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Porter and Midge: Paws and Responsibilities: A Kid’s Guide to Welcoming a New Dog (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series) by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada – Review by Candice Estes

Porter and Midge: Paws and Responsibilities: A Kid's Guide to Welcoming a New Dog (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series)Porter and Midge: Paws and Responsibilities: A Kid’s Guide to Welcoming a New Dog by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a great way to introduce young children to the idea that owning and caring for a pet is a big responsibility, and that care should be taken in deciding to get a pet. This book is part of a series of books about Porter and Midge, who are dogs, and their humans Lora and CJ, but it can also be read as a stand-alone without any issues. This is a great book for helping young kids understand why deciding to get a pet shouldn’t be made on a whim, and why what kind of pet you choose is also important. The story is written in rhyming lines, which makes it fun for younger kids. The illustrations are fun to look at as well as bright and colorful. The back of the book also has some pet safety tips for use by young kids around animals. Overall, I would definitely recommend this for any family that has young kids and is considering adding a pet, especially a dog, to their family.

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Shadowed Deception: A Psychological Suspense Thriller (Shadow Defense Security Series) by Mavery Ellscott – Review by

Shadowed Deception: A Psychological Suspense Thriller (Shadow Defense Security Book 3)Shadowed Deception: A Psychological Suspense Thriller by Mavery Ellscott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finlay is an investigative journalist who is investigating a nightclub in Paris that is also a front for an international human trafficking ring. When Duke shows up, sent by his business partner and his wife to check on Finlay after she misses a planned check in, Duke realizes that Finlay may be in over her head and not even realize it. Duke is a former Navy SEAL and one of the partners of Shadow Defense, a private investigation company. While helping Finlay to try to finish her investigation into the nightclub as quickly and safely as possible, it quickly becomes apparent to Duke that everything is not quite what it appears, including Finlay. Duke doesn’t trust journalists due to past incidents, and finds it hard to trust Finlay, let alone admit his feelings for her. The most important thing to keep in mind going into this book, is nothing is quite what it appears, and you can’t even always trust your own memory. This book is part of a series, but can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

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The Complete Echo Series: A Heartfelt Romance Collection (The Echo Series) by C.R. Alam – Review by

The Complete Echo Series (Echo #1-4)The Complete Echo Series by C.R. Alam
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Echoing Hearts

Rae is a travel blogger who track her travels on her social media, and occasionally freelances for her former employer, a travel magazine. Doing one of her freelance articles is what brings her to a home in Georgia where she meets a man who seems surly and unhappy with her presence. She assumes he is the husband of the owner of the home, who doesn’t appear to be present. When she realizes that Dean is actually the owner of the home…and not his sister, who was the architect of the home, she is forced to spend a weekend mostly alone with him in order to finish her article. The two initially mix like oil and water, but manage to survive their weekend together, and then don’t see each other for several months after. When they connect again in New York City, where they are both living, sparks fly, until Dean becomes jealous of Rae’s relationship with her best friend, Brandon, and has to figure out how to fix things, if he even can. This book is a great opening to this series, with amazing characters that you want to see find their happily-ever-after. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but once you fall into this world, I doubt you will want to leave it!

His Forever Muse

First, let me say, while Calliope, or Callie as she’s most often called, is one of the strongest heroines I’ve read about, there are multiple conversations in this book that may be triggering for some people, as Callie has had the unfortunate experience of being in a relationship with an abusive, controlling, and manipulative person who is aided and abetted by his family along the way. While the book does NOT go into graphic detail or show most of the incidents, these conversations can still be triggering for some people, so please, PLEASE take your own mental health into consideration before reading this book. That being said, this book was well worth the read. Callie Chen-Bisset goes through a lot, both within the confines of a romantic relationship, but also with her own family before that, and comes out stronger on the other side. She is abused mentally and physically, and comes out wanting to help others who have also been victimized by not just the same person, but others as well. Her main goal in that is to protect her daughter from the father who only wants her to try and gain the upper hand on controlling Callie. In the middle of all of this, she rediscovers a lost love from her youth unexpectedly. Brandon Rossi, was friends with Callie and her brother Curtis when they were all kids and teenagers until Curtis interferes due to his own jealousy, causing Brandon and Callie to not speak for fifteen years. When they meet again while Brandon is on a trip to try and find himself, and Callie is working with a client for her art business, they instantly feel the old attraction return. Brandon travels next to Paris where Callie lives and they begin a relationship while also trying to fight for custody of Callie’s daughter Eleanor, to protect her from her abusive father who only wants her to try and get Callie back so he can control her once again.

Unexpected Entanglement

This is another excellent addition to this series, that can be read as a stand alone, but I doubt that you will want to once you get started. When Rowan and her brother Kieran lose their father and learn of a half-sister all at the same time, they are not sure what to think or do. Rowan and her father were working on restoring their family inn, located in Vinalhaven, Maine, to its former glory, when her dad unexpectedly has a heart attack and passes away, leaving Rowan with a final message to find her sister, Rae. As Rowan and Kieran try to finish the work they had already started on the inn, as well as the farm attached to the inn, they try to find Rae, as the three siblings have been given the property to run together, and they all three have to be a part of it. Rae, however, is unable or unwilling to just suddenly become a part of what is going on, so her friend Chris decides to go check things out for her first. Rae is a well known travel blogger and her husband is part of a popular band, and they are worried that the siblings only want to find them for their investment abilities. Chris Sullens shows up without warning, but does explain to the siblings why he is there. Chris’ family owns a large, well known hotel chain, and Chris, himself, owns and runs a smaller hotel chain of destination based hotels. Chris is able to help Rowan to formulate more ideas of how to help her family’s inn come back, while getting it back up and running for a family wedding. When the pair unexpectedly find themselves to be fake engaged, in an effort to ward of unwanted advances of a suitor for Rowan and unwanted criticism from town elders who think they have the right to run the island and view it as theirs to control, the pair discover that they are good together – in more ways than one.

Dangerous Rhythm

When Curtis sees a murder outside of a nightclub, and calls 911, he is drug into a world of gangs and freud’s he can’t possibly see coming. The victim and the assailant are parts of rival gangs, and when the murderer is killed in prison, Curtis suddenly finds himself on the wrong end of a grieving mother with a vendetta. Lina is a former service member who is now a partner in a private security firm, and has been tasked with keeping Curtis and his fellow Canis Major band mates safe from crazed fans and non-fans alike. This time, Lina is tasked with keeping Curtis safe from this new threat. While moving around and trying to stay safe, Lina and Curtis realize that there is something far more between them. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but once you start with this group of friends, I doubt you will want to leave them.

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Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book) by MJ Murray – Review by Candice Estes

Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series 2)Detective Dylan and the Hunt for Home Plate by M.J. Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dylan, Emily and their adorable dog Theodore are off on another adventure, with another mystery to solve. When Emily and Dylan join the neighborhood baseball team, and head to their first practice in the park, they are brought into a mystery. Upon arriving, they learn that the plates for the bases are missing! While the trio explores the park in search of the missing plates, they come across many obstacles to navigate. Sometimes the obstacles are as simple as talking to playground pirates, and sometimes they are more intricate. With Detective Dylan on the case, along with his sister Emily and trusty puppy Theodore, no mystery is too great! This is a great book for elementary kids, and while it is a part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone book without any issues.

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Hay Goes Home (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Candice Estes

Hay Goes Home (The Adventures of Cray)Hay Goes Home by G Pa Rhymes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hay the Fox is headed home for her mother’s birthday party, and she is taking Cray the crab with her. Along the way, Hay and Cray learn how to be braver and how to ask for help. From being afraid of crossing rapidly moving water, to being afraid of an unexpected animal in a cave, the friends must learn how to manage and find their way safely home. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is short with a rhyming cadence that makes it quick and easy to share with young children. I would recommend this book for any child who may be struggling with feeling scared or unsure. This is a great book for young kids, preschool age or older.

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Divine Vintage (Divine Vintage Series) by Sandra L. Young – Review by Candice Estes

Divine VintageDivine Vintage by Sandra L. Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Tess Burton moves to Michigan City and opens her own vintage clothing store, she can’t possibly foresee the changes that are headed her way. On her first day of business, an elderly woman, Esther DeLeon, and her nephew, Trey Dunmore, walk into her store, to inform her of a fashion show featuring clothing from the early 20th century at Esther and Trey’s family home, Carver House. Tess agrees to model, but does not expect to be swept up into a mystery that nobody knew existed. The story had always been that Edward Carver had killed his young bride, Phoebe, on their wedding night, and then himself. However, Tess discovers, through flashes of history brought to her by touching belongs of Phoebe’s including the gown that she is to wear for the fashion show, as well as from Phoebe’s diary, that the story that had always been accepted, may not be accurate. When Trey begins to have similar visions, though he is not open to them at first, the pair must try to sort out the mystery as well as their own feelings for each other and rather or not they are being influenced by the feelings of the deceased couple. This is an excellent book, with great characters and world building. This is both a mystery and a guaranteed happily ever after with ghosts and supernatural elements to keep you guessing.

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Divinely Dramatic (Divine Vintage Series) by Sandra L. Young – Review by Candice Estes

Divinely Dramatic (Divine Vintage)Divinely Dramatic by Sandra L. Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Marcy Alexander helps her mom, due to her arthritis, works two part time jobs, at a deli and at Divine Vintage, and has gotten herself roped into helping with costuming for a local theater’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest by a friend, Justine, who was going to do the work, but ended up going out of town with her husband to Hollywood to consult on a movie. When Marcy walks in, the director, Mike Figueroa, has minimal faith in her abilities because she is an unknown in the theater community. When his lead actress disappears, and she is also asked to step up and read lines, initially for practice, then for good, he is surprised to find that she has many talents. Marcy has an ability to see aura’s, which she didn’t have before her boss at Divine Vintage, Tess Burton, discovered her ability to see visions of the past by touching objects that once belonged to or were used by, the people involved. When Marcy goes into the costume loft and discovers a bright light that has no known source, she realizes it is a spirit trying to communicate with our world to find peace. With the help of her friends, Justine and Tess, along with Tess’s husband Trey, Marcy must try to figure out why this spirit needs her help and how to help her. This book is the second book in the Divine Vintage series, and is a great follow up with the same excellent storytelling, world building and characters, though it can also be read as a stand-alone. Part mystery and part romance, this one will keep you guessing until almost the end.

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Deceptively Yours (Titans of Chicago Series) by Anise Storm – Review by Candice Estes

Deceptively Yours (Titans of Chicago, #1)Deceptively Yours by Anise Storm
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Harper and Gabriel were childhood best friends and high school sweethearts that were pulled apart when Harper’s parents are suddenly killed in a car accident their junior year of high school. When Harpers parents die, she is forced to move from Chicago where her father is a Titan, to Portland to live with her uncle until she graduates high school, her world changes in many ways, and none of them are positive for Harper. Due to being so far away, and the horrible changes that are occurring in her daily life, including physical and sexual abuse, Harper ends her relationship with Gabe, and tells him that she’s with someone else, in an effort to push him away and protect him. For the next decade, Harper isolates herself from her friends back in Chicago, until she realizes that her uncle is behind the recent deaths of Gabe’s parents and may be poised to try and harm or kill Gabe, whom she still loves. Harper goes back to Chicago to warn Gabe that her attempts to figure out what happened to the money that should have been left for her when her parents passed, may have accidentally opened a Pandora’s Box that cost him his parents and may yet cost him his life. Gabe refuses to talk to Harper at first, until the incoming winter storm causes him to bring her into his home for a night, where passions are ignited in more ways than one. When Harper finally tells Gabe what she suspects, he doesn’t believe her at first. This book is a great opening to what I am sure will be an awesome story. The characters are flawed and realistic, the world building is great.

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Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Candice Estes

Cray Saves the Day (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Cray Saves the Day by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cray the crab is perfectly happy enjoying his home and his life on the beach and in the ocean. Cray the crab is unhappy when really nice days being out a lot of people to the beach, due to all the trash the human visitors to his home keep leaving behind. Cray, along with his friends, work to clean up their part of the ocean and the beach, and to rid it of the mess and trash. With an easy to understand story and beautiful illustrations, this book is great for young children to begin learning about pollution and cleaning up after themselves, even when they are not at home. I would definitely recommend this book for young children, in schools as well as at home.

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Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Candice Estes

Beach Ball Blunder (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)Beach Ball Blunder by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cray and his friends are enjoying their home on the bay. One such friend is Seal Gray, who is playing on his rock with a beach ball until it gets away from him by accident and nearly hits Gull Ray before bouncing off of Turtle Fay, and knocking a young girl’s ice cream cone out of her hand before finally knocking over Fox Hay’s sandcastle. At first, Seal Gray denies having been responsible for the mishap, and all of the other beach friends make hurtful comments about how bad the one responsible for all the chaos is. While Seal Gray feels bad, he eventually tells the truth, and his friends explain why lying is bad. Seal spends the rest of the afternoon cleaning up and fixing his messes, after apologizing. This beautifully illustrated story is easy to understand and great for helping young children to understand why lying is bad.

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Deja Brew All Over Again: A Runaway Bride Romance (Love on Tap Series) by Sylvie Stewart – Review by Candice Estes

Deja Brew All Over Again: A Runaway Bride RomanceDeja Brew All Over Again: A Runaway Bride Romance by Sylvie Stewart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Miller Brooks has long been seen as the screw up youngest brother of his family, up to and including the day that he meets Maisy when she jumps in his car in a wedding dress and tells him to drive as he is getting ready to leave the court house after yet another court date. Maisy has just backed out of a marriage she never wanted for the right reasons, and neither did the man she was set to marry. Maisy wanted to marry to gain custody of her younger brother Bear, while her fiancée wanted to marry to gain access to his own trust fund. When Miller helps Maisy to escape and tries to help her save Bear from their mother who doesn’t really seem to want to parent so much as to bring Maisy down by any means necessary, the pair can’t possibly foresee what is to come. This book is book 4 in the Love on Tap series, but can be read as a stand-alone. Once you get pulled into Ashville and the Blue Bigfoot bar and the family that runs it, you won’t want to leave them…or their pet skunk. I know I will definitely be waiting on pins and needles for the next book in this series…and anything else this writer chooses to put out.

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A New Day for Cray (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Candice Estes

A New Day For Cray (The Adventures of Cray on the Bay)A New Day For Cray by G. Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cray is a crab living on the beach and under the water. He has many friends, whom he likes to play with but whom he also likes to pinch with his pinchers. His friends do not appreciate his way of playing, and wish that he would stop. Some have expressed their dislike of his pinching, while others try to get away from him before he can pinch them. That all changes one day, when Cray loses his pincher, and his friends come together to help him and support him. This is a great book for teaching young kids about not hurting others and how it affects those who they are harming. The illustrations are beautiful and make me wish I were at the beach, pinching crabs or not!

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Sweet Dreams by Claire (Capture the Light Series) by Nanette Littlestone – Review by Candice Estes

Sweet Dreams by Claire (Capture the Light, #2)Sweet Dreams by Claire by Nanette Littlestone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in the beauty that can only be found in Ireland, this book has well written characters that will make you feel like you are stepping into their world, and very much wish you never had to leave. The world building is phenomenal, and the characters are flawed, but loveable and are all trying their best to do their best for those they care about. Claire is biding her time until she can take over the family bakery, and make the changes that she feels need to be made to expand from the staples that her parents have always made to the more adventurous confections that she prefers and comes up with on her own. When she meets Brigid and Finn Cleary, her world is changed for the better, as she learns that not every problem is one she has to solve, not every male will view someone who is less than perfect physically as worthless, and that friends are the best part of life. This book is the second in the Capture the Light series, but can definitely be read as a standalone.

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Nessie and the Living Stone (Nessie’s Grotto) by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah – Review by Candice Estes

Nessie and the Living Stone (Nessie's Grotto)Nessie and the Living Stone by Lois June Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a cute book for elementary age kids. The art work is beautiful, and the story is definitely creative. Craig and Linda are on vacation with their parents to Loch Ness. While their parents are focused on work and business, Craig and Linda are focused on finding Nessie. The children believe that they see her following an earthquake, and they want to find her again. The magic woven throughout the story by Wickstrom, as only she can do, makes this a read that is great for children, but is also fun for the adults reading along with them.

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Porter and Midge: Paws and Playtime: A Kid’s Guide to a Happy Dog (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series) by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada – Review by Candice Estes

Porter and Midge: Paws and Playtime: A Kid's Guide to a Happy Dog (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series)Porter and Midge: Paws and Playtime: A Kid’s Guide to a Happy Dog by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great book for parents wanting to teach their young children how to keep their dogs from being board. The rhyming scheme keeps the book simplistic, but interesting while the pictures are beautiful and full of adorable dogs. Porter and Midge are two adorable pups who explore the world with their human companions. While the foursome are out exploring the world together, the children decide to ask others for suggestions on how to keep Porter and Midge engaged and happy in life. The suggestions found in this book could also be good suggestions for young children to try with their own family pets to try and find new ways to spend time with their furry friend.

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Shadowed Agenda: An Enemies to Lovers Action-Packed Romantic Suspense Thriller (Shadow Defense Security Series) by Mavery Ellscott – Review by Candice Estes

Shadowed Agenda: An Enemies to Lovers Action-Packed Romantic Suspense Thriller (Shadow Defense Security Series Book 2)Shadowed Agenda: An Enemies to Lovers Action-Packed Romantic Suspense Thriller by Mavery Ellscott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is book 2 in a series, and though it can be read as a standalone, this series is so good that you won’t want to.

Authors Regan Christenson and Pavlo Barislov are on a book tour for their newest books when their publicist, Isla, suddenly tries to force Regan to meet with the wife of a senator for a private book signing. Regan wants no part of this meeting because she is morally opposed to the senator’s stances on most things, and chief among them is his view on women working outside of the home once they are married and have children. As a single mother to a medically fragile child, Regan has worked since her divorce shortly before her daughter’s birth. When Regan starts to receive threats, has her room broken into, and even is physically harmed due to her resistance to the meeting, Pavlo steps in to help her. Pavlo’s day job is working with some of his fellow former Navy SEALs doing private security and investigations. With this book, nothing is quite what you think it is, even when you think you’ve figured it all out, there is still a twist to keep you guessing.

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Triple Trouble at Amberwood (The Amberwood Hall Ballet School Series) by Eleanor Dixon – Review by Candice Estes

Triple Trouble at Amberwood: Book Four in your favourite middle-grade haunted ballet school... (Amberwood Hall Ballet School 4)Triple Trouble at Amberwood: Book Four in your favourite middle-grade haunted ballet school… by Eleanor Dixon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Book 4 in this series, but can definitely be read as a standalone, though I doubt you would want to do so.

Lauren and her friends are preparing for their ballet exams, as well as school exams. When the ballet students decide to go into town and check out the rummage sale being held to raise money for the new community center that his being built where the old theater currently stands, Lauren and her ghostly friends, Grace and Rodney, meet a new ghost. Lillie haunts the old theater, and is attached to an item that is for sale at the rummage sale; Lauren purchases it to take back to Amberwood with her. Lillie tells them that she needs to escape the terrible triplets that cause mischief and mayhem at the theater, but when bad things begin to happen at Amberwood, Lauren gets suspicious and starts trying to figure out the truth about Lillie and the triplets, and quickly finds that nothing is as it seemed at first. With plenty of fun, mystery and friends, this book is great for young adults, and upper elementary age children.

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Knight In Peril (A Jorja Knight Private Investigator Mystery) by Alice Bienia – Review by Candice Estes

Knight In Peril (A Jorja Knight Private Investigator Mystery #6)Knight In Peril by Alice Bienia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is part of a series, but can still be read as a standalone, though I doubt you will want to. Jorja Knight is a Private Investigator from Canada who is supposed to meet her friend Gabriella Rizzo in Istanbul for a vacation together. When Jorja arrives, she thinks it’s odd that her friend doesn’t show up to meet her at the airport as planned, but thinks that maybe signals had gotten crossed and goes to their hotel to check in. When she arrives, and Gab’s thinks are already there and look like they have been searched and messed up, Jorja starts to worry. When Gab doesn’t show up the next day, Jorja knows that something is very wrong, and reports her missing to the police who do not take her concerns seriously. Jorja knows that has no jurisdiction in Istanbul to look for Gab, but she knows that something is wrong and she can’t just sit idly by and hope for the best while not knowing where her friend is. When a friend and traveling companion of Gab’s is found no longer alive, Jorja starts to really worry for her friends safety and accidentally makes mistakes with her own safety that ends up getting her to Gab in a dangerous way. Now Jorja and Gab have to find a way to save themselves in a foreign country with corrupt cops, and other challenges.

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Quick Affirmations for Children (Quick Affirmations Series) by Kim Ann & Yobe Qiu – Review by Candice Estes

Quick Affirmations for Children: A to Z of Easy Motivations for Creating Better days - Positive Affirmations for Happy ChildrenQuick Affirmations for Children: A to Z of Easy Motivations for Creating Better days – Positive Affirmations for Happy Children by Kim Ann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is great for helping kids who are struggling with worry and other difficult feelings. I have shared this book with my children who all have struggles with school and stress. The art work is interesting and shows a wide range of ethnicities while being bright and good conversation starters. I would highly recommend this book for any young child who is struggling. This book is meant for younger children, around elementary age, and in my opinion would be helpful and useful within a classroom environment.

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This Egg Won’t Hatch by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Candice Estes

This Egg Won't HatchThis Egg Won’t Hatch by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is great for kids with anxiety, and to some extent even for those dealing with bullying and misinformation. Mama Warbler is waiting for her last baby to hatch. Sadly, the cuckoo that was the first egg in the nest to hatch is being selfish and is telling the last baby warbler that the outside world is no fun and is scary. The baby warbler doesn’t want to hatch because it’s afraid. The baby cuckoo is only thinking of himself. Thankfully, nature helps baby warbler along, and it realizes that the world isn’t as bad as they were lead to believe. This book has beautiful illustrations and is good for elementary age children.

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The Christmas Escape by Belinda Williams – Review by Candice Estes

The Christmas EscapeThe Christmas Escape by Belinda Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lizzie has just been laid off from her job, and finds out that her roommate is moving out of their apartment. At the same time, her best friend Shona discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her, and she is now stuck with an expensive plane ticket to Australia for a holiday the couple were supposed to have but now definitely will not be going on. When Lizzie decides to use her severance pay to buy her friends ticket, she can’t possibly foresee the coming changes. On her first trip to the beach, Lizzie meets Jaz and his two children, when one of them accidentally injures Lizzie. Through meeting Jaz, Lizzie begins to build friendships and relationships with people in Australia, but is always cautious because she knows she will be returning to London soon. What starts as a holiday romance that is ended before it really gets started turns into a happily-ever-after in the end. This is a quick, easy read with great world building and characters that you feel like could be your best friends.

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Detective Dylan and the Case of the Missing Mail (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series) by MJ Murray – Review by Candice Estes

Detective Dylan and the Case of the Missing Mail: A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book SeriesDetective Dylan and the Case of the Missing Mail: A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series by MJ Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dylan is excited for his new Youth Sleuth kit to come in the mail so that he can become a detective like the Youth Sleuths on his favorite program. When his kit arrives, he and his sister Emily and their dog Theodore set out to help their neighbor figure out what has happened to her missing mail. Their neighbor usually has another neighbor pick up her mail, but doesn’t this time, and suddenly her mail has gone missing. As the kids set out to uncover clues and try to solve the mystery, they learn to ask questions, research and interpret clues together. This is a great book for young kids; rather it is read to them by a parent or as a newer independent reader.

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Joy’s Christmas Escape (The Marshal’s Mail Order Bride Book 1) by P. Creeden – Review by Candice Estes

Joy’s Christmas Escape: The Marshal’s Mail Order Bride Book 1Joy’s Christmas Escape: The Marshal’s Mail Order Bride Book 1 by P. Creeden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Joy Stewart is a woman who has just lost her grandmother, the last family member she has. As the funeral is wrapping up, a man claiming to be owed money by her grandmother makes her a proposition of forgiving her grandmother’s overinflated debts, if only she would agree to be his mistress. After Joy’s reputation is trashed and her job as a schoolteacher is ended due to the influence of the “business man” in question, who has local law enforcement, and judges in his pocket, Joy runs away from Memphis, the only home she’s ever known. At the same time, Marshall Jack Bolling is becoming the guardian of not only his 4-year-old twin niece and nephew, but also the caretaker of his mother, after his sister and her husband die in a fire. Both reach out through their pastor’s to a matchmaking service to try and solve their respective issues. What neither of them expects is to find a happily-ever-after. This is a good book, and I don’t even normally like historical fiction, but I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one day. This book does have a Christian basis to it, but it’s not so much a part of it that it feels “overdone”.

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Porter and Midge (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series) by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada – Review by Candice Estes

Porter and Midge: Paws for Safety: A Kid's Guide to Safe Dog Interactions (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series)Porter and Midge: Paws for Safety: A Kid’s Guide to Safe Dog Interactions by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is great for young children who are just learning how to approach and be around dogs other than their own family pets. This book is written in rhyme, which makes it super fun for kids and adults alike. Porter and Midge are two dogs who meet up at the dog park with their humans. This duo are always happy to help other humans at the dog park to safely play with dog, rather it be their own pets or Porter and Midge. This book goes over things like not pulling on or hitting dogs, giving dogs their space, and even more topics like taking dogs for walks and approaching strange new dogs safely. This book could definitely be a good resource for young children who have either never had a pet, or have only ever been around their own family pets before they are around strange new dogs. I would recommend it for younger elementary school age kids, though really any child from toddlers up to late elementary would enjoy and learn from it.

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Chasing Cheer (Emerald Hollow Book 1) by Heather Schneider – Review by Candice Estes

Chasing CheerChasing Cheer by Heather Schneider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was an unexpected twist on the Santa Clause story, mixed with a happily-ever-after story. Holly Clause spends most of every year gathering cheer from the human world to power the North Pole. Everything Holly thinks she knows about the cheer and how it works changes when she finds a flyer for a festival in a small Oregon town, and decides to check it out, figuring that a festival is probably a good source of cheer. When Holly arrives, she quickly realizes that the town and the people in it are different, and the cheer works differently for some reason. Holly spends a little bit of time there, then has to go home, but decides to go back for their Christmas Faire to help the town and the friends that she’s made. What she doesn’t expect, is to fall in love with a human, a man named Ashe, and the effects it will have on her magic. There is a good bit of world building in this book, and the cliff hanger definitely leaves me curious what the future will bring for Holly, Ash, and the rest of the characters we’ve come to care about.

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Faking the Fall (Buckeye Falls Book 4) by Libby Kay – Review by Candice Estes

Faking the Fall (Buckeye Falls #4)Faking the Fall by Libby Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the 4th book in this series, though it can be read as a stand-alone. This book is another great addition to the series, and makes me wish I lived in Buckeye Falls. In this book, we follow Alice Snyder as she tries to decide what the future holds for her now that she is done with her multiple college degrees, and is back home trying to get over the end of a relationship. What Alice doesn’t expect is to come across James Gibson, a talented and highly sought after artist from New York City who moves to Buckeye Falls with the hopes of recuperating from his failed marriage, and finding the spark to continue his artwork. When Alice and James meet and the town of Buckeye Falls starts spreading rumors that they are dating, Alice convinces James to go along with it, to give her space and time to breathe and figure out her future. If you are in the mood for a guaranteed happily-ever-after, with good world building and many great main and supporting characters, I would definitely recommend this book and this whole series.

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Faking the Fall (Buckeye Falls Book 4) by Libby Kay – Review by Candice Estes

Faking the Fall (Buckeye Falls #4)Faking the Fall by Libby Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the 4th book in this series, though it can be read as a stand-alone. This book is another great addition to the series, and makes me wish I lived in Buckeye Falls. In this book, we follow Alice Snyder as she tries to decide what the future holds for her now that she is done with her multiple college degrees, and is back home trying to get over the end of a relationship. What Alice doesn’t expect is to come across James Gibson, a talented and highly sought after artist from New York City who moves to Buckeye Falls with the hopes of recuperating from his failed marriage, and finding the spark to continue his artwork. When Alice and James meet and the town of Buckeye Falls starts spreading rumors that they are dating, Alice convinces James to go along with it, to give her space and time to breathe and figure out her future. If you are in the mood for a guaranteed happily-ever-after, with good world building and many great main and supporting characters, I would definitely recommend this book and this whole series.

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Mr. Wimp (The Human Mating Site Book 1) by B.L. Wilde – Review by Candice Estes

Mr Wimp (The Human Mating Site #1)Mr Wimp by B.L. Wilde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great novella about a woman, Bella, who thinks her marriage is going well and her life is going according to plans. That is, until the day her husband, Joel, comes home and tells her that he’s done and leaving her. At first, Bella is heartbroken, and can’t understand what happened. Over time, Bella realizes that not only was her life not quite what she thought, but her husband has been having an affair for the past six months. This novella focuses on Bella healing from her heartbreak and learning how to live alone and get back to the person she was before her marriage to a man who slowly, over time, changed who she was and then had the nerve to use it as an excuse for wanting to leave her. Well, at least until she decides that she’s done with him as well, and then suddenly that changes. I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read, and can’t wait to see what is next for Bella and the rest of her friends.

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Mr. Barsins’ Toy Emporium by Lois Wickstrom by – Review by Candice Estes

Mr. Barsins' Toy EmporiumMr. Barsins’ Toy Emporium by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is an exploration of a child’s imagination, and what it’s like to lose it. This book follows Nick, Audrey, Lily and Jake as they are drawn to what appears on the outside to be just a plain toy store, but is really much more. The most important thing to remember in Mr. Barsin’s toy emporium is that nothing is as it seems. Mr. Barsin’s toy store has a hidden greenhouse only accessible through a door in a wall that isn’t real, that allows elementals of all kinds to live and be adopted by a child. Mr. Barsin has a rule, though: Only one elemental per child. He also doesn’t tell them all of the rules, such as statements like, “I’d give anything, if…” are taken literally and as a binding agreement. The children, as the only ones who can see the imaginary elementals (such as dragons, sylphs, mermaids, gnomes and others), select a new imaginary friend, and are allowed to take them home. Many of the children’s adult family members are able to see their imaginary friends after Mr. Barsin sprinkles sylph dust on them, allowing them to be a part of the fun and imagination, while others chose not to as they see it as silly and overindulgent of the child in question. Overall this was an interesting and unexpected book, that would be great for upper elementary age children.

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LIES-TRUTH-LOVE by Marina Hanna – Review by Candice Estes

Lies - Truth - LoveLies – Truth – Love by Marina Hanna
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Olivia has had a rough time with love. Her ex-fiance used her to get through school, and then dumped her for a coworker. After this experience, she has decided that dating just isn’t worth the effort. That is, until she gets the invitation to her cousins destination wedding. When her roommate and best friend, Lucy, suggests that she try going on a few blind dates to try and find at least a date for the wedding, Olivia reluctantly agrees. During one of the dates at a local tea shop just down the street from her flower shop, Olivia is rescued from a particularly terrible date by a good looking gentleman who is sitting at the table behind hers. Ethan and Olivia start talking, and Ethan suggests being Olivia’s plus one, even though they had just met. The pair decide that it is in their best interest to get to know each other first, and start talking and meeting up for dates. Ethan decides to withhold a very important bit of information, and when Olivia finds out, everything changes. This book is a guaranteed happily-ever-after, and a great read.

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