STILL WATERS by Patricia Johns, Reviewed by Trixi Oberembt #ReleaseDay

The Amish of Shepherd's Hill Series #2

An Amish Christian Fiction Romance About Family Secrets, Faith, and Community

TRIXI'S REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this story by a new-to-me author! First of all, Amish is a favorite genre I like to read in and secondly, I love the message of trying to find our place in the world but discovering the truth that wherever God has placed us is where we’ll find home.

Beth Peachy has a lot of unanswered questions that make her feel restless for something she thinks she longs for: freedom and opportunities in the English world she doesn’t have being Amish. Her family has never shared stories of her family, especially her Daet (dad), and she longs to know his history. She’s determined to find those answers when she stays with her Mammi (grandma) for the summer to help care for her. But will those answers satisfy her, especially when she begins to harbor feelings for a certain Amish man she’s known since childhood. Will love be enough to make her stay?

Danny Lapp is wholeheartedly Amish and content with Gott’s (God) lot in his life. He loves his family, his place within his community, and is firm in his faith. There’s only one thing he longs for; the love of a good woman and eventual kinner (children). That woman happens to be Beth—his childhood friend who visited with her family during the summer months. Can he convince her to commit to the Amish faith and his heart before it’s too late?

There’s also Danny’s brother Zach who has left the Amish faith and Tabitha the Amish veterinarian who came back to her Amish faith and life after her English husband died. These made for great secondary characters who added so much to the story! I didn’t read the first book, but I had no trouble keeping up because the author gave enough backstory to Green Pastures. The ending was so surprising and satisfying that I can’t wait for the next installment! This certainly won’t be my last book by Patricia Johns; I already love her writing voice. She kept me engaged the entire book and longing for more.
*I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers & Interviews and Reviews through Netgalley. No favorable review was required and all opinions here are mine alone. *

BackCover Blurb
Their hidden past brings questions about their future . . . together.

Unsure of her future within the Amish community, Beth Peachy arrives in Lancaster County for the summer to care for her ailing grandmother. Yet with dementia threatening to steal away Mammi's memories, Beth's visit quickly evolves into an urgent search for answers to questions that her relatives seem determined to avoid. How can Beth possibly make a lifelong vow to the Amish church when her own family is concealing so much of the past from her?

Beth's childhood friend Danny Lapp faces his own dilemma as his ex-Amish older brother turns his back on their family upbringing, dishonoring his Plain heritage. Struggling to find some sort of connection with his brother despite their deep difference of opinion, Danny is determined to find a solution before church leadership becomes involved. As Beth and Danny reconnect and seek to help each other in their search for answers, they find themselves stirring up not only surprising revelations about the past, but questions about a possible future--together.

Bethany House Publishing, November, 2025

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

Buy STILL WATERS at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

HER PRETEND HOLIDAY BEAU by Susanne Dietze, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise #ReleaseDay

An Uplifting Inspirational Romance (Home to Foxtail Book 2)

 

PAULA'S REVIEW:

It was fun returning to Foxtail Farm during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Sadie Dalton, who inherited Foxtail Farm with her cousin and sisters, is best friends with Mick the veterinarian. There are matchmakers around who would like them to become more than friends. Fearing that one of their elderly friends has a health problem and not wanting to disappoint her, they make a pact to fake date until the New Year. 

 

Things get complicated when their true feelings emerge. Shades of a Hallmark moment!  

 

Ms. Dietze pens a cozy story around Christmas events that warm the heart. The main one is a living nativity that Sadie has agreed to help Mick organize. A few problems crop up, including what they each see for their future occupations. Sadie and Mick are determined to bring the message of Christ to the community. And in the process, they are more open to let God lead them.

 

This was a great story that captured my heart. I look forward to more from Foxtail Farm. 

*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Love Inspired 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 message

BackCover Blurb:

Will a fake arrangement
prove they’re a perfect match?

Faced with planning the town’s Christmas nativity event, veterinarian Mick Larson turns to his childhood friend for some much-needed help. But florist Sadie Dalton requires something in return: a wedding date. It’s the perfect solution to avoid her now-engaged ex and some well-meaning matchmakers. That is, until a kiss under some mistletoe results in a giant misunderstanding. Now they must pretend to be a real couple through the holidays. But as their friendship slowly blossoms into something more, can they keep up the charade…when they start believing it themselves?

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

Home to Foxtail
Book 1: Mountain Homecoming
Book 2: Her Pretend Holiday Beau 

Love Inspired, October 2025

Available in digital ebook, paperback

Buy HER PRETEND HOLIDAY BEAU at Amazon, or Christianbook .com

 

 

 

 

THE BELL TOLLS AT TRAEGER HALL by Jaime Jo Wright, Reviewed by Rebecca #ReleaseDay

A Dual Timeline Gothic Suspense Novel 

Set in a Small Town with Thrilling Mystery and Legends

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"Bad things happened here. Things no one spoke of, and now no one remembered."

Jennie Phillips had inherited someone else's nightmare, made quite apparent the first afternoon that she arrived on Traeger Hall property. Death was entombed there, darkness reigned supreme behind the bricked up doors and windows of the once grand estate. She was sure of it. The question being, did she dare to expose that which for more than a century had remained silent.

Decades earlier Waverly Pembroke wakes up all alone in Traeger Hall except for two dead bodies and one timid maid. Is she grief-stricken? Absolutely not! Does she have a plan going forward? Besides walking out the front door in a matter of days with little more than the clothes on her back? No, she does not. More than anything else Waverly seeks answers, unfortunately everyone around her inhabits a mausoleum of tightly bound secrets, including Waverly.

In less than a page I was transported rapidly and thoroughly into a narrative like none other. At first glance, the story is an amazing duet of gothic suspense, both primary characters sifting through traumatic events while constantly maintaining caution, knowing that danger lurks around every corner. On a deeper level it celebrates restoration, denying life's trials and tribulations the opportunity to fester alone inside a troubled soul, gathering dust behind isolating walls of brick and stone. Ultimately, abundant Life takes up residence within the confines of Traeger Hall, I choose to believe that is for whom the bell tolls.

" . . . life goes on. It has to. And we must move on with it or we become like . . . Traeger Hall. Closed up, our memories collecting dust, and leaving everyone around us with a million unanswered questions."

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Baker Publishing through Interviews and Reviews, and purchased a copy. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 

BackCover Blurb:
An abandoned estate encased in stagnant darkness . . .
A haunting legacy intent on silencing all within reach . . .

In 1890, the ominous tolling of the bell announces that death has come to Traeger Hall, leaving orphaned Waverly Pembrooke to piece together the puzzle behind her uncle's and aunt's murders. Bound by the terms of her uncle's eccentric will, Waverly finds herself alone in a manor shrouded by death and questioning the reasons for her uncle's paranoia. A madness hovers over Traeger Hall, and Waverly--as well as the people of nearby Newton Creek--are ill-prepared for the woe that has descended.

In present day Newton Creek, whispers of a family curse still cling to the century-old, abandoned property of Traeger Hall. When Jennie Phillips takes possession of the estate after her mother's passing, she is intent on solving the mystery of the Traeger murders. Yet a modern cold case suggests that untimely deaths and mysterious occurrences still plague the property. And as thorny truths surface, Jennie realizes the dark legacy threatens not only the town and the Traeger descendants . . . but also, chillingly, Jennie herself. 

Bethany Publishing, October, 2025

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

Buy THE BELL TOLLS AT TRAEGER HALL at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

DARK DESIGN by Nancy Mehl, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney #ReleaseDay

A Christian Romantic Suspense Novel with Mystery, Action, Books, and FBI Agents

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"Someone is killing women and they are using the MOs they took from certain mystery and suspense novels . . . The third murder copies the killings in your book, Erin . . . "

Learning that a murderer has literally copied her story content sends former police officer turned author Erin Delaney on a journey she never expected to take. Teaming up with her best friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter and husband Noah, Erin fully cooperates with law enforcement in their attempts to apprehend a very clever, calculating criminal. Profiling someone who doesn't seem to display a distinctive signature makes the process extremely difficult at best and impossible at worst. It doesn't appear so, but could the victims have some unbeknownst connection to their killer or perhaps to each other?

The ever changing points of view throughout this story are nothing short of remarkable. Instead of being a distraction, the flow creatively assists the scaffolding, quite a dark design, meant to hold off what is just out of view until the very end.

An excellent suspense with shy hints of romance and wonderfully scripted spiritual conversations. 

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Baker Publishing through Interviews and Reviews, and I purchased a copy. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 4.5 stars

BackCover Blurb:
As she began to lose consciousness, she realized that she'd just made a very serious mistake. . . .
She tried to call out for help, but she couldn't see anyone on the shore.
There was no one to save her.

When Erin Delaney learns that a serial killer has mimicked the murder portrayed in her bestselling novel, she joins her friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter, a former FBI profiler, in Virginia. Their reunion, only a few months after fending off an eerie killer in the woods of Tennessee, is bittersweet, as Kaely has been tasked by the FBI to recruit Erin's help to identify a suspect. The FBI's team is stumped by the murderer who re-creates killings from the books of multiple authors, with only ominous notes left behind. As Erin is drawn further into the web of fear and chaos, Kaely begins to fear for Erin's safety.

On top of tracking down a murderer, Erin must shoulder the weight of a haunted past and claims that she stole the plot of her novel from one of her sources. As she struggles on multiple fronts, the enemy looms closer than ever--and Erin's life hangs in the balance.

Bestselling author Nancy Mehl threads a plot of police investigations and shadowy evidence with heart-drumming suspense in this clean, high-stakes read that will thrill fans of Lynette Eason and Elizabeth Goddard. 

Bethany House Publishing, October, 2025

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

Buy DARK DESIGN at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House