#NetGalley Book Review: Rescuing Harmony Ranch by Jennie Marts

This second chance romance brought tears to my eyes near the end.
Rescuing Harmony Ranch
By Jennie Marts

ASIN : B08KHQ9XVF
Publisher : Hallmark Publishing (February 23, 2021)
Print length : 209 pages
Genre: Clean, Small Town Romance
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

A bearded blacksmith
and a marketing exec
join forces...and sparks fly.
After her grandmother calls her asking for help, Jocelyn drops everything and heads back home to Harmony Creek, Colorado. Her grandmother runs a living history museum: a ranch and homestead where volunteers wear clothing from the early 1900s and demonstrate how things were done in the old West, from making soap to shearing sheep. The place is in financial trouble, and it needs the revenue from the annual festival to survive.
There’s just one thing that makes this a little awkward: Mack, who’s divorced, and who’s now the caretaker and blacksmith at the homestead. Jocelyn and Mack have their own shared history, which includes both stolen kisses and teenage rivalry.
Even as the past and present collide, they have to save Harmony Ranch. Matchmaking grannies, a meddling mutt, and a flood of fun festival activities might just be enough to overcome their differences and forge two broken hearts back together.
This heartwarming romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Turkey Sliders with Mac and Cheese.

Review:
Jocelyn was a teen when her mother took her from Colorado to New York. Jocelyn had initially planned to go back but after her high school sweetheart married someone else, Jocelyn poured herself into her college and marketing career. Years later Jocelyn returns home to help her injured grandmother. Jocelyn always loved Harmony Ranch, the living history museum that it is her grandmother’s ranch, and Jocelyn is distressed to learn it is in financial trouble.

Mack is the caretaker and blacksmith at the ranch. He has a history full of abandonment and betrayal, including his perception of his parting with Jocelyn. Now he is divorced but not sure he can risk his heart to Jocelyn.

Jocelyn and Mack are pushed together by their grandmothers, and they find it necessary to work closely together as they take over the planning of the upcoming festival which is the hope of raising money to save the ranch. The pair have a history of miscommunication and initial reluctance to be open with one another. However, their never forgotten feelings soon become clear even if Jocelyn’s limited visit back to Colorado while she works toward a promotion at work is still an obstacle.

I enjoyed the tense start to the couple’s relationship and how it grows but still has misunderstandings. The cute, stubborn basset hound, Savage, adds a fun furry friend element. The ending may be predictable but it was fun getting there through the festival and the lovely sounding living history aspect of the ranch.

The writing flows easily and the romance is sweet and clean. It is totally enjoyable. I recommend this to fans of clean, second chance romance.

Source: NetGalley 2020. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021NetGalley and 2021Alphabet goals.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway April 16, 2021

Happy Friday!

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 April 9, 2021 Pick. There was no automatic win last week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There was no title blocked.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from April 9, 2021 Pick:
MARYP gets a GC

AND
NATALIA gets a GC

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.}

I always like raining books.
Image found on Pinterest at WeAreTeachers

New Book Groups #92 and #93 November 13, 2020.
#92 (15 books):

The Promise by TJ Bennett
A Most Unsuitable Man by Jo Beverley
Alaskan Renegade by Kate Bridges
Killing Floor by Lee Child
The Tender Stranger by Carolyn Davidson
Her Wedding Wish by Jillian Hart
Heart's Desire by Ruth Ryan Hagan
Snowflakes on the Sea by Linda Lael Miller
Murder in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
One Perfect Rose by Mary Jo Putney
The Deputy's Duty by Terri Reed
No Ordinary Man by Suzanne Simmons
The Scot by Lyn Stone
The Abducted Heiress by Claire Thornton
Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs

Box #93 (14 books)

Three Complete Novels by Sandra Brown (Best Kept Secrets, Mirror Image, and Slow Heat to Heaven)
Select Editions Four Novels: Safe Harbor, The Analyst, Fallen Angel and Open Season
Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
There's Only Been You by Donna Marie Rogers (personally signed)
The Celtic Riddle by Lyn Hamilton
For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper
The Irish Bride by Alexa Harrington
The Best Man by Kristan Higgins
Castles in the Mist by Jose Litton
When We Met by Susan Mallery
Thief of Hearts by Teresa Medeiros
Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery
Familiar Stranger by Sharon Sala
All of Me by Lori Wilde

New Book Group #91 October 2, 2020 - Suspense themed

SINGLES: Ten books in this box:
Senseless by Mary Burton
Indefensible by Pamela Callow
Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder
Final Appeal by Joanne Fluke
The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman
The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman Audiobook

PICK TWO  your choice (listed below the picture) Nora Roberts:

Born in Fire Audiobook Cassettes
Montana Sky
A Little Magic (Sorry - I initially listed this as Dark Magic)
Valley of Silence
Inner Harbor and
Chesapeake Blue


New Book Group #90 June 19, 2020
Quite a few mysteries in this box.

SINGLES:
Siren's Song by Trish Albright (personally autographed)
Alias by Smy J. Fetzer
Angel Face by Suzanne Forster
Stalking the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall
Hot Sex by Janet Evanovich (Audio cassettes)
The Warrior by Frances Richey (poetry  hardcover)

New Book Group #89 March 6, 2020

Singles:
My Surrender by Connie Brockway
How to Tame a Modern Rogue by Diana Holoquist
Phoenix by A.J. Scudiere

New Book Group #88 November 8, 2019

Singles:
A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp
Dawn of Redemption by Starla Childs

New Book Group #87 August 23, 2019

SINGLES:
Captain's Paradise by Kay Hooper
Open Season by Linda Howard AUDIO CASSETTES

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

SINGLES:
Show No Fear by Marliss Melton
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.

SINGLES:
Summer Skies by Judith Christenberry
Windfall (two stories) by JoAnn Ross
Daddy's Little Cowgirl (two stories) by Judith Bowen and Kimberly Raye
The Forever Year, Cold Pursuit, Lover's Lane and Temporary Sanity (Reader's Condensed)
ToxiCity by Libby Fischer Hillmann

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

SINGLES:
A Family for Thanksgiving
On this Holy Night
Christmas Haven
King Harold's Snow Job

New Book Group #83 November 30, 2018

(Starting bottom left and continuing up then down)
SINGLE
Seductive Secrets by Lynne Connolly
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich - Audio Cassettes
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein Audio Cassettes
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

SINGLES:
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Killing Time by Linda Howard
The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018

SINGLES
Best Laid Plans by Allison Brennan
Darkness Tell Us by Richard Laymon
Cooking Most Deadly by Joanne Pence

New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018

Note: The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
SINGLES:
Summer’s Moon by Lacey Baker
The Final Judgment by Richard North PattersonAudio Cassettes
Firebird by Janice Graham
No Getting Over a Cowboy by Delores Fossen
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer 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)
Dakota Child by Linda Ford
Calling the Shots by Ellen Hartman
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller
This Time for Keeps by Jenna Mills
A Daughter’s Legacy by Virginia Smith
Another Man’s Baby by Kay Stockham

New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018

SINGLES
Blackberry Bush
Breaking Point
A Tangled Affair
Too Wicked to Love
Roses are Red Audio Cassettes

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
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
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
Aunt Erma's Cope Book
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Bound by Destiny by Rayka Mennen

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three One more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four One 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 TEN years I have posted 91 groups of 16 books plus an additional 21 totaling 1,477 books available to find new homes! (As of November 6, 2020).

I am happy to say that so far about 1,356+ 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 faraway 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: Dust: Before and After by S.E. Smith

This is an engaging Teen/YA fantasy with paranormal characters - good and evil.

Dust: Before and After: The Dust Series, Book 1
By: S.E. Smith
Narrated by: Paul Heitsch

Series: The Dust Series, Book 1
Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
Release date: 08-19-16
Publisher: S.E. Smith
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, YA
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author returns with an emotionally charged fantasy adventure story filled with heart-pounding action and suspense for listeners of all ages.
After fragments of a comet hit Earth, Dust wakes to discover the world as he knew it is gone. It isn't the only thing that has changed though; so has Dust. He now possesses powers that continue to grow, but they also come with a price.
A deadly encounter after Dust leaves his home leads to a new discovery - other survivors. Dust soon learns that another creature has risen from the ashes, one that is determined to possess the powers he now has. On a journey filled with danger, it will take the skills of not just Dust, but those of his friends, if they are to survive.
This time the race is not to the swift but to the deadliest in a world where a changed human boy and an odd assortment of friends must face their worst nightmares and accept that life on Earth will never be the same again.
Join Dust and his friends as they fight to overcome an evil force determined to create a new species unlike any the world has ever known.
©2016 Susan E. Smith (P)2016 Blackstone Audio.

Review:
A comet hit Earth and the world changed – drastically. Most people died but Dust found himself alive and changed. He has powers that aren’t human although they can come in handy. His powers use a lot of energy and he requires extra food. Dust isn’t the only creature with powers and seeking food sources. There are other dark creatures he has to compete with which isn’t easy for a boy with a caring, tender heart.

Dust left his home area in search of food and was surprised to find other human survivors. Not all of them have powers but they have shown survival skills. They learn they have to be wary of human survivors as well as strange creature survivors.

One of the dark creatures is growing in powers too and she is intent on pursuing Dust to acquire his powers. Meanwhile Dust is trying to keep his small group of survivors alive.

I really liked Dust’s character and his interesting skills from the beginning. Early in the story I could accept that some of the powers may have resulted from some atmosphere exposure. Later it took a stretch of belief when Dust and his ‘devil dog’ adversary grew into their different, powerful forms.

I wasn’t bothered by the YA elements and enjoyed Dust’s friends, especially how they came to be his new “family”. I am glad that I have book 2, Dust: A New World Order, available to listen to soon. I recommend this book to fans of young adult paranormal.

Audio Notes: Paul Heitsch does a good job with the narration. He doesn’t always make distinct voices but the reading is clear and he provides energetic atmosphere. The narration added to the entertainment for me.

Source: September 2020 Audible Plus Catalogue. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021Audiobook goals.

Audio Book Review: Unforgettable by Eric James Stone

I enjoyed this entertaining futuristic spy adventure.
Unforgettable
by Eric James Stone
Read by Bryson Carr

Run Time 8h 23min
Release Date: April 20, 2020
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Action Adventure, Mystery, Sci Fi, Spy Thriller
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher Description
In the near future, a fluke of quantum mechanics renders Nat Morgan utterly forgettable. No one can remember he exists for more than a minute after he’s gone. It’s a useful ability for his career as a CIA agent, even if he has to keep reminding his boss that he exists. Nat’s attempt to steal a quantum-chip prototype is thwarted when a former FSB agent, Yelena Semyonova, attempts to steal the same technology for the Russian mob. Along with a brilliant Iranian physicist who wants to defect, Nat and Yelena must work together to stop a ruthless billionaire from finishing a quantum supercomputer that will literally control the fate of the world.

Review:
Imagine if your own mother didn’t remember you after walking out of your room for one minute! This is the problem Nat Morgan has faced since he was born! His mother had to be his world as he grew up as the teachers and children in school wouldn’t remember him minutes after he walked out of the room. His mother did a good job until tragedy hit and changed their circumstances.

Nat had to find a way to make it on his own. He managed to convince the CIA to hire him and he was assigned a particular handler with special steps to remember Nat when he calls in from missions.

Nat obtains the quantum-chip prototype but his plan of escape is interrupted by a former FSB agent, Yelena. A fluke event puts the pair working together, although for different purposes. Nat wants to stop a master plot for control while Yelena is set on saving her sisters who have been kidnapped. It looks like cooperation might work best especially when they realize they need to obtain the help of a brilliant physicist who may be their only hope to stopping a tyrannical billionaire from completing a supercomputer that will control the world.

Nat is a little naïve but that is understandable due to his solitary upbringing. Being unforgettable has its advantages (storage closets come in handy) but there are more problems than you might think. His mother helped him to learn creative means to help others remember him when he needs them to.

The writing felt more like “light” entertainment than intense suspense. Still, the story moved along quickly, and I enjoyed the action and light romance. The suspense builds with a few twists and an ending that leaves open the possibility of more adventures. I recommend this to fans of futuristic, spy adventure.

Audio Notes: Bryson Carr does a good job with the narration. He provides the younger tone of the primary character but also provides appropriate accents and voices for the other characters. The energy and delivery enhance the reading experience for me.

Source: 8/30/2020 Chirp $2.99. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook, and 2021Alphabet Audio goals.

Sunday Post April 11, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday April 12, 2021

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? now at The Book Date (at Wordpress)

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.

.
We got Heather a new laptop to help her work from home as she continues to be out with dizziness and doctor visits for her ear and her beau's severely dislocated shoulder. (He has surgery on Monday.)

I continue to juggle title real estate closings and legal work.

I had a comfortable week on stocks last week. I hope that will continue.

This flowering weed - I believe it is a Bull Thistle - popped up at the end of our walkway. It is about a foot and a half wide (based on my 81/2" boots). We are expecting to start lawn service again this week after the slow winter months.

Our weekend weather was full of April rain - downpours not just showers.

I had another good reading/listening week. I finished two audio books and one NetGalley ebook. I posted four reviews and my usual memes.

I visited 22 blogs last week!
Shout Out this week to AMY IMOGENE READS. Amy says she loves reading and sharing through reviews. Hop over and check out her blog.

Don't forget- Audible is offering free children's titles during these days at home.
Audiobooks.com is also offering free listens for children.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post April 4, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday April 5, 2021.

• MBS March 2021 Reading List Wrap Up.

• NG2021- #NetGalley Audio Book Review: Ever Winter by Peter Hackshaw; Genre: Adventure, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis; Genre: Children, Christian, Classic; My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.75; Narration 4.5.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway April 9, 2021. Open Worldwide. Ending 4/15/2021.

• ATBR- Book Review: Low Tide (The Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series Book 1) by Dawn Lee McKenna; Genre: Mystery, Small Town, Suspense, Thriller; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: After the Galaxy: The Unsung by Scott Bartlett; Genre: Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.5.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement April 4, 2021.

Finished Reading:

1. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Unforgettable
by Eric James Stone
I enjoyed this entertaining futuristic spy adventure.
Source: 8/30/2020 Chirp $2.99.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Dust: Before and After: The Dust Series, Book 1
By: S.E. Smith
Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
Series: The Dust Series, Book 1
This is an engaging Teen/YA fantasy with paranormal characters - good and evil.
Source: September 2020 Audible Plus Catalogue.
Publisher's Summary
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author returns with an emotionally charged fantasy adventure story filled with heart-pounding action and suspense for listeners of all ages.
After fragments of a comet hit Earth, Dust wakes to discover the world as he knew it is gone. It isn't the only thing that has changed though; so has Dust. He now possesses powers that continue to grow, but they also come with a price.
A deadly encounter after Dust leaves his home leads to a new discovery - other survivors. Dust soon learns that another creature has risen from the ashes, one that is determined to possess the powers he now has. On a journey filled with danger, it will take the skills of not just Dust, but those of his friends, if they are to survive.
This time the race is not to the swift but to the deadliest in a world where a changed human boy and an odd assortment of friends must face their worst nightmares and accept that life on Earth will never be the same again.
Join Dust and his friends as they fight to overcome an evil force determined to create a new species unlike any the world has ever known.
©2016 Susan E. Smith (P)2016 Blackstone Audio.

3. Kindle App on Fire Tablet (NG2020)

Rescuing Harmony Ranch
Jennie Marts
This second chance romance brought tears to my eyes near the end.
Source: NetGalley 2020.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:
1. Print (TBR)

The Faith of Condoleezza Rice
by Leslie Montgomery
This is moving along a bit slowly but I do like it.
Source: February 2018 Discounted price at Christianbooks.com
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

The Witch of Hebron: A World Made by Hand Novel, Book 2
By: James Howard Kunstler
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
Series: World Made By Hand, Book 2
Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
Release date: 09-07-10
I am continuing this post-apocalyptic series.
Source: 12/21/2020 Audible Plus Catalog.
Publisher's Summary
In the sequel to his best-selling World Made by Hand, James Howard Kunstler expands on his vision of a post-oil society with a new novel about an America in which the electricity has flickered off, the Internet is a distant memory, and the government is little more than a rumor.
In the tiny hamlet of Union Grove, New York, travel is horse-drawn and farming is back at the center of life. But it’s no pastoral haven. Wars are fought over dwindling resources and illness is a constant presence. Bandits roam the countryside, preying on the weak, and a sinister cult threatens to shatter Union Grove’s fragile stability. Here is a novel that seamlessly weaves hot-button issues like the decline of oil and the perils of climate change into a compelling narrative of violence, religious hysteria, innocence lost, and love found—a cautionary tale with an optimistic heart.
Already a renowned social commentator and a best-selling novelist and nonfiction writer, Kunstler has recently attained even greater prominence in the global conversation about energy and the environment. In the last two years he has been the focus of a long profile in the New Yorker, the subject of a full-page essay in the New York Times Book Review, and his wildly popular blog and podcast have made him a sought-after speaker who gives dozens of lectures and scores of media interviews each year.
©2010 James Howard Kunstler (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

3. Kindle App on Fire Tablet (NG2020)

A Cowboy for Keeps
by Jody Hedlund
I am looking forward to this Christian, Historical Romance.
Source: NetGalley 2020.
Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family. And the mayor, who has promised to try to help Greta, has just the candidate in mind for Wyatt to marry.

April 11, 2021 - I love seeing new things each time I read the Bible. I am glad to still be current with morning reading. (I got one day behind but and caught up again.)
I am reading/listening to the NLT Tyndale version of the Bible on You Version App so Hubby and I are reading the same passages each day.
No extra study this week.

I completed three books and plan to get those reviewed this week.
NetGalley shelf is now at 6 as I added one to reading this week.
Four author titles now in queue - I need to start these now that NG titles are lower.
(Plus a few that I received from facebook links and newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests.)
Still many titles through InstaFreebie and many new author requests 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.
One new author review book this week.
I picked my two March Audible credits (hubby needed another book) and purchased two Daily Deals.
I'm trying to decide on my April VIP pick at Audiobooks.com. I have reduced the choices to 4.
I added 87 free Kindle titles this week.
(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

Received from Author:

Save Me (Broken Idols #2)
by M.C. Frank
A New Adult romance.

Won

NONE

Purchased

4/4/2021 Audible Daily Deal $3.95.

Starfish Pier
By: Irene Hannon
Narrated by: Therese Plummer
Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
Release date: 03-31-20

4/5/2021 Audible Daily Deal $2.95.

Perestroika in Paris
By: Jane Smiley
Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
Release date: 12-01-20

4/8/2021 March Audible Credits - for the hubby (and me).

North! Or Be Eaten
The Wingfeather Saga, Book 2
By: Andrew Peterson
Narrated by: Andrew Peterson
Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
Release date: 01-05-21

Verses for the Dead
A Pendergast Novel
By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Narrated by: Rene Auberjonois
Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
Release date: 12-31-18

Free

I added 87 titles this week - I got on Kindle orders that had multiple links to free titles that went on for pages. Free titles often found at Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.