Not My Week

By Kelly Bridgewater

If you have been following my blog for the previous years, then this is the time of the year when I get a little melancholy. My Daddy's birthday is on October 21st, which in normal situations would mean a celebration with cake (German Chocolate Cake) with ice cream (Butter Pecan). But my Daddy died almost four years ago.

I can't believe it has been four years. Some days the pain is still fresh, and I cry thinking of all that he is missing in my and my boys' life. But on the other hand, I can't believe it has really been four years.

A lot of people forget that we need to remember this person. Especially when someone was close to them. I was really close to my Daddy, and sometimes I don't know I have gone on without him. A lot has changed since my Daddy was alive.

Some good. Some not so good.

I have a job. Not my dream job. But a job that does pay extra money on the mortgage every month. 

 We are trying to knock it out in four years.

We adopted a new golden retriever princess who we named Nana. She is adorable just like my first golden, Happy. I couldn't imagine my life without either of them.

But  . . . I have stopped writing. Even though sometimes, I miss it. Even though writing used to be like breathing to me, I couldn't write without his encouragement. I still wonder if I will ever complete a novel and see it to completion.

I miss you, Daddy!!!

Hard to believe it has been four years.

I miss your prayers. I miss your talks. I miss your encouragement and asking how my stories are going. I miss you buying me a book on my wish list just because you had a little extra money that week. I miss your support of me. I miss having someone to listen when I feel down or had a great day. You were always the first one I told everything to.

Tears are flowing, so I better end this.

Love those in your life.

Honestly, you don't know how much they mean to you until they aren't there everyday.

DiAnn Mills: Fatal Strike

By  Kelly Bridgewater

There’s a killer on the loose in Galveston, targeting law enforcement officials and using a fatal injection of snake venom to take them down. Authorities have reasons to believe the Veneno gang is behind the hits, and FBI Agents Leah Riesel and Jon Colbert team up to track down those responsible. Their best lead is an eyewitness who identifies a young man dumping the third body on a church doorstep. But their suspect has gone into hiding, and those closest to him are reluctant to reveal anything that might help investigators find him.

As Leah and Jon check connections among the victims and dig deeper into motives, they discover appearances may be deceiving. Someone is desperate to keep their secrets hidden, and Leah and Jon must face their greatest fears in order to stop the next fatal strike.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Fatal Strike by DiAnn Mills is a predictable, unoriginal tale of drug chasing. From the first chapter, I had a good idea of how the story would lay out, and I was proven correct. The characters were flat and had told their story before. I had a hard time staying focused on the story. I have seen the story before written by a number of romantic suspense authors. Not that Mills doesn't know how to write; she does, but I have read this drug chasing and terrorists plots a number of times, and they are really repetitive and boring. While this story might be just the right story with plenty of action for some fans of romantic suspense, Fatal Strike did not work for me. I wanted something a little more original with tons of hair raising moments and an unpredictable ending. Fans of Irene Hannon and Colleen Coble might be overjoyed with Fatal Strike, but not me.

I received a complimentary copy of Fatal Strike by DiAnn Mills from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Purchase Fatal Strike

About the Author:

From Amazon

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers' Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is Director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Marketing Conference, and Mountainside Novelist Retreat with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

Connect with DiAnn here: diannmills.com (Taken from Amazon.)

Susan May Warren: Wyatt

By Kelly Bridgewater

He’s lost her twice…he’s not going to lose her again...

NHL Hockey Goalie Wyatt Marshall has everything--fame, money and a thriving career. But he’s hiding the two things that matter most...a career-ending injury, and his broken heart. He’s been in love with Coco Stanley since she walked into his life at age fourteen, a foster child for the Marshall family. She stole his heart years later, when, after a secret tryst, she returned to her home country of Russia. But she won’t let him back into her life—and he can’t figure out why.

She’s harboring a secret that could cost lives...

Coco Stanley is tired of living her life undercover. Or at least, with an assumed name, always pretending to be someone she’s not. And that’s not the only secret she’s harboring. If Wyatt discovers the real reason she left him, it might just destroy him. She’s resigned herself to loving him from afar...

But when he discovers she’s in danger...

Wyatt is horrified when he learns Coco has been shot and left in Russia, her fate unknown. There is nothing—nothing—that will stop him from finding her. So what if he’s not one of his super-heroic brothers, not a Ranger, not a SEAL...Wyatt is a hockey goalie, a special kind of crazy brave. Except, is he brave enough to face the secret Coco is keeping, or will it destroy everything he’s hoped for?

What will it cost them to save her?

What Wyatt and Coco don’t know is that revenge is stalking her and bringing her home just might cost them their long-awaited happy ending.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I have enjoyed the Marshall family and have looked forward to reading every new installment that Susan May Warren crafts. With Wyatt, I feel a special connection because of my love for hockey. I have loved hockey since I was fourteen years old. Still today, I 'm rooting for my Colorado Avalanche. So I have enjoyed the couple of books that Warren has written about hockey players. In Ford, there was a lot of running for their lives. In Wyatt, there are moments of high tension, but for the most part, it was Wyatt learning about his past and the consequences from them. Coco has some secrets that she has kept from Wyatt and everyone too. This story is all about forgiveness and learning to move forward with life no matter what it hands you. The romance has been long in coming. Wyatt and Coco have the predictable ending. Not that I see it being really any easy road. They had to fight to achieve what appears to be a happily-ever-after. There are rough patches ahead for this couple. The romance is definitely there with plenty of sparks and moments of doubt. Warren's writing is top-notch. She is a fabulous writer. Sometimes I pause and just reread her writing slowly. As a budding writer, I admire her skill. I can't do what she does. Warren really knows how to dive into her character's emotions and lay them all out on the table for the reader to empathize with. Another favorite part is the organic spiritual threads inside and outside the characters. Not pushy. Just realistic, humbled people who love God and are not afraid to share it with others with the need arises. Overall, Wyatt by Susan May Warren is definitely another keeper for the shelf. I enjoy this family as much as the Christiansen family. I anxiously await Ruby Jane's story.

I received a complimentary copy of Wyatt by Susan May Warren from SDG Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Wyatt

About the Author:

From Amazon

Growing up in Minneapolis and attending the U of MN, I learned to love city life, although I'm a woodsy girl at heart. Or maybe I'm an adventurer -- having lived and traveled all over the world, including Siberia Russia as a missionary for eight years. Probably that's why my characters can't sit still, and seem to get into one scrape after another -- they're too much like me! I love God, my family, my country, my church, and feel privileged every day to be able to write stories.

Here's my "Official" Bio.

With over 1 million books sold, critically acclaimed novelist Susan May Warren is the Christy, RITA and Carol award-winning author of over seventy-five novels with Revell, Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press. Known for her compelling plots and unforgettable characters, Susan has written contemporary and historical romances, romantic-suspense, thrillers, rom-com and Christmas novellas.

With books translated into eight languages, many of her novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA's Inspirational Reader's Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award.

Of her books, Publisher's Weekly has written, "Warren lays bare her characters' human frailties, including fear, grief, and resentment, as openly as she details their virtues of love, devotion, and resiliency. She has crafted an engaging tale of romance, rivalry, and the power of forgiveness."

And Library Journal adds, "Warren's characters are well-developed and she knows how to create a first rate contemporary romance..."

Susan is also a nationally acclaimed writing coach, teaching at conferences around the nation and winner of the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Mentor of the Year award. She loves to help people launch their writing careers and is the founder of Novel.Academy and www.LearnHowtoWriteaNovel.com, a writing website that helps authors get published and stay published. She's also the author of the popular writing method, The Story Equation. (Taken from Amazon.)

Kristy Cambron: The Painted Castle

By Kelly Bridgewater

A lost painting of Queen Victoria. A library bricked off from the world. Three women, separated by time, whose lives are irrevocably changed.

When art historian Keira Foley is hired to authenticate a painting at a centuries-old East Suffolk manor, she hopes this is just the thing to get her career and life back on track. But from the time she arrives at Parham Hill Estate and begins working alongside rumored art thief Emory Scott, she’s left with far more questions than answers. Could this lost painting of Queen Victoria be a duplicate of the original Winterhalter masterpiece, and if so, who is the artist?

As Keira begins to unravel the mystery behind the portrait of the queen, two women emerge from the estate’s forgotten past. In Victorian England, talented sketch artist Elizabeth Meade is engaged to Viscount Huxley, then owner of Parham Hill. While there, master portrait artist Franz Winterhalter takes her under his wing, but Elizabeth’s real motive for being at Parham Hill has nothing to do with art. She’s determined to avenge her father’s brutal murder—even if it means feigning an engagement to the very man she believes committed the crime.

A century later, Amelia Woods—a WWII widow who has turned Parham Hill Estate and its beloved library into a boarding school for refugee children—receives military orders to house a troop of American pilots. She is determined that the children in her care remain untouched by the war, but it’s proving difficult with officers taking up every square inch of their world… and one in particular vying for a space in her long shut up heart.

Set in three time periods—the rapid change of Victorian England, the peak of England’s home front tensions at the end of World War II, and modern day—The Painted Castle unfolds a story of heartache and hope and unlocks secrets lost for generations, just waiting to be found.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Kristy Cambron has a wonderful way at painting a picture with her words. In her latest novel, The Painted Castle, Cambron does a wonderful job at allowing her love of art and art history to spill on the pages of the story. Again, this story is told in three different time periods, and I didn't feel lost at all. I really enjoyed the different time periods telling the story readers are wanting to figure out. The plot moved nicely and really kept me spellbound to the pages of the characters' lives. I kept flipping pages because the story kept me captivated, breathless for more. The romance in each section didn't overshadow the plot. Instead, it enhanced the characters' plights as they tried to deal with their struggles right in front of them. I really have enjoyed this series by Cambron and can't wait to see what else she comes up with. Fans of Sarah E. Ladd, Julie Klassen, and Kate Breslin would enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Painted Castle

About the Author:

From Amazon

KRISTY CAMBRON is a vintage-inspired storyteller writing both award-winning historical fiction, including her bestselling debut The Butterfly and the Violin, and an author of nonfiction, including the Verse Mapping series Bible studies. She's a Women's Ministry Leader at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, and a passionate storyteller who travels to speak at events across the country, encouraging women to experience a deeper life in the Word through verse mapping. Her work has been named to Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal Reviews' Best Books, RT Reviewers' Choice Awards, received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations, and has been featured at CBN, Lifeway Women, Jesus Calling, Country Woman Magazine, MICI Magazine, Faithwire, (in)Courage, and Bible Gateway.

Kristy holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing, and has 15 years of experience in education and leadership development for a Fortune-100 Corporation, working in partnership with such companies as the Disney Institute, IBM/Kenexa, and Gallup. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons, and can probably be bribed with a peppermint mocha latte and a good read.

To stay connected, visit: www.kristycambron.com (Taken from Amazon.)

Regina Scott: A Distance Too Grand

By Kelly Bridgewater

Meg Pero has been assisting her photographer father since she was big enough to carry his equipment, so when he dies she is determined to take over his profession--starting with fulfilling the contract he signed to serve on an Army survey of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1871. What she doesn't realize is that the leader of the expedition is none other than the man she once refused to marry.

Captain Ben Coleridge would like nothing more than to leave without the woman who broke his heart, but he refuses to wait even one more day to get started. This survey is a screen for another, more personal mission, one he cannot share with any member of his team.

As dangers arise from all sides, including within the survey party, Meg and Ben must work together to stay alive, fulfill their duties, and, just maybe, rekindle a love that neither had completely left behind.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

What is better than a novel that takes a reader back to the early survey and settlements of some of our great American Wonders? Regina Scott has decided to do that with her American Wonders Collection series. In the novel A Distance Too Grand, Scott takes readers on a journey to the depths and heights of the Grand Canyon. As someone who has personally never seen the Grand Canyon, it sounded wonderful. The writing is wonderful. Scott does a fabulous job at describing what the Canyon appears like with a variety of word choices. As for the plot, I, personally, wasn't wowed by it. There was a predictable romance with a predictable bad person trying to ruin the expedition. Overall, the plot didn't seem to really do anything. Take some pictures here. Take some there. Survey a little ground. Move to another sight. Fight some romantic feelings between Ben and Meg. Then back to the fort to explain their findings. And another thing that bothered me is that Ben's mother couldn't stand Meg because she was afraid Meg just wanted to marry Ben for his name and career, which would make her an asset to society, but in a blink of an eye, Ben's mother accepts and adores Meg. Now it is okay for Meg and Ben to marry. AAAH!! Bothered me a lot. As for a spiritual thread, I don't remember much about conversations or an opportunity for any of the characters to change. Who readers meet at the beginning of the novel is the same person you encounter at the end. Overall, A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott held the promise to be a wonderful, exciting book, but for me, it fell extremely short. If you enjoy this idea than Karen Barnett has a series entitled Vintage National Parks Novels that were well-written and captured my attention more.

I received a complimentary copy of A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Purchase A Distance Too Grand

About the Author:

From Amazon

Regina Scott started writing novels in the third grade. Thankfully for literature as we know it, she didn't actually sell her first novel until she'd learned a bit more about writing. After numerous short stories and articles in magazines and trade journals, and a good kick in the backside from her husband, she got serious about writing. Since then, she's had published more than 40 clean historical romances for adults and young adults. Her traditional romances have earned praised from reviewers and readers alike. Booklist calls her work "quietly compelling" and "impeccably written." Huntress Reviews says, "Regina Scott delivers," and "I will always buy a book with Regina Scott's name on it."

Regina Scott is the author of the Frontier Bachelors series set in pioneer Seattle (The Bride Ship, Would-Be Wilderness Wife, Frontier Engagement, Instant Frontier Family, A Convenient Christmas Wedding, Mail-Order Marriage Promise, His Frontier Christmas Family, and Frontier Matchmaker Bride). She is also the author of more than two dozen sweet historical romances set in Regency England in such series as Fortune's Brides, Uncommon Courtships, the Everard Legacy, the Master Matchmakers, and the Lady Emily Capers. She has twice been awarded best book of the year for her type of story from industry favorite RT Book Reviews.

Regina Scott has learned to fence, driven four-in-hand, sailed on a tall ship, and dressed as a Regency dandy, all in the name of research, of course. She makes her home in the Puget Sound area of Washington State with her beloved husband. Find her online at her website www.reginascott.com, the blog she shares with author Marissa Doyle at www.nineteenteen.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorreginascott, and on Goodreads at www.goodreads.com/reginascott. (Taken from Amazon.)