Christmas Marriage Clause in Everpine Valley (Everpine Valley Series) by Emi Hilton

 

Christmas Marriage Clause in Everpine Valley by Emi Hilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is such a fun novella to read to get into the spirit of the holidays!! Hunter finds out that he has to be married by Christmas Eve or he loses his position as the CEO of the Everpine Investment Enterprises. Just how is he supposed to do that when there are no prospects? What's a guy do but enlist his best friend Katelyn to help him find a wife. Whether he realizes it or not, Katelyn has been in love with Hunter for years but has never really expressed that to him. He goes on a series of dates and just can't seem to find "the one" not realizing that she's been in his life for a long time.

This book reads like a few popular movies that I've seen and there really aren't a lot of surprises. However, it was nice to get lost in the lives of Hunter and Katelyn for awhile and watch their story unfold! It's a fun, lighthearted read and I'm definitely more in the holiday spirit now!

View all my reviews

Cutie Pies by the Slice: A 1930s Historical Novel of Strength and Belonging by Kimberly Nixon

 

Cutie Pies by the Slice: A 1930s Historical Novel of Strength and Belonging by Kimberly Nixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story has a little bit of everything that I love in a great story!! It's a historical story, which is my favorite genre, followed by a bit of romance, a bit of suspense, family matters, forgiveness and second chances, and so much more!!

This is the story of Lila Young who moves to Ohio and opens up a pie shop after losing her mother. I felt that I could really identify with the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that Lila was facing during this time in her life. I also know that food can be a healer (if used correctly and in moderation) and pie is a favorite. Add in a place to enjoy the pie over a cup of coffee (or your preferred beveridge of choice) with the town gossips and you soon realize that your troubles are minor in comparison to the world as a whole. Imagine finding out that the mob is using your business as a way to funnel money though!! As if Lila needed something else to worry about!

Lila has built up quite the "family" from her pie shop patrons but with this newfound mob information, she is facing some serious decisions. Can she keep her "family" together, keep her pie shop functioning without the extra drama, and still manage to smile everyday.

I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more in this series. This is a standalone so it's not necessary to read the other books but why would you want to miss out on more great stories?!

View all my reviews

Zenith of Tea (Apron Strings Tea Tale) by R.F. Wong

 

Zenith of Tea by R.F. Whong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a stand alone novella that captures so many emotions and different situations, it brings about a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions as the story unfolds. For a short book, this sure captures the heart and soul of the struggles that were faced in the 1920s during the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Mijen has faced a lifetime of adversity. She was abandoned at a young age, has a fairly large birthmark on her face, and lives in the caves while robbing tombs to financially support herself. Chaos, choice words directed at her, and having to grow up so quickly have left Mijen stubborn and closed off towards others.

Enter Joseph, who is in trouble when Mijen finds him and rescues him. Together they travel to Canada to try to escape the turmoil they've been facing in the US. They open up a teashop and help rescue girls who are being trafficked. They rely heavily on their faith (which Joseph had but started helping Mijen to find for herself) to continue to persevere in this life.

As previously mentioned, there is so much packed into this short story. I absolutely loved the characters of Mijen and Joseph. I could see myself being best friends with Mijen! My heart broke for her and all she's endured through life. It's a reminder that the heart is what is most important when it comes to beauty and not the outward appearances. I do want to point out the beauty of the cover of this book though too (even though I said it's not always what we see!). The cover is beautiful and I feel accurately represents Mijen and Joseph!

View all my reviews

Allison Turns the Page by Leslie A Rasmussen

 

Allison Turns The Page by Leslie A. Rasmussen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a new-to-me author and I picked this one up because the cover of this book was so pretty.

Allison is a romance author who is tired of writing the sappy, mushy, stories that she's known for. Instead, after receiving pressure from her publisher to put out another novel, she goes rogue and decides to write about the flip side of romance. The dark, edgy side. She mistakenly puts some notes into a little library about this story and in turn, starts finding notes back. Will she finally be writing and living out her own love story?

This was a fun read that went by pretty quickly. I am going to have to go back and read the other books in this series that are previous to this one.

View all my reviews

The Keeper's Secret: A Gripping Pacific Northwest Female Sleuth Crime Thriller (Logan McKenna #12) by Valerie Davisson

 

The Keeper's Secret: A Gripping Pacific Northwest Female Sleuth Crime Thriller by Valerie Davisson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is book 12 in the Logan McKenna series. A lot of times a series of this length tends to lose it's steam but that's not the case with this one. Each book seems to get better and better!!

This one opens up with Logan locating an abandoned, corroded wheelchair and a bone. Logan is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and learn who these two items belong to.

This is a very enjoyable book with twists and turns. It's a fairly short book and it moves quickly, making it a bit difficult to tell you much about it without giving too many things away. Just trust me when I say that this one is worth the read!! Be sure to check out the other books in this series too. Each is a standalone but does have cross-over characters and situations.

View all my reviews

Mouse's Twelve Days of National Park Christmas Visits (Mouse Traveler Series) by Tricia Gardella

 

Mouse's Twelve Days of National Park Christmas Visits by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun take on the Twelve Days of Christmas with Mouse!! We get to travel to different national parks in the spirit of the twelve days of Christmas and learn more about different national parks. At the end of the book, there is an informational page with more historical information on some of the greatest places to visit on earth. Mouse takes us on an adventure that is also educational!

Not only is this a fun story, but it's also full of some vivid imagery to go along with it!

View all my reviews

Where the Night Takes Us (Fear-Death Experiences Series) by Robert Chazz Chute

 

Where the Night Takes Us by Robert Chazz Chute
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where the Night Takes Us is a fantastic psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Dr. Simon Fethullah is a forensic psychologist who has helped to put away the Rainy Day Cannibal. What a name! That alone enticed me into this thriller where Dr. Simon, his wife, and the family dog Stefano, are encouraged to go to mountains to heal. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to the mountains and have some R&R time to decompress and move away from the recent situations he's been facing? Like all great thrillers, our madman just isn't going to relent and the good doctor get any rest. It's his life ambition to make sure that not only the doctor doesn't rest, but no one else in his circle does either.

What a great introduction to a new series!! It's hard to write a review on a book as good as this one without giving too much away. Just trust me when I say you should read it!

Can we also give some love to the illustrator of the book cover too!? I am totally loving it!!

View all my reviews