Sunday Post May 7, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday May 8, 2017

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.

I had everyone at work this week which helped. I am working away on various files and this week we have underwriter audits which are normal.
Hubby continues to work around the house and he was in his element this morning helping to cook at church for spaghetti lunch.
Our weather was in the 50s several mornings but still warmed up to 82.
I continue to pray for those suffering the freakish weather events, including famines in Africa.

I enjoyed my reading this week. I finished two ebooks and one audio book. I posted four reviews plus all of my usual memes.

I visited over 30 blogs last week.
Blog shout out this week is for Our Familiarium who has a remarkably busy and creative blog!
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post April 30, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday May 1, 2017.

• MBS April 2017 Reading Wrap-Up. (I have several reviews still to link but the list is there.)

• eNGTBR- Book Review and Giveaway: Free Space by Sean Danker; Sci Fi, Thriller; my rating 4.0. Print Copy, US only ; ends 5/13/17

• eNGTBR- Book Review: Fake by Twist Phelan; Suspense, Thriller; my rating: 4.5.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway May 5, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 5/11/2017.

• A- Audible Review: Silence Fallen: A Mercy Thompson Novel, Book 10 by Patricia Briggs; Urban Fantasy, Romance; my rating: 5.0.

• Clean Sweep ARC Reading Challenge May 2017. (I certainly need to work on my NetGalley and author lists.)

• ABJ- Audio Book Review: Keystone by Dannika Dark; Paranormal, Urban Fantasy; my rating: 4.25.

• Sharing Beyond Books #302 Comment Giveaway May 6, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 5/13/2017.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement May 7, 2017.

Winner of Talent for Trouble is Vicki W.

Finished Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (NGTBR)

Bookburners
by Max Gladstone, Mur Lafferty, Brian Francis Slattery, Margaret Dunlap
This was a long read but I liked the team dynamics.
I received this through NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio/mp3 (ABJ)

The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals: Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, Book 3
Written by: Jordan Stratford
Narrated by: Nicola Barber
This is a fun little mystery.
I received this from the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox.
[I had a download issue on my end that has delayed this.]
Click on book title for full description.

3. eBook/Kindle (Author TBR)

From Afar
by Roger Thomas
This is beautiful and moving. I plan to get it for the Ladies Book Club closer to Christmas.

Currently reading:

1. Print (Ladies Book Club TBR)

Plain Proposal (Daughters of the Promise Book 5)
by Beth Wiseman
I am just starting this for our Ladies Book Club
discussion on May 13.
Click on book title for full description.

2. eBook/Kindle (Pump up Your Book Tour)

Desert Melody
by Laura Evans Serna
I received this through Pump Up Your Book for tour review to post on May 17.
For generations the Voyan have lived peacefully among Humans, blending in despite their special thought-sharing abilities and unique communal culture. But now a mysterious disease is killing Voyan babies.
Teagan is a Voyan wet nurse saving the lives of newborns. As the mother of a half-Human child, she struggles to fit into the Voyan world. When she falls for Josh, a Human man eager to take on the roles of husband and father, she starts to question her deepest beliefs about her people and her own fate.
Soon Teagan faces threats from unknown and unlikely foes. She must decide what she's willing to risk for a chance at love, security, and a future for her child.

3. Audible/mp3 (iRead)

Old Loves Die Hard: A Mac Faraday Mystery
Written by: Lauren Carr
Narrated by: James C. Lewis
I received this title through
iRead Book Tours; review date May 23.
Publisher's Summary
Old loves die hard...and in the worst places.
In Old Loves Die Hard, Lauren Carr continues the rags-to-riches story of Mac Faraday, an underpaid homicide detective who inherits 270 million dollars and an estate on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, from his birth mother on the day his divorce becomes final.
Mac is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up-and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac's private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors.
The investigation leads to the discovery of cases files for some of Mac's murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife's lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac's old cases?
With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn's reputation, before its five-stars - and more bodies - start dropping!
©2016 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2016 Terri Lynn Zaleski

May 7 2017 - I am half a day ahead in the One Year Bible; reading along with my husband and others from our church. I hope to take more time this year, staying on the day and listening to the companion commentary online.

Some of my reading time is going to a Wednesday night study we are doing called Freedom Course.

I completed four books and posted four reviews; this means I still have four reviews current and one for later release.
I am back to 13 NetGalley Titles and still at 10+ author titles in my queue.

Shades of Darkness and Light, A Poetry Collection is available at eTreasure's NetGalley page.

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 two review audio books from the author; for June.
I have one review title from Pump Up Your Book for July.
I received two review titles through NetGalley, one for tour and one for me.
I resisted the Audible Daily Deals but bought two Kindle ebooks.
I picked up more free kindle titles again. (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

I received two Audible books from the Author for review in June with tour and giveaway:
Shadow Sight: Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective Series
Written by: E. J. Stevens
Narrated by: Traci Odom

I enjoyed this series and am glad to listen to the first and the latest.

Hound's Bite: Ivy Granger
Psychic Detective, Volume 5

By: E.J. Stevens

Narrator: Melanie A. Mason, Anthony A. Bowlin

I received one review title from Pump Up Your Book
for Campaign read before July 11:
FIFO 50 STATES
by Hayley Rose
Children’s Picture Book
Rhyming trip through the states looks like fun.




I received these titles from NetGalley.

From Little Bird Publicity for tour review on July 6:

Serenity Harbor
by RaeAnne Thayne
"In the town of Haven Point, love can be just a wish—and one magical kiss—away…"
I enjoy Ms. Thayne's writing and this sounds like a nice romance.

No Specific date; releases June 1

Weaver's Needle
by Robin Caroll
"Two recovery specialists.
One murder.
A hunt for the Dutchman's Lost Gold Mine becomes a race of survival."

This Christian suspense sounds good.

Won

NONE

Purchased

I purchased one Kindlge title for $2.99
 
Last Stand: The Complete Four-Book Box Set 
(A Post-Apocalyptic, EMP-Survival Thriller)
William H. Weber

I purchased this Kindle title for $.99

 

Girl of Stone (The Expulsion Project Book 2)
Norma Hinkens

Free

I picked up Week One and Two SYNC Audio titles:

Here are just some really good sounding books I got for free - all new to me authors again:
Because of the Rain
by Deborah Raney

Alternative outcome: Where fact and fiction collide
(Mike Stanhope Mysteries Book 1)
by Peter Rowlands

God's Hammer (Hakon's Saga Book 1)
by Eric Schumacher

One Shingle to Hang (A Western Romance)
DeAnn Smallwood

I added (only) 40 free Kindle titles to my library this week. 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 May 7, 2017

Our Sunday School teacher continued his resurrection and belief message. I will be excited to share this when I go on vacation soon.

We enjoyed communion and then our pastor concluded his sermon series on Broken.
He reminded us of the last three weeks of teachings that 1) the world is broken, 2) dreams are broken and 3) people are broken. This morning’s message was on Broken Families.
The family may be the church family or the home family. Our homes do not always have healthy families.

Pastor’s parents were churched raised (Catholic and Lutheran) when they met each other but they were not yet Christ followers. During their first year or so together they met and accepted Jesus. From that point forward his family grew toward health. Their home had a foundation built on faith. As they studied and taught at church, their devotion to God and each other grew.

How do you measure your family's success? How the world defines success is very different from how God defines success. The enemy seeks to Destroy the family.

There is pressure in the world to conform. Conforming involves following rules, obeying. Conforming to the world results in brokenness. Conforming to God's will breaks down our independence but leads to blessings. Romans 12:2. The world often measures success in possessions and achievements (lusts and pride). The true Christ follower must be careful not to fall to the cravings and pride of this world. 1 John 2:15-16.

The Point: The foundation for family success is a full commitment to living for God, and a firm refusal to conform to the world.

Serving Christ, then is true success for the believer, not possessions and achievement. Joshua told the Israelite people to “…choose today whom you will serve…” Joshua 24:14-5.

As long as we are living there is still time to work on our families. Take account: Is my family growing stronger? Am I growing stronger spirituality. Your growth in Christ’s service will be identified by your fruit.

Men are to be the God-ordained spiritual leader of their family. It is more likely for the whole family to come to Christ when the father believes and serves. Are there inconsistencies in your life walk? You should be leading your family to church and service, not driving them there.

Do other things take a higher priority over your family's spiritual health? We each must make our family’s spiritual health a priority in our lives – both the church family and our individual households. Look first in the mirror. Is it possible that the enemy is fighting harder for your family than you are?

The good news from these messages is that our heavenly Father restores the broken!

In the spirit of restoration I found two fitting songs, both new  to me.
I picked this one.

Mended!

Verses for Today:
1 John 2:15-17 NIV

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Lord I pray that you help me to remember, in all aspects of my life, to serve the Lord. Help me to serve the Lord at home, in business and community.

Sharing Beyond Books #302 Comment Giveaway May 6, 2017

Hello again and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.
10 of you claim no "quirky" reading habits. 5 of us use reading lists of some sort. And here are the four, fun quirks that were acknowledged:
1. Not ready a book in a series until the next book is published.
2. Alternating happy books with sad or scary.
3. Reading at least two books at a time. I do this too as I always have a Kindle book and an audio book.
4. Not sleeping without reading a chapter or two (or more if the book is really good). Yep - I have that one too.

~~~~~

The Winner from SBB #301 comments is: #3 Miki 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. 
Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #302

(One Question.)

Marjorie asks: Do you belong to Goodreads? If you do have you ever won books from them??

I do belong to Goodreads. I have won two books there, One was a true giveaway and the other was more a review offer giveaway. One day I spent several hours entering tons of GR giveaways. I didn't win any and haven't wasted time like that since.

 
Image found at Author Marketing Expert.

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: Marjorie asks: Do you belong to Goodreads? If you do have you ever won books from 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 May 13, 2017 at 5 PM central.

Audio Book Review: Keystone by Dannika Dark

This is engaging fantasy with interesting characters and good action.
Keystone: Crossbreed Series, Book 1
Written by: Dannika Dark
Narrated by: Nicole Poole

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:01-31-17
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
When the road forks, how do you know which path is the right one? Raven Black hunts evildoers for fun, but her vigilante justice isn't the only reason she's hiding from the law. Half vampire, half mage, she's spent years living as a rogue to stay alive. When a Russian shifter offers her a job in his covert organization hunting outlaws, dignity and a respectable career are finally within her grasp. The catch? Her new partner is Christian Poe - a smug, handsome vampire whom she'd rather stake than go on a stakeout with. They're hot on the trail of a human killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. One misstep during her probationary period could jeopardize Raven's chance at redemption, and her partner would love nothing more than to see her fail. Dark secrets, unexpected twists, and a blurred line between good and evil will keep you on the edge of your seat. Will Raven find the courage to succeed, or will she give in to her dark nature?
©2017 Dannika Dark (P)2017 Tantor

Review:
Raven is a rouge who doesn’t have a ‘clan’ that fits. She is a very rare mix – half vampire and half mage. She has to keep her nature secret or the mage powers might well choose to destroy her. Since she is unregistered she has no breed standing and it unable to get a legitimate job. As she struggles to survive, sheltering in the streets and on rooftops and scavenging food, she sees evil in the streets and she doesn’t like it. She has been killing the evildoers who feed and hurt innocents. They have become her prey. But her lifestyle is far from safe. Not only is she malnourished, she is in danger from the bigger, stronger hunters. So far she has been lucky but that won’t last forever, especially now that she has caught the eye of a corrupt mage.

Another group has been watching Raven too. A group known as Keystone who are a group of gifted misfits led by a cautious Russian Shifter, Viktor. Viktor gives loners a chance but insists on loyalty and following rules. The Keystone group takes jobs investigating criminal activity and taking down the evildoers on occasion when it is necessary. Raven really needs the training and support she can gain from working with Keystone, not to mention steady food and housing. But her loner habits make it hard for her to toe the line.

Raven is partnered with a haughty, Irish vampire, Christian. Raven hates her vampire nature and views vampires as evil. Christian doesn’t trust an impetuous rogue scavenger who doesn’t know how to back up her teammates. The two rub each other the wrong way, probably because they are fighting the underlying attraction.

Other members of the group have unique skills and personalities and I enjoyed how the author introduced each and revealed their gifts through the action and interplay. I especially liked the blind martial art sensei, Nicco, who is a master with knives.

The plot includes Raven’s predicament and the corrupt mage trying to rebuild his holdings. The action is nicely interspersed with the learning steps that Raven is struggling through. This results in steady pacing and good balance. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Dark but I am sure to read more. I recommend this to those who like a urban fantasy.

Audio Notes: Nicole Poole is a new narrator to me and she does a good job with the narration. She gives each character, male and female, their own personality and fitting emotions. I was glad to listen to this and recommend it in audio for those who enjoy a good listen.

I received this audio from the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox. It qualifies for my 2017 Audio Book Challenge.

Clean Sweep ARC Reading Challenge May 2017

I certainly have enough ARCs - NetGalley and author provided - to fill a month (or two!) so I decided to participate in the challenge.

Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts this much needed challenge.

The idea is to gather your ARCs, finished and gifted copies from publishers, NetGalley, Edelweiss and authors and join in for the fifth annual Clean Sweep ARC Challenge.  There is a Twitter party and participant giveaways. The Challenge runs from May 1 to May 31st.

The rules and Link Up can be found HERE.

Let's see - I have a couple of new review titles for this month - I think those count. So my goal will be at least 10 ARC/review books for the month.