About Christy Brunke

Welcome, friends! I’m blessed to be a mom, a pastor’s wife, and the bestselling author of the fictional book, Snow out of Season. But my greatest claim to fame comes from being a child of the King. Because of that, I’m passionate about my family, unborn children, and God-written love stories. Though I used to live in China, now I love serving in ministry here in Maryland. Praying you’ll be blessed as you read my blogs, my story, and my award-winning novel!

Bride of a Distant Isle Book Review

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Christy Brunke

Would you rather be committed to an insane asylum or forced to marry a man who makes your skin crawl? I’ve been a fan of Sandra Byrd’s historical fiction since I read the first book in her Ladies in Waiting series. She doesn’t disappoint with her latest release, Bride of a Distant Isle. Set in Victorian England, this novel is the second in her Daughters of Hampshire series.

Highcliffe House Bride of a Distant Isle novel

Photo courtesy of beaulieu.co.uk.

Synopsis

Annabel Ashton is teaching young ladies in Winchester when she’s summoned to her family’s estate at Milford on Sea. She thinks she’s just visiting Highcliffe Hall, but her cousin Edward has other plans.

Photo courtesy of goodreads.com.

Since Annabel’s father was from the Mediterranean island of Malta, Edward elicits her help negotiating a deal with a Maltese man. Once the contract’s signed, Edward intends to give her to his business partner, a man who embodies creepiness.

To save Highcliffe from being sold, Annabel agrees to befriend the dashing Captain Dell’Aqua. She cannot, however, willingly consent to marry the odious Mr. Morgan. But, being the illegitimate daughter of a woman who died in an insane asylum, neither can she refuse. As heir, Edward holds the purse strings and, hence, her fate.

But then artifacts appear, suggesting Annabel’s parents married in Malta, and she is the rightful heir of Highcliffe. But as Annabel and her anonymous abettor get closer and closer to the truth, someone . . . or something . . . is seeking to strip her of her birthright, her heritage, and even her sanity.

Will the love of the handsome Captain Dell’Aqua prove true or as fickle as the seas he sails upon? Will Annabel inherit Highcliffe Hall or be forever trapped inside its hidden room?

My Thoughts

Bride of a Distant Isle is another Sandra Byrd masterpiece to treasure.

Exquisite writing weds a haunting plot to create a stunning Victorian romance. (Tweet that!) Add to that echoes of Gothic novels like Rebecca and Jane Eyre, and this story is spellbinding. I’m eager to read the next novel in the Daughters of Hampshire series: A Lady in Disguise.

Daughters of Hampshire novel series by Sandra Byrd

Photo courtesy of sandrabyrd.com.

I recommend this book to women who enjoy mystery, Gothic romance, and historical fiction.

Update: A month after I posted this blog, the third romance in the series was released! Read my review of A Lady in Disguise here!

New Christian Fiction: Romance, Thriller, & Mystery

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Christy Brunke

Love Christian fiction? Then check out these new romance, thriller, and mystery novels! See one you want to read? Just click on the book cover to order! (This post contains affiliate links. As a result, if you buy something through one, I may earn a commission to help support this site—at no cost to you.)

Contemporary Romance

Photo courtesy of fictionfinder.com.

Restoring Love by Jennifer Slattery

Mitch, a contractor and house-flipper, is restoring a beautiful old house in an idyllic Midwestern neighborhood. Angela, a woman filled with regrets and recently transplanted to his area, is anything but idyllic.

As Mitch struggles to keep his business afloat, and Angela works to correct the mistakes of her past, these two unlikely friends discover they have something unexpected in common—a young mom fighting to give her children a better life after her husband’s incarceration.

While both Mitch and Angela are drawn to help this young mother survive, they also find themselves drawn to each other. Will a lifetime of regrets hold them back from redemption and true love?

Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley Arcadia Valley Romance

Photo courtesy of fictionfinder.com.

Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley Novellas Collection

Is love possible for a makeshift mom and a handsome widower? What about a bed and breakfast owner and the farmer next door? A curvy jilted bride and a mysterious, handsome chef?

Then there’s the real estate consultant and the grandson of her elderly client, a high-powered lawyer and a woman farmer, and a formerly engaged couple. Can love make a difference in their lives?

Exploring food, friends, and family in Arcadia Valley, each of these novellas kicks off a three-book series, intertwined with the works of the other authors. This collection is only the beginning of your adventure.

Supernatural Thriller

Photo courtesy of fictionfinder.com.

Fatal Accusation by Rachel Dylan

Attorney Olivia Murray hopes her life in Windy Ridge will get back to normal after a hard-fought trial. But she soon finds out that the forces of evil have not given up. An embezzling scandal rocks the community church to its core.

The New Age groups are ready to declare victory when a high-profile prosecutor files criminal charges against the local pastor. However, Olivia is not willing to give up on the community she’s come to love. She takes on the defense pro bono knowing it could destroy her career, but it’s a case she is called to defend.

The battle will be fierce, but she’s not fighting it alone. Her friend and fellow attorney Grant Baxter is by her side. Olivia must use all the tools in her arsenal to combat those who seek to destroy the believers in the community. If Olivia can’t prove the pastor’s innocence, more than her career is on the line. The entire community of Windy Ridge could fall to the forces of darkness.

Historical Mystery

Photo courtesy of fictionfinder.com.

Murder on the Moor by Julianna Deering

Drew and Madeline Farthering visit the Yorkshire moor to catch a killer and solve a mystery that involves an old feud, a new rivalry and a huge, spectral hound that may or may not be a harbinger of death.

Want more new Christian fiction? Check out these historical romances: just click here!

The First Principle by Marissa Shrock

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Christy Brunke

What would you sacrifice to save the life of your little one? The Declaration of Independence claims we each have the right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Unfortunately, unborn Americans have had their right to life undermined since 1973. But what if, in the future, the state decides when a woman can give birth and when she must terminate her pregnancy? That’s what happens in The First Principle by Marissa Shrock.

Novel Synopsis

The First Principle YA novel by Marissa Shrock

Photo courtesy of goodreads.com.

Sixteen-year-old Vivica Wilkins never imagined she’d become a rebel. After all, she leads a privileged life as the daughter of a governor in the United Regions of North America. But then Population Management drags her classmate away to force her to abort her baby.

When Vivica discovers she’s pregnant too, she’s caught between a rock and a hard place. She can submit to the law that requires underage girls and adults with two kids to end their pregnancies. Or she can flee from her home, high school, and everyone she knows to try to save the life of her first child.

My Thoughts

The First Principle by Marissa Shrock is a fast-paced page-turner about faith, freedom, and the sanctity of life. (Tweet that!) When the state threatens all three, a spunky 16-year-old must summon all her courage to save her baby. Drawing on every resource in her growing tool kit, she battles both her own unbelief and the powers that be.

Marissa Shrock, author of The First Principle novel

Photo courtesy of marissashrock.com.

Though the target audience is teens, I found myself just as gripped by the story as a 15-year-old. (YA fiction is designed for people age 12 and up, but 40% of its readers are adults.)

Not only does the suspense keep you on the edge of your seat, it inspires you to stand in the gap for the unborn. As a 30-something mom, I ended the book wanting to snuggle my toddler and kindergartener.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy thrillers, dystopian fiction, and novels with a strong female protagonist. I look forward to reading the next novel in Shrock’s Emancipation Warriors trilogy.

To learn more about Marissa Shrock’s young adult fiction, go to MarissaShrock.com.

Angelina Brunke: Top Ten Quotes from 2016

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Christy Brunke

Our younger daughter, Angelina Brunke (aka “Beanie”), turned two in June. While her older sister, Michaela, is sassy, silly, and spirited, Beanie’s all sugar and spice. Sweet, girly, and affectionate, she also has an occasional terrible twos temper. Enjoy her best quotes from January through December 2016:

Two-year-old girl with pigtails, in summerAngelina Brunke

Photo by Ben Stafford.

10

One day, my husband, Mark, mentioned he wasn’t feeling well.

Beanie brought him her most treasured possessions—her loveys. Then she folded her hands and was silent for a moment.

“Did you pray for me?” Mark said.

Beanie nodded. “Yeah.”

9

In August, Mark asked Beanie, “Who is God?”

“Jesus!” she yelled.

“What did He do for us?”

“Give us snack.”

8

When Mark showed Angelina one of our wedding photos, she ran to me and showed me the picture. “You look like a princess!” But she was sad she wasn’t invited to the wedding. “You no take me there.”

A few days later, when I put her to bed, she kissed me and said, “Sleep well, princess.”

7

In October, the girls and I went to Deep Creek with my mom and grandmom for three days. When we returned, I told Beanie Daddy was on his way home from church, and she said, “I be so happy to see him.”

6

One morning, Mark was reading Angelina a Bible story. “Did you know Jesus died, but He came back to life?”

Angelina smiled. “That make His Mommy so, so, so happy.”

5

As we were coming out of the grocery store one cold December day, Michaela started singing a song about a baby.

“I am not a baby,” Beanie said indignantly. “I a big girl.”

“Okay. I’ll say toddler then.”

“I not toddler,” Beanie insisted. “I a big girl.”

“You’re a two-year-old,” Michaela tried to explain.

“I not Tooyearold! I Angelina!’

4

Another day at the grocery store, Angelina ate so much cheese that I told her she was going to turn into a mouse. For weeks afterwards, every time we asked her what was her favorite part of the day, she repeated that story. “Me eat lots of cheese, then Mommy call me mouse.”

3

In October, Mark told Angelina he loved her.

“I love Mommy.”

“Do you only love Mommy,” he said, “or do you love Mommy and Daddy?”

“I love Mommy, and I will always love you.”

2

One day in August, Beanie came up to me and said, “It all done now.”

I tilted my head to the side. “What’s done?”

She led me into the living room and gestured to a sofa cushion covered with smeared ChapStick. Beaming up at me, she said, “I color it pink!”

1

In the summer and fall, I gave the girls lots of stickers for helping, sharing, and doing good work. Then they started giving them to me and Mark. “Daddy,” Beanie said, “you deserve good job sticker for peeing standing up.” Tweet that!

Which Angelina Brunke quote is your favorite? 🙂 Comment below.

Michaela Brunke: Top Ten Quotes from 2016

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Christy Brunke

As we begin a new year, I love to look back at our daughter’s best quotes from the year before [tweet that!]. Michaela Brunke turned five in August, and you can find her quotes from 2015 here and from 2014 here. From January to December 2016, here are Michaela’s cutest, cleverest, and most comical comments.

Michaela Lynn Brunke kindergarten picture from Fall 2016

Photo by Lifetouch School Portraits.

10

When Mark walks Michaela to her bus stop for kindergarten, he often tells her Bible stories. One morning, he was describing what happened in Genesis 1 and 2 when Michaela said, “Wait! These people sound a lot like Adam and Eve.”

9

After I made Michaela popcorn one day, she said, “I think you’re the best mom ever and so cool that you need a reward.” A few minutes later, she brought me a Tinker Bell figurine. “I got the perfect reward for you!”

8

In April, Michaela was sitting in her chair holding a bunch of balls. One ball fell out, and she yelled, “Assistant!”

Her one-year-old sister “Beanie” quickly retrieved the ball.

“Thank you, assistant!” Michaela said in her best magician’s voice.

7

At Vacation Bible School this past summer, Michaela learned a lot about Jesus. Unfortunately, she got a couple things confused about His death and resurrection. “Jesus died in the road,” she told me, “and fairies visited His tomb.”

6

This summer, my brother Tim and his wife Natalie got a Newfoundland puppy and named him Neville. One day, Aunt Natalie was showing Michaela pictures of Neville on her phone. When they came to one where Natalie was cradling Neville, Michaela said, “Did Neville come from your tummy?”

5

I featured a ballerina in my novel and took dance lessons as a child, but Michaela’s more into superheroes than princesses. In January, our friends invited us to see the American Ballet Theater perform Sleeping Beauty. Ten minutes into the show, Michaela said, “When is it going to be over?”

4

In November, Pop and Grandma Necie treated the Brunke Bunch to a trip to Disney World. While we were there, we saw a musical called the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. “It’s sad that Ariel had to leave her Mommy and Daddy to be with the man,” Michaela said afterwards. “She should’ve stayed with her Mommy and Daddy.”

3

Our first winter after we moved to Maryland, we got three feet of snow.

“Look, Beanie,” Michaela told her sister the day before the blizzard. “The big snow is coming tomorrow and the second day.” She pointed outside. “But there’s some snow I got you to hold us over.”

2

After a day at Vacation Bible School, Michaela told Beanie the story of the prodigal son. “He spent all his money on food, drink, and adult toys.”

1

One night in January, Michaela was outside with Pop and Necie.

“Look!” Michaela said. “It’s like half a moon!”

“Yeah,” Grandma Necie said. “It’s a half-moon tonight.”

“Quick! Let’s find the other half!”

Which Michaela Brunke quote is your favorite? Comment below!