Showing Off Saturday #15

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Showing Off Saturday #15.

WESTERN STYLE!!

Cowboy Boot Hot Pad/ Table Cover

Cowboy Hat Hot Pad/ Table Cover

Horse Silhouette Hot Pad/ Table Cover

Horse Saddle Hot Pad/ Table Cover

Matching Coasters / Mug Rugs/ Hot Pads

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Review: Oath of Honor (Blue Justice #1) by Lynette Eason

Blurb (from Amazon): 

Police officer Isabelle St. John loves her crazy, loud, law-enforcement family. With three brothers and two sisters, she's never without someone to hang out with--or fight with. And she knows they'll be there for her when things get tough. Like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life.

Determined to discover exactly what happened, Izzy's investigation sends her headfirst into a criminal organization, possibly with cops on the payroll--including someone from her own family. With her dead partner's handsome homicide detective brother Ryan shadowing her every move, Izzy's head is spinning. How can she secure justice for her partner when doing so could mean sending someone she loves to prison? And how will she guard her heart when the man she's had a secret crush on for years won't leave her side?

With her signature fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat action, Lynette Eason invites readers into a captivating new series where justice is a family affair.

My Review: 

Oath of Honor is the first installment From Lynette Eason’s Blue Justice series.  I think this is a fabulous start for the series. I was hooked from the first page and just could not put the book down. It has so much adventure, action, and suspense, that my head was spinning. I look forward to the next book in the Blue Justice series.

Great read!

5 stars.

I most definitely highly recommend this book.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100 percent my own honest opinion.

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Review: Missing Isaac by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Blurb (from Amazon):

There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcast on the evening news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse's stunning debut, Missing Isaac.

It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople's reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it's all over, Pete--and the people he loves most--will have to blur the hard lines of race, class, and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.



My Review:

Missing Isaac is a good debut novel by Valerie Fraser Luesse. The characters are interesting with a wonderful setting. The plot, for the most part, was enjoyable but at times was slow and hard for me to get through. There are a few humor scenes that I liked between Pete and Dovey. They were fun together. Overall, I think Missing Isaac is worth a read and I am wondering what other stories the author will come up with next. I give this one 3 1/2 stars.
I received this book from the publisher. This review was 100 percent my own honest opinion.

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Review: The Ladies of Ivy Cottage (Tales from Ivy Hill) by Julie Klassen

Blurb (from Amazon):

Return to Ivy Hill in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold.

Living with the two Miss Groves in Ivy Cottage, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. When the village women encourage her to open a subscription library with the many books she has inherited or acquired through donations, Rachel discovers two mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but will both find more than they bargained for?

Rachel's friend and hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and fills her days managing her girls' school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what--or who--has captured each man's attention? The truth may surprise them all.

Meanwhile, life has improved at the coaching inn and Jane Bell is ready to put grief behind her. Now if only the man she misses would return--but where is he?

As the women of Ivy Hill search for answers about the past and hope for the future, might they find love along the way?

My Review:

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage is book two from Julie Klassen‘s Tales from Ivy Hill series. I enjoyed the story. However, it was hard to get into at first for me. Once I got about half of the way through, I did not want to put it down from then on.

I give this book 3 1/2 stars and hope to read the third book of the series when it releases in the future and see what will happen next.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100 percent my own honest opinion.

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Review: Holding the Fort (Fort Reno #1) by Regina Jennings

Blurb (from Amazon):

Jennings Winningly Combines Humor, History, and Romance

Louisa Bell never wanted to be a dance-hall singer, but dire circumstances force her hand. With a little help from her brother in the cavalry, she's able to make ends meet, but lately he's run afoul of his commanding officer, so she undertakes a visit to straighten him out.

Major Daniel Adams has his hands full at Fort Reno. He can barely control his rowdy troops, much less his two adolescent daughters. If Daniel doesn't find someone respectable to guide his children, his mother-in-law insists she'll take them.

When Louisa arrives with some reading materials, she's mistaken for the governess who never appeared. Major Adams is skeptical. She bears little resemblance to his idea of a governess--they're not supposed to be so blamed pretty--but he's left without recourse. His mother-in-law must be satisfied, which leaves him turning a blind eye to his unconventional governess's methods. Louisa's never faced so important a performance. Can she keep her act together long enough?

My Review: 

Holding the Fort is the beginning of a fun new series by Regina Jennings called Fort Reno. I have loved all of her stories and I believe this one is my new favorite. It is full of laugh out loud entertainment, adventure and good ol' clean romance. Louisa and Daniel are the best characters, especially, when they are in the same scene.

If the rest of the series is this good, then I am looking forward to the next installment. I loved this story! Such a great read!

Highly recommended.

100 stars.

I received this book from the author, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

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Double Review: Andi Lassos Trouble / Andi to the Rescue by Susan K Marlow

Blurb (from Amazon):

When the Circle C ranch decides to host a rodeo competition with two other ranches, dozens of cowboys are eager to prove they're the best riders and ropers in the valley. But they're not the only ones who want to show off their skills--Andi aims to lasso her way to the prizes, even if big brother Chad says the contest isn't for kids.

The roundup is meant to be a time for food, fun, and friendship. But before Andi can prove she's got what it takes to be a real cowgirl, the day turns dangerous. Will a friendly rodeo turn into a range war between ranchers and sheepherders? Can Andi and her family keep their neighbors--and themselves--safe?

My Review: 

Andi Lassos Trouble is the third installment from the Circle C Stepping Stones series. My daughter and I enjoyed reading this one together. Andi is such an inspiration for young readers. We loved the rodeo story line and learning what it was like back in those times.

A good, clean adventure with lessons that all ages could learn from.

I give Andi Lassos Trouble five stars and can not wait to continue the series with my daughter.

I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Blurb (from Amazon):

This is so embarrassing. Andi's teacher, Miss Hall, is sick--and Mother is the substitute teacher. What will Andi's friends think?

But it turns out embarrassment is the last thing Andi needs to worry about when two outlaws kidnap Andi and her mother after school in a case of mistaken identity! They can't even tell the kidnappers a mistake has been made without putting themselves in even more danger.

Now they're being held in a remote cabin until Mother can teach the man in charge how to read--and he's willing to go to any length to make it happen. Andi must escape and find help. But can she lead a rescue party back to Mother before the outlaws take their new teacher--and disappear forever?

My Review: 

Andi to the Rescue is book four from Susan K Marlow's great series, Circle C Stepping Stones. This one has to be my favorite of the series so far. Andi is quite the little girl. I like how her mother has a bigger role than in the others I have read. I loved how Andi has to become a hero and save her mom from the outlaws.

Such a great story for young readers.

Highly recommended.

100 stars.

I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

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Review: A Place at Our Table (An Amish Homestead #1) by Amy Clipston

Blurb (from Amazon):

Kayla Dienner has suffered her fair share of heartache, which is why she vows to protect her heart at all costs . . . until she meets Jamie Riehl.

Along with his volunteer work at the local fire department, running his Amish farm keeps Jamie Riehl busy. He barely has time to eat at the family table, never mind find someone to date. But when he meets Kayla Dienner, he is smitten.

Kayla tries hard to deny her attraction to Jamie. After all, she’s spent the last year discouraging her younger brother, Nathan, from becoming a firefighter. The death of their older brother in a fire a year ago is fresh in her mind—she can’t bear the idea of putting her heart on the line every time the sirens blare.

Then tragedy strikes, and Jamie wants to extinguish any flame between him and Kayla. Can Kayla set aside her own fears to save the love she was determined to deny?

The first book in the Amish Homestead series, A Place at Our Table invites us to a quiet community in Lancaster County where love burns brightly no matter the cost.

My Review:

A Place at Our Table is a pretty good read by Amy Clipston and is the first installment of the An Amish Homestead series. I absolutely loved the characters and found them to be delightful. The author really knew how to write true to life emotions and struggles that the characters were going through.

I found A Place at Our Table to be a fabulous beginning to a series and look forward to reading the others that will be part of it in the future.

Great Amish read. I would recommend it and give 4 stars.

I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest review. 

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Review: A Bitter Rain by James D Shipman

Blurb (from Amazon):

A former professor descends into darkness in this provocative story of a Nazi soldier torn between duty and conscience.

East Prussia, Nazi Germany, 1939. History professor Erik Mueller is a model citizen and a family man. He’s also a decorated sergeant in the Gestapo. Proving his courage on the battlefields of Poland and the Soviet Union, and proud of the German army’s victories across Europe, he embraces what he thinks is the righteousness of the Third Reich’s cause.

But his loyalties are soon tested when he crosses paths with his old university friend Trude Bensheim. Forced into unemployment for being Jewish, Trude and her husband start a secret organization to help Jews escape Germany. But when they are betrayed by someone they thought they could trust, their lives hang in the balance.

Erik feels responsible for Trude’s capture, and he knows he’s in a position to help them. But when everything he holds dear is at stake, will he save his friends…or himself?

My Review: 

A Bitter Rain is an incredible read. The details and descriptions are so vivid, I felt like I was right there struggling with Trude, Britta and Erik. The action and suspense in the story were so great at times that I could not even guess what would happen next. I had no problem to continue turning the pages. The ending is one I would have ever imagined.

Awesome read.

100 stars.

I purchased A Bitter Rain new, therefore, was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

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Showing Off Saturyday #14

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Showing Off Saturday #14.

Reason for the Season

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Review: If Not For Thee (A Daughter of His Kingdom Novella) by Amber Lynn Perry

Blurb (from Amazon):

With only three days to decide her fate, Margaret Main must make a choice: concede to the demands of her parents, or keep the vow she made to her beloved sister-in-law. The answer is simple, the solution less so. For to keep her word and her freedom, she must marry the only man she’s ever loved, with the knowledge he may never love her in return.

Holdwell Estate is his home, the place of his youth—his future. To keep it, Marcus Wells must find a woman willing to marry him by morning. For years he was warned against giving away his heart, against the damage love would surely bring upon him. But this woman is far too lovely, far too spirited and kind. How can he keep himself from giving away the one thing he knows, once gone, will be lost forever...

My Review

If Not For Thee is a novella from the Daughters of His Kingdom series. What a delight! I love this short story. Amber Lynn Perry has a way of making a reader feel as though they are part of the characters lives. So beautiful to be part of it. I am honored to have spent my time with Marcus and Maggie. If a reader is looking for a fabulous and detailed historical, then If Not For Thee is a read for them.

Highly highly recommended.

5+ stars.

I received this book from the author, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my honest opinion.

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