A Chance for Kallie Mae by Ann H. Gabhart

A Chance for Kallie Mae
by Ann H. Gabhart

ISBN-13: 9780800746278
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: May 19, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Kallie Mae Bertram has harbored two dreams since childhood: to learn to read and to one day marry Quinn Spencer. But her first dream slipped away when her little sister died of a fever and her mother passed in childbirth. Kallie promised to care for the baby and her younger brother, which meant putting aside her own desires in order to keep her family together. But then a moonlight school for adults offers Kallie hope of finally fulfilling that dream.

After Kallie's father forbids her from seeing Quinn, her second dream seems impossible until her frantic search through the woods for her missing sister leads to an unexpected encounter with Quinn--their first meeting in six years. The love they shared as children burns stronger than ever, awakening hopes Kallie thought were forever buried. But with their families locked in a bitter feud, following her heart could cost Kallie everything she's worked to protect.


My Review:
A Chance for Kallie Mae is a Christian romance set in 1911 in the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky. The main characters were interesting, well-developed, and complex. I cared about what happened to them. Things started slow with each point-of-view character thinking about the past and how things got to this point, but then the characters had more interactions and things started moving forward.

Kallie and Quinn lived on land right next to each other, yet their fathers each held a deep grudge against the other's family. A brother of each couldn't go to school without finding a reason to fight, but their sisters liked playing together. Kallie and Quinn admired each other and want to marry, but they'd be disowned at best, forbidden to see family again. Each family depended on their labor to function. On the other hand, Kallie's father was pushing her to marry a crude, disrespectful man and her father was courting a widow, so things were going to change.

Kallie and Quinn prayed for a school when young, but it came too late for them. Now they finally had a chance to go to school when the Moonlight School for adults was offered by the new teacher. They saw each other at school and sneaked off to see each other at home, but neither was sure how to create a future together. An older neighbor lady encouraged them to seek God's help. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this nice historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

In Pursuit of Civility by Jennifer Turano

In Pursuit of Civility
by Jennifer Turano

ISBN-13: 9780764243868
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: April 21, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Annaliese Merriweather has been appointed the temporary headmistress of the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies while her sister is on her honeymoon, but she doesn't feel cut out for the role. Especially after she loses two of her most troublesome students during an outing to a county fair and has to recruit the help of Seth McCormick, an eccentric inventor, to retrieve them.

Soon after, one of those mischievous students disappears again, intent on pursuing a pirate map. Together, Annaliese and Seth set out to find her, accompanied by a menagerie of Annaliese's rescued animal companions. As they stumble from one chaotic situation to the next, sparks fly between Annaliese and Seth.


My Review:
In Pursuit of Civility is a romance set in 1885 in Chicago. This has the typical quirky characters that stand out from the crowd, and I did enjoy Seth. He's thoughtful and paid attention to what Annaliese said, giving her a spiders, for example, rather than a more typical gift. And this won her heart. They're both clearly in love with each other before halfway through, and the only thing holding up a wedding is that Annaliese is worried Seth wants a traditional wife. Just ask him, girl, as it's not like he acts like he's interested in traditional women!

My major problem with this book was the author avoided writing action scenes as much as possible, so little happened "on screen." It's people talking about what's going on, repeating what was just said (maybe even just a sentence ago), or talking about the funny action that just happened "off screen." Wordy, wordy, wordy, and instead of witty it just got tedious.

I also found Annaliese exasperating rather than funny. She meant well but she so often caused the problem she was trying to solve. Like taking 13-year-old girls to a fair (not known as a place for high manners) to practice their manners. Or allowing a 13-year-old who ran away to go treasure hunting (a reward) instead of going home with an adult. Or being willing to pay animal abusers a huge amount of money to acquire their animals when those people would just use that money to buy more animals, thus feeding the trade she's trying to stop. I just couldn't respect her.

The missing aunt prayed to God for rescue, and Annaliese's group "just happened" to learn her whereabouts, which she attributes to answered prayer. There was no sex or bad language. This is the last Jennifer Turano for me. I needed a laugh, but this wasn't it.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Where We Belong by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Where We Belong
by Kim Vogel Sawyer

ISBN-13: 9780593600856
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook
Released: April 21, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
The life of Hester Haak, a widow with no children of her own, takes an unexpected turn when she opens her Kansas home to children from the bustling streets of New York City. The orphan asylum has entrusted her with two sisters and a young boy, and Hester is determined to provide a safe and loving environment for them. Despite the looming uncertainty of their stay, she rises to the challenge, embracing the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.

Meanwhile, Callum Holbrook is grappling with the loss of his wife and the despair that followed. Unable to provide for his family, he made the heart-wrenching decision to place his daughters in an orphanage, promising it was only temporary. Now, with a stable job and a renewed sense of purpose, Callum is horrified to learn that his daughters have been sent halfway across the country. Fueled by determination and love, he embarks on the difficult journey to bring them back.

Through their struggles and triumphs, Hester and Callum discover that family and love can be found in the most surprising places—and that the journey home is paved with hope.


My Review:
Where We Belong is a Christian historical set in 1931 Kansas. Hester's a widow running a store in a small town with an illiterate, elderly man helping her. She longs for children of her own and hears that an orphan train is stopping nearly, so she goes intending to adopt a school age girl. Though she lives in a small, 1 bedroom house, she bafflingly doesn't figure out where she's going to put this child let alone the three children that she returns with. (Luckily, her helper is handy at carpentry as, by the end, there are 8 people living in that house.)

Callum goes to get his two girls from the orphanage only to learn that it has closed down and his girls were sent out on an orphan train. It's his fault: they tried to contact him, but when he never responded or came to visit, they had to assume he was dead or didn't want the girls. He has to find the money to go after them, but even then, how can he leave the best job he's going to get during these hard economic times?

Hester and Callum don't even meet for over half of the book, so it's not really a romance. Most of the story was about Hester trying to raise her new children. Callum's eldest is determined to return to New York City to find her father. Hester's patience and love and the friendships formed with time cause the children to form ties locally. Callum can see that Hester loves the children, but his life is in NYC. She appreciates that he's kind, hardworking, and good with the children.

Several Christian characters helped Callum and his eldest daughter find their relationship with God again and trust Him with their future. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Retribution in the Mountains by Jodie Bailey

Retribution in the Mountains
by Jodie Bailey

ISBN-13: 9781335957726
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: April 28, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When a planted bomb detonates in her car, former army investigator Melanie Shaw knows that her witness protection cover has been compromised. Suspecting that this was an inside job, she turns to the only person she can trust: her former love, Elliott Weiss--the man she once mistakenly accused of a crime. Despite their rocky history, Elliott agrees to help her, especially when it becomes clear there’s a target on his back too. But when secrets from the past are exposed and an old enemy reappears bent on revenge, one wrong move could be their last.


My Review:
Retribution in the Mountains is a Christian romantic suspense. It's the 4th book in the series, but it can be read as a stand alone. Melanie went undercover as an investigator in Elliott's army unit after he reported accounting discrepancies. Everyone's a suspect, including Elliott since all the evidence pointed at him. Having gotten to know and care for him, she kept searching until she uncovered the true criminal. But she's now hunted by the group the criminal was a part of. When her witness protection is blown, she not sure whom to trust but heads for the man she still loves.

Due to the investigation being confidential, Elliott didn't know why the woman he loved just disappeared after he was accused. He believed the worst of Melanie. If the assassins weren't targeting him, too, he'd be reluctant to get involved with her again. While she still couldn't tell him the truth, he began to realize he's made some wrong assumptions. Despite this huge hurt between them, they worked well together. The main characters were likable and reacted realistically to events.

Melanie learned what becoming a new person in Christ is like because she had to become a new person in witness protection. Elliott fought to be in control and not need any help, but circumstances made him physically vulnerable when he wanted to be enough protection for Melanie. He had to ask for help--first, in prayer to God, and then from his investigative team. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romantic suspense.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Lumber Baron's Wife by Lynn Austin

The Lumber Baron's Wife
by Lynn Austin

ISBN-13: 9781496476388
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
Released: April 14, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
1873. After a devastating loss, Hannah Wagner never imagined she’d leave her comfortable home for the harsh, unfamiliar wilderness near Lake Michigan. But when Henry Abernathy, a friend of her husband, John, offers them a fresh start in a booming lumber town, where John’s skills as a doctor are sorely needed, Hannah reluctantly agrees. There, she meets Kate Abernathy, Henry’s spirited, much younger wife. Kate’s sharp tongue and outsider status have made her unwelcome among the town’s elite, and when she begins confiding in Hannah, it’s clear her marriage is not what it seems and that a secret from her past could destroy everything.

Present day. Ashley Gilbert never planned to settle in Michigan, but when her husband lands his dream job as a conservationist, she agrees to follow. While restoring their historic home—built in the 19th-century for a doctor and his wife—Ashley becomes captivated by its past and its connection to the nearby Abernathy mansion, now being transformed into a museum. While volunteering with the restoration, she stumbles upon the unsolved mystery of Kate Abernathy’s disappearance.


My Review:
The Lumber Baron's Wife is a split-time Christian fiction. In present day, Ashley moved so that her husband could have his dream job but lost her dream job in the process. The move highlighted all of the differences between Ashley and her husband, like she wanted to buy the well-kept 150-year-old house and he wanted a brand new build. When Ashley got pregnant, her husband pressured her to get an abortion because finances were tight and he didn't want kids yet. Even though they knew a couple who wanted to adopt a baby, the conflict was framed as: have an abortion or raise the baby themselves. Though likable, the two had such different interests that I wondered why they even got married.

In 1873-1875, Hannah's 3 young children died when their doctor father unintentionally exposed them to diphtheria. Afterward, few people wanted him as a doctor since he couldn't save his own children. (The death toll from diphtheria is higher in young children and in crowded, unsanitary, and malnourished situations. About 9 out of 100 symptomatic cases were fatal, and the bad epidemic in 1878 in Geneva had a mortality rate of 1.9 out of every 10 cases. So it would be disturbing that a well-to-do doctor lost all 3 of his children.) A lumber-baron friend asked the doctor to relocate to a booming lumber town, and they accepted to get a fresh start. Hannah's forced by events to get more involved with life again, including befriending the lumber baron's young, wild wife, Kate.

We get Kate's diary and so see how she struggled with becoming a 'proper' wealthy wife and her disbelief that God would just forgive her if she asked. She tried to earn His forgiveness. She recorded what happened to her in the diary, so Ashley's solving of the mystery was a matter of finding the diary.

The characters were complex, realistic people. Vivid historical and setting details were woven into the story, creating a distinct sense of the time and place. Hannah had to deal with her anger at God. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

When the Wolves Are Silent by C. S. Harris

When the Wolves Are Silent
by C. S. Harris

ISBN-13: 9780593953891
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: April 14, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
London, 1816: When a notorious young aristocrat is burned alive on a windswept hill popular with neo-Druids, former cavalry officer Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, finds himself plunged into a murder investigation shadowed by tales of ancient human sacrifices and long-buried secrets.

The victim, Marcus Toole, was the only son and heir of a prominent nobleman. His closest friend—Sebastian’s own nephew, Bayard—claims to have passed out drunk before the attack and remembers nothing. But when Sebastian and his brilliant wife, Hero, delve deeper into the sordid activities of Bayard and his friends, they come to realize that Bayard may not be as innocent as he pretends. Following a tangled trail that leads from a disaffected former soldier-turned-highwayman to a courageous journalist and a Jamaican-born fencing master with ties to a radical political movement, Sebastian begins to suspect that Bayard and his friends are being targeting in revenge, by victims who believe they have no other recourse.

Then two more of Bayard’s friends are killed, their murders staged to echo the ritual sacrifices of the ancient Celts. With the palace shaken by the fear of riots and one horrifying death following another, Sebastian must race to stop a ruthless plot that threatens the lives of innocents and could rip his troubled nation apart.


My Review:
When the Wolves Are Silent is a mystery set in 1816 in London. This book is the 21th in a series, but you can understand it without having read the previous novels. Interesting historical information was woven into the story without slowing the pacing. Vivid details created a distinct feeling of that specific time and place and helped bring the story alive in my imagination.

The characters were interesting, complex, and acted in realistic ways. Sebastian questioned suspects and witnesses, and Hero also helped gather information by questioning some people. Sebastian tracked down leads, coming up with a lot of potential motives before finally narrowing things down. However, I'm still not quite sure how Sebastian became so certain of whodunit, but he promptly acted to save the next victim even as they're attacked, which rather confirmed it.

There were no sex scenes. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Manhattan Confessions by Jocelyn Green

The Manhattan Confessions
by Jocelyn Green

ISBN-13: 9780764239656
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: April 7, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Ivy Malone, the New-York Historical Society's librarian, is dedicated to preserving Manhattan's rich history, but when society grand dame Adeline King anonymously reveals her shocking life story, Ivy finds herself holding a highly coveted secret. Burdened with the responsibility of keeping Adeline's identity hidden, Ivy finds the matter increasingly complicated when two men claim ties to the elderly woman--one of them accusing Adeline of involvement in a crime.

Another dilemma brews when Ivy's cousin, Gina, is detained at Ellis Island for lack of proper documentation. Hoping an immigration service can resolve the misunderstanding, Ivy employs their help but is instead thrust into a dangerous world. With time running out, she must unravel the tangle of secrets that bind Adeline's past, Gina's freedom, and her own safety. How far is she willing to go to protect those she loves?


My Review:
The Manhattan Confessions is a Christian romance set in 1926 in New York City. It's the 3rd in a series but works as a stand-alone. Ivy lost her family when she was young, so she idealized family and was constantly looking for people to fill that void and provide her with an assurance she won't be abandoned again. Tom was dealing with lasting trauma from his war experiences. Tom protected Ivy against danger. Ivy's drawn to Tom's kindness toward others. Ivy and Tom built each other up and supported each other.

The main characters were well-developed and engaging. Interesting historical details were woven into the story, mostly about how some people were taking advantage of poor immigrants. I anticipated some of the "twists" but enjoyed the story. I was disappointed by the ending, though: Ivy's told by her friends that doing something sounded like a bad idea but she did it anyway, then she realized the "lure" wasn't genuine and she might now be vulnerable to the bad guys, yet she STILL decided to go off by herself to a dark area (where the bad guy had been waiting for some time). It felt forced: make the heroine act foolishly so the hero could come to her rescue! Then, in the epilogue, we have very pregnant (about to give birth) women skating! Why make heroines randomly throw all sense out the window? (My mother lost a baby due to a short fall, so maybe I'm extra sensitive about this.)

By the end of the story, Ivy realized that God was what she was looking for in human family. He'll never leave her. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.