by Crystal Caudill | Sep 30, 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: September – New to you author
Next Month: October – Title from a favorite author
Their Burden to Bear
by Heather Tabors
Review by:Â
So I’m totally cheating on this one. I read this one for endorsement, and since I’ve been hitting my book hard, I haven’t read anything else. So here is your chance to jump in on a debut author’s book and preorder it so you get it before everyone else realizes how wonderful it is.
It’s hard to put into so few words why you should read Their Burden to Bear, but here I go. Books set after 1900 aren’t usually my thing, especially those connected to World War I or World War II, however Their Burden to Bear captivated my imagination from the first page. How had I never heard the history of the men who carried the Unknown Soldier to his final resting place? I’d always humbly respected and was thankful for the Unknown Soldier and all he represented, but after reading this book, I have a new appreciation and reverence for the men he represents. Then to read the perspective of one soldier as he not only is one of the chosen to bear the burden of carrying this unknown soldier to his resting place, but also his struggle to return to a normal life for himself was truly an experience I would recommend everyone read. I’ve always known that the men who served in either World War were known to be very quiet about their experiences, and Phillip’s realization that he can let Elsie in without sharing all the details was not only huge for him but for me in understanding the struggle they faced in letting those they loved in to the scars the war left behind.
I’m a huge history person, so you know that’s where my first love for a story goes, but this story had more than just an eye-opening and deeply researched history. The romance between Elsie and Phillip was realistic with the struggles both of them faced, was sweet, and had me rooting for them as they overcame every little and big obstacle that overtook them. It was a love born out of circumstances and need, but it was beautiful and satisfying. There were even surprise elements of danger that kept me turning the pages long after I should have gone to bed.
If you have any desire to understand an often overlooked portion of history as well as the struggles of the men who served not just our country but the world, you need to pick up Their Burden to Bear.
“With rich historical details, a romance that is hard-won and beautiful, and unexpected twists, Taber has penned a debut novel that will leave you sitting not only in awe of her story-telling, but also in awe of the brave soldiers her story represents. Their Burden to Bear will leave you with a new and profound reverence for and understanding of the men who are represented by the Unknown Soldier and the men who served along those who never made it home and still remain unknown. This story will leave an indelible mark on you, and you don’t want to miss it.” – Crystal Caudill, Christy Award-Winning author and author of Written in Secret
Genre: Historical Romance
Plot:
Washington, D.C., 1921—In the shadow of Arlington National Cemetery, Elsie St. Clair yearns for her father’s approval and a love to call her own. When she’s selected as a companion to Phillip Pierce, a decorated Marine chosen to bear the Unknown Soldier to rest, she sees her chance to finally make her widowed father proud. But beneath Phillip’s decorated uniform lies a man haunted by the horrors of Belleau Wood—a hero whose most grievous wounds are invisible to the eye. As Elsie’s own scars from her father’s emotional abuse surface, she recognizes in Phillip a kindred spirit burdened by life’s cruelties. Meanwhile, the ambitious Lavinia, determined to claim Phillip for herself, strives to destroy their relationship in any way she can.
When her father’s abuse escalates, Phillip offers marriage as protection—a convenient arrangement with clear boundaries to shield her from harm and him from attachment. As they care for Elsie’s orphaned nephew together, what begins as a practical union slowly transforms into something deeper. But their fragile connection is threatened when Elsie stumbles upon mysterious ledgers and hidden documents that suggest her father is involved in something sinister. As Elsie fights for the love Phillip is hesitant to give, an anonymous blackmailer uncovers a secret from his past that could destroy everything he’s built—including his budding relationship with Elsie.
In a time when battle trauma was misunderstood and hearts were expected to silently endure, Elsie and Phillip must decide if they’re brave enough to lay down their defenses and share not just their burdens, but their love. With dangerous men closing in, mysterious connections to the Spanish embassy emerging, and secrets threatening to destroy them, they discover that our heaviest burdens were never meant to be carried alone. Set against the solemn backdrop of America honoring its fallen warriors, their journey proves that the most profound acts of courage often happen far from the battlefield, in the quiet surrender of a wounded heart.
Author Website: https://heathertabers.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon |Â Barnes & Noble
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Gleam Widget 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 Gleam widget. *Giveaway Policies can be found here.
September 2025 Reading Challenge
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Sep 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 August – Book published before 2020
Next Month: September – New to you author
October – Title from a favorite author
November – Award-winning book
December – Oldest book on your TBR pile
The Bartered Bride
by Erica Vetsch
2009 – original, 2025 – rerelease REVIEW
I’ve always enjoyed Erica’s books, and it’s nice to go back and read her backlist. This story was a real quick read, full of wonderful historical detail, a forced marriage story I could get on board with, and strong-willed characters. I truly enjoyed reading Jonathan and Melissa’s story. I loved seeing them come together, was sort of annoyed by the taking something out of context over-hearing breakup (but it fit the story), but loved how things came back together in a healthy relationship way. I’m definitely looking forward to finishing the rest of the rereleased series after I finish drafting my current work in progress.
Genre: Historical Romance, American 1900s
Plot Overview:
A rebellious suffragette and a steadfast sailor—tied by duty, divided by secrets, and tempted by a love that changes everything.
A born sailor, Jonathan Kennebrae thrives in his role running his grandfather’s shipping enterprise. That is until his grandfather delivers a crippling ultimatum—Jonathan will marry Melissa Brooke or lose his inheritance and everything he’s worked for. Though Jonathan finds himself drawn to Melissa, he can’t help feeling his intended may not be who she appears to be.
Melissa Brooke is tired of being voiceless. She’s been the perfect daughter all her life, doing what she’s told for the good of the family. Except she has a secret. Melissa lives a double life, teaching literacy to struggling immigrant women and fighting for the suffragette movement. If she goes through with the wedding, she’ll be forced to abandon her life’s work. Yet refusing the union could cost her any chance at an inheritance to fund her cause. To make matters worse, she can’t deny the tender feelings blooming between her and her fiancé.
Originally published as part of the Kennebrae Brides series.
Purchase Links:
Amazon
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Gleam Widget 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.
August 2025 Reading Challenge
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Jul 31, 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 July –Â Book outside your normal genre
Next Month: August – Book published before 2020
Surge
by Voni Harris
Review by: Crystal Caudill
This military romance was certainly outside of my normal reads and genre. With all the mega-long names–ranks, call signs, and real names–and military jargon and acronyms, it was a little harder to follow than I’m used to. However, it was fun to get to know Delany, Garrett “Bear”, and, of course, the MWD (military working dog) Surge. From what I gather from normal military books, this was pretty standard in that there was a group of terrorists threatening to do massive damage (through poison) to the US population. A group of four with the MWD are pulled in to save the US, all while trying to overcome past personal hurdles and a distinct distrust and dislike of the two main characters. I can say military fiction probably isn’t something I’ll be reading much of, but I enjoyed reading my friend’s debut novel.
Genre: Military Romance
Plot Overview:
Love and Betrayal in a Race Against Time
Delaney Thompson isn’t just a dog trainer—she’s the key to preventing a disaster. With loyal Military Working Dog, Surge, by her side, she’s ready to prove herself on her first mission…even without military training. Her goal? Help the intense Belgian Malinois track down a specific chemical linked to a dangerous terrorist group before it reaches American soil. But to succeed, she must navigate unfamiliar terrain and an even more unpredictable partner.
Garrett Walker is a seasoned military operator, driven by duty and haunted by tragic losses. Reluctantly, he teams up with Delaney, whose lack of tactical experience makes her a liability as he leads them across Southeast Asia. Yet Garrett knows that mission success and the safety of countless lives back home hinge on his leadership, the Malinois’s special scent training, and Delaney’s unique skills.
The stakes couldn’t be higher: if Delaney and Garrett fail to locate and secure the toxic chemical, hundreds of thousands of Americans could die. As they hunt down the terrorists, their objectives are clear—find the stash, neutralize the threat, and try not to get killed. But with mutual distrust simmering between them, their greatest challenge may be learning to rely on each other.
A gripping tale of suspense, betrayal, and unexpected romance. Dive into this high-stakes adventure where every moment counts…and falling in love might just be the most perilous move of all.
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 | Jun 30, 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: June – Recommended by friend/family
Next Month: July – Book outside your normal genre
A Steadfast Heart
by Martha Hutchins
Review by: Crystal Caudill
Not only is Martha a friend, but her book was recommended by other friends who work with Sunrise Publishing. A Steadfast Heart is Martha’s debut novel, and it was a wonderful, unique working of a marriage of convenience/mail-order bride story. There wasn’t a focus on sexual tension at all, which was refreshing for this trope. There was a wonderful blend of adventure, romance, and characters who you could admire and root for. The children were adorable–and a bit of a handful for our heroine, Kaitlyn. This is probably my favorite mail-order bride story to read yet. I adored the characters, the struggles they had to overcome, and especially the blending of a family who had to learn to trust one another. I definitely recommend you check out A Steadfast Heart by Martha Hutchens.
Genre: Historical Romance, American Western
Plot Overview:
When his family legacy is on the line, rancher Drew McGraw becomes desperate for someone to tame and tutor his three children. Desperate enough to seek a mail-order bride. But when the wrong woman arrives on his doorstep, Drew balks.
Heiress Kaitlyn Montgomery runs straight from the scandal chasing her toward a fresh start on a secluded ranch. She strikes a bargain with Drew—a marriage convenient for both of them.
But the more Kaitlyn adapts to ranch life and forms a bond with Drew’s children and their enigmatic father, she realizes that this ranch is where she is meant to be. And then her past catches up with her…
This sweet historical romance is perfect for fans of the following tropes:
*ready-made family
*nanny/tutor
*single dad
*fish out of water
Purchase Links:
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble | Sunrise Publishing
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 | 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 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?
