Skip to main content

Playing for Keeps by Mandi Blake Review

 Happy Monday Sweet Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you've taken the time to drop on by The Preppy Book Princess today for another book review.

I'm Kirby, and I'm always excited to welcome you to my little bookish corner of the internet.

If you've been around my blog before, then you're probably already quite aware that I absolutely adore Mandi Blake's Christian romances. I don't think she could write a bad book if she tried, and I love how her stories always point back to Jesus.

I recently had a chance to read her upcoming release that's part of the multi author Christmas in Redemption Ridge series, and today I can't wait to tell you guys all about it.


I hope you'll keep reading down below, and join me for today's full review.


Playing for Keeps by Mandi Blake:



Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Author as Part of Her ARC Team

Publication Date: October 22nd, 2025

Genre: Christian Fiction/Christmas Read/Contemporary

Series: Christmas in Redemption Ridge



Synopsis:

He let her get away once. Now he’s back, and he’s playing for keeps.

Twelve years ago, Justin McKinnon fell in love with the girl next door—Caroline Taylor—but their families had hated each other for decades, and no one was interested in putting the bad blood aside. What started as a spur-of-the-moment kiss at a barn dance turned into a forbidden, secret romance that would rival Romeo and Juliet.

Caroline Taylor has everything she ever wanted. She owns the best bakery in town, has a loving family, and she’s friends with everyone. So why did she just break up with the perfect guy because he kept dropping hints about proposing. How could she marry him when she’s still hung up on her first love?

When Justin got the chance to get away from his abusive dad and support his elderly grandparents, he took it, but it meant leaving Redemption Ridge—and Caroline—behind.

Now, Justin is back in town and ready to remind Caroline that they belong together despite the family feud hanging over them. Can she trust the man who once broke her heart?

Visit Redemption Ridge, Colorado and enjoy the faith, friendships, and forever-afters of the Christmas in Redemption Ridge series of Christian romance.

This series is a spin-off continuation of the best-selling Heroes of Freedom Ridge Series with all new characters and traditions, but the same magic of community and romance readers love.

(synopsis from goodreads)




My Review:

Playing for Keeps is another wonderful romance from best selling author Mandi Blake, and is a lovely redemption story with a beautiful faith element effortlessly blended right in. Mandi is one of my all time favorite authors, and I always look forward to getting to read her new book releases. I've come to love all the stories she's written that focus around the Taylor family and their issues throughout the years with the McKinnon's, so knowing this one was going to be the star crossed lovers story between two people from these families, I knew I was going to be in for a real treat and she definitely did not disappoint.

This sweet romance had so many of my favorite tropes all wrapped up into one, as aside from being a redemption story and a star crossed lovers story, it's also a second chance romance since Caroline Taylor and Justin McKinnon first fell in love as teenagers. Now it's many years later, but neither have ever forgotten or gotten over their first love, and when Justin moves back to Freedom Ridge after years of being an MLB player, he's determined to fix things with the one he let go.

Caroline and Justin's romance is sweet, swoon worthy and heart wrenching, and I continue to love how Mandi Blake never backs down from writing about the hard things. And of course, my favorite part of her stories continues to be her beautiful illustrations of faith and what it truly means to follow Jesus, and I love that she always balances out her suspense with the light that comes from knowing and being known by Him.

I'm not surprised whatsoever that this ended up being another one of my favorite reads of the year, and I can't possibly recommend this heartwarming story enough.

If you love clean, faith based romances than this is the book for you, and if you've never had the pleasure of reading a book by Mandi before, then this is the perfect one to start with.

Final Rating: 5/5.


Thanks so much to Mandi Blake for allowing me to advance read and review this title!


I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the author as part of her ARC team. I was not required to give a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.


Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Della and Darby by Susannah B. Lewis Review

  Happy Monday Friends :) I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you decided to stop by my little corner of the internet. My husband and I actually have this week off of work for a much needed holiday, and I'm excited for the many fun things we have planned. Aside from the fun things, I'm honestly thankful to have some extra time to get my house back in shape, and to get more organized for Christmas. I also hope to have lots of time to curl up with some great reads, and I recently had a chance to read one of my most anticipated 2023 releases! Earlier in the year, I read my first novel by Susannah B. Lewis, and I couldn't have loved it more. It was definitely one of my favorite reads of this entire year, and I've been looking forward to reading her next release ever since. If you'd like to check out that review, you can do so using the link below: Bless Your Heart Rae Sutton Otherwise, keep on reading down below for today's full review. De...
Post a Comment
Read more

First Line Friday: Courting Mr. Emerson

Happy Friday Everyone :) Since it is Friday, I'll once again be participating in First Line Friday which is hosted by Hoarding Books .  For this week, I'm going to be sharing the first line from Melody Carlson's newest book, Courting Mr. Emerson. About The Book: When the fun-loving and spontaneous artist Willow West meets buttoned-up, retired English teacher George Emerson, it's not exactly love at first sight. Though she does find the obsessive-compulsive man intriguing. Making it her mission to get him to loosen up and embrace life, she embarks on what seems like a lost cause--and finds herself falling for him in the process. A confirmed bachelor, George vacillates between irritation and attraction whenever Willow is around--which to him seems like all too often. He's not interested in expanding his horizons or making new friends; it just hurts too much when you lose them. But as the summer progresses, George feels his defenses crumbling. The quest...
16 comments
Read more

First Line Friday: The Joy of Falling

Happy Friday Everyone :) I hope you've all had a great week, and that you've had time to curl up with some great books. This week, Lindsay Harrel's newest book released, and I loved it when I had the chance to read and review it. I'm excited to feature it for this week's First Line Friday post which is hosted by the lovely ladies over at Hoarding Books. The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel: About The Book: Eva and Angela must learn to live again. One step at a time. It has been fifteen months since Eva and Angela lost their thrill-seeking husbands in a scuba diving accident. Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief, but neither one is making much progress. Angela is barely making ends meet, angry at her husband for leaving her to raise three children on her own. Meanwhile, Eva is stuck, unable to move forward after losing the love of her life and her source of inspiration. But then Eva gets a life-changing phone call. Befor...
12 comments
Read more