BookLoverAmanda

Break of Day - Colleen Coble - 5 Stars - A solid ending for the trilogy! Great romantic suspense story! What a solid ending for our characters in this trilogy! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Annie, Jon, Kylie and the others. Kylie played a smaller role in this one, but I was completely invested in the storyline here - it made sense. In this one, we see more of the continuation from the event at the end of book 2, (can't say because it would be a spoiler), but, our characters are trying to still digest everything learned at the end of book 2 here. Annie and Jon find themselves in a very tough situation here and we see the family dynamic play out in full throughout the story. This one was very fast paced, which I love. Such non-stop action that will take you on quite the journey ya'll! I loved seeing the resolution to the mystery surrounding the missing hikers and the leader...whaaaaat! Surprised to say the least. I was on the edge of my seat as we have a bit of cat and m...

A Torn Allegiance - Jen Geigle Johnson - 3.5 Stars (Book 2 in the Royal Regency Series) When the man she has to spy on becomes the man she loves.... Another clean, regency romance story! Lady Elsie is a strong and outspoken woman asked to spy on Prince Hayes by her father. Little does she know, feelings will start to form between the two during her spying and she will have to make some decisions and judgements regarding this situation. I really liked the romance that developed between them. Elsie has a Scottish heritage that I enjoyed learning about too. She really did not want to lose her roots and that was nice to see.  Prince Hayes is in England to help ties with England as the looming threat of invasion from Napoleon weighs heavily on the royal family. His allegiance is questioned when he is seen with a French representative. We see some of the political intrigue play out in the story as details are revealed.  These characters are easy to love and the story is historically...

  Cold Pursuit - Nancy Mehl - 4.5 Stars - A spiritually uplifting Christian suspense novel that will leave you immersed from start to finish! "And I will bring you through this storm. You are my beloved child, and I never left you." I am not really a general suspense or thriller reader - but now I will be, as Nancy Mehl is now a new favorite author! WOW, I read this in 1 day ya'll. ONE. DAY. This was so close to a perfect read for me and I can't wait for book 2 as this ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger! It's fast paced, has great faith elements and discussions surrounding mental health (schizophrenia and synesthesia). In the story we are following River Ryland and Tony St. Clair. They are now private investigators in their own practice and former FBI employees. River and Tony are great friends and now partners in this new practice together. As we see them start to work on getting new cases, there are remnants of a previous case that we see from the prologue still...

  A Foreign Crown - Jen Geigle Johnson - 3.5 stars - A clean, regency romance. (Book 1 in the Royal Regency series) Lady Aribella Bardsley is summoned to be a lady-in-waiting for the Queen. Prince Layton Wilhelm, the youngest of 8 sons, is determined to prove his worth and unwilling to turn a blind eye to Napoleon's privateers. Layton embarks on a journey to England to petition the British Navy for aid. He becomes aquainted with Lady Aribella and they have an instant connection. They are not really a match made in public - they know they can't truly be together but they are torn between loyalty and love.... I liked this story and will continue on in the series but there was something missing to the plot for me, personally. More character driven, than plot. This is set in 1810 England and has historical details of King George III's madness and Napoleonic wars. I liked the historical aspects shown and the royal family details. The romance was sweet but I felt like they never ...

The Love Script - Toni Shiloh - 5 Stars - Beautiful, Christian contemporary romance that truly encouraged my faith! (Book 1 in A Love in the Spotlight Series) Toni Shiloh does it again! Loved this so much. The Love Script is a beautifully written Christian contemporary romance that weaves together faith, love and personal growth perfectly. 5 big stars! Toni is truly an auto buy author for me! This is all about Hollywood movie star, Lamont Booker and his mother’s hairstylist, Nevaeh Richards. Nevaeh is helping his sick mother out one day when the paparazzi capture a photo on his front porch of them that leave the public wondering if Lamont’s Christian values have all been for show. With the public going crazy over this photo and cancel culture looming over Lamont, his team feel it would be best for Nevaeh and Lamont to “fake date” during this time and stay true to their Christian values. Neither Lamont, nor Nevaeh want to lie. They feel they will be dishonoring God. So they decide to tr...

Hello Stranger - Katherine Center - 4 Stars  Katherine Center sure can tell a good story ya'll! This was my second Katherine Center book and I just love the way she writes a story with these characters who are very real and relatable. This story gave us such an interesting plot. I have never heard of facial blindness, or “Prosopagnosia”, and this book really gave us an insight into the acquired type.  Our main character, Sadie, is a portrait artist who must have brain surgery after having a seizure in the grocery story parking lot. She is devastated to learn that she has facial blindness as an after effect from the surgery and can’t see anyone’s face – especially when she is supposed to compete in a major portrait competition in only 6 weeks. She is struggling financially, and this competition means a lot to her for the money it could bring and since it was the same competition her mom was supposed to do before she passed away. There is no guarantee that her condition will res...

A Bound Heart - Laura Frantz - 4.5 Stars - A Captivating Christian Historical Romance! A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz is a captivating Christian Historical Romance that will transport readers to 18th-century Scotland and Colonial Virginia. We have a richly detailed setting, complex characters, and a beautiful love story. As someone who found her love for Scotland through books like Outlander but am now looking for clean reads that have the same atmosphere, this gave me everything I was looking for in that regard. It’s so nice to read a story in 1700s Scotland, around the time of the Culloden War, plus on the brink of the American Revolution and have a story that is clean and have faith elements! Thank you, Laura Frantz, for bringing the characters and story to life! This is the story of Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall. They grew up on the same castle grounds and Magnus is now the Laird of the great house and the Isle of Kerrera. Lark is the keeper of the bees there and helps his wif...

  Pixels and Paint - Kristi Ann Hunter - 5 Stars! A Great Christian Rom-Com! Step into the world of Art and Love with Pixels and Paint by Kristi Ann Hunter! This is a delightful Christian contemporary romance that effortlessly combines the worlds of art, technology, and personal growth. We have GREAT engaging characters, a nice faith element and so many cute and funny moments! This book truly captures the essence of following one's passion and finding unexpected connections. I really related to our main character of Emma – her relaxed style, people-pleasing tendencies, love for video games and other personal interests – so relatable. In this book, Carter Anderson has been struggling to find inspiration for his paintings – until he sees Emma at a local art showing. Emma’s not too thrilled to be there and he can see it immediately. He is so fascinated with her, and she becomes an inspiration for him to create new art that he hasn’t been able to create in 2 years! She is truly an answ...

  An American In Scotland - Lucy Connelly - 4 Stars - An enjoyable Scottish Cozy Mystery! (Book 1 in A Scottish Isle Mystery Series) This book was so much fun, I really enjoyed my time reading it. My friend Tammy recommended it to me and it was definitely an "Amanda" book :) In this delightful Scottish cozy mystery, we have our American protagonist, Dr. Emilia McRoy, at the heart of the story as she is Sea Isle's new doctor in town. She moved from the busy emergency room in Seattle in hopes of settling down as a small-town doctor in a town where she learns she may have ancestorial heritage roots. She's been through some really tough things losing family members and a traumatic experience with losing her husband so she is hoping to start fresh in this new place. But as soon as she gets to Sea Isle, she stumbles across a dead body and realizes she has to be the one to help investigate as the towns new doctor. She meets the local constable, Laird Ewan Campbell, and while...

  The Circus Train - Amita Parikh - 5 Stars - Wow, what a surprising read and breathtaking read! I was completely immersed from the first chapter of this book. FINALLY a BOTM pick I enjoyed! I have had a tough reading week with so many DNFs and then picking this one up has been wonderful! Lena is a young girl who is the daughter of a circus illusionist, Theo. She is so smart and loves the world of science and medicine. Her father is very overprotective though and limits her activities because she is disabled as she had polio as an infant and is unable to walk. Things take a big turn when they rescue Alexandre, a jewish orphan with many secrets. Alexandre and Lena start to form a friendship and a small romance over the years they are together and he trains under her father to be an Illusionist's apprentice. Problems start to erupt though when World War II begins....secrets are revealed, people are separated, doubts must be confronted and you have no idea what's going to happen n...

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen - 5 Stars - A World of witty social commentary, endearing characters and playful satire.  I had so much fun diving into this book! Classics can be hard for me to read but thankfully the audiobook + the physical book together, plus many chapter summaries and videos online, helped me grasp what was going on in each chapter and I am SO glad I finally got it! I LOVED Pride and Prejudice so when Jane Austen July came up this year, I wanted to try another Jane Austen read from her main novels, and Northanger Abbey did NOT disappoint! Jane Austen invites us into a world of witty social commentary, endearing characters and playful satire. This is a beautiful coming of age story of Catherine Morland and it offers a unique blend of romance, mystery and Austen's witty dialogue!  This is set in the town of Bath, England and follows the adventures of Catherine Morland. She is our heroine of the story as a young, average girl. She leaves to travel with the All...

  Hot Pot Murder - Jennifer Chow - 4 Stars - A sizzling mystery that leaves you hungry for more! (Book 2 in the LA Night Market Series) Hot Pot Murder picks up where we left off after Death by Bubble Tea with Yale and Celine back at the center of armature sleuthing and whipping up some great eats! This delightful and mouthwatering mystery combines the intrigue of a whodunit with the delectable world of hot pot dining. I had such a great time getting back into this series!  Our girls find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery when Jeffery Vue, president of the local restaurant association, receives a literal shock to his system and dies. We also see Detective Strauss back in action - although I would have liked to see more of him in this one.  What makes these cozies so much fun is the author's ability to weave the cultural elements seamless into the story. She effortlessly explores the intricate dynamics of family and tradition and gives us a glimpse into the custo...

  The Other Bennet Sister - Janice Hadlow - 4 Stars - I will never see Mary Bennet the same again! The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow will give you such a different perspective on Mary Bennet and several other characters in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. We see many of the events in Pride and Prejudice from Mary's point of view - she is labeled the "ugly ducking" if you will - and her family, specifically Mrs. Bennet, is downright mean to her, making her feel as though she is not good enough and will never find a match to be married. In this story, we see Mary Bennet finding herself and her happy ending and I loved it. It was a bit long for me, but every time I picked the audio back up, I was completely immersed in this story. The characters felt true to the story of Pride and Prejudice. Janice Hadlow skillfully weaves a captivating narrative that aligns with the events of Pride and Prejudice so well. She brings such depth and complexity to a character we often...