Friday Fun - September 29, 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 reading Blood of Adam by Rachel S. Neal. I read it for a few of my reading challenges. It was one of twelve books recommended for me to read this year. It is a book that is weather themed, though most of the book is in preparation for the upcoming storms and flood. Plus the book was published in 2012.

I am currently reading The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. This book is also for a few reading challenges. I needed a book published before 2000 plus a book that was a classic I have never read. Additionally, this book works for the Read Your Bookshelf challenge as I needed a book where one of the words from page 50 of last month's challenge was in the title. That word was "horse."

              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 Blood of Adam by Rachel S. Neal:

"Denah hoisted her bridal garments and sidestepped a manure pile."

Bridal and manure pile don't really seem to fit together. So, I was wondering where Denah was headed.

And here is my Book Beginnings for The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis:

"This is the story of an adventure that happened in Narnia and Calormen and the lands between, in the Golden Age when Peter was High King in Narnia and his brother and his two sisters were King and Queens under him."

I hadn't realized this book took place when the kids from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe were reigning as kings and queens. Cool. 

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 are my Friday 56 selections.

Blood of Adam by Rachel S. Neal:
 

"The woman kept hold of Eran's hand, her jowls oscillating as she shook her head. 'You shame your husband with your empty womb. How soon will he tire of you and take another wife to bring him heirs?'"

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis:

"At every turn Shasta hoped they were getting out of the crowd, but they never did. This made their progress very slow, and every now and then they had to stop altogether."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. If you'd like to read the reviews of those books, I invite you to click on the links below:

The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse Review

King of the Crown Imperials by Joanna Alonzo Review

The Secrets Beneath by Kimberely Woodhouse Review

I was thrilled to be able to read The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse. I’ve read a couple of her books prior to reading this newest book, and I really enjoyed them. When I learned she was writing a book about a woman in paleontology in the late 1800’s, I was quite excited. Not only is this about the Bone Wars though, it is a second-chance romance, and there is also a mystery involved.

Anna Lakeman and Joshua Ziegler have been apart for a few years, having parted after a horrid argument, though they had been engaged to be married. They hadn’t talked to each other in the time that Joshua was away. This is now a chance to possibly work out their relationship.

Anna had been helping her paleontologist father for years by drawing detailed, wonderful sketches of his work. They now had an opportunity to dig near their home. However, different obstacles and dangers keep popping up and put a damper on things.

And then there is Julian, the man whose land they are digging on. Something isn’t quite right with this man, but Anna is sure she can help him by showing him kindness. As the reader we get to see things from his point of view at times which really added to the tension and even a bit to the confusion.

There is a good deal of suspense and mystery in this story. There were things I did see coming, but there were definitely times the author took me by surprise. I appreciated the way the characters leaned on the Lord and grew in their relationships with him. I found the information on the Bone Wars quite intriguing, and loved the way it was mentioned more than once that the fossils would have been buried during the great catastrophe of the flood in Noah’s day.

I really appreciated this passage from the story,

“Over the last three years, he’d learned about the leaps and bounds they were making in scientific discovery. It was changing the face of medicine. Which was a good thing. Healing people always needed a boost when ailments seemed to crop up overnight.
If only faith and science could be reconciled. Why couldn’t the two come together?
It didn’t make sense. They went hand in hand.”

I also loved seeing the relationship between Anna and Joshua develop. They definitely had some things to work through and I was left wondering more than once if they would be able to work it out or not.

The author brought this story to a great conclusion, with some added surprises, but the story wasn’t left on any cliffhangers, which I had worried about, knowing it is the first in a series. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the next one.

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

King of the Crown Imperials by Joanna Alonzo Review

 

Wow, what an awesome book. King of the Crown Imperials by Joanna Alonzo has fairy tale vibes along with being a kind of Esther retelling. The story opens with a prologue that takes place a decade prior to the time of the rest of the story. We see Esther Cross hiding while her parents are murdered and then she is whisked to safety by her cousin.

Fast forward ten years to 1993. Vivienne has come to the fictitious island country of Ancoria to be an intern for her best friend Stasi. When she arrives she discovers her best friend is nobility and related to the crown prince of the country, Prince Philip. Through a series of events, Vivienne becomes the fake fiance of the prince, all as a diversion. As the prince deals with more serious matters, Vivienne needs to focus on getting ready to be an acceptable queen.

There is mystery and intrigue and betrayal. There are secrets that need to be revealed at just the right time. There are people who need to be saved from genocide. There is threat of war. And of course, will Vivienne and Philip be able to keep up the charade? Will they be able to resist falling in love for real? And what is the best direction for the country and all involved?

I loved seeing the parallels to the book of Esther in the Bible. The majority of the characters were Christians who looked to God for guidance. The book gripped me from the beginning and drew me in. And there are maps. I love books with maps so I can picture where things are taking place. The author created a believable country that I can’t wait to visit again.

Definitely a book I 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.

Friday Fun - September 22, 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 am reading an ARC of The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse as a member of her early launch team. This is the first book in her Treasures of the Earth series. The book releases next week on September 26th. 

I am also reading an ARC of King of the Crown Imperials by Joanna Alonzo. This is her first in the Where the Lilies Wander series. It releases tomorrow.

              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 The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse:

"The garden- his garden- was alive with color today, while the inside of him was black as death."

Well, that went from lovely to dark real fast. I needed to know what was causing such blackness inside him.

And here is my Book Beginnings for King of the Crown Imperials by Joanna Alonzo:

"1983 - Their unfathomable hatred eclipsed the promise of morning light."

This is from the prologue which takes place 10 years before the remainder of the book. Sounded quite ominous. 

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 are my Friday 56 selections.

The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse:
 

"What heavy weight was the man carrying? Not grief over the loss of his father, but what about his brother? It couldn't be easy to deal with the ranch, what with his mother gone to who knows where, his brother abandoning him, and his father dead."

King of the Crown Imperials by Joanna Alonzo:

"After first noticing her existence in the room, it had taken Philip a considerable amount of willpower not to steal glances at her. It hadn't helped that her presence was a mystery in and of itself, nor did it alleviate his interest that the beautiful stranger's unobtrusive silence made him all the more aware that she was where she had no business being."

Redemption in the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd Review

 

Redemption in the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd is the second book in the Frontier Hearts series, but you do not have to have read the first book to enjoy this story. And let me tell you, I am a stickler for reading series in order. Though I admit I was hoping it would be a continuation of the characters’ stories from Rescue in the Wilderness, it was a wonderful stand alone story nonetheless.

We get to join Margaret and her sister Muireall, along with Iain Donegal as they struggle to survive during a journey to safety on the Kentucky frontier in the early 1780s. The story is one of a marriage of convenience as loner Iain, who has come to the young ladies' rescue in their home, is encouraged to “do the right thing” and marry one of the sisters due to propriety. They then begin a journey across the frontier to a safer home for them than the solitary family homestead where the sisters had been living since their parents passed away.

There are dangers along the way, and Iain is dealing with shortcomings in his past that he fears will ruin his relationship with his new wife. At the same time they are dealing with Muireall’s selfishness and seeming laziness. I admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of Murieall throughout most of the book as she definitely seemed self-centered.

There was adventure and peril, plus twists I didn't see coming. I did like that we got to know more people in this story than just Margaret, Murieall and Iain. There were friendships made and development of some side characters. I also appreciated the faith aspect of the story, and seeing the characters learn to trust more in God’s plan for their lives. All in all, a great historical romance and definitely a book I 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.

Friday Fun - September 15, 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 an eARC of Crossroads by C.C. Warrens as a member of her early reader team. This is the newest book in her Holly series. You can read my review here.

I am currently reading an ARC of the second book in the Frontier Hearts series by Andrea Byrd, Redemption in the Wilderness. I shared my review of the first book. Rescue in the Wilderness a few months ago. 

              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 Crossroads by C.C. Warrens:

"Despite the warm May temperature, memories shivered through my bones-bones that had been bruised and broken under the roof of the two-story structure in front of me."

Oh no, what was Holly doing back at the foster home where she suffered such abuse?

And here is my Book Beginnings for Redemption in the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd:

Margaret Blair's heart pounded in her ears as she aimed her father's rifle.

Why was Margaret in need of her father's rifle? Was there danger?

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 are my Friday 56 selections.

Crossroads by C.C. Warrens:
 

"I popped onto my toes, nose brushing the edge of the window frame, and squinted through the grungy bottom of the screen. What was wrong with the people who built this church? Didn't they realize short people wanted to snoop too?"

Redemption in the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd:

"Margaret grinned as she hovered over the spread of food on the table. Beef, carrots, green beans, and bread adorned the small wooden square. And she had not burned a single thing."

Crossroads by C.C. Warrens Review

 

I am absolutely in love with the Holly series. I was eagerly anticipating reading this newest book since I read Cross the Line last year. Crossroads did NOT disappoint. I mean, I finished it in 48 hours, would have been faster, but I guess taking care of the family is important.

Now that Holly is safe, she is desperate to find her foster sister who was just six years old the last time she saw her, when she told her to run to save her from Collin, their abusive foster brother. As Holly and Jordan search for clues, we also learn more details from Holly’s past, sadly as Holly is reliving the trauma. As they get closer to learning the truth, they find themselves in danger again, up on a mountain, without any way to contact help. Will they find Cassie? Is she even still alive? Will both Holly and Jordan get out of there alive? And what in the world is going on in the town they find themselves in? Will the author continue to put Holly through trauma? If you are a fan of the Holly books, you sadly know the answer to that question.

I loved seeing that Holly’s faith is strong and that she is leaning on the Lord. Which is quite important with what they go through. As with all the Holly books, you’ll find yourself on an emotional roller coaster. Lots of danger, and lots of Holly not always making smart decisions. And, I know I mentioned Holly and Jordan, but yes, don’t worry, there is plenty of Holly/Marx banter time. And Jordan/Marx tension time. Everything that makes these books AWESOME.

Definitely another 5 star book, and one I highly recommend.

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