Category: Conversations with Kav

I couldn’t resist Tracey’s suggestion this week so here we are talking about our favourite fictional couples. Easy peasy topic, right? Uh….not really. Not when you take into consideration that you have to pick fave hero/heroine combos which mean you have to…gasp…choose! And in order to do that you have to browse your bookshelves which leads to scanning all the toe-curling bits which just makes the decision-making even harder (though highly enjoyable!) and all that eats up your day (when you should have been working in the garden!)

Phew! So, let’s set our minds on romance. Epic love stories. Swoonworthy courtships. Toe-curling kisses. Fainting Couch level bookish delights. The kind of heroes and heroines who promise happily ever afters forever in your mind.

I’ll start….but oy, I could go on all day! It’s gutting me trying to pick just a few to start off the conversation but here we go (though please understand that I have been unduly traumatized by the whole selection process. Bwahahaha!)

Oh — and I just picked out excerpts from my reviews of these books to explain why I love these heroes and heroines so much because, honestly, my brain has been fried from re-reading so many heart palpitating scenes all day long that I can’t come up with an original though at the moment. 🙂

Romantically Swoonworthy Fictional Couples

(by no means is this a comprehensive list!!!!!!)

Ara and Phillip from On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White – “Eeep! Squeal! Eeeepquealll!!! I have permanent creases on my face from all the nose-dive swooning onto my fainting couch. Phillip Camden is not a monster, y’all! Tortured soul? Yes. A bit sullen and brooding? Definitely. Running from God? You bet. But none of that makes him a monster and Ara knows that right from the start…and, of course, so did I. 🙂 Hence all the swooning.”

Amanda and Peter from Amanda by Sarah Monzon – “Peter is high up on my favourite heroes ever pedestal — might have bounced some of ’em right off the platform on his way up. This hero is the definition of integrity and honour. And grit and determination. Anchored in his faith and steadfast in living it out in his life. And when he sets his sights on Amanda…

Whimper, my fainting couch has scorch marks and I don’t even care! Squeallll…reunion romance alert! They both haven’t stopped loving each other but there’s all kinds of emotional junk in the way. The undercurrents sent my tummy into loop-de-loops. I was on the very romantical edge all the way to the end.

And sassy, smart-mouthed Amanda puts on a great front to the world, but the closer Peter gets, the more her facade cracks. Honestly, sometimes she went too far and I cringed a couple of times over what she said but Peter doesn’t let her get away with anything. He calls her on it and forces her to reassess. Pries the vulnerability right out of her while she’s kicking and screaming all the way.”

Adam and Persephone from Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden – “Fainting couches, lace fans and smelling salts are definitely necessary accoutrements for this reading journey. Stock up and be prepared to be charmed by witty banter and the social graces of the day…well, maybe not so much when it comes to the Duke who has a somewhat beastly persona. In fact, I would actually classify this as a fairy tale retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Disfigured in boyhood, Adam hides his heart behind a thick armor of indifference. He doesn’t need anyone. Especially a bride. So, though he begrudgingly accepts Persephone into his home, he bars her from his life. Or tries to. Persephone can be quite a force when necessary — the perils of being the eldest sibling of a motherless brood. Love how this beauty’s gentle spirit proves stronger than her Beast’s gruff stoicism!”

Holiday and Emmett from The Trouble With Love by Toni Shiloh – “One of the absolute delights of this novel is the witty banter between Holiday and Emmett. It’s fast a furious and full of teasing (Emmett) and snark (Holiday). My, but that girl can hold a grudge and she’s been nursing this one against Emmett since she was fourteen. Loved the crackling energy ziinging between these two every time they are together. My fingertips got singed from all that latent longing. :-)”

Ben and Marci from Pelican Point by Irene Hannon – “The romance is slow and steady and fraught with trepidation. I mean, I knew something was going to happen…but not that! Hannon kept me rabidly turning pages, alternately giggling and swooning and even edge-of-my-seating in places. Love how this once-bitten-twice-shy hero and heroine start to cautiously move towards romance. Reluctant describes them both but so does crazy-attracted-to-each-other. Such a dilemma! Be prepared for some fireworks and lots of sizzle right from the very first time they meet.”

Charlie and Ella from The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof – “There’s an exquisite Beauty and the Beast quality to their love story. Charlie is seriously swoonworthy. Tough and determined. Gentle and kind. Passionate. Committed. Loyal. Fierce. And oh so tender! His faith is his anchor, his desire to share the power of God’s grace touched me in ways no other hero has. He has a servant’s heart and his powerful example of sacrificial love is mind-blowing. Sigh. There’s just something about Charlie. If I was into making lists and composed a Best Hero Ever in the History of the World one Charlie would be right at the top.

Caspar and Scarlett from The Captain and Miss Winter by Sally Britoon – “A hero with a troubled past set on putting things to rights. A wronged heroine doomed to be an outcast the rest of her life. The hope that tragedy might be overcome and a happily ever after possible. My heart is flip-flopping just thinking about it. And, oh, the dialogue, the shy glances, the yearning to fan the fires of that sweet spark of attraction…BUT…Scarlett has secrets, Caspar is on a quest and there’s danger lurking in the woods! Squeal! Eep! Squueeeepppp!!!!”

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY

Now it’s your turn. Do you have a favourite fictional couple you like to swoon over? Share in a comment below and you’ll be entered in a giveaway from a $10.00 Baker Book House gift card.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 10 2025.

So excited to get back to chatting with you today! And about a subject that’s been on my mind for quite awhile now. Mostly because I’ve been in a never-ending shelf organizing state of bookish distress as I try to make just one more book fit. 🙂

Of course, that means I have to pull everything off the shelves for a ‘quick’ dusting which leads me to nostalgically reacquainting myself with old friends. Which in turn has me pondering what happened to these authors. Did they actually stop writing or am I missing a decade’s worth of wonderful novels? That thought is as anxiety inducing as finally finishing a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle only to find one key piece missing.

So, I thought I’d share some of these much loved authors and see if you might have more information or new leads for me to check out. And, in turn, feel free to share the name of one or two or however many authors you’ve lost tract of and maybe we can collectively offer hope and direction. Because, surely not all of these authors have stopped writing!

Participate n the conversation in the comments to be entered in a giveaway for a $10 Baker Book House gift card. More details about that at the end of the post.

Exquisite prose. Stories with depth as characters struggle with moral dilemmas. Intriguing historical settings. And, oh my, the incredible cover artwork! I can still feel the bookish euphoria I felt reading Rosslyn Elliot’s books!

Toe-curling redemptive stories full of drama and so much heart! The Everstone Chronicles is an amazing series exploring the struggles and triumphs of four siblings. Heart-in-throat at times and there’s some shredding of sensitive reader’s heart tissue but there’s always a hard won happily ever after to rejoice in by the end.

Contemporary perfection. The kind of stories you feel your way through. Emotional sucker punches with a side of cowboy — can it get any better than that?

I adore all the historical fiction I’ve read by Siri Mitchell but, if I had to pick a favourite it might be Like a Flower in Bloom. Hilariously funny in places, the dynamics between the hero and heroine are priceless. But I also loved the author’s contemporary romance, The Cubicle Next Door. Again, comedic brilliance with a touch of poignancy. I need to read both of these novels again….soon!

Brilliant Regency with Gothic tendencies and strong faith elements. The Ravensmoore Chronicles books are amazing…and yet they seem to be the only books Jillian Kent has written!

The Natchez Trace series — mercy! -a reader’s heart can only take so many O’Shea brothers before self-combustion becomes a real threat. Swoonworthy Irish heroes making their way in a new world. And Stealing Jake is divine too. Different time, different setting but pure romance along with some intriguing suspense. I need to reread these books too!

Suspense with a hint of magical realism…or maybe subtle supernatural elements? Riveting and unexpected. Sometimes I’d be like — ‘Wait…what is happening here?” — but I was always transfixed.

Vivid descriptions. Larger than life ex-privateer hero. Baking-diva heroine with a backbone of steel. Their worlds collide and fictional perfection is made!

Richly layered storytelling, Melby has mastered the art of the slow reveal. Deep characterization and faith threads. This series was my introduction to Christian Fiction dual timeline – way before it became so popular.

So, how about you? Have you read any of these authors? Do you have your own ‘Missing’ list? Mention some names and maybe we’ll have some insights to share.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Contribute to the conversation in the comments and you’ll be entered in a draw for a $10 Baker Book House gift card.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 3 2025

It’s time for me to pick your brains once again. Did you all know that you are my go to sources for bookish news and content? And I so appreciate your enthusiastic input.

In my never ending quest to expand diversity in my reading, I’m eager to find more books featuring characters who are dealing with physical or mental health challenges. I’ve done some brainstorming and have come up with a list of novels I’ve read featuring physical / mental challenges like: mobility issues, chronic pain/conditions, neurodiversity, deafness/hard of hearing and mental health issues like anxiety, depression, PTSD, alcoholism etc.

As someone who has lived with a chronic pain disability for more than a decade now, I so appreciate finding diverse representation in my fiction. Mostly, I just stumble upon it – always a delightful surprise – but I’d like to be more intentional this year. Problem is, I have no idea how to go about it. So…ta da!… here I am hoping to benefit from your collective reading histories and bookish expertise.

First, I’ll share the results of my brainstorming session (and as I write this, other titles keep popping into my mind!) and then I’m turning today’s conversation over to you . Share your reading experiences with Physical and Mental Health representation in your fiction — books you’ve read or books you’ve heard about BUT Christian Fiction or Clean Reads only please. Participants will have their name entered into a draw for a $10 Baker Book House gift card.

The first author who came to mind when I thought about this topic was Sarah Monzon. She has done an amazing job of giving voice to a variety of challenging conditions and I so appreciate the way she handles them with grace and compassion while showing that everyone is worthy of love. 🙂

Here’s the result of my brainstorming earlier today by topic. It’s by no mean a comprehensive list, but it’s a start!

Now it’s your turn. Let the conversation begin! Leave a comment below to be entered into the draw for a $10 Baker Book House gift card.

Draw will be held in and winner announced on Saturday April 12 2025.

Have you heard of Amish in April? It’s a readathon created by book tuber Lizzie Faye Loves Books and cohosted by The Bookish Knitter. The focus of the readathon is exactly what the title indicates – reading Amish Fiction in April.

Preparing my TBR for the readathon got me thinking about the this genre and the changes I’ve noticed over the last few years. Like there seems to be fewer Amish books releasing within the Christian Fiction umbrella but rather publishing with general market companies like Kensington.

Now this might be controversial but it feels like some of the new authors/publishers jumped into the genre at the height of its popularity to cash in on the sales. I kept finding huge irregularities in the Amish culture and faith in these books. One actually featured an Old Order Amish heroine helping with wedding preparations – deciding what flowers to pick for the bouquet, who would hold the rings during the service, the frustrations of trying to find bridesmaid dresses to flatter every figure…um, if you read Amish fiction you get what’s wrong here.

And don’t get me started on the ‘spicy’ Amish Romances that I’ve occasionally run across at my public library. Nothing’s quite as shocking as bringing home what you think is going to be a sweet Amish romance only to discover…well, it’s not.

You might have noticed that I didn’t dedicate a specific day for Amish Fiction this past Reader’s Choice Week. Mostly because I wanted to fit all of RC into one week but also because I feel like Amish Fiction just isn’t as popular as it used to be with comparatively fewer books releasing in this genre. I did find some promising titles though, so I thought I’d share them here ( in case your TBRs aren’t padded enough after last week.)

The book that really intrigues me is Amy Lillard’s The Secrets We Keep – an Amish adjacent mystery. The hero is a former Amish police detective and the Amish heroine was once his sweetheart. Have no idea how the romance will be resolved…or even if it is…but the mystery sounds really intriguing. And Amazon has it tagged as Science Fiction Crime & Mystery. Whhhhhhaaaaaattttttt??????? It’s published by Crooked Lane Books which publishes a lot of the cozy mysteries I read.

So, how about you? Are you an Amish Fiction reader? If not, were you ever? If so, what made you fall out of love with the genre? And if you’re a diehard fan – who are some of your favourite authors?

This week’s conversation will be short and sweet since I’m going into pre-Reader’s Choice Week frenzy mode 🙂 Plus, today is my church’s General Meeting so church is going to be loooonnnng. Service first then a potluck lunch, then the GM, then kitchen clean up.

I was thinking about the sources I use to find out about books — specifically upcoming books and new-to-me authors, particularly Indies. I’ve shared about Closed Door Romance on instagram which has been such a wealth of information for me. And about the Christian Faith and Fiction YouTube channel and blog. Lou has just released a very comprehensive list of April releases which is pertinent to this weeks festivities. Here’s the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOQEvwDG5xw

or, if you would just like to read the list from her blog: https://louallenwriter.wordpress.com/2025/03/20/new-christian-fiction-books-releasing-in-april-2025/

Australian author Narelle Atkins has started a YouTube channel /podcast. She reviews one book each week – on Thursdays. Love her reviews, they are comprehensive and thoughtful and full of interesting insights without spoilers. They are short and sweet — no more than 15 minutes. Here’s the link (and don’t be shy about subscribing to boost her new channel) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPpDvzKb9No.

Narelle also has a blog and every Friday she features a Preorder Roundup with a list of soon to be releases and includes a lot of indie books. Here’s the link to the most recent one: https://www.narelleatkins.com/narelles-preorder-roundup-3-14-25/?utm_source=sendfox&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=narelle-atkins-march-newsletter

So, I thought it would be fun and ever so helpful if you could share any great book sources that you routinely check to keep up to date with all that’s going on in our corner of the Book World. Don’t try to post a link — WP comments won’t like it, but do give us enough information that we can find it in a google search.

Here’s to another productive Reader’s Choice Week!

True Confession: I’m a cover snob. I’ve been known to ignore a book because I didn’t like the cover. Shallow, I know, but cover eye candy is part of what draws me to a book. A few weeks ago, Tracey mentioned older books getting makeovers – kind of a new and improved rebirth of an older title — and how she much preferred the book’s original cover. And that’s what got us thinking that this might be a fun Conversations with Kav topic so, here we are! Plus, I want to talk about overall cover appeal. What we love. What we don’t. What sells and what sends us running screaming out of the bookstore. 🙂

First: the book Tracey mentioned liking the original cover better than the ‘new and improved.’

I like the Original cover too. As far as makeovers go, this one isn’t bad at all, but there’s something more dramatic about the original. I think the heroine’s personality shines through much better. She’s daring me to read her story.

Two series immediately came to mind when Tracey and I had a mini discussion in the comment section of that previous Sunday post. And I much, much, much, prefer the originals in both cases. So much so that I am ecstatic to have the originals in my collection. There just isn’t any contest, as far as I’m concerned. Here they are:

I’m going to be brutal here. I LOVE the original covers for both these series. They are vibrant and alive and so unique. Real standouts. The makeover covers are, well, blah. Like every other romantic comedy cover out there. And I don’t like how there’s less emphasis on the heroines. You can really get a feel for their personalities in the originals but you can barely see them in the new covers.

Why do authors / publishers reissue books with new covers?

The only reason I can think of is if an author gets the rights back to a traditionally published work and maybe there’s something in the contract that says they can’t market the original cover? But I’m just guessing. And that doesn’t explain why an indie author would switch covers. That must be a costly undertaking. Anyone have insider knowledge or other insights? Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂 There must be a marketing angle in here somewhere.

What do you like/dislike in a book cover?

• I like original. I love colour. Texture. Details. Something that creates an ambience to match the story.
• I definitely want to be able to read the author’s name on the cover.
• Bonus if it’s a series and that’s indicated along with the series number.
• I’d prefer a simple, nondescript cover to a poorly designed one. I totally understand that indie authors don’t have the finances to fund graphic artists or create cover photo shoots the way publishers can. BUT, simple is way better than an amateurish attempt to create cover art. (is my cover snob showing?!)
• I’m in the middle of the road about faceless covers. Don’t mind as much when the figures on in the distance, it’s a little more jarring when the whole cover is a faceless hero or heroine. 🙂 But it helps when there are other elements on the cover that hint at the story. I’m thinking of the Sweater Weather series with it’s bright colours and fall themes. Clearly, now that I think about it, I’m attracted to colour.
• I love the fashion on historical covers!
• And one thing I’m totally not a fan of is Disneyish cartoon covers. Like this one:

I feel like this should be the cover of a graphic novel for preteens. 🙂 Just not a fan. I’m wondering if it’s becoming a trend in order to attract new adult readers? By the way, this book is releasing in September and it’s set around a Regency themed singles retreat which sounds fantastic! Hopefully it will be available in audible so I won’t have to look at the cover. Bwahahaha!

Okay, now it’s your turn. Share your cover loves/hates and opinions in a comment below and I’ll put your name in a draw to win a $10 Baker Book House ecard.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 22, 2025.

We’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day a week early because I want to pick your bookish brains for Christian Fiction / Clean Fiction set in Ireland or with Irish main characters so I have something seasonal to read. 🙂

In case you didn’t know, I was born in Ireland and my family immigrated to Canada when I was a child. I’ve always felt a keen connection with my Irish roots so I love celebrating all things Irish during St. Patrick’s Day month. I found a St. Patrick’s Day book tag that I thought would be fun to share so here we go…

1. Irish Flag – Name a favourite book with a predominately green cover. Or…if you’re up to a challenge – a book cover with green, white and orange!

I had fun hunting through my bookshelves to find a book with all three colours of the Irish Flag and I found one! Trust me, the orange parts are orangier on the actual book. 🙂

2. Corned beef and cabbage – Name a book that made you hungry.

3. 4 Leaf Clover – a rare good luck book find. (And I feel I must add that 4 leaf clovers are a totally Americanized thing. It’s shamrocks in Ireland which have three leaves and were used by St. Patrick to explain the concept of the trinity (or so legend says.)

Eeeppp!!! Found this one recently on Chirp for $2.99!

4. Irish Jig – a book you loved so much it made you want to dance a jig!

Literally referred to happy dancing in the first line of my review. 🙂 And look — green, white and orange!

5. Ireland – a book that transported you to another place.

6. Pub – a book with a meeting place you’d love to hang out in.

The whole Hope Harbor series! And the place to meet up at is Charley’s of course!

7. Ceilidh (pronounced Kaylee) – a house party with crackin’ good music and traditional dancing. A group of characters you’d want to party with.

The whole Skymar series: these siblings/cousin and their signifiant others as well as all the secondary characters would be a hoot at a party!

8. Favourite St. Patrick’s Day themed book

Ta da! That was fun. And what would a St. Patrick’s Day celebration be without a leprechaun’s pot of gold? It comes in the form of a Giveaway, of course!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Answer one or more of the St. Patrick’s Day book tag questions

AND/OR

Leave a suggest for a book set in Ireland or with Irish characters — Christian Fiction or Closed Door please. I’ve read a few and I swear I’ve sourced ’em all out so let’s see if you might have something new-to-me I can read this year.

And your pot of gold? Why, a $10 Baker Book House e gift card – since books are our preferred currency here, right?!

Draw will be held and Winner announced on Saturday March 15 2025. Make the luck o’ the Irish be with you!

I’ve been thinking about Historical Fiction lately – specifically within the Christian Fiction genre. Thrilling over all the great reads out there but, also, lamenting a bit over the lack of variety offered when it comes to historical timelines.

And that got me wondering how authors and publishers go about deciding what’s hot…and what’s not…and how they predict which eras will be bestsellers. I mean, it’s a good two years between starting a book and finally getting it printed and available on bookshelves, so, what if that era is cooling off by release day?

Then I got to wondering if popular historical eras are only popular because that’s what is available to readers? And maybe publishers don’t realize we are a diverse group who might like variety in our fiction? And that includes settings away from North America for me. I guess I’m wondering if there’s a method to the madness that keeps some of my favourite historical time periods out of Christian Fiction.

Anyway — on to the conversational topic of the day. I have questions. You might have answers and, because we’re celebrating all things Historical today there’s a giveaway too. More about that at the end of this post, so keep your eyes peeled.

Historical Fiction Questions:

• What are your favourite Historical Fiction eras?
• What are your least favourite Historical Fiction eras?
• What Historical Era would you like to see more of in Christian Fiction?
• Oh — and will you follow a favourite author into an unfavourite era?

My Favourite Historical Fiction eras:

Regency. Really, is anyone surprised? I am addicted! Luckily it doesn’t look like it will go out of style any time soon. It’s easy to come by clean / closed door Regency Romances but a bit harder to find in the Christian Fiction genre. Laurie Alice Eakes comes to mind right away. She’s no longer writing in this genre but I have all of her Regencies on my keeper shelf.

And Julie Klassen too of course. Lady of Milkweed Manor was not only my first Christian Fiction Regency, but my first ever Christian Fiction Historical novel!

Depression era . These are harder to come by, but I’ve always been lured in by Depression era stories. I blame it on the Waltons and it’s idyllic down-home country charm! Sharlene Maclaren’ s River of Hope series is the perfect example of what I find so appealing in this timeline.

Late 1800s . Not sure why this time period appeals to me, maybe because things are starting to open up for women and there’s a bit more scope for independent heroines? Dawn Crandall has a fantastic series that I need to put on my reread list – The Everstone Chronicles. Four books that feature a complicated family – some brooding heroes, a hint of gothic flair and sinister subplots. Must refresh my acquaintance with the Everstones soon!

1700s – This time period doesn’t crop up that often and I usually think of Laura Frantz and Lori Benton as go to authors for this timeline BUT I recently came across Pam Hillman’s Natchez Trace series when I was organizing a book shelf and remembered how much I loved these books too. More books for my reread pile — and I’m thinking I should get to The Promise of Breeze Hill in March because there’s an Irish hero. Swoon!

My Least Favourite Historical Fiction Eras:

I’m almost afraid to say this but…the Civil War. I intensely disliked Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind and I’m afraid that experience has marred my enjoyment of this time period in fiction. 🙂 I will avidly avoid a Civil War era story with very few exceptions.

Also, the American Revolution. Not as unappealing to me as the Civil War, but not a huge interest for me either. Might be due to the fact that a lot of the historical books I read as a child and Young Adult were set during the Revolutionary War for some reason.

And Biblical Fiction isn’t hugely appealing to me either though I do make some exceptions and tend to like what I read in the genre but then still balk the next time one comes my way. I’m so contrary sometimes!

Historical Eras I’d like to see more of in my Christian Fiction:

• Depression era
• Middle Ages
• War of 1812 from the British side (Bwahaha)
• Vikings
• The Troubles in Northern Ireland
• Easter Uprising (Ireland)
• Australia colonies

Will I follow a favourite author into an unfavourite era?

Ugh…maybe…possibly? It would depend on the author. Like I would follow Irene Hannon anywhere! Otherwise maybe if the book included another genre or trope I really love — like a mystery mixed in with the history.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Answer any (or all) of these questions in a comment and include the title and author of a Christian Fiction Historical Novel set in one of your favourite eras and if your name is drawn, that’s the book you will win.

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

Bibliotherapy started out as a creative arts approach to therapy. Using the power of the printed word and storytelling to help an individual process trauma or address difficult issues in their life. It has evolved over the years to also include the simple idea of indulging in an ‘escape read’ – literally getting away from reality for awhile by slipping into a fictional world (and isn’t that tempting these days?!)

Way back when I worked as a librarian at my school board’s Central Resource Centre, one of my jobs was to create bibliotherapy kits teachers could borrow when they were presented with a student, or students, dealing with a difficult situation. The kits were an age appropriate mix of fiction and non-fiction on various subjects like:

• grief (oddly specific ‘loss of a pet’ included)
• divorce
• blended families
• social anxiety
• shyness
• racism
• autism
• mental health issues
• cancer
• bullying

The teachers would share the books in a class setting and/or send some of them home with the child in need. The non-fiction books were great starting points for discussion but we found that fiction made the most transformative impact. Especially when a picture book or novel was shared with the whole class.

Example: A grade two child was exhibiting anti-social behaviour stemming from the upset of his parents’ recent divorce. The teacher selected picture books and short novels from our bibliotherapy kit to share with the whole class during their regular story times. The benefits were twofold: first, the student experiencing the upheaval of divorce in his family, saw himself in these stories. He wasn’t alone. Not only did he see himself in these stories, his friends did as well.

Which brings me to the second benefit: his classmates developed (and this really blew us all away) empathy for the boy who was upturning play areas or pushing and shoving in line etc. Instead of escalating the conflict, they demonstrated patience and understanding (these were seven year old kids!) Were the behaviour problems magically solved overnight? No. But they grew less frequent and didn’t escalate, largely because ‘Jonny’s classmates chose not to retaliate. Why? They understood that he was sad, that there was a reason behind his actions and they simply accepted that, which, in turn, calmed ‘Jonny’ down.

Why is this our conversational topic this week? Well, we’re all about the power of words, the power of story here at Best Reads. And did you know that reading fiction actually increases your capacity to empathize with others? Why? Because we live thousands of life experiences through our beloved fictional characters. Our brains actually emotionally connect to fictional experiences as if they were our own, increasing our understanding and the compassion we in turn, extend to others. Is that cool or what? And goodness, but we need a lot of that in this crazy, mixed up world.

So, I thought it would be fun to share some of the Christian Fiction books that have made a profound impact on us. Our faith, our understanding of an issue, a historical perspective or even provided a comforting escape from the rigours of our own lives.

I’m through being wordy, I promise! I’m going to share some ‘bibliotherapy’ topics along with a book that influenced me. I’d love it if you’d share a Christian Fiction book that touched you so I can increase my personal bibliotherapy list. Put it in a comment along with any thoughts you might have, and I’ll enter you in a draw for a $10.00 ecard from our fave CF resource : Baker Book House!

Giveaway Opportunity for anyone willing to shop at https://bakerbookhouse.com

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 1 2025.

Before we get started with the St. Valentine’s Day festivities, I have some great news! I can post reviews on Amazon again! I’ve been checking off and on over the past few months and suddenly, this week, it worked! Wonder if the bots heard me dissing them last week? 🙂 Anyway, that’s my good news…though I’m a bit peeved that they wouldn’t send me an email to say my community features had been reinstated. Lucky I kept checking!

I had fun searching my shelves and TBR pile for books with hearts on the cover or the word ‘love’ in the title for this week’s review lineup. It was harder than I thought it would be and I found more contemporary romances than historical which was interesting. So then I thought it would be even more fun to start the week off with…drumroll please….

BOOK LOVE TAG!

Tags are a Book Tube thing, where a booktuber creates a series of questions around a central theme and then tags other booktubers to participate by creating videos where they answer the questions. I discovered the Book Love Tag on Chautona Havig’s channel and thought I’d accept the tag challenge only do it on my blog.

Get ready to participate, ’cause if you answer one (or more) of the questions in a comment, I’ll enter you in a draw for a $10 Baker Book House Gift Card ’cause every reader’s Valentine’s Day should include new books, right?! So, here we go:

1. Friendship Love – name a book that includes a loving friendship
2. Sibling Love – name a book that features a strong sibling relationship
3. Parental or Guardian Love – name a book that has a main character who is a parent or guardian.
4. Pet Love – name a book that features a loyal pet or animal companion
5. Romantic Love – name a book that contains a swoonworthy romantic plot
6. Self-Love – name a book that includes the theme of self love (finding yourself, self acceptance, personal growth etc.)
7. Divine Love – name a book with a strong faith thread featuring a character who comes to understand God’s love for them.

There were so many different books I could have suggested for each question but I tried to stick with the one that came to mind first — and discounted my most recent reads to make it a little more challenging. Here are my answers:

I know the prompt didn’t mean a book featuring a friends to more trope but the friendship between this hero and heroine is so delightful. Everyone should have a bestie like one of these guys!

I could have picked any of the books in Sarah M. Eden’s Jonquil Brothers series because…these brothers!!!!!! What a swoonworthy lot! And in this book, shy quiet Corbin is earnestly coached on how to attract a lady’s attention. The brotherly banter and shenanigans are priceless! And now I think I have to reread the whole series.

Nicole is a single mother with the most precociously adorable child! Nicole is well intentioned but a bit too intense and serious while her love interest is the exact opposite. It’s the way the author fits Nicole’s motherhood into the story so seamlessly that makes this one so memorable for me.

There is a wolf with a very unique relationship with the heroine…and he’s very, very, very loyal!

Maverick heroine. Brooding hero. Mystery and romance. Fainting couch essential. Romantical bliss!

This is a tough read — the beginning is brutal (it deals with domestic violence quite graphically) but Leah’s growth – her journey towards discovering her worth and her value as a child of God is phenomenal.

January’s faith journey is funny and tender and angsty. So true to life and inspiring.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Now it’s your turn: What book would you pick for one (or more) of these categories? I’d love to add some more titles to my TBR list because…well, I don’t really have a good reason. There are too many titles on that list as it is, but, the more the merrier I say when it comes to books!

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