BookLoverAmanda

  A Weather Girl's Guide to Love by Cassandra Joelle 3 Stars Another buddy read with my friend Melissa! :)  This book is a Christian romance following Hailey Sinclair. She had her life all planned out. She goes to rural Wyoming after graduation instead of a bigger city to be an on-air meteorologist as she planned. Her mother passed away when she was young and her boyfriend of 3 year's, Jett Dawson, reveals his mother is dying from cancer. So, she changes her plans and goes to follow Jett home because his mother has always felt like her own. While she is there, things with Jett and her don't feel like they are working out for whatever reason and they take a dating break. He is devastated by his mother's diagnosis and needs space to process. While on the dating break, she meets Colt Wilder, a cameraman at her new job who she connects with more than she did with Jett. She starts to wonder why her and Jett lost their spark in the relationship and if she was just with him be...

The Christmas Ring by Karen Kingsbury 4 Stars  I really enjoyed this Christmas read! It was sweet, hope-filled and has small town charm, Christmas magic, emotional depth...all the THINGS! We follow a military widow, Vanessa, carrying her grief and the hope of finding her family's lost heirloom, The Christmas Ring. Her journey is authentic and I loved the relationship with her daughter. With so many books having toxic relationships these days with mothers and daughters, it was such a breath of fresh air that they were best friends together in their adult lives. Really inspiring.  We see Vanessa finding love again with the antiques dealer, Ben, as they have quite the growing friendship together.  A little twist with the ring makes things very interesting!  If you love a sweet, clean, Christian Christmas read, pick this up! Karen always add layered, emotional depth to her stories and I thought this was a very nice family read. Really excited to see the movie! Thank you ...

   Rescued Heart by Angela Hunt Book 1 in The Matriarchs Series 3 Stars Rescued Heart is the first book in Angela Hunt’s new biblical fiction series and this book explored the lives of Abraham and Sarah. The story is well written, rich in historical detail and gives readers an imaginative look at what life in Ur of the Chaldeans, with Sarah and Abraham might have been like. That said, I personally struggled with some of the creative license  taken with the biblical story. The book portrays Sarai and her family as worshipers of false gods before Abram’s call, and Sarai herself is not shown as the woman of strong faith we recognize from Scripture. While I understand some of this is historically accurate for the people in Ur during that time and added depth to Sarah's character in the books, those choices just made it harder for me to connect with the Sarah I know from the Bible. Additionally, some of the family relationships were not accurate and felt like a creative dep...

  The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt 3 Stars  Alright friends, take me with a grain of salt on this review because SO many of y'all will enjoy this book I think. It's cute, cozy and good for a Jane Austen fan in general. I think it would be perfect for the fall time too, it starts in October. As someone who adores Pride and Prejudice, I went into this book excited for a heartfelt, Appalachian twist on a classic favorite. As a southern girl who lives in Tennessee, I LOVED the setting. It was lovely and the author truly captures the Appalachian atmosphere beautifully with cozy, fall-ready charm and strong small-town details. That what made the book for me was the Appalachian details and narration.  All of that said, I do think the story itself felt a little too close to Jane Austen’s original.  Because of that, it lost some of the emotional spark and originality I was hoping for. Some of the personalities of the characters were not how I anticip...

  Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright 3.5 - 4 Stars (4 on Goodreads) I have read so many Jaime Jo Wright books! She is known for her haunting, Gothic dual-timeline mysteries/suspense style with good Christian content, combating the supernatural with the reality of the Christian faith. She usually has a good romantic sub-plot too. This one is set in 1901 and present day for our timelines.  Jaime Jo weaves together the lives of Effie James and Norah Richman, two women connected by tragedy, secrets, and an eerie house at 322 Predicament Avenue. I think my favorite timeline was the present day because of the crime podcast stuff.  My favorite part of this book is honestly the atmosphere and the strong writing I’ve come to expect from Jaime Jo. I do struggle to stay fully invested this time but honestly, I listened to the audio and think I just wasn't as invested because the timelines and mysteries felt a bit too similar at points, and I found myself having to ...

  Three Blue Hearts by Lynne Kelly 4 Stars This is a beautiful, heartfelt story about courage, empathy, and helping animals. I loved Song for a Whale and this was another great middle grade book by Lynne. Max is our main character, a young 12 year old boy you will instantly connect with. He is trying to figure out who he is outside of his father's shadow. People always liked making plans or him when he was standing right there. His Dad wants him to play sports, but he doesn't have any interest in that. He has a lot of pressure put on him from his Dad. His parent split when he was 4 years old. His Mom is a high school history teacher and he goes to spend time with her at the beach during the summer.  He finds an octopus with a missing arm and in need of help. He takes it upon himself to help it and finds purpose in doing so.  We see themes of family pressure, friendship and self-discovery here as Max finds what he enjoys and is passionate about.  If you like middle g...

The Stories We Carry by Robin W. Pearson  4 Stars This is a heartfelt, Southern family story. Set in the small town of Gilmore, North Carolina, this Christian fiction is about Glory Pryor, who runs a bookstore in town and newcomer Adelle Simonette, who moves there with her young son. Their paths cross and both women have experience's they never expected. Adelle's is walking through grief from the loss of her husband. Glory is keeping secrets buried as her and her husband Eli are nearing retirement age as they look to moving on from the store to new things. Glory doesn't expect Adelle and her son working on her heart during their time there. I really enjoyed this book. I have been loving general contemporary women's fiction stories lately and this was another good one to add to my recommendation list going forward. It’s reflective and emotional without feeling too heavy. This is my first book by Robin and she writes with such warmth and depth, especially when exploring t...

 Coffee We Spill by Chelsea Michelle 4 Stars  Ok, this one had the cozy mystery I was looking for! :) This is the 3rd book in the Novella Mini Mystery Series - you need to read their full book though, Transactions We Expose probably before this one, I didn't and I think I can see where I was spoiled a smidge on some things but by the time I get back to the full novel, I will probably have forgotten that info, haha. But I have had fun with these mini-mystery novellas. This one is my favorite of the 3 I have read. I like how this one really focused on the mystery of someone missing and Michelle being a possible suspect.  Essentially, Michelle’s coffee shop is doing well but a a new coffee truck competitor rolls into town and then the owner suddenly goes missing. Blood stains are discovered on Michelle’s back door, she becomes the prime suspect, and her sister Chelsea jumps in to help prove her innocence.  The pacing really worked well, it was fast and engaging and I li...

Never Miss by Melissa Koslin 4 Stars  Melissa Koslin 'never misses' (see what I did there, haha) with her Christian Romantic Suspense books! I really enjoyed this one. We have a very intense, high-stakes book that keeps you hooked. We follow Former CIA sniper Kadance and scientist Lyndon. They make a great duo. She has the skills and tragic traumatic past to handle business when trouble comes along and Lyndon has the intellect and faith driven determination to keep going. The romance in this was awesome. FORCED PROXIMITY, and the CHEMISTRY between them was chef's kiss!  The plot itself delivers on action and suspense. We have a virus-centered storyline - someone wanting weaponize the Ebola virus. I am not always a big fan of virus-centered stories but this worked here for the high-intensity setup. I do wish some of the faith elements had been a little clearer or more developed. Kadance is not a believer and does start to be open to faith in this book but some of the discus...

Chaos We Unravel by Chelsea Michelle  Book 2 in A Watson Twins Mini Mystery Series 3 Stars Like the first novella, we have a light, faith centered mystery that can be read in one sitting. This one centers around the 4th of July celebration in Maple Springs with a mysterious fire that turns the picnic into a lot of chaos. The sisters Michelle and Chelsea work together to try and figure out what's going on in their amateur sleuthing. I like this doesn't have any murder in it, just them trying to figure out the happenings in the town.  The cozy mystery element here is fun because it has the small-town charm, family moments, and that wholesome “faith and family” tone that makes the series generally easy to enjoy. Novella length makes this easy to read quickly and just enjoy it for what happens.  Where the book is starting to lose me a bit was the ongoing romantic subplot with Michelle. After breaking up with her boyfriend of two years for seemingly no clear reason other tha...

  Hours We Regret - Chelsea Michelle Book 1 in the Watson Twins Mini Mystery Series 3.5 Stars  So I have an advanced copy of book 3 in this series, so I figured, when the books were on sale for .99, I would pick the series up to read before I review book 3! This is an author duo under the name Chelsea Michelle. It is a Christian Cozy Mystery Mini Series, meaning the books are short novellas. This one is meant to be a very fast, prequel introduction to the series and characters. While it's short, we are introduced to Chelsea and Michelle, twin sisters in this small town and danger arises when one of them goes missing and they have been discussing the serial killer on the loose so the stress arises when one of them went missing. There is a bit of romance drama too with one of the sisters throughout. I liked the overall setup, especially the way the story explores fear versus faith and the close twin sister relationship. The pacing kept me engaged and I certainly wanted to keep r...

The Rancher's Reason by Rachel Blanchard  4 Stars  Rachel Blanchard is a new-to-me indie author who reached out and offered a free audiobook of The Rancher’s Reason in exchange for my honest review and I’m so glad she did because I am impressed with her storytelling.  This novella may be short, but it’s packed with emotion, faith, and a sweet second-chance romance. Rachel managed to weave together a full and engaging story with depth, even in the shorter format. I really liked the narrator too, a professional sounding voice that brought it to life. Willow and Ace’s story felt genuine and heartfelt. I loved the dynamic of a single mom trying to protect her heart while returning to the place (and person) she never thought she’d face again. Her reason's for not telling him the secrets were a little frustrating due to the circumstances but I understand the story of it all.  The ranch setting in Missouri added a lovely small-town country backdrop that I liked. As with...

  Finding Freedom in Christ by Portia Collins  5 Stars  A Great Bible Study on Galatians  I have a full dedicated YouTube review video with more in depth thoughts coming on Monday, October 13th but wanted to write out a short review here also. When it's up, I will update the review with the link. This is an 8 week study and I really enjoyed my time with this. This is a very thoughtful and well-rounded study to walking through the book of Galatians. The in-depth questions really help you slow down and reflect on the Scripture and I appreciated how each week was paired with corresponding passages that deepened my understanding. I am not always someone who always loves a ton of questions in studies, but these questions were very well done and made sense with the study itself.  One of my favorite parts was the included access to Portia Collins’s teaching videos. There was no need for an extra purchase, which made the study feel complete and accessible. I also reall...

Book Review: Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham  4 Stars  Perfect for fans of: Clean romance Themes of forgiveness and second chances Clean alternative to Bridgerton  Witty banter  Enemies to lovers Regency rom-coms Jane Austen  This was another great book by Pepper! Emmeline is independent and determined never to lose her heart again, especially not after Simon broke it years ago. She is unique by secretly writing novels under a fake name and she is easily someone we root for in this book. Simon adds depth and emotional baggage....he was once a charming bachelor but now humbled and forced to rebuild his estate and reputation.  I loved seeing him and Emme navigate their shared past together while trying (and failing LOL) to keep things as friends only! The CHEMISTRY is off the charts in this one! As always, Pepper brings the LAUGHS to the table. Witty banter, lots of adorable chaos...mischievous situations and yet, still the lighthearted moments bring s...

The Nature of Love by Toni Shiloh Book 3 in the Love in the Spotlight Series 4.5/5 Stars  This is book 3 concluding Toni's Love in the Spotlight Series and I really enjoyed it! We follow Dr. Erykah Kennedy, an orthopedic surgeon. Something tragic happens and her world is turned upside down . We see Christian Gamble, a wildlife conservationist, who we have seen from part of the guy friend group throughout the series. His friendship with Erykah grows into a beautiful romance as he helps her through the tragic situation, with the Lord right in the midst of it all.  This book surprised me with its emotional depth. Toni really portrays grief and faith with such authenticity. It was a realistic look at how tragedy can lead to spiritual awakening because Erykah's faith journey was moving. We watched her go from uncertainty to belief and it felt very genuine. Chris shines as a steady, Christ centered hero in the book filled with compassion.  I want to be clear though that reader...