A warmhearted holiday love story of baked goods and new beginnings.
In Snow’s latest romance, a 29-year-old woman finally meets the perfect guy, but his wanderlust may be an insurmountable obstacle.
Jessica Connolly loves living in Blue Moon Bay, California. She’s surrounded by friends and family, and she operates a successful bakery in the center of town. She’s constantly baking cakes for other people’s weddings, including those of multiple ex-boyfriends, but she worries she’ll never have reason to create a cake for herself. Then one day, Dr. Mitch Jameson walks into her bakery, recently returned from a Doctors Without Borders trip to Cambodia. With his movie-star good looks and engaging personality, it seems like he’d be a great catch for anyone, but Jess knows better; she’s been friends with Mitch’s younger sister, Lia, for years, and she’s well aware that Mitch never sticks around in Blue Moon Bay more than a few weeks at a time. Even so, as he picks up his family’s Christmas order, sparks begin to fly. Jess isn’t surprised when he mentions that he’ll be leaving town on Christmas for his next assignment. Even so, their chemistry is undeniable, and when he asks her to dinner, she accepts. As they grow closer, Jess worries she’s setting herself up for heartbreak. Meanwhile, Mitch wonders if it’s time for a change to his nomadic lifestyle. Told alternately from both perspectives, the story effectively follows both Jess and Mitch as they dive deeper into a relationship, each one reevaluating their own beliefs and goals. Although both characters are eminently likable, they also struggle with anxieties that are more complex than the novel’s accessible, upbeat prose would initially suggest. The story also delivers steamy sex scenes and a well-rounded cast of charming supporting characters. However, it also leaves multiple intriguing plot threads dangling without resolution. Still, the narrative’s insightful exploration of self-sacrifice, self-doubt, and personal evolution is sufficiently compelling to keep readers satisfied.
A warmhearted holiday love story of baked goods and new beginnings.Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64937-090-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A steamy, romantic summer read with a charming setting.
A florist attempts to avoid her best friend’s brother—and their powerful chemistry—on Prince Edward Island.
When Lucy Ashby visits her best friend Bridget’s family home on Prince Edward Island for the first time, Bridget gives her three rules: Eat your weight in oysters….Leave the city behind. And, most importantly, Don’t fall in love with my brother. Unfortunately for Lucy, she sleeps with Felix basically the second her plane lands, unaware that he’s Bridget’s brother until it’s too late. Lucy has never felt understood or accepted by her immediate family, and Bridget is one of the very few people she allows into her inner circle, so Lucy’s desperate to abide by these rules. And so she and Felix try to avoid each other on every one of Lucy’s visits to PEI over the years. And, of course, they fail spectacularly, always returning to each other when they’re in between relationships. But it’s never been anything serious…Lucy makes sure of that, backing off whenever her emotions feel too strong. In her “real life” back in Toronto, it’s easier for Lucy to avoid thinking of Felix as she runs a busy floral shop, working herself into the ground. But when Bridget asks Lucy to come to PEI for an emergency girls’ trip less than two weeks before Bridget is supposed to get married, Lucy drops everything to be there for her best friend. She doesn’t expect to find Felix there, along with feelings that are stronger and more difficult than ever to ignore. Even more than jeopardizing her relationship with Bridget, Lucy is afraid that giving in to her feelings could ruin the life she’s worked so hard to build. Fortune, the author of hits like Every Summer After (2022), gives readers another refreshingly summery story full of angst, romance, and sex scenes aplenty. The PEI setting is a beautiful backdrop for Lucy and Felix’s secret hookups and Lucy’s journey of self-discovery as she learns how to stand on her own two feet as a business owner, friend, and daughter. In addition to frequent (and welcome) Anne of Green Gables references, there are oysters galore and many sandy, windy scenes that transport readers straight to the island.
A steamy, romantic summer read with a charming setting.Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780593638880
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A touching story of love and grief ends in an epic battle of good versus evil.
Roberts’ latest may move you to tears, or joy, or dread, or all three.
Every summer, John and Cora Fox visit Cora’s mother, Lucy Lannigan, in Redbud Hollow, Kentucky, leaving their children, 12-year-old Thea and 10-year-old Rem, for a two-week taste of heaven. The children love Grammie Lucy far more than John’s snooty family, which looks down on Cora. Lucy, a healer with deep Appalachian roots, loves animals, cooks the best meals, plays musical instruments, and makes soap and candles for her thriving business. Thea—who’s inherited the psychic abilities passed down through the women of Lucy’s family—has vivid magical dreams, one of which becomes a living nightmare when a psychopath robs and murders John and Cora as Thea watches helplessly. Thea’s description of the killer and her ability to see him in real time help the skeptical police catch Ray Riggs, who goes to prison for life. Although Thea and Rem go on to have a wonderful childhood with Grammie, Thea constantly wages a mental battle with Riggs, who tries to use his own psychic abilities to get into her mind. Over the years, Thea uses her imagination to become a game designer while the more business-minded Rem helps manage her career. Thea eventually builds a house near Lucy, where a newly arrived neighbor is her teen crush, singer-songwriter Tyler Brennan. Tyler has his own issues and is protective of his young son but slowly builds a loving relationship with Thea, whose silence about her abilities leads to a devastating misunderstanding. At first Thea tries to keep Riggs locked out of her mind. As her powers grow, she torments him. Finally, she realizes that she must win this battle and destroy him if she’s ever to have peace.
A touching story of love and grief ends in an epic battle of good versus evil.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781250289698
Page Count: 432
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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