The Queen's Cook (Queen Esther's Court, #1) by Tessa Afshar

The Queen’s Cook is the first book I have read written by Tessa Afshar and I look forward to reading more. Tessa Afshar did an awesome job bringing the story of Esther to life and what things might have been like during this time. The research that was put into this book if obvious and this book is truly a work of art. I cannot wait until the next one comes out in the series. The character development is great. I loved diving into Esther and her story through Roxannah and Adin. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It brought this portion of the bible to life. I loved peeling back the layers of Roxannah and get to really understand her. The storyline was great and tracked with the bible times. It can be hard to write stories based on the bible because it can seem limiting, but Tessa Afshar did a great job bringing it to life. The romance element was done really well. It gave a great view of what it would be like to marry someone of a different lineage and religious beliefs during bible times. Though also touching on the heart of the issue, just as when Ruth and Rahab were drafted into King David’s lineage (and ultimately Jesus). The romance was light, and appropriate. The biblical and historical element was great and beautifully executed. This being set in the Old Testament it was full of Judaism. But it is always fun to look at the roots of Christianity and understand our faith even more. Tessa Afshar did a great job digging into scripture and bringing it to life. She did an amazing job staying true to the bible and using her own creativity to bring us a story about Esther and her court. *I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble & Rick Acker

I Think I Was Murdered is not the first book I have read written by Colleen Coble but is the first I have read by Rick Acker. Colleen Coble has become a favorite of mine this year, and so far, I have loved every book I have read by her. I was caught right in from the first page. The character development is great. I loved getting to know Katrina and watching her process her grief but also having the AI software to ‘talk’ to her husband was a fun dynamic. Also getting to pull the layers back on Seb and understand him was fun. The storyline and setting were fantastic. It was fun seeing what AI could do. Crazy to think a software could mimic a human just off of his text messages, email and social media accounts. The suspense aspect was great. I did not suspect the person who did it. Not until close to the end. It is always a great read when the suspect element is not easily figured out. The relationship that unfolded between Katrina and Seb was sweet. Nothing over the top. Kisses only, and slow build due to Katrina only recently being a widow, which is to be expected. I appreciated that it was clean. The Christian element was there, though slightly on the lighter side. *I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee,

All We Thought We Knew is the first book I have read written by Michelle Shocklee, but I have multiple books by her on my TBR list. Reading this book just confirmed I need to move the books up on my TBR pile. All We Thought We Knew is in the top 5 books I have read this year and might be contending for first place. I will wait until the end of the year to officially decide, but it has a fair chance at winning right now. (Walking on Hidden Wing is the other top read currently) The character development was truly powerful. I was sucked in and right beside Mattie as she slapped Nash, with Ava as she taught English lessons to Gunther, and with Gunther as he was loaded on a rail car to move to North Dakota. The storyline was amazing. There is just something that fascinates me about WWII. It was such a complex war, with many dynamics. All We Thought We Knew touched on a lot of those different dynamics. It wasn’t so war heavy, but the side of the home front in the USA. But also, the glimpses of Gunther’s brother being a Nazi, and Dr. Sonnenberg being a Jew and dealing with Nazi POA which shown light on what was going on. The internment camps for the Germans and other Prisoners were an interesting side to learn more about. The historical element was great. I learned a lot. I felt like I was right there during 1940s and 1960s while the two timelines were going on. It was easy to envision and see what was happening. The relationship aspect was very clean and sweet. Very closed door and realistic. Michelle Shocklee did a great job intertwining faith throughout the whole book. I appreciated the journey that Ava, Mattie and Gunther went on to find their faith. It was really encouraging. *I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Kristen: Apron Strings Series is the first book I have read written by Dawn Klinge and I look forward to reading some more. This was a fast and easy read. It had a hallmark like feel. This is book 9 in the series, though can be read as a stand-alone, I look forward to reading more in this series. The character development was good. Kristen just graduated from her master’s program and is trying to figure out what she really wants to do with life. Watching her struggle to find her place and purpose was a fun way to get to know her. The storyline and setting were fun. It was very hallmark like. Not to overuse that analogy in my reviews lately (sorry, Christmas books typically bring out the hallmark) but it truly is the perfect setting; Small college town, bookstore/coffee shop. The romance that blossoms between Kirsten and Josh was cute. I loved that it was sweet and not at all spicy. They were slowly getting to know each other. Dawn Klinge did an awesome job intertwining faith throughout the whole book. Which I really appreciate. I loved that the recipe book was filled with scripture and encouragement. I want one like that. *I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.