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Wednesday, June 6, 2018

eBook Review: Meet Your Match by Lindzee Armstrong

This is a fun, quick prequel drawing me to the first full book in the series.

Meet Your Match (No Match for Love Book 4)
by Lindzee Armstrong
File Size: 2525 KB
Print Length: 117 pages
Publisher: Snowflake Press (April 8, 2015)
ASIN: B00VVU72Y0
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Teen and Young Adult
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0


Nothing slows love down like the friend zone.
a No Match for Love prequel novella
Sixteen-year-old Brooke Pierce doesn’t need her mom to tell her all boys are trouble. After watching her dad break up the family for a woman half his age, dating is the last thing on her mind.
On the first day at a new high school Brooke meets Luke, the school flirt with a reputation for heartbreak. He’s interested. She’s not. That only makes him chase her more.
After a shocking revelation from her dad, Brooke and Luke form an unexpected bond, complete with crazy rules to keep them safely in the friend zone. Problem is, that’s the worst place to be when you’re falling in love.
Part of the No Match for Love series, Meet Your Match is a delightfully sweet prequel novella that can be read as a stand-alone. It's sure to delight readers who love Hallmark movies and sweet romance. This series combines complex characters with smart dialogue and a fast-paced plot.


Review:
Brooke is sixteen when her parents separate because her dad has an affair with an employee in his office. Brooke’s mom moves them away from the family home and difficult memories. Brooke isn’t thrilled about having to go to a new school and make new friends. On the first day of school Brooke overhears a conversation between cute Luke and his fun friend Chris. Now Brooke is certain she doesn’t want to get caught up with the cute classmates who are clearly players. Brooke is keeping her distance, even more so when she learns her father is still seeing the younger woman even while participating in required counseling.

Luke really wants to go out with Brooke but he agrees to settle for being her friend after he learns all that she is going through and the distrust she has developed. He hopes that at some point she will accept his sincere interest, but his friend Chris isn’t helping with his competitive antics.

Brooke hopes to make a career of match making after she graduates from high school. She has a knack for seeing whether couples are well suited or need to part ways. Unfortunately, this knack doesn’t apply to seeing her own feelings.

I enjoyed this light romance which reads very quickly. The characters a natural and I appreciated that the story is clean and suitable for YA. There is a sense of frustration as one part of me felt Brooke was being too cautious with Luke but the other said “good thing, they are so young”. The ending leaves the reader hanging. Although this is listed as “book 4” it is actually the prequel to the series. I do want to get the first full book to see what happens. I recommend this to readers who enjoy clean, young romance.

Source: 2017 Author Newsletter Sign up. This qualifies for 2018TBR and Alphabet Challenge.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Book Review and Giveaway: A Simple Change (Home to Amana Book #2) by Judith Miller

This is a nice story of change, faith and acceptance, with a dash of mystery. 
By: Judith Miller

Amazon Link
File Size: 1486 KB
Print Length: 354 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (August 1, 2013)
ASIN: B00B85MPUE
Genre: Christian, Historical
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0


Product Description
Joining the communal society of the Amana Colonies isn't what Jancey Rhoder planned for her future, but when unforeseen circumstances force her family to make some difficult decisions, she chooses to give up her teaching position in a Kansas City orphanage and move with her parents to Iowa.
Her besotted suitor, Nathan Woodward, isn't at all happy about the move and is determined to get Jancey to change her mind. And Jancey herself isn't sure what she's gotten herself into when the simple life of the Amana Colonies means she'll be assigned a job and may have to give up teaching for good. Will Nathan woo her back to the city, or will she be forever changed by the mysterious events and new relationships that await her in the quiet villages of the Amana Colonies--and decide to make this unique place her forever home?


Review:
Jancey loves teaching the young orphan children even though her position is voluntary. But her mother’s health is failing and her parents want to move back to the Amana Community where mother was raised. Jancey’s beau, Nathan, wants her to stay in Kansas City; to marry him and maybe he can take over her father’s construction business. Jancey finds it hard to leave her current circumstance but she thinks it is more important to be with her mother during her illness.

Jancey finds the transition to the communal living requires following some strict rules for the safety and integrity of the members. One of these rules means not having contact with the outsiders, especially the young men who work at the wool mill. But Jancey met one of the boys while cleaning the men’s dormitory. He thinks she can help him find his sister who was placed in the Kansas City orphanage years before.

Meanwhile her hosts son is showing interest in Jancey. He is cautious though to protect his heart because it isn’t clear if Jancey will remain in the Community if her mother passes. Jancey is conflicted and even more confused when Nathan decides to move to the Community hoping to win her heart and hand.

The story is set in 1881 and shows the difference in lifestyles from city life to the simple life of the Community. The details of daily living and sharing were interesting. The simple faith was shown in the lifestyle of the members without being preached to the reader.

I didn’t really feel invested in the characters, so the read was a little slow for me. There is a little bit of mystery blended with the history and coming of age elements. The story ends in an appropriate spot but still leaves open the opportunity for more growth for Jancey in the next books. The other ladies in Book Club thought it read a bit slowly too but they were interested in the mystery and history. I had not read Ms. Miller before but several others said they enjoy her faith based stories. I recommend this to readers who like historical, faith based stories.

Source: Christianbook.com on sale. This qualifies for TBR2018.

GIVEAWAY:
One winner.
Paperback Book (US Only)


(Don't forget to fill in the form for entry!)
For 3 Extra Bonus entries
(a) comment on the review
or
(b) comment on the author's website

* This contest is open to US only for the paperback book.
* This contest will close 5 PM (Central) June 15, 2018.
Winners are asked to respond on the winners form linked in the announcement or by email.

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Sunday Post June 3, 2018/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday June 4, 2018

Sunday Post #318 Chairs, Compliance, and Storms
I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I am still glad to be making progress at the office with the help of a new assistant for my law practice. I have cleared one stack of files (probates) on my desks and now am moving to another stack (litigation).
Our weather is warming to the mid to high 80s with some days, like this morning, very muggy. We have had spotty storms all week long but no damage at home except limb fall.

My reading was comfortable and effective this week. I finished: 2 Audibles and 2 ebooks. I only got three reviews posted with my usual memes.

I visited 25 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week for The Perpetual Page Turner who has broadened her blog to include life as well as books.
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:
  • ATBRSYNC- Audio Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater; Fantasy, Romance, Teens, YA; my rating 4.0.
Finished Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (Author TBR)



Meet Your Match (No Match for Love Book 4)
by Lindzee Armstrong
This is a fun quick prequel leading to the first full book in the series.
Source: 2017 Author Newsletter Sign up.
Click on book title for full description.



2. Audible/MP3 (TBR)
The Vanished Man audiobook cover art


The Vanished Man
A Lincoln Rhyme Novel
By: Jeffery Deaver
Narrated by: Adam Grupper
This reminded me how much I enjoy forensic mysteries.
Source: 2004 Audible Credit Purchase.
Click on book title for full description.



3. Audible/MP3 (TBR)



Leader of the Pack
By: David Rosenfelt
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Series: Andy Carpenter, Book 10
Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
I always enjoy the self deprecating humor in this series.
Source: 2017 Audible Sale Purchase.
Publisher's Summary
Over the course of his legal career, Andy Carpenter has lost a few cases. But that doesn't mean he forgets his clients. Andy has always been convinced that Joey Desimone, a man convicted of murder nine years ago, was innocent and believes that Joey's family's connections to organized crime played a pivotal role in his conviction. While there isn't much Andy can do for him while he serves out his prison sentence, Joey suggests that he check up on Joey's elderly uncle. He'd rather not, but as a favor to Joey, Andy agrees to take his dog, Tara, on a few visits.
The old man's memory is going, but when Andy tries to explain why he's there, it jogs something in the man's mind, and his comments leave Andy wondering if Uncle Nick is confused, or if he just might hold the key to Joey's freedom after all this time. Andy grabs on to this thread of possibility and follows it into a world where the oath of silence is stronger than blood ties, and where people will do anything to make sure their secrets are kept.
©2012 David Rosenfelt (P)2012 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.



4. eBook/Kindle (NGTBR)



Queendom of the Seven Lakes (Legends of the Godskissed Continent)
by A B Endacott
I liked this engaging adventure.
Source: 2017 NetGalley. "Q" for Alphabet Challenge.
Click on book title for full description.




Currently Reading:
1. Audible/Smartphone (TBR)



The Cruel Prince
By: Holly Black
Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
The characters, Faerie world and drama have pulled me in.
Source: 2018 Win from Bookish Owl.
Publisher's Summary
By number-one New York Times best-selling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.
Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him - and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
©2018 Holly Black (P)2018 Hachette Audio



2. eBook/Kindle (LBCTBR)


Stranger Things
by Erin Healy
I am about 33% in and finding this intriguing!
Source: I picked up the print version at discount at Christianbook.com in 2016 for Ladies Book Club.
I picked up the Kindle version in May 2018.
In the burnt-out hollow, a house of dark secrets and an eerie beauty beckon.
Serena Diaz’s life is imploding. A troubled student has accused the young biology teacher of sexual misconduct, cutting off her promising career just as it was starting to blossom. But that’s just the beginning of Serena’s problems.
When a therapeutic walk in the woods leads her to a ruined house overtaken by criminals, Serena is assaulted and finds herself witness to the senseless murder of the one man who tries to help her.
Hurled into a world of false accusations and hounded by the press, Serena must confront evil itself to unravel the mysterious visions—and terrifying danger—that pursue her. But she can’t ignore the most haunting question: Why would a mysterious stranger give his life to save hers?
The answer, if she can find it, will point the way to her freedom from evil men in a lascivious trade.
“With her typical flair and eloquence, Healy takes readers through an incredible journey that will leave you thinking long after the last page closes.” —Lifeisstory.com
“Healy’s latest is thought-provoking and engaging, and becomes even more so as the story progresses. The author uses courageous characters to address the sex trade crisis. Themes of hope and redemption are seamlessly woven with spiritual elements and a touch of the supernatural.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 stars



3. Audible/MP3 (ATBR)
The Search audiobook cover art


The Search
By: Nora Roberts
Narrated by: Tanya Eby
Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
I like the characters; lots of dog training. 
The suspense is just starting.
Source: 2012 Audible Credit Purchase.
Publisher's Summary
To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life: a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescue. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare.
Several years ago, she was the only survivor of a serial killer - a madman who stalked and abducted young women, strangled them, and left them buried with a red scarf on their bodies. As authorities were closing in on the Red Scarf Killer, he shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.
On Orcas Island, Fiona has found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. Yet all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He’s the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon’s house, and he’s at his wit’s end.
To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can’t handle. Simon is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he’s a rugged and intensely private artist, known for creating exquisite furniture. Simon never wanted a puppy, and he most definitely doesn’t want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to the laws of attraction.
As Fiona embarks on training Jaws and as Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands.
©2010 Nora Roberts (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.



June 3, 2018 - I am still enjoying the prayer app which gives me five prayer groups each morning! I continue on track with my morning reading the One Year Bible plan on my smartphone. You can check out audio of the One Year Bible Plan on the companion commentary online.


I completed 4 books and posted 3 reviews. This puts me at 5 reviews due. I hope I can get them done through the week.
I need to find time to add more reviews to Goodreads, Amazon and Audible.

My NetGalley shelf is at 13 since I read one and added one. I still have two author titles in queue. Still many through InstaFreebie and many new author requests but I haven't replied to.


Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
I received one NetGalley title for review.
I picked up one Audible daily deal titles this week and was thinking about picking up today's DD but the Audible system isn't posting the purchase button.
I resisted the Kindle deals this week.
I got week six free SYNC audios.
I also picked up some free kindle titles as usual. (Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles
From NetGalley for Review:
Kill Shot: A Novel (White Knights)
by Susan Sleeman
"Suspense and romance combine in Susan Sleeman's thrilling new novel about an FBI agent who must team up with a beautiful therapist to stop a killer with a deadly new weapon."


Won
NONE

Purchased
5/30/2018 DD $3.95
Red Winter audiobook cover artRed Winter
Red Winter, Book 1
By: Annette Marie
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
Release date: 01-03-17


Free
I downloaded week 6 SYNC audio titles:

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider Read by Khristine Hvam, James Fouhey
Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist Read by Pat Young

I added 42 free titles to my Kindle library this week. (I saw one and it led to another and another....) Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement June 3, 2018

Our Sunday School teacher was away again so we shared praises, prayers and testimonies. There have been some tragedies in our community over the past several weeks – two teens killed in an ATM accident, a young teen accused of murder. All agreed that there is no guarantee we will not have troubles in this life, but we are assured we have a hope for a better future in our home world.

Our Youth Pastor shared the first sermon on a new series titled “The Strong”. The message was based on 1 Peter 1:3-9. How do we navigate our lives in today's world? Peter is speaking to the persecuted, scattered church. (Saul was going house to house to arrest believers. Acts 8:3.)

Most Christians experience a point in life where they say “yes” to God. There is excitement and they often convince themselves that life will be easier. But that is not necessarily so as the early Christians and many since have learned. More often life goes through a shifting while God prepares the individual for His plans.

Peter focuses on positive hope. 1 Peter 1:3-9. He gives all praise to God. He briefly notes that there will be trials the purpose of which is to will show your faith is genuine. (Verse 6-7.) Our hope in eternity is greater than anything in this passing life.

Negativity can grow like bonfire; creating hurts. Choose positive over negative. We do not see the bigger picture. But often what Satan means for evil, God intends for good. Genesis 50:20.
Speak life and love into all situations. Rely on your future Hope.

I had several songs listed for Hope. This one fits.
Verses for Today:
1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV)
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Lord – I praise you for this life even if there be trouble. I give greater praise for the hope you have given me in a glorious future.

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Saturday, June 2, 2018

Sharing Beyond Books #345 Comment Giveaway June 2, 2018

Hello again and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

I am so happy to have an assistant who is helping me. Slowly I am making progress.

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.
Ten of us had a song they found through a book. The song from the Titanic was named by two. All the others were different. Four commenters couldn't think of a song.

The Winner from SBB #344 comments is: #6 ALINA who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated (**Finally!) ARC/Review titles or (recently updated) Love and Christmas titles - all linked near the end of the post.

**NOTE: I did post an Updated ARC and Other books for Giveaways. I have to go back and list the titles -- someday.
Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #345
(One Question.)

Miki asks: Are you part of any arc/street team for an author, what do you think of them?
There were one or two authors whose street teams I would have liked to join but wasn't quick enough answering or wasn't chosen. It is just as well as my time is so stretched and that would have been one more commitment on my full plate. The idea makes great sense to me though for promotion through readers and friends.
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Image found at Pinterest.

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask. Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form. At the end of each month I draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions. Thanks for sending in questions! The supply of questions is dwindling so share some if you think of any -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify.

Your turn to share. Miki asks: Are you part of any arc/street team for an author, what do you think of them?

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Updated ARC and Other books, including the "Love" and Christmas titles all in one post.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on the question above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made through Saturday June 16, 2018 at 5 PM central.

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