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

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

First Line Friday #305 | In Spite of Ourselves by Jennifer Rodewald

by Iola Goulton

29 September 2023

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. The box set of the first three books in Jennifer Rodewald’s Murphy Brothers series was free last weekend.

I’ve already finished the first in the series (Always You), and I’m looking forward to reading the next book this weekend. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Of all the ways he could have imagined this weekend going, this had never entered his mind. Not once.

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

About In Spite of Ourselves

Who could build a life on such a monumental mistake?

Jackson Murphy: family prankster, class clown… and now, smack in the middle of a Vegas-sized mess. All he’d wanted was to qualify for the Boston Marathon. After failing that goal, he slipped into a deep, sulking valley, only to emerge from it with a much bigger problem. He’s married. To a complete stranger! Forget making a world-class marathon so that his family will believe that (1) he’s capable of being grown up and serious on occasion and (2) he doesn’t need the ongoing pity about his brother and a certain ex-girlfriend. Now? Now he has no idea what to do.

Mackenzie Murphy: independent woman and excellent student—but not a med student. Because those pesky MCATs were H-A-R-D. She doesn’t particularly mind that much, seeing as she’s never really wanted to be a doctor, but her mother will be…uh, displeased. Exceptionally. That’s nothing, however, compared to how Mother will respond if she finds out what else happened in Vegas.

Mackenzie wants out. Jackson wants a chance. Neither of them is prepared for what’s coming. Caught in the middle of a disaster that keeps getting bigger, they hardly dare ask: Can God take their monumental mistake and turn it into a beautiful life?

Find In Spite of Ourselves online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

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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!

Bookish Question #297 | Do you enjoy seeing cameos from an author’s previous books?

by Iola Goulton

26 September 2023

Do you enjoy seeing cameos from an author’s previous books in a series?

Yes 🙂

Character cameos are one of the reasons I enjoy reading series.

One of the things I don’t like about standalone titles is the feeling that I’ve met a bunch of characters I love and knowing that when I close the book, I’m never going to get to see them again.

So I love to read a series where I know I’ll get some nuggets of knowledge about the previous characters in the series (especially the couples in a romance).

Why?

I love romance novels, but we all know romance novels are about the falling-in-love stage of life. They’re not about the being married and staying married stage of life. Romance series give us a chance to see couples live life – the fun parts and the hard parts – and there are good life lessons in those love stories as well.

What about other genres?

It depends. Some genres encourage series take multiple stories to tell the full tale (e.g. science fiction and fantasy. Some genres feature the same main character in different situations (e.g. thrillers). Other series are centered more about a place, and may or may not have common characters (e.g. Gayle Roper’s excellent Seaside series).

I will read standalone titles. But, given the choice, I’ll always veer towards a series because I like to revisit those old friends aka characters.

What about you? Do you enjoy seeing cameos from an author’s previous books?

Book Review | Heart in the Clouds by Jennifer Mistmorgan

by Iola Goulton

25 September 2023

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

Bookish Question #296 | What’s the first Christian book you remember reading as an adult?

by Iola Goulton

24 September 2023

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, so didn’t read a lot of Christian books as a child except for the illustrated Children’s Bible my aunt bought me when I was around eight.

I didn’t read a lot for pleasure during university, even though I lived relatively close to an excellent Christian bookshop.

In hindsight, lack of funds might have had something to do with that …

However, once I started work, I also started visiting the Christian bookshop at lunchtime. And that introduced me to Christian fiction, which I have read voraciously ever since.

Here are three of the earliest Christian novels I remember reading:

This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (recommended by the aunt who bought me the Children’s Bible), which opened my eyes to the realities of spiritual warfare.

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (recommended by my pastor), which my pastor loaned me, and which got me completely hooked on Christian fiction.

Search for Tomorrow by Mary Hawkins, the first Christian novel I read by an Australian author, and one of the first Christian romances I ever read. I guess that means I can credit/blame Mary Hawkins for my subsequent addiction?

What’s the first Christian book you can remember reading as an adult?

First Line Friday #304 | Heart in the Clouds by Jennifer Mistmorgan

by Iola Goulton

22 September 2023

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 Heart in the Clouds by debut Australian author Jennifer Mistmorgan.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

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.

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

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!

Book Review | Mountain Abduction Rescue by Darlene L Turner

by Iola Goulton

18 September 2023

Mountain Abduction Rescue starts with a bang and the pace doesn’t let up until the last page. Park warden Hazel Hoyt is a solo mother working in Micmore National Park, Alberta, on the trail of a serial arsonist while her son is camping in the park with his scout troop.

She encounters the arsonist, and discovers he knows her family—her father is the regional park supervisor. She also encounters Mitchell Booth, her best friend’s older brother and first crush.

Sibling’s best friend is of my favourite romance tropes, so that’s a win!

Mitchell has recently returned to the area and now leads the local fire crew. He rescues Hazel, helps her find her son’s scout troop, and stands up for her when her father arrives. Now it’s a race to find her son before the firebug does.

Maybe I’m a little slow, but I was surprised when the missing children turned out to have been abducted. The title should have been a big fat hint that the story was going to feature and abduction and a rescue in the mountains. The thought of missing children providing a fair dose of tension. Adding in an abduction ramped that up and kept me reading.

I liked the fact the novel had a clear spiritual thread.

I understand some people read Christian fiction because they don’t want to read books full of sex and violence, but I think there should be something more in a Christian novel. As such, I loved the reminder that God loves us in spite of our doubts. (Given what we see of Hazel’s father, it’s no surprise she has doubts and believes she’s not good enough for God.)

As with all Love Inspired Suspense, Mountain Abduction Rescue was a short Christian romantic suspense read (again, the clue is in the series name). This made it a quick read, as there was nothing to distract the characters (or the reader) from the central suspense plot. Love Inspired novels might not have the depth of plot or characterisation of longer novels, but they consistently deliver fast-paced low-angst romantic suspense with a strong faith arc.

Mountain Abduction Rescue by Darlene L Turner delivers a fast-paced romantic supsense novel featuring the sibling's best friend trope. #ChristianRomance #BookReview Share on X

That’s exactly what this reader is looking for, and Darlene L Turner delivers.

Thanks to the author 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:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About Mountain Abduction Rescue

A wildfire threat…

becomes a missing person search.

A serial arsonist is out for revenge in the Canadian Rocky Mountains—and kidnaps park warden Hazel Hoyt’s son and his camping troop. Now Hazel must team up with the man who broke her heart, firefighter Mitchell Booth, to find the missing boys as wildfires blaze around them. But someone has no intention of letting the pair get off the mountain alive…

Find Mountain Abduction Rescue online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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

First Line Friday #303 | The Beacon Street Bookshop by Carla Laureano

by Iola Goulton

15 September 2023

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m reading The Beacon Street Bookshop, the second book in Carla Laureano’s Haven Ridge clean contemporary romance series:

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About The Beacon Street Bookshop

Find The Beacon Street Bookshop 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!

Bookish Question #295 | Do you want detailed descriptions of a novel’s main characters?

by Iola Goulton

12 September 2023

What’s your view on detailed character descriptions in fiction?

Personally, I’m not a fan of detailed descriptions–whether that’s descriptions or character, setting, or anything else. I’d rather get on with the story. A brief description is fine, but please don’t spend pages and pages telling me things I don’t need to know.

(I don’t need to know the character’s eye colour or hair colour or blood type unless that’s going to be relevant to the story in some way.)

If authors do feel the need to include a description, make sure it’s not the character describing their own eye or hair colour. The only time I think about my hair colour is when I’m at the hairdresser … or deciding I really need to go to the hairdresser.

I do have a bad habit of skimming or ignoring overlong descriptions, particularly if I’ve already formed a mental image of the character. For example, if the author describes the character as attractive with a tidy beard, I have a problem. I do not find beards attractive, so I either have to imagine the character as attractive and cleanshaven, or not attractive.

I mostly read romance novels, so you can guess which one I pick.

As a result, I prefer more vague character descriptions. Tell me what I absolutely need to know, and let me imagine the rest.

What about you? Do you like reading detailed character descriptions, or do you prefer something vague?

Book Review | All’s Fair in Love and Christmas by Sarah Monzon

by Iola Goulton

11 September 2023

Mackenzie enjoys her job as a graphic designer, where she works with her best friend and housemate. But she’s less than thrilled when her boss says she’s up for a promotion to a supervisory role that will mean supervising staff and working more closely with clients, even though it will mean a pay rise—which she needs to pay for her mother’s nursing home.

Sofiya has pitched Mackenzie against Jeremy Fletcher, her longtime secret crush, and someone who always has the right words to say. But Mackenzie has to try, for her mother’s sake. And she’s noticed something about Sofiya’s promotion strategy: promotions always happen around Christmas, and always go to the person who does the best job of bringing Christmas cheer to the office.

I have mixed feelings about office romances in general, and about the trope that pitches the hero and heroine against each other for a promotion (which is probably a hangover from years working in HR).

I think Sarah Monzon managed those two aspects of the plot brilliantly.

It was funny and believable and romantic. And while the story certainly delivered on the romance front, that wasn’t what made it special.

I loved the way the story featured a main character with a mental health issue—social anxiety–in a sensitive and realistic way.

I loved the way the story struck just the right balance between believing God for healing while acknowledging that God sometimes uses modern medicine to perform that healing.

I appreciated the acknowledgement that mental health issues are health issues, that doctors can help, that it’s not enough to think positive or practice gratitude or even pray for healing.

I especially loved the way we gradually got to know the real Jeremy and watch as he began to see–and fall for–the real Mackenzie, social anxiety and all.

Like Kiss Me on Christmas, All’s Fair in Love and Christmas is a fun Christian Christmas romance which delivers all the romantic feels along with a healthy view of people with mental health challenges. (If you enjoy this, I also recommend checking out Sarah Monzon’s 2022 release, Kiss Me on Christmas).

Recommended for anyone looking for a Christmas rom-com or for a Christian workplace romance with a serious side.

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

About Sarah Monzon

A Carol award finalist and Selah award winner, Sarah Monzon is a stay-at-home mom who makes up imaginary friends to have adult conversations with (otherwise known as writing novels). As a navy chaplain’s wife, she resides wherever the military happens to station her family and enjoys exploring the beauty of the world around her.

Find Sarah online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About All’s Fair in Love and Christmas

Two workplace rivals. One festive competition. And a romance that upends it all.

Every December two things are guaranteed for graphic designer Mackenzie Graham–Christmas celebrations and the annual promotion at her workplace. Those two things are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the better an employee is at harnessing the Christmas spirit, the more likely they’ll win the new job. With her social anxiety, Mackenzie never thought she’d be a contender in her company’s holiday competition, so how exactly has she found herself dueling her workplace crush with wrapping paper tubes and using tinsel as her weapon of choice for a much-needed raise?

Jeremy Fletcher’s life is meticulously planned out, including how to win this year’s promotion at work. Not only will the new position fulfill some of his career goals, but as a single guardian to his twin niece and nephew, he needs the salary increase to support his family. Jeremy has barely noticed Mackenzie Graham around the office, but now that she’s his rival, he can’t stop thinking about her. Her quirkiness intrigues him, and he’s afraid that if he can’t get his head on straight, the promotion isn’t the only thing he’ll end up losing to Mackenzie.

Find All’s Fair in Love and Christmas online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong