⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jocelyn Green’s The Hudson Collection scratched my bird-nerd itch in the best way. Set in 1926 New York, Elsa Reisner works in the ornithology department at the American Museum of Natural History and heads upstate to catalog explorer Linus Van Tessel’s vast bird collection. What sounds like a quiet assignment turns into a fight over a priceless aviary that Van Tessel’s wife willed to Danielle, the gardener’s young daughter—much to the dismay of Mr. Spalding, the heir who doesn’t think a child should inherit anything so valuable. The plot moves with a steady hum: hidden journals, a looming demolition deadline, and the search for the aviary keep the pages turning. As […]
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A Stellar Fifth Entry in Meyer’s Timeless World
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gabrielle Meyer does it again. In Every Hour Until Then, the setup crackles, the stakes sting, and the clock never stops. In Every Hour Until Then, Kathryn Voland lives two lives—Victorian London in 1888 and pre–World War II Washington, D.C. in 1938. Gifted with the ability to time-cross, she’s torn between eras and destinies. In 1938, Kathryn is invited to London to curate a groundbreaking museum exhibit on Jack the Ripper. But as she digs into the Ripper’s reign of terror, she makes a chilling discovery—her own sister is destined to become his final victim decades earlier. Determined to rewrite fate, Kathryn crosses back to 1888 and joins forces […]
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A Spirited Girl with True Grit of Her Own
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sandra Dallas once again brings the Old West to life in Tough Luck, a rollicking adventure filled with humor, grit, and heart. The story follows fourteen-year-old Haidie Richards, who escapes a dreary Illinois orphanage with her little brother, Boots, to search for their gold-mining father in Colorado. Disguised as a boy, Haidie joins a wagon train and sets off across dangerous territory, armed with more nerve than experience. Along the trail, she meets a colorful cast of characters—a kind freighter, a gambler with a soft spot, two feisty spinster sisters, and one loyal dog who might just steal the show. As Haidie learns to handle mules, men, and misfortune, […]
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Joseph’s Story, Told with Heart and Faith
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Jill Eileen Smith’s The Prince and the Prodigal is a faithful retelling of one of the most beloved Old Testament stories. Joseph’s journey—from his brothers’ betrayal to his rise in Egypt—is familiar to many of us, but Smith keeps it fresh by adding depth and humanity without straying from Scripture. I especially appreciated how she balanced Joseph’s story with Judah’s, showing both men’s struggles and growth. The family dynamics feel real: the jealousy, guilt, and eventual forgiveness strike an emotional chord. Smith doesn’t reinvent the story (thankfully), but she does make these biblical figures relatable. Joseph’s resilience and trust in God are woven through every chapter, reminding readers that divine providence […]
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Murder, Secrets, and Baby Turtles on Jekyll Island
When your best friend who can’t swim suddenly drowns, you know something isn’t right. That’s exactly what sends hotel heiress Torie Bergstrom back to Georgia’s Jekyll Island in Colleen Coble’s A Stranger’s Game. Torie hasn’t been home since she was ten, but she’s the one who arranged her best friend Lisbeth’s job at one of the family’s properties. Now Lisbeth is dead, and Torie is convinced it wasn’t an accident. To get answers, she checks into the hotel under an alias, only to discover that danger is lurking much closer than she imagined. Her quest for the truth leads her straight into the path of Joe Abbott and his young […]
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Faith, Justice, and Second Chances in Guilty Until Innocent
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Second chances don’t usually come twenty-five years late, but that’s exactly what happens in Robert Whitlow’s Guilty Until Innocent. Ryan Clark, a young lawyer on shaky professional ground, takes a job with his cousin Tom in small-town North Carolina. Almost immediately, he’s pulled into revisiting one of Tom’s most painful cases: Joe Moore, convicted of murder decades earlier. Joe was high the night of the crime and doesn’t remember what happened, but he’s since become a man of faith with a ministry behind prison walls. His family has never stopped believing in his innocence, and now they want Ryan and Tom to prove it. The deeper they dig, the more […]
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Grief, Glitches, and a Message from the Beyond
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I Think I Was Murdered blends grief, tech, and suspense into a twisty, emotionally charged mystery. After her husband Brian dies, Katrina finds herself relying on a cutting-edge AI chatbot that mimics his personality and speech patterns. Built using Brian’s digital footprint—emails, texts, videos—it becomes her lifeline. She chats with “him” daily, unable to let go. But when the bot suddenly types the chilling sentence “I think I was murdered,” Katrina’s world is turned upside down. The concept is both eerie and fascinating. The bot isn’t just a gimmick—it’s Katrina’s crutch, a digital ghost she confides in, argues with, and leans on to cope with overwhelming loss. Her emotional dependency adds depth […]
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Apocalyptic Chaos Meets Personal Redemption in This Gripping Faith-Fueled Thriller
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I’ve been watching and waiting for Christ’s second coming, so this was a timely read. Vanished by Dr. David Jeremiah is a high-stakes, end-times thriller that hits on both a global and personal level. John “Haggs” Haggerty leads a military unit tasked with stopping pandemics before they spread—but as disasters pile up, it’s clear the world is heading toward something far more cataclysmic. Plagues, earthquakes, wars… the signs are everywhere. But Haggs’s real battle is closer to home. He’s grieving the collapse of his marriage and struggling to stay connected to his adult daughter. The emotional weight he carries makes his fight for redemption feel real and relatable. Jeremiah blends action […]
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Sailing Through Time & Secrets: “Across the Ages” Is a Heart-Racing Treasure
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gabrielle Meyer’s Across the Ages is everything I want in time travel fiction—heart, history, high stakes, and a dash of holy hope. Caroline is a gifted time-crosser living two lives: one as a disguised cabin boy aboard a pirate ship in 1727, the other as a preacher’s daughter caught up in Prohibition-era drama in 1927 St. Paul. The twists are fun, the romance is swoony, and the tension never lets up. As a Minnesota native, I loved the Twin Cities references—every landmark was familiar and warmly nostalgic. Meyer, who once worked for the Minnesota Historical Society, knows her stuff. That comes through loud and clear, especially in the informative author’s note. […]
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A Gripping Cat-and-Mouse Thriller
Terri Blackstock’s If I Run kicks off like a shot and doesn’t let up. When Casey Cox finds her best friend murdered—and her own DNA at the scene—she bolts. Not because she’s guilty, but because she knows the police won’t believe her. With a traumatic past and deep distrust of law enforcement, Casey is on the run with only her instincts. Enter Dylan Roberts, a war vet with PTSD, hired to bring her in. At first, he believes she’s guilty. But as he digs deeper, the story doesn’t add up—and neither does Casey. Told in alternating points of view, the book builds tension and empathy as the stakes climb. Both characters are […]
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