My dear reading friends – life has been quite the challenge for all of us over the past 18 months or so, no matter which side of the hemisphere we live. As you will have noticed my posts here have been sporadic here for some time, which I am sorry for.

I wanted to fill you in a little on what’s been going on for me and my family (before we get to the good stuff of book covers!). Let me be clear. This is not a political post and as this is a book blog, any political comments will be removed.

In Australia, and particularly in my state of Victoria, we have been living with regular hard lockdowns. We are in our sixth hard lockdown right now and have clocked up over 200 days now in such lockdowns since early 2020. And by hard I mean restricted to a 5 kilometre radius from our homes, only 5 defined reasons to leave home, mandatory masks, online school for our children, and curfews.

More recently, my family and my husband’s siblings’ families have been providing palliative care for my beloved mother in law in her home for the six weeks prior to her passing into the arms of Jesus on 29th July, 2021, after six courageous years of cancer treatment. We had an intimate family only funeral service this Friday to celebrate her life and the love she gave freely to us all.

All that is to explain a little of why my little book blog hasn’t been showing up in your feeds as often and why I’ve been so dismal at responding to your comments. This is something Necee (who has been amazing and ensure you were seeing at least some book reviews!) and I hope to build back up in the months ahead. Books are my solace in many ways and even though I’ve been unable to read as much since the beginning of 2020, I’m still passionate about the beauty, joy, and challenge of story, and of course my book blog baby, Relz Reviewz!

Why haven’t I said this in a separate post? I wanted to give you some insight and explanation, but I also don’t wish to dwell on the hardships as we are all facing similar challenges. Focusing on the good stuff like this fantastic line-up from Bethany House Publishers is a good way to finish this post.

For both cover and story, All That It Takes by Nicole Deese, is my hands down favourite and most anticipated novel from this bunch!

How about you?

P.S. BOOK BARGAINS

While it has killed the little money I earn from Amazon affiliate links these days, I can’t not tell you about the STELLAR deal Baker Book House gives readers on print copy pre-orders on Bethany House and Revell Books. You can get 40% off, plus free shipping on all these books below if you pre-order now, so what are you waiting for?

They also give pretty good deals on other publishers’ print books too! And you will be supporting an independent book store – win, win 🙂

To Disguise the Truth by Jen Turano

The Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency

When Arthur Livingston arrives out of the blue at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, anxious to hire the agency to seek out a missing heiress, Eunice Holbrooke realizes her past has finally caught up with her.

Having fled from the scene of her grandfather’s murder seven years before, Eunice is a lady with secrets–the most important that she is the missing heiress Arthur is seeking. She has no intention of allowing him to learn she’s been disguising herself, especially when she has reason to believe Arthur could hold her responsible for her grandfather’s death.

In order to avoid Arthur and conceal her real identity, Eunice takes on another case that requires her to go deep undercover. With secrets from the past–and Arthur–appearing wherever she looks, she wonders how she will ever uncover the truth behind her grandfather’s murder. Will what she discovers set Eunice free or place her in peril’s way?

January 2022

Her Darling Mr. Day by Grace Hitchcock

American Royalty #2

New Orleans’ most eligible bachelor insists he’s not on the market . . . but he couldn’t be more wrong.

Jilted in front of all New York, Theodore Day decides to lose himself in his family’s luxury riverboat business in New Orleans and compete against his brother to become the next company head. The brother with the most sales by summer’s end will win the position. Thanks to Theodore’s fame as a suitor in a socialite’s outlandish competition to find a husband, he has become very desirable royalty in Southern society and thus has an advantage.

It took Flora Wingfield’s best work to convince her family to summer in New Orleans, but with Teddy Day a bachelor once again, she’s leaving nothing to chance. Desperate to stand out from all the clamoring belles, Flora attempts a bold move that goes completely awry, only to find it’s her interior design skills that finally catch his notice.

But when Flora’s father’s matchmaking schemes come in the way of her plans, Teddy will have to decide where his happiness truly lies and what he is willing to sacrifice for it.

January 2022

To Treasure an Heiress by Roseanna M White

The Secrets of the Isles Book #2

Beth Tremayne has always been drawn to adventure. During her childhood, she fed that desire by exploring every inch of the Isles of Scilly. As an adolescent, she dreamed of love in London’s ballrooms. Now, stumbling across an old map on her family’s property, she’s found more adventure than she ever craved in the hunt for pirate treasure. Unfortunately, Beth can’t escape the attentions of her family’s guest, Lord Sheridan.

Sheridan has spent years pursuing whatever archaeological interests caught his imagination. And when he discovers that Beth’s search connects with one of his favorite pirates of history, he can’t help getting involved. Plus, he finds her irresistible, even though she insists he stole a prized possession of hers.

As they work together following different clues and drawing closer to danger, they start to piece together a story of tragic love and piratical adventure. But the true surprise is the treasure they discover in each other.

January 2022

Ever Constant by Tracie Peterson & Kimberley Woodhouse

The Treasures of Nome #3

On the surface, Whitney Powell is happy working with her sled dogs and welcoming the new additions to her family through her sisters’ marriages and an upcoming birth. But her life is full of complications, including an estranged father, that have her on the edge of losing control. Growing up, she was the strong sister, and she can’t give that up now.

When some villagers in outlying areas come down with a horrible sickness, Dr. Peter Cameron turns to Whitney and her dogs for help navigating the deep snow, and they become close traveling to minister to the sick together. Peter quickly recognizes her finer qualities but also notices her troubling way of coping with her struggles. He does what he can to help but questions if she is more of a risk than his heart can take.

As sickness spreads throughout Nome and another man courts Whitney, she and Peter will discover that sometimes it is only in weakness that you can find strength.

January 2022

Shaped by the Waves by Christina Suzann Nelson

Growing up along the Oregon coast, Cassie George has always been fascinated by the ocean. She’s used her studies in marine biology as a convenient excuse for staying away from her small hometown ever since her unplanned pregnancy. But when she receives a call that her aunt has suffered a stroke and has been hiding a Parkinson’s diagnosis, she knows she must return.

Cassie finds a mostly warm welcome from the quirky community–including her high school nemesis, Nora Milford. But Cassie is confused by the mysterious package that greets her as well, containing typed pages telling a story of an anonymous woman who seems to have ties to Cassie’s own life. As she begins to read more and investigate its implications, she’ll discover who she thought she was and who she wants to become are both about to change.

February 2022

In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh

Brielle Adebayo is fully content teaching at a New York City public school and taking annual summer vacations with her mother to Martha’s Vineyard. But everything changes when her mom drops the mother of all bombshells–Brielle is a princess in the kingdom of Oloro Ilé, Africa, and she must immediately assume her royal position, since the health of her grandfather, King Tiwa Jimoh Adebayo, is failing.

Distraught by her mother’s betrayal, Brielle is further left spinning when the Oloro Ilé Royal Council brings up an old edict that states she must marry before assuming the throne or the crown will be passed to another. Uncertain who to choose from the council’s list of bachelors, she struggles with the decision along with the weight of her new role in a new country. With her world totally shaken, she must take a chance on love and brave the perils a wrong decision may bring.

February 2022

Where the Last Rose Blooms by Ashley Clark

Heirloom Secrets #3

Alice runs a New Orleans flower shop alongside her aunt, but thoughts of her mother, who went missing during Hurricane Katrina, are never far from her mind. After getting off on the wrong foot with a man who comes to the shop, Alice soon realizes their worlds overlap–and the answers they both seek can be found in the same place.

In 1861 Charleston, Clara is an abolitionist, unbeknownst to her father, who is heavily involved with the Confederacy. She attempts to assist an enslaved woman reunite with her daughter, and a dashing Union spy is just the person to help them. But things go very wrong when Clara agrees to aid the Northern cause by ferrying information about her father’s associates–and her own fiancé.

Faced with the unknown, both women across the years will have to dig deep to let their courage bloom.

Drawn by the Current by Jocelyn Green

The Windy City Saga Book #3

A birthday excursion turns deadly when the SS Eastland capsizes with Olive Pierce and her best friend Claire on board. Hundreds perish during the accident, and it’s only when Olive herself barely escapes that she discovers her friend is among the victims.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Olive returns to her work at an insurance agency and is soon caught up in the countless investigations related to the accident. But with so many missing, there are few open-and-shut cases, and she tries to balance her grief with the hard work of finding the truth. Is she just overwhelmed, or is someone trying to impede her investigations? When clues surface that impact those closest to her, how deep will she dig?

Newspaper photographer Erik Magnussen begins helping Olive with her cases, and they develop a fast friendship. Just when Olive begins to unravel the secrets, more setbacks arise. It will take everything she’s got to find the truth and stay ahead of those who want to sabotage her progress.

February 2022

Threads of Hope by Leslie Gould

Plain Patterns Book #3

Tally Smucker’s quiet life of reading and quilting masks her sorrow over her mother’s declining health and the lack of a fulfilling future for herself. When her entire world is shaken by her free-spirited neighbor Danielle, who grew up Plain but joined the Army at eighteen, Tally’s instinct is to distance herself.

Yet she finds she can’t turn away when Danielle’s brother, Kenan, specifically asks for her help. She invites Danielle to visit Plain Patterns quilt shop with her, where owner Jane Berger begins telling a story set during World War I. The plight of a soldier and the girl he left behind resonates with both Tally and Danielle, but for different reasons.

When Tally’s mother suffers a stroke at the same time Danielle’s PTSD becomes unmanageable, it seems Tally’s efforts to aid them only make things worse. Can Jane’s story, along with the care of Kenan, help Tally accept the hope–for all of them–that waits just around the corner?

February 2022

Along the Rio Grande by Tracie Peterson

Love on the Santa Fe #1

Recently widowed Susanna Jenkins has decided to follow her family to the booming town of San Marcial, New Mexico, for a fresh start and to aid in her family’s sudden change in fortune. They are tasked with managing her uncle’s new Grand Hotel, and it takes all her patience to try to help her parents see the good of their circumstances and relinquish their sense of entitlement.

Owen Turner works as a boilermaker for the Santa Fe’s train shops in San Marcial. He’s immediately attracted to Susanna upon meeting her, but he hesitates to risk opening his heart again. Especially as painful memories are stirred up of his own late sibling when Susanna’s brother is assigned to work under him.

When misguided choices put Susanna’s family in an even more precarious situation, she needs someone to rely on. But if Owen can’t face the past, he’ll miss out on his greatest chance at love.

March 2022

Enchanting the Heiress by Kristi Ann Hunter

Hearts on the Heath

Harriet Hancock likes to make the lives of those around her better whether they like it or not. So, she is surprised when her friend Sophia Whitworth has ideas of her own on how to make Harriet happier–by throwing her together with Sophia’s brother, stable hand Jonas Fitzroy. When Harriet discovers his natural way with words, she hatches a plan that would benefit them both.

Holding a grudge against Harriet for her meddling in Sophia’s life, it is only because of his sister that Jonas agrees to approach Harriet about a possible artistic project. What he doesn’t expect is for her to request his help writing a book.

As they work together, they start to see each other in a different light, but when the truth of Harriet’s schemes is revealed, she’ll find her good intentions for once have gone too far.

March 2022

The Element of Love by Mary Connealy

The Lumber Baron’s Daughters Book #1

With their sharp engineering minds, Laura Stiles and her two sisters have been able to deal with their mother’s unfortunate choice in husband, until they discover his plans to marry each of them off to his lecherous friends. Now they must run away–far and fast–to find better matches to legally claim their portion of their father’s lumber dynasty and seize control from their stepfather.

When Laura befriends a mission group heading to serve the poor in California during their escape, she quickly volunteers herself and her sisters to join their efforts. Despite the settlement being in miserable condition, the sisters are excited by the opportunity to put their skills to good use. Laura also sees potential in Caleb, the local minister, to help with gaining her inheritance. But when secrets buried in Caleb’s past and in the land around them come to light, it’ll take all the smarts the sisters have to keep trouble at bay.

March 2022

All That It Takes by Nicole Deese

When the ever-cautious Val Locklier finally agrees to a cross-country move with her nine-year-old son to take a job with her best friend, Molly, everything she had planned for the future unravels within the first week. After pushing aside her anxieties about renting an apartment from Molly’s twin brother, whom she barely knows, she accepts an invitation for an elite filmmaker’s mentorship. Caught between her insecurities and new possibilities, she feels completely unprepared for the challenges ahead.

Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from abroad to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he’s been banished to a ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he pursues a relationship with Val without stopping to consider the timing or asking God to direct his steps.

As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they’ll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand.

April 2022

The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright

Wren Blythe has long enjoyed being among the Northwoods, helping her father with programming at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess, who still roams the woods. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coons cabin ruins and a rotting porcelain doll. But even more terrifying is seeing her name etched on the doll’s foot like a sinister omen.

In 1930, Ava Coons has spent the last ten years carrying the mantle of mystery since she emerged from the forest as an eight-year-old girl, spattered with blood, dragging a logger’s axe. She has accepted she’ll never remember what happened to her family. When a member of the town of Tempter’s Creek is murdered, rumors spread that Ava’s secret is more malicious than previously imagined.

Both women discover that to save the innocent, they must face an insidious evil.

April 2022