Christian fiction

Book Review: Do the Bright Thing

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Do the Bright Thing
McGee and Me! #7
by Bill Myers

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

This story is a bit of a departure in the series, which generally involves Nicholas making some kind of bad decision(s) and having to own up to it or at least learn a lesson from it. Here, Nicholas mostly just goes through some normal-life decisions, albeit with McGee in his head analyzing those decisions. The repercussions and lesson-learning are all for Nicholas’s sister Sarah, whose sub-plot has a bit more of a severe outcome than is normal for this series. Though I didn’t enjoy the book overall as much as some of the others, at least we get a lot less of McGee’s super ego, which I’m thankful for. These books may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: Storm Warning

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Storm Warning
by Elizabeth Goddard

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Christian romantic suspense

Remi Grant has come to Hidden Bay, a remote resort where visitors come to watch storms on the coast, to try to recover memories lost during a traumatic event that seems to have left her a target by unknown persons. Hawk Beckett has come to Hidden Bay to forget a recent tragedy that cost him his job and the life of a friend. When a masked menace seems to be stalking Remi and Hawk saves her life multiple times, they realize that they may already be more connected than they realize.

The thing I liked most about this book was the setting—the descriptions of the ocean, forest, and storms were all really immersive. Unfortunately, I found the characters and story only okay. I didn’t get much of a feel for Remi’s character at all, and the only real personality I could ascribe to Hawk is that he’s protective (which is fairly standard fair for the MMC in a book like this). I do like that he’s trying to track down a certain person (don’t want to spoil anything) to try to turn him around (from the “dark side” as is so often said by different characters). The book takes place over only about 4 days, and by the end of the first day, which is quite a ways into the book, Remi and Hawk are already trying to talk themselves out of wanting a future with each other. It’s just too fast of a connection like that for my taste, though I understand that a romance book with such a short timeline would require a quick connection. I didn’t see that connection as natural, though, and besides, maybe in a case like this, it doesn’t always have to involve romance that is actually acted upon by the end of the book. 

The writing is a bit stilted as well, both in the prose and in the dialog. I struggled a lot with the flow and pacing and ended up skimming a lot to get past multiple paragraphs that rehashed the same musings about Remi’s missing memories or Hawk’s difficulties. The book is billed as Christian, but it’s barely that. Not that I need every Christian-genre book to have some kind of strong message, but it’s mostly silent, single-sentence prayers every once in a while, pleading with God for other characters to be all right. Hawk, at least, does have a bit of a progression of his faith, but it’s fairly meager as well.

I don’t think the book was bad, exactly, but I’m learning that this sub-genre of books may just not be for me. It’s clean overall—no language and light on the violence—and though the Christianity in it is a little light, based on other reviews, I think it’s safe to say that if you’re interested in this type of book, you should check it out. There are plenty of reviews in favor of it, so be sure to read some of those too.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Publication date: February 18, 2025

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Book Review: Midnight on the Scottish Shore

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Midnight on the Scottish Shore
by Sarah Sundin

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

When staying in the Netherlands becomes too dangerous for Cilla van der Zee, due to her connections with the Dutch resistance, she sees a way out in becoming a spy for the Nazis, who will send her to Britain, where she can disappear. But in these dangerous times, nothing is as simple or safe as she hopes, and she’s captured upon landing. Naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie believes her to be the German spy she’s portraying and turns her into the proper authorities. As thanks for his actions, Lachlan is forced to work alongside the spy when she becomes a double agent for Britain’s MI5.

There was a lot for me to like about this book. The uncommon setting of the Scottish shore during WWII was brought to life well; the storyline about double agents was exciting and well-researched; and I genuinely liked both of the main characters, their personalities, backgrounds, and dynamics. So many heroines in books like this are demure, self-conscious, uncomfortable, etc., which is the exact opposite of Cilla. Not that the other type is bad, it just seems so common. Cilla may be a bit on the silly side, but given her situation and that of the world around her, that silliness is often just what was needed. And her transformation was one of the things I loved most about the book. Lachlan has his own journey, which I also loved.

Even though the connection between Cilla and Lachlan is inevitable, given the genre, I felt that the obstacles they had to overcome were greater than usual and found the progression (mostly) natural and enjoyable. I appreciated that it wasn’t the main focus of the story. Though they’re not technically in a series, this book does connect to Sundin’s previous book, Embers in the London Sky, but you really don’t need to read the other (which I liked but not quite as much as this one) before reading Midnight on the Scottish Shore. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction from this time period in the Christian romance genre.

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

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Book Review: Anchor in the Storm

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Anchor in the Storm
Waves of Freedom #2
written by Sarah Sundin

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Historical Christian romance, mystery

When Lillian Avery moves to Boston to be a pharmacist in 1941, she has a long way to go to overcome her boss’s prejudices against her as both a woman and a handicapped one at that. She’s determined to win him over, but her task is made more difficult when suspicious prescriptions come in to be filled. Arch Vandenburg, naval ensign serving aboard a battleship, has some questions of his own when some of the men on his ship are acting drowsy on duty. Lillian and Arch will have to work together to get to the bottom of what’s going on in Boston.

After finding the first book in this series only okay, I was pleased to enjoy this one all the way through. Arch was in the previous book, the best friend of the male main character. He came across as a bit of a player, at least to me, but Sundin was already setting up his backstory, his baggage. As the heir to a fortune, Arch tends to attract the wrong kind of woman, which has led to trust issues. Lillian has her own version of the same, having been hurt badly in the past by a man who was controlling and at least a little abusive. The progression of their relationship is mostly natural and sweet, though it also becomes a little predictable about halfway through the book. Despite some clichés (and more kissing than I need in a romance book), the backstories and personalities are well set up, and I enjoyed the follow-through.

My preference when reading romance is that it not be the only focus of the plot, and I got my wish with this book. The mystery side, while not exactly a twisty whodunit, was intriguing and kept me engaged. When the romance went the way of cliché, the mystery sped up a bit, which evened things out for me. I was really caught up in it by the end. I also want to mention that Arch’s best friend Jim, the male MC of the previous book, is also Lillian’s brother. And there is a moment in the book where Arch does/says something really stupid and Jim reacts exactly how I wanted to react. I practically cheered! I recommend this book for fans of Christian romance, especially those set during WWII.

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Book Review: The Seaside Homecoming

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The Seaside Homecoming
On Devonshire Shores #3
by Julie Klassen

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Sisters of Sea View.

Two years past, eldest Summers sister Claire left her family in disgrace and spent those two years as companion to an elderly relative. Now that the older woman has died, Claire can’t help but want to be near her family again, though she knows at least some of them won’t want to see her. When she ends up as a partner in a boarding house that rivals her family’s, it threatens to make the rift between her and her family worse. Meanwhile, she also has to learn to run a boarding house and deal with the secretive and suspicious man who owns it.

The wrap-up to this main series was almost everything I wanted it to be. The author did a great job of setting up certain elements to provide emotional climaxes to at least two of the story arcs contained in this book. I enjoyed this book a good deal more than the previous two in the series, I think mostly because the annoyances and pet peeves I had with them were not an issue here.

I think that a little more time could have been spent exploring the character of the boarding house owner, William Hammond, since he seemed to have a fairly deep background of which we only get glimpses. Or maybe the reason it felt shallow to me was because I didn’t fully understand his past or because things were hinted at or presumed by Claire that ended up being incorrect, and so it felt like there was more to know than there was. I don’t know for sure, but this is overall not a huge deal to the greater story. It only stands out to me because of his role in the book.

Anything I felt was still missing from the story will hopefully be part of the related Christmas book that the author mentions in the author’s note (coming out in September 2025), and I look forward to reading that next year. As for this series, though 2/3 of it was rocky for me, I think the conclusion made it all worthwhile. I suppose this book could be read as a stand-alone and only one real aspect would be harmed by a lack of past knowledge (besides the two sisters that have already found love and gotten married, there’s Sarah’s inner turmoil about a particular man she rebuffed), but I think that Claire’s homecoming wouldn’t be as emotional without the build throughout the series. Based on past experience, I have good reason to believe that most fans of Regency-era Christian romance will enjoy this book and series.

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

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Book Review: An Honorable Deception

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An Honorable Deception
The Imposters #3
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

When a young socialite who seeks the Imposters’ help in finding her missing ayah is subsequently shot, Yates knows there’s more to this case than it first appeared. And since two of his team are semi-incapacitated, it’s easy to accept help from his old friend Lady Lavinia, who is still reeling from the betrayal uncovered in her family in a previous Imposters case.

Yates was a semi-side character in the previous two books, but there were always sections from his POV, giving us a chance to get to know him as an Imposter, brother, and earl. In this book, he’s in the forefront, and his history with Lavinia shown in the first book is expanded upon. I always liked Yates, so I was happy to see more of him. And though his sister Marigold is married now, I love their sibling relationship in this book.

Besides Yates, this book has two other POVs—Lavinia and Lady Alethia, the woman whose ayah has gone missing. Alethia has her own dark past, and the way Lavinia and Alethia help each other through their healing is one of my favorite things about this book. There was one quote in particular that I found very moving:

“‘Whoever made you think you’re not worth it— they’re wrong. So very wrong. And you let them win when you keep thinking those thoughts. You are precious….You must not take any unnecessary risks. Your life matters.’”

After reading the first book in this series, I already knew I needed to read other books by Roseanna M. White, and after reading the author’s note and finding out that some characters from another series of hers appeared in this book, I’ll definitely be starting with that one. The ending makes it seem like there’s more to come in this series, though I don’t know if that will be the case, or if it will spill into a different series like the Shadows Over England series did into this one. I’ll definitely keep an eye on White’s future books, but in the meantime, I highly recommend this book for fans of Christian historical mystery (this is set during the Edwardian era in London).

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: November 19, 2024

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Book Review: The Blunder Years

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The Blunder Years
McGee and Me! #11
by Bill Myers & Robert West

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

Nicholas’s entry into middle school may be pure cliché, as he ditches his friends to hang out with the cool crowd, but it still made for a touching story, at least to me. The key to that is Derrick Cryder, Nick’s erstwhile bully, whose change of heart is maybe a bit tenuous. Derrick being the catalyst to getting Nick back to his real self is great. As for McGee, it’s no secret that I’m not a fan of his adventures, but it adds another layer to Nick’s attempt to change himself when McGee sort of disappears for a time. Though Nick will have to outgrow his cartoon friend some time, apparently this is not that time. Cliché plot or not, I really enjoyed this entry in the series. These books may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: I Think I Was Murdered

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I Think I Was Murdered
by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker
read by Karen Peakes

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian mystery, romance

After Katrina’s beloved grandmother dies and the FBI goes after the CEO of the tech company for which she is legal counsel, she retreats to her hometown to figure out her next steps. She also lost her husband a year previous, and she eases her grief by talking to an AI chat program that is loaded with her his texts and emails. But then an innocuous question to her the bot returns a response that sets her world spinning even more: “I think I was murdered.”

The premise of this story intrigued me greatly, and the mystery aspect of the story was suspenseful and engaging. The book mostly takes place in a small town in California, where Katrina grew up with a Norwegian father and grandmother (called “Bestemor”), and there are a lot of references to Norwegian food and traditions, which I enjoyed. There is romance, but it’s not quite as front-and-center as a lot of these Christian romantic suspense books tend to be. The main male character has family issues that don’t connect to the main story, though they do provide an in-depth backstory for him that make him a well-rounded character.

However, there are several side stories, and I’m not sure all of them are particularly beneficial to the story. There are a couple of minor twists in the book, one of which I suspected from pretty early in the book. I don’t know if it was just that obvious or if I simply took a leap that happened to be correct. In the end, the book wasn’t a stand-out read for me, but I did enjoy listening to it. The narrator is decent, differentiating voices well enough to make the story easy to follow, though there were times when it seemed like her voice was more distressed-sounding than it needed to be. Overall though, I’d recommend this book for fans of Christian romantic suspense/mystery novels, especially those who are interested in the AI angle.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: November 12, 2024

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Book Review: The Seat Beside Me

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The Seat Beside Me
by Nancy Moser

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian suspense

The five survivors of a place crash deal with the survivor’s guilt and other difficulties in their lives as they try to understand why they lived when others died.

My husband bought this book on a whim, and I really didn’t know what to expect or even what the book was completely about, given the official synopsis. The book starts like a 90s disaster movie, in which we’re introduced to various people who are going to be on the plane and shown a glimpse of their lives pre-disaster. By the end of the first quarter, I was crying, and not just a little. Moser does a great job keeping the suspense and emotions high during the tragedy and immediate aftermath. At that point, I wasn’t really sure what the rest of the book was going to be about, but following the survivors as they tried to process the trauma and get back to life was more interesting than I expected it to be. And it all came together beautifully in the end.

There are probably more Christians or people who believe in God but haven’t given their lives over to Him than would normally exist in a sample group of this size, but I can accept that the author is exploring different dynamics with the people who survived, those they shared their last minutes with, and those they talk to or meet afterward. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes Christian fiction that explores trauma, loss, and guilt.

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Book Review: A Thieving at Carlton House

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A Thieving at Carlton House
Of Cloaks & Daggers #1
by Erica Vetsch

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery

When a costly set of jewels goes missing from the Prince Regent’s home, suspicion falls on two young servants that were placed there by Philippa Cashel, a former courtesan who now attempts to help other women in a similar position turn their lives around. Sir Bertrand Thorndike is ready to step out from under the shadow of his older brother and lead his own team of covert agents for the Crown, but his first assignment—recovering the stolen jewels—will prove to be much more complex than it appears.

Here Vetsch brings us another engaging story set in Regency England with a Christian worldview. The network of family, friends, and spies she has built in this world provides a perfect backdrop for a seemingly simple theft that gives Bertie Thorndike a run for his money. At the same time, Philippa is attempting to get a school off the ground for girls and women who want to escape their life on the streets, and she runs into obstacles and irritations that leave her questioning if she’s in over her head. Bertie has some development, but Philippa’s characterization arc is the highlight here, and we’re left with a hint of more to come for Bertie. I love the way Vetsch weaves themes of faith and forgiveness into the book without being preachy.

Erica Vetsch has created some of my favorite characters, large and small, so the fact that we get to continue seeing these characters makes me so happy. All good things must come to an end, but that doesn’t mean the end has to come quickly. I’m glad Vetsch has managed to buck the tradition of trilogies in this genre and keeps connecting the various trilogies to the same world. Yet at the same time, a new reader could start with this book and not be lost, since relevant things from the past are explained when/as needed. Of course, I would still recommend starting at the beginning for the full, rich experience, but diving in here is fine too. Either way, I highly recommend this book 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 book.

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