My Lucky Charm by Courtney Walsh

My Lucky Charm by Courtney Walsh - 5 Stars

Ya'll, I just absolutely loved this book. Book 1 was amazing. Book 2 is amazing. Courtney's Rom-Coms are the BEST! I love these feel good stories that have beautiful happy endings - exactly what I need in life right now. 

I LOVE a good Grumpy/Sunshine trope and this DID NOT DISAPPOINT ya'll! I love Eloise and how she sees the good in everyone and has the most heartwarming personality. She truly exudes everything SUNSHINE and I absolutely love that! Meanwhile, Gray's grumpiness and the reasons behind it are sad and understandable, but loved seeing him open up along the way. Eloise really brought out the best in him and I loved that! I also LOVED the reveal / twist in this book. My favorite part that really made the story for me. 

The story: Eloise sees her ex boyfriend/boss on New Year's Eve and doesn't want him to think she is all alone. With the encouragement of others, she kisses a stranger for the first time ever in an effort to make her ex jealous. Fast forward to this man being Grayson Hawke - the newest star of the Chicago Comets Hockey Team, recently traded and not happy to be there. The kicker? Eloise is hired to be Gray's assistant and help him warm up to Chicago and his new team. Can she change how he feels? The story kicks off here.

Overall, a great second book in the series. Loved seeing Poppy and Dallas too. You can technically read this as a standalone, but I recommend reading My Phony Valentine by Courtney first, as you get the best reading experience that way!

5/5 Stars

Amazon: https://amzn.to/49EShz9

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Refugee - Alan Gratz

 

Refugee - Alan Gratz - 5 Stars 

Wow, this was such a powerful and important story of 3 families in search of refuge. We follow 3 perspectives.

Josef - a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany and his family trying to escape to be free from the Nazis.

Isabel - a Cuban girl in 1994 and her family trying to find refuge away from riots and unrest in Cuba.

Mahmoud - a Syrian boy in 2015 and his family trying to escape their homeland torn apart by violence and destruction.

All 3 journeys are incredibly impactful and unimaginable what they went through. There was hope. Sadness. Death. Betrayals. But each day they were just trying to survive for their own safety for the love of their families.

The way the author tied in each family together in the end of this story made me cry. This is a heartbreaking but important historical read with glimmers of hope in each timeline. Highly recommend.

*Content: This book has descriptions of PTSD from concentration camps, attempted suicide, loss of a child, abuse, death. Not in full detail but it is explained some so want to mention so parents are aware since this is a middle grade story.

📚Amazon Link: Refugee - Alan Gratz: https://amzn.to/4bQTogw

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Alaskan Rescue by Terri Reed

 

Alaskan Rescue by Terri Reed - Book 1 in the Alaska K-9 Unit Series - 3 Stars 

This is a Christian Romantic Suspense story about a bridesmaid, Ariel Potter, who is found hanging down off from a cliff by Alaskan State Trooper, Hunter McCord and his K-9 partner, Juneau. The story starts with someone pushing her over the cliff and gunshots ringing out. With Ariel's hiking companions missing, Hunter and Juneau have to find them, all while protecting Ariel throughout the process.

Deciding where I land on this was a bit tough, on one hand, I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this one. It had a great narrator, characters were easy to connect to, the plot was interesting to me etc. The romance was a bit "block of cheese" for me, but I think that's how these type of books go sometimes so I was just enjoying the ride. Also, I honestly don't know how well Ariel and Hunter go together because they are both pretty controlling and quick to assumptions in the short time they knew each other.

The ending leaves you with more questions than answers and from what it looks like, the answers may come in book 7 of the series. Personally, I wish we had more answers but I guess we have to read the other books in the series by other authors to really follow what's going on throughout to figure it all out. 

Overall, not a bad book by any means, I may continue on in the series sometime if I feel like picking up a love inspired book in the future. :) 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/49RZLhQ

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Barriers to Entry by Ariel Lawhon

Barriers to Entry by Ariel Lawhon - 3.5 Stars

Very interesting and fascinating short story, historical fiction/mystery -- lots of information on forensic science investigations. A fictionalized story based on Frances Glessner Lee's studies - she was an American forensic scientist and very influential in developing the science of forensics in the United States. In this story, Frances is 67 years old in 1945, as a new Harvard instructor with 6 male students. She creates a crime scene and gives them 90 minutes to sold a real-life murder mystery.

I enjoyed this overall and while it kept my interest, it just wasn't my absolute favorite. She certainly teaches these men to think outside the box though. I still need to know the answer to who committed the crime though LOL.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3P4yH73

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Fallen Grace by Sadeqa Johnson

Fallen Grace - Sadeqa Johnson - 5 Stars

Wow, this short historical fiction story had me in tears by the end. I must read this author's other works. A single mother, named Bubbles, in segregated Virginia pushes back when her family sent her away after she finds herself pregnant, intending to give the baby up and have her return so she doesn't shame their family. Her father is a Southern Baptist minister so they don't want anyone to know about this. Bubble stands strong and decides to keep her baby and escapes from the home she was sent to with her daughter. She decides to use her talent of singing to make money after leaving but where she ends up - she stands strong in courage for her own daughter. Beautiful ending. What an emotional punch in such a short story. My favorite so far of this collection.

Bubbles is a character from the story House of Eve by this author. I have not read that one yet, but from other reviews, this can be read independently from that story without spoiling anything.

*Content: Mentions of sexual assault, discrimination, prejudice, and 1 use of GD for language.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/42YiplW

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Fires to Come by Asha Lemmie

 

Fires to Come by Asha Lemmie - 3 Stars

Set in the early twentieth century New York City, Carlotta, abandoned as an infant, is now black adopted daughter of an Italian Mafia Don and her family situation is tough. Her oldest brother refuses to have anything to do with her and she has never quite fit in with her neighborhood. Carlotta has to decide where she belongs - no matter the price that must be paid. 

Overall, this short historical fiction story was a bit disjointed for me and I didn't love the betrayals that happened in the way it was explained for her influence in her decisions. Even though her treatment does make you think the betrayals are justified, I still didn't love how it was expressed in this story. I liked the writing and would try other books by the author possibly in the future, but yeah, overall it was just OK and I wasn't blown away by the actual story. I liked the scenes with Carlotta and her mother most of all.

*Content - language, 1 use of GD that I remember.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/48v27SR

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Amelia's Shadow Marie Benedict

 

Amelia's Shadow - Marie Benedict - 4 Stars

Short story about Ruth Nichols who is friends with Amelia Earhart as they both try to make records in flights together. During this time in history, it was hard to stand out and do something like this. They are great friends in their work. Everyone knows the end of Amelia’s story and that is shown here.

In such a short story, this author brings emotion as she usually does in her books. I’ve read another of her works and have enjoyed her storytelling. This is a great short story to read to get a good sampling of her writing if you have never read her books before. I could have easily read an entire book like this by her. 4/5 stars

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3P3yilo

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