The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright

Book Review: The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright 4 Stars 

This one was very spooky, gothic and eerie, as usual for Jaime Jo! It took me a bit to get invested in this one as the audio wasn't the best option. But around chapter 10 I was invested in the story and the house on Foster Hill itself. Jaime just has a great way of making these settings come to life and be a character in itself in a way. Duel Timeline in Jaime Jo fashion, we follow two ladies, Kaine Prescott and Ivy Thorpe. Both women are separated by nearly a century, whose lives are intricately tied to the mysterious Foster Hill house. Ivy is in 1906 drawn into a murder mystery when a woman's body is found near the house and Kaine is a modern day widow seeking refuge and answers after her husband's suspicious death. Kaine purchased Foster Hill hoping for a fresh start, but instead finds herself entangled in this history....

I really enjoyed the story overall, Jaime always keeps you guessing and interested. I feel like I was a bit confused at first in the timelines but that could have been because of the narrator on the audiobook. The faith content stood out well as always in her books. Light in the darkness thread. So glad I read this because the ending was great!

This would be good for people who like Christian Suspense or Gothic Mysteries. 

Content warnings: I tried to see what other reviewers shared regarding the content warnings because I didn't want to miss anything. I agree with this: As another reviewer, Daniella, stated from her review here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4524772608 -- "I do believe it’s worth noting that this novel does deal with intense and possibly triggering topics like trauma, sex trafficking, rape, murder, assault, abuse, ptsd, depression, anxiety, and stalking. However, none of these issues are spelled out in graphic detail nor romanticized/glorified. They are dealt with in, what I believe to be, a godly manner."

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6925876252

Baker Book House (Recommended): https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/38481
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3YFVQlq

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

 

Deadly Revenge by Patricia Bradley

Deadly Revenge by Patricia Bradley - 4.5 Stars

Book 3 in the Pearl River Series

What a great conclusion to the Pearl River Series! Set in Tennessee near Chattanooga in the fictional town of Pearl River, Russell County Deputy Jenna Hart and TBI Agent Maxwell Anderson work together to protect a former mayor who is running for the US Senate office. Max is also Jenna's old boss so they are familiar with each other. I loved learning more about Jenna's story and seeing her with Max was great. We see bits and pieces of her past when she was shot and is dealing with PTSD from those events, so when she is back in town, she is questioning everything -even the fact that someone could possibly be out to get her and sneaking around her home looking for some old incriminating photos she took from the past of some criminals. 

I really liked the small town feel, as usual in Pat's books. As a Tennessee girl, I love her books so much for the settings and familiar towns and areas I know of, or can easily picture. The details about the dam were very interesting as I know about a lot of dams from East Tennessee where I grew up and could easily picture the issues going on there. 

The romance between Max and Jenna was a slow burn, but nice because he really wanted to keep her safe, and I liked that. I did want a bit more in the romance but still a great romantic suspense overall. Fans of Christian romantic suspense will enjoy this series! The suspense element stands out for me in this one. While we knew who the bad guys were early, it was interesting to see their POV sometimes and kind of know what was going to happen next in a way as our main characters tried to figure everything out for themselves. Highly recommend.

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6737995641
Baker Book House (Recommended): https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/579825

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ZdXds5

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

 

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

 

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson - 3.5 to 4 Stars

I really enjoyed this one and gave it 4 stars but upon sitting with it, it is more of a 3.5-4 star rating for me. I found much of what he said relatable, even though I am not much of a music person and he explained more of his life and music career. While this wasn't as engaging as many other Christian Non Fiction books I have read, I still really enjoyed the audiobook because it had signing and he narrated it himself. It was really like a memoir more than anything. I am a very creative person too, so much of his thoughts on creativity, discipline and faith were relatable. I would have liked a bit more on community I think but really liked learning about his own experiences. Personally, the chapter on discernment was the most impactful for me. Overall, an encouraging read!

Favorite quotes:

"Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor, too, by making worlds and works of beauty that blanket the earth like flowers. Let your homesickness keep you always from spiritual slumber."

"Maybe the song you're writing is for one specific heart-broken soul who won't be born for another four hundred years." (Relatable for YouTube Videos/Bookstagram/Book Reviews etc)

The Heir by Keira Cass

 

The Heir by Kiera Cass

Book 4 in the Selection Series

Basic review, just don't feel like writing a full review on this one honestly, soooo these were my thoughts at the time from Goodreads.

Missed the mark for me here. Didn’t connect with the main girl. She was just so self absorbed and I didn’t care about what was going on in this one like I did books 1-3. I was more invested there. Ending we don’t find out who she ends up with and I just don’t care to continue at this point 🤣🤭BUT if you wanna continue after book 3 in the selection series and see what happened with the couple who got together’s daughter, check this out. Will write a full review later. Just wasn’t my fav. Content was fine, no explicit scenes, clean romance with very mild language - maybe 1-5 words max but I only remember a few small words.

Rescued by The Hero by Mandi Blake

 

Rescued by the Hero - Mandi Blake

4 Stars 

Book 1 in the Heroes of Freedom Ridge Series

Super cute and quick Christian Christmas read! Really enjoyed buddy reading with my friend Melissa this one. 

Read if you like: 

Clean Christian Romance
Brother's Best Friend Trope

Fake Dating 

A Touch of Suspense
A Mountain Resort Vacation Setting
Dual POV

While its hard to measure up to her newest Christmas book, Healing the Cowboy, this one was still super cute and brings all the hallmark, Christmas cheese vibes you want during the holiday season. Our main couple is Aiden Clark and Joanna Drake. Joanna escapes to Freedom Ridge for the Holidays in Colorado. She runs into her brother's best friend at the ski resort and they instantly hit it off. Trouble arrives though in Freedom Ridge when Joanna's crazy, stalker co-worker - Keith - follows her to town. He has been interested in her for a while and she's been denying his advances. Because of all of the unwanted attention from Keith, Joanna asks Aiden to pretend to be her boyfriend and the fake dating turns into real feelings really fast. :) Unfortunately, Joanna's brother Zach isn't too keen on a real relationship between Aiden and her so they have to keep their feelings under wraps until the time is right.....The story kicks off here.

This was super cute like I said - just what you want in a cute Christian Christmas cheese-y romance book for this time of year. Even though it's a quick romance, I was still here for it! The only things I wasn't crazy about was how Joanna's brother was so against them together but he didn't take the issues with Keith as serious as I hoped he would have, but other than that, it was a solid 4 star read for me! Highly recommend!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3YByuMG

Series Link: https://amzn.to/3YD4RL1

Mandi's Books in this Series: https://mandiblakeauthor.com/collections/heroes-of-freedom-ridge-signed-paperbacks

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Hope Like Wildflowers by Pepper Basham

 

Hope Like Wildflowers by Pepper Basham 
Book 3 in the My Heart Belongs in The Blue Ridge Series

What a beautiful story by Pepper! Thank you to her for sharing Kizzie's story with us, it was well worth the wait! We learned about Kizzie in Laurel's Dream, book 1, who is Laurel's sister who has been sent away from their family due to her mistakes made. Oh but the LORD perused and protected this woman with all His power, what a beautiful journey Kizzie had to redemption, forgiveness and freedom!

Set in the early 1900s in Appalachia, Kizzie is essentially disowned by her father due to a pregnancy she didn't plan on. After being on her own, with no food or shelter for a while, she meets a local family, Nella and her husband, who offer her refuge and help, no matter what she's done. They love her unconditionally and help her as such. They did the work of the Lord in these moments and helped a girl in need. I absolutely loved their characters. We see Kizzie struggle with her relationship with Charles, the man she thought she loved and was supposed to marry, now pregnant with his child. Charles is of a rich status in life and unable to marry Kizzie due to their societal differences. He strings her along and we all know as the reader that Charles is a snake in the grass. Cut to the second portion of the story when Kizzie and her son Charlie go on their own in search for a new home and life, where she meets Noah....a wonderful man who loves her and her son Charlie unconditionally as well. The story moves on from here as Kizzie gets a fresh start....

The faith in this book stands out among the crowd. We see Kizzie go from feeling rejected and unloved to being fully known and loved by the Lord. She realizes how no matter her mistakes made, that the Lord can take it all from her and she can be a new creation in Jesus. That nothing is too far gone for God. I loved how Nella encouraged her to go to church and trust in the Lord. She held on to that throughout the story and became a very strong willed woman. Her relationship with Noah was so beautiful too. Chapter 24 made me cry as it showed us how great a man Noah really was in those moments with Kizzie. Chapter 25 made me cry when Kizzie realized the true names the Lord gave her. And the epilogue, wow. SO many happy tears. WHAT AN ENDING! All the STARS! 

Overall, such a great wrap up to Kizzie's story. I highly recommend this book and series!

P.S. You have to read the author's note. Love that this was part of a true story for her family and the heart she put into this story.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6712037827
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/566509
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UB2hDM

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

The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright

 The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright  3.5 Stars

Another atmospheric Jaime Jo read. Jaime blends gothic mystery, historical fiction and psychological suspense in this one. If you love a good haunting story with depth and emotion, check this out! I enjoyed it overall. The only downside to this one for me was I was a bit confused keeping the timelines apart and I don't think I still understand the genealogy stuff at the end, but this could be due to me only reading this by listening to the audio. 

This is a dual timeline story following Thea Reed in 1908 and Heidi Lane in present day. Both timelines are in the town of Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin. In 1908, Thea is a traveling post-mortem photographer, who comes to town searching for clues about her birth mother. Her journey leads her to the asylum on the outskirts of town, where she gets wrapped up in the ghostly tale of "Misty Wayfair". In present day, we see Heidi Lane, struggling with anxiety and mental health issues, drawn to the same town by a mysterious letter from her mother. She starts to unearth family secrets and gets involved in a mystery she can't ignore. The story kicks off here as we follow both timelines in each character's journey. 

I loved seeing the mental health and autism representation shown in this book too. As an Autism Mama, I love that in books and it always stands out to me. The greatest strength in this book is character development as I feel like they were beautifully fleshed out, each on their own quest for identity and understanding. 

I think this is a good read for the fall spooky season and perfect for fans of gothic fiction or psychological thrillers. An eerie read but also hopeful as Jaime always has that layer of faith added to explain the situations. 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6867500938
Amazon:  https://amzn.to/4f7T2n7
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/38483

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