The power of fiction, the beauty of words, and the God who made us to wield them for His glory.

The Lady in Residence (Allison Pittman) – Review + Giveaway

Can a Legacy of Sadness be Broken at the Menger Hotel?

Young widow Hedda Krause checks into the Menger Hotel in 1915 with a trunk full of dresses, a case full of jewels, and enough cash to pay for a two-month stay, which she hopes will be long enough to meet, charm, and attach herself to a new, rich husband. Her plans are derailed when a ghostly apparition lures her into a long, dark hallway, and Hedda returns to her room to find her precious jewelry has been stolen. She falls immediately under a cloud of suspicion with her haunting tale, but true ghost enthusiasts bring her expensive pieces of jewelry in an attempt to lure the ghost to appear again.

In 2017, Dini Blackstone is a fifth-generation magician, who performs at private parties, but she also gives ghost walk tours, narrating the more tragic historical events of San Antonio with familial affection. Above all, her favorite is the tale of Hedda Krause who, in Dini’s estimation, succeeded in perpetrating the world’s longest con, dying old and wealthy from her ghost story. But then Dini meets Quinn Carmichael, great-great-grandson of the detective who originally investigated Hedda’s case, who’s come to the Alamo City with a box full of clues that might lead to Hedda’s exoneration. Can Dini see another side of the story that is worthy of God’s grace?

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First Line Friday – Network of Deceit (Tom Threadgill)

Happy Friday and welcome to First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books. If you love suspense novels, you’re going to love the book I’m featuring today: Network of Deceit by Tom Threadgill. I’ve only just discovered this author, but I’ll definitely be keeping a lookout for his next novel, especially if it features Detective Amara Alvarez. I’ll have a review up in the next few days, but in the meantime, check out the first line!

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Cast the First Stone (David James Warren) – Review

One case haunts him. One chance to fix the past. One mistake could cost him everything.

Ex-Minneapolis Police Detective Rembrandt Stone walked away from a career he loved—just the price of being sure he can come home to the wife and daughter he cherishes. But he can’t shake the deep regret over a case left behind.

When his mentor, the former Chief of Homicide dies and leaves Rembrandt with a box of cold cases and a mysterious watch, he finds himself thrust into a world he recognizes—a world from twenty years ago—the same world he’s woken from in a cold sweat a hundred times. But is it a dream, or some kind of twisted reality?

If he solves the case that plagues him, and justice is finally served, will it destroy the life he loves?

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Boundless (Tamara Leigh) – Review

THE WULFRITHS. IT ALL BEGAN WITH A WOMAN

A battle. A crown. The conqueror. The conquered. Medieval England—forever changed by the Battle of Hastings. And the rise of the formidable Wulfriths.

DECEIT WRAPPED IN SOMETHING SWEET

After aiding the English resistance who once more fail to reclaim their country from the invaders, Lady Marguerite returns home to Scotland in the aftermath of William the Conqueror’s harrying of the North—and does not come alone. Accompanying the Sparrow of King Malcolm’s Court is a warrior mistakenly believed her enemy, the price for which may be his irreparable loss of sight. Burdened by having laid the trap for a man she regrets not recognizing sooner, and strangely drawn to him, she determines she will be the one to tend this Norman. But that is possible only if he does not learn she is responsible for what could strip the warrior from him. When her deception is unveiled, will he reject what he has come to feel for her? When he leaves, will he take her heart with him?

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First Line Friday – Cast the First Stone (David James Warren)

Happy Friday and welcome to First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books. Time-travel is not my normal reading fare, but I have to say I’m super excited for this new time-travel thriller series coming from the combined talents of Susan May Warren, her son David Warren, and James L. Rubart. If you want to know more about the series, make sure you check out their website at rembrandtstone.com. In the meantime, the first in the series released last Tuesday, so you can start reading right now! (After you finish reading this post, of course. 😉) I’m part way through and loving it!

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First Line Friday – The Words Between Us (Erin Bartels)

Happy Friday and welcome to First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books. Tonight is our first book club for 2021, and our first book club read is my first line Friday choice this week: The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels. I’m looking forward to some good discussion about this one!

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An Unlikely Proposal (Toni Shiloh) – Review + Giveaway

Their friendship can survive almost anything…

For two best friends, marriage could be their greatest test yet…

Trinity Davis must not have heard firefighter Omar Young correctly. Did her handsome widowed best friend just suggest they get married? Omar needs a mom for his adorable little girls, and it’ll fix Trinity’s financial woes. But saying “I do” isn’t just business. Especially when the only vow they’re in danger of breaking is their promise to not fall in love…

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Everything Behind Us (Jennifer Rodewald) – Review

Neither wants to relive the past, but they need each other to face the future.

Connor Murphy lives by a code of honor and service. Dignified, duty-bound, and responsible, he’s spent the past eight years as a single enlisted airman, determined never to mess up another person’s life the way he did Sadie’s. As long as he follows orders, does his job well, and avoids romantic entanglements, he’ll do just fine. Of course, that last part was easier before Sadie rolled back into town.

Sadie Allen never intended to return to Sugar Pine—her hometown hosts too much regret—but she can’t face her health crisis alone. Not with a four-year-old depending on her. Even so, Connor Murphy’s proposal of a marriage of convenience wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. She can’t fault his reasoning—her prognosis is grim and her son could use a father—but her heart aches at the thought of a marriage without romance. Especially to the one man she’s never gotten over.

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