by Crystal Caudill | Jun 3, 2025 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s another month of our challenge: Tackle Your TBR Pile. So go dig through that stack taller than you of books you’ve been meaning to read and start reading away. Since this year is based on your TBR pile, I will not have a recommendations page, but I’m leaving the link here so it’s easier for me to set up NEXT year’s blog posts.
Find recommendations at Reading Challenge Recommendations, Crystal Caudill’s Reading Friends Facebook group, Avid Readers of Christian Fiction, or Inspirational Historical Fiction Index.
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes from my shelf can be found here.*
Reading Challenge 2025: Tackle the TBR Pile
If you’re anything like me, you have a TBR pile that is bigger than you can hope to read in a lifetime. This is the year we’re going to try an tackle at least twelve of those books. Head to your shelves and find books that fit each month’s challenge.
This Month: May – Cover in your favorite color
Next Month: June – Recommended by friend/family
Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey
by Abigail Wilson
Review by: Crystal Caudill
Oops! the month got away from me, and while I did read some books, none of them were really in a favorite color. So I went back and stole an old review. 🙂 But I LOVE the color of this dress on the cover, and I remember enjoying the book. I really need to catch up on Abigails backlist.
As many of you know, first-person perspectives are NOT my favorite. An author really has to engage me and make me forget I am in the first-person in order for me to really get through the story. That being said, I needed an audiobook to listen to on a road trip that would have a bit of mystery, danger, and romance. The blurb for this story intrigued me enough to make me willing to try and listen to a first-person point of view novel. (And I totally blame Erica Vetsch’s The Lost Lieutenant and The Gentleman Spy for sending me on a Regency binge.)
I was pleasantly surprised, enough so, that I am considering going back and listening to and/or reading the first two books in the series. Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey is a standalone book, although it is connected to other stories. I am sure there are little antidotes I missed by reading out of order, but I still found the story engaging and believable. While not always able to suspend the thought of being in first-person, I loved the unusual marriage of convenience story. Elizabeth and Lord Torrington proved to be unique characters who drew me in. Lord Torrington especially was an unexpected kind of man. I struggled to make him out just as Elizabeth did, but found him a hero whose company I enjoyed.
If you like the first-person point of view, marriage-of-convenience stories, mysterious heroes, danger, and mystery, I highly recommend this Regency story.
Genre: Historical Romance, England, 1815
Plot Overview:
In this new Regency romance, a young unwed mother must protect her heart from the charms of her convenient new husband, Lord Torrington. She is not, however, prepared to protect her life.
When the widowed Lord Torrington agreed to spy for the crown, he never planned to impersonate a highwayman, let alone rob the wrong carriage. Stranded on the road with an unconscious young woman, he is forced to propose marriage to protect his identity and her reputation, as well as his dangerous mission.
Trapped not only by her duty to her country but also by her limited options as an unwed mother, Miss Elizabeth Cantrell and her infant son are whisked away to Middlecrest Abbey by none other than the elder brother of her son’s absent father. There she is met by Torrington’s beautiful grown daughters, a vicious murder, and an urgent hunt for the missing intelligence that could turn the war with France. Meanwhile, she must convince everyone that her marriage is a genuine love match if her new husband has any hope of uncovering the enemy.
Determined to keep her son’s true identity a secret, Elizabeth will need to remain one step ahead of her fragile heart, her uncertain future, and the relentless fiend bent on her new family’s ruin.
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget. *Giveaway Policies can be found here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | May 22, 2025 | Uncategorized
I always adore having Grace or one of her characters on my blog, and as I’ve been taking a break from blog posts for a little while, it’s nice to dip back into the blogging world with another interview with her. I’ve had the blessing of knowing Grace since pretty much the beginning of my writing journey and the even greater blessing of getting to know her better over the years. She writes wonderful stories, both Gilded Age and Regency. I had the pleasure of endorsing her latest book, To Kiss a Knight, which you can enter her endorser giveaway here until Monday night (5/26/2025). If you’ve not had the pleasure of meeting Grace before, allow me to formally introduce her:
Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple his¬torical novels and novellas, including the American Royalty, Best Laid Plans, and Aprons & Veils series. She holds a Master’s in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives South Louisiana with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter in a farmhouse that is always filled with the sounds of sweet little footsteps running at full speed. When not writing, chasing babies, or tending to her chickens, she’s baking something delightful and can usually be found with a book clutched in her fist.
You can connect with her through: Website  | Newsletter | Facebook | Instagram | GoodReads | BookBub | Amazon
Now for the fun stuff! I have to admit I am partial to my Fast Five. 🙂 So settle in as I hit Grace with rapid-fire.
CC: Rain or snow?
GH: 1,000,000% Rain!
CC: Makeup or no makeup?
GH: Makeup, but just the five-minute and run kind 🙂
CC: Personal maid or personal chef?
GH: Personal maid! I love to cook, but cleaning is only bearable with audiobooks and podcasts, haha.
CC: Arrive early, just on time, or late?
GH: Early!Â
CC: Food fight or water balloon fight?
GH: Water balloon!
I admire your ability to do makeup in five minutes. I don’t usually wear it, so it feels like it takes me FOREVER to put it on right.
What kind of stories are your favorite to write?
GH: Swoony romances with lots of adventure! It’s my favorite kind to read, so I always try to write a book that I want as a reader 🙂
CC: And you do them so well!!
Do you read fiction while you are writing your own stories?
GH: I do! However, I usually read a genre that I’m not writing in (Christian romcoms, clean paranormal romances, etc.). It gives me inspiration and a break from thinking about my story!
CC: I’ve been doing that more recently too. It’s been great too, because I’m less likely to compare myself to my favorite historical romance authors. Nothing like impostor syndrome to slow the writing.
What is your favorite part about writing?
GH: The first draft is my favorite!! All the creativity is flowing, and it is so, so fun to see that word count go up! My least favorite is the content edit. (It is just painful and I’ve read the story a lot by this point, so I start to think that it might be boring.)
CC: Oh, girl, do I feel you. I always try to add things in during the developmental edit because I get bored, and then I have to take it out again. LOL
Do you have a general writing process you follow or does it change all the time?
GH: I usually write the first draft for 8-10 weeks and edit (drafts 2-6) for 12 weeks! I try not to write on the weekends, but occasionally when the deadline is getting too close, I have to! I do a lot of read throughs in my writing, but I like to layer the story in slowly!Â
CC: That is sort of similar to my method, although I’m MUCH slower than you. LOL
Now I’m excited to talk about To Kiss A Knight.
Purchase your copy at Amazon | Signed Copy
And if you’re not convinced enough, here’s MY endorsement for the book:
“An authoress fleeing an unwanted marriage, a chivalrous thief who is not as he first appears, and a marriage of convenience? Yes please. Grace Hitchcock has pulled off another rollicking Regency with romance, danger, humor, and unexpected plot twists that you don’t want to miss!”
CC: What will fans of To Kiss a Knight love about your story and characters?
GH: The readers have been saying that they love the chemistry between Vivienne and Bash! The To Kiss a Knight main characters are one of my favorite couples, so it’s great to hear that readers think so too!
CC: They were definitely a blast. 🙂Â
How did this story develop and change from spark to finished book?
GH: This story was inspired by two of my favorite old movies, Christmas in Connecticut and It Started with Eve! Vivienne and Bash’s relationship really came alive while writing and their chemistry was so natural and easy to capture!Â
CC: Hmm. I’ve never watched either movie! I guess I better go check those out!
What is a fun fact about this story that readers might not know?
GH: My husband and I went to Bath after writing this story, and we got to visit all the places Vivienne went in Bath and even had high tea in the Pump Room and saw the famous fountain, which you will read about in this story! I’ve been wanting to visit Bath for ages, and it was made extra special having Vivienne’s story completed. But, the shocking aspect of Bath was the surrounding hills! In all the movies I have ever watched set in Bath, there was never a panoramic shot of Bath being set in hills!!!
CC: Wow! I’m really jealous!!! One of these days. One of these days.
Who was your favorite character to write?Â
GH: I loved capturing the grandma! Her feisty attitude was inspired by my late grandma. While writing, all I had to do was think of my grandma, and Grandmother Larkby was living and breathing in my mind and even had me tearing up while writing some of her scenes.
CC: She really was on of my favorites!
Before we sign off, I always like to end with a fun question so . . .Â
What would you be if you had to wear one Halloween costume every day for the rest of your life?
GH: I supposed I’d be Laura Ingalls Wilder because we recently moved into a farmhouse where we are raising a flock of 25 chickens, two golden retrievers, and planting fruit trees all while homeschooling!Â
CC: That is so fitting!
Readers, I hope you’ll check out To Kiss a Knight and then leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub. You wouldn’t believe how important that is to an author. Â
Reader, what books have you read with an authoress heroine? Or what about a funny Regency?
Giveaway
Here’s your chance to enter Grace’s Endorser giveaway. Visit her KingSumo Giveaway here for all the details.
Endorser GIVEAWAY! WIN Crystal Caudill’s Written in Secret, AND Betsy St. Amant’s No Place Like Home, AND Carrie Turansky’s A Token of Love And Rebekah Millet’s Kate Landry Has a Plan AND Misty M. Beller’s Saving the Mountain Man’s Legacy!!!!
Â
by Crystal Caudill | May 1, 2025 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s another month of our challenge: Tackle Your TBR Pile. So go dig through that stack taller than you of books you’ve been meaning to read and start reading away. Since this year is based on your TBR pile, I will not have a recommendations page, but I’m leaving the link here so it’s easier for me to set up NEXT year’s blog posts.
Find recommendations at Reading Challenge Recommendations, Crystal Caudill’s Reading Friends Facebook group, Avid Readers of Christian Fiction, or Inspirational Historical Fiction Index.
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes from my shelf can be found here.*
Reading Challenge 2025: Tackle the TBR Pile
If you’re anything like me, you have a TBR pile that is bigger than you can hope to read in a lifetime. This is the year we’re going to try an tackle at least twelve of those books. Head to your shelves and find books that fit each month’s challenge.
This Month:Â April – Start or Finish a series on your TBR
Next Month: May – Cover in your favorite color
Not Alone
by Liz Bradford
Review by: Crystal Caudill
I’ve long been friends with Liz, but not SO long that I was around for her first few books, and I’ve wanted to read her debut series for a long time. With me finishing deadlines and her picking up writing book six of the series, I knew it was time. While I can tell this is definitely her first published book, I truly enjoyed the story. I’ve always enjoyed stories with action, suspense, and depth, and Liz hits all of that. I especially appreciate how she hits hard topics in her stories. Rebecca Palmer is a single mom who is trying to catch a serial killer who is targeting women like her. While giving anything else away would be spoiling the story, I will say that I appreciate her tackling some of the natural relationship challenges of the story.
I’ve already binge-read books 2 and 3, and plan on starting book 4 this weekend. Each book gets better, both in storyline and writing skills.
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Plot Overview:
When single moms are turning up dead, Police Detective Rebecca Palmer will stop at nothing to bring the killer to justice.
Detective Rebecca Palmer is hunting a serial killer bent on inflicting a warped sense of Biblical judgment. But, with so few clues, she struggles to catch his trail. The killer’s obsession with murdering single moms grips Rebecca’s heart with profound intensity, since she herself is a single mom. Will she be able to stop him before he takes another mother away from her child?
Jared Johnson fought crime as a detective on the streets of Chicago but has decided to trade the inner city for the simpler life of the south. His brother said Hazel Hill, North Carolina is a great place to live, and Jared is willing to test his brother’s claims. But is the move just another stop as Jared runs from his past, or will Hazel Hill be the place his restless soul can finally settle down?
Purchase Links:
Amazon
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget. *Giveaway Policies can be found here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Apr 9, 2025 | Book and Writing Events
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt!
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!
- Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
- There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 4/13 at midnight Mountain)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
- Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
Howdy! I’m so happy to meet you!
Whether you’re already a fan or I’m a new-to-you author, welcome! I’m Crystal Caudill, and I write “dangerously good historical romance.” What does that mean? It means I like to write thoroughly researched historical romance with strong threads of suspense and spiritual themes that (hopefully) feel natural and not preachy. You can find out more about me, my books, and my monthly reading challenge here on my website and on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, or BookBub. On March 11, my first book in a new series called The Art of Love and Danger released.
WRITTEN IN SECRET is about a 19th century (Gilded Age) female dime novelist who writes crime stories to correct the wrongs of a corrupt judicial system, only to have her stories brought to life by a vigilante who murders the pardoned criminals her stories were based on. Of course, there is a swoony hero (or so I’m told), humor, sweet romance, and a delightful dose of suspense.Â
Dime Novels, Corruption,
and a Search for Justice
Written in Secret was inspired by a handful of facts I discovered while researching dime novels and the history of the Cincinnati police. Check them out:
- Dime novels were highly controversial. Many believed the “cheap” literature would corrupt those who read it to commit crimes and become degraded in mind. There were widespread calls for the dime novels to be banned. Even the postmaster general advocated for them to be banned from the mail system.
- Women were relegated to only publicly writing romances. If a woman wanted to write a mystery or crime novel, they used a male pseudonym (most of the time).
- Despite opposition, dime novels were sold by the hundreds of thousands, and they shaped our modern concept of genre reading.
- Until 1886, except for very short periods of a police commission board attempt, the Cincinnati police were governed by the current mayor. That means officers could be hired or fired just based on their political leanings or how they served the mayor’s needs.
- Judges and juries were regularly bought off. Criminals with the right connections walked free or received lesser punishments. Even elections were rigged.
- People were growing tired of the corruption. In 1884, after the stress of two devastating floods, a riot broke out when a horrific crime went to trial, and one of the murderers received a light sentencing.
Everyone in the book wrestles with the injustice of the world around them and responds how they think best. Lydia is a mystery-dime novelist who rewrites the stories of criminals who got away with their crimes. Billy Poe is a vigilante who kills the criminals who inspired the dime novelist’s stories. Officer Hall is a police officer trying to stop the vigilante but wrestling with the dime novelist’s part in all this. The city wants justice, even if it takes rioting, while others do their best and trust God with what they don’t understand. It really was a fascinating exploration of finding justice in an unjust world.
Here’s Your Critical Stop #24 Basics:
If you’re interested, you can order Written in Secret on Amazon, Baker Book House, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com or at your local bookstore!
Clue to Write Down: read anywhere
Link to Stop #25, the Next Stop on the Loop: Hannah Currie‘s site!Â
But wait!!! Don’t go yet!!
I’m holding my own additional giveaway right here! Use the rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win . . .
Your choice of Counterfeit Truth, Counterfeit Love, Counterfeit Hope, Counterfeit Faith, We Three Kings, or Written in Secret . If the winner already has all the books, they can pick a book from my prize shelf of other authors’ books. 🙂Â
The winner of this giveaway will be selected on April 15th and notified by email afterward.Â
Fine Print: Physical items are available to U.S. residents 18 or older. Void where prohibited. E-books will be available for anywhere internationally that Amazon sells the ebooks. Full giveaway policies can be found here.
And if you are having trouble getting entered, just shoot me a note through my contact form, or comment below.Â
Best of luck, and happy hunting! – Crystal
by Crystal Caudill | Apr 8, 2025 | Author Interviews
It’s my pleasure to bring back Linda MacKillop to the blog. With all these new and updated questions, I’m looking forward to getting to know her better. Linda is also graciously giving away a copy of each of her books, The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon and Hotel Oscar Mike Echo to one U.S. resident. Check out the details below. If you missed the last time she was here, here is a bit about her before we dive in.Â
Linda MacKillop is the author of the Christy-Award winning novel, The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon, and the middle-grade novel Hotel Oscar Mike Echo, a finalist for the Christianity Today Book Awards for Young Adult. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is a member of the Redbud Writers Guild. Her articles and essays have appeared in magazines and literary journals. Linda makes her home in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Discover more on lindamackillop.com.
You can connect with her through: Website  | Newsletter | Instagram | SubstackÂ
Now for the fun stuff! I have to admit I am partial to my Fast Five. 🙂 So settle in as I hit Linda with rapid-fire.
CC: Rain or snow?
LM: Snow. I’m a Northern girl.Â
CC: Makeup or no makeup?
LM: A modicum of makeup. Â
CC: Personal maid or personal chef?
LM: Oh, definitely a personal chef!! One who cooks paleo.Â
CC: Arrive early, just on time, or late?
LM: My husband calls me “the on-time airline” if that answers the question.Â
CC: Food fight or water balloon fight?
LM: Water balloon fight–on a warm summer day.Â
I love that your husband has a nick-name for you. I think if mine gave me a nick-name for my tardiness, I’d be the Better Late Than Never gal. LOL
What kind of stories are your favorite to write?
LM: I write about broken people trying to make their way in life. This comes from my own background with troubled, broken parents who divorced. I have experienced God as healer, and I hope that I convey that truth and experience in my writing.
CC: I love that. We are essentially a world of broken people, and we all need the truth, hope, and healing of Christ in our lives.
Do you read fiction while you are writing your own stories?
LM: I read lots of fiction while I’m writing my own. I’m looking for a sense of strong voice and presence in the story, and I’m inspired by these kinds of books. They push me to work on my own story’s voice. And I like to be inspired by other writers.Â
CC: I love that. It’s definitely important to be reading the fiction you want to by inspired by as you write.
What is your favorite part about writing?
LM: Definitely the revision part is my favorite. Getting words down on a blank page for me is torturous and my least favorite part. But rewriting–or polishing–is so fun as you begin to see the story shine. This is also the part where I’m surprised by what appears on the page.
CC: That is wonderful. I haven’t decided if I love it or hate it yet.
Do you have a general writing process you follow or does it change all the time?
LM: I have a general process I follow. I pray before I write, usually on my knees, and then often, I read a little poetry to get my head around thoughtful, artful words. I write for about half a day, and then go off and do other things, like take care of my home, go for a walk, make dinner. The joy of the writing process for me is that when I step away from the desk, I still see the story developing in my brain, often answering questions that had me stumped while I sat at my desk.Â
CC: I love that. I definitely need to get better about getting away from my computer and just living life.
Do you have any advice for those who want to write their own stories?
LM: Start writing and don’t be afraid to write badly at first. Find a great critique group with experience writing and who will give you kind but truthful feedback. Read everything you can find in your preferred genre.
CC: Those are all great tips!
Now I’m excited to talk about The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon and Hotel Oscar Mike Echo.
Hotel Oscar Mike Echo
Home isn’t always what we dream it will be.Â
Eleven-year-old Sierra just wants a normal life. After her military mother returns from the war overseas, the two hop from home to homelessness while Sierra tries to help her mom through the throes of PTSD. Â
When they end up at a shelter for women and children, Sierra is even more aware of what her life is not. The kind couple who run the shelter, Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin, attempt to show her parental love as she faces the uncertainties of her mom’s emotional health and the challenges of being the brand-new poor kid in middle school. The longer she stays at the shelter, the more Sierra realizes she may have to face an impossible choice as she redefines home.
This middle-grade novel offers a compassionate look at poverty, homelessness, and hope. Readers walk alongside brave Sierra as she holds on to a promise she believes God gave her: that one day she will have a real home. But what if that promise looks far different than she has ever dreamed?Â
Purchase your copy at The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon | Hotel Oscar Mike Echo Â
CC: What will fans of your books love about your story and characters?
LM: I write quirky and unusual people and situations.
CC: Those are some of the most interesting books to read.
Why did The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon develop and change from spark to finished book?
LM: I originally wrote Eva Gordon in the first-person point of view of a person with increasing dementia. It was too difficult to write that close to a confused brain. It limited my storytelling, so I switched to a close third-person point of view.
CC: I can imagine how difficult that would be. I tried to write a first-person POV with a character in an asylum and I just couldn’t do it.
Why did you write this story?
LM: I was pondering a nagging question: If you have extremely difficult people in your life, why and how do you still find them loveable?Â
CC: That is a hard question and one I’m sure most of us deal with.
Who was your favorite character to write?
LM: In the Eva Gordon story, it was Mabel. She popped into the novel unexpectedly and added such a great dimension to the writing.Â
CC: I love it when characters add unexpected dimensions to the story!
What do you hope readers will take away from your story?
LM: Repair what you can in life before it’s too late.Â
CC: So easy to say, and so hard to do, but rarely is the right and good thing to do the easy thing to do.
I always like to end with a fun question so . . .Â
What would you be if you had to wear one Halloween Costume every day for the rest of your life?
LM: I would be a book because I could change the title on it each year while still wearing the same costume, and it would be easy to make from a cardboard box. My favorite costume as a child was when I made myself a Christmas package.
CC: Oh, that is such a fantastic idea!!! I love it! Thanks for hanging with us today!
Readers, I hope you’ll check out The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon and Hotel Oscar Mike Echo and then leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub. You wouldn’t believe how important that is to an author. Â
Reader, have you ever read a book where a character was facing dementia, Alzheimer’s, or something of the such? What was it?
Giveaway
Here’s your chance to win a copy of The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon and Hotel Oscar Mike Echo. Comment on the blog and enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win! Entries close at 11:59 p.m. EST on 4/15. Open to legal U.S. residents. See Giveaway Policies for more details.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon