Showing posts with label Hellie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hellie. Show all posts

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Review - - Remember That Day

Remember That Day
by Mary Balogh
A Ravenswood Novel - Book 5
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 6, 2026
Reviewed by Hellie

 



Winifred Cunningham, the adopted daughter of a portrait painter, hopes that her new close friend, Owen Ware, will soon ask for her hand in marriage. But when Owen introduces Winifred to his elder brother Nicholas, the late Earl of Stratton’s second son, the slow burn between them begins.


Nicholas is a cavalry colonel—a hardened soldier whom Winifred at first despises. She finds him intimidating and cruel-looking, while he finds her strange and startlingly forthright. During a summer at Ravenswood, however, Nicholas and Winifred are unwillingly thrown together on several occasions, until they realize the passion that drives their disagreements is not due to dislike—it is because of attraction.


Winifred still awaits Owen’s proposal, and Nicholas has made his intention to marry his commanding officer’s daughter quite clear. With allegiances to other marriage prospects and brotherly bonds at risk, not to mention the age difference between them, Nicholas and Winifred know it would be wholly improper to pursue a romance...


And yet, romance is irresistible. Perhaps even inevitable.



Hellie’s Heeds


Remember That Day is a wondrous slow burn where chemistry is as important as mutual respect and friendship. Mary Balogh has been doing this for a while, and as she always does, she proves why she is the queen of sly wit, flawed but loveable characters, and the kind of romance that would make Jane Austen give her quill of approval. This is also the fifth book in the Ravenswood series, but it has the delightful surprise of combining the beloved characters from The Wescott series. 


The hero, Nicholas, is a military man (I kept thinking of Colonel Brandon when I read him–the cruel mouth, the wounded leg, the sensitivity and intense longing!)--and he is paired with the beloved adopted daughter of the Cunninghams, Winifred, who upon meeting him, professes she doesn’t like killers. Or war. Winifred is a beguiling blend of Marianne (hey, I love Sense & Sensibility) and her whimsy and longing for her own love, but more of Eleanor’s pragmatic attitude, especially when it comes to her looks and how good her prospects really are. Unfortunately, both of them are rather attached to other people when they meet: him to the General’s daughter, who has already lost two military fiancees in war, and her to Nicholas’s brother, Owen, who is passionate about making a difference in the world and is Winifred’s best friend, but he doesn’t seem to see her in the way she wishes he would. 


Balogh gives us the best of all possible settings: a country house party, complete with an annual summer fete with trinkets, contests, and the like. All the proximity between Nicholas and Winifred soon makes each of them realize: maybe they have chosen wrong. But they are both honorable, good people; and it’s only through honest communication that the ending we all hope for comes to be. Throw in scenes and vignettes with some characters we have been wondering about since we’ve seen them last, marveling at Balogh’s way of phrasing and creating emotion, and I turned the last page, smiling in pure happiness. 


The only warning I give is that reading this book will likely make you want to reread all the rest of the series…including the Westcotts. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing.


Thursday, January 15, 2026

Review - - The Bodyguard Affair

The Bodyguard Affair

by Amy Lea

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: December 2, 2025

Reviewed by Hellie



 



Andi Zeigler lives a double life. By day, she’s the no-nonsense, steadfast personal assistant to the Prime Minister of Canada’s wife. By night, she slips out of her heels and writes romance novels under a top-secret pen name. But when her steamiest book, The Prime Minister & Me, unexpectedly becomes a bestseller, rumors of a real-life affair between her and the PM start swirling out of control.


Enter Nolan Crosby, the PM’s new close protection officer (aka bodyguard) – and Andi’s failed one-night stand from three years ago. Nolan’s in town very temporarily to care for his mother, who’s battling early-onset Alzheimer’s. But when the scandal erupts, Andi ropes him into a fake-dating plan.


As loyal employees, they’ll pretend to date for the summer, just long enough to put the scandal to bed and save their boss’s reputation. In an unexpected plot twist, Andi and Nolan discover that keeping their romance strictly fictional might be easier said than done.


Hellie’s Heeds


Thank Goodness for Winter break because this was just the book I needed for my travels and it was all the things I adore about a “vacation book.” The book goes back and forth between the two main characters (in a first person writing, which allows a deeper POV for readers to connect to the characters immediately.) Rom com humor can be a bit subjective for readers, but I adore Amy Lea’s style of absurd humor (the “meet cute” happens when the hero walks into the bathroom stall as the heroine is using it) is blended with real emotional pulls as the heroine is dealing with a breakup, only to learn her best friend now wants to date her ex. And in fact, the ex had wanted to date her friend the whole time–their relationship had been a mistake. Seriously, dude? I just…related with this heroine so hard with her need to keep this friendship and to put aside her needs and reactions in order to please everyone else. But her character arc isn’t even the bigger one! The hero’s struggle with his complicated relationship with his mother and her new diagnosis of Alzheimer's just kicks the reader in the chest as you wonder how is this author going to make a positive resolution to this story.


Amy Lea does what I feel is an awesome thing with her “one night stand” scene. (I feel having sex so early in the story can deaden the sexual tension, which is why I love to read romance, so it can be a chancy thing to have the sex too early in my opinion.) It’s a one-night stand that doesn’t connect at a physical level, but instead connects at the emotional level, providing each character with something they need at this point of their lives before they part ways in the morning. Therefore when they meet again a few years later, the heroine, Andi, has been outed as a romance author who wrote a book called The Prime Minister & Me, when she is an assistant to the Prime Minister’s wife–and it seems the obvious choice she forges a fake dating relationship with her former one-night stand, now the PM’s bodyguard, to deflect the scandal. 


Their “summer of love” is filled with the easy connection they had experienced when they met three years ago and it deepens into an even better friendship, but also, oh, the sexual tension! Neither seems to want to ruin things with sex, especially Nolan, who knows he’s leaving at the end of summer. However, they finally come to their senses–and oh, the scenes are steamy. So worth the wait. Even better, the heroine starts writing again–and with the new popularity of her scandal-producing book–this couldn’t be timelier. The character arc for Andi had exactly the elements needed to make her the more confident, “I’m worthy” character in the end, but it was Nolan’s arc that broke me. Oh my God, the dog, people. You have to read this book for the dog. 


I kept reading scenes and dialogue to my husband–and would say, “Does this sound familiar?” because the heroine honestly felt like my doppleganger. Then I would read scenes with the hero, and my husband would sniffle (he’s a notorious Disney crier) and I would be like, “I know! Right?” This book is on my top 5 books I’ve read this year (2025). All the feels. If you haven’t put it in your TBR pile yet, do so. Top Dish all across the board. 



Friday, December 19, 2025

Review - - Her Time Traveling Duke

Her Time Traveling Duke

by Bryn Donovan

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: December 9, 2025

Reviewed by Hellie




Rose Novak, a free-spirited museum employee who dabbles in magic, has had her share of disappointments. So when she tries a little spell for a romance with an “old-fashioned gentleman,” she doesn’t really expect it to work…especially literally. And yet, the duke from a painting she admired at the museum is now standing in her apartment, demanding to know who abducted him.

A man of science and truth, Henry Leighton-Lyons, the Duke of Beresford, has searched tirelessly for a way to turn back time and be with his late wife again. Instead, just as he’s about to pose for his portrait, he’s ripped centuries forward by a feckless, scantily dressed—and utterly bewitching—woman who believes in nonsense like magical crystals and astrology.


Unable to immediately reverse her spell, Rose vows to help Henry return to his own century, even though disguises and high jinks are required to get their hands on an enchanted astrolabe and master the art of time travel. But it’s hard not to fall for the irritable yet honorable duke.


Little does she know that he’s starting to wonder: did a reckless love spell get it right, after all?


Hellie’s Heeds:


I snatched up this frothy feel-good book after having had the opportunity to read Donovan’s debut, Her Knight at the Museum (November 2024), and it did not disappoint. For fans who loved the swoony rom-com, Kate & Leopold, as well as for those of us who wish we could bring the real Mr. Darcy into the modern-era to bypass all those Tinder ads–this is wish-fulfillment at its finest. 


Tropes: Grumpy and Sunshine, also Mr. Rational Science Guy with Miss “I Perform Magic in my Nightie while Sipping Chardonnay" and a little Marvel Universe hilarity with a secondary character named Jason, who I would love to know more about in future books–and I hope there is more time-traveling books to come–or even a time-traveling damsel for Jason–that’d be fun. If you read the first book, you get to meet up with some beloved characters there as well, but you don’t need to have read the first one to enjoy this one. (There are other secondary characters that I wouldn’t mind learning more about–but Jason really stands out.) 


I have to hand it to Ms. Donovan–she had me scared. There was a Black Moment where the hero really futzed it up and I thought, “Oh, my girlfriend is not going to get over this! What was he doing?” But fortunately–ruining it for all of you–they work it out. You’ll have to read it to see how though. 


I took this book with me on a trip–and I was supposed to go and look at art museums and eat out in a big city–and I refused to leave my hotel room so I could keep reading it. It makes you forget whatever is happening outside of you–which is the best recommendation I can have about a book. My husband would return from work and I’d be like, “Listen, listen, I’m going to let you talk about your terrible day, but isn’t this the funniest thing you ever heard?” and would read a scene to him. And it did make his day a little better. And I had the best vacation, staying in the hotel, in bed with this delicious novel. (I also recommend a chocolate bar–that also upped the experience too.)


I’m recommending this to all my rom-com readers this holiday season. Please rush out and put it on your last minute stocking stuffer because once the presents have been torn through, you deserve a little me-time to dream about stuffy dukes from England and modern day wallflowers who deserve a happily ever after.

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Review - - The Gilded Heiress

The Gilded Heiress
by Joanna Shupe
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: August 26, 2025
Reviewed by Hellie
 


In 1880 a baby was stolen from the wealthiest family in America. Though no ransom was ever demanded, the Pendelton family never gave up hope . . . and their reward became the stuff of legend.

After being raised in a children’s asylum, Josie Smith ends up on the streets and quickly learns how to take care of herself. Her singing voice draws crowds on every corner, and she’ll stop at nothing to become famous and travel the world, loved and adored by all. Maybe then she won’t think about the family who gave her away as an infant.

Leo Hardy isn’t afraid to use his charm and wits to make a fast buck, especially with a mother and five siblings to support. When he stumbles upon a beautiful young woman singing on the street, Leo notices her striking resemblance to the infamous missing baby’s mother, Mrs. Thomas Pendelton. The Hardys lost everything thanks to the Pendeltons, and once Leo sees Josie, he seizes the opportunity to settle the score. All he needs to do is pull off the biggest swindle of his career.

As the two are catapulted into Knickerbocker High Society, they grow closer to their goal, as well as to each other. But secrets can only stay hidden for so long. Soon the truth unfolds, and both Josie and Leo must separate what’s real from what’s just gilding.


Hellie’s Heeds


What a delightful romp!! If you love steamy sex scenes, witty banter, laugh-out-loud scenes that should totally be in a movie, and plot twists where you wonder, “HOW is the author going to make this work out?”--then you will be enchanted with this book. I feel if you’ve been watching The Gilded Age–and perhaps already watched all the episodes–this may help fill in a bit of that void as well. 


Joanna Shupe’s novels have always been a hallmark of these characteristics: the hot-hot-hot love scenes, banter for days, and the sheer emotional wreckage as we wonder if these characters will ever get their happily ever after. And I think this one fits nicely with her previous offerings–with Leo Hardy being yet another hero in need of a little redemption, but we can’t help but fall for him anyway and root for him to become a better man for this one woman who is perfect for him. He is Dreamy–and seriously, that opening scene in the brothel? We have Bridgerton on Netflix–can we have this one too? 


Neither character is perfect by any means, but they are perfect for each other–and it’s wonderful to watch their relationship unfold. The emotional plot points were dead on–like when I read the black moment, I was like, “Ooof, that is exactly what needed to happen” even as I was yelling, “NO! How are they ever going to get together? There’s not enough pages left!” Just excellent character growth. 


From a historical standpoint, if that is at all a stickler for you, some of the historical stuff feels wildly improbable. Though technically speaking, I suppose, not impossible–which is all we need really, right? (I just watch a lot of missing people shows…the odds of them not winding up dead is slim to none. And then to be a child in this era that grew up in a big city orphanage and didn’t die of whooping cough, typhoid, tuberculosis, or the myriad of other childhood ailments made me a bit skeptical. So…that’s the reason it wasn’t a 5 star for me–I couldn’t quite suspend disbelief.) However, on other aspects of a historical nature–the description of theater life, life in the mid-1890s, etc, I felt those were believable and made for great reading. Anyway, it’s not a surprise she grows up in an orphanage…and was kidnapped–that’s right there in the blurb. If you are a stickler about childhood ailments and orphanages, you too may have difficulties with suspending disbelief, but I can say the rest of it makes for really good reading.


Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Review - - Accidentally Amy

Accidentally Amy
by Lynn Painter
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Reviewed by Hellie




Isabella Shay is usually a very honest person. But when she’s running late for her first day at her dream job and the barista yells for “Amy” three times with no answer, she does the unthinkable.


Izzy takes that PSL.


It’s the exact drink she ordered and paid for, only way further ahead in the queue—and she’ll take whatever bad karma is coming for her; she’s desperate and very late. But when she turns around and runs directly into the most attractive man she’s ever seen, spilling the drink all over his made-for-GQ shirt and tie, she ends up having the ultimate meet-cute. Karma who? Sparks fly and things feel beyond promising, until he says to her: “See you tomorrow, Amy.”


Izzy reasons she can just straighten things out the next day, no biggie. Only when she gets to her new office and meets the VP of her department, it is none other than Blake Phillips—the hottie from Starbucks. And the man might’ve been charming to “Amy,” but he is an arrogant grump to Izzy, an arrogant grump who does not find her explanation funny at all. But day by day, an attraction simmers between them and they’ll have to find a way to work together without ripping each other’s heads—or clothes—off.


Hellie’s Heeds


My people, Lynn Painter just gets better and better. You may recall I recommended a previous book by her, Happily Never After, where I cackled all the live long day while reading it. Accidentally Amy is just as funny, just as sweet, and just as sexy, and I suspect if I went back and read her other books, Mr. Wrong Number and The Love Wager, I would also have to admit I cackled all the way through the pages. Lynn Painter is funny as hell and honestly I think we all need a bit more of laughter to get us through the rest of this Winter of Oh-Hell-Not-Again (which happens every January, the longest Monday of the year.) While I’m a bit delayed for a January recommendation, February is also sure to have its share of grey, cold days and this is the warming cup of hot chocolate you need to make it to Spring. 


That was my summary for you TL;DR (too long; didn't read) peeps. For the rest of you, I will add more details like both characters own cats–and they are the cutest and most adorable cats you’ve ever met, even your own. Also the fact that the hero has adopted two special needs cats: one blind and one diabetic–has put him in the running as the most swoonworthy hero of 2025 and we’ve barely started. (I mean, despite the fact January feels a 1000 days long, technically we’re just underway of this year and reading, as a reminder.)


The sex scenes were sexy–and admittedly I’ve gotten older and crankier so sex scenes don’t generally impress me much anymore. If anything, I’ve started rolling my eyes and skimming pages–and I don’t like that because I love a well-crafted sex scene–but my friends, I savored every word. I dogearred a couple pages for my Hubby. The scenes were both vivid but also felt not unnecessarily explicit, which *chef’s kiss* not everyone can do–but Lynn Painter can. The characters are well-developed…and honestly I’m looking forward to my coffee date at Scooter’s next week with Isabella Shay as I make her my new best friend, she’s that real. (I won’t order any Pumpkin Spice Lattes though….)


So run…add this book to your TBR pile for 2025. It’s worth the spend, in my opinion, and while you’re at it, check out her backlist if you haven’t already. Top Dish. 


Monday, December 9, 2024

Review - - The Maui Effect

The Maui Effect
by Sara Ackerman
Publisher: MIRA
Release Date: November 19, 2024
Reviewed by Hellie



They say opposites attract, but are they meant to last?


‘Iwa Young’s life is high in the Maui rainforest. As a field biologist, she’s happiest in the company of trees and birds and waterfalls. When a developer arrives with plans for a so-called eco resort in the middle of a forest full of endangered species, ‘Iwa puts all her energy into the fight to protect it. But a chance encounter threatens to distract her. His name is Dane Parsons, a big-wave surfer from California. ‘Iwa has a few unbreakable rules, and at the top of her list: never date a surfer.


Dane is part of an underground group of big-wave riders, and his connection to the ocean runs deep. When he meets ‘Iwa, he can’t get her out of his mind. But ‘Iwa wants nothing to do with Dane until he offers to help protect her beloved forest and waterfall. Always on the hunt for the ultimate ride, Dane suddenly glimpses something even greater.


In this thunderous love story, we travel deep into the Maui rainforest and hop across the globe from Hawai'i to California to Portugal, chasing waves the size of nine-story buildings—where the unthinkable is always just one breath away. 


Hellie’s Heeds


Much like extreme sport surfing, this story is intense, fast-paced, and makes your heart drop into your stomach at least once a chapter. The level of detail made me feel as if I could understand surfing (have I touched a board? No) and made me respect the work the author clearly put into the story to make the characters authentic and relatable. Iwa, the heroine, is an eco-activist–and the detail there with her story in trying to protect one of the rainforests in Hawaii also felt very well researched yet approachable. The secondary characters were all very individualized, as if you met them at a party, you’d know who they were and what their quirks were. (Also I’d really like to meet Winston–I am not into surfers and would have totally thrown Dane over for him–and he can sing.) 


Dane is a flawed but very lovable hero. He grew up without a father; and he has a very complicated relationship with his mother. His character arc in this story was as big a wave as the kind he seeks out for the best surf of his life–and about as dangerous. The story should maybe have a trigger warning or two since drug addiction, depression, death (or near death), and mental health plays a big role in his heroic development. Iwa is a lovable but stubborn (slight flaw) heroine who has been once bitten, twice shy where surfers are concerned. While Dane definitely shows her he is not like the other surfers she has dealt with, it becomes clear that Dane’s need for extreme surfing as a way to get ‘high’ and not have to deal with his issues (both mommy and daddy ones) and Iwa has to rightfully draw some boundaries. As Luke tells her, you can’t save him; you can only love him. And sometimes love isn’t enough. (Iwa also has some undealt with emotions and grief where her mother is concerned. Honestly the grief and emotions that have to be dealt with where mothers are concerned should have been a specific trigger warning for me…)


I loved the love scenes–they did not feel gratuitous or rushed, but the sort of modern blend of consent and passion I have come to appreciate in my romances. And that scene at the waterfall–ooof. They were definitely ones that developed the relationship between the characters–but the story itself was so meaty with all the other plot and conflict that the sex scenes definitely took second fiddle. (At least for me–it’s not the love scenes I remember–it’s the intense conversations and scenes where they bond in other ways.) 


If you want to escape to Hawaii…or learn more about big wave surfing, this is the book. I need to go find more books by Sara Ackerman now because I can’t believe I haven’t read her books before. And with the cold settling in where I live, the escape to Hawaii was perfect–though I’m going to stay on the beach. This story did not lure me to want to learn to surf. Just a beach and a 5 star book for me.


Monday, November 25, 2024

Review - - Fortune's Holiday Surprise

Fortune's Holiday Surprise
by Jennifer Wilck
The Fortunes of Texas: Fortune's Secret Children - Book 5
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: November 26, 2024
Reviewed by Hellie



He’d lost the holiday spirit…


Until she brought light back into his life.


Rancher Arlo Fortune is devastated when he loses his best friend in a tragic accident. The only thing that heals him is opening his heart to his friend’s adorable daughter, Aviva…and his friend’s grieving sister-in-law, the brand-new guardian to the orphaned child. Carrie Kaplan has one mission: to lavish her niece with love in a Jewish home like her sister always wanted. Her stop in Chatelaine is only temporary. Right? But as she teaches Aviva about the miracle of Hanukkah, holiday magic might just beckon from Arlo’s ranch around the bend…


Hellie’s Heeds


This book was a bit more of a struggle for me–and I think it’s because I did not read the other books in the series. However, while I like to seek out Wilck’s books, the other books in this series were written by different authors. It’s a series where a group of authors have taken on characters from the same family or group–and then write books that have interactions with those other groups (at least occasionally). Like you’re writing a series of tandem books all going on at the same time. Hats off to the authors for pulling this off. 


While you can obviously read this book without having read the other books in the series, I do believe the reader will have a better connection to the characters in this particular book (and the other books) IF they read the whole series (preferably from the beginning.) Reading just one of the books, in my opinion, can make the relationship feel shallow and rushed in its completion–thus making the happily ever after feel a bit far-fetched. 


That said, there were real moments of connection between the hero and heroine in this book–and Arlo is a wonderful hero. He is struggling with the regret of having not made peace with his best friend, Isaac, who died tragically, and he is spending time with Isaac’s sister-in-law, Carrie, who is now the mother to her niece, Aviva. Carrie is struggling with the very real grief of losing a close family member and friend–and the responsibility of taking on a toddler, whose mother asked Carrie to be the one to help Aviva learn about her Jewish heritage. I choked up many times reading some of the scenes where Carrie is struggling with her grief and fear; and Arlo was wonderful throughout it all. My issue is that as someone who has experienced her share of grief, it can be a bit of a gamble of falling in love and then agreeing to marry someone when you’re going through the grieving process (i.e. it’s only been a month or so.) Again, this could be because I am a bit of a commitment-phobe and don’t like committing to a Netflix ongoing service after only a month of “dating”, let alone committing to another person. No matter how wonderful they were. So for me, I can’t suspend the belief of love at first sight, I guess you could say. For others, this may easily be a 5 star rating. 


That said–the food Carrie cooks in this book–I want to eat all the food…and try all the recipes. Which basically puts me on the level of Arlo (i.e. don’t stand in the way of him and food.) If anything could have tipped another star from me, it would have been some recipes in the back of the book. 


Monday, November 18, 2024

Review & Giveaway - - Her Knight at the Museum

Her Knight at the Museum
by Bryn Donovan
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 12, 2024
Reviewed by Hellie
 


Forgotten by time and abandoned by hope, Sir Griffin de Beauford’s existence stretches out before him. Cursed by a ruthless enchanter to see, hear, and think, but never to move or speak, Griffin suffers the long, lonely centuries trapped in stone…until an unexpected kiss from a fair maiden breathes new life into his soul—and his body.


Emily Porter, a recently divorced conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago, is charged with the restoration of a statue of a medieval English knight. Breaking curses was not part of the job description. And yet, here he is, the man of her dreams come to life, resplendent in shining armor as he joyously barrels into priceless antiquities...and goes on to dismantle her defenses, wreak havoc on her senses, and tempt her to believe once more in happy-ever-afters.


But the modern age tries Griffin’s patience and pride, and Emily is a prime suspect in the investigation of the missing sculpture. In a complicated world, can they find their way to a fairy-tale ending?



Hellie’s Heeds


A true romantasy rom-com, Her Knight at the Museum will tick your boxes if you’re in the mood for a swoonworthy hero (who talks in complete sentences), comical hijinks, and sexy love scenes that you may want to dogear for later. The last time a knight statue came to life and stole my heart, it was A Knight in Shining Armor, which also featured a swoonworthy hero and comical hijicks–but I do have to say, I do prefer this ending to the more realistic ending that Deveraux gave us. After all, if I found a guy like Sir Griffin, I would want to keep him. 


For me, while the story was very lovely, I did have a habit of putting it down and being distracted by other things. While I have longed for a pure rom-com for ages–and I’m so grateful for Ms. Donovan’s book–at the same time, it can be a little difficult to just lose myself in the fantasy when I’m also thinking, “Aren’t they rushing into bed together? In this era? I mean, you don’t even know if he’s lactose intolerant.” Obviously these were my issues. Never mind that the premise that he is a cursed medieval man who wakes up from stone, like some sort of Snow White, and doesn’t immediately die from the flu due to his naked immune system struck me as far-fetched. Yep, his immune system was the far-fetched part for me. These occasional thoughts would distract me from the book and I would just watch episodes of murder mysteries for the satisfaction of a solved case in 42 minutes. I don’t think this is the fault of the writer or the story–I just think sometimes stories resonate with us more during different seasons of our lives. There have been books I’ve read decades ago I didn’t care for, but read again later and was blown away–and vice versa. 


The first hasty love scene aside, the later scenes were very hot and steamy…and distracting. So if you like your sex scenes more steamy–I would say this is moderately spicy. Rom-com spicy. I also loved when they toured the art museum together and she showed him some Andy Warhol paintings (which is the inspiration of her dog’s name) and I had to laugh when Sir Griffin immediately announced the pieces were hideous. Right there with you, big guy. I do not appreciate modern contemporary art. The chemistry between Emily and Griffin felt real and sweet–I was rooting for them the whole time. Even while I was wishing she would hold back a little until she made sure he wasn’t allergic to cheese. Or vegan. (I mean those are the things that can break a relationship. I mean, too late for me–my knight in shining armor hates peanut butter, though it does benefit me in that I get all the peanut butter cups to myself. Hmm, maybe it’s not so bad.) 


I love the job that Griffin ends up getting in the 21st century–and the scene for his job interview was particularly diverting. I’m also curious about Emily’s boss, Jason, and wondering if he is featured in other books or if there will be more connected books–which I think would be very fascinating. All in all, I recommend this book for a frothy, fun rom-com with a dashing hero, a relatable heroine, and secondary characters (shout out to you, Rose!) that steal every scene they are in. Romance authors are the true heroes out there–I’m grateful for all of them. Sign me up for the next Donovan rom-com–I hope it’s just as magical.


~~~~~~~~~


Have you read Bryn Donovan yet?


How do you feel about statues coming to life in your romances? Yay? Nay?


If you could conjure a real-life hero from a trip to the museum, from which era would he hail?


One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, November 20 will receive a print copy of Her Knight at the Museum.


*U.S. only

*Must be 18