Category: Romance

BeachReads · Book Reviews · Fiction · Romance · RomCom · WomensFiction

Book Review, chocolate cake, peppermint hot chocolate and snow flurries!

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We made it to November, folks! Thank you @avonbooks for my gift copy of ‘Tools of Engagement’ by Tessa Bailey! (pub 9/22)

In Tessa Bailey’s latest rom-com, two enemies team up to flip a house… and the sparks between them might burn the place down or ignite a passion that neither can ignore! 

Hair, makeup, clothing, decor… everything in Bethany Castle’s world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family’s real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She’s on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve theirdreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.

When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother’s construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany’s skin on day one, and the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.

As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It’s a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany’s perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flippingdisaster.

So, I wanted to use my cute, little pink tool bag in my pics, but then I remembered I gave it to my daughter when she moved out, so heads up, Santa…mama needs a new, pink tool bag set! Instead in my pic you get a peak at my home office along w/ my lunch of homemade sugar-free, gluten-free chocolate cake & hot cocoa.

About the book, first off, can I just say how much I love the name of the fiction competition show: ‘Flip Off’. ‘Tools of Engagement’ is Bailey’s 3rd book in her Hot & Hammered series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. The book is flipping hilarious w/ it’s witty banter, but it also is heart-tugging w/ emotions at times, romantic, & swoony, & filled w/ enough blush-worthy steam to warm you up during these chilly Nov days! (We actually are getting our first snowflakes right now as I write this!)

The whole Hot & Hammered series is wonderful, reality escapism at it’s romantic best & I highly recommend them all! Fans of HGTV’s house flipping & remodeling shows will love this latest installment!

Click HERE to add this to your Goodreads list!
Click HERE to add this to your Goodreads list!
Click HERE to add this to your Goodreads lists!

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New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey aspires to three things. Writing hot and unforgettable, character-driven romance, being a good mother and eventually sneaking onto the judging panel on a reality show baking competition. She lives on Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter, writing all day and rewarding herself with a cheese plate and Netflix binges in the evening. If you want sexy, heartfelt, humorous romance with a guaranteed happy ending, you’ve come to the right place.

Blog Tour · Book Reviews · Fiction · Romance · RomCom · WomensFiction

Blog Tour and Pub Day for e-book ‘Why I Held Your Hand’ by Augusta Reilly

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Happy Pub Day & Thank You to @getredpr #booktour & @augustareillyb for my e-copy of ‘Why I Held Your Hand‘ by Augusta Reilly!

Here’s an e-book release that will surely get your blood pumping! There’s a little sugar & a lot of spice in this fairly short, rom-com, available today in e-book form…

Laura Delaney loves her small mountain hometown of North Powell with its quaint charm, stately Victorian homes & surrounding hiking trails. Unfortunately, when it comes to attracting travel dollars, it can no longer compete with the flashy hot springs & ski slopes of nearby competitors.

That’s why she hires a hotshot marketing team to figure out how to inject the old magic back into North Powell’s sagging tourist trade. What she doesn’t expect is for the team to include David Harper. Smart, funny, handsome, & amazing in bed, he’s the perfect man. All she needs to do now is keep their relationship under wraps until the project is over.

But that’s easier said than done when she’s assigned to work with Spence Markham, the company’s offbeat “idea man” & David’s professional nemesis. When Spence suggests hosting a Dickens Festival to revitalize the town’s once-booming holiday season, Laura is thrilled. She’s even more thrilled when Spence falls in love with Powell House, the dilapidated Victorian that Laura hopes to renovate & turn into a town museum. But is Spence falling in love with her as well?

As the Festival nears, Laura’s feelings for both men intensify. Her relationship w/ David has only gotten better—& hotter—& yet she finds herself counting down the days until she can see Spence again. Soon, what started as a simple assignment becomes a tale of two possible futures. But which one will Laura choose?

‘Why I Held Your Hand‘ is a quick, charming, festive rom-com with small-town atmosphere (that worked well for this small-town girl), & enough romance, spice & steam to keep the heat of summer hanging on! (Seriously, you may need to turn the A/C on for this one!)

Click HERE to order this now on Kindle.
Click HERE to add this to your Goodreads list.
Click HERE to visit my Instagram post & give it some LIKE love! (maybe even share it in your stories…*hint hint*)

Augusta Reilly has been writing for women’s magazines and literary publications for two decades. In her earlier years, she was a prolifically (if not proudly) published pulp fiction author whose anonymous literary masterpieces included ‘I Had The New Year’s Baby With Santa!’, ‘Prom Night in the County Morgue!’, ‘My Husband’s Sperm Were Kidnapped and Held For Ransom!’, ‘My Son the Pimp!’, and countless other titles, all of which ended in an exclamation point. She is a graduate of McGill University and lives in beautiful Douglas County, Colorado with her husband, three cats, and way too many kids.

Blog Tour · Book Reviews · Fiction · Romance · WomensFiction

Book Tour and Review of ‘Autumn Skies’ by Denise Hunter

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Welcome to the first stop on the IG/blog book tour for ‘Autumn Skies‘ by Denise Hunter! Thank you @tlcbooktours @thomasnelson & @tnzfiction for my gift copy this amazing book that publishes on 10/20!

Facing the past is easier if you don’t have to face it alone…

The Bluebell Inn is turning a profit, & it’s time for the Bennett siblings to sell it & move on. Only Grace has plans to stay in the small lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina, where she hopes her growing outfitters business will save her from the loneliness of her siblings’ departure & the persistent sense of unworthiness in her life.

A gunshot wound resurrects the past for Secret Service agent Wyatt Jennings, & a mandatory leave of absence lands him in Bluebell. There he must come to grips w/ the tragedy that altered his life 14 years ago. When Wyatt books a room at the Bluebell Inn, sparks fly between him & Grace. She volunteers to be his mountain guide, & he soon opens up to her, drawn to her strength & sense of humor. But both are reticent to talk about the survivor’s guilt they each carry, & when their pasts finally collide, their budding romance might not survive the truth.

From the bestselling author of ‘The Convenient Groom‘ & ‘A December Bride’ (now beloved Hallmark Original movies) comes the third & final novel in the Bluebell Inn series. Book 1 is ‘Lake Season‘ & came out in Nov ’19 & book 2 is ‘Carolina Breeze‘ which published only 5 mos ago in May. All of the books can be read as stand-alones, but I definitely want to read those first 2 books now after thoroughly enjoying ‘Autumn Skies‘.

‘Lake Season‘: When their parents die in a tragic accident, Molly Bennett and her siblings pull together to fulfill their parents’ dream: turning their historic home back into an inn.
Adam Bradford (a.k.a. bestselling author Nathanial Grey) is a reclusive author with a bad case of writer’s block. Desperate for inspiration as his deadline approaches, he travels to a North Carolina lake town, the setting of his next novel. There he immediately meets his muse, a young innkeeper who fancies herself in love with his alter ego.
When Molly finds an old letter in the walls of her inn she embarks on a mission with Adam to find the star-crossed lovers and bring them the closure they deserve. But the guest she invites along has secrets of his own. Past and present collide as truths are revealed, and Molly and Adam will have to decide if love is worth trusting.

A jilted bride. A struggling innkeeper. And a romantic mountain getaway that changes everything. Rising Hollywood star Mia Emerson is looking for a safe place to land in the wake of a public breakup & scandal, & she finds it in the lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina—the location of her canceled honeymoon. She wants nothing more than to hide & wait for the tabloids to die down.
Soon after her arrival at the Bluebell Inn, Mia meets Levi Bennett, who runs the inn along w/ his two younger sisters. Drawn to one another from the start, Mia trusts Levi to keep her location from the press, & Levi confides in Mia about the financial state of the inn—a secret he’s been keeping from his sisters.
When Mia & Levi discover an old journal that hints at a rare diamond necklace hidden in the inn, they set off on a treasure hunt to find the long-lost heirloom. What they don’t expect to surface are feelings they thought were safely locked away. Mia & Levi must decide if falling in love again is too big a risk—or if it will uncover a treasure of its own instead.
This Bluebell Inn romance takes us to a quiet North Carolina retreat that holds more secrets than it shares.

I live in a little, lakeside town that has several B&B’s, so this book was very easy to visualize & get completely consumed in. Grace is the youngest of the Bennett siblings, w/ the stories about her sister, Molly & their brother, Levi, covered in books 1 & 2. ‘Autumn Skies‘ is an utterly heartwarming, enchanting & beautiful story that will completely sweep you away w/ it’s lakeside atmosphere.

The story has a very nice balance of clean romance, mystery, past tragedy, drama, & witty banter while also touching on some serious issues such as the aforementioned survivors guilt & also debilitating panic attacks. I loved Grace & Wyatt’s story & the building of their relationship & the way the characters in the book were brought to life w/ Hunter’s talented writing.

There’s a reason Denise Hunter’s books have such great ratings & reviews, & this will certainly not be my last book by her. ‘Autumn Skies‘ is a breath-taking, engaging, & well-written story that I highly recommend!

Click HERE

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Denise:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Denise Hunter is the award-winning author of more than 35 novels, three of which have been adapted into Hallmark movies.
Denise writes heartwarming, small-town romances, peopled with layered characters who have real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.
In 1996, Denise began her first novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her books contain a strong romantic element, and her husband says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too! Denise and her husband live in Indiana, where they raised three sons, and are currently enjoying an empty nest.

BeachReads · Book Reviews · BOTMs, · Fiction · Giveaway · Romance · WomensFiction

Big Giveaway of ‘Big Summer’ on IG…it’s kind of a BIG deal!

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Click HERE to go to the giveaway on IG

Happy Saturday folks! This blog post should have went out yesterday, but sometimes real life just gets in the way of my cyber-life, so as the saying goes, ‘A day late, & a dollar short…’🤷🏼

GIVEAWAY TIME! Thank you @atriabooks @jenniferweinerwrites for my cool gift set, including one of my favorite #beachreads of the year, ‘Big Summer‘!

Monday is Labor Day here in the US, which many people consider the ‘unofficial’ end of summer & in my touristy town off Lake Erie, things really die down after this wkends holiday, which is both good & bad.

Speaking of ‘good’, here’s a perfect summer beach read that was released back in early May…’Big Summer‘. (Oh, & it’s pronounced WHY-ner, not WE-ner like a hotdog. Carry on…)

New York Times #1 Bestselling author Jennifer Weiner returns w/ an unforgettable novel about friendship & forgiveness set during a disastrous wedding on picturesque Cape Cod.

Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely & successful as ever, w/ a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken 1 word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.

Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in HS. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs & pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.

A sparkling novel about the complexities of female friendship, the pitfalls of living out loud & online, & the resilience of the human heart, ‘Big Summer‘ is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, & figuring out what matters most…(oh, & someone gets murdered, so there’s an intriguing mystery, too!)

I really enjoyed this book! It’s masterfully woven w/ complex characters, atmosphere, suspense, spice & will give you all the feels! This book is so much more nuanced than it’s cute cover & back cover description. The audiobook is really well done as well!

One winner will receive a copy of the book & some fun swag to go w/ it.

(👉🏻Important: Please note that the giveaway takes place on Instagram ONLY. The info in this blog post is for FYI purposes only. Click HERE to go to the giveaway on Instagram.)

To enter: (US residents only, Entry on IG only)
1-LIKE this post. –
2-Must be following @mom_loves_reading & @jenniferweinerwrites
3-Tag some friends (Unlimited, up to 2 per com, ea tag is an entry)
Bonus 5 entries-
Share to your stories or page & tag me. Can do daily.
Giveaway ends 9/7 11:59pm EST & is not affiliated w/ Instagram. Please don’t UNfollow after giveaway which is just so rude & because I hold a grudge like it’s my job, you will get banned from all future MomLovesReading giveaways.

So there ya have it! My BIG ‘Big Summer‘ giveaway sponsored by Atria Publishing. Now I’m just hoping Jenn Weiner SHARES my post on her IG page with her 46.5K followers! (Atria shared it in their stories yesterday with their 85.5K followers.😉👍🏻)

Click HERE to go to the giveaway on Instagram. (& even if you aren’t entering, you can do me a solid & just LIKE and/or SHARE the post. Please & Thank you!)
Click HERE to add ‘Big Summer’ to your Goodreads list.
Click HERE to visit J-Weiner on the IG.

Click HERE to go to giveaway on IG

Here’s what others are saying about ‘Big Summer’:

“Sexy and satisfying. . . Observant, self-aware, and very funny, Big Summer will delight Jennifer Weiner’s many fans and could be just the absorbing take-me-away read so many of us need right now.” —USA Today

“It’s the beach read to end all beach reads.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Part dissection of female friendships, part murder mystery, part social-media tutorial, part love story and—the best of them all—part portrait of an overweight, under-confident striver. Daphne is an endearing creation: funny, plucky, willing to acknowledge certain critical lapses in judgment and eminently worthy of the love that she is certain will never come her way.” —The Wall Street Journal

“It’s deliciously fun: frothy entertainment with surprising depth.Big Summer is big fun, and then some. It’s empowering and surprising—a reminder to put down the phone and enjoy each moment for what it is, rather than what it could look like on Instagram.” —The Washington Post

“Everything you’d hope to find in a beach read: complicated female friendships, unhappy rich people, a hardworking heroine with an eye for fashion, and an Instagram-worthy setting for an over-the-top wedding on Cape Cod.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Weiner is deft at plumbing the depths of female friendship and developing characters readers will care about. This highly recommended book willappeal not only to the author’s fans but also to a new audience looking for a fresh take on women’s fiction.” —Library Journal (starred)

“Weiner’s story of female friendships (after Mrs. Everything) mixes a splash of romance, a dash of humor, and a pinch of mystery to create a deliciously bloody poolside cocktail. Weiner’s surprising tale is hard to put down.” —Publishers Weekly

“If you love Jennifer Weiner, you’ll love this one. And if you’re a newbie, start here.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“The perfect beach read . . . A funny and tender examination of female friendship in all of its messy glory.”—PopSugar

“A new story perfect for summer… Weiner’s lighthearted, moving tale takes readers on a journey that explores the complexities of female friendship.” —The Hollywood Reporter

Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen books, including Mrs. Everything, the children’s book The Littlest Bigfoot, and an essay collection, Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing. A graduate of Princeton University and contributor to the New York Times Opinion section, Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com

BeachReads · Blog Tour · Book Reviews · Booksparks · Fiction · Romance · RomCom · WomensFiction

Online Book Tour for ‘Kiss My Cupcake’ by Helena Hunting

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QOTD: Do you have a sweet tooth? (I totally do!) Well, have I got a book that will get your taste buds tingling & your heart swooning!

Thank you @booksparks & @readforeverpub for my gifted copy of Helena Hunting‘s latest rom-com, ‘Kiss My Cupcake‘! This book published on 8/11 by Forever Publishing.

*As two neighborhood shop owners battle for business, they prove opposites attract in this outrageously funny romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of ‘Meet Cute‘, ‘The Good Luck Charm‘ & over a dozen other novels.

Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake & cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn’t plan on? Ronan Knight & his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn’t spent years obsessing over buttercream & bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.

From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire & Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there’s also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they’re forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war & work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it’s possible to have her cupcake & eat it too.

We actually have one of those axe throwing bars in the next town over & I am still dumbfounded by the very fact that axe throwing while consuming alcohol exists! Cupcakes & adult bev’s, on the other hand…now THAT I am down with!

I just received ‘Kiss My Cupcake‘ a couple days ago & I started reading it that same night! I will probably finish it later today, but so far I am LOVING it! It is hilarious, charming, sexy & very engaging! Hunting does such a great job of creating a sense of place, you can practically smell the buttercream frosting (& bourbon)! I can’t wait to get back to reading it this evening! (& the flavors of cupcakes Blaire whips up in the book will make you drool with confectionery delight!) ‘Meet Cute‘ is also a super engaging, romantic, fun read that I definitely recommend & I will be reading ‘The Good Luck Charm‘ soon, too!

‘Kiss My Cupcake‘ & Helena’s other books are available now. Look for it at your local indie bookstore today!
(PS: Did you know this Sat is National Independent Book Store Day? What better way to help them celebrate than to support your local (or an online) indie bookstore! You can use BookStoreLink to locate indie bookstores. (PS…Today is the last day to enter the Murderino Monday giveaway on Instagram. Click HERE to go to that post.)

Click HERE to read more about ‘Meet Cute”
Click HERE to read more about ‘The Good Luck Charm’

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. She writes all things romance — contemporary, romantic comedy, sports and angsty new adult. Helena loves to bake cupcakes, has been known to listen to a song on repeat 1512 times while writing a book, and if she has to be away from her family, prefers to be in warm weather with her friends.