Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off by Amanda Flower

 

Lois and Millie are back! And it is zanier than ever! They are on vacation in Florida and of course a dead body turns up! Expecting to have a lovely time by the ocean(that Millie has never seen) they unexpectedly run into some hometown folk. Juliet and her pastor husband are attending a conference near where Lois and Millie are staying. Of course Juliet can't go anywhere without her comfort pig Jethro. And of course Jethro is up to his mischievous self! When he roots out the dead body Millie recognizes the person immediately. Amish Marple is on the case after that! Of course with Lois leading the way Millie finds herself on e-scooters trying to keep up. She also manages to get tipped over in a kayak and unfortunately make a killer mad. And what would be an Amish Matchmaker Mystery without sourpuss Ruth Yoder on the scene to keep Lois on her toes matching wits and barbs! Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off is filled with adventure, comedy and mystery and kept me entertained to the very end. 

Not Exactly Mr. Darcy by Carolyn Miller

 

Olivia(Liv) Bennett is passed over for a job she was looking forward to. Now she is on her way to stay with her ailing grandmother in England. Once she arrives Liv begins to familiarize herself with her surroundings as she hasn't visited that area in years. One of her favorite spots is Hartbury Hall where a scene out of Pride and Prejudice was filmed years before. Hartbury has fallen into disarray much to Liv's disappointment. Especially the fountain that was the center of the most famous scene from the movie. When Liv gets a less than cordial greeting from the groundskeeper she is truly disappointed that her romantic notions about the Hall will never be realized. Liam Browne just wants to be left alone to lick his wounds. Too many disappointments with women have caused him to be jaded and unhappy. When Liv's enthusiasm to revive the Hall for public visitations brings new life to Liam he is determined to work just as hard as she is to bring it to pass. Will their efforts bring restoration to not only Hartbury Hall but also to two people who have been struggling with disappointments in life? 

What a cute Christmas read! Of course I love anything with a Pride and Prejudice theme, and this one was perfect. I love all of the characters in the story. Even though Liam was prickly at first I enjoyed reading his thawing out. I loved his sister who seemed to match Liv's enthusiasm for the project at hand. And Liv's vibrant mind full of ideas was so fun to see developing and executing. A sweet story, and I'm looking forward to the next in the series. 

From A Distance by Tamera Alexander

 

Elizabeth Westbrook is in Colorado Territory competing for a job working for a newspaper. Her goal is to be a woman photo journalist. Elizabeth will do anything to get the job. Including scaling mountains. Elizabeth is desirous of capturing the Mesa's with her camera but she needs an escort. Daniel Ranslett would be the perfect escort but he refuses. Daniel values his solitude and no woman is going to talk him into escorting her through treacherous terrain. Will they be able to work out a deal between them?

I enjoyed this story very much. It has sat languishing on my Kindle for far too long. I asked my daughter's mother-in-law to make me a sign for a jar for my To Be Read books. 

She didn't think I could fill it up! So here is my TBR and this is the first book I picked out of it to read. Let's see how many I can get through.

Back to FROM A DISTANCE. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Elizabeth and Daniel. I liked how outspoken Elizabeth was and I really liked her relationship with the former slave that was helping her with her photography. Daniel had demons of his own to work through and I liked how he came to care for both Elizabeth and Josiah. I did feel that the ending was a little rushed, but alas, a book cannot go on forever and needs to be wrapped up at some point. This was a sweet read with a little suspense and danger thrown in. I enjoyed it.

Lost Cause

 

The Lost Lake Locators have been hired by an elderly client to find a lost artifact. When former sheriff Abby Day shows up on the island their client lives on she is greeted by a mansion that is in disrepair. The front door is wide open but nobody seems to be home. Then detective Burke Ulrich shows up. Abby and Burke have worked together before. There is an attraction there, but neither are in a place to act on it. Abby has no need in her life for controlling people and Burke is very controlling. Burke has trust issues where women are concerned so there is no way he would act on his attraction for Abby. Can these two work together to find out the secrets of a buried past or will they both let down the people that count on them the most? 

I loved the creepiness of when Abby first arrived on the island. Fog, mansion in disrepair, nobody around. So perfectly creepy! I liked Burke and Abby's characters. I liked as they opened up to each other their ability to become vulnerable. I loved that even though Abby wasn't close to the Lord she was still willing to help and comfort someone by praying for them and with them. The spiritual lessons learned throughout the story are always much appreciated and real to life. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Lost Lake teams stories! 

Out Of Time by Irene Hannon

 

Cara is an historical anthropologist on sabbatical to collaborate in the translation of some historical journals. Natalie's family has had the journals for years. Written in a vanishing language, Natalie is one of the only people left that can translate the journals into english. But will Cara's plan to translate be thwarted before they even start? When she arrives at Natalie's secluded home all kinds of emergency vehicles are there. What caused Natalie, who is normally healthy, to have a dizzy spell? With mysterious lights in the woods, a reclusive grounds keeper wandering around, will Cara be safe while on sabbatical? And what about Natalie's doting nephew Steven and the local Sheriff Brad? Will either of those men capture Cara's eye? 

Out Of Time was an exciting read! The pace was fast and the mystery was intriguing. The suspects were crawling out of the woodwork! I found it interesting that the author revealed who the bad guy was way before the book ended. But it gave the reader a look into the person's reasoning and showed how the others were duped into never suspecting who it was. I enjoyed the romance that developed. I also enjoyed the interaction that Cara had with her brother Jack and sister Bri. They still have their monthly get-togethers and still keep in close contact even though Jack and Bri have significant others of their own. Out Of Time was an exciting read and a great ending to the Undaunted Courage series. Check out my reviews of those here: Into The Fire and Over The Edge. 

Seven Seconds by Bethany Klassen

 

Clayton is a rising young star on the PBR tour until an accident sidelines him and could potentially ruin his career. Alinda helps out at her family resort and does part-time work at a local coffee shop. Alinda knows she needs to steer clear of Clayton. He is not a believer and Alinda must protect her heart from the charming bull-rider. Can a 7-second bull ride be the means by which the Lord brings Clayton to himself? 

This was such a sweet story. I had all of the feels while reading it. I felt excitement and nervousness each time Clayton got on a bull. I've watched the PBR and so I could vividly imagine each scene. I got teary in several places as a character was going through something tough or emotional. I got all warm and squishy inside as Clayton and Alinda came to care for each other. And I felt victory when the Lord won out over sin! I love reading sweet romances that don't have a lot of angst or drama. I especially love to read a Christian romance that doesn't shy away from sharing the gospel. I definitely recommend Seven Seconds as a feel-good read that will touch your heart and maybe even change your soul. 

In The House Of The Lord by Debbie Viguie

 

Let the parties begin!!! Cindy and the girls are headed to a secluded, undisclosed (per Genie) place to have Cindy's bachelorette party. The guys are headed to Vegas with Kyle (Cindy's brother) as the entertainment planner. Do we really think that either of these parties are going to be without mishap or mayhem? 

Cindy and her group soon find out that they are not alone in the mansion that Genie chose for their gathering. They are soon battling unseen forces and hidden rooms. Kyle has planned a weekend of misery for more than half of the men in the group. Actually at least three of those men would like nothing better than to get rid of Kyle...permanently! Will they all survive their weekend of supposed fun?

So much happens in this one! Switching back and forth between the two parties heightened the suspense as we would leave one party at a crucial moment and jump to the other party in the midst of their own crisis. As always there was humor sprinkled throughout the dialogue that lightened the suspense a bit. This one definitely seemed to have more of a spiritual slant to it, which I'm not mad about. As always I loved all of the characters. Martin! I cannot wait for the last book in the series. The final wrap-up. FOREVER comes out in December I believe. I don't think it will be the end of Cindy and Jeremiah's story, but it will be the end of the Psalm 23 Mysteries. I think there are many spin-offs so I am guessing that they will appear in others. Hang on y'all, I think that we are going to be in for quite a roller-coaster of emotions in the next book!