Last Minute Books for Christmas!

Rebecca and I thought we'd share a few of our favorite Christian fiction books (not all are published in 2023) that we think might make excellent Christmas gifts for the avid reader in your life. It's not too late to order them and receive them before Christmas, but hurry! Don't delay. :-)

I'll list the books with links to the reviews on Goodreads.

The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz

  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4880882621

The Girl from the Papers by Jennifer L Wright

  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5805662768

A Return to Hawthorne House by Kristi Ann Hunter

  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5971387968

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold

  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6034047071

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5524155052

Just the Way You Are by Pepper Basham

  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1932993954

We would love to know if you take any of our recommendations to heart and purchase them for yourself or a loved one!

 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, 

who is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2 :11

The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky

About the Book

In 2012, art historian Gwen Monroe travels to England's Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping to prove herself to her prestigious grandfather. While at Longdale Manor, she becomes acquainted with David Bradley--the owner's handsome grandson--who is desperate to save the crumbling estate by turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. When Gwen stumbles upon a one-hundred-year-old journal and an intricately carved shepherd's staff similar to one in a photo of her parents, she uncovers a connection to the father she never knew.

In 1912, after her father's death, Charlotte Harper uncovers a painful family secret she can only confess to her journal. She and her family travel to the Lake District to stay on a sheep farm, hoping eventually to find a home with Charlotte's grandfather at Longdale Manor, but old wounds and bitter regrets make it a difficult challenge. As Charlotte grows closer to shepherd Ian Storey and rebuilds her shattered faith, she must decide whether she will ever trust in love again.

Two women a century apart are taken on a journey to healing, faith, and forgiveness in this heartfelt dual-time Edwardian romance from bestselling author Carrie Turansky.

Purchase Link

Bethany House Publishers

Let me know in the comments if you've read any of Carrie Turansky's books. I think I've read them all! She's one of my favorite Christian authors in the market today. Her stories are filled with hope, grace, love, and faith with plots that keep me riveted to the pages. 

Rebecca Reviews ~ In This Moment (Timeless, #2) by Gabrielle Meyer

416 Pages, Paperback

Published May 2, 2023, Bethany House Publishers

About the Book

Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until, that is, she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives--and everyone she knows in them--forever.

In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of an influential senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a Navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she's asked to join a hospital ship being sent to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she's a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon, yet unable to use her modern skills in her other paths.

While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era. The mysterious British gentleman. The prickly, demanding doctor. The charming young congressman. She's drawn to each man in different ways, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer.

With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?

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3.5 stars

"Most days, I could pretend that my life was normal. I was a twenty-year old woman searching for my place in the world .. . . The only difference was that I had three normal lives . . . I would have to choose which one to keep and which to forfeit."

"Do you ever get scared?" . . . . . . "Of saying good-bye . . . forever?"

Going to sleep in one life, and waking in another had always been a way of life for Margaret Wakefield, Maggie Hollingsworth, and Meg Clarke. Born as a time crosser, she deftly navigated her knowledge of American history between 1861, 1941, and 2001. . . . . albeit every once in a while her comments or actions raised a few eyebrows (or even quite a few eyebrows), leaving Maggie no option but to continue on as if nothing unusual had just happened; however, the clock kept ticking towards her twenty-first birthday (and final decision time). Determined to find her true calling, she pursued the field of medicine in each era and tried very hard to guard her heart in the process, but three men made that task particularly difficult. Would one of them prove to "be enough"?

Amazingly, this author has sewn together a trio of intriguing life spans into one very interesting story, recalling how all three time periods had very similar, yet singular challenges. One of my deepest impressions came while reading this particular conversation; "None of us are independent of the ones we love. We're woven together like a big tapestry, with each color unique and vibrant, but making a larger picture possible. You're woven right here for eternity."

And those three men? The ones who made Maggie's heart beat faster? Well . . . . "when you know, you know".

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. I also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Review ~ The Premonition at Withers Farm by Jaime Jo Wright

 

Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication: October 11th 2022 by Bethany House Publishers

In 1910 Michigan, Perliett VanHilton is a self-proclaimed rural healer, leaving the local doctor, George Wasziak, convinced she practices quackery. It doesn't help that her mother, Maribeth VanHilton, is a Spiritualist who regularly offers her services to help others speak to their dearly departed. But when Perliett is targeted by a superstitious killer, she relies on both George and an intriguing newcomer for help.

In the present day, life has not developed the way Molly Wasziak dreamed. Facing depression after multiple miscarriages, Molly is adapting to her husband's purchase of a new farm. A search for a family tree pulls Molly deep into a vintage web of deceptions, made more mysterious by the disturbing shadows and sounds in the old farmhouse.

Perliett fights for her life, and Molly seeks renewed purpose for hers as she uncovers the records of the dead. Will their voices be heard, or will time silence their truths forever?

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My Review 4.5 STARS

‘Molly ducked her head. She watched a tear fall, dropping onto the wood floor, staining it. Yes. She knew. She knew, deep in her heart, she had to move on. To be healthy again. To find healing. To find…meaning. But when an earthly hell came to visit you, it didn’t just go away. It dogged your feet until—Molly glanced at the attic window—until maybe you actually started to see physical ramifications of it. Evil. Abandonment. Loss. It haunted you until it enveloped you entirely.’

The Premonition at Withers Farm is thick with darkness, one in particular that afflicts many women. I did not like Molly as a person but this contemporary aspect of the story is actually what kept me reading. Don’t get me wrong. The historical timeline is so incredibly well-written that it makes the book hard to put down. It does have spiritualist content that was extremely hard for me to read but again, this author is a master at bringing all the pieces together and making them fit.

Wright always, always makes sure the reader knows even though there is darkness, the tiniest bit of light shined in will devastate it, and she brings Christ into this story beautifully.

I received an early advanced reader copy from the publisher through NetGalley, and also purchased a copy.

Review ~ The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright

 

About the Book

To save the innocent, they must face an insidious evil.

Wren Blythe has long enjoyed living in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, helping her father with ministry at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess who is believed to still roam the forest. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coonses' cabin ruins and a sinister mystery she is determined to unearth.

In 1930, Ava Coons has spent the last several years carrying the mantle of mystery since the day she emerged from the woods as a thirteen-year-old girl, spattered with blood, dragging a logger's ax. She has accepted she will never remember what happened to her family, whose bodies were never found, and that the people of Tempter's Creek will always blame her for their violent deaths. And after a member of the town is murdered, and another goes missing, rumors spread that Ava's secret is perhaps more malicious than previously imagined.

Two women, separated by time, must confront a wickedness that not only challenges who they are but also threatens their lives, and the lives of those they love.

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My Review 5 STARS 

“We’re all lost in our own ways. Some of us just hide when we shouldn’t. We hide in our grief, in our minds, in our pain…in the woods…or in a story, like Ava Coons.”

Dual time lines (or time-slip) novels are some of my favorites to read, especially when they are high caliber like The Souls of Lost Lake. The suspense is phenomenal, as always, but there is just something about this tale that grabbed hold of my imagination and will not let go. Maybe because I love “camp fire tales” and my husband and I told so many of them to our children during their growing up years that this book resonated with me as much as it did. I don’t know. I do know that for the last two weeks since I finished the book, Ava Coons still rattles around in my brain almost daily!

Wright turned up the “heebie-jeebies” with this one and provided a feast for the senses. The characters jumped off the paper, cementing themselves in my mind, because they were not going to let me get away. Excellent, excellent summer reading!!! I’d give this book 10 stars if I could!

I was provided a copy by the publisher through Netgalley. No compensation has been received.

Review ~ Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham

 

Uncover the Story Behind a One-Hundred-Year-Old Love Letter

Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Clara Blackwell can’t lose her family’s one-hundred-year-old bookshop, but with the deed missing, there’s a chance her father’s legacy could fall into the hands of her greedy uncle. In an attempt to locate the missing deed, Clara uncovers an unusual love note which leads to the discovery of a long-lost romance. Forced to step outside her predictable bookish world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man’s identity in her great grandmother’s unknown history. From the beautiful North Carolina Vanderbilt estate to a hamlet in The Lake District, England, can Clara put the pieces of an ill-fated romance together in order to save her bookshop…and maybe even find her own bookish happily-ever-after in the process?

Visit Pepper @ https://pepperdbasham.com/hope-between-the-pages/

My Review ~ 5 STARS

"God allows us the gift of memories to tide us over to eternity."

Oliver and Sadie just became two of my newest literary favorites! Their story is grand and beautifully sad at the same time. My heart wept from the poignancy of a love that lived on beyond the physical.

"Keep to your Bible and to your fairy tales, sweet girl. One is for your soul and the other is for your daydreams. Both will help you through this, and in both you'll find your story."

Max and Clara are brought together as Clara seeks answers about her bookshop, and in the seeking discovers love. Upon first encounter with Max, his damaged soul burrowed deep and I knew I loved him. Together, they bring hope–and healing–between the pages.

"I've given up enough of my life to fear. I don't want to lose anymore."
Almost exactly what her mom had said to her. She and Max were more alike that she'd realized. Perhaps that was why they understood each other so well.
"And...when you're with someone who sees beyond the scars, then the scars don't seem as large anymore."
Neither does the fear.

Basham has dipped her proverbial ink pen into dual-time fiction and I must say, not a drop is wasted. Anyone who has read her individual historical and contemporary works knows that passion flows liberally and not just the romantic kind. There is so much I could say about this book but I’ll just say this —Hope Between the Pages is a truly beautiful dual love story that fans will want to put on their keeper shelf!

I received an electronic copy of the book for review purposes but I also purchased a paperback for my keeper shelf. No review was required. No compensation received.

First Line Friday ~ Hope Between the Pages

Award-winning author Pepper Basham is dipping her pen into dual-time with Hope Between the Pages.

About the Book 

Uncover the Story Behind a One-Hundred-Year-Old Love Letter

Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Clara Blackwell helps her mother manage a struggling one-hundred-year old family bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina, but the discovery of a forgotten letter opens a mystery of a long-lost romance and undiscovered inheritance which could save its future. Forced to step outside of her predictable world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man’s identity in her great-great-grandmother’s letter. From the nearby grand estate of the Vanderbilts, to a hamlet in Derbyshire, England, Clara seeks to uncover truth about family and love that may lead to her own unexpected romance.

Expected publication date is April 1.

Preorder @ Christian Book 

Follow Stuff & Nonsense to see our reviews of this highly anticipated read!

To see more fun First Lines, hop over to...

Review ~ The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright

 

Paperback, 391 pages

Published September 1st 2020 by Bethany House Publishers

In 1928, Bonaventure Circus outcast Pippa Ripley must decide if uncovering her roots is worth putting herself directly in the path of a killer preying on the troupe. Decades later, while determining if an old circus train depot will be torn down or preserved, Chandler Faulk is pulled into a story far darker and more haunting than she imagined.

Purchase: Amazon

I am NOT affiliated with any vendor. Links are for your convenience only. 

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My Review 5 STARS!!!

Jaime Jo Wright never ceases to amaze me with her split-time writing! The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus is chilling and thrilling and will take you on the craziest ride.

I’m not a big circus fan but on paper, I can totally go there. I read it at night time and have to tell you it was a bit creepy. I may or may not have startled a few times and shut the book quickly, looked around and then opened it back up. :-)

He would always be there.
Watching.
Watching her.
He was her Watchman. But more than that, she belonged to him.

The characters are well-written and captivating, the scenes incredibly descriptive. You will feel like you are personally experiencing every nuance. And if you enjoy suspense that makes your heart race, then this is the book for you!

I received a copy of the book form the author and publisher. No review was required. No compensation received.

Review ~ Echoes Among the Stones by Jaime Jo Wright

Paperback, 352 pages

Published December 3rd 2019 by Bethany House Publishers

About the Book

After Aggie Dunkirk's career is unceremoniously ended by her own mistakes, she finds herself traveling to Wisconsin, where her grandmother, Mumsie, lives alone in her vintage, though very outdated, home. Aggie didn't plan for how eccentric Mumsie has become, obsessing over an old, unsolved crime scene--even going so far as to re-create it in a dollhouse.

Mystery seems to follow Aggie when she finds work as a secretary helping to restore the flooded historical part of the town's cemetery. Forced to work with a puzzling yet attractive archaeologist, she exhumes the past's secrets and unwittingly uncovers a crime that some will go to any length to keep hidden--even if that means silencing Aggie.

In 1946, Imogene Grayson works in a beauty salon but has her sights set on Hollywood. But coming home to discover her younger sister's body in the attic changes everything. Unfamiliar with the burgeoning world of forensic science and, as a woman, not particularly welcomed into the investigation, Imogene is nonetheless determined to stay involved. As her sister's case grows cold, Imogene vows to find justice . . . no matter the cost.

Purchase:

CBD

My Review

5 STARS!!!

'There was never a good time for Death to visit.'

Jaime Jo Wright is in a league of her own. Echoes Among the Stones held me captive with its deep story, fabulous mystery, and exceptionally well-written characters. I had several theories early on of which person was the killer, one of them being a long shot. In the end, it paid off. I had the correct killer but for the wrong reasons.

Dual-time stories have become some of my favorite to read. There are always lessons to be gleaned from the past and in Echoes Among the Stones, one of the things Aggie is going to learn is how to deal with her grief over the loss of her mother and not let it stymie her from having a fulfilling future.

My heart stuttered more than once through the emotional storm of Imogene’s narrative. If you’ve ever lost someone you dearly love then you know agony. You know you would give anything to be with them one more time. In one scene, Imogene’s brother asks if she’s even been inside Hazel’s room since their sister’s murder.

          Imogene nodded her head.”I have.” She’d considered moving into it. To be closer to Hazel, wrapped in the faint, lingering scent of her.

Oh my. I could totally relate. When my mom passed away, the first thing I did when I went back to her home was go straight to her bedroom, grab her pillow, bury my face in it and breathe in her scent. I did the same thing when my daughter died. Sometimes I still hold her favorite blanket close, imagining I can smell the ‘lingering scent of her’. It’s such a tangible scene in the book that even now, my heart aches and I tear up.

“…Their voices will always echo, here, among the stones, and in our hearts. It is how it was meant to be.”

These are just a couple of thoughts about one of the best books I’ve read in 2019. I highly recommend it. You can’t go wrong with a Jaime Jo Wright book!

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own. 

New Release from Melanie Dobson

#memoriesofglass

Memories of Glass

• by Melanie Dobson

Reminiscent of Diane Ackerman’s The Zookeeper’s Wife, this stunning novel draws from true accounts to shine a light on a period of Holland’s darkest history and bravest heroes.

1942. As war rips through the heart of Holland, childhood friends Josie van Rees and Eliese Linden partner with a few daring citizens to rescue Eliese’s son and hundreds of other Jewish children who await deportation in a converted theater in Amsterdam. But amid their resistance work, Josie and Eliese’s dangerous secrets could derail their friendship and their entire mission. When the enemy finds these women, only one will escape.

Melanie Dobson

Seventy-five years later, Ava Drake begins to suspect that her great-grandfather William Kingston was not the World War II hero he claimed to be. Her work as director of the prestigious Kingston Family Foundation leads her to Landon West’s Ugandan coffee plantation, and Ava and Landon soon discover a connection between their families. As Landon’s great-grandmother shares the broken pieces of her story, Ava must confront the greatest loss in her own life—and powerful members of the Kingston family who will do anything to keep the truth buried.

Illuminating the story and strength of these women, award-winning author Melanie Dobson transports readers through time and place, from World War II Holland to contemporary Uganda, in this rich and inspiring novel. 

#memoriesofglass

PURCHASE LINK:

Tyndale

Have you read this book yet? I'm waiting on a review copy but I know I will love it. Dobson is one of the best time-slip writers today!!!

Rebecca Reviews ~ Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes

Paperback, 368 pages

Published April 30th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers

In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Sawyer is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea. 

Rebecca’s Review

5 STARS!!!

"He said he loves you, that it'll be all right, that life is big . . . and God is bigger." 

"Whose Waves These Are" clears generational speed bumps with the ease of a stallion; its poetic prose is enchanting, the spiritual depth and metaphorical descriptions compelling the most seasoned of readers to take pause. 

Using the lives of twin brothers as a foundation stone, the author builds her story; and it's a story like none other, for Robert and Roy Bliss are unparalleled. Their lives diverge from the tiny town of Ansel by the Sea when the call for war beckons one and not the other. In the end, or it could be viewed as the beginning, it's grief that completes what life could not accomplish. 

Years later, a granddaughter reappears in the tiny Maine town, apparently her beloved GrandBob needs her. As Annie Bliss uncovers the fascinating layers of her family history, she learns that "every wave . . . is a story" and "there's a whole lotta light . .. when the Lord makes His face to shine upon Thee"; yet, Annie can only wonder what kind of stories the waves will write for her.

"Build". 

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Rebecca is a graduate of Bryan College with a degree in Christian Education and is currently serving at the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina as the Director of Children's Ministry. With over 30 years of experience in her field, she has had many opportunities to use her love of reading and writing in creative ways across the generations. A wife, mother of four "nearly" grown children, and grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren, Rebecca has been able to return to her love of reading and more recently reviewing, with a renewed passion for the "beauty of story".