Happy Friday! Today I am featuring Waylaid, a romantic suspense novel by Jerusha Agen. It’s been a suspense-filled few months, at least in my reading life 😉 , and I am slowly catching up on posting. I’ll be filling the blog with reviews and FLF posts in the coming weeks. Waylaid is the first book in Agen’s Windy City Westons series which features the Chicago-based Weston siblings. This novel centers on a competitive biker — a new subject for me.
Here’s the first line:
A pop pierced the night.
Someone wants to kill her. She wants the killer to finish the job.
Spring Weston will do anything to rise in the ranks of pro cycling and prove she isn’t the one failure of the five Weston siblings. Anything except cheat. When she learns of doping on her cycling team, she’s determined to uncover the truth. But she can’t if she’s dead.
Sergeant Torin Cotter may not be the hero the public thinks he is, but he recognizes fear when he sees it. When he takes over the investigation of the collision that landed Spring in the hospital, he’s compelled to protect her from whatever danger she’s in, even though he knows he might fail. Again.
Spring’s faith in God isn’t enough to help her face the living nightmare she awakened to after the accident. But neither she nor the handsome sergeant see the greater threat that’s coming until it’s too late.
If they’re going to survive, Spring and Torin will not only have to confront their worst fears—they’ll have to find a reason to live.
Waylaid is the first installment in the thrilling Windy City Westons Christian romantic suspense series that features five siblings who encounter danger, love, and God in the city of Chicago. (Each book can stand alone or be read as series installments.)
If you enjoy nail-biting suspense, love-at-first-sight romance, and faith-infused reads that bring you closer to God, then you’ll love Jerusha Agen’s romantic thrill-ride.
Jerusha Agen is a Christy Award finalist who imagines danger around every corner but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes romantic suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Visit Jerusha’s Amazon Author page to find more of her thrilling, redemptive stories.
Love Makes Way is a romantic suspense novel in Hallee Bridgeman‘s Love And Honor series. I had previously read two books by Bridgeman before picking this one up. As with all of the books I have read by her, this novel focuses on current active duty and former military members. I really like how Bridgeman portrays her characters. They are honorable, dutiful, and loyal, yet they are not immune to the rigors and dangers of the jobs they carry out. In Love Makes Way, Jerry McBride is a sniper on a special forces team. He crosses paths with Army nurse Olive Duncan more than once, and their romance blooms. The first half of the book follows their growing relationship, while the details of the deployments Jerry has shows just what he is facing in his job. What a great way to show the tension that exists in the lives of our servicemen and women. Then the danger begins as a destination wedding on a cruise ship quickly mimics a black ops mission. There is no shortage of adrenaline-laced action that I think would appeal to men and women readers alike. I don’t know how accurate all of the military scenes were in the book, but I did know that I loved every minute of them. And I am one to cover my eyes during war movies. 😉 If you like a military suspense with realistic romance, then I recommend you try Loves Makes Way.
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I borrowed this book from Kindle+. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
U.S. Army Special Forces sniper Gerald “Jerry” McBride is no stranger to danger, but his heart faces uncharted territory when he reconnects with surgical nurse Olive Duncan. Years after she patched his wounds in a German hospital, their chance reunion at Fort Campbell sparks a romance that sweeps both of them off their feet. When Jerry invites Olive as his plus-one to a friend’s wedding on a Caribbean cruise, he’s ready to take the leap with a ring in his pocket.
But the ship’s idyllic voyage hides a deadly undercurrent. A Chinese-backed plot to smuggle thousands of weapons into Haiti threatens to destabilize the region, and the pirates orchestrating it have infiltrated the crew.
When the pirates take the cruise ship with Jerry’s special forces team on board, it turns the wedding venue from a celebration into a battlefield.
They have no weapons and no gear. Can they take back the ship and save the people they love, or will celebration turn to tragedy?
Hallee Bridgeman is the USA TODAY bestselling and Carol Award-winning author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. Her books have been downloaded over a million times. Hallee loves living in Kentucky, drinking really good coffee, watching campy action movies, going on regular date nights with her husband, and spending time with her children. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her. An accomplished speaker and active member of several writing organizations, she can be reached via her website.
Happy release day to Kristi Ann Hunter! Her latest book is a Christmas romance, Creating Christmas. I am so excited to add this romance to my holiday TBR. Check it out below.
Ivy Bauer loves everything about Christmas—including the abundance of Heartfelt Channel movies that come out every year. It doesn’t hurt that a lot of them have filmed on the property of her cozy log cabin.
When Spencer Dean shows up to set and reveals he doesn’t believe in cheer as much as his characters do, Ivy decides to challenge everything he thinks he knows about the holiday. He pushes back, but Ivy isn’t just another cheerful distraction on a film set. She’s a woman with a purpose, a painful past, and a faith strong enough to make him question the walls he’s spent years building.
What begins as an argument over decorations and Christmas spirit turns into something much more dangerous: honesty. As the movie shoots toward its final scenes, Spencer must decide whether protecting himself is worth losing the one person who sees him clearly. And Ivy must decide whether loving a man this wounded means opening her heart to a future she never planned. Because sometimes the hardest part of Christmas isn’t believing in miracles.
It’s believing you deserve one.
Kristi Ann Hunter graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Computer Science but always knew she wanted to write. In addition to several pre-published contests, Kristi is a Rita award winner and has also been a finalist in the INSPY, Christy, and GRW Maggie Award of Excellence. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia. Find her online at www.kristiannhunter.com.
Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all who have served our nation — your and your family’s sacrifices are very much appreciated! If you are off work today, here are a few suggestions for your reading time (I know that is worked into your celebration plans 😉 ). All feature veterans. Enjoy your day!
Battle Charged by Hannah Hood Lucero
Silence kills.
As a professional body builder, Gatlin Baker knows fitness. And as a survivor of a chronic diagnosis and a broken family, he’s no stranger to overcoming insurmountable odds. Yet no one has ever mystified him more than the laser-focused young woman who comes to his gym at five o’clock every morning to complete a flawless routine. Something other than a training goal is motivating the army medic he secretly nicknames “Athena.” Gatlin wants to figure it out, but her story is far darker and more complicated than he ever imagined.
Randee Carter’s whole world came crashing down in one week’s time. Now she’s threatened with the loss of her career, while ghosts of the past keep haunting her at every turn. Betrayed by those closest to her and plagued with guilt and grief, whom can she trust, and how will she ever find answers to move forward in her life?
As Gatlin and Randee draw together in a blossoming romance, dark forces close in, threatening to rip them apart. Will the truths kept silent too long be revealed before it’s too late?
Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason
Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others–but her days of helping military personnel are over. She’s got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she’s not equipped to take on more. Former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James could handle anything that war sent his way–terrorists, bombs, bullets. The only thing that scares him now is sleep. As the shadows close in, the nightmares begin.
Finally convinced that he needs help, Asher makes an appointment with a counselor, and Brooke is pressed by her boss to take him on. When he arrives at her office she isn’t there–but a dead body is. Brooke is devastated when she walks in, and Asher is a conveniently strong shoulder to cry on. But she can’t take him on as a client after sharing such an intimate and unprofessional moment, can she? And he’s not sure he can handle sharing his deepest fears with such a beautiful woman.
Love Makes Way by Hallee Bridgeman
U.S. Army Special Forces sniper Gerald “Jerry” McBride is no stranger to danger, but his heart faces uncharted territory when he reconnects with surgical nurse Olive Duncan. Years after she patched his wounds in a German hospital, their chance reunion at Fort Campbell sparks a romance that sweeps both of them off their feet. When Jerry invites Olive as his plus-one to a friend’s wedding on a Caribbean cruise, he’s ready to take the leap with a ring in his pocket.
But the ship’s idyllic voyage hides a deadly undercurrent. A Chinese-backed plot to smuggle thousands of weapons into Haiti threatens to destabilize the region, and the pirates orchestrating it have infiltrated the crew.
When the pirates take the cruise ship with Jerry’s special forces team on board, it turns the wedding venue from a celebration into a battlefield.
They have no weapons and no gear. Can they take back the ship and save the people they love, or will celebration turn to tragedy?
Title:Sky Kiss Author:Kathy Maresca Publisher: Porches & Planes Press Release Date: November 1, 2026 Genre: Second Chance Romance
When love gets grounded, can it learn to fly again?
The same day her special operations wing leaves for a rescue mission, Sergeant Rubi Wesson abruptly departs the Air Force. After becoming a successful counselor specializing in neurologic disorders, her military days seem like a distant dream.
When the September 11th tragedy brings the country to its knees, Rubi learns about a plane crash involving Flynn Fletcher, the pilot she loved but could never land. Locked in a toxic marriage, she is tormented by lingering questions and unshakable regrets.
The rehabilitation counselor becomes single again, daring to reconcile her losses. She uncovers what she buried so long ago, her what if. Will Rubi have the courage to reach into the past and chart a new course?
Excerpt
Tossing in the early morning darkness, Rubi is awakened by one of her pooches. The dog yelps before darting to the foot of the bed. Barely aware of her surroundings, she finds herself tangled up in sheets, wrestling with a dream where she was back in the Air Force with Flynn Fletcher. He stands at the door of an airplane, telling her will die over there. Her uniform hat, forbidden attire on the flightline, is caught by the wind. It sails through the air, sucked into a slow-motion tornado. She tries to run after it, but it is beyond her grasp. A siren sounds. When she turns back to Flynn, he and the airplane are gone.
Morning sunlight and the aroma of Café Verona coffee brewing in her kitchen awaken Rubi from her dream. Her iPhone alarm continues to bonk, similar to the siren that blasted in her dream. Flynn, her young love, died before he could grow old. His plane crashed when he was flying a mission so many years earlier, somewhere over there.
Air Force veteran Kathy Maresca served at the USAF Academy and then in special operations at Hurlburt Field. She edited for the University of Florida and taught English, journalism, and drama. A trigeminal neuralgia overcomer, Kathy is a retired credentialed rehabilitation counselor who has helped others experiencing facial pain. She lives in North Carolina with her husband Keith and their three dogs. Her debut novel, Porch Music, was a Christy Awards finalist.
Connect with Kathy by visiting kathymaresca.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will each receive a $25 Amazon gift card plus a Sky Kiss tote bag, Sky Kiss microfiber cloth, and Sky Kiss coasters!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 11, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 18, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Happy Tuesday! Don’t you love it when a character seems real? I often (but thankfully, not always) describe favorite characters as real and relatable. It was a great phrase to use to search my reviews for this week’s TTT prompt book characters I wish were real people. If you’re like me, you already feel like they are real 😉 . I was excited to see the variety of genres my search yielded. I hope you find a book to love.
Today I am featuring the debut Victorian-era romance novel Garden of Opportunities by Keira Cooley. Keira is an up-and-coming author who is in high school! I love that young adults are writing and publishing books that reflect their Christian values. Be sure to give this new author’s book a look.
A clean Victorian Christian romance about two orphans, a London house divided by class, and a God who is still writing the story.
London, 1837. Patrick is nine years old when tuberculosis takes both of his parents. He is sent from the only home he has known to live with his aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Whitfield. In their house he meets Josie, a workhouse girl who never knew her parents and now scrubs the Whitfield kitchens as a scullery maid.
Friendship between them should be impossible. It becomes the truest thing either child has.
Then Lady Whitfield moves to settle an old score. Josie is gone. Separated by rank, by cruelty, and by forces he cannot yet name, Patrick has to find out what happened to the one person who saw him as more than an orphan with a future title. He will have to learn the strict social rules of his time. He will have to decide whether real love can survive the darkest corners of his life, and whether he can trust God for a greater plan.
Garden of Opportunities is Keira Cooley’s debut novel: a wholesome coming-of-age historical romance for Christian young women, from thoughtful teens to the adults who still want a clean Victorian story of faith, friendship, and providence. No spice. No cynicism. Plenty of heart.
Keira Cooley is a high school student from Southern California with a passion for history and world-building. She enjoys reading, writing, playing volleyball, acting, and spending time with friends and family. This is her debut novel, and she hopes to continue writing for many years to come.
Happy Friday! Today I am off for a weekend of bookish fun with several book-friends! Tonight I’ll attend the Christy Award Gala and then tomorrow I will have a full day at Read Write Rendezvous. I will be exhausted but so happy by Sunday. Do you ever center your time away around book events? I’d love to hear some of your adventures.
One of the authors attending Read Write Rendezvous is Dani Pettrey. Dani is an auto-read for me. Her romantic suspense is just the thing when I need a fast-paced book. Today I am featuring Two Seconds Too Late, the second book in her Jeopardy Falls series.
Here’s are the first two lines:
Thwack. The bullet collided with the car at Riley’s back a moment before a retort echoed in the stale air of the junkyard.
A missing woman. Two hit men. When every second counts, who will survive?
In the stark but beautiful wilds of northern New Mexico, a couples’ retreat at a luxury resort turns into a chilling nightmare when a woman vanishes. Skip tracer Riley MacLeod and private investigator Greyson Chadwick pose as a couple to hunt for clues that might reveal the missing woman’s location. Those leads uncover a harrowing truth: They’re not the only ones looking for her. What begins as a normal tracking case turns into a deadly chase when they, too, become the hunted.
As Riley and Greyson work together, their partnership ignites a tumultuous attraction, but Greyson’s secrets prevent him from acting on his feelings for her, and Riley can’t bring herself to fully trust him. Delving deeper into the case, they find themselves fighting not only for justice and the chance at a loving relationship . . . but also for their very survival.
Publishers Weekly and #1 Amazon bestselling author, Dani Pettrey has sold nearly one million copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance.
Her novels stand out for their “wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly), “gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent of romance” (USA Today).
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for A Bookshop for Christmas by Heidi Chiavaroli, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About The Book
Title:A Bookshop for Christmas Author:Heidi Chiavaroli Publisher: Hope Creek Publishers Release Date: October 20, 2026 Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction
Seven estranged cousins. One ambitious project. A hundred ways it could all go very wrong.
When Brooke’s beloved grandparents die unexpectedly, their final wish brings her scattered family back to Hope Creek, including Jeremiah, the boy she once loved—the same boy who abandoned them when the Chilton clan disintegrated years ago. Despite the long-held grudges and awkward secrets that kept them all apart, Brooke and Jeremiah convince the Chilton cousins to help honor their grandparents’ last request: to take the old church they saved from destruction and turn it into a bookshop that will serve their beloved community.
And to do it all before Christmas.
But repurposing the church building may be easier than healing the deep wounds that tore their family apart. Secrets, both old and new, threaten to destroy Brooke and Jeremiah’s hope that this project could be a new beginning for all of them. With the bookstore’s opening day fast approaching and everyone’s lives upended, each cousin must discover for themselves that the greatest inheritance their grandparents left behind wasn’t a building—it was the gift of forgiveness, the power of second chances, and the enduring hope of Christmas.
Excerpt
Brooke was seven years old the first Christmas Jeremiah came to them. The snatch of time took up space in her mind like a sticky marshmallow ball of pleasant memories—gingerbread smiles, warm wool hats, clustered cousins, and grandparent giggles.
Jeremiah had climbed out of Uncle Curtis’s truck, his mother—Uncle Curtis’s new wife, Kendall—behind him.
The first thing Brooke noticed was the tear running down the side of Jeremiah’s coat. The second thing was of more worth—how his mother’s hands rested protectively on the puffy shoulders of that torn jacket. As if she was ready to do battle with anyone who so much as looked at her son sideways.
Brooke wondered what it would feel like to have a mom like that.
“Hey.” Six-year-old Shawn ran up to Jeremiah. “Want to build a snow fort?”
Kendall’s hands fell from her son’s shoulders as Jeremiah ran off with Shawn.
And just like that, Jeremiah was one of them. The cousins—a chaotic ball of energy and new ideas and adventure and igloo forts and stories and hot chocolate.
Jeremiah didn’t look like them. While the hair atop the six cousins’ heads was an array of yellow one might find in a paint store selection and their skin the result of their English heritage, Jeremiah’s skin was darker, his hair and eyes as brown as milk chocolate.
And yet Brooke always thought there was something golden about him. As if the fringes of him were lit by an ethereal glow. As if he belonged in the Storybook Bible that Gram had given her, a picture of a host of angels announcing the birth of the tiny Savior.
If you are ready for some great Christmas reading, then you definitely need to pick up A Bookshop for Christmas by HeidiChiavaroli. This contemporary novel featuring a big and a bit dysfunctional family is full of heart and the importance of legacy. The heads of the Chilton family are tragically gone, and their grandchildren are left to build on their grandparents’ belief in hospitality, community, and sticking with others through the good and the bad. Each of the 7 cousins have things to work through in their lives, but they have a strong desire to fulfill their grandparents’ dream — turning a decommissioned church into a bookstore that will serve as a hub for their small Cape Cod town. Although not all 7 cousins were given a big role in the plot of A Bookshop for Christmas, the author created a good ensemble cast, and those that were most developed really resonated with me. Their struggles were real. They had disappointments, failures, and big regrets, but they each chose to look to the faith of previous generations to rekindle their own lives. There was real growth that looked like real life. The concept of the bookshop was also heartwarming — bringing community together. The author incorporated the Rule of St. Benedict into the plot, and I am grateful to have learned about it. I was not familiar with it, since my faith is informed by a Protestant tradition, but I loved that the concepts could be incorporated into any Christian’s life. The novel’s cozy, Christmas-y vibe is perfect for the holiday season. It has warmth, faith, and a nice touch of romance while centering on reconciliation and forgiveness. It’s the perfect addition to your TBR.
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Also Available
About The Author
Heidi Chiavaroli is the award-winning author of several books, including Freedom’s Ring, The Orchard House, The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series, and the bestselling Draw Close to Jesus: 40 Encounters with the Savior for the Sacred Season of Lent. She makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband and their two sons.
Connect with Heidi by visiting heidichiavaroli.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a copy of A Bookshop for Christmas and a $75 Amazon Gift Card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 3, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 10, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
It has been a really busy year with not a lot of slowdown expected by the time it ends. My book club decided that we would meet early in December and skip a late in November discussion. We will all be in the Christmas mood, but glad for one thing to check off the to-do and to-read list. So, we will read Twelve Days And Twelfth Night by Sarah Sundin in November, but celebrate in December. It seems a win-win for us — Sundin is a favorite of ours and to have a Christmas novella by her to read seems an extra treat. Have you read it yet? Let us know what you thought.
She needs a star for her wartime Christmas show. He needs a second chance. Together they stage a production neither expected.
World War II USO director Maggie Oliver faces an impossible task: orchestrate a Christmas show in San Diego for thousands of sailors, with dwindling resources and a quickly approaching deadline. To star in the show, she enlists Prescott Duke, a former Hollywood heartthrob whose career ended in flames after an accident left him scarred and adrift. He eagerly accepts Maggie’s invitation and seizes the chance to reclaim what war has stolen from him.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” Maggie and Prescott craft a show at a Shakespearean theater that promises to lift spirits. But as rehearsals progress, Maggie discovers a secret that could transform her production into something unforgettable. With opening night approaching and unexpected feelings complicating everything, Maggie must decide how far she’ll go to rewrite not just her show but the outcome for everyone involved.
A romantic World War II Christmas novella of Hollywood stars and a holiday production. Perfect for fans of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the opposites-attract trope, redemption, and second chances.
Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling and Christy Award-winning author of Twelve Days and Twelfth Night (September 2026), Mists over the Channel Islands (February 2026), Midnight on the Scottish Shore (2025), Embers in the London Sky (2024), The Sound of Light (2023), Until Leaves Fall in Paris (2022), When Twilight Breaks (2021), and several World War II series.
Sarah’s novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. Until Leaves Fall in Paris received the 2022 Christy Award, The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award, The Sound of Light was a finalist for both the Christy Award and the Carol Award, and When Twilight Breaks and The Land Beneath Us were finalists for the Christy Award.
A mother of three, Sundin lives in Southern California and enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers’ groups. Sarah serves as co-director of the West Coast Christian Writers Conference.
Many of the books I review are provided to me free of charge from publishers, authors, or other groups in return for a review. The opinions expressed in the reviews are mine and mine alone. No monetary consideration is given. This disclaimer is in accordance with FTC rules.
I am an Amazon.com affiliate, which means that I earn a small percentage of the sales from products purchased through links on my site. I NEVER recommend a book in order to receive a profit. Proceeds from affiliate sales help to defray operating costs of the blog.
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