Joanne

About the Book Book:  Penelope’s Pursuit Author: Chautona Havig Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense Release date: June 29, 2021 Are mail-order-brides changing their minds or is something sinister going on in Kansas? Ten years ago, Penelope’s sister ran away as a mail-order bride, and it was the last their family ever heard from her.  Now, with their parents dead and Penelope all alone, the young woman has one goal. Find her sister. It took enough grit for Reuben to write to Miss Mildred Crenshaw about finding him a wife in the first place, but when the stage arrives and no bride steps off, the whole thing feelsRead More →

About the Book Book: The Heart of Christmas Author: The Mosaic Collection Genre: Faith-Based Christmas Fiction Release date: October 6, 2021 “At Christmas, we always…” And thus a tradition is born. The rituals stay the same, but if betrayal, illness, unfaithfulness, or tragedy strike, can cherished traditions survive? When unexpected twists throw life out of kilter for the people in these stories, will beloved, time-honored customs lead them back to the heart of Christmas? My Thoughts I love when a book evokes emotion in me as a reader, and The Heart of Christmas did just that. I cried some, but I laughed a little too. Not all in the sameRead More →

About the Book Book:  Regaining Mercy Author: Carolyn Miller Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance Release date: June 29, 2021 A mom ready to do anything for her son. A man determined to win the woman he loves. Going on Love at First Glance had seemed like such a good idea. She didn’t care about finding Mr. Right. No, Mindy Murray chose the reality TV show for more mercenary reasons.  A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do when it comes to feeding her son. When Mindy returns to Elnora, the girl from the “wrong side of the island” just wants a chance to rebuild her reputation. Too bad the folksRead More →

About the Book Book: Stealing the First Mate Author: Tabitha Bouldin Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance Release date: June 29, 2021 Sometimes, happily ever after is as elusive as a pirate’s treasure Darcy Riggins dove headfirst into the online dating pool and sank. Every time. Her lifelong dream of becoming a wife and mother becomes more elusive every year. So, taking the lack of a Mr. Right in her life as a decided “No!” from God, Darcy gives up altogether. Single and happy is not an oxymoron. Right? Nigel Jones has loved Darcy for ages, but her father (his boss, of course) ordered him to keepRead More →

Written Off, the third and final book in the Wilkester Mysteries certainly lived up to my expectations. Ms. Cornthwaite has a way with words that makes even the prose captivating. At no time during the book did I find my attention wandering or my eyes glazing over to the point where I skipped ahead to the next portion of dialog. I lapped up every word, and didn’t want anything to distract me from reading. I particularly enjoyed Ms. Cornthwaite’s use of bookish quotes throughout the series. It was neat to see a book character who had a bookish quote applicable to every occasion. Some ofRead More →

I wasn’t sure what to think when I first picked up Beauty Among Ruins by J’nell Ciesielski. I’d heard good things about this and her other books, but stories set during the First or Second World War aren’t something I typically pick up. I’ve read several over the years, but not enough to call it a favorite genre, or even one I read more than once a year. Did this book make me a fan of the genre? No. But, it did make me a fan of J’nell Ciesielski. Because Beauty Among Ruins is good. Very, very good. I immediately felt at ease with theRead More →

Restoring Fairhaven is my first book by Carolyn Miller and the final book in the first set of Independence Islands books set on Merriweather Island. As with the other books, I appreciated the fact that it’s a beach read without being overly beachy. In fact, there’s a serious lack of the typical exotic beach location that you’d expect from a beach read. These books are about ordinary people living their everyday lives with the ocean for a backdrop. If you’ve hesitated to pick them up because they’re beach reads (aka. fluff and nonsense) then you’re in for a pleasant surprise because they’re not that atRead More →

This seems pretty obvious, but I’ll say it anyway… I love to read. Unfortunately, I read less in 2020 than I have in other years, but at the same time, some of the books I read in 2020 have stuck with me more than books I’ve read in other years. So… without further ado, here is my list of favorite books for the year: Tempting Tait by Chautona Havig. If you follow me on social media, especially in reader groups on Facebook, you’ll have heard me recommend this book. Over and over again. Not just because of the cover (yes, Josh did the cover art), butRead More →

  If you haven’t read the other books in the Independence Islands series, you really should give them a try. Each book is uniquely written in the author’s own way, but they all tie together so nicely. Familiar characters pop in every once in a while, making it feel like an old friend has stopped by. And while I do have a favorite, so far I’ve enjoyed all of the books I’ve read in this series.   Mishaps on the Mainland is another great addition to the series and in it, we meet Mel and Zeke, two people struggling to make their way and learnRead More →

  Over the years I’ve found several authors whose books I’ll buy sight unseen. It doesn’t matter what the book is about, if I see it, I buy it. Jen Turano is on that list. So when I saw the opportunity to review To Steal A Heart through CelebrateLit, I jumped at the chance, and I wasn’t disappointed.   I can’t say this is my favorite Jen Turano book because every book of hers is a favorite while I’m reading it. I can say that for the first time in a long while, I found myself unable to put a book down. This story keptRead More →