Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay

 

Do you buy books based on book covers?  I think the cover of this book is very cute!

Librarian Emily Allen (Red) takes a job with her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, as an assistant in a small village in Ireland.  It’s a dream come true except for having to deal with Siobhan’s cranky son, Kieran Murphy (Murphy).  He assigns her boring tasks in the bookstore and makes it apparent that he does not want her around.  Will these two learn how to get along to help Siobhan finish the last book in her beloved children’s fantasy series?

My thoughts on this book:

·       It’s on my bucket list to go to Ireland.  I loved how the main character, Emily, gets her dream trip to Ireland to mee her favorite author and work in a bookshop.  The food, people, terms, etc. from Ireland were fantastic and felt like I was taking a trip there myself.

·       I loved how Red and Murphy talk to each other in quotes from books.  It was so cute. This book had great banter.

·       This book was an enemies to lovers and a slow burn romance.

·       I liked the story of an author trying to finish up a beloved series while she can.

·       It was a very sweet and good book.  I enjoyed it.

·       I loved the characters, setting and story.  I couldn’t put this book down.

·       This was a gift from my life long best friend who enjoys the same books as me.  It’s actually our lifelong goal to take a friend’s trip to Ireland someday.

·       Emily has problems with her narcissist Mom and setting boundaries.  Being in Ireland helps with this.

·       The descriptions of the Irish food made me very hungry.

·       This contemporary romance had some spice.

Overall, Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay was a very enjoyable contemporary romance set in Ireland. It’s a perfect St. Patrick’s day read.

Book Source:  Birthday gift from a dear friend.

Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay

 

Title:  Sugar Plum Poisoned:  Cupcake Bakery Mystery, Book 15

Author:  Jenn McKinlay

Narrated by:  Susan Boyce

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 14 minutes

Source: Review Copy from NetGalley

 

Cupcakes or cake?  I love them both.

In Sugar Plum Poisoned, Mel and Angie run a bakery in town.  As they prepare for the holidays, Angie’s old friend, the now famous singer Shelby, has arrived back in town to give a Christmas concert.  The friends enjoy being together again, but when Shelby’s manager is found murdered, will they be able to solve the crime?

Sugar Plum Poisoned was a cozy Christmas mystery that I enjoyed.  I loved the friendships, the baked goods, and trying to solve the mystery.  I did guess who the murderer was before the end, but I enjoyed the journey getting there.  I did feel stressed out for Mel when both sides of her family wanted her to host a very specific holiday celebration when she was already busy with her bakery and solving a crime.

I did not realize this was book 15 in the series when I read it.  It worked well as a standalone novel, but I would love to learn the history of the characters.  I may need to check out the other books in this series.

Susan Boyce was a good narrator for this audiobook.