Positively, Penelope by Pepper Basham

 Positively, Penelope - Pepper Basham - 5 Stars - Perfectly Magical In EVERY Way! - Releases August 1st, 2023 (Book 2 in the Skymar Series after Authentically, Izzy)

PERFECTLY MAGICAL IN EVERY WAY. 5 STARS. LOVE THIS SERIES - SUCH GREAT COMFORT READS! I have to say, these characters make these stories. Authentically, Izzy is one of my favorites books of all time and this sequel did NOT disappoint ya'll! This series is just a good time all around and an ultimate comfort to me. Bonus points here for the movie and theater lovers -as this has all the PERFECT classic movie vibes with Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music, Grease, Cinderella, Rambo and so much more! Perfect princess vibes - yes please! THANK YOU PEPPER for the most magical stories.

Positively, Penelope follows Penelope Edgewood - you would have seen her and her siblings, Luke and Josephine in Authentically, Izzy and they're just a GREAT time! Told in e-mails and text messages, plus the traditional narrative story, we follow Penelope as she travels to Skymar for 3 months to be an intern at one of the most historical theaters on the island. She works with Matt Gray, the business manager of the theater, plus we see his daughter, Iris, Grandfather Gray, brother, Alec and sister, Gwynn. Together they make up this century old theater group that is in desperate need of saving. That's where Penelope comes in! Her marketing skills and experience are going to be put to the test as they work to save this theater.

We get to see messages from primarily Izzy and Luke, with some from Josephine as well. Loved all of these great conversations. I can't wait to listen to the audiobook because the narrators will be the same as Authentically, Izzy and they are WONDERFUL! They truly bring these conversations to life!

Like I said, what makes this story is our wonderful cast of characters! Penelope is so wonderful! She is positive, kind, generous, full of sunshine and a genuine heart! Then we have this grumpy-sunshine guy - Matt - who I LOVED! He has been through such hardship with his divorce and the loss of his mother and grandmother - he doesn't know how to begin again....until he meets Penelope. :) I LOVED the relationship between them and Iris too - Iris was so precious! I loved a good story with a single Dad trying to make his way who can find love again - SIGN ME UP!

I hope you all will pick this book up - as if I haven't sold you enough :) - it truly made me happy and feel like a princess would. :) What a magical place - to be in Skymar. I am so ready for Luke's story! If you love theater, movies, fairytales and just feel good stories - this is for YOU!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5383694274
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qVxR3q
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/517207

YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNfiPar0nxE&t=
Plus, Vlog where I started the book at the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fOoVZmMy0g&t=29s

The Best Summer of our Lives by Rachel Hauck

 

The Best Summer of Our Lives - Rachel Hauck - 4 Stars - A great coming of age story with all the summer camp vibes!

I am so glad I read this book! The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck is a raw, beautiful, coming-of-age Christian contemporary story. The story is dual-timeline, taking place primarily in 1977, with glimpses of 1997. 20 years. 4 best friends. Many secrets. Encounters with Jesus. I really enjoyed learning all about the 4 seasons friend group and look forward to reading more of Rachel's books in the future, as this was my first read by her. 4 stars!

This book is following 4 women - the 4 seasons as they're known - Summer, Autumn, Spring and Snow. We are following their journey right out of high-school as they're forced to become camp counselors during the Summer of '77 in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma because of a prank they pulled in high school. Little do they know, this summer will bring many eye opening events, truths to the surface and walks with God. We see each girl's perspective as they go through this new camp experience. Then we have the 1997 timeline, 20 years later, and you know for some reason early on, the girls had a falling out. We get bits and pieces of where each woman is in their life 20 years later and quickly get back into the '77 timeline to see what happened during that summer that got them to where they are today. 

My favorite part of this story was the ending. I have a hard time with multiple POV stories personally, so I struggled keeping everyone together at first, but once I was about half way through the story, I was really interested in their stories and their personal lives. There was a lot of family drama but what I liked was we end up with an underlying faith element that touches your heart in the end. I did tear up with the last sentence and the author's note. Rachel reminds us in her author's note to always go to Jesus in the desert times - cling to Him. Even when you don't or you are running away in hard times, He is always with you. This story reminds us of that and I really appreciated it in the end. I think many people will be impacted by the way Rachel interweaved the faith in this story. 

Our side characters were also really nice - Greta was so precious and Levi was my favorite of the male roles. Overall, I am so glad I read this book as it is a gentle, spiritual reminder to run to Jesus in those tough times in life. Thank you to Baker Publishing, Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a copy to honestly read and review. 

*Content Warnings* This book is overall clean, but has a VERY BRIEF mention of 3 young girls who were kidnapped, raped and killed at another camp. We also have some discussions surrounding sex before marriage, adultery, teenage pregnancy and dealing with divorce.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5414780481
Amazon: https://amzn.to/449s3l5
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/492074

YouTube Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNfiPar0nxE&t
Reading Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fOoVZmMy0g&t=29s

Rocky Mountain Rendezvous by Misty M. Beller

 

Rocky Mountain Rendezvous - Misty M. Beller - 4 Stars - A wonderful journey out west with great characters, a unique setting and a sweet romance! (Book 1 in the Sisters of the Rockies Series)

Rocky Mountain Rendezvous will take you on quite the journey out west! I really enjoyed the setting, characters, history and sweetness of the story. This was my first Misty Beller book and I’m eager to read the next in this series as it left off with a little bit of a cliffhanger – and ya’ll already know I NEED TO KNOW what happens next in a book like this! If you love sweet reads with historical elements, the rocky mountain setting, a western vibe and a character driven story, this is for you!

This story is all about Juniper Collins and her sisters, Rosemary, Faith and Lorelei. They travel to the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous in search of a Piegan Blackfoot woman that helped saved their father’s life many years ago. As they settle in the Green River Valley (future Wyoming), they stand out like a sore thumb in the midst of the rendezvous and Riley Turner comes along, compelled to help these ladies in their journey. The story kicks off from here as Riley Turner and his friends take it upon themselves to help these sisters find Steps Right – the Piegan Blackfoot woman.

I learned so much about the early 1830s rendezvous, where traders would meet to trade needed supplies. I had never heard about this so it’s always nice to learn about something in the past like this and research it on my own. It was so interesting to me. This is a very character driven story, I loved the sisters and their bond in strength together. Riley was a nice guy and I loved seeing him try to help them along the way. There was a nice light faith element as well, where the characters pray to the Lord and their thoughts go to Him many times. Some parts were a little slow for me, but I overall enjoyed the story and I’m super excited to continue on in the series. I love the way Misty brought this historical setting to life with a great adventure. Thank you to Bethany House, Baker Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy to honestly read and review.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5573554808
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qXz8ah
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/492081

YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNfiPar0nxE
Reading Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fOoVZmMy0g&t=42s

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

 

Fairest of Heart - Karen Witemeyer - 5 Stars - A BEAUTIFUL SNOW WHITE RETELLING!

Fairest of Heart is the first in the Texas Ever After series and the first book by Karen Witemeyer I have read and WOW it did NOT disappoint ya’ll! 5 stars and a new favorite author?! SO HAPPY! This book exudes all things southern with a western atmosphere, a fairytale historical romance retelling and excellent faith content. I loved it so much and can’t wait to read more of Karen’s books! This was SO delightful as we have a Snow-White retelling with a swoon-worthy hero! I was HERE for it!

In this book we follow Penelope Snow, the personal maid for famous actress, Narcissa LaBelle. Penelope is a beautiful woman with a gorgeous figure, but she hides it under loose-fitting dresses, so she doesn’t attract attention to herself. In the beginning of the story, Narcissa appears to be helping Penelope get out of a rough situation, but you soon realize, she is the Snow-White Evil Queen all over again! Narcissa constantly is looking in the mirror and obsessed with her own beauty. When she sees Penelope trying on one of her dresses to help Narcissa’s alterations, she gets so jealous that she sends her away to be left for dead. Little does she know, the swoon-worthy and handsome Titus Kingsley and the 7 “old drovers” (dwarves in Snow-White) at Diamond D Ranch help save her and they grow to love her as one of their own….but can she hide from Narcissa forever?

The characters in this really made the story for me. I LOVED our sweet little 7 drovers at Diamond D Ranch – they were these precious grandfather figures to Penelope. Titus and Penelope’s romance was SO SWEET too! What stood out to me the most was the wonderful faith content. I loved how Titus would look to the bible in God’s word for answers to his hard situation. We had SO many scriptures quoted and the characters truly turned to the Lord for guidance throughout the story as they were learning to trust him in every situation they went through.

This was also my first “western” book and I was surprised how much I enjoyed that atmosphere. Even if I don’t always understand some of the language during that time period, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting. I will be picking up more like this in the future for sure. I also think Karen told the story of Snow-White very well! I could easily see the correlation to the characters from the fairytale and I loved that! Overall, a wonderful start to a new series! Thank you to Bethany House, Baker Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5422072992
Amazon: https://amzn.to/46j8Sah
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/492071

YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNfiPar0nxE
Reading Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fOoVZmMy0g&t=42s

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

 

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer - 4 Stars - Just a fun nostalgic read :)

This book is just a fun nostalgic read and I had the best time laughing and reading through this! I did a vlog and movie commentary with my hubs and we had the best time just picking at things and remembering old times when we would go and watch the movies in theaters when we first started dating. This isn't the best book in the world of course, but again, it's not meant to be. Its a pure comfort read for me and just a fun reminder of the book series that got so many of us back into reading back in the day. My fav characters in Twilight are Alice and Jasper haha and I was always Team Edward but of course, in New moon I would switch around back and forth on that LOL. Not much of a review here, just random thoughts, but just a good time book. (But for real, how did we not see how toxic dis was back in the day LOL jkjk) Still love me some Twilight after all this time.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/361614153
YouTube Vlog - Watching / Reading Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPpTUR50HnE&t=

Murder at a Scottish Social - Traci Hall

 

Murder at a Scottish Social - Traci Hall - 2.5 Stars - Not For Me, Disappointing

This is book 3 in the Scottish Shire series and while some parts were good, most of this I didn’t love. The story kicks off when a shortbread cookie kills the “Queen Bee” of a “competitive mom clique” and Paislee Shaw, owner of Cashmere Crush Sweater Shop becomes the sleuth to figure out who added peanut butter to a cookie to kill Kristen – who was deathly allergic to peanuts – and who hid her epi pen in the process.

Set in Scotland, I do like the setting and narrator with the Scottish accent. I also do like the main character of Paislee, her son Brody and her gramps with their Scottish terrier dog Wallace. What I couldn’t stand in this story was the circle of “mean girls” – which I guess is the point, but they got on my nerves so bad. They were spoiled mean girls who had everything and still were not happy. We have them continuously saying the woman that died, Kristen, was a “b” word and they were so nasty that it reminded me of high school girls. The mystery would have been ok, but I am just not connected with most of these characters like I am in other cozy mysteries.

The good parts of this show how important it is to appreciate the small things in life, money isn’t everything, wealth can ruin you and how the author stressed the need for food banks to help others in need. We also see Paislee dealing with issues with her son in school so more of the family aspect is shown and I did like that.

I also didn’t love this content --- we have a couple who are participating in an open relationship (WHYYY), another that had cheating going on, another that was “friends with benefits”. Also didn’t love the language – it wasn’t a ton but, them calling the woman that died names the whole time bothered me. At least it was talked about as being bad, but I didn’t love these things in the story. This book is just one that wasn’t for me, personally.

Other content warnings: 1 character with bulimia, 1 character with a drinking problem, 1 character who was seeing her psychiatrist as her now husband but started when she was 16 many years ago, it was mentioned it was inappropriate but wanted to mention it.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5281755436

YouTube Chat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNfiPar0nxE

Counter Attack - Patricia Bradley

Counter Attack - Patricia Bradley - 5 Stars - Great charatcers, non-stop action, small town vibes and a second chance romance you will love!

What an AWESOME romantic suspense novel ya'll! 5 stars! A perfect start to a new series! Great characters, non-stop action, small town vibes and a second chance romance you will love and root for! This was my first Patricia Bradley novel and I loved it so much! I live in Tennessee and love all things southern - and this had some great southern vibes with small town diners, grandparents you love and small town livin' that grows on you. Patricia Bradley is a new favorite author of mine now for sure!

Counter Attack is all about Alexis Stone, who is the interim sherrif in Russell County, Tennessee. The story starts with her being undercover invesigating the serial killer known as the Queen's Gambit Killer. She's on the case when she runs into her old high school sweetheart, Nathan Landry. Now in their 30s and both in the police force, will this be their second chance at love as they work together to solve this case? As they work together, pieces of the puzzle start forming and they soon realize Alexis is now the one in danger...

What I really loved most was our main characters of Alexis and Nathan - they worked together so perfectly and seeing them come back together after so long was great. The fast paced suspense and short chapters with both POVs was great too! This is also a page turner for sure. There was also a light faith element I really liked seeing in the story, specifically when Alexis' grandmother asks her...has she prayed/asked God to guide her in the case. I read this in 1 day - it was so bingeable and fast paced - and for once, I figured out who the killer was before it was revealed! A new favorite and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Thank you to Baker Publishing, Revell and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review.

*Content Warnings: There were some parts of the serial killer portions that could be a little unsettling for some readers but I was ok with it. It wasn't too much for me. We have several mentions of the dark web and some tough evil things going on there. While it didn't cross the line for me, I wanted to make note for those wanting to know content. Also, several mentions of drugs as one case is directly related to busting a drug ring.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5555431920
Amazon: https://amzn.to/42X2MK3

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/492097
YouTube Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNfiPar0nxE