What I'm Reading - June 11, 2018

This post contains affiliate links.

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next!

I finished reading . . .  

The Captured Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower - book 3 by Michelle Griep - During the French and Indian War, Mercy Lytton's keen eyesight earns her a position as an army scout and on a special mission that also includes Elias Dubois, who was condemned as a traitor. (Read my full review HERE.)

I'm currently reading . . .

Delilah: Treacherous Beauty by Angela Hunt - a novel based on the Samson and Delilah story, and fills in a lot of imagined background for both characters.

 


A Brush with Shadows (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber - Lady Kiera travels with Gage to his childhood home, where his cousin has gone missing.




In the Region of the Summer Stars (Eirlandia Series) by Stephen R. Lawhead - fantasy and historical fiction combine in this novel about the exiled son of a Celtic king. Just barely started though!




The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective by Gina Ferguson - this is an art history text I'm reviewing for the Homeschool Review Crew.

Next on the stack... 

A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden
Together Forever (Orphan Train) by Jody Hedlund
Treacherous Is the Night (A Verity Kent Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber
Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi (Experiencing God) by David Crowder


   


   

On my blogs recently . . .

Here on Just A Second:

Scripture and a Snapshot - A Joyful Heart
Recent Reads - The Captured Bride
Wordless Wednesday - Stormy Weather
Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - In the Region of the Summer Stars

And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - Homeschooling in Summer
Virtual Refrigerator - Take Courage
Critical Thinking About Something Fishy (A Homeschool Coffee Break Review)

What are you reading?

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - A Joyful Heart

A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

~Proverbs 17:22~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - The Captured Bride

This post contains affiliate links. 

The Captured Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower - Book 3 by Michelle Griep - Mercy Lytton is the daughter of a Mohawk chief and an Englishwoman, and her unique upbringing and especially keen eyesight has earned her a place as an army scout. She has been chosen to accompany a team secretly delivering gold to another fort. Her longtime mentor, an army ranger that has been a father figure to her, leads the team, and they are accompanied by another young soldier and a captured Frenchman. Elias Dubois is expecting to be hanged as a traitor, but is instead offered freedom if he accompanies this shipment. The entire group is to pose as a family of settlers, with Elias and Mercy pretending to be married.

Mercy is not happy about the assignment, and is puzzled about Elias right from the start. If he is a traitor, why is he so conscientious about their safety and well-being? Why would he want to make the trip in a timely manner if prison time awaits him at their destination? And why doesn't he take advantage of the opportunities he has to escape? As the group meets setbacks and danger, Elias proves himself to be trustworthy and honorable, defending Mercy and caring for her, and despite her skepticism, she realizes that she is falling in love with him.

It's apparent to the reader from early on that Elias has secrets that his captors don't guess, and his loyalties may not be as obvious as they seem. For his part, Elias is determined to arrive at the fort and complete his secret mission, and he is soon torn between following his orders and protecting Mercy. For awhile, it seems he can do both, but when an attack by the enemy Wyandot tribe puts all their lives and his mission at risk, and reveals the likelihood that there's another traitor at work, Elias faces an almost impossible decision and extreme danger and risk no matter what he chooses.

I was a bit skeptical as I started reading, but soon was drawn into the story by curiosity about Elias's real loyalties and mission, and by interest in how the characters interacted. I found the spying and intrigue elements a little vague or hard to follow in places, but it didn't really take away from the story. Although this is the third in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, there is no connection to the previous two stories other than the family tree. The relationship and ancestry isn't even a factor in the story, so this book can be read as a stand-alone. I don't know how the connection between the women in this series could be strengthened, given the generations between, but at the same time, it's disappointing that it's being promoted as a series but the stories are not actually connected in any meaningful way. This one is definitely an enjoyable read, however, with its unusual setting (French and Indian War) and characters.

From the Publisher:

A War-Torn Countryside Is No Place for a Lady

Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause . . . to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart. 

Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort--but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought. 

Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?

Other books in this series: The Mayflower Bride, The Pirate Bride
Book Three in the Daughters of the Mayflower series.

By the same author: The Innkeeper's Daughter, The Captive Heart

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Wordless Wednesday - Stormy Weather

This post contains affiliate links.

This storm just blew up out of nowhere, and only minutes after "Alexa" assured us that there was no rain expected in our area. Riiiiiiight.

This post is linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life at Rossmont; and at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea's Scribble Pad.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - In the Region of the Summer Stars

This post contains affiliate links.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

'Fool,' sniffed Liam before taking his leave of Conor. 'This is your own fault. You poked your nose into the hornet's nest and got what you deserved.'
~In the Region of the Summer Stars (Eirlandia Series) by Stephen R. Lawhead, page 71

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by I'd Rather Be At The Beach. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

Conor

I was ten summers old when the world changed. Twelve more have passed since then, yet I recall the details of that day as if it had happened yesterday and I was still that bare-legged boy.

Along with the other boys of the rath, my younger brothers and I were playing at hare and hounds when a rider appeared on the coast path. Visitors were a rare enough diversion that we dropped our game and ran to see who it might be.

We followed him for a closer look. The stranger was tall and gaunt, with a face burned brown by the sun and burnished by the wind. His eyes were sunk deep in his skull and looked out upon the world with the keen and haughty stare of a hunting hawk. His clothing and appearance marked him at once as something strange and mysterious to our young eyes. . .

Here's the blurb:

A new Celtic fantasy from the critically acclaimed author of the Pendragon Cycle.

Ravaged by Barbarian Scalda forces, the last hope for Eirlandia lies with the island's warring tribes.

Wrongly cast from his tribe, Conor, the firstborn son of a Celtic king, embarks on a dangerous mission to prove his innocence.

What he discovers will change Eirlandia forever. For the Scalda have captured the mystical Fae to use as an ultimate weapon.

And Conor's own people have joined in the invasion.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

What I'm Reading - June 4, 2018

This post contains affiliate links. 

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next!

I finished reading . . .  

No Less Days by Amanda G. Stevens - I greatly enjoyed this contemporary fantasy about a man who cannot die and what happens when he finally finds out that there are a few other "immortals" like himself. My husband enjoyed this one too, and we don't usually read the same kinds of books! (Read my full review HERE.)




The Accidental Guardian by Mary Connealy - Trace Riley provides shelter for Deb Harkness and her sister, as well as the two toddlers they are caring for after their wagon train is attacked by outlaws. (Read my full review HERE.)

 

I'm currently reading . . .

The Captured Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower - book 3 by Michelle Griep - I was a little skeptical when I started this, but I'm enjoying it now! It's set during the French and Indian War. Mercy's keen eyesight and unusual upbringing have earned her a position as a scout, but a mission traveling with a traitor challenges her heart.




Delilah: Treacherous Beauty by Angela Hunt - this novel based on the Samson and Delilah story imagines quite a rich backstory for both of the characters.

 


Next on the stack... 

A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden
A Brush with Shadows (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber
Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi (Experiencing God) by David Crowder


   

On my blogs recently . . .

Here on Just A Second:

Scripture and a Snapshot - Come Let Us Sing
Monthly Bookshelf Review - May 2018
Recent Reads - The Accidental Guardian
Wordless Wednesday - Memorial Day Parade
Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - The Accidental Guardian
Scripture and a Snapshot - Great is the Lord
Recent Reads - No Less Days

And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - Almost Summer Edition
May Long Weekend Photo Collection
Virtual Refrigerator - Adventure Is Out There
Homeschool Highlights - Grad Week
Art Project Round-Up
Virtual Refrigerator - Sweet Dreams

What are you reading?

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Come, Let Us Sing

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.

For the LORD is the great God,

the great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

~Psalm 95:1-6~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.