Tag: Nicole Deese

23 February 2024

First Line Friday #326 | The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m reading an advance copy of the next book in Nicole Deese’s Fog Harbor series, The Roads We Follow. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

If that appeals to you, then you might also be interested in the first book in the series. The Words We Lost is currently on sale on Amazon for $1.99 for the Kindle version.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About The Roads We Follow

As the youngest daughter of a country music legend, Raegan Farrow longs to establish an identity away from the spotlight and publish her small-town romances under a pen name. But after her dream is dashed when she won’t exploit her mother’s fame to further her own career, she hears a rumor from a reliable source regarding a tell-all being written about the Farrow family. Making matters worse, the unknown author has gone to great lengths to remain anonymous until publication.

Raegan chooses to keep the tell-all a secret from her scandal-leery sisters as they embark on a two-week, cross-country road trip at their mother’s request and makes it her mission to expose the identity of the author behind the unsanctioned biography. But all is complicated when she discovers their hired bus driver, Micah Davenport, has a hidden agenda of his own–one involving both of their mothers and an old box of journals. As they rely on each other to find the answers they seek, the surprising revelations they unearth will steer them toward their undeniable connection and may even lead them down the most unexpected of paths.

Find The Roads We Follow online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

6 February 2024

Bookish Question #316 | What’s the most heartwarming book you’ve read recently?

Heartwarming? While I read a lot of romance, which is often considered a heartwarming genre, I don’t think all romances are actually heartwarming in that while I can cheer for the characters, they generally don’t incite my sympathy.

Heartwarming: inciting a sympathetic feeling, cheerful

However, I can think of a few.

Over the Rainbow (Trinity Lakes 8) by Meredith Resce

Over the Rainbow is the next release in the Trinity Lakes multi-author series I’m part of. In this story, Arianne Rayne has relocated to Trinity Lakes to rebuild her life after being paralysed in a car accident. It’s a heartwarming romance that deals with some tough questions around life, love, and God’s healing power in our lives.

Over the Rainbow releases on 21 February 2024.

The Roads We Follow (Fog Harbor 2) by Nicole Deese

I’ve just finished an advance copy of The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese, which should probably be classified as Christian women’s fiction with romantic elements.

It’s in first person from two points of view (Raegan and Micah), which give the impression it’s a romance. But it’s a story of search for identity: Micah is searching for the identity of his biological father, and Raegan is searching for her identity as an individual, not as the daughter of country music megastar Luella Farrow. It’s a heartwarming (ha!) romance that shares some deep truths about life.

The Roads We Follow releases on 30 April 2024.

Leaving Oxford (Southern Hearts #1) by Janet W Ferguson

I reread this series towards the end of 2023. While all four books qualify as heartwarming for different reasons, Leaving Oxford was the standout title for me. it’s the story of a woman facing panic attacks whenever she tries to leave her small hometown, and her growing relationship with the local football coach. They’re an unlikely couple, but Janet Ferguson makes it work.

Find Leaving Oxford (and the rest of the Southern Heart series) at Amazon.

What about you? What’s the most heartwarming book you’ve read recently?

19 December 2023

Bookish Question #309 | What were the top ten books you read in 2023?

We’re almost at the end of 2023, and I must be getting older because I am sure the years are going faster. Yet again, I’ve read a lot of books (and published one, which was a first!). Some were excellent, some were fun but forgettable, and some were unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

But today it’s time to share the books I enjoyed most in 2023. Most are contemporary Christian fiction, because that’s the genre I read most. But one is Biblical fiction (Plagues and Papyrus), one is multi-timeline (In This Moment), and one is perhaps more women’s fiction than romance (The Words We Lost).

So here’s my list, most of which I have already reviewed or featured on the blog:

What were the top five (or ten) books you read in 2023?

6 June 2023

Bookish Question #281 | Is there a book you enjoyed more than you expected?

Yes. Two, in fact:

All That Really Matters and All That It Takes by Nicole Deese.

I know a lot of people rave about Nicole Deese’s writing, but the first of her books that I bought I couldn’t even finish. I don’t remember what it was called, as I’ve long since given it away, but I tried to read it two or three times and never got beyond halfway. The plot was interesting, but the characters didn’t grab me.

Then I read another where I really liked the writing, but there was one aspect of the plot that really got to me. The book has around a gazillion five-star reviews on Amazon, so I’m obviously alone in this feeling.

I decided to give her books one more chance because I did like her writing in that second book. I bought All That Really Matters in a Kindle sale, and loved it so much I immediately bought the sequel, All that It Takes.

It was just as good, so now I’m a definite Nicole Deese fan.

(In fact, I’ve recently reviewed her latest release, The Words We Lost, which was excellent.)

I guess there are a few lessons here:

Not all books are for all readers.
If you don’t like one book by a writer, try another.
Writers improve as they write more books, so we especially shouldn’t judge a writer by their early titles.

(That might sound a little self-indulgent given I’ve just released my first novel, but think of it this way: would you really want to read a brilliant first novel from an author then find their subsequent novels didn’t live up to expectation? I wouldn’t. I want to see them get better in the craft of writing, and for each story to be better than the book before. That’s certainly what I’m aiming for.)

What about you? Is there a book you enjoyed more than you expected?

29 May 2023

Book Review | The Words we Lost by Nicole Deese

What first caught my attention about The Words We Lost was the cover.

Illustrated covers have been a thing in contemporary romance for a while, although they tended to indicate rom-coms rather than pure romance. This style of cover is newer, but I really like the illustrated look with a focus on the title. Indigo Isle had the same kind of cover, and the same kind of vibe. Both novels are definitely Christian romance, but which have the depth of characterisation and overall character journey that’s more common in women’s fiction.

Yes, The Words We Lost is a romance, but with that women’s fiction vibe.

Ingrid Erikson is the Senior Acquisitions Editor at San Francisco publisher Fog Harbor Books, having built her career on the sale of a five-book Young Adult fantasy series by her now-dead best friend. Unfortunately, Cecelia Campbell—CeCe—had the misfortune to die before turning in her final contracted manuscript, which is now missing. Fog Harbor wants to find the missing manuscript, and Ingrid is charged with finding it.

But Ingrid’s grief over CeCe’s death has led to an unusual disability … and one that is potentially career-ending for an editor.

She can’t read. Well, she can read the words. She just can’t comprehend them. So she heads to Port Townsend to work with Joel, CeCe’s cousin and Ingrid’s teenage sweetheart, to retrieve a package she hopes will be the manuscript that will save her career.

This is a romance novel, so we know how the story is going to end.

We also know the course of love is destined to never run smoothly, particularly in terms of Ingrid’s relationship with Joel. It’s safe to say The Words We Lost was anything but predictable, in the best possible way.

I’ve read a lot of novels about novelists, but very few about an editor in a publishing house (the only other one I can recall is Stealing Adda by Tamara Leigh, which was about an author and her editor). As such, I enjoyed seeing the publishing industry shown from a different angle.

I especially enjoyed the fact The Words We Lost was written in first person.

I always find that brings me closer to the characters. Despite her problem with words, Ingrid has a distinctive and compelling character voice … perhaps made more compelling because she’s a professional who has built her career on words but has lost those same words.

The Words We Lost is subtitled A Fog Harbor Romance, and I do hope that means it’s the beginning of a series because there are several characters I’d like to meet again—not least, the ever-peppy Chip, the preppy editorial assistant.

I recommend The Words We Lost to fans of romance/women’s fiction authors such as TI Lowe, Tammy L Gray, Irene Hannon, or Carmen Schober.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Nicole Deese

Nicole Deese is an award-winning author who specializes in humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels. When not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She currently resides with her happily-ever-after hubby, two sons, and a princess daughter in Idaho.

Find Nicole Deese online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About The Words we Lost

Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript.

As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony–two elements her current life possesses in spades. In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cecelia Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she’s also desperate to find the closure she’s convinced will come with Cecelia’s missing final manuscript.

After Ingrid jeopardizes her career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But then Joel Campbell–the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters–offers her a sealed envelope from his late cousin, Cecelia, asking Joel and to put their differences aside and retrieve a mysterious package in their coastal Washington hometown.

Honoring Cecelia’s last request will challenge their convictions and test their loyalties, but through it all, will Ingrid and Joel be brave enough to uncover a twice-in-a-lifetime love?

Find The Words we Lost online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

9 December 2022

First Line Friday #263 | All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese, a 2022 Christy Award and ACFW Carol Award winner.

Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

The Kindle version is currently on sale for less than a dollar, so click here to check out the sample.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About All That Really Matters

Molly McKenzie’s bright personality and on-trend fashion and beauty advice have made her a major social media influencer. When her manager-turned-boyfriend tells her of an upcoming audition to host a makeover show for America’s underprivileged youth, all her dreams finally seem to be coming true. There’s just one catch: she has little experience interacting with people in need.

To gain an edge on her competitors, she plans to volunteer for the summer at a transitional program for aged-out foster kids, but the program’s director, Silas Whittaker, doesn’t find her as charming as her followers do. Despite his ridiculous rules and terms, Molly dives into mentoring, surprising herself with the genuine connections and concern she quickly develops for the girls–and Silas. But just as everything seems perfectly aligned for her professional future, it starts to crumble under the pressure. And as her once-narrow focus opens to the deep needs of those she’s come to know, she must face the ones she’s neglected inside herself for so long.

Find All That Really Matters online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

30 March 2020

Book Review | Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

Before I Called You Mine is the story of Lauren, a single elementary school teacher who wants to adopt an orphan from China.

This means staying single, because the adoption agency only allows children to go to single mothers or to couples who have been married more than two years. Single hasn’t been a problem until she meets the substitute teacher across the hall …

In some respects, Before I Called You Mind is a typical contemporary romance novel with a unique application of the “decides to remain single, then meets Mr Perfect” trope. But setting the novel against a backdrop of international adoption introduced a whole bunch of questions, many of them uncomfortable. One of the characters says of a child adopted internationally:

“Leaving the only place she’s ever called home, and the only people who’ve ever cared for her, is a traumatic event. That’s a fact, not an opinion … She won’t know the language, the food, the sounds, the smells.”

International adoption rips a child from everything familiar—their country, their culture, their language, even their name (yes, the main character planned to change her child’s name). That bugged me. What psychological message does that send to a child, that not even their name is theirs and has value? It smacks of a nineteenth-century white saviour complex, where the missionaries converted the natives and changed their names to “Christian” names. I’d hoped we’d got beyond that, but comments about “dark chocolate, almond-shaped eyes” suggested we haven’t.

When I started the novel, I was in two minds about international adoption.

I read plenty of stories about how the US foster care system is crying out for qualified carers. Why choose international adoption when there are thousands of disadvantaged and needy children in the US?

The author herself has adopted internationally, but says the purpose of the novel isn’t to persuade readers to adopt a child from overseas. Rather, it’s to challenge us to find the hard thing that God’s asking us to partner with Him in. Do I think it met that objective? No. But was it a good story? Mostly.

Lauren is torn between her desire to adopt internationally, and her attraction to Joshua … who also happens to be the son of the education expert who inspired many of Lauren’s most successful teaching methods. The family is everything Lauren’s family isn’t—friendly, loving, Christian.

There were times when I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for Lauren and her predicament.

She complains about her family, then insults her mother and wonders why they don’t have a great relationship. She has been working towards adopting an orphan from China for two years, and had been considering it for three years before that, yet had never bothered to learn any Mandarin, or anything about Chinese food or culture.

Before I Called You Mine by @NicoleDeese is a well-written story with great characters and plenty of conflict. It's memorable, and will definitely make you think. #BookReview #ChristianFiction Click To Tweet

At the same time, I could empathise with Lauren. She’d been earnestly seeking God and was convinced He placed the idea for international adoption on her heart and brought her into contact with people who could encourage and support her in that journey. Then God throws Joshua in her path, and she starts second-guessing herself. It made fascinating and compelling reading.

Overall, this is a well-written story with great characters and plenty of conflict. It’s memorable, and will definitely make you think.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Nicole Deese

Find Nicole Deese online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Before I Called You Mine

Lauren Bailey may be a romantic at heart, but after a decade of matchmaking schemes gone wrong, there’s only one match she’s committed to now–the one that will make her a mother. Lauren is a dedicated first-grade teacher in Idaho, and her love for children has led her to the path of international adoption. To satisfy her adoption agency’s requirements, she gladly agreed to remain single for the foreseeable future; however, just as her long wait comes to an end, Lauren is blindsided by a complication she never saw coming: Joshua Avery.

Joshua may be a substitute teacher by day, but Lauren finds his passion for creating educational technology as fascinating as his antics in the classroom. Though she does her best to downplay the undeniable connection between them, his relentless pursuit of her heart puts her commitment to stay unattached to the test and causes her once-firm conviction to waver.

With an impossible decision looming, Lauren might very well find herself choosing between the two deepest desires of her heart . . . even if saying yes to one means letting go of the other.

Find Before I Called You Mine online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Kobo | Koorong

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

1 September 2017

First Line Friday | Week 6 | The Promise of Rayne

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to open the book nearest you and share the first line.

Today I’m sharing from The Promise of Rayne by Nicole Deese.

Desperation undermines wisdom. Her grandfather’s legendary words crash-landed in the space between Rayne Shelby’s heart and head, though they did nothing to combat her frantic thoughts.

This book comes highly recommended, and is sitting on my to-read pile. Yes, it’s an actual paper book, not an ebook! That makes it perfect for winter reading in the spa (aka hot tub).

About The Promise of Rayne

Rayne Shelby has spent her entire life trying to earn the approval of her high-powered family, with the hope of one day managing her late grandfather’s prestigious Idaho lodge. But when she makes a mistake that puts her future in jeopardy, she faces an impossible choice: defy her family or deny her dream. The only way to fix the mess she’s created is to enlist the help of her neighbor, Levi, the apprentice of her family’s greatest enemy. And if Rayne gets caught crossing the divided property lines, the consequences will be irreparable.

Levi Harding has never forgotten the August night he shared with Rayne when they were teens—or the way she later rejected him. Despite his warring instincts, he can’t ignore her plea for help or the spark that’s ignited between them. But now, as wildfires bear down on their town and family secrets are revealed, their newfound alliance might just go up in smoke.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Goodreads