Review: The Honeymoon Express

The Honeymoon Express book cover on blue background

I'm probably not the only reader who enjoys novellas, so I'm thankful that I get to share some stellar ones I've come across lately, including The Honeymoon Express by Susanne Dietze. I've enjoyed her novellas so much that I've actually read four of them in less than a month!

Book Synopsis

Ellen, a telegrapher and jilted bride, and Nash, a mysterious frontiersman, may be total strangers, but they both need to get from New Jersey to California, fast...and the only way is to share the last ticket-for-two aboard The Honeymoon Express, a transcontinental train trip intended for honeymooners.

Neither relishes the idea of traveling amongst canoodling lovebirds, considering both of their hearts are broken beyond repair, but the guarantee of a speedy trip is worth the temporary arrangement. But once they're thrown together, they stumble into a mystery to solve before the end of the line...and perhaps the possibility of healing and love.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This was a lovely novella by Susanne Dietze that involved romance, sleuthing, and adventure. I enjoyed seeing Ellen and Nash make the most out of an awkward situation and just how well they complemented each other in their skills, temperaments, and most importantly, their Christian faith. I loved that they weren't afraid to pray and ask God for help in the midst of trying circumstances beyond their understanding and control.

The author did an incredible job in giving both main characters, along with the supporting characters, fleshed-out personalities in such a short story. Along with the suspenseful elements involved, the historical details were fun and rich to read, helping me feel like I was also riding along on The Honeymoon Express. This is a captivating story that will make you want to travel by train, especially with people as kind as Ellen and Nash.

Book Summary

Format of book: 📱
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendation: 👍

Comments

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available or you don't qualify for one 😊 Christian Publishers B&H Publishing Group Previously offered the B&H/Lifeway Blogger program which has since closed Availability: Professors and instructors Link: B&H Academic Book Requests Baker Publishing Group Availability: U.S. and Canadian residents Genre: Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction Imprints: Bet...

Happy Chinese Language Day!

Today is Chinese Language Day! It’s a day that has meaning for me because I speak a Chinese language (a language that isn't easy to learn as an adult), so I'm grateful I didn't have to go through the process of mastering tones later in life! At the same time, I acknowledge that it also brings about mixed emotions when I reflect on my journey of language discovery. Despite Chinese being my first language, I still feel like an outsider to the culture and world because I don’t speak the main Chinese languages that everyone thinks of. It’s been one of my pet peeves over the course of my life where a lot of non-Chinese people have attempted to guess what I speak, maybe not realizing that there are so many languages that exist (guessing for other people doesn’t always bode well 🫠). Lacking Mandarin and only knowing select phrases in Cantonese, this feeling of separation from other Chinese people is even more pronounced in living overseas as part of the Chinese diaspora. While...

Review: Not Precisely Mr. Knightley - The Silver Teapot #2

I love that I've been able to read about Dream Match, a dating app, in some of Carolyn Miller 's other books and that I get to find out more about the origin story in this book. Not Precisely Mr. Knightley is the second book in The Silver Teapot series , and it's exactly the type of modern world I can see Emma thriving in, complete with the opportunity to matchmake virtual strangers on a scaled up basis. Offering both potential and pitfalls, it's only a matter of time before we see Emma discover what true matchmaking is all about. Many thanks to Barbour Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Can the Matchmaker Find True Love? Emma-Jane (EJ) Bennett and Jordan Knight are longtime best friends who codesigned the immensely successful dating app, Dream Match. Success starts to go to EJ’s head when she gets caught up in the famous and money-hungry socia...