A Christmas Bond: Sacred Bond Series Prequel, book #39

 

This is a fun little series I forget about, but the books are quick to read and interesting.  To sum it up, the Sacred Bond is a group of troubled boys who get a second chance at life.  They have had rough times growing up and end up in a group home together.  Through the encouragement of their "house dad" John they form a bond to take care and be there for each other no matter what.  I have read one book here  and I think another one as well that I need to go back and find :)  

In this Christian romance, war hero John Moretti sees the delinquent boys he mentors as the sons he never had, and he wants to give them every opportunity to reform. Crime victim Annie Bauer views them as dangerous threats to her elderly grandma, who lives next door to the boys’ residential school. When the Baby Jesus is stolen from Grandma’s yard nativity scene, the boys’ potential involvement may send them straight to hard-core juvie, and break the fragile connection that’s building between Annie and John. Until the so-called delinquents join together to make a sacred bond… Christian romance fiction isn’t often gritty . . . especially Christian Christmas books! But A Christmas Bond takes place in an inner-city neighborhood and features angst-ridden characters who aren’t typical of more lighthearted Christian fiction—they have serious problems to deal with. With the help of a strong faith, the hero leads the boys in his care toward a commitment to use their considerable strength to help others who are weaker or in need. (picture and description at Amazon)

Merry Christmas!!

O:)

Melissa

Catching Christmas, book #39

I have been wanting to read this book for a very long time.  I would see it (in the good old days!) at the bookstore and think, "I should buy that book!" but for some reason I don't.  Then I would see it on Kindle and think, "I should get that, but did I buy the book somewhere?"  So finally I broke down and got the Kindle version.  This year, now that I am done with work, I had time to read and was looking for Christmas books.  Hooray!  Finally I can read this book!  It was well worth the wait!

As a first-year law associate, Sydney Batson knows she will be updating her resume by New Year’s if she loses her current case. So when her grandmother gets inexplicably ill while she’s in court, Sydney arranges for a cab to get her to the clinic.  The last thing cab driver Finn Parrish wants is to be saddled with a wheelchair-bound old lady with dementia. But because Miss Callie reminds him of his own mother, whom he failed miserably in her last days, he can’t say no when she keeps calling him for rides. Once a successful gourmet chef, Finn’s biggest concern now is paying his rent, but half the time Callie doesn’t remember to pay him. And as she starts to feel better, she leads him on wild-goose chases to find a Christmas date for her granddaughter.  When Finn meets Sydney, he’s quite sure she’s never needed help finding a date. Does Miss Callie have an ulterior motive, or is this just a mission driven by delusions? He’s willing to do whatever he can to help fulfill Callie’s Christmas wish. He just never expected to be a vital part of it. (picture and description at Amazon)

Happy Christmas!  Enjoy this season, however it looks for you!

O:)

Melissa

 

 

The Christmas Remedy, book #38

 

Sweet little book that kept me on the edge of my seat.  Love quick books for Christmas that have just a little something different ...

When an Old Order Amish woman takes a job at a small-town pharmacy struggling to survive in a world of "big box" stores, her motive is to help her Plain community. But the advent of the holiday season brings an unusual mystery to the surface--and possibly love.  Twenty-four-year-old Holly Zook lives a unique life for a young Amish woman. Years ago, her bishop allowed her to continue her education and become the lead technician for Greene's Pharmacy, an old-timey drugstore that looks out for the Amish community--a group largely without secure healthcare plans. She knows she can't marry and hold onto her professional job. She's Amish, and she can only have one or the other, so she spurns love and works toward addressing treatable diseases--like the one that claimed her father's life.  As long as Holly continues to avoid Joshua Smucker, the one man who draws her like a warm hearth in winter, she should be fine. When something unexpected threatens Greene's Pharmacy, Holly and Joshua must work together to unravel what's happened and find the "missing" patient before the Board of Pharmacy shuts them down. As the snows of December arrive, with Christmas in the air, will Holly succumb to the generous spirit of the season?  (picture and description at Amazon)

Now to find another one to read this next week!

Happy Reading!

O:)

Melissa

Shattering Secrets, book #37

I have to admit, when I saw this book my friend picked out for Book Club this month, I wasn't convinced I would like it.  We are supposed to be reading a Christmas book this month and this poor girl on the front, with no Christmasy looking decorations on it did NOT look like something I was going to enjoy.  Well, I thought, at least it only has 289 pages so maybe I can suffer through.  But with reading the Bible through this year as well I have been pretty picky about fiction books I pick up.  Once I went back to work in late June I've had to make hard decision with my time reading.  Ugh!  Sigh .... Since I got caught up on my Bible reading I decided to plunge in and get it over with.  

It took a while to get into, mainly because the only time I had to pick it up to read was about 10:30 at night in bed ~ where I would read about 5 minutes and fall asleep.  But once I really got into it, I was hooked!  

But then ~ THIS HAPPENED in the plot!!  (not giving it away!)

And then ~ THAT HAPPENED!!

And then  ... and then .... well, you know how it goes.  Even though my heart was grieving for the characters, I had to keep going.  Forget wrapping presents, going shopping, etc.  I HAD to stick with these guys to see how it was all going to end!  

An annual Christmas project sends a professional blogger in search of a little boy's one and only Christmas wish--his father--and unearths a story with the potential to rip apart a family forever.  

It’s a truth universally unacknowledged that sin will hunt you down and advertise its presence the moment you try to hide it.  

Davia Cordell came to Rockland for one purpose–find her son’s father before she dies. An ex-prostitute, she’s well aware that the news will cause waves, but what’s a mother to do?  As these women join forces to search for Joey’s father–a Rockland area pastor, no less– Emily learns compassion for a woman who just wants the best for her son and can’t quite imagine that Jesus wants anything to do with her.  

Each day, Davia weakens until Emily isn’t confident that she’ll find the boy’s father in time–if at all.  Doubts form. Should she even look?  Is it right to risk destroying a family like this? What about what this will do to the father’s church? 

 A mother’s love. A boy’s confidence. A family’s faith. A preacher’s failure. Is redemption even possible anymore? (picture and descripton from Amazon)

You will want to read this book.  Trust me on this.  It will make you think long and hard about what decision you would make for yourself.

Keep Reading, even when you can't judge a book by its cover!

O:)

Melissa

 

Same Kind of Different as Me, book #36

 

This book has been sitting on my shelf for years when I brought it home from the church library when we closed it.  I always wanted to read it but never got around to it.  Leah needed to read it for school so I sent it to her earlier but never thought anything else about it.  Well then she comes home last weekend for break and tells me she has to read the whole thing and write a paper on it while she is home so I decided it was an excellent time for me to read it ~ we could read it together!  Since she had my paper copy and was marking it up I just ordered a copy for my paperwhite and went from there.

Just like Just Mercy this book ripped me up!  So many things over the last few years ~ and months! ~ have made me realize all this "white privilege" I have and never even realized.  I have a few black friends and it honestly never occurred to me how completely different their life really is.  Shame on me for not realizing that ~ but here's hoping I can start every day being a little more understanding and open-minded about what I can do to help crush my own racists views that I never realized I had.  

This is a must read!

A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery. An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel. A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream. A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.  It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch. Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.  (picture and description from Amazon)

And now it's time for Christmas books!  

Keep reading!

O:)

Melissa

Colors of Truth, book # 35

 

What can I say, but Tamara Alexander has blown it out of the water once again.  If you remember, in 2019 she wrote book 1 in this series, With This Pledge, which had me on the ground!!  I immediately bought 3 more copies and sent one to my mom, my mother in law, and my aunt.  The prequel to this series. Christmas at Carnton, came out in 2017 and it was equally amazing.  I feel certain I also bought 3 extra copies of that as well.. 

In short, I love this book, I love Tamara Alexander, and you need to read this.  

In a town battered and bruised by war, one woman embarks upon an impossible search--and one man must face the past in the very place that almost destroyed him. Tennessee, 1866. According to the last letter Irish immigrant Catriona O'Toole received from her twin brother, Ryan, he was being dispatched to Franklin, Tennessee, where--as a conscripted Confederate soldier--he likely endured the bloody Battle of Franklin that claimed the lives of thousands. Catriona leaves behind the lush green of their Irish homeland in search of him, with nothing to her name except the sum of cash Ryan sent to their family. Now the sole provider for her seven-year-old spitfire sister, Nora, Catriona hopes to reunite the siblings--the only surviving members of their devastated family. Wade Cunningham is a former Federal soldier who now works for the newly formed United States Secret Service and is trying to uncover counterfeiting rings in the postwar South. In order to infiltrate their sophisticated enterprise, he must pose as a former Confederate in Franklin--a town where counterfeit greenbacks run rampant. When Wade meets Catriona, he is immediately intrigued by her and the little redheaded scamp in her care--but what he doesn't anticipate is that the cash in Catriona's possession is some of the most convincing counterfeit money he's ever seen. Soon the object of Wade's affection is also the suspect in a major crime--one he's expected to prosecute. With rich historical detail and multifaceted prose, USA TODAY bestselling author Tamera Alexander tells a riveting tale of truth, betrayal, and unlikely romance that unveils the many shades of God's perfect redemption.  (picture and description from Amazon)

In an interesting tidbit ... when you write books about Civil War times you inevitably have to write about slavery.  Yes, it was wrong, but it is still part of history that we should not forget.  Her publisher asked her kindly to rewrite parts of the book to make it "less offense" and she knew she could not do that and tell the story like it truly happened ~ the good, the bad, and the ugly.  So her publisher cancelled this book and the final book in the series.  Not deterred from getting her story out, she took it upon herself to self publish and still got the book out on time.  You can see more about that here.   

Just to be clear, this does not mean I condone or think the treatment of black people has been fair at all, but I do believe history should not be changed.  History is something we learn from, not gloss over or delete the bad parts.  

As always, I can't wait until the third/fourth book in the series comes out.  And then I will cry my eyes out .... or go back and read many of her other books that I haven't read yet!  

Keep reading ...

O:)

Melissa

If I Were You, book #34

 

What can I say but WOW WOW WOW!!! I have a new favorite book!  It combines a great story, history lessons, and an amazing finish with mostly closure!!!  Surprisingly no pioneers or indians, but still amazing!

In a town battered and bruised by war, one woman embarks upon an impossible search--and one man must face the past in the very place that almost destroyed him. Tennessee, 1866. According to the last letter Irish immigrant Catriona O'Toole received from her twin brother, Ryan, he was being dispatched to Franklin, Tennessee, where--as a conscripted Confederate soldier--he likely endured the bloody Battle of Franklin that claimed the lives of thousands. Catriona leaves behind the lush green of their Irish homeland in search of him, with nothing to her name except the sum of cash Ryan sent to their family. Now the sole provider for her seven-year-old spitfire sister, Nora, Catriona hopes to reunite the siblings--the only surviving members of their devastated family. Wade Cunningham is a former Federal soldier who now works for the newly formed United States Secret Service and is trying to uncover counterfeiting rings in the postwar South. In order to infiltrate their sophisticated enterprise, he must pose as a former Confederate in Franklin--a town where counterfeit greenbacks run rampant. When Wade meets Catriona, he is immediately intrigued by her and the little redheaded scamp in her care--but what he doesn't anticipate is that the cash in Catriona's possession is some of the most convincing counterfeit money he's ever seen. Soon the object of Wade's affection is also the suspect in a major crime--one he's expected to prosecute. (picture and description from Amazon)

In other news, I have also been mainly keeping up with our RBT readings, so there are several books of the Bible I have read too!

Keep Reading!!

O:)

Melissa