A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Goodreads blurb: A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction… literally.Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what. But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel… Because it is.This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending. Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.
My take: 4.25 out of 5. One of the first premises of this book was that they had a book club that they met only and they met in a cabin to read smutty books. You were definitely going to get me with that. The second premise was a bit far fetched, where we really driving 15 hours to get away to read by yourself? I however was going to suspend my disbelief and go for the ride, because if Ashley Poston has taught me anything is to trust that the destination will be worth it even if I don’t trust the road right away. And this was definitely one of those books. I was very hesitant in many a part of this book, but by the end, I was obsessed and loved the ending. which is a bit ironic given that my favorite line in the book was :It’s not the end that matters but every word to the end. This is a book I Want to discuss in detail so If you have read it, shoot me a line we need to talk. There were so many questions especially with the end, and the pre-ending, that require more in depth talk than what I can get into in this no spoilery review. But I can leave you with my favorite and least favorite image in the book. The concept of her arriving to the town was like moving a page in the story and her setting a storyline in motion was so gorgeous. What I was cringing throughout the book (And honestly one of the many reasons this doesn’t get a higher score) was her obsession with Anders minty eyes. Like every time she talks about it it is about minty eyes. And not to shame an image, but this is a fairly inaccurate or confusing image. when she also uses grass, you think that they are a natural mint, darker green, however mint green has all these sherbet connotations, so not only was it annoying but confusing. Ok end of rant.
Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
Goodreads blurb: After thirty-five years serving as the Chief of Police on the island of Nantucket, Ed Kapenash’s heart can no longer take the stress. But his plans to retire are thwarted when, with only three days left to serve, he receives a phone call. A 22-million-dollar summer home, recently purchased by the flashy new couple in town, the Richardsons, has burned to the ground. The Richardsons are far from hurt—in fact, they’re out on the water, throwing a lavish party on their yacht—but when news of the fire reaches them, they discover that their personal assistant has vanished. The Chief is well-acquainted with the Richardsons, and his daughter is best friends with the now-missing girl, leaving him no choice but to postpone his retirement and take on the double case.On a small island like Nantucket, the Richardsons shook things up from the second they stepped on to the scene, throwing luxurious parties and doing whatever they could to gain admittance to the coveted lunches at the Field & Oar Club (with increasing desperation). They instantly captured the attention of local real estate agent Fast Eddie, and the town gossip Blond Sharon, both dealing with their own personal dramas. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce, and in order to avoid becoming a cliché, she’s enrolled in a creative writing class, putting her natural affinity for scandal towards a more noble purpose. To solve the case of the fire and track down his daughter’s best friend, the Chief will have to string together the pieces of the lives of all of these characters and more, rallying his strength for his final act of service to the tight-knit community he knows and loves. The last of Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling Nantucket novels, Swan Song is a propulsive medley of glittering gatherings, sun-soaked drama, wisdom and heart, featuring the return of some of her most beloved characters, including, most importantly, the beautiful and timeless island of Nantucket itself.
My take: 4 out of 5. Its really sad to see this will be the last of the Nantucket Novels, but it does a great job at a worthy and appropriate sendoff. I’m glad I read the Castaways to get some more background, but as I really did not get into that book, here I was engaged and really curious as to how it all was going to work out. The book is a clear representation of Hilderbrand, her descriptions of the island, how it makes you feel like you are actually vacationing there (and consider going there for an actual holiday with your friends) is what keeps you coming back to her books. IT is perfectly crafted escapism. I was thinking was going to be a boring story at the start but it got brought back in the end. At first i was so bored by the concept of Coco’s script, I did not know how they were going to make anything remotely interesting with her. Highlight of the book for me was of course the pink party. As a host of many a pink parties, I have to tip my hat to the level of detail. A pink playlist? i need to seriously up my hosting game!
The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight
Goodreads blurb:
USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight brings together a brilliant dual-narrative story about Nancy Mitford—one of 1930s London’s hottest socialites, authors, and a member of the scandalous Mitford Sisters—and a modern American desperate for change, connected through time by a little London bookshop. 1938: She was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford’s seemingly dazzling life was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi sympathizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life. Present Day: When book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill she can’t get on the plane fast enough. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, it’s a dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition of Nancy’s work, one with a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon, she discovers her life and Nancy’s are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop—a place that changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher
My take: 4 out of 5. This book had a really slow start and at the beginning I thought it was going to be a dud or I would DNF the book because I just was not connecting to the Mitford Sisters. Oh how that changed as the book went on. By the time I finished the book I was researching, reading Wikipedia and learning as much as I could and to see how much of this was real and how much was fiction (Actually the historical parts, pretty on point, which is crazy!). The fact that the story also revolves around books, bookstore and the writings of the main character was also going to make me a fan. A great book for lovers of Female centric WWII books such as the women in the castle, Lilac Girls and Kate Quinn books.
Summers at The Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
Goodreads blurb: Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair. Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.
My take: 4 out of 5. I was expecting a summer romance with this one to be honest when i had just heard of it, but it actually is the perfect child of a summer romance and a cozy mystery and I was totally here for it. The mix and blend of characters was wonderful, and they were all super engaging. There was enough mystery and tension to keep you going, but not too much that you didn’t enjoy the relationship dramas in the middle. It was also so richly described, I felt like I Was in the Saint, in a little vacation. A great beach side book!
Tangled up in You by Christina Lauren
Goodreads blurb: She has a dream. He has a plan. Together they’ll take a leap of faith.Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning.Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy.But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire on a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they’ve both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.
My take: 4.5 out of 5. I absolutely adore the Meant to Be series. If you have not read them please do yourself a favor and go back to the other 3 as well. They are basically Disney publishing doing some closed door romance al life adaptations of some of the classics. We have had Cinderella (if The Shoe Fits), Beauty and the Best (By The Book) and Little Mermaid (Kiss the Girl) and they have all been adorable. So when I read that the queens Christina Lauren were going to tackle Tangled I was so excited (yes I did read it the day it came out, of course!) I was also a bit concerned how they would tackle a more closed door/YA type book, as they are the queens of steam for a reason. The answer is superbly well. The story is so well done and developed. How they adapted the concept of tangled, being isolated in a tower, to the world of today was so creative and well done. It is evident that they are fans, as there were so many little easter eggs, but also the characters were treated with care and reverence. Also a road trip story is always wonderful. I was totally enamored by this vute story and I am now very much looking forward to part 5 – Mulan coming soon.
Tati's Tidbits 