Tag: Sweet romance

Book Talk Tuesday: What I’ve Been Reading

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ous

I read some really good books at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. Rather than post long reviews of each, I decided to give a few sentences about what really stood out to me.

The last two books of 2022:

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt: The title refers to the Giant Pacific Octopus, specifically Marcellus, a captive specimen at a Pacific Northwest aquarium, and one of the Point of View characters. I listened to this one on audio and loved it! It’s fun and funny. Besides Marcellus, the POV characters include a widow in her sixties and a young man searching for his biological father.

LOVE LETTERING by Kate Clayborn: A young woman who does custom hand lettering/calligraphy is blocked. She’s also developed a bad habit of weaving secret messages into some of her projects. She’s shocked when one of her clients wants to know how she knew his marriage was doomed. I read this as an ebook and loved it. The writing is beautiful and the characters engaging. (Open door sex. I often skip/skim sex scenes, but this one actually added to the character’s growth and I found myself actually–gasp–reading it!).

January 2023:

ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS by Nicole Deese: This won all kinds of awards and rave reviews and I finally got around to reading it and I’m so glad I did! A faith-filled romance about a social media influencer who volunteers at a home for teens and young adults transitioning out of foster care finds herself changed forever. I read this as an ebook and plan to read the next book in the series.

THE PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry: I’d read Emily Henry’s books before and and after this one, but hadn’t gotten around to this one yet. Two best friends since college have vacationed together every summer for twelve years until an unfortunate incidence in Croatia. Two years later, she’s determined to get their relationship back and invites him along to Palm Springs. In July. What could go wrong? I read this in paperback. (Open door sex that I skimmed.)

February 2023:

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin. When this was released as a movie last year, I saw lots of people rave that it was one of their favorite books of all time. I listened to it on audio and while I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t call it an all time favorite. I’m not even sure it’ll make my Top Ten of the year. Though it definitely could. It tugs at the heart strings and it’s set in a bookstore. What’s not to love? It covers several years in the life of A.J. Fikry and his adopted daughter who was abandoned in his bookstore as a two-year-old. I also watched the movie after I finished the book and the movie followed the book very closely. Both are worth the time.

THE CARTOGRAPHERS by Peng Shepherd: This is another that was raved about and it sounded intriguing. A young woman cartographer’s career was ruined seven years ago by her father, a renowned and respected cartographer, over a cheap, mass-produced road map from the 1930s. But when her father and another New York Public Library employee are found dead, Nell realizes that map may be a lot more valuable than she thought. This has a fantasy element I wasn’t expecting, but I still enjoyed it. I read it as an ebook and found the ability to enlarge the included maps and sketches very helpful.

A DAY LIKE THIS by Kelley McNeil: I read this for a book club. The member who recommend it said she enjoyed it because the author kept her guessing until the end. I got some inklings of the solution a bit before that, but I still found it a satisfying read. A mom of a young girl is in a traffic accident and when she wakes up, the doctor and hospital and EMS responders insist there was no daughter in her car. When her husband arrives at the hospital, he tells her they lost their baby in a miscarriage over five years ago. This sends Annie on a quest to find the daughter she knows exists. I enjoyed this one and read the ebook in a day and a half.

Have you read any of these? What have you been reading? Any recommendations? I’d love to hear from you!

Book Talk Tuesday: BURIED EVIDENCE

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ous

Laney Hamilton planned to never return to her hometown of Sandy Bluff, Indiana. There were too many memories there. She left ten years ago for good reasons. But the chief of police called and said he needed her help to identify recently discovered bones. Bones that could belong to Laney’s long-missing best friend. The police chief’s daughter. And twin sister to Ryan, Laney’s first love and the man she can’t get over.

Ryan Mitchell has never forgotten Laney, even though she broke his heart when she left Sandy Bluff after his sister, Jenna, disappeared. Now, Laney’s back to help with the investigation and excavation of newly discovered remains. That would be hard enough, but someone is determined to hurt Laney. She’s threatened at every turn. Ryan has to keep her safe, even if it means she’ll just leave him again.

This sweet inspirations romantic suspense is fast-paced. It kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The characters have real chemistry. The secrets keeping them apart felt believable, not contrived. There’s a convincing twist at the end.

I enjoyed this book a lot and I wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of heart-pounding suspense with a dash of romance and happily-ever-after endings.

I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher, but that did not induce me to write a review, favorable or not.

Book Talk Thursday: SWEET TEA

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Althea Dailey has finally arrived. She’s made partner at her prestigious New York law firm. She’s left her hometown of Milford, Georgia firmly in her rearview mirror. Even having to travel south for her new case doesn’t induce her to visit her grandmother in Milford.

But when Allie hears that a filmmaker is making a documentary featuring her grandmother and Granda’s famous recipes, Allie determines to come home and protect both Granda and the recipes.

Jack Darwent may be a trust fund frat guy, but he’s passionate about food and films. Filming Miss Ada, the legendary cook/chef at Milford College, a historically Black college, is going to be the centerpiece of his newest project. When Miss Ada’s granddaughter shows up, with a chip big as a brick on her shoulder and attitude to match, he can only help Miss Ada’s plan to thaw Althea’s hard shell.

The title, SWEET TEA, is a play on words. Sweet tea is at the center of Allie’s lawsuit, and T and Sweet T are her grandmother’s nicknames for her.

SWEET TEA is another departure for Hallmark Publishing. They are definitely trying to diversify their line and it’s showing. With its interracial couple, SWEET TEA is a welcome addition to the Hallmark family. 

Allie and Jack are well rounded characters, not stereotypical and not shallow. I enjoyed their story a lot and I highly recommend it!

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I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, but that did not induce me to review it, favorably or not. 

Book Talk Tuesday: THEN CAME YOU

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ous

My first Susan May Warren book was NOTHING BUT TROUBLE, featuring PJ Sugar, a heroine I fell in love with from the first line. The man from her past, Boone Buckram, was swoon-worthy, but they were not to be. PJ ended up with someone else.

THEN CAME YOU is Boone on vacation in Deep Haven, where he runs into Vivien Calhoun. We first met Vivien in CRAZY FOR YOU, Peter and Ronnie’s story. I love how these books cross over, but each stand alone.

Each time I open a Deep Haven book, I smile, because I know I’m in for a great story, with relatable characters, in a setting that feels as welcoming as cool sand and water on a hot day.

THEN CAME YOU, by Susan May Warren and Rachel D. Russell, met all my expectations, and then some.

The first line grabbed me: Vivien Calhoun needed a man within the next five minutes.

How can you not keep reading after that? (I’m noticing a trend here. I’m not becoming a first line snob. I promise I give books more than one line to hook me!)

Boone has been put on mandatory vacation status with the Kellogg Police Department after an incident. He picks Deep Haven for his retreat, finds a lakeside cabin, checks-in with the required therapist, and prepares to–if not enjoy, then endure–his break.

Until he meets Vivie his first morning in town. He rescues the vivacious brunette from a situation, then ends up a parade through Deep Haven. Before you can say, Lake Superior, Boone is drawn to Vivie, wanting to help her with her situation, then her amateur theatre group. But after each step closer, Vivie pulls away.

Vivien returned to Deep Haven from New York, determined not to look back. But someone won’t let her go that easily. She can’t let Boone get close, she can’t risk hurting anyone.

Warren and Russell have written another winner entry in the Deep Haven collection. I loved it and can’t wait for the next one!

I received a free advance copy of this book, but that did not induce me to review it, favorably or not.

Book Talk Tuesday: Sweet Entanglement

Published on by Live Vi-Carrie-ous

Sweet Entanglement is indeed a sweet romance with enough talk about cinnamon buns to make anyone run to their nearest bakery for a dozen of their own.

seLauren Cooper is on her way to partner in her law firm when the man who broke her heart shows up as her newest client in Indigo Bay. No problem, she tells herself. She’ll handle his case and he can be on his way.

Jesse Brewster though has other plans and they don’t include rushing out of town. He’s going to be Indigo Bay’s newest home and business owner, having inherited a beach mansion from his uncle. However, someone in town is determined that Jesse’s restoration project will fail.

I enjoyed this sweet romance. Sweet Entanglement’s characters are well-written, their chemistry felt genuine, and the setting is a place I’d love to visit.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.