Upcoming Review: Lost Perfumes of Paris

 

Élodie is following in the footsteps of her mother - to the best of her ability. She's excited about the perfume she's just created. She can't wait to hear her father's reaction. 

Élodie's dumbfounded to learn that he hates it. Worse, he reaction from the other lab assistants makes Élodie want to quit all together.

But she pivot's after taking over at a luncheon with the people who make decisions - including her father. He thinks she overstepped. Élodie just wants what's best for her family's perfume company.

She plans to enter - and win the Essence of Paris

 contest. That will prove to everyone that she has what it takes to succeed as a perfumer. But she must team up with Marcelo - the son of the financier of the company. Can they win the contest and secure Élodie's future?

My Thoughts: I loved this book. I loved reading about Élodie creating the perfumes and all that it entails. It made me want to create my own perfume. I loved how Élodie and Marcelo wandered Paris together - discovering pieces of history and being inspired to create the perfume. I felt terrible for Élodie with her family troubles, but I love how she dealt with them. I can see this book becoming a book club favorite.

Publication Date: September 8

Source: Netgalley

Cover Thoughts: Charming - I love the perfume bottle with the Eiffel Tower in the distance

Library Recommendation: A must have historical fiction for your adult fiction collection.

Christmas Review: Christmas Bookshop

Carmen's been working in a department store, but when it closes for good, she has no plans for the future. After much discussion, she goes to live with her sister in Scotland. Her sister finds her a job. Carmen's grateful but she and her sister have never had a great relationship. Her sister's always been the perfect one.

Sofia isn't interested in hosting her younger sister either. Carmen has always been difficult. But she has a client with a bookstore who could use some help. And with another baby on the way and her husband traveling for work, she could use some help too. 

My Thoughts: This started off slow, but I really enjoyed getting to know both sisters. I loved "walking" in Edinburgh, and it made me want to visit. Of course, I loved the moments in the bookstore - from the decor to the events to the inventory. Sofia's children were entertaining and quirky - they made me laugh. The nanny was horrible, and I enjoyed watching her spar with Carmen. The romance plot rounded out the book nicely. 

Cover Thoughts: Charming

Source: My library

Library Recommendation: Recommended for your library's collection.

Christmas Review: Christmas Dress

Meg leaves the fashion world of New York and her demanding job to manage her late father's apartment building in Chicago. She hasn't visited in a while and isn't prepared for the state of the building. Everything is falling apart and held together with duct tape and bubblegum. 

To make matters worse, she keeps embarrassing herself in front of the very cute handyman. just when she thinks she'll be having the worst holiday season of her life, she makes a friend. Ellie, who lives in the building, shows off a dress from a night she'd rather forget. 

But the dress is spectacular. Meg's fashionista dreams come rushing back. Could this dress be the answer to everything?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I liked the two stories (Meg and Ellie). I laughed at all the apartment building catastrophes. I loved getting to know the people in the apartment building and their stories. I enjoyed the fashion world and the dress making. I found the romance between her ex-boyfriend and her best friend interesting. And of course I enjoyed the romances. An enjoyable read filled with quirky characters, dreams, and finding yourself. 

Cover Thoughts: Gorgeous

Source: My library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your public library's collection. 

Review: Rose Code

 

During World War Two, two girls meet up on the train heading for Bletchley Park. They have no idea how much their lives will change. They're not even sure what they'll be doing for Bletchley Park or how their efforts will be helping out during the war.

Osla, a debutant, wants people to stop thinking of her as a silly girl not capable of anything.

Mab wants to do her part - and maybe find a husband at the same time.

They end up rooming together at a local house with a family who has a daughter their age. Beth isn't terribly clever and she never stands up to her mother, but her mind works in the vest best of ways for Bletchley Park. It isn't long before Mab and Osla convince Beth to apply for a job too.

The three of them have wonderful and terrible moments. Through it all, they have each other - until their friendship falls apart. Now, years later, they come back together for one last mission.

My Thoughts: I'm a sucker for a good spy novel - and while this wasn't exactly what I imagined, I couldn't but this book down. The story had a dual timeline - one during the war and one years later right before Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth. The three girls were also narrators. Each had secrets and each had something to prove. I loved learning more about Bletchley Park and the work they did. I liked the unlikely friendships. I really the present day story and how that came together.

* I loved the author's note and learning who the girls where based on in history. It was fascinating. 

Cover Thoughts: Love it

Source: My library

Library Recommendation: A great WWII book - fans of the era will gobble this one up. Highly recommended for your library.

Adult Review: The Forever Girl

 

Maze believes she should come with a warning label, despite her nickname of Mayhem Maze. But that's not who she is anymore...or who she wants to be. She has a job, she has some friends, but she's hasn't talked to her found family in years. 

But she's forced to come home for her foster sister's wedding. Maze carries a lot of guilt about a childhood tragedy and guilt for her behavior afterwards. Being back brings up so many childhood memories - memories of the happiest year of her life.

But it also brings up the hurt and the guilt. Can Maze put the past behind her and believe that she deserves to be happy? Can she trust her family with her heart? Can she finally let go of the fear and let in all the love?

My Thoughts: Another winner from Jill Shalvis. This is part of the Wildstone series, which are all separate books but are set in the same town. I felt heartbroken for all the pain Maze, Walker, and Heather endured. I wanted to hug them. And of course the rest of the family. I'm glad they were reunited for the wedding and how they started to mend fences. I love how this book showcases found family and a foster family. You don't see foster families in many books. I also really loved Sammie. She stole the book in many ways with her adorable ways.  Another book I couldn't put down from Jill Shalvis.

Cover Thoughts: So charming

Source: Won on a blog tour

Library Recommendation: Jill Shalvis is an automatic purchase for my library. Is she for yours?

Holiday Book Review: Finding Christmas

 

Emmie loves Christmas. In her opinion, it's the best time of the year. And she can't wait to spread Christmas Cheer to her boyfriend. It's their first Christmas together. They've agreed to take a mini vacation right before Christmas. Emmie's planned the perfect time.

But things go wrong when Grant can't make the celebration dinner. Emmie was supposed to give him the first clue for the scavenger hunt which will lead him to their vacation spot. Instead, she's forced to drop the gift off at his apartment complex.

The gift tag gets switched with another gift and Grant doesn't show up as expected. Annoyed, she's determined not to let this ruin her vacation. She can't wait for Grant to show up...if he can get away from work.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this Christmas romance, but I didn't love it. It was a fun read and I loved many moments. However, I had a hard time connecting to Emmie. But I loved Dasher and the woman who owned the inn. I liked Seth. I loved the Christmas moments from the baking to the tree lighting to the wrapping of presents.

Cover Thoughts: Love it. It captures the magic of Christmas

Source: Gifted

Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your Hallmark movie lovers

Adult Review: Recipe for Persuasion

* Book 2 in the Rajes series *

Curried Dreams is everything to Ashna. It's her legacy and right now the restaurant is struggling badly. Ashna has to do something to save it. When her friends offers her a spot in a reality cooking show with celebrity partners, she hesitates.

Yes, it might solver her money programs. But Ashna has emotional baggage tied with cooking. She can't seem to make anything except her deceased father's recipes.

Ashna's has a complicated relationship with her parents and it's tied her up in knots. She gave up the love of her life for her family. And now, Rico's returned. He's her celebrity on the show. Immediately, their meet-cute goes viral and everyone's rooting for them- both on and off the camera. But Ashna needs to square away her past before reaching for future happiness.

My Thoughts: This is a Persuasion retelling. And it was really good. I enjoyed seeing familiar faces from the previous book. My heart broke for Ashna and her childhood. I wanted to wrap her up in a giant hug. I did love her cousins and her aunt and how they looked after her. I enjoyed getting to know Ashna's mother and the story behind her marriage. And I loved the cooking show and the fans. Of course I loved hearing about all that food too! I really hope there are more books with this family in the works. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library
Library Recommendation: A must have series for your library's romance collection - a given since these are Jane Austen retellings!

On Your Radar: Almost Just Friends (36)

Title: Almost Just Friends

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Release Date: January 21, 2020

Why It Should Be On Your Radar:

* Siblings

* Following Your Dreams

* Following Your Heart

* Banter

* Friendships

* Small towns

* Family of your choosing

* Secrets

* Second Chance Romance

* Growing Up

* Journaling

* Balance

** Another fun read from Jill Shalvis. I'll read anything she writes.

** *While I like the cover. It's not something Piper would do. And there is no dog in this book.

Review: Lemon Sisters

Brooke's shocked to discover her perfect sister on her doorstep having a meltdown. The two sisters have fallen out of touch, but Brooke doesn't hesitate to watch after her three kids while Mindy takes some time for herself.

Brooke heads back to Mindy's house and to the town she's stayed away from for years. There she gets the kids back into their routine - sort of. She has no idea how her sister manages their lives. She's exhausted.

Brooke doesn't even have the defenses she needs to combat her first love, Garrett. Garrett's now Mindy's best friend and neighbor. Since he's working on the house, he's around all the time. Brooke can't stop herself from reliving the past. She's trying to make amends for her mistakes, but Garrett's not interested in forgiving her.  But he also doesn't mind kissing her...

My Thoughts: Another wonderful book from Jill Shalvis. I saved this one to read on my day off and I wasn't disappointed. I love how the two sisters found their way back to each other. I love that they were both able to ask for help. I love how Mindy's husband tried to make more of an effort. I loved the three children, they were adorable. The boys were entertaining and I just wanted to wrap Millie up in a giant hug. I liked the hiking parts and how Brooke needed to get her groove back. I loved the banter between Brooke and Garrett and learning about their relationship.  I love how everything turned out. Funny, sweet, entertaining, and sexy - this book has all the trademarks of a Jill Shalvis novel. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute, but not really part of the book

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Grab any Jill Shalvis book for your library, your readers will thank you.

Holiday Book Review: Christmas Camp

Finding the Christmas Spirit in Christmas Camp. 

I reviewed this one for Fresh Fiction. Check it out.

Isn't the cover amazing?

This book is from the writer of the Netflix movie A Christmas Prince