9/11 Tribute

By Kelly Bridgewater

Every person who is at least 25 years old or older knows where they were on September 11, 2001. I was on the way to a Sociology class at IUPUI. I was four months pregnant with my first born son. Who is now enrolled in his first semester at college. 

I remember thinking this really couldn't be happening. 

As obsessed as I have become with World War II, it makes me think of what my grandparents had to think when they heard about Pearl Harbor. 

How dare another country come into our airspace and bomb us? 

This is our home. What were they thinking?

www.military.com

I can't imagine it being easy for my grandparents. They just had radio broadcast, and they had to wait until President Roosevelt announced it for the entire country to hear. 

In 2001, we had televisions. 

In 2020, we have social media, which can be a total poison, if you are paying much attention to what people post. 

I wish America would have that same freedom and care for others that we have after a natural disaster like these two. 

Currently, America is falling apart, and the values have left the train a LONG LONG time ago. I pray for my children as they have to face a world that is not the same as I grew up in. I'm not that old either. 

BUT my grandparents thought the same thing. 

Jesus, come!! I can't wait to go home!

Colleen Coble: Two Reasons to Run

By Kelly Bridgewater

Gripping romantic suspense from USA TODAY bestselling author Colleen Coble. 

A lie changed her world. 

Police Chief Jane Hardy is still reeling from the scandal that rocked her small-town department just as she took over for her retired father—the man who wrecked her life with one little lie. Now she’s finally been reunited with her presumed-dead fifteen-year-old son, Will, and his father, documentarian Reid Bechtol. 

A crisis looms. 

When a murder aboard the oil platform Zeus exposes an environmental terrorist’s plot to flood Mobile Bay with crude oil, Jane and Reid must put their feelings for each other behind them and work together to prevent the rig from being sabotaged. 

A killer targets her son. 

Then the terrorist puts her son Will’s life on the line. Protecting him could be the common ground they need . . . but then ghosts from the past threaten to ruin Jane and Reid for good. 

She’s got plenty of reasons to run. But what if she stays? 

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Two Reasons to Run by Colleen Coble is a continuing novel in a new series. This continues the life of Jane Hardy and her escape from the cult. Now she is coming to terms with her reality as a police chief. The suspense kept moving, but I actually looked forward to reading more about Jane's past as she and Reid worked together to try to solve this mystery. The mystery has been done, but there was a nice twist that I didn't see coming. It was nice to read something different. The romance between Reid and Jane is nice because they had an awkward beginning and are trying to figure out who and what their relationship actually is. Overall, this was a wonderful romantic suspense novel that checks all the points for this genre. This was a good addition to a romantic suspense novel.  Definitely pick this book up. 

I received a complimentary copy of Two Reasons to Run by Colleen Coble from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Two Reasons to Run

Mary Connealy: Her Secret Song

 By Kelly Bridgewater

After a rough winter spent alone, Ursula Nordegren realizes she must overcome her fears of the outside world and begins a trek down Hope Mountain. Along the way she finds a badly wounded stranger and realizes God may have used her decision to leave as a way of saving the man. 

Wax Mosby was climbing Hope Mountain in part to atone for his terrible choices. He was hired to drive out the Warden family and now knows he was duped. But when he's wounded during the climb, the last person he expects to rescue him is a beautiful blond woman with the voice of an angel. 

As both Ursula and Wax weigh the costs of living new lives, the two find an unlikely bond. And they're joined by Ursula's sisters and the Warden family as the final showdown over the family ranch looms with the coming of spring.

From Goodreads

 

My Thoughts:

With Her Secret Song by Mary Connealy had tied some of the stories loose ends. While the romance and the budding relationship between the sisters advanced and moved forward, Connealy did not forget some of the elements that made this story different from other stories. I like how Ursula did not want to come down off Hope Mountain, even so far, as to be scared of the choices her sisters were making, but she overcame those and learned to live again. I liked how the plot kept moving forward. The parents were explained, and readers will learn more about the grandparents who taught the young girls to be afraid of the outside world. While the story does not have the non-stop action that I enjoy in my stories, the story was unique and definitely captured my attention. I liked how the heroines in this series were brave, yet a little timid. Different than what I have previously read. Overall, Brides of Hope Mountain was an enjoyable read, and I'm glad that I came back to reading all three of them.

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

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Her Secret Song

Labor Day

By Kelly Bridgewater


Happy Labor Day Weekend!!

I pray you have a wonderful time with family as we celebrate the "close" of summer.

I hope you don't have to work, but if you do, you earn time and a half. (Sorry, Postal Workers, I know that doesn't include you!)

Eat some good food and play some games!

What do you do this weekend? Any memory making moments?

Rachelle Dekker: Nine

By Kelly Bridgewater

Zoe Johnson spent most of her life living in the shadows, never drawing attention to herself, never investing in people or places. But when a wide-eyed, bedraggled teenager with no memory walks into the diner where Zoe works, everything changes. Now, against her better judgment, Zoe, who has been trying to outrun her own painful memories of the past, finds herself attempting to help a girl who doesn't seem to have any past at all. The girl knows only one thing: she must reach a woman in Corpus Christi, Texas, hundreds of miles away, before the government agents who are searching for her catch up to them.

Award-winning author Rachelle Dekker throws you into the middle of the action and keeps the pressure on in this page-turning story that, asks Are we who the world says we are--or can we change our story and be something more?

From Goodreads

 

My Thoughts:

Nine by Rachelle Dekker start with a promise, and I watched as the characters raced for their lives, but then about 50% into the book, I had a hard time staying focused. The characters were doing things all science like that didn't capture my attention. I didn't understand why in the beginning of the novel a hero character appeared to be on the bad side, then he flips and helps out the heroine. I was a little confused as to where his loyalty actually lied. As for the plot, it was a little odd and hard to follow. I don't think I would continue to read any other books like this one. I wasn't really found of this story. It started like a thriller, then it turned into a science fiction fantasy that lost my attention. Overall, Nine by Rachelle Dekker didn't thrill me. I had a hard time staying focused. But I imagined fans of science fiction authors like Kathy Tyers might totally disagree with me and love this novel. This is my humble opinion.

I received a complimentary copy of Nine by Rachelle Dekker from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Nine

Jaime Jo Wright: The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus

 By Kelly Bridgewater

1928
The Bonaventure Circus is a refuge for many, but Pippa Ripley was rejected from its inner circle as a baby. When she receives mysterious messages from someone called the "Watchman," she is determined to find him and the connection to her birth. As Pippa's search leads her to a man seeking justice for his murdered sister and evidence that a serial killer has been haunting the circus train, she must decide if uncovering her roots is worth putting herself directly in the path of the killer.

Present Day
The old circus train depot will either be torn down or preserved for historical importance, and its future rests on real estate project manager Chandler Faulk's shoulders. As she dives deep into the depot's history, she's also balancing a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease and the pressures of single motherhood. When she discovers clues to the unsolved murders of the past, Chandler is pulled into a story far darker and more haunting than even an abandoned train depot could portend. 

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Jaime Jo Wright does a fabulous job at crafting a story that makes readers beg for the rest of the story in a hurry. While Wright crafts the two timelines from 1928 versus the present day, she somehow wraps the story up by the end. It makes total sense and captures my attention. I was really excited when I started to read about a serial killer that was killing innocent woman at the circus, but it seemed not to be about the killer. It was more about the people and their change. The plot is different and unique. I really liked it. But my overall complaint is that it was hushed down a lot with the mystery element. I wanted more.  Romance seemed a little downplay too. It made the plot seemed cheapen with the romantic elements. I wish they were there. I do enjoy Wright's style. Her writing is delightful to read. I love her word choices, and as an English Major, I love how she structures her sentence. It is a delight to just reread sentences for their pure beauty. Overall,  The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus may not be my most favorite book of Wright's, but I definitely have been recommending Wright's stories to everyone who enjoys a clean, safe mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus

Most Anticipated Reads for 2020 (Historical Romance)

By Kelly Bridgewater

I usually do this list right about the turn of every season. I love the new covers. I love giving a shout out to the hardworking authors who create such wonderful and delightful stories for me to pass the time.

I usually have a lot of books, so this season, I have decided to do two different posts.  This post will feature all the Historical Romance books I can't wait to read. (All images come from Goodreads.)

An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen



Her Secret Song by Mary Connealy



The Light at Wyndcliff by Sarah E. Ladd



The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano



A Haven for her Heart by Susan Anne Mason




To Steal a Heart by Jen Turano




Courting Misfortune by Regina Jennings




The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep



The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark





What about you? Are you interested in any of these books? So many of these titles have fabulous covers? What a great job by the various publishing companies.