Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other - Bethany Turner

 

Brynn Cornell is known as the Ray of Sunshine on the Sunup morning show, and has left her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado far behind her.  Until, that is, she's caught on a hot mic disparaging her hometown and the people who live there.  Her only chance at salvaging her reputation and career seems to be returning to her hometown and the people she left without so much as a goodbye 20 years ago and filming her apology and, hopefully, their forgiveness. While there, she encounters Sebastian Sudworth, who has landed in Adelaide Springs from his own search for a fresh start.  Will their fresh starts and second chances counter each other, or be just what they each need?

Normally, I love the enemies to lovers trope in romance, and the need for forgiveness and a second chance was such a great idea for this story.  However, it felt like the switched flipped a bit too quickly and easily for Brynn.  She didn't really work for any of the forgiveness, and she didn't seem to actually regret her actions, just that she got caught.  There were a lot of avenues for side storylines that could have been developed, but there seemed to be an abundance of focus on Brynn's name change from B-R-E-N to B-R-Y-N-N, as if all of her life choices could be hinged on this spelling change.

I also missed some of this author's signature character banter from her previous works.  Sebastian and Brynn could have been a fiery match, but it fell a little flat for me.  I liked Seb, but found myself not really caring if Brynn found success.

I give this book 3 stars; I really liked the characters from Adelaide Springs, and just wish Brynn's transformation could have been a little more developed.

You can find Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Positively. Penelope - Pepper Basham

 

Penelope Edgewood has signed on as an intern at the failing Darling Theatre on the island of Skymar.  As she attempts to revive the theater, she finds that the family behind it needs a bit of reviving as well.  Having lost their grandmother and mother in the last few years, Alec, Gwynn, and Matthias Gray are all grieving in different ways, and their grandfather has essentially withdrawn from society and the theater. Can Penelope's sunshiny personality and marketing strategies help draw both the Grays and the theater back into the community's spotlight? And how is their competitor, The Emblem theater, learning about all of their ideas?

I am loving this series, and this group of siblings and cousins. I love that we still get to follow Izzy and Luke, and Josephine through the correspondence sections of the book, which add a fun flavor of their own.  Penelope's character takes a little while to develop for the reader, and I think that was a good thing.  As she delves into her job and her relationships, we learn that she's not *just* sunshine and fun hats and great shoes.  She sees people, and cares for them, and draws the best out of them on their own terms.

While I saw the mystery conclusion from the early pages, it was still well done, and fit the story well. I loved all of the side characters; even the ones who didn't play a large part were robust enough to get a sense of their personality and their connection to the town and story.

I cannot wait for Luke's story!

I give this installment of the Edgewood family stories 4 stars.

You can find Positively, Penelope HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley - Courtney Walsh

 

Isadora Bentley has been burned before, when a man kept their relationship a secret, and then stole all the credit for her research. Now, she works alone.  When she runs across an article claiming that if she follows a set of steps, she can find happiness, she sets out to disprove the author.  But what if it actually works?

I have never read another book like this one; one where the author is smart, yet blunt and considered prickly by her co-workers, but she finds people who allow her to be who she is, while helping her see herself the way they see her, thus allowing her to become more of whom she's meant to be.

The cast of friends gathered to Isadora during her happiness experiment are fantastic characters.  My favorite, perhaps, is the 10-year-old Delilah, in whom Isadora finds a kindred spirit, and sees what she could have had if there had been supportive people in her life at a young age.

I also love that once Isadora starts to look beyond herself, she sees the other women in her profession who have also been overlooked, or taken advantage of, and she becomes a source of encouragement for them.

I give this book 5 stars. Isadora will resonate with any woman who's worked in a male-dominated field, or who finds themselves at odds with societal norms.

You can find The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley HERE.
You can find the author on Facebook HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Famous for a Living - Melissa Ferguson

When famous internet influencer Cat Cranwell falls prey to a scandal brought on by her unscrupulous business partner, who has conveniently disappeared, she finds herself taking refuge in the Montana wilderness, under the care of her beloved Uncle Terry, and a team of green interns and national park employees.  As she steeps in the earnestness and openness of a small community, she may learn a thing or two about herself, as well as the handsome Ranger who keeps seeing her at her most awkward.

While this is not the first book I've read about an internet influencer learning balance and gaining a more rounded perspective, there were some unexpected delights in this novel.  The cast of characters she ends up befriending in the forest and town all have their own stories and personalities, and the fun quirky traditions that develop in lieu of big city entertainment were truly humorous and unique.  Additionally, I really enjoyed that, while she realized she had an addiction of sorts, that is not necessarily uncommon to many of us, perhaps, she was also able to determine that not all parts of her needed to change, and she could blend old and new.

There may have been some bumpy parts in the story, but I enjoyed the setting and the fun people in Cat's circles.  I give this book 4 stars.

You can find Famous for a Living HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

 

On the Way to Christmas - Novella collection

 

Description from christianbook.com :

A Christmas Do-Over when job loss forces her to return to her small hometown.

A Yuletide breakup sends Willow Dashing Through the Snow solo on the Christmas Express---with hilarious results.

And big-city Kacey and small-town Drew share A Perfectly Splendid Christmas. But where do they go from here?

I know that I'm not the only one reaching for feel-good Christmas stories early this year.  As the world seems heavy and exhausting, we all need stories of hope and joy.  
Of the three stories, Dashing Through the Snow  was by far my favorite; I loved the story of a Christmas train ride, and the characters made it so much fun.

Overall, I give this book 3 stars, but Dashing Through the Snow is a 4-star story.

You can find On the Way to Christmas HERE.
You can find Shelia Roberts HERE.
You can find Melissa Ferguson HERE.
You can find Amy Clipston HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Meet Me in the Margins - Melissa Ferguson

 

Savannah is an assistant editor in a small publishing company, one which focuses on, let's say, the more serious side of literature, which makes her dream of publishing a romance novel something of a covert operation.  When she leaves it in the room of the publishing house that she thinks is her secret space, only to find that someone has added edits to it, a relationship "in the margins," begins.  Her mysterious editor and she work out a system of never crossing paths while working her manuscript into something publishable, but what if she wants to know her mystery man in person?

If there's one sub-genre of books that I like almost as much as books about food, it's books about books and book lovers.  This story was so cute: the publishing/editing setting, the bookish banter, the secret manuscript and editor storyline - it was all so engaging and fun.

As a note, since I mostly review Christian fiction here, this would  fall on the side of "clean" fiction, but don't expect any faith building or spiritual elements here.

I give this book 4 stars; without spoiling anything, I would have liked a different trail within the story, but overall I loved it!

You can find Meet Me in the Margins HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Much Ado About a Latte - Kathleen Fuller

 

In Much Ado About a Latte, readers return to Maple Falls, where restoration of the town businesses continues.  Anita works hard at the Sunshine Diner, even while dreaming of opening her own coffee shop in town.  Unbeknownst to her, Tanner Castillo, her high school tutor, has dream of his own - of owning the Sunshine Diner and making it into a coffee bar/diner combination.  While pursuing their dreams secretly, their friendship grows with the chance of more - but can either aspect of their relationship sustain the secrets and competition?

While I love this town, and the storylines about updating the town and its businesses, this second installment didn't appeal to me as much as Hooked on You. The stories didn't feel flushed out, so the conclusion felt a little illogical.  Why did Tanner end up working in a diner when he was obviously intelligent and driven in high school? Where did Anita get her dream of a coffee shop? There was no build up of her dream or experience; it didn't seem to tie into her passions, it was just a way to prove herself to her parents. There also wasn't a great explanation of how the two businesses were going to work together; it just somehow conveniently tied the end up in a rosy ending.

I enjoy these characters, and I will continue to look forward to the series, but this one was only 3 stars for me.

You can find Much Ado About a Latte HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Hooked on You - Kathleen Fuller

 

Riley McCallister never planned to come back to Maple Falls; she'd planned to become a renowned artist in New York.  Hayden Price never planned to work at his family's hardware store; he'd planned to become a major league baseball pitcher - which he did, for one pitch.  When Riley's grandmother takes a hard slide at a church softball game and breaks her leg, Riley finds herself back in her grandmother's yarn store, planning to only be there long enough to get her grandmother literally back on her feet.  Hayden, however, has adjusted his plans, and is looking forward to settling into Maple Falls, until he finds that his family may have different plans of their own.  Can Riley and Hayden find a way to be content with their plans being changed?  

After reading through a string of overly sappy romances, this novel hit many of the right notes for me.  Riley, the self-proclaimed artistic loner, and Hayden, the popular athlete, were a great combination of characters.  I loved that this wasn't a second-chance story, per se; Riley and Hayden never connected in high school, each thinking the other never even noticed them.  I loved the Bosom Buddies, Riley's grandmother's collection of friends who bonded over knitting and crocheting and had been together so long as to be able to speak truth to each other, while also watching out for each other.  I loved how the younger version of them, dubbed the Musketeers by Hayden, easily took Riley in, even through her resistance.  

If you're looking for a Christian novel with strong threads of faith, this isn't the book for you.  While the characters go to church, there are no conversations about God, or prayer, or the Bible.  However, it is a clean novel, with themes of love and forgiveness, and how blood family is not the only kind of family.

I give this book 4 stars.  I'm excited that this is a series, and I can't wait to see which characters get the spotlight next!

You can find Hooked on You HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

The Cul-de-Sac War - Melissa Ferguson

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."

- C.S. Lewis

Bree Leake has been bouncing from job to job and hobby to hobby for far too long.  She is currently sharing her Nana's house with a housemate, because neither of them are willing to give up their share of the house that was bequeathed to them upon Nana's passing.  Meanwhile, she's barely hanging on to her bit part at the local theater.  In the midst of this, a confounding new neighbor moves in next door, with a giant mastiff named Russell, who deems Bree his "favorite," much to Bree's chagrin.  This kicks off a series of increasingly complicated pranks between Bree and Chip, the neighbor, as they both try to figure out where their personal lives are headed, and the part their neighbor relationship might play in it.

I'm not sure how to write about this book.  For probably 80% of it, I didn't even like the characters.  I had trouble foreseeing an ending that would wipe out the problems I had early on in the story.  Chip lied and misrepresented himself and his abilities.  He never even tried to understand why Bree was upset, and his lackadaisical approach to her fear, or at least dislike, of his giant dog was lacking in even basic human compassion.  Their pranks could have been funny, and if the book played off of harmless pranks back and forth, that could have been a fun story.  But their pranks were not entirely harmless, and they drew in other people, wasting their time and resources.  If the story had delved deeper into why Bree couldn't find a path in life, or her paralyzing fear over her niece's condition, it could have taken a serious path and been a a better read.  But most of that was glossed over, until it came into play to tie up the story in the end.  Chip's family and his reasons for setting out on his own were super interesting, and the tragedy that brought him home clearly had a huge impact on him, but the book made it seem only tangential to the neighborhood war.

In the end, the theme seemed to have been based around the C.S. Lewis quote above, but for me, it took too long to get there, and especially in Chip's case, there was very little redemption to a character who was extremely self-focused for so much of the book.  I enjoyed The Dating Charade by this author, and some of the characters do carry over, but this one was a miss for me.  3 stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

You can find The Cul-de-Sac War HERE.You can find the author HERE.

Autumn Skies - Denise Hunter

Once again, we join the Bennett siblings at their Bluebell Inn for this final installment to the series.  Now, we focus on Grace, the youngest of the siblings, who is trying to get her outdoor outfitters business off the ground, as the siblings prepare to sell the inn and move on with their lives.  When Wyatt Jennings comes to visit the inn, Grace is drawn to him and his mysterious search in the nearby mountains.  Their lives are so different and headed in different directions, though, what could even come of a relationship?

I have enjoyed this tale of the Bennett siblings, and their mission to run the inn their parents never got to see come to fruition.  I like seeing their interactions as their lives change, and they find their matches, and try to adjust their family expectations.  Grace and Wyatt's story was perhaps not my favorite of the 3 books, but it was good to see the family again and have a sense of where they're all headed from here.  I missed the extra side characters in this portion of the story, however, it was much more centered on the main two characters than the previous books were, and I felt like that left the story a little flat. 

I give this book 3 stars, but overall the series would average higher than that as a whole, and if you read the first two, you should certainly finish it out!

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

You can find Autumn Skies HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

The Summer House - Lauren K. Denton

From christianbook.com :
"When Lily Bishop wakes to find her husband's goodbye note and divorce papers, she takes a position as hair stylist at the Safe Harbor retirement community for income. She soon livens up the place Rose Carrigan founded just before her spouse ran off with his assistant. Will these jilted women become friends---and discover second chances at love? "

It feels weird to say that I really liked this book, when it started on such a rocky note.  But, if you can get past the opening of a woman's husband leaving her out of the blue, there's a lot to gather here about second chances and opening up to the people whom you find in your life.  Between Lily's fresh start, and Rose's path to forgiving herself and letting people in, the characters in this story were heartrendingly realistic, and down-to-earth, yet colorful and engaging.  I loved watching the interplay between the members of this community who had lived among each other for years, yet with the fresh perspective of 28-year-old Lily becoming part of them.  I could see a series set in this community of Safe Harbor, delving into the rich histories of those who live here, and perhaps interacting with and passing on their wisdom to the next generations.  

I give this book 4 stars.  Lily and Rose were traveling separate paths, yet both needed forgiveness, healing, and fresh starts, and I loved watching how their journeys affected each other and the community they were a part of.

You can find The Summer House HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Joy of Falling - Lindsay Harrel

"They may have started out doing this for their husbands and family, but somewhere along the way it has also become about them.  About fighting for a new life that didn't have to end with the tragedy that had overtaken them.  About finding joy in the journey."

Eva and Angela are sisters-in-law, united not only by their marriage to brothers, but in their grief over the loss of both their husbands in the same accident.  While this should draw them together, they're dealing with their loss very differently and find it difficult to share the common ground peacefully.  When Eva convinces Angela to attempt an ultra-marathon in New Zealand, in memory of their husbands, they will each need to face their grief, their loss, and their fears, in order to face their future.

There was a lot of depth and emotion in this book; it didn't gloss over the journeys each woman had to travel through her grief, even though the timeline was perhaps compacted for a novel-length story.  It really highlighted how differently people can process loss, and how that might look quite different on the outside than what they're actually feeling inside.  The temptation to idealize the departed is prevalent, but the reader can see the characters work through their guilt over their less than perfect relationships and acknowledge the gaps, and learn from their mistakes.

I give this book 4 stars.  It had depth without feeling heavy with its look at grief and learning to live again.

You can find Joy of Falling HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Fifth Avenue Story Society - Rachel Hauck

Five people, with only tenuous connections at most, receive mysterious invitations to a Story Society meeting in a special room at the Fifth Avenue Library.  As they struggle to find out what or who could have brought them together, they begin to form relationships and find themselves looking forward to and depending on this strange group more and more.  Could they have been brought together to simply share their stories, or will they find a bigger purpose within the sharing?

This was my favorite Rachel Hauck book in awhile; I'm almost glad I didn't realize it was connected to The Writing Desk, because I didn't love that one.  However, this one was filled with such an amazing cast of characters, all of whom had compelling stories to tell, that I had a hard time letting go of them with the last page.  I found myself equally drawn into almost all of their points of view, and I was eager to see their secrets revealed and their wounds from their pasts healed. 

I give this book 4.5 stars; I still don't love the Gordon Phipps Roth storyline that carried over from The Writing Desk, but it was important to Jett's storyline.  Otherwise, I loved the interplay between the characters, and the tough choices they had to make with revealing the truths in their lives.

You can find The Fifth Avenue Story Society HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

The Dating Charade - Melissa Ferguson

Cassie has had so many bad blind dates that she has a full escape plan in place.  She is ready to walk away from the dating scene when Jett Bentley shows up and decides to pursue her, the girl who he admired from afar in high school.  Each has stated up front that they're not interested in having kids, but it's not quite the whole truth for either of them.  When complicated situations leave each of them with 3 kids in their individual custody, they must decide how to, or whether to, fill the other one in, with the risk of scaring them away for good.

This is one of those cases where I almost let a cover and title keep me from reading a good book; I was expecting the whole book to read like the introduction - a woman running from disastrous dates, a firefighter rescuing old ladies.  While that beginning was humorous, and would have made for a fun light-hearted book, but instead, the story got much much deeper.  Touching on infertility, foster care, child abuse and neglect, and unmet dreams and expectations, Jett and Cassie traveled a very emotional path both separately and together.  With well-placed revelations about each of the characters, the story blended past hurts and current struggles.  My one disappointment was that when Jett and Cassie came to a seemingly impassable argument, there was no real work to resolve it; somehow, it magically became a non-issue. 

I give this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.  I loved this book for all of the tough topics it tackled, but I did wish that the characters would have reflected a little more on how to work through some of them.  I have not been closely involved with foster care, but I did appreciate that the book didn't make it all seem perfect and peachy, for either the parents or the children.

You can find The Dating Charade HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.
(This is her debut novel, and I'm looking forward to more from her!)

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Lake Season - Denise Hunter

Molly, Levi, and Grace Bennett choose to band together after their parents' tragic death, and put their life plans on hold to open the inn that was their parents' dream.  During the last stages of construction, Molly discovers an unsent letter stuck in the walls, and becomes obsessed with tracking down the writer and intended recipient to try to provide healing or closure.  Meanwhile, Adam Bradford, whose pseudonym is the bestselling author Nathaniel Quinn, comes to Bluebell to find inspiration for his next novel.  With no other rooms available during the busy Lake Season, Adam ends up at the Bluebell Inn, and strikes up a friendship with Molly.  Finding himself drawn to both Molly and the mysterious letter, the two of them work closely together to delve into the small town's past to find what they can about this couple that has stolen their hearts.  How close can Adam get to Molly without revealing his secret identity, who just happens to be Molly's favorite author, or without her feeling deceived if he does reveal himself?  Can he trust her with his insecurities that he doesn't measure up to his own heroes?

This book had all the makings of a great summer read - the lake town, the small inn, the tragic beginning, and an author crush, but it fell just a little shy for me.  I wanted the townspeople, or side characters to play a larger part in filling out the feel of the town and story.  The book was entirely focused on Adam and Molly, with a minimal dual timeline addition to give a bit more weight to the letter plot.  Molly's best friend Skye had so much potential, as did Adam's friend Jordan, and Molly's siblings Levi and Grace.  I believe this is intended to be a series, with each sibling getting their turn at a book, so maybe their stories will start to feel more developed.  However, I spent most of the book feeling like I was missing a prequel, or maybe this wasn't meant to be book one, and that I was supposed to already know these people. 

Since Adam and Molly were the focus of the story, I did feel connected to them, and Adam's battle with his father's memory and the insecurities that stemmed from that, as well as Molly's grief and guilt over her parents' death were heartwrenching.  Lizzie and Ben's story was also very emotional, and while I wished for it to be fleshed out a bit more, I did appreciate how well everything tied together in the end.  Some might say too much so, but I didn't mind the coincidences, when attributed to God's sovereignty.

I give this book 4 stars.  November is an odd choice for a beach-y book to release, but maybe you'll want to hold onto it for next summer!  I do plan to read the siblings' stories as they are available, because I think this family set-up is rich for a good tale.

You can find Lake Season HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publishers, in exchange for my honest review.

Love and Other Mistakes - Jessica Kate

Natalie has always intended to take up her father's ministry and carry on his legacy, however, life has gotten in the way, and instead, she finds herself in a dead end job, until the company closes.  Now, her ex- fiance is back in town, and needs her help.  At the same time, the perfect ministry opportunity presents itself.  Can she balance both?

What a surprising book!  I didn't expect much going in, either from the cover (sorry! Cover snob here), or the description, but there was so much more to this book than I thought I was going to get.  This story was definitely deeper than the outward appearances gave it credit for; these characters struggle with hard things (affairs, alcohol, single-parenting, custody issues, and more), and it does not all work out perfectly in the end.  Yet, even in the hardness, there is hope, and there is love, and there is sacrifice for each other. All of which, in the end, points the characters and the reader to the One who sacrificed for all.

I give this book 5 stars.  It's unusual to see so many real-life struggles in a Christian fiction book, especially ones that, like real-life, don't magically work out by the last page.  I will definitely be looking into other books by this author!

You can find Love and Other Mistakes HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Fragments of Fear - Carrie Stuart Parks

Evelyn McTavish has been struggling to recover from her fiance's alleged suicide, an allegation that she doesn't think adds up.  When she is called to pick up a dog that isn't hers, she is swept into a whirlwind of secrets and cover-ups and danger until she doesn't know whom she can trust.  FBI agent Sawyer Price is working his own case when he gets pulled into Evelyn's situation, and they find themselves trying to stay alive long enough to put all of the pieces together.

I really enjoyed the characters of Evelyn and Sawyer.  Mostly Tavish (Evelyn), who was dealing with low self esteem, a mother who didn't care, a dead fiance, and a crazy never-ending mystery.  Speaking of which, the mystery itself didn't really appeal to me.  There were too many moving parts, and too many of them seemed to not really tie into each other.  There were too many pointless deaths, and too many trails pointing the reader away from the actual plot.  When the antagonists were revealed, it didn't feel like a clicking of the pieces together.  Also, the wrap up of the story and then movement into "The Months Later" felt jarring.  The story took so long to come together and reveal the characters that the conclusion should have been a little more gradual as well. 

I give this book 3 stars; Tavish was compelling enough to keep me turning pages, but I was dissatisfied with the overall story.  If you like twisty, turny, suspense stories, with lots of murders to keep you wondering, you may enjoy it more than I did, though!

You can find Fragments of Fear HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

The Pages of Her Life - James L. Rubart

Allison Moore's life is in turmoil; conflict with her business partner, a crisis with her mom, a brother who's been out of touch for months, she doesn't know where she's going or how she's going to get there.  She turns to prayer, and seemingly gets immediate responses, yet even those answers bring more problems, forcing her to figure out who she really is and how she's going to handle the chaos.  Along the way, she overhears a conversation in a coffee shop about a strange journal that she finds herself inexplicably drawn to.  Soon after, the coffee shop owner tells her that a man left the journal there for Allison, and she begins a strange journey of discovering herself through a journal that may be edited by angels. 

As with the previous book by this author that I read, Rooms, Pages looks at unusual ways that God might choose to communicate with us today, to draw us back to Him.  In this book, He uses a journal to call Allison's attention to who He's made her to be, and to get her to question her choices and goals in life.  She continues to doubt whether this is even possible, but when she says to her mom "'God writing in there? That's crazy.  God doesn't do things like that anymore.'" Her mom responds with "'God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  If he did it thousands of years ago, why couldn't he do it today.'"  Allison then finds herself trying to rely on the journal for specific instructions and becomes frustrated when she can't use it like a magic genie.  As she reflects on its place in her life with Richard, a mysterious friend whom she tracked down after seeing him with the journal's previous owner, she says, "'I need change in here.' Allison pointed at her chest. 'It has to be more than pretending I believe in myself.  More than positive thinking.  It has to be real.'"  She begins to see that more than God wanting to direct her life, He wants her to seek Him and make the changes that make her life more meaningful.

In general, I really enjoyed this book.  The idea of an angel speaking for God through a journal and well-placed strangers was an intriguing concept, and it was satisfying to see Allison learn and grow through the process.  There were, however, two characters whose sole purpose in the book seemed to be to frustrate Allison out of her complacency, and they were so devious and hypocritical that it raised my stress level to read their sections.  They did serve their purpose, but it's frustrating to watch a character repeatedly fall for traps that the author has clearly set up as such.  I really wanted to see them get theirs, or for them to change from Allison's persistence, but that didn't happen, and I just ended up still feeling angry at them.

I give the book 4 stars; it was well-paced, I enjoyed the secondary characters, and aside from the naivete or trustfulness of Allison and her mother towards untrustworthy characters, it was thought provoking and tied up well.

You can find The Pages of Her Life HERE.
You can find the author's site HERE.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Glory Road - Lauren K. Denton

Jessie is content, if not happy, running her flower shop with her mom and daughter in her hometown.  Then, an old flame returns to town, a handsome wealthy man starts showing her attention, and her mom begins acting strangely.  What decisions does Jessie need to make, and how will they affect her small family's future?

This was such a lovely book.  While there was no great plot to rush the reader to the end, the slow moving glimpse of daily life for this little, unorthodox, family of three was heart warming.  None of the characters were made out to be perfect, and there were certainly challenges they needed to overcome, but none of it felt contrived.  Instead, it just felt like real live.  Even when Jessie needed to choose between the two men who were interested in her, neither man was the clear choice, and the book could have ended just as happily for her if she'd made a different choice.  But choosing life and to live it, rather than to hide oneself away, was the clear theme of this book.  Whether you're almost 70 and had a happy marriage, whether you're nearing 40 and have been badly burned by love in the past, or whether you're 14 and getting your first taste of a crush as well as deciding which voice inside of you you're going to follow, these three generations of women demonstrate that being  yourself and loving your family go a long way towards a happy life.

I give this book 4 stars.  I enjoy seeing characters thrive in unusual circumstances, and I enjoyed watching this family set boundaries and cross them and love each other along the way.

You can find Glory Road HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

The Printed Letter Bookshop - Katherine Reay

Three women, whose lives are intertwined by the death of another. Upon Maddie's passing, her estranged niece Madeline inherits her aunt's bookshop, and along with it, her two employees Janet and Claire. Janet, not known for being warm and fuzzy, and Claire, competent in the Bookshop but accused by Janet as being a bystander in her own life, yet somehow the women find ways to bond and heal through the legacy of the woman who brought them together.

There were so many layers to this book, that I hardly know where to start. First of all, I love the setting of a small town bookstore where the owner knows her customers well enough to recommend books to each person, and the town's love and loyalty to Maddie continue after her death. I love Janet's prickly personality and her journey to realizing what's missing in her life. Claire's family struggles and search for where she lost herself is completely relatable. Madeline goes through her own changes as she realizes that her relationship with her aunt could have been very different. I love all of the supporting characters and how they strengthen the main characters’ stories. Between the three women's individual journeys and their evolving friendships and external relationships, this book was deep and rich, and I waffled between wanting to speed through to discover everything about it, and wanting to slow down and savor it. I especially enjoyed the references to so many books within the context of not just recommendations to customers, but also Maddie's individualized book lists in her letters to the three women that played such a part in their growth. I give this book 5 stars. I have enjoyed all of Katherine Reay's books that I've read, but this one stands out for me. You can find The Printed Letter Bookshop HERE. You can find the author HERE. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.