October 29, 2024 – My Sanctuary

Stuck Together By Lily Joseph

The hate is real. So is the chemistry.

Annie is heading into the holidays alone. And as a confirmed singleton, she decides to open a shop selling the kind of treats every single woman would want to find under the tree. After all, who doesn’t like to get a ‘Premium Sensual Lifestyle Product’ for Christmas, right?

Penn is in a bind. He needs to come home for Christmas with a girl, or his parents will set him up with someone ‘suitable’. Nothing is too good for the Honourable Peregrine Burton-Edwards after all. But that’s not what Penn wants. He just wants to sell vintage records in his shop and meet a nice, normal girl.

The first time Annie and Penn meet, Annie feels a flutter in her chest – he’s tall, dark and handsome, with cheekbones you could sharpen a blade on. So when he offers to share the shop with her to save on rent, she gladly accepts.

Huge mistake… Annie and Penn are poles apart and butt heads at every turn. But with the holidays looming, Penn will soon need to ask for a big favour, and Annie, with no plans to speak of, is the only girl who can help. As the arguments get more heated, so do the sparks flying between them. Will they put their differences aside and come together? And could it be for more than just Christmas?

Holiday Hideaway By Mary Kay Andrews

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

George Holloway is here to sell his granduncle’s house—and to reconsider whether he and his fiancée are right for each other. Amid home repairs, George notices strange noises and missing food, but as much as he gets his rental agent on the phone, Tilly dodges every invitation to meet. He’s sure that someone’s here with him, and it’s certainly not the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future.

As Tilly and George circle each other, they both wonder where their lives are headed and if, maybe, meeting each other is just the Christmas miracle they need.

There’s always time for tea… unless you’ve lost your teapot…

Cleo Jordan has only ever wished to open her own teashop in memory of her lovely gran. So when she’s offered a prime spot on Ever After Street, she knows her dream is about to come true!

Stepping into The Wonderland Teapot is like falling down the rabbit hole – magical! But there’s a catch: Cleo has completely lost her love of baking! It seems her dream is over before it’s begun.

Until she meets her very own Mad Hatter. Magician Bram brings an energy to the teashop that lifts everyone, and slowly, Cleo gets back to doing what she loves best.

But when things start going wrong at the teashop, Cleo wonders if the culprit sabotaging her dream is someone closer than she thinks?

If Cleo wants her wish to work, she has to learn to trust again before she loses her head and heart completely…although it might already be far too late for that…

About The Author

My Review

Cleo is thrilled to fulfill her dream of running a tea room, continuing a family tradition set by her mother and grandmother. But her journey isn’t without challenges. She only rents the property from the Council, meaning she has to prove her tea room, Wonderland Teapot, is a valuable addition to Ever After Street. A more significant hurdle is her sudden inability to bake anything edible. Once a great baker, her skills vanished after the loss of her grandmother and a devastating house fire.

Enter Bram, a whimsical magician and entertainer hired by the Council to assist in the tearoom. Bram is charming yet maddeningly unpredictable, using humor and pranks to lighten any situation. Despite his playful antics, Bram reveals a kind and helpful side, proving instrumental in helping Cleo with her business struggles.

Bram’s eccentricity brings a delightful energy to the story, echoing the craziness of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. His playful wordplay and banter, especially when he feels uncomfortable, add to the charm. Though Bram often hides behind his humorous facade, he helps Cleo rekindle her lost joy in running the tea room.

While the setting on Ever After Street suggests a happy ending, the path there is filled with bumps and twists, making the development of Cleo and Bram’s friendship an enjoyable and engaging journey.

My Rating