Review: A Sugar Creek Christmas

A Sugar Creek Christmas by Jenny B. Jones
My rating: 💛💛💛

A Sugar Creek Christmas had some fun, enjoyable moments, with a cast of very enjoyable characters, especially Grandmother Sylvie.

If you are looking for a sweet Christmas novella, this one is highly recommended.


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About the book:

Sometimes all love needs is a second chance.


Morning television show darling Emma Sutton has just been fired. The only way to get her job back is to find a holiday story to warm the coldest heart. So when her hometown of Sugar Creek, Arkansas, needs a Christmas event planner, Emma moves back, sure her story lies in the town’s desire to become a tourist’s holiday wonderland. The plan is perfect—until Emma meets her new boss.

Charming, handsome Noah Kincaid isn’t just Sugar Creek’s newest mayor. He’s also Emma’s ex-fiancé. Ten years ago Emma left Noah her ring and a goodbye note, but it’s haunted her ever since. The last thing Noah wants to do is work with the woman who broke his heart, but Emma’s desperate to prove to him that her bah-humbug ways won’t interfere with her work.

Emma finds it’s more than the mistletoe drawing her back to Noah. Whatever they had is clearly not over, but Noah’s kisses can’t protect Emma from a past that won’t leave her alone. As the snow falls and the trees glisten, love will come to Sugar Creek. But will it come in time to make all of Emma’s Christmas dreams come true?

About the author:

Four-time Carol Award winner Jenny B. Jones writes contemporary romance with wit, sass, and Southern

charm. Since writing for both women and teens leaves her with very little free time, she believes in spending her spare hours in meaningful, intellectual pursuits, such as watching E!, going to the movies and inhaling large buckets of popcorn, and writing her name in the dust on her furniture. www.jennybjones.com

Review: Taken

Taken by Dee Henderson
My rating: 💛💛

Rating 2.5

I really wanted to like this story more than what I had.

I became a fan of Dee Henderson after reading the O’Malley series, which to date, is still one of the best suspense series I have read. But the downside is that I expect similar writing from the author’s other books.

Though this was an intriguing mystery, for me it missed the suspenseful, nail-biting chemistry and interaction between the characters, not only the two leads, but between the characters and the suspense/culprit as well.


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About the book:

An investigator who knows tragic loss firsthand, and his new client, missing far too long...Abducted at the age of sixteen and coerced into assisting the Jacoby crime family, Shannon Bliss has finally found a way out. She desperately wants to resume some semblance of normal life, but she also knows she has some unfinished business to attend to. She might have enough evidence to put her captors behind bars for a very long time. When Shannon contacts private investigator Matthew Dane, a former cop, to help her navigate her reentry into society, he quickly discovers that gaining her freedom doesn't mean her troubles are over. If the Jacoby family learns she is still alive, they'll stop at nothing to silence her.If justice is to be done, and if Shannon's life is ever to get on track again, Matthew will need to discover exactly what happened to her--even if it means stirring up a hornet's nest of secrets.

About the author:

Dee Henderson is the author of 27 non-fiction and fiction titles, including Jesus our Savior and Redeemer,

Jesus the Truth and the Life, The Good News Project, Taken and the acclaimed O’MALLEY series. Several titles have appeared on the USA Today Bestseller list; Full Disclosure has also appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. For details visit: DeeHenderson.com

Review: A Dance in Donegal

A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

This was a beautifully written debut set in Ireland.

I enjoyed seeing the mystery unfold around what happened with Moira’s mom in the past which might warrant some characters treating Moira with unfriendliness and harshness.

There were characters to Love and characters to dislike, but all added to the beauty of the story.

I loved seeing how unconditional love can turn others from wickedness to repentance.

I mourned the loss of a strong secondary character and was shocked when I realised how the events unfolded which led to this death.

I listened to the audiobook and loved how the narrator successfully delivered the Irish accents.

*I listened to the audiobook on Everand.*

View all my reviews

About the book:

All of her life, Irish-American Moira Doherty has relished her mother's descriptions of Ireland. When her mother dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1920, Moira decides to fulfill her mother's wish that she become the teacher in Ballymann, her home village in Donegal, Ireland.

After an arduous voyage, Moira arrives to a new home and a new job in an ancient country. Though a few locals offer a warm welcome, others are distanced by superstition and suspicion. Rumors about Moira's mother are unspoken in her presence but threaten to derail everything she's journeyed to Ballymann to do. Moira must rely on the kindness of a handful of friends--and the strength of Sean, an unsettlingly handsome thatcher who keeps popping up unannounced--as she seeks to navigate a life she'd never dreamed of . . . but perhaps was meant to live.

Jennifer Deibel's debut novel delights the senses, bringing to life the sights, sounds, smells, and language of a lush country and a colorful people. Historical romance fans will embrace her with open arms.

About the author:

Jennifer Deibel is a middle school teacher and freelance writer. Her work has appeared on (in)courage, on

The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic Magazine, and others. With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona.

Debut novel, A Dance in Donegal, releases February 2, 2021 from Revell. Follow Moira Doherty to the wilds of rural Ireland in 1921. Available for preorder wherever books are sold.

Book Spotlight Friday! Flashpoint

Book Beginnings and Friday56

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. Friday 56 is hosted by My Head is Full of Books and asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader and share a non-spoiler sentence or two.  First Line Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Reading is my Superpower that asks you to share the first sentence of the book you're reading.

I am very excited about this series. Each book in this 6 book series will release 3 weeks apart, so if you enjoy reading action packed series like me, keep a look out for this one.

Flashpoint

About the book:

SECRETS. BETRAYAL. SACRIFICE.
THIS TIME, THEY'RE NOT JUST FIGHTING FIRE.

An original series created by bestselling authors Susan May Warren and Lisa Phillips.

The Hollywood heartthrob and the firefighter with a secret…

Rookie firefighter Emily Micah is determined to prove herself as a new recruit to the elite Jude County Hotshots wildfire team. Assigned to the film set of The Drifters, Emily's mission is to protect the cast and crew from the special effects that could ignite the tinder-dry Montana forest and start a wildfire.

If only her favorite actor—TV star Spenser Storm—wasn’t getting in her way.

What could go wrong?

Haunted by the memory of a rabid stalker, former child TV star Spenser Storm is hoping to revive his career, but he’s torn between the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and the life of a cowboy on his family’s ranch in Montana. It doesn’t help when he sees the movie that’s supposed to launch his future is going up in flames.

And then there’s beautiful and brave Emily Micah, who not only saves his life, but seems to understand him, maybe better than she should.

As an arsonist threatens the film production, seemingly with the goal of destroying the movie entirely, Spenser realizes he'll stop at nothing to protect his future and the woman now stealing his heart.

But Emily harbors a secret…one that could destroy the flame between them. And when it comes out, it could cost them everything, and ignite an inferno that could destroy all of the northern Montana forest.

Chasing Fire: Montana Series, Book One—Flashpoint—delivers a thrilling and emotional rollercoaster ride that will leave you breathless, yearning for more, and eager to dive into the next chapter of the thrilling series.

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Book Beginnings

Clearly, His last hope at a comeback was about to crash and burn.

Friday 56

Shoot, she was in terrible, terrible trouble.

My thoughts so far

I met Emily when she was the little girl from the train wreck, in the first ever novel I have read by Susan May Warren and enjoying the all grown up Emily and her own story.

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Monthly Recap: April 2024

 

 I first saw this monthly reflections idea on: Christian bookshelf reviews

April had a few warmer days with some winter cold in between. 

What I've read:

(Reviews can be found under Book Review tag)

Kindle:

Audio:

Paperback:

What I would like to read in May:

Currently Reading:

Upcoming reads (hopeful):

Will be happy to read these few books this month:

Did I buy any new books?

Bought:

Freebies: 

Did I read everything I wanted too?

The following I had to carry over - mostly for a 50 state challenge I am doing:

(crosses I've read this month),

This is a main challenge I want to focus on this year:

Looking at 2024, 24 books I would like to read which I had forever!

Managed three this month so on track 😇

ARC/Netgalley update:

ARC/Netgalley books downloaded this month:

A better month with the ARCs:

ARC/Netgalley books read and reviewed:

Send feedback on the following:

How was your month?

Can't Wait Wednesday! Hunting Justice

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I am enjoying this new series collection and looking forward to the second book releasing May 21st.

About the book: Hunting Justice

A dark secret puts them in the crosshairs of a relentless killer…

Ex-detective and current Elite Guardian Noelle Burton survived a horrifying attack by a serial killer as a child. Now, determined to put the scars of her past behind her, she’s intent on helping the Elite Guardians set up shop in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia. More, she’s wondering if her friendship with Dr. Jonah Harris, an ex-ER doctor turned medical examiner, might be more. But he has his own demons to fight—namely guilt over the death of his wife.

So, maybe not.

Meanwhile, Jonah can't ignore the growing desire he feels for Noelle. If only he knew he wasn’t going to destroy their friendship…

And then, tragedy strikes—the sudden death of a colleague rocks his world, and Jonah knows that there's more to the incident than meets the eye. In fact, he may have been the intended target. Now he needs Noelle…not just as a friend, but as a protector.

Noelle will have to protect Jonah, while not letting their friendship spark into something more, and Jonah will have to unravel the threat that stalks him. Clues lead them down a dark path, revealing unsettling connections to a series of unsolved crimes. And when they stumble upon the chilling possibility of a serial killer lurking in the shadows, all Noelle’s nightmares come back to life.

Then the unthinkable occurs—the killer strikes again, targeting someone close to them. Noelle and Jonah race against time to expose the truth and capture the killer…and when their friendship becomes something deeper, it’s clear they have everything to lose.

Don’t miss this gripping story of resilience, trust, and the power of love in the exhilarating second book of the Elite Guardians: Savannah.

Elite Guardians: Savannah
Book 1: Vanishing Legacy
Book 2: Hunting Justice
Book 3: Guarding Truth

Elite Guardians Collection
Book 1: Driving Force
Book 2: Impending Strike
Book 3: Defending Honor
Book 4: Christmas in the Crosshairs

What are you waiting on this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Petty Reasons You’ve DNF’d a Book (Or reduced its rating. You don’t even have to say what the book was if you don’t want to!)

 Join in the Top Ten Tuesday fun! Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

So, there was only a few books (like four) I have not DNF's and the main reasons for those were:

1. The main topic in the plot is Voodoo - it is just something I do not feel comfortable reading about.

2. I found myself bored and rolling my eyes a lot - then look at my long list of TBR, and rather pick up something else:

Reasons I will drop a rating:

3. The plot is too predictable.

4. Too much romance - especially the meet and fall in love and break up because we can't communicate then make up plot.

5. A suspense book where the suspense is too light.

6. A suspense book where I guess the ending/suspect in the first 50% of the book (and it was not planned by the author).

7. The characters is not likeable or connectable.

8. Too much talk about the physical appearance and borderline on sexual tension in a Christian fiction book.

And that is about it.  Usually I choose to read books I know I will like.