bravo | 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!

it's the final day of february, and i'm finishing up this first book in a new romantic-suspense series from jessica ashley. it starts a little slow, as bradyn returns home after a mission, but there's definitely no shortage of action, danger, and how-can-this-end-well moments...

anything | book review + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

Two guarded hearts.

He’s breaking down walls and she’s building them higher.

A match made in Heaven, or a blueprint for disaster?

After the fiery downward spiral of senior year, Kit Talbot crash-lands on a quirky college campus where traditions rule and dorm floors act more like family. It’s just weird enough to keep her mind off the wreckage she’s leaving behind.

Enter Levi Whitaker, known as the swooniest guy on campus. Magnetic, confident, and far too much like the ex who sent her life into that PTSD-tainted nosedive. Levi seems to be everywhere, focused on her like she’s the only girl in the world—even indulging her sugar addiction with delivered treats. But Kit’s self-preservation instincts are sharper than ever, and she deflects him like Wonder Woman blocking bullets.

That is, until Levi’s quiet faith and humble apology start to break down Kit’s defenses. He loves Jesus in the dreamiest way, looks like wow, and … somehow triggers the flashbacks she fights so hard to avoid. Every minute with him is a risk she isn’t sure she should take. Should she protect them both from the chaos of her life or learn a bravery that feels irresponsible?

As Kit fights to keep her life safe and manageable, she leans into her faith, clinging to the Bible verses God whispers to her heart. Clearly, he’s up to something, but the healing she prays for isn’t happening the way she wants.

Why is God silent on the prayer she needs most?

publisher: independently published

release date: february 1, 2025

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble | bookbub | bookshop

every hour until then | can't wait wednesday

hosted weekly by wishful endings

happy wednesday!

yesterday, gabrielle meyer shared the cover for timeless book #6, so i've got a little extra excitement to continue the series right now.

Jesus loves me, this i know | book review + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

The words of a favorite childhood song in a crinkly cloth book for babies.

A cuddly way to introduce babies and toddler to Jesus through the beloved song many parents and grandparents learned as children.

This soft book features crinkle cloth fabric for sensory development and hours of baby fun. Charming illustrations teach infants and toddlers about Jesus as they see children holding hands with him and sitting on his lap! Jesus Loves Me, This I Know includes a shiny mirror on the last page, placing the baby at the heart of God’s love.

A Velcro closure and a hanging loop can attach the book to a stroller, purse, or toy so it can go wherever they do.

publisher: kregel children's books

release date: february 25, 2025

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble | bookshop | christian book | kregel

the novel adventures of natalie daughtry | book review + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

In pursuit of a rare book, will Natalie and Mason find each other again?

With her twenty-plus-year marriage on the brink of collapse, bookish Natalie Daughtry immerses herself in her new bookstore job. When the mysterious Caspar gathers Natalie and her friends Everleigh and Brooke for the second time, she’s ready for an adventure to disperse the turmoil clouding her marriage. Caspar enlists their help in searching for a rumored copy of Lewis Carroll’s handwritten and illustrated manuscript of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground. Natalie is immediately enticed–this is the perfect distraction.

But then Mason joins the team, and suddenly Natalie and her husband are side-by-side on the search for this elusive treasure. Being forced to work together has them tumbling deep into their past, seeking answers to old misunderstandings. When they emerge from the rabbit hole, things aren’t the same. Will they rediscover the love that once held the pages of their life together?

publisher: kregel publications

release date: march 18, 2025

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble | bookbub | bookshop | christian book | kregel publications

other books in the series

the rare jewel of everleigh wheaton

the hidden key of brooke sumner

duets | excerpt + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

No one gets me at all, except for Hester. And she’s not even real. She’s a woman from the 1800s, but she totally understands what it’s like to hide love. So, she’d understand why hiding text messages is super important. But, since my dad became a Christian and all, I have to be super careful. But my parents are hiding things too, like why my mom is riding the struggle bus while she’s expecting my baby brother or why dad is talking to the other woman at the office.

publisher: independently published

release date: february 2025

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goodreads | amazon | applebooks | everand

other books in the series

butterflies

grandma ruth doesn't go to funerals | book review + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

Something is brewing in Raeburne’s Ferry, Georgia–and it’s not sweet tea.

In a small town where gossip flows, bedridden Mary Ruth McCready reigns supreme, doling out wisdom and meddling in everyone’s business with a fervor that would make a matchmaker blush. When her best friend has her world rocked by a scandalous revelation from her dying husband, Mary Ruth kicks into high gear, commandeering the help of her favorite granddaughter, Sarah Elizabeth, in tracking down the truth. Finding clues in funeral condolence cards and decades-old gossip dredged up at the Blue Moon Beauty Emporium, the two stir up trouble faster than you can say “pecan pie.”

But just when things are starting to look up, a blast from the past waltzes in with an outrageous claim. But as Grandma Ruth always says when things get tough, “God is too big.” With him, nothing is impossible–even bringing long-held secrets to light. Grandma Ruth and Sarah just might have to ruffle a whole mess of feathers to do it.

publisher: kregel publications

release date: february 11, 2025

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble | bookbub | bookshop | christian book | kregel publications

right before their eyes | excerpt + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

Sometimes the love you need most looks different than you imagined.

Clare Martin thought nothing of agreeing to live with her dementia-ridden grandmother when her parents left on mission. Balancing that with her job as a social worker and the expectations of her career-driven boyfriend proved doable—until Grandma started a house fire.

Mason Hughes has loved Clare for years, but the time was never right to tell her and now she’s dating someone else, fixing Mason firmly in the friend zone. He’s working to be a pediatric neurologist, a dream inspired by a special boy with a terminal brain condition and must choose a medical school. Finances are so tight he’s forced to consider a program across the country, a troubling fact he’s kept secret.

Lucia Roberts, a seventeen-year-old on Clare’s caseload, loses her foster home and is placed in an unwelcoming group home. At every turn she’s met with rejection and becomes desperate for any proof she has value—enough to make choices that could affect the rest of her life.

When Grandma Dottie and Lucia’s paths take a dangerous turn, Clare frantically tries to save them. As their lives knit together, will they find the love that’s right before their eyes?

publisher: mountain brook ink

release date: february 5, 2025

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble | bookbub | bookshop

other books in the series

emma's hero

where i found you | excerpt + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

From beloved author Betsy St. Amant comes a enemies to more, Hatfields and McCoys swoon-worthy contemporary romance set in a small beach town that reminds us that true love is worth fighting for.

Noah Hebert recently inherited the Blue Pirogue Inn—along with all its problems. He needs money to keep his beloved childhood home from being shut down by his family’s longtime nemesis, Isaac Bergeron. So when Noah’s lawyer approaches him about an additional segment of his late grandfather’s will, it’s just in the nick of time. But even from beyond the grave, his grandfather is up to his usual games. In order to receive the last portion of inheritance, Noah must follow the clues. But there’s one condition…

Magnolia Blossom Cafe manager Elisa Bergeron is shocked to discover an acquaintance from the local Puzzlers Club left her something in his will—and even more surprised to discover they are clues to a portion of his estate. When she learns she must work with introverted inn-owner Noah Hebert to solve the puzzle, she’s torn. Growing up in the middle of a multi-generational feud between their families, she’s been taught by her father Isaac that Heberts can’t be trusted.

When these two exes must work together to save their future, will love get a second chance or will the longstanding family feud claim another generation?

publisher: sunrise publishing

release date: february 4, 2025

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble | bookbub | bookshop | sunrise publishing

other books in the series

no place like home

meant for me

misgivings | excerpt + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

Desperate to avoid the turmoil that now engulfs her, Dee would do anything for a chance to turn back time. Wracked with regret and paralyzed by fear, she is forced to hide halfway across the world, all in a bid to safeguard the one person she holds most dear. If only she could undo the past and prevent this disastrous situation from ever unfolding.

After waiting five long years, Luke thought he was finally making progress in his relationship with Dee. But just as she begins to open up and trust him, she suddenly vanishes, leaving him bewildered and determined to uncover the truth behind her sudden disappearance.

publisher: independently published

release date: september 2, 2024

goodreads | amazon | bookbub

csb Jesus daily bible | book review

about the book

Keep Jesus at the center of everything.

The CSB Jesus Daily Bible features a 52-week guided reading plan that shows Jesus throughout all of Scripture. Day by day, you’ll be led to thematically study Scripture through a weekly introduction, helpful articles and infographics, and a weekly summary to help you understand Jesus’s central role from Genesis to Revelation.

Features:

- 52-week thematic reading plan showing Jesus in all of Scripture

- Weekly introductions to set the stage for each week’s reading

- Jesus-focused articles, charts, and infographics expanding each week’s theme

- Weekly summaries to reinforce key takeaways and applications for life

- Durable Smyth-sewn, lay-flat binding

publisher: b&h publishing

release date: january 1, 2025

amazon | b&h publishing | christian book