Wonderful Lonesome by Olivia Newport

 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plain Faith Tested by the Colorado Frontier
This story of the Amish in Colorado is a stern look at trial by fire. The hardships are plain, yet the central woman is uncommonly brash. While she holds fast to her loyalties, she struggles to yield to the Will of God, failing to see that the desires of her heart and His plan might be one and the same. Her treatment of Rudy shows this lack of sight.
Willem is where her heart truly lies, yet when he makes a choice in a gray area—one her father does not favor—she withdraws from him.
The ending is a shock. It feels more like a haunting human failure than a resolution found in Divine love. It is a reminder of a struggle seen in many churches: the error of forgetting that the Church is not a building, but the people themselves. The community would have found more peace gathering simply each Sunday—be it in a tent or an open field—to sing and pray together as one body.

By His Grace and Favor: A Traditional Regency Romance (Lord Dere's Dependents Book 1) Christina Dudley

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Damage Control in Iffley
An entertaining romp through Iffley that proves, once again, that the only thing more crowded than a Regency cottage is a Regency closet full of skeletons.
Lord Dere—quite possibly the only gentleman in England with both a title and a pulse of pure gold—takes in his sister-in-law and his cousin’s entire brood. It’s a noble gesture, though moving eight relatives into Iffley Cottage suggests he has a higher tolerance for chaos than most. Among the throng is Adella, the family’s resident martyr, who decides the best way to secure their roof is to set her cap for the bachelor Lord Dere. It’s a practical, if slightly desperate, plan to keep the formidable Mrs. Markham from discovering her sister Jane’s latest lapse in judgment.
The real spanner in the works is the tutor, Mr. Weatherill. He’s spent his life hiding a "Fleet" pedigree—a debtor's prison education that the ton would find far less charming than his Latin. Naturally, while Adella is busy hunting a Peer, she and Weatherill ruin everything by falling in love.
The plot is a delightful game of "hide the scandal" from the neighborhood’s resident shrew, and while there are a few loose ends left fluttering in the breeze, the charm of the characters carries it through. Lord Dere remains the MVP of the piece; if only every heir had such an inconveniently kind benefactor. An excellent read for those who enjoy their romance served with a side of frantic damage control.

In My Best Friend's Arms by C. C. Hollins

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finding What Was Always There
Emma and Jack’s story is a second-chance novella that explores the friction between long-standing friendship and latent romance. It’s a lighthearted read, but it carries a grounded undertone for anyone who has ever overlooked the person right in front of them.
While Jack has known Emma was "the one" for years, Emma only hits that realization when a hurricane forces them back together. Jack’s secrets add a layer of complexity that challenges Emma’s perspective, yet they don't waver her underlying feelings. The narrative focuses on whether these two can stop looking at the past and start moving forward into a shared future. It is a solid, direct look at the risk required to turn a friendship into something permanent.
The pacing matches the urgency of the storm, stripping away the distractions that kept them apart for so long. It is a refreshing take on the "blind spot" trope, proving that sometimes you have to weather a literal disaster to finally see the truth.

The Shakespeare Thief: An Elliot Todd Mystery; Book 1 by Lionel Ward

 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Contemporary Cozy with a Side of Mid-Life Naivety

The story is a lighthearted romp, but the real mystery is how a man in his forties has made it this far with so little common sense.

While Elliot is clear about what he wants, he’s remarkably immature for his age. His views on women are hopelessly naive, leaving him perfectly positioned for Ester to pull his strings like a seasoned puppeteer. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, either; his mother masquerades as the overbearing type, but she’s actually just self-absorbed, dodging her son the moment his presence inconveniences her personal life.

The height of Elliot’s absurdity is his decision to confront a murderer while alone and visibly inebriated. It’s a bold, if foolish, move for a man who spends his days in a bookshop and his nights at the bottom of a glass.

The Verdict: A fun, breezy contemporary cozy featuring a bookseller who is frequently his own biggest obstacle. Perfect for readers who like their mysteries with a dash of social observation and a protagonist who desperately needs a wake-up call.

The Sheriff's Guilty Bride: A Christian mail-order bride romance (Hope House Brides Book 2) by Malory Ford

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Love & Justice in Mud Lake
Arriving in Mud Lake, Colorado, requires a certain grit, which Mara possesses in spades. After being unjustly accused of arson—despite being severely burnt while trying to extinguish the flames—she flees to the Hope House in New Orleans. The matchmaker there orchestrates a marriage of convenience to Liam, a frontier sheriff who catches Mara literally as she faints from hunger upon her arrival. Her sacrifice for her sister, Paige, left her with nothing for the journey, a testament to her character that Liam recognizes immediately.
The plot moves efficiently as Liam balances his duty to the law with his instinct to protect his new wife. He is aware of the warrant for her arrest but chooses to seek the truth rather than blindly follow a wire from her former employers. This period of waiting for trial provides a grounded look at their developing bond; Liam falls for her independence, a trait necessary for any woman sharing a life with a lawman.
The author maintains a solid continuity by weaving in characters from previous books, adding a layer of community to the high-stakes drama. The intensity peaks during the courtroom scenes, where Paige’s loyalty provides the evidence needed to finally dismantle the corrupt Latham family. It is a sharp, action-packed story that focuses on how two people can find a genuine connection while fighting for their lives.

Heir to the Hand: The Hand of Maud Clean Time Travel Romance Book 2 by Patti A. Pierucci

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Temporal Tangle with a Royal Twist
An excellent adventure in time travel that hits the ground running with a temporal error, weaving a complex narrative across three distinct timelines. The mechanics are generally well-handled, though I found the "cemetery mailbox" logic a bit of a stretch—sending notes to the future is one thing, but the logistics of sending them back across time felt like a slip in the gears of an otherwise tight plot. One would think the "ton" of the medieval era would be difficult enough to navigate without the added headache of questionable postal services.
The stakes are high as Donna navigates the isolation of medieval England, waiting for her timeline to align with George and Anton. Their quest for the lost crown jewels provides a solid driving force, forcing the characters to adapt to increasingly precarious circumstances to set history right. The mystery of the Hand of Maud adds a clever final layer of intrigue; with two versions in play, it is up to Eleanor to discern which one actually ends up in the Tower. A sharp, engaging read for those who enjoy their history with a side of temporal chaos.

A Marriage of Quiet Necessity by Heidi H. Jex

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Marriage of Duty That Found Its Heart

Despite a scandalous beginning, this is a grounded, quiet story about two incredibly proper people navigating a marriage of convenience. The stakes are set on a wedding night that would leave most of us reaching for the smelling salts; William informs Nonneleigh that her role is strictly limited to managing his household and his twin boys—no further intimacy, no further children.

While that declaration is enough to kill any hope of romance, Nonneleigh simply gets to work, pouring her affection into the children. The shift occurs as William finds himself unexpectedly courting his own wife. It takes a moment of raw vulnerability during a childhood illness for the truth to come out, finally dismantling the rigid walls William built on day one.

The narrative serves as a sharp lesson in "be careful what you wish for." While William and Nonneleigh find a genuine connection through duty, the original architects of the scandal—Lucas and Cecily—are left with the miserable leftovers of their own choices. It is a satisfying reminder that snatching someone else’s prize rarely leads to a prize-winning life.