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Book Review | Turn to Me (Misty River Romance #3) by Becky Wade

When Finley Sutherland’s father dies in prison, he leaves her a bequest and a request. The bequest is a sealed envelope, the first clue in their traditional birthday treasure hunt. The request is that she’ll give Luke Dempsey a job at The Furry tails dog rescue shelter. She needs someone to rebuild and upgrade their website, and Luke earned two degrees in computer science while serving his time in prison.

Turn to Me is the third book in the Misty River series. These are all stories about the “Miracle Five”, five teenagers who survived eight days trapped in a basement in El Salvador after an earthquake hit.

Luke has always been the bad boy of the bunch.

He’s the one who never wanted anything todo with the others after they were rescued. It’s easy to see why: he has survivor’s guilt, because he survived and his younger brother didn’t. Worse, Ethan might have survived if Luke hadn’t told him to go to the back of the line.

Turn to Me could easily have been a feel-good story about the do-gooder accidentally falling for her latest rescue project, but it’s so much more. Finley has issues of her own, although it takes a while for her to admit them to herself, let alone to Luke. But the two are a good match in that while their backgrounds are different, theire will be similarities in their respective paths to healing.

What throws the two of them together (more than just work) is the treasure hunt. Finley’s father made Luke promise to help her, which is the only reason he’s back in Misty River: his plan is to move to Montana.

The treasure hunt was a lot of fun, and is a unique plot idea.

I will admit to being pleased that I got one clue long before Finley and Luke … But there was also an element of suspense, because Ed’s last words before dying had been that the treasure hunt might put Finley in danger.

Yes, this is yet another Becky Wade Christian romance that has an unexpected suspense subplot. I say unexpected, yet they all have them. One day I’ll remember and won’t be pleasantly surprised when it appears …

Overall, this was another excellent contemporary Christian romance from Becky Wade.

The only problem is that it will now be another year before I get to read another new Becky Wade novel, and I don’t know if this is the end of the Misty River series or if we are going to get one more book with Bens’ story. I hope we do.

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

About Becky Wade

Author Photo Becky WadeBecky 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:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

About Turn to Me

His promise will cost him far more than he imagined.

Guilt has defined Luke Dempsey’s life, but it was self-destructiveness that landed him in prison. When his friend and fellow inmate lay dying shortly before Luke’s release, the older man revealed he left a string of clues for his daughter, Finley, that will lead her to the treasure he’s hidden. Worried that she won’t be the only one pursuing the treasure, he gains Luke’s promise to protect her until the end of her search.

Spunky and idealistic, Finley Sutherland is the owner of an animal rescue center and a defender of lost causes. She accepts Luke’s help on the treasure hunt while secretly planning to help him in return–by coaxing him to embrace the forgiveness he’s long denied himself.

As they draw closer to the final clue, their reasons for resisting each other begin to crumble, and Luke realizes his promise will push him to the limit in more ways than one. He’ll do his best to shield Finley from unseen threats, but who’s going to shield him from losing his heart?

You can find Turn to Me online at:

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First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #233 | To Bring You Back by Emily Conrad

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from To Bring You Back by Emily Conrad. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

At the sight of the food trailer's next customer, Adeline Green coughed on the bacon-scented air.

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

 

About To Bring You Back

He’s determined to confront the past she’s desperate to forget.

When Adeline Green’s now-famous high school crush descends on her quiet life, a public spotlight threatens to expose her deepest regret.

To bury her mistakes, Adeline follows all the rules, working meaningful jobs that don’t quite make ends meet, and avoids close friendships that would only end in rejection if the truth about her came out. The closer she gets to Gannon, who took center stage in her past, and the reporters that hound him, the more she risks the carefully curated life that’s finally brought her a measure of peace.

Gannon Vaughn and his rock band, Awestruck, have conquered the music industry, but he can’t overcome his feelings for Adeline.

She may have been right to cut off contact between them years ago, but thanks to the grace of God, he’s a changed man. When he hears Adeline’s struggling, he sets out to turn her life around and win back the love he lost to poor choices eight years ago.1

But when Gannon’s fame and their mutual regrets jeopardize their relationship anew, will grace be enough to bring them back to God and each other?

You can find To Bring You Back online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

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

What are your favourite fictional character names?

Bookish Question #225 | What are your favourite fictional character names?

I don’t always remember character names.

I’m more likely to remember the novel or their character than their actual name. As such, I don’t necessarily have any names I can think of as particular favourites.

But I can think of two, for different reasons:

In The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate, the narrator rents a house from Iola Anne Poole. Unfortunately, the first scene shows the narrator finding ninety-one-yar-old Mrs Poole’s body lying on her bed, as though she’d laid down for a nap and didn’t wake up. For obvious reasons, I like that name 🙂

Another name I remember is Paul Ingatius Greatorex from the After the Fire series by English author John Lockley, written in the 1990s. The novels are set in England, and tell the story of a group of misfits brought together after they are some of the few survivors of a global pandemic that kills more than 99% of the world’s population in under a week. Paul’s name stuck with me because of the initials – PIG, which he used to get teased about at school – and because I once saw a book review for After the Fire written by a Paul Ingatius Greatorex, who read the book when he realised he had the same name as one of the main characters.

Those are the only two characters I can think of by name (nothing like being put on the spot to have all the books and character names escape my memory).

What about you? What are your favourite fictional character names, and why?

Book Review | Feathers of Hope by Sharon Garlough Brown

Feathers of Hope is the story of three women: Katherine Rhodes, the preacher who is about to retire from her role as director of the New Hope Retreat Center, Wren Crawford, her great-niece, an artist and social worker turned cleaner, and Sarah, Katherine’s daughter and the mother of two teenage girls. It’s a novel about relationships: the relationships between the characters, and their relationships with God.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sharon Garlough Brown, although I’ve often seen her novels recommended as novels with solid Christian content and spiritual depth, and I have to agree with that assessment.

Brown’s characters follow Biblical Christianity, not the me-me-me self-help variety often portrayed in the media. It’s both challenging and refreshing.

I especially liked the way feathers of Hope addressed some difficult issues that aren’t often addressed in Christian fiction, issues like mental health, women preachers, and racism inside and outside the church. They are all big issues with no easy answer, ant it was refreshing to see them tackled fairly, but without trying to find an answer for the unanswerable.

Feathers of Hope by Sharon Garlough Brown is a refreshing yet challenging novel, Christian fiction with depth and truth. #BookReview #ChristianFiction Share on X

Feathers of Hope is the third book in the Shades of Light series, following Shades of light and Remember Me. I do recommend reading the series in order. I didn’t – I haven’t read either of the other books, and I found the early part of the story difficult because I didn’t know the characters or understand the relationships between them.

(I’ve just found Shades of Light on my Kindle. Oops. But guess what’ I’ll be reading next?)

Recommended for Christians who want to read Christian fiction with depth and truth.

Thanks to InterVarsity Press and NetGalley for providing a  free ebook for review.

About Sharon Garlough Brown

Sharon Garlough BrownSharon Garlough Brown is an author, spiritual director, and retreat leader who is passionate about shepherding others deep into the love of God. She and her husband, Jack, have served congregations in Scotland, Oklahoma, England, and West Michigan, and currently direct Abiding Way Ministries, providing spiritual formation retreats and resources. Sharon enjoys all things British–especially tea–and loves when her son says, “Mom, would you like me to put the kettle on?”

Find Sharon Garlough Brown online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

About Feathers of Hope

In a season of loss and change, Wren Crawford and her great-aunt, Katherine Rhodes, share the journey as companions in sorrow and hope. As Katherine prepares to retire as the director of the New Hope Retreat Center, she faces both personal and professional challenges―especially after the arrival of the board’s candidate to replace her. Not only must she confront more unresolved grief from her past, but she’s invited to embrace painful and unsettling insights about her own blind spots. How might disruption become a gift that opens the way to new growth?

Wren’s world is shifting and expanding as she presses forward in recovery from a period of deep depression. Still processing open questions around the death of her best friend, Casey, Wren stewards her grief by offering compassionate care to the residents of the nursing home where she now works. But the shedding of her old life is exhausting―especially as she doesn’t yet see what new life will emerge. How might art continue to provide a pathway for deepening her awareness of God’s presence with her?

In this sequel to Shades of Light and Remember Me, fans of the Sensible Shoes series will not only be able to attend Katherine’s final retreat sessions at New Hope but also encounter old and new friends along the way.

You can find Feathers of Hope online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 232 | Feathers of Hope by Sharon Garlough Brown

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Feathers of Hope by Sharon Garlough Brown, the third book in the Shades of Light series. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

When the cardinal landed at their bird feeder early that morning, its eyes bulging, its head stripped of red crest feathers, leaving it black and bald, Wren Crawford was sure the poor creature was either sick or wounded.

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

About Feathers of Hope

In a season of loss and change, Wren Crawford and her great-aunt, Katherine Rhodes, share the journey as companions in sorrow and hope. As Katherine prepares to retire as the director of the New Hope Retreat Center, she faces both personal and professional challenges―especially after the arrival of the board’s candidate to replace her. Not only must she confront more unresolved grief from her past, but she’s invited to embrace painful and unsettling insights about her own blind spots. How might disruption become a gift that opens the way to new growth?

Wren’s world is shifting and expanding as she presses forward in recovery from a period of deep depression. Still processing open questions around the death of her best friend, Casey, Wren stewards her grief by offering compassionate care to the residents of the nursing home where she now works. But the shedding of her old life is exhausting―especially as she doesn’t yet see what new life will emerge. How might art continue to provide a pathway for deepening her awareness of God’s presence with her?

In this sequel to Shades of Light and Remember Me, fans of the Sensible Shoes series will not only be able to attend Katherine’s final retreat sessions at New Hope but also encounter old and new friends along the way.

You can find Feathers of Hope 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!

What kind of character descriptions to you find puzzling or off-putting?

Bookish Question #224 | What kind of character descriptions to you find puzzling or off-putting?

As discussed last week, I’m not especially interested in what characters look like, not even the hero in a romance. Their personality is more important.

I can’t actually think of any character descriptions I find puzzling.

But there are a few character descriptions I find off-putting:

Describing the character as looking like an actor I don’t like or don’t find appealing. Or referencing an actor I don’t know and can’t picture. Or referencing an actor I do know of but without mentioning the role (Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark is not the same kind of attractive as Harrison Ford in Air Force One or Harrison Ford in Star Wars: The Force Awakens).

Characters with facial hair. I’m not personally a fan of moustaches or beards, but do admit they can look good (a cleanshaven Aragorn would be all kinds of wrong, in the same way as a bearded Frodo would have been wrong). But I really don’t like the permanent three-day beard. It just seems like someone is too lazy to shave, but not committed to the proper beard thing.

However, an off-putting character description doesn’t necessarily put me off reading the book. I’m more likely to mentally replace the character’s three-day stubble with a cleanshaven face, or replace the author’s choice of Mr Darcy with Colin Firth and keep reading.

What about you? What kind of character descriptions do you find puzzling or off-putting?

I enjoy talking to animals. They listen but don’t tell you off when you say or do something dumb. And they never repeat what you say.

Book Review | Running Scared by Susan J Bruce

Fourteen-year-old Melinda Green has just started at a new school after her parents had to sell the family farm. Now her mother is in hospital, her dad is unemployed, and they’re living with her vegetarian aunt.

Mel has made friends with the boy next door, despite being told to stay away from him because his brother has disappeared after being accused of a crime, which means his family are a bad influence. However, Rory is in a wheelchair, so probably isn’t the person who is a bad influence … although he does have an obsession with strange animals and has quite the collection in his back shed.

One of his pets is Lucy, a tarantula.

Mel has a spider phobia, so she and Lucy are not going to get on. I have to say I can totally understand Mel’s phobia. Normal New Zealand house spiders don’t bother me, but Australian spiders are a different matter. They’re bigger and badder and more deadly than New Zealand spiders and being afraid of them seems like a perfectly normal reaction to me.

But Mel’s phobia and Rory’s passion does bring them together. As the boy in the wheelchair and the new girl in school, they are both targets for the school bullies, who happen to be linked to the crime Rory’s brother is accused of. So maybe Mel’s father has good reason for warning her to stay away from Rory and his family.

The whole story is told in first person, from Mel’s point of view.

The best part about this was in kept us in Mel’s head and gave us a chance to really get to know her. I found the teenage voice authentic and accurate, with none of the “old person” words I sometimes see in fiction written for teens and young adults (words like dear and folk). It was also great to see the way the story made somethings clear (like the fact that Mel’s school bully lived in an abusive household) without having to spell it out. For much of the novel, I wasn’t even sure if Mel had worked it out, even though it seemed clear to me.

It was good to see a disabled character as a main character in a Young Adult novel. It was even better to see a disabled character who wasn’t a cliche, either as the object of pity or the effervescent hero, and yet is also a main character who plays a significant part in driving the story forward.

Running Scared by Susan J Bruce is a strong debut Young Adult novel, featuring a lonely teenager, a boy in a wheelchair, and a spider. #BookReview #YoungAdult Share on X

Overall, the writing was excellent, the characters were compelling, and the story was a great mix of home and school, with a good bit of suspense thrown in (and not just from Lucy the spider).

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

About Susan J Bruce

Susan J Bruce

Susan J Bruce is a former veterinarian turned award-winning author, professional copywriter and animal artist. Susan’s veterinary background invades her writing and animals run, fly, or crawl into nearly all of her tales. When Susan’s writing group challenged her to write a story that didn’t mention any animals—she failed! Susan lives in sunny South Australia with her husband, Marc, and their furred and feathered family. This currently includes a fat tortoiseshell cat, a rescue cockatiel, and an irrepressible ShiChi (Shih Tzu x Chihuahua) who thinks her mission in life is to stop Susan writing.

Running Scared is Susan’s first novel and was awarded the 2018 Caleb Prize for an unpublished manuscript.

Find Susan J Bruce online at:

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About Running Scared

My name is Melinda and this has been the worst year ever … We had to leave our family farm, Mum is in hospital, Dad is losing it and my freak-out-and-run arachnophobia is getting worse.

The one good thing in my world is Rory. Maybe he sees things differently because he’s been in a wheelchair for the past eight years, but Rory always knows how to make me laugh.

Problem is, Dad doesn’t want me anywhere near him. He doesn’t trust Rory or his family, especially as Rory’s brother is wanted by the police.

And now even I’m scared about what Rory might be hiding …

You can find Running Scared online at:

Amazon | Goodreads 

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

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #231 | Becoming Us by Kristen M Fraser

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Becoming Us by Kristen M Fraser, a new-to-me Australian Christian romance author. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

How much blood and bodily fluids could one person endure in the space of ten hours?

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

About Becoming Us

What hope is there when the pain of the past revisits the present?

Seven years ago, Melanie Coombes made a heart-breaking decision to protect the man she loved. Broken inside, she accepted her fate, worked hard, and buried her pain and disappointment in her career.

Managing a busy ER in Sea Haven Beach, she never expected to see Wade Acton again. Let alone work alongside him or discover her feelings from years before had never gone away.

But all too soon, old wounds are reopened, and the painful truth she’s harboured for so long is revealed when an unexpected family crisis thrusts her into the role of caretaker for her nephew.

After all their years apart, can Melanie find the strength to trust Wade with her truth? Will she relinquish her brokenness and trust God’s plans for a future filled with hope?

You can find Becoming Us online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

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

What makes a romance hero attractive to you?

Bookish Question #223 | What makes a romance hero attractive to you?

Attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder, so what I find attractive (or not) isn’t necessarily what someone else might find attractive … and that’s okay.

I tend not to picture characters when I read.

I’m more interested in their personality and especially in how they treat other people (okay, other characters).

I consider an attractive romance hero to be one who is intelligent, hardworking, and puts the needs of others before himself (especially the needs of the heroine). He should be a Christian (well, I mostly read Christian romance so that should be a given), who is loving and caring and unselfish, who doesn’t get angry without good cause, and who is never abusive in any way.

Basically, an attractive romance hero is one who demonstrates the qualities in 1 Corinthians 13, with a side of Ephesians 4:2.

What about you? What makes a romance hero attractive to you?

Book Review | What Matters Most by Courtney Walsh

Even though her husband has been dead for five years, Emma Woodson has only just moved to Nantucket to claim the cottage and adjoining apartment she inherited from him. Now she’s hoping this will be a fresh start for her and her son, CJ, once she gets a job and finds someone to clear out the apartment so she can rent that out in holiday season. Falling in love with her tenant was not on her to-do list, aka the Year of Emma.

Jameson Shaw came to Nantucket to deliver Emma a letter confessing his role in her husband’s death. But when she assumes he’s answered her want ad to renovate the apartment, he takes the job and doesn’t give her the letter. He soon finds himself developing feelings for Emma which makes it harder and harder to tell her the truth …

And we can all see that’s not a great foundation for a lasting relationship.

It’s obvious from the first chapter that Jamie has some kind of secret involving Cam, Emma’s dead husband. He doesn’t mention it immediately (and in his defence, it’s not his fault Emma jumped to 100% the wrong conclusion when she saw him). And I can understand why he didn’t tell her – there was no right time. But the bigger the secret and the longer it’s kept, the harder it is to reveal the truth … and that’s a big part of the tension in the story. It was done well, but the lying by omission still bugged me.

Emma also has a secret. It’s hinted at in the book description but we’re a long way through the novel before it’s mentioned, let alone revealed. In many ways, her secret is worse than Jamie’s, even if the results weren’t as catastrophic. In that, it kind of explains why she took so long to get over Cam’s death.

What Matters Most was Christian fiction at the low-key end of Christian.

Emma and Jamie each had their own internal journey to go through, and they both needed to forgive themselves sufficiently before they would even be in the right mental place to consider asking God’s forgiveness. (Fortunately, God forgives before we ask. But we can’t live in that forgiveness if we’re not ready to accept it.) Their eventual acceptance isn’t necessarily told on the page, but is shown by their actions. After all, actions speak louder than words.

What Matters Most by Courtney Walsh is a compelling romance with underlying themes of faith and forgiveness. #BookReview #ChristianRomance Share on X

So while What Matters Most isn’t overt in its presentation of Christianity, faith and forgiveness are definitely the underlying themes. In that, it’s a compelling story with a lot of kisses in the meantime.

Recommended for fans of contemporary Christian romance from authors like Kara Isaac, Carolyn Miller, and Becky Wade.

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

About the Author

Courtney WalshCourtney Walsh is a novelist, artist, theater director, and playwright. Change of Heart is her fifth novel and is set in the same town as Paper Hearts. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists and was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category. She has written two additional books in the Sweethaven series, as well as two craft books and several full-length musicals. Courtney lives in Illinois where she and her husband own a performing and visual arts studio. They have three children.

Find Courtney Walsh online at …

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About What Matters Most

Emma Woodson is hoping the cobblestone streets of Nantucket and the charm of her late husband’s family cottage will be the fresh start she and her young son, CJ, need. Securing a dream job at an art gallery is one more step along the path to a new life . . . and away from a piece of her history she hopes will never be revealed. Falling in love with the kind and handsome guy she hires to clean out the rental apartment above the garage wasn’t part of the plan.

Jameson Shaw came to Nantucket for one reason: deliver his letter to Emma and never return. But when he sees an opportunity to help her, he takes a chance, desperate to atone for his past. He never planned to keep his connection to her husband a secret or to fall in love with her. After all, he knows that their new relationship might not survive the discovery of who he really is.

Find What Matters Most 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!