The Great Waking Up by Sarah Shin

 Anastasia loves to dream.

Every morning, she shares the wonderful adventures from her dreams with her mother, Anika. And each night, Anika tells Anastasia about the dreams of their people to inspire new ones.

Her favorite is the dream of the Great Waking Up, the day when there will be no more death! And that dream feels close to coming true as Anastasia watches the Deliverer, Jesus, heal and awaken people from a deep, dark sleep. So when Jesus is crucified, Anastasia is left heartbroken. How can the Great Waking Up happen if He is not here?

But hope is not lost...because Anastasia will soon discover the tomb is empty and that Jesus is risen! The Great Waking Up has begun!

Join Anastasia on a journey of dreams and faith, where hope transcends despair, and the promise of eternal life brings joy to all.

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Amazon.com: The Great Waking Up: The Story of Easter: 9780593580608: Shin, Sarah, Maeng, Shin: Books

Sarah is a theologian, author of books for children and adult readers, wife, and mom. She was the former Associate National Director of Evangelism for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA and now serves as a lecturer at Westminster Theological Centre, UK, teaching practical theology and doctrine. See her videos about Beyond Colorblind on Seminary Now.

Someone to Stay by Michelle Major

 From USA Today bestselling author Michelle Major comes a slow-burn, banter-packed small-town romance about a grumpy NFL single dad, the sassy nanny he never wanted, and the one unforgettable night that leads to the surprise of both their lives.

PIPER:
NFL superstar Felix Barlowe was never supposed to be the one.

He’s my brother-in-law’s brother and my nemesis--until one unforgettable night changed everything. I thought it would get him out of my system, not leave me with a secret.

I’m hiding out in a secluded cabin, pregnant and panicking, when Felix shows up with a two-year-old and no idea how everything is about to change. So I do something reckless and offer to help as his temporary nanny.

It seems like an easy way to buy myself time. But watching him bake sourdough at dawn and read bedtime stories on repeat, not to mention those late-night kisses, I start to fall for him in a way I never saw coming.

Felix Barlowe thinks he’s not built for forever. I think he might be perfect for me.

FELIX:
Piper Hart has hated me from day one. She’s all spark and sass and completely immune to my charm. But now she’s helping with a little girl I never expected to raise, and I can’t seem to get the night she spent in my arms out of my mind.

I’ve failed at love three times--definitely not relationship material. But Piper makes me want to believe again.

And when I discover her secret, I’ll do whatever it takes to prove I’m not a man who leaves. I’m the one who stays.

Someone To Stay is Book 5 in The Skylark Series. A small-town standalone with a guaranteed HEA. If you like grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers romance with forced proximity, found family, and all the slow-burn heat, this one's for you.

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Amazon.com: Someone To Stay: A Small Town Surprise Pregnancy Sports Romance (The Skylark Series): 9798243754668: Major, Michelle: Books

USA Today and Top 5 Amazon Bestselling author Michelle Major writes swoon-worthy stories full of heart, heat, and guaranteed happily-ever-afters. When she’s not dreaming up romance, you’ll find her hiking the trails (or avoiding housework) in her home state of Colorado.

Connect with her at her website or come say hi on Instagram and Facebook.

My Thoughts...

We finally got Piper and Felix's story. It was so worth the wait. Major has not disappointed with this series at all.  The characters and the storyline were spot on, and I read this book in one sitting. 4 stars and I am shouting about the Skylark series to the whole world.

Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

Reign of Terror by Leo Silva

 Reign of Terror by Leo Silva is a gripping true crime memoir that takes readers deep inside the brutal world of Mexico’s Los Zetas cartel. Former DEA Special Agent Silva brings unparalleled insight, recounting his years on the front lines in the relentless fight against one of the world’s most violent criminal organizations. This powerful narrative unveils the hidden realities of the drug war, from the complex relationships between the cartels and law enforcement to the personal sacrifices made by those who risk everything to protect others. With raw detail and authenticity, Silva sheds light on the lives of those entangled in a web of corruption, power, and violence. Reign of Terror is more than a recount of battles won and lost—it’s a story of courage, resilience, and the cost of justice. A must-read for fans of true crime and international intrigue.

Pick up your copy here...

Reign of Terror: Silva, Leo: 9781964406411: Amazon.com: Books

Leo Silva is a retired DEA Special Agent who served more than two decades on the front lines of the U.S. drug war, including ten years as the Resident Agent in Charge in Monterrey, Mexico. His acclaimed memoir Reign of Terror offers an unflinching look at the human cost of the cartel conflict, while his upcoming collection Narco Tales blends true-to-life insight with powerful storytelling inspired by his years in Mexico and South Texas. A captivating speaker and writer, Silva brings authenticity, grit, and heart to every story he tells—revealing the people, places, and moments that shaped a life lived on both sides of the badge.

Recipe for Joy Monica Comas

 Belle Sutton is a little lost these days.

She has a stalled career, a New York apartment she can’t afford, and her sister, Lexie, is more estranged with each passing year. Belle’s one true consolation is her beloved grandmother, who’s powered through her own broken family ties with a tenacious zest for life and a passion for cooking. But when her grandmother suddenly passes away, a grieving Belle feels her only connection to the past is gone forever.

That’s when Belle receives a series of letters, along with a cookbook, photographs of Belle and Lexie when they were young and happy, and her grandmother’s last wish that the sisters mend severed ties before it’s too late. For the love of Gran, a challenge is met that sets Belle and Lexie on a journey of hope, reconciliation, surprising discoveries, and the nourishing power of family, forgiveness, and tradition. All they have to do is follow the directions.

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Amazon.com: Recipe for Joy: A Novel eBook : Comas, Monica: Kindle Store

Monica Comas was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and a master’s in journalism from New York University. She’s worked as a newspaper reporter, a journalist covering stocks and the economy, and a financial editor. But fiction has always been her true love. Monica lives in New York with her husband, John, and their tiny shih tzu, Poirot.

The Exception by Vi Keeland

 A new, sexy standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller, Vi Keeland.

He lives by a set of rules. She might be his one exception.
I just wanted a distraction, something to take the edge off before facing a wedding I was dreading. So on the flight back to New York, I signed up for a dating app. Harmless enough, right?
Wrong.
Turns out, it wasn’t just any app—it catered to people with very specific tastes. By the time I realized it, I was already on my date.
Tall, confident, and sinfully handsome, Jagger Langston seemed like the full package. The chemistry between us was instant—electric enough to burn the whole city down. Though things took a turn when we figured out I’d misunderstood who should join the app. We laughed it off, said goodbye, and went our separate ways.
Or so I thought.
Until I walked into my new internship Monday morning, ready to put the weekend behind me, and there he was—my boss.
Now I’m caught between the rules he lives by—and the temptation to make him break every single one of them.

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The Exception - Kindle edition by Keeland , Vi , Royer-Ocken, Jessica . Contemporary Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, Israel and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films, and two of her books have been optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

Stop by and meet Vi in her private reader group, Vi's Violets, on Facebook!

My Thoughts... 

I was hooked from the very beginning. This book was the best escape from reality. Hello Jagger! The tension, the laughs. This book hit all the right notes. Romance lovers are in for a fantastic treat with this book. I very rarely give 5 stars out they are saved for the best books, and this one is a 5 star read. 

Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

Pendergast by Preston & Child

 It only took six months for the life of Special Agent Dwight Chambers to crumble around him. First, he lost his partner, and then, tragically, his wife. Returning to work at the New Orleans Field Office, Chambers is dismayed to find himself saddled with mentoring a brand new FBI agent—a certain A. X. L. Pendergast. As Chambers tries to pull himself together, his enigmatic and exasperating junior partner pulls an outrageous stunt that gets both of them suspended.

Pendergast welcomes the banishment, because it gives him the opportunity to investigate a peculiar murder in Mississippi that has captured his fancy. Chambers grudgingly goes along. What starts off as a whimsical quest swiftly turns into a terrifying pursuit, as Chambers and Pendergast uncover a string of grisly, ritualistic killings that defy any known serial killer profile.
 

Thanks in large part to Pendergast’s brilliance and unorthodox methods, they solve the case and find the killer… and that is when the true horror begins.

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Pendergast: The Beginning (Agent Pendergast Series): Preston, Douglas, Child, Lincoln: 9781538765746: Amazon.com: Books

Douglas Preston is the author of forty books, both fiction and nonfiction, thirty-two of which have been New York Times bestsellers, with several reaching the number 1 position. He has worked as an editor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and taught nonfiction writing at Princeton University. His first novel, RELIC, co-authored with Lincoln Child, was made into a movie by Paramount Pictures, which launched the famed Pendergast series of novels. His recent nonfiction book, THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE, is also in production as a major television series from Apple. His latest nonfiction book, THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD, tells the true story of the discovery of a prehistoric city in an unexplored valley deep in the Honduran jungle. In addition to books, Preston writes about archaeology and paleontology for the New Yorker, National Geographic, and Smithsonian magazines. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards in the US and Europe, including a shared Edgar Award and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Pomona College. From 2019 to 2023 he served as president of the Authors Guild, the nation's oldest and largest association of authors and journalists.

Don't let the size of this series scare you. The books can be read as stand alones and this book was by far the best in the whole series, just look at that gorgeous cover.

Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The Mr. & Mrs. Mistake by Brighton Walsh

 When Willa Jameson stumbled into my bar drunk, heartbroken, and desperate to save her family farm, I offered to marry her. For “convenience.”

Which is hilarious, because nothing about my attraction to this hurricane with hips has ever been convenient.

Now we’re sharing a roof, a bed, and a potential felony thanks to our fake marriage.

It’s supposed to be a favor between not-quite-friends-but-not-quite-enemies. Then our late-night arguments turn into practice make out sessions.

But according to her, that changes absolutely nothing between us.

No matter how many lines we draw, we keep crossing them—in the kitchen, on the porch, in the tiny bed that’s become both heaven and hell.

And the woman who swears she hates me starts looking at me like I might be exactly what she needs.

She calls me her temporary husband. I call her my daily torture, because every day we play house, it feels less like pretending and more like home.

When this ends, I don’t know how I’m going to forget what it felt like to call her mine. So either I walk away with her, or I don’t walk away at all.

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Amazon.com: The Mr & Mrs Mistake (Steele Brothers of Starlight Cove): 9781685180515: Walsh, Brighton: Books

Award-winning USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brighton Walsh spent a decade as a professional photographer before taking her storytelling in a different direction and reconnecting with her first love—writing. She likes her books how she likes her tea—steamy and satisfying—and adores strong-willed heroines and the protective heroes who fall head over heels for them. Brighton lives in the Midwest with her real life hero of a husband, her two kids—both taller than her—and her dog who thinks she’s a queen. Her boy-filled house is the setting for dirty socks galore, frequent dance parties (okay, so it's mostly her, by herself, while her children look on in horror), and more laughter than she thought possible. Connect with her online at brightonwalsh.com/quicklinks.

The banter between these two was the best. Lincoln is my favorite book boyfriend of 2025. The audio book was so good. I highly recommend this one. My favorite book in the series.
Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.