384 pages Publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA Publication date
June 2, 2026
ABOUT THE BOOK
Life is full of plot twists…
Sandwiched between caring for her mother and rebuilding the relationship with her estranged daughter, Emma, Rosie Lucas’s life is full. In the best way. With Emma and her 3-year old daughter, Olive, back home, Rosie has a partner for The Rainy Day Bookshop, the family business, and a chance to fix the past. What she doesn’t have time for is a romantic relationship. And even if she did, Andrew Morgan is the last person she’d choose. Not only is he an arrogant and reclusive writer, but he’s a single dad with two young kids. She’s already been there, done that. Still as an irresistible flirtation builds between them, he becomes her unexpected confidante on the distance Rosie can’t seem to overcome with Emma, a secret she can’t quite unravel…
Emma isn’t proud of her past. But she’s pulled herself up by the bootstraps, caring for her own daughter, and protecting her mom at all costs. Just as she always has. She never told Rosie what she saw all those years ago and she never will. But some secrets refuse to stay buried, and sometimes the truth is more shocking than fiction. Rosie and Emma will have to navigate an unimaginable path forward. Together.
MY THOUGHTS
What a charming book I just finished. Small town story really filled with emotion and let’s not forget to add lots of drama. Family secrets become resolved as the air is cleared in this multigenerational story. A bookstore, a remodel, coming home, compassion, definitely family oriented and a nice bonus of not one but two romances and the sweetest little girl and a charming dog. Another winner by the author.
I a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
About 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.
Today I am delighted to share a cover that I think is so pretty for a new book releasing soon.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A Nightingale in Parkleigh Square
The sparkling NEW Christmas Romance from the author of A Wedding in Cornwall!
Quirky, creative, and dedicated to their work, window dressers Nina and Molly can’t believe the news from the upscale staging and design company which occasionally hires them as extras during the Christmas season: their tiny New York company has just been tapped to create a magical Christmas window and showroom display for London’s newest designer fashion boutique!
With their trusty assistant in tow, they catch a plane across the Pond, making their way to the historic former department store with a unique past in Parkleigh Square—and their once-in-a-lifetime chance to impress the ultimate client, legendary fashion designer Simone Van Stewart.
But a humiliating encounter with the London branch’s new frosty director reveals a tragic truth — the duo was hired by mistake. With time running out before the store’s unveiling, and the best window stagers already booked, however, Nina and Molly have been given a tentative trial period to prove they can do the job – and they’ll need a miracle to survive it. Battling deadlines, a delivery disaster, and their own personal doubts, it seems their dream assignment could soon spiral into their worst nightmare.
Not everybody at the exclusive store for Van Stewart is against them, however. Rugged, handsome fashion designer Vincent is supportive of their chances, and makes Nina’s heart race whenever their paths cross. Can she risk romance with an ocean between their two worlds, and with all her future plans and dreams at stake? Her friend Molly worries she’s getting in over her head—but Molly has her own complications to worry about, both personal and professional, as the dream team from Queens searches for the key to make Parkleigh Square’s newest business come alive with Christmas magic, which may just lie in histories both beloved and forgotten.
Filled with flurries of romance, friendship, humor, and heartwarming revelations, A Nightingale in Parkleigh Square is the must-read new release of the Christmas season.
Author Bio – Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.
The smell of mulled wine fills the air as the villagers listen to carollers singing. Everyone in town is ready for the big day. But Lauren only has hours to get the community Christmas party back on track…
Thirty-four-year-old Lauren has a list for everything, especially Christmas. With her presents bought months in advance, the last thing on her checklist is the charity party she runs every year. It has to be perfect – she has seen how much the event means to the older villagers who would be alone for the holidays otherwise.
Everything is going smoothly as the local church bells ring. Until handsome Kian walks in, claiming he has the little village hall booked for his young daughter’s birthday party. Lauren nearly falls off the ladder she is using to hang fairy lights. There’s no way this is happening. Not when she’d triple-checked every detail…
As Lauren frantically tries to find another option, Kian’s insistence that she should just “relax” isn’t helping her stay merry and bright. There’s only one way to make this a festive party to remember. She has to try and work with Kian.
They clash over every detail, but as their helpers arrive, Kian’s kind and welcoming nature soothes Lauren’s shaken nerves. And his gorgeous blue eyes make her wish she’d put the mistletoe out. Until Kian mysteriously disappears…
And Lauren is left alone to keep the excitable children from running into the flaming Christmas pudding the older guests love every year. Will Kian’s chilled approach cool the celebrations? Or can Lauren and Kian put aside their differences and save the day once more?
A true delight to read. I could use a real pick me up to beat the seasonal blahs right about now and have found it in the festive The Village Christmas Party. This Hallmark type read will have you snuggling on your couch with your cat sipping your tea soaking in the goodness. Full of feel-good vibes, this had me laughing out loud at the comedic moments. Seeing the comraderies the characters share is always welcome to read about. I enjoyed seeing the Community come together with the generous spirit of its members. Christmas cheer that’s fun and uplifting.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR
MEET THE AUTHOR
Sue was born in Liverpool and moved to Lancashire as a teenager where she has lived ever since. Her twelfth book ‘Theres something about Greece.’ will be published on June 15th 2023, with another sunshine book scheduled for August!
When not busy writing, Sue spends her time with her husband Derek, and ever growing brood of grandchildren! In her spare time, she enjoys walking, watching films and travelling. Her first book ‘My Big Greek Summer.’ was inspired by frequent visits to the Island of Rhodes in Greece. All Sue’s books are available from Amazon in kindle and paperback format.
336 pages Bethany House PublishersOctober 1, 2024 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
An ominous butterfly house. A sinister legacy. An untraceable killer.
In 1921, Marian Arnold, the heiress to a brewing baron’s empire, seeks solace in the glass butterfly house on her family’s Wisconsin estate as Prohibition and the deaths of her parents cast a long shadow over her shrinking world. When Marian’s sanctuary is invaded by nightmarish visions, she grapples with the line between hallucinations of things to come and malevolent forces at play in the present. With dead butterflies as the killer’s ominous signature, murders unfold at a steady pace. Marian, fearful she might be next, enlists the help of her childhood friend Felix, a war veteran with his own haunted past.
In the present day, researcher Remy Shaw becomes entangled in an elderly biographer’s quest to uncover the truth behind Marian Arnold’s mysterious life and the unsolved murders linked to an infamous serial killer. Joined by Marian’s great-great-grandson, can Remy expose the evil that lurks beneath broken wings? Or will the dark legacy surrounding the manor and its glass house destroy yet another generation?
MY THOUGHTS
Specters in the Glass House is perfect for the spooky reading season. Unlike quite anything I’ve read before this book goes beyond leaving you feeling spooked to feeling a bit unsettled. Written in alternating timeline from 1921 to modern days.
The book is about mental illnesses, several different types but the author does it well and writes with sensitivity. Mental illness is so hard to get a grasp on and we yet don’t have a clear understanding of it.
As I read it was hard to put my finger on what was reality and what was perceived as almost as a dream state by a main character. I enjoyed the characters and seeing how well developed they were as their stories became clearer.
Disembodied voices, a feeling of not being alone, dealing with what is reality and what is not as the mind plays tricks on you, a hint of romance and butterflies, I’ve never thought of butterflies as creepy before.
Excellent read for its many twists and turns that’ll keep you glued to the pages.
Recommended!
About the Author
Jaime Jo Wright is the author of twelve novels, including Christy Award and Daphne du Maurier Award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She’s also a four-time Christy Award finalist, as well as the ECPA bestselling author of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau, The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater, and two Publishers Weekly bestselling novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her family and fabulous felines. Learn more at JaimeWrightBooks.com.
Thank you for stopping in. May your light shine bright.
The Wartime Nurse: Utterly heartbreaking and absolutely gripping World War Two fiction inspired by a true story (The Dutch Girls Book 3) by Imogen Matthews
An ear-splitting blast blows me sideways and debris starts to fall on top of me. In my shock it takes me a moment to realise the very worst has happened – the hospital has been bombed. The screams of panicked patients are deafening. But I can only think about one thing – my darling Will. Where is he?
1944, Nazi-occupied Holland. As Nurse Freddie cycles through the tulip fields, she looks like any other law-abiding citizen. But beneath her innocent smile lies an iron will to fight for freedom. The Nazis have no idea she is part of the resistance, and that she risks her life every day to deliver food and messages to hidden refugees.
After a failed attempt to take the life of a Nazi collaborator, Freddie is sent to an underground hospital to tend to a group of injured Allied airmen. And when unconscious English pilot Will wakes up and locks his dazzling blue eyes with hers, her heart jolts. As she tends to his wounds, she can’t help but fall deeply in love with this charming English officer.
Will and Freddie start to dream about a future after the war, but when the hospital is bombed by the Nazis, they lose each other in the chaos. With her heart shattered, Freddie vows to find Will and get him to safety – even if that means letting him go forever.
But Freddie’s world comes crashing down when she learns that Will has been captured. To save him, Freddie must infiltrate the hospital where he is held captive. But will saving him cost Freddie her life or her heart?
Inspired by the incredible true story of a brave young woman who would stop at nothing to fight for her country, The Wartime Nurse is an utterly heart-wrenching and emotional World War Two novel of one woman’s courage and the power of true love. Perfect for fans of Heather Morris, Kristin Hannah and Fiona Valpy.
Having read the others in The Dutch Girls series I was excited to continue on with this series. I love reading historical fiction and to realize this story is based on a true story made this read even more fascinating. As I read, I could picture the situations happening, both the good and the bad.
We see a carryover of characters from the past books in the series and I did enjoy seeing how their characters continue to develop. This is about a resistance fighter, a woman in Nazi-occupied Holland. They have no idea who she is or what she stands for. She is also a nurse.
Sent to an underground hospital, her passion comes alive as she tends to her patients, this is she wants to do, and it gives her satisfaction. As the bombs rain down, the man she has come to secretly love, an injured airman goes missing. Just as they are ready to start planning a life together after this terrible war. Full of grief, she bravely continues on, but will he be found again?
A very brave woman shows she has what it takes to defy the odds, keeping her mission a secret as she gives her all to her country. I was very impressed with the characters and their fortitude. A most enjoyable story.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
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About Imogen Matthews
Imogen Matthews writes novels based on true stories about the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War 2. Some stories she discovered by chance, others are based on her Dutch mother’s own experiences of hardship and survival during the Hunger Winter of 1944-45.
Her first novel, The Hidden Village, is set in the Veluwe woods, a beautiful part of Holland that Imogen has visited frequently over the past 30 years. It was in these woods that she discovered the story of the real hidden village which provided shelter in underground huts for Jews during WW2. Imogen retells the story of the hidden village with characters drawn from real life and from her imagination.
Within weeks of publication in 2017, The Hidden Village became an international bestseller, ranking at the top of a number Amazon’s most-read book lists.
Following on from The Hidden Village comes Hidden in the Shadows, which has the pace of a thriller yet is also a love story. It tells the story about two young people who are brutally torn apart and must find a way to be together against all odds.
Imogen’s third WW2 novel, The Girl Across the Wire Fence, is set in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and is based on the unforgettable tale of two young lovers who risked everything to keep hope alive in the very depths of hell – the little known Dutch concentration camp called Kamp Amersfoort.
Imogen’s WW2 novels are published by Bookouture, a digital imprint of Hachette.
My whole life, I’ve been haunted by a secret I’ve left behind on the coast of Ireland. I may be gone, but if you’re reading this Casey, I need to tell you everything…
When Casey’s dear friend Rosie passes away, her heart breaks in two; Rosie didn’t even tell her she was sick. And when a mysterious letter arrives from beyond the grave, describing the secluded island where Rosie spent every summer, Casey questions if she really knew her friend at all. With Casey’s hectic job ruling her life, and her marriage crumbling around her, she books a ticket to this beautiful Irish island to feel close to Rosie again, and find out what secrets she has hidden there.
Casey rushes to Rosie’s tumbledown cottage and immediately falls in love with the glimmering shores and breathtaking coves of Scarty Island. Why did Rosie keep this magical place a secret, even from her own husband? Desperate for answers, she jumps to the aid of locals organising afternoon teas for tourists, and helps handsome but overworked pub owner Shay.Though Shay stays tight-lipped, Casey notices how his hazel eyes shine when she makes him laugh, and how her heart skips a beat when his rough hands brush hers.
But just as Casey finds herself falling for Shay’s quiet strength, a final letter arrives that changes everything. The tear-stained pages tell the story of a forbidden romance and a tragic day at sea that destroyed Rosie’s life. It could shatter Casey’s blossoming romance and tear the small island community apart.
Will Casey find the strength to confront the ghosts of the past and confess her love for Shay? Or will she decide that some secrets are meant to stay buried, and say goodbye to Scarty forever?
A Letter from Ireland is such a beautiful and emotional read. I could barely put it down, finishing it in less than 24 hours.
A poignant read, it will have the reader reflecting on past choices and reevaluating what’s really important and what it’s time to let go of. I now want to visit Scarty Island in Ireland, listening to the waves of the sea crashing against the shore, swim and have the close-knit relationship the mainlanders do.
Three women, with different personalities and a bit quirky at times, which makes them interesting visit Scarty Island for a two-month time period at the request of their friend who has passed away. These women all used to be very close, but time and circumstances happened, and they no longer share this closeness.
The friend, Rosie, has written them letters delivered to them at the appropriate times which reveals secrets she has kept. These are things she has not wanted to dwell on even herself. These reveals cause the women a lot of self-reflection and tears for what could have been but will not have a chance now to be.
I absolutely loved this book. So beautifully written and emotional. I will be telling all my friends about this book and reading more by the author.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Bestselling author Ann is also a leading journalist in Ireland , Ann O’Loughlin has covered all major news events of the last three decades. Ann spent most of her career with Independent Newspapers and is now a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner newspaper. Ann has also lived in India. Originally from the west of Ireland she now lives on the east coast with her husband and two children. The Judge’s Wife was shortlisted in the Epic Romantic Novel category of the 2017 RoNA awards. The Ballroom Cafe and The Judge’s Wife were both bestsellers for several weeks in Ireland. Ann’s books have been translated into eleven languages.
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Author Links
FACEBOOK @annoloughlinbooks
TWITTER @annolwriter
INSTAGRAM @authorannoloughlin
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