Scripture and a Snapshot - Begin the Music

Sing for joy to God our strength;

shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

Begin the music, strike the timbrel,

play the melodious harp and lyre.

~Psalm 81:1-2~

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

Glimpses is hosted by Embracing Every Day, a lifestyle blog by Barbie Swihart.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2017 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/

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - My Heart Belongs in the Shenandoah Valley: Lily's Dilemma

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! 

  She met Mac's gaze. "And you needn't fear me. I'm not husband-hunting. Truly, I never was."

~My Heart Belongs in the Shenandoah Valley: Lily's Dilemma by Andrea Boeshaar, page 119

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First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

Middletown, Virginia, 1816

"So what do you think, Cap'n?"

McAlister Albright, "Mac" to most everyone except his sea-weathered former first mate, bit into one of the few ripe apples dangling on fruit-laden branches. The perfect mix of tart and sweet exploded in his mouth, tempting him to take a second bite. "I say, I've never eaten a better apple."

"Ha!" John Blake guffawed and clapped him on the back hard enough that Mac stumbled forward. "It's 'cuz ya own this here orchard now. You're a reg'lar landlubber; 'tis what you are."

"True enough, old man." Mac had parted ways with the sea -- ever since the Second War of Independence, which had commenced four years ago.

But last year was the worst -- a bitter war with those he loved in Alexandria.

A light breeze cooled the sudden perspiration on Mac's brow. The war was over. Besides, Father was counting on him to make something of himself -- prove the gossips wrong -- in this new land in the Shenandoah Valley.

Here's the blurb:

With Very Little Left of the Family Farm, Lily May Be Forced into a Loveless Marriage.

Captain McAlister "Mac" Albright has purchased land in the Shenandoah Valley. However, the land belongs to Lilyanna Laughlin -- or so she erroneously thinks. Mac sets her straight and despite a poor start, the two become friends . . . if only he were financially stable enough to offer her more.

When Lily's life is threatened and his whole future goes up in flames, Mac truly becomes a man without means, and Lily is forced to make the impossible choice between a loveless marriage with a man twice her age or the man who has shown her what true love could be. How can she choose between love and economic security? Her family is depending on her. Is her heart destined to break?

Journey into Virginia's Shenandoah Valley of 1816 where a woman's dreams and future happiness are on the line.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

If it's one you'd like, I just noticed the Kindle version is on sale for 99 cents at present:

©2008-2017 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/

What I'm Reading - September 11, 2017

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 . . . 

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden - a romance develops between a shy librarian and a brash Congressman as they search for answers about an old Navy report. (Read my full review HERE.)

I'm currently reading . . .

Fairy Tale Romance Collection: The Healer's Apprentice, The Merchant's Daughter, The Fairest Beauty, The Captive Maiden, The Princess Spy (Fairy Tale Romance Series) by Melanie Dickerson - This particular cover makes this collection look "cheap" but it's actually very good. I've finished the first four and am currently reading the final one. I'm reviewing each of them separately.

 

So THIS is the one I'm currently reading:

The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson - almost finished this final installment in the set, featuring the younger sister of the heroes of The Fairest Beauty and The Captive Maiden.




My Heart Belongs in the Shenandoah Valley: Lily's Dilemma by Andrea Boeshaar - this one drew me in quickly, and is the latest in the Barbour Publishing series I've been reviewing.




Lady Susan by Jane Austen - I think I need to just sit down and read the whole thing when I have the time rather than try to read a letter or two at a time.

 


Next on the stack... 

 Zip It: The Keep It Shut 40-Day Challenge
Sanditon by Jane Austen

   

On my blogs recently . . .

Here on Just A Second:

Scripture and a Snapshot - Leaves
Recent Reads - Beyond All Dreams
Wordless Wednesday - First Day
Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Beyond All Dreams

And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - Week One
Is There Anything Better Than Candy? Halloween Tracts (A Homeschool Coffee Break Review)
Virtual Refrigerator - Back to School
First Day 2017

What are you reading?

©2008-2017 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/

Scripture and a Snapshot - Leaves

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.

~Jeremiah 17:7-8~

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

Glimpses is hosted by Embracing Every Day, a lifestyle blog by Barbie Swihart.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2017 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/

Recent Reads - Beyond All Dreams

This post contains affiliate links. 

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden - Although I've loved every book by Camden that I've read, somehow the description and cover of this one never grabbed me. But I grabbed it on impulse on a recent library trip, and I'm so glad I did! Anna O'Brien is an orphan, and after being bullied as a child she has grown up to be serious and quiet, and content to be mostly alone. Her safe retreat has been the Library of Congress, where she is a map librarian and researcher. When she comes across maps and information that cause her to question the accuracy of the Navy's account of what happened to the ship her father was on, she wants answers. But every time she tries, there's another roadblock, which serves only to make her question more.

Luke Callahan is a promising young Congressman from Maine, but his brash confidence and short temper gets him in trouble with the Speaker. He requests Anna as a research assistant in his quest to find something with which he can discredit the Speaker, and as an excuse to get to know her. Her quiet and gracious manner calms him and attracts him, but Anna insists that she would not be a good wife for a politician. As their friendship grows, Anna asks for Luke's help in finding out what really happened to her father's ship, and the two of them pursue answers only to find that they are stepping into very dangerous territory, especially as a conflict with Spain seems inevitable.

Although a romance between a librarian and a politician doesn't seem like it would be very exciting, there is enough historical mystery and political intrigue involved to keep this story moving at a good clip. Luke's fiery personality and Anna's quiet reserve make for interesting dynamics as the two of them wrestle with their feelings for each other and their personal struggles. Yes, another great novel from Camden!

By the same author: To The Farthest Shores, Against the Tide, From This Moment, Until the Dawn, Into the Whirlwind

©2008-2017 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/

Wordless Wednesday - First Day

This post contains affiliate links. 

Yesterday was our first 'official' day back to homeschool. 

These are the Scriptures we chose for our theme this year, the first one chosen by my daughter, and the second chosen by me.

Find out more in my First Day 2017 post on Homeschool Coffee Break.

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

©2008-2017 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/

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Beyond All Dreams

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! 

"We don't have to keep discussing this, do we? I would be a terrible wife for a congressman. You really ought to know how unsuitable I would be."

~Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden, page 224

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First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

Washington, D.C.

October 1897

"I'm begging you, please stop looking at naughty pictures in the library." It was a sentence Anna never thought she would utter, and with a straight face no less. But these boys were on the verge of getting kicked out of the Library of Congress unless she intervened for them.

"They're medical pictures," Jack Wilkerson said from his position at the library worktable. "Please, Miss O'Brien, we just want to learn."

Was there anything more frustrating than a rowdy fifteen-year-old boy? The government hired hundreds of orphaned boys to serve as congressional pages at the US Capitol, where they performed odd jobs and ran errands for congressmen but rarely had much supervision. Lately, a group of them had been causing trouble in the library, and they'd just been caught flipping through anatomy books in the hunt for drawings of naked bodies.

Here's the blurb:

Anna O'Brien leads a predictable and quiet life as a map librarian at the Library of Congress until she stumbles across the baffling mystery of a ship disappeared at sea. Thwarted in her attempts to uncover information, her determination outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help.

Luke Callahan was one of the nation's most powerful congressman before his promising career was shadowed in scandal. Eager to share in a new cause, and intrigued by the winsome librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship. Opposites in every way, Anna and Luke are unexpectedly drawn to each other despite the strict rules forbidding Anna from any romantic entanglements with members of Congress.

From the gilded halls of the Capitol where powerful men shape the future of the nation, to the scholarly archives of the nation's finest library, Anna and Luke are soon embroiled in secrets much bigger and more perilous than they ever imagined. Is bringing the truth to light worth risking all they've ever dreamed for their futures?

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2017 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/