Reading, Writing & Pondering

  The Roman Holiday Rule by Andra Loy captivated me from beginning to end. Loy is a debut author and this book is a wonderful debut! Lexi Walker is off on an Italian adventure. She has an itinerary to complete the dream trip she had planned with her mother before her mom passed away. Her mom is an artist and she will present her final painting at a festival. Lexi is also carrying letters her mother left her to open at certain locations in Italy. Mark Russo is an Italian-American Archetect who was once burned by an American tourist so he is a bit leary of Lexi upon meeting her.  Still, he is captivated by Lexi as they share their flight to Rome--and an interest in photography.  I loved The Roman Holiday Rule . I could have read it in one sitting if I had had the time. This book has some mystery, some history and a romance that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing from beginning to end. There is also humor as it is a rom-com. Even though there is a sadness in Lexi from her mother's...

  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...

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 ...

  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...