March 10, 2026 – My Sanctuary

The Time Of My Life By Samantha Tonge

How far would you go to change your life?

When Eliza Woods sees an advertisement for someone’s whole life for sale – their house, car, all their belongings, even their clothes and cat – not to mention a trial-run in their job and an introduction to their friends… she decides it’s fate.

Grabbing a different life with both hands is exactly what she needs. Even if 26-year-old Carrie’s wildly-social life and job in a bar couldn’t be more different from Eliza’s quieter existence.

As for Carrie, she’s heading off to Greece, desperate to run away from everything she’s familiar with in England. The two women message each other after the deal has gone through, with Eliza excited to go for cocktails with Carrie’s friends before her first shift at her new job.

What Carrie doesn’t tell her is why she put her life up for sale. And what Eliza doesn’t tell Carrie is that she’s about to turn 75. And that isn’t her only secret…

The A To Z Of Everything By Debbie Johnson

“My darlings . . . Not to be too Hollywood about this, but if you’re watching this tape, that can mean only one thing: I have shuffled off this mortal coil . . . and you two are going to need each other more than ever. You need to set aside your differences and look out for each other—just like you always used to.”

Poppy and Rose used to be close as sisters could be—until everything went wrong. Now in their forties, they haven’t spoken in years. But when their vivacious, glamorous, powerhouse of a mother dies, they are both faced with the shock of grief. However, their mother was not one to go shrinking into the night. No, their mother, Andrea, has left them a project to work on together: a sort of scavenger hunt through their lives, which she calls the A to Z of Everything. Her final wish: to heal the fractured relationship between her daughters that broke her heart.

A is for Ashes. C is for champagne. D is for Daddy Issues. But when they get to F for Forgiveness, can they make a start, even when they can barely look at each other?

With Andrea’s wicked sense of humor and wild stories from her acting career, she has left the quest in a series of boxes filled with letters, recordings, videos, mementos, and instructions.

From Liverpool to London and even Paris, the sisters follow the trail toward a glimmer of hope: despite loss, there is room for laughter, love, and healing—and for second chances.

A New Start At The Happily Ever After Bookshop By Emma Bennet

She’s sworn off romance.

But this summer, love might rewrite her story . . .

Single mum Carrie Worsley doesn’t need another disappointment — she needs a fresh start.

So when she’s offered the chance to run her great-aunt’s romance bookshop in the Cornish seaside town of Castle Cove, she packs up her six-year-old daughter and takes the leap.

Secret beaches. Golden sunsets. And The Happily Ever After Bookshop — a pastel-pink sanctuary filled with stories of second chances.

But it’s only temporary.

Until she meets Michael — the quiet, brooding, local bookbinder with kind eyes and an adorably chaotic dog!

Michael isn’t looking for forever. Carrie doesn’t believe in it anymore. But stolen glances turn into slow-burn tension. Friendly coffees become lingering touches. And suddenly the chemistry isn’t just fictional — it’s undeniable.

Between sea-salted evenings, cinnamon-scented mornings, and long afternoons lost among the shelves, Carrie begins to wonder . . .

What if this time, the love story is hers?

One chance meeting. Two strangers. And a sprinkling of Christmas magic…

Fifty-five-year-old Peg has been lonely for as long as she can remember. As she battles through traffic while the snow softly falls around her, the best she can hope for is to get home for Christmas safely, and to spend it wrapped in a blanket by a roaring open fire in her tumbledown cottage in the Cotswolds. Little does she know that everything is about to change…

Because Henry is also stuck on the road, and when their cars come to a complete standstill, he and Peg strike up a conversation over a homemade mince pie and a flask of hot tea. Towering over Peg, his navy waffle-knit jumper charmingly threadbare at the elbows, he chats effortlessly. With his tortoiseshell glasses pushed back into his mass of curly dark hair, Henry makes Peg laugh, and the two click. As something shifts, Peg realises that it’s been a long time since she smiled like this.

Peg discovers that Henry is single too, but he’s off to grit his teeth through the forced jollity of another family Christmas with his insufferably perfect daughter-in-law in the next village. Before they get a chance to exchange numbers, the traffic starts to move and Peg and Henry are wrenched apart…

She doesn’t expect to see him again. But then, days later, there’s a knock on Peg’s door: Henry needs her help. In an instant, she knows this will be a Christmas she’ll never forget, in ways she could never have imagined. Can she let herself get involved and risk being vulnerable, or will she shy away?

Peg doesn’t open her heart to anyone. But can the magic of Christmas persuade her to give it to someone special…?

About The Author

My Review

This is a tender, uplifting holiday story about love, hope, and rediscovery later in life. Peg, expecting to spend Christmas alone, finds her plans upended when a snowstorm brings chaos—and an unexpected connection with Henry, a kind stranger whose warmth slowly melts her loneliness. Their chance encounter evolves into a touching journey of companionship, laughter, and the courage to embrace new beginnings.

Emma Davies writes with her signature warmth and grace, painting a vivid picture of snow-covered landscapes, twinkling lights, and the quiet magic of the season. Peg is a beautifully written heroine—resilient, generous, and ready to believe that joy and love aren’t bound by age. Henry, too, adds gentle humor and heart, making their growing bond feel authentic and deeply comforting.

What makes this story shine is its message: it’s never too late to find happiness or fall in love again. One December Morning is a cozy, heartfelt read that captures the true spirit of Christmas—hope, connection, and the simple beauty of finding someone who feels like home.

My Rating