Kate seems to have it all – wonderful friends, a successful career and an idyllic life in the quirky Yorkshire town of Essendale. But under the surface Kate’s lonely, and she longs to feel part of a family – especially during Christmas.
With the holiday season fast approaching, and the town desperate to attract more visitors, Kate conceives a brilliant plan: an enchanting living Advent calendar. Each December evening, a captivating window display will be unveiled across town. With local businesses struggling, including her best friend’s board game café, she’s feeling the pressure.
But Kate’s picture-perfect plans take an unexpected turn when her ex-boyfriend arrives in Yorkshire, insisting on creating the Christmas Eve display. Can Kate trust him to deliver a show-stopping window? And can she finally put the past behind her and embrace the future she’s always dreamed of?
WOW! How is it even possible the author has four books out already in the Little Board Game Cafe series? I’ve read and loved every single one of them.
This one is Kate’s story, and I think it’s my favorite, but I probably said that about all of them because I loved them all. I think it’s the most emotional of the series but not in a bad way. There are so many things going on and I don’t think this is a spoiler, but the book has a lovely happy ending.
I still wish there was a board game cafe near me in the states, it’s sounds like such a fun way to spend some hours. I love the characters that we got to visit from previous books and meeting new characters was a blast too. Kate has been friends with the board game cafe owner since early school days and now that winter is here business is not only slowing down in the cafe but around town in general.
With dark approaching earlier there just doesn’t seem to be the draw from the business there was in the summer. Marketing guru Kate overhears her friend lamenting about lack of business during this cold and dreary time and knows she has to do something to jump start business for the cafe but also around town. The plan she comes up with is genius and in such a short amount of time.
A lot of the time is spent talking about this plan and its marvelous final results and I loved every minute of it. I was so glad to see Kate had cleared up a big misunderstanding she had with her father, and it has brought their relationship closer.
There is also a possibility of a romance brewing for Kate with two very different personality types. There were some laugh out loud moments in the book and some awww moments too.
I also enjoyed learning about some Polish Christmas traditions too and even looked up a few more to learn more about it. A very well received book, I enjoyed it so much!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR
MEET THE AUTHOR
Author Bio – Jennifer Page wrote her first novel – a book about ponies – when she was eight. These days she prefers to write romance. When she isn’t writing, Jennifer can usually be found playing board games which are the inspiration for her first novel. She has worked as a television producer, a music teacher and has even run a children’s opera company. She now lives near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire with her husband and his large collection of games.
Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted at Reading is my Super Power! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature the first line The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen.
FIRST LINE(S)
May 1820
Bleak. The weather, her mood, her life. Miss Claire Summers pulled back the dusty velvet curtain and looked out onto another dreary Edinburgh day.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Pub Date Dec 03 2024
A surprise homecoming tests the bonds of sisterhood as a hidden past comes to light . . .
Disgraced eldest sister Claire Summers has been living in exile as companion to a stern great-aunt in Scotland. About to lose her place and longing to be reconciled with her estranged family, Claire sees an advertisement from someone looking for a “respectable female partner” in a Sidmouth boarding house. Is it a sign? She answers the ad, hoping she has not made another reckless mistake. When she meets the handsome, secretive proprietor, she wonders what he’s hiding and if he’s any more trustworthy than the nobleman who betrayed her years ago. Claire is drawn to him even though she fears he will reject her when he discovers her genteel façade hides a less-than-respectable past.
Meanwhile, the Summers family learns their great-aunt has died and Claire has disappeared without a word. The sisters rally together to find their lost sibling, but will their unexpected reunion heal old wounds and rekindle their bonds . . . or deepen the divide?
Return to the captivating Devonshire coast as the Summers sisters navigate romance, second chances, and the enduring strength of sisterhood in the face of adversity.
I have been waiting for this book to be available for what seems like forever. Will this be making it onto your to read pile? What currently in your hands to read?
328 pages Bethany House Publishers March 12,2024 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
A dangerous scheme could bury their long-held dreams forever. . . .
From the time she was little, Martha Jankowski has been digging in the dirt, much to the dismay of her mother. Now she dreams of being a paleontologist and is determined to make her parents proud by uncovering the next big discovery. When Martha finds what she hopes to be a fully intact dinosaur skeleton–one that could win her an acclaimed exhibit–she learns another team is competing against her and could steal her chance at being recognized for this momentous discovery.
Paleontology student Jacob Duncan has fulfilled his dream of digging for dinosaur bones at last. In a race against time, he and his team are bent on unearthing a complete skeleton to claim a museum exhibit with their names on it. But when Jacob meets their charming competitor Martha and uncovers foul play within his team, love and danger grow hand in hand until a menacing ruse threatens to destroy it all.
MY THOUGHTS
Set in Stone is the second book in the Treasures of the Earth series though it can easily be read as a standalone. Reading so many books by this author over the years I have gone on so many adventures through the pages of her books and also learned so much.
Taking place in 1872 Colorado territory I really had a feel for the time period with the author’s descriptions. As a youngster Martha wanted nothing more than to follow in her father’s footsteps of being a paleontologist and when she came of age, she did just though with some limits put on her by her family.
She is determined along with her team to find a whole dinosaur skeleton intact with all the bones unbroken and donate it to the museum for the recognition. Then she learns there is competition from another team determined to do just that.
When sabotages turn dangerous Matha wonders should she stop or keep going? Falling in love with the competition was not supposed to happen but it does. Jacob’s family is not from the upper-class family Matha’s family is from and her mother will not accept her choice.
The faith element is strong and such an encouragement to read especially as a character grows stronger in their faith journey. Full of intrigue, suspense and a pretty surprising reveal this light romance kept me reading.
It was so fascinating learning the ins and outs of a dig, how long it takes, the dangers involved and how careful the have to be to keep the bones intact. I enjoyed seeing the character development and thought it was realistic. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling and award-winning author of more than two dozen books. She is a wife, mother, author, and musician with a quick wit and positive outlook despite difficult circumstances. A popular speaker, she’s shared at more than 2,000 venues across the country. Kimberley and her family’s story have garnered national media attention for many years including ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Montel Williams Show, Discovery Health channel’s Mystery ER, The Hour of Power, The Harvest Show, and over 1,000 other TV appearances and radio interviews. She lives and writes in the Poconos with her husband of thirty years. kimberleywoodhouse.com
Find Kim on twitter and facebook:
twitter.com/kimwoodhouse
author fan page Kimberley Woodhouse
Thank you for stopping in today. Have a wonderful weekend.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to The Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
This week’s theme is bookish goals for 2024.
This is the first year I’m setting goals for myself as a reader. I’ve always read a lot but this year I don’t want to just randomly read. I’ve done a lot of reading for authors in the past and that will continue but I’m cutting back on accepting requests.
Cut back on NetGalley requests this year. I’ve done this and will continue to do so. So many books I’ll want to request when I look at my backlist, I see a similar book so cutting back has become easier.
My NetGalley percentage several years and (mumble) books ago was at 80%. Less than a week ago I got it to 76% after being at 75 for what seems like forever. I’m not going to set a percentage I want to get to but I just want it to continue to move upwards.
Read all of my NetGalley 2021 backlist which is as far back as my books go. I joined in 2017. I’ve read 3 so far.
Clear all of my Christmas/Winter books off my NetGalley shelf, so all from 2021, 2022 and 2023. I’ve read 5 so far.
Keep up with my GoodReads challenges I’m doing. These challenges have really helped me clear books off my shelves and I need to stop forgetting about them.
Read blog tour books sooner when I get them. Sometimes I wait until the day before my stop on the blog tour to read them and then I don’t even want to read them because I feel pressure to read them.
Sign up for less blog tours. I’ve already started doing this in the past few months of the last year and will continue to do it so I can read books I already have.
Go to less book sales.
Allow myself to read books I get from NetGalley when I want to, for the most part. If I get a book that publishes in 2 months, and I want to read it now I’m going to and not wait to read it closer to the date of publication.
Read longer books. I have several books over 400 pages and several over 500 pages. Longer books can feel like they are dragging but I want to read some of them and get them off my shelf.
I’m sure there are more bookish things I want to do this year but I can’t think of them right now.
Have you made bookish goals for yourself this year?
Enjoy your day. Stay safe and warm. We got snow again last night and it’s snowing now. I’m not going anywhere near it.
The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.
Christmas was a lovely day for our family. The day after Christmas after going for a routine appointment our daughter in law was admitted to the hospital to monitor her high blood pressure caused by the pregnancy of twins. She ended up being delivered of those babies that day. They are thriving and almost off oxygen and their formula amount has been increased now. Hopefully they’ll be able to go home soon.
Several of the kids got the flu and unfortunately, I got it too. I just got well from being sick a few weeks ago and got sick again Just as I’m starting to feel better now my husband thinks he may be coming down with something. Think I may put him in quarantine. Just kidding but I don’t want to get sick again.
My reading has been down the past few weeks because of Christmas busyness. and sleeping instead of reading.
None and I kind of like that number! Still have seven pending which I may cancel a few of them. I do like the feature of being able to cancel NetGalley requests now.
It’s time for another First Line Friday, hosted at Reading is my SuperPower. Grab the book closest to you and list the first line(s) then return to Reading is my SuperPower and visit other blogs to see everyone else’s posts.
The book I’m featuring today is:
The first line:
On the doorstep of Rose’s house, Annie smooths out her coat and straightens her scarf before gripping her cane again.
+ABOUT THE BOOK
Grannies, gangsters, murders—and a rollicking journey across France!
It’s January 4, 1961, and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love. It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances.
Many decades later, an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie arrives, and all her doubts come flooding back.
At 84, there’s no time to waste!
Annie enlists the help of Rose Tassy, an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth.
Thus begins an unforgettable journey from Provence to a quaint village in Picardie and then on to the sparkling Riviera, with a detour through wintry Paris.
Amid yuletide festivities, Annie and Rose navigate perilous terrain. Their list of suspects quickly grows. Was it Rene’s older brother? Maybe the ex-gangster turned chicken farmer? The powerful Monegasque tycoon?
Stumped, Rose begins to question her detective mettle when a new death compounds the plot…
This Christmas, will Annie receive the overdue truth as a gift?
Today TTT is a freebie on That Artsy Reader Girl and for today’s Top Ten Tuesday I’m choosing to list my oldest NetGalley books on my shelf. I’ll be getting to them next year. I am looking forward to seeing what you’ve chosen as your topic this week so play along.
10 OLDEST BOOKS ON MY NETGALLEY SHELF
I am making it a point to read all of these next year. These were all published in 2021. Can you recommend any of these?
328 pages Bethany House publishers September 26,2023 publish date
ABOUT THE BOOK
Some secrets can only stay buried for so long. . . .
Anna Lakeman has spent her life working alongside her paleontologist father, drawing intricate sketches at every dig. When they find dinosaur bones near their home in Wyoming Territory, they’re given the opportunity of a lifetime and are swiftly caught up in the competitive era of the Bone Wars. But after her father becomes sick and Joshua Ziegler, an old beau, returns for the summer, Anna’s world is upended, and the practical, orderly life she has made for herself shatters.
Medical student Joshua Ziegler left his hometown to forget Anna, the one woman he truly loved and deeply hurt. But when he returns, time hasn’t erased the feelings they’ve always had for each other. After Joshua’s nephew goes missing–just like his sister did years ago–and Anna’s job is threatened, tensions mount and dangerous secrets are unearthed.
MY THOUGHTS
The sciences are not one of my favorite things to read about. I’ve read so many books by this author that I just knew she could turn a subject that I wasn’t overly excited about into a fascinating story that I couldn’t put down.
When this historical fiction story took place, the late 1800’s paleontology was not a field women got into, there were a few but they were not well received and discredited often. A young woman who grew up with a famous paleontologist father has for many years been drawing intricate sketches at every dig as a way of cataloging and keeping track of all the progress.
When the elements open up a previously closed area in Wyoming Territory, near their home and they find bones it’s just what they need. This is just the opportunity her father needs to further his career during the competitive Bone Wars, and it’s working. He’s got permission to do his dig and no one else is permitted in this area, then exciting bones are found.
When her father falls ill and rapidly declines Anna Lakeman is not only upset about her father’s career advancement, thinking someone may take it from him but she’s very worried about this health. She is determined to go it alone and do the digging for her father.
When her former beau shows up the hurt feelings come rushing back, they had a big misunderstanding but now he’s back. Doctor in training Joshua Ziegler left to forget his feeling for Anna but upon returning they both realize the feelings are still there.
There is a bit of a mystery when Joshua’s nephew goes missing. Is he in danger and what happened to him? A very intriguing story, I also enjoyed the historical aspect of it and can’t wait to read more in this series.
Pub Date 26 Sep 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
THE AUTHOR
Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling and award-winning author of more than two dozen books. She is a wife, mother, author, and musician with a quick wit and positive outlook despite difficult circumstances. A popular speaker, she’s shared at more than 2,000 venues across the country. Kimberley and her family’s story have garnered national media attention for many years including ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Montel Williams Show, Discovery Health channel’s Mystery ER, The Hour of Power, The Harvest Show, and over 1,000 other TV appearances and radio interviews. She lives and writes in the Poconos with her husband of thirty years. kimberleywoodhouse.com
332 pages St. Martin’s Paperbacks publisher August 22,2023 publish date
ABOUT THE BOOK
In Nine Lives and Alibis, the seventh in Cate Conte’s Cat Café beloved cozy mystery series, Daybreak Island is gearing up for Halloween—but this year it seems like it’ll be all tricks and no treats.
It’s October in Daybreak Harbor, which means everything Halloween. The town is going all out for the holiday, hoping to one-up the festivities in neighboring Salem, Massachusetts, and Maddie James is delighted to be part of the planning for the annual happenings.
But trouble brews when Maddie’s youngest sister, Sam, books a famous medium, Balfour Dempsey, to come to town for the celebrations and stay in the local haunted inn—along with his equally famous black cat. The town busybody books a secret reading with Balfour and doesn’t want anyone to know why. Maddie’s best friend Becky is hell-bent on getting Balfour to help her solve two 40-year-old mysteries—a murder and a missing maid. And the psychic has a stalker who’s followed him here to the island, demanding he connect with her dead husband.
When Balfour is pushed off the cliffs behind the inn to his death and his beloved cat goes missing, it throws the whole town into a frenzy. And Maddie and her family find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery straight out of a Halloween movie.
MY THOUGHTS
Nine Lives and Alabis finds us in Daybreak Island, Mass. The little island town is hoping to one up its neighbors in Salem, Mass who everyone goes to see for all their Halloween scares.
This year Daybreak Island is hosting a Halloween Festival better than any of the previous years. A famous medium, Balfour Dempsey has come to stay at the reportedly haunted hotel. While there he is being asked to try to solve two cold cases from forty years ago, a murder and a missing maid.
I enjoyed the New England setting, as we spent time there this Fall including Salem, Mass.
When another murder occurs, the whole town is in an uproar and Halloween festivities are the last thing on their minds. Past and present come to mingle in the case being solved.
Maddie runs a cat cafe and takes in strays and gives them the best care. She and her cat JJ also solve cases together and she’s on the job here finding the murderer and discovering what happened to his cat.
Surprising twists and turns I sure didn’t see coming. I enjoyed all the Halloween descriptions from the decorations and foods to the pet costume parade to all the festivities at the haunted hotel This is a series I’ll continue reading.
Pub Date: 22 Aug 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Since none of us have enough books, including myself I did a little browsing on Amazon and thought I’d share my findings with you. If you’re interested, I’d download as soon as possible since we never know how long these will last. Hope you enjoy.
The first in a new romantic comedy series from CP Ward, author of Christmas at Marshmallow Café and Summer at Blue Sands Cove.
Having fled a relationship and a previous life she would rather forget, young teacher Jennifer Stevens throws herself into a demanding new job at Brentwell Primary. Charged with marshalling a group of unruly eight-year-olds to the autumn harvest festival, her only solace is the peace of nearby Sycamore Park.
As the evenings draw in and the leaves begin to fall, will new friends, delicious autumn treats, and a possible new man on the orange-tinted horizon help Jennifer finally come to terms with her past and begin to look forward into the future?
Autumn at Sycamore Park is another delightful romantic comedy from CP Ward, author of several popular seasonally themed novels. Set against a backdrop of warm autumn days, it offers everything fans of CP Ward’s other books have come to love: laughter, friendship, good times, and a hint of newly discovered love.
The first book in the sparkling Glorious Summer series from CP Ward, author of Christmas at the Marshmallow Cafe and Autumn in Sycamore Park.
Tired of the city, Grace Clelland returns to Blue Sands, the quiet Cornish seaside village where she grew up. There she will meet old flames and old friends, rekindle old loves and ignite new ones in a novel that will have you dreaming of the soft crash of the waves on the shore, the feel of sand between your toes, overloaded ice-creams and smoky beach barbeques.
Not to be missed – the debut summer novel from CP Ward – the author whose Delightful Christmas and Warm Days of Autumn series have captivated thousands of readers worldwide with their warmth, humour, and just a little hint of romance…
I’m glad I found you this Christmas – an uplifting sweet romance set against the magical backdrop of Christmas.
Maggie Coates is frustrated. Her longterm boyfriend, Dirk, recently moved to London to take a job she fears puts him out of her league. Despite the assurances of her best friend Renee, Maggie is convinced Dirk is slowly drifting away. All Maggie wants is to get married and settle down, but maybe Dirk has other ideas.
Convinced by Renee to make one last throw of the dice, Maggie books a romantic holiday for two in the quaint Scottish village of Hollydell. But will Dirk show up?
And if he doesn’t, what if there is a perfect man waiting for her among the Christmas magic of Hollydell’s snow-laden streets? What if Henry, the humble reindeer farmer with the kind smile, turns out to be the man of Maggie’s dreams?
I’m glad I found you this Christmas is a glowing sweet romance which will leave you feeling warm inside and buzzing with Christmas spirit.
Love is on the menu in this sweet romantic comedy set in Italy.
Ginny’s Italian cooking course was supposed to be a peaceful escape from her troubles. But when she meets Preston, an infuriating know-it-all history professor, she quickly realizes her past has come back to haunt her.
The last thing Ginny needs is for Preston to find out who she really is. Her plan seems foolproof—assume a fake identity and keep her distance from the pretentious jerk.
But when they’re forced to work together, Ginny starts to see a different side of Preston. She’s torn between her desire to reveal who she really is and her fear that she’ll lose everything in the process.
Will Ginny be able to trust Preston with her heart, or will love turn out to be the ultimate recipe for disaster?
If you like quirky characters, happily ever afters, and the occasional drooling cat, you’ll love Ginny and Preston’s story.
What would you do if your husband got you the worst anniversary present ever?
Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her clueless hubby presents her with a rundown boat. She’s not impressed.
When she discovers someone murdered on board, things get even worse. Mollie hopes it will convince her husband to rethink his hare-brained scheme of sailing off into the sunset. Instead, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set off to sea.
Poking her nose in where it doesn’t belong, Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, eats way too much chocolate, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.
Will Mollie be able to discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?
Murder at the Marina is the first book in the Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery series. If you like quirky characters, adorable cats, and loads of chocolate, you’ll love this cozy mystery. Spoiler alert: You’ll be craving brownies by the time you finish this book!
What happens when you travel across the country for your dream job and end up sharing a bed with an older man who volunteers you to be his fake girlfriend? You hope you don’t fall in love when it’s time to say goodbye.
The Fall of Us is an age gap, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity romance.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had to hide who I am. What I am. They had me play the sheep. They had me blend in. They marked me and sealed my power. Now I have my freedom, because everyone who’s ever wanted me confined is dead. I could have changed it. I could have altered the course of fate. I could have saved the unseelie queen. I didn’t.
Vlari has always known her place: as far away from court as the unseelie queen can send her. The youngest royal, born in an impoverished household, she endeavored to earn her keep as an assistant and stay out of trouble. Dark, striking, and with a hidden agenda, Drusk definitely qualifies as trouble, but he refuses to leave her alone, clashing with her at every corner. Then the world implodes around her. With friends and foe by her side, she can fade with rest of the unseelie kingdom, or protect a court that has never cared for her.
wo sisters. One enchanted forest. And a hidden destiny that could doom them both…
Swept away to the castle beside the Darkwood, Rose Valrois finds herself in a world full of secrets and forbidden magic. There she meets her new stepsister, the enigmatic Princess Neeve, who will either become her best friend – or her worst enemy.
When Rose follows her stepsister into the enchanted shadows beneath the trees, she is beset by dangerous creatures and rescued by Thorne, the Dark Elf guardian of the forest, who binds her to the Darkwood and forbids her to speak of its mysteries.
Yet despite the danger surrounding her, Rose continues to risk everything in her quest for answers, until the day she steals into the depths of the forest and discovers the most perilous secret of all…
From USA Today bestselling author Anthea Sharp, a fantasy fairy-tale weaving elements of Snow White & Rose Red with romance, magic, and dangerous secrets that will destroy a kingdom. Will appeal to fans of Sylvia Mercedes, Naomi Novik, Holly Black, and anyone who loves a fairytale beautifully retold~
The melancholy, brilliance, passionate lyricism, and torment of Edgar Allen Poe are all well represented in this collection. Here, in one volume, are his masterpieces of mystery, terror, humor, and adventure, including stories such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and The Pit and the Pendulum, to name just a few, that defined American romanticism and secured Poe as one of the most enduring literary voices of the nineteenth century.
Jason ‘Jase’ Rascal is just an ordinary twelve-year-old boy. His daydreams, however, are quite another story – for whenever Jase dozes off he enters bizarre parallel worlds where he often seems to find himself in very real danger …
Season Three: ‘Autumn Nightmare’ (or ‘The Hallowe’en Horrors on Hexhill Common’)
Jase couldn’t have picked a worse time to enter one of his all-too-real dreamworlds: the evening of Hallowe’en! Whilst on his way to a costume party, he dozes off – and finds himself lost on Hexhill Common: a spooky place with a grim reaper raven, giant grasshoppers, man-eating mantids, deathwish beetles and monster moths … It’s Jase against the magic of the Pumpkin King! Stuck in this surreal nightmare, Jase has to find a way to break the curse of Hexhill Common – before he meets a grisly demise at the hands of countless Hallowe’en horrors!
Darkly comical, spooky fun from the author of ‘Lydia’s Tin Lid Drum’.
Thanks for stopping in. I hope you find some choices you like here.
Just as I’m starting to feel better now my husband thinks he may be coming down with something. Think I may put him in quarantine. Just kidding but I don’t want to get sick again.
Vegan Book Blogger 