Missing at Christmas by Deena Alexander

Missing at Christmas
by Deena Alexander

ISBN-13: 9780593197882
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: October 28, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
When journalist Lexi McKenna receives a desperate call for help, she rushes to her sister’s home, only to find her sister dead and one of her twin nieces missing. With her past mafia ties resurfacing, Lexi must go on the run with agent Noah Thompson to protect herself from her father’s enemies. Although Lexi is the daughter of the mob boss who murdered Noah’s brother, Noah will do anything to take down her family—even work with her. As danger looms from all sides, they must find the abducted baby and dismantle a criminal empire before Lexi and her nieces end up as collateral damage.


My Review:
Missing at Christmas is a Christian romantic suspense. Lexi left her father when she learned he was a crime boss who wanted her to be his heir. But daddy still named her his heir in his will if she married one of his trusted men. When her sister is kill, one of her baby nieces is kidnapped, and her father's murdered, suddenly everyone wants her--either to marry her or to kill her. She just wants to save her nieces. Noah's brother died because of her father, but he admires Lexi's character and so offered to protect her as a bodyguard while his co-workers helped them find the missing baby.

The main characters were likable, courageous, and reacted realistically to events. I cared about what happened to them. Lexi and Noah worked well together after they realized they could trust each other. The high suspense came mainly from the potential danger to the nieces as well as the attacks on Lexi. Lexi and Noah were Christians and prayed to God for help. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

A Song in the Dark by Kimberley Woodhouse

A Song in the Dark
by Kimberley Woodhouse

ISBN-13: 9780764244674
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: September 23, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Against the simmering backdrop of the impending WWII, blind virtuoso pianist Chaisley Frappier embarks on a concert tour through a rapidly changing Europe despite the dangers. When she learns that Hitler's escalating regime of injustice is targeting other disabled people, Chaisley realizes she is in a prime position to help those who are threatened reach safety. But the Führer's growing fascination with the celebrated musician endangers her undercover mission and forces her to walk a tightrope between her fame and her calling.

When Rick Zimmerman receives his next assignment from the British Secret Intelligence Service, he's surprised to learn he'll be acting as the personal driver of a world-renowned pianist as she traverses Europe. The role gives him the perfect cover to complete side missions of sabotage and intelligence-gathering, but he soon suspects the brilliant, alluring pianist has secrets of her own. As Chaisley and Rick confront evil at every turn, it will take every bit of faith and courage they possess to triumph over hate--and survive.


My Review:
"A Song in the Dark is a Christian romance set in 1938 in Europe. The main characters were complex, dealing with their fears while still wanting to be brave and help. I cared about what happened to them. Rick and Chaisley worked well together and both cared about helping others. Though I'm not blind, Chaisley's point-of-view seemed realistic for a blind woman.

Chaisley's mainly the excuse for her crew to be in an area. She helped blind and disabled children get in contact with a network of people that helped them get visas, then Rick or others sneaked them out of the Nazi-controlled countries. Chaisley was in danger because some Nazis didn't want to overlook her blindness (even if caused by an accident) and celebrate her skill. She and her assistants were in danger if Nazis found out what they were doing, and the danger to those helping and to those targeted by the Nazis kept the suspense high.

The ending felt a little rushed. For most of the book, Chaisley's assistant was afraid her German family likely became Nazis and didn't want them to discover her. At the end, we're suddenly told that she had contacted her brother, and it felt this came out of nowhere just to set up the danger-filled ending. Anyway, the main characters acted out of their Christian belief's and trusted God to help them save people. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this suspenseful novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Two Truths and a Murder by Colleen Cambridge

Two Truths and a Murder
by Colleen Cambridge

ISBN-13: 9781496742780
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Released: October 28, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
While her famous employer is happily back home at Mallowan Hall, wrestling with her Belgian detective’s dilemma on board the Orient Express, Phyllida is finding her local renown as a sleuth has put her in high demand. A distraught Vera Rollingbroke suspects her husband of infidelity and has invited Phyllida to a dinner party to observe his behavior, particularly in regard to one Geneva Blastwick.

What she does observe at the party is that Geneva craves attention, in contrast to her shy sister Ethel. Geneva introduces a game called Two Truths and a Lie, and one of her questionable statements is that she once witnessed a murder. At this bold claim, the guests react with disbelief and pepper her with questions. Geneva remains cagey, withholding details, but insists this is not her lie.

The next morning Phyllida learns poor Ethel was purposely run down by a motorcar the previous night while inexplicably walking home alone from the party. She fears Geneva may have been the target. With Geneva in potential danger—and Inspector Cork proceeding ponderously as usual—Phyllida takes it upon herself to unmask the killer. With two murders to solve, she will need to grill Geneva and the guests as well as re-examine any past sudden deaths or disappearances. And if she’s smart, she’ll look twice before crossing the road.


My Review:
Two Truths and a Murder is a mystery set in England about 1933. This is the 5th book in the series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, but it would help with understanding the various relationships within the household. During the game of Two Truths and a Lie (at the beginning of the book), I immediately thought, "Oh, whodunit is..." and I only became more convinced as the story went on. However, Phyllida got sadly sidetracked by false assumptions, though she asked good questions and investigated the leads. She investigated the past murder (which accident was really a murder?) and who killed Ethel. The murder that looked like an accident could have been a very simple thing, but the author made it so elaborately staged that it pushed my belief that the witness would have accepted it as an accident.

Historical details were woven into the story, bringing the time and place alive in my imagination without slowing the pacing. However, I found it hard to believe that a logical woman like Phyllida would believe that she could repeatedly sneak into a fellow servant's quarters to have sex and no one would notice. She also seemed to think this behavior would have no consequences, which seems naive.

There were only a few uses of bad language. While Phyllida did engage in sex, it was fade-to-black after her intentions were clear (so no sex scenes). Overall, I'd recommend this historical mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham

Sense and Suitability
by Pepper Basham

ISBN-13: 9780840717061
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: October 14, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.


Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After two failed social seasons, her family may think the third time will be a charm, but Emmeline Lockhart just wants to survive with her dignity (and singleness) intact. She thought she'd found her perfect match in Simon Reeves--charming, handsome, a veritable hero from a novel—until he vanished from her life without so much as a "farewell" or "my deepest regrets" (or even a vague apology scribbled on the back of a calling card). Lesson never fall for a man known for his charm.

Fortunately, and unlike many of the other eligible young ladies of the ton, Emmeline has no need for a husband--because she's already found success in her scandalous (and very anonymous) profession as an author. Why bother with matrimony when she can make her own fortune and write men exactly the way she wants them?

But fate—or the misfortune of Simon's reckless patriarchs—has other plans. Simon's once-proud estate is in shambles, his family fortune has been gambled away, and the younger impressionable siblings in his care are running wild across his estate (and possibly across all of England). Simon is in desperate need of a wealthy, prestigious bride . . . and a friend.

Emmeline may not fit the role of heiress, but she can certainly be a friend. Just a friend. She'll help him find a suitable match, ensure his reputation remains intact, and keep things strictly platonic—no matter how dangerously appealing his new-and-improved sincerity and regret may be.

There's just one small the undeniable chemistry that still smolders between them. Can Emme play matchmaker for the man she's still in love with without losing her heart all over again? And is it possible that some love stories--especially the messy, inconvenient, impossible ones--are worthy of a rewrite?


My Review:
Sense and Suitability is a Christian romance set around 1814 in England. Emme and Simon bring out the best in each other, but Simon needs a wealthy bride to help restore the debt-ridden estate that he's inherited. Emme 'only' has 2,000 pounds as dowry plus a secret 3,000 pounds invested in the Funds. Even if that was enough, Emme writes Gothic novels under a male name, and being an authoress would ruin her reputation and make her unsuitable. Considering how concerned they were about her reputation, it's strange that Simon kept asking her to meet him alone, in the dark, in a garden during balls. And she readily agreed to it. Then again, rather than approach her father for permission to marry her, he proposed during a dance at a ball. I suppose it was meant to be funny, but I got hung up on how a gentleman would never do that.

The main characters were engaging and tried very hard to do the right things. Emme and Simon intended to avoid each other due to their continued attraction yet ended up encountering each other in a series of humorous encounters. Then add in Simon's two younger sisters, who seemed determined to cause chaos. Both referred to God throughout the book in little comments related to what they were seeing or doing. There was no bad language or sex. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable, humorous novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima

Dying Cry
by Margaret Mizushima

ISBN-13: 9798892421959
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Released: October 14, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.


Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker are teaching Cole’s daughters how to snowshoe in a remote canyon when a shattering scream pierces the air. They know that somewhere ahead, someone has been injured or worse. Cole takes the girls while Mattie and Robo go deeper into the canyon to search for the source of the scream.

From a distance, Mattie and Robo see a shadowy figure at the base of a cliff, but a rockslide buries the person under layers of stone and shale before they can provide help. Desperate to uncover the individual in case they’re still alive under the rock, their efforts are in vain. The victim is already dead. When they investigate the canyon rim from which the person fell, they discover evidence that indicates the fall was no accident. To make matters worse, the victim was one of Cole’s friends.

The Timber Creek County investigative team springs into action, uncovering a trail of greed that leads to a killer who threatens Mattie’s cherished new family.


My Review:
Dying Cry is a K9-detective mystery. It's the 10th in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

The main characters were likable and complex, and they reacted realistically to events. They came across as real people, and I cared about what happened to them. Mattie and Robo (her talented k9) and the sheriff’s department worked to solve the murder. It's a clue-based mystery, and it's possible to guess whodunit. Quite a few people had a possible motive and could have done the murder. I was beginning to suspect whodunit before the reveal, though I didn't guess the twist. There was suspense, especially near the end, due to danger to the good guys.

The crime scenes were not described in gory detail. There were no sex scenes. The was occasional use of bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Rules of Falling for You by Mollie Rushmeyer

The Rules of Falling for You
by Mollie Rushmeyer

ISBN-13: 9780764244421
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: Sept. 2, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The perfect match can't be far--certainly not at a Regency-themed singles retreat--or so podcaster Zoe Dufour believes. After years of creating content for her relationship podcast inspired by Regency etiquette and era-appropriate rules for romance, she knows her listeners will anticipate this retreat. But she also attends with expectations of her finding the ideal modern-day gentleman who can meet every one of the nonnegotiables on her checklist.

Harrison Lundquist, Zoe's podcast producer and best friend's brother, reluctantly agrees to attend the retreat to capture footage while seeking a career-advancing promotion. He views the retreat as ridiculous. And Zoe's methods for finding her real-life Mr. Darcy? Downright absurd! But as he films her whirlwind dates, his feelings for her are sidelined by suitors vying for her attention. When Zoe realizes her ideal checklist might be lacking something, she must decide if she's willing to rewrite her rules and take a chance on the person who has been there all along.


My Review:
The Rules of Falling for You is a Christian, contemporary romance. Harrison has known Zoe since they were kids (as Zoe is his sister's best friend) and has long been in love with her. He's steadily supported her through life's ups and downs, wanting the best for her even though she's never viewed him as more than a sort of brother. Zoe's so afraid of being abandoned when life gets hard that she sabotages her own relationships, like picking dates that are easy to reject. She's certain that having a checklist of necessary traits will ensure a good match but refused to see that Harrison had the character and values that she was really looking for.

I appreciated that the author created complex characters that had to work through their hang-ups to finally have a lasting romantic relationship. However, I wanted to give up on Zoe at times as the "I'm deliberately blind to what's in front of me" got tiring. She couldn't see that Ben was using her while at the same time rejected Harrison, who'd proven his devotion and care over many years. She swore she wanted a relationship where the couple was a team that faced hard times together, but the moment something hard happened, she assumed the worst about Harrison and refused to let him explain (nor did she investigate herself) when everyone else gave him a chance.

Worse, the conflict was based on an unrealistic setup. Harrison was filming the footage for Zoe--he worked for her--with his TV station boss interested in seeing the final product as a way for Harrison to prove his production skills. The boss shouldn't have had the ability to give access to the footage to anyone else, nor could the bad guy just steal the waivers and the footage (which everyone knew weren't his) and use them as he liked. Harrison did know this, but Zoe's been producing her own show for a while and should have known this, too, and should have acted on it.

Also, we're told that Zoe has Type 1 diabetes, yet insulin was only mentioned at the very beginning. From that point on, she's always eating to control her blood sugar levels, even a 'rescue' of eating sugary sweets. Yet "Type 1 diabetes is a chronic (life-long) autoimmune disease that prevents your pancreas from making insulin....People with Type 1 diabetes need to give themselves insulin doses when they consume carbohydrates." It felt like the author thought Type 1 diabetes was the same as Type 2 diabetes.

Zoe and Harrison came to rely on God for their security and approval. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I recommend this "rom com" because I enjoyed many of the characters even if the end fell apart in some ways.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt

The Heart of Bennet Hollow
by Joanne Bischof DeWitt

ISBN-13: 9798400502231
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
Released: October 7, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
New River, Virginia. 1904. Lizbeth Bennet longs to preserve her family’s farm, a difficult task in their Appalachian coal mining town. Money is scarce, and Lizbeth is determined to find a way. But when the mine is put up for sale, it’s clear change is approaching. A contingent of coal barons descends on the town to investigate whether the mine is worth their investment, among them a young man rumored to be a very rich, eligible bachelor.

William Drake arrives focused on business. As he digs through legal issues regarding the Bennet land and the sale of the mine, his struggle to weigh the potential financial gain against what is right for the community grows more complicated when he meets one of the Bennet daughters. Lizbeth and William continue to cross paths, she must decide whether the future she’s always imagined is the one her heart truly wants most after all.


My Review:
The Heart of Bennet Hollow is a romance set in 1904 in Virginia. It's supposed to be a Pride and Prejudice story, but the characters were only vaguely like those in P&P. I would have liked it better if the author had just told her story rather than forced certain events. For example, Mr. Bennet's cousin came to marry one of the 5 Bennet sisters, but no reason was given for him to choose one of them, especially as he had to travel a distance to get there. The author changed many things, like William proposed marriage after only four brief conversations (one of them negative) with Lizbeth, so why keep that?

Mr. Bennet was a geologist who surveyed mines when he accepted land in New River as payment for some work. Only, he stupidly never got the deed signed over to him. Despite his growing family, he gave up outside work and began raising mules to sell to the mine. Then Lizbeth objected, and now they're basically living in poverty and in debt, selling produce from their garden. William thought if he bought the mine, the Bennets would lose their land. Um. Someone's going to buy the mine. You can sign the deed over like should have been done. He finally realized this but believed Mr. Bennet would object to charity. No, William--it's HIS land, payment for his work. This is called 'making things right.' Anyway, William ended up choosing another option even though it made things more difficult.

A lot of situations didn't make sense. Like Lizbeth mourned that she had no brothers to work in the mine, but she's heartbroken over her beloved mules having to work in that same mine. William wanted to better the lives of the miners, but rather than pay better wages and only charge reasonable prices at the company store, he decided to sink a fortune into electrifying the mine so that mules and boys wouldn't be needed anymore. Also, Mrs. Bennet knew William and Callum were going to be walking in a certain area, so she sent Lizbeth and Jayne out to pick up discarded coal. Which meant they were covered in coal dust when they meet the gentlemen. Then William objected to the Bennets (and others) taking the discarded coal when he's not the owner yet and is supposed to care about the locals welfare.

Add to that, the author often didn't use the right words, so I kept having to stop to figure out what she really meant. For example, she used "veiled" when she meant "unveiled." One girl gave darned socks as a Christmas gift, but I assume it was knitted socks. There's a pocket watch made of 'solid gold,' which wouldn't work and would be very heavy, but William's constantly checking the time on it. This is an advanced readers copy, so some of this will hopefully be fixed in the final version.

The basic interactions between the characters were enjoyable enough, though the first proposal scene was very weird. William started taking off pieces of clothing and baring skin while stalking closer to Lizzy as he asked if she would marry him. Kinda creepy. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.