CALLED TO PROTECT by Lynette Eason, Review by Paula Shreckhise

Book 2 in the Blue Justice series!
Lynette Eason is one of my favorite authors. She writes with great realism, having done extensive research. Her characters are brave and Godfearing. In this series she focuses on the St. John family. The first book in this series concentrated on Izzy, one of the daughters.

Called to Protect is about another daughter in the St. John family where law enforcement seems to be a way of life. Chloe is an officer with a K-9 partner, Hank, who is cross-trained to discover drugs and track people.

This book is about the horrific subject of human trafficking. While not gratuitous, it brought the ugly truth to light. The plot was intricate and interesting, with near non-stop action. There were other issues to deal with at the same time. Blake MacCallum is guarding a judge who brings down harsh sentences on human traffickers. He is also dealing with an estranged father who is dying and a difficult teenaged daughter.

The story starts out with a bad traffic accident and a startling discovery that leads to all kinds of intrigue.

There is always a spiritual lesson to be learned from Ms. Eason’s books. The characters rely on God in a natural way, showing how their vocations can coincide with their Christian faith,

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

*I won this book from Jen Turano in a contest. I was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions are my own.*

BackCover Blurb:
For the past year, Chloe St. John has been working as a K-9 cop with her German shepherd partner, Hank. After being dumped by her fiancé for another woman, Chloe has decided that Hank is just about the only male she likes. She's over the whole romance thing and focuses her attention on doing her job. Because a serious case of human trafficking with connections to her missing cousin just landed in her lap.

When US Marshall Blake MacCallum's daughter goes missing, he's ordered to kill the judge he's protecting and tell no one about his daughter's disappearance or she will die. Blake races against the clock to rescue his daughter while Chloe and Hank are asked to be a part of the task force assembled to bring down the traffickers. Chloe finds herself attracted to the silent, suffering man, but thanks to her previous bad judgment, she wonders if she can trust him. And can Blake trust himself around this firecracker of a woman?

Bestselling author Lynette Eason warns readers to buckle in for a fast and furious ride that will have their hearts pumping from the very start.

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover and audiobook:
Buy Called to Protect at Amazon
Buy Called to Protect at Christianbook.com

Perception

As a writer, I'm interested in people's traits and personalities. I don't decide to go somewhere and people watch, but I keep my eyes and ears open. More often than not when I'm in a public area, I'll make a note of something I see or hear that sparks my interest enough to consider it for a writing project, but what I write will be a different version of what I saw because I don't know what I was seeing...only what I perceived it to be.

Nelson and Jessica sharing a tender moment, 1992, Vermilion Bay, Ontario 

The above image shows my husband and daughter sharing a quiet roadside moment as we travelled halfway across Canada back in 1992. This scene has stayed in my memory because it shows a special bond between the two...a bond of trust they still share. Yet when I put my writer's spectacles on, I can imagine the child having a drastic allergic reaction to something the man is giving her. Or what about a desperate father deciding to kidnap his daughter from his estranged wife in a scene worthy of Amber Alert. Yet it can be as simple as a teacher giving a blind child a pine cone so she can feel the texture. 

The truth is, we usually don't know what people are doing or why they are doing it if we aren't clued into their life and circumstance. We see something and imagine the rest without having all the facts. That's a dangerous assumption all around. 

While searching for an image to show how different people perceive situations, I typed the word, cry, into the search engine at pixabay.com and the following image came up with tags of cry, sad, and want to be alone.  What I found interesting is that my first thought upon seeing it wasn't sad at all, but that of a boy playing the game of Hide-and-Seek and he was counting before looking for the rest of the kids. 

Source: pixabay

Words can also have different perceptions. I was recently looking for a verse to go on a Scripture Pic that would show how God doesn't judge us and I came upon 1 Samuel chapter 16. This is the chapter that shows how God directed the prophet Samuel to anoint the new king of Israel from among the sons of Jesse. Samuel doesn't know who will be chosen, so asks to see all of Jesse's sons. As the first one is brought in, verse 7 reads, "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

That first part by itself tells us that it doesn't matter if someone is too tall, too short, too handsome, or not. God doesn't care what our physical bodies look like...He looks in our heart to see if we're good or evil. But if I only used the first part on my scripture pic, or even the complete verse, those unfamiliar with the chapter might be confused because this verse doesn't actually say that God rejected the eldest son because his heart wasn't good.

For my scripture pic then, in order to avoid confusion for those who wouldn't see the rest of the verses in 1 Samuel chapter 16, I decided that the last half of verse 7 was what I want people to know about our God.

Perception is best explained as how we see things and put them in perspective using our senses and understanding. In today's world where one image of a person or situation without a qualifying explanation of the story behind it can change lives forever, we need to step back and stop the speculation of what we think we see or hear, or even read, because it doesn't matter. 

The only thing that matters is what God sees in our heart.


Note: I have no theology credentials other than having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who lives in my heart.

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

 Anita Mae Draper lives on the Canadian prairies where she uses her experience and love of history to enhance her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism and faith. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com

THE SECRETS OF PAPER AND INK by Lindsay Harrel, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney #GIVEAWAY by Nicole Cook

"Books had always been her escape. Here, she hoped they'd become her healing."

Sophia Barrett has a story to tell, if only she could find the words. So when she takes an extended self-imposed sabbatical from her profession as a women's therapist in order to heal her own wounds, she finds herself temporarily planted in Cornwall, England . . . where another young woman, who co-owns a charming bookshop desperately needs to find her own path towards a new future.

Stumbling across a copy of an old journal, Sophia becomes absorbed with the story of a young governess, whose life story mirrors so much of her own heartache. When her hostess, Ginny Rose, includes her brother-in-law, who happens to be a literature professor, into the mix, the three friends begin a journey into the past that could provide Sophia with the inspiration that she needs to unlock the "secrets of paper and ink"; and so much more.

" . . . . who we are is not defined by the ups and downs of our lives - the failures OR the successes. Nay, we are instead defined by Whose we are."

An original, inspiring, and an expertly penned story from the first turn of the page until the cover reluctantly closes.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
BackCover Blurb:
Brought together across time by a love of story, three women in England fight to defy expectations, dream new dreams, and welcome love into their lives.

As a counselor, Sophia Barrett is trained to help people cope with their burdens. But when she meets a new patient whose troubles mirror her own, she realizes she hasn’t dealt with the pain of her recent past. After making a snap decision to get away for the summer, Sophia moves overseas to an apartment above a charming bookstore in Cornwall, England. She is hopeful she will find peace there surrounded by her favorite thing: great literature.

Bookstore owner Ginny Rose is desperate to save her business without asking for help from a husband who’s decided to take a break from their marriage. Ginny never imagined she’d be solely responsible for keeping afloat her husband’s dream, but the unexpected friendship with her new renter has her feeling more optimistic. Between the two of them—and Ginny’s brother-in-law, William—the bookstore might stand a chance.

Then Sophia finds a notebook in the bookstore that contains journal entries from Emily Fairfax, a governess who lived in Cornwall more than 150 years ago. Sophia learns that Emily harbored a secret passion for becoming an authoress—as well as a deep love for her childhood friend, Edward, whose station she dared not dream to touch.

Eager to know more of Emily’s story, Sophia goes on a quest—dragging Ginny and William with her—to discover the heart of the woman behind the beautiful entries. Soon Ginny’s need to save the bookstore becomes more than a way to save her marriage, and Sophia finds new purpose of her own. Together they find that sometimes both heartache and hope can reach across the centuries.

Available in digital ebook, paperback, library binding and audiobook:
Buy The Secrets of Paper and Ink at Amazon
Buy The Secrets of Paper and Ink at Christianbook.com

GIVEAWAY OF PAPERBACK 
Inkwell Reviewer Nicole Cook is graciously giving away a brand new paperback of THE SECRETS OF PAPER AND INK. To be in the drawing, please participate in one or both of the two Rafflecopter options.
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Back to School and a Normal (?) Routine

https://images.app.goo.gl/s311tVoYgr7ZuLG37

by Susanne Dietze

Has school begun for the year in your neighborhood? For most of my friends and family, it has. I see pics on their Facebook feeds of their kids in with new backpacks. Or, for the teachers, pics of decorated, fun-looking classrooms.

This time of year can be fun, but also one of anxiety for kids starting new classes, and for parents who have to grow accustomed to the new routines, as well.

For a long, long time now, my life has revolved around my kids' schools and activities. Drop off, pick up, volunteering, attending events, you know the drill! That's all changing for me this year as my kids go to college.

As every parent knows, there are pros and cons to having an empty nest. But regardless of what's on those lists for you, the bottom line is, we raise our children to grow up and leave us, and our hope is to put ourselves out of a job. I think it was Katie Couric who said boats are safe in the harbor, but that's not what boats are built for. (Yep, Katie Couric--thanks, google!)

https://images.app.goo.gl/RZYcPNMi8w6vWnPaA

My kids have been moored in a safe, calm harbor. I like them there. As a mom, I probably qualify as one of those "helicopter parents." I fight the urge to hover. It isn't because my kids are incapable people. It's because I love them, I'm invested, and yes, I'm broken. I don't want them to struggle in ways I had to. 

But I also realize it's up to them to figure things out in life. To make their own decisions, try new things, fail--because failure is integral to success, in my experience--and become the "boats" God made them to be, if you'll bear with me going with the Katie Couric quote one more time.

God has new seas for them to explore. 

And God has something new for me. Will it be more writing? A different job to bring in some money on top of writing? Finally cleaning my closet? (My husband undoubtedly hopes so.) 

I don't know the answer yet. Not for my future, or my kids'. But God is at the destination, just as He's with us at the beginning and along the journey. 

Time for all of us to get into our boats and try new waters.