Review + Giveaway: "Holy Roar" by Chris Tomlin

It's time for another music review and giveaway! Chris Tomlin is one of America's favorite worship leaders, and I was able to preview his new album. I also have a copy to give away, so be sure to click keep reading for info about that!

Book or Movie? "Coming Home for Christmas"

Now that Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas is back, it's time to restart my "Book or Movie" series! This first post is actually about a movie that premiered on Hallmark Channel during the 2017 holiday season, but I didn't get it written then. I just rewatched the movie today, so I decided it was time to get this review written 😊.

File this under "I don't know when else to tell you so I'm doing it here": I've decided to do mini review/hot takes of all the new Christmas movies I watch this year on my Instagram stories. So follow me here, and then let me know if you agree with my takes on the movies!

Review: "Shelter of the Most High" by Connilyn Cossette

I don't read a lot of biblical fiction, but there are a few authors I can't pass up. One of them is Connilyn Cossette; I loved the first book in her Cities of Refuge series, and I was eager to continue the story with Shelter of the Most High.

First Line Fridays: "A Sparkle of Silver"

It's finally Friday! I have a big work event tonight, so the weekend won't really start until about 9:30 p.m., but ... once I get home, I'll be able to turn on a Christmas movie! I just love Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas 😃. While some of the films are, yes, horribly cheesy, I still watch them all, and I always find a few that I love. I made a couple lists of favorites a few years ago (here and here), but I'm thinking it's time for an update.

Review: "#Starstruck" by Sariah Wilson

Here's the thing: it's becoming more and more difficult to tell which books will be clean and which ones won't. I've started some books that looked (and sounded) like they'd be heat-level sweet that turned out to be filled with swearing and sex. Then there are books like #Starstruck that look like they might be erotica but are actually clean. It's so hard to tell, even when you read reviews, which I always do. (I'm not taking about Christian books here, just ones in the general market.)

#Starstruck isn't a book I'd normally pick up, but it was available thru Prime reading, and the reviews made it sound fairly clean. I decided to give it a shot.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (10-22-18)

Happy Monday! I wasn't so sure at the beginning of the day if it would be a happy Monday. Remember that cracked tooth I talked about a few weeks ago? Well, it broke/chipped on Friday. So I went to my dentist this morning with visions of dollar signs in my head, fearful that I'd need a crown. He took one look and said he could fix it with a filling. Just over $100, as opposed to upwards of $1,000? I'll take the filling, thank you very much! I'm such a fan of my dentist! (Dr. Maas in Fullerton, for any of you locals.)

Review: "A Shoe Addict's Christmas" by Beth Harbison

Over the last year, I've really enjoyed reading book that are being made into Hallmark movies. This year's Countdown to Christmas features many movies based on novels, but my local library only has two: A Shoe Addict's Christmas and The Second Sister. My hold on A Shoe Addict's Christmas came in first, so here we go ...

First Line Fridays: "Shelter of the Most High"

Happy Friday! Since it's fall, I thought my First Line Fridays graphic needed a little update—the old one looked very summerish. This one should last me through both fall and winter 😊.

Review: "Enchanting Nicholette" by Dawn Crandall

After Dawn Crandall's The Cautious Maiden released two years ago, I assumed The Everstone Chronicles had reached their end. But then Crandall announced that Enchanting Nicholette would continue the story, so of course I had to read it 🙂.

Review: "Hidden Peril" by Irene Hannon

I'm a big fan of Irene Hannon's Hope Harbor series, which reminds me of Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove. I knew that Hannon also wrote romantic suspense, but I'd never read any of hers ... until now. I had no idea what I was missing!

Review: "Rose in Three Quarter Time" by Rachel McMillan

A few weeks ago, my Twitter feed started blowing up with mentions of Rose in Three Quarter Time. I didn't really know much about it, but when I looked it up and saw that it 1) only cost 99¢ and 2) featured a marriage of convenience (my favorite trope ever), I decided to get it.

Review: "A Tale of Two Hearts" by Michelle Griep

After recently reading 12 Days at Blakely Manor, I couldn't wait to continue the Once upon a Dickens Christmas series with A Tale of Two Hearts!

First Line Fridays: "A Tale of Two Hearts"

Happy Friday! It's been a long week, thanks in part to the marathon Cubs game on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning ... which ended (finally!) after 13 innings. It didn't go the way I wanted and ended the Cubs' season. And, while I wish they could've gone all the way (or at least beyond the Wild Card), I'm also kind of relieved ... because I'll be getting WAY more sleep this October than I did the last two Octobers! I've also enjoyed watching some stress-free baseball over the last couple of days, and I'm struck once again just how strange it is that I like baseball. I love the Cubs, but I actually enjoy baseball even when the Cubs aren't involved. I guess people really can change 🤣.

Review: "The Christmas Heirloom" by Karen Witemeyer, Kristi Ann Hunter, Sarah Loudin Thomas, & Becky Wade

I love a good Christmas novella. I love Becky Wade's writing. So when the two combine, well, that's magic 😃.

The Christmas Heirloom: Four Holiday Novellas of Love through the Generations is a collection of novellas, written by four popular inspy fiction writers, spanning from the 1820s through today. All are loosely connected to the others, and all are delightful.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (10-1-18)

It's Monday again ... and it's been a Monday, if you know what I mean. My day started out at the dentist, where I learned what I feared: I have a cracked tooth. It's apparently not terrible yet, so we can take a watch and wait approach, but eventually I'll need a crown. Joy.