Sunday Words of Encouragement June 23, 2019

It was nice to be back to the home church this morning. Our substitute Sunday School teacher showed a video of geologist and scientists discussing a young earth as proof of creation rather than evolution.

We had nice praise and worship before Pastor’s sermon. The sermon titled Resolution was based on Hebrews 7, 8 and 9. The author of Hebrews was addressing confused believers. Those accustomed to Jewish practices or other religions have to reconcile their mixed cultures and traditions with the new faith in Christ.

People try to find the perfect house, spouse, job, church. It is hard to find the ‘perfect’ fit because it doesn’t really exist. Most often we have to adjust to circumstances; we have to fit or learn to do without. We learn to settle or make allowance. The author tried to explain four areas that were fundamental issues to Christ followers.
Issue 1: The Priesthood. The Priest used to have to make the sacrifices for the people but now the people can go the one true priest by faith in the cross. Hebrews 7:9-12, 18.
Issue 2: The Law. Hebrews7:19. The law made nothing perfect. There was no righteousness to be found in the law. Hebrews 8:7, 13. The law reveals our need for salvation.
Issue 3: The System. Only the High Priest could enter the first room and make blood sacrifices for atonement of sins. Hebrews 9:7-13.
Issue 4: The Tabernacle (copies of things in heaven Hebrews 9:23).
Hebrews 10:1-3. The law was only a shadow of what was to come. The law provided for repeated sacrifices while Christ died once and for all.

The Point: We all need resolution with God, and it comes through Jesus.

Hebrews 7:23-26, 19 – Nothing was made perfect through the law but a better Hope draws us closer to God.
Hebrews 8:6 Jesus brings a better covenant than the system of the laws.
Hebrews 8:1 Jesus is not in a tabernacle that was made by human hands.
Hebrews 8:11-12 Jesus provides redemption forever.

God made the perfect way. The only thing in the way, is us. Do we/ will we surrender to Christ?
Are we going to choose to worship Him? Can it really be that simple?
Our resolution gives us a free relationship with God... No carry-on luggage is needed.

This song fits this morning if you listen to the words.

Verse for Today:
Hebrews 7:18-19
18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

Heavenly Father I thank your for providing a better way, a better hope through the sacrificial blood of Jesus.

#NetGalley Book Review: The Time Collector by Gwendolyn Womack

This has a great blend of history and mystery.

The Time Collector
by Gwendolyn Womack

File Size: 4010 KB
Print Length: 332 pages
Publisher: Picador (April 16, 2019)
ASIN: B07H25HM63
Genre: Metaphysical Fiction, Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0

A thrilling page-turner from Gwendolyn Womack, the USA Today bestselling author of The Fortune Teller
Travel through time with the touch of a hand.
Roan West was born with an extraordinary gift: he can perceive the past of any object he touches. A highly skilled psychometrist, he uses his talents to find and sell valuable antiques, but his quiet life in New Orleans is about to change. Stuart, a fellow pyschometrist and Roan’s close friend, has used his own abilities to unearth several out-of-place-artifacts or “ooparts”—like a ring that once belonged to the seventeenth-century mathematician and philosopher René Descartes, but was found buried in prehistoric bedrock.
The relics challenge recorded history, but soon after the discovery, Stuart disappears, making him one of several psychometrists who have recently died or vanished without a trace. When Roan comes across a viral video of a young woman who has discovered a priceless pocket watch just by “sensing” it, he knows he has to warn her—but will Melicent Tilpin listen? And can Roan find Stuart before it’s too late?
The quest for answers will lead Roan and Melicent around the world—before it brings them closer to each other and a startling truth—in the latest romantic thriller from Gwendolyn Womack, the bestselling, PRISM Award-winning author of The Memory Painter and The Fortune Teller.

Review:
Roan West has an unusual, if difficult, gift. When he touches an object, he sees the history of its origins in vivid detail. Sometimes this is an experience of joy but other times it is a horror. Those with the abilities of Psychometry are rare and the skill levels vary. One man, Stuart, has become close friends with Roan and he has repeatedly invited Roan to join their small group of psychometrist archeologists. Stuart is excited about finding objects that are out of place and time. Stuart called Roan for an important meeting but failed to show up. Roan becomes concerned when he learns that two of the psychometrist group have recently died and Stuart has gone missing.

Melicent is a young woman who for years suppressed the strange sensations she feels when she touches objects. When her mother dies from illness, Melicent is desperate to find funds to secure the future for herself and her teen-aged brother. She picks up a Tiffany lamp and a priceless watch at antique shops. She takes them to an Auction Roadshow and finds out they have surprising value. Inadvertently, in an interview that goes viral, she mentions that she ‘senses with her hands’.

Roan’s assistant sends him Melicent’s interview. Worried that she may be a target due to her newly revealed psychometrist skills, Roan flies in to meet her. Events end up pulling Melicent into Roan’s world and investigations. Their search takes them to London, France and other locations. They combine their skills to find a pattern in the material that Stuart was gathering on his computer. Roan then sets off to Mexico but Melicent realizes he may be walking into a trap. Can she get to him in time?

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the psychometry issues. There are wonderful, historical stories shared including a meeting between Mozart and violinist Regina Strinasacchi. The stories may be fictionalized but they added lovely depth. I enjoyed Melicent and Roan’s reserved characters and the romance that blossoms between them. The suspense kept me reading till the end. I recommend this to readers who enjoy historical detail and mystery suspense.

Source: NetGalley 2019. This qualifies for my 2019NetGalley goal.

Audible Book Review: Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

This is reliable Briggs: strong writing and entertainment.
Cry Wolf
by Patricia Briggs
Narrated by: Holter Graham

Series: Alpha and Omega, Book 1
Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-15-09
Language: English
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Genre: Paranormal, Werewolves
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack...and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member - and as his mate.
©2008 Patricia Briggs (P)2008 Penguin

Review:
Anna suffered pack abuse after first being attacked and turned to a werewolf three years ago. Her pack Alpha, Leo, in an attempt to control her, had given the pack members permission to assault and abuse her. She learned to hide her feelings along with her distrust of the dominant males.

Bran Cornick, the Marrok, (leader of all werewolves), sent his ‘enforcer’ son, Charles, to address problems and to challenge Leo and other leaders of the Chicago pack. Surprising them both, Charles’ wolf claimed Anna’s wolf as mate even as he battled the corrupt werewolves, suffering major injuries.

Bran arrives to take care of the injured Charles and to help move Anna to his home territory. Anna is still intimidated by Bran and Charles as she tries to believe they mean her no harm. Anna is confused when she is told she is a rare werewolf, an Omega. An Omega has unusual strengths and powers if only she can gain confidence to discover them.

Charles is still recovering from his injuries when he is called upon to investigate some suspicious attacks in the nearby mountains. The latest survivor has described the attacker as a ‘wolf monster’. It may be a rogue werewolf or, more dangerously, it may be a purposeful attack.

Bran directs Charles to take Anna with him for the investigation, hoping to give them a chance to get to know each other. They are supposed to just determine the situation, but instead they face a powerful attack with an obsessed character. Not only are their lives threatened but Bran and his entire pack are at risk.

I have read and enjoyed the Mercy Thompson series by Briggs. I was pleased that this book is set in the same world. Anna’s character is allowed to grow into her true strengths which was a nice process to watch. I liked getting a deeper picture of Bran and especially of Charles and the features he inherited from his Native American mother.

There is danger, suspense and shrewd battle situations. I appreciated the fact that the romance is tentative and allowed to mature with sweet rapport rather than sexual heat. I was engaged with the characters and the story. I recommend this to Briggs’ fans and to readers who like strong, but sweet, werewolf stories.

Audio Notes: Holter Graham succeeds in providing wonderful narration. It was a little surprising to hear a male narrator for this, but his performance was spot on. He was able to give appropriate voices and emotions to the characters. The narration enhanced this book experience for me.

Source: Feb 2018 Audible January Credit. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goal.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway June 21, 2019

Happy Friday! I am back at home hoping to catch up on books and paypal credits this weekend.  Thanks again for being patient. :-) HAPPY SUMMER!

TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK

US Entrants: Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.

INTERNATIONAL: Leave a comment indicating "Gift Card" (see further comments near the end of the post.)

CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 9:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up too late to do the winner post! I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the June 14, 2019 Pick. There was one automatic win this week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. Two title pairs were blocked - one was won.
Elizabeth gets the Stella Cameron Pair.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from June 14, 2019 Pick:
MARIJANA gets a GC.
and
RITA gets the Nora Roberts Pair (won through a block).

All winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me to confirm your win, send your snail mail address information and let me know if you would like bookmarks - sensual, sexy or sweet bookmarks. {The form is new because Google changed their forms and the old one wasn't letting me print out the responses.}

HAPPY SUMMER  - Enjoy it with good books!
Image found at Honolulu Magazine.

New Book Group #86 June, 7, 2019
Another group of variety from my shelves.

PAIRS:
Joanne Fluke: Fudge Cupcake Murder and Lemon Meringue Pie Murder
Nora Roberts: Less of a Stranger and Rebellion
SINGLES:
Forged in Steel by Maya Banks
Evidence of Mercy by Terri Blackstock
The Scam by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett
Eco-Sisters: The Car by P. Ryan Hembree and Mary Ann Gustin
Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinze
Preaching to the Corpse by Roberta Isleib
Show No Fear by Marliss Melton
Pursuit by Karen Robards
Murder at Granite Falls by Roxanne Rustand
A Question of God's Balance (Vol 1) by Joseph Thek
King by Right of Blood and Might by Anna L. Walls


New Book Group #85 March 22, 2019
A variety from my shelves.

PAIRS:
Roxanne Becknel: When Lightning Strikes and The Knight of Rosecliffe
Stella Cameron: Target and Now You See Him

SINGLES:
Golden Goddess by Stephanie James
Summer Skies by Judith Christenberry
The Gamble by LaVerle Spencer
Two Brothers by Linda Lael Miller
Windfall (two stories) by JoAnn Ross
Daddy's Little Cowgirl (two stories) by Judith Bowen and Kimberly Raye
Almost Forever by Linda Howard
Bold Conquest by Virginia Henley
Fire and Ice by Anne Stuart
The Forever Year, Cold Pursuit, Lover's Lane and Temporary Sanity (Reader's Condensed)
Forbidden Pleasures (hardback) by Bertrice Small
ToxiCity by Libby Fischer Hillmann

New Book Group #84 December 15, 2018
Here are some Christmas titles to pick from.

One PAIR:
Susan Wiggs: Snowfall and Fireside
SINGLES:
A Family for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich
On this Holy Night
A Rancher for Christmas
Christmas Haven
Christmas Brides Anthology
Holiday in Death
Christmas Homecoming
Together by Christmas Anthology
The Christmas Date
The Christmas Promise (hardback)
A Blue and Grey Christmas (hardback)
The Snow Angel (CD Audiobook)
King Harold's Snow Job


New Book Group #83 November 30, 2018

(Starting bottom left and continuing up then down)
PAIRS:
Kat Martin: Bold Angel and Devil's Prize
Elizabeth Lowell: Death Is Forever and Running Scared
SINGLE
It Takes a Hero by Elizabeth Boyle
Two Alone by Sandra Brown
'Tween a Devil and his hard Place by Sam Cheever
Seductive Secrets by Lynne Connolly
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich - Audio Cassettes
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein Audio Cassettes
Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue
Hot Pursuit by Christinea Skye
Sisters & Secrets Anthology
Three Reader's Digest Condensed Books - each hardback:

Cold Harbour and The Courtship of Peggy McCoy
The Things We Do for Love, Three Weeks With My Brother, The Murder Artist and Night Train to Lisbon
Follow the Stars Home, Hunting Badger, The Quiet Game and Second Wind

New Book Group #82 November 9, 2018

Pairs:
Stella Cameron: French Quarter and Key West
Jude Deveraux: Mulberry Tree and Wild Orchids
SINGLES:
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Unmasked Anthology - Jennifer Blake, Janet Dailey and Elizabeth Gage
Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
Killing Time by Linda Howard
The Finer Things by Brenda Joyce
Wicked Promise by Kat Martin
Countess of Scandal by Laurel McKee
The Leopard's Woman by Linda Lael Miller and White Wolf by Lindsay McKenna
Eagle and the Dove by Victoria Morrow
To Love Again by Bertrice Small
The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith
Primal Obsession by Susan Vaughn

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018

There are three audios at the top:
Kisscut is Cassettes
SINGLES

Best Laid Plans
Darkness Tell Us
Cooking More Deadly


New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018

Note: The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
PAIRS
Fern Michaels and James Patterson
SINGLES:
Summer’s Moon
The Green Trap
End Game
Night School
The Red Tent
The Final Judgment Audio Cassettes
Secrets of Paris
Linda Goodnight
Irish Charmers, the Mighty Quinns
Firebird
No Getting Over a Cowboy
The Book of Fate Audio Cassettes


New Book Group #79 July 13, 2018
I found this box of books buried under some other boxes.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox by Maggie O’Farrell
P.S. by Helen Schulman
Her Sexiest Surprise by Dawn Atkins (personally autographed)
The Maverick Preacher by Victoria Bylin (personally autographed)
The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver
The Doctor’s Forever Family by Marie Ferrarella
Dakota Child by Linda Ford
Branded by the Sheriff by Delores Fossen
The Italian’s Inexperienced Mistress
Calling the Shots by Ellen Hartman
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller
This Time for Keeps by Jenna Mills
Rhapsody in Time by Judith O’Brien
A Daughter’s Legacy by Virginia Smith
Another Man’s Baby by Kay Stockham
The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by RaeAnne Thayne


New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018

PAIRS
Johanna Lindsey Pair
Judith Krentz Pair
SINGLES
Midnight Rainbow
Blackberry Bush
Breaking Point
A Tangled Affair
To Wicked to Love
Betrayed
My Dark Prince
Roses are Red Audio Cassettes
Brothers of Gwynedd
Fatal Defect
Bones of the Sea and Other Stories
By a Spider's Thread



New Book Group #77 February 16, 2018- All gone

New Book Group #76 November 3, 2017
13 books remain of the original 37:

I finally Have them Listed!
Boots & Booties by Kristine Rolofson
Saucer the Conquest by Stephen Coonts
Echo Burning by Lee Child
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Tempted All Night by Liz Carlyle
Day of the Dead by J.A. Jance
White Night by Jim Butcher
Five Gold Rings Anthology Constance O’Banyon and three others
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Wizard’s Daughter by Catherine Coulter
Pearl Beyond Price by Claire Delacroix
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
The Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice
Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
Night Whispers by Judith McNaught
101 Commonsense Rules for the Office by John R. Brinkerhoff

This shelf of 35 books are what is left from Groups #1 (11/27/09) through Group #75 September 29, 2017

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 14 titles.)
Rehabilitation
Secret Blessing
Named of the Dragon
Daring
Aunt Erma's Cope Book
JoAnn Ross: Confessions
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The New Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman
A Kiss Before Dawn by Kimberly Logan
The Fireman’s Fair by Josephine Humphreys (Hardcover)
Bound by Destiny by Rayka Mennen
Rainbow Mars by Larry Niven
There Was A Little Girl by Ed McBain (Audio Cassettes)
Love's Brazen Fire by Betina Krahn 

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four books are very old; pulled from a box of gothic novels I found.
*Maggie – Her Marriage by Taylor Caldwell (1953 very old, yellowed pages, some stain damage doesn't effect reading)
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey- Audio Cassette
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty by Vickie Kennedy
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley -- NOTE This book has dog bite damage; it is missing half back cover and the edges of pages in the back third of the book... it does not effect the text but I will understand if no one wants this one
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester

If you saw the pictures posted of my bookshelves and boxes you know I do have lots of books! And that doesn't include the other eight or so boxes at my office!! And more books as I find deals too good to pass up! I am sharing my book bounty by these Friday Pick Giveaways.

I started Friday Pick on November 27, 2009 and in almost EIGHT years I have posted 82 groups of 16 plus an additional 21 totaling 1,333 books to find new homes! (as of November 9, 2018).

I am happy to say that so far about 1,254+ books have found new homes through this feature! YAY. [A year or so ago I posted I had reached 2000 books given away. As I calculated the numbers 11/2/17 I realized that had to be an error. I realized I went from 1098 to 2001 instead of 1101. Guess I was tired; sorry for the error.] I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed. I periodically update the lists - deleting those won. You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see older posts and the older lists book pictures if you want!

Note rules here regarding international entries.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, ARe, TWRP, ClassAct Books, eTreasures, Desert Breeze, etc....you tell me where and I'll set it up. So for my overseas visitors your comment may indicate a smaller book and I'll check postage or note your choice of gift card.

I learned that The Book Depository does not ship to everywhere. The postage for some of the books to far away places runs between $7.00 and $10.00 and up. Since I would award $5.00 for The Book Depository to an international winner, as an alternative you may choose a smaller book and we will hope the postage will not exceed $6.00. If the postage is more, or if you want to pick a larger book and you are willing to pay any extra postage beyond the $6.00 I will work with you on that. This may not make a difference to many but if it helps one or two of you to give one of my books a home that will make me happy too. :o)

Repeating this helpful blog tip: You can right click on a link and you will be given the choice to open the link in a new window or tab so you do not navigate away from the screen you are on!! I use this all the time!

Audible Book Review: Rath's Deception by Piers Platt

This is a suspenseful story of assassins.

Rath's Deception
The Janus Group, Book 1
By: Piers Platt
Narrated by: James Fouhey

Series: The Janus Group, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 12-04-15
Language: English
Publisher: Piers Platt
Genre: Assassins, Military Thriller, Military Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

Publisher's Summary
On the cut-throat streets of Tarkis, orphaned teens like Rath end up jailed...or dead. So when the shadowy Janus Group offers Rath a chance to earn riches beyond his wildest dreams, he seizes it. But the Janus Group is as ruthless as the elite assassins it controls. Rath will have to survive their grueling, off-world training, and fulfill all 50 kills in his contract before a single cent comes his way. And ending so many lives comes with a price Rath can't anticipate. It'll certainly cost him what's left of his innocence. It may well cost him his life.
©2015 Piers Platt (P)2015 Piers Platt

Review:
He had a sad childhood, losing his mother to drugs and his beloved older brother to a gang killing. His brother had always encouraged his excellent memory (photographic). Rath is looking at gang life himself when the secret Janus Group offers him a dangerous dream. If he commits to become their trained assassin, he will receive millions of dollars once he completes all 50 kills.

Rath is put through a merciless test to get the job. He is then modified with implants, provided with a portable replication machine and trained to begin his career as an assassin. The monitors watching him see his inexperience and errors. They are sure he won’t make it past 10 kills. But Rath has an unconventional and unexpected success in his assignments.

As time goes on Rath is even pulled in to capture or kill a former assassin who succeeded in the job but has had to dodge the Group who doesn’t plan to honor their pay out commitments. Rath occasionally struggles with the ethical issues of his job. Although most of the targets are wicked, evil people there are also contracted killings purchased by the extremely wealthy. As his job completions increase and the assignments become more dangerous, Rath has reason to suspect he may not be able to trust the Group.

Meanwhile there is a detective who continues to try to uncover the secret Janis Group. He was disgraced after early claims of the existence of such a shadowy group, but he is truly a good detective. A reporter investigating the assassin’s guild reaches out to the detective. When the reporter and his family are killed the detective becomes more convinced that the Group has some highly placed leadership that even controls some enforcement officers.

I liked the danger and twists in this space sci fi thriller, even though I didn’t like the swearing. Rath is not the easiest character to like. He is young, impulsive and sloppy. I had mixed feelings about the  I enjoyed the dogged efforts of the detective and I was engaged to see what would happen with Rath and with the admired, precise assassin who escaped after she completed her 50 kills.

The story moved along at a good pace. There are a few chapters that showcase other assassins whose lives are expected to cross with Rath. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy assassin stories. Just be prepared for some language and gritty killing.

Audio Notes: James Fouhey does a good job with the narration. He provides good voices and appropriate energy. I am glad that I listened to the book on audio.

Source: Audible Sale Purchase December 2016. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.