Job Hunting Sucks

By Kelly Bridgewater

Have you tried job hunting in the past five years?

So frustrating . . .

Everything is on-line. You can't go into a store anymore and fill out an application. You can't walk in and hand a resume to the supervisor or the person in Human Resources (HR) and ask for a couple of moments of his or her time.

I have been hunting for a job for eight years this June. Yes, I have worked at the USPS for a year and a half, but I shared why I quit that modern-day slavery position.

Even that job is offered on-line.

First, you have to go to all these job hunting websites like Indeed or linked-in and upload your resume. Then spend hours looking by city, job type, or salary.

Then spend at least 30 minutes up to an hour filling out the questions. I thought that was what the resume was for. Guess not!

Then time to move on to another one. I fill out at least five job applications every morning.

Then you wait!

Don't you dare call the company within any time frame and ask if they have pulled your application yet because they become upset and declare they'll call you if their interested. BUT THEY WON'T!!!!

AAAHHH!!!!!!!!

Come back in three weeks, and I'll share some more about why resumes don' t match companies anymore.

What about you? Have you any experiences to share?

Natalie Walters: Silent Shadows

By Kelly Bridgewater

Pecca Gallegos moved to the tiny town of Walton, Georgia, to protect her son and escape the dangerous lifestyle that once defined her. When a series of strange circumstances evolve into threats, Pecca finds herself confiding in an unlikely ally--her stubborn patient.

Army veteran Colton Crawford is desperate to recover from the undiagnosed disorder that is ruining his life, and his instincts are on high alert when threats against his nurse and her son force him to take action. But Colton's involvement only ramps up the danger when he uncovers a family secret revealing that whoever is after Pecca is closer--and more deadly--than they realized.

With this suspenseful new story, Natalie Walters welcomes you once more to Walton, Georgia, where everyone knows your name--but no one knows your secret.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Natalie Walters brings the inner turmoil of a retired Army soldier to life in her current novel, Silent Shadows. Being an Army wife for twenty-two years, I'm sure Walters has dealt with a lot of PTSD with soldiers her husband encounters. It was nice to see Walters bring Colton's issues to life. It wasn't the typical PTSD of having nightmares and mood changes. It was something different. Something I had never heard of before. I enjoyed how Walters allowed Pecca to use her skills to help him overcome his issues even though there is a long road ahead for both of them. The writing is excellent. Walters gives the fans of romantic suspense just what they desire. The romance is more than the suspense in the novel. I don't think the suspense was that important to the storyline as the develop of learning to move forward from the characters' individual pasts. Overall, Silent Shadows is enjoyable way to spend a day. I can't wait to see what Walters comes up with next.

I received a complimentary copy of Silent Shadows by Natalie Walters from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Ronie Kendig: Kings Falling

By Kelly Bridgewater

Leif Metcalfe and his team, dubbed Reaper, need to recover the stolen, ancient Book of the Wars if they hope to stop the Armageddon Coalition and their pursuit of global economic control. But their attention has been diverted by a prophecy in the book that foretells of formidable guardians who will decimate the enemies of ArC. While Iskra Todorova uses her connections in the covert underworld to hunt down the Book of the Wars, Leif and Reaper attempt to neutralize these agents but quickly find themselves outmaneuvered and outgunned.

The more Reaper tries to stop the guardians, the more failure becomes a familiar, antagonistic foe. Friendships are fractured, and the team battles to hold it together long enough to defeat ArC. But as this millennia-old conspiracy creeps closer and closer to home, the implications could tear Leif and the team apart.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Ronie Kendig packs a punch and doesn't let go. With the introduction to her second novel in The Book of the Wars series, Kings Falling, Kendig grabbed my attention with the first chapter and really didn't let go at all. It kept moving forward and having climactic moments all over the place. If readers are a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise, like me, than this is definitely a book to pick up and devour. Kendig started the book with a little bit of calm before the storm, and I actually enjoyed that. It helped cement the reality of the characters. The characters are reoccurring, and I really liked this element of the story. As a reader, we are really getting to know these characters and understand how they really tick. As for the plot, a major climactic moment is solved, BUT the overarching goal of the series is still not met. The ending is left in a climactic moment. Not that it bothered me at all. I cheered Kendig for doing this. It begs me to return and read the final book. I highly recommend readers of action and suspense to pick up this book, but they should read Storm Rising first. 

I received a complimentary copy of Kings Falling by Ronie Kendig from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Spring Break

By Kelly Bridgewater

Spring Break, already?

Where has the time gone?

This year is a little different.

It is my oldest sons last Spring Break at home.

Well, what I originally planned for Spring Break has changed. Not that we were going to go anywhere. I started a new job this past Monday, and the entire world is on lockdown because of this 

virus scare.

While my husband, who is an people person, is climbing the walls literally, I'm okay with this. I love hanging out at home, working on the yard, walking our dogs, riding our bikes, reading books, cooking homemade dinners, and playing board games.

I don't feel bad that I have to stay at home. It feels nice to not have to rush to Awana every Wednesday. Not have to pick the boys up front play practice very day.

Not having to rush to band performances every weekend.

Not having to rush our kids off to work and play dates.

It is nice to just sit at home.

Get those things off our to-do list that have been sitting there for a while.

Like update the laundry room where it is more functionable.

Maybe even put the new cabinets we purchased in the kitchen.

I think in the end, this break will be nice for everyone.

Not for the kids though.

I don't even imagine how the schools are planning to grade anyone.

School isn't the same.

How about you? Are you enjoying this down time or going insane?

Colleen Coble: One Little Lie

By Kelly Bridgewater

When Jane Hardy is appointed interim sheriff in Pelican Harbor, Alabama, after her father retires, there's no time for an adjustment period. He is arrested for theft and then implicated in a recent murder, and Jane quickly realizes she's facing someone out to destroy her father.

They escaped from a cult fifteen years ago, and Jane has searched relentlessly for her mother—who refused to leave—ever since. Could someone from that horrible past have found them?

Reid Bechtol is a well-known journalist who makes documentaries, and his sights are currently set on covering Jane's career. Jane has little interest in the attention, but the committee who appointed her loves the idea of the publicity.

Jane finds herself depending on Reid's calm manner as he follows her around taping his documentary, and they begin working together to clear her father. But Reid has his own secrets from the past, and the gulf between them may be impossible to cross.

It started with one little lie. But Jane Hardy will do everything in her power to uncover the truth.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Romantic Suspense and Collee Coble go hand-in-hand. Coble really knows the requirements of the genre, and she plays them for the reader. With her new introduction to her Pelican Harbor series, One Little Lie deals with a teenager who left a cult and has moved on with her life. The suspense in this story isn't scary or put readers on the edge of their seat.It does have readers flipping through the pages to see how the story ends. There is some romance between the Jane and Reid, but it isn't overbearing like a contemporary romance. The characters fall for each other as the story progresses. The writing is wonderful. I really like the cover because it leaves a lot to the imagination and fits the genre nicely. While the suspenseful element does wrap up nicely by the end of the novel, Coble leaves a open ended ending for Jane and Reid. Have to come back for the second book to see what happens. Overall, One Little Lie is a fabulous romantic suspense story filled with enough twists and romance to satisfy any fans. If the cult issue interests readers, than Christy Barritt just completed a five book mystery involving a cult. Tosca Lee featured a dystopian series with a cult.  Plenty other novels diving into the cult realm.

I received a complimentary copy of One Little Lie by Colleen Coble from Thomas Nelson Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Spring

By Kelly Bridgewater

Spring is almost here.

At least according to the calendar.

I don't mind the flowers everywhere and the pretty colors. I don't mind the beginning of spring where the temperatures start to rise to the fifties, but I don't enjoy when the weather starts to roll toward the eighties.

Flowers.

Good.

Hot weather.

Bad.

Bugs.

Bad.

Then the only thing, I dread is summer coming. I know it will start in April. Then swelter temperatures the rest of the year until Halloween.

How about where you live? Does April bring flowers, showers, and hot weather? Or is it still cool where you live?

Mary Connealy: Woman of Sunlight

By Kelly Bridgewater

After years of isolation on top of Hope Mountain, Ilsa Nordegren may finally be ready to leave. Raised to fear the world, Ilsa and her sisters never planned on coming down, but when the Warden family arrived in need, they had to help. And it may cost them everything.

Having made his fortune, Mitch Warden returned home and found the family homestead abandoned. In a land grab, a ruthless cattle baron had forced his family to escape up the mountain, and when he follows, the last thing he expects is to fall smitten to a black-haired woman who dresses like Robin Hood.

Warden is intent on helping his family reclaim their land, but doesn't realize the risks his past has brought. Dangerous men have tracked him, and rather than risk innocent lives, he's determined to end the danger. But that means a journey to the city--and when Ilsa insists on joining him, the mismatched pair suddenly find themselves on a venture they'll never forget.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The synopsis for Mary Connealy's current series, Brides of Hope Mountain, captured my attention.  really like the covers too. Lots of bright colors and beautiful woman grace the wilderness. I throughly enjoyed Aiming for Love, the first book in this series. Jo was an unique and different style of character. Connealy does it again with Ilsa. She is not like any heroine I have ever read. And I read a lot of suspense novels. She is brave and unfamiliar with the new world outside her mountain home, but she isn't afraid to try new clothes, food, and surroundings. As for Mitch, the hero, he seemed a little off in Aiming for Love, but he redemmed himself in Woman of Sunlight. The plot moved really nicely along.I did like how Connealy paid attention and Isla's indifference to her surroundings, but kept her true nature alive throughout the novel. I liked this story too. I really can't wait to read Ursula's, the third and final sister's, story.

I received a complimentary copy of Woman of Sunlight by Mary Connealy from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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