Uncovering the Truth + Giveaway

A trail of threats…and a K-9 to shield them

When Alyssa Anderson stumbles upon her ex-boyfriend’s illegal art theft operation, she goes on the run—and narrowly escapes a drive-by shooting. With the help of her high school sweetheart, Spencer Cavanaugh, and his service dog, Apollo, Alyssa tries to stay one step ahead of her ex who will do anything to find her. When hit men are sent to her hometown, Alyssa’s life is in more danger than ever before. Can Spencer and Apollo protect her from a crime ring more sinister than they ever imagined?

My Review:

‘Uncovering the Truth’ is a compelling page turner so clear your calendar before you sit down to read — you won’t be able to pull yourself away until you reach the end! The sense of urgency begins with the very first scene and the tension continues to mount as Alyssa and Spencer face uncertain danger.

Second chance romance between former star-crossed high school lovers who meet again in highly unusual circumstances. They’ve both grown up a lot. Life experiences have marked them – Spence after a stint in the military and Alyssa as the black sheep of her family who hasn’t made peace with her past. Their struggles are relatable and Post has created complex emotional layers from both their back stories. I was as invested in the romance as I was in the suspense.

Speaking of which, there’s lots of action and relentless danger and the author writes these scenes so well. I could picture every excruciating second. My ‘reading experience’ was enhanced by Romy Evans’ excellent narration since I listened to audio book. She delivered thoughtful interpretations of both character and plot. Loved the way she increased tension with her voice. An exceptional listening experience.

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

Christmas in the Castle Library + Giveaway

Ellie Sawyer has always felt more comfortable with books than people, which explains why she’s a PhD history student neck deep in research and trying to complete her doctoral dissertation in time to graduate. But the final books she needs are half a world away in the tiny European kingdom of Lethersby, and the only time she can access the secretive Royal Castle Library is during the Christmas holiday.

Ellie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery that has eluded Lethersby scholars for more than 100 hundred years by figuring out what happened to their long-lost queen, a young royal who disappeared shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. With the help of Mark, a handsome castle staff member who shares her love of history, she might be able to unravel the queen’s story. But Mark is keeping his own secret from her, and what they discover together could change everything for Ellie—and the entire kingdom.

My Review:

Cover love immediately caught my attention and then all the bookish hype from trusted reader friends started and I knew I had to read ‘Christmas in the Castle Library’ BUT a postal strike and time commitments in the midst of the holidays sabotaged all my good intentions. I almost put this book aside for next Christmas but…well, I couldn’t resist the siren song of the book that everyone loved so I read it in January.

I mean, how could I not read a book with a castle library setting? Especially since it included romance! Eeeeppp!!! But, honestly, this story was so beyond my expectations I’m not sure I can even put what I’m feeling into words.

The ‘other world’ charm of a fictional European kingdom made such a lovely backdrop for Ellie’s coming of age story. I don’t quite know what else to call it — maybe coming into who she is in Jesus might be more accurate. What it means to be Chosen just because you are, not because of anything you do. Her faith journey makes for an exceptional story and brought me to the verge of tears a time or two. So, if you are looking for a Christian Fiction novel where faith is an intricately woven part of the plot — and an important one at that — then this is definitely the book for you!

She’s a scholar with a historical mystery to solve and only three weeks to do it in. Enter a captivating man who seems to be just as starstruck over books and libraries and research as she is and, as a native of Lethersby, he knows a lot of the secrets which he’s happy to share. With the exception of a very important one….

Their swoonalicious romance includes a Christmas Ball and some toe-curling kisses and the way they use books to communicate is so clever and sweet! Of course, there are obstacles to overcome not the least of which are Ellie’s struggles to realize her own worth. But through it all there’s such a wonderful sense of urgent hope that brought a bit of a fairy tale glow to the story .

And best news ever — there’s to be a sequel! A tantalizing sneak peek into the second book is included at the end of this one and now I’m hoping we won’t have to wait long for ‘Love in the Castle Library’s‘ release!

Grave Amish Secrets + Giveaway

Solving a cold case means facing down a murderer…

When her Amish grandfather’s body is found, State Police Detective Penny Moore learns he didn’t abandon his family fifty years ago—he was murdered. But the whole truth is still unknown, and after several vicious attacks on Penny and her partner, Detective Stewart Jones, it’s clear someone will kill to keep their secrets buried. Unearthing community scandals and delving into Penny’s traumatized family past bring them closer to each other—and a dangerous truth. But can they outwit a killer before they become the newest victims in this cold case?

My Review:

Phenomonal! A Love Inspired Suspense Stand Out as far as I’m concerned as it is quite different from their usual concentrated action novels. Don’t get me wrong, I love those high octane, flying bullets, exploding cars kind of stories too but I also enjoy variety in my romantic suspense and Patricia Johns delivers that here. Such a rich, compelling read!

Love the police procedural vibes from the very start. And the deep, abiding friendship between Penny and Stewart. They’ve been working together for three years and in that time have developed such a tender connection. Totally platonic. Neither has ever considered anything romantic…until midway into this story. (happy sigh!) If you enjoy the friends to more romantic trope this one is stunning!

As is everything else about ‘Grave Amish Secrets.‘ Solid inspirational threads; interesting insights into the Amish community; stupendous personal growth in the main characters; an intriguing cold case. And Johns delivers it all with thoughtful consideration and impeccable pacing. A thoroughly captivating romantic suspense.

I enjoyed listening the audio edition of this book narrated by Liz Fodor who did an amazing job with these characters – especially Penny’s Amish mammi! Such a pleasure to spend my ‘reading’ time listening to this wonderful story.

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

Reader’s Choice Week Winter 2025 Winners

Thanks everyone for starting the New Year off right! There’s nothing better than sharing the anticipatory delight of New Releases with fellow readers. So many books, so little time, and that’s okay ’cause we’ll never get bored, right? And now it’s time for…

BOOK NERDY STATS (ha, I bet you thought I’d start listing the winners.) Before we get to all that fun stuff, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the popular picks of the week — as far as genre days went anyway. Here they are:

And now it’s time to move into the part of this post you will be most interested in (and I thank you for indulging in my bibliophile neediness!)

READER’S CHOICE WEEK – WINTER 2025 EDITION – WINNERS!

But wait, it’s not over yet. The Vanity category has become a blog tradition. It’s where a book is actually judged by its cover and I choose my favourite cover art per genre and then draw from a pool of readers who requested that title. Here are COVER LOVE winners!

I love all things Irish so this cover calls to me from the rolling hills to all the shades of green and, of course, the red hair (a bit cliche, but still.)

Eye-catching with all those pops of colour and I love the whimsical vibe. Very different from any other cover out there so it really stands out. Plus – light house! How can I resist?!

I might have been drawn to this cover due to all the news coverage of the L.A. fires right now but I also appreciate that it’s the fire marshal heroine heading into danger. I think the cover captures the tension and desperation that is undoubtedly part of the story.

Definitely attracted to the cozy mystery vibes depicted on this cover. And I love Fannie’s wide-eyed shock. The magnifying glass is a nice Sherlockonian touch. This just looks fun and makes me want to dive right into the story.

WAIT! Don’t go away ’cause we’re not through yet. We have another Reader’s Choice tradition of picking a random number which becomes a ‘just because giveaway’ on the genre specific days. If that doesn’t make sense, all you need to know is that it means more book giveaways. Woohoo! This time the number is 42.

That’s another RC wrap up. I’ll send winners an email stating their book win, publication date and requesting contact info so that I’ll have everything ready for release day. Then I’ll email you once again once the book has been ordered. Oh — and if you didn’t include your email in your comment it’s up to you to contact me.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK:

Please remember to check +Giveaway in the title and note the book editions available for each giveaway as they will vary. 

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Winter 2025 Edition – General Christian Fiction

I’m adding in some of the books I found in my convoluted internet search for new releases that I don’t think have been mentioned yet…just because we can never have too many book titles on our wish lists, right?!

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Winter 2025 Edition – Amish Fiction

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Winter 2025 Edition – Mystery/Suspense Fiction

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Winter 2025 Edition – Contemporary Fiction

Reader’s Choice Giveaway – Winter Edition 2025 – Historical Fiction

Reader’s Choice 2024 Goal Review + Baker Book House Giveaway

Happy New Year, reading friends!

So nice to be back after the holiday break and eager to get started with the first 2025 Reader’s Choice week(s). Woohoo. We’ll be starting off by reflecting back on our 2024 reading history. If you are a goal setter, it’s also time for our Annual Reading Goal Review.

I’ll share how I did, and, if you are so inclined, feel free to share some of your 2024 reading successes…or failures. Hmm…let’s not call them failures. More like….kafuffles. That sounds friendlier. Nothing wrong with a few goal kafuffles in the grand scheme of things, right? 🙂

The Giveaway

To enter this giveaway you can, a) reflect on a 2024 reading goal OR b) if you’re not a goal oriented person, share a book that made an impact from your 2024 reading list. Share in a comment or send me an email at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. and I will enter you in a draw to win a $10 Baker Book House Gift Card.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 11 2025. (You will have until noon on the 11th to enter this giveaway.)

A LOOK AT MY 2024 READING GOALS AND PROGRESS.

Goal #1 : Read more Indie books. I’m calling this one a fail…er…kafuffle. I actually read 18 fewer indie books than last year. I did do better in the last quarter – actually doubled my Indie number from October through December and that’s largely thanks to all of your excellent recommendations. So thank you!

GOAL #2: Read more debut books. Counting this one as a win since I doubled the number I read last year. I’m still finding it hard to source debut books so I’m not reading as many as I anticipated I could.

GOAL #3: Read more new-to-me authors. A resounding success!!!! I made the acquaintance of 100 new-to-me authors in 2024!!!! Woohoo!!!!!

GOAL #4: More diversity in the authors I read. I’m calling this one a win too, though there’s always room for improvement.

GOAL #5: Targeted author catch-up. Mega fail…miserably kafuffled. 🙂 Revamping this goal for 2025 for sure.

GOAL # 6: Enjoy some rereads. Had fun with this goal and reread way more than I thought I would. Enjoyed every minute too!

GOAL #7: Social Media Influenced Reads. 100% Success!! I only had to pick one book from instagram/blog recommendations per month and that was easily achievable. Book recommendations from like-minded readers is the bestest!

GOAL #8: Read outside my comfort zone. Success! I only had to read 5 books but I read 11 so I’m pretty proud of that accomplishment because it’s so hard for me to do. And even though this goal was achievable, I still approach out of comfort zone reads with way too much wariness. Definitely not a reading initiative I’ll embrace but I’ll continue to occasionally stretch my reading wings because I found some great books this way!

GOAL #9: Serious about series – start 24 new-to-me series, catch up on 24 series I’ve already started and keep up with 24 series I’m up to date with. Phew! Too bad I’m not counting all the series I started and even finished that weren’t on my list but we’ll stick to the specific series I targeted.

Goal #10: Keep reading stats. SUCCESS!!! And here are some more nerdy graphs to prove it!

Phew! I’m nerded out! Now it’s your turn. How was your 2024 reading year?