Book Review

Excited about Reading: London Tides by Carla Laureano

/ Dora Hiers
Purchase Link

The Cover Story: 
Irish photojournalist Grace Brennan travels the world’s war zones documenting the helpless and forgotten. After the death of her friend and colleague, Grace is shaken.

She returns to London hoping to rekindle the spark with the only man she ever loved—Scottish businessman Ian MacDonald. But he gave up his championship rowing career and dreams of Olympic gold years ago for Grace … only for her to choose career over him. Will life’s tides bring them back together … or tear them apart for good this time?

My Takeaway:
I read Five Days in Skye, and LOVED it. You can read that review here. It’s not necessary to read Skye first although London Tides revisits Skye for a joyous celebration, so I’d recommend it. 🙂

“She shouldn’t be here.” London Tides pulled me in with the first line. It didn’t take long for Ian and Grace to reconnect after a ten year separation, and, oh, what a sweet romance for a few pages! Always a but, though, right? This is one of those books where I knew the bottom was going to drop out any minute and that my heart would be ripped into shreds. Yes. That’s exactly what this book did.

“You can’t see all the suffering and violence and hatred without wondering if there’s still good in the world. Most of my colleagues see evil as proof that God couldn’t exist. But despite all the bad, there are still people who help others when their safety, their very lives are at risk. When I see that, I know without a doubt he has to exist. I think without God, the good that remains couldn’t survive.” ~Grace

I was so invested in the characters. Grace because she was hurting, suffering from PTSD after living through the horrors of war zones and, since her identity had always been wrapped up in her job, wondering who she was now. Ian because he never gave up loving Grace, not after ten years apart and not even when a close friend and his well-intentioned mother tried to convince him otherwise. But at a crucial spot in the book, I wanted to throw my hands in the air and scream at Grace, “What are you doing? Just tell him how you really feel!”

For me the ending was a bit too abrupt. After ravaging my emotions, I wanted a little more happily-ever-after, a bit more “ahhh” factor when I flipped to the last page. But don’t let that stop you from scooping up this sweet romance! With a subtle faith thread weaved throughout and a plot that’ll keep you guessing whether Ian and Grace will actually enjoy a happily-ever-after, London Tides will appeal to contemporary romance readers across genres.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley and David C. Cook Publisher for the purpose of sharing my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I received no monetary compensation.

Excited about Reading ~ No Other Love by Bella Andre writing as Lucy Kevin

/ Dora Hiers
Purchase Link
The cover story:
Come for a visit to Walker Island where you’ll find stunning Pacific Northwest ocean views, men too intriguing to resist…and five close-knit sisters who are each about to find their one true love. 

Morgan Walker, makeup artist to the stars, never thought she’d leave New York City to come back to Walker Island. But when she is tapped to headline her own TV makeover show, she decides it’s the perfect time to launch her organic makeup line made from flowers and plants grown on the Walker family plot of land. While she’s really excited about getting to spend a few weeks with the sisters and grandmother she doesn’t see nearly often enough, she’s equally worried about the possibility of seeing Brian Russell again. Because even though they broke up seven years ago, she’s never been able to forget him. Not for one single day… 

When Brian gets the opportunity to work with Morgan on planting her new garden, he immediately jumps at it. Seven years ago, he thought he was doing the right thing by letting her go to pursue her dreams and see the world. But he’s never stopped loving her, and now that she’s finally back, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to convince her that they belong together…forever this time. 

My takeaway:

NY makeup artist Morgan Walker finally has the career she’s always dreamt of, but fame and money aren’t as exciting anymore. She misses her family, Walker Island, and…Brian. With the offer of a new network show, she heads home to cultivate the ingredients for a brand new line of makeup, and discovers that her feelings for Brian are still very much alive. Science teacher slash football coach, Brian let Morgan walk away once, but vows not to let her leave again without fighting for their love. He didn’t want to be the one who held her back from success, didn’t want her to resent him.

Brian was more than willing to roll up his sleeves and dig in although his role was primarily to supervise the two interns who volunteered to help with the garden, Natalie, a girl who excelled in science and could make it into any college she applied to, and Tad, a football jock. It was sweet to watch their budding romance and how it parallels Morgan and Brian’s, with some of the same issues and questions.

I enjoyed my return visit to Walker Island and getting reacquainted with the Walker sisters. I liked everything about this book, especially the romance and the uber sweet ending. It’s a fast read, perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon in a hammock or squeezing in while waiting in the car pool line. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I purchased this copy of No Other Love. This review is strictly my opinion, and I received no compensation.

Excited about Reading ~ Secretly Yours by Valerie Comer

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments
Purchase Link~Amazon

The Cover Story ~ Chef Lindsey Solberg agrees to cater the church’s Valentine’s Day fundraising banquet as a favor to her teen sister, but she’s shocked to discover the bad boy from her high school days is now Riverbend’s youth pastor. Seriously? How could he have changed that much? Nick Harrison has prayed for years for an opportunity to make amends. Now Lindsey’s back in Riverbend and won’t give him the time of day. What’s a guy to do except leave a trail of gifts from a secret admirer?

Lindsey’s heart takes a beating when she realizes the boy who was never good enough is now a far better man than she deserves.


My takeaway ~ Food, faith and romance? How could I resist, especially when this little gem was offered free on Amazon. lol.

Overall, I enjoyed the story especially how Nick wooed Lindsey even after she was rather rude to him in the beginning. I admit having a hard time believing that Nick wanted to pursue her, but then I realized that it was the perfect picture of how Christ romances us even after we reject Him. 

Weighing in at only 91 pages, I breezed through this novella rather quickly. There were some light moments, but it also packed a powerful message.

“Love isn’t something we deserve. Any of us. But God gave us an example. He loved us when we didn’t deserve it at all. When we were mean to Him and hurled our filth in His face. Still He gave us His greatest treasure, His only Son, because He loved us that much.” ~ Nick


If you like romances with a strong faith message, you will enjoy Secretly Yours. I would definitely read more books by Valerie Comer.

Disclaimer: I received my copy of Secretly Yours while it was offered free on Amazon. This review is my opinion, and I received no compensation.