by Crystal Caudill | Feb 28, 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: February – Author of a different generation
Next Month: March – Author with the same starting letter as you
Calico Spy
by Margaret Brownley
Review by:
I can always count on Margaret Brownley to provide a completely satisfying romance blended with mystery, crime, and adventure. This final installment of the Undercover Ladies series is definitely my favorite from her so far.
Katie is a wonderful Pinkerton operative, different from any of the other “Pink” women in her series. Her own set of observation skills paired with the handsome sheriff, and reluctant love interest, is perfect for the hunt of the Harvey Girl Killer. While her observation skills were envious, they were human.
As a woman, she has a strong personality, but with the vulnerable undertone we all try to hide. She is a character who draws you in and molds you into her. Her emotions, thought patterns, and uncertainties are complex and real. She is my absolute favorite character developed by Margaret Brownley thus far.
Sheriff Branch Whitman is his own strong character with a past that emotionally attaches you to him. His is the tall, strong hero who is not really intimidated by an equally strong-minded woman. He is wounded, yet gentle. He is intelligent, but a complete buffoon at times. I love him to no end as a character.
There is a restrained passion that emerges and evolves naturally as the story progresses. Honestly, it made me want to curl up in my husband’s arms and feel that strong connection Katie and Branch have but fear to acknowledge. It is a love that feels real and not just the pat on the back, superficially love found in a lot of romance novels.
The plot is fantastic with several twists, turns, and added layers which hold your attention from beginning to end. While the murder does seem to drag on, it was a realistic drawing out of how murders are not solved in an hour. I don’t wish to give anything away, but let me assure you every layer is addressed satisfactorily, and all loose ends are tied up.
I highly recommend picking up Calico Spy if you like historical crime solving mixed with romance. Margaret Brownley is a master.
Genre: Historical Romance, Western
Plot Overview:
Pinkerton operative Katie Madison’s newest case takes her to Calico, Kansas, where two Harvey House restaurant waitresses were murdered in mysterious circumstances. Calico s sheriff, Branch Whitman, has never met a Pink he liked and is stunned to learn the pretty redhead s true identity as she works undercover as a Harvey girl. A tornado hits town, and a past deception puts Branch s eight-year-old-son in danger. Now the Sheriff has no choice but to work with Katie or chance losing everything he holds dear.
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com
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 | Feb 25, 2025 | Book Reviews
The Scarlet Ribbon
by Naomi Stephens
Review:
The Scarlet Ribbon is a masterful reimagining of the story of Rahab set during the American Revolution. Stephens weaves the heartbreaking and gritty reality of Rebekah Stanton’s life with redemption, hope, and the dream we all have: to be loved for who we are and not what people see us as. The historical details are superb, the romance satisfying and noble, and the Truth spoken lovingly and clearly. My heart ached for the characters; it stuttered with fear for their safety; and it sighed in contentment at the end. This is a story that needed to be told and needs to be read.
Genre: Historical Romance, American Revolution
Plot:
As the Revolutionary War unfurls around her, Rebekah Stanton is abandoned by the man who once claimed to love her. Shunned by her father and forced to give up her child, she finds herself thrust into prostitution at the local boarding house.
When the British seize control of the nearby fort, she gives little thought to the officers who frequent the boarding house. Men are men regardless of the color of their uniform…or so she believes. But then a young man—a Patriot spy named Benjamin Renshaw—stumbles upon her in the darkness, and she saves him from a group of pursuing Redcoats.
With an attack on the fort brewing in the background and the father of her child returned to serve with the British, Rebekah is torn between old dreams and new hope, struggling all the while to find peace and forgiveness in a place of rising conflict.
Author Website: https://www.naomistephens.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon | Whitefire Publishing
What is the most recent book you’ve read? What did you like about it? Who would you recommend it to?
by Crystal Caudill | Feb 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: January – Newest book on your TBR pile
Next Month: February – Author of a different generation
The Misadventures of Miss Adelaide
by Maggie Dallen
Review by: Crystal Caudill
As my brain recovered from a massive writing deadline, my attention was caught by a Facebook ad for a set of clean Regency reads from Maggie Dallen. Since they were clean, the price was right, and my brain was not ready for anything more advanced than a simple, light-hearted plot; this fit the bill. I read a set of Christmas novellas from her before this one, but I think those technically still fell in 2024. So far, of what I’ve read of Maggie Dallen, this story has been my favorite. I love the mix of mystery, adventure, romance, and danger. The characters were fun, Addie’s loyalty to saving her brother admirable, and the earl a silent brooding type of hero, but definitely a hero. I find that all of her characters seem to fall in love too quickly or simply, but that is honestly the nature of these types of reads, so I can’t fault the story for that. It was a quick read at 176 pages, and I might read it again one day, but probably not.
Genre: Regency Romance
Plot Overview:
Three unlucky women find love in the unlikeliest places in this sweet regency romance series…
Miss Adelaide is down on her luck and on the run when she finally collapses at Evercliff Manor. Perhaps it’s exhaustion that has her spilling her secrets to the kind doctor tending to her–or maybe it’s his warm, compelling eyes. Then again, maybe it’s just another case of sheer bad luck.
It turns out the kindly doctor who now knows her deepest, darkest secrets is not really a doctor at all. He’s an earl. Worse, he’s her employer. And he’s decided that Adelaide will be his next project. With his assistance, and the help of her newfound friends at the Lovelace School of Charm, Miss Adelaide might just land on her feet. If only she doesn’t lose her heart…
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 | Jan 21, 2025 | Book Reviews
The Duke’s Diary
by Ashtyn Newbold
Review:
The Duke’s Diary is a book I have been waiting forever to read. When I saw it hit my Kindle, all other books were set aside. It did not disappoint. I love the mix of diary entries, romance in the form of a chivalric hero, and the sweet innocence of Nora as she grows to realize not only her own love for Timothy but his love for her. There were a couple of high-heat kiss scenes, so if you are sensitive to that, just know there are a couple. Nothing crosses the line, and I personally found them to be fine. I can’t wait for book three and plan to preorder it as soon as it is available. I definitely recommend this book for fans of Regency romance, friends to more, stoic but secretly romantic heroes, and quirky heroines. This is a sweet romance genre.
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency
Plot:
She only meant to read one page…until she saw her name.
Rather than being forced to marry the vile man her father intends for her, Nora Rothwell plans to escape. With the help of her brother and his best friend, Timothy, the Duke of Heywood, she finds her way to the Duke’s abandoned hunting lodge, where she will be kept safe and hidden until she comes of age—at which time she will be whisked off to London in the hopes of finding a suitable match who might secure her a place far from her father’s reach.
Secluded from society, Nora enlists Timothy’s help as she prepares for her London debut. Ever serious and unromantic, he teaches her the essential skills of catching a husband, leaving her with no question that he sees her as he always has—a friend, a child—perhaps even a sister.
But when she discovers an old diary in the library, everything she thought she knew is called into question.
It’s Timothy’s diary.
And if its contents are to be believed, he isn’t unromantic in the slightest.
…and he most certainly doesn’t see her as a sister.
Author Website: https://www.ashtynnewbold.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon
What is the most recent book you’ve read? What did you like about it? Who would you recommend it to?
by Crystal Caudill | Jun 25, 2024 | Book Reviews
Man of Shadow & Mist
by Michelle Griep
Review:
From the very first time I read The Noble Guardian from Michelle Griep, I thought there was no book–no hero–I could love better. And once again, Michelle Griep has proved me wrong. This may be my absolute new favorite from her, and that is saying something. Mobs, a man who cannot expose himself to the light, a romance that overcomes it all, AND Dracula? What more could I ask for? Fans of gothic romance are going to swoon over this story. Seriously, just writing this review makes me want to go back and read it again just for pleasure. This a book NOT to be missed, especially if you are a fan of Dracula on any level. Once again, Griep’s attention to historical detail is amazing, and I learned so much while being completely consumed by this enthralling tale. If you’ve not read it, be prepare: I WILL force you to read this book. 🙂 So save yourself the trouble. Hanging garlic won’t stop me. Go read this book.
Genre: Historical Romance, 1880s England
Plot:
“The world seems full of good men—even if there are monsters in it.” –Bram Stoker, Dracula
England, 1890
Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire, leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say he is cursed.
James hates everything about England. The weather. The rumours. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for which he’s desperately trying to find a cure—an illness that will eventually take his own life.
When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept what she can’t explain—especially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James must battle a town steeped in fear as well as the unsettling attraction he feels for the no-nonsense librarian.
Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and doubt?
Author Website: https://michellegriep.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon | Baker Book House | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook
What is the most recent book you’ve read? What did you like about it? Who would you recommend it to?
by Crystal Caudill | Jun 11, 2024 | Book Reviews
To Catch a Coronet
by Grace Hitchcock
Review:
I was blessed to read Grace Hitchcock’s debut Regency romance for endorsement last Thanksgiving. Here is my official endorsement:
With ingredients of romance, history, danger, and her signature humor, Grace Hitchcock has baked up a delectable treat with her debut Regency Romance. Long-time Regency fans will devour this fresh take on ballroom romance as eagerly as Captain Erik Draycott did Muriel Beau’s creations. Picking up this read won’t add to your waistline but it will leave you pleasantly satisfied and craving the next installment of Hitchcock’s take on Regency romance. ~ Crystal Caudill, Carol Award Finalist and author of Counterfeit Love
But that is not all I want to say about her book. After all, you’re only allowed so many words in an endorsement. This probably has to be my favorite Grace Hitchcock book so far. And that is saying something because I absolutely adored The White City, now renamed Miss Wylde in the White City.
Muriel’s baking history and insecurities were ones I could identify with. I cannot tell you how horrified I felt for her in the first chapter (you’ll just have to check out the preview HERE to see what I mean). And then her first meeting with Erik? Oh my goodness!! I was rolling with laughter. Without giving too much away, I was thrilled by the adventure and danger aspect of the romance story. You know me. There is nothing I like more than a good villain or two, and this one had me guessing until the reveal–although I did have my suspicions.
Believe me, this is a story you don’t want to miss. AND Grace included a scone recipe at the end!!! You better believe that I’ve cooked up a batch or two by now. You can learn more about the story below.
Genre: Regency Romance, England, 1813
Plot:
Sometimes the only way to outsmart a scandal is to find a crown big enough to silence it.
Muriel Beau, country baker turned heiress, can’t stop instigating outrage. She discards two arranged engagements, then further antagonizes in Kent society by publicly proposing to a baron at a ball. His rejection leaves her with no choice but to flee to the city and to secure a coronet so splendid that her peers will forget her debacles. The glitter of the London courts convinces Muriel that it’s possible to find the future she dreams of, until she finds herself entangled in yet another escapade–one that may cost her more than her crumbling reputation.
After years of serving as a privateer under an assumed name, Captain Erik Draycott, heir to Draycott Castle and soon to assume his uncle’s title of Earl, returns to his London home to find it in disrepair thanks to his longtime nemesis. A staunch bachelor intent on returning to his ship, the captain now finds himself in dire need of a wife.
But while his pauper status causes the potential London brides to turn their noses up at him, the Kent brides have no such qualms and are eager to fill his coffers with their fathers’ wealth. When he encounters the unconventional Muriel Beau and she becomes embroiled in his risky undertaking, Erik is torn between staying put to protect this enchanting country lady and heeding the call of the high seas.
Author Website: https://gracehitchcockbooks.com/
Purchase Link: Amazon | Baker Book House | Barnes & Noble
What do you like most about a good Regency novel?
