Sabotaged by Dani Pettrey

Sabotaged is the fifth book of the Alaskan Courage series by Dani Pettrey, and the first book that I've read in the series. This is the story of Kirra and Reef. Kiera's cousin has been kidnapped during the running of the Iditarod, and Kirra and Reef are trying to locate her. 

The action and adventure starts from page one, literally, and hardly lets up throughout the entire novel.  I stayed fully absorbed with the characters and was excited to see what was next.  There was enough background information given on the characters in this book that I think does fine as a stand alone book. I'm sure I may have understood more if I had read the first books in series, but this book was a good book to acquaint myself with the author. 

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoy suspense and intrigue with a romantic twist. I look forward to reading what Mrs. Pettrey writes in the future, and will probably go back to read the first book on this series. 

*I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for a honest and unbiased review. My opinions are my own.*

The Boy Who Burst My Bubble

My foray into the world of relationships all began with a younger man.  He was 5.  I was 5 1/2.  Yes, I know.  There's a word for that.  Don't judge me.  This all happened in the spring of 1983, if I calculated correctly.  I don't remember his name, but I guess that's not important now.  I'll call him Bob the Bubble Buster (Bob for short). 

Bob and I were in the same kindergarten class.  He came up to me one day and said, "You're my girlfriend."  That's it.  Point-blank.  No discussion or options on my part.  He gave me absolutely no choice in the matter.  I don't remember well, but I think he liked to share his gum with me.  ABC (already been chewed) gum.  I don't know if you've ever had it.  I don't care for it now.  I prefer NBC gum.  One day, after my "boyfriend" had not been kind enough to share with me, I had to find my own piece.  Luckily, someone happened to have a piece of NBC gum that they let me have.  I popped the gum in my mouth, and chewed and chewed and chewed and chewed.  

Then, one of the most magical moments in my short life occurred.  I opened my mouth, and out came a gum bubble.  I was amazed.  What had seemed impossible before had finally occurred.  I had finally joined the ranks of all the amazing gum bubble blowers that had come before, and would certainly come after, me.  After lunch, as I was reveling in my new found talent and enjoying the sight of that magical pink bubble coming out of my mouth, Bob came up to me and did the unthinkable.  He stuck his nasty finger in my pretty pink magical bubble and made it burst. 

The devastation.  The loss.  The magical moment was over, as if it had been masticated in the mouth of a heartless monster.  If Bob could be so unfeeling towards bubble gum, how would he treat our future children (as plastic as they were - from the play area in our classroom)?  I could see no way for our relationship to continue.  Bob's failure to recognize the sanctity of a bubble left me no choice.  I could no longer be his imaginary girlfriend.  I hope that Bob realized the error of his ways as he got older, or found a girl who did not care if he burst her bubbles.  Either way, I have moved on.

A talk with friends

I was visiting with a couple of good friends a few weeks ago and our discussion turned to the topic of story writing.  I told them that I would love to right an anti-romance (the girl doesn't get the guy) type story.  I get SSSOOOO tired of all the lovey-dovey/look-what-my-bf-bought-me stuff around Valentine's day.  This does not include all the happily-ever-after stories.  Happily-never-after would be a more fitting description for most people's stories, I believe.  My good friends encouraged me, telling me that I should write this book.  Well, I do not believe that I am committed enough to write a book, but I think I can write several blog posts along this line.  The first one will follow.  Many will be real life stories, but some will be made up.  I'll leave it up to you to figure out which is which.  Happy reading!  And if you have found your happily, I pray that it will be forever instead of never.

This book was "Beyond All Dreams!"

Elizabeth Camden has quickly become one of my favorite authors!  I do not know if there is a word to describe the elation I felt when I finally had the chance to read this book!  Beyond All Dreams brings us the story of Anna, a research librarian working in the Library of Congress, and Luke, a congressman from Maine. Their histories share a lot of the same sorrows that build an almost impenetrable wall between them that their mutual attraction does its best to tear down. 

Mrs. Camden possesses a vast knowledge of medical conditions and I enjoy how she uses her knowledge of these conditions to enhance the storylines of her books. These conditions, while minor, give the main characters (secondary characters more in this book) a lot of depth and draws the reader into the story.  

Another thing I enjoy about her stories is the way she weaves her stories around historical events.  Beyond All Dreams occurs prior to the Spanish-American war.  Although her story is fiction, it gives the reader an understanding of events from a different point of view.  The historical events also give the reader an understanding of what drives the characters in the story.  This book gives insight into the historical events that history books do not. 

This story is a perfect choice for anyone who likes historical romance.  Miss Camden's characters are real and believable, with faults and characteristics that make them relatable to the reader.  I give this book 5 stars and look forward to Mrs. Camden's next release. 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My opinions are my own.*

                                                       

Top 14 from 2014

2014 was a great year and I thought I'd share a few of the highlights.

1.

Anytime I have all my kids together is a great time. 

My nephew came from across the pond to spend the summer. 

This aunt had a blessed heart this summer.

2.

Raeli and I enjoyed an OBU football game in October. 

We were joined by a couple of friends. 

The Bison lost but we don't care.  Woohoo! Go BISON!

3.

I spent a few days in LA where I got to spend time with my good friend Jami and see some art.

Van Gogh anyone? A major accomplishment was making it through LA traffic.  Yes, I drove. 

4.

Oklahoma sunrises and sunsets are the best!

 

5.

Ryan joined me in LA.  I think the beach was his favorite part (besides his new friends that is).

 

6. 

Picking this little man up from the airport!  I was excited to see him after almost 3 years.

 

7.

On our way to LA, we stopped off to see my Uncle Bob and his family. 

He took us to see the Grand Canyon.  There are no words to describe the experience.

 

8.  I spent a week of my vacation with Raeli and other kids at KBA. 

We had a couple of kids get saved.  It was a great week. 

I'm blessed to have a job with a lot of vacation time that I can use for the Lord. 

 

9.  Crochet - what Grandma tried to teach me finally took off.  It has turned into a hobby that has made me some extra money.

 

10. Pets - we have a couple of extra cats now.  Nick "found" one when he was visiting. 

Qia and Coco are as ornery as ever.

 

11.  On the way to LA, Ryan and I also stopped to see my Aunt Tammie and her family. 

It was good to see them as we had not seen them in a while.

 

12. Family reunion - we saw almost the rest of the family at the annual Short Family reunion. 

We changed things up a little this year.  I think this was my favorite year so far.  I know Nick had a blast.  He really enjoyed the hot tub. 

 

13.  Babies - there are babies all around.  Many are not born yet, but hearing the news of all the pending arrivals brought many a smile to my face in 2014. 

 

14. My walk with the Lord - I grew a lot in 2014. I still have a lot of growing to do.  God answered a lot of prayers, and has remained silent on a few.  It's a day by day process.  Every journey is just a little bit at a time, rushing will make you miss all the scenery.  Church is great.  I'm blessed to be part of a great church family.

 

 

Jennings does it again with "A Most Inconvenient Marriage"

I just (I mean JUST) finished A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings. I don't know how she does it, but Mrs. Jennings manages to incorporate just the right mixture of humor, romance, and seriousness in this book to make it a really great read. I found it hard to put down.  Certain sections had me in stitches, while other sections had me near to tears. This was an excellent book and I look forward to reading the books she puts out in the future. 

Abigail thinks she is (was) married to Jeremiah Calhoun, a man she believes died as a result of injuries sustained in the Civil War. When she discovers that he is in fact alive, she doesn't rightly know what to do with herself.  And he doesn't rightly know what to do with her.  What seems inconvenient at the moment is in fact most convenient for all parties involved. What follows is a tale with as many ups and downs as the mountains of Missouri where the story is set.  Mrs. Jennings creates believable characters who go through joyous and sad occasions just as any real person would. They are not "perfect" characters, they have faults just like the rest of us, which makes them "real" characters. 

I really enjoyed reading about the lives of Abigail and Jeremiah and learning about their personalities.  "Watching" as they makes decisions about their lives, and the paths they should take makes me think about my own life.  The mixture of humor, romance, and drama creates the perfect panamora for a great book. When I say humor, I mean the rolling around with tears running down your face humor. This is a good book for anyone who enjoys romance with some adventure and a lot of humor thrown in. 

*I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My opinions are my own.*

Review of Judith Miller's The Brickmaker's Bride

The Brickmaker's Bride by Judith Miller tells the story of Laura Woodfield and Ewan McKay. Laura's father was killed in the War between the States, leaving his daughter and wife the responsibility for his brickyard. Laura and her mother are trying to sell the brickyard and Ewan and his uncle inquire about purchasing the brickyard from them. 

The Brickmaker's Bride was the first book by Judith Miller that I had read. It started kind of slowly and it took me a little while to get into it. After the first few chapters, the storyline picked up and it was easier to read. I thought the storyline was easy to follow and that the story was well-written. The story ended a little abruptly, but I think that this might because there are more books to follow.  The main characters are believable and the secondary characters add a lot to the storyline.   

This book would be a good read for anyone who likes historical fiction with a little romance thrown in.  

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.