All Books Considered

The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts Blurb from Goodreads : Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, this joyful Christmas romp tells the story of a woman who can’t stop trying to help everyone around her find their happily-ever-after—even when her help leads to disaster. Frankie Lane knows what’s best for just about everyone but herself. Her divorced sister, Stef, who is too young to give up on love; her shy employee, Elinor; and her daughter, Natalie, who works in Frankie’s shop, Holiday Happiness, and really needs to start her own business selling the delectable chocolates she makes at home; even her best friend, Viola, who is trying to renovate her old Victorian. Frankie knows she could help all of them, if they’d just let her—and if all of her help didn’t end in utter disaster. Then there’s Mitch Howard, the owner of the local hardware store. They’ve be...

Rachel Weiss's Group Chat by Lauren Appelbaum Blurb from Goodreads : Opposites attract in this hilariously cheeky, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about feeling stuck, the importance of friendship, and learning to open your heart. The year is already off to a bad start. It’s not enough that Rachel Weiss is stuck in a job she despises and has an unfortunate attraction to men who disappoint her. It’s the Year of Turning Thirty . . . and now her mother won’t stop trying to set up Rachel with the millionaire buying the house next door. Luckily Rachel has amazing friends and their juicy group chat to keep her going. But amid work-mandated therapy, her thirteen gray hairs, and biking in the buff, she can’t help wondering why she isn’t moving forward like everyone else. As Rachel’s life—and circle of friends—begins to fall apart, she confides in the last ...

The Lightning Bottles  by Marissa Stapley Blurb from Goodreads : The author of New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick Lucky returns with a spellbinding story of rock ’n’ roll and star-crossed love—about grunge-era musician Jane Pyre’s journey to find out what really happened to her husband and partner in music, who abruptly disappeared years earlier. He was the troubled face of rock ’n’ roll…until he suddenly disappeared without a trace. Jane Pyre was once half of the famous rock n’ roll duo, the Lightning Bottles. Years later, she’s perhaps the most hated—and least understood—woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as her bandmate (and soulmate), Elijah Hart—even if Jane was the one who wrote the songs that catapulted the Lightning Bottles to instant, dizzying fame, first in the Seattle grunge scene, then around the world....

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain Blurb from Goodreads : Love could be a recipe for disaster, or the best thing they ever cooked up... Kieran O'Neill should be on top of the world. He's just won a cooking reality TV show, he's on track to open his own restaurant before he turns thirty, and he's even got a high-paying cookbook deal. Still he can't impress his stuck-up family, his ADHD makes planning ahead impossible and, worst of all, his ghostwriter is the most uptight, humourless woman he's ever met. But to be seen as a serious chef like he's always wanted, he needs to finish this book... Ellie Wasserman is barely holding it together. She's a thirty-year-old widow living with her needy in-laws, her little brother won't adult without her help, and instead of working on her own cookbook, she's ghostwriting one...

Time to Rise by Helene Holmström,  Translated by Marlaine Delargy Blurb from Goodreads : It’s her struggling bakery. But it’s his reality show. More than tempers will flare in a warmhearted and positively delicious opposites-attract romantic comedy. Nora Jansson will do anything to save her parents’ beloved bakery from bankruptcy, even if it means allowing a TV reality crew into her kitchen and her life. Not to mention celebrity pastry chef Henrik Eklund, its impossibly rude host who’s happy to point out Nora’s baking missteps—on cue. It’s bringing out her feisty side. My Review: I adored this and really hope more works by this author get translated! It was equal parts baking, behind the scenes baking reality show and nuanced, understated yet steamy romance.  Nora was such a relatable character and Henrik had the best energy.  If you like enemies to lovers (although enemies may be overstating it a bit),...

The Examiner by Janice Hallett Blurb from Goodreads : Told in emails, text messages, and essays, this innovative page-turner follows a group of students in an art master’s program that goes dangerously awry, from the internationally bestselling “new queen of crime” (Electric Literature) Janice Hallett.Gela Nathaniel, head of Royal Hastings University’s new Multimedia Art course, must find six students from all walks of life across the United Kingdom for her new master’s program before the university cuts her funding. The students are nothing but trouble from day one. There’s Jem, a talented sculptor recently graduated from her university program and eager to make her mark as an artist at any cost. Jonathan, who has little experience in art practice aside from running his family’s gallery. Patrick runs an art supply store, but can barely operate his pho...

Casket Case by Lauren Evans Blurb from Goodreads : In this charming debut rom-com, a young woman returns home to run her family's casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect stranger. But there's just one problem . . . he works for Death. Nora thought she was finished with Rabbittown, Alabama, for good. But an unexpected tragedy turned her life upside down, and she’s found herself back in her tiny hometown running the family casket business. There aren’t exactly a lot of prospects for a single woman in her thirties in a place like Rabbittown. Until Nora Clanton’s ordinary, casket-selling day is interrupted by a handsome stranger wandering into her shop and asking for directions—as well as a date. Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal guy. He’s thoughtful, he’s kind, and he has a lucrative job as a logistics coordinator, for whi...

Una, Unwanted by Elin F. Styve Blurb from Goodreads : When Una, a child of infidelity, as an adult decides to do everything she can to reunite with her father, it is with a sense that something important is missing in her life. The father is the well-known self-help expert MotivaTor, and Una follows everything he does through YouTube and social media. Inspired by his encouraging life advice, she finds the courage to seek him out to become a part of his life, despite warnings from those closest to her. MotivaTor's inflated self-image is nourished by the admiration he receives from his audience, but does it reflect his actual life and personality? Along the way in her quest for her father, Una realizes that everything she has dreamed of looks different than what she expected. When she gets to know her half-brother Kalle, her faith in her father takes a dramatic turn, and she make...

Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff Blurb from Goodreads : A political strategist, tainted by a scandalous ex, finds an unexpected career detour when her teenage boy band crush offers a second chance at the spotlight…and maybe something more. The debut book from 831 Stories, a modern romantic fiction company that prioritizes pleasure reading and the genre’s enthusiastic fans. "It sparkles with wit—pair it with a good glass of prosecco and prepare to get lost in this smart, sexy novel." —Elissa Sussman, bestselling author of Once More with Feeling and Funny You Should Ask Maya was a rising star in the political world until her ex-husband’s high-profile sex scandal nearly derailed her career. Landing a gubernatorial candidate is the fresh start she desperately needs – a chance to focus on meaningful work and leave the drama behind. But then an email from her past sends her world Charlie, former lead singer of Mischie...