"P.S. I Like You" by Kasie West

I've been having some serious bad luck with YA novels recently—two 1-1/2 star books in a row—so, as a palate cleanser, I turned to my old standby, Kasie West. She didn't let me down!

Book or Movie? "Unleashing Mr. Darcy"

Welcome to the first "Book or Movie?" that doesn't feature a Christmas book/movie combo!

Unleashing Mr. Darcy is a book by Teri Wilson and a Hallmark original movie starring Ryan Paevey and Cindy Busby.

"Alex, Approximately" by Jenn Bennett

Fair warning. This review is going to contain lots of spoilers ... if you consider Alex's identity a spoiler, which I really don't, as the book's description tells you. But if you don't want to know, don't read any farther.

"The Ladies of Ivy Cottage" by Julie Klassen

When I started reading The Ladies of Ivy Cottage, it took me about three pages to remember just how much I enjoyed the first book in Julie Klassen's Tales from Ivy Hill series, and my enjoyment just kept increasing the farther I read ... I was so engrossed that I read the entire novel in one day!

Best Books of 2017: Top Ten

Thank you, snow day, for giving me the time to work on this today! Otherwise, it might've been March before I finished (like it was last year)!

"Isaiah's Daughter" by Mesu Andrews

While biblical fiction isn't normally one of my chosen genres, I've really enjoyed some of Lynn Austin and Connilynn Cossette's books. When I heard about Mesu Andrews' Isaiah's Daughter, I was immediately intrigued by this story of a captive who would become queen. And, for better or worse, I'm not well versed enough in Old Testament history to know what would happen in the story, so I figured it would all be pretty much brand new to me!

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2018

Welcome to the first Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! I figured a change in venue (from The Broke and the Bookish to That Artsy Reader Girl) called for a change in graphic, too! This new graphic makes me happy because a) it's purple, and b) it makes me think of spring. With our recent sub-zero temps here in Nebraska, I'm definitely ready for spring!

"You're Gonna Love Me" by Robin Lee Hatcher

Robin Lee Hatcher has long been one of those romance writers whose books I enjoy reading when I get the chance. Her books are romantic and engaging, but they generally haven't been "unputdownable" for me. That all changed with You're Gonna Love Me, a book that I read in just a couple hours as I was so completely immersed in the story!

"The Sound of Rain" by Sarah Loudin Thomas

In The Sound of Rain, Sarah Loudin Thomas takes readers to the poverty of Appalachia and the wealth of Myrtle Beach in the 1950s.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Intended to Read in 2017

Happy Tuesday! I'm still working on my Best of 2017 list (the books are selected, but now I have to rank them and write about them ...), but in the meantime, here's another Top Ten Tuesday! I could've picked probably upwards of 30 books for this list of Books I Intended to Read in 2017 but Didn't, but I'm limiting myself to ten here. You're welcome 😉.

"Deeds of Darkness" by Mel Starr

Most of the Christian fiction I'm aware of is geared toward women. (Maybe this is just because I seek out what I like, and what I like is romance and women's fiction, but I'm positive that more Christian fiction books are written with women as the intended audience.) That's where Mel Starr's Hugh de Singleton books are different—they're inspirational medieval fiction, but they're not romance, and they're written from a male perspective. While this isn't something I'd normally gravitate toward, I find these books to be a breath of fresh air.

What's Val Reading? (December 2017)

You may have noticed we didn't have a "What's Val Reading?" for November. That's because Val and her husband moved during November, so she didn't have time for much reading! But now she's back with her December reads.

"The Practice Boyfriend" by Christina Benjamin

Well, it's January 4, and I have my first "dud" of the reading year. It was bound to happen, right? But did it really have to be my third book of the year?

It's my fault, really. I got this book through the Kindle Owner's Lending Library without reading any reviews, but author Christina Benjamin was compared to Kasie West, and you know I love me some Kasie West! Plus, the title brought to mind the adorable Adorkable, which is another fake boyfriend book that I really enjoyed reading last year.

"Coming Home for Christmas" by Jenny Hale

During the Christmas season, I watched Hallmark's new movie Coming Home for Christmas. I really enjoyed it, and when I saw it was based on a novel, I knew I wanted to read the book, too. I checked out the ebook using the Kindle Owner's Lending Library ... and then promptly forgot about it until New Year's Eve, when the movie aired again on Hallmark. I started reading while the movie was on, and soon the novel had all of my attention.

Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors in 2017

While I'm still laboring over my Top Ten Books of 2017, I decided to take a break and knock out this week's Top Ten Tuesday, as it's a pretty easy one: Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2017. I read a lot of new-to-me authors in 2017, so here are the first ten to come to mind 😉.

"Troubled Waters" by Susan May Warren

Is it too soon to have a candidate for my best books of 2018 list? Because I do. Troubled Waters is every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped it would be!