My Thoughts On "Rising Storm" By Kathleen Brooks

Source:  Goodreads

Rising Storm is the second book in Kathleen Brooks' Bluegrass Brothers Series.  It follows Marshall, an elite military man turned hometown sheriff and Katelyn Jacks, an ex-supermodel who worked her way through college and has come back to her grandparents small hometown to start her career as a vet.  Even thought they can't stand each other, they can't seem to avoid each other or the small town gossip mill, and they soon discover they're feelings for one another might not be what they thought they were.  Yet even as they fall in love they are forced to fight for their lives and the lives of innocent dogs when they try to track down a dangerous, illegal, dog fighting ring, and are targeted  by the criminals running it.

Rising Storm is exactly what I expected from Kathleen Brooks.  It's the fifth book I've read by her, and I wasn't disappointed.  Once again we get to visit with the unforgettable characters of Keeneston, Kentucky and have some fun along the way.  Rising Storm is full of humor, romance, and suspense.  I'd recommend it to anyone who loves to read romance with a little suspense thrown in or anyone looking to read something regional.  Although Keeneston is a little over the top idyllic, the book still gives you a snapshot of what a small Kentucky town might be like.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

My Thoughts On "Dead Heat"

Source:  Goodreads

Goodreads Summary

Paige Davies finds her world turned upside down as she becomes involved in her best friends nightmare.  The strong-willed Paige doesn't know which is worse:  someone trying to kill her, or losing her dog to the man she loves to hate.

FBI Agent Cole Parker can't decide whether he should strangle or kiss this infuriating woman of his dreams. As he works the case of his career, he finds that love can be tougher than bringing down some of the most powerful men in America.

___________________________________________________ 

What a great ending to the Bluegrass Series by Kathleen Brooks.  The last book in the series definitely didn't disappoint.  It also introduces us to Paige's brothers who become the main characters in Brooks' next series, Bluegrass Brothers.  I'm actually reading the first in the series right now.  It's called Bluegrass Undercover.

All of the books in the Bluegrass Series are very similar when it comes to the romances in each one, and even though each love story was fairly predictable, they were all still  fun to read.  What kept me reading, however,  was the mystery/suspense element in the books.  I think it was done really well.

My Thoughts On "Risky Shot"

Source:  Goodreads

Goodreads Summary...
Danielle DeLuca, an ex-beauty queen who is not at all what she seems, leaves the streets of New York after tracking the criminals out to destroy her.  She travels to Keeneston, Kentucky to make her final stand by the side of her best friend, McKenna Mason.  While in Keeneston, Danielle meets the mysterious Mohtadi Ali Rahmen, a modern day prince.  Can Mo protect Dani from the group of powerful men in New York?  Or will Dani save the Prince from his rigid, loveless destiny?

_________________________________________________

This is the second book in the Bluegrass Series by Kathleen Brooks.  I really liked the first book in the series, Bluegrass State of Mind, and I knew right away that I wanted to read the rest of the series.  It just took me a little while to get around to it.  I'm really glad I finally did though because I loved Risky Shot.

I loved the setting and the supporting cast of characters from the town of Keeneston.  The three main characters from the series, McKenna, Danielle, and Paige, each narrate a book but are present throughout the series.  I love the growth and closeness of their friendship--that feeling of camaraderie 


Risky Shot is a romance, so of course there is "romance" in it.  It's clean romance though, with no graphic sexual content.  It's mystery, suspense as well.  I love it when a book blurs the line between genres, and I find that if there's a mystery element to a book I can't help but read it quickly.

So if your looking for something quick and fun to read, you might want to give this series a try.

My Thoughts On Bluegrass State of Mind

Source:  Goodreads

From Goodreads...
McKenna Mason, a New York City attorney with a love of all things Prada, is on the run from a group of powerful, dangerous men. McKenna turns to a teenage crush, Will Ashton, for help in starting a new life in horse country. She finds that Will is now a handsome, successful race horse farm owner. As the old flame is ignited, complications are aplenty in the form of a nasty ex-wife, a boyfriend intent on killing her, and a feisty race horse who refuses to race without a kiss. Can Will and McKenna cross the finish line together, and more importantly, alive?

Kathleen Brooks
Source:  Goodreads

______________________________________________________

I'll just start out by saying...I don't care for the cover of this one.  I don't feel it does the book justice.

I liked Bluegrass State of Mind.  I thought the story was good and the characters were very likable as well.  It wasn't  just a romance either.  There was a bit of mystery and suspense thrown in.  I enjoyed how the book related the slower paced life of the south.  The dialogue was a bit stiff, and it could get a little cheesy from time to time.  But over all it was a good book.  I liked it well enough that I will be reading the next two books in the series.

Source:  Goodreads

Source:  Goodreads

My Thoughts On "faith, hope, and ivy june"

Source:  Goodreads

From the back cover...

     Two Kentucky girls, Ivy June Mosely of Thunder Creek and Catherine Combs of Lexington, are participating in their schools' seventh grade student exchange program.  Taking turns, each girl leaves home for two weeks to live and attend classes with the other, and writes about the experience in a journal.
     In some ways, the girls are worlds apart.  Ivy June lives up in the mountains with her grandparents, Mammaw and Pappaw Mosely, because it's so crowded at her parents' place.  Catherine lives with her family in a beautiful house with plenty of space for everyone.  As the girls spend time in each other's neck of the woods, they find out that they've both been keeping secrets.  And when, without warning, Ivy June and Catherine face the terror of not knowing what's happening to their loved ones, they discover that they may be more alike than different.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Source:  Goodreads

__________________________________________________

Faith, hope, and ivy june is a book that my daughter (8) bought at her school book fair, and this is one instance where I'm so glad that I read the book before she did.  It's simply not appropriate for her.

It's not a bad book.  I enjoyed it mostly.  I really like the characters, Ivy June and Catherine.  They were likable, funny, and honest.  I enjoyed reading about life in the eastern Kentucky mountains.  What I didn't realize is that this book has a lot of coal mining in it.  You see Ivy June's "Pappaw" is a coal miner, and that's fine.  My husband is a coal miner.  We are proud of coal miners!

However, there is a lot of talk in the book about how much Ivy worries about her grandfather while he's down in the mine, they talk about working in the mine like it's a form of cruel and unusual punishment, and in the end there is a mining accident with lots of details.  There are references to real life mining disasters, descriptions of the families waiting at the church for news, and descriptions of what may or may not be going on down there...explosions, rock falls, floods, drowning, deaths...all very scary, especially if your Daddy is a coal miner.

The danger of working in the coal mine is not a foreign concept to my daughter.  She is very smart and she knows.  I know this because she's shared her fears with me.  I know what she worries about, and that's why I'm so glad she didn't read this book.  I see no need in her reading a book that will bring up new fears or bring to the forefront fears that most days she tucks away.  I won't throw this book away, but I will tuck it away in the back of the cabinet.  Maybe she will read it some day, but for now it hits too close to home.

You Might Be Surprised At What You Find

I love to travel!  I'm a big believer in exploring your own state, your own county, and even your own town.  You might be surprised at what you find if you just look!  I guarantee you'll learn something.

When I saw this book on Kentucky travel, I snatched it up.

Source:  http://www.paperbackswap.com/

There are 55 trips detailed inside, and they are broken down into regions.  They include:  Western Lakes Region,   Bluegrass, Blues,&Barbecue,  Caves, Lakes& Corvettes Region,   Southern Lakes & Rivers Region,   Kentucky Derby Region,  Bluegrass Region,   Northern Kentucky Region,   Eastern Highlands North Region,   Eastern Highlands South Region.

The trips are numbered in the book.  Trip #1 being Paducah-McCracken County and Trip #55 being Alice Lloyd College.  There's a trip to satisfy just about everyone in this book--history, museums, outdoor activities, city life, food, festivals, and concerts.

Here's some of the trips we've taken and really enjoyed:

Paducah-McCracken County (#1)
http://www.paducahtourism.org/

Source:  My Photo



 Pattie's 1800 Settlement (#2)
http://www.pattis-settlement.com/

Source:  My Photo

Bluegrass&Barbecue (#6)
http://www.visitowensboro.com/

Source:  http://www.bbqandbourban.com/

Mammoth Cave National Park (#10)
www.nps.gov/maca

Book I purchased when we visited last
Source:  http://www.amazon.com/

Louisville Zoo  (#22)
http://www.louisvillezoo.org/

Source:  My Photo



Where are your favorite places to go in Kentucky?  Leave a comment and let me know.

My Favorite Coal Miner

Booklist 61-70

61.The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
62.Jazz by Toni Morrison
63.Dracula by Bram Stoker
64.Gulliver's Travels by Johathan Swift
65.Danger in the Dark by J.E. Wood
66.Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
67.Night by Elie Weisel
68.Heidi by Johanna Spyri
69.Miracle in Seville by James A. Michener
70.Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Number 65 has a special place in my heart becasue it's about coal mining, and it was given to me by my father-in-law.  My family has always been coal miners.  My grandfather was a coal miner.  His father was a coal miner.  My husband is a coal miner.  His father and grandfather were both coal miners.  It's in the blood!

Danger in the Dark: A dramatic story of heroism in the Western Kentucky coal field by J.E. Woods was written in 1965.  It sold new for $3.  It takes place in a coal mine and coal mining town in 1928 and tells the story of what happens when an underground explosion traps twenty miners.  It tell of the courage of these ordinary men who risk their lives everyday just to do their job.

Jacket Painting by Vachel Davis 1946



 Although Wood was born in Dunmor, Kentucky, he grew up in Beech Creek, Kentucky along with Merle Travis.  Travis is probably best know for his song "sixteen tons".  Travis actually worked in the mine that Wood uses as the setting for Danger in the Dark.

Merle Travis
Source:  http://www.nndb.com/

J.E. Wood attended Western Kentucky State College and the State University of Iowa.  He taught at and was principal of two schools in Kentucky, and served as Muhlenberg County Judge.  He was a Navy Lieutenant and commanded a Division of Amphibious ships durring World War II.   He was very active in civic affairs, and married with three daughters.



J.E. Wood
Photo by Bryson's Studio



I'll end this post with a photo of my favorite miner...

My Husband
Thank you and I love you!