Oye: a coming of age through family drama

Oye by Melissa Mogollon is one young woman’s story as she deals with family drama among high school drama and an incoming hurricane. Luciana is the baby of her very large Colombian American family. She is usually pushed to the sidelines; however, she suddenly finds herself front and center as the voice of reason during an unexpected crisis. As South Florida residents are ordered to evacuate as a hurricane heads their direction, Luciana is left to deal with Abue, her eccentric grandmother, who refuses to leave. When a crushing medical diagnosis forces Abue to move into Luciana’s room, the two find themselves on a personal journey neither wanted. Forced into the role of caretaker, translator and keeper of Abue’s secrets, Luciana finds herself facing adulthood and ready for the challenge. 

Billed as a “coming-of-age comedy. A telenovela-worthy drama. A moving family saga. All in a phone call you won’t want to hang up on,” I found the premise of Oye to be intriguing. With an eye-catching cover, I could not pass on this story. However, I was quickly confused as the story is told mostly as a one-sided phone conversation and series of voicemails. I could not find the comedy, the telenovela drama or the family saga. Perhaps I am simply not the audience for this story to fully appreciate its unique format. While labeled as adult fiction, I feel it belongs in the young adult category. Overall, I found it hard to enjoy this story. However, if you think you may enjoy a story told in an unique and unconventional format, I recommend giving Oye a try. 

Oye is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Travis: sometimes you need to lose it all to gain a brighter future

Travis by Mia Sheridan is a follow up story to Archer’s Voice. Travis Hale has it all. He enjoys his role as the chief of police in Pelion, Maine. He has built a relationship with his half-brother, Archer, his wife Bree and their three children. Despite a past filled with regrets and misguided choices, he is looking into the future with eagerness. Until he discovers his girlfriend in bed with a new guy in town. Travis immediately begins to plot his revenge, that is until he meets Haven Torres, the new guy’s smoothie-making, plant loving woman from California. Haven is not his type at all and she’s only in town for the summer. Haven left behind a painful past in California, she and her brother have been on the road, only staying in a town for a few months before moving on again. She and Travis form an unlikely friendship that soon turns complicated. 

Travis takes place a few years after the events of Archer’s Voice. While Archer and Bree make the occasional appearance, and it was sweet to see them still living their happily ever after, this story is all Travis as he deals with the fallout from the previous book and trying to rebuild his life. Overall, I enjoyed this story. I loved Travis’ personal and emotional journey. I loved Haven’s growth as well. These were two broken people who come together and heal together. It was beautiful. I loved seeing Travis truly confront his family’s past, his past in order to build a brighter future for himself. The only person I felt really bad for is Gage Buchanan, the other eligible bachelor in Pelion. I think he deserves his own love story. If you haven’t read Archer’s Voice, I highly recommend reading it before reading Travis. If you enjoyed Archer’s Voice, you will enjoy Travis as well.

Travis is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Every Time We Say Goodbye: confronting the past and facing the future in post war Europe

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner is the third book in the Jane Austen Society series. In a story of love and art, of grief and memory, and of confronting the past and facing the future, it opens in 1955, as Vivian Lowry faces an uncertain future. After a poorly reviewed play that threatens her career as a dramatic playwright, she takes a job as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. There she finds a movie filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors and famous actors. The cast and crew find themselves torn between the past and a possibly brighter future, between the liberation of the post war cinema and the restrictions imposed by the Catholic Church. On a personal note, Vivien begins to learn the long-buried truth of what really happened to her deceased fiancé during the war. 

As a fan of The Bloomsbury Girls, I was looking forward to Every Time We Say Goodbye. I enjoy stories that feature life in the postwar world. Unfortunately, the story fell flat very quickly. The opening prologue was captivating and I was eager to discover more. However, the story that followed left me confused and lost. There were just so many characters. It was hard to keep track of who was who without stopping every other page to take notes and took me out of the story every time. I didn’t care for Vivien. I found her harsh and lacking any warmth or likability. I did enjoy learning about the famous Cinecitta Studios and the classic American movies that were filmed there. If you enjoyed Ms. Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society and The Bloomsbury Girls, I suggest giving Every Time We Say Goodbye a try. You may enjoy it more than I did. 

Every Time We Say Goodbye will be available 

in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook May 14, 2024

Rednecks: the West Virginia Mine Wars and an origin of the term "rednecks"

Rednecks by Taylor Brown is an historical fiction based on the West Virginia Mine Wars between 1920 and 1921 culminating in the Battle of Blair Mountain. An army of 10,000 coal miners fought back against mine owners, state militia and the United States government in the largest labor uprising in American history and largest armed conflict since the Civil War. A powerful story of rebellion against oppression, in a land where coal companies used violence and intimidation to keep workers in line. Told from the perspectives of “Doc Moo” Muhanna, a Lebanese-American Doctor, who witnesses the blood toll and injustice occurring in the mining camps, and Frank Hugham, a black World War I veteran and coal miner, takes the dramatic steps to lead a miners’ revolt. Many historical figures make appearances as their roles in the conflict from the fiery Mother Jones, labeled as “The Most Dangerous Woman in America” to the sharp shooting police chief “Smilin’ Sid Hatfield. 

The Battle of Blair Mountain and the West Virginia Mine Wars were quickly forgotten by the world outside of Appalachia while the people who live in the region, the memory is alive and well. Taylor Brown is an award winning novelist who brings these events to life in vivid color and reminds the world of the lengths that were taken to achieve the labor protections we take for granted today. As someone who was raised outside of the Appalachian regions, I knew of the conflicts between miners and the mine owners, however; I was shocked to learn the details of the injustices suffered, the acts of heroism, and cheered at the power of a community when they band together. I was also surprised to learn the unexpected origin of the term redneck. Redneck details the grittiness of the region and the people’s determination to stand up and fight back against all odds with realism and authenticity. I highly recommend Rednecks. 

Rednecks will be available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook May 14, 2024

Throne of Grace: an epic look into a relatively unknown historical figure

Throne of Grace: A Mountain Man, an Epic Adventure and the Bloody Conquest of the American West by Tom Clavin and Bob Drury shines light on a historical figure largely forgotten in the push West. The legendary adventurer Jedediah Smith and the Mountain Men explored the American frontier after the Lewis and Clark expedition of the Louisiana Purchase and the birth of Manifest Destiny. Stories of friendly deals and bloody battles with the indigenous tribes, the strange beasts and animals they encountered and the gorgeous landscapes before their eyes. From the Rocky Mountains to the western coast, Smith’s explorations became legendary although he fell into obscurity for seventy years after his death. Throne of Grace is a gripping narrative about an relatively underreported era in US history and brings to life one of the great American explorers. 

Whenever I am given the opportunity to read a new historical book by Tom Clavin and Bob Drury, I jump at it. They give the full view of history and its events in its reality and with honesty. Throne of Grace sets out to provide an epic narrative of America’s greatest and yet relatively unknown pathfinder in Jedediah Smith. As their standard, Clavin and Drury provide a painstaking researched story with amazing details and insights into the historical figures and events.  While it is Smith’s story that drives the main narrative, the story of settling west is told through the eyes of the ordinary and memorable men and women who witnessed it, both settlers and indigenous. If you love historical non-fiction, you cannot go wrong with Clavin and Drury’s books. I highly, highly recommend Throne of Grace. 

Throne of Grace: A Mountain Man, an Epic Adventure and the Bloody Conquest of the American West is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

One Last Shot: a marriage pact and a second chance at romance

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette is a friends to lovers, marriage pact romance. From the moment Emerson and Theo met freshman year of high school, they were inseparable best friends. As they expressed their true feelings for each other, their lives went on different paths, not before promising each other that if they were not married by twenty-eight, they would marry each other. Emerson is an in-demand supermodel nearing her twenty-eighth birthday. When a calendar reminder pops up on her phone of her marriage pact with Theo. She realizes that this is her shot to rekindle the only love she really wanted. She learns where Theo, now a photographer, is shooting next and orchestrates her way to be a part of it. A four-day shoot in the romantic setting of Cinque Terre, Italy, Emerson and Theo find their feelings being tested as roadblocks after obstacles get in their way. Is this their last shot at love or their final goodbye? 

One Last Shot is the debut romance from Betty Cayouette and I love a good second chance, friends to lovers romance. I hemmed and hawed about reading this story as I do not care for fashion or supermodel world. But I decided to give it a chance anyway. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it. The main issue with this story was the miscommunication. The miscommunication trope is one of my least favorite romantic trope. Their roadblocks and obstacles could have been avoided if they just talked about it! They dance around their marriage pact, something they are both aware of as they reunite, and yet pretend they had forgotten about it. The constant flashbacks to their high school years took me out of the present events and bogged the story down. Overall, the story was okay. I think I am not the right audience for this book. If you think you may enjoy this story, I recommend giving One Last Shot a try. 

One Last Shot is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Love Blooms: a small town romance

Love Blooms by Jennifer Faye is the first book in the Bell Family of Bluestar Island series. New York firefighter Ethan Walker was injured on the job. As he prepares to return to work, he gets an urgent call that sends him to Bluestar Island. Hannah Bell has grown up on Bluestar Island and has finally achieved her dream of opening up her own bakery. But her dreams come crashing down when a water pipe breaks and destroys the building. With the island’s sea breeze and warm sunshine, Hannah and Ethan find themselves at turning points in their lives. Does Ethan go back to his job as a firefighter in New York? Will Hannah be able to fix her bakery and finally open it? As they also find themselves drawn to each other, can they find the perfect mix to make both of their dreams come true? 

Love Blooms is a sweet small town romance. It is a slow burn clean romance. I mean slow! I was bored after the first chapters. I did not care for the characters. I found Hannah to be immature and unreasonable. While I understand that she is upset at the destruction of her bakery and the set back in its opening; however, I found her reactions to certain situations a little over the top. Ethan was a decent character. There were the standard quirky small town characters. Some were fun and enjoyable while others were cringy and annoying. Overall, it was a decent story but I closed the book feeling underwhelmed. I most likely will not continue the series. While I did not enjoy the story, I know there are readers who probably would. If you enjoy small town romance, I recommend giving  Love Blooms a try. 

Love Blooms is available in paperback and eBook

The Bequest: an unexpected inheritance and a life changing decision

The Bequest by B.E. Baker is the first book in The Birch Creek Ranch series. Abigail and Amanda married the Brooks brothers but they have nothing else in common. After their husbands both pass away, they have become distant acquaintances. Until one day, when news comes to them that their late husbands’ eccentric uncle has passed away and left a cattle ranch to their children. However, they must work the ranch for one year. If they do, it’s theirs. If they do not, the ranch will be sold and the proceeds donated. At first, they both decide to turn down the offer; however, a series of events leads them both to spend the summer at the ranch with their combined six children. Could this summer prove they have no business running a ranch? Or prove that they could? 

I have enjoyed B.E. Baker’s books in the past and I was looking forward to reading The Bequest. I was excited as it appeared next on my To-Be-Read list. After a few chapters, my enjoyment faltered. I could not stand Abigail or Amanda at first. Abigail is a lawyer hoping to become a partner at her firm. Amanda is an Instagram influencer desperate for the chance to expand her brand. By the end, I did see them begin to change and evolve. The only characters I truly enjoyed were the children, especially Elijah. Overall, I did enjoy The Bequest and would like to see how Abigail, Amanda and their children continue to grow with their new lives. If you enjoy surprise inheritance and fish out of water stories, you may enjoy The Bequest. 

The Bequest is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Crossing the Line: a forbidden sports romance

Crossing the Line by Nicola Marsh is the first book in the Worlds Apart series. Mia Cresswell is tired of being good. Being known as the geek doesn’t equal fun. While at home at her dad’s tennis academy on spring break, Mia is determined to be bad and she wants the hot new Aussie player to help her do it. Kye Sheldon comes from a troubled past. His attendance at the Cresswell Tennis Academy is his last chance and he can’t afford to mess around. However, he meets Mia and he cannot get her off his mind. What starts off as a secret spring break fling becomes something more. Will they be willing to risk it all for love? 

Crossing the Line is a fast paced sports romance. From the opening chapter to the closing scene, I could not put this book down. I loved Mia and Kye together. Kye has a bad boy reputation but he hides a deeply hurting spirit and Mia helps him overcome his personal and professional demons. I’m not a big fan of tennis so I do not know the ins and outs of the sport; however, the scenes involving tennis lingo doesn’t bog down the flow of the story. There are great romantic scenes, spicy love scenes and a heartwarming grand gesture. It was a fast read and great for an afternoon of reading. If you enjoy sports romances, you may enjoy Crossing the Line. 

Crossing the Line is available in paperback and eBook

Priscilla: a wife, a disciple, and an example of spiritual maturity and understanding of the faith

This post is the last of my Women in the Bible series. I started in 2020 and it has been a great learning experience for myself and I hope that it has brought some insight for you, my readers. We end with Priscilla. Priscilla is one of the first missionaries and leaders of the early church. Along with her husband, Aquila, she risked her life for the apostle Paul. A woman of spiritual maturity and understanding of the faith, she helped build the early church. While she experienced opposition to the gospel from both Jews and Gentiles, she had the great joy to spread the gospel and nurture the church. What is her story? Why is she and her husband always mentioned together? What lessons can we learn from her example? 

Forced to leave Rome after Claudius ordered all Jews out of the city in 49 AD (Acts 18:2), Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, took their tentmaking trade to Corinth, a wealthy seaport, famous for its commercial might and appetites for vices. There they would become leaders of the church there. Her faith had begun many years prior in an atmosphere of strife and controversy in Rome and would be tested time and time again. In Corinth, she and her husband met Paul and witnessed the spread of the gospel as well as strife and opposition. After eighteen months, the Jews of Corinth would have Paul detained for spreading an illicit religion. Priscilla and Aquila would follow Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18). There, they would meet a Jew named Apollos, who was speaking with great fervor about Jesus (Acts 18:24-25). When Priscilla and Aquila realized Apollos wasn’t teaching the gospel fully, they invited him into their home and instructed him on salvation and “the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:26). 

There are some couples that when one is mentioned, so is the other. They are a unit, never really without the other. They know how to make the most out of life. They complement each other. They capitalize on each other’s strengths and pick up the slack where one is weakest and form an effective team. Priscilla and Aquila were such a couple, never being mentioned without the other. In marriage and in ministry, they were a team. They worked as a team in their trade and in their church. They were partners in all they did. In an age when the focus is on what happens between a husband and a wife (i.e. conflicts, issues, etc), Priscilla and Aquila are an example of what can happen through a husband and a wife [emphasis mine]. Their effectiveness together speaks volumes about their relationship together. They didn’t stay in Ephesus. They would go back to Rome and continue to preach the gospel. Paul mentions them in his letters. First in Romans. “They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them” (Romans 16:3-4). Second, he instructs Timothy to “greet Priscilla and Aquila” (2 Timothy 4:19). 

There are a few lessons we can take from Priscilla’s story and example. First, she worked with her husband in life and in ministry. Couples can have an effective ministry together. Through prayer, support and encouragement, couples can learn how to work within their strengths for the Lord. Second, the home is a valuable tool for evangelism. Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 16:19 that “the church that meets at their house.” Any believer’s greatest ministry is within their home with their spouse, with their children and then can extend to the greater community outside. Third, every believer needs to be well educated in the faith. Studying the Bible is how we learn to apply its principles and we teach others about Jesus. How can we spread the gospel when we don’t know it? It would be like teaching someone how to cook without all the ingredients. 

In conclusion, Priscilla was a valued disciple being mentioned several times in Paul’s letters. One who made a difference in Paul’s life and in the lives of those around her. She was a woman of wisdom and faith. She is an example of a wife working alongside her husband for the Lord. She may not have realized that each task she completed, great and small, was an opportunity to spread the gospel and work for the Lord. We often don’t realize the influence we create as we interact with those in our lives. Our lives are meant to have a rippling effect from one person to another through our influence and faith. May God make a few waves, rock a few boats with our acts of faith and spread His love, grace and gift of salvation. 

Archer's Voice: a story of healing and love

Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan is the first book in the Where Love Meets Destiny series. Bree Prescott is running. Running from the painful memories of her hometown. She escapes to Pelion, Maine, a sleepy lakeside town where she hopes she can finally find the peace she desperately needs. On her first day, she meets Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds secrets of his own. She finds herself pulled to the man who cannot speak, a man that everyone else in town seems to not see. Bree and Archer begin a simple friendship that burns into something more as they share their painful pasts and find a healing they never thought possible. However, there is someone in town who desperately wants to keep Archer silent and Bree out of town. Can their new love find the strength to fight against the forces that would keep them apart? 

I was gifted with a copy of Archer’s Voice from a friend who passed along her copy once she was done. After hearing great, good and even bad reviews of this story, I was intrigued by the story. Archer’s Voice is a multifaceted story. It is a story of a woman who feels chained to the painful memory of one horrifying night. It is a story of a man who has lived on the outside of society and a painful past that keeps him silent. It is a story of a town who finds the courage to find back against change no one wants. It is a story of powerful healing of love. I loved this story. With twists and turns, it is a book that I thought about long after I put it down and one I was eager to pick back up. I highly recommend Archer’s Voice. 

Archer’s Voice is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

Blackbird: a story of survival and determination

Blackbird by Kay Bratt is the ninth book in the Hart’s Ridge series. In the small town of Hart’s Ridge, the echoes of Lydia Grimes’ abduction still ripples through the community. As they continue to come to grips with her profound loss, new clues and ideas may lead to understanding what happened to Lydia and where she is now. Deputy Taylor Gray feels deeply about every case that comes through Hart’s Ridge. With a mix of joys among the lingering sorrows, Taylor finds herself helping Caleb Grimes find the closure he needs to get his life and his family back on track. A young named Allison Curran, whom Taylor helped so many years ago, needs help again to leave a desperate situation. Can Taylor and Grimes find out what happened to Lydia and put the case to rest? Can Allison finally find peace, a home and a fresh start? 

Oh wow! What a story! From the opening prologue to the closing cliffhanger, Blackbird is a story of survival and determination. There were moments of heartbreaking tears and joyful smiles. There were moments of nail biting suspense and a race against time urgency. The Hart’s Ridge series just keeps getting better and better. My heart broke for Caleb and his daughters, especially Grace who struggled with their new reality and fears. I cheered Allison on as she worked to better her life and hoped with every turn of the page that she finds who and what she needs to find her feet again. I can’t wait for the next book to find out what happens next! This story will keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you guessing. I highly, highly recommend reading this series and if you have read the series so far, you will love Blackbird. 

Blackbird is available in paperback and eBook

Hart’s Ridge series books 1-8 are now available in paperback and eBook

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade: resilience of the human spirit to survive and rebuild

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles is based on a true story of Jessie “Kit” Carson, an American librarian who worked in a war zone to bring books to the people. In January 1918, as the Great War rages on, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library and works for the American Committee for Devastated France (CARD). Founded by Anne Morgan, the daughter of JP Morgan, this group helped rebuild the war torn French communities along the battlefront. When Jessie arrives, she creates children’s libraries. Turning ambulances into bookmobiles and trains French women as librarians. Then she disappears. Sixty-nine years later, in 1987, Wendy Peterson, a NYPL librarian and aspiring writer, stumbled across Jessie Carson’s name in the archives. With only a passing reference, Wendy becomes obsessed with discovering more about the elusive librarian. Is she prepared for what her search will reveal?  

I loved Jane Skeslien Charles’s The Paris Library and could not wait to read another adventure of the importance of books and community, even in war time. It is a story about the resilience of the human spirit to survive and rebuild. It is a story of inspiration and courage. I loved that Jessie felt the call to join CARD and leave her safe home for a war zone. I also loved that she did not let disappointment discourage her from doing what she set out to do. She was a librarian and was going to bring books back to the community. I also loved Wendy’s dedication to find out Jessie’s story and tell the world about her. This story is well researched and I enjoyed the author’s notes at the end about the real life individuals. If you enjoy stories about WWI and books, I recommend Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade. 

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade will be available 

in hardcover, eBook and audiobook April 30, 2024

Sugarcoated: a brother's best friend romance

Sugarcoated by Erin Nicholas is the first book in the Hot Cakes series. Aiden Anderson and Zoe McCaffery practically grew up together. Everything was fine between them until she showed up in his bedroom in lingerie and asked him to take her V-card. It surprised him that she asked and it surprised her when he refused. Embarrassed and humiliated, Zoe threw herself into the family’s bakery business, determined to forgive Aiden and the whole incident. Now five months later, he is back in town, realizing his mistake and determined to tell her he has fallen in love with her and wants to make her his forever. However, there is a snag in his plan. He also has to tell her that he bought her biggest competitor. Aiden realizes he has his work cut for him. 

Sugarcoated is my first book by Erin Nicholas. It is a fun brother’s best friend romance. It was a fun and fast read. Zoe is spunky and sassy. Aiden is sweet and sexy. Their banter and flirting was fun to read. When it came to their spicy, sexy moments, it wasn’t as sexy. I literally skimmed over that part. Their flirtation was much better. The issue of Aiden buying her competitor and it’s revelation to Zoe was slowly built, yet over and forgiven a little too quickly. I enjoyed the secondary characters and their interactions with Aiden and Zoe. The story gives hints as to who pairs off in future stories in the series. Overall, I enjoyed it and wouldn’t mind picking up the rest of the series. If you enjoy fun romance, I recommend Sugarcoated. 

Sugarcoated is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Make Me Wilder: a fun, sweet, sexy romance

Make Me Wilder by Serena Bell is the first book in the Wilder Adventures series. In the small town of Rush Creek, Oregon, Gabe Wilder and his brothers operate the Wilder Adventures. Offering everything from fishing, hiking, survival camping and more, they have done well. That is until new businesses came to town and the new tourists have no interest in getting dirty in the woods. Enter Lucy Spiro, a city girl  sticks out like a sore thumb. She has been hired to give Wilder Adventures a bit of a makeover and help the family business thrive once again. Gabe and Lucy have an instant connection and while they are on the opposite ends of the ideas for the business, they cannot fight their attraction. Lucy is there to do a job and go back to New York City. Can Gabe show her that life in a small town with him would be worth it? 

Serena Bell is a new author to me. Make Me Wilder is a fun, sweet, sexy romance. I could not put it down. The banter and head butting between Lucy and Gabe had me smiling and the grand romantic gesture at the end made me sigh. I loved Gabe as the strong, older brother who felt a duty to take care of the family and the family business. I loved Lucy as a woman out of her element and yet willing to prove she can be as rough and tumble as the small town. Their banter and spicy moments were wonderful. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and look forward to reading their own stories. Every character felt real as their strengths, flaws and fears were relatable. If you enjoy easy to read, page turner romances with great banter, I highly recommend Make Me Wilder. 

Make Me Wilder is available in paperback and eBook

Never Lie: a domestic psychological thriller with unreliable narrators

Never Lie by Freida McFadden is a domestic psychological thriller with twists and turns. Tricia and Ethan are newlyweds who are searching for their dream house. They come to the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who disappeared without a trace. When they are forced to stay at the estate when a sudden blizzard blocks the roads. In her search to pass the time, Tricia comes across a secret room filled with taped sessions of Dr Hale with her patients. Tricia learns the chain of events and a web of lies unravels which led to Dr Hale’s disappearance. As the blizzard rages outside, there are strange events happening inside. Are Tricia and Ethan alone in the house? Or is someone watching? 

I have seen Freida McFadden books everywhere online; however, I haven’t had the opportunity to read one before. Never Lie is my first book by Ms. McFadden. It was a fast paced, easy to read, engaging story. With narrators you aren’t sure you should trust, readers will pick up clues and watch as twists and turns of a rollercoaster until the final page. I closed the book with a sense of awe and amazed at the all around craziness that occurred on the page. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I wasn’t wowed by it but I enjoyed it. I will try other Ms McFadden’s books in the future. If you enjoy fast paced psychological thrillers, I recommend Never Lie. 

Never Lie is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Finders Keepers Library: a heart-warming second love story with hope and healing

The Finders Keepers Library is the first book in the Love in Bloom series by Annie Rains. Savannah Collins’s life has been filled with lots of thorns and zero roses lately. As a gardener with a green thumb, she finds herself out of a job, dumped and evicted, all in one swoop. With all her belongings in her car, she heads to her Aunt Eleanor’s in Bloom, North Carolina, to spend the summer and hopefully figure out a new plan. What she doesn’t expect is to run into Evan Sanders, her childhood crush. Eleanor shares her love of literature with the Finders Keepers Library, located in the beautiful garden her late husband cultivated; anyone can stop by to pick a book or even leave a book. When a sudden summer storm destroys a portion of the library and the garden, it is a race to clean it up for a coming wedding. 

The Finders Keepers Library is a heart-warming second chance love story about hope and healing. It is a sweet story with a few tears and self-discovery. I loved the great applications of books into life situations. From classic stories like Anne of Green Gables to modern stories like The Hunger Games, the characters show us that books can be entertainment as well as  life lessons and inspiration. I also loved that the story uses the therapeutic aspect of gardening. I loved all the characters. From Savannah to Evan to Aunt Eleanor and to the secondary characters, just wonderful, wonderful characters. Their hopes, dreams and struggles were relatable and inspiring. I am looking forward to the more books in this series. I just didn’t want this story to end. If you love stories of second chances, healing with books and gardening, I highly, highly recommend The Finders Keepers Library. 

The Finders Keepers Library is available in paperback and eBook