A Very Bookish Easter // My Semi-Biased Review

Nyree moves when she loses her job, hoping to reconnect with herself and her grandmother in time for Easter, but when she stumbles upon a hidden garden, she discovers just how much she’s been missing.
The Prayer Garden by Kelsey Bryant, inspired by The Secret Garden

Felicity goes out of her comfort zone and invites Adam Moore to Easter service, but their business rivalry has him ready to prove her evangelization wrong.
Lilies and Thorns by Abigayle Claire, inspired by Romeo and Juliet

Samuel is haunted by his past and unsettled by the present, but as the Easter season begins, Ellie could show him what his future could be.
An Easter Canticle by Sarah Holman, inspired by A Christmas Carol

Addie hopes for a fresh start when she and her family move to the mountains to live with Grandfather, but some wounds seem too deep to heal, even at Easter.
Addie’s Mountain by Kate Willis, inspired by Heidi

Four classic-inspired Easter stories full of hope, faith, and the miracle of resurrection. (from Goodreads)

My Review 💖

As a longtime fan of my fellow anthology authors, I was very excited to read their stories, and they did not disappoint! Here are my (slightly biased) mini-reviews…

The Prayer Garden
This book was so beautiful, with quintessential spring vibes, natural Christian themes, and some really sweet relationships. Also, talk about a meet-cute. 😉 The end truly brought tears to my eyes.

Representation: depression, dementia.

CW: medical facilities, emotional distress.

Lilies and Thorns
I highly enjoyed the inherent drama of this one, lol, which is not usual for me. It started out seeming on the way to an expected, Hallmark movie place, but I’ve never been so happy to be wrong, and I’m a huge fan of where the story ended.

Representation: social anxiety.

CW: mentions of loss to cancer, dysfunctional family relationships, shaded truth.

An Easter Canticle
This one was much different than I expected, and I loved it. The “Scrooge” character was actually quite loveable, and I appreciated seeing him deal with the fallout of his life changes. The retreat center was a lovely setting, and I’m excited to read the other stories about it now.

Representation: mixed-race heritage, celiac disease.

CW: medical emergencies.

Addie’s Mountain
Ooo, that’s my story! I don’t have much to say except there’s a lot of spring vibes, some church trauma, a really cute neighbor boy, lots of baking, and a bookish main character (of course).

Representation: Jewish heritage, anxiety, chronic illness, deafness.

CW: anxiety symptoms including an attack.

Meant to Bee by Storm Shultz // Review

Can accidentally becoming a beekeeper lead to love?

Single mom Cordy Brown can’t catch a break. Not only does she lose her job, but the quaint English cottage she pools her savings to purchase is the very definition of a money pit. To top it off, a delivery man appears on her doorstep with a shipment of bees and announces she’s their new caretaker! Could life get any more complicated?

Ronan Thomson is only in England for one reason: to drag his underage brother back to Ireland for end-of-year exams. He quickly learns, however, that nothing about this will be simple and he finds himself holding a baby goat on Cordy’s doorstep. Falling for a beautiful American is easy. Ronan’s problems lie in the overabundance of animals, his stubborn brother, and the unexpected guest from Cordy’s past.

Can Cordy and Ronan overcome all the obstacles standing between them? After all, some things just feel meant to bee. (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book… *sighs happily* From the cover inward, the cozy British town vibes were perfectly blended with the story of a woman struggling in life. I rooted for Cordy, grew frustrated with her at times, hung on every word of her learning beekeeping and other skills, delighted with her over Poppy, and waited with bated breath to see how she would handle forgiveness.

(Which, the forgiveness storyline was a breath of fresh air! It acknowledged boundaries and left no room for disrespect/abuse while encouraging to forgive. I haven’t seen another book quite this nuanced.)

The romance was super sweet. The story pacing did seem to speed up halfway through, but I grew used to it and loved every moment. I especially enjoyed how respectful yet honest they were with each other, and I was hardcore rooting for them.

Don’t get me started on how much I loved the pro-life after birth themes and the supportive side characters. 👏👏

CW: harassment, lying side character, judgemental local. Some kissing.

I can’t wait to read more of this author’s work, and I love the heart you can clearly see shining through every page. 💛

Manuscript for Murder by Chautona Havig // Review

Alexa Hartfield. Author, local celebrity, fashion connoisseur. She chose Fairbury for its close proximity to Rockland, its small town atmosphere, and its low crime rate.

Then someone made her life a literary cliché. A mysterious accident with a light bulb sparked an interesting idea for her latest novel—and for Fairbury’s new serial killer. The first replication infuriated her. The second left an even worse taste in her mouth. The third blasted more than her self-confidence, and the fourth beat her down so far she’s considering giving up writing completely.

Who is killing Fairbury’s citizens, and furthermore, why and how are they using her novels to do it? (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Is there a way to sue for sleep loss? This book was too good, too suspenseful, and too intriguing for me to stop reading, and I must protest by reading the rest of the series. 😤😉

Only Chautona Havig could take a quirky, unique character living every author’s secret dream and imbue it with such deep themes while making it still quite fun. My heart broke as each new layer of Alexa’s backstory and complicated relationships was revealed. I enjoyed the detailed fashion and writing moments, everything about Joe, and how open-hearted Alexa was despite people’s opinions of her.

The mystery was both haunting and fascinating (hence the stolen sleep), and there was one moment that really, really shocked me.

I’m not usually one for series, but I’m hoping to try the other books in this one. 😉

CW: stalking, child neglect, chronic illness, negative family interactions, infertility and a hard backstory to it. Murders happen throughout the book in various ways, including an explosion, but with no graphic details.

A Proxy Wedding by Toni Shiloh // Mini Review

Saying I Do was more than they bargained for.

Carly James values loyalty and friendship above all. So when her best friend calls asking her to be a proxy bride, she says, ‘yes.’ How hard can it be to say ‘I do’ so that her best friend can be with the one she loves? Only, Carly never counted on the feelings that began to swirl around with the proxy groom.

Damien Nichols likes life lined up from A to Z, but when his best friend calls in a favor, disorder begins to reign. Instead of taking a quick flight to the proxy wedding, he has to take a road trip with the proxy bride. Carly’s free-spirit attitude bumps heads with his meticulous approach to life. As Damien discovers the woman underneath the carefree façade, his emotions become involved. (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not gonna lie, the concept of a modern proxy wedding (??!) drew me in immediately, and I knew my favorite author could pull off something fabulous. It ended up being so cute and sweet with a surprising amount of character development, arc, and relationship testing in such a short novella. I really enjoyed it. 😉 Definitely like a Hallmark movie, in all the best ways.

CW: Mentions of relational trauma from a family of origin and an ex-spouse. The main characters have strong chemistry that is often in their thoughts but it is handled well and never crosses a line.

Should We Tell Her? by Lillian Keith // Review

“Mommy’s in Africa,” You kept saying, and you smiled for the first time since Mom hadn’t come home.

And suddenly, I didn’t want that smile to disappear. I didn’t want to hear your pleading voice asking over and over when Mom would come home. And I didn’t want to see the disappointment in your eyes anymore.

When summer turns to tragedy, twelve year old Aspen and her younger sister Wren struggle to cope. But how can they when their youngest sister can’t understand what is happening? Will they be able to pull together to help each other or will they fall apart?” (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover onwards, this book was adorable and heartfelt. I was especially delighted by how many illustrations there were (#illustrationsarecool), and they set the tone for the book perfectly.

I really liked the second person point-of-view of the story, and the main concept was properly well-meaning, sweet, and double-edged. Some of my favorite moments were when Aspen realized how important the postcards were to her and why. 😭😭 And any scene in the art shed was great.

I also loved how cute everyone’s names were. 🥺

I spent a lot of the story very frustrated with the adults, but I ended up really liking how that turned out. 😉

CW: Discussions of a traumatic accident (not detailed) and possible death. A few scenes of emotional distress, PTSD, and hospital setting. The story concept is based around a well-meaning lie that is flawed but ultimately justified.

Altogether, I really enjoyed this sweet read, and I think anyone who loves close-knit family stories will too. 💙💜

I need a fairy garden now.

Crook Q by Rachel Newhouse // Review

I don’t want to kill anyone.

Believing the chaos of her adventure on Mars is behind her, 17-year-old Philadelphia faces a restricted but uneventful future as an unskilled drone in the United’s workforce. But before she can receive her assignment, government officials show up in the dead of night and violently whisk her and Cea away to solitary confinement. The girls soon realize they’re being held hostage to bribe Dr. Nic, Cea’s wickedly genius brother, into resuming work on the infamous superweapon “Red Rain.” Their only option is to escape.

Thrust into the streets with a gun she’s afraid to shoot, Philadelphia realizes her battle with Red Rain is not over—and this time, turning it over to the authorities is not an option.

Crook Q is the second novella in the Red Rain saga, a fast-paced Christian sci-fi series for teens and adults. (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Red Rain was a staple of my teenage hood and the catalyst for my love of indie novels, so I was over the moon when the author relaunched the series and announced numerous sequels. It’s been a long minute since the first book released, so I wasn’t expecting the *exact* same tone, but this did take a little while to adjust to.

Philadelphia is still such an interesting main character to follow, and in this installment, it was evident she’s still coming of age and torn between her dad’s principles and her brother’s ideals. The little bit of added backstory gave me so much sympathy for Dr. Smyrna and understanding of his passivity. I also loved how even though she isn’t super skilled at anything yet, it’s really her heart and courage that matter. I look forward to seeing her grow.

Some of the back-and-forth action and her more fragile emotional state (#trauma) did wear on me to begin with, but in retrospect, it fit the story and the last third or so picked up and made up for it. 😉

Ephesus and Cea were boss as usual, and I’m becoming more intrigued by Dr. Nic. It was also amazing to see a few side characters reappear and how they worked into the story. And can I just say that Philli’s relation to her Bible in this is such a cool contrast to the first book? I may be reading too much into it, but that felt like an amazing demonstration of faith. There’s much less faith content in this book than the first one which was thick with references to Revelation, but it was still present.

CW: strong negative emotions, kidnapping, danger, death off-page, injuries described but not graphic, description of cleaning up blood. A man beats up a teenage girl.

Altogether, I’m very happy to have read this, and I’m excited to continue the series.

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie // Review

There’s a serial killer on the loose, working his way through the alphabet and the whole country is in a state of panic.

A is for Mrs. Ascher in Andover, B is for Betty Barnard in Bexhill, C is for Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. With each murder, the killer is getting more confident — but leaving a trail of deliberate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just prove to be the first, and fatal, mistake. (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is only my second Agatha Christie read, and it’s made me a forever fan. I can’t believe I went so long without reading her work.

First, a couple things that make her stand out in the genre. I highly appreciate the respect for life in a genre centered around death. The way side characters interact around it, we have a chance to care about the victims personally, and Poirot himself is filled with dread for the inevitable next murder… these were all especially evident in this book. I also enjoy the collaboration with other detectives/officers, and I appreciate the author’s (if somewhat flawed) attempts to speak differently regarding race, prejudice, and stereotypes of all kinds than many works of the time period.

This book was an absolute delight. I tried and failed a few times to solve the mystery myself, but was rewarded with something much more twisty and satisfying than I could have guessed. (I even fell for the accomplice storyline…) Poirot shone, and his team of amateurs was equally interesting.

I finished reading this in the middle of a stormy night which was the most deliciously spooky and cozy thing. 🧡 I’m ready for autumn and more Agatha Christie books now.

Gift from the Storm by Rebekah A. Morris // A Review

(admit it, you knew I had to talk about this book)

One cold, dark evening a young stranger appears outside the Morgan home with two small children. Injured and on the verge of complete exhaustion, she will only say that her name is “Amy.”
Where did she come from? Who is she? And what has she been through? Dr. Justin Morgan and his family look for answers as they struggle to minister life and health to the needy ones in their midst. (from Goodreads)

My Review

I fell in love first with the author’s writing style, then with the vibey cover, and then with the story. (I even read it aloud to a sister right after finishing it, it was that good. 😉 ) Since then, it’s become one of my top favorite indie books, and I talk about it often on my blog and to anyone who will listen.

The cozy, sometimes Christmassy (yes, I’ve chosen to obsess over that part 😉 ) mountain cabin setting was so accurate and beautifully descriptive, it made this country girl right at home. I loved all the characters (Justin the most of course), and Danny was hilarious.

Amy was a very interesting main character. I hadn’t read many books with the amnesia trope (still haven’t) at this point, so I was completely drawn in by her struggles and the slowly unfolding mystery. I loved seeing the Morgan family support her so well and how their ordinary faithfulness and family culture was used by God to bless her so mightily.

My favorite scene was when Amy is holding a glass of water. *chills*

CW: danger, amnesia, grief, off-screen death, speculation about if a character is an unmarried mother.

This intriguing, cozy, and wonderful Christian mystery is forever a favorite. 😉

Add on Goodreads // Buy on Amazon

(Don’t forget to enter the ebook giveaway!)

The Firmament Series by J. Grace Pennington // Mini Reviews

I absolutely adore sci-fi, and the more character-centric and deep themey it is… SIGN ME UP.

The Firmament series by J. Grace Pennington was one of my first (and few) experiences of indie Christian sci-fi, and I grow more and more in love with it with each new book. 😉

(FYI, books one and two are currently free on Amazon so run and get your copies. 😍)

Please enjoy the gorgeous covers and here are my mini reviews…

1.

This story jumps right into the action while setting up the main cast of characters who are going to become very beloved. 😍

2.

My favorite, or one of my favorites, or the first time in this series I had a favorite… Anyway, it’s basically the book that made me a fan. 😉 I really enjoyed this take on aliens, and the mystery was quite satisfying.

3.

Absolutely incredible villain and soooo twisty. Like *mind blown*

4.

Oh look, another favorite! Absolutely brilliant twist on such well-established characters. 👏👏 It made me want to know them even more.

5.

Earth is technically part of space, right? 😜 Really cool character development and sibling team-up. ❤

6.

EDGE OF MY SEAT book. Everyone just gets more and more depth and the stories are tying together so well. 😍 Another favorite, oops.

7.

I have yet to read this one (I just checked it out on Kindle Vella) but the synopsis has a callback to book 2???! So yes, I have my homework. 😉

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Go enter the giveaway!!

Elite by Kristen Young // Review

Where do you find safety when your world is falling apart?
 
Apprentice Flick thought the Elite Academy was the answer to all her problems. But the revelation of her past turned everything upside down. Now, she is caught between two worlds set on a collision course.
 
Will she embrace the chaotic memories that flood her every waking moment? Or will she run to the security of her Elite training?
 
Discovering her parents’ identities takes her to a secret underground bunker where she finds new friends, opportunities, and maybe even love. But Flick must decide where her allegiances lie soon, or the Triumph of Love festival might bring about her demise. (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After holding out for an admirably long time (more than two weeks 😱), I caved and bought the second book.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t this. 🤯🤯 I really loved the unexpected plot direction that strengthened the themes even more.

I knew I was right to choose Hodge as a favorite character, and it was fun seeing some side characters take a turn in center stage. Flick continued to be very interesting, and I loved seeing her process each new obstacle and revelation.

Again, the tech was really fascinating and immersive. 👏👏 I especially enjoyed the Watcher scenes, though the gravity wasn’t lost.

The new elements in this book were fabulous. I enjoyed the gorgeous yet relevant portrayal of Christianity. I also deeply appreciated the theme of non-violence.

My criticisms of the first book were unfortunately even more present in this one. There was a whole new set of side characters (to the author’s credit I could *eventually* keep them straight) plus code names for some I already knew and a complicated, sometimes clumsy new set of terms.

CW: Flashbacks to implied execution, kidnapping, fear. Mentions of observing stabbing, murder, domestic violence, and planned domestic terrorism through surveillance work. Lying/manipulation. Intrusive thoughts of guilt. Allusion to an official being a p*do. Slight implication of rock music being evil.

Best quote: Just because you don’t hear a voice, doesn’t mean he’s not there. He’s with you. That’s what he wanted me to tell you.

Altogether, I’m very much intrigued by where this series is going and have high hopes it nails the ending. ❤️