September Reading and Expected October Reads

My September 2019 Reads:

Today I'm sharing a bit about what I've been reading and what I hope to read. Mostly, I'm just wondering how it is October already? 🍁🍁🍁 In September, I finished:

1. The Reckless by Marylu Tyndall. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


2. CALLED to Inspire by Marsha DuCille. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


3. The Devotional Poetry of Donne, Herbert, and Milton by Leland Ryken. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐


4. How to Survive a Shipwreck by Jonathan Martin. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Review to come soon.


5. Shadows of Ladenbrook Manor by Melanie Dobson - ⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


6. One More River to Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick  - ⭐⭐⭐ - Review to come soon.


7. One Final Breath by Lynn H. Blackburn. - ⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

My favorite book this month was...... The Reckless by Marylu Tyndall! This captivating novel had it all: romance, adventure, suspense, and character development! My review is available here!

Expected October 2019 Reads:

In October, I expect to read:

1. Outbreak by Davis Bunn. - My local book club's October selection.


2. Unscripted by Davis Bunn - Two books by Davis Bunn this month? Yes, please!


3. Woe Is I by Patricia T O'Connor - Yeah, still working on this one....


4. How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty by Patti Breitman and Connie Hatch. - Currently reading! So many good examples of using the powerful word: no.


5. Courage to See: Daily Inspiration from Great Literature by Greg Garrett and Sabrina Fountain. - Literature combined with a devotional. Can't go wrong with that!


6. We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels - Ever since I read (and loved) The Words Between Us, I've wanted to read this one. Fortunately, my library had it available! 


7. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis - I've wanted to read the Narnia series for some time now and my husband recommended starting with this one.


8. A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott - A new-to-me author!

 What will you read this month?

Book Review: The Reckless by Marylu Tyndall

About the Book:

Captain Reena Charlisse Hyde always gets what she wants. She wanted to be the best female pirate on the Caribbean and she is. She wants to find the mythical Fountain of Youth and she knows the location of the map. And now after searching across the Caribbean for the man she intends to marry, she has found him. There are only two problems. He doesn't want to be found, and he's on board a Royal Navy frigate—the last place a pirate should venture.

Frederick Carlton thought he was finally safe from the woman who held his heart. But her attempt to rescue him labels him a deserter from the Royal Navy. He’s turned his life over to God and plans on being a preacher, but every moment he spends with Reena drives him deeper into a past he longs to forget.

Mutinies, deserted islands, treasure maps, battles, traitors, and villains send the couple sailing on a tsunami of adventure throughout the Caribbean in search of the Fountain of Youth. Frederick longs to escape the lure of the woman he loves. Reena longs for Frederick to love her again. But in the end, they will both have to choose between eternal youth or the lives of everyone they love.


My Thoughts:

The Reckless by Marylu Tyndall is the sixth installment in the Legacy of the King’s Pirates series. I haven’t read any others in the series and The Reckless was fine as a stand-alone. I believe this novel is self-published and there were some text formatting errors in the print version. These errors were infrequent and did not hinder my enjoyment of the novel.

From the start, this novel captured my attention, thanks in part to Reena and her antics. She fascinated me with her determination to find the fountain of youth and her steadfast resolve to make Freddy love her. True to her stubborn character, her journey to God is long and hard. Watching her learn and grow was a pleasure.

Aside from Reena’s character development, The Reckless boasts plenty of action, romance, and spiritual themes. There’s never a dull moment aboard The Reckless. Just when Reena, Freddy, and her crew escape one bad situation, they find themselves in another. The romance between Freddy and Reena is steady and steamy. While it is a clean romance -- no erotica -- there’s heavy sexual tension between the two of them due to their past history. Spiritual warfare and the desire for physical beauty are two themes that weave throughout the novel. Freddy’s ability to see spiritual beings and experience prophetic dreams added a spiritual component to the novel that is uncommon in mainstream Christian fiction.

I recommend The Reckless by Marylu Tyndall to readers who enjoy historical romance with a twist of fantasy. Having read this novel, I now intend to ask for several others in the series as Christmas gifts. Five stars!

New Book Acquisitions!

Do you ever use a holiday or birthday to acquire more books? I do. 

I make it super-easy for my husband. I order the books I want and once they arrive, I give them to him to put in a bag... to present to me on my birthday... or Valentine's day.... or our anniversary. You get the idea.

So, tonight I am sharing the books that I received for Mother's Day:

This is quite a diverse gathering. A contemporary fiction (To Get to You), a historical romance (Never Forget), and two that I'm not quite sure how to classify, historical fantasy, perhaps? (The Reckless and Fawkes)

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes is completely out of my normal genre. But the Bookstagram community has convinced me that this is an amazing book, so I'm giving it a try!

I was a bit surprised when I realized three of the four were independently published. I usually don't gravitate toward self-published books.

So, lots of reading in my future. And that makes me happy. :)

What about you? Did you receive any books for Mother's Day?