REVIEW WEDNESDAY - The Lighthouse Keeper's Argument

 Good morning!

Ever have those weeks, not days but weeks, where if something can interrupt your flow, it will? That's been my case lately. Balace will be restored. Maybe with the Lunar Eclipse tonight. 

This week, I'm reviewing The Lighthouse Keeper's Argument by Sloane Hart.

AMAZON

This is Book 1 of 2 in the series.

BLURB:

Nora Callahan came back to Cedar Falls for one reason: sell her late grandmother's lighthouse cottage before the ink dries on her promotion offer and get back to her real life in Boston. She did not come back to argue with the infuriating, broad-shouldered harbor master who's filed three injunctions against the sale and apparently has opinions about everything she does. Declan Marsh has spent five years quietly protecting the Cedar Falls coastline — and the lighthouse that anchors it. He's not about to let some city lawyer in impractical shoes hand it over to a resort developer who'll gut the soul out of his town. Even if that lawyer has a laugh that keeps him awake at night. Forced to co-manage the cottage's legal fate through a town heritage review, Nora and Declan wage war in public and wage something far more dangerous in private. But Nora's flight back to Boston is already booked. And Declan learned the hard way that the people you love most are always one tide away from leaving. Something's got to give. The question is whether it will be the injunction — or their hearts.

After three attempts to get into the story and barely making my way through Chapter 7, I had to put the book down. Nothing is happening. I knew as a reader I was going to be in trouble when Nora meets Declan, bringing the two characters together, then the very next chapter Nora is parked in front of the cottage again, thinking about the argument. What argument? We are not privy to the confrontation between Nora and Declan. As a reader, I want to experience that fire between the main characters. We never really see this in as far as I've read. While there is one point where they are in the cottage together assessing potential historical value as well as what is wrong, the content is as foggy and cold as the sea air coming off the ocean. 

Maybe I'm missing something but I can't rate this book. I do encourage Sloane Hart to learn the craft before investing her time, and ours, on a story we can't feel. 

I can't rate this book. We'll see what September brings. I'm in the mood to curl up with a good Autumnal read.

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Delayed

 Quick note, everyone!

Yesterday marked forty-two years of being married to my real life hero. He planned the day so I didn't get to read this week's book. I'll do that today and the review will post tomorrow.

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Sloan Hart

 Good morning, readers!

I wanted to promote a new author this week but her name gives conflicting searches. One has her writing small-town romance, connected to this week's read, The Lighthouse Keeper's Argument.

As I went looking for the social media links, I only got info for a totally different, Sloane Hart (yes, same spelling) but writing thriller-intense memoirs (not what I was looking for).

With that said, I did further research and found the small-town romance genre are both published this year. whereas the memoirs were published in 2025.

Here's the BIO for this week's author:

Sloane Hart writes small-town romances about second chances, stubborn hearts, and the places that pull us home. Her Cedar Falls series unfolds on a windswept stretch of the Maine coast, where the tide always brings people back to where they belong. When she isn't writing, she's chasing the perfect cup of coffee, rereading her favorite comfort reads, and planning a trip to somewhere with a lighthouse. She believes every love story deserves a happy ending — and she makes sure hers always do.

The only link I have for this author is her Amazon Author Page.

Until tomorrow..

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends!

All my best!

 ~ Angela

FRIDAY PHOTO

 Good morning!

Continuing our summer travel...

Courtesy of Pixabay

All my best!

~ Angela

WRITING MY WAY - Part 2 Balancing Home Life with Writing

 Good morning!

Another hot day in the Ozasrks. I am so over the heat. However, the heat does give me a good reason to park my hiney in the office and get real work done.

Last week I talked about finding your best writing time. I suggested Sarra Cannon's videos to help in your search. I mentioned that my best 'novel' writing time is from about 4-6 p.m. So, what do I do the rest of the day?

I can manage writing shorter pieces, like this blog post, during the day when my 1950s housewife brain is focused on taking care of my home and family. I can write a blog post or outline a short story then get up and work a load of laundry, set the robot sweeper to run, prep dinner; you know, the general household duties. Since Bob retired that might also include a game of Triple Yahtzee or a card game. I'll explain why that task is important in a future post.

This is also a great time for the administrative side of my business such as posting to social media, buzzing through the email, or other tasks involved in running a successful writing business. Maybe I need to write a blurb, order a cover, line up beta and ARC readers. Am I successful? Not even close. Another topic we'll dive in to another time. But I'm learning as I go. 

Sarra's Publish & Thrive course was an eye-opener and to be honest, scared the crumbs out of me. I have so much to learn about this business and I hate the fact this is one more facet of my life other entities feel the need to get their claws in. 

The key is in KNOWING your best writing time for whatever you need to do. Writing also includes the business tasks, not just writing the book but the entire profession you have chosen. 

So how do we balance our writing business with our personal life? Sarra has some great tips in the video below.

Next week, I'll talk about deciding what is most important to me, and figuring out yours.

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Where Hearts Heal

 Good morning, friends!

Looks like we might have gotten a spot of rain overnight and I do mean 'spot'. The map shows the rain passed through but not a bit of dampness on the concrete. I'll have to water the garden this morning.

This week, I inadvertently picked up another novella by Kathleen Ball. I do love her stories. I think she's becoming another favorite author.

AMAZON

BLURB:

Sold to settle a debt… she never chose this life.

When Willa Portman is taken to a saloon as payment for a debt she didn’t create, fear becomes her constant companion. Alone and desperate on the Texas frontier, her future seems sealed—until one man steps in and changes everything.

Justin O'Connor is a rugged cowboy determined to build a life in the growing settlement of Everheart Ridge. He never intended to interfere, but when he sees a frightened young woman being forced into a life she doesn’t deserve, he can’t walk away. In a land where survival is never guaranteed, doing the right thing may cost him everything.

Brought to Everheart Ridge, Willa is given something she hasn’t known in far too long—safety. As the small western town struggles to take root, she finds herself drawn into a world of hard work, quiet kindness, and the possibility of a new beginning.

But healing takes time… and trusting a man—no matter how gentle—may be the greatest risk of all. 

In this sweet historical western romance, love grows where it’s least expected, and two wounded hearts must learn that second chances are worth fighting for.

Kathleen Ball knows how to not just tell you a story, but put you there. 

Justin is a remarkeable human being. Atrue gentleman. Personally, I thought the author gave him too much patience with Corrine. So did Willa, for that matter. I'm pretty sure that Miss Priss would have been subjected to a bit of water just to see if she'd melt into the background. Even when presented with the facts she would never be head of Justin's household, she still kept living in her dream world. 

Willa came from a hard life. She was good at finding metals in the tunnels but she was a quick study in manners and propriety in Justin's home. That said, my only issue with this story was how she seemed to change from the Willa that Jusin and Tessa kept telling her to 'just be yourself' to sounding like she wasn't much below Miss Priss with a more refined speech. This gave me the impression of she grew up overnight. I know the author wanted us to understand that Willa was the perfect mate for Justin, I just felt as if the mannerisms were a bit rushed. I would liked to have seen that come in a bit earlier in the story or possibly an epilogue - A year later when Justin and/ or Tessa remark how much she's changed since becoming the lady of the house.

Of all my favorite parts of the story, I'm in love with Mr. Ornery. I'm not giving anything away, but you'll see. 

I'm giving Where Hearts Heal...

.8

Remember to check out the links to Kathleen Ball's pages:

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   GOODREADS   

AUDIO    BOOKBUB

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE   

All my best!

~ Angela