The Chase. A Book Review.

 The Chase by Lisa Harris is a great read! This is the second in her US Marshalls series. The first book introduces US Marshall Jonas Quinn and US Marshall Madison James as partners. That book ended with a cliffhanger that picks up in this book. Although it is the second in a series, this book easily stands alone.

In The Chase, Quinn and James are sent to serve a warrant which ends up being connected to a series of robberies they are involved in investigating. And the chase begins!

This is a fast-paced, intense book full of lots of twists and turns and surprises. Harris keeps you on the edge of your seat as Quinn and James chase their suspects all over Seattle. This one really is hard to put down!

I’m a big mystery fan and this one fills the bill. A good mystery with a little bit of romance thrown in - a great combination. Once again, Harris has left us with a cliffhanger at the end. I’m looking forward do the next one in the series.

I received a copy of The Chase from Net Galley in exchange for my opinion,

Happy Anniversary!

 It was a beautiful summer day, not too hot. There had been a shower of rain late in the morning, just enough for things to be refreshed.

The ceremony was held at eight o'clock in the evening, the perfect time of day to get just the right amount of evening sun through the stained glass windows of the church.

The church was full of family and friends. The music was perfect. There were flowers. And candles.

So began our life together as husband and wife.  

There was a reception following the ceremony. It was a simple affair with punch and cake, held in the church fellowship hall.

Afterward, we drove away from the church listening to the Carpenters singing We've Only Just Begun.

That was our song then. It is our song today.  

On June 10, 1972, we began our journey through life together as husband and wife. Neither of us had any idea what a journey it would be!

Who knew back then that we would live in six different states, at twenty different addresses? Who knew that we would travel together all over the world? Who knew all the mountaintops and valleys, smooth roads and potholes, all the adventures this journey would hold for us?

God knew. He knew exactly what He had planned for us, even though we had no idea. This has been quite a journey. Richer and poorer. Sickness and health. And the journey continues. We've only just begun!

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart! I love you more!

 

"Grow old along with me!  The best is yet to be....."

(from "Rabbi Ben Ezra" by Robert Browning)

Present Danger. A Book Review.

 I have read a lot of good books lately, but Present Danger by Elizabeth Goddard is one of my favorites! This is the first book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series. I was first drawn to the book by its setting in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, an area of the country that I love, and I was not disappointed.  

Former FBI Special Agent, now county Detective, Jack Tanner and his former girlfriend, US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors find themselves working together when a dead body is discovered in the national forest. As the investigation continues, other bodies are discovered and things become more and more complex.

Fast moving action, with lots of twist and turns, lead to a very unexpected conclusion. The plot kept me guessing all the way to the end. Along the way, the issue of artifact trafficking is explored. Family relations and some romance round out this exciting storyline.

Present Danger gets 5 stars from me!

Anniversary Week!

 Several of my friends have celebrated wedding anniversaries recently, and others will be celebrating in the next week or so. I'll just give them all one big "Happy Anniversary!" shout-out rather than mentioning each of them by name, since I would inevitably leave someone out.

On a more personal note,  Thursday will mark another milestone in the journey of my life. 49 years ago - June 10, 1972 - I said "I do". For the past (almost) 49 years, my life has been shared with the man of my dreams. And what a life it has been!

We began our married life in a little house in the "Avenues" of West Columbia, SC. (If you're from Cayce/West Columbia, that will mean something to you. Otherwise, probably not!) When I say it was a "little" house, that's exactly what I mean. It was a very small house, about 900 square feet. We have since lived in apartments that were larger than that house!

We had some expectations when we married. We expected to live out our days in West Columbia. Or maybe we might move to Cayce! Certainly we expected to live out our days in the Midlands of South Carolina. We expected that we would someday move to a larger house. We expected that we would have children. I'm sure that back then we had other expectations as well.

In many ways, life has far exceeded our expectations, even our wildest dreams. Over the years we have moved far beyond the boundaries of Cayce/West Columbia. Far beyond South Carolina. To Colorado and to Connecticut. To Minnesota and to Florida. (How’s talk for climate extremes!). We lived in the mountains of North Carolina, and now we find ourselves back in our home state.

We have traveled to places we once only read about or dreamed of visiting. All across these United States. Thanks to our road trip in 2015, we have now both been in all 50 states at least once. We've visited such far away places as Tokyo and Paris. Sydney and Cairo. Edinburgh and Jerusalem. And numerous other spots in between. What an amazing journey we have had together!

I've said many times before that every journey has hills and valleys, smooth roads and potholes. Sometimes the scenery is beautiful. Sometimes not so much. Sometimes the road is straight. Sometimes there are curves. Bends in the road. It's all part of the journey. And we've experienced some of all of it!

Even so, there's joy in the journey. Joy because we're right where our LORD wants us to be. Joy because we're taking the journey together. 

As we have been for almost 49 years. Through thick and thin. In good times and in not-so-great. Through it all. Together.

These last few years have certainly put the "for better, for worse; in sickness and in health" to the test! My stroke was definitely not on our bucket list! Even through all that, there is joy in our journey. 

And I wouldn't want to take this journey with anyone else!

The Cryptographer's Dilemma. A Book Review

 The Cryptographer's Dilemma by Johnnie Alexander is part of a series of novels celebrating the heroines of World War II. This is a fictional account based on an actual FBI investigation into a woman who was selling secrets to the Japanese.

From the first page, I was engaged, and this was a hard book to put down. I loved the characters than Alexander created to tell the story. These characters are people I would like to meet. Eloise is a cryptographer working with the FBI to decipher the code in letters mailed by the suspected traitor. She is paired with Philip, an FBI agent, as they travel around the country following clues and tracking leads, in hopes of catching the traitor, the elusive Doll Lady.

There is great chemistry between Eloise and Philip, and their friendship grows as they spend so much time together. But this is Eloise's story. The story of the cryptographer who faces a number of dilemmas as she works with Philip and the FBI to apprehend their target.

This book is very well written, with engaging characters, and lots of twists and turns thrown it. It is full of adventure and intrigue, along with some romance. You won't want to miss this one. A very good read - once I hated to see come to an end. This is my first Johnnie Alexander read, but it won't be the last! 

The Cryptographer's Dilemma by Johnnie Alexander will be published by Barbour Fiction on August 1, 2021. I received an advance reader copy from Net Galley in exchange for my opinion.

I Love June!

 I love June! It's one of my favorite months. For so many reasons.

June is the beginning of the summer season, with a slower pace and laid-back vibe. It's wonderfully warm, yet without the brutal humidity that marks July and August here in my part of the country.

June is the month of peaches and watermelon and cantaloupe. Of farmer's markets filled with all sorts of delightful fresh produce. It's the month when tomatoes begin again to taste like tomatoes should. Not like those hothouse tomatoes we've been eating all winter. You know - the ones with not taste!

June is the month we celebrate our wedding anniversary. That's coming later this week, and we will celebrate 49 years of marriage. I'm not sure yet how we will mark the occasion, but there will probably be good food involved!

And June begins the vacation season. As a family, we get to spend an entire week together, and I am so looking forward to it! Last year, of course, there were no family vacations. We had planned that this year we would take a cruise to the Bahamas. But the cruise was cancelled. Instead, we will be spending the week in the Smoky Mountains. There will be love and laughter and wonderful memories made. I'm counting the days!

We had planned another trip for this June, but it has also been cancelled. Today is the day when Al and I had anticipated boarding a flight for Tel Aviv with plans to spend ten days walking where Jesus walked. But, as the Scottish poet Robert Burns once wrote, "the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry."

Our best laid plan for this week has gone awry, so we will adjust our plans and make new ones for this week. It will include time with friends, time to celebrate, and time to reflect on all God's goodness to us.

In Lucy Maud Montgomery's book Anne of Green Gables, you may recall that Anne said said "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." I agree with her. I love October. It's another of my favorite months.

But I am also so glad to live in a world where there is June!

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." (James 1:17 NASB)

One Gracious Blessing After Another

“From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” (John 1:16 NIV)

This verse has grabbed my attention this morning. I have come across it several times over the last few days, so it must be something I need to pay attention to.

Depending on the translation of the Bible you are reading, the verse might be rendered a little differently. Grace upon grace. Blessing upon blessing. One gracious blessing after another. I especially like the last one, from the New Living Translation. One gracious blessing after another.

That’s so true, isn’t it? We are showered daily with blessings from God. One gracious blessing after another.

Too often we fix our attention on the less-than-we-would-like-them-to-be situations in our lives. And don’t we all have some of those? The bills we are having trouble paying. The pounds we can’t seem to lose. The car that needs repair. The water heater that needs replacing. Illness. Relationships that are in trouble. The frustrations of daily living. The list could go on and on, because life is full of “stuff” that is not exactly how we would like it to be. We don’t all face the same challenges, but we all do face challenges.

Equally true, we are all showered daily with one gracious blessing after another, if we would only take time to notice.

Friendship. Family. Laughter. Sunshine. Rain. The smell of freshly mowed grass. Coffee. Good books. Good conversation. Good food. Strawberries and peaches and watermelon. Summer. The list could go in.

My list would certainly include the weekend with family. Good medical care. The 49 years of marriage we are celebrating next week.

One gracious blessing after another.

How about you? Have you stopped to count your blessings today?

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits,” (Psalm 103:1-2)