424 pages Publisher Forever Publication date April 2, 2024
ABOUT THE BOOK
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.
Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
MY THOUGHTS
The author has done it again. Each story is so realistic, you could believe you are there observing it all. I felt so many emotions reading this, it’s all so real. The heartbreak, the vulnerability, the need for reassurance, the love, the feeling of abandonment. The character development is superb. Many tough subjects are brought up and handled with respect and understanding. Looking forward to more by the author.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Abby Jimenez is a New York Times bestselling author and Food Network champion living in Minnesota. Abby founded Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen back in 2007. The bakery has since gone on to win numerous Food Network competitions and has amassed an international following. Abby loves a good romance, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.
368 pages Bethany House Publishers September 24, 2024
ABOUT THE BOOK
The shadows hold secrets darker than they ever imagined. . . .
In 1888 Victorian England, Ami Dalton navigates a clandestine dual life. By day, she strives to establish herself as a respected Egyptologist, overcoming the gender biases that permeate academia. But with a heart for saving black-market artifacts from falling into the wrong hands, she is most often disguised as her alter ego, the Shadow Broker.
After eight years in India, Oxford’s most eligible bachelor, Edmund Price, has come out of the shadows to run for Parliament and is in search of an Egyptologist to value a newly acquired collection. Expecting a renowned Oxford professor, Edmund instead finds himself entangled with Ami, the professor’s determined daughter. As they delve into the treasures, their connection deepens, but trouble emerges when a golden griffin–rumored to bear the curse of Amentuk–surfaces, and they’re left to wonder if the curse really is at play, or if something more nefarious is hiding among the shadows. . . .
MY THOUGHTS
There are author’s whose books you will read if they’re around but don’t go out of your way to find them. This is not one of those authors for me. I must read all of the author’s books, couldn’t dare to miss one. They are filled with intrigue and action and keep me on my toes wondering how things will end up as the story progresses. Danger is around every other corner and had me holding my breath as I was reading.
I enjoyed seeing a nontraditional role a woman had in this Victorian England taking pace regency style historical fiction book. Growing up Ami Dalton has been impressed with the work her father does as an Egyptologist, hearing the talk and seeing the artifacts her father works with she became enamored with this type of thing as well. Getting the education to become one as a woman hasn’t been easy and many don’t take her seriously.
When she hears of precious artifacts falling into the wrong hands on the black market, she knows she must do everything in her power to save them and preserve them.
Edmund Price is looking for an Egyptologist to work with him to get a very valuable piece and he expects a renowned Oxford professor, a male to work with him. This is not what he gets.
A golden griffin rumored to bear the curse of Amentuk is found the danger starts. With danger abound can they escape with their lives intact? I loved learning about the Egyptian artifacts and the descriptions of the behind the scenes work of the Egyptologist is fascinating. A spellbinding read that has me anxiously awaiting the next in the series.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
I hear voices. Loud. Incessant. And very real. Which basically gives me two options: choke back massive amounts of Prozac or write fiction. I’ve been writing since I discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. I seek to glorify God in all that I write–except for that graffiti phase I went through as teenager.
385 pages One More Chapter publisher Publication date October 31, 2022
ABOUT THE BOOK
Unwrap this gorgeous gift of a book for an escape to the snow-peaked caps of the Scottish Highlands and a romance that will melt your heart…
Izzy McBride had never in a million years expected to inherit an actual castle from her great uncle Bill but here she was, in the run up to Christmas, Monarch of her own Glen – a very rundown glen in need of a lot of TLC if her dream of turning it into a boutique bed and breakfast was to come true.
But when Izzy’s eccentric mother rents a room to enigmatic thriller author Ross Adair and the Scottish snow starts to settle like the frosting on a Christmas cake, it’s a race to get the castle ready before they’re all snowed in for the holidays.
MY THOUGHTS
October seems to be the month for a lot of Christmas books releasing and though I didn’t get a chance to read this when it released, I am so glad I got a chance to read it now. I also have the next book in the series and look forward to it as well.
You’re going to love your holiday trip to the Scottish Highlands through this book. A fun romantic holiday read it hits all the feels you need. An inheritance of a castle in Scotland is nothing to sneeze at and Izzy McBride would never have thought it would happen to her. Running it with her over the top mother can be a bit overwhelming, she does have others helping het to run it though she gets that help in a way she wasn’t expecting.
Though the flakes are flying outside things are heating up in the castle with thriller author Ross Adair as one of her guests. Loved reading the descriptions of the castle and gardens. The Scottish foods and descriptions of ingredients made me hungry. Lobed the two mothers and their plotting and planning, how much fun. Shall I pack my bags now? I’m ready for a visit to the castle.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Formerly a PR director, for many years Julie Caplin swanned around Europe taking top food and drink writers on press trips (junkets) sampling the gastronomic delights of various European cities. It was a tough job but someone had to do it.
These trips have provided the inspiration and settings for the best selling Romantic Escapes Series which began with The Little Café in Copenhagen, which was nominated for a Romantic Novel of the Year award. Since then she has set books in countries including Iceland, Japan and Paris. The series has been published in 20 territories from Brazil to Sweden and have become bestsellers in the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy.
The next book in the series A Villa With a View will be published on February 29, 2024 and is set on the glamorous Amalfi Coast. Final edits have just been submitted to the publisher and the gorgeous front cover has just gone up on Amazon.
Julie also writes best selling novels as Jules Wake, which include Covent Garden in the Snow, Notting Hill in the Snow, The Saturday Morning Park Run, From Italy with Love and The Spark.
382 pages Zondervan publisher August 1, 2023 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
Together, schoolteacher Rachelle Lapp and auctioneer Toby Miller must face their hardest battle yet: trusting God’s plan for their uncertain future.
At twenty-nine, auctioneer Toby Miller is a notorious bachelor. But his job keeps him on the road for months out of the year, and he knows no Plain woman could want a marriage that would force her to live and raise children alone. Thankfully, Toby’s content to dedicate his life to the family business, especially now that his grandfather is retiring. So why does his heart keep longing for something—or more specifically, someone—he can’t have?
Rachelle Lapp has already turned down two marriage proposals. Neither promised a future that would bring her more joy than her job as a teacher to Amish children with developmental disabilities, including her brother, Jonah, and Toby’s sister, Sadie. But when the parents’ committee votes to send her students to the English schools, where they will have access to many more resources, Rachelle finds herself out of a job. She’s forced to decide between pursuing her calling far from home and staying near to the man she can’t get off her mind.
As their families matchmake, Toby and Rachelle realize their jobs may not be all that’s holding them back from a future together. They both must learn not only to trust each other but also trust God’s plans for them. But do those plans involve a lifetime together or them going their separate ways?
MY THOUGHTS
he Heart’s Bidding is the start of a beautiful and emotional Amish book series by Kelly Irvin. This is a very special book, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Auctioneer Toby Miller thinks he has his priorities straight. This bachelor spends months at a time on the road doing his auctioneering thing but that’s okay. as a single man he has no one to answer to. When his grandfather who has run the office side of the business steps down and his father isn’t suited for this type of work things start to change.
Rethinking all the traveling as a lovely young woman catches his interest and the other side of business needs running may have put him in a new frame of mind. Letting go and letting God be in charge is not an easy thing for Toby to just do though when he’s used to having all this freedom.
Rachelle Lapp is a schoolteacher for the Amish children with developmental disabilities. When it’s decided, the children will go to an Englisher school with more resources available to them her job becomes redundant.
She knows the needs of the children having a special needs brother and Toby has a special needs sister. The Amish believe these children are special and a blessing from God and I agree.
The two are drawn together with many similarities and understandings. I loved seeing the support of family and friends in the tough situations. God’s plan will lead this couple on the right path in love and in life.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Best-selling novelist Kelly Irvin’s latest Amish romance, Every Good Gift, debuted in February 2023. The third novel in the Amish Blessings series takes place in Yoder and Haven, Kansas. The series takes a look at adoption in Amish communities. The first book, Love’s Dwelling, won second place in the Selah Awards contest in the long contemporary romance category. The series follows the Amish of Sky Country series, which featured Amish communities in Northwest Montana affected by wildfires that destroyed thousands of acres in the state in recent years. The first book, Mountains of Grace, debuted in August 2019, and delves into the impact on not only an Amish man and woman, but also a smoke jumper, a sheriff’s deputy, and a young English woman forced to confront her past because of the fires.
Kelly also writes romantic suspense novels. Her most recent forays into this genre include Trust Me, Her Every Move and Closer Than She Knows, all set in San Antonio and South Texas. Publishers Weekly says of Closer Than She Knows, “this brisk, smoothly written thriller from Irvin pits court reporter Teagan O’Rourke, a murder mystery lover, against a cunning and vicious serial killer. Fans of serial killer fiction with a Christian slant will be satisfied.”
Of Tell Her No Lies, The Library Journal says, “Irvin creates a complex web with enough twists and turns to keep even the most savvy romantic suspense readers guessing until the end. Known for her Amish novels, this two-time Carol Award finalist shows that her talents span subgenres from tranquil Amish stories to rapidly paced breathless suspense.”
Kelly is also the author of the Every Amish Season series, which included four books that chronicle the lives of Amish widows who are in different seasons in their lives. These women are linked by life altering experiences that bring them together as wives, mothers, and grandmothers in the small town of Jamesport, Mo. The first book, Upon a Spring Breeze, received critical acclaim from the Library Journal: “A moving and compelling tale about the power of grace and forgiveness that reminds us how we become strongest in our most broken moments.”
Kelly Irvin is also the author of The Amish of Bee County series, which includes the critically acclaimed The Beekeeper’s Son. Publishers Weekly called the first book in the series a beautifully woven masterpiece and Romantic Times Magazine called Kelly a storyteller extraordinaire. It was followed by The Bishop’s Son and The Saddle Maker’s Son, which is an ECPA bestseller.
A two-time ACFW Carol finalist, Kelly’s novellas have been included in numerous anthologies, including An Amish Summer, The Amish Christmas Gift, An Amish Market, an Amish Christmas Love, and Amish Quilt, An Amish Reunion, An Amish Picnic, and An Amish Christmas Bakery.
She also penned the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Hope Amish series, both published by Harvest House Publishers. Love Still Stands, the first book in the New Hope series, debuted in September 2012, and the follow-up, Love Redeemed, released March 1, 2014. The final book in the series, set in Branson, MO., was A Plain Love Song, released in July 2014.
The Bliss Creek Amish series, set in Kansas, includes To Love and to Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love’s Journey Home.
In the New Hope series, familiar characters from Bliss Creek move to Missouri to start a new district and a new life.
The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the ACFW San Antonio local chapter Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers, as well as Sisters in Crime and Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly wrote nonfiction professionally for thirty years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso, where she was exposed to culture and language that serves as fodder for her fiction writing. She has written hard news, features, entertainment pieces, restaurant critiques, editorials, and weekly columns. Writing awards include the Silver Star Award from the Texas Mental Health Association for articles pertaining to mental health and numerous awards in news, feature, and editorial writing from the Texas Press Association and Texas Press Women.
Kelly retired in 2016 from her position of 22 years as public relations manager for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, where her duties included writing and designing an employee newsletter, writing news releases, collaborating on marketing campaigns, coordinating ribbon-cuttings and groundbreakings, coordinating press conferences, updating the web site, and acting as a media spokesperson.
Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for 35 years. They have two children and four grandchildren. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories and poetry, read books by her favorite authors, and visit the babies.
368 pages Random House Publishing Group Pub Date Oct 15 2024
ABOUT THE BOOK
When an unexpected inheritance forces two total opposites to work together, Lexie must decide if Theo is going to push her out—or pull her in for the kiss of a lifetime—in this heartwarming holiday novel from the author of Always, in December and One Last Gift
When Lexie learns of her father’s death, she doesn’t know how to feel; they’ve barely spoken in the last ten years. And she’s even more confused when she discovers he’s left her half of his holiday travel company, a successful niche business specializing in trips that explore the holiday traditions of cultures all over the world.
Meanwhile, the other half of the company has been left to her father’s handsome but bad-tempered young executive, Theo. And the will stipulates that the two of them must find a way to run the company together for a year before they decide its fate.
Lexie intends to leave once the year is over, even though, as a wanderer herself, she finds the company’s mission more compelling than she first thought. And a work trip to sizzling Spain reveals a chemistry between Lexie and Theo that is impossible to deny.
There may have been some snap judgments made about each other. But mixing business and pleasure isn’t always a good idea.
MY THOUGHTS
I have read several other books by the author, and they are all very emotional books. The author really knows how to write a book that sticks with you and pulls on your heartstrings. The situations are so realistic that it could be your family or friends experiencing it.
Sometimes you wake up and have no idea your life is going to completely change from mundane and totally ordinary to something you’re not expecting at all.
This is what happens to our main character Lexie. Having her life thrown into chaos and uncertainty isn’t her idea of fun. Oh Lexie, she rides a rising tide of emotions throughout the whole book. I started out feeling sorry for her character but became empathetic towards her, she has a lot more on her plate than the average person.
Our main male character, Theo, I didn’t like him at first at all. His character is not made out to be likable from the way he treats Lexie to their arguments. A work trip with our main characters forced to go starts to thaw this frosty relationship into a mutual attraction.
I loved the dialogue between them when things started clicking, such humor and wit. With some tough decisions ahead of her will Lexie make the right ones to not only have workplace peace of mind but with family relationships and her brightly burning love life.
Love the close family relationships of healing and coming together. Lovely story!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Hello, I’m Emily! If you’ve found this page then welcome, and thanks so much for showing an interest in my writing.
I have written three books now, which feels surreal! My latest novel is Love, Holly in the US and The Christmas Letter in the UK. My books always revolve around the Christmas period, but span the course of a whole year and more. They also deal with love – and grief, in one way or another. I think I put a part of me in every book – as I’m sure every author does – and my newest book is no exception. The main character – Holly – often does the wrong thing for the right reasons, and that is a situation I’ve found myself in! And with three sisters myself, writing about the sister love – and difficulties – in this book felt personal at times!
My other two novels are One Last Gift – a story of finding yourself when you feel that’s impossible, and of the love between siblings – and Always, in December. As my debut novel, it will always be one close to my heart. Whilst very different from me, the protagonist, Josie is suffering with a grief that I know all too well – losing a parent/parents at a young age, and having to carry that grief into adulthood, long after it’s supposedly ‘gone away’. I lost my mum when I was seven, and I still think about her even now, in my thirties – and that’s something that Josie and I share. Max, too, is suffering his own kind of grief, and that’s something that he has to learn to deal with. But whilst the novel is about grief, and learning to live with that, it’s also about falling in love, and about learning to be brave, even when your life doesn’t feel quite right yet – even if it feels like it will never quite be right!
I wrote my first two novels in a glorious house in Chepstow, living with my sister and my two nieces. My third book I wrote on the English coastline in Cornwall – so I consider myself very lucky!
If you read any of my novels then thank you, and I really hope you enjoy! If you want to get in touch then I’d love to hear from you – I’m on Twitter and Instagram under @EmStoneWrites!
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