A new beginning could be closer than he thinks.

What he wants for Christmas…

may not be what he needs.

After receiving an unexpected job offer in Texas, widower Tucker Rainbolt decides he and his twins need a fresh start. But moving on means leaving his best friend, Jena Harper, and their vet clinic behind. For the first time, Tucker sees Jena as more than a buddy. What if leaving isn’t the answer? Maybe what he’s been missing has been right beside him the whole time…

From Harlequin Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

This books is third in Tina Radciffe’s ‘Hearts of Oklahoma’ series about the Rainbolt family, this time featuring the youngest son, Tucker. Tucker is a widower with twin four year old daughters and runs the town of Rebel’s only vet clinic, along with vet partner Jena harper. Tucker is leaving Oklahoma to work in Texas because he feels he needs a new environment. He hasn’t figured on his newfound, or should I say, newly realized feelings for Jena?

I love this family so much! Radcliffe has done such a great job with the Rainbolts. I want to go visit Rebel and this family, she paints the town and residents so vividly. I finished this in one day. Highly recommended.

*My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book. I was not compensated in any way and the opinion in this review is my own.

Publisher: Love Inspired
Publication Date December 1, 2020
Genre: Inspirational Romance

Tina Radcliffe has graciously offered a print copy to one lucky blog commenter. To get your name in the hate, please leave a blog post comment with your full name and email in a non spammy formula. Giveaway ends on December 5th. Good luck!

Set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers, Laura Callaway now lives with her uncle and his disapproving wife in North Cornwall. There she feels like a castaway, always viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong.

While wreckers search for valuables along the windswept Cornwall coast–known for its many shipwrecks but few survivors–Laura searches for clues to the lives lost so she can write letters to next of kin and return keepsakes to rightful owners. When a man is washed ashore after a wreck, Laura acts quickly to protect him from a local smuggler determined to destroy him.

As Laura and a neighbor care for the survivor, they discover he has curious wounds and, although he speaks in careful, educated English, his accent seems odd. Other clues wash ashore, and Laura soon realizes he is not who he seems to be. Despite the evidence against him, the mysterious man might provide her only chance to discover the truth about her parents’ fate. With danger pursuing them from every side, and an unexpected attraction growing between them, will Laura ever find the answers she seeks?

About Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane–Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. She has also won the Minnesota Book Award, the Midwest Book Award, and Christian Retailing’s BEST Award. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota. Visit http://www.julieklassen.com and talesfromivyhill.com for more information.

I have been a fan of Julie Klassen since her first novel, which I have read several times. My opinion has not changed. This time, Klassen takes us to the wild, windswept coast of Cornwall as we are caught up in her wonderful storytelling, an ability that has brought great enjoyment to this reader over the years. I have never missed a Klassen book and never intend to. Recommended. My thanks to Bethany House for a copy of this book via Net Galley. I received no compensation and the opinion in this review is expressly my own.

Calista York needs one more successful case as a Pinkerton operative to secure her job. When she’s assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of a mob boss, she’s sent to the rowdy mining town of Joplin, Missouri, despite having extended family in the area. Will their meddling expose her mission and keep Lila Seaton from being recovered?

When Matthew Cook decided to be a missionary, he never expected to be sent only a short train ride away. While fighting against corruption of all sorts, Matthew hears of a baby raffle being held to raise funds for a children’s home. He’ll do what he can to stop it, but he also wants to stop the reckless Miss York, whose bad judgment consistently seems to be putting her in harm’s way.

Calista doesn’t need the handsome pastor interfering with her investigation, and she can’t let her disguise slip. Her job and the life of a young lady depend on keeping Matthew in the dark.  

My Rating: 3.5

3.5

‘Don’t be afraid to deal with the mess, son. The sweetest moments come from the most offensive fertilizer ‘

Calista York is a budding Pinkerton agent sent to Joplin to find a mob boss’s kidnapped daughter. Joplin is a wild city and she is soon swept up. Trying to find jobs to help her complete her goal, she happens upon Matthew Cook, a man who yearns to be a missionary. Goodness knows, this town needs the Lord’s help! What with miners who can’t feed their families because of drinking, a brothel, a baby raffle, Matthew’s work is cut out for him. Add in a few members of Calista’s odd extended family, this book is a recipe for a good read. Full of wit and good lessons, this will satisfy a reader’s heart.

Thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a digital copy of this book via Net Galley. I received no compensation and the opinion in this review is my own.

Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: December 1,2020
Length: 333 pages
Genre: Historical Inspirational
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087RTT817/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i7

About The Book:

He’s torn between love and honor…

Lucas Danby has always regretted the decisions that caused his dishonorable discharge from the military—and he’s never stopped trying to redeem his honor. He’s spent the past decade taking on dangerous short-term missions as an elite private soldier—the only part of his life that’s ever gone right. But the high-risk work never cures his shame. Now he’s stuck stateside, mentoring a new recruit. Worse, he’s sick of lying to the people he cares about most—including the woman he’s secretly loved for years.

She can’t escape her house of memories…

Jenessa Belville should be happy. She’s the hometown girl everyone loves, after all. But she’s also the last Belville left—and if she had her way, she’d leave the name and all its painful memories behind. Which is exactly what she hopes to do once she sells Belville Park, the massive estate she inherited from her parents. First, though, she needs to restore the property’s once-glorious gardens. But on the same day she puts up the “For Sale” sign, she discovers three children hiding in the caretaker’s cottage, thrusting her into the unexpected role of temporary guardian.

Fighting for their future means healing from the past…

Struggling to mentor a young man with scars nearly as piercing as his own, Lucas offers to help Jenessa restore the Belville grounds. Though drawn together by a trio of kids who tug on their hearts and the sparks they can’t deny, past secrets and current sorrows threaten to pull them apart. Only the brightest love and hardest sacrifice can turn the house Jenessa never wanted into the home she and Lucas have always longed for.

I always look forward to a book from Melissa Tagg. When I saw this one was coming, I was just so happy. Tagg’s Maple Valley is such a great place–one of those towns where you just would love to visit, except it’s a fictional place and you can’t. Rats!

Lucas Danby has been in love with Jenessa Belville for years, but has never said a word about it to anyone. He’s often away from town doing special private soldier missions after receiving a dishonorable discharge from the military. Lucas doesn’t feel he’s worth very much because of this and is sort of a loner. But when he offers to help Jenessa fix up her family home to sell, then takes on a young man to mentor, and helps her with three kids she found hiding on her property, he just may have to let the woman know his heart.

Tagg has a way with words that just brings the reader down deep into her books. She brings to life her characters and their emotions so incredibly well! And the spiritual theme here is so heart-deep. I loved every minute and finished it in one day! My thanks to the publisher for a preview copy of this book. I received no compensation and the opinion in this review is entirely my own.

Publisher: Larkspur Press
Publication Date: November 19, 2020

Inspirational Regency romance with a Christmas twist from three best-selling authors

In Joy to the World, three popular authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday Regency romance. Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas in one book have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for readers to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness.

“Heaven and Nature Sing” by Carolyn Miller
Two music lovers, deeply devoted to each other, were on the brink of engagement when family circumstances drove them apart. How can they ever overcome their obligations and fears to find their way back into each other’s arms?

“Far as the Curse is Found” by Amanda Barratt
One winter night, a woman struggling to provide for her illegitimate child encounters a scarred veteran of the Napoleonic Wars on the streets of London. Can love conquer the darkness of two broken pasts?

“Wonders of His Love” by Erica Vetsch
A Scots portrait painter with a hidden identity finds work at a noble manor house over the holidays. He never imagined he’d fall in love with the emotionally frozen widow there. Now he wants nothing more than to thaw her heart.

About Amanda Barratt

ECPA best-selling author Amanda Barratt fell in love with writing in grade school when she wrote her first story–a spin-off of Jane Eyre. Now, Amanda writes romantic, historical fiction, penning stories of beauty and brokenness set against the backdrop of bygone eras not so very different from our own. She’s the author of over a dozen novels and novellas including The White Rose Resists: A Novel of the German Students Who Defied Hitler and My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love.

Amanda lives in the woods of Michigan with her family, where she can be found reading way too many books, plotting her next novel, and jotting down imaginary travel itineraries for her dream vacation to Europe.

Connect with her on Facebook and visit her online at amandabarratt.net.

Here is a most precious collection of Christmas novellas by some very fine authors. I highly recommend this to read this season because it will totally make your heart smile.

Carolyn Miller gives us ‘Heaven And Nature Sing’ where two young people have allowed circumstances to draw them apart. Will they now realize that God gives second chances? Beautifully written, I read it in one sitting.

Amanda Barratt gives us ‘Far As The Curse Is Found’ and I’ll just be totally honest here. This was one of the best Regencies I’ve ever read. Absolutely exquisite. Barratt shines! The heart of her contribution is deeply felt and most humbly moving. Well done!

Erica Vetsch’s contribution to this collection is indeed precious. She brings us a secondary character from her current series in Cilla Haverly. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing old frinds again. The story is just so wonderful.

This Christmas collection was just about the best I’ve ever read. Each was deeply moving and well done. I was incredibly touched by all. Bravo!

*I received a copy of this book via Kregel Publications. I was not compensated in any form and this review is expressly my own opinion.

Publisher: Kregel Publications
Publication Date: October 13, 2020

About The Book

After a childhood as a street thief, Gabriella Goodhue thought she’d put her past behind her until a fellow resident at her boardinghouse is unjustly accused of theft. In the middle of breaking into a safe that holds the proof to prove her friend’s innocence, Gabriella is interrupted by Nicholas Quinn, the man she once considered her best friend–until he abandoned her.

After being taken under the wing of a professor who introduced him into society and named him as heir, Nicholas is living far removed from his childhood life of crime. As a favor to a friend, Nicholas agreed to help clear the name of an innocent woman, never imagining he’d be reunited with the girl he thought lost to him forever.

As Gabriella and Nicholas are thrown together into one intrigue after another, their childhood affection grows into more, but their newfound feelings are tested when truths about their past are revealed and danger follows their every step.   

I have been a fan of Jen Turano since her very first book and each year eagerly look forward to her new book. She begins a new series with ‘To Steal a Heart’, one that promises to bring her fans a delightful read with each book in said series.

Turano is a master at creating ridiculously funny stories. The conversations between her characters will have you practically rolling the the floor laughing. I always find myself bursting out laughing numerous times during the reading of a Jen Turano book. Seriously, I’ve laughed so hard I’ve scared my little dog and he ran. Her books are just so much FUN to read! The predicaments she gets her characters into are crazy and completely enjoyable to the reader. I am a forever fan! Highly recommended.

*My thanks to the Bethany House Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. I was not compensated in any way and the opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: November 17, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction

In a land where being the fairest maiden is a curse . . .

A young queen trying to stay alive until she comes of age to rule, and a prince turned into a pauper.

Queen Aurora of Mercia has spent her entire life deep in Inglewood Forest, hiding from Warwick’s Queen Margery, who seeks her demise. As the time draws near for Aurora to take the throne, she happens upon a handsome woodcutter. Although friendship with outsiders is forbidden and dangerous, she cannot stay away from the charming stranger.

Only two months away from completing his royal testing, Prince Kresten of Scania is ready to be finished with the poverty and hardships of being a woodcutter. When he meets a beautiful peasant woman, he doesn’t plan to fall in love, especially when he must soon leave and return to his homeland.

As Queen Margery’s forces close in, Aurora finds herself in mortal danger. Kresten knows a future with Aurora is impossible, but he is desperate to save her and bring an end to the queen’s threat. To do so, he joins the ultimate battle against the evil queen, risking everything, including his chance at true love.

The real Sleeping Beauty story.

The Fairest Maidens
Book 1: Beholden
Book 2: Beguiled (Oct 2020)
Book 3: Besotted (Nov 2020)

This wonderful series is brought to a close with Besotted, the last of the Fairest Maidens. I love this author’s work and her YA medieval stories are just great! Princess Aurora has been kept hidden all her life in the woods but Prince Kresten accidentally stumbles upon her hiding place. Now they must be careful not to let the evil Queen Margery find her, for Aurora is doomed if she does.

Don’t miss this lovely series. I devoured all three books as soon as I got them. I was given a copy by the publisher and received no compensation. The opinion here is my own.

Publisher: Northern Lights Press
Publication Date: November 17, 2020
Genre: YA
Length: 298 pages
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Besotted-Fairest-Maidens-Jody-Hedlund/dp/1733753478/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=