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jessreadsfiction's reviews
84 reviews
Laurel's Dream by Pepper D. Basham, Pepper D. Basham
5.0
✅ Slow Burn Romance
✅ Unique Historical Setting
✅ Moving Faith Elements
Is anyone surprised that a book by Pepper Basham is another 5-star read? ‘Cause I’m not.
✅ Unique Historical Setting
✅ Moving Faith Elements
Is anyone surprised that a book by Pepper Basham is another 5-star read? ‘Cause I’m not.
The Heart of the Mountains by Pepper D. Basham, Pepper D. Basham
5.0
✅ Escaping A Forced Marriage
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ “Lip-Itching” Kisses
✅ Beautiful + Moving Faith Elements
The Heart of the Mountains is the second book in the My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge series by Pepper Basham. It is a beautiful story of tested faith, sweet and tender romance, true transformation, and second chances. When our main female character Cora Taylor runs away from home, escaping a marriage arrangement forced upon her by her father, seeking his self-interests, she finds herself in the strangest place she has ever been - the Blue Ridge Mountains. Cora meets our main male character, Jeb McAdams, right away. The romance in this novel is considered a slow-burn romance but the fact that both characters are forced into proximity quite often from the beginning makes it feel like it moves faster!
Jeb McAdams is quite possibly one of the SWEETEST main male characters I have had the pleasure of getting to know. He is a whole different kind of tenderness and strength! It was endearing watching the quiet mountain man with moving faith, morals, and character see his quiet life turned upside down by the stubborn, hard-headed, and sweet Cora Taylor. “Lip-Itching” kisses is also one of my new favorite sayings.
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ “Lip-Itching” Kisses
✅ Beautiful + Moving Faith Elements
The Heart of the Mountains is the second book in the My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge series by Pepper Basham. It is a beautiful story of tested faith, sweet and tender romance, true transformation, and second chances. When our main female character Cora Taylor runs away from home, escaping a marriage arrangement forced upon her by her father, seeking his self-interests, she finds herself in the strangest place she has ever been - the Blue Ridge Mountains. Cora meets our main male character, Jeb McAdams, right away. The romance in this novel is considered a slow-burn romance but the fact that both characters are forced into proximity quite often from the beginning makes it feel like it moves faster!
Jeb McAdams is quite possibly one of the SWEETEST main male characters I have had the pleasure of getting to know. He is a whole different kind of tenderness and strength! It was endearing watching the quiet mountain man with moving faith, morals, and character see his quiet life turned upside down by the stubborn, hard-headed, and sweet Cora Taylor. “Lip-Itching” kisses is also one of my new favorite sayings.
Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb
5.0
Such a cute book! I think this book is great for kids of all ages. We love books that rhyme because they easily keep my littles entertained. This book was perfectly silly with all of the made up words they used. The illustrations were beautiful! Highly recommend this book to anyone with littles. It has such a great message too!
The Sleuth of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep
5.0
What a thrilling conclusion to the Blackfriars Lane trilogy! It was so much fun visiting Kit and Jackson again - now parents - as they learn to navigate life in their new roles. As a parent, this book tugged at my heartstrings on more than one occasion with the addition of their beautiful daughter and the danger their jobs naturally put the family into. Kit and Jackson’s relationship is still in the newlywed stage and the playful and fun banter between the two is always fun to read! This book kept all of the thrill of a new romance as Kit and Jackson are so obviously still head over heels in love!
It doesn’t take long for this book to take off as Kit naps her first case as a detective! This adventure takes her all over London, showing once again the amazing research Michelle put into the book’s setting. Some of my favorite side characters - Charles, Martha, and Frankie - appear and I just LOVED watching their story unfold! Michelle is such a masterful writer as she includes a second romance within the main romance without taking away from the main plot in the least. The storylines weaved together beautifully, adding such depth and dimension. Frankie’s addition to the story is always so fun to read and I particularly like seeing how much he has grown and developed from the first novel.
The end was so explosive - all of the action that had been brewing the entire novel comes to a head for a deliciously thrilling climax and conclusion. There were quite a few times I wished I could will myself to read faster - I just HAD to know what happened next!
This book was a beautiful conclusion to the trilogy. If you’ve not read any of these books, make sure you start with #1 so that everything makes sense. I can’t wait to see what Michelle writes next!
It doesn’t take long for this book to take off as Kit naps her first case as a detective! This adventure takes her all over London, showing once again the amazing research Michelle put into the book’s setting. Some of my favorite side characters - Charles, Martha, and Frankie - appear and I just LOVED watching their story unfold! Michelle is such a masterful writer as she includes a second romance within the main romance without taking away from the main plot in the least. The storylines weaved together beautifully, adding such depth and dimension. Frankie’s addition to the story is always so fun to read and I particularly like seeing how much he has grown and developed from the first novel.
The end was so explosive - all of the action that had been brewing the entire novel comes to a head for a deliciously thrilling climax and conclusion. There were quite a few times I wished I could will myself to read faster - I just HAD to know what happened next!
This book was a beautiful conclusion to the trilogy. If you’ve not read any of these books, make sure you start with #1 so that everything makes sense. I can’t wait to see what Michelle writes next!
Counterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill
4.0
✅ Christian Historical Romance
✅ 1800s in Cincinnati, Ohio - Gilded Age
✅ A surprising amount of mystery and intrigue!
✅ Honest faith struggle.
The Gilded Age is one of my absolute favorite periods to read! Author Crystal Caudill does an excellent job of drawing you into the characters, the period, and the dangerously good story. I found myself quickly flipping pages, wanting to know what would happen next. As a reader, a romance novel needs to have more to it than just the romance itself. The romance can be the focus but I need more substance going on to enjoy the story. Counterfeit Love is so perfectly done! The Secret Service angle was delightful and fun to read. The characters were well developed, especially our main female character - Theresa Plane! You won’t relate to every character in every book you read but I feel like you could feel her struggles as you read along. Her storyline was artfully and skillfully written.
The romance in this novel was rather swoony! I don’t want to write too much about this in fear of giving away spoilers but the romance was well written and had you drawn in. Broderick Cosgrove is exactly the kind of man you want by your side in good and bad - but especially in the bad! His strong morals and self-sacrificing personality make him extremely endearing (and sometimes frustrating) to read. I enjoyed the plot twists in this book and found myself devouring the entire story quickly!
I would give this story 4.5 stars out of 5. Excellent read - worth picking up and reading!
✅ 1800s in Cincinnati, Ohio - Gilded Age
✅ A surprising amount of mystery and intrigue!
✅ Honest faith struggle.
The Gilded Age is one of my absolute favorite periods to read! Author Crystal Caudill does an excellent job of drawing you into the characters, the period, and the dangerously good story. I found myself quickly flipping pages, wanting to know what would happen next. As a reader, a romance novel needs to have more to it than just the romance itself. The romance can be the focus but I need more substance going on to enjoy the story. Counterfeit Love is so perfectly done! The Secret Service angle was delightful and fun to read. The characters were well developed, especially our main female character - Theresa Plane! You won’t relate to every character in every book you read but I feel like you could feel her struggles as you read along. Her storyline was artfully and skillfully written.
The romance in this novel was rather swoony! I don’t want to write too much about this in fear of giving away spoilers but the romance was well written and had you drawn in. Broderick Cosgrove is exactly the kind of man you want by your side in good and bad - but especially in the bad! His strong morals and self-sacrificing personality make him extremely endearing (and sometimes frustrating) to read. I enjoyed the plot twists in this book and found myself devouring the entire story quickly!
I would give this story 4.5 stars out of 5. Excellent read - worth picking up and reading!
Counterfeit Hope by Crystal Caudill
5.0
✅ Historical Romantic Suspense
✅ 1884 in rural Indiana - Gilded Age
✅ Amazing character development.
✅ BEAUTIFUL redemptive arc.
This book blew me away! I’ve read enough Christian Fiction to realize that not all authors put a lot of faith into their characters or stories. While the story can still be great, reading a Christian Fiction and not finding much of Christ in it is disheartening. That is NOT the case with this book - God’s love and grace are woven throughout the story in a real, genuine, and not preachy way. I stayed up way too late a few nights in a row to finish reading this book and found myself a bit teary-eyed on more than one occasion.
After reading the first novel, I wasn’t excited to discover that Andrew Darlington is our main male character.
✅ 1884 in rural Indiana - Gilded Age
✅ Amazing character development.
✅ BEAUTIFUL redemptive arc.
This book blew me away! I’ve read enough Christian Fiction to realize that not all authors put a lot of faith into their characters or stories. While the story can still be great, reading a Christian Fiction and not finding much of Christ in it is disheartening. That is NOT the case with this book - God’s love and grace are woven throughout the story in a real, genuine, and not preachy way. I stayed up way too late a few nights in a row to finish reading this book and found myself a bit teary-eyed on more than one occasion.
After reading the first novel, I wasn’t excited to discover that Andrew Darlington is our main male character.
Search and Detect by Terri Reed
4.0
This was my very first Love Inspired read and I enjoyed it greatly! These shorter reads are perfect when your schedule is too hectic to accommodate a more intense and involved story. Even with that being said, this story is not lacking - there is still enough here to grab you in and keep you reading! I particularly enjoyed the grumpy x sunshine trope between our two main characters. Chase Rawlston, the MMC, is a perfect grumpy lead! With a past that has left him wounded and scared, his protectiveness over both Zoe and Kylie was endearing. As a single mom, Zoe has had to learn a lot on the fly and I admired her determined nature. She is a devoted, doting mother who deeply cares for Kylie.
The book made for a quick, thrilling read with a beautiful conclusion. There was a twist at the end that I did not see coming and I am always delighted when an author can surprise me like that!
The book made for a quick, thrilling read with a beautiful conclusion. There was a twist at the end that I did not see coming and I am always delighted when an author can surprise me like that!