Book Review: Christmas Charms by Teri Wilson

Christmas Charms
by Teri Wilson
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: October 6, 2020

From the Back Cover:

She never dreamed her holiday would include her hometown, a dog, or a firefighter.

But a mysterious charm bracelet
predicted it all…

Ashley’s supposed to be having the Christmas of her dreams. After four years of working at an upscale jewelry store in Manhattan, she’s finally going to get a little velvet box of her own—from her boyfriend Jeremy, who’s taking her on a romantic trip to Paris. What could go wrong?

Well, everything.

Ashley heads home to Owl Lake instead, falling asleep on the train ride there…and waking up with a beautiful antique charm bracelet on her wrist. Soon, she realizes that each silver charm predicts an event that happens in real life. What does this mean for her and Jeremy…or her and Aidan, her former high school boyfriend, who’s now a local firefighter? Is there still a chance that she could have the perfect Christmas?

My Thoughts

Such a cute story for the holidays! It definitely reads like a Hallmark movie and I would love to watch the movie too. I loved walking through Ashley and Aidan’s stories and was eager to get to the ending. I loved the sweet, magical, Christmas moments with the charms on the bracelet and wished I could be there.

Highly recommend this story for those who enjoy romance, humor, and Christmas magic!

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

October 2, 2020 by Kim Book Reviews

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice by Gemma Barder

Pride and Prejudice
Adapted by Gemma Barder
Rating: 5/5
Release Date: September 29, 2020

I am such a huge fan of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice including all the movies and mini-series. I was curious to see how the author would adapt the material for children, and I was not disappointed. The author is able to clearly tell the story without some of the extra flowery language and simplifying some of the scenes. She keeps the lovely humor and her tone light. I was very impressed with her ability to get all the emotions correct and keep the characters as true to the original as possible. I also loved the illustrations. They were similar to anime and delightful portrayals of my favorite characters.

I highly recommend this adaptation for those that want to share the brilliance of Pride and Prejudice with children.

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

September 22, 2020 by Kim Book Reviews

Book Review: Two Reasons to Run by Colleen Coble

Two Reasons to Run
by Colleen Coble
Book 2 in the Pelican Harbor series
Rating: 4.5/5
Release date: September 8, 2020

The story continues with Chief Jane and Reid and their son, Will. I was excited to dive back into the Pelican Harbor series and it did not disappoint. The story will make more sense if you read the first book, One Little Lie, but the background info is summarized fairly well, so I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. However, One Little Lie was also an excellent read so I’d still recommend starting from the beginning of the series.

Jane is still reeling from all the lies her father told her. She continues to feel betrayed by her father and even Reid, the father of their son. As chief, she starts investigating the disappearance of a local on an oil rig and suspects foul play. Homeland Security won’t listen to her, so she must continue to investigate on her own to stop a possible terrorist attack. Reid is willing to help her since the man who disappeared had also asked him to help. Together they move from clue to clue to figure out who’s behind the threat all while trying to protect their son, Will, whose life has been threatened in an effort to get Jane to drop the investigation. Meanwhile, Jane and Reid go on a journey trying to find relatives, which brings up a lot of baggage from their pasts. Can these two continue to work together and protect their son while trying to prevent a terrorist attack?

I love Colleen Coble’s stories. They just keep on getting better. I really like continuing with these main characters and how they need to deal with real life challenges. The situations they are in really do require the inner strength that only comes from faith. I also wasn’t able to guess the ending, which I was pleasantly surprised by. I am eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this series, Three Missing Days.

I highly recommend this book and series if you enjoy contemporary Christian stories with romance, action, mystery and suspense.

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