Must-Have November Releases + A Linkup

Somehow it’s already time for another one of my must-have releases posts, but I have to say, I’m kind of glad. First of all, because I really enjoy writing about books I’m looking forward to reading, and secondly, because that means it’s almost November! And that means Thanksgiving, with Christmas right behind it! But for right now, let’s just talk about these books that I can’t wait to read!

My Bookshelf: Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren

Search and rescue pilot Kacey Fairing is home on leave in Mercy Falls, Montana, twelve years after she joined the military to escape the mistakes of her past. With a job waiting for her as the new lead pilot of Peak Rescue in Glacier National Park, Kacey hopes to reconnect with the now-teenage daughter she sees only between deployments. What she doesn’t realize is that someone else is also back in town.

Ben King has been building his country music career since the day Kacey shut him out of her life. Now all of that’s on hold when his injured father calls him home to help run Peak Rescue until he’s fully recovered. It doesn’t take long, though, to discover his father’s ulterior motives as Kacey Fairing walks into the house and back into his heart.

With Mercy Falls in a state of emergency due to flash floods, Kacey and Ben are forced to work together to save lives. But when floodwaters turn personal, can they put aside the past to save their future?

A Busy Week + A Linkup

Happy Monday!
This week has been crazy hectic for both me and my co-host, and sister, Sarah, so unfortunately this week's linkup will not be as well put together as it normally is. However, we didn't want to cancel this week's linkup altogether, so don't worry, it's still at the bottom of this post. I just don't really have anything to share with you, as the first time I've had a chance to sit down and blog in days is Sunday night, just minutes before I need to go to bed. Plus, I was going to talk about another outfit I wore this week, and neither of my sisters had a chance to help me take pictures, so I wouldn't have had any visuals to go with my words about my outfit! So I'll save it for another day.
Well, I hope all of you haven't been nearly as busy over the last few days, but I just want you to know my co-host and I are still just as excited to read all of your posts, so be sure to still linkup! Just because we've been a bit remiss in our blogging doesn't mean we don't want to see what you all have been up to! So link away, and I promise I will hopefully be back to regular programming next week!
And now on to the linkup!

RULES

-Link back to Spreading His Grace, Bows and Clothes, or both

-Subscribe to both blogs and follow each of us on at least one social media

Mackenzie: Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Sarah: Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin'

-This linkup has no theme so we encourage you to link any of your recent posts. Also note that we have the right to delete your link if it isn't appropriate. However, we are super excited to read about your passions and are so glad that you've decided to join us!

FEATURES

Unfortunately this week we don't have any specific features, but we have been loving all of the posts that have been linked up, so I'd say this week, all of y'all are featured! Way to go! Check back next week for our regular featured posts.

An InLinkz Link-up

To see where I'm linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

A Match of Wits by Jen Turano

After his departure from New York two years ago to meet up with his almost-fiancée, Zayne Beckett is the last person Agatha Watson wanted to stumble upon in her travels as a reporter with the New York Tribune. Quite pathetically bedraggled, he clearly needs to be taken in hand and sent back East to his family. Although she no longer has feelings for him, Agatha realizes, by hook or by crook, she’ll have to be the one to get the obstinate man home.

Zayne has no desire to be taken anywhere and is prepared to drag his heels all the way home…until he finds himself slipping back into the familiar banter of his former friendship with Agatha. Once they arrive in New York, Zayne realizes Agatha’s determined nose for news has earned her a few enemies, and he hopes to repay her help with some help of his own. When she rebuffs all his attempts to prove himself a knight in shining armor, the lengths to which they’ll go to win this battle of wills lead to some memorable antics.

Everyone else may think them a match, but nothing could be further from the truth—until Agatha finds herself in real trouble. Have these two stubborn, too-smart-for-their-own-good people been meant for each other all along?

My Bookshelf: A Talent for Trouble by Jen Turano

For years, Miss Felicia Murdock’s every though and action have been in pursuit of becoming a minister’s wife. When the minister she’d set her sights on has other ideas, she decides something in her life needs a change—and soon—before she wastes any more time pretending to be someone she’s not. If that means spreading her wings and embracing a more lively way of life, who’s to say nay?

Grayson Sumner, Lord Sefton, has had more than enough of spreading his wings and only hopes to settle into the life of a respectable New York gentleman. Prompted by some friends to lift the spirits of the disappointed-in-love Miss Murdock, he is surprised to encounter an adventurous young lady with an unfortunate knack for stumbling into troublesome situations.

Just as Grayson decides he’s had quite enough of her antics, his past comes back to haunt him and his presence in Felicia’s life endangers her. As they work together to extricate themselves from this latest complication, will Grayson and Felicia decide they want to spend the rest of their lives keeping one another out of trouble?

Top Ten Tuesday: The Name Game

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about names, mainly the names of characters we love so much that we would name something—or someone—after them. I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t ever name a dog or a baby after a character’s whole name, meaning their first AND last name, but I would definitely use first names. Especially since it doesn’t really matter to me if everyone else knows who I’ve named them after, I’ll know. So, these are some of the characters I would name my children after if I could! Oh, and I’m really into what names mean and will only give my kids names that mean wonderful things, so all the names on this list also fall into that category because, yes, I looked them up.

A Little Fashion + A Linkup

Happy Monday! Today I am doing something I have never done before and am talking about fashion! I’ve realized over the past few months that I really enjoy coming up with cute outfit ideas, so I thought I would talk a bit about them here! This is a learning process for me, though, so I probably won’t have a lot of links and similar clothes mentioned or anything like that for a while, but I will tell you about what I’ve worn! Here’s what I wore to church yesterday:

The dress is a new one that I picked up from Altar’d State not too long ago, and it’s one of my favorites to wear right now. It’s so comfortable! The chambray shirt is at least a year old, possibly two, but I wear it ­all the time. Oh, and I got it at Ross. The key necklace is one of my favorite statement pieces, but I actually can’t remember where I got it. It’s old as well. And the nude ballet flats I just got maybe about 6 months ago, and they are my go to shoes for literally every outfit. They’re from Target, but I feel like you can find them absolutely anywhere.

Now let me talk about my nails and make-up—or lack thereof—for a minute. When it comes to make-up, I simply don’t wear any. I’ve struggled with acne for a while now, and I’ve noticed that make-up does ­not help matters at all. So I just keep it simple and go natural. Besides, make-up is just something I’m not good at, and it doesn’t really bother me to go without it. Nails, though, are a different story. I absolutely love creating cute nail art, so my nails are constantly painted. If you can tell from the above picture, my nail polish is dark, way darker than I normally paint them, but that is completely purposeful. Check them out!

Although the blue is a little darker than I wanted it to be, I absolutely had to paint my nails with a design that supported my baseball team, especially since they are currently on their way to the World Series! Okay, so they haven’t exactly finished playing in the ALCS yet, but they are already leading the series 2-0, so I am extremely confident that they will make it to the World Series. Anyway, I knew as soon as we beat the Red Sox in the ALDS that I absolutely had to come up with a design to cheer them through the ALCS! So, I bought some blue nail polish, and created this cute design with the C for the Cleveland Indians! And that’s what I wore this past Sunday!

And now on to the linkup!

FEATURES

First, I’m featuring Casey from Cattails, Rabbit Trails, and Thistlefish with her post about the books on her bookshelf.

Second, I’m featuring Shea from Shea Lennon and her post about her super cute outfit composed of a striped dress and adorable moto jacket.

RULES

 -Link back to Spreading His Grace, Bows and Clothes, or both

-Subscribe to both blogs and follow each of us on at least one social media

Mackenzie: Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Sarah: Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin'

-This linkup has no theme so we encourage you to link any of your recent posts. Also note that we have the right to delete your link if it isn't appropriate. However, we are super excited to read about your passions and are so glad that you've decided to join us!

An InLinkz Link-up

To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

Photo credits go to my sister, Allie, whose blog you can visit here.

A Most Peculiar Circumstance by Jen Turano

Miss Arabella Beckett, defender of the down-trodden women of America, is returning from her travels in support of the women’s suffrage movement when she makes a simple offer of assistance to a young woman in need. But things go sadly awry, and both ladies soon find themselves in dire need of rescue. Arabella, always loath to admit she needs help, is particularly reluctant to receive assistance from the arrogant, narrow-minded knight in shining armor who shows up just in time.

Private investigator extraordinaire Mr. Theodore Wilder is on an assignment that began as a favor to his good friend Hamilton Beckett, but swiftly evolved into a merry chase across the country. He is already in less than a pleasant mood, and when Hamilton’s sister turns out of have radical ideas and a fiercely independent streak, he’s at his wit’s end.

Much to their chagrin, Theodore and Arabella’s paths continue to cross when they return home to New York, but the most unusual feelings beginning to grow between them certainly can’t be anything serious. When the trouble Arabella accidentally stirred up in her travels follows her home and threatens her very life, the unlikely couple must face the possibility that they might have landed in the most peculiar circumstance of all: love.

My Bookshelf: The Mistress of Tall Acre by Laura Frantz

There can only be one mistress of Tall Acre…

The American Revolution is finally over, and Sophie Menzies is starved for good news. When her nearest neighbor, General Seamus Ogilvy, finally comes home to Tall Acre, she hopes it is a sign of better days to come. But the general is now a widower with a small daughter in desperate need of a mother. Nearly destitute, Sophie agrees to marry Seamus and become the mistress of Tall Acre in what seems a safe, sensible arrangement. But when a woman from the general’s past returns without warning the ties that bind this fledgling family together will be strained to the utmost. When all is said and done, who will be the rightful mistress of Tall Acre?

Top Ten Tuesday: New Favorites

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is actually supposed to be all about books that I have read because someone recommended them to me, but I didn’t think I could come up with ten books under that category. And it isn’t because I don’t read books people recommend to me, it’s just that I’m usually the one suggesting the books. So, I decided to pick my own topic, this time going with something I knew wouldn’t be difficult to come up with. My all-time favorites list on Goodreads has been growing so much over the last year, so I decided I would talk about ten books I’ve recently added to that list! To keep it varied, however, I won’t list the same author twice. So, here are some of my new favorite books! (Side note: after I made this list I realized that I own all of these books except for one, which I thought was kinda funny, but it makes it super easy to read these again!)

Thoughts from the Weekend + A Linkup

Happy Monday! I struggled for a long time with what I wanted to write about for today’s post, so I ended up deciding on talking about two different things that have been on my mind the last couple of days. First of all, I am sure many of you have heard about Hurricane Matthew and its effects here on the coast of Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. While I don’t live on the coast, my area was still affected to some degree by the storm. We dealt with rain, strong winds, and power outages here in the Midlands, and just seeing the hurricane’s effects here kept those closer to the storm on my mind all weekend. Although my area of the state was extremely blessed by being saved from the worst part of the storm, many areas near me were not so fortunate, so they are constantly in my prayers.

A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano

Lady Eliza Sumner is on a mission. After losing her family, her fiancé, and her faith, the disappearance of her fortune is the last straw. Now, masquerading as Miss Eliza Sumner, governess-at-large, she’s determined to find the man who ran off with her fortune, reclaim the money, and head straight back to London.

Much to Mr. Hamilton Beckett’s chagrin, all the eyes of New York society—all the female ones, at least—are on him. Unfortunately for all the matchmaking mothers and eligible daughters, he has no plans to marry again, especially with his hands full keeping his business afloat and raising his two children alone.

When Eliza’s hapless attempts to regain her fortune put her right in Hamilton’s path, sparks instantly begin to fly. The discovery of a common nemesis causes them to join forces, but with all their plans falling by the wayside and their enemies getting the better of them, it will take a riot of complications for Hamilton and Eliza to realize that God just might have had a better plan in mind all along.

Top Ten Tuesday: All About the Villains

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about villains! Any way you want to approach it, the topic of the day is about the evil men and women who have filled some of our favorite books. For me, I just picked a few bad guys, and girls, from some books I’ve read in the past year. These are some pretty bad men and women, but I hope reading this doesn’t spoil any of the books for you! I was tempted to not even write any of the names in this post, but then I felt like it wouldn’t be totally accurate, so read at your own risk!

My Bookshelf: Keep Holding On by Melissa Tagg

Beckett Walker hasn’t stepped foot in Maple Valley in years. There’s no getting past the painful memories, and there’s every chance he’ll be arrested as soon as he shows his face. Which is exactly what happens when he finally returns. Suddenly his dream of adventure as a military lawyer comes skidding to a halt.

Horticulturist Kit Danby has spent too much time missing home and her childhood best friend—Beckett Walker. Now she might have a shot at reclaiming both. After years of living abroad, she returns to run her family’s apple orchard. She has one season to turn a profit and impress the father she barely knows. But she can’t do it alone.

It should be simple: Beckett needs community service hours. Kit needs a helping hand. But there’s more at stake than either of them planned. With a tangled past and futures that look nothing alike, they’ll have to find a way to weather the storms of the present…or risk losing everything.

September Numbers & October Goals + A Linkup

Happy October! I can’t believe September is already over, but I’m almost glad it is because October means fall and more football and birthdays and fall break and getting that much closer to two of my favorite holidays. As I stated last month in my August Numbers and September Goals post, this is a new thing I’m starting to write about every month, and I got my inspiration from Becky @ byBMG. I just thought it was such a cute idea, so I’ve used that inspiration to make an idea of my own! So, here’s what I’ve been up to this past month and what I hope to do in the month to come!