Book Reviews
Hadley Beckett's Next Dish
By Bethany Turner
This book was so frustrating! I have no less than ten thousand books sitting in my To Be Read pile, but Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish shows up in my mailbox with its happy white font and cute little kitchen utensils that look like they came straight from one of those miniature kitchen YouTube videos I spend too much time watching, and the next thing you know: I’m trapped! I have to start it right away. So I start reading, just a few chapters, you know...there’s bound to be a turnoff somewhere so I won’t have to devour the WHOLE thing in one sitting like it’s my mom’s quiche. For example, Hadley is probably just a stereotypically saccharine Southern sweetheart, right? Wrong! She’s serving up all this sass while being kind and vulnerable at the same time. And she doesn’t hail from some huge Tennessee family with aunts and cousins running out her ears either. No! Of all things, she has a generous but emotionally unavailable grandma who has worked with Dolly Parton. How am I supposed to walk away from that?
And don’t get me started on Max. His character seems like a deal breaker for sure. I’ve known one or two arrogant chefs in my day, and none of them made me want to swoon or sigh or do anything but sneak in their kitchens and switch the sugar and salt when they weren’t looking, so I’m not expecting Max to be any different. But what happens? He gets all humble and sweet and even a little bit sizzling. Now what do I do? I’m sitting there engrossed, stomach rumbling from reading about delicacies like pancakes and croquembouche, and I don’t even want to take a lunch break because I’m actually afraid I’ll miss some reality TV drama if I put the book down!
Long story short, for almost a whole day, I end up neglecting other books, my favorite shows, and some household chores that I might have at least started thinking about doing, just to follow this story to its inevitably sweet conclusion.
I’ll never understand why an author like Ms. Turner can’t give a passing thought to the inconvenience she might be causing voracious and undisciplined readers before unleashing her captivating characters and scintillating scenarios on the world. Thanks to her, I’ve already had my life disrupted by a reformed romance novelist and an adorable sports nerd. But as far as distractions go, these two feuding celebrity chefs really take the cake.
By Bethany Turner
This book was so frustrating! I have no less than ten thousand books sitting in my To Be Read pile, but Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish shows up in my mailbox with its happy white font and cute little kitchen utensils that look like they came straight from one of those miniature kitchen YouTube videos I spend too much time watching, and the next thing you know: I’m trapped! I have to start it right away. So I start reading, just a few chapters, you know...there’s bound to be a turnoff somewhere so I won’t have to devour the WHOLE thing in one sitting like it’s my mom’s quiche. For example, Hadley is probably just a stereotypically saccharine Southern sweetheart, right? Wrong! She’s serving up all this sass while being kind and vulnerable at the same time. And she doesn’t hail from some huge Tennessee family with aunts and cousins running out her ears either. No! Of all things, she has a generous but emotionally unavailable grandma who has worked with Dolly Parton. How am I supposed to walk away from that?
And don’t get me started on Max. His character seems like a deal breaker for sure. I’ve known one or two arrogant chefs in my day, and none of them made me want to swoon or sigh or do anything but sneak in their kitchens and switch the sugar and salt when they weren’t looking, so I’m not expecting Max to be any different. But what happens? He gets all humble and sweet and even a little bit sizzling. Now what do I do? I’m sitting there engrossed, stomach rumbling from reading about delicacies like pancakes and croquembouche, and I don’t even want to take a lunch break because I’m actually afraid I’ll miss some reality TV drama if I put the book down!
Long story short, for almost a whole day, I end up neglecting other books, my favorite shows, and some household chores that I might have at least started thinking about doing, just to follow this story to its inevitably sweet conclusion.
I’ll never understand why an author like Ms. Turner can’t give a passing thought to the inconvenience she might be causing voracious and undisciplined readers before unleashing her captivating characters and scintillating scenarios on the world. Thanks to her, I’ve already had my life disrupted by a reformed romance novelist and an adorable sports nerd. But as far as distractions go, these two feuding celebrity chefs really take the cake.
Storing Up Trouble
by Jen Turano
Nineteenth Century department store owner Edward Filene once called his store an “Adam-less Eden,” but for Beatrix Waterbury, an unexpected career as a Marshall Field & Company salesgirl is neither of those things. It’s certainly no paradise for the young heiress to endure snooty customers and tyrannical managers, but it does help her understand the plight of the women whose causes she champions. There is also no shortage of gentlemen...at least one bright, eccentric, and occasionally infuriating gentleman whose life keeps getting inexplicably tangled up with hers. She could disentangle herself fast, if she could just figure out who is trying to steal his important scientific papers. But does she want to be free of him?
One of the best parts about Storing Up Trouble is that there is not a single predictable character in the whole story. From the clueless yet brilliant Norman Nesbitt, to the benevolently scheming and turban wearing Aunt Gladys, to the sweet but opinionated Beatrix herself, the entire cast is so energetic that the characters seem to leap off the page.
What is more, Beatrix and Norman each have a dynamic character arc, with Beatrix finding a focus for her activism and Norman learning to be considerate of other people. Accompanying them on this journey is as uplifting as it is entertaining.
In addition to the well developed characters, Storing Up Trouble shines thanks to the sumptuous Gilded Age setting, comic situations and dialogue that are trademark Turano, and the charming, unique romance. I definitely recommend it!
by Jen Turano
Nineteenth Century department store owner Edward Filene once called his store an “Adam-less Eden,” but for Beatrix Waterbury, an unexpected career as a Marshall Field & Company salesgirl is neither of those things. It’s certainly no paradise for the young heiress to endure snooty customers and tyrannical managers, but it does help her understand the plight of the women whose causes she champions. There is also no shortage of gentlemen...at least one bright, eccentric, and occasionally infuriating gentleman whose life keeps getting inexplicably tangled up with hers. She could disentangle herself fast, if she could just figure out who is trying to steal his important scientific papers. But does she want to be free of him?
One of the best parts about Storing Up Trouble is that there is not a single predictable character in the whole story. From the clueless yet brilliant Norman Nesbitt, to the benevolently scheming and turban wearing Aunt Gladys, to the sweet but opinionated Beatrix herself, the entire cast is so energetic that the characters seem to leap off the page.
What is more, Beatrix and Norman each have a dynamic character arc, with Beatrix finding a focus for her activism and Norman learning to be considerate of other people. Accompanying them on this journey is as uplifting as it is entertaining.
In addition to the well developed characters, Storing Up Trouble shines thanks to the sumptuous Gilded Age setting, comic situations and dialogue that are trademark Turano, and the charming, unique romance. I definitely recommend it!
A Latte Difficulty (The CafFunated Mysteries Book 3)
by Angela Ruth Strong
Fourth of July in Grace Springs is like Fourth of July in any other town...only hyped up on caffeine, and Tandy and Marissa are ready to invigorate their coffee/tea shop business by joining in all the festivities. But the fireworks really start when Marissa witnesses an attempted murder and is forced into hiding despite being in the middle of planning her wedding. It will take faith and good old fashioned American grit for Tandy, Marissa, and their friends to save both the summer celebration and Marissa’s big day.
With a colorful small town setting, a puzzling mystery, and eccentric characters, A Latte Difficultly blends all the flavors of a satisfying cozy mystery. Fans of the genre will love this book, regardless of whether they’ve read the first two books in the CafFUNated Mysteries series or not.
However, readers who have followed Tandy and Marissa from the beginning will especially enjoy A Latte Difficulty because their sweet, yet unlikely friendship really shines in this story, as do their individual faith journeys. Both protagonists grow as people throughout the series, and watching that progression is uplifting and enjoyable.
I highly recommend this book to both new and established cozy mystery fans who feel a pump or two of inspiration and faith can enhance any fictional brew.
by Angela Ruth Strong
Fourth of July in Grace Springs is like Fourth of July in any other town...only hyped up on caffeine, and Tandy and Marissa are ready to invigorate their coffee/tea shop business by joining in all the festivities. But the fireworks really start when Marissa witnesses an attempted murder and is forced into hiding despite being in the middle of planning her wedding. It will take faith and good old fashioned American grit for Tandy, Marissa, and their friends to save both the summer celebration and Marissa’s big day.
With a colorful small town setting, a puzzling mystery, and eccentric characters, A Latte Difficultly blends all the flavors of a satisfying cozy mystery. Fans of the genre will love this book, regardless of whether they’ve read the first two books in the CafFUNated Mysteries series or not.
However, readers who have followed Tandy and Marissa from the beginning will especially enjoy A Latte Difficulty because their sweet, yet unlikely friendship really shines in this story, as do their individual faith journeys. Both protagonists grow as people throughout the series, and watching that progression is uplifting and enjoyable.
I highly recommend this book to both new and established cozy mystery fans who feel a pump or two of inspiration and faith can enhance any fictional brew.
Belinda Blake and the Birds of a Feather (An Exotic Pet-Sitter Mystery Book 3)
By Heather Day Gilbert
After facing down murderers twice during the course of her exotic pet sitting duties in Greenwich, Connecticut, Belinda Blake might expect a trip back to her quaint and quiet home in Upstate New York to be a reprieve from strange animals and violent crime...but she would be wrong. First, she agrees to feed homing pigeons for her parents’ hunky neighbor. Before the feathers have a chance to settle on that decision, she gets embroiled in an investigation into a mysterious string of deaths. Thanks to danger, scandal, and a love triangle, Belinda’s homing is anything but peaceful. In fact, it could turn out to be deadly!
Belinda Blake and the Birds of a Feather is the third and most multilayered book in the Exotic Pet-Sitter Mystery series. The countless readers who fell in love with Belinda’s quirky charm in earlier books will be cooing over this story, as it develops and expands her personality even more, giving her journey a coming of age feel against the backdrop of her colorful family, friends, and love interests.
In addition, the escalating fatalities, unique suspects, classic misdirections, and savvy sleuth work will have fans of Christie style whodunnits feeling like they’ve come home to roost in the pages of this novel’s perplexing mystery.
If you like unforgettable characters and cozy mysteries with lots of twists, I highly recommend, not only this book, but the entire series.
By Heather Day Gilbert
After facing down murderers twice during the course of her exotic pet sitting duties in Greenwich, Connecticut, Belinda Blake might expect a trip back to her quaint and quiet home in Upstate New York to be a reprieve from strange animals and violent crime...but she would be wrong. First, she agrees to feed homing pigeons for her parents’ hunky neighbor. Before the feathers have a chance to settle on that decision, she gets embroiled in an investigation into a mysterious string of deaths. Thanks to danger, scandal, and a love triangle, Belinda’s homing is anything but peaceful. In fact, it could turn out to be deadly!
Belinda Blake and the Birds of a Feather is the third and most multilayered book in the Exotic Pet-Sitter Mystery series. The countless readers who fell in love with Belinda’s quirky charm in earlier books will be cooing over this story, as it develops and expands her personality even more, giving her journey a coming of age feel against the backdrop of her colorful family, friends, and love interests.
In addition, the escalating fatalities, unique suspects, classic misdirections, and savvy sleuth work will have fans of Christie style whodunnits feeling like they’ve come home to roost in the pages of this novel’s perplexing mystery.
If you like unforgettable characters and cozy mysteries with lots of twists, I highly recommend, not only this book, but the entire series.
Book Nerds and Boyfriends
By Sarah Monzon
I imagine it’s perfectly possible to enjoy these stories on a surface level, as sweet, formulaic, though funnier than average romcoms. After all, each of the three novellas represents a time-honored romantic trope: the friends-to-lovers, the fake relationship, and the enemies-to-lovers.
But, like one of Monzon’s emotionally wounded heroines who refuses to dive into past aches and present feelings despite the healing that awaits her there, the reader who remains on the warm, fuzzy surface of this collection would be seriously missing out.
That reader might fail to completely appreciate how each story depicts a flawed protagonist avoiding, fighting, and ultimately confronting a painful history by the power of a love bigger than herself. There are issues here that almost every woman can identify with (like it or not), but despite the aching realism, all three depictions are handled with the light, affectionate touch that only genuine humor can provide.
If properly motivated, the reader could also miss how these stories, with respectful frankness, broach difficult topics such as how society and the Church deals with those who are marginalized in this world. Since the Christian Fiction genre is often awkwardly silent on such topics, the reader could miss them here, but doing so would amount to a lost opportunity for loving dialogue about some crucial issues.
All that being said, these three novellas are highly enjoyable on any level because they are, by turns, hilarious, clever, and heartwarming. They are particularly fun to all of us merry bibliophiles who are more at ease in the world of our own or an author’s imagination than in the real one, but still have the temerity to believe that the former has things to teach the latter. Because I do believe that, I highly recommend delving into this collection, heart and mind wide open to its multilayered challenges and delights.
By Sarah Monzon
I imagine it’s perfectly possible to enjoy these stories on a surface level, as sweet, formulaic, though funnier than average romcoms. After all, each of the three novellas represents a time-honored romantic trope: the friends-to-lovers, the fake relationship, and the enemies-to-lovers.
But, like one of Monzon’s emotionally wounded heroines who refuses to dive into past aches and present feelings despite the healing that awaits her there, the reader who remains on the warm, fuzzy surface of this collection would be seriously missing out.
That reader might fail to completely appreciate how each story depicts a flawed protagonist avoiding, fighting, and ultimately confronting a painful history by the power of a love bigger than herself. There are issues here that almost every woman can identify with (like it or not), but despite the aching realism, all three depictions are handled with the light, affectionate touch that only genuine humor can provide.
If properly motivated, the reader could also miss how these stories, with respectful frankness, broach difficult topics such as how society and the Church deals with those who are marginalized in this world. Since the Christian Fiction genre is often awkwardly silent on such topics, the reader could miss them here, but doing so would amount to a lost opportunity for loving dialogue about some crucial issues.
All that being said, these three novellas are highly enjoyable on any level because they are, by turns, hilarious, clever, and heartwarming. They are particularly fun to all of us merry bibliophiles who are more at ease in the world of our own or an author’s imagination than in the real one, but still have the temerity to believe that the former has things to teach the latter. Because I do believe that, I highly recommend delving into this collection, heart and mind wide open to its multilayered challenges and delights.
The Governess of Highland Hall
By Carrie Turansky
Despite having spent much of her life as a missionary in India, Julia Foster faces her most harrowing adventure yet when she becomes governess to the children and nieces of the new baron of a grand English estate. Her charges are challenging and her employer, though intriguing, is enigmatic and reserved. Her only hope of success rests in her faith in God’s providence and guidance.
The Governess of Highland Hall is an absolutely beautiful story. Julia is an admirable, but accessible heroine. She is compassionate, practical, and wise, but also blunt and quick to judge sometimes. The other characters including Sir William, the children, and staff are all realistic and engaging. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew them.
These characters help bring to life a rich and compelling narrative about finding love and trusting God with the future. And the themes and storyline are enhanced by an immersive Edwardian setting.
I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of inspirational historical fiction.
By Carrie Turansky
Despite having spent much of her life as a missionary in India, Julia Foster faces her most harrowing adventure yet when she becomes governess to the children and nieces of the new baron of a grand English estate. Her charges are challenging and her employer, though intriguing, is enigmatic and reserved. Her only hope of success rests in her faith in God’s providence and guidance.
The Governess of Highland Hall is an absolutely beautiful story. Julia is an admirable, but accessible heroine. She is compassionate, practical, and wise, but also blunt and quick to judge sometimes. The other characters including Sir William, the children, and staff are all realistic and engaging. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew them.
These characters help bring to life a rich and compelling narrative about finding love and trusting God with the future. And the themes and storyline are enhanced by an immersive Edwardian setting.
I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of inspirational historical fiction.
Buying Love (Maple Run #1)
By Toni Shiloh
What if marriage were approached like a business proposition? It sounds like a notion from a couple of centuries ago, but successful Washington DC accountant Nina Warrenton is determined to make it work in the present day. What she hasn’t planned on is the instant connection she feels for Dwight, her prospective partner in the marriage business. Only time will tell if that connection will help or hinder her plan.
Buying Love is a sweet and touching love story that warms the reader all the way through to their bones, like one of the Maple Run down-home meals described so aptly in its pages. In addition, the themes of faith, hope, and finding a place in the family of God make this a great inspirational read. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Finding Love (Maple Run #2)
By Toni Shiloh
Finding Love is an inspirational story about a guilt-ridden soldier longing to make amends and a widow struggling to move forward.
This book has genuine, likable characters whose struggles the reader can sympathize with and a compelling plot that encourages reflections on faith and emotional resilience.
I highly recommend Finding Love to readers who enjoy narratives about how love and God’s grace can transform tragedy into blessing.
By Toni Shiloh
What if marriage were approached like a business proposition? It sounds like a notion from a couple of centuries ago, but successful Washington DC accountant Nina Warrenton is determined to make it work in the present day. What she hasn’t planned on is the instant connection she feels for Dwight, her prospective partner in the marriage business. Only time will tell if that connection will help or hinder her plan.
Buying Love is a sweet and touching love story that warms the reader all the way through to their bones, like one of the Maple Run down-home meals described so aptly in its pages. In addition, the themes of faith, hope, and finding a place in the family of God make this a great inspirational read. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Finding Love (Maple Run #2)
By Toni Shiloh
Finding Love is an inspirational story about a guilt-ridden soldier longing to make amends and a widow struggling to move forward.
This book has genuine, likable characters whose struggles the reader can sympathize with and a compelling plot that encourages reflections on faith and emotional resilience.
I highly recommend Finding Love to readers who enjoy narratives about how love and God’s grace can transform tragedy into blessing.
Jesse’s High Country Heart
By Patricia Snelling
The title character in Jesse’s High Country Heart has a thirst for adventure and rugged living, but even she isn’t prepared for the adversity that comes from pursuing her dreams. Life as a rural veterinarian is exciting, but also fraught with challenge, thanks to danger and prejudiced ranchers. Her hope of survival lies in faith, friendship, and love.
Jesse’s High Country Heart has an interesting plot, enhanced by meaningful themes about relying on God in hardship and finding strength in relationships. But it is the setting that really makes the story sparkle. Immersive descriptions of majestic mountains, bustling ranches, and tranquil rivers transport the reader to the New Zealand High Country until it’s easy to picture oneself horseback riding with Jesse and Hope or bumping along a dusty farm road in a Land Rover.
Reading this novel is an adventure I highly recommend taking.
I received a complimentary advanced digital copy of this book, and was not obliged to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.
By Patricia Snelling
The title character in Jesse’s High Country Heart has a thirst for adventure and rugged living, but even she isn’t prepared for the adversity that comes from pursuing her dreams. Life as a rural veterinarian is exciting, but also fraught with challenge, thanks to danger and prejudiced ranchers. Her hope of survival lies in faith, friendship, and love.
Jesse’s High Country Heart has an interesting plot, enhanced by meaningful themes about relying on God in hardship and finding strength in relationships. But it is the setting that really makes the story sparkle. Immersive descriptions of majestic mountains, bustling ranches, and tranquil rivers transport the reader to the New Zealand High Country until it’s easy to picture oneself horseback riding with Jesse and Hope or bumping along a dusty farm road in a Land Rover.
Reading this novel is an adventure I highly recommend taking.
I received a complimentary advanced digital copy of this book, and was not obliged to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.
No Greater Love
By Gina Holder
Paige McDonald’s quiet life implodes when she discovers a cryptic note in an old Bible that changes everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Her resulting journey leads her to danger, possible romance, and much soul searching.
This story has a captivating mystery, relatable characters, and a robust faith theme. Readers won’t want to put the book down until each puzzling thread of the narrative is unraveled to its satisfying, but unexpected conclusion.
I recommend this book to all lovers of inspirational romantic suspense.
Waiting on Tuesday
By Lea Sims
“God hates divorce.”
The premise of Waiting on Tuesday could seem like a provocative and, at first blush, almost incendiary statement to the countless men and women that have been through divorce. Yet at the same time,
who is better than those whose lives have been touched by divorce—those who have suffered years of heartbreak, guilt, and divisiveness—who is better equipped to ask, Can this be the desire of a God who wants love for his children?
It isn’t a question that main character Bethany Foley has difficulty answering. Every day has been a heart-wrenching, faith-testing battle since Wyatt, the husband she adores, left her for another woman. Despite the depth of her suffering, she slowly comes to grips with the fact that God is working on her and through her during this painful process. Now she must open her heart to the possibility that He’s doing the same with her husband.
Bethany and Wyatt are so achingly realistic that, as the story progresses, they become less like characters and more like familiar figures in our communities, our churches, or our own families. There will not likely be one reader for whom life’s darkest seasons haven’t included some part of the rebellion, grief, resentment, or self-recrimination that plays out for these two.
But the accessibility and realism of the Foleys’ struggles also makes the hope they encounter that much more believable. For where Waiting on Tuesday is realistic with its portrayal of pain, it is equally authentic and frank with its depiction of grace and redemption. Healing is not shown as an overnight cure, but as the result of a methodical, prayer-filled treatment plan. Renewal is a Providential journey; not a light switch. And most importantly, love is not shown as an emotion, but as an intentional series of decisions to reflect the selfless devotion of the Savior.
Waiting on Tuesday beautifully blends intense emotion and pragmatic faith, all woven around an intimate and compelling family narrative. I highly recommend it, even to those readers who might find its themes hitting a little too close to home, because there is more than a good chance that they will find its hopeful, redemptive message equally impactful.
By Lea Sims
“God hates divorce.”
The premise of Waiting on Tuesday could seem like a provocative and, at first blush, almost incendiary statement to the countless men and women that have been through divorce. Yet at the same time,
who is better than those whose lives have been touched by divorce—those who have suffered years of heartbreak, guilt, and divisiveness—who is better equipped to ask, Can this be the desire of a God who wants love for his children?
It isn’t a question that main character Bethany Foley has difficulty answering. Every day has been a heart-wrenching, faith-testing battle since Wyatt, the husband she adores, left her for another woman. Despite the depth of her suffering, she slowly comes to grips with the fact that God is working on her and through her during this painful process. Now she must open her heart to the possibility that He’s doing the same with her husband.
Bethany and Wyatt are so achingly realistic that, as the story progresses, they become less like characters and more like familiar figures in our communities, our churches, or our own families. There will not likely be one reader for whom life’s darkest seasons haven’t included some part of the rebellion, grief, resentment, or self-recrimination that plays out for these two.
But the accessibility and realism of the Foleys’ struggles also makes the hope they encounter that much more believable. For where Waiting on Tuesday is realistic with its portrayal of pain, it is equally authentic and frank with its depiction of grace and redemption. Healing is not shown as an overnight cure, but as the result of a methodical, prayer-filled treatment plan. Renewal is a Providential journey; not a light switch. And most importantly, love is not shown as an emotion, but as an intentional series of decisions to reflect the selfless devotion of the Savior.
Waiting on Tuesday beautifully blends intense emotion and pragmatic faith, all woven around an intimate and compelling family narrative. I highly recommend it, even to those readers who might find its themes hitting a little too close to home, because there is more than a good chance that they will find its hopeful, redemptive message equally impactful.
The Sky Above Us
By Sarah Sundin
One hallmark of a great historical novel is its ability to immerse the reader in another period and place so deeply, that well-documented and long-studied events become compelling and suspenseful, as if the outcome is still uncertain.
The Sky Above Us does this masterfully. The details of famous campaigns from the latter days of World War II regain their emotional significance in the apprehensions and hopes of the book’s realistic characters: Violet, a homesick Red Cross volunteer, and Adler, an ambitious Army pilot with a painful past.
Adding to the novel’s impact is the interpersonal drama that stirs within and between the two protagonists. Sundin portrays Adler’s struggle with his past, Violet’s fight to find her calling, and the romance that blossoms between them with aching sincerity, all while weaving themes of faith and forgiveness throughout.
The Sky Above Us is an uplifting read and a thrilling continuation of the Sunrise at Normandy series.
By Sarah Sundin
One hallmark of a great historical novel is its ability to immerse the reader in another period and place so deeply, that well-documented and long-studied events become compelling and suspenseful, as if the outcome is still uncertain.
The Sky Above Us does this masterfully. The details of famous campaigns from the latter days of World War II regain their emotional significance in the apprehensions and hopes of the book’s realistic characters: Violet, a homesick Red Cross volunteer, and Adler, an ambitious Army pilot with a painful past.
Adding to the novel’s impact is the interpersonal drama that stirs within and between the two protagonists. Sundin portrays Adler’s struggle with his past, Violet’s fight to find her calling, and the romance that blossoms between them with aching sincerity, all while weaving themes of faith and forgiveness throughout.
The Sky Above Us is an uplifting read and a thrilling continuation of the Sunrise at Normandy series.