Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors & Tell Me Something Tuesday: Which books are you looking forward to reading this Summer? (June-August)

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

It's another crazy real estate Tuesday. I am on the road by now, but I look forward to visiting your blogs later. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, we are sharing our favorite books by our favorite authors. I will pretend that doesn't feel like choosing your favorite child.

Top Ten Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors

• A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard: Though I have loved every book of Charlotte's that I have ever read, this one was so special that it touched my heart in meaningful ways.
• Beyond Me: Living A You-First Life in a Me-First World by Kathi Macias: The first book that connected me with one of the most talented authors in Christian writing. This true call to discipleship is life-changing.
• A Christmas Journey Home, also by Kathi Macias: This novel is as timely today as it was back then. 
• No Bells by F. M. Meredith (also known as Marilyn Meredith): Love that my favorite member of the Rocky Bluff P.D., Gordon Butler, is the focus. 
• Dispel the Mist by Marilyn Meredith: This book features the Hairy Man, a Native American Bigfoot. 
• The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Seeing Almanzo Wilder as a hero makes my heart flutter, but this is my favorite because it shines a light on the dangers pioneers faced. 
• Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery: It is in this third book of the AOGG series that Anne realizes she loves Gilbert.
• Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott: Of the three favorite authors of my childhood, Alcott is not as beloved as the first two. [Cheryl ducks to avoid virtual tomatoes.]  However, I enjoyed this book the most because Jo has matured but is still herself. 
• The Lost Hours by Karen White: I fell in love with Karen's books even harder with this novel. It blends friendship, tragedy, and a quest for the truth.
• Strong from the Heart by Jon Land: Have loved this series since I started reading it, but in this one, Catilin is so human as she battles demons from her past, deals with her half-sister, and so much more. She can always kick butt, but here we get closer and more personal with her. Oh, and more Colonel Paz is often a good thing. 

Note: Linked many of these to reviews, but all the giveaways are long over. 

Thanks to Freepik (now Magnific) for the image

Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is hosted by Jen Twimom at That's What I'm Talking About. TMST is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Participation is optional, and you can leave your comments in the weekly post when you participate. Check it out if you're interested in joining.

Tell Me Something Tuesday asks: Which books are you looking forward to reading this Summer? (June-August).

Should I answer all the books I buy but never read? At least when the Lil' Princess spends $10 on a Kindle download, she reads it. My book-buying ban failed this year, so I am not paying attention anymore. 

So, what am I excited to read this summer...

• The three books in Bull Cusano's The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club series
• Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts
• Staged by Caitlin Rother, which is the second in her Katrina & Goode series.
• At least one book by local authors that I grabbed at recent book events
• One book from my TBR Pile

Now, will I likely get to all these? No. Not if real estate keeps up at this pace. Retirement is getting closer all the time. :) 

New Release: Lacewood by Jessica James

An abandoned house has secrets to tell in a love story that spans centuries.

Two people trying to escape their pasts find a connection through an old house—and fulfill a destiny through the secrets it shares. Part love story, part ghost story, Lacewood is a timeless novel about love and loss, roots and belonging, and spirits of the past that refuse to be quieted.

MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN in Virginia is a big change for New York socialite Katie McCain. But when she stumbles across an abandoned 200-year-old mansion, she’s enthralled by the enduring beauty of the neglected estate—and captivated by the haunting portrait of a woman in mourning.

Purchasing the property on a whim, Katie attempts to fit in with the colorful characters in the town of New Hope, while trying to unravel the mystery of the “widow of Lacewood.” As she pieces together the previous owner’s heartrending story, Katie uncovers secrets the house has held for centuries, and discovers the key to coming to terms with her own sense of loss.

The past and present converge when hometown hero Will Durham returns and begins his own healing process by helping the “city girl” restore the place that holds so many memories. As the mystic web of destiny is woven, a love story that might have been lost forever is exposed, and a destiny that has been waiting in the shadows for centuries is fulfilled.

Rich in emotion and poignant in its telling, Lacewood is an unforgettable story about love and loss, roots and belonging…and spirits of the past that refuse to be quieted.

A haunting story from award-winning author Jessica James that connects the past with the present—and the present with eternity.

"Strong storytelling prose." - The BookLife Prize

Paperback: 404 pages
Publisher: Patriot Press (May 13, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1941020224
ISBN-13: 978-1941020227

All Retailers: https://books2read.com/u/mYoj2P

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PW8BQJ4

Jessica James is an award-winning author of suspense, historical fiction, Christian fiction, and military fiction ranging from the Revolutionary War to modern day.

She is a three-time winner of the John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction, and was featured in the book 50 Authors You Should Be Reading, published in 2010.

Her novels appeal to both men and women and are featured in library collections all over the United States including Harvard and the U.S. Naval Academy. By weaving the principles of courage, devotion, duty, and dedication into each book, she attempts to honor the unsung heroes of the American military—past and present—and to convey the magnitude of their sacrifice and service.

James resides in Gettysburg, Pa., and is a member of the Military Writers Society of America, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the Romance Writers of America. She is also a member of the American Legion Post 202, Gettysburg.

Visit Jessica online at  www.jessicajamesbooks.com and www.facebook.com/romantichistoricalfiction

Summer 2019 Beach Reads

We are hanging out at the Outer Banks of North Carolina this week. I definitely brought a bunch of books with me Here are some beach reads for you to take with you this summer.

Musing Mondays - June 9

This is a weekly meme run by Miz B of Should be Reading.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

My Musing:

The best part about summer for me is that it is usually a time to catch up a bit on my reading list. Since we drive to North Carolina, we are in the car 11 1/2 hours, so that leaves plenty of time for reading when I'm not driving. I also read while down at the beach because I'm not much of a swimmer.

If you look at my TBR Pile, you'll see it will take a long time for me to fully catch up. But I plot out my summers so that I can feel some of the pressure taken off by making my way through a dozen books or so. You can see some of the books I hope to read over the summer by checking out this recent Top Ten Tuesday post.

What books are you looking forward to reading this summer?

Summer Reading

Summer means summer reading. Here are a few books I'm excited about.

For Ava Whalen, a new marriage and a move to St. Simons Island means a new beginning. But what she doesn’t realize is that her marriage will take her on an unexpected journey into the deep recesses of her past that will transform her forever…

For as long as she can remember, Ava Whalen has struggled with a sense of not belonging, and now, at thirty-four, she still feels stymied by her family. Then she meets child psychologist Matthew Frazier, and thinks her days of loneliness are behind her. After a whirlwind romance, they impulsively elope, and Ava moves to Matthew’s ancestral home on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia.

But after the initial excitement, Ava is surprised to discover that true happiness continues to elude her. There is much she doesn’t know about Matthew, including the mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death. And her new home seems to hold as many mysteries and secrets as her new husband. Feeling adrift, Ava throws herself into uncovering Matthew’s family history and that of the island, not realizing that she has a connection of her own to this place—or that her obsession with the past could very well destroy her future.

No one believed I was destined for greatness.

So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of a woman whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.

Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she and her brother are taken from their mother’s home to live under the watchful eye of their half-brother, King Enrique, and his sultry, conniving queen. There, Isabella is thrust into danger when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at age seventeen she suddenly finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain. Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man she loves yet who is forbidden to her—Fernando, prince of Aragon.

As they unite their two realms under “one crown, one country, one faith,” Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies. With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of the inquisitor Torquemada even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus. But when the Moors of the southern domain of Granada declare war, a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts, one that will test all of Isabella’s resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny.

From the glorious palaces of Segovia to the battlefields of Granada and the intrigue-laden gardens of Seville, The Queen’s Vow sweeps us into the tumultuous forging of a nation and the complex, fascinating heart of the woman who overcame all odds to become Isabella of Castile.

When Julia’s brother announces that his dude ranch is haunted, she believes that someone is trying to sabotage his place and force him to sell. The mysterious happenings have to do with Superstition Mountain, the lost Dutchman’s goldmine, and the great Thunder God. Is it possible that the legend of the Thunder God is actually true? After a terrible thunderstorm, everyone begins to wonder. John and Julia quickly head to Mesa, Arizona and discover a few mysterious events. Will they find out who is behind these disasters before Uncle Kelly’s dude ranch is ruined? While Julia’s daughters, Sharlene and Faith, are busy helping their uncle save the ranch, April and Matthew are planning their wedding but everything seems to go wrong.

What books are you looking forward to reading this summer?

And We're Off

Heading down to the Outer Banks tonight. I'm bringing the laptop, but I won't be blogging every day during the week. I hope, however, to have a couple of first chapter reviews for you and I'll try to write up reviews as I read through the books I'm bringing with me.

Book Review: Born Under A Lucky Moon by Dana Precious

If you're looking for a fabulous and funny summer read, pick up a copy of Born Under a Lucky Moon by Dana Precious.

Jeannie Thompson's life has never been boring. Her family is filled with colorful, and often embarrassing, relatives who seem to be the victims of some of the oddest things; making them the talk of the little Michigan town where they live.

It is 2006, and Jeannie's longtime boyfriend is thinking of taking their relationship to the next level. She's not sure they should rock the boat. Not only are they both busy in the entertainment industry, she knows how other boyfriends have felt about her less than normal family, and she's not sure Aidan will be any better.

As Jeannie's past and present collide, she must reconsider her life growing up near the Great Lakes of Michigan, and the career she carved out that has alienated her from her family. 

I discovered Born Under A Lucky Moon at another blog and commented on the review. The author's publicist contacted me and sent me a copy. All the other reviews had been spectacular, so I was hoping I would enjoy this one too. Now I wish I had read it sooner.

Debut author Dana Precious pulls together a stellar plot, quirky characters, the love/hate relationship we can have with our family/stomping grounds, and a romance to come up with a major winner. I loved everything about this book. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I read it in one day. Born Under A Lucky Moon is filled with laughs and tears, unexpected twists, family, and down home charm. It's about the Thompson family, but it could be about any family.

Born Under A Lucky Moon is the perfect book to choose if you want a great read that is funny, yet moving.

Title:  Born Under A Lucky Moon
Author:  Dana Precious
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
ISBN-10: 9780061876875
ISBN-13: 978-0061876875
SRP:  $13.99
Also available in a Kindle edition.

I received a copy of this book from the author's publicist in exchange for my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation to provide my review.