Star of Persia by Jill Eileen Smith

This is the story of Queen Esther from the bible fleshed out into a novel. I have read other similar versions of this story but love every one. This one is particularly rich in details of the time and place and the characters are all fleshed out to the point that they seem very real. Jill Eileen Smith always tells a great story and this one is no exception.


I highly recommend this book to all lovers of historical and Christian fiction.


I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth

This is a twisted tale of a British internet blogger that posts videos of her family on social media every day. She has a huge following but suddenly she disappears from the internet and all her followers are anxious to find out why. There are some startling developments throughout and it is the perfect suspense story without a lot of dead bodies lying around. The story is told from the point of view of the blogger and her husband and two of her avid followers.


I highly recommend this book if you want something slightly different but still intriguing.


I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Like Flames in the Night by Connilyn Cossette

This is another book in the Cities of Refuge series. This one is about the youngest daughter of Moriyah, Tirzah. Tirzah is a young widow and she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life watching her nieces and nephews. She wants to train with her brothers to be a spy for the resistance. Her entire family is against if but eventually she convinces them she can go places as a woman they could never get to and would be barely noticed as a servant and she could listen in on important meetings of the enemy.


This book was one I was waiting to come out (rather impatiently) since I had read the other books in the series. It was a very satisfying read and brought that era in Jewish history into focus for me with a lot of rich details provided by the author’s wonderful research.


I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Woman of Sunlight by Mary Connealy

Lover of Mary Connealy’s books take note. The next installment of the Brides of Hope Mountain series is out. I have wanted to read this book ever since the first one came out. And now I’m waiting anxiously for the third book which should come out later this year. This one concerns the youngest sister Ilsa, and the oldest son of the Warrens, Mitch. Someone is still after Mitch and he needs to find the culprit before his family or the ranch is harmed. He and Ilsa end up married and taking the search to Chicago, which is a totally different environment that the one Ilsa grew up in.


I love every one of Mary Connealy’s series and this one is the best yet. If she would just clone herself and get them out there twice as fast I would be so busy reading her books that I would scarcely have time to read any others.


I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Home Sweet Home By Fern Michaels, Donna Kauffman and Melissa Story

This is a compilation of three feel good short stories. The first on by Fern Michaels had a lot of substance and interesting characters and situations. I loved it. The second one was really confusing from the beginning. So many characters and their relationships to each other were introduced in the first few pages that I could not keep track of who was who and that made the rest of the story hard to read and not interesting to me. The third story was a lovely story and very enjoyable. I just wished it had been fleshed out into a whole book because it moved along well and then suddenly, bang bang bang it was brought to a conclusion and over. I felt the same way about Fern Michael’s story.


Overall I was pleased with the book and it would be ideal for someone who just has a short time to read and they could read one of the stories in one sitting each time.


I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

What They Meant for Evil By Rebecca Deng

Rebecca Deng grew up in the war torn area of Sudan where she lost family member after family member to other tribes and countries. Eventually she was able to escape via a UN program that relocated young people to the US. She ended up in Michigan with a young couple that wanted to make a difference. They became her foster parents. Another girl from a rival group in Sudan also was placed there shortly thereafter. The couple mentored them even after they grew up and left home. Rebecca was able to get advanced degrees and eventually had a family of her own. This was a story of redemption and God’s provision. It makes you more aware of all the suffering that seems ongoing over in Africa in different regions and the plight of the average citizen that gets caught in the crossfire.


The story is not only enlightening, but very interesting and can keep you reading long after you intended to lay the book down and go to sleep.


I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

The Blizzard Bride by Susanne Dietze

Abigail is a spinstress from the East who is sent from Chicago to Nebraska to be a schoolteacher to try to help a government agent (her former fiancé Dashiel) figure out which of three boys was the son of a desperado that was on the loose and intending to kidnap his boy. The culture shock, the weather, and the need to keep secrets all threaten to derail the process but Abigail is determined.


I truly enjoyed this story as I have all the books in the Daughters of the Mayflower series that I have read. I recommend it to anyone who likes historical romance chock full of interesting characters, wonderful descriptions of places, well researched details of the life at the time and a plot that keeps you awake at night.


I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

The Chisholm Trail Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo

Eliza lives on a ranch with her parents and brothers. Her father indulges her want to be with him and her brothers on a trail ride but her mother is grooming her for coming out in society. A traumatic experience on a trail ride with her father leaves her adrift for a few years but when the time comes for her to step out into society the situation is complicated by a former fiancé that is persistent and threatening. Her father has hired a man to follow her everywhere and he manages to keep her protected most of the time.


I truly enjoyed this story as I have all the books in the Daughters of the Mayflower series that I have read. I recommend it to anyone who likes historical romance chock full of interesting characters, wonderful descriptions of places, well researched details of the life at the time and a plot that keeps you awake at night.


I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

A Long Bridge Home (Amish of Big Sky Country Book 2) by Kelly Irvin

Christine Mast and her beau, Andy Lambright are hoping to get married. They live in the West Kootenai region of Montana. But Andy gets called to his parents’ home to help with some things and Christine’s family decides to move back to Kansas near relatives. Christine doesn’t want to leave so talks her father into letting her live with her uncle and aunt in St. Ignatius while she waits for Andy. Christine meets Raymond Old Fox, a native that lives on the reservation near her uncle’s store and she is anxious to learn as much as she can about his culture. There is no romantic relationship but it is very eye raising to the locals and her aunt and uncle get very upset about the arrangement. She almost gets exiled to Kansas before Andy solves his own dilemmas and returns for her.

This was a very interesting exchange of cultural information between an Old Order Amish girl and a Native man. I enjoyed what I learned from it as well as just the love story involved.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Amish Generations by Kathleen Fuller

This is four short stories. They are Amish romances but involve people of all different ages and involve people having a second chance at finding a life partner. The stories are very well written and leave you with a happy ending. I would recommend this to anyone who would just like to read a short story in one sitting (4 times) and enjoys this genre.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

All the Best Lies: A Mystery (Ellery Hathaway Book 3) by Joanna Schaffhausen

Reed Markham, an agent with the FBI is intent on solving a cold case that is as old as he is – the murder of his own mother. For this he has to travel to Las Vegas, NV to review the old case files. He asks his friend from back east, Ellery Hathaway, a cop who has been suspended, to come and help him.
Reed soon realizes that his own adoptive father, a Senator from Virginia, is somehow involved. As he delves into the old files, sparks begin to fly and he realizes he has stirred up a hornets nest and someone doesn’t want him to find out the truth.

This book was excellently written and keeps you wondering who the murderer is right up to the end. I recommend this book to all suspense / mystery lovers.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

All We Buried: A Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery by Elena Taylor

Elizabeth "Bet" Rivers came back to help her father the sheriff of Collier, Washington and he died soon after leaving her to be the sheriff. This was not the first choice of some others in town or in the department. Almost immediately there is a body found floating on a lake in the rural community that rarely sees homicides. Bet needs to identify the body and solve the mystery before the press gets hold of the story and before the election. The scientist who was exploring the lake and found the body and two former residents who turned up out of the blue at the same time the body was found head the list of possible murderers. It’s up to Bet to figure it out.

I loved this story and the artful way the author weaved the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good whodunnit.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

One Little Lie (The Pelican Harbor Series Book 1) by Colleen Coble

Jane Hardy is the new sheriff in Pelican Harbor, AL upon her father’s retirement. The job starts to heat up rather quickly and it is obvious that some people don’t want Jane to be sheriff. Adding to the tension is the fact that a journalist has been given permission by the mayor to follow Jane and do a documentary. Soon Jane and her father’s past as members of a cult comes to the attention of everyone and things start to unravel. Jane is becoming dependent on Reid (the journalist) to help her solve some of the mysteries she has encountered. Reid is actually a player in one of the mysteries.

I really loved the characters and the suspense in this book. I’d read another book by this author any time.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.