By The Book

Happy Friday! Are you surviving Black Friday?! Need a good book to block out all the frenzy? Then consider The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold. My book club really enjoyed it.

Here’s the first line:

The message left little reason to believe Nikki Werner still held significance in her dad’s life.

Shaken by her parents’ divorce and discouraged by the growing chasm between herself and her serious boyfriend, Nikki Werner seeks solace at her uncle’s farm in a small Missouri hamlet. She’ll spend the summer there, picking up the pieces of her shattered present so she can plan a better future. But what awaits her at the ancestral farm is a past she barely knows.

Among her late grandmother’s belongings, Nikki finds an old notebook filled with handwritten German recipes and wise sayings pulled from the book of Proverbs. With each recipe she makes, she invites locals to the family table to hear their stories about the town’s history, her ancestors–and her estranged father. 

What started as a cathartic way to connect to her heritage soon becomes the means through which she learns how the women before her endured–with the help of their cooking prowess. Nikki realizes how delicious streusel with a healthy dollop of faith can serve as a guide to heal wounds of the past.

Sara Brunsvold creates stories that speak hope, truth, and life. Influenced by humble women of God who find his fingerprints in the everyday, she does the same in her life and her storytelling. Sara’s recognitions include the 2020 ACFW Genesis Award for Contemporary Fiction. She lives with her family near Kansas City, Missouri, where she can often be spotted writing at a park or library. Learn more at http://www.sarabrunsvold.com.

My book club read The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold in November. This general fiction novel explores family — relationships good and bad and the legacy of those who went before. If you liked it too, here are a few reading recommendations.

Roots of Wood And Stone by Amanda Wen

This historic home holds the keys to their destiny . . . and their hearts

Abandoned at birth, her family roots a mystery, historical museum curator Sloane Kelley has dedicated her life to making sure others know theirs. When a donor drops off a dusty old satchel, she doesn’t expect much from the common artifact . . .until she finds real treasure inside: a nineteenth-century diary.Now she’s on the hunt to find out more.

Garrett Anderson just wanted to clean out his grandmother’s historic but tumbledown farmhouse before selling it to fund her medical care. With her advancing Alzheimer’s, he can’t afford to be sentimental about the family home. But his carefully ordered plan runs up against two formidable obstacles: Sloane, who’s fallen in love with both the diaries and the house, and his own heart, which is irresistibly drawn to Sloane.

A century and a half earlier, motherless Annabelle Collins embarks with her aunt and uncle on the adventure of a lifetime: settling the prairies of Sedgwick County, Kansas. The diaries she left behind paint a portrait of life, loss, and love–and a God who faithfully carries her through it all. Paging through the diaries together takes Sloane and Garrett on a journey they never could have planned, which will change them in ways they never imagined.

This warm, beautifully written split-time novel will resonate with readers looking for stories that reveal the beauty of God’s plan for our lives, and how our actions ripple for generations.

The Stories That Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner

Betty Sweet never expected to be a widow at 40. With so much life still in front of her, she tries to figure out what’s next. She couldn’t have imagined what God had in mind. When her estranged sister is committed to a sanitarium, Betty finds herself taking on the care of a 5-year-old nephew she never knew she had.

In 1960s LaFontaine, Michigan, they make an odd pair. Betty with her pink button nose and bouffant hair. Hugo with his light brown skin and large brown eyes. But more powerful than what makes them different is what they share: the heartache of an empty space in their lives. Slowly, they will learn to trust one another as they discover common ground and healing through the magic of storytelling.

Award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner offers fans a novel that invites us to rediscover the power of story to open the doors of our hearts.

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner

For the first time in his life, Pete has everything to lose.

After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small Montana town of Sleeping Grass–a place he never expected to see again. It’s not the life he dreamed of, but there aren’t many prospects for a high-school dropout like him.

Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he’s back, she’s been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God’s answer to leave her flat on her face–literally–and up to her ears in meddling.

When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she’s willing to pay.

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Rediscovering Christmas by Mindy Obenhaus hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

Title: Rediscovering Christmas
Series: Hope Crossing #6
Author: Mindy Obenhaus
Publisher: Love Inspired
Release Date: November 26, 2024
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

She feels she’s lost everything…
Will love give her hope?

When a wildfire destroys her home, widowed schoolteacher Tori Stallings finds herself unexpectedly living with her mother- and brother-in-law—and struggling with her faith. With everything Tori owns consumed by the blaze, Micah vows to help his late brother’s wife and son rebuild their lives. The two of them have always been friends, but living under the same roof has their friendship turning into something more. Can love bloom amid tragic loss and shaken beliefs, and give them a fresh start for Christmas?

Excerpt

Looking from the devastation to Tori, he noticed she was shaking. Her face contorted as tears spilled onto her cheeks.

“Tori?” When he set an arm around her shoulders, she turned into him, sobbing.

He held her close, letting her cry, whispering words meant to soothe though likely not helping at all. Tori was more than his sister-in-law, she was his friend. And while his brother had routinely left Tori alone to handle whatever life had thrown her way, Micah couldn’t bring himself to do that. Not now. Not ever.

As sorrow continued to rack her body, Micah ached for his friend. Longed to take away her pain. Yet, for as much as it aggrieved him to see her like this, he also knew it marked the beginning of the healing process. A process that could take months. Even years.

But she wouldn’t have to do it alone. No matter how uncomfortable it might make him, Micah would do whatever it took to see Tori and Aiden happy again.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Harlequin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books in This Series:

About The Author

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Hidden Secrets Between Them and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight November 25, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on December 2, 2024. 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.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Happy Friday! If you are looking for a good book to read during the holiday frenzy that starts next week (or has it already started for you? 😉 ), then look no further. Cornered, a 3-novella romantic suspense collection by Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters, is just the thing for you. Fast-paced and intriguing, each novella can be read in one to two days. Perfect for that down time between baking a turkey or waiting on your favorite football team to play, taking a break from shopping, or just those times you need some me time!

Here’s the first line of Perilous Obsession by Natalie Walters:

“But why would they put a flamingo in jail?”

Prepare for three times the thrills with these nail-biting page-turners from your favorite romantic suspense authors!

In In the Dark by Lynette Eason, accountant Steph Cross is cleaning out a coworker’s desk after her untimely death when she finds cryptic notes that lead her to believe her friend’s car accident was no accident at all. Detective Tate Cooper is determined to help her crack the case before someone else gets hurt. But can he protect the woman who has so quickly laid claim to his heart?

In Downfall by Lynn H. Blackburn, chef Cassie Quinn gets an offer she can’t refuse: to fill in as chef at an exclusive mountain resort. But when the kitchen is destroyed and it becomes clear Cassie is in danger, she’s forced to accept the help of her ex-boyfriend, Detective Donovan Bledsoe, to find the culprit and keep her safe.

In Perilous Obsession by Natalie Walters, teacher Lahela Young becomes the target of someone with a twisted obsession of righting a wrong. The first person she turns to is her good friend Briggs Turner. Briggs may have left his career as a police officer, but he still has the instinct to protect–especially for Lahela.

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Investigation of a Journalist by Danielle Grandinetti, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

Title: Investigation of a Journalist
Series: Harbored in Crow’s Nest #6
Author: Danielle Grandinetti
Publisher: Hearth Spot Press
Release Date: November 19, 2024
Genre: Christian Historical Romance/Suspense

A second chance to set the record straight, and rekindle a lost love.

Wisconsin, 1931—Buck Wilson refuses to accept failure as his reward for all he has sacrificed, but he’s kept secrets for too long to be believed. With his freedom on the line, there’s only one person he trusts to mine for the true story: the woman he left one month before their wedding.

All investigative journalist Caroline Wagoneer wants is to shine a light on the truth wherever darkness threatens to obscure it. Which is the only reason she agrees to help her ex-fiance when he begs for her to go undercover in Crow’s Nest. What she discovers paints Buck in a whole new light.

With lies and rumor hemming them in, Buck and Caroline realize their love may be doomed on the altar of altruism.

Unless love can truly conquer all.

Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.

Excerpt

Buck Wilson did not deserve a second chance. He knew it down to his marrow, yet here he stood, outside Chicago’s Union Station, in the very town where he’d left all his hopes and dreams. The detective who wanted to arrest him at his side.

He adjusted his fedora to cover more of his face. “If they find out I’m here, you know what they’ll do.”

“I reckon so.” Michael O’Connor braced his hands on his belt and looked around, neck craning to see the tall buildings around them. “You liked it here?”

“Let’s go, O’Connor. Quit acting like a tourist.” Buck tugged at his collar. The heat was more oppressive here in the city than up in Crow’s Nest. He couldn’t wait to leave, to return to the small Wisconsin town that had become home. But first, he had to face the one person he thought he’d never see again.

“I could have done this by myself, you know.” O’Connor kept up with Buck’s brisk pace.

“I know.” Buck turned his back on the Chicago River and headed west down Jackson. He needed the walk, even if it meant arriving looking wrung out. Frankly, he wasn’t entirely sure he wouldn’t be tossed out on his rear. He deserved nothing less. But he needed to face her like a man, not send the detective to do his dirty work.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Buy Directly From the Author | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBub

Also Available

About The Author

Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea and books. As a FHLCW Reader’s Choice and Selah Award Finalist, she mixes romance, suspense, and history to bring her stories to life. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons.

Connect with Danielle at daniellegrandinetti.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Tour Giveaway

(3) winners will each win a paperback copy of Confessions to a Stranger, a Crow’s Nest tote bag, and a Crow’s Nest Journal!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 19, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 26, 2024. 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.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!