Book Review: Guarding the Mountain Man's Secret by Misty M. Beller

 Guarding the Mountain Man's Secret by Misty M. Beller 
4 Stars

In this book, we are in the Montana Territory on the Coulter ranch. Miles is 1 of 6 brothers and has spent his life helping guard the family's sapphire mine hidden in the Montana mountains. Threats from a past enemy looms and a survey team's arrival stirs suspicion -- until he meets Clara Pendleton and he is captivated by her. We see her Uncle hurt and Miles' family helps them out, but Clara gets roped up in some trouble with the enemy....things go on from here.

This was a really nice read! It makes me want to go back and read the other books in the series now because I really enjoyed these characters. It's set in the late 1800s and the slow down of life and focus on faith and family is ever present here. Even though our characters have lost loved ones in their lives, they hold close to the family that remains and take care of their own. Oh, and I loved the details with the Sapphire Mines too! 

Clara is put between and rock and a hard place - a situation where she has no idea what to do, except to trust the Lord in it. She does the best she can in the circumstances and I love when things are revealed how it was handled between her and Miles. It was mature and there was understanding and grace given. 

I like how their romance grew and the way it ended too! Very sweet. He was very protective of her, which I always love in a historical romance. :)

This is part of a series but I feel like you could read this as a standalone as I did and still enjoy it and not miss anything. But I will be going back and reading others in the series, because I need to know!

Thank you to Misty Beller for providing a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7140320631
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4jqxQuW
Series Link: https://amzn.to/4huKveE

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Book Review: Serial Burn by Lynette Eason

 

Serial Burn by Lynette Eason

Book 3 in the Lake City Heroes Series
4 Stars 

This follows Jesslyn McMcormick, the fire marshal of Lake City. She is determined to find who started a fire that killed her family when she was 7 years old. As the 20th anniversary of their deaths approaches, we see a number of fires being set, one being at her church. She must find the person responsible and get answers for who set the fire and killed her family all those years ago. We see FBI Special Agent Nathan Carlisle called in to work this case with local police. He helped her and they have quite the chemistry together romantically. The story goes on from here.

I really enjoyed this 3rd book in the series! I love a good arson plot in romantic suspense since it's not a common one and seeing the Jesslyn as a fire marshal was so interesting! I loved her character because she was trying to figure out who she really was outside of losing her family 20 years ago in the fire. I also really enjoyed the side story of Nathan and his brother's - the trauma he went through really had me wanting to know the backstory and seeing the start of healing through that was beautifully done - especially with the faith elements.

For the mystery itself, I did not figure it out and was surprised by the ending! Lot of high suspense moments throughout where someone is after Jesslyn that I enjoyed too. 

While the romance between Jesslyn and Nathan wasn't my favorite as I just didn't connect fully with that portion personally, I did really enjoy the suspense aspect and their interactions working together. I also think this series is best read back to back though because I do find I forget the characters from previous books since so much time has passed. 

Overall, glad I finished this one and looking forward to book 4! Thank you to Revell for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7033101578
Baker: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/598753
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PgPVhl

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Book Review: Stranded by Dani Pettrey

Stranded by Dani Pettrey - 4 Stars

Book 3 in the Alaskan Courage Series

I really enjoy this series you guys! I think its a solid Christian romantic suspense series. I love a good setting in Alaska too, so that always adds a nice bonus for me. In this one, we follow Darcy, a former investigative journalist, who joins a cruise ship undercover to help her friend Abby uncover a potential scandal. Abby vanishes without a trace and Darcy finds herself in a mess to try to find her. They say Abby went overboard on the ship, but did she? Enter Gage McKenna, who works on the ship as the adventure activities guide. He is still grappling with his own past. He agrees to help her figure out what happened to Abby and they uncover an evil conspiracy that puts them at risk. Feelings are growing in the meantime between Gage and Darcy.....while Gage continues to work through his faith and learning more about it.

My favorite parts were Gage and Darcy's interactions as they got to know each other better and how Gage was always willing to save the day no matter what happened. I loved Gage's faith thread as well and seeing him come to the Lord, reading through his Bible to learn. Also loved the stress on how their friend was not a believer and they worried about that with her unknown future in any kind of certainty before she had the chance to follow the Lord.

The only reason this was a 4 instead of 5, was I wasn't fully connected until half way in. Really liked the pacing after that point. I did see two of the people involved though, which I was proud of!

Looking forward to book 4!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6555117078

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/37871
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VUQlxB
 

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Book Review: Persuasion by Jane Austen

 

Persuasion by Jane Austen

3 Stars

OK here are my thoughts:

2.5-3 stars, generously

I wanted to love this book y’all lol I feel like I was supposed to love it, and I loved Northanger abbey and P&P butttt this one —I found it really hard to connect to the romance, characters and whatnot. The romance —it didn’t completely make sense to me.

I also think because I struggle in general with second chance romances, depending how they’re done, that could be part of what affected my enjoyment.

For most of the book, Wentworth is cold and distant, borderline dismissive of Anne. It bothers me, along with all the other women he is around more than Anne 🤣 and then Anne was just too passive during these moments. Of course, this may be historically accurate of women in the time, I’m not sure..

Now all of this may be the whole point leading up to his letter but when he suddenly reveals his lingering love in his famous letter, it feels abrupt and random. Where were the gradual moments of reconnection that would make me believe in their second chance after 8 years…Not sure…either way I like second chances to be more believable I guess lol

I also had a hard time understanding why Anne’s feelings for him were so unwavering. They hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in years and yet she’s still consumed by her love for him. While that can be romantic in theory, I need more reasons of whyyyy she still adored him after all this time, especially when he seemed indifferent for much of the story.

I did find some moments funny and entertaining and whatnot but yeah it was just OK. Sorry😭😭😭

Either way I’m not sad I read it! I’m proud I finished it!

Book Review: The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barrett

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt - 4 Stars

This book an emotional one - telling the story of 2 sisters in the backdrop of WWII in Poland during the Nazi occupation. We see Antonina and Helena as their family and the city of Warsaw face imminent devastation. The sisters are separated on their own paths, determined to resist the oppression they face.

Antonina's journey leads her to helping shelter Jewish children and her deep love for Marek, who is now confined behind ghetto walls, adds a layer of personal stakes to her mission. Her sister, Helena, has a role within Poland's secret army and many resistance movements.

We see the sisters face many struggles in their retrospective journeys, from survival to freedom, during a time of unimaginable hardship.

While the story itself was good and I enjoyed the writing style, I would say I didn't fully connect with the characters as much as I hoped to. However, it was certainly a good story that I am glad I read. We had emotional depth, celebrating unsung heroes and the author captured the fear, hope and courage of citizens during WWII. I was more connected with Antonina's story I believe - leading me to wanting a bit more in the ending between the sisters as well.

Overall, if you like Christian historical fiction and a sister story, check this out.

Content: events of war but not too detailed compared to other books I have read.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5896118038
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/516398
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4fEZEsD

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.
 

Book Review: Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer

 

Book Review: Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer 

Book 3 in the Texas Ever After series

We are in Piney Woods, Texas where Letty Hood has been hidden from her uncle who wants to claim her inheritance from her father before she turns 21. Philip Carmichael is a experienced Pinkerton agent that is hired to find Letty before something bad happens to her. This is a heartwarming story of resilience and trusting in the Lord's plan. I love that Karen was inspired by tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty, as it makes a great fairytale retelling. 

Letty's character is strong and courageous, which I loved. After years of being in hiding from her uncle, she is thrown into a dangerous journey to claim her inheritance and freedom. Seeing her and Philip together was perfect, as he was a great companion with her. He sees her bravery for what it is up front and you see the mutual admiration they have for one another. I wanted a bit more in the romance personally, but overall enjoyed the book!

A clean historical romance with a fairytale spin - highly recommend! You can also read this as a standalone in the series, as this doesn't specifically have any ties to the previous books in the series. 

Thank you to Bethany House for providing a copy to honestly read and review.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6738002672

Baker: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/579793
Amazon: https://amzn.to/40m92Ne

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.