At the beginning of February, I was really excited for the books I had on my to-read list! Two of my favorite authors released new books on January 31st, so those two are the first ones I listed below. I didn’t read as much as I did in January, but so far I’m still on track to finish 100 books this year!

1. Happily Ever Ashten by Erynn Mangum (book 3 in the Carrington Springs series) — I’ve loved all of Erynn Mangum’s books that I’ve read, and this one was no exception! They’re all funny, sweet, and clean, and the way she writes about the heroine growing in her relationship with God always feels authentic, not preachy. This book was the third one in a series about three friends, so it was fun to catch up with the girls from the last two books and to finally see what happened with their third friend, Ashten. She’s in the middle of a busy summer working at her family’s restaurant and helping her two friends plan their weddings, wondering about her purpose in the middle of it all, and learning to trust God when her life isn’t turning out the way she imagined and when love doesn’t look like she thought it would. I think this was my favorite book in the series!
2. Rescue Me by Susan May Warren (book 2 in the Montana Rescue series) — This is the second book in the newest series by one of my all-time favorite authors. Deputy Sam Brooks’ life is orderly and structured; his girlfriend’s sister, Willow’s, life has been anything but. Her adventurous spirit and love for the kids in her youth group led to her take the group on a hike, and Sam went along to help chaperone. Neither of them imagined that the situation would take a dangerous turn, forcing them to learn to rely on God and each other to make it through. Through it all, they learned that no matter how many mistakes we make and how many times we fail, God has proven that He will stop at nothing to rescue us, and He will always be there for us when we need Him the most.
3. The Inn at Ocean’s Edge and Twilight at Blueberry Barrens by Colleen Coble (books 2 and 3 in the Sunset Cove series) — I found these books on sale, one in paperback and the other on Kindle, and since they take place in my home state of Maine of course I had to read them! 😉 These are books 2 and 3 in the series; I didn’t notice anything that made me wish I had read the first book first, but you should definitely read the second before the third. They’re classified as suspense, and they both have very unique plots and twists you would never see coming! I thought the characters were very well-developed, and both books included important spiritual lessons about our identity in Christ and finding our worth in Him. It can be kind of funny sometimes to read books about Maine written by someone “from away,” but Colleen Coble did a great job representing our state!
4. From the Start by Melissa Tagg (book 1 in the Walker Family series) — This was a fun read I found on Kindle Unlimited! Kate and Colton are both struggling in their careers, with Kate wanting to do something more meaningful than writing TV movie scripts, and with Colton recently injured and no longer able to play in the NFL. They both find themselves in Kate’s small hometown when a tornado brings her back and her brother, Colton’s friend, talks him in to visiting while he figures out what to do next. It just so happens that Kate and her family need someone to help rebuild her dad’s museum, and Colton needs someone to write his book…but their relationship ended up meaning more to both of them than just business, and taught them about God’s purpose for them in the struggles they’d faced. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I’m going to look for more books by this author!
5. Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon (book 1 in the Men of Valor series) — I’ve always enjoyed Irene Hannon’s suspense books, and this was as good as I expected! In this story, a small-town police chief and county detective work together to solve the mystery of remains found buried out in the country. It was written in a unique way; you as the reader know who the killer is the whole time, but it’s still really interesting to watch the main characters figure it out. It’s a fast-paced mystery without being gory or graphic, with likeable characters who are facing challenges in their personal lives as well. This is a great book if you like Christian suspense!
6. Courage to Soar by Simone Biles — I loved watching Simone Biles compete in gymnastics at the Rio Olympics last summer, so I was excited to read her book! It was fun to read her story and find out what led her to gymnastics and ultimately the Olympics. She had a rough couple of years at the beginning of her childhood, until her grandparents adopted her when she was a toddler. Becoming an elite gymnast takes an enormous amount of hard work and dedication, and having a supportive family was so important to her success, encouraging her in her setbacks and celebrating with her in her victories. Being able to read about the “behind the scenes” of her life helps you to see that even though she was born with a lot of God-given talent, it took a lot of work to become one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. She faced a lot of struggles and setbacks, even a few short years before her historic Olympic performance, but her faith and her family got her through and brought her to where she is today. This book is geared more towards younger readers, but anyone can read it and be inspired!

I have some fun new fiction books I’m looking forward to reading in March, including a new release from one of my favorite authors (When Tides Turn by Sarah Sundin), but I’m also working on reading more non-fiction. A couple of the books I’ve started on are Fervent by Priscilla Shirer and To Live is Christ to Die is Gain by Matt Chandler. Hopefully I’ll finish those this month and can tell you about them in next month’s post! 🙂

What have you been reading lately?

I’ve really been on a roll reading this year! It helps to have a Kindle Unlimited subscription 😉 (thanks, Dad and Mom!). At least half of the books I read in January were Kindle Unlimited books. I also read a few other books I’ve been wanting to read for a while! So let’s jump right in and see what I read last month.

• I didn’t keep track of which ones I read in December or January, but since Christmas I’ve read at least 15 books by Jenn Faulk through Kindle Unlimited. I’ve talked before about how much I love her books, so I’m not going to take the time to describe them all, but I really enjoyed them! Her books alone are a good reason to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, but I’m excited to see what else I find this year 🙂

• A Memory Between Us and Blue Skies Tomorrow (Books 2 and 3 of the Wings of Glory series by Sarah Sundin) | I’ve said before how much I love Sarah Sundin’s books, and these two were no exception! These were the conclusion of her first WWII historical romance series, about three pilots who were brothers. Blue Skies Tomorrow was my favorite book of hers so far! I really loved the main characters and felt like I was rooting for them the whole time, as they each faced struggles that drew them together, then forced them apart, then drew them back together again as they grew in their faith. The last quarter or so of the book really kept me on the edge of my seat! 😉 I know that sounds kind of vague, but it was a really good story that makes you think and sticks with you for a while.

• A Perfect Ambition (Book 1 of the Worthington Destiny series by Dr. Kevin Leman and Jeff Nesbit) | This was another book I found on Kindle Unlimited. It’s the first in a series about the 3 Worthington children, who are descendants of one of the richest families in America, going back multiple generations. One is an assistant attorney general, one is the head of the family’s stock holdings, and one is a entrepreneur who is passionate about the environment. In this book, a crisis happens that brings all three siblings together and changes the direction of their lives. It was pretty interesting, but it didn’t really have the typical plot structure of conflict, climax and resolution, so I didn’t think it was really a satisfying story. I guess I’ll need to read all three books to really get the point, and I might someday, but I’m not rushing out to buy them. If they were on Kindle Unlimited too, that would be another story 🙂

• Nothing but Trouble, Double Trouble, and Licensed for Trouble (Books 1-3 of the PJ Sugar series by Susan May Warren) | Susan May Warren is one of my favorite authors, and I love that her different series cover so many different genres! These three books had a little mystery, a little comedy, and a little romance. They aren’t your typical Christian romance novels though; you have to read all three books to really get all of PJ’s story. She was known as the town troublemaker growing up, and these books tell her story of coming back to her hometown after 10 years as a nomad with many different jobs. She really struggled to find her place and her purpose in life, and to learn how to see herself the way God sees her rather than how she thinks everyone else sees her. Her new career as a private investigator makes for fun reading, too! She gets herself into quite the scrapes sometimes 🙂

I’m guessing I probably read about 8 of those 15 Jenn Faulk books in January, so that puts me at 14 books total so far this year. A little more than 10% of my goal of 100 books this year, so I think that’s a good start! I’ve never really kept track of the books I’ve read before, so this year I’m keeping a list in my new bullet journal. It’s really fun to watch the list of completed books grow! I also got new books from two of my favorite authors on January 31st, so look for reviews of those as part of my “What I Read in February” post.

What have you been reading? Found any good books lately? 🙂

Despite having a new job and Thanksgiving preparations take up more of my time in November, I was still able to read 11 books. I found some good ones that month! Plus, one of my favorite authors, Robin Jones Gunn, released a new book: the first book in her Christy and Todd: The Baby Years series. I loved the Christy Miller series growing up, and I’m so glad she’s still writing Christy and Todd’s story!

But I’m getting ahead of myself! Here are all the books I read in November:

Through Waters Deep and Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin (Books 1 and 2 in the Waves of Freedom series) // This is the second World War 2 series I’ve read by Sarah Sundin, and her most recent one. In the first book, Through Waters Deep, Mary Stirling works at the Boston Navy Yard. It’s there that she meets Ensign Jim Avery, and they are soon drawn into an investigation of a saboteur on Jim’s destroyer, the USS Atwood. In Anchor in the Storm, Jim’s sister and Mary’s roommate, Lillian Avery, is struggling to find her place as a female pharmacist. When Jim’s best friend, Ensign Archer Vandenberg, notices his men struggling with nerves and drowsiness, he enlists Lillian’s help to uncover a connection to the large sedative prescriptions she’s been filling. This series has the same rich WW2 details and sweet romance as her previous series, with the added bonus of mystery and intrigue. It’s the perfect blend of crime-solving, romance and history. I can’t wait for the third book to come out in March!

Where Treetops Glisten by Cara Putman, Sarah Sundin, and Tricia Goyer // I decided to buy this book because I’ve been reading everything I can find by Sarah Sundin. This is a collection of three Christmas novellas, following three siblings through WW2. I love that the stories all tie in to a Christmas song from the time period (White Christmas, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas). Three wonderful stories, perfect to read during the Christmas season!

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple // This isn’t the kind of book I normally gravitate to, but I’ve heard good things about it from several people and found it on sale at Books a Million. The story format is a little hard to get used to at first; it’s written as a collection of e-mails, notes, and correspondence that we later find out was pieced together by Bernadette’s daughter. It turned out to be a story that held my attention, and was pretty funny and eccentric. A story about a somewhat dysfunctional family, a mom who has lost part of her identity and is struggling with anxiety and fitting in with the social hierarchy of her daughter’s school, and a daughter who loves her mom no matter what–it’s somehow relatable, even though parts of the story can seem far-fetched. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Resolutions, The Plan, and Taking Chances by Jenn Faulk // I always enjoy Jenn Faulk’s books! Whenever I’m in between books, I like to find one of hers I haven’t read yet and download it to my Kindle for a fun read. These three were no exception; I loved reading about new characters and seeing how they tied into the storylines of her other books I’ve read. I can always count on Jenn Faulk for a fun, lighthearted romance with characters I wish I could be friends with and a spiritual message that never seems forced or fake.

A December Bride by Denise Hunter (A Year of Weddings Novella Book 1) // I decided to re-read this book after watching the Hallmark movie based on it, to see how they compared. Even though they had some differences, I really enjoyed both the movie and the book! It’s a story of a broken engagement, then a fake engagement that (spoiler alert!) turns real. It’s a novella, so it’s a quick read, but it’s a really touching story.

Stone and Spark & Stone and Snow by Sibella Giorello (Books 1 and 2 in the Raleigh Harmon Mysteries series) // I’ve talked before about how much I love the Raleigh Harmon series. When I finished the 6 books in that series, I found out that Sibella Giorello had written a three-book series about the fifteen-year-old Raleigh. I read the first two books in November and loved them! This series is an inside look at the events that first interested Raleigh in geology and solving crimes, and the people in her life that made her who she is. Her character and her skills were really refined by fire, between helping her best friend deal with tragedy and struggling to relate to her mentally ill mother and her father as he tries to help her mother, along with the usual high school drama. It’s really interesting to get a look at her life while her father was alive and before she became an accomplished FBI agent and professional geologist.

Sandy Toes by Robin Jones Gunn (Book One in the Christy and Todd: The Baby Years series) // The Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn was one of my favorites when I was a teenager, and I’m so glad that her story has continued through The College Years series, The Married Years series, and now the first in a three-book The Baby Years series. I love reading about Christy and Todd as they grow up, get married, and start a family. They’re such relatable characters, and I wish we could be friends in real life and that I could babysit their kids 😉 even though they only have one as of this book. It’s fun to follow along and see them learn and grow through each stage of life, and this book showed what I imagine to be a very accurate portrayal of the struggles a young couple faces as Todd tries to find his place in a career and as they prepare for a baby. I can’t wait for the next two books in the series!

Have you read any of these books? What have you been reading lately?

October turned out to be a good month for reading! My birthday was at the end of September, so I spent October reading all the books I bought with the Amazon gift card my grandmother gave me 😉 I read 10 books in all, so I’m not going to take the time to write a lot about each of them, but here are some quick recaps.

October New Releases: Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren and A Royal Christmas Wedding by Rachel Hauck

I was really excited about these new books by two of my favorite authors! Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren was everything I’ve come to expect from her: true-to-life characters with real, raw, struggles and problems; exciting action and adventure; a variety of multi-faced relationships; and sweet romance. A Royal Christmas Wedding was the fourth book in Rachel Hauck’s Royal Wedding Series, and it incorporated a lot of the characters from the previous books in the series, which I love! It’s a sweet story about a royal and an everyday American girl reconnecting and falling in love (obviously), and who doesn’t love a Christmas wedding?!?

From the Raleigh Harmon series by Sibella Giorello: The Rivers Run Dry (#2), The Clouds Roll Away (#3), The Stars Shine Bright (#4), and The Waves Break Gray (#6)

I think I mentioned last month that I read the fifth book in this series several months ago, and I was hooked! I had to find out the rest of the story (or stories), and I wasn’t disappointed. Raleigh Harmon is a great heroine, and while her story does involve romance, it definitely isn’t typical or predictable. Her relationship with her mom has always been rocky, and her work as an FBI agent and then (spoiler alert!) as a private-geologist-but-still-crime-fighter feels gritty and raw and real. I feel like I can’t quite put into words why I love this series so much, but I do!

From the Wings of the Nightingale series by Sarah Sundin: On Distant Shores (#2) and In Perfect Time (#3)

I’m not a big fan of most historical fiction, but I make an exception for Sarah Sundin! Her stories don’t feel dull or boring like some historical novels can, but they are rich with adventure, romance, and World War II drama. The Wings of the Nightingale series follows three flight nurses who were pioneers in their fields during WWII. I really enjoyed reading about all the places they went and things they saw, and getting more of a “first-hand” account of life on the front lines. This series really brings history to life!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful by Susan May Warren (part of the Candy Cane Kisses Christmas novella collection):

I’ll admit it, I only bought this novella collection because of Susan May Warren, and I haven’t read any of the other stories (yet) 😉 Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful picks up where her Montana Fire series left off, and tells a story of healing, courage, and love for two of the smokejumpers we met in that series. Definitely worth buying the whole collection!

Destination Wedding by Jenn Faulk:

I first started reading Jenn Faulk’s books during my free trial of Kindle Unlimited, and I’ve gotten to enjoy her characters and her style of writing. This book gets into a second generation of characters; the bride and groom at the destination wedding were very young children in one of her previous books. It was fun catching up with them and their parents, and since you already know this book is about a wedding, there was also a sweet side story about the bride’s brother and the groom’s sister. Jenn Faulk is such a prolific author, she writes books almost faster than I can read them! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

What have you been reading lately? Any favorites I should know about? 🙂

One of my goals for September was to read four books. I didn’t read any non-fiction like I intended to, but I did end up doubling my goal and reading eight books! I wanted to write a recap and quick review of all the books I read, but I’m going to split them into two posts so I don’t overload you with one long post (although this one may still be a little long 😉 ). Here are the first four books I read in September.

Just a Kiss by Denise Hunter

Plot: Watching the love of his life fall for his brother was enough to send Riley straight to boot camp. But over a year later, he’s officially a marine, and Beau and Paige are no longer an item. When Riley’s tour in Afghanistan is up, he intends to confess his feelings to Paige and win his best friend’s heart once and for all.

But all that changes when an IED takes the life of a comrade and leaves Riley an amputee. Now he’s heading home, injured and troubled. His plans to win Paige are a distant dream. She deserves so much more than the man that’s left. All he can do now is put some healthy distance between them. But upon his return he discovers his family has arranged for him to stay with Paige.

Paige is a nurturer at heart and happy to take care of her best buddy. By all appearances Riley is adjusting miraculously well to his disability. But as the days pass, Paige begins to see that the smiles and laughter are just a mask for the pain he’s hiding. To make matters worse, her job is in serious jeopardy. The animal shelter that she’s poured her heart into has lost its funding, and she has three months to come up with the money needed to save it.

As the weeks wear on, Paige’s feelings for Riley begin to shift into uncharted territory. Why is she suddenly noticing his arm muscles and the way his lips curl at the corners? Will she be able to deny her feelings for another Callahan brother? And will Riley let his heart heal so he can let Paige in?

My thoughts: This was a good ending to the Summer Harbor series. It was nice to catch up with the characters from the previous two books and finally find out the answer to the “Paige and Riley” question that had been hinted at in the other books. The characters and the story are well-developed, and your heart aches for Riley as he struggles with the aftereffects of his time in Afghanistan. It was a little more predictable than the other books in the series, but it’s still an enjoyable read.

Sins of the Past by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, and Lynette Eason

Plot: In Dee Henderson’s “Missing,” a Wyoming sheriff is called to Chicago when his elderly mother goes missing. Paired with a savvy Chicago cop, the two realize her disappearance is no accident, and a race against the clock begins.

Dani Pettrey returns to Alaska with “Shadowed,” introducing readers to the parents of her beloved McKenna clan. Adventure, romance, and danger collide when a young fisherman nets the body of an open-water swimming competitor who may actually be a possible Russian defector.

Lynette Eason’s “Blackout” delivers the story of a woman once implicated in a robbery gone wrong. The loot has never been found–but her memory of that night has always been unreliable. Can she remember enough to find her way to safety when the true culprit comes after her?

My thoughts: Usually I’m not crazy about novellas, because there usually isn’t enough time to develop the story well. This book proved me wrong, though! I bought it primarily because I like everything by Dee Henderson, and I wanted to find out what happened in the prequel to Dani Pettrey’s Alaskan Courage series. Dee Henderson’s “Missing” was written in her typical style, including well thought out details and fascinating plot twists. It provided a good set-up for a new series, too! Dani Pettrey’s “Shadowed” kept me turning pages too, with an intriguing plot and a sweet romance. “Blackout” by Lynette Eason seemed a little far-fetched to me, but still worth the read.

Stones Cry Out by Sibella Giorello

Plot: When nobody talks… the stones cry out.

In the searing heat of a Virginia summer, two men plummet from a roof top to th sidewalk below. The victims are a white police officer and a young black man with a troubled past. Hundreds of people were at the scene, and yet nobody saw what happened. But when FBI agent Raleigh Harmon is assigned the case, she realizes they’re just not talking.

The Bureau wants a quick verdict, with or without the truth. And with tight-lipped witnesses, Raleigh has to rely on her training in forensic geology to uncover the facts. Working through her connections among the city’s most powerful families, along with trolling Richmond’s underbelly, Raleigh wants to see justice prevail. But can she solve the case before the city’s growing unrest rages out of control? And will her choices bring down everyone involved—including herself?

The first Sibella Giorello book I read was the fifth one in the Raleigh Harmon series, The Mountains Bow Down, when the Kindle version was on sale this summer. When I saw that this first book in the series was free on Kindle, I downloaded it right away! The plot is very relevant to current events, and I love the main character, Raleigh. She has a lot of trouble in her past and present that she has to deal with, but she still manages to be one of the most tenacious agents in the FBI. She refuses to give up on justice, even when she’s up against numerous forces trying to stop her. She’s a complex and relatable character; you can’t help but root for her. The focus on geology in crime-solving is fascinating, too; it’s not something that’s glamorous enough to be put on TV very often, but it brings a realistic dimension to the book. If you like suspense and mystery, or just Christian fiction in general, give this book a try!

Priceless by Joel Smallbone and Luke Smallbone with Nancy Rue

Plot: James Stevens was, at one time, a good man with a great life. After the tragic death of his wife and losing custody of his little girl, James is at the darkest crossroad of his life. Angry, desperate, and unable to hold down a steady job, he agrees to drive a box truck on a shady, one-time trip cross country for cash — no questions asked. When he discovers what he is delivering is actually a who, the questions in his mind begin haunting him mercilessly. James becomes an unlikely hero who must fight to save the lives of two young women and finds himself falling in love with one of them.

Can love, strength, and faith redefine his past and change the course of his future?

My thoughts: This book is based on the movie by the same name, produced by and featuring the Smallbone brothers of the band for KING & COUNTRY (they have a song out called Priceless too!), that is coming out in theaters this weekend. It’s a really intense book that deals with several difficult topics: death, drugs, jail, custody issues, and human trafficking. They handle these topics well though, and while it’s not appropriate for children, it’s not overly graphic or disturbing. It really sheds light on the issue of human trafficking and how girls can get into that situation, and you really feel for James, the main character, as he faces many difficult choices and opportunities to do the right thing. This is a well-written, thought-provoking book, and I’m sure the movie will be just as good.

What books have you read lately? Look for part 2 of my September reads later this week!