parklandmom's reviews
682 reviews

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1/4 (4.25 stars)
Read: August 2024
Format: Kindle e-Book 
Challenge Prompt: CNL’s 50 - “Set somewhere you’ve been” (Norway)

Book #80 of 2024

There is a lot to like about this book!
- It is set in the amazingly beautiful Norway. (I’m highly biased!). 
- The main characters have their issues but that makes them relatable. There is certainly character growth and spiritual growth. All the characters in her hometown feel like friends and I enjoy the community coming together for the art centre. There are glimpses of good friendships which is very heartwarming. 
- The growing romance between the two main characters is sweet and natural. 
- I want to know what happens to Lisa and their group of girlfriends in the remainder of the series.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) 
Read: August 2024
Format: Advanced Reader Copy via Net Galley
Challenge Prompt: EOW’s “shared/recommended often” (I was doing this before I even read it because I really like this writing team. I know I’ll be doing it even more now that I’m done!)
Book #79 of 2024

Reasons to Read this Book:

1. Let’s just cut to the obvious visual…. Check out that cover!! Sigh….. 

2. For anyone who read their first book together, you know that they are a terrific writing team. If you e ever read any of their individual books, you know how good they are. So….. Coble’s romantic suspense meets Acker’s legal suspense? Umm, YES, PLEASE!!

3. Though A.I. (artificial intelligence) admittedly creeps me out, this novel is so very timely for today. However, there can be good to come from it. Buuuuut, there can also be a whole lot of bad. The premise of this book is fascinating. Katrina, the main female character, uses her AI chatbot from work to “talk” to her late husband. Actual info, e-mails, social media, texts, etc. were all put into a chat bot to ‘become’ Jason. But, then one day, ‘he’ tells her that he was murdered! 

5. The reader will find both positive and negative personal struggles, familial situations, and issues with the main characters as well as with some minor characters. It makes them very relatable. 

6. There is a fantastic balance of intense moments and regular life. That balance always make the best suspense books by far. There is some mystery and a a treasure hunt of sorts within this story. There are clues that the female main character’s late husband had left for her. I was fully engaged in the adrenalin AND the everyday happenings throughout this book. This is a WOW novel!!

7. As someone who is more than half-Norwegian and who has travelled there twice, I truly enjoyed all the Scandinavian (predominantly Norwegian) references: meals, desserts, art, words/phrases, style, history, and various other things. This novel has prompted so many wonderful memories of my dearly missed Bestemor (Grandma), our trips there, all my family there, etc. This novel kept me in a state of “hygge” throughout….. 🥰 Norwegian heritage or not, anyone can appreciate the culture, history, and traditions that this book sprinkles out so beautifully. 

After reading that amazing novel, I personally need a Norwegian lutefisk meal with some cloudberry dessert, and then some sjokalade on bread for a snack later. And someone must send me a boat load of Freia chocolate NOW because I personally KNOW how good it is!!! (The authors only mention it about 34 times or so! Or at least it felt that way because of my cravings!). I NEED some serious Freia chocolate time as I decompress from the amazing adventure that is this novel. 

I do have ONE complaint…. 
As much as I wanted to keep swiping through my e-reader pages to learn what would happen next, I also didn’t want it to end! I felt invested in the characters and Norwegian settlement community of North Haven. Therefore, I feel I ‘deserve’ to not-so-subtly HINT that there should be a couple more books to make a series. I have minor characters already in mind who really should share their stories, too. Just sayin’….

***My appreciation for an advanced reader copy goes to Net Galley and the publisher. My review is voluntary and written in my own words.

#NETGALLEY #ITHINKIWASMURDERED #COLLEENCOBLE #RICKACKER

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️&1/4 (3.25 stars) 
Read: March 2024
Format: Kindle e-book 
Challenge Prompt: CFG’s “A Novel by an indie author”

Book #23 of 2024: I took some time to think about my review but I’m not sure it’s any clearer in my head. I have very mixed feelings about this book which is why my rating is middle-ish. 

PROS: 
- several funny moments
- quirky main character
- rescue animals
- pet dogs
- humorous awkward dates
- sweet and clean
- refreshing honesty with a woman wanting marriage and kids
- fun premise for gaining more confidence and meeting someone 
- I enjoyed how she had little prayers scattered throughout her day. 

CONS: 
- it sometimes felt high school-ish yet the main characters are adults 
- the flow felt too simple in areas
- some chapters ended rather abruptly or awkwardly 
- the quirkiness of the MC was a little overdone at times
- the premise held so much promise but it just felt a little overdone and teenager-like — left me disappointed  
- I wish her past heartbreak would have played into the story more because it added some depth.
- I wish there was more attention on her faith than just the little prayers. They would have been a good springboard to more faith content.

Review from Dec. 31, 2023

Of course, there is no way to “rate” the Bible. Five stars doesn’t begin to capture God’s beautiful words. This Bible is listed as being by “Anonymous.” I find that woefully inaccurate. It is the Word of the Lord and He used men to transcribe what was God-breathed, as the Scriptures tell us. 

I began this journey on January 28/23 after being invited to a group that is reading chronologically, the Daily Bible Podcast with Tricia and Michelle. I’m so thankful that Tricia invited me. I did make up the first 27 days along the way so I could finish with the group. 

Despite a 4-year degree from a Bible College where I majored in religion and a minor in Christian Education, writing a litany of papers, and being a Christian since age 14&1/2, I had never read *chronologically* before. I wish I had done it long ago. 

I can’t even put into words what I’ve learned, how I understand more, how I see the Bible as a whole in a new and more comprehensive way. The parallels to today are so prevalent. I encourage everybody to commit themselves to doing this for a year and you will be forever changed. 

I listened to an audio version for each day from the YouVersion app. I would read along as I listened. Sometimes I would highlight some verses on the app and make a graphic because they stood out to me. I used Bible-specific highlighters and erasable ink pens so I would not damage the pages of my NLT One Year Chronological Bible.

When I finished the day’s reading, I would highlight it on the reading printout that. Tricia and Michelle provided a link to. I alternated colours so that if I missed a day, I would use the same colour until I was back on track. That helped me to track my progress and consistency. 

Having a plan and accountability to the group kept me on track and I rarely had to catch up on a day or two. Typically any delays were caused by being away and out of routine. That is something I need to work on. I listened to the short podcast after listening and reading along. I unfortunately did miss a few of the audio podcasts but I listened to a vast majority of them. I used the LifeAudio platform for the podcasts but many different platforms were/are available. 

I now have four pages of a dog-eared, wrinkled, torn and taped printout of our daily readings that is so precious to me because of what they represent. I have the podcast “Word of the Day” written with each one and on each day within my chronological Bible. 

I enjoyed our private Facebook group—the encouragement and camaraderie there. It was such a blessing to see people joining us all throughout the year. Sometimes they jumped in where we were and sometimes they started from the beginning. It was a wonderful experience! 

We are starting again in 2024 as a group because we all wanted to. What a blessing! I’m thankful to Michelle and Tricia and all those in the group. I know we will grow again in numbers this year. Being strong in the foundation of the Holy Bible is a journey and one I am blessed to take again in 2024! All glory to God!

NOTE: There are a couple of major printing errors in my copy. Two that I remember for sure. It is this ISBN and it says 2nd edition. 

I  know I got it for a great price but it was not marked as having errors. Those couple of days have the day’s readings in the wrong order so it was a bit of a challenge when you realize it from listening to the audio and following along. I just made the corrections directly into my copy. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Read: July 2024
Format: Kindle e-Book
Challenge Prompt: ARoCF’s “features fall, harvest, or leaves” (leaves on cover and set in autumn) AND EOW’s “book you simply eat chocolate while reading it” option 

Book #66 of 2024: I always enjoy Courtney Walsh’s books. This isn’t one of my “top” faves of hers but I really liked  it. I thought the practical vs romantic aspect was really good because some are too far one way or the other. It’s more about the person and the fit than it is about “the feels.” Both are needed but it still has the be the right person and fit. 

The slow build-up was fun and worth it for them each to find the balance. One without the other just isn’t as good or complete. It needs to be chocolate and caramel. Both of value, both sweet, both good individually, but even better together. 

Side note afterthought - I don’t care for covers with blank faces at all. I’m hoping the trend will go away from illustrated because it feels YA-ish to me.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️ & 3/4 (2.75 stars)
Read: August 2024
Format: Kindle e-Book
Challenge Prompt: EOW’s “book they takes place in England, Ireland, or Scotland (read anytime in 2024) — or has a character from there” (takes place in Ireland)

Book #78 of 2024:

I felt that the story to this book was very intriguing and the potential was there for a really great book. For me, it felt flat overall, somewhat unresolved (doppelgänger issue), and the revelation at the end about the identity of her father was pretty hard to believe.  

It felt a little juvenile for twenty-something main characters. I never felt invested or moved. I felt that the potential for a great story was largely missed unfortunately. It’s a light, sweet story but just not for me.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1/4 (4.25 stars)
Read: July 2024
Format: Audible audiobook 
Narrator: Melissa Moran
Challenge Prompt: to be decided 

Book #69 of 2024: I won this audiobook by Amy Clipston from Kav’s Best Reads. I had read a couple Amish books some time ago by Amy. I admittedly like this contemporary romance genre more. 

I listened to half on the way to visit my parents. I finished it today on the way back. I really enjoyed the story a lot and I feel connected to the characters. I definitely recommend it! 

The narrator, Melissa Moran, was new to me. She was mostly good in the general stuff, main characters, and even the male characters. Her voices for a couple of the moms (minor characters) were very sing-song and overdone/exaggerated.  Sometimes she over-dramatized in other areas as well—at least for my taste. 

For the most part I was satisfied with the narration but I’m not sure if I’d listen to something again with the same narrator. 

The organ donor storyline was really interesting and I learned some things. There was also an estranged parent and bio-parent storyline that included a lot of raw emotion. I do wish there was more of a faith direction. There was no real talk of God or praying. More of a traditional worldview but no relationships with Christ. 

I rated this novel with 4+ stars and I definitely think many will really enjoy it just as I did.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Read: July 2024
Format: Kindle e-book
Challenge Prompt: CFG’s “a novel from your favourite genre” (suspense is one of my faves!)

Book #74 of 2024: I’ve been excited to read book 2 ever since I finished book 1 last spring, shortly after it was released!! This one released yesterday but I had just started another book. However, I managed to sneak it in today to end July with my favourite book of the month! It was well worth the wait but I’m SO glad the next two will be out in September and November!!

I love that this novel, and the first, have a blend and balance of the psychological thriller’s ‘twisty-bendy’ parts, personal struggles, suspense, regular/everyday things, and romance. It winds you up and gets your adrenalin going and then you have time to breathe for a while. Normal life stuff happens. I respect that because any suspense or psychological thrillers that just have that high suspense/thriller aspect all of the time become tiresome fast. There’s no build up when it’s constant. There are few normal life moments to keep it real. However, this author weaves it all together to keep the reader engaged and invested. 

Not only do we continue with Riley and her story, we learn more about Tucker’s. We see their insecurities, self-imposed guilt, doubts, attraction for one another, their grit, etc. We enjoy Riley’s kids again. We see the amazing friend that Melody is and how strong the human spirit can be under great adversity. The author points toward God and growing in our dependence on Him through all the things life can throw at us. 

This is a stellar series that keeps you on your toes but also has beautiful and thoughtful moments to appreciate equally as much. I strongly recommend this series! I’ll be purchasing the next two when they come out. While I haven’t read everything by Lisa Harris yet, I believe this is her best work!

4th book in the Extreme Measures series. Sara Sheckells is the narrator of the audiobook.