In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer May 26, 2023

About:

Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night, she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives–and everyone she knows in them–forever.

In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she joins a hospital ship going to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she’s a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon.

While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer. With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?

My thoughts:

I love the idea of this series. It is so interesting and my mind is constantly at work trying to figure out what path Maggie would choose. It did sort of become clear but there were other twists and turns and surprises.

I also love how the author had three major events taking place that we are all familiar with. The most recent one was really intense because most of us lived through that ourselves.

I’m very interesting to see what the author has in story for her next book.

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A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright April 10, 2023

About:

A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.

In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman’s stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle’s curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau.

My Thoughts:

I am a big fan of Jaime’s books. I have loved them all so far so I was excited to read her newest release.

Her other books have been kind of spooky but I didn’t find this one as spooky or as intense. Cleo’s reason for abandoning her sister felt like a really silly excuse that didn’t seem believable.

This was still a good book just not what I have come to expect from Jaime, I was disappointed because I like a lot of suspense and tension. But if you like a tamer read then you may really like this book and it would be a good one for you to try.

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This book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson February 8, 2023

About:

Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy–but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. All of that changes when she’s asked to spotlight her childhood best friend’s missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter’s belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the long-abandoned investigation moves forward, old wounds and long-buried secrets are exposed. Will these two women, whose lives have never been the same, finally get the answers they need to reconcile the past and the future?

My thoughts:

This was a very interesting story that packs a good message. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to not know what happened to your child for thirty-five years.

I liked Faith a lot and her own story of moving on. I also loved that she was a podcaster because I love podcasts. I enjoyed the reconnections Faith made when she returned to Deep Valley.

If this wasn’t claimed to be a Christian book I would have nothing but good things to say, but because this claims to be a Christian book I do have an issue. Faith referenced the Ennegram at least three times in the book. So many Christians think this is okay but if they did their research they would see that this has demonic roots, it is something Christians should stay away from. I wouldn’t care if I saw this in a secular book and would have never said a word but it concerns me deeply that Christians are falling into this and have no idea of its roots.

Other than that I really did enjoy the overall story, it had a very satisfying ending that made me smile.

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A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen December 14, 2022

About:

Some guests have come for a holiday, others for hidden reasons of their own . . .

When their father’s death leaves them impoverished, Sarah Summers and her genteel sisters fear they will be forced to sell the house and separate to earn livelihoods as governesses or companions. Determined to stay together, Sarah convinces them to open their seaside home to guests to make ends meet and provide for their ailing mother. Instead of the elderly invalids they expect to receive, however, they find themselves hosting eligible gentlemen. Sarah is soon torn between a growing attraction to a mysterious Scottish widower and duty to her family.

Viola Summers wears a veil to cover her scar. When forced to choose between helping in her family’s new guest house and earning money to hire a maid to do her share, she chooses the latter. She reluctantly agrees to read to some of Sidmouth’s many invalids, preferring the company of a few elders with failing eyesight to the fashionable guests staying in their home. But when her first client turns out to be a wounded officer in his thirties, Viola soon wishes she had chosen differently. Her new situation exposes her scars–both visible and those hidden deep within–and her cloistered heart will never be the same.

Join the Summers sisters on the Devonshire coast, where they discover the power of friendship, loyalty, love, and new beginnings.

My thoughts:

I wasn’t sure if I would like this at first, even though I usually do enjoy Julie Klassen books. But the more I read the more I came to care about these characters and the stories they were going through. I am excited to read more and see what happens in their lives. Just enough was resolved in this book to feel satisfied but also enough was left unresolved to keep me wanting to read more.

Each sister has her own story and then there is the mystery surrounding the sister who is no longer there. I anticipate learning more about her in future books.

If you are looking for a new historical series to dive into you might want to give this one a try.

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A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Premonition at Withers Farm by Jaime Jo Wright October 19, 2022

About:

In 1910 Michigan, Perliett Van Hilton is a self-proclaimed rural healer, leaving the local doctor convinced she practices quackery. It doesn’t help that her mother is a spiritualist who regularly offers her services to connect the living with their dearly departed. But when Perliett is targeted by a superstitious killer, she must rely on both the local doctor and an intriguing newcomer for assistance.

In the present day, Molly Wasziak’s life has not gone the way she dreamed. Facing depression after several miscarriages, Molly is adapting to her husband’s purchase of a peculiar old farm. A search for a family tree pulls Molly deep into a century-old murder case and a web of deception, all made more mysterious by the disturbing shadows and sounds inside the farmhouse.

Perliett fights for her life, and Molly seeks renewed purpose for hers as she uncovers the records of the dead. Will their voices be heard, or will time forever silence their truths?

My thoughts:

Another amazing book by Jaime. I don’t know how she does it. She writes these creepy books that seem to have all this supernatural stuff but always has a logical explanation.

Molly’s depression was tough to read as I knew how she felt to a degree and hopelessness that seems to go with it.

I loved the realness of Molly and Trent’s marriage and the struggled they go through.

Overall this was a fantastic real, Jaime’s books never let me down.

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A copy of this book was given to me. All opinions are my own.

A Feeling of Home by Susan Anne Mason July 8, 2022

About:

Can she set aside the pain from the past to embrace a new love?

Isabelle Wardrop’s well-to-do life has completely unraveled. Within months, she’s lost both her parents, her fortune, and her home. With nowhere else to turn, she and her younger sister move in with a trusted former servant in an impoverished area of the city. Desperate for work but having no qualifications, Isabelle is forced to accept help from Dr. Mark Henshaw, the very man she blames for her mother’s death.

Mark Henshaw has admired Isabelle for several months, but after the tragic death of her mother, he vows to make amends for the past and help her find her way. But when Mark learns his younger brother has formed an undesirable friendship with Isabelle’s sister–one that brings a whole new set of problems into their lives–he doesn’t know if Isabelle will ever forgive him.

When startling developments begin to take place, both within Isabelle’s heart and their siblings’ relationship, her future looks very different than anything she could have imagined.

My thoughts:

I have read every book in this series and I have enjoyed them. The message in them are all very good and that was something I really appreciated.

I liked Isabelle’s perseverance as she had a lot to overcome and her dedication to her sister was admirable.

But I will say I struggled with this one a bit more then the previous books. I felt like Mark and Isabelle were just constantly back and forth, it became a little bit too unbelievable at the end and I felt like the ending was drawn out. Marissa, Isabelle’s sister, was pretty wishy washy and I didn’t care for her much at all, she was pretty selfish.

I also thought a sub-plot could have been added with what happen to Isabelle’s father, I just kept waiting for that shoe to drop but it never did.

Overall, this book has a good message but it wasn’t my favorite of the three.

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A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

In Honor’s Defense by Karen Witmeyer June 20, 2022

About:

He’s Faced Countless Perils on the Battlefield, but Nothing so Dangerous as Falling in Love.

Luke Davenport has been fighting all his life–for respect, for country, and for those unable to fight for themselves. But now that his Horsemen brothers are domesticated, he’s left alone to battle the wildness within. When an opportunity arises to take a job on his own, tracking down a group of rustlers, he jumps at the chance.

Damaris Baxter has mastered the art of invisibility. Plain and quiet, she hides in books and needlework, content to be overlooked. Until her brother dies suddenly, leaving her custody of her nephew. She moves to Texas to care for Nathaniel, determined to create the family for herself that she never thought she’d have and to give him the family he desperately needs.

When Nate finds himself knee-deep in trouble, Luke’s attempt to protect him leaves Damaris feeling indebted to the Horseman. But suspicions grow regarding the mysterious death of Damaris’s brother. And the more questions they ask, the more danger appears, threatening the family Luke may be unable to live without.

My thoughts:

I love a Karen Witemeyer book. I enjoyed catching up with the final Horseman and meeting up with others from the previous books.

Karen is so good at writing a climax. It is never dull. The last quarter of the book is nonstop action.

I loved watching the development of Nate’s character. He was such a stinker at the beginning.

Overall, another great book by Karen.

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A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer June 9, 2022

About:

How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice?

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she’s the same person at her core in both times, she’s leading two vastly different lives.

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives–and any hope of love–are put in jeopardy.

Libby’s life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about–women’s suffrage–is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.

But Libby knows she’s not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?

My thoughts:

Wow. I wasn’t sure what to expect a new author and a new concept with this time travel, that’s not really time travel. This book is very different from other duel time or time travel books I have read. I listened to an interview with this author before I read the book which made me even more excited to read this book.

I LOVED it. I can’t wait to read what is next in this series. It was so well done, just an interesting story, engaging characters. The ending was so satisfying in a way I never saw coming until the last few pages. I really can’t say enough.

This is a book I highly recommend you give a try, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Visit Gabrielle here.

Grab your copy at your local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook.com or your favorite retailer.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright May 23, 2022

About:

To save the innocent, they must face an insidious evil.

Wren Blythe has long enjoyed living in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, helping her father with ministry at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess who is believed to still roam the forest. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coonses’ cabin ruins and a sinister mystery she is determined to unearth.

In 1930, Ava Coons has spent the last several years carrying the mantle of mystery since the day she emerged from the woods as a thirteen-year-old girl, spattered with blood, dragging a logger’s ax. She has accepted she will never remember what happened to her family, whose bodies were never found, and that the people of Tempter’s Creek will always blame her for their violent deaths. And after a member of the town is murdered, and another goes missing, rumors spread that Ava’s secret is perhaps more malicious than previously imagined.

Two women, separated by time, must confront a wickedness that not only challenges who they are but also threatens their lives, and the lives of those they love.

My thoughts:

Jaime knows how to write an excellent book and this is one of those. I don’t think I have ever read a Jaime Jo Wright book I didn’t love.

What in the world is going on? I want to believe Ava is innocent but so much points against her. And what is happening in Wren’s world? It’s seems like there are supernatural occurrences but Jaime always comes around to a logical reason it seems that way, but I couldn’t figure it out until all was revealed.

If you like books in the spookier side you will love anything written by Jaime.

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A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Turn to Me by Becky Wade May 16, 2022

About:

His promise will cost him far more than he imagined.

Guilt has defined Luke Dempsey’s life, but it was self-destructiveness that landed him in prison. When his friend and fellow inmate lay dying shortly before Luke’s release, the older man revealed he left a string of clues for his daughter, Finley, that will lead her to the treasure he’s hidden. Worried that she won’t be the only one pursuing the treasure, he gains Luke’s promise to protect her until the end of her search.

Spunky and idealistic, Finley Sutherland is the owner of an animal rescue center and a defender of lost causes. She accepts Luke’s help on the treasure hunt while secretly planning to help him in return–by coaxing him to embrace the forgiveness he’s long denied himself.

As they draw closer to the final clue, their reasons for resisting each other begin to crumble, and Luke realizes his promise will push him to the limit in more ways than one. He’ll do his best to shield Finley from unseen threats, but who’s going to shield him from losing his heart?

My thoughts:

This was a very interesting story and I enjoyed the mystery involved and wondered who was following Finley and Luke.

That first kiss was a good one too, but Becky always knows how to write a wonderful romantic scene.

We also get another romance in this book too, which I was so happy to see play out because Ben deserves a happily ever after as well.

Overall, a good romance with an overall good message.

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A copy of this book was given to me throught Netgalley. All opinions are my own.