Weekend Wrap-Up

This week I read...

 Severed Trust by Margaret Daley: 4 stars!

Balanced: Finding Center as a Work-at-home Mom by Tricia Goyer: 5 stars!

 

A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund: 5 stars!

 

The New England Romance Collection by Susan Page Davis, Darlene Franklin, Pamela Griffin, Lisa Harris, Lynette Sowell: 4 stars!

This weekend I'm reading...

A Marriage in Middlebury by Anita Higman

What are you reading???

(Weekend Wrap-Up inspired by Melanie of Christian Bookshelf Reviews)

$1.99 e-book sale on two of my favorites!

I adore these books by Karen Witemeyer! They are the first two books in the Archer brothers series (the third is a novella in A Match Made in Texas). Both are 5 star reads for me, especially Short-Straw Bride! The $1.99 sale is only for a couple days so get them at this steal of a price quickly!

 Download Short-Straw Bride at Amazon

Download Stealing the Preacher at Amazon

Review: Severed Trust by Margaret Daley

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from goodreads.com

The day Sadie Thompson finds her high school student, Lexie, asleep in class and can't wake her is the day she realizes how entrenched a prescription drug ring is in her school. As Sadie is pulled into doing something about the growing problem, she becomes involved with Ethan Stone a Texas Ranger who suspects the drug ring reaches far beyond the high school. Helping Lexie recover from the overdose, Sadie feels she is making a difference until the 16-year-old's best friend dies from the apparent mixing of various prescription drugs. Lexie doesn't think her friend took her own life, but her relationship with her Uncle Ethan is precarious and she doesn't know if either he or Sadie will help her discover the truth.

My Review

Great suspense novel! This story is told from several points of view that switch constantly throughout the book, so I really had to stay on my toes. I could feel the anxiety and dread of the characters, and enough of the story from the drug users' points of view was shared to make the reader aware of things the investigators weren't, but some was also held back so the ending was a surprise twist. Romance definitely took a backseat, but there are some relationship subplots. The author did a fabulous job of making me aware of the dangers of prescription drug abuse, especially with teenagers.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis from goodreads.com

Annie's life is deliciously full as the Christmas season approaches. She helps her husband, Samuel, attend to the community's minor medical needs. She occasionally assists Belinda, the local midwife, and most days, she finds herself delivering the buggy to her brother Adam. Annie s sister-in-law Leah is due to deliver their first child before Christmas morning, and Annie is determined to finish a crib quilt before the "boppli" arrives. With six weeks to go, she should have no problem . . . but God may have a different plan. Leah is rushed to the English hospital when the infant arrives early, and Annie discovers the Christmas quilt may hold a far greater significance than she ever imagined.

My Review

This is a sweet book. The characters are from a previous novel, so all the falling in love has already happened. The focus is more on relationship growth and enduring challenging times. I enjoyed the bond that the sisters-in-law shared, and their storytelling over each piece of the quilt.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Giveaway!!! Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma

I'm so excited to be participating in this giveaway hosted by Jo, My Gosh! I'm giving away a new paperback copy of Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma, set in the Netherlands during WW2.

Other prizes the winner of this giveaway will receive are...
a $15 gift card to Starbucks from Katherine at The Newsom's Nest
a month of ad space at The Artisan Life
$10 credit to the Etsy shop Stalking the Wild Snark
Month of the Telephone Call on Jo, My Gosh!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

wordless wednesday

Bonus features for A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander!

I'm so excited to be on the blogging team sharing bonus features for a novel I'll be reading and reviewing soon... A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander.

Here is the book trailer which I think is just lovely:


And an excerpt from the book!

A Beauty So Rare by Bethany House Publishers

$1.99 e-book sale this weekend only: Swept Away by Mary Connealy

I love Mary Connealy's books! Adventure, romance, and humor in the wild west. I gave this one four stars- I really enjoyed it. The sale is through this weekend only, so get it at Amazon here!

Synopsis from goodreads.com

Swept away when her wagon train attempts a difficult river crossing, Ruthy MacNeil isn't all that upset at being separated from the family who raised her. All they've ever done is work her to the bone. She prayed for a chance to get away, and then came the raging flood. Alive but disoriented, she's rescued by Luke Stone... so unfortunately, there are more chances to die in her immediate future.

Luke is heading home to reclaim the ranch stolen from his family. But the men who killed his father are working hard to ensure Luke doesn't make it alive. He has no choice but to keep moving. Still, he can't just abandon Ruthy, so she'll have to come along.

His friends—a ragtag group of former Civil War soldiers—take a fast interest in the pretty gal. Luke thinks that's rather rude—he's the one who found her. And the more time he spends around the hard-working young woman who is a mighty good cook, the more he finds himself thinking beyond revenge and toward a different future. For the first time in a long time, Luke is tempted to turn from his destructive path and be swept away by love.

$1.99 e-book sale: The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd

$1.99 e-book sale! Get it at Amazon here.

This one is on my to-read list, but I've read great reviews of it!

Synopsis from goodreads.com

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an ancestral estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s infant baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word—even to the point of proposing to the child’s father, Graham, a sea captain she’s never met.

Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child’s safety drives Amelia and Graham to test the boundaries of their love for this infant.

Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must face her one weakness: pride.

Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline.

Both must learn to accept God’s sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them.

Balanced Challenge Day Eleven: Refresh

"Balance isn't the ultimate goal- knowing God is."

I so appreciate the spiritual focus in this book and how it encourages us to trust God and lean on Him. I find that my life is most balanced when my spiritual needs are met first, then everything else falls into place (whether it gets done that day or not).

In the last chapter of Balanced, Tricia gives several ideas for scheduling your work in order to be able to give a full effort at what you are focused on in the moment, instead of giving half-efforts at your different roles. The second list of ideas she shares is ways to clear out your inner clutter- the worries and concerns. the last list is 24 final tips, which are so helpful to me.

This post is part of the Balanced challenge with Tricia Goyer—and you can join, too!

Get Balanced!