26 April 2024

brynn and sebastian hate each other | first line friday + the friday 56

first line friday is hosted weekly by reading is my superpower.
book beginnings is hosted weekly by rose city reader.
the friday 56 is hosted weekly by my head is full of books.

happy friday!

i've felt a little slumpy with my reading this week (which tends to happen after a new taylor swift release), so i'm not sure what i'll feel like reading this weekend... but brynn and sebastian hate each other is definitely one i'm considering.

25 April 2024

be still, my soul | audiobook review

about the book


"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour." - Ephesians 4:28

When Carsten Whitford is arrested for a robbery he didn't commit, he struggles to clear his name that's already stained by his father's arrest from four years ago. Carsten is the sole supporter of his mother and he works the farm he has lived on his whole life.

The day after his arrest, Carsten's mentor gets him released until the trial. Carsten and his three friends work together to prove he didn’t rob the store since no one, especially the town marshal, seems interested in finding out who is truly guilty. The townspeople assume he is guilty because of his father’s past, including the girl Carsten wants to court.

Will Carsten and his friends find out who truly robbed the store or will they find something more sinister that could even lead to their own deaths?

publisher: wild blue wonder press
release date: november 20, 2023


yukon wilderness evidence | excerpt + giveaway

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about the book


Solving a cold case

could rob her of her future.

When skeletal remains are uncovered in the Yukon forest, forensic botanist Keeley Ash is called to the crime scene—and ends up abducted. She never expects her ex, paramedic Brett Ryerson, to come to her rescue, or her gathered evidence to be linked to a cold case. And when their son—who Brett never knew existed—is kidnapped, they’ll stop at nothing to save him and outrun the hunters determined to silence Keeley.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

publisher: love inspired suspense
release date: april 23, 2024


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23 April 2024

a secret between them | excerpt + giveaway

about the book


She’ll help him heal…

But is love enough to make him stay?

Unexpectedly injured, photojournalist John Bishop finds himself stuck in a town full of painful memories—with physical therapist Grace Severight his only way out. Following her treatment should be simple. But soon John’s falling again—this time for the single foster mom and her four-year-old charge. Now love might heal his past…but will a secret Grace is keeping destroy their chance at a future?

From Love Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

publisher: love inspired
release date: april 23, 2024


19 April 2024

an unlikely arrangement | excerpt + giveaway

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about the book


In 1902, Abigail Dupree is but a breath away from her grand societal failure. To save her family from humiliation and financial ruin, Abigail becomes a bargaining trade in her mother’s eyes. A bargain that will extinguish Abigail’s last hope of a happily-ever-after. If only she could return to the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, she might have a chance to reunite with the only man who has the power to save her reputation.

Garrett Barringer arrives in Charlotte, North Carolina to escape a past that no longer wants him. He takes an undisclosed position with Mr. Dupree. When it is revealed that part of Mr. Dupree’s purpose for bringing him on board is to chaperone his beloved daughter, Garrett abruptly discovers that he has taken on more than he bargained for. Abigail Dupree is more beguiling than any other woman he’s encountered, but he must resist his heart for the sake of propriety and to keep a promise made to her father.

When her father hires Garrett Barringer, a man that seems far too young to be a lawyer, and possesses far too many favorable characteristics, Abigail resists his charm but cannot deny her heart is compelling her toward him. But she will not allow the man to ruin an opportunity she has waited for nearly five years.

Garrett is suddenly aware what his life was and what it could become in the presence of Abigail Dupree. Will he be able to give up the woman who has stolen his heart, for her happiness?

Abigail stands to lose all if Garrett Barringer sees past her physical beauty and uncovers the ugliness of her imperfect past. Will Abigail continue on the condemned path she’s fashioned for herself, or trust that God wants a future for her she never believed possible?

publisher: springbrook press, llc
release date: march 11, 2024


how to plot a payback | first line friday + the friday 56

first line friday is hosted weekly by reading is my superpower.
book beginnings is hosted weekly by rose city reader.
the friday 56 is hosted weekly by my head is full of books.

happy friday!

i'm not sure how much reading i'll get done this weekend thanks to taylor swift, but how to plot a payback is on my tbr...

17 April 2024

the vanished | excerpt + giveaway

about the book


Janae Simmons left the small town of Kedgewick, Virginia, ten years ago to pursue her legal career and never looked back–until a professional mistake leads her to her grandmother’s historic carriage house and to the town where her past threatens to find her. The quiet streets echo with her grandfather’s sterling reputation, one that conflicts with fresh questions that claw at Janae, launching her on a reluctant journey to unearth his secrets. When her new job at a local law firm doesn’t live up to expectations, she wonders if coming home was the right decision.

Carter Montgomery starts his art preservation career with the only job he can get–director at the Elliott Museum of Art. At least Kedgewick is a nice enough town to provide him and his nephew with a safe place to grieve the loss of Carter’s sister. But Carter’s calm days disappear when an elderly woman claims two paintings in the museum’s collection were stolen from her family during World War II.

Carter enlists Janae’s help to unravel the legal labyrinth of art ownership, and the peaceful facade of Kedgewick morphs into a hot bed of secrets. When an attorney turns up dead and Janae uncovers another painting, what began as a simple legal issue spirals into a race against time. As the web of intrigue tightens, the duo must confront a looming question: What dark truths lie beneath the surface, waiting to be exposed?

“Putman’s legal expertise shines in this compelling and intricately plotted romantic suspense. Highly recommended!”
Colleen Coble, USA Today best-selling author

“Cara Putman has once again created an exciting cast of characters. I was immediately drawn in by Janae and Carter’s unique chemistry. This is one story you don’t want to miss.”
Rebecca Hemlock, award-winning author of Fury in the Shadows

publisher: kregel publications
release date: april 16, 2024


16 April 2024

the garden girls | excerpt + giveaway

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about the book


On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.

FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.

Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.

As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…

publisher: harlequin love inspired trade
release date: april 23, 2024


15 April 2024

a noble scheme | book review

about the book


In the opulent and perilous world of high society's most elite--and most dangerous--families, two investigators must set aside their broken hearts to uncover the truth.

Gemma Parks is known to the London elite as G. M. Parker, a columnist renowned for her commentary on the cream of society. Behind the scenes, she uses her talents to aid the Imposters in their investigations by gathering intel at events and providing alibis for the firm's members through her columns. Yet her clandestine work would be more exhilarating if it weren't for the constant presence of the gentleman who broke her heart.

Graham Wharton has never had eyes for anyone but Gemma, and she left his heart in tatters when she walked away from him. When the Imposters take on a new job to recover a kidnapped boy mistaken for his aristocratic cousin, Graham is determined to use the time with Gemma to not only restore the missing boy, but to also win back the only woman he's ever loved. As they trace the clues laid out before them, Graham and Gemma must devise a noble scheme to save the boy's life and heal their hearts.

"A Noble Scheme is as clever as it is glamorous."--Laura Frantz, Christy Award-winning author of The Seamstress of Acadie

publisher: bethany house publishers
release date: march 19, 2024


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it's monday! what are you reading? #108

hosted weekly by the book date

happy monday!

12 April 2024

a noble scheme | first line friday + the friday 56

first line friday is hosted weekly by reading is my superpower.
book beginnings is hosted weekly by rose city reader.
the friday 56 is hosted weekly by my head is full of books.

happy friday!

i'm in need a book that gives me that five-star feeling, and i'm feeling optimistic that a noble scheme can do that.

09 April 2024

lovin' on red | excerpt + giveaway

about the book


He has everything… except what he wants most.

Rory is a wildly successful contractor with all the right connections. He has everything, except the woman who sees past his missing foot. If only the tiny redhead he’s insanely attracted to would go on a date with him, it could work, but Vi refuses.

Licensed massage therapist Vi Summers needs her childhood home remodeled, and Rory Spence is the perfect man for the job. Only he’s the last person she wants to work with. Despite Rory’s reputation as a flirt, his tender attention to getting her house right helps Vi see into his heart. Too bad her past mistakes prevent a future relationship.

Drawn together like magnets, they navigate trouble with illegal squatters, family expectations, and fire. Will they finally be honest with each other, or will their secrets tear them apart?

publisher: scrivenings press
release date: april 9, 2024


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06 April 2024

someone like you | movie review

about the movie


Based on the popular novel by #1 NY Times Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, Someone Like You is an achingly beautiful redemptive love story. Shocking news hits after young architect Dawson Gage loses his best friend, London Quinn. Now in his heartbreak, Dawson is compelled to launch an impossible search for London’s secret twin sister, twins separated as embryos. But along the way, Dawson never planned to fall in love.

Buy tickets today to see Someone Like You in theaters starting April 2!


based on a book


One frozen embryo.
Two families with secrets.
And a guy who never planned to fall in love again.

Maddie West is shaken to the core when she finds out that everything she believed about her life was a lie. Her parents had always planned to tell her the truth about her past: that she was adopted as an embryo. But somehow the right moment never happened. Now, the total stranger who confronts Maddie with the truth tells her something else that rocks her world—Maddie had a sister she never knew about. Feeling betrayed, angry, and confused, Maddie leaves her new job and fiancé, rejects her family’s requests for forgiveness, and moves to Portland, Oregon, to find out who she really is.

Dawson Gage’s life is destroyed when London Quinn, the only girl he had ever loved, is killed. In the hospital waiting room, London’s mother reveals to Dawson that London might have had a sibling—the frozen embryo she and her husband donated decades ago. When Dawson invites Maddie to Portland to connect with her long-lost relatives, the Quinns, her biological parents, welcome her into their lives. Maddie is intrigued by their memories of London, who was so much like her. Is this the family and the life she was really meant to have?

Now it will take the love of Dawson Gage to help Maddie find her way home.

publisher: atria books
release date: may 5, 2020


05 April 2024

every bird that falls | excerpt + giveaway

about the book


Lies have kept them apart for eight years.

Now the truth could destroy them completely.

Bomb squad leader Tag Monroe’s world is shattered when his sister and her foster sister are abducted by a human trafficker. Eight years later, the two of them have been miraculously freed. As thrilled as he is to be reunited with his sister, Tag has lingering questions.

How did Jae-won Lin, the third foster sister, elude capture that night? Why didn’t she call the police or Tag to let them know what happened? And where has she been for the last eight years? He loved Jae once, but he can’t let her back into his life until he has more information.

Unfortunately, time is running out. Someone powerful is coming after Jae, bent on revenge. If Tag can’t get to her before her mysterious pursuer, Jae could take the answers to all Tag’s questions to her grave.

Along with any hope the two of them might have to find their way to each other again.

The explosive Christian romantic suspense series two sparrows for a penny by multi-award-winning author Sara Davison continues with this on-the-edge-suspense love story that might finally answer the question: Where was Jae?

publisher: independently published through the mosaic collection
release date: april 3, 2024


other books in the series


blackberry beach | first line friday + the friday 56

first line friday is hosted weekly by reading is my superpower.
book beginnings is hosted weekly by rose city reader.
the friday 56 is hosted weekly by my head is full of books.

happy friday!

i'm ready for a trip back to hope harbor this weekend!

04 April 2024

even if nothing else is certain | excerpt + giveaway

about the book


Even if nothing else is certain… love still is.

Ruby Foster loves her job as a Pack Horse librarian, but secretly she dreams of being a nurse. Since there are no schools for nursing in the hills of rural Kentucky in 1937, Ruby contents herself with harvesting medicinal plants, delivering her beloved library books, and dreaming. Dreaming mostly of a life that doesn’t leave her living in the past. Until one day she discovers that “past” camped out by the Hell for Certain creek. Could it really be Cole, the one who left her heartbroken so many years ago? Just when she starts to believe in her dreams and hope for love again, Cole reveals his true colors. Or is the truth she sees only another illusion? When nothing else in the world seems certain, can the bonds of friendship bring one searching heart and one lost soul together again?

publisher: fireship press
release date: march 27, 2024


other books in the series