Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Christmas Wish

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

 

The Christmas Wish

Lindsey Kelk

Expected publication date: November 10, 2022

What if it really was Christmas every day?

Gwen has had quite the year. Newly single and in trouble at work, a family Christmas could be exactly what she needs – fresh country air, piles of presents and festive films. But since when were families relaxing? Between her parents interfering in her love life, fighting with her sister and an awkward run-in with Dev, the boy next door, Gwen is grateful that Christmas only comes but once a year.

But when someone in her family makes a Christmas wish, she wakes up to discover she has to relive the day all over again.

And again.

And again.

As Gwen does her best to grant the wish, she begins to realize that even the people closest to us have secrets of their own, and just because her heart is broken, doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed with a little Christmas magic… - from Goodreads
 

Guest Blogger: Show Some Love For Indies #3 - Smartypants Romance Edition

 

 

Today is the final installment in Michele's guest series on indie authors!

*********************************************************

Authors are no longer confined to traditional publishing – the number of writers self-publishing seems to have exploded over the last few years. With access to so many forms of social media and the technology to format and market their own books, authors can have successful careers without ever being accepted by a traditional publishing house. This is also great for readers, as we have access to so many more wonderful authors.

Today’s installment focuses on authors who self-publish and are also part of Penny Reid’s Smartypants Romance imprint (SPRU).

Karla Sorenson – Love at First Sight series (SPRU) and the Washington Wolves and Ward Family series. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Nora Everly – Monroe Brothers (SPRU) and Barrett Brothers. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Piper Sheldon – Scorned Women’s Society (SPRU) and other contemporary and paranormal works. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Juliette Cross – Part of the Green Valley Heroes series (SPRU). Other series include contemporary (Beauville) and paranormal (Stay a Spell).

Aly Stiles – Work for It series (SPRU). Genres are wide, with rockstar, angsty and paranormal romances. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Laney Hatcher – London Ladies Embroidery (SPRU) and Bartholomew Family historical romance series. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Susannah Nix – Common Threads series (SPRU). Other series include rockstar, women in STEM and small town romance.

Jiffy Kate – Fighting for Love series (SPRU). Small town and sports romances set in New Orleans. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Allie Winters – Lessons Learned series (SPRU). Also has billionaire and new adult series. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Have you read any of these indie authors? If so, any favorites?

Romance Quick Reviews

Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills (2022)

After a disastrous one-night stand, a former football player turned coach and a former beauty queen are surprised to find they're now neighbors in her small hometown.  Will they make the most of their second chance?  I'd heard so many good things about this author, and this book in particular, that I had really high expectations - and unfortunately, this missed the mark for me.  I honestly can't even really explain why.  Something about it just didn't click for me.  I have no problem with one-night stands, but the reasons behind it seemed a little icky to me and I wasn't necessarily rooting for Ronan and Nova to overcome it.  I liked that Nova dropped everything to be there for her younger sister, but she also seemed so aimless.  Ronan and Nova's conversations were often cringey and cliche, with too much purple prose.  The side characters felt quirky just for the sake of being quirky, and the depictions of teenage football players felt so off.  This book has such a high rating on Goodreads, so this seems to be more of a "me" issue, and I hope other readers enjoy this book more than I did.  2 stars

My Cone and Only by Susannah Nix (2021)

 

When I first heard about this new series, which follows the King siblings in their small Texas town, also home to their family's ice cream company, I was pretty excited, but unfortunately, this first book was a bit of a letdown.  The first book focuses on Wyatt King and his relationship with Andie, his best friend's little sister.  They have both been hiding their feelings for years, but when Andie needs Wyatt's help to fix up her house so she doesn't lose it, they finally open up to each other.  It's a cute trope, and I liked Wyatt's loyalty to Josh, but there were things that didn't work for me.  I didn't expect that the King family would be so... dysfunctional?  Usually in these types of series, it's a very close-knit family, but the Kings just seem like a mess.  And Wyatt basically has nothing to do with the family business, so that seemed odd.  Also, I'm not sure what Andie saw in Wyatt - he drinks, smokes weed, lives in a disgusting apartment, has no steady job, and sleeps with any girl who looks at him.  The story is fairly predictable, but it has the happy ending you're looking for in a romance.  3 stars

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Runaway Groomsman

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

 

Runaway Groomsman

Meghan Quinn

Expected publication date: October 11, 2022

Quinn comes a heartfelt romantic comedy about new beginnings and finding the romanticized happily ever after in the most unlikely of places.

Hollywood screenwriter Sawyer Walsh knows a good love story when he sees it. But when it comes to real life romance, he’s a mess. That’s how he finds himself standing at the altar…as his ex-girlfriend ties the knot with his very famous best friend. The pressure, the resentment, the media coverage—it’s all too much—and before he knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s making a run for it, leaving a shocked congregation and flashing cameras in his wake.

Needing to lie low amid the media fallout, Sawyer lands in the charming town of Canoodle, California, where he crosses paths with Fallon Long, who runs the Canoodle Cove Cabins, a family-owned business and Sawyer’s new short-term residence. Overwhelmed with renovations and her long list of responsibilities, Fallon is struggling to make ends meet while attempting to bring the cabins back to their original glory. So when Sawyer arrives, she is grateful for the income, but immediately writes him off as just another vapid Hollywood hack, until he begins to prove her wrong at every turn.

As Fallon comes closer to saving the family business, an undeniable bond forms between her and the handsome screenwriter. But the pressures of her family obligations and Sawyer’s notoriety might prove to be too much for anyone to handle. Could Canoodle be the setting for a new romance—or is true love just a Hollywood cliché? - from Goodreads
 

Top Ten Tuesday: My Fall TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is our fall TBR.  Now that it's autumn, I'm finally feeling ready to move away from romance a bit and lean more into thrillers, mysteries, spooky stories, and gothic reads!  (But yes, there's still a romance in there!)

What will you be reading this fall?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Wherever The Wind Takes Us

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

 

Wherever The Wind Takes Us

Kelly Harms

Expected publication date: October 18, 2022

When life stops making sense, it’s time to raise the anchor and follow the tide.

Twenty-two years of marriage, and all Becca Larkin’s divorce settlement includes is a live-aboard sailboat and a huge helping of heartache.

So when normally cautious Becca proposes a girls’ trip with her daughter, Liv, boating from Maine to a ready buyer for the boat in Miami, it seems like a recipe for a fun summer and a fresh start. After all, how hard can this sailing thing be?

Enter Grant Murphy, a stunning Irish sailing coach that Liv can barely stand—and Becca can’t seem to resist. Grant’s too young for Becca, but he’s insightful and kind, and his passion for sailing is contagious. Through his eyes, Becca sees for the first time in years a future she might want to navigate toward.

There are seventeen hundred miles between Maine and Miami, but the journey Becca’s on can’t be charted on any map. And the only way to get there is to hoist the sails and throw caution to the wind. From the bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler comes a sparkling novel about mothers and daughters, change and escape, and learning to love again. - from Goodreads
 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books With Geographical Terms in the Title

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is books with geographical terms in the title.  I had a fun time perusing my shelves for this one!

What titles did you find this week?