Author: Iola Goulton

Quote from Fatal Recall: How could she trust her gut when she couldn't even remember who she was?

Book Review | Fatal Recall by Carol J Post

I don’t know why, but I’m a total sucker for amnesia stories. Something about the idea of waking up with no idea who you are captures my curiosity. Perhaps it’s because we’re all formed by our unique personal histories, so amnesia raises a question:

Are we the same person if we can’t remember who we are?

Tanner Brody is canoeing on the Nantahala River, on the edge of the North Carolina Smokies, when he hears a gunshot, followed a scream. He searches, and finds an unconscious woman. When she wakes, she has no idea of who she is, or how she got there.

And now someone is shooting at them both.

Our nameless heroine remembers nothing. Except she prays when things are bad. Then she remembers an attack. A knife. And she’s holding it.

One of the criticisms of Christian fiction is that it’s full of perfect people living perfect lives. Okay, that’s an overstatement. But it can be hard to find a Christian novel that’s dealing with mending broken people without making that the main focus of the plot.

Fatal Recall manages to address this while maintaining the focus of the plot on the mystery of who the heroine is, the suspense of who is after her, and the developing romance between her and Tanner.

There is a clear but understated message that our background forms us into the adults we become—good or bad. But we don’t have to stay that person. Faith in God can help us become the adults He meant us to be.

Fatal Recall is a fast read, as is typical for Love Inspired Suspense. But it manages to pack a surprising amount of plot, character, and spiritual depth in those words. Recommended for Christian romantic suspense fans.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Carol J Post

Carol J PostFrom medical secretary to court reporter to property manager to owner of a special events decorating company, Carol’s resume reads as if she doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. But one thing that has remained constant through the years is her love for writing. She currently pens fun and fast-paced inspirational romance and romantic suspense stories. Her books have been nominated for a RITA® award and an RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award.

Carol lives in sunshiny Central Florida with her husband, who is her own real-life hero, and writes her stories under the shade of the huge oaks in her yard. Besides writing, she works alongside her music minister husband singing and playing the piano. She enjoys sailing, hiking, camping—almost anything outdoors. Her two grown daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of a fat and sassy black cat and a highly spoiled dachshund.

You can find Carol J Post online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Fatal Recall

Amnesia stole her memory – a killer wants her dead

When Paige Tatem loses her memory, she knows just two things: she has a target on her back, and police officer Tanner Brody is the only man she trusts to protect her. As they piece together her past, Tanner wonders what lies hidden in Paige’s mind. And as the truth begins to emerge, it becomes clear that a ruthless enemy wants certain secrets to stay buried.

You can find Fatal Recall online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

You can read the introduction to Fatal Recall below:

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 50 | More than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from More than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer:

First line from More than Meets the Eye: Don't lose heart, children. We have several strong families lined up in Bonham. I'm sure we'll find good homes to each of you.

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

About More than Meets the Eye

Many consider Evangeline Hamilton cursed. Orphaned at a young age and possessing a pair of mismatched eyes–one bright blue, the other dark brown–Eva has fought to find her way in a world that constantly rejects her. Yet the support of even one person can help overcome the world’s judgments, and Eva has two–Seth and Zach, two former orphans she now counts as brothers.

Seeking justice against the man who stole his birthright and destroyed his family, Logan Fowler arrives in 1880s Pecan Gap, Texas, to confront Zach Hamilton, the hardened criminal responsible for his father’s death. Only instead of finding a solitary ruthless gambler, he discovers a man not much older than himself with an unusual family. When Zach’s sister, Evangeline, insists on dousing Logan with sunshine every time their paths cross, Logan finds his quest completely derailed.

Who is truly responsible for his lost legacy, and will restoring the past satisfy if it means forfeiting a future with Evangeline?

You can find More than Meets the Eye online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

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

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

#ThrowbackThursday | Buried Memories by Carol J Post

It’s Throwback Thursday! Today I’m resharing a review that previously appeared at Suspense Sisters Reviews (which is now defunct). It’s Buried Memories, a Love Inspired Suspense novel from one of my favourite LIS authors, Carol J Post.

About Buried Memories

After her broken engagement, Nicki Jackson hoped her move to Cedar Key would give her a fresh start—instead she quickly learns someone’s out to destroy her. Are the attacks tied to her mother’s recently reopened murder case…or to the nightmares Nicki’s beginning to suspect are actually hidden memories?

With the threats against her escalating, former soldier Tyler Brant vows to keep Nicki safe. He refuses to lose the woman who’s swiftly becoming more than a childhood crush. But when danger circles closer, is Nicki’s traumatic past better left forgotten…or are her memories the key to something far more sinister?

My Thoughts

So Nicki Jackson has settled in her new home of Cedar Key and thinks she’s got her life back on track: house, job, dog, hobby, nice neighbours … especially once she finds Tyler, her teenage best friend, is staying next door.
But this is a Love Inspired Suspense novel, so we know things aren’t going to stay on track for long … and they don’t. There’s plenty of suspense and several plot twists—one of which was kind of given away by the title, but the others certainly caught me unaware.
The characters were excellent. Nicki had a difficult early childhood before being adopted by a lovely couple, yet losing those parents as well. So she’s trying to make it on her own, but also wants to connect with the older sister she hasn’t seen in close to two decades. She’s a strong character who hasn’t had an easy life, but who has chosen to be purposeful and not fall into the same negative patterns her mother did.
We don’t find out as much about Tyler’s upbringing, but we get the impression it also had its low points. But his real issue is his PTSD, something which he’s still struggling to control, and something which gives him and Nicki even more in common … at the same time it could drive them apart (okay, so there was one point in reading Buried Memories where I start on my “men are stupid” rant. But he redeems himself.)
The plot and writing were excellent, and I resented each time I had to leave Nicki and Tyler and Cedar Key because life or children or work or food. Buried Memories is part of Carol Post’s Cedar Key series, but can easily be read as a standalone novel. Overall, an excellent suspense read.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Carol J Post

Carol J PostFrom medical secretary to court reporter to property manager to owner of a special events decorating company, Carol’s resume reads as if she doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. But one thing that has remained constant through the years is her love for writing. She currently pens fun and fast-paced inspirational romance and romantic suspense stories. Her books have been nominated for a RITA® award and an RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award.

Carol lives in sunshiny Central Florida with her husband, who is her own real-life hero, and writes her stories under the shade of the huge oaks in her yard. Besides writing, she works alongside her music minister husband singing and playing the piano. She enjoys sailing, hiking, camping—almost anything outdoors. Her two grown daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of a fat and sassy black cat and a highly spoiled dachshund.

You can find Carol J Post online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

You can find Buried Memories online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

You can read the introduction to Buried Memories below:

Do you read reviews before buying a book?

Bookish Question #66 | Do You Read Reviews Before Buying a Book?

This might sound odd coming from a book reviewer, but I rarely read book reviews before buying a book.

Why not?

Mostly because I’m a book reviewer. Reviewing means I get a lot of books free (so I’m not buying them at all), and I’m often reading pre-release or new release books that don’t have many reviews.

When it comes to buying books, I’ll sometimes buy pre-order books (e.g the entire Tuscan Legacy series). Again, I’m often buying before release date, so there are often few reviews if any. Pre-orders are tempting, because many of the books are offered at special low prices for the preorder period only.

I also buy sale Kindle books, such as those advertised through email newsletters like BookBub. These are often free or 99 cent books. I never look at reviews for the free books (they’re free. Why would I). And I rarely look at the reviews for the 99 cent books. If I buy, it’s on the strength of the cover, author name, and book description (and price). I figure BookBub has already checked out the reviews, and they won’t advertise the book if there is an obvious issue.

I do check book reviews most when it comes to buying full-price Kindle books or paperbacks. But even then I’m checking the reviews that point out the faults (so the one-star and two-star reviews), or the reviews from authors, friends, or reviewers whose opinions I trust because we like similar books

What about you? Do you read reviews before buying a book?

Quote from Fort Point: Lending moral support to a depressed genius was exhausting. He had a pessimistic answer to everything.

Book Review | Fort Point (Maine Justice #2) by Susan Page Davis

Fort Point is the second book in the Maine Justice series.

I described Priority Unit, the first book in the series, as an almost-perfect blend of Christian fiction, romance, and suspense. Fort Point has a different feel.

We’ve already seen Detective Harvey Larson and Jennifer Wainthrop fall in love and become Christians in Priority Unit. Fort Point (and, I assume, the later books in the series) are more suspense. The romance and the faith aspects are still there, but they definitely take second place to the suspense plot.

And the suspense is excellent.

Fort Point is a police procedural mystery that begins with the discovery of the body of Maine’s most famous novelist. (Personally, I’ve read enough novels about people who write novels. Perhaps Davis has as well, given her novelist is the victim.)

Detective Larson is part of Maine’s Priority Unit, a special force, so is tasked with investigating the murder. But it’s not easy. The victim wasn’t just a novelist. He was also an investigative journalist, and Larson wonders if one of his investigations may have attracted attention from the wrong people. Soon a second body is discovered, and evidence that suggests corruption in high places …

I didn’t think the writing was as strong in Fort Point (although that could just be that it’s been about a year since I read Priority Unit, and I was so impressed by the three strands of the plot that I didn’t pay much attention to the writing). It wasn’t that the writing is poor. It’s more that it felt a little unpolished in comparison with Davis’s other books.

Overall, Fort Point is a solid suspense novel.

But does have a different flavour than Priority Unit and Susan Page Davis’s earlier romantic suspense novels. If you’re looking for a lightweight romantic suspense novel, Fort Point isn’t what you’re looking for. But if you’re looking for a well-plotted police procedural suspense with plenty of twists and strong characters, Fort Point might be just what you are looking for.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Susan Page Davis

Author Photo: Susan Page Davis

Susan Page Davis writes romantic suspense, historical romance, and mystery. She is a Maine native now living in Kentucky, and a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and KenTen Writers. Her books have won several awards including the Carol Award for her novel The Prisoners Wife; the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award for The Prisoner’s Wife and The Lumberjack’s Lady (Maine Brides series); and the Will Rogers Medallion Award for her novels Captive Trail (Texas Trails series, 2012) and The Outlaw Takes a Bride (2016).

You can find Susan Page Davis online at:

Website | Facebook | Google+ | Twitter

About Fort Point

An ill-fated class reunion at Fort Point. . .

Maine’s most famous author is murdered the night after the reunion. A classmate turns up dead a few days later, apparently drowned at Fort Point. What does a cold case burglary have to do with the deaths? And did a third classmate really commit suicide?

The Priority Unit solves its most challenging case, relying on wits, hard work, and faith. Meanwhile, Jennifer Wainthrop plans her wedding but manages to hand the detectives some important clues.

Detective Harvey Larson is offered a job he doesn’t want, until he learns the police chief has had a tragic accident. Captain Mike Browning is on vacation in Maine’s far north, and proves a difficult man to track down. Harvey and Jennifer continue their faith journey and romance while untangling the evidence.

Despite many obstacles, the Priority Unit is once again serving up Maine Justice.

You can find Fort Point online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads

You can read the introduction to Fort Point below:

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 49 | The Forgiving Hour by Robin Lee Hatcher

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from The Forgiving Hour by Robin Lee Hatcher.

Here’s the first line:

First Line From The Forgiving Hour: The sky that Saturday in May was a brilliant cloudless blue, sunshine kissing the earth with a promise of the summer to come.

It’s an older book that I recently picked up when the Kindle version was on sale. It’s brilliant—part romance, but mostly a deep and challenging examination of forgiveness.

(No, I couldn’t stop just reading the first line. My bad.)

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

About The Forgiving Hour

Twelve years ago, Claire Porter thought her entire life was over when she learned that her husband, Dave, was having an affair with a young college student. Following their divorce, Claire started over, including changing back to her maiden name of Conway.

Claire now feels pretty good about her accomplishments. She has raised a wonderful son, Dakota; enjoys her work; and finally has a new love. When Dakota informs her that he is engaged, she looks forward to meeting his fiancée, even as she wonders if 31-year-old Sara Jennings is too old for her “little” six-foot-plus boy.

Secrets never stay buried long, and only God can help Claire find forgiveness when betrayal comes back to haunt her.

You can find The Forgiving Hour online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

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

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

#Throwback Thursday | Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

It’s Throwback Thursday! Today I’m resharing my review of Five Days in Skye, the debut novel from Carla Laureano. It’s being republished this week, with a beautiful new cover (and I’m hoping this time around we’ll get all three books in the trilogy!).

Romance in Scotland: What more could you want?

Andrea Sullivan may have sabotaged her career with that last potential client. Now, as punishment, she has to convince TV chef James MacDonald, owner of three Michelin-starred London restaurants, that her company is perfect to help him renovate and market the family hotel he has inherited on the Isle of Skye. She has just a few days, and her job is on the line.

There is an immediate attraction when Andrea and James meet, but Andrea wants nothing to do with men, and especially wants nothing to do with a client. James has his own problematic romantic history, not to mention an even more problematic relationship with his brother, who owns one-third of the hotel.

I found all the characters to be intelligent and likeable, and I was especially impressed by the research. I’ve not been to Skye but I’ve lived in London and visited Scotland, and Five Days in Skye made me feel I was there. I had to laugh Andrea’s reaction to James calling her ‘love’. It’s a common term, particularly in the hospitality industry.

Right, love?

This is a Christian novel, but the Christian element is somewhat understated. Both Andrea and James come from rural backgrounds where the Christian faith was an integral part of the family. But both have abandoned that faith, yet realise on Skye that perhaps they need to pursue God once more.

Five Days in Skye has it all: an excellent opening, a funny first meeting between Andrea and James, intelligent lead characters who are both successes in their chosen careers, excellent attention to detail, and the Isle of Skye, a beautiful and unique setting. And the last line is a beautiful illustration of the eternal romance between us and God. Recommended for romance lovers.

Thanks to David C Cook and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Carla Laureano at her website, and you can

About Carla Laureano

Carla LaureanoCarla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

You can find Carla Laureano online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Five Days in Skye

Andrea Sullivan is so consumed by her hospitality-consultant job that she’s forgotten what brings her joy. She dreads her new assignment—a last chance to snag a high-profile client in Scotland. Yet the lush Isle of Skye transcends her preconceptions. As does the man she must impress, the rugged, blue-eyed Scotsman James MacDonald.

He’s passionate about cooking, but after six restaurants, four cookbooks, and his own television show, he’s grown weary of the scrutiny that comes with living in the public eye.

Soon Andrea and James begin to sense these five days in Skye together may just be God’s wild invitation into deeper life . . . and truer love.

Find Five Days in Skye online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction here:

New Releases in Christian Ficiton via ACFW Fiction Finder

New Releases in Christian Fiction | July 2018

We’re officially halfway though 2018. Is it just me, or have these last six months just disappeared? Anyway, a new month means more new releases in Christian fiction. In-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.

What’s on your to-read pile for July?

Contemporary Romance

A Widow’s Hope by Vannetta Chapman — After tragedy claimed her husband’s life and her son’s ability to walk, Hannah King doesn’t want a new man. She has her family, a home and mounting debts. Scarred Amish bachelor Jacob Schrock offers Hannah the job she desperately needs. But while Hannah helps Jacob resolve his accounting issues, can she and her little boy also heal his wounded heart? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Firestorm by Laura V. Hilton — Bridget Behr can’t shake the guilt that it was her fault her family moved—and is too afraid to trust anyone, especially the flirtatious, overly-friendly Amish man who lives next door. Just as Bridget is finally settling into friendship, a new life, and maybe even love, a devastating forest fire ravages the county, destroying both land and the Behrs’ dreams. Now Bridget and her family must decide: will they leave behind the ashes and start anew in another Amish community? Or will they dare to fight for the future they’d hoped for in Mackinac County? (Contemporary Romance from Whitaker House)

General Contemporary

Ride to the Altar by Linda W. Yezak — Cattle are dying on the Circle Bar, putting the Texas ranch in financial jeopardy. Newly engaged Patricia Talbert and Talon Carlson must root out the cause before they can concentrate on wedding plans—which involves Patricia’s traveling to New York to patch things up with her domineering mother. While she is away, Talon discovers that the attacks on the ranch are connected to the murder of his first fiancée over eight years ago. Before they can move forward together, each have to resolve the past. Will they be able to start their new life with a clean slate? (General Contemporary from Canopy Books of Texas)

General Historical

My Heart Belongs in Galveston, Texas by Kathleen Y’Barbo — Dodging bullets takes a simple missing person case to a new level as Jonah Cahill, a Pinkerton agent, and Madeline Latour, an investigative reporter, form a tentative truce in Galveston, Texas, 1880. Are they on to a much bigger story when their best witness is suddenly kidnapped? (General Historical from Barbour Publishing)

Historical Mystery

The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright — Two women, separated by a hundred years, must uncover the secrets within the borders of their own town before it’s too late and they lose their future–or their very souls. (Historical Mystery from Bethany House [Baker])

Historical Romance

This Freedom Journey by Misty M. Beller — Adrien Lockman left France to finally live life on his own terms, but when he discovers a half-starved and half-frozen woman in the treacherous Canadian mountains, the truth soon becomes clear—the only way they’ll survive is together. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)

I’ve recently read this, as part of the Timeless Love novella collection. It was one of my favourites.

The Widow’s Plight by Mary Davis — After moving to a new town and joining a quilting circle, a single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves? (Historical Romance from Mountain Brook Ink)

River to Redemption by Ann H. Gabhart — Orphaned during an early 19th century cholera epidemic and helped by a slave to find a new home, Adria Starr must now stand up for his freedom—and maybe find her own in the process. (Historical Romance from Revell [Baker])

A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson Politano — A young heiress is suddenly the poorest wealthy woman in all of England when her father dies without telling anyone where he put his money. (Historical Romance from Revell [Baker])

Mystery

Shifting Sands by Elizabeth Ludwig — A mysterious key hidden in the depths of an ancient lighthouse unlocks family secrets hidden for generations. (Cozy Mystery from Guideposts Publications)

Guarded Prognosis by Richard L. Mabry — At first Dr. Caden Taggart feared for his freedom, then for his ability to cope, and eventually he feared for his life. (Medical Mystery, Independently Published)

Romantic Suspense

Darkwater Secrets by Robin Caroll — When Adelaide Fountaine, the general manager of a hotel in New Orleans, finds the body of a guest who was stabbed with a kitchen knife, her childhood friend Detective Beau Savoie is shocked to discover a connection between his friend–the woman he’s quietly loved for years—and the murdered guest. But Beau can’t press Adelaide too hard . . . because he’s keeping secrets of his own. Can Adelaide and Beau afford to hide from the truth with a killer on the loose? (Romantic Suspense from Gilead Publishing)

Camp Hope by Sara L. Foust — Facing dehydration, starvation, and a convoluted kidnapper, will Amy succeed in recovering her precious foster daughter or get lost in a vast wilderness forever? (Romantic Suspense from Mantle Rock Publishing)

Dead Drift by Dani Pettrey — Seven years ago, operative Luke Gallagher vanished to join an elite team of terrorist hunters. Private investigator Kate Maxwell never stopped loving or looking for Luke after he disappeared. But she also never imagined he left her or his life by choice. Now he’s back, asking her help to stop America’s newest terrorist threat—an attack that would shake the country to its core. Together they must navigate secrets, lies, and betrayal, all while on the brink of a biological disaster. Will they and their love survive, or will Luke and Kate become the terrorist’s next mark? (Romantic Suspense from Bethany House [Baker])

Young Adult

Launch by Jason C. Joyner — Teens with special abilities are invited to an exclusive conference where tech billionaire Simon Mazor is looking for those who can help him influence the world. (Young Adult from Little Lamb Books)

Do you visit book stores?

Bookish Question #65 | Do you visit book stores?

Do I visit book stores?

Sometimes and all the time.

This is 2018. There are two kinds of book store: physical, and online. I visit one kind of store all the time (can you guess which?). The other kind? Not so often. What about you?

Physical Book Stores

I rarely visit a physical book store unless I need to buy a physical book or product. The last time I visited one was to buy my niece a book voucher for her birthday. The time before that was to buy my husband and my mother each a book for Christmas. It’s now July. That tells you how often I visit physical book stores.

Online Book Stores

Online book stores are a different story … I don’t spent as much time browsing on Amazon as I used to, but I still visit the site at least a couple of times a week to download a sale book, to check the release date of a book I’m planning to review, or to access the links to add to a review. I also visit Amazon, ChristianBook.com, and Koorong.com.au on a semi-regular basis to post my reviews.

What about you? Do you visit book stores? What kind?

Book Review | A Love Restored by Kelly Gorshon

Ruth Ann Sutton is the slightly plump and more than slightly opinionated teacher at the Catoctin Creek Freedmens School … much to the disgust of her mother, her beau, and his family. Although she’s not sure she wants to be the beau and future wife of a man who insists she gives up the work, and who assumes she’s going to marry him without having asked.

Benjamin Coulter is a railway man, in Catoctin Creek to survey the next stage of the tracks. He meets Ruth Ann, and is immediately attracted to her (although not to her singing). But the course of true love never does run smooth, and he has to battle his own feelings of inadequacy, her family’s attitude to him as a working man from a dubious background, and the possible competition with another beau.

I liked Ruth Ann.

She had a strong Christian faith and believed in freedom and equality of men and women, black and white. But she has an opinionated mother who has her own ideas of what’s best for Ruth Ann.

Ruth Ann and Benjamin meet and quickly form an attachment. In a way this was too quick, as it left me wondering what was going to happen in the second half. The second half started with a bang, but then petered out when what felt like the climax hit too early.

This was partly about Ben.

He was the perfect gentleman and perfect beau in the first half of the book, once he’d become a Christian. But something happened early in the second half that I found it difficult to forgive him for, especially as he never seemed truly repentant. He seemed more sorry he’d been caught and sorry for what he’d lost than sorry for what he’d done.

Yes, I know Ben was a new Christian. I know that as Christians we are called to forgive those who have wronged us whether they are repentant or not. Ruth Ann knows this as well. She forgives him, but points out that forgiving him wasn’t the same as trusting him. I thought that was a strong lesson in forgiveness. We are called to forgive, but that doesn’t mean we put ourselves at risk again in future.

All is well by the end.

But it didn’t ring true for me—neither Ben’s actions, or Ruth Ann’s changed attitude. It all seemed convenient to the point of contrived. I wasn’t convinced this was a happy ever after ending … a problem for a romance novel. The overall result was that the last section of A Love Restored didn’t hold my interest as much as the first.

Despite its faults, A Love Restored had a good premise, solid writing, and a Christian message about the importance of forgiveness. I’ll be interested to see what Kelly J Goshorn produces next.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Kelly J Gorshon

Author Photo - Kelly J GorshonKelly Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith and family set in nineteenth century America. Kelly earned a B.A. in Social Studies Education from Messiah College and an M.Ed. in History Education from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Her debut novel, A Love Restored, received recognition as the winner of the 2015 COTT Olympia Contest and as a semi-finalist in the 2015 ACFW Genesis contest.

Kelly has been enjoying her own happily-ever-after with her husband and best friend, Mike, for 28 years. Together they have raised three children, four cats, two dogs, a turtle, a guinea pig, a gecko, and countless hamsters. Thankfully not all at the same time. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, scrapbooking with friends, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi.

Find Kelly J Gorshon online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About A Love Restored

With pert opinions and a less-than-perfect figure, Ruth Ann Sutton doesn’t measure up to Society’s vision of a perfect lady. When she accepts a position teaching in a Freedman’s School, it threatens the only marriage offer Ruth Ann is likely to receive. She’s forced to choose between life as a lonely spinster or reinventing herself to secure a respectable proposal. Determined to rise above his meager beginnings, Benjamin Coulter’s reputation as a fast learner and hard worker earns him the opportunity to apprentice with a surveyor for the railroad—a position that will garner the respect he craves. After a chance encounter with Ruth Ann Sutton, Benjamin is smitten with her pretty face, quick wit, and feisty personality. When others ridicule his choice, will Benjamin listen to his heart or put ambition first?

Find A Love Restored online at:

Amazon | Goodreads