Thursday, May 28, 2020

While the Music Played By Nathaniel Lande

“We were the dreamers of dreams, the singers of songs. We were the music makers. We would not hear nor play nor love without each other. This is a prelude to our experience, an overture to who we were and how we arrived on the shores of friendship.”
Beginning in 1939 prewar Prague, While the Music Played focuses on the story of young Max Mueller, a curious bright romantic—a budding musician, piano tuner, and nascent journalist. Max is on the cusp of adolescence when the Nazi influence invades Prague’s tolerant spirit with alarming speed as he struggles to understand the changing world around him. When his father, noted German conductor Viktor Mueller, is conscripted into the German army and finds himself increasingly promoting the Nazi message, Viktor’s best friend, noted Czech composer Hans Krása, protests the occupation in every way he can.
As everyone Max loves is compromised by intolerable conditions, he becomes increasingly isolated, and is forced to find his own way. With each step, Max’s journey grows more conflicted. Music is the one constant connecting him to both the lost childhood he cherishes and the man he still hopes to become. But will it be enough to sustain him against the relentless Nazi threat?
With a seamless blend of historical and fictional characters, told from multiple points of view, and sweeping across the capitals of Prague, London, and Berlin as World War II ravages Europe, this meticulously researched book is unique with its diverse and interweaving narratives, threaded with news accounts, and encompassing some of the most triumphant and devastating moments of the war—from the opera houses of Berlin to the music halls of London and the making of the famous children’s opera Brundibár.
While the Music Played is a lyrical, absorbing, and heartbreaking story of love and courage from the widely revered and bestselling author Nathaniel Lande.


Pick up your copy here...



Nathaniel Lande is a journalist, filmmaker, and the author of twelve books, including Cricket and Dispatches from the Front: A History of the American War Correspondent. He was creative director for the Magazine Group at Time, Inc.; director of Time World News Service; director of Time-Life Films, where his documentaries won over ten international awards; and executive producer at CBS and NBC Television. Lande was educated at Oxford University; earned his doctorate at Trinity College Dublin, where he was a Distinguished Scholar; and held appointments as professor of journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.


My Thoughts..

The historical facts where out of this world, researched so well. I was skeptical  going in but soon after starting this book I was all in. I did find myself sad at times. But I had to keep reading.
I was sweep away to another place and time. I just cant say enough about the writing style and I learned so much.
This is a book to be cherished and reread. I hope that you will give this 4 star book a read.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Grown Ups By Emma Jane Unsworth

Fleabag meets Conversations with Friends in this brutally honest, observant, original novel about a woman going through a breakup…but really having more of a breakdown.

Jenny McLaine’s life is falling apart. Her friendships are flagging. Her body has failed her. She’s just lost her column at The Foof because she isn’t the fierce voice new feminism needs. Her ex has gotten together with another woman. And worst of all: Jenny’s mother is about to move in. Having left home at eighteen to remake herself as a self-sufficient millennial, Jenny is now in her thirties and nothing is as she thought it would be. Least of all adulthood.

Told in live-wire prose, texts, emails, script dialogue, and social media messages, Grown Ups is a neurotic dramedy of 21st-century manners for the digital age. It reckons with what it means to exist in a woman’s body: to sing and dance and work and mother and sparkle and equalize and not complain and be beautiful and love your imperfections and stay strong and show your vulnerability and bake and box…

But, despite our impossible expectations of women, Emma Jane Unsworth never lets Jenny off the hook. Jenny’s life is falling apart at her own hands and whether or not she has help from her mother or her friends, Jenny is the only one who will be able to pick up the pieces and learn how to, more or less, grow up. Or will she?

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Grown-Ups-Emma-Jane-Unsworth/dp/198214193X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1590106719&sr=8-2

My Thoughts...
For some reason and I can't put my finger on it this was just not a book for me. I hate when that happens it's very rare that it happens but in this case, I want to say  you should give it a try and see what you think about it yourself. I'm so sorry. 
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

A Good Marriage By Kimberly McCreight


Lizzie Kitsakis is working late when she gets the call. Grueling hours are standard at elite law firms like Young & Crane, but they’d be easier to swallow if Lizzie was there voluntarily. Until recently, she’d been a happily underpaid federal prosecutor. That job and her brilliant, devoted husband Sam—she had everything she’d ever wanted. And then, suddenly, it all fell apart. 
No. That’s a lie. It wasn’t sudden, was it? Long ago the cracks in Lizzie’s marriage had started to show. She was just good at averting her eyes. 
The last thing Lizzie needs right now is a call from an inmate at Rikers asking for help—even if Zach Grayson is an old friend. But Zach is desperate: his wife, Amanda, has been found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their Brooklyn brownstone. And Zach’s the primary suspect. 
As Lizzie is drawn into the dark heart of idyllic Park Slope, she learns that Zach and Amanda weren’t what they seemed—and that their friends, a close-knit group of fellow parents at the exclusive Brooklyn Country Day school, might be protecting troubling secrets of their own. In the end, she’s left wondering not only whether her own marriage can be saved, but what it means to have a good marriage in the first place.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Marriage-Novel-Kimberly-McCreight/dp/0062367684/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1589396333&sr=8-1

Kimberly McCreight is the New York Times bestselling author of RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA, WHERE THEY FOUND HER, A GOOD MARRIAGE and THE OUTLIERS, a young adult trilogy. She's been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Alex awards and her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters. 

My Thoughts...
I read this ARC months ago, I had no idea it was going to be Book of the month this month. Good choice. If you love a thriller where you keep on guessing and guessing wrong every time. This is the book for you. I love when they keep you guessing and throw curve balls at you. I will read more from this author.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Little Tea By Claire Fullerton


Southern Culture … Old Friendships … Family Tragedy
One phone call from Renny to come home and “see about” the capricious Ava and Celia Wakefield decides to overlook her distressful past in the name of friendship.
For three reflective days at Renny’s lake house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, the three childhood friends reunite and examine life, love, marriage, and the ties that bind, even though Celia’s personal story has yet to be healed. When the past arrives at the lake house door in the form of her old boyfriend, Celia must revisit the life she’d tried to outrun.
As her idyllic coming of age alongside her best friend, Little Tea, on her family’s ancestral grounds in bucolic Como, Mississippi unfolds, Celia realizes there is no better place to accept her own story than in this circle of friends who have remained beside her throughout the years. Theirs is a friendship that can talk any life sorrow into a comic tragedy, and now that the racial divide in the Deep South has evolved, Celia wonders if friendship can triumph over history.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Tea-Claire-Fullerton/dp/1645262596/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1590102760&sr=8-1

Claire Fullerton hails from Memphis, TN. and now lives in Malibu, CA. with her husband and 3 German shepherds. She is the author of Mourning Dove, a coming of age, Southern family saga set in 1970's Memphis. Mourning Dove is a five-time award winner, including the Literary Classics Words on Wings for Book of the Year, and the Ippy Award silver medal in regional fiction ( Southeast.) Claire is also the author of Dancing to an Irish Reel, a Kindle Book Review and Readers' Favorite award winner that is set on the west coast of Ireland, where she once lived. Claire's first novel is a paranormal mystery set in two time periods titled, A Portal in Time, set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. She is a contributor to the book, A Southern Season with her novella, Through an Autumn Window, set at a Memphis funeral ( because something always goes wrong at a Southern funeral.) Little Tea is Claire's 4th novel and is set in the Deep South. It is the story of the bonds of female friendship, healing the past, and outdated racial relations. Little Tea is the August selection of the Pulpwood Queens, a Faulkner Society finalist in the William Wisdom international competition, and a finalist in the Chanticleer Review's Somerset award. She is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Literary 


My Thoughts...
Family and friends. The Deep south what is not to like about this book. Fullerton is a new author to me and she has a way with words, that I just love.
This is a short read, but full of emotions.
I gave this book 4 stars and I would love to read more of her work.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Monday, May 25, 2020

In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow By Kenneth Harmon

When bombardier Micah Lund dies on a mission over Hiroshima, his spirit remains trapped in the land of his enemies. Dazed, he follows Kiyomi Oshiro, a war widow struggling to care for her young daughter, Ai. Food is scarce, work at the factory is brutal, and her in-laws treat her like a servant. Watching Kiyomi and Ai together, Micah reconsiders his intolerance for the people he’d called the enemy. As his concern for the mother and daughter grows, so does his guilt for his part in their suffering.Micah finds a new reality when Kiyomi and Ai dream—one which allows him to interact with them. While his feelings for Kiyomi deepen, imminent destruction looms. Hiroshima is about to be bombed, and Micah must warn Kiyomi and her daughter. In a place where dreams are real, Micah races against time to save the ones he loves the most.In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow is a tale about love in its most extraordinary forms—forgiveness, sacrifice, and perseverance against impossible odds.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Realm-Ash-Sorrow-Kenneth-Harmon/dp/0578591502/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1590101886&sr=8-1

Kenneth W. Harmon lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife and daughters. The award winning author of four novels, he is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Japan-America Society of Colorado, and Historical Writers of America. You can find out more about Kenneth at www.kennethwharmonauthor.com

You can also find Kenneth at:
https://twitter.com/KennethWHarmon

https://www.facebook.com/kenneth.harmon.73 

Saturday, May 23, 2020

L'ange Le Reve Hair Straightener In Rose Gold Blush GIVEAWAY

 You all have seen all the girls sharing L'ange products the last couple of months on social media. Well you are in luck this giveaway is like no other. L'ange is celebrating two years  of great hair products. And my fantastic blog followers are getting in on this celebration. One lucky winner will win a Le Reve valued at $179 and a signed copy of the sweet Candace Cameron Bure's Book Staying Stylish.

Should you not win this great giveaway you can get your very own L'ange hair straightener on the L'ange website on sale for $99 not the retail of $179. This titanium rose gold  hair straightener is the best I have every used on my hair. 

https://langehair.com/collections/flat-irons/products/le-reve-blush-straightener

You can use after pay to get yours for four installments of $24.75  They will ship it to you after your first payment of $24.74.

Don't forget to share this blog post. Leave a comment. Be sure you are following this blog, click the blue follow button on the right hand side. The winner will be notified in the comment under the comment that they leave in order to be entered in the giveaway.  If you are not following this blog and don't leave a comment you will not be entered for the giveaway.  Follow me on Instagram for an extra entry. Be sure to leave a comment if you are a new follower.



Friday, May 22, 2020

The Request By David Bell

When a man agrees to do a favor for a friend, he gets more than he bargained for as he becomes embroiled in a woman’s murder in this new thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of Layover.

Ryan Francis has it all—great job, wonderful wife, beautiful child—and he loves posting photos of his perfect life on social media. Until the night his friend Blake asks him to break into a woman’s home to retrieve incriminating items that implicate Blake in an affair. Ryan refuses to help, but when Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s darkest secret—which could jeopardize everything in Ryan’s life—Ryan has no choice but to honor Blake’s request.

When he arrives at the woman's home, Ryan is shocked to find her dead—and just as shocked to realize he knows her. Then his phone chimes, revealing a Facebook friend request from the woman. With police sirens rapidly approaching, Ryan flees, wondering why his friend was setting him up for murder.
 
Determined to keep his life intact and to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer—but solving the crime may lead him closer to home than he ever could have imagined.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Request-David-Bell/dp/0440000904/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1589397177&sr=8-1

David Bell is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of eight novels from Berkley/Penguin: SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER, BRING HER HOME, SINCE SHE WENT AWAY, SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW, THE FORGOTTEN GIRL, NEVER COME BACK, THE HIDING PLACE, and CEMETERY GIRL. He is an Associate Professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky and can be reached through his website www.davidbellnovels.com. 

My Thoughts...
This book is one you must add to your reading list this summer. It was so worth the read and just wait until the ending. Oh boy are you in for a big treat. Don't miss Bell's must anticipated summer read.
I gave this book 4 stars and I can't wait to hear what you think of it after you read it.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

I'd Give Anything By Marisa De Los Santos

From the New York Times bestselling author of Love Walked In and Belong to Me comes a profound and heart-rending story about a horrific tragedy that marks one woman and her hometown and about the explosive secrets that come to light twenty years later.

Ginny Beale is eighteen, irreverent, funny, and brave, with a brother she adores and a circle of friends for whom she would do anything. Because of one terrible night, she loses them all—and her adventurous spirit—seemingly forever. While the town cheers on the high school football team, someone sets the school’s auditorium ablaze. Ginny’s best friend Gray Marsden’s father, a fire fighter, dies in the blaze.
While many in the town believe a notoriously troubled local teen set the fire, Ginny makes a shattering discovery that casts blame on the person she trusts most in the world. Ginny tells no one, but the secret isolates her, looming between her and her friends and ruining their friendship.
Over the next two decades, Ginny puts aside her wanderlust and her dreams. Moving back to her hometown, she distances herself from the past and from nearly everyone in it. She marries a quiet man, raises their daughter, Avery, and cares for her tyrannical, ailing mother, Adela. But when Ginny’s husband, Harris, becomes embroiled in a scandal, Ginny’s carefully controlled life crumbles, and, just when she believes she is regaining her bearings, the secret she’s kept for twenty years emerges and threatens to destroy her hopes for the future.
With the help of fifteen-year-old Avery and of friends both old and new, Ginny must summon the courage to confront old lies and hard truths and to free herself and the people she loves from the mistakes and regrets that have burdened them for so long.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Give-Anything-Marisa-los-Santos/dp/0062844482/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1589396781&sr=8-1

I became a writer because I love the sound and texture of words (current favorite consonant sounds: Ls and hard Cs) and love to hear what happens when they bump up against each other. I was a poet for a long time (my first book is a collection of poetry called FROM THE BONES OUT), and then, one day, unexpectedly, I found that I had a voice inside my head. As you might imagine, this was a bit alarming. However, in time, I discovered that the voice belonged to a character named Cornelia Brown, so I wrote a novel called LOVE WALKED IN about her and an eleven-year old girl named Clare. After that, I became addicted to writing novels. I wrote a second one called BELONG TO ME that continues Cornelia's and Clare's stories, and then wrote a another book for adults called THE PRECIOUS ONE, about two sisters, and co-wrote two for middle grade readers with my husband, David Teague. Those are called SAVING LUCAS BIGGS and CONNECT THE STARS. My new novel I'LL BE YOUR BLUE SKY completes the Cornelia and Clare trilogy (if it doesn't turn into a series because--who knows?), and I'm working on another one, probably titled I'D GIVE ANYTHING. I live with David Teague, our two kids, Charles and Annabel, and our ridiculously cute Yorkies,


My Thoughts...

My First book by Santos. But not my last. I loved this story.
Such an emotional read for me. It turns out in such a way you  won't believe it. I don't want to give anything away. I want to you to read it and enjoy it like I did.
4 star read I recommend.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

The Wife Stalker By Liv Constatine

Breezing into the upscale seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard sets down roots, opening a rehab and wellness space and joining a local yacht club. When she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome, successful lawyer, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Yet as Piper well knows, no marriage is permanent.
Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.
Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.
Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Wife-Stalker-Novel-Liv-Constantine/dp/0062967282/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1589397486&sr=8-1

Liv Constantine is the pen name of internationally bestselling authors and sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Separated by three states, they spend hours plotting via FaceTime and burning up each other’s emails. They attribute their ability to concoct dark storylines to the hours they spent listening to tales handed down by their Greek grandmother. Their debut thriller, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH was a Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine book club pick and an international bestseller that is available in over 32 countries. It is currently in development for television. Their second book, THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, was released on May 7, 2019, and is in development for film. Their next book, THE WIFE STALKER, will be published on May 19, 2019. Visit their website at www.livconstantine.com and find them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/LivConstantine2 or Instagram under the handle @livconstantine2 

My Thoughts...
Wow, I was blown away. I devoured this book. I was so wrong the twists came crashing up side my head. I never saw the ending coming. This would make a great movie. I saw it play out on each page.  These two sisters are now the queens of psychological thrillers in my book.
5 stars two times. I HIGHLY recommend this book.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Strech Your Stress Away with Sha Nay By Shanay Norvell


Stress is held deep in the fibers of your muscles. It can make you feel tense, restrict your range of motion, and hamper your day to day movement. In this easy to follow guide, celebrity trainer ShaNay Norvell teaches how to move your body in ways that will release tension, lengthen your muscles, relax and energize you. You will learn stretches you can do anytime anywhere to stretch your stress away.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Stretch-Your-Stress-Away-ShaNay/dp/1732534462/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36KOGSK78EEZ1&dchild=1&keywords=stretch+your+stress+away&qid=1589398136&sprefix=Strech++your+stress+away%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-1

ShaNay Norvell is a highly sought out Certified Fitness Expert & Life Coach. She is certified and trained in the Aqua Aerobics, Pilates Method, Kickboxing, Kemetic Yoga, Spin, PNF Stretch, Thai Yoga Massage Therapy, Reiki Healing, Cardio Dance and a Nike Trainer. ShaNay was the runner up champion on NBC's American Gladiators, was a professional dancer on the WNBA Atlanta Dream cheer dance team, has made it to the summit of Mt Kilamanjaro, and can help you live a healthy, happy, and high energy life. 

My Thoughts...

In this whole stay at home mess this has come in handy. All the stress building up. Shanay gives you all the tools to stretch away your stress. Step be step and pictures so help you understand the stretches.
This is a book for the times we are living in. It was a big help to me during this  stressful time.
I gave this book 4 stars. I hope that you will grab a copy.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Monday, May 18, 2020

Carolina Breeze By Denise Hunter

A jilted bride. A struggling innkeeper. And a romantic mountain getaway that changes everything
Rising Hollywood star Mia Emerson is looking for a safe place to land in the wake of a public breakup and celebrity scandal, and she finds it in the lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina—the location of her canceled honeymoon. She wants nothing more than to hide and wait for the tabloids to die down.
Soon after her arrival at the Bluebell Inn, Mia meets Levi Bennett, who runs the inn along with his two younger sisters. Drawn to one another from the start, Mia trusts Levi to keep her location from the press, and Levi confides in Mia about the precarious financial state of the inn—a secret he’s been keeping from his sisters.
When Mia and Levi discover an old journal that hints at a rare diamond necklace hidden in the inn, they set off on a treasure hunt to find the long-lost heirloom. What they don’t expect to surface are feelings they thought were safely locked away. Mia and Levi must decide if falling in love again is too big a risk—or if it will uncover a treasure of its own instead.
Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Breeze-Bluebell-Inn-Romance/dp/0785222774/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588910292&sr=8-1

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 novels, three of which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 Club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader's Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.

In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

When Denise isn't orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking good coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband raised three boys and are currently enjoying an almost empty nest.

You can learn more about Denise through her website www.DeniseHunterBooks.com or by visiting her FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/authordenisehunter 

My Thoughts...
Set in Carolina what could be finer. As with all of Hunters books I read though this book so fast, (I hate that I do that) I loved the romance and the family dynamics and the setting and the plot, Can you all tell I am a HUGE Hunter fan? I won't give anything away, I want you to buy the book and devour it just like I did.
All I can say is I can't wait for book number three in A Bluebell Inn Series.
5 stars two times. I HIGHLY recommend this book.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Friday, May 15, 2020

The Reckoning By D. M. Taylor

If given the opportunity, would you risk everything to travel back in time and reconcile past regrets?

Taden Barret spent a lifetime unraveling the secrets of time travel. Driven to find a link to the past, fueled by lament to reconcile the night her mom died and her sister became drug addicted. Now, almost 20 years later, she has solved it. But what she thought would help set her past right, may be the catalyst for her destruction and the downfall of her country. Will Taden survive the ultimate betrayal?


Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Reckoning-Time-Travel-Thriller/dp/173454421X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588908996&sr=8-1


My Thoughts...

I am going to be brutally honest, I read this book in one sitting. It was not near long enough for me. I devoured it and was left wanting more of this story.  A thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The writing was so good it was like I was watching it all play out.
I highly recommend this 4.5 star book and I can not wait to see with Taylor has in store for us next.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

The Seedlings Song By Douglas Pierce

“The Songbrother’s blood is turning sour…and the ancient one is dying.”Cast adrift over her shattered world on a small rescue skiff, Seldy must find it in herself to help those who risked everything to save her. Taking solace in the death of the Enemy, she focuses on her quest for her song, knowing it could be their only hope for salvation. Poisoned and trapped in a hellish nightmare, Mouse must fight to escape his own mind. Only then can he help Seldy embrace who she was truly meant to be.But evil doesn’t die as easily as they hoped. A storm is brewing—whipping and churning with malevolent intent. It lurks in the shadows, laying in wait for the perfect moment to strike. Can Seldy find a way to harness the power within her? Or will the looming darkness find a way to twist it to their own devilish delight?Fans of epic fantasy will be whisked away on a journey of unconditional love and selfless sacrifice in The Seedling’s Song.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Seedlings-Song-Seeds-Hope-Book/dp/1070505625/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588355324&sr=8-1

Douglas S. Pierce is a son, husband, and father who lives in the Metro Detroit area with his wife Patricia (of more than 25 years), two Shiba Inus (Suki and Akira), and a black cat named Harley. He is a proud veteran of the United State military and a practicing pagan. Raised on weekly trips to libraries and bookstores, Doug has had a lifelong love affair with the kind of stories that inspire hope, kindness, and love. 

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Edge of Everywhen By A.S. Mackey


A unique middle-grade novel, The Edge of Everywhen tells the story of Piper, a 13-year-old self-proclaimed book nerd whose world has been upended after the death of her mother. She and her autistic little brother (and best friend) Phoenix cling to one another as they are forced to move a thousand miles away from everything familiar and live with their rich, estranged aunt.
 
Piper reaches to the books on her shelf for comfort, but it is one unique book, Novus Fabula, who offers true guidance as the omniscient narrator in the story. It watches them arrive at their aunt’s home, with tired hearts and stones in their stomachs, and now its whispered voice must point the children to depend upon the sovereignty of God during the most dire times as they await word of their missing father.

“What’s that you say? Books cannot speak? On the contrary, dear Reader. Quite the contrary. Books are one of the few things on this earth that truly speak, from the moment the first word is penned until the book’s last Reader has drawn their final breath.
Let me show you.”—Novus Fabula
 
Full of mystery and intrigue, The Edge of Everywhen story bridges the chasm between faith-based and fantasy kid-lit genres. It is a book-lover’s book, carrying the reader right into the adventure as Piper and Phoenix embark upon a life-changing journey, in search of their father and of a faith to call their own.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Edge-Everywhen-S-Mackey/dp/1535992611/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588907641&sr=8-1

Author A.S. Mackey on the key themes of The Edge of Everywhen


The key themes in The Edge of Everywhen are grace, hope, and reconciliation. We are all faced with difficult people or difficult situations at times in our lives, and grace is what enables us to be kind, to offer forgiveness, and to keep our circumstances from making us untrusting and bitter. Hope is the evidence of things unseen. Hope dispels fear, and holding onto hope, even in the face of confusion, is an act of faith that better days are coming. Reconciliation is the heart of God, and He longs to see broken families restored, and many of us today have estranged family members with whom we long to be reconciled. All of these themes are present in one way or another in readers’ lives. The Edge of Everywhen doesn’t answer every deep question or offer pat answers to questions of trauma. But we’re all on a journey, and I think that Piper’s journey will resonate with readers of all ages.
My Thoughts...

What a fun read for the young ones in your life. I felt like it was Chronicles of Narnia ish which I loved so much. So I am sure that the young teens will enjoy this fantasy read. 
A strong message and great read.
I gave this book 4 stars. It would make a great gift.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Unveiling The Past By Kim Vogel Sawyer

Mysteries, family secrets, and the love of a true Father are found at the heart of this gripping novel from the bestselling author of Bringing Maggie Home

Newlyweds Sean Eagle and Meghan DeFord are no strangers to pain and loss. As cold-case detectives, they know intimately the anguish family members endure after the murder or disappearance of a loved one. But when a new case hits too close to home, it threatens to pull loose the fragile cords of their young marriage.
 
Sheila Menke was just a girl when her father left for work and never returned. An investigation revealed he had embezzled enough to start a new life elsewhere, but Sheila could never accept the court’s criminalization of her father. Meghan reluctantly takes the case, secretly fearing it will stir up buried feelings about her own biological father. And while Sean investigates the mysterious death of two young brothers, he longs to start a family. But Meghan worries that with a negligent mother and an absentee father as her parenting examples, she might never be fit for motherhood.
 
As they delve deeper into the past, both Meghan and Sheila must choose to either stumble along the road of bitterness and resentment or walk the difficult path toward forgiveness and healing. When the cases begin to break wide open, these young women are poised to discover that while earthly fathers may fail, there is one in heaven who is a father to the fatherless.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Unveiling-Past-Kim-Vogel-Sawyer/dp/052565366X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588907175&sr=8-1

Award-winning, bestselling author Kim Vogel Sawyer is a wife, mother, gramma, chocolate-lover, cat-petter, and--most importantly--a daughter of the King! With more than 1.5 million books in print in seven different languages, Kim enjoys a full-time writing and speaking ministry. Her "gentle stories of hope" are loved by readers and reviewers alike. Kim and her retired military husband, Don, reside on the plains of Kansas, the setting for many of her novels. 

My Thoughts...
I love contemporary fiction. I really enjoyed getting back to my old friends from Bringing Maggie Home. Sawyer is such a great story teller and she brings the two books together in a fantastic way. You can read them as stand alone but I suggest reading them both together.
You are going to love these three main characters, I only hope that Sawyer has plans to write another book with these same characters.
I gave this book 4 stars and I recommend this book.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.