Necessary, Meaningful Reminders | Hope Your Heart Needs: 52 Encouraging Reminders of How God Cares for You by Holley Gerth

ABOUT THE BOOK

Understanding more of God's character and how he loves us changed bestselling author Holley Gerth's life in beautiful, powerful ways. She realized that she didn't have to settle for "I'm fine" when there was someone whispering to her in every moment, "You're mine." The hope, joy, peace, and purpose she longed for were already there, in the heart of God.

Now in 52 devotional readings, Holley shares with women the answer to the restlessness they feel in their hearts that keeps them hurrying, striving, pushing. She shows them that "the God who scattered stars like diamonds across the velvet of the universe, the keeper of every sparrow, the maker of us all, is inviting us to draw closer to him. He is the place where our hearts can go on the hard days and the happy ones, in the highs and lows, when we are sad or frustrated or downright giddy. He is what we've been searching for all along."

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

The Friday 56 & First Line Friday | The Neverending Story

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday!

This week, I'm finally reading The Neverending Story. It's only been on my TBR for years, so it's about time...

The Stages of Romance | Faithfully Yours by Anne Carol

ABOUT THE BOOKS

Is it possible to find your soul mate on the other side of the world?

Beth Johnson is an ambitious high school senior from suburban California with a secret passion for writing. David Somers is a charming young Englishman who wants nothing more than to play guitar in his up-and-coming rock band. Though worlds apart, when fate brings Beth and David together in London in the summer of 1979, sparks fly. After Beth receives upsetting news from home, she finds herself drawn to David’s warm character, and an all-consuming love develops. Theirs is the kind of love one never forgets, and as Beth’s stay in London nears the end, the young devoted couple must face the inevitable question: will their romance fade with the passing of summer or will they realize their promise of never letting go?

Author's Note: This book has been revised from the original 2014 edition and is now told from a Christian worldview.

Release Date: November 25, 2014

Goodreads | Amazon

“Your fairy tale is about to begin.”

Beth and David’s whirlwind romance has survived a year of long-distance dating—dodging exes, dealing with jealousy, and syncing future goals. Eager to move into the next chapter of their lives together, Beth leaves California after graduation to follow her heart, joining David in his native London.

While Beth keeps busy with her university courses, David focuses on building his music career—recording and touring with his band, Vinyl Fog. They’re young and in love with the world at their feet.

Life seems perfect.

But it doesn’t take long before a series of unforeseen events challenges them like never before. How will Beth and David cope with one battle after another, and ultimately hold each other up while life keeps trying to knock them down?

Falling in love was easy.

Surviving love is the challenge.

Author’s Note: This book has been revised from the original 2015 edition and is now told from a Christian worldview.

Release Date: November 17, 2015

Goodreads | Amazon

Two souls becoming one…

The marriage of David and Beth Somers has survived many challenges in its first three years. The London guitarist, still faithfully devoted to his wife, has a new dream which pushes him to remain strong as he recovers from drug and alcohol addiction.

Ready to take on a new adventure, Beth and David discover they still have a lot to learn about marriage. Through many ups and downs, the young couple realizes it takes more than love to make a relationship thrive.

It takes commitment.

When Beth and David are gifted with a new blessing, they feel rewarded for all the heartache and tragedy of the past few years. Life on the road with Vinyl Fog becomes a three-ring circus, with a new set of struggles to face.

Will their marriage survive—and will their souls remain one—even as life changes around them?

Release Date: May 23, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon

OTHER BOOK IN THE SERIES

Never Give Up

A Historical Holiday Adventure | The Christmas Prayer by Wanda E. Brunstetter

ABOUT THE BOOK

Beloved, bestselling author of Amish fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter takes readers on a journey in 1850 along the California Trail.

Only the brave—or foolhardy—would attempt a cross-country journey late in the season. Three wagons meet up in Independence, Missouri, in April 1850, and their owners decide to keep forging ahead despite many setbacks and delays. December finds them in the Sierra Nevada Mountains when a sudden snowstorm traps them, obscuring the trail.

Cynthia Cooper is traveling with her mother and the man she has promised to marry. But as Christmas is upon them and they are hunkered down in a small cabin, she is forced to reevaluate her reasons for planning to marry fellow-traveler Walter Prentice. When a widowed father heading to a California ranch and a gold prospector both show an interest in Cynthia, she weighs her dreams for marriage alongside her responsibility to care for her mother. Can love win over her timid heart?

Publisher: Shiloh Run Press

Release Date: September 1, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

Waiting on Wednesday | Mark of the Raven

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine 

to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

(Similarly, Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings.)

Happy Wednesday!

I haven't read anything from Morgan L. Busse, but the cover and synopsis of her upcoming release have me intrigued. I do love a good fantasy story.

Ready for Some Holiday Spirit? | Christmas With the Cowboy by Tina Radcliffe

Welcome to the JustRead Publicity Tour’s BLOG TOUR for Christmas with the Cowboy by Tina Radcliffe!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Home for the holidays.

A second chance at love on Big Heart Ranch.

Former Navy SEAL Zach Norman has been avoiding his ranching roots—and the woman he couldn’t have. Back to visit his brother’s widow, Emma Maxwell Norman, and her adorable toddler twins, the bah-humbug cowboy is roped into helping prepare the ranch for the holidays. Working side by side, can Emma and Zach overcome their troubled past…and receive the greatest Christmas gift of all—love?

Publisher: Love Inspired

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Claiming Her Cowboy

Falling for the Cowgirl

A Lot of Fun, Sparks & Chemistry | The Rancher's Twins by Carol Ross

ABOUT THE BOOK

She's not the country nanny he advertised for.

But she could be perfect for him...

Jon Blackwell needs a woman ready to tackle the duties of a cattle ranch and two lively, take-no-prisoners twin girls. But ever since Lydia Newbury showed up at his six-generation Montana spread, the frazzled single father is rethinking, well, everything. The Philadelphia dazzler is a marvel. What he doesn't know is the secret that has Lydia on the run...

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming

Release Date: August 7, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

The Rancher's Rescue
The Rancher's Redemption
The Rancher's Fake Fiancée
The Rancher's Homecoming

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #15

Hosted weekly by The Book Date.

Happy Monday!

Homework, homework, homework—that's my life these days. Plus, reading when I can, of course.

Quick, Heartwarming & Plenty of Christmas Spirit | A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Wendy Harper inherits her family's beachside cottage in Seaside, Maine, she sees it as a way to finally pay off the debts that have mounted since her husband died. But before it can be sold, the neglected property must be renovated. She and her 12-year-old son Jackson move in--temporarily, she reminds him--in order to do the work themselves, even though Christmas is coming. The charming town, along with local craftsman Caleb Colton, pulls on both Wendy and Jackson, who even registers himself for school in a bid to get his mom to move them there permanently. Wendy knows that the most responsible thing to do is to sell the cottage and return to Ohio, but the lure of the sea is hard to resist.

Join award-winning author Melody Carlson for a Christmas story that will warm your heart and have you dreaming of your own enchanted seaside holiday.

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 4, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

The Friday 56 & First Line Friday | Christmas With the Cowboy & The Christmas Prayer

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday!

It may still be September, but Christmas books are already coming up on the TBR—I'm not mad about it. I love indulging in sweet holiday reads, and these two new releases look like they won't disappoint.

Christmases Past & Present | The Ornament Keeper by Eva Marie Everson

ABOUT THE BOOK

Award-winning author Eva Marie Everson wraps up a Christmas story of hope, love, and forgiveness just in time for the holidays.

The Ornament Keeper, a contemporary Christmas novella, features Felicia and Jackson Morgan who are spending their first Christmas apart after twenty years of marriage. But a lifetime of gifted ornaments helps Felicia piece together the story of their marriage and the one mistake of unforgiveness she made before they said, “I do.”

Can these memory-filled ornaments reunite this family before Christmas? Only time will tell.

Publisher: New Hope Publishers

Release Date: September 24, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

Waiting on Wednesday | The Lieutenant's Bargain

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine 

to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

(Similarly, Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings.)

Happy Wednesday!

I just read Holding the Fort, the first Fort Reno book, so of course, I'm looking forward to Jack's story now.

Top Ten Tuesday | Books on My Fall TBR

Hosted weekly by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Happy Tuesday!

Fall is nearly here! I'm so excited! (It definitely isn't feeling like it yet, however.)

I have quite a genre-diverse list of books I'm hoping to read in the next few months. Lots of books I've been meaning to read for too long, plus some lovely new releases.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #14

Hosted weekly by The Book Date.

Happy Monday!

It was an exhausting week of way too much homework, sanity breaks with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, UnREAL, and The Darkest Minds (I need to read the book now!), and good meals with friends.

Well-Researched & Eye-Opening | Everything She Didn't Say by Jane Kirkpatrick

ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1911, Carrie Strahorn wrote a memoir entitled Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage, which shared some of the most exciting events of 25 years of traveling and shaping the American West with her husband, Robert Strahorn, a railroad promoter, investor, and writer. That is all fact. Everything She Didn't Say imagines Carrie nearly ten years later as she decides to write down what was really on her mind during those adventurous nomadic years.

Certain that her husband will not read it, and in fact that it will only be found after her death, Carrie is finally willing to explore the lessons she learned along the way, including the danger a woman faces of losing herself within a relationship with a strong-willed man and the courage it takes to accept her own God-given worth apart from him. Carrie discovers that wealth doesn't insulate a soul from pain and disappointment, family is essential, pioneering is a challenge, and western landscapes are both demanding and nourishing. Most of all, she discovers that home can be found, even in a rootless life.

With a deft hand, New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick draws out the emotions of living--the laughter and pain, the love and loss--to give readers a window not only into the past, but into their own conflicted hearts. Based on a true story.

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 4, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

The Friday 56 & First Line Friday | Holding the Fort

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday!

I'm finally getting to read this book from Regina Jennings soon! It looks like a fun mistaken-identity, western romance, and I'm so excited.

A Story to Remember | Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

ABOUT THE BOOK

From the award-winning author of Catching the Wind, which Publishers Weekly called “unforgettable” and a “must-read,” comes another gripping time-slip novel about hidden treasure, a castle, and ordinary people who resisted evil in their own extraordinary way.

The year is 1938, and as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan—even their very lives—in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone.

Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Release Date: September 4, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

Waiting on Wednesday | Escaping From Houdini

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine 

to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

(Similarly, Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings.)

Happy Wednesday!

I listened to Hunting Prince Dracula yesterday, and I loved Aubrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Creswell even more than in the first book. I'm so excited for more of them and their murder-solving brilliance.

Top Ten Tuesday | Hidden Gems

Hosted weekly by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Happy Tuesday!

In recent years, I have read and loved a lot of books, and plenty of them haven't received the attention I think they deserve. So, let me spread a little hype to ten "hidden gem" books now: 

These books are so wonderful. You should probably read them.

Different Than Expected | An Unpresentable Glory by Eleanor K. Gustafson

Welcome to the blog tour & giveaway for An Unpresentable Glory by Eleanor K. Gustafson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

“I trusted you, and some day, you may know just how much you hold in your hands.”

Linda Jensen leads a relatively quiet life in Westchester County, New York, as the owner of a highly-acclaimed garden. Inherited from her parents, the garden is her pride and joy. What is not so joyful is finding a strange man sprawled near her delphiniums! The mysterious man is sick, unable to do anything more than drink water—and beg for secrecy. Ignoring all alarm bells, Linda sees to his needs, but her caring act takes on unexpected significance, an unpresentable glory.

Seeds of trust, and perhaps love, are planted in Linda’s garden haven. But as secrets are revealed and scandal hits the headlines, the act of caring for this man threatens to tarnish both of their reputations. Like weeds in Linda’s garden, circumstances threaten to choke out their fledgling relationship, and small moments prove to be the biggest influencers—on a national scale.

Publisher: Ambassador International

Release Date: July 1, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #13

Hosted weekly by The Book Date.

Happy Monday!

My week was essentially work, homework, and watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Still, I managed to squeeze in some fun book adventures.

The Cost of Betrayal | Spotlight & Excerpt

Welcome to The Cost of Betrayal Blitz with JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Faith will be tested. Trust shattered.

Three bestselling romantic suspense writers reunite for novellas of deadly betrayal.

Betrayed by Dee Henderson: After serving six years of a twenty-year sentence for a murder she didn’t commit, Janelle Roberts is finally freed. But the truth is still waiting to be discovered, and a murderer is still at large. Janelle needs to be somewhere safe with someone she can trust. She may not survive another act of treachery.

Deadly Isle by Dani Pettrey: Tennyson Kent is trapped on the isolated island of her childhood by a storm surge, and she is shocked when the typically idyllic community turns into the hunting grounds of a murderer. Cut off from any help from the mainland, will she and first love Callen Frost be able to identify and stop a killer before they become the next victims?

Code of Ethics by Lynette Eason: When Detective Isaac Martinez lands in the ER with a gunshot wound, he pulls through thanks to trauma surgeon Ruthie St. John. But as the witness to a crime and possible corruption, Martinez is at risk from someone intent on silencing him–and those around him–forever. When he barely survives another attack while recovering, both he and Ruthie must flee, trying to outrun deadly killers while locating the evidence they need to end the danger.

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: September 4, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

Sweet, Intriguing & Romantic | A Cowboy's Pride by Karen Rock

ABOUT THE BOOK

Old wounds run deep.

Only the truth can heal them…

Rancher Cole Loveland has no interest in dredging up the past, but his ex-fiancée, Katlynn Brennon, has other plans. To save her struggling TV show, she’s come back to Colorado to investigate the infamous Cade-Loveland feud. Trusting Katlynn again isn’t easy—she’s already chosen her career over Cole once. But he’s beginning to realize that true love, like legends, never dies.

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming

Release Date: September 1, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

A Cowboy to Keep

Christmas at Cade Ranch

Falling for a Cowboy

Bad Boy Rancher

Entertaining, But Lacking | Not the Boss of Us: Putting Overwhelmed in Its Place in a Do-All, Be-All World by Kay Wills Wyma

ABOUT THE BOOK

Too much to manage and not enough time or energy to do it? Join the club. Life is a pressure cooker and, more and more, being overwhelmed is just considered normal. But, truth be told, life's stresses and circumstances aren't the boss of us. What if we could take Overwhelmed and diffuse it--or, better yet, reframe it to good?

Author, blogger, and mother of five Kay Wills Wyma has learned that if we're going to be overwhelmed by anything, let's have it be Truth with all its grace, hope, peace, and love. In this freeing book, she shares how to confront life's pressures we face--at home, online, at work, in our relationships, on our calendars--and replace all those heavy expectations with the liberating truth that we were made for something better. Through her inspiring personal stories sprinkled with a dash of humor, she gives readers permission to step back, let go, and find fulfillment and freedom in a life lived in light of eternity.

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: August 21, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

The Friday 56 & First Line Friday | The Grapes of Wrath

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday!

Today, I'm tackling this John Steinbeck classic for the first time (and unlike Cory Matthews, I think I'll start reading from the beginning). The VeggieTales song is stuck in my head already, so it's sure to be an interesting day.

Thrilling, Sweet & Entertaining | A Secret to Die For by Lisa Harris

ABOUT THE BOOK

Psychologist Grace Callahan has no idea that she has a secret--one worth killing for. But when she finds out one of her clients has been murdered, she quickly realizes that the computer security specialist wasn't simply suffering from paranoia.

Detective Nate Quinn has just been cleared for active duty after a bombing killed eighteen people, including his partner, and left him dealing with PTSD. His first case back on the job involves the murder of Stephen Shaw, and his only lead turns out to be an old friend, Grace Callahan--and her life is in grave danger. Someone believes Shaw gave his psychologist information before he died. Information they are willing to kill for.

With her signature pulse-pounding suspense, Lisa Harris takes readers deep into the heart of fear in this race against the clock.

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

Waiting on Wednesday | Shelter of the Most High

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine 

to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

(Similarly, Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings.)

Happy Wednesday!

I love all of Connilyn Cossette's books, so of course, I'm excited to continue her Cities of Refuge series.

Top Ten Tuesday | Bingeworthy TV Shows

Hosted weekly by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Happy Tuesday!

Between work, school, friends, and of course, reading, I don't spend a lot of time watching TV—but there are a few shows I can't resist.