Author: Iola Goulton

Sometimes I wondered if my sister's only criteria for matchmaking was male and breathing.

Book Review | Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Nicole Deese

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

Find Nicole Deese online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Before I Called You Mine

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

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

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

Find Before I Called You Mine online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Kobo | Koorong

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

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #128 | A Gift to Cherish by Victoria Bylin

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 A Gift to Cherish by Victoria Bylin. It’s the second book in her Road to Refuge series, set in the cute Wyoming town of Refuge. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

A woman's scream cut through the night. Sharp. Penetrating.

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

About A Gift to Cherish

Rafe Donovan, a cop from Cincinnati, is haunted by a recurring nightmare about the death of his high school sweetheart. Those nightmares force him to take leave from his job, seek help, and shelter in Refuge, where he pounds nails for his brother’s construction business. Rafe has no desire to stay in Wyoming. His goal is to get back to being a cop in Ohio as soon as possible.

But then he meets Daisy Riley . . . When he finds her stranded late at night with a flat tire, he’s impressed by her courage. Daisy is equally impressed by him, but as a former victim of violence, she treasures her secure life in Refuge. Together they navigate the road to love—one that’s complicated by Daisy’s troubled best friend, online dating, and the impossible obstacle of 1,600 miles between her home and his.

You can find A Gift to Cherish 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!

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

Do you read book endorsements? Do they influence your book buying decisions?

Bookish Question #147 | Do you read book endorsements?

No, I don’t read book endorsements, and they don’t influence my book buying decisions.

There is a reason for this. I had a bad experience a few years back when I bought a book based on the endorsement of an author I enjoyed reading. I can’t remember the book or the author (either of them). All I know is that I didn’t enjoy the book, and I was left feeling that the author endorsing the novel had misled me.

Then it happened again, with a different book and different authors.

I learned that some authors are expected to endorse other authors with the same publisher, which lessened the impact of all endorsements in my eyes. I later learned that some authors don’t even read the books they’re asked to endorse, which makes the endorsement the sad waste of a tree.

Fake endorsements are like fake reviews.

If you can’t tell which reviews are genuine and which are fake, you’re going to be wary of all reviews.

I’ve had a similar experience with those authors who advertise books in their newsletters. To me, advertising a book in a newsletter constitutes an endorsement. At first, I thought the authors were recommending books they’d read and enjoyed (and, to be fair, most are). But some are engaging in newsletter swaps to build their email list, and that means featuring books they haven’t read. It seems to me that advertising or endorsing a book you haven’t read could hurt your brand if your readers decide the books you’re endorsing aren’t up to standard.

And that’s why I started ignoring book endorsements.

What about you? Do you read book endorsements, and do they influence your book buying decisions?

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #127 | Kitty Confidential by Molly Fitz

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 Kitty Confidential by Molly Fitz. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

The first thing you should know about me is that I hate lawyers. The second is that I work for them.

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

About Kitty Confidential

I was just your normal twenty-something with seven associate degrees and no idea what I wanted to do with my life. That is, until I died… Well, almost.

As if a near-death experience at the hands of an old coffeemaker wasn’t embarrassing enough, I woke up to find I could talk to animals. Or rather one animal in particular.

His full name is Octavius Maxwell Ricardo Edmund Frederick Fulton, but since that’s way too long for anyone to remember, I’ve taken to calling him Octo-Cat. He talks so fast he can be difficult to understand, but seems to be telling me that his late owner didn’t die of natural causes like everyone believes.

Well, now it looks like I no longer have a choice, apparently my life calling is to serve as Blueberry Bay’s first ever pet whisperer P.I while maintaining my façade as a paralegal at the offices of Fulton, Thompson & Associates.

I just have one question: How did Dr. Dolittle make this gig look so easy?

You can find Kitty Confidential 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!

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

What about you? How often do you like to receive author newsletters?

Bookish Question #146 | How often do you like to receive author newsletters?

It depends.

There are some newsletters I’ve unsubscribed from because they emailed too often—generally once a week (sometimes more). The problem wasn’t so much the frequency as the fact that the email didn’t have any content I found useful. Often, it was little more than links to books by other authors in the same genre, and the author said s/he hadn’t read the books. Why would someone advertise or endorse a book they hadn’t read? It seems like a recipe for disaster.

I don’t mind more frequent emails when there is something to say e.g. a book is available on preorder, or there a book is on sale. I especially don’t want to miss out on sale books, and a lot of sales only last a few days. Readers might miss out of the author waited for their regular monthly or even weekly newsletter.

But in general, less is more.

I’m happy to receive a newsletter once a month, or more often if there is a good reason. Otherwise, I’m likely to either unsubscribe or (worse) delete without reading.

What about you? How often do you like to receive author newsletters?

God isn't concerned about our comfort as much as he is about our character.

Book Review | The Duke’s Refuge (Leeward Island #1) by Lorri Dudley

I’m a big fan of Regency romance, especially Christian Regency romance.

I’m also a big fan of Christian fiction with international settings. So I was definitely intrigued by the setting of The Duke’s Refuge—the Caribbean island of Nevis.

The setting is beautiful, and the author does an excellent job of bringing it to life, from the beautiful sandy beaches to the tropical storms, from the sugar plantations to the horrors of slavery. (The United Kingdom outlawed the slave trade in 1807, and finally outlawed slavery in 1833.)

There is also the duke of the title.

I’m not sure if his identity is meant to remain a secret—I worked it out pretty early on, although I could see why none of the characters made the connection (calling the novel “The Duke’s Refuge” makes it pretty obvious there is going to be a duke in there somewhere, and that he’s hiding or seeking refuge). So I was sympathetic towards the duke and his problems.

I was less sympathetic towards Georgia, the heroine.

There’s an old English nursery rhyme I learned as a child:

There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
When she was good, she was very, very good
But when she was bad, she was horrid.

That kind of sums up what I thought of Georgia. Her character flip-flopped a lot. There were times when I really liked her, and times when I liked her a lot less. I could sympathise with Harrison, who had the same reaction. As such, it took a while before I bought into her as a character.

There were a few historical glitches.

I don’t believe there was “new money” coming from America to England in 1814. After all, it’s just two years after the War of 1812, where England attempted to regain control of America. And while it was expected that the Prince Regent would become George IV, that event didn’t occur until his father (George III) died. He was the Prince Regent, then George IV, not the two at the same time. (Equally, Prince Charles is currently the Prince of Wales, and will give up that title when his mother dies and he becomes Charles III). I found it odd that errors like this slipped in when the author made a point of discussing the historical validity of Georgia’s clothing choices (an interesting factoid!).

I also wasn’t a fan of the flashbacks—they were a heavy-handed way of sharing the characters’ personal histories. A little more subtlety would have improved the flow, especially in the first half.

Yes, this was one of those novels where I struggled through the first half.

But I found the second half moved a lot faster, and was a lot more enjoyable. This was mainly because Georgia flip-flopped less as she came to know God and herself better.

There were some strong and solid Christian messages in The Duke’s Refuge, and the faith element was a definite strength. I’m sure this will appeal to fans of Christian Regency romance from authors like Carolyn Miller.

Thanks to Wild Heart Press for providing a free ebook for review.

About Lorri Dudley

Lorri Dudley

“Why I write…
I believe readers should be led on a heart journey. Romance should allow for an escape from everyday life. It should also lead us to a better understanding of the human condition and how God views us. I believe readers, like the heroines and heroes of stories, are not static creatures and can discover different aspects of themselves through empathizing with characters’ comical mishaps and dramatic misunderstandings. I believe romance novels can depict a fallible human heart that can be made whole again by a merciful creator and remind us of the hope for the same.”

Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone-filled household.

Find Lorri Dudley online at:

Website | Goodreads

About The Duke’s Refuge

When love comes in a tempest, who knew it would wear pink?

Georgia Lennox has traded in her boyish ways for pink gowns and a coy smile to capture the eye of the Earl of Claremont. However, on the day she’s convinced the earl will propose, Georgia is shipped off to the Leeward Islands to care for her ailing father. But when she arrives on Nevis, the last thing she expects is to learn that her abrupt departure was not at her father’s bidding but that of the infuriating, yet captivating, island schoolmaster. And now her plans may well be shipwrecked.

Harrison Wells is haunted by the memories of his deceased wife and hunted by the subsequent women who aspire to be the next Duchess of Linton. Desiring anonymity, he finds sanctuary in the Leeward island of Nevis. He’s willing to sacrifice his ducal title for a schoolmaster’s life and the solace the island provides. That is until unrest finds its way to Nevis in a storm of pink chiffon—Miss Georgia Lennox.

As Georgia and Harrison’s aspirations break apart like a ship cast upon the rocks, a new love surfaces, but secrets and circumstances drag them into rough waters. Can they surrender their hearts to a love that defies their expectations?

Find The Duke’s Refuge online at:

Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #126 | Critical Decision by Richard Mabry

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 Critical Decision by Richard Mabry. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

Dr. Kathy Hoover stood at the back door, but soon found that shouting "Go do your business" to her canine companion had little effect.

 

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

About Critical Decision

It began with an innocent-appearing package on her front porch

The box contained a cell phone, which rang as soon as she opened the package. A voice that called Dr. Kathy Hoover by name said that her husband had been kidnapped. To get him back she would have to poison one of her patients.

At first, she didn’t believe that her husband had been taken from the conference he was attending, but soon she discovered that the kidnappers really had Darren. If she wanted to see him again, she had to give medication that would murder Kelton Rush, former Vice-President. What was she to do? How would she handle this critical decision?

You can find Critical Decision 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!

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

I think people complicate things just to complicate things.

Book Review | A Dogwood Christmas by Sarah N Ham

A Dogwood Christmas is an amusing romance featuring two couples—Aofie falls for her vetrinarian, Dr Cillian O’Doherty, while Aofie’s cat, Dogwood, falls for Moondance, the vet’s cat. And Dogwood is the sole point of view character. Yes, this is a story told entirely in first person, and from the point of view of a cat. That might put some people off 🙂

This isn’t really a Christmas story, despite the title, so don’t let that put you off.

Rather, it’s a clever dual romance with a unique viewpoint (Dogwood is a particularly cynical cat with strong opinions). I enjoyed Dogwood’s observations about the humans around him, as well as his wry sense of humour. That was a definite strength, even if it did mean we missed out on seeing some scenes because Dogwood wasn’t there.

The fact the story was largely driven by dialogue, which gave the writing a stilted feel.

A lot of the dialogue was characters telling each other what they already knew, and lacked any description of action or body language. The lack of action could be because cats tend to spend most of their lives with their eyes closed, so Dogwood wasn’t able to add in details about what the humans were doing. But the dialgoue didn’t feel true to Dogwood—it was too grammatically accurate (in a way that real-life dialogue isn’t). As such, it didn’t feel real.

For example, this sounds more like a semi-scripted interview on morning television than a conversation between two people who are attracted to each other:

“I’m glad you are actually rather informed on the subject matter.”

Who talks like that? While the writing wasn’t polished, the story was original enough that I kept reading. That’s unusual for me—there aren’t many stories which can keep me engaged when the actual writing needs polish.

Dogwood was the true star of the story, especially in the early chapters. If you’ve ever wondered what your cat was thinking, then I think A Dogwood Christmas will confirm your suspicions. (This may or may not be a good thing.) Sarah N Ham has definitely nailed cat psychology.

Christian romance readers who love cats, and who are prepared to try something a little different may enjoy this unique romance.

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

About Sarah N Ham

Sarah N HamA California girl with a Southern charm, Sarah N. Ham began writing stories from an early age with her first novel finished when she was 13. Ham has gone on to write 20 novels.

With an educational background in ASL interpreting/Deaf culture and social media marketing, she brings her own curiosities of various cultures and ideologies to her works. Armed with her faith in Jesus Christ, her desire is to write stories that both inspire others while not being afraid to paint the realities of the world around her.

Find Sarah N Ham online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About A Dogwood Christmas

We’ve all heard the stories of corny romance where the boy meets the girl and falls in love, but strap-in for a tail with a slight twist. Dogwood the Cat guides us through the story of his owner, Aoife, as she meets and quickly falls for the new veterinarian in Crossville, Tennessee, Dr. Cillian O’Doherty, but as the holiday season fast approaches, a surprise visit from Cillian’s family will test the limits and sanity of both our young couple as well as Dogwood. Can the lovers and their faithful furry companions make it through a chaotic Christmas, or will Aoife once again don the infamous title of the town’s crazy cat lady?

Find A Dogwood Christmas online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Read the introduction to A Dogwood Christmas below:

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

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 125 | Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

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 Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

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

About Before I Called You Mine

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

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

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

Find Before I Called You Mine online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Kobo | Koorong

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!

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