Audiobook Review: Mistletoe Mayhem: Dawson Chronicles, Book 1 by Linda Bridey

This is a sweet romance with interesting details about Montana's involvement during WWI.
Mistletoe Mayhem: Dawson Chronicles, Book 1
Written by: Linda Bridey
Narrated by: Mary Ann Weathers

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
Series: Dawson Chronicles, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:04-08-16
Publisher: Beldene Publishing
Genre: Sweet Historical Romance
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
In 1918, Sawyer Samuels is injured in The Great War and given a medical discharge. He's sent back to his hometown of Dawson, Montana, but it's a bittersweet homecoming. There is more to his discharge than he can tell most people. Shortly after coming home, Sawyer runs into Devon Dwyer, the woman who rejected his marriage proposal before he enlisted in the army. His feelings for her are as strong as ever, but after their painful parting, there's no going back.
Seeing Sawyer again drives home the point to Devon that her heart still belongs to him even though she's tried to move on. However, she knows the situation is hopeless. There's still too much anger and pain between them to reconcile - or is there?
Enter a group of their wily friends who have some tricks up their sleeves to push Sawyer and Devon to attempt to repair their broken relationship. As the Christmas season begins, chaos and mayhem ensue. Meanwhile, tensions in Dawson rise as suspicions rise and threaten the peace and wellbeing of their town. Can Sawyer and Devon recapture the love they once shared? Can the citizens of Dawson rise to the challenges and dangers that arise? Join the adventure and find out.©2015 Linda Bridey (P)2016 Linda Bridey

Review:
Sawyer Samuels felt it was his duty to go to war for his country but his girlfriend, Devon, took it as a rejection and broke up with him. Sawyer returns home on a medical discharge hoping the local doctor can reset his broken ankle. Sawyer soon sees Devon but they can barely be civil to each other. She still feels abandoned and he doesn’t trust her lack of understanding. Their friends set out to make them realize how much they still care for each other, but underhanded tricks might backfire unexpectedly.

Sawyer has other troubles as he took photographs during the battles that are not permitted to be taken or shared. Authorities show up demanding that he turn over any photos he has.

Meanwhile, there are tensions in town with some zealous patriots challenging the able bodied men, especially the Native Americans even though they sent their sons to war too. Mayor Joe is accused of speaking critically about the war and he is jailed right before Christmas. Other townsfolk want Joe to play his part in the Christmas play, A Christmas Carol. Sawyer and his friends conjure up a clever plan to break Joe out for the play and hoping to convince the accuser to drop the charges.

I enjoyed the historical aspects of the importance of the people of Montana, including the Native Americans, and their contributions to the efforts of World War I. I also found it interesting that there was such censorship and bad feelings about negative aspects of the war.

There is conflict and humor and the path to restoration of the romance between Sawyer and Devon makes a sweet story. There is a bonus with a second romance struggle between Joey (Jr) and Snow Song, a half-Indian. Plus there is a teaser courtship added after this story concludes.

Although I enjoyed the story I didn’t feel as pulled in as I had hoped. The story seemed warm enough, the characters nice enough and the historical aspects interesting enough but there was just not a strong connection for me. I think I would like to give this author another try in the future. I do recommend this to readers who enjoy sweet, historical, family-centered romance.

Audio Notes: Mary Ann Weathers did a fair job with the audio but, honestly, I wasn’t enthralled with the narration. I didn’t hear a big difference in voices, the reading seemed almost too young and, at times, it was just a “reading”, rather than a strong audio performance. This might have worked better for me as an ebook or in print.

I received this audio title from the narrator through AudioBook Boom for an honest review. This is part of my 2016 Audio Challenge.

Sunday Post September 18, 2016/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 19, 2016.

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
Thank you to Sheila for the years that she handled this meme.
Thank you to Kathryn for taking up the baton.

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.

Work is still busy so I keep plugging away. Guess the week just got swallowed by the work.
We had a nice early dinner today with our daughter and her family.
Hubby will be starting physical therapy again this week and he is ready for it! Still has back pain and dizziness but he is ready to push along.

I liked my reading/listening this week. Again, I only finished two books but I am okay with that. I finished one print and one audio book. I posted two reviews and the usual memes.

I did get to visit early in the week but have more plans to visit this week.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post September 11, 2016/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 12, 2016.

• Audio Book Review: Tarah Woodblade: The Bowl of Souls Book 6 by Trevor H. Cooley; Epic Fantasy; my rating 4.5.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway September 16, 2016. Open Worldwide. Ending 9/22/2016.

• Book Review: Dead Lawyers Don't Lie: A Gripping Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 1) by Mark Nolan; Suspense, Mystery Thriller; my rating 4.5.

• Sharing Beyond Books #270 Comment Giveaway September 17, 2016. Open Worldwide. Ending 9/24/2016.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement September 18, 2016.

Finished Reading:

1. Print (Candence Marketing Group)

FRIENDS OF THE WIGWAM: A Civil War Story
by John William Huelskamp
This is a wonderful and personal portrayal 
of young people in the Civil War.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/MP3 (TBR)

Grave Surprise: Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 2
Written by: Charlaine Harris
Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
This is an engaging mystery. 
This is from my Audible Library - 2012. I am reading it for TBR and Audio "G" in Alphabet Challenge.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently reading:

1. eBook/Kindle (Author)

The Forever Gate Book One 
by Isaac Hooke
I received this title and others from the author for an honest review.
I actually had this in my Kindle Library from 2014 
so I am counting it towards TBR also. 
The world as we know it is about to end.
Hoodwink Cooper has been sentenced to death. His crime? Attempting to blast a hole in the Forever Gate, the colossal wall that surrounds the city and protects the denizens from the uninhabitable Outside. There's only one problem - he isn't the one who planted the bomb.
His daughter did, at the behest of a secretive society known as the Users.
As the gols, the humanlike automata who have enslaved the humans, prepare to carry out Hoodwink's sentence, the Users plot even greater turmoil. If Hoodwink gives up the ghost without first extricating his daughter from their clutches, she will most likely join him in the afterlife.
What Hoodwink and the Users don't realize is that they are all pawns in a greater game whose stakes are the very survival of humanity itself.
Will Hoodwink escape in time to save his daughter? More importantly, will he break free of the invisible forces that guide him?
Or will he succumb to the domination of his unseen masters and cause the breaking of the world, losing not just his daughter, but everything?
---THE FOREVER GATE combines elements of science fiction & fantasy to evoke a unique setting entirely unlike anything you've ever read before.

2. Audible/MP3 (ABJ)

Haraken: A Silver Ships Novel
By: S. H. Jucha
Read by: Grover Gardner
Series: The Silver Ships Series, book 4
This looks like it will be good...even if it is 4th in a series.
I received this audio from the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox.
Nine years of tranquility came to an abrupt end when a Méridien starship entered the Hellébore system, sounding a dire warning for Alex Racine, the Haraken president. Unwanted visitors had arrived again. But this time, they’re not alien; they’re human. Claiming to have followed the course of a colony ship launched a millennium ago when Earth wrestled with resource wars and climate change, the mission commander, Antonio García, requests a meeting with the planet’s leaders. The Earthers profess a kinship with all humans, and their great desire is to have Méridien join their United Earth (UE). Alex Racine journeys to Méridien to investigate and uncover the Earthers’ intentions. In the Haraken world, SADEs (self-aware digital entities) have been freed from their boxes aboard the Méridien-built starships. The mobile SADEs are powerful players in Alex’s strategies, inventing ingenious methods to investigate the Earthers and their ship. Complicating matters, the Méridien leadership is in turmoil. The Council Leader insists her people ignore the Earthers, but this path has costs. As tensions escalate, García sends a request for support to his superiors back on Earth, lest his discovery of the rich, Méridien worlds, boasting unbelievable advanced technology, slip through his grasp. A UE battleshiop heeds the call, escalating the pressure for action. Join the journey as the Harakens and Méridiens work together to protect their planets and their way of life from the newest invaders.
© 2016 by S. H. Jucha

3. eBook/Kindle (Author)

The Captive Heart
by Michelle Griep
I like the sound of this.
I received this through NetGalley.
It releases 10/1/16.
Proper English governess Eleanor Morgan flees to the colonies to escape the wrath of a brute of an employer. When the Charles Town family she’s to work for never arrives to collect her from the dock, she is forced to settle for the only reputable choice remaining to her—marriage to a man she’s never met. Trapper and tracker Samuel Heath is a hardened survivor used to getting his own way by brain or by brawn, and he’s determined to find a mother for his young daughter. But finding a wife proves to be impossible. No upstanding woman wants to marry a murderer.

September 4, 2016 - I am back up to date with Reading The One Year Bible again along with my husband and others from our church. I will also be listening (sometimes) to the companion commentary online.

I posted two reviews, which, again, leaves me with three to complete.

I am still accepting new audio titles as I can always squeeze listening in!
I continue reading author titles. Reading one this week brings the list down to six.
My NetGalley shelf is still at four and I am reading one of those this week.
Here it is September! I am still hoping to read SOME TBRs this month but right now I want to get the author and NetGalley titles completed.
I am planning more TBRs for November when I will participate in Sci Fi Month.

I am still working on additional releases at eTreasure's NetGalley page.
I plan to have another new title up this week.

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 Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I did not pick any new review ebooks this week but I did select some audio review titles; received one.  I also selected two Audible credit titles + two on sale.
Again, I didn't purchase any kindle titles but picked up the usual healthy number of free kindle titles.

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

Received from Blackstone Audio through Audiobook Jukebox:
Haraken
By: S. H. Jucha
Read by: Grover Gardner
Series: The Silver Ships Series, book 4
See full description above under "Currently Reading".

Won

NONE

Purchased

These were my Audible selections this week for my two August credits:

Avenging Home: The Survivalist Series, Book 7
Written by: A. American
Narrated by: Duke Fontaine
Book 7 in a series I like.

Linesman

Written by: S. K. Dunstall

Narrated by: Brian Hutchison
I was eyeing book 2 for review so decided to pick up book 1
in this "thought-provoking space opera series".

This was on sale as a daily deal:
We
Written by: Yevgeny Zamyatin
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
I was caught by the intro: "Recognized as the inspiration for George Orwell's 1984,...". I may be saving this for Vintage Sci Fi time.

This one I picked up on sale:

One Year After

Written by: William R. Forstchen

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
I enjoyed listening to the first book back in 2012 and just spotted this one.

Free

I added 50 free Kindle titles to my library. 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 September 18, 2016

We had a great Sunday School lesson this morning which gave a fresh perspective on the ten commandments as given to show God’s people how to live and stay free. I plan to share that summary in the future.

Our worship was strong leading into a good Sermon and Communion. Pastor continued the “BE” series this morning with “BE Changed”.


He noted how bad habits always pop up even when we try to remove them. But, in practice, we are not good at changing habits. “They” say it takes 17 days to form a good habit but we all know that it only takes a moment to fall back into old, bad habits.

We serve a God who specializes in changing people. It is clear we need help to change. How does change happen? Paul tells the believers: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17. We are changed through Jesus, but we must be prepared for the battle that follows because it is an ongoing struggle. The battle is fought not just day by day but moment by moment. We cannot succeed in our own strength; our will power is just not enough. We need to call upon the power of the Holy Spirit to change and to live a changed life. Galatians 5:17-23.

Only by living in the Spirit can we win and produce fruits of the Spirit. (Verse 16 and verse 25.)
Steps we can take: Read the Word. Pray. Praise and worship. Set boundaries. Turn off negatives and distractions. Delete apps and banish thoughts that would lead us back into bad habits.

When the church body lives this way, there is harmony. We focus together to fight the true enemy. We seek to help the wounded instead of hurting them. Let the church be a beacon to the community and those seeking change. Be filled with the Spirit to accept the gift of change.

This is one of our praise songs which fits with the message today:

I Won’t Go Back

A Verse for Today:
Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I love how the Sunday School message and the Sermon were supportive of each other. I pray that I will allow the Holy Spirit to control all moments of my life. I have assurance that this is where I find abundant joy and peace.

Sharing Beyond Books #270 Comment Giveaway September 17, 2016

Hello again and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

I was a little surprised that seven of us aren't bothered by cover images that don't match the book description. That leaves nine of us who are annoyed or disappointed by errors on the covers. A couple of us have notice the same cover image on different books and we aren't thrilled with that either...although I guess it is bound to happen.

~~~~~

The Winner from SBB #269 comments is: #7 Rita who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated ARC/Review titles or (not yet updated) Love titles - all linked near the end of the post. [I'm hoping to update the book choices - maybe the beginning of next year, lol.] Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #270

(One Question.)

Natalija asks: What are your thoughts on foul language? Does it bother you when characters curse??

We had discussed about warnings but never asked this question directly. Anyone who has read my reviews knows that I do not like cursing. I don't like even a little but I will read/listen to some. If I have committed to review a book and then discover it is full of bad language, I will usually push through. But if it is just one I picked up I am more likely now to stop reading.

Image Found at Quotes Gram.

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: Natalija asks: What are your thoughts on foul language? Does it bother you when characters curse??
SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Valentine and "Love" books or the February 2015 Newly Updated ARC/Review List. (My daughter pulled several of the Christmas titles to give with gift bags we made up for the nursing homes. One of these days I will get together a new box of Christmas titles.)

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 September 24, 2016 at 5 PM central.

Book Review: Dead Lawyers Don't Lie: A Gripping Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 1) by Mark Nolan

This is a page-turner thriller with full on action and a good dose of humor.

Dead Lawyers Don't Lie: A Gripping Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 1)
by Mark Nolan

File Size: 4886 KB
Print Length: 642 pages
Publication Date: January 1, 2016
ASIN: B018SCGDWK
Genre: Suspense Thriller, Mystery Thriller
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

A mysterious killer who calls himself The Artist is assassinating wealthy lawyers in San Francisco. When war veteran Jake Wolfe accidentally takes his picture during a murder, The Artist adds Jake to his kill list and he becomes a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse that only one of them can survive. How far would you go to protect your loved ones from a killer? Jake wants to leave his secret, violent past life behind him. But the reluctant, flawed hero can't ignore his duty and his personal moral compass.
This gripping thriller is full of suspense, plot twists and surprises. It features a cast of interesting characters, including several strong-willed women, two wise-cracking San Francisco Police Homicide Inspectors, one highly intelligent dog, and a philosophical killer who shares Jake's admiration for Van Gogh paintings but still plans to kill him anyway. As Jake gets closer to unraveling a merciless conspiracy, his life gets turned upside down and the danger level increases, adding to the growing suspense. This entertaining page-turner starts out as a murder mystery and then shifts gears into a high-speed action thriller that takes you on a roller-coaster ride to the riveting ending. A good read for those who enjoy mysteries, suspense, action and adventure, vigilante justice, unique characters, witty dialogue and a little romance too. Now on sale in over a dozen countries around the world. Be the first among your friends to read it.

Review:
Jake Wolfe, a former Marine, is now an investigative, photo journalist. He is a tough veteran who still carries the protective mode for those in need or distress. He was a dog handler in the service and realizes he must help a military dog who has PTSD and is distraught when the another former Marine friend of Jake's is buried. Now he has Cody as a constant companion which eventually brings him into contact with a lovely, but beleaguered, veterinarian, Sarah.

Jake’s best friend, Terrell, a former Infantry Rifleman, is now a Police Homicide Inspector with the San Francisco Police Department. When Jake witnesses a sniper murder of a local attorney he quickly texts Terrell who heads up the investigation. Jake is never far away and will need Terrell to have his back since he has become a target for the sniper, “The Artist”.

The Artist takes pride in planning unique and precise hits. He has gained renown for his skills but knows that some of his employers consider him replaceable. But he will prove them wrong, as long as his manic swings don’t push him into making a mistake.

The banter between Jake and Terrell reminded me of the super fun dialog between 'Riggs' (Mel Gibson) and Roger (Danny Glover) in the 1987 Lethal Weapon series. Mark Nolan does a great job creating all of these characters: Jake, Terrell, The Artist, Sarah and even the crazed officer, Denton, who wants to remove Jake from her world. I enjoyed how Nolan used humor to ease difficult situations.

I was really surprised at the wide range of topics the author covered including corporate corruption, police jealousies, PTSD, cancer and pregnancy, military dogs and more. At one point I thought there might have been too much in one story but it all worked in the plot plan. Nolan uses the story development to reveal Jake’s talents, connections and skills that make him the one man who might be able to stop The Artist. There were several good twists and I loved the intense, non-stop action. The writing could use a sharp editing but still the package and pacing kept the book moving along with good entertainment. Anyone who enjoys a fast paced, murder chase thriller should make a point to read this one. I hope to read more adventures for Jake, Cody and Terrell.

I received this ebook from the author for an honest review.