Wit, Wiles and Courtship by Jennie Goutet

The wonderful Wit, Wiles and Courtship by Jennie Goutet is book #3 in The Earl’s Sisters series. Lady Camilla Rowlandson has enjoyed a good friendship with Lord Pembroke since his cousin married her sister. She wonders if she could care for him more, but overhears him talking about marrying another. She holds her heart back from him when she sees him later in London. Lord Pembroke is beginning to notice Lady Camilla, but she seems so cold towards him now. What happened?

 
Did you hear my happy sigh as I finished Wit, Wiles and Courtship? This delightful story pulled me in with its beautiful Regency setting, sweet romance, and relatable characters. I wanted to sit down for tea with Lady Camilla and her sisters. I connected with Lady Camilla as she was a marvelous sister, good friend and reflective soul. Lord Pembroke was a wonderful hero who cared for others and matured in the story as he began to realize what he really wanted in life.

 

I was truly enchanted by Wit, Wiles, and Courtship by Jennie Goutet. The engaging characters, delightful romance and satisfying ending made this the perfect story. I am hopeful there will be more books in the series and we get to see several more happy endings. I highly recommend and this will be a 2026 favorite for me

 
I was gifted the book and not required to write a positive review.

Jennie Goutet is the best-selling author of eighteen historical romances, including the Clavering Chronicles, Memorable Proposals, and The ‘Bridwells’ Grand Tour series. Her books have received first place in historical romance for the New England Reader’s Choice Awards and have hit the number one spot in Regency Romance on Amazon. They have been featured on BookBub and Hoopla, and are translated into six languages. Jennie is an American-born Anglophile who lives with her French husband and their three children in a small town outside of Paris, but her imagination resides in Georgian England, where her proper historical romances are set.

 

Nourish. Cultivate. A journey of Redemption. A Story of Hope by Wesley Key

WOW! Inspire. Nourish.Cultivate. A journey of Redemption. A Story of Hope by Wesley Key is truly one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I was very inspired while reading the book and the author’s heartfelt message will stay with me.

I LOVED the format of Inspire. Nourish. Cultivate. The page layout makes it easy to read as the author lists key points, bolds important sentences, and the pages lack clutter making it easy to digest the information. There are wonderful reflection questions for journaling, self-reflection or discussing in a small group. This would be a great book to read in small group or read with a close friend.

The honesty, humbleness, and rawness of the author’s sharing opens the reader’s heart to hear his message, reflect on their own life, and be open to changing their heart. I found myself reading parts of the book aloud to my family, underlining thoughtful passages, and my heart was inspired to make changes in my own life.

Inspire. Nourish. Cultivate. A journey of Redemption. AStory of Hope by Wesley Key shares a heartfelt message written in love, humility and kindness. I very highly recommend this amazing book and it will be a 2026 favorite for me.

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review.

Wesley Key is a husband, father, Chick-fil-A Operator, mentor, and youth leader whose life story is marked 

by grace, perseverance, and redemption. For nearly thirty years, Wes has served within the Chick-fil-A organization, where he has grown leaders, developed thriving teams, and built a culture rooted in excellence, care, and purpose. 

But beyond his career, Wes is a man shaped by God’s relentless pursuit. From growing up in a pastor’s home, to wrestling with doubt and identity in seminary, to finding his faith again in the most unexpected ways, Wes’s journey is a testament to the God who heals, transforms, and restores.

Wes serves as a youth leader at Emmanuel Church alongside his wife, Kelly. Together, they invest deeply in the next generation — speaking encouragement, truth, and purpose into the lives of students navigating their own stories. More recently he began leading the Connection Group ministry at Emmanuel.

He lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where he owns two Chick-fil-A restaurants, mentors young adults, plays a mean game of basketball with his Emmanuel & SOCC crews, and continues discovering what it means to live free, love deeply, and walk faithfully with Jesus.

This is his first book — the fulfillment of a dream God planted in his heart over a decade ago. His only other printed publication was in Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse magazine when he was 8 or 9 years old. It was a simple Christmas story that was chosen to be published. A slight difference in the number of words.

 

Bookmarked for Love by Sarah Monzon

Bookmarked for Love by Sarah Monzon is third in the Checking out Love series, but can definitely be read as a stand alone novel.  Martha Alderidge is a children’s librarian who in trying to save her job.  Julien King is the heir to King Publishing his family business.  They both strike up a deal to help each other out.  They have known each other forever.  

I adored this book.  Martha Aldridge is probably one of my all-time favorite characters behind Elizabeth Bennet.  She is thoughtful, funny, loves children, a great friend, and is happy in her own skin.  Julien is loveable, kind hearted and an overall great guy!  Martha and Julien together had good banter, chemistry, and a delightful friendship.  I might need a shirt that says #teammarthaandjulien.  

 The themes of friendship, accepting yourself, and fighting for what you believe in resonated with me.  The story had a satisfying ending and a lovely happily ever after.  As a former first grade teacher and homeschool mom I loved the references to children’s literature throughout the novel and relived so many happy reading memories.  

This delightful novel had it all for me with wonderful characters, sweet romance, and themes I could believe in.  I adored Bookmarked for Love by Sarah Monzon and this will be a 2026 favorite for me.

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review.  

Winner of the Holt Medallion and Selah Award, Sarah Monzon is a stay-at-home mom who makes up imaginary friends to have adult conversations with (otherwise known as writing novels). As a navy chaplain's wife, she resides wherever the military happens to station her family and enjoys exploring the beauty of the world around her

Worse Than Strangers by Kyleigh Leddy

 

Thank you @kyleighleddy & @gallerybooks for the traveling arc copy. All thoughts are my own.

Worse Than Strangers by Kyleigh Leddy is wonderful sweet retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.  Rose and Lily are mother and daughter and also best friends.  Their summer is going as usual until someone from the past moves into the other side of their cottage.

This was a delight to read and brought me joy.  I enjoyed the dual POV of Rose and Lily, the Nantucket setting, and finding Persuasion storylines throughout the story. The characters were engaging and I enjoyed following along with Rose and Lily as they navigated romance, family, and learned to embrace life. The themes of second chances, forgiveness, and finding yourself brought the story to life for me.

I highly recommend Worse Than Strangers for the engaging characters, Nantucket setting, and Persuasion storyline.  The perfect summer beach read that I adored. 

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review. 

Kyleigh Leddy is the author of The Perfect Other: A Memoir of My Sister, which is based on her New York Times Modern Love essay, “Years Ago, My Sister Vanished. I See Her Whenever I Want.” Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Cut, Parents, among others. In 2023, she was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Media list. She holds a BA from Boston College, an MSW from Columbia University, and an MFA from Bennington College. She is a licensed therapist and teaches creative writing at Gotham Writers and Boston College.

Worse Than Strangers is her debut novel.

Mail-Order Viscountess by Misty M. Beller

Mail-Order Viscountess by Misty M. Beller is book three in the Lord of the Rockies series, but could be read as a stand alone novel. Lord Thomas Balfour is frustrated at his current situation. He does not feel respected by his family and worries they will find out his secret. Kate McKinney brings her sister across the country for an arranged marriage to rescue her from her mother’s controlling plans. When Thomas finds out his family has sent for mail-order bride, he is furious. While escorting the women back from town he and Kate must take shelter in an ice cave overnight. Marriage of convince to save the day?

I am so invested in the Lord of the Rockies series and especially loved Mail-Order Viscountess. I was lost in the Montana frontier setting in this delightful slow burn romance. Kate and Thomas are such endearing characters that had my heart from the beginning, and I loved getting to know them in this dual POV story. The themes of redemption, second chances, family, and grace resonated deeply with me.

It was a pleasure to read Mail-Order Viscountess with its sweet romance, frontier setting, and adventure. I am very invested in the Balfour family and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I highly recommend Mail-Order Viscountess and this will be a 2026 favorite for me.

I was gifted a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

One Sharp Stitch: A Nimble Needle Mystery by Allie Pleiter

One Sharp Stitch: A Nimble Needle Mystery by Allie Pleiter is a cozy mystery you don’t want to miss. Shelby Phillips returns to her hometown outside of Asheville, North Carolina when her graphics art career goes sideways. She reluctantly agrees to run her mom’s Nimble Needle needlepoint shop for a few months while figuring out her life. While hosting a trunk show she finds a local vendor, Kat Katsaros, dead in her traveling sharpening van. The question she is pondering is “Was it an accident or something worse?”

This was wonderful cozy mystery and the great start to a new series. Shelby is an endearing character who is still figuring out her life and working in her parent’s needle point shop in her hometown was not part of her life plan. I appreciated the relational aspect of the story watching Shelby connect with the ladies in the shop, her sister, and make new friends in the town of Gwen Lake which is filled with colorful characters. There were many funny parts that kept the book not too heavy. This story has several twists and turns that kept me engaged and wondering how it would end.

One Sharp Stitch by Allie Pleiter is a great cozy mystery. I highly enjoyed and can not wait to read the second book in the series. I highly recommend.

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review.

Bestselling international author Allie Pleiter honed her talents in the world of popular fiction, where she still releases multiple books a year. Allie has over 50 published titles to her name, and over 1.5 million Allie Pleiter fiction and non-fiction books have been sold around the world.

Her well-known Chunky Method system trains writers at every level to formulate plans and meet deadlines in a way tailored to their unique working style. Allie runs an active coaching practice helping writers and all kinds of creative people be more productive, as well as training productive people to be more creative. Already a national speaker among writing associations, Allie now extends her reach to entrepreneurs, speakers, consultants, and anyone who needs to bolster their productivity and creativity in a demanding marketplace.

Allie is an avid knitter, confirmed coffee junkie and firm believer that “pie makes everything better.” She holds a BS in Speech from Northwestern University and lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and the world’s most adorable dog.

How to pronounce my name:

“Pl-EYE-ter” (rhymes with “writer”)

Save the Date by Mallory Kass read by Nikki Massoud, Gilli Messer, and Allyson Ryan

 

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted copy. 

Save the Date by Mallory Kass read by Nikki Massoud, Gilli Messer, and Allyson Ryan is the audio book you need this summer.  This delightful romantic comedy brought me so much joy! We follow three women Marigold, the bride to be and delightfully carefree; Natalie, the maid of honor and bride’s best friend; and Oliva the bride’s sister who has taken care of Marigold and continues to.  I love stories about weddings and this one delivered for me.  I loved the banter, characters, and story twists.  I appreciated the themes of family, forgiveness, and friendship. 

Listening to the audio was amazing!  Having three narrators for three main characters helped me to keep all the characters straight and added to my listening experience.  I felt each narrator connected with their character helping me to do the same. 

I had so much fun listening to Save the Date by Mallory Kass and read Nikki Massoud, Gilli Messer, and Allyson Ryan.  I highly recommend the audio book as it adds to enjoying the story.  This will be a summer favorite for me.  

I was gifted an ALC and not required to write a positive review.