Source: St. Martin's Press

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

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#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.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel @YouHadMeAtHEA @StMartinsPress #MostEligible #IsabelleEngel #YouHadMeAtHEA #SMPInfluencers #SMPRomance

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel @YouHadMeAtHEA @StMartinsPress #MostEligible #IsabelleEngel #YouHadMeAtHEA #SMPInfluencers #SMPRomance Title: Most Eligible

Author: Isabelle Engel

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Jan. 13, 2026

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Miss Congeniality meets The Bachelor in this action-packed rom-com debut about an investigative journalist who sneaks onto reality TV only to fall for the wrong guy.

Georgia Rose is not going on the hit reality dating show Love Shack to find love. She’s there to write a killer exposé on the producers, which will guarantee the journalism job of her dreams. But when Georgia’s unforgettable one-night stand from the year before, country singer Rhett Auburn, steps into the Malibu mansion as the season’s new host, all of her carefully crafted plans unravel.

Caught up in the drama of backstabbing contestants, producer blackmail, and death-defying dates, Georgia must keep her identity—and history with Rhett—a secret. Despite the lies between them, it isn’t long before Georgia and Rhett’s heated behind-the-scenes moments start to feel more genuine than the romance Georgia’s faking for the cameras. But with her assignment unfinished and the executive producer on her tail, a second chance with Rhett could be her riskiest move of all.

Review:

Charming, light, and amusing!

Most Eligible is a witty, engaging tale that introduces Georgia Rose, an investigative journalist who, after agreeing to go undercover as a contestant on the reality dating show Love Shack to uncover what really goes on behind the scenes finds her plan quickly going sideways when she discovers that this season’s host is none other than Rhett Auburn, the sexy country music star she once shared an unforgettable one-night stand with.

The writing is warm and humorous. The characters are competitive, quirky, and impulsive. And the story delivers a captivating blend of life, love, drama, friendship, emotion, competition, secrets, deception, gossip, fantasy dates, snappy dialogue, sizzling chemistry, tender moments, and steamy romance.

Overall, Most Eligible is a cute, cosy, entertaining tale by Engel that was a true delight to read.

 

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 for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Isabelle Engel

Originally from New England, ISABELLE ENGEL (she/her) now lives and works in Washington, D.C. She has an MA in English literature from George Washington University. When she’s not imagining ways to make reality TV even more dramatic, she can be found reading, doing dance fitness, and petting other people’s dogs. Most Eligible is her debut novel.

Photo by Nicole Marie.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview The Storm by Rachel Hawkins @LadyHawkins @StMartinsPress #TheStormNovel #RachelHawkins #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview The Storm by Rachel Hawkins @LadyHawkins @StMartinsPress #TheStormNovel #RachelHawkins #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Storm

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jan. 6, 2026

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 288

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…

Review:

Dark, atmospheric, and suspenseful!

The Storm is a tense, absorbing tale that transports you to Alabama and into the lives of a handful of interconnected characters, including Lo Bailey, the acquitted suspect in a decades-old murder, and Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, as the past collides violently with the present and a looming hurricane threatens not only to devastate the community but also unearth long-buried truths.

The writing is ominous and controlled. The characters are flawed, guarded, and secretive. And the plot is an intense mix of life, loss, friendship, family, lies, guilt, deception, resentment, privilege, betrayal, fractured alliances, and questionable motives.
 

Overall, The Storm is a taut, gripping, twisty tale by Hawkins that is a compelling read for fans of smart, character-driven thrillers, where the setting is just as perilous as the people within 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 Rachel Hawkins

Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, as well as multiple books for young readers, and her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.

Photo by John Hawkins.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview Things Left Unsaid by Sara Jafari @StMartinsPress #ThingsLeftUnsaid #SaraJafari #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Things Left Unsaid by Sara Jafari @StMartinsPress #ThingsLeftUnsaid #SaraJafari #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Things Left Unsaid

Author: Sara Jafari

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Apr. 15, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

When twenty-six year old Shirin Bayat bumps into Kian at a house party in London, she is taken aback by the immediate feelings that resurface. It’s been a decade since they were close friends at school, before painful events pulled them apart, suddenly and seemingly forever. Ever since, Shirin has lived with the aching weight of things left unsaid between them.

Now they’re back in each other’s lives, at a time when Shirin needs someone she can trust the most. Feeling stuck in a sea of slippery friendships and deeply burned out by her publishing job, Kian is a bright light amongst a sea of gray. There’s nothing worse than losing the person you trust most with your deepest secrets and desires, and Shirin and Kian are determined to hold tightly to each other.

But of course, life often has other plans. Will it be different this time around, or are Shirin and Kian destined to fall apart once more?

Review:

Evocative, angsty, and heartfelt!

Things Left Unsaid is a heartwarming, touching story that immerses you in a tale about confronting the past, taking risks, being true to one’s self, following your heart, and the importance of never losing sight of your own wants, needs, and dreams.

The writing is raw and impassioned. The characters are flawed, troubled, and endearing, And the plot is an engaging tale about life, heartbreak, forgiveness, friendship, family, courage, past hurts, secrets, happiness, and unconditional love.

Overall, Things Left Unsaid is an uplifting, emotive, alluring story by Jafari that reminds us that everyone who enters our lives, no matter the length of time, shapes and defines us.

 

This novel 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 Sara Jafari

Sara Jafari is a London-based British Iranian author of the novels The Mismatch and Things Left Unsaid. She is a contributor to I Will Not Be Erased and the romance anthology Who’s Loving You. Jafari also works as an editor and runs TOKEN magazine, which showcases writing and artwork by underrepresented writers and artists.

Photo Credit: Melissa Legarda

Website | Instagram | X

#BookReview Climbing in Heels by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas @StMartinsPress #ClimbingInHeels #ElaineGoldsmithThomas #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Climbing in Heels by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas @StMartinsPress #ClimbingInHeels #ElaineGoldsmithThomas #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Climbing in Heels

Author: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Apr. 29, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Climbing in Heels, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas’s debut novel, is a fictional tale of the rise of three secretaries at the hottest agency in 1980’s Hollywood, giving you a glimpse into the boys-will-be-boys club and the women who wanted a seat at a table where they were expected to serve. It’s the story of friendship, betrayal, survival, standing up when they pass you by, and saying I won’t go when they want you gone. And it’s also a story about how some of those women became very much like the monsters who trained them.

Meet Beanie Rosen, the fast-talking and even faster-thinking Valley girl who knows where she wants to go, and doesn’t care if she doesn’t look the part.

Mercedes Baxter, who learned early on how to leverage the monied friends of her monied friends’ parents until she found a foothold in Hollywood.

And Ella Gaddy, a sexy free-spirit anti-debutante from a white-glove Kentucky home who shakes up any room she walks into.

Read Climbing in Heels and watch these women meet, meld, fight, strategize and climb their way into your heart.

A rollicking tale of sex, drugs, and power – in heels.

Review:

Addictive, salacious, and entertaining!

Climbing in Heels is an immersive, provocative tale that takes you into the lives of the rich, glamorous, and famous, as well as the not-so-important people of 1980s Hollywood and reminds us that not everything is always as it seems and amongst all the designer clothes and extravagant mansions there’s also an abundance of sex, power, ambition, temptation, rivalry, jealousy, and deception.

The writing is effortless and fun. The characters are self-obsessed, relentless, and driven. And the plot is a captivating mix of life, love, fame, fortune, secrets, despicable behaviours, friendship, drama, and the intricacies of movie-making.

Overall, Climbing in Heels is an exciting, seductive, amusing tale by Goldsmith-Thomas that highlights her impressive behind-the-scenes knowledge of the motion picture industry.

 

This novel 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 Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas

ELAINE GOLDSMITH THOMAS began her career at the William Morris Agency and rose by the late 1980’s to become the Senior Vice President of the WMA, and later the Senior Vice President of ICM, guiding the careers of, among others, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Nicholas Cage, and Madonna. More recently, she has produced a broad, successful slate of films and television series including Maid in Manhattan, Mona Lisa Smile, Hustlers, Marry Me, Emily in Paris, The Fosters and many others.

Photo Credit: Ian Buiosi

Instagram

#BookReview Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas @StMartinsPress #ToughLuckNovel #SandraDallas #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

Published on by Zoe1 Comment
#BookReview Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas @StMartinsPress #ToughLuckNovel #SandraDallas #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Tough Luck

Author: Sandra Dallas

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Aug. 29, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 288

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

In this homage to True Grit, a young woman makes a perilous journey west in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father.

After their mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are put to work in an orphanage. Their father left four years earlier to find a gold mine in Colorado Territory, and since then he’s sent only three letters. Still, Haidie is certain that he is alive, has struck gold, and will soon send for them.

But patience is not one of Haidie’s virtues and soon she and her brother make a break for it. Boots and Haidie, disguised as a boy, embark on a dangerous journey deep into Western territory. Along the way, Haidie learns fast not only how to handle mules, oxen, and greedy men, but also that you are better off in a community. Hers includes a card shark, independent “spinster” sisters, and a very fierce dog. Once she arrives in Colorado and finds out the truth about her father, Haidie will need all her new friends for a get-even plot worthy of The Sting.

Filled with vivid period detail, colorful characters, and the irreverent voice of our scrappy heroine, Tough Luck celebrates both the tenacity of youth and the persistence of the heart in the great American West.

Review:

Heart-tugging, uplifting, and evocative!

Tough Luck is an absorbing tale set in 1863 that takes you into the life of Haidie Richards, a fourteen-year-old-girl who, after her mother dies and her older brother decides to sell the farm, escapes the orphanage with her little brother and does whatever she has to in order to make her way to Denver to find their estranged father who left years ago in search of riches in the west.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are strong, courageous, and resilient. And the plot is a tender tale of life, loss, heartbreak, determination, hardship, hope, secrets, survival, love, and friendship.

Overall, Tough Luck is an atmospheric, hopeful, captivating tale by Dallas that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, personalities, and lives of the characters you can’t help but root for them.

 

This novel is now available in paperback.

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 Sandra Dallas

Sandra Dallas, dubbed “a quintessential American voice” in Vogue Magazine, is the author of over a dozen novels, including Prayers for Sale and Tallgrass, many translated into a dozen languages and optioned for films. Six-time winner of the Willa Award and four-time winner of the Spur Award, Dallas was a Business Week reporter for 25 years covering the Rocky Mountain region, and began writing fiction in 1990. She has two daughters and lives with her husband in Denver and Georgetown, Colorado.

Photo Credit: Povy Kendal Atchison.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

#BookReview Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff @YouHadMeAtHEA @StMartinsPress #LindsayHameroff #NeverPlannedOnYou #YouHadMeAtHEA #SMPInfluencers #StMartinsPress

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff @YouHadMeAtHEA @StMartinsPress #LindsayHameroff #NeverPlannedOnYou #YouHadMeAtHEA #SMPInfluencers #StMartinsPress Title: Never Planned on You

Author: Lindsay Hameroff

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Feb. 18, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 304

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A glittering, laugh-out-loud second chance romance that reminds us true love is sometimes the one thing you never planned on.

Ali Rubin has a reputation for spontaneity. Like that time she made a drunken bet in London that led to matching tattoos with a stranger. Her joie de vivre is one of her best qualities; she lives every day to the fullest and follows her dreams wherever they take her. And now, they’re taking her from her career as a chef in New York City back home to Baltimore, where she’s interning as a wedding planner.

Despite the occasional fantasy about her British tattoo twin, Ali never expected to see Graham again. So no one is more surprised than she is when he turns up in Baltimore, ordering a latte at her favorite cafe. When they reconnect during an enchanting evening together, Ali can’t help but wonder if Graham might be someone special.

At the same time, she’s desperate to succeed in her new career and prove that she isn’t the family flake. When she gets a job planning a high profile wedding at a historic hotel, it seems like things are finally falling into place. That is, until Graham turns out to be the groom.

Graham’s family owns the once-grand, now struggling Black-Eyed Susan, and he’s returned to Baltimore to help his grandmother get it back on its feet. He’s certain that hosting a wedding at the hotel is just the publicity boost it needs. Ali’s boss agrees, and promises Ali a full-time gig if the affair goes off without a hitch. Unfortunately, Ali and Graham can’t seem to ignore their rekindled chemistry, especially when it’s revealed that Graham and his fiancée are planning a marriage of convenience. Still, staying away from each other is the best thing they can do, since giving in to their growing feelings might cost them everything.

Because when it comes to love, all bets are off.

Review:

Sassy, engaging, and fun!

Never Planned on You is a flirty, feel-good tale about the hardworking, impulsive Ali who, after deciding to embark on a one-night stand involving matching tattoos before heading home to Baltimore from London, finds her world turned upside down when the bridegroom of her latest job turns out to be none other than the one man she never thought she’d see again but whom she’s never actually forgotten.

The prose is witty and sharp. The characters are focused, amusing, and driven. And the plot is a lighthearted, funny blend of life, love, introspection, friendship, secrets, deception, awkward situations, sweet moments and taking chances.

Overall, Never Planned on You is a charming, touching, delightful tale by Hameroff that I thoroughly enjoyed and which, in my opinion, is a great choice for anyone who loves a good romcom with a whole lot of hope, humour, and heart.

 

This book is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to You Had Me at HEA – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lindsay Hameroff

Lindsay Hameroff is a writer, humorist, and former English teacher raised in Baltimore, MD and based in Harrisburg, PA. Her writing has been featured in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Belladonna, Weekly Humorist, and other outlets. She also co-edits Frazzled, a parenting humor site. Till There Was You is her first novel.

Photo Credit: Leslie Gilbert

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict @StMartinsPress #TheQueensofCrime #MarieBenedict #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

Published on by Zoe1 Comment
#BookReview The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict @StMartinsPress #TheQueensofCrime #MarieBenedict #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Queens of Crime

Author: Marie Benedict

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Feb. 11, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie—a thrilling story of the five greatest women writers of the Golden Age of Mystery and their bid to solve a real-life murder.

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.

Inspired by a true story in Sayers’ own life, New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict brings to life the lengths to which five talented women writers will go to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of letters as they unpuzzle a mystery torn from the pages of their own novels.

Review:

Mysterious, atmospheric, and entertaining!

The Queens of Crime is a menacing, action-packed tale that takes you back to London during 1930 and into the lives of five of the most successful female crime writers of the time, including Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie, as they join together to solve the murder of a young British nurse who vanished without a trace one day while on holiday with a friend in France.

The prose is descriptive and light. The characters are independent, intelligent, and intuitive. And the plot is a well-paced, captivating tale full of red herrings, amateur sleuthing, dangerous endeavours, deduction, secrets, deception, and female friendships.

Overall, The Queens of Crime is a cosy, enjoyable, satisfying tale by Benedict inspired by real-life historical figures that I devoured from start to finish and is the perfect choice for anyone who prefers their mysteries set in historical times.

 

This novel 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 Marie Benedict

Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms and Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus on history and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. She is the author of New York Times bestseller The Only Woman in the Room, Carnegie's Maid, The Other Einstein, and Lady Clementine. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy @christi_clancy @StMartinsPress #TheSnowbirds #ChristinaClancy #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy @christi_clancy @StMartinsPress #TheSnowbirds #ChristinaClancy #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Snowbirds

Author: Christina Clancy

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Feb. 4, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their “separate but together” partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face.

When they arrive at Le Desert, a quirky condo community where everyone knows everyone’s business, Kim immediately embraces the opportunity to make new friends and explore a more adventurous side of her personality. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to find his footing in this unfamiliar landscape, leaving Kim to wonder if their relationship can survive the snowbird season. But when Grant goes missing on a hike in the Palm Springs mountains, Kim is forced to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time he’s really left her.

Is it ever too late to become the person we wanted to be—and is there still time to change into someone better? The exhilarating, but often confusing transitions of midlife are pitched against the promise and glamour of Palm Springs in this tender, honest story of what it takes to commit to someone for a lifetime. With compassion and humor, Clancy explores the redemptive power of finding ourselves, and of being found.

Review:

Slow-burning, reflective, and sentimental!

The Snowbirds is an honest, compelling tale that takes you into the life of Kim who, after thirty years and two kids with her partner Grant, is struggling with how she sees the rest of her life unfolding until Grant disappears one day on a hike and the reality of a life without him makes her reassess what she really wants.

The writing is rich and smooth. The characters are independent, discontent, and flawed. And the plot, using a past/present style, is an intriguing tale about life, love, family, friendship, parenthood, independence, introspection, marital tension, and new beginnings.

Overall, The Snowbirds is a simmering, insightful, mysterious tale by Clancy that reminds us that life is unpredictable and full of curve balls, and it’s how we approach and handle these highs and lows and ups and downs that truly make all the difference.

 

This novel 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 providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Christina Clancy

CHRISTINA CLANCY is the author of The Second Home. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Sun Magazine and in various literary journals, including Glimmer Train, Pleiades and Hobart. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and lives in Madison, WI with her family.

Photo by James Bartelt.

Website | Instagram

#BookReview Get Lost with You by Sophie Sullivan @smpromance @StMartinsPress #SophieSullivan #GetLostWithYou #RockBottomLoveSeries #smpromance #smpinfluencers

Published on by Zoe1 Comment
#BookReview Get Lost with You by Sophie Sullivan @smpromance @StMartinsPress #SophieSullivan #GetLostWithYou #RockBottomLoveSeries #smpromance #smpinfluencers Title: Get Lost with You

Author: Sophie Sullivan

Series: Rock Bottom Love #2

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Feb. 11, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 304

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Jillian Keller took the long route to her best life, but is now happily settled in her hometown of Smile, raising her little girl alone while helping her brother run Get Lost Lodge. A lover of structure and routine, she doesn’t need anything, or anyone, disrupting her carefully curated life.

After chasing and achieving his culinary dreams, Levi Bright realizes he’s still missing something. Something he can’t find in a big city. Returning home to Smile, he intends to build a different future for himself that includes mending fences with his dad, reconnecting with friends, and creating elevated comfort food for a town he loves.

When Levi and Jilly run into each other one day in Smile, once requited feelings that never had a chance to bloom as teens flare between them immediately. Jaded from her past, Jilly is cautious and convinced that she can handle being just friends, as the two have to work closely together to prepare for Get Lost’s official summer opening, spending time together, camping, laughing, kayaking, and reminiscing. But when her brother hires sweet, funny, ridiculously hot Levi as the new chef at the lodge, and she and Ollie are getting more attached, things are moving more quickly than she anticipated–and Jilly has been hurt before. If she wants to be head over heels in love, she’ll have to learn that the past doesn’t always repeat itself. Sometimes, it just leads you where you’re meant to be.

Review:

Engaging, heartfelt, and fun!

Get Lost with You is an alluring, tender romance that transports you to the idyllic town of Smile and into the lives of the reliable, handsome Levi and the hardworking, single mother Jilly as they discover that even though they’ve known each other platonically for years, there may be a little something more underneath that’s worth taking a chance on.

The writing is light and playful. The characters are supportive, kind, and genuine. And the plot is an entertaining, amusing mix of friendship, family, community, responsibilities, parenthood, snappy banter, undeniable chemistry, tricky moments, small-town drama, and unconditional love.

Overall, Get Lost with You is another sweet, uplifting, satisfying addition to the Rock Bottom Love series by Sullivan that touches on the importance of healing, friendship, self-discovery, and finding happiness.

 

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 Sophie Sullivan

SOPHIE SULLIVAN is a Canadian author as well as a cookie-eating, Diet Pepsi-drinking, Disney enthusiast who loves reading and writing romance in almost equal measure. She writes around her day job as a teacher and spends her spare time with her sweet family watching reruns of Friends. TEN RULES FOR FAKING IT is her romcom debut novel, but she's had plenty of practice writing happily ever after as her alter ego, Jody Holford.

Website | Facebook | Instagram