Dangerous Relations by Carol J. Post

A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

As my kids get older, my schedule seems to be less and less my own. When I found myself with a few moments one weekend, I picked up the newest book from Carol J. Post, Dangerous Relations and began to read. I only had time to read a little more than a chapter and hated that I had to put it down, as from the very first page, I was pulled into the story. It's hard not to be when the characters that you have only just met find themselves suddenly in the line of fire within the first chapter. Who was behind the fire? Why were they being fired at?

Wanting to find out what happened next and help solve the mystery of who had killed Mia and who was after some portion of the foursome, I found more time later that afternoon and ultimately finished the book that weekend. The story had me fully engrossed, as I learned more about not only what was happening in the lives of Ryan, Shelby, Addy and little Chloe, but also information around the history of each and elements of the story that brought us to this point. As the story unfolded, Post continued to introduce new twists and turns, bringing about learnings that had my theories on the mystery continuing to evolve and causing me to second-guess my own theories. Surprisingly, one of my early theories turned out to be directionally correct. It always is pleasing when I was able to at least figure out part of the mystery before it is revealed.

Poor little Chloe had her life turned upside down when her mother was murdered. Her aunt, her uncle and her nanny were all spending time caring for her and trying to help her find a new normal. Through those experiences, both Shelby and Ryan seemed to grow and came to have a new perspective of one another. As their relationships continued, they also found common connections beyond their niece. They learned that each had come from dysfunctional homes and were fortunate to have had a person in their lives that had strong Christian faith that they shared with them, which helped them find faith and allowed them to be able turn to prayer during this stressful time in their lives.

The story was quickly moving and the characters were very likeable, making the story very engaging. If you enjoy suspense stories, you should definitely check out this book and the others by Carol J. Post.

About the Book:
He’ll do anything to save his niece…

In this The Baby Protectors novel

When her sister’s murdered, navy man Ryan McConnell insists on protecting Shelby Adair and their niece—especially after someone tries to kidnap little Chloe. But can Shelby trust the child’s uncle? After all, she’s convinced his family’s behind the attacks. But the longer Ryan shields them, the more Shelby wonders if becoming a forever family is their only shot at survival.

About the Author:
From medical secretary to court reporter to property manager to owner of a special events decorating company, Carol's resume reads like someone who doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up. But one thing that has remained constant through the years is her love for writing. She started as a child writing poetry for family and friends, then graduated to articles which actually made it into some religious and children's publications. Several years ago (more than she's willing to admit), she penned her first novel. In 2010, she decided to get serious about writing fiction for publication and joined Romance Writers of America and her local RWA chapter.

Carol lives in sunshiny Central Florida with her husband of thirty-two years, who is her own real-life hero, and writes her stories under the shade of the huge oaks in her yard. Besides writing, she works alongside her music minister husband singing and playing the piano and holds the position of church treasurer. She enjoys sailing, hiking, camping, almost anything outdoors. Her two grown daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of three fat and sassy cats and one highly spoiled dog.

You can learn more about the author on her blog.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

Saving Meghan by D.J. Palmer

I won an advanced reader copy in a giveaway sponsored by the author.

It was several years ago now that I picked up my first medical thriller at a hotel gift shop while on a vacation with my college friends. The year was 1996 and we had all just graduated and were enjoying the beach before we all headed to new cities to start our careers. I had brought along some books to read but not enough to fill the days, so I found myself perusing the hotel gift store looking for a book. After reading the back cover of several books, the book Natural Causes by Michael Palmer was the one that I picked up that afternoon. That book began my love of Michael Palmer's books and led me to read all of his books and eventually to start reading books by his son, Daniel Palmer.

I have read most of Daniel Palmer's books but not quite all. He writes thrillers, mostly techno, but a few medical thrillers in the same style that his dad did. What I love about Daniel's books is that they are so realistic and plausible, that the thrill is real and are told in a way that really pulls you in to the story and the lives of the characters. Saving Meghan, his most recent (and a medical thriller) was no exception From the first chapter, you find yourself thrust right into the story, trying to pick up details and learn what is happening with Meghan and you find yourself on the same roller-coaster ride as the characters. The story line is filled with twists and turns and just when I thought I knew what was going on, something new would get introduced that challenged my theory and I had to come to a new one. My schedule caused it to take me a while to really get started with the book, only having time to read a chapter here and there, but once I had a little time and could read more than a chapter, I was hooked and I had to keep reading and wound up finishing the book over a period of two days.

Saving Meghan is a riveting new thriller full of secrets and lies from author D.J. Palmer.

Can you love someone to death?

Some would say Becky Gerard is a devoted mother and would do anything for her only child. Others, including her husband Carl, claim she's obsessed and can't stop the vicious circle of finding a cure at her daughter's expense.

Fifteen-year-old Meghan has been in and out of hospitals with a plague of unexplained illnesses. But when the ailments take a sharp turn, clashing medical opinions begin to raise questions about the puzzling nature of Meghan’s illness. Doctors suspect Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare behavioral disorder where the primary caretaker seeks medical help for made-up symptoms of a child. Is this what's going on? Or is there something even more sinister at hand?

As the Gerards grow more and more suspicious of each other and their medical team, Becky must race against time to prove her daughter has a deadly disease. But first, she must confront her darkest fears and family secrets that threaten to not only upend her once-ordered life...but to destroy it.

You can learn more about Daniel Palmer and his books on his website. If you are a fan of suspense and thrillers, this book is a definite must read. And, be sure to check out the other books by Daniel Palmer and Michael Palmer.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. I won an advanced reader copy in a giveaway sponsored by the author.

Baseball Uniforms - A Laundry Challenge! #whiteuniformpants #whiteagain

My son has played baseball for years. Many of those years the biggest cleaning worry was a grass stain, which was easy to treat and return the pants to their pre-game appearance. Now that he is in high school, they play hard and they really ground in the dirt from the field. Whether laying out for a catch or sliding into base, his pants are always dirty when he comes home.

Over the years, I have tried this cleaner and that, all sorts of pre-treatments and soaps. Some of them work great most of the time, but it seems that there are playing conditions that cause dirt that just won't come out of the pants no matter how many times you wash them.

Before and After with Fels-Naptha soap. It helped but there is still a lot of dirt.
Before and after with a combination of dish detergent and peroxide. Better but still not clean.

So, I finally broke down and gave a try to a trick I heard time and again, the car wash. You know what...it worked. We tried at home with our hose and a jet spray nozzle, but that just wasn't enough. I did put a bit of prewash on it to provide a bit of soap. Use the hooks that they have for hanging mats and voila! clean pants.
Not perfect, but pretty good and much better than with soap alone. Be sure to take a bucket with you to bring the pants home in...they are pretty damp after being hosed down.