Book Notes: September 29, 2021 - Leah Atwood Part 5

 Welcome back for the final installment of my reviews of Christian indie author, Leah Atwood's, work. I have truly enjoyed reading Leah's romance novels, novellas, and short stories. It's refreshing to see an author promise something to their readers which is taken so much for granted in our busy world. The power of reading a book which isn't composed entirely of the heaviness of life, which leaves you feeling like you can breathe when you've completed it -- the power of a comfortable, natural smile -- is certainly a strong one. 

The first two reviews come from Leah's Jasper Lake series. I also decided to share a bonus book review with you from Leah's Always Faithful series. They're both contemporary inspirational romance series. Let's get to it!

Book Review: All That Glitters (Jasper Lake #3) by Leah Atwood

I actually read the fourth book in the series first. Of the four plots, it seemed the most interesting. This one was the second most interesting and I certainly enjoyed reading it. I gave it five stars, as you can see above. I've linked the photo to the book's Goodreads page if you want to check out others' reviews or find a place to purchase the book yourself.

Since this was a book I read recently, I didn't leave a review on the site, but I can promise you it was worth my time. It's always a joy to read a book with a happy ending, but even more so when the story is refreshingly clean and light. 

Though the characters' reluctance to be honest with each other about their feelings frustrated me, I could see how some might find themselves in this same struggle. It /is/ pretty scary to be honest with someone when your feelings may not be reciprocated or when your opinion may be considered offensive. No one wants to lose a good friend, after all. Still, I just kept hoping they'd go ahead and talk.

 All That Glitters was pretty well-written with characters who were varied and interesting. I love that both the hero and heroine were strong in their faith and not afraid to discuss it with others around them. They weren't pushy, though, and I admired that, too. If you're looking for a cozy story which could be read in an afternoon or two, which won't leave your stomach in knots, then this is the story for you.

Book Review: What Matters Most (Jasper Lake #4) by Leah Atwood

What Matters Most by Leah Atwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Good, Cozy Romance

This sweet romance was a great way to wind down at the end of my day. I liked the characters' backgrounds and getting to see how far the MC's had come. There were only a couple of typos/misspellings, so that was also good. And I enjoyed the strong faith and determination of both the MC's.
If you're looking for a cozy, sweet, inspirational romance, you should definitely check this one out.

View all my reviews

Hmm...I didn't have much to say about this when I wrote the review. However, I do remember enjoying this book a lot, enough to know I wanted to read more in the series. I'm slowly collecting them. So many books! So little time and money! *sigh*

 Bonus Book Review: That Was Then (Always Faithful #1) by Leah Atwood

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a military hero, especially since I know what it's like to be married to one. The plot for this story sold me almost immediately. I think anyone who serves in an elite military group in our armed forces has a more difficult time holding a marriage together. There's a ton of separations to deal with and so much adjusting to do when the spouse leaves, then again when they come back. It's certainly not easy. (Again, the photo is linked to the book's Goodreads page. Click it to check out other reviews or to find a place to purchase a copy for yourself.)

In this story, the hero didn't enlist until after his marriage broke apart. I don't usually like stories where this kind of thing happens and a second chance romance happens, but I enjoyed this one. It was easy for me to see where being young and inexperienced could lead to some serious doubts in a situation like the one we read about in this book. It was more heartbreaking than disappointing to me. 

I also like the way the story resolved at the end. The struggles in this story seemed heightened in comparison with the plots in the Jasper Lake series, at least up to this point. I can't wait to read the second book in this series. If you enjoy inspirational romance which takes place in a contemporary setting and leaves you with a smile at the end, then you'll want to give this book a try. 

This concludes my series on Leah Atwood's inspirational romance writing. Thank you so much for taking the time to check out these book reviews. I hope you'll give some of Leah's books a try. 

It was a joy to be able to share my friend's work with you. Neither she nor any other entity paid me to share my reviews and thoughts on her work. I just want to do my part to support other fellow indie authors in their hard work. 

I'm not sure whether there will be a Friday post. A couple of friends from our life in the military are coming for a visit and we can't wait to catch up with them. Whether I post on Friday or not, there  will be a book review post on the next Wednesday. I hope you'll look forward to it!

Until next time...