Friday Fun - September 19, 2025

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm continuing my reread of the Timeless series by Gabrielle Meyer with book 3, For a Lifetime.

I'm also starting Transactions We Expose by Chelsea Michelle Mysteries so I can be ready to read the new release, Coffee We Spill. 

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

For a Lifetime by Gabrielle Meyer:

"It was a strange reality to be on the precipice of tragedy and not be able to stop it."

I guess that is something noone would really ever deal with, unless one was a time traveler or lived in two separate times.

Transactions We Expose by Chelsea Michelle Mysteries:

"Numbers always lined up. It was my motto. My lifeline."

I wasn't sure exactly what I thought of the first few lines, though I knew I needed to use more than just the first one this time. But it seemed like maybe something was going to go wrong with numbers. 

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

For a Lifetime by Gabrielle Meyer:

 

"The differences were jarring, especially as a child. Which one was right? I believed that God existed-but who was He? Was He the Puritan's God of strict rules and regulations who predestined people for salvation? Or was He the God of my parents who offered grace and mercy and provided salvation to repentant sinners?"

Transactions We Expose by Chelsea Michelle Mysteries:

"Typically, I drew comfort from having a regular in the building with me so I wasn't so completely alone, but tonight the regular happened to be Greg, and nothing about him had brought me confort since I overheard him arguing with Mo."

Reviews:

Last week I shared one book in my Friday Fun post. I haven't quite finished it, so I will share my review link next week. I can, however, share the review of the second book I posted about two weeks ago:

The Heart of the King by J.J. Fischer

 

The Heart of the King by J.J. Fischer Review

 

The Heart of the King by J.J. Fischer is a wonderful, fantasy story with adventure and prophecy and danger and awesome characters.. It drew me in from the very first line when we learned that someone had "found the girl." As the story goes on, we discover that there are others who are also searching for said girl, or Rigan, who has never felt that she has any value to anyone, and has been living a lonely life as a grave digger. That is until she was kidnapped on the order of the king by Corcoran and his men. What exactly does the king want with her? Who else is after her and why? 

I like that we don't really know what the prophecy exactly is at the beginning of the story, though we can sort of figure it out a bit. We learn more as the story progresses. Just like we learn more about the dreaded Shro Khan. 

I love the characters and seeing them fleshed out as they make their journey. Rigan is so fiesty, yet she is also kindhearted. And you can see the struggle that Corcoran is going through as he follows the orders he has. And I just love the interactions between the two. Additionally, I just love this world the author has created. I can't wait to read more in this series. 

Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book as a member of the review team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - September 12, 2025

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have one book to share with you.

I'll be starting an eARC of Unexpected Danger by Penny Zeller. This is the second book in her Mountain Justice series. It releases next week on September 16th.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

Unexpected Danger by Penny Zeller:

"The noise jolted her from a sound sleep."

That's usually not a good thing. Even if it ends up being nothing major, it sure gets the heart pumping. And it definitely caught my attention when I read. I needed to find out what was going on.

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Unexpected Danger by Penny Zeller:

 

"His eyes searched her face. Eyes that might not have been the eyes of the one who was at her door that day. Eyes that may not have been the ones watching her in her bedroom that night."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. I'm still reading that one book, but here's my review for the other. It's actually my original review from a couple of years ago. My thoughts remain the same after my reread.

In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer

 

Friday Fun - September 5, 2025

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm continuing my reread of the Timeless series by Gabrielle Meyer. This week I am reading In This Moment.

I'll also be reading The Heart of the King by J.J. Fischer, the first book in the Painted Wind series. 

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer:

"Most days, I could pretend that my life was normal."

Knowing the series, even if I hadn't read this particular book before, it made sense that her life wasn't normal and she would need to pretent it was. But, I was wondering if there was something specific about this day making it harder to pretend. And it's been a couple of years since I read it, so I couldn't remember. 

The Heart of the King by J.J. Fischer:

"'Your Majesty, we have found the girl.'"

That could be a good thing or a bad thing.

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer:

 

"'It's not a secret. I met the train of soldiers who came in from Baltimore and brought them food and medical supplies.' I wouldn't tell him I had provided medical assistance-that would need to remain a secret. Or that I had brought two of them home with me."

The Heart of the King by J.J. Fischer:

"'You're taking me down the mountain?'
He inclined his head. 

'Why?' Curiosity briefly overtook anger and fear.
He took in the bronze piece on her headband, barely visible through the strands of muddy, disheveled hair. She was right to try and protect herself from the Shro Khan. But there was little she could do to protect herself from him. How much more would she fear him once she knew her fate?"

Reviews:

Last week I shared three books in my Friday Fun post. Here are the links to the reviews:

The Rules of Falling for You by Mollie Rushmeyer

Hours We Regret by Chelsea Michelle

Chaos We Unravel by Chelsea Michelle

 

The Rules of Falling for You by Mollie Rushmeyer Review

 

The Rules of Falling for You is the third book I've read by Mollie Rushmeyer. While it was a completely different type of book, it was still just as great as her previous books. It's said to be a "regency-infused contemporary rom-com" which I found quite intriguing. 

Zoe is an almost-thirty-year-old podcaster who is obsessed with the Regency Era. She shares regency inspired relationship advice while searching for love herself. However, because of embarrasing and heartbreaking relationship disasters in her past she has built walls around her heart and has this regency inspired checklist that she is using to try to find just the right guy. 

Harrison is Zoe's best friend's brother, who is also like a brother to her, and a friend. Things are a bit awkward between them because of an event in the past, but he is back in town to help with her and his sister Eden with the podcast. 

An opportunity comes up for all of them to attend a Regency themed singles retreat. This seems like a great way to boost the podcast while participating in activities to help her find someone who will fit all of the boxes on her list. Though Harrison was not interested in this whole Regency thing, he wanted to be there for the podcast, plus there was the chance for him to advance his career.

I have to say, I loved reading about all the Regency themed activities the characters were participating in. I have an interest in the Regency era; however, I have not read any of the books that are referenced in the story, or watched the movies. So, I sort of know what the stories are about, and could sort of understand some of the referrences, and I will add, this book has really intrigued me and I sort of want to read the classic books to really get to know the characters that are being talked about throughout this book.

So, there were definitely some humorous happenings but there was a lot of serious stuff going on as well. A lot of looking deep within themselves and learning to remember that God is sovereign. This passage is one that really spoke to me as I was reading:

"'If you have everything planned, how is that any fun? Besides, even when we think we're controlling things, we're really not. Surrender is acknowledging the fact that God has it under control, has our backs, and loves us. We don't have to carry the burden of making everything right.'"

As much as I liked Zoe and Harrison and wanted to see them together, I have to say, their relationship got a bit frustrating at times. Especially with the twist toward the end. I'm not going to spoil anything, but with this twist and the characters reactions, I felt it was a bit off from how they had been growing, both in their relationship to each other, and their faith. It was because of this that I took away one star from my rating. 

That said, The Rules of Falling for You is a great book with great romance and it definitely had me laughing at times. Definitely recommended.

I received a copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - August 29, 2025

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have three books to share with you.

I'm starting an ARC of The Rules of Falling for You by Mollie Rushmeyer.  This Regency-Infused Contemporary Rom-Com releases next week on September 2.

Earlier this week I read Hours We Regret by Chelsea Michelle. This is the first of the Watson Twins Mini Mysteries. 

This week I'm also reading the second Watson Twins Mini Mystery, Chaos We Unravel. This is in anticipation of the release of the newest book which releases later in September. 

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

The Rules of Falling for You by Mollie Rushmeyer:

"I refuse to have a Pride and Prejudice pity party. . . again."

I was really curious what was meant by that.

Hours We Regret by Chelsea Michelle:

"'He's getting closer,' I muttered, staring down at the new dot on the map."

I figured I knew who she was talking about, so that was a bit concerning.

Chaos We Unravel by Chelsea Michelle:

"Where was Michelle?"

I was wondering why she needed to know and what was going on.

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

The Rules of Falling for You by Mollie Rushmeyer:

 

"I finally finish lacing the front of my full-length corset. Okay, it's all right once it's in place. Thank goodness, nothing like the super-tight, stiff Victorian-era corsets. 'I don't know about this Eden.' I peek out of my curtain and tap hers until she pops her head through."

Hours We Regret by Chelsea Michelle:

"I wish I could lose count of the places we stopped. But I counted. Every single one of them. It was like counting the seconds when you were underwater. Fifty stops. Fifty no's. Fifty reasons to fear the worst. That number was just rising as we checked every hotel and motel en route, even the ones I knew Michelle wouldn't dare step foot in alone."

Chaos We Unravel by Chelsea Michelle:

"Michelle scanned the crowd. It was starting to grow dusky, which meant the fireworks show would be soon.

'They've gotta still be here,' Michelle said. 'They'll leave with the mass exodus. Which means we have about one and a half hours to figure this out.'

'Or the police do.' I added an extra emphasis to my words."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. Here are the links to the reviews:

First Comes Marriage. . . Then Comes Murder by Donna Mumma

When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

Two weeks ago I shared one book in my Friday Fun post. Here's the link to that review:

Ransomed Love by Kate Goodwin

 

When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer Review

 

This is my second time reading When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer. I'm currently doing a reread of the series in anticipation of book 6 coming out this November. I was surprised how many details I had forgotten about. When I read this a few years ago I had posted my review on Goodreads, but hadn't been posting my reviews here on the blog. So, here is my review from my first reading, and then I added a bit at the end for this time through. 

So many people have recommended When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer. I decided to read it for one of my challenges this month. Now it's my turn to say how awesome this book is. I absolutely loved it! I was intrigued as soon as I learned the unique premise of the book. I love time travel and I love dual time line books, so I figured I would love this book. I have to say, I also loved the two time periods, plus I've wanted to go to Colonial Williamsburg for years, so the fact that the 1775 timeline takes place there was a huge plus. Definitely wasn't expecting certain twists. Such a great book. I mean imagine living in two different time lines. In one you are a patriot in the time leading up to the Revolutionary War. Yet in the other time you are from a well to do family during the Gilded Age. You know that America is going to become an Independent nation and you have a purpose in 1775. Yet in 1915 you are being made to marry into British aristocracy. You KNOW which time you want to live in, but events and circumstances arise that cause you to struggle with what you are going to have to choose. As a reader, I definitely felt poor Libby's desperation, and her heartache, and heartbreak. But those twists. . .  As I mentioned, even though some things were sort of expected, there were twists I did not see coming. When the Day Comes is an awesome book, and I can't wait for the next book. Definitely recommended.

I just wanted to add, after my reread, that I loved the book even more this time around. I'm doing a reread of the series leading up to the release of Book 6. I couldn't believe how many details, some very important details, I forgot. And knowing how the rest of the series has been going, it really made me love this so much more. 

And this time, the sovereignty of God was even more profound. A very important reminder.