Mending Fences

Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.
Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him.

Amos and Fern Lapp allow Luke to live at Windmill Farm under two conditions. First, Luke must make a sincere apology to each person he's hurt--a four-page, single-spaced list. Second, he must ask each victim of mischief to describe the damage he caused.

Simple, Luke thinks. Offering apologies is easy. But discovering the lasting effects his careless actions have caused . . . that isn't so simple. It's gut-wrenching.

And his list keeps growing. Izzy Miller, beautiful and frustratingly aloof, also boards at Windmill Farm. Luke's clumsy efforts to befriend Izzy only insult and annoy her. Eager to impress, Luke sets out to prove himself to her by locating her mother. When he does, her identity sends shock waves through Stoney Ridge.

Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher returns to her beloved Stoney Ridge for this brand-new series featuring some of her readers' favorite characters.

My Rating: 5 Stars
I have been dying to read this one for months. When I saw one of my favorite quotes as the tagline for the book, "Every Saint has a past and every sinner has a future" I knew I had to read it. I kept getting sidetracked by review books but this book was well worth the wait! Admittedly, it had a slow start for me, but once I got going, this book sucked me in-and I was NOT expecting some of the surprises at the end. A FANTASTIC read, and that is coming from someone who is not a huge Amish story fan. I like Amish reads, but they are not one of my go-tos usually. Can't wait for book 2!!

At Home In Wishing Bridge

Ruth Logan Herne, the bestselling author of Welcome to Wishing Bridge, invites readers back to the small town where big dreams come true.

After surviving the streets of South Philly, Thea Anastas never thought she’d wind up working in rural New York. But a call from a friend in need convinced the nurse practitioner to make the trip. Now her temporary position is making a difference in Wishing Bridge—though Thea can’t afford to make a difference, to fill a gaping hole in the sweet, small town. After all, the current medical practice is being dissolved in three months, and bigger opportunities are luring her away…

Her partner, Dr. Ethan Brandenburg, has his own struggles: caring for his orphaned niece and nephew and holding firm to his decision to leave Wishing Bridge for a prestigious job in Chicago. Though Thea’s no-nonsense advice in the office has been good for business, her compassion in Ethan’s personal life has been good for his heart. But how can he offer a commitment to a woman when they’re both about to say goodbye?

Wishing Bridge may be surrounded by forests and farms, but Thea is starting to realize that friendships and family form its heart—and that what she wants in life and love may be right in front of her eyes.

My Rating: 5 Stars(plus more!)

I can not tell you how BADLY I want to  live in Wishing Bridge!! This town, it's inhabitants and the stories have charmed me COMPLETELY! I utterly adored the first Wishing Bridge story and this one was even more amazing. My only regrets are that it took me so long to get to it and that I have to wait for more stories about this town I have come to love. There are multiple moments in the story that brought me to tears and touched my heart. The kiddos in the book stole my heart easily and the adults are easy to root for and very likable too. This story is pretty much perfect, it has romance, humor, a bit of suspense and lots of faith and hope. HIGHLY recommend! This will no doubt be in my top 3 reads of 2019!

Just One Kiss

He broke her heart. Now, he’s back, and he’s determined to show her what they had isn’t over. . . and he can prove it with just one kiss.

Single mother Carly Collins likes predictability. However, when her son Jaden’s health is threatened, her neatly controlled world is tossed into a tailspin. Nothing is certain anymore, especially her feelings for Josh Dixon, Jaden’s father, her first love and the man responsible for shattering her heart sixteen years ago. 

When Josh Dixon walked out of Harbor Pointe, he left behind his only shot at a real family. Now a successful tech mogul, the town rebel has found a cause—ensure his son’s recovery and prove to Carly and Jaden that he’s not the same guy he was back then. 

Carly and Josh are forced to wade through messy emotions and questions that have gone unanswered for years, which would be easier if not for the pesky feelings, every bit as strong and impossible to ignore as they ever were. 

Will forgiveness win, giving Carly and Josh a second chance at love . . . or will the past prove too much to overcome?

A small town romance about first love second chances and how our most beautiful life might look nothing like we planned.

My Rating: 4 Stars

This book is hard to put down! I pretty much devoured it over the course of a Sunday when I wasn't in church. To start with-the opening scene between Grady and Quinn was adorable and the story ramped up from there. I was so rooting for Josh and Carly to finally find their happily ever after. Josh's love for Carly is the stuff of legends, to love her for as long he did and the way he did. He truly took "always" literally....and then some!! Talk about sacrificial love in action! Josh's backstory was brutal and it broke my heart what he went through. I was thrilled when he was finally able to overcome all of it. All in all a lovely story about overcoming trauma and finally finding a happily ever after. A fantastic contemporary love story. This would make a great Hallmark movie...just sayin'! :) I received this book from the author and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own. https://buff.ly/2LXOlkY

Sconed to Death (Cat Latimer Mystery #5)

Cat Latimer pursues a scone-cold killer who iced a top chef in a local bakery . . . 
Cat has a full plate at her Aspen Hills Warm Springs Resort, as a group of aspiring cozy mystery authors arrives for a writers retreat. So when baker Dee Dee Meyer stirs up trouble by filing a false complaint with the health inspector against the B&B--all because she insists Cat's best friend Shauna stole her recipes--Cat marches into the shop to confront her.

But Dee Dee's about to have her own batch of trouble. Greyson Finn--a celebrity chef and, until today, one of Denver's most eligible bachelors--has been found dead in her bakery. Cat's uncle Pete, who happens to be the chief of police, warns her not to engage in any half-baked sleuthing. But as her curiosity rises, Cat's determined to discover who served the chef his just desserts--before the killer takes a powder . . .

My Rating: 4 Stars
A solid installment in the Cat Latimer series. I really enjoy the premise of the Writing Retreat-I think it would be so much fun to go to one of those! This one was especially fun since it was a cozy writers mystery group that was were the guests this go around. They added a fun element to the book. The mystery was a good one with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Looking forward to the next story!

I received this book from NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

Yours Truly, Thomas

For three years, Penny Ercanbeck has been opening other people's mail. Dead ends are a reality for clerks at the Dead Letter Office. Still she dreams of something more--a bit of intrigue, a taste of romance, or at least a touch less loneliness. When a letter from a brokenhearted man to his one true love falls into her hands, Penny seizes this chance to do something heroic. It becomes her mission to place this lost letter into the hands of its intended recipient.

Thomas left his former life with no intention of ending up in Azure Springs, Iowa. He certainly didn't expect a happy ending after what he had done. All he wanted to do was run and never look back. In a moment of desperation, he began to write, never really expecting a reply.

When Penny's undertaking leads her to the intriguing man who touched her soul with his words, everything grows more complicated. She wants to find the rightful owner of the letter and yet she finds herself caring--perhaps too much--for the one who wrote it.

My Rating: 5 Stars

This book was completely charming! I adored the characters of Penny, Thomas and Honey. The story was sweet with some mystery as well, which made it pretty much perfect. I have zero complaints about this read and nothing I would have changed. The story moved well and kept me interested throughout and the mystery was written well. Margaret is a fun character addition to the story and a perfect Mother figure for both Thomas and Penny. I enjoyed my second trip to Azure Springs(her first book takes place there as well). Rachel has created a truly lovely fictional town in her first two books and one that makes me wish I could visit it! I would love another visit to Azure Springs. Looking forward to more stories from Rachel!


I received this book from RevellReads program and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own. 

Crêpe Expectations (Pancake House Mystery #5)

When a murder case from the past heats up again, it’s up to Marley McKinney to sort through a tall stack of suspects in the latest Pancake House Mystery . . . 
 
Although it’s a soggy start to spring in Wildwood Cove, the weather clears up just in time for the town to host an amateur chef competition. Marley McKinney, owner of the Flip Side pancake house, already signed up to volunteer, and chef Ivan Kaminski is one of the judges. But when Marley visits her landscaper boyfriend Brett at the site of the Victorian mansion that’s being restored as the Wildwood Inn, she discovers something else pushing up daisies: human remains.  
 
The skeleton on the riverbank washed out by the early-spring floodwaters belonged to  
eighteen-year-old Demetra Kozani, who vanished a decade earlier. While the cold case is reopened, Marley must step in when some of the cook-off contestants fall suspiciously ill. Stuck in a syrupy mess of sabotage and blackmail, it falls to Marley to stop a killer from crêping up on another victim . . . 
 
Includes pancake recipes right from The Flip Side menu!

My Rating: 5 Stars

The more I read of this series, the better I like it....and I liked it a lot from the first book! I like the cozies that have cold cases, and this one fit the bill perfectly. A great mystery with an interesting side mystery to boot. Plus I love the character development and the surprise at the end was awesome! A fun cozy read!

I received this book from NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

My Favorite Reads So Far of 2019

So in looking at my stats so far for my 2019 reads, from January 1st -June 30th, I read 158 books. In trying to narrow down my absolute favorites from that number-I realized that is majorly difficult as I have read a LOT of fantastic books this year. They have for the most part been great reads. So here is my attempt to make a list(in no particular order) some of the ones that have stuck the most with me from that read pile.

• 
  

Murder By The Sea (A By The Sea Cozy Mystery)

When a murderer crashes a masquerade ball, it's up to Liz to unmask the killer . . .    
 
It's been quite a year for novelist Liz Holt. She's overcome a lot and is finally feeling at peace with her new life at her family's hotel, the Indialantic by the Sea, on the beautiful barrier island of Melbourne Beach, Florida. She's exactly where she needs to be to ring in the New Year at the Florida Writes Literary Masquerade Ball.
 
But when her ex-boyfriend surprises her at the ball, she can't disguise her anger, and the two engage in a very public argument. Naturally, after her ex is found dead on the hotel grounds, shot through the heart, Liz tops the suspect list. With the help of family and friends, she needs to clear her name before the real killer waltzes away scot-free . . .



My Rating: 4 Stars
This was an enjoyable return to the Indialantic by the Sea with Liz, Ryan and the rest of the gang.  A good mystery that kept me entertained and guessing at who the culprit would turn out to be. It is a quick and easy read that I read in less than 24 hours. Looking forward to another trip to Indialantic by the Sea soon. 

I received this book from NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own. 

Things Left Unsaid

An emotional novel of family, friendship and forgiveness from Courtney Walsh, the New York Times bestselling author of Hometown Girl.

Lyndie St. James is thrilled that her best friend, Elle, is getting married but unprepared for the emotional storm of the wedding week and returning to her childhood summer home of Sweethaven. The idyllic cottage community harbors some of her best—and worst—memories. It’s not only the tragic death of her childhood friend Cassie that has haunted her for ten years, it’s the other secrets she’s buried that have kept her from moving on.

But Lyndie isn’t the only one with secrets.

Cassie’s mother, father and brother, still struggling with the loss, have been drifting further and further apart. And Elle herself, the last to see Cassie alive, carries an impossible burden of guilt. Now reunited, each of them has a choice: to reveal the truths of that night or continue to live in its shadow. That means embarking on a personal journey of the heart—to escape the darkness and all its regrets and to finally come to terms with the past and, especially, with each other.

My Rating: 5 Stars 

WOW! This book is amazing! It may be my absolute favorite read of 2019. I have been meaning to get to this book for months and I am sorry it took me this long to get to it. Having lost two of my best friends, this book resonated with me in many ways. I didn't lose my friends the way Cassie was lost but still I know that trauma all too well and I could definitely empathize with Lyndie and Elle. This book brought me to tears on more than one occasion and is beautifully written. As soon as I finished it, I immediately handed it to my Mom to read and she has already started it as well. I literally could not put this story down, once I started it-I read it in barely 24 hours-and I would have finished it sooner if life didn't keep creeping in demanding my attention. I can not say enough good things about this book. I read the audio/kindle versions but I have already purchased a paperback copy for my keeper shelf. Rest assured I will be reading this one again-multiple times!

Midnight on the River Grey

She knew the house was keeping secrets. If only the darkness would speak . . . 

After her elder brother’s mysterious death, Rebecca Hunter vows to expose the man she believes responsible: Mr. Lewis Browning—known by the locals as the Midnight Devil and by Rebecca as her new guardian.

Summoned to his reclusive country estate to await her London season, Rebecca plans her own secret investigation among the darkened corridors of the mysterious Greybourne Hall. Yet Lewis Browning is not as she once imagined, and his motivation is horribly unclear. Recurrent nightmares and Rebecca’s restless feelings are further complicated by the shadow of her mother’s prior descent into madness and wondering if she, too, will follow the same heartbreaking path.

Even as midnight rides, strange injuries, and further murders lead back to Mr. Browning, Rebecca can’t ignore the subtle turn of her heart. Has she developed feelings for the man she swore to see hanged? And moreover, can she trust him with her uncertain future?


My Rating: 4 Stars
I have been waiting months to read this! Ever since reading and loving Abigail's debut novel in January, I knew I HAD to read this one. I am happy to say it did not disappoint! It was a bit of a slower start for me and it took a bit for me to really connect to the characters, but once I did I was hooked. The mystery was great and had a couple twists I did not see coming which I really liked about the book. It connects to her first book(which I HIGHLY recommend) and also to her upcoming book that releases in the Spring of 2020. Make sure you check out Abigail's books soon!

I received this book from the publisher and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.