Stretched Too Thin

Back Cover

As a working mom you can often feel like you're living stretched too thin.  You want to thrive personally and professionally, but the day-to-day responsibilities and mental load can make that feel impossible.  While periods of busyness are normal, if life feels overwhelming, it's time for a reset.  With compassion and encouragement, Jessica N. Turner shows you how to:

• work and parent guilt-free
• set achievable goals
• discover more flexibility
• establish clear work boundaries
• develop home management solutions
• become more efficient and less stressed
• prioritize self-care
• invest in your marriage
• cultivate deeper friendships

Want to embrace your many roles and learn solutions that really work?  Let Stretched Too Thin empower you to make changes and live with contentment.

Review

Stretched Too Thin addresses a common struggle in today's culture: how to balance the many hats a woman, particularly, working mothers, wear.  It can seem impossible to give 100% equally and fully to being a wife, a mom, career woman, homemaker, friend, sister, etc. all at the same time.  Many women think of the descriptions of the Proverbs 31 woman in the Bible as the all-time example to emulate.  And for many (myself included), while it can be encouraging, it can also be equally discouraging seeing how high the bar is raised.

What if there was a way to do it all?  To be the successful career woman, doting wife, loving mother, and loyal friend?  Jessica N. Turner seeks to answer that question in Stretched Too Thin.

Just reading the title speaks to me.  It is a phrase that has almost become my mantra, so I was eager to dive into book to hopefully glean some wisdom and practical advice.  My final impression of the read was overall positive.

One of the prevalent themes I found throughout the book was self-care.  It is true that unless we take care of ourselves, we will be unable to help others (something that I've been repeatedly reminded by my other half...).  If our well is running dry, we can't even being to hope to draw water from within for someone else.  Self-care includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, etc.  As my understanding was the book was being written from a Christian perspective, I would have liked to have seen more emphasis on spiritual self-care, as it was very, very briefly touched upon.

The majority of the book is filled with helpful suggestions, checklists, and brainstorming opportunities for better organizing daily routines and tasks.  Efficiency can often be the key to success as well as keeping track of time.  More often than I care to admit, I've been the victim of going on a social media website to check "just one thing", and before I know it, that one thing turned into many rabbit trails, and soon an hour has passed!  Oops...

In all, I found that Stretched Too Thin, while light on the faith component, provided some helpful tools for better organizational success to help maintain sanity whilst juggling all the different priorities in life!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

The Killing Tide

Back Cover

When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet.  His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer's boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

The already volatile situation is complicated even further by the arrival of Gabby Rowley - Finn's boss's sister and an investigative reporter with unrelenting questions about the crime.  Now that she's returned, the tug on Finn's heart is strong, but with the risks she's taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.

Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can't ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them.  But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?

Review

Dani Pettrey has crafted a fast-paced, keep-you-guessing story with The Killing Tide, Book One in her new series, "Coastal Guardians".  Suspense is the theme in the book, starting from the very first page as the reader jumps right into the middle of a coast guard rescue mission.  The tension doesn't let up as a winding mystery unfolds in the following chapters and more than one character meets their unfortunate end. Dani doesn't pull back any punches as she guides the reader into a web of intrigue, murder, and mayhem.  Of course, there is the (much needed!) smattering of romance to provide a little balance to the thrill ride.  With such an explosive start to her new series, I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment! 

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

A Return of Devotion

Back Cover

Daphne Blakemoor was content living in her own secluded world for the last twelve years.  She had everything she needed - loved ones, a true home, and time to indulge her imagination.  But when ownership of the estate where she works as a housekeeper passes to a new marquis with an undeniable connection to her past, everything she's come to rely upon is threatened.

William, Marquis of Chemsford's main goal in life is to be the exact opposite of his father.  Starting a new life in the peace and quiet of the country sounds perfect...until his housekeeper turns his life upside down.

Both Daphne and William have spent their lives hiding from the past.  Can they find the courage to face their deepest wounds and, perhaps, forge a new path for the future together?

Review

Book two in the Haven Manor series, A Return of Devotion, picks up quickly after the first novel ended.  The happy couple from A Defense of Honor are on their honeymoon, leaving Daphne and Jess to set Haven Manor back to rights as if it never had been an orphanage in the first place.  For a woman like Daphne, where order and structure are as essential to her as breathing, the stress and uncertainty of what is to come leaves her uneasy.  And when the new owner of the estate arrives, bearing a remarkable resemblance to someone from her past, her world is further rocked off its axis and panic sets in.  For over ten years she has sought to keep her past life hidden away, but William, Marquis of Chemsford, threatens her secrets.

Having been introduced to Daphne in A Defense of Honor, I enjoyed diving into her character more deeply in A Return of Devotion.  Daphne has an often whimsical outlook and thought coupled with a very nurturing heart.  Gifted with a vivid imagination, Daphne is often given to flights of fancy as escapes from reality.  William's steady nature is a perfect complement to Daphne's lighthearted ways and made for a delightful romance.  

The author's talent for writing engaging historical novels has made me love her every book.  I enjoyed the return to Haven Manor and cannot wait to read Jess' story, which I can only imagine will be the most intriguing yet!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.