True to You

True to You

Becky Wade

Nora considers herself the smart sister. Her older sister Willow is the beauty, her younger sister Britt is the creative one. But Nora has wrapped herself up in her identity as a librarian even more since her fiance dumped her for another woman three years ago. She's sworn off dating and spends time working on her passion of genealogy. 

John, a former Navy SEAL is wanting to find his birth mother. So when he meets Nora at a training session put on by his company, he decides to enlist her services. He has a girlfriend, so Nora isn't an option and they both know it. But perhaps God has another plan for them.

I've really been looking forward to this book since I read the prequel. It was everything I was expecting and a whole lot more. The characters are brought alive with the author's talented writing. I felt like I was living the story along side them. I lived on the west coast many years ago and I think the author did a great job of portraying the scenery and locations. There is humor, strong families, faith, and beauty in this story. But there is also heartache, pain, and brokenness. They were woven together so seamlessly that I thoroughly enjoyed the story as I rushed to read the ending, but after I put the book down I couldn't stop thinking about different aspects of it. The other sisters have major roles in this book that will make it easy to tie in to the next book in the series. If you love strong stories, with amazing characters who are flawed, but endearing then you need to read this book.

I received a copy of this book. All thoughts expressed are my own.

First Line Friday

First Line Friday

I am super excited to be starting something fun with a bunch of fellow bloggers. The first book I've chosen is True to You by Becky Wade.

She's a relatively new author, but has quickly become one of my favorites for her humor, clean romance, and interesting plots.

"Finding oneself at the mercy of a crazed gunman isn't all fun and games."

Not exactly what you'd expect from a contemporary romance novel, is it?!

My review is HERE.

Now it’s your turn!

Grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line and then head over to see what First Lines these friends are sharing today:

Radiant Light / Reading is my Super Power / Robin's Nest / Singing Librarian Books / With a Joyful Noise / Kathleen Denly / A Baker's Perspective / Joy of Reading / Moments Dipped in Ink / C Jane Read / Molly's Cafinated-Reads / Romances of the Cross / It's Storytime With Van Daniker / Iola Goulton / Christian Fiction Girl Reviews /  Bibliophile Reviews / Bookworm Mama / Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen /  Faithfully Bookish /  Fiction Aficionado

If you would like to host First Line Fridays on your blog, contact
Carrie at Reading is my SuperPower.

Clash of the Titles

Welcome to summer!

Scroll through these FIVE new reads and vote below 

for which you'd pick up first to take to the poolside.

It'll be a tough choice! But somebody's gotta do it. May as well be you!

Finders Keepers by Sarah Monzon

Summer Arnet will go anywhere to capture the perfect shot that will get her marine photography noticed by the prestigious nature magazine, Our World—even diving in waters haunted by great white sharks. When a treasure hunter with a ladies’-man reputation approaches her about a sunken ship at one of her dive locations, it may be the chance she’s been looking for to launch her career…if his charming smile doesn’t derail her first.

~~~~~~ 

Resilience by L.R. Burkard

In this spell-binding sequel to the post-apocalyptic thriller PULSE, L.R.Burkard takes readers into a landscape where teens shoulder rifles instead of school books, and where survival might mean becoming your own worst enemy.

~~~~~~

A Matter of Courage by Wendy Holley

Abused by her famous husband, Irene Brennan is forced to flee to a small town in Montana, leaving everything behind. Trent is used to protecting wild animals from careless hunters, but can he protect Irene from her crazy husband?

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Astray (Ariboslia Book 1) by J. F. Rogers

Troubled-teen, Fallon finds hope and family through an unwanted prophecy. In her travels, she learns about the One True God and how desperately she needs Him. Perhaps, with His help, she’ll find the way to fulfill her destiny.

~~~~~~

Her One and Only by Becky Wade

When NFL super star Gray Fowler is threatened by a stalker, his team hires a professional bodyguard to ensure his safety. But when Gray's "protection" turns out to be a woman half his size, he's indignant. Will Dru Porter--a former Marine and expert markswoman--prove herself worthy of the job? And meanwhile, who's going to guard Gray's heart?

~~~~~~

VOTE HERE!

If you have trouble viewing the entire survey, click here to load a dedicated page to the survey.

Top Ten Books of 2014

Here are a list of the top ten books I enjoyed this year. They aren't in any particular order and I liked them all for different reasons. As I'm sure you've heard me say before - this wasn't easy.

I'll give you a clue as to how hard it was to narrow it down to 10. I read 435 books this year. This is 435 books that I haven't read before and are already published. This does not include the books I love so much that I go back for a re-read, the 200x I read a kids book before they move on to the next one, or the books that I'm privileged to read before they are published. This is "never before read by me" books for this year.

Undetected by Dee Henderson

 She was able to take a ton of technical info and make it interesting. Her stories have depth.

A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert

She is able to draw emotions out of the reader like nothing I've read before. Her books have all of my favorite elements, but they also make me think deeply.

 Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade

This author has romance down. Definitely my top favorite romance author.

Just 18 Summers by Rene Gutteridge

I liked this one because it made me stop and really look at my parenting style, and made me treasure those moments with my children even more.

The Velveteen Mommy by Jenn

A Mommy book for all of us moms. The author has been there and it shows.

Messy Beautiful Love by Darlene

This book was gritty and honest in a really refreshing way.

Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay

I love the "old author" whimsy that this author adds to her books. She's new, but definitely has what it takes to write a best seller.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

One of those books that might have had some flaws, but really made me think.

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton

This author writes gripping historical fiction that kept me riveted.

The Shadow of Your Smile by Susan May Warren

I like this author's style of writing. She is able to really bring the story to life. But I liked this particular book because it was about marriage.

Deceived by Irene Hannon

A good Christian thriller. Got my heart racing a couple of times.

 Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar

I'm not a huge fan of Biblical fiction. But after reading this book I have changed my mind. At least as long as Afshar is the author.

A Mom's Prayers for her Son by Rob & Joanna Teigen

Very well written. And since I have a son, it definitely applied.

 The 13th Gift by Joanne Smith

A beautiful story made even more beautiful because it's true.