The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

 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. 

Pick up your copy here...

The Divine Proverb of Streusel: (Moving Contemporary Fiction and Family Saga Filled with Cooking and Small Town Community): Sara Brunsvold: 9780800742997: Amazon.com: Books

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 www.sarabrunsvold.com. 

This was such a healing read. It was my first book by Brunsvold. I will say it is very well written and I felt all the feels. Chapter thirty-four had a recipe for Crumb cake, and I had to make it. This is a must-read friends.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

Cold Threat by Nancy Mehl

 Twenty years ago, several people were murdered in Des Moines, and the only evidence left behind was a snowman ornament hanging ominously on a tree in the victims' front lawns. With a suspect behind bars, the killings have come to an end--or so everyone thought. But now crimes with a similar MO are happening in a small Iowa town, and a local detective believes the killer is back and ready to strike again.

With little time left on the clock before they have another murder on their hands, private investigators River Ryland and Tony St. Clair must work alongside Tony's detective father to find evidence that will uncover an evil that has survived far too long. As the danger mounts and the suspect closes in, it will take all they have to catch a killer--before he catches one of them.

Pick up your copy here...

Cold Threat: (An FBI Profiler Thriller Romantic Suspense Series) (Ryland & St. Clair): Nancy Mehl: 9780764240461: Amazon.com: Books

Nancy Mehl lives in Missouri, with her husband Norman, and her puggle, Watson. She's authored over fifty books and is currently at work on a new FBI suspense series for Bethany House Publishing.

All of Nancy's novels have an added touch - something for your spirit as well as your soul. "I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing," Nancy says. "It's a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn't be writing at all if I didn't believe that this is what He's called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can't overcome with His help."

You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: www.nancymehl.com. She also is active on the Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com and on FaceBook! 

My Thoughts...

This is a must read. I read book 1 but this can be read as a standalone. I love the amount of suspense Mehl gives in this book. I highly recommend it.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The Racher's Love Song by Makenna Lee

 

He’s been there. Done that.

So why does his heart hope this time will be different?

Ranch foreman Travis Taylor doesn't have time for opera singers on vacation. Especially bubbly beautiful ones like Lizzy Dalton. His heart was once by a country music diva—ignoring the warning signs this time around is a no-go. And the baby with special needs Lizzy is fostering only evokes the lingering trauma of losing Travis’s own baby brother. But Lizzy’s kisses, and the infant's sweet smile, make him dream of a family and happily-ever-after. Unless Travis's emotional armor—perfectly designed to protect him from heartbreak—sabotages it first.

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

The Women of Dalton Ranch

Pick up your copy here...

The Rancher's Love Song (The Women of Dalton Ranch, 1): Lee, Makenna: 9781335594525: Amazon.com: Books

Makenna Lee is an award-winning romance author living in the Texas Hill Country with her real-life hero and their two children, one of whom has Down syndrome and inspired her first Harlequin book, A Sheriff’s Star. She writes heartwarming contemporary romance that celebrates real-life challenges and the power of love and acceptance. She has been known to make people laugh and cry in the same book. Makenna is often drinking coffee with a cat on her lap while writing, reading, or plotting a new story. You might also find her studying herbal medicine or listening to Celtic music. Her wish is to write books that touch your heart, making you feel, think, and dream. You can visit Makenna at www.makennalee.com.

When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart

 Talk of impending war is a steady drumbeat throughout North Carolina, though Joetta McBride pays it little heed. She and her husband, Ennis, have built a modest but happy life for themselves, raising two sons, fifteen-year-old Henry, and eleven-year-old Robert, on their small subsistence farm. They do not support the Confederacy’s position on slavery, but Joetta considers her family to be neutral, believing this is simply not their fight.

Her opinion is not favored by many in their community, including Joetta’s own father-in-law, Rudean. A staunch Confederate supporter, he fills his grandsons’ heads with stories about the glory of battle and the Southern cause until one night Henry runs off to join the war. At Joetta’s frantic insistence, Ennis leaves to find their son and bring him home.

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: When the Jessamine Grows: 9781496740700: Everhart, Donna: Books

Donna Everhart is the USA Today bestselling author of vivid, authentic Southern fiction, including the Southeastern Library Association Award-winning The Road to Bittersweet, the Indie Next Pick, Amazon Spotlight/Debut Pick, The Education of Dixie Dupree, The Forgiving Kind, and The Moonshiner’s Daughter. Her fifth novel, The Saints of Swallow Hill is out now.

Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, she now lives with her husband just an hour away in the Sandhills area of the state. Please visit her online at DonnaEverhart.com.

My Thoughts...

I could not put this book down. Everhart always writes books that I learn so much from each page. This is a must read. I highly recommend this one.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

Movie Stars Shine Brightest In the Dark by Jillian Thomadesn

 Roberta Hobbs is back again, solving crimes in St. Louis, Missouri. This time, she’s investigating the sudden death of ultra-famous movie star Cecilia Cinvenue – whose Ferrari dived over a cliff in a nearby industrial town.

What would bring Cecilia to St. Louis and why did she tell a bystander that someone was chasing her?

No sooner does Hobbs begin her investigation than she’s caught in the case’s many twists and turns. It seems that everyone within Cecilia’s Hollywood inner circle could be a suspect, as the star had no shortage of secrets and detractors.

The more Hobbs works the case, the more well-hidden truths about Hollywood become evident...and Hobbs soon realizes that even beautiful, talented movie stars have skeletons lurking just beneath the surface.

Pick up your copy here...

Movie Stars Shine Brightest in the Dark (Roberta Hobbs Detective Series): Thomadsen, Jillian: 9798868393907: Amazon.com: Books

I wrote my first book, Wollack the Witch, at age 7. Needless to say, this book is exactly what one would expect from a second grader. All 20 pages were little more than an anthology of girls names from the 80s...but it was a start.

​

I went to college in the mid-90s and there I wrote my second book. I had always thought of Universities as a petri dish for revolution and social change. At the time, UVA was brimming with tailgates, football games, Greek life and social clubs...basically everyone else's vision of college. So, instead of adapting to my environment like most students, I holed up in the library and wrote an 800-page political satire about our nation's obsession with political scandal. Amazingly, I found an agent for this book but she wasn't able to sell it to any publishers.

​

Fast forward twenty years. A former Wall Street exec and a mother of three, I made sure I still found time to write. In April 2018, I published a dual-narrative suspense novel about a family that disappears under mysterious circumstances. This novel, All the Hidden Pieces, won the 2020 Missouri Author Project award. The subtext involves parenting a child with dyslexia -- a topic I know quite a bit about.

In December 2023, I published a follow-up in the series, entitled Movie Stars Shine Brightest in the Dark. In this novel, when ultra-famous movie star Cecilia Cinvenue dies in a sudden car accident, St. Louis Detective Roberta Hobbs is tasked with leading the case, and her investigation leads her to long-hidden truths about Hollywood as well as issues within Hobbs' own family. There are many twists and turns in the book, all leading up to a surprise ending.

Death Under A Little Sky by Stig Abell

 

 In this widely praised debut crime thriller, a high-flying detective leaves London for a fresh start in the countryside—only to find himself on familiar ground hunting for a dangerous killer.

When Jake Jackson inherits his reclusive uncle’s property in the country, the detective seizes the opportunity for a new life away from the hustle of London.

The new home in this charming rural idyll is beautiful and the surroundings are stunning. While the locals are a bit eccentric, they’re also friendly and invite the newcomer to join their annual treasure hunt.

When a young woman’s bones are discovered, Jake finds himself pulled back into the role of detective, and on the trail of a dangerous killer hiding within this most unlikely of settings.

Pick up your copy here...                                                                                                                                    Amazon.com: Death Under a Little Sky: A Novel: 9780063380998: Abell, Stig: Books

Stephen "Stig" Paul Abell is an English journalist, newspaper editor and radio presenter. He currently co-presents the Monday to Thursday breakfast show on Times Radio with Aasmah Mir.

Abell was from 2016 to 2020 editor of The Times Literary Supplement and from 2013 to 2016 managing editor of The Sun. He was formerly a fiction reviewer at The Spectator and reviewer at Telegraph Media Group as well as The Times Literary Supplement. He was also a presenter on LBC Radio.

Abell educated at Loughborough Grammar School, and went on to graduate with a double first in English from Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

In September 2001, Abell joined the Press Complaints Commission as a complaints officer; he completed other roles at the PCC including press officer, assistant director and deputy director before being appointed Director of the PCC on 19 December 2010. In August 2013, Abell joined The Sun as managing editor, his role until the end of April 2016.

In March 2014, Abell started co-presenting a show on LBC Radio alongside Sky News television presenter Kay Burley from 8am to 11am on Sundays. Burley was the main presenter while Abell reviewed the papers and added political comment.

From August 2014, the show was co-presented by Abell and LBC's Petrie Hosken. In January 2015, he was given his own show from 8 am to 10 am on Sundays. From April 2016, Abell moved to the afternoon slot on Sundays of 3 pm to 6 pm.

Abell has been heavily criticized for publishing an article in 2015 by Katie Hopkins. The article argued for "gunships sending these boats back to their own country", and described migrants as "like cockroaches". It concluded that Britain should "force migrants back to their shores and burn the boats".

In May 2016, Abell became the editor of The Times Literary Supplement, succeeding Sir Peter Stothard, who had edited the newspaper for the previous 14 years. He held the post until June 2020, when he was succeeded by Martin Ivens.
 

The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis

 

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a heartwarming story about the choices we make and the love we let into our lives...

Luna Wright is a lot of things, but sweet and trusting isn’t on the list. However, she’s a sucker for the underdog and a hard-luck story. Adopted at birth, with scant knowledge of her biological family, she’s created her own inner circle, a motley crew which includes her bestie Willow, to help her run the struggling but charming Apple Ridge Farm.

With a farm-to-table café as well as a menagerie of rescued animals (complete with a baby goat who keeps escaping to the pantry to eat the secret stash of decidedly not organic potato chips), it’s the best home she’s ever known. But when the owner Silas, who they secretly call The Grinch, passes away, Luna discovers the farm is now under control of his investment manager, the enigmatic Jameson Hayes….and her. And that Silas had many, many secrets.

Now Luna’s carefully controlled corner of the world is threatened and she—along with some help from her friends—has to dig deep to find true strength and the real meaning of love and family.

Pick up your copy here...                                                                                                                                      The Bright Spot: A Novel (The Sunrise Cove Series, 5): Shalvis, Jill: 9780063235755: Amazon.com: Books

                                                                                                                       

Multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is … mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning heartwarming and full of humor romance novels wherever books are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures. Her newest Sunrise Cove novel, THE SWEETHEART LIST, is out now, and THE BRIGHT SPOT comes out in January!

www.facebook.com/jillshalvis

www.instagram.com/jillshalvis

Don't miss this series. I loved every book in the series but The Bright Spot has been my favorite.