Book Review: My Gift is You (Risking It All #3.5) by Rachel Lacey

My Gift is You

(Risking It All #3.5)

by Rachel Lacey

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SOMETIMES THE BEST GIFTS CAN’T BE WRAPPED

All Mandy Carson wants for Christmas is a distraction…and maybe a date to her friend’s New Year’s Eve wedding. Ghosts from the past always loom larger this time of year, and Mandy’s having a hard time faking her usual fun-loving demeanor. But when her much-needed distraction arrives in the form of the man who rocked her world the long-ago night of their junior prom, she’s forced to confront the painful scars that caused her to bolt back in high school.

Wildlife rescuer Calvin Rocha always regretted letting Mandy slip out of his life, so when fate brings them together on a snowy mountain road with an injured hawk on Christmas Eve, he’s determined to make the most of this second chance. He agrees to be her wedding date, hoping the romantic weekend will bring them back together. And as the clock counts down to midnight, Cal and Mandy might just discover that the best gift they’ll receive this season is each other.

This novella closes out my Risking It All series. It crosses over into my new Almost Royal series, because much of it takes place at a wedding held at the castle introduced in If the Shoe Fits. But you definitely don’t need to have read that book to enjoy My Gift is You! Like all her books, it stands alone.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Their kiss was tentative but familiar, like rediscovering a favorite song, one he hadn’t heard since high school. She tasted like scotch and nostalgia, melting the winter night around them with memories of a red-checked blanket and the scent of warm grass.

 

Did you know I was voted ‘Most Likely to Get Arrested’ in our senior yearbook?

My Review:

This sweet and sexy story just flew by – I was rather surprised to realize I had finished it in one sitting. Despite its brief duration, the narrative was eventful, active, and enjoyable engaging while blending two popular series and crossing several genres. Impressive! This was a small-town, second chance, holiday, adult contemporary romance with a rockstar wedding and rescue animals in an English lord’s castle in Virginia, and completed in only eighty-four pages.   Wow, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around all of that goodness.

About the Author

Rachel Lacey is a contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She’s been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in warm and sunny North Carolina with her husband, son, and a variety of rescue pets.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads 

Book Review: LuLLaY (Portland ME Series – Christmas Novella) by Freya Barker

Title: LuLLaY
Series: A Portland ME Christmas Novella
Author: Freya Barker
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Stand alone)
Release Date: November 1, 2018
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Faith failed him.
Ambition drove her.
Serendipity brought them together
They’ve never met, but their paths run in the same direction—home for the holidays.
Yet their reasons for leaving are as different as the reasons they return.
Meeting by chance along a 1400 mile stretch of highway when a snowstorm grinds traffic to a halt, they have no choice but to jointly ride it out.
Exposing a common thread, leading them from the past to the present, it’s through the innocent eyes of a toddler, they discover a future.

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

My jawline is definitely softening, and I don’t even want to get going on what’s happening under my original chin. Since I discovered a long hair where it most definitely does not belong, I’ve avoided getting too close to a mirror.

 

There are so many reasons anything between us would not be a good idea, but with his tongue in my mouth, I couldn’t think of a single one.

 

Montana Memphis Romer… My full name… My father’s dream has always been to go fly-fishing in Montana, and Mom is a big Elvis fan, with a wish to visit Memphis before she dies. I’m my parents’ walking, talking bucket list.

 

“We’ll make it work,” I promise her, lifting my head to look her in the eye. “I can’t tell you where this road is taking us, but I can assure you I don’t want to get off.”

 

My Review:

 

LuLLay was an endearing and entertaining early holiday read with a precious toddler and an arduous and icy road trip that led to a spicy romance and crusty family drama and ended with a highly satisfactory HEA and a brief visit with my old friends at Scully’s. It also yields my new BBF named Matt, I seem to be quite fickle lately but I’ve been lucky in my book selections. One method of ensuring an enjoyable read is to follow skillful authors I adore and Freya Barker is near the top of that list as her easy to follow and engaging writing has never let me down. I wasn’t familiar with the peculiarities of the Laestadian Lutheran religion and can now boast to my prissy mother of yet another educational experience, and a religious one at that, which was gleaned from my silly hobby. So much for her claim that reading fiction was a waste of time ~ smirk.


Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; with characters who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills, and some hot, sizzling sex in their lives.

A recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya has not slowed down.


She continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!


Don’t miss any upcoming releases!  Sign up for release notifications today >>
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Book Review: One Hundred Excuses (Aspen Cove #5) by Kelly Collins

One Hundred Excuses

 (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 5)

by Kelly Collins 

Goodreads

Amazon

Author Kelly Collins takes you back to Aspen Cove where life is sweet, the tea is sweeter, and love is the sweetest of all.

Marina Caswell didn’t expect to find herself broken and alone with a four-year-old daughter. She could offer a hundred excuses as to why her marriage failed, but the truth was she’d chosen poorly. After a painful marriage and an ugly divorce, she flees with her little girl to Aspen Cove looking for a place to heal their wounded spirits and mend their broken hearts. What she doesn’t expect to find in the quirky little town is love in the form of Sheriff Cooper, a man who insists that everything including trust, love, and respect is grown like a garden. All it needs is a bit of attention and care, something Marina has never experienced.

As the local sheriff, Aiden Cooper can recognize trouble at a glance. It usually looks pretty, smells nice, and wears heels. After his last relationship failure, Aiden doesn’t expect love to bloom when single mom Marina Caswell plants roots next door, but when he sees the sadness in her eyes, he makes it his mission to plant seeds of hope and happiness in her heart.

The tiniest kernel of love can grow when the conditions are right, but a weed from Marina’s past threatens to choke out what they’ve cultivated together. Can Aiden and Marina’s love grow and thrive, or will the past seek its revenge causing their love to wilt and die before it can ever take root?

Find out in One Hundred Excuses

My Rating:

 

 

Favorite Quotes:

I’ve found few things grow without care—not a garden and not friendship. Anything worth having is worth cultivating.

He’d stood there staring at the drinks for minutes until the owner, Marge, asked him what the problem was. He explained that he didn’t know what a four-year-old liked. She handed him a six-pack of fruit punch and told him he couldn’t go wrong with sugar and red dye. Two things all kids seemed to love.

She leaned into Sage and whispered, “She doesn’t talk.” Sage smiled. “Sure she does, she just doesn’t use words.”

There were three flavors available. Honeycomb Your Hair, which was bits of honeycombs in vanilla ice cream served in a bowl of cotton candy. Beds Bugs, which was chocolate ice cream with chocolate covered peanuts, drizzled with caramel syrup. Princess and the Pooper, which was rainbow sherbet sprinkled with Pop Rocks and a dollop of fudge.

“I went to prom. I lost my virginity to Roxanne Belvedere under the bleachers at homecoming. I had game.” “Roxanne Belvedere? Sounds like a porn star.”

My Review:

 

Every time I have read one of these sweet and engaging Aspen Cove novels, I wistfully sigh and wish I knew of such a gentle and supportive community, as small-town living certainly wasn’t anything like that in the tiny inbred hillbilly enclave where I, unfortunately, spent my formative years. But isn’t that why most of us chose to read fiction? As with the other books in the series, the writing was easy to follow, observantly descriptive, deliciously steamy, and soul-satisfying.

I have adored each quirky character featured in this series and am now completely enamored with their swoon-worthy sheriff. Aiden was the consummate BBF and was uncommonly patient, insightful, thoughtful, and tender for a lawman. He was also the perfect match for the skittish Marina and her traumatized daughter. I appreciate the care and consideration Ms. Collins takes in establishing her uniquely appealing characters. Her storytelling never fails to hold my attention or interest. I especially admired and applauded the endowment of Marina’s affirmation and credo of “victor, not a victim,” words we should all live by.

ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive.

Always a romantic, she is inspired by real-time events mixed with a dose of fiction. She encourages her readers to reach the happily ever after but bask in the afterglow of the perfectly imperfect love.

Kelly lives in Colorado with her husband of twenty-five years. She loves hockey, shiny objects and has a new-found appreciation for green smoothies.

Book Review: Bagging Alice (Babes of Brighton Book 3) by Laura Barnard

  Bagging Alice

(Babes of Brighton Book 3)

by Laura Barnard

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

Head on over to Laura’s Facebook and Instagram pages (below) to enter her HUGE giveaway!

 

Synopsis:

Alice is used to taking photographs for a living – not having intimate pictures of herself posted for all the world to see, thanks to a disgruntled ex-boyfriend. Now her clients are canceling appointments, and she’s almost out of cash. What else could go wrong? Oh yeah, her roommate has scarpered leaving Alice completely out of luck.

Enter Tom ‘man-whore’ Maddens. Having disappointed his father one time too many, he moves to Brighton, ready for a new start. And where better to begin it than in Alice’s newly-vacant spare room? And if he tries to seduce her at the same time? Well he’s just living up to his reputation, isn’t he?

But then he didn’t bank on actually falling for her. Will his reputation as a commitment-phobe put a stop to any sparks between the pair? Or can Alice put aside her trust issues and take a leap of faith for Tom?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Suddenly it dawns on me. What the hell am I doing with this tool? I’m only twenty-six and I’m acting like he’s the last Neanderthal on the planet. I can do so much better.

 

But this woman doesn’t like me. I could tell it the moment she laid eyes on me. Bernice Shuttlecock. That’s right. Her surname is shuttlecock. And she insists on everyone calling her Mrs Shuttlecock. Every time I say it I can’t help but get a stupid grin on my face and have to literally bite my tongue to stop from laughing. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t like me?

 

He lays down on the pebble beach and immediately starts posing like Zoolander, pouting his lips ridiculously… ’‘What? You don’t like my blue steel?’ he asks, as if genuinely offended.

 

‘So, do you have any Irish in you?’ he asks… ‘Do you want some?’ he asks, throwing his head back on a chuckle.

 

Who knew I’d ever imagine Tom ‘Manwhore’ Maddens being a keeper? I suppose stranger things have happened. Like dinosaurs.

 

When you look at us on paper we’re opposites, but when you put us together we’re forced towards each other like magnets.

 

My Review:

 

This was a fun and saucy tale, I have enjoyed reading the two earlier books featuring this irreverent group of friends living in Brighton, they got into and up to the most ridiculous antics. Alice had self-esteem problems and devastatingly poor taste in men and learned the hard way about revenge porn. Snap, that was a new one for me as well. So dear Alice had learned not to trust her judgment when she found herself attracted to her sexy new roommate Tom, a known sex machine in her group of friends. Tom was a blindingly handsome, cocky, thoughtless, and arrogant womanizer who was well-known for his sexual skill set. Tom also proved hard to resist and more so when he brought home a cute but trouble-making puppy. The characters were endearingly flawed, foul-mouthed, and entertainingly quirky; yet with real-life problems. Written in my favorite dual POV, the storylines were well-balanced between angst and levity while dealing with career, family, and relationship issues.   I’m curious to see what Ms. Barnard does next with this vibrant group of friends.

 

Although a standalone, if you’d like to check out the first two books in the Babes of Brighton series here they are:

Excess Baggage (Book 1) – mybook.to/ExcessB

Love Uncovered (Book 2) – mybook.to/LoveUncov
Stalk Laura
Website – www.laurabarnardbooks.co.uk
Facebook – www.facebook.com/laurabarnardbooks

 

Book Review: Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler

Christmas Camp

by Karen Schaler

HarperCollins | Amazon | B&N

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

 

From the screenwriter of the Netflix Original viral hit, A Christmas Prince, comes another heartwarming holiday story about a beautiful Grinch who’s determined to get her dream job even if it means spending a week at a Christmas Camp where she discovers an unexpected love.

Haley Hanson’s idea of the perfect Christmas is escaping to the Caribbean to work so she can avoid all the traditional Christmas distractions. Over the years, she’s sacrificed her personal life to climb the corporate ladder at a prestigious Boston advertising agency. Now she just needs to land a coveted Christmas toy company account to make partner. But first, her boss, Larry, thinks she needs a holiday attitude adjustment, so he ships her off to a Christmas Camp at Holly Peak Inn to help her find her Christmas spirit.

Arriving at the charming mountainside inn, Haley meets the owner’s handsome son, Jeff, and feels an instant spark, but resists the attraction, refusing to be distracted from her goal of doing all the required Christmas tasks as fast as possible so she can get back to work.

At first, Haley struggles with all the traditional Christmas Camp activities. It’s not until she finally allows herself to slow down, live in the moment, and let Christmas back into her heart, that she begins to grow closer to Jeff. But when he finds out Haley’s come up with a plan to help his dad save the struggling inn while he’s been trying to convince his dad to sell it, their relationship takes a serious holiday hit. Now it will take the magic of the season to bring these two hearts together.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

Since she traveled a lot to visit her clients, she took pride in the fact that she never checked any bags, going with the philosophy that there were two kinds of luggage, carry-on and lost.

 

My Review:

 

I enjoyed this mild and sweet holiday storyline of a female workaholic named Haley. The writing was insightful and finely tweaked with those humorous and thoughtful touches that kicked the narrative up from good to cleverly exceptional. The main character of Haley wasn’t exactly a grinch but a mild female version of Scrooge.   She was exceptionally driven and prone to be selfish and thoughtless in what she said and did in her eagerness to get accounts and make partner. She worked all the time and didn’t make time to relax, date, or socialize outside of work.   She wasn’t vile, just obnoxiously ambitious and work-obsessed. Her boss staged a covet intervention as “a holiday attitude adjustment,” by sending her to “Christmas Camp,” an inn with traditional activities geared to bring families together during the holidays. This is one of those rare books that is chaste enough for my elderly mother’s Sunday School book club and Hallmark Channel wholesome, yet still entertaining to me. My favorite character in the story was the exceptionally clever Max – the Wonder Dog, whom I believe was largely responsible for Haley’s transformation.  I was provided with a review copy of this sweet tale by   HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours. 

 

About Karen Schaler

Karen Schaler is a three-time Emmy Award-winning storyteller, author, screenwriter, journalist and national TV host. She has written original screenplays for Netflix and Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies. Her travels to more than sixty-five countries as the creator and host of Travel Therapy TV inspired Christmas Camp. All of Karen’s stories are uplifting, filled with heart and hope.

Find out more about Karen at her website, and connect with her on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube.

Book Review: Love in Catalina Cove by Brenda Jackson

 Love in Catalina Cove

by Brenda Jackson

 

Amazon | Books-A-Million | B & N

 

Mass Market Paperback: 480 Pages

Publisher: HQN; Original edition (November 1, 2018)

In her brand-new series, Brenda Jackson welcomes you to Catalina Cove, where even the biggest heartbreaks can be healed…

In the wake of a devastating teen pregnancy that left her childless and heartbroken, Vashti Alcindor left Catalina Cove, Louisiana, with no plans to return. Now, over a decade later, Vashti reluctantly finds herself back in her hometown after inheriting her aunt’s B and B. Her homecoming gets off to a rocky start when the new sheriff, Sawyer Grisham, pulls her over for speeding, and things go downhill from there.

The B and B, a place she’d always found refuge in when it seemed like the whole world was against her, has fallen into disrepair. When a surprising benefactor encourages Vashti to reopen the B and B, Vashti embraces a fresh start, and soon old hurts begin to fade as she makes new memories with the town—and its handsome sheriff…

But some pasts are too big to escape, and when a bombshell of a secret changes everything she thought was true, Vashti is left reeling. With Sawyer and his teenage daughter determined to see her through the storm, though, she’s learning family isn’t always a matter of blood—sometimes it’s a matter of heart.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Scott isn’t the only guy I’ve loved that let me down. Therefore I can’t be one and done. I’m two and through.

 

Ms. Gertie would also butt heads all the time with Sheriff Phillips, all generations of them, and was quick to remind them that she delivered them into the world and would have given them an extra whack on their rear end if she’d known they would grow up to be power-grabbing men.

 

My Review:

 

Oh what a tangled web vile and duplicitous snobs can weave just to save face. I enjoyed this cleverly knotted and intriguing tale, it progressed slowly yet I enjoyed every little twist and turn. The ending may seem far-fetched unless you understand the social influence and structure of small-town living, then it becomes all too plausible. The storylines were easy to follow, engaging, deliciously spiced, and pricked my curiosity. I am itching to uncover more about the secondary characters Ms. Jackson was taunting me with – she is such a clever tease! I was enamored with her large and varied cast and am primed for return trips.

 

About Brenda Jackson

Brenda Jackson is a New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred romance titles. Brenda lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and divides her time between family, writing and traveling.

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Connect with Brenda

Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

Book Review: Someday My Witch Will Come by Daisy Prescott

Someday My Witch Will Come

by Daisy Prescott

Amazon US / UK / AU/ CA

 

You know those little girls who dress up as Disney princesses in the bright, shimmery costumes and dream about their prince rescuing them?

That was never me.

In this story, it’s the witch who saves the prince.

Ever since I joined the Wicked Society, my tarot readings are always about sacrifice for the greater good and martyrdom. In other words, any day now I’m going to lose something or someone I love. Evidently, my spirit guides are the ride or die types.

For years, I’ve asked the cards the same question about my crush. Will Tate Winthrop fall in love with me? The answer is always someday.

As in someday Tate will love me back.

Someday there won’t be a group of witches using dark magic to destroy our coven.

Someday I’ll stop having the same dream about a handsome prince with long blond dreadlocks kissing a woman wearing a sparkly, poofy, ball gown.

Someday my witch will come.

 

This is book two in the Wicked Society series of interconnected lighthearted paranormal romances with a cozy mystery twist.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

If we had to face off in hand-to-hand combat, I know I could take her. I have at least four or five inches on her in height and she’s all spindly where I’m built like a German beer calendar girl. In other words, she better not come at me unless she wants the bratwurst. Or something. And I know she can’t handle my schnitzel.

I might look like a freewheeling hipster, but beneath all of this is the heart of an old man who carries hard candy in his cardigan’s pockets and enjoys an early dinner hour.

 

My Review:

 

I don’t often read paranormal as I am far too lazy for all the world-building and endless rules, but I don’t seem to mind the extra work required to follow Daisy Prescott’s Wicked Society – a super secret supernatural society of generations of witches, which seems to include much of the movers and shakers and Who’s Who of Boston society.   This installment has them on a caper for stolen witch bones and the rather gruesome trick for their use – eww. Family curses, a ghost, and a constipated love life were front and center. The writing was laced with levity, banter, Sam-isms, and her humorous inner musings.

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Daisy Prescott writes romantic comedies about real love.

Her Modern Love Stories feature characters in their thirties and forties finding and rediscovering love in unexpected and humorous ways. Her Wingmen books star regular guys who often have beards, drive trucks, and love deeply once they fall. Daisy’s Love with Altitude latest small town, rom-com series is set in Aspen, Colorado. Bewitched is a magical serial set in Salem, Massachusetts. Don’t miss her standalone, Tinfoil Heart, a rom-com about love, letting go, and little green men.

AUTHOR LINKS:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Newsletter

Book Review: Painting Blue Water by Leigh Fossan

Painting Blue Water

by Leigh Fossan

Amazon US / UK / CAAU 

Barnes & Noble

 

Katherine Ross, a struggling artist-turned-successful-businesswoman, has a life many would envy. At only thirty-one years old, Katherine runs one of the top luxury real-estate firms in Manhattan, and she lives in a fabulous loft with her dreamy husband. That is, of course, until her marriage comes to a screeching halt, forcing Katherine to face the truths she’s been burying deep within her heart. She hasn’t been happy for a long time. And her life, while glamorous, is not the life she ever wanted.

 

Fighting through the fog of her confusion and pain, Katherine makes the daring, or possibly insane choice to start over somewhere new. She leaves her business, her friends, and the city behind, while she ventures alone to the mountains in hopes of rediscovering her artistic roots in a place surrounded by beauty, peace, and quiet.

  

But life in Bluewater isn’t as simple as it may seem, and when her art career suddenly begins to take off in this unlikely setting, Katherine finds herself torn between two worlds. Does she pursue her lifelong dream and become the world-famous artist she always wanted to be? Or does she open her heart to the possibility of new dreams and a life she never imagined?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

As a kid, she’d fallen in love with the mountains. She found them gloriously exotic—colossal piles of earth and trees reaching higher than the empire state building. She had imagined that the dinosaurs must be buried beneath them. That, of course, was the only way to explain their massive size.

 

Oh my God, are you going to turn into one of those mountain people who don’t shave their legs or armpits and who, like, hunt for their food?!

 

Scattered thoughts would dance in her head and team up with the heartburn, teasing her. She felt like she was on a long trip and forgot to pack something very important or like she was nearing the end of a crucial semester at school only to realize she had missed several classes and would fail her exams.

 

My Review:

 

Painting Blue Water was a slowly developed character-driven story of healing and personal growth. It was lavishly detailed with vibrant and evocatively described scenes that smoothly scrolled through my cranium as if my gray matter were a movie screen.   The main character of Katherine was an anxious little bird with a trunk load of personal insecurities, an inability to speak up for herself, and an acid stomach as a bonus. Wishing to start her life anew and leave her humiliating failure of a marriage behind, she uproots herself across the country to a beautiful vacation spot that was a happy memory from her childhood, with the intent to hopefully find herself again and reawaken her love of painting.   I have no artistic abilities whatsoever and envied Katherine’s talents, but more so, I coveted her ability to completely lose herself in her art. The cast of characters was large, endearing, and small-town quirky, but my favorite was not the main character of Katherine but Eli Trust, the spry and precious octogenarian inn owner. I adored him.

 


Author Bio –

Painting Blue Water is the debut novel for Leigh Fossan. A creative soul at heart, Leigh grew up with a paintbrush in her hand and went on to study the arts in Florence, Italy. While abroad, Leigh was one of the few recipients of the Coluccio Salutati Award for Creative Writing. Today, Leigh is a professional artist and her paintings are collected around the world. She lives in Colorado with her artist husband, and their young daughter, who wants to be a scientist.

You can see Leigh’s paintings at www.lavfineart.com

Social Media Links –

WEBSITE: https://www.leighfossanauthor.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/leighfossanauthor/

INSTAGRAM: @leighfossanauthor

TWITTER: @LeighFossan

 

Book Review: No One Cancels Christmas by Zara Stoneley

No One Cancels Christmas

by Zara Stoneley

Amazon UKUS / B&N

 

It’s the most magical time of the year, and for travel agent Sarah it’s also the busiest! But this year one man threatens to ruin Christmas for Sarah’s customers – Mr. Grinch, Will Armstrong.

The Shooting Star Mountain resort is a magical place, and Sarah has fond memories of Christmas here as a little girl – visits to Father Christmas, husky rides in the snow and hot chocolate by a roaring fire. But as the resorts new owner, Will refuses to play snowball or to deck the halls with anything remotely resembling tinsel!

With customers complaining their Christmas is ruined, Sarah decides it’s up to her to convince Scroogey Will just how magical Christmas can be….

But getting Will into the Christmas spirit is hopeless – he is Bah Humbug personified! But as Sarah gets to know him better, she realizes that underneath all the gloom is a man struggling with a pain of his own.

With the big day approaching, Sarah realizes that the magic and sparkle can wait. This year, she’s going to spend Christmas day with someone special her very own Mr. Scrooge…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I try and blow the crumbs out of the keyboard. The letter ‘T’ is already a bit dodgy; if this ruins W and A I’ll have lost one of my favourite words.

 

She had Dad on his bike, towing her through the park on her skies every night. It was so embarrassing. Then at the fete, she cannoned out of control into the cake and homemade jam stall and ended up looking like a murder victim.

 

She is about two feet taller than me, and she has boobs. At a guess, they’re surgically enhanced, because I am absolutely positive that gravity would have a firm handle on anything that big. If it can cope with an apple, these wouldn’t stand a chance.

 

My Review:

 

Sharing several of the same characters and following in timeline to Wedding Date, this tale also showcases Ms. Stoneley’s clever wit and penchant for observant and insightful storytelling. The storylines were entertaining, thoughtfully written, and well-balanced between heart-squeezing family drama and angst, and smirk-inducing levity. My favorite character among the cast continues to be the colorful and confident Ruth, although Aunt Lynn has also earned my utmost respect for her enviable cougar style and skills. I am eager to see what Ms. Stoneley comes up with next.

 

Author Bio 

Born in a small village in Staffordshire, I wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when I grew up. After many years, and many different jobs, my dream of writing a bestseller came true. 

I write about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hope that my tales make you cry a little, laugh a lot, and occasionally say ‘ahhh’.

I now live in a Cheshire village with my family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.

Where you can find her-

Website: http://www.zarastoneley.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zarastoneley/

Book Review: Pictures in the Sky by Amanda Paull

Pictures in the Sky

by Amanda Paull 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

She gave up on romance years ago. He’s going through the motions. Their lives change forever when he makes contact out of the blue

With her daughter leaving the nest, Michelle Cameron would rather spend her time with good friends, a glass of fizzy and a box set, than with another idiot bloke chipping away at her self-esteem. But when childhood friend Daniel Helmsley gets back in touch, the years roll away on a tide of laughter and friendship, which soon gives way to another roller coaster of love, excitement and panic. Can Michelle let herself trust again? What if Dan is just another idiot bloke, disillusioned with the present and nostalgic for the past?

If you like cozy romance that makes you laugh as well as cry, then you’ll love this feel-good tale of past disappointment, renewed friendship and finding true love. 
Download Amanda Paull’s Pictures in the Sky today to discover if Michelle dares to love again.

‘Your lively style and humor are exactly right for this genre.’ Susan Davis.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Michelle had tried Pilates… but she kept dozing off during mat work, and couldn’t face going back after the snoring episode.

 

She knew she tended to see her glass as half empty, and she really did try to do the half full thing, but sometimes she just felt like she didn’t even have a glass.

 

I’m going to sue Walt Disney… All lies. There are no castles or princes, just hard graft and twats.

 

Audrey also wanted her ashes to be mixed into a firework, to be set off one dark night, with all the family gathered around, gasping in awe and wonder as she soared up in one final blaze of glory. She had cried with laughter at Michelle’s and Gary’s horrified faces. But she was adamant that she wanted to go out with a bang.

 

The men Mingle had matched her with resembled a Crimewatch line-up. It was all very different to the free trial search. That had yielded some tasty-looking men in their forties, with interesting profiles, decent jobs and socially acceptable reasons for being single. They were all looking for monogamous relationships, and none of them looked as if they might play with themselves on a first date in a car park. Not that you could really tell from a dating profile –poor Joan hadn’t suspected anything dodgy about her car park pervert.

 

My Review:

 

I alternated between smirking at Michelle’s comical visualizations and sighing at her ridiculous choices, she was a difficult character for me to like as she was spineless and often exasperated me, yet she also squeezed my heart. Michelle’s biggest problem was being a hopeless turd-magnet with men, although she had lots of issues, lots! She was highly anxious, prone to catastrophizing, always on alert for gloom and doom while visualizing the worst-case scenarios, and with mounting stressors from family and work she was slowly edging into the land of dysfunctional, yet she was also intelligent and witty.

Ms. Paull’s writing was highly descriptive, evoking keen visuals.   I also enjoyed her clever wit and biting humor. She has also greatly expanded my Brit Vocab list with the introductions of blaggard (scoundrel, untrustworthy, contemptible person); quiff (hairstyle brushed upward and backward from the forehead); winklepickers (a style of shoe “reminiscent of medieval footwear” and re-popularized again in the 1950s by British rockers and has a very sharp and long pointed toe); yonks (a very long time); and flapjack (a sweet baked oat bar), although in American flapjacks is another word for pancakes. I’ll pass on the winklepickers but find I now have a taste for flapjacks of both varieties.

 

Author Bio –

Amanda Paull is a writer of humorous romantic fiction. She lives in the North East of England with her husband and works in the public sector. The inspiration for her stories comes from real life, which she tries to show the funnier side of by embellishing to the hilt.

Amanda’s Website: http://www.amandapaull.co.uk

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Apaullfiction/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Apaullfiction