No One To Trust by Lynette Eason ~ A Suspense Book Review

No One To Trust

Hidden Identity Series, Book 1

Lynette Eason

Suspense

Back of the book:

SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO SHE'S RUNNING FROM--AND THE MAN SHE LOVES MAY BE SOMEONE ELSE ENTIRELY!

Summer Abernathy wakes up one morning to find her husband missing, three men in her home intent on finding him, and the life she's been living based on a lie. Which Kyle Abernathy did she marry? The computer programmer she met in line at the bank? Or the one who was apparently using that image as a cover?

The search for her husband--and answers--takes Summer ever deeper into a world of organized crime where people are used one moment and discarded the next. And with her deepest relationship of trust already shattered, Summer doesn't know who to believe.

Always thrilling, bestselling author Lynette Eason outdoes herself in this taut, breakneck story of lies, loyalties, and love that will have you up all night to discover the truth hidden the shadows.

Take A Peek Inside The Book!

Reading Group Guide For Your Book Club

My thoughts:

Can you imagine being married to someone and sharing intimate moments and details with that person only to find out they aren't who you thought they were? Can you imagine waking up one morning to find a gun pointed at your face? That's the situation that Summer Abernathy finds herself in.

If that isn't enough to stir your interest let me back up a bit and tell you that in classic Lynette Eason style the prologue begins with a murder. It then skips ahead fourteen months and the race is on! The title No One To Trust is so appropriate. Summer can't trust her husband and she can't trust his handlers from the witness protection agency and she certainly can't trust the mobsters that are after them all. Even her own family leaves her with doubts about their trustability.

This is one of those books that you probably shouldn't start when you crawl in bed for the night. (Although I must admit that is my absolute favorite time to read suspense!) If you do you might as well fix a cup of coffee to go along with it because you are going to be up all night finishing it. The story is fast paced and continues to take unexpected turns right up to the very end. In fact there are fifty-eight chapters and at chapter fifty there is a major turn of events that made me gasp. The last four or five chapters are absolutely mind blowing because it involves someone you least expect. Finally with the very last chapter you feel like you can take a deep breath and start believing that they are going to live happily ever after. But then . . .

The very back of the book contains the first chapter of the next book in the series, Nowhere To Turn. I told myself not to read it but of course I did. Let me just say that this is going to be a heart-thumping series. We just have to be patient until the fall when book two comes out.

Connect with the author:

www.LynetteEason.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @LynetteEason

Everyday Confetti ~ Your Year-Round Guide to Celebrating Holidays and Special Occasions by Karen Ehman & Glynnis Whitwer

Everyday Confetti

Karen Ehman & Glynnis Whitwer

Nonfiction/Cooking/Holiday

About the book:

Got a calendar packed with reasons to celebrate but a brain that lacks ideas? Special people you want to love on but limited time to do it?

Relax. We've got you covered.

Everyday Confetti is your go-to guide to making holidays, birthdays, special events, and even the everyday special. Inside you'll find more than two hundred ways to make memories with your family, including easy recipes, fun activities, and inexpensive decorating ideas--all simple, doable, and stress-free.

Take A Peek Inside The Book!

Check Out Everyday Confetti's Website

Facebook Page For Everyday Confetti

Pinterest Page For Everyday Confetti

My thoughts:

I wouldn't consider myself a foodie but I fell in love with this book. I loved the premise of celebrating not only the special occasions in our lives but the everyday events that bond us together as a family. Karen and Glynnis have put together a book that celebrates the big things and the little things in life. 

The ideas for each celebration are very doable. In an age of overblown parties it was refreshing to read about simple ways to make lasting memories with those you love. As I said I'm not a foodie so I appreciated that the recipes included were doable for the average cook. In fact I would categorize most of the recipes as comfort food. Not because they will pack on the calories but because they will evoke warm memories when you think about gathering with your loved ones and ingesting the delicious dishes.

Sprinkled throughout the book are little stories from other contributors about personal celebrations from their families. I think that my absolute favorite is Siblings' Night which is from Karen Ehman. I have three children that are very close and this story just touched my heart because it reminds me so much of them. Let me leave you with the details of it:

"For the first decade of parenting, we lived in a very tiny home. All three of our kids, ages two through nine, shared the same bedroom. A triple bunk bed and one shared dresser meant big sister had little brothers' Hot Wheels and Batman PJs right alongside her sparkly lip gloss and jewelry box. When we were finally able to move into a bigger home with two bedrooms for the kids, we thought they'd be thrilled. But while they loved the look of their individual rooms, when nighttime came they wanted to be together. In fact, for the first month or so the boys dragged their pillows and blankets into their sister's room and slept on her floor!

We noticed that the kids had a little routine to their nighttime activities. They'd get drinks of water, Kenna would read the boys a story, and then she would sing them a song from our church camp called 'Goodnight Boys, Sleep Tight Boys.' That tradition was something they didn't want to give up!

Our living situation eventually morphed into everyone in their own rooms. However, a few nights every month, until our daughter moved out at age eighteen, they would hold Siblings' Night. They'd fix a snack and retreat to Kenna's bedroom to watch a movie with NO PARENTS ALLOWED. Then the boys would sleep on her floor and she would lull them into dreamland by singing her goodnight song.

Even now, when she returns for a holiday from her home five states away, you will find the tradition of Siblings' Night taking place in our guestroom--with her on the twin bed and the big, strapping, teenage boys on her floor!"

I encourage each of you to get a copy for yourself and your loved ones and then spend the next year, and years to come, celebrating the everyday lives of your family.

Connect with the authors:

www.KarenEhman.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @karen_ehman

Pinterest

www.GlynnisWhitwer.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @GlynnisWhitwer

What Once Was Lost by Kim Vogel Sawyer ~ An Historical Fiction Book Review

What Once Was Lost

Kim Vogel Sawyer

Historical Fiction

Back of the book:

A woman meant to serve, a child in the dark, a man standing apart--can these three souls embrace a God with new plans for them?

On a small Kansas farm, Christina Willems lovingly shepherds a group of poor and displaced individuals who count on her leadership and have come to see the Brambleville Asylum for the Poor as their home. But when a fire breaks out leaving the house uninhabitable, she must scramble to find shelter for all in her care, scattering her dear "family."

With no other options, Christina is forced to approach Levi Jonnson, a reclusive mill owner, to take in a young blind boy named Tommy Kilgore. Levi agrees, with reluctance, but finds himself surprised by the bond that quickly grows between him and Tommy. As obstacles to repairing the farm pile up, Christina begins to wonder if she can fulfill the mission to which she's dedicated her life. And when an old adversary challenges Christina, will she find an unlikely ally--or more--in the aloof Levi? Can Levi reconcile with the rejection that led to his hermit-like existence and open his heart to something more, especially a relationship with a loving God?

Read The First Chapter!

My thoughts:

Sometimes in our well-meaning good deeds we actually wind up hindering the very ones we are trying to help. Without meaning to we become focused on how a situation affects us instead of others. This is the main lesson that Christina Willems comes to learn in What Once Was Lost.

Christina has been left in charge of the home that her beloved father ran for the housing of the poor. When one tragedy leads to another she begins to cling to what once was in the hopes of recapturing it. Meanwhile wonderful things are happening to those that have been entrusted to her care. Unfortunately Christina can't seem to let go and move on.

I think almost everyone can relate to being unable to move on from something that is familiar. The unknown can be so scary. The idea of trusting the plans that God has for you is wonderful, but it is often hard to put into practice.

If you enjoy historical fiction I think you are going to like What Once Was Lost. The characters are easy to identify with and the situation is a common plight for all of us. Of course I have to add that it is set on the prairies of my beloved Kansas so that just pushes it over the top! Grab a copy for yourself and contemplate what you are holding onto that you should be letting go of.

Extras:

Kim has put together two short stories that add to What Once Was Lost.

The Grace That Leads Us Home: A Short Story Prequel to What Once Was Lost

Just As I Am: A Short Story Extra for What Once Was Lost

Connect with the author:

www.KimVogelSawyer.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @KimVogelSawyer

Happiness Is A Long Hot Bath ~ And Warm Lotion!

Take Better Care Of My Skin!

One of my ultimate guilty pleasures is a long hot bath. I like my bath water to be so hot that I come out looking like a lobster. There is really only one problem with this . . . I have extremely dry skin! I need lotion on a daily basis.

Most of the time putting lotion on is a nice thing. But in the winter . . . brrrrrr! Cold lotion on a chilly winter night is so unappealing. I avoid it until I just can't stand it anymore. I've tried several lotion warmers and just can't seem to find one that works well. (Full disclosure - I really haven't tried any of the expensive top of the line models.)

The other day I had one of those aha moments. I tried putting my favorite bottle of lotion into the tub with me while I soaked. It worked perfectly! When I got out the lotion was nice and warm and my skin was happy.

So . . . next time you are getting ready to indulge in a nice hot bath throw your favorite bottle of lotion in with you. Then let us know if it worked as well for you as it did for me.

What about when you take a shower? I just stop up the sink and fill it with scalding water then plunk the lotion bottle in. Then when I'm done with my shower I have wonderfully warm lotion. Easy peasy!

52 Week Money Challenge ~ Getting Into The Habit of Saving ~ One Week At A Time

Save More!

One of the new habits I'd like to work on this year is to save more. For me that is one of those things that is easier said than done. At the beginning of the year especially it seems like a daunting task. We've just come off of the holidays and tax time is looming ahead. 

I've seen several different plans on Facebook and Pinterest that talk about a yearly savings plan that make it easy to begin. They look pretty simple and seem to ease you into the process.The concept is that you start by saving $1 the first week and then $2 the second week and continue on until you save $52 on the fifty-second week of the year. If you follow this plan you will have saved $1378 at the end of the year.

There are other plans that divide the savings up into bi-weekly or even monthly amounts for those that aren't paid weekly. I even came across a blog that had a plan for your children that worked on the premise of saving five cents a week. 

Another idea that I read about was doing the whole thing backwards. So you would begin on week 1 by saving $52 and then week 2 you would save $51 and so on until on week 52 you saved $1. This might be an easier way for those that have more money at the beginning of the year instead of the end.

Whatever plan you choose we encourage you to join us in beginning to save more. If your family has a plan to save more this year please share it with us . . . we can all use the encouragement.