Seasons of Opportunities

This is my first Laura McNeill read, and I was not disappointed. She kept me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put it down, suspensefully awaiting the "who-done-it" revelation. There were two main characters that appeared guilty, one from the get-go and one revealed slowly; but the battle to discovery was back and forth between them the entire time. I couldn't make up my mind for sure on the guilty party. This psychopathic thriller unfolds as Allison Marshal is released from prison after ten years of paying for a crime she did not commit. Her goal, to find out who did, prove herself innocent and win her daughter's affection. Her only ally and friend, her sister Emma, who has been raising Allie's daughter, and is the only one who ever came to see her these past ten years. Allie was always the smart one, who had everything together, and was headed for a successful life, career, marriage. Her dreams have all been

I gotta tell ya, at first I loved this Bible. I love reading God's Word, and I am also one of those people who loves to doodle. You will find me doodling as I take notes during services, and if I sit for long with a paper and pen, I will be doodling. So this Bible, to me, was right down my alley. I am also a note-taker, and most all of my Bibles over the years are highlighted, colored, written in the margins. There is rarely a "clean" page. I have been wanting to check out one of these Bibles for a long time. And given the opportunity, I jumped on it. There are enough illustrations in this Bible to last you a long time, close to two years if you colored a page a day. There are lines for note-taking, and space to make your own doodles or designs. The back contains bullet notes, a daily Bible reading plan, and a concordance. And the Holman Christian Standard is a version I enjoy reading. my design 

If a book can get you all riled up, this one certainly is the one! Linda White will have you ready to stomp those bad guys one minute, getting all emotional the next, and praying for the person in your book before you realize these are just fictional characters. Tom, an FBI agent, has hit his biggest break ever - buusting one of Angel Ramos' main men. It won't be long before Angel Ramos goes down. Or at least that's what Tom thinks. But little does he realize the danger his family is in, not only physically, but emotionally too. Ramos is not a man easily taken, and he is not going down without a fight! Tom's wife Cathy is tired of the FBI life, crime, endless work hours, an unemotional detached husband who seems to barely notice she is exists. Once their son gets kidnapped, that is the last straw for her. Even though he's been released, she is ready to leave Tom for good!

My Intentional Mondays began with choosing a word for the year. And the word I chose was INTENTIONAL. My goal was to live the year Intentionally . Although, I have tried to do that, I have to admit sometimes it is easy to get distracted, to stray from the path, to wander around a bit aimlessly, as though just floating in a boat whichever way the water takes me. Sometimes it seems like life just takes off without you, and you are either racing to catch up, lagging way behind, or need to take a deep breath and find the new normal. That is kind of what has happened to me lately. And I am working on my new routine, new normal, adjusting to life's changes. Thankfully, one thing never changes - GOD ! He is my constant! The one I can go to no matter what life throws my way. The one who shows me where to go, and helps me live intentionally !

Do you ever feel like it's more fun to exist in the computer world than the real one? Is that the only place you can control your destiny? Well, God is the original great world builder, and he gave us the power and the skills we need to make changes in the real world. The Minecrafter’s Bible , NIrV contains the full text of the New International Reader's Version (NIrV) of the Bible (from Genesis to Revelation) as well as 24 color tip-in pages featuring full-color illustrations in the style of wildly popular virtual-world-building games. Featured stories include the days of creation and great builds of the Bible. Available on Amazon  as well as other websites.

She Trusts Him for the Job,  But Can She Trust Him With Her Heart? Loved this book!! Karen Witemeyer remains one of my favorite authors to read. The sense of humor incorporated in her books along with the spiritual just makes the book so worth the read.  Emma is the leader of a women's colony and very well respected. The women who live there have been abused, and used up by men and are ready to show the world they have stamina and can survive on their own! But a threat develops, and now the women are in danger. Emma feels a deep sense of responsibility as she tries to figure out what to do. In the end, she decides only One man will do. One she knows she can trust!

Secrets and Lies. Danger That Will Never Go Away.  Join Three Beloved Masters of Romantic Suspense for Novellas Where the Past Will Not Stay Buried. The three ladies that wrote this book are some of my favorite suspense authors, so I had to jump at the chance to read this novella. I was not disappointed!  All the stories were fantastic and held my attention. I was so excited to read a bit about the McKenna family history in Dani Pettrey's novella. What a fun opportunity to see into their past and how the adventurous qualities of the parents were passed down to the children. This was probably one of my favorite of the three. I also enjoyed Blackout by Lynette Eason in which Macey is slowly remembering an accident and the surrounding events of that night. But someone is not wanting her to remember, and someone is. She is facing danger from an unknown source and the suspense grows as her memories return.

This book is really good, but for me it was a challenge to read. It was emotionally high strung and honestly at times I just had to take a break. Maybe its just because it hit a little too close to home with all the struggles, family issues, addictions, etc... These are real problems and I think every family knows at least someone who has them. Jennifer writes a realistic story, with hope and healing and forgiveness, but not without struggles, pain, heartache, and despair. Alice Goddard, seems to have the perfect life, and she has been putting on a good show in front of all her "perfect" friends. But truthfully, she is hiding behind a front. Her home life is a mess, her husband an alcoholic, her children veering out of control. As things get worse, Alice struggles with transparency, seeking help, and her relationship with God. Some of the people

The past week was busy as a bee with VBS going on and I did not get to blog much at all. But I do thankfully have some books finished so this week hopefully will be able to get some of my reviews posted. We had an average of 143 attend our VBS and I am so thankful for all those precious children. The ones in my class came faithfully every night. They were attentive and fun to be with. I am praying the seed planted in their hearts will sprout and grow.

CASEY KNOWS THE TRUTH. BUT IT WON’T SET HER FREE. Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they’ve failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore. But what  is  the truth ?  That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

WINNER is JULIE WALDRON I am so excited to be hosting this giveaway!!  Because I am so excited about this book.  Recently I posted a review of Prince Warriors on my blog. Soon after I received an email with the opportunity to host a giveaway. My son LOVED this book!! As a matter of fact he said this was one of his favorite books of all time. He is frequently asking WHEN the second book in the series comes out! You can read my full review * HERE*   if you are not familiar with this book. So here is your chance to win one for someone in your family, or maybe for someone you know, or your church library...  To enter: Simply leave a comment telling me who this book would be for. (Don't forget to leave your email in SAFE format - if you don't I won't be able to reach you if your name is chosen) Priscilla is an amazing woman and a great author. I would love to hear if you have read any of her books, also.  For and EXTRA entry - share this GIVEAWAY on ...

I hope you had a wonderful  FOURTH OF JULY! Mine was spent with family. We didn't do anything big, just enjoyed the day together, then spent some time in the evening watching the firework display close to our home. It was one of those relaxing, enjoyable days. I even got to spend a little time with my married daughter, and even though she isn't too far away, those moments become more and more precious. As I was contemplating how thankful I am for the freedom we have in our country, I thought it would be cool to post some pictures from our trip.