Category Archives: Book Spotlight

Book Review: You Belong Here Now by Dianna Rostad

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Award Finalist of the Willa Literary Award – Women Writing the West

Published April 6, 2021 by William Morrow Paperback

Montana 1925: Three brave kids from New York board the orphan train headed west. An Irish boy who lost his whole family to Spanish flu, a tiny girl who won’t talk, and a volatile young man who desperately needs to escape Hell’s Kitchen. They are paraded on platforms across the Midwest to work-worn folks and journey countless miles, racing the sun westward. Before they reach the last rejection and stop, the kids come up with a daring plan, and they set off toward the Yellowstone River and grassy mountains where the wild horses roam.

Fate guides them toward the ranch of a family stricken by loss. Broken and unable to outrun their pasts in New York, the family must do the unthinkable in order to save them.

Nara, the daughter of a successful cattleman, has grown into a brusque spinster who refuses the kids on sight. She’s worked hard to gain her father’s respect and hopes to run their operation, but if the kids stay, she’ll be stuck in the kitchen.

Nara works them without mercy, hoping they’ll run off, but they buck up and show spirit, and though Nara will never be motherly, she begins to take to them. So, when Charles is jailed for freeing wild horses that were rounded up for slaughter, and an abusive mother from New York shows up to take the youngest, Nara does the unthinkable, risking everything she holds dear to change their lives forever.

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You Belong Here is a story of family, overcoming prejudices, acceptance, forgiveness, resilience, survival and healing.  

This story portrays much of how the world saw these children-not all good-and faced with uncertainty at the mercy of adults and environment, determining the decisions made for them, and even more hardships that may come as the result.

Nara and her parent’s interactions with the children- who come from completely different backgrounds from the rural culture-was the driving force of this story. and the change they all made as the result of this fact is heartwarming and beautifully told.

The literary conventions of this story make for a great American classic and will give many people who read this story a sense of nostalgia, not only in the style of language spoken by Nara, her parents and others, but also the mindset, no nonsense attitudes, culture, social norms, and the life-in general- rural people lived.

This is an historical story you are unlikely to forget and I highly recommend this book to all.

Side Bar:There are a few swear words in this story-not a lot-and it is mostly from Nara and her mother doesn’t like it one bit!

Stephanie

About the Author:

Dianna Rostad is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author. Her debut novel You Belong Here Now is a 2022 WILLA Literary Award Finalist for Historical Fiction and was shortlisted for Reading the West’s Debut Fiction Award 2022. A favorite task of her creative endeavors is the discovery and research of people and places where her novels are set. She has traveled extensively to pursue the last artifacts of our shared history and breathe life, truth, and hope into her novels. Dianna was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and spends time volunteering for various causes. She loves reading, playing with Bennee her dog, and growing flowers in her garden. She lives in Washington and Florida where she writes big-hearted novels for wide audiences.

Dianna Rostad’s  Website

Book Review: The Tuscan Villa by Ella Carey

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(Daughters of Italy #3)

Published Today: Apr 28 2026 by Bookouture

Another memorable story with multiple timelines.

As the war raged through Europe in 1945, Villa Aria in Tuscany, Italy became a sanctuary for the people of Cortona, but soon after Vivi-the owner- disappeared by mysterious circumstances, it left the villa crumbling, and the grounds overgrown. While the people of the village were left with another tragedy, they soon endeavored to pick up the pieces that was left ravaged by the war.

In Manhattan, New York a few years after the war, Fran felt suffocated with her fiancé and her soon to be controlling mother-in-law. She quickly realized she couldn’t go through with the marriage and with the recent news about the villa in Italy- where she grew up- has been sold, and its gardens- her father designed for Vivi-is about to be leveled by the new owner, she made the decision to travel to Italy.

With so many unanswered questions about her past and the unsolved disappearance of Vivi, Fran was determined to save the villa’s garden, solve the mystery of what happen to Vivi, she soon realized there are many secrets to uncover, and it wouldn’t be an easy task because of the towns people reluctance to talk about the past.

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What a powerful, heartbreaking and atmospheric story Ella Carey has written.

During the war, Vivi’s dedication to help protect the valuable, despite the danger, showed one of many of her attributes that drew people to her. Her kindness, giving and gentle spirit were a blessing to the town and her disappearance was a great loss. I felt that loss deeply and like Fran, I didn’t want her disappearance to be left behind in the past, I was on the same determined path as Fran to find out what had happened to Vivi.

This story has three timelines, I found each one to be equally as strong and absorbing.

Carey has marvelously created complex characters and not everything was as it seemed with them and I found myself pleasantly surprised by a few of them.

Many of the characters found their way into my heart and I longed to be swept away to Villa Aria with its lush gardens, and its peaceful, timeless surroundings.

Ella Carey is a talented story-teller.  A must read!

Stephanie

I received an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

@Bookouture

An Early Glance: When Mikan Road Was Ours by D.K. Furutani

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Expected Publication July 28, 2026 by Atria Books

This past Monday, I received an invite via email to read and review, “When Mikan Road Was Ours” from Atria Books,and I am truly thankful, and honored for the invitation to be an early reader for this story. I enjoy reading multi-generational family stories and I’ve been wanting to look more into how Japanese American Citizens were treated during World War II. I am already certain this story is going to be powerful and thought-provoking.

This book is available for pre-order!

Stephanie

Winner of Simon & Schuster’s Books Like Us contest!

Amidst a sweltering Los Angeles heat wave, Murano, a reclusive high school English teacher, is muddling through life. Reeling from his father’s death as well as his own recent cancer diagnosis, he spends his days grading papers and appeasing disgruntled parents while painstakingly counting down the days until summer vacation.

However, the monotony breaks when he inherits his great-uncle Benjiro’s unpublished memoir. He expects the pages to be a grim reminder of his position as the half-white son of the black sheep of the family. Instead, as he reads, Murano is whisked away to 1930s California, to a time when the Murano family was inseparable, relishing life on their bucolic farmland. As Murano is introduced to family members he never knew existed and confronted with the hidden complexities of the past, he is pulled close to the Japanese identity he’s dismissed all of his life.

Ultimately faced with more questions about his fractured family than answers, Murano becomes determined to discover the reasons behind his family’s dissolution following their incarceration in American concentration camps during World War II, no matter what hidden truths he might uncover about his ancestors or himself.

About the Author:

Born and raised in Southern California, D.K. Furutani is the author of When Mikan Road Was Ours, winner of Simon & Schuster’s third-annual Books Like Us contest. His work has received support from the Periplus Collective and the Tin House workshops. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three cats.

Book Review: A Body at the Irish Book Club by Lucy Connelly

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Mercy McCarthy Mystery #5

Happy Publishing Day to Lucy Connelly!

Publish Date: April 21, 2026 by Bookouture

Mercy and Lizzie are America twin sisters who inherited their grandfather’s house and book shop in Shamrock Cove in Ireland. Lizzie runs the shop and Mercy is the writer in the family. The day Mercy returns from a book signing tour of her latest book, her sister held a signing at the shop. As the customers were paying for their books at the register, Mercy’s and Mr. Poe-their dog-discovers one of the ladies at the shop has died. Then the mystery begins on what happen to the victim.

A Body at the Irish Book Club is the first book I’ve read by Lucy Connelly. As usual-but not by design-I started this series with the fifth book. The beginning of the story had me asking a lot of questions about the backstory but a few of them were resolved and I was happy about that. By the time I finished the story, I decided to add this series to my to-read list. I am curious about the books before this one!   

I found the side characters to be great supporting characters that helped the story take shape. Mercy tended to get on my nerves at times. When she is on to something, she was like a dog with a bone, but isn’t that the point? She reminds me a little of Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote and Danny Reagan in Blue Bloods. Mercy’s unwavering persistence makes for great crime solving and a writer!

My heart went out to Mercy’s sister, Lizzie. What a loving and supportive sister she is to Mercy. I am looking forward to reading more of their stories in these crime solving cases.

An intriguing story that had me racing to the end to discover the killer. I could not put this story down.

I love a good Irish cozy mystery!

Stephanie

I’ve rated this book four stars.

Thank you to the publishers for ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

Reader’s Log 064: A Valentine Book Haul Part I

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Todays post is a book haul and I was thrilled to unexpectedly receive a gift to buy books! Those are the best kind of gifts, especially for book nerds. The unexpected…

I thought I would share what books I got with you, so you may be inspired and discover books you may not have heard of. I will be sure to write a review for each one when I read them. I was able to get quite a few books and I have a feeling that I’ll enjoy all of them. All of the books below would make great summer reads, but I will be reading them before summer, is my guess. Or maybe I should spread them out a little? Hmm…

Be sure to be on the lookout for part two of this book haul! It is going to be fabulous! What books are you excited about reading this year? What are some of your reading goals?

I spotted “A Castaway in Cornwall” in the bookstore and it looked so familiar. When I got home I looked it up , and I remembered it was on my wish-list, and I posted a cover crush on the book in 2020! Needless to say, It is long overdue to read and I can’t wait to read it shortly. I have a couple other books by Klassen in my personal library I want to get to this year.

A Castaway in Cornwall by Julie Klassen

Published December 1, 2020 by Bethany House Publishers

Paperback/392 pages

Laura Callaway daily walks the windswept Cornwall coast, known for many shipwrecks but few survivors. She feels like a castaway, set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers. Now living with her parson uncle and his parsimonious wife in North Cornwall, Laura is viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong somewhere again.

When ships sink, wreckers scour the shore for valuables, while Laura searches for clues to the lives lost. She has written letters to loved ones and returned keepsakes to rightful owners. She collects seashells and mementos, and when a man is washed ashore, she collects him too.

As Laura and a neighbor care for the castaway, the mystery surrounding him grows. He has abrasions and a deep cut that looks suspiciously like a knife wound, and he speaks in careful, educated English, yet his accent seems odd. Other clues wash ashore, and Laura soon realizes he is not who he seems to be. Their attraction grows, and while she longs to return the man to his rightful home, evidence against him mounts. With danger pursuing them from every side, will Laura ever find the answers and love she seeks?

I’ve read one of Colleen Coble’s books before and I decided after reading it, I want to read all her books! The premise sounds intriguing!

Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble (Hope Beach #1)

Published August 3, 2021 by Thomas Nelson

Paperback/320 pages

A USA TODAY bestseller! Inheriting a beautiful old hotel on the Outer Banks was a dream come true for Libby. . .until her newfound siblings accuse her of stealing their birthright, her friend is kidnapped, and she’s blamed for the crime. Libby can’t believe her luck when she learns she has inherited a beautiful old hotel on the Outer Banks. The inn cries out for her restorer’s talent and love of history. She’s delighted to learn of the family she never knew she had. And the handsome Coast Guard lieutenant she’s met there on the island could definitely be the man of her dreams. But Libby soon realizes that the only way she can afford the upkeep on the inn is to sell it to developers who are stalking the island. The father who willed her the inn died before she could meet him, and her newfound brother and sister are convinced she’s there to steal what’s rightfully theirs. Worst of all, her best friend and business partner has been kidnapped before her eyes, and Libby’s under suspicion for the crime. Libby’s dream come true is becoming a nightmare. Her only option is to find her friend and prove her innocence or she’ll lose everything on the shores of Hope Island.

A Stranger’s Game by Colleen Coble

Published January 4, 2022 by Thomas Nelson

Paperback/352 pages

A wealthy hotel heiress.

Torie Bergstrom hasn’t been back to Georgia since she was ten, but she’s happy to arrange a job for her best friend at one of the family properties on Jekyll Island.

A suspicious death.

When Torie learns that her best friend has drowned, she knows this is more than a tragic accident: Lisbeth was terrified of water and wouldn’t have gone swimming by choice.

A fight for the truth.

Torie goes to the hotel under an alias, trying to find answers. When she meets Joe Abbott and his daughter rescuing baby turtles, she finds a tentative ally.

But the more they dig, the more ties they find to Torie’s mother’s death twenty years before. Someone will risk anything—even more murder—to hide the truth.

As you can see, I picked up three books by Coble. I seriously can’t wait to start reading them. This copy is an ebook. I got a good deal on it. If I like the story and give it a 4 or 5 star, I may purchase a physical copy for my home library.

Ambush by Colleen Coble (Sanctuary #1)

Published March 4, 2025 by Thomas Nelson

Ebook Copy

Paradise Alden’s childhood in Nova Cambridge, Alabama, was idyllic until the night her parents were murdered. Since then, life has left her scarred. The abuse she suffered in the foster care system, her first love’s betrayal, and the jaguar attack that nearly destroyed her career have led to an unshakable distrust–in men, in God, and maybe in even in herself.

After fifteen years, returning to her hometown is a last resort to finding her life again. She’s hoping the wildlife refuge where she’s accepted a veterinarian job will be the perfect place to heal from her recent traumas and unlock her memories about the night her parents died. But the day she arrives at The Sanctuary, a body is discovered on the grounds. And soon, a series of deadly events threatens not only her future, but the man who, despite all odds, still makes her pulse stutter. Arson, a shooting, a break-in, and multiple instances of animals being freed from their enclosures all point back to him, but Paradise knows Blake Lawson isn’t responsible. Not the man who has been helping his mother manage The Sanctuary these past six months and care for his stepbrothers in the wake of their father’s death . . . even if his betrayal years ago cost her everything.

Someone dangerous is lurking beneath the town’s moss-draped trees, and Paradise refuses to let another murderer disappear into the shadows.

Reader’s Log 059: Discovering and New Beginnings

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Wish-List 5

Even though my book selections to-read next year is full, I can’t help continue to be on the hunt for more. Searching for books is all part of the fun of discovering new authors, new titles or perhaps re-visiting a genre you haven’t picked up in a while. Whatever the case, it is thrilling and well worth your time!

Not too long ago, I got back into Christian Fiction and I have read a few great ones this year. Back in the day, I felt many of the stories I read were cheesy and unrealistic. I’m delighted I took the chance to come back to the genre and I’m pleased with what the authors are bringing to the genre. My thanks to the authors and publishers! You’ve brought back so many readers to the genre.

Check out below what I have added to my wish-list and may they inspire you to add them to your to-read pile.  

Stephanie

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

Pub Date Apr 28 2026 by Harlequin – Romance

PAGES: 368

Christian | General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.

Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…

The Lost Story of Via Belle by Melanie Dobson

Publish Date April 14, 2026 by Tyndale House Publishers

PAGES: 384

Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance

1940. Via Belle’s sweet romance novels made readers believe in happily ever after. But Via’s reality was much more complicated. While her first husband was alive, her creativity thrived in a beautiful stone estate situated above a pristine lake and moonflower garden. After his tragic death and a whirlwind second marriage shrouded in secrets, Via vanished from public life, leaving behind a shadow of scandal . . . and her final story.

2006. Screenwriter Harper Rayne is desperate for a breakthrough, if only she can find the right story to tell. But when she digs into the life of her late mother’s favorite novelist, she never expects it to become personal. Drawn to the quaint Pennsylvania town where both her mother and Via once lived, Harper discovers more than a mystery to solve—she finds echoes of her own longing for love, healing, and home. As long-buried secrets come to light, Harper must decide if she’ll protect the past or rewrite this particular ending.

Described as a “powerhouse in dual-timeline Christian fiction” (Library Journal), Melanie Dobson delivers another rich, atmospheric novel about the legacy of sacrificial love and the redemptive power of truth.

Standalone dual-timeline historical mystery filled with drama, faith, and intrigue

Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner, Lisa Wingate, or Patti Callahan Henry

Includes discussion questions for book groups

On Living Stone (Salome’s Story) by Heather Kaufman

Publish Date January 20, 2026 by Bethany House Publishers

PAGES: 400

Christian

“A beautifully told and imagined story.”–Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author on Before the King

“A biblical story with a heart for today’s world, pulling out an array of joy and hope, sorrow and loss.”–Mesu Andrews, award-winning author on Up from Dust

Every stone sings as it finds its purpose. This is the lesson restless Salome learns from her father as she grows up by the Sea of Galilee. Known as the wild girl with the quick tongue, Salome is determined to silence the critics who claim she has no future. An unexpected romance and the gift of two sons, James and John, leave her hopeful and resolved to prove herself as a mother.

Salome’s dreams are challenged, however, when her sons answer the call to follow Jesus of Nazareth. As James and John are drawn deeper into Jesus’ ministry, opposition to his message intensifies, leaving Salome with a choice. Can her family continue down the path of discipleship when it might cost them everything? With threats abounding, Salome must confront her fears, even as she discovers her own worth in this most unexpected rabbi.

A journey of faith unfolds in this New Testament-inspired story of Salome, mother of Jesus’ apostles James and John. This compelling biblical fiction book explores themes of family, sacrifice, courage, and redemption, making it a stirring read for fans of The Chosen, Francine Rivers, Tessa Afshar, and Angela Hunt.

The Lumber Baron’s Wife by Lynn Austin

Publish Date Apr 14 2026 by Tyndale House Publishers

 PAGES: 368

Christian | Romance | Women’s Fiction

When the young wife of a powerful lumber baron vanishes into the wilds of frontier Michigan, her friend is left to unravel the truth in this captivating dual-timeline novel from bestselling author Lynn Austin.

1873. After a devastating loss, Hannah Wagner never imagined she’d leave her comfortable home for the harsh, unfamiliar wilderness near Lake Michigan. But when Henry Abernathy—a friend of her husband, John—offers them a fresh start in a booming lumber town, where John’s skills as a doctor are sorely needed, Hannah reluctantly agrees. There, she meets Kate, Henry’s spirited, much younger wife. Kate’s sharp tongue and outsider status have made her unwelcome among the town’s elite, and when she begins confiding in Hannah, it’s clear her marriage is not what it seems . . . and that a secret from her past could destroy everything.

Present day. Ashley Gilbert never planned to settle in Michigan, but when her husband lands his dream job as a conservationist, she agrees to follow. While restoring their historic home—built in the 19th century for a doctor and his wife—Ashley becomes captivated by its past and its connection to the nearby Abernathy mansion, now being transformed into a museum. While volunteering with the restoration, she stumbles upon the unsolved mystery of Kate Abernathy’s disappearance. What begins as curiosity soon becomes a quest for the truth—one that will connect her to two women whose stories and struggles echo and inspire her own.

Witness Protection- A Legal Suspense Novel by Robert Whitlow

Publish Date April 07, 2026

PAGES: 464

Thomas Nelson Fiction | Thomas Nelson

Christian | General Fiction (Adult)

Jon Tremaine has lived in hiding for years–will coming out of the shadows to help a friend be too great a risk?

All is finally good. Jon Tremaine has created a new life in Brunswick, Georgia, as part of the Federal Witness Protection program after testifying against the former drug cartel he was involved with. Only his wife, Sarah, and a handler with the US Marshal’s office know his true identity, and he is now the manager of a large commercial tree farm with a baby on the way. But when one of Jon’s employees is arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs into the United States, he goes against his better judgment and inserts himself in the middle of the case, believing the man is an unsuspecting mole manipulated by sophisticated drug dealers.

Kelli Quinn, a highly skilled litigator with an Atlanta law firm, has moved to Brunswick to work with her best friend from law school, hoping to rebuild her life after a painful divorce. She and her two children find a temporary home with her aunt Carly, a woman whose great faith is making an impression on her new houseguests. For the first time in a very long while, Kelli sees a future where she can find balance between the job she loves and the family she loves even more.

New to the firm and in need of clients, Kelli agrees to represent Jon’s employee. The unfolding investigation reveals layers of criminal activity and possible connections to Jon’s past, putting everyone at risk of exposure–and even death.

Book Review: Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters by Carmen Joy Imes

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Published Oct 28, 2025 by IVP Academic

Does the church still matter in our modern world?

After waves of disillusionment, #churchtoo movements, and political divides, it’s easy to question the value of investing in the church. Yet Carmen Joy Imes offers a profound answer that resonates through the pages of Becoming God’s Family. Exploring the familial and communal identity of the church, Imes traces the thread of God’s presence in the gathered community of faith across the entire Bible. She invites readers into a vision of the church that is rooted deeply in Scripture and speaks directly to the challenges we face today. Imes reminds us of a powerful truth—God delights in the global, inter-generational family He has created.

Through this book, you’ll discover that God keeps His promises. When God’s people gather together, God shows up. Whether you’re struggling to reconnect with the church, seeking a constructive vision for its role in our world, or longing to better understand its biblical foundations, this book offers clarity, hope, and encouragement.

Check out what Dr. Imes has to say about her book on the church family at her YouTube channel!

My thoughts:

Becoming God’s Family by Carmen Joy Imes is the third in her trilogy. The first two books are “Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters” and “Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters.”  

Imes earned a PhD in Biblical Theology at Wheaton College, an MA in Biblical Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a BA from Multnomah University. She is currently an Associate Professor of the Old Testament at Biola University.

With an outstanding Biblical perspective, Imes writes about what the church is meant to be starting in Genesis and taking you through the Bible. Imes’s theological narrative and approach to God’s church is beautifully weaved and her writing style is refreshing and approachable and I had no problem understanding the text. Imes is a gifted Bible teacher and writer.

I must say, as I was reading, Imes has given me a new insight on this subject that has been on my mind for the last few years now. As I was reading, I felt a calmness wash over me and it was also like a light switched on in my soul. I am over-whelmed with thankfulness that Imes wrote this book. Becoming God’s Family needs to be in every church across the globe. Whether you’re a believer or non-believer or thinking about joining a church, this book is a must read.

At the end of each chapter Imes gives us the key ideas and book resources (Digging Deeper) which is a great help for study. She also has Scripture verses throughout and I recommend having your Bible open as you read this book. I did not have my Bible open this round but I will in my second round of reading…

I will definitely be purchasing a physical book for my home theological library and will be using it as reference for Biblical projects I’m working on.

A big thank you to IVP Academic and NetGalley for a review copy.

Stephanie  

Four quotes from “Becoming God’s Family.” (There are many more.)

“Christ has only one body, one bride, one temple, one kingdom. As we are united to Christ, we are untied to one another. “

 “As long as we see others as the enemy rather than as potential family members, we have not become the community God desires.”

“The true family of faith is marked by hospitality. God calls us to arrange our lives so that we have room for others.”

“Israel consists of twelve tribes; Jesus calls twelve disciples, reconstituting the nation himself.”

Stephanie

Carmen Joy Imes’s Links:

YOUTUBE

Substack newsletter

Blog

Amazon Author Page

Side Bar: I still have so many things to say about this book, giving examples of what Imes wrote that really impacted me. I will pulling topics and will be fleshing out topics (especially the global church) that I want to give my thoughts on.

I want to also makes sure that the readers know that the Old Testament and New Testament is a sweeping narrative and one must read the whole Bible. The New Testament helps you understand the Old Testament and vice versa.

Book Review: One Little Lie by Colleen Coble

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Pelican Harbor #1

Publication Date: March 03, 2020

Christian Fiction| Mystery & Thrillers | Romance

When Jane Hardy is appointed interim sheriff in Pelican Harbor, Alabama, after her father retires, there’s no time for an adjustment period. He is arrested for theft and then implicated in a recent murder, and Jane quickly realizes she’s facing someone out to destroy her father.

They escaped from a cult fifteen years ago, and Jane has searched relentlessly for her mother—who refused to leave—ever since. Could someone from that horrible past have found them?

Reid Bechtol is a well-known journalist who makes documentaries, and his sights are currently set on covering Jane’s career. Jane has little interest in the attention, but the committee who appointed her loves the idea of the publicity.

Jane finds herself depending on Reid’s calm manner as he follows her around taping his documentary, and they begin working together to clear her father. But Reid has his own secrets from the past, and the gulf between them may be impossible to cross.

It started with one little lie. But Jane Hardy will do everything in her power to uncover the truth.

My Thoughts:

One Little Lie is the first book I have read written by Colleen Coble and I am happy to report I enjoyed this story. I love a good mystery that is a page turner and has you fully invested in the characters plight and the actions they take to right the situation they find themselves in. Those actions are not always the correct ones and that is par for the course when it comes to human nature and this story shows that. This story also shows how our past determines our choices in life in how we handle those choices. This story is faith based and gives a realistic picture of the struggles I mentioned above.

Out of all the characters relationships, I have to say Jane and her friend Olivia friendship touched me the most. Though Olivia was a side character, her gentle influence and support of Jane helps Jane through her process of healing from being in a cult and encouraging Jane to find true faith, healing, peace and reconciliation with God.

There are a few things left unanswered but I’m hoping to find those answers in the next book of this series.

If you are looking for a clean mystery with a great plot this one is for you!

Stephanie

The publishers recently made this book available on NetGalley again for review. I was delighted to read this book for an honest review.

Reader’s Log 051: The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough

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I’m currently traveling my way through the Empires of Ancient Assyria, Babylon and the Persians. These studies are pretty intense and a few of my reading materials take liberties or have a running theme (if you will) that has a zero foundation. That said, I’m gaining quite a bit more insight into people’s cultures in ancient times by comparative studies. I will be sure to go more into that another time.

At the end of next year -or maybe sooner- I will be traveling forward again to the first century but before I do that, I want to study a bit more on Rome right before the first century. Also, I’ve been searching books on Rome that I haven’t read yet and I do include historical fiction as well. Last week, I came across Colleen McCullough’s books and I remembered I have the first book in her Rome series that has been sitting on my book shelf for quite some time. The book is huge and there are 896 pages! I’m still going to add it to my reading for next year but I know I will have to take a lot of notes. Despite the amount of pages and annotating, I’m excited about reading the story. Colleen McCullough is best known for her book, “The Thorn Birds.” I do believe McCullough wrote something like eleven books?

Stephanie

Masters of Rome #1

896 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 1990 by William Morrow & Company in New York City

The reader is swept into the whirlpool of pageantry, passion, splendor, chaos and earth-shattering upheaval that was ancient Rome. Here is the story of Marius, wealthy but lowborn, and Sulla, aristocratic but penniless and debauched — extraordinary men of vision whose ruthless ambition will lay the foundations of the most awesome and enduring empire known to humankind.

A towering saga of great events and mortal frailties, it is peopled with a vast, and vivid cast of unforgettable men and women — soldiers and senators, mistresses and wives, kings and commoners — combined in a richly embroidered human tapestry to bring a remarkable era to bold and breathtaking life.

Reader’s Log 050: The Greatest Knight

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Shortly after “The Greatest Knight” by Elizabeth Chadwick came out in the early 2000s, I read this amazing story and it was the first time I read anything about William Marshal. Chadwick’s stories are among my favorite historical fiction reads. After I read her story, I did a little research om William Marshal but since then, hadn’t picked up a biography on his life. Recently I discovered Thomas Asbridge’s book about Marshall and the reviews have been promising.

I have been adding titles to my wish-list and for books I want to read in the fall-time or next year and I will definitely be reading Asbridge’s book.

I wish there was more time on the day because there are so many intriguing books out there that are calling to be read.

Stephanie

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick by Elizabeth Chadwick

A penniless young knight, William Marshal is plucked from obscurity when he saves the life of Henry II’s formidable queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. In gratitude, she appoints him tutor in arms to her son. However, being a royal favorite brings its share of conflict and envy. Besmirched by his enemies, banished from court, William seeks redemption in pilgrimages across Europe and the Holy Land, returning to find bygones forgotten and his prowess on the battlefield in demand. The only knight ever to unhorse the legendary Richard Coeur de Lion, William is offered the hand in marriage of Isabelle de Clare, 18-year-old ward of the King. Strangers to each other on their wedding day, the pair must immediately confront deadly political intrigue, strained family loyalties and betrayals. As King Richard prepares to depart on crusade, other men, including the King’s own brother John, are waiting for their moment to seize power – it is William’s duty to stand in their path…

The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones by Thomas Asbridge

Caught on the wrong side of an English civil war and condemned by his father to the gallows at age five, William Marshal defied all odds to become one of England’s most celebrated knights. Thomas Asbridge’s rousing narrative chronicles William’s rise, using his life as a prism to view the origins, experiences, and influence of the knight in British history.

In William’s day, the brutish realities of war and politics collided with romanticized myths about an Arthurian “golden age,” giving rise to a new chivalric ideal. Asbridge details the training rituals, weaponry, and battle tactics of knighthood, and explores the codes of chivalry and courtliness that shaped their daily lives. These skills were essential to survive one of the most turbulent periods in English history—an era of striking transformation, as the West emerged from the Dark Ages.

A leading retainer of five English kings, Marshal served the great figures of this age, from Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine to Richard the Lionheart and his infamous brother John, and was involved in some of the most critical phases of medieval history, from the Magna Carta to the survival of the Angevin/Plantagenet dynasty. Asbridge introduces this storied knight to modern readers and places him firmly in the context of the majesty, passion, and bloody intrigue of the Middle Ages.

The Greatest Knight features 16 pages of black-and-white and color illustrations.