BookLoverAmanda

  The Premonition at Withers Farm by Jaime Jo Wright  5 Stars  WHAT A GREAT STORY YALL! Jaime Jo does it AGAIN! I am always so invested in her stories. She knows how to write a great book to keep the reader engaged, and I love that. The Premonition at Withers Farm is a great blend of mystery, suspense and historical intrigue. She seamlessly weaves together two timelines that keep you hooked from page 1. Jaime Jo always has dual timeline in her stories and I LOVE how she interconnects the characters in each timeline. I also love how she combats the supernatural type elements with faith in God in her books. Very well done here! In this story, we have present day - Molly Wasziak - who, alongside her husband Trent, moves to a remote farm in the countryside, hoping for a fresh start after a series of miscarriages they have experienced. However, the Withers Farm holds dark secrets and Molly's discovery of a connection to a series of unsolved murders from a century ago sets the stage for

  Mistletoe Season by Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller and Pepper Basham - 4 Stars Overall 3 Christmas Novellas Overall, these 3 novellas are charming and heartwarming holiday romances that perfectly show the magic of Christmas. I really enjoyed each of these, with Kathleen and Sheila being new to me authors! Looking forward to reading more by those authors. Pepper is one of my favorite authors and her's was my fav because we had Luke show back up! :) Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller - 4 Stars This was a unique Christmas romance between two characters in their 40s. I really liked that because you don't see those ages of characters portrayed much.  In this one, we have Emmy Banks, who is fully rooted in her community with her antique shop. Set in Mistletoe, Missouri, the shop add an extra layer of charm to it. Kieran O'Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother's 70th birthday. We see him reconnect with Emmy

   Tea with Elephants by Robin Jones Gunn - 4 Stars  This story is a heartfelt journey of friendship, faith, and self-discovery that takes readers on an emotional safari through the stunning landscapes of Africa. Centered on the friendship sister bond between Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden, the book truly captures the essence of a long-term friendship that has weathered the trials of time and distance. This is a Christian contemporary women's fiction story that I truly felt connected to. I loved the writing style, faith content, travel elements and the characters. This book opens up to the teenage years of Fern and Lily, who first connected while  volunteering in Costa Rica. 20 years later, here they are, embarking on a long-awaiting trip to Africa - a dream trip that they talked about many years ago. This trip soon becomes one of emotional growth as each woman carriers their own struggles. The author intertwines their personal stories well with the beautiful backdrop of Africa.  We

 Britta and the Beach Boy by Brittany Larsen - 4 Stars (Book 1 in the Love in LA Series) What a great marriage of convenience rom-com! I really enjoyed this one. We have layered characters, a couple who communicates and a story all about chasing your dreams. This was my first Brittany Larsen book but will not be my last! I am looking forward to more rom-coms by her. In this story, Britta is looking for something more in her life. We see her go from her small town, coffee shop life to Los Angeles, where she meets Dex, a famous Australian professional surfer. They hit it right off but circumstances find themselves tied into a marriage of convenience trope.  Dex needs American citizenship to compete in the 2028 Olympics and Britta could really use the money he's offered for her coffee shop to continue the legacy her mother left behind. What they both don't expect? Catching the inevitable feelings that come with a fake marriage. :)  I loved this story and how layered it was with ou

Reckless Love by Kate Goodwin - 5 Stars  Wow, what a story. Beautiful. Redemptive.  This book is a Hagar and Sarah inspired story with a contemporary spin. Amina (Amy) finds herself a single woman, pregnant with no where to go. Melissa has always wanted a son to carry on her husband's family legacy. When Melissa is told she is going through Menopause and her pregnancy test is negative, she feels her entire hope of having a family has gone. As barrenness pushes her to a breaking point, God seemingly drops the answer on their doorstop - or so they think. Amina and Melissa's arrangement doesn't go to plan and they are both put to the test. And Melissa's thoughts of what's to come gets changed by the true plans of the Lord. I was thoroughly impressed with this biblical retelling. I love how Kate put this contemporary spin on it and you really felt empathy with the characters and the heartbreak they were going through. The grace and mercy given in the end of this book wa

  The One by Kiera Cass - 4 Stars for Entertainment Value  Ok, we are back with the ending of Aspen, America and Maxon's love triangle and the Selection process itself. We follow battles, more selection drama, and the love triangle stuff but also more depth here with the girls and reconciliation - which I liked. BUT THE ANGST yall - so much of it, hilarious really. This gives what it needs to give in 2024 for this 34 year old gal -- entertainment value lol. I am glad I finished the original trilogy and saw this through with my friend Lauren. We buddy read all 3 books back to back and it was a wild ride. The ending of this was WILD. It really popped off.  I would probably have liked this a lot better if the romance love triangle stuff was wrapped up sooner and America communicated more to avoid certain situations but overall it was really an entertaining story.  Goodreads Review:   https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6898920293 Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3Bu2Mct *Amazon links are af