how I felt about Julia. I’m definitely
in the minority on this one so don’t take my word. Read it for yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I appreciate the publisher allowing me to review
the book through Netgalley. My opinion is my own. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">No compensation received.</span></p><br /><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-46995391020648004372023-10-08T12:57:00.001-04:002023-10-08T12:57:59.743-04:00Exodus 14:14 ~ The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>S</span><span><span>ometimes </span><i><b>life is hard </b></i><span>but that is when we </span><b><span>have</span></b><span> to dig deep, settle in with our Bible, and immerse ourselves in the </span></span><span>truth</span><span> of <i><b>who</b></i> God is and cling to </span><span>his</span><span> promises </span><span>that are prolific throughout Scripture.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJq4CNnODnY/YPHBJ1XcycI/AAAAAAAAPro/Lg-Ms6Wp7782U3TqJgrIv7CymcQNaUUEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s440/Ps%2B23%2B4%2Bpoppy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="413" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJq4CNnODnY/YPHBJ1XcycI/AAAAAAAAPro/Lg-Ms6Wp7782U3TqJgrIv7CymcQNaUUEwCLcBGAsYHQ/w600-h640/Ps%2B23%2B4%2Bpoppy.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PaOGSPm5IvY/YPHX1TITZPI/AAAAAAAAPr8/GucX9uwx6qsIK0qGBCEr2L7IGvk42TLIwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PaOGSPm5IvY/YPHX1TITZPI/AAAAAAAAPr8/GucX9uwx6qsIK0qGBCEr2L7IGvk42TLIwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wv20_tyuTIE/YPHXrKqFuqI/AAAAAAAAPr4/Sij72oqaChQgSDkJshM91LiSDQxSYk12wCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1440" height="526" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wv20_tyuTIE/YPHXrKqFuqI/AAAAAAAAPr4/Sij72oqaChQgSDkJshM91LiSDQxSYk12wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h526/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><b>H</b>ang in there, <i><b>faithful </b></i>friends.<br /></span><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i5McJUhsx3c/YPHArK1JtAI/AAAAAAAAPrU/yM4FbMLr5z0RqOMNTGWcbonFVVGn2wPZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/take%2Bheart%2Bwatercolor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1920" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i5McJUhsx3c/YPHArK1JtAI/AAAAAAAAPrU/yM4FbMLr5z0RqOMNTGWcbonFVVGn2wPZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/take%2Bheart%2Bwatercolor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXavebR02tRcKscBqfmVOAXZWW1PmgfqJjibKGDf1vv3YxtSmAEWnos7PbPV2yxhAi_c3f4-Lqn3Xop1XeyJ6dQEfN-FCP1MNLLK4wwlTtnM7cK0lmqBzwzmH6qY3mypvGHQ0Ri8CshZjzE_iLrgOKTv84WYgivXFc3xZTWvH9zruR1FAEwVODFaJcu50/s1920/Signature%20peony%202.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXavebR02tRcKscBqfmVOAXZWW1PmgfqJjibKGDf1vv3YxtSmAEWnos7PbPV2yxhAi_c3f4-Lqn3Xop1XeyJ6dQEfN-FCP1MNLLK4wwlTtnM7cK0lmqBzwzmH6qY3mypvGHQ0Ri8CshZjzE_iLrgOKTv84WYgivXFc3xZTWvH9zruR1FAEwVODFaJcu50/w640-h640/Signature%20peony%202.2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-39324370495981880122023-09-26T08:37:00.001-04:002023-09-26T08:37:31.160-04:00The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZBxtokpwOrFUEO211F6LA_g7KISAKOBOnZsnpkmgfP4dBMl-omeSKbvVwRgk-5E04w_OO7dXREB8iOmQGfxNCTU6V43OyUQBJtQYVfnqtAI8H7srDwE7vzpy0TAhyrMgvS2SywFu8Fs0f-ZFLDVavZIyk23DdEpSJbs7pWYpCULg85p31d7sQM9YAasq/s1080/384099318_10159469020345009_5753493109147232513_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZBxtokpwOrFUEO211F6LA_g7KISAKOBOnZsnpkmgfP4dBMl-omeSKbvVwRgk-5E04w_OO7dXREB8iOmQGfxNCTU6V43OyUQBJtQYVfnqtAI8H7srDwE7vzpy0TAhyrMgvS2SywFu8Fs0f-ZFLDVavZIyk23DdEpSJbs7pWYpCULg85p31d7sQM9YAasq/w640-h640/384099318_10159469020345009_5753493109147232513_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><b>About the Book</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">In 2012, art historian Gwen Monroe travels to England's Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping to prove herself to her prestigious grandfather. While at Longdale Manor, she becomes acquainted with David Bradley--the owner's handsome grandson--who is desperate to save the crumbling estate by turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. When Gwen stumbles upon a one-hundred-year-old journal and an intricately carved shepherd's staff similar to one in a photo of her parents, she uncovers a connection to the father she never knew.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">In 1912, after her father's death, Charlotte Harper uncovers a painful family secret she can only confess to her journal. She and her family travel to the Lake District to stay on a sheep farm, hoping eventually to find a home with Charlotte's grandfather at Longdale Manor, but old wounds and bitter regrets make it a difficult challenge. As Charlotte grows closer to shepherd Ian Storey and rebuilds her shattered faith, she must decide whether she will ever trust in love again.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">Two women a century apart are taken on a journey to healing, faith, and forgiveness in this heartfelt dual-time Edwardian romance from bestselling author Carrie Turansky.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><b>Purchase Link</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><a href="http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/the-legacy-of-longdale-manor/413840" target="_blank">Bethany House Publishers</a></span></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Let me know in the comments if you've read any of Carrie Turansky's books. I think I've read them all! She's one of my favorite Christian authors in the market today. Her stories are filled with hope, grace, love, and faith with plots that keep me riveted to the pages. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9nUWmpL_0kM2H06vkMmxHI5S8AZ4xglC9hGAxUqMJYgwjUEYA7lt832slw9fPYxS9bIlrzAauTe5_-6SP23NWvitC-1vZGpqjgp9YNkfwAbqFxsEOoogyHfFyk-7no3_Fe57oykaU15g3p4alLe5m5_rAP3V_BWhOZTfufNdSiYN0hIk9aNDHOOtIHuM/s1920/Signature%20peony%202.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9nUWmpL_0kM2H06vkMmxHI5S8AZ4xglC9hGAxUqMJYgwjUEYA7lt832slw9fPYxS9bIlrzAauTe5_-6SP23NWvitC-1vZGpqjgp9YNkfwAbqFxsEOoogyHfFyk-7no3_Fe57oykaU15g3p4alLe5m5_rAP3V_BWhOZTfufNdSiYN0hIk9aNDHOOtIHuM/s320/Signature%20peony%202.2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-19527527599726307692023-09-21T22:11:00.000-04:002023-09-21T22:11:02.831-04:00Review~ Voice of the Ancient (The King's Men #1) by Connilyn Cosette<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCyIdPNX9dDMWFfo6djeKS2yiS-VkzPHwaLv5t4gcNU-sRZCIp4IIK_IO-36FBmCjrh3jCQ_HVIoDKWcjFBEmHvbCU8vU-kKA0CaZMyZQj38eaU8k20Luvt8S-y_666QkaNzCsFgD5UK2Bz2hfE1hSOg8xRpsWBzb4OlE6MaD35r0c0QyM2Sc26NOHDRFl" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1323" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCyIdPNX9dDMWFfo6djeKS2yiS-VkzPHwaLv5t4gcNU-sRZCIp4IIK_IO-36FBmCjrh3jCQ_HVIoDKWcjFBEmHvbCU8vU-kKA0CaZMyZQj38eaU8k20Luvt8S-y_666QkaNzCsFgD5UK2Bz2hfE1hSOg8xRpsWBzb4OlE6MaD35r0c0QyM2Sc26NOHDRFl=w413-h640" width="413" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bethany House Publishers</div><div style="text-align: center;">August 15, 2023</div><div style="text-align: center;">336 pages</div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">As the eldest son
of a Levite and a Philistine, Avidan is torn between his duty to his family
legacy and the desire for something more. When Ammonites attack the city of
Yavash-Gilead, he takes the opportunity to fight with his cousins for the newly
crowned King Saul. But when one of the cousins goes missing during the battle,
Avidan stays behind to search for him in hopes that he's still alive.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Keziah is the daughter of one of the most powerful
clan chiefs in the territory of Manasseh. On the brink of a forced marriage to
a loathsome man decades older than her, she has no choice but to run. Dressed
as a boy, she takes her horse and heads for the south, hoping to find sanctuary
with her mother's family.</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Battling to survive the dangers surrounding them,
Avidan and Keziah make a pact to travel together. As Keziah's true origins are
revealed and Avidan's search for his cousin becomes increasingly futile, they
must not only rely on each other to stay alive but learn to trust the true and
eternal King of Israel to guide their every step.</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">With impeccable research and award-winning
writing, bestselling author Connilyn Cossette brings to life the first years of
King Saul's reign.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">__________________________________________________________________</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">My Review 4 STARS</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cossette never ceases to amaze me at the depth of
research that is obviously done in order to bring readers a story that
absolutely draws one in from the first page to the last. Voice of the Ancient
tells a story of fierce determination, heartache, love, redemption, and so much
more. Be prepared to be immersed in rich historical detail! You may not be able
to put this one down. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fans of historical and biblical fiction will want
to grab a copy of this first book in the new The King’s Men series. This is
going to be quite a ride!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I received a copy from the publisher, and also
purchased a copy. My opinion is my own.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-53268721731051791202023-09-19T13:03:00.000-04:002023-09-19T13:03:05.055-04:00Review ~ He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCsow32dRZIXUtpT2eJkjBS69wPfI6jpyecHcV5N6B1_e_jUEEx1gJ9D0P4NwhlOk7JMAYePJP2Zi_XiLETAOWF5mWGTzX06wiJkg73cPCMeAbAmQultfKKOrPBBcCx7yxdGK-9_lpD8qmKAzqtuGsZte1E2uCbyyk1yr-8BCV-qpz1Vo5_dWvb-B5Iz5y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1294" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCsow32dRZIXUtpT2eJkjBS69wPfI6jpyecHcV5N6B1_e_jUEEx1gJ9D0P4NwhlOk7JMAYePJP2Zi_XiLETAOWF5mWGTzX06wiJkg73cPCMeAbAmQultfKKOrPBBcCx7yxdGK-9_lpD8qmKAzqtuGsZte1E2uCbyyk1yr-8BCV-qpz1Vo5_dWvb-B5Iz5y=w413-h640" width="413" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Beekeeper Beckett
Walsh is living her dream, working alongside her father in their apiary, until
his untimely death sends her world into a tailspin. She suddenly finds she must
deal with a new part owner of the family business--one who is looking to sell the
property. Beck cannot fathom why her father would put her into the position to
lose everything they built together.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span style="background: white;">When Callie Peterson is named in the trust of a
man she's never heard of, she's not sure what to do. Her fledgling business has
just taken wing and her mother has reentered her life asking for help getting
into rehab for her lifelong substance abuse issues, making Callie's financial
situation rather . . . precarious. She's sure she has no right to someone
else's farm, but the money from the sale could solve her problems and give her
the stability she's always craved.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span style="background: white;">As these two women navigate their present
conundrum, they will discover a complex and entangled past full of secrets--and
the potential for a brighter future for both of them.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________________________________________________________________________</div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><b>My Review 4 STARS</b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was 100% drawn to the cover since my husband is
a beekeeper! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was hoping for a more upbeat story, and less
about the psychology/trauma that shadowed every main character in this story.
It is heavy, indeed. Some will find it infinitely appealing, and that’s fine. I’ve
read some terrific reviews on the book and can agree with most of what is
highlighted. It certainly has its place in literature and will undoubtedly be a
conduit or starting place for healing to some. Cox is an excellent writer and
brings her counseling experience to the forefront in <i>He Should Have Told the Bees</i>, although I could not figure out why
it was titled so. LOL <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m giving it four stars because I know that
psychology this heavily presented doesn’t interest me but I am well aware it
does others. So in that, I am biased, but I won’t let it get in the way of
recognizing this authors talent in weaving an intricate plot and showing each
characters growth. That made it worth reading. If you are a fan of heavy women’s
fiction, then I recommend this book to you unabashedly. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Calibri Light"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Calibri Light"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Calibri Light"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I saw a *trigger* warning in another review and
wholeheartedly agree that this book could be a trigger for some women BUT the
author goes about these hard topics in a graceful and sensitive manner.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I received a copy from the publisher. My opinion
is my own. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="big450BoxBody" style="background-color: white; background-repeat: repeat-y; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="big450BoxContent" style="overflow: hidden; width: 430px;"><div id="review-like" style="float: right; margin-top: 8px; text-align: right;"></div><div id="review-follow" style="margin-top: 8px;"></div></div></div>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-28346374524921294022023-08-21T14:30:00.000-04:002023-08-21T14:30:03.791-04:00Long Hot Summer<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Whew!</i></b> It's been a long, hot, and busy summer here in our corner of the foothills of North Carolina. August isn't looking any better, except for the sometimes pop-up afternoon thunderstorms. Those storms have been pretty fierce lately. But we saw the most incredible double rainbow the other day. I think it's the first double one seen here on our farm in the 24 years we've lived here. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>My photo doesn't do it justice. at. all. </i></b></span></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjyLqbTHwTbmGsK8ceK3aIRIXMB1xIZuflCvjemRaw_d7vfRExWMyoECQJqBn94C2qAN1se_ZZ2A-ZkQqXRxcwNft--69z6bEc8b8YbwITDqK04Hp9kOARTeCxSQ9zDhdRM_ty9jgfXnsdf_cy4LnKjUszD38QRulJjQo3qWLbQy53CIa-kVXcNYwL4y_E" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjyLqbTHwTbmGsK8ceK3aIRIXMB1xIZuflCvjemRaw_d7vfRExWMyoECQJqBn94C2qAN1se_ZZ2A-ZkQqXRxcwNft--69z6bEc8b8YbwITDqK04Hp9kOARTeCxSQ9zDhdRM_ty9jgfXnsdf_cy4LnKjUszD38QRulJjQo3qWLbQy53CIa-kVXcNYwL4y_E=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></span></div><span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">As for busyness, the chickens, cat, and puppy keep me hopping all day every day. I never knew so much work went into raising a puppy. This one was dumped in our yard back mid spring and our youngest adult son wanted to keep her so we did. She is a running, rolling, jumping ball of energy; perhaps a Vizsla Terrier mix. The vet says maybe so we're going with it. LOL In this photo she was about 12 pounds and now she's almost four times this size, weighing in at 44 pounds last week!!! </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtdij4HlKGeFBsVxrWSjUYHmoDc81D48wNCLmlYocWI8lxB1xKX1Vhb_qTMKiIqR_HtE0FaQrYZ_9e1FDNPkBQGylm3D3B0rmy_V1TdmpZX_sONP9j8hh1jaFLe05xa-O7ruaj1jq6U9XGVflymyhnHklOmJ_cE7OpKF_6tgnfgVuuTNadH5OXszw08TtH" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtdij4HlKGeFBsVxrWSjUYHmoDc81D48wNCLmlYocWI8lxB1xKX1Vhb_qTMKiIqR_HtE0FaQrYZ_9e1FDNPkBQGylm3D3B0rmy_V1TdmpZX_sONP9j8hh1jaFLe05xa-O7ruaj1jq6U9XGVflymyhnHklOmJ_cE7OpKF_6tgnfgVuuTNadH5OXszw08TtH=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></span></div><span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">My husband and I started landscaping the front yard, which we've been wanting to do for years. At our age, we work very slow....and painfully. But we're pretty much finished! Again, my pictures aren't great and don't capture how nice it actually looks. Anyone who has ever been here knows it's a HUGE improvement.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUMJR882-BRR7BnbLN3oCVuGlp35wdiARiGghgBPgUQ7Hhh4_PiLld9SzAF8zVlyWzVTCyTXvPnOmXtEvyevI90tIP123TFkMxZ-Oup3OqEkKi5XKHYlkaWjGcdV_GiYRG3faLgPcWIxGtvABBmOjhg0rtdkQxqZj64foTeqIJbeSKd9-A2hlPqQafIvq9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUMJR882-BRR7BnbLN3oCVuGlp35wdiARiGghgBPgUQ7Hhh4_PiLld9SzAF8zVlyWzVTCyTXvPnOmXtEvyevI90tIP123TFkMxZ-Oup3OqEkKi5XKHYlkaWjGcdV_GiYRG3faLgPcWIxGtvABBmOjhg0rtdkQxqZj64foTeqIJbeSKd9-A2hlPqQafIvq9=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8PHepwo4mmTap7IwFFoglRDGVJH5TsLAkBBlxja_dTVx9CGsMsLIHSfTIevqczRGAgkmFwzoY2dv_ngJ6Jgnrt2HJBXHCQaJ3G38onhcZ1tVBVwbqWdMwn5tozTxEqoEUUriyz01lCiar1bpkg4c83vib4_ZCCtWMWYmAYUavfltUABmW4lzPCQQbJwyP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8PHepwo4mmTap7IwFFoglRDGVJH5TsLAkBBlxja_dTVx9CGsMsLIHSfTIevqczRGAgkmFwzoY2dv_ngJ6Jgnrt2HJBXHCQaJ3G38onhcZ1tVBVwbqWdMwn5tozTxEqoEUUriyz01lCiar1bpkg4c83vib4_ZCCtWMWYmAYUavfltUABmW4lzPCQQbJwyP=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></span></div><span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbsDpT9wf7jZWbfVDMcYrdRCdeP-RGhIcFQ55xpLfhYcv0ocOwR5EQWOsQb3ZtsEqzZBGOC7mDNxWuMkxIt0C43GomWNv4kLuO6kcc5REjndToFijt6LY9TEBgx49Mtrz0pygH4_IfP-86A-HF-1ymfw4Ros230IXZq9rnVQFyMB7ambonCZVuXpZ5N_YY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbsDpT9wf7jZWbfVDMcYrdRCdeP-RGhIcFQ55xpLfhYcv0ocOwR5EQWOsQb3ZtsEqzZBGOC7mDNxWuMkxIt0C43GomWNv4kLuO6kcc5REjndToFijt6LY9TEBgx49Mtrz0pygH4_IfP-86A-HF-1ymfw4Ros230IXZq9rnVQFyMB7ambonCZVuXpZ5N_YY=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I have two books for review purposes so I'm excited to share about those when I'm done. It's been a slow summer for reading too. Somehow my days are filled up with busy work and by the time evening comes, I have no energy left to even open a book. </span></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I'd love to know how your summer is going! Have you been gardening, reading, writing, lazing by the pool, or babysitting grands? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Whatever you've been up to, I hope most of all you're staying strong in Christ! The world is certainly a little more crazy than it was last summer but we can trust Him to give us all we need, and to help us get through all the tough times.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXzP_-TTvKQDPWdQJ5iJUYSXReey5VysOyxCnTGYvH2BOJei7gXvPq4y2rFb_0dk62MdCsDnEy-dEgHiw6ef0aRwxVjV434WVPy6aGQD7qplCDxzFKQf0b82Of_sPIRvyZ6RALBNKX52CpIb_KWRdOLAqlMbAi-hIF3zeZwdPLtQPhnS3kb_kVLwt5U7e9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXzP_-TTvKQDPWdQJ5iJUYSXReey5VysOyxCnTGYvH2BOJei7gXvPq4y2rFb_0dk62MdCsDnEy-dEgHiw6ef0aRwxVjV434WVPy6aGQD7qplCDxzFKQf0b82Of_sPIRvyZ6RALBNKX52CpIb_KWRdOLAqlMbAi-hIF3zeZwdPLtQPhnS3kb_kVLwt5U7e9=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-52898953652096738142023-06-20T19:53:00.002-04:002023-06-20T19:56:06.507-04:00Review ~ Fairest of Heart (Texas Ever After #1) by Karen Witemeyer<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAGLSzDJDbIMHzctSjR7chRvnbdwYKTQvfij2cK1WbuNcPUDI4eITqk9QdsWNLCqCib2UhW8_XuilBw3-7xcsFmu9TQheOJ6rURohl5_7YdegNYIoEtS8Y36c0NFI_p4zMbGnSLmjnFCxLQ8-UVpn9AO7e9fXPiK7a5X5G5AfWaZbpItlg0vigvMa2Sot/s1500/FoH.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1500" height="597" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAGLSzDJDbIMHzctSjR7chRvnbdwYKTQvfij2cK1WbuNcPUDI4eITqk9QdsWNLCqCib2UhW8_XuilBw3-7xcsFmu9TQheOJ6rURohl5_7YdegNYIoEtS8Y36c0NFI_p4zMbGnSLmjnFCxLQ8-UVpn9AO7e9fXPiK7a5X5G5AfWaZbpItlg0vigvMa2Sot/w735-h597/FoH.png" width="735" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bethany House Publishers, June 2023</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">352 Pages, Paperback</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>About the Book</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Beauty has been
nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a
famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her
figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages
to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters--and her
jealous mistress plotting her demise.</span><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span style="background: white;">After his brother lost his life over a woman,
Texas ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is
rarely disappointed. So when a young woman found in suspicious circumstances
takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather's
ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span style="background: white;">With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is
assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope's acting troupe. The
evidence points to her guilt, but Titus's heart divines a different truth--one
that might just get Penelope killed.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<span style="background: white;">An enchanting Western take on the classic Snow
White fairy tale, Fairest of Heart will sweep you away from once upon a time to
happily ever after.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">________________________________________________________________________________</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0-SS7oQsz0acJ21vEzB0nICQZSE7QI6epxKwtwCh95nPbQeRJOmgbJSA0rPg_4WSebNDGUENHWHy415o4rmz4CNhuLjwyNWyr28k0fBf-Uzxak8J8fe5OCkpJCxTYBNcXs4aIfW8Th9LJzbP1IReZqQYjaDiUH2vmK5qMJAoHMhqkrVjDCtYc6z0yUB6/s1280/Foh2wm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0-SS7oQsz0acJ21vEzB0nICQZSE7QI6epxKwtwCh95nPbQeRJOmgbJSA0rPg_4WSebNDGUENHWHy415o4rmz4CNhuLjwyNWyr28k0fBf-Uzxak8J8fe5OCkpJCxTYBNcXs4aIfW8Th9LJzbP1IReZqQYjaDiUH2vmK5qMJAoHMhqkrVjDCtYc6z0yUB6/w640-h426/Foh2wm.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>My Review 5 STARS!!!</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of
all the fairytale retellings I have read, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairest of Heart</i></b> is by far my
favorite! Witemeyer, in my humble opinion, has raised the bar in this genre.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
felt as if I was transported into the re-release of the first fairytale I ever
saw on the big screen in 1967. I can remember the excitement of seeing the
characters come alive and as then, today my attention and emotions were fully
engaged with Penelope, Titus, Doc and ALL of the old drovers, aka the graybeard
brigade, at the Diamond D Ranch. They played across my mind’s eye with ease,
bringing great affection for this well written re-telling.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At
the same time, I thought it was brilliant to have several POV instances from the
seductive villainess Narcissa LaBelle. Boy howdy, she is wicked to the core.
Witemeyer perfectly describes her cunning mind and conniving ways. I could not wait
to see how Ranger Titus Kingsley was going to catch her and what a great sting
it was!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With
fabulous descriptions of…well…everything, I can see this becoming one I reread
many times! Of course, no one writes western quite like this author so when a
beloved classic fairytale meets a pen like Witemeyer wields, it is bound to become
a classic in its own right among Christian fiction fans. Truly, the faith
thread was so well done for both Penelope and Titus, and their romance is as
delectable as apple cider.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
received an early copy of the book from the publisher through Netgalley. I was
not required to write a positive review. No compensation has been received.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><b>Have you read any fairytale retellings? If so, let me know in the comments.</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzjsduPwxgEwc2-9DBcsF10gdAbA0Lp-KI2_7frd2lsqA03E204ZUKeVo4-rdkgR38Y67IOt525Kbi8rvkFGz2NYrKppB1OdSB4SvWU8x95sf1k9ikD9a108h8lsEJ_RYlCJzR4fLfTOVPwZSg7qb1NL8siFRLIeJJ2_n6Gn7mk4Z8nyw60GBc0GnaxXPK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="146" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzjsduPwxgEwc2-9DBcsF10gdAbA0Lp-KI2_7frd2lsqA03E204ZUKeVo4-rdkgR38Y67IOt525Kbi8rvkFGz2NYrKppB1OdSB4SvWU8x95sf1k9ikD9a108h8lsEJ_RYlCJzR4fLfTOVPwZSg7qb1NL8siFRLIeJJ2_n6Gn7mk4Z8nyw60GBc0GnaxXPK=w154-h140" width="154" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-55460284387779886622023-06-08T22:14:00.005-04:002023-06-28T08:26:30.848-04:00Review ~ Man of Shadow & Mist (Of Monsters and Men, 2) by Michelle Griep<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3JZOG1UnSte6kXo3N8Z1vZlmBLYExfRz3FiFPkJWommCn-UHJhtNx6nHItxDJo1IuuXMiI0viMX9bbqXEHmslovzBivYER9L90cCG-OW1L5fWP2S1Z3mvYxVE7h4Ejob78OkxK1Uvtz8pKXP2BfjaRnub3ffVhnfYxita_y0M8C0Ta7NvonqO5WvS0A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3JZOG1UnSte6kXo3N8Z1vZlmBLYExfRz3FiFPkJWommCn-UHJhtNx6nHItxDJo1IuuXMiI0viMX9bbqXEHmslovzBivYER9L90cCG-OW1L5fWP2S1Z3mvYxVE7h4Ejob78OkxK1Uvtz8pKXP2BfjaRnub3ffVhnfYxita_y0M8C0Ta7NvonqO5WvS0A=w421-h640" width="421" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;">Barbour Fiction, 320 Pages (Paperback)</div></span><p style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt;">“The world seems
full of good men—even if there are monsters in it.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt;">–Bram Stoker, Dracula</span></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">England, 1890</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire,
leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to
drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when
the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say
he is cursed.</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">James hates everything about England. The weather.
The rumours. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for
which he’s desperately trying to find a cure—an illness that will eventually
take his own life.</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about
James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept
what she can’t explain—especially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James
must battle a town steeped in fear as well as the unsettling attraction he
feels for the no-nonsense librarian.</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and
doubt?</span></div></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">____________________________________________________</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">My Review ~ 5 STARS</span></b><b><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Griep has written another absolutely riviting
page turner! Man of Shadow & Mist is one of the highlights of my reading
this year. I could not put this book down and devoured it as if it was a chocolate
candy bar in front of me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">With a fascinating plot and deep spiritual truths,
any fan of Grieps will enjoy spending a few hours immersed in this book. I may
have been a little more entranced by the story because when I was in high school
I had a small speaking part in the play (Dracula) that our drama dept put on.
It was such fun! Reading this semi re-telling brought back many good memories
of one of my favorite electives. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">James was trying so hard to find a cure for his
mother and subsequently himself. My heart hurt for him for all the cruelty he’d
been subjected to by the town people. His moment of surrender to the Lord and
recognizing God’s sovereignty over even this brought tears to my eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Rosa is such a lovely young woman who sees beyond
the gossip. She has a bit of trepidation toward James early on however, she doesn’t
believe the myths and folklore about vampires so she stands strong and
befriends him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Griep found a way to bring a shining light in
deep darkness and has once again solidified her place in gothic fiction. I
highly recommend this book! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">I received an early copy from the author and
publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. No compensation has
been received. This is my opinion of the book.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizw_grQxcM_wHmXn4WNPPF2rSKn9TUOFQ_r5E3PhiVPtBYevZMY1NqXT1NNGqVygMpNjCskFdSqJrPKNCDuKUVm7781ChIfGMrFUxu4RRtkRhm1J2d-9uFR37zv7hHxD2ERcguXo28htq4NV6MmoS7vfl-n3IFDMUafbiBSbgTIQZ8FJii682QdV_ycQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="146" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizw_grQxcM_wHmXn4WNPPF2rSKn9TUOFQ_r5E3PhiVPtBYevZMY1NqXT1NNGqVygMpNjCskFdSqJrPKNCDuKUVm7781ChIfGMrFUxu4RRtkRhm1J2d-9uFR37zv7hHxD2ERcguXo28htq4NV6MmoS7vfl-n3IFDMUafbiBSbgTIQZ8FJii682QdV_ycQ=w166-h151" width="166" /></a></span></div><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-78145913814640205552023-06-02T12:39:00.003-04:002023-06-02T12:39:56.785-04:00Rebecca Reviews ~ In This Moment (Timeless, #2) by Gabrielle Meyer<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihZ2E-RbIsEbUl95mMQnbXbXOYMQQmSf7suMSkcwVp2A8qwsA_BR7zRwSmI-Z1vHIeCpRTZAeBQKIYBZE23MtWKaxnd8-cVcKFpYMBGp2OD8lbi8XA65tDQNdF2lj9cKvMkts3eGncC4ui1Zkmh3YplQvqHu7kV3q-Lc5CjdNCvRuk37pG6zaJpfQYOw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="325" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihZ2E-RbIsEbUl95mMQnbXbXOYMQQmSf7suMSkcwVp2A8qwsA_BR7zRwSmI-Z1vHIeCpRTZAeBQKIYBZE23MtWKaxnd8-cVcKFpYMBGp2OD8lbi8XA65tDQNdF2lj9cKvMkts3eGncC4ui1Zkmh3YplQvqHu7kV3q-Lc5CjdNCvRuk37pG6zaJpfQYOw=w408-h640" width="408" /></a></span></b></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">416 Pages, Paperback</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">Published May 2, 2023, Bethany House Publishers</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">About the Book</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until, that is, she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives--and everyone she knows in them--forever.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><div style="text-align: center;">In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of an influential senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a Navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she's asked to join a hospital ship being sent to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she's a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon, yet unable to use her modern skills in her other paths.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><div style="text-align: center;">While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era. The mysterious British gentleman. The prickly, demanding doctor. The charming young congressman. She's drawn to each man in different ways, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><div style="text-align: center;">With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?</div></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">_________________________________________________________________</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">3.5 stars</span></b></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Most days, I could pretend that my life was normal. I was a twenty-year old woman searching for my place in the world .. . . The only difference was that I had three normal lives . . . I would have to choose which one to keep and which to forfeit."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Do you ever get scared?" . . . . . . "Of saying good-bye . . . forever?"</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Going to sleep in one life, and waking in another had always been a way of life for Margaret Wakefield, Maggie Hollingsworth, and Meg Clarke. Born as a time crosser, she deftly navigated her knowledge of American history between 1861, 1941, and 2001. . . . . albeit every once in a while her comments or actions raised a few eyebrows (or even quite a few eyebrows), leaving Maggie no option but to continue on as if nothing unusual had just happened; however, the clock kept ticking towards her twenty-first birthday (and final decision time). Determined to find her true calling, she pursued the field of medicine in each era and tried very hard to guard her heart in the process, but three men made that task particularly difficult. Would one of them prove to "be enough"?</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Amazingly, this author has sewn together a trio of intriguing life spans into one very interesting story, recalling how all three time periods had very similar, yet singular challenges. One of my deepest impressions came while reading this particular conversation; "None of us are independent of the ones we love. We're woven together like a big tapestry, with each color unique and vibrant, but making a larger picture possible. You're woven right here for eternity."</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And those three men? The ones who made Maggie's heart beat faster? Well . . . . "when you know, you know".</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. I also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.</span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnPwcRRa80nHXvNyFFITwG2hVCQE-McLgiUSMYBYZLWdVjA8sD9jfVOdRk71XNsLDbnYfZqCqjDe3tTGSEVCbIazQwbiwYECJKmR5Aq9Bdb6ZqQ8noiF1aBJafs9i8EPf3EZQhsTqf8txzfS8qn_wWhipEOPJDEcb7qzfoDXAIU5EeV5OUHQmyf836DQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="512" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnPwcRRa80nHXvNyFFITwG2hVCQE-McLgiUSMYBYZLWdVjA8sD9jfVOdRk71XNsLDbnYfZqCqjDe3tTGSEVCbIazQwbiwYECJKmR5Aq9Bdb6ZqQ8noiF1aBJafs9i8EPf3EZQhsTqf8txzfS8qn_wWhipEOPJDEcb7qzfoDXAIU5EeV5OUHQmyf836DQ=w640-h376" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></span></span>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-42575780058538705622023-05-18T19:51:00.003-04:002023-05-18T19:51:19.561-04:00Short Review ~ Dear Henry, Love Edith by Becca Kinzer<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjss3lF1v-YrPA86u-xwuUfhClaeH7bqhA11Qq-W2suJdQmWysDSYx5cPGcRYCfMF54HQGHZ48pWiQTCFtd3T1i4oQmZfFKw8A3xeoMmQtkCJizXnT3sFEMHYSEo8HN5gC0F8Avi3ON4Y2KqAg-YUrS8fX2ZwTLx0yFRBe2ZxPAjRQq7wlsnbhZWv4OYw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjss3lF1v-YrPA86u-xwuUfhClaeH7bqhA11Qq-W2suJdQmWysDSYx5cPGcRYCfMF54HQGHZ48pWiQTCFtd3T1i4oQmZfFKw8A3xeoMmQtkCJizXnT3sFEMHYSEo8HN5gC0F8Avi3ON4Y2KqAg-YUrS8fX2ZwTLx0yFRBe2ZxPAjRQq7wlsnbhZWv4OYw=w427-h640" width="427" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="DescListItem" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4f4f4d; display: table-row; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><dd style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px;"><div class="TruncatedContent" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--small" data-testid="contentContainer" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-height: 8.8rem; overflow: hidden; text-align: center; word-break: break-word;" tabindex="-1"></div></div></dd><dd style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px;"></dd><dd style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px;"></dd><dd style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px;"></dd><dd style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px;"><br /></dd></div><div class="DescListItem" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4f4f4d; display: table-row; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><dt style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--color-text-subdued); display: table-cell; padding: 0.4rem 1.6rem 0.4rem 0px; text-align: center; width: 12.5rem;"><br /></dt><dd style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0.4rem 0px;"><br /></dd></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><b>About the Book</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">After a short and difficult marriage, recently widowed Edith Sherman has learned her lesson. Forget love. Forget marriage. She plans to fill her thirties with adventure. As she awaits the final paperwork for a humanitarian trip to South Africa, she accepts a short-term nursing position in a small Midwestern town. The last thing she needs is a handsome local catching her eye. How inconvenient is that?</span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><div style="text-align: center;">Henry Hobbes isn't exactly thrilled to have Edith, who he assumes is an elderly widow, dumped on him as a houseguest for the summer. But he'd do almost anything for his niece, who is practically like a sister to him given how close they are in age. Especially since Edith will be working nights and Henry works most days. When he and Edith keep missing each other in person, they begin exchanging notes--short messages at first, then longer letters, sharing increasingly personal parts of their lives.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><div style="text-align: center;">By the time Henry realizes his mistake--that Edith is actually the brown-eyed beauty he keeps bumping into around town--their hearts are so intertwined he hopes they never unravel. But with her departure date rapidly approaching, and Henry's roots firmly planted at home, Edith must ultimately decide if the adventure of her dreams is the one right in front of her.</div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>________________________________________</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #13b8d5; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><b>My Review 4 STARS!!!</b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I thoroughly enjoyed binging on this contemporary rom-com!! Lots of fun to read with engaging characters, captivating plot twists, and amusing dialogue. Complete delight in this debut novel!!! </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">A friend loaned me the book. I was under no obligation to write a review.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>________________________________________</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Has anyone else read this one? If so, let me know in the comment section. And offer a recommendation if you've read a good book this spring!</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOZ51k8-qnyZc3gsJtwvUB8fUArtbmd8udTdtTPCuNBQg29i6zwvPLSWEgjyy-IKrrzHYv9d3YsQ3fGsskd5x1HtvBvEiNuEZvqV3UkXpfR154LUbaUHr1mV_KpUn53QJfi2wa3JEv8EE62v-ONvNZdmDWL0m-IlC_79VgGSap0ASLjwY5etKsZ9UGiA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="639" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOZ51k8-qnyZc3gsJtwvUB8fUArtbmd8udTdtTPCuNBQg29i6zwvPLSWEgjyy-IKrrzHYv9d3YsQ3fGsskd5x1HtvBvEiNuEZvqV3UkXpfR154LUbaUHr1mV_KpUn53QJfi2wa3JEv8EE62v-ONvNZdmDWL0m-IlC_79VgGSap0ASLjwY5etKsZ9UGiA=w640-h416" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-80043311231005254262023-04-10T14:46:00.002-04:002023-04-10T14:46:24.711-04:00New Release from Mimi Matthews!!!<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tomorrow is the <span style="color: #ff00fe;">DAY</span>!!!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61883167-return-to-satterthwaite-court" target="_blank">Return to Satterthwaite Court</a></i> </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">releases from highly acclaimed author Mimi Matthews.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I pre-ordered my copy from Audible because narrator Alex Wyndham is one of my favorite narrators.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IPgFGwZaDfHopvCoUkdINuXAMPfcWNofYoXttgbUt7tAhv8dHrpT4acZxVsgU09nnF_T6C05yTd-6LngcH27hvdKvMvlM9J5JBImyfikh5dDzJIj0v8B66cAKoljQ1cus1LiR_3sBd-SyHEJcPBa0qs7zuOaa_awkQQC3Xe4AWgG3iISm2kC1tdy8w/s774/Satterwaite%20Court%20Mimi%20Matthews.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="774" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IPgFGwZaDfHopvCoUkdINuXAMPfcWNofYoXttgbUt7tAhv8dHrpT4acZxVsgU09nnF_T6C05yTd-6LngcH27hvdKvMvlM9J5JBImyfikh5dDzJIj0v8B66cAKoljQ1cus1LiR_3sBd-SyHEJcPBa0qs7zuOaa_awkQQC3Xe4AWgG3iISm2kC1tdy8w/w640-h290/Satterwaite%20Court%20Mimi%20Matthews.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><ul aria-label="Top genres for this book" class="CollapsableList" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Do you enjoy audio books? I had to train myself to listen to them during the "year no one wants to remember" took place and we were all told to stay shut up in our homes. No library access, and publishers weren't mailing books for such a long time that it was excruciating for this avid reader. So I signed up for Audible and I think one of the first books I bought was by Mimi Matthews. I was hooked right then and went through every one of her books she had published at the time. Long days of sitting on porch with a sewing project in my lap and a historical novel in my ear was just about perfect in spite of the chaos going on in the world.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUdgOoj4W3Otwl93Mq4v9CdR6cGjIoN2bSy_TDuC3jTxFwuDG-6Z5R4x-CTyQdjijYmBezh_Y8XqobsUyM6qqQ10oHN4W1QfwKtr9mCdNVpcN_PCVtp37xegSYU2uyxscswhq5eK7r_0DlKVWeKQwCz2Y1VwEn_TRZE1qpqV-cSCudSUUMhjvZ5UFWfQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4512" data-original-width="2820" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUdgOoj4W3Otwl93Mq4v9CdR6cGjIoN2bSy_TDuC3jTxFwuDG-6Z5R4x-CTyQdjijYmBezh_Y8XqobsUyM6qqQ10oHN4W1QfwKtr9mCdNVpcN_PCVtp37xegSYU2uyxscswhq5eK7r_0DlKVWeKQwCz2Y1VwEn_TRZE1qpqV-cSCudSUUMhjvZ5UFWfQ=w250-h400" width="250" /></a></div>If you haven't read any of Matthews' books, I highly recommend them. They are considered clean Victorian Romances and quite intriguing, especially her Parish Orphans of Devon series. I've listened to the third book, <b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46255541-a-convenient-fiction" target="_blank">A Convenient Fiction</a></i></b>, about 5 or 6 times. </span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><ul aria-label="Top genres for this book" class="CollapsableList" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-style: italic; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></ul><ul aria-label="Top genres for this book" class="CollapsableList" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>My Review on Goodreads:</b></span></ul><ul aria-label="Top genres for this book" class="CollapsableList" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-style: italic; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></ul><i>"Excellently done!!!</i><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><i>A Convenient Fiction is a beautifully romantic story with fabulous narration!! It was a pleasure to listen to. I loved it."</i></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">But if you aren't an audio book fan, that's ok! They're published in traditional print and e-book as well. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I don't get any revenue from you using any links on this blog. I'm just sharing because it's easy and quick to get to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16948224.Mimi_Matthews" target="_blank">Matthews'</a> profile on Goodreads. And from there, you can decide for yourself! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I sincerely hope your spring is off to a good start! I've been very busy tending to my chickens, grandbaby and family.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizPiwSw-aRDpNG2CbCkdx55Z--LL8kleFgdwqHyLXg8kHSTWYjEFRm64tg4oigCKu-p1PllHWPOGkFMeYV3JCEfEA6F7cSLCdnBfN3NT8NXaH-hJpOsBK9qfoEmavuV8JyYEZ2AwIeZVKp-OxOfzzFFkMtWhGfxfqMHheBlZ2qYbMVnPhusvearFVfZg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizPiwSw-aRDpNG2CbCkdx55Z--LL8kleFgdwqHyLXg8kHSTWYjEFRm64tg4oigCKu-p1PllHWPOGkFMeYV3JCEfEA6F7cSLCdnBfN3NT8NXaH-hJpOsBK9qfoEmavuV8JyYEZ2AwIeZVKp-OxOfzzFFkMtWhGfxfqMHheBlZ2qYbMVnPhusvearFVfZg=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #050505; text-align: start;">I love the color variations from light cream to reddish brown to blue to green to olive. Life is better with chickens!! </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="color: #050505; display: inline-flex; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; text-align: start; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="❤️" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tf3/1.5/16/2764.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></span></span></div></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGWv3Gco1SJN3w2MOFM0PHJVKseU7STNQYDRN0ZJOusPqaszonrY6sm4CoEVp-8dkGMs17nok1-oWs9MdADdc3hXkwLqULtWaCXB5oQgg3MVO6DNlXJdg3liFvrAEG0AoMPgPvb6GTjqaDyX521U9F10CrCJ_wIdXa_VNyHTchBwF-0O8cUie11GPWA/s1920/Daisy%20Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1920" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGWv3Gco1SJN3w2MOFM0PHJVKseU7STNQYDRN0ZJOusPqaszonrY6sm4CoEVp-8dkGMs17nok1-oWs9MdADdc3hXkwLqULtWaCXB5oQgg3MVO6DNlXJdg3liFvrAEG0AoMPgPvb6GTjqaDyX521U9F10CrCJ_wIdXa_VNyHTchBwF-0O8cUie11GPWA/w640-h416/Daisy%20Signature.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-64951396966669015402023-03-13T09:02:00.002-04:002023-03-13T09:02:51.363-04:00Rebecca Reviews ~ The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4iRABRB-ajEEC32GZ-AP_fh2WAXb-90zrR1eqG8x64n3Gt0E311PWNnHyoOsL_UdVV3zTKMlrj4O7OAXRBXuKTGndBQFfKXioq3uz_wlKfv9MizzqHICYRS1QENqz0BkThLT5Ou2qkrzs8bwB7Iv7Eszci4rIIGIJRikvWtCBUaSg8oP3KriF5blBFg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4iRABRB-ajEEC32GZ-AP_fh2WAXb-90zrR1eqG8x64n3Gt0E311PWNnHyoOsL_UdVV3zTKMlrj4O7OAXRBXuKTGndBQFfKXioq3uz_wlKfv9MizzqHICYRS1QENqz0BkThLT5Ou2qkrzs8bwB7Iv7Eszci4rIIGIJRikvWtCBUaSg8oP3KriF5blBFg=w413-h640" width="413" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4f4f4d;">352 pages, Paperback, </span><span style="color: #4f4f4d;">First
published February 21, 2023</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">About the Book<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Brianna Kelly was
abandoned at Ballymacool House and Boarding School as an infant. She has worked
there since she was a wee girl and will likely die there. Despite a sense that
she was made for something more, Brianna feels powerless to change her situation,
so she consoles herself by exploring the Ballymacool grounds, looking for
hidden treasures to add to the secret trove beneath the floorboards of her room. <br><br>When Michael Wray, the son of local gentry, is
sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin, he finds himself drawn to
Brianna, immediately and inescapably. There is something about her that feels
so . . . familiar. When Brianna finds a piece of silver in the woods, she
commits to learning its origins, with the help of Michael. What they discover
may change everything. <br><br>Fan favorite Jennifer Deibel invites you back to
the Emerald Isle in the 1930s for this fresh take on the Cinderella story,
complete with a tantalizing mystery, a budding romance, and a chance at
redemption.
__________________________________________________________________________
<br><br><b>Rebecca's Review ~ 3.5 STARS</b><br><br>More to her story? If you were to ask Brianna, her story was rather short and simple. Orphaned as an infant, dropped off in a basket at Maureen Magee's front door, assigned the role of a house servant at the Ballymacool House and Boarding School for Girls as soon as she was old enough to contribute to the needs of the household, Brianna worked nearly night and day handling endless tasks with little time to dawdle. And yet . . . . was there an "and yet"?
<br><br>Michael Wray, a local gentleman, arrives at Ballymacool to aid in the oversight of his young cousin, whose unladylike behavior has caused quite a stir among her fellow students. On the other hand, his encounters with the lovely housemaid are surprisingly refreshing, Brianna has a certain charm about her, coupled with a hint of something else . . . familiarity? It's obvious how terribly Mistress Magee is treating the young woman, but for what reason? Michael has many questions for which there seem to be very few answers.
<br><br>This politely predictable story has a certain allure about it that even its "cinderella" setting cannot deny is appealing. The author has written in just enough intrigue (for who doesn't love a good secret) to keep the reader tip-toeing around the pages, eagerly awaiting the next clue. As it turns out, that "more to the story" could be a fairy tale all its own.
<br><br>"Just remember, tis no secret that's known to three."
<br><br>I received a copy of this book from the publisher and also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"></span></div><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkM6KGUqVgAn-bQw5UfAv8Ub4MFYtviCThRRUdbgrQ6bETOxtYDFCz_wZpUnEBssKy3rFJeQ3suzxDJmtsR5vS0vjx1-hpg5MGOIVAL0ydjQ0HpYskfnkKAZVjmLmDTmq7Zc8ee3j_lJY3jIgxmfYM6pSBMaYyrdUxjAcX16BClSr-dODmx57TmRA9w/s512/Rebecca%20Maney%20BIO.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkM6KGUqVgAn-bQw5UfAv8Ub4MFYtviCThRRUdbgrQ6bETOxtYDFCz_wZpUnEBssKy3rFJeQ3suzxDJmtsR5vS0vjx1-hpg5MGOIVAL0ydjQ0HpYskfnkKAZVjmLmDTmq7Zc8ee3j_lJY3jIgxmfYM6pSBMaYyrdUxjAcX16BClSr-dODmx57TmRA9w/s600/Rebecca%20Maney%20BIO.png"/></a></div>
Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-66410715437111926122023-02-28T14:51:00.001-05:002023-02-28T14:51:12.220-05:00GIVEAWAY - Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusXBAxIUZq448zEkf7K3UVrcPYXEtvlxdAPTGVMC6dJtggbA-1EDFyG5sTAZzuuUNpIuk2XKuZcfdr0fQKMx_7x69jHC4Sgv2_IJru0a1lS1Alfcj6Sejm6IKUZEioP0WchgtuJGtqsz7Ucj8Oc5sUD2SkRe5DJbdZIDn5PtjZ1EPiBCOF2BU1-IEvw/s400/56098635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusXBAxIUZq448zEkf7K3UVrcPYXEtvlxdAPTGVMC6dJtggbA-1EDFyG5sTAZzuuUNpIuk2XKuZcfdr0fQKMx_7x69jHC4Sgv2_IJru0a1lS1Alfcj6Sejm6IKUZEioP0WchgtuJGtqsz7Ucj8Oc5sUD2SkRe5DJbdZIDn5PtjZ1EPiBCOF2BU1-IEvw/w345-h534/56098635.jpg" width="345" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">Published 2021</div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">I have an unread extra paperback copy of Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong I'm giving away.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book was on my Top Reads in 2021!! Just a snippet from my review -- "Rom-com between the pages is a great way to describe the story and it would definitely make for a hilarious </span><span style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: times; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a style="animation-name: none; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; transition-property: none;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;">movie." </span></span></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">You can read the full review here at </span><span style="animation-name: none;"><span style="animation-name: none; font-size: large; transition-property: none;"></span></span></span></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative; white-space: normal;"><a href="https://annepayne.blogspot.com/2021/08/author-interview-review-husband.html" target="_blank">Author Interview & Review ~ Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong + GIVEAWAY</a></h3><div style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #050505;">Leave a comment letting me know what you've been doing these final weeks of winter, or summer if you're that far away ;) And </span><b><span style="color: red;">please</span></b><span style="color: #050505;"> follow this blog. It's much appreciated! </span></span></div><div style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">This giveaway is <b>US ONLY </b>(48 contiguous states). Sorry, postage is a bear!</span></span></div><div style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I'll pick a winner on March 3rd. Don't forget to <i><b>leave an email</b></i> so I can contact you if you win!!! No email, no entry.</span></div><div style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; transition-property: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkLquve1Exq-7VMtfpQSlU1rpzQQ16rvq0BSh3eXwNe7S2ZYi3QROMaxQXBNDyMD5dpU2EQNV0V-j0WDz8FtgN6qbZwf2sOD2tzAFs10oMU7u4Gxr0KAbUS8LNweXcsBeGVHMbdd-2PKI2x78aWDWCVrdp9a-5A_wZyvBjuGzNFgAOHF2rEmAyh11ug/s648/red%20separator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="39" data-original-width="648" height="19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkLquve1Exq-7VMtfpQSlU1rpzQQ16rvq0BSh3eXwNe7S2ZYi3QROMaxQXBNDyMD5dpU2EQNV0V-j0WDz8FtgN6qbZwf2sOD2tzAFs10oMU7u4Gxr0KAbUS8LNweXcsBeGVHMbdd-2PKI2x78aWDWCVrdp9a-5A_wZyvBjuGzNFgAOHF2rEmAyh11ug/s320/red%20separator.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Side note:</i></b> My blog has sat unattended once again for several weeks as I have been dealing with a health issue. It's an ongoing one but I am now feeling quite a bit better. I do hope to share soon several books I've read (none of them for official review, just ones I've found on Kindle Unlimited) while resting and gaining the upper hand on this condition. I also hope to get back to regularly visiting some of my dear online friends! I have certainly read your newsletters and blog posts in my email and enjoyed them. I just didn't have the stamina to get around to commenting. ~May the Lord be with you always,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHKvDu1D3UgSX-WAw_JkS1-lR36opH83zt9Aq_6v3VZh79V9kFZ4HkXjLbUmWQzvBHHEcrg7XXWLliNA1bqiODQO7cE0gJvuxQjVrK9BmYO4xnNYoSewttHrhl7dllba6dibYdta4555Bj5HB7yDJgryHqRefuobnC9tCiPx5f7a9vDS7fUjztBToyA/s146/anne%20signature1.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="146" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHKvDu1D3UgSX-WAw_JkS1-lR36opH83zt9Aq_6v3VZh79V9kFZ4HkXjLbUmWQzvBHHEcrg7XXWLliNA1bqiODQO7cE0gJvuxQjVrK9BmYO4xnNYoSewttHrhl7dllba6dibYdta4555Bj5HB7yDJgryHqRefuobnC9tCiPx5f7a9vDS7fUjztBToyA/s1600/anne%20signature1.png" width="146" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></span></div></div></div><div style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-53192432389705001222023-01-19T20:22:00.000-05:002023-01-19T20:22:02.555-05:00Review ~ I'm Not Charlotte Lucas by Kasey Stockton<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAPY3SI59mRuweq6Q1s4mnTKi5npCpucY9JbThXDkRCggYo2X7nY9UlZ3GX_toETfKhWXuQscG5PbVvGoKYo52jfDPmI6ZYRPsUE_4qG_uVh3qnctX8f2eeCpoiInpEv_MfHg2lC7Nx6dV1sPu0VcF4IP0Ia76QBW19kItrQVZmiV_Vb0SDlBOwMwexw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAPY3SI59mRuweq6Q1s4mnTKi5npCpucY9JbThXDkRCggYo2X7nY9UlZ3GX_toETfKhWXuQscG5PbVvGoKYo52jfDPmI6ZYRPsUE_4qG_uVh3qnctX8f2eeCpoiInpEv_MfHg2lC7Nx6dV1sPu0VcF4IP0Ia76QBW19kItrQVZmiV_Vb0SDlBOwMwexw=w427-h640" width="427" /></a></div></span></span><div class="row" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span itemprop="bookFormat">Paperback</span>, <span itemprop="numberOfPages">240 pages</span></span></div><div class="row" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Expected publication: February 7th 2023 by Covenant Communications</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span><div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Northern California girl Charlotte “Charlie” Lucas has two great loves: Diet Coke and Pride and Prejudice. But her passion for Regency classics is tempered by a very real fear: Charlie is terrified of having to endure the fate of her namesake—spinsterhood. Despite her best attempts to maintain a modern sensibility, she can’t say no when an elderly neighbor asks Charlie to attend a charity ball with her grandson. Blind date or not, Charlie is powerless to resist the allure of a real-life ball. Soon it’s clear that she will struggle to resist the charms of her blind date too.</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: center;">Liam Connell is every bit the swoon-worthy leading man, straight out of Charlie’s daydreams. But he’s completely unattainable—his last girlfriend was a gorgeous actress and a far cry from Charlie’s world. So after a magical evening with Liam, Charlie is ready to get back to reality, even if her best option right now is a former boyfriend who wants to give it another shot. Unfortunately, despite imagining she’ll never see Liam again, he seems to be everywhere. How is a lady to move past a fantasy when life suddenly seems to be imitating fiction to an alarming degree?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b>My Review 4 STARS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Charlotte (Charlie) Lucas is filled with insecurities so at almost age 27 she is feeling much like one of the characters in Pride and Prejudice that she is named after. Charlie has only ever dated a "Mr Collins" so with no hope of finding her own "Mr Darcy", she agrees to a blind date with her neighbors grandson, Liam. Low and behold he is tall, dark, and handsome, and she figures with his job and connections in Hollywood he is out of her league. But she sure feels a spark of attraction to him and much to her surprise, he feels the same way toward her. Working through feelings of inadequacy leads Charlie on an enlightening discovery about self with her own "Mr Darcy" by her side.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fans of Austen will undoubtedly enjoy this delightful rom-com from Stockton. She is a talented wordsmith. <i>I'm Not Charlotte Lucas</i> is a clean contemporary romance that makes for a fun and diverting afternoon read. </div><div><br /></div><div>I received an electronic copy from the publisher through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.</div><div><br /></div><div>________________________________________</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Have you read any of Kasey Stockton's books? I've read most of her Regency's and loved them. I was delighted to find that she is just as talented writing contemporary romance. Click over to her book list in case you want to go in search of a good, clean read. <a href="https://kaseystockton.com/bookshelf.html">https://kaseystockton.com/bookshelf.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>________________________________________</div><div><br /></div></div><div>I know I've been off the radar for a while but the holidays proved to have many distractions, mostly a grandbaby that many of y'all know about. He is 10 months old now and walking!!! He spends a lot of time with us but I hope to have a better handle on time management this year so I can have more time to sew, craft, read, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwMVJ6BsL1GyyV1DfQFIOwVSLZsztn1uyd5qIPwcMzopQcOxgQddl-UCiD17zgueQP7_smPbubmPUxAfExlfXOE7wa0NgbJMy80AmZsm1smaZj0NE6_ovNGxuAuz342Qjd7hVQKQROFrcH-L5RfdTX-0QOvtoXcAwWdbZkBHHjWnTiaHFPdadIa43Pw/s1280/tea%20signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1280" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwMVJ6BsL1GyyV1DfQFIOwVSLZsztn1uyd5qIPwcMzopQcOxgQddl-UCiD17zgueQP7_smPbubmPUxAfExlfXOE7wa0NgbJMy80AmZsm1smaZj0NE6_ovNGxuAuz342Qjd7hVQKQROFrcH-L5RfdTX-0QOvtoXcAwWdbZkBHHjWnTiaHFPdadIa43Pw/s320/tea%20signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div></span></span></div>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-76550033293261522732022-11-16T15:50:00.003-05:002022-11-16T15:50:54.023-05:00Review ~ Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirS7ohD4ajQCivq1Dl_GpV6_vQ5tyYoR7tjPjltcbKPj2YRyjUSHu-Zp9UIgB5vpBeayFOz64gyDWzJZUyvubwsv_pBT9bQ2nQJWxzXr8qofADp_2m8OShmRPKIw-4d5vStow0qtqhA1FQ5HGFZ9mNE4cQ2zmU9_Dl6q2vUeUTJqm-X90ZcmEtB4SHJQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirS7ohD4ajQCivq1Dl_GpV6_vQ5tyYoR7tjPjltcbKPj2YRyjUSHu-Zp9UIgB5vpBeayFOz64gyDWzJZUyvubwsv_pBT9bQ2nQJWxzXr8qofADp_2m8OShmRPKIw-4d5vStow0qtqhA1FQ5HGFZ9mNE4cQ2zmU9_Dl6q2vUeUTJqm-X90ZcmEtB4SHJQ=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I missed launch day yesterday because I was loving on our sweet little 8 month old grandson but I do want to encourage any of you who have read epistolary novels to definitely give this newest from Pepper Basham a go!!! I absolutely loved it!!! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/authenticallyizzy?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZVpSFyNWsl49YRWLypvT7OH8RLJ3VRbUuQuWaA605D3DT8r2Fnm8uuj8pktvGvfw38QoAI0ydcM17yh53mo-yWqcIY9PLP93fnXoF6LnDXeU72KcI8L-uEcZ1QTB9CWf8n7nWI-pL70jAKhSg6QzM160yetho_nIyk8Tm8GYVq9-g&__tn__=*NK-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#authenticallyizzy</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/blameitonabashambook?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZVpSFyNWsl49YRWLypvT7OH8RLJ3VRbUuQuWaA605D3DT8r2Fnm8uuj8pktvGvfw38QoAI0ydcM17yh53mo-yWqcIY9PLP93fnXoF6LnDXeU72KcI8L-uEcZ1QTB9CWf8n7nWI-pL70jAKhSg6QzM160yetho_nIyk8Tm8GYVq9-g&__tn__=*NK-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#BlameItOnABashamBook</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>About the Book</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">“Dear Izzy—I feel certain there’s a book-loving man living relatively nearby waiting to speak bookish to you ’til death do you part. You just haven’t met yet.”</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">Izzy Edgewood is a wannabe bookstore owner, quote queen, and Lord of the Rings nerd who has been waiting for Prince Charming to sweep her off her sneakered feet. But it’s hard to meet people when you spend more time with fictional humans than real ones. Which is why her pragmatist cousin Josephine decides to take Izzy’s future into her own meddling hands and create an online dating profile for the hopeful romantic.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">To Izzy’s shock (and suspicion), Josie’s plan works. Soon, she’s dialoguing with a Hobbit-loving man named Brodie who lives in a small town an ocean away from her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But is their shared love of books, family, and correspondence enough to overcome Izzy’s fear of flying and the literal distance between them? And is a long-distance relationship even worth considering when a local author has been frequenting the library where she works and is proving to be a perfectly fine gentleman?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">In this epistolary novel from award-winning author Pepper Basham, bookish dreams and happily-ever-afters collide to create a beautiful sort of magic that’s even better than fiction.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">Purchase:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Authentically-Izzy-Pepper-Basham/dp/084071498X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1668631593&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><a href="https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/459791" target="_blank">Baker Book House</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.christianbook.com/authentically-izzy-pepper-basham/9780840714985/pd/714985?product_redirect=1&search_term=authentically%20&Ntt=714985&item_code=&ps_exit=PRODUCT|legacy&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">Christianbook</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMYC_GBs1wQaBeFED9X56wCHoJxTxOpMFA_VopVIimrC_0qmkyxTLRGb56U66hFbpj7eetTzlKNcLEBZtpupMPjowEzxQqHCXHIQy00uvsoTBwdlAMfvoz50y4l7IqAxqFJcRW-sqqiJ16bI8V1oC0sVCYvqNicuwVbDN6BrZGbjrl7maol4_v-EFw8g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="529" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMYC_GBs1wQaBeFED9X56wCHoJxTxOpMFA_VopVIimrC_0qmkyxTLRGb56U66hFbpj7eetTzlKNcLEBZtpupMPjowEzxQqHCXHIQy00uvsoTBwdlAMfvoz50y4l7IqAxqFJcRW-sqqiJ16bI8V1oC0sVCYvqNicuwVbDN6BrZGbjrl7maol4_v-EFw8g=w416-h640" width="416" /></a></div><br />My Review 5 STARS</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">I have seen glimpses of Basham’s humor for years in her stories but I was unprepared for the level of wittiness that she has produced in <i>Authentically, Izzy</i>. Outstanding is all I can say.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">A long time fan of epistolary novels, this one utterly delighted me with its fast pace, charming characters, and entertaining plot. I waited on pins and needles for the proverbial ball to drop and when it did I found myself muttering to Brodie and Izzy about how stupid they had been/were being. But of course without this tension the whole time it wouldn’t be any fun to read.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">If you are looking for your imagination to be captivated by solid imagery, character growth, family dynamics and faraway lands, look no further than Authentically, Izzy. While much of it is written communication—texts and emails—there is plenty of face time (see what I did there ha-ha) between Brodie and Izzy and his family which adds an extra dimension to the story. The descriptions are so vivid I had no problem visualizing anything.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">I highly recommend this book to Basham fans and fans of contemporary romance that enjoy epistolary style novels.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">I received an electronic copy from the author with no expectation of a positive review.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-71453913173791377402022-11-14T20:03:00.001-05:002022-11-14T20:03:35.316-05:00Review ~ The Sisters of Sea View (on Devonshire Shores Book 1) by Julie Klassen<h2 class="description-header" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #162127; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.1px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 10px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlfcDSIxWh3zu-MELqrLzdkCpi1GTbdMtjBfG8tdoPA_RsX9dd9TJFdZ5kJxr0u8LNHfhGEt-w3w4h6EsB39EVPNQDxSNJ8RTvGMNpnLV8EZV0DBW0TkF9HHxBeBLzzZb3A4VNKKwzhs7kABwLDZTjglmEORNaWas_dFlZiFFSYFyxIonadn7IOqMsnA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlfcDSIxWh3zu-MELqrLzdkCpi1GTbdMtjBfG8tdoPA_RsX9dd9TJFdZ5kJxr0u8LNHfhGEt-w3w4h6EsB39EVPNQDxSNJ8RTvGMNpnLV8EZV0DBW0TkF9HHxBeBLzzZb3A4VNKKwzhs7kABwLDZTjglmEORNaWas_dFlZiFFSYFyxIonadn7IOqMsnA=w413-h640" width="413" /></a></div></span><div class="row" style="color: #333333; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-transform: none;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span itemprop="bookFormat">Paperback</span>, <span itemprop="numberOfPages">448 pages</span></span></div><div class="row" style="color: #333333; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-transform: none;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Expected publication: December 6th 2022 by Bethany House Publishers</span></div></h2><div class="expandable-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #162127; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><div class="expandable-text-description description" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span class="expandable-text-rendered" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p></span></div><div class="expandable-text-description description" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span class="expandable-text-rendered" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>About the Book</b></span></p></span></div><div class="expandable-text-description description" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span class="expandable-text-rendered" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p></span></div><div class="expandable-text-description description" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span class="expandable-text-rendered" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When their father’s death leaves them impoverished, Sarah Summers convinces her sisters to open their seaside home to guests to provide for their ailing mother. Emily and Georgiana agree, but Viola, who wears a veil to cover a scar, detests the idea. Determined to stay together, the sisters begin the new venture. Instead of the elderly invalids they expect, however, they find themselves hosting eligible gentlemen. Sarah is torn between a growing attraction to a mysterious Scottish widower and duty to her family. Meanwhile, the new situation exposes Viola’s scars--both the visible and those hidden deep within--and her cloistered heart will never be the same.</span></p></span></div><div class="expandable-text-description description" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span class="expandable-text-rendered" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p></span></div><div class="expandable-text-description description" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span class="expandable-text-rendered" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">__________________________________________________</span></p></span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-line;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>My Review 4 STARS</b></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-line;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There are many nods to Jane Austen’s classic novels in this latest accomplishment from award winning author Julie Klassen. Delightful words of wonder grace the pages of The Sisters of Sea View in a gentle yet engrossing manner. There is a slow pace to this story that rings true to the time period while exerting just enough adventure to keep readers turning pages. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, perhaps this one will offer you several hours of diversion from life’s cares. I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the lives and loves of The Sisters of Sea View. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; font-family: arial; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-line;">I received an electronic copy from the publisher through Netgalley with no expectation of a favorable review.</span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-line;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiy8UHeGvBc63Ka6hTZcB3XFC7DG1FTqdQ28x4SQWoqowsrNziIaaaXjW0PgjdXQ1YvxYVWmBzUOT2I81L4tJYSf1yQFhdxWmmM-dTNwqWbQ5SOPCHBx3COrkRcXEifW_qpUAEE6AsM0VAHxHCE9kfWtRWkXUGqEYDaRNQCPy0d7CWXhKxn1j2Xi2ti9g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="640" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiy8UHeGvBc63Ka6hTZcB3XFC7DG1FTqdQ28x4SQWoqowsrNziIaaaXjW0PgjdXQ1YvxYVWmBzUOT2I81L4tJYSf1yQFhdxWmmM-dTNwqWbQ5SOPCHBx3COrkRcXEifW_qpUAEE6AsM0VAHxHCE9kfWtRWkXUGqEYDaRNQCPy0d7CWXhKxn1j2Xi2ti9g=w640-h474" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div></span>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-80132428575427701772022-10-19T11:33:00.001-04:002022-10-19T11:33:37.029-04:00"I Spy" Premonition GIVEAWAY!!!<p><span style="font-size: x-large;">This is a fantastic *giveaway* to promote this equally fantastic new release from the highly acclaimed author Jaime Jo Wright. Her stories have what it takes to leave this reader breathless on many occasions!! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">My review is posted <a href="https://annepayne.blogspot.com/2022/10/review-premonition-at-withers-farm-by.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a> in case you want to know what I thought about the book. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Don't miss out on this opportunity to win some awesome swag!!!</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFj0QiHsTkMlv-tk2aKhP1mj-zgOuPQOK3p-8vQkCqmjqeYyzmpQpacG2QgRxRsWfSTiAleh8QcpdB5tqg6Z7YKu8y0lpBGks8mJV_gLPEGPAeAXdIIFYyWsC_U3ivBqnH9uBwg0vzhPnHTvEu4_vtKBBxJoTjdo3Qb_u2vmewA2aCMEZQ9bZSz1ZGZg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="704" height="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFj0QiHsTkMlv-tk2aKhP1mj-zgOuPQOK3p-8vQkCqmjqeYyzmpQpacG2QgRxRsWfSTiAleh8QcpdB5tqg6Z7YKu8y0lpBGks8mJV_gLPEGPAeAXdIIFYyWsC_U3ivBqnH9uBwg0vzhPnHTvEu4_vtKBBxJoTjdo3Qb_u2vmewA2aCMEZQ9bZSz1ZGZg=w640-h537" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Join the "I Spy" Premonition GIVEAWAY! How does it work? See Premonition online? Save the link and submit it! See Premonition in a store? Snap a pic and submit it! See Premonition in your library? Snap a pic and submit it! We're playing "I Spy" to see where "The Premonition at Withers Farm" shows up and we need YOU to find it! Once you find it, use this form <a href="https://forms.gle/k7XQCmzZNQXN3cvMA">https://forms.gle/k7XQCmzZNQXN3cvMA</a> to submit your entry!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">You'll be entered for the giveaway of a SIGNED COPY OF PREMONITION, a cozy FLANNEL BUFFALO PLAID SCARF, and your choice of COFFEE or TEA! What are you waiting for? Be on the lookout! Contest ends midnight 10/31/2022</span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">One entry per person</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"> USA entries only</span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">*Stuff & Nonsense is not affiliated with this giveaway in any way, shape, or form.</span></i></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-35996056532027468212022-10-13T19:05:00.003-04:002022-10-13T19:05:43.279-04:00Review ~ Honor Bound (Love and Honor #1) by Hallee Bridgeman<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCSW2SiivyjKvFaV5j-yeXOh8G64tvH9pCxXWu2QxmW51ssN-P2JfCVpct3KODSKwKOqkIJVJhpGTDazUuy0gcL-YeGRWsKjjH7BBAoJQmBtyKLjDQa-NsxKiLYHGozQomn5UnXdYQdvLM_OIe08IaWk5aL1M_0oY8X_0L5bpZWb6AERYQBU7bdcJjXg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCSW2SiivyjKvFaV5j-yeXOh8G64tvH9pCxXWu2QxmW51ssN-P2JfCVpct3KODSKwKOqkIJVJhpGTDazUuy0gcL-YeGRWsKjjH7BBAoJQmBtyKLjDQa-NsxKiLYHGozQomn5UnXdYQdvLM_OIe08IaWk5aL1M_0oY8X_0L5bpZWb6AERYQBU7bdcJjXg=w413-h640" width="413" /></a></div></span></div><p></p><div class="row" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span itemprop="bookFormat">Paperback</span>, <span itemprop="numberOfPages">384 pages</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="row" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Published September 6th 2022 by Fleming H. Revell Company</span></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">I</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">t may seem odd to seek peace by moving to a war-torn African country, but for medical missionary Dr. Cynthia Myers, it provided a way to escape a shallow life of unearned wealth, a philandering fiancé, and a father now square in the public eye as vice president of the United States. At least here she knows her work and life have meaning. But all that is thrown into chaos when she fails to save the life of a local warlord's mortally wounded son.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">As part of the Army Special Forces "A-Team" on a mission to capture and subdue the warlord, Captain Rick Norton is compelled to use deadly force to save Cynthia's life. Enraged at the violence she witnessed and riddled with guilt that men died because of her, Cynthia tries to hold on to her anger--but an unwanted attraction is taking hold.<br />With two members of his team badly injured and rebels in hot pursuit, Rick will have to draw upon all his strength and cunning to get her out alive . . . because he's beginning to think they just might overcome their differences and be able to make a life together.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-line;"><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">My Review 3 STARS</span></b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-line;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">This is the first book in a new series by this author but I still felt like I was missing some ties to earlier characters. The military aspect of this story was fast-paced and seemed realistic. Captain Norton's team is one that I can imagine being filled with real life heroes. I liked how strong and outspoken of a Christian Norton is and would like to read more about him beyond his relationship with Cynthia. She is a character that I didn't connect with and was often irritated with because of her pacifist views being vocalized to an elite member of the military.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-line;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"> It's a common trope in military fiction now, saving a 'damsel in distress' in a foreign country. I'm sure this is a story that many will enjoy even though I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I received an electronic copy from the publisher through Netgalley and was under no obligation to post a review.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOYuLxNhFkwc4LQWI8MNmHc30MbdLGxuzGJeKtjLc0GILJL2xSdXToY6_AHSLpbP2UH1YEQZclpkQFOtPpAqyQgaNjNSmqbW9j-0kF46Q2K8ZYbwYS1pO9vVv3a0RBK9ErFcGc7vll0rPUGgxfH25rFkMHy6r7tJvA2sryIbwMyuT8VTr5IfARnfyMDw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOYuLxNhFkwc4LQWI8MNmHc30MbdLGxuzGJeKtjLc0GILJL2xSdXToY6_AHSLpbP2UH1YEQZclpkQFOtPpAqyQgaNjNSmqbW9j-0kF46Q2K8ZYbwYS1pO9vVv3a0RBK9ErFcGc7vll0rPUGgxfH25rFkMHy6r7tJvA2sryIbwMyuT8VTr5IfARnfyMDw" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></span></div></span>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-67011690633445934242022-10-05T13:52:00.002-04:002022-10-05T13:58:09.438-04:00Review ~ The Premonition at Withers Farm by Jaime Jo Wright<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZk2xZbtjS_NP2QF7K5LJkSqxXH8rkl0HoKmVQjw3dk4eoYs7i-8HzL7gr5tmM2vHIhBRDVv5HF6TZcObzHnSBTmvnHqTjSHv2sYKkq9izPil6SPViloVjvnMwEcQ5tQZPtVyZ_adZMh5tbbqP6PzlWz_2_vJxA2PUrCO4EuuwCwvdZ2HsFpLQDYB0yw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZk2xZbtjS_NP2QF7K5LJkSqxXH8rkl0HoKmVQjw3dk4eoYs7i-8HzL7gr5tmM2vHIhBRDVv5HF6TZcObzHnSBTmvnHqTjSHv2sYKkq9izPil6SPViloVjvnMwEcQ5tQZPtVyZ_adZMh5tbbqP6PzlWz_2_vJxA2PUrCO4EuuwCwvdZ2HsFpLQDYB0yw=w413-h640" width="413" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="row" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><span itemprop="bookFormat">Paperback</span>, <span itemprop="numberOfPages">400 pages</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="row" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;">Expected publication: October 11th 2022 by Bethany House Publishers</div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 16pt;">In 1910 Michigan, Perliett VanHilton is a
self-proclaimed rural healer, leaving the local doctor, George Wasziak,
convinced she practices quackery. It doesn't help that her mother, Maribeth
VanHilton, is a Spiritualist who regularly offers her services to help others
speak to their dearly departed. But when Perliett is targeted by a
superstitious killer, she relies on both George and an intriguing newcomer for
help.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="color: #181818; font-size: 21.3333px;"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #181818; font-size: 16pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">In the present day, life has not developed the
way Molly Wasziak dreamed. Facing depression after multiple miscarriages, Molly
is adapting to her husband's purchase of a new farm. A search for a family tree
pulls Molly deep into a vintage web of deceptions, made more mysterious by the
disturbing shadows and sounds in the old farmhouse.</span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light", "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 16pt;">Perliett fights for her life, and Molly seeks
renewed purpose for hers as she uncovers the records of the dead. Will their
voices be heard, or will time silence their truths forever?</span></div>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="color: #181818; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background: white;">::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="color: #181818; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background: white;"><b>My Review 4.5 STARS</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">‘Molly ducked her head. She watched a tear fall,
dropping onto the wood floor, staining it. Yes. She knew. She knew, deep in her
heart, she had to move on. To be healthy again. To find healing. To
find…meaning. But when an earthly hell came to visit you, it didn’t just go
away. It dogged your feet until—Molly glanced at the attic window—until maybe
you actually started to see physical ramifications of it. Evil. Abandonment.
Loss. It haunted you until it enveloped you entirely.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Premonition at Withers Farm</span></i><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"> is thick with darkness, one in
particular that afflicts many women. I did not like Molly as a person but this
contemporary aspect of the story is actually what kept me reading. Don’t get me
wrong. The historical timeline is so incredibly well-written that it makes the
book hard to put down. It does have spiritualist content that was extremely
hard for me to read but again, this author is a master at bringing all the
pieces together and making them fit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Wright always, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i></b> makes sure the
reader knows even though there is darkness, the tiniest bit of light shined in
will devastate it, and she brings Christ into this story beautifully.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri Light","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">I received an early advanced reader copy from the
publisher through NetGalley, and also purchased a copy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CHNizRDbAOtp7FPbIM8QpgEkzd7f_-ttx0ob6I4VAYvm0XwJRLAvgce4657zS0nkdRzO4AWLOZSZTpQWQUoMhVVn1RFz_AS-iSKFGtsGWkDIkDKKjltR2qCsJGIHTocTIGitj7Fi-t1EFuBopwcBesUTqRvUq86z5gBrrygTyEkfj0plLRXA3gj7Dg/s960/sunflower%20vase%20signaturewm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CHNizRDbAOtp7FPbIM8QpgEkzd7f_-ttx0ob6I4VAYvm0XwJRLAvgce4657zS0nkdRzO4AWLOZSZTpQWQUoMhVVn1RFz_AS-iSKFGtsGWkDIkDKKjltR2qCsJGIHTocTIGitj7Fi-t1EFuBopwcBesUTqRvUq86z5gBrrygTyEkfj0plLRXA3gj7Dg/s320/sunflower%20vase%20signaturewm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-35652978038295976772022-09-16T10:15:00.001-04:002022-09-16T10:15:16.719-04:00COMING NOV 15, 2022 ~ Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Epistolary scares off some people but this contemporary novel is so much fun!!! You will be sad if you miss the witty and fast-paced banter flying through cyber space in this delightful novel.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />Pepper Basham is a favorite of mine no matter what genre she writes. Don't miss the pre-order on this one at <a href="https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/459791" target="_blank">Baker Book House</a> for a 20% discount!!!</span></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnWMCHgCD72aeRp0hmyFYTgH5xYMdLqmGLh4I3IPOoVec3TIMcgJP4evtL7Xb33UUYzwmMNCQr_1_O91_ZknGOHN8r3e2xa-9-kM8s1mMZ5z-YkZdkVimV_sjDdEJ878ovJ3kTsIlYE04jLkmhrazv58za4lN4f_78JRq9F3FWHQ8Aed7Y3LKVczBByA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1242" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnWMCHgCD72aeRp0hmyFYTgH5xYMdLqmGLh4I3IPOoVec3TIMcgJP4evtL7Xb33UUYzwmMNCQr_1_O91_ZknGOHN8r3e2xa-9-kM8s1mMZ5z-YkZdkVimV_sjDdEJ878ovJ3kTsIlYE04jLkmhrazv58za4lN4f_78JRq9F3FWHQ8Aed7Y3LKVczBByA=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847882215674685241.post-83380609093778993902022-09-12T16:39:00.004-04:002022-09-12T16:39:53.762-04:00An Unintentional Blogging Break<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I <i>really </i>didn't mean to take a blogging break but summer became <span style="color: #ffa400;"><b>one big crazy</b></span> <b><i>thing</i></b>!! So much has happened but hopefully all is on the UP side now. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: red;">Praying it is so!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3LNz67zXe3ZiBcgrDzvnP3VSkO6C6FesY5uKbDJGK5agm_IZ9suMrrm5JrewKUg128BzL5X8gkqPpTQWPoYKPjJZkrO2_VE3aPUZgZHD10B_cKuXLhpZSHFShetvPNkiQ_0guXIpzs-t5S_ZYe9qCFf-Fv6CxG62_vPTBnRZPHqNIa4PHkrRvqFByA/s3999/launch%20team%20member.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2666" data-original-width="3999" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3LNz67zXe3ZiBcgrDzvnP3VSkO6C6FesY5uKbDJGK5agm_IZ9suMrrm5JrewKUg128BzL5X8gkqPpTQWPoYKPjJZkrO2_VE3aPUZgZHD10B_cKuXLhpZSHFShetvPNkiQ_0guXIpzs-t5S_ZYe9qCFf-Fv6CxG62_vPTBnRZPHqNIa4PHkrRvqFByA/w640-h426/launch%20team%20member.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">I've been reading a few good books over the summer that I plan on reviewing here. I'm on the launch team and just finished my review copy of a new book coming out in October, <i>The Premonition at Withers Farm</i> by Jaime Jo Wright. If you've read any of Jaime Jo's novels you know they are epic suspense bordering on thriller, <i>which I love!!!</i> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCEhQ03hq4hJ7bscUQ0gS8f4ihZk94A0sXvQPENuoD6gtduBfZO60jkSj9QZd9GkelcLa9ttMDawVtwvW4PrslgEnU_X4cak6kjPGS0CLRhMjaungsg19GyzBbVvTaLWfPIxh-xxAAqhGdyAmcEwSctcO9g7xitnbVACyZPebf-l4GNdNdt7fy1fLAQ/s4088/Butterflywm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4088" data-original-width="3066" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCEhQ03hq4hJ7bscUQ0gS8f4ihZk94A0sXvQPENuoD6gtduBfZO60jkSj9QZd9GkelcLa9ttMDawVtwvW4PrslgEnU_X4cak6kjPGS0CLRhMjaungsg19GyzBbVvTaLWfPIxh-xxAAqhGdyAmcEwSctcO9g7xitnbVACyZPebf-l4GNdNdt7fy1fLAQ/w480-h640/Butterflywm.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: times;">As for craftiness, <b>Slow Stitch</b> is my medium nowadays although my husband did buy me a new sewing machine a couple of months ago!! I'm excited to get to where I can use it regular. Taking it in and out of a case is such a hassle. Or I'm super lazy ;) This is a piece I made for my oldest granddaughters 10th birthday this month. </span>It's a combo of applique, beading, and slow stitch. The butterfly was a beast to bead but I think it came out pretty. </span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">If you're on Facebook, I'm in an awesome group called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/roxysjournalofstitchery" target="_blank">Roxy's Journal of Stitchery</a>. Soooo many uber-talented stitchers in there. Come on over and check it out! You don't have to post your work (I haven't yet) but you can still enjoy and be encouraged by the other stitchers. It's a project oriented group that two sisters lead with video etc. You can find them on YouTube and check it out first!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Well, lovelies, I'm off to do stuff and get stuff done!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSUvkG2ZqEuUDU3xjEclIbprFnPS9kmu23LyyQHc3q8ceSNGDTBxpmwyzZ2kJAdJRfM41M9fY0vlYLOiHrvpjQzdsS6peiszKA5HxHnX4qGIoYv5EXud10xOVeP7bLT6K3lT51GNVKuD9cv-lkeCmukdreWBTMpOvbrUflwVKyM7gwFqI5iKDvYC9fg/s1920/Signature%20peony%202.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSUvkG2ZqEuUDU3xjEclIbprFnPS9kmu23LyyQHc3q8ceSNGDTBxpmwyzZ2kJAdJRfM41M9fY0vlYLOiHrvpjQzdsS6peiszKA5HxHnX4qGIoYv5EXud10xOVeP7bLT6K3lT51GNVKuD9cv-lkeCmukdreWBTMpOvbrUflwVKyM7gwFqI5iKDvYC9fg/s320/Signature%20peony%202.2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Anne Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16326796364748948854noreply@blogger.com2