Review - - The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

by Shauna  Robinson

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: November 1, 2022

Reviewed by Nancy

 

When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend's struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn't easy. Bell River's literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat.

And in Maggie's world, book rules are made to be broken.

To help save the store, Maggie starts an underground book club, running a series of events celebrating the books readers actually love. But keeping the club quiet, selling forbidden books, and dodging the literary society is nearly impossible. Especially when Maggie unearths a town secret that could upend everything. 

Maggie will have to decide what's more important: the books that formed a small town's history, or the stories poised to change it all.

Nancy's Thoughts: 

Shauna Robinson’s The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks is a delightful romance that’s also about a woman finding her place. The story opens with Maggie’s arrival in the town of Bell River. She’s there take over her friend Rochelle’s bookstore when Rochelle goes on maternity leave. The town’s claim to fame is that the writer Edward Bell was from there. The town is named after him (a change from its original name), and there are statues—yes, plural. Tourists come to learn about him and to see where he lived and worked. There’s so much about him, though, that Maggie has a niggling feeling that this is a little cult-like. 

It's more cult-like than she knows. Ralph Bell, who operates the museum dedicated to Bell, owns majority shares in many of the town’s businesses, including Rochelle’s bookshop, and closely controls how they’re run. For example, the bookshop cannot sell any books other than those by Edward Bell and acclaimed classics published before his death in 1968. The nearest place to find popular fiction is the next town over. 

Ralph even has an employee, Malcolm, keep tabs on the businesses to be sure they comply with his rules. Unfortunately, Maggie doesn’t hold Edward Bell in the same esteem as Ralph and his cohorts, and Malcolm happens upon Maggie and Rochelle joking about him. He cautions them and says he won’t report it this time, but this can’t happen again. He’s clearly torn between doing is job and being reasonable, which makes him sympathetic. He becomes more so when we learn his reasons for staying in this job. 

Unfortunately, Maggie runs afoul of Ralph with serious consequences for the bookstore. She’s desperate to keep Rochelle, who is already on leave because of pregnancy complications, from finding out about Ralph’s new restrictions. A local romance author, Evelyn, stops in to see if the changes at the store leave room for more popular fiction. Selling anything not sanctioned by Ralph will be disastrous if he finds out, but the store can’t survive under his new orders.  

One thing leads to another, and Maggie and Evelyn devise a plan to do a mashup of Moby Dick and romance (along the lines of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)—but secretly, working with a very small audience. Maggie’s trip to a local book lovers convention turns unexpectedly complicated when Malcolm shows up. And more complicated yet when they discover that they like each other and want to spur each other’s interest in different kinds of books. In the back of Maggie’s mind, though, is the awareness that she absolutely cannot let Malcolm find out what she’s doing to bring in revenue in the store.  

At the semi-secret gathering, Evelyn’s reading of her mashup, Hunting for Dick, is a huge success. It also brings in people who convince Maggie there’s a real demand locally for popular fiction and for other such events. If she can meet that demand, that will solve the store’s revenue problems. So she begins selling books banned by Ralph, a choice that gives the book its title.  

Maggie is likeable despite not having found her niche in life. She knows what kind of job she doesn’t want—something restrictive, the position her sister arranged for her as an assistant at a brokerage firm. But she doesn’t know what she actually wants. She’s still trying, though, and is happy to help her friend and take that time to try to figure out a next step. Although she makes choices she knows are risky, she’s doing it to protect her friend from stress and keep revenue up.  

As is often the case, one deception leads to another and another, increasing the secrets Maggie has to keep from Malcolm as their relationship deepens. Matters come to a head when Ralph makes a business choice that threatens a bookstore regular and all the businesses he controls. Maggie rallies the community to resist. The trouble that comes crashing down is predictable, but Robinson leads the reader to understand why Maggie and her friends don’t see it that way.  

Their salvation comes from an unexpected quarter, and I don’t want to spoil it. So I’ll simply say it was very satisfying. The foundation for it was laid in a way that made it believable. Even better, the resolution leads Maggie to see the solution to her personal issues and shakes Malcolm out of his rut.  

Although I love the characters and enjoyed the plot, I have two issues with the worldbuilding. The first is the description of Edward Bell as the founder of feminism. Maggie makes it plain early that she doesn’t see where this is coming from, which is fine. My problem lies in the fact that there are works considered feminist published well before this Edward Bell’s work. Little Women, while it’s a children’s novel, is considered a feminist book. So are Ibsen’s The Doll’s House and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. Virginia Woolf and Dorothy L. Sayers also wrote about feminist themes. All these authors were published before the 1930s, when the story world’s Edward Bell wrote the purportedly feminist The First Dollar.  

When Maggie and Malcolm discuss the bookstore and its stock, he laments that Ralph’s sales policy keeps the inventory very white except for slave narratives because there were no Black authors on the New York Times bestseller list until 1970. Bestseller status, however, does not convey classic status, and there were Black authors published before Ralph’s 1968 cutoff whose books have come to be considered classics. Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man was published in 1952. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God came out in 1937. James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Richard Wright were all published before 1968. 

Dismissing these earlier works by feminist and Black authors yanked me out of the story each time. It made me stop and go, “Wait. What?” I realize this is fiction, but it’s set in this world. So it would seem to me to have the same basic history and conventions and literature as this world. But that may be just me. Other readers may not be aware of these books or, if they are aware, care that they’ve been world-built out of existence. 

Maggie and Evelyn have a brief conversation about who gets to decide what’s a classic. Maybe the author had that in mind when she made her story choices. As I said, while these choices seriously did not work for me, they may be fine with others. 

The story moves at a good pace. The characters are well drawn and likeable. The supporting characters also have their moments to shine, and the mashups at the readings are delightful. Weighing all of that against being really bothered by the dismissal of the earlier authors for worldbuilding and knowing other readers may not mind so much, I settled on 4 stars. I do recommend the book because it was fun despite my other issues. 

4 Stars, Recommended 

~Nancy 

Review - - The Reluctant Countess

The Reluctant Countess

by Eloisa James

A Would-Be Wallflowers Novel

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: November 29, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, has never made a fool of himself over a woman—until he meets Lady Yasmin Régnier. Yasmin is ineligible for his attentions in every way: not as a wife, certainly not as a mistress (she is a lady!), nor even as a friend, since they vehemently dislike each other.  Her gowns are too low, and her skirts are dampened to cling to admittedly lovely thighs. She loves to gossip—and giggle. 

She isn’t dignified, or polite, or even truly British, given that her father’s French ancestry clearly predominated. Not to mention the fact that her mother had been one of Napoleon’s mistresses, a fact she makes no effort to hide.

So what—in heaven’s name—possesses him to propose?

And what will he do if she says yes?

PJ's Thoughts:

James brings witty banter, emotional depth, well-developed characters and superb writing to this newest novel in her Would-Be Wallflowers series. 

Yasmin turned out to be a heroine who won both my affection and support. I enjoyed her determination to be true to herself and admired her ability to continue moving forward in the face of much negativity. Each time she was confronted by those who looked down upon her, she chose to smile in response to their pettiness, to choose kindness as a counterbalance to their cruelty. Needless to say, I was in her corner cheering her on the entire way. I loved her relationship with her English grandfather (one of my favorite secondary characters) as well as her best friend, Cleo (heroine of How to Be a Wallflower). 

Giles was a harder sell. He's a product of his class, as well as his family and that's reflected in his attitude toward Yasmin. While he desires her, and comes to begrudgingly admire her, he views her as inappropriate, not worthy of being his countess even though she is a lady. That's not a deal breaker for me as James uses it to create conflict and give his character an opportunity to evolve. My issues with him occur when - in my opinion - he crosses the line in holding her responsible for the actions of others (her very visual response is pure gold). Kudos to the author for crafting this story - and character - in a way that allowed me to be happy for the HEA he and Yasmin ultimately share because halfway through I wasn't sure that was possible. Because of his apologetic accountability for the way he had previously behaved, because I believed he was truly repentant and had grown into a man worthy of Yasmin, and because he finally put her first, I was able to happily celebrate their love. 

If you like historical romance with wit, humor, well-developed characters, hard-won happy endings, a wonderful supporting cast, plus a self-centered, despicable (female) villain, give this book a go. I enjoyed it.  

Review - - A Wish for Winter

A Wish for Winter

by Viola Shipman

Publisher: Graydon House

Release Date: November 15, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Despite losing her parents in a tragic accident just before her fourteenth Christmas, Susan Norcross has had it better than most, with loving grandparents to raise her and a gang of quirky, devoted friends to support her. Now a successful bookstore owner in a tight-knit Michigan lakeside community, Susan is facing down forty—the same age as her mother when she died—and she can’t help but see everything she hasn’t achieved, including finding a love match of her own. To add to the pressure, everyone in her small town believes it’s Susan’s destiny to meet and marry a man dressed as Santa, just like her mother and grandmother before her. So it seems cosmically unfair that the man she makes an instant connection with at an annual Santa Run is lost in the crowd before she can get his name.

What follows is Susan and her friends’ hilarious and heartwarming search for the mystery Santa—covering twelve months of social media snafus, authors behaving badly and dating fails—as well as a poignant look at family, friendship and what defines a well-lived and well-loved life.

PJ's Thoughts:

A Wish for Winter is a hopeful, heartwarming story of family, friendship, personal growth, and love. In many ways, it reads like a coming of age story even though the main protagonist is almost forty. I enjoyed Susan's journey. It's a leisurely, seasonal path that plays out over the course of an entire year. At times it felt a bit repetitive and sluggish, leaving me wishing either the story would speed up or the time frame be condensed. But I have to admit that when I reached the end of the book, I was glad the author had taken his time with these characters. There are no quick fixes, no miraculous recoveries. Susan needs each of those seasons and the personal growth they bring to achieve the clarity, healing, and happiness she seeks.

There's plenty of humor in Susan's dating adventures but Shipman nicely balances that with a depth of emotion that tugged at my heart. Her grandparents are the kind we all wish we had, her friends have her back, always, and her community wants only the best for her. Plus, she runs a bookshop! Her numerous Santa dates bring a few duds, a few new friends, and the possibility of one who is destined to jingle her bells for a lifetime.

As much as A Wish for Winter is about Susan and her family and friends, it's also very much a love letter to its setting. I grew up in Michigan and this book filled me with joyful memories of the pleasures to found there in all four seasons. It evoked the fun of summer boating on the lake, the majestic, colorful display of autumn leaves, the floral reawakening of spring, the beautiful, almost spiritual reverence of that first, silent, pristine, snowfall of the season and much, much more. 

If you enjoy novels by Susan Mallery, Robyn Carr, and Sarah Morgan, you may want to give this book a try. It was my first Viola Shipman story. It won't be my last. 

Review & Giveaway - - Better Than Fiction

Better Than Fiction

by Alexa Martin

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: November 8, 2022

Reviewed by Nancy

 

As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best—meddle.

Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From going river rafting to trying local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fiction.
 
When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She’s reminded that real life isn’t always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he’s writing a happily ever after just for them.

 

Nancy’s thoughts: 

I have mixed feelings about this book.  By the middle of page 1, I disliked the heroine so much that I was ready to put it down. I had committed to review it, though, so I read on. By the end of the chapter, I was beginning to like her better. After several more chapters, as I read more of her background and her motivations, I understood her and sympathized with her. 

Whether a reader likes a character is mostly subjective, so others may respond to Drew differently than I did. For me, her griping about college loans and college being useless off the bat (which never matter at any point in the plot and so left me wondering why the book started there), her apparent dislike of being stuck in a business she didn’t want to own but not seeming to have any plan to do anything about that, and her stock of rote responses to customers in place of genuine interaction left me cold. The only thing about her I liked on the first page was the customer’s sympathy over the loss of Drew’s grandmother and Drew’s genuine reaction to that. 

I warmed up to Drew a little when her late grandmother’s friends, older women who call their book club the Dirty Birds arrive in the store, and she seems glad to see them despite some resentment of their interference. When Drew thinks about why she loves photography more than books, that’s relatable. As the story progresses, we learn the photography she misses was actually not a hobby but a budding career. This isn’t made clear until the subject has come up several times. We know she loves nature photography, has won prizes, and was talking to a television station about a regular segment, but all that fits a hobbyist as well as a careerist. 

So I often found myself wondering why Drew doesn’t look for another job and let her apparently very capable employee and part-timer run the bookstore. Only when we learn that she feels keeping the store open is a way to keep her beloved grandmother with her does this make sense to me. 

One factor in Drew’s attitude toward the Book Nook is her stated dislike of reading. She doesn’t believe happy endings are for her and resents books that try to tell her they are. Many readers feel that way about romance, so it’s entirely believable with regard to romance novels. A bookstore, though, carries many, many other kinds of books that have nothing to do with happy endings, so this didn’t ring true as a reason to avoid all books. 

Also in Drew’s favor is her kindness to her half-sister, Daisy, despite Drew’s envy of Daisy’s very different relationship with their father, who mostly abandoned Drew and her mother and didn’t even pay child support until his second wife took over writing the checks. Daisy’s warmth and obvious desire to do things together touch Drew and lead to their forging a new and much closer relationship. When Daisy forms an alliance with Drew’s best friend, Elsie, Drew finds herself outnumbered as she tries to stay in her shell. 

The Dirty Birds bring the male lead in the story, bestselling romance author Jasper Williams, to the store. He’s unexpectedly hot and unexpectedly interested in Drew. She’s socially awkward, almost to the point of being rude, but because we see her internal reactions, we can sympathize.  

Jasper intends to stay in Denver while he works on his next book, which is set there. He asks Drew to help him learn the area, and they strike a bargain. She’ll take him on adventures in the area. In return, for each book she reads from his list of suggestions, he’ll arrange an activity designed to make her like books. 

I think many readers can relate to Drew’s “how can this hot guy like me?” feeling and her waiting for the other shoe to fall. When it does, it comes in a clever, credible way that was seeded early in the story. The resolution to the romantic conflict is cleverly done and ties into Drew’s love of photography and her adventures with Jasper. 

The villain of the book is Drew’s father, who’s angry that his mother left the store to Drew and not to him. He’s determined to get it away from her. His irrational anger, especially since he seems to be very prosperous, didn’t entirely make sense to me. I was also put off by the easy way Drew’s grandmother’s attorney blabbed about his conversations with her about Drew and the store. I would’ve been more comfortable if the attorney offered some nod to why it’s not a breach of confidentiality for him to share this info. 

Overall, the book has a rough start. The supporting characters and the hero were, for me, initially more endearing than the heroine, but I warmed to her as the story went on and was solidly rooting for her by the end of Chapter 5. 

Recommended ~ 4 Stars

Have you read Alexa Martin?

If you don't relate to/like a character early on in a story, do you give up on the book or continue reading?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, November 6 will receive a print copy of Better Than Fiction.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

Review - - A Bayou Christmas

A Bayou Christmas

by Susan Sands

Louisiana - Book 3

Publisher: Tule

Release Date: November 1, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Thanks to a bone marrow donation from her newly discovered sister, interior designer Allison Miers has just beat cancer and has been welcomed into her new family, the Bertrands of Cypress Bayou. She’s been curious about her birth family for years, and it seems they’re all trying to make amends for her mother abandoning her—even offering a trust fund if she’ll stay a year and give the town a chance.

As Allison arrives in town amidst preparations for the Cypress Bayou Christmas Festival, she’s quickly overwhelmed by the drama and competition between both sides of her birth families. Local mechanic Nick Landry is the most normal person she’s met so far, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also handsome and friendly. Just as Allison starts to wonder if she’s finally found a new home, family, and a man to love, she discovers that Nick—just like both sides of her family—has been keeping his own secrets.

Family is all Allison has ever wanted, but should she listen to her head or her heart this unforgettable Christmas?

PJ's Thoughts:

Susan Sands returns to Cypress Bayou, Louisiana for the third book in what has been a thoroughly enjoyable series. Where the first two books combined romance with a healthy dose of mystery/suspense and explosive family secrets in fast-paced page turners, this one was more introspective and slower paced. 

While Allison was introduced in book one, Home to Cypress Bayou, and made an appearance in book two, Secrets in Cypress Bayou, it isn't until A Bayou Christmas that we really get to know her. Her life has been turned upside down, she's trying to find her place within her newly-discovered family, and she isn't sure if Cypress Bayou is where she wants to make her home. She's thirty-five, an age when most of us have our lives figured out but because of her past she seems much younger, more vulnerable, and unsure of herself. 

Allison's budding relationship with Nick is sweet and slow moving.  I would have enjoyed more emotional depth there but I did like them together. Nick's a total sweetheart, even if he does come with an interfering momma who's not ready to let her baby boy go. Cheers to him for standing up to her! 

The heavier emotional weight of the story is in Allison's relationships with her family members as well as her own personal growth. I enjoyed all the page time progressing Allison's relationship with half-sisters Leah and Carly and her surprising interactions with half-sister Elizabeth. I wouldn't mind a redemption story for Elizabeth, maybe a novella? She has some interesting layers. Allison's biological mother, Karen continues her claim to dysfunction queen but it's fun to watch the sisters unite to keep her in check. 

As with the first two books, the culture, traditions, food, and flavor of Louisiana are on full display. Sands does a good job of immersing readers into this vibrant community. 

This is a series where I strongly recommend reading the books in order. Click the titles to read my reviews of Home to Cypress Bayou and Secrets in Cypress Bayou. 

Review - - Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble

by Alexis Hall

Winner Bakes All - Book 2

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: November 1, 2022

Reviewed by Santa

Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home.
 
But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness. And when the show’s vicious fanbase confirms his worst anxieties, Paris’s confidence is torn apart quicker than tear-and-share bread.
 
But if Paris can find the strength to face his past, his future, and the chorus of hecklers that live in his brain, he’ll realize it’s the sweet things in life that he really deserves.

Santa Says:

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall is a four-star read. Yes, the title is a bit of a mouthful but in a delicious way. It is the second book in the Winner Takes All series. It can easily be read as a stand alone. The only characters that return are the production staff and hosts of the Bake Expectations (love the name) baking competition. Yes, there are echoes of one of my favorite shows, The Great British Bake Off! Both shows take place at lovely estates in England.

Paris Daillencourt finds himself entered into the show by his well meaning flatmate Morag. Paris is an avid home baker. He loves baking as it soothes him both from his studies in classics at university and, well, life in general. Paris is socially awkward and I felt so badly for him. His anxiety level and sense of self worth are especially magnified through every baking challenge judged by both the judges and in the eyes of the viewing public. Once the season airs, each triumph and presumed (by Paris) failure is dissected by social media which can be as vicious as the meanest schoolyard bully.

The only bright spot in all of his anguish is Tariq Hassan, a fellow contestant at Bake Expectations. It is one of the best cute meets I have ever read. It will nearly knock you out! (Wink! Wink!) Tariq is the exact opposite of Paris in every way. Tariq exudes a confidence that Paris feels he could never match. He has a great family who support and love him. Paris’ relationship with his parents is definitely one sided. Tariq is attracted to Paris and is not afraid to let him know it. They begin a relationship that is a revelation to Paris in so many ways. 

However, this is not a story of true love conquering all. Paris for all his endearing qualities can't seem to get out of his own way. His anxieties and insecurities prove to be too much for Tariq especially when Paris, centered on his own failures, cannot celebrate Tariq’s triumphs with him. As much as it pains him, Tariq steps away from Paris. And Paris has a moment of reckoning where he is forced to recognize that his anxieties and self doubts are something more. He faces his mental illness and finally gets the help he needs. 

I am becoming a fan of Alexis Hall’s books. I have read several of his other series and quite enjoyed them. I think that for this book, Alexis Hall takes this story far beyond romance to a novel about how to become our true selves. Paris discovers that he is a person of worth and value. That he is more than his own personal experiences. Something that the people around him namely his flatmate and friend, Morag and his professors knew all along. And, fear not, Tariq and Paris do come together in the end in a very satisfying happy together for now or HTFN. Not as catchy as a HEA but I think Paris and Tariq are headed in the right direction. After all, the best bakes are those that have proofed long enough to produce the best bakes.

 

Review - - The Not So Nice List

The Not So Nice List

A Christmas Novella

by Sally Kilpatrick

Publisher: NYLA

Release Date: November 1, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Marketing exec Cole Frost needs a win. And he can finally get a big one if he can finally close the endorsement deal he’s been working on for months. Too bad his roommate is Aubrey, lover of loud music and messy art projects. She may be adorable, but she’s annoying. And off limits. If he can get the deal ironed out, he’ll be able to buy out both Aubrey and her brother and have the charming bungalow full of warm holiday memories all to himself.

Aubrey Longfellow hates her boss, but she can’t quit her job—even if this one requires her to dress in a skimpy dress and sit on Santa’s lap. Further complicating her bid to prove she’s adulting like a champ is her infuriating stick-in-the-mud roommate, otherwise known as her older brother’s best friend. He disapproves of her choices almost as much as her brother does. Things can’t get worse—until one petty misstep lands Aubrey on the Not So Naughty List.

Now she has to do three selfless things by Christmas Day or be doomed to the Naughty List. Could helping Cole be her ticket to making the Nice List? Or will the attraction suddenly brewing between them lead to something naughty?

PJ's Thoughts:

Sally Kilpatrick's The Not So Nice List is a delicious treat and just the right length for my busy holiday season. This novella bubbles with humor, heart, endearing characters, plenty of Christmas spirit, Kilpatrick's signature sass, and the real Santa. Twinkling eyes and all! 

I loved the chemistry between Aubrey and Cole as they navigated the path from friends (frenemies?) to lovers. The tension between them had been there for ages but neither of them had acted on it. He's a planner; she's impulsive. He's neat and organized; she's a slob. He has a solid career; she can't figure out what she wants to do. He's her brother's best friend. She's always felt judged. Truth be told, he has judged her in the past. But that all begins to change once he sees her candy cane underwear during a "questionable" photo shoot, her subsequent actions land her on Santa's Not So Nice list, her boss takes his repulsive behavior one step too far, and a game of one-on-one basketball lands Aubrey in Cole's arms...maybe for good?  

Using heart-tugging realizations and impeccable comedic timing, Kilpatrick leads her characters on a journey of growth that reveals there's more to each of them than the other guessed, that sometimes the best things in life are right down the hall, that Santa knows what he's doing, and that candy cane boxers are always appropriate when love is in the air. 

Add this one to your holiday shopping list. It's a quick read and a bundle of fun. 

 

Review & Giveaway - - Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas

Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas

by Sarah Robinson

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: September 27, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

When sparks start flying, these total opposites discover Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

To raise enough money to start her own business, Nola Bennett needs to sell “The Castle,” her beloved grandmother’s historic house and get back home to the city. But Heart Lake’s most eligible bachelor is insisting she hang on to the property. He may be one of the hottest, grumpiest men she’s ever seen, but Nola has no time to pine over her high school crush.

All woodworker Tanner Dean wants for Christmas is some peace and quiet, but that’s not going to happen with infuriating, irresistible Nola Bennett back in town. How can he persuade her to keep The Castle out of the hands of greedy developers when sizzling attraction flares every time they’re together? And the more time he spends with Nola, the harder it becomes to picture a future without her—unless he can convince her, once and for all, that Heart Lake is exactly where she belongs.

Includes the bonus novella The Christmas Wish by Melinda Curtis!

PJ's Thoughts:

Sarah Robinson has created a charming, small-town romance that unrolled across my mind like one of my favorite Hallmark holiday movies. And it's set in the state where I grew up: Michigan! Romances set in Michigan are not exactly plentiful on the ground but it's a wonderful location for journeys to love, especially in winter when the snow, the frozen lakes, the outdoor activities, and small-town traditions are on full display. For me, it was like a walk down memory lane. 

Robinson populated the story with interesting characters, conflicting issues, and two of my favorite tropes: frenemies to lovers and best friend's brother. Nola and Tanner are on opposite sides of some pretty important issues in their lives with the sale of Nola's grandmother's house being at the center of their disagreements. Big city girl (Nola) comes home to sell grandmother's historic home to a developer who plans to turn it into condos for city vacationers. Local boy (Tanner) fears it will ruin the heart of his small town forever. Best girlfriends support Nola while also harboring the same fear. Will Nola remember why she loved Heart Lake so much? Will she realize her dream isn't so much about proving herself in the big city as it is finding happiness, career satisfaction, and love within herself? Will Tanner figure out that not all change is bad and that compromise can be a good thing? Will being snowed in together force both of them to confront the feelings they've hidden since they were teens? Find the answers to these burning questions and more in Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas.  

I enjoyed my visit to Sarah Robinson's Heart Lake and am looking forward to returning for more stories in this new series. If you enjoy feel-good, small-town romances with humor, heart, mild conflict, character growth, an intriguing secondary cast, and heart-tugging happy endings, give Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas a try. Robinson's next Heart Lake book is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2023. I'm eager to discover which character will be taking the lead and what the author has in store for them. 

Have you read any romances that are set in your home state?

What's your preference for holiday romance locations, a snowy winter wonderland or a tropical beach getaway?

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, October 26 will receive a print copy of Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

Review - - Witchful Thinking

Witchful Thinking

by Celestine Martin

Elemental Love -  Book 1

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: September 27. 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Love is the trickiest spell of all.
 
Lucinda Caraway loves living in Freya Grove, the mystic seaside town where charms, hexes, and magical beings of all kinds are the norm. She spends her days teaching high school history and her nights reading tea leaves and tending to her conjure garden. It’s a good life . . . but she can’t stop wishing for more.

Until one night, that wish turns into a spell, and suddenly Lucy can’t say no. Not to a public karaoke performance. Not to running a 10K. And, most alarmingly, not to her high school crush, Alexander Dwyer, who needs her help unjinxing his new house—which just happens to be right across the street from hers.

Alex has spent the last ten years traveling the world on adventures Lucy has only ever dreamed of, and he’s planning to leave again as soon as his house is safe to sell. But until Lucy can unhex herself, she and Alex are stuck together. And with so much magic in the air, maybe the next spell Lucy casts will be the one that convinces him to stay.

PJ's Thoughts:

What a charming story! I'm firmly convinced that there's a quirky seaside town in New Jersey where humans live side by side with all types of magical beings (who doesn't love a playful - when well fed - gnome?), love blossoms, and shenanigans ensue. I want to go there. I want more stories set there! 

Perfect for the witchy season, Witchful Thinking brings readers a second-chance romance that checked all of my happy reader boxes. I loved the normalcy created by the author within the town of Freya Grove; how magical beings and the magic created were accepted as a part of everyday life. Witches casting spells? No biggie. Mermen transitioning into the frothy waves off the coast? Eh, you've seen one merman tail, you've seen them all. Oh, wait. That's not true. Turns out showing one's tail is quite a big deal...but you'll have to read the book to find out why. Wouldn't want to give away any spoilers. 

This is the first book of a series so there's some world building and character introduction at play in addition to Alex and Lucy's second-chance romance. Martin weaves it all together in an organic way that not only enriches the romance in book one but also creates interest in secondary characters and potential future stories. I loved the dynamic among Lucy and her sisters and the conflict with her bridezilla cousin. I'm probably most intrigued by what the future holds for her (the cousin) because, whoa, she's a mess, and I do love a good redemption story. It will be interesting to discover what Martin has in store for her - and if she truly is redeemed.

Alex and Lucy are so sweet together. I adored them, cheering them on every step of their twisty path to a happy ending. Sure, there are obstacles, and necessary self-reflection, plus emotional growth, but there's also fun, and mischief, sweet emotion, and a heartfelt happy ending. I loved it and am already looking forward to my next visit to Celestine Martin's magical Freya Grove. 

Review - - Lady and the Scamp

Lady and the Scamp

by Shana Galen

The Royal Saboteurs - Book 2

Publisher: Shana Galen

Release Date: October 11, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Willoughby Galloway was born to be an agent for the King and Country. His parents were two of the most celebrated agents of the Napoleonic Wars, but despite his illustrious parentage, Will hasn’t yet distinguished himself in the service of the Crown. He sees the Royal Saboteurs as his chance to show his true abilities and prove he is more than a pale shadow of his parents. When Will is assigned a mission to sabotage an assassin’s efforts to slay young Queen Victoria, the last thing he needs is a distraction. But then he meets the ethereal blond beauty, Lady Averley.

PJ's Thoughts:

Galen's new Royal Saboteurs series continues with another action-packed, suspenseful, and romantic series filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing...and flipping pages. 

I'm enjoying how Galen takes fact and fiction, real people and characters from her imagination, and blends them together to form a story that rings with authenticity and believability. I never reached a point in this book where I could say, "Oh, I'm sure that never happened." Instead, there were several where I felt the need to hit up Google to confirm that events actually did occur. Her writing immerses me into the time and place of her choosing and convinces me everything I'm reading is real. 

The mystery/suspense portion of this book is crafted in such a way that I was never completely sure who the traitor was until close to the reveal. It's always fun when multiple scenarios are still in the mix, with different suspects to keep me on my toes. 

The romance between Will and Emily is a slow burn, allowing time to allay his suspicions and her skepticism. When it finally clicks in, things get steamy but in a way that's organic to their evolving and deepening feelings. I love that Emily isn't at all what Will expects. It's fun to watch her challenge his perceptions as she strengthens her confidence and value. When they finally achieve their HEA, it's a bit unconventional for what is typically expected of historical romance. However, it seems exactly right for this particular couple at this time in their lives. I have hopes, though, that Galen will allow readers to see how their marriage plays out over the years as the series progresses, or perhaps in a series finale epilogue as she did with her Survivors. 

If you enjoy your historical romance sprinkled with danger, mystery, and a mix of fictional characters interacting with real people, give this book a try. It brings history to life in a relatable way while also giving readers the sigh-worthy romance they seek. I will definitely be back for book three!