Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Holiday, Romance

The Mother’s Day Mishap by Kathi Daley

  • Title: The Mother’s Day Mishap
  • Author:Kathi Daley
  • Series: Tess & Tilly #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: White Eagle, Montana
  • Main Character: Tess
  • Other Characters: Tony, Bree, Mike, Brady, Hap, Hattie,
  • Pets: a Dog named Tilly and a cat named Tangletoe (Tang for short) and a cat named Tinder and Tony’s dog Titan plust lots of other shelter dogs that come and go.
  • Stars: 5

Review:

This is the 3rd book in the Tess & Tilly Series.

This is another great Cozy Mystery by Kathi Daley. Mother’s day is approaching and Bree receives a card at her bookstore. She opens it believing it is for her but it is actually for someone else. It was meant for the woman who used to own the shop next door but has unfortunately passed away about 6 months ago. This card is from the son noone knew she had. She and her son were estranged for a quarter of a century. This card is him trying to reconnect with her after 25 years. He ends the card by saying he would meet her at their special place at noon on Mother’s day.

The problem is, he evidently doesn’t know she has passed away. Also, there isn’t a name or a return address so noone knows how to reach him or who to return the card to.

Teess, her friends Tony & Bree and her brother are out to solve the mystery of where Edith’s son is because they want to notify him of her passing. They don’t even have a name and have no idea where the ‘special place’ is.

So they are racing against time to find the son before mother’s day. Will they find him?

This isn’t the only mystery they are trying to solve. Is Tess’s mom’s new Italian boyfried a murderer? Is the father that Tess believed was dead for years, really alive? And if he is, where has he been and why did he leave?

The author is great at twisting these mysterys to keep you guessing. This is a great cozy read in a beautiful small Montana town and of course there is a little romance thrown in.

Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Holiday, Romance, Women's Fiction

The Clause in Christmas by Rachael Bloome

  • Title: The Clause in Christmas
  • Author: Rachael Bloom
  • Series: Poppy Creek Series
  • Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance
  • Takes Place: Poppy Creek
  • Main Character: Cassie Haywood
  • Other Characters: Luke Davis, Frank, Beverly. Dolores, Maggie (Luke’s mom), Eliza Carte
  • Stars: 5

Review:

This is the first book in the Poppy Creek Series by Rachael Bloome.

Cassie Haywood is down on her luck, lost her job, broke up with boyfriend and hates Christmas. she hates everything about Christmas from decorations, songs, movies, Santa, I mean everything.

Then an inheritance takes her to Poppy Creek right befor Chrismas. She was born in Poppy Creet but hadn’t been there since she was a baby and her mother moved her to San Fancisco. She never really knew her grandmother but her grandmother has left her an inheritance.

Things may be looking up since Cassie has unexpectanty inherited her grandmother’s charming Victorian cottage. There is just one little problem…. there is a clause in the will. Her grandmother also left her a Christmas calendar!! To inherit the house Cassie must complete this calendar each day in December until Christmas, overseen by Luke, the handsome attorney.

Casses is trying to get accostomed to life in this small town until she can complete the Christmas calendar, but she misses good coffee. Her dream is to own her own coffee shop. The coffee in Poppy Creek is not what she is used to and she struggles to get a good cup of coffee. Then she meets Frank and things seem to change in that area of her life.

This is a clean, sweet romantic, Hallmark like, Christmas story with some great characters in a small town. Read to follow Cassie’s quest to find good coffee, complete the Christmas calendar, get rid of some past complications, find romance and start a new life, that she didn’t even know she needed.

What makes this book even more special is the author wrote it from her heart. It is based on a town she grew up in Northern, California. Also the Coffee theme of the book is based on her family owned and operated coffee roasting company. I wondered how the author knew so much about coffee and this explains it.

This is my second book by Rachael Bloome but I will definitly be reading more.

Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Women's Fiction

True to me by Kay Bratt

  • Title: True to Me
  • Author: Kay Bratt
  • Series: By the Sea Novel
  • Genre: Mystery
  • Main Character: Quincy
  • Takes Place:Maui, Hawaii
  • Stars: 5

Review:

This was my first book by Kay Bratt and I absolutely fell in love with her books after this one.

Quinn was raised by single mom believing that her dad deserted her and her mom when she was born. Her world was rocked when her mom passed away and left her a death bed confession that would change her life. She found out that her father was not the man she thought he was. Her Quest to find who her father is sends her to the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii. The author makes you believe you are in Maui as she takes you on Quinn’s journey. Quinn meets several people along her way but one in particular holds the key to Quinn’s past.

The author takes you ona journey of family and self discovery. It is a wonderfully written book with lots of twists and turns to find out about Quinn’s past and truth of where she came from.

This is a great read with well developed characters and a great story. It maes you smile and cry at the same time.

Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

Blessings on State Street by Rachael Bloome

  • Title: Blessings on State Street
  • Author: Rachael Bloome
  • Genre: Romance
  • Takes Place: Blessings Bay
  • Main Character:Abby Preston & Logan Matthews
  • Other Characters: Max
  • Stars: 5

This is the book that got me hooked on Rachael Bloome books. I fell in love with this story from page 1. It is a sweet book of heartache and starting again.

Abby lost her husband and wants nothing to do with Christmas this year. She discovered her husband owned a vacation home that she knew nothinng about. When she gets there she finds something unexpected; someone is living in the home.

Logan who dealing with a Medica discharge from the service. He was also a good friend with Abby’s husband and to a job as caretaker of his vacation home.

They decided to coexist in the house for the time being on the condition their would be no mention of Christmas and no celebrating.

Then they meet a neighbor child, Max, who changes everything. They discover he is an orphan and his foster family left him.

This a sweet Christmas story about loss, starting over, moving on and finding love again.

What really made this story special is when I found out that a real Bed & Breakfast was the inspriation for this story. In fact, the picture on the cover is the actual Bed in Breakfast that was an inspration for this story. The story is fictional but Rachael was inspired by the Bed & Breakfast located in Jacksonville, IL and the owners story.

Happy Reading!

Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

The Beach House by Rachel Hanna

  • Title: The Beach House
  • Author: Rachel Hanna
  • Series: South Carolina Sunsets #1
  • Genre: Contemporary Romance
  • Takes Place: on an island off the coast of South Carolina
  • Main Character: Julie
  • Other Characters: Dawson, Janine, Dixie (My favorite)
  • Stars: 5

This was the first book I read by Rachel Hanna and it got me hooked on her books. It is probably still my favorite.

Julie has been married for over 20 years with 2 grown daughters and one day her husband announces to him that he is leaving her. He has met someone else and to make matters worse, he tells her they have a 6 month old son. All of this happened after they sold their house and made plans to move to a beach house. Julie is flabergasted and can’t believe this is happening to her. So he tells her the offer on their house went through but the beach house isn’t going to happen. So here is Julie with no home and no husband.

She didn’t know what to do and just wanted to start over somewhere new so she did something that probably wasn’t the smartest idea at the time. She bought a fixer up house on an island off the coast of South Carolina. She had never been there so she picked up her life and moved. The house was in worst shape than she ever imagined[. Then she met Dawson and he is the local contractor so helps her fix up her house. And of course their is Chemistry.

Then her extranged sister and mom show up so their is drama. I think my favorite character is the southern belle, Dixie who owns the local bookstore where Julie eventually works.

This is great read and made me want to read more.

Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

New York, New Year, New You by Rachael Bloome

  • Title: New York, New Year, New You
  • Author: Rachael Bloome
  • Main Character: Quincy
  • Takes place: Mostly New York City, NY
  • Star rating: 5

Review:

Rachael has been one of my favorite authors since i read her first book and this one does not disappoint.

A family competition sends Quincy to New York City to visit her best friend, Brynn for 3 months,. She has a bucket list she needs to complete which starts with moving to NYC.

Quincy has spent her whole life competing with her brother and sister and had trouble finding her place. She was known as Quincy the quitter. She wanted to prove to herself that should follow through with what she said she was going to do,

When Quincy’s dad’s right hand man decided to retire, he was going to put either Quincy or her brother in that position. Quincy jumped up without thinking and said she wanted to be the running as well. To do this, she has to prover herself.

She started by showing she wasn’t a quitter and to finish things on her bucket list that she never seemed to get to. First on the list was move to New York. Her best friend lived there, who she hadn’t been to visit in years, so she decided now was the time

Quincy learns a lot about herself along the way.

This book is funny, romantic and everything you would expect from Rachael. I have loved her books from the very first one I read, and this book does not disappoint.

If you are looking for a feel-good book that is an easy read and a ‘can’t stop’ reading book, then this is the book for you.

Read this to see where Quincy goes and if she wins the competition.