In Case He Missed This…

/ Dora Hiers
My Dad

My dad is my real life hero and an inspiration for many of the heroes in my books. He may not track down criminals or rope cattle like my book heroes, but he’s strong and solid, and always there when I need him. He’s an anchor, a trusted adviser, a dependable friend, and a great listener who never judges or berates my mistakes. And I’ve made plenty of them! 

I’m sure I’m not the only offspring to confess that our relationship hasn’t always been this way. You see, I was a rebellious teenager, definitely not a model child. The grief I gave my dad is probably the reason he doesn’t have much hair left. Or maybe the hair loss had more to do with my parents birthing three daughters spaced just seventeen months apart. What were they thinking trying for that precious boy?? 😀

My dad raised us to be independent. He volunteered our services mowing all the lawns in our neighborhood at a dirt rate price, which I’m sure broke all the child labor laws at the time. lol. He made us change tires until he was confident we wouldn’t be stranded on the side of the road with a flat. Dad modeled a strong work ethic, encouraged us to play sports as well as any guy and with the guys, and challenged us to always keep learning. 

But he was also over-protective. What happens when you mix Overprotective Dad with three Missy Independents? A tumultuous household, that’s for sure. I really don’t know how any of us survived our growing up years, including him. 

I didn’t truly appreciate my dad until I moved out of the house. After graduation at the mature age of seventeen, I knew it all. By eighteen, I was married, within four years had my first child, and was divorced at twenty two.

Do you think I learned to appreciate my parents then? Oh yeah.

Especially the occasional respite from single parenthood, which allowed me a few days of absolutely wonderful and desperately needed peace considering my toddler son’s dispensation towards daredevil escapades. And what about the few times my dad plucked who-knows-what remains from the back of my car, remnants of the frantic pace of a single woman balancing a demanding career with a Houdini-wannabe child. At the time, I was convinced that my dad did it because he was a neat freak. But later, I realized that’s how he shows his love. Just like the countless times my parents pitched in to help me move, both while I was an apartment manager, and it came with the territory, and even after Ernie and I married. But believe me when I tell you, that debt’s been repaid. 🙂 An avid DIY’r, he’s helped us with numerous home improvement projects, including hanging drywall, room additions, replumbing, crawling in attics, you get the idea. 

Love in action. That’s how my father demonstrates his love for me. Much like our heavenly Father, don’t you think?

I know there will come a day when my dad isn’t around anymore, and every time I think about it, my heart feels like it is being ripped out of my chest. How I will miss seeing his face light up as he starts to tell a story, only to laugh so hard that he has to pull out a hanky and blow his nose before he can finish. And he’s a huge NASCAR fan. It’s hilarious the way he’s always pacing the floor, chomping at the bit to hit the road at least thirty minutes earlier than planned. I will miss our driving vacations and our cruises, but I will always cherish the precious memories.

My Dad and Hubby headed to a NASCAR race, their favorite hobby

My dad. My hero. 

Death strikes all of us eventually. We’re either standing at the graveside, staring into a cavernous hole about to say goodbye to our loved one, wondering how people can go on as if nothing had happened…or we’re the ones driving by, sorrow welling up for the people clustered around a graveside, a heavy cloud of sadness hovering over them.

Life goes on. For the ones who live. 

Life begins for the ones who die. Eternal life.

I love you, Dad.

On My Kindle ~ Silenced by Dani Pettrey

/ Dora Hiers
Purchase Link

Jake Knew Something Was Wrong.
But He Never Guessed How Wrong.

A relaxing day of rock climbing takes a disturbing turn when Kayden McKenna’s route brings her face-to-face with a dead climber. Is it a terrible accident or something darker? When the case is handed to overburdened sheriff Landon Grainger, he turns to Jake Westin for help. With Jake’s past now revealed, he’s ready to use his talent for investigation again–but he could never prepare for where the mystery will take him.

Kayden’s climbing expertise soon leads her and Jake to the realization that the death was no accident. And worse, it seems the killer is onto them. When strange things begin happening in Yancey, Jake is terrified that once again his world may put someone he loves in danger. But the truth is far worse than he could ever imagine.

My Review:

Kayden scaled the rock face, the addictive burn spreading through her arms, her body. Man, she loved this–hanging on the edge of a seven-hundred-fifty-foot sheer cliff face, knowing one wrong grab meant death.


Do you get the idea Kayden thrives on danger? We’ve gotten to know the entire McKenna clan more with every Alaskan Courage book. Kayden’s a bit closed off for me, and the one I find toughest to relate to probably because she’s so tough and independent. She’s committed to not marrying or having children since her mother’s death from rheumatoid arthritis, and even keeps her brothers and sister at arm’s length. And Jake? We finally found out about the mysterious Jake in the last book, Stranded. Jake had been a homicide detective in his prior life, but after his wife and unborn daughter were murdered, he chose Yancey to hide and heal from the pain. Kayden’s been at odds with the Jake throughout the entire series, her interactions with him full of doubt and mistrust, but now that his past has been revealed, she finally admits that she’s drawn to him.

“God doesn’t promise the way will be easy, far from it, but He promises to carry us through, to give us the courage and grace we need when we need it. He most often doesn’t change the circumstances, He changes us.” ~Jake to Kayden


The faith thread was gentle, laced with a few prayers and this little goodie. The theme really resonated with me: that a person should live their life to the fullest, without letting fear guide their choices. The plot was fast-paced in a hang-on-to-your-seat kinda way, but, for me, there were so many different pieces to the puzzle, by the end, I still wasn’t sure how they fit together. If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers with a little romance mixed in, you’ll enjoy Silenced. While it wasn’t my favorite book of the Alaskan Courage series, it definitely kept me turning pages for a few hours. Each of the books are stand-alones, but since the McKenna clan is a close-knit bunch who show up in every book, you’ll probably enjoy it more if you start with the first book.

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reviewing Silenced and for the free copy I received in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. This opinion is my own, and I received no compensation.

On My Kindle ~ Stuck Together by Mary Connealy

/ Dora Hiers / 3 Comments
Purchase Link

When a lawman who values order gets stuck with a feisty crusader who likes to stir things up, there’s going to be trouble in Texas! 

Tina Cahill, newly arrived from the East, is determined to get the saloon in Broken Wheel, Texas, closed for good. To that end, she pickets outside the place every afternoon. Unfortunately, so far no one has paid any attention.

Vince Yates earned the nickname “Invincible Vince” because of his reputation for letting absolutely nothing stop him. Not his tyrant of a father. Nor the injuries he suffered in the Civil War. Nor the fact that he is Broken Wheel’s only attorney and sheriff yet has no law degree.

But Vince is about to face his biggest challenge yet: his past has just caught up with him. His father, mother, and the sister he didn’t know he had show up in Broken Wheel without warning. His father is still a schemer. His mother is suffering signs of dementia. And his surprise sister immediately falls for one of Vince’s best friends. Vince has a lot of people to take care of, and Tina doesn’t approve of how he’s handling any of them. But with almost all the other men in town married off, Vince finds himself stuck with feisty Tina over and over again. Of course, Tina is the prettiest woman he’s ever seen, so if he could just get her to give up her causes, he might go ahead and propose. But he’s got one more surprise coming his way: Tina’s picketing at the saloon has revealed a dark secret that could put everyone Vince loves in danger.

Sharing my thoughts~

There are only a handful of historical authors whose books I automatically snatch up, and Connealy, queen of romantic comedy with cowboys, is one of them. She had me chuckling from the very first scene, a wild saloon brawl instigated by the heroine. Tina, a woman who’s been abandoned for most of her life, is always thinking of causes to fight for, and she’s determined to shut down the saloon by picketing. As much as she annoys Vince, a self-acclaimed lawyer and a not-wannabe town-appointed sheriff, he can’t help but appreciate her spunkiness. 

Broken Wheel was a north Texas town set smack-dab in the middle of Indian Territory. Only idiots lived here, and idiots rarely needed a lawyer. Vince figured it was only fair to count himself and all of his friends among the idiots.


Vince hightailed it away from his childhood home after he healed from the war, escaping a mother with dementia and a tyrant father. But that doesn’t last long and Invincible Vince finds himself caretaker for his mother and a sister he never knew existed. As much as he might enjoy a lasting relationship with Tina, Vince recognizes that it’s only a matter of time before it becomes apparent which parent he’ll take after, and he refuses to pass either of those genes down to a child or to saddle his wife with a tyrant or a man who can’t remember her name. For me, how and when Vince finally resolves this issue seemed hasty and a bit rushed. But then, he was tracking down a…well, I won’t spoil your reading pleasure. 🙂

We met Vince and Tina in the second book in the Trouble in Texas series, Fired Up, where the fireworks were already sparking between these two. You can read my review here. All of the Trouble in Texas books can be read as stand alones, but really, why not scoop them up and settle in for a few laughs? With subtle spiritual references, both mainstream and inspirational romance lovers will enjoy Stuck Together.

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reviewing Stuck Together and for the free copy I received in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. This opinion is my own, and I received no compensation.