Sunday Post - 12/14/25

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Monday two weeks ago, we were dealing with a pretty major event that is on a private level. So I can't discuss it in detail, but it was a major stress on the week. Monday night Big Girl had pitching practice and martail arts. Tuesday, my parents came over to let me help them with some computer things. I took the kids to the dentist. All is well there. I went straight to Walmart for grocery pickup and sat there for nearly two hours. They were packed and everything was just taking forever. We ended up getting Chick-fil-a for lunch. The Big Kids had belt testing for martial arts. Wednesday was a normal day. Thursday, we went to my parent's house to help my mom decorate her Christmas tree. Friday and Saturday were pretty normal days. Last Sunday, we had fellowship meal and our church Christmas party. This past Monday was a normal day, and Big Girl had pitching practice again. Tuesday we spent the day with my parents, and the Big Kids had belt ceremony. They both passed to blue belts. We went out to Zaxby's after to celebrate their accomplishment. Wednesday was a normal school day. Wednesday night I made homemade hot chocolate and we drove around to look at Christmas lights. There's a downtown area not too far from us that does a lot of Christmas lights, so we got out and walked around downton. Thursday was finally had a home day. We did have martial arts that night. Friday, Little Boy had pajama day at school. And then we went to my parent's house to see my sister and her family for a little over an hour. Husband got pulled over for speeding on the way home. But thankfully he only got a warning. Saturday, we went to North Alabama to an annual Christmas family reunion. We had a good time there. I love December, but boy is there always a lot going on.

THE PAST TWO WEEKS

Monday 12/1: November 2025 EOM Wrap Up
Wednesday 12/3: Can't Wait for A Love Most Daring by Joanna Barker
Thursday 12/4: Review of Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, # 1) by Lynn Painter
Wednesday 12/10: Can't Wait for The Night Bus by Tessa Bickers
Friday 12/12: Homeschool Friday - Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: November 2025 EOM Wrap Up
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait Wednesday?
Thursday: Review of Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, # 1) by Lynn Painter
Friday: Homeschool Friday - Courageous World Changes

NEW BOOKS:

Firebird (The Fire that Binds, # 1)

By: Juliette Cross

Publication: April 8, 2025 by Bramble

400 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Dragons

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--DELUXE EDITION—featuring beautiful original illustrated stenciled edges with a foil case stamp, and designed endpapers!

An instant New York Times bestseller!

House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.

A conqueror captivated…
A witch prophesied to save them all…
An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.

Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role as conqueror well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.

The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he and his dragon know one thing: their bond has nothing to do with the laws of mighty Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.

Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and she is determined to fight until her dying breath. Still, she can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality…and now holds her life in his hands. Nor can she deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his. Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns, # 1)

By: Marion Blackwood

Publication: October 21, 2024 by Black Dagger Publishing

366 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Dragons, Fae, Romantasy

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A fae rebel. A ruthless dragon commander.

And a deadly trial that will turn their lives upside down.

Trapped in the Seelie Court by a forest of thorns, Selena Hale lives at the mercy of the dragon shifters. Her only chance to gain her freedom is by entering the Atonement Trials: a deadly competition that pits fae magic users against each other. Only three people can win, and Selena intends to be one of them.

There is only one problem. Draven Ryat, the ruthless commander of the dragon shifter army, is determined to make her lose.

He symbolizes everything that she hates, and if he finds out that she is also a member of the secret fae rebellion, he will not only mess with her chances to win, he will kill her. But the more time she spends with him, the more she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.

And nothing is more dangerous in a lethal trial than a distracted heart.

Especially one that beats for the enemy…

Spellcast (The Fire in the Sky, # 3)

By: Sophie Jordan

Expected Publication: July 28, 2026 by Avon

352 pages

Genre: Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dragons

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan is back with an epic romantasy set in the world of A Fire in the Sky, about a girl on the hunt for the witch who cursed her, unaware of her own dormant power…waiting to emerge.

For ten long years, Arden has been invisible, trapped in her village by a spell she cannot break. She listens to friends chatter, watches her family grieve, but can never touch, speak, or be seen. Living like a ghost among those who’ve forgotten her, she dreams of vengeance against the witch who cursed her.

Until one fateful day, her village is devoured in flame, and everything changes.

From the wreckage rises a pride of dragons that can transform into humans. Their piercing eyes slice through her curse, and for the first time in a decade, Arden can be seen.

Swept off to the Crags by the enigmatic alpha dragon, Tage, Arden is forced into a world of fire and power, where danger lurks in every shadow. Though she plots her escape at every turn, Tage’s fiery intensity and undeniable magnetism spark an unwilling response in her.

But Arden’s fate is bound to a secret she has yet to uncover, a magic older and more perilous than she could ever imagine. With war on the horizon, Arden must decide whether to trust the dragon she swore to defy, harness the wild magic around her, or risk losing everything.

Sometimes all it takes to break a curse… is to cast another spell.

The Proposition of the Season

By: Michelle Kenney

Expected Publication: HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

384 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--'How I love a story of sisters, and Michelle Kenney has conjured up four sparky modern-minded Fairfax girls. The dialogue is quick-fire, plot complex and satisfying, the men heroic and rich' Jane Dunn, Sunday Times bestselling author Perfect for Bridgerton and Jane Austen fans! Fall in love with your favourite new Regency series, with this third installment from the Fairfax family…

‘And you’ve come here today to read me a lecture in all my deplorable habits?’

‘No…’ she stalled, wracking her brain for inspiration and failing, ‘I’ve come here to ask you to marry me!’

After three disastrous seasons, bookish Josephine Fairfax believes that she is long past the age of finding her perfect fictional hero. But when her brother’s loathsome Monstrous Marriage Masterplan results in her youngest sister Matilda’s engagement to the vastly unsuitable Lord Huntingly, even she must draw the line.

Josephine may be the bluestocking sister, but she is still a Fairfax who will sacrifice anything for family, even proposing marriage to a man who may be the most dangerous gentleman in the ton…

Each book in the Fairfax Sisters series can be read as a standalone.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Courageous World Changers

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review/review for each.

Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God

By: Shirley Raye Redmond

Publication: January 7, 2020 by Harvest Kids

112 pages

Genre: Children's, Biography, Non-fiction, Christian, History

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--WINNER OF CHRISTIANITY TODAY'S 2021 BOOK AWARD FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH

Women of Fearless Faith

Meet women who have used their God-given talents to live out their faith to the fullest. They come from a variety of backgrounds, eras, and ethnicities, but each one has answered the Lord’s call on their life in bold and innovative ways.

Children of all ages will be inspired by the stories of These and the 45 other female spiritual role models featured in this book have made a profound impact on the world around them, and in many cases changed the course of history. Strong, smart, and sometimes outspoken, these women are tremendous examples of God’s love in action.

These inspiring profiles will captivate kids’ imaginations and encourage them to discover their own gifts and how they can use them to glorify God.

Courageous World Changers showcases 50 women throughout history (some still alive today) who have done amazing things in their lives, careers, missions, and the world for Christ. I liked that this list included historical figures that are quite well-known--a few of these people we've recently studied in school. But I also appreciate modern-day people still alive were featured because it reminds us that you don't have to be dead to be great. Or you might have the misconception that these important people only lived in the past. These stories remind us that anyone can be a world-changer.

Each person has a bio description of their past and their deeds for Christ and an illustrated portrait. I do wish for a photograph versus illustrations because that would have added to the idea that these were/are real people. But, some of these people may never have been photographed.

I don't remember needing to edit any theology, but I can't remember. I do have the most recently release: Courageous and Bold Bible Heroes: 50 True Stories of Daring Men and Women of God that we will read at the start of the next school year beginning in the fall.

Courageous World Changers is a great book to provide a summary of the lives of women who, throughout history, have made a big difference for Christ all over the world. This book will help inspire many that it's possible to make a difference for Christ today. Courageous World Changers gets 5 Stars. Have you read Courageous World Changers? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for The Night Bus

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

The Night Bus

By: Tessa Bickers

Expected Publication: May 19, 2026 by MIRA

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--One book. Two strangers. An unforgettable journey as they rewrite the ending.

Daisy Douglas has spent her life behind the at work, in her relationships, and now, in planning a wedding she isn’t sure she even wants. As an entertainment journalist, she can spot the start of a story a mile away. So when her routine 4 a.m. bus ride to the newsroom takes a surprising turn, she notices.

For months, the same man has boarded at the same stop, reading the same tattered copy of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando over and over as if his life depends on it. When a broken-down bus and a shared walk through the quiet early-morning London streets finally throws them together, Tom reveals the heartbreaking truth as to why he can’t be without his novel.

Determined to help him find the answer to the riddle hidden in its pages, Daisy joins Tom on his strange literary quest—one that leads them to places neither of them ever expected. But as their friendship deepens, she starts to wonder if what they’re both looking for might not be in the book after all.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Better Than the Movies - Review

Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, # 1)

By: Lynn Painter

Publication: May 4, 2021 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

356 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.

Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.

Liz's mother died when she was in thr 5th grade. Her mother loved rom-com and shared that love with Liz. Liz dresses in the same way her mother used to. She loves music, specifically she creates soundtracks in her head. She loves finding the perfect song to match what's happening in her life. She's been looking for "the one" but she's only in high school. And to make matters worse, she is grieving her mother's absence with all of the senior events of the year. To be honest, Liz was a struggle for me in the beginning of the book. I find it hard to believe in all her vast movie knowledge that she wouldn't be familiar with the idea that forcing the perfect man is unrealistic and likely not going to work out in her favor. But, she romanticizes Michael who used to live down the street but moved to TX and has recently returned even though she doesnt exactly know him well anymore.

Wes was easy to adore. He's been pulling pranks on Liz and fighting with her over the parking spot in front of their houses as they are neighbors. His pranks were pretty epic. Liz recruits him to help her have a chance with their mutual friend Michael. Wes will talk her up to Michael and Wes will get the parking spot. Through their agreement the two begin to interact more frequently. They go to some events together and talk on the phone, etc. Through these interactions Liz begins to see that Wes isn't the evil bully she always believed him to be.

The amount of interruptions these kids constantly faced was comical in an annoying way. Just about any action that was about to happen or the story was going to progress, someone was getting vomited on, smacked in the face with a basketball, or some random person like a waiter or stepmom was going to interrupt.

Liz is also terrible at communication. For one, she keeps way too much to herself. For two, she was lying constantly throughout the book to many different characters, and her lies weren't even good or well thought out. For three, she waited for everyone else to open up to her before she addressed any conflict or her own desires. Thankfully, Wes is pretty good at reading her. And thankfully Joss (her best friend) and Helena (her stepmom) were not content to avoid conflict or all of Liz's relationships would have gone down the drain.

All of that said, once I got passed my initial frustrations with Liz, I really got sucked into the story. I read until 1 am one night which is so rare. It isn't unheard of for me, and I did regret it after my son woke up at 2 am, and then my brain wouldn't shut off to be able to sleep. But I stopped right about the time of the plot climax. I knew there wasnt enough time for me to wrap up all of the conflicts and get enough sleep to not be a crazy person the next day. So I forced myself to put it down.

Favorite quotes:

-“And you think that plotting and planning and trickery is no big deal if it’s done to spark some sort of true love?”

I mean really. It amazes me how many people think they can build solid relationships upon a foundation of deceit.

-But there I was, scant feet away from Wes and his knuckles, and I almost found his habit to be… endearing? Like, he kind of looked adorable when he smiled and cracked?

I liked this because it's true. Things that might have been annoying in others or even in our partners can become cute and endearing when we are in love.

-I couldn’t take it anymore. Prom is painful. You can either stand around with your friends and talk while wearing uncomfortable tuxedos, or you can dance to [crappy] music while your friends talk about you and think they’re funny. And so much planning and money goes into this one night, but there is no way the joy derived equals the effort. Absolutely no way.”

I never went to prom. But I agree with the statement. It seems like such a waste of money for many people to only be let down by the experience. I'm sure a lot of people do have good memories of their prom experiences.

-"I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn your cheeks pink with just a word. Then I fell in love with you.”

Better Than the Movies is a young adult book so there were no spicy scenes. Only on page kissing. Language was present, but no f-words that I can remember.

I really enjoyed the story and the growth. Of course, the end result made the beginning frustrations worth it. I cant wait to dive into the next book in the series. Better Than the Movies gets 4 Stars. Have you read Better Than the Movies ? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for A Love Most Daring

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

A Love Most Daring

By: Joanna Barker

Expected Publication: March 3, 2026 by Shadow Mountain

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Regency

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From best-selling author Joanna Barker: Proper romance meets page-turning mystery in this captivating tale of danger, redemption, and love worth fighting for.

After years of whispered gossip and quiet exile in the countryside, Beatrice Lacey arrives in London determined to reclaim her life. But her resolve is shaken when she witnesses a horrific attack tied to a chilling high-profile murder case gripping the city.

Thrust into sudden danger, Beatrice finds herself under the reluctant protection of Alexander Rawlings—a brooding Bow Street officer with a guarded heart and a fierce sense of duty. Though it's clear he’d rather be chasing the killer than shielding a scandal-stained Society miss, their forced closeness begins to unravel his defenses. In the unnerving moments between danger and discovery, every sharp exchange and lingering glance fans a slow-burning connection—one neither of them expected and neither can resist.

With danger closing in and old wounds resurfacing, trust may be their only refuge—and love their most daring risk of all.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!