ReviewsByErin

When Casey Cox's best friend is found murdered, she's the chief suspect. On the run, she must rely on every instinct to stay off the grid and also figure out who could have murdered Brent and why they are framing her.

Dylan Roberts is a young veteran with PTSD. With a background in investigation, he's hired to help the police find this elusive Casey Cox, but he soon realizes there is a lot more going on both with this situation and Casey's background. Things are not as they seem.

As Casey travels from state to state, she is drawn to help those she comes across, even at the risk of exposing her true identity. Based off the classic TV series The Fugitive, Casey's bent toward doing right and helping others may end up being her downfall.

Suspense is not my normal reading genre, but this series has come so highly recommended that I wanted to check it out. It was really good and I enjoyed it. My one small complaint was that there were often major coincidences that led the characters to make the choices they did, which stretched suspension of disbelief. Overall, however, it's a gripping and exciting story and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Echoes of a Silent Song by Amanda Wen, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

I'm a huge fan of Amanda Wen's storytelling abilities, and Echoes of a Silent Song not only held up to but exceeded my expectations.

In our contemporary storyline, high school choir accompanist Blair faces a new school year with another new director. Her school hasn't been able to keep a director for more than one year for a long time, making it hard for the students to gain ground or trust those who work with them. This year looks to be the same, as disgruntled composer Callum Knight sees Peterson High as just a rung in his ladder before returning to the life he wants working with professionals in Boston.

On the first day of school, as Blair and Callum are picking out music for their concerts, they come across a faded piece of handwritten score that is so hauntingly beautiful that they must find out more about its composer. Iris Wallingford was a student set to graduate in the spring of 1970 before dying by suicide... or did she?

The historical first person storyline follows Iris through the fall of 1969 and into the fateful events of early 1970. Iris is quiet but in love with music -- and with Victor Nelson. She would do anything for Vic, and believes he feels the same way about her. But events soon unfold that leave Iris grappling with the choices they've made, for better or worse.

I loved this book for many reasons. For one, I know Amanda herself is a high school choir accompanist, so it was a joy knowing Blair's day job reflected hers (though without the mystery solving!). For another, the characters and their emotions come across real and strong, and they deal with things I know are relatable to readers because they were relatable to me. I loved the sparks of romance, the wounds that are able to be healed, and how faith is woven throughout in a natural way.

If you are a fan of dual timeline stories, I highly, highly recommend Amanda's books. The stories will touch your heart and echo across your soul. Make sure to check out Echoes of a Silent Song today!

I received my copy of the book from the author and JustReads Publicity. All thoughts in this review are my own.

About the Book

Title: Echoes of a Silent Song

Has the past ever held you back? If so, this might be the story to help set you free. As one of the characters in this novel says, "What is released is also redeemed."

Avery Miles insists what happened in the past holds no bearing on who she is today. Her mother abandoned her, her father abused her, she rescued and raised her younger sister... but now she is free and healing in the Colorado mountains. But when her sister begins asking questions, the panic attacks Avery thought were long behind her return with a vengeance. She must protect her sister, and surely the best way is to continue keeping the secrets she's clutched to her heart, hidden from view.

Creed Running Wolf lives up to his name -- running, chasing adventure. As a videographer for a YouTube adventure channel, Creed loves exploring the great outdoors and staying ahead of the hurts that haunt him. When an unwanted assignment forces him to come face to face with the man he never wants to see again, Creed feels like everything he believes is coming crashing down around him.

This is an intense story involving family trauma, so if that is something that hurts your heart, this might not be the best story for you. My one wish about the story is that the characters would have opened up sooner and therefore we'd have had more time to show the redemption and restoration of these relationships.

I had the privilege of reading this book early for endorsement, and here are my overall thoughts:

"Between Heaven and Earth vividly reminds us that our past is not greater than the faith that lies within us. We may run from our past or feel trapped by it, but there is One who holds the key to set us free and find healing. With poetic language, Ashlyn McKayla Ohm weaves a tale of resonant characters and presents truths that will touch the hearts of readers. No matter what you have faced, no matter the mistakes you make in the present, hope shines a beacon into your future." -- Erin Mifflin

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Welcome to the Takeover Blitz for The Christy Award Finalists 2025 organized by ECPA and hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! We extend our sincere and enthusiastic congratulations to The Christy Award 2025 Finalists & Winners (announced on November 7th)!
 

You are Invited

The Christy Award Gala 2025 

 Via webcast November 7, 2025 | 7 pm CT 

 Featuring Chris Fabry, T.I. Lowe, Jessica Hooten Wilson, and a host of Christy-winning authors

This is our year to gather together VIRTUALLY to celebrate and honor the best Christian fiction of the year. The Christy Award® Gala Webcast will be held the evening of Friday, November 7th and will feature a premiere cast of the industry’s authors to announce The Christy Award winners in nine categories, The Christy Book of the Year®, and The Amplify Award for Christian Fiction.

The special evening will be hosted by radio personality and award-winning novelist Chris Fabry and will include keynotes by Fletcher Jones Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University, Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson and award-winning and Christy Book of the Year 2024 author, T.I. Lowe. The event will also include award-winning novelists Jaime Jo Wright, Johanna Rojas Vann, Lori Z. Scott, Katie Powner, Jamie Ogle, Rachelle Nelson, Vanessa Miller, Gabrielle Meyer, Crystal Caudill and Amanda Barratt.

 

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The Christy Award Finalists 2025

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - tie

A Run at Love, Toni Shiloh (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
The Nature of Love, Toni Shiloh (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
The Roads We Follow, Nicole Deese (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Who Touches the Mountains, Deborah Raney (Raney Day Press)

FIRST NOVEL

 

Darkfell, Amanda Wright (Quill and Flame Publishing House)
Until Our Time Comes, Nicole M. Miller (Revell/ Baker Publishing Group)
The Yellow Badge, Addison Crissone (Addison Crissone)

GENERAL FICTION - tie

Between the Sound and Sea, Amanda Cox (Revell/ Baker Publishing Group)
Bitter and Sweet, Rhonda McKnight (Thomas Nelson)
Lowcountry Lost, T.I. Lowe (Tyndale House Publishers)
The Way Back, Heidi Chiavaroli (Hope Creek Publishers)

HISTORICAL

All We Thought We Knew, Michelle Shocklee (Tyndale House Publishers)
Born of Gilded Mountains, Amanda Dykes (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
The Queen's Cook, Tessa Afshar (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)

HISTORICAL ROMANCE - tie

As Sure as the Sea, Jamie Ogle (Tyndale House Publishers)
The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple, Joanna Davidson Politano (Revell/ Baker Publishing Group)
The Seaside Homecoming, Julie Klassen (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Walking on Hidden Wings, Rachel Scott McDaniel (Kregel Publications)

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER - tie

The Crown Conspiracy, Connie Mann (Tyndale House Publishers)
Night Falls on Predicament Avenue, Jaime Jo Wright (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Serial Burn, Lynette Eason (Revell/ Baker Publishing Group)
Shattered Sanctuary, Nancy Mehl (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Terminal Danger, Jerusha Agen (SDG Words)

SHORT FORM - tie

A Daffodil in the Dress (within Something Borrowed), Susie Finkbeiner (Kregel Publications)
Forgiving the Cowboy, Tabitha Bouldin (Love Inspired)
A Heart in Disguise (within Something Borrowed), Rachel Scott McDaniel (Kregel Publications)
A Letter to Eli (within Something Borrowed), Allison Pittman (Kregel Publications)

SPECULATIVE - tie

 

A Slice of Sky, Nancy Moser (Mustard Seed Press)
Darkfell, Amanda Wright (Quill and Flame Publishing House)
Memoria, J.J. Fischer (Enclave, a division of Oasis Family Media)
Protector, Megan Schaulis (WhiteCrown, an imprint of WhiteFire Publishing)

YOUNG ADULT - tie

Ben Washington is the Newbie on the Block, Jasmine Mullen (Moody Publishers)
The Chaos Grid, Lyndsey Lewellen (Enclave Escape, a division of Oasis Family Media)
Echo Nova, Clint Hall (Enclave Escape, a division of Oasis Family Media)
Jake Rogers' Planet, Philip Wilder (Great Commission Alliance)

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Register for The Christy Award 2025 Winners Webcast

The Christy Award winners webcast on November 7 at 7 p.m. CT. – free but registration is required.
Celebrate this year’s finalists and winners with authors, editors, publishers, and readers!

REGISTER

The Christy Award® is a program of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and is the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction since 1999. For more information about ECPA, visit ECPA.org. For more information about the Christy Awards and Art of Writing conferences, visit ChristyAwards.com or email TheChristyAward@ecpa.org

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Author and Reader Event

Join fellow readers and 46 writers at the third annual Rendezvous to celebrate Christian fiction and sweet reads. This event, modeled after the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat and organized by JustRead Publicity Tours, aims to sweeten reading and storytelling experiences with fellowship and encouragement. Activities will include corporate worship, The Christy Award webcast watch party, speaker sessions, author panels, small group discussions, games, giveaways, a pop-up book shop, and author signings.

Learn more about the 2025 Read Write Rendezvous

Registration Ends Oct 15!

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive print copies of The Christy Award 2025 finalist titles for one category of their choice!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight October 10, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on October 17, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Podcaster and Jane Austen superfan Zoe Dufour has an amazing opportunity: to attend a Regency-themed singles retreat at a manor in the Minnesota countryside. Zoe longs to meet her own modern Mr. Darcy, and what could be better than to look for him at an event designed for other Austenites like herself?

Zoe's experience is complicated by the return of her brother's best friend, Harrison Lundquist. Harrison has witnessed some of her most embarrassing moments but he's also been a good friend... when it wasn't weird between them. Now that he's back, will she continue her streak of bungling her chance to find love, or can she truly find a home for her heart?

This book sets out to be something like Austenland, which as a huge Austen fan myself is a good thing. It's fun to read about the dresses and hairstyles and themed activities. My main complaint about the book was it tried to do too much. Though I loved all the Austen references, I got tired of the main character referencing herself as an Elizabeth Bennet, a Charlotte Lucas, an Elinor Dashwood, and a Marianne Dashwood. All of those are very, very different characters and it was confusing to keep up with who she felt like in any particular scene. If we had simplified the Austen references, perhaps more time could have been given to developing plot twists that weren't predictable or giving the characters more depth so they weren't repeatedly angsting over the same things.

I liked a lot about the story. I liked the representation of a main character with Type 1 diabetes. The Jane Austen trivia night was my favorite scene. Though light at first, the spiritual threads woven in were really lovely and touching. I loved this quote from Chapter 16: "Surrender is acknowledging the fact that God has it under control, has our backs, and loves us. We don't have to carry the burden of making everything right." 

If you like Jane Austen, romcoms, or best friend's brother tropes, you might want to check out The Rules of Falling For You. 

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Agent Luna Rosati returns to her hometown, haunted by the memories of the daughter she gave up for adoption 18 years ago. Her mentor has promised to help find the girl, but he is kidnapped right in front of Luna as he arrives for their meeting. Luna teams up with police officer Corbin King, her teenage love and the father of the baby she gave up. She thought she'd never see him again, but now they must work together to find their mentor, find their daughter, and solve Corbin's missing persons case.

I don't normally read romantic suspense, but I decided to give this one a try, and I'm glad I did. There's plenty of action in a story that is ever-changing. The leads of this story are well-rounded people with complex backstories, and because of their shared history they are working through the emotions of the past as well as the danger of the present. I loved the concept of a "found family" of troubled youth who had all been mentored by one man with a vision, and how they all have unique strengths that they bring to the table for the good of their community.

The book is set up to be the first in the series, and I got chills when I realized where the series title came from. While the mysteries in this book are wrapped up, the epilogue sets up Book 2 and I know many readers will be eagerly waiting for it when it comes out.

This story has plenty of suspense, more romance than I was expecting, and faith threads. If these are things you'll enjoy, watch for Girl Lost to release next month.

I received my copy of the book from JustRead Publicity. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Welcome to Paris in 1940. The Nazis control the city and they are changing the Parisian way of life. Food is rationed. The streets are not safe. And they are closing places of culture and art, including libraries and bookstores.

Our heroine Corrine is a professor and would-be resistance worker. Our hero Christian wears the German uniform, but reluctantly. He has a secret that would cost the life of someone dear if he were ever to show his true feelings about the Nazis.

I confess I had a hard time getting into this book, though after about the 50% mark it was hard to put down. It may start slow, but there is plenty of action and danger in the second half. There's a minor character who will completely steal your heart. If you enjoy WWII stories, this is one you'll want to check out.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Listen to my interview with Roseanna M. White:

Chloe Vance is sitting on the most exciting news of her life. She's accepted a job teaching art at a school in Prague. Now if only she can find a way to break the news to her always-do-what's-expected mother.

In order to prove that she can take care of herself, Chloe spontaneously invites her mother on a roadtrip touring the literary sites in America's heartland. Her older sister Lauren tags along too. As they visit sites in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma, they experience the wonders of the written word but face the fact that it's our own stories we might have the most trouble sharing.

The characters in this book are all very unique. Chloe has a wonderful free spirit, full of grace. Edie is shackled by invisible tethers of expectations from generations before her. Lauren holds deep secrets and has lost a grasp of her own self-worth. Can the ties of family love triumph in the face of all they are not saying?

This was a great story, especially if you are a literary fan and have visited some of these same sites. It's a study in how we view ourselves, how we view others, and how we can shut others out or let them in. At times it was a difficult book to read, because what we say or what we don't say has the power to hurt others, and unfortunately there are hard moments of pain in the story. But that's not the end. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say it brought happy, touched tears to my eyes.

Recommended for all fans of women's fiction.

When Eva Inman finds an ancient silver ring on her property, she realizes a great many of her troubles might be over. Her financial worries might be eased if there are Roman ruins ripe for excavation right in her own backyard. Things haven't been easy since her father's death. Their estate needs repairs, the taxes must be paid, and her blind sister wishes to go to school. Eva ventures to Cambridge to speak to the history department -- and comes face to face with the last man she expected to see.

Bram Webb is on the hunt for a discovery. His eccentric uncle, who is also a Cambridge professor, has his job on the line unless he can prove the existence of a settlement of Roman Christians in Britain. When his childhood friend shows up at his door with the perfect opportunity, Bram is quick to accept.

The story unfolds with twists and turns, secrets and adventures. I missed the slight but delicious spookiness that I've come to expect from Michelle Griep's books, but also loved the more UK-centric elements, like a full-blown Guy Fawkes Night party with various competitions and celebrations.

I would recommend this book to all fans of historical romance.

I received my copy of the book from NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This new release from award-winning middle grade author Anna Rose Johnson tells a sweet story with a vintage feel as 13-year-old Rosemary must leave her home in London to escape the Blitz. She moves with her family to northern Wisconsin, reunited with a grandmother she's never met due to family issues. Rosemary has long dreamed of finding Paradise, a place where both family and flowers blossom. Could Wisconsin be the land she's longed for?

Rosemary gets to know her grandmother through gardening and other adventures, and she soon discovers there's a whole heritage that has been hidden from her. Her grandmother is a Native American of the Ojibwe tribe. A whole new world opens up as Rosemary explores the culture of her ancestors.

I loved how Rosemary felt she must be the peacemaker for her family during this stressful time. As a fellow big sister, that rang very true to me. Rosemary gives her all to bring people together and work for a happy future even though she's young and other people's choices can be difficult for a child to understand.

I appreciated how the story twists and turns, with friendship and discovery and hearts mending. I'd recommend this for young and old readers alike, alongside the author's previous books The Star That Always Stays and The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.