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: July – 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:
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.
This print book looks and sounds like an excellent read would love to read in print format so I could review I’m reading Colorado K-9 Rescue which is an excellent K-9 book and what I especially like about it is that the two people that have to work together don’t like each other or so they tell themselves and love the solutions and the way they find the solutions to their problems, love books like this
HOPE I WIN
I’m reading The Guest Cottage by Lori Foster.
I read “Love Finds You in Sun Valley Idaho” by Angela Ruth – I don’t read many contemporary romance, I enjoy them, but historical is my comfort zone. 🙂
I read Hidden Peril by Irene Hannon. I usually stick with historical fiction, but occasionally I’ll branch out to read a modern set suspense book. Irene Hannon does a good job in writing enjoyable suspense novels.
I read the nonfiction book Restored in Tuscany: A True Story of Facing Loss, Finding Beauty, and Living Forward in Hope by Angela Correll. I loved her fictional trilogy and this work of nonfiction is no different.
I read the children’s/YA book The Drummer Boy’s Battle by Dave and Neta Jackson.
I read “Between You and Us” by Kendra Broekhuis. I’m not sure exactly how it would be categorized, probably women’s fiction with a dash or magical/fantasy maybe. Anyway, it was super good. The kind of book that keeps you thinking long after the last page. Highly recommend it.
As many times as I’ve listened to the audiobook of Ben Hur, I’m really not a Biblical fiction fan. So for July I started Shield of the Mighty by Connilyn Cossette. I’m not even close to finishing it, but so far I’m really enjoying it.