Devastating News

Do to the tragic and unexpected death of our daughter Mary will no longer  be reading and blogging for the foreseeable future. We would like to thank everyone for your support and prayers as our family deals with this devastating tragedy.

Thank you,
AJ

The Theory of Happily Ever After By Kristen Billerbeck

According to Dr. Maggie Maguire, happiness is serious science, as serious as Maggie takes herself. But science can't always account for life's anomalies--for instance, why her fiancé dumped her for a silk-scarf acrobat and how the breakup sent Maggie spiraling into an extended ice cream-fueled chick flick binge.

Concerned that she might never pull herself out of this nosedive, Maggie's friends book her as a speaker on a "New Year, New You" cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. Maggie wonders if she's qualified to teach others about happiness when she can't muster up any for herself. But when a handsome stranger on board insists that smart women can't ever be happy, Maggie sets out to prove him wrong. Along the way she may discover that happiness has far less to do with the head than with the heart.

Filled with memorable characters, snappy dialogue, and touching romance, Kristin Billerbeck's The Theory of Happily Ever After shows that the search for happiness may be futile--because sometimes happiness is already out there searching for you.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Happily-Ever-After/dp/0800729447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524967936&sr=8-1&keywords=the+theory+of+happily+ever+after+by+kristin+billerbeck&dpID=51HzDPpTiuL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Kristin Billerbeck is the author of more than 30 novels, including "What a Girl Wants" and the Ashley Stockingdale and Spa Girls Series. She is a fourth-generation Californian, who loves her state and the writing fodder it provides. Learn more at www.KristinBillerbeck.com

My Thoughts...

After not have written a book for some time. Billerbeck has knocked it out of the park with this come back book.
I was a fan of Maggie's from the start. Billerbeck writes so that the humor pours off the page.
I really loved that she made a reference to DJ Tanner. You must read the book to see what she had to say about her.
I gave this book 4 stars and I recommend 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.

Blind Betrayal By Nancy Mehl

Deputy U.S. Marshal Casey Sloane has worked at the St. Louis Marshals office for two years and is given a routine assignment to help transport a reporter to D.C. to testify before a grand jury. Valerie, the reporter, was writing a story about an up-and-coming environmentalist who suddenly disappeared and, she later discovered, whose backers purportedly have ties to a terrorist.

When the seemingly ordinary assignment suddenly takes a shocking turn, Casey is forced to put aside her own feelings about the unexpected reappearance of a man from her past as she and two other Marshals take Valerie on the run. And as it becomes dangerously clear Valerie's testimony has even bigger implications than they knew, they'll do whatever it takes to make it out alive.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Betrayal-Defenders-Justice-Nancy/dp/0764217798/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525650492&sr=8-1&keywords=blind+betrayal+nancy+mehl&dpID=51ta5rIs9aL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Nancy Mehl lives in Missouri, with her husband Norman, and her very active puggle, Watson. She's authored thirty books and is currently at work on a new FBI suspense series for Bethany House Publishing.

All of Nancy's novels have an added touch - something for your spirit as well as your soul. "I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing," Nancy says. "It's a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn't be writing at all if I didn't believe that this is what He's called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can't overcome with His help."

You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: www.nancymehl.com. She also is active on the Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com and on FaceBook!                

My Thoughts...

Nancy Mehl  is one of the best when it comes to Romantic Suspense.I read the first two books in the Defenders of Justice series and I must say the each book out did the other. This book to me was the best out of the series. I was hooked from the first page and the author reeled me in. There was a bit of romance in the book but it wasn't overwhelming. I have read some books that seemed like the plot took a back seat to the romance. Nancy did a wonderful job mixing everything together to make this book a  wonderful read. I recommend this book.

I gave this book 4 stars.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher. A favorable review was not required and all reviews expressed are our own.

Honeysuckle Dreams By Denise Hunter

After Brady Collins’ ex-wife dies, he receives devastating news—his nine-month-old son Sam isn’t his son at all. And Sam’s wealthy maternal grandparents want custody of the child. Brady knows he’s in for the fight of his life. But regardless of what any blood test says, Sam is his son, and Brady will go to any lengths to keep him.
Brady’s attorney tips him off that one major life change would virtually assure him of winning guardianship of baby Sam at the final hearing: an impending marriage. And his friend Hope is willing to step in as the loving and devoted fiance.
Local radio celebrity Hope Daniels has been driven by a solitary goal her entire life, and after a happy accident she’s finally offered her dream job. But if the truth comes out about her arrangement with Brady, she may miss the chance of a lifetime and stand in the way of a dear friend’s dreams.
As Brady and Hope make sacrifices to help each other in their times of need, they risk uncovering a truth neither of them expects to find.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Honeysuckle-Dreams-Blue-Ridge-Romance/dp/0718090527/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525136724&sr=8-1&keywords=honeysuckle+dreams+denise+hunter&dpID=6188-sHyfxL&preST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 novels, including "The Convenient Groom" and "A December Bride" which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on 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 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...

You all already know this review is going to rave about Denise and how great the story is. So I will save you all from having to read this fangirls raving so that you can go get your own copy and start reading this 5 star treasure.
Let me know what you think of Hope and Brady's  must read story.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher. A favorable review was not required and all reviews expressed are our own.

Send Down The Rain By Charles Martin

Allie’s second husband is killed tragically when his 18-wheeler crashes into the rocks near their home in Cape San Blas—the tanker was full of fuel and the explosion could be seen on overhead satellites. She’d already lost the beloved waterfront restaurant her parents started and now losing her husband, no matter how unfulfilling their marriage was, might just push her over the edge.Joseph’s time in Vietnam left him with scars that never seemed to heal. No matter how he’s tried to love or what he’s tried to do since then, he can’t pull himself out of the wreckage of his former life. His trust and security shaken, he isolates himself in a cabin. But every morning, he faithfully pours two cups of coffee, drinking his while he sits with the second, and then pouring out the full cup.It’s no small coincidence that Joseph found a mother and her two young children lost in the woods near his cabin. Or that when he helps them return to family in Florida, he’s near enough to see that explosion. Near enough to know it’s close to home. Near enough to know that his childhood sweetheart needs him.The years have built so much distance between them, but it’s the secrets that may be their final undoing. Send Down the Rain reminds us of the beauty of truth . . . and the power of love to wash away the past.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Send-Down-Rain-Mountain-bestseller/dp/0718084748/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525385713&sr=8-1&keywords=send+down+the+rain+charles+martin&dpID=51BXvfzsSxL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

CHARLES MARTIN is a New York Times bestselling author of 13 previous novels, including his most recent, 'Send Down The Rain.' His work is available in 30+ languages. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife and their three sons

My Thoughts...

I must say I was captivated by this book Send Down The Rain. Like every great book there are characters that you will  love and a couple that you will love to hate. I enjoyed every aspect of Martin's new book. Although it's not a mystery there are parts of the plot that are mysterious. I also like the fact that the author didn't leave any loose ends in the story. I don't like it when I have to wonder what happened to a character. That is not the case with this book. I really enjoyed reading it.

I gave this book 4 stars, I recommend this one!

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher. A favorable review was not required and all reviews expressed are our own.

Looking Into You By Chris Fabry

2017 Christy Award winner! (Short Form category)
From the best-selling author of War Room. . .Every day, Paige Redwine is haunted by a choice she made when she was only seventeen. Now, just past forty, still single, she lives a tidy, controlled life as a well-respected English professor at a college in Nashville. Nothing could prepare her for the day Treha Langsam―the daughter she secretly placed for adoption―walks into her classroom as a student, unknowingly confronting Paige with both her greatest longing and her greatest fear.

As Treha sets aside the search for her birth mother to concentrate on her education, Paige summons the courage to reach out to her daughter, never dreaming her actions will transform them both as she faces a past she thought she’d laid to rest.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Looking-into-You-Chris-Fabry/dp/1414387768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524611502&sr=8-1&keywords=looking+into+you+chris+fabry

ABOUT CHRIS

I was born in West Virginia in 1961. I read a lot, but not very fast, and wrote poems and songs, and transcribed Marx Brothers movies and memorized dialogue.

In 1984 I met Jerry Jenkins at Moody Bible Institute. He offered to help me learn to write and I took him up on the offer. In 1998, Jerry and Dr. Tim LaHaye hired me to help write the Left Behind: The Kids series. After that I worked on several other series for children and then published my first adult novel in 2008. It took more than six years to write Dogwood and find a publisher. It received a 2009 Christy Award.

My next novel, June Bug, drew its themes from the classic Victor Hugo tale, Les Miserables. Then, Almost Heaven released and also won a Christy Award, as well as the 2011 Christian Book Award for Fiction.

Not in the Heart is another riveting, suspenseful, and yet relational story. A mystery within a mystery within an addiction. I dedicate it to all who have someone in their life who is addicted. This story also received a Christy award.

Borders of the Heart is my nod toward some of the great western writers—Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry. It's a love story, a painful story of loss, a mystery, and an edge-of-your-seat thriller. I hope you enjoy the ride through Tucson and the surrounding area as much as I did.

Every Waking Moment is my effort to take some of the pain and loss of life and sift it through the life of a young woman who's been marginalized in society, working among people who are marginalized (the elderly). Treha has an extraordinary gift that few observe because she's "different." Like most of my tales, it's a love story, a mystery, part thriller—but mostly a character sketch of lonely people looking for hope. I was honored when Treha's story received the 2014 Christianity Today Book Award of Merit.

The Promise of Jesse Woods is a coming-of-age novel that will wring your heart. Part of the allure of the story is baseball, as Matt suffers twin disasters in 1972 and 1984. I'm pleased the novel was given an Award of Merit in the 2017 Christianity Today Book Awards and also received a Christy Award. It's particularly poignant given the fact that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016!

Looking into You is the story of a middle-aged woman who made a mistake in her teen years. Now, two decades later, that "mistake" shows up in her life in a powerful way and makes her face her past and the hurt she's experienced. Part romance, part mystery, part commentary on the evangelical subculture, my hope is that this book will be a satisfying conclusion to Treha's story that readers have been requesting since they read Every Waking Moment. I was honored when this novel also received a Christy Award in 2017.

I've also had the opportunity to craft novels based on film screenplays. The motion picture The Song released in September 2014, with my novel developed from Richard L. Ramsey's screenplay following later that year. I was also privileged to work on the novelization of War Room, the latest film produced by the Kendrick brothers (Courageous, Fireproof). Both film and novel were released in August 2015.

I graduated from the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. I have been married to Andrea since 1982. We have nine children. In October of 2008 our family evacuated our house in Colorado, leaving behind all our belongings because of a toxic mold situation. Since then we have been living near Tucson, Arizona, working on recovering our health after the mold exposure.
Stop by my website at www.chrisfabry.com to learn more about my writing and radio endeavors, and be sure to sign up for my online newsletter, the FABRYGRAM. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter, or you can email me at chris@chrisfabry.com.

My Thoughts...

I fell into this book and never looked up until I read the very last page.
I loved Every Waking Moment so to get to read the conclusion to Treha's story was a dream come true.
A story of love, forgiveness, and letting go of the past. Super message you don't want to miss this book!
I soaked up every word of this book. I won't give anything away. I will just say that this is a 5 star must read book.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher. A favorable review was not required and all reviews expressed are our own.

Falling for you By Becky Wade

 

Famously beautiful model Willow Bradford is taking a temporary break from her hectic schedule to work as the innkeeper at her family's small-town bed-and-breakfast. She was enjoying the peace of her hometown, Merryweather, Washington, right up until she came face-to-face with Corbin Stewart, the man she loves to hate. A thoughtful rule-follower by nature, Willow threw caution to the wind four years ago when she entrusted her heart to Corbin--and suffered the consequences when it all fell apart.

Former NFL quarterback Corbin is forceful, charming, and accustomed to getting what he wants . . . except where Willow Bradford is concerned. Unable to forget her, he's never stopped regretting what happened between them. When their paths unexpectedly cross again, he's determined to make her give him a second chance.

When a decades-old missing persons case finds Corbin and Willow working together, they're forced to confront their past and who they've become--and whether they can risk falling for one another all over again.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Falling-You-Bradford-Sisters-Romance/dp/0764219375/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524827789&sr=8-1&keywords=falling+for+you+becky+wade&dpID=51PCmvIGicL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Becky is the Carol and Christy award winning author of heartwarming, humorous, and swoon-worthy contemporary inspirational romances.

She loves to connect with readers via her web site, www.beckywade.com, and via her Facebook author page, www.Facebook.com/AuthorBeckyWade

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

These days, you'll find Becky in Dallas, Texas failing to keep up with her housework, trying her best in yoga class, carting her three kids around town, watching TV with her Cavalier spaniel on her lap, hunched over her computer writing, or eating chocolate.

Come join the fun...

My Review to come later this month!

The Rancher's Secret Child By Brenda Minton

Can he cowboy up for fatherhood? He had no room for love...until now.After meeting the son he never knew he had, Marcus Palermo’s simple life turns upside down. Complicating things further is Lissa Hart, the boy’s lovely guardian. She’ll help him become a parent—but falling for a gruff cowboy is not in her plans. Will she realize her future lies in Bluebonnet Springs with the rugged rancher?

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Ranchers-Secret-Child-Bluebonnet-Springs/dp/1335509488/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524095534&sr=8-1&keywords=the+rancher%27s+secret+child

Brenda Minton lives in the Ozarks. She's a wife, mom to three, foster mom to five and grandma to a princess.  Life is chaotic but she enjoys every minute of it with her family and a few too many dogs. When not writing she's drinking coffee on the patio, wrangling kids or escaping for an evening out  with her husband.  Visit her online at www.brendaminton.net

My Thoughts...

This was the first book that I have read by Minton.
It will NOT be my last. I really enjoyed this story and I hated for it to come to an end.
I plan to read more of her books and that fact that there was a cowboy and a happy ending did not hurt me one bit.
I gave this book 4 stars. I recommend 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.