Oh My Books!

Candy for Christmas by Joanne Fluke #1.5 Hannah Swensen Mysteries series In the Novella, Hannah Swenson, owner of The Cookie Jar, discovers that someone has broken into her store. Perhaps this individual is simply sleeping there to stay warm. Whoever this individual is, they clean up before they leave. So Hannah plans, with Norman's help, to catch the intruder in the act (and they do). What unwinds is a tale of innocence and a dysfunctional family who is reunited due to Hannah's understanding and sense of fairness. My review: During this time of year, I’m always on the lookout for books that bring out the Christmas spirit, so I decided to give Candy for Christmas by Joanne Fluke a try. This book, a novella that is part 1.5 of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries series, combines mystery, baking, and a touch of wintery charm. The story follows Hannah, the protagonist of the series, as she solves a light and straightforward case. Since the book is very short, there isn’t much time to dev...

Slaying for Sloan Wrecked series #3  by Melissa McSherry and Dana LeeAnn Goodreads |  Amazon The third installment in the Wrecked series, featuring Sloan. This novella can be read as a standalone. He is my hunter in this twisted game. I am his prize, and he’s hungry to claim me. This Christmas was supposed to be special, but without my best friend by my side, it feels like a cruel joke. I thought spending the holidays with my boyfriend’s family would fill the void, but after a fight that escalated too far, I was ready to pack my shit and leave. Until I woke up on Christmas Eve morning to a surprise─a pretty black box holding the key to his family's church, complete with instructions for a game he’s set up for us to play. The rules are simple: 1: If he catches me once, he gets to eat me. 2: If he catches me twice, I have to suck him. 3: If he catches me a third time, he gets to fuck me. 4: If he catches me all three times AND beats me to the church, nothing is off limits. Prim...

Take Me Home for Christmas Tracy Solheim (Chances Inlet Contemporary Romance, #5) Publication date: December 12th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance In the quaint coastal town of Chances Inlet, Christmas is a time for rekindling lost connections . . . Elinor “Elle” McAlister is on the brink of a big-time promotion that will finally put her on equal footing with her overachieving siblings. The catch? She has to babysit a notoriously prickly war reporter who’s late delivering his memoir. As if that weren’t enough, her editor banishes them both to Elle’s hometown on the Carolina coast to get the job done. Spending the holidays in Chances Inlet might have been fine—if only she hadn’t wrecked the most important relationship in her life during her visit last Christmas. Deputy Sheriff Hayden Lovell has known Elle was his person ever since she swiped his purple crayon back in kindergarten. Through every twist and setback, her steady friendship has been his anchor, esp...

Elf Against the Wall Alina Jacobs (The Wynter Brothers, #2) Publication date: November 12th 2024 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance When you kiss your perfect boyfriend under the mistletoe…only for your cousin to scream to the family that you stole her man, Christmas is OVER. In my defense, I didn’t know my boss—yup, boss. Buckle up because this is messy—was my cousin’s newly minted and totally lying fiancé. I thought he was the Nutcracker Prince come to finally show my family that I, too, was worthy of putting the star atop the Christmas tree. I was so wrong . Now my entire family thinks I’m a ho ho ho. I’m at the top of the naughty list, not in a fun Elf on the Shelf way, but rather in a snide-comments-at-brunch and sitting-at-the-kids’-table kinda way. I have to clear my name, or Christmas is ruined. Again. What better way than to blackmail my family’s number one sworn enemy? Anderson Wynter is this desperate elf’s last hope. Six-foot-five, ethicall...

The Christmas Book Hunt By Jenny Colgan Publication date: December 1, 2024 Goodreads | Amazon A heartwarming meet-cute short story from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christmas Bookshop. A Christmas mission… Mirren’s beloved great-aunt Violet is seriously ill. Her one Christmas wish is to be reunited with a long-lost hand-illustrated book from her childhood, a challenge Mirren gladly accepts to give Violet some much-needed festive cheer. An enchanting journey… With no sign of the cherished volume online, Mirren falls into the fascinating world of rare books. From London to snowy Hay-on-Wye and Edinburgh’s cobbled streets, she chases leads from bookshop to bookshop—and bumps into mysterious, charming Theo, who, unbeknownst to her, is searching for the same book for reasons of his own… The start of a new chapter? As the two join forces to track the book down before time runs out for Violet, will Mirren find her Christmas miracle—and maybe even a kiss under the mistletoe… ? Fo...

Wedding Bells in Silverwood Dorothy Dreyer (Silverwood Series) Publication date: November 26th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance Silverwood’s most anticipated event of the year is upon us—Holly St. Ives and Nick Mason’s New Year’s Eve wedding. But as one disaster after another strikes in the weeks leading up to their big day, Holly begins to suspect that something is amiss. Enter Viola Carver, a former culinary prodigy who put her career on hold to care for her disabled mother. Given a last-minute opportunity to cater the event of the season, Viola is determined to prove herself. But she fears she may blow her big chance after several rocky encounters with the dashing venue owner. With a saboteur on the loose who’s intent on ruining Nick and Holly’s wedding, it might take Nick’s team of Alaskan Malamutes and a New Year’s miracle to save the day. Goodreads / Purchase — EXCERPT: Did I really agree to this? Holly St. Ives shielded her eyes from the Augus...

A Cat Café Christmas by Codi Gary Meow and Furever Cat Café #1 375 pages, Paperback First published October 4, 2022 Goodreads | Amazon A laugh-out-loud, opposites attract romance about three of the world’s most beloved C’s: Christmas, Coffee, and Cats. Veterinarian and animal lover Kara Ingalls needs a Christmas miracle. Opening the Meow and Furrever Cat Café to find loving homes for adorable, adoptable cats was a dream come true—but with more cats than customers, it’s quickly turning into a nightmare. If Kara can’t figure out some way to get the café out of the red, it won’t last past the holidays. Marketing guru Ben Reese may be annoyingly smart and frustratingly bossy, but when he hatches a plan to put the café in the “green” by Christmas, Kara realizes that she’d be a fool to turn down his help. And so what if he turns out to be an excellent problem solver and nerdy-hot—he can’t even handle fostering one little kitten. She needs to keep their relationship professional and focus on...

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore Dream Harbor #3 Published October 10, 2024 Goodreads | Amazon From the author of the viral TikTok sensation, The Pumpkin Spice Café, comes the only spicy grumpy x sunshine Christmas romcom you need this year! Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good. Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor taking a break from his life in California. And most importantly, taking a break from his latest run of disastrous dates. After a run in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she’s clearly got no idea what she’s doing. Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cozy like people always show on social media, it’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it. But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kir...

A Little Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan Standalone Third book in The Christmas Spirit series Genre: Contemporary Romance Tour Dates: 18th - 27th November 2024 Publication Date: 12th November 2024 Goodreads  |  Amazon  | Books2Read Can a sprinkle of magic heal broken hearts this Christmas? With Jacob now at the helm at the cosy Sugar and Spice café, it’s the perfect opportunity for Christmas Spirit Lara to weave her magic. Fraser is floundering in his new role as headteacher as he grapples with guilt over having to place his beloved mother in a care home, leaving him feeling lost and alone during what should be a joyful time. Meanwhile, school janitor Paul is torn between his desire to feel needed and the pressure from his wife to retire, dimming the season’s sparkle. Valerie, overwhelmed by the demands of newborn twins, feels she’s not giving her other daughter enough attention. She needs a bit of me time and for her husband to realise the responsibility for the kids ...

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan The Christmas Bookshop #1 Goodreads  | Amazon Perfect for the holidays! A brand-new heartwarming Christmas novel from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop on the Corner and Christmas at the Island Hotel. When the department store she works in closes for good, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. She doesn’t want to move in with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered Edinburgh life. Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want Carmen there either. Her sister has always been sarcastic and difficult. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs a retail assistant for his ailing bookshop, so welcoming Carmen might still have some benefits for everyone. At Sofia’s behest, Carmen is thrown into the daily workings of old Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the streets of the old dark city...

A Noche Buena for Lonely Hearts by J. L. Lora 107 pages, Kindle Edition Expected publication November 14, 2024 by Larimar Press Goodreads | Amazon   One Christmas Eve, a chance for healing awaits lifestyle influencer Luciana “Lux” Blake in “A Noche Buena for Lonely Hearts,” a heartwarming holiday romance. Luciana is surrounded by holiday cheer that feels painfully out of reach. While she hides her heartache behind a flawless façade, past trauma crashes the fiesta, prompting her to escape familial chaos. Fate intervenes when she bumps into family friend Oliver Amador, a sexy single  papi , longing to escape the shadows of his pain. When he offers her a ride, their journey takes an unexpected turn, setting the stage for a magical  Noche Buena . One that promises to change everything. As they bond over their shared heartbreak, Luciana and Oliver strike a one-night deal to create the perfect Christmas Eve together and then go their separate ways. Under the glow of the light...

Book Review: The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling Published October 12, 2021 by Scholastic Inc. Goodreads | Amazon A heartwarming, page-turning adventure about one child's love for his most treasured thing, and how far he will go to find it. A tale for the whole family to fall in love with, from one of the world’s greatest storytellers. One boy and his toy are about to change everything... Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve something terrible happens — DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life... even toys. And Jack’s newest toy — the Christmas Pig (DP’s replacement) — has a daring plan: Together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known... My review: The Christmas Pig  is a heartwarming and enchanting holiday tale that follows Jack, a young boy who experiences the de...