The Sacred Scales by Bryan Davis

The Sacred Scales by Bryan Davis
4 Stars
Book 1 in the Dragons Of Camelot Series

OK Y'ALL I need to read all of Bryan's books, this was so great! As a lover of middle grade books and stories such as Narnia, The Hobbit, LOTR....This reminded me of those type of epic stories! Perfect for middle school kiddos and really people of all ages because I had SO much fun reading this. The ending has me needing the next book ASAP too!

This is a Christian Fantasy with mentions of Jesus as their Lord and savior, praying to God and standing for truth but also has mixed in fantasy elements with Arthurian legends -- like Merlin, King Arthur, dragons...etc. It's a great opportunity to remind those reading it that while the faith in the story is real and powerful, the magical elements are just part of the make-believe world. I loved how Bryan tied all that together as he really invites you in to this fun fantasy world.

We follow Hawk and Sabina as they team up to protect dragons from a sinister plot that threatens their very existence. Lots of wild rides, escapes, riddles, twists - overall a good read with themes of faith, courage, the power of prayer and friendship.

I would recommend this for older middle school kids and up as there are themes of battles, some characters being burned, mentioned of death etc. 

🐉 Read If You Like:

• Dragons, danger, and daring rescues

• Faith-filled fantasy adventures

• Arthurian legends and dragon lore

• Stories about standing up for what’s right

• Action stories with strong Christian themes

Thank you to Tyndale Publishers for a copy of this book to honestly read and review. All thoughts are my own.

 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7602185603
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4k61eGO
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/617741

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

 

Across the Crying Sands by Jane Kirkpatrick

Across The Crying Sands by Jane Kirkpatrick - 4 Stars

I love that Jane Kirkpatrick tells stories about real life people in history. This one is a story of Mary Edwards Gerritse, a woman who was adventurous and wanted more beyond her traditional role as a wife and mother. Mary and her husband John have been through a lot, living on the Oregon coast in the late 1800s. Mary is a very determined woman who wants more than just typical motherhood....she wants adventure, purpose and to learn about her family's past. 

She becomes the first female mail carrier in her region during that time and takes on the treacherous postal route of the "crying sands beach area". She definitely defied the expectations of her time, reminding you that sometimes you take a risk for what your dreams are, even as a young mother, and that's ok to pursue those dreams. Would recommend.  I related to her feelings of wanting more than just being a stay at home Mom too. She was looked down upon for leaving her children with her family to watch them while she went to work with her husband. For me, I can understand wanting that fulfillment outside of just those things and found it relatable. 

Looking forward to book 2 next April. 

Read if you like:

- Stories about real people in history
- Strong, independent women in history
- Frontier and pioneer life
- Themes of pursuing dreams, careers and
- Overcoming and walking through grief 
- Atmospheric settings on the Oregon coast 

Thank you to the publisher for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7451290793
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618551
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FhISUd

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

A Lesson in Propriety by Jen Turano

 A Lesson in Propriety by Jen Turano 
4 Stars
Book 1 in the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies Series

If you love historical romance with a side of sass, mystery and lots of humor - READ THIS BOOK! 🎀✨

Miss Drusilla Merriweather has lost everything....her father, her fortune, and even her fiancé (good riddance, to be honest!). She is left with only a "haunted" castle 🏰, one with strange happenings like walking suits of armor and unexpected visitors. She rolls up her sleeves and decides to turn it into a finishing school. Cue the ghostly shenanigans, suspicious developers, and a swoon-worthy architect with a heart of gold. 💘

Rhenick Wittenbecker is charming and clever. I loved their dynamic together. The BANTER had me giggling! 

All the funny, lighthearted "attacks" and quirky details really made the story. We have SO much in this, including fun pirate stories and hilarious animal events. Drusilla really is a spunky woman and Rhenick was a great guy.  The mystery surrounding the castle was very interesting to me, really something you just got to know how it ends up. 

Jen never fails to create heroines who refuse to be boxed in by society’s expectations and Drusilla is no exception. She’s bold, smart, and determined to make her own way, haunted castle or not, which I absolutely LOVE! I connected to her immediately with the drama with her fiancé making me crack up! Her SASS was on 10 and I loved it!

Loved this one and looking forward to the next book! Thank you to the publisher for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7451289998
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3YGITHJ
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618535

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

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
4.5 Stars

This was a very powerful story about real women in history. Inspired by true events we follow three women:
- Caroline

- Kasia

- Herta

Caroline is a New York socialite and philanthropist working at the French consulate, whose efforts aid survivors of Nazi concentration camps. Kasia is a Polish Catholic Teenager who becomes one of the "Rabbits", women who are subjected to inhumane medical experiments at Ravensbruck concentration camp. Herta is a German doctor at Ravensbruck, whose involvement in the camp's horrific acts give a terrifying perspective in the eyes of the doctors themselves and just how brainwashed they were during this time.

This spans 20+ years or so post war, starting in 1939 through around 1959. We see some really hard events through this time, as expected, but it gives such insight on history and shedding light on a lesser-known aspect of WWII. I did not know about the horrors of Ravensbruck and the really delved into themes of courage and the complexities of war. We have the perspectives of victims and perpetrators here, making it a challenging read but an important one. 

I am thankful to have read this with my friend, Lauren, as the buddy read experience really enhanced the time reading. We both really loved Martha's writing style and I have found a new favorite historical fiction author. We plan to continue this series together. 

I would recommend this book for anyone who love character-driven stories that really showcase the many experiences of women during WWII and are looking to learn even more about history. This book will stick with me for a long time. My only complaint is I didn't love Caroline's love interest storyline with Paul, but I loved where her personal storyline went in the end to help these women. 

Note: Please be aware of content for sensitive readers, but it wasn't anything that was something I couldn't get through. We took our time with reading this over a week, so I would recommend taking breaks as needed to really soak up the story and process what is happening.

Specific Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault, medical trauma, suicide, war-time language a few times, animal death, antisemitism, blood, parent death, self-harm, torture and overall war time details. Personally, while these topics were hard to read through, they are real events that happened and make for an impactful read and one that will stick with me. Just be in the right frame of mind if you decide to pick this up and be ready to cry!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7530782466
Amazon: https://amzn.to/43BCG2z

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

 

BSometimes You Stay by Liz Johnson

Book Review: Sometimes You Stay by Liz Johnson

4.5 Stars

Return to Prince Edward Island with another heartfelt Christian romance read! I really enjoyed this book! I connected with our characters and loved the tie in with the previous "Red Door Inn" books by Liz. 

🌊Prince Edward Island

✝️Christian Romance

🐕Dog Breeder MMC 

🎥Travel Vlogger FMC

😂Funny Meet Cute

🏡 The Red Door Inn

🏘️Small Town Setting
📚Character Driven Stories
🌅Scenic Island Life

Cretia is a digital content creator who does travel vlogs. She's been traveling for a long time and avoids attachment at all costs. She literally bumps into local dog breeder Finn on PEI and everything she's carrying goes into the harbor....technology included! So she can't really continue her travels until she get everything sorted out there. Finn feels terrible for causing this accident and offers to help her, putting her up at the local Red Door Inn. What Cretia doesn't expect to find is a place to settle, physically and emotionally. Her and Finn get to know each other and she really discovers what she has been missing - along with processing why she's been running for so long.

Loved seeing the animals, the sweet romance, the family elements, scenic island and I really connected with Cretia most of all. Her backstory had me tearing up at the end, because I found what she had been through with her Mother and home relatable in some ways. She found her outlet as travel vlogging and I have that with my own YouTube channel, so I can relate to that too. 

Overall, a book I highly recommend! I recently read The Red Door Inn too, which was fun to get the backstory of how it got started and seeing characters show back up here, like Marie and Aretha, were awesome. Looking forward to going back to reading books 2 & 3 in that series.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7451288039
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618548
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4m2yz6S

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

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

 

                                                    The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson 💕
                                                         3.5-4 Stars (4 on Goodreads)

This one was a nice start to this series and getting to see how The Red Door Inn! Prince Edward Island 🏡, Antiques, Fresh Starts, Healing, Romance, Small Town, Cozy, Restoration of a B&B - lots of good things!

Marie arrives in Prince Edward Island running from things in her past, searching for sanctuary. She agrees to help decorate a renovated bed-and-breakfast before it opens. Seth moved to help work on his uncle's B&B. He meets Marie and they work together on The Red Door Inn, going to auctions, searching antique stores and doing everything they can to get it open in 3 months. They each find love along the way.💕

Seth and Marie had some moments in the end that frustrated me a bit but overall, a book I recommend! Looking forward to the next book!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7140342145

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4k7PlQS

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchase

As You Ice It by Emma St. Clair

 

As You Ice It by Emma St. Clair

4 Stars 

Book #7 in the Appies Series

The FINAL book in the Appies series is HERE and it's bittersweet my friends! Emma brings emotional depth and lots of laughs to book #7, as always! We have Naomi and Camden's romance!

✨ Read if you love:

🏒 Hockey romance
👩‍👦 Single mom
💕Second chance romance
🏡 Small town
🧸 Cinnamon roll hero
🫶 Found family
📱HILARIOUS Group Texts
🎯 Emotional depth with a clean romance
🗣️💬❤️ A Couple that actually COMMUNICATES!

We follow Naomi who is a relatable, fiercely protective single mom. Her world is built around her son, Liam. She crosses paths again with Camden after their summer romance and they have a second chance at love. She isn't prepared though for how deeply her and Liam come to care for him so her instinct is to protect their hearts. Naomi's job brought her back to Harvest Hollow though and we see how everything they try to avoid....ultimately cannot be avoided! (PLUS, their friends ain't gonna let their relationship go down without a fight! Lots of "matchmaking" if you will from the friend's encouragement!)

I love a good single parent trope and Emma told such a great one here! Camden is a great cinnamon roll hero -- he loves Liam and you really see he wants things to work out. 

I love that there wasn't a third act breakup too, and they really communicated! One of my favorite things in a good rom-com.

The guys and girls chats also CRACKED ME UP! So many laughs! The guys specifically really made me laugh!

Highly recommend this series for a sweet rom-com!

Thank you to the author for a copy to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Content: kisses only, clean romance, 2 mentions of h*ll

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7548067522
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4jWGqld

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

The Double Play by Annah Conwell

The Double Play by Annah Conwell

Book 4 in the More than a Game series but can be read as a standalone 

4 Stars

OK Y'ALL this was SO cute! 😍

This sports rom-com had me smiling and giggling the whole time! 💕 Emmett Foster is your classic grumpy single dad (we love to see it!), and the sunshine-y FMC, Hazel, brought so much heart to the story. Their chemistry? SO CUTE. 

Even though Emmett is guarded due to his ex-wife leaving him and their daughter June when she was born....💔 you feel the tenderness behind his gruffness....especially when it comes to his daughter. When his parents who have helped watch June decide they are going to take time to travel, they start interviews for a nanny to help out. Just in time, Hazel is looking for a new job after the family she has been working for is moving back home. Hazel starts working for Emmett and the rest is history.

I loved June's addition to the story. Y'all know I am a BIG FAN of the single parent trope and this delivers so much to the story with June's interactions and love front and center.

If you love:

⚾ Single dad sports romance

☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine

💌 Slow-burn, sweet chemistry

💬 Heartfelt moments + witty banter

 💕Closed-door, clean romance

Then this book is for YOU! Add this to your TBR if you want a feel-good, swoon-worthy read with depth and heart. 💛 

The only reason this isn't a 5 star fav for me is just because I wanted a little bit more of Emmett and Hazel getting to know each other outside of her nanny job before the feelings started and some of the make out/romantic desire is a bit more then I usually prefer, but overall, a solid closed door romance I recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7543463753
Amazon:  https://amzn.to/4mc813g

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

Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker

Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker 
Book 2 in The Tupelo Grove Series 
3.5 to 4 Stars

We are back in Tupelo Grove with Jess, Hez and Savannah - and dramatic as ever. This picks up right where What We Hide left off. This second installment has all the romantic suspense, family drama and legal intrigue we had in book 1. Savannah and Hez are on their second chance at love but a lot of trust issues still remain.

As they navigate this second chance and their upcoming re-marriage to come, the university corruption continues...with the villain we experienced at the end of book 2 at the forefront here. 

If you like legal thrillers and romantic suspense, check this series out. There isn't much I can say since it's the second book in the series, but a few things:

- I liked the suspense around 40% with where things went with Hez.

- I liked the complexity with the university corruption.

- I liked the legal subplots going on.

- Love the narrator of this series, she really keeps you engaged. 

- While the big moment in this book of chapter 30 made me cry and feel such impact from the Jesus moment....I was sad there wasn't more of a resolution between this character and a main character. Trying not to give spoilers haha

- I didn't love the trust issue stuff with Savannah constantly worried about Hez and his drinking starting back up. It went on a bit longer than I would have liked.

- Wanted the pacing to be a bit quicker with the stuff with our villain group.

Regardless, I enjoyed my time with this and look forward to more in this series. We are left with another somewhat cliffhanger of another investigation / secrets to be revealed, and I need to know!

Thank you to the publisher for an audio listening copy for honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7541835128

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/609111
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4iGcbgE

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

The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse

 The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse 

5 Stars!

Reading this book felt like stepping back in time to memories with my grandparents and great grandparents - so many beautiful days gone by. It feels like sweet tea, magnolias, front porch sittin' southern storytelling that will stick with you forever. This was my first book by Valerie, and now I need to read ALL of her other books.

Set in Mississippi, Edie returns home to her beloved grandmother after the loss of her friend in New York. This setting is very warm and familiar as a southern gal in Tennessee myself. The author portrays small town southern life in such rich detail, while also honoring the wisdom of our grandparent's generation. 

We see the heart of this story lie in the relationships of Edie and her grandmother, a tight-knit group of friends and family. Long buried secrets and stories come to light in this book. Her grandmother introduced her to the antique shop and many of her friends there and we see Edie reconnect with someone from her past also. 

ALL of the characters in this were phenomenal. We heard their stories from Hurricane Camille in 1969 as well, which added such a layer of depth to the story and gave me a huge respect for those that have went through these hardships. The Lord was all over this story too, with the added character of Jason. He was very memorable and interesting how Valerie tied that together in the end. Warmed my heart!

One of my friends and I chatted about this story and how it was like puzzles we were trying to figure out along the way - between tracking down survivors from the hurricane and trying to figure out the light on the island - it was just great all around.

Overall, SO glad I read this book. Highly also recommend the audiobook because the narration had great southern accents too. 

Thank you to Revell for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Content: Clean, no language, grief, attempted suicide mentioned, mental health struggles, depression mentioned once, hurricane survival stories and loss of loved ones in that discussion 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7171473788
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3YuWVw2
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/598754

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