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Two book reviews of Christie Barlow’s books: A Winter Wedding at Starcross Manor and The Library on Love Heart Lane

385 pages One More Chapter publisher September 28, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

ove Heart Lane – where friends are there for you no matter what

Fashion designer Libby Carter has always loved weddings, so when her brother finds himself in a bind and asks her to step in and plan the perfect winter wonderland wedding for guests at his hotel, Starcross Manor, she happily takes on the challenge. But this is no ordinary Christmas wedding and when everything starts to go awry Libby asks gorgeous videographer Guy Hart for help.

This isn’t single dad Guy’s usual gig – and he is not a fan of weddings – but saying no to vivacious Libby isn’t an option … especially when saying yes leads to one very unforgettable kiss under the mistletoe!


MY THOUGHTS

Starcross Manor is in the Scottish Highlands and owned by Flynn. It’s huge and elegant and Flynn is looking to put it on the map as the venue to have the ultimate winter wedding. He has a wedding planner and photographer all set and he’s set up a contest to give one extraordinarily lucky couple their dream Christmas Eve wedding free and use the video to advertise the Starcross Manor to pump its ratings right to the top. Exit the wedding planner as she’s nowhere to be found and won’t answer texts. The show must go on though as Flynn’s sister, Libby a famous fashion designer agrees to step in and help the couple have their dream wedding just the way they want it. After meeting with the couple multiple times something doesn’t seem right, and they have some pretty odd requests for their wedding. When Libby decides to help, she’s staying at a cottage on the grounds and Guy the photographer is staying at a cabin nearby. Neither is in a relationship; Libby’s ended some time ago and Guy is no longer with the mother of his child an adorable tot. Sparks fly but with all the wedding planning and other dramas happening will there be time for a romance. I enjoyed Guy’s character he seemed like such a nice person. The book has down to earth characters with regular day to day problems. I enjoyed the setting and descriptions a lot. This book has a warm friendly feel and I’ll be reading mor in the series.

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

360 pages One More Chapter publisher December 31, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Don’t miss this very special standalone novel in the Love Heart Lane series. Previously published as Evie’s Year of Taking Chances but now rewritten and improved by the author!

Love, life, and libraries

Growing up in foster care, Elle Cooper always felt a piece of herself was missing. Now, as her thirtieth birthday approaches, she’s ready to find it. But when instigating the search for her birth mother leads to a whole host of unexpected events, this librarian’s quiet life suddenly gets very loud!

With new friends, old flames and surprising influences keeping Elle busy, she soon starts to see that there’s more to life than where you came from – and that where you are right now, and who you have in your corner, is what might just matter most of all…

Love Heart Lane – where friends are there for you no matter what

MY THOUGHTS

This is another charming addition to the Love Heart Lane series. Elle Cooper is shy and reserved and has been satisfied being a librarian. But something has changed for her, a monumental birthday is approaching, her thirtieth birthday is almost here, and she feels she owes it to herself to find her biological mother and get answers. Growing up in foster care and going from home to home has left her with low self-esteem, why didn’t they want her? Her last foster parent whom she considers her mom has been the best and she is still close to this woman, but she still wants answers. She’s down to earth and doesn’t really dress to impress. When an author has a book signing at her library, she’s sure that’s the last she’ll see of him. Full of fun friendships, a friend of hers moves in so they both save on expenses. A book that has a library and book club meetings? I’ll take it. I loved meeting up with the characters from previous books in this charming series again. Small town friendship with strong female friendships and the characters having each other’s back and doing what they can for each other. Now this is my kind of book.

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

THE AUTHOR

Christie Barlow is the number one international bestselling author of twenty two romantic comedies including the iconic Love Heart Lane Series, A Home at Honeysuckle Farm and Kitty’s Countryside Dream. She lives in a ramshackle cottage in a quaint village in the heart of Staffordshire with her four children and two dogs.

Her writing career has come as a lovely surprise when Christie decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. Christie’s dream was to become a writer and the book she wrote to prove a point went on to become a #1 international bestseller in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

When Christie isn’t writing she enjoys playing the piano, is a keen gardener and loves to paint and upcycle furniture.

Christie writes about love, life, friendships and the importance of community spirit. She loves to hear from her readers and you can get in touch via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Twitter – @ChristieJBarlow

Facebook – Christie Barlow Author

Instagram – christie_barlow

Have a wonderful. Thank you for stopping in.

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A couple of cozy mystery reviews for you, including: The Twelve Books of Christmas and A Book Club to Die For

319 pages Berkley publisher October 24, 2023 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her hunky security-expert husband, Derek Stone, face a locked-room murder mystery during the holidays in Scotland.

In the middle of a wonderful Christmas holiday in Dharma, Brooklyn and Derek receive a frantic phone call from their dear friend Claire in Loch Ness, Scotland. The laird of the castle, Cameron MacKinnon, has just proposed to her! They plan to be married on New Year’s Day, and they want Derek and Brooklyn to be their witnesses. And while they’re visiting, Claire hopes that Brooklyn will be able to solve a little mystery that’s occurred in the castle library—twelve very rare, very important books have gone missing.

Once in Scotland, Brooklyn starts working on the mystery of the missing books but is soon distracted by all of the thumping and bumping noises she’s been hearing in the middle of the night. You’d think the Ghost of Christmas Past had taken up residence. But when one of the guests is poisoned and another is killed by an arrow through the heart, Brooklyn and Derek know this is not the work of any ghost. Now they must race to find a killer and a book thief before another murder occurs and their friends’ bright and happy future turns dark and deadly.

MY THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed the setting of this one, a wonderful sounding castle in Scotland and even better the description of the library in the castle was swoon worthy.


Though this is the seventeenth book in the series, it’s the only Christmas themed one and I’m all for Christmas books.
Book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband are enjoying their holidays when they receive a call from Brooklyn’s friend Claire in Loch Ness, Scotland. She is so excited at having just received a proposal from laird of the castle Cameron MacKinnon.

With a New Years wedding to take place they want Brooklyn and Derek to be their witness.
When they arrive, they are tasked with helping to solve the case of twelve missing books, these are rare and irreplaceable books.
If that isn’t enough their sleep is disturbed by loud bumping and crashing noises and several guests have hit their expiration dates a little early.


I want to visit the library in this Scottish castle, especially at holiday time.
The mystery was mostly about the missing books not the murder. The book moved at a decent pace though and I enjoyed the character development. The husband-and-wife team made for an interesting read especially with him being a security-expert and having all the investigative tools needed.

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

300 pages Berkley publisher November 1, 2022 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

When a member of an exclusive book club is checked out, spunky librarian Trudell Becket must sort fact from fiction to solve the murder.

The Cypress Arete Society is one of the town’s oldest and most exclusive clubs. When assistant librarian Trudell Becket is invited to speak to the group about the library, its modernization, and her efforts to bring printed books to the reading public, her friend Flossie invites herself along. Flossie has been on the book club’s waiting list for five years, and she’s determined to find out why she’s never received an invitation to join. 

But not long after Tru and Flossie arrive for the meeting, they’re shocked to find the club’s president, Rebecca White, dead in the kitchen. Rebecca was a former TV actress and local celebrity, but was not known for being patient or pleasant. She’d been particularly unkind to the book club’s host for the evening, who also happens to be the mother of Detective Jace Bailey, Tru’s boyfriend. And Rebecca had made it clear that she didn’t think Flossie was book club material.

With her boyfriend and one of her best friends wrapped up in a murder, Tru has to work fast to figure out who cut Rebecca’s story short before the killer takes another victim out of circulation….

MY THOUGHTS

A cozy mystery series involving a library and a cat? Yes please, sign me up.
Tru, an assistant librarian, runs a secret library checkout room in the libraries’ basement with discarded books because the library has decided to go with digital books only. I hope this never happens to the libraries I go to.
The book checkout doesn’t involve technology just the old-fashioned cards you sign books out with.


The Cypress Arete Society invites assistant librarian, Trudell Becket to speak at their book club. After Tru informs her friend Flossie of this, she won’t take no for an answer and invites herself to the meeting. Now Flossie has been trying to join this book club for five years and there’s never been an opening yet.

In the kitchen, club president Rebecca White is found dead by Flossie and Tru. Not known to be overly friendly she has been rude to Tru and holds steady on her insistence Flossie is not getting into the book club. Is it a matter of sour grapes that has this former TV actress and local celebrity found stone cold on the floor? Fast paced mystery that kept me guessing and enjoying this book.

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

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping in today.

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Black History Month Read: The Personal Librarian

352 pages Berkley publisher June 29,2021 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

A remarkable novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation, from New York Times bestselling authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.

But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.

The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go to—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood: https://www.pexels.com

MY THOUGHTS

When I read The First Ladies by Marie Bendict it was my first read by this author though I have heard of this author before.
Based on actual people and events, The Personal Librarian opened my eyes like never before.


When Belle da Costa Greene’s, a black woman’s father left the family, she was forced to do the unthinkable, as was the entire family and “pass” as white to avoid the racial prejudice.
A woman of intense intelligence, she is hired by J.P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library.


Bold and shrewd, she is oftentimes the only woman at these book and art sales, and she also knows if a piece is authentic. The men often backdown when they see she wants a certain item.


Because she is J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian, she must not only put in many hours each day, but she must travel abroad to curate these one-of-a-kind pieces for him. Her important work has an expensive lifestyle as appearances must be kept with her bedecked in fancy ball gowns and jewelry. Her family benefits greatly from this as they have more money than they would have each brought in individually combined and they have a fancy house. I was very impressed with the intelligence of Belle as she goes about the buying of certain old manuscripts and Gutenberg bibles and as she goes about authenticating certain art pieces.

When J. P. Morgan dies, she is kept on by his son to continue as his librarian.
I had never heard of this woman before and was busy looking up more information about her.
The book was fascinating and enriching and I enjoyed learning about the lives of the characters involved.

Pub Date: 29 Jun 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHORS

Victoria Christopher Murray is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 novels. Her novels, The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies, which she co-authored with Marie Benedict were both Instant New York Times bestsellers and her novel, Stand Your Ground won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction. Four of her novels, Lust, Envy, Wrath and Greed have been made into TV movies for Lifetime. Visit her at http://www.victoriachristophermurray.com.

Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. Her mission is to excavate from the past the most important, complex and fascinating women of history and bring them into the light of present-day where we can finally perceive the breadth of their contributions as well as the insights they bring to modern day issues. She embarked on a new, thematically connected series of historical novels with THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. The next novel in this series is the USA Today bestselling CARNEGIE’S MAID — which released in January of 2018 — and the book that followed is the New York Times bestseller and Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, the story of the brilliant inventor Hedy Lamarr, which published in January of 2019. In January of 2020, LADY CLEMENTINE, the story of the incredible Clementine Churchill, was released, and became an international bestseller. Her next novel, the Instant NYTimes and USAToday bestselling THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE, was published on December 29, 2020, and her first co-written book, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, with the talented Victoria Christopher Murray, will be released on June 29, 2021. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

Enjoy your weekend and stay safe.

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Stacking the Shelves

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-heart-keychain-on-top-of-stacking-of-books-159712/

STACKING THE SHELVES

Stacking the Shelves is hosted at Reading Reality It lets us show off the books we’ve acquired in the past week whether it may be from the library, NetGalley, borrowing from a friend, bought or whatever.

MY LIBRARY HAUL THIS WEEK

In nineteenth-century Scotland, following the death of his mother during surgery, Robbie decides to take revenge on the surgeon who performed the operation, Dr. Robert Knox, and in the process, makes a gruesome discovery about the lengths the medical profession will go to advance its knowledge of anatomy.

From the incomparable master of horror and suspense comes an electrifying collection of contemporary literary horror, with stories from twenty-five writers representing today’s most talented voices in the genre.

A collection of fourteen fantasy stories by well-known authors, set in an alternate universe where romance and technology reign and featuring automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never existed.

These are my daughter’s books. Mine are below.

In the midst of World War II, an English musician, Norah Chambers, places her eight-year-old daughter, Sally, on a ship leaving Singapore, desperate to keep her safe from the Japanese army as they move down through the Pacific. Norah remains to care for her husband and elderly parents, knowing she may never see her child again. Sister Nesta James, a Welsh-Australian nurse, has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as Singapore falls to the Japanese, she joins the terrified cargo of people, including the heartbroken Norah, crammed aboard the Vyner Brooke merchant ship. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke lies broken on the seabed. After surviving a brutal 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured by the Japanese and held in one of their notorious POW camps. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta fight side by side every day, helping whoever they can, and discovering in themselves and each other extraordinary reserves of courage, resourcefulness, and determination.

“The American Queen is based on actual events that occurred between 1865-1889 and shares the unsung history of a Black woman who built a kingdom as a refuge for the courageous people who dared to dream of a different way of life.”–

This is my husband’s library check out.

First rate … a fascinating adventure story … the interest never flags.” –San Francisco chronicle. In his most desperate moment, Adolph Hitler issues an impossible order to an disgraced war hero and his commandos. The mission: invade the very heart of England and kidnap Winston Churchill–or kill him. Far from the thunder of war, in a quiet seaside village called Studley Constable, a beautiful widow and a cultured IRA assassin undertake preparations for the ultimate act of treachery. On November 6, 1943, Berlin gets the coded message: “The eagle has landed.” Tightly plotted and bristling with suspense. The eagle has landed is a masterpiece of espionage and commando action, a searing drama of the courage and deceit of those who paid the price for Hitler’s most daring plan.

Pictures of the Hagerstown, Maryland library I go to.

Interior Design image of Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown MD by Jeffrey Sauers of Commercial Photographics

I love this skylight as you climb the stairs to go to the nonfiction section upstairs.

Interior Design image of Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown MD by Jeffrey Sauers of Commercial Photographics
Interior Design image of Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown MD by Jeffrey Sauers of Commercial Photographics
Exterior image of Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown MD by Jeffrey Sauers of Commercial Photographics

You could say I love going to the library each week 🙂

NETGALLEY GRABS THIS WEEK

Read and reviewed on the blog already

Read and reviewed on the blog already

No book mail this week. It’s just as well!

-Have a great week all. Thanks for stopping in.

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Engaging Fall Cozy Mystery-A Perfect Bind by Dorothy St. James-Review

About The Book

Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought…

Tru Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from lovely Cypress, South Carolina, can rejoice in the printed word. Now she’s working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her “real job” upstairs in the bookless technology center. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn’t steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves.

A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He’s heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers. Tru is certain it’s hogwash, but she’s at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it’s not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover.

My Review

A Perfect Bind is the second book in the Beloved Bookroom Mystery series and my first read in this series. This author’s books are fabulous, once you start you just can’t stop. You have to keep reading til the end to see how it’s all going to play out.
Southern librarian Tru Beckett though young, is the old fashioned type and is appalled at the library she works at in Cypress, South Carolina going bookless. (Say what?) To attract more technological businesses to the town the library goes bookless using digital books and technological resources which ultimately annoys many of it’s patrons especially the older folks.
Librarian Tru “rescues” some of the books destined for the dump and sets up a secret basement book area where patrons can still check out physical books.
The main librarian is strict and by the book but she “doesn’t” know about this secret book area.
Tru’s library cat Dewey is such a big help in her library area but of course she has to sneak him in. Though she works upstairs in the technological area Tru prefers her time with the “real” books, now just not to get caught.
When her special book room is vandalized more than once with her books being tossed about and destroyed it’s more than this poor librarian’s heart can understand.
Add to that when a body is discovered outside the library the creepy going-on’s in the library start piling up. Could it possibly be that poltergeist some of the old timers are talking about.
Sleuthing librarian Tru and her smart tabby Dewey are on the case of uncovering who could have caused the trouble and why. Very engaging book. Fast paced cozy, I really enjoyed it.

Pub Date 28 Sep 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Old books among the autumn leaves under soft sunlight.

Grab A Copy Here

About The Author

Mystery author Dorothy St. James was born in New York but raised in South Carolina. For the past 20+ years, she made her home on an artsy island community in South Carolina with her husband. Though writing has always been a passion for her, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology and a graduate degree in Public Administration and Urban Planning. She put her educational experience to use, having worked in all branches and all levels of government including local, regional, state, and federal. She even spent time during college working for a non-profit environmental watchdog organization.

Switching from government service and community planning to fiction writing wasn’t as big of a change as some might think. Her government work was all about the stories of the people and the places where they live. As an urban planner, Dorothy loved telling the stories of the people she met. And from that, her desire to tell the tales that were so alive in her heart grew until she could not ignore it any longer. In 2001, she took a leap of faith and pursued her dream of writing fiction full-time.

* Dorothy St. James is the alter-ego of award-winning multi-published author, Dorothy McFalls. She enjoys writing in several different genres. Her works have been nominated for many awards including: Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, Reviewers International Organization Award, National Reader’s Choice Award, CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award, and The Romance Reviews Today Perfect 10! Award. Reviewers have called her work: “amazing”, “perfect”, “filled with emotion”, and “lined with danger.”

Books in this series

Do you have a favorite cozy mystery author? Will you be reading this book?

Thank you for stopping by. Have a restful day.