Monthly Recap: October 2024

 

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

A lot of reading done, though I still planned a few more books which I did not get time for.

We enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather and beauty all around.

 

What I've read:

(Reviews can be found under Book Review tag)

Kindle:

Audio:

Paperback:

What I would like to read in November:

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 - a bit behind again on my 24 books in 24 challenge:

(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!

I have 12 left for the rest of the year 😇

ARC/Netgalley update:

ARC/Netgalley books downloaded this month:

A bit better this month with the ARCs:

ARC/Netgalley books read and reviewed:

Send feedback on the following:

How was your month?

Book Spotlight Friday! An Honorable Deception

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.

Roseanna M White always takes met to a wonderful journey to the past with her unique plots and characters she creates.

An Honorable Deception

About the book:

As the leader of elite private investigative firm the Imposters, Lord Yates Fairfax has made an art of concealing his identity. But when his newest client, the beautiful Lady Alethia Barremore, is shot while leaving their meeting, he throws caution to the wind and rushes to her aid. Though Lady Alethia thought she was only looking for her missing former nanny, she has clearly stumbled upon dangerous secrets.

Lady Lavinia Hemming suspects there's more to her oldest friends than they're willing to admit, and when she stumbles upon the truth that they're the Imposters, she recruits herself into the firm. Happy as she is for the distraction of an investigation, Lavinia's own family secrets continue to haunt her. And the one thing to bring laughter back into her life--her friendship with Yates--lands her squarely on the bad side of her best friend, his sister.

Tormented by a past that she doesn't dare to voice aloud, Lady Alethia does what she can to help her handsome host, her new friends, and the investigators. But as clues lead them deeper into the darkest of society's secrets, Alethia, Yates, and Lavinia soon learn anew that the gentry isn't always noble . . . and truth isn't always honorable.

*************************************************************

Book Beginnings

Yates let the barbell clang back into its brackets and pushed up to sitting, his eyes searching for the utilitarian clock on the wall

 

Friday 56

Her heart didn't have to be her prison or her betrayer.

My thoughts so far

Looking forward to continue this story over the weekend.

   ************************************************************* 

Review: Just Let Go

Just Let Go by Courtney Walsh
My rating: 💛💛💛

Rating 3.5

Grady were such a rough raw character who were the perfect picture of how God can change someone everyone has given up on.

I loved how the judge saw something in Grady which was worth the effort and how the small town played a part in changing his heart.

Quinn represented a lot of Christian women who decided to give their life to God at a young age and keep themselves pure, but sometimes hold others also to a high standard and can come across judge mental and critical. I appreciated how through getting to know Grady, Quinn became more compassionate.

This was a sweet engaging contemporary with a few life lessons to take home.

*I listened to the audiobook on Audible.*

Book 1: Just Look Up 

View all my reviews

About the book:

For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her head. Not that she'd ever ask for help.

Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn's father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out--and the best way to avoid more negative press.

Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she's uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town--and Quinn's life--possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.

About the author:

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, theatre director, and playwright. She writes small town romance and women's

fiction while juggling the performing arts studio and youth theatre she owns and runs with her husband. Her debut, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists. Her novel, Just Let Go, won the Carol Award in 2019 and Just One Kiss was a 2020 Christy Award Finalist.

A creative at heart, Courtney has also written two craft books and several full-length musicals. She lives in Illinois with her husband and three children and a sometimes naughty Bernedoodle named Luna.

Visit her online at www.courtneywalshwrites.com. 

Review: Against the Wind

Against the Wind by Amanda Cabot
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

I’ve read this book last in order and I enjoyed catching up on Louisa and Josh’s story. Reading this out of order did not take away the enjoyment of the book.

Louisa’s desire toe become a doctor was a challenge for the time period, where everyone just expected a women to marry and be a wife.

Joshua fight against doing what he wants to do versus expected from his grandfather felt realistic and I enjoyed how that ended.

Overall, another enjoyable historical romance with a dash of mystery/danger/action.

*I listened to the audiobook on Everand.*

Review book 1: After the Shadows

Review book 3: Into the Starlight 

View all my reviews

About the book:

`

Doctor-in-training Louisa Vaughn has no intention of remaining in Sweetwater Crossing. She's just there for a few days to help a friend. But she can't abandon the injured man she finds at the side of the road. Until his broken leg heals, she'll serve as the town's doctor and midwife. She may not be fully qualified yet, but surely she's better than nothing.

Josh Porter's plans to win his grandfather's challenge and fulfill his father's final wish to gain full control of the family business hit a roadblock when he breaks his leg. But his enforced stay in Sweetwater Crossing gives him new ideas about the expansion of the company into new territory--ideas Louisa could help turn into reality.

If only the town were more accepting of Louisa's talents! Someone is determined to convince her to abandon her dream of healing others. Can Josh help her uncover the person behind the threats before it's too late? And is there any future for them together when neither of them plans to stay?

About the Author:

With both parents avid readers, it's no surprise that Amanda Cabot learned to read at an early age. From there it was only a small step to deciding to become a writer. Of course, deciding and becoming are two different things, as she soon discovered. Fortunately for the world, her first attempts at fiction were not published, but she did meet her goal of selling a novel by her thirtieth birthday. Since then she’s sold more than forty novels. When she’s not writing, Amanda enjoys sewing, cooking and – of course – reading.

Can't Wait Wednesday! Deadly Revenge

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.

Another romantic suspense from Patricia Bradley releasing in November which I am excited to read.

About the book: Deadly Revenge

Deputy Jenna Hart has only been working in her sleepy hometown of Pearl Springs for seven months when city officials begin to be targeted by a killer. Twenty years ago, the construction of a dam caused people to lose their land to eminent domain. That wound has not healed with time, and someone bearing a grudge is clearly set on revenge. With the former mayor of Pearl Springs now running for the US Senate, Jenna will have to call in backup to ensure his protection.

That's where Agent Maxwell Anderson comes in. He and Jenna used to work together in the Chattanooga Police Department, and there was even a smoldering fire of attraction. Now they team up to track down the killer before a big political rally that promises to bring not only the former mayor into the crosshairs but hundreds of civilians as well.

As the sparks of romance reignite and the threads of the investigation get tangled when another suspect comes into play, Jenna and Max will have to draw on all of their skills to stay alive and prevent the wave of disaster poised to hit the community of Pearl Springs. The question is, can either of them fully trust that the other has their back?

What are you waiting on this week?

COVER REVEAL: The Minnesota Kingstons

 OH! I am so excited for this series and loving these covers!

The Minnesota Kingstons

Susan May Warren

SDG Publishing

Pricing:

Ebooks: $4.99 preorder. 

Ebooks: $9.99 retail price after release day

Paperback: $16.99

Pre-order here:

Susan May Warren Fiction Store: https://susanmaywarrenfiction.myshopify.com/collections/minnesota-kingstons

Amazon series link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DL7N7ZLM

The Kingston siblings are about to discover that the wedding of their youngest sister at their beloved family inn is merely the beginning of an epic adventure that will take them far beyond the lakeshore of Minnesota. Jack, a skilled tracker; Conrad, a star hockey player; Doyle, a dedicated humanitarian aid worker; Austen, a fearless shark specialist; and Steinbeck, a tough ex-SEAL, find themselves pulled into a tangled web of secrets and mystery that will lead them to the shores of the Caribbean and through the grand cities of Europe. As they unravel a diabolical international plot, the Kingstons will encounter danger, deceit, and the kind of romance that comes once in a lifetime. Each sibling must use their unique skills to protect their family's legacy and each other, discovering what it truly means to be a Kingston.

JACK - The Minnesota Kingstons #1

SMWF Store Early Release Date: 12/13/24
Release date: 1/10/25

 

There's Trouble Up North...

Meet JACK, a tracker with a past he’s trying to escape the first epic book of the Minnesota Kingston series by USA Today bestselling author Susan May Warren

Sparks fly and danger looms at a wedding that’s anything but ordinary…

Harper Monroe, the girl next door turned sharp-witted journalist, turns sleuth when her best-friend, bridesmaid and celebrity podcaster, Penelope Pepper, goes missing right before the high-profile wedding of their friend, Boo Kingston. But to find Penny, Harper will have to work with the man who hates her…

Enter Jack Kingston, the boy-next-door who broke her heart. Now a ruggedly charming missing persons tracker with a past he’d rather forget, finds himself reluctantly thrust back into the limelight to find Penelope. Keeping his sister's wedding from turning into a scandal is one thing; dealing with Harper, whose betrayal he hasn't quite forgiven, is another challenge entirely.

As the wedding day approaches, stakes skyrocket. Harper and Jack must navigate a dangerous maze of lies and secrets. The closer they get to the truth, the deeper they delve into peril. If they fail to find Penelope in time, the consequences could be devastating—not just for Boo's big day, but for their own lives.

An unrequited love, closed-door, sweet and suspenseful romance about second chances and finding the family you always wanted…

CONRAD - The Minnesota Kingstons #2

SMWF Store Early Release Date: 2/7/25

Release date: 3/07/25

 

There's Trouble Up North...

Meet Conrad, a hockey star meets celebrity romance in the Minnesota Kingston series by USA Today bestselling author Susan May Warren

 

He’s an unlikely bodyguard, but someone has to keep this woman alive…

 

Meet Penelope Pepper: billionaire heiress, mystery podcaster, and magnet for trouble. If only she wasn’t so determined to unravel the mystery of “who killed her sister’s fiancé.” Because clearly, given her recent kidnapping, with each episode, she’s closer to the truth.

 

And someone wants to silence her.

 

Probably she needs a protector, right?

 

Enter Conrad Kingston, power Center for the Minnesota Blue Ox hockey team and a Guy with a Secret. Namely, the panic attacks that haunt him every time he steps into the limelight. Hanging out with Celebrity Penny is exactly NOT what he needs…

 

Except, Blue Ox need ticket sales and when a mix-up ropes him into playing Penelope's fake boyfriend, he’s suddenly the social media darling, driving in fans to the home ice. Only problem…one of them doesn’t know the dating is fake.

 

As Penelope's stalker draws nearer with every juicy episode, Conrad finds himself sliding from fake kisses to real protective instincts, and on thin ice with his heart. But can he find his footing before the killer catches up to Penelope?

 

Fake dating meets real danger, in this clean, sweet but suspenseful romance in book 2 of the Minnesota Kingstons series.

DOYLE - The Minnesota Kingstons #3

SMWF Store Early Release Date: 04/04/25

Release date: 05/02/25

 

There's Trouble Up North...

Meet Doyle, who finds peril in paradise in this rivals romance, book 3 in the Minnesota Kingston series by USA Today bestselling author Susan May Warren

 

When love and danger collide, paradise plays by its own rules.

 

When Tiana Pepper lands on the lush island of Mariposa, she just wants to put her sad past behind her. Her goal is a new beginning as fundraiser and director of Hope House, a local orphanage. 

 

Except she’s not the director. She’s co-director, and nobody told her she’d have to work with an impulsive, out-of-bounds, depend on his charm, annoying disaster rescuer, named Doyle Kingston.

 

She can run this show on her own, thanks.

 

Doyle Kingston, bearing the weight of his own grief, arrives at Hope House ready to leave behind a history of loss. He hopes to find forever homes for these orphans, and the last thing he expects is to have to work with a woman who thinks she’s the boss of this island paradise.

 

And yet…they have problems.

 

Like becoming the target of a local gang.

 

And boss, Billionaire Declan Stone has invited his fancy friends to the island to see Hope House up close, in hopes they’ll donate and get the orphanage on its feet. So…please, could they work together? 

 

And wouldn’t you know it but among the donors is a treasure hunter who believes a pirate left a stash under Hope House. What-ever.

 

Then an earthquake rocks the island, kids go missing and Tia and Doyle have no choice but trust each other if they hope to save the children and each other.

 

Doyle is a pulse-pounding romantic suspense featuring rivals turned rescuers, where opposites attract amidst peril in paradise, are two hearts scarred by tragedy just might find a second chance at true love. 

AUSTEN - The Minnesota Kingstons #4

SMWF Store Early Release Date: 06/06/24

Release date: 07/04/25

 

There's Trouble Up North...

Romance on the high seas…

 

When a chance encounter brings together Declan and Austen on a luxurious yacht, their vacation romance turns into a high-stakes battle against time, as they race to unveil a dangerous conspiracy lurking beneath the waves.

STEINBECK - The Minnesota Kingstons #5

 

SMWF Store Early Release Date: 09/05/25

Release date: 10/03/25

 

There's Trouble Up North...

The greatest heist of all…

 

A thief behind bars, a soldier seeking redemption. Together, they embark on a daring quest to infiltrate a Russian stronghold, retrieve the plans, and dismantle the cyberman prototype. Failure is not an option.

 

About Susan May Warren:

 

Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of over 95 novels with nearly 2 million books sold, including the Global Search and Rescue and the Montana Rescue series. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers’ Choice Awards, Susan makes her home in Minnesota.

 

Visit her at www.susanmaywarren.com

Weekend Wrap-Up: October 27th

 

 It’s Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Book Date.

Autumn is so evident all over and I love the colours and beautiful autumn evenings.

Finished

(Reviews can be found under Book Review tag)

Currently reading

Next up:

What are you reading this week?

Blog Posts Recap:

Here is my past week's Blog Posts.

Top Ten Tuesday

Can't Wait Wednesday

Book Spotlight Fridays!

Saturday Series Discovery

Adding to the Bookshelf:

Which Avid Reader do not add to their shelves! I try to limit mine to review books since I have so many owned on my TBR to read.  So did I add to my shelf this week? 

One this week.

Bought: One

Review: The Color of Home

The Color of Home by Kit Tosello
My rating: 💛💛💛

The Color of Home was a story focussed on the main character’s relationships with her family back in Oregon, and finding her path between the two internal struggles of what she thinks she wants and need to do, versus what she truly desires to do.

We also see the POV of Aunt Daisy, who after a full life with her husband, must adjust to retirement and taking care of a husband struggling with Alzheimer. I enjoyed seeing the fears and concerns which Daisy kept hidden from others and how events brought both Daisy and Abigail in line with God’s will for their lives.

Their was very limited romance, with the focus more on Daisy and Abigail and their growth through these trials and questions.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*


View all my reviews

About the book:

Audrey Needham, Bay Area interior designer to the rich and pretentious, is down to her last nerve. Her boss is impossible to please, her future is in jeopardy, and her great-aunt Daisy needs support as her husband descends into Alzheimer's. When Daisy enlists Audrey's help preparing for a move to assisted living, Audrey risks her career to return to the idyllic small town of Charity Falls, Oregon, the summer stomping grounds of her childhood. But Charity Falls was also the place that broke her heart when her father was killed in a tragic fire at the Sugar Pine Inn thirteen years ago. Despite Audrey's intent to avoid emotional entanglement, the pull of home is hard to resist. Something should be done about the deteriorating inn. A local girl with an incarcerated father needs a friend. And handsome local do-gooder Cade Carter is coloring Audrey all shades of uncertain.Join award-winning writer and debut novelist Kit Tosello in this lyrical and often humorous exploration of how God redeems brokenness and draws us to the life we're meant to find.

About the author:

Kit Tosello is an award-winning writer of contemporary fiction that feels like coming home. About her

debut novel, The Color of Home (September 2024, Revell), bestselling author Robin Jones Gunn said, “Kit has a winsome way of using words to paint heart-touching images." Kit's inspirational essays and devotionals appear in a number of anthologies, including Publishers Weekly and Wall Street Journal bestseller So God Made a Mother. When not writing, Kit can be found in the loose-tea shop she operates with her husband, exploring the great PNW, or enjoying the "great indoors"—bookstores and libraries. Most likely with a matcha latte in hand. Learn more at KitTosello.com

Review: The Wedding Dress

The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck
My rating: 💛💛💛

This was an interesting dual-time story with a wedding dress linking four women through the time.

I enjoyed both timelines, though the historical plot did held my interest a bit more, especially pushing my emotions up and down with Emily making decisions though her fiancé’s character is brought into question.

*I listened to the audiobook on Everand.*

View all my reviews

About the book:

One dress. Four women. An amazing destiny. Charlotte Malone is getting married. Yet all is not settled in the heart of Birmingham's chic bridal boutique owner. Charlotte can dress any bride to perfection-except herself.

About the author:

New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Rachel Hauck writes from sunny

central Florida.

A RITA finalist and winner of Romantic Times Inspirational Novel of the Year, and Career Achievement Award, she writes vivid characters dealing with real life issues.

Her book, Once Upon A Prince, was made into an original Hallmark movie.

The Wedding Dress has been optioned for film by Brain Power Studio

She loves to hear from readers. She also loves to encourage new writers and is a retired member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Executive Board.

A graduate of Ohio State University with a BA in Journalism, Rachel is an avid OSU football fan. She hopes to one day stand on the sidelines in the Shoe with Ryan Day.

Visit her web site to find out more and click on the icons to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

www.rachelhauck.com

Review: The Blooming of Delphinium

The Blooming of Delphinium by Holly Varni
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

This story was so much more than just a contemporary story about a flower-shop and some elderly folks.

It was about not judging people on first impressions (or
Delphi’s case, smell) looking further than what you see, realising that the elderly still wants to add value than just sitting around.

I enjoyed all the scenes featuring the elderly, they were like naughty high energy children and added a few moments for laughing at their antics.

Delphi felt and did life with a deep passion and I enjoyed how the author brought her love story to the page.

*I received a compliment copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*

Book 1: On Moonberry Lake 

View all my reviews

About the book:

As far as hidden talents go, Delphinium Hayes is blessed with one of the more unique ones. With the slightest passing whiff, she knows someone's most admirable or weediest characteristic. This peculiar perception never fails to give her an advantage in life--until she meets two men who turn her world upside down. Mason McCormack has agreed to help her with a group of seniors who have taken over her flower shop as their hangout. But his assistance is not without its price, and Delphinium agrees to compensate him with beautiful bouquets that seem to possess a bit of dating magic. Elliot Sturgis, director of The Gardens Assisted Living Facility, is determined to discover why a group of his residents keeps sneaking over to Delphinium's shop to play poker in the walk-in refrigerator. He soon finds himself as enchanted by Delphinium as everyone else. But his devotion to following the rules and maintaining order does not endear him to the shop's owner. Sparks fly as opposites attract and love finds a match in Delphinium's Flora Emporium--even for those who resist it the most.

About the author:

Holly Varni is a native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, who was

raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Between the lutefisk, grumpy grandparents, and the crazy neighbor who mowed his lawn wearing pajamas, the seed to becoming a storyteller was planted. She wants to give readers characters they can connect with, admire, laugh at, and most of all love.

She is podcast host of “Moments from Moonberry Lake,” and author of the “Moonberry Lake” series.

In her personal life, she married a University Professor with the same chocolate eyes as her romantic lead. They live on the Central Coast of California with their three sons. The characters of Moonberry Lake and their unique stories came about as she was trying to survive being a boy mom. When not doing laundry or writing, she has the privilege of being a Hospice volunteer, where she sits with the dying and listens to their stories.