Category: Book Review

Why can't we grow closer to God without going through hard times? Isn't there another way?

Book Review | Saving the CEO by Liwen Ho

Devin Kendall is the CEO of his family’s multi-million dollar business. But to keep his role, he has to get married in the next three months … and he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.

Scarlett Hayes is the youngest of four sisters, all of whom work in the family’s Christian matchmaking business. Her friend Bekah recommends Scarlett to her brother, Devin, and they form an instant connection … which is more than a little awkward considering Scarlett is supposed to be finding Devin his perfect match, not falling for him herself.

I must say I’m not a huge fan of plots that centre on an already-dead character ruling from beyond the grave in the form of a dictatorial will. It often seems to me that such clauses indicate a lack of trust from the dead person. However, Saving the CEO managed to take this trope and deal with it well.

While Scarlett and Devin seem like complete opposites (he’s a serious oldest child, and an almost-workaholic professional, while Scarlett is a youngest child who often comes across as flighty). But they also have lots in common – they are both hardworking, determined, family oriented Christians … who find each other attractive.

And that’s awkward, because Rule #1 of matchmaking is Don’t Date the Clients.

Watching Devin and Scarlett pretend to not be attracted while they worked to find Devin some appropriate matches was fun. Watching them fall for each other was even more fun. The, of course, came the inevitable scene where Scarlett realises Devin hadn’t told the whole truth i.e. he hasn’t told her about the will. And to say any more would be a spoiler.

I was impressed by the maturity shown by both Devin and Scarlett, especially Scarlett.

She was younger than Devin and a lot more outgoing, to it would be easy to assume she was immature and flighty, but she was not. She was just as dedicated to her fmaily and to hw work as Devin, even if her job wasn’t as high-powered as his. I liked the way they dealth with their conflicts and difficulties, and I loved their chemistry.

Overall, this is a fun contemporary Christian romance, especially recommended for fans of billionaire romances or matchmaker plots.

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

About Liwen Ho

Author Photo: Liwen HoLiwen 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 Ho online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Saving the CEO

This matchmaker has finally met her match …

To inherit his family business and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, Devin Kendall must find a wife. The only problem? He’s a workaholic CEO who can’t remember the last time he went on a date. The best solution? Hire his sister’s matchmaker friend to do the job for him. If only they didn’t get along like two dogs after the same bone.

If Scarlett Hayes didn’t have a bet to win, she would never have agreed to take on her handsome but incorrigible new client. Devin might seem like the perfect match on paper, but he needs plenty of help in the one area he lacks—romance. She’s determined to pull out all the stops to coach him, including taking him out on a practice date. If only the emotions he stirs up inside of her didn’t feel so real.

The more time Devin and Scarlett spend with each other, the more they realize they’re not so different after all. When they finally agree to work together toward a common goal, how will they handle the chemistry growing between them?

Find Saving the CEO online at:

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Book Review | I’ll Always Choose You (Trinity Lakes #3) by Lisa Renee

Leah Thompson has spent the last two years building her business, Trinity Organics. She’s fallen for Justin Perry, the town’s one-time bad boy (literally). But her father, the local sheriff, hasn’t forgotten Justin’s past, and won’t allow Leah to date him.

Leah is torn between wanting to date Justin, and honoring her father … who she trusts, and therefore who must have a good reason for wanting to keep them apart. The sheriff suggests Leah date other guys, no doubt hoping that will distract her from Justin.

Justin is serious about dating Leah, so comes up with a foolproof plan.

(Yes, well all know what happens with foolproof plans.)

Justin decides Leah should date someone who is even less suitable than Justin. Leah should start a fake relationship with Marcus, the tattooed Australian chef working at Trinity Lakes Summer Camp.

Everything goes as predicted … which provides lots of fun for the reader (and a lot less fun for Leah and Justin). there are plenty of fun moments, embarrassing moments, and a few misunderstandings in the path of true love.

What makes I’ll Always Choose You different from most romances is that we don’t see Leah and Justin meet or their initial attraction – they’re well on the way to love before the story even begins. But, predictably, the path of true love does not run smooth, and that’s what I’ll Always Choose You focusses on.

It’s a fun, quick read, recommended for fans of contemporary Christian romance.

About Lisa Renee

Lisa Ren’ee is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Omega Writers, Australia.

Lisa adores babies enough to have seven of her own. Recently, Lisa has taken up breeding Ragdoll cats instead of breeding humans.

The tribe lives in Australia, where Lisa and her husband enjoy their writing projects and publishing.

Find Lisa Renee online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

About I’ll Always Choose You

Leah Thompson is the Sheriff’s daughter of Trinity Lakes, Washington state. No one is good enough for his baby girl. At twenty-four, she should be able to choose who she wants to date, but her dad holds Justin’s past against him.

Justin has loved Leah for years, the woman where no guy has been brave enough to pursue. Who would want the grumpy sheriff as their future father-in-law? No one is that crazy. Except Justin is crazy in love and willing to do anything to win Leah’s heart, even to set her up on a fake date with his neck-tattooed mate from Australia. Surely the sheriff will see Justin is the better choice for his daughter. Until the fake love triangle goes terribly wrong.

A forbidden love, love triangle, small town contemporary Christian romance.
Visit Trinity Lakes and meet the fun and quirky characters who value family, faith, and happily-ever-after.

Find I’ll Always Choose You online at:

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Sometimes the reason is that you overextended yourself because you don't know how to say no

Book Review | The Broken Hearts Bakery by Carla Laureano

Gemma Van Buren is a successful Los Angeles divorce lawyer who refuses to represent creeps, cheaters, or abusers … until her boss requires that she be less selective in who she represents. Then she receives a call from her best friend, Liv, asking if Gemma could watch her teenage stepdaughter as Liv has been called to New York for a last-minute business meeting.

Gemma agrees and returns to her childhood hometown of Haven Ridge. She’s been home less than an hour when she runs into her teenage boyfriend. Given this is a small-town romance, they are thrown together in more ways than one, and sparks fly as they fight against rekindling their teenage romance. After all, Gemma will be leaving town again … won’t she?

The Broken Hearts Bakery is clean romance rather than Christian romance, and there are a handful of references that remind readers of the difference. There’s also a slightly magical element to the town, which is introduced in the free prequel novella, The Brick House Cafe, available from Carla Laureano’s website. I do recommend reading this first, as it introduces the town and some key characters as well as being a fun romance in its own right.

However, that gives the book a realism that’s often missing from Christian fiction. In the real world, people have problems, and teens often have to deal with what should be adult problems. Gemma, as the outsider with a talent for providing sweet baked goods, becomes a confidant. And that realism is the strength of the story.

Recommended for fans of sweet or Christian contemporary small-town romance.

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

About Carla Laureano

Carla LaureanoCarla 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:

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About The Broken Heart Bakery

Fifteen years ago, the town of Haven Ridge failed its most important mandate—to be a sanctuary for heartbroken citizens in need. Now it’s getting a second chance to set things right …

When Gemma left her hometown of Haven Ridge, Colorado, years ago in a cloud of controversy, she swore she would never return. And she’s kept that promise, instead building her reputation as one of LA’s preeminent family law attorneys. But when her lifelong best friend begs her to come stay with her teen stepdaughter, Taylor, while she’s on a business trip, Gemma doesn’t have the heart to refuse. She’ll simply keep a low profile, do her honorary aunt duties, and be gone before anyone knows the difference.

But Haven Ridge seems to have a mind of its own, dragging Gemma unwillingly back into the community she’s tried so hard to leave behind and she soon finds herself caught up with new friends and old rivalries. When Taylor is the object of an ugly bit of teen bullying, Gemma does the only thing she knows how to do: ply her honorary niece with baked goods and words of affirmation. Soon, her temporary digs are ground zero for teenage girls seeking sugar and consolation for shockingly adult problems—which the girls soon dub The Broken Hearts Bakery.

Complicating matters is an unexpected reunion with Gemma’s high school sweetheart, Stephen, who is determined to change her mind about him, the town, and the nature of love itself. Because as it turns out, her niece isn’t the only one nursing a broken heart…

Find The Broken Heart Bakery online at:

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Book Review | The Ocean Between Us (Trinity Lakes #2) by Meredith Resce

I’m not always a fan of the “other woman” (or other man) trope.

These may be two women interested in the same man, or two men interested in the same woman.

Some authors show all three points of view, which allows us to get into the heads of all three characters, and see why both women like the man. My problems is that I often back the wrong guy (which is why I stopped reading Karen Kingsbury’s Bailey Flanigan novels, and why Sweet Home Alabama is my least favorite Reese Witherspoon movie).

I much prefer it when the author makes it clear which two characters are going to end up together from the beginning.

Meredith Resce does this in The Ocean Between Us.

I also prefer it when there are good reasons why the main character chooses one over the other … but it’s also clear why he was interested in both in the first place. Again, Meredith Resce gets all these things right in The Ocean Between Us. We can see why Caleb and Kyla are together at the beginning of the novel, and there is a clear reason why Caleb and Alanah were not together (the Pacific Ocean).

All in all, I have to say that The Ocean Between Us is one of the best “other women” novels I’ve read. Alanah and Caleb were both excellent characters in an awkward situation: Alanah in having to spend the summer in the house with her teenage crushand having to hide the fact her feelings are all still there. And Caleb choosing to honor his existing relationship even when faced with his teenage crush.

Yes, The Ocean Between Us is a second-chance romance.

And I have to admit that’s one of my favourite genres. I thought Meredith did an excellent job of bringing the two together in a way that felt real and realistic for the characters, and offered plenty of tension for the reader.

All this sounds somewhat serious, but rest assured: The Ocean Between Us is an enjoyable summer romance read.

About The Ocean Between Us

Alanah has set off on a trip of a lifetime.

Her best friend from high school, Sasha Kennedy, has invited her to Trinity Lakes, Washington State, to be part of her wedding party.

South Australia to Trinity Lakes is literally the other side of the world, so Alanah has a full schedule of adventure planned while she’s away. A summer camp counsellor; a trip to Canada; Sight-seeing in New York and Boston; and avoiding Sasha’s twin-brother, Caleb.

But a silly accident puts Sasha out of commission for all the planned adventures, and Caleb is sent to retrieve his former high school sweetheart from the airport. Eleven years should be enough time to have cooled the love Alanah and Caleb once shared. Should be, but apparently not. This is not a great thing to acknowledge considering Caleb has just announced his engagement to someone else.

Six months of avoiding Caleb—worse—avoiding feelings about Caleb—is going to be a long time.

Find The Ocean Between Us online at:

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About Meredith Resce

South Australian Author, Meredith Resce, has been writing since 1991, and has had books in the Australian market since 1997. Apart from writing, Meredith also takes the opportunity to speak to groups on issues relevant to relationships and emotional and spiritual growth.

Meredith is the author of the award-winning ‘Luella Linley – License to Meddle’ series (contemporary Christian romance), and the ‘Heart of Green Valley’ historical fiction series. She has also been co-writer and co-producer in the 2007 Australian feature film production, “Twin Rivers”.

Meredith has worked in Christian ministry since 1983 with her husband, Nick. Meredith and Nick have three adult children, one daughter and two sons.

Find Meredith Resce online at:

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You take the time to slow down and listen. To have wonder and awe. I need that.

Book Review | Holding onto Hope by Janet W Ferguson

Boat captain Caleb Donnelly has been in love with wedding planner Hope Rodriguez for years. Hope has never noticed because she’s got her own unrequited love story: she’s been in love with Peter Thompson for just as long.

They’re both at Pete’s Alabama wedding to Skye (from Healing Skye) when Pete’s brother Andrew drops his own bombshell. He’s getting married. In two weeks. In Wyoming. And Andrew wants Hope to organise not just the wedding, but a week’s worth of “fun” activities for the guests.

So Caleb volunteers to help.

Between them, Hope and Caleb manage to arrange what seems impossible, not helped by the absent bride’s list of requirements. Caroline was Bridezilla on steroids (seriously: if you want to hold an event that doesn’t leave a carbon footprint, you don’t hold it halfway across a continent with only two weeks’ notice).

Most of the people Hope and Caleb talk to think they’re the couple getting married, which is more than a little awkward for Caleb … and for the reader, because I was wondering when Hope was going to notice that Caleb was interested in her.

(It was worth the wait.)

Caleb grew up in foster care after being burned in a house fire as a small child. He carries a lot of physical and emotional scars, so while he’s in love with Hope, he’s also convinced he’s not good enough for her.

Yes, it’s a great setup.

This is one of those books I inhaled – I am an absolute sucker for unrequited love stories, and Caleb was a eminently lovable hero. I was so keen for Caleb and Hope to get their happy-ever-after than I practically inhaled this book. I’m sure I’m going to have to read it again and savour it to pick up the nuances I inevitably missed the first time around … and to enjoy some of the scenes which will no doubt be much more amusing now I know the story plays out.

Recommended for all fans of contemporary Christian romance, or anyone looking for Christian fiction set in Wyoming.

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

About Janet W Ferguson

Janet W FergusonJanet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served her church as a children’s minister and a youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a few cats that allow them to share the space.

 

Find Janet W Ferguson online at:

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About Holding onto Hope

A fun road trip romance to the Grand Tetons! Always the wedding planner, never the bride.

Hope Rodriguez loves planning weddings. There’s nothing more special than helping a bride become a princess for a day, but she’s not sure that’s her calling in life anymore.

If only she had her own special someone. Her only current prospect leaves her with more questions than answers about where she falls in his list of priorities.

Yet, when a lifelong friend asks her to plan a destination wedding across the country in only two weeks, she’ll have to figure out how to pull off the impossible…alone.

After being burned as a child and deserted by his family, Caleb Donnelly has an intimate relationship with pain. Despite all he’s endured, one ache refuses to leave him—the throbbing in his heart where Hope is concerned.

So when Hope needs help with their friend’s wedding, he can’t stop himself from volunteering to travel two thousand miles to Jackson, Wyoming.

As long as he keeps his feelings in check, he might not ruin their friendship. Because a beautiful woman like Hope could never love a scarred man like him. There’s no way their longtime friendship could ever become more.

When Hope and Caleb’s plans go up in flames, it’s their hearts that might never recover.

Find Holding onto Hope online at:

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Book Review | Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

I’m changing track slightly today and reviewing a nonfiction book (gasp!).

While I can (and often do) read a novel in a day, nonfiction takes me a lot longer. Liturgy of the Ordinary certainly did—it released in 2016, and mine is an advance reviewer copy …

There are several reasons for this. One is that I find I have to slow down for nonfiction—I can’t devour good nonfiction in a day the way I devour a great novel. I also find that nonfiction tends to speak to us in different seasons of life. If I’m trying to read a book in the wrong season, it’s like trying to build a snowman in midsummer: I might be willing, but there is just nothing there to work with.

Liturgy of the Ordinary was like that.

It’s a book to be read slowly and savoured, not devoured in a day.

Ironic, given it’s structured around the activities of a typical day.

Different people will probably read different things into the book (isn’t that one of the brilliant things about writing?). My view is that the overarching theme is that most of us do live ordinary lives … and that’s okay. That’s what God has called us to. That’s how we are to honour God, in the ordinary.

Warren says:

I’m living this life, the life right in front of me. This one where we aren’t living as we thought we might or as we hoped we would.
(Actually, that makes sense. Ordinary is the opposite of extraordinary. If we were all pastors of mega-churches or world-famous evangelists or sought-after preachers, those things wouldn’t be the extraordinary. They’d be the ordinary, and we’d all be longing for what we now disparagingly call ordinary).

When Warren refers to liturgies, she isn’t just referring to the worship practices of traditional churches. She’s talking about our everyday liturgies … our habits and traditions:

Examining our daily life through the lens of liturgy allows us to see who these habits are shaping us to be, and the ways we can live as people who have been loved and transformed by God.

She confronts and challenges our subconscious views, our desire to get rid of the boring stuff to live a thrilling, edgy kind of faith. She worries that we’re addicted to novelty and stimulation rather than actively seeking solitude and silence, as Jesus did. She challenges us to be content in all circumstances, even dirty dishes and unmade beds and lost keys. She challenges our impatience, our desire to be happy and fulfilled now, our never-ending quest to control our time and get to the end of the to-do list.

She quotes Dorothy Bass in Receiving the Day:

We come to believe that we, not God, are the masters of time. We come to believe that our worth must be proved by the way we spend our hours and that our ultimate safety depends on our own good management.

Guilty as charged …  I have been tracking my daily mobile phone usage this year, and have discovered (!) that the days where I feel I’ve been most productive are the days when I’ve spent the least time on my phone (who knew, right?).

Finally, Warren challenges us to rest.

She points out that while evangelism has produced many positive changes in society (such as the abolition of slavery, the rights of women, and the protection of children), it has also embraced a “culture of frenzy and grandiosity” to the point where we’re all exhausted. We need to reclaim the Sabbath and actually rest.

We don’t need to go all out, doing all the things, to get Jesus to show up. He’s already here. We just need to slow down for long enough to notice.

We need to rest.

So if you’re stuck on the never-ending hamster wheel of doing, perhaps it’s time to pick up Liturgy of the Ordinary and allow yourself to focus on the small instead of the big, on being instead of doing.

Thanks to InterVarsity Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. And sorry for taking over six years to read it.

About Tish Harrison Warren

Tish Harrison WarrenTish Harrison Warren is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. After eight years with InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries at Vanderbilt and The University of Texas at Austin, she currently serves as Co-Associate Rector at Church of the Ascension in Pittsburgh, PA.

She writes regularly for The Well, CT Women, and Christianity Today. Her work has also appeared in Comment Magazine, Christ and Pop Culture, Art House America, Anglicanpastor.com, and elsewhere. She is author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life (IVP). She is from Austin, TX, and now lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and two young daughters in a house chock full of books with no matching forks or matching socks anywhere to be found.

Find Tish Harrison Warren online at:

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About Liturgy of the Ordinary

In the overlooked moments and routines of our day, we can become aware of God’s presence in surprising ways. How do we embrace the sacred in the ordinary and the ordinary in the sacred?

Framed around one ordinary day, this book explores daily life through the lens of liturgy, small practices, and habits that form us. Each chapter looks at something―making the bed, brushing her teeth, losing her keys―that the author does every day. Drawing from the diversity of her life as a campus minister, Anglican priest, friend, wife, and mother, Tish Harrison Warren opens up a practical theology of the everyday. Each activity is related to a spiritual practice as well as an aspect of our Sunday worship.

Come and discover the holiness of your every day.

Find Liturgy of the Ordinary online at:

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Love at first sight was never on my radar because I only thought it to be a result of a lack of impulse control.

Book Review | No Matter What by Jennifer Carr

Those of you who regularly read my reviews know I rarely gush about the books I’ve read. I suspect that’s partly because I read so mush fiction: it takes a lot to come up with a concept or content I find gushable (that’s a word, right?)

No Matter What by Jennifer Carr has got me gushing.

The main character, Jess, has a gift: she can read the emotions of others with remarkable accuracy. It’s never explained if this is a well-honed sense of empathy or whether it’s some kind of supernatural gift, and it doesn’t matter.  It’s a fascinating concept, and one I can’t remember reading before (which is always a great start).

It’s not perfect. The cover is underwhelming, I’m not a fan of whine or growl to describe the way characters speak, and there were aspects to the plot which broke all the “rules”. It also involves something close to the “love at first sight” trope, which is not one I usually enjoy.

Having said that (and without wanting to give any spoilers), part of what kept me engaged was the unexpected—the aspects which broke all the rules.

Jess is a fascinating character.

Her “gift” is even more pronounced when she touches people, so she likes to keep physical contact to a minimum. As a result, she’s never had a proper boyfriend … something her roommate, Stacy, wants to change. She’s  intelligent—as the story opens, she’s teaching college-level psychology and about to defend her PhD thesis.

The novel is written in first person, mostly from Jess’s point of view.

I think this is a definite strength, although I know some readers struggle with first person. I love it, because it allows the reader to get inside the character’s head. With Jess, this means we get first-hand insight into her gift as she meets and reacts to new people.

This gift and the compelling yet believable way it is portrayed dragged me straight into the plot and didn’t let go. I was totally on board with the instant attraction between Jess and Bryan, even when I realised Jess wasn’t a Christian and the two were therefore unequally yoked.

However, that paved the way for something I’d love to see more of in Christian fiction—a believable come-to-Jesus conversion scene for an adult main character. Yes, I know they’re hard to write, so I do love it when an author achieves the almost-impossible and brings a Christian and a non-Christian together in a way that rings true.

I thought I had a perfect plan for my life, and now I was hearing that God actually had a better plan than the one I’d concocted.

I also loved the fact that Jess was clearly then discipled as a Christian by her pastor’s wife. No, we didn’t see this on the page (this is romantic suspense fiction, not how-to-disciple-a-new-believer nonfiction), but it was clearly part of her character journey.

And at the end, that’s what No Matter What was about. Yes, there are suspense elements and there are some puzzles to solve, but that’s not the core of the story. The core of the story is about character change: how the author shows characters change as they come to know Jesus, with the unwritten implication that He can do the same for us.

Because He loves us. No matter what.

And, despite what some might see as many faults, that’s why I’m left gushing about No Matter What.

Thanks to Jennifer Carr for providing a free ebook for review.

About Jennifer Carr

Jennifer CarrHaving always enjoyed books, writing, and daydreaming, Jennifer wanted to know what it would feel like to combine the three and write a book. Once she started writing, everything changed. Within a matter of months she had multiple projects started and found a love for writing in a way she never knew was possible. Married to her childhood best friend and the mom of a creative daughter, Jennifer enjoys baking, reading romance novels, and living the quiet life on a farm in Alabama.

Find Jennifer Carr online at:

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About No Matter What

Bryan Carsen, a member of the United States Cyber Force, and Jess Hayley, a brilliant profiler with a unique set of skills, are about to set off to live a life they never knew they ever wanted. Two complete strangers, Bryan and Jess find themselves on a roadtrip rescue mission to save a best friend, finding love on the way. But instead of a happily ever after, Bryan stumbles upon a covert hacking operation inside his unit that upends the future he had planned.

When Jess finds herself the recipient of a mysterious box of evidence related to Bryan’s investigation she knows everything she holds dear is about to be threatened. Jess turns to the only person she knows she can trust, but can she trust that her heart won’t become the next casualty?

Find No Matter What online at:

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As much as Mallory loved a beautiful home, she never wanted to create one that valued possessions more than people.

Book Review | Second Time Around by Melody Carlson

When Mallory inherits a run-down family store in small-town Oregon, she decides to relocate from the big city to run the business, but discovers property developer Grayson Matthews wants to buy the shop and knock it down to make way for a fancy mall. Yes, that’s a fairly typical set-up for contemporary Christian fiction, but Melody Carlson treats it in a way that’s a little out of the ordinary.

As the title suggests, Second Time Around is a second chance romance.

What makes it a little different from most romances is that it features an older couple—Mallory and Gray are both the empty-nest parents of adult children. They’ve both been single a long time and effectively raised their children alone, Mallory after her husband decided he wasn’t interested in being a father, and Gray after the death of his wife. I liked the fact they were both intelligent, competent adults who acted in a professional and respectful way towards each other.

I also liked the fact the story was low angst.

The set-up is familiar in small-town romance, but inevitably sets the story up to have a winner and a loser, and part of me always feels a little sorry for the loser (inevitably the one who wants to knock things down). There are also occasions when I suspect knocking the buildings down is the right solution, but that’s rarely the outcome in small-town romance. Without wanting to give spoilers, Mallory and Gray quickly reach an amicable agreement, which allows plenty of time for a slow-burn romance to develop. Other problems were quickly solved in a similar low-angst way.

I particularly enjoyed the setting of Seaport, even though we didn’t get to see much (if anything) of the sea. The author does a great job of describing the store and the renovations—this is one novel where the illustration on the cover is exactly what is described in the story.

Overall, Second Time Around is an enjoyable contemporary Christian romance, recommended for those who like small-town romance, second chance romance, and romance featuring older characters.

About Melody Carlson

Author Photo: Melody CarlsonMelody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her novels range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year.

She’s won a number of awards (including Romantic Time’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.

Find Melody Carlson online at:

Website

About Second Time Around

Who doesn’t love a second chance?

When empty nester Mallory Farrell inherits her grandmother’s run-down tourist shop in Seaport, Oregon, it seems the only sensible thing to do is to sell it. But when her former secret crush, Grayson Matthews, wants to buy the property in order to complete his plans to redevelop the funky town’s business district into a soulless, cookie-cutter outdoor mall, Mallory digs in her heels and decides to renovate the property herself.

With a lot of hard work and a little bit of help, Mallory makes incredible progress turning the store into an eclectic home décor shop called Romancing the Home–all while trying to ignore the depressing and decrepit apartment she’s living in on the second floor. When the shop catches the eye of a popular renovation TV show producer, Mallory is thrilled–until it becomes clear that her apartment is to be part of the segment as well.

She’s tempted to abandon her dreams and the town under a cloud of shame. But perhaps there’s more to Grayson than meets the eye. Can he swallow his pride, change his plans, and help Mallory romance her own home–and possibly her life?

Find Second Time Around online at:

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We aren't perfect, and we'll keep making mistakes, but if we're willing to repent and forgive, we can overcome the obstacles.

Book Review | Never Find Another You by Narelle Atkins

Never Find Another You is the first book in the new multi-author Trinity takes contemporary Christian romance series.

Here’s the series description:

Welcome to Trinity Lakes, the warm and welcoming small town in east Washington state filled with charm, family, and friends, where fresh starts, second chances, and romance abounds. You’ll meet cowboys and swoony bachelors, sweet and sassy ladies, and your new best friends. This series of sweet and clean standalone Christian romances will warm your heart, inspire your faith, and bring a smile to your soul.

Hannah is the owner of a lakefront rowing club, part of the trust set up by her father, ex-golf pro Wayne Gilbertson. Hannah is very much her father’s daughter—not least because she doesn’t get on with her mother. Then there is Hannah’s beloved and opinionated grandmother, who wants to set her up with the new Australian tradesman in town …

Joel Manning has come to Trinity Lakes to escape a bad relationship—and he’s not looking to start another. But perhaps God has other idea. Why else would he have met Hannah, who shares his faith, and so many of his hobbies. Unfortunately, her mother hates him.

While there is an almost instant attraction between Hannah and Joel, they both have several obstacles to overcome if they are to formalize their relationship—such as Joel’s life in Australia, Hannah’s mother, and a newly revealed family secret.

One of my favourite aspects of Never Find Another You was the faith aspect.

Hannah and Joel are both Christians who try to put God first in their decisions. That’s not to say they are perfect (who wants to read a novel about perfect people?) But they are trying, and they remind each other (and the reader) of several significant spiritual truths.

Never Find Another You is an excellent start to what promises to be a fun small-town Contemporary Christian Romance series, featuring a cast of characters from locations ranging from Washington to Australia and New Zealand. Contemporary Christian Romance is one of my favourite genres, and Never Find Another You ticks all the genre boxes—a loveable hero, an intelligent heroine, and a strong faith element.

Recommended for fans of small-town Contemporary Christian Romance.

About Narelle Atkins

Author Photo Narelle AtkinsA fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children.

A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle’s contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia.

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About Never Find Another You

Her heart belongs in Trinity Lakes.

Hannah Gilbertson has deep roots in her small East Washington home town, including a lake named after her family. Sporty and hard working, she loves running the rowing club and supporting the town’s water recreation tourism. She’s determined to avoid dating and becoming entangled in her mother’s matchmaking schemes, and she wants to prove to her successful father that she’s worthy of carrying on his legacy.

Joel Manning left behind his life in Sydney, Australia, and a broken heart, to start over in Trinity Lakes. A tiler by trade, he’s embarking on a year long working vacation adventure, and he’s not looking for love.

The handsome Aussie captures Hannah’s interest when she hires him to do repair work at her rowing club. Joel is drawn to the beautiful American, and values spending time with her. Their shared faith and love for kayaking lays the foundation for their friendship to become something more.

A shocking secret combined with family upheaval leads to more questions than answers, and threatens to push Joel and Hannah apart to faraway shores. Can their love overcome the miles between them?

A fish out of water, opposites attract, small town contemporary Christian romance. Visit Trinity Lakes and meet the fun and quirky characters who value family, faith, and happily-ever-after.

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Her beginnings were far less important than where she was going and who was going with her.

Book Review | Double the Lies by Patricia Raybon

Double the Lies is the second novel in Patricia Raybon’s Annalee Spain Mystery series, following the Christy Award-winning All That is Secret (click here to read my review).

I found Double the Lies as engrossing as All that is Secret.

The novels are set in 1920s Denver, a corrupt time and place, where the city police and most other people of power are  members of the Klan. They overtly discriminate against Black people, Mexicans, Catholics, and Jews, which gives rise to secrets and lies as characters try to avoid the police .. or hide their ties to the discriminated groups.

Annalee finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation after comforting a distraught young woman, then accompanying her home to find her husband dead in their small house. Being found at a murder scene with an alibi wouldn’t be an issue for most people, but Annalee Spain is Denver’s colored detective, and the police are not her friends.

So Annalee is effectively on the run, trying to find who murdered Jeffrey, where her beau, Jack, has gone, and what’s the connection with the smuggling barnstormers. Annalee is also trying to find her mother, who gave her up when she was a baby in the town of Annalee … how she got her name.

Annalee is an intelligent woman, and I do enjoy reading novels about intelligent women, especially those who are stepping outside the norm for their time and location – which Annalee certainly is.

I liked the Sherlock Holmes references, even though I haven’t read any Sherlock stories and probably missed many of the subtleties. I also liked the subtle references to the biblical story of Jacob and Esau, especially given that parts of the story relate to twins and brothers and family secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed Double the Lies.

I recommend it for fans of clean or Christian mysteries, historical fiction, and fiction by BIPOC authors or featuring BIPOC characters.

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

About Patricia Rayborn

Patricia Rayborn

Patricia Raybon is an award-winning Colorado author, essayist and novelist who writes top-rated books at the daring intersection of faith and race.

A writer of faith by day and mystery by night, Patricia Raybon is a Christy Award-winning Colorado author, essayist, and novelist who writes daring and exciting novels and books at the intersection of faith and race.

After a notable career in newspaper journalism and journalism education, Patricia turned to fiction with release of a 1920s mystery series about a prim, poor but clever Black theologian—a fan of Sherlock Holmes–who solves murder and crime in Colorado’s dangerous Klan era. The series’ acclaimed debut, “All That Is Secret: An Annalee Spain Mystery,” won the 2022 Christy Award for First Novel and was a Parade Magazine Fall 2021 “Mysteries We Love” selection, a Masterpiece on PBS “Best Mystery Books of 2021” pick “As Recommended by Bestselling Authors,” and Stephen Curry’s March 2022 personal choice for his Literati Book Club.

Patricia’s personal essays on faith, family and race have been published in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, USA Today, USA Weekend, Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, the Charles Stanley Ministries In Touch Magazine and featured on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition.

Find Patricia Raybon online at:

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About Double the Lies

In the second installment of Patricia Raybon’s critically acclaimed mystery series, amateur detective Annalee Spain races the clock to solve the murder of a handsome young pilot before she is framed for the crime—and before his dashing twin falls head over heels for her, tempting her promised heart.

On a cold spring night in 1924, Annalee Spain offers her new fancy lace handkerchief—a gift from her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake—to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman’s murdered husband, Annalee becomes the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing.

With just days to solve the murder before the city’s Klan-run police frame her for the crime, Annalee finds herself hunting for clues in the Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. She questions the victim’s wife and her uncle, a wealthy Denver banker, at their mountain lodge, desperate for leads. Instead, she finds a household full of suspects and even more burning questions. Who keeps threatening her, why can’t she find Jack, and will a dangerous flirtation be her undoing? Her answers plumb the depths of the human heart, including her own, exploring long-buried secrets, family lies, even city politics—all of which could cost the young detective her fledgling love . . . and perhaps even her life.

Find Double the Lies online at:

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