#BlogTour #BookReview Bad Reputation by Emma Barry @AuthorEmmaBarry @OverTheRiverPR @AmazonPub #BadReputation #EmmaBarry #Montlake #MontlakeAuthors #OTRPR

#BlogTour #BookReview Bad Reputation by Emma Barry @AuthorEmmaBarry @OverTheRiverPR @AmazonPub #BadReputation #EmmaBarry #Montlake #MontlakeAuthors #OTRPR Title: Bad Reputation

Author: Emma Barry

Published by: Montlake Romance on Oct. 1, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 319

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing, OTRPR

Book Rating: 8/10

In this whip-smart workplace romance from the author of Chick Magnet, a former teen star and an accidental intimacy coordinator have a plan to fix their images—and falling in love would ruin everything.

Cole James’s reputation as Hollywood’s favorite himbo no longer suits him. His fans can’t separate the real man from the character he played on a soapy teen drama decades ago. But that’s going to change with Waverley, the hit streaming historical romance series.

Maggie Niven hates her own notoriety. Fired for directing a divisive play, Maggie takes her fight against censorship public. When Hollywood comes calling, she becomes the new intimacy coordinator for Waverley. But it’s harder than she imagined to focus on the job.

Cole isn’t what she expected—and Maggie is more than he dreamed of. As filming gets underway, the cast’s old traumas lead to real intimacy, and Cole and Maggie struggle with feelings they shouldn’t have. Having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career.

The show must go on. But if Cole and Maggie want a happy ending, they’ll have to start doing things their own way.


Review:

Appealing, tender, and sweet!

Bad Reputation is a bighearted, uplifting tale that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Cole James, an actor struggling to be known for more than just his long-running image as a teen heartthrob and himbo, and Maggie Niven, a former drama teacher turned intimacy coordinator, who is determined to fight censorship and prove just how wrong her dismissal from the school board for diverseness truly was.

The writing is touching and light. The characters are charismatic, genuine, and endearing. And the plot is an engaging mix of heart, humour, friendship, attraction, chemistry, relationship drama, romance, and the intricacies of movie making.

Overall, Bad Reputation is another charming, witty, delightful tale by Barry that has all the elements I’ve come to know and enjoy in her novels, including a fierce heroine, an attentive alpha male, and a slightly unique, swoony storyline.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

     

 

 

Thank you to OTRPR and Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Emma Barry

Emma Barry is a teacher, novelist, recovering academic, and former political staffer. She lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, and she occasionally finds time to read and write.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

#BookReview The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay @PenguinRandomCA #TheHolidayHoneymoonSwitch #JuliaMcKay #PenguinReads

#BookReview The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay @PenguinRandomCA #TheHolidayHoneymoonSwitch #JuliaMcKay #PenguinReads Title: The Holiday Honeymoon Switch

Author: Julia McKay

Published by: Penguin Canada on Oct. 8, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

When doppelgänger best friends trade one’s cabin Christmas vacation for the other’s Hawaiian would’ve-been-honeymoon, both might just find love they weren’t expecting.

Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. So when Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal.

But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bedless, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet.


Review:

Hopeful, romantic, and cosy!

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch is a fresh, uplifting tale that takes us into the lives of both Holly Beech, a young woman who after recently being left at the alter heads to a cabin in the Hudson Valley to regroup and heal, and Ivy Casey, her talented best friend who, after giving up her planned painting retreat, heads to Kauai on the honeymoon that should have been to rest, relax, and perhaps paint more than just the beautiful scenery.

The prose is light and witty. The characters are sweet, attentive, and sympathetic. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, love, family, introspection, support, drama, merry preparations, taking chances, new beginnings, and the power of friendship.

Overall, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch is an amusing, festive, adorable treat by McKay that is brimming with sweet romance, idyllic locales, relationship drama, and a whole lot of holiday cheer.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Julia McKay

Julia McKay is the pen name of Marissa Stapley, a former magazine editor and New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club Pick Lucky, as well as international bestsellers Mating for Life, Things to Do When It’s Raining, and The Last Resort. She is also one half of the writing duo behind The Holiday Swap and All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox, and co-author of Three Holidays and a Wedding. Many of her novels have been optioned for television and her journalism has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Elle, Today’s Parent, and Reader’s Digest. She lives in Toronto with her family and a pre­cocious black cat named Oscar.

#BookReview The Two Loves of Sophie Strom by Sam Taylor @FaberBooks @PGCBooks #TheTwoLovesOfSophieStrom #SamTaylor #PGCBooks

#BookReview The Two Loves of Sophie Strom by Sam Taylor @FaberBooks @PGCBooks #TheTwoLovesOfSophieStrom #SamTaylor #PGCBooks Title: The Two Loves of Sophie Strom

Author: Sam Taylor

Published by: Faber & Faber on Oct. 8, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

One man, one choice, two lifetimes.

A house fire, Vienna, 1933: thirteen-year-old Max is orphaned, disfigured and adopted by an Aryan family who change his identity – and his prospects.

A house fire, Vienna, 1933: thirteen-year-old Max saves his parents and escapes unharmed, to face life as a Jew in 1930s Austria.

In one unforgettable night, Max Spiegelman’s life splits in two. As war looms and Nazism continues to rise, Max is forced into choices that place him and his alter ego on opposing sides of a divided world. Tethered by their dreams, the boys watch helplessly, haunted by visions of what could have been. But in each parallel universe, they share a magnetic bond with an enchanting, grey-eyed girl.

The Two Loves of Sophie Strom is a profound story about how tragedy, choice and life-altering love shape our future.


Review:

Intriguing, thought-provoking, and gripping!

The Two Loves of Sophie Strom is a moving, parallel-universe tale that takes us into the life of Max Spiegelman, a young Jewish boy whose life is split into two completely different paths when one night he dreams that his house is burning down, his parents don’t survive, and thus he becomes an orphan raised by a german family with a new name, Hans, who eventually becomes a member of the Nazis or does he awake to find the house filled with smoke, his parents alive, and a future that involves persecution, an escape to Paris, the French resistance and the possible enduring love of a woman both versions of himself can’t seem to live without.

The writing is dynamic and fluid. The characters are flawed, vulnerable, and tormented. And the multi-layered plot is a heartfelt, absorbing tale about life, loss, love, destiny, survival, heartbreak, choices, war, and the question of what if?

Overall, The Two Loves of Sophie Strom is a fascinating, pensive, engaging read by Taylor that does a remarkable job of highlighting that it only takes one moment, decision, or circumstance to completely change your life forever.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sam Taylor

Sam Taylor is a novelist and literary translator. His previous novels have reached an international audience, and his award-winning translations include works by Laurent Binet, Leïla Slimani and Marcel Proust. Born in England, Sam was a writer and editor at The Observer before moving to France. He now lives in the United States with his family.

#BookReview Make Me a Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #MakeMeAMixtape #JenniferWhiteford #PenguinReads

#BookReview Make Me a Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #MakeMeAMixtape #JenniferWhiteford #PenguinReads Title: Make Me a Mixtape

Author: Jennifer Whiteford

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Oct. 8, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 280

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

A guarded punk-rocker-turned-barista meets a big-hearted sound tech who charms his way into her life and helps her revisit her musical past in this truly charming, cozy fall romance.

Allie Andrews gave up on the music world ten years ago. No wild tours, no late nights, no career-ending inter-band blowouts. Just day after comfortable day of working in her aunt’s café in Brooklyn and recording ’80s cover songs in her tiny apartment. The last thing she wants, or expects, is to be recognized as former punk rocker Allie Jetski. But a last-minute coffee delivery lands her face to face with the big, charming, handsome (and quite possibly number one fan of the Jetskis) Ryan Abernathy.

Ryan isn’t about to forget meeting the lead singer of one of his favorite bands. Undeterred by her prickly demeanor, he sets his mind to helping Allie find her way back to the Jetskis—so she can come to terms with what happened all those years ago. Allie finds Ryan hard to resist, and her quiet life is turned upside down as she is swept up in a whirlwind hunt for her old bandmates.

But when Aunt Mindy announces that she’s decided to sell the café, Allie is faced with a life-altering choice: play it safe and take over the business, or risk opening herself up to a future in music . . . and maybe even love.


Review:

Charming, comical, and uplifting!

Make Me a Mixtape is a sweet, heartwarming tale that takes you into the life of the hardworking Allie Andrews who, after walking away from a burgeoning music career a decade earlier, now finds herself spending her days recording 80s cover songs, working in her aunt’s cafe, and trying to deny a blossoming attraction to a sound technician who was once one of her band’s biggest fans.

The prose is tender and smooth. The characters are multilayered, amusing and endearing. And the plot is a smart, engaging tale full of life, loss, love, friendship, tricky moments, awkward situations, miscommunication, delicious chemistry, romance, tension, self-reflection, and a soundtrack of some of the most unforgettable 80s songs.

Overall, Make Me a Mixtape is a light, refreshing, entertaining tale by Whiteford that I thoroughly enjoyed and which is a solid choice for fans of contemporary romance novels that are brimming with humour, heart, hope, and music.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jennifer Whiteford

JENNIFER WHITEFORD (she/her) lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with her partner, children, dog and record collection. She writes regularly for Razorcake, a long-standing punk publication. She was also a founding member of the "all girl, all rock" band Sophomore Level Psychology. With those rock 'n roll days behind her, she now mostly stays home and reads.

#BookReview The Sky Beneath Us by Fiona Valpy @FionaValpy @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheSkyBeneathUs #FionaValpy #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

#BookReview The Sky Beneath Us by Fiona Valpy @FionaValpy @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheSkyBeneathUs #FionaValpy #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: The Sky Beneath Us

Author: Fiona Valpy

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Sep. 10, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 320

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

An inspiring, uplifting story of love and loss, courage and adventure, from the bestselling author of The Skylark’s Secret.

1927. Violet Mackenzie-Grant is embarking on her dream of studying at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women. She doesn’t yet know that it’s a journey that will take her to Kathmandu and beyond, deep into captivating landscapes and cultures that are worlds away from everything and everyone she’s left behind in Scotland.

2020. Daisy Laverock has dreamed of retracing the footsteps of her great-great-aunt Violet ever since discovering her long-lost journals, whose accounts of plant hunting in the 1930s inspired Daisy’s own career. Divorced, and facing an empty nest, Daisy decides to embark on the trip of a lifetime. She arrives in Nepal, ready to start trekking in the shadow of Everest. But fate, and the pandemic, have other plans.

Stranded and alone, Daisy must fall back on the kindness of strangers, taking inspiration from Violet’s determination and resilience to keep going in the darkest of times. As she gradually pieces together the fragments of Violet’s story and uncovers long-held secrets, can Daisy finally reveal a path forward to her own future?


Review:

Passionate, vivid, and compelling!

The Sky Beneath Us is an intriguing, adventurous tale set during 1927, as well as 2020, that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Violet Mackenzie-Grant, a young woman whose passion for gardening takes her from the streets of Scotland to the mountainous Katmandu; and Daisy Laverock, a middle-aged woman who, needing to find a purpose of her own, embarks on a journey to discover more about her great-great-aunt’s legacy and the life she ultimately lived.

The prose is eloquent and well-turned. The characters are vulnerable, strong, and courageous. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel seamlessly into a heartfelt, touching tale of life, loss, secrets, surprises, separation, heartbreak, desperation, survival, danger, friendship, discovery, recognition, purpose, and love.

Overall, The Sky Beneath Us is an intricate, fascinating, atmospheric tale by Valpy that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the personalities, feelings, and lives of the characters within it that you can’t help but be continually absorbed and invested.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Fiona Valpy

Fiona is an acclaimed number 1 bestselling author, whose books have sold millions of copies and been translated into more than thirty different languages worldwide.

She draws inspiration from the stories of strong women, especially during the years of World War II. Her meticulous research enriches her writing with an evocative sense of time and place.

She spent seven years living in France, having moved there from the UK in 2007, before returning to live in Scotland. Her love for both of these countries, their people and their histories, has found its way into many of the books she’s written.

#BookReview The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen @Rhysbowen @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheRoseArbor #RhysBowen #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

#BookReview The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen @Rhysbowen @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheRoseArbor #RhysBowen #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: The Rose Arbor

Author: Rhys Bowen

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Aug. 6, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 379

Format: Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

An investigation into a girl’s disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Paris Assignment.

1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.

Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.

As Liz digs deeper, she finds herself drawn to the village of Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during the war and left in ruins. After all these years, what could possibly link the missing girls to this abandoned village? And why does a place Liz has never seen before seem so strangely familiar?


Review:

Captivating, atmospheric, and rich!

The Rose Arbor is an absorbing, engaging tale set in England during 1943 and 1968 that takes you into the life of Liz Houghton, a young writer who, after tagging along with her police officer roommate to the desolate village of Tydeham to try and find a missing girl, stumbles across some deep dark family secrets of her own when she becomes engrossed in solving a twenty-five-year-old cold case involving three little girls from London who seemingly vanished without a trace while being evacuated to the countryside during the war.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are independent, intelligent, and driven. And the plot is a compelling, tender tale about life, loss, family, secrets, desperation, tragedy, deduction, friendship, duplicitous behaviours, and wartime sacrifices.

Overall, The Rose Arbor is an immersive, intriguing, touching tale by Bowen that is the perfect choice for anyone who loves an intricate mystery set against the backdrop of war.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

      

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Rhys Bowen

Rhys Bowen’s work has sold close to 10 million copies, in over 30 languages. She has been nominated for every major mystery award and has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. A complete list can be found here.

Her books include the Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy historical mysteries, as well as several international bestselling stand-alone novels.

Photo: Douglas Sonders

#BookReview The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose @NitaProse @PenguinCanada #TheMistletoeMystery #MollytheMaidSeries #NitaProse #PenguinReads #PenguinCanada

#BookReview The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose @NitaProse @PenguinCanada #TheMistletoeMystery #MollytheMaidSeries #NitaProse #PenguinReads #PenguinCanada Title: The Mistletoe Mystery

Author: Nita Prose

Series: Molly the Maid #2.5

Published by: Viking on Oct. 1, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 128

Format: Hardcover

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

Molly the Maid has a whole new mystery to solve in this heartwarming novella from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest.

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s mofinst joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all.


Review:

Sweet, cosy, and romantic!

The Mistletoe Mystery is a delightfully charming, uplifting novella that takes us back into the life of Molly Gray as she juggles the highs and lows of another Christmas season without her beloved grandmother, a hotel filled to the brim with guests and holiday cheer, an employee Secret Santa gift exchange that always fills her with trepidation, and an attentive boyfriend who spoils her daily with lots of little things but is increasingly acting extremely suspicious.

The writing is sincere and smooth. The characters are engaging, supportive, and genuine. And the plot is a touching, nostalgic tale about life, love, family, friendship, surprises, misconceptions, festive cheer, and holiday magic.

Overall, The Mistletoe Mystery is a heartwarming, engaging, festive addition to one of my favourite series, Molly the Maid, by Prose that reminds us to always surround ourselves with those we love, stay open-minded, and always be excited for whatever comes next.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Canada for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Nita Prose

NITA PROSE is a longtime editor, serving many bestselling authors and their books. She lives in Toronto, Canada, in a house that is only moderately clean.…

Photo by Dahlia Katz Photography.

#BlogTour #BookReview I Blame the Rival by Jade Everhart #IBlametheRival #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited #NewAdultRomance #SportsRomance

#BlogTour #BookReview I Blame the Rival by Jade Everhart #IBlametheRival #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited #NewAdultRomance #SportsRomance Title: I Blame the Rival

Author: Jade Everhart

Series: Taber Tigers #4

Published by: Independently Published on Sep. 23, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Pages: 332

Format: Paperback

Source: Jade Everhart

Book Rating: 10/10

Lacey

All I wanted was a friend. That’s why I responded to the note another therapy patient left behind. To find someone who knows what it’s like to have scars no one else can see. To have secrets no one wants to hear.

I was looking for a friend. I didn’t know he was the rival.

Skylar

I fell in love with someone I’ve never met. A faceless pen pal, I wouldn’t be able to pick this girl out of a crowd and yet she owns every piece of my battered heart. She’s the colour to my darkness and I didn’t know what would happen if we ever met in person. I didn’t know how my life would change once we did.


Review:

Absorbing, intense, and emotional!

I Blame the Rival is an intimate, touching tale that sweeps you away to small-town Alberta and into the life of Lacey, an eighteen-year-old girl who, after experiencing a sexual assault from her first serious boyfriend, struggles to find the light in her life until she accidentally becomes pen pals with another broken soul who may be considered taboo but whose patience and trust may actually be the perfect balm for healing both their shattered hearts.

The writing style is heartfelt and smooth. The characters are tormented, fragile, and endearing. And the plot is a rollercoaster ride of life, love, friendship, family, trust, shame, self-blame, loneliness, sexual assault, childhood trauma, mental health, comfort, support, pain, accepting love, and undeniable attraction.

Overall, I Blame the Rival is a tender, immersive, sensitive conclusion to the Tiger Tabers series by Everhart that packed a real emotional punch and had just the right amount of intensity, angst, romance, and passion to keep me invested from start to finish while also leaving me a little sad to say goodbye to all these characters I’ve come to know and love over the past four novels.

This novel is available now in paperback & KINDLE UNLIMITED.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

Thank you to Jade Everhart for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jade Everhart

Jade Everhart writes heart-warming romances with flawed characters and laugh-out-loud banter. When she's not using her own terrible meet-cutes as inspiration for her next novel, Jade spends her time listening to loud music and tearing up dance floors from the prairies of Southern Alberta to the glistening beaches of Miami.

#BookReview Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit @PenguinRandomCA #SunshineAndSpice #AuroraPalit #PenguinReads

#BookReview Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit @PenguinRandomCA #SunshineAndSpice #AuroraPalit #PenguinReads Title: Sunshine and Spice

Author: Aurora Palit

Published by: Berkley on Sep. 10, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

When two complete opposites agree to fake date in order to solve their cultural dilemmas, they find the only force more powerful than an immigrant mother’s matchmaking schemes might just be true love.

Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family’s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the “oops” baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi’s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains.

Enter, Dev Mukherjee.

Dev knows everything his mother wants…including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know, asking him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother’s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right?

But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.


Review:

Sassy, emotive, and sweetly romantic!

Sunshine and Spice is a fresh, heartwarming tale that transports you to Kelowna, British Columbia, and into the lives of Naomi Kelly, a struggling brand consultant who feels left out and disconnected from her South Asian roots, and Dev Mukherjee, a handsome accountant who takes his family obligations seriously but is entirely uninterested in any of his mother’s persistent matchmaking activities.

The writing is heartfelt and light. The characters are intelligent, stubborn, vulnerable, and endearing. And the plot is a push-pull tale full of familial responsibility, tender moments, witty banter, goals, expectations, friendship, community, culture, optimism, chemistry, traditions, and love.

Overall, Sunshine and Spice is a sexy, sweet, uplifting tale by Palit with a whole cast of characters I couldn’t help but be intrigued with, a diverse storyline that kept me engaged from start to finish, and a happy-ever-after ending that left me satisfied.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Aurora Palit

A first generation Bengali-Canadian, Aurora Palit grew up in rural Alberta, where she was always the only South Asian student in her class. Her love of reading began at age four but it wasn’t until high school—when she wandered into the romance section of a bookstore—that she realized happily-ever-afters are her jam. Flash forward [an undisclosed number of] years and Aurora is now writing those stories with her own unique brand of humor, perspective, and belief that people of color deserve love stories too. During her time pursuing a master's degree in English literature, Aurora was drawn to discourses on diaspora and identity, racism, and multi-generational immigrant experiences; topics she now explores in her writing. When she’s not testing her characters’ patience, Aurora is raising small humans, roasting her spouse, prowling for chocolate, and dancing for all that she’s worth. She also spends her days adulting as a communications professional for a not for profit organization.

#BookReview Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks @NicholasSparks @PenguinRandomCA #CountingMiracles #NicholasSparks #PenguinReads

#BookReview Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks @NicholasSparks @PenguinRandomCA #CountingMiracles #NicholasSparks #PenguinReads Title: Counting Miracles

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Published by: Random House on Sep. 24, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the acclaimed author of The Longest Ride and The Notebook comes an emotional, powerful novel about wondering if we can change—or even make our peace with—the path we’ve taken.

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone . . . happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are: find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where he might be found.

Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. For Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog Arlo for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.

As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.


Review:

Absorbing, heart-tugging, and nostalgic!

Counting Miracles is a sweet, engaging tale that takes you into the life of Tanner Hughes, a former Army Ranger who, after tending to his ailing grandmother and finally learning of his biological father’s name, heads to Asheboro, NC, to discover a little more about his parentage and perhaps find a place to finally call home.

The prose is fluid and sentimental. The characters are multilayered, independent, strong, and kind. And the plot is a charming tale full of life, love, loss, grief, heartache, healing, community, intrigue, friendship, self-discovery and romance.

Overall, Counting Miracles is another hopeful, tender, immersive tale by Sparks that reminds us that life is complicated, messy, challenging, short, and heartbreaking, as well as all those other wonderful things, lovely times, and special moments that happen in-between.

 

This novel is available now.

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Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Nicholas Sparks

With over 100 million copies of his books sold, Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. His novels include fifteen #1 New York Times bestsellers, and all of his books, including Three Weeks with My Brother, the memoir he wrote with his brother, Micah, have been New York Times and international bestsellers, and were translated into more than fifty languages. Eleven of Nicholas Sparks’s novels–The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven, The Lucky One, The Last Song, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Message in a Bottle–have been adapted into major motion pictures.

Photography courtesy of Grand Central Publishing Website.