Dust By Eva Marie Everson

 Can an ordinary life leave an extraordinary legacy? 

In 1977, when nineteen-year-old Allison Middleton receives a proposal of marriage from Westley Houser, she eagerly accepts, having no idea the secret Westley carries—a secret that will change Allison’s life forever. But Allison rises to the challenge of raising Westley’s toddling daughter as though she were her own. 

Over the course of their lifetime together, Allison, Westley, and Michelle form the strong bond of family. As Allison struggles with infertility and finding her way during a time of great change for women, others—some she knows and others whom she never meets—brush and weave against the fabric of her life, leaving her with more questions than answers. 

From teen bride to grandmother, Allison’s life chronicles the ups and downs of an ordinary woman’s life to examine the value of what we all leave behind.

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Amazon.com: Dust (9781645263098): Everson, Eva Marie: Books

First, allow me to clarify that my website is EvaMarieEversonAuthor.com.(EvaMarieEverson(dot) com is a domain squat.

Now. About me: I was born and reared just outside of Savannah, Georgia in a charming small town, Sylvania, Georgia. Yeah, I have a southern accent. It gets a little more southern every time I cross the Florida/Georgia state line. I believe one must go North to get South of here.

If I had all the time in the world, I'd probably lay on the sofa all day and watch old movies. I usually have to get sick for something even close to that happening. But time or not, I love hiking in the great outdoors and I enjoy pushing myself to new heights, both physically and spiritually.

I quote lines from movies and songs so often that most people are unaware of what I'm doing. I may or may not have offended some folks. If I have...I'm sorry.

I'm an ex-nurse and a seminary graduate. I wasn't that crazy about nursing, but love God with a passion and can hardly get through a conversation without talking about our relationship! I think the Old Testament is totally FUN to read (I mean, HOW much stuff can one clan of people get in to?) and the New Testament draws me closer to Heaven. Yeah!
.

My husband and I have been married since 1979 (and they said it wouldn't last ...). We have three of the greatest kids ever and the most amazing grandkids.

I'm pretty much owned by my dog.

When I'm not writing, I'm editing. When I'm not editing, I'm running Word Weavers International, an international membership group of writers who, using the art of critique, become iron sharpening iron. I am also one of the two directors of Florida Christian Writers Conference. I speak at writers conferences across America and to women's groups as well as to congregations.

I'm rarely still and I sleep very little.

Life is good.

My Thoughts...

This was such a powerful story. Everyone one of Everson's books are written with so much heart. 

You become attached to the characters from the very beginning. I have to say that I flew through this book and did ever realize that I  finished in just a few hours.

I was so engrossed in the story  it just flowed so well.

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.  

Untouchable By Michael Martineck

 

FBI Special Agent Leah Capello knew the art world had a dark side, but kidnapping is a whole new hue. To save a young child she accepts the help of Joshua Fawls, who claims to be an art expert, seems a little psychic and is probably, more than likely, a delightfully skilled conman. Together they bend conventions, break rules, and learn that the artist Edgar Degas was right: Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. Just like the perfect crime.

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Amazon.com: Untouchable (9780972097826): Martineck, Michael J: Books

Untouchable (Our Little Secret Press) is my newest book, a mystery, with only a hint of the odd. Unlike The Link Boy (EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy) which is a mystery set in the Freeworld, a future I introduced in The Milkman (EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy). The Milkman won a gold medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards and was a finalist in the Eric Hoffer awards, given each year for salient writing from small presses. Kind of cool because the IPPY is a science fiction award and the Hoffer is for literary fiction.

The novel before that, Cinco de Mayo (also from EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing) was short-listed for an Alberta Readers' Choice Award. That was exciting.

I started writing stories when I was seven. Over the years, I've put out short stories, comic book scripts, articles and a quartet of novels. I've put countless other ventures in the drawer. The drawer is in my house on Grand Island, NY., a little cap of clay nestled between the US and Canada. This is also the location of my "Ego Retention Program", whereby my beautiful wife and two lovely children continuously call out my various shortcomings, keeping me from becoming the screaming, self-centered artist I long to be. DC Comics published a couple of stories in the early 90s. Planetmag, Aphelion and a couple of other long-dead e-zines helped me out in 00s, along with The Misspellers and The Wrong Channel.

Fiver Finds Home By Jill Bugbee

 

Meet the world's first blue dwarf giraffe! With five purple spots and half the normal size, Fiver struggles to belong. His journey leads him across the vast savanna plains of Africa to the quaint city of Savannah, Georgia. Along the way, Fiver encounters many exciting adventures, signs and wonders - finding inspiration in the most unusual places. Join Fiver as he discovers his purpose for being born different and gets a second chance at finding home.

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: Fiver Finds Home (9781736557402): Bugbee, Jill, Davison, Jennifer: Books

Author, film producer and singer/songwriter, Jill Bugbee, enjoys being creative! Together with her husband, Eric, they authored the story of Fiver Finds Home, originally written as a feature film treatment. Having partnered on many creative endeavors over the years, they are passionate to bring uplifting content to audiences through the craft of storytelling. With their two children, Collin and Kayla, the family reside in the Northeast of the United States, and their love for exploration has lead to many fun and memorable adventures.

Jill's colorful character, Fiver, was inspired by a dream where she met him as she stepped into a quaint café. She marveled at a blue-colored, purple-spotted, 7-foot tall giraffe gliding gracefully across the restaurant -- grabbing menus, plates and setting tables for customers with his long neck, smooth agility, and incredible balance. Instinctively, Jill somehow knew his name was Fiver. As this magnificent creature approached her, Jill immediately fell in love with his big, kind eyes. He asked her the question, "5:15?" which was probably her reservation time, or perhaps something else to be revealed and discovered in the future.

When Jill awoke, she excitedly shared the dream with her family. They strongly believed this was a divine appointment, as God often speaks through dreams. Through Fiver's story, Jill and Eric hope that children and adults around the world will also be inspired by heavenly dreams, signs, and wonders that will lead them to many meaningful adventures of their own.

My Thoughts...

This is a great learning tool for our kinds. Not everyone looks the same, not every one is the same but we all need love.

This would be such a treat to read to your kids and open up dialogue for having that talk to our little ones  letting them know its okay to be different.

This is a cute 4 star 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.  

Jack VS. The Tornado By Amanda Cleary Eastep GIVEAWAY!

 

Adventures, friendships, and faith-testers . . . all under the watchful eye of a great big God.

The Tree Street Kids live on Cherry, Oak, Maple, and Pine, but their 1990s suburban neighborhood is more than just quiet, tree-lined streets. Jack, Ellison, Roger, and Ruthie face challenges and find adventures in every creek and cul-de-sac—as well as God’s great love in one small neighborhood.

In the first book of the Tree Street Kids series, 10-year-old Jack is shocked to discover his parents are moving from their rural homestead to the boring suburbs of Chicago. Full of energy and determination, Jack devises a plan to get himself back to his beloved farmhouse forever. Only three things stand in his way: a neighbor in need, a shocking discovery, and tornado season. Will Jack find a solution? Or is God up to something bigger than Jack can possibly imagine?

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: Jack vs. the Tornado: Tree Street Kids (Book 1) (9780802421029): Cleary Eastep, Amanda: Books

Amanda Cleary Eastep is not related to Beverly Cleary but wishes she were. She is, however, a children’s writer, and the Tree Street Kids is her debut series. Amanda knows kids because she’s still one at heart. When she is forced to act like an adult, she edits nonfiction books by grownup authors.

My Thoughts...

The tree Street Kids kids series is going to be a hit with the kids because it is full of mystery, adventure and so much fun. These are books that you can trust they are faith based books and  they even have messages that kids today need to hear. 

Readers are going to want to collect  this series.

I gave this book 4 stars. Stay turned because next week I will be sharing book two in the series The Hunt for Fang.

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

Pine Creek Courtship By Amity Hope GIVEAWAY!

 

Love may be right around the corner in the heartwarming, sweet, and gentle Pine Creek series from Amity Hope.

After the death of her beloved father, Emma Ziegler just wants to keep her family’s maple syrup farm afloat and raise her two young siblings. But when her meddling aunt’s first choice of a husband for her turns out to be Emma’s last choice―Pine Creek’s most notorious bachelor―Emma grows desperate. Her aunt won’t listen, no matter how much she tries to tell her the man in no way embodies the Amish values of faith or hard work.

Kind and industrious Levi Bontrager has always wanted to protect his best friend Emma, even after a secret from their youth left them growing apart. Which is why he steps in to claim that Emma cannot wed anyone else, as she is currently courting him. Yes, the small lie leaves him feeling guilty, but Levi’s hope is that if he can win back the beautiful Emma’s trust, he can also win over her heart...for real.

But can a courtship that began just for show ever blossom into a true romance that could save both their futures?

Pick up your copy here...

Pine Creek Courtship - Kindle edition by Hope, Amity. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Amity lives in beautiful northern Minnesota with her two sons and a couple of cats.

She has a degree in elementary education and worked in that field for ten years before deciding to self-publish.

Her first self-published novel, Twisted, was listed by Amazon as a Top 100 Kids & Teens Kindle Book of 2012. It hit Amazon's Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance Best Sellers List in several countries. Truths and Dares held the #1 position on Amazon's Best Sellers in Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance eBooks in the UK.

If she's not writing, or spending time with her boys, she's most likely reading.

My Thoughts...

Pine Creek Courtship is the first book in a new series. I have to say Hope was a fresh  voice in Amish fiction. It was not the same old Amish story told over it was a sweet fresh new story not told before.

I have found a new author to enjoy.

You will get wrapped up in this one and not want to put it down.

4 stars from this reviewer.  I will be sitting here waiting on the next book from Hope.

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

A Matter Of Life And Death By Phillip Margolin

 

Joe Lattimore, homeless and trying desperately to provide for his young family, agrees to fight in a no-holds-barred illegal bout, only to have his opponent die. Lattimore now finds himself at the mercy of the fight's organizers who blackmail him into burglarizing a house. However, when he breaks in, he finds a murdered woman on the floor and the police have received an anonymous tip naming him the murderer.

Robin Lockwood, an increasingly prominent young attorney and former MMA fighter, agrees to take on his defense. But the case is seemingly airtight―the murdered woman's husband, Judge Anthony Carasco, has an alibi and Lattimore's fingerprints are discovered at the scene. But everything about the case is too easy, too pat, and Lockwood is convinced that her client has been framed. The only problem is that she has no way of proving it and since this is a death case, if she fails then another innocent will die. 

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: A Matter of Life and Death: A Robin Lockwood Novel (Robin Lockwood, 4) (9781250258427): Margolin, Phillip: Books

I grew up in New York City and Levittown, New York. In 1965, I graduated from The American University in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government. From 1965 to 1967, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia, West Africa. In 1970, I graduated from New York University School of Law. During my last two years in law school I went at night and worked my way through by teaching junior high school in the South Bronx in New York City. My first job after law school was a clerkship with Herbert M. Schwab, the Chief Judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals. From 1972 until 1996, I was in private practice specializing in criminal defense at the trial and appellate levels. As an appellate attorney I have appeared before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals. As a trial attorney, I handled all sorts of criminal cases in state and federal court and I have represented approximately 30 people charged with homicide, including several who have faced the death penalty. I was the first Oregon attorney to use the Battered Women’s Syndrome to defend a battered woman accused of murdering her spouse.

My Thoughts...

I am such a fan of this series. I love Robin and if I was in trouble she would be the bada** to get me a out of trouble.

I love that the mystery in A Matter Of Life and Death was one that I did not see coming. I had no idea who did it.

You are going to love book four, I hope this is not the final book in the Robin Lockwood series because each book just gets better and better. 

This book can be read as a stand alone but you are going to love the whole series.

Margolin is a top 10 writer I did not see that ending coming.

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

Back In the Burbs By Avery Flynn And Tracy Wolff

Two powerhouse authors bring you a hilarious tale of one woman’s journey to find herself again.

Ever have one of those days where life just plain sucks? Welcome to my last three months―ever since I caught my can’t-be-soon-enough ex-husband cheating with his paralegal. I’m thirty-five years old, and I’ve lost my NYC apartment, my job, my money, and frankly, my dignity.

But the final heartache in the suck sandwich of my life? My great-aunt Maggie died. The only family member who’s ever gotten me.

Even after death, though, she’s helping me get back up. She’s willed me the keys to a house in the burbs, of all places, and dared me to grab life by the family jewels. Well, I’ve got the vise grips already in hand (my ex should take note) and I’m ready to fight for my life again.

Too bad that bravado only lasts as long as it takes to drive into Huckleberry Hills. And see the house.

There are forty-seven separate HOA violations, and I feel them all in my bones. Honestly, I’m surprised no one’s “accidentally” torched the house yet. I want to, and I’ve only been standing in front of it for five minutes. But then my hot, grumpy neighbor tells me to mow the lawn first and I’m just...done. Done with men too sexy for their own good and done with anyone telling me what to do.

First rule of surviving the burbs? There is nothing that YouTube and a glass of wine can’t conquer. 

Pick up your copy here...

Back in the Burbs (Back in the Burbs, 1): Flynn, Avery, Wolff, Tracy: 9781682815694: Amazon.com: Books

Avery Flynn is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling romance author. She has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip.

She was a reader before she was a writer and hopes to always be both. She loves to write about smartass alpha heroes who are as good with a quip as they are with their *ahem* other God-given talents. Her heroines are feisty, fierce and fantastic. Brainy and brave, these ladies know how to stand on their own two feet and knock the bad guys off theirs.

Find out more about Avery on her website (averyflynn.com), follow her on Twitter (@AveryFlynn) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/AveryFlynnBooks), and like her on her Facebook page (facebook.com/AveryFlynnAuthor).

Join her street team, The Flynnbots, and receive special sneak peeks, prizes and early access to her latest releases!

Also, if you figure out how to send Oreos through the Internet, she'll be your best friend for life.

Contact her at avery@averyflynn.com. She'd love to hear from you! 

My Thoughts...

The best rom-com of 2021. No I take that back the best rom-com I have ever read. I loved everything about this book. Mallory and Nick are the highlight of this book. Hot guy who listens, with a big heart need I say more. This is the only book you need to be  reading this spring. I was blown away the last few rom-coms I have read were duds I was not happy at all but I LOVED everything about Back In The Burbs.

Grab your copy of this 5 star two times right away. I HIGHLY recommend this one.

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