REVIEW: FABULOUS! I’m totally and completely in LOVE! Moonlight Beach by Tammy L Grace is a book of many facets. I loved the characters including Fritz, Bodie and Sherlock the three Golden Retrievers. If you’ve read any of Tammy’s books, you know her characters are easy to fall in love with. Even the human ones like Lily, Mac and Mel.

This book is heavy on family relationships and all that they are. The ones you are born with and the ones that join you along life’s journey. Both are equally important and are needed in their own special way. I thank Tammy for reminding us of that.

Part of the book takes place at Christmas time although it is not specifically a Christmas story. I am blessed to have been able to read it at the holiday.

I was also reminded that a big part of life is to be of service to others. Giving of ourselves. Not money but, time, our hearts and caring for those that need our love and help. We can all find time in our lives to be an ear for someone, a shoulder to lean on or someone to pray for them. Sometimes, just knowing someone cares goes a long way. 

This is the second book in the Beach Glass Cottage Series. Beach Haven was book one and book three is coming in late 2021 or early 2022. Moonlight Beach read well as a stand alone but, I’m definitely picking up Beach Haven and look forward to book three. I’m so in love with the characters and I want more of them. My advice to you… get these books read before book three comes out. I know you will love them a much as I do! 

SYNOPSIS: Hope, healing, and happiness live here

A grieving widow tries to find a new path forward. A young woman goes missing and a surprise visitor has nowhere to turn. Is a walk along the moonlit beach offering happiness or more loss?

Lily is still making her way in her new career as an inn keeper in Driftwood Bay and training a hearing assistant dog. Along with those challenges, the young woman she agreed to take in is missing. Lily is positive she didn’t run away, and fears the worst.

As she struggles with the emotions stirred up by old losses, she and Mac, the veterinarian she’s been spending time with, decide to take a trip together to the San Juan Islands. She worries about the ramifications of her decision, but her final guests of the season, a group of five widows from Vermont, provide Lily some much needed motherly advice.

The holidays are especially hard, but her son will be coming to stay with her on his break from college and Lily is looking forward to a relaxing break with him, until unexpected family drama arrives at her doorstep.

Will Lily be able to put the broken pieces of her life back together and risk the future a walk along the moonlit beach might promise?

REVIEW: Captivating! Missing Peace by N.K Holt was one of those books that latched onto me from page one. If, I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking of it and looking forward to being able to sit down and read some more. It was one of the best books I’ve read this year. Yes, it really was!

The picture on the front cover kind of threw me off. I had read the synopsis but, the picture made me think the story was mainly in the battlefield. I can honestly say I was a little hesitant. The minute I opened the book I fell in love with an Iowa farming family. It was a hard fall! I cried my eyes out so many times during this book. I sniffed, wiped my eyes and kept on reading. This book compelled me to read it’s story! 

This is N.K.Holt’s first self published book. I can say without a doubt, I will be on the lookout for more by her. Her writing flows with such ease that you forget you’re reading and not watching a movie. I could see it all in my head and she is not overly descriptive. I don’t know how she did it. 

If you love family sagas, inspirational suspense, you will most likely love this book. I suggest you buy yourself a copy to enjoy! 

I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest review. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: War. Heartbreak. How much can one family lose?

The McKay family’s idyllic life in Iowa is about to implode. A mysterious rosary found by soldier John McKay in war-torn Iraq foreshadows an obscure prophecy. As the rosary’s mystique grows globally, his sister, Janey McKay, is threatened when a radical extremist group escalates the stakes by expanding their fight to the U.S. heartland. But can terror destroy a faith that launches miracles?

Everyone fights a battle…
A soldier.
A sister.
A priest.
A best friend.

No one is safe…
A fierce war.
A family shattered.
A love unrequited.
A terrorist bent on revenge.

How much can one woman lose?
Her home.
Her faith.
Her family.
The man she loves.

REVIEW: I just finished Kill For Justice by Judy Buch. Do you know what I liked about this book? It was an old fashioned mystery. Just like the ones I used to love. It was a welcome shift from the books I’ve been reading. It was fun, entertaining and kept my interest with all it’s quirky characters. I was totally immersed.

We meet Simone first. She is a Ventriloquist who is in a small town in Maine doing three shows in exchange for one on one coaching from two artistic directors. Her father, Grit winds up joining her. They have a difficult relationship. Then there is a murder possibly connected to a murder that occurred 25 yrs before. Daughter and father work on the case behind the scenes. You can imagine the fun with all the theater people! 

If you are looking for something a little different and love mysteries, you might like this one. It is actually book two in Judy Buch’s Simone Biaz series. I haven’t read book one yet. It read well as a stand alone. I’m so intrigued, I want to go back and read book one! 

I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest review. 

SYNOPSIS: Someone has a dark secret and will use any means to keep it hidden.

Beneath the surface of an idyllic seacoast town in Maine lies buried a chilling history. The perfect setting for a riveting cozy suspense.

Simone Biaz, a ventriloquist known for putting words in people’s mouths and three other performing artists meet for a reunion. Their main purpose? Save the local theater. One day later, a fourth performer, a flamboyant magician makes a grand entrance, and shortly afterward is found dead between the boulders of the rocky coastline. The theater community is shaken. But why are the townspeople of Barnside Harbor suspiciously quiet?

When Simone’s father hears about the murder, he shows up unexpectedly and exacerbates an already strained relationship between himself and Simone. She and her father are thrust into solving a murder. But how will Simone, who can make anything talk, convince the locals to talk and tell the truth before she and her father become the next murder victims?
What started as a curious interest entangles Simone in a struggle for survival.

Kill for Justice is the second book in the Simone Biaz mystery series. If you like stories of loss, redemption, and hope, and twists that keep you reading, you’ll love this intriguing story.

REVIEW:

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah was a book I never meant to read. I was looking at Netgalley and meant to click off the book and instead, I hit the Read It Now button. Ok. I tried to get out of it but the only thing I could do was mark it “Won’t Review”. I couldn’t make myself do that. I am a Reviewer after all. 

Actually, by the time I finished the book, I decided it was a decent book and maybe I was supposed to read after all. I not only was entertained but, I learned a little about the Muslim faith. In my area they seem to be a peaceful group. I was surprised at how strict and judgemental they are in their own families. 

I found this book a little depressing. It is about the rape of a disfigured young white woman by four Muslim young men. Her advocate had an addiction problem and her mom also had problems. The young men came from hard working families. I don’t think anyone came out of this story better than they went in. 

There was court drama, violence and some twists and turns along the way. The characters were believable and well thought out. If you like court drama and learning about other faiths then this book is for you. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley for a fair and honest review. 

SYNOPSIS: Take It Back is a harrowing and twisting courtroom thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page is turned.

One victim.
Four accused.
Who is telling the truth?

Zara Kaleel, one of London’s brightest legal minds, shattered the expectations placed on her by her family and forged a brilliant legal career. But her decisions came at a high cost, and now, battling her own demons, she has exchanged her high profile career for a job at a sexual assault center, helping victims who need her the most. Victims like Jodie Wolfe.

When Jodie, a sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, accuses four boys in her class of an unthinkable crime, the community is torn apart. After all, these four teenage defendants are from hard-working immigrant families and they all have proven alibis. Even Jodie’s best friend doesn’t believe her.

But Zara does—and she is determined to fight for Jodie—to find the truth in the face of public outcry. And as issues of sex, race and social justice collide, the most explosive criminal trial of the year builds to a shocking conclusion.

REVIEW: My Name is Anton by Catherine Ryan Hyde gave me all the feels. I loved this book! I’ve read one other book by Ms Hyde and it has remained with me. When an author can write books that are this heartfelt it is not only their gift but it is also a gift to us. I’m so glad she shares her gift with us. 

This book deals with loss and second chances. Loss of life, loss of love, the chance to get the love back and what we do with those second chances. There are a lot of life lessons to learn and ponder. We all have them. Are we making the best choices? I sometimes wonder about that. 

I fell in love with Anton. I’m sure his wife wouldn’t be happy about that. I hope she understands. She understands a lot. These are two tender, loving and caring individuals. They have learned to draw the line in the sand when necessary. That is what I love about them. They set their boundaries and don’t apologize for it.

I appreciate a book that entertains and gives us something to think about long after we are finished reading. I hope you take a chance on this book. I think you will like it. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you! It was an experience. 

SYNOPSIS: New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde returns with a hopeful novel of sacrifice, two lost souls, and enduring love.

It’s 1965, and life has taken a turn for eighteen-year-old Anton Addison-Rice. Nearly a year after his brother died in a tragic accident, Anton is still wounded—physically and emotionally. Alone for the holidays, he catches a glimpse of his neighbor Edith across the street one evening and realizes that she’s in danger.

Anton is determined to help Edith leave her abusive marriage. Frightened and fifteen years Anton’s senior, Edith is slow to trust. But when she needs a safe place to stay, she lets down her guard, and over the course of ten days an unlikely friendship grows. As Anton falls hopelessly and selflessly in love, Edith fears both her husband finding her and Anton getting hurt. She must disappear without telling anyone where she’s going—even Anton.

If keeping Edith safe means letting her go, Anton will say goodbye forever. Or so he believes. What would happen, though, if one day their paths should cross again?