There is evil in the world, and sometimes what protects pacifists are soldiers willing to meet that violence with equal violence.

Book Review | Honor Bound by Hallee Bridgeman

by Iola Goulton

Captain Rick Norton is leading his team an unspecified mission in the fictional Katangela, Africa, when two of his team are injured and need immediate medical attention. Doctor Cynthia Myers runs an obstetrics clinic in a remote village in Katangela, and travels to other villages as well. But her life, as well of the lives of those around her, are in danger after she fails to save the life of the son of the local warlord. Rick arrives with his team in time to chase off the warlords.

Rick and Cynthia didn’t hit it off immediately.

In fact, the opposite was almost true, with each seeing the other as closed-minded (perhaps in the same was as Elizabeth and Mr Darcy didn’t immediately hit it off with each other). Rick is gun-happy American Army, while Cynthia is a politician’s daughter who prefers to look for a peaceful solution.

I’d like to be able to say the story ended with them both finding the strengths in each other’s views, but it felt more like Rick rode roughshod over Cynthia until she agreed with him. Okay, so she shouldn’t have given him the “Army or me” ultimatum either, so there were faults on both sides.

I found the writing itself slipped into telling a little too often for my tastes, and it wasn’t always clear (for example, I initially thought the introduction showed Rick’s men attacking the village under gunfire, not local warlords). I also didn’t enjoy the casual racism or sexism, which none of the characters called out. This made me wonder if they didn’t notice, or didn’t care. Either way, I was left wondering if the characters held the same views.

That didn’t endear me to the characters.

I think my main problem was that the story focused more on the politics and the action than on the relationship to the point where I wasn’t entirely convinced by the relationship between Rick and Cynthia. Yes, I believe they fell for each other, but there’s enough of an element of Stockholm Syndrome that I’m not convinced it will last … and that’s not a good way to end a romance, especially not in the Christian market.

This is the first book in the Love & Honor series. Fans of fast-paced suspense from authors like Ronie Kendig will enjoy Honor Bound.

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

About Hallee Bridgman

Hallee BridgmanHallee Bridgeman is the award winning and USA TODAY bestselling author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee settled with her husband in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children. When she’s not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her.

Find Hallee Bridgman online at:

Website | Facebook

About Honor Bound

It may seem odd to seek peace by moving to a war-torn African country, but for medical missionary Dr. Cynthia Myers, it provided a way to escape a shallow life of unearned wealth, a philandering fiancé, and a father now square in the public eye as vice president of the United States. At least here she knows her work and life have meaning. But all that is thrown into chaos when she fails to save the life of a local warlord’s mortally wounded son.

As part of the Army Special Forces “A-Team” on a mission to capture and subdue the warlord, Captain Rick Norton is compelled to use deadly force to save Cynthia’s life. Enraged at the violence she witnessed and riddled with guilt that men died because of her, Cynthia tries to hold on to her anger–but an unwanted attraction is taking hold.

With two members of his team badly injured and rebels in hot pursuit, Rick will have to draw upon all his strength and cunning to get her out alive . . . because he’s beginning to think they just might overcome their differences and be able to make a life together.

Find Honor Bound online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction to Honor Bound below:

Is it more important for you to like the hero or heroine in a Christian romance?

Bookish Question #248 | Is it more important to like the hero or heroine in a Christian romance?

by Iola Goulton

Is it more important for you to like the hero or heroine in a Christian romance?

Umm, both?

Seriously, I think the hero and heroine are equally important.

If I don’t like the hero, then I’m secretly hoping the relationship will fail.

I’m waiting for the heroine to see whatever red flags I’ve spotted, and for her to wise up and move on. (That goes double when there is a male character I think would be ideal for her.)

If I don’t like the heroine, then I wonder what the hero sees in her.

Perhaps he’s focussed on her looks or her money or something equally fleeting. Perhaps it’s not clear what attracts him to the heroine.

Either way, if I can’t see a real and credible attraction, I’m happy to close the book and allow the two of them to go on to their inevitable miserable and shallow ever after.

If I can see a real and credible attraction, I’m likely to question the hero’s intelligence, judgement, or both. Again, I’m happy to close the book and let them have a miserable time together.

On that basis, I guess it’s actually more important for me to like the heroine.

After all, the heroine (and therefore the reader) may often have a false initial impression of the hero. After all, a false impression could provide some great conflict and tension. But we, the reader, still need to be able to see the characters as they really are in order to buy in to the relationship.

What about you?

Which character is it more important for you to like in a Christian romance – the hero or the heroine?

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #255 | Uncharted Christmas by Keeley Brooke Keith

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 Uncharted Christmas, a new Christmas novella in Keeley Brooke Keith’s excellent Uncharted series.

Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

Dr. Lydia Bradshaw refused to believe the rumor predicting it would snow on Christmas Day.

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

About Uncharted Christmas

As Dr. Lydia Bradshaw makes her rounds in the village of Good Springs this Christmas season, each family she visits seems to be blessed in ways she is not. All the homes are beautifully decorated for the holiday, and every woman is expecting another baby.

Every woman but her, that is.

While the haze from the volcanic ash cloud outside the Land looms on the horizon, calls for the doctor force Lydia to work around the clock. Torn between fighting for the home life she craves and the career that defines her, Lydia needs a Christmas miracle.

Meanwhile, at Falls Creek…

Philip Roberts spends his lonely nights in the parsonage next to the humble chapel. Pastoring the church across from the Land’s only inn means encouraging many a road-worn traveler to carry on, whatever their journey might be. Philip also watches the ever-changing rotation of guests for the one person he prays will stay at Falls Creek forever.

Only he doesn’t know her name.

When the Vestal siblings break their journey to Good Springs at the inn for a much needed respite over Christmas, Philip is fascinated with the demure Lena Vestal. As he tries to get to know her, she stirs in him more questions than answers.

Can he discover who this intriguing woman truly is in such a short time, and is she the one he’s been waiting for?

You can find Uncharted Christmas 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!

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What's your view on epilogues where the couple get engaged or married?

Bookish Question #247 | What’s your view on epilogues where the couple get engaged or married?

by Iola Goulton

Christian romance novels often feature an epilogue with an engagement or wedding scene.

What’s your view on such epilogues?

I was tempted to give my usual “it depends” answer, using the rationale that some stories will need to include the engagement or wedding scene in order to feel complete, but others will be complete without the engagement or wedding.

But then I reconsidered.

If the story needs an engagement or wedding scene to be complete, that scene should form part of the main novel. It shouldn’t be tacked on at the end.

If the story doesn’t need an engagement or wedding scene, then that scene could be rated in one of several ways:

  • It could be excluded. If it’s not needed, why include it?
  • It could be moved to the next book in the series, to show the reader how the first couple are moving on in their life together.
  • It could be included as an epilogue.

I think epilogues work best when they are doing one of two things:

  • Setting up the next story in a series (e.g. introducing the next hero and heroine).
  • Following up the characters after significant time has passed since the end of the book e.g. an epilogue at the end of a series which shows where the main characters are months or years later.

I have seen engagement or (more commonly) wedding scenes which successfully set up the next book in a series e.g. by having the new hero and heroine meet at the wedding. I like these: they provide a sense of closure while whetting the reader’s appetite for whatever comes next.

I do think epilogues should be set many months after the conclusion of the novel.

First, because I do wonder if some fictional characters will marry in haste and repent at leisure. Second, because if the engagement or wedding follows the end of the novel too quickly, why not simply include it in the actual novel?

I have heard of authors who use an epilogue as an enticement to get readers to sign up for their email list. I can see the logic behind this, but I also know it annoys those readers who believe the novel should be complete as it is published, i.e. no cliff-hanger endings and no vital epilogues.

A better enticement night be a “bonus scene”.

This could well be a combination engagement or wedding with introducing the next couple. But it could also be a prequel scene or short story, or a deleted scene.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

What’s your view on epilogues where the couple get engaged or married?

 

Isn't it more important to live a hero's life than to die a hero's death?

Book Review | Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd

by Iola Goulton

Heirlooms is a dual timeline novel set on Whidbey Island, Washington.

In the past timeline, Navy widow Helen Devries lives alone in the house she bought with her husband and works as a nurse at the nearby Navy hospital. She befriends Choi Eunhee, a Korean woman who married one of Helen’s husband’s friends.

In the present, timeline Cassidy Quinn has inherited her grandmother’s property on Whidbey Island, but the house and property have fallen into disrepair. Worse, she needs to bring the garden back to life again and earn an income, or she will be forced to sell the property to pay the outstanding property taxes.

I found the past timeline more positive and uplifting than the modern timeline, which means I definitely enjoyed the past story most.  (I know that’s a bit ambiguous, but want to avoid spoilers. If you read Heirlooms, you can tell me whether you agree or not).

The main reason I enjoyed the past story was because of the way it showed two cultures, American and Korean. I particularly enjoyed the friendship between Helen and Eunhee, and the way Eunhee was able to introduce Helen to Korean food and culture … and to God. That, to me, was the strength of the novel.

Heirlooms is an excellent example of a dual timeline novel.

Even though I preferred the past timeline, the present and past timelines are both compelling in their different ways.

Recommended for fans of dual timeline Christian fiction, and those who enjoy exploring other cultures through fiction.

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

About Sandra Byrd

Sandra Byrd

Bestselling author Sandra Byrd continues to earn both industry acclaim and high praise from readers everywhere. The author of more than fifty books, her work has received many awards, nominations, and accolades, including the Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choice award, two Christy Award nominations, Two Library Journal Best Book selections, and inclusion on Booklist’s Top Ten Inspirational Books of the Year list. Her traditionally published books include titles by Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, Tyndale House Publishers, WaterBrook Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and Bethany House. She’s also an independent author.

Sandra has also published dozens of books for kids, tweens, and teens, and devotionals, including the bestselling The One Year Be-Tween You and God Devotions for Girls. She continued her work as a devotionalist with The One Year Home and Garden Devotions and The One Year Experiencing God’s Love Devotional, which was named by Called Magazine, the #1 magazine for Christian Women, as among their favorite, must-read books.

As an editor and an in-demand writing coach, Sandra is passionate about helping writers develop their talents and has mentored hundreds of writers at all stages of their writing careers.

Sandra loves walking, the beach, cooking and baking, photography, watching Escape to the Country, Fake or Fortune, and Chef’s Table, as well as spending time with family and friends – real and fictional!

Find Sandra Byrd online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

About Heirlooms

Answering a woman’s desperate call for help, young Navy widow Helen Devries opens her Whidbey Island home as a refuge to Choi Eunhee. As they bond over common losses and a delicate, potentially devastating secret, their friendship spans the remainder of their lives.

After losing her mother, Cassidy Quinn spent her childhood summers with her gran, Helen, at her farmhouse. Nourished by her grandmother’s love and encouragement, Cassidy discovers a passion that she hopes will bloom into a career. But after Helen passes, Cassidy learns that her home and garden have fallen into serious disrepair. Worse, a looming tax debt threatens her inheritance. Facing the loss of her legacy and in need of allies and ideas, Cassidy reaches out to Nick, her former love, despite the complicated emotions brought by having him back in her life.

Cassidy inherits not only the family home but a task, spoken with her grandmother’s final breaths: ask Grace Kim―Eunhee’s granddaughter―to help sort through the contents of the locked hope chest in the attic. As she and Grace dig into the past, they unearth their grandmothers’ long-held secret and more. Each startling revelation reshapes their understanding of their grandmothers and ultimately inspires the courage to take risks and make changes to own their lives.

Set in both modern-day and midcentury Whidbey Island, Washington, this dual-narrative story of four women―grandmothers and granddaughters―intertwines across generations to explore the secrets we keep, the love we pass down, and the heirlooms we inherit from a well-lived life.

You can find Heirlooms online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction to Heirlooms below:

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #254 | Explosive Christmas Showdown by Darlene L Turner

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 Explosive Christmas Showdown by Darlene L Turner, a Canadian Christian romantic suspense author (It’s too early for Christmas stories. I know, yet here we are).

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Someone in your office will die today.

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

About Explosive Christmas Showdown

A bomber brings terror to Christmas

as the presents go tick…tick…boom.

With criminal investigative analyst Olive Wells at the center of a bomber’s dangerous game, she’ll do anything to catch the culprit—even work with her ex-fiancé and his K-9 detector dog. But with the Christmas rampage drawing ever closer, Zac Turner’s convinced the attacks are personal. Can they piece together their ties to the bomber…before another gift explodes?

You can find Explosive Christmas Showdown online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | 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!

What's your view on sex or rape scenes in Christian fiction?

Bookish Question #246 | What’s Your View on Sex or Rape Scenes in Christian Fiction?

by Iola Goulton

I’m not a fan of rape as a plot point in any fiction, Christian or otherwise.

It’s become an overused way of showing a female character’s tragic backstory (and it’s always a female character). I’m especially not a fan of on-the-page rape scenes as they generally come across as voyeuristic and violent, as though they are there for the cheap thrill rather than to move the plot along.

People who have experienced sexual violence don’t need the reminder, and people who haven’t don’t need to have the details spelled out in order to understand that the character is going to be negatively affected.

I’m even less interested in Christian fiction that will show rape (which is nonconsensual and unlawful) but won’t show consensual sex in marriage. I’m not saying I want to read explicit sex scenes in Christian fiction (I don’t), but I do see it as hypocritical if sex is only described when it’s the unlawful, undesireable kind.

What about you? What’s your view on sex and rape in Christian fiction?

Lisa never fell apart in a crisis. She went to pieces afterward, when everything was sorted out and everyone taken care of.

Book Review | Through the Blaze (Seasons of Faith #2) by Milla Holt

by Iola Goulton

I don’t know if the Norwegians have the saying, “Marry in haste; repent at leisure”, but that certainly fit Lisa. She married young, against her mother’s advice, and it turned out that her marriage wasn’t a good decision: Kai was a compulsive gambler who lied to hide his addiction.

So when Lisa’s twenty-one year old daughter announces she’s engaged to someone Lisa didn’t even know she was dating, Lisa is not well pleased. However, she is relieved when she finds Kai will be able to contribute to the wedding, and supports it. Maybe he has changed …

Through the Blaze is a romance, and we all know what that means.

Lisa and Kai are going to find their way back together. Here’s the problem: there are good reasons why they broke up, and Lisa shouldn’t even be thinking of reconciling until she’s convinced Kai is no longer a gambler.

But Kai is an addict.

He’s done the whole 12-step process, and he’s even a programme sponsor for another gambling addict. But he’s still an addict. He still needs God’s help to get through each day without gambling.

If Lisa married Kai twenty-four years ago and he had a gambling problem then, and he still had that problem two years ago, I feel she is being completely reasonable to still be suspicious. As such, while I was convinced Kai had changed (probably because the reader only sees him at his best, not his worst), I wasn’t convinced Lisa could make that mental shift.

Through the Blaze is the second book in Milla Holt’s Seasons of Faith Christian romance series, following Into the Flood. While Through the Blaze is a standalone romance, the characters are introduced first in Into the Flood and you may prefer to read the series in order.

Through the Blaze by Milla Holt is a Christian contemporary reunion romance set in Norway. Recommended. #ChristianRomance #BookReview Share on X

Recommended for Christian contemporary romance fans who don’t mind reunion romance plots, and those who are looking for romances set outside the USA.

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

About Milla Holt

Author Photo - Milla HoltI 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 Through the Blaze

He has spent his life taking chances, but will she risk it all to love him again?

Gambling addict Kai Meland has spent the last decade fixing the life he wrecked. Still, some things are broken beyond repair. Include his marriage. His daughter’s upcoming wedding might be his last chance to show his estranged wife he’s not the same man who once crushed her heart and chose gambling over her.

Lisa wants nothing to do with the man she once loved. After his addiction destroyed their family, she focused on their daughter, Eline. She wiped her tears, held her close, and met her needs. So now that Eline is about to marry, how can she want both of her parents present?

As preparations begin, Lisa finds an older, wiser Kai saying all the right things, but she’s not about to fall for his charms. She’s been down that road and has the scars to show it.

Will the approaching wedding allow Kai the chance he needs to break through Lisa’s emotional fortress and prove to her their love is worth a final wager?

Find Through the Blaze 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 #253 | The Upwelling by Lystra Rose

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 Upwelling by debut Australian Christian author Lystra Rose. Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

Can't trust friends. Can't trust counselling sessions. Most importantly, can't trust who this secret is forcing me to become.

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

 

About The Upwelling

The Upwelling by Lystra RoseThree misfits.
Two warring spirits.
One chance to save the world.

Kirra is the great-granddaughter of a truth dreamer, and, like Great Nanna Clara, no-one believes her night-visions are coming true. When an end-of-the-world nightmare forces her to surf where her brother was killed, she time-slips into a place that could ruin her life, here, and in the Dreaming.

Narn is the son of a well-respected Elder and holds an enviable role in his saltwater clan. Though he bears the marks of a man, many treat him like an uninitiated boy, including the woman he wants to impress.

Tarni is the daughter of a fierce hunter and the custodian of a clever gift. Somehow, she understands Kirra when no-one else can. But who sent this unexpected visitor: a powerful ancient healer or an evil shadow-spirit?

When death threatens all life, can a short-sighted surfer, a laidback dolphin caller and a feisty language unweaver work together to salvage our future?

You can find The Upwelling 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!

Who is your favourite character in Christian fiction?

Bookish Question #245 | Who is your favourite character in Christian fiction?

by Iola Goulton

This is a tough question.

I’ve read hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Christian novels, and while several characters spring to mind, they aren’t necessarily “favourite” characters. They are memorable characters, and there is a difference.

  • For example, Angel in Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is a memorable character. But she’s not always likeable, so can’t be called a favourite.
  • Mrs Clara Kip in The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip by Sara Brunsvold is another memorable character. But while she is the character in the title and the person with many life lessons to share, she’s the mentor figure. Not the main character. Shouldn’t the favourite be the main character?
  • Some characters are memorable and interesting for reasons they have no control over. An example of this is Libby in When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer, who literally lives two lives separated by more than a century.
  • And some characters are memorable for their circumstances, like Marissa Moreau in Shadows of Hope by Georgiana Daniels, a crisis pregnancy counsellor who can’t get pregnant, and discovers her new client/friend is her husband’s mistress.

But if we’re going to talk about my favourite character, it probably has to be a character that features in a series I’ve read over and over: the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke. It’s an oldie, but a goodie. The series centres around Marty and Clark and their children. There was a later spinoff series that featured one of their grandchildren, Virginia.

My favourite character is Drew, who married Marty and Clark’s youngest daughter, and who is Virginia’s father.

Drew is an inspiring example of a Christian man, husband, and father. He’s a bitter young man when we first meet him, but over the years he matures into a strong man of God, a man who wants to care for and protect those around him with the skills he has. He’s also a man who overcomes trials that could have broken him, but he chooses to be the survivor and victor, not the victim. And that’s why he’s my favourite.

What about you? Who is your favourite character in Christian fiction?