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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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January in Review

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I read 13 books last month, a pretty average month for me, though a bit lower than average in page count. Still, there were a lot of great books in there, so it was a good start to the year!

Here are the books I read in January:

loves me
Poirot 11
39-8
Waves 2
Cahills vs 4
Carpenter 11
Pastor's Wife
wingfeather-1
lock and key
Made to Be She
Marple 1
One
Free-original
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God Loves Me and I Love Myself! by Mark DeJesus (1.5 / 5)
Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie (4.5 / 5)
The Emperor’s Code by Gordon Korman (4.5 / 5)
Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin (4.5 / 5)
Shatterproof by Roland Smith (4 / 5)
Unleashed by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
How to Thrive as a Pastor’s Wife by Christine Hoover (5 / 5)
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian (3 / 5)
Made to Be She by Kristen Clark & Bethany Beal (5 / 5)
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
United as One by Pittacus Lore (3 / 5)
Free by E.B. Roshan (5 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from January (excluding re-reads and non-fiction, which are difficult to compare) was Anchor in the Storm. I started 1 series, continued 5 series, and finished 1 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: United as One

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United as One
Lorien Legacies #7
by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with I Am Number Four.

The Mogodorians have been pushed back, if only slightly, and new human Garde are rising up. Does John have what it takes to lead a new generation against Setrakus Ra and take back the Earth once and for all?

Here at the end of the story, I have to stay that it did not differ too greatly from what I expected of it, though there certainly were some paths that I didn’t anticipate. I think, though, that most of those paths ended up not really leading anywhere particularly important. I feel like the author set up some things that just didn’t pan out in a satisfying way. I also think some of the characters that had larger roles in the previous books are shunted to the side, and only three characters really get to do much in this book. That probably means that the author let the cast list get a bit bloated, which I suppose would have been difficult to avoid, given the premise of this series, but the issue mostly comes when he can’t maintain it. And the climax…I don’t want to spoil anything, but I really anticipated more direct involvement by the original Garde.

On the other side of things, though, even if there weren’t any major twists or brilliant moments, the book still brings an overall satisfying confusion to a series that I mostly enjoyed. Battle fatigue understandably hits John, not to mention grief over the loss of a loved one (not that I was ever a huge fan of that relationship). Unfortunately, all of this makes parts of the book a little slow, but the weak ending doesn’t diminish my overall enjoyment of the series. I’d probably call it a 4-star series. I liked it enough to try out some of the side stories and at least consider the spin-off series. As for recommendations, fans of YA action stories, especially in the sci-fi genre, should definitely give this series a try.

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Book Review: The Murder at the Vicarage

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The Murder at the Vicarage
Miss Marple #1
by Agatha Christie
read by Richard E. Grant

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

After reading several Poirot mysteries, I thought I’d try out a Miss Marple. However, similar to the early Poirot novels that I didn’t care for before I started to really enjoy them, I felt this book was a bit bloated and slow. I don’t yet know if Miss Marple herself being such a side character, then swooping in to solve the murder, is normal for this series, but of course at the time, Christie might not have planned for her to be the star of a series of books. The investigation is conducted throughout the book by the vicar himself, in whose home the murder took place, at times working alongside a rather odious inspector. I didn’t mind his perspective and even liked his wife, despite his apparently negative feelings for her, shown to us right at the beginning of the book. Still, it’s a good thing I was listening to an audiobook, or it would have probably taken me forever to get through it, simply due to the plodding feel. The narrator took some getting used to, but he wasn’t at all bad. I will try another Miss Marple book or two in the future, but I’m going back to Poirot for now.

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Book Review: Free

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Free
by E.B. Roshan

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s sci-fi graphic novel

Rex was once a bodyguard whose career came to an end when he was crippled. His new life as a fruit picker isn’t fulfilling, but when he gets a chance to put his bodyguard skills to use again, he isn’t so sure that’s what he wants either.

This is a short, well-crafted sci-fi story for kids. It took me only about 20 minutes to read it, but in that time, I managed to grow attached to Rex and appreciate his misgivings. Roshan doesn’t delve too deeply into the immoral nature of the man that Rex works for, but she shows enough that the age range it’s meant for can understand. The graphics were well-done, especially when taking into account that this graphic novel is self-published. One of the things I liked the most is the amount of creativity the author put into the different alien creatures, both in the foreground and the background of the illustrations. I could definitely see this being a book that young readers (maybe around 8-10 years old?) would enjoy and a nice early delve into space-based sci-fi.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Under Lock & Skeleton Key

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Under Lock & Skeleton Key
Secret Staircase Mystery #1
by Gigi Pandian

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Cozy mystery

When a terrible accident forces Tempest Raj to end her career as a stage magician and return home, she never expects her show business world to follow her home. But then her stage double’s dead body is discovered in the wall of a home that her father’s construction business is renovating, and the question on everyone’s mind is: was Tempest the intended target?

Between the stage magic angle and Tempest’s dad’s construction business specializing in installing secret rooms and passages into homes, I felt that this mystery would be right up my alley. Sadly, my high expectations were met with a mediocre, at times confusing, story and a mystery that, only 8 days after I finished it, I barely remember the final resolution to. There were a lot of characters, including Tempest’s eclectic and spread-out family, and I had a difficult time keeping everyone straight. 

I did like the many references and homages to classic mysteries, some of which I missed out on when I was younger but have read lots of recently (Holmes & Poirot, for example). I really liked the idea of the secret staircase construction company; it seems like the kind of company that would be awesome to work for, similar to working at an escape room company (which I did for a while). The stage magic aspect wasn’t a huge part of the story, though Tempest does a lot of…I guess dance moves, when she’s stressed or thinking or whatever, which are moves she used in her show, and there are some tricks performed both by her and a fellow magician friend of hers. Overall though, we’re mostly just told about the story she used to tell in her show and that she was really good at what she did.

I can say for sure that a lot of what fell flat for me in this book is personal preference or experience. I didn’t connect with Tempest or her large, somewhat intrusive family. I’m not super interested in the different dishes of food that are described in the book, which makes the abundance of them and the details about them a bit much for me. But if the different elements I mentioned throughout this review sound interesting to you and you enjoy mysteries, you might be the perfect audience for this book. Please do click the link below to check out the more favorable reviews, of which there are plenty!

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Book Review: Unleashed

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Unleashed
Andy Carpenter #11
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When an old friend of Sam Willis dies in a plane crash—a plane Sam was meant to be on with him but missed—the man’s widow is charged with his murder. Sam asks his friend, reluctant defense attorney Andy Carpenter to defend her, certain that the woman he once had a fling with himself couldn’t have done it.

This is another good addition to the series, with some twists and turns and just enough changes to the formula I’ve come to enjoy to keep it fresh. I got a kick out of Sam’s team of elderly Jewish computer students, chuckled at Marcus’s stoicism and Hike’s expert knowledge of poison, and felt indignant for Andy when his character was besmirched (more indignant than even he seemed to be). Andy’s snarky and self-deprecating humor that first drew me to the series is just as strong as ever.

The standard-fare conspiracy in this book is thankfully simple enough that there didn’t seem to be as many away-from-Andy POV sections as some of the previous ones have had. I was glad for that, because it means more Andy, but to be honest, I’d be okay with Rosenfelt throwing in some simpler mysteries now and then too, or at least conspiracies on a smaller scale. They don’t all have to involve high-profile targets and be nationally (or internationally) reaching. I don’t want this to sound like a complaint, though, because I did still enjoy this book as much as any of the others (or more, in some cases). I love this series and recommend the book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas.

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Book Review: Shatterproof

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Shatterproof
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers #4
by Roland Smith

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

First Berlin and then Timbuktu, Amy and Dan Cahill continue to jump through hoops for their enemy, Vesper One, trying to save the lives of their abducted friends and family members. Meanwhile, the hostages are hatching a scheme of their own.

For as much as I’m enjoying this series, I’m glad it’s a little shorter than the original. I really thought that the premise set forth at the beginning of the series—Cahills and friends taken hostage and Dan and Amy given various tasks to ensure their safety—would be a launching point to a greater story, but it’s really just been the same premise all the way through. Though Dan and Amy have traveled all over, been in and out of trouble, and scrambled to keep up with Vesper One’s demands, the hostages’ plight has gotten a little stale. This book did shake things up a bit for them, but I would have preferred a little more.

I like the team of Amy, Dan, Atticus, and Jake. They complement each other well, and I’m intrigued to hear more about Atticus’s role in the whole Cahills and Vespers thing. I expected there to be more about the ring that Amy was entrusted with at the end of the original series by now, but apparently we’re saving a lot for the last 2 books in the series. As for Amy and her romances, I could do without most of it. The surprising thing (for me) is that I do actually like a couple of these guys for her…which means I care about which one she picks, if any. Oddly enough, the one I don’t really care about is the one that is currently her boyfriend. In fact, based on how this series has gone in the past, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out he was a mole. I also have to say that these writers are not against having a bit of a body count, which has been surprising in a series for pre-teens. Still, I’m quite invested in these books and look forward to seeing how this plot arc turns out.

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