The picture attracted me to this puzzle because as you know I love books and book shops!

The poster is small, but helped while doing the puzzle.

Another puzzle done!

Author: Alys Murray
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Romance
Source: Bookouture ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Can you ever really forget your first love?

It’s been eight long years since May Anderson’s high school sweetheart Tom Riley drove down Main Street in his truck, leaving Hillsboro—and May—in his rearview mirror. Now he’s back and, try as they might, the pair can’t avoid each other.

As Hillsboro prepares to host the prestigious North West Food and Wine Festival, Tom and May are reluctantly called in to plan the big event. Tom needs May’s help to repair his bad-boy reputation and, with the whole town counting on them, May and Tom need to learn to trust each other again.

May is determined to protect her heart, but a lot has changed since high school. She can’t help but notice how the skinny boy she used to know is now a man who perfectly fills out his button-down, and Tom can’t seem to tear his gaze away from May’s sweet smile. It’s clear old feelings are surfacing again, but there is a secret keeping them apart and, until they find the courage to face it, their second chance summer will be only that…

Ope’s Opinion: The story idea was great, the execution, not so good. One of my frustrations with this story was the lack of communications between May and Tom. If they had each said what they were thinking, if they were honest, it would have been so much better. Another frustration was the constant repetitiveness of information. Over and over we were told how May let the whole town believe a lie, but she didn’t do anything about it.

The end was too fast. They couldn’t trust and believe each other through the whole book, then at the end they did.

Author: Phoebe Mills
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: Forever ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: A busy single-mom. A laid-back bachelor. One unforgettable night that changes their friendship—and their lives—forever . . .

Single-mom Rebecca Hayes has been so focused on raising her daughter and building her finance career, she’s not sure she even remembers how to date. The only man she’s been out with is Jackson, her very close—and very attractive—friend. But Becca isn’t getting her hopes up after they crossed the line one memorable night—she knows Jackson too well. So when she discovers she’s pregnant with his baby, Becca isn’t sure she can count on Jackson anymore . . .

Fatherhood isn’t something Jackson Lowe saw for himself. He figured he’d just keep working at his family’s landscaping business, surfing and being a happily unattached bachelor. But in his heart, he longs to build a family with Rebecca—his secret crush and the real reason he never settled down. He’s got a lot of work to do before she’ll believe he’s all in. He’s been the man Becca wants. Now, Jackson has to prove he’s ready to be the man she needs.

Ope’s Opinion: This was so much fun to read! I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from A Wedding on Sunshine Corner. This is a series. I did not read the first one ( might go back to do that ), but each one can stand alone. I actually liked this more than the second one.

I like the friends to lover trope. It is one of my favorites, especially when the friendship is from when they were young. This one had a few little conflicts, but the couple kept communicating so they could work it – I like that. It frustrates me when I want to yell at the book ” just talk to each other” – there was not any of that in this book.

I would like to read more of Phoebe Mills books. She is easy to read and has great characters that feel real.

Goodreads: A busy single-mom. A laid-back bachelor. One unforgettable night that changes their friendship—and their lives—forever . . .

Single-mom Rebecca Hayes has been so focused on raising her daughter and building her finance career, she’s not sure she even remembers how to date. The only man she’s been out with is Jackson, her very close—and very attractive—friend. But Becca isn’t getting her hopes up after they crossed the line one memorable night—she knows Jackson too well. So when she discovers she’s pregnant with his baby, Becca isn’t sure she can count on Jackson anymore . . .

Fatherhood isn’t something Jackson Lowe saw for himself. He figured he’d just keep working at his family’s landscaping business, surfing and being a happily unattached bachelor. But in his heart, he longs to build a family with Rebecca—his secret crush and the real reason he never settled down. He’s got a lot of work to do before she’ll believe he’s all in. He’s been the man Becca wants. Now, Jackson has to prove he’s ready to be the man she needs.

This looks like a really cute read.

My review coming soon….

Author: Sophie Sullivan
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Romance
Source: St. Martin’s Griffin ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: A playful and emotional romantic comedy from the author of Ten Rules for Faking It

Hailey Sharp has a one-track mind. Get By the Cup salad shop off the ground. Do literally everything possible to make it a success. Repeat. With a head full of entrepreneurial ideas and a bad ex in her rearview, her one and only focus is living life the way she wants to. No distractions.

Wes Jansen never did understand the fuss about relationships. With a string of lackluster first dates and the pain from his parents’ angry divorce following him around, he’d much rather find someone who he likes, but won’t love. Companionship, not passion, is the name of the game.

When Hailey and Wes find each other in a disastrous meet cute that wasn’t even intended for them, they embarrassingly go their separate ways. But when Wes finds Hailey to apologize for his behavior, they strike a friendship. Because that’s all this can be. Hailey doesn’t want any distractions. Wes doesn’t want to fall in love.

What could possibly go wrong?

Ope’s Opinion: I did not read the other books in this series. I might go back now and read them because I enjoyed this one so much, but it was not necessary to read the others to enjoy this one. The brothers are great friends, which made this story more fun to read.

I throughly enjoyed the pace of the relationship – it was slow – which was great because they did not know each other before the story started. I am not an insta-love fan, so this one suited me perfectly. They became friends and got to really know each other and like each other before the relationship got deeper.

As in most romances, there were a few twists and turns that come between the main characters before it all ends well. This one had a great journey before the end was how you expect it to be.

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In February I hope to read….

Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Publisher: Graydon House

Goodreads: Despite its beauty, Newport is a place Cass Coventry would prefer to forget. But after an extended absence, she’s back in her hometown to celebrate her sister’s engagement—even if she’s marrying into the family that famously stole the Gilded Age Coventry mansion out from under them a decade ago.

The moment Cass pulls up to the estate, she’s in for one surprise after another. The bride-to-be is hiding a big secret. Her mother has royal-wedding aspirations. And, when the date is set for only three months away, a local gossip blog makes the two families its new favorite subject.

It’s not long before Cass’s weekend in town becomes a full summer of frenzied wedding planning and society drama—but also idyllic sails, starry nights, and a former love. As the grand affair arrives, along with new truths about her family, Cass must finally face her own thorny past in Newport and decide how to honor the Coventry legacy in all its chaotic glory.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Author: Kate Hewitt
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery
Source: Bookouture ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: As mothers we never dare to delve into our worst-nightmare scenarios. What if… we might murmur to each other, and then shake our heads, telling ourselves it’ll never happen to us if we’re just good enough mothers. Yet here we are. And the steady beep of the heart monitor is the only evidence the child in front of us is alive…

It’s Labor Day weekend, so of course we went to the beach. Like we do every year. For a barbecue picnic with my best friend Rose. It’s the perfect tradition—drinks, games, burgers, music, laughter. Together with our husbands, my two teenage sons and her two daughters, we all arrived as the sun was still shimmering over the water, the whole evening ahead of us.

But nothing goes to plan. Old secrets emerge, tempers flare. And so we parents decide to leave the beach, telling the teenagers to enjoy themselves, reassuring them someone will be back to collect them in an hour or two.

But when I return a little while later, I know something is really wrong. Our teens are slurring their words, stumbling to the car. It’s clear they have been drinking and I’m shocked. I never expected our kids to behave this way. I’m bracing myself to have firm words with them in the morning, but the next day my concerns fade to nothing, when seventeen-year-old Bella claims my son Finn assaulted her.

Finn insists he would never do that. And I so want to believe him. Because I brought my son up right. Because a mother would know, wouldn’t she?

What I don’t know is that the answer to what happened that night on the beach may be a matter of life and death for one of our beloved children…

Ope’s Opinion: Oh, My! Kate Hewitt has done it again! She wrote a story that makes you hold your breath to see what will happen next. Then she surprises you where she takes it. Just when you think you know what you believe, she makes you question your perspective.

Switching between Rose’s and Cara’s point of view often left me at a pivotal point I couldn’t wait to get back to. It made me wish I could read faster. These two strong women show you two perspectives that will have you wanting to support both of them.

This is one of the best of Kate Hewitt’s books.

Author: Amanda Pellegrino
Publisher: Park Row
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Source: Park Row ( Emer & Sophie )

Goodreads: ELIZA BENNETT IS NOT YOUR NORMAL BRIDE…

For Eliza Bennett, all her planning and scheming for her dream wedding is about to pay off. She’s girlbossed her way into an elite Manhattan lifestyle, including a high-powered job in PR and an engagement to Graham Walker, a high-society Yale graduate from a prominent blue-blooded family.

But as the big day approaches, secrets from Eliza’s past attendance at an Evangelical college start to throw her true motives into question. Who exactly is Eliza Bennett and what does she really want?

Written with a breakneck pace and capturing the glittering, privileged world of the one-percenters, The Night We Met is a gripping novel that shows how you can never truly outrun your past—nor the people from it.

Ope’s Opinion: This was an interesting read that took a long time to figure out where the story was going. Eliza’s past was not always enjoyable to read about, but it made her who she was.

Going back and forth between the present and the past showed you who Eliza was and how she got where she was, but it did not explain where she was going. I knew Eliza was working toward something and was hiding something, but it was not clear through most of the book.

The ending brought everything together, it explained the whole story. I almost wish I had read the last chapter, then read the rest of the story – I might have actually enjoyed it that way.

The steamy scenes and the constant use of the “f” word took away from the story for me.

Author: Dionne Grace
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Genre: Christian Fiction
Source: BooksGoSoical ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: They were meant to be, but for how long?

Daisia Findlay has a crush on her boss, though she’s never had the courage to tell him. Not that Blake would be interested; his type of women were ones who looked nothing like her. Daisia doesn’t dare hope that she will be the one he will fall in love with.
But when a resentful team member seeks revenge on his co-workers and places them in a dilemma that neither has any control over, Blake finally declares the truth of his feelings.
And just when she thinks they can finally be together, circumstances take a turn for the worse, and the love that she thought she’d found seems to be somewhat short-lived.
Are his feelings true? Or is this just a psychological reaction to a traumatic situation?

Ope’s Opinion: This very short story was packed full, maybe too full. There was back and forth between past ( memories ) and present – it wasn’t always obvious when this was happening. The main character ( Daisia ) talked to God a lot and quoted scripture.

Being such a short story, the romance moved from a glance to in love very quickly ( too quickly? ). There was a bit of a twist part way through. The ending was what you want with a romance book.

Author: Valentine Low
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Non-fiction
Source: Kristi ( borrowed )

Goodreads: The gripping account of how the Royal family really operates from the man who has spent years studying them in his role as Royal correspondent for The Times. Valentine Low asks the important questions: who really runs the show and, as Charles III begins his reign, what will happen next?

Throughout history, the British monarchy has relied on its courtiers – the trusted advisers in the King or Queen’s inner circle – to ensure its survival as a family, an ancient institution, and a pillar of the constitution. Today, as ever, a vast team of people hidden from view steers the royal family’s path between public duty and private life. Queen Elizabeth II, after a remarkable 70 years of service, saw the final seasons of her reign without her husband Philip to guide her. Meanwhile, newly ascended Charles seeks to define what his future as King, and that of his court, will be.

The question of who is entrusted to guide the royals has never been more vital, and yet the task those courtiers face has never been more challenging. With a cloud hanging over Prince Andrew as well as Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal life, the complex relationship between modern courtiers and royal principals has been exposed to global scrutiny. As the new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate – equipped with a very 21st century approach to press and public relations – now hold the responsibility of making an ancient institution relevant for the decades to come.

Courtiers reveals an ever-changing system of complex characters, shifting values and ideas over what the future of the institution should be. This is the story of how the monarchy really works, at a pivotal moment in its history.

Ope’s Opinion: If you are a huge royal watcher, you will definitely enjoy this book. If you are just a casual royal watcher, you can probably skip this one. It has a lot of history about the family, but mostly it is about the staff behind the family. It is very interesting to read the staff’s perspective on the family members.

It is hard to know where the truth lies between what the staff says and what the royals say. This was definitely bias towards the staff not having a role in Meghan’s and Harry departure. As usual, the “truth” is probably somewhere in-between.

If you are looking for history this is a good book, if you are looking for new, exciting information, this is not the book to pick up.