Reviews by Iola's Christian Reads
Read Iola's Christian Reads's Blog Follow Iola's Christian Reads on Twitter
The House that Love Built
On 4/17 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: The cover picture is of a couple embracing. The title is The House that Love Built (awww, everyone sigh!). The author, Beth Wiseman, is better known for her Amish novels (I'm not a fan of Amish fiction). So is this going to be a saccharine depiction of small-town Americana, or something more? Brooke ... Solid Romance with some Christian elements
The Survivor
On 3/17 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: TV reporter-turned crime novelist Kariss Walker is approached by Dr Amy Garrett, the victim of a brutal childhood assault in which the culprit was never caught. Amy wants her story told, and asks Kariss to write it. In her personal life, Karris is recovering from having broken off her relationship with ... Solid Sequel to The Chase
Right Where I Belong
On 2/10 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: This is the third and final book in Krista McGee’s series for teenage girls (following First Date and Starring Me), and I’ve enjoyed all of them (even though I’m a more than a little out of the target age range). They are well-written, with interesting characters and a solid Christian message. ... Good Christian YA
Secretly Smitten
On 1/6 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: The Smitten collection from bestselling Christian authors Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt and Denise Hunter is about finding love in the small town of Smitten, the self-proclaimed romance capital of America, , Vermont. Secretly Smitten is set in the same town, but with a different set of ... More Stories from the Romance Capital
Sneak
On 12/16 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: Sneak follows Logan Langley in his search for his sister, Lily, after she disappeared during her Pledge five years ago. In Swipe, the first book in this series, Logan is coming up to the age where he must Pledge and receive the Mark. But he is drawn into the world of the Markless and the Dust and, with ... Excellent Sequel to Swipe
If We Survive
On 11/21 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: If We Survive is the story of four teenagers in the fictional Central American country of Costa Verdes, on a mission trip to rebuild a school, destroyed by the volcanoes. Nicki Wilson, Jim Nolan, Meredith Ward and Will Peterson, supervised by Pastor Ron, have finished their week in the village and are ... Excellent YA Novel
Through Rushing Water
On 9/23 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: When twenty-eight year old Sophia Makinoff doesn’t receive the marriage proposal she expected, she volunteers as a teacher for the Board of Foreign Missions, expecting to be sent to China. Instead, she is assigned to the Ponca Agency in the Dakota Territory, where she finds extremely primitive conditions ... Historical Fiction at its Best
A Path Toward Love
On 8/20 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: Katherine Osborne inherited the Osborne Citrus Groves near Buena Vista, Florida from her husband two years ago, and is now struggling to keep the business from bankruptcy. Her father visits and offers to loan her money on the condition that she returns to the upscale family camp in New York for the summer ... Enjoyable Christian Historical
The Scent of Rain
On 7/29 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: Daphne Sweeten has just completed training to be a ‘nose’ in the perfume industry, and has returned home to marry before starting a new life and a new perfume formulation job in Dayton, Ohio. But fiancé Mark Goldsmith doesn’t show up for the wedding, and she later finds out that he has abandoned ... A Relaxing Read
Starring Me
On 7/16 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: Kara McKormick and Addy Davidson were roommates on The Book of Love, a reality TV show searching for a prom date for the son of the President of the United States. Neither girl won the date, but Addy won the boy. Now Kara has been asked to audition for the female co-host of a new teen TV show. She gets ... Entertaining Sequel
Crazy Dangerous
On 6/25 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: Crazy Dangerous first caught my attention as a review title because of the name – the juxtaposition of words reminded me of Hideous Kinky, the movie starring Kate Winslet, where the two girls combined words to come up with strange combinations. Crazy Dangerous fit the bill. The opening line also caught ... Do right. Fear nothing.
Eyes of Justice (Int'l)
On 4/4 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: The Triple Threat Club is back. Cassidy Shaw, Allison Pierce and Nicole Hedges met in their exclusive Portland high school, but only became close friends six years ago at their ten-year reunion, when they realised they all worked in different aspects of law enforcement, Cassidy as a TV reporter on the ... Thrilling, suspenseful... what else do you want to know?
Dawn Comes Early
On 3/11 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: It is 1895 and 29-year-old author Kate Tenney has arrived in the tiny town of Cactus Patch, Arizona, having left her home city of Boston after one of her dime novels was banned for indecency. She has answered an advertisement seeking professional woman to be ‘heiress’ to the Last Chance Ranch, owned ... First in a new series
First Date
On 2/28 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: Addy Davidson has been chosen as the representative for her school in the new TV reality show, The Book of Love, with the prize being a date to the senior prom with Jonathon Jackson – the son of the President of the United States. Addy is an orphan, bought up by her Uncle Mike, and although she is ... Enjoyable Young Adult novel
Beyond Molasses Creek
On 2/23 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: Beyond Molasses Creek is told in the first person, present tense, with changing narrators, and this meant I found it extremely difficult to get into the book. I don’t mind a third-person novel changing between two storylines, but I find two first-person narrators annoying, and I don’t usually like ... Bittersweet Saga of Love and Loss
Heart of Ice (trade paper)
On 1/8 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: Elizabeth is a sociopath who likes to lie, steal and manipulate others. It makes her feel strong and powerful, like she felt when she had Sara's house burnt down. Sara deserved to be punished. Joey Decicco loves lighting fires, so when Elizabeth pays him to light a fire at a house, he is happy to oblige. ... Excellent Thriller
Smitten
On 12/6 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: The main employer in Smitten, Vermont, is closing down, leaving a town full of peple wondering about their futures in a beauty spot none want to leave. Four friends come up with the idea of trading on the town's name, and turning it into a romantic getaway destination for honeymooners and couples. But ... Feel Good Romance Collection
Nick of Time
On 11/14 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: My husband doesn't like me reading Bug Man novels, because I have a tendency to laugh at the outlandish things Nick Polchak says, in much the same way as I laugh at Sheldon or Raj off The Big Bang Theory on TV. Nick is a combination of the two characters in that he is extremely intelligent, has a rare ... Nick is back - and getting married...
Lonestar Angel
On 10/24 Iola's Christian Reads wrote: I really enjoyed Lonestar Angel. What I liked best was how an extremely difficult event (the kidnapping and loss of a child, followed by their separation) led both Clay and Eden to become Christians and to grow as people without becoming bitter, despite their great loss. This meant that when they met ... Will Clay and Eden find their daughter?