Kim

Book Review: If for Any Reason by Courtney Walsh

If for Any Reason
by Courtney Walsh
Release date: February 3, 2020
Rating: 4.5/5

Wow. I was already a fan of Courtney Walsh, but this story was just so good. Well written and heartwarming. I think it would make a great Hallmark movie.

Emily Ackerman has no choice but to return to the place where her mother died 18 years ago. With her grandfather’s passing, she inherited their house on Nantucket and she needs the money from the sale. Having lost her mother and never known her father, Emily clings to the letters her mother wrote for her in dealing with what life throws at her, especially when it comes to love. When she returns to the island and finds her childhood best friend, Hollis McGuire, still living next door, she is hesitant to reconnect but unable to resist him and his family. Hollis has never felt like he fit in with the rich people on the island. Emily’s mother always encouraged her to be different, so the two of them were always together off on some fearless adventure. Hollis is a retired professional baseball player with his own ghosts and a daughter that he can’t seem to connect with. Can Emily and Hollis get what they want this summer?

Beautifully flawed characters and great storytelling are essential to making me laugh and cry. The premise of a dying mother writing letters to her daughter is not necessarily new but Courtney Walsh made the idea fresh and I loved how she wove in Emily’s mother’s story in the book as well. I will say that I guessed the big mystery almost immediately but only because I was looking for it. It didn’t take away from the story for me at all. This story is about belonging and forgiveness – definitely has faith elements in the story.

Highly recommend for those that enjoy Contemporary Christian Romance with a bit of mystery.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

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February 1, 2020 by Kim Book Reviews

Book Review: The Blizzard Bride by Susanne Dietze

The Blizzard Bride
by Susanne Dietze
Book 11 in the Daughters of the Mayflower series
Release date: February 1, 2020
Rating: 4.5/5

I love this series! The writing is so well done and you can tell a whole lot of research went into each story. I also am a sucker for historical romance. I blame it on my daddy who always shared his love for history with me. Having never read anything from Dietze before, I was impressed with her pacing and characters.

Abigail Bracey is the new teacher in Wells, Nebraska. As much as she enjoys her job, she is also there on a job with the Secret Service, working for the Treasury, investigating a counterfeiter’s lost son. Her mission is secret except to Secret Service Agent Dashiell Lassiter who is also in town because they got word that the counterfeiter was headed their way. Abby and Dash are not only coworkers but former childhood sweethearts. Dash left her right before Abby’s entire life fell to pieces and she’s never forgiven him. Can the two of them work together to find this evil man and protect his son?

Having never heard about the crazy blizzard of January 1888, I was intrigued to learn something new and get a great story too. I love how the author wove the story of bitterness and forgiveness even til the very end. Abby’s transformation is beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. Loving your enemy is not easy but it was inspiring to read about.

Highly recommend for those that enjoy historical inspirational fiction.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

January 24, 2020 by Kim Book Reviews

Book Review: The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren

The Way of the Brave
by Susan May Warren
Book 1 of the Global Search and Rescue series
Rating: 5/5

Words cannot describe how much I loved reading this adrenaline-fueled climb up and down Denali. I wasn’t ready. The love story is surrounded by the suspense found in all of Warren’s search and rescue books and does NOT disappoint. The tension never let up and forced me to keep reading till the end.

Orion’s past continues to haunt him as his friend tries to lure him to join his global search and rescue team. As former SEAL buddies, he enjoys their friendship but doesn’t want to go back to his life as a pararescue jumper. When he and his friends are called out to rescue three women stranded on the mountain, he finds himself back in the game whether he likes it or not – only this time one of the women who needs saving is the one that got away before his entire life changed. Back in Afghanistan, he and Jacie had connected but he’d never seen her after that fateful mission where he busted his knee. For some reason, she changed her name to Jenny but he’d recognize her anywhere. Can Orion and his buddies find and rescue the woman of his dreams and her friends before it’s too late? Or will Mother Nature or God just allow obstacle after obstacle to get in their way to safety?

My heart can’t take this. Haha. I loved everything about this story. If you’ve ever seen the movie, Vertical Limit, you will understand but this book is better! (The movie was also referenced in the book which made me smile.) The main characters are dealing with their own issues and fears but Warren has a way of weaving in forgiveness and redemption into all her stories that just makes me cry and laugh and stand in awe of the Savior. The technical terms she must have researched makes the story authentic but still a bit confusing since I’m not as familiar with all the mountain climbing terms. You can tell she put her heart and soul into this story. She really starts preaching near the end which I loved; she’s not afraid to share her heart and God’s heart when it comes to forgiveness and shame.

I highly recommend this book for those that love Christian romantic suspense and I can’t wait for the next in the series!

My thanks to Revell and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.