As I mentioned in my last post, I’m sharing two more 5-star reviews, and a couple more will come soon! If you missed my first batch of brilliant books (see below image), you can read my reviews in my prior post (click above).

Today’s reviews… If you like fiction and/or mystery and intrigue, you’ll love both of these books!

Tell Me A Story in 99 Words by Annette Rochelle Aben
https://annetterochelleaben.wordpress.com

I’m fascinated with the concept of telling a story in so few words, similar to writing poetry in the truncated Japanese form of haiku. So, I dove into Annette’s flash fiction and read her book in one evening! Each story is unique with an unexpected ending. Many stories made me smile. Several made me pause because of the gravity of the topic. Annette truly has the skill to tell a story in 99 words.

I appreciate each one for its message, but a few favorites are “A Bolder Gift,” “Bedfellows,” “Chocoholics,” “Daybreak,” “Eyes Forward,” “Risk My Lives,” “Indian Creek,” and “Last Request.” There is a tale in this wonderful collection for everyone. I highly recommend to all fiction readers who enjoy short stories packed with a lot of substance and imagination.

Bullets in the Briar by Kimber Silver
https://kimbersilver.com

I thoroughly enjoyed Broken Rhodes by Kimber Silver, her debut novel. So, when the sequel was released, Bullets in the Briar, I quickly paid a visit to Amazon to order my paperback copy. Another page-turner that I read in two days! I was quickly drawn into the familiar setting and genuine characters. In the beginning, it was nice to be reunited with the likable and sexy Sheriff Lincoln James and the strong Kinsley Rhodes. The sequel is just as compelling as the first introduction where I was transported to the fictitious town of Harlow, Kansas. Silver paints vivid scenes through her words, and the dialogue made me feel as though I was in the midst of the conversations. For the second go around, Kinsley’s relationship with the sheriff evolves, raising the bar for exciting and spicy. Adding to the sizzle are Gabby and Dean, a sub romance that is just as searing. Small-town politics, romance, humor, and mystery, what more could a reader want? Highly recommended!

Simply click on the book titles to purchase your copies! Happy Reading!

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And now a friendly reminder to vote at Spillwords. If you missed the details, please visit my prior post.

Click on the link below to cast your vote in several categories, and voting ends on January 31st.
A Huge Thanks to you who have voted for me!
It’s an honor to be nominated with many talented writers,
some I consider friends in this wonderful community.
So, no matter who takes the trophy, I believe we’re all winners!
Good luck to All the Nominees!

www.spillwords.com/vote

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I’ve been reading The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, a new favorite author after reading The Midnight Library. Some chapters are one page, and one in particular resonated. So, I’m closing this post with “Islands Don’t Exist” (copying exactly as it is written in the book):

I had been an island. And yet now, thanks to Christina and La Presencia,
I realised that there are no islands. If you go far enough down, everything
is connected. Ibiza and Lincoln are joined to the same earth. Our minds
swell into each other like a million currents at sea. We merge, we
converge. Everyone flows into everyone else without even realising. Even
cockroaches play their part. We aren’t just a person, we aren’t just a
gender, we aren’t just an age, we aren’t just a nationality, we aren’t even
just a species. The walls between us are imaginary. The thoughts we
have that are ours are gloriously unique but also gloriously in the same
continuing spectrum. Love, fear, grief, guilt, forgiveness. These are the
standards in the repertoire. These are the cover versions we get to play.
We think we are lonely because we are often blind to the connections.
But to be alive is to be a life. To be life. We are life. The same ever-
evolving life. We need each other. We are here for each other. The point
of life is life. All life. We need to look after each other. And when it
feels like we are truly, deeply alone, that is the moment when we most
need to do something in order to remember how we connect.
That is why we take the invite to Ibiza or send the email to the lonely
old maths teacher or share the ridiculous truth of ourselves. We can’t
just sit for ever in our lonely shells, making no sounds.
To swim in the ocean, we sometimes have to make a splash.

I’ll let you ruminate on these words by Matt Haig in this amazing book,
while also wishing you a lovely day. 🌺
And as always, I am grateful for your presence! ❤️

© Lauren Scott, BaydreamerWrites.com – All rights reserved.