Carries Book Reviews

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Title: The Rom-Commers

Author:  Katherine Center

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Date: June 11, 2024

Page Count:  325

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies—good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!—it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone—much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script—it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter—even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules—and comes true?

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center is a new contemporary romance novel. The story in The Rom-Commers begins as a grumpy meets sunshine type of enemies to lovers romance but eventually grows into a friends to lovers from the forced proximity between the characters.

Emma Wheeler has always dreamed of becoming a screenwriter full time but life took a turn for Emma years before when she lost her mother and her father was permanently injured with Emma becoming his full time caretaker. Emma’s writing has won awards but as well as she knows her chosen genre of rom-coms writing them full time has continued to be a dream.

That dream may be turning into a reality though with one phone call from Emma’s old friend, Logan. Logan is now the agent for the famous screenwriter Charlie Yates, one of Emma’s long time idols. It seems Charlie needs help diving into the unknown genre for him of rom-coms and Logan thought Emma would be the perfect person who could help Charlie re-write the worst rom-com script that ever existed!

Katherine Center is one of those authors that whenever I pick up a new books for her I am completely certain I’m going to enjoy it and thus far she hasn’t made me wrong yet. From the very first of pages of this new book I was drawn in and knew I was going to enjoy these characters and rooting them along the way. There is of course a roller coaster of emotions over the course of the book but what it all keeps coming back to is the laughter and light that I hope to always find. Definitely an author I recommend checking out!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” She’s the New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, The Bodyguard, and her newest, Hello Stranger. Katherine writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. She’s been compared to both Jane Austen and Nora Ephron, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” The movie adaptation of her novel The Lost Husband (starring Josh Duhamel) hit #1 on Netflix, and the movie of her novel Happiness for Beginners, starring Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes, opens July 27 on Netflix. Katherine’s summer 2022 book, The Bodyguard, was an instant New York Times bestseller, a People Best New Books pick, and nominated for Book of the Year by Book of the Month Club. Bestselling author Emily Henry calls The Bodyguard “a shot of pure joy,” and bestselling author Helen Hoang calls it “a perfect feel-good rom-com.” Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: Death, Dismay and Rosé

Author:  J.C. Eaton

Publisher: Beyond the Page

Publication Date: Sept 29, 2020

Page Count:  247

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

When a local historian is found dead, Norrie Ellington has to dig through the clues to prove the cause was not a centuries-old curse but coldblooded murder . . .

It’s rare that the summer solstice and a full moon fall on the same night, but winery manager Norrie Ellington is all too familiar with the curse that supposedly accompanies the event: the death by suffocation of someone in the area. She’s inclined to write the whole thing off as folktale nonsense―until the president of the local historical society is found smothered on that very night. Local law enforcement aren’t quite so superstitious, however, and they’ve pegged a close friend of Norrie’s for the murder.

Determined to discredit the curse and get her friend off the hook, Norrie begins digging into the background of the victim, only to discover that he had no shortage of enemies. And as evidence emerges of his questionable connections and shady dealings, Norrie follows a trail of clues that leads her smack into the racing world at Watkins Glen. She’ll have to shift into overdrive to save her friend, because curse or not, there’s a flesh-and-blood killer dead set on making Norrie the next victim . . .

Death, Dismay and Rosé by J.C. Eaton is the sixth book in the cozy The Wine Trail Mysteries series. Each book of this series has it’s own mystery that will be solved within so they could be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. However, for those following from the beginning there is character development that carries over from book to book.

This series began with Norrie Ellington having been asked to return home to upstate New York by her sister to oversee the family business, Two Witches Winery. Norrie’s sister and her brother in law had been given a grant to study a species of insect in Costa Rica for a next year and while Norrie had made her life in New York City she would be able to continue her job as a successful screenwriter anywhere.

Who knew however that returning home to the winery would bring Norrie face to face with so many murders in their normally quiet area though. This time around Norrie is trying to solve a murder that is wrapped up in old folklore. It was said that in the rare occurrence of the summer solstice and a full moon falling on the same night that there would be a death by suffocation of someone in the area so when the president of the local historical society is found smothered Norrie jumps in to find yet another murderer before someone she knows takes the blame.

The Wine Trail Mysteries series is one of two series that I have followed from the beginning written by the husband and wife team writing under the name J.C. Eaton. What I’ve found is that this series along with the other I am reading both have those humorous and quirky nature to them that I love. And as always while laughing along at the events there is a solid mystery to be solved along the way too. Definitely one that I will continue to return to in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

J.C. Eaton is the wife and husband writing team of Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp who reside in Arizona.

Ann I. Goldfarb

New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, she has authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington). In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name. Visit the websites at: http://www.jceatonauthor.com and http://www.timetravelmysteries.com

James E. Clapp

When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. Booked 4 Murder (Kensington) is his first novel. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching. Visit the website at http://www.jceatonauthor.com

BOOKED 4 MURDER, the first novel in the Sophie Kimball Mystery Series, took first place in the 2018 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in the Cozy Mystery Category.

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Rendezvous at Midlife
Maggie Blake
Publication date: June 11th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Women’s Fiction

A fateful meeting in an airport sends her on the journey of her life.

Margot had always been a woman who knew what she wanted. She worked hard to build her successful locations scouting business in Los Angeles, and in her late forties, Margot felt she was in the prime of her life. A prosperous businesswoman with a loving husband and a beautiful daughter, Margot was living the dream. That is, until her husband left her for a younger woman. Moving forward with the help of her daughter and best friend, Margot once again enters the dating scene and soon finds that she is unable to make a meaningful connection.

Vaughn Jameson has spent his life on the road as a drummer for a well-known rock band, thankful to be living his childhood dream of making music and good times. While he yearns for something more, he isn’t sure what.

Margot and Vaughn’s lives change when they have a chance meeting that sends them on an incredible rendezvous at midlife.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

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Author Bio:

Maggie Blake, proud owner of a top-rated property management company in the greater Baton Rouge area, immerses herself in the vibrant Louisiana lifestyle. Having been brought up in the charming city of Rochester, New York, she now resides in the heart of Louisiana with her two precious rescue dogs. Maggie has always harbored a burning desire to write a book, a passion that remained unfulfilled until 2016 when at the Atlanta airport she met a man and it sparked her creative side.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, she decided to start the journey of getting her books published. Maggie makes a mean New York-style pizza, enjoys reading, watching movies, and relaxing at home with her spouse—the very man from the airport!

Her debut novel Rendezvous at Midlife is book one in a series, with the additional three books releasing in rapid succession.

 

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Title: The Granddaughter’s Irish Secret

Author:  Susanne O’Leary

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: June 5, 2024

Page Count:  286

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

About the book:

Rose places her hand protectively on her grandmother’s necklace and looks up at Magnolia Manor’s vine-covered walls. The jewels are her most precious possession, but she is terrified to tell her family the truth about where they really come from…

Standing in the doorway of her grandmother Sylvia’s home, Rose Fleury thought returning here was the answer to all of her problems. She has no job and a broken heart, but Sylvia reminds her that Fleury women of the past were strong and independent, and she can be too. Clutching a family heirloom – a beautiful topaz necklace – Rose promises to be brave like her relatives. Until she finds out that the jewels hide a terrible secret…

Someone in town is claiming the necklace is fake. Rose knows Sylvia will be devastated by this news, and it could shatter their family’s reputation. For the sake of her grandmother, Rose is determined to find the real necklace and discover why it was replaced – and quickly convinces handsome local lawyer Noel Quinn to join her. Though Noel’s broad shoulders in his suit and tie remind Rose of her ex-boyfriend, he seems just as fascinated by the mystery, and she finds her heart fluttering every time he catches her eye…

But when Rose traces the real necklace to another family, and another ancestral home in a nearby village, she’s shocked to discover a forbidden love that once tore her family apart – and that Noel is connected to it. Can she really trust the man she’s been growing so close to? And will the truth about the Fleury family cause a rift between Rose and Sylvia that is impossible to repair?

A gorgeous page-turner about finding love and long-lost family secrets, which will transport you to Ireland’s beautiful shores. Fans of Debbie Macomber, Tricia O’Malley and Mary Alice Monroe will be swept away, unable to put this book down.

The Granddaughter’s Irish Secret by Susanne O’Leary is the second book of the new contemporary romance Magnolia Manor series. As with a lot of romance series the Magnolia Manor series is one that changes the main characters in each new book of the series with the setting in this particular series tying them together so they all can be read as a standalone or even in any order if choosing to do so. These is some character development that carries over from book to book and glimpses of previous characters for those that follow the series from the beginning.

After a break up Rose Fleury decided what she needed most was a fresh start and getting away from her life that had fallen apart. Rose decided to leave Dublin and return to Magnolia Manor, her grandmother Sylvia’s home, and take a job helping turn the manor into Sylvia’s dream of senior housing. When Rose needs a date to a friend’s wedding she asks Noel Quinn as a friend but when Rose finds out her family heirloom necklace is a fake she enlists Noel’s help in finding what happened to the original bringing the pair closer and closer together.

I’ve read many many a title from author Susanne O’Leary and continue to come back for these quick romance reads that the author does such a wonderful job bringing the reader into the remote Irish settings. This new series seems to be incorporating a mystery in each book but yet I hesitate to tag them as mystery too with the characters simply looking into their family history but there is that side to the book. I did find some things in the first of this series that I didn’t quite like and found this second to be an improvement on that front too bringing my rating this time up to three and half stars this time around.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels, mainly in the romantic fiction genre. She now writes full-time from her home in Dublin and a little cottage in Kerry.

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**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Need You Now
Maria K. Alexander
(A Pelican Bay Novella)
Publication date: June 2nd 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Can two lost souls reunite in time to save her shop and their hearts?

Abby O’Connell returned to Pelican Bay to start a new chapter of her life. With the revitalization of the hurricane-ravaged beach town, it’s a perfect time to open the bath and body product shop she’s always dreamed of. But with her place looking more like a construction zone, the risk of not being ready for opening day is high. Just when she thinks things can’t get worse, she takes a fall on the beach, only to be rescued by her sexy surfer ex.

Connor Maguire was always the party guy. In recovery from a substance abuse disorder, he’s gotten his act together and now is a partner in a home improvement business and co-host of a reality TV show. Surfing has always been a way to escape his worries while becoming one with the waves. When he witnesses a woman fall on the beach, the last person he expects is the girl whose heart he broke ten years ago.

With a week until the grand opening of her shop, can he use his renovation skills to bring her shop and their hearts to life without risking his hard-earned recovery?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

She quickly dressed in running shorts, a tank top, and sneakers. After grabbing a bottle of water, she went downstairs and let herself out the rear entrance, refusing to walk through the store and the reminder of all that needed to be done.

There’d be time to freak about work later. Now she needed to clear her head.

The benefit of living above her storefront was its prime location along the boardwalk, only a few steps away from the beach. Abby veered left and jogged along the water, pacing herself. She did a circuit around the lighthouse before turning and heading past where she started and the newly renovated amusement pier.

The sun had peeked past the horizon and was slowly making its way into a new day. Watching the sun rise over the Atlantic was one thing she’d missed most after leaving Pelican Bay nine years ago, a year after Hurricane Samantha hit and wrecked the small New Jersey barrier island. In the months since she’d returned, Abby had made a point of watching it rise every day. Each sunrise looked different and brought her a joy she’d experienced nowhere else.

Usually, she had this part of the beach to herself, but she caught the outline of someone in the water.

A surfer.

Her heart lurched as she got closer.

Could it be…

It was hard to be sure from the distance, but once he rose on the board and got into position, Abby recognized the form…the body…the man.

Connor Maguire.

After riding the wave in, he grabbed the board and paddled out even further. He straddled the board with his back to the shoreline, like a god calling to the waves. Then, with the ease and swiftness of the boy she remembered, he turned and paddled toward shore, rising at the perfect moment to get the lift and rush he needed to propel him forward.

Abby continued to run, mesmerized by his form, by the way his hair and body looked against the backdrop of the rising sun. The damn man was as beautiful as ever.

Despite the magnetic pull, she had every intention of running past him.

If only she had been watching where she was going.

When she stepped on something in the sand that caused her ankle to turn, all she could do was cry out as her knee buckled, and she started to fall.

 

Author Bio:

Maria K. Alexander is an award-winning contemporary romance author. She writes about strong women, who are fearless in pursuit of their ambitions. Her stories have strong connections with family and friends, both important parts of her life. When not writing, she loves to read, bake, crochet, bike, visit the beach, and watch romantic comedies. She has two adult children and is a semi-empty nester. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and juggles a full-time job, while dreaming of writing full time by the Jersey shore.

You can keep in touch with Maria at: http://mariakalexander.com and https://linktr.ee/mariakalexander

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