The One I Didn't Expect by Sara R. Turnquist Review

 

The One I Didn't Expect by Sara R. Turnquist is a wonderful conclusion to the Fox Grove series. Each book in this series focuses on one of three friends, their upcoming ten-year high school reunion, and their potential love interests. We are introduced to all three of the friends in the first book mainly through the FMC, Tilly, texting them as she plans the reunion. In the second book we got Gracelyn's story. And now, we finally got to read Jo's story. 

Jo is in vet school down in Florida and has been keeping to herself the fact that she is struggling with her studies and her clinicals. She is not sure what her future looks like, but for now she wants to head to her ten-year class reunion. However, she doesn't have a way to get there because she doesn't have a vehicle. Enter our MMC, Ethan, brother of Tilly, Zoo Educator, and guy with a secret crush on Jo since they were in school. He happens to be on his way home from a zoological conference down in Florida, so he agrees to bring her back to Fox Grove in time for the reunion. 

Or, at least they hope they will be in time. Things keep happening that delay them, causing them to be in close proximity for even longer than they had planned. And they hadn't gotten off to the greatest of starts when he arrived to pick Jo up. I loved watching their relationship evolve as they dealt with the delays and they spent more time together. There was humor but also some serious discussion going on, and dealing with struggles, anger, and grief. . 

I loved this quote: "So much of life is outside of our control and pulls us forward whether we like it or not. Why not take some joy when and where it comes?"

And I loved seeing faith play an important role in their lives and learning to trust God.

All in all, this was a great book, though I really wish there was another book upcoming so we could see more of these three couples, how their relationships are developing, plus more of their other friends and family members. I do wish some things had been wrapped up a bit more as well. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Fatal Finale by Nancy Mehl Review

Fatal Finale was an awesome conclusion to Nancy Mehl's Erin Delaney Mysteries series. I loved the way it came full circle back to her original Kaely Quinn Profiler series, as that is my favorite series of hers, the series where we first become acquainted with Kaely Quinn and her unique way of profiling a murderer. 

I love that Erin is friends with Kaely in this series and that Kaely isn't just a side character. This story is told from multiple characters' points of view, including side characters and the bad guy. I love being able to get in the head of the criminal and see where he's coming from. Usually this adds to the suspense for me, but with this book I found that it lessened the suspense, and I really started having sympathy for this character, even though he had kidnapped Kaely and had given Erin six days to find her before he kills her. 

Against the kidnapper's warning, Erin is working with the police chief, who she might just being admitting to herself she has feelings for, and Kaely's husband Noah, who happens to be an FBI agent. They were actually confused on how the kidnapped expected Erin to keep this information from the police and FBI to work alone when the police and FBI are so close to this case. 

I enjoyed reading each of the clues that the kidnapper gave to Erin and watching them try to decipher them as quickly as possible. Having the countdown did give this story a decent amount of suspense, but it definitely wasn't very intense. The reader learns a lot from the bad guy before the good guys have a chance to figure it out, and we know his identity quite quickly plus we know what his motive is. Even though it wasn't over-the-top suspenseful, I still could not put this book down and finished it in about a day. I needed to know how Kaely would be saved and what would happen to the kidnapper. There was also concern for the side characters that were introduced. 

Faith in God is a huge part of this story. I appreciate the way the characters lean on Him, pray to Him, trust in Him, share Scripture, and talk about salvation. There was an aspect that seemed a bit controversial until the truth of what was happening was revealed. 

I enjoyed this book more than the second book in the series, though I again felt that there were mistakes that should have been caught in editing. 

All in all, I loved this book and this series and can't wait to read more from this author. I was so excited when this book arrived at the library I just had to set the other book aside that I was reading. 

 

Friday Fun - October 2, 2026

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: First Line Friday, Friday Book Snippets, and Book Blogger Hop.

This week I have one book to share with you.

I started an eARC of The One I Didn't Expect by Sara R Turnquist. This is the third and final book of the Fox Grove series and it releases next week, on October 6th.

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my First Line Friday selection:

The One I Didn't Expect by Sara R. Turnquist:

"Josephine Mercer looked at the clock for the millionth time. . . when would the day end?"

I wondered if she was just having a bad day or if she had special plans at the end of her busy day.

Friday Book Snippets    

 

Friday Book Snippets is the new weekly blog party that has combined Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday56. Participants can link up at either Bemused & Bookish with Olivia or Head Full of Books with Anne. Here are the instructions:

Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a) the book's opening and b) page 56 (or another page) from the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.

Here are my selections from page 56 or 56% of the way through the book:

The One I Didn't Expect by Sara R. Turnquist:

"'Traffic app?'

He glanced at her quickly. 'I mean. . . map app. Don't you have an app for directions?'

She shook her head, somewhat sheepishly.

'How do you find anything when you're driving?' He hated the frustration that seeped into his tone.

'I don't have a car,' she bit back just as forcefully.'"

Book Blogger Hop.

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Billy over at Ranblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer. The hop occurs weekly, starting on Friday and ending the following Thursday, featuring a specific book-related prompt each week. The main goal is to connect bloggers, encouraging them to follow each other, discover new titles, and grow their audience.

This week's question is: As a book lover, what's your biggest fear?

My answer: That there is no way I am going to ever get to all the books I want to read. 

And now it is time to share my current Reviews:

 

Last week I shared about two books. I haven't finished the one, but here is the review for the other:

The Accident by A.M. Heath

A few weeks ago I shared about the newest book in the Painted Wind series, here is that review:

Song of the Khan by J.J. Fischer

Song of the Khan by J.J. Fischer Review

 

Song of the Khan by J.J. Fischer is an awesome third book of the Painted Wind series. I had a bit of trouble getting into it at first, but that was only because I was struggling to remember who everybody was, where we had left them all at the end of the last book, and what exactly was going on. As I continued in the story, my memory was constantly being jogged and I was sucked deeper into the world of the twin kingdoms. 

The story is told from multiple points of view, the main ones being Rigan and Corcoran, and Isel and Soren. There are so many awesome characters surrounding the main characters, plus downright evil and traitorous characters trying to bring them down on multiple fronts. 

The story has grown darker, starting with the first chapter, and it continued to grow darker still. There is war and prophecy, death and new life, and faith in the Divine Will. There are the two main love stories, plus other couples and families who become beloved as well. There are creatures of evil and of good. Plus fantastical fantasy creatures that come to the aid of our heroes. Including one that I didn't quite see coming until it was revealed and then I was like, oh yeah, that makes sense. Let's just say, this series has everything that I love in a fantasy story. 

I am very curious about how the author is planning on working out this huge prophecy. There are biblical connections that have me a bit confused and maybe a tiny bit concerned with how she might be playing it out. And reading the prophecy it sure seems like there is going to be some heartbreak in the characters' future, which means there will be the need for tissues in the next book. I'm very much looking forward to the fourth and final book of the series, but I have a bit of trepidation as well.

I highly recommend this book, along with the rest of the series. And yes, you really do need to read this series in order.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. There are my own honest thoughts.

The Accident by A.M. Heath Review

 

The Accident by A.M. Heath is cute yet cautionary short novella written completely in text messages and journal entries. I thought this was such a unique idea and was very well done. Who would think you could tell a story successfully this way. But A.M. Heath did it. 

The story starts off with a text message from Chris to Danielle. Only he had texted the wrong person, a complete stranger, by mistake. And to make it even more complicated, it wasn't Danielle who answered the text. It was her teenaged daughter Ashlyn. Danielle wasn't well, and didn't notice that her daughter had been texting back and forth with this stranger. Thankfully this is not a suspense story (seeing as I could definitely see things heading south in a suspense story), and we see the texts going back and forth between Chris and Ashlyn, plus we see Ashlyn's journal entries which help to expand upon the story, with her feelings, with events that are happening, the struggles she is dealing with. 

The reader can see that their conversations are innocent, but woo-ee, watch out when the truth comes to light and Danielle realizes that her daughter was been texting a stranger. And when Chris realizes he's been texting a teenager thinking he was talking with an adult.Then things become even more interesting and complicated because Danielle is the one texting Chris and we get to see her point of view, and are only seeing Ashlyn's thoughts through the journal entries. 

I love how biblical truths are woven into this story, along with warnings when it comes to social media safety. 

This story was a quick read. I started it in the afternoon and finished it the next morning. Definitely a unique story and one I recommend. 

Friday Fun - September 25, 2026

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: First Line Friday, Friday Book Snippets, and Book Blogger Hop.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I read The Accident by A.M. Heath

I'm starting The Marquess's Masked Archer by Abbey Downey. This is the first book in her Headliners and Heartstrings series.

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my First Line Friday selections:

The Accident by A.M. Heath:

"Chris 6:03pm:

I've been in a car accident."

Oh no, that's not good. At least Chris is able to text though.

 The Marquess's Masked Archer by Abbey Downey:

"Another summer on the island meant another round of unwanted suitors being paraded in front of her."

Didn't sound like she was looking forward to the summer.

Friday Book Snippets    

 

Friday Book Snippets is the new weekly blog party that has combined Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday56. Participants can link up at either Bemused & Bookish with Olivia or Head Full of Books with Anne. Here are the instructions:

Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a) the book's opening and b) page 56 (or another page) from the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.

Here are my selections from page 56 or 56% of the way through the book:

The Accident by A.M. Heath:

"Her actions deserve punishment (not on my account, mind you. I'm not bothered by her lying to me. But it's her ongoing relationship with a virtual stranger that scares us both and deserves the focus), but not your wrath. Not your silent treatment."

The Marquess's Masked Archer by Abbey Downey:

"A twinkly lit his eyes, and Sylvie had the distinct impression he was talking in riddles on purpose. But rather than feeling put out about it, an intoxicating lightness filled her chest, and an answering smile crept across her lips."

Book Blogger Hop.

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Billy over at Ranblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer. The hop occurs weekly, starting on Friday and ending the following Thursday, featuring a specific book-related prompt each week. The main goal is to connect bloggers, encouraging them to follow each other, discover new titles, and grow their audience.

This week's question is: What's the best investment you've made for your blog.

My answer: Really, the only investment I've made it my time. Which is probably why I'm not a successful blogger.

And now it is time to share my current Reviews:

 

Last week I shared about three book. I had finished my reviews for two of them last week, but I forgot to link them. Oops. I also finished the third book. So, here are my reviews, with the links this time.

Murder Goes Flying by Malissa Chapin

Watched by Jerusha Agen

Deadly Schemes by Penny Zeller

Also, I finished a book that I shared about several weeks ago. Here is that review:

Everlasting Love by Latisha Sexton

Everlasting Love by Latisha Sexton Review

 

Oh my goodness, what an emotional read. So many tears, for multiple reasons. Everlasting Love by Latisha Sexton is an awesome book. It is the sequel to Neverending Mercy which released back in 2023. I wish I would have been able to have had time to re-read the first book again so I could remember more details, but I definitely got the gist of the first story as I read this new book. It jogged my memory just enough to remember who everyone was and what had happened. I do have plans on rereading both books so I can remember the details. I'm just not sure when I will get to that. However, definitely a series that warrants a reread. 

Before I continue, just a warning, some of what I write will give spoilers for the first book.

Everlasting Love features Nora, who was just a child in the first book, and Kip, her best friend since they were kids. In fact, the story begins from her point of view when she was just ten years old. Her birth mother, Haley, was one of the main characters in the first book, along with her adoptive parents, Ruth and Crosby. Sadly, her mother had passed away, but she had written letters for Nora to open and read every year on her birthday. 

The story alternates between Nora's child/teen years and present day, plus we also get to see the story from Kip's point of view, also from the past and present. Additionally, we have the past and present point of view of one other person, who I will not disclose, but we also get to learn more about Haley through this person's point of view.

Nora has spent years with a deep desire to know who her birth father is. With each birthday letter her hopes would raise just to be dashed. She wondered if her mother would ever tell her who he was, or if she even knew. Having lost a mother at such a young age, and never knowing her father, she felt a sense of abandonment which also made it hard for her to stay in a relationship. Which was fine with Kip, because he was desperate to let her know that he saw her as much more than just a best friend. Will he ever succeed in getting up the courage to tell her? And what will her response be? 

I was so invested in this story, in the search for Nora's birth father, in Kip's desire to be more than just a best friend, in seeing their relationship grow but wondering if they would ever go beyond just friends. I zinged through the last half of the book, needing to find answers. And boy were tissues needed. And just for the record, I am not one that cries easily when reading a book.

Faith in God was a huge part of the characters' lives. There was the reminder of His love and forgiveness and mercy. The power He has to change the lives of those who trust in Him. I really loved this passage:

"'Listen, even if those relationships were a mistake, you have to trust that God used them to help you grow. When we fail to do what God wants for us, all we can do is ask forgiveness, then take what we learned from that and move on. When He forgives, He doesn't hold a record. So we shouldn't either. Otherwise, we'd stay bogged down by our past sins and failures instead of moving on to what God is calling us to do next.'"

So, yes, this was an awesome book and one that I highly recommend. You really do need to read Neverending Mercy first to understand the relationships though. And yes, I highly recommend that book as well. As much as I loved that book, I loved this one even more. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.