More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemeyer

More Than Words Can Say ~ After fulfilling a pledge to a dying friend, Zacharias Hamilton is finally free. No family entanglements. No disappointing those around him. Just the quiet bachelor existence he's always craved. Until fate snatches his freedom away when the baker of his favorite breakfast bun is railroaded by the city council. Despite not wanting to get involved, he can't turn a blind eye to her predicament . . . or her adorable dimples.

Abigail Kemp needs a man's name on her bakery's deed. A marriage of convenience seems the best solution . . . if it involves a man she can control. That person definitely isn't the stoic lumberman who oozes silent confidence whenever he enters her shop. Control Zacharias Hamilton? She can't even control her pulse when she's around him.
When vows are spoken, Abigail's troubles should be over. Yet threats to the bakery worsen, and darker dangers hound her sister. Can she put ever more trust in Zach without losing her dreams of independence?

Heidi here. Another winner by Karen Witemeyer in More Than Words Can Say! The premise is simple, Abigail is forced to marry someone to keep her bakery. I adored the twist where Abigail and Zach don't have "relations" until she is ready. So they basically marry and then he courts her. I loved, loved, loved how the reader had a backstage pass to the journey of them falling in love with each other. The love grew in such a tender and organic way.

This book held great tension and very nice plot twists to keep me interested until the very end. Grab your copy of More Than Words Can Say today!

Secrets at Cedar Cabin by Colleen Coble

SECRETS AT CEDAR CABIN: Her mother lied about her identity and her husband wasn’t who she thought he was—can Bailey even trust herself anymore?

Running for her life in the wake of her mother’s murder, Bailey Fleming escapes to the only place she can think of—a remote, dilapidated cabin in Lavender Tides. Intending to finally get to the truth behind the lies of her past, Bailey only finds more questions when bodies are discovered near her cabin hideout along with traces of a dangerous human trafficking ring. In an unlikely partnership with FBI agent Lance Phoenix, Bailey races to understand the mystery surrounding her life and circumstances before the murderer tracks her down. 

Meanwhile, Lance is determined to rescue his sister, Ava, who was abducted after running away from home as a teenager. An unexpected lead brings him to the remote cabin, and he wonders if Bailey—with her suspicious past and strange connections to his sister’s case—is really who she claims to be and if she can somehow lead him to Ava. 

Filled with Colleen Coble's custom blend of suspense and romance, Secrets at Cedar Cabin takes us back to the evocative landscape of Washington's coast where nothing is quite as it seems. 

Heidi here. SECRETS AT CEDAR CABIN may be my favorite Colleen Coble book yet! I liked how hurt and afraid Bailey was when we met her, yet she was a strong character. When we meet Lance, we are shown how skilled he is, yet he is deeply wounded by his missing sister that he has spent years trying to find.

There were so many secrets that the author released at just the right moments to keep me wanting to read more. I especially liked how tightly braided the plot and subplots were. Grab your copy of SECRETS AT CEDAR CABIN by Colleen Coble today!

Mr. Bamberger and the Macy’s Parade

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is reportedly the largest parade in the world, and the second oldest in the U.S. (Gimbels in Philadelphia is the oldest.) But it wasn’t always Macy’s, and it didn’t start in New York.

Louis Bamberger of Baltimore, Maryland was a shy man who never married. A savvy businessman, he moved to Newark, New Jersey in 1892 and purchased a failing general goods store at an auction. He took on two partners and renamed the shop L. Bamberger & Co. Immediately successful, Bamberger’s, as it came to be known, grew and expanded, moving in 1912 to a building that took up an entire city block. The store grossed $28 million in sales in 1928 which is the equivalent of $399 million in 2017!)

At some point, Louis sponsored a Christmas parade. A five-mile-long route extended from Orange High School and Carteret Academy to the store via Central Avenue. Wildly popular, it took hundreds of police officers to keep the thousands of spectators in line as they pressed together to see the floats and costumed Bamberger employees, most of whom were immigrants seeking to honor their new country.

In 1924, Macy’s purchased Bamberger’s, keeping the brand name separate from their own. That year, Macy’s moved the parade to Manhattan and began to call it a Thanksgiving Day parade, but Newark’s Bamberger’s operated their event until 1957 when Macy’s discontinued the use of the name.

Helium balloons didn’t arrive until 1928, and some of the biggest attractions were the animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo, including elephants, monkeys, bears, and camels. Floats were the mainstay of the parade with brass bands from all over.

According to many websites, the parade was suspended from 1942 through 1944 because of the shortage of rubber, helium, and manpower, but I would imagine that Macy’s understood there was nothing to celebrate until the war ended in victory for the Allies.

One thing that has never changed since its inception, is Santa’s presence. Ever generous, he lent his sleigh to Hollywood for the filming of “Miracle on 34^th Street.”

I grew up in New Jersey and had the pleasure of marching in the parade for three of my four years in high school. Now, many years later, the event still holds a special place in my heart, and I snuggle on the couch every Thanksgiving to watch this iconic parade.

What are your memories of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?

Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone's throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her live. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library. To learn more about Linda, visit her website. If you enjoy history and would like to receive a free short story, sign up for her newsletter.

Things I Never Told You by Beth Vogt

Things I Never Told You: It’s been ten years since Payton Thatcher’s twin sister died in an accident, leaving the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. No longer half of a pair, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine—as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm’s length.

But with her middle sister Jillian’s engagement, Payton’s party-planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside her opinionated oldest sister, Johanna, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope that a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them . . . until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian’s plans and her future. As old wounds are reopened and the family faces the possibility of another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven further apart.

Heidi here. Beth Vogt's novels just keep getting better and better. I've read and enjoyed each one. Things I Never Told You is absolutely amazing. There are times when the emotion is so raw that I hurt for the character.

Things I Never Told You is about broken sibling relationships. A frightening diagnosis throws all the sisters into "fix it" mode. During the course of the novel, the issues they have with their own lives and the wounds they have with one another come to light. No answers come easy and Beth doesn't tie every issue up with a pretty ribbon, but the story is amazingly real and tender.

Payton and Jillian and Johanna are incredibly different and three-dimensional characters. At times the conflict is pretty intense, but in the end they do come together and form a united front. Grab your copy of Things I Never Told You today!

The Rancher's Twins by Carol Ross

The Rancher's Twins:

She’s not the country nanny he advertised for

But she could be perfect for him…

Jon Blackwell needs a woman ready to tackle the duties of a cattle ranch and two lively, take-no-prisoners twin girls. But ever since Lydia Newbury showed up at his six-generation Montana spread, the frazzled single father is rethinking, well, everything. The Philadelphia dazzler is a marvel. What he doesn’t know is the secret that has Lydia on the run…


Heidi here. I just loved The Rancher's Twins by Carol Ross. I think this was the first Heartwarming book I have read, and it surpassed my expectations.

I loved how Lydia, the nanny, was way more than Jon expected, except it wasn't obvious to him at first. Slowly he realized that Lydia was exactly what his girls needed and perfect as a wife!

The plot was well thought out and very interesting to read, there were some twists that I wasn't expecting. The characters were awesome. Jon had simple expectations and since Lydia didn't fit in his "rancher nanny" box, he pretty much dismissed her at first glance. But as time went on he was willing to accept he might have been wrong. Lydia, on the other hand, had a deep backstory that bled into how she treated and taught the girls.

I really liked the characters from the start and thoroughly enjoyed The Rancher's Twins! Pick up your copy today.

Blueberry Muffin in a Mug ~ no sugar, low carb

Blueberry Muffin Mix (no sugar, low carb), serves one

Heidi here. This is an amazing recipe that I modified from Simply Keto: A Practical Approach to Health & Weight Loss, with 100+ Easy Low-Carb Recipes.

Dry ingredients:
3 Tbl blanched almond flour
1 Tbl cocnut flour
1 Tbl plus 1 tsp Swerve confectioners'-style sweetener
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Because this serves one and is a lot of work, I actually batch up the dry ingredients into baggies by putting out a bunch of bowls and measuring the ingredients into the bowls. Then, I whisk the ingredients to mix well and pour them into snack sized baggies. So, in the morning when I'm ready to make breakfast, it doesn't take too long.

Put all dry ingredients in a medium microwave-safe mug.

Add wet ingredients to mug:
1 large egg
1 Tbl unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp avocado oil
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

mix well.

Gently stir in 10-14 blueberries, depending on size. Use the back of a spoon to press the batter down and smooth the top.

To the right is the blueberry muffin ingredients all mixed together and ready to go into the microwave.

Place the batter-filled mug in the microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds, you may need to add an additional 15 seconds.

Run a butter knife around the cooked muffin to release it. Flip mug upside down over a plate and allow muffin to slide onto the plate.

To the left is the muffin, fresh out of the microwave, cut in fourths. I drizzle additional melted butter (about 1 tsp) over the meal. So yummy!

BTW, I got the unusual ingredients at Whole Foods. If you aren't close to a Whole Foods, try Jet.com.

If you enjoyed this post and have any interest in hearing more about the simple things I learned from this book that I've been able to integrate into my daily life, please sound off in the comments and I'll do some follow up posts (breakfast ideas, lunch ideas, dinner ideas, general Kato tips).

Surprise Giveaway!

Good thing you kept reading 😃  Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for the colonial recipes from Amber Schamel's Dawn of Liberty collection. Sam Adam's favorites!

Going in Circles by Jodie Bailey

Going in Circles: Sometimes you have to go where you've been to get where you're going. 

Public relations manager Samantha Dellinger spends her days making stock car drivers shine while keeping her own imperfections well hidden. If only good PR could fix what's wrong with her soul. After a scandal threatens the Dellinger racing team, Sam can't afford to take any more chances. But that's exactly what their new driver, Nate Thomas, wants her to do… take a chance on him. As the two grow closer, the idea seems ever more appealing, but Sam has a secret she can't risk exposing. Even if Nate could accept her past, Sam isn't sure she'll ever be free of it. And when that secret shows up at her door, eager to tempt her back into his arms, will she fall back into old ways, or will she finally confront the past and risk her future for the kind of love she never dreamed existed? 

Heidi here. Oh my, reading Going in Circles by Jodie Bailey was such a treat! Jodie has written a number of suspense novels with Love Inspired, but Going in Circles is all romance💓

The first book of the Dellinger Racing Series, Going in Circles gripped me from the very start. When I first met Samantha and Nate they were both so very broken, and that emotional baggage endeared me to them from page one. That brokenness and honesty from both characters kept me flipping pages wanting to know how their story ends. The author writes in first person, has an amazing sense of humor, and a marvelous storytelling voice.

The settings were amazing. I felt like I was sitting with Sam on her swing overlooking the lake. And in her basement apartment with her father living above her. And in the backseat of the car while Sam and Nate were together or when Sam and Ryan, her cousin, tooled around. The house Nate bought in the middle of the book, I want to live there! Oh, and last but not least, I want to eat at Mervin's because Shirley sounds like the funniest waitress😀

The plot involved car racing, which I am not very familiar with, but I found that world quite fascinating. Though I must say, car racing took a backseat to the romance Jodie Bailey built in this novel.

Suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Going in Circles and can't wait for the second in the series, Stalled Out, to release! 

The House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble

The House at Saltwater Point: Ellie Blackmore is making a name for herself as a house flipper. But when her sister Mackenzie disappears, Ellie can’t focus on anything but uncovering what happened. Her only clue is the bloodstain on the deck of Mackenzie’s boat. Ellie knows her sister isn’t on the best of terms with her ex-husband, Jason, but he wouldn’t kill her—would he? 

Coast Guard intelligence officer Grayson Bradshaw believes Mackenzie faked her own death after stealing a seized cocaine shipment. The problem is convincing Ellie, who seems to view him as the true enemy.

Both Ellie and Grayson want truth, but truth—and family—is often more complex than it first appears. From international terrorism to the peaceful lavender fields of Puget Sound, The House at Saltwater Point is a thrilling race to uncover the truth before it’s too late.

Heidi here. The House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble had an interesting plot, it kept me up too late a couple of nights!

Colleen did a great job weaving in multiple plot lines, which made the read even more enjoyable. The book held a nice suspense, not too much, not too little. The plot held a home renovation, but those elements didn't detract from the plot, instead the reno helped things move along nicely.

Highly recommend. Grab your copy of The House at Saltwater Point today!

The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck

The Love Letter: Romance has never been actress Chloe Daschle’s forte—in life or on screen. But everyone knows who to call for a convincing death scene . . . and it might be killing her career.

When Chloe is given a peek at the script for an epic love story, she decides to take her destiny into her own hands and request an audition for the lead female role, Esther Kingsley. The compelling tale, inspired by family lore and a one-page letter from the colonial ancestor of scriptwriter Jesse Gates, just might break her out of this career-crippling rut. Jesse would rather write about romance than live through it after his past relationship ended in disaster. But once on-set together, the chemistry between Jesse and his leading lady is hard to deny.

Centuries earlier, in the heart of the Revolutionary War, Hamilton Lightfoot and Esther Longfellow wrote their saga off the silver screen. Esther’s Loyalist father opposes any relationship with Hamilton, but Esther must face her beloved father’s disapproval and the dangers of war in order to convince Hamilton of their future together. Hamilton has loved Esther for years, and on the eve of battle pens the love letter she’s always wanted—something straight from the heart.  

Set in stunning upcountry South Carolina, The Love Letter is a beautifully crafted story of the courage it takes to face down fear and chase after love, even in the darkest of times. And just maybe, all these generations later, love can come home in a way not even Hollywood could imagine.

Heidi here. Rachel Hauck has another winner on her hands with her latest novel, The Love Letter. She expertly flipped back and forth between modern-day Chloe Daschle and Jesse Gates and the story between Esther Longfellow and Hamilton Lightfoot from centuries ago. I tell you, I kept wondering in my mind which couple I loved best, I did make a choice in the end, but I don't want to give away the ending ;-)

The historical part of this story was beautifully written, I felt like I was in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War. The current-day part was emotional, thought-provoking, and almost envy-inducing as Chloe lives in Hollywood with her director father and actress mother, which means money, influence, abundant opportunities, mansions, pools, and servants.

The Love Letter held a deep spiritual message, it also kept me flipping the pages, the word choices were unique yet not over the top, and the plot moved swiftly. Pick up your copy today!   

More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer

More Than Meets the Eye: Many consider Evangeline Hamilton cursed. Orphaned at a young age and possessing a pair of mismatched eyes--one bright blue, the other dark brown--Eva has fought to find her way in a world that constantly rejects her. Yet the support of even one person can help overcome the world's judgments, and Eva has two--Seth and Zach, two former orphans she now counts as brothers. 

Seeking justice against the man who stole his birthright and destroyed his family, Logan Fowler arrives in 1880s Pecan Gap, Texas, to confront Zach Hamilton, the hardened criminal responsible for his father's death. Only instead of finding a solitary ruthless gambler, he discovers a man not much older than himself with an unusual family. When Zach's sister, Evangeline, insists on dousing Logan with sunshine every time their paths cross, Logan finds his quest completely derailed. Who is truly responsible for his lost legacy, and will restoring the past satisfy if it means forfeiting a future with Evangeline?

Heidi here. Isn't this the cutest cover ever? I just loved the premise to More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer. Three orphaned children build themselves a little family. We meet them as adults, Eva, Seth, and Zach. Except, Logan Fowler is seeking justice. But, guess who he falls for? Right, mismatched eyes Eva. I hated how no one was nice to Eva, and so did Logan! Eva is kind and sweet to Logan. They have immediate chemistry that intrigues Eva, but Logan keeps trying to push it away because she's "the enemy."

More Than Meets the Eye has great character development, a nice plot that arcs at just the right point, and a subplot that keeps the pages turning. I'd have to say one of my favorite parts is that Eva has that pet pig, and dresses her up!

I highly recommend Karen Witemeyer's latest novel, More Than Meets the Eye.