Categories
Uncategorized

The Unexpected Caller: Amish Fiction for Your Book Club with Second Chance Romance, Friendship, and Community (The Amish Widows Club)

288 pages Publisher Revell Publication date July 7, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

She finds sisterhood in the Amish Widows Club–but will she risk loving again?

Leanna Mast never imagined she’d be a widow at forty-one, but it seems God had other plans. After mourning her husband for a year, she realizes it’s time to start living again. But her community expects her to remarry, and after living on her own, she’s not eager to start cooking and cleaning in another man’s home.

When she’s invited to join the Amish Widows Club, she discovers a place of belonging she didn’t even know she needed. In this group of women who support one another through sharing books, stories, and companionship, Leanna immediately feels welcome. She’s sure her life as a widow will bring her the fulfillment she craves . . . until handsome, kind Evan Keim comes calling. As their relationship deepens, her heart becomes involved. But how could she possibly leave the widows club for a dream that might be too good to be true?

MY THOUGHTS

I have several favorite Amish writing authors, and this is one of them.
I was so excited to see a new series she has put out of which this is the first one.
The Amish Widows Club is pretty self-explanatory. Widowed Amish women are invited to join the club. Here they get support as they are grieving and make new friends, some just need the support for a short amount of time and then remarry. Some believe in a once in a lifetime love and don’t want to remarry. The widows in the club are of all ages.
I enjoyed meeting forty-one-year-old widowed Leanna Mast, childless she expected to have a lifetime of marriage, but it was not to be.
Evan Keim is a widower with three sons and grandchildren. Leanna has known him a long time but hasn’t expected him to come calling and she’s not looking to remarry.
God has other plans for this couple though.
Such a beautiful, uplifting, encouraging story filled with faith and letting God lead the way. Faith, family, friendship and eventually more.
Very enjoyable story.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my won.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Shelley Shepard Gray is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author. She’s published over a hundred novels and has over a million books in print. She currently lives in northern Ohio and writes full time.

Shelley lives just an hour from Holmes County, where many of her Amish-themed novels are set. She currently writes contemporary romance and Amish fiction for a variety of publishers. When not spending time with her family or writing, she can usually be found walking her two dachshunds on one of the many trails in the Cleveland area.

She also bakes a lot, loves coconut cream pie, and will hardly ever pull weeds, mow the yard, or drive in the snow.

Shelley also spends a lot of time on line! Please visit her website, http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com to find out her latest news or to sign up for her newsletter. Shelley can also be found on FaceBook, Instagram @shelley.s.gray, or on Twitter @ShelleySGray.

Categories
Uncategorized

Fall For Me: A BRAND NEW small town autumn romance with enemies to lovers and fake dating from Camilla Isley for Fall 2026 (Blue Crescent Harbor Book 2)

323 pages Publisher Boldwood Books Publication date July 15, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

Every book in the Blue Crescent Harbor series can be read as a standalone.

A gossipy small town. A billionaire in need of a fake wife. An autumn love story for the ages. 📖🍂

Fleeing her wedding and a toxic relationship in her white gown, Peyton jumps on the first bus out of town—and straight into billionaire Liam Rockwood. Literally. Distracted by her search for a place to stay, she steps into the street and sends the town’s most eligible bachelor crashing off his bike!

Liam is furious. His suit is ruined, he’s late for an event at his hotel, and now the runaway bride responsible is trying to check in. Worse, the small-town rumor mill quickly decides Peyton must be his secret new wife.

When Liam’s father arrives ready to celebrate the “happy couple,” Liam makes Peyton an offer: a temporary marriage of convenience. She gets protection against her vindictive ex, a home, and a fresh start. He gets the wife his family expects.

As crisp fall days turn into cozy nights, they carve pumpkins, steal kisses in the corn maze, and share secrets in the dark. Suddenly, their fake marriage starts feeling dangerously real. But falling was never part of the plan…

MY THOUGHTS

Fall for Me was an absolute blast to read. Though I haven’t read anything by this author before this and that this is the second book in the Blue Crescent Harbor Series I loved it and easily jumped right into the series.
Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes to read about though we all know how it usually ends up. Predictability is okay in this case.
I loved Liam and Payton’s story. They had such fun dialogue, and the book was funny for the most part, these characters had a great sense of humor and got along peachy.
She skedaddles away from her own wedding, but she has a very good reason. She was smart it was for the best.
She meets Liam in the most unusual way. And let the fake dating begin, it wasn’t even arranged and happens by accident. Though not totally realistic the book kept me laughing and you’re in for a wild ride that you’re gonna love if you read it. Searching for the first book in the series now.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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.

CygnetRound 48 #f3a245 1,1,70,7.25

Categories
Uncategorized

Secrets Among the Spires: Escape to Oxford this summer with this clean and wholesome Christian romance (The Oxford Chronicles Book 1)

282 pages Publisher Avon Publication date July 16, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can a pair of later-in-life lovebirds find their way to one another along the cobbled streets of Oxford? Or will one too many bumps along the way throw their romance off course?

Everyone at St Peter’s College, Oxford adores Reverend Clara Bennett’s speeches, but none more than chorist, Tom Hartley. When Clara speaks to her congregation about seizing every opportunity for happiness, Tom plucks up the courage to ask her out on a date. By some miracle, she says yes.

As they picnic in daisy-strewn meadows and punt down the river Cherwell, sparks fly between the pair. But when a secret from Tom’s past threatens to resurface at the same time that Clara is offered a job in Cambridge, the strength of their connection is put to the test.

Can Tom prevent his past from threatening his future? Or will Clara be pushed away from her beloved Oxford forever?

This charming, Oxford-set romance about faith and finding love where you least expect it is perfect for fans of Sue Moorcroft, Cressida McLaughlin and Philippa Ashley.

A wooden bench with a black scarf and white cup surrounded by fallen autumn leaves in a forest path
A quiet wooden bench covered with a scarf and cup in a colorful autumn forest

MY THOUGHTS

A breath of fresh air. Such an upbeat and encouraging book. Just what I needed at this time.
Read in one day, just couldn’t put it down. Engaging characters and I was pleased with the outcome of the book.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Fiona Radcliffe is a British/Danish author and journalist whose debut novel was a contender for the coveted Joan Hessayon Award for new writers. Fiona holds a BA Hons in English Literature and Creative Writing, along with a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University and a PhD from Swansea University.

Categories
Uncategorized

How (Not) to Renovate a Haunted House

  1. Reading age 12 years and up 377 pages Publisher Delacorte Romance Publication date July 21, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this spooky Summerween romance, an amateur ghost hunter and a supernatural skeptic team up for a haunted home renovation project. But is their relationship the real fixer upper?

Amity Callaway is sick of being known as the weird girl. As annoyed as she is that her recently divorced mom just moved them across the country to the tiny, quirky town of Harlow’s Rest, Massachusetts, it could be the fresh start she needs.

Until Amity discovers their absolute disaster of a new house is supposedly haunted.

Theo Hargrave, amateur ghost hunter and son of the local general contractor, is a true believer. When he shows up on their property with his EMF reader in hand, Amity is ready to debunk all his theories. She’s definitely not staring at the small scar through his eyebrow or his ridiculously soft lips.

But even Amity can admit their home renovation is doomed. Nothing is going right, from the paint that refuses to dry to the fixtures that keep coming loose. So Amity and Theo strike a deal—his family’s construction expertise for her help investigating the house’s supernatural secrets. Even scarier than ghosts, though? Amity’s growing feelings for Theo.

MY THOUGHTS

Our plus sized fmc is anxiety ridden when her Mom tells her they’re moving away from all she knows and her best friends right before her senior years starts. Tired of feeling like the “weird one” she knows it’s not going to get any better when they move in the towns known haunted house.
When a known teenage ghost hunter turns up at her new house ready to prove it’s haunted this nonbeliever has to put a stop to it and prove him wrong once and for all.
He seems to always be around at her house though because her mom hires his dad for the renovation job on their house.
It was great seeing a lot of different groups/types of people represented in such a natural way.
The book moved along at a steady pace and did start to get spookier vibes towards the end.
Small town fun Summerween romance before the holiday kicks off.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image

MEET THE AUTHOR

About the author

Jenny L. Howe first started scribbling stories into black-and-white composition notebooks with neon pink pens when she was in junior high and never really stopped. In college, she decided to turn her love of books into a career by pursuing a Ph.D. in literature, where she spent the next few years studying bizarre and entertaining medieval romances. Now, as a professor, she teaches courses in college writing, literature, and children’s media. When she’s not writing and teaching, Jenny spends her time buried under puzzle pieces, cross-stitching her favorite characters, and taking too many pictures of her rescue dogs, Tucker and Dale. The Make-Up Test is her debut novel.

Categories
Uncategorized

Life: A Love Story: A Novel

Print length 191 pages Publisher Random House Publication date March 17, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

As ninety-two-year-old Florence “Flo” Greene nears the end of her life, she writes a letter to Ruthie, the woman who grew up next door to her, describing the items Flo is leaving Ruthie in her will. But as it goes on, telling surprising stories about those “little” things Flo will leave behind (What could possibly be the worth of a rubber band kept in a matchbox tied up in red ribbon?), an unforgettable portrait of the life she has lived emerges.

The letter starts off as an autobiography in things, but it turns out to do much more than that: ultimately, it will transform Flo and those around her. In the time she has left, Flo decides to take herself up on tiny dares. She encourages Ruthie to reconsider her impending divorce by sharing a startling, long-buried secret about her own perfect-seeming marriage. Flo has never had a pedicure before now, and as long as she’s going to a beauty parlor, she arranges to have a blue streak put in her hair, too. And as these adventures lead her to make new friends, Flo helps them, too, find the fulfillment that living a full life has led her to understand.

Full of Elizabeth Berg’s characteristic mix of warmth, humor, and poignancy, Life: A Love Story is a reminder that whatever your circumstances, as long as you’re alive, you can keep on investing in life. The joy will inevitably follow.

Colorful mixed flower bouquet in blue and white vase on wooden kitchen table with pastry on plate
A vibrant bouquet brightens a cozy rustic kitchen table.

MY THOUGHTS

A poignant read. Knowing death is quickly approaching a woman writes of her life as she reflects on the good times and bad. The happiness and regrets. It may make you laugh or cry. Relationships within her life are explored. Lovely read!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About the author

Elizabeth Berg is the author of eighteen novels and has more than 1.5 million books in print. Her novel, OPEN HOUSE, was an Oprah’s Book Club selection in 2000. Berg lives near Chicago, Illinois. Visit her at http://www.elizabeth-berg.net

Categories
Uncategorized

Which book deserves a sequel? 👀📚

What’s a book you think deserves a sequel?

I was quite disappointed when I found out the author of this book had stopped writing.

Categories
Uncategorized

Can a villain sometimes not be a villain? 🐲🐉👺🫯

What villain actually had a good point?

He is a deeply devoted father to Bowser Jr. and often displays surprising nobility. He has repeatedly teamed up with Mario to save the world from far greater, universe-threatening villains.

Categories
Uncategorized

An Ocean of Longing (Echoes of Cornwall Book 2)

Version 1.0.0

220 pages Publication date July 31, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

I will cross a hundred more years to find my way back to you…

When Tegan Penrose plunges through the time portal at Trevarron House to save her beloved William, she believes she is carrying him home to the twenty-first century. Instead, she is torn from his arms and cast adrift in 1867 – alone, heartbroken, over a hundred years from the man she loves.

Taken in by Cornish pellar Nancy Willcock, Tegan learns the Willcock women have long been custodians of the strange lines of power running through this wild coast. Then comes a rumour that chills her to the bone: a dark-eyed stranger has been arrested in Tintagel, raving that he is lord of Trevarron. Could William, impossibly, have followed her across the centuries?

With the brutal Lord Albert Trevarron now ruling Trevarron House – and terrorising his gentle wife and young daughter – Tegan must risk everything to reach William again, and to face the darkness now haunting its halls.

Perfect for fans of Outlander and Poldark, this is a sweeping timeslip romance of fated souls, buried truths and a love that refuses to be silenced by time itself, featuring:

  • Fated souls searching through the ages
  • Found family and fierce female friendships
  • Gothic Cornish setting steeped in folk magic
  • Slow-burn with steamy, open-door spice

BOOK ONE

MY THOUGHTS

This is the second book in the Echoes of Cornwall series.
Unfortunately, I missed the first book in the series but am going to make a point to get to it now that I’ve discovered this series.
The book grabbed my attention from the very first page. Time traveling is not something I read about often, but this book is gripping. The tension is there; it had me holding my breath as I read.
It’s gothic and fairytales, heat and magic, it absolutely just pulls you in. Tension, danger, a sexy story. You can feel the danger as revenge is exacted. The attention to historical detail is remarkable as these strong women and bold men from the past come alive under the author’s pen.
My only complaint is it ended in a cliffhanger, and I need the next part yesterday.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About the author

Kennedy Kerr is a USA Today Bestselling fiction author. She adores beaches, lochs and stone circles, and loves writing about small communities, mysteries and family secrets. She has a very cuddly cat called Twinkle who spends her days sleeping: Kennedy aspires to having Twinkle’s nap schedule one day.

Kennedy also loves cooking and baking all types of food, which is almost as much fun as eating it. Her favourite foods include (but are not limited to) Indian food, Victoria sponge, breakfast pastries with coffee and sushi. The only thing she’s not particularly keen on is artichoke, and she’d eat it, anyway.

Find out more about Kennedy on her Facebook Author page: facebook.com/kennedykerrauthor; she is also on Twitter as @KennedyKerr5

Version 1.0.0
Categories
Uncategorized

Purranormal Activity: A Cat Cafe Mystery (Cat Cafe Mystery Series, 10)

304 pages Publisher Minotaur Books Publication date July 28, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

Trouble is brewing on Daybreak Island. . .

Summer is in full swing on Daybreak Island, and JJ’s House of Purrs―and the new mobile cat café―has Maddie James running nonstop with on-site cat parties.

So when Olivia McAllister, her mother’s childhood best friend, returns to the island for the first time in decades―after a family tragedy drove her away―and asks Maddie to plan a birthday party for her granddaughter, Maddie happily agrees. It’s been forty years since Olivia’s aunt, Delia McAllister, vanished without a trace. Her disappearance was never solved, and the abandoned family house has loomed over the island ever since.

But when Maddie and her mom arrive at Delia’s old house, it’s empty―except for a white-and-gray cat that leads Maddie to a hidden room. There, she finds Olivia dead.

Soon Maddie learns the mysterious cat may be tied to a ghostly island legend. And as she digs deeper, she realizes she’s unraveling two disappearances, forty years apart―while someone is desperate to keep the truth buried.

Fishing boats moored at a wooden dock with white cottages and misty hills in the background
A quiet fishing village with boats docked at sunrise mist

MY THOUGHTS

A welcome addition to the Cat Cafe mystery series. Taking place on Daybreak Island, the new mobile cat cafe can’t keep up with party invitations. So, when a guest manages to book one for her granddaughter the cat cafe delivers and shows up for the party only to find the house empty. Empty except for a mysterious ghost cat leading to a secret room. It gets creepier from there as a body is found and rumor has it the ghost cate shows up when trouble is near.
Looking forward to the next installment in the series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Cate Conte, also known as Liz Mugavero, writes cozy mysteries often featuring quirky characters, small-town drama, and animals that play key roles in the stories cateconte.comcateconte.com+1. She began her writing journey with short stories and poetry before transitioning to novels, demonstrating a lifelong passion for storytelling Book Series in OrderBook Series in Order. Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, she pursued a degree in English and later earned a master’s in writing and publishing from Emerson College 

Categories
Uncategorized

The Amish Rancher’s Return: An Uplifting Inspirational Romance

206 pages Publisher Love Inspired Publication date June 30, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

His homecoming could change everything
For a widow and two little girls…

Called back home to Millers Creek after years away, Isaiah Peight needs to help care for his ill father, sell his parents’ store—and avoid Priscilla Raber. Five years ago, he and Priscilla were betrothed, but she broke his heart and married someone else while he went on rumspringa. Now widowed, she works at Creekside Sundries to support her toddler twins. And she’s not happy about the sale. Seeing Isaiah again stirs up lots of memories, especially when he bonds with her precious girls. Can they ever leave the past behind and forge a new future together?

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

MY THOUGHTS

A beautiful and heartwarming story of faith, love, hope, redemption, forgiveness and second chances.
Returning after an absence causes hurt feelings to resurface. There was a misunderstanding between them, but they realize they still have strong feels for each other.
Decisions must be made and God will guide their thoughts. A second chance romance that had me cheering for our main characters and I just loved the banter between them.
The story had a strong plot and was so enjoyable.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Amy Lillard is the award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of over seventy books and novellas in a variety of genres. 

 

She loves nothing more than a good book. And her family…homemade tacos…and possibly nail polish. A transplanted Southern belle, Amy was born and raised in Mississippi and now lives in Oklahoma with her husband of a billion years. They have one (almost) adult son whom they are embarrassingly proud of. These days their ‘empty nest’ is rounded out with two spoiled cats who always seem to want to be fed when she’s hit her writing stride for the day. But such is life with felines. >^..^

Amy also writes sexy contemporary romances under the pen name Amie Louellen.

Vegan Book Blogger

Fascinating and engaging book reviews and encouragement you'll want to read.

Skip to content ↓