Can't Wait Wednesday: The Widow of Woodlark Cottage by Julie Klassen

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm featuring The Widow of Woodlark Cottage by Julie Klassen releasing December 1.

SYNOPSIS

A daughter's quest, an unfinished manuscript, a mysterious estate, and two men vying for her wounded heart.

Young widow Elizabeth Eaton resides with her late husband's cold, critical family. When she learns her estranged father, a writer and naturalist, has died at a rented cottage on the North Devonshire coast, Elizabeth reluctantly agrees to travel there to claim his belongings and the partial draft of a new book.

When she reaches the cottage on the grounds of an estate, she is told the nearby manor house is empty, yet she sees candlelight flickering within, giving Elizabeth reason to doubt her eyes--and her safety. Finding her father's final manuscript nearly complete, Elizabeth decides to stay long enough to finish it, hoping to make amends for cutting him out of her life.

As she does, she meets two very different men, a charming seafarer who fills her head with local legends and an aloof man of business with his own agenda. Strange, frightening incidents begin to occur, and Elizabeth must decide which man to trust when her life--and her heart--are in danger.

Julie Klassen pens a captivating historical romance for fans of Jane Austen set on the coast of Devonshire in Regency-era England brimming with intrigue, mystery, secrets, and a second chance at love.

What upcoming release are you eagerly awaiting?

Review: The Burning Tree by Helen Dent

SYNOPSIS

There’s a secret growing in the woods.

In Ellie Caster’s town of Bishop’s Gap, the Casters and the powerful Levy family have been feuding for generations. The families share just one thing in common—they both dread the mark, a scorch that appears at random on their doors, bringing a curse from the Burning Tree.

When the mark hits Ellie’s door, her sister Jean falls into a coma. Ellie knows the Burning Tree is to blame, and desperate to save her sister, she braves the forbidden woods to confront it. But this choice ignites a chain of unintended consequences, forcing her to work with her nemesis, Charlotte Levy.

Together, they must complete an impossible task, uncover the ancient secret of Bishop’s Gap, and end the curse before time runs out for their entire town.

Amazon / Enclave Publishing / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

Y’all! This book was so good! The premise sounded awesome, but the book itself exceeded all of my expectations. It had all the haunting and atmospheric vibes I love. It’s the perfect spooky season read.

The intrigue surrounding the tree and the mystery of what was going to happen next made for a really exciting read. It was a race against time to fix things, and the suspense just kept building. I finished this book in record time. I couldn’t read it fast enough. It reminded me a bit of some older YA books, but it was also very unique in its own way. I loved it and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys lightly spooky YA books.

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS

Friday Book Snippets: The Burning Tree by Helen Dent

Friday Book Snippets is a weekly blogging event co-hosted by Anne@HeadFullofBooks and Olivia at Bemused and Bookish. Directions: Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a. the book's beginning and b. page 56 (or another page) in the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.

This week I'm featuring The Burning Tree by Helen Dent. This was a really great, lightly spooky read. I loved it!

SYNOPSIS

There’s a secret growing in the woods.

In Ellie Caster’s town of Bishop’s Gap, the Casters and the powerful Levy family have been feuding for generations. The families share just one thing in common—they both dread the mark, a scorch that appears at random on their doors, bringing a curse from the Burning Tree.

When the mark hits Ellie’s door, her sister Jean falls into a coma. Ellie knows the Burning Tree is to blame, and desperate to save her sister, she braves the forbidden woods to confront it. But this choice ignites a chain of unintended consequences, forcing her to work with her nemesis, Charlotte Levy.

Together, they must complete an impossible task, uncover the ancient secret of Bishop’s Gap, and end the curse before time runs out for their entire town.

Book Beginning / First Line

It was almost a perfect afternoon.

Snippet from 56%

Aunt Ruby opened her front door with its faded mark, eyes tired. “So, are you here for the night or just a change of clothes?”

What have you been reading lately?

Can't Wait Wednesday: She Will End This by Colleen Coble & Rick Acker

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm featuring She Will End This by Colleen Coble & Rick Acker releasing November 10.

SYNOPSIS

True crime writer Britt Olsen knows the minds of monsters. She never expected to share their DNA.

A simple DNA test shatters everything Britt believes about her past. The father she loved was not her biological parent, and the mother she trusted has spent decades hiding her CIA past. Worse, Britt's real father is a disgraced Mossad assassin known in the intelligence underworld as Abaddon.

Before Britt can process the truth, violence strikes.

Five-year-old Willow Hamilton--the president's granddaughter--is kidnapped, and Abaddon becomes the prime suspect. Determined to help rescue the child, Britt joins forces with FBI Special Agent Stein Nordahl, a man who has spent years hunting the assassin responsible for his own father's death.

As the search intensifies, Britt and Stein uncover a web of secrets that reaches deep into the intelligence world. Forced on the run through the unforgiving Pacific Northwest wilderness, they face deadly ambushes, corrupt agents, and betrayals from people they thought they could trust.

But time is running out for Willow.

To save the girl and stop Abaddon's catastrophic plans, Britt must confront the darkest question of all--whether she is defined by the blood in her veins or the choices she makes.

Because the world's most dangerous assassin has finally come looking for his daughter.

And in a battle shaped by secrets, betrayal, and faith, Britt must decide what kind of legacy she will claim.

What upcoming release are you eagerly awaiting?

Review: A Christmas Like This (The Maple Lake Collection | Falling for Flannel Book 4) by Jessica Kate

SYNOPSIS

She doesn’t believe in Christmas. He doesn’t believe in giving up on her.

Holly Evans has thirty-seven dollars in the bank, a foam chicken hat on her head, and one last shot at the screenwriting career she’s been clinging to since she was twenty-one. The offer? A small-town Christmas rom-com. Six-week deadline. And a producer who didn’t want her thriller about Santa losing his magic—but loved the idea as a romance.

There’s only one tiny problem. Holly is the least Christmassy person in the Western Hemisphere. She’s an Aussie. She wouldn’t know a snow angel if she tripped over one. Not to mention her family hasn’t done a real Christmas dinner since the divorce.

Enter Joe Winters. Maple Lake, Minnesota. Tourism consultant. Christmas personified. The guy who once got fired for decorating the public bathroom as Santa’s Official Bathroom. His career is on the line too—he needs Maple Lake to land as a streamer Christmas-movie filming location, and he needs Holly to fall in love with the town badly enough to write it into her script.

She came to write a love story. She didn’t plan on starring in one.

But Joe’s picture-perfect Christmases hide something. And the more Holly digs, the more she wonders what Mr. Mistletoe is really protecting.

She’s spent a decade convincing herself she doesn’t need Christmas. He’s spent a decade convincing the rest of the town to believe harder. Six weeks. One Aussie screenwriter pretending to feel the magic. One small-town tourism guy quietly carrying more than he lets on. And a script that’s about to start writing itself.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

First Line: “Holly Evans had thirty-seven dollars in the bank and a foam chicken hat on her head when the last voice she wanted to hear called out her name.”

This was such a sweet and heartwarming Christmas romance! I loved being back in Maple Falls. It’s one of my favorite fictional towns in recent memory. It's so cozy and welcoming.

Holly is a bit of a Grinch when it comes to Christmas. But she's going to have to find some holiday spirit some way, since she has a Christmas script to write. Her livelihood depends on it. Enter Joe Winters. He has an abundance of Christmas spirit. His joy for the holiday was infectious. I liked him instantly. He was a bit absentminded and didn’t always make the best first impression, but he was so relatable. So lovable. It took a bit to warm up to Holly, but I loved seeing her experience the joy of Christmas.

Even though this is book four in the series, it stands alone perfectly fine. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys small-town, faith-filled romances. I loved it.

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS

Review: The Time Door (The Eternities Book 1) by Shannon McDermott

SYNOPSIS

A reckless last mission on Mars, a crusade for justice on Earth . . .

Reuben Jackson is the only one who still cares about Mars. In the shambles of the Great Collapse, Earth has abandoned the Mars explorers to their fate. But Reuben will make a stand for the Mars team—even against the powerfully united politicians and scientists. In too deep, he discovers hidden conspiracies and unexpected allies.

As the conflict mounts on Earth, time runs down on Mars. Left to face Mars alone, Commander Donegan Moynihan and his team have no hope of surviving after their supplies are gone. Willing to accept a quicker death than starvation, the explorers strike out on a dangerous mission. They venture deep inside the ancient volcano of Arsia Mons, into perils and secrets long buried. What they discover would move mountains on Earth—but will it be enough to save themselves?

Amazon / Enclave Publishing Store / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

I loved this book so much! I was immediately pulled in, and it still hasn’t let me go. I’m still thinking about it. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to start it all over again.

I liked that this book took place on both Earth and on Mars. It was really interesting seeing what was going on in both places and following along with all the characters. There were several different POVs, but they never got confusing.

Earth was going through a great economic collapse, and things were pretty dire. It was dire on Mars too. With all the trouble on Earth, the researchers on Mars had pretty much been abandoned. I didn’t have a clue how anything was going to be resolved. This was not a predictable read by any means, which I loved.

There were times when I’d forget that I was reading a book. I was so fully immersed. It felt so real. If you’re a fan of science fiction, don’t hesitate to grab a copy of this book. It was so good! I’m very eager to read the sequel!

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS

Friday Book Snippets: The Time Door (The Eternities Book 1) by Shannon McDermott

Friday Book Snippets is a weekly blogging event co-hosted by Anne@HeadFullofBooks and Olivia at Bemused and Bookish. Directions: Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a. the book's beginning and b. page 56 (or another page) in the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.

This week I'm featuring The Time Door (The Eternities Book 1) by Shannon McDermott

SYNOPSIS

A reckless last mission on Mars, a crusade for justice on Earth . . .

Reuben Jackson is the only one who still cares about Mars. In the shambles of the Great Collapse, Earth has abandoned the Mars explorers to their fate. But Reuben will make a stand for the Mars team—even against the powerfully united politicians and scientists. In too deep, he discovers hidden conspiracies and unexpected allies.

As the conflict mounts on Earth, time runs down on Mars. Left to face Mars alone, Commander Donegan Moynihan and his team have no hope of surviving after their supplies are gone. Willing to accept a quicker death than starvation, the explorers strike out on a dangerous mission. They venture deep inside the ancient volcano of Arsia Mons, into perils and secrets long buried. What they discover would move mountains on Earth—but will it be enough to save themselves?

Book Beginning / First Line

Night covered Mars. Stars pricked the black sky, cold points of light, and the moon opened wide a bright eye.

Snippet from 54%

"You know, Killiam, we could use a new plan."

What have you been reading lately?