To Bring You Back by Emily Conrad

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 355
Series: Rhythms of Redemptions #1
Genre: Christian Contemporary, Romance
Published: February 1, 2023
Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis:

He’s determined to confront the past she’s desperate to forget.
Broke in more ways than one, the last thing Adeline Green can afford is for her now-famous high school crush to descend on her quiet life.

People in the small town of Lakeshore, Wisconsin, think of her as the hard-working church secretary or as the local food truck’s lunch-hour cashier. They’d never suspect the shame she’s hiding.

She attended high school with both the lead singer and the drummer of the rock band, Awestruck. In fact, she used to play in the band herself, but that was back before Awestruck made it big—and before her relationship with lead singer Gannon Vaughn took a turn that ultimately led to tragedy and heartbreak.

She’s living a different life now, but when Gannon shows up, he brings with him a public spotlight that threatens to expose her deepest regret. The closer she gets to him, the more she risks the carefully curated life that’s finally brought her a measure of peace.

Gannon Vaughn and his rock band, Awestruck, have conquered the music industry, but he can’t overcome his feelings for Adeline.

She may have been right to cut off contact between them years ago, but thanks to the grace of God, he’s a changed man. When he hears Adeline’s struggling, he sets out to turn her life around and win back the love he lost to poor choices eight years ago.

But when Gannon’s fame and their mutual regrets jeopardize their relationship anew, will grace be enough to bring them back to God and each other?

Review:

A second-chance romance with a redemption arc. I loved this. There was one thing I wasn’t the biggest fan of but we wouldn’t have a redemption story if we didn’t have that little bit.

Gannon comes back home after he learns from his drummer that a former friend is not doing good. Adeline is going through the motions and trying to work her way back into “good” favor with God.

I loved the faith in this story. It’s there from the beginning and isn’t rushed. Gannon is a perfect example of what a good Christian man should be like. He not only cares about Adeline’s normal well-being, he cares about her spiritual being as well. He makes sure she is right with God first. That is what made me fall in love with Gannon’s character.

The character growth between the two is also done well. I own the second book and will be picking that up soon. As of right now, I have to finish my February TBR.

Romance! Romance! Romance!

It’s Valentine’s Day. This would be the perfect day to do a romance recommendations list.

My favorite romance books!

The Mongomery Brothers series by T. Bell
I love the relationships in both books. I want more of Brooks and Grayson’s sibling relationship growth. And of course, I want more Avery.

Knox by Susan May Warren
I absolutely love Knox and how mature he was written. I want more bookmen written like Knox.

The Heir and the Spare by Kate Stradling
I loved this clean romance fantasy. It was my first book by Stradling and I fell in love with her writing.

Timeless Fairy Tales series by K. M. Shea
I loved the retellings done by Shea. I need to sit down and reread them. Each one had a cute romance and they are all connected while at the same time can be read as standalones.

The Lochlann Treaty series by Robin Mahle
I didn’t think I would like this series, but the more I read the better the series got. It is a slow burn romance set over four books

Ilyon Chronicles series by Jaye L Knight
Another fantasy romance series but the romance is a subplot. It is also a slow burn. But Jace and Kyrin’s romance is so amazing to watch grow from nothing into friendship into more. It’s not the only romance that is set in this either.

A Cliche Christmas by Nicole Deese
A cute holiday romance that makes you feel all the good feels.

What are some of your favorite romance books?

Letters of Faith by T. Bell

My edition: Kindle (soon physical)
Pages: 246
Series: The Montgomery Brothers #2
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
Published: Jan. 15, 2024
Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis:

There are two things in life Georgia never expected—becoming a widow at thirty and receiving letters from her deceased husband a year later.

Okay, maybe three things because the content of those letters wasn’t expected either.

Before he died, Nate made her promise to continue to live her life, but if she’s honest, she hasn’t kept that promise. She can’t even step foot in their home since he’s been gone, let alone try to move on with her life.

But Nate knew her too well because a year later, she’s receiving letters with tasks to complete to get her back in the world—including going on a date and finding her faith again.

The problem is that she’s scared. She’s not as strong as Nate thought she was. Afraid to let her husband down, she turns to the one person she knows can help her—her husband’s best friend, Grayson.

But while she’s looking for the motivation to complete the tasks, Grayson receives a letter with his own set of impossible instructions from Nate—a fourth thing Georgia will never see coming.

Review:

My first five stars! I knew this book was going to be five stars but it is so much better than the first book. This author will be an automatic buy for me. She is the only one who can take me on such an arrangement of emotions and be in absolute love. I am so glad I set aside a weekend when we weren’t busy to read this so I could ugly cry.

Trigger warning: This deals with grief and depression.

I love Bell’s approach to grief. We follow both Georgia and Grayson on their journey to heal after the death of Nate. Nate was Georgia’s husband and Grayson’s best friend. They grew up together and have known each other for a long time. I am so happy about the realistic approach to grief and guilt of moving on.

Grayson never once said that things would get better to Georgia when she had one of her dark days. Instead, he just took care of her. He made sure she ate and moved. He didn’t invalidate her emotions. In fact, he told her not to please people when she should be grieving after Nate’s funeral. He looked out for Georgia and I loved it! Also, I loved the fact that most of the time he opened the car door for Georgia. It was so cute and gentlemanly!

She also doesn’t have a technically third-act break-up. It is more mature. While yes, it is a miscommunication, she writes them not breaking up but taking time to go be alone for a bit, deal with their feelings, and then get together and talk it out. Which is something me and my husband do. When we are about to fight whether we miscommunicated or didn’t have an understanding we go to what we call a time-out. Then we get back together when we’re not angry and talk it out with clear heads.

Grayson is by far my favorite. In many ways, he reminded me of my husband, Wy. Again I love that the author wrote someone going to therapy. I can relate to many of Bell’s characters in one way or another. I love how realistic they feel. I love the faith content. I cannot wait until we get her next book, which I think might be about Harper. Either way, it’s preordered and looks to be released in July!

How Sweet It Is by Andrea Christenson

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 274
Series: Fox Family #1
Genre: Christian Romance
Published: July 1, 2023
Rating: 3/3.5 stars

Synopsis:

Sometimes the sweetest moments in life are made from the most familiar and ordinary ingredients.

Robin Fox is living out her dreams working in a gourmet bakery in Paris. She thought she’d live there forever, but when her relationship with her boss sours, those dreams crumble. She finds herself back home in Deep Haven, Minnesota, caring for her grandparents’ rundown bakery while they’re away. But she vows that when they return in six weeks, she’ll trade this ordinary life for the one she left behind.

Sammy Johnson has never gotten traction in any area of his life. This hasn’t improved in the almost two years since the accident which nearly killed him. Although his heart is still beating, it contains little passion for the life he’s living in Deep Haven. But that begins to change when he offers to help his former high school friend, Robin.

Working together to keep Fox Bakery from going under, they find more than friendship is simmering between them. But when the six weeks are up, will Robin follow her old dreams back to the glamor of Paris or will she discover how sweet it is to be loved in Deep Haven?

Return to Deep Haven with the Fox Family, where Robin and Sammy find that small town life isn’t ordinary after all.

Review:

I am coming to the realization that I am not a fan of third act break-ups. It was something I didn’t mind when I was reading books with this trope all the time. Now I’m just annoyed by it because it’s unnecessary and it’s very unrealistic.

I liked the book when it started off. I loved the flirting between Sammy and Robin. I was weirded out by so much winking. But it’s whatever. It was when they got together that it started to go downhill for me. I just might be the weird one in this because it didn’t feel real to me. Everything was just so wrapped in a bow feeling.

Now another thing I must mention, is that halfway through this book, I wanted to start reading a few other books I have on my Kindle. I kept thinking about those books instead of the one that I was reading. I am going to blame my mood. I wanted to finish this so I could get to those other books. I didn’t want to put this off and never finish it.

Don’t take my word for this book. I think it was mostly my mood that was my main problem.

If I Run by Terri Blackstock

My edition: Library paperback
Pages:296
Series: If I Run #1
Genre: Christian Suspense, Mystery
Published: February 16, 2016
Rating:3.5 stars

Synopsis:

Casey knows the truth.

But it won’t set her free.

Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.

Review:

This will be my first Terri Blackstock that I have finished. I had picked up one of her books but had to give it back to the library before I could start it.

Casey finds her best friend Brent murdered. Instead of calling the police, she runs. Casey knows how to evade law enforcement which made me highly suspect that she has some issues. Brent’s parents hire one of his old best friends from school who had just been discharged from the Army to hunt her down to bring her back.

Casey running instead of calling the police just didn’t make sense to me at first. But then about halfway it’s explained why she doesn’t trust the police in her hometown.

I liked this book but some things took away from my enjoyment. Now this is my personal opinion. I understand that some people may like what I wasn’t a fan of and that’s okay. I didn’t like the subplot mystery that she gets into in the small town she settles in. I wasn’t a fan of being told that Dylan suffers from PTSD almost if not every chapter he is in.

This does end on a cliffhanger. I will continue with the series but not right away. There are other books I want to knock off my TBR.

Mind Games by Nancy Mehl

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 336
Series: Kaely Quinn Profiler #1
Genre: Christian Suspense, Thriller
Published: Dec. 4, 2018
Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis:

Kaely Quinn’s talents as an FBI behavior analyst are impossible to ignore, no matter how unorthodox her methods. But when a reporter outs her as the daughter of an infamous serial killer, she’s demoted to field agent and transferred to St. Louis.

When the same reporter who ruined her career claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely’s, the reporter’s ulterior motives bring his claim into question. But when a body is found that fits the poem’s predictions, the threat is undeniable, and the FBI sends Special Agent Noah Hunter to St. Louis.

Initially resentful of the assignment, Noah is surprised at how quickly his respect for Kaely grows, despite her oddities. But with a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely are tested to their limits to catch the murderer before anyone else–including Kaely herself–is killed.

Review:

I now understand what my favorite booktubers mean when they rave about Mehl’s writing.

Kaely’s father is an infamous serial killer. He is actually compared to Dennis Rader who is better known as the BTK murderer. Kaely became a profiler for the BAU. A report ends up outing who her father is even though she legally changed her name. She ends up being transferred from Quantico to St. Louis.

In St. Louis, the reporter who outed her past follows her trying to get an interview with her so he can write a book. I am not a fan of Jerry Acosta. He is so skeevie. He thinks his book is more important than Kaely’s privacy and safety. I get frustrated with people like Acosta. Anyway, Acosta gets a letter from an UNSUB who not only threatens Kaely but threatens six other people.

I was hooked once I read the letter. I wanted to know how this was going to play out. Mehl keeps you guessing from several suspects. I thought I had it down who it was but it turned out I didn’t. The bigger part is now that I know who the killer is, there were clues of who it was.

Some reviews said in the middle of the book it got preachy. I personally disagree. The heroine was answering the question of why she believed. Some of the explanations of why she believed is what I would answer. As Christians, it is normal to explain to people who ask why we believe in God. If you are a Christian and thought this was too much then I suggest a deep time in prayer. If that seems too much I think you need to really look at yourself and see if you can call yourself a Christian. I find nothing wrong with Kaely explaining her faith because she was asked why she specifically believed in God.

With that being said I will be adding the second book to my TBR. It seems like this is a trilogy. I will try to finish it sometime this year.