Doing the happy dance!!

Look what I got in the mail today! I won this box of books from Marie at WV Stitcher. Thanks Marie!! Check out her blog here.

Reading Clean Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the Reading Clean Giveaway Hop!

This hop is hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer, Librarian's Book Reviews and Clean Teen Fiction

Each participating blog has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one. This giveaway is open internationaly. This hop starts September 6 and runs through September 12 at midnight.

I'm giving away a $10 Amazon egift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Check out the other blogs in the hop!

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

Ann Silver is a cop’s cop. As the Midwest Homicide Investigator, she is called in to help on the worst of the cases, looking for answers to murder. Hers is one of the most trusted investigative positions in the Midwest.

Paul Falcon is the FBI’s top murder cop. If the victim carried a federal badge or had a security clearance, odds are good he sees the case file or his guys work the murder.

Their lives intersect when Ann arrives to pass a case off her desk and onto his. A car wreck and a suspicious death offer a lead on a hired shooter he is tracking. Paul isn’t expecting to meet someone, the kind that goes on the personal side of the ledger, but Ann Silver has his attention.

The better he gets to know her, the more he realizes her job barely scratches the surface of who she is. She knows spies and soldiers and U.S. Marshals, and has written books about them. She is friends with the former Vice President. People with good reason to be cautious about who they let into their lives deeply trust her. Paul wonders just what secrets Ann is keeping, until she shows him the John Doe Killer case file, and he starts to realize just who this lady he is falling in love with really is . . .

My thoughts...

Dee Henderson is back with another great suspense novel, it's been 5 years since her last book. She has brought back beloved characters from previous books which is nice. I loved her O'Malley series and though I didn't enjoy this book as much it is still a good read.

Paul is working a serial killer case and is amazed at the info Ann gives him. Who is this woman that has a former VP and military officials as friends? As the answers are about to be exposed Ann wonders if Paul will be able to protect her.

Action packed, good characters, romance, and an electrifying conclusion. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I won this book through LibraryThing, my opinions are my own.

All Things New by Lynn Austin

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Josephine Weatherly and her mother, Eugenia, struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives when they return to their Virginia plantation. But the bitter realities of life after the war cannot be denied: their home and land are but shells of their previous grandeur; death has claimed her father and brother; and her remaining brother, Daniel, has returned home bitter and broken. The privileged childhood Josephine enjoyed now seems like a long-ago dream. And the God who failed to answer any of her prayers during the war is lost to her as well.

Josephine soon realizes that life is now a matter of daily survival--and recognizes that Lizzie, as one of the few remaining servants, is the one she must rely on to teach her all she needs to know. Josephine's mother, too, vows to rebuild White Oak... but a bitter hatred fuels her.

With skill and emotion, Lynn Austin brings to life the difficult years of the Reconstruction era by interweaving the stories of three women--daughter, mother, and freed slave--in a riveting tale.

My thoughts...

Josephine and her mother, Eugenia Weatherly, are in the city of Richmond at the home of Eugenia's sister. The Civil War rages on, Richmond is burning, and the Weatherly's fear for their lives. When word finally reaches them that the war is over they return to their plantation, the house in is a terrible state, all but a very few of their slaves have left. Josephine's father and brother were killed in the war and her remaining brother, Daniel, has returned home full of rage and bitterness.

Lizzie and her husband James remain at the plantation as servants and are given a share of the land to crop. Eugenia still treats them as slaves. Daniel's goal is to kill as many negroes as he and his group can. Josephine meets a Yankee who helps her to see slavery for what it is. The two fall in love but cannot reveal this for fear of losing his life.

The things Lizzie and Josephine go through are heartbreaking. It takes time for Josephine to gain the trust of Lizzie and James and even longer for Eugenia to change. Austin has written another wonderful book that brings tears and smiles at the same time. Loved this book! It gets 5 out of 5 stars!

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Last Chance Christmas

Dear Reader,
I've been wishing for a miracle for my oldest boy, Stone, and this Christmas my prayers might just be answered!

Her name is Lark, and she's here in Last Chance, looking into her father's past-and stirring up a whole mess of trouble without meaning to. As the chief of police, Stone sure has his hands full trying to keep up with her. Ever since his wife died, Stone's put everything into raising his daughters and dodging the Christ Church Ladies' Auxiliary matchmakers. And it's clear Lark has been through some trouble and could use a place to finally call home. I only hope Stone can let go of the past soon enough to keep her . . .

Goodness, I need to stop talking and finish up Jane's highlights so we can make the town tree-lighting. You come back by because the Cut 'n' Curl's got hot rollers, free coffee, fresh-baked Christmas cookies-and the best gossip in town.

See you real soon,
Ruby Rhodes


My thoughts...

Stone is the Chief of Police in a small town in South Carolina. A charming place where you can hear all the latest gossip at the beauty parlor. A church or two on every block. Stone has two daughters, his mother Ruby, is determined to find him a wife.

Lark is in town to fulfill her father's last wish, to spread his ashes in the place he loved...Last Chance, South Carolina. When the two meet Stone realizes she is hurting deeply and needs a place to call home.

This is not only a romance but a look into the 1960's civil rights battle. An interesting read with a disappointing ending. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Mother's Promise by Anna Schmidt

Recently widowed Rachel Kaufman is seeking a fresh start for herself and her son, Justin. Will a move to Florida, her new job as hospital chaplain, and Pinecraft’s Mennonite community be the balm to soothe her grieving soul?

Teenager Justin is struggling to fit in. Will a newfound sense of power as a bully be his only recourse?

Dr. Ben Booker lost his faith when his niece Sally became ill. Will his attraction to Rachel restore him mentally and spiritually? When gossip about Rachel jeopardizes her career and her second chance at love, how will God work to turn a potential disaster into paradise?

My thoughts...

Rachel Kauffman lost her husband when a drunk driver hit the tractor he was driving. She witnessed it. Her brother in law and his family move into her house and Rachel and Justin must endure his wrath. He belittles both and works Justin so hard. When her college friend, Hester, sends a letter inviting them to come to Florida Rachel decides to go.


I liked the main characters in this novel, all were very friendly and helpful to Rachel when she arrives in Fl. The brother in law made me angry at the abusive way he treated her and Justin.I was glad she left his home. Upon arriving to their new home Justin enters public school and tries his best to hide the fact that he is Mennonite. He makes friends with the wrong crowd and things get rough when his friend sees Rachel at the school in her plain clothes.

Dr. Booker is wonderful, you can't help but fall in love with him. He is instantly attracted to Rachel and she to him but she knows this would never work because they are of different faiths.

Schmidt has written a delightful book, full of real life issues. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

{Glass Road Blog Tour} Mother of Pearl by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Barrie Graeber has two great kids, a loving husband, and a respected job as the high school counselor in her close-knit community. Without warning, everything unravels when her teenage daughter, Pearl, is betrayed by friends and lashes out.

Nothing prepares this mother for the helplessness that follows when her attempts to steer her daughter back on course fail and Pearl shuts her out . . . or when she discovers the unthinkable about her nemesis, the football coach.

Emotionally riveting and profoundly moving, MOTHER OF PEARL brings us into the heart of a mother bound by an incredible burden, who ultimately finds she must recognize her own vulnerability and learn to trust in something much bigger.

My thoughts...

There's nothing like a mother's love and Kellie has given us a peak into the grief a mother suffers in losing a child. This one was hard to read, especially the parts where the parents, Barrie and Steve, are at the mortuary and graveside of their daughter, Pearl. After the service when the family is trying to go on with their lives is just heartbreaking.


Barrie almost sinks to depths where she couldn't come back. Steve buries himself in work and their son feels guilt because he doesn't think his sister knew he loved her. Then they learn something that will change their lives as well as everyone in the community. I don't know if I could've done what Barrie did in putting her daughter's mistakes as well as the entire family's out there for the world to see.

A very well written debut novel, I look forward to more from this author. 5 out of 5 stars!

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.