Review & Giveaway - - Spring Fling

Spring Fling

by Annie England Noblin

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: March 18, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

Spring is in the air and Mylie has everything she could ever want: her tackle shop is thriving and employs a third of Clay Creek, Arkansas, and she lives with her beloved Granny and little sister Cassie, who both keep her on her toes. As tourists pour into town for the annual fishing tournament, Mylie is in her element and ready to bring her all-women team to victory.

After moving to Chicago, Ben never thought he would return to Clay Creek. But with both his grandfather and mother gone, he’s left to deal with their estate. His plan is simple: come in quietly, fix up his lakeside childhood home, sell it quickly, and get out. He underestimates how quickly his arrival will stir up the local gossip, and how intensely his unresolved feelings for Mylie, his childhood best friend, will resurface.

Amid the buzz of competition and the rhythm of small-town life, Mylie and Ben find themselves unable to ignore their shared history. They tentatively explore a future together, despite the impending sale of Ben’s house and Mylie’s insistence on staying put in Clay Creek. Flings are easier said than done, and Mylie and Ben will have to address their clashing lifestyles before their feelings get away from them.

PJ's Thoughts:

I'm always up for a good second-chance romance and Mylie and Ben certainly kept me on my toes as I followed them through their push and pull journey. I liked that Noblin gave us chapters both from the present and the past, allowing readers to really get to know these characters from their first meeting in sixth grade through to high school graduation when they parted. It made me feel like I understood them on a deeper level and made me more invested in their second chance ten years later.

Noblin is also very good at crafting family and community in her books and the small southern town of Clay Creek is no exception. The setting, the local idioms, and the array of characters brought the story to life. I could easily visualize the dark, starry sky, waves lapping softly at the lake dock, mud-filled gravel roads, the welcoming warmth of the local diner, the hilarity of Stanley (a soft-hearted Pittie) and Fat Tony (a mischievous "community" raccoon), and the oh-so-Southern Baptist Church ladies showing up at Ben's house with Pyrex dishes brimming with homemade specialties and photos of their single daughters/granddaughters. And then there are Mylie's irreverent granny and young teen sister, favorite characters who contributed both humor and emotional complexity to the book.  

Spring Fling is a charming, humorous, heartfelt, second-chance, friends-to-lovers story that kept me happily engaged from beginning to end. 

Note: If you read an ARC of Spring Fling (as I did), you may have had concerns about a reference to Mylie's sister's boyfriend at the end of the story (again, as I did). I'm happy to report that has been changed in the final, published copy of the book and is no longer an issue.

Have you read any books by Annie England Noblin?

What's on your current reading list?

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, March 20 will receive a print copy of Spring Fling.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Review - - Christmas at Corgi Cove

Christmas at Corgi Cove: A Novel

by Annie England Noblin

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: October 17, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

Rosie Reynolds had come to lakeside Corgi Cove as a lost, lonely girl abandoned by her own mother, but there she discovered a true place to call home. She loves her Corgis, Bonnie and Clyde; loves the lakeside life; and loves her aunt and uncle most of all. But when she discovers their struggling inn is about to be bought out by some big city chain, she hatches a plan: to win a contest naming theirs the best Christmas-themed inn in the USA. It's a long shot, but she knows if the whole town pulls together that they can do it.

But she didn’t count on Everett St Claire, who emerged from his gleaming, black BMW, straightening his tie and asking himself how did a big-city guy like him find himself in a speck on the map like Corgi Cove? And how fast could he get back to the city? After all, it couldn’t be that difficult to convince one elderly couple to take the money to retire.

He didn’t count on getting sucked into life on the lake. Sure, the people might be…eccentric, and Rosie might seem like a pain in the backside, but there is something alluring about the place. And with the holidays nearing, and the deadline looming, Rosie and Everett are about to discover the magic of a Christmas at Corgi Cove.

PJ's Thoughts:

I discovered this author two years ago but it only took that first book (Maps for the Getaway-click for review) to have me snapping up her backlist and eagerly anticipating each new release, especially the winter books. If, like me, you're counting down the days until the start of what I call Hallmark Holiday Movie Season, you'll want to add Noblin's newest offering, Christmas at Corgi Cove to your 2023 reading list. 

This book has all the feel-good elements that I've come to enjoy in my winter holiday reading: humor, love, family dynamics, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, community spirit, holiday hijinks, happy endings, and adorable, mischievous, lovable dogs (cats are good too but this book has dogs). 

I love that the author uses alternating chapters to tell the story from both Rosie's and Everett's points of view. Everett could easily be the villain of the piece but watching his evolution through his own thoughts and actions gives the reader the insight needed to feel empathy for him and his situation. Rosie and her family elicit the reader's support immediately (who doesn't love an underdog?) but Rosie herself has issues to work through. I enjoyed watching both of these characters grow throughout the story, learning what's really important in life, falling for one another bit by bit, discovering the fine art of compromise. By the end of the book, I was cheering for both of them equally hard.

The secondary cast of characters is pure gold and that includes the hilarious Bonnie and Clyde as well as quirky citizens who insert themselves into the picture at every opportunity. Nosy? Oh, heavens no. They're just concerned. The joys of small town life, am I right? They bring plenty of humor to the story but also genuine caring. When the chips are down, the citizens of this town rally to support one of their own without hesitation.

Christmas at Corgi Cove is another heartwarming story from Annie England Noblin that left me awash in the spirit of Christmas and smiling with delight. 

Review & Giveaway - - Christmas in Blue Dog Valley

Christmas in Blue Dog Valley: A Novel

by Annie England Noblin

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: September 20, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

 

Welcome to Blue Dog Valley. Home of the Fighting Elk. Population 3,411. 

When Goldie McKenzie, DVM, vet to the L.A. pet stars, arrives from Los Angeles to Blue Dog Valley she realizes three things.

1. Never agree to upend your life when you’re hungover
2. Pot-belly pigs are not true farm animals
3. She’s going to need a warmer coat

At first Goldie is nothing more than a fish out of water, with few clients and few friends. But after a less than pleasant encounter with a man whose dog is suffering from a possibly fatal case of bloat, she’s finally earning the trust and goodwill from her fellow Blue Dog Valley citizens. Her clientele grows to include the many farm animals in the town, including a horse named Large Marge, a cape-wearing therapy alpaca, and a yardful of sweater-wearing goats. Add in Kevin, the “worst sheepdog in Blue Dog Valley,” and a Sphinx cat named Airport, and Goldie is having the best time a vet can have. . . aside from the annoying attractive town grump, Cohen, who seems intent on making sure she always feels like an outsider.

With her newfound goodwill, Goldie comes up with an idea to reinvigorate the once flourishing Blue Dog Valley: a Christmas carnival. A petting zoo, pictures with Santa, a baking contest, what more could they want? After only some brief resistance from Cohen and his father, they begin the great plan to reinvigorate Blue Dog Valley.

Will Christmas be enough to salvage this dying town—and be enough to bring Goldie closer to a certain grumpy man?

PJ's Thoughts:

I love a good fish out of water story and, boy howdy, does this one fit the bill. First off, Goldie is so far outside her comfort zone that, like some Blue Dog Valley residents, I wasn't sure she'd last two weeks. Especially after she stepped out of the airport into frigid temperatures, endured a two-hour, silent ride in a pickup truck with her less than enthusiastic (though very good looking) driver, met her terse, unwelcoming co-worker who informed Goldie that nobody trusted her and all appointments had been cancelled, saw the tiny cabin where she'd be living, and after falling asleep in a kitchen chair awoke to a cat on her head and a huge dog in front of her fireplace. And that was only the first day! But then she discovered Ruby's diner and the best cinnamon rolls in Wisconsin and that outweighed many, many negatives. Like Goldie, I slowly fell in love with the small, Christmas-loving town of Blue Dog Valley and her quirky citizens. And like those citizens, I came to love Goldie as well. Who says you can't start over at forty? 

Noblin is a wonderful storyteller, bringing this tale to life with humor, poignant emotion, sassy banter, and well-developed characters. She captures the vibe of the upper Midwest and the flow of a small town on the brink of collapse impeccably. By the time I reached the final page, I felt as if I knew each of the characters, no matter how small a part they played in the overall story. And that goes for both two-legged and four-legged ones! I was cheering for Blue Dog Valley to succeed. I was ready to decorate my house to the max. I was rooting for Cohen to wake up and realize the happiness that was within his grasp. I wanted to spend the day with Kevin, Airport, Alice and the rest of the Blue Dog Valley animals. And I was craving cinnamon rolls. Hot, sweet, chewy cinnamon rolls. 

I would classify this as women's fiction, or perhaps contemporary fiction (think Hallmark Christmas movie), though there is a romantic element and a happy ending. The primary focus though is on Goldie, her interactions with everyone in town, her growth, her second chapter, finding herself, finding her happiness and, quite possibly, her future. 

Christmas in Blue Dog Valley is a fun, feel-good story that's sure to brighten your holiday reading pleasure. It has my enthusiastic recommendation. 

Blue Dog Valley goes all out with Christmas decorations and activities. What does your town do to celebrate?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, December 16 will receive a print copy of Christmas in Blue Dog Valley.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

Review - - Maps for the Getaway

Maps for the Getaway

by Annie England Noblin

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: June 15, 2021

Reviewed by PJ

It was the road trip of their lives . . . and they did it without a map.

When they posed for a photo at their high school graduation, they vowed they’d be friends forever, but teenage promises are so easily broken, and now, thirty years later, they’re practically strangers.

Cici—stuck in a rut, married to a cheating husband.

Genie—caring for her ailing father but never getting any thanks.

Kate—everyone knows people who look perfect on Instagram are not.

And Laurie—the most successful of them all—now tragically gone.

So, to celebrate Laurie’s life,  three former friends in a 1962 red Lincoln Continental convertible take the road trip of their lives—encountering male strippers, a boy band that has seen better days, crazy motel rooms, adopting a so-ugly-it’s-cute stray dog…and discovering that it’s never too late to live the wild life.

Because, sometimes, to find yourself you have to get away. 

PJ's Thoughts:

Three high school friends who have lost touch over the 20 years since graduation, each at a crossroads in her life, taking a Missouri to Las Vegas road trip in a classic Lincoln convertible to attend a reunion concert of their favorite boy band from their teens to honor their recently deceased fourth bestie? Yes, please!

I loved this book so much. It gave me everything I could want in a summer read. So much so, that I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters at the end; I just wanted to go back to page one and start the journey all over again.

Noblin has filled her story with laugh-out-loud humor, poignant, heart-tugging emotion, self-reflection, growth, more than a few surprises, hope for the future, and bonds of youthful friendship that may fray over the years but with care and understanding can strengthen and hold solid for a lifetime. I cried, I cheered, I may have growled a time or two, I sighed with delight, chuckled repeatedly, and snort-laughed more than once. Noblin's characters, both primary and secondary, leaped from the pages, bringing this story to life with vivid depictions that made me feel like I was traveling those roads with them. And what a fun trip it was!

This was my first book by Annie England Noblin. It won't be my last. Add this one to your summer reading list. It has my enthusiastic recommendation.