Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Mail-Order Duchess (Lords of the Rockies Book 1) by Misty M. Beller

 

You just have to love these brothers, their family and ranch, their gentleness and kindness. Mandie is running from her deceased husband's brother; her family doesn't know the reason. She had answered letters from one of the Balfour brothers who was looking for a match compatible with an English Lord. Intricate story of how that unfolds, and they learn to trust each other, finding that it's no mistake that she's there. Hard to put down and interesting right to the end, quite romantic. 

I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#MailOrderDuchess #MistyMBeller #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #MistyMBellerBooksInc #ChristianHistoricalRomance

mail-order bride, amnesia, secret baby, English aristocracy, fish out of water, ready-made family, high-stakes danger, family saga, Rocky Mountain wilderness setting, frontier time period

Publisher Description
Five sons of an English duke, all raised in the Rocky Mountains…
A marriage born of duty. A love neither expected.

When Enoch Balfour’s eldest brother tragically dies, the weight of family responsibility falls on his shoulders. Now this Montana rancher must train for his role as the next Duke of Clarence—and marry the mail-order bride his brother sent for. Hardened by loss, Enoch has no intention of opening his heart to a stranger, but duty demands he produce an heir.

Mandie Beaumont is a desperate young widow fleeing the sinister advances of her brother-in-law. After arriving in the Montana Territory to marry a man she’s never met, an accident leaves her robbed of her recent memories—memories that conceal a devastating secret. When she discovers she’s carrying a child conceived through betrayal and violence, Mandie fears rejection and ruin. Yet, in Enoch, she finds an unexpected protector whose fierce gentleness makes her long to trust again.

Though Mandie’s charm and resilience begin to thaw Enoch’s guarded heart, he struggles with his fear of loss. When Mandie’s past resurfaces, Enoch must risk everything to save her. If he fails, Mandie will be torn from him—and the love they’ve begun to embrace could be lost forever.

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a royal family saga featuring a mail-order bride, amnesia, a secret baby, and an aristocratic marriage of convenience…all set in the rugged Montana Territory.

My reviews

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

The Reluctant Pioneer: Inspired by a true story by Julie McDonald Zander

 


Matilda really didn't want to go to Oregon. Her husband was determined though. Very well told and moving story of her journey - based on a historical figure.  Strengthened by Christian lessons as she learned to adapt and persevere through her own trials and those around her. Many history lessons brought to life throughout. Would make a great movie. A meaningful story with substance.

I received this book free from the author and NetGalley review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#TheReluctantPioneer #NetGalley #JulieMcDonaldZander #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #BooksGoSocial

Publisher's Description

Matilda Koontz cherishes her life as a wife and mother on a Missouri farm, but her hardworking husband wants to claim free farmland in the Pacific Northwest. When he suggests selling the farm to trek two thousand miles across the Oregon Trail, she balks. 

But in the spring of 1847, Matilda and Nicholas Koontz and their sons embark on a grueling journey westward. Fresh graves testify to dangers of disease, accidents, starvation, and a multitude of hazards threatening her family and her beloved’s dream.

With new struggles at every turn, Matilda wonders how she can protect her sons on such a perilous journey. Will they reach the trail’s end? Will the babe growing inside her womb survive?

When tragedy strikes, the question changes: How can she possibly continue?

This pioneer woman’s journey is inspired by a true story.


My reviews
Barnes and Noble

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Light of The World Animated Movie

 

Even though this is geared more towards kids, even at our age we found the movie beautifully animated with excellent voice acting.

Synopsis:
This beautiful, 2D-animated story of Jesus is told through the eyes of his young friend, the Apostle John. From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry through his crucifixion and resurrection, LIGHT OF THE WORLD powerfully illustrates how Jesus of Nazareth changed the world forever and still changes lives today!

LIGHT OF THE WORLD opens in theaters September 5

If you are a fan of the 1990s golden era of 2D, hand-drawn animation, you will love this movie.
This is the first movie from Salvation Poem Project, a ministry committed to sharing Jesus with the world.

Director John Schafer was the producer of the beloved program Superbook.
Director Tom Bancroft was a long-time animator with Disney who worked on The Lion King, Mulan, and Beauty and the Beast.


Opening weekend Sept. 4-7 ... special early showings on Thursday.
(If you have a group of 10 or more people, you can get group tickets for just $7.50 a person!)

#LightoftheWorldMIN @lightoftheworldmovie @salvationPoemProject #lightoftheworldmovie


Giveaway: $10 Amazon giftcard. Please submit your full name and email address in the comments below by 9/10. Winner will be chosen at random. 

Many thanks to Salvation Poem for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

The Short Game


Deeply satisfying movie for the whole family. Excellent acting and filming, keeps you groaning, holding your breath and cheering all the way through. Very real life. Excellent choices of scripture and mentors were well placed. We were engaged with the film right till the end. 

See in theatres now!

Synopsis:
Jeremy Avery is vying for a college golf scholarship awarded to the winner of the State
Championship, but his preparation and game are affected by family pressures and having
to take care of his younger autistic brother, Ethan. These challenges, along with the
pressure of carrying his team to State against an opponent who will do anything to win,
leads Jeremy on a journey of discovery both internal and of his brother’s savant-like gifts,
that if embraced can create an unstoppable pair. On the brink of his greatest victory,
Jeremy is forced to make a life-altering decision, finally realizing his own personal dreams
or standing by his brother.

#TheShortGame #TheShortGameMovie #TSG #MomentumInfluencerNetwork @TheShortGameMovie

Giveaway: $10 Amazon giftcard. Please submit your full name and email address by 9/5 in the comments below. (We will not be able to accept winners submitted after this date.) Winner chosen at random.

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Vengeance in Vienna

 

About the Book

Book: Vengeance in Vienna

Author: Sara L. Jameson

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: July 16, 2024

A moonlight sail. A sniper on the shore. A terrorist financier determined to kill Jacob and all he holds dear.

Interpol Special Agent Jacob Coulter and his fiancée Riley Williams set out on a moonlight sail, but a sniper turns their idyllic Austrin vacation into a deadly nightmare.

On temporary assignment to the Vienna Interpol office, Jacob must apprehend a notorious terrorist financier and uncover his operations in Austria. But the financier is determined to destroy all Jacob holds dear. And that includes his kid sister and his fiancée, Riley Williams.

Opera singer Riley Williams is tired of dodging terrorist attempts on her life. When she insists on helping Jacob catch the financier and his henchmen, she gets into more trouble than she bargained for.

But the financier’s tentacles of evil reach far deeper into the Austrian economy than Jacob and Riley suspected. What they uncover appalls them. The clock is ticking. Can Jacob find them before it’s too late?

Book Excerpt

It was hard to forget Interpol’s insistence he make their holiday his cover. Even for an hour.

The dinghy’s bow sliced through the water and glided past the last house. He glanced over his shoulder. Where was that water-ski ramp?

A gust hit the sail and whisked the boat toward the port shore. He tacked again, zigzagged them away from the dense forest looming at the water’s edge.

“How about a kiss, lover boy.” Riles slid from the bench and scooted across the cockpit floor. Arms draped across his knees, she lifted her face toward his, lashes framing hazel eyes, a hint of lip gloss on her generous mouth. “Let’s make a memory.”

“Okay doll.” They could use some new memories. Good ones. If they couldn’t carve time out from his life-and-death assignments, she’d never set a wedding date. He bent toward her and pressed his lips to hers. One whiff of her Chanel No. 5, and he released his hold on the tiller, fingers itching to weave through her curls.

Craaack.

The tiller shattered. Fragments scattered everywhere.

“Sniper!” Heart clobbering his chest, he shoved Riles to the floor, dove on top of her.

Wood splinters geysered, pelted the water, thunked inches from his legs.

Missed Any Excerpts, Go Here

Excerpt One: https://montanamade.weebly.com/tell-tale-book-reviews/epic-book-launch-vengeance-in-vienna-by-sara-l-jameson
Excerpt Two: https://musingsbymaureen.blogspot.com/2025/08/celebrate-lit-presents-epic-book-launch.html
Excerpt Three: https://booksyoucanfeelgoodabout.blogspot.com/2025/09/vengance-in-vienna.html
Excerpt Four: https://storiesbygina.com/?p=9247
Excerpt Five: https://purpleshadowhunter.blogspot.com/2025/08/vengeance-in-vienna.html
Excerpt Six: https://www.artistwriterandstudentohmy.com/posts/vengeance-in-vienna-book-spotlight/
Excerpt Seven: https://www.guildmaster97.com/posts/vengeance-in-vienna-epic-book-launch-and-excerpt/


About the Author

Sara L. Jameson won Scrivenings Press’s grand prize publishing contract in January 2021. They released her debut romantic suspense novel, Cruise to Death, in June 2021. Death in High Places, (Book 2 in the Troubled Waters series), released February 2023, followed by Vengeance

in Vienna, July 2024. She is currently working on books 4 and 5 of the Troubled Waters series for Scrivenings Press.

In real life, Sara is a multi-published former university professor who has also written non-fiction under her real name and edits book manuscripts for other authors. She also pens WWII historical novels. When not at her computer, she enjoys reading, swimming, cooking, and dog-sitting.

Monday, September 1, 2025

A Promise Given in Knob Creek: Frontier Legacy Brides Book 5 by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer

 

She expected a crippled stranger. She found a whole man... and an unexpected chance at love.

A pleasantly slow read. Intricately detailed in an interesting way - makes it easy to visualize and know the characters well. A father sends for mail order brides for his sons, threatening their inheritance. Sadie didn't know their plan and had married Samuel by proxy. She was lied to about him; he didn't even know about her. They both have reasons for wanting their marriage, but it's hard for them to figure out their relationship. Long way about it, and two more brides to go, with secrets hanging between them all. A good read, excellently written.

I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 #APromiseGivenInKnobCreek #DianaLesireBrandmeyer #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #DKDBooks #ChristianHistoricalFicton 

My reviews

Saturday, August 30, 2025

The Undercover Heiress of Brockton by Kelly J. Goshorn

 


Riveting. Etta is a wealthy heiress and disguises herself as a man to be an outstanding newspaper reporter. Centered around a true explosion and disaster, it's a great story of how people come together to survive a tragedy in their town, an investigation to determine what happened, and two people coming together in a non-traditional society role. Wonderful characters.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and CelebrateLit book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#TheUndercoverHeiress #KellyJGoshorn #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistorcalRomance #BarbourFiction

realistic, informative, page-turner, easy-to-read, romantic


About the Book

Book: The Undercover Heiress of Brockton

Author: Kelly J. Goshorn

Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction

Release Date: August 1, 2025

 

A Socialite in Disguise Seeks Truth and Justice

Henrietta “Etta” Maxwell is a hard-hitting investigative reporter for The Enterprise Daily. The catch? Etta must pen her columns under the nom de plume, Henry Mason—a fact that routinely puts a knot in her knickerbockers.

Leo Eriksson is a second-generation firefighter with a passion for rendering aid to those in need. When Leo discovers that Henry Mason is really Henrietta Maxwell, the fire department’s wealthy benefactress, he agrees to keep her identity secret. After a sudden blast rocks the Grover Shoe Factory, Leo and Etta team up to determine if the explosion is related to a series of suspicious fires in the area.

When an unnamed source reveals Etta’s secret identity to a rival reporter, she falsely accuses Leo of being the informant. As the truth comes to light, Etta must persuade Leo to give her a second chance or lose the only man she’s ever loved.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Kelly J. Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith, and family set in nineteenth century America. Her debut novel, A Love Restored, won the Director’s Choice Award for Adult/YA fiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in 2019, and earned recognition as both a Selah Award finalist in the Historical Romance category and as a Maggie Award Finalist for Inspirational Fiction. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, binge-watching BBC period dramas, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi.

 

More from Kelly

A Little Swedish Flavor

Beginning in 1844, Swedish immigrants began arriving in Brockton, Massachusetts. By 1920, Swedes accounted for approximately 30% of the city’s population. Their long-lasting impact on Brockton’s character remains evident today with annual cultural celebrations and religious festivals.

The Undercover Heiress of Brockton is set in the Swedish neighborhood of Campello. My hero Leo Eriksson’s favorite meal is Kalops, a savory beef stew that is traditionally served with boiled potatoes and pickled beets. For Leo, a bachelor who takes most of his meals at The Drake Tavern, the dish recalls happy childhood memories of his mother’s cooking.

Kalops contains typical stew ingredients like carrots, celery, onions, and garlic, but what makes this dish unique is the addition of allspice. Allspice adds a warm spicey flavor to the recipe that makes it perfect for a chilly winter day.

I had the opportunity to taste test this recipe, and while I would never brag about my own cooking skills, I have to say that it turned out quite well. I’d love to hear from you if you decide to give this traditional Swedish dish a try.

Kalops (Swedish Beef Stew)

Recipe courtesy of Skandibaking.

SERVINGS: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

2.4 lbs chuck roast (or other beef cut suited for stews)

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

3 large carrots

1 stalk celery

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp ground allspice (or more to taste!)

2-3 bay leaves

3 cups beef stock (can also use water and bouillon)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

SERVED WITH: large potatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prep the beef by cutting into 1 inch cubes. Season well with salt.
  2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil when preheated and add beef in one layer, searing on all sides. If you need to sear the meat in batches, you can remove one batch before adding the next to ensure that it browns well.
  3. Dice your onion and celery while the beef is cooking (or prep ahead of time). Finely mince the garlic cloves.
  4. Once the meat is browned on all sides, add in the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until just softened.
  5. Chop your carrots into bite sized pieces. You can either add the carrots now if you like them super soft or add them with about 45 minutes left of cooking if you prefer them to have more of a bite.
  6. Add one tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Once melted, add in three tablespoons of flour and stir until everything is coated. Add in ground allspice.
  7. Pour in beef stock, stirring while adding to dissolve the flour coating. Once all of it has mixed in, add in 2-3 bay leaves. Now is a good time to taste for initial seasoning – add in salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Let the stew simmer for about an hour and 15 minutes; add more water or stock if needed! Now is also the time to add the carrots if you want them to be less soft.
  9. Simmer for an additional 45 minutes or until the beef is very tender – in the meantime, prepare the potatoes for serving.
  10. Prep potatoes by peeling and cutting in half. Place in a pot with cold water and add salt. Heat over medium-high heat with the lid on until it boils. Remove the lid and boil for about 15 minutes or until a knife poked into the center of a potato releases easily (you can also just taste for doneness!). Drain and set aside until ready to serve.
  11. Remove bay leaves. Check for final seasoning (add more salt if needed). Add stew to bowls and serve with boiled potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley if you would like. Enjoy!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 27
Pens Pages & Pulses, August 27
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 28
Mornings at Character Cafe, August 28
Texas Book-aholic, August 29
Devoted To Hope, August 29
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 30
Books You Can Feel Good About, August 30
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 31
Blogging With Carol, August 31
Hannahbandanarama, September 1
For Him and My Family, September 1
Stories By Gina, September 2 (Author Interview)
Simple Harvest Reads, September 2 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
She Lives To Read, September 3
Mary Hake, September 3
Book Looks by Lisa, September 4
Books Less Travelled, September 4
Blossoms and Blessings, September 5
Bizwings Book Blog, September 6
Holly’s Book Corner, September 6
Lily’s Corner, September 7
Jodie Wolfe, September 7
Pause for Tales, September 8
Life on Chickadee Lane, September 9
Cover Lover Book Review, September 9

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Kelly is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54286


My reviews
Barnes and Noble