My Bookshelf: Storm Front by Susan May Warren

Life and love hang in the balance during a deadly summer of storms.

A tornado has destroyed a small Minnesota community, and among the missing are not only a group of students but also PEAK Rescue team leader Chet King. Ty Remington will stop at nothing to rescue his mentor, not even when the girl he loved—and lost—walks back into his life. But Brette needs his help more than he knows, despite her stubborn determination to push him away. And when he gets a second chance, loving her just might cost him more than he can imagine.

A blogger for Vortex Storm Chasers, Brette Arnold didn’t expect her adventures to land her in the same place as Ty, the guy who she walked—no ran—from over a year ago. She had her reasons—good ones. The kind that tell her that falling for him again would only lead to heartache. But Ty isn’t the kind of man to give up—not on the missing students or on her.

It's Not About Me?

 Do you ever make everything—or even just one particular thing—all about you? And then because of your selfishness you say or do something that hurts someone else…and you feel terrible? Please tell me it’s not just me. I’ve been doing this far too often recently and it’s been making me wonder, “Am I really this selfish?” Do I really care that much more about myself than about others around me? I suppose one could argue that since I am taking the time to ask myself these questions, then I must not be totally selfish, otherwise I wouldn’t care at all. But still, my actions haunt me.

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I’ve Given Up On

 

It’s Tuesday again! And I must say, I am really glad to be back to writing Top Ten Tuesday posts once more. Plus, this is a really good Tuesday for me, since I am currently laid back with my feet up enjoying a week by the lake. There is no better way to spend the summer, except by the beach. Especially since I brought enough books that I could almost read a book a day if I wanted to, and that makes for the perfect vacation. This week for Top Ten Tuesday, however, we are talking about books—or rather series—that we are actually not planning on reading. So, here are some series I have decided I just can’t finish.

Must-Have July Releases

It’s July already? How is that possible? But, I can’t really complain, because there are SO many fantastic books coming out this month! I think this is my longest list this year, and that is always a happy thing because I love finding out about new books that I can read. So I hope that you can find something from this list that piques your interest!

My Bookshelf: Troubled Waters by Susan May Warren

 Billionaire Ian Shaw can have everything he wants—except a happy ending. Or at least that’s what it feels like with his fortune recently liquidated, his niece, Esme, still missing, and the woman he loves refusing to speak to him. In fact, he doubts she would date him even if they were stranded on a deserted island.

 Despite her love for Ian, Sierra Rose knows he has no room in his life for her as long as the mystery of his missing niece goes unsolved. The only problem is, Sierra has solved it, but a promise to Esme to keep her whereabouts secret has made it impossible to be around Ian.

 When the PEAK chopper is damaged and Sierra lacks the funds to repair it, Ian offers a fundraising junket for large donors on his yacht in the Caribbean. But the three-day excursion turns into a nightmare when a rogue wave cripples the yacht and sends the passengers overboard. Shaken up and soaked to the bone, Ian finally has a chance to test his theory when he and Sierra do indeed find themselves washed up on a strange, empty shore.

 It will take guts and gumption for the PEAK team to rescue the duo. But it will take a miracle to rescue Ian and Sierra’s relationship.

Stealing Time

 If you have followed my blog with any degree of regularity over the past few years, I’m sure you have noticed the ebb and flow of my dedication to it. Some months—or years—I have posted regularly, and kept up with my reading, writing, and linkups, while others I have let it fall to the wayside and have done well to post at all. Mostly, this is because I have been in college (and technically I still am once summer break is over, I have one year left), but it is also because I haven’t been very faithful to use the gifts and talents that God has given me. I have quite a few hobbies, and while it is difficult to devote a decent amount of time to all of them on a regular basis, more lately, I have found myself completely neglecting to devote any time to them at all. The way this blog has gone over the past year or so in particular is an example of this.

 However, God has been tugging at my heart lately, reminding me of all of the things that He has created in me a love to pursue. More importantly, He has been gently nudging me to take a good look at how I choose to spend my time. Actually, He has been instructing me to take stock of my life and how I live it for quite some time now, but I have been a lot slower to listen. Why? Because I’m comfortable. Because I like spending my time however I like. Because I don’t necessarily enjoy being convicted. While all of those statements remain true today, I can’t actually let them govern my life. There is always going to be something I need to work on. And change is never going to be something I really enjoy. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, my life isn’t my own. I know that. Besides, God’s plans always turn out to be even bigger than my dreams (which is a topic I want to cover again, more in depth, on another day), so deep down I know that my best option is always to respond to God’s gentle prodding.

Top Ten Tuesday: My Summer TBR

I’m finally back! I cannot tell you how much I have missed participating in Top Ten Tuesday, but now I’m finally back to posting about it again, and I’m so glad. I am really into lists for some reason—it’s my personality I guess—so I think that is why these posts are so enjoyable for me to write. Now that I have decided to put more time back into my blog again, I have easily made the decision to get back to participating in Top Ten Tuesday again as well. And my first post back just so happens to be a really great one: books to read on the beach/by the pool, or in other words, books on my summer TBR list! Since my TBR list is always SUPER long, these kinds of posts are really easy for me. So, for the first four books on this list, I chose books that are currently on my bookshelf that I am really looking forward to finally getting around to reading, and am planning on reading in the next couple of months. Then, for the last six books on this list, I chose some new releases that are coming out this summer that I’ve been dying to read ever since I learned about their impending release. So, let’s get down to this list!