A WEEKEND ON ALLYSON ISLAND by Susannah B. Lewis, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise

PAULA'S REVIEW:
A party gone wrong? Or Right? 

Moira is a lonely widow who is celebrating her 50th birthday by inviting a few friends to an exclusive bash at her home on Allyson Island. What transpires is a revealing look at each person’s foibles and how they reacted to the unveiling of their own personal shortcomings. 

Among all the introspection and reflections, comes healing , solidifying friendships and realizing their individual purpose in life. 

At times it was gritty with reality but the setting on a beautiful island contrasted with the soul-searching of the women.  

One woman was an outspoken Christian and this story showed how she had an effect on her friends. The themes of reconciliation, healing and awakening faith resonated throughout. 

This is a new-to-me author and I will be on the lookout for more stories that cause me to ponder life questions.
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*5 stars and a solid Faith Thread

BackCover Blurb:
They've come for a birthday celebration . . . but they'll leave celebrating themselves.

Moira Allyson is going all out for her 50th birthday. The planning part is easy--in her big, beautiful mansion set on Savannah's waterfront, perfect parties practically plan themselves. She'll serve the region's finest cuisine, offer delicious drinks, book the best entertainment, and set up luxurious spa treatments for a small group of the most important women in her life--from childhood best friends to the woman who cleans her house.

She may be focused on her friends, but Moira's focus has a purpose--distracting herself from the lonely reality of her life as a widow and empty nester. Her twentysomething sons don't really come back to visit anymore, and her husband, the love of her life, is gone forever. Moira may appear to have it all on the outside, but there's way too much room in her home . . . and way too many memories. She's spared no expense for this weekend, and everything's perfect--until it's not.

Each woman who arrives at the party comes with her own birthday well wishes--and her own secret sorrow, which she's determined not to unwrap. But weekends spent with friends have a way of bringing things that have been kept hidden to the surface. Late into the evening, when the stars come out and everyone gets comfortable, one friend opens her heart . . . and then others join in. Allyson Island is like summer camp for 50-year-olds--and, just like at summer camp, it's a place where friendships are strengthened, deep emotions are shared, and hope and healing happen. 

Thomas Nelson Publishing, December, 2025

Available in digital ebook, paperback, and audiobook:

Buy A WEEKEND ON ALLYSON ISLAND at Amazon, Christianbook, or Baker Book House 

A SEASON OUT OF TIME by Josie Riviera, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise #ReleaseDay

A Christian Historical Romantasy (Stories of Love, Faith, and Hope)

PAULA'S REVIEW:

This was a romantic fantasy that had an atmospheric setting in a conservatory. The descriptions were poetic and realistic. In New England in 1924, Rosalind Drew is a botanist who studies and propagates plants for the local community. Intrigue comes in many forms such as unusual plants, mysterious Edmund Winterborne, and people who want to take over the research and property that Rosalind has worked at for so long. There is also the phenomenon of a winter that lasted a constant three years.
 

The faith thread was believable and natural. The characters saw the wonder of God’s creation. “Faith gives purpose to science. I study plants to appreciate His creation, not merely to catalog it.”
This is the first book I have read by this author. I like her writing style and am curious about other offerings. 

 *A complimentary copy of this book was provided through Book Sirens on behalf of the author. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*5 stars and a solid faith thread.

BackCover Blurb:
When everything feels frozen, could love be the one thing that finally thaws her heart?

Rosalind Drew has always lived by logic, not longing. A brilliant botanist clinging to control, she's watched her once-vibrant family conservatory wilt under the weight of endless winter—and the even heavier silence in her soul.

Dreams deferred. Love denied. Life on pause.

Then Edmund Winterborne arrives.
Mysterious, wealthy, and burdened by secrets of his own, Edmund steps into her world like a forgotten melody—unsettling, alluring, impossible to ignore. He's everything she's not: impulsive, passionate, and a believer in things unseen. And yet, he sees her. The woman beneath the routine. The heart aching for more.

As the snow presses in, so does the promise of something neither expected—a love that might restore what was lost, rewrite the rules, and bloom in even the harshest season.

But when past wounds and present choices threaten to undo everything, will Rosalind have the courage to let go of control... and trust the wild, beautiful promise of winter?

Includes, as a bonus, the classic Nordic fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, reprinted from the public domain—a timeless story of sacrifice, transformation, and love that inspired this novel.

 

Cherished Hearts Publishing, January, 2026

Available in digital ebook, paperback, and hardcover

Buy A SEASON OUT OF TIME at Amazon

THE LIES WE TRADE by Kristine Delano, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney #ReleaseDay

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"It's starting to feel like everyone knows something they shouldn't."

When Wall Street portfolio manager Meredith Hansel is convinced by others in her financial firm to sign a restraining order against her former sales manager, numerous confounding circumstances begin to circle like hawks. It's not as if Meredith's life is picture perfect to begin with, she and her husband have been growing apart while her two children have spent their time growing up, or maybe it's just that Meredith is working way too many hours to feel a part of her family any more.

What begins as carefully constructed innuendos rapidly changes into an all out assault on everything and everyone that Meredith holds dear, secrets that she has kept for reasons of her own are being used as leverage to get Meredith's undivided attention and ultimate cooperation. Unfortunately for her, the truth and lies are scheduled to converge in a matter of days, holding Meredith hostage in her own life if she cannot find a way to re-establish her most stable alliance, her husband.

For readers with more than a rudimentary knowledge of investment markets, the financial scheme in this story will most likely prove both fascinating and perhaps even brilliant. Surprisingly, my simple base line understanding didn't distract me at all from the core elements of this story. For whether a hard working mother invests her time on Wall Street or Main Street, many of the stress points are exactly the same. Communicating with a spouse about deep matters of the heart is never easy, especially when the risk factors could be heart breaking. And who has has a magic wand when it comes to raising teenagers? No one.

An astonishing array of legal suspense, family drama, and women's fiction, creating a palpable tension from beginning to end, with bonus points for how well it landed!

"It's hard to trust, but that's the point, we need to learn. And we are. We're finding that trusting in a God who knows us and created us is a whole lot easier than in the people who have hurt us." 
*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 4.5 stars

BackCover Blurb:
A high-powered Wall Street career, a beautiful family in a quiet suburban neighborhood—she seems to have everything. Which means she has everything to lose.

Meredith Hansel should be having the best week of her life. After establishing herself as a portfolio manager at a prestigious Wall Street firm, she’s in the national spotlight for the innovative funds she created. But as Meredith prepares to celebrate, the plates she’s kept spinning for years begin to crash: Her strained marriage reaches a breaking point. Her conscientious teenage daughter acts out under mysterious pressures. Someone vandalizes her home with disturbing graffiti. And Betsey, her most trusted ally at the financial firm, goes rogue, and Meredith is forced to sign a restraining order against her.

Then her worlds collide when she receives a thumb drive and a cryptic note from Betsey threatening to reveal a secret that could have devastating effects on Meredith’s family . . . unless she can figure out what Betsey wants and deliver it in time.

As Meredith begins to dig into the data, however, she begins to suspect that it’s no coincidence her life is crumbling. That maybe what’s happening to her family is connected to what’s boiling beneath the surface at her investment company. Soon Meredith realizes there’s only one way to avoid taking the fall, and it all hinges on Betsey’s true motives. Was she really threatening Meredith or trying to warn her?

-Great for fans of Colleen Coble, Laura Dave, Dani Pettrey, and Lisa Scottoline
-Clean, high-stakes women’s domestic suspense with workplace secrets and family drama
-A stand-alone Wall Street thriller
-Includes discussion questions for book clubs

 

Tyndale Fiction, January, 2026

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

Buy THE LIES WE TRADE at Amazon, Christianbook, or Baker Book House

 

BEYOND THE CLOUDS by Elizabeth Camden, Reviewed by Rebecca, Paula, and Winnie #ReleaseDay

The Women of Midtown: 

Christian Historical Opposites Attract Romance Set in WWI New York City and Europe

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"Why had she let safety and security matter more than Finn?"

Increasingly interested in making her personal feelings known to her employer, paralegal Delia Byrne searches for an opportunity to take their relationship to the next level when the man in question seemingly demonstrates otherwise. Embarrassed by Wesley's mixed signals, Delia experiences an awkward encounter with her first love, pilot Finn Delaney, whose exploits behind enemy lines have made him into somewhat of a national hero while he recovers from an horrific crash.

When Delia and Finn, one a pacifist and the other a staunch patriot, become tasked with rallying support for humanitarian efforts through-out war torn Belgium, Delia recognizes that she is approaching one of life's many crossroads; she can choose to embrace their sweet memories or allow Finn's impetuous decision making to ruin their future. That decision and its cost will be higher than either one of them could possibly have imagined.

The historical context and content in this narrative is absolutely fascinating. Assuming most readers know little to nothing about what happened in Belgium during the first World War, this story will illuminate both the atrocities and the generosities across oceans of divide. In addition, both characters grow into the persons that God had intended them to be all along. Who knew the world needed kites?
*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers through Interviews and Reviews, and I purchased a copy. 4.5 stars

PAULA'S REVIEW:
Another well researched story set during world war one. Delia Byrne is a pacifist working in a law firm that defends German Americans against unfair treatment. Her firm supports Bertie Hoover, and his efforts to supply relief food to Belgium, which is under occupation. The author provides a unique perspective of war time, and the many problems involved in executing humanitarian aid. Miss Camden also shows the resilience of the oppressed people of Belgium and the dangers some faced in helping a downed American pilot, Finn, who once meant a lot to Delia. 

“Courage was not the absence of fear; it was moving forward despite the fear.” 

This was a vibrant, complex story that wove historical details without presenting cold facts. It was intricately plotted with interesting characters that gave a great history lesson as well as showed spiritual lessons in the midst of tragedy and impossible situations.

I highly recommend this story that completes The Women of Midtown series.
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Bethany House on behalf of the author and via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*5 stars and a solid faith thread

WINNIE'S REVIEW:
“Courage wasn’t the absence of fear; it was moving forward despite the fear.”

In the conclusion to her Women of Midtown series, Elizabeth Camden has penned a fascinating tale of two teenagers who fell in love while in an orphanage. They planned to open a kite shop when they had saved enough money—until Finn betrayed Delia by taking the money they had saved so he could become a pilot. When he returned from serving in World War I, wounded and a hero, Delia wanted nothing to do with him. Thrown together in a mission to raise relief funds for people in Belgium, they must work together again.

I enjoyed learning more about the Commission for the Relief of Belgium and Herbert Hoover’s part in founding and carrying out its mission. I also loved this fictional story of two people involved in it, while also learning about the real-life function of the group.

“It seemed God made some people to be warriors, while others were destined to work quietly behind the front lines.”

The characters are well-drawn, engaging, and realistically flawed; the storyline is intriguing and entertaining; and the tale is full of historically fascinating facts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and I’m looking forward to Camden’s next book.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishing. All opinions are my own.

BackCover Blurb:

They lost each other once before; now the clouds of war may give them a second chance.

As teenagers, Delia Byrne and Finn Delaney fell in love while flying kites and dreaming of a future together—until betrayal tore them apart. Now, as America enters World War I, Delia works for peace as a paralegal and pacifist. Her values forbid her from supporting the war effort, but she volunteers for a relief organization trying to save millions of lives in famine-stricken Belgium.

Returning to America as a decorated war hero, Finn is eager to get back to the front but is assigned to use his fame to raise funds instead. To his surprise, this mission will bring him face-to-face with Delia, the only woman he ever loved and once hoped to marry. As their shared mission draws them together, old sparks of romance begin to stir—until duty sends them behind enemy lines in occupied Belgium. Will the greatest danger be the conflict raging around them—or the possibility of falling in love again?

Elizabeth Camden's compelling historical romance of second chances, sacrifice, and redemption is set against the backdrop of World War I in Belgium and will captivate listeners with its rich historical detail and deeply woven characters. 

Bethany House Publishing, January, 2026

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

Buy BEYOND THE CLOUDS at Amazon, Christianbook, or Baker Book House