Tag: 2023 Release

20 November 2023

Book Review | Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson

Cat Cranwell is an online influencer who is unceremoniously cancelled when the new social network she’s promoting is found to be selling data.

My first impression of Cat was shallow.

My second impression was that she was clever enough to know she really should read a contract before signing it … but not clever enough to stand up for herself and insist that she (or her lawyer) actually read the contract. I almost stopped reading at this point. In fact, I did stop reading, only to return to the book several months later.

Anyway, Cat’s uncle invites her to his small town in Montanna, where he has a job she can do while she waits for the hullabaloo to die down. He’s the head Park Ranger for Kannery National Park, and hires Cat to reenergise their social media profiles and marketing in general.

So Cat catches a flight to the middle of nowhere, taking more suitcases than she should reasonably have been allowed to check in. (Who needs six suitcases to go anywhere?) She meets her uncle’s quirky colleagues, including the elusive Zaiah Smith.

Famous for a Living had the same city-girl-meets-country-boy grumpy sunshine plot and overall vibe as Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other. Brynn and Sebastian’s story had them both as point of view characters, while Cat’s story is told entirely in first person from her point of view.

I found that a little hard going … and I say that as someone who usually loves first person.

I think my problem was that I found Cat annoying and unlikeable for the first third of the book. She mellowed slightly in the middle third and was quite likeable by the end (although I still don’t see what Zaiah saw in her, or vice versa).

The cover gives off definite rom-com vibes, and there were some funny lines and even funny scenes. The writing was good and occasionally great, although there were a few times I had to backtrack because it felt like I’d missed something important (like Zaiah giving any indication he was romantically interested in Cat. Or vice versa). As such, the story was definitely more com than rom.

The story did make some solid points about social media use and addiction.

However, I would have liked to have seen that spread more evenly throughout the story. I guess it could be argued that the whole story was a warning against social media addiction, but that wasn’t the impression I got.

Famous for a Living is categorised as Christian fiction, and I kept waiting for Cat–or Zaiah, or anyone–to show some kind of Christian message (like how we, as Christians, should look to God rather than social media for love). But it never came. Yes, I guess it was a clean and wholesome romance, but I would have liked to have seen more of a faith element, and much more of a romance.

If you enjoy rom-coms from authors like Bethany Turner, then you may enjoy Famous for a Living.

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

About Melissa Ferguson

Melissa Ferguson is an adjunct professor for Bible and religion at King University. She lives in the charming town of Bristol, Tennessee, with her husband, twin toddlers, and baby girl. She used to have hobbies like running and backpacking the Appalachian Trail outside her door. Now her hobbies include admiring the Appalachian Trail out her minivan window while singing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” en route to the library.

Find Melissa Ferguson online at:

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About Famous for a Living

She’s Insta-famous. He uses a flip phone.

When her business partner is accused of serious financial crimes, superstar influencer Cat Cranwell—an engineered marvel of beauty, energy, and fun—falls from her penthouse perch. Desperate to get away from the online trolls and paparazzi documenting her disgrace, Cat accepts her uncle’s offer to work with him in Kannery National Park, Montana. About as far as possible from life as she’s known it.

Cat’s world shifts from the swirling haze of likes and comments to literal blizzards of frostbite temperatures and waist-deep snow. In place of negotiating brand deals, she finds herself negotiating at the ledge of a frozen lake with her die-hard Polar Bear Plunge coworkers. Instead of padding through the marble kitchen of her Manhattan loft, she’s sharing a tent-sized cabin with a roommate eager to bond like characters in sitcoms. But something curious is also happening in this overwhelming breath of fresh air as she reacquaints with the most honest parts of herself and begins to ask the hard questions. Can Cat love herself with, and without, the world watching?

Then there’s that other tiny problem—she’s falling for Zaiah, the ruggedly handsome park ranger—and he hates anything remotely connected to social media, quite possibly her included.

Written with bestselling author Melissa Ferguson’s signature wit and charm, this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy of opposites attract is full of hilarious romp and a romance that will melt readers’ hearts.

Find Famous for a Living online at:

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13 November 2023

Book Review | The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Secret to Happiness is the sequel to The Sweet Life, which brought mother and daughter duo Marnie and Dawn to the seaside town of Chatham, where they own and run the Main Street Creamery. I had mixed feelings about The Sweet Life—the cover had led me to expect a romance, but it was more women’s fiction, and while I liked Marnie, I wasn’t so sure about Dawn.

I have some of the same mixed feelings about The Secret to Happiness.

It started with a Cast of Characters list, which I rarely find to be a good sign in contemporary fiction. It’s fine in historical fiction, where it can be important to know which characters are real historical people and which are products of the author’s imagination. In contemporary fiction, I find it’s often an excuse for the author to dump a bunch of characters on the reader without proper introduction. It’s not—Fisher does a great job with bringing each new character into the story—so I don’t know why the Cast of Characters was included.

While both Marnie and Dawn are point of view characters in The Secret to Happiness, this is Callie Dixon’s story.

Callie is Marnie’s niece and Dawn’s cousin, and she is currently unemployed after giving two hundred people food poisoning (oops). Two hundred people attending the annual Food Safety Conference (big oops). Callie has always been an overachieving perfectionist–she had to be, to be offered a role as executive chef in a top Boston hotel while still in her twenties. But she’s changed, and now she barely leaves her bed, which spurs Dawn into forcing her to attend a free class at the local community centre: The Secret to Happiness.

The class is taught by a local author and college professor, and while Callie is convinced she is happy and not depressed, she does find the class interesting. It’s pretty obvious Callie is depressed, so my biggest bugbear is that Dawn’s solution to Callie’s mental health issues was a free community centre class, not professional medical attention.

Mind you, that did fit with Dawn’s character.

Dawn is single-minded in her focus to the point of being self-centered, and she’s not great at seeing or considering other points of view. I also did not appreciate her “revelation” that moving to a (fictional) seaside town was the cure that “changed her life”. I live in a town by the sea, and people here need Jesus as much as anyone. From a secular point of view, Dawn’s advice is an irresponsible diagnosis. From a Christian point of view, it negates the need for Jesus.

But I like Callie’s character. It’s good to see a character who is struggling, and it’s good to see her come out the other side (even if I did question Dawn’s methods). And I loved Leo the Cowboy, the six-year-old who has made the ice cream store his second home (Leo was my favourite character in The Sweet Life.)

Despite my initial negative feelings about Callie’s diagnosis and treatment, the story did offer some good advice on happiness.

As such, I much preferred the second half of the novel to the first (perhaps because I guessed a major plot twist around halfway thought, so was waiting to see how and when the reveal would come).

The Secret to Happiness is women’s fiction rather than romance. I expect women’s fiction to tackle some tough issues—which it did. I also expect those tough issues to be dealt with in a mature and responsible way—which I’m not convinced it did.

I did enjoy the story overall but would have enjoyed it more if the mental health issues (which were central to the plot) had been treated a little more seriously i.e. with professional help. After all, if someone thought they had a broken arm, we’d suggest they go to a clinic, get an ex-ray, and have an expert decide if they need treatment. Why wouldn’t we do the same if we suspect someone has a mental health problem?

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

As it happens…

I’d just finished scheduling this review when I received an email from Christian author Ginny Yttrup talking about her experiences with depression … which read as very similar to Callie’s experience. Ginny says:

When prescribed by a knowledgeable physician or psychiatrist, medications have helped many, many others who fight depression. If you struggle, please don’t allow stigmas and shame to keep you from seeking help.

I have found therapy with Christian counselors very helpful. I’ve learned techniques I can apply when the darkness looms. I’ve also found nutrition counseling very helpful. My moment-by-moment relationship with Jesus is most helpful, reminding me there is more. . . . More than myself, more than what I feel in this moment, more than what I attempt to control. There is the Spirit’s strength through my weakness. There is hope.

If you’re struggling with depression or other forms of mental illness, there are people who want to help, who are trained to help. Please reach out for help.

The American Association of Christian Counselors can help you find a counselor in your area. Search their database here.

Or visit the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

You can follow Ginny Yttrup at her website or on Substack.

About Suzanne Woods Fisher

Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 30 books, including On a Summer Tide and On a Coastal Breeze, as well as the Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, The Deacon’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, among other novels. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs.

Find Suzanne Woods Fisher online at:

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About The Secret to Happiness

Escape to Cape Cod–where you just might find the secret to happiness

Callie Dixon had the world by the tail . . . until it all slipped away. Fired from her dream job after making a colossal mistake, she’s escaped to her aunt’s home on Cape Cod for time to bounce back. Except it isn’t a home, it’s an ice cream shop. And time isn’t going to help, because Callie’s bounce has up and left. There’s a reason she made that mistake at work, and she’s struggling to come to terms with it.

Things go from bad to worse when Callie’s cousin Dawn drags her to a community class about the secret to happiness. Happiness is the last thing Callie wants to think about right now, but instructor Bruno Bianco–a curiously gloomy fellow–is relentless. He has a way of turning Callie’s thoughts upside down. Her feelings, too.

Bruno insists that hitting rock bottom is the very best place to be. But if that’s true, how is it supposed to help her figure out what–or who–has been missing from her life all along?

Find The Secret to Happiness online at:

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6 November 2023

Book Review | Moonlight and Mystery by Karen Malley

Beth Torrington is the pampered daughter of a prominent lawyer with the almost-perfect life. She has a great marketing job, a handsome fiancé, drives a late-model luxury car, and lives in a high-end condo. But when she meets Jason, at a schoolteacher who moonlights as a magician, at a children’s birthday party, she wonders if her life might be missing something important.

Beth signs up to act in a local community theatre production, to the dismay of her fiancé, only to find the lead actor is Jason, the handsome magician who also happens to be good friends with her older brother. She’s attracted to Jason … yet she’s engaged to Blaine.

It’s obvious from the get-go that Jason is the hero, which means Beth and Blaine are going to have to break up.

This is good news.

There are red flags around Blaine from his very first line, and they add up until the man is flying more red flags than a circus. Blaine doesn’t respect Beth or her opinions, and it’s obvious he will be a controlling and possibly abusive husband. The only question is when Beth will realise Blaine’s true nature and stand up for herself. (And we know she will, because this is contemporary Christian romance, not a historical novel where the woman is married off to her father’s choice, regardless of her own feelings).

I loved the way Beth developed some sass and personality as the story progressed. I especially liked her openness to feedback and her realisation that her life—and faith—might not be as perfect as she assumed.

Jason was a perfect Christian hero.

In fact, that’s my main criticism with Moonlight and Mystery—Jason is possibly too perfect. He realises Beth isn’t a Christian, so focusses on developing a friendship with her that shows Jesus. He honours Beth and respects her relationship with Blaine, even though he is attracted to her. In that, Jason highlights Blaine’s disrespect towards Beth.

The addition of the play is brilliant.

I’ve read several novels where the hero or heroine is an author and where there are clear parallels between the main plot and the plot of the fictional writer’s story. But this is the first novel I’ve read where the plot followed a fictional play. The playwright is still writing (probably not aged way to stage a production), so we see the characters rehearsing the play as part of the story, and the story and the play track in a pleasing parallel.

There were a lot of things to like about Moonlight and Mystery as a contemporary Christian romance—Jason, the play, Beth’s faith journey, Beth’s brother and family, Jason (yes, the repetition is deliberate).

Yet, in some respects, Blaine offers the greater lesson.

Blaine says and does all the right things, and Beth is initially fooled. Moonlight and Mystery would make a good read for a young adults group so young women can see Blaine’s controlling and manipulative behaviours, and learn to avoid those men in their own lives. Instead, seek the Jasons of this world, the men who perhaps don’t look as polished, but who put God first.

Thanks to Pelican Book Group for providing a free ebook for review.

About Moonlight and Mystery

Beth Tarrington has it all: a gorgeous fiancé , a lucrative career, the latest model car, and a high-priced condo. On top of that, the Tarrington name opens every door in town. So why is she so discontent? When everything falls apart in Beth’ s life, will she finally find the strength to stand on her own two feet?

Is God really willing to stand by her side, even after she’s ignored Him for so long?

When Jason Brooks meets Beth, his head tells him to run in the opposite direction. Beth is a high-society snob engaged to another man, and he’ s not sure where she stands with God.

So why does God keep bringing the two of them together?

Can these two find love, in spite of everything that stands in their way?

Find Moonlight and Mystery online at:

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About Karen Malley

Faith, Encouragement, and Happily-Ever-Afters.

Karen is an author of Christian fiction. She lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. She works full time as a scientist, but enjoys writing in her spare time. When not writing (with her left hand), she enjoys camping, hiking, playing board games, and especially reading! She loves reading faith-based stories, because we can all use a happy ending.

Karen loves to hear from her readers.

Find Karen Malley online at:

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30 October 2023

Book Review | Remembering the Rancher by Liwen Ho

High school sweethearts Arabella and Maverick Knight married after Bella fell pregnant in her final year in high school. Their son, Hesse, is now twelve and thriving, but their relationship hasn’t done so well. In fact, Bella has just been served with divorce papers when she has a car accident.

She forgets her entire relationship with Mav.

I can’t imagine what it must be like to wake up thinking you’re a high school senior with a crush on your best friend, then wake up to find you’re married to him. I thought Liwen Ho did a great job of showing Bella’s surprise, confusion, and joy at that discovery. It’s fun to read.

But Bella only knows they’re married, not that they’ve been having troubles, so that provides the tension for most of the rest of the plot. Will she find out the truth about her marriage? If so, how will she react? Can Bella and Mav redeem their relationship?

Some readers don’t like reunion romance because they don’t like reading stories about relationships gone wrong. While I can relate to that, we can all see how and why the relationship has gone wrong, and want to see a happy reunion.

I don’t want to give spoilers, but I will say Maverick by name and maverick by nature.

He has a problem and figures out a (bad) solution when he should be admitting his problems to his wife and turning them over to God. But he doesn’t – and that’s (unfortunately) true to life.

I enjoyed seeing Bella and Mav re-establish their relationship, and I loved their son, Jesse. He’s kind, mature for his age, and a solid Christian who wants to see his parents reunited. His faith was an example to his parents, and to the readers.

Recommended for fans of contemporary Christian romance, especially those who like amnesia and/or reunion romance plots.

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

About Liwen Y 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 Y Ho online at:

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About Remembering The Rancher

Will her forgotten memories of the past be the key to healing their future?

Annabella Knight would be the first to admit that her marriage has been on the rocks for a while, but she never expected to be served divorce papers at work. Already feeling like a disappointment to God and to her family, there’s plenty that she would like to change about her past. But for now, she needs to find a way to salvage her relationship with her high school sweetheart for the sake of their son.

Since giving up his football dream to support his young family, Maverick Knight has tried his best to be the husband and father they deserve. Poor money decisions, however, have gotten him mixed up with dangerous men. When Annabella’s life is threatened, the only way he sees to protect his wife and son is to distance himself, even if it means breaking up their home.

When a car crash leaves Annabella in the hospital with amnesia, Maverick realizes his family needs him now more than ever. As they learn how to live together as husband and wife, will this loss of the past be an unexpected chance to start over? Or is it just the calm before the storm before old memories surface to tear them apart again?

Visit Redemption Ridge, Colorado and enjoy the faith, friendships, and forever-afters of the Christmas in Redemption Ridge series of Christian romance.

This series is a spin-off continuation of the best-selling Heroes of Freedom Ridge Series with all new characters and traditions, but the same magic of community and romance readers love.

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23 October 2023

Book Review | Not Quite Mr Darcy by Kim Griffin

Grieving widow Kate Thomas has moved from her US home to Kent, England, to take a role as an in-home nurse for a lady with Alzheimer’s. Kate thinks she’s a Christian when she arrives in England, but soon realises there’s a difference between the faith she’s grown up with and Margaret’s faith.

I enjoyed seeing Kate’s journey to Christian faith, as that’s something I don’t think we see enough of in Christian fiction.

I also enjoyed seeing Kate’s faith develop as she was faced with some difficult situations and calls to forgiveness. This spiritual depth was one of the strengths of the novel. Kate is put in some difficult situations and has to call on her newfound faith to guide her.

There are shades of The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip in Not Quite Mr Darcy, although Mr Darcy doesn’t have the same level of polish. In particular, I found some of the dialogue overly formal to the point of being awkward, and not at all how people from London or Kent speak. I did enjoy reading about the location, as my grandmother was born only a few miles up the road.

Not Quite Mr Darcy is Kim Griffin’s first published novel, which she describes as women’s fiction with romance.

That fits the story well. It certainly starts as women’s fiction, as Kate arrives in England and settles into her new role. The romance was also present from early on, but I was less impressed with the romantic aspects. I am not a fan of the “other woman” plotline, particularly as it seemed like it was an issue that could have been solved with a simple conversation. (It was, but far too late in the plot for my taste.) I had the same misunderstanding as Kate (not surprising, as the whole story was told from her point of view). That meant I misjudged one of the characters, to the detriment of my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, Not Quite Mr Darcy was a solid first novel, recommended for readers looking for Christian women’s fiction which considers tough issues like infidelity and Alzheimer’s.

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

About Kim Griffin

Kim Griffin is a former interior designer and homeschool mom who has been leading Bible studies for over 35 years and working in Women’s Ministry for over 25. Several years ago, God led her to begin writing words of hope. She writes Christian women’s fiction with clean romance. Her desire is that her books will draw readers closer to the God who sees all of their imperfections and loves them still.

Find Kim Griffin online at:

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About Not Quite Mr Darcy

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Mr. Darcy does not exist.”

Many a young woman has spent years looking for her perfect Mr. Darcy, but Kate Thomas knows better. A 29-year-old recently widowed southerner, Kate sets off to find herself on the other side of the ocean in the very country where Mr. Darcy’s life was penned. Looking only to escape reminders of her heartache, Kate journeys to places she never thought she’d go—finding faith, love, and family along the way.

Not Quite Mr. Darcy is not a P&P retelling but the story of a woman’s journey to discover what real love is.

An ocean … it’s vast and powerful. The water that fills it can bring death, or offer life. Kate Thomas moves her life across an ocean to conquer the hold of her past and find new life for her future.

Not Quite Mr. Darcy is women’s fiction with clean romance (kisses only). It tackles forgiving the seemingly unforgivable and the disillusionment many a woman has faced upon realizing that the perfect husband they’ve been raised to look for doesn’t exist. Kate, a recent widow, leaves her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Seeking distance from her past she takes a job in Kingsdown, England, working with a dementia patient in a cottage overlooking the English Channel. What she finds there is much more than she anticipated. Kate learns to find joy even in the hardest circumstances.

Find Not Quite Mr Darcy online at:

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16 October 2023

Book Review | The Cost of the Crown by Joy Crain

Melissa Hanson has been living with her aunt in Los Angeles for the last ten years, since her mother died and her father’s short trip to the small Asian island Kingdom of Andelar turned into a permanent role as US ambassador. She’s shocked when her father invites her to spend the summer in Andelar as a guest of the royal family while her father negotiates a new trade deal.

Missy accepts both to reestablish her relationship with her father, and to hopefully connect with the Chinese part of her heritage. She meets Aiden Waverly on the flight to Andelar, and they bond over the challenges of growing up in a biracial family.

But Aiden has a secret.

He’s actually Rupert Spencer, the unknown Crown Prince of Andelar. Now it’s time for him to make a choice: take on the mantle or royalty, or abdicate the throne so he can continue traveling and volunteering for charities around the world.

Royalty romances can feel contrived at times.

The reader has to be prepared to suspend disbelief and allow for an imagined constitutional monarchy that meets most of our expectations for a modern monarchy while still having the history and flexibility to allow for a story that probably wouldn’t happen in a real-life monarchy. While I was willing to suspend disbelief and accept a created Asian kingdom in the South Pacific, it was a little harder to believe no one outside the Royal Family knew of Rupert/Aiden’s existence. (But I got over that.)

I enjoyed the developing relationship between Missy and Aiden as they explored Andelar, and I especially enjoyed the way both Missy and Aiden genuinely prayed about their problems. Their relationship developed in a natural way, which made for an easy and enjoyable read. I did find the last quarter didn’t match up to the promise of the first three-quarters. It was a little slow, and a little too predictable … which was a shame, given the original setup.

The Cost of the Crown is both a romance and a search for identity.

Both Missy and Aiden have to consider how their biracial heritage has impacted on the people they are, and consider how that will affect the choices they make about their future.

If you enjoy stories like The Princess Diaries or Toni Shiloh’s brilliant In Search of a Prince and To Win A Prince, then you’ll want to read The Cost of the Crown.

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

About Joy Crain

Joy Crain was adopted and raised in southern China by an American missionary couple. At an early age, her fondness for books and vivid imagination gave her a genuine love for storytelling. Joy started writing her own stories as a teenager and the journey has just continued from there.

Joy’s novels contain strong romantic elements with inspirational undertones which will make you fall in love if you’re not careful. And Joy feels that if a reader doesn’t walk away from her novels with a smile, she hasn’t done her job.

Currently, Joy lives with her sister and her toy poodle, Raisin. When she is not traveling internationally, she spends her time teaching English and pursuing her passion for writing.

You can find Joy Crain online at:

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About The Cost of the Crown

Missy Hanson never dreamed of falling in love and living happily ever after. In fact, she doesn’t know what she wants to do after she graduates from college; nevertheless, she’s content working as a journalist for her local newspaper and assisting at her aunt’s California bakery. When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity emerges for her to visit the southeast Asian country of Andelar, Missy is thrown into the world of royalty as the special guest of the king and queen—and it’s clear she doesn’t belong, despite her family ties to the area. But the royal family isn’t without its mysteries. Rumors abound that a secret prince is hiding amid Andelar’s society, and Missy is determined to find out who he is.

Aiden Waverly never wanted a crown or a title. He craves a normal life, but being a secret prince of biracial background is difficult enough and would create chaos amid the tabloids if the press learned about his parentage. After years of traveling the world to help those in the greatest of need, he’s faced with a life-altering decision: take his place as crown prince or walk away as a commoner. With no clear path that will satisfy him and the royal family, the tug between following his heart and doing his duty to Andelar becomes harder every day.

When a chance encounter throws Missy and Aiden together, neither of them are prepared to challenge what they thought they knew about themselves. And when an ancient royal law threatens to tear them apart, they must decide how much they are willing to risk for love.

Find The Cost of the Crown online at:

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13 October 2023

First Line Friday #307 | Not Quite Mr Darcy by Kim Griffin

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m a long-time Pride and Prejudice fan, so I’m always up for a Christian romance with a P&P link, so I was thrilled to join the launch team for Not Quite Mr Darcy by Kim Griffin. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Not Quite Mr Darcy

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Mr. Darcy does not exist.”

Not Quite Mr. Darcy is not a P&P retelling but the story of a woman’s journey to discover what real love is.

Find Not Quite Mr Darcy online at:

Amazon | 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!

6 October 2023

First Line Friday #306 | Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Julia Monroe Begins Again, the debut novel from Rebekah Millet.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

I hope that’s setting the tone for the rest of the book!

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

About Julia Monroe Begins Again

Samuel was back. It seemed unfair to be blindsided. And in church no less. Shouldn’t there be a commandment about that? Thou shalt not step foot inside thy ex’s place of worship.

Julia Monroe has just turned forty and has high hopes for a fresh start after the last decade of her life abruptly left her a young widow and a single mom. With both her boys off to college, she can finally focus on expanding her New Orleans-based cleaning business. Julia is ready for new beginnings–but God has other plans. Samuel Reed, the ruggedly handsome Green Beret who shattered her heart over twenty years ago, has returned to town and is the kind of distraction she never saw coming.

After their first interaction in years leaves her mind spinning and her emotions out of control, Julia knows she needs to avoid him if she wants any chance of preventing history from repeating itself, but her meddling best friend keeps throwing them together. And now it seems inevitable that the man who was hard to forget might just be impossible to resist.

Find Julia Monroe Begins Again online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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!

2 October 2023

Book Review | The Beacon Street Bookshop (Haven Ridge #2) by Carla Laureano

Olivia Quinn is a widowed and newly unemployed fiction editor who lost her husband a year ago and is now figuring out how to raise her teenage stepdaughter alone. Charlie Castro is a contractor turned handyman after losing his licence. Olivia hires him to finish her kitchen, and the two are instantly attracted to each other.

But Charlie is planning to leave, and Olivia feels it’s too fast to start another relationship.

When Olivia is asked to sell some old books by a friend, she and her stepdaughter, Taylor, somehow end up renovating an old building to turn into a bookshop. Fortunately, Charlie is around to help …

I’m not generally a fan of the instant attraction romance because I believe lasting love is built on relationship, not lust. However, the Beacon Street Bookshop shows that instant attraction can convincingly morph into a solid and believable relationship, given the right circumstances and an author who knows wheat they’re doing—as Carla Laureano certainly does.

The Beacon Street Bookshop is the third title in Carla Laureano’s Haven Ridge series, following The Brick House Cafe (a free introductory novella), and the Broken Hearts Bakery. All three stories are set in the slightly weird town of Haven Ridge and feature a romance as well as some tougher issues. In The Beacon Street Bookshop, the issues are around finding love again after losing a spouse, and with a teenager in tow. While that’s worthy, it didn’t have the depth of the issues in The Broken Hearts Bakery.

The Haven Ridge series is clean and wholesome rather than Christian romance. Some readers might find there is a little too much focus on the physical, and the characters clearly aren’t Christians. But there’s no on-the-page sex or violence.

Carla Laureano fans will enjoy The Beacon Street Bookshop, as will bibliophiles and fans of authors such as Denise Hunter and Liz Isaacson.

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:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About The Beacon Street Bookshop

Ever since Olivia Quinn lost her husband to a freak plane crash, she’s been focused on one thing—making a stable life for her teen stepdaughter, Taylor, of whom she’s the sole guardian. But when she loses her job as a children’s book editor because she refuses to relocate from Colorado to New York, all her hard-won stability is shattered.

Then the opportunity arises to open Liv’s dream bookshop in Haven Ridge, offering not only the solution to her financial problems, but a chance to bond with her stepdaughter and become a real family for the first time. Soon, the wild idea transforms into a thriving nonprofit, thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of the town—and a handsome contractor who stirs feelings in Liv she’d thought might be gone forever.

But just as she begins to lean into the new life she’s made for herself, a figure from her late husband’s past puts the life she’s been building with Taylor in jeopardy. And Liv must face the possibility that following her heart might just cost her a daughter.

Find The Beacon Street Bookshop online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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25 September 2023

Book Review | Heart in the Clouds by Jennifer Mistmorgan

Australian Flight Sergeant Alec Thomas is the pilot of an Avro Lancaster bomber, with an ego to match. Women’s Auxiliary Air Force radio operator Maggie Morrison has sworn off men. Including arrogant pilots. Especially arrogant pilots who aren’t good Christian men.

Alec and Maggie meet in London while on leave, then find they have both been deployed to the same air base – RAF Bottesford in Lincolnshire. Alec initially pursues Maggie because of a bet (so we know there’s going to be drama when she finds out), but the more he gets to know her, the more he is interested in her regardless of the bet.

I enjoyed watching the to-and-fro as Alec and Maggie got to know each other as colleagues, then friends with the possibility of something more. There was plenty of drama as well – relationship drama, family drama, the inevitable war drama, and the added drama of a thief on the base.

It’s evident that from Heart in the Clouds that Jennifer Mistmorgan has a deep love of World War II history. (It’s even more evident if you follow her on social media.) She has also researched the subject in depth, and that depth and breadth of knowledge shines through in the novel without ever overwhelming the story. I’ve recently discovered my grandfather served in Bomber Command in WWII, and Heart in the Clouds reminded me afresh of the difficulties of war, and the importance of being able to rely on God in such horrible times.

Recommended for fans of Sarah Sundin, Carrie Turansky, and World War II Christian romance.

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

About Heart in the Clouds

He’s a charismatic Australian bomber pilot used to beating the odds.

She’s the radio operator he speaks to each night before he flies.

He makes a bet that he can steal a kiss….and ends up getting much more than he bargained for.

RAF Bottesford, November 1942: Maggie Morrison joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force for a free ticket into the romance she craved, away from her sleepy life as a vicar’s daughter. But the men of Bomber Command are careless with the hearts of women. She hides the pain of her broken heart and mother’s sudden death behind calm confidence on the airfield radio, as the last voice men hear before they fly into danger.

Australian pilot Alec Thomas is a gambling man on a winning streak. Every night when he flies with RAF Bomber Command, the odds of surviving are fifty-fifty. And every night so far, he’s made it back to English soil. But as the battles over Europe intensify, Alec’s luck feels less certain.

When Alec bets with his crew he can get Maggie to kiss him before the year is out, he has no idea it’s the most important wager he’ll ever make. But pursuing her leads Alec to reexamine everything he believes about his so-called luck, prompting him to question what—or who—is behind it all.

Even if Alec can win his bet, can his risk-taking ways win her heart? Or will his luck in the brutal air war over Europe run out before their first kiss?

Find Heart in the Clouds online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads