Cozy Reads

 Top Ten Tuesday is all about Cozy/Atmospheric Reads!

All of these stories make think "cozy" and I am eager to see what books everyone else comes up with for this one. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Echoes of a Silent Song

 

About the Book

A split-time romance from an award-winning author

When a choral composer and conductor falls victim to creative block, he resorts to his fallback plan of teaching high school choir. Callum Knight's goal at Peterson High is rediscover his muse, extract himself from teaching, and get back to Boston as quickly as possible.

As the long-suffering accompanist at the high school, Peterson-native Blair Emerson has watched the revolving door of choir directors and their negative impact on her choirs over the last few years. She is less than impressed when a disheveled Callum stumbles in on his first day.

But then they discover an unsigned, unfinished, and handwritten choral composition by a clear musical genius. Blair recalls rumors of Iris, a Peterson student from the 1970s who composed music but was found dead during her senior year. Blair and Callum work to determine if the piece is hers, and the truth they uncover shakes both of them to the core.

With rhythm and flair, Amanda Wen takes readers on an unexpected journey into the depths of a small town's history in this riveting first book in the Melodies and Memories duology. (Goodreads) 

Purchase Here

My Thoughts

This story completely stunned me. To be honest, I really wasn't sure what to expect and I was anticipating a slower read. Oh my goodness. I couldn't put this book down and it has become one of my favorite reads of the year! The characters of Callum and Blair gripped me from the start. They have dealt with real life issues and struggle to find a common ground. In comes the split time story going back in time to the life of Iris, a student. I adored both timelines and that rarely happens. The story flows nicely between the two and the romance is *chef's kiss*. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat and by the end I was happy, sad, and contemplative. I think some of the suspense elements perhaps could have been written out a little bit more and further developed but I still think it was a great addition. I love this story and I highly recommend! 

*I will caution that there are some tough topics discussed such as suicide, Vietnam war, and depression. 

Five Stars!

"I received a complimentary copy of the book from Kregel Publications. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

 There are so many books that I wish that I could read again for the first time. There is nothing like reading a book for the first time and the unexpected just waiting to be discovered. Here are some books that I came up with and there are many more that could have been added. 

Do you like to re-read books? Or is the first time reading the only time the book will get read? 

Satisfying Book Series

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is about satisfying book series. I admit, it was a little tricky to find books where I truly loved each one in the series. Often there is a random book mid series that gets a lower rating but not in these ones. :) I could have added a few but these were the first that came to mind!

Darek Christiansen is almost a dream bachelor—oldest son in the large Christiansen clan, heir to their historic Evergreen Lake Resort, and doting father. But he’s also wounded and angry since the tragic death of his wife, Felicity. No woman in Deep Haven dares come near.

New assistant county attorney Ivy Madison simply doesn’t know any better when she bids on Darek at the charity auction. Nor does she know that when she crafted a plea bargain three years ago to keep Jensen Atwood out of jail and in Deep Haven fulfilling community service, she was releasing the man responsible for Felicity’s death. All Ivy knows is that the Christiansens feel like the family she’s always longed for. And once she gets past Darek’s tough exterior, she finds a man she could spend the rest of her life with. Which scares her almost as much as Darek learning of her involvement in his wife’s case.

Caught between new love and old grudges, Darek must decide if he can set aside the past for a future with Ivy—a future more and more at risk as an approaching wildfire threatens to wipe out the Christiansen resort and Deep Haven itself. (Goodreads)

A sabotaged plane. Two dead deep-water divers.

One single clue.

Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey, Alaska, again. She has a past, and a reputation--and Yancey's a town that doesn't forget. She's returned only to bury a loved one killed in the plane crash, but then dark evidence emerges and Bailey's own expertise becomes invaluable for the case.

Cole McKenna can face dangerous rescue dives. He can face the fear a murderer may be threatening his town. But facing the reality of Bailey's reappearance is a tougher challenge. She broke his heart...but doesn't seem to be the same girl who left Yancey ten years ago. And he's not the same guy she left behind.

Racing against the clock and a rising body count, Bailey and Cole must move beyond the hurts of their pasts to work together until the truth of what is hidden in the depths finally surfaces. (Goodreads)

Small-town realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents--unfortunately, selling houses isn't one of them. When a developer sets his sights on the historic homes in Heritage, Hannah turns to her best friend Luke for help. Will Luke risk his future and confront his past to help her succeed? (Goodreads)

Twenty-six-year-old Katie Macauley has placed all her hope in Hope Springs, a small town in the 1870 Wyoming Territory. But if she wants to return home to Ireland to make amends with her estranged family, she'll need to convince the influential Joseph Archer to hold true to his word and keep her on his payroll as his housekeeper despite her Irish roots. The town is caught in an ongoing feud between the Irish and the "Reds" the frontiersmen who would rather see all the Irish run out of town and the Irish immigrants who are fighting to make a home for themselves in the New World. When Joseph agrees to keep Katie on as his housekeeper, the feud erupts anew, and Katie becomes the reluctant figurehead for the Irish townsfolk. As the violence escalates throughout the town, Katie must choose between the two men who have been vying for her love though only one might be able to restore hope to her heart. (Goodreads)

As a Victorian clergyman’s daughter, Edith Worms has seen everything — until a mythical salamander tumbles out of the fireplace into her lap. When a letter arrives from estranged relatives, Edith is swept away to a crumbling gothic Abbey in the wilds of Yorkshire.

Wormwood Abbey isn't just full of curious beasts and ancient family secrets: there’s also a tall, dark, and entirely too handsome neighbour who is strangely reluctant for her to leave.

An unexpected bond with her prickly cousin Gwendolyn gives Edith a reason to stay in this strange world — especially when it turns out that Edith herself may have a role in guarding her family's legacy.

But not all of the mysteries of Ormdale are small enough to fit in her lap...and some of them have teeth. (Goodreads)

One available house. One pesky Earl. One month to drive him out.

When Miss Henrietta Dixon wants something, she finds a way to have it. When an incident in London sends her and her sister to Bath, she can think of no better opportunity to reunite her sister with the man she has always loved by inviting him to stay at the last available townhouse next door in the Royal Crescent. Her plan is coming along splendidly until The Earl of Guildford walks—or rather, saunters—into town, and steals it from under her nose.

Charlie can see only one way to save his sister from the horrible marriage his father has planned for her. He has to marry an heiress, Lady Eleanor, who has taken up residence in Bath. In order to secure the final place in the Royal Crescent, he has no choice but to offer any price it takes. He only has to stay for long enough to woo Lady Eleanor, but when a remarkably vexing young woman next door refuses to leave him in peace, he cannot help but declare war. A war of wits, a war of schemes, and most unexpectedly…a war against his obstinate heart. Miss Dixon is not only vexing, but she is intriguing and beautiful in a way he has never seen before. Whether she likes it or not, he’s keeping his place in Bath. But whether he can keep his heart is another matter entirely. (Goodreads)

Claire’s visit to a luxury hotel in Maine awakens repressed memories, threatening all she holds dear.

In 1989, Claire Dellamare disappeared from her own fourth birthday party at the Hotel Tourmaline on the island of Folly Shoals, Maine. She showed up a year later at the same hotel, with a note pinned to her dress but no explanation. Nobody knows where Claire spent that year—and until now, Claire didn’t even know she had ever been missing.

But when Claire returns to the Hotel Tourmaline for a business meeting with her CEO father, disturbing memories begin to surface . . . despite her parents’ best efforts to keep them forgotten.

Luke Rocco lost his mother under equally mysterious circumstances—at the same time Claire disappeared. After a chance encounter reveals the unlikely link between them, Claire and Luke set out together to uncover the truth about what happened that fateful year.

With flashbacks swimming just beneath her consciousness and a murderer threatening her safety, Claire’s very life depends on unscrambling her past . . . even if her family refuses to acknowledge it. Someone—maybe everyone—is hiding something from Claire Dellamare, and it will cost her everything to drag the truth out into the light. (Goodreads)

To escape the scandals tied to her name, Lillian Markley has gone by an alias for eight years. It was the only way for her to get a reputable job and save enough money to reunite with her sister in America. But when Lily is suddenly let go just as she’s about to reach her goal, she’s offered a salary she can’t refuse in exchange for the unthinkable:

She must masquerade as an heiress at a country estate for the summer.

Being exposed means facing prison, or worse—never seeing her sister again. Run-ins with kidnappers, a suspicious young boy, and a dangerous gentleman who knows her secret quickly has Lily spouting lies as often as she sips her tea—all while battling her growing feelings for Peter Wycliffe, the smiling host who seems to best her at every turn.

Nothing is as simple as it seems. And as the falsehoods begin to mount, Lily must use her arsenal of wits to keep her three facades separate, while preventing Peter—and herself—from discovering the true woman beneath them all. (Goodreads)

When Meg Cole’s father dies unexpectedly, she becomes the majority shareholder of his oil company and the single inheritor of his fortune. Though Meg is soft-spoken and tenderhearted–more interested in art than in oil–she’s forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of her father’s empire.

The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father’s thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.

Bo’s determined to resent the woman who’s decided to rob him of his dream. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them–her wealth, his unworthiness, her family’s outrage–and earn the right to love her.

But just when Meg begins to realize that Bo might be the one thing on the ranch worth keeping, their fragile bond is viciously broken by a force from Meg’s past. Can their love–and their belief that God can work through every circumstance–survive? (Goodreads)

When their father's death leaves them impoverished, Sarah Summers convinces her sisters to open their seaside home to guests to provide for their ailing mother. Emily and Georgiana agree, but Viola, who wears a veil to cover a scar, detests the idea.

Determined to stay together, the sisters begin the new venture. Instead of the elderly invalids they expect, however, they find themselves hosting eligible gentlemen. Sarah is torn between a growing attraction to a mysterious Scottish widower and duty to her family. Meanwhile, the new situation exposes Viola's scars--both the visible and those hidden deep within--and her cloistered heart will never be the same. (Goodreads)

An Unconventional Lady Review

 

About the Book

One woman works to expose a scientific fraud while also finding love in the latest sweet Regency romance by Sarah Ladd. Perfect for fans of Julie Klassen, An Unconventional Lady delivers what Publishers Weekly calls Ladd's "pitch-perfect blend of suspense and sweetness" (The Cloverton Charade).

She faces the worst ultimatum possible for a woman--marry a man she detests or lose the future she's always imagined.

Charming and headstrong, Ella Wilde always knew she was different than other women. Thanks to her unorthodox upbringing as the daughter of Keatley Hall School for Young Men's headmaster, Ella has long dreamed of opening a school for girls that would meet the needs of inquisitive, brilliant, unconventional young women just like her--girls who longed for the education exclusively reserved for boys. But there's just one Unless she marries before her father dies, Keatley Hall will pass into the hands of a distant cousin. In that case, Ella will be left destitute, and at this point her only option appears to be an undesirable marriage.

Ella's family had long been proponents of phrenology, the belief that an individual's personality and dispositions were predetermined by the shape of their head. Shortly before her death, however, Ella's mother's views on phrenology changed, and she endeavored to expose phrenology as nothing more than a fraudulent parlor trick. Consequently, she earned the wrath of phrenologist community, who called her "unstable," "bizarre," even "dangerous"--and branded her daughter the same.

Now, renowned phrenologist Thomas Bauer is about to arrive at Keatley Hall to speak at the Natural Philosophers' Society gathering, and Ella embraces the opportunity to clear her mother's name--and her own--once and for all. And her partner in crime? None other than her childhood friend Gabriel Rowe, who's grown into an ambitious, handsome London solicitor.

Gabriel has his own scores to settle, and when he learns that Thomas Bauer is visiting Keatley Hall, he jumps at the chance to prove himself and right past wrongs. As he is drawn deeper into the unusual happenings, it's clear that he and Ella must work together if they want to unmask the truth. Over time, Gabriel's attraction to Ella's beauty and wit becomes impossible to ignore, and as the lines between professionalism and passion blur, they both must decide what they're willing to risk for happiness. (Goodreads)

Purchase Here

My Thoughts

Oh my goodness, I love this story! The setting is classic, yet the characters are so fresh and fun. Ella is a force to be reckoned with and when she runs into Gabriel it makes for a superb mystery solving duo. The main topic that this book revolves around is phrenology. Wait. What? I had no idea what that meant or that it was a popular study from history. Basically it was thought that the shape of the head determined a person's character traits. I was totally fascinated with the whole idea and the author does an excellent job at not making it boring and weaving it into the mystery side of things. The romance is so well written and sweet, it really adds to the plot. It isn't the central focus but it makes a delightful addition. I also love how the ending took a few turns that were unexpected as all good mysteries must do. So for me this book had it all and I think is one of the best that Sarah E. Ladd has written. I highly recommend! 

Five Stars. 

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

Book Covers that Give off Fall Vibes

 I love fall and I love fall book covers even more! Here are some of my favorites!

Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

The Maid of Sherwood Forest Review

 

About the Book

Mariah thought Robin Hood was just a legend—until time pulled her into his world and the outlaw stole her heart.

Nothing about Mariah Clinton’s passion for archery or her work as a sous-chef in contemporary London prepares her for the moment she’s pulled into another time—and another life. One minute, she’s stepping into McQuivey’s Costume Shop to rent a medieval gown. The next, she’s standing in a castle kitchen in twelfth-century Nottingham—with no idea how she got there or how to return to modern time. Forced to pose as a kitchen servant, she must draw on ingenuity and courage to survive in a world in which she shouldn’t exist. But when her skill with a bow draws the attention of outlaws in Sherwood Forest, she’s swept into a conflict that is more dangerous—and more thrilling—than she could ever have imagined.

Robin Hood has spent years outwitting the sheriff, protecting the innocent, and keeping his men one step ahead of Prince John’s reach. But when he crosses paths with a mysterious archer who shoots like no woman he’s ever met, he knows she’s hiding something. Her words, her ways, even the fire in her eyes—none of it belongs in his time. Yet the more she stands at his side, the harder it becomes to imagine Sherwood Forest without her.

Mariah is torn between a past she understands in modern-day London and an uncertain future with an outlaw who has stolen her heart. But as the sheriff’s grip tightens and betrayal looms, one truth becomes clear—some choices are impossible to undo, and love, once found, is not so easily left behind. (Goodreads)

Pre-Order Here

My Thoughts

This story is such a unique twist on the life of Marian (Mariah) and how she crosses paths with Robin Hood. The author does a great job at making it relatively believable. I haven't watched or read many retellings of Robin Hood so I think I was a little bit at a disadvantage to some of the quips and comments throughout the book. That being said, this book really is quite an adventure that goes from the kitchen at the castle to Sherwood Forest. I loved the archery aspect (obviously necessary) and I thought Robin Hood's character was well written. It made me wish I was right there with them in the forest. The last few chapters held a lot and I wish that it was a tad longer. But there is a fun surprise at the end for us time travel fans! I am eager to read the next book in this series. 

Four Stars. 

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

Books on My Fall 2025 Reading List

Top Ten Tuesday

Fall Reading List 

My fall list is rather long but here are some books that are at the top.