You Make it Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh

 

You Make it Feel Like Christmas - Toni Shiloh - 3.5 Stars - A Cute Hallmark Style Christmas Story!

This book is great for lovers of Hallmark Style Christmas stories during the Christmas season! As Starr Lewis returns home for the holidays, jobless and single, she isn't happy to be dragged into her sister's wedding plans - because she's getting married to Starr's ex-boyfriend on Christmas eve! However, when Starr meets her brother's best friend, Waylon Emmerson, at their family's Thanksgiving get together....she starts the think maybe coming home isn't so bad as she starts to enjoy hanging out with Waylon and forgetting all about the festivities with her sister's wedding. For Waylon, this is a perfect distraction to help keep him busy as he is struggling with the loss of his mother and trying to keep her old Christmas shop alive....the story goes on from here as Waylon and Starr's stories unfold.

I love what Toni Shiloh does in the Christian Fiction market - she always weaves faith in her stories and I appreciate her so much in that regard. I really liked seeing how Waylon's was working on his mother's Christmas store he was taking care of and I think this could be a story that could potential help others going through something similar during the holiday season. This book will get you in the holiday spirit and I think it would be a fun one to start during Thanksgiving since it starts off at a Thanksgiving celebration.

I really enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere, cozy elements and nice faith content. I do think the drama with the sister's wedding festivities with Starr's ex-boyfriend took away from the story for me a bit as that is not always my favorite trope or storyline, personally. Her sister was a bit too rude for me but the ending was a nice resolution. The romance was a bit rushed for me as well but I think that's due to the shortness of the story and us not having a ton of time to truly get to sit with our characters as they got to know one another. 

Overall, I think this is a quick, cute Christmas read that many of you will enjoy during the Christmas season with lots of hallmark cheese that many enjoy during the holidays. I thank Toni Shiloh for always giving us nice, light hearted reads with clean romances and faith elements. 

Thank you for Bethany House and Toni Shiloh for providing a copy to honestly read and review. All opinions are my own. 

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5589632058
Amazon: https://amzn.to/489t3Zd

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/516389

YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrJBzCMbGUw&t=2s

Truth is a Whisper by Mandi Blake

 

Truth is a Whisper - Mandi Blake - 4.5 Stars - The perfect hallmark movie style Christian cowboy romance story I needed!

This follows our main characters of Ava and Jameson. We start of with Ava being forced to leave him with her very controlling and narcissistic mother. Then we cut to 6 years later when they have the opportunity to meet again as Ava comes to visit her grandfather on the ranch she left so long ago due to his health issues going on. She soon realizes how much she loves the ranch and doesn't want to leave it -- or Jameson. We see some family drama and secrets unfold with Ava's mother and Ava and Jameson start to work together on the ranch - tied together by their love for it. Will she stay? Will she finally start her life without being tied down to the control of her mother? Can Jameson prove himself to those he wants to most? The story takes off from here.

Ya'll this book surprised me! Thank you Mandi Blake for such a feel good, lighthearted, Christian romance with a lot of things I loved! I did want to see her salvation experience but overall great faith!

✅Christian Cowboy Romance
✅Set on a Ranch
✅Guy is a Christian, Girl is not but starts to believe
✅Guy is a protector 👏👏🤠
✅Great Faith Elements - they go to church, many prayers and discussions around believing in Jesus and reading their bible etc.
✅Great Family Element - a precious grandfather figure I LOVED. One of my favorite things in books are Grandfathers because I unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to have a relationship with mine who both passed away.
✅Romance was quicker but not totally instalove - they did know each other a short time but I feel like the way this story was told—it didn’t feel like instalove to me. I was so connected with the characters, the small town, the family, etc.
✅ALL THE HALLMARK MOVIE 🧀CHEESE🧀 I NEEDED.
✅Great ending with resolution I wanted!

Pick this up if you enjoy a good Christian romance with some lighthearted hallmark cheese :) Excited to read book 2 in the series soon! Only content warning would be details surrounding a narcissistic parent.

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

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5770824689
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qXbr2c
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrJBzCMbGUw&t=2s

Heart of Red, Blood of Blue by: Rebecca Belliston

 

Heart of Red, Blood of Blue by Rebecca Belliston - 5 Stars - An amazing standalone Christian fantasy story!

This is all about Princess Gisela of Steinland who was born with albinism. Her betrothal to Prince Jerrik of Kronga ended in his death and a 10 year war started with her father. Her father keeps her hidden for many years until he wants to use her to agree to another alliance and betroth her to an awful leader. A Krongon war commander, Bloodless Kristoff, is also after Gisela after killing her siblings as well so that puts a lot of stress on the situation. Gisela runs away and starts finding the truth as she flees.....her ultimate goal is to end this crazy war. Can she do it?

OK YA'LL READ THIS BOOK. It's an ALL time favorite. I loved the unexpected plot twists that I didn't see coming, it has amazing characters and kept me on the edge of my seat! I was SHOCKED at the ending when things were revealed. Highly recommend for those who want a good, clean Christian non-magical fantasy story.

I loved the faith elements we had in the story, her cross necklace, prayers and almost like angels for her who would show up to help her (other Christians who showed up in answered prayer).

Content warning: There are some violence and blood in this during the war battle scenes but otherwise language free and clean.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4738736827
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sIiBI8
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP6NLPxY6po

Reading Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoex2T-Wc6Y

Sailor Moon Book 1 Manga

 

Sailor Moon Book 1 Review - 4 Stars 

It's hard to read and rate this manga as it is something very nostalgic for me personally. I loved Sailor Moon the show and books growing up as a young girl. I had a fan club with my friends in middle school and it has always been something I enjoyed. 

After reading book 1, I still enjoy the story and the characters but do have some issues with it from a christian perspective and as an adult re-reading it from a different point of view now. 

Let's start with what I LOVE.

- Sailor Scouts and their friendship

- Usagi being so ditsy and funny

- Luna as the talking cat - the best. 

- The overall storyline with their past and Tuxedo Mask coming in to help 

- The humor throughout the book 

Here's what I am not crazy about anymore and don't find appropriate for young readers personally:

- How rooted in astrology some of the book / characters are (I can remember as a young girl getting heavily involved in astrology after watching and reading Sailor Moon so it's something I think needs to be treaded lightly on for younger readers especially. It's not a ton -- but there are some pieces that are involved and pulled from it.

- The Shintoism Parts with Rei and Worship of Deities mentioned   

- Tuxedo Mask always kissing Usagi when she passes out after a fight and then whisking her off to his apartment. He is 17 and she is 14. While nothing happens between them, it isn't my favorite to see. I am a bit more forgiving of it since I know their past and such together, but want to mention it for content reasons.

Overall, I really still enjoy Sailor Moon as a manga but want parents and readers to be aware of the content as I read through the series and will be pointing out parts that I love vs parts I am not crazy about.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/45xxFXf
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5785984344
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP6NLPxY6po

Waymaker by Ann Voskamp

 

Waymaker - Ann Voskamp - 5 Stars - A beautiful, poetic Christian non-fiction read. Wow.

There are so many quotes I have highlighted here in this book. Ann so poetically tells us her story of things that have happened in her marriage, adoption process, and her life in general. So honest, real, raw. 

Many times tears filled my eyes reading this. She has a very unique journaling / poetry style in this book that made it very interactive to read. I think there were a few times I did not fully grasp what she was trying to say, but overall LOVED it.

"We don't need answers from God like we need attachment with God."

"Salvation by God is ultimately for attachment to God."

"Life is never made unbearable by the road itself but by the way we bear the road."

Just a few of my favorite quotes....beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. 

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5393305988
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QWkDhJ
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP6NLPxY6po

Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter

 

Autumn Skies - Denise Hunter - 3.5 Stars (Book 3 in the Bluebell Inn Romance Series)

I liked this but didn't love it -- I haven't read the other books in the series but don't feel like you have to. This is about Wyatt and Grace. Wyatt is a Secret Service agent and takes a mandatory leave of absence that leaves him turning up at The Bluebell Inn where he meets Grace. They both have a mystery of baggage that we don't know about fully until the end of the story. Little bits are revealed through out the story, such as Grace having survivors guilt over something that happened many years ago when she was young and Wyatt experiencing trauma surrounding his mother's death. But we don't fully see what happened until the end---I was shocked at that part, very interesting how Hunter tied this all together between the two characters.

I liked how the characters went on camping trips and got stuck together - getting to know each other. That's always a fun trope.

However, I don't feel like I fully loved the story - whether that's due to the bad audiobook narrator or not, I'm not sure. There were some fun cozy vibes for sure that I really enjoyed but it was a bit of instalove that I didn't care for. They knew each other 2-3 weeks and fell in love kinda thing. Again, my personal preference on what I like in Christian romance vs don't like.

If you like Christian romance that has that hallmark feel - this would be one to look at for sure. I liked it, but didn't love it as much as I hoped I would.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5770832791
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EdM5jt
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP6NLPxY6po

How to Kiss Your Best Friend by Jenny Proctor

 

How to Kiss Your Best Friend - Jenny Proctor - 4 Stars - A Clean, Sweet, Friends to Lovers Rom-Com!

Alright ya'll, another cute rom-com down! I really enjoyed the characters, family and small town vibes in this one! The Hawthorne Brothers were hilarious and I can't wait to read more in this series. We have a chemistry teacher and professional kayaker - Brody - and a journalist and traveler - Kate. They were best friends growing up but Kate took some time to travel over the years. With so much going on in her family life, she has just taken the time to travel and do life by herself. Until she comes back to her hometown of Silver Creek to sort through her grandmother's house to get it ready to sell and Brody is taken back once more to how much he loves her and has always loved her. He's hoping to reconnect with her and that she will stay in town for good....the story goes on from here.

I had SO much fun reading this one. Kate and Brody had the best chemistry together and it was fun seeing them go kayaking together. What I love most about this one is we have some great family details where we got to know siblings, parents, friends, past details etc., so I felt very connected to this little small town and the people that lived here. I live and grew up in a small town so it's always something I love in books. The humor in this was GREAT too! AHEM - the TOWEL SCENE had me ROLLING ya'll! So funny.

Also great to have a clean, closed door romance with a little bit of sizzle but no explicit spicy scenes. We love to see it!

Friends to lovers isn't always my favorite trope so I will admit I wanted them to talk more to each other at the end then how some of the order of events went down, but it sure made for a great ending! Can't wait to read book 2!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5319596770
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44m8vJR
YouTube Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP6NLPxY6po