February Wrap Up

I started the month with (40) unread books. Brought (1) books.  Got my owlcrate book (1) Book of the month (1) Got () book for review Won a book in a giveaway () Got books for gifts () which brought my total to (43). Read (5) owned books. DNF’d (1) So I am ending the month at books (37) unread books and hoping to get back on track with the whole read 5 physical books before I buy anymore.  I read a total of (25) books

Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry

Peacekeeper’s at War: Beirut 1983-The Marine Commander tells his Story by Timothy J. Geraghty

Where the Fire Falls by Karen Barnett (kindle)

Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

Bride by Arrangement by Karen Kirst

The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin

Buried to the Brim by Jenn McKinlay

A Field Guide to Homicide by Lynn Cahoon

All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant (kindle)

Hill Women: Finding Family and A Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers

Second Impressions by Pepper D Basham (kindle)

Mountain Hostage by Hope White

The Rebel Bride by Shannon McNear

The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin (owned) 5 stars

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate 5 stars

Dangerous Alliance: A Abstentious by Jennieke Cohen (owned)

Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant

Jane by the Book by Pepper D Basham (kindle)

The Kiss Thief by Jessica Kate (kindle)

Cold Case Secrets by Maggie K Black (owned)

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (owned)

You are Worth it: Building a Life Worth Fighting for by Kyle Carpenter (owned) 5 stars

The Blizzard Bride by Susanne Dietze

When Reagan Sent in the The Marines: The Invasion of Lebanon by Patrick Sloyan

Her Secret Twins by Janette Foreman

DNF’d

Physical

Blackwidow: Forever red by Margaret Stohl

Kindle

Can’t beat the heart of a Carolina Girl by Allyson Kennedy Feb 19, 2020

Out of the Frying Pan by Michelle Griep February 20, 2020

The Edge of Mercy by Heidi Chiavaroli (owned kindle)

The Hidden Side by Heidi Chiavaroli (owned Kindle)

Freedom’s Ring by Heidi Chiavaroli (Owned kindle)

The Land Beneath Us review

Title:  The Land Beneath Us

Author: Sarah Sundin

Series: Sunrise at Normandy book 3

Chapters: 50 Plus Epilogue

Pages:371

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction with a hint of romance/ WWWII fiction

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: Revell

I’m not going to lie it was the tag of “When an Army Ranger and a librarian are bound together by a marriage of convenience, neither suspects it might lead to love.” I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience stories and heroines that are Librarians and I love a military hero.

The Land Beneath Us was my favorite book in the Sunrise at Normandy series. Since the first book, I couldn’t wait to read Clay's story and I loved Leah a petit young woman who dreams of being a librarian who was easy to relate to. I have to say that Clay and Leah are a good match and brings out the good in each other. Clay being in the “pit” ended up being a God thing and God used for good.

This series was the first WWII fiction that I’ve read as an adult and I enjoyed the whole series but The Land Beneath Us was my favorite. I loved how this series focused on the brother aspect and the Land air and sea forces who made D-day possible. A 2 great uncle while not a ranger was part of the Land invasion at Normandy and I loved that this book brought to light the scarifies those brave man-made that day.

I plan on picking up the rest of Sarah’s backlist of books as well as any future books she’s now my go-to author for WWII fiction. As the daughter of a Marine and the granddaughter of a sailor whose real-life heroes are our military it’s no wonder that those are my favorite fictional heroes.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine 

The Sea Above Us review

 

Title:  The Sky Above Us

Author: Sarah Sundin

Series: Sunrise at Normandy

Chapters: 50

Pages: 356

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction/ WWII

Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher:  Revell

The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin is the second book in the Sunrise at Normandy. This one focuses on the Sky with the army air corps with Lt. Alder Paxton he’s a flyboy. And Violet Lindstrom a Red Cross volunteer.

I have to say Adler messed up big time but God’s Grace is bigger than our mistakes all we have to do is repent and ask forgiveness and turn away. To me he is the most changed by the end of the novel. But Violet has to learn and change to.

Before reading this book I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know anything about the army air Corp in Involvement in D-Day my high school world history and US history was lacking to say the least. So I’m glad I finally learned a bit about it with this book.

I am looking forward to finishing the series with The Land Beneath Us Clays story. And again I have to stress that these books need to be read in order otherwise you miss things and I love that in order to get the whole story you’ve got to read each brothers story in order.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Pre order Goodies for Silent Shadows by Natalie Walters

Silent Shadows Book Swag is HERE!!!

Have you preordered your copy of Silent Shadows yet?!!

Pecca and Colton's story is releasing soon and to celebrate the finale of the Harbored Secrets series readers who preorder their copy of Silent Shadows are going to get some fun book swag, which includes:

• Exclusive Silent Shadows Bookmark
• Live Loved theme sticker
• Books Quote Sticker
• Signed book plate

To claim your preorder goodies click this link:

https://form.jotform.com/200537383142045

Preorder goodies are limited and receipts must be submitted via the link by March 31 so don't wait and don't miss out on Colton and Pecca's story!!

The Sea Before Us Review

Title:  The Sea Before Us 

Author: Sarah Sundin 

Series: Sunrise at Normandy book 1

Chapters:48 plus Prologue 

Pages: 377

Genre: Christian Historical fiction with a hint of romance 

Rating: 4 stars 

Publisher:  Revell

I'm not going to lie I basically read this one because I read the synopsis of the third book in the series and couldn't wait to read it. So since I have to read series in order and in the case of this series you need to read them in order because these three books timeline is parallel they pretty much happen at the same time. But I normally don't read WWII fiction because I'm afraid that the author's going to get something wrong or not do their research. That wasn't the case here.

The Sea Before is the first book in the Sunrise at Normandy series by Sarah Sundin. A fictional series about three brothers who all play a part in the D-Day invasion.  Sea, air, and Land the three different forces that made D-Day possible. In the first book, we focus on the sea with Naval Officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton who damaged the relationship he had with his brothers and is trying to make amends. And Second officer Dorothy Fairfax a Wren in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) who also has to deal with a broken family but for different reasons.  They work together to help with the Naval part of D-Day. 

Prior to reading this book, I knew the Navy played a part in D-Day because how else were they going to get men to the beaches without a ship, but I didn't realize how big of a role the Navy played until I read this book, but I should have as someone who comes from a Navy and Marine family. I enjoyed the brother aspect of this series and I can't wait to read the stories of the other two brothers and get the background story from their point of view.  The brother aspect intrigues me as in my own family history we had our own set of brothers who fought in WWII, but in the Army, Navy, and Marines and only the solider show European combat the sailor and Marine were in the South Pacific. I can't wait to read the other two in this series as well as read some of Sarah's previous books. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

First Line Fridays

First Lines Friday hosted by Hoarding Books Blog

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"Most me woke in a cold sweat when they dreamed of their own deaths, but not Private Clay Paxton." 

I love that line and I finally glad I reading this book, I wanted to read even before I read the first two books in the series because of the tagline it had.  I think this one is my favorite of the series. 

Review of Bound for Murder

Title:  Bound For Murder 

Author: Victoria Gilbert 

Series: Blue Ridge Library Mystery book4 

Chapters: 29

Pages: 304

Genre: Cozy Mystery 

Rating: 3.5 Stars 

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books 

Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert is the fourth book in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries series. And just when Amy is convinced she's done solving murders until the latest body shows up in the form of a skeleton on her friend Sunny's grandparents. Making them prime suspects. Amy's determined to find out the truth and clear the grands name and keep Sunny's run for mayor from being finished.  

Like the first three books in the series, I enjoyed this one.  I love that Amy's day job is that of a library director. As a library assistant in my day job, I enjoy books set around libraries or with a library employee as the main character and I enjoy cozies so I knew I would enjoy this one. And like previous ones in the series. Bound for Murder is a quick read.  I look forward to the next one in the series. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Echoes Between Us Review

Title:  Echoes Between Us 

Author: Katie McGarry  

Genre: Teen fiction 

Rating: 4 stars 

Publisher:  Tor Teen 

What would you do if you were seeing your dead mother's ghost? That's the question that popped in my head as I was reading Katie's newest book Echoes between U. I don't know what your answer would be, but mine would be to call and make an appointment with my doctor because of myself like the main character Veronica suffers from migraines and I too also have a deceased mother. 

I've been a fan of Katie's since I read her first book back in 2012 Pushing the limits and I've enjoyed every book of her since even this one. Echoes between Us is slightly more paranormal elements than previous books and though not a sequel to Only a Breath Apart it does read like a companion novel as characters from that book make an appearance in this one. So I recommend reading that one first. 

What I like most about Katie's books besides being set in my home state of Kentucky is that she's not afraid to write about teenagers facing hardships and tough decisions and other issues they go through in a real way, she writes the kind of books that I wish were available when I was a teenager.  

And in this book apart from her medical issues, Veronica is a teenager who believes in ghosts and in the process drags Sawyer along for the ride.  There are three places that are mentioned including a TB hospital that are pretty famous in Kentucky that I had always wondered if Katie was ever going to find a way to work them into her books and she managed to do that with this book.  I enjoy reading her books and finding Easter eggs from places I visited in my own teenage hood mentioned. 

If you've read Katie's books in the past I recommend picking this one up. And even if you haven't but like to read YA I recommend picking this one up. And as always I look forward to Katie's next book. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Cover Revel of Roseanna M White's final book in The Code Breaker's series: A Portrait of a Lady

The Cover for the final book in The Code Breaker series is finally here and I'm excited to read it and finish out the series.  And I just know that just like the first two in the series this is going to be another great read.


Zivon Marin was one of Russia’s top cryptographers, until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee after speaking out against Lenin and separated from his brother along the way, he arrives in England driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits.

Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera—and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and recreating photographs. With her father’s connections in propaganda, she’s recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove.

After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily. He sees patterns in what she deems chaos; she sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed. But both have secrets they’re unwilling to share, and no one is quite certain where Zivon's loyalties really lie—until his enemies are discovered to be far closer than he’d feared, and only Lily's skills can save him.

Read and Buried Review

Title:  Read and Buried 

Author: Eva Gate 

Series: Lighthouse Library Mystery book 6

Genre: Cozy Mystery 

Rating:4 stars 

Publisher:  Crooked Land Books 

Read and Buried by Eva Gates is the sixth book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series, and I keep enjoying the series. Who wouldn't love a library in a lighthouse?  I still have to say that my favorite character in the series is Charles the library cat. 

This cozy just like the previous ones in the series the book club book pick has aspects of the story that play apart in the mystery that Lucy keeps finding herself trying to solve even though she keeps promising that her mystery-solving days are behind her. We all know there not. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Review of The Gray Chamber

Title:  The Gray Chamber

Author: Grace Hitchcock

Series: True Colors

Chapters: 25

Pages:256

Genre: Christian Historical fiction

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Publisher:  Barbour Books

     The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock is the newest Installment in the True Colors.  I’ve been finding this series hit or miss for me. I either love the book or I don’t. This one was a mix for me. I enjoyed the story and learning about this point in history.  And what would get a woman sent to an asylum and in researching my own family genealogy I’ve actually discovered how easy it was for a husband to get rid of a wife or any other “problem female” in the family.

     However, even though I loved the story and secondary characters I didn’t really care for either of the main characters, but to me that didn’t take away from the story and think most readers will be fine with it.    

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

First Line Friday

First Lines Friday hosted by Hoarding Books Blog

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Off San Francisco Bay, California

Saturday, October 2, 1943 

"Wars weren't won with Caution, and aces weren't made in straight and level flights." 

This one is an older title but it's the book I'm currently reading in preparation for the final book in the series coming out February 4, 2020.

There's A Murder Afoot review

Title:  There’s A Murder Afoot

Author: Vicki Delany

Series: Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery

Chapters: 22

Pages: 336

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher:  Crooked Lane Books

     There’s a Murder Afoot by Vicki Delany is the newest installment in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Series, and this one takes place in London. The first one in the series to take place across the pond. And with this one it’s easy to see that the main character Gemma Doyle who happens to share a name with the creator of Sherlock Holmes she’s meant to be a modern version of Sherlock Holmes expect she’s female.

     I have to say that this one is my favorite of the series so far, and it’s due in part to the London setting. Reading the mystery made it seem like the reader was indeed in London. As this is the 5^th one in the series I do recommend not reading this one first, I recommend starting with the first book Elementary, She Read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Matchmaking can be Murder review

Title:  Matchmaking Can be Murder

Author: Amanda Flower

Series: An Amish Matchmaker Mystery book 1

  

Genre: cozy mystery

Rating: 3 Stars

Publisher:  Kensington

     Matchmaking Can be Murder is the newest book in a new cozy mystery series by Amanda Flower. An I have to say it wasn’t my favorite book that’s she’s written. However, it was one of the funniest cozies that I’ve read in a while. Millie Fisher reminds me a bit of an Amish Miss Marple. So if you like cozy mysteries along those lines then this is a cozy mystery for you.  

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Reading this week

Finished

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

There’s A Murder Afoot by Vicki Delany

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas-Classic a chapter a day till finished 68 chapters

The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock (review book)

The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin (Kindle)

Read and Buried by Eva Gates

Heidi by Johanna Spyri- Read along for January

Peackeeper’s at War: Beirut 1983-The Marine Commander tells his story by Timothy J Geraghty

Echoes between Us by Katie McGarry

Reading

Where Fire Falls by Karen Barnett-(Kindle)

Non-fiction reading

You are Worth it: Building a life worth Fighting for by Kyle Carpenter (audio)

Classic

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo a chapter a day for the year (365 chapters)

Audio on the Way to Work

Getting ready to read

Book reading for bookclub at work

Bluebird, BlueBird by Attica Locke

Reviewing

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate

Devotional reading

Did not Finish

Reviews Posted this week

February TBR

To Finish

Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry

You Are Worth it: Building a Life Worth Fighting for by Kyle Carpenter

Peacekeepers at War:Beirut 1983- The Marine Commander Tells His Story by Timothy Geraghty

Where the Fire Falls by Karen Barnett

To Be Read 

TBR jar pick: Cold Case Secrets by Maggie K Black

TBR Jar Pick: Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen

Kindle Jar Pick: Second Impressions by Pepper D Basham

Kindle Jar Pick: All Fair’s in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant

Nonfiction: Hill Women by  Casey Chambers

Can’t beat the heart of a Carolina Girl by Allyson Kennedy

The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin

The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin

Review books to read

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate