Review: Hope for Christmas

Hope for Christmas by Rachelle J. Christensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is book 1e of the Echo Ridge Romance collection, and is told by Rachelle J Christensen. In this book, we meet Anika Fletcher. She hates Christmas, does whatever it takes to make sure that her daughter still has faith about Christmas season. She takes on job to repair a soda fountain with Carlos Rodriguez. As they work together, they start to understand and get to know each other. However, as she begins to open up, an ill-timed act of charity changes everything. Will their romance make it or not? This is a clean, Christian romance. I thought the story was great. I thought the characters were great. Anika has been hurt and has lost her faith in the Christmas season. I thought her character was great because despite her lack of faith in the Christmas season, she tried her best to make sure her daughter still loved it. It reminded me that mothers will do anything to make sure their children’s happiness is fulfilled even when there are times of struggles. I think she was smart, courageous, and beautiful. Carlos has been through his share of ups and downs, and I really liked how he shared his life with Anika while they were working together on the soda fountain. He is a sweet, patient, and handsome person. I thought the ending was nice. It was a delightful story about hope, love, and faith. I cannot wait to read more books by Rachelle J. Christensen.

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Review: Proposals and Poison

Proposals and Poison by Rachelle J. Christensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is the third and final book of the Wedding Planner Mysteries series. In this book, Adrielle Pyper, a wedding planner in the town of Sun Valley, Idaho, is back home, and planning a few weddings. However, when one of the brides gets murdered, it is up to Adrielle to solve the case. I thought the story was great. It was a great edition to my cozy mystery collection. I thought Adrielle was a great character. She was really interesting and relatable. I hope that I can see her character grows even more in the other books in the series. I thought the mystery was great. It kept the story more interesting. I thought the fact that I didn’t know who did it until nearing the last few chapters added to the mystery. I kept trying to figure it out, but then another twist came. I cannot wait to more books. Overall, a great read.

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Review: Veils and Vengeance

Veils and Vengeance by Rachelle J. Christensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is the second book of the Wedding Planner Mysteries series. In this book, Adrielle Pyper, a wedding planner in the town of Sun Valley, Idaho, is in Hawaii planning a destination wedding. While in Hawaii, she discovers the body of a young woman while snorkeling and is traumatized. I thought the story was great. It was a great edition to my cozy mystery collection. I thought Adrielle was a great character. She was really interesting and relatable. I hope that I can see her character grows even more in the other books in the series. I thought the mystery was great. It kept the story more interesting. I thought the fact that I didn’t know who did it until nearing the last few chapters added to the mystery. I kept trying to figure it out, but then another twist came. I cannot wait to read book 3. Proposals and Poisons, here I come! Overall, a great read.

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Review: Street Fighter Origins: Sagat

Street Fighter Origins: Sagat by Chris Sarracini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Chris Sarracini for the opportunity to read your book. This was an enjoyable read. This is a manga story about Sagat. He is one of the characters in the popular Street Fighter videos games. I really liked seeing his origin story. I was interesting to learn about Sagat’s past and everything that happened to him to make him the video game character he is. Also, I thought the illustrations in this manga were great. The pictures illustrated the story perfectly. I just find it really cool that a video game character such as Sagat can be told in a manga format. I hope to read other characters origin stories. I cannot wait to read more from this author. Overall, a great read.

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Review: Murder is Binding

Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

Actual Rating: 3.5

This was an enjoyable read. This is the first book of the Booktown Mystery series. In this book, we find ourselves in the small town of Stoneham, New Hampshire, and are introduced to our main female character, Tricia "Trish" Miles. Tricia owns a mystery bookshop named "Haven't You Got A Clue?" When the store owner of The Cookery is found dead in her store, she becomes the sheriff's prime suspect. Now it is up to Tricia to get to the bottom of who killed the store owner, or she will have to pay the price. I thought that this story was delightful and mysterious. I thought Tricia was a great character. I thought she was witty, kind, and just delightful. She had been through a lot with her divorce, and her move to this small town, but I thought she was an engaging and interesting character. Her sister, Angelica, was a bit naive in the beginning. I did like the sisterly love between her and Tricia. It made me like her more and more as the story went on because I started to see that she cared for Tricia and wanted to help her. I thought this was a great introduction to the series and the character. I am excited to see what will happen in the rest of this series. Also, I cannot wait to read Book 2. Bookmarked for Death, here I come.

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Review: Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things

Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things by Rachelle J. Christensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is the first book of the Wedding Planner Mysteries series. In this book, we are introduced to Adrielle Pyper, a wedding planner in the town of Sun Valley, Idaho. When her business takes off, her shop is vandalized. However, it turns out to be more than a burglary. When the cops do not take it seriously, she takes matters into her own hands and becomes a sleuth. I thought the story was great. It was a great edition to my cozy mystery collection. I thought Adrielle was a great character. She was really interesting and relatable. I hope that I can see her character grows even more in the other books in the series. I thought the mystery was great. It kept the story more interesting. I cannot wait to read book 2. Veils and Vengeance, here I come! Overall, a great read.

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Review: 100 Steps With God, Volume 1: Inspiring messages to strengthen your faith

100 Steps With God, Volume 1: Inspiring messages to strengthen your faith by Steve McDonald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing Read

I received an advance review copy for free from Hidden Gems, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Steve McDonald for the opportunity to read your book. This was an incredible read. In this devotional, I learnt about how to build a deeper relationship with God. This book is written as a guide to help Christians to face trials and tribulations that come their way. This book demonstrates that building a relationship with God and striving to continue that relationship with Him that we will get the support and love that we all need. I loved the section called “Celebrating The Trials,” because it taught me that despite everything that I go through and everything that I face, God will always be there for me to see me through the highs and lows of life. I am glad that I got to read this book. Overall, an amazing read.

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Review: Murder at an Irish Christmas

Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O'Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is the sixth book of An Irish Village Mystery series. This cozy mystery series takes place in the village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland. I think this series is getting better and better in my opinion. In this book, it is Christmas and the O'Sullivan clan is making a holiday of it. That is until one of the family members winds up dead under an orchestral harp. Even on vacation, Garda Siobhan O'Sullivan can't seem to help herself and has soon insulated into helping on the investigation.I thought the story was great. I enjoyed the mystery. I thought the story was fast-paced and engaging. I enjoyed the O'Sullivan family. My favourite is Siobhan O'Sullivan because she is feisty and relatable. I loved the family dynamic and how they were there for each other. I cannot wait to read book seven. Murder in an Irish Bookshop, here I come. Overall, a great read.

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Review: Murder in an Irish Cottage

Murder in an Irish Cottage by Carlene O'Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is the fifth book of An Irish Village Mystery series. This cozy mystery series takes place in the village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland. I think this series is getting better and better in my opinion. In this book, Siobhan has just started her much-deserved 10-day vacation with her secret fiance, Macdara. During their vacation, Macdara received a distressed call from his blind cousin, Jane to come to their small cottage in Ballysiogdun to help sort matters out. When they came to the cottage, they found his cousin unsettled with the front window smashed and a corpse in the cottage. Now, they have to get to the bottom of this mystery, especially when it does involve family. I thought the story was great. I enjoyed the mystery. I thought the story was fast-paced and engaging. I enjoyed the O'Sullivan family. My favourite is Siobhan O'Sullivan because she is feisty and relatable. I loved the family dynamic and how they were there for each other. I cannot wait to read book six. Murder at an Irish Christmas, here I come. Overall, a great read.

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Review: Wicked Knight

Wicked Knight by Diana A. Hicks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is a part of The Society series, but features a duet with each couple. This is book 1 of the Wicked Knight Duet. In the Wicked Knight Duet, we get to see the story about Luca Gallo and Donata Salvatore. It is a student-professor relationship with a mafia twist. I thought this was a great student-teacher relationship book because of the suspense and storyline. I did like that there was bit of mystery and suspense to the book. Donata is known for her cleverness and plans. However, she was a bit naive in this book because of her obsession with Luca. I did find her character realistic and authentic. I do find her character strong, witty, but she can be naive as well. I thought Luca was a great character. He is possessive, jealous and sexy. Their romance was great. The suspense was made this book 4 stars for me because it kept me on the edge of my seat. I just wished that it didn’t end in a cliffhanger because now I am wanting to read book 2 to see what happens next. Also, I can’t wait to read the other duets within the Society series. Overall, a great read.

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Review: Forbidden Love: A Shifter Romance

Forbidden Love: A Shifter Romance by Rhaine Storm
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay Read

This was an alright read. This is a freebie that I received. In this book, Mia Ephraim is a human who falls in love with two shifters. One is a dragon and the other is a wolf, and both are not allowed to fall for humans. I thought the premise was intriguing. However, I did feel like the story was a bit boring and it did not engage me at all. I wish that the story was longer because then we could have explored more of Mia’s relationships with Killian and Sammael. I just found their chemistry with Mia a bit lacking as it moved really fast. I found Mia to be an okay heroine. I did feel like she was naive at times. Also, I did think Killian and Sammael characters could have had better character development. I think if I got to know more about their past, I would have been more connected to the characters. I will definitely still check out more books by Rhaine Storm. I think she has a lot of potential. Overall, an okay read.

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