A Question of Destiny, book #30

 

A cute, fun Q book that I didn't even know I had on my Paperwhite!

In this Christian contemporary romance, Lucy O’Brien is about to be given ten million dollars and a chance to live a life she never imagined. Will this new found wealth be Lucy’s undoing, or can she rise above the temptations within high society and choose to become a nobler version of herself? And will the solitary Andrew Whitfield—a man who watches over Lucy as she adapts to her new lifestyle—cause her to close the door on her dreams or be the key that opens the rest of Lucy’s destiny? (picture and description at Amazon)

Look later today for my X and Z book, making me DONE! ~ now it's time to start over! 😃

Always reading,

(and watching TV and cross-stitching!)

Melissa

Windswept Way (Hope Harbor #9), book #29

 

Ahhh, back to Hope Harbor!  I wasn't sure I would like this book, but of course I did!  

Buying a haunted house was never in Ashley Scott's plans, but when an intriguing opportunity drops into her lap after a major setback, she finds herself trekking cross-country to Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast to launch a new life.  Wounded warrior Jonathan Gray isn't sure what to make of the attractive woman on his reclusive older neighbor's isolated property, but her presence is none of his business--until she enlists his help with an ambitious project. When Jonathan finds his interest in the new arrival becoming more personal than professional, however, his defenses go up. There's no room in his life--or his heart--for romance.  Yet as these three hurting people join forces to restore life, laughter, and love to a historic estate that has known too much sadness, they may also find healing, hope, and happiness for themselves. (picture and description at Amazon)

We are starting a new Faculty Book Club at work and I can't wait!  I'm sure the books will be different than ones I'm used to, but it will be fun to meet new people!

Keep Reading!

Melissa

Yesterday's Tides, book #28

 

I seem to be jumping around here at the end of the alphabet, but I am SO CLOSE to finishing!  It's exciting, but then I have to decide what order I want to read the next ones.

This book was a 10/10!!!  I wasn't sure I would like it or not, but the more I got into it, the more I couldn't put it down!  Highly recommend!

In two world wars, intelligence and counterintelligence, prejudice, and self-sacrifice collide across two generations.  In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the SS officer he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.  Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, never expecting to fall in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. But when war breaks out in Europe, their relationship is put in jeopardy and may not survive what lies ahead for them.  As the ripples from the Great War rock Evie and Sterling's lives in World War II, it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.  (Picture and description from Amazon)

Next up I'm going back to Hope Harbor!

O:)

Melissa

Pelican Point (Hope Harbor #4), book #27

 

Another fun book from Hope Harbor!  I highly recommend this series if you haven't started yet!

A crumbling lighthouse is not part of the inheritance Army doctor Ben Garrison expects to claim when he journeys to Hope Harbor. Fresh out of the service, he wants only to unload the tower of bricks, decompress from years of treating battlefield trauma, and prepare to launch his civilian career.  Hope Harbor Herald editor Marci Weber has other ideas. She may not be a Hope Harbor native, but the small Oregon seaside town has become home--and she's determined to save the Pelican Point landmark.  Sparks fly as the two go head-to-head over the fate of the lighthouse. But when they start to cooperate, a different kind of fire ignites. And as they work together, might Hope Harbor heal the hearts of these two romance-wary souls?  (picture and description at Amazon)

Keep up that Summer Reading!  

O:)

Melissa

The Vigilante's Bride, book #26

 

I have loved reading the Hope Harbor books, but man it feels good to get back to the 1800s wild west with cowboys, indians, and fair maidens forced into a world she knows nothing about but pulls herself together for a life she never knew she needed!  

Robbing a stagecoach on Christmas Eve and kidnapping a woman passenger is the last thing Luke Sullivan expects to do. He just wanted to reclaim the money stolen from him, but ends up with a feisty copper-haired orphan thrown over his shoulder who was on her way to marry Sullivan's bitter enemy.  Emily McCarthy is an orphan out of options. Forced to marry because she was too old for her orphanage, she doesn't take kindly to her "rescue." Still she trusts God can turn any situation to good especially when it seems Sullivan may just be the man of her dreams. But Sullivan's crossed a dangerous man unused to losing and Emily may just be the prize he's unwilling to sacrifice. (picture and description at Amazon)

This author was new to me but I was pleasantly surprised. My friend Marsha wouldn't like it because there is a lot of description in it, but you know me ~ I love having that to make me FEEL like I'm really there!  I'll have to check out what else she has written.  (You know, to add to my 500 books already on my Paperwhite! 😄)

Happy Reading!

Melissa

Sea Glass Cottage (Hope Harbor #8), book #25

 

Ahh, back to Hope Harbor! If you haven't read any of these, you need to!  Although you can read them in any order, it probably helps to read them that way.  However, I am apparently hopping around.  

Christi Reece is desperate. The one-time golden girl's life has tarnished, and a cascade of setbacks has left her reeling. She needs help, and she's certain Jack Colby is in a position to provide it.  When she shows up in Hope Harbor, however, Jack wants nothing to do with the woman who betrayed him. He's built a new life on the Oregon coast--and there's no room in it for Christi, even after she takes refuge in a charming but mysterious cottage nearby. Yet it soon becomes apparent his opinion of her may need revising . . . especially when he ends up needing her help.  Can these two hurting souls make peace with their past and open their hearts to a new beginning?  (Picture and description at Amazon)

Some good quotes from this book:

p86 ~ Charley quoting Thomas Jefferson " 'I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.' "

p222 ~ Charley  "A mighty hand governs the eternal clock."

p223 ~  Charley "As my abuela used to say when I was a boy in Mexico, coincidence is nothing more than a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous."

p225 ~ Charley again ( of course ;) ) "... when it comes to people, listening with the heart can improve our odds of arriving at a soun conclusion."

Next I'm back to "V" since my alphabet got all mixed up.  I've already started and I love being back with my pioneers and indians! :)

Keep up that summer reading!

Melissa

Untangle Your Emotions, book #24

 

So, this book was NOT on my list of books to read this summer.  Even though it is a "U" book, and I was almost "U" I had another book in mind I was excited about reading.  But some of my very favorite podcasters and friends Fran & Angela from Rambling Through Everyday Life encouraged us read it and attempted a summer Book Club with it.  Click here for the first video from that.

The book was good, and did give me several things to think about.  

How often have you heard, “Don’t let your emotions get the best of you”? But what if instead of ignoring our feelings, we noticed them, named them, and let God use them to draw us closer to Himself and others?

Many of us need to unlearn damaging messages about our emotions. We’ve been taught, for example, that emotions are untrustworthy, when, in fact, God can use them to help us see where we need His healing. 

In Untangle Your Emotions, Jennie Allen uses scientific research, biblical insight, and her own story to help you 

● exchange stuffing, dismissing, or minimizing your emotions for a five-step process to know what you feel and what to do about it

● debunk the myth that feelings are sinful by learning how emotional maturity leads to deeper connection with God and others

● live emotionally healthy by applying biblical wisdom and therapeutic research that works whether you self-identify as “emotional” or not

● sit with feelings that are confusing and painful by discovering the depth of God’s love and compassion for you

Feelings aren’t something to fix; they are something to feel. As we discover how to name and navigate our emotions, we’ll learn how they can draw us closer to the God who built us—soul, mind, and heart.  (picture and description at Amazon)

Now back to Hope Harbor for our next Book Club book!

Keep reading!

Melissa