Book Review - The Christmas Tree Farm

Homecomings can be hard. This is what Maddison learns when she returns to her grandparents’ Christmas tree farm after several years away. Her younger sister, Addie, is not exactly excited to see her. The acreage burned in the wildfire has not been replanted to prepare for future seasons. And the people who have settled over on the Thompson place kick up a lot of noise and dust with their dirt bikes. Coming home is particularly complicated when the noisy, dusty people next door are Maddison’s first love and his daughter. Factoring in Addie’s insistence that Maddison may not interfere with her efforts to catch Gavin’s heart and the way he keeps looking at her, nothing is going to come easily this Christmas. What at first looks like a love triangle turns into a heaping pile of love spaghetti when Addie and Maddison’s mom arrives, then Gavin’s oldest daughter arrives with opinions about her father’s love life, and his younger daughter has an opinion of her own. Saving the tree farm and making up her own mind about the one who got away are all Maddison wants to do. In true Melody Carlson style, this complicated dish turns into a delightful Christmas dinner just in time for our favorite holiday season. Don’t miss your chance to cozy up with The Christmas Tree Farm and its complicated, but mostly lovable characters.

The Christmas Tree Farm by Melody Carlson is available now from your favorite local bookseller and online:

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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 - Meddling with Mistletoe

Desperation can make people do some remarkably bad decisions, and Whitney is desperate. She has flaked out one too many times for her parents to continue supporting her. Now she has to come up with the money to go to culinary school on her own; she is running out of time and all her hard work seems to lead only to more desperation. This creates an exciting opportunity for her friend, Aretha, who needs some help finagling her nephew into a romance that will turn his frown upside down. It is a tricky situation, but Aretha’s promise to fund the rest of her culinary school tuition is more than Whitney can afford to turn down right now. The big problem? The woman Aretha has chosen for Daniel is not the one who has fallen for him. Nor he for her. The bigger problem, however, is the fallout from the unraveling of their intricate plan to meddle with mistletoe. Now, both Whitney and Daniel must decide which future they will choose and who they truly want to be when the dust settles. Liz Johnson takes us back to the Red Door Inn on beautiful Prince Edward Island in the heart of the winter season to get to the heart of the mess Aretha has made by meddling in matchmaking. This sweet heat romance begs a bit of joy from the kitchen; I think it pairs well with a cup of coffee and a slice of pie, flannel pajamas, and a cozy blanket by the fire.

Meddling with Mistletoe by Liz Johnson is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - Target Acquired

Kenzie King has a target on her back. It was one thing when she was catching nothing but ice from the male members of her SWAT team, but it heats up when someone starts coming after her off the clock. Could it be a team member who holds a grudge, someone who was passed over when she was selected to join the team, or is it unrelated? She is going to have to rely heavily on her team leader, Cole Garrison, to figure out who wants her dead and stop them. There is just one problem. She is not supposed to get that funny feeling around her supervisor. As for Cole, he wants to figure out who is wreaking havoc on his team and stop them before it is too late, but he is not supposed to get that funny feeling around a team member. Or his friend’s sister. The complications stack up in Lake City, but these heroes are determined to clear them and pave the way for their future.

Lynette Eason delivers the second in her Lake City Heroes series with a bit of dual timeline, a dash of shady mental institution, and her trademark heap of intrigue. Target Acquired is the kind of book where you turn off notifications, clear your schedule, and devour the entire adrenaline fueled ride like a pint of ice cream. (All in one sitting, of course!)

Target Acquired, the latest in the Lake City Heroes series by Lynette Eason is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - Between the Sound and Sea

Joy and pain, life and death are found between the sound and sea in the latest release from Amanda Cox. Fed up with her current situation and looking for a break from scandal, Joey Harris goes out on a whim and applies for a position as project manager for the restoration of a decommissioned lighthouse on a barrier island off the North Carolina coast. She is propelled to the top of the list by merit of being the only option left, a fact that does not sit well with the grumpy grandson of her new employer. Walt is determined to right the wrongs of his youth by restoring the former home of his childhood best friend; protecting Cay’s secrets from wagging tongues is his top priority, and he hopes to find out what really happened on that night when lives were lost and others irreparably damaged. The discovery of hidden journal entries begin to fill in blanks left by history and secrecy, but they come with the mysterious antics of the island’s ghost. With history, mystery, and a great deal of gratification, Cox gives us a beautifully rounded story about heartache, heartbreak, and restoration. You will be as invested as Joey in the success of their venture on the island and in the lives of those to whom it matters. 

And that grumpy grandson? Well, he might tug your heartstrings as well.

Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - Into the Starlight

Return to Sweetwater Crossing with the final installment of the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series by Amanda Cabot to finally learn what happened to Clive Finley and what will become of Joanna Vaughn. When the middle sister returns home from Europe, it is not as the accomplished concert pianist she hoped to become or as the wife she was for a short time, but as a widow whose struggle with pneumonia has robbed her of the stamina to pursue her high energy dreams. Furthermore, her joyful homecoming has been upended by changes that have come to Finley house in her absence and those that arrive on her heels in the form of Clive Finley’s former fiancée and his nephew, Burke. Of course, Sweetwater Crossing holds secrets only a Vaughn sister can bring to light, and working with Burke to unearth them gives him and Joanna an opportunity to find their own paths forward from a point of despair to a joyful future. Cabot reunites us with the Texas Hill County town and its citizens we know so well and introduces us to some vibrant new ones, rich with relatable dilemmas and a hope for what is yet to come. Into the Starlight could feasibly be read as a standalone, but I recommend enjoying the series in its entirety.

Into the Starlight by Amanda Cabot is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - Until Our Time Comes

Nicole M. Miller’s debut novel, Until Our Time Comes, is a beautifully crafted tribute to the resilience and determination of a group of people we do not often consider in reflection upon the trials of World War II. That is because many of us are unaware of the Janów Podlaski stud and other state run farms focused on the preservation of the glorious Arabian horses so prized by Poland, as well as others in various countries throughout the Continent. Miller brings this topic to light with the story of Adia Kensington, the American daughter who carries on the legacy of her Polish mother who toiled to save the magnificent Arabians during World War I. Adia finds herself in the unenviable position of having to protect them again as they face enduring occupation by enemy armies. British intelligence agent Bret Conway is tasked with protecting Adia and the horses while also performing his duties and maintaining his cover as a news reporter. This is, of course, made significantly more challenging when the two realize their stormy relationship carries with it the magnitude of love. As Adia and Bret work together to care for the horses, protecting them from enemies all around, and to advance the Allied efforts to turn the tide of war, they find that their love must endure until the time comes that they can be together at last.

This debut novel reads beautifully, with eloquent descriptions that draw the reader directly into the glorious countryside and the famed Janów Podlaski stables. Miller’s characters are expertly crafted, down to the grandmother resistance fighter and the foal who is rejected by his mother. I was often sent outside the book to search for information on the Arabian horses and the Polish state studs that continue to dedicate themselves to these magnificent creatures. I do sometimes enjoy a good read it through kind of book, but delight in fiction that inspires me to seek out the facts. Until Our Time Comes could easily be the former, and I am thrilled that it gave me the experience of the latter. I am certainly excited to see what comes next for this talented author!

Until Our Time Comes by Nicole M. Miller is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - Hidden in the Night

It is with great success that Elizabeth Goddard presents the final installment of her Missing in Alaska series, Hidden in the Night. This new release gives us the story of Alaska State Trooper Nolan Long and Ivy Elliott, the Sunshine Girl who stole his heart and took it home to Florida with her. Ivy returns to Shadow Gap to track down a lost manuscript of an unknown Jack London novel, only to find herself up to her ears in snow and intrigue. Together, Jack and Ivy are racing to find the missing girl who is the last person known to have the manuscript and someone is hot on their trail to keep them from finding it. Goddard writes suspense like nobody’s business and Hidden in the Night is no exception. Danger lurks around every corner, seemingly two steps ahead of our heroes, with more red herrings than a pack of Swedish Fish. Her characters are relatable and there are those we have come to know throughout the series who resurface to welcome us back to the once peaceful Alaskan town and its local hangout, The Lively Moose. With her careful crafting, Hidden in the Night reads like a standalone, but I personally recommend reading the entire Missing in Alaska series to get to really know the wonderful people of Shadow Gap.

Hidden in the Night, book three of the Missing in Alaska series by Elizabeth Goddard is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - Unforgiven

Set on the periphery of Amish country of Crittendon County, Kentucky, Unforgiven by Shelley Shepard Gray focuses on ex-con Seth Zimmerman and divorcee Tabitha Yoder. Unforgiven by their congregation and community for very different reasons, but facing similar separation from their families and former friends, both of them struggle with the consequences of their actions. Seth has longed to make Tabitha his wife since he was a student in her classroom, only a couple years younger, but unable to reach the woman who married Leon Yoder. Since Leon beat her near to death and she found the nerve to divorce him, Seth has taken up the habit of silently and consistently showing care for Tabitha. With time, Tabitha begins to warm up to and finally gets the nerve to speak to Seth, but the confidence Tabitha has begun to find is squelched when Leon is released from jail.

The interactions and building trust between Seth and Tabitha would have carried this story, as they struggle to forgive themselves in the face of what their former Amish community members will not. The addition of the family dynamic for each of them adds depth to the characters and their interactions, made more rich with the addition of the girl Seth protected on the fateful night that landed him in prison. Gray gives us characters we can relate to with interpersonal struggles that captivate. Some of the abruptness of interactions seem appropriate for the social style, but I did feel that there were times when it interfered with the flow of the story. Hence, four stars instead of five. Still, Gray leaves me looking forward to her next book, which hints at more of the story for dear Bethanne.

Unforgiven by Shelley Shepard Gray is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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

Book Review - The Road Before Us

Grab your tissues and settle in for a roller coaster ride along America’s Mother Road with Benny, Bridger, and Jade in the latest release from Janine Rosche. At its core, this is a story about people: where they come from and where they go. Traveling along historic Route 66, Benny seeks to honor her deceased beloved husband, Bridger seeks to honor his foster mother, and Jade finds herself dragged along for the drive. Running from her past, seeking closure for her future, and finding so much more than expected drive Jade toward the promised land and the future God holds for her. I have to confess that I probably would not have picked up this book if I had known the sensitive subjects Rosche addresses in The Road Before Us. There are a handful automatic “nopes” and at least a handful of other subjects that are sometimes particularly triggering and often not very well addressed. They are handled with great respect here. Grave subjects are relayed with delicate effectiveness, to shed light on these issues and drive the story forward carefully. This book confirms that Janine Rosche has a perennial place in my TBR collection.

The Road Before Us by Janine Rosche is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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

Book Review - Love On A Whim

Cape Cod Creamery fans rejoice! Suzanne Woods Fisher has brought the Dixon women back, along with the rest of the citizens of Chatham and a whole new storyline in which dear Brynn has lost her ever loving mind and gotten married to a stranger in Vegas. When reality hits with the break of dawn, Brynn calls her best friend and is encouraged to visit Dawn in the cozy community on the Massachusetts shore to lick her wounds and find her path. But finding her path is not as easy as it seems, especially when distractions fall into the hands of the Dixons, keeping everyone too busy to figure a way out for Brynn before things become more complicated than anyone could imagine.

Fisher has created a cozy community that, by this third book, has started to feel like home. My mind clearly sees the creamery, Intuitive Cooking School, and library as we visit each location through out the story. The strand of beach where our friends tend to walk to clear their minds, clear the air, or seek a holy moment is well known by now. Fisher has brought back familiar elements with a fresh new arc that keeps things interesting and entertaining throughout with themes of regret and reconciliation, as well as family and faith in the divine plan of the Almighty.

Love On A Whim, Cape Cod Creamery series book three, by Suzanne Woods Fisher is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - The Song of Sourwood Mountain

In her latest release, The Song of Sourwood Mountain, Ann H. Gabhart delivers a tale of sorrows and joy in the Appalachian backcountry at the beginning of the 20th century. Gordon Covington, missionary to the tiny Kentucky community of Sourwood, has come into the big city to find a schoolteacher. But the Lord’s direction tells him to also make Mira Dean his wife. His proposal to the former schoolmate, turned schoolteacher, strikes her as quite shocking and certainly an offer to be refused. However, God has plans for Mira beyond Louisville. And as I have personally learned, sometimes God shoves you kicking and screaming into the place where He means for you to thrive. This is precisely what happens to Mira as Gabhart delivers us all to the hills and hollers where Preacher Gordon introduces the colorful characters who live there and their varied strengths and weaknesses.

Gabhart uses great detail to immerse the reader into the small mountain community, building characters who leap from the page to tug your heartstrings. More than the tale of Gordon and Mira growing into the relationship designed for them by the Almighty, we get to witness the sorrows and joys of various members of the community who we grow to love in this narrative. The balance of those lows and highs in the lives of its people create the song of Sourwood Mountain, the heartbeat of the hills that captivates until the very last note, leaving a sense of home in the heart of the reader.

The Song of Sourwood Mountain by Ann H. Gabhart is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - Sandcastle Inn

Irene Hannon brings us back to Hope Harbor in Sandcastle Inn, the tenth book in her series. This installment brings us into the lives of veterinarian Matt Quinn and Vienna Price, a career driven go getter in limbo. In the wake of personal tragedy, Matt finds himself on a working vacation, unprepared for the amount of work it will take to help his sister Kay with her coastal B&B in need of renovation. He desperately needs a contractor and an advisor who is skilled in revamping boutique properties with an image problem. As usual, Hope Harbor delivers in spades, bringing Vienna into his orbit in a way that catches them both off balance.

Sandcastle Inn is a love letter from Hannon to anyone struggling with grief, shame, and family strife. She does not dance around the issues, and though it reads as fiction, she packs a great deal of truth and hope in the storyline. There is no doubt the longtime residents of Hope Harbor we have grown to know and love are patiently guiding forces along the way: Bev, Charley, Father Murphy and Reverend Baker, Floyd and Gladys. Their roles in this book feel like they were written just for this specific storyline, but anyone who has read any of the nine books before will feel the same way about each one. Hannon writes with such familiarity that this is not the first time I have caught myself longing for a vacation to this fictional seaside town, dreaming of a cookie from the jar on the counter at Bev’s Book Nook or tacos and a word of wisdom from Charley. If you are looking for the perfect beach read, your search is over!

Sandcastle Inn by Irene Hannon, the tenth in her Hope Harbor series, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - Just for the Summer

There are some authors I trust to deliver exactly what I expect when I pick up their books. For example, let’s say I am seeking a novel with a character who is at a crossroads in life, experiences an unexpected event that offers self exploration and understanding, meets a man who challenges and encourages her, and we have a happy ending. That’s when I pick up Melody Carlson. It is the kind of predicability I can rely on when the real world begs an escape, but don’t think that makes her predictable. The craftsmanship that delivers this comfort while creating completely different novels every time is worthy of great respect. On that note, I offer you my take on her latest, Just for the Summer.

Ginny Masters has worked her way up from the bottom to become manager of a posh boutique hotel in Seattle, but her life is not the glitz and glam it seems on the surface. Jaqueline Potter longs for glitz and glam, but instead manages her grandfather’s Idaho fishing lodge. Seeking a change of pace, both sign up to participate in a job swap. Just for the summer. But with the job swap comes a bit of a life swap. Jaqueline finds that the posh hotel daytime only scratches the surface of reality, and Ginny finds that the simple life just might be the life for her. At a crossroads, each has to make a serious decision about what happens in their lives at the end of the swap. With her trademark skill, Carlson delivers relatable characters and a satisfying storyline that will keep you reading.

Just for the Summer by Melody Carlson is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 - The Lady with the Dark Hair

Art and family history come together in The Lady with the Dark Hair, an exploration of the her-story of said lady and its impact on a modern day art history major with a passion for a specific painter. Esther Markstrom is a descendant of Francisco Vella, curator of the museum which houses a collection of his paintings, and caretaker of her mentally ill mother. All of these components of her identity also carry the heavy burden of responsibility. The most prized Vella painting does not reside in the museum, however, but in her family home. Never seen by anyone other than Esther and her mother, never questioned beyond her mild curiosity about the identity of The Lady with the Dark Hair, never challenged. Then Esther invites her former professor to visit La Dama del Cabello Oscuro, kicking off a chain of events she could not have predicted for her mundane life. Events that not only shake up everything anyone knows about Francisco Vella, but also everything Esther has ever known about herself.

Told in dual time fashion, The Lady with the Dark Hair delivers the stories of Esther and La Dama. Their own relationships with Vella are brought to light, as history opens itself to explore the struggles and expectations of women in the late 19th century and its parallels with those Esther faces in her own experiences. Characters in both eras leap from the page as the author has painted her story so vividly that its pull is inescapable.

The Lady with the Dark Hair by Erin Bartels is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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.