A Little Something Sweet: a second chance romance with not so secret matchmakers

A Little Something Sweet is the first book in the Caribou Falls series by Laura Ashwood. Megan Turner never wanted to return to her hometown but her mom is sick and needs her help. Making the most of the situation, she restores a local bakery and makes it her own. What she didn’t count on is the handsome contractor to be her ex-high sweetheart, the one person she was hoping to avoid. Jake Sullivan lost the love of his life to a stupid mistake that broke Megan’s heart and left him a divorced single dad. Now, he just focuses on raising his son and building his business. When he is hired to do the renovation of Megan’s bakery, he is determined to keep it professional. But can a town filled with matchmakers ignite the spark again? 

A Little Something Sweet is a sweet second chance romance that is great for an afternoon of reading. It is a clean romance with no spice and a happily ever after. A fast paced story that kept me engaged and rooting for Jake and Megan. I loved both characters. They were both relatable, engaging and easy to love as they struggled with their lost love and hopes for a brighter future. Their interactions were great from cool indifference to obvious attraction. I loved watching the ice thaw between them and they acknowledged their remaining feelings. I also loved all their supporting characters and look forward to seeing a few of them with their own stories. If you love sweet romances with a happily ever after, I highly recommend A Little Something Sweet. 

A Little Something Sweet is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Chosen: the book companion for the critically acclaimed television series.

The Chosen: I Have Called You by Name by Jerry B Jenkins is the first book in The Chosen series.  Based on the acclaimed and widely popular series, The Chosen: I Have Called You by Name features the stories of the men and women before and after their encounters with Jesus in the early days of his ministry. From the fishermen, Simon Peter and Andrew, to the demon possessed Mary of Magdala, to Nicodemus, the Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, to Matthew, the tax-collector. Ordinary people, with everyday struggles and concerns, who will be radically changed with a simple encounter. The Chosen: I Have Called You by Name covers the first season of the series, The Chosen, which is currently in its fourth season. 

I won a copy of the book through another Christian author; however, I reluctantly put it aside. I waited for the right time and mindset. Recently, I picked it up. While the chapters are short, the language simplistic, The Chosen brought a side of these individuals’ stories that believers probably never really think about, especially just how hated Matthew really was as a tax collector. I was able to finish this book in one day. It was engaging and easy to follow. I was, then, more inclined to give the series a try. Overall, I enjoyed The Chosen. It is a great place to start, if you want to know Jesus’s life and ministry. Hopefully bringing more and more people to the gospels and belief in Jesus. 

The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name

 is available in hardcover, paperback and eBook

The series, The Chosen, can be viewed on various streaming platforms

The Substitute: cute but not very interesting

The Substitute by Denise Grover Swank is the first book in The Wedding Pact series. It is the story of Megan Vandemeer. She meant to tell her parents about her broken engagement. But six weeks later, she boards a plane back home to Kansas City for a wedding her parents think is still on. She is terrified to reveal the truth, knowing her mother will place the blame solely on Megan. Once on the plane, she takes a dose of Dramamine for her airsickness and has a couple drinks to calm her nerves. She finds herself spilling her story out to the handsome stranger seated next to her. Josh McMillan boards the plane to Kansas City on a desperate effort to save his company. Although Megan is completely loopy, her honesty and humor charm him and he decides to help her off the plane. When an overheard comment mistakes him for Megan’s fiancé, Jay, and Josh has no choice to play along. They decide to have a very public break up. But as they do the pre-wedding activities her mother has planned, the less they want to break it off. Can this charade really be happily ever after?

I’ve read a few fake pact leads to real romance type of stories before and The Substitute is definitely one of those stories. It has a great start as Megan gets on the plane and meets Josh. After that it really slows down until the last quarter of the story. I just didn’t understand how Megan, who stood up to her mother once before, couldn’t do it again and tell her the engagement was off. I also don’t believe that after 2 years of dating, her family has never met Jay or seen a picture of him! The story is sweet and the banter between Megan and Josh is fun but there were events that just didn’t seem plausible or realistic. Overall, it was a cute story but didn’t hold my interest enough to continue with the series. If you enjoy the fake pact love romance stories, you may enjoy The Substitute.

The Substitute

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook