Memory of Murder {Love Inspired Suspense} by Ramona Richards

About the book:  THE SECRETS OF HER PAST COULD IMPERIL HER FUTURE Lindsey Presley certainly can't imagine why anyone would want her dead-though she knows she wouldn't be alive today if not for the local cop who saved her from two murder attempts. Deputy Jeff Gage has worked difficult cases, but with only Lindsey's fractured memories of a broken past to guide him, this is by far his most challenging.For Lindsey, fleeing the town she has come to call home is unthinkable. Separately, they are vulnerable, but together, Jeff and Lindsey just may stand a chance of catching a ruthless killer. 

If you would like to read the first chapter of Memory of Murder, go HERE. 

My Thoughts: I like a good Love Inspired Suspense read.  This one is a great mystery with romance.  But best of all it's about faith, trusting God and helping others.  When you want a light, quick read with a punch go for a Love Inspired Suspense read!  And this a great one to read on a rainy day or a day at the beach!

 Book video trailer:

MEET THE AUTHOR: 

A word from Ramona:The hardest biographical sketch to write is always your own, whether or not you’re a writer by profession. You can’t decide what to throw in, what to leave out, and whether or not you should list strengths and flaws, or just strengths. I like writing and telling stories so much that I once tried to live out a few. After getting a master’s in English, I went on to be the seneschale of my local Society for Creative Anachronism. I had a rocky start, but I did get better. (Robin Hood, eat your heart out.) People often ask members of the SCA, “Are you in a play?” so I thought it would be fun to do that, too. For seven years, I produced and performed in shows staged by Nashville’s Circle Players.Although I’m single now, I married in 1982 and in 1987 had Rachel. She’s a cutie. Severely disabled, she’s the heroine of many an article for Special Ed Today magazine. Rachel's nurse, Phyllis, is the real life heroine of “An Act of Desperation,” which I sold to Chicken Soup for the Caregiver’s Soul. I’m not really a complex person, and my dreams are fairly straightforward: sell books, have enough money to pay the bills and travel a bit, and settle into a cottage. In early 2006, I bought the cottage, which is now more or less swamped by books and DVDs. I write at night (I’m a lifelong night owl), and I occasionally escape by scuba diving, hiking, dancing, and going to movies and bookstores.I’ve gone to the same church since 1993, and I even sing in the choir. It’s a small but awesome church. I’m no angel, although occasionally I play one in the backyard. I like staying busy. Life is too short not to follow your dreams.

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373445318
• ISBN-13: 978-0373445318

Harriet Beamer Strikes Gold {Harriet Beamer Series} by Joyce Magnin

Book Description:  After a whirlwind cross-country move, Harriet and her donut-loving basset hound, Humphrey, have settled into a new life in Grass Valley, California. When Harriet learns that she's going to be a grandma for the first time and get a new suite with room for her salt-and-pepper shaker collection, she can't wait for her best friend, Martha, to come visit so she can share her good news. But adventure is never far away when Harriet is around. After listening to the pleas of a desperate teen whose daddy needs money right away---and happens to have a gold mine to lease---Harriet falls hook, line, and sinker into the venture. Although she's nervous about her investment, Harriet chooses to keep it a secret from her son, Henry, and his wife. She can only imagine what she'll do if this turns out to be her ticket to a golden windfall. When suspicions arise, though, it becomes clear that Harriet may never see an ounce of gold. But will she continue to trust and risk losing everything? The fate of the young teen and a family emergency show Harriet where her true treasure lies.

My Thoughts:  I absolutely Loved the first book in the Harriet Beamer Series, Harriet Beamer Rides the Bus!

So, I waited and snatched up this book, Harriet Beamer Strikes Gold, as soon as it was available, because I knew that I would not be disappointed. 

Oh!My!  Joyce Magnin writes with a humorous flair that had me laughing out loud!  Harriet Beamer is a force to be reckoned with, for sure!

Harriet has a heart as big as Texas so when a "desperate" teen talks Harriet into leasing a gold mine her daddy has for lease....well, Harriet secretly makes her investment. Harriet just knows that this will be the best investment for her and help others too.  

Then there's Harriet's unbelievable salt and pepper shaker collection.  She collects the most unique salt and pepper shakers.  I think her collection shows her love for people who are most unusual.  She sees the heart.

Then the fun begins!  

Never try to cross a woman, especially an older woman who is quite determined.  Just when things begin to go sour, Harriet (and the teen) learn where "real gold" lies.

This read was beyond my expectations!  Loved, loved it!

*This book was provided for review by BookSneeze*

GO HERE to visit Joyce Magnin's blog!

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031033358X
• ISBN-13: 978-0310333586

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

Wondering what to do with all those wonderful vegetables in our garden...

I found this delicious recipe on Pinterest (of course!)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• 1 tsp minced garlic 
• 1 medium zucchini 
• 1 medium yellow squash 
• 1 medium potato 
• 1 medium tomato 
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• to taste salt & pepper 
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).
2. While the onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.
3. Spray the inside of an 8×8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.
4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Precious Moments Little Book of Thanks by Jean Fischer (Author)

Book Description:  In the sweet, enduring art style of Precious Moments, this timeless book will help your children recognize all the wonderful things God has given them! Read along, and you will remember to enjoy the simple things, like singing silly songs, jumping in a pile of leaves, and watching the seasons change. The short, rhyming verses in this classic Precious Moments book don’t take much time to read at all, and they will create memories that last forever.

My Thoughts:  I have always adored Precious Moments books and figurines.  But as I have gotten older I haven't collected many Precious Moments items but whenever I see a book I just have to get it.

This is a small book.  This seems to be the week of small books.  

This is a precious book...see what I did there.  😊

It's a hard back back book and just right for little hands.  My sweet little niece loves books and so I'm reading good books to her.  But at two years of age she wants to hold the book, too.  So this book is just right for her little hands.

She loves the children in this book.  The pictures of children in this book are adorable with their teardrop eyes and sweet smiles.

This is not a storybook but a poetry book.  For example on 6th page there is a poem, Thank God for Wonderful Sounds:  

What is Sound? 

 Knock, knock.  Ding-dong.  Tick-tock too!

Rumble, grumble, bump and thud,

Toot , steak, moo!

Loud sounds, soft sounds, far and near.

Thank You, God, for giving me

Ears that hear!

On the one side of the book is a short scripture with a beautiful picture and then on the next side of the book is a poem like the one above.

A beautiful book, especially for lovers of Precious Moments.

*This book was provided for review by BookLook*

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
• Grade Level: Preschool - 3
• Series: Precious Moments
• Board book: 32 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Brdbk edition (July 24, 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0718098641
• ISBN-13: 978-0718098643

100 Days of Thanks by Thomas Nelson

Book Description:  The rush of a busy schedule, a barrage of disheartening news stories, and the wear and tear of everyday life can be enough to drag anyone down. Simply pausing to recognize and express thanks for the good gifts that surround you has proven to make a major difference in happiness, peace, and contentment.

My Thoughts:  I love small books.  Small books can be placed in a purse of backpack and are easy to read anyplace.

I especially love this book.  Before long the season of Thanksgiving will be upon us and this year I wanted a devotional type book to do before the season gets here.  

This book has a beautiful cover and is hardback!  

The introduction states, "Gratitude is an art-acquired through our observations or life experiences. Though at times it seems to be a lost art . . ."  So tis year I want to have an attitude of gratitude.

It's been an especially difficult year for our family and instead of looking at all the gloom and doom I want to feast on the thanksgiving and love that the Lord has sent our way.

On page 136, Day 88, Uncovering Gifts With Our Senses is one of the pages that truly hit home with me. 

This book is chock full...a short devotional on the left page with a scripture reference at the top and on the right page a question and room for the reader to write her thoughts.

Love, love this book!

This is one of those books that makes a great gift!

*This book was provided for review by BookLook*

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 24, 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400311136
• ISBN-13: 978-1400311132
• Product Dimensions: 4.7 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches

COTT {Clash of the Titles}

Summer is here, and we've got some great new releases to fill up those camping trips, car rides, and lazy days on the beach.  Our suggestions are intriguing and ready to pull you into stories of faith, love, and adventure.

It will be hard to choose between these five wonderful romances.These books are sure to captivate your imagination, from overcoming great odds together, to chance meetings with a dashing earl, switchboard encounters of the handsome kind, a mysterious vanishing, and a prince's choice.

Their lives are worlds apart; he's a royal prince and she's an ordinary girl, but everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel's coronation. It's the ultimate choice: His kingdom or her heart…God's will or their own?

When Mitchell's wife, Jill, kisses him goodbye, he has no idea that he may never see her again. When the police can't find her, Mitch asks his neighbor, Shelley, for help, but as weeks turn into months and Mitch and Shelley grow ever closer, he wonders how he can honor his vows to a woman who seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.

Switchboard operators, otherwise known as "hello girls," must conduct themselves according to strict--and often bewildering--rules, which include absolutely no consorting with gentlemen while in training. Hannah Gregory has never been good at following rules, but she doubts it will be difficult to keep that particular rule--until a handsome young lawyer starts getting under her skin.

A chance meeting and a bullet wound change everything, and Madeline St. James must trust that the Good Shepherd has led her to the altar to marry a dashing stranger, Lord Devonshire. Madeline's unwavering faith intrigues and exasperates the stubborn earl, but can the compromised couple forge a true bond before the next disaster strikes?

After their professional athletic careers are sidelined, Tara and Ryan must find purpose and fulfillment in their new lives. With the help of the Junkyard King and a mechanical bull, can Tara and Ryan find the courage to climb Heartbreak Hill together?

{Fiction Guild Blog Tour} Arms of Mercy (An Amish Mercies Novel) by Ruth Reid

Book Description:  On the eve of a new year, Catherine Glick is expecting her bu of five years to propose. Instead, the unexpected arrival of an old boyfriend, Elijah, sends her life spiraling out of control. When a rash decision damages her current relationship, Catherine leaves for Florida to work in her cousin’s bakery—anything to flee the source of her shame.

Elijah Graber knows he hurt Catherine when he left their Amish district six years ago. He’s determined to explain his actions, even if it means following her to Florida. Perhaps their two-day bus trip together will provide enough time for him to make his case and win her back.

Just when Elijah is starting to tear down the walls Catherine has built, their bus skids on an icy road—and amid the mayhem and tragedy that follow, Catherine disappears. Elijah’s friends urge him to prepare for the worst, but Elijah holds on to his hope in God and refuses to give up his search for Catherine. With supernatural nudging from the most unexpected places, Elijah sets out to find the love he once lost—no matter the cost.

My Thoughts:  Ruth Reid pens a great story about an Amish young lady and her two beaus.

With all the Amish fiction out on the shelves an author needs to make the story interesting and as close to the real thing as possible.  Ruth Reid does just that...the story of Catherine Glick is not only interesting but the reader is as confused as Elijah, her boyfriend, when she goes missing from the bus.  How does one Amish young lady just go missing?!?!?

It's also interesting that Catherine thinks of her decision as a "shame" thing.  In reality it isn't but there's a lesson in there for people not to be so hard on themselves.

This is the second novel in the Amish Mercies Series.  I read it as a stand alone and didn't seem to miss anything.

This is a great read and a little different than the usual Amish read.  

The mystery of Catherine's disappearance makes for quite a story!

*This book was provided for review by Fiction Guild*

• Series: An Amish Mercies Novel (Book 2)
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 5, 2018)
• Language: English