Début novels can be a bit of a gamble, but I’m glad to report that Lily Chu’s The Stand-In is a risk worth taking. Gracie Reed is the biracial daughter of a white Canadian man and a Chinese mother now struggling with dementia. First, her boss sexually harasses and then fires her. Next, a paparazzo…
I’ll admit that I cheated a little on TBR Challenge this month. I usually try to dig deep into the archives of my TBR, but when I saw the “Grumpy” prompt, all I could think of was the grumpy/sunshine romance I’d picked up from Amazon First Reads last month, based entirely on the author’s hilarious…
Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan was my favorite romance read of 2021. (You can view the rest of that list HERE). The first time I read it, I was swept away by the characters, the story, and the feelings it evoked in me. Now that I’ve read it a second time, I can articulate…
Actor Ryan Kwok is back in Toronto after the promotional tour for his latest film, a rom-com that is getting less-than-stellar reviews. After years of constant work and the sudden death of his mother, Ryan is taking some much-needed time off. But as he tries to be supportive to his family, he struggles with his loss…
Adriana Herrera’s Sambrano Studios series – about a family-run movie business – adds a charming chapter with Just for the Holidays, a Christmas-themed romance with a lot of wonderful tension and romantic warmth. Perla Sambrano is a casting director trying to coax her ex into taking a part in a new telenova produced by her…
Olivia Dade’s All the Feels is a terrific follow-up to last year’s Spoiler Alert, a charming, thoroughly entertaining read that, for all its outward lightheartedness, tackles some knotty issues in a sensitive but down-to-earth way. We met Alex Woodroe briefly in Spoiler Alert and he charmed me completely, so I’ve been eager to catch up…
Well, I have fallen in love with another man from Penny Reid’s Green Valley and I did not expect it to be Jackson James – small town deputy sheriff whose previous appearances in the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pie series did not leave me feeling all that bubbly. In fact, I thought of him…
While We Were Dating tells the love story of a Hollywood actress who only dates actors because they are “all as self-involved and devoid of real human emotion” as she is, and a playboy with deep commitment issues who finally meets the woman of his dreams only to discover she has the same problem. Ben…
What??? A surprise release from Penny Reid??? Yes, that’s right! Ms. Reid is releasing a surprise prequel to Totally Folked (due out July 20). Just Folking Around, gives us the background story to the romance in Totally Folked featuring Jackson James and movie star Raquel Ezra. Readers who are eagerly awaiting the release of Jackson’s…
Author Irene Hannon is a master of setting and conveying emotional tone, and in Blackberry Beach, the seventh book of the A Hope Harbor Novel series, the tone is like smooth water and soft sunlight. Ms. Hannon explores the theme of thresholds in life and how we humans face and deal with them, and this…