A Quilt for Christmas

Author: Melody Carlson

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 6, 2022

A sweet Christmas story about loss, love and how much we all need each other!

Vera Swanson has always loved Christmas, that is until she had no one to spend it with. When her husband passed away and when she relocated to be closer to her children, she thought it would be perfect for the holidays, but when the kids move away, she is left alone in her small condo. One day, the children next door come knocking and need help. Their mother is sick, and their father is out of town. Fiona, the youngest ask Vera to help make her mom a quilt for Christmas. Vera knows she can make the quilt but not in time for Christmas by herself. With the help of others in town, they work to make the Christmas extra special for Fiona and her family.

When the current season is getting to you, slipping away into a nice and cozy Christmas novella is just the thing you need. A Quilt for Christmas is a fun and sweet little read that was quick, easy and the perfect little escape. Vera and Fiona made the perfect little pair, I loved the young and old dynamic showing different perspectives in what they were going through. Readers will love the different characters and how they are all pulled together by such an unexpected event. This is a perfect afternoon read for anyone wanting to escape for a few hours into a story that will pull at your heartstrings and leave you with a smile by the turn of the last page. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet Christmas story.

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

Birnbaum’s 2023 Walt Disney World Vacation Guide

If you need help to plan your trip to Walt Disney World, Birnbaum’s Guides has your back!

Author: Birnbaum Guides

Publisher: Disney Editions

Release Date: October 25, 2022

If you need help to plan your trip to Walt Disney World, Birnbaum’s Guides has your back!

For many, Walt Disney World promises to be a magical place. Located just outside of Orlando, Florida, the team park boasts four large theme parks, two water parks, golf courses, themed resorts, and shopping galore! Even if your family visits the parks regularly, it can be overwhelming trying to fit all or most of the attractions in during your stay. How would the average first timer even know where to begin?

Birnbaum’s Guides has put together a fantastic vacation guide for visitors to Walt Disney World Resort. For such a compact guide, it is a wealth of information that will benefit both first time guests and seasoned families that make the trek every year. The guide is separated into helpful sections including Getting Ready to Go, Transportation & Accommodations, Good Meals, Great Times, and a section dedicated to each of the four major theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. There is also a section to catch pretty much everything else as well as a bonus section for the cruise line.

This is a really helpful, detailed guide. From advice on different accommodations and the best way to get around to suggestions on how to fit the most rides in at a theme park, it really has it all. It also gives some great information on other things around the Disney area including dinner shows and little-known areas of fun. I’ve been to Disney World multiple times and there is still a lot that I don’t know about. You could go for a week, not visit any of the four major theme parks, and still have a ton of activities to fit into your schedule. If you are planning to go in 2023, this little guide is well worth it!

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

The Orchard

Author: Beverly Lewis

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: September 6, 2022

A great story that will tug at the heartstrings and show readers love, sacrifice, strength and so much more.

The Hostetler orchard has been in the family for years and Ellie knows that one day her twin brother, Evan, will carry on the tradition. Before he can take over the orchard, his draft number is called up for the Vietnam War. The family is Amish and doesn’t believe in the war, but Evan didn’t seek conscientious objector status. When he leaves for boot camp, Ellie turns to her best friend’s brother and finds herself attracted to him and everything she has ever thought is changing and the future is something none of them could of expected.

When reading a well written Amish fiction book, it can transport you into that space and time. Beverly Lewis is a great writer when it comes to this. The feeling of being in this community while reading about these characters is a fun way to spend an afternoon. I loved the twin aspect with Ellie and Evan, that always brings a fun new aspect to a story for me. The setting in this book was beautiful and so descriptive that I fully felt myself in the orchard with these characters. I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy a good Amish fiction story.

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

Body of Evidence

Author: Irene Hannon

Series: Triple Threat #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 4, 2022

Irene Hannon has such a wide range with her suspense and contemporary novels. Body of Evidence shows her at her best to finish up a fantastic series.

As a forensic pathologist, Grace Reilly must stay on her toes with the cases she oversees. When a strange pattern starts to emerge with several of the elderly autopsies, she goes to see the local sheriff, Nate Cox. Nate isn’t sure what to believe with Grace’s suspicions that things are not what they seem. It takes a while for her to convince him that there is foul play, but once she does, they work together to figure out what is going on and stop it before more bodies end up on her autopsy table.

When reading a romantic-suspense novel, I have come to expect more romance than suspense from a lot of authors. This book is not full of explosions and action-packed scenes, but there is plenty of tension to move the story along at a nice pace. This one read more of a true crime investigation feel instead of the crazy action-packed pace of thriller novels or movies. Even though it takes a while for Nate to believe Grace and her suspicions of foul play, it won’t take readers long to see that these two have amazing chemistry together. This book is the last in the series and we get to finally see the life of Grace, the youngest Reilly sister and it was worth the wait. For me, this was the best in the series and while these could be read as standalone novels, it would be best to read the series in order to get the most enjoyment out of them. Irene Hannon is a great romantic suspense writer and an equally great contemporary writer, not a feat many can accomplish.

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

Falling for the Cowgirl

Author: Jody Hedlund

Series: Colorado Cowboys #4

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: October 11, 2022

The fourth book in the Colorado Cowboys series will take readers on a fun journey with great characters!

Ivy McQuaid has lived her life in a family full of boys with four older brothers. While living on their ranch, she wants to have her own family and a home of her own. The land she wants to buy with the money saved is in danger when an old love resurfaces in her life. Jericho Bliss has been gone for two years searching for war criminals and doesn’t want to get anyone else involved in his dangerous life. But the heart wants what it wants and right now his wants Ivy! No matter how hard he tries to avoid his attraction to Ivy, she is hard to resist. When Ivy is in danger Jericho, must decide what he is willing to do for love.

For fans of historical romance, this will be a fun and fast read. Ivy McQuaid makes for a great female lead that made the story fly and kept me engaged as a reader. This is the fourth in the series and fans of the series will enjoy this new edition and the love angle is swoon worthy. I loved the way Jericho did all he could to keep everyone safe and yet love won his heart over but also put in jeopardy all he cares for. Love is a powerful thing and can keep a story moving. This story was moved by the love within the pages. Each chapter had great tension and really moved the story forward with the way I cared for the characters and what they were going through. I recommend this book and series to fans of historical romance.

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

Worthy of Legend

Author: Roseanna M. White

Series: The Secrets of the Isles #3

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: September 13, 2022

Another historical romance with a great ending to a fun series.

Emily Scofield and her friends have spent the summer searching for pirate treasure and now must hide their treasures. Emily’s brother wants to impress their father and will go to any means necessary to do it, even taking his sisters treasure for his own. Bram Sinclair loves stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. This love takes on a whole new meaning when a diary is found that could lead to a secret area with special artifacts relating to King Arthur. Bram and Emily work together to find this new treasure and keep it away from her family.

Roseanna White has finished this series with the best book yet. This is a series that needs to have all books in the series read to fully enjoy the story. I loved the premise of this story and the characters had excellent chemistry to make the story fly. Usually, historical romance aren’t as quick of a read for me but this one flew by and I couldn’t wait to see how the treasure hunt would end. Of the three books in the series. this one read the quickest and had the best storyline. The way this story is written with multiple viewpoints gives the readers so much more to the story and makes it more enjoyable for readers. I would recommend this story to anyone that loves historical romance and add to that a fun treasure hunt mystery.

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

Word of Honor

Author: Hallee Bridgeman

Series: Love & Honor #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 4, 2022

The second book in the Love and Honor series is just as explosive and entertaining as the first! Readers will not want to miss this one!

Lynda Culter is a Special Agent with the FBI and has been investigating an eco-terrorist close to the Alaskan wilderness. Her partner is taken and murdered while she watches, leaving her the only witness. Before she can take down the group responsible for killing her partner, she gets a new assignment and is sent to Istanbul, a country that is not conducive for a female to be going around alone. She is assigned to work with Army specialist Bill Sanders who pretends to be her husband. The two have a past, he broke her heart many years ago and she has tried to move on. They must learn to put their past behind them and work together in order to solve the case and see what happens when their feelings come to the surface.

Hallee Bridgeman surprised me with her the first book in this series, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The second in the series is full of just as many, if not more, twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. While this is a Christian fiction book and readers can expect an element of faith, there is also a great message of forgiveness throughout. There are lots of twists and turns but not as much military action as the first in the series; readers will have to find the tension in other ways with the characters interactions and not the high-stakes drama. This is the usual formula that several of the authors I read go about with series, have different main characters throughout the different books in the series but keep others from previous books as secondary characters. This is good in a way but has to have a balance to keep from becoming repetitive and monotonous. I did enjoy this book and think readers that enjoy romantic suspense novels will not want to miss this one.

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

Big Bad

Author: Lily Anderson

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue

Release Date: September 27, 2022

Any fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer show will not want to miss this fun addition to the Buffyverse!

Sunnydale, California is home to the Hellmouth and the evil mayor has put up a sun-shade to make the town permanently dark for all the evil to run rampant in the newly named Demondale. Being Bad is now easier than ever. Most of the humans have left and those that remain try to either avoid the monsters or join them. Jonathan and Andrew are trying to work their way up the world of evil and end up needing the help of vengeance demon Anya who is looking for purpose. All their lives are turned upside down when Buffy the Vampire Slayer shows up ready to destroy all the evil in town. Jonathan, Andrew, and Anya work together with other demons in town including Angelus and Spike to stop the slayer before she can stop them.

It’s probably been fifteen years since I have sat and watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer but when I picked up this book and started reading all those hours watching came back to me. All the characters and storylines are a little different than the show and it was interesting seeing the characters in a different role. This is not a book with a ton of depth, but still enjoyable. I read this quickly and enjoyed the story taking me back to my younger days enjoying losing myself in some fun fantasy fiction that required nothing more or less from me. Anyone that has been a fan of Buffy and all that surrounds it will enjoy this novel.

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

Honor Bound

Author: Hallee Bridgeman

Series: Love & Honor #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 6, 2022

I was skeptical at first with this series, but within the first few chapters found myself hooked and couldn’t put it down.

Dr. Cynthia Myers has found peace in the most unlikely of places, war-torn Africa. After being publicly embarrassed by her fiancé at her Senator father’s function, she left to find herself. She has found new meaning with her work and helping those less fortunate. The area she is in is run by an evil warlord, when his son is mortally wounded and brought to her, Cynthia tries to save him but fails. Luckily an Army Special Forces team trying to capture the warlord shows up and saves Cynthia’s life before the warlord’s men can kill her for failing to save his son. Captain Rick Norton is head of the team and finds himself attracted to Cynthia even though she is turned off by his use of violence. His team has been injured and she must work to save them while he keeps them all save and tries to get them all home alive.

For some reason I was skeptical to pick this one up. I’ve read several different authors that write military romantic suspense type books and have enjoyed those; I wasn’t sure how a new author to me would write this. I have never read anything by Hallee Bridgeman before and when I saw this one it looked good if done well. It didn’t take long for me to realize I was wrong to have been skeptical, Bridgeman did a great job of crafting characters and situations that pulled me in tight and didn’t let go. I read this during a tough week with family health issues and it was a great escape for me during this time. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves romantic suspense, especially with a military theme to it.

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

The Take-Over Friend

Author: Carol Dines

Publisher: Fitzroy Books

Release Date: September 27, 2022

While I would not classify this as a young adult book, it did have value within the pages for younger readers amid the challenges of growing up and friendships.

Frances has had a hard time since her best friend moved away and has felt very isolated after starting high school. On the second day of school, she meets Sonja, the opposite of Fran’s introverted self. Sonja integrates herself into Frances’s family immediately as the girls declare themselves best friends. When Sonja’s family has trouble, she moves in with Fran and the two have to quickly discover that their fast friendship is going to be put to the test.

This book has a lot of good points dealing with young friendships and how hard it can be growing up and making friends. I understand being an introvert and wanting to have friends and what it’s like when someone comes on strong with an overpowering personality. This was a good premise but read slowly, and for a YA book, or any book for that matter, that’s not necessarily positive. As I was reading, I wouldn’t classify this as a Young Adult book, for it to be that I feel like it needs to be writing a little differently to engage the young readers. This will appeal to an eclectic group of readers but not any average reader that pick it up for a quick read.

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