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r and a learning to be comfortable in her own skin perspective 5 some fantastic forced proximity and travel deeper themes of the story heritage leaning into a calling believing in yourself putting in the effort for your dreams all of these elements combine to make this the sweetest romance the maturity and transparency with which martha and julien communicate and find their stride is another reason to reach for this book i absolutely love when stories present a complex situation on par with real life relationships and no miscommunication or third act breakups bravo to a romance that ticks all the boxes entertains and induces a few swoons and wraps up a story world with a realistic viewpoint i can t wait to see what sarah monzon writes next i voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which i received from the author via just read tours all views expressed are only my honest opinion posted in book reviews books tagged book book review bookmarked for love contemporary romance read reading romance sarah monzon leave a comment july 14 2026 by courtney the green mockingbird blog top ten tuesday 10 tbr books by new to me authors it s another top ten tuesday hosted by that artsy reader girl today s official topic is books i want to read by new to me authors since fits with the ever growing tbr pile i thought it would be easy to pick 10 looking though my tbr lists i see some familiar author names i have still not read maybe some of these need to be on your tbr too titles linked to goodreads 10 tbr books by new to me authors a founding mother by stephanie dray and laura kamoie our darkest night by jennifer robson the light of stars by jenelle hovde the roman holiday rule by andra loy the bodyguard by katherine center the lost story of via belle by melanie dobson an appearance of impropriety by jayna breigh of love and treason by jamie ogle when the world fell silent by donna jones alward the agency for scandal by laura wood what books are in your ttt this week have you read any of these stories which one should i read first posted in books top ten tuesday tagged book contemporary contemporary fiction fiction historical historical fiction meme read reading romance tbr top ten tuesday ttt 29 comments july 8 2026 by courtney the green mockingbird blog checking in mini reviews it s been a little quiet around here lately i appreciate you readers for sticking around and listening when i have a chance to share about bookish or other fun things it s my intention to have more frequent posts for the last half of the year we shall see if my life cooperates today i have an eclectic group of books to share that i have read and enjoyed some of these are books i ve already reviewed elsewhere and i heartily thank the authors and publishers for the chance to read their stories titles linked to goodreads check them out for plot summaries the top of the world by elizabeth camden far away series 2 contemporary romance i enjoyed this next story in the series it s adventurous with a second chance romance and a wholly unique greenland setting for most of the story i appreciate the unique historical mystery that played out related to the heroine s family it highlighted an aspect of wwii i have not considered the role of weather forecasting and far outposts in the theater of war my thanks to the author for this review copy missed connections by aimie k runyan women s fic magical realism romance missed connections is a whimsical and insightful look into the life of a culinary career heroine whose life choices and relationships are reviewed in a way with hints of second chances and what ifs a tiny bit of magical realism brings about introspection for sabrina i appreciate the varied roles in a kitchen explored through the story particularly in a french hierarchical brigade system this story makes me want to visit some michelin starred guide destinations beyond the culinary lens though is a story of growth for sabrina the threads of grief hope and relational perspective are a major and appreciated part of the story the first person perspective affords a closer look at the emotional growth and element of romance for sabrina my thanks to netgalley for the review copy the hudson collection by jocelyn green on central park 2 historical mystery with romance how have i waited so long to read this book it has mystery romance birds and a historical nyc setting all things i love i really really appreciated the perspective and field of ornithology through the eyes of elsa the author s research and attention to detail is apparent throughout with a keep guessing mystery and a colorful some endearing some heroic some pernicious cast of secondary characters i particularly loved the personal realizations and growth elsa experiences regarding her parents and her friendships the new to elsa kindred and romantic relationship she develops with luke shines as the hopeful thread throughout he is such nice guy hero material with his steadfastness quiet loyalty and kindness i m eager to read the newest and last book in this series hopefully to catch more glimpses of the friend group from books 1 2 could ve fooled me by jenny proctor georgia jaguars hockey 1 contemporary romance marriage of convenience loooooved this combines my fav trope marriage of convenience in a contemporary setting with a brother s friend romance and a bit of family found family at its heart cannot wait for book 2 this is the first story of jenny s i ve read and i m wholly impressed it has fantastic realistic depth family dynamics the sweetest slow burn romance closed door and banter brighter than before by courtney walsh women s fiction romance an instant add to my favs list with claire s story author courtney walsh has tackled a new beginning found family and second chance at love tropes not a second chance romance but a beautiful off limits friends to more love story the humor and heart is exactly what i expect from one of her stories the setup of a 40s main character making hard choices for a brave start after divorce is one slightly rare to the genre and absolutely refreshing i adored the quirky endearing friendships claire makes the meddling adult children and neighbors and the sometimes horrible sometimes wonderful aspect of dating after 40 i enjoyed the heck out of the audiobook from netgalley and was super excited when my own ebook copy was out for me to revisit and highlight my fav parts posted in book reviews books tagged aimie k runyan book book review book reviews books brighter than before could ve fooled me courtney walsh elizabeth camden fiction historical fiction jenny proctor jocelyn green mini review missed connections read reading review romance the hudson collection the top of the world 3 comments april 21 2026 by courtney the green mockingbird blog review a scattering of light by lori benton if you are a fan of lori benton you are in for a treat she has recently released a much anticipated and patiently awaited historical fiction novel a scattering of light that is also indie published it is the first novel in a planned series and one i m reviewing here today a scottish drover spirited into servitude a young quaker woman wounded by loss their meeting will leave no heart unchallenged no life unchanged colonial virginia 1734 mourning her wayward brother s death verity wilde has turned her back on williamsburg society striving to live by her notion of true to keep oneself unspotted from the world but when she boards a ship to claim an indentured scottish clerk she s unprepared to find another scotsman starved and gravely ill left on deck untended with scarcely more knowledge of the man than his name and place of origin william crockett of skye pity compels verity to purchase his indenture too meaning to provide the compassionate death denied him by the ship s crew only he doesn t die will crockett s survival upends verity s carefully circumscribed life while he awakens to find his world shattered beyond recognition as they seek to reconcile their broken pasts bitterness and fear vie with hope to chart their futures can they find the courage to trust each other and a god who scatters light in the darkness goodreads amazon author s website a scattering of light by lori benton is a beautifully poignant moving story of sacrifice and light will crockett and verity wilde are two main characters whose stories intersect in surprising ways changing their hearts and fates as they navigate unexpected seasons the wilds of scotland and the settlements of colonial virginia provide lush settings that function as characters of their own while the broader cast of characters inspires endearment humor wisdom and even loathing a sweeping theme of the story is sacrifice sacrificial love surrender of control and the duality of sovereignty and mercy found in the savior one beloved character becomes the catalyst and inspiration for growth for will and verity i was moved to tears more than once while reading the hallmark of benton s stories for me i think and a stamp of high approval that emotions and heart are engaged another prominent aspect of the story is loyalty and commitment born of friendship the beloved character of judah represents this loyalty to both will and verity at different moments i am hoping he gets a story of his own in future novels of benton s if you enjoy sweeping dramas encompassing family secrets the american frontier scottish heritage found family and a tiny hint of romance i highly recommend a scattering of light it kept me guessing especially with a certain aspect of the story wondering how everything would be sewn up by story s end my thanks to the author for the review ebook copy i purchased a final copy of the novel for my own collection this is my honest review posted in book reviews books tagged a scattering of light book books colonial america frontier historical fiction indie author indie book literature lori benton read reading romance scotland leave a comment march 27 2026 by courtney the green mockingbird blog sung in the shadows by crystal caudill excerpt blog hop i m so excited to be the last stop as part of a blog hop today for the new release from author crystal caudill sung in the shadows it s a historical mystery and romance i m sharing an excerpt from chapter 2 of the book and giveaway info to enter to win autographed copies from the author please read on for more about the book the giveaway link and the riveting portion of chapter 2 you can stop by the previous blogs participating if you want to start reading from the beginning of chapter 1 when past darkness prowls will stepping into the light lead to a brighter future in nineteenth century cincinnati fear keeps nora davis caged with secrets and lies her true identity as the daughter of a famous opera singer is too dangerous to reveal with her former captors still on the loose but weekly singing lessons at longview asylum her paranoid mother s permanent residence light a flame in nora and it s one she can avoid fanning for only so long with his suicidal ma in the asylum ezekiel beaumont s soul is weary but nora s presence at the asylum intrigues him as a pike s opera house employee ezekiel thinks nora might be cut out for the stage he also begins to wonder if nora s ma is really the famed constanza brisbane who went missing mid performance he s determined to find out though ezekiel brings the performance world a little too close for comfort nora is drawn to his warm personality all the same the two of them steadily grow closer but then nora begins to fear she s being watched and her own paranoia blooms as the line between what s real and false grows fainter will ezekiel s and nora s faith and love overcome sung in the shadows chapter 2 excerpt to read chapter one and the first part of chapter two find them by clicking here cincinnati ohio january 18 1881 they went through the usual routine nora gave a carefully curated description of her safe and boring week then she reassured mum she wasn t hiding anything except maybe her escapades with the guardians she and father were truly well no the kidnapper had not yet been found not that he ever would be and finally yes nora still carried her knitting needles everywhere with her for protection after ensuring nurse abbott wouldn t see nora exposed the contraband s tips in her pocket to mum if it was discovered she d brought anything with even a dull point into the room she d be escorted out immediately nora understood the precaution for potentially dangerous patients but mum hadn t attacked anyone in ages finally mum broke free of her fear and came alive with music have you been practicing your scales and exercises every day good then show me how you ve improved your transitioning between registers since last week mum took her place at the piano nora nodded and mentally prepared for the task at hand singing was no mere throwing out of notes there was science behind it and while not purely academic singing with a full voice accurate intonation and smooth transitions between the chest medium and head registers was as much a mental exercise as it was physical and musical nora stood upright ensuring her head was erect and shoulders back then closed her eyes and drew a deep breath as she released it she focused on relaxing every muscle that would affect her singing once satisfied she nodded to mum to play the scales though mum was a strict taskmaster and insisted on perfection nora reveled in this brief time of normalcy no matter what point of life nora reflected on her relationship with mum had been founded on music she couldn t remember a time when mum hadn t given her lessons even after father banished music from their home she and mum had persisted while father worked at the accounting office even if nora was forever relegated to sing in the shadows and never on a stage she would cling to these lessons and the youthful joy they returned to mum s face for an hour in every visit mum was the vivacious woman who had captivated so many as nora worked through a particularly difficult transition from her medium to head registers she caught sight of the reception room door opening in her periphery the familiar broad form of mr beaumont entered the room with a basket over his arm and his wide easy smile in place as he greeted nurse abbott if nora weren t so well trained in masking her facial expressions she d have given away her embarrassment at being caught singing by him however as good as she was at controlling her countenance her loss of focus was obvious mum reprimanded nora s suddenly flat intonation nora cut off the scale completely i think it best we quit for today i m afraid this weather has impacted me if i continue any longer i risk fatiguing my voice a lie but she couldn t risk the man remarking to someone else about the singing lessons held at the asylum if she knew mr beaumont s name without a formal introduction then he likely knew hers they crossed ...
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