Red Siren

by M. L. Tyndall

World's collide when a lady pirate meets a godly naval captain.

Faith Westcott abandoned her shallow faith when a series of tragedies struck her family. To save herself and her sisters from forced marriages, this fiery, born-to-the-manner redhead is a lady by day and a pirate by night. How long can she maintain this dual identity before she's caught red-handed?

God-fearing Dajon Waite, who scours the Carolina coast, expunging it of pirates, is a more-than-capable captain in the British Royal Navy. But when he is asked to take on the guardianship of Faith and her sisters, he's headed for deep water. Having vowed to avoid women, what will he do when he finds himself falling for Faith?

Sir Wilhelm Carteret has always gotten everything he desired, but Faith seems to be unaffected by his charms. When he devises a plot to rid himself of his competition, more than Captain Waite's reputation is at stake as alarming secrets are revealed.

Will Faith regain her trust in God only to find herself headed for the gallows? Will Dajon scuttle his good name-and neck-to save her?

Pammer here: Very intriguing book! I love this story (what I've read so far, not quite finished yet, but it wont' be long, lol.) I adore the conflict, how it is set up and the tangles these characters get caught up in. Not to mention the characters. What wonderfully well rounded people. I felt like I've made new friends. Faith and Dajon for all their faults, or maybe because of them are absolutely wonderful characters.

This is book one in the Charles Towne Belles.

Definately a must-read.

Relationships

Even though it's February and it's the month to capatilize on the relationships of romantic love. . .I find this whole year has been focused on my own personal relationships. The one of romantic variety and all the others.

Being ADHD (and udiagnosed until recent years) I have struggled with relationships. I'm not jealous, greedy, uncaring, or any of those things. I seem more impatient than I am. Not that I mean to come across that way. It's hard for me to explain how fast my mind runs. I can process a conversation faster than I can actually have one and by the time a person finishes speaking, I'm already on the next subject in my brain.

It takes a very special person to love me.

Four the last four years God has been showing me about relationships. (Actually longer than that I think, but I'm not sure I was paying attention all those years, lol.) I've learned about who are my friends and who aren't. Who is willing to use you to get what they want and there are those who abuse. There are also those precious few that really do care about you. And those that are like me. Don't show their affection well.

Our preacher had a lesson recently about how we try to force God into our own preconcieved notions and miss the splendor of who God actually is. I carried it a step further and realized that not only had I done that, I had done is with all the relationships in my life. My husband, my friends, my family members. I tend to be judgemental. Now I never considered myself judgemental, but I do follow my intuitive side and I will make a split decision based on what I "feel" at the moment I meet a person. Apparently I can also decide in a split second where to compartmentalize a person in my life.

Now that I've figured this out, I've set my husband free (no, we're still married, I just set him free of my expectations and have learned to let him be himself, he's really a pretty kewl guy, which I knew when I married him), my family members (as for my kids they still have rules to follow, but same thing, I let them be theirselves), and my friends. I lifted my expectations of my friends and a veil fell away. It's amazing what you learn when you let people be themselves. I will admit that all these lessons I've learned have NOT been easy. I have changed a lot along the way (for the better I hope. . .still working on the impulsive thing though) and lots of the lessons came at a high price. But it's all been well worth it.

I realized that my strongest relationships, the ones I can trust the most, the ones who would rather die than hurt me, the ones who understand, are the ones close to home. I have God and he blessed me with a wonderful husband. What else can a girl ask for?

I hope that you will take a good look at your relationships this month. I'd like to touch on them some more this coming week. But I won't make any promises. This year God has called me to put my family before all else. And I'm trying to plan a very special week for the whole week preceeding Valentines Day for my sweetie. I just hope he'll be surprised. :D (Giving presents based on HIS love language, not mine.)

Have a great evening and hold those dear ones close to your hearts. Now is the time to make memories because now be the only time you have.

Thomas Nelson's Chronological Study Bible

Wow! That's the first word that comes to mind. I got this Bible and didn't really know what to expect. My husband had a book called the Fourfold Gospel and that was the four gospels in chronological order. I loved that book because with it in chronological order it laid it out for me to see better.

This Bible is beyond that. It puts the entire Bible in chronological order and put some issues to rest. There are also little inserts throughout that explain the time and the ideals that societies and cultures were working under. Really puts you "there"! I loved those little history lessons throughout.

I read a Psalms a day and reading them from this Bible is unbelievably refreshing. Those little inserts and instructions give you a real feel for the Psalmist (usually David) and where he was in his life at the time when he wrote that Psalm.

When someone in my family has a question, this is the resource we turn to.

I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn from a serious Bible scholar to a person who just wants to learn more about God's Word.

I give this a five star review.