Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller Review

 

I really enjoyed Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller, the third book in her Horizon series. I was excited to get to know Ruby and read her story. Ruby is one of the daughters of Paisley and Tyler, the main characters from book one of this series. Ruby and her siblings are all grown now. Ruby is still at home with her parents and has been helping out financially with her job at the local newspaper. A job which she is so excited about, except for the fact that she has to deal with an ornary boss and annoying, stuck-up co-worker.

We also meet Jake Lynton and get to see the story from his point of view. He's living as a recluse on a nearby, rundown farm that he is trying to spruce up. Because of things in his past he just wants to keep to himself and doesn't appreciate that he keeps coming face-to-face with Ruby, especially when she is tasked with approaching him for a story.

As much as he tries to keep to himself, and as much as he doesn't think he needs anyone else, including God, we can see that God is working in his life. The story is a bit of that of the prodigal son from the Bible and forgiveness plays a big part in the story.

I loved seeing the relationship between Ruby and Jake change and evolve. There were a lot of emotions evoked in this book, and I found myself both laughing and crying, both sad tears and happy tears. So be prepared. There is also a bit of peril with a bad guy, though nothing too extreme.
I'm loving this series and can't wait for the next book.

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Christmas in the Cascades Review

 

Christmas in the Cascades was an enjoyable anthology. I discovered this anthology through one of the authors, Cali Black, as I have been on some of her launch teams. I loved the sound of this book and was willing to give it a try, even though I didn't know the other authors. 

I loved reading about Dane's Creek through the years. Reading the story of the bell for the bell tower being created in the first novella, and then seeing the significance of the bell to the town in each story, though it did seem more significant in some stories more than in others. I loved the way the final novella brought it all together, very nostalgic, and I love nostalgia. I definitely found myself tearing up at the end.

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - November 8, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm reading Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller, the third book in her Horizon series. This book released this past week.

I'm also reading Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad. This book also released this week.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller:

"For a moment, she was the world-famous reporter, Ruby Shepherdson, author of the latest award-winning article."

Lovely dream and goal.

Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad:

"'You are not Dr. Carter.' Hollis fought the urge to cross his arms and stand like a barricade at the entrance to the Price Quarter Horses stable." 

So, if the person he was talking to wasn't Dr. Carter, who was he or she. And why didn't Hollis want this person coming in the stable. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Beyond the Horizon by Penny Zeller:

 

"Oh, the things a bank robber could tell. The life he must have lived. . .
For everyone had a story.
Even criminals."

Matchmaking the Cowboy by Emily Conrad:

"This insight into Hollis pulled at her allegiances at a much deeper level than attration had. She needed to comfort him, but what could she say that wouldn't seem trite or like she was minimizing his pain?"

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. Here are the links to the reviews:

Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens

Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson

Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson Review

 

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. I had chosen it because it was recommended for one of my reading challenges. I needed a book that had a deaf or mute character. 

Sookie had lost her ability to speak because of an accident she was in. She and her sister were struggling to make ends meet when she was given the opportunity to move west and become a wife and mother to a widower and his young daughter. She was also needed as a school teacher for the town in Nebraska. 

Unbeknownst to the sisters, there was someone who had some nefarious plans for them. I loved this added suspense in this marriage of convenience story. I also loved seeing Sookie and Onie's relationship develop. 

There were a couple of things that bothered me a bit, so I did lower my rating by one star, but all in all this was a great story, and a quick read.

Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens Review

 

Oh my goodness, she's done it again! Dragonfly Ashes is another awesome Christian suspense by C.C. Warrens. I absolutely loved it.

Noelle is an author who is struggling with coming up with an idea for her next book. She is living in the house she purchased at the beginning of the first book, Firefly Diaries, but she now has an adopted daughter, Skyler, living with her who she is determined to keep safe. Thankfully she doesn't have to protect her daughter all by herself. There is also Walt, the old guy who lives on the property and Noelle's boyfriend Derek, who also happens to be a police captain.

But when a stalker (or is it more than one stalker) appears, and barns are set ablaze, and murders occur, will Noelle be able to keep her daughter and herself safe, even with the help of Derek and Walt? Will they be able to discover who the murderer/arsonist is before more people die? Are the stalker and the arsonist connected? And how exactly does it all connect to the Dragonfly killer from decades ago?

The author gripped me with the first line and I remained rivetted to the story. 

I've been in love with the author's Holly series since I read the first book. And now I'm loving reading her Cherry Creek Mysteries. I loved Firefly Diaries, but this one was even better. It has the author's wonderful storytelling, including edge of your seat suspense and witty humor. I found myself literally laughing out loud multiple times, and constantly highlighting quotes, and sharing them with my family.

The mystery in this was intriguing and the suspense was intense. I DID NOT see the ending coming at all. Quite the twist. And faith is integral in the characters' lives.

I loved revisiting the characters from book one abd getting to see relationships evolve.

Definitely a book I highly recommend, but make sure to read book one first. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - November 1, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I started an ARC of Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens, the second book in her Cherry Creek Mysteries series. This book will release on November 2nd.

I'm also reading Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson for a reading challenge.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens:

"A shrill sound pierced the night, sweeping through the house like the unearthly wail of a banshee."

Living next to the firehall in our town, my first thought was wondering if it was the fire siren. But then I wondered if it was someone screaming, as the author had used the word "wail." I needed to keep reading to find out what was going on. C.C. Warrens definitely grabbed my attention from the first line.

Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson:

"The baby sobbed in her bed." 

I needed to know what was wrong with the baby. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens:

 

"'That is not how the Emory family fixes houses, young lady. We do not cut corners with super glue, hot glue, or that abominable substance known as duct tape.'"

Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson:

"Sookie tapped his arm lightly and pointed to her sister. When he looked to Wren and then back at her sister, the older one ducked her head and made a muffled sound near Letty's ear. As far as he could hear, the odd rasping had no actual words to it. Still, the little girl reponded well, relaxing into the crook of his fiancee's arm."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. Here are the links to the reviews:

Christmas in the Cascades by Marissa Adams, April Kidwell, Marline Williams, Chris Daniel, and Cali Black

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder 

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder Review

 

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder is another wonderful Christian historical romance set during the Regency era. This book was full of suspense and danger and mystery, with plenty of suspects and suspicious characters to keep the reader guessing exactly what was going on and who was guilty of what.

We first meet Simon Fancourt as a young man who is desperate to get away from his strict, seemingly meaningless life in London, England. He makes his way to America, breaking his engagement to Georgina Whitmore against his father’s demands. The next we see him he comes upon his wife being brutally murdered, finding himself suddenly a widower with two children and desperate for vengeance and truth to be revealed, so he heads back to England where he soon discovers that even though he thought he evaded his father’s demands he was sadly mistaken.

Georgina, who has felt abandoned, now finds herself face to face with the man who left her. But after all this time, she has to figure out if she wants him or not.

Decisions need to be made, but can their relationship ever move beyond that of acquaintances? And at the same time, Simon is desperate to solve the mystery of his wife’s murder, bringing danger upon himself and those he cares about. The author has woven a tangled web that the reader is going to need to have unraveled. And there are twists and turns that I did not see coming that left me in suspense.

There were times I cringed due to the violence, some from the bad guys, but also from Simon who is so bent on revenge that he jumps to conclusions and lashes out. I kept thinking, “um, perhaps he needs to remember that the Lord said vengeance belongs to Him.” I admit I was a bit disappointed at the extent of violence he would bestow as someone who was supposed to be a Christian, and the “good guy.”

Quite the emotional book, and one that will keep the reader flipping or swiping pages to see what is going to happen. Definitely a book I highly recommend. And my favorite by this author so far.

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.