Author: Iola Goulton

28 August 2023

Book Review | A Beautiful Disguise (Imposters #1) by Roseanna M White

Roseanna M White’s historical fiction has ranged from Biblical fiction to Gilded Age America to Edwardian England. My favourite stories are her romantic suspense stories set in England and which feature spies or investigators.

I’m thrilled to see her new series is back in my favourite sub-genre.

A Beautiful Disguise is the first in the Impostors series, and features Lady Marigold Fairfax, her brother, Lord Yates Fairfax, and the rest of their ragtag household. They make up the Impostors, a group of incognito private investigators who use their position in society–and their unconventional skills and talents–to ferret out information people need to know.

They are commissioned by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Merritt Livingstone to discover who Lord Hemming is corresponding with in Germany, England’s enemy and why.

We’re dropped straight into the story, as Marigold and Yates use their acrobatic skills to eavesdrop on a conversation that solves their current case, and the pace never lets up, taking us from London to a rugged coastal home with some unexpected residents.

Lady Marigold is my favourite kind of heroine.

She’s intelligent and brave and will do anything for her family and friends. She has a range of unusual skills, including the curious ability to be both the centre of attention and barely noticed. Sir Merrit notices her, and for all the right reasons. I’m always a fan of a man who notices and values the heroine’s intelligence, personality, and faith, rather than her looks and station in life.

But Marigold is obviously hiding a secret, so there’s the ongoing tension of if and how Merrit will find out, and how he will react. I have to say I thought that was brilliantly done, and spoke will to both their characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching these two characters fall for each other, and I am looking forward to the next story in the series.

A Beautiful Disguise has all the same strengths as White’s Shadows over England and Codebreakers trilogies: a closeknit group of friends and family working together to serve their country, and finding love along the way.

Recommended for fans of historical Christian romantic suspense, and circuses.

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

About Roseanna M White

Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna has a slew of historical novels available, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. She lives with her family in West Virginia.

Find Roseanna M White online at:

About A Beautiful Disguise

In Edwardian London, not all that glitters is gold as a lady and an intelligence officer’s secret mission take them from the city’s dazzling ballrooms to its covert intelligence offices.

Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the field, but when pneumonia lands him behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division just as they’re creating a new secret intelligence branch, he’s intent on showing his worth. He suspects an aristocrat of leaking information to Germany as tensions mount between the two countries, but he needs someone to help him prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but their results are beyond compare.

Left with an estate on the brink of bankruptcy after their father’s death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a private investigation firm for the elite to spy on the elite. Dubbed The Imposters, Ltd., their anonymous group soon becomes the go-to for the crème of society who want answers delivered surreptitiously. But the many secrets Marigold learns about her peers pale in comparison to her shock when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend’s father as a potential traitor.

Lady Marigold is determined to discover the truth for her friend’s sake, and she’s more determined still to keep her heart from getting involved with this enigmatic new client . . . who can’t possibly be as noble as he seems.

Find A Beautiful Disguise online at:

Amazon | Bookbub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

25 August 2023

First Line Friday #300 | With All My Heart, Joy by Emily Dana Botrous

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 With All My Heart, Joy by Emily Dana Botrous, the third book in her Scripted Love series.

I read the first, With Love, Melody, in under a day after Narelle Atkins recommended it on the Story Chats at Inspy Romance podcast. Then I read the second, Forever Yours, Lucy, the next day. So now I’m up to the third book in the series … it’s been a long time since I binged a series, so that’s got to tell you something!

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About With All My Heart, Joy

A lonely single dad. A young influencer in need of counsel. Is their age difference a divide too big to bridge this Christmas?

Joy Halverson isn’t living up to her name. Being a kill-joy to those around her—and hiding reality from her online viewers—only makes her depression worse, and with the holidays coming, it’s time to do something about it. But there’s one thing she didn’t expect—to be attracted to her counselor. Her much older counselor.

Isaac Miller’s only priority in life is providing a stable environment for his disabled daughter. He has no time for flakey women who can’t commit to Paisley. When the young counseling client he can’t stop thinking about steps in to skillfully care for his daughter in a pinch, he is caught by surprise.

As a client, Joy is off limits to Isaac. He could never deserve her, anyway. An anonymous Christmas-card exchange is enough romance for him, right?

Besides, Joy doesn’t believe any man would want her for long in real life, no matter his age. Her counselor tries to challenge her thinking—but what will she do when he captures her heart?

Find With All My Heart, Joy online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

24 August 2023

Bookish Question #292 | What’s one thing you wish authors knew about their readers?

This is easy, and it should also be a no-brainer. After all, authors should also be readers, and it shouldn’t be difficult to switch between reader brain and writer brain.

I wish authors would remember that not all books are for all readers.

We all have favourite genres, tropes, and writing styles, and it’s not a personal attack if someone doesn’t like one (or all) of your books. Some people don’t like romance novels. Some don’t like murder mysteries. Some don’t like fiction at all.

If someone doesn’t want to read your book because they don’t read that genre, that’s okay.

Our job as authors is to find those readers who DO like they genre/s we write, not to castigate those readers who don’t. If you like small-town contemporary Christian romance, then I hope you’ll check out my debut novel, Always By My Side.

I wish authors would remember that we can’t love everything equally.

As soon as you have more than one book, readers are going to compare them and have a preference. The fact they preferred your second book doesn’t mean they disliked your first book (and vice versa).

If you write in more than one series, some readers will follow everything you write and others will only follow one series or genre or trope.

For example, I love Roseanna M White’s spy/investigator novels.

I’ve just finished A Beautiful Disguise, and it was wonderful (my review will post next week). I’ve also read some of her other series and while they are perfectly good novels, I didn’t enjoy them as much as her spy/investigator stories.

I wish authors would remember readers love to read … not write reviews.

I enjoy writing reviews and sharing them with my blog readers (and sharing them on Amazon, BookBub, and Goodreads). But sometimes it’s nice just to read a book and enjoy it (or not), and know I don’t have to write a review.

I do appreciate everyone who has reviewed Always By My Side on Amazon, BookBub, Goodreads, or any other website (especially their own websites), and I appreciate the effort it takes.

Reviewing the books you read on online sites does help readers find books they will enjoy. Reviews don’t have to be long – a couple of sentences explaining why you liked (or disliked) a book is enough.

Even if you don’t enjoy reviewing books online (or can’t), you can still support your favourite authors by buying their books for yourself or for others, by requesting and borrowing their books from your local library or from Kindle Unlimited, or by telling your friends about books you’ve enjoyed, whether that’s in person or in online groups such as Avid Readers of Christian Fiction.

(And if you live in Australia or New Zealand, remember to add your reviews to Koorong! They’ll send you a AUD 10 gift voucher for every four reviews you write on their site, with a maximum of one voucher per calendar month.)

So that’s three things I wish authors knew (or would remember) about their readers.

What do you wish authors would remember about readers?

21 August 2023

Book Review | The Love Script (Love in the Spotlight #1) by Toni Shiloh

Neveah Richards rejected her parent’s wishes for her to become a teacher and instead became a hairdresser with the ambition of being hairdresser to the stars. She works part-time in a hair salon and part-time as a personal stylist while waiting for her big break. One of her clients is Ms. Rosie Booker, mother to movie star Lamont Booker.

When an accidental trip and rescue by Lamont Booker (who she always calls by first and last name) results in what looks like a compromising paparazzi photograph in all the papers, Nevaeh agrees to a fake relationship to save Lamont’s reputation and career. Given Nevaeh has at least half a crush on Lamont, it doesn’t take long for actual feelings to develop.

But, Hollywood being Hollywood, Neveah can’t keep her identity secret forever once she’s been seen with Lamont in public, with the inevitable results that steered just the right line for a rom-com.

Rom-coms can have a difficult job.

They’ve got to be romantic and have comedy elements, but without crossing the line into cringey. The Love Script did that beautifully. Toni Shiloh did a brilliant job with Lamont in particular, as he has more of a challenge in straddling the difficult line of when does the fake relationship become something more (because, hey, this is a rom-com. Of course it becomes something more).

The Love Script has a strong faith thread. Lamont’s public conversion and subsequent overt Christian faith is a core plot point, and one that wouldn’t work in a novel with less of a Christian core.

The Love Script by Toni Shiloh is a close-to-perfect Christian rom-com with a Hollywood hero forced into a fake relationship to save his career. #BookReview #ChristianRomance Share on X

One of the things I like best in fiction—and especially in Christian romance—is seeing a hero who is true to his faith. Lamont Booker, the Sexiest Man Alive definitely scores high in that regard. I also liked the way they were able to play off each other. Even though Lamont is the rich movie star and Neveah is the struggling hairdresser, it felt like a match of equals. I liked that. I also liked the fact Lamont had two close friends who kept him grounded, even if most of their relationship was via text message. Hey, welcome to the modern world!

Overall, I loved The Love Script, and I’m thrilled to see it’s the start of a series.

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

About Toni Shiloh

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace of the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior.

She writes soulfully romantic novels to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness.

Before pursuing her dream as a writer, Toni served in the United States Air Force. It was there she met her husband. After countless moves, they ended up in Virginia, where they are raising their two boys.

When she’s not typing in imagination land, Toni enjoys reading, playing video games, making jewelry, and spending time with her family.

Find Toni Shiloh online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About The Love Script

A Hollywood hair stylist.

Nevaeh Richards loves making those in the spotlight shine but prefers the anonymity of staying behind her stylist chair, where no one notices her. But when a photo of Nevaeh and Hollywood A-lister Lamont Booker goes viral for all the wrong reasons, her quiet life becomes the number-one trending topic.

The silver screen’s latest heartthrob.

Lamont Booker’s bold faith has gained him a platform, and the authenticity of his faith is well known . . . until the tabloids cause the world to question everything he claims to be. With his reputation on the line, he finds himself hearing out his agent’s push for a fake relationship–something he never thought he’d consider in a million years.

A love that goes off script.

With their careers at risk, Nevaeh and Lamont have to convince the world that their scripted romance is more than just an act. But when fake seems to turn into something real, can Nevaeh trust her heart in a world where nothing is ever as it seems?

Find The Love Script online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

20 August 2023

First Line Friday #299 | A Hopeful Heart by Cecily K Wolfe

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. A Hopeful Heart is a new release from Cecily K Wolfe, and appears to be her first contemporary story. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About A Hopeful Heart

In the midst of her picture-perfect marriage, Lilly’s world shatters when her husband abandons her for another woman. Now, with her baby Catherine, she retreats to the comforting embrace of her hometown, Heart Lake. There, Matthew, a childhood friend turned compassionate pediatric nurse, steps in, stirring unexpected emotions.

Matthew prays for guidance as he navigates these new feelings, while Lilly’s protective sisters watch with wary eyes. When a health scare threatens Catherine, Lilly leans on Matthew, only for her estranged husband to reappear, begging for forgiveness.

Caught in a whirlwind of faith, love, and second chances, Lilly faces a tough decision. Will she forgive her husband or open her heart to the possibility of new love with Matthew? Unravel Lilly’s poignant journey of heartbreak and healing in the heart of Heart Lake.

Find A Hopeful Heart online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

15 August 2023

Bookish Question #291 | Do you subscribe to email lists with ebook deals?

Yes. The two main newsletters I subscribe to are BookBub and FaithBooks.

BookBub is the granddaddy of all email newsletters. Authors pay for the advertisements, and it offers one or two free or on-sale books each day for each genre the reader selects. I use it to follow Christian fiction and nonfiction.

I have found I’m not buying as many books as I used to from the BookBub newsletter. I click through to Amazon, but then find one of two things:

I already own the book, probably having bought it during a previous BookBub promotion
The sale is a Kindle Countdown deal, which means it might be advertised at 99 cents or 2.99, but it’s full price for me (because Kindle Countdown deals are only available to readers in the USA and UK).

FaithBooks is a newer newsletter focusing on Christian fiction. It’s free for authors to advertise, and promotes new releaes, 99 cent ebooks, and sale books. If you like Christian fiction, I do recommend signing up for the FaithBooks newsletter.

I also get emails advertising multi-author giveaways from sites like BookFunnel and Story Origin.

These can be hit and miss—I downloaded half a dozen free books from the last promotion I saw, but didn’t even get through the first chapter on half of them. The plots sounded great, but the writing (and editing) took all the enjoyment out of reading. My initial reaction was that they’d been written by AI, but I also wonder if they might have been ghostwritten. Either way, they show the importance of having an actual human read and edit the output before publishing to ensure the dialgoue sounds something like human speech.

I also subscribe to a lot of individual newsletters—often because I signed up as part of a BookFunnel or similar deal. I probably subscribe to more than I should because I feel guilty for downloading a free ebook then immediately unsubscribing, even if I deleted the ebook after the first chapter.

What about you? Do you subscribe to email lists with ebook deals? If so, what’s your favourite?

14 August 2023

Book Review | With Every Memory by Janine Rosch

I am a sucker for amnesia plots, and this is one of the best I’ve read. While amnesia is serious, many of the novels I’ve read have taken more of a rom-com approach, literary equivalents of Fifty First Dates. With Every Memory is more serious, although there are humorous moments.

Lori lost her memory ten months ago in the car accident that killed her teenage son.

Now she’s heading home after rehab to a sterile house she doesn’t remember, a distant husband, a rebellious teen daughter, and friends she no longer knows. What she does know is that the happy marriage she remembers has disappeared, and she has no idea why.

Avery lost her twin brother in the accident and has been lost ever since.

She’s flunking school and now the principal has threatened that she won’t be able to graduate with her class. He suggests a tutor—the annoying Xander, her brother’s best friend and the guy who put gum in her hair as well as a bunch of other stuff.

With Every Memory is written in first person point of view from Lori and Avery’s points of view. Two characters in first person does take a little getting used to and turns the story into a mix of women’s fiction (Lori’s story) and YA romance (Avery’s story).

Both women’s voices are equally strong in their own way, which is great.

I often find I prefer one character over another in stories like this. Lori’s story is strong, because it’s the amnesia story, and we get to see her gradually recovering her memories and rediscovering herself. Avery’s story is poignant, but also has touches of needed humour.

My favourite character was Xander, Austin’s best friend and Avery’s unwanted tutor, the guy who’s had a crush on her for half of forever. He sticks by Avery even when she’s pushing him away with her words and her actions. I admired him even while I felt sorry for him, because he understood (perhaps better than Avery) that her actions were borne out of grief. Xander wears his heart on his sleeve and is just plain wonderful—the guy any mom would want for their daughter.

Michael, on the hand, is more reserved, and is a workaholic. He justifies himself by saying he’s providing for his family, but Lori can’t help wonder if there’s something more, especially given what her friends say. that adds a tension to their relationship that kept me reading and made the book impossible to put down.

Overall, I loved With Every Memory, and it’s one of those books I’ll enjoy even more the second time through because I’ll know the ending so I’ll be reading with a different mindset.

However, it won’t be right for everyone. It is written in first person, and that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Also, Lori’s grief over losing her son (and Avery’s grief over losing her twin brother) is a big part of the story, and some people won’t want to read that. There is also a reference to sexual assault.

But forewarned is forearmed, and it’s definitely worth reading for a story of enduring love even in the most difficult times.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Janine Rosche

Janine Rosche is the author of the Madison River Romance and Whisper Canyon series of novels. Prone to wander, she finds as much comfort on the open road as she does at home. This longing to chase adventure, behold splendor, and experience redemption is woven into her stories. When she isn’t traveling or writing novels, she teaches family life education courses, produces The Love Wander Read Journal, and takes too many pictures of her sleeping dogs.

Find Janine Rosche online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest |Twitter

About With Every Memory

Is the Life She Can’t Remember One She’d Rather Forget?

One year after her family was in a tragic car accident that killed her teenage son, Lori Mendenhall returns home with a traumatic brain injury that has stolen the last eight years of memories from her. She is shocked to find that the life she was leading before the accident is unrecognizable. Her once-loving husband, Michael, is a distant workaholic she isn’t sure she can trust and her once-bubbly daughter, Avery, has spent the last year hidden away in her room.

For Avery, life stopped when she lost her twin. Now, if she wants to graduate high school, she’ll have to accept help from Xander Dixon, her brother’s best friend and the boy who relentlessly teased her for years. And if Lori wants to reconnect with her husband, she’ll have to grapple with information her brain is trying to keep secret. With every memory that returns, she can’t help but wonder if the life she can’t remember is one she’d rather forget.

Find With Every Memory online at:

Amazon| BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

11 August 2023

First Line Friday #298 | The Fault in Firelight by Emily Dana Botrous

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I recently bought The Fault in Firelight by Emily Dana Botrous on sale based on the recommendation of one of my newsletter subscribers. I’m a trivia fan, so this first line has definitely got me hooked:

Have you read any novels by Emily Dana Botrous? What did you think?

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

About The Fault in Firelight

He knows the pain of betrayal. She has a past that could ruin her future. What can heal their brokenness?

Tony Coniglio loves being single again and the freedom that comes with it. But when he’s pressured to ask out the next available woman, he agrees, just to get his family off his back—even though she’s the town’s all-too-serious cop.

Officer Stacy Kallisto is by the book. Maybe it’s because she once broke the rules and has regretted it ever since. When trouble around town leaves Stacy searching for the culprit, she keeps running into Tony, the one man who wants to know more about her than she wants to share.

As sparks fly and secrets are revealed, Stacy wonders if there’s room in her heart for a man so different from herself—and for the God she wrote off long ago.

Find The Fault in Firelight online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

10 August 2023

Bookish Question #290 | Do You Listen to Audiobooks on YouTube?

I don’t listen to audiobooks on YouTube for a few reasons:

I’m not a big audiobook listener.
When I do listen to audiobooks, I tend to be out of wifi range.
I didn’t actually realise until recently that listening to audiobooks on YouTube was an option.

Do you listen to audiobooks on YouTube?

If so, do you have any recommendations?

7 August 2023

Book Review | Where Our Hearts Lie (Trinity Lakes #6) by Jenny Glazebrook

Where Our Hearts Lie is the sixth novel in the Trinity Lakes Romance series, and it’s my favourite so far—I inhaled the entire story in one sitting.

Hallie is an easy character to like, and many readers will relate to her.

She grew up as “the genius missionary kid”, and has never felt like she fit in. The older I get, the more I realise I even the teens in the “cool crowd” sometimes felt like they didn’t fit in. I could relate to Hallie and I’m sure many other readers will as well.

Josh is a little harder to relate to.

He suffered a head injury which left him unable to read. As a reader, that’s something I’m happy I can’t relate to, but which I can sympathise with. Even if I wasn’t a keen reader, I would sympathise, because the ability to read is so central to modern life.

Josh, understandably, tries to hide his disability. He works a minimum wage job in a grocery store, which means a lot of people look down on him because they think he should be doing something better (like being a preacher, like his father). But Josh is hiding other secrets that remind us that God measures using a different standard to man (or woman).

A bad relationship causes Hallie to lose trust in herself, in her judgement, and in men in general. She wants openness and honesty in relationships, not secrets. That, of course, puts her on a collision course with Josh and his secrets. But Hallie has secrets of her own …

I loved the way Jenny Glazebrook has combined two hurting characters and brought them together into the Biblical threefold cord.

Where Our Hearts Lie reminds us that God needs to be at the centre of our relationships, and that all things are possible with Him in charge.

Recommended for fans of small-town contemporary Christian romance with a strong Christian message.

About Where Our Hearts Lie

Can two hurting hearts find where they belong?

Hallie Hollaway is the daughter of missionaries and a child prodigy who desperately wants to fit in. When her first meeting with an internet boyfriend goes horribly wrong, she escapes to her childhood home of Trinity Lakes. The only place she has ever felt safe and loved.

Josh Ladan is the pastor’s kid who once dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps. Until one tragic summer in Australia changed everything. Now Hallie, his clever childhood friend, is back in Trinity Lakes. Josh is closely guarding a secret that he fears will disappoint Hallie, but he is determined to prove himself to her.

Hallie is drawn to Josh, but holds herself back, believing she is unworthy of love. Can Hallie and Josh allow God to work in their hearts and lives to restore trust and hope for a future together?

Find Where Our Hearts Lie online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

About Jenny Glazebrook

Jenny Glazebrook is an Australian author of inspirational Christian fiction for young adults. She and her husband Rob have four children and live in the country town of Gundagai with their many pets.

Jenny had a difficult childhood struggling with medical issues (including a cleft lip and palate and type 1 diabetes) and she came to a point of complete brokenness when she was 13. It was at this point God reached in, showed His love for her through Jesus, and gave her a reason to live. Jenny is now passionate about helping people understand what it means to have a deep and real relationship with God and sees writing fiction as an enjoyable way to show others how to live with joy and purpose in this broken world.

Several of Jenny’s novels have been finalists in the CALEB awards for faith inspired writing.

Find Jenny Glazebrook online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram