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: 

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.
Endorsement:
“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: AmazonBarnes & 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?

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