Don't Keep Silent (Uncommon Justice Book #3) by Elizabeth Godard

Book Description:  Investigative reporter Rae Burke will do anything to find her missing sister-in-law, even if it means facing Liam McKade, a man who almost lost his life saving hers. A former DEA agent, Liam thought he could find peace at his Wyoming ranch, but he just doesn't feel at home anywhere anymore. When the reporter who blew his cover on an important investigation inserts herself back into his life, he's less than thrilled. But Rae's keen investigative skills have led her down the right path--and directly into the dragon's mouth--leaving Liam no choice but to protect her. As the danger increases, the past they both tried to flee catches up to them, along with the feelings they once had for each other.

My Thoughts:  After reading Always Look Twice and Never Let Go the first two books in this trilogy I was anxiously awaiting this third book.  

It's fairly imperative that one read the first two books in this trilogy because all the stories complete the puzzle.

I'll be honest, I loved this story best.  Maybe because it ended all the grey areas for me or simply because I really connected with Rae.  

The former DEA agent, Liam McCade, really made this story pop for me too.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the first two stories too.  I liked Harper and Willow's stories but Rae is an investigative reporter something I had thought about doing at one time in my life....there's the connection.

I loved the action and the thrill of the chase. 

There's so much to love about this story!  

I also loved the way the author, Elizabeth Goddard weaves faith into the  story line.

And, drumroll!  TODAY is the premier day for this lovely book!

*This book was provided by Revell for review.  All words are my own and I was not required to write a positive review*

• Series: Uncommon Justice (Book 3)
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Revell; 6/1 edition (June 30, 2020)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800729862

The Curiosity Keeper (A Treasures of Surrey Novel) by Sarah E. Ladd

Book Description:  “It is not just a ruby, as you say. It is large as a quail’s egg, still untouched and unpolished. And it is rumored to either bless or curse whoever possesses it.”

Camille Iverness can take care of herself. She’s done so since the day her mother abandoned the family and left Camille to run their shabby curiosity shop. But when a violent betrayal leaves her injured with no place to hide, Camille must allow a mysterious stranger to come to her aid.

Jonathan Gilchrist never wanted to inherit Kettering Hall. As a second son, he was content to work as the village apothecary. But when his brother’s death made him heir just as his father’s foolish decisions put the estate at risk, only the sale of a priceless possession—a ruby called the Bevoy—can save the family from ruin. But the gem has disappeared. And all trails lead to Iverness Curiosity Shop—and the beautiful shop girl who may be the answer to his many questions.

Caught at the intersection of blessings and curses, greed and deceit, these two determined souls must unite to protect what they hold dear. But when a passion that shines far brighter than any gem is ignited, they will have to decide how much they are willing to risk for their future, love, and happiness.

My Thoughts:  Sarah E. Ladd is a new author to me and I decided to read this book because of the book description, “It is not just a ruby, as you say. It is large as a quail’s egg, still untouched and unpolished. And it is rumored to either bless or curse whoever possesses it.”  

I thought this is going to be good read. Not to give spoilers, but this is fantastic read!  I delved into it and loved it.

The romance, the suspense, and that ruby....well, you just gotta read this for yourself.

In my opinion, I liked Camille and Jonathan.  When I read a book I don't look at all the angles and I don't look for a deeper meaning.  I like to read a book for its face value and enjoy it.  So, if you're a "deeper meaning/character developer"  you may see something else in this read than I did.  But if, like me you just like a great story, then this is the read for you!

• Series: A Treasures of Surrey Novel (Book 1)
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0718011783
• ISBN-13: 978-0718011789

Shadowed {Heart of A Warrior Series, Book 2} by Kariss Lynch

Book Description:  Nick Carmichael faces the demons of his past on a Navy SEAL mission to catch arms dealer Janus.  Meanwhile his girlfriend, Kaylan Richards, must come to terms with loving a man who is often gone and in harm's way.  She is adjusting to life in a new city with new friends, new neighbors, and an internship.  But she still wonders if she will ever find her place and wrestles to develop the strength for the future she wants to have with Nick.

My Thoughts: I loved Shaken, the first book in this Heart of A Warrior Series, so I picked Shadowed because it continues  Kaylan Richards and Nick Carmichael's story.

Yes, you probably need to read the first book, Shaken before reading Shadowed.  There is a lot about Kaylan and Nick that you will want to know before going into the second read.

Shaken begins with more of a of a let's get acquainted type of read but Shadowed begins with a bang!  It's a page.turner! One of those ... just one more chapter books!

The plot is well developed....I like the realism of Nick and Kaylan's lives.  It isn't easy being a SEAL especially when you're in a case and then that person you're chasing down turns the tables and begins attacking the ones whom you love.  

As Nick and the team chase down Janus (the 'bad' person), she turns the tables.  Kayla begins to receive threatening notes and things begin to disappear or are being misplaced in her home.  

Nick has to trust God to take care of Kaylan since he can't be by her side.  And Kaylan, too, must trust God and not man.

A fantastic christian novel especially if you love suspense and military reads!

• Series: Heart of a Warrior (Book 2)
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1629980064
• ISBN-13: 978-1629980065

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

Go here Kraft Philadelphia for great holiday recipes!  Here's one of my Favorites:

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars

time

prep:

15 min

total:

6 hr

servings

total:

32 servings

what you need

1

cup  PLANTERS Pecan Pieces, divided

50

 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)

1/4

cup  butter, melted

4

pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1

cup  sugar

1

cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

3

Tbsp.  flour

1

Tbsp.  vanilla

4

 eggs

24

 KRAFT Caramels

1

Tbsp.  water

3

squares  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

make it

HEAT oven to 325°F.

LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Reserve 1/2 cup nuts. Finely chop remaining nuts; mix with wafer crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream, flour and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely.

MICROWAVE caramels and water in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until caramels are completely melted when stirred. Pour over cheesecake; top with reserved nuts. Melt chocolate; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.

kraft kitchens tips

HEALTHY LIVING

Save 40 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving by preparing with Reduced Fat NILLA Wafers, PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese and BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream.

SUBSTITUTE

Substitute 1 cup KRAFT Caramel Bits for the KRAFT Caramels.

EASY MICROWAVE MELTING OF BAKER'S CHOCOLATE SQUARES

Microwave 1 oz. BAKER'S Chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 30 sec. (The chocolate will retain its shape.) Stir 1 min. or until chocolate is completely melted. Add 10 sec. for each additional ounce of chocolate, stirring every 30 sec.

GREAT READ>>>>>EBOOK

ON SALE TODAY

Lazarus Awakening Study Guide: Finding Your Place in the Heart of God by Joanna Weaver

Book Description:  Do you feel trapped in a tomb of regret, doubt, or fear? 

Are you tripped up by patterns and behaviors you need to leave behind?

Just as Jesus called Lazarus from darkness, He is calling you to come out of the false beliefs and habits that keep you from receiving His unconditional love. He is calling you to know deep in your spirit that God not only loves the world—He loves you.

It’s time to “come forth!”

This eight-session study guide is designed for use with Joanna Weaver’s book Lazarus Awakening and the separately available DVD curriculum set, filmed on location in the Holy Land. Join Joanna as she draws you deeper into the historical and spiritual truths we learn from the story of Lazarus: a friend called out from death into the life-giving arms of Jesus.

 ·         Designed for both individuals and groups.

·        Also available: companion DVDs, filmed in the Holy Land and featuring eight 15- to 18-minute sessions. 

My Thoughts:  I have heard wonderful things about Joanna Weaver.  A friend said, "You've just gotta get Lazarus Awakening.  It will change your life."  

So, when I had the chance I chose this Bible study.  

It's an eight session or if you do a weekly study it's an eight week study.  I chose to do it as an eight week study.

This study is designed for individuals or small groups.  And there is a companion DVD that goes along with the book.

Lazarus Come Forth IS an amazing sentence.  A sentence that brings life.  But more than that it's getting rid of grave clothes...things that bring death in our life and it's also about trusting more fully in God.

It's kind.of.funny that most ministers, people focus on Mary and Martha, Lazarus' sisters, but Lazarus played quite an important role in the Bible, too. What did he do?  He died.  And was brought back to life by Jesus' words.  

Jesus came so that we could have life and have it more abundantly.  But we must hear His voice and get rid of the grave clothes.

This is such an interesting study.  And it does bring life!

• Series: Bethany Trilogy (Quality)
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030773059X
• ISBN-13: 978-0307730596

A New Book

Don't miss this new suspense thriller!
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WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

 photo credit: www.pauladeen.com

Mexican Chicken Casserole with Cheddar Cheese and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 10 3/4 -ounce can cream of chicken soup
• 1 10 3/4 -ounce can cheddar cheese soup
• 1 10 3/4 -ounce can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 10-ounce can tomatoes
• 1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken
• 11 1/2-ounce package flour tortillas
• 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the three kinds of soup and the tomatoes. Stir in the chicken.
3. In a greased 13 x 9- inch pan, layer the tortillas and the chicken mixture, beginning and ending with tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

A Heart's Promise (A Journey of the Heart Series, Book 5) by Colleen Coble

Book Description:  Emmie makes a promise to her friend that, if fulfilled, could mean the end to her dreams of a future with Isaac.

Emmie Croftner let Isaac Liddle go to avoid telling him about her past. But Isaac remains determined to win Emmie’s heart and hand. Though Emmie resolves to keep her heart in check, it hurts when she sees that another woman has set her bonnet for Isaac.

Then Emmie’s dear friend extracts a costly promise: if anything happens to her in childbirth, Emmie will marry her widower and raise the baby herself. And it seems Emmie may have to fulfill that promise. But can she live happily without Isaac?

My Thoughts:  This is the fifth book in the Journey of the Heart "series."  These mini books are about 112 pages in length and can be read in about an hour.  Or at a doctor's office. {smile}  

This is a wonderful "series."  I didn't read or even know that there was a "full" book out with this story in it.

Anyway, I love "mini" books!

If you've been reading a book every month then you know that in this fifth book Emmie feels that she may be making progress in her life.  

I have to admit that last month's book was so sad to me.  Now this book brings happiness with it and promises.

This book is aptly titled "A Heart's Promise" because Emmie's heart is very much involved.  

Of course, this is not the end of Emmie's story.  Next month, A Heart's Home, brings more excitement about Emmie and Issac's lives.  

And more on the Sioux Indian wars.

Great reading!

• Series: A Journey of the Heart (Book 6)
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0718031695
• ISBN-13: 978-0718031695

Bread & Butter: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes to Fill Your Bread Basket by erin mckenna

Book Description:  At long last, the holy grail of gluten-free vegan baking: airy, light, and tender breads, from Erin McKenna, founder of BabyCakes NYC and Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC and the visionary who also cracked the code of vegan frosting

For two decades, a gluten sensitivity forced Erin McKenna to ignore the bread basket that accompanies dinner at her favorite restaurants. Brunch was even worse: flaky croissants, biscuits, bagels . . . As an act of self-preservation, she tried to pretend they didn’t exist. After pioneering vegan and gluten-free dessert baking at her beloved bicoastal bakery, Erin set about righting this wrong, tackling the beautiful treats in those forbidden bread baskets. The result is all the savory bread a gluten-free vegan guy or gal could want and more, including English Muffins, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Sweet Potato Sage Rolls, Pizza Dough, Corn Tortillas, Puff Pastry Dough, Pretzels, Scallion Pancakes, even a simple and perfect Sandwich Bread. And since you can’t say “bread” without saying “butter,” she created a rich and creamy vegan butter unlike anything else, too. The world’s bread basket just got a whole lot fuller.

My Thoughts:  I wouldn't say this is the "holy grail" of gluten-free baking but it is a great cookbook for those who need/want gluten-free baked goods, especially breads.

I like eating gluten-free because my system feels better/cleaner.  And so, I picked this book, bread & butter by erin mckenna.  By the way, Erin McKenna is the founder of BabyCakes in New York City. 

There are "loaves" of bread in this wonderful cookbook but my favorite section was the biscuits section.  We live in the south so biscuits are somewhat of a staple.  

The baking/mixing directions are clear and concise.  And there are fabulous pictures on every page to go with the recipe.

Included are recipes for hummus and flavored butter.  Just one recipe a piece but that's enough for me.

There are also a couple of sweet treat recipes.  Cookies, sticky pecan rolls and on the non sweet side there is a recipe for stuffing and croutons.

These are wonderful recipes.  

This cookbook makes a wonderful gift for gluten-free people who enjoy baking.

*This book was provided for review by Waterbrook/Multnomah*

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804137218
• ISBN-13: 978-0804137218

Books

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

We love peach cobbler and I was ecstatic to find a crockpot recipe on Pinterest.  It's delicious and so easy!  So great for those family get togethers!

Ingredients

1. 29 oz Del Monte Sliced Peaches in Heavy Syrup
2. 1 tsp cinnamon
3. 16.5 oz yellow cake mix
4. 3/4 cup pecans (chopped)
5. 1 stick butter (sliced)
6. Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Spray crock pot with non stick cooking spray. Layer remaining ingredients into crock pot in order shown. DO NOT MIX. Just sprinkle the ingredients on top of each other. Turn the crock pot on high for 2 hours. Remove from heat and enjoy with ice cream!

Wanda E. Brustetter's newest cookbook

A most wonderful cookbook.  

Chock full of deliciousness!

Great story!

On Amazon:  On sale

Stories That Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner

Book Description: Betty Sweet never expected to be a widow at 40. With so much life still in front of her, she tries to figure out what's next. She couldn't have imagined what God had in mind. When her estranged sister is committed to a sanitarium, Betty finds herself taking on the care of a 5-year-old nephew she never knew she had.

In 1960s LaFontaine, Michigan, they make an odd pair. Betty with her pink button nose and bouffant hair. Hugo with his light brown skin and large brown eyes. But more powerful than what makes them different is what they share: the heartache of an empty space in their lives. Slowly, they will learn to trust one another as they discover common ground and healing through the magic of storytelling.

My Thoughts:  A new to me author, Susie Finkbeiner, brings a story of new beginnings.

Sometimes one just never knows what to expect in life.  As Betty Sweet finds out.  Widow and now she find out that he long lost sister has a five year old son whom she thrusts into Betty's care when she must enter a sanitarium.

Betty and Hugo are strangers but as time passes they become family.

This is an endearing and heart warming story of two precious people and how life changes from bitter lemons to sweet lemonade.

Sometimes we never know what we have until it shows up on our doorstep dressed as a child.

And Betty begins to share stories of her and her sister with little Hugo so little Hugo adds his own to the sweet stories.

*This book was provided for review by Revell*

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Revell; 5/1 edition (June 2, 2020)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800735706
• ISBN-13: 978-0800735708

A Simple Prayer (Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel) by Amy Clipston

Book Description:  Linda is no stranger to hardship. Now she dares to hope for a chance at love and a new beginning.

As the sole survivor of a buggy accident that left her orphaned at age four, Linda Zook was reluctantly raised by her Uncle Reuben. She longs to be worthy of someone, but the lasting trauma of her injuries and embittered upbringing have destroyed her self-worth. When Hannah Peterson asks her to work at the Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast, she’s finally able to realize some confidence.

Aaron Ebersol left the Amish community seventeen years ago when he could no longer bear the restrictions or the constant tension with his father. Despite years of unanswered letters to his parents and the roots he’s put down in Missouri, Aaron rushes back to the Amish community of Paradise, Pennsylvania, after receiving word of his mother’s stroke. Hesitant to get too close to the family he was once a part of, he decides to stay at the Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast. Talking with Linda allows him to explore his feelings about his family and his position in the Amish community.

As Linda and Aaron open up to each other, their feelings for one another turn into more than friendship, and Aaron must make a decision about his future as an Amish man.

Can Linda and Aaron forgive the family members who have deceived and forsaken them? And will Aaron be able to convince Linda that she is worthy of his love?

My Thoughts: Amy Clipston is another favorite author of mine.  A Simple Prayer is the fourth and final book in the Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel series.

In this particular series I think it's important to read the books in order.

A Simple Prayer is about Linda but Aaron is quite a main character in this story, too. Aaron comes home because his mother has had a stroke but Aaron is given quite a cold shoulder.  So, he decides to stay at the Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast where Linda works part time.

This is where Aaron meets Linda and they "click."  Aaron and Linda talk and open up to each other.  

They both have family issues and both wonder if they can ever have a healthy relationship with family members again. However,  Linda doesn't feel worthy of Aaron's love....

Once again Amy Clipston writes an amazing, believable, almost.true.to.life story about the Amish.   

• Series: Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel (Book 4)
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310335884
• ISBN-13: 978-0310335887

A Deadly Business {A Mia Quinn Mystery} by Lis Wiehl

Book Description:  A prosecutor of violent criminals. A detective on a dangerous beat. When these two pros take on an off-the-books case, the line between professional and personal becomes perilously blurred. 

When a twenty-two-year-old convict walks into the courtroom, his eyes confirm what Mia Quinn already guesses: he blames her for his conviction. In seconds, he knocks her to the ground and holds a razor blade to her throat. While she manages to escape without injury, it's just one more reminder that Mia's job prosecuting Seattle's s most dangerous criminals is far from low risk.  

As a single mom, the last thing Mia wants is for her work to follow her home or discover that it already has.

Now Detective Charlie Carlson is suggesting the very thing Mia doesn't want to believe—that her accountant husband’s deadly car accident was no accident at all. When Mia and Charlie encounter resistance to reopening the case, they take the investigation into their own hands. And they find much more than they bargained for.

Was Mia's husband more than an accountant . . . and less than an honest man? As the truth becomes more shocking and the case grows more complex, her husband's killers take note of Mia . . . and her children. How far will this prosecutor go to learn the truth about her husband—and how far will she have to go to protect her family? 

My Thoughts:  Oh.Be.Still.My.Heart!  I have waited (it seems like forever ) for the next Mia Quinn mystery.  And here it is!  

Mia is a prosecutor.  And usually her job is stressful and full but today when that twenty-two-year old walks into the courtroom Mia senses/knows that he blames her for his predicament.  Uh!Yeah! She did the crime!    Honestly these criminals make one SO angry.   As the reader can tell this is a one great suspense read!  I was SO angry at the criminal . . . a good sign that an author brings out emotion in the reader.

Mia is a single mom because her husband was killed in a deadly car accident.  But now Detective Carlson telling her the one thing she really doesn't want to hear.  Her husband's accident was probably not an accident!  And to top.it.all.off!  Her husband seems to have been into some shady dealings.

Poor Mia! She is a single mom who wants to blend into the woodwork.  She doesn't want these criminals to know that she has a family and where she lives.  

This is one of Lis Wiehl's best books!  The suspense is, well for a lack of another word, suspenseful! {smile}  One of those I'm looking over my shoulder as I read in bed at night!  Yeah!That good!

• Series: A Mia Quinn Mystery (Book 2)
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595549048

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

the Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock

Book Description:  Will Edyth prove her sanity before it is too late?  On Blackwell Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving.  With her late father’s fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Foster does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. Do any of Edyth’s friends care that she disappeared?

At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?

My Thoughts:  I love, love the True Colors Historical Stories of American Crime series.  And I love the stories that Grace Hitchcock pens.  

The Gray Chamber was eerie and somewhat scary but for a true crime buff ever so interesting!  And it's based on truth that happened many years ago which makes it an even better story.

It's one of this reads that one just keeps saying one more chapter cause I need to know what's going to happen.  And Edyth's evil uncle who tries tooth and toenail to get Edyth into a woman's lunatic asylum.  Just because she's a free spirit and he likes her money, well wants all her money.

But Edyth, though she may be eccentric, she is not stupid or a coward.  

She finds another inmate and together they can fight the bad.  Its sad how women used to be second class citizens and men could ramrod them into all sorts of bad situations.  

I found this story so intriguing that I just couldn't put it down.  

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from 

Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.*

The Discovery Series by Wands E. Brunstetter

Book Description:  A young Amish couple faces formidable challenges in this innovative 6-part serial novel. Introducing you to Meredith and Luke Stoltzfus, whose marriage is threatened, Brunstetter leads you on a compelling journey of doubt, faith, love, and hope that will keep you reading---and guessing---until the end. A heartwarming saga! 128 pages each, six slipcased softcovers from Barbour.

My Thoughts:  This is one of the best "mini series" that I have ever read!  Each book is about this sweet, young Amish couple who are newly married, Meredith and Luke.

Intrigue, mystery and romance...along with Amish traditions.

Each of the mini books is a story within itself but each until you reach the sixth book has a wonderful cliff hanger.  

Yes, each book goes with the next.  

This is one great set....A must read for all Amish fiction lovers!

Format: Paperback Number of Pages: USA Vendor: Barbour Publishing ISBN-13: 9781624167515