The Love Script

Author: Toni Shiloh

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Release Date: July 31, 2023

A cute and quirky romance that fans of Hallmark type movies will love.

Nevaeh Richards is a hair stylist in Hollywood trying to help others shine while keeping herself out of the spotlight. When she is photographed with big time star, Lamont Booker, she goes viral, and her life of anonymity goes away. Lamont Booker has made his faith known and uses his stardom to reach others in this way. When his photo is taken with Nevaeh, rumors start to swirl that he isn’t as clean cut as he claims to be. Both of their careers end up in danger as they try to work through a scripted romance that ends up turning into the real thing.

Toni Shiloh is becoming a well-known name in Christian fiction with her quirky characters, endearing romances, and enjoyable stories. When I pick up a Toni Shiloh book, I know I am going to have a quick read that will be enjoyable. There are plenty of faith-filled elements throughout this book that readers who are looking for will enjoy, if that is not what you enjoy it could seem a little forced at times. If you are picking up this book, I’m pretty certain you know you are getting a faith filled book and it will be right up your alley. These stories really do remind me of Hallmark movies, they are enjoyable, even if they do resemble each other. I enjoyed the romance, clean story and characters that took their faith seriously. I recommend this book to readers that are looking for a clean faith-filled romance.

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

Saving Grayson

Author: Chris Fabry

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: November 7, 2023

This book was nothing like what I expected and hit super close to home with the subject matter.

Grayson Hayes has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and it is quickly taking over his life and that of his family. His wife is trying his best to help him, but it is getting harder and harder. Grayson knows there is something he needs to do back in his hometown but can’t remember what it is. His wife gets him a helper to drive him back home and help him along the way. But with each passing mile, his confusion and frustration make the trip more difficult.

I guess I wasn’t expecting the subject matter to be so difficult, I have a family member that is starting to show signs of memory issues and that made it harder to read. Even with that, the story was well written and intriguing. The way Fabry tied in all the characters together with the missing memories was really sweet. I hated to see Grayson struggling with remembering things and his wife worrying about him, but the way Fabry wrote it all made it so real, like I was living it with them. The writing was solid, and the storyline original compared to so many I have read this year. I would recommend this to readers that are looking for a heartwarming story but might be hard to take at times if they are dealing with this in their own lives.

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

One Final Target

Author: Janice Cantore

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: February 13, 2023

Another fantastic romantic suspense by Janice Cantore that proves why she is one of my favorite authors!

Long Beach sergeant Jodie King takes her team to serve a warrant in San Bernardino when things go horribly wrong, and she loses her entire team in the raid. Losing her team leaves her with major guilt and grief causing her to leave the force. When she recovers, she makes her way back to the site of where it all happened and is almost killed when a sniper takes a shot at her. Detective Sam Gresham can save Jodie when he arrives seconds before the shot is fired and gets her to safety. Sam is returning to the force after recovering from his own accident and is thrown right into it as Jodie becomes the target and he must determine who is after her and why.

I have always loved the way Janice Cantore writes, her years in law enforcement gave her the expertise to write characters and plots that are believable and will make readers fly through the pages. I never find myself rolling my eyes at ridiculous plot points or characters in a Janice Cantore book, which is great. I would like to say that I figured out the twist early on, I thought I had but then when it was revealed I smiled at how it all turned out. The twist was great, and I loved how it all came together in the end, all the loose ends were tied up and I was satisfied with the story. I highly recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense and if you haven’t read a Janice Cantore book yet, you are missing out.

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

The Last Applicant

Author: Rebecca Hanover

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Release Date: October 24, 2023

An intense thriller that had very big twists and turns that I was not expecting.

Audrey Singer is the admissions director at a prestigious Manhattan private school and is gearing up for her busy season with applicants vying for the few open spots available. She and her husband Luke have their two kids at the school and look like the perfect family. This is something that Sarah Price is eager to attain when she sends in her application for her son to attend kindergarten there. Sarah, like Audrey, has her own dark secrets and the more she works her way into Audrey’s life the harder it is to keep those secrets hidden, and as they start to come to light, it changes everything.

Wow, not sure what else to say about this book but wow. The further I got into this one, the more I was surprised by the direction the story was headed. If I could have taken out a good quarter of the story that wasn’t my cup of tea, it would have been great. The beginning was a perfect set up and the ending was very well done; the rest wasn’t what I would have hoped for. I do think Rebecca Hanover is a good writer and did a good job with a lot of the story, I just wasn’t into the way the middle went. If you are a reader that enjoys mystery and suspense with good plot twists this will be one you don’t want to miss.

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

Shadows at Dusk

Author: Elizabeth Goddard

Series: Missing in Alaska #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 17, 2023

The second book in the Missing in Alaska Series is better than the first and left me aching for more! Goddard at her best!

Trevor West wants nothing more than to discover what happened to his sister who went missing while in Alaska more than a year ago. He makes his way from Montana to Alaska to continue the search that has gone cold. The only clues he must follow are a few pictures. When he arrives in Alaska, he receives help from Police Chief Autumn Long who tells him to reach out to bush pilot Carrie James to find the places in the pictures he has. Carrie is trying to work through the loss of her friend when Trevor arrives and asks for her help. She agrees to help him find what happened to his sister if he will help her find out what happened to her friend. The closer they get to answers for both, the more danger they find themselves in and their hope of making it out of Alaska alive diminishes.

Elizabeth Goddard is one of the top Christian Romantic Suspense authors for a reason, her storytelling keeps getting better and better. The setting of Shadows at Dusk is cold but inviting for readers. I loved the rugged terrain and the way it brought the main characters together as they searched for answers to what happened to their loved ones. Trevor was a big hit for me in the way he searched for answers and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. This book is a good clean read that fans of Christian romantic suspense will not want to miss. Even though this is the second in the series it can be read without having picked up the first in the series.

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

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.

Calico

Author: Lee Goldberg

Publisher: Severn House

Release Date: November 7, 2023

A slow start to what turned out to be a very intriguing read!

Barstow, California is a quiet little town that former LAPD detective Beth McDade finds herself in working for the local department and trying to forget the past that won’t leave her alone. A hundred years earlier, a stranger ends up in the town of Calico, not sure how he got there being from the future. The fate of this stranger and Beth falls in sync with each other as she investigates a skeleton found in a shallow grave and a man run over during a lightning storm. As all the clues start to come together, Beth realizes she is in the middle of the strangest case of her career and one that could change the world.

The first 50 pages or so of this book were a little slow, but by the end of the book I found it to be one of my favorite mysteries of the year. I loved the way all the threads came together and worked themselves out by the end. A few moments of Beth and how she acted at the beginning seemed to drag the story down; the better moments were when she was actively investigating the case. The back and forth between the timelines was nicely done and kept the story flowing at a great pace. When I first started this one, I was a little unsure if it would turn out good but once it got going it was hard to put down. The story did finish up well but could possibly have a sequel, which I would happily read and enjoy! I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy a great mystery that travels through time and back again.

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

The Spy Coast

Author: Tess Gerritsen

Series: The Martini Club #1

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: November 1, 2023

An unusual spy thriller that was fun and just the right group of eccentric characters and dangerous missions.

Maggie Bird left her life as a spy and found a quiet little village outside of Maine along with other former spies to enjoy their early retirement. All is going well until a body turns up on Maggie’s driveway and the message is clear, her old enemies haven’t forgotten about her. These retired spies may not be on the clock anymore, but they still have some tricks they can use to help save each other when danger looms ahead. The group must also work around local police chief Jo Thibodeau as she tries to investigate the dead body and what else Maggie and her group are up to. The more they investigate, the more danger they all find themselves in and it’s up to Maggie to try and save the life she has built.

I didn’t realize when I started this book that Gerritsen is the author of the Rizzolli and Isles series, which I love. As I read more, I realized the writing was familiar as I continued to fly through the pages. Maggie was a fun and different character, the way she was trying to enjoy a quiet retirement and yet it was not meant to be, made the story that much more enjoyable. There were lots of moments throughout that were enjoyable and the ending twists were very nice. This is the start of a new series by Gerritsen and I can’t wait to see what else the series brings about. This will be a fun read for anyone that enjoys espionage thrillers.

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

The Brother’s Hawthorne

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: Inheritance Games #4

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: August 29, 2023

A fabulous addition to the Inheritance Games series that fans of young adult fiction will not want to miss!

Grayson Hawthorne has spent his life trying to live up to what he is supposed to be, the heir to his billionaire grandfather. He has been taught to always put family first and when he finds out he has two half-sisters that are in trouble, he immediately goes to help. While he is taking care of his new family his brother Jameson finds himself in the middle of a new kind of game. He and Avery must infiltrate an exclusive underground gambling club outside of London and do the impossible, get invited into the hardest game they have ever played. The Hawthorne brothers have grown up playing games that seem impossible and now it’s time to put their skills to the test.

I found author Jennifer Lynn Barnes this year and have devoured her books. The way she writes mysteries that are so intricate kept me turning the pages almost faster than I could devour the words on them. The Inheritance Games was so fun, and The Brothers Hawthorne is a fantastic addition to the series. This one focused less on the love interest aspect than the other three and more on the games the brothers found themselves in, which was fun. We still see a little of the love angle with Jameson and Avery but shifting the focus being more on the brothers and what they are dealing with. I loved this book and the suspense throughout was top notch. I don’t know how many more will be in this series, but I am keeping my fingers crossed for many, many more.

He Knows Your Name

Author: Paige Allen

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Release Date: November 7, 2023

A fabulous book that should be on everyone’s reading list!

No matter what you are going through, God sees you. He hears you and He loves you. Throughout the bible we see women who aren’t given a name but are still close to God’s heart. In this book, Paige Allen gives readers a look at seven unnamed women in the bible and how their encounters with Jesus can be used to help us learn and grow. Not only do readers discover what these women go through, but Paige also gives little glimpses into her personal life with stories about herself and those she is around which are relatable and great for readers to see her in this light as she is helping us grow in faith.

We all have times in life where we feel unseen and unheard, but we aren’t alone, and God still loves us. The way that the stories are written to make it relatable to everyone is so well done and something that I don’t want to keep to myself. When I finished, I found myself buying multiple copies to hand out to friends. Nonfiction books are not normally a quick read for me, but this one was so good that I couldn’t put it down! I recommend this book to everyone!