Daily Archives: September 20, 2023

Happy Publication Day – 20 September 2023

Meet Me In Central Park By Jo Bartlett

Will their Christmas wish come true?

Libby Cooper hasn’t celebrated Christmas since the night her parents died in a terrible accident. She wants to forget that the season of goodwill even exists; but her grandmother has other ideas. It’s time for Libby to start living her life just as her parents would have wanted her to do.

First stop New York!

What better way to immerse herself in the celebrations, than working in her great aunt’s Christmas shop, just a few blocks from Central Park? Making new friends in the Big Apple is the easy bit, but leaving the past behind proves much harder thn Libby imagined.

Long walks in gorgeous Central Park help, and here she meets Harry Stanwick, a Central Park Ranger. Harry is as lovely on the inside as he is on the outside and seems to know instinctively when Libby wants to talk or when she just needs to sit quietly on their special bench with him by her side.

Slowly, Libby begins to feel some of the pain of her past slipping away. And as New York begins to work its magic and her friendship with Harry grows, so too do Libby’s feelings for him.

But can she ever be truly happy without the people who matter the most to her? Or can Harry convince Libby that she deserves her own Christmas miracle -and her chance of happiness – sitting with him on their bench in Central Park?

Book Review – A Cruise Fling By Laura Brown

CRUISE/kro͞oz/ verb

1. To sail in an area, especially for pleasure
2. To look for someone…definitely for pleasure 

Mackenzie Laurel is done with rotten lemons. Especially the guy kind. With no relationship, no job, and nowhere to live, Mac’s leaving reality behind to go on a luxury cruise. Sun. Sand. Ocean breezes. Heaven. Of course, a little fun in the sun wouldn’t hurt. And a certain green-eyed passenger might just be the thirst-quenching lemonade she needs…

Cole Matterhorn isn’t a relationship guy. Hell, he can barely commit to leftovers. Yet the second he meets Mac, there’s sparks—the kind that could mean some delicious distraction. Distraction that Cole desperately needs to escape from his work problems and the event that imploded any chance of his having a normal life.

Mac and Cole have more in common than just chemistry. She’s hard of hearing and knows a little something about not always fitting in—and that his prosthetic does not define him. For 9 days they’re both having the time of their lives, whether it’s their failed trivia attempts, heating things up on a Caribbean beach, or even a sexy karaoke serenade.

Now it’s only a matter of time before they hit the shore—and reality.

Published Date: 3 April 2023

My Review

After her boyfriend and employer confesses to being unfaithful, Mac finds herself simultaneously jobless and homeless. Temporarily staying with her friend Dani, she decides to take up her friend’s suggestion of a rejuvenating cruise to regain her footing. A case of mistaken luggage delivery leads to a charming encounter with an intriguing, green-eyed stranger, and Mac contemplates a casual cruise romance.

A decade ago, Cole lost his leg in a brutal terrorist attack. Still battling PTSD and hesitant to form close connections, he is nonetheless drawn to the cheerful stranger who located his misplaced luggage. After spending time together, they mutually agree to a fleeting romance. But when their cruise ends and their feelings appear to have deepened, how will they navigate their emotions?

This book is the quintessential summer beach novel. It features a mix-up of luggage, humorous situations, unexpected incidents, the perfect dose of romance, and an engrossing storyline that captures your attention and keeps you entertained until the very end.

My Rating