TOP TEN(plus) of 2020

 I set a goal of reading 75 books in 2020. I missed it by a long shot! I think my final count was 58. But I'll set a new goal for 2021 and try again. I read some good books, but being that 2020 was a pretty "different" year for all of us I found that I needed some old comforts to help get me through. So I re-read the TWILIGHT series once again. That also prepared me for the book MIDNIGHT SUN which was a retelling of TWILIGHT from Edward's perspective. That came out in August and I was pretty excited about it. It had it's moments, but meh is all I can say. I found that most of my favorite authors came out with books in 2020 and I was able to read the majority of those books through Netgalley. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2021 holds as far as reading goes. So here is my Top Ten of 2020:

10. 

Lynette Eason came out with a new series and I truly enjoyed both of these! I also was able to read the 3rd book in the series ACTIVE DEFENSE but it doesn't come out til 2021. Lynette Eason is always a favorite of mine. I love romantic suspense as you will be able to tell from the majority of my Top Ten so whenever I see Lynette Eason's name on a book I grab it.

9.

I'm totally loving Amanda Flower's Amish Matchmaker series. Millie just cracks me up! 

8.

Irene Hannon never disappoints! I loved this first book in a new series.

7.

Book Two in this series from Dani Pettrey was GREAT! So exciting and suspenseful!

6.

I got to be on a lot of teams for this book. I was on the Beta reader team and also the launch team. Such a fun thing to do to help a favorite author promote their book baby!

5.

Six short stories that warmed the heart. I loved it!

4.

The beginning of a new series always thrills me along with making me a bit concerned that the new series won't live up to the author's previous works. I never have to worry about that with Karen Witemeyer! The Hangman's Horsemen series is going to be fantastic and the first book was wonderful!

3.

Julie Lessman Y'all! I love love love her books and I honestly can't see a year going by without reading one and having it be on my TOP TEN list. Both of these were epic, wonderful and filled with sass and fire and kisses and deep spiritual lessons. 

2.

Susan Sleeman knows how to meet my love for romantic suspense y'all! I've never been disappointed in her mysteries or her characters. She published a couple more books in 2020 but these were my favorites.

1.

Once Upon an...Irish Summer was sweet and I just loved it. I loved the setting. Lisa T. Bergren makes the reader feel like they are a part of the book. The descriptive scenery had me imagining I was there! SELAH is the last book in the Sugar Baron's Daughters series and it was amazing. Once again the descriptive writing had the reader feeling as if they were there with the characters. Loved both books!

Those are my TOP TEN(plus) fiction books, here is the one non-fiction besides my Bible that I read this year:

I was gifted this book by a young woman at church. We talk books and she said this one is her favorite "book about other books" and that alone had me interested. I really enjoyed it and have a list of books that I am now going to attempt to read in 2021. They are all old classics and most I haven't read before so I am looking forward to discovering new favorites. 

How about you? Read any good books this year? Feel free to comment or leave a link to your blog telling me your favorites. 

May 2021 be filled with blessings for you!

 

On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior

 

This book was gifted to me by a young woman at my church. I totally enjoyed it even though some of it spoke above my education level! I guess the basic thought throughout is how reading fiction can affect our morality. I really got a lot of information out of the Introduction portion of the book. I'm not normally a non-fiction reader, but so many things that the author said I found myself mentally high-fiving her! A few things I highlighted in the Intro were,

"read something enjoyable. If a book is so agonizing that you avoid reading it, put it down and pick up one that brings you pleasure."

"read slowly."

"Read with pen, pencil, or highlighter in hand, marking in the book or taking notes on paper.

That last is exactly what I did throughout the entire book! So many highlights! 

The rest of the book was broken into three parts: The Cardinal Virtues, The Theological Virtues and The Heavenly Virtues. Each section focused on different works of fiction that fit the theme. I now have a list of books that I can't wait to read over the next year! 

A great book and one I totally appreciated!

Deadly Pearls by Miranda Atchley

 

Fiona Clery and her parents have moved to New York from Ireland. Fiona is getting used to living in a big city. There are so many people and dangers! Fiona begins working in a dress shop and soon meets Rose. Rose is a young society woman soon to be married to a man she doesn't even know and that is twice her age. But Rose is in love with someone else. Someone that her parents would never approve of. When Gabriel is murdered Fiona knows that in order to help Rose she must solve the murder of the man Rose loved. Fiona and Max, Rose's cousin, team up to find out who murdered Gabriel. 

I enjoyed reading DEADLY PEARLS. It was a solid mystery that had some twists and turns that were surprising and kept the book moving along. Fiona is both bold and timid if that makes sense. She is bold when she is standing up for the rights of herself and others but yet she also knows her place in society. I admire her desire to help her friend Rose and her boldness in ferreting out clues to help solve the case. I'm certainly hoping that Fiona and Max have a future together, but I think it may take some time. They make a good team. I also enjoyed the setting of the story which was the 1920's. Such a fun yet dangerous time with gangsters, speak easies etc. A good start to the series and I look forward to seeing how the characters develop. 

Betting On That Christmas Magic by Christina Galeone

 

I'm finding that I really enjoy Christmas novellas. They are quick to read and they boost the Christmas spirit. I enjoyed BETTING ON THAT CHRISTMAS MAGIC from a new to me author. The main character, Emily, has a good heart that loves Christmas and wants to share it with everyone. Unfortunately she is engaged to a man that is only out for his own interests. When a bet forces Emily to see Hunter's true side, and her other relationships are in jeopardy, it may cause Emily to lose that Christmas spirit that she tries so hard to impart to others. This is a sweet romance that will put you in the Christmas spirit and warm your heart, and if you add a hot chocolate in with the reading you have the perfect cozy romance for a cold winter's night. 

*Thank you to the author for my copy of the book. I was not required to give a review. All opinions are my own*

Night Vision by Susan Sleeman

 

Ok, I'm totally loving the Byrd family! Since Peggy Byrd conveniently named her boys alphabetically we are now at Byrd brother number two, Brendan. I love his strong character. I actually love all of the Byrd guys' strong characters. They are all take-charge kind of guys. It makes for a bit of tension between them sometimes, but when it comes down to business they all have each others backs. 

Of course with strong male characters they have to have some strong female love-interests! I love how strong Jenna is. She's independent and determined to care for her daughter and not rely on anyone else to help her. 

As with all of Susan Sleeman's books there are spiritual lessons to be learned. I truly love that about all of her books. They are not preachy and yet all of her characters have some struggle with their faith that helps their character grow and mature. 

Here is a favorite quote from Night Vision:

"We can't always figure out how or why God works," she said with conviction. "My pastor keeps telling me God doesn't give us what we can handle. He helps us handle what we're given."

The action and suspense throughout the book is exciting and keeps the reader turning the pages to the exciting conclusion. 

In my book author Susan Sleeman is a must-read, and once again with the Nighthawk Security series she has shown her ability to write exciting stories with strong and likeable characters. Definitely looking forward to the next book and next Byrd to have his story told!

Courting Can Be Killer by Amanda Flower

Millie and Lois! Oh my, what a duo! Millie is "Amish Marple" as her Englich friend Lois calls her. Millie is determined to prove that her friend Ben was not responsible for the fire at the local flea market that Ben died in. Ben had everything to live for, why would he throw it all away? As Millie and Lois investigate the fire and Ben's last days they get closer to the answers that someone does not want them to know.

Lois and Millie are an unlikely friendship and yet their friendship has stood the test of time. Lois totally cracks me up! Her hair-brained ideas have gotten Millie into trouble not only with the local law enforcement, but also with her Amish community. As always, the animals portrayed in author Amanda Flower's books have just as much personality as the human characters! Philip and Peter the goats are great company for Millie and full of energy and antics. Juliette's pig Jethro makes an appearance. I love the way Millie talks to her pets as if they were humans, and they all listen to her! ha! COURTING CAN BE KILLER was a pleasant and entertaining cozy that I definitely recommend for those looking for a light and clean mystery.

This Is Not The Jess Show by Anna Carey

When a device falls out of one of her best friends backpack Jess has no idea what it is. What she does know is that her friends are keeping a secret from her. Jess has no clue what impact that secret will have on her life.

THIS IS NOT THE JESS SHOW was an interesting read for me. I liked the characters. I didn't find Jess overly whiny as so many teens tend to be in books. Also once Jess found out the big secret she didn't stick around and play the victim or allow people to manipulate her. She took charge of her life and did something to change it. I liked that about her character.

I haven't read a young adult book in awhile so I was a bit put out with the foul language in the book. At the risk of becoming too preachy I'll just say this, I don't think that it was necessary to the story line.

An entertaining story line, with likable characters.

The Kissing Tree

 

Broken Limbs, Mended Hearts by Regina Jennings:

The Kissing Tree is a huge oak tree that many loves have carved their names into over the years. Bella is hoping to have her name carved into the tree along with getting her first kiss. Unfortunately Adam is witness to the most embarrassing moment of Bella's life. So starts the legacy of The Kissing Tree. The first story was sweet and I really enjoyed it. I totally could picture this huge old oak since when I was a child I used to play under such oaks! They are gorgeous and fun to climb and hide out under. Loved Adam and Bella's story!

Inn For A Surprise by Karen Witemeyer:

When Barnabas comes to help the boss' daughter get her Inn ready for customers he is surprised by Phoebe's flamboyant tastes in colors and backgrounds. The Inn is near The Kissing Tree so of course it is called Kissing Tree Inn. Barnabas is there to help temper some of Phoebe's tastes and to help make the Inn the best success. 

From Roots to Sky by Amanda Dykes:

Having lost his best friend in WWII and been wounded in that same war, Luke has come to visit his best friends sister Hannah. Luke and Hannah had corresponded after her brother, Luke's best friend, died. Now Luke has come home to meet the woman who's letters helped him get through when he thought he was going to die. Luke helps Hannah build a groundskeepers cottage for The Kissing Tree Inn. 

Heartwood by Nicole Deese:

Abby is the groundskeeper for The Kissing Tree Inn. Griffin is an arborist that the Inn has hired to determine if the Kissing Tree is in need of being cut down. Abby refuses to believe that the old oak is dying and Griffin is there to do what he can to save the tree. 

Such sweet love stories each one. I loved how each one connected somehow with the tree and were set in different times of history. A sweet compilation of short stories!

Night Fall(Nighthawk Security book 1) by Susan Sleeman

Aiden Byrd and his brothers are getting their business, Nighthawk Security, up and running. Olympic skiier Harper Young will be their first client. Harper has attracted a stalker that seems to be escalating so she needs around the clock protection. Neither Aiden or Harper have time for a relationship outside of their professions. Harper is determined to win her next medal and Aiden is determined to get their business off the ground. But and instant attraction to each other could be the downfall of both of their plans.

Ok, totally a fan of the Byrd brothers! I'm so excited for this new series! This first one was exciting and totally left me wanting more! I love the brothers loyalty to each other, their humor, their care for their client and of course they are all pretty easy on the eyes apparently. There are several twists and turns in the story that leave the reader surprised with heart racing and the anxiety level high. One thing I always appreciate in this author's writing are the spiritual elements of the story. NIGHT FALL did not disappoint in that area, both characters had hard spiritual lessons to learn throughout the story. A fantastic beginning to a new series and highly recommended!

Illusion by Ginny Yttrup

 

This is the second book in the Mendocino Village series. I loved revisiting all of the characters I had come to love and relate to in the first book INVISIBLE. My favorite character was Ellyn. I found that I related with her the most. Her struggle with weight and self-image continues in this book and it resonated with me. I loved Rosa as well. She is a bossy woman who tends to drive people crazy but her heart is big and she truly loves those that she tends to mother. Pia is Rosa's daughter. I love how obedient and respectful she is to her mother even when it hurts her. Miles...such an understanding and loving man. He's much more understanding with Ellyn than I think most men would be, but then he was married a long time before so maybe he is just seasoned. I have to admit Twila's "gift" is a bit beyond me and something I would be leery of, but her insight helps a lot of people and was interesting in the story. I liked Nerissa's strength and determination to hang on to what she knows about God even when she was receiving no answers and not feeling his presence. The spiritual battles that were fought and won were heart-breaking and heart-warming. There was even a thread of humor throughout, because honestly, if we can't have a bit of humor in our struggles then we truly would sink into despair. At the beginning of each chapter there is an inspirational quote from Thomas Merton and each one touched my heart, but my favorite quote in the whole book was something that Nerissa had said to Ellyn early in the book and then Ellyn reminds Nerissa of it in this quote:

"When we believe God is anyone other than who He says He is, we believe an illusion." "And if we believe we are anyone other than who God says we are, we also believe an illusion."

A great reminder for sure. ILLUSION touches the heart and speaks to so many different emotions, I smiled and I cried and I was definitely satisfied with the ending. If you like contemporary fiction, strong female characters and spiritual insight in your reading then you will definitely want to pick up ILLUSION, but I recommend that you read INVISIBLE first because it is just as wonderful!

Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

This is a compilation of short stories by Agatha Christie. I had never read them before so I enjoyed them very much. A couple of them featured Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's never-to-be-forgotten famous Belgium detective with the mega "gray cells" and the perfectly groomed mustache. A couple featured Miss Marple as well. I've not read any Tommy and Tuppance stories before so reading a short story with them in it has me curious to read of their adventures. Each short story is about 30 minutes long. Although the first story is longer and takes about an hour to read. I enjoyed each story. Not all of the stories deal with murder, but they do have intrigue. If you are an Agatha Christie fan then I would recommend reading some of her short stories!

Point of Danger by Irene Hannon

Eve Reilly is a conservative talk radio host. She talks about all kinds of hot topics which means that she has some haters out there. But nobody has ever acted on their threats...until now.

Brent Lange is a police detective. When he gets a call out for a possible bomb found in a package on Eve's front step he is determined to do his best to find the person that has been threatening Eve before they escalate any farther.

Definitely an exciting beginning to a new series for this author. I enjoyed the suspense from the opening pages to the exciting conclusion. I also enjoyed the relationship explored between Eve and Brent. A couple aside stories were also pretty interesting and kept the pace of the story moving along. I found it interesting that though the characters were not dealing with a pandemic as "the real world" is at the moment, there were some hot topic issues that were relatable to what is going on around us(protesting, unrest etc.) that kept the story relevant for the times. I definitely look forward to Eve's sister Cate's story which is the next book in the Triple Threat novels.

Candy Cane Crime by Amanda Flower

Charlotte is put in charge of collecting money and notes for the candy cane sale to raise money for new costumes for the Nativity parade. When Charlotte finds an anonymous note in the box for her she doesn't know what to make of it. But when notes for her keep showing up she is determined to find out who her secret admirer is.

I just love the characters in this series! Even the animal characters! Of course Jethro the pig made an appearance. I like that Charlotte seems to have a nose for mystery as well as Bailey. And while I love a good murder mystery, and those have tended to follow Bailey around, it was nice to see that not every mystery has to involve a dead body. As with the other books in the series there is a recipe at the end of the story. I can't wait to try it for Christmas this year! mmmmm!

Everywhere To Hide by Siri Mitchell

Whitney Garrison stumbles onto a murder in the back alley of where she works. Whitney may or may not have seen the murderer...Whitney is face blind! That means her brain does not recognize faces. Think of it as when you see a picture and someone has scrubbed out the face of one of the subjects. That is how Whitney sees faces. But the murderer doesn't know this so now Whitney is in danger.

Leo Baroni is the detective assigned to the case. At first he is not worried about Whitney, but as things unfold he begins to see that the murderer will stop at nothing to get to Whitney. Leo is trying to help Whitney, but with her face blindness there is no telling who the murderer could be.

Oh my! This was such an exciting story! I'd never heard of face blindness before. It has a big technical name, but it's easier to say face blindness. Anyway, it was something that added to the suspense of the story. The blending of suspense with Whitney's ex boyfriend and a murderer also added to the mystery of the story and kept the reader guessing as to his role in all the things happening to Whitney. Bitcoins, virtual money, cryptocurrency, etc. are all concepts I have a hard time grasping and I found that there was a lot of detail in the story concerning those. Very important to the plot, but still hard to grasp even though the author did a great job in explaining them. Loved Leo and Whitney's relationship and how it developed and I definitely loved how Whitney slowly gained her confidence back throughout the story. I thought things were left hanging a bit with Whitney's relationship with her father. It seemed there was no resolution as far as clearing the air between them. Maybe that was supposed to be "understood" but I felt that it was left hanging. I enjoyed the book very much and always look forward to what this author has to publish next!

A Christmas Carol Murder by Heather Redmond

When Charles Dickens, his fiance' and a few friends are out Christmas caroling a person falls to their death out of Mr. Screws's window right in front of them. Charles is not inclined to help Mr. Screws find out who may have killed his business partner Jacob Harley, but his fiance' thinks that he should. So Charles once again helps to solve a murder.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDER started out fairly slow and I have to say I almost gave up on it. But I plodded on and it got more interesting for me and even entertaining! It was fun to match all of the names with the original book A CHRISTMAS CAROL. I loved the crime-solving aspect of the story. The mystery was interesting as was the investigation. The characters as well were interesting. I liked Mr. Screws even though he was a crusty, cranky sort of person! The Charles Dickens character was interesting and I felt bad for him when it seemed that things were not going to go his way with his fiance'. This is the 3rd book in the A DICKENS OF A CRIME series, I haven't read the first two books, but that wasn't needed to read this one.

**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own**

The Gift That Is Ruby's Place by Holly Schindler

 

Things aren't right in Sullivan. Something has happened to the spirit of the town and the people that live there. Nobody can put their finger on what is going on, but there are no happy memories floating around this Christmas, no cheerful greetings. Geena knows something isn't right, but she has no idea how to fix it. It seems that all of the magic has left. Is there a way to recapture it, or will the town that was once so special to her fade away?

The 4th and final Ruby's Place! Each Christmas I've looked forward to returning to Ruby's Place just as the people of Sullivan look forward to returning there. Throughout the 4 books I have embraced the magical-ness of Ruby's and have enjoyed escaping to Sullivan and all of the interesting characters that inhabited it over the years. While I believe this book can stand on it's own, it was fun to catch up with characters we have met in other Ruby's books and see what life has handed them since the last time we read about them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am excited to see that all of the Ruby's Place books are now offered in a Christmas Collection. So you must go check it out! 

The Ruby's Place Christmas Collection

Check out my reviews of the other books in the collection:

Christmas at Ruby's

I Remember You

Sentimental Journey

Good-Bye Ruby's Place, may you live in the hearts of your readers for a long time to come!

A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller

 

This was such a good book! I loved the in-depth look at us being called the sheep of God's pasture. And the images of the Father as the Good Shepherd were heart-warming! 

Favorite Quotes:

"His ownership of me as a human being is legitimate-simply because it is He who brought me into being and now one is better able to understand or care for me." Pg. 5

"We live a most uncertain life. Any hour can bring disaster, danger, and distress from unknown quarters. Life is full of hazards. No one can tell what a day will produce in new trouble. We live either in a sense of anxiety, fear, and foreboding, or in a sense of quiet rest. Which is it?" Pg. 26

"In the Christian life it is of more than passing significance to observe that those who are often the most serene, most confident, and most able to cope with life's complexities are those who rise early each day to feed on God's Word. It is in the quiet, early hours of the morning that they are led beside the quiet, still waters where they imbibe the very life of Christ for the day." Pg. 40

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." It does not say I die there, or stop there-but rather, "I walk through." Pg. 70

"So often it is the small, petty annoyances that ruin my repose...And so my behavior as a child of God degenerates to a most disgraceful sort of frustrated tirade." Pgs. 103, 104

"Often it is when we "get our heads together" with someone else who may not necessarily have the mind of Christ that we come away imbued with concepts that are not Christian." Pg. 107

"I realize that for the one who is truly in Christ's care, no difficulty can arise, no dilemma emerge, no seeming disaster descend on life without eventual good coming out of the chaos." Pg. 117

"Is my memory, in other people's minds, entwined with mercy and goodness, or would they rather forget me altogether? Do I deposit a blessing behind me, or am I a bane to others? Is my life a pleasure to people or a pain?" Pg. 121

There were oh so many more passages that I would have loved to quote because they spoke to me, but all I can say is, read the book! It's just 132 pages and it is so full of richness! 

Airborne by DiAnn Mills

FBI agent Heather Lawrence's life seems to be falling apart. Her husband wants a divorce to focus more on his career, the career that Heather helped him achieve! Now Heather is on a flight to Salzburg, hoping to renew her faith in God and gain perspective.

Dr. Chad Lawrence is rising in the scientific community. His work in other countries watching people die from horrific diseases with no cure has spurred him on to forsake all else, including his wife, in order to find a cure for the disease that one of his friends died of. Chad has no time for God, only science. He has no time for a wife, who is only holding him back. He has cut himself off from all feelings and has embraced his scientific world.

While flying to Salzburg passengers on Heather's flight begin to get sick and some even die! Someone has unleashed a deadly virus on the flight and now Chad is the main suspect. How can Heather ever trust him again when he has changed so much and he had the ability to create the deadly virus?

Apart from never wanting to fly in an airplane again I really enjoyed the excitement of this book! Of course being in the midst of a real-life pandemic made reading a book about the unleashing of a deadly virus a bit more scary than what is already happening around us. I liked how Heather was an independent woman, even though she was devastated by her husband's decision she was able to make plans for her future and move on. Chad was a bit difficult to stomach at first. But the further in the book that I got the more his reasoning came out and made more sense. An exciting read and one that I definitely recommend for those that like a good virus-related thriller.