Book Review- October 2021

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Hey loves. Another month of not just reading romance novels. This month had more books that were not my favorites. Lets take a look. 




I received an advance copy from Netgalley

There’s a royal wedding on, and things are about to get interesting.

Meet the man of honor

Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla, is not having a merry Christmas. He’s been dumped by a princess, he’s unemployed, and his domineering father has sent him to New York to meet a prospective bride he has no interest in. In the city, he meets Dani Martinez, a smart (and gorgeous) professor he’s determined to befriend before their best friends marry in the Eldovian wedding of the century.

Meet the best woman

Newly single, no-nonsense New Yorker Dani is done with love—she even has a list entitled “Things I Will Never Again Do for a Man”—which is why she hits it off with notorious rake Max. He’s the perfect partner for snow angels in Central Park and deep conversations about the futility of love.

It’s all fun and games until their friendship deepens into attraction and, oops…

Falling in love was never part of the plan.

- from Netgalley

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. The growing relationship between a widowed father and his daughter touches my heart. Reading others Christmas traditions gives me ideas of new things I would love to do with my family. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.





Ex-Army sergeant, Drew Lancaster demands order, but when he’s thrust into small-town politics involving crazy elders and a manipulative mayor he finds himself submerged in chaos. His only hope to navigate the strange rules of the town comes from a distractingly beautiful, mess of a woman - Carissa Donahue.

As a small town girl, Carissa lives her life on a whim and a prayer. Even in the kitchen she never uses a recipe, yet her sweets are known as the best throughout the South. She has no desire to be a part of Drew’s show, but she knows it’s the town’s best option to increase tourism during a troubling economic time. If there isn't an upturn, she'll have to close her bakery. She can’t lose it. Owning a bakery has been her lifelong dream, and her focus since her best friend ran away with her fiancé.

The icing on the project for Drew is that a colleague has promised him a spot working at a real film network if Drew can spend time with Carissa and not fall in love. Drew isn’t sure he can resist the one person he’d never date under different circumstances, nor is he sure he wants to.

Can Drew convince Carissa she can trust him enough to open her heart?
- from Amazon


Small town love story. Not your typical love story, first he didn't want anything to do with her, than she wanted nothing to do with him. Eventually like every love story things work out but how is where the magic is. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 



Set in 1920s Mississippi, this debut Southern novel weaves a beautiful and harrowing story of two teenage girls cast in an unlikely partnership through murder—perfect for readers of Where the Crawdads Sing and If the Creek Don't Rise.

Ada promised herself she would never go back to the Trace, to her hard life on the swamp and her harsh father. But now, after running away to Baton Rouge and briefly knowing a different kind of life, she finds herself with nowhere to go but back home. And she knows there will be a price to pay with her father.

Matilda, daughter of a sharecropper, is from the other side of the Trace. Doing what she can to protect her family from the whims and demands of some particularly callous locals is an ongoing struggle. She forms a plan to go north, to pack up the secrets she's holding about her life in the South and hang them on the line for all to see in Ohio.

As the two girls are drawn deeper into a dangerous world of bootleggers and moral corruption, they must come to terms with the complexities of their tenuous bond and a hidden past that links them in ways that could cost them their lives.

- from Amazon


I had high hopes for this book. I had read so many good reviews on it. I could not get into it. From unlikeable characters to unrealistic situations. I couldn't even finish the book. I get it a 1 out of 5 stars. 




There's nothing practical about magic—which is why I ditched my wand years ago.

Thirteen years, to be exact.

The day I left Silverlake.

Except now, a family emergency has called me back home, and quite frankly, I'd rather be anywhere but here.

But when my aunt raises her wand to cure a friend and he ends up dead, it becomes abundantly clear I'm not leaving anytime soon.

Welcome to Silverlake, a place where nothing is EVER as it seems... and where a witch can find, and lose, a lot more than herself.
- from Amazon

Halloween themed, witches, a murder, and romance all in one you can count me in. 5 out of 5 stars. 



Art teacher Harley Welsh is charmed by her newest student—a little girl whose shyness disappears the second her hands are covered in clay or paint. Moving wasn’t easy for Nadia so to help her, Harley resurrects the countdown to the Great Pumpkin Patch—a must-do fall activity list from her childhood. She’s determined to show Nadia and her family how wonderful life in Crossvine Creek is. But Harley didn’t plan for Nadia’s father to be single, distractingly handsome and everything she’s running from.

New high school football coach Josh McBride is hoping a smaller town will give him more time to focus on his children. While his son is adjusting to the move, his daughter is struggling. Harley’s offer to help via a fun, seasonal-themed activity list is a welcome gift. Her love for the town is infectious, and soon his kids aren’t the only ones falling under her spell.

But Josh can’t help but wonder…what happens when they reach the end of the list?
- from Amazon

Another book I couldn't put down with a single dad with a son and daughter falling in love in a small town. I could see this being a Hallmark movie. 5 out of 5.


Christmas at the Heartbreak Cafe by Melissa Hill

The Heartbreak Cafe, situated in the picturesque Irish tourist village of Lakeview is a local institution, and owner Ella has run a thriving business since it first opened its doors thirty years before.

To honour all those happy years, she plans to host a huge Christmas party to thank the community for its support, and to bring all her loyal customers and staff together for a major celebration. She has spent weeks preparing; baking the cafe’s all time-favourite treats, Christmas favourites like mince pies and mulled wine, and decorating the cafe’s interior in the finest festive garb.
Everything is set for it to be an amazing celebration of not just the cafe, but of life in Lakeview.

But Christmas week, only days before the party, Ella receives a devastating letter. Her landlord won’t be renewing her lease in the New Year, and her beloved cafe will have to close. What will she tell her loyal customers? Will she have to start anew? Or is there any way Ella can save the business by harnessing support and convincing her landlord by Christmas that The Heartbreak Cafe has a special place in Lakeview hearts and minds.
- from Amazon


I hate to say I couldn't get into this Christmas book. Which I know is hard to believe with my love of all things Christmas. The characters were likeable but I just couldn't finish it. 2 out of 5 stars. 

Linking up with Steph for Show Us Your Books


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6 comments

  1. I think Witchy Reservations might be something just a little different for me that I'd like.

    Disappointing on the Stilts, it seems promising!

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  2. You read some sweet romances. I hate when a book has great reviews and it's a dud for me. Sorry that happended with a couple of your reads.

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  3. Looks like a great month of cute romances. That seems to be how my November reading is shaping up.

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  4. Glad you had a good reading month. Duke, Actually looks enjoyable!

    Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  5. Happy you had a good reading month, I love it when that happens!

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  6. The witchy one sounds fun :) I love a dash of magic, even if it's reluctant. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your month!

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Thanks for leaving some comment love.