Category: Book Review

26 June 2023

Book Review | Love Somebody Like You (Trinity Lakes 5) by Carolyn Miller

Lexi Franklin has returned to Trinity Lakes after an incident on the job in Australia. She needs somewhere to rest and recover, but still wants to be able to make herself useful. So when she realises she can use her nursing skills to help a local family, she’s only too happy to offer.

Jackson Reilly runs the family ranch outside Trinity Lakes with help from his sister—who would rather not be stuck on the ranch—and his mother, who has health issues. He also has a stud bull who’s not doing his job, and a black hole in the ranch finances, and no idea how to fix any of his problems.

As with Carolyn Miller’s other novels (both historical and contemporary), Love Somebody Like You has great characters, strong writing, and a solid faith thread.

Love Somebody Like You is the fifth book in the Trinity Lakes Romances series (following mine!), but it can easily be read as a standalone. In fact, I think it was the first book in the series I read. It also involves characters from some of Carolyn Miller’s other series, but you don’t need to have read them either (although a couple of Reilly brothers do make a cameo appearance, which fans will appreciate).

Recommended for fans of contemporary Christian romance who like a solid faith element and characters overcoming true-to-life problems.

About Carolyn Miller

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. She is married, with four gorgeous children, who all love to read (and write!).

A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn’s novels have won a number of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers. Her favourite authors are classics like Jane Austen (of course!), Georgette Heyer, and Agatha Christie, but she also enjoys contemporary authors like Susan May Warren and Becky Wade.

Her stories are fun and witty, yet also deal with real issues, such as dealing with forgiveness, the nature of really loving versus ‘true love’, and other challenges we all face at different times.

Find Carolyn Miller online at:

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About Love Somebody Like You

For Lexi Franklin, returning to Trinity Lakes feels a little like running home with her tail between her legs.

But what’s a girl to do, when her life has been turned upside down on the other side of the world? She needs a place to regain hope and healing – just didn’t count on meeting a cowboy whose own battered heart might need nursing back to health too.

Jackson Reilly has his own set of troubles, between caring for his ranch, his mom, and the black hole of finances. So when a pretty redhead with a sassy tongue offers some distraction – and a potential solution to one of his most pressing concerns – he’s not going to say no.

But as they spend time together, questions soon rise about their future, and whether faith can truly win over fears. Will Jackson be able to save his ranch, and his hopes and heart, before Lexi returns to Australia?

An opposites attract, small town contemporary Christian romance. Book five of the Trinity Lakes Romance series (can be read as a standalone). Visit Trinity Lakes and meet the fun and quirky characters who value family, faith, and happily-ever-after.

Find Love Somebody Like You online at:

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19 June 2023

Book Review | His Runaway Crush by Heather Gray

His Runaway Crush is the third book in the Easter in Gilead series, which features books by Valerie Comer, Elizabeth Maddrey, Heather Gray, and Narelle Atkins.

It’s an excellent small-town contemporary Christian romance series that sprung out of the realisation that while Easter is central to our Christian faith, there are very few stories set around Easter. The stories are set in the fictional college town of Gilead, Kansas, and centre on the town’s annual Passion Play production. It’s a fun American take on the famous Oberammergau tradition, but with some serious aspects to the stories.

While the books are probably designed to be read in order, I didn’t read them in order and didn’t feel I’d missed anything.

But I was so engaged with the town and the characters that I ended up reading all three books in a week!

Letty is a recurring character across the series. She runs the Heavenly Brew coffee shop, where she also sells a range of home-made pastry goods. She manages the food concession at the passion play, which includes providing snacks and drinks during rehearsals. Dawson Bauer has just started work at Gilead Bible College as the head of the AV department, and finds himself—unwittingly and unwillingly—required to manage the sound for the Passion Play, from the auditions through all the rehearsals, and the production. He is not happy, because he does not like Easter

Dawson meets Letty on the first night of auditions. There’s something familiar about her, but he can’t figure out what. He asks his mother, which ends up being the exact wrong thing to do because it means Letty’s past catches up with her …

I loved the setup of each character, and the way they came together. I loved the writing (there were so many quotable lines). I loved theI loved the integration between the three books–the way the characters (especially Letty) showed up in each book in an entirely natural way. I also loved the “wise older men” who ran across the series—Larry, Mr W, and Phillip.

I especially loved the “coincidences” that had each of the characters in the right place at the right time.

If you like contemporary Christian romance, especially small-town romance where everyone knows everyone else’s business, you’ll enjoy His Runaway Crush and the rest of the Easter in Gilead series as much as I have.

Now I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Her Cowboy Blind Date by Narelle Atkins.

About Heather Gray

Heather Gray loves coffee, God, her family, and laughter – not necessarily in that order! She writes approachable characters who, through the highs and lows of life, find a way to love God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud right along with her. Her books almost always include someone who’s infatuated with coffee, too. Some things just can’t be helped. Heather delights in creating characters who, like her, have their share of faults and foibles, characters who are flawed…but loved anyway.

Find Heather Gray online at:

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About His Runaway Crush

Can once upon a time turn into happily ever after?

Letty Stanton might live in Gilead, but Heavenly Brew is her home. After all, home is where the heart is. Letty has spent a decade running from a past she never wanted to face and keeping at arms’ length all the people who hold her close to their hearts. When a handsome stranger blows into town, though, he upsets the calm and comfortable life she’s worked so hard to cultivate.

Dawson Bauer is new to small-town life. From the four-year-old who couldn’t whisper if her life depended on it to the middle-aged man who only speaks in grunts and glares, Gilead is filled with quirky people who think privacy is a mythical creature. Not to mention that everybody is obsessed with Easter, and he’d be happy to never hear that word again. Then there’s the enigmatic woman who runs the town’s coffee shop. There’s something about her…

What happens when a guy who mostly means well and a girl with mile-high walls collide? Sparks fly, secrets come to light, and everybody in Gilead has an opinion.

Find His Runaway Crush online at:

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12 June 2023

Book Review | Indigo Isle by T I Lowe

I requested Indigo Isle for review because I’ve always been fascinated by indigo. How did our ancestors learn to take the leaves of the indigo plant and process them in a way that produced a beautiful blue dye? Indigo Isle didn’t answer that question, but it did take us through the production of indigo dye, which was a fascinating detour that didn’t detract from the central story.

Of course, no one would want to read a novel about making indigo—that could get tedious.

Indigo Isle is the story of Sonny Bates (female, despite the name), who ran way from her Christian home in South Carolina fifteen yeas ago and headed for the bright lights of Hollywood. Now she’s a successful location scout, back in Charleston, South Carolina, as location manager for a movie shoot.

While scouting the islands off the coast to find a location for a romantic beach scene, Sonny comes across a private island locals say is owned by the Monster of Indigo Isle. Sonny finds something about the island – and the so-called monster – compelling, and keeps returning to the island, where she strikes up an oddrelationship with the owner, Hudson Renfrow.

Hudson is battling his own issues, so this is the story of two broken people reluctantly helping each other heal, while falling in love in the process. But the path of true love does not run smooth, and it runs a lot less smooth in Indigo Isle than in most other Christian romance novels.

I was recently chatting with a friend about a book she’d loved but I’d abandoned, and she asked me if the reason I didn’t like it was because of the Grumpy Sunshine trope i.e. the hero was grumpy, while the heroine was all sunshine and unicorns. I couldn’t really answer, as it wasn’t something I’d considered before.

Now I’ve read Indigo Isle, I have to say I do like the Grumpy Sunshine trope … if it’s done well.

It’s definitely done well in Indigo Isle. I think it works because the characters are portrayed so well, and everything that happens is a natural result of their backgrounds and personalities … including the inevitable conflict.

(If you want to know more about grumpy sunshine books, check out this episode of the StoryChats @ Inspy Romance podcast.)

I do have to add a content warning for sexual assault. If that’s a trigger for you, avoid Indigo Isle (or proceed with caution).

Indigo Isle is an excellent Christian romance, a compelling beauty-and-the-beast romance with a #MeToo element … and the obligatory happy ending.

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

About T I Lowe

T. I. Lowe is an ordinary country girl who loves to tell extraordinary stories. She is the author of nearly twenty published novels, including her recent bestselling and critically acclaimed novel, Under the Magnolias, and her debut breakout, Lulu’s Café. She lives with her husband and family in coastal South Carolina.

Find T I Lowe online at:

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About Indigo Isle

Sonny Bates left South Carolina fifteen years ago and never looked back.

Now she’s a successful Hollywood location scout who travels the world, finding perfect places for movie shoots. Home is wherever she lands, and between her busy schedule and dealing with her boss’s demands, she has little time to think about the past . . . until her latest gig lands her a stone’s throw from everything she left behind.

Searching off the coast of Charleston for a secluded site to film a key scene, Sonny wanders onto a private barrier island and encounters its reclusive owner, known by locals as the Monster of Indigo Isle. What she finds is a man much more complex than the myth.

Once a successful New York attorney, Hudson Renfrow’s grief has exiled him to his island for several years. He spends his days alone, tending his fields of indigo, then making indigo dye―and he has no interest in serving the intrusive needs of a film company or yielding to Sonny’s determined curiosity. But when a hurricane makes landfall on the Carolina coast, stranding them together, an unlikely friendship forms between the two damaged souls. Soon the gruff exterior Hudson has long hidden behind crumbles―exposing the tender part of him that’s desperate for forgiveness and a second chance.

A story of hanging on and letting go, of redemption and reconciliation, and of a love that heals the deepest wounds, from the author of the breakout Southern fiction bestseller Under the Magnolias.

Find Indigo Isle online at:

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5 June 2023

Book Review | The Billionaire’s Backup (Billionaire Next Door #4) by Elizabeth Maddrey

Noah and Jenna share a birthday.

Back in college, they made the cliche marriage pact: if they weren’t married by thirty-three, they’d marry each other.

Yes, it’s a romance cliche, but it is a fun cliche. It wasn’t overdone–both characters remembered the pact and how they’d like something to come of it, but it wasn’t the centre of the story. Instead, it was the setup for an excellent friends-to-more story (which just happens to be my absolute favourite romance trope).

As the story starts, Noah and Jenna are both thirty-two and still single, and have maintained a strong friendship over the years. In fact, architect Jenna is currently renovating the six-bedroom historic home Noah has recently purchased.

As suggested by the title, The Billionaire’s Backup is a billionaire romance.

This is a trope I have a love/loathe relationship with. I like the fact the characters don’t have money troubles (well, the billionaire doesn’t), because it can get a little depressing reading novels where the lack of money is a central plot point. I don’t like billionaires who are rude or arrogant, or who have made their billions through exploiting others (e.g. underpaying the people who work for them). One of the reasons I enjoy Elizabeth Maddrey’s billionaire series is that her billionaires are all regular guys, a group of close-knit friends who hit big on the stock market, but who haven’t let money change them.

Of course, having money does mean they can do things most of us can only dream of.

Money might not buy happiness, but it sure buys some fun stuff … and I enjoyed seeing Noah splash some of that billionaire cash when it came to impressing Jenna.

The story also had a more serious point to make about being a Christian: the importance of community. It challenged me to rethink how I do Christian community, as that’s definitely something that has changed in my life since the pandemic.

Overall, The Billionaire’s Backup is a fun contemporary Christian romance that will appeal to fans of marriage pact, friends-to-more and billionaire romances … especially those looking for a Christian faith thread. Recommended.

Now I’m looking forward to the next in the series, The Billionaire’s Teacher!

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 The Billionaire’s Backup

Jenna and I have been friends since college.

Not besties or anything. Just the kind of friend you hit up when you want to go to a party but don’t want the pressure of a date.

She’s fun. Independent. And she gets me.

Which is probably why we dated for a while – more for fun than anything..

The kiss was completely out of left field. And so was the ridiculous pact to get married if we were still single in our thirties.

Neither of us have ever mentioned that pact again.

But man, a lot of years have passed and I can sometimes still feel her lips on mine. Now that she’s going to be renovating my house, it could definitely be a problem.

The whole pact thing might have been dumb, but would it really be such a bad idea for us to get together?

Find The Billionaire’s Backup online at:

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29 May 2023

Book Review | The Words we Lost by Nicole Deese

What first caught my attention about The Words We Lost was the cover.

Illustrated covers have been a thing in contemporary romance for a while, although they tended to indicate rom-coms rather than pure romance. This style of cover is newer, but I really like the illustrated look with a focus on the title. Indigo Isle had the same kind of cover, and the same kind of vibe. Both novels are definitely Christian romance, but which have the depth of characterisation and overall character journey that’s more common in women’s fiction.

Yes, The Words We Lost is a romance, but with that women’s fiction vibe.

Ingrid Erikson is the Senior Acquisitions Editor at San Francisco publisher Fog Harbor Books, having built her career on the sale of a five-book Young Adult fantasy series by her now-dead best friend. Unfortunately, Cecelia Campbell—CeCe—had the misfortune to die before turning in her final contracted manuscript, which is now missing. Fog Harbor wants to find the missing manuscript, and Ingrid is charged with finding it.

But Ingrid’s grief over CeCe’s death has led to an unusual disability … and one that is potentially career-ending for an editor.

She can’t read. Well, she can read the words. She just can’t comprehend them. So she heads to Port Townsend to work with Joel, CeCe’s cousin and Ingrid’s teenage sweetheart, to retrieve a package she hopes will be the manuscript that will save her career.

This is a romance novel, so we know how the story is going to end.

We also know the course of love is destined to never run smoothly, particularly in terms of Ingrid’s relationship with Joel. It’s safe to say The Words We Lost was anything but predictable, in the best possible way.

I’ve read a lot of novels about novelists, but very few about an editor in a publishing house (the only other one I can recall is Stealing Adda by Tamara Leigh, which was about an author and her editor). As such, I enjoyed seeing the publishing industry shown from a different angle.

I especially enjoyed the fact The Words We Lost was written in first person.

I always find that brings me closer to the characters. Despite her problem with words, Ingrid has a distinctive and compelling character voice … perhaps made more compelling because she’s a professional who has built her career on words but has lost those same words.

The Words We Lost is subtitled A Fog Harbor Romance, and I do hope that means it’s the beginning of a series because there are several characters I’d like to meet again—not least, the ever-peppy Chip, the preppy editorial assistant.

I recommend The Words We Lost to fans of romance/women’s fiction authors such as TI Lowe, Tammy L Gray, Irene Hannon, or Carmen Schober.

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

About Nicole Deese

Nicole Deese is an award-winning author who specializes in humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels. When not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She currently resides with her happily-ever-after hubby, two sons, and a princess daughter in Idaho.

Find Nicole Deese online at:

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About The Words we Lost

Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript.

As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony–two elements her current life possesses in spades. In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cecelia Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she’s also desperate to find the closure she’s convinced will come with Cecelia’s missing final manuscript.

After Ingrid jeopardizes her career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But then Joel Campbell–the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters–offers her a sealed envelope from his late cousin, Cecelia, asking Joel and to put their differences aside and retrieve a mysterious package in their coastal Washington hometown.

Honoring Cecelia’s last request will challenge their convictions and test their loyalties, but through it all, will Ingrid and Joel be brave enough to uncover a twice-in-a-lifetime love?

Find The Words we Lost online at:

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22 May 2023

Book Review | Émilienne: A Novel of Belle Epoque Paris by Pamela Binnings Ewen

Émilienne is the fictionalised biography of Émilienne d’Alencon, circus performer, dancer, darling of the Paris stage in the late Victorian period … and courtesan.

The story is told in first person and present tense, which is an unusual choice for historical fiction. It gave Émilienne a strong character voice which I think was necessary to enable the reader to understand a woman whose birth, upbringing, and life were so different to mine. It meant I didn’t question many of her most questionable life choices—and there were many—because they were the only choices she could see.

The story starts with teenage Émilienne Montmatre.

She’s the daughter of a prostitute and knows that’s her future if she stays in Montmatre. So she runs away and leverages her beauty, dancing talent, and sheer ambition to land a role as a rabbit trainer in a circus, then propel herself through various roles and lovers to become one of the most famous (and rich) dancers in Paris.

She had more than a few setbacks along the way, and I almost felt sorry for her at some points. She was ambitious but not mean or cruel, and made her fortune without abusing others, which is more than can be said for many men of the time.

The story took us through around twenty years of Émilienne ‘s life.

It feels authentic to the time, the place, and what little is known about Émilienne. It’s a story well told, although it has the inevitable issue of any story about a real-life person: it ends, and real-life endings don’t have the sense of happy completion of (say) a Christian romance.

Pamela Binnings Ewen is also the author of The Queen of Paris: a Novel of Coco Chanel.

Given the relationship between Coco and Émilienne, it’s not surprising Pamela Binnings Ewen has chosen to write about Émilienne. Her previous books include the Amalise Catoir series, about a woman lawyer in the 1970s, which was definitely written from a Christian point of view. She’s also the author of Faith on Trial: Analyze the Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which I haven’t read.

Émilienne is not Christian fiction.

While there are no on-the-page sex scenes, it’s perfectly clear that Émilienne had intimate relationships with a lot of men she wasn’t married to. She never even considers matters of faith. While that was consistent with the historic Émilienne, it was a departure from the previous Pamela Binnings Ewen novels I’ve read.

There were a handful of typos (although they were at least consistently wrong) e.g. troop instead of troupe, discrete instead of discreet, and (inexplicably) Queen without the Q. While these didn’t detract from my enjoyment, they were od errors in an otherwise excellent story with impeccable research.

If you’re looking for Christian fiction, this is not the book for you. If you’re looking for a fascinating insight into a unique historical figure, you may enjoy Émilienne .

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

About Pamela Binnings Ewen

PAMELA BINNINGS EWEN is the author of one nonfiction book, Faith on Trial, and seven novels, including The Moon in the Mango Tree, awarded the 2012 Eudora Welty Memorial Award, and The Queen of Paris, which has sold over sixty-five thousand copies. After practicing law for many years, she retired to write. She is a founder of the Northshore Literary Society in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, in the greater New Orleans area. She’s also served on the boards of the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society and Tennessee Williams Festival.

Find Pamela Binnings Ewen online at:

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About Émilienne

From the bestselling author of The Queen of Paris comes a glittering new novel about youth, beauty, and having the courage to carve your own path in a world on the brink of war.

Pamela Binnings Ewen’s newest novel reveals the story of Émilienne, once the most beautiful, sought-after woman in Paris during the Belle Époque, the era of peaceful years just before World War I. As a girl, Émilienne fights her way through poverty in Montmartre, drawn to the lights of Paris below. Soon, she stars at the Folies Bergère, mistress of kings and princes, known as the most beautiful woman in Europe.

But, happiness is elusive, and youth and beauty are fragile. And where is love? As clouds of war begin darkening Europe, Émilienne’s young friend, Coco Chanel, has other ideas of how to survive in a man’s world. Strong ideas. Now, as Émilienne fights to survive, Coco’s star rises.

Find Émilienne online at:

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16 May 2023

Book Review | In This Moment (Timeless #2) by Gabrielle Meyer

Gabrielle Meyer has done it again.

When the Day Comes, her first dual-timeline novel, was one of my top reads of 2022, and In This Moment is even better. It follows the same basic structure: a heroine who lives in multiple timelines simultaneously.

Margaret’s three lives are in 1861, 1991, and 2001.

She lives in Washington, DC, in all three the periods, which places her at the centre of politics in three years which are each significant in US history. She has an interest in medicine in all three lives. In 2001, Meg is an overachieving medical student who is about to graduate as a doctor, 1941 Maggie is a nurse in the US Navy, and 1861 Margaret is a volunteer nurse with Clara Barton, who will later found the Red Cross.

I really enjoyed watching Maggie and Margaret practice medicine in the with the challenge of sometimes knowing the answer (thanks to modern medicine) but being unable to share their knowledge for fear of contaminating the timeline.

Margaret has decided she doesn’t want to get emotionally involved with a man in any of her lives, as that would complicate her eventual decision.

But this is a romance, so of course Margaret meets eligible young man in each of her three lives.

That becomes her central internal decision: which timeline—and man—will she choose—the secretive British gentleman, the reclusive Navy surgeon, or the ambitious US congressman? As a reader, I had definite opinions on each man … but would Margaret make the same choice?

It’s a testament to the strength of the writing that Margaret’s eventual decision became obvious and didn’t leave me thinking she’d chosen the wrong man (as I often find in plots where a character has to choose between multiple suitable suitors).

Margaret had a strong Christian faith in each timeline, which shouldn’t be a surprise: she is the same character throughout.

What was good to see was that her three families were Christians as well, and faith was shown as a natural part of life. She does turn to God to help her make her decision, but (as is so often the case) the answer still didn’t become clear.

Margaret’s choice is one big difference between the two books. In When the Day Comes, Libby always knew she wanted to stay in 1775 with her marked mother (not least because her other mother was overly avaricious and insufficiently caring). With In This Moment, Margaret/Maggie/Meg had no idea which path she would choose.

There were a couple of scenes I didn’t enjoy reading in When the Day Comes, but have to acknowledge that they were essential to the plot. There were no such scenes in In the Moment (whew!). When the Day Comes also had a childbirth epilogue—not my favorite literary device. However, the epilogue was necessary as it was setting up the sequel (yay). In this Moment does the same thing, which is fantastic because it promises another sequel … and because it signals the twist that will make Timeless #3 different from the first two books in the series (brilliant!).

It’s not necessary to read When the Day Comes to enjoy In This Moment, as the first paragraph of In This Moment sets up the story:

Most days, I could pretend that my life was normal. I was a twenty-year-old woman searching for my place in the world, trying to find my future. The only difference was that I had three normal lives, and on my twenty-first birthday. I would have to choose which one to keep and which to forfeit. Forever.

(But if you read In This Moment, you will want to go back and read When the Day Comes.)

I recommend In This Moment to all fans at Christian historical romance or Christian dual timeline romance.

I recommend In This Moment by @gabriellemeyer to all fans of Christian historical romance or Christian dual timeline romance.#BookReview #ChristianRomance Share on X

It’s a unique concept, and I’m looking forward to the next Timeless novel.

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

About Gabrielle Meyer

Gabrielle lives on the banks of the Upper Mississippi River with her husband and four children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing historical and contemporary novels inspired by real people, places, and events. The river is a constant source of inspiration for Gabrielle, and if you look closely, you will find a river in each of her stories.

When Gabrielle is not writing, you might find her homeschooling her children, cheering them on at sporting and theatrical events, or hosting a gathering at her home with family and friends.

Find Gabrielle Meyer online at:

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About In This Moment

Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night, she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives–and everyone she knows in them–forever.

In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she joins a hospital ship going to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she’s a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon.

While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer. With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?

Find In This Moment online at:

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8 May 2023

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

Liwen Y. Ho works as a chauffeur and referee by day (AKA being a stay at home mom) and an author by night. She writes sweet and inspirational contemporary romance infused with heart, humor, and a taste of home (her Asian roots).

In her pre-author life, she received a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Western Seminary, and she loves makeovers of all kinds, especially those of the heart and mind. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her techie husband and their two children, and blogs about her adventures as a recovering perfectionist

You can find Liwen Ho online at:

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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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1 May 2023

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.

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17 April 2023

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 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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