Tag: books

Through the Snow Globe: A Charming and Uplifting Holiday Read by Annie Rains

Post author By deanne01
Post date August 25, 2023
8 Comments on Through the Snow Globe: A Charming and Uplifting Holiday Read by Annie Rains

306 PAGES August 22,2023 publication date Kensington publishers

About The Book

What if you could have one more day with someone you lost?

Diana Merriman, a physical therapist, is probably the only person in the small town of Snow Haven, North Carolina, who isn’t looking forward to Christmas. It’s been three weeks since her fiancé Linus was critically injured when a car hit him as he biked home from the toy store he owns and manages. Watching him open his eyes is the only gift she wants, but she can’t help losing a little more hope every day.

But an unexpected visit from a friendly neighbor and finding a snow globe of Snow Haven—a gift Linus had hidden in the closet—the night before Christmas Eve changes things in ways Diana never would have imagined. Because on Christmas Eve Diana wakes up to find that it’s not—Christmas Eve, that is. Instead, it’s somehow December 4 all over again, the day Linus got hurt, and as mystified as Diana is, she immediately starts a plan to save her partner from his fate.

Nothing is that simple, of course. Instead of a single repeat of that day, Diana finds herself in an endless loop of December 4, experiencing every possible variation of events. Along the way, she uncovers startling truths about herself, her relationship, and even her career that illustrate the ways she’s retreated from her life—and in the face of life’s slights and outright blows, from her deepest feelings. Suddenly hope is second only to joy as Diana opens her heart to the people she loves in every way she can.

My Thoughts

I have enjoyed books by this author in the past and I just knew this would be such an enjoyable read. I am so ready to start reading this year’s Christmas books.
Through the Snow Globe is fun, caring and optimistic.
I have not read many time-loop books but this one was a hit with me and now I’ll be looking for more.

Diana Merriman, a physical therapist, is not looking forward to Christmas. Her fiancée has been critically injured on his bicycle and is fighting for his life. Before his serious injury their relationship isn’t in the best shape.

He really would like to make wedding plans but she’s avoiding anything wedding related. She wants to advance in her career first. I didn’t like Diana’s character at first, she seems self-centered.

When Diana finds an enchanted snow globe in Linus’s closet it changes her life. This beautiful snow globe puts her in a time-loop as she relives December 4th over and over again. She experiences every possible scenario of what has already happened on this day. The good and the bad. Diana learns a lot about self-discovery and what really is important in life and her relationships.

You can emphasize with her character as she knows what’s going to happen. I just loved the ending and seeing Diana and Linus having another chance at happiness.

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

The Author

Annie Rains is a USA Today Bestselling author of small town contemporary romance full of hope and heart. After years of dreaming about being an author, Annie published her first book in 2015 and has been chasing deadlines and happy ever afters for her characters ever since. When she isn’t writing, Annie is usually spending time with her husband and 3 children, bingeing Netflix, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors. Sign up for Annie’s newsletter to stay informed about new releases and sales: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/j4b9d8

You can find Annie online at http://www.annierains.com or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @annierainsbooks

Enjoy your weekend. Thanks for stopping in.

Tags Annie Rains, Blogging, book blog, books, cHRISTMAS, Through the Snow Globe, Winter

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Top Ten Tuesday-New to Me Authors I’ve Read in 2022

Post author By deanne01
Post date January 24, 2023
27 Comments on Top Ten Tuesday-New to Me Authors I’ve Read in 2022

Hey all, welcome. Today’s theme for Top Ten Tuesday on That Artsy Reader Girl is New to me Author’s we’ve read in 2022.

Some people are hesitant to read new author’s books and prefer to stay with what they’re comfortable with, the tried and true. I respect that and can see their point of view. As for myself I love trying new to me authors. I have found many great authors that I can’t wait to try their backlist now and then you find some that you try a book and say, eh and move on. To me it’s always worth trying a new to me author.

New to Me Authors I’ve tried in 2022

“Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job—not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe…

Mariah Fredericks’s The Lindbergh Nanny is powerful, propulsive novel about America’s most notorious kidnapping through the eyes of the woman who found herself at the heart of this deadly crime.

Two ordinary sisters. A long and brutal war. A heroic sacrifice…

London, 1915. As German bombs rain down on the East End of London and hungry children queue for rations in the blistering cold, fifteen-year-old Florrie is forced to grow up fast. With her father fighting in the muddy trenches, Florrie turns to her older sister Edith for comfort. But the war has changed Edith. She has grown quiet, with dark shadows under her eyes, and has started leaving the house at night in secret. When Florrie follows her sister through the dark and winding streets of London, she is shocked by what she discovers. But she knows she must keep her sister’s secret for the sake of their family, even if she herself must pay the ultimate price…

A twisty, domestic suspense debut about a clique of mothers that shatters when one of their own is murdered, bringing chaos to their curated lives.

She was the perfect wife, with the perfect life. You would kill to have it…

Aidyn Kelley is talented, ambitious, and ready for a more serious assignment than the fluff pieces she’s been getting as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. In her eagerness, she pushes too hard, earning herself the menial task of writing an obituary for an unremarkable woman who’s just entered hospice care. But there’s more to Clara Kip than meets the eye. The spirited septuagenarian may be dying, but she’s not quite ready to cash it in yet. Never one to shy away from an assignment herself, she can see that God brought the young reporter into her life for a reason. And if it’s a story Aidyn Kelley wants, that’s just what Mrs. Kip will give her—but she’s going to have to work for it.

Beloved, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe delivers a hopeful and heartwarming story about an impossible Christmas dream, an unexpected act of goodwill–and a surprising chain of events that could gift joy far beyond the holiday season…

Sometimes you need to face the past to find your path in life…

A gorgeous, uplifting story about family secrets, unconditional love and staying true to who you are—even when life throws you a curveball. This irresistible novel is perfect for fans of RaeAnne Thayne, Elin Hilderbrand and Susan Mallery.

Barby Keel is used to all manner of creatures arriving at the door of the Barby Keel Animal Sanctuary where she lives and works, deep within the Sussex countryside. Nothing can prepare her for the arrival of Teddy, however, a neglected, traumatised puppy who is dumped at the gates of the sanctuary in a filthy box, terrified and desperate for someone to love.

Two cousins who start a food stall at their local night market get a serving of murder in this first novel of a delicious new cozy mystery series by Jennifer J. Chow, author of Mimi Lee Gets a Clue.

A collection of lost books holds the clues to her family’s legacy…and her future.

Hope Sparrow has mastered the art of outrunning her tragic past, learning never to stay anywhere too long and never to allow anyone control over her life again. Coming to Wanishin Falls in search of her family’s history already feels too risky. But somewhere in the towering stacks of this dusty old bookshop are the books that hold Hope’s last ties to her late mother—and to a rumored family treasure that could help her start over.

There are so many more authors and books I could list but this is a start.

Thank you for stopping in. What new to you authors have you discovered while reading their books last year?

Tags authors, books, new to me authors, Top ten Tuesday, ttt

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Bookish Cozy Mystery Clause of Death (A Booktown Mystery Book 16) BY Lorna Barrett

Post author By deanne01
Post date January 20, 2023
5 Comments on Bookish Cozy Mystery Clause of Death (A Booktown Mystery Book 16) BY Lorna Barrett

334 Pages Berkley Publisher June 7,2022 Publish Date

About The Book

Bookstore owner Tricia Miles tries to open a new chapter in life, but murder mars the pages in the latest entry to Lorna Barrett’s New York Times bestselling Booktown series.

Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica, are the co-presidents of the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce. Things are changing in the booktown, and some merchants would say not for the better. They grumble that too many non-book-related stores are moving into the village, taking up the most visible storefronts on Main Street, diluting the “Booktown” moniker. Of course, the members with other businesses, like the latest, The Bee’s Knees, are fine with other businesses moving in. No matter what side of the argument they’re on, all the business owners agree on one thing: Tricia and Angelica are to blame.

Still, it’s a pretty typical day in the life of a small-town Chamber of Commerce until one of the disgruntled bookstore owners is killed—Eli Meier from The Inner Light Bookstore, the most vocal of the Chamber complainers. He sold religious and other spiritual books, but also stocked books on wild conspiracy theories and sold incense, crystals, etc. Eli had never been a member of the Chamber until Angelica recently convinced him to join. He hit on her and she, having good taste, turned him down. He hounded (but not stalked) her, and some might think that was a motive for murder.

Stoneham’s new police chief is an old friend of Tricia’s, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to go easy on her sister. One might even say that he’s going to throw the book at her.

Grab A Copy Here

My Thoughts

Clause of Death is the sixteenth book in the Clause of Death series.
Having read several books in the series I was looking forward to this book.
What I thought was pretty neat is because this is Booktown, most of the bookstores and restaurants along with shops have a book related name. I want to visit this bookish town.
I am familiar with our main characters, Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica, who are the co-presidents of the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce.
At the town meetings and around town some of the residents make it known they are very unhappy with non-bookish shops coming into town and taking prime spots on Main Street.
When a disgruntled bookshop employee is found dead Stoneham’s new police chief has no problem trying to throw the book at one of the sisters.
There were some very surprising going On’s and it had a sad ending that I was hoping would have had a different outcome.
I’m looking forward to many more books in this series.

Pub Date 07 Jun 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

The Author

The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what put Lorna Barrett’s name on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it’s her talent — whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett — that keeps her there. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square Mystery series and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s).

Lorna lives in Rochester, NY with her husband and two cats, Poppy and Emma.

Have a wonderful day. Thank you for visiting.

Tags books, Bookshop, Booktown Mystery, Clause of Death, Cozy Mystery, Lorna Barrett, mother-son relationship, murder

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Top Ten Tuesday Books I Want Santa to Bring/Bookish Wishlist

Post author By deanne01
Post date December 20, 2022
15 Comments on Top Ten Tuesday Books I Want Santa to Bring/Bookish Wishlist

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is a special one for the holiday season, and one that allows us all to spread a little cheer during this week leading up to Christmas.

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl has asked us to list our bookish wishlist this year. Here are a few books from my list. Please don’t feel obligated to purchase anything from my list just take a look around at all the wonderful books on my and everyone’s lists to get gift ideas for yourself. The list was so easy and fun to make and it took a lot of willpower to not buy every book on my list as I was looking at them on Amazon. Please visit the many other posts and special Christmas lists on Top Ten Tuesday this week.