Someone Else's Bucket List: finding a new life after the death of a loved one

Someone Else’s Bucket List by Amy T. Matthews is a story of grief and finding new life after the death of a loved one. Bree Boyd was an outgoing, successful Instagram influencer with millions of followers, who lived life by the seat of her pants. When a sudden diagnosis of leukemia forces her to face her death, she plans for a life changing adventure for her introverted sister. Jodie Boyd is shy, anxious and unsure what to do with her life. She learns that Bree’s dying wish is for Jodie to finish her bucket list and if she does, a corporate sponsor will pay off the remaining medical debt as well as debt for other cancer patients. At first, the idea of doing very public events terrifies Jodie; but knowing that her family and others will benefit, she reluctantly agrees. As she checks off the remaining items on the bucket list, Jodie never imagines that she would find herself and the life she has always wanted. 

Someone Else’s Bucket List is a heartbreaking story of grief and finding a new life. It is also a sweet story of finding the courage to truly follow one’s dreams despite fears and doubts. It has P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahren vibes, except it’s sisters instead of a husband and wife. While I expected more of an emotional impact, Someone Else’s Bucket List is a great depiction of grief reactions and the journey of learning to live a new life without a loved one in it. Grief is not a straight line from sadness to acceptance. It is a windy road from sadness to being okay and back to sadness. One of my favorite quotes from the book that explains this windy road is “Grief was like weather: it had seasons and moods, and it could always take a turn for the worse.” Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. There were moments of laughs and tears. I highly recommend Someone Else’s Bucket List. 

Someone Else’s Bucket List is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

My Paper Heart: one summer and a life changing decisions

My Paper Heart by Magan Vernon is the first book in the My Paper Heart series. Libby Gentry has done everything she was supposed to. Getting into her top choice sorority? Check. Dating a hot guy from the biggest fraternity? Check. However, it all goes wrong when she fails out of college and her parents force her to work for her great aunt in rural Louisiana. The tiny town of Elsbury has nothing for her and she stands out like a sore thumb until she meets Blaine Crabtree, the small town charmer. As the two grow closer, Libby is faced with a seemingly impossible choice. A new opportunity arises in Chicago, she must decide to wait for Blaine or move on. 

I really wanted to like this story. Right off the bat, Libby is unlikable, shallow and vain. She tried to use her past as justification for her current behaviors and I just don’t buy it. And Blaine? Oh Blaine! His introduction in the story is not in the greatest light. And his reputation around town isn’t the greatest either. At one point, someone tells Libby that he is a playboy and will “sleep with any woman under 30.” WHAT?!?!?! By the end of the story, I was over their antics and back and forth that I didn’t care if they had any growth at all. Overall, I did not enjoy this story and I do not recommend My Paper Heart. 

My Paper Heart is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Darling Songbirds: a sweet, spicy romance

The Darling Songbirds by Rachael Herron is the first book in the Songbirds of Darling Bay series. Adele Darling comes back to Darling Bay after the death of her uncle to the sleepy gold-rush town that her great-grandfather founded. Her uncle had run the saloon, hotel and diner in the small town and Adele was looking forward to either taking over the business or selling. However, when she comes back, she finds that the business is in ruin, broken and the customers are rare. She wasn’t expecting the handsome, guitar-playing bartender. Nate Houston has always believed he would be the next owner but Adele puts a winkle in this plan. Can their affection for the rundown saloon led to a greater love? 

The Darling Songbirds is a sweet, spicy romance set in a small town in Northern California. I thoroughly enjoyed Adele and Nate as individuals and as a couple. Both are dealing with deep hurts from the past and seeking forgiveness and a brighter future. While Adele was hard to like at times as she focused on her wants, needs and desires without thought to how it would affect those around her. However, by the end, I felt she had some great personal growth. I also enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Dixie, the other bartender, and Molly, Adele’s sister. Overall, I thoroughly enjoy the story and I look forward to the rest of the series. If you enjoy sweet, spicy romance, I recommend The Darling Songbirds. 

The Darling Songbirds is paperback, eBook and audiobook

Alexander Hamilton and the Battle of Yorktown, October 1781: an in depth account of the famous battle

 Alexander Hamilton and the Battle of Yorktown, October 1781: The Winning of American Independence by Philip Thomas Tucker is a detailed look into the decisive battle which brought to the end of the American Revolution and the role that Alexander Hamilton had played. While everyone is now aware of Alexander Hamilton and his role in the shaping of America, thanks to Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton (2015), however, many still don’t know the details of Hamilton’s key contributions in the Yorktown battle. Hamilton led the assault at the Redoubt Number Ten, a strategic position on the left flank of the British defensive line and captured the defensive bastion. This accomplishment helped ensure the defeat and surrender of Cornwallis and the British Army and changed the course of world history. 

Anyone who knows me knows I love history, especially little known history. While everyone knows Ron Chernow’s award winning biography and Miranda’s hit musical, however, according to Philip Thomas Tucker, both don’t go into too much detail about Hamilton’s role at Yorktown. Thomas Tucker decides to truly get into the nitty gritty about Hamilton’s role and accomplishments leading up to and in the battle itself. As with many non-fiction historical books, it was a little dry at times. Thomas Tucker tended to repeat himself about certain Hamilton’s traits or personal history. I did enjoy learning more about the Yorktown battle in detail rather than just date and significance. If you enjoy learning about American History, I recommend Alexander Hamilton and the Battle of Yorktown. 

Alexander Hamilton and the Battle of Yorktown, October 1781: 

The Winning of American Independence

is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

Fear Has a Name: Christian suspense with real issues and real struggles

Fear Has a Name is the first book in the Crittendon Files by Creston Mapes. A stranger breaks into the home of Jack Crittendon while his wife, Pamela and young daughters were home. As the police chalk it up to another in a string of home invasions, something feels off. Only personal items were taken and personal items destroyed. As a journalist, Jack is put on a story of a missing pastor, who reportedly left a suicide note. His investigation leads him into a dark world of lies, greed and danger. When a name surfaces from Pamela’s past, is there a connection between their home invasion and the missing pastor? It is a race against the clock as Jack knows he must uncover who this person is and what he wants with Jack’s family before it’s too late. 

A Christian suspense? An oxymoron? No, this story is filled with suspense, intrigue and faith. As a Christian, I find many Christian fiction to be too overly positive. The same goes with books labeled as Christian suspense. With the same basic, repetitious sunshine and rainbow versions of faith and believers, the story would fall flat. However, the Christian message in Fear Has a Name is real and deep which didn’t shy away from the issues that many Christians struggle with. These characters aren’t perfect, they are deeply flawed and struggle with their faith and their human nature. Fear Has A Name is a slow burn suspense story with a fast paced ending that will leave you hooked. Overall, I enjoyed Fear Has a Name. If you enjoy suspenseful stories with a Christian message, I recommend Fear Has a Name. 

Fear Has a Name is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Love on the Edge: suspense, faith and healing

Love on the Edge is the first book in the Crane’s Cove series by Kerry Evelyn. Lanie Owens has survived a horrific attack by an obsessed stalker. Her grandfather, a retired army colonel, decides to hide her at a remote resort in Maine so she can heal in peace away from the constant fear and threat. She is horrified to learn that he has hired a bodyguard to pose as her new husband. Matt Saunders is an Army Ranger who has spent the last year recovering from a battlefield injury. Anxious to prove he is ready to go back overseas, he accepts the bodyguard job. While the resort is tranquil, safe and certainly a place to heal, their own individual debilitating nightmares stay with them. As they open up to each other, they realize they have a lot in common and help each other heal from their traumas. Soon a crack in their security net allows the stalker to find her, they must fight their psychological demons in order to confront the very real threat in front of them. 

Kerry Evelyn’s books have been hit and miss for me. I haven’t been able to truly connect with her characters or writing style. However, Love on the Edge is a definite hit! A friends to lovers, bodyguard, fake marriage romance, it is sweet, suspenseful and deeply emotional. Ms. Evelyn doesn't hold back as she describes the PTSD Lanie experiences after the brutal attack as well as Matt’s own PTSD as a soldier. My heart broke as Lanie and Matt breakdown under the weight of their hurts. However, I loved that despite their breakdowns, they refused to give up and they fought back. I love that, despite the character’s religious faith, they still struggle with doubt as they try to reconcile their trust in God and the horrible events which they have experienced. It is an honest and real depiction and Ms. Evelyn doesn’t sugar coat it. The build up to the stalker finding Lanie and the final confrontation was very suspenseful. I look forward to the rest of the Crane’s Cove series. I highly recommend Love on the Edge.  

Love on the Edge is available in paperback and eBook

Country Heaven: an enemies to lovers romance with deep emotion

Country Heaven is the first book in the Dare River series by Ava Miles. Famous and infamous country singer Rye Crenshaw has a PR problem on his hands. When he walks into the diner, Tory Simmons wants nothing to do with him. She has no time for an arrogant bad boy who indulges himself in everything. But when he makes an offer she can’t refuse, she finds herself as his personal chef on his multi-city concert tour. Tory is a sassy, no-holds-bar woman that Rye is certain he can stay away from but her wholesome, small town image wouldn’t hurt his public image. As her food is both comforting and seductive, Rye soon finds that Tory is just as comforting and seductive. When a family emergency calls him home for the first time in years, the only person he wants at his side is Tory. With her support and encouragement, Rye finds the strength to confront the ghosts of his past. In turn he realizes his feelings for Tory are becoming all too real. Will he risk his heart to let Tory in? Can their own country heaven survive his real and public world? 

Country Heaven is more than just an enemies to lovers romance. It is a deeply sweet, steamy and emotional story filled with breaking free from family expectations, following one’s dreams and finding a new life and purpose. I was surprised at the depth in Rye, who has a reputation for being the bad boy of country music. However, that bad boy persona finds a deeply hurt man who drowns his sorrows in women and booze. Tory is a young woman who is dealing with the deaths of her parents as well as the recent deaths of her grandparents. She is struggling under mountains of debts as well the mountain of expectations her grandparents left behind. When these two wounded people meet, it is an instant cat and dog fight. However, under all the bravado are two passionate people who find the other part of themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed Country Heaven. I was hooked from the very beginning and could not put it down until I turned the final page. I look forward to reading the rest of the Dare River series. If you enjoy enemies to lovers with deep emotions, I highly recommend Country Heaven. 

Country Heaven is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook