Five Fall Favorites: Saturday – Top Five Books of the Year (2025)

Welcome to the 10th annual Five Fall Favorites blog party! Kate Willis and Rebekah Morris are the hosts of this fun yearly event. This is my first year joining the FFF party, and I’m excited to be here with you all today!

This year the FFF participants were split into teams. I’m on team Walnut along with a a handful of other blogs.

Also on my team are:
Skai

Madisyn

Abigail

Bethany

Kelsey

Kate

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As Saturday is the Sabbath, I don’t buy or sell on Friday nights and Saturdays, and therefore won’t include affiliate links in this post, and will not be linking to stores, but will still link the covers to Goodreads for those who want to add them to their TBR or look at the book pages for more info. Happy reading!

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Saturday’s Prompt: Top 5 Books of the Year

1. The Hunted Heir by Jayna Breigh –

After a tragic loss, private investigator Nona Taylor swore off romantic entanglements and distanced herself from the world. Once a year, on New Year’s Eve, she attends church to beg God for forgiveness, haunted by the guilt of driving her twin sister to her death.

Attorney DeMarcus Johnson is determined to climb the ladder to partnership by winning high-profile cases at his Los Angeles law firm, harnessing his ADHD hyperfocus to excel. He’s everything Nona knows to steer clear of–an overconfident ex-jock willing to do anything for success.

Their worlds collide when Nona’s pastor receives a mysterious letter claiming he’s the sole heir to a substantial estate. Desperate for answers, Nona infiltrates a lavish charity ball, only to be found out by a suspicious stranger–so she latches onto DeMarcus and concocts a fib about being his fiancée.

Now bound by a false engagement, the pair reluctantly join forces to discover the truth about the inheritance. But when an unseen enemy strikes, they realize the stakes are higher than they thought. Can Nona and DeMarcus overcome their differences to keep the pastor safe, secure DeMarcus’s partnership, and preserve a future for themselves?

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I read this one at the start of the year, and loved it! It’s a Christian legal thriller with a rivals fake-dating twist. (There’s also a giveaway going right now on Goodreads for five print copies!)

2. The Ranch Hand by Leigh Andrews –

Vivie Steel didn’t mean to offer Kane a job, but through a coffee shop conversation about killer roosters, somehow that’s what happened. Now, she has to juggle the responsibilities of owning a ranch, finishing college, and having a crush on her new ranch hand, and it looks like something’s going to have to give.

A cattle ranch was the last place Kane Diaz ever expected to work, but with a week left in his apartment and no savings to speak of, he wasn’t going to turn down a job offer. Despite believing the Lord placed him at Steelgate, ranching doesn’t come easy for Kane, and his position grows even more complicated when he catches feelings for his boss.

Can Vivie and Kane find a way to be together or will their responsibilities push them apart?

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I found this one on Reedsy Discovery late last year, and was surprised by the strong faith-arc in it! The sequel is good too, but this one really stuck with me. Oh, and Bert! XD

3. A Love That’s Sure by Tami L. Ullom –

A heartwarming rhyming tale honoring the profound bond between humans and canine companions. A story of mutual healing, hope amidst loss, and love that’s absolute.

The swish of a tail
The kiss of a greeting
The promise of devotion
A love that’s sure, yet fleeting

In the journey paved with paw prints
Time becomes a thief
A cycle of great love and loss
Yet, the joy surpasses the grief

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This one is a children’s picture book, but wow! I loved it, and highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance!

4. Stay by Tara Taffera –

What if two damaged souls fall hard for the other, but fear stops them from revealing their flaws?

Emily aches for a place to belong. Her fiancé left after discovering she couldn’t offer him the perfect life, a secret she holds close. She isn’t looking for a new man nor does she expect the electricity that crackles at a first meeting in front of a church bulletin board.

Jacob closed himself off when his wife left him, demanding perfection he couldn’t provide. And now, Jacob finds it impossible to stay away from Emily and her bright light that shines into his damaged heart. Still, he hides behind their nine-year age difference, fearing Emily will leave when she learns of his inability to give her a family.

While preparing for a mission trip to Guatemala, Jacob and Emily’s relationship blooms, and they gain a glimpse of the happiness they always craved. But when Jacob’s fears take hold, will he retreat, leaving them both tattered and torn?

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This one’s a bit different… It actually took me until right around the halfway point before I even really connected with this one. It was a quick read, but yeah it took a while, but once I did I loved it! I even teared up at one point (something I rarely do!). Such a beautiful story.

5. The Enemy by Sherri Kukla –

**SPOILERS** This is the third book, so the blurb contains spoilers and character info learned in the first two books. This series is best enjoyed in order, but can be read at stand-alones if desired.

Ronika Reed, a recently released convict, is excited about starting fresh with an extended stay in a small desert town, at the invitation of her friend Lorelai Gatlin.

The calm, peaceful life she imagined is interrupted when private investigator Shane Stevens asks for her help in cracking a baby selling case. Shane doesn’t know of her possible involvement with a key player in this crime, and she is torn between the two men, wondering where her allegiance should lie. During the course of this investigation, a retired military veteran turns up dead on the outskirts of the small town and Ronika’s world is rocked when she discovers who the man was and why he was killed.

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I read and enjoyed the other books in this series, but it was THIS book that really got me excited for this series. Each book was a little better, and all had their good points, but this one was such a fun read! Definitely a unique look at the genre and full of surprising twists that kept things interesting.

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LAST CHANCE!!!

Giveaway Time:

This year, thanks to having so many contributions, and to celebrate this being the tenth anniversary, the giveaway will have two winners!

Rafflecopter giveaway

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Book List:

Each year the FFF team creates list of all (or nearly all) of the books that were recommended by each of the blogs! This year we had 28 hosts!! Most of them have listed their books for the 2025 list. You can find that list here.

Happy reading!

FFF is a yearly bookish blog party hosted by:

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