The Purple Thistles: three women return to their hometown after the death of a loved one and have their lives changed forever

The Purple Thistles by Carolyn Brown is a story of three women who recent an inheritance which brings them back to their Texas small town. Kate, Elizabeth and Gloria come from three very different backgrounds and were never friendly in high school. Kate was a part of their town’s elite until she was disowned and shunned by her parents. Elizabeth fled her religiously strict family and returned with a secret. Gloria grew up in poverty with an alcoholic mother and struggles with her own demons. Their only common thread is the love and care from Ula, a beloved nanny and mother figure to them all. When Ula passes away, each woman inherits a portion of Ula’s estate. As they work through their painful pasts, heartbreak and their newfound friendship, Kate, Elizabeth and Gloria see the possibilities of bright futures and unexpected romances.  

The Purple Thistles is a bittersweet story of three women who find friendship and a community through their grief and strength to stand up to their families and their pasts. From the very beginning, my heart broke for these women as they came back to town with broken dreams and painful memories. However, through their shared memories of Ula, they find strength with each other and their newfound community and even have second chances at love. There were moments of great laughs and loving moments. I cheered for these women as they each confronted those who would try to keep them down. I also loved the symbolism with the thistle. Overall, I loved this story and was a bit sad to see it end but enjoyed the happily ever after Kate, Elizabeth and Gloria are now living. I highly recommend The Purple Thistles. 

The Purple Thistles will be available on December 1, 2026 

in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Falling for You Again: an ex-husband, a marriage of convenience and rules made to be broken

Falling For You Again by Kerry Lonsdale is a story of family, love and a marriage of convenience. Meli Hynes is a furniture artisan, raised by her uncle Bear and takes his truisms to heart. After a twenty four hour marriage during a Las Vegas fling, Meli gave marriage a shot and decided that her family’s wood crafting shop was the legacy she wanted to live for. When she learns that her uncle decides to sell to a competitor, the promised inheritance is threatened and Meli is ready to right for it. The competitor just happens to be her ex-husband’s family business and she approaches him to stop the deal. His idea? A marriage of convenience. With his own controlling family, Aaron Borland proposes a marriage in name only with public displays of affection and living together as happy newlyweds. And most importantly, never let real feelings get in the way. It may be the hardest rule of all. 

I was very excited to read the newest story by Kerry Lonsdale and when I won a copy, I immediately jumped in. From the opening page to the closing chapters, Meli and Aaron’s story was filled with heart, growth, humor and love. Overall, I liked Meli’s growth through the book. She was certainly a character I wanted to shake some sense into. However, I loved Aaron’s character from his introduction and throughout the story. Meli’s friend, Emi, was a great supporting character. A very direct, someone who will call you out on your nonsense. I loved the scene where Emi meets Aaron for the first time and gives him the “If you hurt her” speech! A few characters had a lot of jaded opinions about marriage, which I get as many haven’t had pleasant or great marriage experiences. Overall, Falling for You Again was a good, entertaining story. I was not able to put it down. I highly recommend Falling for You Again. 

Falling for You Again is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Beach House Romance: healing the past, building their dreams and maybe a future together

Beach House Romance is the first book in the Seahaven trilogy by Cora Seton. Emma Miller is 27 and at rock bottom. She’s broke, homeless, and trying to start over with a mountain of debt. Until one day, she learns that she and her estranged sister have inherited their grandmother’s beachside bed and breakfast, Brightview, and the Cliff Garden, she is thrilled. She will cook and run the B&B and Ashley can tend the garden. She finally sees a light at the end of the tunnel. Until he comes to Seahaven. Noah Hudson is 33 and a newly minted millionaire. He recently sold his shares in a successful business and can finally focus on his passions. His older brother, Andrew, is an architect and Noah will give him an unlimited budget to build a luxurious home on one of the last undeveloped oceanfront properties. There’s one snag. The property he just purchased is next to Brightview. Emma is furious to learn that her sister sold the Cliff Garden but can’t deny her attraction to Noah, an attraction that Noah replicates. Can they find a way to heal the past, build their dreams and maybe a future together? 

Beach House Romance is the first book I have read by Cora Seton, a name I recognize from various sites. I love beach reads. I love romance. So I was excited by this book. The story started off well and I was intrigued by Emma and Noah, their various life situations and troubling pasts. However, that intrigue quickly faded into frustrations as the chapters were long with changes back and forth in perspectives from Emma to Noah and back. This constant changing back and forth made the chapters way too long and bogged down. The story was fairly predictable, as most romances are, however, it was boring getting them. There were also way too many secondary chapters. I understand the author was trying to establish the community of characters but it got confusing. Even the romance was a bit bland for a romance novel. Overall, I was disappointed and I will not be continuing this trilogy. I am also reluctant to pick another Cora Seton book in the future. If you are a fan of Cora Seton, you may enjoy Beach House Romance. However, I did not enjoy it and do not recommend Beach House Romance. 

Beach House Romance is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Her Unexpected Roommate: an inheritance and dreams threatened

Her Unexpected Roommate is the first book in the Blubs, Blossoms, and Bouquets series by Laura Ann. Genevieve “Genni” Winters finally sees light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. After her sole living relative passes away, she inherits Boardwalk Manor, the family home. With plans to renovate the old house and open a bed and breakfast, she looks forward to a brighter future. Her dreams are dashed when she learns that she is only half owner of the house. Cooper James inherits the other half of ownership when his grandfather passes. He can’t believe his luck. He is desperate for a fresh start and the house is the open door he needs. He doesn’t anticipate the beautiful but angry Genni who demands he sell his half. Despite their opposition, there is a simmering attraction that builds between them. Can they come together and fight for the house before they lose it all? 

Her Unexpected Roommate is my first book by Laura Ann. Unfortunately, I was bored. I didn’t care for Genni. Despite her difficult life, she acted like a child throwing a tantrum. Cooper had the best potential to be a great character. He was more likable as someone who was repairing his life and bettering himself. However, they were childishly antagonistic without a reason to be, especially with their first meeting. The first sign of opposition to Genni’s proposal, she storms off?!?! The threat to both their dreams could have been avoided with a little investigation rather than taking someone’s word at face value. And no one thought to double check. Not Genni? Not Cooper? No one in town? It seemed all very far-fetched. Oh my gosh, what’s with all the fainting!?!? Genni needs to see a doctor as she faints a lot! Overall, I did not enjoy Her Unexpected Roommate and may not continue the series. 

Her Unexpected Roommate is available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook

Chances Are: an enjoyable second chance romance

Chances Are by Kellie Coates Gilbert is the first book in the Pacific Bay series. Allie Barrett keeps her mom’s words of wisdom close to her heart. Especially “Chances are, you never know what story might be in the very next chapter.” So after her divorce and receiving a letter that she has inherited her uncle’s home and fishing charter business,. she packs up her son and everything they own and makes the trek from Texas to the Oregon coast. Her high hopes for a fresh start are dashed when the cottage and boat need more work than she expected. But never afraid of hard work, Allie and Ryan set out to make the home livable and the boat seaworthy. As a friendship with Cam, a local widower, grows, her good-for-nothing ex-husband shows up. Will she be able to meet the challenges ahead of her? 

Many of the reviews complained that Chances Are was taken from the 1985 movie, Murphy's Romance. While I am aware of the movie, I have never seen the movie, so I can’t say whether this is true or not. A single mother starting over in a new town, meets with challenges and a new love is a common trope. Either way, I enjoyed this story. It’s a good, clean romance with a sweet ending. It was a nice break from the heavier stories I read recently. I enjoyed the small town friendly feel even with the common small town “enemies.” Although I must admit the “villains” of the story could have been more developed. However, I still enjoyed the story for Allie and Cam’s relationship. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. If you enjoy second chances with life and love, I recommend Chances Are. 

Chances Are is available in paperback and eBook

Black Cake: a moving story of betrayals, secrets and memories

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is the story of two estranged siblings who must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s sudden death. Bryon and Benny Bennett will soon learn that there was more to their mother than they ever knew. After their mother’s death, they learn she left them a voice message, sharing her past, a past she kept hidden from everyone. Her request is that after they hear her message, they sit down when the time is right and share the last black cake she has ever made, made from a family recipe steeped in tradition. Eleanor’s story begins with a headstrong young swimmer in the Caribbean who escapes under a cloud of suspicion. Together, brother and sister learn their mother’s heartbreaking tale filled with the secrets she has held, and would challenge everything they thought they knew about their mother and even themselves. Will Eleanor’s story bring them together once again? Or would the revelations prove to be too much and separate them permanently? 

This moving story of a family inheritance is so beautifully written that it's hard to fathom that it is a debut novel. Ms. Wilkerson writes a story so intricate and powerful that the reader is taken on a journey of how one family is forever changed by the choices of the generation before. It is a story of betrayals, secrets, and memories. Black Cake reminds the readers that while we cannot choose what we inherit, we can choose who we become. There are many characters with many shifts in timelines and points of view that can get confusing if one is not reading close. I enjoyed the family saga aspect of the story with the emphasis on food and the memories it can invoke. However, there were too many topics covered in terms of cultural, social and political issues that it, at times, bogged down the story. The use of foreshadowing and the element of surprise was overused that a pattern emerged that when a twist was revealed, it wasn’t much of a surprise. Some I figured out almost as soon as another person was introduced in the story. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Black Cake and would highly recommend it. 

Black Cake is available on February 1 in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Birthright: is an inheritance a privilege or a right?

Birthright by Fiona Lowe is a family drama which pits three siblings against each other as it asks the question: is inheritance a privilege or a right? Margaret is the matriarch of the wealthy Jamieson family. She has been as tightfisted with the family money as she has been with her affections. Sarah is the eldest child and although she and her husband, Alex, run a successful business. She feels she must meet her mother’s every demand in order to earn her love. Her sister-in-law, Anita, grew up in poverty and now lives a comfortable life with a social status, married to Sarah’s brother, Cameron. But she lives in constant fear that everything can change in a heartbeat. Ellie is the youngest, as lived a nomadic life as she is determined to stay far, far away from the family strings. As their mother’s health deteriorates, the siblings begin to truly wonder who will get what and fight and scheme to make sure each other gets what they deserve. But soon long held secrets and childhood rivalries threaten to tear the family apart. 

This is my first book by Ms Lowe and I can say it probably won’t be my last. Birthright was like experiencing a soap opera on the page. With the twists and turns of a good drama, the reader is left guessing about each character’s motivations and schemes as they fight over their mother’s secret will, a will that she has refused to show any of them. Who gets what? And who has been left out? From the very beginning, the characters and their stories draw you in. Immediately, it becomes apparent who is scheming who out of their inheritance but will they win? It is a question that kept me glued to the page. I enjoyed how each character was written with realism as they have their own flaws, demons and motivations that neither makes them the heroes or the villains. There are a few characters that can be easily disliked but in the end, no one escapes this drama unscathed. There are a few shocking moments as the secrets are revealed. I look forward to reading Ms. Lowe’s other titles. I highly recommend Birthright. 

Birthright is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

The Valley: a story of a new beginning in a Virginian valley

The Valley by Helen Bryan is book one of The Valley Trilogy. After the death of her father, Sophia Grafton faces a choice: live in poverty in England or move to the colonies where her father has a tobacco plantation. She chooses to take her chances with the plantation. Only once she get there, she realizes the plantation and life in the colonies isn’t at all how it was convened to her. She begins to carve out a living with a ragtag group of freed slaves, traders and other who don’t fit elsewhere. Together they fight Indian attacks, disease, and the dread slave snatchers. Will Sophia be able to make her plantation a success? Will she survive the wild wilderness of the Americas?

The Valley is an interesting story of a beautiful valley in Virginia. It is filled with wonderful characters, beautiful scenery amd action of life on a homestead. The last few chapters were confusing as to how they fit into the story. My conclusion is that the end of the book will connect with book 2 of this trilogy. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will enjoy The Valley. I recommend this book as beautiful story of the people who lived here in the beginnings of our country.

The Valley is available on Amazon.com

In paperback, on the Kindle and Audible