The Christmas Keepsake: a family's story careful told in Christmas ornaments

The Christmas Keepsake is the second book in the Love in Bloom series by Annie Rains. Mallory Blue’s beloved grandmother, Nan, puts on a Christmas play in her community theater that has become a beloved tradition. However, this year is different. Nan is in a memory care living facility and putting on the Christmas play has fallen onto Mallory’s shoulders. As Mallory struggles to put on the play, two things help her keep going. First, a journal written by Nan which explains the story behind each handmade ornament on Nan’s tree. And second, Hollis Franklin, a man who is trying to prove to their small town that he is no longer the rebellious boy from the past. As Mallory reads Nan’s journal, she sees her Nan in a whole new light. There was so much she didn’t know about her grandmother, her family and the past. Can Mallory and Hollis learn the key to holiday magic isn’t the gifts under the tree? 

From the opening chapter, Mallory is a woman stuck in the middle. Between preserving her grandmother’s legacy and the expectations of the town with the reality of how to do it all. I loved that she wanted to hold on to her grandmother and the closeness they shared. My heart broke for her as she watched her grandmother slip away from her. I also enjoyed Hollis’s character. My heart broke for him as a man who was still trying to belong and seek forgiveness for all he did as a wild teen. I liked that Mallory learns to see Nan as a person, as a flawed woman who made decisions and choices. Overall, I enjoyed this story. It had great drama with lots of emotions. While this story is a sequel to The Finders Keepers Library, but I do recommend it, readers do not need to read it to understand Mallory’s story. If you enjoy a holiday story with a bit of romance, I highly recommend The Christmas Keepsake.  

The Christmas Keepsake is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle: friendship, healing and finding home again

The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle by Annie Rains is a story of friendship, healing and finally finding home again. Ten years ago, Melody Palmer left her hometown of Trove Isle after a tragic accident. Now she returns when she learns she has inherited her great aunt’s thrift shop, Hidden Treasures. There she discovers a charm bracelet that was lost so many years ago. A bracelet she shared with her sister, Alyssa, and her two best friends, Liz and Bri. While Melody fled, Liz stayed behind, working in her parents’ bakery, putting her dreams aside. For Bri, the consequences of that tragic accident led her on the road to self-destruction and a prison term. As she is set to be released, can Trove Isle feel like home again? Can Melody, Liz and Bri find peace about the past and look to a brighter future?

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with an adult twist, The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle is a story of friendship, healing and resilience. The story runs the gambit of emotions from anger to grief to love and tears. I loved the characters of Melody, Liz and Bri who were all relatable and worthy to cheer for as they dealt with the moment that changed their lives forever. I also loved the secondary characters of Rose, Liz’s little sister, Matt, Liz’s love interest, and Christopher, Melody’s love interest. The romance is subtle and did not overpower the story of the three friends. Overall, I loved this story and devoured it quickly. If you love strong female characters, a small town setting with a story of healing, forgiveness and friendship, I highly recommend The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle. 

The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle 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

The True Love Bookshop: enemies to friends to something more?

The True Love Bookshop is the third book in the Somerset Lake series by Annie Rains. Tess Lane owning Lakeside Books has been a dream come true. She hosts a weekly book club there that has been her lifeline since her husband, Jared's sudden death three years ago. She’s ready to start a new chapter in her life, to finally move on until River Harrison shows up at the store. All her lingering unanswered questions come back. River is a former Marine turned private investigator. He is a reminder of everything she has lost. She tries to ignore him, but she soon realizes River is the key to finally getting the answers she needs. Together, they embark on a journey of discovery. Is she really ready for the answers she’s looking for? Once she knows, there’s no going back. Despite her misgivings, she forges forward and even finds joy and laughter in her life again. Can Tess find the strength to forgive, let go of the past and find love again? 

Annie Rains is a new author to me and I love the cover of this book that I picked it up. I didn’t realize that it is the third in the series and worried that it would affect my understanding. There were references to the previous two books, it didn’t overwhelm this story or my enjoyment. From the beginning, I felt for Tess and her struggles to move forward from her husband’s death. When River stumbles into her bookstore, she can’t quite be heartless and refuse his pleas for help. I enjoyed the chemistry and history between Tess and River. I also enjoyed that their story wasn’t a typical, formulaic romance. There were real issues that were discussed but didn’t magically disappear as their relationship grew from enemies to friends to maybe more? I even enjoyed the supporting cast. Overall, I truly enjoyed The True Love Bookshop and look forward to going back to the first two books and reading any future books in the series. I recommend The True Love Bookshop. 

The True Love Bookshop is available in paperback and eBook