PASSIONATE ABOUT SCHOOL LIBRARIES
The Words We Lost
Nicole Deese
Bethany House Publishers
Published 11 April 2023
♥♥♥♥♥
I absolutely adore the stories Nicole Deese crafts and The Words We Lost was no different. Poignant and strongly emotional, this is a story of loss, grief, long-held grudges and pain and the things that bring people back together.
Divine Rivals
– Rebecca Ross –
Wednesday Books
Published 4 April 2023
♥♥♥♥
Divine Rivals is as powerful and evocative as it is unique.
I’ve been a fan of Rebecca Ross since reading The Queen’s Rising. Divine Rivals is a very different sort of fantasy novel but Ross’s powerful writing is consistent.
While You Were Dreaming
– Alisha Rai –
Quill Tree Books
Published 21 March 2023
♥♥♥♥
I think most people of a certain generation would know and love the movie While You Were Sleeping. I certainly do. But even if a younger generation are not familiar with the movie that seems to have inspired the title and premise of this book, they’ll be sure to fall in love with its charming story.
The Secrets of LEGO House
– Jesus Diaz –
Chronicle Books
Published 10 August 2021
♥♥♥♥♥
Since watching a documentary about The Lego House, I’ve been intrigued with its design and purpose. So, when I saw this book, I knew I just had to read it.
Always The Almost
– Edward Underhill –
Wednesday Books
Published 14 February 2023
♥♥♥♥♥
Always the Almost is an uplifting and heartwarming YA novel.
Pearl of the Sea
– Anthony Silverston, Willem Samuel, Raffaella Delle Donne –
Catalyst Press
Published 31 January 2023
♥♥♥♥♥
Pearl of the Sea is a beautiful graphic novel that will have great appeal to a wide range of readers.
Sundown
Susan May Warren
Sky King Ranch #3
Revell
Published 1 November 2022
♥♥♥♥♥
The third and thrilling conclusion to the Sky King Ranch series, Sundown continues the dangerous story of espionage, terrorism and a deadly virus.
You’ll need to read this series in series order to make sense of the continuing story. While each book features a new romance, the threads of the mystery weave through each of the three books. Plus, the story of Colt and Tae started back in the previous book.
A Seaside Wonder
Melissa Tagg
Muir Harbor #2
Larkspur Press
Published 4 October 2022
♥♥♥♥♥
A Seaside Wonder is the second book in the Muir Harbor series and it carried the same charming warmth and familiarity as the first book did, combining mystery and romance with family and belonging.
When Philip West stumbles into Indi Muir’s antique shop, he does so on whim and from a childhood memory. He doesn’t expect to find himself witnessing Indi’s boyfriend breaking up with her, or hearing her receive a distressing call about her mother’s health. Determined to make up for his awkward start, he volunteers to drive her to the hospital. After that strange and chance evening, he doesn’t expect to see Indi again, but again he is surprised. Having had to return to live with his grandfather and care for his teenage half-sister in the wake of his mother’s death has been hard. When his relationship with his sister worsens, he draws on those memories of belonging he found with Indi and decides to holiday in Muir Harbor. Two weeks to salvage any sort of relationship with Holland and maybe even find some answers to the questions that drove him into Indi’s shop all those weeks ago.
We met the Muir family in book one of this series. I’d recommend reading the books in series order, as the threads of mystery that surround this family continue through the two books.
Indi has always felt like she is the messy sibling, the one who hasn’t got it all together and in this book we readers find out the pieces of her past that make her feel like that. Indi is also generous and warm, so when Philip arrives on her doorstep, she welcomes him and Holland into the family and home (despite the misunderstanding of her family thinking he is her ex). Philip has his own hurts from the past. His mother left him with his grandfather when he was just a child, as she started a new life with a new husband and new child. Now, he is desperate to connect with his half-sister. He is hoping the change of scenery gives them a chance to connect, plus the sense of family and security he finds with the Muir family.
Watching Philip and Indi connect was so heartwarming. They are good at supporting each other right from the first moment they meet and their romance develops out of this understanding and support.
As with the first book, the mystery of Maggie Muir’s granddaughter and the lost Muir family treasure continues. Philip has a few more clues and there are a few tense scenes to raise the suspense.
I can’t wait for book three, which better be an enemies to lovers book. I’ve been shipping Wilder and Lilian right from the start of this series.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Category: Adult fiction
Genre: Christian contemporary
Themes: Romance, family, half-siblings, antiques, mystery, writing.
Published: 4 October 2022 by Larkspur Press
Format: Paperback, ebook.
ISBN: 9780997964257
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Play Like A Girl
– Misty Wilson and David Wilson –
Balzer + Bray
Published 27 September 2022
♥♥♥♥♥
Play Like A Girl is another fantastic graphic novel memoir. My school library readers snaffle up graphic memoirs as fast as I can get them to them and I know they’ll love Play Like A Girl. I love that this memoir centres around sport and friendship.
Defend the Dawn
– Brigid Kemmerer –
Defy the Night #2
Bloomsbury YA
Published 20 September 2022
♥♥♥♥♥
Defend the Dawn is the second book in the Defy the Night series and all I can say is I definitely need book 3, right now. Talk about a cliffhanger of an ending.
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