January 1, 2025 – My Sanctuary

It was supposed to be L.A. attorney Loni Wingate’s perfect day. Instead, she got only chaos and heartbreak. Her fiancé stole her promotion and ended their engagement, leaving her career and her future dangling by a thread. Then when Loni tries to go to her safe place, her family’s quaint North Carolina resort, she finds it’s up for sale.

But Loni didn’t get to where she is without a fight. So if a developer is coming by to assess the property, the place she feels most connected to her long-gone Mama…well, Loni and her sisters will serve up a taste of Southern hospitality he’ll neverforget.

Ian Hollowell hasn’t experienced “Southern hospitality” firsthand, but he’s pretty sure this is not it. Between the storage room accommodation, the all-sugar sweet tea, and a lethally hot pepper omelet, he’s getting the sense his welcome is anything but. Still, he didn’t get his ruthless reputation by quitting when the game gets interesting.

And Loni is one adversary Ian can’t resist… especially when family revelations start pushing Loni to question her loyalties.

Now a round of “keep your enemies close” might be flipped on its head in bestselling author Jennifer Shirk’s sparkling and stirring story about reconsidering the past in order to shape the future. Because sometimes it takes one last resort to find the place—and people—that truly feel like home.

About The Author

My Review

This is a heartfelt contemporary romance set in the charming family resort of Sunny Banks. The story follows Loni, an LA attorney whose life starts to unravel as her job and engagement to Blaze fall apart. She returns to Sunny Banks to save the family resort from being sold and unexpectedly develops feelings for Ian, the developer interested in buying the property. The novel explores themes of family strength, second chances, and forgiveness, with vivid descriptions of the resort. While the pacing is sometimes uneven and some secondary characters lack depth, the chemistry between Loni and Ian and the meaningful themes make it a comforting and enjoyable read.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

It’s never too late to sail a new course…

When retired Jill Parker wins an all-expenses paid mediterranean cruise for two she is thrilled! At 63 life in retirement has got a little bit bland for Jill and this might be just the holiday she and husband Eddy need to get the sparks back in their marriage.

But when Eddy admits he would much prefer to build his patio and look through the latest DIY magazine, Jill is left with only one other option – her sister Diana.

Diana has become rather reclusive since her husband, Caspar died, but perhaps this is the push she needs to bring some excitement back into her life, too?

Could this trip be just what both sisters need to reconnect and chart a new path for their futures?

Excited to be exploring new horizons and catching up, the sisters soon discover that not everything is smooth sailing on board. And as they enjoy cocktails together at sundown, they discover that they are both actually a little all at sea…

About The Author

My Review

“Old Girls On Deck” by Maddie Please is a delightful contemporary novel centered on two sisters in their sixties who embark on a cruise, where they meet an octogenarian who shows them how to enjoy life. The story emphasizes that aging doesn’t mean settling and encourages living life to the fullest. One sister, a widow of five years, learns to step out of her late husband’s shadow and embrace her own identity, while the other sister, with her newly retired husband, discovers the joys of exploration beyond domestic routines. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Mediterranean, the novel is filled with witty dialogue and vivid sensory descriptions.

My Rating