Book Life Rambles

A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn  G👀dreads "How did you two meet?" It's the quintessential question asked to every couple, and the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey-dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid's arrow. But Lottie Gardner's meet-cute was a little different. She was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take her as his bride―you know, to make the arch nemesis who just fired her jealous. And billionaire Huxley Cane was conveniently stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong. That's when they bump into each other. No sparks. No fireworks. Not even the first seed of blossoming love. But the next thing Lottie knows, she's scarfing down chips and guac, listening to Huxley lay out his problems, and then he tells He lied to a crucial client, and he needs a huge favor. A fake fiancée. He's talking living in his mansion together, going on intima...

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier *DNF* G👀dreads From the moment she's struck by lightning as a baby, it is clear that Mary Anning is marked for greatness. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, she learns that she has "the eye"—and finds what no one else can see. When Mary uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to vicious gossip, and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with unusual interests she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter, cold storms and landslips at her. And when she falls in love, it is with an impossible man. Luckily, Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a recent exile from London, who also loves scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual ap...

Workhorse by Caroline Palmer G👀dreads A richly drawn, unsettling, and wickedly funny story of envy and ambition set against the glamor and privilege of media and high society in New York City at its height. At the turn of the millennium, editorial assistant Clodagh “Clo” Harmon wants nothing more than to rise through the ranks at the world's most prestigious fashion magazine. There's just one problem: She doesn't have the right pedigree. Instead, Clo is a “workhorse” surrounded by beautiful, wealthy, impossibly well-connected “show horses” who get ahead without effort, including her beguiling cubicle-mate, Davis Lawrence, the daughter of a beloved but fading Broadway actress. Harry Wood, Davis's boarding school classmate and a reporter with visions of his own media empire, might be Clo's ally in gaming the system—or he might be the only thing standing between Clo and her rightful place at the top. In a career punctuated by moments of high absurdity, sudden windfall...

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan *DNF* G👀dreads Carmen feels lost. The department store where she has worked until now is closing, and now she doesn't know what to do. She certainly doesn't want to move back home to her perfect sister Sofia in her perfect house with the perfect children and the absolutely perfect life in Edinburgh. Sofia honestly doesn't want to welcome Carmen either. Her sister has always been sarcastic and uncompromising. But Sofia is expecting again, the bookstore is short of hands, and their mother's greatest wish is for the two sisters to get along better with each other. Maybe she should give Carmen a chance? At Sofia's instigation, Carmen is soon swept into the daily grind of the old bookstore. However, it turns out that it will take a true Christmas miracle to get it back on track. Can Carmen surprise them all this Christmas? And can she mend the rift with the most important people in her life: her family? Genre: Christmas, Romance, F...

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis  G👀dreads Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread. It's said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a lifetime of joy. But devastating losses during World War II leave Soline's world and heart in ruins and her faith in love shaken. She boxes up her memories, stowing them away, along with her broken dreams, determined to forget. Decades later, while coping with her own tragic loss, aspiring gallery owner Rory Grant leases Soline's old property and discovers a box containing letters and a vintage wedding dress, never worn. When Rory returns the mementos, an unlikely friendship develops, and eerie parallels in Rory's and Soline's lives begin to surface. It's clear that they were destined to meet—and that Rory may hold the key to righting a forty-year wrong and open...

Christmas in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell Nice Cover G👀dreads Ellie Sawyer has always felt more comfortable with books than people, which explains why she's a PhD history student neck deep in research and trying to complete her doctoral dissertation in time to graduate. But the final books she needs are half a world away in the tiny European kingdom of Lethersby, and the only time she can access the secretive Royal Castle Library is during the Christmas holiday. Ellie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery that has eluded Lethersby scholars for more than 100 hundred years by figuring out what happened to their long-lost queen, a young royal who disappeared shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. With the help of Mark, a handsome castle staff member who shares her love of history, she might be able to unravel the queen's story. But Mark is keeping his own secret from her, and what they discover together could change everything for Ellie—and the enti...

Rum Away by Brett Monk and McKenna Langford  G👀dreads She can read your face—and your secrets. But can this cute, sassy bartender solve a murder before she becomes the next victim? Livvy Mercer isn't just any bartender—she's a gifted reader of micro-expressions, body language, and hidden emotions. But her unique skills also have a way of getting her into trouble. When Livvy's estranged mother pressures her into taking a part-time job at a retirement home, Livvy expects nothing more than awkward family moments and a much-needed paycheck. But when a coworker vanishes, she finds herself drawn into a twisty mystery involving suspicious residents, old grudges, and a charming but possibly dangerous elderly gentleman. Could her new friend really be a serial killer hiding in plain sight? With the help of her quirky roommate and a skeptical (but handsome) FBI agent, Livvy follows the clues through small-town secrets and hidden motives. But as threats close in, she'll have to tr...

The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren  G👀dreads Ami is determined to break the Torres family wedding curse. Her own disaster of a reception ended with all the guests getting food poisoning, and she left her cheating husband soon after. But even though she’s still processing her own divorce, Ami won’t let her twin sister Olive’s day be anything but perfect. Olive may think she wants a private ceremony in Maui, where she and her fiancé Ethan first fell in love, but Ami knows better and secretly flies the whole Torres family out to surprise the couple. Now she and her meticulously organized binder have less than two weeks to get everything together for the big day, thousands of miles from home. Enter Brody, Ethan’s best man, who happens to be living in Maui and insists on helping with the preparations. His playfully elaborate schemes and happy-go-lucky attitude are the last thing Ami needs. When sparks start to fly, could it derail all her carefully laid plans? Equal parts hilar...

The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay  G👀dreads Set in the art world of 1970s London, The English Masterpiece is a fast-paced read to the end, full of glamour and secrets, tensions and lies, as one young woman races against the clock to uncover the truth about a Picasso masterpiece. Perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Ariel Lawhon. As the recently promoted assistant to the Tate's Modern Collections keeper Diana Gilden, Lily helps plan a world-class Picasso exhibit to honor the passing of the great artist--and she's waited her whole life for this moment. The opening is beyond anyone's expectations--the lighting, the champagne, the glittering crowd, and the international acclaim--until Lily does the unthinkable. She stops in front of a masterpiece and hears her own voice say, "It's a forgery." The gallery falls silent. Lily's boss, Diana, is polished perfection, schooled in art, and descends from European high society. She's worked hard to become the...

Current Book ~ The Girl in Juniper Springs by A.J. Rivers  G👀dreads Military surgeon Lance Blair is haunted by many demons and nightmares from his past.  Going back home might be the only way he could finally be set free. While working at the Seattle Hospital of Hope, he receives a call bearing tragic news that shakes his world. Now on the road to Juniper Springs, back to where his life began,  Lance tackles the responsibilities of running his family’s clinic, while battling the feelings of grief and regret. On an errand in town, he runs into his high-school sweetheart, Avery Hart.  The one woman he could never forget.  Avery now works as a lawyer at a local law firm and freelances as a private investigator.  Immediately, sparks fly, reigniting a flame they thought had died out long ago. While revisiting their shared past and the future they could have had,  Lance learns of Avery's suspicions regarding his mother’s death.  As they explore the mys...

The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer  G👀dreads Evelyn Schwartz has the perfect Hanukkah planned: eight jam-packed days producing the live-action televised musical of A Christmas Carol. Who needs family when you've got long hours, impossible deadlines, and your dream job? That is, until an accident on set lands her in the medical bay with one of her chronic migraines, and she's shocked to find her ex-husband, David Adler, filling in for the usual studio doctor. It's been two years since David walked away from Evelyn and their life in Manhattan, and his ex-wife is still the same workaholic who puts her career before everything else—especially her health. But when Evelyn begins hallucinating “ghosts” tied to her past heartbreaks, and every single one leads to David, he finds himself spending much more time with her than he anticipated. And denying the still-smoldering chemistry between them becomes impossible. As Evelyn revisits her ghosts of Hanukkah past, she a...