Disclosure: I received these books to review. The post contains affiliate links; opinions shared here are 100% mine.

If you’re sick of the romance trains I normally post about, check out The Book of Strange New Things (pictured above).  I don’t even know where to start with this one!  A tantalizing mix of sci-fi, faith, and long-distance romance, this book explores a whole new world in comparison to most of the books I review. It was amazing to travel with Peter to a futuristic place galaxies away from Earth, but the things (and people) he had to leave behind tore my heart into tiny pieces. The spiritual message presented in this book seemed confusing to me.  Although Peter went on his mission in God’s name, it seemed like he abandoned that faith in selective moments. Don’t turn the pages with frantic hopes to reconcile the difficulties in this book.  Much of the book is left to the imagination; we get a picture of what might have been yet it isn’t spelled out how everything turns out.  All that’s missing from this book is a James Horner soundtrack.

I really like the Last Chance series by Cathleen Armstrong.  In this third title, At Home In Last Chance, we get to catch up with Kaitlyn, a troubled young mother who deserted her child in search of her own happiness.  The romance in this story wasn’t really welcome to me at first. I held a grudge against Kaitlyn in the last book and, at first, I didn’t really want to get to know her in this book.  I braced myself to hear her excuses when her brother had sacrificed so much to pay for her mistakes. As I read her inner thoughts, though, my resentment started to melt away.  Kaitlyn had her troubles, but learned to make the best of her new life.  If you haven’t read the other books in this series, you might want to catch up before picking up in this third visit to Last Chance.

In Beyond All Dreams, Elizabeth Camden hits upon the old “hot yet reserved librarian” theme. Anna clings to the treasures of the past without recognizing the potential right in front of her. There was a big to-do made over regarding cultural differences in Beyond All Dreams. Just as in the story At Home In Last Chance, it was interesting to note how different social classes and geographic upbringing can impact the way a person responds to a situation. Would it be possible to connect two people who are from such different worlds? It’s a joy to find out how Elizabeth Camden worked around these plot twists.

Do you have a good book to recommend?