Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review – Christmas On Mistletoe Lake By Robin Seamus Dunne

Every Christmas, ​Reilly Shore​ picks a random spot on the map and takes a trip. This year, that destination is the cottage country town of ​Mistletoe Lake When she arrives, she discovers the town’s lone b&b is chock-full due to Mistletoe Lake’s annual ​Christmas Harbor Festival- ​when all the boats docked along the water are decorated with festive lights.

When twelve year-old Emma ​invites Reilly to stay on her dad’s boat, she learns that Emma’s dad, Ray Mitchell, is the only boat owner on Mistletoe Lake who isn’t participating in the harbor festival. In fact, he’s in the process of trying to sell the boat. As the possibility of the sale saddens Emma, she enlists Reilly’s help to convince Ray to enter into the festival so they can have one last perfect Christmas on the picturesque lake.

Reilly doesn’t know she’s about to meet someone who is as romantically adrift as she is. And she certainly doesn’t expect to fall in love…or to unintentionally betray him. Christmas is a time for forgiveness, but Ray doesn’t seem to be in a forgiving mood.

Published Date: 21 October 2022

My Review

Reilly took turn with her sister to pick out where and how they will celebrate their Christmas.this yer she chooses Mistletoe Lake. Upon arrival, she found herself without accommodation. She met Emma who invited her to stay on her father, Ray’s boat. There is an annual harbor festival which was started by Ray’s father and he is the only boat owner on Mistletoe Lake not participating in the festival. In fact he is in the process of trying to sell the boat. Emma is sad with the sale and knowing Reilly’s expertise in staging houses, she enlist her help to convince Ray to enter the festival for the last time.

This story set in a beautiful small town with close knit community. Both Ray and Reilly met co-incidentally and are relatable to each other. Really like the interesting characters and story was well written. Overall, it is a cozy and sweet read to me.

My Rating

Book Review – Finding Family At Seabreeze Farm By Jo Bartlett

Freya Halliwell is looking forward to marrying the man of her dreams and starting their new life together. After the death of both of her parents, Ollie, along with Freya’s aunt, are the only family she has, but they are all the family she needs.

Until Freya discovers a shocking secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her once happy family and especially the man she used to call Dad. Devastated, and feeling more alone than ever before, Freya needs time and space to come to terms with the news. But until then the wedding is off!

Seabreeze Farm is the perfect place for Freya to recover. But could this beautiful farm perched high on the cliffs, also hold the answer to Freya’s past and reunite her with the family she never even knew she’d been wishing for?

Published Date: 2 December 2022

My Review

Freya is happy with what she has with Ollie and is excited to get married and move to London to start their new life. Ollie and her aunt is the only person she has after both parent passed away. While in the midst clearing stuff, she stumbled upon her mom’s journal and discovered that her lovely dad is not her biological father. This has devastated her and she thought to find Ollie, she stumbled upon him with her best friend. With the discovery about her father, she established that Ollie has betrayed her with her best friend and decided to cancel the planned marriage. Freya needed time to come terms with all the betrayals, she escapes to Seabreeze Farm.

It is a story that focus on family with its up and down emotion, love and loss. This book focus around Freya in her discovery journey to find her biological father. This is a lovely and festive read to me as it is not as Christmassy as I expect it to be.

My Rating

Book Review – The Sweetheart Fix By Miranda Liasson

Juliet Montgomery absolutely loves her small town of Blossom Glen, Indiana, and everyone loves her. Except for the fact that she’s a couples counselor who suffered a very public breakup that no one can forget. And now her boss asks her to take a step back…which is exactly when the town’s good-lookin’ and unusually gruff mayor offers her an unexpected job.

Jack Monroe absolutely loves being the mayor of his small town. Except when he actually has to talk to people. Can’t he just fix the community problems in peace? Like right now, he’s mediating the silliest dispute two neighbors could possibly have. When the town sweetheart steps up and solves everyone’s problems in five minutes flat, Jack realizes what this town really needs…is a therapist.

Juliet is able to soothe anyone—other than the surly mayor, it seems. But there’s a reason they say opposites attract, because all of their verbal sparring leads to some serious attraction. Only, just like with fireworks, the view might appear beautiful—but she’s already had one public explosion that’s nearly ruined everything…how can she risk her heart again?

Published Date: 29 November 2022

My Review

Juliet, the town latest counselor found herself been put on leave when her clients began to question her suitability as a counselor due to her very public breakup. With nothing much to do, she stumble upon the town mayor’s townhall where she found out that the mayor has the issue to handle the people’s dispute. Being a mayor doesn’t come easy for Jack. When Juliet assisted him in solving the grievances of the people, Jack offer her a job to be his assistant. Thrown together, Juliet find Jack to be a grumpy person. Jack struggle to help his grandma to protect her property for being develop. Both of them soon found out what started off sparring with each other on the job, they can worked well together on and off the job.

This book is a small town romance about family relationship. and 2nd chance in love. Juliet is a great character who struggle with her past but as the progress, I love the way she faces the problem and trying to fix it and the chemistry between them. The storyline was easy to follow and with minimal conflict between the main characters. Overall it is a fun read to me.

My Rating

Book Review – Tempt Me By Samantha Chase

He hates the holidays. She lives for them. Let the games begin.

A small town, grumpy/sunshine romance from NY Times Best Selling Author Samantha Chase

Six months ago, Liam Donovan met the world’s cheeriest, most upbeat woman at a wedding.

It was the longest two days of his life.

Now she’s his next door neighbor.

Talk about awkward.

Tessa Sullivan believes in always looking at the bright side. Unfortunately, her new neighbor is the most negative man on the planet and seems to have made it his mission to ruin her good mood on a daily basis. She loves to sing, she loves to smile, but more than anything, she loves to decorate for the holidays. The fact that this seems to bug her new neighbor is simply a perk.

After twelve years in the Marines, Liam is more than ready to come home and start the next phase of his life. He’s starting a business, reconnecting with his mildly over-bearing family, and loves the fact that he’s finally got a place of his own. If only his neighbor’s decorations would stay on her side of the property. There isn’t one thing about Tessa that tempts him…until there is. Now she’s all he can think about.

Being friends makes sense.

Becoming lovers was inevitable.

But having Tessa be his forever is more than tempting

Published Date: 6 December 2022

My Review

Liam is back in town after a decade in the military and purchased a house next to Tessa. While Liam come across as grumpy, Tessa is overly cheerful who enjoy being happy and making others happy. They have nothing in common but become friend with benefits. Liam is the oldest among 4 siblings and have been away all these while. Being back in town, he need to adapt that he no longer has control over his siblings. He need to reconnect with his family. Tessa loves to smile laugh and sing, is a widow who lost her best friend few years back. Yet she still allocates certain hour in the day to solely talk to him. Her family is worried for her but to her, she is back on track. She need  to learn to find a way to live without him.

This book is enemies to lovers and holiday romance that filled with emotion. I love how Liam and Tessa learned about themselves and each other. Liam is a kind and loving person despite his crankiness. I like the way he brings Tessa out from her delusions and indirectly bringing her back to reality. Overall it is heartwarming read to me.

My Rating

Book Review – The Christmas Wish By Lindsey Kelk

Newly single lawyer Gwen Baker is hoping that a family Christmas – countryside, a mountain of food and festive films –
will salve the sting of her career hanging by a thread and her heart being trampled on. Because everyone else has their life sorted: even Dev, her boy-next-door crush, is now a tall, dark and handsome stranger with a fiancée. She can’t help wishing her future was clearer.

Then Gwen wakes up to discover it’s Christmas day all over again. Like Groundhog Day but with turkey. And family arguments. On repeat.

As she figures out how to escape her own particular Christmas hell, Dev is the one bright spot. He might be all grown-up but underneath he’s just as kind and funny as she remembers.

Maybe, just maybe, her heart can be mended after all.

But how do you fall in love with someone who can’t remember you from one day to the next?

Published Date: 10 November 2022

My Review

Gwen is very contented with her life until she found out that her boyfriend cheated on her and she had to move out of this house and due to her frustration with one of her client, she was asked to take on leave. Gwen love Christmas and unlike before, Gwen doesn’t look forward to it. When Gwen woke up after a disastrous Christmas Day, she found herself relive the day again and again. Through each day, she learnt a lot about herself and her family.

This book is about Groundhog Day adventure filled with family drama. It is a deep and meaningful story about Gwen trying to break the spell and along the way discover the meaning of happiness and what life really is all about. Overall, this is a sweet and read to me that offered wisdom to us as the reader.

My Rating

Book Review – Be Your Everything By Catherine Bybee

With two protective older brothers and a traditional Catholic Italian mother, it’s surprising that Chloe D’Angelo can manage a date without someone in the family naysaying her romantic choice. And Dante Mancuso…oh, no. Her brother’s best friend is not a dating-app right swipe.

But when they are left unsupervised on a late night in Vegas, all of that changes. Add in a Vegas wedding chapel and a couple of “I dos” and Chloe wakes up with a ring on her finger and a hangover. Dating Dante was always a secret desire, but marriage? The rift that this news would cause in her family has both of them keeping their nuptials to themselves as they scramble to undo their Vegas mistake.

Dante knew the rules: Chloe was off-limits. Only, he can’t stop once his mind starts to believe she might be his forever. Just as their attraction deepens, Chloe flees to Bali, desperate to clear her head.

All Dante has to do is keep her brothers from killing him and convince Chloe that they are meant for each other. But first, Dante has to find her.

Published Date: 15 November 2022

My Review

Chloe has crush in Dante for a long time and she convince herself she is not. Dante know Chloe is off limits because she is his best friend’s sister, but he could not help himself in Vegas. They end up drunk and Dante is not sure how it happened, but he married Chloe. They realise it was a mistake the next morning but it was too late to do anything. When their families find out about the wedding, they begged them to stay out of it and let them handle things their own.

A delightful, funny and adorable story to me. The storyline is mix of love, heartbreak, family ties and drama. Love both Dante and Chloe for their great chemistry and endearing characters.

My Rating

Book Review – Resting Scrooge Face By Meghan Quinn

After a bad breakup, Nola wants nothing to do with Christmas, especially in her quaint hometown of Bright Harbor, Maine. Infuriatingly charming and cheery, Nola’s surroundings only worsen her sour mood.

To make matters worse, Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago, is all grown up and still living in town. While doing her best to avoid him, Nola bumps into the local mailman, who gives her a mysterious letter. And when she finds that the writer is a fellow Scrooge, she can’t help but feel her spirit lifting.

Nola writes back to her new pen pal—who, unbeknownst to Nola, is none other than Caleb. When Caleb gets a response hand delivered by the mailman, he’s intrigued by the mystery sender. A friendly correspondence develops—and quickly turns flirtatious.

Although Nola and Caleb claim they can’t stand each other, they can’t deny the simmering attraction that brought them together in the first place.

Can these nameless pen pals write their own love story—or will they be too caught up with the ghosts of their Christmases past to find a future together?

Published Date: 29 November 2022

My Review

Nola and Caleb was previously a couple but they part way due to lack of communication. Now, Nola was dumped by her boyfriend and move back to her hometown to stay at her parent’s home and restore it. Caleb now runs his hardware store, is feeling lonely and frustrated. His feeling is expressed in his writing which he refer himself as Resting Scrooge Face. With the mailman’s help, both Nola and Caleb become pen pals without knowing who they are writing to, with Nola signing off as Ho Ho No. This a delightful read to me with short story of regrets, pride and love.

My Rating

Book Review – Savoring Christmas By Shanna Hatfield

He’s a former rodeo star who gave up his career to run the family ranch.

She’s an aspiring chef with a food truck, a dream, and no interest in another man coming along to ruin her plans.

Troy Lucas walked away from his winning rodeo career to run the family ranch after the death of his grandfather. Now, being a rancher, a farrier, and even team roping just for fun can’t seem to keep him satisfied. He didn’t think he’d miss his glory days in the rodeo when he came back home – in fact, there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. Still, he can’t deny the hole inside that keeps reminding him he’s longing for something . . . more.

Chef Lark Gibson has only one thing on her mind: opening a restaurant in Portland. Until that day comes, Lark will take her food truck to as many events as possible and make sure her customers are always begging for more. The last thing she expected was to find herself distracted by a knight in dusty Wranglers, until a handsome cowboy comes to her rescue and catches her off-guard.

Will the approaching Christmas season lead this hungry cowboy and ambitious chef to realize that what they think they want isn’t what they really need?

Published Date : 10 November 2022

My Review

Troy met Lark when he comes to her rescue and find himself attracted to her. Troy is an ex-pro rodeo roper who run a family ranch with his grandmother. He gave up his dream of working the rodeo circuit to look after his grandmother. Lark on the other hand, has plans for her future , to owned a restaurant in Portland and to achieve that , she works tirelessly on her food truck. Both of them had difficult relationships in the past and neither is looking for anything serious. What started of as a friendship, fate seem to keep drawing them together.

This is a heartwarming story of two person who have dreams found love when they least expected it. Love especially the nickname that Troy gave Lark “songbird”.

My Rating

Book Review – A Movie Magic Christmas By Caitlin McKenna

Christmas magic is in the air in this heartwarming and witty small-town reunion romance

Actress Catalina Jones has no intention of spreading Christmas cheer. She’s in St. Nicholas, Colorado, to save her career, not uncover the truth behind the famous “Scrooge Legend.” Besides, there isn’t enough magic in the world to fix the trust issues years in show business have given her.  

When Hollywood director turned wildlife photographer Jay Townsend hears Catalina is the lead in the production, he has no intention of lending a hand. She’d been his leading lady once…before she broke his heart.

But some things are just meant to be.

Together again in a winter wonderland filled with someone’s little helpers determined to spread Christmas cheer, Catalina and Jay find themselves on a journey of rediscovery and learn that love is the most powerful magic of all.

Published Date: 25 October 2022

My Review

Catalina is in Colorado filming a new movie. This is an opportunity for her to run away from the controversial breakup with her ex-boyfriend. She is a star but her ice queen persona is causing her issue with the crew and fans. While everyone was at the set, she found out that Jay is also part of the crew as a Still photographer. Jay was on sabbatical leave as a director. He was the one who directed the film that turned Catalina into a star. The story then continue with both Catalina and Jay trying to rebuild their relationship and overcoming the obstacles along the way. This is fun and sweet holiday romance set in a small town of Colorado.

My Rating

Book Review – Let’s Not Be Friends By Phoebe MacLeod

What’s a girl to do when Prince Charming turns into a frog?
City girl Sophie has married the prince (or landed gentry – close enough), moved to his pile (which is more accurate a description than she’d anticipated) and is set to live happily ever after with the love of her life . . . until she finds the other half of her perfect life in the stables with the stable girl, and they’re definitely not grooming the horses.

Shocked and appalled, Sophie’s no happier to learn that she’s supposed to ‘just get on with it’. After all, according to her mother-in-law, she got the title . . . they even overlooked her family’s ‘new money’ status.

But Sophie is no one’s doormat and there’s no way she’s going to turn a blind eye to her husband’s infidelity. There may be some bumps on the road, but Sophie is going to find the life she deserves

Published Date: 23 November 2022

My Review

When Sophie found her husband has been having affair with the groomer and she tries to find solace in her Mother in law only to discover how the family view her. However, Sophie willing to take a chance with James for him to redeem himself. After a series of events, Sophie decided enough is enough and left him. She went back to her previous life before she married James, found herself back to the job that she loves and the opportunity for her to discover about herself, family and relationship again.

This book is a story about empowerment mixed with second chance and Sophie’s journey of rediscovering and redemption. The characters were well developed with chemistry and interweave with each other. Love Sophie for her attitude who did not wallow in her sorrow but forges ahead to rebuild her life and the engaging storyline.

My Rating