by Crystal Caudill | Feb 28, 2026 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s another month of our Tackle Your TBR Pile reading challenge. So dig through that stack of books you’ve been meaning to read that’s taller than you and start reading!Â
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 2026: Tackle the TBR Pile
This Month: February – Title/Cover with Heart, Love, or Couple
Next Month: March – Title/Author with same first letter of your name
Love in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Predictability and efficiency have marked Delphine DuVert’s orderly life as Castle Stewardess in the small European country of Lethersby—until she is tasked by the monarchy to hire a British researcher. Lethersby needs help solving the 100-year-old mystery of their Lost Queen, a young royal who disappeared into the night during World War I.
Delphine’s split-second decision to hire Jack Worthington, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, has long-lasting consequences when he steps in to protect her from an angry colleague determined to ruin her life. The only catch? That protection looks like Jack posing as her beau. Delphine hesitantly accepts Jack’s offer—and finds her heart being stripped of every predictable and efficient emotion she’s ever had.
Jack Worthington believes that his instinct to protect Delphine was the right one, even if it means posing as her boyfriend. But he’s determined to stay focused on his research for Lethersby—and to keep his emotional distance after reeling from a broken heart. Yet as the clues to discovering the Lost Queen’s story unravel and the court case determining Delphine’s fate looms, both Delphine and Jack must step out in faith, choosing to trust that what God has ahead for them is more valuable than the lives they thought they wanted.
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Purchase Links:
Amazon
Review
I have been waiting for this book to come out since I read the first book. I’m not a straight romance girl (the fact that this one has a bit of mystery tied up in it helps), but the spiritual depth of this and the previous book has totally sucked me in. The characters are so real. Their struggles are so relatable. Their fears are something I can relate to, even if I’m not actually afraid of them. (I’m trying to leave out something that may feel like a spoiler.) The romance was sweet, realistic, and didn’t make me squirm. (Do remember, I can’t watch cartoon characters kiss. I certainly struggle to read kiss scenes. And yes, I do write them. But only because I have to as a basic requirement of writing the romance genre, and I pull in my writing buddy who loves writing kiss scenes to help me. LOL) I’m already biting at the bit for book three. Ann’s writing definitely makes me want to improve upon my own.
Specifically, what did I love besides the above? I pretty much had the “twist” figured out from almost the beginning, BUT Ann made me second-guess myself enough that I was cheering I was right at the end. Also, I love reading about healthy relationships, and this one was definitely a good example.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a touch of mystery in their sweet, healthy romances. It’s a beautiful story of two people helping each other to grow in their faith, discovering unexpected love, and doing what it takes to respect and protect each other while growing that love through challenges.
Giveaway Details
Here’s your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. Comment with what YOU read for your chance to win! Entries close on 7th of each month. Open to legal U.S. residents and international residents. *International winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card in lieu of a book from the prize shelf due to shipping costs.* See Giveaway Policies for more details.
by Crystal Caudill | Jan 31, 2026 | Reading Challenge
It’s another month of our Tackle Your TBR Pile reading challenge. So dig through that stack of books you’ve been meaning to read that’s taller than you and start reading!Â
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 2026: Tackle the TBR Pile
This Month: January – Genre Don’t Usually Read
Next Month: February – Title/Cover with Heart, Love, or a Couple
I had the privilege of meeting Lisa at the last Rendezvous, and this was the series she recommended I start with. I have since bought the rest of the series to binge sometime over the next month and a half. YA Time Travel definitely isn’t my norm, but I did enjoy reading it. The knight hit every stereotype you can think of, and it amused me even as I rolled my eyes. The concept of how time travel occurred was fascinating. Unsusprisingly, my favorite parts were the battles. They were exactly what you would expect of medieval times, and the time-travel heroines were spunky and generally smart. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite thing I’ve ever read, but I was intrigued enough to want to finish out the whole series.Â
It also helps that the series is my son’s girlfriend’s favorite series. What better way to connect with her than over books?Â
Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
Genre: YA Time Travel
What do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, 700 years away?
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters spent every summer of their lives with their mother, a famed Etruscan scholar, exploring the romantic hills. Stuck among the archeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds…until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces. Suddenly Gabi’s life has become much, much more interesting…
Purchase Links:
Amazon
Giveaway Details
Here’s your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. Comment with what YOU read for your chance to win! Entries close on 7th of each month. Open to legal U.S. residents and international residents. *International winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card in lieu of a book from the prize shelf due to shipping costs.* See Giveaway Policies for more details.
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 31, 2025 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge
It’s the LAST month of our challenge: Tackle Your TBR Pile. (HAPPY NEW YEAR, by the way!!!! So go dig through that stack taller than you of books you’ve been meaning to read and start reading away.
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 December – Oldest book on your TBR pile
January – Genre you don’t usually read
The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today
by Mark Twain and Charles Warner
I’ve been wanting to read this one for research purposes for a long time, but the audiobook was dauntingly long when I didn’t have much time. I’m honestly still not finished, but I’m getting close. The Gilded Age definitely has all the Mark Twain I’ve come to expect, and the intro by Mark Twain makes it clear this is a satirical piece about the times, written with a co-author. It had lots of “main” characters and storylines that all converged. It was an intriguing listen, with much of the story focusing on the con of speculation, the poverty of the time, and the pursuit of the American dream of getting rich quickly. It was a clear view of the haves and have-nots. It was a good read for one time, but it’s definitely not one of my favorite Mark Twain books. I doubt I’ll revisit it, but I’m glad I read it at least once.
Genre: Satire (Contemporary at the time, historical now)
Plot Overview:
A satirical masterpiece that named an era—and still defines our own.
First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is a bold and biting political satire co-authored by legendary American writer Mark Twain and journalist Charles Dudley Warner. Set in post–Civil War America, the novel follows the Hawkins family and a parade of lobbyists, land speculators, and corrupt politicians chasing wealth and influence in Washington, D.C. and the frontier.
More than just a historical novel, The Gilded Age offers a scathing critique of greed, government corruption, and the illusion of progress—issues that remain deeply relevant in today’s political and economic landscape. Its themes of speculative capitalism, moral compromise, and institutional decay echo powerfully in the 21st century.
Giveaway – Marti was December’s Winner!
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.
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 23, 2025 | Reading Challenge
It’s time to announce the 2026 reading challenge, and I’m sticking with the TBR pile. Who knows? Maybe that will be the overarching theme from now on. I don’t know about you, but I have a TBR pile that will outlive me. Without further ado (and thank you for your help):
2026 Reading Challenge: 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.
January – Genre you don’t usually read
February – Title or Cover with: heart, love, or couple
March – Title or Author Name begins with the first letter of YOUR first or last name
April – Funny Book
May – Indie Author
June – Has a setting of somewhere you want to visit
July –Â Patriotic theme, time period, or character profession
August – Classic title
September – Animal on the Cover
October – Unusual Occupation
November – Favorite Season is on the Cover
December – Read what you want!
What are some books you’re hoping to knock off your TBR pile next year?
by Crystal Caudill | Nov 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:Â November – Award-winning book
Next Month: December – Oldest book on your TBR pile
We Three Kings: A Romance Christmas Collection
by Crystal Caudill, Cara Putman, Angela Ruth Strong
Yep, totally cheating this month because I JUST finished my draft mid-week and the first book I picked up to read during my sabbatical was a new release that I’ve been waiting for since I read the first book in the series. So I’m cheating and featuring the Christmas collection I was in with the amazing Cara Putman and Angela Ruth Strong. It really was a blessing to work with and learn from these spectacular women, and their stories were unique, and I enjoyed reading them. (Especially since they were the descendants of my characters. LOL) If you’ve read my Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series (the one with the Secret Service operatives), you’ll see Josiah Isaacs as a side character in my award-winning story “Star of Wonder.” (Y’all, winning that award still makes me cry as that award is physical representation of God’s goodess, restoration, and redeeming of a horrible horrible horrible lots of horrible years in the midst of a horrible seven years of family medical trauma. I’m not tooting my own horn, because it still blows my mind that this story would win. It doesn’t makes sense to me. But God. And I am so thankful for His working and lavishing great love on me.) Okay enough with the asides.
If you like WWII-related stories, you will ADORE Cara’s as the hero and heroine work to identify and restore art stolen by the Germans to their rightful owners, set in a bomb-stricken town where loving and serving the community brings about a new love and understanding of Christmas.
If you like rom-com with depth, Angela Ruth Strong’s story is perfect. This soon-to-be single mom is an event planner who is in need of kindness and a restoration of the Christmas spirit. Funny with depth, I love how Angela takes a hard thing and makes it beautiful.
Genre: Christmas collection spanning 1880s, Post WWII, and contemporary timelines
Plot Overview:
In this Christmas collection, Weise men still seek Jesus—and love
“Star of Wonder” by Crystal Caudill
The Christmas-themed maiden voyage of his family’s grand steamer ship was supposed to be Aldrich Weise’s chance both to instill investor confidence and to romance Celestia Isaacs. Instead, he must foil a criminal and leave his lady love behind forever.
“Beauty Bright” by Cara Putman
Lieutenant Charles Weise served as a Monuments Man after World War II and now works to restore stolen art to rightful owners. Captain Lillian Thorsen pairs up with him not only to return treasures but also to fix the war-torn lives around them.
“Perfect Light” by Angela Ruth Strong
Essential oils mogul Brendon Weise is drawn to Lacey Foster, the event planner for his huge Christmas lights festival. But when he inadvertently makes a spectacle of her on television, Lacey wants nothing to do with him. Will a chance to give gifts to those in need at Christmas be the key to discovering common ground—and maybe love?
Purchase Links:
Amazon
Giveaway
For your chance to win an e-book copy of We Three Kings or a book off my prize shelf, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. *Giveaway Policies can be found here.
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Oct 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: October – Title from a favorite author
Next Month: November – Award-winning book
Gallimore
by Michelle Griep
Review by: Crystal Caudill
I’m almost caught up with my Michelle Griep backlist. I can tell that this was one of her earlier books, as it lacked some of the typical elements I’ve grown accustomed to. However, it was a fun time-travel novel that allowed me a break from the normal. I love how Gallimore dealt with grief and allowing others into your life, all with the backdrop of a realistic Medieval setting–complete with smells and perhaps less than chivalric behavior. It was fascinating how she tied the past to the present and how echoes of the past affected the future relationship of the characters. It’s a quick read, and while I would love to have a longer version with more details to fill in some of the cliffhangers that jumped to the future and build in the romance of the present-day hero and heroine, it was still an enjoyable read.
Genre: Time Travel to Medieval England
Plot:
Jessica Neale’s faith is lost the day of her husband’s death, and with it, her belief in love. In a journey to find peace, she encounters a gentle, green-eyed stranger who leads her to the ruins of the medieval castle, Gallimore.
On his way to battle, Colwyn Haukswyrth, knight of Gallimore, comes face to face with a storm the likes of which he’s never seen, and a woman in the midst of it who claims to live centuries in the future. The Lady Jessica of Neale is an irksome, provoking bit of woman to be sure. And she’s about to turn his beliefs on end.
The product of a family rooted in pain and evil, Colwyn has focused on naught but himself—until Jessica. To a mysterious prophecy stitched on a tapestry, through the invasion of Gallimore itself, Colwyn and Jessica are bound together by a lesson in forgiveness and love—a bond that might be strong enough to survive the grave.
Author Website: https://michellegriep.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. You MUST comment on this blog post or your entry with be disqualified. Use the KingSumo App for your entry. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. *Giveaway Policies can be found here.
*Note: I am using a new platform. KingSumo will also send you an email (check SPAM/Promotions) from Crystal Caudill that will ask you to confirm your email. I think you HAVE to hit confirm in that email for the entry to count. I will NOT be signing you up for any newsletters, etc. This is PURELY for the entry method and required by KingSumo and not me. I’m doing the best I can with what I’ve got. We’ll see how this goes . . . Thanks for your patience as I try to figure out how to move forward with options that don’t cost me an arm and a leg now that Rafflecopter shut down and Gleam ended up too expensive.
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
