Book Review - A Quilt for Christmas

It’s that time of year again and this one always gets me giddy. I’m not talking about football season, or marching band competition season, or even pumpkin-spice-everything season; I’m already securely into all of those, which I celebrate with great joy. I am talking about Melody-Carlson’s-New-Christmas-Novella season! *Insert angel chorus here.* I literally feel warm and cozy just thinking about it. So grab a cup of tea and a cozy blanket, and I will introduce you to Melody’s 2022 Christmas novella, A Quilt for Christmas.

Vera Swanson doesn’t feel much like celebrating Christmas this year. In years past, nobody could rival the glory of a Christmas season done up in Vera’s style, all wrapped up in love. But now there is nobody to celebrate with her. The big, beautiful home in which she and her husband raised their family has been sold, and this small condo doesn’t feel the same. When a small child knocks on Vera’s door and begs help for her mommy, things become even more different as she finds herself suddenly helping neighbors she didn’t even know through a difficult situation.

Little Fiona Albright is a spunky little girl whose family has had their own series of unfortunate events. When her mother’s sudden and intense illness send Fiona searching for help, she begins to form a bond with the grandmotherly woman next door. Slowly, Fiona and Vera forge a friendship that eventually extends to an eclectic group of women who come together to fulfill Fiona’s wish of a quilt for Christmas. Everyone has their own burdens that try to bog them down this season, especially cranky old Eleanor Rasmussen, but somehow Fiona melts even the coldest heart. Together they forge a family for Christmas that none of them expected, brought together by one little angel with an old soul.

A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Honor Bound

Hallee Bridgeman’s Love and Honor series opens in a big way when Special Forces A-Team Captain Rick Norton and his elite soldiers encounter the soldiers of a warlord in the peaceful village where Doctor Cynthia Myers operates an obstetrics clinic. Captain Norton and Doctor Myers clash instantly. And repeatedly. She doesn’t believe in violence and abhors the weapons he carries and uses so proficiently. His job requires difficult decisions to protect people like her from evil people like the one who has ravaged the country she loves so much. As if it wasn’t challenging enough to extract his high profile asset, Captain Norton has to convince Doctor Myers to travel with him to care for the two team members who have sustained life threatening wounds.

Getting Cynthia Myers to the US Embassy was supposed to be the end of Rick’s involvement with her. Cynthia wants only to return to her village clinic and the people she loves, far from the media scrutiny that comes with being the daughter of the Vice President and the scandal that she escaped when she became a medical missionary in Africa. Her father has other ideas. The warlord who seeks to use her as a political pawn has still other ideas. And for some reason, Rick can’t shake ideas of his own. Packed with action, angst, and romance, Honor Bound is a riveting series opener.

Honor Bound, Love and Honor series book one, by Hallee Bridgeman is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House            Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Dangerous Beauty

Hey y’all! This has been a month and we’re smack in the middle of the activity. Wedding bells ring in TEN DAYS and I am super pumped! In case you haven’t heard, my momma is getting married to my dear friend’s dad. It’s a beautiful story that comes after many years of difficulty for both. Don’t worry, you’ll hear all about it in slightly more than TEN DAYS! (TEN!!!)

As the daughter of the bride, matron of honor, and mother of the maid of honor, I’ve had a few things on my plate. The Mom Cave is FULL of wedding supplies that will be moved to my car as soon as I finish banging out all those personalized items I should have done months ago. AND as a glutton for procrastination pressure, I have signed on for THREE DAYS of book reviews! So, without further, well… procrastination… here is the first one.

Melissa Koslin explodes out of the starting gate in her latest release, Dangerous Beauty. Addressing the horrific topic of human trafficking, Koslin opens with exotic Latina beauty Liliana in her escape from the men who are holding her for a very particular buyer. Her flight sends her into the path of Meric Toledan, a cold, hard man of many secrets as well as great wealth and notoriety. Under investigation himself for trafficking, Meric nonetheless offers Liilana the kind of protection only he can offer, and in a split second she must make a decision that could save her life or it could lead her right back into the bondage she has already struggled so hard to escape. When put to the ultimate test, both Liliana and Meric must decide if the reward is worth the risk. Especially when they have very different opinions on the magnitude of the risk and of the reward.

Human trafficking is the nightmare that lives in our own towns and too often in our own neighborhoods. While it is a difficult topic to read, and I can’t fathom how difficult it is to write, it is a necessary one to bring to our attention and put in the forefront. We will never know how many people we pass by who are living through the kinds of terrible situations Koslin addresses in this book. The story she has crafted handles this topic with great care, and although I did greatly appreciate the fictional story she weaves, I hope it also brings this darkness into the light and helps open our eyes. This is truly an, “If you see something, say something” kind of situation. There are organizations across the nation and around the world fighting for these individuals who are held in bondage and horribly abused. I would challenge you to find one and learn about the work they do. Into The Light is one organization working in Arkansas to fight child sex trafficking and bring hope to victims.

Dangerous Beauty by Melissa Koslin is absolutely a must-read in my opinion. And then it is a must-share. Available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Lose yourself in the exquisite storytelling and explosive action. Then go do good. 

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.