Still Water – Betty Thomason Owens

/ Gail Johnson / 9 Comments

Good morning! I’ve enjoyed my time off this week with family. I hope your holiday was filled with fun, family, and friends.

This Friday’s fiction spotlight is on Still Water (Home Found Suspense Book 1) by Betty Thomason Owens

First Line

My father was dead?

About the book

Title: Still Water (Home Found Suspense Book 1)

Author: Betty Thomason Owens

Release Date: March 18, 2022

Publisher: Pursued Books: an imprint of Write Integrity Press

Genre: Suspense, Mystery,

Length: 397 pages

Back Cover

The Sins of the Father?

A car wreck, recurring nightmares, questions without answers…
Could all of this point to a forgotten past?

Crime reporter, Jake Bradley, has stumbled onto a suspicious accident. The clues lead him to Lisa Oliver, the daughter of the victims. Something about her draws Jake Bradley, and he vows to help her at all costs. When the FBI warns him off the case, Jake is more determined than ever to find the truth and keep Lisa safe.

After the sudden death of her parents, Lisa Oliver yearns for a place to call home. When she meets Jake, she wants to trust him, but her father’s mantras of self-sufficiency and independence create a stumbling block. As the wall between them crumbles, the past encroaches, and Lisa fears she will never be free.

Is she forever doomed to her parents’ nomadic lifestyle, fleeing unseen enemies?

My Thoughts

Betty Thomason Owens is an established historical romance author with Write Integrity. This year, she offers her readers a suspense novel with a thread of sweet clean romance. The first in her portfolio. Still Water is Book 1 in a three-book series.

I could empathize with Lisa Oliver’s heartache of losing her parents and everything she thought was real in her life. Something no one wants to face.

And then there’s Jake Bradley. He’s a go-getter and a hero, wanting to protect those in trouble.

Both Lisa and Jake are relatable characters.

With a laid-back writing style, Owens invites her reader along to gather clues to solve the Oliver case and discover Lisa’s true identity. I enjoyed the plot, characters, writing style, and setting.

The setting? The 70s. A decade of long hair, bellbottoms, flouncy tops, wild colors, and political turmoil.

Mature readers will enjoy the trip back while young readers will enjoy visiting another place in time. Everyone will enjoy the story.

Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd

/ Gail Johnson / 13 Comments

Good morning! Yes, I know it’s Friday. Or at least I think it’s Friday. I also thought yesterday was Friday. LOL. But enough about me. I wanted to share a beautiful story coming July 5 from Sandra Byrd.

About the Book

Title: Heirlooms

Author: Sandra Byrd

Release Date: July 5, 2022

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Inspirational

Length: 460 pages

Back Cover

Answering a woman’s desperate call for help, young Navy widow Helen Devries opens her Whidbey Island home as a refuge to Choi Eunhee. As they bond over common losses and a delicate, potentially devastating secret, their friendship spans the remainder of their lives.

After losing her mother, Cassidy Quinn spent her childhood summers with her gran, Helen, at her farmhouse. Nourished by her grandmother’s love and encouragement, Cassidy discovers a passion that she hopes will bloom into a career. But after Helen passes, Cassidy learns that her home and garden have fallen into serious disrepair. Worse, a looming tax debt threatens her inheritance. Facing the loss of her legacy and in need of allies and ideas, Cassidy reaches out to Nick, her former love, despite the complicated emotions brought by having him back in her life.

Cassidy inherits not only the family home but a task, spoken with her grandmother’s final breaths: ask Grace Kim―Eunhee’s granddaughter―to help sort through the contents of the locked hope chest in the attic. As she and Grace dig into the past, they unearth their grandmothers’ long-held secret and more. Each startling revelation reshapes their understanding of their grandmothers and ultimately inspires the courage to take risks and make changes to own their lives.

Set in both modern-day and midcentury Whidbey Island, Washington, this dual-narrative story of four women―grandmothers and granddaughters―intertwines across generations to explore the secrets we keep, the love we pass down, and the heirlooms we inherit from a well-lived life.

My thoughts

This was my first multi-period novel. I was a little wary after hearing other readers say they always prefer one story over the other. But I’m happy to say that wasn’t the case with this reader. The author did a fantastic job connecting the two timelines through loss, hobbies, and secrets.

Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd is like unwrapping a  basket of goodies. She immerses the reader in the story’s setting by weaving tidbits from real life into her fictional tale, making the character’s world come alive.

Remember party lines?

By the end of the book, the reader has made new friends and collected a treasure trove of gardening and culinary ideas they can use in their own lives.

I love that Byrd’s characters are always strong and can find a solid solution to their problems. The mid-century story of two widows is a story of triumph and heartbreak. I like the way Helen helped Euhnee even though she knew it could cost her everything. Their friendship is a beautiful reminder of how precious true friends are. The modern-day story of Cassidy and Grace is about overcoming the odds and facing the truth of the past. All four women were relatable and likable.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own. I also preordered a copy.

Come Unto Me

/ Gail Johnson / 16 Comments

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

Matthew begins chapter eleven with, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.”

Imagine the people listening to the words of Jesus. All seeking a better way. The man searching for answers. A woman in need of hope. A child craving parental love. The outcast. The sick. The dying. The possessed. The physically and spiritually hungry. Lost souls longing for a way out of difficult circumstances.

In their midst was One Who cared enough to share the truth and supply their needs. Without hesitation, Jesus issued an invitation to the tired and weary.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Rest begins when we repent of our sins and choose His will over self-will. Thankfully, it doesn’t stop there. Jesus is concerned about our day-to-day lives. He is amid our everyday troubles, inviting us to come, and answering when we call.  

Today, people are still looking for a better way. Do you feel burned out? Disappointed? Distressed? Business concerns? Mounting debt? Oppressed? Depressed? Jesus’ invitation still stands. “Come unto Me.”

The Author

Charles Price Jones Sr. was born in Floyd County, near Rome, Georgia. He attended the Baptist College in Arkansas and pastored several Baptist churches. Later, he left the Baptist denomination and organized The Christ Temple Church of Christ (Holiness) in Los Angeles, California. He is the author of more than 1000 hymns. The following is still sung in congregations today.

It’s also one of my favorites. As you read the words, see if you can find a phrase that describes your need. And remember, there is nothing too great or small for our God.

The Song

1-Hear the blessed Savior calling the oppressed, “O ye heavy laden, come to Me and rest; Come no longer tarry, I your load will bear, Bring Me ev’ry burden, bring Me ev’ry care”.

Refrain-Come unto Me, I will give you rest; Take my yoke upon you, Hear Me and be blest; I am meek and lowly, Come and trust My might; Come, My yoke is easy, And My burden’s light.

2-Are you disappointed, wand’ring here and there, Dragging chains of doubt and loaded down with care? Do unholy feelings struggle in your breast? Bring your case to Jesus, He will give you rest.

3-Stumbling on the mountains dark with sin and shame, Stumbling tow’rd the pit of hell’s consuming flame, By the pow’r of sin deluded and oppressed? Hear the tender Shepherd, “Come to Me and rest’.

4-Have you by temptation often conquered been, Has a sense of weakness brought distress within? Christ will sanctify you, if you’ll claim His best, In the Holy Spirit He will give you rest.

Public Domain