Tag Archives: #cleanreads

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 062: Love Is in the Air

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Today, I thought I would share five Christian romance books I have been hearing chatter about, and what a perfect day for this post! The title of these books has also captured my attention. If I were to post a cover crush, I would choose “To Love a Lady” by Gabrielle Meyer. That reminds me, I have read and written a book review for “When the Day Comes” by Gabrielle Meyer. That review will be posted on February 17th of this month.

Which one of these books grab your attention? Have you read any them?

Happy Valentine’s Day and let’s get reading!  

Stephanie

To Love a Lady by Gabrielle Meyer

Dollar Princess #1

Published January 1, 2026

For fans of My Fair Lady and The Gilded Age

New York City, 1883. Keira O’Day has spent her life scraping by in the tenements, haunted by the mystery of her parents’ abandonment. When wealthy widow and social climber, Maude Hill, offers her a daring proposition—to be adopted, polished, and presented as a society bride for an English lord—Keira sees an opportunity she can’t pass up.

Maude’s nephew, Alexander Paxton-Hill, is skeptical from the start. Tasked with teaching Keira the art of charm and flirtation, he soon finds himself captivated by her honesty and warmth as she challenges everything, he thought he knew about love—and about himself.

After navigating the glittering, treacherous world of New York society, Keira arrives in England and catches the eye of the elusive Duke of Severton. She’s poised to win everything until a lavish ball, a long-buried secret, and one reckless act of love threaten to unravel it all. Now Keira must the role she’s been prepared to play—or the woman she’s become.

The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter

Published October 7, 2025

She inherits the bookshop of her dreams…

But she has to run it with the ex she vowed never to speak with again.

Shelby Thatcher adores working in the charming small-town bookshop her grandmother opened years ago. Since high school she’s helped Gram turn the shop into a community hub for book lovers in the lakeside town of Granville, NC. When her beloved grandma passes away, Shelby inherits the bookstore. But to her shock, Gram leaves half ownership to Gray Briggs, the man who broke Shelby’s heart years ago.

Granville residents have been vilifying Gray as long as he can remember. After graduating high school, he couldn’t skip town fast enough, even though it meant leaving the girl he’d fallen deeply in love with and alienating her family once and for all. Now he’s back, the beneficiary of his elderly friend’s will. Facing the town’s animosity is difficult, but seeing Shelby again is sheer torture. No one could ever stir his heart the way she did.

As the adversaries are forced to work together, Gram’s beyond-the-grave scheme is working–Shelby’s old feelings for Gray begin to resurface. But the problems that destroyed their relationship before still remain, and a new one surfaces–one that threatens Gram’s beloved bookshop. Is their love doomed to fail again, or will they find a way to make it work this time around?

Before the King: Joanna’s Story by Heather Kaufman

Published January 21, 2025

Joanna’s wealthy family aspires to Herod’s inner circle, but when her father’s esteemed position in the Sepphoris Sanhedrin is threatened, her family resorts to harboring a dark secret. As Joanna navigates the complexities of aristocratic life and an arranged marriage, she is caught between loyalty to her family and her own desires. When tragedy strikes, leading to a life-altering injury and a startling encounter with Herod’s financial minister, Joanna must grapple with a new future–one that challenges her sense of duty and hope for love.

Years later, Joanna is forever changed when a rabbi comes preaching a new kingdom and healing the sick. Yet, she treads a perilous path between a court that mocks Jesus of Nazareth, a community of believers who views her with suspicion, and a husband who guards his own secrets. As pressure increases, Joanna must protect her allegiance to the Christ, whose message is as compelling as it is dangerous.

In this gripping narrative, rising author Heather Kaufman weaves a tale of faith, resilience, and love amid the danger of King Herod’s court.

The Voice We Find by Nicole Deese

Fog Harbor #3

Published April 15, 2025

Sophie Wilder returns home to California with nothing more than a failed Broadway career and a geriatric cat. Stuck working at the family winery with her egotistical brother and desperate for a way to revive her acting dreams, she takes a side gig as an audiobook narrator with Fog Harbor Books. But getting mixed up in the life of her reluctant sound engineer was never a part of her plans.

August Tate is still reeling from taking guardianship of his teen sister. Determined to find a solution to her degenerative hearing loss and to prevent his private recording studio from going under, he agrees to produce audiobooks part-time. When Sophie breathes new life into his creativity and forms an unexpected bond with his sister, rooted in their common faith, he must confront the reasons he turned away from his own.

Bestselling and award-winning author Nicole Deese weaves an emotionally charged romance rich in the complexities of love and family.

The Sands of Sea Blue Beach by Rachel Hauck

Published July 1, 2025

Emery Quinn finds herself at a crossroads between her career and complex family dynamics. Living at home in Cleveland and clinging to memories of her late mother, Emery struggles to connect with her blended family. Seizing the chance for a fresh start, she accepts the position of editor-in-chief at the struggling Sea Blue Beach Gazette. Returning to the Sands Motor Motel in the picturesque Florida town, she is flooded with bittersweet memories and past regrets.

Architect Caleb Ransom has returned to Sea Blue Beach, a place filled with both cherished and painful memories. He means to make a difference for his family and hometown by raising his abandoned nephew and preserving the history of Sea Blue Beach as the leader of the new historical society. He never expected to see Emery Quinn again, the girl who captured his heart sixteen summers ago.

As Emery and Caleb rekindle their friendship and explore a chance at love, they join forces to unite Sea Blue Beach, a town bitterly divided into east and west, old and new. Together, they navigate family challenges, professional setbacks, and a high-stakes royal visit, all leading to a place where forgiveness and love reshape their journey back to each other.

From the talented pen of New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck comes a poignant tale of second chances and the enduring power of love.