Murder in Highbury by Vanessa Kelly

 

Murder in Highbury by Vanessa Kelly 

4 Stars 

Felt like this one was a good, classic mystery! Reminded me of like an Agatha Christie style mystery. Although I haven’t read Emma by Jane Austen and can’t personally compare how closely this aligns with it, I still found this to be an excellent read. From what I’ve gathered from others, it stays true to Austen’s style by going into themes of class, marriage, and social status. I could definitely recognize those elements myself, having read Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey.

A year into her marriage to Mr. Knightley, Emma is working through things with her family estate, social engagements and whatnot, when things get crazy after she finds Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar's wife, has been murdered. Emma and Mr. Knightley become the newlywed sleuthing duo, trying to figure out who really murdered Mrs. Elton. 

I think readers who enjoy a good classic mystery will enjoy this book as I did! Sometimes the pacing was a bit slower with drawn-out scenes, but overall I really enjoyed the story. I listened to the audiobook over the course of 2 weeks here and there and the narration is chef's kiss! Really pulls you in. 

As far as content, this is close to cozy but a smidge more details about the murder then you usually see in a cozy mystery. Nothing graphic or offensive in my opinion, some occasional mild swearing but very few words, and more so like swearing "of the times" of a book written by Jane Austen, so not very explicit to me. The violence or murder details in my opinion were brief with mentions of blood, body on the steps, bludgeoned with the murder weapon explained, so its a bit more than a cozy mystery but nothing very explicit either in my opinion. etc.

Overall, I think this is a delightful regency mystery that will be perfect for Jane Austen fans, if you are good with reading about actual Jane Austen characters from her books. I feel like Vanessa captured the essence of what I know from Jane's writing and I look forward to her next book soon!

PS I actually picked out the killer from the beginning for once, yay!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6695423473
Amazon: https://amzn.to/41q9B92

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

Once Upon A Christmas Carol by Melody Carlson

Once Upon A Christmas Carol by Melody Carlson

4 Stars 

I really liked this year's Christmas novella by Melody! It has A Christmas Carol feel with our main character of Carol who is a bit of a Scrooge about Christmas, but she soon realizes Christmas may finally be a happy day after all when her planned trip to the Bahamas gets derailed due to a snow storm in Michigan - which just so happens to be where her Aunt Maria - who she never met before - lives. Her mother and Maria have been estranged for years due to a falling out many years ago. When Carol randomly calls her up needing a place to stay due to her travel delays, Maria is beyond kind and welcomes her to her farm with open arms. This blesses Carol in many ways. 

As Carol stays with Maria, she realizes she may never want to leave and Michigan feels more like home than anywhere else before...especially after she meets the handsome Victor. :) Victor did have a girl Victoria he had been seeing on a few dates but nothing serious and you can tell he is trying to break it off with her at some point and its more on Victoria's side. I didn't mind that storyline really as there wasn't a romantic interest between Carol and Victor much with them until more of the end. 

This book had a lot of holiday spirit, joy and read like it could easily be a Hallmark movie. We have all the checkboxes for a cute Christmas read - a sweet romance, family elements, the real meaning of Christmas and a girl who realizes what matters most.

Seeing Carol's perspective change on Christmas after spending time with her Aunt was the best part of the book. I loved their discussions about life, decorating, cooking, and just the holiday season. 

I think the only thing that would have made it perfect was the addition of an epilogue - maybe like, 6 months later or the next year at Christmas with us seeing everyone together at that time. Other than that, solid Christmas book rec!

Thanks to Revell for a copy of this book to honestly read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7821474361
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lKFTTv

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/637248

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

 

When The Road Comes Around by Katie Powner

Book Review: When The Road Comes Around by Katie Powner 

A 5 Star Favorite of 2025

I am finding I LOVE a good Christian Contemporary Fiction book that explores themes of family, faith, and real life struggles and WOW - Katie brought SO much to this story. As a special needs Mama still early on in my parenting journey with our son, I related to Anita and was inspired by her so much.

Stay tuned for my reading vlog on YouTube on Thursday, August 28th, 2025! Lots of emotions. 

Read if you like:

- Montana Settings

- Christian Contemporary Fiction

- Special Needs Families Represented In Books

- Strong Christian Faith Content in Books

- Second Chances

- Found Family

- Stories with Depth

- Horses and Farm Life

We are in the small town of Grady, Montana. We follow 24 year old Tad who has a reputation for trouble and past mistakes. He gets a job at Come Around Ranch. Here is where he meets Sam, the ranch owners disabled 20 year old son. He develops a soft spot for him and wants to help him any chance he can. Sam is disabled and his mind is more of that of a child.

48 year old Anita Wilson struggles with her rheumatoid arthritis as she works on the guest house with her husband. They hire Tad for the summer, knowing it's a risk, but they could use the help. Anita and her husband Dan try to always do what is best for their son, despite his disability. 

We see these characters come together and find the second chances and grace from the good Lord above as they navigate challenges in life.

I had so many beautiful moments reading this book. I think it's one that forever stays with you. Tad experienced so much growth along the way. What is practically dropped in his lap unexpectedly added such a layer of depth to the story. I loved seeing his journey and trying to make the right decisions, despite the struggles he faced with his Dad and the situation he found himself in. 

Anita and Dan were a great example of middle age, special needs parents just trying to do the best they could as well. I loved seeing them always take everything to the Lord in prayer. No matter the circumstance, they would say to one another, "we need to pray about this for a few days". Oh what a great example. 

Also, Anita really had this perspective I could see I need to have myself in my own special needs parenting journey. Life is hard. We may not always get the perfect, easy answer from the Lord. But we have EVERYTHING we need, perfectly right in front of us in HIS time alone. It is all about perspective. 

Thanks to Katie Powner for writing such a powerful story. I cried. I felt true emotions while reading this book and it's definitely a favorite book of 2025.  

*content warnings: animal death (expected, old age), mentions of drugs briefly, alcohol abuse mentioned, bad relationship with father shown

Thank you to Bethany House for a complimentary copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7640547451

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618543 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ILxelJ

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

 

Ransomed Love by Kate Goodwin

Book Review: Ransomed Love by Kate Goodwin 

5 Stars 

Book 2 in the Hatcher Hollow Series 

Wow, Kate does it again. This book was so layered, in depth and beautiful. We have a modern day biblical retelling of Samson and Delilah, with a little bit of Hosea elements tied in too. We are in Nashville, Tennessee with Greyson and Dahlia. Dahlia is sent from her controlling father to take down Greyson at his investment firm company. Dahlia is used to getting what she needs to for her father so she will do everything she can to try and earn his love, even though it's not really there to have. So she takes the job to work for Greyson. She doesn't expect to fall for the town, his family, the church....him. 

The Lord pursues her and Greyson in this book so heavily. While this is a more gritty Christian Fiction book with some mature themes, it was REAL and raw and powerful.  I know I loved Reckless Love by Kate last year and this one is yet another, favorite book of 2025. 

There's something about how she revealed bit by bit God to our characters all at the right time. I loved seeing them go to church. She took the story of Samson and Delilah with the betrayal and heartache and turned it into a story FULL of redemption in Jesus. I have so many favorite quotes that tie back to the Gospel too. 

It was hard to see Dahlia go through all she went through with her mother and father, she was just looking for acceptance and love into the family. But what she finds in the end is the true LOVE of our Father. Our Savior. Our King. He can fulfill every need we have. No matter our past, God sees you and He is the one to save us from our mistakes. Dahlia sees that here.

Greyson's character really stands out too in spiritually growth. At first, he is super behind on his Bible reading (as we can all relate to) and lets life and work get in the way. Soon, we see his growth and return back to the Lord. I loved that. 

I think the Biblical Retelling aspect is very well done here as readers will be able to clearly see the depiction of Samson and Delilah's story from the Bible tied in here, just with a bit of a twist on the ending of course.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a gritty, real, Christian Fiction romance story. 

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

Content warnings:

- no language 

- no explicit sexual content, but mentions of seduction, seductive actions, toxic/abusive relationship with her father and passive mother, female dancers/dance club descriptions forced to dance by her father

- mentions of cancer 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7836860281
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mPJW1A

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

 

Gelato at the Villa by Robin Jones Gunn

Book Review: Gelato at the Villa - Robin Jones Gunn 

5 Stars - A Favorite Book of 2025 

Have you ever had a friend that you were praying would return to the Lord after hurt from the past? Have you been the friend that turned back to the Lord after His constant pursuit? This book is one you don't want to miss. 

This book was SO impactful for me. I laughed. I cried. I can't recommend it enough!

We need more friendship stories in books and I loved this one! In this book, we follow Grace and Claire. Told from Grace's POV, we see our best friends travel to Italy, making stops in Venice, Florence and Bellagio. The girls enjoy art, cooking, AMAZING food, gelato (of course!), museums and the LORD truly works on this trip. I also LOVED the people they met along the way and all the travel details.

I have a full YouTube reading vlog coming out on August 25th with ALL the tears and thoughts, but all I can say is this book is one I needed! 

Seeing Grace's POV praying for her friend who had been running from the Lord for so long after being hurt by people in the church years ago was powerful. She was patient with Claire. She honored her requests. She let the Lord lead her in the conversations, even when she didn't know what to say. Grace also encountered the Lord's peace when things aren't going great at her job. 

Yes, this book brings Italy to life and makes you really want some good Italian food and Gelato, but it also had the Lord front and center in their trip and by the end, we really see forgiveness, a prodigal daughter moment and good friendship on display. This is how you tell a beautiful, in depth story under 300 pages! :)

The Lord is always pursuing us. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. See my blog post for my favorite quotes as well in the graphics!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours, Revell and Robin Jones Gunn for a complimentary copy of this book to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*trigger warning for mentions of past abuse as a child but not graphically detailed.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7742126756
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618547
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JltXdc

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


 

Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright

 

Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright

4.5 / 5

What a moving, emotional read. This was my first book by Jennifer and will not be my last. I really enjoyed the way she can pull you in to the story and you feel like you are right there in the midst of what the characters are going through. I cried. I felt such empathy. And I learned so much about this moment in history.

This is surrounding the most devastating hurricane that occurred in 1900 in Galveston, Texas. We follow Kathleen McDaniel who returns to New York after finishing school in Switzerland. A horrific event happens and she flees into hiding....she finds refuge and safety at St. Mary's Orphan Asylum on Galveston Island. She makes friends at St. Mary's, Sister Emily, Mother Camillus, Maggie and Matthew. Matthew is a handsome man who works for Isaac Cline at the US Weather Bureau. 

This is dual timeline so we follow Kathleen's life 6 months in New York with her family before she flees to St. Mary's and then the events during the hurricane in Galveston. This is a survival story through and through. I knew nothing of this hurricane and this taught me so much about what the people of Galveston endured. It was tragic. Heartbreaking. The author really pulls you in and you feel such empathy during those moments. While it's a tough read, it's an important read. No matter the devastation, we still see God at work and Kathleen finds Him in between the heartache.

I did find some of the timeline back and forth pieces took me out of the story sometimes since I was more invested what was going on in the current timelines with the hurricane but by the end, I loved seeing what transpired and what the reasons were for her leaving NYC. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Be prepared for an emotional journey. 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours, Tyndale House Publishers and Jennifer L. Wright for a complimentary copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Content: death, hurricane devastation, hurricane victims, child and parental death, grief, toxic parent situation.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7775547440

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/617644
Amazon: https://amzn.to/45CZgYm

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

Love in the Eternal City by Rebecca W. Martin

Love in the Eternal City by Rebecca W. Martin

4.5 Stars 

This was a beautiful read. A book club read with my sweet friend Tammy, @protagonistpub on YouTube! While I am not Catholic, I really appreciated how the Catholic Faith was very beautifully portrayed and the characters endured real life struggles and this book is not short of emotional depth. You can see how much the characters love the Lord and how important their faith is to them. 

We follow Elena, an American who is struggling with a lot of personal issues after her engagement ends. She leaves her home in the states and travels to Rome where she works closely with the Vatican. This feels like a fresh, new beginning for Elena. Here, she meets Benedikt (Beni) who is a member of the Swiss Guard and she becomes friends with Beni's sister, Reni. We see how Beni and Elena's friendship turns into more and its a very sweet romance. Beni is such a great guy and he truly cares for Elena, I loved that. He loves her for who she is, and will protect her at all costs when her past shows up in Rome and puts her in a bit of danger. 

Overall, I am so glad to have read this book - physically and slowly. Sitting with this book a few chapters at a time each day was the best. There was some humor, light hearted romance, sweet words, true love, faith elements and the city truly comes to life on page. Romances have become frustrating to me as of late and this has ALL the depth I needed!

I also love that this is one of my friend's Tammy's favorite books and it was her birthday month! Perfectly fitting for me to finish the week of her birthday!

p.s. I love that Elena is described as plus size, as someone who is also plus size, much of her emotions were relatable.

"Forever toward eternity."

4.5/5 

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7673095875
Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3UZjKFM

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

 

Final Approach by Lynette Eason

Final Approach by Lynette Eason 
3.5 Stars - rounded up to 4 

Book 4 in the Lake City Heroes Series

This book starts off with a BIG suspense aspect! LOTS of action, feels like a movie or tv show. We see Air Marshal Kristine on a flight to Florida with her law enforcement friends & FBI Special Agent Andrew. A hijacker all of a sudden tries to take control of the plane in a whirlwind of suspense. People get hurt but they make it out alive....unfortunately, this investigation is more than just trying to understand why this man randomly hijacks the place. Andrew and Kristine work together to figure out how this all ties in with some past circumstances and as usual, a slow burn romance ensues. 

I have enjoyed my time in this series by Lynette. I think they are best read all around the same time since all the characters are friend groups and make cameos in other books. My brain likes to forget names so easily haha. 

I really liked the suspense and friend group. The ending was wild, I did NOT guess it, as always! It was a sad situation what our character went through, so much trauma. Enjoyed the faith elements and if you like Christian Romantic Suspense, this series will be up your alley. 

My favorite of this series has to still be book 1, Double Take. While I ultimately don't have a ton to say, I would recommend. 

Content: parental death, mentions but not extremely detailed of violence like cut throats, blood, suicide, terrorism, deaths, obviously plane hijacking, and standard gunfire/shooters etc. grief, guilt, parental abuse, drugs, toxic parent. 

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7640548371
Amazon: https://amzn.to/42QEXGS
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618545

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

 

What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom

 

What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom 

4.5 Stars (Rounded up to 5 On Goodreads, Honorable Mention of Fav 2025)

What a powerful story. This is my 3rd Cheryl book and I just love the way she tells layered, in depth stories set in the Pacific Northwest. The setting always comes to life and her characters, while they go through hard things, really tug at your heart strings and you can always see hope between the pages. 

Here, we follow Hildy Nybo, a biologist that specializes in Pacific Northwest fish. She has anxiety, memory loss and a traumatic childhood where her father went missing. When her mother's health declines, leading to a dementia diagnosis, Hildy returns to her family resort on the Elwha River to help restore the Elwha River after the demolition of two century-old dams. Side note, I love how in the beginning, we see Hildy as a young child with her father and she told her Dad she met God in fish and nature. It was such a beautiful detail from a child's POV that reminds us to take in all of God's creation and truly see Him in every aspect of everything. There is also a moment where Hildy as a child can "see shadows" among evil and it felt like a tie in to spiritual warfare, reminding us that children have a greater sense of awareness.

When Hildy returns home, she steps out of her isolation and here meets Luke, a compassionate carpenter with his own tragic past and grief, and together they go through healing in this book. They have a passion for nature, animals, the river and they really connect well.

Hard things about the past resurface, she starts to put things together about her father's disappearance and what she finds is not what she expected....

Bottom line, I really enjoyed Luke and Hildy's healing journey, their romance and God's love, redemption - fully weaved into the story throughout. What Luke had been through was SO HARD and he was such an inspiring guy really trying to do the best he could. Seeing their healing was POWERFUL to me. A favorite quote from Luke “I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m all in, Hildy. Not with some God I tap for favors, but with a living Tsunami who raises the dead. Who washed my sorry carcass onto a better road.” Had me TEAR UP!

Along the way though, we see something happen with separation between the characters and the path Hildy goes down is not a good one...yet Luke is there regardless and I love how he stepped in to protect her and take care of her. 

Moving to the ending, I loved how the mystery was revealed - did NOT see that coming....it was sad, but real, raw and the start to true healing and forgiveness for Hildy to move on. 

Overally, highly recommend. I always say if you liked Delia Owens Where the Crawdads Sing type of story with the nature elements but with a level of faith added, pick up Cheryl's books. I love her stories and looking forward to what she writes next.

*Content warnings: Death of a spouse and children, grief, death of a parent, dementia, attempted sexual assault with details leading up to the abuser's intentions and her trying to escape, domestic violence in that same scene, brief mention of animal abuse/animal death

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers, Cheryl and TLC Book Tours for a complimentary copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7707349218
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/617646

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mkM95a

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

Welcome to the Honey B&B by Melody Carlson

Welcome to the Honey B&B by Melody Carlson 
3 Stars 

I read Welcome to the Honey B&B with my friend Melissa and this had the makings of a cozy, heartfelt small-town story with a realistic and heartfelt portrayal of CT and Honey walking through CT's dementia diagnosis. Knowing this was a personal story for Melody, I can see the level of care, detail and heart she put into writing it. I really felt the empathy as a reader for the characters and loved Honey's character the most. I teared up a couple of places because of what they were going through.

In this story, Jewel goes home to Oregon to help her parents and takes her 13 year old daughter Cooper with her. Jewel convinces her parents to turn a farmhouse into a B&B to make some needed money. Aaron, the contractor for the job, is interested in Jewel but she isn't sure she can trust him. Miguel is a neighbor that also helps out and cares about her family's well being. Jewel and Miguel have more of a romantic interest together in this but Aaron doesn't really like that due to the history with Miguel and he continues to pursue Jewel for his own personal gain. 

While I enjoyed the chapters with Honey and CT so much, I ran into several frustrations that kept this from being a higher rated read for me personally. Jewel as a main character often felt so passive, specifically when it came to standing up for her father. Aaron really didn't need to be in this book, he felt like he was added for the drama of the book but he would say horrible things about her father, knowing his health diagnosis, and Jewel never really would stand up for her Dad. That really bothered me, because he would have been out of there so fast if that was me. The lack of backbone just made it hard for me to connect with her or root for her decisions. 

My friend Melissa made a really great point in our buddy read that this would have been a stronger read if it was more focused on Honey and CT and not so much Jewel's drama with Aaron, Miguel, her daughter etc. Maybe some flashbacks of Honey and CT's life together. I totally agree with that point. 

Another disappointment was the B&B itself. The title leaves me to believe we will have more details about the B&B, but you don't see it until the very end. It felt very incomplete in the end.

At just around 280 pages, the book felt too short to fully flesh out certain relationships and arcs. While I loved Honey and CTs story and appreciated the heartfelt dementia storyline, my frustrations with Jewel’s character, the unnecessary drama from Aaron, and the lack of actual B&B scenes ultimately left me feeling like the story was missing something.

I still very much enjoyed the experience reading this story and felt like the Christian faith elements added were beautiful, specifically with Honey and CTs journey...the conversation surrounding CT would be better not in this life or on this earth was emotional for me. I just wanted a bit more from the story as mentioned above.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7351859274
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mB1EFW
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/598765

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

Things We Keep Hidden by Jill Lynn

 Book Review: Things We Keep Hidden by Jill Lynn 

4 Stars

Jill sure does know how to tell contemporary women's fiction stories with real life struggles, issues and characters with depth. This book follows 3 friends - they have swore not to talk about the night their friend CeCe took her life, but with them and their husbands back together at Isley's vacation home, there is a note left by a stranger that says "Tell The Truth or I Will." and they all think it has something to do with the circumstances surrounding their friend CeCe's death many years ago when they were young. Who is the message referring to? 

We see this friend group, Isley, Payton and Clara being together again and working through real life problems with their marriages and children, as well as revisiting memories of the past together.

I really enjoyed the story and how Jill brought these real life struggles to the forefront - we see some hard topics discussed such as suicide, grief, drug addiction, rehab, marriage issues, domestic violence etc. and Jill really reminds us all that we all go through hard things and we all make mistakes or do things we wish we hadn't but at the end of the day, those things do not define us. 

The end with the twists and explanations made me cry and while I wasn't as emotionally attached for all of the sisters collectively, the story is one that provides growth, emotions and relatability for readers.

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

Content warning: suicide, grief, domestic violence, drug addiction, rehab, marriage issues, infidelity mentioned.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7753400821
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lf0oYd

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