Book recommendation - The Hidden Prince

 

One of my go-to authors in Biblical fiction is Tessa Afshar. She writes with such spiritual depth and great Biblical knowledge and forms rich characters and plot lines that her books are difficult to put down. Having struggled to read as much this year as I have in past years, I was thrilled to read this one in just a couple of days. This book takes place during the Babylonian captivity of the nation of Judah. I enjoyed seeing some famous Bible characters as well as learning more about the ancient cultures in the eastern world. Here's a bit about the book:

From the bestselling author of Jewel of the Nile comes the thrilling tale of a woman who feels she has no future but soon discovers the fate of nations may rest in her hands.

The beloved daughter of Jewish captives in Babylon, Keren is sold into Daniel’s household to help her family survive. She becomes Daniel’s most trusted scribe, while taking lessons and swordsmanship training alongside Daniel’s sons and their best friend, Jared.

But after a tragic accident changes the course of her life, Keren finds herself in a foreign country, charged with a mysterious task: teaching a shepherd boy how to become a lord. When she overhears whispers that hint at his true identity, she realizes she must protect him from the schemes of a bloodthirsty king.

Jared cannot forgive Keren. Still, he finds himself traveling over mountains to fetch her back to the safety of home. When he discovers the secret identity of Keren’s pupil, Jared knows he must help protect him. Love battles bitterness as they flee from the king’s agents, trying to save the boy who could one day deliver their people from captivity.

Fun side note - the Ishtar gate on the front cover of the book is currently being reconstructed. Here's an image of it in "real life". I love how the cover art captures it so well!

This book is available November 8, 2022, wherever books are sold. It's one I definitely recommend checking out! For additional information, check out the following links:

Tessa Afshar's website: https://tessaafshar.com/

Tessa Afshar's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessaAfshar

My full 5-star review:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5059428319

Book Recommendation - Authentically, Izzy

 

Pepper Basham is a relatively new to me author, but when I saw this upcoming novel was set in epistolary style, included Lord of the Rings references and book-ish humor, I knew I had to get my hands on this one. After reading several heavier suspense novels in a row, I knew I needed a lighter pick-me-up sort of book, so I picked this one up and it was just what the doctor ordered. Here's a bit about the book:

“Dear Izzy—I feel certain there’s a book-loving man living relatively nearby waiting to speak bookish to you ’til death do you part. You just haven’t met yet.”

Izzy Edgewood is a wannabe bookstore owner, quote queen, and Lord of the Rings nerd who has been waiting for Prince Charming to sweep her off her sneakered feet. But it’s hard to meet people when you spend more time with fictional humans than real ones. Which is why her pragmatist cousin Josephine decides to take Izzy’s future into her own meddling hands and create an online dating profile for the hopeful romantic.

To Izzy’s shock (and suspicion), Josie’s plan works. Soon, she’s dialoguing with a Hobbit-loving man named Brodie who lives in a small town an ocean away from her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But is their shared love of books, family, and correspondence enough to overcome Izzy’s fear of flying and the literal distance between them? And is a long-distance relationship even worth considering when a local author has been frequenting the library where she works and is proving to be a perfectly fine gentleman?

In this epistolary novel from award-winning author Pepper Basham, bookish dreams and happily-ever-afters collide to create a beautiful sort of magic that’s even better than fiction.

This book comes out November 15, 2022 wherever books are sold. This is one you will definitely want to check out! For more information, check out the following links:

Pepper Basham's website: https://pepperdbasham.com/

Pepper Basham's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pepper.basham

Pepper Basham's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/pepperbasham/

My full 5-star review:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4775846507

Book Recommendation - The Premonition at Withers Farm

 

When looking for a book that has literally everything in it, I know I need to look no further than Jaime Jo Wright. Since she writes dual timeline novels, you get both historical and contemporary. Since she writes romantic suspense, you get both a suspenseful mystery and a bit of romance. And as the person who writes the books with the most "creep factor" that I know of, she's in a category all her own. This is her 8th novel and she has caught me by surprise in each and every one. 

Here's a little bit about The Premonition at Withers Farm:

The voices of the past cannot stay silent forever.

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?

This book comes out October 11, 2022, wherever books are sold. Pre-order your copy today!

For additional information, check out the following links:

Jaime Jo Wright's website: https://www.jaimewrightbooks.com/

Jaime Jo Wright's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/authorjaimejowright

My full 4.5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4776055343

Book Recommendation - Millstone of Doubt

 

When it comes to Regency romance, I need not look any further than Erica Vetsch. Her stories are fun - with humor and banter woven in, as well as including wonderful characters and typically a good mystery that has me turning pages and asking "whodunit" until the big reveal. This book was among my favorites of hers so far. I enjoyed the character development, the plot and the faith thread immensely. Here's a little bit about the book:

Regency London's detective duo is back on a new case--and this one is going to be a killer Caught in the explosion of the Hammersmith Mill in London, Bow Street Runner Daniel Swann rushes to help any survivors only to find the mill's owner dead of an apparent gunshot.

Even though the owner's daughter, Agatha Montgomery, mourns his death, it seems there are more than a few people with motive for murder. But Daniel can't take this investigation slow and steady. Instead, he must dig through all the suspects as quickly as he can, because the clock is ticking until his mysterious patronage--and his job as a runner--comes to an abrupt and painful end. It seems to Daniel that, like his earthly father, his heavenly Father has abandoned him to the fates.

Lady Juliette Thorndike is Agatha's bosom friend and has the inside knowledge of the wealthy London ton to be invaluable to Daniel. She should be in a perfect position to help with the case. Still, her instructor in the art of spy craft orders her to stay out of the investigation. But circumstances intervene, dropping her into the middle of the deadly pursuit.

When a dreadful accident ends in another death on the mill floor, Daniel discovers a connection to his murder case--and to his own secret past. Now he and Juliette are in a race to find the killer before his time runs out.

This book releases September 20, 2022, wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

Erica Vetsch's website: https://www.ericavetsch.com/

Erica Vetsch's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4775845512

Book Recommendation - Fallout

 

Carrie Stuart Parks is in a league of her own when it comes to inspirational suspense. While many authors draw you in with nail-biting and intense page turning, Ms. Parks whets your appetite with mystery and intrigue, draws in some real life history and events, adds dogs and art to each and every story, and creates characters with more quirks than  usual. This book was no different. Here's a little bit about the book:

Samantha Williams’s carefully crafted life is about to be demolished as thoroughly as her art classroom when a careening SUV smashes into the school.

In the dusty farming community of LaCrosse, Washington, art teacher Samantha Williams manages to save her students when an SUV crashes into the school. Her car isn’t so lucky. Oddly, her purse—containing her driver’s license, credit cards, and other identification—is missing from the wreckage, forcing her to rely on the kindness of strangers. Never one to trust easily, Samantha is thrust into a world far different from her simple life of jigsaw puzzles, children’s books, and lectures at the library.

One of the strangers who befriends her is a reporter from Spokane who is in town investigating two sets of skeletal remains that were recently discovered. When authorities discover that the driver in the school accident was shot before the crash, Samantha quickly becomes enmeshed in strange events, which turn ominous with the discovery of blackmail, murder, an abandoned town, and a secret government project.

Samantha has long tried to forget the tragedy of her past, but the links here can't be ignored. Yet these are secrets that others are determined to keep buried, and they’ll use any means necessary to stop Samantha’s search for truth.

This book releases September 13, 2022, wherever books are sold. For additional info, check out the following links:

Carrie Stuart Parks' website: http://www.carriestuartparks.com/

Carrie Stuart Parks' facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/carriestuartparks123

My full 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4690886627#

Book Recommendation - Worthy of Legend

 

When I want to enjoy a historical romance that includes mystery and intrigue as well as spiritual depth, I know I can count on Roseanna M. White. Her Secrets of the Isles series has followed  a group of friends - some of the nobility and others not - to the Scilly Islands, off the coast of Cornwall. The islands are filled with legends - many based in fact - that have brought many a treasure hunter to their shores. This series tells some of those tales. This final installment in the series includes the legend of King Arthur and the sinking of Lyonesse together in a way that is altogether believable. This book ties up the series nicely and brings closure to the characters. I also enjoy any book that includes a dog and there's a delightful puppy included in this one as well. 

Here's a bit about the book:

After a summer of successful pirate-treasure hunting, Lady Emily Scofield and her friends must hide the unprecedented discoveries they've made, thanks to the betrayal of her own family. Horrified by her brother, who stops at nothing to prove himself to their greedy father, Emily is forced to take a stand against her family--even when it means being cut off entirely.

Bram Sinclair, Earl of Telford, is fascinated with tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table--an interest he's kept mostly hidden for the last decade. But when a diary is unearthed on the islands that could lead to a secret artifact, Bram is the only one able to piece the legends together.

As Bram and Emily seek out the whereabouts of the hidden artifact, they must dodge her family and a team of archeologists. In a race against time, it is up to them to decide what makes a hero worthy of legend. Is it fighting valiantly to claim the treasure . . . or sacrificing everything in the name of selfless love?

Fans that sign up for the author's newsletter also get a bonus chapter to this book! This book releases on September 13, 2022 wherever books are sold. For more information, check out the following links:

Roseanna M. White's website: https://www.roseannamwhite.com/

Roseanna M. White's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RoseannaMWhite

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4690893036

Book Recommendation - Fostered

 

As a CASA who is always looking for good continuing education books to read, this book popped out to me as one that I would really be interested in. It is written by a woman who grew up in foster care, and is now married and a foster mom. She overcame her obstacles and healed from her trauma by the grace of God and I knew that I wanted to hear her story. Honest about where she came from and owning up to her own bad decisions that took her further down that road, Ms. Petersen readily points to her relationship with God as being what saved her - physically, emotionally and spiritually. This book is one I'd recommend to anyone who works with or around foster youth or simply wants to know more. 

Here's a little bit about the book:

If you’re wondering if God can truly move in the life of someone with all the odds stacked against her, look no further than Tori Hope Petersen.

Tori grew up in the foster care system, a bi-racial child in a confusing and volatile world. Growing up with a mentally ill mother and living in twelve different foster homes, nothing was in her favor. And yet, even with a miniscule chance of graduating college and a great risk of being homeless, jobless, and on drugs, Tori overcame every negative stereotype and assumption that attacked her identity. 

However, Tori will tell you she did not overcome. Christ did. In the face of the storm, Jesus made a way for Tori to find profound hope, deep faith, renewed purpose, and a loving family, too.  After so many years of being on one side of foster care as a child, Tori is now on the other side as a foster mom, adoptive mom, and biological mom. On top of that, she was crowned as a Track and Field All-American and named Mrs. Universe 2021, a platform she now uses to pursue her passion for foster care reform, adoption advocacy, and help for vulnerable populations.

If you want to hear the true tale of an unlikely overcomer, this book is for you. If you want to learn more about the foster care system from a former foster youth’s perspective, this book is for you. If you want to better dwell in the reality of your own spiritual adoption by our Heavenly Father and better understand the orphan and the widow that He loves dearly, this book is for you. Ultimately, if you want to remember who God is, and what He can do through the most unlikely of people, Fostered is for you.

This book releases August 30, 2022, wherever books are sold. For more information, check out the following links:

Tori Hope Petersen's website: https://www.torihopepetersen.com/

Tori Hope Petersen's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/torihopepetersen/

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4923575150