2017 Mini Reviews

I write a lot of book reviews. (Many of you are saying, "duh," right now.) But did you know that I read more books than I review? Over the past year, I've read a handful of books that, for whatever reason, I didn't review. But I do have thoughts about them (of course I do!), so I thought I'd do a mini review wrap up of the ones I remember reading.

"The Wanderers" by Meg Howrey

I began The Wanderers with high hopes—it was being compared to The Martian, which I loved. But this is nothing like The Martian ... the characters don't even actually go to Mars! (I did recognize a few sciencey/spacey terms from The Martian, but that was were the similarities ended.)

Top Ten Book Reviews of 2017

It's hard to believe, but the calendar tells me we're at the end of 2017! While I'm nowhere near ready to publish my favorite books list yet (though hopefully it won't take me as long as the 2016 list did), I thought I'd pull together the top ten reviews by page view... because that doesn't require any deliberation on my part 🙂.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2018

Happy Wednesday! This Top Ten Tuesday didn't get posted on Tuesday because of spending time with my family ... and it's been mostly a good time!

Our family Christmas won't be until this coming Saturday, but we did have a mini celebration on Christmas.

Blendy and I decided to wear ugly Christmas sweaters, but I neglected to get a full-on picture 🙁. We ate lots of food, watched Christmas movies, played games, put together a puzzle, and just enjoyed being together. It was a practically perfect day.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Hope Santa Brings

When I was growing up, my mom always gave each of us kids a book for Christmas, so this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic, Books I Hope Santa Brings, is perfect! Maybe this post will even inspire Mom to put a book under the tree this year 🙂.

"A Dangerous Legacy" by Elizabeth Camden

Elizabeth Camden is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers of historical inspirational romance. Her latest novel, A Dangerous Legacy, kept me captivated from start to finish.

"One Enchanted Noël" by Melissa Tagg

Is there anything better than Maple Valley at Christmas? I don't think so 🙂. For the third consecutive Christmas, Melissa Tagg enchants with her Enchanted Christmas collection.

"A Time to Stand" by Robert Whitlow

In a story that feels ripped from the headlines, Robert Whitlow takes readers to a small town divided by racial tensions.

"All Things Now Living" by Rondi Bauer Olson

A few years ago, YA dystopian novels—like The Hunger Games and Divergent—were all the rage. I (like many others, I imagine) tired of the genre, and it's been ages since I've read YA dystopian. But All Things Now Living caught my eye, and I decided to give it a chance.

"The Happiness Pact" by Liz Flaherty

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

I love a good "best friends falling in love" story. That premise is what drew me to The Happiness Pact, a book in the Harlequin Heartwarming line.

"Lady Jayne Disappears" by Joanna Davidson Politano

I used to read mysteries all the time. As a child, I devoured every Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys book I could get my hands on. Though it's a completely different setting, Lady Jayne Disappears has a similar feel to those mysteries I so loved.

"Runaway Romance" by Miralee Ferrell

As a general rule, I don't like Amish romances ... and that buggy on the cover of Runaway Romance certainly makes it look like an Amish romance! (It's not really, by the way, but it looks like it!) I would've given the book a hard pass had I not recognized Trevor Donovan (of Hallmark's Marry Me at Christmas and the CW's 90210 reboot) on the cover. Then I realized it was being made into a movie, and, well, I've been all about that lately!

Book or Movie? "The Mistletoe Inn"

Why yes, I have read/watched another book & Hallmark movie pair! This one is The Mistletoe Inn, and it's the most enjoyable pair yet! (See my thoughts on Miss Christmas and Marry Me at Christmas.)