What's Val Reading? (March 2018)

Can you believe it's already the end of March? And that I'm actually posting Val's monthly recap in the month it covers? (It's only happening because I'm up late listening to the Cubs-Marlins game, and we're in the 16th inning. I do not understand why there are no ties in baseball. I say go to 12 and then call it. But MLB isn't exactly knocking down my door, asking my opinion!)

"Winning Miss Winthrop" by Carolyn Miller

I don't know if Carolyn Miller is becoming a better writer or if I'm just becoming more appreciative of her writing style. (I suspect it's a mix of the two.) Whatever is happening, though, I find that I love each of Miller's novels more than the last, and Winning Miss Winthrop, the first in her new "A Promise of Hope" series, is one of the best books I've read so far this year!

"Sugar and Spice" by Shari L. Tapscott

Over the last few months, I've been reading Shari L. Tapscott's Glitter & Sparkle series. I loved the first book (with a few reservations) and felt ambivalent about the second, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue the series ... but after a good but fairly heavy read, I was looking for something light, so I picked up the third book, Sugar and Spice.

Book or Movie? "The Sweetest Heart"

Here we go with another Book or Movie post ... and, wouldn't you know, it features a Hallmark Channel Original 🤣.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring TBR

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Let's be honest: my TBR pile is ridiculous. So, for the purposes of this post, I'm going with ten books already in my possession that I hope to read before the end of the school year. And yes, you've seen some of these on previous Top Ten Tuesday posts. Here we go ...

"Shine and Shimmer" by Shari L. Tapscott

I finished reading Shari L. Tapscott's Glitter and Sparkle with a dilemma. I liked it. A lot. But I was torn because, for as engaging (and clean) as it was, it also crossed what I felt were some ethical, if not moral, lines. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue the series, but then I found the second book in the series, Shine and Shimmer, on my Kindle. Apparently I got it as a freebie last summer. Since I own it, I figured I may as well read it.

"The Innkeeper's Daughter" by Michelle Griep

Just over a year ago, I read Michelle Griep's The Captive Heart. While it wasn't a novel I'd normally go for, I saw so many glowing reviews from bloggers I trust that I decided to give it a chance. I loved it, and Griep instantly became one of my must-read authors. That made the decision really easy when I had the opportunity to request a review copy of her new novel The Innkeeper's Daughter.

"Why I Hate Green Beans" by Lincee Ray

I can't remember exactly when I discovered Lincee Ray. I think it was sometime around 2011 (I know this because I remember where I sat as I read and laughed over her recaps, and it was in a house I lived in from 2011-2013), and I don't know if I found her first or if it was one of my Bachelor-loving friends. Either way, we all loved the Bachelor recaps on her I Hate Green Beans blog.

"The Star" Available Now

This is a sponsored post in partnership with FlyBy Promotions and Sony Pictures.

Visit the website.

Just before Christmas, I saw trailers for a new animated film called The Star. Normally, I'm really leery about adaptations of Bible stories, but I started seeing good reviews from places like Plugged In. Then I asked my three little cousins about it, and they were practically yelling over each other in their excitement to tell me about it. (Their favorite character is Bo the Donkey, by the way.)

"Heart's Desire" by Catherine Lanigan

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

***Premiering as The Sweetest Heart on the Hallmark Channel March 17th 9 PM ET***

By now, you know that I'm loving comparing books and the movies based on them. So when I came across a tour for Catherine Lanigan's Heart's Desire, which was being made into a Hallmark movie, I just couldn't resist 😉.

"Keturah" by Lisa T. Bergren

I've been reading Lisa T. Bergren's books for more than 20 years now. Whether she's writing contemporary romance, historical fiction, or YA time travel romance, her books are always compelling. So when I heard about her new series, set in the Caribbean in the 1770s, I knew I wanted to read it.

"The Sea Before Us" by Sarah Sundin

It's a great day when I can open up a new Sarah Sundin book! For some reason, though, I'm always a bit nervous when her new book is the first in a series—maybe because I've loved her previous series so much that I'm afraid the new one won't measure up. Well, that's not a problem with her new Sunrise at Normandy series—I absolutely loved The Sea Before Us!

"A Loyal Heart" by Jody Hedlund

Last year, I finished (or so I thought) Jody Hedlund's delightful medieval YA romance trilogy ... so I was pleasantly surprised to learn she'd written a fourth book! I'd thought that no couple could top Bennet and Sabine from For Love & Honor, but Aldric and Olivia certainly give them a run for their money!