Meyer (For a Lifetime) romps through parallel timelines in the irresistible latest in her Timeless series. Charles spends half his days as a farmer in 1883 Virginia and the other half as an earl and adviser to Queen Elizabeth in 1563 Britain. At age 25 he’ll have to permanently choose a timeline and needs to iron out his problems in each life first. He starts by commissioning fellow time traveler Andrew, a medical student in the 19th century, to treat the ill Queen Elizabeth. It seems like a fail-safe plan until Charles’s stepsister Cecily points out all three could be accused of sabotage if the court learns Charles hired a fake physician. Meanwhile, in the 19th century, Charles agrees to show up in his earl persona at Andrew’s family’s vacation home, in an effort to boost Andrew’s mother’s social standing. As it becomes increasingly difficult to carry out their duties without being found out (or irrevocably changing history), Cecily, Charles, and Andrew must put their trust in God to lead them to the right path, wherever—and whenever—it leads. Meyer uses questions of time and fate to develop her characters’ identities and moral crises, and vividly reanimates bygone eras with rich historical detail. Readers will be hooked. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

Twenty-seven-year-old Anne Loveday, the heroine of this mixed-bag Regency-era romantic suspense novel from Klassen (A Sea View Christmas), would rather follow in her surgeon father’s footsteps than marry, much to her pushy stepmother’s chagrin. When Anne’s invited to stay with a family friend in the town of Painswick, she jumps at the chance and is soon tasked by local physicians Dr. Marsland and Dr. Finch task with caring for Celia Fitzjohn, a woman with dropsy who lives at the grand estate of Painswick Court. As Anne settles into her nursing duties, she can’t help but notice the shady dealings and hushed conversations taking place in the estate’s dark corners, especially when Celia’s nephews, Jasper Paine and Jude Dalby, come to stay. Even handsome Dr. Finch, of whom Anne is quickly growing fond, seems to have something to hide. As more and more “accidents” occur and endanger Celia’s life, Anne draws on her faith to protect herself and her patient—which becomes increasingly difficult as the culprit works to frame her for the mishaps. While readers might struggle with the novel’s somewhat sluggish first half, the tension mounts as the story progresses, setting the stage for a satisfying conclusion. Slow start aside, Klassen’s fans will find this worth their while. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 10/03/2025 | Details & Permalink

Irvin (To Love and to Cherish) pairs two young Amish animal lovers in this spirited romance. Henrietta Miller has never dreamed of a life spent cleaning and cooking indoors; she’d prefer to care for the animals outside, especially her goats. When Nicholas Byler moves to town and starts working as the vet’s assistant, Hen wants nothing to do with the man who took the job she applied for. Nicholas isn’t sure what to make of the outspoken Henrietta either, especially after they clash about the proper treatment of a geriatric horse. He’s also struggling with doubts about his faith and is torn between remaining in the Amish community or leaving to attend vet school. The two eventually bond over their devotion to animals, but Hen’s committed to Amish life and can’t imagine a future with a man who feels differently. Irvin’s characters are multifaceted, and the gratifying love story gains depth from the pair’s resonant struggles to navigate between passion and faith. Fans of Beverly Lewis and Wanda Brunstetter will be hooked. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/19/2025 | Details & Permalink

Miller (A Valentine for a Vet) kicks off the Silver Teapot Series with a fun if somewhat flimsy 21st-century spin on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. After losing her job as a high school history teacher, Liv Bennet is tasked by her family with caring for her ailing grandmother, Veronica, in the small English village of Hartbury. A lifelong Austen fan, Liv is itching to visit historic Hartbury Hall, which doubled as Pemberly Hall in the film Pride and Prejudice, but upon arriving discovers the building has fallen in disrepair and learns from surly, handsome gardener Liam Brown, who chastises her for trespassing, that it is closed to the public. But there’s more to Liam than meets the eye, her grandmother hints as she and Liv marshal a group of volunteers to refurbish the hall and open it to the public. Liam begrudgingly joins the efforts to revive Hartbury Hall and begins to open up about a long-ago tragedy and his struggles with his faith in its wake. While the narrative frame and Regency-inflected trappings are cute, it feels unlikely that it would take Liz almost to the end of the book to discover Liam’s secret. Still, Austenites who can suspend their disbelief will find enough to enjoy. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 09/19/2025 | Details & Permalink

Landsem (Code Name Edelweiss) unspools a thrilling tale of family turmoil set against the backdrop of the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake in Montana. Claire, Bridget, and Frannie Reilly’s mother walked out on the family when they were kids, leaving all three with deep emotional scars. Seventeen years later, Bridget, a nurse, and Frannie, a rebellious teen, still live with their dad in Minnesota, but Claire has moved to West Yellowstone, Mont., with her husband, Red, and baby daughter, Jenny. When Bridget gets a summer position at a hospital in Yellowstone, their father asks her to take Frannie along and bring Claire, her husband, and their baby back home at the end of the season. Upon arriving in Montana, Bridget and Frannie find that Red and Claire are barely speaking to each other. Meanwhile, relations among the three sisters aren’t much better—especially after Red leaves to take a job three hundred miles away, kicking Claire’s fears of abandonment into high gear. When an earthquake hits, triggering severe flooding, the three sisters must put their faith in God and one another to survive. In the process, they uncover buried secrets about themselves and their mother’s long-ago departure. Landsem keeps the tension high throughout with a perfect balance of zippy action and detailed character work. It’s a must-read for fans of clean historical fiction. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Afshar (The Queen’s Cook) transports readers to ancient Persia with this high-octane spin on the Purim story. Sazana is a prodigious potter who keeps her Jewish heritage a secret from her employer Haman, the instigator behind a royal edict to annihilate all of Persia’s Jews. After Queen Esther persuades her husband, King Xerxes, to execute Haman and grant Jewish people the right to defend themselves, Sazana is cautiously optimistic there may be hope for her people yet. But when it becomes clear that sympathizers to Haman’s cause remain—including his 10 vengeful sons—Sazana must summon her faith and join forces with her ex, Jadon, an agent of Queen Esther, to ensure peace in Persia. That involves investigating the death of Sazana’s mentor and guardian Arta, who left behind clues that embroil the pair in a generations-spanning mystery. Despite a few hiccups near the end (including a quickly resolved and somewhat out-of-place plot twist), the textured narrative is effectively propelled forward by its endearing characters, including resilient Sazana and complex Queen Esther. Fans of biblical fiction should take note. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Snelling’s textured latest Home to Green Creek romance (after Land of Dreams) follows a widow as she starts a new life in the Midwest. In 1890, Maya Bredesen is set to leave Norway for America with her husband, Einer, when he dies in a storm. A devastated Maya decides to make the trip nonetheless, but arrives at her cousin Amalia’s Iowa boardinghouse severely ill and angry at God for her misfortune. Upon realizing she’s pregnant, Maya’s buoyed by the renewed sense of connection to her late husband and regains hope. Things get complicated, though, when she bonds with her tall, selfless neighbor Eben Miller, with whom she discusses faith, his family struggles, and her heartbreak. Unsure what to do with such feelings only months after losing her husband, Maya wrestles with what it means to start over and rediscover happiness. Snelling paints a richly detailed historical backdrop and perceptively renders the tension between Maya’s competing senses of loss and hope. Bolstered by plot threads carried over from previous installments, this immersive outing will satisfy series fans and new readers alike. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

A stalled bookmobile sparks unlikely chemistry between a bubbly librarian and a curmudgeonly mechanic in this charming contemporary from Monzon (Checking Out Love). Since receiving a liver transplant at 12, Hayley Holt has been determined to “pay it forward.” Now 29, she’s eager to start her library’s bookmobile program serving nearby rural areas of Tennessee. Problems begin on her very first run when the bookmobile’s engine quits and a rockslide blocks her return route. The local mechanic—tall, stoic Levi Redding—says she’ll have to wait until the road’s cleared and begrudgingly invites her to stay in his spare room until then. Things get off to a rough start: Hayley’s constant chatter irritates Levi, whose sensory issues make it hard for him to spend extended periods of time with people. The pair begin communicating via letters left around the house, leading Levi to share more about his sensory processing challenges and Hayley to open up about her survivor’s guilt, faith struggles, and fears of needing a new transplant. Despite some clichéd prose (“Her future no longer had to be shadowed by ominous dark clouds”), the letters add a charmingly old-fashioned twist to the grumpy/sunshine trope. Bookworms will find the balance of heart and humor hard to resist. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

A quiet town is shaken by buried family secrets and clashes with Englisch culture in the engrossing latest installment in the Amish of Shepherd’s Hill series from Johns (after Green Pastures). Twenty-one-year-old Beth Peachy has returned to the small Pennsylvania Amish community to help prepare her grandmother’s house for sale. While there, Beth hopes to dredge up more information about her recently deceased father, whose childhood has always been a tightly guarded secret. Her grandmother wants to clear her conscience before she dies, but her dementia makes Beth’s pursuit of answers challenging. As Beth discovers clues about her father’s childhood in her research on the town and its mysterious lake, which her grandmother keeps warning her to avoid, she chafes against the restrictions of Amish life. Still, her growing feelings for local shopkeeper Danny Lapp push her to rethink what she’s willing to sacrifice for love. Beth’s quest to uncover her father’s roots propels the narrative forward and provides its emotional core, while threads from the previous books (veterinarian Tabitha Schrock’s efforts to fit in, Danny’s brother’s Zach quibbles with the Amish faith) will keep series fans turning pages. The result is a charming and captivating glimpse at small-town Amish life. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

A young woman in 19th-century England grapples with memory loss in this riveting historical from Linder (When Tomorrow Came). Meg Foxcroft has just decided to marry longtime beau Tom McGwen when strangers break into her uncle’s apothecary and attack her, causing injuries that erase all her memories. She’s rescued by Benedict Cunningham, a wealthy lord who invites her to recover at his sprawling estate. A brokenhearted Tom finally tracks her down, but Meg wants nothing to do with the apparent stranger. Her new high-society life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, however, and when she becomes the target of several more attacks she seeks comfort in Tom. The more she gets to know her even-keeled ex, the more she understands why she’d been drawn to him in the first place, but with evidence emerging that Meg is entangled in a much-larger conspiracy, they’ll need to draw on their faith to protect themselves while planning a future together. Linder weaves a taut mystery into a sizzling romance, and brings Meg’s sense of disorientation to life with vivid prose (following the attack, she feels “empty, hollow, like a book ripped of all its pages”). This addictive Regency romance has thrills to spare. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink