Author: Iola Goulton

24 September 2021

First Line Friday | Week 204 | Straight Up by Lisa Samson

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 Straight Up by Lisa Samson, a book that’s been on my physical to-read pile for a while. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Well, that’s going to keep me reading!

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

About Straight Up

They are living lives they were never meant to live.

Georgia Bishop, a could-be jazz great, has thrown away her life, her marriage, and her talent for her drinking habit. Her cousin, Fairly Godfrey, is living the good life in New York but wonders if deeper meaning exists beyond the superficial world in which she finds herself.

It takes a Congo refugee, a soul food chef, a persistent husband, and one desperate night on the brink of freedom for Georgia and Fairly to realize how far they have come from their God-given purposes. When they face the most difficult choices of their lives, only the power of grace can bring them to true healing.

You can find Straight Up online at:

This was originally published in 2011, so you’re probably not going to be able to find a paper copy unless you’re in a second-hand bookstore or visiting a charity book sale (which is where I found my paper copy).

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

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!

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

23 September 2021

Book Review | Dusk’s Darkest Shores by Carolyn Miller

At twenty-eight years old, Mary Bloomfield is not likely to marry. The assembly rooms are full of younger ladies, and woefully lacking in gentlemen. They are all fighting in Spain. One of those men is Adam Edgerton, her brother’s best friend.

Despite being unmarried, Mary’s life is full.

She helps her father, the local doctor, with his patients. Mary has a strong personal Christian faith which she shares with others to encourage and build them up. She should be content. And yet contentment isn’t so easy to find.

Adam Edgerton has been shipped home to England, the fate of those who can no longer fight. Worse, he’s blind. He can’t see the world around him, and he can’t see a future. With Mary’s help, he learns to live despite his lack of vision.

Carolyn Miller is an excellent writer who doesn’t shy away from the hard things in life. Dusk’s Darkest Shores touches on difficult topics, including rape, suicide, and disability. There are no easy answers in her novels, just as there aren’t easy answers in life.

Dusk’s Darkest Shores is Christian fiction of the best kind.

Despite the sometimes dark subject matter and the fact Carolyn Miller refuses to allow her characters to take the easy path in their search for a happy-ever-after, Dusk’s Darkest Shores is ultimately an uplifting novel. It reminds us that God is with us even in those dark hours, and that when we let Him direct our paths, we will know his peace.

Dusk's Darkest Shores by Carolyn Miller is Christian fiction of the best kind, reminding us that God is present even when we can't see him. #ChristianRomance #BookReview Share on X

Recommended for fans of faith-building Christian fiction.

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 American (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:

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About Dusk’s Darkest Shores

How can a meek wallflower help a returning war hero whose dreams are plunged into darkness?

Mary Bloomfield has no illusions. Her chances for matrimony have long since passed her by. Still, her circumstances are pleasant enough, especially now that she has found purpose in assisting her father with his medical practice in England’s beautiful Lake District. Even without love, it’s a peaceful life.

That is until Adam Edgerton returns to the sleepy district. This decorated war hero did not arrive home to acclaim and rest, but to a new battle against the repercussions of an insidious disease. Mary’s caring nature cannot stand to see someone suffer–but how can she help this man see any brightness in his future when he’s plunged into melancholic darkness, his dreams laid waste by his condition?

Adam wants no charity, but he’s also no coward. If this gentle woman can work hard, how can he do less? Together they struggle to find a way forward for him. Frustration and antipathy slowly develop into friendship and esteem. Then a summer storm atop a mountain peak leads to scandal–and both Mary and Adam must search the depths of their closed hearts for answers if they hope to find any future path with happiness at its end.

Find Dusk’s Darkest Shores online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

21 September 2021

Bookish Question #195 | Is there a topic you’d like to see more of in Christian fiction?

Is there a topic or issue you’d like to see more of in Christian fiction?

Yes 🙂

Well, this would be a short blog post if the answer was “no”.

I can think of two main things I’d like to see more of in Christian fiction:

1. Genuine Christian Content

It sees that a lot of Christian fiction is fiction written by Christians which features Christian characters. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. But I would like to see more stories featuring characters dealing with some of the challenges of the Christian life:

How do we be Christian workers in the secular workplace?
How do we respond to the hard questions from unbelievers, like “where is God when it hurts”?
How to we respond to a world that is becoming more anti-Christian?
How do we deal with people who claim to be Christians but don’t act in a Christ-like manner?
How do we respond to #MeToo and #ChurchToo and #BLM?
As Christians, how do we respond to issues like abortion or war or even public health initiatives in a Christian way?

Many of these topics and issues have easy answers, but I want writers to go deeper. Yes, Abortion is bad. What can we do about it? (I suspect the answer is by changing hearts and minds, not by making something against the law.)

I’d also like to see these questions answered from a broad perspective, not just the perspective of North American evangelical churchgoers. There is a whole world out there. We should seek out more than the North American perspective or evangelical perspective.

2. International Fiction

On that note, I’d like to see more international fiction in general—more fiction set outside North America. After all, fiction is a great way to travel and learn about other countries and cultures, so why not do that through fiction?

So that’s me.

What topics or issues would you like to see more of in Christian fiction?

20 September 2021

Book Review | Lethal Cover-Up by Darlene L Turner

Canada Border Services Agency border patrol officer Madison Steele was adopted as a child, and has recently reconnected with her birth sister … when her sister is murdered. And the murder appears to be tied up with smuggling and dodgy pharmaceuticals. Police constable Tucker Reed is in charge of the investigation, which means he’s working with Madison, the girl who dumped him in high school when he became a Christian.

The novel started with a bang, and the setup was excellent. Madison is still antagonistic towards Christianity, so that meant the novel was going to have an interesting faith arc (and it did, which is always a bonus). However, I didn’t think we needed the added complication of Tucker’s medical diagnosis, and it would be great to read a suspense novel which didn’t involve dirty cops.

While the writing didn’t always shine, the suspense was solid, with plenty of puzzles to work out around the rumours of medical misdoings and dodgy drugs. The pace was fast, and the novel was an easy read with a satisfying ending.

Lethal Cover-Up by Darlene L Turner is solid romantic suspense, with plenty of puzzles around medical misdoings and dodgy drugs. #BookReview #ChristianFiction Share on X

I didn’t enjoy this as much as I enjoyed her previous two novels, Border Breach and Abducted in Alaska, but it was still a solid romantic suspense novel, and I will look forward to next novel.

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

About Darlene L Turner

Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message.

Find Darlene L Turner online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About Lethal Cover-Up

Some secrets are dangerous…

But uncovering the truth could be deadly.

Border patrol officer Madison Steele knows her sister Leah’s fatal car crash was no accident. Someone’s willing to kill to cover up a pharmaceutical company’s deadly crime of distributing tainted drugs. Now they are after Madison to tie off loose ends. But with her high school sweetheart, Canadian police constable Tucker Reed, at her side, can Madison expose the company’s deadly plan before she becomes the next victim?

Find Lethal Cover-Up online at:

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

17 September 2021

First Line Friday | Week 203 | An Unwanted Love Story by Ellie Hall (from Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After)

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 An Unwanted Love Story by Ellie Hall, one of the novellas in the Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After collection. Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

I love the fun mood that sets!

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

About Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After

This sweet romcom collection contains 20 original humorous novellas from best-selling authors that are heartwarming, feel-good, and laugh out loud funny.

Between the pages, you’ll find tropes such as enemies to lovers, second chance romance, high school sweethearts, opposites attract, friends to lovers, fake dating, and more.

Your pre-order purchase of this anthology will benefit Pets for the Elderly with 100% pre-order profits donated to this amazing cause, connecting shelter animals with seniors.

Don’t miss this limited edition box set, featuring some of your favorite authors, that will leave you reeling with laughter:

Ellie Hall – An Unwanted Love Story | Summer Dowell – Her Plus One | Liwen Y. Ho – Head Over Stilettos

Meg Easton – Looking for Love | Rachael Eliker – Lassoed into Love | Sophie-Leigh Robbins – Take a Hike

Rachel John – Worst Neighbor Ever | Jennifer Griffith – Elevator Pitch | Cami Checketts – The Sassy One

Sarah Gay – Once Upon a Midnight Swim | Jennifer Youngblood – Cold Feet | Kimberly Krey – Five Days With My (Super Hot) Ex

Ellen Jacobson – Smitten with Candy Canes | Cindy Roland Anderson – Breaking All the Rules | Taylor Hart – Secret Wedding Date

Carina Taylor – Jude and the Matchmaking Llama | Gigi Blume – Baby You Can Drive My Car | Amy Sparling – Julie and the Fixer-Upper

Johanna Evelyn – I Think Maybe I Lied | Melanie Jacobson – The Backup Plan

You can find Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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

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!

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

14 September 2021

Bookish Question #194 | Does a book winning an award influence you to read it?

It depends on the award. I’ve tried reading a couple of Orange Booker Prize finalists or winners and haven’t made it through the first chapter. I can only conclude that means those awards recognise a style of writing I’m not especially interested in reading.

As a child, I realised one of my favourite novels had won something called the Newbery Medal.

If I saw a Newbery Medal award on a book cover, I’d then read it because I found they were consistently enjoyable books.

As an adult, it depends …

As a book reviewer, I tend to mostly read pre-release or newly released titles. I”m always happy when I see a book I read and enjoyed finals or wins an award like the Carols (from American Christian Fiction Writers), the Christy Award (from ECPA), or the Inspys (organised by a group of book bloggers). I will occasionally buy a book that’s won one of these awards, especially if the publisher has a post-award sale 🙂

I would buy more Carol, Christy, and Inspy-Award winning books if it wasn’t for my current to-read pile. My current Kindle contains enough unread books to keep me quiet for the next two years, assuming I don’t download or agree to review any more books (as if). Then there’s my old Kindle Keyboard, which has enough books for the next eight to ten years …

But I’m always glad when a book I’ve read and enjoyed wins an award.

What about you? Does a book winning an award influence you to read it?

13 September 2021

Book Review | Since You’ve Been Gone (Restoring Heritage #3) by Tari Faris

Leah Williams is the last of her group of friends still unmarried (and this is a romance novel, so we all know what that means). For now, she wants to reopen her grandfather’s store, the WIFI (Want It, Find It … not what we now think of as WiFi) in her hometown of Heritage, Michigan. And that means working with her high school nemesis and now building co-owner, Jon Kensington.

Jon has returned to Heritage both to take over the family business, and to help his sister, Abby, get through school after being expelled from boarding school. He’s always liked Leah so wants to help … but convincing her his feelings are genuine might take some work.

Since You’ve Been Gone also had a secondary romance, and I have to admit I found this one more compelling. Madison Westmore is the daughter of the now-deceased town drunk, so she’s back in town to spruce up and sell her childhood home, then get on with life with her unborn daughter. She needs help so hires new-in-town Colby to paint.

Christian music start Colby Marc has escaped the collapse of his music career and is hiding with his old friend Nate. He quickly falls for Madison, but has to convince his friends that she’s not the mean girl they remember from high school, and convince her she’s worth loving.

Yes, I’m always a sucker for a bad-girl-turned-good story, because it’s a picture of redemption.

I found the Leah/Jon romance a little annoying. Jon knew trust was one of Leah’s issues, yet kept breaking her trust by not telling her important things. The other reason I found it slightly annoying is kind of my fault—I thought her central issue was going to be her belief that she’d been living someone else’s life and needed to live her own. But it was more that she kept quitting, and that didn’t resonate with me as much (maybe she kept quitting because she realised she was living someone else’s dreams, not her own. That could have worked. But that’s not what I saw).

But I really enjoyed the Madison/Colby romance. Madison is a very new Christian who is still living with the consequences of her old life. I love a good redemption story, and this one definitely appealed to me. I found Madison a much more relatable character than Leah.

Since You've Been Gone by Tari Faris (@FarisTari) is the third book in her excellent Restoring Heritage contemporary Christian romance series. #ChristianRomance #BookReview Share on X

This book is part of the Restoring Heritage series, and readers who have read the earlier books will recognise several of the characters. In fact, this is one series it’s best to read all of and read in order (yes, this is a standalone). Series readers will also remember Otis, the hippo statue that’s the town mascot … and which mysteriously moves around the town square.

Spoiler: one of the highlights of Since You’ve Been Gone is finding out Otis’s secret.

All in all, this is a solid contemporary Christian romance, and definitely recommended for fans of Tari Faris’s Restoring Heritage series.

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

About Tari Faris

I have been writing fiction for more than twelve years. It has been an exciting journey for this math-loving-dyslexic girl. I had read less than a handful of novels by the time I graduated from college and I thought I would end up in the field of science or math. But God had other plans and I wouldn’t trade this journey for anything. As someone told me once, God’s plans may not be easy, and they may not always make sense but they are never boring.

When I am not writing or working, I spend time with my amazing husband. We have been married for fifteen wonderful years and have three sweet children. In my free time, I love coffee, rock hounding with my husband and kids, and distracting myself from housework.

Find Tari Faris online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About Since You’ve Been Gone

Leah Williams is back in the quaint town of Heritage, Michigan, and ready to try again to make her business a success. But blank slates are hard to come by, and a piece of her past is waiting for her there. Heir to the Heritage Fruits company, Jonathan Kensington is the guy who not only made Leah’s past difficult, he also seems determined to complicate her present as well.

Jon is trying to prove to the Heritage Fruits board that he, not his manipulative uncle, should be running the business. The board insists Jon find a new owner for the building that will house Leah’s business. To avoid forcing a buyout of Leah’s part of the building, Jon strikes a compromise with Leah, and the two go into business together. With her vision and his know-how, it might work. And Leah might realize he’s loved her since high school. If only he didn’t keep on shooting himself in the foot by boxing her out of important decisions.

Sparks fly in this romantic story of two people who must learn to trust both each other and the one who called them to this journey.

Find Since You’ve Been Gone online at:

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

10 September 2021

First Line Friday | Week 202 | All at Once by Lindsay Harrel

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 All at Once by Lindsay Harrel, the first book in her Walker Beach Romance series. Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

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

About All at Once

She loved him once—and he broke her heart.

Letting herself fall again would just be foolish.

When Gabrielle and Tyler are paired together as leaders for a weeklong kids summer camp, they interact for the first time in a decade—and she realizes the immature boy who left so long ago has become a man.

A very muscular, all-too-handsome man who still has the ability to make her swoon.

But no matter how much chemistry between them, the problem remains—Tyler lives three thousand miles away in New York City, where he runs a nonprofit he’s passionate about. Meanwhile, Gabrielle’s heart is rooted in their small hometown of Walker Beach, California, where she takes care of the only family she’s got left.

It seems the only answer is to buckle down, ignore the sparks between them—and simply survive the week. If only they could get their traitorous hearts on board …

You can find All at Once online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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

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!

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

6 September 2021

Book Review | Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel

Undercurrent of Secrets is a dual-timeline novel, part of the new Doors to the Past series from Barbour Publishing (and thanks to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for providin a free ebook for review).

In the present timeline, Devyn Asbury is mostly over her humiliating breakup from social media mogul Travis Leeman. She’s working as the wedding coordinator on the Belle of Louisville, a traditional paddleboat steamer. She entered the boat in the Once Upon a Wedding contest, and is now a finalist in the Timeless Wedding Venue category.

But she didn’t get the original email .. which means she now has less than six weeks to plan and pull off an award-winning function.

Designer Chase Jones asks Devyn to help with some research. He’s trying to find the identity of the woman in an old photograph that appears to have been taken on board the Belle. Devyn agrees, as long as Chase helps with the invitations for the important event. The two get closer as they work together to track down the mysterious woman and … well, you know. This is a romance novel, after all.

In the past timeline, Hattie Louis is happy on board the Idlewild, the paddleboat steamer that has been her home her entire life. But her happy life is threatened by Jack Marshall, the new first mate, who takes over Hattie’s role and who appears to be hiding a secret.

Even worse, that secret might involve illegal behaviour implicating the Idlewild’s captain, the only father she has ever known.

I did find the opening chapters a little confusing. The opening line was brilliant:

But this brilliant line gave me the impression the relationship had just ended (especially as the novel begins on what would have been Devyn’s wedding day). In fact, I think the relationship had ended months before – perhaps a year. Knowing that up front would have explained why Devyn was open to a relationship with Chase—because she’d moved on.

Once I worked that out, I really got into the story and enjoyed watching Devyn and Chase search for clues to the identity of the mysterious Hattie of Chase’s photograph. The search was even more interesting once it became obvious that Chase’s Hattie was Hattie Louis.

One of the fun parts of reading dual timeline novels is working out how and when the timelines intersect, then trying to predict what’s going to happen in the past to end up with the present we know about. I’m pleased to report that Undercurrent of Secrets had a couple of excellent twists which were a complete surprise to me, and to Devyn (although, in hindsight, one shouldn’t have been a surprise to Devyn …)

Hattie was definitely my favourite character.

She was intelligent and plucky, as well as being multi-talented (and I even found out what a calliope was). The historic parts of the story felt authentic, and the author’s note at the end showed how much of the story was based on fact. (Yes, there really was an Idlewild, and she did survive.)

However, it was the modern heroine, Devyn, who learned the most important spiritual lesson, and I liked the way the author wove that into the plot. And I did like the fact Devyn was prepared to hold out for someone better. While I love reading romance novels, it would be great to see more novels that show marriages—good and less good.

Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel is an enjoyable dual-timeline #ChristianRomance set on a historic steamboat on the Ohio River. #BookReview Share on X

Overall, I very much enjoyed Undercurrent of Secrets, especially the unique setting.

Recommended for fans dual timeline Christian romance.

About Rachel Scott McDaniel

Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids.

Find Rachel Scott McDaniel online at:

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About Undercurrents of Secrets

Two women, a century apart, are bound by a haunting secret aboard a legendary steamboat.

As wedding coordinator for the 100-year-old steamboat The Belle of Louisville, Devyn Asbury takes pride in seeing others’ dreams come true, even though her engagement had sunk like a diamond ring to the bottom of the Ohio River. When the Belle becomes a finalist in the Timeless Wedding Venue contest, Devyn endeavors to secure the prestigious title with hopes to reclaim some of her professional dreams. What she hadn’t planned on was Chase Jones showing up with a mysterious photo from the 1920s.

A century earlier, Hattie Louis is as untamable as the rivers that raised her. As the adopted daughter of a steamboat captain, her duties range from the entertainment to cook. When strange incidents occur aboard the boat, Hattie’s determined to discover the truth. Even if that means getting under First Mate Jack Marshall’s handsome skin.

Find Undercurrent of Secrets online at:

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

3 September 2021

First Line Friday | Week 201 | Finding Love in Seaside, Oregon by Angela Ruth Strong

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 Finding Love in Seaside, Oregon by Angela Ruth Strong, which looks like a fun contemporary Christian romance. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Finding Love in Seaside, Oregon

Runaway bride Christina doesn’t think life can get any worse than spending her honeymoon alone…

Until she arrives at the Oregon Coast to find the old Victorian bed and breakfast flooded. Dave, the owner, had been asking God for a wife right before Christina sailed through the door in her wedding dress, and when his cook quits due to the broken pipe, he offers the position to Christina. Could she be an answer to his prayer?

Christina, though thankful for the job, has been praying over her fiancé for years and is not ready to give up on him. Can God bring both Dave and Christina a happy ending when they are asking God for two different things?

You can find Finding Love in Seaside, Oregon online at:

Amazon | BookBub| Goodreads

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

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.