Book Review of 'Through Water and Stone' by Karen Barnett

Hello Bookworms!

In 2024 I started this amazing book series and today I am featuring the next book, something I have been eagerly anticipating. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this Dual Timeline Christian Fiction and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours.

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Through Water and Stone by Karen Barnett, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book 

Title: Through Water and Stone 

Series: National Parks 

Author: Karen Barnett 

Publisher: Kregel Publications 

Release Date: September 23, 2025 

Genre: Christian Fiction, Dual Timeline 

In 1948, Zion National Park ranger Henry Eriksson and his wife, Alma, are less than one year removed from their infant son's sudden death in a flash flood, and the weight of the loss hasn't diminished with time. When Henry discovers an abandoned baby in a hatbox on his morning rounds, he's unsure how to react, but Alma is delighted, and she reignites with purpose at what seems to be a miracle from God. 

Nearly eighty years later, Talia Eriksson leaves her job at an athleisure company in Palo Alto, California, in disgrace and returns to Zion National Park to reconnect with her grandfather and review her life goals. But when an at-home DNA test exposes family secrets, Talia and her newfound friend, law enforcement ranger Blake Mitchell, work together to search for answers. 

Talia navigates the rocky path into her past with Blake by her side, what she discovers may alter everything she knew to be true about herself. With the uncertain future looming, Talia must learn that family is deeper than genetics and that trusting God can mean being still and clinging to the Rock. 

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Book Review of 'Finding Juniper' by Cindy Thomson

Hello Bookworms!

I am so excited you're here with me today as I have TWO POSTS for you!  I have been trying to be intentional about being in the moment for 2025 but that also means I am not online as much as I normally am.  I am still struggling to find balance, something I'm sure many of you can identify with, which is another reason I feel so blessed that you've taken the time to visit my little slice of the internet today.

I hope you enjoy my first post and review of this Christian Historical Fiction and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours!

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Finding Juniper by Cindy Thomson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Finding Juniper
Author: Cindy Thomson
Publisher: Emerald Path Press
Release Date: January 2, 2025
Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction

For Patrick Doyle, the claim that time heals all wounds is a cruel lie. 

In 1920, returning from WWI, Paddy finds Ireland creeping toward civil war. Invisible borders separate people, including Paddy and his pregnant girlfriend. With few prospects, Paddy sails to America. However, America is far from the land of opportunity he’d hoped for. And worse, his girl refuses to follow him because of her political involvement. 

Thirty years later, Patrick has moved on with his life, building a new family. A letter arrives, suggesting the child he’d assumed died may be alive. Patrick’s American daughter Mardell pushes him to find out what happened to her sister, named Juniper. Patrick anxiously sails to Ireland. 

Juniper endured a childhood in institutions, and when she’s released, she moves on without the parents who left her. Operating an apothecary out of an inherited cottage where villagers are slow to trust outsiders, Juniper finally finds a home when her grandmother arrives. Just as she feels comfortable and content, her father shows up at her door, bringing shocking news about her mother. 

Finding Juniper invites readers on a journey of confronting the past, healing from old traumas, and redefining what family truly means.  

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Book Review of 'The Paris Portrait' by Heidi Eljarbo

Happy Tuesday Bookworms!

I am so excited to you are joining me today!  November is just flying by, but I am living for it!  This month is full of amazing new releases as we barrel towards the holidays and today, I am featuring a new release from one of my favorite series to date.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this Historical Mystery and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours.

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Paris Portrait by Heidi Eljarbo, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Paris Portrait
Series: A Fabiola Bennett Mystery #3
Author: Heidi Eljarbo
Publisher: Independently published
Release Date: November 12, 2024
Genre: Historical Mystery, Dual Timeline, Fiction

Fabiola stumbles upon a clue that indicates a royal portrait went missing almost two hundred years ago. Is this true, or is there substance to the rumor?  

Paris, France, 1973. 
After an enjoyable but dusty road trip, Fabiola and her friends, Pippa and Cary, arrive in a small village on the outskirts of Paris to spend a few days with Fabiola’s brother Eivind and his family. 

On their first evening there, Eivind shows Fabiola an ancient recipe book he bought at an auction. The book is filled with old writing, and he asks Fabiola to decipher the pages. After the others have gone to bed, she spends hours reading and is gripped by the last pages that have nothing to do with recipes for baked goods and stews. Certain the author was a famous portrait artist at the time of the French Revolution, Fabiola and her friends set out on a treacherous investigation, dodging murderers and thieves to learn the truth.  

Versailles, France, 1789.
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun— portraitist and close friend of the extravagant queen of France, Marie Antoinette—has already painted thirty portraits of the queen. Her contemporaries compare her to the old Dutch masters, calling her one of the greatest portrait painters of her time. 

But outside on the streets, Paris is becoming more perilous with every day that passes. Madame Le Brun would be a fool to think the rumors of a revolution will pass, and aristocratic life will continue as before. 

Amid the turmoil, she paints one final portrait of Marie Antoinette, knowing well her association with the queen could cause her to be arrested or executed. As chaos and riots in Paris turn to violence, Madame Le Brun flees with her young daughter, hoping her royal friend and the portrait will be safe.  

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Book Review of 'The Alcuin Letter' by Jeff Raymond

Hello Bookworms!

Gotta love when life gets uber overwhelming and things you love have to be pushed back to do what needs to be done. I am already missing the lazy days of summer, where I devoured book after book.  I have really had to fight for reading time but when I was able to finally sit down and read it felt so good.  I was introduced to another new-to-me author and to say I got lost in the narrative is an understatement.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this mystery and suspense and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours.

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Alcuin Letter by Jeff Raymond, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Alcuin Letter
Series: International Intrigue Series #2
Author: Jeff Raymond
Publisher: Winged Publications
Release Date: July 11, 2024
Genre: Christian Mystery/Suspense  

What price success? 

When a tragedy sparked by a medieval letter brings Matt and Camilla together in London, they never could have imagined the death and peril that would accompany their search for answers. The letter, rumored to lead to a relic of Biblical importance, holds ancient clues that others are also desperate to uncover. 

Amidst the pressure and danger of the hunt, Matt and Camilla must confront their past heartbreaks and battle their inner doubts and beliefs. But even if they are successful, what will it mean for their faith? And what will it mean for their budding relationship? 

From a quaint antique shop in Frankfort to a grand cathedral in Geneva to a secluded Swiss abbey, the pursuit of answers takes the pair on a harrowing ride. With success in their grasp, the journey culminates with a decision that will test their convictions. 

Enhanced with historical figures, locations, and facts, The Alcuin Letter is a gripping tale that will entertain while prompting readers to examine their own faith. Come and join Matt and Camilla on their exciting journey.  

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Book Review of 'Where Trees Touch the Sky' by Karen Barnett

Happy Wednesday Bookworms!

I hope you are all staying safe and cool wherever you are and that you're having a good week so far.  We have company coming to Texas all the way from Canada so things have been a little crazy here, but I wouldn't want it any other way.  I just hope they'll be able to handle this heat!

I am not a nature girl by any stretch of the imagination but the beauty that is found in nature never ceases to amaze me.  It is in these quiet moments, when I'm not thinking about all the animals and critters that are lurking, that I feel closer to God, which is exactly the passion that fuels the heroines of the novel I am featuring today.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this Christian Fiction and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours!

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Where Trees Touch the Sky by Karen Barnett hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Where Trees Touch the Sky 

Series: National Parks 

Author: Karen Barnett 

Publisher: Kregel 

Release Date: August 13, 2024 

Genre: Christian Fiction, Dual Timeline 

Some secrets have shadows as long as the redwoods are tall. 

In the early 1920s, the accelerating destruction of the California redwoods is more than nature-loving Marion Baker can bear. Throwing herself headlong into the work of the Save the Redwoods League, she is shocked to learn that Frank Duncan, a man she's grown to love, is the son of one of the area's worst timber barons. Though devastated by the betrayal, she realizes this could also be an opportunity--if only she can convince him to help preserve her favorite grove from his father's greedy grasp. Is her love strong enough to persuade him to save these precious trees? Or will Marion choose to sacrifice her beliefs to keep Frank by her side? 

Nearly fifty years later, in 1972, polio survivor June Turner is deeply proud of the legacy her great aunt Marion has left as a redwood warrior. And despite her disability, June is determined to prove herself capable as a ranger at the recently established Redwood National Park, even if it means taking to the trails with her crutch in hand. What better way to carry on the family tradition of preserving God's magnificent creation?

When aspiring film student Adam Garner approaches June to help make a documentary about Marion's life, she swiftly grabs the opportunity to spread her aunt's worthy reputation. That is, until they unearth a secret that might shatter the family legacy. In the scramble for answers, June may lose not only her family pride but also her own dreams. 

Karen Barnett's beautifully crafted split-time novel, set against the majestic backdrop of a beloved national park, immerses the reader in history that feels as fresh as if it happened yesterday. 

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Book Review of 'The Way Back' by Heidi Chiavaroli

Happy Wednesday Bookworms!

Lighthouses have always been a fascination of mine.  Sadly, I've never had the opportunity to visit one, but it is high on my bucket list, and I'm sure when I get to visit one it's going to be epic.  What I love about books is that you can feel like you're vividly in a place, even if you've never been there before, and that's exactly how I felt while I was reading my featured novel today.  After reading, my passion for lighthouses grew, and it's went higher on my list of places to visit, especially when I get the change to go to Maine.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this dual timeline fiction and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours.

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Way Back by Heidi Chiavaroli hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Way Back 

Series: Lights of Acadia #1 

Author: Heidi Chiavaroli 

Publisher: Hope Creek Publishers 

Release Date: June 18, 2024 

Genre: Dual Timeline Women's Fiction

Young love means everything . . . until it leaves you with nothing.

The summer before her senior year of high school, Laney Jacobs and her best friend jump from a six-story beachside cliff in an attempt to impress their boyfriends. Laney rose from the water. Her friend did not. 

Six years later, when Laney’s troubled mother’s memoir hits the bestseller list airing the family’s destructive secrets, Laney is forced to relive the trauma, this time in the public eye. To escape the scrutiny, she seeks shelter at her estranged grandmother’s seaside inn. But she can’t reconcile the loving woman with the heartless parent in her mother’s book. As she seeks answers, the boyfriend who once cost her a promising future reappears, stirring up both pain and hope. 

When her mother's vindictive fans threaten her grandmother's livelihood and the lighthouse Laney has come to love, she turns to the century-old words of a young lighthouse keeper to help her find the courage to move forward. But once truths from the past come to light and old love finds new beginnings, will Laney discover that forgiveness is the only way toward true healing?

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Book Review of 'The Rhythm of Fractured Grace' by Amanda Wen

Happy Wednesday Bookworms!

Welcome to another wonderful Wednesday!  I hope you all have been having a great week so far.  The crazy days continue in our house but I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Today I am featuring a novel by a new-to-me author that has thoroughly impressed me.  I am a sucker for a good dual timeline and this novel tells quite the tale!  I hope you enjoy my thoughts on The Rhythm of Fractured Grace and don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours!

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Rhythm of Fractured Grace by Amanda Wen hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Rhythm of Fractured Grace 

Series: Sedgwick County Chronicles #3 

Author: Amanda Wen 

Publisher: Kregel Publications 

Release Date: February 20, 2024 

Genre: Christian Split Time Romantic Women's Fiction

Is Siobhan too far gone to respond to the song of a God who's calling her back to him?

When a new customer brings a badly damaged violin into Siobhan Walsh's shop, it is exactly the sort of challenge she craves. The man who brought it in is not. He's too close to the painful past that left her heart and her faith in shambles. 

Matt Buchanan has had a rough start as the new worship pastor. A car accident on his way into town left him with a nearly totaled truck, and an heirloom violin in pieces. When he takes it to a repair shop, he's fascinated with the restoration process--and with the edgy, closed-off woman doing the work. As their friendship deepens and turns into more, they both discover secrets that force them to face past wounds. And the history of the violin reveals more about their current problems than they could have ever expected. 

On the nineteenth-century frontier, a gruesome tomahawk attack wiped out most of Deborah Caldwell's family. Her greatest solace after the tragedy is the music from her father's prized violin. Given her horrendous scars, she'd resigned herself to a spinster's life. But Levi Martinson's gentle love starts to chip away at her hardened heart, until devastating details about the attack are revealed, putting their love--and Deborah's shaky faith--to the ultimate test. 

Full of forgiveness and the message that no one is too damaged for God's healing touch, the final book in the split-time Sedgwick County Chronicles will thrill fans of Rachel Hauck, Lisa Wingate, and Kristy Cambron. 

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Book Review of 'Hope Between the Pages' by Pepper Basham

HAPPY MONDAY BOOKWORMS!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  I'm still not up to par, so my weekend was pretty laid back with quite a bit of rest and just a touch of spring cleaning.  Does anyone else get the spring cleaning bug in February or is it just me?

I am excited because today I am featuring a book from one of my favorite series, Doors to the Past!  I can't think of a better way to kick off the week!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Hope Between the Pages

Author: Pepper Basham

Publisher: Barbour Fiction

Release Date: April 1, 2021

Genre: Historical Christian Romance

Uncover the Story Behind a One-Hundred-Year-Old Love Letter

Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Clara Blackwell helps her mother manage a struggling one-hundred-year old family bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina, but the discovery of a forgotten letter opens a mystery of a long-lost romance and undiscovered inheritance which could save its future. Forced to step outside of her predictable world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man’s identity in her great-great-grandmother’s letter. From the nearby grand estate of the Vanderbilts, to a hamlet in Derbyshire, England, Clara seeks to uncover truth about family and love that may lead to her own unexpected romance.

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Blog Tour: Hope Beyond the Waves by Heidi Chiavaroli

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Hope Beyond the Waves by Heidi Chiavaroli, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Hope Beyond the Waves 
Author: Heidi Chiavaroli
Publisher: Hope Creek Publishers, LLC
Release Date: June 28, 2022
Genre: Christian, Dual Timeline Fiction

From award-winning author Heidi Chiavaroli comes a sweeping dual timeline story that explores hope and enduring love in the midst of the impossible. 

Massachusetts, 1993 

After making a grievous mistake that will change her life forever, Emily Robertson is sent away to live with her grandmother on Cape Cod. When Emily finds a timeworn photograph buried in a drawer, she realizes her grandmother has concealed a secret even bigger than her own. Will convincing Gram to reveal their family history help Emily make the most important decision of her life or will it prove her parents right—that family scandal is better off buried and forgotten? 

Massachusetts, 1916 

Atta Schaeffer plans to marry the man of her dreams and whisk her little sister away from their abusive father. But when she is diagnosed with a dreaded malady, Atta is forced into a life of exile, leaving her sister in harm’s way. 

On Penikese Island, Atta’s best hope lies with Harry Mayhew, a doctor who seeks a cure for his patients at any cost. But when experiments fail, Atta runs from Harry—and from God. Can she return to her sister before it’s too late? Or will her illness consume both her body and soul? 

A testament to faith and love, Hope Beyond the Waves is the raw account of the journey of two generations of women running from desperate situations toward irresistible hope. 

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Blog+Review Tour: Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Heirlooms 

Author: Sandra Byrd 

Publisher: Tyndale 

Release Date: July 5, 2022 

Genre: Dual Timeline Fiction,Christian 

 Answering a woman’s desperate call for help, young Navy widow Helen Devries opens her Whidbey Island home as a refuge to Choi Eunhee. As they bond over common losses and a delicate, potentially devastating secret, their friendship spans the remainder of their lives.

 After losing her mother, Cassidy Quinn spent her childhood summers with her gran, Helen, at her farmhouse. Nourished by her grandmother’s love and encouragement, Cassidy discovers a passion that she hopes will bloom into a career. But after Helen passes, Cassidy learns that her home and garden have fallen into serious disrepair. Worse, a looming tax debt threatens her inheritance. Facing the loss of her legacy and in need of allies and ideas, Cassidy reaches out to Nick, her former love, despite the complicated emotions brought by having him back in her life.

 Cassidy inherits not only the family home but a task, spoken with her grandmother’s final breaths: ask Grace Kim—Eunhee’s granddaughter—to help sort through the contents of the locked hope chest in the attic. As she and Grace dig into the past, they unearth their grandmothers’ long-held secret and more. Each startling revelation reshapes their understanding of their grandmothers and ultimately inspires the courage to take risks and make changes to own their lives. 

 Set in both modern-day and midcentury Whidbey Island, Washington, this dual-narrative story of four women—grandmothers and granddaughters—intertwines across generations to explore the secrets we keep, the love we pass down, and the heirlooms we inherit from a well-lived life. 

  "This is women's fiction as it is meant to be written with intriguing characters making decisions that ripple through generations." - Library Journal, starred review 

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Book Review: Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Our Last Days in Barcelona

Author: Chanel Cleeton

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Release Date: May 24, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

When Isabel Perez travels to Barcelona to save her sister Beatriz, she discovers a shocking family secret in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton's new novel.

 
Barcelona, 1964. Exiled from Cuba after the revolution, Isabel Perez has learned to guard her heart and protect her family at all costs. After Isabel’s sister Beatriz disappears in Barcelona, Isabel goes to Spain in search of her. Joining forces with an unlikely ally thrusts Isabel into her sister’s dangerous world of espionage, but it’s an unearthed piece of family history that transforms Isabel’s life.
 
Barcelona, 1936. Alicia Perez arrives in Barcelona after a difficult voyage from Cuba, her marriage in jeopardy and her young daughter Isabel in tow. Violence brews in Spain, the country on the brink of civil war, the rise of fascism threatening the world. When Cubans journey to Spain to join the International Brigades, Alicia’s past comes back to haunt her as she is unexpectedly reunited with the man who once held her heart. 
 

Alicia and Isabel’s lives intertwine, and the past and present collide, as a mother and daughter are forced to choose between their family’s expectations and following their hearts. 

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Takeover Tour+Review: A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma

Welcome to the Takeover Tour for A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: A Rose for the Resistance 

Series: Doors to the Past 

Author: Liz Tolsma 

Publisher: Barbour Fiction 

Release Date: May 1, 2022 

Genre: Christian, Dual Timeline Fiction, Romance 

Can Promises Made in Times of Struggle Endure 200 Years? 

Young, spirited Josie Wilkins life is about to take a turn when faced with political turmoil and forbidden love in San Antonio of 1836. John Gilbert has won her heart, despite being a Protestant preacher who is forbidden to practice his faith in Texas. Will either of them survive an epic battle for liberty to create a legacy of love? 

Nearly 200 years later, Kayleigh Hernandez takes breaks from her demanding job as a refugee coordinator working with Mexican migrants to attend flea markets where she has found a uniquely engraved ring. Enlisting the help of appraiser Brandon Shuman, they piece together a love story long forgotten. But will dangers linked to Kayleigh’s work end her own hopes for leaving a legacy built on hope, faith, and love? 

Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance. 

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