San Antonio

My sister and I went to San Antonia a couple of weekends ago, and I thought I'd share a few of the pictures I snapped. It was a whirlwind trip, but we did get to snag a couple of hours to sightsee.

Monument to the men who died in the Alamo.

This 100+ year old Live Oak stands in the courtyard of the Alamo and guards the well (which you can see just to the left of the tree trunk).

The purple asters were in full bloom, and the honey bees were quite busy.

Across the street from the Alamo you can go down to the Riverwalk. I took some video of our short time down there, but neglected to take any still photos. Oh, for more time to explore that beautiful spot!

We ate at a barbecue cafe alongside the water. It would have been a beautiful spot except for the pigeons. They were roosting in the trees above the heads of the diners, and they bombed our table more than once. Thankfully, they missed our food and drinks. Yuck!

We were on the road for 22 hours coming home due to road construction delays and detours. Round trip, we covered over 2200 miles. It was good to see that part of the world, but I am thankful I don't have to live and work with the kind of traffic we got snarled up in through Austin, Tx. Yikes! How do people live like that? It took us two hours to make it through Austin's rush hour traffic on the way down, but only 30 minutes on the way back up because we missed rush hour.

There is definitely something to be said about rural, small-town life! No Traffic!

My new toy...

I have a new digital camera, and I've been playing. Here are some of my results:

Run for your life!

When Her Highness Princess Isabelle of Lydia steps into the limousine to go to a routine state dinner, she never imagines her life is about to be turned upside down. The only thing she’s worried about is her enigmatical new bodyguard. She doesn’t trust him, but her father, the King, refuses to replace him or explain the sudden change.

But then an explosion rips through the limousine carrying her brother and Isabelle’s world is shattered. Her bodyguard gets her away from the immediate danger, but can he be trusted, or is he kidnapping her? Is her family all dead? Who can be trusted in this new world where friend is foe and foe is friend?

An assassination attempt. A missing, presumed dead royal family. A country in chaos. A usurper to the now-empty throne. A princess on the run for her very life. These are only a few of the dangers in the new book by Rachelle McCalla; Princess in Peril.

Book one in McCalla’s new Reclaiming the Crown series started out fast and sped up! The plot was intriguing and believable, the characters well-written, and the suspense edge-of-your-seat. I couldn’t wait to get to the end of the story to see what happened, and yet, I didn’t want the story to end. This book will go on my keeper shelf, and I eagerly await the next book in the series.

In stores now. Princess in Peril by Rachelle McCalla. Pick up a copy for yourself, grab a comfy seat, and buckle up for a fast-paced, won’t-want-to-put-it-down read.

Guardians of Justice

I've just finished book two in the Guardians of Justice series, and Irene Hannon continues to be a favorite suspense writer.

 

The Guardians of Justice series tells the stories of the three Taylor siblings. In book one, Fatal Judgement, we meet U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor who is on protection detail for Federal Judge Liz Michaels. An unknown enemy wants Liz dead, and it's Jake's job to protect her. However, Liz's husband was Jake's best friend, and he died under rather suspicious circumstances. Jake believes Liz is ruthlessly obssessed with her career to the point of allowing her marriage to fail, but he just might find he's jumped to some wrong conclusions. But will he figure that out before danger strikes one last, fatal time?

 

 

This story leaves you wanting to know more about the other Taylor siblings, and that's where book two comes in. :-)

In Deadly Pursuit, we meet Jake's sister, Alison Taylor, a social worker with a heart for helping children. But this soft-hearted woman has made someone mad, and that someone is gunning for her. Enter Ex-Navy SEAL, Mitch Morgan. He's the new partner of Alison's brother, Cole Taylor. Alison Taylor has caught his eye, and he's not about to let someone hurt his partner's sister; that would ruin a perfectly good partnership! Not to mention, he wants to get to know Alison better for purely personal reasons...

Deadly Pursuit was a fast read, and even though you know pretty quick who the bad guy is, it still keeps you on the edge of your seat as the story climaxes. I like that this author can tell a story that keeps me in suspense without being graphic when it comes to details of the crimes. (I don't need the gory details described to know that evil is evil.)

If you like romantic suspense, check out the Guardians of Justice series. Books one and two are sitting proudly on my shelf waiting for book three: Cole's story.

P.S.

The Guardians of Justice series is set in and around St. Louis, Missouri. Since I'm a Missouri girl, it was fun to read about places I had been and could picture in my mind.

(Irene Hannon has another series of three books called The Heroes of Quantico. Each book follows an FBI Agent and are more great reads if you like suspense.)

 

COURAGEOUS

Have you seen this movie yet?

Last night I sat in a crowded theatre and marvled at the amount of people around me. I was at a theatre in the next town over and it was a considerably larger venue, but I've never been in a movie theatre where nearly every single seat was filled and I was elbow-to-elbow with strangers. I was thrilled to see so many people out in support of a Christian Film! The crowd was lively, and as the movie played across the screen, the laughs and gasps filled the room. At one point the audience and I were laughing so hard we nearly missed hearing the next scene in the movie. (My sisters and I walked out quoting some of the funny scenes and still laughing over them.)

I've been following the making of this movie since they started filming, enjoying the behind-the-scenes clips they would post every week last year, and the movie MORE than exceeded my expectations. There was comedy. There was drama. There were absolutely hysterical moments. There were heartbreaking moments. And there was action; plenty of action. I wasn't ready for the movie to end and am already plotting when I can see it again.

I was entertained. I was encouraged. I was convicted. I was challenged. I laughed. I cried. And in the immortal words of Veggie Tales' Larry the Cucumber..."It moved me, Bob!"!

If you haven't seen Courageous yet...GO!

It's the must-see movie of the year!

The Aristocrat’s Lady

Working in a library environment for about ten years now, I occasionally run across what I privately term, “Book Snobs.” They are the ones who won’t deign to pick up a mass-market paperback book; they will only read hardcover, bestseller fiction and/or nonfiction.

I, on the other hand, am always trying different sources for new authors and good reads. Hardback, paperback, new books, out-of-print books, trade paperbacks, mass-market paperbacks, e-books; I try them all. And some of my absolute, all time, go-back-and-read-them-again-and-again stories are those little paperback books. The ones small enough to stick in my purse or pocket and carry with me.

And this week, I found a new author with an absolutely delicious book. ----- Introducing, Mary Moore’s The Aristocrat’s Lady from the Love Inspired Historical line.



Lady Nicole Beaumont is enduring her first London Season at the urging of her mother, but she doesn’t want to be seen as an invalid and insists that her handicap be kept secret; even if that means making herself inconspicuous and sitting in the darkened corners of the ballroom.

Lord Devlin is tired of being fawned over and pursued by women interested only in his title and wealth, but he’s intrigued by the beautiful women he meets on a dark terrace outside the ball room. She doesn’t simper and flirt and can actually carry on an intelligent, witty conversation and unlike most females, is more than willing to excuse herself from his presence.

Lady Nicole is hiding a secret and believes God only has one particular path for her future. Lord Devlin has learned to mistrust women and their secrets and doesn’t believe in a loving God.
Will Lady Nicole and Lord Devlin learn that God’s plans may not be their plans, and let the light of His truth shine on both their secrets and their hearts?

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.                  (Jeremiah 29:11-12.)

I love Regency romances but there are not very many Christian Regency romances and this was both Christian and wonderfully Regency; along with being a well-written, engaging story. It is full of extremely likable secondary characters, too. My favorite was Toby! He needs his own story, in my humble opinion.

If you like historical romances or Regency romances (hint: think Jane-Austen-type stories if you’re not familiar with Regency as a classification), then you need to try this book. I think you’ll like it. It’s going on my to-be-read-again, I-have-to-share-this-one-with-my-friends shelf.

(Psst…it’s currently sitting on Walmart’s bookshelves as part of September’s Love Inspired Historical line, and the price is only about $4.31.) It’s also available at Amazon.com and other booksellers.

The Road to Unafraid

Do you struggle with fear? I do. And if you're honest, you do, too.
Fear is one of Satan's many tools against us in our battle as Christians in a fallen world. That's why God tells us so many times in His Word: Fear not. Do not fear, nor be afraid.

Over and over again, God promises us His Peace, His Comfort, His Protection, and yet, like silly little sheep, we run bleating at the first sign of trouble. And by we, I mean, me, myself and I.

Maybe that's why I like to read about people facing scarier things than I ever have; people who lived to tell about it. People like Marcus Luttrell of Operation RedWing, Lone Survivor fame and Jeff Struecker, author of The Road to Unafraid, survivor of Black Hawk Down in Mogadishu.

Jeff Struecker, winner of Army's Top Ranger competition and now an Army Chaplain, was a Ranger on the front lines in Mogadishu. He saw things, lived through things, faced dangers and terrors, the likes of which most of us will never see. He had things to fear; terrifying things, like death, capture, torture, maiming...

So when he talks about how to be unafraid, you can bet I'm going to listen because this guy knows what fear is. He's lived through situations where there was a high possibility he wouldn't live through the day.

Reading The Road to Unafraid, I learned that fear is fear, whether real or imagined, and soldiers face the same kinds of fears I do. Will my family be okay while I'm away. How will I pay the next bill? What if I lose my job? What if I get hurt or sick? and etc. But we don't have to be immobilized by fear, we don't have to live in fear. God will walk with us and give us peace and comfort in the place of fear when we place our complete trust in Him.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3) That's a promise! And it's a promise Jeff Struecker learned and illustrates so clearly in his book.

Are you struggling with fear? Do you want an inspiring read? Looking for a story about a hero, not only in the world's eyes but in God's? Look no further than The Road to Unafraid. It's well written and will keep you on the edge of your seat; but the best part is learning that if God can keep you safe when the bombs and bullets are falling all around you, He can keep you when the trials of this life are rocking your boat, whatever they may be. He's in the boat with you if you are His child, and He promised never to leave you or forsake you.

Thank you, Captain Jeff Struecker, for showing us the road to Unafraid!