Genre: Contemporary Rom-com ( permeated with shades of Regency)
She thought she knew the rules of love. Turns out, love makes its own.
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The perfect match can’t be far–certainly not at a Regency-themed singles’ retreat–or so podcaster Zoe Dufour believes. After years of creating content for her relationship podcast inspired by Regency etiquette and era-appropriate rules for romance, she knows her listeners have anticipated this retreat. But she also attends with expectations of her own: finding the ideal modern-day gentleman who can meet every one of the nonnegotiables on her checklist.
Harrison Lundquist, Zoe’s podcast producer and best friend’s brother, reluctantly agrees to tag along on the retreat to capture footage while seeking a career-advancing promotion. He views the retreat as ridiculous. And Zoe’s methods for finding her real-life Mr. Darcy? Downright absurd! But as he films her whirlwind dates, his growing feelings for her are sidelined by suitors vying for her attention. When Zoe realizes her checklist for the man of her dreams might be holding her back, she must decide if she’s willing to rewrite her rules and take a chance on the person who has been there all along.
“The writing is smart and sassy with humor and touching moments sure to please lovers of rom-coms, Regency romance, or Jane Austen period dramas.”–JULIE KLASSEN, bestselling author
This clean and wholesome romance presents a Regency-infused spin on a contemporary rom-com with the grumpy/sunshine, he falls first, and best friend’s brother tropes. Readers of Melissa Ferguson, Pepper Basham, and Julie Klassen will find this read delightful.
Mollie Rushmeyer writes whimsical romance with heart and humor. She has a deep and abiding love for all things British, bookish, and filled with history and mystery. A modern girl herself—she wouldn’t want to go a day without modern plumbing and central air!—she’s always felt a special connection to the past and anything with a happily ever after. Her debut novel, The Bookshop of Secrets, was a finalist for a 2023 Carol Award. A born and bred Midwestern gal, Mollie makes her home in central Minnesota with her husband and two spunky, beautiful daughters.
Her Jane Austen-inspired contemporary rom-com, The Rules of Falling for You with Bethany House Publishers, released September 2nd, 2025. Get your copy now!!
She’d love to connect through social media! Follow her on Instagram and
Facebook: @authormollierushmeyer
My Impressions
“That’s how God so often works, isn’t it? Only the next step, the next shrub or tree, is visible when I want the whole forest. I need the whole picture so I can organize, mitigate disaster, plan for all possible outcomes, ready a list to ensure everything turns out the way it’s supposed to.”
The premise of this book reminded me of Angela Ruth Strong’s book, Husband Auditions, in which a young single influencer decides to film herself following an old-fashioned list for finding a beau. Only instead of list from the 1950s, our heroine in Molly Rushmeyer’s contemporary rom-com uses a list from Regency times. Zoe and her best friend Eden produce a popular podcast. Using wisdom from Regency authors Jane Austin and A. Nathaniel Gladwin, Zoe gives advice about finding love in the modern world. Love, the “l” word, yet elusive to the two. They decide to attend a Regency cosplay singles retreat near Minneapolis, and drag along Eden’s brother, Harrison, as their producer.
The adventures the two get into along with Harrison, his assistant Jake, and a few other friends and attendees are quite hilarious and sad. Hilarious as Zoe is not very graceful, and that is putting it mildly. Sad, because as the reader, it is so easy to see what Zoe refuses to see… where her true feelings lie, but where she, in her need for a plan, decides to move ahead.
Harrison and Zoe take turns narrating the story, so we get a look at the pitfalls and likelihood of this being a friends-to-more story. Zoe is a planner who must have everything scheduled and perfect. Harrison finally tells her, “Besides, even when we think we’re controlling things, we’re really not. Surrender is acknowledging the fact that God has it under control, has our backs, and loves us. We don’t have to carry the burden of making everything right.” Yet, Zoe desperately clings to her idea of control, sure if she lets go, disaster will ensue.
When Zoe does finally begin to let go and trust God for her future, a sudden betrayal reinforces her misguided idea that she never should have given up the reins. Will she ever be able to understand that “God never promised, ‘Take my yoke upon you, and I’ll make sure your life’s smooth sailing, no pain or heartache’”? I know people who believe if they trust God, bad things shouldn’t happen to them. Will Harrison persist in his pursuit, or will he decide Zoe and he are too different to be God’s match for each other? How will Harrison and Eden’s overbearing, absent father affect the future of the podcast and any relationship between Harrison and Zoe?
While this is a light-hearted story, the lessons about letting go and letting God and relaxing our standards, not looking for perfection in others, are invaluable.
I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher via NetGalley. I also purchased my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“That’s the thing I’ve come to see. I’ll never be perfect, I’ll never do everything right. But then He never asked me to. Instead, He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”- Harrison
“while people, even people I love deeply, can disappoint and betray me, God never will.”- Zoe
“when we keep secrets from others, we’re telling ourselves it’s for their good. To protect them. To protect our own hearts. But it’s a lie we tell ourselves to avoid doing what’s right.”– Zoe
“Maybe He [God]reveals one step at a time so I have to take His hand for the next one, the one I can’t quite see beyond. That way He can help me when I inevitably stumble or fall.”-Zoe
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! Perfection vs. What God Calls You to Be
Title: A Lady Divided Series: House of Fire #1 Author: Sandra Ardoin Publisher: Corner Room Books Release Date: August 28, 2025 Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Just when she thinks she’s defeated the past, it returns with a vengeance.
Fighting to keep her late husband’s dream alive and her land-grabbing neighbors at bay, Laurel Tillman longs for a peace she knew before the war. But when her skill with a rifle saves a stranger from a mountain lion attack—a man whose life she once wouldn’t have hesitated to take—wartime memories rush back.
While raising her daughter and taking responsibility for the stray women who work on her sheep ranch, Laurel can’t wait to get the injured Yankee out of her house. Getting him out of her heart is an entirely different matter.
Quinn Spencer, a former Union cavalry officer, owes Laurel a debt, but his career as a new lawyer in town comes with a warning to stay away from the unconventional women of La Casa del Fuego. Then, with the discovery of a dead man on Laurel’s ranch, Quinn must choose between his career and justice for a woman who can’t bear the sight of him.
As they battle an unknown adversary who sets out to destroy Laurel, will she join forces with her former enemy? Or will she allow the past to overcome any chance of a truce between them . . . and, possibly, something more?
Meet the women of La Casa del Fuego—House of Fire—as they are forced by circumstances to live their lives outside the bounds of accepted femininity.
As the author of reader-described heartwarming historical and contemporary romance, Sandra Ardoin engages readers with page-turning stories of love and faith.
She is the married mother of a young adult and co-sitter for a granddog. As well as being a team member in her church’s library, she reads Christian fiction, binges TV shows with her husband, and seldom says no to eating out.
Visit her at sandraardoin.com. Connect with her on BookBub, Facebook, X, and Goodreads. Subscribe to the newsletter and keep up with what’s new, discover what’s upcoming, and learn of specials.
My Impressions
“The past was an evil devil to fight.”
Who doesn’t remember “The Island of Misfit Toys”? Sandra Ardoin’s A Lady Divided ( House of Fire, Bk#1) brings that concept to mind in human form. We are transported back in time to a few years (1877) after the Civil War in Texas. Our nation has started to rebuild, but some find it hard to forget the atrocities of the war and even harder to forgive those who hail from the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line. Instead of an island of misfit toys, we have a ranch of “misfit women.” Women who have been wounded by life, and rejecthe acceptable society norms of femininity at that time. At their helm is widow Mrs. Laurel Tillman, who lives on a ranch with her widowed mother and young daughter. The few ranch hands she has, like her, dress like men and do ranch jobs that make them the fodder for malicious gossip in a world concerned with conformity.
When Laurel saves the life of former Union Major Quinn Spencer who happens on her land, an enemies-to-possibly more relationship is established. But, oh, Laurel has guilt from the past that she is sure God could never forgive, and she carries the burden of the safety of all the ranch women like a heavy yoke.
“Oh, if only she could feel the rest that Jesus promised. The peace. But her sinful actions were too great.” As Laurel deals with the mountain of unrest in her heart, her bitterness threatens to eat her alive, and often those around her. Yet, those closest to her can see her actions come from her conflicted heart, reflecting the conflict of the divided States. Yet, she refuses to lay her burden down. Her mother tries to reach her, only to have Laurel turn a deaf ear. “I hate to see you suffer like this. He’s waiting, Laurel. All you have to do is walk toward Him. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’”
I loved this story for its unwrapping of the human emotions that are buried ( or not) just under the surface in a nation yet divided. I loved the understanding of the women that they could do hard work and it was respectable, even if it wasn’t acceptable in society. I yearned for the secrets that both Laurel and Quinn keep close to their vests. The constant mystery and danger from the the world outside Laurel’s ranch bubble make for an exciting read, as does the faith journey that so many of the characters are required to make. Will they progress towards what is right, or will they choose the comfortable answers to appease those around them? Convicting as I tried to put myself in their shoes!
Oh, yes! Did I mention humor and twists?! Be prepared! They are the cream cheese icing on a great carrot cake!
I had a three-way tie for fave secondary characters. Ernie, Becky, and the Marshall. And I love that we are well-set up for sequels!
I received a copy of the book from JustRead Tours through BookFunnel. I also bought my own ecopy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“…no one’s past is as it should be.” …“The only person in this world who never sinned was Jesus. His sacrifice gave imperfect human beings like you and me the way to become perfect in God’s sight.” – Quinn
“God still loves me. He never turned His back on me. Even though I turned mine on Him, He waited for me to return.”- Laurel
“How could she live in peace with others when she found it so hard to live peacefully with herself?”– Laurel
“Did she dare to think God loved her so much that He allowed the death of His own Son for someone like her? No. There must be an exception, a limit to His grace and mercy.”- Laurel
“‘I don’t hate you. Momma always said I shouldn’t hate.’ When had that stopped her? ‘But I see nothing wrong with comparing you to a long-tailed rodent.’”– Laurel- taste of novel’s humor!
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! 5 big Texas stars!!
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon eGift Card and two (2) ebooks of their choice from Sandra Ardoin’s Published Books!
(1) winner will receive three (3) ebooks of their choice from Sandra Ardoin’s Published Books
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 25, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 1, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction
Release Date: August 1, 2025
A Socialite in Disguise Seeks Truth and Justice
Henrietta “Etta” Maxwell is a hard-hitting investigative reporter for The Enterprise Daily. The catch? Etta must pen her columns under the nom de plume, Henry Mason—a fact that routinely puts a knot in her knickerbockers.
Leo Eriksson is a second-generation firefighter with a passion for rendering aid to those in need. When Leo discovers that Henry Mason is really Henrietta Maxwell, the fire department’s wealthy benefactress, he agrees to keep her identity secret. After a sudden blast rocks the Grover Shoe Factory, Leo and Etta team up to determine if the explosion is related to a series of suspicious fires in the area.
When an unnamed source reveals Etta’s secret identity to a rival reporter, she falsely accuses Leo of being the informant. As the truth comes to light, Etta must persuade Leo to give her a second chance or lose the only man she’s ever loved.
Kelly J. Goshornweaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith, and family set in nineteenth century America. Her debut novel, A Love Restored, won the Director’s Choice Award for Adult/YA fiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in 2019, and earned recognition as both a Selah Award finalist in the Historical Romance category and as a Maggie Award Finalist for Inspirational Fiction. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, binge-watching BBC period dramas, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi.
More from Kelly
A Little Swedish Flavor
Beginning in 1844, Swedish immigrants began arriving in Brockton, Massachusetts. By 1920, Swedes accounted for approximately 30% of the city’s population. Their long-lasting impact on Brockton’s character remains evident today with annual cultural celebrations and religious festivals.
The Undercover Heiress of Brockton is set in the Swedish neighborhood of Campello. My hero Leo Eriksson’s favorite meal is Kalops, a savory beef stew that is traditionally served with boiled potatoes and pickled beets. For Leo, a bachelor who takes most of his meals at The Drake Tavern, the dish recalls happy childhood memories of his mother’s cooking.
Kalops contains typical stew ingredients like carrots, celery, onions, and garlic, but what makes this dish unique is the addition of allspice. Allspice adds a warm spicey flavor to the recipe that makes it perfect for a chilly winter day.
I had the opportunity to taste test this recipe, and while I would never brag about my own cooking skills, I have to say that it turned out quite well. I’d love to hear from you if you decide to give this traditional Swedish dish a try.
2.4 lbs chuck roast (or other beef cut suited for stews)
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
3 large carrots
1 stalk celery
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp ground allspice (or more to taste!)
2-3 bay leaves
3 cups beef stock (can also use water and bouillon)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
SERVED WITH: 7 large potatoes
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep the beef by cutting into 1 inch cubes. Season well with salt.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil when preheated and add beef in one layer, searing on all sides. If you need to sear the meat in batches, you can remove one batch before adding the next to ensure that it browns well.
Dice your onion and celery while the beef is cooking (or prep ahead of time). Finely mince the garlic cloves.
Once the meat is browned on all sides, add in the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until just softened.
Chop your carrots into bite sized pieces. You can either add the carrots now if you like them super soft or add them with about 45 minutes left of cooking if you prefer them to have more of a bite.
Add one tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Once melted, add in three tablespoons of flour and stir until everything is coated. Add in ground allspice.
Pour in beef stock, stirring while adding to dissolve the flour coating. Once all of it has mixed in, add in 2-3 bay leaves. Now is a good time to taste for initial seasoning – add in salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Let the stew simmer for about an hour and 15 minutes; add more water or stock if needed! Now is also the time to add the carrots if you want them to be less soft.
Simmer for an additional 45 minutes or until the beef is very tender – in the meantime, prepare the potatoes for serving.
Prep potatoes by peeling and cutting in half. Place in a pot with cold water and add salt. Heat over medium-high heat with the lid on until it boils. Remove the lid and boil for about 15 minutes or until a knife poked into the center of a potato releases easily (you can also just taste for doneness!). Drain and set aside until ready to serve.
Remove bay leaves. Check for final seasoning (add more salt if needed). Add stew to bowls and serve with boiled potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley if you would like. Enjoy!
My Impressions
“God gave you a heart to fight injustice and an amazing ability to persuade others with your pen to stand up for what is right. Don’t hide your talent. Embrace who He has made you to be so your gifts can glorify the Giver.”
I just finished The Undercover Heiress of Brockton by Kelly J. Goshorn. A historical romance, it is the second in the Barbour series, Enduring Hope. The series features brave, unconventional women who face a tragedy, whether natural or human- caused, and work to give hope to those affected by it. Along the way, they find hope for their own happily-ever-after romances, but with as many glitches in the romance department as in their fight for human or female equality.
I loved the conflicted (and very flawed!)characters of both Leo, a hunky firefighter and Etta, an heiress who poses as a man to keep her coveted job of top writer for one of Brockton’s newspapers!
Etta, handed anything she could desire on a silver platter, wants desperately to earn something in her own right, under her own name. While “Henry Mason” is the best-respected newspaper reporter in Brockton, Etta wants to his byline under her own name. (“It’s very hard to pretend to be someone else most of the time when all you want to be is yourself.” ) When arson and insurance company irregularities crop up in the city, she starts investigating. Then she is drawn into a shoe factory explosion that happens before her eyes. How far will Etta go, ethically and as one who professes to care for others in Christ’s name, to get her own byline?
Leo can’t help but be attracted to the independent, unconventional, intelligent Etta. But, as things progress in the romance department, he has a problem: “the only thing stopping him from taking her in his arms and kissing her soundly was that bushy mustache.” So hilarious!! Leo has agreed to help Etta in her undercover investigation, but discovers Etta not only in disguise half the time, but how can he reconcile the two separate personalities that emerge, not always lining up with what he expects out of a faith perspective? “How could a woman as compassionate as Etta Maxwell write articles devoid of any feeling about a tragedy on the scale of the Grover Shoe Factory?”
I had never heard of the Brockton shoe factory fire. What an education I got! And to see the persistence of a woman who wants to break through what had been considered a man’s world, and the lengths one might go to, in order to obtain that! Wowzers!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. I also purchased my own ecopy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Loving someone means embracing the person God has made them to be. If we hold on to them too tightly, we risk suffocating them and crushing their spirit. I think it best to love fully, with our entire being for a short time, rather than safely, and bear the pain of regret for our entire lives.”
“He’d promised himself not to pursue her, but somehow, spending time with her shattered that pledge into a hundred little pieces, each sharp enough to pierce his heart.”
“There was no creed, no color line, no hostility of capital and labor; the common strifes of men were forgotten, and all were brought closer together in the beautiful harmony of the universal brotherhood. Sorrow, the great leveler, the great arbiter, had done its work.”
“She needed to learn to quit striving, quit trying to make her life turn out just as she hoped, and put more trust in God’s plan for her life.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! Great relatable, flawed characters who are dynamic, and the story is very engaging, educational, and satisfying!
Park warden Dekker Hoyt’s father-son camping trip turns into a nightmare when a serial killer abducts his father. With just seventy-two hours to find him, Dekker turns to criminal investigative analyst Blaire Tremblay to identify the Park Campfire Killer. As they follow his taunting clues and face increasingly violent threats, Dekker and Blaire know that one wrong step could be fatal. With the ruthless criminal following their every move, can they stop a killer in hiding…waiting to complete his deadly plan?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at http://www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.
My Impressions
“I hope the rest of our trip together is more peaceful. I’d like to see the Frank that Jayla and Hazel see. Not the one I’m used to.”
Wow, I really loved this constant action, very tense romantic suspense story from Darlene L. Turner!! So many reasons to love Danger in the Wilderness! First, while enough backstory is given it could be a standalone, I loved the ties to other Turner books. We have met all three key players before, and some of their family members.
Frank Hoyt is a big name in the national parks world, and has trained all of his children well in the wilderness, but has also been a tyrant and unprofessional in the way he treats his own adult children who are subordinates. We also have met Dekker, his sister Jayla, and Hazel, if I remember right. Dekker finally explodes at his father on a camping trip when Frank, supposedly present to make amends for his beyond-overbearing ways, offers way too much “helpful” advice. And then, the Park Campfire Killer abducts Frank, with no way for Dekker to make his own apologies.
We also see Blaire Tremblay, a serial killer profiler for police, whose own backstory we have read in another book. So between Blaire, Dekker, and Frank, I felt like I was among old friends.
Turner weaves a tight tale in this novel, with nature being an adverse force in many ways. Weather, terrain, and wild animals, all conspire to aid the PCK along with time, also Blaire and Dekker’s enemy.
Turner has just enough side characters to provide a good selection of possible culprits. Can Blaire and Dekker separate the true friends from those with ulterior motives, and possibly the worst motive of all?
The faith element is very well woven throughout the story in short snippets, and placed exactly where needed. Blaire often can be found encouraging Dekker to choose to fan his faith back into flame. “‘I know trusting in God’s provisions can be hard, but it’s true. And I think deep down you know it too. It just has to go from here…’ she touched his heart ‘…to here.’ She tapped his right temple.” Faith is the reason I choose Erica Hoyt as my fave secondary character. With every reason to be afraid and be a hot mess, Erica declares, “‘God will direct your paths.’ Her voice hitched. ’I have to believe that. No, I will believe that.’” I want to exhibit that kind of faith!
I believe this is one of Darlene L. Turner’s best yet! If you read romantic suspense, you will want to add Danger in the Wilderness to your must-read pile!
I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher via BookFunnel. I also pre-ordered my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Use the gifts God gave you.”– Dekker
“Hope…It was all she could offer Dekker right now. Hope, and her profiling skills.”
-Blaire
“‘I’ve failed God many times throughout my life.’ ‘Haven’t we all?’ ‘Absolutely. It’s knowing when to acknowledge that and vow to give God your all that counts. He understands.’”– Frank, Blaire
“God’s timing is always perfect, son. Even when you think He’s wrong. He’s not.”- Erica Hoyt
“…it’s hard sometimes trusting in someone you can’t see or touch. But that’s what faith is all about. Believing without seeing.”– Blaire
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of Darlene L. Turner’s best yet! I can’t wait for the rest of this series!!
Genre: Women’s Fiction (with notes of suspense, mystery, and a thriller)
Back Cover Copy: Hildy Nybo is a successful biologist, her study of the Pacific Northwest’s wild fish both a passion and a career. But behind her professional brilliance, Hildy’s reclusive private life reflects a childhood fraught with uncertainty. Despite her father’s love and her mother’s sympathy, she grew up constantly losing even her most cherished belongings, unable to recall where she misplaced them. Haunted by the confusion of those early years, she now records her life in detailed diaries and clings tightly to memory-prompting keepsakes.
Then her mother’s health fails, and Hildy accepts a job near her childhood home, joining a team of scientists who will help restore her beloved Elwha River after the demolition of two century-old dams. There Hildy settles into one of the cabins on her family’s rustic resort―a place she both loves and dreads, for reasons she can’t fully explain.
When local artist Miranda Rimmer rents an adjacent cabin for her pottery studio, Hildy shrinks from such a close neighbor. But then Miranda’s carpenter brother, Luke, shows up to help with construction and captures Hildy’s attention. Now a few years beyond a tragedy that brought him to his knees, Luke recognizes a kindred soul in Hildy, and they build a relationship that dismantles the walls Hildy’s built to keep people out. As troubling pieces of the past surface, Hildy dares to wonder if she can banish the shadows that have burdened her and follow her river’s course to freedom.
A keen student of the natural world and the workings of the human heart, Pacific Northwest author Cheryl Grey Bostrom captures the mystery and wonder of both in her lyrical, surprising fiction.
Her novels Sugar Birds (Christy finalist, Amazon bestseller, and Book of the Year) and Leaning on Air have won more than two dozen industry honors, among which are Christianity Today’s Fiction Award of Merit and American Fiction, Reader’s Favorite, ACFW Carol, Nautilus, Best Book, IPPY, Foreword Indies, and International Book Awards. Kirkus Reviews named Cheryl’s newest work of contemporary women’s fiction, What the River Keeps, as a Best Indies Book of June 2025.
An avid birder and nature photographer, Cheryl lives in rural Washington State with her husband and a pack of half-trained Gordon setters.
My Impressions
“‘There’s Love in that book. It’s a road map out of the dark.’ Out of her anxiety, too?”
What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom is about a brilliant fish/river naturalist in the PNW who, due to childhood issues, could be considered an unreliable narrator. Hiding her true self from most people, Hildy limps solo through life, until the past comes calling and forces a return home. Will this change destroy her, or will she find the strength and courage to overcome fears of the past? Heart-wrenchingly beautiful! This book will tear you up and make you cry before it rebuilds your faith in humanity and God’s ability to take care of his precious chosen ones.
“They hush me, Daddy. Every fish I see.” At 10, Hildy is overwhelmed by the sense of the amazing, the obvious evidence of a great Creator God when she sees fish. Her father, a warm nurturer, encourages her to look for God in nature. However, her mother, quick to correct Hildy and obviously ashamed of what she deems as “quirkiness,” quickly shuts down Hildy’s searching nature.
Years later, we find Hildy as a brilliant fish biologist and river conservationist, but a person who has very few social skills and very definite oddities, stiff-arming most people.
I loved Junie and her hubby Otis who love the family and serve the family business selflessly. While they love unconditionally without judgement, Otis does tell Hildy, “‘You want to get free a those chains a yours? All that anxiety?’ Here we go again. ‘You know I do.’ ‘Then—‘ ’Stop, Otis. You’ve told me fifty times.’ Maybe not fifty, but while Fourth of July campers had settled into the resort’s quiet hours, he’d repeated himself so often she could hear him in her sleep: ‘Do some diggin’. Find the lie.’”
Against incredible odds, when Hildy meets new cabin renter Miranda’s brother, Luke, a gradual rapport develops between the two. Luke’s had losses in the past, but he has learned to turn them over to God, so he can have the strength to move on. Hildy and Luke dance around a relationship, with Hildy’s issues rising up like a monolith dam to separate them. Luke wants to face Hildy’s stunting emotional issues with her- will she allow him that close? Will Hildy be able to accept that someone could love her wholeheartedly, and how will surprising revelations from her past affect or stall her growth?
Bostrom creates Hildy, a character so full of anxiety and fear for her own sanity, that I thought she’d be hard to relate to. Instead, I learned to love her deeply. I wonder how many other people may be out in our world, limping by on their self-made crutches when God wants to heal the source of the problem.
One of my top books of 2025!
I received a copy of the book from the author and Tyndale Publishers. I also bought my own copy. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“That locust verse I promised to send you, different version: ‘I will give you back what you lost.’” – Luke
“Some lies get handed down, become strongholds kids are raised with.” – Luke
“That cabin’s a big old stove, darlin’, with stories still cookin’ inside…I trust those memories will make sense to you once they’re baked. Some will even be beautiful.”– Junie
“I’ve spent the better part of my life hiding the fact that I’m crazy, Luke. Crazy. If people knew what goes on in my head, I’d lose what little credibility I have.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Superior!! I just want to rise and give a standing ovation!
Series: Not listed as such, but follow-up to The Seamstress of Acadie
Publisher: Story Architect
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Genre: Historical Romance
Exiled from his native Acadie in Canada, Bleu Galant has little on his mind but survival as the tumultuous French and Indian War comes to a close. When his journey to Virginia’s Rivanna River settlement takes an unexpected turn, he crosses paths with Brielle Farrow—a woman whose presence stirs something in him he cannot explain nor express. Unable to forget her, his decision to help her takes them across an ocean and into a lavish world he’s never known. Will their intricate tie decide not only her fate but his future?
Bestselling, award-winning author, Laura Frantz, has been writing stories since age seven. She is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century and her novels often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Proud of her heritage, she is also a Daughter of the American Revolution. Though she will always consider Kentucky home, she and her husband live in Washington State.
According to Publishers Weekly, “Frantz has done her historical homework.” With her signature attention to historical detail and emotional depth, she is represented by Janet Kobobel Grant, Literary Agent & Founder, Books & Such Literary Agency of Santa Rosa, California. Foreign language editions include French, Dutch, Spanish, Slovakian, German & Polish.
*Subscribe to Laura’s seasonal newsletter and receive new release information, news about contests, giveaways, and reader events, sneak peaks and teasers, signings and appearances, and more!
My Impressions
“She prayed whatever he saw in her was bon. As bon as what she saw in him.”
I don’t think I’ve anticipated another book book as much as Laura Frantz’s A Fierce Devotion! Her inspirational historical fiction, The Seamstress of Acadie, captured my heart and imagination like nothing else! The Seamstress tells of the English expulsion of the Canadian-French Acadians. That story introduced Bleu, mixed-blood brother of Sylvie. A Fierce Devotion, a novella, picks up the thread of Bleu, another Acadian deeply scarred by the racial hatred exhibited by the conquerers. The “French and Indian War” (or the “Seven Years’ War) has just ended. The book is mesmerizing, lyrical, and a feast of beautiful descriptions. Absolutely stunning!
Despite his mixed heritage, Bleu is a sought-after bachelor in both his Acadian world and his Mi’kmaq world. Yet it is the indentured servant, Brielle Farrow, he discovers following happening upon a deadly raid scene, that grows on his heart.
Bleu is not the type to settle down though, and he is a much-sought after scout. Brielle doesn’t share his heritage, nor much of his French language, either.
I was laughing so hard at the one pivotal French sentence that Bleu shares in with his sister in Brielle’s presence! ( which Frantz explains in English!) It’s always amazing in life, when we miss one sentence or word that could change our whole attitude!!
How can these two find enough in common to even consider a relationship, when competition abounds and there are surprising factors that will put up even more barriers between them?
I loved the French phrases, but Frantz explains them for non-French speakers( a must for readers!)
Character growth? Given what both Bleu and Brielle have endured, there is going to have to be a lot of forgiveness learned, even for those who don’t ask for it. Sylvie ( Bleu’s sister) and he are discussing this issue one day: “For a long time I felt like you. I still do though my ire doesn’t burn as bright. I’ve only moved past it by choosing a new life here and letting the past rest.” (Sylvie)
I loved, loved, loved, this book!! There’s an old French rowing song I would borrow a line from, “Jamais je ne t’oublierai!!” ( NEVER will I forget you!)
I received a copy of the book from Just Read via Netgalley. I bought my own ebook, plus additional pb copies for myself and another’s keeper shelves. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Do you believe in coincidence?” “Nay. Divine instances, rather.” “This is one of them.”
“…you’ll find that the Almighty fills the emptiness with Himself along with countless other blessings.”– Sylvie
“Nothing is more important than family. When you’ve lost much you treasure those who remain.” Bleu
“The unknown was always frightening no matter how many times you faced it.”
My Rating
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Superior! Giving hearts for stars, because *le sigh!*
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Neighbor and the Gifts by Danielle Grandinetti, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The Neighbor and the Gifts Series: A Christmas Cabin Novella Author: Danielle Grandinetti Publisher: Hearth Spot Press Release Date: July 15, 2025 Genre: Christmas Historical Romantic Suspense
Twelve days. Twelve gifts. One unlikely hero.
Wisconsin, 1930—When Manitowish Waters librarian Olivia “Ollie” Larson finds a package on the library steps, she expects the children’s books she ordered, not a taxidermied partridge. By the fourth gift from her unknown and unwelcome True Love, disappearing to her grandfather’s isolated cabin in the Northwoods is the only way she can escape him.
Deputy Titus Wilburn is happy to escort the lovely librarian to her grandfather’s house on his way to the neighboring Yarwood cabin. After all, he’s been smitten with her since they attended school together, and she needs his protection. However, the plan fails when Ollie’s uninvited suitor discovers her new location.
As the man’s actions become more desperate and his gifts more dangerous, an unexpectedly bedridden Titus decides to free Ollie from this menace, which puts the enemy’s sights directly on him. Ollie refuses to let her injured hero sacrifice himself, but with the days ticking closer to Christmas, she may have no choice but to accept whatever fate her suitor has in store for her if she wants to save Titus’ life.
One cabin in the Northwoods … a decade of Christmas miracles.
Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea, books, and the creative beauty of nature. Her stories combine romance, mystery, and suspense against the backdrop of the 1930s to tell the tale of finding home and hope in hard times. With a master’s in communication and culture and a passion for intercultural communication, storytelling has been her heartbeat for as long as she can remember. Married to her hero, Danielle is a second-generation Italian-American, a dairy farmer’s granddaughter, and a boy mom from Chicagoland who now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline.
Connect with Danielle by visiting daniellegrandinetti.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
My Impressions
‘You are my …’ Her voice trailed off as words jumbled on her tongue. Her friend. Her Hero. Her … True Love?”
Do you remember being very young and painfully shy around a handsome young man you wished would look at you with interest? I do! Poor Ollie ( short for “Olivia”) Larsen is 20 and the shy librarian in the 1930s Wisconsin town of Manitowish Waters. Thrilled to see her interest, deputy Titus Wilburn, out and about on a snowy December day, they awkwardly greet each other before Ollie totally embarrassed herself by falling on ice in front of Titus, an old schoolmate.
Refusing Titus’s offer of an escort back to the library, in seconds upon her arrival she wishes she had accepted. There, on the steps, is a dead bird with a note.
What should have been a joyful holiday for Ollie thus begins to slowly evolve into a nightmare as an unknown admirer sends her gifts corresponding to the “12 Days of Christmas” carol. Sheriff Yarwood( whom we met briefly two years ago in The Sheriff and the Outlaw and again in last year’s novella, The Baby and the Guardian) wisely puts Titus, who he knows has a crush on Ollie, in charge of the case.
As more gifts are left on successive days for Ollie, Titus and Ollie both realize that this is not your normal suitor. It is decided Ollie should visit her grandfather’s remote cabin in the mountains. “Right now, he is trying to win you over. But if he suffers from the delusion that I suspect he does, then if you decline his overtures, I worry that he will turn violent.” Titus will stay at the sheriff’s nearby cabin for protection.
I just love the meddlers in this story!! As her hermit grandfather Osborne tells a visiting Titus, “She needs someone to show her what True Love really is.”(Meddlers are always fun, if it’s someone else’s life!)
I love the scene and atmosphere that Grandinetti sets. I could very well imagine being back in time, first in the small town , then in the remote cabin, around Christmas time. I could feel the angst of both Titus and Ollie as they try to maneuver through those awkward first moments, then try to figure out where they stand in the other’s mind and heart. The mystery is well-done, and adds good tension to the story. I also enjoyed meeting Osborne, and getting to peak beyond his crustiness to his soft feelings for his granddaughter.
I heartily recommend this novella series! While this novella could be read alone, it’s better in sequence. I’ll be rereading this whole little series at Christmas time, because all the feels!!
I received a copy of the book from the author, but I also bought my own ecopy and a few paperbacks (this a series to share)! No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“This was the most awkward, horrible love triangle she could imagine.”
“But you’ve made me feel like a hero because of how you see me.”- Titus
“…Ollie’s voice, her closeness, were the best medicine. He had to get better soon so he could be the brawn to her beautifully brilliant brain.”
“…Agatha Christie, has a sleuth named Hercule Poirot and he puts great stock in his little gray cells.” “We are taking detective advice from a novel?” – Ollie, Titus
My Rating
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Superior! This is a Christmas historic romantic suspense novella with all the feels! Don’t miss The Neighbor and the Gifts by Danielle Grandinetti!
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a paperback copy of both The Baby and the Guardian & The Neighbor and the Gifts plus 1 set of series-inspired earrings!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 15, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 22, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
In a town shrouded by secrets, a photographer and the reclusive heir of the Ballentine fortune join forces to unravel a deadly conspiracy.
Brooklynn Wright must win a photography contest to save her gallery, and the perfect sunrise shot at a remote inlet north of town is her best hope. But when she witnesses a smuggling operation at a hidden dock and is chased by armed men, her dreams of artistic glory become a nightmare flight for survival. Rescued by a mysterious stranger, Brooklynn is forced to take refuge with him in an abandoned mansion the townspeople claim is cursed—afraid to trust her grumpy protector but with no other choice.
Billionaire Forbes Ballentine returned to Shadow Cove for answers, not distractions. Haunted by the unsolved murder of his family twenty years ago, he’s spent his life in the shadows, hunting for the truth. He believes the network Brooklynn stumbled upon is tied to his family’s deaths, but protecting the cheerful photographer means jeopardizing the investigation he’s been chasing for decades. Especially when her presence stirs feelings he’s not prepared to face.
As Brooklynn and Forbes grow closer, so do the network’s ruthless enforcers. With everyone in town hiding something, they must navigate lies, betrayal, and deadly truths. When the network closes in, they’ll have to trust each other completely—or lose everything.
Dive into this gripping romantic suspense full of mystery, secrets, and danger, where two broken souls must uncover the truth while battling the enemies outside—and the wounds within.
Robin Patchenis a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.
More from Robin
A Mansion on the Maine Coast: The Perfect Setting for Capturing You
There’s something about old mansions that gets my imagination racing. Maybe it’s the grandeur, or the hint that secrets hide behind their towering windows. Or maybe it’s knowing that, once upon a time, entire lives were lived there.
When I first envisioned Capturing You, I knew the story needed a setting as breathtaking—and as mysterious—as the characters themselves. So I plucked inspiration from my visits to the coast of New Hampshire. I can’t help but admire the stunning mansions overlooking the Atlantic between Hampton Beach—a touristy strip filled with arcades and restaurants—and Rye, a quiet coastal community. I love to imagine the lives lived inside those walls and the histories written into their very foundations.
Naturally, when it came time to write Brooklynn and Forbes’s story, I borrowed from those daydreams.
In Capturing You, the eighteenth-century cliffside mansion functions as more than just a setting. It’s a character in its own right. Crumbling a bit with age, it stands guard over a small, secluded cove on the coast of Maine. The old home is a place of secret hiding places, bittersweet memories, and…because, you know, it’s a Robin Patchen novel…more than its share of danger. The Ballentine Mansion is the perfect backdrop for a story about a photographer who accidentally stumbles onto something she shouldn’t have seen—and a brooding recluse determined to keep her safe.
In the story, I hope you hear the waves pounding against the rocky shore, smell the salt in the air, and feel the ancient wood floors creaking beneath your feet. I hope you’ll find wonder in the whimsical spaces created by the original architect. And I hope you’ll experience nostalgia in a home that hasn’t had a family fill its halls with laughter in a generation.
Step right into that world with me—a world of danger and romance, courage and redemption, all wrapped up in a mansion that’s seen more than its share of joy and heartache. And maybe a little healing too.
I can’t wait for you to explore all its secrets with Brooklynn and Forbes.
Capturing You is available now. Immerse yourself in a fascinating mansion—and a suspenseful romance that’ll keep you reading all night long.
My Impressions
“There was only one thing Forbes wanted, one thing he’d lived for since he was eight years old. Justice.”
I have truly enjoyed The Wright Heroes of Maine romantic suspense series by Robin Patchen. In most of the previous books, we have seen Michael, Sam, Derrick, and others family members tackle huge intrigue challenges, often overseas. Now, in book six, Capturing You, and book five, we have moved on to their cousins’ family. Capturing You is unique so far in that the enemy is much closer to home.
Brooklynn Wright desperately wants to win the local photography contest. Free publicity for her struggling photography studio in town would be a boon, and she also badly wants to show her father she is competent in her field. Gavin Wright and others seem to see only fluff and lightweight when they see Brooklynn.
Unfortunately, Brooklynn’s great curiosity (which Ford Baker, identified as the handyman at the local mansion) would call a propensity to snoop. Brooklynn’s inquisitiveness turn her desire for the perfect photo into a run for her life on a Maine shore. Knowing she will be caught and probably killed, she is surprised to be rescued by Baker.
Afraid of her new protector, afraid of the men chasing her, knowing she can’t go home, Brooklynn doesn’t know what her next step is. But she does know, unlike Ford, that “God always made a way. All her life, He’d guided her. And He wouldn’t stop today. He was her protector, after all. Her strong tower. Her fortress.”
Ford is using an alias he’s had since childhood, when his parents and sister were murdered in their Shadow Cove mansion. Life has made him grumpy, pessimistic, quiet, and suspicious. When he starts to get to know Brooklynn, who is sweet, optimistic, talkative, and trusting, he finds himself wanting to protect her.
Ford and Brooklynn eventually begin to work together, but the trust is slow and fragile. Gradually, clues are uncovered which reveal a truth the two suspected: someone they know is behind the murderous game of cat-and- mouse. “She used to think of her town as one big family. Now it felt more like a spiderweb, everyone connected to everyone else, the silky fibers hidden until they trapped the innocent.”
I was in a race against the novel as I read, as if my figuring out the mystery before it was revealed could save their lives! Patchen’s characters certainly were alive for me! Fortunately, Brooklynn and Ford did not require my skills. Patchen threw in some twists that left me off the mark. Can Brooklynn and Ford discover who was behind the heinous crime 25 years ago and what connection there is to the smugglers today? Can Ford decide God does indeed care about him, despite the past?
You will not want to miss a book of this series! I would suggest reading these in order, although the book probably could stand alone.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“There’s no shame in knowing who you are, who God created you to be.”– Ford
“She needn’t worry. She only needed to ask Him to open the doors she was meant to walk through. To pray that His will would be done. It was a prayer He loved to answer.”
“Sticking your head in the sand isn’t a plan.”– Ford
“It seemed her grouchy friend was a lot like this old mansion. A little rough on the outside, but filled with beauty. And secrets.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! This is a romantic suspense series I am greatly enjoying! I am here for every book!
Title: Fire Mountain Series: Elements of Danger #1 Author: Dana Mentink Publisher: Revell Release Date: July 1, 2025 Genre: Mystery & Romantic Suspense
Fire rains from above as they fight to discover the truth and stay alive.
In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she’s suddenly in possession of someone’s baby. Fiercely independent, she has to admit that perhaps this time she could use a little help.
As the threat of eruption grows, former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin in the evacuation area, which is why he’s the only one left who can help Kit escape the crumpled cab of her truck. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that he’s in this thing, like it or not.
When two armed men with ill intent approach, the race is on to stay alive, discover the truth, and find the baby’s missing mother–all while a deadly mountain rains fire from above.
Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author. She’s written more than 50 mystery and suspense novels for Love Inspired Suspense, Harvest House, and Poisoned Pen Press. Winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, a Holt Medallion Award, and a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, Dana lives in Northern California with her husband.
Connect with Dana by visiting DanaMentink.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Excerpt
COLD AND ICE-PICK PAIN bored into Kit Garrido’s temples. Her limbs were leaden, her body a deadweight in the driver’s seat of her big rig. Grit coated her tongue and teeth. She tasted blood. Try as she might, she couldn’t reach out to unbuckle her seat belt. Panic bubbled up in-side her.
She felt movement. Someone yanked hard on the pas- senger door, unleashing pulses of pain.
“Ma’am?” A low baritone, rough.
A big hand skimmed her temple, calloused fingers hard like talons. Through her slitted eyelids, a male torso mate- rialized, a large man in a heavy jacket. Warm ash drifted from his baseball cap and settled on her cheek, featherlight.
“What . . . happened?” Her voice was a croak.
“You crashed.” His voice held the trace of a Southern accent. “Volcano’s unsettled everything. Not safe to stay here.”
Not safe? Crashed? Why wouldn’t her mouth work fast enough to spit out the questions? Fear lapped at her insides as he fumbled for her seat belt.
“You’ve got to wake up. Now.”
She forced her eyes farther open, grabbed the wheel. Cold wind raked her cheek. Wind? She lurched into full consciousness so fast her brain rocked in her skull. Green. Everywhere green mixed with brown, the trees of north- ern Washington all around, the rattling pine needles oddly muted by their coating of volcanic ash. A pine cone dropped on her lap through the gaping hole in the windshield. It left a sooty stain on her knee before it bounced off. She stared at it.
How . . .
He was talking, but she couldn’t follow.
She touched her brown ski cap, then the flannel of her favorite long-haul driving jacket, the feel of the fabrics proving to herself she was alive. Somehow. A hiss of es- caping steam commanded her to acknowledge what she desperately didn’t want to see.
Her beautiful Freightliner truck was wedged cab first, jammed in a crevice between two crooked trees. In the side- view mirror she observed an enormous trench of gouged earth that marked her journey from the road above to the place of impact. The shiny yellow cab with its cozy sleep- ing unit, her home for three-hundred-plus days a year, was squashed like the face of a Pekinese. The pristine white trailer she’d washed that morning was no doubt damaged as well. She closed her eyes and pictured the bold font she’d painstakingly chosen for the Garrido Trucking logo. How absurdly proud she’d felt the day the lettering was applied. Her truck. Her business. Her life. Finally.
Muscles in her throat tightened, and tears started down her face.
Crashed. She’d crashed. Everything she’d worked for, gone. The pain in her head intensified. She stared around wildly. “But what happened? How did I wreck?”
The man shrugged. “Dunno. I’m not sure why you’d even be on Pine Hollow Road in the first place. Pretty ridiculous, considering.”
Ridiculous? She bridled as the location sank in. Pine Hollow? Why there? Deep breaths. One, two, three, then she unbuckled and levered herself from the driver’s seat. Pain lanced her left wrist. Broken or sprained? Her shirt was splattered with blood, though she couldn’t feel any cuts.
“Easy,” the man said, arms outstretched as if to catch her.
Why couldn’t she remember what happened? She must have rolled out of her small office solo that morning, like she always did before picking up her load, the last load she dared haul out of a region under an evacuation advisory. She wouldn’t have chosen Pine Hollow, a twisty route that would take her nearer the volatile Mount Ember. Every- thing she’d learned, the geologic facts she’d devoured, left her itching to escape. Had she lost control? Maybe she’d been knocked out by a falling boulder. Had the noxious gasses venting from the volcano’s bulging side overwhelmed her? But why here?
The cold infiltrated her torn jacket, numbing her arms. Faraway, she heard the distant rumble of thunder or maybe another earthquake from the mountain preparing to blow. No sounds of vehicles, sirens, people. Eerie. Terrifying.
Her thoughts were muddy, slow. Get help. She patted her pockets in a futile search for her cell. Gone somewhere.
The satellite radio was her next choice until she realized it had been pierced by the branch that neatly skewered the windshield. Her throat went dry. A few inches to the left and it would have impaled her too. Ruined also was the precious old-school CB she’d rebuilt, which would have instantly connected her with a fellow trucker.
The man was still staring at her. He straightened and leaned closer. “Are you hurt badly? I can carry you.”
She couldn’t make herself answer, so he went on. “Your radio’s crushed, I see. My cell phone has no bars down here. Where’s your phone?”
She jammed her knit cap on tighter. Hurt or not, she wouldn’t let any stranger control the conversation, espe- cially not in her rig. “I’ll find it.”
He shook his head. “You rest a minute. I’m gonna hop out and make sure your truck’s not on fire or anything.” He muscled his way back out the passenger door, the metal protesting with a bloodcurdling shriek.
She didn’t see any sign of his vehicle through the filthy glass. Where had he come from? There were no helpful locals out and about under the present circumstances. Nerves tightened in her stomach. A trucker alone with cargo was vulnerable, a female trucker even more so.
Protect yourself. She fumbled for the crowbar, but the seat was collapsed on top of it. Instead she yanked the fire extinguisher loose, which made her head feel like it was going to detonate. Best she could do. She eased closer to the fractured passenger window.
The ground was a moonscape of ash and debris. The man eased along, a palm on the cab for support, and she got another chance to examine him. Long legs, cowboy boots, flannel shirt, Yankees baseball cap, and a scar—she hadn’t noticed that before. It bisected his left eyebrow. He disappeared around the other side of the rig before return- ing a few moments later. The closer he got, the taller he was, probably six four and muscled. More than a match for her five-foot-five, hundred-ten-pound frame. The fear resurged. Protect yourself.
The extinguisher cut into her clenched palm. He drew close enough to the open passenger door for her to catch the light brown of his eyes, almost translucent like smoke. When he tried to climb aboard, she raised the extinguisher. “Where did you come from?”
His lips quirked. “Originally? South Carolina.” That explained the drawl. “I meant . . .”
“I know what you meant.” He shot a look at the ravaged landscape before he turned back. “Top of the ridge. My cabin’s up there. I was on my roof and I saw you go over the shoulder. I was surprised six ways to Sunday. Didn’t even hear you coming because the wind was howl- ing, and I sure didn’t expect any rigs to be in this area. Anyway, I hightailed it here in my truck. It’s parked up a ways.”
“I don’t know you.” A silly remark.
“Don’t know you either. You from around here?” She wouldn’t tell him where she lived.
“Close.”
He pointed to the fire extinguisher and heaved out a breath. “Are you going to clobber me with that or not? I promise it’s not necessary.” He held up his palms. How does anyone have fingers that long? “You need first aid before we get out of here, and I’m the only one here to give it to you whether you like it or not.” He plucked the kit from the pocket in the door and wiggled it at her. “You’re bleeding.”
“I don’t need first aid.”
He said something in reply, but his words seemed to come from far away, a rushing sound drowning them out as dizziness overcame her.
The extinguisher dropped to the floor, and she sank onto the driver’s seat while he climbed in and slammed the pas- senger door. A wave of nausea enveloped her. Hastily he dumped out the first aid kit and shoved the container under her chin as she wretched. He handed her a clean handker- chief from his pocket with a neat C embroidered on it.
She stared at the precisely folded, pristine cloth.
His cheeks pinked. “I know. No one carries these things anymore. Mama insists, and she sends me a box of ’em every Christmas.” He looked intently at her. “I’m fairly certain you have yourself a concussion.”
“Not a family, not them. Just . . . united strangers. ‘I know you aren’t a blood family, but people can be put together in unexpected ways.’”Archie
I wanted to check my blood pressure. It had to be high. After finishing Dana Mentink’s Fire Mountain romantic suspense novel, I felt so in tune with the characters, I thought I had run from men who built their money on exploitation. I was nearly sure I was trying desperately to escape a rumbling volcano. I lost myself in the drama, intrigue, baby care, and natural disaster unfolding in the book. So artfully told, I’ll never forget.
An everyman and everywoman hero. That’s what Cullen and Kit are. An ex-policeman, who can’t recover from his last call, and is now a horse rancher. A proud, independent, truck driver whose immediate memory is gone. Why is there a 9-month-old baby in her care? Kit knows nothing about babies. Worse, why is she headed back into the evacuation zone of Mt. Ember, threatening to blow her top? ( Do you either remember Mt. St. Helens or remember learning about her in school?) Since we were nearly across the nation, yet our summer weather was affected for months, I could only imagine how horrifying it would be to be in the danger zone! Plus, while injured, with baby in tow, Kit and Cullen discover someone is after them with deadly weapons!
Fortunately for the reader, Mentink has a great sense of humor. When I thought I would explode myself because of the building suspense, Mentink would insert levity. It might be trading witty lines between Cullen and Kit, or it might involve Archie, a crusty former Marine who had refused to leave his home on the mountain.
I loved Archie’s character! He is an enigma to be sure! Rough and gruff, yet “grandpa” with the baby.
In some ways, this book reads like a nightmare. Just when you think Kit and Cullen might be safe, either the mountain creates terror or Nico and Simon are hot on their trail again. However, Fire Mountain has embers of hope, where romance, character strength, and faith shine through.
One faith message is that of forgiveness. Kit has struggled with the absence of forgiveness in her past. Plus, she has a past she’s not proud of. “God forgives you for all that, Kit,”says Cullen.
“You’re not credible to say that though, are you?”…”Because you don’t believe what you say, deep down. You don’t live like it anyway,” Kit retorts. Ouch!
I find it interesting that Kit compares two sides of unforgiveness to equating oneself to God. “If a person can’t accept forgiveness themselves, or refuses to give it to someone else, it puts them in the place of God, doesn’t it?” Just in case it sounds like there is a lot of headtime in this book, let me say there are snatches. They are sandwiched between the desperate and the good times, perfectly placed to stimulate thinking, without losing the quick pace of this breathtaking story.
I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher through Just Reads and Netgalley. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“There’s your plan, and God’s plan, and yours doesn’t count.”– Kit’s father
“Rose- colored glasses aren’t going to keep us from dying.” “I prefer to attribute it to experience. I’ve seen God do plenty of miracles, so why not another one here and now?”– Kit, Cullen
“loving someone was one thing. Living it out was altogether different…”
“This moment, these days, his life, would be over when God said so. Not a moment before.”
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Superior! I am having a bit of trouble remembering that I was NOT a part of this spectacular drama! I won’t soon forget it!
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a copy of Fire Mountain and a $20 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight July 9, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on July 16, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Book: Following the Clues (Security Hounds Investigations Book Four)
Author: Dana Mentink
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
Release date: May 27, 2024
A search-and-rescue mission reveals a lethal secret.
After K-9 handler Kara Wolfe witnesses her childhood friend Beau O’Connor survive a targeted hit-and-run, she’s shocked to learn his mother’s missing. And Beau, who can no longer recognize familiar faces after an earlier attack, can’t shake the feeling these terrifying incidents are somehow connected. With the tracking skills of her blind bloodhound, Kara will help Beau locate his mother—but someone will do anything to sabotage their search. With the culprit on their trail, can they uncover a sinister plot…before their rescue mission turns into a fight for survival?
Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author as well as a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, and a Holt Medallion winner. She is the author of over fifty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Revell and Poisoned Pen Press.
More from Dana
The only thing more fun that writing about bloodhounds, is adding in some colorful new canine characters who aren’t quite your standard tracking champions. In this book, you’ll get to know Phil who was introduced at the end of book #3. He’s a livestock protector who steps in as a guide for Millie the bloodhound when her vision becomes impaired. Phil takes his job VERY seriously. He flat out refuses to wear a vest, or play with toys, and he doesn’t particularly like people, but he will lay his life down to protect Millie and Kara Wolfe. It was so much fun having this unlikely hero rise to the challenge as Kara and her ex-boyfriend must root out a saboteur on the local fish hatchery property. The secret they unearth will shock you, I hope! Please enjoy the adventure with Millie, Phil, and the rest of the Wolfe pack!
My Impressions
“Once upon a time we were dear friends, and no matter what’s happened, I’m going to act like we still are until you come around.”
So this is now my fave Security Hounds novel by Dana Mentink so far! Book 4 of this series, Following the Clues is everything I’ve come to expect from a LIS Mentink book about tracking bloodhounds, and then some!
To begin with, let’s talk about the obvious: the bloodhounds. Each bloodhound in this series is a great SAR tracker for the Wolfe family’s venture. Each hound has a significantly odd trait, and is trained by a different sibling, whom we get to know as a main character in the novel. The trainer in this story is Kara, a young woman whose fiancé died of cancer and whose other friend, Beau O’ Connor, deserted her when she needed him most. The basis for this book just cracks me up, though, because I never would have thought such a thing possible. Millie, the bloodhound doing the sniff searching, is almost blind, so she has her own seeing-eye dog, a white Anatolian shepherd. “The dream team.”
Unfortunately, when Beau does return back home, Kara discovers the injury he received several months earlier has drastically changed him. He has been medically discharged from the marines and has a rare condition known as “prosopagnosia” or “face blindness.” Unable to recognize people he’s known his whole life, even family, Beau retreats into himself. His mother verbally confronts him: “sooner or later you’ve got to put whatever happened behind you. Marines don’t run, do they?”
Beau becomes very concerned when he returns home to find his mother missing. He contacts the sheriff, who contacts the SAR team, the Wolfe family, who together with Kara have to begin to understand why Beau has been treating them like absolute strangers. Once Beau’s secret is out, I am impressed by the different methods and hard work he employs to recognize people more quickly without using the method most of us take for granted!
Time is always of the essence in a search and rescue operation, and Mentink causes the reader to feel the desperation in the erosion of time as Beau, Kara, the other Wolfes, and neighbors of Ree O’Connor’s ( Beau’s mom) fish hatchery search for her. Lots of action, lots of danger, lots of breath-holding! Mentink makes the setting real by sharing details of running a hatchery, some issues that could cause trouble, and a big event the hatchery holds, Pioneer Day.
While there are a handful of workers and neighbors who should all be supporting the hatchery and Ree, we are set up to wonder about a few! Was I surprised to find out who was behind the sabotage!! Great twist! Such an exciting story!
I appreciated the growth of the two main characters. Beau’s growth comes as he admits his disability and finds ways to circumvent it. Also, as he begins to realize he can be honest about his feelings. I love that Mentink shows that given time, Kara, grieving her fiancé’s loss, can also remember the good times with a smile. Because of my faith, this is where I am with some present grief, and where I hope to be in future grief!!
I also loved the fact that through her pain of loss, Kara has learned lessons that affect her relationship moving forward with her family and with Beau. She isn’t complacent anymore, letting others care for her. She has learned to speak up for her needs. “But God showed me that I could stand up to it…I had a reservoir of strength I’d not realized because I’d never had to tap into it. When I did, God added His strength to my pittance, and it was enough. I was enough.”
In summary, this is a great romantic suspense search and rescue team story, but it is so much more! Mentink has two more books left in this series. Can she top this one?!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also purchased my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“But life wasn’t a safe adventure at all, she’d learned. And hiding from risk wasn’t what the Lord wanted from her.”
“The only reason he was able to face the day was that he knew God loved him, no matter what the status of his brain.”
“God made people to stand together in their pain. Sometimes it was the only way to stand at all.” – Kara
“In the midst of the storm, He was there, like He’d always been, that steady pulse of comfort. God would still recognize Beau…even in this new state of disarray he found himself.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best in Show ( I mean Series) so Far! True Winner!!
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 