Review of "A Powerful Secret"

This blog post is a review of "A Powerful Secret " book two of The Worthington Destiny series by Dr. Kevin Leman and Jeff Nesbit.

Back Cover Synopsis:

Sean has always felt like an outsider in his own family.
Now he must risk never achieving what he wants most--his father's love.

Billionaire globe-trotter Sean Worthington is stunned when his older brother suddenly abandons the Senate race in New York and walks away without a backward glance. As campaign manager, Sean's left to handle the media feeding frenzy with no answers. Worse, their father--as usual--backs Will, the "perfect" son.

Frustrated by his father's lack of belief in him, Sean determines to finally move on and forge a unique path. But when a powerful secret is revealed, threatening everything Sean has counted on, he must wrestle with shocking truths . . . and combat the power brokers behind the scenes who have the Worthington family in their crosshairs.

About the Authors:

Dr. Kevin Leman, the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 books, including The Birth Order Book and Born to Win, has made thousands of house calls for Fox & Friends, The View, Today, Morning in America, CBS's The Early Show, The 700 Club, CNN, and Good Morning America.

Jeff Nesbit, a former senior communications official at the White House and former director of public affairs for two prominent federal science agencies, is a strategic communications advisor and the author of 25 novels. The executive director of Climate Nexus, he also writes At the Edge, a weekly column for U.S. News & World Report.

My thoughts:

Although A Powerful Secret is book number 2 in the Worthington Destiny series it was an enjoyable read on its own. I didn't realize that there had been a previous book until after I finished reading it because it did such a terrific job of catching you up. This book is a political mystery, thriller,  with a dash of romance thrown in. I found it quite entertaining though at times it got a bit slow. All in all I enjoyed the book. Sean Worthington is the proverbial middle child. He is always longing for the approval of his father and finds it hard to fit into his family though he loves them very much. Just when he thinks he is on the verge of gaining his father's approval his brother shocks him and destroys his chance by dropping our of a Senate race. Sean is confused and hurt most of all by his brother's refusal to tell him why. As you read through the book you find that the mystery goes deeper than you realized. I enjoyed the different characters in the story and found myself relating to their struggles. Sean grows throughout the book. He begins as an evolutionist and by the end of the book has realized that God is the Creator. While he has no definite experience in this book you are left with the impression that he is seeking to know and follow God by the end of the book. The intrigue was exciting and the story line entertaining. I hope to read book number when it comes out. I would recommend this book to older teens and adults. It is a clean christian fiction book but has a couple elements some of which I don't want to get into because I don't want to spoil the book. There is some talk of millions of years etc by the main character as he comes from the place of being an evolutionist at the beginning of the book. All in all a clean entertaining book if you like political intrigue. I received this book in exchange for my honest review as part of the Revell Reads blogger review program. 

Review of "Annabel Lee" A Coffey and Hill Novel

This blog post is a review of Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa.

Back cover synopsis:  

Fourteen miles east of Peachtree, Alabama, a secret is hidden.
The secret's name is Annabel Lee.
She doesn't know why her enigmatic uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He's left her with a few German words, a barely controlled guard dog, and a single command: "Don't open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me."

Miles away in Atlanta, private investigator Trudi Coffey is visited by a mysterious older man calling himself Dr. Smith. He's been trailing a man for a decade--a man she met through her ex-partner Samuel Hill--and the trail has led him to her office. The last thing Trudi wants to do is to contact Samuel. But it will take both of them to unravel this mystery--before it's too late.

Praise for Annabel Lee:
"A fast-paced thriller filled with unexpected twists and peopled by unique and memorable characters. From the first chapter on, I found it impossible to put down."--Lois Duncan, New York Times bestselling author, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Killing Mr. Griffin

"Annabel Lee is compelling, fast-paced, and filled with fascinating characters. One hopes that Mike Nappa's eleven-year-old wunderkind from the title will reappear in future novels of this promising new suspense series!"--M. K. Preston, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning novelist, Song of the Bones and Perhaps She'll Die

"A relentless surge of suspense and mounting tension coupled with an engaging mix of characters. WithAnnabel Lee, Mike Nappa skillfully sets the stage for a compelling series of Coffey & Hill thrillers."--Jack Cavanaugh, award-winning author of twenty-six novels

About the Author:
Mike Nappa is an entertainment journalist at FamilyFans.com, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author with more than one million books sold worldwide. When he was a kid, the stories of Edgar Allen Poe scared him silly. Today he owns everything Poe ever wrote. A former fiction acquisitions editor, Mike earned his MA in English literature and now writes full

Fourteen miles east of Peachtree, Alabama, a secret is hidden.
The secret's name is Annabel Lee.
She doesn't know why her enigmatic uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He's left her with a few German words, a barely controlled guard dog, and a single command: "Don't open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me."

Miles away in Atlanta, private investigator Trudi Coffey is visited by a mysterious older man calling himself Dr. Smith. He's been trailing a man for a decade--a man she met through her ex-partner Samuel Hill--and the trail has led him to her office. The last thing Trudi wants to do is to contact Samuel. But it will take both of them to unravel this mystery--before it's too late.


"A fast-paced thriller filled with unexpected twists and peopled by unique and memorable characters. From the first chapter on, I found it impossible to put down."--Lois Duncan, New York Times bestselling author, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Killing Mr. Griffin

"Annabel Lee is compelling, fast-paced, and filled with fascinating characters. One hopes that Mike Nappa's eleven-year-old wunderkind from the title will reappear in future novels of this promising new suspense series!"--M. K. Preston, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning novelist, Song of the Bones and Perhaps She'll Die

"A relentless surge of suspense and mounting tension coupled with an engaging mix of characters. WithAnnabel Lee, Mike Nappa skillfully sets the stage for a compelling series of Coffey & Hill thrillers."--Jack Cavanaugh, award-winning author of twenty-six novels


Mike Nappa is an entertainment journalist at FamilyFans.com, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author with more than one million books sold worldwide. When he was a kid, the stories of Edgar Allen Poe scared him silly. Today he owns everything Poe ever wrote. A former fiction acquisitions editor, Mike earned his MA in English literature and now writes full time.

My thoughts: 

When I first saw the book I wasn't sure how I would like it, but decided to take a chance because the back cover sounded interesting, I am glad I did. Annabel Lee grabbed you and kept your interest from the beginning all the way to the end. It was a very engaging, enjoyable, story. It is a christian story so it is pretty clean which is a major plus for me. The characters were entertaining and really seemed to come to life. This book is is very well rounded and has hints of mystery, suspense, romance, faith, and even a dab of poetry. Annabel Lee is a page turner and hard to put down. I loved this book. There are a few thematic adult elements (violence, the private investigators are  a divorced couple who split in part due to infidelity, and a couple other issues) but in general I would recommend this book to adults and older teens. It was much better than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I will be passing it on to friends who like similar stories. 

I received this book in exchange for my honest review through the Revell Reads blogger review program. 

Busy, busy, busy

Busy, busy, terribly busy, much much too busy to blog! That has been my life for the past month. My mom visited for a while and I got settled back in at home and we did some fun stuff with my kids and the girls. Beach trips, during which Abby insisted on getting into the frigid (as cold as it ever is in the southern US anyway) water. Brrrr she is crazy. Of course she made me get in with her and where Aunt Abby goes Hunter is sure to follow. Don't you just love my swimsuit though? It was custom made for me by the extremely creative and talented Marie Warren aka Aunt Marie.

We also went to the park. 

And the zoo! That membership has sure come in handy. We've been quite a few times and it's always a lot of fun. 

We fed stingrays and lorikeets. During the second encounter I felt decidedly like a pirate. As one of them flew over and sat on my shoulder for quite a while. Of course the kids climbed on all the photo op things and generally had a good time. 

             After mom headed home it was time to get into wedding mode. Mom Cox had hurt her hand and was not feeling well in general so I stepped in to help out with stuff like running errands and helping her get things together before we ever left for AL. We pulled out early on Thursday morning and stopped on the way to get the stuff we needed from Sams for the rehearsal dinner. Brother and Sister Horne were so nice and gracious to us in allowing all of our crowd plus Brittany's family to stay in their home for the weekend. It was a huge blessing to us and very greatly appreciated. Friday morning we rolled out to get last minute items at Walmart and then it was on to the church to tackle the task of fixing a rehearsal dinner for 65 people. We almost didn't finish in time. The chicken was taking forever to cook, way longer than it normally does. Thankfully there were church people nearby who were willing to lend us their ovens so we could finish up in time. I think we sent four pans of chicken out and 2-3 desserts to cook at different church homes. We had rice, beans, chicken, homemade fresh salsa, chips, and the fixings for dinner, then brownies and peach cobbler, and ice cream  (thanks to Uncle George) for dessert. Mom was a little handicapped in the kitchen thanks to the hand and Francie and I were getting a bit worried about finishing in time when reinforcements came in the form of Uncle George and Aunt Angela and their kids. I don't think we would have made it without them. The rehearsal dinner turned out very well and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We had tons of leftovers. Then it was time for the rehearsal. Some of the church ladies and I cleaned up while they were having the rehearsal. Then we sat around and waited, and waited, and waited. We didn't leave until after 11 Alabama time. It was a really really long rehearsal. Then we got up the next morning and got ready and headed back to the church early for pictures. They did their pictures before the wedding. I got asked to set up/ decorated the dessert bar so I got that done as much as possible before the wedding then got asked to fix and serve punch for the reception as well so I ended up busier than I originally thought lol. That's what happens at family weddings. Aunt Shannon did a great job with the pictures. The family pictures turned out really good. It was kind of sad though to have everyone in the pictures except for Beau. The wedding itself was really short. I was surprised that it wasn't longer. It was really simple and quick. Though I did end up crying for the first time at a wedding.  They had this beautiful song and it reminded me of Beau and I and our love story and it made me miss him so much. I couldn't help crying a bit during that song. I felt so lonely in the middle of our great big family and he wasn't able to even able to be there via Skype. At least Noah was able to video it for him and get a few photos as well. 

                          Wedding Party

            Immediate family minus Beau

                     Cox side of the family

                 Wright side of the family

All in all we were glad when everything was finished as we were all exhausted. We had a good time visiting with the Horne and Clarkson families that evening and then we headed back home the next morning after we played tetras with the luggage and wedding gifts and decorations in the trailer. LOL it was stuffed full. Anyway I will catch up the rest later. I am still staying busy. I wrote this post as I was able to snatched a few moments over several days.

Review of Brooklyn on Fire a Mary Handley Mystery

"Brooklyn on Fire a Mary Handley Mystery" by Lawrence H. Levy. Back cover synopsis: "Brooklyn's most witty and daring detective risks everything to solve a dangerous triple-murder case. After closing a case with the Brooklyn Police Department, Mary Handley is determined to become an official detective in her own right. And when Emily Worsham shows up at Mary's new office convinced that her uncle was murdered, Mary's second assignment begins. As she investigates, Mary soon finds herself entangled Ina high-stakes family scandal, political corruption, untrustworthy sources, and an unexpected romance with a central member of New York's elite- offering a life of luxury Mary fears she could get used to. Featuring historic figures like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and the Vanderbilt family, Brooklyn on Fire takes Mary on a wild journey from New York to North Carolina not only to uncover the truth of one man's death but also to unravel the mystery of three murders in a case that threatens those Mary loves most. "
                     

This is the front cover.

The book sounded interesting and pretty clean so I began reading with high hopes. However after a somewhat promising beginning the book became very slow and hard to get through. I had trouble connecting with the main character and found her unrealistic. Her attitude much more coincides with that of a feminist of today's time than one of the time period of the book, I had trouble getting past that fact and the way she treated her mother. Altogether the story was much more modern than the time period indicated. It also seemed to move slow at times and seemed somewhat disjointed overall. Far from being the page turner I had hoped, I had to force myself to finish the book. I am an avid reader and and very rarely have that issue. I also found that it was not as clean as I had hoped. One character cursed incessantly every time he was mentioned in the book so I skipped over a lot of his dialogue. The plot was decent but I figured out "who dun it" long before the heroine did. All in all I was very disappointed in this book and would not recommend it to anyone. I hate to give a negative review to start off with but I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion as part of the blogging for books program. 

             You can find out more about this book here and it's author here. 

A little bit of everything...

I have recently been doing a bit of traveling but I am finally settled in back home. It's funny how a place can become home so quickly and a place that was home for so long can no longer seem like home. I grew up in the house that my parents moved into when I was only a few months old and lived there until got married, for 21 years that was home. I've been married for 5 years now and lived in 4 different places and each of those places have become home to me to a varying degree. But this last trip to my parents I actually got home sick. When I finally got back to the house I took a deep breath and thought it is so good to be home.

           I have finally gotten everything unpacked and settled back in. I had business to take care of the past few days and a home repair that I had to get taken care of. Dad had his birthday the day after we got back so we had a family dinner minus Beau and Josh and plus my mom to celebrate. Mom C found a knock off recipe for Alice Springs chicken from Outback to try and it was amazing. I will definitely make it for Beau when he gets home. After a scrumptious dinner we had banana splits for dessert.

Doesn't that look yummy!

Beau and I went in with Nate and Caleb to get dad a Keurig for his birthday. He had been wanting one for a long time but hadn't gotten one yet. So when mom suggested it we jumped at the chance to get him something that he really wanted. He is loving it. 

            Valentine's Day was this past Sunday and though Beau is usually very good at remembering stuff I wasn't really expecting anything this year. I mean Valentine's Day is kind of hard to celebrate when you are on opposite sides of the world. I should really learn not to underestimate my husband. Of course he remembered and he was able to get online and order me a beautiful flower arrangement. 

Aren't they pretty? I have been enjoying them all week and missing my husband more than ever. He is a pretty amazing guy. I love him so much and not just because he remembers Valentine's day. He is hard working, diligent, responsible, protective, great with our kids, loves the Lord, and loves me and the kids. I feel pretty blessed to have him for a husband. I am so glad that God knows exactly what we need in a spouse and He is so faithful to bring the right one at the right time if we trust Him to do it. God writes the best love stories in the world. 

            My mom came back with me and has been enjoying a little r and r. She's been enjoying spending some time with the grandkids without any responsibilities pulling her away. I have been enjoying the company, the freedom to get work done, and cooking for someone who appreciates my cooking. I miss cooking for Beau. It's no fun cooking for yourself  and the kids don't count yet. I mean cooking for toddlers just isn't the same as cooking for an adult. LOL I have been trying out some new recipes from Pinterest. Everything that I  have tried has been good so far. Unfortunately I have forgotten to take pictures of everything we have tried but I did get a picture of a zucchini pizza boat recipe.

It's actually pretty good. It's not pizza but it is healthy and yummy and has a pizza flavor. You just take a few zucchinis and slice them in half and cut off the ends. Then you brush them with olive oil and garlic, spoon a little spaghetti sauce on, sprinkle with cheese, top with pepperoni, and pop them in the oven at 400° for about 15 minutes. They are fast, easy, healthy, and yummy and I will most likely make these again sometime. 

          Yesterday we took a walk and went to the park. The kids had a lot of fun. They really enjoyed it. We also took the chance to take a picture for Beau. 

It was Friday do we all wore red to "Remember Everyone Deployed." It was a nice warm day so we didn't have to use our jackets. It was fun. We will probably do it again before mom goes home. 

        Bethany got me signed up to write reviews I'm exchange for free books. I got my first one in the mail the other day and finally finished reading it so I will probably post a review next time. I have done lots of reviews of places and things on other websites but this will be the first thing that I got in exchange for my review. I hate for my first book review to be negative but unfortunately I didn't like the book at all but I had to finish it and write a review about it. So I will finish that later.

Deployment Stinks

Yes it does. No question about it. Don't try to argue the point. But while it undeniably stinks there are a few things that aren't quite so horrible about it.
           Care packages for instance, any military wife will tell you that care packages can be a lot of fun to put together. They also for just a few moments can make you feel a little less lonely. Just imagining your husband's face when he opens said package and sees all the goodies you stick inside, not to mention the cute decorations and the personal messages, can make your day a little better.
           Another thing that helps deployments seem a little less never ending is the opportunity you have to go visit family. I have been able to have a nice long visit with my family. I moved quite aways from my family when I got married and have only had a few visits back since then. I have been able to spend some quality time with family and friends that I have only seen a handful of times in the past 5 years and the kids have gotten to spend a lot of time with "Grandma" and "Papa."
              Then there are the friendships that you develop with some of the other wives who are going through the same thing. Sometimes God sends us special friends when we need them most. I have made a good friend who I will probably have for the rest of my life during this time. Bri is sweet and sincere. Our husband's are good buddies and our kids are close in age.
           Then there are the friends you have had for years. They know you. They know when you are having a hard time almost instinctively and they know just how too cheer you up. Deployment gives you a little more time to spend with these friends.
            Then there are the hobbies that you pursue to keep yourself sane. Crocheting, coloring, reading, doing laundry, wait back up a second doing laundry isn't a hobby! It is if you are potty training a two year old though. You do laundry so often you would think it was something that you love lol. Seriously though I have read more during this deployment than I have for a while. My husband is gone and suddenly I have a couple hours in the evening that I can sit down and breathe and say yes the floor needs to be washed and yes there is a load of laundry that needs to be started but right now I need a break. So I read for a little bit, or do a puzzle,  or crochet, or color and feel better a little more rested and a little less frazzled. I have always loved to read. When you read you can travel the world without ever leaving your home.
           Deployment can also be good for your marriage. You have to work harder to stay connected and find new ways to communicate but it can help you realize how important your marriage is and just how much your husband means to you. My husband and I talk, text, and video chat as often as we can and we have a couples devotional to do together as well as a book that I am reading to him when we have the time. Though we are physically far away from each other our hearts have been knit closer together.
            So yes deployment can be rough but there are lots of things to be thankful for in the end, including the ability to think positive.
       
           

Wow... more than a year

I can't believe how much has happened in the year plus since I last blogged. We celebrated Rachel's second and third birthdays. We celebrated Hunters first birthday, and his second birthday is rapidly approaching. We excitedly announced our pregnancy with our third child only to sorrowfully announce the loss of that same child at 10 weeks along. We moved back to town and bought our first home. We have watched our babies grow into toddlers. We have changed countless diapers and potty trained Rachel. It has been a hard year and a good year all at the same time. In this year we have experienced the goodness, mercy, grace,  and comfort that only God can give in a real way.
          Enough catching up lets talk about the here and now. Beau is still working as a Firefighter, EMT and national guard. He stays busy all the time. I am still at home with the kids and doing church books and other stuff in my spare time. Rachel is getting to be quite a big girl. She is wearing big girl panties and only wearing pull ups occasionally, at night or on a long car trip for example. She is a busy girl and developing quite a sense of humor. She is always making me laugh. She is quite the little mommy. She is always trying to take care of Hunter. She loves clothes and shoes and likes to dress herself but her sense of style can definitely use some help. Hunter is for the most part a happy, cuddly little fellow. He is all boy. He loves to play outside and run and jump around in our big back yard. Now instead of having just one child who is obsessed with Barney I have two. We didn't have internet for about a year so that is a recent thing. Hunter loves dogs and calls every animal and even insects dogs. He gets into everything and big sister leads the way. They love each other and are best buddies.
         The kids are growing up so fast. It seems like they get bigger every day. It seems like just yesterday that they were newborn babies and now they are a toddler and I preschooler. Life goes by so fast. Well I have to go Beau is watching a movie with the kids and then I have to get them to bed.