Throwback Tuesday #4: Tucker's Revenge, Part 4

Don't remember what Throwback Tuesday is, or you missed a previous part? I made a new page on the blog for it—just check out the 'My Stories' tab!

“Wally!”  The officer exclaimed.  “What is going on here?”

Mr. Tucker stood and brushed himself off.  He pointed a shaky finger at Reuben, Simeon and Levi.

“Officer Kelly, these-these brutes accused me of child abuse and these two-” he pointed to Reuben and Levi- “forced me into the alley, and attacked me!  I insist that you arrest these men!”

The officer turned to the Abbott brothers.  “Well men, what do you have to say for yourselves?”

(There's going to be a lot of revising since I changed it and they don't end up fighting in an alley, sooo bear with me.)

Rewrite: The sheriff stepped into the room, boots heavy on the wooden floor. "Everything all right, Tucker?"

    Tucker stepped forward in a burst of sudden courage. "Sheriff, I demand that you arrest these men."

    The sheriff raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Why would I do that?"

    "Because they threatened me and are a general danger to the public; that's why!"

    The sheriff turned to Jamie's brothers. "Is this true?"

    Everyone started talking at once. "No—" "That's completely—" "I wouldn't say—" "Of course they—"

    "All right, hold it." The sheriff's voice boomed over everyone's, and he held up his hands in a calming gesture. "This is a bad place to hold this conversation. Everyone, come down to my office and let's get this straightened out—no, Tucker, I've heard your side of the story. You stay here and keep out of trouble, will you?"

Jamie stepped forward.  “Please sir, my my brothers were just trying to protect me.  Isn’t that right, Simeon?” She said, turning to her brother.

“Officer, my name is Simeon Abbott; I’m sure you have heard of me?”

Officer Kelly nodded.  “Sure.  You’re that sheriff from Rawlins.  Never did care much for small-town sheriffs,” he muttered this last part to himself, but Jamie heard it.

    As soon as they stepped into the sheriff's office, Jamie leapt forward. "Please, Sheriff, my brothers were just trying to protect me. Simeon here—he's a sheriff, too, you know, and he wouldn't do anything to—"

    "Thank you, Jamie, I can introduce myself," Simeon interrupted gently. He turned to the sheriff and stuck out a hand. "Simeon Abbott. I think we've met before."

    The sheriff shook Simeon's hand and nodded in acknowledgement. "I recognized you; I just didn't want to make more of a scene in front of Tucker. I'm Sheriff Kelly. You're from Rawlins, right?"

Simeon explained, “When my sister, Jamie here, and I walked into the store, Mr. Tucker was beating a young boy.  When my Jamie tried to stop him, he would have hit her as well, had I not intervened.”

Officer Kelly turned toward Mr. Tucker.  “Wally, is this true?”  He asked.

Mr. Tucker paled.  “N-no!  Of course not!  This man is just trying to use his power as a sheriff to get out of trouble!”

(Soooooo many exclamation points)

    Simeon nodded. "My sister and I—" he motioned to Jamie "—walked into his store, and he was beating that boy. Jamie tried to stop him, and he would've beat her as well, had I not intervened." He glanced around the office. "Hey, where is the boy, anyway?"

“Who started the fight, Mr. Abbott?”  The officer asked, turning toward Levi.

“Well, uh-”

“I did,”  Reuben interrupted.  “Somebody had to teach Mr. Tucker a lesson!”

“I see... and what are your names?”  

“My name’s Reuben.  And this is Levi.”  Reuben motioned to his brother as he spoke.  “We run the Abbott Ranch.”

“Ah, yes.  The Triple A is one of the biggest ranches in California.  And the sad thing is, the ‘respectful’ owners of the big ranch are going to spend the night in jail.  Wally, you aren’t hurt too badly, I hope?”

Tucker shook his head.  “I’m fine.”  He turned to the Abbotts.  “You’re lucky I’m not pressing charges for assaulting me!”

The officer handcuffed Reuben and Levi.  After hesitating, he handcuffed Simeon  

Jamie clung to Reuben’s arm, tears in her eyes.  “Don’t take them away!  Please!  They have to take me to our sister’s house!”  She cried.

“I’m sorry, Miss.  Wally, please see to it that this girl gets to her sister’s house.”  The officer tipped his hat, turned, and led Jamie’s brothers out of the alley and out of sight.

Mr. Tucker brushed his hands together and turned told Jamie and the boy.

The boy stepped between Jamie and Mr. Tucker. 

“You’re not going to touch a hair on her!”  He exclaimed.  “She saved my skin from you, and even though I can’t repay her by getting her brothers back, I can keep you from harming her!  You think you own the world.  But I think the world would be a better place without the likes of you!”

Mr. Tucker stepped toward the boy, red with rage.  “Boy, you’ve just dug yourself a hole.  I’m gonna-” suddenly he screamed with pain, then crashed to the ground, unconscious.

(mmkay, yeah, at this point I'm just gonna completely change the rest...'cause, well, it needs it)

    Sheriff Kelly grunted and dropped into the swiveling chair behind his desk, motioning the others to take seats as well. "I know the boy. He's been at odds with Tucker ever since he started working with him, and this isn't the first run-in Tucker's had with strangers." He eyed Jamie. "But you'd better let someone bigger and stronger than yourself take him on, young lady."

    Jamie's frowned in indignation, yet she knew he was right. She nodded and studied his face as he continued talking with her brothers. His broad shoulders immediately gave him the air of authority that all sheriffs needed, and his dark eyes hid his thoughts from anyone looking at them.

    He suddenly turned to meet her gaze, and raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you'd like to say, Miss Abbott?" His mouth quirked underneath his thick mustache. 

    Jamie's ears burned at being caught staring. "N-no," she stammered. "No sir." She ripped her gaze away from the middle-aged man and stared around his office. Wanted posters hardly made for attractive decor, but what else was she to expect in a sheriff's office? She turned her attention back to the conversation.

    "I'd recommend staying away from Tucker's place," Sheriff Kelly was saying.

    Reuben nodded. "Don't worry about us; I think we've had enough of that place."

Anyone else in the habit of completely changing the course of entire scenes when rewriting? Heh...

Book Review: The Christmas Blessing by Melody Carlson

When she receives the news in late 1944 that her baby's father was shot down in the South Pacific, Amelia Richards loses hope. Jobless and broke, she has nowhere to turn for help but her infant's paternal grandparents. The only problem is, they don't know that she--or their grandson--exists. When Amelia discovers that the family is wealthy and influential, dare she disclose the truth of her relationship with their son? Or could the celebration of the arrival of another unexpected baby nearly two thousand years ago be the answer to her dilemma?

Beloved author Melody Carlson pens a story of love, hardship, and reconciliation that will leave readers filled with Christmas joy.

My rating:

So, I have a confession: I...don't really care for Christmas books. *hides* I'd rather read other books, honestly, and I don't think I could give you a reason. Maybe because Christmas is so overplayed that the simplicity and beauty of the season is lost.

And while some books try to capture that...I don't know. I think they try too hard to be beautiful sometimes. (Really, I think the only Christmas book I've rated 5 stars is Bespoke, and I reviewed that one last year already, soooo yay) So, even though the cover is gorgeous, The Christmas Blessing was a bit of a letdown.

It didn't really hook me. And I tried to figure out why during the whole book, and finally, after I closed the book at the end, it hit me: the plot is so good and really could've been done amazingly...but there was no character development. Word to the wise: no matter how good your plot is, if there's no character development, you're just hurting yourself.

Amelia is determined to do what she has to for the sake of her baby boy. A mother's love right there, y'all. So promising. But...literally everything that happened just...happened. Poor Amelia had to quit her job and move. She gets sick. She has to make a huge decision but it was kind of obvious the choice that she'd make.

The good doctor was a kind, sweet man. Caring. Yay, more fluff.

His wife was annoying after the death of her son but suddenly this child is making her tenderhearted again. Which, I know, is totally realistic. And if any of the characters had any development at all, it was her. But she was still annoying.

The message was...nonexistent? Hm...I read the book about a week ago, and there at least wasn't any message that I remember, sooo it obviously wasn't prevalent enough for me to pick up on it very well.

The ending was super cute and heartwarming. A cute story wrapped up in a nice lil' bow. So. If you're a fan of cute Christmas stories with fluffy to give you all the cozy feels, this one's for you. *grins*

Again, the 12 Days of Christmas blog party is still running (with a giveaway!) so be sure to go enter, and maybe join the party yourself!

Are you a fan of Christmas stories? What's your favorite?

Wake Up

The world needed hope. So God set us Jesus.

The world needed stability. So God sent us Jesus.

The world needed a Savior. So God sent us Jesus.

He opened our eyes. Gave us a reason to live. To rejoice while the world is in turmoil.

But we've fallen asleep. We've become lax. We've become too comfortable in our blessings that when something becomes uncomfortable, we turn our back and say "God wouldn't make me do something I don't want to do." We forget that when our will is aligned with his, what He wants is what we want. Even if it's hard. Because when we fully trust Him, we know that it's all going to work out in ways we couldn't have imagined, even if we don't like it for now.

If there's one thing that I've learned in 2020, it's that God often calls us out of our comfort zones—'cause His strength is made perfect in our weakness. When we know that we're not relying on our own strength, that's when God shines the most in our lives.

This Christmas (and after Christmas, too), step out of your comfort zone. Make that phone call. Pay that visit. Do something you wouldn't normally do—watch for ways to make someone's day special. I'll do my best, and I hope you will too.

Write that story that you're afraid to write. Write it because the world needs hope. 

Take that leap of faith that you've been feeling tugging at you. Make that decision that'll change everything.

Wake up and rise to the challenge that God has set before you. It's terrifying. It's paralyzing.

But it'll be worth it.

(speaking to myself tbh)

The world still needs hope. Still needs stability. Still needs a Savior.

So shine your light. Carry your candle. And go light your world. (bonus points if you recognize what song that's from)

A little disjointed, but...thanks for sticking around and reading. <3

On that note...yep, it's that time of year again! Click on the image ^^up there to visit Faith's blog, check out the other blogs in the party, and enter the GIVEAWAY!

Now that you've heard my spiel...what's something that's been heavy on your heart lately?

103 Gift Ideas for the Book Lover: A Collaboration

(I was going to post a review on Tuesday since I'm joining a few other ladies in this today, buuuut didn't get there #oops)

Have a bit of last-minute shopping to do but don't know what to get that one person who always asks for books? But you don't wanna get them books? (breaks my heart when someone tells me "I'm not going to just get you books" but...I also understand, y'know? It's like when I tell my brothers I'm not just going to give them food for Christmas.

Devastating.

But. Since you're bound and determined not to give books (or maybe you just don't know what books they would want...or maybe you're wanting to buy something for yourself), we've got you covered!

(I should go into marketing; I'm so persuasive)

ANYWAY. I know I'm terribly entertaining, but I know that's not what you're here for. (I mean...I know you follow my blog 'cause of my snark, since who would want to read book reviews n' other random...bookish...stuff?) So fine. Here's 20 things you can give to the book lover in your life. And, if you order asap, you miiiiiight be able to get it by Christmas?

No promises. Mailing is insane right now. But I mean, there's always the chance, right? (and if not, just stick an I.O.U under the tree. Works like a charm)

Narnia + Tolkien inspired candles | Irewolf Candles and Curiosities

I *cough* am ashamed to say that I haven't bought anything from Irewolf. Yet. But it's because there's sooooo many amazing candles that Y'ALL HOW DO I EVEN CHOOSE. *deep sniff* Maybe if I sniff hard enough, I can smell them from here. *cries*

Dragon Book Compartment 

Okay, okay, if you're at all into fantasy, then this is the c o o l e s t thing ever. Serious Smaug vibes here.

The Chronicles of Narnia Merch | Pixie Dust Crate 

Not only is this one of the CoOlESt shops EVER (I hopped onto Instagram and caught the tail end of everyone unboxing the Narnia crates, and I was low key drooling), the merch is super unique and so cool.

Owl Gear Steampunk Earrings | Elissa J Designs

I don't really read Steampunk and I don't wear earrings (or any other jewelry, for that matter...tbh I don't usually take the time to pick something out, haha), but these could also work for anyone with a love of owls. And cog wheels. (though whyyy would you have a love of cog wheels? *scratches head*)

Classic audio dramas | Lamplighter Theatre

Anyone else grow up with these as road trip staples?? For real, though...they're sooooo good. If you're needing recommendations, Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince is my family's favorite (yes, and my favorite too *grins*)

Personal Library Kit

THIS IS SO GENIUS. Like, I love this idea!! I love to lend books (don't freak out, it's only been a bad idea once), so this is a super fun idea. Not that I would ever actually remember to use it, buuuuut

Shakespeare Insults Poster

Oh my word, y'all, I'm dying! This is soooo unique and perfect for the sarcastic Shakespeare fan! "There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune" Okay, I think even non-Shakespearean fans will get a kick out of this one. Someone put a whole lotta time into that poster. *cackles*

Bathtub Reading Tray

Let's just pretend for a moment that I don't prefer showers to baths, and let me say I NEED THIS, 'KAY?? Do you have any idea how often I've wished that I could read in the shower (or bathtub)?? Not that I'd ever get the courage to actually SUspENd my bOOk OvER WAteR, mind you, but like...there's even a support to hold the book up. *cries*

Collectible editions of classic books | Amazon

THESE ARE SOOOOO PRETTY. You can seriously find so many different kinds of collectible covers, but these are some super, super adorable editions of Heidi, Little Women, A Little Princess, and Anne of Green Gables. Cloth-bound...hardcover...colorful...yes please.

Narnia audio dramas | Focus on the Family

My sis got these for Christmas once, but once we started listening, I became obsessed. *cough* I've read the first three books, but I know what the rest of the series is about 'cause I listened to 'em in epic audio drama version and they are phenomenal.

Currently Reading Bookmark | Create Explore Read

Create Explore Read just has the best bookmarks in general. Enough said.

Book-inspired phone flip case | ChickLit Designs

I AM OBSESSED WITH THESE AND IF I DIDN'T NEED AN ARMORED CASE FOR MY PHONE (anyone else here drop their phone alllll the time? on hard flooring???) I WOULD BUY ONE. Seriously. Go looooook.

Book Planter

...Oh my word this is a m a z i n g. For the plant + book lover...this is a must have. Shoot, if you're crafty, you could even do this yourself. It's extremely heartbreaking to see this done to books (y'all. A hole. Right down the middle of the entire thing.) but if the plant people you know are like the plant people I know (looking at you, Darcie & Ashleigh *smirks*), the sacrifice will be worthwhile.

Book Locket Necklace 

Ohmygoodness I love this!! It's so vintage + rustic looking, would go with pretty much any outfit, and it's a BOOK. You can even add your own lil' message inside.

A book sleeve crocheted by yours truly 

I was originally supposed to link to something else here, buuuut it's no longer available. So. If you're interested in a book sleeve, email me using the form on the bottom of the sidebar and I can send you some pictures!

Book-inspired coffee blends | Fable Grounds Coffee

I'm not a coffee drinker. But some of these blends are making me seriously wanna change my mind. *grins*

The Road Goes Ever On and On T-Shirt | Crab Apple Books

Please tell me I'm not the only one who actually had to google that reference...Anyway. Would you believe me if I told you that I don't own any bookish apparel? It's true. I own zero t-shirts with book quotes on them. No totes with bookish phrases. It's really sad.

Snarky Bookish Mugs | Crab Apple Books

I'd buy one if I actually used mugs on a regular basis...so many good writer mugs.

Floating Bookshelf

I would looooove a floating bookshelf. Or five. You can ask my mom, I will use books as decor whenever possible. So to have them floating on my wall would be the perfect touch.

Watercolor journal | Across Fields Studio

I adore flowers. And I adore watercolor paintings. And I adore journals + notebooks even though I rarely use them. This one is sooooo cute.

So. There is 20 of 103 amazing gift ideas for the bookworm in your life! Don't forget to check out the blogs of the lovely ladies joining me in this collaboration! (Also, thanks, Julia, for organizing this whole thing! *grins*)

Litaflame.blog   

Jenna Terese    

Victorialynnblog.com 

Scribbled Fiction

If you were to choose one item from this list to receive, what would you choose?

Book Review: A Tasteful Christmas by Victoria Penning

Mystery.  Danger.  Romance.  Trust.  And some hearty Christmas Cheer!
 
Olivia Jackson is finally living her life-long dream of owning a bakery.  Whipped Dreams Bakery is flourishing, and the Christmas season couldn’t be more promising.  But someone is trying to take everything Olivia has worked so hard to build away from her. 
 
When Olivia is given one week to close shop and clear out, things start getting complicated.  Adrian Callen, an FBI agent and friend of her father, steps in to help. But with her past still lurking in the corners of her mind, will she be able to accept his help? Can he help her discover who is trying to shut her down?  What is Adrian struggling with?  And will she ever learn to trust again?

My rating:

Guyyyyyyssssss.

It's Christmas book season. *grins*

I own a sad amount of Christmas books, and with the libraries on lockdown, I don't want to deal with that hassle. But thankfully, I think I've got enough to last me through Christmas.

I approached Victoria this summer about a book swap, and I was sooo excited when she agreed! So when the book came, I eagerly opened the package...and immediately forced myself to put it up on my shelf to wait to read until Christmastime. *sigh*

BUT. The time finally arrived, and on Thanksgiving day, I could wait no longer. I brought that baby down off the shelf, plopped onto the couch, and commenced reading.

I was drawn in right away. I'm a sucker for books that have 1) sports, and 2) food in prominent roles. So while it doesn't involve sports, there is a bakery and it made me soooo happy. One thing that bugged me, though, was that I don't remember the book ever mentioning the bakery name? Like, it's in the back cover blurb, but nowhere in the book? I mean, it's not a real issue, I just...idk. I just think it would've been fun for Livy to pop over the counter, covered in flour, when a customer comes in and say "welcome to Whipped Dreams Bakery!"

(Actually maybe she did do that...I don't remember *facepalm*)

Adrian was so cool. I loved his protective, big-brother attitude toward Olivia and Addy, and how, (*potential spoiler*) even when he and Olivia made their feelings for each other known, he still spent time with and gave attention to his sister. Also, it cracked me up every time someone called him Agent Callen—if ya know, ya know.

Addy was super fun. And of course I'm going to immediately like her if she's Adrian's twin. *grins* (again, if ya know, ya know) And Olivia was such a sweet girl, the poor broken cinnamon roll (they're actually all poor broken cinnamon rolls, really) with a form of PTSD. Her past kept being hinted at, and her DEEP DARK SECRET was so ramped up that I was afraid that by the time I actually found out what the secret was, it'd be a let down. But...uh...yeah...if I'd gone through that, I'd have PTSD too. *shudders* And Y'ALL LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT DERICK! Like, he definitely wasn't a major character. More like a minor of the minor characters. But I honestly loved the little that I saw of him, and I think he needs his own story. *nods*

The romance was actually super sweet and cute. There wasn't bucketloads chemistry and sparks described, which I really appreciated—just a man learning to let go and live, and a girl learning to trust. (If you'll excuse me, I need to go find a man to throw some flour on.)

The themes of learning to trust, and let go, and all that jazz was so good. I loved seeing the characters grow.

One thing that I didn't care for was the dramatization of Adrian's past. Like, I understand that the dude was brokenhearted. It made me feel really bad for him. But I felt like the fact that the whole avoid-saying-her-name-at-all-costs was kinda...overdone. *shrugs*

But all that said, it was a CHRISTMAS book. And the Christmas baking and hot cocoa and the coziness—*happy sigh*

I'm so looking forward to more by this author!

What Christmas books are on your TBR this season?

More 2020 Indie Releases

I know that pretty much everyone is saying this today, but I'll go ahead and say it too: *deep breath* HOW cAN it bE dECEmbER AlREadY?!?!?! (for real, where did 2020 go?!) *clears throat* Okay. Now that that's over, we can get on with the post.

Juuuuust in case y'all need any last-minute gifts for that person who always just wants books for Christmas (*cough* like me *cough*), I've got another list of Indie releases from this year! If you missed my last post on this subject, you can find that here.

Today I've got a few more than last time, so bear with me, haha! And I know there's still more indie books out there that have released this year that I'm not mentioning. So sorry! (If you'd like to find more, you can either leave a comment and I'll promise to reply, or ask your friends who are connected in the indie community.)

I don't own all of these, and I haven't read all of these. But the next best thing (besides leaving a review—that would be a perfect Christmas gift for an indie author!) is sharing about the books so that others can find ones in their favorite genres.

So. Let's get started!

Poison's Dance by Tricia Mingerink

Released August 26

A retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I haven't even read the first two books in this series, much less this one, but if they're anywhere as good as her Blades of Acktar series, they're definitely ones to read. (Genre: fantasy)

The Crownless King by Kara Linaburg

Released September 1

I haven't read this one or it's prequel yet, but The Broken Prince is on my kindle and therefore on my very-soon-TBR! (Genre: fantasy)

Fifteen by Amie Woleslagle

Released October 23

This collection of poems is so beautiful. For those feeling lost...drowning...anxious...worthless. This one's for you. I know that this book is going to touch a lot of lives. Read my review here. (Genre: nonfiction)

A Very Bookish Thanksgiving by Sarah Holman, Kelsey Bryant, Rebekah Jones, J. Grace Pennington, Amanda Tero

Released October 26

This collection of five stories is a limited edition book! As in, once 2021 hits, it's gone forever. So make sure you get your copy before the end of the month! (Genre: uhhhh idk, but each story is inspired by a classic, so that's super cool)

Until We All Run Free by Heather Wood

Released October 27

I reallllllly want to read this one! I suppose I need to read book 1 first, though...but they sound sooooo good! Plus, I haven't read a Civil War-era book in a long time. (Genre: historical fiction)

The Lady of Lanaria by Michaela Bush

Released November 6

This one is a sweet Rapunzel retelling! If you're a fan of heroines that play the violin, grow herbs (and knows how to use them medically too), and can make a mean loaf of bread, this one's for you. *grins* Find my review here. (Genre: fantasy)

 Untitled by Jesseca Wheaton

Released November 11

Oh mY hEaRT. This one's painful, y'all, and recommended for a bit older readers due to some of the subject matter. But like...*flails* read my review here. (Genre: historical fiction)

Stop the Rain by Kassie Angle

Released November 11

*Cries* so good. Sososo good. Heartwrenching. Rains on your soul. (*smirks* see what I did there?) But the chARacTERs. Read my review here. (Genre: contemporary)

Dawn and the Letters by Eliza Noel

Released November 26

Isn't this cover adorable?? This middle grade book is the second in a series, and I haven't even read the first book yet, buuuuut I've heard so many great things about it. So. Know a younger reader? Go check this one out! (Genre: contemporary)

Hopefully your indie TBR has grown significantly! ;) What are your favorite indie releases of the year (or of all time)?