Fire and Icing by Savannah Scott

Fire and Icing by Savannah Scott
Book 1 in The Firemen of Waterford TN Series

As a Tennessee gal, I enjoyed this story. Dustin and Emberleigh were cute together. Savannah's books are some of my favorite so this is one I was really anticipating. :)

Read if you enjoy:

• 💘 Fake Dating

• 🚒 Firefighter Romance

• 😂 Laugh out Loud Rom-Coms

• 💞 Clean Romances

• 🧁 Baker FMC

• 👨‍🚒 Firefighter MMC

• 🍰 Baking Competitions

• 🏡 Small Southern Towns

• 😬 Meet "Ugly"

We follow Dustin who is Stevens' brother from the Love Trippin' series. He moves from Marbella Island, California🌊 to Waterford, Tennessee🏡. Dustin is the new rookie firefighter👨‍🚒🚒 in Waterford and the first job is a 🍰kitchen fire at Emberleigh's place. He hauls her outta there - literally 😂- and they have somewhat of a meet "ugly" rather than a meet "cute".😂 Emberleigh is a baker who is entering a baking competition and one rule is she needs a partner that is not a baker, so they agree to fake date for the competition's sake....but as things would have it...feelings start to form and the rest is history.

While I really enjoyed getting introduced to this charming small town and the lovable group of firefighters, especially Dustin....who was such a golden retriever of a main character, sweet, supportive, and easy to root for, I found myself wishing for just a bit more depth to the overall story. Compared to other books I have LOVED in the Love Trippin' series, this one felt a little lighter on emotional layers, and I didn’t connect with Emberleigh as much as I hoped to. That said, I still enjoyed my time with this and recommend it as a clean rom-com with no language, and I think readers who enjoy sweet, small-town romances will find plenty to love here.

Favorite Quote: 

" A good relationship is built on open communication. Sometimes you fight or disagree, but you always come back to one another because that's what matters most."

Thank you to Savannah for providing a copy of the book for my honest read and review. All thoughts are my own.

3.5/4 rounded up to 4 on Goodreads.

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7667134897

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GfwXXy

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

 

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter

 

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter

5 Stars 

Set in North Carolina, Maggie has been grieving the loss of her husband the last five years. She is taking pictures one day with her little girl at the amusement park one day and thinks she sees someone who looks like her late husband.  Her brother-in-law, Josh, helps her figure out this odd mystery....and who the man is that looks like her late husband. Soon...feelings happen and they try to navigate them, through grief and how to handle the romantic feelings that are happening.

Loved Josh's character so much, he was a great guy. This is a clean romance, with no language. There are no faith elements as this is just a clean read. Audio narration is great!

The way the grief in this book was explored was beautiful and the ending had me in tears with the revealing of everything in the mystery aspect. This felt realistic in many ways.

- Clean summer romance books
- Light mystery elements
- Childhood friends
- North Carolina setting
- Death of husband / grief storyline
- Toxic relationship with mother/daughter 
- Single Mom Trope
- Great dialogue 

Definitely recommend!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7171472749
Amazon: https://amzn.to/46lV7Ks
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/600801

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

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

 

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson 
5 STARS!

THIS WAS SO GREAT YOU GUYSSS! I am so glad I read it this month and HAD ALL THE FEELS! This is one of those funny, laugh out loud regency romance books that you'll just have the cutest time reading!

Read if you love:
💕 Slow-burn, swoony romance
🎩 Regency-era settings
💗Clean & proper love stories
💌 Witty banter and letters
🏞️ Country estates & carriage rides
💃 Strong and not-so-ladylike heroines
🐴 Horseback riding scenes
💗 He falls first
👑 Noble, protective book boyfriends
✨ A touch of drama, lots of heart
📚 Jane Austen vibes with a modern feel

We follow Marianne Daventry who goes to meet her twin sister Cecily at the Edenbrooke country estate. Things happen on the trip that cause her to run into a handsome man who helps her along the way......they have a bit of a "meet ugly" turned into "meet cute" if you will...become friends and the FEELINGS are at the forefront for both of them. But Marianne isn't sure what she should do...because her sister is due to arrive any day and she knows her sister has some plans of her own that she doesn't want to ruin...we see what happens as Marianne has lots of adventure at Edenbrooke!

I just loved this book so much and I hope you will pick it up if you haven't! I know SO many have already read this one and I am late to the party...but I gotta read Blackmoore sooner than later now! The romance, the sweetness, the laughs, the Pride and Prejudice vibes...all of it was FOR MEEEE. 

Highly recommend as a clean, regency romance with lots of laughs!

Watch for my dedicated reading vlog to come out on YouTube Thursday, July 3, 2025.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6476761376
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4eqYdyN

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

Goodreads:

Vanished by Dr. David Jeremiah and Sam O'Neal

Vanished by Dr. David Jeremiah with Sam O'Neal

4 Stars 

This is one book I found very interesting as it is SO timely for our world today and preparing our hearts for the end times of our world. I have several of Dr. David Jeremiah's non-fiction on my to-read list and this book really prepared my own heart to dive into those sooner rather than later. 

This follows John "Haggs" Haggerty who is a leader of a special military unit that is very involved with stopping potential pandemics before they spread and he essentially has a front row seat to the increase is the "birth pains" leading to the Rapture, such as the plagues, earthquakes, famines, wars etc. Everything is becoming more intense and his own personal life is a mess as it is. He's trying to patch things up with his daughter and still struggles from the grief of his relationship with his ex-wife. 

Right when things seem to be looking up.......we see major changes and events take place, getting closer to the Rapture.

I really appreciate this story being a quick reminder for everyone to be READY for the end times. Be prepared. We have no fear because we know where we are going - there is true hope in Jesus Christ no matter what happens before He comes back for His children. 

The ending left me needing to know what happens next so I hope to see this as a series!

I would recommend this for anyone who loves suspenseful Christian fiction surrounding end times, and biblical prophecy. Perfect for fans of the Left Behind series as well. 

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7673255614
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3T3UCwL
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/619966

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

 

Love on the Run by Mandi Blake

Love on the Run by Mandi Blake
5 Stars
(Book 5 in the Love in Blackwater Series)

OK this makes book 16 I have read by Mandi - how AWESOME is that?! AND NO SURPRISE FRIENDS - ITS A 5 STAR FOR MEEE! I LOVED THIS ONEEE SO MUCH! 

I am so connected with our characters in this series that it just MAKES the story for me to see them all connected as a friend group and truly live life together! 

In this one - we have so many things I love in books!

- Dual POV

- Laugh out Loud Moments 

- MMC Protects and Takes Care of our FMC

- FMC Stands up to her Controlling Parents (Relatable)

- Clean, Christian Romance

- Runaway Bride

- Best Friend's Brother

- Beau and Anna go on her honeymoon after her failed wedding, ANYWAY :)

- Forced Proximity 

- MMC Reading his Bible

- Prayers and Moments of Faith 

- Bookstore Visits

- Coffee & Dinner Dates

- Snowboarding/Snowmobile Activities

- Christmas Town in Freedom, Colorado (tied in from Mandi's other book)

- Christmas Tree Lighting Event

JUST THE BEST! 

In this story, we follow Anna and her upcoming wedding with Dean. Dean is NOT a good guy - it's revealed early on that he cheated on Anna and the wedding is OFF! BUUUTTT not before her best friend Olivia puts her brother Beau up to going with Anna on the honeymoon to the mountains in Colorado she planned anyway! We LOVE a good matchmaking friend ;) 

She runs off on the trip with Beau to get away.... away from her controlling family and job and finds more then she could ever imagine. Beau and her find themselves in some hilarious situations and as things would have it, fall in love. 

It's a beautiful story of love, faith, standing up for yourself, doing what you want in life, and Mandi also shows how important it is for you to be careful in your postings online - as Anna is also a fashion influencer online and has some odd situations with an online friend. 

Thank you Mandi for these great characters, settings and stories. Never stop writing sister! We love them!

I read a complimentary copy of this book - thank you to the author. All thoughts are my own! :)

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7354049714
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44khM7w
Mandi's Store: https://mandiblakeauthor.com/collections/love-in-blackwater-series-signed-paperbacks

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

 

The Codebreaker's Daughter by Amy Lynn Green

The Codebreaker's Daughter by Amy Lynn Green
4 Stars

Amy Lynn Green always delivers compelling historical fiction stories and this one blends wartime intrigue, mother-daughter dynamics and roles of women in intelligence work during WWI and WWII.

Read if you enjoy:

• Codebreaking and wartime secrets
• Strong mother-daughter dynamics
• Dual timelines with journal entries
• Hidden histories from the Great War
• Women working behind the scenes in WWII
• Historical fiction with emotional depth
• Uncovering family legacies
• Intelligence work through words

We follow Dinah and her mother Lilian. We see the behind the scenes work Dinah does for the OSS in DC as she breaks through code and ultimately learns about her own mother's work as a codebreaker in WWI, as she reads through her mother's journal entries. She is trying to make sense of the entries and uncover the secrets her mother has kept hidden all this time. 

We learn all about her mother's family history and struggles. Green also tackles mental illness topics in this book in a very important and respectful way.

This story is a slower paced, character focused one as we see the dynamics between mother and daughter play out. That is what elevates this book as Dinah is discovering so much about her mother's past. They have some conflict and a bit of a strained relationship, but the heart of the story is two brilliant women navigating their jobs, expectations and the complicated relationship between the two of them.

This was a very thoughtful, layered story that highlights some lesser known aspects of women's wartime contributions. 

A thoughtful, layered novel perfect for fans of historical fiction that highlights lesser-known aspects of women’s wartime contributions. The authors note really explained so much of what was reality from war time and I appreciate that! I learned so much. 

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7604820926
Baker: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618528
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4j1emM9 

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

Forged in Secrets by Kendra Warden

Forged in Secrets by Kendra Warden

Book 2 in the Forge Brothers Security Series 

I really liked this one! Ben and Gracie worked together to find her missing childhood friend, Katie, and there was so much suspense going on! Lots of working the puzzle out if you will - what happened to lead to Katie's disappearance? Gracie is the office manager for the team and they have worked together for a while - she helps keep the team afloat and as a grump, Ben is keeping his feelings at bay - trying not to let anything come up, but as time goes on, he realizes he can't keep them hidden.

Really enjoyed the characters, suspense and the reliance on God in this story. Looking forward to book 3!

Read if you enjoy:

- Clean Christian Romantic Suspense 

- She Falls First

- Grumpy/Sunshine

- Friends to More Trope

- Private Security 

Content: panic attack shown on page, kisses only, ptsd discussed 

You can read this one as a standalone or after reading book 1, Forged in Peril.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7657629178
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GcZTiF

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