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:

Baker Book House    Christian Book    Amazon     Barnes & Noble    Walmart

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 - 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:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Barnes & Noble        Walmart

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 - Against The Wind

Amanda Cabot’s latest release is the second in her Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series, Against The Wind, and she blows in small town intrigue like a dust storm. Louisa Vaughn has a heart for healing and wants to do that for the community where she grew up. However, in late 1800s Texas, a female doctor is a radical idea that gets people riled up. Sweetwater Crossing is no exception and the resistance varies from loud mumbling to gravely dangerous acts that put others in harm’s way to prove a point. But Louisa has the unwavering support of her sister and of her first solo patient, Josh Porter. Josh has problems of his own, though. Outsiders may be welcomed here, but certainly with a fair amount of caution. And the broken leg Louisa has set for him throws a kink in his plans to get home to New York in time to try to win control of the family legacy in the competition his grandfather set forth.

If you don’t already know Sweetwater Crossing like your own hometown from After The Shadows, the town and its residents will quickly become familiar, thanks to Cox’s careful addition of the locals and their various places. You are effortlessly transported to the lush Texas Hill Country, to a slower and more organic time and place, with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. Against The Wind will easily pull you in and leave you longing for the next installment of the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing.

After The Shadows, book two in the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series by Amanda Cabot 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 - After The Shadows

After leaving her family and friends behind to begin life at Mrs. Leland, Emily returns home to Sweetwater Crossing and finds it is too late to say goodbye to her dear mother. Furthermore, her sister Louisa’s demeanor is puzzling; they were once such good friends, but Louisa’s attitude now borders on hostility. As pieces begin falling into place, Emily realizes her husband’s abuse extended even beyond what she received directly, and she must now work to repair the relationships that are left. One thing marriage to George Leland taught her is that men lie to conceal their true intentions, and now that she has been released from that bondage by his death, she will never allow herself to be in that position again. When Emily’s father, Reverend Vaughn, is found hanging in the barn, Emily knows appearances are not always what they seem. There is no way her father committed suicide and she cannot rest until his killer is found.

Emily is a Vaughn through and through, and the way she cares for her neighbors reflects the values her parents modeled as she grew up in Sweetwater Crossing. Upon seeing the need of neighbors in distress, Emily opens the now empty family home to boarders, one of whom is the handsome new schoolmaster. A handsome new schoolmaster with an adorable little boy and the emotional scars that come from losing his beloved wife in a tragic accident. But working alongside Emily opens doors Craig never imagined his grief would allow opened, and there just might be a future for them after all.

I love good historical fiction with a well balanced romance element and a bit of intrigue. What After The Shadows delivers that I particularly enjoyed was the emphasis on the value of friendships. The four widows of Sweetwater Crossing treasure their friendship and encourage Emily to cultivate those relationships. After The Shadows is a well rounded read, the sequel to which I eagerly anticipate.

After The Shadows, Sweetwater Crossing #1, by Amanda Cabot 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.