Author: Iola Goulton

5 September 2022

Book Review | Midnight’s Budding Morrow by Carolyn Miller

I almost didn’t request this book to review because the cover didn’t appeal to me. It felt too dark, although I could see it reflected the title (actually, I wasn’t too keen on the title, either). But it’s by Carolyn Miller, and I’ve enjoyed every one of her novels so far … so I decided to give it a go.

Sarah Drayton is single and of “advanced age” (about twenty-eight) in a time when ladies are supposed to be married much younger. She goes to stay with Beatrice Langley, an old school friend, but is tricked into a marriage of convenience with Beatrice’s badly behaved brother, Captain James Langley.

We see James from Sarah’s point of view at first, and he doesn’t come across as a likeable person. But we get to know him better as the story progresses, and have more sympathy for him as we understand him better.

For his part, James has no desire to marry Sarah—but has even less desire to see his estate go to a distant cousin. But if he wants an heir, he’s going to have to spend time with his bride and court her properly.

Midnight’s Budding Morrow is darker than many of Carolyn Miller’s previous books.

The combination of the decaying old house, unhelpful servants, and overbearing patriarch give the story a gothic feel, like old Victoria Holt or Mary Stewart stories. The age-old rumours of a hidden treasure in the house only reinforce that feeling.

While the start is somewhat dark and a little contrived (aren’t all marriage of convenience stories? Isn’t that why we love them?), the novel progresses well. It is yet another strong novel from Carolyn Miller, with excellent characters, a unique setting, and a strong Christian faith arc.

Thanks to Kregel Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Carolyn Miller

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. She is married, with four gorgeous children, who all love to read (and write!).

A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn’s novels have won a number of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers. Her favourite authors are classics like Jane Austen (of course!), Georgette Heyer, and Agatha Christie, but she also enjoys contemporary authors like Susan May Warren and Becky Wade.

Her stories are fun and witty, yet also deal with real issues, such as dealing with forgiveness, the nature of really loving versus ‘true love’, and other challenges we all face at different times.

Find Carolyn Miller online at:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads| Pinterest | Twitter

About Midnight’s Budding Morrow

Can real love grow between a wallflower and an unrepentant rogue?

Sarah Drayton is eager to spend time with her best friend at her crumbling Northumberland castle estate. Matrimony is the last thing on her mind and the last thing she expects to be faced with on a holiday. Yet she finds herself being inveigled into a marriage of convenience with her friend’s rakish brother.

When James Langley returns to his family’s estate, he can’t be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father’s stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.

Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn’t until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed?

When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope?

Find Midnight’s Budding Morrow online:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction to Midnight’s Budding Morrow:

2 September 2022

First Line Friday | Week #249 | Desert Willow by Patricia Beal

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 Desert Willow by Patricia Beal.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Desert Willow

After a failed engagement, Captain Andrew Lee James has focused on building a career in the Army he loves. That commitment includes helping a feisty, out-of-work ballerina whose devotion to her grandmother’s dying wish immediately grabs his heart. She’s the one, but will he be able to win the heart of a woman who has vowed to never be involved with a soldier?

College graduate Clara Malone swore to never love anyone in the military again but when her dying grandmother asks her to deliver a love letter to the general who broke her heart decades ago, she agrees and finds herself escorted by a handsome Army captain whose kindness challenges her beliefs. Surrounded by desert willows that shower her path with pretty pink flowers and sing with the buzzing of hummingbirds, Clara enjoys the wild beauty of El Paso—and her time with Andrew—more than expected.

Can she deliver her grandmother’s last love letter without losing her heart to a man who represents everything she fears?

You can find Desert Willow 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!

30 August 2022

Bookish Question #241 | How do you feel about spoilers in book descriptions or reviews?

I’m not a fan of spoilers in book descriptions or reviews.

Having said that, I can see they might sometimes be needed in a review.

Book Descriptions

In general, I think the book description should introduce the main characters and the central plot. That’s it. The book description shouldn’t give spoilers about what’s going to happen later in the book. In my view, anything that’s mentioned in the book description should occur in the opening chapters.

(Otherwise, I find myself skimming as I wait for the promised events.)

Book Reviews

Book reviews are a little different. While I don’t want to read (or write) spoilers in book reviews, there are times when they are unavoidable.

A good review will share the basic plot, but should also share something of the reviewer’s emotional response to the book. That can be hard to do without giving spoilers …

One difficulty comes in defining what is actually a spoiler. Some novels contain content that some readers would prefer to know about in advance so they can make an informed decision as to whether they want to read the book or not. Other readers dislike content warnings or trigger warnings as they can be spoilers.

For example, I recently read and reviewed a historical romance where the heroine was married against her will, and the husband consumated the marriage. We call that rape now, but the act was not considered rape in the laws of the time. All the same, a modern reader may well want to be aware of the fact … but it’s two spoilers (saying she was married, and saying the marriage was consumated).

Some novels include references to historical events. If a reviewer mentions that, say, the Titanic sank or the Germans lost World War One, is revealing that a spoiler or is it general knowledge?

My knowledge of history is centred around the history of English-speaking and European countries. A Japanese or Indian reader would have a very different knowledge of history. What about lesser-known historical facts, or historical facts that are common knowledge in other countries but unknown to the reader? Is it a spoiler simply because I didn’t already know about it?

Goodreads allows reviewers to tag some or all of their review as containing spoilers, and hides that part of the review. This is a nice compromise. Those people who want to know the spoiler can read the full review, and those who don’t want the spoiler don’t have to read it.

What about you? What’s your view on spoilers in book descriptions or reviews?

26 August 2022

First Line Friday | Week #248 | A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m back in my to-read pile today. Well, the to-read folder on my Kindle 🙂

I’m sharing from A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About A Lowcountry Bride

Maya Jackson has worked for a renowned New York City bridal gown brand for years and dreams of becoming Head Designer. She has the talent, she just needs a chance to showcase her unique style. Due to an illness, she’s always prioritized her career over her personal life until Maya’s father fractures his hip and she returns to Charleston, SC. While home for only a few months, she’s thrilled to find an opportunity at the local bridal gown boutique, never expecting sparks to fly with its owner…

A military veteran and widowed father, Derek Sullivan hopes to save Always a Bride from bankruptcy in order to preserve the legacy of his family. He also wants to reconnect with his estranged, twelve-year-old daughter, who is still recovering from the loss of her mother. The last thing he needs is a relationship with a beautiful, smart, complicated woman who will be leaving soon.

When Derek begins to fall for the lovely Maya, he knows there’s no future. But destiny has its own plans, and these two lonely people with big hearts discover that coming home to love is the best gift life can give.

You can find A Lowcountry Bride 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!

23 August 2022

Bookish Question #240 | What Christian fiction has another pet as a character?

We’ve previously looked at:

This week it’s time to look at other pets. What Christian fiction has another pet as a character?

I read this question, and thought I’d already answered it. But I was thinking of another post: What is your favourite fictional pet and why?

Anyway, my answer to this week’s question is closely related to my answer to the favourite fictional pet question. Here the main series I can think of with non-traditional pets is Heather Day Gilbert’s Exotic Pet Sitter series:

Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass (click here to read my review)
Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (click here to read my review)
Belinda Blake and the Birds of a Feather (click here to read my review)

I have also read a lot of Christian fiction that features horses, although they are generally treated as work animals rather than pets. In case you’re wondering, pets are allowed in the house. Work animals are not.

My list is pretty short.

What Christian fiction has another pet as a character?

22 August 2022

Book Review | Critical Alliance by Elizabeth Goddard

Mackenzie Hanson is on a date when she sees a face from her secret past—Julian Abel.

Julian is then hit by a car and she finds a business card in her pocket … a message from Julian which sends her home to Montana in time to find her brother dead in his home. There she meets her sister, now the CEO of the family IT business, and Alex Knight, who she met three years ago when she was approached then rejected for a role in a secret three-letter agency.

Yes, it’s a fast-paced start with a lot of characters introduced and a lot of complex information shared very quickly. This did make it difficult to follow the plot at first … although perhaps that’s to be expected with a romantic suspense story about cybercrime.

Critical Alliance was an odd mix of too much information and not enough.

There were scenes that seemed to speed past and I was left feeling as though valuable information was missing. There were other scenes where things were spelled out that didn’t need to be (e.g. I think most suspense readers know what Interpol is).

Once I got into the cybercrime element of the plot (and had worked out who all the characters were), the plot did start to make sense. The suspense element was fast-paced and compelling, with enough real-world relevance to make it just a little scary.

The faith element was good—not so much as to be preachy, but written so it felt integrated into the characters (sometimes the Christian elements can feel tacked on, and sometimes they’re so subtle as to feel almost invisible). Critical Alliance struck this balance well.

The romance aspect was also well done. The novel takes place over a very short timeframe (days), and I’ve never been a fan of instalust in Christian fiction, so I appreciated the fact Mackenzie and Alex had previously met, even it they hadn’t spent much time together. It made their attraction feel a little more reasonable.

Critical Alliance is the third and final book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series.

That explains why I thought it introduced too many characters too quickly – they were probably characters from the previous books in the series, which I would have known if I’d read one or both of Present Danger or Deadly Target.

Critical Alliance by @BethGoddard is a solid Christian romantic suspense, but I do recommend reading the rest of the series first. #BookReview Share on X

Overall, Critical Alliance is a solid Christian romantic suspense, but is probably best read as part of the series.

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

About Elizabeth Goddard

With over a million books sold, Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of over fifty novels and counting, including the romantic mystery, THE CAMERA NEVER LIES–a 2011 Carol Award winner. Four of her six Mountain Cove books have been contest finalists. Buried, Backfire and Deception are finalists in the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, and Submerged is a Carol Award finalist. A 7th generation Texan, Elizabeth graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and worked in high-level software sales for several years before retiring to fulfill her dreams of writing full-time.

Find Elizabeth Goddard online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About Critical Alliance

Mackenzie Hanson’s special set of skills opened the door to a successful career as a professor of cybersecurity at a Michigan university, allowing her to put her criminal past behind her. But when a long-ago partner in crime delivers a cryptic message about her father’s tech company being under cyberattack, she heads for Montana to secure exposed assets, close security breaches, and hopefully save lives.

Diplomatic Security Services special agent Alex Knight is back home in Montana to decompress from a mission gone wrong. But even as he’s trying to relax, he’s drawn into another mystery, complete with suspicious deaths, lethal threats, and whispers of espionage that all have one thing in common–a beautiful cybersecurity expert with a dark past.

When the situation turns deadly, Alex and Mackenzie will have to work together to find the answers they need–before someone silences Mackenzie for good.

You can find Told You So online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction to Critical Alliance below:

19 August 2022

First Line Friday | Week #246 | Flight (Elite Underground #3) by Kristen Young

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 Flight by Kristen Young, the third book in her dystopian Elite Underground series. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Flight

The fight for what is right is also a fight to survive

On the cusp of graduation, Cadence is finally feeling in control. She’s about to become one of the prestigious Elites working in the Hall of Love. Plus, she can take her place as a full member of the underground Sirens who meet secretly in Love City. She’ll finally be able to use her memory skills for good, instead of reporting people as a Watcher.

But a dangerous trap is set, throwing Cadence into unwelcome and unfamiliar territory. Someone in the Collective remembers things that could very well get her killed. The Muse is by her side, after all, but will she be protected when someone powerful wants her dead?

Cadence just wants to be normal, free from politics or squad intimidation. Will she be able to achieve her Elite dreams, or will sinister forces leave her running for her life?

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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!

16 August 2022

Bookish Question #239 | How many books do you buy in a month?

I don’t keep track of how many books I buy. However, I do keep track of how many books I read and how many I review via Goodreads.

I review one book a week, although they are almost all free review copies rather than books I’ve bought myself. I read another one to two books a week, which are a mix of new books and books I’ve had on my Kindle for a while.

I am trying to work my way through my to-read pile, but do seem to buy more books than I read. On that basis, I estimate that I buy eight or nine books a month. It can be hard to tell, as I do also pre-order books from Amazon, and pre-orders can be months in advance (so long that I sometimes forget I’ve already ordered the book. Fortunately, Amazon tells me).

I checked my Amazon account (as I buy all my ebooks from Amazon).

Amazon tells me I bought 57 free and paid-for Kindle books in the first seven months of 2022, which is an average of eight per month. Around half of those were free downloads. Of the ten books I bought in July, five were free and two were pre-orders.

I haven’t been doing a great job of getting through my to-read pile this year, but I have read most of these books shortly after downloading them … or, in the case of some of the books (paid and unpaid), I’ve started and discarded them.

So I buy around eight books a month, get another four review copies, and read around twelve books per month. That means my to-read pile isn’t growing, so I consider that a win 😉

What about you? How many books do you buy in a month?

15 August 2022

Book Review | The Last Way Home by Liz Johnson

Not long ago, Eli Ross was a famous ice hockey player living the high life. Now he’s back in his hometown on Prince Edward Island, hoping his mother will give him a free place to stay after he walked out a decade ago. He also has to deal with his brothers who are not as forgiving as his mother.

Violet Donaghy ran away from home as a teenager and found her second home with the Ross family, working with Eli’s mother at Mama Potts’s Red Clay Shoppe. Mama Potts took her in when she had nothing, so now she’s fiercely protective of her new family and doesn’t want Eli’s return to mess that up.

I have to admit that I struggled through the first quarter of this novel.

The problem wasn’t the heroine hiding a secret (secrets usually entice me to keep reading ) or the bad-boy ice hockey player (even if I think Carolyn Miller did the bad boy plot better in her Original Six series). It was that they both seemed to have done stupid things and kept doing less-than-sensible things.

I also didn’t see where the romance was going to come from. It was obvious the couple was Violet and Eli, but I didn’t like Eli, and nor did Violet.

But the novel started to really grab me at around the one-quarter mark.

I got hooked when Eli agrees to coach the local high school ice hockey team because he needs the money (and boy, I was surprised at how much the parents were prepared to pay!). The coaching doesn’t go well at first, but as Eli settles into his new role, I found myself liking him more and more.

It wasn’t long before I realised that at least one of my earlier assumptions wasn’t accurate (but I’m not going to say which one because #spoilers). Let’s say that while there were still some stupid actions, there was an honourable motive.

There were also some great lines, and I’m always a sucker for great writing.

Best of all, there was a a strong message of family, faith, and forgiveness. Yes, it took me a while to get into The Last Way Home, but it was worth it.

The Last Way Home is the second book in Liz Johnson’s Prince Edward Island Shores series. I haven’t read the first, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment or my understanding.

Recommended for fans of contemporary Christian romance, especially those with a soft spot for bad boys, ice hockey players, and Prince Edward Island.

Thanks to Baker Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Liz Johnson

By day Liz Johnson works in marketing. She finds time to write late at night and is a Christy Award finalist and a two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist. Liz makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona where she enjoys theater, exploring local history, and doting on her nieces and nephews. She loves stories of true love with happy endings.

Find Liz Johnson online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About The Last Way Home

When Eli Ross left Prince Edward Island to join the NHL, he left a broken family behind. More than a decade later, he’s broke and headed home to an uncertain welcome. He wants to make things right with the family he wronged, but his mom’s business partner isn’t making it easy. To top it off, the coaching job he’s accepted turns out to be far more difficult than he anticipated.

For years, Violet Donaghy has put everything she had into making Eli’s mom’s ceramics shop a success, and she’s not eager to forgive the man who hurt the family that’s taken her in as one of their own. But when the kiln at the shop starts a fire that nearly destroys the studio, she’ll need all the help she can get to save the business and their summer income.

Can these two strong-willed people come together to mend the broken pieces of the Ross family? Or will the ghosts of the past continue to haunt them?

Find The Last Way Home online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction to The Last Way Home below:

12 August 2022

First Line Friday | Week #245 | The Billionaires Best Friend by Elizabeth Maddrey

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 Billionaires Best Friend by Elizabeth Maddrey. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About The Billionaires Best Friend

You ever meet someone and have that immediate click? That was Kayla and me. First day of our first teaching jobs and we both just knew we were going to be best friends forever.

And we are.

She does a great job keeping me down to earth—a skill I appreciate even more now that I’m a billionaire.

Except lately, it’s like she’s pulling away.

It started with her spending more time with my sister instead of hanging out with me. And now she’s starting to date the youth pastor?

It could be that I’m a little jealous. Seems like everyone is falling in love except me. But I don’t think that’s it.

Because it feels like I’m in danger of losing a lot more than my best friend and I don’t know how to make it stop.

You can find The Billionaires Best Friend 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.