Review: A Talent for Trouble by Jen Turano

{Back of the Book} "For years, Miss Felicia Murdock's every thought and action have been in pursuit of becoming a minister's wife. When the minister she'd set her sights on has other ideas, she decides something in her life needs to change--and soon--before she wastes any more time pretending to be someone she's not. If that means spreading her wings and embracing a more lively way of life, who's to say nay?

Grayson Sumner, Lord Sefton, has had more than enough of spreading his wings and only hopes to settle into the life of a respectable New York gentleman. Prompted by some friends to lift the spirits of the disappointed-in-love Miss Murdock, he is surprised to encounter an adventurous young lady with an unfortunate knack for stumbling into troublesome situations.

Just as Grayson decides he's had quite enough of her antics, his past comes back to haunt him and his presence in Felicia's life endangers her. As they work together to extricate themselves from this latest complication, will Grayson and Felicia decide they want to spend the rest of their lives keeping one another out of trouble?"

I'm giving this book 4 stars. It was a wonderful story, with real depth and sweetness. The children's many cameos gave it a nice balance, and the dangers of the opium world caused lots of very real chill bumps. The element of danger kept the story moving well. I still don't know how I feel about how the ending went with Ming, but I suppose it really was best that way. I loved getting to know more about the characters I grew to love in A Match of Wits, and yes, I do know that I'm reading them out of order. It was a splendid read, with many moments of hilarity, but it was not my favorite book by Jen Turano. I'm used to not being able to breath from the laughter. Instead, while there were a few parts that had me laughing out loud, it was mostly quiet chuckles. Completely foreign to me while reading her books. It was a little disconcerting. Truly, I do believe that you'll like this book a lot if you enjoy reading Jen's books. I do recommend it, just not as highly as others she has written. I've read many of hers, and this just didn't feel like hers. If that makes sense. Which I'm well aware it probably does not. Maybe I'm out of the reviewing groove, or maybe I wasn't in the right mood when I was reading it, or maybe I had one of my headaches. Oh well. All I can do is tell what I think. It was a good story though.

Christmas Eve Eve 2018

Hey guys,
I know I've been way behind in my blogging, and my plans for another grand Blogmas didn't quite go off as expected. So instead, I'm going to throw out some titles that I think your family will love to read this Christmas season, because mine sure has! Half today, and the others tomorrow.

First... In honor of it being Christmas Eve Eve is Eloise at Christmastime, one of the mostest magicallest stories of all time, in my humble opinion. A long time favorite of mine, this story is sure to have gales of laughter flowing from your house.

Second, we have Corduroy's Christmas. Not very long, and definitely suited for younger kids, the flaps in this story make it interactive and fun. Plus, it's super cute.

Third, The Velveteen Rabbit, which isn't actually a super Christmas-y story. Still, it's quite the tale, and while sad, it has a heartfelt message that anyone can enjoy. Plus, the illustrations are awesome.

More tomorrow! I can't wait to share.
I hope you can forgive me for my delinquency this semester. I'll try to do better next. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a million and a half reviews to write!


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Waiting-On-Wednesday: The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin

The queen of WWII is bringing another wonderful story in her series that focuses on Normandy {incidentally the only battle I am remotely informed on as it was the focus of my 6th grade research paper ;)} And once again, the cover designer really delivered! Coming Feb 2019

Numbed by grief and harboring shameful secrets, Lt. Adler Paxton ships to England with the US 357th Fighter Group in 1943. Determined to become an ace pilot, Adler battles the German Luftwaffe in treacherous dogfights in the skies over France as the Allies struggle for control of the air before the D-day invasion.

Violet Lindstrom wanted to be a missionary, but for now she serves in the American Red Cross, where she arranges entertainment for the men of the 357th in the Aeroclub on base and sets up programs for local children. Drawn to the mysterious Adler, she enlists his help with her work and urges him to reconnect with his family after a long estrangement.

Despite himself, Adler finds his defenses crumbling when it comes to Violet. But D-day draws near. And secrets can't stay buried forever.

Waiting-On-Wednesday: Code of Valor by Lynette Eason

Coming Jan 2019! I can't wait! This is one of my favorite series so far by Lynette Eason! She blows me away with the St. John family! #excited ;)

What Detective Brady St. John really needs is a relaxing vacation. Unfortunately, just as the sun is setting on his second day at a friend's cabin on Lake Henley, he hears a scream and races to rescue a woman from her would-be killer. When the killer escapes only to return to finish the job, Brady vows to utilize all of his many resources to keep her safe--and catch those who would see her dead.

Financial crimes investigator Emily Chastain doesn't trust many people. And even though she let the detective who saved her life in on a few pertinent facts about why she was being attacked, there are some things you just don't share with a stranger. Little does she suspect that the secret she is keeping just might get them both killed.

Plus switching the cover up a little. It's green instead of blue.... Cool!

Review: A Secret to Die For by Lisa Harris

Sorry that this review is so belated... the book went to my house and not to my PO Box at college... 

Back of the book....

"When one of her clients is murdered, Grace quickly realizes that computer security specialist Stephen Shaw wasn't suffering from paranoia. What she doesn't know is that someone believes Shaw gave her a viral piece of information before he died--- and they are ready to silence her at any cost. Her only hope may be an old friend, Detective Nate Quinn, who has just been cleared for active duty after a bombing killed his partner and left him dealing with PTSD." 

But... the book was surely worth the wait. The action was intense, and the first time I picked it up, I was on page 54 before I realized what was happening to me... (You know, the swirling vortex of a good book) This book has no slow moments. It's crazy from the first moment on. The characters just suck you in and make you feel like you know them. I loved the characters. And I was really annoyed with the bad guy, who had me fooled. I really like figuring out the bad guy beforehand, but this time I didn't. If I were Grace, I'd a been cooked goose. I also liked the fact that Danielle had juvenile diabetes, cause so does my roommate, and it was just another something that made the story real to me. (Bonus points that my roommate and Danielle are both banned from eating cookies currently ;) ) I really liked how the emotional side of life was a focus in this story, and how it was portrayed was really well done. Also, WHY DO THEY ALWAYS STAB PEOPLE WITH DRUGS IN NEEDLES!!??????!! [sorry.... not a needle person...] Can we also just take a moment and freak out over this weird grid thing... like oh my goodness? The world has better technology than innocent little me ever imagined! WOW! That was freaky. But I'm okay. I survived. And I'm ready to read another... which might just make me an adrenaline junkie. 

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.

Review: Sophie's Dilemma by Lauraine Snelling

She couldn't wait to leave the Red River Valley....

Certain she can't live without Hamre Bjorklund, the impetuous Sophie Knutson rejects her father's request to postpone her marriage until after graduation and convinces Hamre to elope. But far from her family, Sophie finds that life as a fisherman's bride in Ballard, Washington, is not all she had envisioned. Pregnant and lonely while Hamre is away at sea, she hires on at a fish cannery, only to be fired after fainting on the job.

When tragedy strikes, heartbroken Sophie can think only of returning home to Blessing. But will her family welcome her after the way she's hurt them by her defiant behavior?

Will she ever open her heart to love again?


I'm giving this book 4 stars. And I'm putting this in a paragraph just because.

Lauraine Snelling has become one of my favorite authors, and Blessing has become one of my favorite literary places to visit. I'm waiting for some that are on hold at the library because I read the ones I had and immediately started to miss the characters. The characters are so lovable. I started reading Blessing books in a really bad place, book 4 out of a fourth set of books, and I was so confused, but after reading this book From This Day Forward makes a ton more sense. But back to this book.... I loved Ingeborg and Kaaren. I loved seeing the ones who were grown up in FTDF back when they were teens. I saw so much growth in Sophie from the beginning of this book to the end of the book, although, some things never change. This was a really sad book, but not sad too. I enjoyed especially seeing how everyone was related. I did use the Bjorkland Family Tree in the beginning all the time, but it wasn't as confusing as before. Ugh.... I feel like I'm rambling and not saying what I want to say. Okay.... Sophie was a little wild and uncomfortable sometimes, but she mostly got over that and I could read the book. Forgiveness is a main theme, as well as letting God heal your grief. All-in-all, let's just say I will be rereading sometime in the future.

I don't know what's up with that picture.... Whatever. Sorry about that. Can't wait to hear from you. Have you read any of Lauraine's books? What's your favorite?

Review: Beneath a Harvest Sky by Tracie Peterson

"Having fled a tainted past, Harvey House guide Rainy Gordon is alarmed to become a suspect in a theft. When all evidence points to her-despite her innocence-who will step forward to swear by her honor"


What a great book! This book was centered around Rainy's spiritual struggle and the truths in these pages were pointed and relevant. I was intrigued by this aspect of the Harvey company. The tours were truly remarkable. And I learned a plethora of new information. I'm impressed. I'm always pleased when someone writes a book about the American Indians and does it well. That's in part I suppose to my cousin's extreme obsession when I was younger. She taught me a lot. I love reading about twins, and Tracie seems to put them in lots of her stories! I loved watching Sonny and Rainy interacting. I also felt a tug of something that I can't find the word for while reading of Sonny's dreams to go to Alaska. Definitely my number one on the bucket list. And yes, it is Tracie's fault. And Kim Woodhouse too. I'm telling you what! Of course, there was a sweet romance throughout with some interesting wrenches. The bad guy, well, I almost didn't see him coming. I did though. Not early on, but I did. You know, I can't remember the last time I was so annoyed with a main character. Rainy was driving me crazy with all her jumping to conclusions. Give poor Duncan a chance, girl! All in all, a good read about the depression era southwest that shouldn't have taken me so long to read. {LOL} 4.5 stars for this standalone book in the Desert Roses series.