August 2026 – Page 2 – My Sanctuary

Review Card & Book Review- Come Back To The World By Catherine Ryan Hyde

Amelia Booker, a journalist and expert in American literature, receives a photograph leading to the possible whereabouts of E. L. Swann, an author who vanished forty years ago after the success of her first and only novel. It’s too intriguing a literary mystery for Amelia not to follow.

In Santa Rosarita, Mexico, Amelia and her seven-year-old son, Jaden, meet the elderly and guarded Ella Steinbach, known to locals for riding her donkey to market, then retreating from the world again to her hilltop house. Prickly and defensive at first, Ella reluctantly concedes the truth about her identity. If not for Ella’s deep affection for the bright and introverted Jaden, she would have found the intrusion unforgivable. Instead, she grants an interview on the condition that Amelia tell no one where E. L. Swann has been found.

As days turn into weeks, and Ella reveals more than expected about her past, she and Amelia form a difficult but surprising bond. From it comes the realization that the personal struggles we endure determine the necessary choices we make to move forward. But no matter how much Amelia tries to convince her otherwise, E. L. Swann really does wish to be left alone. And only by accepting the author as she is can Amelia maintain the life-changing connection.

About The Author

My Review

This book is about a determined journalist chasing the story that could define her career and discovering a far more personal journey along the way. In Come Back to the World, Catherine Ryan Hyde delivers a warm, reflective story about fame, privacy, motherhood, and unexpected connection.

Freelance journalist Amelia Booker tracks down the famously reclusive author E.L. Swann, hoping for a long-awaited interview. What begins as a professional mission quickly shifts when Amelia and her young son Jaden become unexpected guests in the writer’s secluded world. Through Jaden’s innocence and Amelia’s persistence, Swann slowly reveals the emotional cost of sudden fame and the burden of public expectation.

The novel shines brightest in its character work. Jaden is delightful and wise beyond his years, while Amelia’s struggles with divorce and parental rights add emotional weight and urgency. Hyde also explores the ethics of storytelling—who owns a story, and what readers believe they deserve from artists.

Gentle humor, thoughtful dialogue, and a slow-burn friends-to-lovers thread balance the deeper themes. Ultimately, this is a heartfelt, uplifting novel about empathy, second chances, and learning when to step back into the world.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Happy Publication Day – 25 August 2026

Her Undercover Protector By Kayla Perrin

It’s his most difficult mission…

Bodyguard Griffin Woodward’s latest assignment, posing as newly appointed CEO Dahlia Mondale’s assistant, is far from simple. Not only is Dahlia’s company under public scrutiny, but the heiress believes her father has been murdered. When Dahlia’s life is threatened, Griffin springs into action, protecting her at any cost. There are past traumas Dahlia can’t escape, but the former navy SEAL is determined to keep the woman he is falling in love with safe…and to bring a criminal to justice.

Their Unexpected Plan By Donna Hill

A surprise addition to their business plan…

Ascension Publishing’s newly minted publisher Morgan Chambers has to make the organization profitable or risk everything he’s ever worked for if it fails. Morgan doesn’t have time for distractions like pretty Noa Dunnavant. He’s only meeting with her to discuss her novel. Not the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her.

Noa’s novel is the lightning rod the company needs. Her book’s success is good for her ego, and covertly spending time with Morgan is good for her soul. But that little pink plus sign changes everything. A baby was never part of their plans. Will this plot twist begin their final chapter, or seal their happily-ever-after?

Enemies Under One Roof By Clare Miles

Temptation lies behind mansion doors…

Actress Ivy clings to her scandalous on-screen persona as a shield against her grief and guilt. Only billionaire Ethan ever enticed her to let down her guard—an unrepeatable disaster. Until her late godmother’s will requires her to live temporarily with the man she pushed away! Every charged glance says Ethan’s neither forgiven nor forgotten her… And he still has an uncanny ability to see through her pain. Can Ivy fight their magnetism again? Or should she call a truce—by laying bare her heart?

A Betrayal That Binds By Tara Pammi

Stone-cold betrayal…

to red-hot reunion!

Ruthless CEO Constantine Xenakis has never forgiven his first love’s bitter betrayal. A decade later, Aliyah Andros is back—more beautiful than ever, and desperate. Constantine will help her, on one vengeful condition: Aliyah must finally become his wife…for good.

Shattered once by Constantine’s unrelenting ambition, Aliyah will agree on her terms only: If they are to be married, she wants a baby! Caught in a scorching web of retribution, their fiery connection roars back to life—and this time, even the icy memory of old wounds can’t tame the flames…

Every Little Thing By Erin Scoggins

Saving strays is easy. Saving your heart? Not so much.

Dr. Willa Mae Parker has built her life around rescuing what others abandon—injured animals, broken dreams, and the fading coastal town of Sunrise, North Carolina. When she inherits her late father’s chaotic veterinary clinic, she’s determined to finish the dream they shared by securing a piece of land to create an animal sanctuary.

There’s just one problem. That land is now the center of a high-stakes fight.

Connor Stone is a big-city developer with a bruised reputation and far more to lose than a deal. Sent to Sunrise to acquire the same property, success means proving himself to his powerful family and keeping custody of his daughter. Failure isn’t an option.

They clash.

They spark.

And a matchmaking goat named Geraldine refuses to stay out of it.

As Sunrise takes sides and the town’s lovable, eccentric cast weighs in—loudly—Willa and Connor are forced to choose between ambition and belonging, loyalty and love. Because in a town like Sunrise, everyone’s watching, and walking away might cost them everything that matters.

Doctors’ Red-Hot Rivalry By Luana DaRosa

Their competition is getting heated…

Dr. Hana Sato’s rivalry with hotshot specialist Pascal Perez has always been dangerously personal—especially after their secret conference fling! Then, with her dream job finally on the table, Pascal makes a shocking arrival at Hana’s hospital with his eye on the same professional prize. As they’re forced to work together, every smoldering glance and lingering caress between them has her burning up with desire. Now Hana has diagnosed a worrying new symptom: falling head over heels for her nemesis!

A Secret Worth Protecting By Susan L. Tuttle

One season. Two darling girls.
And a past he thought he lost forever…

Being in witness protection with twin little girls is the least of Sam Cooper’s problems. Right now, he desperately needs a nanny. But he’s stunned when the candidate who shows up on his doorstep is Ansley Tait, the girl he once loved…and left brokenhearted. Sam knows Ansley is everything the sweet—and adorably energetic—twins need. But protecting his family has to come first. Because one tiny slip about his true identity could mean disaster. Another move. Another town. And most of all, walking away from the only woman he’s ever truly loved…

A Cowboy To Remember By Melinda Curtis

His family’s legacy…

Is their chance at love

Desperate for work, jockey Tamara Vaughn reluctantly agrees to train horses at the revered Blackwell Stables. She can’t avoid its connection to a smaller outfit in Texas, where her career veered off course and romantic feelings went unnoticed. Widowed horse breeder Nathan Blackwell never expected to work with Tamara again after the tragedy with his prized horse—but a doping scandal back home in Gold Finch, Kentucky, has left the ranch with few options. As they’re forced to team up, an undeniable chemistry builds, especially as Tamara helps his twin boys find their stride in bluegrass country. With her reputation and the ranch’s future riding on an emotionally charged high-stakes race, can she and Nathan also dare to become something more?

The Candy Apple Cafe By Donna Ashcroft

When Izzi pulls up in her battered old car outside The Candy Apple Café, she takes a deep breath and channels her trademark optimism. She’s run away to Honey Haven to escape the mess her life is in right now. Only, she hasn’t bargained on a handsome, broad-shouldered Scotsman appearing out of nowhere and grilling her on why she’s parked there… it turns out the baking work she has lined up is in his gran’s café and he’s her new landlord…

Cameron is immediately rubbed up the wrong way by Izzi’s chirpy demeanour, and yet, his eyes keep meeting hers across his gran’s cake display at The Candy Apple Café. Cameron’s heart beats a little faster every time she looks up at him through those long, dark lashes and there are only so many times Izzi can pretend she hasn’t noticed the way he towers over her, his dark brooding eyes failing to avoid hers…

Then Izzi and Cameron find themselves thrown together to organise the town’s Autumn festival. Planning a spectacular cinnamon-scented event as a surprise for his gran, they find themselves pressed up against each other as they work to turn a crumbling castle into the perfect haunted house filled with sweet treats…

But he’s closed off his heart. And she’s only meant to be in town for a few weeks.

A Little Christmas Rivalry By Sandy Barker

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to win.

Sophie Reid is at the top of her game. A brilliant advertising exec and a devoted single mum, she’s this close to landing the biggest campaign of her career – the coveted Christmas ad for Hargreaves, the retail giant.

Her biggest rival? Arrogant lone wolf Drew Parker, who won the campaign last year – and the year before. If only he weren’t so hot, maybe Sophie could get him out of her head.

Drew knows exactly what Sophie thinks of him, but he doesn’t care. He’s here to win.

But when they’re forced to work together on the campaign, the lines between rivalry and attraction begin to blur.

As the festive season draws nearer, work takes them to snow-covered Switzerland – and those guarded, icy walls begin to melt. Could this Christmas be the start of something neither of them saw coming?

Valentines In The Presidential Suite By Judith Keim

When Morgan Riley meets Simon Weaver, an older man who’s just moved into her upstate New York town, she becomes a book review partner with him for the local bookstore owner. Coming from an unhappy childhood, Morgan treasures her relationship with Simon, who is like the grandfather she never had.

Brad Hamlin, an attractive widower, is hired as a new partner in the law firm where Morgan works. She is assigned to assist him, and they form a successful team. When Simon needs a lawyer to help him with a difficult situation with his very greedy daughter-in-law, Morgan suggests Brad. As friendship deepens between the three of them, neither has any idea what life has in store for them.

A special spin-off book in which characters have their own stories and end up at The Beach House Hotel in Florida with Ann and Rhonda. A chance to stay connected to the series in a different way.

Here We Go Again By Jenny Proctor

He knows what it takes to make a comeback. She isn’t sure he deserves a second chance.

After a career-threatening injury, Georgia Jaguars defenseman Theo Williamson is fighting to prove he still has a future in hockey. The harder battle? Convincing Rebecca Bradley he deserves another chance at her heart.

After a career-threatening injury, Georgia Jaguars defenseman Theo Williamson is fighting to prove he still has a future in hockey. The harder battle? Convincing Becca Bradley he deserves another chance at her heart.

Eight years ago, when his father died, Theo shut Becca out instead of letting her help him through the hardest time of his life.

Becca rebuilt without him. She’s stronger now. More careful. And she definitely isn’t interested in letting him back into her life—no matter how sincere his apology sounds.

But when their meddling mothers trap them on a surprise vacation together, distance isn’t an option—and neither is ignoring the chemistry they never really lost.

Just when Becca starts to think Theo might be worth the risk, real life comes crashing in. Demanding schedules, hard days, and the uncertain shape of what a future together would even look like.

Soon, Theo realizes he isn’t just fighting to win Becca’s heart. He’s fighting to believe he deserves to keep it—before the same old doubts convince him to let her go.

Review Card & Book Review- Home No Matter Where By Nancy Naigle

Nina is at her wit’s end with her teenage daughter, Kendra. Still dealing with her own wounds of divorce, Nina hopes a change of scenery will help. She and Kendra head to the serene coastal town of Whelk’s Island to spend a restorative summer with Nina’s mother, Rosemary—bringing three generations under one roof for the first time in years. Amid the island’s charm, old wounds begin to heal, and as new friendships bloom—especially with the steady and enigmatic Fisher—light begins to break through the cracks of Nina’s tightly controlled life.

Kendra’s reckless behavior continues but Fisher’s intervention during a critical moment for Kendra sparks a sense of hope in Nina that she thought was lost. Still, change is never easy.

As the women navigate the tides of forgiveness, growing up, and letting go, healing begins and new love brings surprises. While Whelk’s Island may not hold all the answers, it has a way of reminding people that moving forward doesn’t follow a set path—it requires the bravery to start anew.

About The Author

My Review

This book is about rebuilding family, rediscovering belonging, and learning that home can be found in unexpected places. In this book, Nina and her teenage daughter Kendra retreat to Whelk’s Island after a divorce upends their lives. Amid ocean breezes, surfing lessons, and the warmth of Nina’s mother’s home, the pair slowly begin healing their strained relationship while discovering the strength of community and new love.

The novel blends heartfelt family drama with a cosy coastal atmosphere that feels comforting and escapist. Naigle excels at portraying multigenerational relationships and the quiet ways love shows up in everyday life. The island setting is vivid and inviting, adding charm and a summery glow that makes the story easy to sink into.

While the emotional themes are meaningful and often inspiring, Kendra’s perspective can feel stereotypical at times, and some humour and romantic moments land a little awkwardly. Still, characters like Fisher and Tug bring warmth and balance, delivering wisdom and sincerity that elevate the story.

Starting Over

Coastal Small-Town Escape

Mother–Daughter Healing

Second-Chance Romance

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Happy Publication Day – 24 August 2026

Just For The Season By Jo Lovett

Frankie Winters’ life has fallen apart spectacularly, with her becoming single, jobless AND homeless all in the same day. Fleeing to the sea – more specifically to her gran and cousin’s hometown of Milbury Bay – feels like the right answer.

Marcus Brooks swore off women the moment his ex-wife walked out on him and his children. And after a tumultuous encounter with a certain stubborn stranger in the local café, he’s only more convinced he made the right decision.

But when Frankie decides she needs a fake boyfriend to reassure her eighty-five-year-old gran she’s doing just fine (even if she isn’t!), her gaze lands on the last man she should ask: the grumpy, unruly one she argued with over the last carrot cake.

Saying yes to Frankie’s insane plan might be Marcus’s biggest mistake yet… or the best decision he’s ever made. Because sometimes, the last thing you’re looking for is exactly what you need.

Review Card & Book Review – Wishes On The Waves By Catherine Michaels

She’s convinced love belongs in her memories.

He’s certain his second chance already came and went.

But Gull Island has other plans.

Widowed business owner Annie Lawson lives a full life running her shop, raising her young son, and keeping her heart carefully guarded. Letting someone in again isn’t on her to-do list. But when the cottage next door fills with a bestselling author and single dad carrying more regret than momentum, the rhythms of her predictable life begin to shift.

Cal Carter comes to Gull Island to escape a painful divorce, rediscover his writing voice, and rebuild trust with his teenage daughter. What he doesn’t expect is a neighbor whose warmth slips past his defenses and makes him question the future he thought was settled.

Between sea turtle nests, summer storms, and twilight talks, Annie and Cal drift closer than either intended until a long-buried truth from Cal’s past asks them to risk what they’ve worked hard to protect.

About The Author

My Review

This book is about second chances, healing, and rediscovering love in the charming seaside town of Gull Island. Inthis book, we follow Annie, a widowed shop owner devoted to her son and family business, and Cal Carter, an author struggling with writer’s block, divorce, and reconnecting with his teenage daughter. When their lives intertwine, friendship slowly blooms into something deeper—though grief, secrets, and lingering fears threaten their fragile happiness.

This novel shines through its warm, small-town atmosphere and strong sense of community. Gull Island feels alive with supportive neighbours, cosy traditions, and meaningful friendships that add depth and comfort to the story. Annie and Cal are instantly lovable, and their emotional journeys feel authentic and heartfelt. Their banter sparkles, their chemistry grows naturally, and their shared moments feel tender without ever becoming overly dramatic.

More than a romance, this story celebrates resilience, family bonds, and the courage to open your heart again after loss. Gentle, uplifting, and full of seaside charm, it’s the perfect escapist read that leaves you with a lingering sense of hope and warmth.

Second Chance at Love

Small-Town Romance

Friends to Lovers

Healing After Loss

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Happy Publication Day – 23 August 2026

Holidays With The Girls By Jo Lyons

Connie Cooper should be basking in newlywed bliss. Instead, she’s frantically juggling a long-distance marriage, a busy singing career, and the small matter of her best friends’ wedding… which is in three weeks. In France. At Christmas. With absolutely nothing organised.

When groomzillas Ged and Liam’s dream venue falls through, their wildly over-the-top vision – a Bridgerton-meets-Hogwarts-meets-Whitney-Houston extravaganza – seems doomed. Connie definitely does not have time to save the day… right?

Soon, Connie and her chaotic girl gang (the outrageous Dollz) are descending on a stunning chateau in the south of France to pull off the impossible. But diva demands, unexpected guests and risky secrets could get them all kicked out before the wedding can even take place.

As emotions run high, Connie must navigate friendship, love and the reality of her own whirlwind marriage to Matteo, while trying to stop the Christmas wedding from spiralling completely out of control.

Review Card & Book Review- One Sunny Day By Shari Low

As the sun rises on a summer’s day, four people are about to find out what it takes to make their dreams come true ☀️

Global TV megastar Ollie Chiles has fame, fortune, and now he’s met Stevie Dixon, the love of his life. But he’s realised that he can’t have it all. He has a huge decision to make – and no matter what he chooses, he’s going to hurt someone he loves.

Widow Netta McGonigle gave up her dreams to spend a lifetime taking care of everyone else. Alone now, she’s resigned herself to quiet contentment – but what if life still has one or two surprises in store for her?

Single mum Kiki Strang has remained in the shadows raising her daughter Ava, while the man who promised he’d come back for her chased the limelight. With that promise broken, should Kiki fade away quietly or share his secrets with the world?

Actress Ginny Canavan has a chance to land the role of a lifetime. But when fate throws in a plot twist even she could never have predicted, will she find a way to rewrite her own script?

About The Author

My Review

This book is about how a single day can quietly reshape four very different lives. The novel gathers Ollie, Netta, Kiki, and Ginny at emotional turning points and follows the ripple effects of the choices they make within twenty-four transformative hours.

Low excels at creating characters who feel authentic and relatable. Ollie’s storyline explores the loneliness behind fame, capturing the ache of choosing between ambition and love. Netta’s journey is especially touching; after years of putting others first, her tentative steps toward personal happiness are tender and uplifting. Kiki brings emotional depth, balancing vulnerability and strength as she confronts truths she has long buried. Meanwhile, Ginny’s professional dreams collide with unexpected reality, adding energy and hope to the ensemble.

The pacing benefits from the ticking-clock structure, creating gentle urgency while allowing intimate, reflective moments to shine. Low’s warm humour and emotional sincerity weave the four narratives seamlessly, highlighting connection, courage, and second chances. Ultimately, this is a comforting, heartfelt novel that reminds readers how small decisions can open new paths when life feels stuck.

Second Chances

Life-Changing Choices

Interconnected Lives

Finding Yourself

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Happy Publication Day – 22 August 2026

Saving Christmas At The Highland Repair Shop By Kiley Dunbar

It’s the first of December and the Highland Repair Shop is facing a fresh challenge: a storm has damaged the town’s beloved Christmas lights. With the clock ticking before the official switch-on, the workshop must transform into a merry fixing factory to save Christmas in Cairn Dhu.

Meanwhile, Hamish Skelton has devoted his life to keeping the local ski centre alive – but with no snow and dwindling visitor numbers, his future is hanging by a thread. Then consultant Florrie Norheim arrives with a clear mission: to close the resort for good. Determined to prove herself, she isn’t looking for distractions, least of all a handsome young man who refuses to give up on his home. But are some places – and people – worth saving?

As Hamish and Florrie grow closer, the town rallies together and a long-lost love story is uncovered, will the spirit of Christmas work its magic on them all? ✨

Review Card & Book Review- His Forced Sicilian Bride By Jackie Ashenden

Taken…
to love, honor—and obey!

Vincenzo. Every cosa nostra family will bow to me. The Salvatores are no exception. I’ll force their loyalty by kidnapping their heir, Caterina, from her arranged nuptials. The woman I once saved during a hit on her family will be my bride by nightfall. Though, submissive is one thing Caterina isn’t. I find I like that…

Caterina. I should be immune to the Sicilian’s dark allure; he’s a reminder of all I’ve lost, including my freedom. Yet the respect he gives me is intoxicating. And soon I’m willingly surrendering myself to our wedding night…

About The Author

My Review

This book is about power, choice, and confronting the past. Vincenzo’s decision to kidnap and force a marriage with Caterina feels deliberately old-world and dramatic, yet the story quickly deepens into an emotionally charged exploration of two people bound by a tragic shared history. Twenty years after the event that tied their families together, long-buried truths finally demand to be revealed.

Jackie Ashenden’s strength lies in her characters’ emotional honesty. Vincenzo and Caterina are complex, introspective, and shaped by pain, guilt, and longing. The tension comes not only from the forced marriage premise, but from Vincenzo’s realization that real love cannot exist without choice. His struggle to loosen control and risk losing Caterina adds emotional depth, while Caterina’s fierce determination to protect her independence gives the romance a compelling push and pull.

Although the story unfolds over only a few days making the pacing feel rushed at times, the emotional intensity keeps the pages turning. With strong chemistry, dramatic stakes, and themes of freedom, forgiveness, and trust, this passionate mafia romance delivers a gripping and satisfying read.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Happy Publication Day – 21 August 2026

I’ll Be Home For Christmas By Helen Rolfe

Chrissie used to love Christmas in her Swiss childhood home… until she lost her husband eight years ago. Add in a prolonged conflict with her sister Meg, and the holidays in the snowy Alps are just too hard to face. Now she’s in quiet Oxfordshire, focused on her daughter Sarah’s wedding.

But when Sarah runs away to her grandparents’ chalet just weeks before the big day, Chrissie heads to the mountains to help – and finds her estranged sister Meg there too. Usually in London at the helm of a thriving chocolate shop, Meg’s hiding the troubles of a tough year.

Trapped by snow in Winterbruck, the sisters must face old tensions, support Chrissie’s daughter, and discover that family –and a little chocolate – can make even the coldest Christmas cosy.