January in Review

February 3, 2024March 4, 2024 / Kristi / Leave a comment

I read 13 books last month, which is a great start to the year! Though sadly, my average rating for the month was lower than I’d like, due to reading quite a few books that I didn’t enjoy a whole lot. But there were still some gems, and I started some really great series!

Here are the books I read in January:

Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M. White (5 / 5)
A Winter by the Sea by Julie Klassen (3.5 / 5)
Tasty by Victoria Grace Elliott (3.5 / 5)
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (3.5 / 5)
The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers by Lilian Jackson Braun (2 / 5)
The Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection by various authors (3.25 / 5)
Joy in the Morning by P.G. Wodehouse (3.5 / 5)
Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur (3 / 5)
The Traitor by Richard Paul Evans (1 / 5)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
Masterminds by Gordon Korman (5 / 5)
The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper D. Basham (2.5 / 5)

This list includes 4 ARCs and 0 re-reads. My favorite book from January (by a slim margin) was A Beautiful Disguise. I started 6 series, continued 2 series, and finished (or caught up on) 3 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.

Book Review: Once a Queen

January 22, 2024April 1, 2024 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Once a Queen
by Sarah Arthur

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: YA fantasy

When fourteen-year-old Eva Joyce visits her grandmother in England with her mom who’d left home after getting married and never returned before now, she doesn’t expect to find out that her grandmother might have been the subject of one of Eva’s favorite fairy tales growing up. The manor might even contain a portal to another world, but no one is willing to talk about it much, her grandmother least of all. Tragedy in her grandmother’s past overshadows the wonder and magic, and Eva begins to believe it’s her job to help her grandmother heal.

Packaged as a portal fantasy, this book is more about Eva’s grandmother’s past trauma, after losing someone close to her when she was a young adult. It’s difficult to separate what is part of the fantastical element of the other world(s) and what is just a reflection of the grandmother’s brokenness. There are questions about all of that that I never really understood and questions about whether Eva’s mom believed any of the tales or not, considering that she doesn’t want to talk about it now, doesn’t seem to believe it now, yet Eva grew up with the stories.

It’s clear that the author is heavily influenced by The Chronicles of Narnia books, though she makes no secret that she’s a major fan. I’ve only just recently read all of that series for the first time, and I saw some pretty obvious parallels. This book takes place almost exclusively in our world, though, with references to the other world(s), which wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Some history from the other world is told between chapters, but I wasn’t completely sure how much of it was important. In the end, this feels a lot more like a book for older teens or adults than teens around 14, with more of an emphasis on grief and trauma than fantasy adventure. The writing is poetic and elegant (and dialog and history related to the other world(s) is basically KJV-type writing, to put it simply), which is not really my preferred style and might be lost on the teens it’s meant for. Considering that the book is in 1st-person from the perspective of a 14-year-old girl, I question the style choice; perhaps if the narrator were to mention that she wrote down her memories decades after it happened, it would make more sense when she describes old manor houses using terminology I’d be surprised an American teen would know. The language also added to the slow feeling of the book as a whole. In the end, not much really happens, and while it sets up a series, it didn’t leave me wanting more. However, the other reviews for this book are generally positive, so please check them out if you’re interested. I wonder if people who have long been fans of Narnia would enjoy this more than I did or if they’d actually enjoy it less.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: January 30, 2024

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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.

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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.

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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!

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.

Book Review: All’s Fair in Love and Christmas

December 12, 2023 / Kristi / Leave a comment

All’s Fair in Love and Christmas
by Sarah Monzon

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian Christmas contemporary romance

Mackenzie Graham wants nothing more than to do her job without drawing attention to herself and without having to talk to people any more than necessary. So when she’s put into the spotlight as a contender for a promotion, against a man she’s had a crush on for two years, for a boss who has a history of promoting the people who show the most Christmas spirit, she will have to force herself out of her comfort zone. Jeremy Fletcher really needs that promotion, since he’s raising his twin niece and nephew after the deaths of their parents, so he plans to use his penchant for meticulous planning to win the promotion. Mackenzie throws a wrench in his plans, though, by being much more than the quiet co-worker he’d never really paid attention to before, now that she’s been thrust front and center for him.

This is bizarrely the 2nd book I’ve read this holiday season that has a lot of overlap with my own life. Mackenzie’s mom has Alzheimer’s and has days where she doesn’t remember Mackenzie and/or is extremely agitated. My mom had Lewy body dementia, which declined quickly, but during that time, we dealt with a lot of memory issues and agitated states (even before we knew that she had dementia). Also, I have social anxieties similar to Mackenzie, though mine seem to be a different flavor, so to speak. While I recognized a lot of the inner monologue and choices made to avoid being in the spotlight, I don’t think I could bring myself to do some of what Mackenzie does to try to win the promotion—though possibly with such a powerful motivator (needing to pay for her mom’s care), I could. There was a certain thing she does a few times to try to push herself to be more confident that I know I would never do, and that angle doesn’t really go anywhere anyway, so it’s a little strange in the story anyway.

I was a little thrown off by the many references to TV shows and movies at first, but I think that’s just because I don’t actually read a lot of contemporary fiction—more historical or even SFF. But even in those references, there were a lot made to shows and movies I love, so it made me feel all the more connected to both main characters. Jeremy’s little shudder over thinking about his pre-teen charges spending countless hours watching other people play video games on YouTube made me feel as seen as the reference to Mackenzie’s half-print/half-cursive style of writing. If I could stop here, this would probably have been a 5-star read for me.

There were a couple of things that stuck out to me throughout the story, though, that brought the rating down: I don’t care for 1st-person, present tense for one POV and 3rd-person, past tense for the other. It’s kind of a pet peeve of mine, especially since it almost never seems necessary to do it that way. I suspect the author wanted to be more “in the head” of Mackenzie, with her social issues, and didn’t feel the need to do that for Jeremy, but even then, why the present/past difference? And the Christian content was weirdly paced. I had seen this was marked as Christian, which is why I was surprised to see absolutely no references to God by 15% of the way into the book. There is, though, flirting and suggestive movements, lots of secular music and such, and then suddenly there’s a prayer and biblical reference that seem to come out of nowhere. To be clear, I do not expect every book marked Christian to be chock-full of prayers and references to God or even to have a solid Christian message or moral. But other than Mackenzie’s belief that her lack of faith keeps her from getting past her social issues (which I kinda wish had been explored more), I would never really know that these characters are Christians. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book. It contains a lot of Christmas charm and is not too sappy, as Christmas romances go. I recommend it for fans of Christmas romance, especially with some Christianity involved.

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

Find out more about All’s Fair in Love and Christmas

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: The Porcelain Maker

December 8, 2023 / Kristi / Leave a comment

The Porcelain Maker
by Sarah Freethy

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Historical fiction

In 1993, Clara Vogel seeks an answer to the secret her mother kept from her—the truth of who her father was. Her only clue is a rare porcelain figure that her mother said had been made for her by Clara’s father, the Porcelain Maker of Dachau. Told in parallel with Clara’s search is the story of her mother, Bettina, and father, Max, who meet in Germany in 1929 and fall in love. But Max is Jewish, which means their relationship—and his very life—is in peril. When he is arrested and sent to Dachau, even working as an artist in the porcelain factory doesn’t assure his safety. Bettina will do anything she can to help the man she loves, even if it means putting herself in danger.

I always appreciate a book that gives me insight into something I didn’t know before, especially when related to a subject matter that a lot has already been written about. Historical fiction set during the Holocaust is prevalent, but the art and porcelain factory angles were new for me, and I did learn some interesting facts about the Nazis’ push for a certain style of art during their rise to power, mostly as a means of propaganda. Since I am not an artist and have never studied art or art history, a lot of the nuances of the different styles that were preferred by “degenerates” compared to the Nazis were lost on me, which is unfortunate, since it’s a big theme in the book. There are also several scenes about the making of porcelain figures that did provide some vague explanation, but not enough for a complete novice like me. So I definitely skimmed a lot of descriptions and discussions about expressionism, romantic realism, and other art styles that don’t mean much to me.

I felt for Max and Bettina, but I don’t think I got enough of a sense of their relationship—what brought and kept them together—to have quite the anguish the author would have preferred to provoke in the reader when they faced being apart. Of course, considering the circumstances of their forced separation, the reader doesn’t necessarily need a connection to the characters to understand how terrible it is. On top of that, though, the pacing of this book is very slow. I often found myself wondering if whole sections were really needed, such as a scene about a little girl and a rabbit that seemed completely unnecessary to me. I can’t even say I believe the more modern timeline with Clara added all that much to the story. Then, the last few chapters speed through the rest of the story, with very little detail given on matters I would have liked to know more about.

For those like me who like to know about graphic content before reading a book, there are references to a physical relationship (and Max and Bettina are not married), but nothing graphic, though there is one brief mention of nudity early in the book (Bettina during a party). I can’t recall a single bit of foul language, though God’s name is taken in vain a few times. I didn’t dislike this book, but overall, I think I wasn’t quite the right audience. I do think that most fans of historical fiction, especially WWII/Holocaust-related fiction, will like this book more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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November in Review

December 4, 2023December 4, 2023 / Kristi / Leave a comment

I read 10 books last month, a fairly average number for this year with a fairly average page count as well. For once, I have nothing more to say about last month’s reading.

Here are the books I read in 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)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 4 re-reads. My favorite book from November was Children of the Shadows. I started 0 series, continued 3 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.

Book Review: Children of the Shadows

December 1, 2023 / Kristi / Leave a comment

Children of the Shadows
Thorndike & Swann Regency Mysteries #3
by Erica Vetsch

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery

While already working on a murder case, Bow Street runner Daniel Swann is brought a case of missing street children by more than one individual. With the Duke of Haverly’s help, he’s also attempting to prove his rightful status as Earl of Rotherhhide, and both his future with Lady Juliette Thorndike and his future as an agent for the Home Office are in question depending on the outcome of the suit. Lady Juliette has also been asked to re-examine her commitment as a spy and is given time to think it over, while not being allowed to work on any cases.

I don’t gush over a book often, but I don’t think I can avoid it with this book, especially considering that it is the end of a series that I have loved and also follows up another series that I loved (Serendipity & Secrets). Vetsch is hands-down my favorite writer of Regency fiction, and I am so very sad to see this series come to a close. It feels like it’s just getting started! I want more mysteries for Thorndike and Swann, especially since they didn’t really get to work together in this book. And I really want more Marcus Haverly! Though he was a side character in this book, he still stands strong as my favorite overall character from these 2 series.

The mystery in this story is engaging and exciting. It works well as a wrap-up to the series, since it involves some of the characters that recurred throughout. I tried so hard to guess at the identity of the main villain, but even though the clues are right there, I totally missed them. I kept grasping at outlandish theories, but hey, that’s why I’m not an investigator. There was another hidden identity that I did guess correctly, though. Juliette’s forced break from any real spy work was the only reason I rated this slightly less than 5 stars—the series is all about them teaming up to solve mysteries, after all.

I’m already looking forward to starting back at the beginning of the Serendipity & Secrets series and going through to this final book again. And maybe by then, there will be more of Marcus, Daniel & Juliette, maybe even Sophia or Philippa Cashel or the Cadogans, to carry on with. I highly recommend this book and series for fans of this genre and time period, whether you like romance or not, because there is some, but it’s not the focus of the books. But I would also really recommend checking out Serendipity & Secrets, and maybe even consider reading that trilogy first.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

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

Once a Queenby Sarah Arthur

My rating: 3 / 5Genre: YA fantasy

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

All’s Fair in Love and Christmasby Sarah Monzon

My rating: 4 / 5 Genre: Christian Christmas contemporary romance

The Porcelain Makerby Sarah Freethy

My rating: 3 / 5Genre: Historical fiction

Children of the ShadowsThorndike & Swann Regency Mysteries #3by Erica Vetsch

My rating: 4.5 / 5 Genre: Christian historical mystery

Once a Queen
by Sarah Arthur

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: YA fantasy

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

All’s Fair in Love and Christmas
by Sarah Monzon

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian Christmas contemporary romance

The Porcelain Maker
by Sarah Freethy

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Historical fiction

Children of the Shadows
Thorndike & Swann Regency Mysteries #3
by Erica Vetsch

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery