Book Recommendation - Shield of the Mighty

 

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 shop. Upon discovering he is not only a soldier but a captain responsible for enlisting young men to die in battle, fury and pain from her past loss resurfaces, threatening to consume her. But when Zevi's actions in Maresha entangle Yochana in his radical scheme, they're forced to confront present dangers and past scars.

Embark on a journey through ancient Israel with bestselling and award-winning author Connilyn Cossette in this exhilarating tale of vengeance, justice, and healing.

This book releases August 20, 2024 wherever books are sold. Check out the links below for additional information:

Connilyn Cossette's website: https://www.connilyncossette.com/

Connilyn Cossette's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ConnilynCossette

Shield of the Mighty Pintrest board: https://www.pinterest.com/connilyncossette/shield-of-the-mighty/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEsQ89leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcfzs8Ekwjp9Rd3pwO3SkHlEglsUu09jB34ACAPnOxJ-tfMJdXRsuZexbA_aem_KPQsAY0VCwHeuG3MrQaxQg

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343605009

Book Recommendation - Beyond Ivy Walls

 

Rachel Fordham is a newer author on the historical romance scene, but her books are full of great characters, sweet romance and small town charm. Her upcoming release Beyond Ivy Walls adds a Beauty and the Beast vibe, along with some fun settings, such as a feather duster factory and a roller skating rink! It also includes some differing family dynamics amongst each of the characters. Here's a bit about the book: 

Iowa, 1903

All of Monticello believes Otis Taylor has been away fostering his musical genius. But the truth is that his father exiled him long ago, rejecting Otis’s appearance and the scars that came with it. Now that he is the last living Taylor, Otis has covertly returned to settle his family’s affairs and rid himself of his past for good. However, he soon discovers that he may not have been the only discarded Taylor and begins a tireless search for his missing niece.

At twenty-three years old, Sadie West left her family farm and found employment at the Hoag feather duster factory. It isn’t a romantic job, but she’s hardly had a glimmer of romance since her beau went off to college, leaving her with no promise of a future together. Desperate to save money and help her family make ends meet, she trespasses and finds shelter in an abandoned building–and is thrown in the path of the town’s mysterious bachelor.

Otis’s wounds are deep, but as Sadie’s friendship with him grows, she begins to fall for the man beneath the mask. The mystery of his long-lost niece, however, is more complex than either could have imagined, and Sadie may be the key to Otis Taylor finally finding his way home.

Some tidbits of trivia I learned through the author's Facebook group:

- Both of the author's editors said a certain scene was a “hand flex scene” (Pride and Prejudice reference)

- The author wrote this book prior to "The Letter Tree", which was last year's release.

- The Hoag feather duster factory is based on a real factory.

- It was originally set in the 1880s but is now set at the start of the 1900s

- The main male characters name is Otis. She wrote this book before I’d ever met her adopted son named Otis.

This book releases August 13, 2024 wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

Rachel Fordham's website: https://rachelfordham.com/

Rachel Fordham's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RachelFordhamFans

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343606796

Book recommendation - Meeting Her Match

When looking for a historical romance that I know will be fraught with humor, include wonderful characters, have a hint of mystery and an altogether fabulous story line, I know I need look no further than Jen Turano. Meeting Her Match is the 3rd and final installment in the Matchmakers series. While the story can definitely stand alone, Camilla has shown up in the other 2 books and there are some story elements that have built on the other stories in this series. They're well fleshed out in this one though, so you will not be lost without having read the others. Unlike the other 2 books, this book steps away from New York relatively early in the story and comes to the Ohio Valley. I really enjoyed the change in scenery and the hilarity that ensues when you bring a member of the New York 400 to West Virginia. Here's a bit about the story:

Miss Camilla Pierpont, a renowned matchmaker and influential member of the New York Four Hundred, has vowed never to marry after suffering a devastating heartbreak during her debut years ago. However, when she is nearly abducted along the Hudson River, she finds herself rescued by an annoyingly outspoken, albeit fascinating, gentleman who challenges her in a manner she wasn't expecting.After learning that Camilla Pierpont has enjoyed success with taking wayward young ladies in hand, Mr. Owen Chesterfield travels to the Hudson River Valley determined to convince Camilla to sponsor his sister, who is in desperate need of social rehabilitation.Knowing her life is in danger, Camilla agrees to Owen's proposition and travels with him to West Virginia, finding herself charmed by the less-than-formal attitude of his small hometown, as well as by Owen himself. But danger waits in the shadows, disrupting what she knows would be the most spectacular match she's ever made--her own.

Here's a bit about the author:

Jen Turano–Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. Readers may find her at www.jenturano.com or www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor or on Twitter @JenTurano.

This book releases July 16,2024, wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

Jen Turano's website: https://jenturano.com/

Jen Turano's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343605430

Book Recommendation - Queen of Hearts

Heather Day Gilbert is a name I've followed off and on for a number of years. Her Murder in the Mountains was one of my favorites! Her recent books have been more "general market" than "Christian fiction" though, so she's fallen off of my radar a bit. However, when I heard about this one, I definitely wanted to snatch it up! With a main character who is an author with autism and it being a psychological thriller, I was immediately enticed and requested an advance copy, which I was thrilled to receive! It had all the plot twists and turns of a thriller, without keeping me up all night. Here's a bit about the book:

Her readers love her...
but one has gotten a little too attached.

Alexandra Dubois, a NYT bestselling author, has made a name for herself by crafting twisted serial killers in her romantic suspense series. When threatening notes from an "invested reader" escalate into violence, Alex has to admit she's not safe in her own home. Although her autism makes any changes to her routine difficult, she reluctantly accepts her editor's advice to fly to his sprawling vacation home in West Virginia so she can focus on her looming deadline.

Fighting paranoia that the stalker has discovered her mountain hideaway, Alex still forces herself to write several chapters in her novel. But when a thunderstorm leaves her stranded and she hears a knock at her door, she's about to discover that life truly is stranger than fiction.

Fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Mary Higgins Clark, and Misery are sure to be hooked by this clean, fast-paced domestic thriller by RWA Daphne Award-winning author Heather Day Gilbert.

This book is set to release July 23, 2024 wherever books are sold. Be sure to check it out! For additional information, check out the following links:

Heather Day Gilbert's website: https://heatherdaygilbert.com/

Heather Day Gilbert's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/heatherdaygilbert

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6563054285

Book Recommendation - What We Hide

 

As a fan of Colleen Coble's Pelican Harbor series, when I saw she had a new series starting, I decided to check it out. After reading the blurb, I decided to jump right in! And I'm so glad that I did. Though I've never read anything by Rick Acker before, I enjoyed this story enough to check out some of his other works as well. This was a thoroughly enjoyable romantic suspense novel. It had the right balance of romance, suspense, and character development. It had me guessing all the way through it, and though the story line itself is tied up nicely, the ending has me wanting more from the series! I will not-so-patiently await the next one! Here's a bit about this book:

Savannah Webster is trying to find her way forward. She and her husband, Hez, have been separated since tragedy tore them apart and he began numbing his grief and guilt with alcohol. She returned to Tupelo Grove University, which her family helped found over a century ago, to teach history.

When Hez turns up in her classroom asking for a second chance, she rejects the idea immediately. But twenty-four hours later she’s under suspicion for murder, and since Hez is the best attorney she knows, she reluctantly asks him for help. They suspect the murder is tied to someone selling off the university’s pre-Columbian artifacts, but the secrets go much deeper than they realize.

The only hope they’ve got is each other, and they’re going to have to put their past behind them if they’re going to stay alive long enough to uncover all that’s hidden.

This book will release on July 2, 2024 wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

Colleen Coble's website: https://colleencoble.com/

Rick Acker's website: https://www.rickacker.com/

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6569114460

Book Recommendation - Loyally, Luke

 

Though I would never claim contemporary romance as my genre of choice, there are a few authors who make it an enjoyable genre to delve into. Pepper Basham is quickly becoming one of my favorites in this genre and I have absolutely adored her Skymar series. This series follows a set of siblings (with 1 cousin thrown in for good measure) from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and pairs them with someone in the fictional island world of Skymar - a country that is ruled by a King, has Scottish roots and has lovely mountain scenery. If Skymar was a real place, I would totally want to go visit! This is book 3 in the Skymar series, and though the other 2 books are not essential reading to appreciate this book, they do help to get the fuller picture of the Edgewood family. And in reading the other 2 first, you get a better enjoyment of the ending of all of the stories at the end of this one. Here's a bit about the book:

Luke Edgewood isn’t a romantic.

Or, at least, he’s always felt certain Hallmark movies and romcoms were invented more as punishment for average guys than adding any real value to cinema. He’s a behind-the-scenes, flannel-wearing guy who lives a quiet life of obscurity and places value on working hard and being a good friend, neighbor, and brother. So when he travels to the island of Skymar to work on a few building projects, he never expects to find himself directly in the middle of a romantic trope-filled story of Hallmark proportions. From a Meet Cute that was anything but cute and an aging orphanage in need of as much tender care as the children it houses, Luke begins to wonder if he and his heart may be victims of some sort of hidden camera movie moment.

Elianna St. Claire, youngest daughter of King Aleksander and Queen Gabriella of the Skymarian Islands, is trying to earn her way back into the status of working royal after botching her public and private life with some ill-timed choices which ruined her reputation and damaged the family. Now, older and wiser, she’s determined to prove worthy of her title. Taking on a renovation of her beloved orphanage, Cambric Hall, (of which she is patron) shouldn’t be such a difficult job. Happy to escape her mother’s strong encouragement of matrimony, she finds pseudo-anonymity in the secluded mountains to oversee the orphanages renovations until her parents announce her official return as a working royal at the Wild Hyacinth Ball.

When Ellie learns the man she’d literally ran into at the coffee shop is the one who has been hired to help with the orphanage’s repairs, she’s determined to keep her royal status as secret as possible. From fundraisers to fake dates to sleigh rides and snowball fights, Ellie and Luke begin to discover that the wrong first impressions may lead to a romantic possibility with romcom flavored magic included.

But when Ellie’s true identity is revealed and royal expectations bring Luke out of his preferred anonymity into the spotlight of the royal life, will their budding relationship fall prey to a very unhappily-ever-after ending?

So. Much. Fun!! 

Luke Edgewood reminds me a great deal of my husband, which is maybe why he's the only book hero to have the title of "book boyfriend" in my world. Though my man is not handy in a carpentry sense, he has the same introverted stoicism, with the same soft heart beneath the gruff demeanor. And the same appreciation for all of the boy movies - Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the like. I'm aware the author has based Luke's character loosely on her dad, who recently passed away, and that endears me to him all the more! This book releases May 14, 2024 wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

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

Pepper Basham's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pepperdbasham

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343605634

Book Recommendation - Darkness Calls the Tiger

 

Janyre Tromp is a new name in the world of Christian fiction authors, though she's been in the writing business for some time, doing editing and the like. This is her sophomore novel and focuses on the CBI (China Burma India) theater in the war, giving it a unique WWII story. This read was a bit heavy and a bit dark, so I wouldn't recommend to younger audiences, but for those who enjoy the depth of a good light from darkness story will easily enjoy this tale. Here's a bit about the book:

"My adopted people have a story, a legend, that speaks of a time so dark, the sun will turn his back on the mountains and swallow the moon. It is then that the sharaw—the tiger-man—will come prowling, exacting revenge on the darkness. But there is no great darkness in me or my world. It isn’t always comfortable, but it has always been predictable . . . until the soldiers came."

A handful of months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, missionaries Kailyn Moran and Ryan James, face a brutal Japanese attack on their village high in the mountains of Burma.

After the Land of the Rising Sun devours almost everything she loves, Kai vows to hunt down those responsible, even if it means she must become the legendary sharaw. When the Japanese put a price on her head, Ryan fights to protect Kai from the path of revenge. But only she can choose to turn away from the call of the darkness.

Wrapped in real history and mountain legends, Darkness Calls the Tiger will appeal to fans of Susan Meissner and William Kent Kreuger.

Following the author on social media has given me some additional behind the scenes looks at the book itself. Here are a couple of tidbits she has shared from her research on social media:

1. Known as the Forgotten War, the China-Burma-India Theater of WWII is widely recognized as the genesis for modern US Special Forces tactics.

The OSS (precursor to the CIA) parachuted officers into the mountains to recruit the local people to fight against Imperial Japan. These fighting groups became known as Detachment 101.

My upcoming book, Darkness Calls the Tiger, references one of the many guerrilla fighting forces in the CBI—The Kachin Rangers. They were known as spirit men (derived from mountain lore) and the Japanese were terrified of fighting in the Kachin state because of how the Kachin's would rain down destruction and simply vanish into the jungle.

When she sees her adopted village destroyed, my main character, Kailyn Moran, sinks into one of the deadliest legends of the mountains--that of the tiger people.

Want to know more about the CBI? There's an awesome FB Group, RememberingTheCbi (https://www.facebook.com/RememberingTheCbi)

2. This man saved hundreds of lives in WWII Burma.

His name is Father James Stuart and he was an Irish missionary who, with only his words, convinced Imperial Japanese soldiers to not decimate multiple Kachin villages in the mountains of North Burma. He regularly hid refugees (many of them children) and then led them through the mountainous jungles to safety in India.

He was brave, kind, funny, and one of the reasons many of the mountain people signed up to become a Kachin Ranger--run by officers of the OSS Detachment 101 in Burma.
We could use more of these kind of men in the world. Yes?

The good news is that there's more than a little of Father Stuart in Ryan, the male protagonist of Darkness Calls the Tiger.

I absolutely adored Ryan and love that he's based on a real person! Also.....

 

This book releases May 14, 2024 wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

Janyre Tromp's website: https://beautifuluglyme.com/

Janyre Tromp's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JanyreTromp

My full 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5585967418