Noble by Mesu Andrews

Noble is the third book I have read written by Mesu Andrews, and each book has blown me away. This book is a work of art that brings the bible to life. The research that went into this book is evident. Opening the book, I found myself once again immersed in David’s life, and I felt like I was right there in the story. This book was encouraging and also gave me a better understanding of the Old Testament. I look forward to the next story in King David’s Brides series.

The character development is great. Within the story, we see how David is being prepared to be King of Israel even while in hiding from Saul. Through everything, David is seeking God and repenting for his missteps. His heart is truly after God. Maakah is dealing with a lot. Having such a huge shift in a world within castle walls, to seeing the death and destruction of life. Learning about the God of the Israelites and what He has told His people to do. Maakah does not want to become the third wife of David.

The biblical and historical elements were spot on and beautifully executed. I loved that Mesu Andrews used bible verses at the beginning of each chapter for context.

The romance element was done really well. I loved that it showed the intimacy of marriage and the relationship between God, husband, and wife, while also tackling the hard issues that we see in the bible of multiple wives. It is an interesting dynamic that occurred during that time.

Mesu Andrews did an amazing job staying true to the bible and using her own creativity and research to bring us a story about King David and his wives. This bible retelling story has immersed me so deeply into the bible. While at a bible study this week, I was able to pull some things I learned about Maakah that related to our bible study. It helped bring the passage to life. This was perfect.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Journaled With Love by Erma M. Ullrey

Journaled With Love is the first novel I have read written by Erma M. Ullrey, and I look forward to reading more. This book was a mix of You’ve Got Mail and Hallmark, all wrapped up in one. It made for a sweet story that sucked me in from the start. I rated this 4.5 stars, and I am rounding it up to 5. I really enjoyed it and will probably reread this book in the future.

The character development was great. Macie is the daughter of a company owner, but her mother demands that she come home from her vacation. At the beginning, Macie comes off as a spoiled rich woman. As we pull back the layers of Macie, we find that there is more to her than just what she seems. Ryan is very work-focused and is working towards buying a car and moving out of his sister’s garage apartment.

The setting was good. I loved the family-owned business. It made for a fun dynamic. The storyline was fun. Ryan is faced with losing his job to the boss’s daughter, Macie, who doesn’t even want to be there. He is told to show her how to do his job. With the forced proximity, they find themselves spending more time together and trying to make things work. While also starting to enjoy being around each other. But when Ryan finds a journal on the bus and begins to correspond, he starts to have feelings for this person. We have some great elements for a fun story: forced proximity, matchmaking, boss’s daughter, correspondence with a stranger, love, going to church, faith, and so much more.

This forced proximity, opposites attract romance, was the perfect balance of tension and sweet romance.

Erma Ullrey did a great job of intertwining faith throughout the book.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Meant For Me by: Betsy St. Amant

Meant For Me is the third book in the Magnolia Bay series and is the third book I have read written by Betsy St. Amant. This series was cute. It sucked me in, and I am a little sad to leave this town behind. Though this was a great conclusion to the series. I have enjoyed this series, and I plan to visit Magnolia Bay again.

The character development was good. Linc is dealing with his foster care upbringing. With his grumpy exterior, he normally comes off wrong. When a little girl ends up on his steps, and is told it is his daughter, he finds himself with guardianship of his daughter that he never knew he had. Zoey lost her store to a fire in the last book and is trying to get a handle on her life. Things seem to be spinning out of control. That is how she finds herself asking to stay in Linc’s spare room. Even with her world in chaos, Zoey still shines through with her sunny personality. It was great watching Linc and Zoey grow together and learn to be parents.

The setting and storyline were great. I love the small town of Magnolia Bay. Being from Louisiana, it was easy to picture this small southern town. The foster care aspect was an interesting dynamic. Hard to see the bad, knowing that it is happening to children every day, but seeing the love and belonging that Amelia felt was touching. I loved this marriage of convenience trope paired with best friends to more. All in all, this story was great.

This friends-to-more, marriage-of-convenience romance between Linc and Zoey was perfect and sweet, just a no-spice kisses-only romance.

Betsy St. Amant did a great job intertwining faith throughout the book.

Quote: “God invites us to participate in His plans, and our prayers do matter. But it’s never up to us. It’s never God plus our efforts. It’s God, working it all for our good.” She blew out her breath. “Usually despite us.”

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Fog Harbor Series by Nicole Deese

The Words We Lost

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Words We Lost is the first book in the Fog Harbor series. This is the first book I have read written by Nicole Deese, and I was not disappointed. I could not put the book down. I went into this book blind, not knowing much about it, just that I had book two and wanted to read book one first. The books in this series can be read as standalones, but then you would miss out on one of these great stories. This story was a journey, a journey through grief and forgiveness.

The character development was great. Ingrid is struggling with grief over the loss of a best friend. Through it, she has also lost her ability to read, which is a big deal when you are an editor. In fulfilling her friend’s final wishes, she must go on this scavenger hunt with her old flame. Ingrid has a lot of deep hurts to heal before she can go on. Joel is also grieving the loss of a close cousin. He is very supportive, and I love seeing how he processes his own grief.

The storyline was amazing. I loved that there was a story within the story. I also loved getting a glimpse into the publishing world. There were so many great elements in this story that makes it stand out, the treasure hunt, the story within, the process of grief, the overbearing, sneaky boss, untold secrets, and childhood trauma-dealing alcoholic father. The story was touching and had me reading late into the night, tears streaming down my face. This story touched me.

This second-chance romance was perfect and sweet with kisses only.

The faith content was a little bit lacking in this book. I would have liked to see a little bit more.

The Roads We Follow

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Roads We Follow is the second book in the Fog Harbor series. This is the second book I have read written by Nicole Deese, and I look forward to reading more. I could not put this book down.

The character development was great. We have a lot of dynamics going on. Raegan is trying to pursue her dream of being a writer while also helping the family business. Micah is trying to figure out who his biological father is after a test reveals that his dad is not his dad, with the help of his mother’s old journals.

The storyline was great. I loved the tour bus, road trip setting. I loved getting a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes world of publishing. This story had some great elements: forgiveness, family tension, sister bonds, singing, writing a book, journals, past-meets present, and more. This made for the perfect touching story.

The romance was the perfect kisses-only romance.

Nicole Deese did a great job intertwining faith throughout this book. I loved the prayer garden that Micah’s mom had.

The Voices We Find

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Voices We Find is the third book in the Fog Harbor series. This is the third book I have read written by Nicole Deese. I had a slow weekend planned, so I started with book one and completed the whole series. To say I could not put the book down would be an understatement. The books in this series can be read as standalones, but then you would miss out on one of these great stories.

The character development in this book was huge. August is trying to navigate the death of both his parents on a mission trip while becoming the guardian of his adopted sister. Who has become hearing impaired from the accident. August is also dealing with having to pivot his career and lifestyle. Sophie is struggling. She has had to put her dream on hold after having a panic attack on stage. She finds herself having to return home. Through it all, she is finding her new dreams and finding faith.

The storyline was everything you need in a story. Wow! We have a lot of things to unpack in this one. We have hearing impairment, adoption, faith-shattering tragedy, sound recording studio, winery, federal investigation, and finding faith. Sophie is coming home and trying to figure out life, while also dealing with her brother and father, who aren’t treating her right. When she finds out about Voice actors, it becomes something she can pursue. She finds herself in August's home studio. Sophie and Gabby, August's sister, become close. As Gabby faces hearing impairment, she has been learning ASL, and Sophie joins her for the classes and learns ASL. The ending to this book is great, and I did not see that plot twist coming. Not going to say anymore because spoilers, but this book was truly great.

The romance was perfect and sweet with kisses only.

Nicole Deese does a great job of intertwining faith throughout the book. We have August, who is fighting his faith, and Sophie, who is just starting her faith journey. Then there is Gabby, who, through all the tragedy and loss she has incurred, can still put her trust in God. This touched me and made me cry. What an encouragement.

Quote: “Is there really a market for people too lazy to read for themselves? I mean, I’m no expert here, but reading a book versus listening to one seem like two completely different experiences. Does it even count as reading?” As I myself, listened to this book as an audiobook. I might have spat my coffee out from laughing so hard.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Burning Justice by Lisa Phillips

Burning Justice is not the first book I have read by Lisa Phillips, and will not be the last. I stumbled upon her books by accident, and I am not upset that I did. I have enjoyed the whole series and related series of Last Chance County and now Chasing Fire: Alaska. This is the sixth in the Chasing Fire: Alaska series, and it was a great finale.

The character development was good. We have Maria, who is on the hunt to find her missing father, who has been missing for 15 years. Kane is on the crew, trying to help Maria find her father while also saving lives on the smoke jumping crew. Though he is legally declared dead. They both have a past that they are trying to work through.

This setting has been amazing throughout this entire series. I have loved getting to know all the characters and the land. I hate to say goodbye. This was a whirlwind of a story, packed full of action and lots of characters. At times, it was hard to keep them all straight in my head. We finally got our ending to the militia.

The romance was a kisses-only romance that was perfection.

Lisa Phillips did a great job intertwining faith throughout the book.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Splendor of the Land by Connilyn Cossette

Splendor of the Land is the first book I have read by Connilyn Cossette, and I am so excited to read more. This book is book three in The King’s Men series, though it can be read as a standalone without feeling like you missed anything. I plan on reading the others in this series, and some more books by Connilyn Cossette. This was a true work of art. It swept me in wholeheartedly, and I could not put the book down. This truly brought the bible times to life for me.

The character development was great. I loved seeing all the different characters, as well as the side characters. Gavi's story was great. I loved seeing his transformation, battling with alcoholism at the beginning. As they return home, he is reunited with his family and is able to see clearly what his youthful eyes had twisted. I loved seeing the family restoration. Zahava was such a fun character. Her strength, resilience, and love for her family shone through; even while in the middle of captivity, she held fast. Even with her ‘disability’, she overcame so much.

The storyline was amazing. I was totally sucked into the book and in the scenes with the characters. From the opening scene of Gavi watching Saul become king and Zahava learning to work with red gold, to the closing scene in the book. It was great.

The romance element was great. I loved the forced marriage, which later came to light, and her father’s intentions. It would have been fitting of the time. I loved the romance that blossomed through their circumstance and throughout the book.

Connilyn Cossette did a great job staying true to the bible. Even though there is not much mentioned about the Kenite people in the bible, and the main characters are not mentioned in the bible, you can tell a lot of research went into this story. The balance of research and creativity was the perfect balance to bring the bible to life. This is the fifth bible retelling story that I have read this year that has immersed me so deeply into the bible and made me want to do a bible study. This was perfect.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Meet Me at Sunset Cove by Sarah May Warren

Meet Me at Sunset Cove is the first book I have read written by Sarah May Warren, and I look forward to reading more. This is the fifth book in the Jonathon Island multi-author series, and it has been the perfect hallmarkesque series. This series will be a re-read for me in the future.

The character development was great. After Daisy is dropped from her show, she is trying to prove that she has what it takes. And Johnathan Island seems to have what she needs. Until she gets there and finds that the $1 home program isn’t going on anymore. Running into an old acquaintance, Hunter. Hunter is working through his family's past of the Bad Luck Barretts. He is also dealing with the hurt felt by the deception from Daisy and her ex-boyfriend, and ex-co-host.

The setting is perfection. I have really come to love Jonathan Island and the people on it. The storyline is great. We have the Barrett house, which is passed down from generation to generation, and Hunter has his sights set on inheriting the house, but there is a stipulation in the trust that you must be engaged or married by your 31st birthday. Daisy needs a project to help save her career. When they run into each other and come up with the fake engagement, the plan seems to be working. The renovation is going along great, the YouTube show is gaining traction, but then things start to unravel. Hunter’s dad’s health has taken a hit, the family company needs some more hours put in to keep things going, and then the day the fake engagement all comes to light, thanks to the help of ex-co-host and ex-boyfriend. Things have gone completely wrong. When Hunter decides to go to his mom’s wedding, it is his new stepdad who sheds some light on the truth. Sometimes our plans don’t work out, but God’s do.

The fake engagement, second-chance romance between Daisy and Hunter is perfection-sweet and kisses-only romance.

Sarah May Warren did a great job intertwining faith throughout the book. Reminding us that God, “If you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans.” My mom used to have a plate with that on it. It’s a great reminder that even though we can have plans, ultimately, things could change.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.