Tag: book reviews

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Cover Reveal for  Candlelight Dreams in Cosy Cove

I am sure you will be delighted with this cover reveal I am about to unveil today. It’s just lovely.

Candlelight Dreams in Cosy Cove

Welcome to Cosy Cove, where love burns brighter than any candle!

Beth Williams thought her dreams had melted away after a devastating breakup, but she finds a flicker of hope at Harbour Lights, her artisan candle shop nestled in the heart of Cosy Cove. But just when Beth thinks she’s content with her quiet life, a ruggedly handsome stranger threatens to reignite her carefully guarded heart.

Enter Jacob Lawson, a charming journalist whose assignment in the quaint seaside town quickly becomes more than just another story. As Beth introduces him to the town’s hidden gems—from the bustling summer fair to sunset walks on the beach—Jacob finds himself captivated by more than the scenery.

But as their attraction simmers, both Beth and Jacob must confront their deepest fears. Can Beth trust her heart to love again? And will Jacob choose the comfort of Cosy Cove over the call of his career?

Join Beth and Jacob on a journey of second chances, sweet moments, and the kind of love that makes every day feel like a summer holiday. Will they find the courage to embrace a future together, or will their fears extinguish the flame before it truly ignites?

Get ready to fall head over heels for Cosy Cove, where every page promises a warm hug for your heart. Perfect for fans of seaside romances, charming small towns, and love stories that sparkle brighter than the sea at sunset!

Pre-order Links

Abbey Hicks Payhip shop: www.payhip.com/AbbeyHicksAuthor

Candlelight Dreams direct link on Payhip: 

 Candlelight Dreams in Cosy Cove ebook pre-order: Cosy Cove Series, book 1 – Payhip

Amazon UK:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DHWRXRGZ

Universal link: https://books2read.com/CandlelightCosyCove

Publication Date – 28th February 2025

Author Bio –

Abbey Hicks writes sweet, feel-good romance filled with dashing heroes, quirky heroines, and those heart-melting happily ever afters. Whether it’s contemporary romance or paranormal love stories, she brings her signature charm and a sprinkle of magic to every page.

Writing as Abbey MacMunn, her debut paranormal romance was shortlisted for the prestigious Joan Hessayon Award for new writers. Since then, Abbey has written eleven more books, including the bestselling steamy paranormal romcom series, Love Bites: A Dating Agency for Paranormals.

When she’s not dreaming up her next romantic hero, you’ll find her on walks with her mischievous but lovable labradoodle, Brody, or binge-watching anything from romcoms to fantasy/sci-fi. If it has romance, adventure, and a dash of humour, she’s there!

Social Media Links –

Abbey Hicks Author page Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550077637737

Abbey Hicks Payhip shop: www.payhip.com/AbbeyHicksAuthor

X/Twitter  www.twitter.com/abbeymacmunn

Instagram www.intagram.com/abbeymacmunn

Sign up to my newsletter here: www.sendfox.com/AbbeyHicksAuthor

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Thank you for stopping in. Enjoy your weekend.

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A Wife for the Rancher: A Sweet Historical Romance (High Country Ranch Book 3)

226 pages October 1, 2024 publish date Northern Lights Press publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the high country of Colorado, hardships are a given, but love has a way of overcoming all the losses.

Millionaire heiress, Genevieve Hollis, has everything she wants except one thing, freedom, because her guardian stepmother insists on overseeing every move she makes. When Genevieve sees a newspaper advertisement from a rancher seeking a mother for his baby, she jumps at the chance to escape, even if that means hiding her true identity.

Ryder Oakley has suffered the repeated misfortune of losing the people he loves most, so now that he’s a single father with a newborn baby, he’s determined not to lose his son. When a woman shows up in answer to his advertisement, he quickly forms a marriage of convenience—one without all the entanglements of a real relationship.

Attraction starts to grow between the newly married couple, but the secrets of their pasts threaten to catch up to them. Ryder finds himself in a custody battle over his baby, and Genevieve struggles to outwit her stepmother. Will they be able to overcome the odds and find a way to be together before it’s too late?

  • Wealthy heiress
  • Single dad
  • Mail-order bride
  • Marriage of convenience
  • Hidden identity
  • Forced proximity
  • Opposites attract

*All of the books in the High Country Ranch series are sweet, closed-door romances with plenty of sizzle. The inspirational themes are light, and the romance is the main focus of the books.

MY THOUGHTS

Marriage of convenience stories are so much fun. In this one a millionaire heiress is on the run from a fairytale like wicked stepmother. Genevive, and I love her name knows her stepmother does not have her best interest at heart after her loving papa dies.

She must get away and to make things even more complicated she’s hiding a few secrets from her husband to be.
He’s looking for a mother for his baby, his wife didn’t want the responsibility of a child, and he knows his son will be better off having both parents raise him. He’s not looking for romance just a helpmate and to have his son taken care of with a woman’s influence.


This rancher and his brother had been adopted as young children and they really don’t remember their early childhood. It was interesting seeing the research they are doing to try to dive into their past. They just want answers and to feel like they belong.


Sweet, romantic and the strength of existing and newfound family. I loved everything about this book

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over fifty books and is the winner of numerous awards. She writes sweet, clean historical romances with plenty of sizzle (but without the spice).

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Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Book 4)

353 pages Kensington Cozies July 25, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

The latest installment in Darci Hannah’s delicious Beacon Bakeshop Mystery series set in small-town Beacon Harbor, Michigan, featuring a baker heroine who lives in the local lighthouse with her beloved Newfoundland dog, Wellington.

Lindsey prefers to keep her bakeshop’s Halloween decor light and autumnal, rather than gruesome and ghoulish. But everyone knows her lighthouse home is haunted. Some intrepid teens have even tried to break in to witness the resident ghost themselves. Dreading Halloween night, Lindsey reluctantly allows her influencer and podcaster best friend, Kennedy, to host a live ghost hunting investigation in the lighthouse, conducted by a professional team. Protective of her ghost, Lyndsey is understandably nervous about what they might uncover . . .

The segment is uneventful—until things take a terrifying turn. The team freaks out. As Kennedy joins the mad dash outside, she bumps into what looks like the prankster teens’ creepy clown costume hanging from a tree. But when Lindsey’s dog, Wellington, begins to whine, they make a grim discovery: the clown is no dummy. It’s a corpse.

Now Lindsey and company will need to keep their cool if they want a ghost of a chance to solve the murder—and see another Halloween . . . 

MY THOUGHTS

I’m really enjoying this series. It’s a cozy mystery culinary delights series.
This is the fourth book in the Beacon Bakeshop series.


Beacon Harbor, Michigan’s residents are looking forward to a Halloween weekend filled with fun events including a pumpkin contest and a podcaster catching ghostly happenings at the lighthouse, to hopefully prove it’s haunted.

Full of Halloween themed decorations more on the cute side rather than scary one can’t help wondering what the horrifying decoration is that seems so lifelike until it’s determined it truly is real.

Could those pesky teens who are trying to break into the lighthouse to record the ghost be the responsible party?
Will this prove to be too much excitement for Lindsey and her canine companion this Halloween evening?

I enjoyed the atmospheric lighthouse with its creepy vibes as it was being explored. The book kept me reading late as I had to see how things would end. This is a great series and I’ll be adding to my collection as I read more of it.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Cozy mystery author, Darci Hannah, is a native of the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. When Darci isn’t baking for family and friends, hiking with her furry pals, Ripley and Finn, or concocting her next cozy mystery, she can be found wandering around picturesque lakeside villages with her hubby, sampling baked goods, and breaking for coffee more often than she should.

Darci’s books include:

MURDER AT THE BEACON BAKESHOP 1st in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series (Kensington 2021), CHERRY SCONES & BROKEN BONES (Midnight Ink 2019), CHERRY PIES & DEADLY LIES (Midnight Ink 2018), THE ANGEL OF BLYTHE HALL (Ballantine Books 2011, 2nd edition by Piffle & Bombast 2016), THE EXILE OF SARA STEVENSON (Ballantine Books 2010)

You can learn more about Darci and her books at http://www.darcihannah.com

Connect with Darci on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDarciHannah

Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.

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First Line Friday

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday !  It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted feature Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen. Hosted at Reading is my Super Power.

287 pages St. Martin’s Paperbacks June 27, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

A movie production brings drama—and murder—to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.

Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that’s filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn’s kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley’s, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.

But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long—each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?

FIRST LINES

Saturday, the day before Halloween

“Nothing like reading other people’s mail.” Flo Fairweather’s sky-blue eyes sparkled as she smoothed a luscious hot-fudge sundae with light-as-air whipped cream. “I hope we find some juicy gossip.”

I hope to have a chance to read this before Halloween.

Let me know the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments.

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Specters in the Glass House: (A Haunting Dual-Time Inspirational Gothic Suspense Book)

336 pages Bethany House Publishers October 1, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

An ominous butterfly house. A sinister legacy. An untraceable killer.

In 1921, Marian Arnold, the heiress to a brewing baron’s empire, seeks solace in the glass butterfly house on her family’s Wisconsin estate as Prohibition and the deaths of her parents cast a long shadow over her shrinking world. When Marian’s sanctuary is invaded by nightmarish visions, she grapples with the line between hallucinations of things to come and malevolent forces at play in the present. With dead butterflies as the killer’s ominous signature, murders unfold at a steady pace. Marian, fearful she might be next, enlists the help of her childhood friend Felix, a war veteran with his own haunted past.

In the present day, researcher Remy Shaw becomes entangled in an elderly biographer’s quest to uncover the truth behind Marian Arnold’s mysterious life and the unsolved murders linked to an infamous serial killer. Joined by Marian’s great-great-grandson, can Remy expose the evil that lurks beneath broken wings? Or will the dark legacy surrounding the manor and its glass house destroy yet another generation?

MY THOUGHTS

Specters in the Glass House is perfect for the spooky reading season. Unlike quite anything I’ve read before this book goes beyond leaving you feeling spooked to feeling a bit unsettled. Written in alternating timeline from 1921 to modern days.

The book is about mental illnesses, several different types but the author does it well and writes with sensitivity. Mental illness is so hard to get a grasp on and we yet don’t have a clear understanding of it.

As I read it was hard to put my finger on what was reality and what was perceived as almost as a dream state by a main character. I enjoyed the characters and seeing how well developed they were as their stories became clearer.

Disembodied voices, a feeling of not being alone, dealing with what is reality and what is not as the mind plays tricks on you, a hint of romance and butterflies, I’ve never thought of butterflies as creepy before.

Excellent read for its many twists and turns that’ll keep you glued to the pages.

Recommended!

About the Author

Jaime Jo Wright is the author of twelve novels, including Christy Award and Daphne du Maurier Award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She’s also a four-time Christy Award finalist, as well as the ECPA bestselling author of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau, The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater, and two Publishers Weekly bestselling novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her family and fabulous felines. Learn more at JaimeWrightBooks.com.

Thank you for stopping in. May your light shine bright.

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Blog Tour and Happy Publication Day to A Letter from Ireland by Ann O’Loughlin

ABOUT THE BOOK

My whole life, I’ve been haunted by a secret I’ve left behind on the coast of Ireland. I may be gone, but if you’re reading this Casey, I need to tell you everything…

When Casey’s dear friend Rosie passes away, her heart breaks in two; Rosie didn’t even tell her she was sick. And when a mysterious letter arrives from beyond the grave, describing the secluded island where Rosie spent every summer, Casey questions if she really knew her friend at all. With Casey’s hectic job ruling her life, and her marriage crumbling around her, she books a ticket to this beautiful Irish island to feel close to Rosie again, and find out what secrets she has hidden there.

Casey rushes to Rosie’s tumbledown cottage and immediately falls in love with the glimmering shores and breathtaking coves of Scarty Island. Why did Rosie keep this magical place a secret, even from her own husband? Desperate for answers, she jumps to the aid of locals organising afternoon teas for tourists, and helps handsome but overworked pub owner Shay.Though Shay stays tight-lipped, Casey notices how his hazel eyes shine when she makes him laugh, and how her heart skips a beat when his rough hands brush hers.

But just as Casey finds herself falling for Shay’s quiet strength, a final letter arrives that changes everything. The tear-stained pages tell the story of a forbidden romance and a tragic day at sea that destroyed Rosie’s life. It could shatter Casey’s blossoming romance and tear the small island community apart.

Will Casey find the strength to confront the ghosts of the past and confess her love for Shay? Or will she decide that some secrets are meant to stay buried, and say goodbye to Scarty forever?

Grab a copy here

MY THOUGHTS

A Letter from Ireland is such a beautiful and emotional read. I could barely put it down, finishing it in less than 24 hours.


A poignant read, it will have the reader reflecting on past choices and reevaluating what’s really important and what it’s time to let go of.
I now want to visit Scarty Island in Ireland, listening to the waves of the sea crashing against the shore, swim and have the close-knit relationship the mainlanders do.


Three women, with different personalities and a bit quirky at times, which makes them interesting visit Scarty Island for a two-month time period at the request of their friend who has passed away. These women all used to be very close, but time and circumstances happened, and they no longer share this closeness.

The friend, Rosie, has written them letters delivered to them at the appropriate times which reveals secrets she has kept. These are things she has not wanted to dwell on even herself. These reveals cause the women a lot of self-reflection and tears for what could have been but will not have a chance now to be.

I absolutely loved this book. So beautifully written and emotional. I will be telling all my friends about this book and reading more by the author.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Bestselling author Ann is also a leading journalist in Ireland , Ann O’Loughlin has covered all major news events of the last three decades. Ann spent most of her career with Independent Newspapers and is now a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner newspaper. Ann has also lived in India. Originally from the west of Ireland she now lives on the east coast with her husband and two children. The Judge’s Wife was shortlisted in the Epic Romantic Novel category of the 2017 RoNA awards. The Ballroom Cafe and The Judge’s Wife were both bestsellers for several weeks in Ireland. Ann’s books have been translated into eleven languages.

***

Author Links

FACEBOOK @annoloughlinbooks

TWITTER @annolwriter

INSTAGRAM @authorannoloughlin

Thank you for your visit today. Have a wonderful day.

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First Line Friday

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted at Reading is my Super Power! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature the first line The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen.

FIRST LINE(S)

May 1820

Bleak. The weather, her mood, her life. Miss Claire Summers pulled back the dusty velvet curtain and looked out onto another dreary Edinburgh day.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Pub Date Dec 03 2024 

A surprise homecoming tests the bonds of sisterhood as a hidden past comes to light . . .

Disgraced eldest sister Claire Summers has been living in exile as companion to a stern great-aunt in Scotland. About to lose her place and longing to be reconciled with her estranged family, Claire sees an advertisement from someone looking for a “respectable female partner” in a Sidmouth boarding house. Is it a sign? She answers the ad, hoping she has not made another reckless mistake. When she meets the handsome, secretive proprietor, she wonders what he’s hiding and if he’s any more trustworthy than the nobleman who betrayed her years ago. Claire is drawn to him even though she fears he will reject her when he discovers her genteel façade hides a less-than-respectable past.

Meanwhile, the Summers family learns their great-aunt has died and Claire has disappeared without a word. The sisters rally together to find their lost sibling, but will their unexpected reunion heal old wounds and rekindle their bonds . . . or deepen the divide?

Return to the captivating Devonshire coast as the Summers sisters navigate romance, second chances, and the enduring strength of sisterhood in the face of adversity.

I have been waiting for this book to be available for what seems like forever. Will this be making it onto your to read pile? What currently in your hands to read?

Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.

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Blog Tour – Lessons in Love at the Cornish Country Hospital by Jo Bartlett

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lessons in Love at the Cornish Country Hospital

A broken bond…

Wendy Tyler’s marriage ended when she discovered her ex-husband, Mike, had got his much younger new partner, Chloe, pregnant. Wendy’s over Mike, but suddenly she fears her own daughters will find a new baby much more exciting that their old mum…

A chance encounter…

But when Wendy bumps into Chloe at St Piran’s, it’s clear something is troubling the fragile young woman. Wendy doesn’t want to be sucked into Chloe and Mike’s relationship, but she can’t help worrying that Chloe needs someone to turn to.

A lesson in love.

And when Wendy realizes that Chloe is more fragile than any of them realised, she knows she has to step up. She might not love Mike anymore, but Chloe is about to join their family and Wendy can’t just stand by. Sometimes life is hard, but the easiest lessons are built on a solid foundation of love.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/lessonslovesocial

MY THOUGHTS

I think for most people it’s human nature to want to help others when we can. Having read all the books in the series this is what I love about the book, not only it’s originality with it’s mainly hospital setting but I love seeing the helping and hopeful spirit the carers give others in and out of the hospital.

This series provides a warm, fuzzy feeling of goodness and a coming together of characters that are there for each other. So many of the characters in this book have been in all of the books and it’s great to see an update of their lives in each book. As in each book there is some drama, but you can’t have real life without some glitches and things going on.

The book deals with love and loss, heartache and happiness, sisterhood and strong family ties and knowing you don’t have to be born into a family to have that strong family bond.
Recommended and looking forward to the next installment in the series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jo Bartlett is the bestselling author of over nineteen women’s fiction titles. She fits her writing in between her two day jobs as an educational consultant and university lecturer and lives with her family and three dogs on the Kent coast.

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: @JoBartlettAuthor

Twitter: @J_B_Writer

Instagram: @jo_bartlett123

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JoBartlettNews

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jo-bartlett

Thank you for your visit today. Hope all is well, have a wonderful day.

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A Christmas at Hotel del Coronado (Romance at the Gilded Age Resorts Book 8)

232 pages Wild Heart Books publisher Oct 8,2024 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

When death visits Coronado, will secrets of the past keep them from uncovering the truth?

Her entire life, Eleanore Wainright has been molded to fit the ideal society wife in the glittering world of New York’s elite. Her father’s aspirations for her are clear: marry a man of wealth and status, and secure their family’s future. But when she arrives at the Hotel del Coronado with intentions to do just that, Eleanore’s carefully laid plans are thrown into disarray when she comes face to face with Thomas Harding, the man who shattered her heart and disappeared without a trace.

Working as a bellboy at California’s newest and most prestigious resort, Thomas never imagined crossing paths with Eleanore again, let alone amidst the backdrop of a suspicious death.

As the investigation continues and tensions rise, Eleanore and Thomas are forced to confront not only the ghosts of their past but also the secrets that threaten to destroy their future and the futures of those they hold dear. With the eyes of New York’s elite upon them, they must choose between the responsibilities they’re expected to fulfill and the love they’ve always yearned for, risking everything in the process.

MY THOUGHTS

Gilded Age romances are full of glitz and glamour and this one is no exception. I enjoy books taking place during this time period. I also enjoy historical fiction based on fact as this one is. It’s a fun way of having the past come alive.


Eleanore Wainright is expected to marry in an arranged marriage her father has set up. Becoming a high society wife will ensure she marries a man of her father’s choosing, one of wealth and status and also ensure the family’s fortune.

Though her heart had been broken several years ago, to please her father she decides to go along with this arranged marriage.
Upon arriving at the Hotel del Coronado she is shocked to see a man she though would stay in her past, Thomas, the man who broke her heart and disappeared.


I enjoyed seeing how mysteries unraveled, and secrets became not so secret. Surprising things are revealed and tempers flare. Can all involved put this behind them and come to a compromise?


This second chance romance had me hoping against hope all would turn out for the best with our newly reunited couple. Very enjoyable story with well-developed characters and I also enjoyed the descriptive setting. Will be reading again.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Amazon link for the author

I hope all is well. Thank you for stopping in today.

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By Evening’s Light: (A Dual-Time Amish Christian Fiction Book Set in Cold War Germany and Present-Day Lancaster County) (Amish Memories) 

416 pages Bethany House publishers August 20, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Treva Zimmerman finds herself at a crossroads in life after a heartbreaking failed relationship. Returning to Lancaster County to visit her Amish grandparents and elderly aunt, Treva plans to leave her Plain heritage behind for a fresh start in Alaska. Torn between the expectations of her community and her own desires, she seeks to follow her own path–but all that changes when her aunt Rosene suffers a heart attack.

As her aunt recounts her own past–a poignant journey through Cold War Germany and a fervent desire to escape her Plain life to search for a lost love–Treva is determined to discover the whereabouts of Rosene’s former sweetheart. Amid the turmoil, their former farmhand Gabe Johnson returns unexpectedly, throwing Treva’s plans into further disarray.

While working hard to save the farm and explore her own destiny, Treva confronts her deep-rooted ties to her heritage and must decide if she will embrace her family’s legacy or break free from the pressures of her past to forge a life of her own.

MY THOUGHTS

By Evening’s Light is the third and final book in the Amish Memories series. I enjoyed all three books in the series and fully recommend you read this series in order to get the full backstory with all the characters.
This is told as a dual timeline story.

Though taking place in an Amish community and incorporating the Amish culture into the book it is not strictly an Amish story. A character comes back from a missionary trip to Haiti not having expected things to work out the way they had.


We are transported back in time with a storytelling Aunt who tells of her struggles and joys during WWII in Germany.
I enjoyed how well the series was researched by the author, making for a fascinating and entertaining series.

The characters are well developed and perfectly imperfect with their own struggles and joys. I enjoyed reading their faith journeys.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

Leslie Gould is a Christy Award-winning and #1 bestselling author of more than 48 novels, including four Lancaster County Amish series. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and an MFA in creative writing. She enjoys church history, research trips, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband live in Portland, Oregon, and have four adult children and two grandchildren. Learn more at LeslieGould.com.

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