“April showers bring May flowers” as the saying goes. I like to think it also bloomed into a wonderful month for reading! Of course, 😏.

This was the month for romcoms. *sigh* You’ll soon find out!

I’ve done a lot of reading and thinking in the past month but not a lot of writing. I hope there’s more writing in the future! 🙂

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Passion or Penalty by Leah Brunner

Hey, hi, it’s me. Hockey fan! I’m on the hunt for clean hockey fiction. Did you know it’s really hard to find? In recent years, there’s a lot of hockey fiction being generated and most of its vulgar – really not my thing.

I was not sure about this author because it was new and had never read her work before, but from online reviews and descriptions it appeared to be clean!

This was a cute novella as an introduction! I don’t know about the rest, but this definitely helped me give her a chance.

I didn’t fully like the female character… this is not really in my Christian fiction realm either so, more tolerable than anything. I did like the tropes used, even if the execution wasn’t fully to my liking.

I ordered the next book and I’m sure I’ll finish it soon!!

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The Love Audit by Annah Conwell

One of those one day reads for me! The description of this one hooked me and the first chapter pulled me in, couldn’t put this one down!! I obviously didn’t.

I love the enemies to lovers trope. The banter and comical teasing to romance, plus office romance and hilarious coworker interference was just… everything I love. ❤️

I also enjoyed the sneak peek into what’s to come in book two!!

A sprinkle of faith included, so that was great, too! This is the first book I’ve read by Annah Conwell so I’m excited to add another author to my growing list. My wallet says otherwise though.

This is book one in the Sweet Peach series.

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Desire of Defense by Leah Brunner

As if I’ve read a plethora of hockey novels, this may have been the best? I’m not sure. I did really enjoy it even though it had some language, but nothing like over the top. It kind of met my expectations for a good hockey novel (but I guess I’m still on the hunt for the perfect hockey novel that exceeds my expectations that I can confidently give 5 stars to…). So there’s that.

The story itself lent itself to solid character development, a good plot, comedy and sarcasm.

The next book in this hockey series will be coming soon and I will read it!!

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A New Shade of Summer by Nicole Deese

It’s been a little bit since I read books 1 and 2 in this Love in Lenox series, but man. This one was so good. I remember loving the others too, all of Nicole Deese books are amazing. But this one… this one was so good.

This book had humor, swoony moments, likable (lovable) characters, deep moments… paired with Deese’s knack for superb character development and this freaking plot… it was a great book.

Also, I love Davis Carter. Great doctor, great man. Never met him except through the pages but was rooting for that guy. He was so strong through and through.

This is the third and final book in the Love in Lenox series.

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One More Song by Annah Conwell

Another lovable book by Annah Conwell. I so enjoyed this book from the very beginning! It included flashbacks to Wyatt and Grace’s relationship 5 years prior, which helped move the story along with knowing where each was coming from.

I enjoyed the players development, conquering fears and growing in their communication skills.

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The First Taste by Annah Conwell

I LOVED this book, just as I loved the other two books I’ve read by Annah Conwell. The friends to lovers trope… how adorable. It was totally romantic the whole way through.

This book came with a warning about toxic relationships, which is so true. It really made me feel bad for Sophie and have a connection with her at the same time.

This is book three in the Sweet Peach series but I do have the novella in this series I’m reading after this book which I just found out actually came between book two and three. Didn’t make a big difference since each story can really be read as a stand-alone. 🙂

I just found out, May 17th, as I type this, that book four came out just within the last week. What in the world? So yes, I just went to Amazon and ordered that, thanks.

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Out of Office by Annah Conwell

This took me like an hour or hour and a half to read! I just couldn’t stay up any longer on May 17th – I was tired – or I would have finished it, lol.

It wasn’t my favorite – I liked it, but maybe it was so short and felt rushed? Like the relationship seemed to shift and move so quickly, it was just uncomfortable for me in a way.

Cute novella though anyway in the Sweet Peach series. Can really be read at any point in the series. 🙂

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The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese

If you want to cry, this one may do it for you.

Have I mentioned yet how much I love Nicole Deese’s writing? Imagine a book where an author and an editor are involved and the mastery with which the whole plot gets written. There’s twists and turns. There’s deep emotion feeling every page – highs and lows of grief and love. There’s glimpses back like flashbacks that fill in so many blanks along the way. At the beginning, there was such a lack of hope – all seemed so bleak – and obviously you know how things end.

Beautifully written book to begin the Fog Harbor series. I look forward to more! I have no idea what will be next (or when the next will come)!

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The Kissing Tree by Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, Nicole Deese

This was an amazing book!! It was wonderfully romantic, but also touching and simply heartwarming. Each of the four stories were separate but interconnected along the course of over 100 years! The couples involved were connected to this tree and this town. It was really well done and would recommend this book!!

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One Last Play by Annah Conwell

This was a sweet story that wasn’t your usual grumpy/sunshine trope. I enjoyed the football fan and older brothers causing hilarious moments. Overall, it was a nice romcom that was enjoyable! I also got some reading time outside on May 27th, it was a great day until about 5:30pm when the breeze went away and it got just plain hot even in the shade.

This was book four in the Sweet Peach series! Meadow’s older brothers get their own series which should be coming soon! I will look forward to that series as well. ☺️

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The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis

This was a great read. I may have to read it a few times to really grasp the second half. I got caught up in chapter 3 – “Divine Goodness” – and read that chapter a few times. The book was a bit more intellectually challenging overall and especially toward the end, I got lost for a time because at this point in Lewis life, he brings in evolution and I don’t see how that’s compatible with Christianity so I had to filter through that specifically.

In a few words, this work by CS Lewis is insightful, convicting and worth rereading.

His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible.

CS Lewis

Our design is a less formidable one: it is only to discover how, perceiving a suffering world, and being assured, on quite different grounds, that God is good, we are to conceive that goodness and that suffering without contradiction.

CS Lewis

The real trouble is that ‘kindness’ is a quality fatally easy to attribute to ourselves on quite inadequate grounds.

CS Lewis

Those who would like the God of Scripture to be more purely ethical, do not know what they ask.

CS Lewis

If the thing we like doing is, in fact, the thing God wants us to do, yet that is not our reason for doing it; it remains a mere happy coincidence.

CS Lewis

For you will vertically carry out God’s purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John.

CS Lewis

You will remember that in the parable, the saved go to a place prepared for them, while the damned go to a place never made for men at all.

CS Lewis

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
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Matthew 25:34,41

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The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis

Book three in the Chronicles of Narnia! It was okay, but not my favorite read so far… hence why it took me so long to read a short book like this.

Onto Prince Caspian!

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Checked Impressions by Carolyn Miller

I enjoyed this book better than the first two books in the series. With some series, it’s like the following books aren’t as good as the first, but this series gets better with every additional book.

Full of awkward encounters, I can relate.

This was book three in the Original Six series.

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Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you read in May in the comments!