Georgia Banks knows she’s living on borrowed time. So, when doctors tell her she’s got one last summer to make all her dreams come true, she’s determined to make every day count.
The one thing that’s never in doubt, is that she wants her best friend, Gabe, to be with her every step of the way. And so, Georgia draws up her not-a-bucket list with all the things she’s determined to tick off before she goes – number one of which is to spend one last summer by the sea.
Seabreeze Farm perched high on the cliffs above the English Channel is the perfect spot, and surrounded by the antics of its menagerie of rescued animals and the warmth of the friendship she’s offered there, Georgia starts to believe she can live out all her dreams before it’s too late.
And just when she thinks there’s nothing left to wish for, Georgia gets another chance at life. But taking it might mean losing the one person she cares about the most.
As she faces her biggest challenge yet, Georgia wonders if her last summer at Seabreeze Farm will mean the end of her biggest dream of all.
Busy flower shop manager Evita Machado can’t wait to get to Nantucket. With a bad breakup behind her, relaxing at the shore with her folks and her brothers and their families sounds like the sure cure for heartache, and their vacation destination looks like an amazing place! But when they arrive at the quaint rose-covered cottage, another group has already put down stakes: the Hatfields.
Ryan Hatfield was Evita’s former crush from high school, but their business rival moms refused to let them date. Now history professor Ryan is here for a week with his parents, who won them this oceanfront rental in a society silent auction. Once it’s clear there’s been a double-booking due to a bidding mistake, Ryan’s mom digs in her heels, meaning to stay. When Evita’s mom won’t back down either, both sides tepidly agree to share the luxury accommodations by dividing the cozy space.
With the boisterous Machados livening things up and the strait-laced Hatfields tamping them down, can Evita and Ryan keep the peace between the warring factions while fostering a growing chemistry between the two of them?
Published Date : 28 March 2023
My Review
Evita and Ryan’s mom had both participated in the auction for the holiday house in Nantucket and somehow, both thought they’d won. This brought their respective families together at the same location. Ryan and Evita, who have had a soft spot for each other since their high school lab partnership days, found themselves in close quarters again. Their chance to attend prom together had been foiled by their intervening parents. While Ryan’s family is characterized by a restrained, poised demeanor with minimal displays of affection, Evita’s large Puerto Rican family is the polar opposite—loud, warm, lively, and passionate.
The highlight of this book, in my opinion, is its focus on family dynamics. Although the main plot revolves around Ryan and Evita, a wonderful ensemble of secondary characters, each with unique traits and personal challenges, enriches the narrative. The sharp contrast between the reserved Hatfields and the exuberant Machados adds an element of humor and engaging conflict. All things considered, I found the book to be a delightful read.
Amelia Riley and Ben Lawson have something in common – fathers who have kept secrets.
On the day of his father’s funeral, Ben’s life changes forever when a woman he’s never met shows up claiming to be his sister. As he investigates the past, Ben is shaken to discover that much of his life has been built on a carefully constructed foundation of his father’s lies. Needing answers, he agrees to visit Juniper Meadows, the ancestral estate owned and run by his long-lost relatives, the Travers family.
Arriving in the pretty Cotswolds countryside, the first person Ben meets is Amelia Riley. They are immediately drawn to one another, but Amelia has her own complicated ties to the Travers family. Her only goal is to set the past to rights so she can move on with a clean conscience.
As Ben starts to see the events of his childhood more clearly, he allows the warmth and fun he finds at Juniper Meadows to draw him in from the cold. But just as he’s contemplating setting down roots, Amelia is making plans to leave…
Busy flower shop manager Evita Machado can’t wait to get to Nantucket. With a bad breakup behind her, relaxing at the shore with her folks and her brothers and their families sounds like the sure cure for heartache, and their vacation destination looks like an amazing place! But when they arrive at the quaint rose-covered cottage, another group has already put down stakes: the Hatfields.
Ryan Hatfield was Evita’s former crush from high school, but their business rival moms refused to let them date. Now history professor Ryan is here for a week with his parents, who won them this oceanfront rental in a society silent auction. Once it’s clear there’s been a double-booking due to a bidding mistake, Ryan’s mom digs in her heels, meaning to stay. When Evita’s mom won’t back down either, both sides tepidly agree to share the luxury accommodations by dividing the cozy space.
With the boisterous Machados livening things up and the strait-laced Hatfields tamping them down, can Evita and Ryan keep the peace between the warring factions while fostering a growing chemistry between the two of them?
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?
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.
Christmas Nights At The Star And Lantern By Helen Rolfe
The Copper Plough is at the heart of village life for the residents of Heritage Cove, and never more so than at Christmas, when the tree glows in the alcove and the smell of mulled wine carries out onto the street. So when new owners for the beloved pub arrive and decide to shake things up, not everyone welcomes the changes with open arms.
Local bakery owner Celeste is ready to keep an open mind. But she’s shocked to discover that one of the new landlords is Quinn, a former Navy sailor with whom she had a short but powerful romance years earlier.
Fate may have brought Quinn and Celeste back together, but life seems determined to keep them apart. Can the villagers learn to embrace the newcomers this Christmas? And will Quinn and Celeste find a way back to each other before snow falls over Heritage Cove?
Loving You By Samantha Chase
Not everyone in Sweetbriar Ridge is as sweet as the town name would suggest. But single mom Jade Mackenzie is up to the challenge of winning over the town if that’s what it takes to make her new shop a success. After all, this is just the latest in a long string of battles she’s had to face. Since she’s given up on men–all of them except for her son–she can throw all her energy into the new business. Or so she thought until the most charming and too-good-looking-for-his-own-good man walked into her shop. And she literally falls into his arms.
Levi Donovan knows how to charm his way through life; winning people over is just what he does. But no amount of charm can save him when he’s at the center of a scandal that costs him his position at a prestigious ad agency. With no other choice, he’s forced to return home to Sweetbriar Ridge, the small town he left behind the first chance he got. When he meets the owner of the new coffeehouse, he starts to think that small towns aren’t so bad. And when he finds out Jade needs a little help promoting her new business, Levi makes it his mission to help her make the shop a success. That’s just what a good friend does.
No matter how hard she tries to resist, Jade can’t help but be swept away by Levi’s good looks and the sweet way he interacts with her son. But Levi isn’t staying, and getting attached would be a mistake. Levi always swore he would never settle in Sweetbriar Ridge, but could loving Jade be reason enough to stay?
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.
Thomas Moore, heir to the glamorous New York department store Moore’s, has everything. Everything but a sense of humor. Probably why he’s so often compared to his philandering crook of a father.
Alice Truman, recently promoted from the sales floor, is determined to prove her worth. Even if that means smiling in the face of the arrogant and too-sexy-for-his-own-good Thomas Moore, who seems to think her unfit for her new position.
Avoidance works wonders until Alice’s best friend plans an Elvis-themed destination wedding with Thomas’ brother—a concept the modern Mr. Darcy loathes.
Throw in a hairless cat, a calamitous bachelorette party and some questionable cocktails, and things become… complicated. And when things get complicated, anyone but the boss would be better.
Sometimes life is full of surprises, especially when you least expect them…
Born into the Scottish Clan MacBain and the 17th century ancestral home, Drumblair Castle, Liv MacBain has always dreamt of leaving the ancient homestead and becoming her own person in the world of fashion. From a young age, she worshipped the trailblazing designs of the haute couture glitterati, hoping one day to join them. With older brother Kerr, the rightful heir, Liv has been free to spread her wings. Fast forward. Liv, is now 28 years old, working at a high-end fashion house and living her dream life in New York. She’s never been happier. Until everything changes with one devastating phone call from her brother, Kerr, that brings her rushing back to Scotland. Old friends and adversaries resurface and Liv faces a difficult decision that could mean her dream future can no longer be a reality. Or can you have your castle and your career?
Published Date: 4 April 2023
My Review
Liv MacBain, a Scottish native, was born into the esteemed MacBain Clan, whose 17th-century ancestral seat, Drumblair Castle, is set to be inherited by her brother. Despite her lineage, Liv’s heart lay in fashion design, leading her to New York where she’s been thriving in the fashion world. Her life takes a turn when she learns of her beloved mother’s death and hurries back home to Scotland, apprehensive that her reckless brother, Kerr, would sell the castle to support his lavish lifestyle. Her worst fears come true as she discovers Kerr’s laid off much of the staff and is already entertaining selling offers. However, her mother’s will reveals a final surprise – Liv is the rightful inheritor of the castle, but under certain conditions. As she navigates this overwhelming situation, Liv finds support in old friends, castle employees, and family members.
Balancing the allure of a successful career in the glamorous New York fashion scene and the familial obligations tied to her historic Scottish castle, Liv is torn between two worlds. The story traces her journey of self-discovery as she struggles to reconcile her professional ambitions and her love for her homeland. The endearing characters, particularly the dogs Wilf and Marley, captivate the reader’s heart – the author’s personal anecdotes about the choice of dogs further amplifying this charm. The narrative is lightened by a sprinkle of romantic elements, with the friends-to-lovers trope being particularly enjoyable. Overall, it’s a delightful and heartwarming read.
My Sanctuary 