Story of My Life: when you hit rock bottom what can you do but move to a small town and start over

Story of My Life is the first book in the Story Lake series by Lucy Score. Hazel Hart is at rock bottom. She is being forced from her apartment in the Upper East Side by her ex-husband and her publisher gives her a final warning: write and publish or be dropped. When she sees an article about a small town rallying around a neighbor in need and a house up for action, Hazel takes the plunge and buys the house sight unseen. Taking her agent and best friend, Zoey, along, Hazel moves to the rural Pennsylvania small town of Story Lake. She hopes she can rediscover her writing mojo in the small town life. Swoon worthy inspiration hits when she meets hot but grumpy contractor Campbell “Cam” Bishop. In the name of research, she begins to fully live the small town life and a fake relationship with Cam, what possibly could go wrong? 

As a fan of the Gilmore Girls, Story of My Life was recommended to me. And after reading the note from the author, “This series is my love letter to every reader who said they wanted to move to a fictional town . . .,” I had to take a chance on this book. Lucy Score is an author I have seen all over social media and BookTok; however, I have not read any of her books before. I am so glad that I picked up Story of My Life. There was fun banter, sweet emotional scenes and spicy scenes with plenty of angst and grand gestures. At first, l didn’t like Hazel but once she arrived in Story Lake and goes head-to-head with Cam and the town, she grew on me. I loved Cam and the whole Bishop family. Their interactions were so fun. Overall, I loved this story and I am eagerly looking forward to future books in this series. I highly, highly recommend Story of My Life. 

Story of My Life is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Something Old: a fresh start in a new town

Something Old is the first book in The Second Chance Shop series by Ev Bishop. Madeline’s world came crumbling down when she lost her husband, daughter and sister in a fatal car accident. Tired of the limbo of grief and loneliness, she decides to move to a small town and open a second hand shop. A dream that she shared with her daughter. She doesn't know if it will work but she is determined to make it work. As opening day gets closer and closer, she finds that there is hope in life after all. She finds herself with friends again, laughing and even adopting a moody old cat. Could there even be a second chance for love? Can she find the strength to fully embrace life again? 

I love stories about finding the strength and courage to move forward after a tragic event. I looked forward to reading Madeline’s new life in this small town. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to really connect with Madeline or the people she meets along the way. I admire her determination to start living again and feeling a fresh start in a new town was her only option. There was very little conversation other than surface communication. I feel the conservation really didn’t get deep enough especially on such hard topics as loss and grief. There are a lot of silent musings and internal dialogues that slowed the story down. Overall, the story was okay; however, I will not be continuing the series. If you enjoy second chances for life and love, you may enjoy Something Old. 

Something Old is available in paperback and eBook

A Wish in the Wind: a fresh start in a town known for granting wishes

A Wish in the Wind by Kay Bratt is the seventeen book in The Wishing Tree series. In the small town of Linden Falls, there stands a tree with wishes tied to its branches. Through magic, divine providence or a random act of kindness wishes are granted. Hunter Glen and his daughter, Ava, recently moved to town for a fresh start. One day, Ava insists on placing a wish on the tree, as he reaches to tie the wish, a gust of wind carries it away and out of sight. Nicole is a long term resident of Linden Falls who is looking to the new year as life changing. As she works as a waitress at the Crooked Porch restaurant, a slip of paper falls from the sky onto her tray. The simple message gives her the idea that fate isn’t done with her just yet. 

I love The Wishing Tree series and when the group of authors announced new books in the series, I was super excited. A Wish in the Wind is the final book of this new wave of books. It is a quick, fun read with great moments of hope and magic. I loved Hunter as a newly single father left blindsided following his sudden divorce and worrying about providing his daughter with everything she needs. I loved Nicole as a person full of hope for the future. As they keep crossing paths, even for a small town, something seems to bring them together. Readers do not need to read the entire series in order to enjoy this book. Although I highly recommend reading the entire series. It is an uplifting series full of hope, magic and wishes. I highly recommend A Wish in the Wind. 

A Wish in the Wind will be available in eBook on October 17, 2024

Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries: a fun cozy mystery

Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries is the first book in the Campers and Criminals Cozy Mystery series by Tonya Kappes. Thirty-one year old Mae West finds herself homeless, friendless and penniless after her husband, Paul, is imprisoned for a Ponzi scheme. The only thing to her name is a tourist campground, Happy Trails, in Normal, Kentucky, and an RV to live in. By the looks of the brochure, the campground is a paradise with plush Kentucky bluegrass and a crystal clear lake. She forms a plan to take a little vacation while she finds a buyer. When she arrives, it is clear the campground is nothing like the brochure with the bluegrass dried up and the lake is murky with green slime. To make matters worse Mae discovers that many of the residents’ invested with Paul and lost their savings. The reception she gets is less than warm. But when Paul has escaped from prison and found dead, murdered, in the Happy Trails lake, Mae becomes suspect number one! Can she clear her name, find the real killer and prove to the residents of Normal that she is not like her husband? 

Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries is a fun, fast read. I’m still fairly new to the cozy mystery genre, I would say it is a mystery that one reads for fun and not to take too seriously. I read many criticisms of this book, especially how things were too outrageous to be real. I don’t know about you, but one of the reasons I read is to have fun and suspend reality for a time and this book did that for me. I enjoyed the quirky residents of Normal as they welcome and then “unwelcome” Mae once they realize who she is. Mae works hard to convince them she is not like her husband. Overall, I enjoyed Mae and her desire to right the wrongs her husband did regardless if she was at fault or not. Although the constant references to the famous actress Mae shares her name did get tiresome. I enjoyed Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries and I look forward to reading the rest of the Campers and Criminals series. If you are looking for a fun cozy mystery, I recommend Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries. 

Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook