Category: Book Review

4 April 2022

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 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 …

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:

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

30 March 2022

Book Review | The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart

Ava Laine is the only child of archaeologist and treasure hunter Nick Laine (think Indiana Jones meets James Bond, with all the gadgets). But Nick left when she was a child, unable to tie himself down to the mundane life of father when there was treasure to be found. Now he’s dying, and he’s asked Ava to visit … and participate in one last treasure hunt. To find the previously unknown Fabergé egg.

Fabergé eggs? That got me hooked.

I don’t know where I first learned about Fabergé eggs, but they’ve always fascinated me. And when I realised this was a split-time story and the historical aspect was centred around the House of Fabergé , this was a must-read.

I was immediately fascinated by the historical portion, not just because of the Fabergé eggs but because one of the main characters was Alma Phil, a female designer in the House of Fabergé, Royal Jeweller to the Imperial Family. The House of Fabergé produced more than the famous (infamous?) eggs.

The historical portion of the story is fascinating in a macabre kind of way.

While it starts in 1894, time marches forward and we know 1918 is going to arrive all too soon. Yes, knowing history can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to reading historical fiction (including split time). Knowing does heighten the suspense, but can also make for hard reading (who will live? Who won’t?). I will admit that I stopped reading a couple of times to try and delay the inevitable, and distracted myself with “researching” Fabergé eggs and Alma Phil on Wikipedia (which was also fascinating).

The modern portion was also full of suspense, in quite a different way.

What started as a potentially risky search for something that may or may not exist quickly escalated into the kind of full-on suspense befitting Indiana Jones or James Bond, but with Ava at the centre. There was a touch of romance, with two men vying for Ava’s affections – nick, the good-looking treasure hunter, and Zak, the nerdy IT guy who lives in Amy’s building, who she ropes into helping at the last minute.

The past story all takes place in Russia, and I enjoyed the virtual visit.

I’ve been to Moscow and St Petersburg and visited places in the story, like Khodynka Meadow and the Tsar’s palace (now the State Hermitage Museum). The present story moves from the USA to Russia, to find if the rumoured egg exists and where it might be. This is where the suspense kicks in, and Ava has to work out who she can trust.

The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart is a compelling split-time novel set in the USA and Russia, a treasure hunt for a missing Fabergé egg #ChristianRomance #BookReview Share on X

The best split time fiction has two equally compelling plots. The Master Craftsman certainly meets that standard. Recommended for fans of split time fiction, especially romantic suspense, and those who enjoyed The Russians series by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella.

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

About Kelli Stuart

Kelli Stuart is a writer and a storyteller at heart. A graduate of Baylor University with a degree in English Professional Writing, and a minor in the Russian language, Kelli has honed her skills in the written word through editing, ghostwriting, blogging, and traveling the world.

Kelli is the author of the Carol-award winning novel, Like a River From Its Course, based on true stories from Ukrainian World War II survivors. Her second novel, A Silver Willow by the Shore, was the NIEA winner for literary fiction and received the IPPY silver award for literary fiction in 2020.

Kelli has co-authored the non-fiction books Dare 2B Wise with Joe White, and Life Creative: Inspiration for Today’s Renaissance Mom with Wendy Speake. Kelli lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband and five children.

Find Kelli Stuart online at:

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About The Master Craftsman

In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in the House of Fabergé, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history–an unknown Fabergé Egg that Peter Karl Fabergé secretly created to honor his divided allegiance to both the people of Russia and the Imperial tsar’s family. When Alma and her husband escaped Russia for their native Finland in 1921, she took the secret with her, guarding her past connection to the Romanov family.

Three generations later, world-renowned treasure hunter Nick Laine is sick and fears the secret of the missing egg will die with him. With time running out, he entrusts the mission of retrieving the egg to his estranged daughter, Ava, who has little idea of the dangers she is about to face. As the stakes are raised, Ava is forced to declare her own allegiance–and the consequences are greater than she could have imagined.

You can find The Master Craftsman online at:

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

23 March 2022

Book Review | Something Good by Vanessa Miller

Well, there’s plenty of conflict in Something Good.

Jon-Jon’s family is suffering financial because of his injuries in an accident that wasn’t his fault. Their insurance won’t pay for the operation he needs, and they’re not getting any help from Alexis Marshall, the woman who caused the accident.

Alexis wants to help, but her husband won’t let her because he thinks it will affect his big business deal. He’s too busy trying to present a perfect persona, which impacts on Alexis’s relationship with her mother.

Marquita Lewis has had a tough upbringing, with a mother who has serious mental health issues and who hasn’t been taught a lot of what we might think are the basics of life. When she shows up on the Marshall’s doorstep, it challenges them all.

The overriding theme of Something Good is implied by the title.

God can bring something good out of even the worst of circumstances if we let him. It’s a great theme, and the novel does a great job of showing this at the big-picture level.

My problems with Something Good were in the detail.

First, this book has a plot that shouldn’t be allowed to happen. I will admit to Kiwi privilege here: I live in a country with “socialist” national healthcare as well as separate state-funded medical insurance for those injured in accidents. As such, it grates that Jon-Jon’s medical expenses cause his family such financial stress. It’s a sad indictment on “the land of the free” that this plot is possible and all-too believable.

Second, there were a lot of editing issues e.g. misspelled words (e.g. Epson salt), awkward tense changes (maybe they’re in italic in the paper version, but they weren’t in my ebook review copy), repetition (arms and hands flailing in consecutive paragraphs, as though the sentence was moved but the original sentence not deleted), and weird dialogue tags (objected, joked).

But the main problem the dialogue—it felt wooden, unnatural, and inconsistent with the characters. The quality of the editing was an unpleasant surprise, because Thomas Nelson novels are usually edited to a much higher standard. The editing drew me out of the story many times which is a shame, because Something Good is a powerful story that deserves to be read.

In particular, I found Alexis an inspiring character.

Why? Because of her determination to hold onto God despite her circumstances, and her habit of praying her way through the bad times. I found that encouraging, and it’s great to see Thomas Nelson returning to their heritage of novels displaying strong Christian values. More, please!

Meanwhile, I look forward to exploring some of Vanessa Miller’s extensive list of previous novels.

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

About Vanessa Miller

Vanessa Miller is a bestselling author, with several books appearing on Essence Magazine’s Bestseller’s List. She has also been a Black Expressions Book Club Alternate pick and #1 on BCNN/BCBC Bestsellers’ List. Most of Vanessa’s published novels depict characters that are lost and in need of redemption. The books have received countless favorable reviews: “Heartwarming, drama-packed and tender in just the right places” (Romantic Times Book Review) and “Recommended for readers of redemption stories” (Library Journal).

Find Vanessa Miller online at:

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About Something Good

When three women find their lives inextricably linked after a terrible mistake, they must work together to make the most of their futures.

Alexis Marshall never meant to cause the accident that left Jon-Jon Robinson paralyzed—but though guilt plagues her, her husband hopes to put the past behind them. After all, he’s in the middle of selling a tech business—and if Alexis admits to texting while driving, the deal could collapse and cost them millions. Meanwhile, Alexis’s life is not as shiny and perfect as it may seem from the outside. She has secrets of her own. As she becomes consumed with thoughts of the young man she hit, can she reconcile her mistake with her husband’s expectations?

Trish Robinson is just trying to hold it together after the accident that left Jon-Jon dependent and depressed. As the bills pile up, Trish and her husband, Dwayne, find themselves at odds. Trish wants to forgive and move on, but Dwayne is filled with rage toward the entitled woman who altered their lives forever. Trish can’t see how anything good can come from so much hate and strife, so she determines to pray until God intervenes. Then one afternoon Marquita Lewis rings their doorbell with a baby in her arms and changes everything.

Vanessa Miller’s latest inspirational novel reminds readers that differences may separate us, but if we cling to each other, God can bring something good out of our very worst moments.

You can find Something Good 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!

14 March 2022

Book Review | The Mozart Code by Rachel McMillan

The Mozart Code is a kind-of sequel to The London Restoration.

The two main characters of The London Restoration also feature as minor characters in The Mozart Code, and the characters all know each other (and have done since the War).

It’s also a kind-of sequel in that both novels are set in post-World War II Europe. Both feature characters who worked at Bletchley Park. Both feature couples in unconventional marriages. Both flit between the post-war setting, and scenes before or during the war. And both stories are ostensibly Christian, but the themes are subtle. Very subtle (I’ve read general market historical fiction with more obvious faith elements).

I listened to the audiobook version of The London Restoration, and found it very slow. However, that’s a common issue I have with audiobooks, so I put it down to the fact audiobooks (even on double speed) are slower than I read. I also found aspects of the story difficult to follow, but again put that down to the audiobook experience. I know a lot of people love audiobooks. I am not one of them, but that’s on me, not the author.

I therefore made a conscious choice to read The Mozart Code, not listen to the audiobook. Unfortunately, I found that I had the same issues with the written version.

The writing is beautiful. Outstanding.

But the story was slow, and the book didn’t deliver what I was expecting: suspense and espionage in post-war Europe. The book description suggests the story is about Sophia searching for Mozart’s death mask for two competing clients, but there was little searching or investigating. Instead, there was a lot of focus on Mozart (not unexpected, given the title), chess, and Simon’s background, and nothing to show what Sophia was or wasn’t doing to find the mask.

I’ve read and very much enjoyed Rachel McMillan’s contemporary romance novels. But I’m not a fan of her historic novels, despite the beautiful and literary style of writing. Or perhaps because the beautiful and literary style of writing got in the way of delivering on the plot promised in the book description.

Finally, I will add a content warning: there was some torture, which I skipped/skimmed. That came late in the story, so didn’t impact on my view of the novel.

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

About Rachel McMillan

Rachel McMillan is the author of the Herringford and Watts mysteries, the Three Quarter Time series of contemporary romances set in opulent Vienna, and the Van Buren and DeLuca mysteries praised for bringing an authentic 1930’s Boston world to life while normalizing the fictional conversation surrounding mental illness. She is also the author of Dream, Plan and Go: A Romantic’s Guide to Independent Travel and A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide: which explores her love of made-for-TV Christmas movies. Her upcoming historical romances The London Restoration and The Mozart Code (Harper Collins) take readers deep into an atmospheric look of post-war London, Vienna and Prague. Rachel lives in Toronto, Canada.

Find Rachel online at:

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About The Mozart Code

No matter how you might try to hide in a war to escape your past, it is always close at hand.

Lady Sophia Huntington Villiers is no stranger to intrigue, as her work with Alan Turing’s Bombe Machines at Bletchley Park during the war attests. Now, as part of Simon Barre’s covert team in post-war Vienna, she uses her inimitable charm and code name Starling to infiltrate the world of relics: uncovering vital information that could tilt the stakes of the mounting Cold War. When several influential men charge her with finding the death mask of Mozart, Sophie wonders if there is more than the composer’s legacy at stake and finds herself drawn to potential answers in Prague.

Simon Barrington, the illegitimate heir of one of Sussex’s oldest estates, used the previous war to hide his insecurities about his past. Now, he uses his high breeding to gain access to all four allied quarters of the ruined city in an attempt to slow the fall of the Iron Curtain. He has been in love with Sophie Villiers since the moment he met her, and a marriage of convenience to save Simon’s estate has always kept her close. Until now, when Sophie’s mysterious client in Prague forces him to wonder if her allegiance to him—and their cause—is in question. Torn between his loyalty to his cause and his heart, Simon seeks answers about Sophie only to learn that everything he thought he knew about his involvement in both wars is based on a lie.

You can find The Mozart Code online at:

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

8 March 2022

Bookish Question #219 | What’s your favourite fictional service?

What’s your favourite fictional service: army, navy, air force, or marines?

Tough question.

I could say army, because my son is in the army, as was my grandfather and great-grandfather.

I could say Air Force, because I was an Air Force cadet as a teenager and later discovered my other grandfather served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II (even though he was Welsh).

I could say Marines, because my Army grandfather also spent time in the Royal Marines (which is part of the British Army, not a separate service as it is in the USA).

I could say Navy, because my father was in the merchant navy (although in peacetime, not during a war).

You can probably see a theme: British armed services.

All my family are British, so my preference is stories about British or Commonwealth services. But it’s an unfortunate reality that most Christian fiction is written for a US audience, so the characters tend to be American—even in military novels set in wartime England.

But none of that helps decide on my favourite fictional service.

I like variety, so I’m going to choose army stories.

Why? Because the army has a wider range of trades, including a lot of interesting specialisations. That gives a lot more scope for stories that feature original stories and unusual occupations, and I love reading something new.

Do you have a favourite fictional (or real) service? Which one, and why?

7 March 2022

Book Review | Love, Faith & Tender Kisses

This is a collection of international contemporary Christian romance novellas by seven different authors from Australia, England, and the USA. It is published by The Collaborative Press from Australia, which explains why four of the seven authors are Australian (five, if you count Autumn Macarthur who is from Australia but now lives in England).

I had already read three of the stories, either in previous limited-time novella collections, or via Amazon.

I’ve now read six of the seven, and have enjoyed all of them.

Fake Engagement Mistake by Lisa Renee

This is probably the first Christian romance I’ve read and enjoyed that features an an accountant as the hero. I don’t have anything against accountants (I’m married to one), but other Christian romance I’ve read with accountants haven’t painted them as loveable heroes. (They’ve been boring.) I love the fact the accountant ends up with someone who is his opposite, yet they’re a perfect match. My only criticism is that it ended too soon 😉

I have another book in this series waiting on my Kindle, and I’m looking forward to reading it.

Last Flight Home by Milla Holt

This is a second-chance romance with surprising depth for a novella-length story. Macey broke her engagement with Caleb when he sided with their friend Josh, who had cheated on his fiance. Macey, naturally enough, saw that as condoning Josh’s behaviour. It’s a tough situation, and I liked the way the characters worked through it, and especially the way their Chritian faith was interwoven into the story.

Falling for Maddie Grace by Meredith Resce

I think I’ve now read this story at least three times, even though I have exactly zero interest in Aussie Rules football. It gets better each time I read it. It’s the story of an AFL player who falls for (literally and romantically) the AFLs first female referee.

The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet by Lorana Hoopes

I know billionaire romances are hugely popular with many readers, but it’s not my favourite genre … so this is the novella I’ve yet to read. I will 🙂

His Perfect Catch by Narelle Atkins

This features Mia, who has run away from her life in Sydney after a too-public split with her boyfriend. She’s now hiding in a friend’s house in Sapphire Bay, and living next door to hear teenage crush, Pete. Unfortunately, Pete thinks Mia is the same high-mainteance girl as his ex, so the course of true love is not going to run smooth.

Originally Yours by Carolyn Miller

This is set in a US Bible college that forbids fraternising. not that Gloria intends to fraternise. She’s here to find the ministry god has for her, not find a man. I liked her attitude:

I don’t think a woman needs a man to complete her. That’s God’s job.

Yes, I’m a Carolyn Miller fan, and it’s because of the way she weaves counter-cultural yet Biblical truths into her stories.

Imperfectly Proverbs 31 by Autumn Macarthur

This is the story of blogger Samantha rose, whose Perfectly Proverbs 31 blog has gone viral and who is now being interviewed by a handsome reporter determined to prove she’s a liar. Which she’s not. Sure, she can’t cook, can’t bake, and the house is never clean, but she never said she baked or cooked . She just never said she didn’t …

Lying is a tough premise to make work in Christian fiction, but this novella does it brilliantly. I think this was my favourite of the collection, because I loved the idea of the accidental viral blogger.

What I liked most about this collection was that all the stories were unashamedly Christian, with characters who were doing their best to live out their faith. I also appreciated the humour – I’m always a fan of a romance that can make me laugh as well as make me think.

Recommended for anyone looking for some uplifting Christian romance novellas.

Thanks to The Collaborative Press for providing a free ebook for review.

About Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses

Boy meets girl. Man meets woman. Sparks fly. All good love stories start here and usually face a myriad of challenges before the young couple find that together they are better.

This set of Contemporary Christian romance stories come from writers across both sides of the pond and Downunder, proving that romance is not only a sweet thing, it’s global.

Here’s a set of stories to inspire, encourage faith, and meet all the warm-fuzzy expectations.

In this boxset, you’ll receive a total of seven novellas from these popular Christian Romance authors:

Fake Engagement Mistake © 2021 by Lisa Renee
Last Flight Home © 2021 Milla Holt
Falling for Maddie Grace © 2021 Meredith Resce
The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet © 2021 Lorana Hoopes
His Perfect Catch © 2021 Narelle Atkins
Originally Yours © 2021 Carolyn Miller
Imperfectly Proverbs 31 © 2021 Autumn Macarthur

You can find Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses online at:

Amazon | Apple| Goodreads | Kobo

4 March 2022

First Line Friday | Week #226 | Love, Faith and Tender Kisses Collection

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 Fake Engagement Mistake by Lisa Renee, which is the first novella in the new Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses collection. Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

I’m going to enjoy reading these novellas!

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

About Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses

Boy meets girl. Man meets woman. Sparks fly. All good love stories start here and usually face a myriad of challenges before the young couple find that together they are better.

This set of Contemporary Christian romance stories come from writers across both sides of the pond and Downunder, proving that romance is not only a sweet thing, it’s global.

Here’s a set of stories to inspire, encourage faith, and meet all the warm-fuzzy expectations.

In this boxset, you’ll receive a total of seven novellas from these popular Christian Romance authors:

Fake Engagement Mistake © 2021 by Lisa Renee
Last Flight Home © 2021 Milla Holt
Falling for Maddie Grace © 2021 Meredith Resce
The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet © 2021 Lorana Hoopes
His Perfect Catch © 2021 Narelle Atkins
Originally Yours © 2021 Carolyn Miller
Imperfectly Proverbs 31 © 2021 Autumn Macarthur

You can find Love, Faith, and Tender Kisses online at:

Amazon | Apple| Goodreads | Kobo

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

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!

28 February 2022

Book Review | Postcards by Elizabeth Maddrey

Cecily has just landed a big project for her company and is looking forward to managing her first project when her boss dumps a bombshell: he’s hired Owen Chandler to take over the project. Unfortunately, her sister and sounding board has just left the country after dropping a bombshell of her own: she’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She’s even cancelled her mobile, so Cecily can’t even text her. Instead, she finds herself texting the random stranger who now has Leila’s number.

Work improves, and Cecily finds herself hanging out with Owen outside of work – they have the same taste in movies, and go to the same church. But he’s just a friend.

After all, everyone who loves her ends up leaving her …

There was so much to like about this novel. To start with, Postcards is written in first person. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it as a way of getting inside the character’s head.

Postcards has a heroine with the unusual job. The fact she enjoyed her job and was really good at it was a bonus (I love to read about women who are good at things, especially areas such as IT or STEM which are often male-dominated).

And there were other things I loved: The postcards Leila sent as she travelled. The way Cecily investigated the places her sister visited (many of which I’ve visited too). Cecily’s snarky tone (particularly her attitude to exercise). The way Cecily’s Christian faith was intertwined into the novel. Her relationship with her sister.

The fact Cecily isn’t afraid to stand up for herself at work. The fact money wasn’t an issue (I’m not a fan of novels where someone’s financial problems are a major plot points. It’s an unpleasant reminder of some of the systemic failures in our society, and I’m generally reading romance to escape. If I want Big Issues, I’ll choose women’s fiction).

Overall, Postcards ticked all my boxes for contemporary Christian Romance: intelligent heroine, great hero, excellent writing, and a strong Christian thread.

Overall, Postcards by @ElizabethMaddre ticked all my boxes for contemporary Christian Romance: intelligent heroine, great hero, excellent writing, and a strong Christian thread. #BookReview #ChristianRomance Share on X

There were also links back to Elizabeth Maddrey’s Operation Romance series, which I read over the Christmas break. It was great to catch up with some of those characters again.

Recommended for Christian romance fans, especially if you’ve already read the Operation Romance series.

About Elizabeth Maddrey

Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who loves a good happily ever after.

She began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of computers, math, and organization steered her into computer science at Wheaton College, she always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. This continued through a Master’s program in Software Engineering, several years in the computer industry, teaching programming at the college level, and a Ph.D. in Computer Technology in Education. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity.

She lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys.

Find Elizabeth Maddrey online at:

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About Postcards

Turns out, my sister was serious about everything she said in that phone call.

The cancer.
The leaving.
The postcards.

So I was already struggling to figure out just what God thought He was doing. And then my boss introduced me to the guy who would be taking over the new project.

My project.

Sure, Owen’s hot. And so what if he has the world’s most impressive resume? He’s not getting my job without a fight.
And my job isn’t the only thing I’m not going to surrender.

I’m also not going to let Owen take over my heart.

You can find Postcards online at:

Amazon | BookBub| Goodreads

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

21 February 2022

Book Review | Safe House Exposed by Darlene L Turner

Canadian Police Constable Mason James is undercover to investigate a leak in the Canadian Witness Protection Program when he learns one of the targeted witnesses is Emily, a Canadian Border Services Agency officer … and his widowed sister-in-law. Emily and her daughter, Sierra, are in danger from the criminal Luther family after she put the father in jail.

Safe House Exposed has a strong suspense thread.

I didn’t find the romance element as compelling. There’s always a should-they-shouldn’t-they element with siblings interested in the same person, even if the other sibling is dead. My main issue was that I simply didn’t see the romance. Sure, I could see they should have a relationship—Mason should have been around to support his sister-in-law and niece since she lost her husband—but I didn’t see the underlying emotion to make that relationship romantic.

But maybe I was focussing too much on the suspense. While I’m not a fan of dirty-cop plots, this one was well done. There were a couple of great twists that I didn’t see coming, and while I guessed a couple of vital clues in advance, I had no idea who would turn out to be the evildoer. yes, it was obvious in hindsight (as it should be), but I had no idea.

I do have a content warning:

Emily’s marriage to Brady wasn’t the rainbows and unicorns relationship Mason or Seth (Mason’s father and boss) thought it was. Emily is one of many law enforcement spouses who is a domestic violence survivor. While there were no detailed descriptions, I do know that’s a topic some readers would prefer to be aware of ahead of time. Also, (spoiler alert), I was disappointed in Mason’s reaction to learning about his brother’s behaviour, even though Mason’s reaction was probably the most true to real life.

Overall, Safe House Exposed ticks all the Love Inspired Suspense boxes.

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:

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About Safe House Exposed

Witness protection should have kept them safe.

Instead, it left them completely exposed…

Canadian border patrol officer Emma James has only one concern after putting a crime boss behind bars: keeping her daughter safe. But witness protection has a leak, and Emma’s enemies know exactly where to find her. Now on the run with no safe haven, trusting her estranged former brother-in-law, police constable Mason James, to shield them is her only hope…

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14 February 2022

Book Review | Under a Sky of Memories by Soraya M Lane

Under a Sky of Memories is the story of Vita, Dot, and Evelyn, three American nurses who sign up to serve in World War II. As members of the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron, they will be the nurses on board air ambulances, transporting injured soldiers away from the front lines so they can recover in proper hospitals.

They are posted to Catania in Sicily, where they find the work difficult but satisfying. Soon, they are all assigned to the same mission, a super flight with multiple doctors and nurses on board. A series of mishaps leads them to crash-land in Armenia … enemy territory.

The story then becomes a tale of survival: will the pilots, nurses, and medics survive?

Under a Sky of Memories is a gripping story with excellent characters. The writing is excellent, with plenty of suspense, made all the more engaging once I realised this was based on a true story. That’s actually an important fact, because otherwise it would be easy to complain the mistakes leading to the crash weren’t realistic!

The author has obviously done a heap of research, which is great, but it never overwhelms the story. Instead, the story very much focuses on the three nurses.

Recommended for historical fiction fans, especially those who enjoy World War II fiction.

Under a Sky of Memories isn’t Christian fiction but it doesn’t have any explicit sex or language, and I think it would appeal to fans of authors like Lynn Austin or Sarah Sundin.

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

About Soraya M Lane

Soraya M. Lane graduated with a law degree before realizing that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, and her novel Wives of War was an Amazon Charts bestseller.

Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.

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About Under a Sky of Memories

From the bestselling author of The Last Correspondent comes the powerful story of three brave women who go to war—and end up fighting for their lives.

Sicily, 1943. Three American women, all nurses in the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron, are determined to do all they can for their country. Vita is fun-loving, Dot shy and sweet-natured, and Evelyn practical and determined, but for all their differences, a life of military service pulls the three together as firm friends.

When they’re selected for a daring mission, the women are proud to play their part. But disaster strikes when their plane crash-lands behind enemy lines in occupied Albania. Together with twenty-three other medics, they find themselves trapped, cut off from all communication with the squadron, and in terrifying and unimaginable danger.

As days and nights pass without hope of rescue, the group must travel on foot across unfamiliar terrain thick with Nazis and their violent local allies. Can Evelyn, Vita, and Dot survive the perilous journey through enemy territory—and finally find their way home?

Find Under a Sky of Memories online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads