A Son’s Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray

January 28, 2016

A Sons Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray was another great book. I love all of the books about the Amish that Shelley has written, but if I am honest, this book has to be one of my favorites. I like Darla from the start and even though I didn’t like some of the things that Aaron did I had a soft spot for him because felt he was more relatable than some other characters. I am a huge fan of these books because I love that I don’t have to worry about what will be in the books, and they always are such sweet stories. I would recommend this genre to anyone who is looking for a change in what they are reading because I don’t think that anyone would hate these books. They are always easy reading and great stories. I love that I always feel good after I finish one of the books, and I know you will probably love it as well.

About The Book

Shelley Shepard Gray’s first book in her Charmed Amish Life series is set in the quaint Amish village of Charm, Ohio, and tells the stories of the Kinsinger siblings who are each struggling to find both forgiveness and love in the face of tragedy.

Three months ago, everything changed for Darla Kurtz and her family. Darla’s father was responsible for a terrible fire at Charm’s lumber mill which killed five Amish men. And though he, too, lost his life, the town of Charm hasn’t looked at her family the same since. Even Lukas Kinsinger—with whom Darla used to have a close friendship.

Now her brother’s anger at the town is spilling over onto Darla, and she has the bruises to prove it. The accident already cost five lives, but if something doesn’t change soon, Darla fears it will cost her—and her family—even more.

Lukas Kinsinger wants to mourn the loss of his father, but he can hardly find the time to breathe. Suddenly the head of his father’s lumber mill and responsible for taking care of his three siblings, he’s feeling the pressure. He has also never felt more alone—especially with the new tension between he and Darla. But when he learns of her troubles at home, Lukas knows he can’t simply stand by and watch. Someone has to help her before another tragedy occurs.

As Lukas and Darla attempt to repair their families, they discover something deeper than friendship growing between them. But will Lukas and Darla’s love be accepted after so much loss? Or will the pain of the past overcome any chance of future happiness?

About The Author

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.

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Current Frustrations

January 27, 2016

I am sure most of you know that I started a new job the first of this year. Things are super weird because I am still in the same building and I still work with most of the people that I have for the past eight years, but everything else has changed. I am not a huge fan of change, but it is something that you will have to do no matter how much you hate it.

Since I am working for a new company now, everything has changed, and I am left with basically nothing to do while watching other people do everything I used to do. I thought for sure that working for this new company would make me stress go away, but instead, it did the exact opposite. I am now more worried about my job and what not because of how things are playing out.I already have a hard time dealing with this person because of things that happened when he was brought on and everything that is happening now it is just making it even worse. It also doesn’t help that I know as of February first I have to start all over with the insurance and drug companies to get my Multiple Sclerosis medications approved and what not. The only people who have the luxury of dealing with both will understand

It also doesn’t help that I know as of February first I have to start all over with the insurance and drug companies to get my Multiple Sclerosis medications approved and what not. The only people who have the luxury of dealing with both will understand how much of a headache it is to deal with one let alone two of them at the same time. I have been doing it for the past 6 or 7 years, so I am getting to be an old professional, but it still takes days and even weeks of calling tons of people to get it all set up and ready go.

I also have things going on with my family, but those things won’t get posted on this blog because you never know who will see it, and I don’t want or need that drama going on in my life. Those are just a few of the things that are currently frustrating me. I am sure once this post goes live I will think of a few more. Maybe I will turn this into a series because I do feel better now that I got those few written down and out of my head.

What is currently frustrating you?

The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger

January 26, 2016

The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger was such a strange book for me. It was an interesting book but it was strange in the fact that it was all just emails, memo’s and things like that back and forth between all the characters in the book. I have never before read a book like this before but it was interesting after I was about 20 pages into the book. It did take awhile for me to get into it but once I was I didn’t want to put it down. There are parts that I don’t know if they were meant to be funny but they did make me laugh because I could see things like this really being said. It is a book that I would tell you to give a chance because it is a great book it just takes time to get going. I liked that there aren’t any really chapters in this book so I could just read a page or two and be able to stop. I think anyone would like this book and I would recommend this one to everyone.

About The Book

Witty and wonderful, sparkling and sophisticated, this debut romantic comedy brilliantly tells the story of one very messy, very high-profile divorce, and the endearingly cynical young lawyer dragooned into handling it.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie Diehl is happy toiling away as a criminal law associate at an old line New England firm where she very much appreciates that most of her clients are behind bars. Everyone at Traynor, Hand knows she abhors face-to-face contact, but one weekend, with all the big partners away, Sophie must handle the intake interview for the daughter of the firm’s most important client. After eighteen years of marriage, Mayflower descendant Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim has just been served divorce papers in a humiliating scene at the popular local restaurant, Golightly’s. She is locked and loaded to fight her eminent and ambitious husband, Dr. Daniel Durkheim, Chief of the Department of Pediatric Oncology, for custody of their ten-year-old daughter Jane–and she also burns to take him down a peg. Sophie warns Mia that she’s never handled a divorce case before, but Mia can’t be put off. As she so disarmingly puts it: It’s her first divorce, too.

Debut novelist Susan Rieger doesn’t leave a word out of place in this hilarious and expertly crafted debut that shines with the power and pleasure of storytelling. Told through personal correspondence, office memos, emails, articles, and legal papers, this playful reinvention of the epistolary form races along with humor and heartache, exploring the complicated family dynamic that results when marriage fails. For Sophie, the whole affair sparks a hard look at her own relationships–not only with her parents, but with colleagues, friends, lovers, and most importantly, herself. Much like “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” “The Divorce Papers “will have you laughing aloud and thanking the literature gods for this incredible, fresh new voice in fiction.

About The Author

Susan Rieger is a graduate of Columbia University Law School. She is also a former Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Columbia University.The Divorce Papers is her debut novel.

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George Bernard Shaw-Quote Of The Week

January 25, 2016

This week’s quote is by George Bernard Shaw.

I love this quote because it is true to have any kind of progress you have to change something. There won’t be progress if you don’t do anything different in your life.

What do you think of this weeks quote by George Bernard Shaw?

If I Run by Terri Blackstock

January 23, 2016

If I Run by Terri Blackstock was another great suspense/thriller novel. This is the 4th book I have read by this author, and I am starting to think that she can’t write a bad book. I always get sucked into the books from the first chapter right up through the end of the book. Once the book ends I find that I am usually sad because I have fallen in love with the characters and hate that the book has ended, and this book was no different. I wasn’t sure if I liked Casey throughout most of the book but in the end, I did enjoy her. I had a soft spot for Dylan because of the things he went through and for being a veteran. I love this book because I wasn’t able to figure it out super early on which means that I love it. If you love suspense/thriller books, I know you will love this book as much as I do.

About The Book

Casey knows the truth.

But it won’t set her free.

Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.

About The Author

Terri Blackstock has sold over six million books worldwide and is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of “Intervention,” “Vicious Cycle,” and “Downfall,” as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, Restoration, and Moonlighters.

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Weekly Wrap-Up

January 22, 2016

Let’s get right to the posts from this past week.

Ralph Waldo Emerson-Quote Of The Week

Special Agent: Austin by Joni Hahn

The Body In The Landscape by Larissa Reinhart

20 Ideas To Make 2016 A Great Year

Those are all the posts from this past week in case you missed any of them. I have three book reviews coming up next week along with a post where I talk about some of the things that are currently frustrating me. I hope you all have a great week, and I will see you back here next week!