Georgia on Her Mind, book #10

 

After the intensity of the other one, this was a fun, quick read.  Rachel Hauck never fails to entertain.  Although it was like eating cotton candy, it was still yummy!

On a sunny Monday morning, Macy Moore was on the fast track to success. By noon, all of her dreams were derailed.  Macy Moore skedaddled from her hometown of Beauty, Georgia to Florida in order to make her own way in the world. Successful and happy, she couldn’t be more proud of her corporate executive job, her just-perfect boyfriend and her beach side condo. But it all falls apart when reads the first email of the day. She’s demoted to the lowest rung on the corporate ladder . . . and dumped! She goes from being “someone” to a being “nobody,” all on the eve of returning home to emcee her high school reunion.  Thank goodness for the “Single Saved Sisters.” With loyal friends Lucy, Adriane and Tamara by her side, Macy retreats to the House of Joe for coffee, consolation and heart-to-heart consultation. Can they help her put her life back together? Yet it's when her former heartthrob, Dylan, shows up on her doorstep, that Macy begins to realize that leaving Beauty, Georgia took her away from everything in life she really loved. (picture and description from Amazon)

Keep Reading!

Melissa

Five Days in May, book #9

 

This book.  This book.  I don't even know where to start.  I was so excited to read it, but I was not too far in before I realized this was probably a mistake.  I even picked it for Book Club and earlier this week sent an apology text telling everyone it was a super sad book and if they had not started reading it yet to not even bother.  I couldn't see too much Jesus in it, every single person was in a really hard situation, and I was not anticipating it ending well. (I mean, just look at the cover!) 

But, four good things came from this book.

1.  The writing was indeed amazing.  This is one where by reading the book the author is so descriptive that even though the setting in 1963, you can see -- hear -- smell -- FEEL -- everything as though you were right there in the middle of the action.  That could be one of the reasons this book was so challenging to read, it FELT real.

2.  In the last 20% of the book everything started coming together -- and fast!  Just like the tornado that was about to rip through the little town.  It almost as if the tornado was symbolic of the action in the book. 

3.  There is some Jesus in it.  Even though it is not as obviously stated, He is there, protecting the ones who need to be protected; softening hearts, emboldening souls and bringing reconciliation.  

4.  In the end, the bad guy dies, the good guys win and life turns around for them, but also a good guy died.  But in the big picture of things, that was ok too.  

Do I recommend it?  That is not a question for me to answer.  If you enjoy books intense like this, then yes, read it.  If you don't, then don't.  Your life will not be missing anything if you don't.  But I will say, for someone who likes to stick to cowboys, indians, pioneers, westerns, romance, I read it.  I lived to tell.  And it took me on a ride I won't soon forget.

Three members of the McIntosh family are setting appointments with death: Friday, May 10, 1963. That's the day an F5 tornado will rip across Oklahoma, obliterating everything in its path.  Pastor Mac McIntosh lost his faith when his wife died — it's time to end the charade. But when a mysterious inmate called Princess is set to be executed, he grudgingly agrees to meet with her in her final days.  Princess has watched Mac and his family for years, looking out through someone else's eyes. She speaks to Mac's heart with insight and grace, while in her own heart she harbors a secret she's determined to carry to her grave about the little sister she confessed to beheading 14 years ago.  Princess knows the monster tornado is coming. She calls it The Big Ugly and she pleads with Mac to run! But by then, it's too late. For all of them. (picture and description from Amazon)

We might need to take a break before we just into something else.  Or read something light and funny.  

Keep reading, even when it is hard!

Melissa

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip, book #8

 

I had heard rave reviews about this book from various places, so I was excited when it was finally time to read an E book so I could get to it.  The hype was worth every word.  Go read it.

Aidyn Kelley is talented, ambitious, and ready for a more serious assignment than the fluff pieces she's been getting as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. In her eagerness, she pushes too hard, earning herself the menial task of writing an obituary for an unremarkable woman who's just entered hospice care.  But there's more to Clara Kip than meets the eye. The spirited septuagenarian may be dying, but she's not quite ready to cash it in yet. Never one to shy away from an assignment herself, she can see that God brought the young reporter into her life for a reason. And if it's a story Aidyn Kelley wants, that's just what Mrs. Kip will give her--but she's going to have to work for it. (description and photo from Amazon)

One of my favorite quotes from the book, one I hope to live by:

Happy Reading!

Melissa

God's Plan for the Unexpected Bride, book #7

 

So, funny story about this book.  Since I am trying to read through the alphabet I was thinking my next book would be an E book, but then our "picker" for Book Club chose this G book.  I debated if I should:

a. Read an E book and F book really fast before I started this

b. Read this first and count it as my G book, I mean who says I have to read the books in alphabet order?

c. Read it as a "freebie" and when I get to G just pick another one.

When I realized it was 436 pages and I had two weeks before Book Club I figured I better ditch (a) and decide later whether I go with (b) or (c).

The book was a little slow at first, but once I got about half way through I was all in.  I recommend it, just make sure you stick with it

His teenage brother places a mail-order bride ad and now Ray is bound to her forever…

Josephine flees from her fiancée, who wants nothing but her father's fortune. Determined to seek redemption and safety, she answers a mail-order bride ad.  Ray is responsible for his teenage brother after their parents' passing. His strictness is tested when Oliver, in an attempt to defy Ray's doubts about his capabilities, places a mail-order bride ad, to prove that he is mature enough to handle marriage.  Deceived by Oliver's lie, Josephine knows she cannot marry an underage suitor, so she grapples with an unexpected solution - to wed his grumpy older brother. Is this God's plan for her?  (photo and description from Amazon)

Now I am on to read my E book, one I have been very excited about reading for a while now!

Happy Reading!

Melissa

Dying to Read, book #6

 

After the "heavy" reading of my last book, this was a light read with a much more humourous tone.  I doubt I will read the others in the series, but it was a cute break.

Cate Kinkaid is just dipping her toe into the world of private investigating until one of the many résumés she has floating around lands her a real job. All she has to do is determine that a particular woman lives at a particular address. Simple, right? When the big and brooding house happens to contain a dead body, this routine PI job turns out to be anything but simple. Is Cate in over her head? (picture and descriptio at Amazon)

As a side note, I just saw that I purchased this in 2014.  Guess it was time I read it!  ;)

Keep Reading!

Melissa

Courting Cate, book #5

 

In my walk through the alphabet, next was C.  I made Roger pick for me again and he again chose a good one!  The first part was fun, the middle took a very odd twist, the end was not quite what I hoped because there were too many questions left undone.  I could probably be talked into reading the other books in the series though, sometime later.

When this couple gets to courting, sparks will fly!  In Paradise, Pennsylvania, Cate Miller is known more for her sharp tongue and fiery temper than her striking appearance. Her sweet and flirty sister, Betsy, on the other hand, seems to have attracted most of the bachelors in Lancaster County!  But the sisters' wealthy father has made one hard-and-fast rule: older Cate must marry first, before younger Betsy can even start courting. Unfortunately, untamable Cate has driven away every suitor--until Pete Treger comes to town, that is.  Prodded by the men of the area, Pete turns his attention to winning Cate's hand. But is his interest true or is there a scheme at play? (picture and description at Amazon)

Stay tuned for what is up next!!

O:)

Melissa

Bright Arrows, book #4

 

Ok, so my B book threw me a little at first.  If you have ever read any of Grace LIvingston Hill's books, you know they are written in and set in the 1940s, so the language was just more proper and dignified.  It begins ...

Eden was sitting in the library of the old house where she had lived all her life.  She was going over some papers in the big library desk.  Her father had asked her to give special attention to them as soon as she would get home from his funeral service and be alone.

She had eaten quietly and conscientiously of the delicious supper that the devoted sorrowing servants had lovingly prepared for her.  She had tried to keep a cheerful face during their ministrations and then had told them that she wouldn't need them anymore tonight and they must go their beds and rest, for they had had a hard day.  They had blessed her for her thoughtfulness and gone off to finish the few remaining household duties.  Then they went silently to their rooms.

But once you get used to the style and try to put yourself in the scene, you can enjoy the story even more.  There were parts that got a little slow, and parts that were a little "spicy" by 1940s standards, but all in all in was a rather enjoyable book. 

Eden Thurston is orphaned and struggling to remain positive as scheming relatives swoop in for a portion of her father’s estate. Then letters she finds written by her mother when Eden was a child give her new hope to face the future, while a handsome young lawyer steps in to help her settle the estate issues.

I will tell you, though, this short summary does not even scratch the surface of all the characters involved in the book, including Ellery Fane, the son of her uncle's wife, but from a different father and his mother Lavira Fane, which are no good thieves who are trying to scam a way to getting into Eden's money.  Then there are Janet and Tabor, the faithful main servants who keep Eden safe from all the troublemakers; Casper Carvel, her childhood friend who changed so much during the war and thought he could just pick up where he left off with Eden; Mr. Lorrimer, that "handsome young lawyer" and the rat Niles Nevin, the brother of Eden's college roommate who just knew for sure she was the one for him.

Happy Reading!

O:)

Melissa