Reading, Writing & Pondering

   I have enjoyed every book in this Love in Sheet Cake, Texas series. The Pocket Pair is a bit different than the rest though because this one is Val and Chevy's story. They have connections to the Graham family and live in Sheet Cake but aren't part of the family like the main characters in the other books in the series. Val is an artist. She starts out the book living with Mari, but then Mari moves to Puerto Rico. Val is also going to go to Puerto Rico to study under and artist but she needs a temporary place to live . Val had no where else to live so Chevy offered her his sister's former room at his house. This creates some romantic tension. I love the friends to lovers trope and I enjoyed the romantic moments in this book. I also enjoyed catching up with the rest of the Graham family in Sheet Cake. I like all of Emma's books and this Sheet Cake series ranks up there as some of my favorites.  I like the voices in the audio book of The Pocket Pair . I enjoyed listen...

  As Brighter Than Before by Courtney Walsh starts out, Claire Karadec feels like a failure. Her marriage is washed up after publicly finding out her spouse had an affair with a younger woman. To try to make sense of her hurt and sadness, Claire goes to therapy. The therapist encourages her to make a list of her dreams in her journal in response to being asked, What do I really want? As a result, Claire decides if she wants a new start in life, she needs to act on her list to start a new story. At first, I wasn't sure about Brighter Than Before. It started off quite a bit different than this author's other books. But as I went along, it grew on me, and by the middle of it, I was cheering Claire on with the rest of her new friends. Then there is Miles who lives in Claire's apartment complex. I genuinely liked Miles from the start. . .I wanted him to let go of his fears too so was also cheering him on. I always love that Courtney Walsh gives me a HEA ending too...

Claire Holloway Is Winging It by Angela Ruth Strong is a Christian contemporary romance novel. I wasn't sure what to think of this one when I heard that it was a love triangle story. However, having read it, I felt that trope was well-done. Claire Holloway was a ballerina who lost her dream of performing when she developed some foot issues. Her boyfriend, Wyatt, continued to support her and she valued that support and saw him as her main support. Then she decided to become a flight attendant and he isn't too happy to support her in that dream. He struggles with her being gone so much as he works in a regular office. First officer pilot in training Nathan Stuart recently faced a break-up with his fiance. He had been feeling down about that until he meets the frazzled Claire on her first day on the job. From the first day they met, Nathan and Claire share some humor and have a friendly bond. Does it stretch the boundaries of friendship? Claire continues to try to keep her relati...

  The Wild Card by Emma St. Clair is part of the Love Stories in Sheet Cake series. It could read as a stand-alone but characters from the other books are in this one so I would encourage you to read the whole series. I loved all of the books in the series that I have read. Collin Graham often feels over-looked in his family of brothers and a sister. However, he is surprised when out of the blue, Molly, grabs him at a festival and asks him to be her fake boyfriend. He knows Molly is his brother-in-law's sister but she doesn't recognize him in a beard--so he once again feels over-looked even though she only met him twice before. He agrees to go along with her plan and the fun begins.  Molly is auditioning for an actress role in a new production company based in Sheet Cake and really wants the part when she grabs Collin. She is trying to make her own way after her father tries to control her. Collin is reeling after a bad break-up with someone who since drug his name through th...

  I found myself back in Sheet Cake, Texas as I listened to the audiobook of The Bluff by Emma St. Clair. James is the typical grumpy boss character. . .I really didn't like him too much at first, but. . . I was surprised at how much I warmed up to this guy by the middle of the book.  Winnie sets out to be a good employee, even though she is temporary, for James Graham as he gets ready to open Dark Horse Brewery in Sheet Cake. I truly enjoyed getting to know both of these layered characters. There was definitely more than meets the eye to both of them. I was pulling for them more and more as the book went on. I also like the other characters in Sheet Cake. It was nice to catch up with all the characters from the first book. The narration in the audio book was well done and I found myself looking forward to listening whenever I could. Now, I am definitely looking forward to moving on to the next book as this one ends, so I can see how everything unfolds between Chevy and Val. ...

        The Man Next Door is my first book by Sheila Roberts. I wasn't really sure what to expect but I was thinking this book would be mostly a mystery. There definitely is a mystery--but there is also family drama, romance, and some light humor in this book. The Man Next Door is a unique rom-com spin on the classic Alfred Hitchcock story, Rear Window.  Zona is recently divorced and moves back home with her mom, Louise. Her gambling ex-husband lost all of their savings--and robbed her young adult daughter's nursing college fund. Zona is determined to help her daughter Bree go to nursing school. After watching her mom deal with some unhealthy relationships, Bree isn't sure she ever wants to be in one. Louise is planning a single's cruise, which starts off great--until she makes a wrong move on the dance floor. Then Louise is back home from the cruise and Zona is helping her through her challenges.  Zona and Louise are also enjoying their new neighbor, Ale...

  I have been wanting to read an Emma St. Clair book for some time since I have heard so many good things about this author. If All Else Sails is my first book by her. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed this grumpy-sunshine rom-com so much Josie's brother tricked her into thinking they were going to take their annual trip together. Instead, he sent her to Wyatt's house to be his nurse. Josie works as an elementary school nurse during the school year and has summers off. Jacob is a rep for hockey player Wyatt who injured his ankle and needs to recover for a new season. Up until now, he hasn't been taking care of himself like he needs to, which is why Jacob sends in Josie. The book gets off to a fun start when Wyatt sees Josie lurking around his summer cottage and calls the police on her thinking she is a stalker.  I enjoyed If All Else Sails from start to finish. I laughed a lot and I looked forward to seeing how everything was going to turn out. I liked the slow burn...

  Hearts Aweigh by Shannon Sue Dunlop is the third book that I have read by her. . .and they just keep getting better and better! Hearts Aweigh starts out with the "Shippers" meeting with Abby to decide if they will try to match her up on the ship to help her find a husband. The Shippers are 4 octagenarian women who have decided to stay on Monarch Cruise lines for their retirement years and to find some love matches for younger people. One of the Shippers has a son that has come on board for this cruise to try to talk his mom into moving back home. Spencer Randolph Masterson has a little girl named Madeleine, Maddie for short. Abby does child care on the cruise ship and is heading back home after a few more cruises to resume work as a teacher. She is good with children and has a connection with Maddie . .but what about Spencer? Hearts Aweigh offers readers a mix of romance, humor, and a mystery to solve. This book flowed quite well. It kept my interest all the way through a...

  Sometimes You Stay by Liz Johnson is set on Prince Edward Island with a few previous characters from her Red Door Inn books. Johnson also references Anne of Green Gables, a  famous fictional character from Prince Edward Island, and it is fun to see those references as an Anne fan. Cretia Martin is a travel influencer visiting Prince Edward Island when things go awry. She, along with her suitcase and travel gear, end up in the harbor after an accidental run-in with a large dog name Joe Junior. Finn Chaffey is that large goofy dog's owner.  Sometimes You Stay offered a glimpse into the life of a travel writer and a young man who raises dogs and other animals on his small farm. I liked how this couple learned to communicate with one another. I also liked how Cretia fit in at the Inn and made some female friends among the locals.  My favorite part of this book was near the end when Cretia and Marie were talking about growing up in their dysfunctional families. I could ...

  After reading several suspense books, Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh was just what I needed. Like the other books that I have read by Courtney, I could certainly relate to the main character, Rosie. Rosie Waterman feels like a failure. Things just aren't going her way in much of her life. Her acting dreams aren't coming true, in spite of hard work. She is in debt to her roommate. At the start of the book, she is headed home to a baby shower for one of her good friends. She has three good friends from high school and she thinks that they have it all together. . .only to find out later, that they don't either.  One of the things I loved about this book is the part where Rosie discovers she is not alone. . .And how many of us feel alone and afraid to open up? I know I could relate to that.  I also liked Booker, Rosie's romantic interest in her new job. Speaking of the job, Rosie is the director of a production of Cinderella for a retirement village i...

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Love Overboard by Shannon Sue Dunlap, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours ! My Review: Four older women retire and live year-round on a cruise ship. Together, they are called The Shippers, and they are the matchmakers on the ship. Lacey Anderson is the ship's hostess and Jonathan King is the Cruise director of the ship. Lacey and Jonathan knew each other from another ship. Sparks fly but there are some complications that seem to be difficult to overcome--but The Shippers are a determined group of ladies. At the same time, there is a mystery of who is smuggling cocaine on the cruise line. Are they on this ship? Love Overboard offers a mix of romance, humor, and mystery to the reader. I enjoy older people so I especially liked The Shippers in this book. I also was rooting for Lacey and Jonathan. I enjoyed getting to know the ship crew as well as the other characters. There was a couple of twists near the end of the book that I didn't ...

I am always so glad to be back in Hope Harbor when a new installment in the series comes out from Irene Hannon. Sandcastle Inn is the 10th Hope Harbor book. However, if you have not read any of the previous books, they each can stand alone with no problems. Sandcastle Inn focuses on relationships. First, we have Matt who is in Hope Harbor on hiatus from his veterinarian job to help his sister out who got in over her head when she purchased a bed and breakfast. Matt's sister, Kay, is leaving Matt with the Bed and Breakfast while she is off to help their adopted grandmother go through a heart operation back in Idaho. Then there is Vienna who lost her corporate job due to corporate consolidation and is home to visit her mother, Bev, who runs the town's bookstore and makes unique jewelry. Paige and Andrew are new in town as they try to figure out how to go forward in their life as a young married couple after Andrew's business partner stole money from the business. Their luck c...

  Charlotte Carter is ready for summer. She has been happily living in her hometown and teaching music for the past year. After her failed engagement, her mother's cancer journey and some other family challenges, Charlotte is ready for summer break. Zach Bryant is back in his hometown for his brother's wedding. His last job didn't work out and he is looking for a new one. The wedding rehearsal dinner for Zach's brother's is held at a nearby cake shop. Charlotte's sister, Sophia, sends Charlotte to the cake shop on an important errand unbeknownst to her that this is where the rehearsal dinner is being held. Charlotte and Zach run in to each other and that is when the fun begins. I especially love d this part and all of the zany events with the wedding and reception. The biggest thing to come out of that day is that Zach and Charlotte agreed to tandem bike a lot of miles to help save Charlotte's music department job and help her parents financia...

  I live in a Midwestern State with a lot of farms so I enjoy a good novel with a farm setting. Fun fact about me: I milked cows with my husband on a date before we got married. So when I read Meet Hate by Abi Sabina, I had a feel for all that was going on in this rom-com set on a struggling dairy farm. Hayes is sent from a big corporation to make a deal with Ellie's family to buy their dairy farm that is currently financially operating in the red. While Ellie's folks are reluctant to sell, they have made peace with it. On the other hand, Ellie is stubbornly refusing to sell. When Hayes comes on to the farm, Ellie sees him as the enemy in this enemies to lovers romance. Meet Hate is a cute story. I enjoyed the banter between Hayes and Ellie. I also could see how they could become more than enemies as the book and the plot went on. While it isn't real fast moving, the pacing is pretty good. The story flows along and is interesting. It took a little while to warm up to Haye...