Book Review - The Spy Keeper of Marseille

Roseanna M. White delivers fulfilling historical intrigue with a romantic vein in her novel, The Spy Keeper of Marseille. As invaders topple all that is good and sane in her beloved France, Zelie Bellerose finds herself leading Alliance, an underground network working with the British to subvert the efforts of the aggressors. Concert pianist and former POW Marcel Laurent fights by spying for Alliance as he conducts a youth orchestra and travels with a level of freedom most are not afforded. Together, Zelie and Marcel work to protect Alliance from subversion and to restore the France they love while learning to love each other through turmoil and keep their eyes on brighter days ahead.

I tend to enjoy WW2 era fiction, especially stories that highlight the individuals who fought back against tyranny. The Spy Keeper of Marseille is an excellent example of this type of storytelling, an immersive experience with all the senses engaged as White builds a world in which one lives while experiencing this story alongside characters who are truly alive in the telling. This is a novel that should be savored in spite of the desire to devour it as you crave everything that comes next.

The Spy Keeper of Marseille by Roseanna M. White is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

Book Review - Conspiracy

Justice served cold is still justice served. Paradise Alden has been seeking justice since the night her parents were murdered in their home, but she never imagined that satisfaction would be far from her greatest. In the third and final installment of The Sanctuary Series by Colleen Coble, veterinarian Paradise finds the truth about that terrible night with the help of the people who mean the most to her. After losing all the family she had, she now realizes that home and family do not elude her. Coble fans who have developed relationships with these characters throughout the entirety of the Pelican Harbor, Tupelo Grove and The Sanctuary novel series will be both satisfied with this conclusion and sad to say goodbye to our friends as everything is neatly tied up in the latest release, Conspiracy. And at the end of it all, I can confidently say it was worth it.

Conspiracy, the finale to The Sanctuary series and the latest release from Colleen Coble, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Book Review - The Royal Artisan

Tessa Afshar delivers an achingly beautiful installment to her Queen Esther’s Court series in her latest release, The Royal Artisan. A story set to run parallel to The Queen’s Cook, The Royal Artisan is that of a young Persian woman who holds her family close in her heart as she works at the pottery wheel, creating the finest wares in Susa and beyond. When destruction comes knocking, Sazana is surprised to find the man assigned to protect her is none other than the one who broke her heart when he broke their betrothal. Fighting the storm in her heart and the enemy without, Sazana and Jadon must reckon with the danger before them as well as the history between them. Afshar has a well honed talent for creating complex characters and intricate storylines that capture the reader and hold them enthralled without overcomplicating. The Royal Artisan is further proof of that talent, with a richly layered tale wrapped around characters we love to love.

The Royal Artisan, the second book in the Queen Esther's Court series by Tessa Afshar, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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I received an ARC of this book. It did not influence my review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review - Daughter of the Rebellion

Daughter of the Rebellion, the latest release from author Jamie Ogle, is the deeply emotional and vividly entertaining story of Visigoth war daughter Adelgard. Captured when the Roman army defeated her rebellious clan and sent to train and perform as one of the favored gladiatrices in the violent entertainment culture of Rome, Adel has leaned into her role as Amazon and endeavored to set aside thoughts of a home to which she can no longer return. The abuses she must endure are the consequences of decisions she has made that brought shame to herself and to her family. There is no path but forward.

Working in the ludus is not an appropriate occupation for a Christian, but medicus Felix must do what he has to do in order to provide for his mother and sisters. There he provides medical care for the injured gladiators and gladiatrices, making ends meet and dodging creditors in search of restitution for debts his father acquired before he disappeared. However, the Lord uses circumstances and individuals regardless of how appropriate or qualified they seem to human eyes and Felix has some heavy decisions to make when approached with a difficult offer.

This is a book I throughly devoured, regardless of every attempt to slow down and savor it. The scenes moved as though on film, expertly crafted descriptions and deeply human characters flowed in real time as pages turned and the story progressed. The messages of mercy and understanding unfold beautifully, bit by bit as our flawed and relatable characters begin to digest the concepts and embrace their identities in the eyes of the Father. The further blooming of identity is executed as deftly as the Amazon delivering the winning strike to an exhausted and unsettled opponent. Without giving away too much, it is safe to say that this is truly a story that does not end until the author strikes her final punctuation. Daughter of the Rebellion will stick with me for a satisfyingly long time.

Daughter of the Rebellion is available from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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I received a NetGalley ARC of this book. It did not influence my review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review - The Women of Oak Ridge

Michelle Shocklee delivers a thoughtful perspective on human nature and the repercussions of shame in The Women of Oak Ridge. Focusing on Maebelle Willet, a young woman from a coal mining family who answered the call for workers in the secret city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee in late 1941, this novel shifts between Mae’s experiences in the secret city and her experience in 1979, when her niece Laurel arrives in Oak Ridge to research those experiences for her dissertation. The memories and questions that Laurel opens up set off an inevitable reaction in her aunt that have consequences beyond anything anyone who knows Mae Willet could imagine.

Secrets have consequences, and Shocklee explores these on several levels in The Women of Oak Ridge. The characters there in both seasons of Oak Ridge are developed with excellent craftsmanship so that they are very real and relevant to the reader. Both the desperate need for secrecy during the war years, as the residents who live and work there are consistently reminded that loose lips sink ships and even your roommate may be a spy, and the lingering effects of the weight that secrecy. Shocklee also develops a rich setting in Oak Ridge, in the mud town that does not appear on any map and is largely unknown to the postal service, and the one where people live in the spaces left behind when the uranium enrichment facilities were left behind after the war. The reader is fully immersed in this setting with these characters and their complexities so that this book could easily be a quick read, but carries a weight that is worth sitting with for a while. The heaviness of secrecy and shame are very carefully and realistically brought to light in the scope of grace and mercy.

The Women of Oak Ridge by Michelle Shocklee is available from your favorite local booksellers or online:

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I received an ARC of this book. It did not influence my review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review - Prowl

After all the attacks on The Sanctuary in Ambush, the first book of the Sanctuary series by Colleen Coble, you might think Paradise, Blake, and their loved ones could catch a break in the sequel. Unfortunately for our friends on the wild animal park, someone is determined to shake their foundation and the public’s opinion of The Sanctuary, working relentlessly to undermine all that holds them up. From a murder in the tiger enclosure to eerie gifts left for Paradise, the path toward truth is as tangled as the Spanish moss and the search is entwined with the search for Paradise’s long lost brother and the person who killed their parents. Colleen Coble knows how to write characters the reader can bond with and action that will keep said reader awake all night turning pages. Prowl is yet another stellar example of that elite level skill.

Prowl, the second book in the Sanctuary series by Colleen Coble, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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I received an ARC of this book. It did not influence my review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review - Last Light Over Galveston

Jennifer L. Wright combines historical fact with eloquent fiction to create a rich and compelling novel in her upcoming release, Last Light Over Galveston. Centering around the life of debutante turned runaway Kathleen McDaniel as she hides for her life in a Galveston orphanage in the fall of 1900, this novel dances about the topics of social responsibility and identity until everything collides in full force. Wright’s characters are spunky and flawed, her setting developed so well that the reader is fully immersed, to the point that I might have checked once or twice to make sure my feet were not wet. Kathleen’s struggles are understandable, her longing for home familiar, and her flaws relatable. The supporting characters are well developed, pulling at the heartstrings just as I am sure the author intended. And when nature proves that Galveston is not actually immune to hurricanes, all comes to a climax that will leave the reader gasping for air and anticipating the next nail in the coffin until the point that the delicious conclusion is revealed.

Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright releases on August 12, 2025 and is currently available for preorder from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, the publisher, or the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review - Sunrise Reef

If you are also a longtime resident of Hope Harbor, I welcome you home. If you are a visitor, I hope you enjoy your stay. In the decade since Irene Hannon released her first Hope Harbor novel, many people have found home in this place where hearts heal and love blooms. Some are characters in the eleven novels of the series, but many are readers who have fallen in love with the town and its cast of vibrant characters.

Sunrise Reef is the eleventh Hope Harbor novel and focuses on Bren Ryan, one of our favorite baristas at The Perfect Blend. With a past full of heartache, Bren has started to find healing in her new home. Everything seems well settled for her until the day she finds herself in need of a temporary home, accosted in the middle of the night, and opening her arms to a stranger who feels like a kindred spirit. Noah Ward has a laser focused plan for his visit to Hope Harbor, and the sooner he can convince his father to move back to St. Louis, the sooner he can end this faux vacation and get back to work. That laser focus is how Noah has climbed to success in his world and how he will achieve his goal. This naturally means that Bren and Noah inevitably collide in glorious fashion on a regular basis. Hannon takes this seriously and delivers one run-in after another that will have to make or break this opposites-attract couple in a cozy and adorable page turner that keeps all of Hope Harbor on their toes.

Not one to shirk her supporting character duty, Hannon creates a supporting cast like no other. A job partially done by the lovingly crafted characters of the previous novels, the supporting characters are rounded out by some new additions, including Emma Blair. Emma has been riding a wave of bad luck for several years and it seems to have run out when her car dies in Hope Harbor. Fortunately, it never seems to be bad luck for anyone to get stuck in Hope Harbor, and though I enjoyed the way Hannon developed her story, I do hope Emma gets her own book someday. Sunrise Reef is a charming addition to the Hope Harbor series, but I am not going to judge too harshly if you decide to read it as a standalone. It will flow just fine. However, for real richness, indulge in the series and build all that backstory that comes with a decade of knowing and loving the residents of this hopeful little seaside town with big heart.

Sunrise Reef, the eleventh novel in the Hope Harbor series by Irene Hannon, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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

Book Review - Break My Fall

Break My Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn is a return to Gossamer Falls and our friends, the Quinn family. This time, Dr. Meredith Quinn has seen and heard too much during her trips to neighboring Neeson in her mobile dentistry van, a fact that becomes painfully obvious when she finds herself stranded on the side of the road with an empty gas tank that should have still been full. It is a good thing Chief Grayson Ward is nearby to save the day. But why is he sticking so close to Meredith, especially when he keeps pushing her away? Drugs and trafficking run rampant in the county next door, but Gray has a problem with letting crime run amok on his doorstep. Fortunately, he has allies in his fight. Unfortunately, the woman he cannot let himself love is in the crosshairs of the worst of the perpetrators. And we all know what happens to those carefully constructed walls when the people who construct them find themselves in the line of fire.

If you read Never Fall Again, you are already a member of the Gossamer Falls community and are practically a Quinn, as well. Meredith and Mo, Cal and Cassie, Donovan and Gray are our people and we know them. Of course, we also know something has got to give between Meredith and Gray. And happy dance of happy dances, we get just that in Break My Fall. Blackburn’s characters stick with you; they are vibrant and relatable, and it is easy to want good things for them. The tension is very real, both in the romance and in the action of trying to keep headstrong Meredith safe when her primary concern is taking care of others. And the romance is so sweet. Maybe I am just a sucker right now, but I think it is more likely that this book is just one of the most downright delicious romances I have read in I don’t know how long. No need to worry, though… Mo keeps it from getting too sappy. Because that is just gross. (By the way, now that my hopes for Meredith and Gray are fulfilled, i have turned my sights on Mo and Bronwyn. Someone has some explaining to do there!) I like when characters from parallel storylines converge, and I have a great appreciation for the way Blackburn weaves in some beloved characters from her other novels to give this one some extra depth. Break My Fall absolutely earns 5 stars, and also a little heart in the margin of my book tracking spreadsheet!

Break My Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn, the second book in the Gossamer Falls 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 - The Pharisee’s Wife

It is widely accepted that Janette Oke books would be selected by readers based solely on the author’s name. After all, Oke is the origin point for many readers’ passionate journey through inspirational fiction. Her days on my must-read list stem from my early teen years, back when my grandmother purchased her novels via mail order and tried faithfully to keep up with my appetite for her clean and uplifting prose. In that spirit, I pounced on her latest release and savored it from cover to cover.

The Pharisee’s Wife unfolds methodically and in an unhurried pace, as the tale is told of a young girl who is given a high honor she does not want and must make what she will of it. Pulled from her family home and dumped into the home of a Pharisee in training who cares more for adulation than for her, Mary is then left to pick up the pieces and find her way forward when the unthinkable happens. This story of the early church is respectful and introspective. It is not surprising that the author’s note is as impactful as the novel itself. The urgency is not in the storyline, but in a decision each person must make at some point. And the climax of the story, well… Oke writes that (second) best, so you are just going to have to read The Pharisee’s Wife cover to cover to understand.

The Pharisee’s Wife by Janette Oke 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 - Storm Warning

Storm season in the Pacific Northwest is particularly harrowing this year, as it finds Remi Grant facing her demons and running for her life. A chance run in with a foreign physicist has made her the target of arms dealers and government operatives hungry to get their hands on the dead man’s technology. Hiding was an effective strategy until it was not. Now the winds, waves, and storms pummeling her beloved coast are just added complications as she struggles to stay alive. Hawk Beckett is also a complication; he seems to arrive at just the right time and is oddly attached to Remi, unless there is an ulterior motive. Struggling to regain her memory seems more urgent when she cannot tell who to trust. But Hawk knows a thing or two about trust; learning that his brother and his mentor are both involved in this situation with Remi in one way or another is enough to shake all he thinks he knows.

Elizabeth Goddard knows romance and suspense. Storm Warning is no exception. With characters so well developed they feel like family and settings so vivid you cannot help but feel like you are there, Goddard pulls you in and holds your attention securely through the entire story. Storm Warning is a gutsy, action packed wallop that is the first in a series I can’t wait to continue.

Storm Warning, the first book in the Hidden Bay 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 - Heart of the Glen

Heart of the Glen will capture your heart and sweep you away to Donegal, where the sheep  graze contentedly under the watch of their shepherd and give wool to make the stellar tweed only Owen McCready can weave. The struggles facing the McCready family seem to stack like peat for the fire, stoking frustration in Owen as he endeavors to carry the load on his own, until the situation becomes one where he must swallow his pride and allow help from outside. Saoirse Fagan knows about needing help; it is the reason she is in the McCready barn. And she knows about carrying the load, as she has been doing that on her own for a good long time now, but it just might be that Saoirse can help Owen carry his while while lightening her own for a bit.

Jennifer Deibel uses the Old Testament story of Gideon to remind us that God is in the details, even when we cannot see Him. Her descriptions of the place and the people draw the reader in, making it all feel so very real and leading us to friendship with the characters and investing us in their health and well-being. Saoirse, Owen, and Aileen quickly become family to us, so that we weep with them in their trials and cheer for them in their joys. Grab a cuppa and a cozy blanket, bonus points if it is tartan, and sweep yourself off to the heart of the glen!

Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel 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 - Cornered

If you are a fan of suspense, then you are probably already familiar with Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters. If you are not yet familiar, then buckle up, Buttercup and you are welcome for the introduction. Cornered is a novella collection from these three suspense queens, a blessed gift for the suspense lover in your life. (And it is totally ok to be the suspense lover in your life.)

The first novella in this collection is In the Dark by Lynette Eason, in which Stephanie Cross finds herself up to her ears in deception and danger when her friend is murdered. Detective Tate Cooper is on the case, but it is not long before Stephanie is on his mind in her own way. Eason’s world building is already well established, and her readers will recognize quite a few In the Dark characters, feeling at home immediately with our friends and feeling the danger with them along the way. Fear not, new and future fans, because you will pick right up and fit right in with the Lake City Heroes.

Lynn H. Blackburn follows with Downfall to have you head over tail-feathers for the Quinns and some of the Pierces of Gossamer Falls. When Cassie Quinn and Bronwyn Pierce discover that Hideaway has been vandalized, the illusion of security at the ultra exclusive The Haven resort in North Carolina’s beautiful mountains is shattered. Not so much for their elite guests, but for the swanky restaurant’s interim head chef, Cassie. Cassie’s ex, Officer Donovan Bledsoe has to solve the case, protect Cassie, and make sense of the mess he made when he dumped her. Sinister acts, drugs, danger, and romantic tension keep the reader on their toes from threats written in sriracha to a satisfying conclusion. Cannot get enough of the Quinns and Pierces? No worries, Blackburn has you covered with the Gossamer Falls series.

Perilous Obsession from Natalie Walters completes the triptych of pulse pounding romantic suspense. Natalie fans will be familiar with Kekoa Young from The SNAP Agency series and will immediately feel like family for his sister Lahela, who finds herself the target of some disturbing incidents as she strives to feel settled in her new Texas home. Briggs Turner is a friend, but he hopes to be more. His protective drive is amped up when he learns that someone has been stalking Lahela, but it all gets really hot when things cross over from tense to dangerous. Perilous Obsession is fast and tense, but with the friendship, loyalty, and dedication of ohana and a healthy helping of romance.

Cornered, the latest novella collection from suspense queens Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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