A wonderful story of love, friendship and opening your mind and your heart to new possibilities that will enchant fans of Holly Martin and Heidi Swain.
The Copper Plough is at the heart of village life for the residents of Heritage Cove, and never more so than at Christmas, when the tree glows in the alcove and the smell of mulled wine carries out onto the street. So when new owners for the beloved pub arrive and decide to shake things up, not everyone welcomes the changes with open arms.
Local bakery owner Celeste is ready to keep an open mind. But she’s shocked to discover that one of the new landlords is Quinn, a former Navy sailor with whom she had a short but powerful romance years earlier.
Fate may have brought Quinn and Celeste back together, but life seems determined to keep them apart. Can the villagers learn to embrace the newcomers this Christmas? And will Quinn and Celeste find a way back to each other before snow falls over Heritage Cove?
My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
Family comes in all shapes and sizes. And maybe this is the shape of ours. I can’t see anything else I want more.
My Review:
I enjoy this author’s work, her writing is entertaining and easy to slot myself into. I often felt as if I was sitting at a table while sipping a libation and watching it occur. The characters were realistically constructed and worth investing in and caring for. Each one was uniquely quirked and flawed, yet knowable and endearing. I look forward to returning to this series for more of the same.
Helen J Rolfe writes romantic fiction and contemporary women’s fiction and enjoys weaving stories about family, friendship, secrets, and community.
Location is a big part of the adventure in Helen’s books and she enjoys setting stories in different cities and countries where she thinks her readers might like to escape to.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year on Castle Street, and there’s a paw-some new business opening….
It had always been Tabby’s dream to work with cats and an inheritance from her beloved nanna has finally made that a reality. Idyllic Castle Street in Whitsborough Bay couldn’t be a better place for pastry chef Tabby to open a cat café with her boyfriend, Leon.
But when Leon leaves her in the lurch, the pressure mounts for Tabby. With Christmas fast approaching, she has to open the café on her own – a daunting prospect, especially when she’s been hiding her health issues from the ones she loves.
Faced with local resistance to the café – and somebody seemingly determined that she won’t succeed – Tabby will need her friends, family and cats more than ever to recover her broken Christmas spirit and pull together for a Christmas miracle.
Will the cat café bring the festive joy to Castle Street as Tabby had hoped or will it be a cat-astrophe? And can the magic of Christmas on Castle Street mend Tabby’s broken heart as well as her business?
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
I thought I knew him so well, but so much of what he’d done this year bewildered me. Perhaps I shouldn’t be mourning my loss. Perhaps I should be celebrating a lucky escape.
This is my big dream but, right now, it feels more like a nightmare.
I was planning to do the classic stereotypical man thing of shopping on Christmas Eve and panic-buying rubbish gifts.
My Review:
Christmas, cats, frequent mentions of baked goods, and Jessica Redland’s writing, I knew I’d like this one since I’m a kitten rescuer myself. The characters were gentle people and their storylines focused on real-life issues and were chaste enough for my elderly mother’s book club and easy to follow, although ever so slowly paced. I found myself growing impatient with the repetition of her health concerns, although understandably, dealing with a chronic illness can be all-consuming. There were a few surprise turns, a slow-burn romance, and a bit of a mystery to solve before ending with a much anticipated and appreciated HEA.
Jessica Redland writes uplifting stories of love, friendship, family, and community set in Yorkshire where she lives. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast and her Hedgehog Hollow series takes them into the beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.
Summer Hastings HATES Christmas. She loves sunshine, the beach and running her travel agency, sending people off to their dream destinations – even if she doesn’t get to see the world for herself. For Summer, Christmas sucks! So, when handsome and charming Noel Pritchett moves his pop-up Christmas shop in to the store next to hers, Summer sees red.
Noel loves Christmas…and he quite likes Summer too, if only he could break through the anti-Christmas armour she has surrounded herself with. Just why does Summer hate Christmas so much? And can Noel be the one to prove to her that it really is the most wonderful time of the year?
An enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, rom com from bestselling author Rachel Dove.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Life was pretty good here at times. Times like this, when the air of opportunity and promise seemed so fresh and ripe, there for the taking. She loved the scent of delusion in the morning.
Her mother had less of a carbon footprint than the ants they got in the kitchen every summer. One ant, even.
His mum took a sip of her tea, sitting back amongst her plumped cushions. She looked as though she was drinking the blood of her fallen adversaries whilst sitting on a throne of crushed bones and skulls.
‘I’m sorry, dearest girlfriend, of course you are nothing but sweetness and light. I was the one in the wrong… And furthermore, I am declaring now that you will always be beautiful, and I will always be wrong.
My Review:
While entertaining and uniquely quirky, this tale wasn’t always an easy read, a few of the characters were prone to nasty tirades and were rather vile at times. I didn’t fully appreciate the main character of Summer until near the end of the book as she was prickly, had a short fuse and a sharp tongue, and wasn’t someone I would choose to share air with. Yet this crafty wordsmith still had me invested in the story and curious as to how it would unfold.
I am a wife, mother of two boys, avid reader and writer of words. I sometimes sleep, always have eye bags and dream of retiring to a big white house in Cornwall, with 2 shaggy dogs, drinking wine on my seafront balcony whilst creating works of romantic fiction. All done with immaculate make up and floaty dresses.
In the meantime I nearly always remember to brush my hair, seldom have time to look in a mirror and write many, many to-do lists. I write fast paced sexy medical romances for Mills & Boon, and contemporary fiction and romantic comedies for HQ Digital and Boldwood Books. I always have a few books in progress, and am always jotting down new shiny ideas to torment myself with.
The police are coming, they’re going to arrest me.’ My blood runs cold at his words. My husband is accused of murder. He swears he is innocent – so why won’t he tell me where he really was that night?
I feel so lucky to have my handsome husband Mark and our blue-eyed little boy. Everyone says we’re the perfect family. I used to believe them.
But everything changes when Mark comes home from a work trip with dark circles under his eyes. That night I jumped at a hammering at the door. The police want to question him about the murder of a beautiful, blonde young woman. Mark swears he had nothing to do with it, that she was a colleague, nothing more.
Mark is a respected airline pilot, and a model husband and father. It seems impossible that he would be involved in something like this. But he won’t say a word about where he was. I believe he’s not a killer – but I know he’s hiding something. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Then my husband is attacked. I sit by his hospital bed praying for him to wake up, tears streaming down my face. The police say it’s an accident. But what if someone has done this to him?
I go rigid with fear when I see someone hidden in the garden, watching the house. Are they coming to hurt us too? I’ll do anything to protect my precious little boy – and I have to start by uncovering my husband’s lies…
An unbelievably tense and twisty psychological thriller that will leave you breathless for more! Perfect for fans of Kathryn Croft, T.M. Logan and Ruth Heald.
My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
The only way to tell with certainty if someone was capable of murder is when they killed another human being.
My Review:
This was a slowly evolving tale with many red herrings that kept me spinning with theories. I conjured multiple suspicions and was only fractionally correct by the story’s conclusion. The writing and storylines were easy to follow and populated by unique and authentic characters with multiple quirks and foibles. And while they weren’t always likable, they remained compelling and held my interest.
About the Author
Liz Lawler grew up sharing pants, socks, and occasionally a toothbrush, sleeping four to a bed. Born in Chatham and partly raised in Dublin, she is one of fourteen children. She spent over twenty years as a nurse and has since fitted in working as a flight attendant, a general manager of a five-star hotel, and is now working with trains. She became an author in 2017 when her debut novel Don’t Wake Up was published by Twenty7.
Meet Your Matcha, all-new opposites attract romance from Nanxi Wen, is available now in Kindle Unlimited!
“It’s my life to ruin!”
Pippa Fleming is a woman who always has a plan… until she finally secures a coveted promotion and her dream job suddenly feels worse than getting caught under the sun as a redhead with no sunscreen. Exhausted and confused, Pippa seeks an escape by signing up for a reality dating show. Everyone is allowed one identity crisis, right? And where better to recharge than on a beach sipping cocktails with little umbrellas?
As long as she remembers she’s only here to have fun, not lose her heart…
“She was a walking red flag, so far out of my league that I couldn’t even see what league she was in.”
August Weather is laid back and content with his quiet life. But when his sister nominates him for a reality dating show, he sees it as a chance to experience the world outside of his small town. What he didn’t expect was to fall for someone like Pippa. She’s his complete opposite – prickly, vivacious, full of adventure and big dreams… and despises him on sight.
Except, he can’t stop thinking about her and finding out what lies beneath her guarded surface…
When the whirlwind of the show throws them together, Pippa and August discover how wrong first impressions can be. But, can their newfound connection survive the real world? Or will their differences sweep their love match out to sea?
‘Meet Your Matcha’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #7 in the Common Threads series, Seduction in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
In my world, people puffed themselves up, never down. If someone said they owned a yacht, it meant that they sailed in a dinghy once. If they called themselves an international sports star, they barely made the practice squad in Svalbard, Norway.
… she had proceeded to warble at the top of her lungs the ABCs. Or rather, the ABUs, because she “no like c.” When I tried to argue with her that c followed b, she had asked why. At that moment, with all of my education and work experience, in the face of toddler logic, I had no answer… After a day with her, I had decided that whoever came up with the phrase “taking candy from a baby” had never met a real kid.
Don’t get a big head, but you’re not awful.
What other lies has he told you about me? If he says I’m bossy, I’m not… I just have a natural way of giving directions.
Even knowing that there was nothing to feel guilty about, one stare from Mrs. Fleming made me feel like a kid caught eating Santa’s cookies on Christmas Eve.
My Review:
This was an engaging and entertaining read that was laced together with spiky humor, family drama, a fledgling romance, and volcanic sensual scenes. The main characters were an authentic and unusual mix of small-town and big city, and while I adored August, Pippa was not always likable and a slowly acquired taste, although I had faith that the clever wordsmith would eventually get Pippa where she should be and enjoyed her awakening and the end result.
About the Author
Nanxi Wen thought she was going to write the greatest historical novel. Turns out, her characters decided that they want to be in the 21st century with modern plumbing, online shopping, and reality TV shows.
She lives in New England with her husband and two young kids. When she is not despairing over word count, she enjoys reading, snacking, drinking coffee, sitting by the fireplace, hanging out with friends, and daydreaming.
She’s a self-made fitness sensation. He’s a billionaire mogul. They’re sworn enemies and rivals… aren’t they?
Blake Avery knows all about hard work. She’s gone from making videos in her teenage bedroom to founding a booming fitness business and opening a state-of-the-art Manhattan gym. Now she’s on the cusp of realizing her wildest dreams, and she’s not going to let anyone stand in her way. Certainly not man-of-the-hour Gabriel Mercer.
He might be one of the biggest names in the fitness world and set women’s pulses soaring more than a grueling HIIT workout, but he grew up in a billionaire dynasty and had everything handed to him – or so Blake thinks.
But when Blake publicly criticizes Gabriel, she sparks a feud that neither entrepreneur is willing to back down from. And in an industry that seems determined to keep pushing them together, can Blake hold on to her grudge? Or will she finally warm up to Gabriel’s charm?
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
I need a boatload of sugar in me before I pass out from infatuation.
They’re as loyal as a Labrador on steroids.
My Review:
This was a fun and engaging read that sparkled with witty banter as the characters seesawed at each other while they basically wanted the same things. I always enjoy Ms. Isley’s humorous yet insightful writing style, it is entertaining and perceptive yet relaxing and easy to follow.
Camilla is an engineer who left science behind to enter the whimsical realm of romantic fiction.
She writes contemporary rom-coms. Her characters have big hearts, might be a little stubborn at times, and love to banter with each other. Every story she pens has a guaranteed HEA that will make your heart beat faster. Unless you’re a vampire, of course.
Camilla is a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.
Welcome back to The Potting Shed! As Maddie and Sabi re-open the doors of their family-run garden centre. Business is booming, and it’s time to give back to the community that has kept The Potting Shed afloat, by opening the Forget-Me-Not dementia café.
But, as the doors to the café open, Sabi is offered the chance of a lifetime, that could take her away from The Potting Shed for weeks, café manager Jo’s frail, elderly mother is taken ill, and Maddie’s partner, Ed, takes a job in a faraway city just when Maddie needs him more than ever. A new member of staff is desperately required – who will join Sara, Jo, and Ivan as the busy autumn season fast approaches?
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Tristan groaned. ‘I think that must be a record.’ ‘A record?’ ‘Offending you within ten minutes of being with you.’ ‘Don’t be silly, you’d offended me much quicker than that.’ Sara rolled her eyes.
… it occurred to me that if someone doesn’t put you straight on how to treat women, you’re either going to die alone after a string of disastrous relationships, or you’ll be locked up on a sexual harassment charge, sitting in a cell bewildered at your situation.
I’d rather we lived on toast and fish fingers for the rest of our lives than you be unhappy every day.’
I can’t even pronounce the coffee she has. And oat milk! I mean, whoever milked an oat? The world’s gone mad.
Billy is the perfect example of how to grow old disgracefully, but with style.
My Review:
This was a gentle and realistic installment that continued on from the previous installments with the storylines and a few additional characters and read much like a television serial. There were multiple story threads with real-world issues, thorough and colorful descriptions, and amusing observations tucked into each page. The characters were knowable, likable, and so well-detailed that I would recognize them if I passed them on the street.
Jenny Kane is the bestselling author of many romantic fiction series. These include the Mill Grange series, Abi’s Cornwall series, and the Another Cup series. She has had bestsellers in the Amazon Romance, Contemporary Fiction, and Women’s Fiction charts and multiple bestsellers. If you enjoy Jenny’s writing, then why not follow her author page, for updates on all of her new releases?
Mona Moon and her new husband, Robert Farley, Duke of Brynelleth are about to board an ocean liner to Merry Old England for their honeymoon when Mona receives an urgent telegram from Rupert Hunt, her eyes and ears in the Moon copper mines.
POTENTIAL RIOT AT MONTANA MINE STOP DEAD MINER STOP POSSIBLE MURDER STOP COME AT ONCE STOP RUPERT HUNT
Since the copper mines are the financial backbone of Moon Enterprises, Mona has no choice but to drop her plans and travel to Montana on the next train. She and Robert descend into a world of seething resentments, bitter accusations against Moon Enterprises, and bad decisions that pose a threat to Mona’s world. She travels incognito to search out the truth of Rupert’s allegations against the mining management. She must decide if Rupert is trying to prevent an innocent man from being hung for murder or if he is part of a grandiose plot against her. After all, Mona had been kidnapped by Rupert while searching for the Swift silver mine a year ago. Rupert is a scoundrel, but Mona hired him to be her scoundrel. Is this another of Rupert’s games? Regardless of the threat, Mona must get to the bottom of it. Thank goodness Robert is by her side . . . or could Robert have his own agenda?
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
“I never told you to loudly broadcast our personal lives to the public. I think that esteemed lady might need smelling salts,” Mona said, grinning and looking over her shoulder at Robert.
The voice. You sound like tinkling bells in a breeze.
“I am looking for discontented men who have very little impulse control with Napoleon-like egos.” Violet teased, “That describes half the men I know.”
My Review:
Ms. Keam writes cleverly staged and maddeningly paced cozy mysteries that incorporate real historical figures of the time into her tales. I always seem to find myself falling into a Goggle wormhole while researching these larger-than-life personalities, but none larger than her fictional main character of Mona Moon. I adore Mona Moon, who is classy and sassy as well as independently wealthy. She is exactly the type of woman I want to be.
One thing Miss Abigail loves to do as an author is to write real people and events into her stories. “I am a student of history and love to insert historical information into my mysteries. My goal is to entertain my readers, but if they learn a little something along the way—well, then we are both happy. I certainly learn a lot from my research, and I hope my readers come away with a new appreciation of beekeeping from my Josiah Reynolds Mysteries.”
Smart Move, an all-new grumpy sunshine sweet romance by Amanda Pennington, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!
Ivy Lunden is Team Keep Things Casual…
I am Toby Azumah’s opposite in every way. I’m a pessimist; he’s an optimist. I’m into art; he’s into sports. Still, I’m highly entertained by our flirtationship.
When he finally talks me into a date, everything goes wrong. Chaos descends on my orderly life when my mother falls and needs nearly round-the-clock care. Add in my nosy neighbor, and my peace of mind has been turned inside out.
When Toby, Mr. Best-Case Scenario himself, offers to help, I’m skeptical. A relationship with him would only make things more chaotic, right? Or maybe Toby is the real deal, and giving him a chance is a smart move after all.
Toby Azumah is Team Happily Ever After…
I’ve wanted to take the mysterious, beautiful Ivy Lunden to dinner ever since we met, and I’m confident she just needs a little time to warm up to the idea of us. But nothing goes according to my daydreams.
Despite a no-show date, some flirty texts, and the fierce ways she protects herself and her mom, I see through the chaos and smoke to the real Ivy. The Ivy she rarely shows to the world.
How can I convince her I’m making the smart move and playing for keeps?
‘Smart Move’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #7 in the Work For It series, Educated Romance World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
My house was a simple, two-story brick home, and it was filled with everything that brought me peace: calming white walls, warm lighting, art supplies, and a box of wine.
When in doubt, always play dumb. Petty people will feel good thinking they know more than you, and helpful people will tend to over-explain so you’ll know even more at the end than you did at the beginning. Or maybe it’ll just buy you more time so you can brace yourself for what’s coming next. Playing dumb is a win-win.
Despite the cold, despite the fact he wore only a flimsy polo t-shirt for his work uniform, his skin was a furnace. I felt the heat instantly. It was one of the greatest injustices in life that men hogged all the genes for body heat, and women froze until they got menopausal hot flashes.
“Thanks for making me sound pathetic.” I silently promised my ego it would live to see another day.
I had too little emotional bandwidth for everything demanding my attention today.
My Review:
This was a fun read. The writing style was engaging and easy to follow and kept me pleasantly entertained. I enjoyed this couple, they were endearing, uniquely appealing, and interesting to me. Their flirty banter was clever and their inner musings and personal observations were amusing and witty. I had never heard of synesthesia and was impressed with the author’s grasp and perceptive insights into such a complicated condition.
About the Author
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Amanda Pennington lives with her husband outside Louisville, Kentucky, in their fixer-upper house. When she’s not writing, Amanda loves traveling, running, and reading anything within reach. More information is available at www.amandacpennington.com.
Can’t Fight It, an all-new friends-to-lovers college romance from Allie Winters, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!
Mousy bookworm. Psychology nerd. The kind of girl who constantly sticks her foot in her mouth.
The last thing I am is the type to attract the intimidating, motorcycle-riding guy in the apartment next door. Especially when that mouth of mine gets me in trouble and he overhears me talk smack about him…
So no one’s more surprised than me when he shows up as a participant in the psych study I’m running on campus. Or when he generously offers me some much-needed self-defense lessons. Or when we grow closer than I thought possible. It turns out some people aren’t at all what they seem at first glance. They can actually be everything you never knew you wanted in a man.
The thing is, Austin Langford is so far out of my league, it’s laughable. Muscled boxers don’t go for nobodies like me. I need to forget about this one-sided attraction.
Even when it feels like I can’t fight it.
‘Can’t Fight It’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Lessons Learned series, Educated Romance World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
She gives me a look like I’ve got about two working brain cells and one just gave out.
My Review:
I enjoyed this sweet and sexy romance, it was a slow burn until their chemistry sparked a volcanic eruption and they became a fire hazard. I adored this couple, a clever case of looks can be deceiving and never assume.
About the Author
Allie is the author of the Suncoast University series, the Bishop Brothers series, and the Lessons Learned series. She lives in sunny Florida with her husband, daughter, and two cats. A librarian by day, she spends her nights writing happily ever afters. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and all things Disney.
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