Category: Book Review

4 May 2020

Book Review | Stay With Me (Misty River Romance #1) by Becky Wade

Eighteen years ago, Genevieve was one of five miracle children who survived days trapped in rubble in San Salvador, after an earthquake hits the during their junior high mission trip. Now, she’s an online celebrity, a famous author of Bible studies for women. And she’s hiding a prescription drug addiction that could destroy her career, and wondering what secrets her family is hiding. Because there is definitely something, if the anonymous letter she received is any indication.

But she knows something has to change after she wakes up in a stranger’s house with no memory of how she got there. But she can’t go to rehab. That would mean the end of her career. And there is also the question of how her parents will react, especially her overprotective mother.

Sam Turner is an Australian American who owns his own coffee shop and is a big advocate of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. (Okay, so the one thing I’m not convinced about is a man who voluntarily eats kale, but there you go.) Anyway, Sam agrees—against his better judgment—to help Genevieve detox.

Stay With Me is a strong romance with excellent characters. It’s strong Christian fiction, because faith is central to both Genevieve and Sam’s lives. But the real strength is the way it deals with Genevieve’s addition, an issue that’s rarely discussed in Christian fiction, and the subtle warning against putting other Christians—especially Christian leaders—on pedestals.

Stay With Me by @BeckyWade is a great start to a new series, a Christian novel that isn't afraid to ask tough questions about faith and life. #BookReview #ChristianRomance Share on X

Stay With Me is a great start to a new series, a Christian novel that isn’t afraid to ask tough questions about faith and life. Recommended.

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

About Becky Wade

Becky is the Carol and Christy award winning author of heartwarming, humorous, and swoon-worthy contemporary inspirational romances.

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She’s been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

These days, you’ll find Becky in Dallas, Texas failing to keep up with her housework, trying her best in yoga class, carting her three kids around town, watching TV with her Cavalier spaniel on her lap, hunched over her computer writing, or eating chocolate.

You can find Becky Wade online at:

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About Stay With Me

A mysterious letter alluding to a secret in her parents’ past brings Genevieve Woodward back to her Blue Ridge Mountains hometown, but she’s also in need of a break from a high-profile career that has left her dangerously burned out and concealing a powerful secret of her own. When she wakes inside an unfamiliar cottage to find the confused owner staring down at her, she can no longer ignore the fact that she needs help.

Sam Turner has embraced his sorrow and his identity as an outsider. The solitary, disciplined life he lives on his historic farm is the life he’s chosen for himself. The last thing he wants is to rent his cottage to a woman as troubled as she is talkative. Yet, he can’t force himself to turn her away right when she needs him most.

As Genevieve researches her family’s history and her and Sam’s emotions deepen, they will have to let go of the facades and loneliness they’ve clung to and allow light to illuminate every hidden truth.

Find Stay With Me online at:

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

27 April 2020

Book Review | Flight Risk by Cara C Putman

Attorney Savannah Daniels is working on a legal case for Mnemosyne, a new form of black box for aircraft. Journalist Jeff Glover is working on the piece that might earn him a Pulitzer, an expose of a famous sportsman and his dodgy holidays to Thailand with three other men. Their paths intersect because one of the men Jeff is investigating is Savannah’s ex-husband … and the father of her niece. Savannah finds herself in the middle of the mystery when a plane crashes with the sportsman on board … as well as a Mnemosyne box.

Yes, the plot is more complex than most. There are plenty of twist and turns, and a few red herrings. How did the box get on the aircraft? Is Susannah’s husband the dodgy scum Glover’s article implies? Is there a conspiracy, or is it all a series of odd coincidences? Questions. Lots of questions. Even better, the questions and answers all make sense in the end (unlike some suspense novels where the big reveal is tied to a logical impossibility).

Flight Risk is my favourite kind of romantic suspense novel, one that grabs you from the get-go and doesn't let up. It's one of Cara Putman's best. #BookReview #ChristianFiction Share on X

Flight Risk was my favourite kind of romantic suspense novel, one that grabs you from the get-go and doesn’t let up. I’m usually a fan of character-driven fiction. This was more plot-driven, but in a way that was totally compelling. It’s another must-from a top Christian romantic suspense author—I think it’s one of Cara Putman’s best.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Cara Putman

As a preteen Cara Putman watched lawyers change legislative opinions at an important legislative hearing in Nebraska. At that time, she wondered if she became an attorney if people would give her words the same weight. An honors graduate of the University of Nebraska Lincoln, George Mason University School of Law and Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, Cara has turned her passion for words into award-winning stories that capture readers. Her legal experience makes its way into her stories where strong women confront real challenges.

The award-winning author of more than 25 titles, Cara writes legal thrillers, WWII romances, and romantic suspense because she believes that no matter what happens hope is there, waiting for us to reach for it.

When she’s not writing, Cara is an over-educated attorney who lectures in law and communications at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University and homeschools her children. She and her family live in Indiana, the land of seasons.

You can find Cara Putman online at:

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About Flight Risk

Savannah Daniels has worked hard to build her law practice, to surround herself with good friends, and to be the loyal aunt her troubled niece can always count on. But since her ex-husband’s betrayal, she has trouble trusting anyone.

Jett Glover’s father committed suicide over a false newspaper report that ruined his reputation. Now a fierce champion of truth, Jett is writing the story of his journalism career—an international sex-trafficking exposé that will bring down a celebrity baseball player and the men closest to him, including Savannah’s ex-husband.

When Jett’s story breaks, tragedy ensues. Then a commercial airline crashes, and one of Savannah’s clients is implicated in the crash. Men connected to the scandal, including her ex, begin to die amid mysterious circumstances, and Savannah’s niece becomes an unwitting target.

Against their better instincts, Jett and Savannah join ranks to sort the facts from fiction. But can Savannah trust the reporter who threw her life into chaos? And can Jett face the possibility that he’s made the biggest mistake of his life?

You can find Flight Risk online at:

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Read the introduction to Flight Risk below:

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

20 April 2020

Book Review | Border Breach by Darlene L Turner

Kaylin Poirier is a border patrol officer on the US/Canadian border with a particular passion to stop the import of illegal drugs after her brother died. Kaylin knows something is off when she stops a suspicious-looking van on the border and finds the driver has a photograph of her. But she doesn’t expect to become a target after the van crosses the border illegally …

Hudson Steeves is a police constable assigned to work with Kaylin to find the missing van, which belonged to a local florist. He’s attracted to her, but she’s not a Christian. And some of the things she says and people she knows point to an unexpected history.

This is Darlene L Turner’s debut novel, from Love Inspired Suspense.

LIS books tend to be plot-driven and fast-paced, and Border Breach is no exception. It’s a fast read with plenty of action that barely gives the reader a chance to draw a breath as Kaylin and Hudson overcome their initial animosity and agree to work together to find the person behind the drugs entering the country and circulating through the schools (I did guess the evildoer’s identity early on, but my logic turned out to be 100% wrong!).

The one problem with such a fast-paced approach is that it can sometimes feel like the character development is lacking. Kaylin and Hudson have plenty of personal history as individuals and together. There’s almost too much history for such a short novel—but I’d much rather read a book and wish it could have been longer than the opposite!

I particularly enjoyed the fact the novel was set in Canada, as that provided a new perspective on the war against drugs.

A solid debut, recommended for romantic suspense fans.

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

About Darlene L Turner

Darlene 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:

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About Border Breach

When drugs are smuggled across the border …

It’s their duty to stop the culprits … at any cost.

Forming a joint task force, Canada border officer Kaylin Poirier and police constable Hudson Steeves have one objective: take down a drug-smuggling ring trying to sell a new lethal product. But when the smugglers come after Kaylin and Hudson, this mission becomes more than just a job. Can they live long enough to solve the case?

Find Border Breach online at:

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13 April 2020

Book Review | The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel

Eva Jamison lost her husband eighteen months ago.

He and his brother drowned while diving. She was a talented florist, but hasn’t worked since Brent died. Instead, she volunteers at his favourite, lives off the proceeds from the fitness centres he co-founded, and mourns. When a chance telephone call offers the opportunity to raise money for Brent’s favourite charity, Eva is keen to help. But that requires help …

Angela Jamison hasn’t had time or energy to mourn her husband.

Instead, she works two jobs to support their three children, and tries to cope with her moody teenage daughter. She doesn’t have the time or energy to think or grieve, let alone train for an ultramarathon or travel halfway around the world to New Zealand’s South Island. And there’s the money … money she doesn’t have.

Two sisters in law, united by a common grief, and brought together by a unique opportunity—to run an ultramarathon in beautiful New Zealand. The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel #BookReview #JoyofFalling Share on X

Two sisters in law, united by a common grief, and brought together by a unique opportunity.

It’s a great premise, and while it did not motivate me to run any distance, the characters somehow managed to confince me that running an ultramarathon for 155 miles around the South Island was a great idea. (Hint: it’s a noble objective, and the scenery is fantastic, but I prefer to tour via a car, thank you very much.

I’ve visited many of the New Zealand settings from The Joy of Falling, and I definitely enjoyed those parts of the book. It’s great to read about a familiar setting, and especially to see it through the fresh eyes of visitors. Being in a new country gave the women (and the children) a chance to rediscover themselves.

The writing was excellent.

The story is a sensitive examination of grief from different perspectives. It’s also a story of discovery and making choices and finding the blessings in life, even in the hard times. It’s not an overtly Christian story, but the underlying themes and values are definitely Christian, and the overall tone is straight out of the Bible: be joyful always … even when it’s hard.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Lindsay Harrel

Lindsay Harrel is a lifelong book nerd with a B.A. in journalism and M.A. in English. She lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training. Lindsay has held a variety of jobs, including curriculum editor for two universities, medical and business writer, and copywriter for a digital marketing agency. Now she juggles stay-at-home mommyhood with working freelance jobs, teaching college English courses online, and—of course—writing novels.

When she actually has time to do other things, she loves to sing, read, and sip passion iced teas from Starbucks. She loves to watch God work in ordinary lives to create something extraordinary, and she writes to bring hope to those who may have lost it along the way.

You can find Lindsay Harrel online at:

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About The Joy of Falling

Eva and Angela must learn to live again. One step at a time.

It has been fifteen months since Eva and Angela lost their thrill-seeking husbands in a scuba diving accident. Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief, but neither one is making much progress. Angela is barely making ends meet, angry at her husband for leaving her to raise three children on her own. Meanwhile, Eva is stuck, unable to move forward after losing the love of her life and her source of inspiration.

But then Eva gets a life-changing phone call. Before Brent and Wes died, they had signed up for a race of a lifetime—an ultra-marathon in beautiful New Zealand. Eva begs Angela to run the race with her in their husbands’ place, and Angela finally agrees, hoping to finally understand her husband’s choices.

Training is exhausting, and the race is even more demanding. Their journey grows more complicated by the presence of two men—Marc is Brent’s best friend who is running the race with Eva and Angela, and Simon King is a writer who is covering their inspiring story. With every step, Eva and Angela must ask themselves questions that they haven’t had the courage to ask before. As the women literally put one foot in front of the other, they wonder: Is it possible to find their way forward in hope?

You can find The Joy of Falling online at

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

6 April 2020

Book Review | Dead End (Kaely Quin Profiler #3) by Nancy Mehl

Dead End is the third book in Nancy Mehl’s Kaely Quinn Profiler series. Kaely works in law enforcement, profiling and catching serial killers. She’s also the daughter of a serial killer, something that has shaped her life and career (for better and worse). And he’s back. At least, there is another serial killer on the loose, and he’s using her father’s signatures.

The suspense aspect of the plot was excellent.

It’s obvious that Kaely’s father isn’t the killer: he’s safe in jail. So who is it? It must be someone who knows her father well, but who? I had my suspicions, and they were wrong. That made it a nailbiting read that was hard to put down.

Kaely isn’t always an easy character to relate to.

She has her strengths: she’s intelligent, dedicated, and good at her job. But those are also her weaknesses: she can’t detach from her job, and she sometimes puts her own physical and mental health at risk to break the case. She comes across as mostly normal, but that hides a lot of inner insecurities and awkwardness.

Some of that awkwardness comes through in her faith. She’s been forced to seek answers to some of the hard questions about Christianity: can God save even the vilest sinner? Does anyone ever get so far from God that they can’t be saved? Does she have to forgive her father for his sins? Yes, there were strong faith aspects, and they were a strength of the story.

The writing was generally strong, although there were a couple of annoying instances when the point of view character discovered something but the reader didn’t know what. I guess that was supposed to add suspense. It kept me reading, but it did irritate me. My view is that if we’re in the viewpoint character’s head, we should be part of the conversation and not have the salient points blurred out for us to discover later.

But that’s a minor point in an otherwise excellent romantic suspense novel.

It is the third book in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone—while there are a few references to earlier events, they are minor (and won’t spoil the earlier books if you accidentally read them out of order).

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

About Nancy Mehl

Nancy Mehl lives in Missouri, with her husband Norman, and her very active puggle, Watson. She’s authored thirty books and is currently at work on a new FBI suspense series for Bethany House Publishing.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

You can find Nancy Mehl online at:

Website | Suspense Sisters | Facebook

About Dead End

When a body is discovered in a field in Iowa, the police uncover fourteen additional corpses ranging from 20 years old to recent. The remains point to a serial killer with an MO the authorities have seen before–Ed Oliphant, a man who has been in prison for over 20 years . . . and is Special Agent Kaely Quinn’s father. After several failed interview attempts to discover if Ed has been training someone to be a copycat killer, the police turn to Kaely in St. Louis.

Kaely promised herself she would never step foot in her hometown or set eyes on her father again. She’s always refused to confront her past, but if she wants to prevent any more deaths, she must come face-to-face with the man she’s hated for years.

As more bodies are discovered, Kaely races against time and her own personal turmoil to uncover the killer. Will this most personal case yet cost Kaely her identity and perhaps even her life?

Find Dead End online at:

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

30 March 2020

Book Review | Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Nicole Deese

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

Find Nicole Deese online at:

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About Before I Called You Mine

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

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

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

Find Before I Called You Mine online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Kobo | Koorong

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

16 March 2020

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

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

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

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

There is also the duke of the title.

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

I was less sympathetic towards Georgia, the heroine.

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

There was a little girl who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead

When she was good, she was very, very good

But when she was bad, she was horrid.

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

There were a few historical glitches.

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Lorri Dudley

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

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

Find Lorri Dudley online at:

Website | Goodreads

About The Duke’s Refuge

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

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

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

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

Find The Duke’s Refuge online at:

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9 March 2020

Book Review | A Dogwood Christmas by Sarah N Ham

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Sarah N Ham

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

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

Find Sarah N Ham online at:

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About A Dogwood Christmas

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

Find A Dogwood Christmas online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Read the introduction to A Dogwood Christmas below:

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

2 March 2020

Book Review | The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin

Private Clay Paxton has a dream … of how he’s going to die.

Oddly enough, that gives him confidence to push through his training as a US Army Ranger, because he knows none of these dangerous activities are going to kill him. And if death is what God has called him to, then death is a sacrifice he will willingly make—even if that means denying his other dream, of being a doctor.

Leah Jones was raised in an orphanage, and works in the library at the Camp Forrest Army Base where Clay is training. The two become friends, bonding over a shared love of God and books (in that order). But when Leah is brutally attacked in the library, Clay saves her life and they enter into a marriage of convenience.

The Land Beneath Us impressed me.

Clay and Leah are both downtrodden characters—Clay because of his race, and Leah because she was an orphan, and “nice” children didn’t end up in orphanages. Both are estranged from their families—Leah knows she has twin sisters, but has no idea where they might live. Clay has two older brothers, one of whom stole his girlfriend, while the other stole his life savings and dream of medical school.

But both have a strong faith in God even in the dark times, and neither are bitter. Clay’s story is based on the story of the Prodigal Son, except Clay is the youngest and stayed home, where his older brothers both left. Despite the circumstances, Clay has forgiven both his brothers, but has no way to reconcile with them because he has no idea where they are. As such, it’s the Prodigal Son(s) with a twist, because Clay isn’t resentful.

The Land Beneath Us is the third book in Sarah Sundin’s Sunrise at Normandy series.

I haven’t read any of the others, and I don’t think I missed anything (although those who have read The Sea Before Us or The Sky Above Us will definitely want to read The Land Beneath Us to conclude the story of the three brothers).

Recommended for fans of historical Christian romance.

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

About Sarah Sundin

Sarah Sundin is the author of The Sea Before Us and The Sky Above Us, as well as the Waves of Freedom, Wings of the Nightingale, and Wings of Glory series. Her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Her popular Through Waters Deep was a Carol Award finalist, and both Through Waters Deep and When Tides Turn were named on Booklist‘s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” Sarah lives in Northern California.

Find Sarah Sundin online at:

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About The Sky Beneath Us

In 1943, Private Clay Paxton trains hard with the US Army Rangers at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, determined to do his best in the upcoming Allied invasion of France. With his future stolen by his brothers’ betrayal, Clay has only one thing to live for–fulfilling the recurring dream of his death.

Leah Jones works as a librarian at Camp Forrest, longing to rise above her orphanage upbringing and belong to the community, even as she uses her spare time to search for her real family–the baby sisters she was separated from so long ago.

After Clay saves Leah’s life from a brutal attack, he saves her virtue with a marriage of convenience. When he ships out to train in England for D-day, their letters bind them together over the distance. But can a love strong enough to overcome death grow between them before Clay’s recurring dream comes true?

Find The Sky Beneath Us online at:

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Read the introduction to The Sky Beneath Us below:

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27 February 2020

Book Review | A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback takes Kimberly and Sam from Jessica Kate’s debut, Love and Other Mistakes, and transplants them to Sam’s family farm in the Australian Outback. Sam is convinced he’s a failure, so quits Wildfire, the youth mission he founded. When he gets home, he finds his sister Jules with a broken leg, and the farm under threat of bankruptcy.

Wildfire doesn’t go well without him either.

Kimberly is packed off to Australia to convince Sam to return to the program. Sam won’t return until he knows the farm will be okay, so Kimberly is bribed to stay and help even though she and Sam go together like oil and water. She offers her financial and management smarts to help in the hope she can get Sam back to Wildfire.

I grew up in a farming community, but Kimberly’s research showed me there is a lot more to farming than I knew (especially Aussie farming. New Zealand doesn’t have the same fire and flood risks as Queensland).

Reading this against the backdrop of the Australian fires had a sobering affect on what is otherwise a fun romantic comedy.

And it is funny. As a Kiwi, I found several giggles and groans in the Aussie cultural references as Kimberly settles in to life in ‘Straya. Mick drinks kombucha, which shows he’s a better person than me—I’ve only tried it once, and it was nasty. Sam wears Stubbies, a fashion staple of rural Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s:

Yes. That’s a fashion item that should have stayed in the 1970s (and if you think that photo is scary, click through to the website, which also offers an enlarged view and a back view).

Kimberly packs a picnic basket and includes:

“Canadian bacon—known in Australia simply as ‘bacon,’ plus Vegemite and Weetbix cereal for a traditional Australian touch.”

So if I call it “bacon” and Americans call it “Canadian bacon”, what’s the stuff on the American fast-food menus that they call bacon? Or don’t I want to know?

Also, while I do know some people who eat Weetbix with butter and Marmite (the Kiwi version of Vegemite, and we won’t get into any arguments about which tastes better, thank you very much), I don’t know anyone who’d eat Weetbix, Vegemite, and bacon at the same time. Well, I hope I don’t.

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback has all the wit and sass of Love and Other Mistakes, plus a healthy dose of ‘Straya.

The Australian setting means it also has ample opportunity to showcase the highs and lows, from brown snakes and early-morning avian wake-up calls to the beauty of the Outback and the Gold Coast beaches.

But there are some serious life lessons hidden in the banter.

Both Sam and Kim have mistakes from their past they need to overcome, both for their own sakes and to draw them together as a couple. Jules (Sam’s sister) has her own issues with Mike, the guy she broke up with years ago because she wanted to stay on the farm and he wanted to move to the coast. It’s fun watching both couples fall apart, get together, and work through their issues. It’s also a reminder of the power of God … when we get out of His way.

A Girl's Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate @JessicaKate05 has plenty of wit and sass, and some serious topics hidden in the banter #ChristianRomance #BookReview Share on X

Recommended for anyone looking for a fun romantic comedy in a unique setting.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Jessica Kate

Australian author Jessica Kate writes inspirational romances that are fun, sassy and real. Jess is a screenwriting groupie, co-host of the StoryNerds vlog and podcasts, and her favorite place to be – apart from Mum and Dad’s back deck – is a theme park.

She’s traveled North America and Australia, and samples her favorite pasta wherever she goes – but the best (so far) is still the place around the corner from her corporate day job as a training developer.

She loves watching sit-coms with her housemates and being a leader in a new church plant.

You can find Jessica Kate online at:

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About A Girl’s Guide to the Outback

How far will a girl go to win back a guy she can’t stand? This funny, sweet, and romantic story proves that opposites do attract—and that God has a sense of humor.

Samuel Payton is a passionate youth pastor in Virginia, but below the surface, he’s still recovering from the blow of a failed business and insecurities he can’t shake. His coworker, start-up expert Kimberly Foster, is brilliant, fearless, and capable, but years of personal rejection have left her defensive and longing for a family. Two people have never been more at odds—or more attracted to one another. And every day at work, the sparks sure do fly.

When Kimberly’s ambitious plans for Sam’s ministry butt up against his risk-averse nature, Sam decides that obligations to family trump his work for the church. He quits the ministry and heads home to Australia to help his sister, Jules, save her struggling farm. As Kimberly’s grand plans flounder, she is forced to face the truth: that no one can replace Sam. Together they strike up a deal: If Kimberly comes to work on Jules’s dairy farm and lends her business brains to their endeavor, then maybe—just maybe—Sam will reconsider his future with the church.

As Kimberly tries her hand at Australian farm life, she learns more about herself than she could’ve ever expected. Meanwhile Sam is forced to re-evaluate this spunky woman he thought he already knew. As foes slowly morph into friends, they wonder if they might be something even more. But when disaster strikes the farm, will Sam find it within himself to take a risk that could lead to love? And will Kimberly trust God with her future?

Find A Girl’s Guide to the Outback online at:

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