Chasing the Horizon by Mary Connealy

 

Chasing the Horizon by Mary Connealy - 3 Stars

Readers who enjoy Westerns Christian Historical Romance will enjoy this one but be aware of some intense descriptions of women being sent to insane asylums and their horrible treatments. This brings awareness to how easily a husband could send his wife to an asylum when she did something as simple as disagree with him. This is the 4th Mary Connealy book I have read so far.

In this book, Beth Rutledge helps her mother and friend escape from the insane asylum they were wrongfully imprisoned in. Her father put her mother away and Beth went on the journey to save her from the terrible conditions she endured. They go on the run from their father, assuming new identities on a wagon trail out west. In comes Jake Holt, a wagon trail scout, who helps the women in their journey. Beth and Jake fall in love and he makes sure to take care of her and family at all costs. Meanwhile, Beth's crazy and vindictive father is right on their trail searching for them....

Overall, I liked this book but wasn't exactly in love with it and felt like I wanted the ending to be wrapped up a little more, but I know there is another book in the series to continue to see what happens next. I have enjoyed several of Mary's books but I think I also wanted something different with the romance in this one. It was very awkward to see no real romance and then all of a sudden things moved very quickly between them. It's a clean romance but I wanted more of their interactions together, getting to know each other more, etc. But I understand there was so much going on with the main plot, so that makes sense. This This also seemed a bit formulaic compared to other books I have read by her so it didn't stand out to me necessarily. However, I do recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Christian Western Historical Romance story. 

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

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5932044375
Amazon: https://amzn.to/49FGr7o
Baker: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/542746

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Beren and Luthien by JRR Tolkien

 

Beren and Luthien - JRR Tolkien - 4 Stars

The story of Beren and Luthien itself would be 5 stars for me, but this book had a lot of excess commentary I was not personally invested in from the editing Christopher Tolkien did. It appears from other reviews the story of Beren and Luthien is from The Silmarillion - but this book would be worth purchasing if you are someone who would love to see the details behind Tolkien's writing from his son's point of view and the artwork throughout the book is worthwhile. The version in The Silmarillion is very straight to the point from what I have seen in another review but this one is closer to "normal prose" where it's the same story told again in a different way in verse. I think since I am not really a poetry or verse person, I prefer the original story. 

The Story of Beren and Luthien is reminiscent of Arwen and Aragorn in that this is the story of a mortal man who fell in love with an immortal elf. Beren has the quest to steal a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth. Also, Aragorn in LOTR is a distant descendant of Beren and Arwen is a distant descendant of Luthien - so interesting to me!

I think the best thing about this book is the love sotry set against the backdrop of the First Age of Middle Earth, during a great time of strife and conflict. Beren is driven by his love for Luthien and takes on what seems like an impossible tasks to win her hand in marriage. Luthien is there to help Beren with her abilities and together they face trials. I also love that this love story is celebrated as one of the greatest love stories in Tolkien's mythology, illustrating themes of sacrifice, courage and the power of love to overcome even the greatest obstacles. You can also see, as someone who has already read The Hobbit and LOTR trilogy, how this plays a significant role in shaping the history and fate of Middle Earth, as their descendants are a critical component to future ages.

Overall, glad I read through it, even if there are some parts I don't fully understand in the verse and notes from Christopher. I would like to go back one day and see what I missed.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6236455472

Amazon: https://amzn.to/42P4FcY

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

My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh

 

My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh - 5 BIG Stars!

This book is EVERYTHING I needed in a GREAT rom-com! Fake dating, witty banter, hockey player MMC, Small town chef FMC, a funny grandmother, no 3rd act break up, no miscommunication, so many interactions between our couple --we love to see it!

I was having a tough day over the weekend and picking this book up gave me all the happiness and fun I needed that day. It was the perfect light and fluffy read I needed!

Such a CUTE Valentine's sports romance read! Romance was clean!

This is all about famous hockey player Dallas Burke who bumps into restaurant owner and chef Poppy Hart. Dallas jumps right in with the situation of "fake dating" to help Poppy and the rest is history as a full fake romance ensures as his manager and meddling grandmother intervene since it would be a win-win situation to help Poppy's failing restaurant with the publicity and Dallas's bad guy reputation.

To sum it up - I just need to read all of Courtney Walsh's rom-coms now. 5 BIG STARS.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6207779116

Amazon: https://amzn.to/49kivqu

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

The Irish Matchmaker by Jennifer Deibel

 

The Irish Matchmaker - Jennifer Deibel - 4 Stars

Jennifer does NOT disappoint with her newest release, The Irish Matchmaker. I have read every one of her books and they consistently deliver captivating tales filled with profound emotion. In The Irish Matchmaker we follow the daughter of a well-known matchmaker, Catriona Daly. She is helping widowed cattle farmer Donal Bunratty find a wife to help take care of their family farm and raise his daughter by his side. He attends the matchmaking festival as a wish for his young daughter, only to end up not finding the one he thought he would. But what happens when the one doing the matchmaking appears to be the woman of his dreams? The story goes on from here as Donal and Catriona get to know one another but Lord Osborne's son, Andrew, throws a "cog in the wheel" we will say in all the matchmaking.....

This Christian Historical Romance is set in Ireland and Jennifer always has the best descriptions and dialogue for the setting and characters. You really feel like you are there with them. The characters always touch your heart too. I love a good single Dad story finding love again - one of my favorite tropes - and this was so sweet as his little girl stole my own heart! The story did take a little bit for me to get invested but around the 50% mark, I finished the book so quickly and loved the ending. The romance was sweet - I thought originally it was going to be a love triangle, but it wasn't really a serious one, as we knew Andrew was not a good guy from the beginning and Donal and her had a great connection together. 

My favorite part of this is the ending and the Sermon on the Mount scriptures and discussion with his little girl. Absolutely beautiful.

I will always recommend Jennifer's books - solid clean, Christian Historical Romance. No content warnings or triggers to report as the romance was completely clean with kisses only. :)

Thank you to Revell and Jennifer for allowing me to be on the Launch Team and providing me with a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6198893136
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UKxWDF

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/542763

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

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

🗡️✨Powerless by Lauren Roberts🗡️✨ 4 STARS

 OK, ALL I WILL SAY IS WOWWWW WHAT A GREAT SECULAR YA FANTASY I NEEDED! ITS THE ROMANCE FOR MEEEEE. YOU CAN CUT THE TENSION WITH A KNIFEEEE LIKE BUTTTTERRRR!

(I may update this review later to be more like a FULL review in sentence form but here are some immediate thoughts.)

*4 stars, it was 5 stars for me up until 75% ish but still a SOLID story!
*Full vlog on Monday to come to my YouTube Channel Monday, 2/19
*I need the second book ASAP
*So glad I read this with friends, great book to buddy read with others!
*It's giving FANTASY HUNGER GAMES AND I LOVED THAT! We have trials, and lavish descriptions, interview with those in the trials, the purging is the reason they have the trials etc.
*We have a "faction-like" set up -- our main girl Paeydn is an "ordinary", our main guy Kai is an Elite. She is pretending to be an Elite with psychic abilities and saves Kai in a crazy situation. Kai and her end up in the trials together and a romance with the ULTIMATE tension happens! The kicker?! Kai is the son of the king and kills Ordinaries as his job....but he doesn't know the girl he is starting to fall for and who saved him is an Ordinary--- YALLLLLLLLL!
*Scratches the itch you need for books like Hunger Games, Red Queen, Divergent etc.
*I was in the "I NEED TO KNOW" feels for most of the books
*Great book to buddy read
*KAI AND PAEYDN FO LYFE - Romance is clean
*The KING is awful villain!
*KAI'S DESCRIPTIONS OF HER AND EYES AND OTHER DIALOGUE WAS THE BEST. SWOOOOON!
*AUDIOBOOK NARRATION IS GREAT! Male and female POVs and narrators.

Now, let's talk content and why it wasn't 5 stars but it felt like 5 stars up until the ending. The reason it felt like 5 stars up until the end...all the things above that I loved! What didn't I love? I didn't love the amount of language throughout the story, it didn't typically bother me but I do think it could have been cut down (no F words but several S, D, A etc). Also the drinking in this book was a bit random, it felt like adding real life things in a fantasy world haha but just want to mention there is some drinking in this.

There is a lot of blood mentioned in battle scenes that are reminiscent of Hunger Games type fighting with blood descriptions. Those didn't really bother me because I was so involved in the story and the romance. However, I did find some scenes at the end bothered me with the gore/brutality in one fight scene. There was also a love triangle brought in I didn't love because the brothers are very close and I didn't love some of the betrayal going on there with the girl and the brothers but it's YA and I can move on lol. It's expected. The ending I wish we had some context given to one of the characters and some communication BUT I see what she is setting up here for book 2 so it's all good!

I think Lauren Roberts writing is very engaging and she did an AWESOME job with this series introduction and tying in so many things from previous words/books that so many of us have grown to know and love but she made it her own original story and I loved that!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6033094488

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3uDNkHr

FULL YouTube Reading Vlog to come on 2/19/24

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Submerged by Dani Pettrey

 

Submerged by Dani Pettrey - 5 Stars - Re-read higher rating!

I am not much of a re-reader but I loved the experience re-reading this one! Submerged is book 1 in the Alaskan Courage series and I plan to make my way through this series in 2024. I read this book in 2021 but never continued so before I continue on in the series, I wanted to re-read book 1 so the characters would be fresh in my memory. So glad I did! I enjoyed it so much more this time around and am rating it 5 stars! 

A solid romantic suspense set in Alaska! Bailey Craig vowed to never return to Alaska but when her Aunt is killed in a plane crash and evidence shows more to the case than they thought, she proves to be an asset to the investigation and stays around to help investigators. Bailey's past mistakes are following her when she comes back home but she is a new creation in Jesus and knows it doesn't define her anymore. She only hopes everyone else sees it the same way when she returns. Then we have Cole McKenna, the guy she left behind when she left 10 years ago. He knows Bailey has changed and really encourages her in that. He still has feelings for her when she returns and will stand up to anyone who treats her bad or unworthy. He knows she is worthy and a new creation in Christ - I loved his character so much! They work to piece the case together and the rest goes on from here.

This book shows us how unconditional God's love truly is. I loved the faith content and the characters really make the story. Excited to dive into book 2!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3763026152
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3I1hJTd
Baker:  https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/37869

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

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

 

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis - Narnia Series - 4 Stars 

I just love this world. Reading this series as an adult for the first time is quite the experience. Every time I dive into a book I am whisked away to such an amazing world. Our characters Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy are back in the world of Narnia! Lots of action going on in this one and while some parts I loved more than others, this is such a fun read! Love the talking animals and seeing Aslan again in this book. As always, the allegory is great. You can see a parallel to the Christian Life throughout this series. A good example "But who believes in Aslan nowadays" - direct correlation to the criticism we receive at times for believing in Jesus and the struggles in the Christian life. Lucy's journey is important as she has to go against her friends and family to follow Aslan (Jesus allegory). Not everyone can see the path but she can. She makes some mistakes but Aslan makes it clear he is still compassionate and loving to her. 

Just such a good series and I can't wait to read more to finish the series this year.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6252658640
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UwdVRn

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