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 To Begin Again by Emily Conrad, the third book in her Rhythms of Redemption Romance rock star romance collection (how’s that for alliteration?).

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About To Begin Again

Every dream comes at a price.

Michaela Vandehey’s reality show win transformed her from the girl whose own father ignored her into a pop singer loved by the masses. But fame has proven hard to keep. To bolster her floundering career, she heads to Wisconsin to snag a collaboration with the iconic rock band Awestruck. There, she meets bass guitarist Philip, a dad whose devotion challenges her skepticism about love and family.

Whatever faith Philip Miller had died with his wife. Now, “Amazing Grace” is nothing but a lullaby to sing to his children in her memory. Thanks to Awestruck, he can provide privileged lives for his kids, but he has no intention of finding love again. If only he weren’t so drawn to Michaela.

When he falls for her despite himself, Michaela learns the dark secret that threatens his family’s future. The grace they’ve heard so much about might grant them the fresh start they need, but to begin again, they’ll first have to sacrifice what they hold most dear.

A meaningful Christian romance with a side of fame and fortune for readers who enjoy stories where grit and grace meet and no one is beyond hope of redemption.

You can find To Begin Again online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

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

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Bookish Question #235 | Do you Like Illustrated Covers?

by Iola Goulton

19 July 2022

Illustrated covers … some readers love them, and some readers loathe them.

Which are you?

I always think a book’s cover should clearly show the potential reader the genre.

Illustrated covers are part of that.

One genre that uses a lot of illustrated covers is fantasy. I guess it’s hard to find a real elf or dwarf or dragon to photograph 😉

Science fiction tends to use illustrated covers for the same reason. But they are a different kind of illustrated.

Fantasy can be detailed paintings. It can be detailed symbols or emblems. Both tend to be hand-drawn feel (or at least look hand-drawn), and both clearly say “fantasy”. In contrast, science fiction tends to use computer-generated illustrations of spaceships or far-off planets.

Another genre that uses a lot of illustrated covers is rom-com.

These are my favourite, because I like the genre most. They tend to feature bright colours and hand-drawn fonts, and always strike me as amusing and cheerful—just the emotion I’m looking for if I choose a rom-com.

I have also seen contemporary romance novels with illustrated covers, as well as some Young Adult novels. In both cases, I think the illustrated cover gives the novel a slightly quirky feel, perhaps suggesting a novel that’s a little offbeat.

The best part about illustrated covers is that they are original.

I’m not going to see the same illustration on another title, in the way I sometimes see multiple covers using the same stock photograph. That’s an advantage for the author, as it means readers are less likely to mix up their book with one from another author.

Authors who use illustrated covers also tend to use the same illustrator for the series, so it’s easy to see the books are connected … which is an advantage for readers looking for the next in the series.

What about you? Do you like illustrated covers?

Book Review | Into the Flood (Seasons of Faith #1) by Milla Holt

by Iola Goulton

18 July 2022

Sonia Krogstad’s perfect life collapses when the investment she has been recommending to all her friends and clients turns out to be an elaborate fraud. When she loses her job, her reputation, and her life savings, she accepts a job in her old hometown as a stopgap until she can get her career going again.

Alex Vikhammer has been thrust into the role of solo father after his ex-wife dies and reveals he is the father of her child. When he discovers the Arts Centre – the only activity Karla enjoys – is closing, he buys it. But the charity leaks cash. He needs a fundraiser, and fast, so hires Sonia.

Alex and Karla were very relatable characters.

Karla is the thirteen-year-old girl who has lost her mother, home, and friends and who now lives in a small town with the geeky father she barely knows. Alex is a good father despite his own doubts. He wants the best for his daughter and keeps reaching out to her, even when she’s the stubborn, silent type. All things considered, her reactions were entirely normal.

Sonia was perhaps harder to like.

She only returned to Berghaven because she had to, and while she does her best for the Arts Centre, she does make a couple of decisions I thought were questionable in that they were consistent with her character, but I didn’t think they were the right decisions. It was a strange relief to find they were bad decisions, and they did come back to bite her … and she did eventually realise her errors. While Sonia’s actions were sometimes frustrating, they were also a strength of the novel because they felt realistic in the context.

It’s also refreshing to read a romance featuring older characters.

Both Sonia and Alex are in their mid-forties or thereabouts. Their relationship therefore has a different vibe than it might have had if they were younger. They are both competent professionals, established in their careers (even if Sonia’s has just fallen apart), which is a nice change from romances with younger characters who are still discovering who they are.

The other thing I liked was the setting: Norway.

Reading stories set in other countries and cultures reminds us that people are the same all over the world. We all have similar stresses and worries, and we all like a good Chinese takeaway.

Into the Flood is Christian romance, although the faith elements are relatively low-key. Still, there is an important message about faith – the importance of coming to faith and staying in the faith when times are bad … or good.

Overall, Into the Flood is a strong Christian romance, recommended for those who like older couples or foreign settings (or both), and those wanting to read more fiction with BIPOC characters.

About Milla Holt

I write inspirational romance with an international twist, with stories that uplift and encourage. Heroes with honor and integrity and strong, can-do heroines are my thing. And the good guys always get their happy ending. My fiction reflects my Christian faith.

I’m not a fan of writing about myself, but here goes. I used to be a lot of things: a journalist, a communications manager for a health activist group, and a freelance copywriter.

Before all that, I was a diplomatic brat, trailing along as my mother’s job took us to various diverse locations around the world.

Now, I’m homeschooling my children in the east of England and devoting every spare moment to writing.

Find Milla Holt online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

About Into the Flood

She took this small-town job as a temporary last resort. Falling for her reserved boss was not part of the plan.

One mistake imploded Sonia Krogstad’s PR career, leaving her with a stack of debt and no job prospects. Out of options, she returns to her tiny hometown in the northern wilds of Norway, planning only to stay long enough to get back on her feet and prepare for her big-city comeback.

Reclusive tech genius Axel Vikhammer bought a non-profit community arts center that’s fast becoming a money pit. Closing it down is not an option, especially since it’s a refuge for the teenage daughter he only recently learned he has. With her PR background, Sonia seems the perfect hire for the job as his center’s fundraising manager.

Yet as feelings develop between the two, Axel wonders how he can trust Sonia with his business—or his heart—when her dreams don’t include his small town or him.

With her head and her heart pulling her in different directions, Sonia needs to take a leap of faith. But every time she’s done that in the past, she’s fallen flat on her face. Why should it be different now?

Into the Flood is Book 1 in Milla Holt’s Seasons of Faith Christian romance series. Five friends were in the same wedding in a small Norwegian town over twenty years ago. Four bridesmaids, one bride. Now, two decades on, each woman learns that God’s timing is perfect as they find forever love later in life.

You can find Into the Flood online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

First Line Friday | Week #241 | Into the Flood by Milla Holt

by Iola Goulton

15 July 2022

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 Into the Flood by Milla Holt, the first book in her new Seasons of Faith series. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Into the Flood

She took this small-town job as a temporary last resort. Falling for her reserved boss was not part of the plan.

Yet as feelings develop between the two, Axel wonders how he can trust Sonia with his business—or his heart—when her dreams don’t include his small town or him.

Into the Flood is Book 1 in Milla Holt’s Seasons of Faith Christian romance series. Five friends were in the same wedding in a small Norwegian town over twenty years ago. Four bridesmaids, one bride. Now, two decades on, each woman learns that God’s timing is perfect as they find forever love later in life.

You can find Into the Flood 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!

Book Review | The Crimson Thread by Kate Forsyth

by Iola Goulton

27 June 2022

I requested a copy of The Crimson Thread for review as soon as I realised it was about the Battle of Crete. My grandfather was in the British Army in World War II, and was on Crete when the German paratroopers arrive. He never talked about his war experiences – I only discovered he was on Crete because I found a map he’d drawn of the British defences.

I was therefore keen to read a fictional account of the battle and the aftermath. As it happened, the Allies famed retreat was over by about a quarter of the way through the book. By then I was so captivated by the characters that I couldn’t stop reading.

Alenka is a translator and guide at the archaeological dig at Knossos (the palace where the legendary minotaur lived), but war has changed that. Her younger half-brother looks like his German father, something he has been bullied for his entire life. So it’s no surprise when he tries to ingratiate himself with the invaders.

Teddy Lloyd and Jack Hawke are officers in the Australian Army. Teddy is the outgoing, popular one, and Jack is loyal sidekick who suffers from a stutter. Both, unsurprisingly, fall for Alenka, although she’s not interested in either of them.

The story takes us all the way through the long German occupation of Crete, and the dangers faced by the locals, and the soldiers who were left behind which the Cretans hid and protected. The story covers years, so it isn’t exactly fast-paced, but it does have plenty of tension. The worst of the tension is relieved by the fact we do know who won the war … but that doesn’t tell us if the characters will survive.

Overall, The Crimson Thread is an excellent World War II novel with a thread of romance. There was one part at the end that I didn’t enjoy because it felt out of character. In hindsight, the scene may have been a nod to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, so might not surprise or bother those who are more familiar with the story than I am.

Regular readers: please note that The Crimson Thread is not Christian fiction and is not published by a CBA publisher. Having said that, the only scene that didn’t meet the normal standards of Christian fiction was the one at the end that I didn’t think was necessary. #TriggerWarning

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Kate Forsyth

Dr Kate Forsyth wrote her first novel aged seven & has now sold more than a million books worldwide. Recently voted one of Australia’s Favourite Novelists, Kate Forsyth has been called ‘one of the finest writers of this generation’. She has written more than 40 books, for all age groups and across many genres, published in 20 countries.

Kate’s doctoral exegesis ‘The Rebirth of Rapunzel: A Mythic History of the Maiden in the Tower’ won the Aurealis Convenors’ Award for Excellence in 2016 and the William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism in 2017. She was recently awarded the prestigious Nancy Keesing Fellowship by the State Library of NSW.

Named one of Australia’s Favourite 15 Novelists, Kate has a BA in literature, a MA in creative writing and a Doctorate of Creative Arts in fairy tale studies, and is also an accredited master storyteller with the Australian Guild of Storytellers.

She also runs a literary & writing retreat in the Cotswolds every year, as well as retreats on writing True Life Stories and a Mythic Creativity retreat.

Find Kate Forsyth online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About The Crimson Thread

In Crete during World War II, Alenka, a young woman who fights with the resistance against the brutal Nazi occupation, finds herself caught between her traitor of a brother and the man she loves, an undercover agent working for the Allies.

May 1941. German paratroopers launch a blitzkrieg from the air against Crete. They are met with fierce defiance, the Greeks fighting back with daggers, pitchforks, and kitchen knives. During the bloody eleven-day battle, Alenka, a young Greek woman, saves the lives of two Australian soldiers.

Jack and Teddy are childhood friends who joined up together to see the world. Both men fall in love with Alenka. They are forced to retreat with the tattered remains of the Allied forces over the towering White Mountains. Both are among the seven thousand Allied soldiers left behind in the desperate evacuation from Crete’s storm-lashed southern coast. Alenka hides Jack and Teddy at great risk to herself. Her brother Axel is a Nazi sympathiser and collaborator and spies on her movements.

As Crete suffers under the Nazi jackboot, Alenka is drawn into an intense triangle of conflicting emotions with Jack and Teddy. Their friendship suffers under the strain of months of hiding and their rivalry for her love. Together, they join the resistance and fight to free the island, but all three will find themselves tested to their limits. Alenka must choose whom to trust and whom to love and, in the end, whom to save.

I should add that there are two covers for this book, and I probably would have ignored the book if I’d seen the pink cover rather than the one above.

Find The Crimson Thread online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Bookish Question #234 | Do you read book reviews before buying a book?

by Iola Goulton

21 June 2022

Do I read book reviews before buying a book?

Sometimes.

A lot of the books I read are advance review copies. As such, there aren’t any reviews to read 🙂

Other books I buy are from authors I’ve read before, particularly books which are part of a series. This is why a lot of authors write books in series—if someone reads and enjoys the first book, they’re likely to buy the next book without bothering to read the reviews.

I do read reviews when it comes to checking out books from authors I haven’t read before.

If the cover and description interest me, I’ll check out the star rating and read a few reviews. But it’s not usually the views that influence whether I buy a book or not. It’s the writing—that all-important Kindle sample.

But that’s only relevant when I’m already on Amazon and looking up specific titles or authors I already know about.

How do I discover new authors?

That’s often through reviews on other book review sites. That’s when I do read reviews, and those reviews will often persuade me to check out the book and download the sample.

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

Bookish Question #233 | What’s your favourite fictional pet and why?

by Iola Goulton

14 June 2022

My favourite pet I’d like to have is a cat (and I have one. Well, a cat moved in with us ten years ago and allows us to feed her and pet her and pay her vet bills. I would never imply ownership. Dogs have owners; cats have staff).

But my favourite fictional pet is one I would never have in real life.

I live in New Zealand, a country with exactly zero snakes. We don’t have any native snakes, and we don’t allow any snakes to be imported (probably because the Kiwi, our national bird, is flightless and Kiwi eggs make a great snack for snakes and other pests).

So it’s perhaps a little surprising to me that my favourite fictional pets are both snakes.

In fairness, the first “pet” isn’t so much a pet as an unwanted houseguest, the kind it’s impossible to get rid of. One of the characters in Back to Resolution by Rose Dee has a snake living in the eves of their bush house. The snake does a good job at protecting the property from unwanted visitors, so it gets to stay.

The second is snake is the title character in Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass, the first book in Heather Day Gilbert’s Exotic Pet Sitter Mystery series. Belinda’s first job is pet-sitting Rasputin, a ball python … who has nothing to do with the dead body she finds in her flowerbed.

It’s an enjoyable cozy mystery, and one I’m happy to read rather than experience.

Can you think of any novels with pets? What’s your favourite fictional pet, and why?

First Line Friday | Week #240 | Rescuing Finley by Dan Walsh

by Iola Goulton

10 June 2022

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 Rescuing Finley by Dan Walsh, which I apparently bought in 2016 and have never read … but Tuesday’s Bookish Question has inspired me.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Rescuing Finley

Amy Wallace has made plenty of mistakes in her young life, but she didn’t see this one coming. Chris Seger is a marine serving in Afghanistan. His life is forever altered by a single, fateful step. A mother of another Afghan war vet suffers a devastating loss, which changes the course of Finley’s life for good.

Finley is a mostly golden retriever, who suddenly finds himself alone and confused in a dog shelter. Could this prison actually become the place where Finley finally finds freedom?

Rescuing Finley tells the story of how one rescue dog powerfully impacts three tragic lives and puts all of them on a road toward redemption and healing.

You can find Rescuing Finley 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!

Bookish Question #232 | Do you know any Christian fiction featuring a dog?

by Iola Goulton

7 June 2022

Do you know of any Christian fiction featuring a dog as a major character?

Tough question!

The first novels I though to featuring a dog as a major character were The Famous Five novels by Enid Blyton. I can still hear the TV theme tune in my mind … Julian, Dick, and Anne, George and Timmy the do-o-o-og.

I can think of some Christian fiction where the main character had a dog, but not where the dog was actually a major character.

What’s the difference, you might ask.

Well, a lot of fiction will mention that a character has a pet dog or cat, but the animal doesn’t really play any major part in the story. The animal spends most of its time at home, often locked in the house or in a cage when the owner (the main character) leaves to go to work or have a life. Too often, it seems like the animals are introduced at the beginning as a plot point, then forgotten about. They’re barely fed and only walked if that suits the plot (e.g. if the heroine has to leave the house so she can be kidnapped).

They are side characters or accessories, not major characters.

I have come across a few novels where the dogs get more attention. Woman in Shadow by Carrie Stuart Parks is one—Darby adopts Holly and Maverick, and they were my favourite characters.

Dan Walsh has the Forever Home four-book series featuring dogs as major characters, starting with Rescuing Finley. I don’t know why I haven’t read them yet, but that’s obviously a fault I need to rectify.

But that’s all I can think of. What about you?

Can you recommend any Christian fiction featuring a dog as a major character?

Book Review | Sunburst (Sky King Ranch #2) by Susan May Warren

by Iola Goulton

6 June 2022

It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Susan May Warren’s romantic suspense novels, even though it’s how I first discovered her writing. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy them,

A good portion of the novel takes place in Nigeria.

I enjoyed the opportunity to experience the country and the culture through the eyes of Noemi Sutton. Noemi is the only daughter of a Nigerian princess and a US Navy SEAL who teaches English as a second language. She is working in Nigeria when she and her companions are kidnapped and held prisoner.

Ranger Kingston, a navy SEAL from Alaska, first meets Noemi in Key West where he’s training and she’s on holiday. They meet again after Noemi is one of a group kidnapped in Nigeria. One of the other captives is Colt, Ranger’s brother, who was providing security as they travelled.

They are rescued by a team which includes Ranger, but Ranger and Noemi are separated from the rest of the rescue party while trying to locate Blessing, a young girl who was captured with them. Ranger is injured during their escape, so Noemi does the only thing she can thing of—she takes him to her uncle’s compound in the south of the country. Unfortunately, the only way to get there alive is to pretend that she and Ranger are married.

I’ve always enjoyed a good marriage of convenience story.

I’ve read a lot of good historical novels with this plotline (mail order brides spring to mind), but rarely come across a compelling setup for a contemporary.

Sunburst does this, and does it well. Noemi’s uncle insists on hosting a traditional Nigerian wedding, and it was fun to read about all the traditions and preparation. The seamless introduction of different aspects of Nigerian culture elevated Sunburst above most other romantic suspense novels.

The humour in their situation also helped balance the suspense.

And there was plenty of suspense. While Noemi is attracted to Ranger—and he seems to be attracted to her—she’s convinced their relationship won’t last. She’s also convinced that the events leading up to her kidnapping could put Ranger and his family in danger, so she’ll have to leave for both their sakes …

Sunburst by Susan May Warren is a solid Christian romantic suspense whose Nigerian location and heroine elevate the novel above the ordinary @SusanMayWarren #ChristianFiction Share on X

Overall, Sunburst is a solid Christian romantic suspense novel with a Nigerian location and heroine that elevates the novel above others in the genre. Recommended for fans of romantic suspense, especially those who like different settings.

Sunburst is the second book in the Sky King Ranch series, following Sunrise. The third book, Sundown, is due out later this year. Sunburst did a good job of setting up the final story, so I’ll look forward to reading it.

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

About Sunburst

When former Navy SEAL and lifelong bachelor Ranger Kingston is called upon to take part in a rescue mission to save his brother Colt, who has been kidnapped by terrorists in Nigeria, he is shocked to find among the hostages a woman he knows and could never forget.

Noemi Sutton was attempting to return a young girl to her family in Boko Haram territory when she and the girl found themselves taken hostage, along with several others.

And while Ranger Kingston may be able to get the hostages away from their captors, he’ll need Noemi’s help if he ever hopes to get out of Nigeria alive.

Her solution? Pose as husband and wife. But when her uncle discovers the union, he insists on a traditional Nigerian wedding–binding Noemi to a man destined to break her heart. Worse, she’s discovered the real reason she was kidnapped, and anyone around her is bound to be caught in the cross fire. Including her so-called new husband.

She’ll need to figure out a way to leave the man she loves if she wants to save his life.

Find Sunburst online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Christianbook | Goodreads | Koorong

About Susan May Warren

Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of nearly 90 novels with more than 1.5 million books sold, including the Global Search and Rescue and the Montana Rescue series, as well as Sunrise and Sunburst. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers’ Choice Awards, Susan makes her home in Minnesota.

Find Susan May Warren online at:

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