After We Fall by Deborah Clack

 

Title:  After We Fall

Author:  Deborah Clack

Narrated by:  Jeanine Bartel

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 47 minutes

Source: Thank you to @deborah_clack, @havenfiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of After We Fall.  Thank-you to NetGalley for the audiobook review copy.

Do you like books where the main character shares your name or a family member’s name?  I do!  I was excited that the main character in this book is named Penelope like my daughter.

Penelope Reid has her life in order with a goal of becoming the manager of the halfway house, the Twelve Bluebells Ranch, when life takes a sudden turn after an accident.  Luke asked Penelope to dance three years before, but then disappeared.  He has returned to provide security at the ranch. After tragedy strikes, will Penelope learn that she can trust someone else besides herself?  Will Luke and Penelope get a second chance?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Jeanine Bartel was a great audiobook narrator who had different voices for all the characters.

·       I really enjoyed Penelope’s journey.  She was orphaned and then in the foster system.  She learned to only trust herself and to work through pain.  After her injury, she must learn to trust others and to slow herself down and not be able to get everything done. 

·       This is the second book in the series.  I have not read the first book in this series and After the Fall worked fine as a standalone novel.

·       I always love a good second chance romance.  I enjoyed Luke and Penelope’s love story.

·       The theme of figuring out your own self worth when you are not able to achieve at your prior rate really resonated with me.

·       I liked the honest look at traumatic brain injury.  Penelope wasn’t magically cured.  She had to figure out how to change her life and manage her expectations.

·       This novel had great characters.  I loved how Penelope truly cared for the young women at the ranch and was always helping someone. 

·       I would classify this as a clean read, inspirational, contemporary romance, opposites tract, and second change romance.

·       I’ll admit that I was driven nuts by Luke calling Penelope “Baby” a lot.  It got on my nerves.

Overall, After We Fall by Deborah Clack was an excellent contemporary romance with deep themes of learning your own self worth and working through a major injury.  I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the series.

 

The Roommate Rule by Georgia Stone

 

Have you ever lived with a roommate besides a spouse?  Would you rather have a roommate or live alone?

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the review copy of The Roommate Rule by Georgia Stone.

Dylan is taking a last minute six-week trip to Wales with her best friend’s brother, Max.  She has only met Max one other time but has agreed to this trip after his plus one dropped out.  Max is a travel influencer, and all expenses are paid.  As they get to know each other, sparks start to fly. Will these two find love on this amazing trip?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the interesting chapter titles such as “I’m fine, I just enjoy jumping from great heights, that’s all.”  They often gave me a chuckle.

·       Cancer survival is a theme in this book.

·       I need to read Georgia Stone’s other book, The Friendship Fling.

·       Tropes included best friend’s brother, forced proximity, contemporary romance, opposites attract.

·       There was great banter and chemistry between Dylan and Max.  It felt like the room lit up whenever they were together.

·       This book was a dual point of view novel with Dylan and Max as the two points of view.

·       The setting was Pembrokeshire, Wales and it made me really want to visit that area   It seemed beautiful and a place I would like to spend a long vacation.

·       I liked how both characters grew throughout the novel and faced their fears.  Max lives in the moment because of a past death experience.  Dylan is always trying to please everyone else, but what about pleasing herself?  They push each other out of their comfort zones.

·       This is a spicy romance.

·       I loved the cute cover. 

·       This was funny and was a perfect summer read for me last month.

Overall, The Roommate Rule by Georgia Stone is a fun romance with great characters and banter.

Nearly a Bride by Sabrina Jeffries

 

Title:  Nearly a Bride

Author:  Sabrina Jeffries

Narrated by:  Beverley A. Crick

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 40 minutes

Source: Audiobook copy from NetGalley and physical book copy from Kensington Books as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you!

What type of books do you need when you need a lighthearted read?  I like to read romance when I need a good lighthearted book.

The Earl of Hearthbrook, Heath, was trapped in France for ten years.  His first goal upon returning home is to claim guardianship of his brothers.  In order to look respectable, he enters into a faux engagement with Giselle Bernard.  A stranger is threatening Giselle and her mother by saying her immigration papers have been forged. Heath agrees to help her out with this problem, if she helps him with a fake engagement.  Will these two find that their feelings are more than fake?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       There was an intriguing note at the beginning of the novel of how in 1802, the Treaty of Amiens was signed which seemed to be the end of the Napoleonic Wars.  Many British citizens flocked to France to see Paris for the first time since 1792.  The peace did not last, and hostilities started again on May 18, 1803.  Napoleon captured all British male citizen will in France (and their families) and they were held prisoner until 1814. These prisoners were called detenus and the story focuses on them.

·       I loved the great banter between the two leads.

·       This novel is a historical regency romance with a fake engagement and opposites attract tropes.

·       This novel was the second in the Lords of Hazards series.  I read it as a standalone and it worked.  I did feel like there was background that would have enhanced the story that was set up in the first book.  I need to go back and read Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart.

·       I listened to this on audiobook. The narrator, Beverley A. Crick was fantastic.  I enjoyed the distinct voices she gave all the characters and the French accents.  It was a light entertaining book that was perfect for a stressful time of year.

·       I liked the heroine, Giselle, a lot.  She was a caring person who helped those around her including her mother and Heath’s brothers.

·       This was a steamy romance with great chemistry between the leads.

Overall, Nearly a Bride by Sabrina Jeffries is an entertaining historical regency romance that is a perfect way to escape from the stressors of the day.

 

A Little Paris Christmas by Jennifer Shirk

 

Do you have a favorite fictional dog?  I loved the dog character is this novel, but growing up, I loved Jack in the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Sophie Dubois is the promotions director in Paris, Pennsylvania.  Tourism is down and the mayor has tasked her to drum up business for the town or risk losing her job.  While she works on a plan to save both her job and the town, she needs her handsome, but grumpy neighbor, bestselling author, Mason Haywood.  Will Sophie and Mason find love?  Will Sophie keep her job and help the town?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       A Little Paris Christmas was my last Christmas read for the season.

·       I won this novel from the TLC Book Tours book club giveaway as part of the Rogue Book Club.  We gave it out at our meeting in November.

·       I loved Mason’s dog, Gingersnap.  Gingersnap is a cute dachshund.  He brings Sophie and Mason together and also forces Mason to leave his home and get to know his community.  Gingersnap was my favorite character.

·       This is a fun, light, and cozy novel.  I loved the humor!

·       The Christmas spirit was great in this novel.

·       There was wonderful chemistry between Mason and Sophie.

·       This novel had the following tropes:  enemies to lovers, grumpy vs. sunshine, and opposites to attract.

·       I thought by the title that this book was set in Paris, France, but it is really set in Paris, Pennsylvania.

·       This was a closed-door romantic comedy.

Overall, A Little Paris Christmas by Jennifer Shirk is a sweet story with fun characters.  The lighthearted romantic comedy was perfect for this time of year.

Book Source:  Thank-you to author Jennifer Shirk and TLC Book Tours for the giveaway copy of this novel.

Not Exactly Mr. Darcy by Carolyn Miller (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Have you visited any literary locations?  I have visited many of the Little House on the Prairie locations, but still have a few on my bucket list.  One of my favorite literary locations is Gene Stratton Porter’s Cabin at Wildflower Woods in Rome City, Indiana.  Gene Stratton Porter wrote Girl of the Limberlost and Freckles.  It’s a beautiful and peaceful place.

Olivia “Liv” Bennett is a history teacher in Australia. When her teaching contract is not renewed and is given to another employee, her family decides she is the best person to travel to England and help out her Grandma who is having health problems.  Immediately after she arrives, she has an awkward run in with a gardener at a local estate.  While Liam and Olivia do not have a good first meeting, they get to know each other better when Olivia starts to work at Hartbury Hall to help open it back up to the public.  Will these two learn to look beyond first impressions?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       It was a clean read and a Christian read.

·       It was a cute story with a sweet romance.

·       I loved how it was a modern-day Pride and Prejudice story.

·       The characters were great.  I loved Olivia, Liam, and everyone in the village.

·       Hartbury Hall was the setting of a fictional 2015 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which made it a tourist attraction.  I wanted to see this fake adaptation!

·       This is the first in a new series – The Silver Teapot series.  I am looking forward to the next book in this series and learning more about Olivia’s sisters.

·       I enjoyed the author’s note and am fascinated that Lyme Park (Pemberley in the 1995 adaptation) had no references to the film and that the author’s husband was a gardener there when he was young.  I don’t know why Lyme Park wouldn’t take advantage of being such a famous place in a movie and how fun that the author’s husband was a gardener there.

·       This was an interesting look at how hard it is to maintain and keep up a British great house or large estate.  It impacts the village when it is no longer an employer or tourist attraction.  I liked seeing the renovations of the estate through the story.

·       There were various themes in the story such as second chances, forgiveness, and moving on from the past.

·       The romance tropes were opposites attract, fake identity, and forced proximity.  I enjoy these tropes.

·       This was a cozy read that was perfect for this busy time of year.

Overall, Not Exactly Mr. Darcy by Carolyn Miller is a delightful and fun romance that is a modern-day Pride and Prejudice story. It was a very enjoyable and cozy read.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @carolynmillerauthor @barbourbooks @austenprose for a review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. 

Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates

 

Title:  Cruel Summer

Author:  Maisey Yates

Narrated by:  Nancy Peterson

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 38 minutes

Source: Thank you @netgalley for the review copy. 

What is your favorite song of the summer?  I do love the song “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama so this title caught my eye.  I finished this book up at the start of last week, which is perfect with summer coming to an official end today.  Our weather in Northeast Wisconsin also warmed back up this week so we have more summer weather.

Samantha Parker has a comfortable life with marriage to her high school sweetheart, Will, and three kids. They are ready to start on their empty nest phase when Samantha is blindsided by Will stating that he wants an open marriage.   She proposes that they have a summer apart with no contact to determine how they want to move forward.  Samantha wants to spend summer finding herself.  Will’s best friend, Logan, asks her to go with him to deliver restored class cars across the country as a part time summer job.  Will Samantha find herself?  Will she and Will reunite?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The audiobook was good.  The Narrator was pleasant to listen to and the story was engaging.  I just had a hard time listening to it at the end when it took a turn into steamy romance.

·       This was not a breezy summer book as it tackled many hard topics.

·       I can’t imagine my husband coming home one day and asking for an open marriage.  What a shock – especially are they are just coming empty nesters with more time to spend together.

·       It was really Will wanting cake and to eat it too.  He didn’t want a divorce, but wanted to screw around since they married so young and never had another relationship.

·       I had a hard time with the romance.  On her adventures with Logan, it comes out that Logan has loved her since high school and she was attracted to him too.  How does this work?

·       Overall, in the book, Samantha is working on finding herself and what she wants in life instead of trying to please everyone else.

·       I love vintage cars so the descriptions of the cars and taking them cross country was fun for me.

·       This book had spicy scenes, forced proximity, 2^nd chance romance, and opposites attract.

Overall, Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates was an interesting summer read that tackled a lot of hard topics.

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

 

Do you like when books combine two holiday seasons?  I do, it gives me a Nightmare Before Christmas Vibe.

Bowen Penhallow prefers to live life alone on a mountain in Wales studying ancient magic.  He ventures out to meet Tamsyn Bligh.  Tamsyn is not a witch, but she does procure magical items for witches.  She becomes exclusive to helping Bowen procure items.  She does decide to do one last private job on her own where she will make a lot of cash.  While on this job, she meets Bowen at a wedding that they are both crashing for different reasons. Will they be able to help each other with their projects?  Will sparks fly?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is the third novel in the Ex Hex series.  I have enjoyed this entire series.  It is a lighthearted and fun series that is great for the Halloween season.  I hope this series continues!

·       This novel was a steamy romance.

·       I really liked the time travel elements of the story.  Bowen meets his grandparents right before their wedding.

·       The story got a bit slow for me in the middle, but then it picked up again and held my attention to the end.

·       It was set a Christmas, so it was both a Christmas and a Halloween read.

·       I loved how Bown and Tamsyn had an opposites attract story.  Bowen is grumpy and Tamsyn is all sunshine.  They had good banter.

·       In the 1950’s storyline, the child Emerald is a hoot.  She is always catching the two of them at awkward times, and she knows that they are up to something.

·       I enjoyed that the author tried something different in this world to keep the story interesting.

Overall, The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling was an enjoyable, fun story with great romance, time travel, and fun banter.  It is perfect for both the Halloween and the Christmas seasons.

Book Source:  Review copy from NetGalley. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.