#BookReview The Unwritten Rules of Magic by Harper Ross @StMartinsPress #TheUnwrittenRulesOfMagicNovel #HarperRoss #SMPInfluencers #StMartinsPress

#BookReview The Unwritten Rules of Magic by Harper Ross @StMartinsPress #TheUnwrittenRulesOfMagicNovel #HarperRoss #SMPInfluencers #StMartinsPress Title: The Unwritten Rules of Magic

Author: Harper Ross

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jan. 27, 2026

Genres: Fantasy, Women's Fiction

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

For fans of The Midnight Library and In Five Years, The Unwritten Rules of Magic is a spellbinding novel that blends magic and memory in an unforgettable journey through love, grief, and the hidden cost of perfection across three generations of women.

Emerson Clarke can’t remember a time when she felt in control. Her father—a celebrated author—was a chaotic force until he got Alzheimer’s. Her mother turned to gin. And recently, her teen daughter has shut her out without explanation. If only she could arrange reality the same way she controls the stories she ghostwrites, life could be perfect.

Or so she thinks.

After her father’s funeral, Emerson steals his vintage typewriter—the one he’d forbidden anyone to touch—and tests its keys by typing out a frivolous wish. When it comes true the very next day, she tries another. Then, those words also spring to life. Suddenly, she becomes obsessed with using the typewriter to rewrite happiness for herself and her daughter.

But the more she shapes her real-life, the more she uncovers disturbing truths about her family’s history and the unexpected cost of every story-come-true. She should destroy the typewriter, yet when her daughter’s secret finally emerges, Emerson is torn between paying the price for bending fate and embracing the uncertainty of an unscripted life.


Review:

Compelling, nuanced, and thought-provoking!

The Unwritten Rules of Magic is a heartfelt, alluring story that immerses you into the lives of three generations of women in the Clarke family, along with all the secrets, smiles, tears, wounds, compassion, misery, and strength that have surrounded them over the years.

The prose is fluid and expressive. The characters are troubled, wounded, and secretive. And the plot unfolds as a tender exploration of life, loss, love, grief, forgiveness, familial drama, friendship, hope, heartbreak, expectations, disappointment, and the unbreakable bonds that tie us as family.

Overall, The Unwritten Rules of Magic is an immersive, compelling multigenerational family saga by Ross that reminds us life is made up of complicated, messy, challenging, and heartbreaking moments, and that the true magic of life lies in simply living it.

This book is available now.

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

         

 

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

 

About Harper Ross

Harper Ross has enjoyed a lifelong love affair with the dramatic story worlds in books and movies. After leaving her legal practice to raise her kids, she discovered her own creative side and began writing novels that explore friendship, family, and forgiveness. Because she also appreciates the magic in everyday life—from the spark of attraction to those serendipitous moments we all experience—you’ll find a dash of that in her work too. When she’s not at the keyboard, she’s likely to be singing badly in her car, dancing in her kitchen, or walking her adorable dog, Mo. She’s also a lucky wife and mother to a very patient and supportive family.

Photo Credit: Kate Kahut.

#BookReview This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page @BerkleyRomance @PenguinCanada #ThisBookMadeMeThinkOfYou #Libby Page #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

#BookReview This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page @BerkleyRomance @PenguinCanada #ThisBookMadeMeThinkOfYou #Libby Page #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: This Book Made Me Think of You

Author: Libby Page

Published by: Berkley on Feb. 3, 2026

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: Hardcover

Source: Berkley Publishing

Book Rating: 10/10

Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart…

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her fiancé waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago…

The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?


Review:

Quaint, absorbing, and sweet!

This Book Made Me Think of You is a heartfelt, uplifting tale set in Primrose Hill, London, that draws readers into the lives of Tilly Nightingale, a young widow still grappling with the loss of her husband and the all-consuming grief thats preventing her from moving on, and Alfie Lane, a bookshop owner struggling to keep his family business afloat while also trying to fulfil a dying man’s final wishes.

The prose is genuine and fluid. The characters are heartbroken, hesitant, and kind. And the plot is an addictive, alluring blend of friendship, family, life, loss, introspection, support, forgiveness, community, new beginnings, love, and the healing power of books.

Overall, This Book Made Me Think of You is a charming, hopeful, beautifully written novel by Page that showcases her exceptional ability to create endearing, multilayered characters and engaging, heart-tugging storylines that captivate from start to finish.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

Thank you to Berkley Romance for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Libby Page

Libby Page is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose work has been published in over 20 territories around the world. Before becoming an author, she worked in journalism and marketing. She lives in Somerset, England, with her husband and young son.

Photo by Katherine Barnes Photography.

#BookReview Ever After by Amanda Prowse @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #EverAfter #AmandaProwse #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

#BookReview Ever After by Amanda Prowse @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #EverAfter #AmandaProwse #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: Ever After

Author: Amanda Prowse

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Aug. 12, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 412

Format: Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner and Swimming to Lundy, comes a hopeful and inspiring story about the possibilities that await when you dare to start again.

If you’re given another chance at love, shouldn’t you take it?

Enya’s life has become small. Her husband’s death has left her bereft, and though she’s only in her early fifties, she’s happiest looking after her son, Aiden, his childhood sweetheart, Holly, and her beloved cat, Pickle.

So the spark she feels for the stranger who bumps into her car in the airport car park is a complete shock. But Enya can’t stop thinking about him.

Then, when Aiden makes a life-changing decision, Enya suddenly finds her close-knit community thrown into chaos. Her best friend, Jenny, isn’t speaking to her, Aiden’s future hangs in the balance, Holly is devastated, and the stranger from the car park is suddenly in her life.

Torn between family, love and loyalty, Enya faces a stay safely where she is, or take a leap into the unknown? Because maybe her happily-ever-after could have one more chapter yet…


Review:

Tender, sentimental, and optimistic!

Ever After is a charming, uplifting tale that takes you into the life of Enya, a fifty-something widow who, after her son returns from a trip to Italy in love with a new woman, has her life turned upside down when his heartbroken ex-girlfriend happens to be the daughter of her best friend, and the man she bumped into and can’t stop thinking about might just be her son’s new father-in-law.

The writing is warm and fluid. The characters are kind, attentive, and endearing. And the plot is a sweet, heartfelt blend of life, loss, friendship, grief, introspection, drama, community, parenthood, tricky situations, romantic gestures, unconditional love, and new beginnings.

Overall, Ever After is a heartwarming, hopeful, captivating tale by Prowse that is a wonderful reminder that family can be frustrating, messy, secretive, and sometimes hard to love, but they can also be surprising, supportive, loyal, and the only true place that feels like home.

 

This book 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 Amanda Prowse

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose thirty-two novels, two non-fiction titles, compilation of novellas and ten novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart-topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter', 'My Husband's Wife', 'The Girl in the Corner' and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

#BookReview This One Life by Amanda Prowse @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #ThisOneLife #AmandaProwse #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

#BookReview This One Life by Amanda Prowse @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #ThisOneLife #AmandaProwse #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: This One Life

Author: Amanda Prowse

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Jan. 7, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 351

Format: Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

She wants it all. But life has other plans…

After years of hard work, Madeleine’s life is very nearly perfect. She’s about to move to LA to pursue her dream job—and there’s a new man on the scene too. But when her mother falls ill, pulling her back to the world she’s tried so hard to leave behind, the repercussions of a life-changing decision Madeleine made seven years ago resurface, threatening to jeopardise everything she’s worked for.

Faced with the promise of her new life, and the pull of her old, she has to ask herself some tough was what she did then right for her family? How do you know when it’s okay to put yourself first? And what’s the cost of happiness?

Heartfelt, provocative and emotional, this is a gripping look at the choices women have to make, and whether we really can have it all…


Review:

Charming, hopeful, and tender!⁣

This One Life is a touching, uplifting tale that takes you into the life of Madeline, a young woman who, after leaving almost everything behind to pursue her dreams seven years ago, must reevaluate her goals, career, and relationships when her mother suddenly falls ill and needs her help.⁣

The prose is heartfelt and smooth. The characters are multilayered, genuine, and conflicted. And the plot is an absorbing tale about life, love, family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, heartbreak, taking chances, growth, healing, revelations, ambition, tender moments, light drama, romance, and new beginnings.⁣

Overall, This One Life is a beautifully written, must-read book by Prowse that tugs at the heartstrings, prompts you to consider all those what-ifs, and reminds you that life is complicated, love is powerful and everlasting, and things often happen for a reason.⁣

 

This book 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 Amanda Prowse

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose thirty-two novels, two non-fiction titles, compilation of novellas and ten novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart-topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter', 'My Husband's Wife', 'The Girl in the Corner' and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

#BookReview Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey @kristywharvey @BookSparks #BeachHouseRules #KristyWoodsonHarvey #BookSparks #SRC2025

#BookReview Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey @kristywharvey @BookSparks #BeachHouseRules #KristyWoodsonHarvey #BookSparks #SRC2025 Title: Beach House Rules

Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey

Published by: Gallery Books on May 27, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: BookSparks

Book Rating: 9/10

When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.

Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever?

“Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Jennifer Weiner” (Country Living), Beach House Rules is a charming exploration of the joy of friendship, the true meaning of family, and reclaiming the power to reshape our own destiny.


Review:

Heartwarming, evocative, and compelling!

Beach House Rules is a sweet, touching tale that takes you into the life of Charlotte Sitterly, a mother of one daughter who must learn how to survive, take risks, be true to herself, follow her heart, and try not to lose sight of her own wants, needs, and dreams while standing by her husband after he is arrested for a white-collar crime.

The writing is genuine and sincere. The characters are troubled, supportive, and endearing. And the plot is an absorbing tale about life, loss, heartbreak, forgiveness, selflessness, family, courage, loyalty, kindness, happiness, self-love, female friendships and new beginnings.

Overall, Beach House Rules is an uplifting, tender, alluring tale by Harvey that I absolutely adored, and which, as always, after I finish any of her novels, has left me already looking forward to whatever she publishes next.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

 

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

 

About Kristy Woodson Harvey

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the USA TODAY bestselling author of six novels, including Feels Like Falling, The Peachtree Bluff series, and Under the Southern Sky. A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous online and print publications including Southern Living, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, Domino, and O. Henry. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her work has been optioned for film and television, and her books have received numerous accolades including Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Beach Reads, Parade’s Big Fiction Reads, and Entertainment Weekly’s Spring Reading Picks. Kristy is the co-creator and co-host of the weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction. She blogs with her mom Beth Woodson on Design Chic, and loves connecting with fans on KristyWoodsonHarvey.com. She lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband and son where she is (always!) working on her next novel.

Photo by Jay Ackerman.

#BookReview The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page @BlackstoneAudio #SallyPage #TheSecretsOfFlowers #BlackstonePublishing #BlackstoneInsiders

#BookReview The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page @BlackstoneAudio #SallyPage #TheSecretsOfFlowers #BlackstonePublishing #BlackstoneInsiders Title: The Secrets of Flowers

Author: Sally Page

Published by: Blackstone Publishing on Feb. 25, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Blackstone Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the author of the phenomenal bestsellers The Keeper of Stories and The Book of Beginnings comes an utterly beautiful and uplifting novel.

One year on from the death of her husband, Emma feels no closer to moving forward with her life. Seeking distraction, she quits her job and begins working at the local garden centre.

Here, Emma begins to open up and finds herself attending boss Les’ talk on the Titanic. Intrigued, Emma sets out to research who would have arranged the flowers on-board.

Alongside her story unfolds the tale of a stewardess on the Titanic, who Emma can’t help but feel connected to…

With an array of inspiring and heart-warming characters, this is a novel of friendship, unexpected connections, and of hope.


Review:

Captivating, rich, and absorbing!

The Secrets of Flowers is predominately set in England during the early 1900s, as well as present day, and is told from two different perspectives. Emma, a grieving widow who endeavours to discover everything she can about the person responsible for arranging the flowers on the Titanic, and Violet, a young woman whose life takes an unexpected twist when she becomes a stewardess on one of the most famous ocean liners ever.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are troubled, determined, and endearing. And the plot is a moving tale about life, love, loss, emotion, betrayal, family, friendship, heartbreak, guilt, grief, hope, and regret.

Overall, The Secrets of Flowers is a heartwarming, alluring, compelling tale by Page that highlights the beauty and power of flowers and is a wonderful choice for anyone who enjoys a dual timeline story with both a sliver of mystery and a touch of romance.

 

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

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

 

About Sally Page

After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. However, in her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. She soon came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and eventually she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.

In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is studying to be a doctor and her youngest daughter is the author, Libby Page.

#BookReview If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley @AmazonPub @BookSparks #IfTomorrowNeverComes #AllisonAshley #BookSparks #WRC2025

#BookReview If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley @AmazonPub @BookSparks #IfTomorrowNeverComes #AllisonAshley #BookSparks #WRC2025 Title: If Tomorrow Never Comes

Author: Allison Ashley

Published by: Montlake Romance on Apr. 1, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 315

Format: Paperback

Source: BookSparks

Book Rating: 9/10

Fate connects two people in life-changing ways in a deeply romantic and emotional novel about hope and second chances by the author of Would You Rather and The Roommate Pact.

Uncertain of what tomorrow brings, Elliott Holland decides to live it up—on the eve of a stem cell transplant to treat her leukemia. It’s destiny when she crosses paths with handsome and charming Jamie Sullivan. The chemistry is magic. So is a beautiful evening that ends with a bittersweet kiss goodbye and no expectations of ever seeing each other again.

One year later, Elliott’s future looks good. Her cancer is in remission. Her career in graphic design is taking off. And she’s finally met Carly, the young woman whose stem cell donation gave Elliott a second chance at life. Then, in a twist of fate both blissful and unfair, she meets Carly’s boyfriend. It’s Jamie, the man Elliott kissed like it was her last day on earth. Neither of them has ever forgotten it.

Now, the most difficult decisions of all lie ahead. Whatever risks there are to the heart, one need wins to grab hold of everything that can make someone feel alive again.


Review:

Thought-provoking, optimistic, and romantic!

If Tomorrow Never Comes is a tender, moving tale that takes you into the life of Elliott Holland, a young woman who, on the eve of a life-or-death surgery, spends one incredible night with a man she will probably never see again until fate intervenes, and one year later she bumps into him only to discover he’s the boyfriend of the woman who saved her life.

The writing is sensitive and sincere. The characters are flawed, genuine, and troubled. And the multi-layered plot is a heartfelt, absorbing tale about life, love, family, friendship, trust, compassion, romance, happiness, destiny, self-reflection, and second chances.

Overall, If Tomorrow Never Comes is an emotional, pensive, heartwarming tale by Ashley that reminds us that life is complicated, things happen for a reason, often the choices we make have consequences, letting people in is never a bad thing, and love is, ultimately, always worth fighting for.

 

This novel is available now.

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

          

 

 

Thank you to BookSparks for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Allison Ashley

Allison Ashley is a music-loving, coffee-drinking mom of two who loves love stories. She’s an oncology pharmacist and spends her days focused on helping patients through one of the hardest things life can throw at them. Her escape has always been books—specifically books about happiness, love, and laughter—and it was inevitable that she’d eventually write her own. She promises to always write stories with deep romance, intense connection, and humor…but most of all, that coveted happy ever after.

#BookReview More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova @ScoutPressBooks @SimonSchusterCA #MoreOrLessMaddy #LisaGenova #SimonSchusterCA

#BookReview More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova @ScoutPressBooks @SimonSchusterCA #MoreOrLessMaddy #LisaGenova #SimonSchusterCA Title: More or Less Maddy

Author: Lisa Genova

Published by: Scout Press on Jan. 14, 2025

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy.

Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to be feeling overwhelmed. It doesn’t help that she’s always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family. But Maddy’s latest low is devastatingly low, and she goes on an antidepressant. She begins to feel good, dazzling in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

As she struggles to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dreams, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.

With her signature “deep empathy and insight” (Booklist), Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling authorLisa Genova has crafted another profoundly moving novel that makes complicated mental health issues accessible and human. More or Less Maddy is destined to become another classic like Still Alice.


Review:

Moving, memorable, and compelling!

More or Less Maddy is an intimate, thought-provoking novel that immerses you into the life of Maddy Banks, a bipolar young woman who is struggling to find purpose in her life while being dependent on medication, consistently disappointing those she loves, and feeling like a prisoner to a mind that never wants to rest.

The prose is evocative and sincere. The characters are multi-layered, vulnerable, and eccentric. And the plot is a touching tale of life, love, family, friendship, desires, needs, dreams, mania, suicide ideation, standup comedy, complex relationships, and mental health.

Overall, More or Less Maddy is an immersive, emotional, sensitive tale by Genova that does a remarkable job of reminding us of the lifelong struggles for those suffering from a mental health disorder to perform normal daily activities, forge true friendships, and experience love, while also highlighting just how easily the greatest of highs can quickly transition to devastating, tragic lows.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lisa Genova

Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar–winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She is featured in the documentary films To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg. Her TED talks on Alzheimer’s disease and memory have been viewed over eleven million times.

Photo by Greg Mentzer

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

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

#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.