Here we are two-thirds of the way through 2025, and wow has it been a busy year. I think it might have gotten busier each quarter, or maybe that’s just me? Now that this is my third time doing these quarterly posts, I find I really like them and was even excited to sit down and work on this one. (Trust me, that’s a bit deal!)

Jesus told us that these days were coming, and this last quarter more than ever had shown us just how late the hour is. Indeed, many of the things throughout the Bible that we are told to look for in the Last Days are either happening all-around us, or are forming up and can begin at any moment. It’s honesty hard to even begin to understand or comprehend, yet the Bible said it would happen, and we are definitely seeing evidence of that now. Life changing events, wins and losses, blessings and curses. It’s all foretold for those who desire to seek truth, and willing to look to Jesus Christ and His Word to find it. It is written, and we will find it, if only we are willing to believe.

July

Ah, yes. This one was a fun read. It was in some ways equal parts frustrating and enjoyable, but that’s simply due to my deep dislike of narcissists… And that was sort of to be expected, and in part intentional here. You’re supposed to feel that way, so if that’s the case I’d say the author succeeded!

This one has a similar problem, but it’s dealt with and addressed differently. Thankfully, the character being manipulated in this one is quick to realize something is wrong and goes to someone who she knows she can trust. (Which I loved seeing!)

What transpires is a series of both emotional and humorous events as these two learn to work out some differences and begin to realize they really do make a great pair. But will that be enough?

I don’t even want to talk about this one… If you’ve read my review, you know my thoughts. Moving on.

Ah, I’d much rather talk about this one! While there is the tattoo thing… Not something I’d ever recommend Christians do, but then again I sort of understand it in this context. Doesn’t make it right or ‘good’ but, it’s really not a super big part of the story either.

The overall story though is so sweet and they are so cute together. The kisses get a bit steamy, but nothing truly explicated happens, and the one I do remember being a bit beyond ‘sweet’ was toward the end, and was still fairly mild in most senses. (No, I’m not advocating that this somehow makes it ‘acceptable’ but wanted to state it here in case anyone has heard me talking about how much I loved this one, and wanted to know. I forget the heat scale, but basically they started to make out, but never go beyond that, and even that was later in the story.)

This was another challenging and yet interesting read. (July seemed to be the month for that!)

I had never really heard about crazy quilts before reading this, but between the story and the snippets and news clippings at the start of each story, I can say that this is quite a lesson! (And that crazy quilts caused quite a stir! Lol.)
This one rather surprised me, as it took a little while for me to connect with the story, I liked it, but just didn’t love it, then all at once I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It ended up being a fun read and went deeper than I had expected talking about things like judgements and how we view others based on their pasts and who they are known to hang around, living situations and economic status, being honest (and what all that means), and more! There was a lot of good lessons and reminders in this one, all beautifully woven into an entertaining and loveable read.

This one was another doozy, but I knew that already. I also knew that I’d either love it, or absolutely hate it… Not really any room for middle-ground here.

You see, this one features a not-so-reformed womanizer who meets his match in the most unexpected ways… It’s full of a lot of twists and deep questions of faith, family, friendships, and how they shape up. The author is catholic and one of the more prominent characters is a monk at the local monastery. I’m not catholic and don’t agree with a lot of what they usually teach, but I still found a lot of what she said in this one to be true and Biblically sound from what I noticed. That surprised me in the best way, honestly, and probably won me over in this one. The story also features a FMC with a debilitating auto-immune disease, based on the author’s own experiences. This is one of the reasons I was excited to read this one, and I’ve enjoyed books written under her other penname (JJ Samie Myles) so I was excited to read this one too, but the topic was one that I tend to be a little more sensitive about, and she did wonderfully with the story being told here!

I found the first one in this series, but the author asked if I would be interested in reading this one early for a review, as well. I can easily say that both are good!

I think I liked the themes and faith elements of the first book slightly more than what I found in this one, but a lot has changes (and I’ve changed) in the last 9-10 months, so that might have been part of it too. I also think this one dealt more with Thomas’ struggles with himself, his family, and his role as owner of the ranch than some of the issues we see Vivie tackle in the previous book. It just didn’t seem to hit on quite the same level, but was still a good story and made for an enjoyable read.

August

Another sequel! And while I feel a little bad saying it, I do think I still enjoyed Song of the Valley slightly more than this one, but they are pretty close! Not quite a tie, but if you enjoy either of them, I do recommend trying to other as well!

This one takes the Contemporary Romance tone of the first book, and adds a thrilling suspense under-tone to it, which I loved! She balances the two beautifully and it ended up being a wonderful story. Be warned, this one’s definitely a slow-burn, but is oh so worth it to see it all play out at the end!

The Gentlewoman Companion by Emily Opal was another fun story. I had considered reading the other books in this series and just didn’t have time before picking this one up. Now, I’m kind of glad it worked out that way. While I loved meeting these characters and reading their story, it was also pretty clear that Opal isn’t an author I’m really compatible with. She writes wonderful characters, but the constant push and undertone of historical, secular scholars, psychological, and progressive ideology and theorists just isn’t something I enjoy having continually pop-up and debated throughout a story.

The main story was delightful, but these meetings and the characters they met and debated with along the way was just more than I cared to read about, and made it clear that I should just stop here. I quite enjoyed this one for the most part, but have decided that I will not be reading more of her work in the future.

Likewise, this one is another such example. I loved the characters, the mystery, the fight! But… alas it was not meant to be.

The FMC talks to her deceased relative, and playfully encourages the MMC to do the same. The Bible is very clear that we are NOT to try to speak to the dead, that they cannot hear us, that that to do so is to consort with wicked spirits… The Bible makes this abundantly clear, and therefore so does God. Therefore it is clearly not something we should take lightly either, regardless of what religions says. God has the final say, and so, as much as I was looking forward to this series, I’m glad I read this one first and I will not be reading any more of this author’s work.

September

This one was a rather nice surprise! It does touch on some heavier topics, which I hadn’t expected at first, but quickly began to guess at as the story goes on.

The event(s) in question are in the past, and other than the slight gore and violence of war, this is a very clean read. The topics of forgiveness, trust, respect, and family were well voiced and I loved seeing how each of the characters played a part in sharing their lessons and experiences on the matter in their own unique ways.

Splendor of the Land by Connilyn Cossette was another of the books I was looking forward to this year, and it does not disappoint! It reminds me a bit of my two favorite Cossette books, and was everything I could have hoped for, and honestly a good deal more!

We know from the brief glimpse in Zevi’s book that Gavi is definitely not in a ‘good place’ when this one starts, or at least he wasn’t last we knew. Through a chain of rather humorous yet heart-breaking chain of divinely appointed events, his life is about to take a major turn… But will it be for the better?

Ah, it seems redemption, prodigals, and forgiveness were a big theme lately. I’ve always loved a good redemption arc, and no wonder the Bible is all about redemption, healing, and forgiveness! But it hits a little closer to home lately, and I wonder if in part that’s why God lead me to these books at this time?

Many of them are also new releases, but a few aren’t, and I know nothing happens by accident. There’s always a reason, and I can see God working on me and in my life through the books I’ve read this year. Each has a lesson, a reminder, a truth, and/or a perspective that I needed or that I can learn from in my own life, and how I deal with and address these issues both in myself and when addressing them with others. May He continue to lead me and guide me according to His perfect will. He know exactly what’s coming and what’s needed, and I love Him all the more for it. His Will be done. Amen!

This one was different, but still a fun book. It’s a children’s chapter book about four children who become instant orphans are are shipped off to life with their widowed aunt on her farm.

It’s a tried-and-true formula, but it works well in this story, and I loved seeing them learn about life on the farm. There is a poem and a few questionable quotes from famous people at the start of some of the chapters that I’m not sure are well-suited for a children’s book, and toward the end there’s some attempted humor about what’s ‘proper’ in some situations, but otherwise it was a delightful read!

Looking Forward:

Last time I didn’t talk much here about what I was actually looking forward to, and spent more time rehashing some of the things I had accomplished during that quarter instead. Last quarter I talked about reading the two books I was highly anticipating this year, shared a few other reading highlights, and mentioned an eARC that I was excited for (and have now read and listed above.)

This time I’ll try to do better about that, haha. Last quarter still found me in a relative state of shock after a family friend had a split that we had also taken rather personally. I struggled to work though it, while still remaining strong and encouraging my sister who was hit hardest of all over the surprise events and how they happened.

Now that we’ve had time to process, it’s still bad but not nearly so shocking anymore. I’ve alos found that God has been leading me to books that cover that topic, all without me even looking for it. He know best, and He knows His plans for this situation just as He knows His plans for all situations. Good will come from it, I don’t know how, but I know Who will see us through, and He promises that He works ALL THINGS TOGETHER for good, not just the ‘pleasant’ or ‘positive’ things. He will work it out, just as He always intended to, and it will be good for those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He knows, He sees, He cares. He will see us through.

In the meantime, you all probably know how much I want to read Tasha Hackett’s Bluebird on the Prairie, but that’s one I’m adding to this list! Another is probably Mandi Blake’s Love in the Wild that I think I’m finally almost brave enough to tackle…

I also have Jessica Ashley’s Hunt Brothers’ Search and Rescue series to catch up on. Taylor S. Newport and JJ Samie Myles both have a book planned to release December, and I’d also love to read Cindy Bonds’ trilogy in that time. I have a few eARCs that I’m behind on, so that will be priority, along with a couple of eARCs that I already know I’m expecting in October. So far, my list looks to be an exciting one! If you would like to see some books that I have my eye on and am thinking about reading soon, you can see those here on my To-Read and To-Read-UnOwned shelves.

And I hope to keep working through it until Jesus calls us up! Won’t be long now. Until then, may you be blessed. Hold fast to the Bible, put your trust firmly in Jesus Christ, press on and fight the good fight. And may I see you in victory one day soon. God bless!

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