What's your favourite fictional service?

Bookish Question #219 | What’s your favourite fictional service?

by Iola Goulton

What’s your favourite fictional service: army, navy, air force, or marines?

Tough question.

I could say army, because my son is in the army, as was my grandfather and great-grandfather.

I could say Air Force, because I was an Air Force cadet as a teenager and later discovered my other grandfather served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II (even though he was Welsh).

I could say Marines, because my Army grandfather also spent time in the Royal Marines (which is part of the British Army, not a separate service as it is in the USA).

I could say Navy, because my father was in the merchant navy (although in peacetime, not during a war).

You can probably see a theme: British armed services.

All my family are British, so my preference is stories about British or Commonwealth services. But it’s an unfortunate reality that most Christian fiction is written for a US audience, so the characters tend to be American—even in military novels set in wartime England.

But none of that helps decide on my favourite fictional service.

I like variety, so I’m going to choose army stories.

Why? Because the army has a wider range of trades, including a lot of interesting specialisations. That gives a lot more scope for stories that feature original stories and unusual occupations, and I love reading something new.

Do you have a favourite fictional (or real) service? Which one, and why?

Love, Faith & Tender Kisses

Book Review | Love, Faith & Tender Kisses

by Iola Goulton

This is a collection of international contemporary Christian romance novellas by seven different authors from Australia, England, and the USA. It is published by The Collaborative Press from Australia, which explains why four of the seven authors are Australian (five, if you count Autumn Macarthur who is from Australia but now lives in England).

I had already read three of the stories, either in previous limited-time novella collections, or via Amazon.

I’ve now read six of the seven, and have enjoyed all of them.

Fake Engagement Mistake by Lisa Renee

This is probably the first Christian romance I’ve read and enjoyed that features an an accountant as the hero. I don’t have anything against accountants (I’m married to one), but other Christian romance I’ve read with accountants haven’t painted them as loveable heroes. (They’ve been boring.) I love the fact the accountant ends up with someone who is his opposite, yet they’re a perfect match. My only criticism is that it ended too soon 😉

I have another book in this series waiting on my Kindle, and I’m looking forward to reading it.

Last Flight Home by Milla Holt

This is a second-chance romance with surprising depth for a novella-length story. Macey broke her engagement with Caleb when he sided with their friend Josh, who had cheated on his fiance. Macey, naturally enough, saw that as condoning Josh’s behaviour. It’s a tough situation, and I liked the way the characters worked through it, and especially the way their Chritian faith was interwoven into the story.

Falling for Maddie Grace by Meredith Resce

I think I’ve now read this story at least three times, even though I have exactly zero interest in Aussie Rules football. It gets better each time I read it. It’s the story of an AFL player who falls for (literally and romantically) the AFLs first female referee.

The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet by Lorana Hoopes

I know billionaire romances are hugely popular with many readers, but it’s not my favourite genre … so this is the novella I’ve yet to read. I will 🙂

His Perfect Catch by Narelle Atkins

This features Mia, who has run away from her life in Sydney after a too-public split with her boyfriend. She’s now hiding in a friend’s house in Sapphire Bay, and living next door to hear teenage crush, Pete. Unfortunately, Pete thinks Mia is the same high-mainteance girl as his ex, so the course of true love is not going to run smooth.

Originally Yours by Carolyn Miller

This is set in a US Bible college that forbids fraternising. not that Gloria intends to fraternise. She’s here to find the ministry god has for her, not find a man. I liked her attitude:

I don’t think a woman needs a man to complete her. That’s God’s job.

Yes, I’m a Carolyn Miller fan, and it’s because of the way she weaves counter-cultural yet Biblical truths into her stories.

Imperfectly Proverbs 31 by Autumn Macarthur

This is the story of blogger Samantha rose, whose Perfectly Proverbs 31 blog has gone viral and who is now being interviewed by a handsome reporter determined to prove she’s a liar. Which she’s not. Sure, she can’t cook, can’t bake, and the house is never clean, but she never said she baked or cooked . She just never said she didn’t …

Lying is a tough premise to make work in Christian fiction, but this novella does it brilliantly. I think this was my favourite of the collection, because I loved the idea of the accidental viral blogger.

What I liked most about this collection was that all the stories were unashamedly Christian, with characters who were doing their best to live out their faith. I also appreciated the humour – I’m always a fan of a romance that can make me laugh as well as make me think.

Recommended for anyone looking for some uplifting Christian romance novellas.

Thanks to The Collaborative Press for providing a free ebook for review.

About Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses

Boy meets girl. Man meets woman. Sparks fly. All good love stories start here and usually face a myriad of challenges before the young couple find that together they are better.

This set of Contemporary Christian romance stories come from writers across both sides of the pond and Downunder, proving that romance is not only a sweet thing, it’s global.

Here’s a set of stories to inspire, encourage faith, and meet all the warm-fuzzy expectations.

In this boxset, you’ll receive a total of seven novellas from these popular Christian Romance authors:
  • Fake Engagement Mistake © 2021 by Lisa Renee
  • Last Flight Home © 2021 Milla Holt
  • Falling for Maddie Grace © 2021 Meredith Resce
  • The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet © 2021 Lorana Hoopes
  • His Perfect Catch © 2021 Narelle Atkins
  • Originally Yours © 2021 Carolyn Miller
  • Imperfectly Proverbs 31 © 2021 Autumn Macarthur

You can find Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses online at:

Amazon | Apple| Goodreads | Kobo

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #226 | Love, Faith and Tender Kisses Collection

by Iola Goulton

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 Fake Engagement Mistake by Lisa Renee, which is the first novella in the new Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses collection. Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

Paul Standford's elderly client turned the shoebox upside down, and receipts rained onto his mahogany desk.

I’m going to enjoy reading these novellas!

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

 

About Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses

Boy meets girl. Man meets woman. Sparks fly. All good love stories start here and usually face a myriad of challenges before the young couple find that together they are better.

This set of Contemporary Christian romance stories come from writers across both sides of the pond and Downunder, proving that romance is not only a sweet thing, it’s global.

Here’s a set of stories to inspire, encourage faith, and meet all the warm-fuzzy expectations.

 

 

In this boxset, you’ll receive a total of seven novellas from these popular Christian Romance authors:
  • Fake Engagement Mistake © 2021 by Lisa Renee
  • Last Flight Home © 2021 Milla Holt
  • Falling for Maddie Grace © 2021 Meredith Resce
  • The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet © 2021 Lorana Hoopes
  • His Perfect Catch © 2021 Narelle Atkins
  • Originally Yours © 2021 Carolyn Miller
  • Imperfectly Proverbs 31 © 2021 Autumn Macarthur

You can find Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses online at:

Amazon | Apple| Goodreads | Kobo

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!

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

Do you enjoy novels with military themes?

Bookish Question #218 | Do You Enjoy Novels with Military Themes?

by Iola Goulton

First, a disclaimer: I don’t make these questions up each week. I collaborate with Australasian Christian Writers on these questions, and we finalised the 2022 questions in December 2021. So the fact I’m posting this just as Russian invades the Ukraine is pure coincidence.

I definitely enjoy novels with military characters. I can think of several series I’ve enjoyed:

  • Don Brown’s series about US Navy lawyers – I enjoyed the TV show, JAG, and this series was a Christian equivalent.
  • Dee Henderson’s True series, set against the backdrop of 9/11 and the war in the Middle East.
  • Sarah Sundin’s Sunrise at Normandy series, which shows the story of the Prodigal Son from different points of view.

But those are the characters. What about the themes?

Novels with military characters and themes tend to show the best of the military (unlike, say, novels about law enforcement officers. Too many novels show police officers are corrupt, stupid, or both).

Military fiction, especially Christian ones, tend to show the characters as strong and noble, people who are prepared to sacrifice and put others before themselves.

Perhaps it comes back to John 15:13: stories with military themes remind us that the greatest love is to lay down our lives for our friends.

In that respect, novels with military themes reflect Christian values. Perhaps that’s why I like military fiction—it shows humanity at our best, not our worst.

What about you? Do you enjoy novels with military characters or themes? Why or why not?

Just because I made a plan, there was no guarantee God was going to go along with it.

Book Review | Postcards by Elizabeth Maddrey

by Iola Goulton

Cecily has just landed a big project for her company and is looking forward to managing her first project when her boss dumps a bombshell: he’s hired Owen Chandler to take over the project. Unfortunately, her sister and sounding board has just left the country after dropping a bombshell of her own: she’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She’s even cancelled her mobile, so Cecily can’t even text her. Instead, she finds herself texting the random stranger who now has Leila’s number.

Work improves, and Cecily finds herself hanging out with Owen outside of work – they have the same taste in movies, and go to the same church. But he’s just a friend.

After all, everyone who loves her ends up leaving her …

There was so much to like about this novel. To start with, Postcards is written in first person. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it as a way of getting inside the character’s head.

Postcards has a heroine with the unusual job. The fact she enjoyed her job and was really good at it was a bonus (I love to read about women who are good at things, especially areas such as IT or STEM which are often male-dominated).

And there were other things I loved: The postcards Leila sent as she travelled. The way Cecily investigated the places her sister visited (many of which I’ve visited too). Cecily’s snarky tone (particularly her attitude to exercise). The way Cecily’s Christian faith was intertwined into the novel. Her relationship with her sister.

The fact Cecily isn’t afraid to stand up for herself at work. The fact money wasn’t an issue (I’m not a fan of novels where someone’s financial problems are a major plot points. It’s an unpleasant reminder of some of the systemic failures in our society, and I’m generally reading romance to escape. If I want Big Issues, I’ll choose women’s fiction).

Overall, Postcards ticked all my boxes for contemporary Christian Romance: intelligent heroine, great hero, excellent writing, and a strong Christian thread.

Overall, Postcards by @ElizabethMaddre ticked all my boxes for contemporary Christian Romance: intelligent heroine, great hero, excellent writing, and a strong Christian thread. #BookReview #ChristianRomance Share on X

There were also links back to Elizabeth Maddrey’s Operation Romance series, which I read over the Christmas break. It was great to catch up with some of those characters again.

Recommended for Christian romance fans, especially if you’ve already read the Operation Romance series.

About Elizabeth Maddrey

Elizabeth MaddreyElizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who loves a good happily ever after.

She began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of computers, math, and organization steered her into computer science at Wheaton College, she always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. This continued through a Master’s program in Software Engineering, several years in the computer industry, teaching programming at the college level, and a Ph.D. in Computer Technology in Education. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity.

She lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys.

Find Elizabeth Maddrey online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Postcards

Turns out, my sister was serious about everything she said in that phone call.

The cancer.
The leaving.
The postcards.

So I was already struggling to figure out just what God thought He was doing. And then my boss introduced me to the guy who would be taking over the new project.

My project.

Sure, Owen’s hot. And so what if he has the world’s most impressive resume? He’s not getting my job without a fight.
And my job isn’t the only thing I’m not going to surrender.

I’m also not going to let Owen take over my heart.

You can find Postcards online at:

Amazon | BookBub| Goodreads

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 #225 | The Mozart Code by Rachel McMillan

by Iola Goulton

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 Mozart Code by Rachel McMillan, which is set in post-World War II Vienna, Austria.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Simon Barre had left his best revolved back at his family estate near Wilmington, Sussex, along with the Barrington surname.

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

About The Mozart Code

No matter how you might try to hide in a war to escape your past, it is always close at hand.

Lady Sophia Huntington Villiers is no stranger to intrigue, as her work with Alan Turing’s Bombe Machines at Bletchley Park during the war attests. Now, as part of Simon Barre’s covert team in post-war Vienna, she uses her inimitable charm and code name Starling to infiltrate the world of relics: uncovering vital information that could tilt the stakes of the mounting Cold War. When several influential men charge her with finding the death mask of Mozart, Sophie wonders if there is more than the composer’s legacy at stake and finds herself drawn to potential answers in Prague.

Simon Barrington, the illegitimate heir of one of Sussex’s oldest estates, used the previous war to hide his insecurities about his past. Now, he uses his high breeding to gain access to all four allied quarters of the ruined city in an attempt to slow the fall of the Iron Curtain. He has been in love with Sophie Villiers since the moment he met her, and a marriage of convenience to save Simon’s estate has always kept her close. Until now, when Sophie’s mysterious client in Prague forces him to wonder if her allegiance to him—and their cause—is in question. Torn between his loyalty to his cause and his heart, Simon seeks answers about Sophie only to learn that everything he thought he knew about his involvement in both wars is based on a lie.

You can find The Mozart Code online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | 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!

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

Do you enjoy novels with food themes?

Bookish Question #217 | Do You Enjoy Novels with Food Themes?

by Iola Goulton

Yes and no.

I like food. I love good food. I probably eat too much.

So while I enjoy novels with food themes, they make me hungry—and sometimes they make me hungry for food I can’t have.

For example, I recently read Much Ado About a Latte by Kathleen Fuller, which features a heroine running a food truck serving Mexican food. I love Mexican food, but it’s hard to get good Mexican food in New Zealand (Taco Bell doesn’t count).

Anyway, that novel got me searching town for somewhere I could get a good fish taco (I did succeed, but it was a distraction.)

One of the scenes showed the heroine making tamales. I’ve never had tamales, and that scene showed me two things: I’d like to try them, but I don’t want to make them myself. It looks like a lot of effort, and I’d have no idea if the result was any good as I have no basis for comparison.

When I read foodie novels, I especially like it if there are recipes in the back, even if the recipes are full of unfamiliar ingredients or if I can’t buy the ingredients locally (e.g. a can of pumpkin pie filling).

Another great food novel (well, series) was The Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano. It was fine dining, so definitely not what I cook, but I loved reading about all the creative dishes.

So yes, I do like novels with food.

What about you? Do you like novels with a food theme?

Safe House Exposed by Darlene L Turner

Book Review | Safe House Exposed by Darlene L Turner

by Iola Goulton

Canadian Police Constable Mason James is undercover to investigate a leak in the Canadian Witness Protection Program when he learns one of the targeted witnesses is Emily, a Canadian Border Services Agency officer … and his widowed sister-in-law. Emily and her daughter, Sierra, are in danger from the criminal Luther family after she put the father in jail.

Safe House Exposed has a strong suspense thread.

I didn’t find the romance element as compelling. There’s always a should-they-shouldn’t-they element with siblings interested in the same person, even if the other sibling is dead. My main issue was that I simply didn’t see the romance. Sure, I could see they should have a relationship—Mason should have been around to support his sister-in-law and niece since she lost her husband—but I didn’t see the underlying emotion to make that relationship romantic.

But maybe I was focussing too much on the suspense. While I’m not a fan of dirty-cop plots, this one was well done. There were a couple of great twists that I didn’t see coming, and while I guessed a couple of vital clues in advance, I had no idea who would turn out to be the evildoer. yes, it was obvious in hindsight (as it should be), but I had no idea.

I do have a content warning:

Emily’s marriage to Brady wasn’t the rainbows and unicorns relationship Mason or Seth (Mason’s father and boss) thought it was. Emily is one of many law enforcement spouses who is a domestic violence survivor. While there were no detailed descriptions, I do know that’s a topic some readers would prefer to be aware of ahead of time. Also, (spoiler alert), I was disappointed in Mason’s reaction to learning about his brother’s behaviour, even though Mason’s reaction was probably the most true to real life.

Overall, Safe House Exposed ticks all the Love Inspired Suspense boxes.

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

About Darlene L Turner

Darlene L TurnerDarlene 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 Safe House Exposed

Witness protection should have kept them safe.

Instead, it left them completely exposed…

Canadian border patrol officer Emma James has only one concern after putting a crime boss behind bars: keeping her daughter safe. But witness protection has a leak, and Emma’s enemies know exactly where to find her. Now on the run with no safe haven, trusting her estranged former brother-in-law, police constable Mason James, to shield them is her only hope…

You can find Safe House Exposed online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #224 | Happily Ever After by Jenn Faulk

by Iola Goulton

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 Happily Ever After by Jenn Faulk, which I found free on Kindle. Here’s the first line:

It had been the most amazing week of her life. Thus far, at least.

 

I don’t always download free books, but this one had a critical review right at the top of the page which intrigued me so much that I had to find out if I agreed with the reviewer or not (so far, I disagree).

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

About Happily Ever After

Cammie Evans was a girl with a plan from the moment God called her to be a foreign missionary. After several years spent all over the world, though, she finds herself with a new assignment that leaves her questioning all that she once thought to be true about life, love, and calling.

David Connor was always the weird kid in the youth group, never destined to live up to his father’s expectations. After several years of working to find his own significance in Christ and his calling as a foreign missionary, he finds himself asking hard questions about who he is and what God wants from him.

As their lives change and the past becomes part of the present, can Cammie and David help one another find their own happily ever after?

You can find Happily Ever After online at:

Amazon | BookBub | 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!

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

Do romance novels give women unrealistic expectations?

Bookish Question #216 | Do Romance Novels give Women Unrealistic Expectations of Men and Marriage?

by Iola Goulton

Critics of romance novels often say romance novels aren’t realistic, that they give women unrealistic expectations of men and of marriage.

In fairness, there is some truth in the argument that romance novels aren’t realistic.

But romance isn’t the least realistic genre on the fiction shelves:
  • Fantasy would have us believe that the world is (or perhaps was) filled with dragons and supernatural creatures such as werewolves, dwarves, and elves.
  • Science Fiction shows faster-than-light space travel, civilizations that are almost entirely mechanical (and no one ever seems to grow food), and untold different species, most of which are humanoid and speak English.
  • Cozy mysteries show us that all small villages (and many small towns) are hotbeds or murder and intrigue, and that the police are incompetent (because it always seems to be the local amateur detective who solves the crime, not the professionals).
  • Adventure stories show us that archaeology is a race to find a previously unknown artifact and keep it from the evildoers, not painstakingly removing dirt a teaspoonful at a time in the hope of understanding life in a bygone era.
  • Action stories confirm that bullets are only dangerous if the good guy is holding the gun, and that car chases through big cities are perfectly safe (because it’s only the bystanders who get hurt).

Given those comparisons, is “unrealistic” really the right word for a story where two people to meet, fall in love, and decide they want to build a life together? I’d say that is the definition of hope.

But do romance novels set unrealistic expectations about men and marriage?

Let’s look at men first, then marriage.

In romance novels, the hero would do anything for his heroine. He will love her unconditionally. He will support her dreams. He will sacrifice for her. He sees her potential and pushes her towards her dreams while she’s still mired in self-doubt.

(Incidentally, the heroine will do the same for the hero. Romance is very much an equal-opportunity genre. Perhaps that’s what some people don’t like.)

Now, I do understand unconditional, sacrificial love isn’t the reality for everyone. But that doesn’t make it wrong. In fact, it’s biblical:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her. (Eph 5:25, NIV)

But do romance novels set unrealistic expectations for marriage?

This is a non-argument. Romance novels are about the journey to the happy-ever-after, not the story of the happy-ever-after. That would be women’s fiction—and there are hundreds of women’s fiction novels inside and outside the Christian market which address these issues.

There are many Christian novels which show strong marriages, from the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke to the Baxter Family saga by Karen Kingsbury. There are also Christian novels which show marriages in trouble, and become an object lesson in how not to go through life.

This is also biblical: many of the stories in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, aren’t there to show us how to live. They’re there to show us how not to live. David was a great man of God, but no right-minded person is ever going to condone his treatment of Uriah (or even Bathsheba).

So while some people may say romance novels are setting unrealistic expectations, I say romance novels set a standard. They show us that a good marriage—a God-centred marriage— is one where both parties love God, love each other, and will support each other no matter what.

Yes, that might be unrealistic. But that’s the result of sin in the world.

Not romance novels.