Musings by Erin

  During the holidays (which are fast coming up!), I enjoy diverting my reading to encompass Christmas reads. This year, several have come out prior to the holiday season and so I've started reading my Christmas stories early this year. Though I'm of a mind that it's never too early to think about Christmas! When I spotted this one with a story by Pepper Basham in it, I knew I needed to snag a copy for myself. And getting to read stories by 2 new-to-me authors? Just a bonus! These 3 stories had a bit of a Hallmark movie feel to them, which I adored and I enjoyed this early foray into the holiday season. Here's a bit about the book: This Christmas, three couples find themselves under the mistletoe . . . whether they want to be there or not. Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts--Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild's kryptonite. Every time she's kissed someone under the mistletoe it's led to love disaster. Not a good thing for a romance writer! When she was a gawky

  No one does creepy thrillers like Jaime Jo Wright. And so, every time she has a new book, I jump at the opportunity to read it! In addition to always having logical explanations for the ghastly apparitions (think Scooby Doo!), her stories always touch on a serious subject matter. Specters in the Glass House speaks to mental health. In addition to the creep factor, the mystery, and depth, there is also a solid faith thread that provides hope in the darkness. Here is a bit about the book: In 1921, Marian Arnold, the heiress to a brewing baron's empire, seeks solace in the glass butterfly house on her family's Wisconsin estate as Prohibition and the deaths of her parents cast a long shadow over her shrinking world. When Marian's sanctuary is invaded by nightmarish visions, she grapples with the line between hallucinations of things to come and malevolent forces at play in the present. With dead butterflies as the killer's ominous signature, murders unfold at a steady pac

It's not often that the cover photo of my blog post is one that I took, but since my Christmas tree is up all year, I was able to get a perfect backdrop for this Christmas book that releases in September. I have always loved Roseanna M. White's stories and so when she gave her upcoming Christmas book a Nutcracker theme, I jumped at the chance to read it as the Nutcracker brings back fond memories of Christmases past. Here's a bit about the book: As the beloved stepdaughter of the Earl of Castleton, Lady Mariah Lyons cherishes her home at Plumford Manor, but her idyllic world will be threatened when the estate passes to Cyril Lightbourne, a childhood friend she hasn't seen or heard from in years. Once, Mariah dreamed their old friendship would kindle into something more--but that was before she heard that Cyril was courting the cruelhearted Lady Pearl. Now Mariah is willing to welcome him as a friend and pray he will finally be the heir her stepfather needs, but she'

  One of the genres in fiction that I love is Biblical fiction as it gives me more Bible context and has me reading scripture with a greater understanding. Though Biblical fiction is never in lieu of the Bible itself (and should be read as intended - a fictional account of actual events), it helps me to better understand the context and culture of the scriptures. Mesu Andrews is one of the authors that I love to read who does Biblical fiction oh so well. Her upcoming series is about the wives of King David and she's writing on the lesser-known wives. Book 1 is Brave - the story of Ahinoam. In scripture, Ahinoam is only mentioned in passing. She was listed as a sideline to his marriage to Abigail (He had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel) and by the child she bore David in Hebron - Amnon, his first born. In Brave, we not only read about Ahinoam (her part is mostly fictionalized since there is not much out there about her), but also learn more about David. And his time in the wildernes

  Lynn Austin has long been an auto-read author for me. I will go out of my way to read everything she writes. Waiting for Christmas is a follow-up to her All My Secrets, which came out earlier this year. If you've ever read a beloved book and clamored for a "what happens next" story, this follows that! Here's a little bit about the book: In this hope-filled Gilded Age Christmas novella from bestselling author Lynn Austin, the year is 1901 and the hustle and bustle of the holidays is descending on New York’s Fifth Avenue. For the first time in her privileged life, Adelaide Forsythe won’t be swept up in it. She couldn’t be happier about the prospect of a quieter Christmas. That’s not to say her transition from Miss to Mrs. has been without challenge. Though she doesn’t regret marrying for love instead of wealth, she can barely light the hearth or cook more than burnt toast. She feels woefully unprepared to run her own household.Then, on the first Sunday of Advent, wint

  When it comes to Biblical Fiction, Connilyn Cossette is one of my auto-read authors. Her upcoming release, Shield of the Mighty was written in a particularly difficult time in the author's life, and the result is a beautiful story chock full of spiritual depth and truth. This book has the potential to be my top read for the year this year and one I can easily recommend to fans of Biblical historical fiction. Here's a bit about the book: Captured by the Philistines as a young boy, Zevi has grown into a formidable warrior. As a captain in King Saul's army, he is assigned a crucial mission: Recruit soldiers, gather tribute for the royal coffers, and find talented artisans for the king's court. But when he is sent to Maresha, the town he was forced to leave as a child, he faces a startling truth--the elder council rejects King Saul and his campaign against their enemies. Yochana, a widow and skilled woman of business, is captivated by a stranger who enters her perfume sho