Friday Fun - September 1, 2023

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

This week I have two books to share with you. 

I just finished A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer. This is my second book by this author and I loved it. I'm so glad it was recommended for one of my reading challenges. I needed a book with a bounty hunter.

Plus I just started A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano. This is another book for one of my reading challenges. I'm a bit behind, as this one is for August. 

              Book Beginnings on Fridays

(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.)

Here is my Book Beginnings for A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer:

"'I'm closing the school, Miss Atherton, and that's my final word on the subject.'"

 

Disappointing. I wanted to know why.

And here is my Book Beginnings for A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano:

"He was so very blue"

That could be concerning, or just a curiosity. Definitely wanted to read more to see why someone was blue. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted over at Freda's Voice.

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 Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer:
 

"Then her eyes rested on his feet. Stone grimaced as he unconsciously wiggled his toes. A man should be wearing his boots when someone took his measure. Not be standing around in his stocking feet. Especially when one sock had a hole on the outer edge."

A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano:

"'The choice was certainly not mine.' I caught sight of myself in the long mirror across from the bed as I heard those words leave my mouth, and suddenly I saw her. I saw Mama in the lift of my chin and the defensive way I spoke, and it horrified me, as if I'd spotted a ghost in the mirror."

Friday Fun - August 25, 2023

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

This week I have two books to share with you. 

I finished Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker earlier this week. This book gripped me right from the beginning and would NOT let me go. I finished it in just over 24 hours. Lots of suspense, though there are some disturbing scenes.

I just started Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl. I've been waiting to get my hands on this one. 

              Book Beginnings on Fridays

(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.)

Here is my Book Beginnings for Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker:

"The day that Ryan Evan's world changed forever began as any other day he'd spent in the hot desert might have begun."

 

I guess my first question was why was he in the desert and where? And what exactly was about to happen to him. 

And here is my Book Beginnings for Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl:

"River Ryland was convinced that madness exists only a breath away from genius."

So, the killer they were up against was brilliant and mad. Scary combination. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted over at Freda's Voice.

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.

Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker:
 

"She began to regret her decision to let him join them. It was fine for her mother, who deserved some love in her life-her father had failed miserably on that front. But that didn't mean Bethany had to like the man who was sharing her mother's bed when it suited them."

Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl:

"Then he unlocked the door to the fourth office, Watson Investigations. What a stupid name. Now, Sherlock Holmes Investigations would be cool. These people must be losers. He started cleaning, but the word Investigations kept swirling aound him, orange and pulsating. Just what were they investigating? Were they watching him? Were they a threat? He would have to keep a close eye on these people."

Falling Between the Pages by A.M. Heath Review

 

Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved Falling Between the Pages by A.M. Heath and was so glad to be on the launch team for this book. This was my first book by this author and I most definitely need to get my hands on more of her books. What an interesting concept for a story. It’s a romance, in two different times, so dual-timeline, but the historical time is the story that Wendy and Peyton are writing together, not willingly, but as part of their job. I say “not willingly” because they are nemeses. They really are not fond of each other. Peyton really gets on Wendy’s nerves with his little habits. They also have a bit of a history that makes them dislike each other. And because one is a “pantster” and one is a “plotter” they can’t see how they will be able to work together on a story. A story where they alternate chapters and can not plan it together. Each of them reads the other’s chapter when it is published, just like the general public.

Tara and William are the main characters in the story that Wendy and Peyton are writing and they end up time traveling to pioneer times (so we have a time travel story, which I always love). They are thrust into a life they know hardly anything about. A time when single women travel west to become brides for lonely men on the wild frontier. These characters sort of reflect their authors’ relationship. So, what will become of these out-of-time people who really need each other, but can’t really stand each other?

I loved following both the story and the story within the story. There were times I really felt it was Wendy and Peyton writing the historical story, not the author of the book. A.M. Heath really brought these characters to life. I didn’t want to put the book down as I had to know what was going to happen next. I laughed, I teared up (it’s very rare that I actually cry while reading), I felt their struggles. Not only did I love seeing their relationships evolve, I loved seeing their faith in God grow. Spiritual truths are shared throughout the books, which I really appreciated. Here’s a quote that really spoke to me, “It’s wise to look before you leap, but you still have to leap. And the leaping will always be a leap of faith. You can trust that God will catch you, even if no one else will.”

The author did a great job bringing both stories to a believable conclusion. I just wish I didn’t have to leave Tara and William, and Wendy and Peyton. I would have loved to see what happens next in their relationships. Another sign of a book I love. I can’t stop thinking of the characters and want to know MORE.

This is definitely a 5 star book and one I highly recommend.

I received this book for free from the author as a part of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own, honest thoughts.

The Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar Review

 

The Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be my last. I really enjoyed this story and the intrigue. I felt it really brought first centruy Corinth to life for me. And I loved that the author included a biblical figure. 

This is definitely a book I highly recommend.

Friday Fun - August 18, 2023

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

This week I have two books to share with you. 

I just finished Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar. This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. I read it for a couple of my reading challenges.  It was one of the 12 books that were recommended to me, plus it was a book with a location in the title. 

I also just started an eARC of Falling Between the Pages by A.M. Heath as a member of the launch team. This book will be releasing on August 28th.

              Book Beginnings on Fridays

(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.)

Here is my Book Beginnings for Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar:

"You asked me once how a woman like me could become a thief."

 

Well yes, I definitely want to know how she became a thief. But I am more curious at this point about who she is talking to.

And here is my Book Beginnings for Falling Between the Pages by A.M. Heath:

"I slid into the conference room with exactly three second to spare."

So, is this person always right on time, or is there a reason she only has three seconds to spare.

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted over at Freda's Voice.

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.

Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar:
 

"His fierce driving style and seemingly unbeatable record had turned him into a legend in Corinth. Theo, whose greatest ambition was to become a successful charioteer, adored Justus. No one was perfect, but I thought this misplaced affection indicated a dangerous slippage in Theo's moral fiber."

Falling Between the Pages by A.M. Heath:

"Lost in character, I smiled up at him, forgetting all about my vow to kill him not a half hour earlier. I curved my arm so that it ran along his, both of us loosely holding the other as much as enemies would dare."

Wait for Me by Jody Hedlund Review

 

I was so excited when I realized there was going to be another Waters of Time book by Jody Hedlund. I have enjoyed this series from the beginning, though I admit, my favorite book is still the first book, Come Back to Me. But I do love that we get a glimpse into the lives of the characters of the previous books. Though some do feature more than others.

(Spoiler warning, if you haven't read the first three books of the series, you may want to skip this review)

For this, the fourth book, our main male character, Dawson is the brother of Sybil who was our main character in the third book. When Sybil left him in modern day England in the previous book she left him some holy water to cure his blindness. However, he was in a dark place and wanted nothing to do with it. Now he has lost his sister, blaming himself for what he thinks is her death, and he is also suddenly in the crosshairs of some very bad people who want that holy water. He ends up crossing time to help Philippa who is in dire straights thanks to her uncle wanting to marry her off for political reasons. In their travels together they start to have feelings for each other but how will it ever work out?

I loved their relationship, though I wish they hadn't had to have rushed so much, but I do understand the circumstances made it necessary. The book had periods of suspense, but the majority of the book was quite calm, especially compared to the previous books. I definitely didn't feel the tension I did in the others. And I did appreciate the spiritual truths that were shared.

I did want to mention that there were quite a few sensual scenes, though nothing that was too detailed.

Though not my favorite book in the series, I still enjoyed it very much. I do wonder if the author will write another book in this series and how she will make it work if she does. This did seem like a great ending to the series.

Lost in Darkness by Michelle Griep Review

 

I read Lost in Darkness by Michelle Griep for one of my reading challenges last month, but completely forgot to share my review.

This was an awesome regency-era book. It was my first book by this author. I had been wanting to read it for a while, and I finally was able to fit it into my reading schedule. I was quickly absorbed into this story. I was thinking it was going to be creepy. But it wasn't. It was disturbing at times, but not creepy.

Amelia Balfour is a travel writer in 1815 England who is desperate to be on her way to Cairo, but her father passes away and she needs to follow his last wish, which is to make sure her younger, deformed brother Colin gets the surgery her father had set up in the hopes to better his life.

We get to see this story through three points of view, Amelia's, Colin's, and Graham Lambert's a former Navy surgeon who has recently partnered with the surgeon who will be performing Colin's surgery, Mr. Peckwood.

I have to say, Mr. Peckwood was really frustrating me, and I felt bad for Colin and Amelia and Graham, all who had to deal with him in different ways. Quite the egotistical character. But of course he was the professional who knew everything, so it wasn't right to question him. Even though Colin's life was the one on the line. Along with Mr. Lambert's job and reputation.

I loved how caring Graham was. And I loved the relationship that developed between him and Amelia. All while they were trying to go what was best for Colin.

And yes, I loved that the author of Frankenstein was a character in this book, and the events in the story were her inspiration for her story. (I mean, not really, it is just fiction, but I loved the idea of having Colin's story be her inspiration.)

I loved the different relationships in the story. I loved how the characters grew in faith. I even loved their neighbor's quirky pets. So many fun little details, plus great historical details.

Definitely a book I highly recommend, and I can't wait to read the second book in this series.