Review of 'Delayed Death (Temptation in Florence #1) by Beate Boeker

From the very first page the author draws you in with interesting characters. This only grows as you meet the whole crew. The size of the family and the crazy antics they get up to reminded me of my own family. Though I am not Italian, I had to laugh because change the names and the location and you’ve got my family in many ways - at least when we all get together. 

The names of the characters (Nico, Teo, Marco, Benedetta, Carlina, Stefano, Fabbiola… etc) all bring to mind an Italian family and so that puts you in the right frame of mind to enjoy the story like you are meant to. 

The suspense is great, the hints of potential romance are wonderful, all the characters are alive and truly fascinating. I dare say I am a bit like both Carlina and Stefano in terms of what they think of the whole crew as I think they are hilarious and completely nuts (in the most darling way, of course).

I had a few favorite characters - the two main ones (Carlina and Stefano), Nico with all his quirks, and Teo. 

I must say that I guessed the person responsible right at the beginning, but I truly believe that is because I am really good at mysteries. It is not a flaw in the writing as there were multiple times when I started to wonder if I had been mistaken with my first guess. I was pleased to know I still am good at figuring them out with limited information. 

All in all, this book had me riveted from the very beginning. I stayed up until two in the morning in order to finish it because it was that good. The writing is great, the plot is well done. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series as I must know what happens to everyone. 


To buy a copy - Delayed Death by Beate Boeker

Review of 'Behind the Scenes' by Jen Turano

I recieved a copy of Behind the Scenes from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. 

As a huge fan of Jen Turano, I knew this book was going to be wonderful - but just how wonderful would it be? I mean, what could top her other books that had me laughing so much? 

I was surprised because it is in my opinion one of the author's best! I haven't laughed so hard or so loud in a long time and most of it was out loud with my family (particularly my father) wondering what on earth was wrong with me as it was every few pages. 

It is a barrel of laughs with crazy moments and lively characters that you have to read to believe. The romance is top-notch, the secondary characters are just as great as the main characters, the mystery is clever (though I did figure out at least part of it), and the writing is spectacular as always. 

One of my favorite books that will always have a spot on my bookshelf with all her others. If I could give it twenty stars instead of just five, I would without a doubt. 

I can't wait for the next book! 

To buy a copy: Behind-Scenes-Turano

Review of 'The Inn Keeper of Ivy Hill' by Julie Klassen

I got this book in exchange for my honest review from Bethany House Publishers.


Julie Klassen has been one of my very favorite authors for a few months now. So, when I saw this book was up for a chance to review it I was thrilled. Like the rest of her stories it is written beautifully and draws you into the story right from the start. If you've ever wanted to know what it is like to run your own inn, read this book. It goes through the ups and downs of being in charge of an inn, even talking about learning to cook if your cook quits and how to find help outside of where you may normally look. 

All in all, I feel like this story had a few too many characters. It was a tad bit tedious to try to place each of them and understand why they were important. However, I figure it is probably going to be explained in other books in the series as this is the first in the 'Tales from Ivy Hill' collection. Thora and Talbot were my favorite characters. I loved their storylines and actually found myself searching for the bits about them over the others. 

Julie Klassen still remains one of my very favorite authors, even if this one isn't one of my favorites of hers. There wasn't anything bad about it as it was a great story with lively characters, but it failed to grab me like some of the others have. I give it four stars because it is written well, the characters are good, and the storyline is intriguing. 

To buy a copy - 

https://www.amazon.com/Innkeeper-Ivy-Hill-Tales/dp/0764218131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483898014&sr=1-1&keywords=the+innkeeper+of+ivy+hill

Review of 'Fatal Frost' by Nancy Mehl

I got this book in exchange for a honest review from Bethany House.

This is the first book from Nancy Mehl that I have read and I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were real - especially the main character, Mercy Brennan (love that name!) - and I was moved by both Mark and Tally as well. Given the story is about gangs and I don't typically read books like that, I was quite surprised that I enjoyed it.

In all honestly, it wasn't my favorite book, but it wasn't bad. I liked the action and the constant twists and turns held within the pages. A few moments I did get choked up and the faith element is very strong - but not over done. There were a few things I figured out before it was revealed in the plot, but it didn't make me dislike the story.

All in all, it is a good read and one that many people would enjoy. I rate it 3.5 stars because while it is good, I just wish it had held my attention a bit more instead of being one that I read a few chapters and put it down and then came back to read a few more a couple days later.

To purchase a copy of the book: https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Frost-Defenders-Justice-Nancy/dp/0764217771/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479835481&sr=1-2&keywords=fatal+frost

Have a character named after you in Julie Lessman's book!!

Here is the link to the AWESOME, AMAZING, and SPECTACULAR contest: http://www.julielessman.com/contest/

Review of 'No Other Will Do' by Karen Witemeyer

Thank you to Bethany House for my copy in exchange for my honest review!

The cover of No Other Will Do caught my attention right away. The colors and the pocket watch (big fan of pocket watches) made me want to read it. Then I read the back and the description made me curious to know more. So, I picked it as my review book and was blessed enough to get it. 

Isn't it lovely?! Bethany House always has awesome book covers. :)

The prologue seemed a bit out of place because it made me wonder why I should care about this poor boy, but it made more sense as the story went on and by the end I understood the importance of having it. One thing I really liked about the prologue was when Mal met Emma. It was so cute! - and the line about being allowed to keep him was adorable. That was the moment when I knew I would enjoy the story because up to the point I was wondering. 

The aunts were hilarious. I kept giggling whenever they were in a scene. One of my favorite lines was when Bertie was informing Henry about Mal using explosives. It made me laugh so hard. 

There are strong ties of faith, friendship, romance, and camaraderie throughout the plot - which made this an enjoyable story. The prayer said by the preacher was wonderful and one of my favorite parts. 

I loved Mal! Seriously, he was one of my favorite "heroes" that I have read about in a long time. I adored how he called Emma his angel and how the young kid, Andrew, stuck by his side. It made me wish I had someone like him in my life. I enjoyed the thread of showing Mal who he really was and how God was with him throughout his life. 

I'm also glad the storyline included more than one villain as it gives the plot more of a mystery feel. The final chapter was my favorite and brought me to tears as well as made me laugh. It also held my favorite line in the whole book - which is the last line. I'll not spoil it here, but it made me love the book even more. 

If I had to nit pick about something it would be the amount of women. It was a bit hard to keep track of them and their individual story lines, but it wasn't impossible. 

All in all the book became one of my favorites and I look forward to the next in the series. I give it 5 stars.

Here is the link to purchase the book: https://www.amazon.com/No-Other-Will-Karen-Witemeyer/dp/0764212818/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466961284&sr=8-1&keywords=karen+witemeyer

Review of 'Someone Like You' by Victoria Bylin

Thank you to Bethany House for the book in exchange for my honest review.


This is the first book by Victoria Bylin I have read. It turned out to be a great story with lots of ups and downs, struggles and breakthroughs of faith. When I started the book I found myself thinking of how it would make for a wonderful movie and I could picture Candace Bure or Melissa Joan Hart playing the part of Julia Dare. Now I know Candace and Melissa don't look like the description of the character, but they were who I kept picturing the whole time I read. This could be because both Candace and Melissa have played in movies similar to the story (not so much the actual plot, but the style of the plot).

The story failed to grab me during the first five chapters because it felt like it was meant to be a movie and not a book. That is until I met Julia's mom, Ellen. Ellen is the kind of character I enjoy reading about and when she meets George - well, let's say the book bloomed into life. After that I found myself hooked and unable to put it down, but it was because I wanted to know what happened with Ellen and George. I wish I could say I loved Zeke and Julia, but they were a little lackluster for most of the book. As the story progressed it got better and better, to the point where I did care for Zeke and Julia by the end.

I saw a photo of a shirt on pinterest and I think it is fitting. It said, "I don't care who dies so long as the dog lives." Change dog to horse and add the names Ellen, Max, and George and you've got how I felt about the book. I don't care who dies so long as the horse, Ellen, Max, and George live. Now, I will give you a spoiler - no one dies, so relax. :)

The cover of the book is beautiful and quite like the covers I would love to do for a series I am writing.

All in all, I liked the book. I didn't love it, but I did like it. I give it 3 1/2 stars because I still think it would be a better movie than book.

One last thing - I love the acknowledgement to Victoria's husband. It made me laugh. How cute. The dorky pink hair bow. :)

To buy a copy, go here: http://www.amazon.com/Someone-Like-You-Victoria-Bylin/dp/0764217372/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464151737&sr=8-1&keywords=Victoria+Bylin