Category: Book Review

29 May 2023

Book Review | The Words we Lost by Nicole Deese

What first caught my attention about The Words We Lost was the cover.

Illustrated covers have been a thing in contemporary romance for a while, although they tended to indicate rom-coms rather than pure romance. This style of cover is newer, but I really like the illustrated look with a focus on the title. Indigo Isle had the same kind of cover, and the same kind of vibe. Both novels are definitely Christian romance, but which have the depth of characterisation and overall character journey that’s more common in women’s fiction.

Yes, The Words We Lost is a romance, but with that women’s fiction vibe.

Ingrid Erikson is the Senior Acquisitions Editor at San Francisco publisher Fog Harbor Books, having built her career on the sale of a five-book Young Adult fantasy series by her now-dead best friend. Unfortunately, Cecelia Campbell—CeCe—had the misfortune to die before turning in her final contracted manuscript, which is now missing. Fog Harbor wants to find the missing manuscript, and Ingrid is charged with finding it.

But Ingrid’s grief over CeCe’s death has led to an unusual disability … and one that is potentially career-ending for an editor.

She can’t read. Well, she can read the words. She just can’t comprehend them. So she heads to Port Townsend to work with Joel, CeCe’s cousin and Ingrid’s teenage sweetheart, to retrieve a package she hopes will be the manuscript that will save her career.

This is a romance novel, so we know how the story is going to end.

We also know the course of love is destined to never run smoothly, particularly in terms of Ingrid’s relationship with Joel. It’s safe to say The Words We Lost was anything but predictable, in the best possible way.

I’ve read a lot of novels about novelists, but very few about an editor in a publishing house (the only other one I can recall is Stealing Adda by Tamara Leigh, which was about an author and her editor). As such, I enjoyed seeing the publishing industry shown from a different angle.

I especially enjoyed the fact The Words We Lost was written in first person.

I always find that brings me closer to the characters. Despite her problem with words, Ingrid has a distinctive and compelling character voice … perhaps made more compelling because she’s a professional who has built her career on words but has lost those same words.

The Words We Lost is subtitled A Fog Harbor Romance, and I do hope that means it’s the beginning of a series because there are several characters I’d like to meet again—not least, the ever-peppy Chip, the preppy editorial assistant.

I recommend The Words We Lost to fans of romance/women’s fiction authors such as TI Lowe, Tammy L Gray, Irene Hannon, or Carmen Schober.

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:

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About The Words we Lost

Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript.

As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony–two elements her current life possesses in spades. In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cecelia Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she’s also desperate to find the closure she’s convinced will come with Cecelia’s missing final manuscript.

After Ingrid jeopardizes her career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But then Joel Campbell–the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters–offers her a sealed envelope from his late cousin, Cecelia, asking Joel and to put their differences aside and retrieve a mysterious package in their coastal Washington hometown.

Honoring Cecelia’s last request will challenge their convictions and test their loyalties, but through it all, will Ingrid and Joel be brave enough to uncover a twice-in-a-lifetime love?

Find The Words we Lost online at:

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22 May 2023

Book Review | Émilienne: A Novel of Belle Epoque Paris by Pamela Binnings Ewen

Émilienne is the fictionalised biography of Émilienne d’Alencon, circus performer, dancer, darling of the Paris stage in the late Victorian period … and courtesan.

The story is told in first person and present tense, which is an unusual choice for historical fiction. It gave Émilienne a strong character voice which I think was necessary to enable the reader to understand a woman whose birth, upbringing, and life were so different to mine. It meant I didn’t question many of her most questionable life choices—and there were many—because they were the only choices she could see.

The story starts with teenage Émilienne Montmatre.

She’s the daughter of a prostitute and knows that’s her future if she stays in Montmatre. So she runs away and leverages her beauty, dancing talent, and sheer ambition to land a role as a rabbit trainer in a circus, then propel herself through various roles and lovers to become one of the most famous (and rich) dancers in Paris.

She had more than a few setbacks along the way, and I almost felt sorry for her at some points. She was ambitious but not mean or cruel, and made her fortune without abusing others, which is more than can be said for many men of the time.

The story took us through around twenty years of Émilienne ‘s life.

It feels authentic to the time, the place, and what little is known about Émilienne. It’s a story well told, although it has the inevitable issue of any story about a real-life person: it ends, and real-life endings don’t have the sense of happy completion of (say) a Christian romance.

Pamela Binnings Ewen is also the author of The Queen of Paris: a Novel of Coco Chanel.

Given the relationship between Coco and Émilienne, it’s not surprising Pamela Binnings Ewen has chosen to write about Émilienne. Her previous books include the Amalise Catoir series, about a woman lawyer in the 1970s, which was definitely written from a Christian point of view. She’s also the author of Faith on Trial: Analyze the Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which I haven’t read.

Émilienne is not Christian fiction.

While there are no on-the-page sex scenes, it’s perfectly clear that Émilienne had intimate relationships with a lot of men she wasn’t married to. She never even considers matters of faith. While that was consistent with the historic Émilienne, it was a departure from the previous Pamela Binnings Ewen novels I’ve read.

There were a handful of typos (although they were at least consistently wrong) e.g. troop instead of troupe, discrete instead of discreet, and (inexplicably) Queen without the Q. While these didn’t detract from my enjoyment, they were od errors in an otherwise excellent story with impeccable research.

If you’re looking for Christian fiction, this is not the book for you. If you’re looking for a fascinating insight into a unique historical figure, you may enjoy Émilienne .

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

About Pamela Binnings Ewen

PAMELA BINNINGS EWEN is the author of one nonfiction book, Faith on Trial, and seven novels, including The Moon in the Mango Tree, awarded the 2012 Eudora Welty Memorial Award, and The Queen of Paris, which has sold over sixty-five thousand copies. After practicing law for many years, she retired to write. She is a founder of the Northshore Literary Society in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, in the greater New Orleans area. She’s also served on the boards of the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society and Tennessee Williams Festival.

Find Pamela Binnings Ewen online at:

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About Émilienne

From the bestselling author of The Queen of Paris comes a glittering new novel about youth, beauty, and having the courage to carve your own path in a world on the brink of war.

Pamela Binnings Ewen’s newest novel reveals the story of Émilienne, once the most beautiful, sought-after woman in Paris during the Belle Époque, the era of peaceful years just before World War I. As a girl, Émilienne fights her way through poverty in Montmartre, drawn to the lights of Paris below. Soon, she stars at the Folies Bergère, mistress of kings and princes, known as the most beautiful woman in Europe.

But, happiness is elusive, and youth and beauty are fragile. And where is love? As clouds of war begin darkening Europe, Émilienne’s young friend, Coco Chanel, has other ideas of how to survive in a man’s world. Strong ideas. Now, as Émilienne fights to survive, Coco’s star rises.

Find Émilienne online at:

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16 May 2023

Book Review | In This Moment (Timeless #2) by Gabrielle Meyer

Gabrielle Meyer has done it again.

When the Day Comes, her first dual-timeline novel, was one of my top reads of 2022, and In This Moment is even better. It follows the same basic structure: a heroine who lives in multiple timelines simultaneously.

Margaret’s three lives are in 1861, 1991, and 2001.

She lives in Washington, DC, in all three the periods, which places her at the centre of politics in three years which are each significant in US history. She has an interest in medicine in all three lives. In 2001, Meg is an overachieving medical student who is about to graduate as a doctor, 1941 Maggie is a nurse in the US Navy, and 1861 Margaret is a volunteer nurse with Clara Barton, who will later found the Red Cross.

I really enjoyed watching Maggie and Margaret practice medicine in the with the challenge of sometimes knowing the answer (thanks to modern medicine) but being unable to share their knowledge for fear of contaminating the timeline.

Margaret has decided she doesn’t want to get emotionally involved with a man in any of her lives, as that would complicate her eventual decision.

But this is a romance, so of course Margaret meets eligible young man in each of her three lives.

That becomes her central internal decision: which timeline—and man—will she choose—the secretive British gentleman, the reclusive Navy surgeon, or the ambitious US congressman? As a reader, I had definite opinions on each man … but would Margaret make the same choice?

It’s a testament to the strength of the writing that Margaret’s eventual decision became obvious and didn’t leave me thinking she’d chosen the wrong man (as I often find in plots where a character has to choose between multiple suitable suitors).

Margaret had a strong Christian faith in each timeline, which shouldn’t be a surprise: she is the same character throughout.

What was good to see was that her three families were Christians as well, and faith was shown as a natural part of life. She does turn to God to help her make her decision, but (as is so often the case) the answer still didn’t become clear.

Margaret’s choice is one big difference between the two books. In When the Day Comes, Libby always knew she wanted to stay in 1775 with her marked mother (not least because her other mother was overly avaricious and insufficiently caring). With In This Moment, Margaret/Maggie/Meg had no idea which path she would choose.

There were a couple of scenes I didn’t enjoy reading in When the Day Comes, but have to acknowledge that they were essential to the plot. There were no such scenes in In the Moment (whew!). When the Day Comes also had a childbirth epilogue—not my favorite literary device. However, the epilogue was necessary as it was setting up the sequel (yay). In this Moment does the same thing, which is fantastic because it promises another sequel … and because it signals the twist that will make Timeless #3 different from the first two books in the series (brilliant!).

It’s not necessary to read When the Day Comes to enjoy In This Moment, as the first paragraph of In This Moment sets up the story:

Most days, I could pretend that my life was normal. I was a twenty-year-old woman searching for my place in the world, trying to find my future. The only difference was that I had three normal lives, and on my twenty-first birthday. I would have to choose which one to keep and which to forfeit. Forever.

(But if you read In This Moment, you will want to go back and read When the Day Comes.)

I recommend In This Moment to all fans at Christian historical romance or Christian dual timeline romance.

I recommend In This Moment by @gabriellemeyer to all fans of Christian historical romance or Christian dual timeline romance.#BookReview #ChristianRomance Share on X

It’s a unique concept, and I’m looking forward to the next Timeless novel.

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

About Gabrielle Meyer

Gabrielle lives on the banks of the Upper Mississippi River with her husband and four children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing historical and contemporary novels inspired by real people, places, and events. The river is a constant source of inspiration for Gabrielle, and if you look closely, you will find a river in each of her stories.

When Gabrielle is not writing, you might find her homeschooling her children, cheering them on at sporting and theatrical events, or hosting a gathering at her home with family and friends.

Find Gabrielle Meyer online at:

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About In This Moment

Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night, she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives–and everyone she knows in them–forever.

In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she joins a hospital ship going to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she’s a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon.

While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer. With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?

Find In This Moment online at:

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8 May 2023

Book Review | Saving the CEO by Liwen Ho

Devin Kendall is the CEO of his family’s multi-million dollar business. But to keep his role, he has to get married in the next three months … and he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Scarlett Hayes is the youngest of four sisters, all of whom work in the family’s Christian matchmaking business. Her friend Bekah recommends Scarlett to her brother, Devin, and they form an instant connection … which is more than a little awkward considering Scarlett is supposed to be finding Devin his perfect match, not falling for him herself.

I must say I’m not a huge fan of plots that centre on an already-dead character ruling from beyond the grave in the form of a dictatorial will. It often seems to me that such clauses indicate a lack of trust from the dead person. However, Saving the CEO managed to take this trope and deal with it well.

While Scarlett and Devin seem like complete opposites (he’s a serious oldest child, and an almost-workaholic professional, while Scarlett is a youngest child who often comes across as flighty). But they also have lots in common – they are both hardworking, determined, family oriented Christians … who find each other attractive.

And that’s awkward, because Rule #1 of matchmaking is Don’t Date the Clients.

Watching Devin and Scarlett pretend to not be attracted while they worked to find Devin some appropriate matches was fun. Watching them fall for each other was even more fun. The, of course, came the inevitable scene where Scarlett realises Devin hadn’t told the whole truth i.e. he hasn’t told her about the will. And to say any more would be a spoiler.

I was impressed by the maturity shown by both Devin and Scarlett, especially Scarlett.

She was younger than Devin and a lot more outgoing, to it would be easy to assume she was immature and flighty, but she was not. She was just as dedicated to her fmaily and to hw work as Devin, even if her job wasn’t as high-powered as his. I liked the way they dealth with their conflicts and difficulties, and I loved their chemistry.

Overall, this is a fun contemporary Christian romance, especially recommended for fans of billionaire romances or matchmaker plots.

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

About Liwen Ho

Liwen Y. Ho works as a chauffeur and referee by day (AKA being a stay at home mom) and an author by night. She writes sweet and inspirational contemporary romance infused with heart, humor, and a taste of home (her Asian roots).

In her pre-author life, she received a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Western Seminary, and she loves makeovers of all kinds, especially those of the heart and mind. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her techie husband and their two children, and blogs about her adventures as a recovering perfectionist

You can find Liwen Ho online at:

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About Saving the CEO

This matchmaker has finally met her match …

To inherit his family business and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, Devin Kendall must find a wife. The only problem? He’s a workaholic CEO who can’t remember the last time he went on a date. The best solution? Hire his sister’s matchmaker friend to do the job for him. If only they didn’t get along like two dogs after the same bone.

If Scarlett Hayes didn’t have a bet to win, she would never have agreed to take on her handsome but incorrigible new client. Devin might seem like the perfect match on paper, but he needs plenty of help in the one area he lacks—romance. She’s determined to pull out all the stops to coach him, including taking him out on a practice date. If only the emotions he stirs up inside of her didn’t feel so real.

The more time Devin and Scarlett spend with each other, the more they realize they’re not so different after all. When they finally agree to work together toward a common goal, how will they handle the chemistry growing between them?

Find Saving the CEO online at:

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1 May 2023

Book Review | I’ll Always Choose You (Trinity Lakes #3) by Lisa Renee

Leah Thompson has spent the last two years building her business, Trinity Organics. She’s fallen for Justin Perry, the town’s one-time bad boy (literally). But her father, the local sheriff, hasn’t forgotten Justin’s past, and won’t allow Leah to date him.

Leah is torn between wanting to date Justin, and honoring her father … who she trusts, and therefore who must have a good reason for wanting to keep them apart. The sheriff suggests Leah date other guys, no doubt hoping that will distract her from Justin.

Justin is serious about dating Leah, so comes up with a foolproof plan.

(Yes, well all know what happens with foolproof plans.)

Justin decides Leah should date someone who is even less suitable than Justin. Leah should start a fake relationship with Marcus, the tattooed Australian chef working at Trinity Lakes Summer Camp.

Everything goes as predicted … which provides lots of fun for the reader (and a lot less fun for Leah and Justin). there are plenty of fun moments, embarrassing moments, and a few misunderstandings in the path of true love.

What makes I’ll Always Choose You different from most romances is that we don’t see Leah and Justin meet or their initial attraction – they’re well on the way to love before the story even begins. But, predictably, the path of true love does not run smooth, and that’s what I’ll Always Choose You focusses on.

It’s a fun, quick read, recommended for fans of contemporary Christian romance.

About Lisa Renee

Lisa Ren’ee is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Omega Writers, Australia.

Lisa adores babies enough to have seven of her own. Recently, Lisa has taken up breeding Ragdoll cats instead of breeding humans.

The tribe lives in Australia, where Lisa and her husband enjoy their writing projects and publishing.

Find Lisa Renee online at:

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About I’ll Always Choose You

Leah Thompson is the Sheriff’s daughter of Trinity Lakes, Washington state. No one is good enough for his baby girl. At twenty-four, she should be able to choose who she wants to date, but her dad holds Justin’s past against him.

Justin has loved Leah for years, the woman where no guy has been brave enough to pursue. Who would want the grumpy sheriff as their future father-in-law? No one is that crazy. Except Justin is crazy in love and willing to do anything to win Leah’s heart, even to set her up on a fake date with his neck-tattooed mate from Australia. Surely the sheriff will see Justin is the better choice for his daughter. Until the fake love triangle goes terribly wrong.

A forbidden love, love triangle, small town contemporary Christian romance.

Visit Trinity Lakes and meet the fun and quirky characters who value family, faith, and happily-ever-after.

Find I’ll Always Choose You online at:

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17 April 2023

Book Review | The Broken Hearts Bakery by Carla Laureano

Gemma Van Buren is a successful Los Angeles divorce lawyer who refuses to represent creeps, cheaters, or abusers … until her boss requires that she be less selective in who she represents. Then she receives a call from her best friend, Liv, asking if Gemma could watch her teenage stepdaughter as Liv has been called to New York for a last-minute business meeting.

Gemma agrees and returns to her childhood hometown of Haven Ridge. She’s been home less than an hour when she runs into her teenage boyfriend. Given this is a small-town romance, they are thrown together in more ways than one, and sparks fly as they fight against rekindling their teenage romance. After all, Gemma will be leaving town again … won’t she?

The Broken Hearts Bakery is clean romance rather than Christian romance, and there are a handful of references that remind readers of the difference. There’s also a slightly magical element to the town, which is introduced in the free prequel novella, The Brick House Cafe, available from Carla Laureano’s website. I do recommend reading this first, as it introduces the town and some key characters as well as being a fun romance in its own right.

However, that gives the book a realism that’s often missing from Christian fiction. In the real world, people have problems, and teens often have to deal with what should be adult problems. Gemma, as the outsider with a talent for providing sweet baked goods, becomes a confidant. And that realism is the strength of the story.

Recommended for fans of sweet or Christian contemporary small-town romance.

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

About Carla Laureano

Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

You can find Carla Laureano online at:

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About The Broken Heart Bakery

Fifteen years ago, the town of Haven Ridge failed its most important mandate—to be a sanctuary for heartbroken citizens in need. Now it’s getting a second chance to set things right …

When Gemma left her hometown of Haven Ridge, Colorado, years ago in a cloud of controversy, she swore she would never return. And she’s kept that promise, instead building her reputation as one of LA’s preeminent family law attorneys. But when her lifelong best friend begs her to come stay with her teen stepdaughter, Taylor, while she’s on a business trip, Gemma doesn’t have the heart to refuse. She’ll simply keep a low profile, do her honorary aunt duties, and be gone before anyone knows the difference.

But Haven Ridge seems to have a mind of its own, dragging Gemma unwillingly back into the community she’s tried so hard to leave behind and she soon finds herself caught up with new friends and old rivalries. When Taylor is the object of an ugly bit of teen bullying, Gemma does the only thing she knows how to do: ply her honorary niece with baked goods and words of affirmation. Soon, her temporary digs are ground zero for teenage girls seeking sugar and consolation for shockingly adult problems—which the girls soon dub The Broken Hearts Bakery.

Complicating matters is an unexpected reunion with Gemma’s high school sweetheart, Stephen, who is determined to change her mind about him, the town, and the nature of love itself. Because as it turns out, her niece isn’t the only one nursing a broken heart…

Find The Broken Heart Bakery online at:

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10 April 2023

Book Review | The Ocean Between Us (Trinity Lakes #2) by Meredith Resce

I’m not always a fan of the “other woman” (or other man) trope.

These may be two women interested in the same man, or two men interested in the same woman.

Some authors show all three points of view, which allows us to get into the heads of all three characters, and see why both women like the man. My problems is that I often back the wrong guy (which is why I stopped reading Karen Kingsbury’s Bailey Flanigan novels, and why Sweet Home Alabama is my least favorite Reese Witherspoon movie).

I much prefer it when the author makes it clear which two characters are going to end up together from the beginning.

Meredith Resce does this in The Ocean Between Us.

I also prefer it when there are good reasons why the main character chooses one over the other … but it’s also clear why he was interested in both in the first place. Again, Meredith Resce gets all these things right in The Ocean Between Us. We can see why Caleb and Kyla are together at the beginning of the novel, and there is a clear reason why Caleb and Alanah were not together (the Pacific Ocean).

All in all, I have to say that The Ocean Between Us is one of the best “other women” novels I’ve read. Alanah and Caleb were both excellent characters in an awkward situation: Alanah in having to spend the summer in the house with her teenage crushand having to hide the fact her feelings are all still there. And Caleb choosing to honor his existing relationship even when faced with his teenage crush.

Yes, The Ocean Between Us is a second-chance romance.

And I have to admit that’s one of my favourite genres. I thought Meredith did an excellent job of bringing the two together in a way that felt real and realistic for the characters, and offered plenty of tension for the reader.

All this sounds somewhat serious, but rest assured: The Ocean Between Us is an enjoyable summer romance read.

About The Ocean Between Us

Alanah has set off on a trip of a lifetime.

Her best friend from high school, Sasha Kennedy, has invited her to Trinity Lakes, Washington State, to be part of her wedding party.

South Australia to Trinity Lakes is literally the other side of the world, so Alanah has a full schedule of adventure planned while she’s away. A summer camp counsellor; a trip to Canada; Sight-seeing in New York and Boston; and avoiding Sasha’s twin-brother, Caleb.

But a silly accident puts Sasha out of commission for all the planned adventures, and Caleb is sent to retrieve his former high school sweetheart from the airport. Eleven years should be enough time to have cooled the love Alanah and Caleb once shared. Should be, but apparently not. This is not a great thing to acknowledge considering Caleb has just announced his engagement to someone else.

Six months of avoiding Caleb—worse—avoiding feelings about Caleb—is going to be a long time.

Find The Ocean Between Us online at:

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About Meredith Resce

South Australian Author, Meredith Resce, has been writing since 1991, and has had books in the Australian market since 1997. Apart from writing, Meredith also takes the opportunity to speak to groups on issues relevant to relationships and emotional and spiritual growth.

Meredith is the author of the award-winning ‘Luella Linley – License to Meddle’ series (contemporary Christian romance), and the ‘Heart of Green Valley’ historical fiction series. She has also been co-writer and co-producer in the 2007 Australian feature film production, “Twin Rivers”.

Meredith has worked in Christian ministry since 1983 with her husband, Nick. Meredith and Nick have three adult children, one daughter and two sons.

Find Meredith Resce online at:

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27 March 2023

Book Review | Holding onto Hope by Janet W Ferguson

Boat captain Caleb Donnelly has been in love with wedding planner Hope Rodriguez for years. Hope has never noticed because she’s got her own unrequited love story: she’s been in love with Peter Thompson for just as long.

They’re both at Pete’s Alabama wedding to Skye (from Healing Skye) when Pete’s brother Andrew drops his own bombshell. He’s getting married. In two weeks. In Wyoming. And Andrew wants Hope to organise not just the wedding, but a week’s worth of “fun” activities for the guests.

So Caleb volunteers to help.

Between them, Hope and Caleb manage to arrange what seems impossible, not helped by the absent bride’s list of requirements. Caroline was Bridezilla on steroids (seriously: if you want to hold an event that doesn’t leave a carbon footprint, you don’t hold it halfway across a continent with only two weeks’ notice).

Most of the people Hope and Caleb talk to think they’re the couple getting married, which is more than a little awkward for Caleb … and for the reader, because I was wondering when Hope was going to notice that Caleb was interested in her.

(It was worth the wait.)

Caleb grew up in foster care after being burned in a house fire as a small child. He carries a lot of physical and emotional scars, so while he’s in love with Hope, he’s also convinced he’s not good enough for her.

Yes, it’s a great setup.

This is one of those books I inhaled – I am an absolute sucker for unrequited love stories, and Caleb was a eminently lovable hero. I was so keen for Caleb and Hope to get their happy-ever-after than I practically inhaled this book. I’m sure I’m going to have to read it again and savour it to pick up the nuances I inevitably missed the first time around … and to enjoy some of the scenes which will no doubt be much more amusing now I know the story plays out.

Recommended for all fans of contemporary Christian romance, or anyone looking for Christian fiction set in Wyoming.

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

About Janet W Ferguson

Janet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served her church as a children’s minister and a youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a few cats that allow them to share the space.

Find Janet W Ferguson online at:

About Holding onto Hope

A fun road trip romance to the Grand Tetons! Always the wedding planner, never the bride.

Hope Rodriguez loves planning weddings. There’s nothing more special than helping a bride become a princess for a day, but she’s not sure that’s her calling in life anymore.

If only she had her own special someone. Her only current prospect leaves her with more questions than answers about where she falls in his list of priorities.

Yet, when a lifelong friend asks her to plan a destination wedding across the country in only two weeks, she’ll have to figure out how to pull off the impossible…alone.

After being burned as a child and deserted by his family, Caleb Donnelly has an intimate relationship with pain. Despite all he’s endured, one ache refuses to leave him—the throbbing in his heart where Hope is concerned.

So when Hope needs help with their friend’s wedding, he can’t stop himself from volunteering to travel two thousand miles to Jackson, Wyoming.

As long as he keeps his feelings in check, he might not ruin their friendship. Because a beautiful woman like Hope could never love a scarred man like him. There’s no way their longtime friendship could ever become more.

When Hope and Caleb’s plans go up in flames, it’s their hearts that might never recover.

Find Holding onto Hope online at:

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20 March 2023

Book Review | Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

I’m changing track slightly today and reviewing a nonfiction book (gasp!).

While I can (and often do) read a novel in a day, nonfiction takes me a lot longer. Liturgy of the Ordinary certainly did—it released in 2016, and mine is an advance reviewer copy …

There are several reasons for this. One is that I find I have to slow down for nonfiction—I can’t devour good nonfiction in a day the way I devour a great novel. I also find that nonfiction tends to speak to us in different seasons of life. If I’m trying to read a book in the wrong season, it’s like trying to build a snowman in midsummer: I might be willing, but there is just nothing there to work with.

Liturgy of the Ordinary was like that.

It’s a book to be read slowly and savoured, not devoured in a day.

Ironic, given it’s structured around the activities of a typical day.

Different people will probably read different things into the book (isn’t that one of the brilliant things about writing?). My view is that the overarching theme is that most of us do live ordinary lives … and that’s okay. That’s what God has called us to. That’s how we are to honour God, in the ordinary.

Warren says:

I’m living this life, the life right in front of me. This one where we aren’t living as we thought we might or as we hoped we would.

(Actually, that makes sense. Ordinary is the opposite of extraordinary. If we were all pastors of mega-churches or world-famous evangelists or sought-after preachers, those things wouldn’t be the extraordinary. They’d be the ordinary, and we’d all be longing for what we now disparagingly call ordinary).

When Warren refers to liturgies, she isn’t just referring to the worship practices of traditional churches. She’s talking about our everyday liturgies … our habits and traditions:

Examining our daily life through the lens of liturgy allows us to see who these habits are shaping us to be, and the ways we can live as people who have been loved and transformed by God.

She confronts and challenges our subconscious views, our desire to get rid of the boring stuff to live a thrilling, edgy kind of faith. She worries that we’re addicted to novelty and stimulation rather than actively seeking solitude and silence, as Jesus did. She challenges us to be content in all circumstances, even dirty dishes and unmade beds and lost keys. She challenges our impatience, our desire to be happy and fulfilled now, our never-ending quest to control our time and get to the end of the to-do list.

She quotes Dorothy Bass in Receiving the Day:

We come to believe that we, not God, are the masters of time. We come to believe that our worth must be proved by the way we spend our hours and that our ultimate safety depends on our own good management.

Guilty as charged … I have been tracking my daily mobile phone usage this year, and have discovered (!) that the days where I feel I’ve been most productive are the days when I’ve spent the least time on my phone (who knew, right?).

Finally, Warren challenges us to rest.

She points out that while evangelism has produced many positive changes in society (such as the abolition of slavery, the rights of women, and the protection of children), it has also embraced a “culture of frenzy and grandiosity” to the point where we’re all exhausted. We need to reclaim the Sabbath and actually rest.

We don’t need to go all out, doing all the things, to get Jesus to show up. He’s already here. We just need to slow down for long enough to notice.

We need to rest.

So if you’re stuck on the never-ending hamster wheel of doing, perhaps it’s time to pick up Liturgy of the Ordinary and allow yourself to focus on the small instead of the big, on being instead of doing.

Thanks to InterVarsity Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. And sorry for taking over six years to read it.

About Tish Harrison Warren

Tish Harrison Warren is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. After eight years with InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries at Vanderbilt and The University of Texas at Austin, she currently serves as Co-Associate Rector at Church of the Ascension in Pittsburgh, PA.

She writes regularly for The Well, CT Women, and Christianity Today. Her work has also appeared in Comment Magazine, Christ and Pop Culture, Art House America, Anglicanpastor.com, and elsewhere. She is author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life (IVP). She is from Austin, TX, and now lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and two young daughters in a house chock full of books with no matching forks or matching socks anywhere to be found.

Find Tish Harrison Warren online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Liturgy of the Ordinary

In the overlooked moments and routines of our day, we can become aware of God’s presence in surprising ways. How do we embrace the sacred in the ordinary and the ordinary in the sacred?

Framed around one ordinary day, this book explores daily life through the lens of liturgy, small practices, and habits that form us. Each chapter looks at something―making the bed, brushing her teeth, losing her keys―that the author does every day. Drawing from the diversity of her life as a campus minister, Anglican priest, friend, wife, and mother, Tish Harrison Warren opens up a practical theology of the everyday. Each activity is related to a spiritual practice as well as an aspect of our Sunday worship.

Come and discover the holiness of your every day.

Find Liturgy of the Ordinary online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

13 March 2023

Book Review | No Matter What by Jennifer Carr

Those of you who regularly read my reviews know I rarely gush about the books I’ve read. I suspect that’s partly because I read so mush fiction: it takes a lot to come up with a concept or content I find gushable (that’s a word, right?)

No Matter What by Jennifer Carr has got me gushing.

The main character, Jess, has a gift: she can read the emotions of others with remarkable accuracy. It’s never explained if this is a well-honed sense of empathy or whether it’s some kind of supernatural gift, and it doesn’t matter. It’s a fascinating concept, and one I can’t remember reading before (which is always a great start).

It’s not perfect. The cover is underwhelming, I’m not a fan of whine or growl to describe the way characters speak, and there were aspects to the plot which broke all the “rules”. It also involves something close to the “love at first sight” trope, which is not one I usually enjoy.

Having said that (and without wanting to give any spoilers), part of what kept me engaged was the unexpected—the aspects which broke all the rules.

Jess is a fascinating character.

Her “gift” is even more pronounced when she touches people, so she likes to keep physical contact to a minimum. As a result, she’s never had a proper boyfriend … something her roommate, Stacy, wants to change. She’s intelligent—as the story opens, she’s teaching college-level psychology and about to defend her PhD thesis.

The novel is written in first person, mostly from Jess’s point of view.

I think this is a definite strength, although I know some readers struggle with first person. I love it, because it allows the reader to get inside the character’s head. With Jess, this means we get first-hand insight into her gift as she meets and reacts to new people.

This gift and the compelling yet believable way it is portrayed dragged me straight into the plot and didn’t let go. I was totally on board with the instant attraction between Jess and Bryan, even when I realised Jess wasn’t a Christian and the two were therefore unequally yoked.

However, that paved the way for something I’d love to see more of in Christian fiction—a believable come-to-Jesus conversion scene for an adult main character. Yes, I know they’re hard to write, so I do love it when an author achieves the almost-impossible and brings a Christian and a non-Christian together in a way that rings true.

I also loved the fact that Jess was clearly then discipled as a Christian by her pastor’s wife. No, we didn’t see this on the page (this is romantic suspense fiction, not how-to-disciple-a-new-believer nonfiction), but it was clearly part of her character journey.

And at the end, that’s what No Matter What was about. Yes, there are suspense elements and there are some puzzles to solve, but that’s not the core of the story. The core of the story is about character change: how the author shows characters change as they come to know Jesus, with the unwritten implication that He can do the same for us.

Because He loves us. No matter what.

And, despite what some might see as many faults, that’s why I’m left gushing about No Matter What.

Thanks to Jennifer Carr for providing a free ebook for review.

About Jennifer Carr

Having always enjoyed books, writing, and daydreaming, Jennifer wanted to know what it would feel like to combine the three and write a book. Once she started writing, everything changed. Within a matter of months she had multiple projects started and found a love for writing in a way she never knew was possible. Married to her childhood best friend and the mom of a creative daughter, Jennifer enjoys baking, reading romance novels, and living the quiet life on a farm in Alabama.

Find Jennifer Carr online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

About No Matter What

Bryan Carsen, a member of the United States Cyber Force, and Jess Hayley, a brilliant profiler with a unique set of skills, are about to set off to live a life they never knew they ever wanted. Two complete strangers, Bryan and Jess find themselves on a roadtrip rescue mission to save a best friend, finding love on the way. But instead of a happily ever after, Bryan stumbles upon a covert hacking operation inside his unit that upends the future he had planned.

When Jess finds herself the recipient of a mysterious box of evidence related to Bryan’s investigation she knows everything she holds dear is about to be threatened. Jess turns to the only person she knows she can trust, but can she trust that her heart won’t become the next casualty?

Find No Matter What online at:

Amazon| Goodreads