My Next Book to Review

I just received my next review book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. This time I chose THE SHAPE OF MERCY by Susan Meissner. This will be my first book by this author and I'm really excited as I have heard great things about her work. I probably won't get my review up for a few weeks as I am currently engrossed in a WONDERFUL book by James L. Rubart entitled BOOK OF DAYS.

I plan on posting a review on Mr. Rubart's book too! This author is a genius. I read his first book, ROOMS, and couldn't put it down. It is the same way with BOOK OF DAYS...it's a page turner.

Well, it is snowing, sleeting, hailing, raining and whatever else it can think of doing outside and therefore it is an excellent day to curl up with my book and read. With that I will leave you with .....

Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy

Book review & giveaway of DEADLY TIES by Vicki Hinze

I have selected the winner of Deadly Ties with Random.org.  The winner is.......MARJORIE!

I am so excited to finally be able to write a book review. It is my first so please bare with me. I'm sure as I proceed in reviewing books I'll do much better.

Blurb from the back of the book.

HER ENEMY WILL STOP AT NOTHING FOR CONTROL.... SHE WILL RISK EVERYTHING FOR FREEDOM.

A horrific crime shatters Lisa Harper's idyllic childhood. Her father is dead and her desperate mother, Annie, quickly marries Dutch Hauk, an abusive monster who soon reveals his hatred for Lisa. To protect her, Annie defies her ruthless husband and forfeits custody to a trusted friend. Enraged, Dutch vows to keep Annie and Lisa apart-and he does. Years later, though keenly aware of Dutch's evil intent, Lisa and her mother seize a chance to be a family, safe in a home where love dwells. But they fail to fathom how far Dutch will go to keep his vow.
Determined to control his women, Dutch proves resourceful. His associates in crime are feared at the highest levels across the globe-and for Lisa they plan a fate worse than death. Yet she too has formidable connections, including former Special Operations Officer Mark Taylor. Burdened by his own traumatic past, Mark has loved Lisa from afar. Now, for Lisa and her mother to survive, Mark must risk his life-and even more difficult for him, he must trust God. All as one question haunts them: Can Mark and Lisa untangle these deadly ties before it's too late?

My thoughts:

I was so excited selecting DEADLY TIES by Vicki Hinze as my very first book to review. I love Christian Romantic Suspense and this book definitely fits that genre well. It is a suspenseful, action-packed novel with believable characters and a faith packed message throughout.

The Prologue and first two chapters cover past occurrences that gives the reader a foundation for the story. From the first page until the last I was catapulted into a non-stop, edge-of-your-seat storyline that I found hard to put down. Vicki Hinze has an excellent knack of adding twists and turns to keep the reader totally in suspense. Her characters were well thought out and I found myself rooting for the good guys and absolutely hating the bad guys. I found her character dialogue crisp and believable.

I do want to say that while I enjoyed the suspense of this novel, the subject matter of human traffikking really bothered me. For that reason, and that reason only, I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I would also like to mention that in my opinion this is not a book for younger readers due to the subject content.

I received my copy of DEADLY TIES for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for my honest pesonal opinion.

I would love to pass along my gently read copy of DEADLY TIES to one lucky winner. Contest will run through March 31st and the winner will be selected by Random.org

****GIVEAWAY RULES****

1. Giveaway is open to US and Canada

2. No PO Boxes please

3. You MUST be a follower of my blog (please leave name you follow under in your comment)

4. Include an email address where I can reach you if you are selected as the winner of this giveaway. Please enter you email address in this format - name[at]yahoo[dot]com

To enter, please answer this question: Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite book they've written?

I broke my toe...again!

How many times can a person break a toe and have it still resemble a toe? I was half asleep this morning and I walked right into my couch. I felt just a little sting on my toe next to the little toe on my left foot. I thought, at least I didn't break it this time. After taking a few steps around the house the pain set in. So I did the only thing I could, I taped my toes together. I hobbled around at work all day long. Tonight I just had to look...I took the tape off and my toe is the worst I've ever seen. It actually looks like I have a dark purple ring around it. So I must go back to the 'buddy' system and tape my poor toes together once again. I think maybe I should invest in some steel toed shoes!

Hope you all have a blessed weekend! I hope to get some quality reading time in this weekend!

Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Oh my stars! We are under attack by some Giant Snowflakes! Wow! We woke up this morning like any other morning and got ready for work. My husband used the snow blower to dig out the car after receiving about a foot of drifting snow last night. He went on to work only to return about fifteen minutes later. The place he works at (his part time job)neglected to update their phone system letting everyone know the plant was closed down. When he arrived home he told me that we were under a LEVEL 1 EMERGENCY...which translates to 'no one should be out on the roads except for emergency vehicles'. So we are home, safe and warm. Unfortunately, there is more snow falling as I write this. Some of the drifts are close to two feet high, which compared to other areas of the country is nothing substantial. I also see there is another major storm brewing around the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle (the same area this MONSTER storm started)and it is heading our way. I really can't afford missing anymore work. Missed two days last week due to illness and now today.

One more thought on the snow. I am a Native Southern Californian, transplanted to Northeastern Indiana ten years ago. I absolutely love the four seasons but I must say, this winter has made me wish we could move further south...maybe Tennessee or Texas. But, it is only wishful thinking, the Lord has planted us here (my husband is a pastor of a small local church)and until he releases us elsewhere, here is where we will stay.

I hope and pray you all are enjoying your Wednesday and are staying warm and toasty wherever you are. May you have a very blessed day!

Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy