Tag: amreadingromance

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#BookReview: Through Water And Stone by Karen Barnett

Solid Christian Romance Beautifully Displays Its National Park And Shows Dangers Of A Particular Modern Technology. This is Barnett’s latest “National Park” book, and once again it shows off its particular national park – in this case, Zion National Park, which I’ve only ever seen in the context of Fallout New Vegas’ Honest Hearts DLC (and which we thus *might* see in Fallout Season 2 on Amazon Prime?).

Yes, the dual timeline nature will throw some readers off, but this one works fairly well, with obvious time jumps even as at least a few characters are in both timelines.

Also, the whole “Christian Romance” thing. Yes, that means there is little more than kissing here, so if you’re one of those readers that *must* have sex scenes in your romance books… this isn’t that. But I’ve seen more and more people recently specifically asking for Christian books of late, and I already recommended this book directly to one *long* time friend in particular. (Hi, Katie!) (Katie is the elder daughter of my parents’ best friends – our parents are actually directly responsible for everyone meeting everyone, in a story I’ve never fully understood. Something about the guys knowing each other and the girls knowing each other and somehow everyone gets introduced. Over 45 yrs later, both couples are still together.)

This also means that you’re going to see a lot of references to God and prayer and such, though to be clear, this is about as truly non-denominational as anything within Christendom gets. So there won’t be any saints or discussions of baptism or the exact mechanism of salvation or any of that. Just more generic cultural level Christianity where people openly mention God and openly pray and aren’t ashamed of or insulted for doing either.

And yes, the (apparent) beauty of Zion National Park really does shine through here, along with some of its specific dangers playing key roles in the overall story. This is absolutely one of those books that will make you want to go to its real world place just to see for yourself just how well Barnett has captured its beauty in her words.

Finally, there is the danger. Not just in Zion itself, but in a particular modern technology. Revealing the tech would be a spoiler, but suffice it to say I’ve read (and reviewed, as I review all books I read) at least two other books dealing with the effects of this particular technology, including at least one other novel.

Overall quite a solid book generally and specifically within its genre, this is absolutely one fans of Christian Romance – or even romance or Christian readers who can at least tolerate the other half of the term “Christian Romance” – will enjoy.

Very much recommended.

This review of Through Water And Stone by Karen Barnett was originally written on September 23, 2025.

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#BookReview: Palette Of The Soul by Maddie Evans

Second In Series Shows Strong Growth. Yeah, I couldn’t find an “s” word to keep the alliteration through the title. Bummer. But that is on me.

For Evans, she breaks ground in a couple of different ways with this book that at least in my reading of her books over the years, I’ve never once seen her do – thus showing tremendous growth in a single book, which very few authors ever really do.

Here, Evans uses a love angle for the first time. Why a love “angle” rather than “triangle”? Because despite her growth in even having this angle, Evans is still Evans and all of our characters here are straight. As a true love triangle requires either three gay, lesbian, or bisexual people or at bare minimum two people of the same sex and sexuality along with a bisexual person of either sex to complete all three sides of the triangle… an actual love triangle among three straight people cannot exist. Two people interested in the same person or one person interested in two people both result in a love *angle*, where two line segments meet at a common point – not a love *triangle*, which requires three line segments connecting three points.

But enough of the math geek stuff, this really was meant more to praise Evans for her courage in even having this be a part of her book at all rather than diving into math pedantry, even if said pedantry is one of my own sore spots within the romance world and its inaccurate terminologies. 😉

The other solid growth point here is in using a character that is explicitly black, and whose blackness is as core a component of their character as Jack None Reacher’s sheer physical size is with his character. (Meaning Tom Cruise will *never* be Reacher. Period. End of that discussion. And moving on from another booklandia sore spot… :D) This is again new to at least my own reading of Evans, and I’ve been reading her books for several years now but admittedly haven’t read *everything* she’s written. Most of the time, most of her characters leave truly racially identifying characteristics out/ don’t make them a core component of the characterization, meaning that for the most part, readers can really read most any race they want onto her characters.

Here though, Evans deviates from this history and it works quite well. There is no preachiness from any particular viewpoint and also no racial guilt from any viewpoint, simply an acknowledgement of the humanity and experiences of these characters in ways that feel quite real and fleshed out.

Beyond these factors, you’re getting a fairly standard Maddie Evans romance that is in the middle of a series here. Those who prefer even Jalapeno level spice won’t find that here, and those who prefer books that at least mention God in a positive light will find that here. As this is a continuation of her crafting/ yarn based series, there is quite a lot of yarn and painting and other crafting discussion here, which allows Evans to geek out with what I know to be some of her real world passions. (As she did with running in the Brighthead Running Club series that this one shares a world – and even a town – with.)

As always and maybe even moreso now, I’m very much looking forward to seeing where Evans takes this series next.

Very much recommended.

This review of Palette Of The Soul by Maddie Evans was originally written on September 19, 2025.

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#BlogTour: All The Ways You Save Me by Melissa Wiesner

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a strong, emotional romance that packs quite a punch. For this blog tour, we’re looking at All The Ways You Save Me by Melissa Wiesner.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph) and YouTube:

Strong Tale Packs A Punch – And Leaves Enough Left For An Exciting Followup. This is one of those books that packs *such* an emotional weight that I think the best comparison I can make goes back nearly a decade now – to Laurie Breton’s Coming Home, which I read circa 2017 or so and was the first book I ever used the term “tour de force” to describe.

This one doesn’t hit *quite* as hard as that one, but it’ll still land a few haymakers. Maybe Mike Tyson vs George Foreman when both were in their primes. In other words, “mere mortal”, prepare for an emotional beatdown with this book… in the best possible ways.

Seriously, this has “summer romance that can go so much further” written *all* over it, and thus its release window – just before Labor Day in the US, after at least some kids (including my nieces and nephew) have started back to school already but right there as college Fall Semester is starting up and summer is coming to a close – is damn near perfect for exactly this story. Even now literally 20 yrs post college and having been married for the vast majority of that time (18 yrs this Fall vs graduating 20 yrs ago this past May), I don’t know, for some reason this season of the year just evokes those kinds of emotions for me, and always has.

There isn’t really any comedy here, so the levity is more in the fact that we’re not in the middle of an emotional scene and are thus riding the swell to the next one (ha! a surfing metaphor, in a book that *does* include some surfing!). And yet the book works perfectly well *because* of this, rather than in spite of the lack of comedy. Not all tales need to be romcoms, and this one in particular is well served by keeping the comedy out. It allows the emotions to have the heft and also the breathing room they need to really work well.

Some may argue that in at least one somewhere between jalapeno and habanero scene that “they’re only 17!!!!”. A valid point, in that exact scene. But it also reflects *reality* going back essentially as long as humanity itself, and that scene helps give the overall tale the weight it needs for what happens later in the timeline. (I don’t remember where this exact scene is in the actual storytelling.) If you’re going to 1 or 2 star this book over that scene, it really says more about you than Wiesner, her storytelling abilities, or this tale in particular, and now that I’ve told you the scene is there, it really is on you, the reader of my review, to just avoid this book if that truly is a dealbreaker for you. I’ll tell you right now you’re depriving yourself of one of the more emotional romance tales I’ve read in my life – maybe even beating out Nicholas Sparks on the emotional side – but that is completely on you, and you do what you need to do. Just don’t be unfair to this book when I specifically made you aware of the existence of this issue here. 😀

Overall, again, truly one of the more emotional and thus stronger overall romances I’ve read in quite some time, and even though it leaves a few threads unanswered, it does so in ways that make it clear that they will be explored in Book 2… which I am very excited to get in my hands ASAP. Per Wiesner herself on social media gearing up for the release of this book, that one is titled All The Ways You Break Me and releases in February 2026 – roughly six months from now. I tell you now that unless Bookouture (the publisher) or Wiesner prevent me from doing so, I will be reviewing that book and on its blog tour as well. I *wish* it were already in my hands. And you’re very likely going to say that last sentence yourself if you read this book near release date, as hopefully you see this review in time to do. 🙂

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: All The Ways You Save Me by Melissa Wiesner”

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#BookReview: Hooked On The Heart by Maddie Evans

Solid Maddie Evans Clean Romance. I’ve been reading Evans’ books for a few years now, and this first entrant in a new series is a perfect exemplar of her style… with references (and a few cameos) to what I think was the first series I read from her (the Brighthead Running Club). And yes, if you like what you see here, that series offers several great books to read while you wait for this trilogy to complete out over the next couple of months. 🙂

What you get here is a small town romance where everyone knows everyone… except when they don’t, because suddenly there is a new guy in town. Foodies will absolutely love all of the restaurant details in this book, and knitters/ crocheters will love all of the yarn talk herein (by an author who is an avid knitter and crocheter herself. Seriously, wait until you see the author’s note at the end here. :D)

Those looking for anything more spicy than a warm glass of milk will be disappointed here, but “spice” and “Maddie Evans” have never really gone together. There are other authors that offer that, but Evans always manages to create a compelling romance that does not shy away from the fact that her characters would *like* to go there… without ever actually going there. So in this book, for example, there is some heavy kissing… and that is as far as anything actually goes. Seriously, my 10yo niece has seen more in the TV shows she watches these days.

There *is* one common romance element employed here that turns some off, but revealing it feels a touch spoilery so I’ll simply note that it is so common that it is used across every trope I’m aware of, which is why I refer to it as an ‘element’ rather than a ‘trope’. So those that are hyper sensitive to this particular one can probably guess what I’m referring to here, but this should note *should* be vague enough that it doesn’t actually spoil anything. 🙂

With the epilogue both closing out this story and blatantly setting the next one in motion, this is absolutely going to be one series where you’ll be glad that the next book is just a few weeks away. (Indeed, I was sent ARCs of all three books at once, so I can personally verify that all three are at least ready enough to release to ARC readers, which is a significant step to making them fully ready. :D)

Again, truly a solid romance full of the joy of creating and arts that will make you fall in love with both these characters and this world, thus serving as an almost “Iron Man” level tale. (Ok, I’m a dude. I had to get *something* in here to save at least a modicum of my man card! :D)

Very much recommended.

This review of Hooked On Love by Maddie Evans was originally written on August 17, 2025.

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#BookReview: Well Actually by Mazey Eddings

Some Will Love It, Some Will Hate It, Nothing Objectively Wrong. This is one of those hyper-“progressive” Gen Z TikTok obsessed romances where how you identify with the characterization of the book itself earlier in this sentence largely tells you how much you’re going to enjoy this book, at a very broad, general level at least. Obviously everyone is different and even those generally inclined to love this book may actually hate it or vice versa, but at a review level to give you, the reader of my review, an idea of what you’re considering getting yourself into… I think it is a completely fair generalization here.

The author has “content warning” spoilers at the beginning of the book – always a mistake to my mind, as to me, they should be available on the author’s website with a message in that spot to look there. This is at least in part because these spoilers are impossible to avoid on eReaders in this location in particular, and I and at least some other readers prefer to go into books unspoiled. Now, even if one wants to try to argue back at me “but aren’t you doing exactly that in this very review”… 1) It isn’t at the front of the book at hand. No matter where you are reading this review, you actively came here away from the book. You’re not reading it immediately before reading the actual text of the story. 2) I’m also not being anywhere near as specific in my warnings as the author did, intentionally to avoid spoilers while also allowing readers of this review a chance to better determine if this book may or may not be something they are interested in spending their money and time (but I repeat myself) on.

For what it is, it works reasonably well. There’s lots of (progressive/ Gen Z/ TikTok style) banter, there’s habanero level “spice”, there’s a fair amount of “coarse language” yet also a metric shit ton of “therapy speak”, there’s some literal laugh out loud level comedy, and there is ostensibly a romance in here that will hit harder for some than for others – same as pretty well any romance book out there. In short, if you can withstand the biases and worldview of the story itself (or even actively agree with them), you’re probably going to like this romcom as much as you do a “generic romcom”. There’s nothing wrong here – but the only things that make it stick out from the pack at all are also the divisive elements that will attract some readers and repulse others, so those elements come out as a wash to my mind as an overall judgement.

Because my “subtractive method” of rating, wherein every book starts at five stars and I need specific, describable, and *preferably objective-ish* reasons to remove stars explicitly states that star removals need to be based on something resembling objective criteria, I have nothing to hang a star removal on here. Again, all flaws here are incredibly subjective and utterly dependent on the reader’s worldviews and even moods at the time of reading this book. Some will see no flaws at all, others will want to defenestrate the book almost from page 1. I hope I’ve done enough here to give you an idea which you may be, and if so I think I’ve done my job as a reviewer.

If you do choose to read this review, please do also leave a review of it in the same place you’re reading this one. I’d love to see what you thought of it, and all reviews help the author sell books – and help the author *not* sell books to those who might not enjoy the book, thus helping the author to avoid further negative reviews where possible. No matter what you think of the book and no matter how you write your review, *someone* will think you’re an idiot and buy the book to spite you and your review, and *someone* will think the author is an idiot and choose not to pick the book up to begin with. Yes, that even includes people reading this review and concluding that *I* am the idiot in question. 😉

So hey, if you’re all about the progressive/ Gen Z / Tiktok / therapy talk vibe… absolutely pick this book up, I really do think you’ll enjoy it. If you’re not completely opposed to those things, pick this book up and give it a try. I think it is at least plausible that you’ll like it. If you’re more solidly/ completely opposed to those things… maybe just skip this one and avoid the headache. There are other books out there more your style, and I can help you find some of those too. 🙂

Recommended.

This review of Well Actually by Mazey Eddings was originally written on August 3, 2025.

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#BookReview: Hot To Go by Kristen Bailey

Hilarious And Spicy Beach Read Romance. I don’t normally proclaim a book to be a “beach read” as by definition, *any* book you bring to read on a beach is a “beach read”, and I don’t know what books every reader is bringing to every beach for all of known humanity, thus I can’t possibly proclaim what a “beach read” is.

That noted, this is *absolutely* a book I could personally envision myself or many others enjoying at a warm beach (again, not all beaches are warm – anywhere sufficiently north or south on the globe yet along a large body of water will have a beach that will be cold) or perhaps poolside on a warm day or perhaps even on a cruise in some warm location. The reason being the two parts (of 5) of the book that travel specifically to warm Spanish locations – Mallorca and Seville, where the warmer-than-the-British-Isles location actually plays a role in how some of the events come to be.

Now, for those wanting a *quick* read… this aint that. This book clocks in at nearly 400 pages, and it takes nearly 100 of them to get to Part II – after Mallorca. For those less interested – for whatever reason – in the day to day banalities of being a K12 classroom teacher… know that this book deals fairly significantly with these in the back 2/3 of the book, as that is one of the drivers of the rest of the tale – the couple from Mallorca find themselves working down the hall from each other in a school, in the same department. (In the description so not a spoiler, btw. :D)

For those readers who can barely tolerate a warm glass of milk spice wise, know that this tale is somewhere between a Habanero and a Ghost chili – you’re *going* to see and feel it, and you might come to regret all that you saw and felt. Which is actually where some (much?) of the comedy comes in, particularly in Mallorca and to a lesser extent back in Seville. The London and Paris sections were seemingly relatively less “spicy” and it was within these sections that we get a lot more of the non-physical drama and romance.

Overall I thought this was particularly well done, even at its length. The romance was enough to be both playful and heartfelt. The spice was enough that you may want either your partner or a towel – no shaming here – nearby. The comedy was everywhere from chuckles to damn near literally “I can’t read right now because I’m literally rolling on the floor laughing so hard my gut may well explode and my ass may literally fall off”. And for those reading this because the title is apparently a Chappell Roan song? No idea there. The most recent music I regularly listen to is now seemingly at least 15 yrs old, with newer stuff from John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, and a few other film composers thrown in along with the *occasional* random find on Spotify. Let’s face it, you’re coming to me for *book* recommendations, not music recommendations. 😉

Very much recommended.

This review of Hot To Go by Kristen Bailey was originally written on July 28, 2025.

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#BookReview: Perilous Tides by Elizabeth Goddard

Solid… Mystery/ Christian Fiction? Christian Fiction/ Mystery? This is one of those action/ mysteries where both the mystery and the action pick up almost from the first words… and then you’ll hear the characters involved in actively hiding (or hunting, as the case may be at times) also actively praying. It also picks up a bit after the events of Book 1 and actively continues some of the threads left dangling there, so if you’ve already read Book 1 (and you really should), you largely already know what to expect from Goddard’s style here.

On the mystery/ action side, this book was 100% spot on. Great use of the Pacific Northwest setting in all of its environments, including both on the water and in the forests. Solid pacing throughout, it is really going to make you feel like you’re reading a more explicitly Christian Matthew Reilly or early Jeremy Robinson book at times – the pacing can get *that* frenetic. But it isn’t sustained throughout the book, and thus isn’t *quite* as “balls to the wall” as those authors tend to do. Still, their fans would likely find quite a lot to like here, and particularly with Robinson’s early works being more overtly Christian themselves… yeah, a really good fit action wise there. 🙂

The Christian side is admittedly where some will absolutely *LOVE* that these facets are included, and others will at best roll their eyes or even actively defenestrate the book over. Hence emphasizing this side of the book in the review – if you truly detest all things Christian, know up front this is NOT the book for you, and that is *perfectly fine*. There are many other awesome books for you without this focus, please just let those who do want this to have it, and follow me wherever you’re reading this review and I guarantee you I’ll show you something more to your liking at some point. 🙂

Ultimately truly a strong sequel, and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series -= apparently currently scheduled for February 2026!

Very much recommended.

This review of Perilous Tides by Elizabeth Goddard was originally written on July 28, 2025.

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#BlogTour: Friends To Lovers by Sally Blakely

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a strong enough debut that absolutely entices me to see where the author goes with her second book. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Friends To Lovers by Sally Blakely.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Strong Enough Debut. This is one of those books that could have absolutely used a touch more editing re: making the various timeline jumps a touch cleaner, but otherwise was a reasonably strong debut that absolutely did the singular most essential thing for any debut book: It made me want to see what the author does *next*.

Was this book perfect? No. There’s a fair amount here that various people will criticize for various reasons, but there is nothing really objective about any criticisms here, and I try to keep my own as objective as possible. It technically meets all known RWA / RNA requirements. The spice level is somewhere around a jalapeno, maybe habanero – a touch spicy, but nothing those used to more powerful chilis will even bat an eye at, yet could still give heartburn to those more accustomed to a warm glass of milk.

But there is absolutely *enough* here, even if in near extreme slow burn, “JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY YOU MORONS” form, to truly want me to see where Blakely goes next, what setting she may choose next, what pacing, etc.

Other reviewers proclaim this to be a People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry clone, but I don’t exactly read the books that get on all the lists (for the most part) like Ms. Henry’s books – I’m the guy you usually come to when you want to hear about the books that will *never* be anywhere *near* those lists – yet are absolutely as good as anything there, and better than most of them. So I can’t tell you if it actually *is* similar to that book or not – I can only tell you that I truly enjoyed it, and I’ve absolutely read romance novels both not as good as this and much better than this, but this is right in that sweet spot in the middle where I’m still truly glad I got a chance to read this book.

Truly a solid story, one I think many will genuinely enjoy.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Friends To Lovers by Sally Blakely”

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#BookReview: Falling For You Again by Kerry Lonsdale

Lonsdale At Her Absolute Best. Gah. These past couple of weeks. So very much going on. My wife had a widowmaker type heart attack, survived while having 2 stents placed in arteries 90 and 100% blocked, and is having a stent placed in her 80% blocked widowmaker artery later this week. Lonsdale herself suffering an unimaginable personal tragedy that is unfortunately all too common – even one of my own aunts has suffered it, and then we get to the dozens of people – including kids – dead in the Texas flash floods less than a week after Lonsdale’s tragedy. Bill Goldberg is facing his retirement match in Atlanta this weekend, and his own father died a week before that match. All the neverending political bullshit. Even I’m facing direct challenges in my own life that in some cases even my wife isn’t as fully aware of just how much they’re weighing on me as maybe she should be, things that few beyond family would even care about – if even them – and which I doubt I’ll ever publicly discuss.

And then we get to this book.

Escapism at its absolute finest, but with so many layers so expertly and intricately crafted that it pulls at the heart just enough for catharsis without delving into pain. That exquisitely powerful balance that the singular best description I’ve ever found of it (so far?) was the moment in XMen: First Class where Charles is teaching Erik to harness his full power and move the (60s era giant) satellite dish some distance away. Lonsdale, in this second chance romance book with various things that will irk various readers, manages to capture that feeling so well without ever even acknowledging it.

This is a romance for the real person. The flawed person. The one with flawed parents. Even the one without parents any longer. The one who just wants to do their job, do it well, and go home to be with their cat and their friends. (Sorry, dog lovers. This is a cat book. Read it anyway.)

If you need your romance books characters to be some idealized Superman or Wonder Woman, well, this book isn’t really for you – but you should still read it anyway, because it will pull at even your hardened heart strings.

If you need ghost pepper level spice in your romance books, again, this book isn’t really for you – but read it anyway and discover how there is so much more to love than just the physical.

If you need your books to have some kind of political messaging, again, not the book for you. Read it anyway and discover the power of *real* relationships, where love and community hold sway over the raw desire for domination and subjugation.

Read this book because as excellent as Lonsdale’s books have been over the years, whether it be the early “Everything” trilogy of romances or the more recent women’s fiction books of the “No More” trilogy and Find Me In California, this really is Lonsdale at her absolute best yet.

And I am 100% honest in saying that of the 90 books I’ve read this year upon finishing this one, this is absolutely in contention for best of the year, certainly for best of the year so far.

Very much recommended.

This review of Falling For You Again by Kerry Lonsdale was originally written on July 8, 2025.

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#BlogTour: Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf

For this blog tour, we’re looking at another strong Southern Gothic tale that serves as an emerging author’s sophomore effort for adult readers. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Strong Southern Gothic Tale. Perfect for those who love to start “spooky season” on July 5th (with no other major (decorative, at least) holidays in the US before Halloween), yet also has a strong small town mystery and even a touch of romance, this is one book that checks a lot of boxes – yet manages to do them all quite well.

Even as a native of the South, specifically the borderlands between southern Appalachia and exurban Atlanta, I had never heard of the concept of a “grave bird”, yet Elemndorf both (quickly) explains it well… and then uses it particularly well throughout the novel whose title notes that it is all about these creatures. 😉

But seriously, the titular grave birds give this tale a magical realism/ fantasy tone that is exactly what one would expect in a Southern Gothic tale, but really the core of this book is one woman’s dreams and the depths she will go through to achieve them – even if it means unravelling a decades old town mystery so well hidden that virtually no one even actually knows there is a mystery to solve!

Truly a strong and stirring sophomore effort (for adult audiences, at least), this really is a strong tale told particularly well, and one that is both familiar enough to be understood and even relatable, yet innovative enough so that the reader will still be caught quite breathless at times.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf”