“If you really think you have a magic wand,” he said, gesturing to the two men, “have at it.” “I sure do, Mayor Jack.” She smiled sweeFavorite Quotes:
“If you really think you have a magic wand,” he said, gesturing to the two men, “have at it.” “I sure do, Mayor Jack.” She smiled sweetly and swirled her hand around in a spell-making gesture. “It also happens to match my broomstick.”
The man never lifted a finger to help anyone in his life. But he could sweet-talk a chicken across a five-lane highway.
Parents did devilish things to each other to get their kids into his class. One year some mom had broken into the office and erased a child’s name off the waiting list so her kid could move up. Who knew Blossom Glen Elementary’s kindergarten could be so cutthroat?
Juliet was never late. Except she did have a tendency not to show up at her weddings.
My Review:
This fun and well-paced small-town contemporary romance featured two well-known characters within their community who started off sparring with each other on the job as well as battling their histories and personal issues while trying to save face. They soon discovered they worked well together on and off the job and righted themselves in the process. The storylines were easy to follow and entertaining with a minimum of contrived conflict as well as amusing carryover and involvement of the endearing characters featured from the first installment, and topped off with a sweet and satisfying ending. There is one more sister to go, I have a feeling her issues are going to be far more complicated. ...more
Well, I’m going to give you the advice I wish someone had given me. You can’t allow fear to call the shots. Because fear has a really Favorite Quotes:
Well, I’m going to give you the advice I wish someone had given me. You can’t allow fear to call the shots. Because fear has a really loud voice, and it will always talk you out of things. And listening to it will make you feel better, for a while. But then time passes and you see that you’re still exactly where you were before— stuck. Except suddenly you find that you’re a lot older and still haven’t accomplished what you really want.
He tried to remember at what age the good sense to be embarrassed kicked in. Hopefully not at age five.
My Review:
I always enjoy picking up a book by this author. Her emotive word choices, perceptive observations, and descriptive storytelling have an easy fluidity that effortlessly draws me in with completely depicted scenes scrolling like a smooth movie reel behind my eyes. The cast of characters was varied, authentic, easily knowable, and endearingly fractured with grief while struggling to find themselves again. I adore this unique grouping of friends and am eager to see what happens in the next installment. ...more
Some people had auras, she’d been told. This guy had a full-on storm cloud surrounding him.
She was so outraged, she sputtered sounds lFavorite Quotes:
Some people had auras, she’d been told. This guy had a full-on storm cloud surrounding him.
She was so outraged, she sputtered sounds like the seagulls at the harbor made.
“I want to put poison ivy in their sleeping bags.” There was a snort, then Bethany giggled. “I want to safety pin their tent flap zipper so they can’t get out,” Bethy said.
My Review:
This was a lively and fresh read, full of keenly honed and snort-worthy small-town characters that kept me highly amused throughout perusal. I don’t know how I missed her but this was my first time reading the prolific Marissa Clarke, shame on me. I adore her sassy humor, colorful descriptions, snarky observations, and crisply written storylines. I have added her to my list of new favorites and hope to pay better attention in the future. ...more
Sighting Keaton in the wild was a rare and unheard of event. But when my gaze did happen to be blessed by his visage, I lost all higheFavorite Quotes:
Sighting Keaton in the wild was a rare and unheard of event. But when my gaze did happen to be blessed by his visage, I lost all higher function of my brain and body, leaving me staring like a fool at a man no one might ever have, least of all me.
I’d seen him just a few days ago on Main Street, but for the stretching of time he inspired, you’d think I’d never seen him in my life. He looked like he’d walked out of a Chevrolet commercial for the manliest truck in their inventory. Or like a social media thirst trap on his way to chop wood with no shirt on.
A few of the more judgmental women of our town circled the block and tried to look disdainful. They only managed to look thirsty.
He has the IQ of a koala.” My brows drew together. “Are koalas dumb?” “They have the smallest brains of any mammal, eat food they can’t digest, and they carry chlamydia. They’re dumb as shit,” she answered.
I flung myself at him, knocking both of us to the ground as he caught me. Our lips crashed together with the rest of us, and once the surprise ebbed, the kiss was a pliant possession, a sweet forever, a hundred thousand million yeses with a chorus of angels singing behind us.
My Review:
I adored these lovely characters as much as I reveled in their cleverly amusing tale. Staci Hart is such an agile and witty storyteller, I fall right into her delightfully flippant, crisply written, sparkly books and don’t want to resurface. The characters are accessible, knowable, and so well constructed I feel I would recognize them if I met them in person. I am definitely hooked and eager for more of the same. ...more
“I said back then the two of them were totally incombustible. And I was proved right.” “I think maybe you mean incompatible,”
I don’t kFavorite Quotes:
“I said back then the two of them were totally incombustible. And I was proved right.” “I think maybe you mean incompatible,”
I don’t know who she is. Certainly no one I’d ever seen in the village before with her short skirt, ridiculous shoes and black nails. She looked like a leftover from a Halloween party.
Everyone knows everyone else’s business. If someone sneezes at one end of the village, someone down the other end will have said who they’d been with and what they’d been up to, to catch the cold in the first place.
Overbearing, pompous and far too full of his own self-importance for someone who used to be one of Much Winchmoor’s big cheeses… He only avoided prosecution because he resigned his position on the council. He was not even a little cheese anymore. More a ‘past its best’ mouldy old Cheddar.
I’d never noticed her fingernails before, but it was like she’d suddenly turned into Edward Scissorhands on a bad day.
My Review:
Paula Willilams is such a wicked tease. Normally, I would be fuming over the tantalizing yet incomplete and open-ended storylines yet Ms. Williams has definitely snagged my interest while each new installment keeps me hopelessly ensnared with her delightfully captivating and fiendishly clever cozy murder mysteries and the will they/won’t they romance for childhood friends, Kat and Will. She achieves an exacting balance of wry humor, red herring and deftly buried clues, family drama, eccentric characters, and small-town gossip intermingling with intrigue. She has done it to me yet again with her latest smirk-worthy offering and I am chafing at the bit to see who she offs next and what she does about Will in the next episode. ...more
That woman’s gotten so much Botox, her eyebrows have fused to her skull.
It feels odd, smiling at them, like something might escape herFavorite Quotes:
That woman’s gotten so much Botox, her eyebrows have fused to her skull.
It feels odd, smiling at them, like something might escape her mouth if she doesn’t keep her teeth clenched.
In Wattsville he is one of a kind, whereas he would find many like-minded people in the city. But he’s afraid. Its size scares him, and furthermore he wouldn’t be particularly special. Here, he explains, he’s a unicorn, a big fish in a small pond. “Puddle,” says Chloe. “It’s not a pond, it’s a puddle, my dear. You want to swim or lie there getting splashed? Heavens, the place is bound to evaporate in warm weather.”
Garnet is developing the rigid jaw and tight lips of a person expecting the worst. He is reminded of the way people’s faces look when they’re stuck in traffic, or when they pick the wrong checkout lane in the supermarket.
He must be outside his body… The pain is fading. Is there a solar eclipse? Sam sees, through a vague foggy tunnel, like the ending of the Looney Tunes cartoons he used to watch as a child— D-d-d-d-dat’s all folks!
My Review:
This was a shrewdly paced and cleverly plotted tale of knotted woe and intriguing complexities that boil down to simple thorny social problems. After I finished I went back and reread the first chapter and found a treasure chest full of tidbits I had not noticed the first time through. Sara B. Fraser has a special brand of magic sprinkled into her wordcraft and I fell right under her spell.
The storylines and writing style were often realistically gritty, flinch-worthy with complex issues, keenly insightful, painfully observant, and yet bewitchingly humorous - all at the same time! Which takes crazy good skills. The characters were well nuanced and oddly compelling while deeply flawed. Most were repressed, oppressed, suppressed, and vulnerable. I was holding my breath while fully invested and rooting for them, even when they annoyed me. Ms. Fraser is a wily minx with a wicked wit and going to the top of my list of ones to watch. ...more
Louise works for the Irish Oceans Association, a charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of our waters. A few ChristmasesFavorite Quotes:
Louise works for the Irish Oceans Association, a charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of our waters. A few Christmases ago, she gave me a certificate informing me I’d adopted a whale. The year before that it was an eel, so I like to think I’m slowly moving up in the marine world.
You know… You pretend you’re super boring but you’ve always got some little drama happening, don’t you? It’s like the time you told me you had a migraine all weekend but really you’d gone to Aspen with that Hollister model from reception.
“I tend to follow others,” she says. “Everyone thinks I’m a free spirit but I’m not. I’m a barnacle. I latch onto people. If people were boats,” she clarifies.
“How’s your moping?” Tomasz lingers in the doorway of my bedroom the next day, eating an apple. “Going well? It looks like you’re really getting the hang of it.”
My Review:
Catherine Walsh took me to Ireland and made me smirk, sigh, and flinch with this one. Her characters were distinctly Irish and although her heroine, Abby, was not always likable and I actually wanted to smack her a few times, I was engaged and invested in the tale and had hope for her. The humor was clever and well-honed, as was the character development and their unique quirks and foibles. The romance was slow burn and a secondary thread to Abby’s long-standing family drama and career stress. While the pace and emotional tone meandered at times, the perceptive quality of Ms. Walsh’s writing and her amusing wit kept me entertained, involved, and interested in the outcome. ...more
… he started the car with a little jolt. “Hold on to your sunbonnet, sugar.” “Call me sugar again and you’re going to be wearing it youFavorite Quote:
… he started the car with a little jolt. “Hold on to your sunbonnet, sugar.” “Call me sugar again and you’re going to be wearing it yourself.”
My Review:
This was a refreshing and enjoyable second chance romance with relatively low angst, adorable animal rescue, endearing characters, and a realistic level of conflict. Just what I needed to unwind and relax my shoulders down from my ears after reading several intense thrillers in a row. The writing style was engaging, insightfully observant, thoughtfully detailed with vibrant and amusing descriptors, and remarkably easy to follow despite being the first in a series and introducing a community of new characters. The pace was pleasantly smooth and steady with an excellent flow into each segue. Miranda Liasson is an agile and deft storyteller and I effortlessly slip right into her breezy tales of romantic women’s fiction. She holds a steadfast entry on my favorites list. ...more
Dylan and you were like Romeo and Juliet. You burned bright, but you ended in tragedy.
My Review:
Carrie Elks has a knack for pulling me Favorite Quote:
Dylan and you were like Romeo and Juliet. You burned bright, but you ended in tragedy.
My Review:
Carrie Elks has a knack for pulling me in and involving me in her irresistible series with each installment being fresh and crisp even while updating and entwining the characters from the previous installments. She deftly and underhandedly does this so well yet each volume can still stand alone with strong and entertaining storylines. The community she has created for this series is unique, enticing, and appealing on all levels with multi-layered and quirky characters who are so well textured with surprising details and complications that they feel alive and are living and breathing on my Kindle during perusal. I covet Ms. Elk’s magical word skills and marvel that she has churned out two deliciously engaging holiday-themed small-town romances in a row. ...more
The man handed over a brown envelope. ‘Burns Funeral Crematory Services.’ Grace cocked an eyebrow. She knew she was now in Scotland anFavorite Quotes:
The man handed over a brown envelope. ‘Burns Funeral Crematory Services.’ Grace cocked an eyebrow. She knew she was now in Scotland and Burns was a popular surname around these parts, but she wasn’t sure that was the best name to use for a crematory service, though it definitely did what it said on the tin – or the urn.
It’s on the calendar and when any mum writes anything on the calendar it’s law.
My Review:
This was an entertaining and easy-to-follow women’s fiction story set in a small village in Scotland with substantial currents of family drama and a gentle undercurrent of a budding sweet and light romance. The storylines flowed with humor as well as real-life issues for a struggling single mother of three young boys fleeing an abusive situation. The characters were endearing and the storylines and writing style were engaging and lively. While this is the seventh installment in a continuation of a series, it could easily be read as a standalone ...more
If the five-day-old fuzz growing on your legs is any indication of what you're hiding beneath those shorts, I'd say you got a few hourFavorite Quotes:
If the five-day-old fuzz growing on your legs is any indication of what you're hiding beneath those shorts, I'd say you got a few hours of trimming and shaving ahead of you. I'm just saying if Brantley goes exploring, the last thing you want is for him to mistake you for a gorilla.
Just wait until I’m outta sight before you two start swapping spit again. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to get out one of my shotguns and have that manly talk with you, boy.
My Review:
While I haven’t been lucky enough to read them all, this is my favorite C.A. Harms book yet. I adored this new series opener and fell in love along with the couple and their extended group of sassy friends. The characters weren’t just likable - they were admirable and endearing. The plot and storylines were irreverently amusing and realistic as well as entertaining and relatable with a thoughtful and sizzling hot romance developing along the way to a satisfying HEA. What more could a romance reader ask for? Sigh, it was perfection. ...more
“Mom, I’m a lawyer,” he began. “I know that.” She giggled. “You remind me at least once each visit.” “Ouch,” Madison smiled. “Oldest pFavorite Quotes:
“Mom, I’m a lawyer,” he began. “I know that.” She giggled. “You remind me at least once each visit.” “Ouch,” Madison smiled. “Oldest profession known to man,” Millie kidded. “Mom, no, that’s prostitution.” “Almost the same,” she teased.
The one thing she’d learned long ago was that you didn’t argue with your parents. They always won, and if they didn’t, they brought up some embarrassing moment they shared with a crowd as payback.
“You’re not curious?” “Well, of course, I am, but I’m older and more experienced at hiding it.”
My Review:
I found this to be an easy to fall into, sweet, relatable, and gentle holiday standalone featuring everyday normal, hard-working, and lovable people. The storylines were well balanced with Ms. Collin’s trademark humor, snark, and profoundly perceptive observations, as well as endearing characters struggling with relevant issues common to many communities. It was a quick and enjoyable read that smoothly segued between the characters. I always enjoy tumbling into a Kelly Collins tale, they are entertaining while easy to pause and then pick right back up again. ...more
I realised the only place available meant sharing a table with an elderly bearded gentleman. A chap who wore a scowl so serious it coulFavorite Quote:
I realised the only place available meant sharing a table with an elderly bearded gentleman. A chap who wore a scowl so serious it could have turned my wine sour.
My Review:
This was a gentle, relaxing, humorous, and sweet holiday read. As a favor for her only friend, a socially awkward woman arrives in a tiny village full of oddly quirky yet likable and endearing residents and surprises herself when she finds she is enjoying her stay. The engaging storylines were a delight, easy to follow, amusingly entertaining, and realistically drawn. I adored all the characters and enjoyed the main character’s gradual transition and sweet romance. This is one of those rare books from my reading listing that could be recommended to my elderly mother’s church lady book club without reservation.
And score! I also noted two new additions to my Brit Words and Phrases list with pootled -which Mr. Google informed me was British informal meaning to move in a leisurely manner, and Sunday name – which is also British informal for the full version of a first name or Christian name. ...more
As Granddad would have said of idle gossip: ‘T’aint right, t’aint fair, t’aint proper,’ and he was spot on. I’ve had enough. I’m like aFavorite Quotes:
As Granddad would have said of idle gossip: ‘T’aint right, t’aint fair, t’aint proper,’ and he was spot on. I’ve had enough. I’m like a firework and the fuse paper has been lit. I’m about to explode and that thought scares me, but it also makes me feel free.
My Review:
This installment feels to be the middle of an ongoing story although capable of being read on its own with a happy for now ending while knowing there will be more to the tale. The realistic storylines were slowly unfolding and effusively detailed while thoroughly setting each scene. Each story thread highlighted and best and worst of small-town thinking and small-town living with gossip being the main course of every resident’s meal with the type of social and family issues that are likely happening on any street in any community. The characters were true to life and individually quirky as well as flawed and varying degrees of irksome. ...more
“Sarcasm becomes you.” Reggie raised her glass. “It’s a classic look that flatters all of us.”
“This is why I never had children,” UrsuFavorite Quotes:
“Sarcasm becomes you.” Reggie raised her glass. “It’s a classic look that flatters all of us.”
“This is why I never had children,” Ursula grumbled. “First you throw up, then they throw up. It’s too many fluids for me… you can’t drink and you get hemorrhoids. I remind my friends of that when they try to convince me God’s a woman. There’s no way God’s a woman.”
She planned to stay awake so she could remember every moment. She would need the details for when she was eighty and reliving the past.
My Review:
This is a pleasant holiday story to crank up the seasonal reading binge with liberal sprinklings of wit and humor, cute animals, family drama, small-town living, community Christmas traditions, and contemporary romance. The storylines were engaging and easy to follow, the pace was slow and leisurely, and the characters were endearing and likable. Everything I have come to expect and enjoy in a Susan Mallery book. And this one kicks off a new series based in a small town near Seattle, which has definite standards and expectations for the holiday season. I look forward to returning there but only on my Kindle, as I am a tropical gal who avoids snow and cold weather....more
He wasn’t really her type, but she was his. She was breathing and had a checkbook.
“Elsa, I’m not asking to ravage your body. I’m offerFavorite Quotes:
He wasn’t really her type, but she was his. She was breathing and had a checkbook.
“Elsa, I’m not asking to ravage your body. I’m offering to help you while you’re handicapped.” He nodded toward her cast. “A cast isn’t a handicap, and why don’t you want to ravage my body? What’s wrong with it?”
I need to move forward with my life. I’ve spent it living on the corner of anger and regret. It was a busy intersection.
She exaggerated the sway of her hips and hoped it looked sexy. For all she knew, it looked like she was working an arthritis pain out of her joint.
Elsa whipped out her lipstick and slicked on a layer. She had two rules for when she got old. Never be seen without her hair done and lipstick on, and if her kids found her incapacitated, they were supposed to call 911 and fix her up before anyone got there.
My Review:
Written in my favorite dual POV, this was a fun and breezy read that kept a delighted smirk on my face throughout perusal. Ms. Collin’s classic snark was in full flow and I was pained in having to remove many of her clever quips from my listing of Favorite Quotes, otherwise, there wouldn’t have been room for a review.
Being a more… umm… mature woman, I sank right into this tale of two over 50’s and lapped up their story like a starving dieter at an all you can eat buffet. The heroine was a sassy, vivacious, and independent woman who knew her mind, and I could completely relate to her - inside, outside, and upside down. I adored this couple and couldn’t help but root for them. I always enjoy my excursions to the quirky little town of Aspen Cove, or for that matter, anywhere Ms. Collins cares to sojourn. ...more
It’s not up to you to make him into the man he should already be.
My Review:
This was a quick and entertaining story that took the finalFavorite Quotes:
It’s not up to you to make him into the man he should already be.
My Review:
This was a quick and entertaining story that took the final Lockhart brother off the market. Quinn had been a somewhat bitter holdout after a bad relationship and had been watching his brothers succumb to love from the sidelines while being envious yet leery. The storylines were easy to fall into and unfolded with a smooth and steady progression as the realistically flawed yet likable characters fell for each other while Lauren was also dealing with and enabling her manipulative waste of skin ex-husband, a loathsome villain worthy of a triple hex. Sweet moments and amusing humor were provided by an adorable preschooler and her faithful snaggletoothed dog. ...more
I’m nine— eavesdropping is the only way I ever learn anything useful.
“He’s not island.” I can’t keep it out of my tone, the immediate Favorite Quotes:
I’m nine— eavesdropping is the only way I ever learn anything useful.
“He’s not island.” I can’t keep it out of my tone, the immediate distrust I feel. It’s ridiculous. Makes me feel like one of the old biddies that sit on their porches in their house dresses, drinking their morning coffee and writing down the license plates of cars that they don’t recognize that have the nerve to drive down their street.
I’m going to put a BOLO out on you… When they find you, I’ll have you detained until the paramedics come strap you to a gurney and take you to the hospital where Evie will be waiting with a horse syringe full of Thorazine.
Linen suit. No socks. Preppy haircut. Crazy white teeth. Flashy watch. Looked like Miami Vice and Tom Cruise had a baby.
I slap the magazine home and rack one into the chamber, making sure the barrel of the gun is pointed away from my houseguests… I look up to find both of them staring at me like I’m juggling chainsaws.
My Review:
This gripping story kept me on edge and kept an itch going in my curiosity from beginning to end. The tale was an uncomfortably prickly and gritty page-turner with a pervasive sense of peril, widespread corruption, and impending doom while something horribly tragic and vile was occurring right around the corner, but just what exactly that something was seemed just out of focus. I had my theories and was apprehensive about having it pegged correctly; I mostly had and have mixed feelings about being on target, as I didn’t want to be in this case.
The premise was dark and original, the plotting was brilliant and dastardly, and the pace was relentlessly electric. This author was such a crafty tease with dribbling and slipping sly little hints but giving nothing away. I adore her, am in awe of her skills, and have added her entire listing to my TBR as I covet all her clever arrangements of words. I hope I’m paying attention when the subsequent volumes are released. ...more
“I thought about buying him a personality transplant,” she said, deadpan. “But then I realized he’d have to have a personality to starFavorite Quotes:
“I thought about buying him a personality transplant,” she said, deadpan. “But then I realized he’d have to have a personality to start with.”
She saw the good in everything, even when there was no good to be seen. He had an inkling that if she was Satan’s grandma, she’d go around telling people just how lovely it was that he kept everybody warm.
Oh my, the woman was a human dynamo. She managed to persuade Oscar Gentry to open his wallet, and everybody says the world will end when those demon moths escape.
My Review:
This was a fun and entertaining start to a new small-town series by one of my favorite authors. I adore Carrie Elks, the gal has mad storytelling skills. I tumbled right into this tale, was invested in the characters from beginning to end, and am eagerly looking forward to delving into the rest of the family’s tangled love lives. Rather than siblings, this series features a unique and engaging grouping of close-knit cousins with wastrels for parents. The storylines were original, amusingly humorous, easy to follow, and held my interest throughout.
“What did you say you were doing here?” I prompted again, realizing with no small amount of uneasiness that we’d both been silently coFavorite Quotes:
“What did you say you were doing here?” I prompted again, realizing with no small amount of uneasiness that we’d both been silently contemplating the other while I was absorbed in my thoughts. “Bitterly regretting that I left my crucifix and garlic at home,”
One day, you’ll understand the baffling blend of pride and fear that comes from raising your own son in this world.
I’d always joked that God had been bored the day he made Lucia and decided to dally long enough to sculpt the high cheekbones, cupid bow lips, and tip-tilted eyes that made her stunning.
‘You gonna be speechless after you find out what it’s like with a Southern gentleman… We do it different,” I informed her… She smirked. “What, does your dick wear a monocle like Mr. Peanut and talk like Deputy Dawg?”
This must be what the short road to hell felt like. Cozy and pleasant enough that you don’t care about the hot flames licking at your feet.
My Review:
This is my second time reading the cleverly amusing observational humor and insights of Ms. Ellis’s work and she has made me a ride-or-die reader with her oddly compelling Leffersbees. I admire the complexity of her characters, even though I didn’t always like them or what they were doing. Her cast of characters was diverse, complicated, uncomfortably knowable and flawed, curiously irresistible, and authentically drawn. The story unfolded slowly and occasionally dragged, but I was invested, wriggling on the hook, and ensnared in the brutal betrayal of the unfolding family drama as well as the blossoming romance that was an inevitability with combustible sensuality that left me dehydrated and grabbing for libation. I’m beyond curious to see what she does with the remaining sibling who is truly unlikable....more
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