The Color of Home

Author: Kit Tosello

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 24, 2024

An inspiring and emotional story that will touch the hearts of readers.

Audrey Needham is an interior designer working for the upper class and it is getting harder and harder by the day. When her aunt needs help caring for her uncle, she must decide if it is worth risking her career to go back to Charity Falls, Oregon, the small town she spent her summers growing up. She hasn’t been back since in thirteen years since her father was killed in a fire at the Sugar Pine Inn. As she arrives back at Charity Falls, she is met with sign after sign that she is in the right place.

I love when a contemporary fiction book gets it just right. Sometimes those are the very best books I read, they surprise me with how enjoyable they are and usually at just the right moment. The dynamic between the different characters hit home for me and the way the story slowly built made me eager to turn the pages and see how it would all turn out. Audrey was a fantastic protagonist and just what I was looking for with this contemporary fiction read. There was very little “fluff” and nonsense that took me out of the story, a great aspect in novels. The slow build up was great for me but it might be considered slow by some so that is something to keep in mind. I do recommend this to readers that enjoy contemporary fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Out for Blood

Author: Ryan Steck

Series: Matthew Redd Thriller #3

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: June 4, 2024

The third book in the Matthew Redd series is an amazing addition to a fantastic series.

It’s the dead of winter in Montana and Matthew Redd knows how to deal with that, but the killer storm that is coming might be more than he can handle. While he is with his family in Montana his father, Gavin Kline is escorting a very high value prisoner when he comes under attack. The attack then leads Gavin to realize Matthew is the next target. Gavin gets word to Redd that he has a target on his back in time for him to prepare and try to get his family to safety. A snowstorm is about to hit which might make it harder for Matthew to stay alive, or it just might give him the cover he needs to take out those coming for him.

I loved this book! I picked it up after several that lacked what I needed to get me invested in the story and characters. It was incredibly easy to fly through the pages of this story and want to see these characters come out the other side safe and happy. Each new addition to this series finds Matthew in a terrible position and having to someway find his way to safety and make sure those he loves are also safe, sometimes harder than others. With this one it involved almost everyone in town trying to help keep him and his family safe after the biggest attack to come at him. I would recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of it. Readers could pick one and enjoy it but reading all will give the reader the best enjoyment.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The vies and opinions expressed within are my own.

Up From Dust

Author: Heather Kaufman

Series: Women of the Way #1

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: January 23, 2024

A biblical story that will hit the heart strings hard and leave the reader so incredibly satisfied.

Martha of Bethany has the responsibility of raising her siblings after the sudden death of her mother. Raising two young kids while trying to find herself is a struggle in and of itself. Her first love isn’t turning out to be what she expected and all she has worked for is falling apart. Years later Martha and her friends ask Jesus to help heal her husband and when Martha remembers who he is she watches him closely. Miracles or not she is unsure how to proceed and what is the right thing to do.

I have read several books over the last few years dealing with characters from the bible in some form or fashion and this one ends up pretty high on the list. In this we see the difficult times Martha faces not only with her family but also her interactions with Jesus. These interactions are well done and engaging. I loved the way the story played out and kept me invested. Readers that are interested in biblical fiction will not want to put this one aside. It is a great read that has a lot to offer.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Last Exchange

Author: Charles Martin

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: October 3, 2023

How far will you go to protect someone you love?

Maybe Joe Sue is the world’s biggest movie star. Orphaned and passed around through the foster care system, once she aged out, she headed for Los Angeles to try to make a name for herself. All she found were a few commercials and a place to wait on all night customers. One of those nights, a producer realized that she would be a perfect replica for the actress that he was having problems with. After a few takes and an indie movie film festival, her star took off and the rest was history. Except it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows. Sure, she had fame, money, and what appeared to be a wonderful marriage, but it was really anything but that. Fortunately, she had her bodyguard MacThomas Pockets, who was loyal to her through everything and took care of her, even when she started abusing drugs. But when Pockets ends up in prison, things spiral out of control for Joe. Years later when the surrogate mother for her baby ends up blackmailing her for money, she goes even deeper into depression, all the while still winning acting awards. On the night of the award ceremony, Joe is abducted, and no one knows where she has been taken. But it will take everything to get her back on the right track.

As usual, Charles Martin brings a story that readers will love to read over and over again. The story of Joe and Pockets will warm readers’ hearts and mark them as another set of unforgettable characters that Martin has produced throughout his books. After the letters series, this was a bit of a different direct, more of a return to his roots. One can’t help but strive to see these characters succeed and get to the happy ending, even if a bit unconventional. I also love how he manages to tie in other novels he has written and would love to see if readers uncover the novel where Joe plays one of the main characters and wins an award!

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass

Author: Katie Powner

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: September 26, 2023

A contemporary read so full of emotion and heart, I was glued to my seat!

Pete Ryman never thought he would find himself back in Sleeping Grass, his hometown; but now at fifty-years old, he is back with his potbellied pig, Pearl. He dropped out of high school making it hard for him to find work except for the sanitation department. Wilma Jacobsen is trying to live her live life now that she is a widow and her children have all left. When Pete Ryman shows up in town, a wave of guilt washes over her from the past she has never been able to get over. Pete’s younger sister shows up in town with her young son and Pete suddenly finds himself with everything he wanted and afraid of losing it all.

Katie Powner has written a powerful story with heart, emotion, and pure enjoyment. Every character in this story had just the right moments and just the right pull on the heartstrings. Pearl, the pig, had a bigger part than some might enjoy but it did bring some light-hearted moments to a story that did get heavy at times. Usually I would say a thriller is my favorite type of book to read but lately I have picked up some contemporary reads that have been just what I needed in that moment. Overall, this was a fabulously written story that brought me into the heart of Montana and in the living room with these characters as they hashed out the struggles they lived with and learned that happiness was something for everyone no matter what they had done or been through.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The All American

Author: Susie Finkbeiner

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: July 11, 2023

This is likely the best book that I will read all year! Another masterpiece done by Finkbeiner.

The two things that Bertha Harding loves most are her family and baseball. In 1952, most sixteen-year-old girls are thinking about who they are going to marry and how to be a proper wife, but all Bertha can think about is getting to play baseball. Ever since her first game to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, she fell in love with the Workington Sweet Peas. She knows she would probably never make it to the league, but she can dream. But when her author father is accused of being a communist, everything she knows comes crashing down around her. Family friends now shun them and refuse to do business with them. People send her father threats. After more than her mother can take, they move out to a small town in northern Michigan where her uncles lives to get a fresh start. Little does Bertha know that not only did her uncle play baseball at Michigan State, but he also played with the manager of the Sweet Peas. Before she knows it, Bertha has a tryout with the team that will lead to adventures she never expected.

Every time I pick up a new Susie Finkbeiner book, I always think that this can’t be better than the last book she wrote. And every time she pretty much proves me wrong. This is quite possibly her best book (and I’ve read them all multiple times). It is also likely the best book that I have read all year. It is so easy to picture her books in my mind almost like I’m in a movie, but at the same time make me fully relate to her main character. On top of that, she pulled in memories from watching A League of Their Own with references to the movie characters to boot. She manages to write stories that have real meaning that readers will want to read over and over again. No specific genre, no specific formula, just great writing that connects people.

I highly recommend this book to all readers!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Maid of Ballymacool

Author: Jennifer Deibel

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: February 21, 2023

A clean wholesome read that fans of Christian Historical Romance will not want to miss!

Brianna Kelly has only every called Ballymacool Boarding School home. The only home she has ever known makes her very protective of it and the people there. The niece of a local man comes to the school to take care of her unruly behavior. One discovery leads to another making Brianna question her past and how it will all affect her future.

Historical Romance is a genre that can be a quick read with a very lighthearted air and while there isn’t much danger or high stakes moments there is plenty of tension to drive the story forward. The story that Deibel has crafted is fun and just what I needed for a lighthearted quick weekend read. Not a lot of fluff or anything that wasn’t worth reading in the story. While Historical fiction isn’t my favorite genre to read it is a great one to sit down if you are wanting a clean wholesome read. I would recommend this one to readers that enjoy historical Christian romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Daughter of Eden

Author: Jill Eileen Smith

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: February 14, 2023

Historical Biblical fiction is not something easily written well, but Jill Eileen Smith is able to knock it out of the garden with Daughter of Eden.

Being one of the very first in the world can make for a hard time. When Eve first looks upon her Creator, she is nearly blinded. It is more than she can take as she is handed over to one like her but not. Adam is different from her but also the closest thing to herself in the garden they live in. Each day their Creator comes to be with them, and it is the moment she looks forward to each and every day. That is until Eve dooms them both with a single act that changes the world. What was once a friendly place is now a world without smiles and an unknown future out of Eden.

Daughter of Eden is one of the best well written historical biblical fiction novels I have read in a very long time. The way Smith writes about Eve and all that took place in a way not thought of before brought me to Eden and right along with Adam and Eve. The story of the garden of Eden is familiar to all, even if you haven’t read the bible, you know the story but maybe not in this way. It is not easy to take such a well-known story and characters and be able to make readers see them in such a different way. The great thing about fiction is it is able to do this. I recommend this book to anyone that wants a different view of how things went down in the Garden of Eden and see Eve in a different light.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

A Mark of Grace

Author: Kimberley Woodhouse

Series: Secrets of the Canyon #3

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: January 3, 2023

Anyone that has read a Kimberley Woodhouse book knows they are in for a great read and will not be disappointed with A Mark of Grace!

After surviving an injury that would have put anyone else out of commission, Ruth Anniston has come away alive but angry with God. Being scarred makes it hard for her to work anywhere but behind the scenes as a supervisor at the El Tovar Hotel. By being hidden away from the eyes of others, it keeps her chances of romance and finding love slimmer and slimmer. The hotel she works discovers money disappearing and Ruth ends up as one of the suspects. Frank Henderson works as the head chef of the hotel and wants to help prove Ruth’s innocence as the thefts continue. As the tensions mounts, their feelings for one another rise and they try to save the hotel and each other.

Kimberley Woodhouse is a staple among Historical Christian Romance and for good reason. Her novels have a way of transporting readers to a time and place once forgotten making readers feel right in the moment with these characters. Ruth and Frank have a great chemistry with each other and move the story along at a great pace. The writing is crisp and clean that left out all the fluff that can bring down a story. Lots of adventure throughout this story with lots of wonderful inspirational moments that readers looking for spiritual moments in their books will enjoy. This is the perfect mix of romance, adventure and tension that will leave readers smiling by the turning of the last page.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Victor

Author: Patricia St. John

Publisher: Kingsley Press

Release Date: September 17, 2011

An interesting take on Christian historical fiction that middle grade readers will enjoy.

Philo is worried about his family. His sister, Illyrica has been possessed by a demon causing their family lots of stress. When he and his younger sister hear stories of a prophet from Nazareth that has been healing the sick, they hope their sister can be healed. When they mention the prophet’s name around their sister, she goes into a fit of rage. When things are at their darkest, Philo runs away but no matter where he goes, he hears of the amazing work the Jewish prophet is doing and all his miracles.

I picked this book up at Baker Book House on a family trip and just read it. An interesting fictional telling of Jesus and the miracles performed during his short time on Earth. This is a short and quick read that is probably most appropriate for middle school or high school age kids to read and fully understand. I was able to read this in a single day and thought the writing was well done and an interesting way to tell a story like this.