What You Said to Me - Olivia Newport

 

Feeling like she's the latest in a line of women who make bad choices and can't find a way to be happy, Tisha Crowder ends up essentially doing community service time as Jillian's assistant.  Only, Jillian has a hard time seeing that there's any assisting being done.  Yet, between Nolan's unwavering patience and optimism, and Jillian's glimpses into Tisha's life, Jillian gains an understanding of what's inside Tisha, and together, they find that maybe there's some good in her family line after all.

This might have been my favorite of the series!  I really felt like I could put myself in the shoes of all the characters in this book.  I could see Nolan's desire to help Tisha, because he could see that her circumstances were turning her into something she didn't need to be.  I could feel Tisha's discouragement at her situation and her doubt that Jillian and Nolan meant the nice things they said about her, because it conflicted with everything she'd ever heard from her mother, and that made them seem like platitudes.  Even Jillian's reaction to Tisha was totally reasonable, because her project was important to her and her client, and it must have been nerve-wracking to have a lackadaisical, lackluster teenager mope into her workspace with no regard to accuracy.  While Nolan remained steadfast, Jillian and Tisha changed together, and their growth seemed realistic and satisfying.

I give this book 4 stars.  While it was my favorite thus far, and I enjoy this ongoing series and continuing to connect with Jillian and Nolan, they aren't books I see myself rereading, although I found myself wishing I remembered more from the previous installments as I struggled to remember some of the side characters this time around.

You can find What You Said to Me 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.

Sea Glass Castle - T.I.Lowe

In this third installment of the Carolina Coast series, the story centers around Sophia Prescott, ex-wife of a pro football player, and now single mom living back in Sunset Cove with her best friends, the Sand Queens.  As she works to distance herself from her highly publicized divorce, and tries to find a new normal, she encounters Dr. Weston Sawyer, who is also trying to heal from his past.  Can they form a friendship to help each other re-calibrate their lives?  Maybe if they can get past all of their arguments.

This was probably my favorite of this trilogy.  I felt like the characters had really developed, and Sophia and Wes's stories were tragic, without being overly dramatic.  Their grief was different enough to provide comfort for each other, while giving them the kind of empathy necessary for healing. 

I loved that the couples from the first two books still played heavily into this story, making their group of friends wider and ever more protective of each other.  I would love to have more stories that centered around this trio of couples, their lives, and their friendships.

I give this book 4 stars.  I really enjoyed this series as a whole, and I would recommend reading them in order.

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

You can find Sea Glass Castle HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

Heart Chimes - Denise Janette Bruneau

From Amazon:
"Author of Finding Home, Denise Janette Bruneau brings us another story about hope, love, and unyielding faith in God.Dr. Marla Devereaux tries to balance her career as an ER doctor with her duties as a wife until she discovers that her husband has been having an affair while hiding his infidelity as frequent “business trips.” Devastated with the loss of her marriage, Marla’s life suddenly changes when she receives a letter in the mail, informing her of an inheritance from her grandmother in Guntersville, Alabama. Moving into her grandparents’ lake house from her home in Cincinnati, Marla finds a man already there, an ER nurse named Micah Brady. Getting to know her grandmothers’ handsome tenant, Marla soon learns that Micah is suffering from a loss of his own. Holding onto the objects that give them hope, for Micah his heart-tattoo and for Marla her grandparents’ grandfather clock, the two of them rediscover true, Godly love."

The premise of this story is cute: an ER doctor hearing a dying woman's last words of love to her husband, only to cross paths again with the husband 3 years later after her own husband abruptly divorces her.  However, with its short length, it was like a full novel's story trying to fit into a novella-length space.  The details were shallow, and there were holes in the plot.  The supporting characters had a lot of potential, but they weren't deeply developed.  They were the kind of characters and the type of town that could have held a whole series of books, yet I came away feeling like I didn't really know any of them.  Marla's past and her relationship with her husband were brutal to her psyche, and there was potential depth to the story to restore her confidence and self worth as a daughter of God.

I give this book 3 stars; I feel like it had a lot going for it, but it needed to be longer to really reach its story potential.

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

You can find Heart Chimes HERE.
You can find information about the author HERE.

Before I Called You Mine - Nicole Deese

From christianbook.com :

"After many matchmaking schemes gone awry, Lauren Bailey's one goal is to become a mother. Remaining single to meet the adoption agency's requirements seems simple---until Joshua Avery appears on the scene. Now Lauren must choose between the two deepest desires of her heart. Can she say yes to one and let go of the other?"

What an unusual plotline, well-done story of adoption and sacrifice!  I can't speak to the authenticity of the adoption timeline and legalities, but the idea of a woman choosing to forgo dating and relationships to pursue adoption as a single woman, and then meeting her dream man? What a setup for a heartbreaking decision and enthralling story!

Lauren's and Josh's characters were so well written that I laughed with them and their quick banter and Josh's zany antics, but I also ached with them over the impossible choices put before them, and their desire to hear God's will for their lives.  How could He set Lauren on the path to singlehood adoption and then put Josh across the hall from her every day?  How was Lauren supposed to decide between a man she could build a life with, and possible pursue further adoptions with...four years in the future...or the child she could help right now?!

The cast of side characters in this story were just as well done and so important to the richness of the book; from Lauren's family, whom she felt didn't understand her at all, to Joshua's family, who welcomed her right in, as well as the Cartwright family who showed her what adoption looked like, soup to nuts, and her best friend Jenna, who was there for her throughout it all.

I give this book 5 stars!  While I'm sure the adoption process is much more grueling and emotional than can fit into a single novel, I didn't feel like this book glossed over any of it.  It highlighted that adoption is a calling, and a sacrifice, and that there is great need, but it is certainly not quick or easy.

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

You can find Before I Called You Mine HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

Set the Stars Alight - Amanda Dykes

Lucy Clairmont grew up hearing seemingly disconnected stories from her father, along with her childhood friend, Dashel.  Now, both grown up, Lucy is a marine archaeologist, and Dashel is a forensic astronomer; their career paths have now intersected and brought these two old friends back together, to a place where the past, their childhoods and their stories come together in a way to bring closure to the past and a future they could have only hoped for.

Wow! Another winner from Amanda Dykes! This was a beautiful weaving of past and present, with delightful, complex characters in both timelines.  A split timeline is best when you're both disappointed to leave the timeline you are currently reading, but you're also impatient to find out what is happening in the timeline you're returning to.  This book successfully makes you feel entrenched in both the historical tale and the contemporary companion.

I loved watching Frederick's tale develop in the past, even while watching Dash and Lucy discover how the puzzle pieces they'd been given fit together to complete the picture of the lost ship and the infamous Traitor.  The supporting characters in both the past and the present, including the presence of Lucy's father through the stories he'd gifted Dash and Lucy, and the occupants of Stone's Throw Farm (which I desperately want to visit!) made the tale richer and left me wishing for more of their stories.  This is a book that I wish wasn't a stand alone novel!

I'm not always a split timeline fan, but I give this book 5 stars!

You can find Set the Stars Alight 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.