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Snow Kissed by RaeAnne Thayne

320 pages Publisher Canary Street Press Publication date October 7, 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK

Christmas has always been single mom Holly Goodwin Moore’s favorite time of year. The twinkly lights on the tree, the cookies in the oven, the snow on the ground. But she’s just not feeling it this year. The wedding in her ex’s family is almost here, her daughter, Lydia, is bursting at the seams to be a flower girl…and Holly couldn’t be dreading it more. She told a little white lie about having a new boyfriend as her plus-one, hoping to save face. She needs a date for the wedding…and she needs it now.

Ryan Caldwell wants to be free this holiday season. So even he isn’t sure how he landed in Shelter Springs, looking after his niece, Audrey, with his estranged father down the road. But when he meets Holly, she makes him want to belong for the very first time. So, they make a deal: he’ll be her date if she’ll help him give Audrey a true Christmas to remember while her mom is away.

MY THOUGHTS

A very get you in the Christmassy mood kind of fun romantic book.
I loved all the characters right away, especially the young daughter. What can I say, young children always make a family story so much better in my opinion.
Tough as nails, Ryan Caldwell, a Navy pilot man isn’t sure how he’s been roped into babysitting his niece this holiday season while her mom is in rehab but somehow, he has and while in town he wants to make the holiday season special for her.
She’s just doing her job right? Holly Goodwin Moore is a florist and preparing the flowers for her ex’s wedding, no problem. She can handle it right, especially when they already have a baby on the way.
When Ryan and Holly meet, Ryan finally feels as if he’s come home and this fake dating thing is starting to feel a little too real when real emotions and stolen kisses turn into the real thing.
Lots of holiday cheer in this upbeat read that’ll have you want to start holiday decorating and baking.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR

1 Publishers Weekly, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including seven RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews magazine. RaeAnne loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at http://www.raeannethayne.com.

Have a lovely weekend. Thank you for stopping in.

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On a Midnight Clear: A 3-in-1 Christmas Western Historical Romance Novella Collection

304 pages Bethany House Publishers Publication date September 2, 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Shepherd’s Heart by Tracie Peterson
On the frontier, widowed sheep rancher Vincent Duran seeks a mother for his two children. Angel Lewis agrees to marry him despite believing Vincent will never truly love her, but as they work together during a fierce winter storm, will their broken hearts finally find peace, joy, and love? 

No Room at the Inn by Misty M. Beller
When Noah Bentwood and his charge are snowed in while traveling through the Rocky Mountains, he must stay in a barn since the stage inn has no vacant rooms. Then innkeeper Hope Palmer’s family heirloom disappears, and she and Noah work together to find it before Christmas. While the snowfall holds them captive, will unexpected feelings bloom?

A Star in the West by Karen Witemeyer
Friendly correspondence with Stella Barrington evolves into something more when Harvard mathematics professor Frank Stentz arrives in Waco, Texas. As the two experiment with extending their relationship beyond letters, an impossible dilemma arises between love and logic. Will her wise man be able to calculate a way for them to be together?

MY THOUGHTS

I have read many books by each of the authors, so I was excited to see a novella collection with all of these authors contributing to it.
These are Christian fiction authors who wrote clean, well thought out enjoyable Christmas stories with each having a connecting theme. I loved each story equally and am grateful I had a chance to read them.

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

Thank you for stopping in.

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Blog Tour for The Hidden Daughter by Soraya Lane

ABOUT THE BOOK

Norway, 1951: ‘I need you to know how much I love you, Amalie. I never wanted us to be parted, and I will do whatever it takes to come back to you and our baby. Please wait for me.’

London, Present day: Everything in Charlotte’s life is about to change. As she clutches a small box in her palm containing a diamond ring and a Norwegian crest, she knows she must return home to be reunited with her beloved great-grandmother Amalie and her Norwegian family.

Accepting her dream job as a head chef at Norway’s most prestigious hotel, Charlotte is welcomed by the hotel’s head designer, Harrison. For years, Charlotte sacrificed everything for her career. As she tours her new surroundings with Harrison, she soon starts to see a way of focussing on her heart too.

But when Charlotte takes the box to Amalie, everything Charlotte thought she knew about her family changes in an instant. As Amalie clutches the ring that she thought had vanished forever, she reveals a tragic love story and a precious secret that stayed buried for years.

When Charlotte discovers the huge sacrifice Amalie made to keep her family safe, will it give Charlotte the strength she needs to follow her heart? Or will she leave Norway forever?

An utterly heart-warming and gorgeous story about the importance of following your heart and never being afraid to find your new beginning. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.

MY THOUGHTS

The Lost Daughter series is one of my absolute favorite historical fiction series and I’ve read every one of them.
All are a time slip which takes place in more than one time period, and it makes the book very interesting as we see the characters and events that took place with them years ago and then again, we meet them in the present time.
The connecting focal point is Hope’s House for pregnant women.
Every time I read a book in the series I know it’s going to break my heart, and I keep thinking if only circumstances could have been different.
This one takes place in England and Oslo, and we meet Amalie at the end of her life and also get to read her heartbreaking tale of her younger days. Not all sad though we see her absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing love story of a strong powerful love that stood up to others who doubted it.
In our present time we have Amalie’s daughter and great-granddaughter and how their lives are affected after they find out family secrets.
A true page turner, stunning descriptions of the scenery. Magical I was caught up in the story and didn’t want it to end!

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

Buy Link

MEET THE AUTHOR

Soraya Lane graduated with a law degree before realising that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, including the #1 Kindle bestselling novels The Last Correspondent and The Secrets We Left Behind .

Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.

Thank you for stopping in.

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Christmas at the Nantucket Restaurant (The Nantucket Restaurant series Book 2) 

208 pages Sourcebooks Landmark Pub Date Oct 07 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK

Nantucket’s famous Christmas Stroll is always the first week of December and this year Mimi’s Place co-owners want to do something extra special for the restaurant. It will be Emma and Paul’s first Christmas together as a couple and Mandy’s first holiday as a newly divorced mother of two. Although Mandy does have a promising new relationship, she wants to take things very slow, and the holidays are for sure not the time to dive in too deep.

Their sister Jill and her new husband, Billy, are planning to spend the whole month of December on Nantucket too, juggling remote work for the executive search firm they own together in Manhattan with relaxing, spending time with family, and helping out at the restaurant too.

Gina Caruso, the awesome bar manager, is spending her first winter on Nantucket after having lived for years in Boston. It’s a bit of an adjustment―winters on Nantucket are so much quieter than the city life she was used to. She’s even more confused when someone she had a major crush on back in the city moves to Nantucket, while Jared Hawthorne, the new sous chef at Mimi’s Place makes it his mission to introduce Gina to all of Nantucket’s holiday festivities. Suddenly her boring winter is starting to look a lot more interesting.

MY THOUGHTS

This is my first read by the author and I really loved the book.
I also appreciate it being a clean read a well.
Three sisters inherit a restaurant and it’s their story as they run it along with other women.


The book is warm you feel a happy good feeling while reading it and surely want to recommend it to a friend.
It’s a story of family and friends.

I loved seeing the support the sisters gave to each other as they all lead similar yet different lives. All have things going on, children, relationships, business but yet at Christmas time things seem a bit brighter a bit less stressful. I look forward to diving in and reading more books by the author.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR

Pamela M. Kelley is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of women’s fiction, family sagas, and suspense. Readers often describe her books as feel-good reads with people you’d want as friends.

She lives in a historic seaside town near Cape Cod and just south of Boston. She has always been an avid reader of women’s fiction, romance, mysteries, thrillers and cook books. There’s also a good chance you might get hungry when you read her books as she is a foodie, and occasionally shares a recipe or two.

Feel free to sign up for her list to hear about new releases as soon as they are available as well as extras like early bird discounts. Just cut and paste into your browser, http://eepurl.com/IZbOH

Thank you!

~Pam

Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.

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Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin (A Death by Chocolate Mystery Book 8)

272 pages Publisher Kensington Cozies Publication date April 29, 2025

Look at that poor dog. I think he is as frightened of the spider as we are. I’ve been enjoying the cozy mysteries lately. I hope you’re not getting tired of my reviews of them.

ABOUT THE BOOK

One of the sweetest places to visit in Eastport, Maine, is Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White’s bakery, the Chocolate Moose, where people treat themselves to the most decadent desserts. But the island town also seems to cater to those with bitter dispositions . . .

Decorations of cobwebs and creatures are just being taken down across Eastport’s picturesque houses as the community says farewell to Halloween and ushers in winter with the unique confectionaries found only at the Chocolate Moose. Revelers have gathered on the waterfront for a party at local celebrity Hank Rafferty’s ramshackle mansion, known as Stone House. The home repair TV show star and his guests await a devilish dessert delivery from Jake and Ellie—who arrive just after Hank falls to his death from the house’s turret’s balcony.

Despite his show’s popularity, Hank was not exactly beloved in Eastport, prompting the police to conduct a homicide investigation. Their number one suspect is the temperamental boyfriend of police chief Lizzie Snow, whom Hank openly hit on during the party. Although he may be hotheaded, Lizzie doesn’t believe her boyfriend is capable of killing anyone.

And neither do Jake and Ellie. Plenty of people had motive to want Hank dead—a disillusioned admirer, a school bully, and a discontent wife among them. Did any of them take the murderous plunge, or is there another ghost in Hank’s shady past yet to be revealed?

MY THOUGHTS

Eastport, Maine, is the home of famous bakery, the Chocolate Moose. The Chocolate Moose is set to cater a supposedly haunted mansion where things go bump in the night and is rumored to have ghosts. The waterfront property is the setting for a party taking place that is owned by a tv celebrity by the name of Hank Rafferty.

He and his guests are awaiting a mouthwatering delivery of fresh baked goods. Oh, there was a delivery alright, and it wasn’t baked goods it was his body falling from an upper balcony right in front of all the guests.
Hank wouldn’t have won any popularity contests and there are several suspects lined up by the police.


Quick after Halloween themed cozy mystery that kept me reading and finished it in a day.
A surprise ending.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR

Sarah Graves lives with her husband John, a musician and luthier, and their black Labrador Retriever in a house very much like the one Jacobia Tiptree is remodeling in Eastport, Maine. When she’s not writing Jake’s adventures, Sarah works with her husband on the house and she plays the 5-string banjo.

Happy weekend. Thank you for reading my post today!

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In the Blink of a Pie (Maple Syrup Mysteries, 3)

320 pages Publisher Poisoned Pen Press Publication date October 22, 2024

ABOUT THE BOOK

USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns is back with the third installment in the “delightfully sweet” Maple Syrup Mysteries, transporting readers back to the cozy town of Sugar Ridge, Vermont, where things are bound to go from sweet, to sour.

Sometimes, there’s no one you can crust…

It’s Thanksgiving in Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and Leila Khoury, manager of Sappy Endings Farm, is ready to usher in the holiday season by hosting a pie-baking contest. The day is meticulously planned, from the judging panel to the maple lattes, and Leila can’t wait for the entire town to enjoy some sweet treats.

But when a neighbor drops dead from sampling a poisoned pumpkin pie, it’s not just Leila’s perfect day that’s in jeopardy―her livelihood is now at stake. And after yet another near-fatal incident, she realizes an even more terrifying truth: the killer wasn’t targeting her neighbor, but someone even closer to home! 

Can Leila figure out who’s behind the murder, before the dough hits the fan?

Includes delicious holiday pie recipes!

MY THOUGHTS

In the Blink of a Pie is the third book in the Maple Syrup Mysteries series and I’ve read and loved them all.


A Fall themed cozy mystery has Leila Khoury returning to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, as the manager helping her mother run Sappy Endings Farm after the passing of her father selling maple syrup/sugar. along with her mother running the gift shop and cafe it’s become a pretty popular place for locals and tourists alike to stop in.


A Thanksgiving pie baking contest with them being dropped off at the farm to be judged will just add to the farm’s busy season but they’re ready for it. Business is so brisk that Leila hires a local woman to help her mother in the cafe, and she already has experience running a bagel shop, so she fits in nicely and is such a big help.


The day of the pie judging is here, and the town’s folks are all aflutter with excitement but when someone drops dead from the tasting of the pies to be judged the business drops like a rock at the farm and cafe.


While this is a cozy mystery to solve, I enjoyed that its main focus wasn’t just on this. There are other side stories and developments, a romance developing for Leila, her relationship with her boyfriend’s daughter, mother daughter strengthening relationships after it has been strained for a while.

Best friend relationships and clues that are well paced as we figure out who the suspects are and why they may have done it.
The pacing was even and on track and I really enjoyed the book a lot. I hope to see more in the series soon.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR

Website

https://www.catherinebruns.net

Twitter

Genre

Mystery

Catherine is the USA Today bestselling author of the Cookies & Chance mysteries. She lives in Upstate New York with her very patient husband, three sons and several spoiled pets. She holds a dual B.A. in English and Performing Arts and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. Catherine also writes the Italian Chef, Maple Syrup, and Cindy York mysteries. Her book, For Sale by Killer, won the Daphne du Maurier award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.

Happy weekend. Thank you for stopping in!

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Fatal Fudge Swirl: An Ice Cream Shop Mystery

320 pages Publisher St. Martin’s Paperbacks Publication date June 27, 2023

ABOUT THE BOOK

A movie production brings drama―and murder―to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.

Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that’s filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn’s kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley’s, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.

But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long―each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?

MY THOUGHTS

Though this is the third book in the series it’s my first read of this series.
It is an intriguing book loaded with Halloween and spooky themes and let’s not forget ice cream.


The town of Penniman, Connecticut is all alight this Halloween weekend as former child star Cooper Collins is in charge of the filming happening on the town green. To top it off his bossy mother getting married is the talk of the town with a lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her husband to has worked in the inns kitchen for years aided by his former wife.


When the bride to be requests a spooky wedding cake and then is found dead all eyes turn to the former wife but is she the responsible one?
What a clever way the murder was carried out I’ve never seen this ingenious way written about in a mystery before.


Loved the twists and turns and now I’m hungry for ice cream.

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

About the author

Books? Travel? Ice Cream? Yes, please! Former librarian Meri Allen loves exploring the back roads – and ice cream shops – of her native New England. She also writes the award-winning Lobster Shack Mystery series as Shari Randall. Check out her travels, recipes, book giveaways and fun in her quarterly newsletter, The Scoop. Sign up on https://www.meriallenbooks.com. Happy reading!

Happy Thursday! Thank you for stopping in.

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Sugar and Spite (A Witch City Mystery)

304 pages Publisher Kensington Cozies Publication date October 28, 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK

There’s no place like Salem, Massachusetts—aka “the witch city”—for Halloween. As residents embrace their historic heritage to celebrate the season, WICH-TV program director Lee Barrett is assigned the decadent task of highlighting the village’s delectable sweet shops—only to learn that some revelers prefer deadly tricks over delicious treats . . .

Casa del Chocolate is one of Salem’s most charming boutique candy shops, making it a perfect profile story. Although preoccupied with her own personal sweet news—Lee and her detective husband Pete Mondello are expecting a bundle of joy—she cheerfully agrees to interview the chocolatier. Since becoming pregnant, the radiant and exhilarated mother-to-be has discovered that she is finally free of the unwanted haunting “visions” she has endured since childhood.

Shirley Parker inherited Casa del Chocolate, housed in her beautiful ancestral home on the waterfront, continuing her family’s sweet tradition of conjuring magical treats for the folks of Salem. Mesmerized by the delightful chocolate scented aromas filling the air while touring the kitchen, Lee is shocked when she stumbles upon the murdered body of Barney Bingham, Shirley’s estranged husband.

As the police focus their suspicions on Shirley, Lee learns that many people had reasons for wanting Barney dead. Now, with help from Pete, tarot reader River North, and clairvoyant gentleman cat O’Ryan, as well as some new feline friends, Lee must unmask the true killer—and cope with the sudden return of her troubling “visions”. . .

MY THOUGHTS

Sugar and Spite is chocolate themed and who can resist delicious chocolate at Halloween or any time really.
Taking place in Salem, Mass television reporter, Lee Barrett is assigned the task of visiting candy shops during the Halloween season and reporting on them. Can’t beat that especially when free candy is thrown into the mix.


Lee and her husband detective husband Pete Mondello are expecting their first baby and that chocolate is going to be extra tasty. All thoughts of chocolate tasting are quickly forgotten when a body is found in cold storage in the chocolate shop.


When the body turns out to be the estranged husband of the owner, Shirley Parker we find out there are many who may have wanted him dead as he seemed to make enemies wherever he went.
Along with her husband Pete and many others helping to solve this Halloween mystery this wraps up with a satisfying conclusion.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR

About the author

Carol J. Perry is the author of three cozy mystery series. Salem Massachusetts provides the background for her Witch City Mystery series–and is the city where Carol was born–on Halloween eve! Carol and her husband, Dan, now live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and the Sunshine State provides the setting for her paranormal Haunted Haven Mystery series. Her newest series, Wicked Salem Mysteries is a “spin-off” of the Witch City books, with many of the original characters, but with a fresh point of view. All of the books feature murders, of course, and each one has the expected cast of animals. Watch for Finn, a friendly Golden Retriever and Toby a sweet black Lab. O’Ryan, a clairvoyant gentleman cat is multi talented, and you’ll enjoy meeting a pair of outdoor cats, Bogie and Bacall, along with Frankie, a white cat, who seems to wander through some of the stories whenever she feels like it.

Thank you for stopping in. Happy Wednesday!

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Dog Separation Anxiety Awareness Day (A day late)

I am so sorry. I completely forgot about posting this yesterday.

I read Reba’s story and absolutely loved it!

I hope you’re having a great day. Thank you for stopping in!

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The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor) (Book 5)

384 pages Publisher Harper Collins Publication date September 16, 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK

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

❄️❄️❄️❄️

As owner of her beloved Gingerbread Bakery, Annie Andrews should have a love life to match her business; sugary and sweet. But instead, she’s locked in a game of words with the irritatingly upbeat bar owner down the street.

Mac Sullivan has everything he wants, except the girl he dreams of. It’s easier to argue with Annie than get her to talk to him but with Jeanie and Logan’s wedding coming up, they’re about to spend a lot more time together.

As the snowflakes fall and with romance in the air, will Annie see that the one she loves to hate might just be her perfect match after all?

The Gingerbread Bakery is a cozy romantic novel with an enemies to lovers dynamic, small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:

Forced Proximity

Enemies to lovers

Found family

Small Town

MY THOUGHTS

This is Dream Harbor book number five and it’s absolutely lovely. I’m delighted I got a chance to read it. We continue on with the same characters while adding a few new characters in to make it even better. I love having the familiarity of past characters to anchor a book.
A small-town cozy spicy holiday romance.


Our two main characters have known each other for years and he’s been crushing on her this whole time, but she had no idea.
They did have a bit of a romantic past that didn’t last but that hasn’t kept him from still wanting to be with her.


She’s always treated him as an annoyance and when he’s returned to town she seems to notice him, really notice him. Where have these feelings come from, she wonders, this isn’t supposed to be happening. A second chance romance that’ll have you cheering the characters to actually stay together this time. And yes, there are kittens in the book, who can resist that?


We also meet the main characters from the next book in the series, and I can’t wait to read it next Spring.

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

About the author

Laurie Gilmore is a #1 New York Times, Sunday Times, and Globe & Mail bestselling author who writes steamy small-town romance. Her Dream Harbor series is filled with quirky townsfolk, cozy settings, and swoon-worthy romance. The first book in the series, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, was featured on Good Morning America and was named the TikTok Shop Book of the Year 2024.

She loves finding books with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice and strives for that in her own writing. If you ever wished you lived in Stars Hollow (or that Luke and Lorelai would just get together already!) then her books are definitely for you.

Happy Tuesday may you brighten someone’s day !