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24
Oct
2024

#BookReview Right Where We Left Us by Jen Devon @kisscrafter @smpromance @StMartinsPress #JenDevon #RightWhereWeLeftUs #SMPRomance #SMPInfluencers #StMartinsPress

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance

Title: Right Where We Left Us

Author: Jen Devon

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Jun. 18, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Temperance Jean Madigan and Duncan Brady have never gotten it right. After one radiant, secret summer together when they were eighteen, they’ve been on-again off-again ever since. Now, despite red-hot chemistry and TJ’s closeness with Duncan’s family, they’re virtually strangers, only capable of adversarial banter, awkward small talk―and the occasional messy hookup.

When a wedding at the Brady’s vineyard lands TJ there for the summer, their mutual avoidance strategies prove impossible. The last thing TJ wants is to be under those angsty, heated glances Duncan thinks he hides. And for Duncan, having fiery TJ constantly close is the ultimate distraction that he absolutely can’t afford. When forced proximity begins to chip away at their armor, buried tensions resurface, old wounds urge confrontation, and once-in-a-lifetime love demands one last chance to finally get it right.

Review:

Big-hearted, sweet, and engaging!

Right Where We Left Us is an emotive, second-chance romance between the driven, successful Temperance and the dependable, hardworking Duncan as they discover that beneath all the miscommunication and past secrets is a deeply-rooted friendship, sizzling attraction and unconditional love that is still smouldering and certainly worth fighting for.

The writing is fluid and warm. The characters are caring, hesitant, and appealing. And the plot is a push-pull tale of relationship dynamics, familial expectations, introspection, acceptance, forgiveness, friendship, love, romance, and new beginnings.

Overall, Right Where We Left Us is a charming, rich, tender tale by Devon with characters I couldn’t help but root for, a storyline with a nice mix of drama and passion, and a happy-ever-after ending that left me with a smile.

This book is available now.

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

Thank you to SMP Romance – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Jen Devon

Jen Devon wrote her first romance when she was eight. Now she writes vivid, cinematic love stories about imperfect people finding their perfect match. A former biology academic and lecturer, she currently works in the tech industry and dreams of writing full-time. She’s an avid gardener, photographer, and boardgamer, a thrift store enthusiast and unapologetic nerd. She’s a mom of six (three kids, three rescue mutts) and lives in central Ohio with her engineer husband. Bend Toward the Sun is her first book.

Photo Credit: Maya D Photography

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22
Oct
2024

#BookReview The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers @DianaRChambers @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheSecretWarOfJuliaChild #DianaRChambers #bookmarkedbylandmark

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction

Title: The Secret War of Julia Child

Author: Diana R. Chambers

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Oct. 22, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 8/10

Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in Asia during World War II, a journey that will delight both historical fiction fans and lovers of America’s most beloved chef, revealing how the war made her into the icon we know now.

Single, 6 foot 2, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a job working for America’s first espionage agency, years before cooking or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child traces Julia’s transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General “Wild Bill” Donovan’s secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services.

The wartime journey takes her to the Far East, to Asia’s remote frontlines of then-Ceylon, India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, self-knowledge – and love with mapmaker Paul Child. The spotlight has rarely shone on this fascinating period of time in the life of (“I’m not a spy”) Julia Child, and this lyrical story allows us to explore the unlikely world of a woman in World War II spy station who has no idea of the impact she’ll eventually impart.

Review:

Immersive, interesting, and well-written!

The Secret War of Julia Child is a rich, intriguing tale set predominantly in Asia during WWII that follows Julia McWilliams, a young woman who, after taking a position working for the OSS, suddenly finds herself in the Far East protecting valuable information, surviving war’s atrocities, finding her true spirit, and meeting the man whom she would love forever.

The prose is polished and evocative. The characters are feisty, driven, and resilient. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel into a sweeping saga of life, loss, heartbreak, betrayal, secrets, espionage, danger, survival, tragedy, friendship, and romance.

Overall, The Secret War of Julia Child is an absorbing, evocative, fascinating novel by Chambers that does a beautiful job of revealing the remarkable life of a woman most of us probably only know or remember due to the cooking feats and successes she had later in life.

This novel is available now.

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

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Diana R. Chambers

Diana R. Chambers was born with a book in one hand and a passport in the other. Her first explorations were in the library, plotting adventures on her world globe. She went on to study Asian art history at university, work at a Paris translation agency, and dream in French. Fate landed her in India, where she began a handicrafts export business, which led, circuitously, to Hollywood costuming…and, later, scriptwriting. She was enthralled by the magic of creating worlds, but after one of her scripts was optioned then never made, her characters started demanding their own novels! Diana had just the novel in mind, working on it while on location with a Canadian/French/American detective series. She also wrote several articles about her travels and research in various borderlands.

Diana has followed her stories around the world and back in time. She is the author of four novels, including The Star of India, from Penguin Random House India. Her latest, The Secret War of Julia Child, inspired by Julia’s OSS service in WWII Asia, will be published by Sourcebooks Landmark October 22, 2024.

She lives in Northern California and Aix-en-Provence, France, with her fellow-traveler husband, artist daughter, and feral cat, Marco Polo.

Photographer: Carol Scotti

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21
Oct
2024

#BookReview One Of Us Is Dead by Peter James @peterjamesuk @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #PeterJames #OneOfUsIsDead #RoyGrace #PGCBooks

categories: 9/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Title: One Of Us Is Dead

Author: Peter James

Series: Roy Grace #21

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Oct. 22, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 464

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

Roy Grace is back in the brilliant twentieth novel from the multi million copy bestselling author.

Hunting him would be murder.

When James Taylor arrives late for a funeral, he has to stand at the back of the small church. As the service progresses, Taylor notices a man six rows in front of him. At first he thinks he must be mistaken, but the more he looks at him, the more convinced Taylor becomes that this is his old schoolfriend, Rufus Rorke.

Except it couldn’t be him, could it? Because two years ago, Taylor attended Rufus Rorke’s funeral. He even delivered Rufuss eulogy…

On the other side of Brighton at Police HQ, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has been alerted to a number of suspicious deaths that he can’t get out of his mind. But how are they linked? And how could they possibly be connected to Rufus Rorke?

Roy Grace is about to find out just how dangerous a dead man can be…

Review:

Sharp, meticulous, and sinister!

In this twisty twenty-first instalment in the Roy Grace series, One of Us is Dead, DS Roy Grace and his team now find themselves investigating a series of questionable deaths that strangely somehow all seem to be connected to one man, Rufus Rorke, who died two years ago.

The prose is crisp and rich. The characters are intelligent, resourceful, and determined. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel seamlessly into a mysterious tale of mischief, mayhem, corruption, coercion, criminal behaviour, dangerous endeavours, deduction, lies, and murder.

Overall, One of Us is Dead is another crafty, dark, gripping addition to a series by James that is still one of my all-time favourites to frequently revisit and indulge in.

This book is available now.

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

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Peter James

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels. His Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has been translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over eighteen million copies, and has given him eleven consecutive Sunday Times number ones. In 2015 WHSmith customers publicly voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he became the recipient of the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. Peter has also written a short story collection, A Twist of the Knife, and his standalone titles include Perfect People and The House on Cold Hill. He has also co-written a non-fiction account of Brighton’s toughest cases with former detective Graham Bartlett entitled Death Comes Knocking. The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple and Not Dead Enough have all been turned into smash-hit stage plays. All his novels reflect his deep interest in the world of the police. Three of his novels have been filmed and before becoming a full-time author he produced numerous films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. He divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill, London and near Brighton in Sussex.

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17
Oct
2024

#BookReview Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell @1pcornwell @GrandCentralPub #PatriciaCornwell #IdentityUnknown #KayScarpetta #GCPInsider

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller

Title: Identity Unknown

Author: Patricia Cornwell

Series: Kay Scarpetta #28

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Oct. 8, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Autopsies can reveal the secrets of the dead.

And this victim is sending Scarpetta a message…

Summoned to an abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr. Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once had an intense love affair with.

The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano’s skin is strangely red. Scarpetta’s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead’s secrets, but she is shocked to find her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue.

As the investigators are torn between suspicions of otherworldly forces, and of Giordano himself, Scarpetta detects an explanation closer to home that, in her mind, is far more evil…

Review:

Sinuous, sharp, and sinister!

Identity Unknown is a menacing, disturbing tale that sees the past collide with the present when Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta finds herself investigating the unusual murder of her former lover, the esteemed astrophysicist Sal Giordano, when his body is found dumped strangely at a deserted amusement park.

The writing is crisp and clever. The characters are meticulous, diligent, and driven. And the plot is an ominous, compelling tale full of twists, turns, red herrings, secrets, deduction, mayhem, violence, and murder.

Overall, Identity Unknown is a tight, tense, gripping tale that is unbelievably the twenty-eighth book in the Kay Scarpetta series. I have yet to read a novel by Cornwell that isn’t pacey, suspenseful, and satisfying, and this one was no exception.

This book is available now.

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

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Patricia Cornwell

In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards, as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventures—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development. Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and three other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano, Andy Brazil, and Captain Callie Chase. In recent years, Cornwell has been researching space-age technologies at NASA facilities, the U.S. Space Force, and Secret Service. She’s visited Scotland Yard and Interpol, always keeping up with what’s current. Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.

Photo Credit: Patrick Ecclesine

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16
Oct
2024

#BookReview All I Want for Christmas by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #AllIWantForChristmas #KarenSwan #PGCBooks

categories: 9/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Title: All I Want for Christmas

Author: Karen Swan

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Oct. 1, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

Christmas in Copenhagen is an utterly magical time of year. There are charming Christmas markets, carol singing on the canals, ice skating in the parks, and cozy cafes to shelter from the early snow.

Darcy Cotterell is not feeling remotely festive. Newly single, she’s not even going home for Christmas but will instead spend the holiday finishing her PhD. Her best friend, Freja, has other ideas though and convinces Darcy to sign up to an upmarket dating site where she can meet Copenhagen’s most eligible bachelors. Freja is determined that Darcy won’t be lonely this Christmas and gets her to agree to match with three potential dates.

Then Darcy is given the job of solving a new, intriguing art mystery: an unknown portrait by Denmark’s greatest painter has been found beneath another masterpiece and she must discover the identity of the woman in the painting. During her research, she encounters sexy, arrogant lawyer Max Lorensen – who also happens to be bachelor number one. The attraction is instant but there are two problems: Max is clearly a player and, while the chemistry between them is hard to ignore, they also need to work together whatever happens.

Review:

Absorbing, festive, and touching!

All I Want for Christmas is an atmospheric, compelling tale that sweeps you away to Copenhagen and into the life of PhD student Darcy Cotterell as she spends the holiday season away from home trying to identify a woman whose image has been hidden for decades behind a renowned painting by one of Denmark’s most famous artists, while also navigating the ups and downs of trying to find love through an exclusive dating app.

The writing is rich and expressive. The characters are intelligent, confident, and multilayered. And the plot is a heartwarming, engaging tale of life, loss, love, family, friendship, mystique, nostalgia, secrets, duty, history and the winter rituals of Danes.

Overall, All I Want for Christmas is another captivating, romantic, emotional tale by Swan that is beautifully layered and the perfect choice to snuggle up in front of the fire with and kick off this upcoming holiday season.

This novel is available now.

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

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

About Karen Swan

Karen Swan began her career in fashion journalism before giving it all up to raise her three children and a puppy, and to pursue her ambition of becoming a writer. She lives in the forest outside Sussex, England, writing her books in a treehouse overlooking the Downs.

An internationally bestselling author, her numerous books include The Rome Affair, The Paris Secret, Christmas Under the Stars, and The Christmas Secret.

Photograph by Alexander James

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15
Oct
2024

#BookReview Sunlight by Devney Perry @devney_perry @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #Sunlight #DevneyPerry #HavenRiverRanch #Montlake #FireflyDist

categories: 9/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance

Title: Sunlight

Author: Devney Perry

Series: Haven River Ranch #2

Published by: Montlake Romance on Oct. 15, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 300

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

From USA Today bestselling author Devney Perry comes a sweeping Western romance about undeniable attraction, unforeseen circumstances, and seemingly unbeatable odds.

My first day in Montana, I got into a tug-of-war over a grocery store shopping cart. The most handsome man I’d ever seen broke up the scuffle before he asked me on a date. I was seconds away from accepting but then he told me his name.

As an owner of the Haven River Ranch, Jax Haven wasn’t my boss. But he wasn’t not my boss either.

Obviously, my only option was to turn him down, scurry away, then pretend like he was a stranger on my first day of work. And obviously, I could never, ever admit that he was my secret crush.

For as hard as I work at my job, I work twice as hard to pretend Jax doesn’t exist. I don’t let myself think about his dazzling eyes or charming smile. I refuse to acknowledge how good he looks in a pair of faded Wrangler jeans. And as tempting as he is in a cowboy hat, Jax is a distraction I cannot afford.

Everything was going according to plan until the annual holiday party. Until I drank one too many flutes of champagne and let him sweep me off my feet. After a night in his bed, there was no more ignoring Jax Haven. Not when I’m pregnant with his baby.

Review:

Hopeful, tender, and angsty!

Sunlight is an engaging, heartwarming tale that takes you into the life of the ruggedly handsome, hardworking Jax Haven as he juggles his familial responsibilities, his job on the ranch, unsettled emotional turmoil from the past, and an undeniable attraction to the new manager of the family lodge, the quiet, hesitant Sasha Vaughn who seems to be harbouring a few secrets of her very own.

The writing is sweet and light. The characters are wary, kind, and endearing. And the plot is a charming, feel-good tale full of friendship, community, drama, family, chemistry, secrets, acceptance, intrigue, introspection, new additions, romance, and love.

Overall, Sunlight is another fabulous addition to the Haven River Ranch series by Perry, complete with intriguing characters, an entertaining storyline, and a dreamy, happy-ever-after ending.

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 Devney Perry

Devney Perry is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over forty romance novels. After working in the technology industry for a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to pursue her passion for writing. She was born and raised in Montana and now lives in Washington with her husband and two sons.

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14
Oct
2024

#BookReview Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller @KristynJMiller @smpromance @StMartinsPress #KristynJMiller #GivenOurHistory #smpromance #smpinfluencers

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance

Title: Given Our History

Author: Kristyn J. Miller

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Aug. 27, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Assistant professor Clara Fernsby is nothing if not driven. She’s wanted to teach history since she was fourteen, and she hasn’t let anything stand in her way—not even the love of her life. And it all paid off in the end, because she landed a well-paid position at a private liberal arts college fresh out of grad school, and this year, she’s finally up for tenure.

When Theodore Harrison is brought on for the fall semester as a visiting scholar, it’s an unwelcome blast from Clara’s past. She hasn’t spoken to Teddy since a falling out ten years ago. Now that he’s here, she’s reminded of their shared history at every autumns spent at a sleepaway camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she traded battered books and burned CDs with a quiet, dark-haired boy—and fell in love with him.

That boy might’ve been her best friend, but the man teaching HIST-322 is a total stranger. But as they spend evenings working on a shared project and brainstorming over drinks at a college bar, Clara realizes she’s at risk of falling all over again. Given their history, she knows there’s every chance he’s not interested. But history’s all down to interpretation, and this time around, she’s got no intentions of repeating it.

Review:

Cute, hopeful, and romantic!

Given Our History is a playful, lighthearted, second-chance romance featuring the intelligent, handsome Theodore Harrison, who broke his best friend’s heart when he never seemed to be interested in being anything more, and the spirited, driven Clara Fernsby, who is too busy trying to obtain her professorship and keep her life moving forward to ever open herself up for more heartache from the visiting scholar who once upon a time owned her heart.

The prose is fluid and warm. The characters are lovable, kind, and empathetic. And the plot is an uplifting, engaging tale about life, love, family, friendship, awkward situations, tender moments, self-discovery, happiness, community, and new beginnings.

Overall, Given Our History is a heartwarming, entertaining, enjoyable treat by Miller with oodles of endearing characters and small-town charm.

This book is available now.

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

Thank you to SMP Romance – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Kristyn J. Miller

KRISTYN J. MILLER is the author of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts and other novels. A lifelong history nerd with a background in museum work, she finally earned her M.A. in history and museum studies at University of New Hampshire in 2023. In between novels, she spends her free time wandering peat bogs, sampling craft beers, and restoring her old colonial house in rural Maine with her husband.

Photo Credit: George H. Miller IV

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11
Oct
2024

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

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance

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.

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10
Oct
2024

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

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance

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.

09
Oct
2024

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

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction

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.

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