Friday Fun - June 26, 2026

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 one book to share with you.

I'm starting A Heart's Hope by Penny Zeller. This is the first book in her new Montana Hearts series

        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 Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

 A Heart's Hope by Penny Zeller:

"Some letters contained good news, and some letters contained bad news, and McKenzie Chesterton feared the letter she’d just received contained bad news."

I wanted to know why she assumed it was bad news and I wanted to know who the letter was from.

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 is my Friday 56 selection:

A Heart's Hope by Penny Zeller:

"McKenzie lay alone in the covered wagon, staring up at the canvas that encased it. Worries about Kaydie—and about Noah sleeping outside under the stars—filled her mind and made it impossible to fall asleep. She tried to make herself comfortable, but the hard wood beneath her back, combined with her racing thoughts, made it futile. At some point in the night, however, she did manage to sleep. She awoke with the sunrise, and after breakfast, she and Noah prepared to begin their mission."

Reviews:

Last week I shared one book in my Friday Fun. I have finished the book, but I haven't had a chance to write my review yet. 

However I did finally get my review written for another book a shared awhile back

Skeletons We Find by Chelsea Michelle 

Skeletons We Find by Chelsea Michelle Review

 

I'm absolutely loving the Watson Twins mystery series by Chelsea Michelle, both the mini mysteries and the full length mysteries. Skeletons We Find is the second full length novel, and I think it might be my favorite mystery so far. Each of these stories has a mystery that is introduced and solved in the course of the book. However, there is one mystery that has kept the reader guessing since the first book. And I have to tell you, I really want to know for sure what's going on. Plus, as the series has progressed we have seen character development and relationship development, so you will want to read this series in the recommended order. 

In Skeletons We Find the twins Chelsea and Michelle are helping with a remodel of a house that will become a home for single moms. There is some controversy about the use of this property, but that isn't the biggest issue. As the house is being worked on, a skeleton is unearthed, temporarily halting work on the home and opening up a decades old cold case.

The twins and their friends, now dubbed the Dinner Detectives, start sneakily investigating possible suspects, making themselves targets of some concerning threats, to the dismay of their friend Kyle, who happens to be a police officer. There are quite a few suspects and I have to say, this story kept me guessing right up to the big reveal. Quite the shock actually. Which is awesome.

Faith is very important in the lives of most of the main characters, and they pray and go to church.  However, there are also community members that are a part of a cult, which brings for some interesting suspicions and interactions. Additionally, legalism is an issue. I love that the importance of grace is discussed. Also, one of the twins is in a relationship that brings up the concern of a believer being involved with an unbeliever, so I am really wanting to see how the authors deal with that in the future. 

This is an awesome faith-filled, small town, cold case, cozy mystery. I love the way the authors brought everything together, except for that one mysterious conundrum. I really want to know what exactly is going on there. So yeah, I can't wait for the next book, which comes out this fall. 

I highly recommend this book and the series. 

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 - June 19, 2026

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 one book to share with you.

I'm starting an eARC of The Eyes of River by Cindy K. Sproles. This book releases next week on June 23rd.

        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 Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

 The Eyes of River by Cindy K. Sproles:

"A body can't run from what they've seen."

I wondered what had been seen and why someone may want to run from it.

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 is my Friday 56 selection:

The Eyes of River by Cindy K. Sproles:

"'Joe made some fish and taters for supper. Let's get a good meal in you. Give your hair time to dry, and then we'll bring out the mirror. That work alright, honey?'

I wanted to hate her for the pain she'd put me through, but when she batted them big puppy eyes at me, I knew her intentions was out of love."

Reviews:

Two weeks ago I shared one book in my Friday Fun. Here's the link to my review:

Shipwrecked Faith by Danielle Grandinetti

Shipwrecked Faith by Danielle Grandinetti Review

 

Shipwrecked Faith is the first book I've read by Danielle Grandinetti, and let's just say, I am now a fan and can't wait to read more of her books. This book is the first in her new Dawning Sisters historical romance series, and it is awesome. I definitely wished I didn't have to put it down, and would have finished it a lot sooner if it wasn't for it being graduation season.

We see this story from multiple points of view, but the main characters are Sadie Dawning and Kellan O'Roark, who meet when Kellan saves Sadie from two dangerous men in Chicago. Sadie is on her way home to her family after receiving a concerning telegram when these men attempt to kidnap her. Kellan is trying to disappear because he turned over incriminating evidence against the cousin who took him in after his parents died. Kellan puts his own dire circumstance in more jeopardy to save Sadie and help smuggle her aboard the ship he secured work on so he could leave Chicago.

We also see Sadie's sister Marjorie's point of view, who I have to say I was not a huge fan of at first because of her complaining attitude toward her sister. I'm happy to say my feelings changed as the story progressed and I got to know her more. Additionally, we get occasional glimpses of Tiernan's point of view. He is the cousin Kellan is running from. Knowing Tiernan's thoughts really does increase the suspense and tension, because the reader knows for sure that there is additional danger on the way.

I love that this story takes place at the very beginning of what comes to be known as the Great Depression and contains other real life events. We see how Black Tuesday is sort of overshadowed by the sinking of the S.S. Wisconsin in the area were this story takes place. The concern is there, but they seem far away while the characters are dealing with their own personal problems. 

Sadie and Kellan and the Dawning family are wonderful characters who I was quite invested in. I was really concerned for Sadie and Kellan's well-being, as well as the family's with all that they were dealing with. But I loved the strong faith that holds them up and encourages them. We are reminded how God is working in all circumstances. And though I am usually not a huge fan of quick romances, I do love Sadie and Kellan's relationship, and how they depend on and encourage each other, even though they only just met. 

This is an awesome beginning to a series and I can't wait to read the second book. I'm hoping we get to see more of Sadie and Kellan and an update on the family. I'm really curious to see who Marjorie ends up with. 

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

Friday Fun - June 5, 2026

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 one book to share with you.

I'm starting Shipwrecked Faith by Danielle Grandinetti.

        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 Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

 Shipwrecked Faith by Danielle Grandinetti:

"Ears attuned to any noise, Kellan O'Roark wiggled his fingers before applying his skills to the lock on Cousin Tiernan's desk."

Sounds like Kellan is doing something on the naughty side. Possibly.

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 is my Friday 56 selection:

Shipwrecked Faith by Danielle Grandinetti:

"Tiernan sat at his desk. The boy would turn up. Tiernan had no desire to chase him down. He needed to focus his attention on discovering who turned him in. He'd start with who owed him the most. They would want to get him out of the way first. Not that he planned to go anywhere."

Reviews:

I don't have any new reviews to share this week. I'm still trying to finish all these books.