Tag: Contemporary Christian Romance

31 May 2023

Introducing … Always By My Side by Iola Goulton

My debut novel is now on sale!

I tend not to share my own writing journey on this website (an error I do need to rectify). Yes, I have been writing. Yes, I have completed a novel. Yes, that novel was published on 30 May 2023.

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If you pre-ordered from Amazon, thank you so much for supporting me! The story should now be on your Kindle … so happy reading!

If you do read Always By My Side, please consider leaving a review on your favourite online retailer—reviews help other readers discover stories they will love.

And if you have read Always By My Side, please leave a comment and let me know your favourite scene or line. I love sharing my favourite lines from the novels I read, and I would like to share your favourite lines from my novel.

Here’s more about the book:

Always By My Side

A hardworking introvert meets a handsome adventurer longing to settle down.

Tabitha Thomas longs to leave Trinity Lakes and travel the world in honor of the beloved grandmother who raised her and her siblings. But she’s needed at home—she’s the responsible triplet, the one who stayed home to run the family inn while her brother and sister left to live their dreams.

Kiwi Logan Wylde doesn’t call any place home. When an injury frustrates his travel plans, he accepts an invitation to return to Trinity Lakes and recuperate at the Lakeview Inn, where he hopes to rediscover his purpose in life.

When Tabby and Logan find a property deed while cleaning out Gran’s rooms, Tabby embraces a new challenge—to solve the mystery of the floodplain and renovate the old boatshed. Working with Logan reignites long-suppressed feelings, but will their differences drive them apart?

An opposites-attract, friends-to-more, small town contemporary Christian romance.

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

Always By My Side is on sale for 99 cents wherever ebooks are sold for one week only.

Then the price will go up to 3.99, and it will be available to borrow free for members of Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon | Other ebook stores (until 8 June)

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:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

19 May 2023

First Line Friday #286 | Beautiful Storm by Mandi Blake

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I recently found this on sale on Amazon, and I’m looking forward to reading my first Mandi Blake book.

Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

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

About Beautiful Storm

Tori’s life was perfect—a successful job, a doctor for a husband, and a pristine loft in Chicago—until her husband left her for someone else. With her divorce comes a surprise cabin in the Deep South, and she wants nothing more than to get rid of it so she can get her life back in order.

Marcus is the self-appointed guardian of his sister and three brothers, while their mother lives a toxic lifestyle, but one call to his auto repair shop from an entitled city girl turns his world upside down. He’s a master of reading people, but the feisty newcomer poses an interesting challenge.

As their lonely hearts search for help and healing with each other and God, the dangers of the world come knocking. Will Tori be able to save Marcus’ family and make him see that their differences aren’t enough to keep them apart?

A sweet, Christian romance that shows us that love is greater than our circumstances.

Beautiful Storm is book four in the Unfailing Love series, but the books can be read in any order.

Find Beautiful Storm online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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

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

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

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

12 May 2023

First Line Friday #285 | Indigo Isle by T. I. Lowe

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Indigo Isle, the upcoming release from Southern Christian fiction author T. I. Lowe. I love the cover, and the title really caught my eye.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

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:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads

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

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

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

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

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:

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:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

5 May 2023

First Line Friday #284 | When I Come Home Again by Jennifer Rodewald

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 When I Come Home Again by Jennifer Rodewald, which I picked up on sale on Kindle a couple of months ago.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

Saturdays were for relaxing. This was a fairly new perspective in Brenna Blaum’s world. Well, new in the last seven years.

About When I Come Home Again

A tragic fallout drove them apart. Will forgiveness lead them to a second chance?

She’s moved on.

Brenna Blaum had been sure of three things in her life—her brother, her running, and her dad’s star receiver. But in a matter of a year’s time, everything she’d counted on fell apart, leaving her devastated. Seven years later, she’s stable again. She has a supportive boyfriend, fulfilling career, and close friends. She keeps her past heartache where it belongs—in her rearview mirror. Until the man who broke her heart finds his way back to Big Prairie.

He has to go back.

Craig Erikson had it all—popularity, success, and the love of his high school coach’s daughter. But after a year of mistakes that ended in a tragic accident, he’d left Big Prairie—the place he’d thought to always call home—hoping that without his antagonizing presence, Brenna would be able to heal. Now his mother desperately needs him, as do two young boys in her care. Craig has little choice but to return for good.

Can they live in the same small town without dealing with their messy past?

Unsure that she can forgive him, Brenna does her best to avoid him. Irritated that she ignores him as if they’d never meant anything to each other, Craig becomes determined not to allow it. Life in a small town forces their interaction, making them confront their unresolved issues and igniting emotions that have smoldered for seven years. As Craig and Brenna are pushed together, can they endure the hard places still littering their lives?

If so, is it possible to find their way back to love and home again?

Find When I Come Home Again online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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

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

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

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

21 April 2023

First Line Friday #281 | Saving the CEO by Liwen Ho

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’ve just received a review copy of Saving the CEO by Liwen Ho, the first book in her new Kendall Family series.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

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

About Saving the CEO

This matchmaker has finally met her match …

Find Saving the CEO online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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

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

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

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

10 April 2023

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:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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:

Website | Facebook

31 March 2023

First Line Friday #278 | The Ocean Between Us by Meredith Resce

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m quoting from The Ocean Between Us by Australian author Meredith Resce.

This is the second book in the new Trinity Lakes Romance series, set in the small Washington of Trinity Lakes, and featuring an Australian heroine.

Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

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

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.

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

Find The Ocean Between Us online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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

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

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

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

27 March 2023

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. 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:

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:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads