135 lbs of doggie attitude vs. 8 lbs of pure unadulterated cat rage. No contest.
Freckles the cat hid the first two years after the black trio invaded the house.
Methinks she was horrified that not only did we bring two dogs in, but a feisty black kitten as well.
She became like a ghost cat. We'd maybe catch a glimpse or hear the pitter-patter of her little kitty paws, then we'd turn and there would be nothing there at all. She'd come out for affection when she couldn't stand her self-imposed isolation one more second. But usually, it was only when the dogs were on the lower level of the house.
But one day it changed. She must have had one of those "I'm mad as heck and not going to take it anymore moments." Because, all of a sudden, a hissing, spitting, yeouwling hair ball shot out from underneath a bed and she schooled those girls but good.
Now. The girls give her WIDE berth and mucho space and seem to always be checking over their shoulders, wondering if the scary kitty might be hiding, just waiting for a misstep.
Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called "I Did It!® Productions" and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.
J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her... Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston's wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.
Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything. As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?
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My Review:
Two authors with very different voices and genres have combined their skills and created a nearly seamless read that kept reminding me of the movie version of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Characters crafted in the style of classic detective stories fill in the background and intensify the plot as we enter the life of Rylee. Rylee, a beautiful onetime would-be grand lady of Charleston now lives in a rat-trap of an apartment and walks dogs to pay for a luxurious nursing home for her only living relative, her grandmother.
Rylee's parents left her with few resources and in need of help from her father's former law partner. An "older brother," the partner's playboy son, begins to turn his attention toward the all grown-up Rylee in a whole new way, think the movie Sabrina. Meanwhile items, strange items, begin to disappear from Rylee's clients. The Robin Hood thief takes one less valuable treasure, ignoring many worth thousands more, then he donates it to a charity. Soon, circumstantial evidence makes Rylee a suspect.
Reporter Logan Woods is writing about the notorious Robin Hood thief. But Robin Hood is only one of the colorful criminals throughout Charleston's history. His research leads him to the possibility of a contract for a book. But, his involvement in investigating the crimes leads his heart toward Rylee.
Full of fleshed-out characters and plenty of romance and suspense, this novel is a terrific marriage of the talents of Bertrand and Gist. A very enjoyable and touching read with loads of color, fascinating detail and dimension.
I've spent a few hours pondering relationships today.
Ha. Actually, I've spent much of the past few years pondering relationships.
I'm struggling a little bit with boundaries. I've found that the older I get, the more I need to set.
I'm also feeling overwhelmed with a ministry that I'm feeling like I need to jump into with both feet.
Guess that's why I need God. And I'm very glad He is available to help, lead, guide and supply all my needs for anything He calls me to do, including dealing with relationships.
The Knight Steven James Paperback: 496 pages Publisher: Revell Language: English ISBN-10: 0800732707
Product Description:
In The Knight, the third installment in the bestselling series of thrillers featuring FBI criminologist Patrick Bowers, the stakes have never been higher. Agent Bowers is used to tracking the country's most dangerous killers, but now it looks like a killer is tracking him. When he realizes the murderer is using clues from an ancient manuscript as a blueprint for his crimes, Bowers faces a race against time to decipher who the next victim will be and to stop the final shocking murder--which he's beginning to believe might be his own. Gritty, chilling, and intense, this psychological thriller is guaranteed to keep readers up all night.
Review:
A wild ride. This is a police procedural that not only delivers the details, some of which makes it a novel the nightmare prone might not want to read right before bed, it delivers strong characters and great writing.
The idea, a serial killer with a tricky scenario/agenda, isn't unique, but the story is compelling and suspenseful and kept me wondering to the end. I had three or four folks picked out as the cold-blooded killer, but I didn't pick correctly. James creates fleshed out characters who pulled at my heartstrings. Some moments of introspection slowed the plot enough to add a different kind of tension, and surprising poignancy. The evil characters might rival some of worst-of-the-worst literary baddies.
Though a Christian publisher, this novel is very light in faith elements, so if you love cat and mouse games full of forensic and investigative detail but think that it may throw Bible verses at you, I'm pretty sure you won't even notice the subtle faith elements once the story starts rolling. This is a great read and it guarantees that I'll pick up any book with Steven James name on the cover.
I do not care for fish. I'm not sure what my issue is. I like shrimp, crab, lobster, and will even order those over a nice chicken breast. I'll occasionally eat salmon, but have to psych myself up for it. I'll even, every once in awhile, think that tuna sounds good. But. I am not one of those people who asks for the catch of the night at the restaurant. The last thing I'd eat on the McDonald's menu is filet o'fish and there's a whole lot of things on the Mickey D's menu that I'm not fond of. Actually, I kind of get a little flustered around other meat such as venison, beef with wiggly veins and gristle, chicken with purple stringy things...etc.
23 is going on a mission trip in a month. She'll be heading down to Chile. Fish is apparently often on the menu in Chile. Cow udder is available as well, but fish may be a step up from cow udder...even filet o'fish. 23 caught her fish/meat squeamishness from me and fears that this may manifest during her stay in Chile. You don't want to start off a mission trip by hurting the host family's feelings after all. So a sushi knowledgeable friend told 23 she'd get her acclimated to different tastes and textures by visiting a sushi happy hour.
Somehow I got roped into this little adventure as well.
My favorite part of the afternoon was the fresh ginger. I've never had ginger either. Weird, kind of like thin slices of cucumbery texture with a hint of cucumber taste and an almost citrusy/minty blend. A little goes a long way. But good. Now, I know what ginger will add to a recipe that calls for it. Then there were the steamed/roasted sea salt covered edamae pods. Yum.
Next. Calamari. Battered and fried tentacle parts, I believe. Chewy, not much taste beyond the fried crunch. Okay. Not my first choice in appetizers but I'd be willing to eat a few again sometime. 23 had eaten this before, so she was feeling strong.
Next came the long list of sushi to choose from. Four types were ordered. California roll, pretty bland, but we were able to eat this one with very little posturing. A spicy tuna/crab/avocado roll was the next on the plate. Okay. A little hint of the sea but the spice was nice and the texture was not overwhelming. My favorite was almost 23's undoing. Oh my. I didn't notice her watery eyes and the forced swallowing back of a wicked gag, but the grainy rice, seaweed, crab bits, cream cheese and the crunchy cucumber just about sent her to the girl's room. The texture of soft and squish with the crunch of the cucumber and the "fibery" feel of the crab was over-stimulation apparently. I liked the blend of flavors and was not freaked at all. It had a sweet pepper drizzle over the top, too. My undoing was the final offering. Oh, the mango sauce and the sprinkling of chopped cashews was fabulous. It was the biting into a mouthful of soft and chewy and all of a sudden realizing there is a small slab of salmon plastered on the roof of my mouth. Oh my. Chew. Chew. Chew. Ewww.
But we survived. We did it. She now knows that she can will herself to chew, swallow, swallow, swallow, her way through any meal the Chileans can toss at her. Just hoping she doesn't get a milk duct if she gets to sample cow udder.
