A Royal Christmas

Author: Melody Carlson

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 5, 2023

Melody Carlson delivers a great Christmas read to get you in the holiday spirit!

Adelaide Smith has her goal of finishing law school and doesn’t want to let anything keep her from achieving that goal. When she receives a letter that shakes things up, she isn’t sure if she wants to pursue it or stick to her plan. Through a DNA registry, she is found to be a direct descendant of King Maximillian V of Montovia. Curiosity gets the best of her and she takes a Christmas trip that changes her life and leads her down a made for TV movie path.

I waited until right at Christmas to read this one and it was just the thing to get me in the holiday spirit. I’ve come to expect fun holiday reads from Carlson each year. The setting of this one was fun and a great royal affair. This was a sweet novella that was a super-fast read and one that holiday readers will very much enjoy. As usual, Carlson will make readers ready for the holidays.

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

Her Secret Hope

Author: Shelley Shepard Gray

Series: A Season in Pinecraft #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 7, 2023

A great story about finding yourself before finding love.

It’s been almost two years since Lilly Kurtz arrived in Pinecraft, Florida wanting to make a fresh start. Finding that fresh start is not as easy as she would have hoped for when her past comes back to haunt her. Eddie Byler is a farmer and when Lilly meets him, she feels an immediate attraction, but secrets from back home will complicate their trying to be together.

Her Secret Hope is the final book in the series by Gray and readers will enjoy such a sweet finale for these characters. Lily going to find a fresh start is something a lot of us can relate to along with keeping secrets that can change us all. There are a lot of layers to this story and that is what kept me reading, it’s not just about happily ever after love stories, the real ones have so much more to them than that. I recommend this book to those that enjoy historical romance novels.

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

The Legacy of Longdale Manor

Author: Carrie Turansky

Publisher: Bethany House Publishing

Release Date: September 26, 2023

A historical romance that will take readers on a magical adventure.

Gwen Morris is an art historian traveling to England to help appraise paintings for an old friend. She goes to Longdale Manor and meets David Bradford, grandson of the Manor’s owner, who wants to turn it into a hotel. Over a century earlier, Charlotte Harper finds secrets that she records in a journal later found by Gwen and ties these characters together through time.

This is a typical Turansky book, full of faith, interesting characters and an intriguing plot. Fans of historical fiction will find this one a fun and easy read. The story is charming with the way Turansky weaves together the lives of Gwen and Charlotte and all they go through that leads them to romance and a stronger faith. There was nothing that stood out in this one for me as fantastic, but it is also one I will recommend to others as a good, clean read.

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

The Better Half

Author: Alli Frank & Asha Youmans

Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio

Release Date: July 1, 2023

A rom com that wasn’t what I expected and am still thinking about it long after turning the last page.

Nina Morgan Clarke has had several difficult years and now that her ex-husband is across the country and daughter at a boarding school, she is getting ready to become the first Black female head of Royal-Hawkins school. Before starting the new job, Nina and her best friend take a girl’s trip to celebrate. It isn’t long into the school year that Nina is hit with hardships as Jared Jones, a new hire, pushes her to her limit. That is just the first in a string of events that make what was supposed to be the best time in Nina’s life far from that.

I had high hopes for this one, but as I read, I found myself confused as to why some of the characters acted the way they did and the way the story played out. I know this was a hit for many, but it fell flat for me. I wanted to love Nina and what she was going through but nothing felt natural about the story or the characters. This is a good book for the right audience, I just wasn’t that audience this time.

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

Woke Up Like This

Author: Amy Lea

Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio

Release Date: October 1, 2023

This is a feel-good story that was just what I needed and can’t wait for others to enjoy reading it as well.

Charlotte Wu is getting ready for high school prom, a bucket list event for most high schoolers. She has been trying to plan the perfect prom and all is going well until she falls off a ladder and lands on J.T. Renner, her worst enemy. To make matters worse, when she wakes up next, she finds herself at 30 years old and in bed next to Renner. Neither of them knows how they got into their thirty-year old bodies and what happened in between then and now. Charlotte and J.T. must work together to find their way back to their time.

This story had several high points for me; first was the fact that even though most of the story had our main characters in the body of adults, they were still teens at heart and the story stayed light enough for those readers to enjoy. There were a lot of the usual clichés in this novel, enemies to lovers, teen love and self-discovery that played out nicely. This book will bring readers back to their high school days, the nostalgia is real and enjoyable. I recommend this book to those that enjoy rom-com and a good read in general.

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

Against the Wind

Author: Amanda Cabot

Series: Sweetwater Crossing #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Amanda Cabot has another historical romance that is not to be missed!

Louisa Vaughn has been working to become a doctor. After helping a friend in Sweetwater Crossing, she wants to move on as quickly as possible. As she tries to leave, she finds an injured man on the side of the road and knows she must stay and help him heal. Josh Porter did not plan to end up with a broken leg, but he uses the time to try and expand his business in the small community. Louisa is able to help but the town doesn’t want her help and if she isn’t careful, they will convince her to leave her dream behind of healing others and be able to stay with the man she is falling for.

Against the Wind is an inspirational and enjoyable Christian romance read. This is the second book in the series, but each book can also be read as a stand-alone. In these stories, we see a family of three sisters and how each uses the talents they have to move forward in the world. Diving into Louisa’s world and all she is trying to work through was interesting and I found myself rooting for her to succeed not only in life but in love. She was faced with almost every hardship imaginable and almost let it bring her down. I loved the way the story played out and how all the characters interacted so naturally. I recommend this book to those that enjoy Historical Fiction with great romance.

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

Lost and Found

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 26, 2023

Amish fiction that is exactly what readers have come to expect from Suzanne Woods Fisher.

Trudy Yoder has been trying to fight feelings for Micah Weaver for a long time and just when their friendship is heating up, Micah gives her the cold shoulder. Micah was once involved with Trudy’s older sister, Shelley, but when she left a year and a half ago, she left Micah with a broken heart. Shelley left wanting to be a singer and after leaving Micah and her family behind, Micah starts receiving unusual messages for him. Micah finds a reason to go to Nashville and see for himself if Shelley is ok and winds up in over his head.

It is hard to think of Amish fiction and words like intriguing and nail-biting at the same time. At moments that was where I was with this one. I enjoyed the story points and the relationship tension throughout. Depending on how deep readers want to dig, you will find deep truths and a spiritual element to the whole story. Even if you don’t dig that deep, it will be an enjoyable and clean read that anyone can read without questionable content. This is the kind of book that can be read quickly over a few days or quicker. I would recommend this to readers that enjoy clean Amish fiction.

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

On Moonberry Lake

Author: Holly Varni

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 26, 2023

A fantastic debut from Holly Varni that will stick with readers long after the last page!

Cora Matthews looks at her life and wonders what happened. After a failed engagement and the death of her mother, she isn’t sure what her new normal will look like. Her mother left her a rundown lodge on Moonberry Lake and as she goes to see about the place, she finds a group of interesting neighbors all ready to help her in some form or fashion. This wasn’t what she came looking for and as she works to put her life back together, she is going to have to change her expectations of what that life is going to look like.

I absolutely love it when I find a debut author that blows it out of the water with their words and story. So many stories end up the same these days and can be a bore, On Moonberry Lake is far from that; it is moving, heartwarming and just enjoyable. Holly Varni has crafted a story that is remarkable in the gentleness of the healing we have to find after such hardships. Each of the interesting neighbors Cora encounters turns into someone you would want to meet yourself and interact with. I recommend this story to readers that enjoy a heartwarming contemporary read.

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

The Heirloom

Author: Beverly Lewis

Publisher: Bethany House Publishing

Release Date: September 12, 2023

A read as cozy as an Amish quilt you can snuggle up with and float away into the story.

Clara Bender doesn’t know what to do with herself when her father remarries and she isn’t needed to take care of the house anymore. Her small Amish community doesn’t provide many options for marriage, so she sets off to visit her mother’s aunt in Lancaster County’s Hickory Hollow. When Clara arrives, her aunt Ella Mae feels it is an answer to a prayer after her own children have left and she is trying to move on with her own life. She now helps Clara meet the area’s eligible young men and might end up finding love herself.

Beverly Lewis takes readers back to some of her earlier characters from past reads and anyone who has read her books will enjoy this one. Amish fiction is written for a specific group of readers and those that pick these up will fall into a world that is more primitive and so different from what is normal everyday life for most of us. The amount of time that Lewis obviously spent crafting the plot and love story made the book so easy to read and the characters act naturally. This book has nothing that would be unacceptable for the Christian fiction audience. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy books by Beverly Lewis and Amish fiction in general.

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

Rocky Mountain Promise

Author: Misty M. Beller

Series: Sisters of the Rockies #2

Publisher: Bethany House Publishing

Release Date: November 21, 2023

A very different historical romance that had all the right feels.

When Lorelei Collins is off exploring in the Rocky Mountains and finds an orphaned buffalo calf, she brings it home to her and her sister’s ranch. She has a heart for animals and wants to help whenever she can, but now she has put them all in danger with the rare buffalo calf that is now wanted by trappers, some wanting Lorelei to marry and others just wanting to animal. Lorelei ends up with help from Tanner Mason, the new owner of the trading post in town and it isn’t long before a spark of interest starts to grow between the two.

The thing that saved this book for me was the love Lorelei had for animals and was willing to do whatever she had to do to help those in need. Tanner and her relationship were good, maybe a little forced at times, but with historical romance that tends to happen. Many people will resonate with this story because of the love for animals. This is the second book in the series and if readers haven’t read the first it will still be an enjoyable read, the author provides enough information to help the reader along. While this was a good book it didn’t pop for me and make me want to read it again and again. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy historical romance.

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