WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

 

Undercurrent of Secrets (Doors of the Past) by: Rachel Scott McDaniel

 Book Description:  As wedding coordinator for the 100-year-old steamboat The Belle of Louisville, Devyn Asbury takes pride in seeing others’ dreams come true, even though her engagement had sunk like a diamond ring to the bottom of the Ohio River. When the Belle becomes a finalist in the Timeless Wedding Venue contest, Devyn endeavors to secure the prestigious title with hopes to reclaim some of her professional dreams. What she hadn’t planned on was Chase Jones showing up with a mysterious photo from the 1920s.

A century earlier, Hattie Louis is as untamable as the rivers that raised her. As the adopted daughter of a steamboat captain, her duties range from the entertainment to cook. When strange incidents occur aboard the boat, Hattie’s determined to discover the truth. Even if that means getting under First Mate Jack Marshall’s handsome skin.

My Thoughts:  I absolutely love the cover of this book.  It speaks of gentler times of days gone by.

Such an interesting story of a wedding coordinator whose own engagement fell to the bottom top the Ohio River, well, at least the ring fell to the bottom of the river.

And then Devyn meets a man Chase Jones, who has a torn photo that looks as if it were taken on the Belle.  But who is the woman in the photo and what was on the other part of the photo?

Devyn and Chase pursue the mystery of the photo.With twists and turns at every venue will they ever find the meaning of a torn photo?

Such an interesting story on such an interesting vessel...a steamboat!

There is a satisfying ending as the two stories end with clarity.

*This book was provided for review by Barbour*

Title: Undercurrent of Secrets
By: Rachel Scott McDaniel
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 256
Vendor: Barbour Books
Publication Date: 2021

A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson

 Book Description:  There’s nothing quite like family—for good or bad. But in a world where we sometimes know more about the Kardashians than we do the people sleeping right down the hall, it’s easy to forget that walking through life with our family offers all sorts of joy wrapped up in the seemingly mundane. There’s even a little bit of sacred sitting smack-dab in the middle of the ordinary. And since time’s-a-wastin’, we need to be careful that we don’t take our people—and their stories—for granted. Whether it’s a marathon bacon-frying session, a road trip gone hysterically wrong, or a mother-in-law who makes every trip to the grocery store an adventure, author Sophie Hudson reminds us how important it is to slow down and treasure the day-to-day encounters with the people we love the most.

Written in the same witty style as Sophie’s BooMama blog, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweetis a cheerful, funny, and tender account of Sophie’s very Southern family. It’s a look into the real lives of real people—and a real, loving God right in the middle of it all.

My Thoughts:  With all of the reality shows on TV, I wonder if people forget that the family God gave them are the "real" people we need to be with!??!

I love the title of this book because that's exactly how a family unit can be classified  . . . a little Salty with the Sweet by  Sophie Hudson is a timely reminder that we need not take for granted the family that God has given us. Family, that group of people that we have so much in common with, those peoples who are there for us through thick and thin.   The ones we fight with (salty) and have fun with (sweet) and make memories with. Our family is the one we make "our story" with . . . they are the ones who know us best.

Remember that one (or maybe more than one) vacation that went terribly wrong.  You know the one, where the rear axle on your family car kept coming off as you made your way home from Grandma's house and your dad kept stopping every couple of miles to fix it.  But in the end we had to get a hotel room and didn't go to church that Sunday because dad was fixing the axel?  We ate doughnuts for breakfast and read Good Housekeeping!  See, if you have a memory like that you probably have a family that has many memories.  Keep those memories and write them down.

Great book!  And a great gift, too!  I'm thinking that this will make a 

great grandparents day gift...or a great gift for that baby shower in July!

*Tyndale Publishing*

List Price:

14.99 

ISBN:

978-1-4143-7566-3 

Trim Size:

5 1/2 x 8 1/4 

Binding:

Softcover  

FUN FRIDAY

 

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

 

Gathering Shadows (Finding Sanctuary 1) by Nancy Mehl

 

Book Description:  Wynter Evans is a promising young reporter for a television station in St. Louis, but even a bright future doesn't take away her pain over the disappearance of her brother nine years ago. So when she stumbles across a photograph of a boy with an eerie resemblance to him, she can't pass up the chance to track him down. With research for work as her cover, she sets out with one of the station's photogs for the place where the picture was taken: the town of Sanctuary. 

Almost as soon as she arrives, she meets the town's handsome young mayor, Rueben King, and together they begin to uncover long held secrets that could tear the small town apart and change everything Wynter thought she knew about her life. As the truth of her family's past hides in the shadows, it's clear someone will stop at nothing to keep the answers she's searching for hidden forever--even if the cost is Wynter's very life.

My Thoughts: I absolutely love to read novels/stories by Nancy Mehl!

The Gathering Shadows (the first book in the Finding Sanctuary series) is classified as romantic suspense but, yet, Mrs. Mehl puts so much more into this story.

I love Wynter Evans . . .just love the way her name is spelled.  Wynter is strong and courageous but yet gentle and kind hearted.  Wynter struggles with her past.  And there is Rueben King {sigh!} the young mayor . . . here is the romantic part. 

Wynter's brother disappeared over nine years ago.  then Wynter comes across a picture of a big that resembles her lost brother.  She is drawn to and must go after the clues to see if this is really her brother.  

She travels to the town of Sanctuary.  Sanctuary is the town where Rueben King is mayor. 

There seems to be shadows everywhere Wynter looks.  It seems that the truth may never "show up."

This is quite a read!  The ending, the I.didn't.see.that.coming! and the suspense make for zone fantastic read!

But don't take my word for it....go read it for yourself! 

• Series: Finding Sanctuary (Book 1)
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers 
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764211579
• ISBN-13: 978-0764211577

The Amish Christmas Matchmaker (Indiana Amish Brides) by Vannetta Chapman

 

Book Description:  With her wedding business thriving, Annie Kauffmann could never leave her beloved Amish community. So when handsome Amish cowboy Levi Lapp tries to convince her father to move the family to Texas, she must put a stop to it. If Annie finds Levi a wife, he might forget his dream of moving…but can she keep from falling for him herself?

My Thoughts:  In my book there is nothing better than a Love Inspired romance especially when it's about Christmas and is authored by Vannetta Chapman.  A win-win!

This fantastic story is almost an oxymoron...An Amish matchmaker?!?  But then again no matter what, we all need love in our lives.  

Annie Kaufman actually has a wedding business so it's not all love and games.  However, she doesn't seem to have any romance in her own life.  And it seems that Annie is quite happy with her life so when Levi Lapp begins to talk her father into moving-to Texas of all places!  Annie decides she'll have none of that nonsense.  But love can get in the way of most well laid plans.

In a fun loving sort of way, Vannetta Chapman captures the romance between two young Amish people and somehow gets their families involved too.

This is a great story to begin your holiday season!

• Series: Indiana Amish Brides
• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Love Inspired; Original edition 
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1335479430
• ISBN-13: 978-1335479433