Kav's Best Reads

Where We Belong + Giveaway

Four lives from Kansas and New York cross paths in a joyful novel of love, determination, and the unbreakable bonds of family—from the beloved and bestselling author of Hope’s Enduring Echo.

As a widow who never had children of her own, Hester Haak never imagined she’d open her home in Kansas to not just one but three kids from the bustling streets of New York. But when the Children’s Aid Society unexpectedly allows her to take two sisters and a young boy her care, she rises to the challenge. Hester is determined to provide a safe, loving home for these children, even as the shadow of them potentially leaving looms over her.

Callum Holbrook struggled with despair after losing his wife. Grieving and unable to provide for his family, he made the agonizing decision to entrust his daughters to an orphanage, promising it was only temporary. Now, stable with a secure job, he is horrified to learn his daughters have been sent halfway across the country. With newfound determination, Callum sets out on an arduous quest to bring them back home.

Where We Belong is a poignant tale of resilience and redemption. As Hester and Callum navigate their paths, they discover that family and love can be found in the most unexpected places, and that the journey home is paved with hope.

My Review:

The kind of story you settle into with a happy sigh of bookish delight. Sawyer’s storytelling is spellbinding. The way she creates a compelling plot as she merges the lives of very distinctive characters is phenomenal. Each has their own heartbreaking past and emotional baggage but when they come together magic happens….though not always right away!

Attention is in the detail and that’s what this author delivers. So many lush layers to explore and my emotions were all over the place because this story could have gone in so many different directions. My heart ached for both Hester and Callum, not to mention the children and the quandary they are all in. And it never ceases to amaze me how cavalier child welfare services were back then, dropping the children off willy nilly at train depots and letting anyone scoop them up!

An emotionally charged, character-driven story that delivers equal doses of heart and faith and left me immensely satisfied by the end…and a little teary-eyed too.

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of ‘Where We Belong’. Jennette Selig’s talented narration added to my appreciation of theses characters and their stories. She did a marvellous job capturing their unique qualities, bringing each one to life which, in turn, made the story that much more memorable for me. Highly recommend the audio edition if you are a listening kind of reader.

My thanks to RB Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – paperback or ebook copy – winner’s choice

Canada – ebook or audible copy – winner’s choice

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Where We Belong, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 25 2026

Conversations With Kav – TSTL + Giveaway

I first heard about TSTL in the context of my cozy mystery reading but I’m sure it can be applied to other genres as well. If you are unfamiliar with this intialism it stands for: Too Stupid To Live and refers to those characters who do something so foolish that it’s surprising they are alive by the end of the story.

Examples:

The classic horror film heroine who is being stalked by the serial basement hatchet killer and then one dark and stormy night she hears a thud in the basement and thinks, “Oh, I wonder what could be making that noise? I guess I should go downstairs into the dark and creepy basement and check it out.”

Or a cozy mystery heroine who finds an obviously important, pertinent clue and thinks, “I wonder if I should take this to the police? Maybe I’ll keep it for awhile instead just because (no valid reason)” And, of course, not handing it over to the police stalls the investigation, leaving the heroine with ample time to rush headlong into danger.

Or how about a contemporary romance where the hero and heroine break up in the third act over some ridiculous misunderstanding that could easily be resolved if only one of them started a conversation. Instead they both decide what the other is thinking/feeling and react to those misconceptions even though they have been toe-curling and swoony all the way up to that point.

And then there’s the stubborn suspense heroine who will make no concession in her regular schedule even though a pyschopath is gunning for her, putting everyone around her in danger, including the law enforcement/body guards who are trying to keep her alive.

Anyway, you get the idea. I find it so frustrating to be totally engaged in a really good story when it’s suddenly ruined by a TSTL moment. It feels like a contrived plot device to drive the narrative forward and I feel let down, sometimes to the point of DNFing. Which sounds harsh but it depends on my mood and how committed I have become to the characters in the book.

My Own TSTL Story

Realistically, I know that TSTL moments happen to all of us so I really shouldn’t be criticizing fictional characters (though I would never go down into the basement on a dark and stormy night with a serial killer on the loose…like, never! Duh!) However, TSTL moments can sneak up on a girl and here’s one of my epic ones:

Twenty years ago (yes, I’m that old.) I’d just moved into my wee little house and had dreams of creating a wild cottage garden. I read books, I haunted flower shops and nurseries and one day I discovered a hydroponics store in a rather run down building right where the ‘good’ neighbourhood starting easing into the ‘bad’. I was curious, excited to expand my ever growing gardening knowledge so I didn’t think twice about climbing the crumbling cement steps to check it out.

The place smelled funny and didn’t look like any kind of plant store I’d be in before. Pretty grimy, unorganized and there wasn’t a customer or sales clerk in sight though I was surprised to be greeted enthusiastically by two Rottweilers. I loved on the dogs until a guy showed up, as disheveled as the store. He was shocked to find me on the floor playing with the dogs.

“Whoa, those are guard dogs, lady.” He said that with a straight face as the two dogs were both trying to crawl into my lap, their stubby tails wagging. I laughed and asked him what they were supposed to be guarding. He got all flustered and called to someone in the back. This huge biker dude comes stomping up the stairs, chains jangling on his leather jacket, stops dead when he sees me and the dogs. “Ah, they’re not supposed to do that. They’re guard dogs.”

Long story short, we chatted a bit, played with the dogs, I asked them questions about the store which they were cagey about, but they did sell me a tub of bat guano which I swear by to this day as a gardening elixir. I visited the store pretty regularly, mostly to visit the dogs, always hoping they had added to the store inventory but the place always seemed in the setting up stages and there were never any other customers. Lots of noise going on in the basement though. Got to know the spaced out clerk a bit. Even gave him my name and number for when he got some gardening thing in, can’t remember what it was but he was enthusiastic.

And then one day there came a pounding on my door and two police officers were on my doorstep. Apparently they were part of a drug task force and had just busted up a Hell’s Angel’s grow op and were checking all known ties of which, apparently, I was one. Yep, that ‘store’ was a cover for a big drug operation (not just mariuana) and they found my name and number. I might have blathered on a bit too long about bat guano and they might have done a cursory check of my house and asked some pointed questions about my drug use (not!) and if I was involved in distribution!!!! They could tell pretty quickly that I was, well, TSTL but harmless enough.

Sigh. I’ve never found bat guano anywhere else. And I don’t know what happened to the dogs, though, apparently they were guard dogs after all under the ‘right’ circumstances.

Time for Conversation and a Giveaway!

Do you have TSTL triggers in your fiction? Situations or actions that make you roll your eyes and want to chuck the book across the room in frustration? Like me, do you have a true life TSTL moment you’d care to share?

Share your thoughts in a comment and you’ll be entered in a draw for:

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 25 2026

April Giveaway – Week Three

won by Sarah

won by Tammy (Can)

won by Melissa Andres

won by Lucy

won by Leslie Waters

Winners will be contacted if they left their email address, otherwise it’s up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca (please note it’s ca as in Canada, not com.) From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven’t been able to reach you within 30 days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now, so please, DON’T BE SHY — CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN’T LEAVE AN EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN’T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU!

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE REST OF THE YEAR:

Sunday

Conversations with Kav – a place for us to chat about bookish topics if anyone is so inclined. Sometimes there will be giveaways, sometimes there won’t. It will just depend on the topic of the day. Hope to see you there! Otherwise my inner book nerd and I will carry on by ourselves. Bwahaha!

Murder Plain and Simple

Random Retro Read

When Angela Braddock inherits her late aunt’s beautiful Amish quilt shop, she leaves behind her career and broken engagement for a fresh start in Holmes County, Ohio.

With her snazzy cowboy boots and her ornithophobic French bulldog, Angie doesn’t exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community in Rolling Brook, but her aunt’s quilting circle tries to make her feel welcome as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch.

On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and Englisch tourists browse the store’s wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom the next morning, everything starts falling apart.

With evidence mounting against her, Angie is determined to find the culprit before the local sheriff can arrest her. Rolling Brook always appeared to be a simple place, but the closer Angie gets to the killer, the more she realizes that nothing in the small Amish community is as plain as it seems….

My Review:

published in 2013

Thrilled to have discovered this new Amish series. Doubly so to discover that Isabella Alan is the pseudonym for Amanda Flower who writes Amish mysteries for the Christian market. So, while not strictly Christian fiction, Murder, Plain and Simple is a clean read with some gentle faith messages concerning forgiveness courtesy of the Amish characters.

Completely captivating read. Loved the humour that Alan instills throughout the story — especially when it comes to Angie’s bird phobic dog, Oliver. Hysterical. He stole every scene he was in.

The mystery is…mysterious…lots of suspects, including poor Angie so she decides to take things into her own hands. She’s not a subtle investigator by any means and steps on the sheriff’s toes more than a few times. A handsome, intriguing Sheriff, by the way. There’s just the hint of a budding romance in their future and I’m looking forward to watching that pan out in future books.

A superb specimen of the cozy mystery genre — and the Amish setting makes the read all the more sublime in my book (pun intended.)

At Love’s Bidding + Giveaway

random retro reread

She sells priceless antiques. He sells livestock by the pound.

Is he really the man to make a bid for her heart?

After helping her grandfather at their Boston auction house, Miranda Wimplegate discovers she’s accidentally sold a powerful family’s prized portrait to an anonymous bidder. Desperate to appease the people who could ruin them forever, they track it to the Missouri Ozarks and makes an outlandish offer to buy the local auction house and all its holdings before the painting can move again.

Upon crossing the country, however, Miranda and her grandfather discover their new auction house doesn’t deal in fine antiques, but in livestock. And its frustratingly handsome manager, Wyatt Ballentine, is frustrated to discover his fussy new bosses don’t know a thing about the business he’s single-handedly kept afloat. Faced with more heads of cattle than they can count—but no mysterious painting—Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely but charged partnership to try and prevent a bad situation from getting worse.

My Review:

published in 2015

Sweet swoony lighthearted bliss. Love all the exacting details in a Jennings novel right down to the clever title tie-ins and this one is brilliant. What starts out as a comedy of errors turns into a intriguing tale of subterfuge. An Ozark Mountain town full of quirky characters provides a lively backdrop to romance and mayhem as Miranda and Wyatt try to navigate their attraction to each other and the mystery dogging their heels.

And while I’d categorize At Love’s Bidding as a romantic comedy there are still some deep and thought-provoking story threads that make the read all the richer. One of those has to do with Miranda’s grandfather. He is in the early stages of what we now know as Alzheimer’s and watching Miranda struggle to come to grips with the change in her beloved grandpa made my heart ache. Jennings does an incredibly good job of portraying the honest emotions of this kind of family turmoil.

A delightful mix of comedy and drama make for a satisfying reading escape.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read copy, available to any reader anywhere so, YAY, open to International Readers.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of At Love’s Bidding, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 18 2026

Anna’s Healing + Giveaway

Random Retro ReRead

Anna’s Healing is the first book in a brand-new collection from popular author Vannetta Chapman. These stories of love and family and Amish community in Oklahoma tell of the miracles that can happen when lives are lived in service to God and to one another.

When a tornado strikes the farms surrounding Cody’s Creek, Anna Schwartz’s life is changed forever. She suffers a spinal cord injury and suddenly finds herself learning to live as a paraplegic.

Three people—Chloe Roberts, Jacob Graber, and Ruth Schwartz—join forces to help Anna through her darkest days. Chloe is an Englischer who writes for the local paper. Jacob has recently arrived in town and stays on as a hired hand at her uncle’s. And Ruth is her grandmother, a woman of deep faith and a compassionate spirit.

Then one morning Anna wakes and finds herself healed. How did it happen? Why did it happen? And what is she to do now? Her life is again turned upside down as the world’s attention is drawn to this young Amish girl who has experienced the unexplainable.

My Review:

published in 2015

I’m so stunned by the pure beauty of this story that I’m stumped over what to say.

Almost. 🙂

It’s a powerful testimony of the way God meets us in the moment…even the difficult ones when we aren’t sure He’s paying attention. But no, I’m not satisfied with that summary. It’s bigger than that. It’s about how God sees the big picture while we’re fixated on one tiny brushstroke. And it’s about how He places people in our path so they’ll be there when we need them the most.

My favourite character is Anna’s grandmother, Ruth. She’s the glue that holds the family together through the tragedy. Her faith is endless, her patience inexhaustible and her love all-encompassing. Everybody should have a granny like Ruth in their corner.

Anna and Jacob are both still trying to find their place in the world at the beginning of the book. Anna has ventured from home and a loving (but meddlesome) large extended family. Jacob has a restless spirit that has led him from one Amish community to another with absolutely no desire to settle down permanently in any of them. And then he ends up in Cody’s Creek by ‘happenchance.’ Though, in my humble opinion, the circumstances that lead him to Oklahoma are definitely God driven. So here are two…not quite lost, but certainly not found….souls thrown together in the midst of a chaotic time.

Their love story enthralled me. But it’s so much more than a love story. It’s a God story. Inspiration in every page as the reader lives all the struggles and fears right along with them. And oh my! But Jacob is an inspiration all on his own. So thoughtful and caring and tender. Be still my heart!

And then Anna’s story takes an abrupt U-turn and there’s even more story fodder to sink a reader’s teeth into. A sublime read from start to finish.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – paperback or ebook copy – winner’s choice

Canada – ebook copy

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Anna’s Healing, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 18 2026

The Manhattan Confessions + Giveaway

Ivy Malone, the New-York Historical Society’s librarian, is dedicated to preserving Manhattan’s rich history, but when society grand dame Adeline King anonymously reveals her shocking life story, Ivy finds herself holding a highly coveted secret. Burdened with the responsibility of keeping Adeline’s identity hidden, Ivy finds the matter increasingly complicated when two men claim ties to the elderly woman–one of them accusing Adeline of involvement in a crime.

Another dilemma brews when Ivy’s cousin, Gina, is detained at Ellis Island for lack of proper documentation. Hoping an immigration service can resolve the misunderstanding, Ivy employs their help but is instead thrust into a dangerous world. With time running out, she must unravel the tangle of secrets that bind Adeline’s past, Gina’s freedom, and her own safety. Who can she trust, and how far is she willing to go to protect those she loves?

From award-winning author Jocelyn Green comes a riveting blend of historical intrigue and the quest for justice against the backdrop of Manhattan’s dark secrets.

My Review:

I chose my next book by reading the first sentence of all the books on my TBR, well maybe not all of them, that would have been equal to reading a novella, but I digress. Anyway, this one from ‘The Manhattan Confessions’ grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go because…secrets!

“Just because Ivy didn’t love keeping secrets didn’t mean she couldn’t do it.”

I was immediately intrigued, imaging all sort of complicated scenarios that could go awry in any number of ways….and I was right!

Of course, having a librarian heroine is a huge boon to any novel as far as I’m concerned. Ivy works at the New York Historical Society Library which is fascinating on its own but a special project she’s involved in, collecting the personal ‘origin’ stories of New Yorkers, is beyond intriguing. Especially as one particular story complicates Ivy’s life in unexpected ways. And, of course, there’s romance, delightfully tender and absolutely swoonworthy.

So many luscious layers in Green’s storytelling, all artfully drawn together to create an emotional story that touched my heart in so many different ways. How she keeps track of all those layers is beyond me! Compelling historical details add an extra edge to the mystery, the danger, the prejudice and desperation facing immigrants who reached Ellis Island with so much hope but found a much harsher reality. “No one tells you when you come here that not all opportunities are golden.”

The kind of immersive read where the characters stick with you long after you’ve closed the book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – paperback or ebook copy – winner’s choice

Canada – ebook or audible — winner’s choice

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Manhattan Confessions, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 18 2026

Spies, Lies and Alibis + Giveaway

They were each other’s first love. Now they might be each other’s last hope.

Cybil Langford has spent years hiding behind her polished, professional facade as the executive assistant to a powerful real estate mogul, where she’s perfectly positioned to collect intel on her boss’s criminal network. But when her mission leads her into the path of Lorenzo Ramirez–a ruthless crime boss with deadly plans–she’ll need every ounce of cunning and charm to stay one step ahead.

Then he walks back into her life.

Ben Bradley is deep undercover for the FBI, living under an alias, as a financial advisor with a reputation for helping the wealthy and corrupt launder their money. His target? Lorenzo Ramirez, a dangerous crime boss with his hands in everything from smuggling to murder. But when a familiar face from his past suddenly reappears, things get . . . complicated.

The last time Cybil saw Ben, he was an annoying prankster–and her first crush. The last time Ben saw Cybil, she stole a piece of his heart. Neither expected to run into each other at a high-stakes fundraising gala where crime, corruption, and undercover agendas collide. Now, they’re both keeping dangerous secrets–and working dangerously close to blowing each other’s cover.

Forced to work together to stop a catastrophic deal that could arm America’s enemies, Cybil and Ben must face ruthless criminals, hidden agendas, and the ghosts of their past. Trust is a luxury they can’t afford–but love? That just might be their undoing.

My Review:

Bwahahahaha! I was so not prepared for the reality of this story but it was so much fun! I grinned my way through the whole thing and not quite sure how to review ‘Spies. Lies and Alibis’. Spy novel with rom/com vibes? Comedic suspense? Oh, I know, James Bond meets Lucille Ball! They kinda all fit, but not exactly. I think Natalie Walters has created a new sub-genre.

Ben is deep undercover on an assignment that has taken him months to develop and no one knows who he really is until a blast from his youthful past shows up in the form of one very beguiling and all grown up Cybil Langford. She has her own reasons for getting into the thick of things and while he’s all suave, controlled agent undercover she’s….definitely not any of that. Calamity Cybil might be a worthy moniker. Some of the scrapes she gets into are hilarious and very Lucy-esque adding all kinds of levity the cloak and dagger atmosphere.

And I really can’t say anything more than that – except the banter is exquisite. Cybil’s combination of sarcasm and nerve are enchanting and the pacing of this – undefined genre – is impeccable. Rather light on the romance, unless you count in all the verbal sparring that carries on for most of the book but when that happily every after finally arrives it does so with unexpectedly delightful panache.

I listened to the audio edition of ‘Spies, Lies and Ailibis’ and found the dual narration by Andrew Elden and Dominique Salvacion to be really enjoyable. They brought all the energy and humour in the written word to vibrant life and I highly recommend going the audio route for this amazing book.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – paperback or ebook copy – winner’s choice

Canada – paperback, ebook or audible — winner’s choice

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Spies, Lies and Alibis, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 18 2026

Conversations With Kav – Amish Fiction, Yay or Nay? + Giveaway

Did you know that this is Amish in April month? It’s an annual booktube challenge that encourages readers to explore the many facets of Amish fiction. From prim and proper sweet romances to edgier general market thrillers, there’s something for everyone. You’ll notice more Amish fiction on the blog this month as I celebrate the genre with some well-loved re-reads as well as new-to-me stories.

I used to read a lot more Amish Fiction though my consumption has unintentionally tapered off over the last few years. I’ve been trying to figure out why and this is what I’ve come up with so far:

Repetitive plot lines, especially in the romance category. Which is strange, because the same could be said of contemporary romance or historical romance. Maybe it’s because Amish fiction is limited somewhat because of the nature of the culture and lifestyle?
There seems to be fewer Amish novels being released by Christian publishers so choices are limited and/or they don’t seem to get a huge online presence (at least not in my sphere of the internet) so I’m missing them.
I’ve noticed more general market publishers picking up Amish fiction BUT it feels like they don’t give the same research and care with authenticity and that really irks me. I’ve picked up many an Amish paperback from the library only to be disappointed with all the major errors I come across. It’s like the authors are just playing dress up with regular contemporary heroes and heroines. Slap on an apron or suspenders and call them Amish. Seriously, I read an Amish romance where wedding plans were being made and the bride to be was deciding on bridesmaids dresses, flower arrangements, decorating the chapel (she was Old Order Amish!) etc. Oh, and getting the bridal party’s nails done professionally! Whhhhhaaaaattttt???? I was so disillusioned and I think those ‘surface’ Amish books put me off the genre.

The kind of Amish Fiction I like to read has:

Humour. I think of Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Stoney Ridge series and all the spinoffs! Some of those characters are a hoot and the situations her younger characters get into are so much fun!
Mystery. I really love a mix of Amish and Mystery especially cozy mysteries.And the Amish adjacent ones are really intriguing. That’s where the main characters aren’t Amish but the story is set in an Amish community and there are lots of Amish secondary characters. Amanda Flowers, Isabelle Alan, Emma Miller and Laura Bradford have written some great series.
History. There aren’t many historical Amish novels out there but I have been intrigued by the ones I have read. Jan Drexler has written two fantastic historical series.
Dysfunction. Complicated family dynamics and the way issues are dealt with (or not dealt with) in a community. Tons of storytelling fodder there! Instead of the cliche ‘perfect’ Amish family all the time. Shelley Shepard Gray is an author who excels at this kind of story.

And now I have questions!