The Mayflower Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower Series - Book 1

True American History woven into the fabric of fiction!

I was fascinated by the real history in this book and riveted to the story.  I had no idea that only 5 women survived the Mayflower journey.  I could almost hear the echo of lamentation that surely accompanied these brave souls who set out for a new world and religious freedom.

In my American History class decades ago, I somehow missed the fact that a second ship, the "Speedwell", started the journey with the Mayflower.  Due to confessed sabotage by the crew that was paid to help settle the colony, the Speedwell had continuous leaks that wouldn't allow it to safely cross the ocean.  The Separatists on the Speedwell, were transferred to the Mayflower, while the fraudulent crew was allowed to do as they wished, stay in England.

In the book, there is a man who takes great delight in tormenting the Separatists.  He bullied the sick church members and enjoyed taunting them with the promise that he would throw their dead bodies into the sea.  The author, Kimberley Woodhouse, brought this real character to life for me.  I was disgusted by his words and I wondered how anyone could be so cruel and evil.  Interestingly, he was a real person, written about in the Pilgrim's journals.  It seems somehow fitting that he was the first Mayflower voyager to die and be buried at sea.

I admit that I picked this book up because I was seeking a historical romance.  However, the history that is intertwined throughout the pages of this book, was very eyeopening to me!  It makes me more grateful to the Separatists who sacrificed and struggled for religious freedom in the New World.

Synopsis of The Mayflower Bride

 The Mayflower Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower - Book 1Check PriceJust as the name implies, there is a romantic fiction story too. Mary Elizabeth, a Separatist, falls in love with William, a carpenter, who started the journey as a non-believer.  Part of what makes the love story better, is William's conversion, which he does not do just because of Mary Elizabeth. He truly desires to know God and to worship with the Separatists.

Mary Elizabeth joined her father and young brother on the Speedwell, bound for the New World.  She wasn't happy about leaving behind her mother's grave, her familiar home and life.  It was a frighting change for her, full of unknowns.  However, her best friend, Dorothy, was also making the journey with her parents.  Dorothy's exuberance about the venture helps Mary Elizabeth to try to view it as exciting and a blessing for them to be included in the first group to go. 

Williams mentor and master in carpentry, paid for William's part and passage on the Mayflower.  Because William is an orphan who lived on the streets until he was taken in by Paul, they believe the New World offers William a new life.  A future that is unburdened by his past and the condescension of people who know about him.

There are many trials and difficulties the passengers on the Mayflower faced.  Their own survival on the ship, was just the beginning.

Daughters of the Mayflower Series

The books in this series were not all written by the same author.  While I am familiar with a few of the inspiring authors, The Mayflower Bride, Book 1, was the first book I have read by the author, Kimberley Woodhouse.  It is an excellent book to start the series!  I can hardly wait to dive into the second book in the series, The Pirate Bride, written by Kathleen Y'Barbo (an awesome author).  I have no doubt, it will also be fabulous!  

It is exciting to discover this new series, especially at this time of the year when we focus on our blessings and our own American Thanksgiving.  After all, the voyagers on the Mayflower were the foundation of our country.

 The Mayflower Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower - Book 1Check Price

Since this Review was Published, I have read and reviewed several additional books from the Daughters of the Mayflower Series

 
The Pirate Bride Book Review

At the innocent age of 12, Maribel Cordoba's life changes forever. Her formative years & education are guided by nuns, but she never truly forgets the pirate who stole her heart.



The Captured Bride Book Review

An unlikely team is assigned a mission that is fraught with danger. It becomes necessary to trust a previously perceived enemy. I highly recommend this historical Christian fiction.



The Patriot Bride Book Reviewed

After enduring several life tragedies, this wealthy young widow finds the strength & needed alliance to serve the patriots as a messenger. Highly recommended!



The Liberty Bride Book Reviewed

In The Liberty Bride, Emeline Baratt is sailing home to America. Her allegiance to America is greatly tested when the unthinkable happens.




The Rebel Bride Book 10 Reviewed

True American History woven into the fabric of fiction! An excellent historical romantic fiction about the Mayflower voyagers: Separatists & Strangers.

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Chasing My Cure - Book Review

Read the Five-Star Reviews

When I first began to read Chasing My Cure by David Fajgenbaum, the proverb that came to mind as an alternate title was Physician, Heal Thyself.  Though it may have been apt with regard to his early love life, and perhaps some of the medical establishment he encountered, I certainly have nothing but respect for the author, and compassion for what he and his family have lived through.

Fajgenbaum was still reeling from the death of his mother to an aggressive brain cancer when he began to experience mysterious flu-like symptoms.  At first, he ascribed the overwhelming fatigue to the stresses of medical school and tried to power through it to complete his rotations and exams.  When his condition rapidly deteriorated, landing him in a hospital's emergency department, the early indications and tests pointed to Lymphoma cancer.

While that diagnosis would have been a severe blow, the real blow was yet to come.  There would be no quick identification of Fajgenbaum's mystery illness.  With all of his major organs shutting down, death seemed imminent.

As a doctor in training, the author wasn't ready to give up hope.  He kept noticing details of his extreme illness that others did not recognize as significant.  One of Fajgenbaum's strengths was a laser-like focus born of what others deemed a disability (the hyperfocus variant of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder).  When he got hold of something that captured his attention, Fajgenbaum did not let go.  In this case, that would be his eventual salvation.

After several weeks of multiple near-death experiences and debilitating pain, and after insisting on a lymph node biopsy, Fajgenbaum finally received his diagnosis: Castleman Disease.  In nearly every respect, this medical sentence was much worse than the initial fears raised by a potential cancer diagnosis.  Knowing what he was fighting did not make this an easy or fair fight.

To read Chasing My Cure, is to obtain an intimate glimpse into the world of living tenuously day to day.  It will take you into the often perplexing universe of attempting to find a cure for a relentless, ruthless, incredibly complex disease.  You will meet people of heart and courage who invoke a brand of hope that is invincible—and just as relentless as the enemy.

Fajgenbaum has not only had to fight the ultimate foe within his body.  Equally daunting has been his mission to revolutionize the medical research field and to convince others that it takes a whole different approach when chasing down a cure for Castleman Disease.  Attempting to change the deeply seated ways in which institutions, corporations, physicians, and researchers operate has been essential to this enterprise.  To create this kind of change will be as critical as solving the mystery of the disease, for systems are often as much in need of cures as are the people they serve.

I encourage you to read this inspirational memoir of how hope, faith, and love accompany Fajgenbaum on his ultimate journey of discovery.  This recently published book is consistently receiving five-star ratings.  I believe that is so because this is much more than a story.  It is a call to each of us to act on the kind of invincible hope that makes a true difference for others.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Why Do People Think Personalized Labels are a Good Idea?

Labels are all around us and they tell us all kinds of information!  Useful information that we need to know! (A Product Review)

Labels will let us know what we are eating, where a product is made, if the product is on sale (I have to buy this now) and a host of other information.

Labels can also be used to show people that it is hand made, organic, or new and improved.  Labels are all around us we just have to open our eyes to see the vast array of labels that are waiting for us to "notice".  

But, here it comes, the big BUT!  Many labels are not there for you to notice, rather they are there to identify what belongs to you!  Mabel's Labels makes this an easy chore!

There are innumerable reasons why you should want to label things that belong to you!  All age categories from young children to the elderly have reason to label their belongings.

Day Care and Schools

Let's start with the younger set!  If you have children that attend a Daycare or Nursery School, applying labels to their belongings will make it easier for the caregivers to identify items belonging to a specific child.  You don't want your child's favorite toy or blanket to inadvertently be given to another child.  Changes of clothing should be labelled as well, so that if an accident happens you know that your child will be sporting their own clothes.  

School age children are always tossing their belongings into the closet and when it comes time to go out for recess or time to go home, they just grab whatever looks like their hat, mitts, boots and more.  If it is labelled there will be no mix ups!  Mabel's Labels has specially designed Back to School Packs of labels just for them.

Of greater importance with school aged children is the possibility of food allergies.  Label their lunches and snacks with specially designed labels!  No more worrying about them getting into someone else's treats, with the resulting visit to a doctor or hospital.  

Organized Sports, Dance and Music Classes

When they start getting into organized sports, the purchase of equipment is a major investment.  Keep their gear easy to recognize and keep it coming home!  No parent wants to keep replacing what they have already bought once before.  For children who take dance classes you can label their shoes and clothing items that may be required.  The same can be said for band classes.  Every instrument and case should be labelled with the name of the musician. No more mix ups with the instruments.

Personalized Labels for Seniors

Now let's move on to those of us who are looking after aging parents or relatives. 
Many seniors are no longer able to live on their own. The family may decide to move their parents into a care facility.  When this happens, labeling belongings becomes an important issue.  Glasses, dentures, hearing aids and so many more small items are not only expensive, but easy to lose.  Sometimes our seniors have dementia or Alzheimer's, and they forget where they put something.  If it is labelled there will be no doubt to whom the items belong.  The labels are very nice to look at and easy to apply.  Shoes, clothes and coats and a myriad of other labels are available.  The seniors themselves learn to look for that label that they recognize.  It helps the staff at the facility and ultimately it will help you too!



Seniors Label Pack

Labels for Everyone Else!

There are labels for you too if you are feeling left out.  Mabel's Labels has a really nice Book Stamp that can be used for those books that you want to keep in your collection.  Place a nice stamp on the inside cover and chances are it will be returned to you after having been borrowed.  How many times do I forget who that Great Book belonged to before I got my hands on it?  If it was labelled, I know I would return it to it's rightful owner.  Mabel's also has a nice Return Address Stamp as well.  So you no longer have to write out your address!  One quick tap and it's all there in black and white.  So easy, neat and clean.

There is one place that you will spend much less time in and that is the LOST AND FOUND!  When things are labelled the chances of them being lost for very long is greatly diminished and so is your frustration and angst.  Make your life easier by using Labels in everyone's belongings.

**Olivia is an affiliate of Mabel's Labels through Shareasale and a small commission will be generated when you use these links.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Case Histories Book Reviewed

Cold Case Mystery

Today, I want to review an older mystery book for you Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. It was first published in 2004 but is still considered in the top 20 of best mysteries in 2019. One of the reasons I decided to read it was because Stephen King was quoted that he thought it was the best mystery of the decade. Okay, I don't care who you are...for Mr. King to give it that kind of accolade, it has to be pretty danged good. Am I right?

Looking for clues in cold cases
image courtesy of pixabay.com

The recommendation by King was actually secondary as to why I decided to begin reading this book. I'm beginning a new Cozy Mystery Series that will introduce Babbs Bennett, a senior amateur sleuth who in the first book will be trying to solve a cold case from her past. The Mystery Book Club that Babbs just joined needs to meet in this first story. So, I began a search to find a book that the club could discuss that would also be about a cold case. (Hint, the book gives them the idea to look into the unsolved case of their youth). That is probably more information than you wanted but it is why I even looked at the book in the first place. Anyway, what started as a resource for my own book has turned out to be a real enjoyable reading experience! Mr. King isn't wrong in his estimation.

Case Histories Isn't A Cozy Mystery

Jackson Brodie is the Private Detective who is looking into three cold cases that span about thirty years. The cases he has been hired to look into seem totally unrelated until Brodie begins to discover connections in the crimes. Jackson Brodie works with determined resolve on the cases that he honestly would have rather not taken. His findings lead him to reassess his own painful history as an ex-cop, ex-husband, and a father on weekends only.  

First of all, kudos to Kate Atkinson for her writing style! Oh my goodness, she describes the dysfunction in families so accurately. The families are different but similar if that makes sense. I found myself relating to the children but also to the mothers in the families. I think we all have felt at least a little of their pain. 

Case Histories doesn't fall in the Cozy sub-genre of mystery books. I say that because it is slightly more graphic in the crimes but not so graphic that you will find it disturbing. At least, I didn't. It is more accurately placed in Private Investigators or Detective stories. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I will probably have to read the other Jackson Brodie mysteries in the near future. Oh, another sign that the novel is worth reading is that it along with the other books in the series was made into a television series by the BBC. A pretty big vote of confidence, I'd say. 

This is a great book for anyone who loves to read detective type mysteries. I think both men and women will enjoy the plot and the way Atkinson tells it. For me it started out as something I could refer to in my own book and ended up grabbing my attention in an unexpected way.

Case Histories

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My Favorite Local Ace Hardware Store Reviewed

Do you have a local Ace Hardware Store -  where everyone knows your name? Cue the theme song to Cheers!

My local Ace Hardware is indeed the Hardware Cheers of our neighborhood and the neighborhood is very fortunate to have access to a store with the exemplary knowledge and customer service exhibited by their employees and the on site owner.

Ace Hardware Celebrates 95 Years Of Service

A few weeks ago fellow Review This Reviews Contributor Wednesday Elf wrote a review of Ace Hardware Stores and my comment was, "I love Ace Hardware! I was thinking of writing a review." While cleaning out the garage this summer and doing lawn work I realized how many of the tools were from Ace which sparked a conversation about Ace with the neighbor and turned into a review of the Ace tool inventory.

Wednesday Elf's article celebrated the history of Ace Hardware, her experience as an Ace employee and the 95th, yes 95th Birthday of Ace Hardware. She suggested I write a review and after surveying the inventory of Ace brand tools in the lawn and home toolbox, I agree!

Ace Brand Tools

There is no shortage of Ace brand tool in the garage! I have found the Ace brand to be equal or better than its' competitors in quality and price. From garden tools to water pumps to wheelbarrows, the garage is chock full of Ace!

Ace offers a rewards program which is free to join and members earn 1 point for every $10.00 spent on qualifying purchases.  I love that rewards can be earned in the bricks and mortar store or online. The rewards can be easily redeemed in store or online and are redeemable when earning reach $5.00.

The Service

Knowledgeable, friendly and extremely helpful! Whether fixing a gutter, reseeding the lawn or painting the employees answer all questions and guide you to the right product. The paint mixing is superior to the big box store down the street and the store to car delivery service is a huge convenience and help when needing extra muscle. 

Buying mulch, topsoil or heavy equipment has never been so easy as the store will deliver the purchase right to the car. Lawn equipment and snow equipment can be ordered online or through the store and delivered to your home. 

 Shop Local

The residents in this area make it a priority to shop the local Ace store and there is a big box competitor 1/2 mile down the road. It is always a pleasure when a store delivers as promised and this store makes it easy to support the local business. 

Ace stocks the major brand names of tools as well as a fun selection of unique items to bring a smile to the shopper. One year I found rubber clogs for the garden in a cheery selection of bold colors and this year I found this charming self watering bird for potted plants.

It is always a fun shopping experience at Ace whether it be for the practical lawn bags or a little birdie to liven up a potted plant!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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