Book Review: A Winter by the Sea

January 9, 2024 / Kristi / Leave a comment

A Winter by the Sea
On Devonshire Shores #2
by Julie Klassen

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

When Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and his family come to spend the winter in Sidmouth, the Summers sisters’ guest house becomes host to three members of the prince’s staff. Emily Summers finds herself drawn to the duke’s private secretary, even though she is still holding out hope for a renewal of a relationship she’d left behind when the family first moved to Sidmouth. Meanwhile, Sarah Summers has to deal with the duke’s junior chef invading her kitchen, and the third guest harbors secrets that may lead the sisters into danger.

It’s a little difficult to boil this book down to a succinct summary, because there’s so much going on. Each book in the series so far has given insight into more than one of the sisters living at Sea View, while focusing in on one sister. In the previous book, we see Viola fall in love, and this time, the spotlight is on her twin sister Emily (and Viola is mostly in the background, comparatively). My favorite thing about this book is the way the author includes the real history of the duke’s family visiting Sidmouth and what transpires during that visit. The brief quotes from real history books at the beginning of each chapter give hints into what will be coming in each chapter, and sometimes they can be seen as spoilers, but I liked the way they ground the book in reality. Though I will admit that the inclusion of the fortune teller was a bit more than I would have preferred in a book of this genre, considering the weight Emily gives to the woman’s predictions, despite being warned against paying any attention to her by a woman who uses the Bible as her reference.

One of my biggest issues with this book, though, is the length. While in the previous book, there were 3 perspectives shown (Viola, Sarah, and Emily), there were only 2 in this book, yet it is just as long as the previous. I often felt like too much detail was included about things that aren’t important, and the book could have been considerably shorter without hurting the main story or any of the side plots. Though I also question if all of the side plots were needed as well. I read and enjoyed the Tales from Ivy Hill trilogy by the same author, which was a similar kind of series with an ensemble set of main characters, but this one hasn’t worked as well as the first one did, for me. I don’t know if I can really explain why, but I think part of it is that a trope I noticed in the earlier series is simply wearing on me more in this series. That being that when one of the female MCs has a dramatic moment or is in come compromised state, despite the fact that there is a house/town full of people, it just so happens that the potential love interest for that character is in the area, and usually the only one in the area, so that they can have a moment. It’s the kind of forced coincidence that I can let slide a few times, but it happens so often that it’s now become boringly predictable.

There are a few threads that have gone through both of the books in this series that could be tied up in the third book, and at least one of them I very much hope to see expanded on, so I definitely plan to read the third book in the series and see what comes of those threads. After that, I may stick to stand-alone books by Klassen, because I have loved those I’ve read by her, but I’m a bit more rocky with these ensemble-cast series. Based on past experience, though, I have good reason to believe that most fans of Regency-era Christian romance will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Find out more about A Winter by the Sea

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: A Beautiful Disguise

January 4, 2024March 22, 2024 / Kristi / Leave a comment

A Beautiful Disguise
The Imposters #1
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery

Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother Yates, an earl, may have inherited a grand estate, but their father left no money to keep it running. He blew it all on entertainment, which fortunately included circus acts that gave Marigold and Yates the training they needed to earn money as private investigators. When Sir Merritt Livingstone brings them a case involving possible espionage and treason, the investigation brings the Fairfaxes a little too close to home. Marigold’s carefully cultivated disguise of wealthy, vapid noblewoman might just blow up in her face.

This book drew me in right away, and I loved it all the way to the end. The story alternates between 3 POVs—Marigold, Yates, and Merritt. I worried it might be too much at first, but I really appreciated all 3 of these perspectives. I enjoyed the balancing act that both Yates and Marigold had to perform as anonymous investigators hired by Merritt and as acquaintances in social settings. While there’s a subplot of romance, it is not a focal point of the book, in my opinion. In fact, I feel like there’s more of a friendship base before anything further develops than normally happens in a book where the romantic pair start off as strangers.

The mystery that Merritt brings to The Imposters, Ltd. is not super complex, yet was not easy for me to unravel on my own. It actually seemed a little too simplistic at first, but then it became more complex as it went. Overall, it kept me engaged, as did the unique lifestyle of the Fairfax siblings, living on their estate with circus performers, complete with a monkey, a peacock, and Marigold’s lion friend.

It is never difficult for me to explain what I don’t like about a book (and I’m usually the outlier, struggling with books that most others loved), but it is often difficult to put into words what I enjoy about a book. What I have expressed above doesn’t adequately explain my love for this book, but I liked it so much, I’m going to immediately add previous books by this author to my TBR list, plus I’m so excited to see the next book in the series has already been announced! I highly recommend this book for fans of Christian historical mystery (this is set during the Edwardian era in London), but be aware the romance is a fairly slow burn.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Find out more about A Beautiful Disguise

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

2023 in Books

January 3, 2024 / Kristi / Leave a comment

2023 was an unusual year for reading, which reflects the difficult year as a whole. My mom died at the beginning of February, which led to a months-long drop off in reading, which was just as well, because I also stopped writing reviews for at least a month. I stopped doing much of anything productive for a few months in general, but then by July, I was at least back to reading more regularly. By then, though, I was behind in my Goodreads challenge enough that I read a series of super-short kids’ books to catch back up, and then I proceeded to hit my original goal earlier than I have the last few years (then kept raising it).

I read 140 books in 2023, hitting my Goodreads challenge of 140 books on December 28th. My total page count was 37,252, making my average book length for the year 266 pages.

Below are the books I read in 2023. The link is to my review for that book, and a link to the book on Goodreads is at the bottom of each review.

January

The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau (4.5 / 5)
The Cat Who Wasn’t There by Lilian Jackson Braun (4.5 / 5)
Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke (4 / 5)
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson (3 / 5)
The Lost World** by Michael Crichton (4 / 5)
Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans (4 / 5)
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle** by Stuart Turton (5 / 5)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (5 / 5)
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher (4.5 / 5)
The Sound of Light* by Sarah Sundin (4.5 / 5)
The Mystery of the Candy Box** by Elspeth Campbell Murphy (5 / 5)
Kidnapping Kevin Kowalski** by Mary Jane Auch (4.5 / 5)

February

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle (4 / 5)
Saint Patrick the Forgiver* by Ned Bustard (5 / 5)
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
The Cat Who Went into the Closet by Lilian Jackson Braun (5 / 5)
A Star In The Breaking by Bill Myers & Ken C. Johnson (4 / 5)
The Office BFFs by Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey (5 / 5)
Olivia & the Gentleman from Outer Space* by Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev (2 / 5)
The Escape Game* by Marilyn Turk (2.5 / 5)

March

Death Masks by Jim Butcher (3.5 / 5)
One False Note by Gordon Korman (4 / 5)
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Came to Breakfast by Lilian Jackson Braun (2.5 / 5)
Where the Red Fern Grows** by Wilson Rawls (4 / 5)
The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (4 / 5)

April

Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary (3.5 / 5)
Code Name Edelweiss* by Stephanie Landsem (4 / 5)
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau (1 / 5)
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (5 / 5)
The Cat Who Blew the Whistle by Lilian Jackson Braun (4 / 5)
The Not-So-Great Escape by Bill Myers (5 / 5)

May

Evil Genius* by Chris Grabenstein (4 / 5)
The Hobbit** by J.R.R. Tolkien (5 / 5)
Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans (3.5 / 5)
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, adapted for younger readers by Fern Siegel (4 / 5)
The Ferryman* by Justin Cronin (4 / 5)
My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Said Cheese by Lilian Jackson Braun (4.5 / 5)
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis (3 / 5)
Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary (5 / 5)
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (3 / 5)

June

A Fire to Kindle* by Daniel Dydek (3 / 5)
Skate Expectations by Bill Myers (5 / 5)
Hunt for Jade Dragon by Richard Paul Evans (4 / 5)
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (5 / 5)
The Cat Who Tailed a Thief by Lilian Jackson Braun (3.5 / 5)
Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn (5 / 5)
Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon (1 / 5)
Wives and Daughters** by Elizabeth Gaskell (5 / 5)
What If Love Is the Point?* by Carlos PenaVega & Alexa PenaVega (4 / 5)

July

The Novice** by Taran Matharu (4 / 5)
Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson (5 / 5)
Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Sang for the Birds by Lilian Jackson Braun (5 / 5)
Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary (5 / 5)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (4 / 5)
Back to the Drawing Board by Bill Myers (5 / 5)
Facing the Enemy* by DiAnn Mills (2 / 5)
The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun (3 / 5)
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (4 / 5)
Meet Molly by Valerie Tripp (5 / 5)
Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary (5 / 5)
Storm of Lightning by Richard Paul Evans (3 / 5)
Molly Learns a Lesson by Valerie Tripp (5 / 5)
Molly’s Surprise by Valerie Tripp (5 / 5)
Happy Birthday, Molly by Valerie Tripp (5 / 5)
Molly Saves the Day by Valerie Tripp (5 / 5)
Changes for Molly by Valerie Tripp (4 / 5)
Signs of Life by Creston Mapes (3 / 5)
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (4.5 / 5)
The Black Circle by Patrick Carman (4.5 / 5)
A Royal Christmas* by Melody Carlson (4 / 5)
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, adapted for younger readers by Eliza Gatewood Warren (4 / 5)

August

Spy on the Homefront by Alison Hart (3.5 / 5)
Very Good, Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse (4.5 / 5)
Click Here to Start by Denis Markell (2.5 / 5)
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (3.5 / 5)
Ramona and her Mother by Beverly Cleary (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Robbed a Bank by Lilian Jackson Braun (3 / 5)
Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr (4 / 5)
Fall of Hades by Richard Paul Evans (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Smelled a Rat by Lilian Jackson Braun (4.5 / 5)
His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle (3 / 5)
Dragon and Soldier by Timothy Zahn (4.5 / 5)
Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (4 / 5)
The Woman from Lydia* by Angela Evans (5 / 5)
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary (4 / 5)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (4 / 5)

September

In Too Deep by Jude Watson (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lilian Jackson Braun (3.5 / 5)
Beneath the Swirling Sky* by Carolyn Leiloglou (5 / 5)
Greetings from Witness Protection! by Jake Burt (5 / 5)
Take Me Out of the Ball Game by Bill Myers (4 / 5)
Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa (4.5 / 5)
The Inquisition** by Taran Matharu (4 / 5)
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (4.5 / 5)
The Fellowship of the Ring** by J.R.R. Tolkien (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Brought Down the House** by Lilian Jackson Braun (3 / 5)
The Final Spark by Richard Paul Evans (2 / 5)
‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas* by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)

October

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham (4.5 / 5)
Abby’s Letters by Dana Romanin (2.5 / 5)
Hangman’s Curse** by Frank Peretti (5 / 5)
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (4 / 5)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (4 / 5)
Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Talked Turkey by Lilian Jackson Braun (2 / 5)
Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary (4 / 5)
The Viper’s Nest by Peter Lerangis (3.5 / 5)
Snow Place for Murder* by Diane Kelly (2 / 5)
The Event by Whitney Dineen (2 / 5)
Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer (3.5 / 5)
The Cat Who Went Bananas by Lilian Jackson Braun (3 / 5)
A Ranger’s Guide to Glipwood Forest* by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)

November

The Two Towers** by J.R.R. Tolkien (4 / 5)
The Visitation** by Frank E. Peretti (4 / 5)
The Parasite by Richard Paul Evans (1 / 5)
Look Out for the Little Guy by Scott Lang with Rob Kutner (4 / 5)
4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace** by Johan Twiss (audiobook) (3.5 / 5)
Dragon and Slave by Timothy Zahn (4 / 5)
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter (1.5 / 5)
Nightmare Academy** by Frank E. Peretti (audiobook) (3 / 5)
You Make It Feel Like Christmas* by Toni Shiloh (4 / 5)
Children of the Shadows* by Erica Vetsch (4.5 / 5)

December

‘Twas the Fight before Christmas by Bill Myers (5 / 5)
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse (3.5 / 5)
Shiloh** by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (2 / 5)
Ramona’s World by Beverly Cleary (3.5 / 5)
The Porcelain Maker* by Sarah Freethy (3 / 5)
All’s Fair in Love and Christmas* by Sarah Monzon (4 / 5)
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, the Graphic Novel* by Chris Grabenstein (5 / 5)
A Caffeine Conundrum by Angela Ruth Strong (2.5 / 5)
The Emperor’s Code by Gordon Korman (4.5 / 5)
The Return of the King** by J.R.R. Tolkien (4 / 5)
The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix (5 / 5)
The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun (2.5 / 5)

This list includes 21 ARCs (marked with a *) and 18 re-reads (marked with a **). I’m not going to try to pick my single favorite book from the year, but I did post about my top 10 favorites already. During the last year, I started 12 series and finished 11 series, caught up on 1 series (meaning the author plans to release more in the future), and decided not to continue 1 series (after being at least 2 books into the series). I currently have 11 series in progress. I also DNF’d 1 book (not listed anywhere in this post).

Here is a break-down of the ratings I gave (minus some re-reads whose rating I didn’t count again):
1 star: 2
1.5 stars: 1
2 stars: 8
2.5 stars: 6
3 stars: 12
3.5 stars: 10
4 stars: 44
4.5 stars: 16
5 stars: 35
Average rating: 4

Because I did read 140 books, despite the few months of difficulty, I’m going to set my goal for the Goodreads challenge at 140 books (I started last year with 130 and kept adding to it in December). This number is only achievable if I read a lot of shorter children’s books, but that has been my plan for the last few years, and I did stellar with it this last year.

My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here. I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads, if anyone is interested in that.

What did you read last year? Let me know in the comments, and even feel free to link to your own summary post!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Reads from 2023

January 2, 2024January 2, 2024 / Kristi / 14 Comments

It’s time for another Top Ten list from That Artsy Reader Girl. The topic today is a look back at our favorite books from the past year. Since I already pick out my favorite book at the end of each month of reading, it wasn’t too hard to narrow the books from the year down to 10. I also made sure there was only 1 book from any series, so I had to add runners-up from some months. Here they are, listed in the order in which I read them throughout the year.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I never planned to read these books, and I liked it a lot more than I expected to. See my full review here.

2. The Office BFFs by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
I specifically enjoyed the audiobook, which is narrated by the authors. Though I also flipped through the ebook to see the pictures they reference now and then. See my full review here.

3. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Another audiobook, I anticipated a plodding read through a depressing winter, but it ended up being one of my favorites in the series. See my full review here.

4. Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson
This series has surprised me by being quite engaging. This book is one of my favorites so far. See my full review here.

5. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
Third audiobook on the list, and while I enjoyed all of this series, I especially appreciated this one, where Ramona bonds with her father. See my full review here.

6. The Woman from Lydia by Angela Elwell Hunt
Probably one of my favorite Biblical fiction books ever. I’m really looking forward to future books in this new series! See my full review here.

7. Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn Leiloglou
I have been recommending this book to everyone! I loved it, and I’m not even an art lover! See my full review here.

8. Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa
This one surprised me by being a stand-out suspense/thriller novel with a Christian worldview. See my full review here.

9. Children of the Shadows by Erica Vetsch
I can’t say enough about this series, for which this is the final book, or the series that it follows up! The possibility that this is the end of this story world makes me immensely sad. See my full review here.

10. The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix
Not only did this teach me about a man whose name I’ve heard but whom I knew nothing about, it gives backstory and explanation about Hitler’s rise to power in a way that isn’t dry or boring. See my full review here.

Have you read any of these? What were some of your favorite reads this year?

December in Review

January 2, 2024January 3, 2024 / Kristi / Leave a comment

I read 12 books last month, a respectable end to the year’s reading. Though the total page count was the lowest of the 2nd half of the year, reflecting quite a few shorter books in there. I hit my Goodreads goal of 130 books early in the month, but I had no idea until I checked the site later. That made me sad, since I like seeing the announcement that I reached my goal, but for whatever reason, I didn’t get that. So I added 5 books to the goal and kept going. Again, no announcement. So I set it for 140 books, which I ended up hitting with the very last book I read this month. Still no pop-up for me, so I gave up. I was out of time anyway. But then the next day, I went to the Goodreads app, and it randomly popped up to tell me I’d reached my goal. So yay, now I have a picture to share!

Here are the books I read in December:

‘Twas the Fight before Christmas by Bill Myers (5 / 5)
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse (3.5 / 5)
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (2 / 5)
Ramona’s World by Beverly Cleary (3.5 / 5)
The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy (3 / 5)
All’s Fair in Love and Christmas by Sarah Monzon (4 / 5)
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, the Graphic Novel by Chris Grabenstein (5 / 5)
A Caffeine Conundrum by Angela Ruth Strong (2.5 / 5)
The Emperor’s Code by Gordon Korman (4.5 / 5)
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (4 / 5)
The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix (5 / 5)
The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun (2.5 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from December was The Faithful Spy. I started 0 series, continued 4 series, and finished 2 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

A Journey of Words

Month: January 2024

Book Review: A Winter by the Sea

A Winter by the Sea
On Devonshire Shores #2
by Julie Klassen

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

Book Review: A Beautiful Disguise

A Beautiful Disguise
The Imposters #1
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery

2023 in Books

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Reads from 2023

December in Review

A Winter by the SeaOn Devonshire Shores #2by Julie Klassen

My rating: 3.5 / 5 Genre: Christian historical romance

A Beautiful DisguiseThe Imposters #1by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5 Genre: Christian historical mystery

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

A Winter by the Sea
On Devonshire Shores #2
by Julie Klassen

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

A Beautiful Disguise
The Imposters #1
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery