Posted in Next Month in Books

Next Month in Books – May 2024

As usual, if you’ve got any suggestions for May 2024 releases I might have missed out on, please let me know in the comments or by e-mail at louisehallbooks@gmail.com.

Until next time, happy reading x

Note: I don’t get paid for including any of the links below, they’re just the books I’m most looking forward to being published each month.


7TH MAY 2024

The Match (It Happened in Charleston #1) by Sarah Adams

OK so this isn’t technically a brand-new release because it was 1st published on 30 May 2020 but it’s a revised and extended edition and I haven’t read it before.

Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it.

Evie Jones has dedicated her life and very limited funds working for Southern Service Paws, the company that matched her with the love of her life: Charlie, a service dog trained to assist with her epilepsy. But it’s no secret that the company has been struggling to make ends meet. It’s up to her and her long-time mentor and boss to throw the fundraiser of the century to keep the doors open.

Then Evie meets Jacob Broaden at a client consultation meeting. There are instant sparks-but not the good kind, because Jacob’s daughter set up the meeting without his knowledge. Ten-year-old Sam has been recently diagnosed with epilepsy, and has wanted a service animal ever since. While he had hesitations at first, it doesn’t take long for Jacob to be convinced that a service dog, and possibly Evie, with her magical, woodland-green eyes, might just be the best thing for him and his daughter.

As Evie spends more time with Jacob and helps Sam find her perfect match with a lovable golden retriever named Daisy, she starts longing for something she’s never had before: a loving family. For Jacob, falling in love with Evie is the last thing he should be doing, but love has a way of finding those who need it most.

Tags: Favourite Author / Pupsters

Links: Amazon / Goodreads


9TH MAY 2024

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette

Supermodel Emerson seemingly has the perfect life – but she’s tired of looking for love in all the wrong places.

When a reminder for the marriage pact she and her former best friend Theo made as teens goes off on her phone, she realizes she has a chance to rekindle the only relationship that ever really made sense.

Emerson convinces her grumpy agent to book her as the face of the campaign that Theo, now a fashion photographer, is shooting.

The good news: the campaign is being shot in ridiculously romantic Cinque Terre, Italy.

The bad news? Theo might not be as happy to see her as she’d hoped . . .

Will this be her one last shot at love, or a final goodbye?

Tags: Fashion / Italy / New-to-Me Author / Second Chance

Links: Amazon / Goodreads


14TH MAY 2024

A Wedding in Lake Como (Meet Me in Italy #3) by Jennifer Probst

Best friends Ava, Madison, and Chelsea made a pact to reunite for each other’s weddings when their careers sent them in different directions. But after one of them makes a choice that tears the group apart, an upcoming wedding might be their last chance to heal old wounds.

Ava is about to marry the man she loves in a lavish ceremony on the shores of Lake Como, but she’s haunted by the mistakes she’s made.

Madison’s made a name for herself as an influencer in the fashion world but is threatened by a scandal impacting everything she holds dear.

And Chelsea has the perfect family she always craved, but her professional dreams have fallen by the wayside.

As they return to Italy’s gorgeous coast, the three women revisit their life-changing first trip to Lake Como during college. When Madison comes face-to-face with the college sweetheart who was at the heart of one of the most pivotal times of her life, can they forge a new way forward?

Tags: Favourite Author / Italy

Links: Amazon / Goodreads


14TH MAY 2024

The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries #2) by Elle Kennedy

‘I told them I had a girlfriend.’

I start to laugh. ‘This is the greatest day of my life.’

‘Oh, it gets better, Dixon. I told them it was you.’

Diana Dixon has a lot going on this summer. She’s rehearsing for a ballroom dance competition, juggling two jobs, and dealing with an ex-boyfriend who can’t take the hint it’s over. Yet despite all that, she still has plenty of time and energy to tell Shane Lindley to screw off.

Shane just moved into her apartment building and seems dedicated to sleeping his way through her entire cheerleading squad. Sure, he’s a tall, gorgeous hockey player, but he’s messing with her turf. This calls for some ground rules: no parties in her apartment, leave her teammates alone, and – most importantly – leave her alone.

What Diana doesn’t realize is that Shane’s sick of hook-ups and tired of being on the rebound after his long-term girlfriend called it quits. He wants a relationship. And when his ex comes back into the picture, he pretends he has one to make her jealous . . . and who better to play the girlfriend role than his sassy new neighbour?

Despite Diana’s reluctance to break her rule, a fake relationship is the perfect solution for her own ex issues, and soon she can’t deny something is sizzling between her and Shane. Something hot and completely unexpected. And it might just be getting a little too real.

Tags: Fake Dating / Favourite Author

Links: Amazon / Goodreads


14TH MAY 2024

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam ‘West’ Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living pay-check to pay-check while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents – his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

Tags: Favourite Author / Marriages of Convenience

Links: Amazon / Goodreads


23RD MAY 2024

The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan

A summer escape

When Cecilia Lapthorne’s 75th birthday celebrations take an unexpected turn, she seeks solace away from the festivities and escapes to Dune Cottage – without telling her family where she’s going.

A new friendship

Lily Thomas, a struggling artist, has secretly been staying in the unoccupied cottage. When Cecilia discovers Lily during a late-night visit, an unexpected bond forms between the two women.

A chance to start over

Then Cecilia’s grandson, Todd – and Lily’s unrequited crush – shows up, sending a shockwave through their unlikely friendship. Will it inspire Lily to find the courage to live the life she wants? Can Cecilia finally let go of the past to find a new future? Because as surely as the tide erases past footprints, this summer is offering both Cecilia and Lily the chance to swap old dreams for new…

Tags: Favourite Author

Links: Amazon / Goodreads


 

Posted in Book Lists, Happy When It Rains, Ohana Girls

Legal Affairs (aka My Favourite Fictional Lawyers)

KBD

Today (9 April 2024) is International Be Kind to Lawyers Day (Days of the Year). I haven’t put together a Book List for a while so I thought I’d take the opportunity to post about Legal Affairs (aka My Favourite Fictional Lawyers).

As always, if you’ve got any recommendations, you can let me know either in the comments or by e-mail at louisehallbooks@gmail.com.

P.S. If you’re looking for more Book Lists, you can find links to them all in the Archives.

Happy reading x


The rest of My Favourite Fictional Lawyers will be listed alphabetically A-Z by author but I’m going to start with my own ‘Happy When It Rains.’ 

(1) Daniel Ford from Happy When It Rains (Ohana Girls #4) by Louise Hall (2021)

If I could turn back time…

There are three things that Hawaiian body artist Emmy Montgomery doesn’t do:

  1. She doesn’t cry… OK, except for that one time in a field of sunflowers;
  2. She doesn’t pierce the tongues of steroid junkies because they’re a lawsuit waiting to happen and;
  3. She definitely doesn’t think about Daniel Ford, the British exchange student who broke her teenage heart all those years ago. Definitely not.

When Emmy finds out that Disappearing Daniel is her bestie’s new law professor, she’s persuaded to swap the sunshine of Oahu for the dull, rainy skies of Manchester.

It turns out that the extra-long flight from Hawaii to England might be the least stressful part of her trip because although her initial plan is to confront Daniel, get the closure she so desperately needs and then let all the hurt and resentment she’s been carrying go Disney-style, things aren’t always that straightforward especially when she and Daniel are keeping some big secrets from each other.

Tags: My Books / Pink Hair, Don’t Care / Second Chance / Tattoo Artists


(2) Gretchen Winthrop from A Very Merry Bromance (Bromance Book Club #5) by Lyssa Kay Adams (2022)

Country music’s golden boy Colton Wheeler felt the most perfect harmony when he was with Gretchen Winthrop. But for her, it was a love him and leave him situation. A year later, Colton is struggling to push his music forward in a new direction. If it weren’t about to be the most magical time of year and the support of the Bromance Book Club, he’d be wallowing in self-pity.

It’s hard for immigration attorney Gretchen not to feel a little Scrooge-ish about the excess of Christmas when her clients are scrambling to afford their rent. So when her estranged, wealthy family reaches out with an offer that will allow her to better serve the community, she’s unable to say no. She just needs to convince Colton to be the new face of her family’s whiskey brand. No big deal…

Colton agrees to consider Gretchen’s offer in exchange for three dates before Christmas. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, Colton throws himself into the task of proving to her there’s a spark between them. But Gretchen and Colton will both need to overcome the ghosts of Christmas past to build a future together.

Tags: Christmas / Country Music / Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Fictional Musicians


(3) Louis McNally II from Chase Me (Broke & Beautiful #1) by Tessa Bailey (2015)

College drop-out, Roxy Cumberland, moved to New York with dreams of becoming an actress, but her dwindling bank account is quickly putting the kibosh on that fantasy. To make some quick cash, she signs up to perform singing telegrams. Her first customer is a gorgeous, cocky Manhattan trust-funder if she ever laid eyes on one. And what could be more humiliating than singing an ode to his junk, courtesy of his last one night stand? Maybe the fact that she’s dressed in a giant, pink bunny costume…

After a night out to celebrate winning his last case, lawyer Louis McNally II isn’t prepared for the pounding in his head or the rabbit serenading him from the front door. But the sassy wit and sexy voice of the girl behind the mask intrigues him and one look at her stunning face— followed by a mind-blowing kiss against his doorjamb—leaves Louis wanting more.

Roxy doesn’t need a spoiled rich boy who’s had everything in life handed to him on a Tiffany platter. But there’s more to Louis than his sexy surface and he’s determined to make Roxy see it…even if it means chasing her all over NYC.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series


(4) Alexander Knightley from The British Knight (The Royals #4) by Louise Bay (2017)

When I’m offered the chance to leave New York to live in London for three months, I can’t pack my suitcase fast enough.

As soon as I touch down I’m obsessing over red telephone boxes, palaces and all the black cabs.

But my favourite place is the tube. It’s wall-to-wall hot British men in suits.

When I’m offered a temporary job working for a barrister, I say, sign me up.

On my first commute into work, it’s a total accident when I lose my balance and fall against the most handsome Brit alive. He’s as charming as James Bond and as suave as Mr. Darcy. I want to lick tea from his hard abs and listen to his accent all night long.

Turns out Mr. Handsome is my new boss. And his attitude isn’t as hot as his gorgeous face, broad shoulders and tight ass. He’s brooding, short-tempered and the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.

As we’re fighting, out of nowhere he kisses me. And I’m pretty sure I see fireworks over Big Ben and hear God Save the Queen.

I wasn’t looking for the fairytale but I might have found my knight in shining armour. The problem is he lives an ocean away.

Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Office Romance


(5) Gabriel Chase from Mr Smithfield (Mister #3) by Louise Bay (2021)

Wanted: American nanny for an adorable four-year-old. Must be able to handle a moody, brooding, sexy British boss.

I’m a single father, a lawyer and some say the most serious man in London. I’m completely focused on raising my four-year-old daughter.

Since my wife walked out three years ago, the only woman who has ever caught my eye is the strictly off-limits sister-in-law of my best friend, Autumn Lumen.

But temptation is easy to resist because Autumn is only visiting London from Oregon.

Until she moves to London. The nanny quits. And she’s the only woman for the job.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Nannies


(6) Stanton Shaw & Sofia Santos from Overruled (Legal Briefs #1) by Emma Chase (2015)

As a DC defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing – with his southern drawl, disarming smile and captivating green eyes – he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart and mother of his beloved ten-year old daughter. Jenny is getting married — to someone who isn’t him.

That’s definitely not part of the plan.

***

Sofia Santos is a city raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her “friend with mind-blowing benefits” begs for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him – to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi – to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves.

Her head tells her she’s crazy…and her heart says something else entirely.

***

What happens when you mix a one stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage and a gun-toting Nana?

The Bourbon flows, passions rise and even the best laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)


(7) Jake Becker from Sustained (Legal Briefs #2) by Emma Chase (2015)

A knight in tarnished armour is still a knight.

When you’re a defence attorney in Washington, DC, you see first-hand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I’m going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal’s office.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that — that, I know how to do.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Guardians


(8) Brent Mason & Kennedy Randolph from Appealed (Legal Briefs #3) by Emma Chase (2016)

When Brent Mason looks at Kennedy Randolph, he doesn’t see the awkward, sweet girl who grew up next door. He sees a self-assured, stunning woman…who wants to crush the most intimate – and prized – parts of his anatomy beneath the heels of her Christian Louboutins.

Brent has never let the loss of his leg in a childhood accident affect his ability to lead a fulfilling life. He sets high goals–and then he reaches them.

And now he has his sights set on Kennedy.

**

When Kennedy looks at Brent Mason, all she sees is the selfish, Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue-worthy teenager who humiliated her in high school to join the popular crowd. A crowd that made those years a living hell.

She’s not a lovesick social outcast anymore – she’s a DC prosecutor with a long winning streak behind her. Brent is the opposing attorney in her next case and she thinks it’s time to put him through a little hell of his own.

But things aren’t exactly working out that way.

Because every fiery exchange has her wondering if he’s as passionate in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom. Each argument and objection only makes him want her more. In the end, Brent and Kennedy may just find themselves in love…or in contempt of court.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)


(9) Emily Aulenbach from Escape by Barbara Delinsky (2011)

Emily Aulenbach is thirty-two, a lawyer married to a lawyer, working in Manhattan. An idealist, she had once dreamed of representing victims of corporate abuse, but she spends her days in a cubicle talking on the phone with vic­tims of tainted bottled water—and she is on the bottler’s side.

And it isn’t only work. It’s her sister, her friends, even her husband, James, with whom she doesn’t connect the way she used to. She doesn’t connect to much in her life, period, with the exception of three things—her computer, her BlackBerry, and her watch.

Acting on impulse, Emily leaves work early one day, goes home, packs her bag, and takes off. Groping toward the future, uncharacteristically following her gut rather than her mind, she heads north toward a New Hampshire town tucked between mountains. She knows this town. During her college years, she spent a watershed summer here. Painful as it is to return, she knows that if she is to right her life, she has to start here.

Tags: Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Marriages on the Rocks


(10) Nate Pearson from Only You (One & Only #1) by Melanie Harlow (2018)

Nate Pearson is ridiculously handsome and wears the hell out of a suit and tie, but I’ve seen the parade of beautiful women leaving his apartment across the hall—a different one every time—and I want no part of it. When it comes to romance, I’m looking for something real, something that will last: the happily ever after.

As a divorce attorney, he loves to tell me there’s no such thing.

As a wedding planner, I choose to disagree.

We disagree on almost everything, in fact. Everything except James Bond. The only time we really get along is when we’re watching 007 flicks together, and I’ll admit—he has rescued me from a disaster or five. So when one of the baton twirlers from his parade leaves a baby girl at his door with a note that says “I’ll come back for her” and he begs me for help, I can’t turn him down.

But it’s a mistake.

Because watching him with his daughter, I start to see another side of Nate, a side that has my breath coming faster, my body craving his, my heart longing for him to change his mind about love and tell me there’s a chance for us.

I don’t want to be just another girl leaving his apartment in the morning.

I want to be the one he asks to stay.

Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Secret Babies


(11) Kailyn Flowers from Meet Cute by Helena Hunting (2019)

Talk about an embarrassing introduction. On her first day of law school, Kailyn ran quite literally into the actor she crushed on as a teenager, ending with him sprawled on top of her. Mortified to discover the Daxton Hughes was also a student in her class, her embarrassment over their meet-cute quickly turned into a friendship she never expected. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming either…

Now, eight years later, Dax is in her office asking for legal advice. Despite her anger, Kailyn can’t help feeling sorry for the devastated man who just became sole guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister. But when her boss gets wind of Kailyn’s new celebrity client, there’s even more at stake than Dax’s custody issues: if she gets Dax to work at their firm, she’ll be promoted to partner.

The more time Kailyn spends with Dax and his sister, the more she starts to feel like a family, and the more she realizes the chemistry they had all those years ago is as fresh as ever. But will they be able to forgive the mistakes of the past, or will one betrayal lead to another?

Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Guardians / Hollywood / Second Chance


(12) Lucas Donovan from Taco Bout Love (The Donovans #1) by Lily Kate (2023)

My name is Lucas Donovan, and I’m a sucker for a great taco.

No, that’s not an innuendo, though I do like my women like I like my tacos: extra spicy. So when a brand new food truck rolls into our sleepy little town of Fantasie, Maine, I know I’m in trouble. I just don’t know how much trouble.

Things go downhill fast when I meet Chloe Brown, the sizzling hot and super sassy owner of Taco Bout Love who is as extra as guac. Then out of the blue, Chloe plops her huge purple eyesore of a truck in my designated parking spot. I’m sorely tempted to have her truck towed, and her right along with it.

Unfortunately, Chloe’s as fierce as a ghost pepper, and she’s not going down without a fight. Before I know it, the only thing I’m certain of is that this woman drives me crazy… in the best way possible. What’s more is that I’m beginning to think I just might miss her when she’s gone.

Suddenly, I can’t seem to keep my hands off Chloe Brown… or her tacos.

Tags: Chefs / Favourite Series


(13) Jensen Bergstrom from Beautiful (Beautiful Bastard #5) by Christina Lauren (2016)

After walking in on her boyfriend shagging another girl in their place, Pippa Cox ditches London for the States to go on a drunken road trip with friends.

Scaling the career ladder is the default way to deal with heartbreak—and to just deal—for Jensen Bergstrom. Absolutely buried by his drive and workload, he rarely takes time for himself. But when his sister Hanna convinces him to join the gang on a two-week wine tour, he has a rare moment of cutting loose. Of course, it’s only once he’s committed that he realizes the strange girl he met briefly on the plane is coming along, too. She might be too much for him…or he might realize his life has become too small and needs her to make it bigger, crazier.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Road Trip


(14) Katherine Tate from Emergency Contact by Lauren Layne (2023)

Katherine, an ambitious NYC attorney, gets diagnosed with a concussion and must be monitored for 48 hours to make sure it doesn’t get worse. Unfortunately, she forgot to update her emergency contact so the person they call is her ex-husband, Tom. Unable to be left alone, Katherine reluctantly agrees to travel to Chicago with Tom for the holidays. But thanks to a blizzard, what should have been a quick plane ride turns into an antagonistic overnight misadventure that stirs up old feelings even as Tom prepares to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve.

Tags: Christmas / Favourite Author / Five Star Reads / Road Trips / Second Chance / Vegas Weddings


(15) Colin Walsh from The Prenup by Lauren Layne (2019)

My name is Charlotte Spencer and, ten years ago, I married my brother’s best friend. I haven’t seen him since.

Charlotte Spencer grew up on the blue-blooded Upper East Side of Manhattan but she never wanted the sit-still-look-pretty future her parents dictated for her. Enter Colin Walsh, her brother’s quiet, brooding, man-bun-sporting best friend, and with him a chance to escape.

He’s far from Charlotte’s dream guy but they need each other for one thing: marriage. One courthouse wedding later, Charlotte’s inheritance is hers to start a business in San Francisco and Irish-born Colin has a Green Card.

Ten years later, Colin drops a bombshell: the terms of their prenup state that before either can file for divorce, they have to live under the same roof for three months.

Suddenly this match made in practicality is about to take on whole new meaning…

Tags: Brother’s Best Friend / Favourite Author / Five Star Reads / Marriages of Convenience


(16) Andrew Mulroney from Walk of Shame (Love Unexpectedly #4) by Lauren Layne (2017)

Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow – and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbour is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie’s had in years – and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.

Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn’t have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss-a kiss that’s caught on camera-all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they’re a real couple. And nobody’s more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.

Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads


(17) Daniel from New York, Actually (From Manhattan with Love #4) by Sarah Morgan (2017)

Meet Molly: New York’s most famous agony aunt, she considers herself an expert at relationships…as long as they’re other people’s. The only love of her life is her Dalmatian, Valentine.

Meet Daniel: A cynical divorce lawyer, he’s hardwired to think relationships are a bad idea. If you don’t get involved, no-one can get hurt. But then he finds himself borrowing a dog to meet the gorgeous woman he sees running in Central Park every morning…

Molly and Daniel think they know everything there is to know about relationships…until they meet each other that is…

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Pupsters


(18) Owen Salt from Begin Again (Stay #3.6) by Jennifer Probst (2020)

Chloe Lake is finally living her dream. As the daughter of the Governor, she’s consistently in the spotlight, and after being dubbed the Most Eligible Bachelorette of NYC, both her career and personal life has exploded. Fortunately, her work as an advocate for animal welfare requires constant publicity and funding, so she embraces her role and plays for the camera—anything for the sake of her beloved rescues.

But when a big case is on the line, she’s faced with the one obstacle she never counted on: the boy who broke her heart is back, and in order to gain justice, they need to work together.

Chloe swears she can handle it until old feelings resurface, and she’s faced with a heartbreaking choice.

Will this time end differently—or are they destined to be only each other’s first love—instead of forever?

Owen Salt fell hard for Chloe when he was a screwed-up kid in college, and spent the next years changing himself into the man his grandfather believed he was capable of. But when his career led him across the country, he knew he needed to leave the woman he loved behind. He’s never forgotten her, but as the new darling of the press, now, she’s way out of his league. When work brings him back to fight for justice by her side, he swears he can handle it.

But he’s never really gotten over his first love—and he wants one more opportunity to prove he’s a man who’s worthy.

Can Owen convince the woman who holds his heart to take a second chance on forever—or is it too late for them both?

Tags: Favourite Authors / Favourite Series / Office Romance / Pupsters / Second Chance


Posted in Book Lists

My Favourite Fictional Florists & Gardeners

“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in--what more could he ask A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” (1)

Photo Credit: Kübra Arslaner @ Pexels

“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” Victor Hugo (Les Miserables)

Today’s blog post is all about My Favourite Fictional Florists & Gardeners and was inspired by a recent read, You Are My Sunshine by Lily Kate. It’s the perfect day to post about it as well because according to the meteorological calendar, today (1 March) is the first day of Spring in the Northern hemisphere and when I think of Spring, I automatically think of flowers.

As always, if you’ve got any recommendations, you can let me know either in the comments or by e-mail at louisehallbooks@gmail.com.

P.S. If you’re looking for more Book Lists, you can find links to them all in the Archives.

Happy reading x


(1) Practice Makes Perfect (When in Rome #2) by Sarah Adams (2023)

How hard can it be to find the perfect match?

Florist Annie Walker is determined to find someone who complements her life. But after overhearing her latest date describe her as ‘so unbelievably boring’, Annie wonders if the problem might be her. Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favourite romance movies? Maybe she only needs some practice . . . and Annie has the perfect tutor in mind.

Sexy and tattooed Will Griffin is temporarily back in Rome, Kentucky, providing security for pop-star Amelia Rose in the build-up to her wedding to Annie’s brother. He also has his own agenda: stay away from Annie Walker and any attachments to this sleepy town, which becomes difficult when she enlists him to help fix her love life.

Amid steamy practice dates and strictly ‘educational’ tutoring lessons, the lines of their friendship blur and Annie reconsiders what her ‘dream guy’ might look like. Maybe her love life doesn’t need to be perfect – it just needs to be real.

Tags: Bodyguards / Dating Lessons / Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads


(2) Secretly Yours (A Vine Mess #1) by Tessa Bailey (2023)

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to Napa Valley, and when Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she’ll finally get that smooch. But the starchy professor isn’t the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly.

One wine-fuelled girls’ night later, Hallie can’t shake the sense that she did something reckless—and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his Ivy League job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She’s eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt—and so unbelievably beautiful, he can’t focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past.

Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he’s sucked further into Hallie’s orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of colour in Julian’s grayscale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there’s something so familiar about her… and her very presence is turning his world upside down.

Tags: Favourite Author / Grumpy Sunshine / Second Chance


(3) A Crack in Everything (Cracks Duet #1) by L.H. Cosway (2018)

Life used to be simple.

I was a city girl with humble dreams. Then Dylan O’Dea broke into my flat, held me against the wall and told me to stay quiet.

It was like in the movies, where the universe zeros in on a single scene. I looked into his eyes and knew he was going to change me.

For Dylan, the sky was always falling. He showed me how our world is a contradiction of beauty and ugliness. How we choose to ignore the awful and gloss over it with the palatable. How you need just a tiny drop of something unsavoury to create every great scent.

Pretty deep for a pair of teenagers living in a block of council flats in inner city Dublin, right? Probably. But we weren’t typical. We both had our obsessions. Mine was growing things, Dylan’s was scent. He taught me how to use my nose, and I introduced him to the magic of flowers.

I had no idea that one day he’d build an empire from what we started together. But before that, there was love and happiness, tragedy and epic heartbreak…

My name is Evelyn Flynn and I’m going to tell you about the crack in everything.

Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Second Chance


(4) How the Light Gets In (Cracks Duet #2) by L.H. Cosway (2018)

He came back to me 16 minutes and 59 seconds into Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7.

We parted amid tragedy, so it seemed poetic. Dylan O’Dea, my childhood sweetheart, had once meant everything to me. Now we were strangers, and honestly, after eleven years I never thought I’d see him again.

I lived in the world of the average, of getting paid by the hour and budgeting to make ends meet. But Dylan, he lived in the world of wealth and success. He’d achieved the great things I always suspected he would. The dissatisfaction he’d felt as a teenager had obviously been an excellent motivator.

He started a business from scratch, pioneered a brand, and created perfumes adored by women across the globe. I was just one of the people who’d been there before. Now he was living his best life in the after.

And me, well, I’d been in a dark place for a while. Slowly but surely, I was letting the light back in, but there was something missing. I was an unfinished sentence with an ellipsis at the end. And maybe, if I was brave enough to take the chance, Dylan could be my happy ending.

Tags: Favourite Author / Second Chance


(5) Coming Up Roses (Bennet Brothers #1) by Staci Hart (2019)

Everyone hates parts of their job.

Maybe it’s the paperwork. Maybe it’s the day-to-day grind. Maybe it’s that client who never knows what they want, or the guy who always cooks fish in the microwave.

But not me. I love every corner of the Longbourne Flower Shop, every flower, every petal, every stem. I love the greenhouse, and I love Mrs. Bennet, my boss. I love creating, and I love being a florist. I don’t hate anything at all.

Except for Luke Bennet.

The Bennet brothers have come home to help their mom save the flower shop, and Luke is at the helm. His smile tells a tale of lust, loose and easy. He moves with the grace of a predator, feral and wild. A thing unbridled, without rules or constraint.

When he comes home to save Longbourne, I almost can’t be mad at him.

Almost.

He doesn’t remember that night I’ll never forget. That kiss, touched with whiskey and fire. It branded me like a red-hot iron. But it meant nothing to him.

Everyone hates part of their job, and I hate Luke Bennet.

Because if I don’t, I’ll fall in love with him.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Second Chance


(6) Gilded Lily (Bennet Brothers #2) by Staci Hart (2019)

They say there’s no such thing as perfect.

But I’ve built my life to perfection—the perfect boyfriend, the perfect apartment, the perfect career planning celebrity weddings. My job—my only job—is to make sure every event is absolutely and completely perfect.

What’s not perfect? Kash Bennet.

And I wish I didn’t find that so appealing.

I could have told you every perfectly imperfect thing about the gardener at Longbourne. Like his hair, lush and black and far too long. Or his nose, the flat bridge of a Greek god, bent a little like it’s been broken. Or his size. Beastly. Roped and corded with muscles, gleaming with sweat and peppered with dirt. There’s no escaping him, not if I’m going to use his family’s flower shop for my events.

But nothing is what it seems. And in the span of a heartbeat, my perfect life is turned inside out. They say the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody new. When Kash offers his services to the cause, it sounds like the perfect plan.

What’s not part of the plan? Falling in love with the gardener.

But they were right—there’s no such thing as perfect.

And I’m the fool who finds out the hard way.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)


(7) Mum’s The Word (Bennet Brothers #3) by Staci Hart (2020)

Falling in love with a Bennet is not an option.

My mother has summoned me home to take my place at Bower Bouquets, and as the heiress, I’m expected to do as I’m told. I’m expected to sit by her side as she does her best to decimate the Bennet family and their flower shop, Longbourne. I’m expected to play by her rules, or she’ll ruin me too.

But the day I crash into Marcus Bennet changes everything.

And the kiss seals the deal.

If my mother finds out, I’ll lose everything—my family, my life, my security. Worse, she’ll make sure the Bennets pay for my mistakes.

Falling in love with a Bennet is not an option.

But I might not have a choice.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)


(8) You Are My Sunshine by Lily Kate (2024)

Finn DiMaggio is a man who likes his coffee black…just like his heart.

At least, that’s Josie Andrews will tell anyone who listens.

As the owner of Fantasie’s only flower stand, Josie has harboured a not-so-secret rivalry with Finn for decades. Not even the nosiest busybodies in town know what happened to cause the catastrophic rift between the grumpy sheriff and the sunny flower-slinger, but one thing that’s clear is it’s only a matter of time before the two’s spicy bickering leads them to a fiery combustion…in one way or another.

Finn DiMaggio can’t seem to keep his guard up when it comes to Josie Andrews. He’s either head over heels in love with her…or her sworn enemy. But when circumstances change and Josie’s left vulnerable and broken, Finn can’t stand on the sidelines and watch.

However, the more time Finn spends with Josie, the more the sheriff realizes that maybe it’s not Josie who has needed rescuing all along. Maybe she’s the one who’s been saving him this whole time.

Tags: Enemies-to-Lovers / Grumpy Sunshine / Second Chance


(9) Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan (2020)

Who says you can’t choose your family?

When Flora falls in love with Jack, suddenly she’s not only handling a very cranky teenager, but she’s also living in the shadow of Jack’s perfect, immortalised wife, Becca. Every summer, Becca and Jack would holiday with Becca’s oldest friends and Jack wants to continue the tradition, so now Flora must face a summer trying to live up to Becca’s memory, with not only Jack’s daughter looking on, but with Becca’s best friends judging her every move…

The more Flora tries to impress everyone, the more things go horribly wrong…but as the summer unfolds, Flora begins pushing her own boundaries, and finding herself in a way that she never thought she needed to.

And she soon learns that families come in all shapes and sizes.

Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)


(10) Christmas in Cape May (Sunshine Sisters #3.5) by Jennifer Probst (2023)

Devon Pratt loves many things in life. The beauty of flowers. The yin and yang of energy. The power of positivity in people. And everything to do with the Christmas season.

As a floral shop owner in the beach town of Cape May, she looks forward to decorating both the town and running the annual holiday party to benefit the local animal shelter. Too bad the new owner of her favourite venue is more like the Grinch than Santa. Working with him will be a challenge, but she’s too full of seasonal cheer to let him annoy her, right?

Jameson Franklin hates many things in life. Crowds. Fake cheer. Ostentatious décor. And especially Christmas. The season is full of things he’d rather avoid, but since taking over the popular restaurant Vintage temporarily for his cousin as a favour, he’s trying to play nice with the locals. Too bad the florist is insisting on overrunning his sacred space with blooms, dogs, and an endless positive persistence that pushes all of his buttons. But when too many heated confrontations lead to heated encounters, he begins to wonder what it would be like to love not only Christmas, but Devon Pratt.

Let the festivities begin.

Tags: Christmas / Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Grumpy Sunshine


(11) Jonquils for Jax (The Rousseaus #1) by Katy Regnery (2016)

Jacqueline “Jax” Rousseau is vivacious, rich, smart and beautiful…but that doesn’t mean she’s lucky in love: she’s dated doctors, lawyers, actors and politicians who’ve all managed to end up disappointing her. In fact, she’s on a self-imposed hiatus from love when she has an unpleasant run-in with her neighbour’s gorgeous new landscaper, Gardener Thibodeaux.

Jax is not accustomed to gruff, ill-mannered men that can’t be charmed, but when he saves her skin, she realizes that something about Gard intrigues her…and if she can find her way through the armour that surrounds his heart, she might finally find a love that won’t let her down.

Tags: Favourite Author


(12) Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score (2022)

Can these opposites turn up the heat… without burning down the house?

House-flipping sensation and YouTube star Maggie Nichols can’t wait to dig into her next challenge. Arriving in tiny Kinship, Idaho, with only a cot and a coffeemaker, Maggie is prepared to restore a crumbling Victorian mansion in four months or less. She has her to-do lists, her blueprints, and her team. What she doesn’t have is time for sexy, laid-back landscaper Silas Wright.

The man takes flirtation to a whole new level. And he does it shirtless…sometimes pants-less. He and his service school-dropout dog are impressively persistent. But she’s not interested in putting down roots. Not when fans tune in to watch her travel the country turning dilapidated houses into dream homes. A short-term fling on the other hand could fit nicely into her calendar. After all, Maggie remembers what fun is like. Vaguely.

As their summer gets downright steamy, Silas manages to demolish the emotional walls she’s spent years building, sending Maggie into a panic. He’s the wrench in her carefully constructed plans. With the end of the project looming, she has a decision to make. But how can she stay when her entire career is built on moving on?

Tags: Love Under Construction / Pupsters


 

Posted in Book Lists

I Voted: My Favourite Political Romances

pexels-element-digital-1550339

Photo Credit: Element5 Digital @ Pexels.

First of all, you might be wondering why I’ve decided to post about My Favourite Political Romances on the seemingly random 28 January. The reason is that here in the UK, the next General Election hasn’t been called yet but it has to be held no later than 12 months from today (28 January 2025) which means that in the next 12 months we’re guaranteed to have not only a UK General Election but also the United States Presidential Election on 5 November 2024.

Basically, it’s going to be Politics. Politics. Politics. for the next 12 months on both sides of the Atlantic. Since I can never pass up the opportunity to put together a book list for any occasion, I thought I’d get a jump start by posting about My Favourite Political Romances.

As always, if you’ve got any recommendations, you can let me know either in the comments or by e-mail at louisehallbooks@gmail.com.

P.S. If you’re looking for more Book Lists, you can find links to them all in the Archives.

Happy reading x


(1) Missing by Noelle Adams (2013)

Sex would never be enough…

Nathan Livingston has more in his life than he can handle–a high-powered job in D.C. politics, a sixteen-year-old daughter he’s raising alone, and another daughter who ran away from him, whom he hasn’t seen in two years.

He doesn’t have anything left to invest in a real relationship. A night of hot sex with Lynn every three months is as much as he’ll allow himself, and it doesn’t matter that it never feels like enough.

Lynn shouldn’t be involved with someone as high-profile as Nathan, since it could negatively affect her successful web magazine, but she just can’t resist their nights together.

Then his complicated personal life catches up to their no-strings-attached affair, and they both find out everything they’re missing.

Tags: Favourite Author


(2) Running Mate (Running Mate #1) by Katie Ashley (2017)

Barrett: The name’s Barrett Callahan. Yeah, that Barrett Callahan—the one the press dubbed “Bare” after those naked sexting pictures surfaced. At twenty-five, I was armed with an MBA from Harvard, an executive position at my father’s Fortune 500 company, a penthouse, and a different piece of delectable eye candy in my bed every weekend. I had a life most men dreamed of. But then my father decided to run for president, and my playboy lifestyle became a liability to his campaign that was built on family values. My “makeover” comes in the form of a fake fiancée who I don’t even get to choose–one who is an uptight, choirgirl acting priss but also sexy-as-hell.

Addison: My latest relationship had gone down in flames, and I was drowning in a sea of student loans when in true Godfather status, James Callahan made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Seven figures for seven months on the campaign trail pretending to be the adoring fiancée of his son, Barrett. As soon as he won the election, our engagement would be dissolved amicably for the press, I was free to ride off into the sunset a million dollars richer, and because of the NDA, no one would be the wiser. Sure, I’d never met the guy, but I’d been a theatre nerd in high school. I could pull off any role from Lady Macbeth to Maria Von Trapp. But that was before I met my fake fiancé—the infuriating, self-absorbed, egotistical, drop-dead-sexy King of the Manwhores.

The race will be a fight to the death finish, and that’s not even the actual campaign.

Tags: Enemies-to-Lovers / Fake Dating


(3) The Next Mrs Russo by Jana Aston (2021)

I was not looking for a date. Another questionable relationship was the last thing I needed. Because trust me, they were all questionable.

But through a series of unfortunate events involving my cat and his poor decision-making skills, I agreed to a set-up.

Except… the set-up is with the governor.

I am not political girlfriend material. For one, I’m a little bit crazy. For two, I have secrets.

But I also have a big crush on the governor. One little date can’t hurt, right? Spoiler: it can.

My big crush is going to end in big trouble.

Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads


(4) Too Wild to Tame (Romancing the Clarksons #2) by Tessa Bailey (2016)

By day, Aaron Clarkson suits up, shakes hands and acts the perfect gentleman. At night, behind bedroom doors, the tie comes off and the real Aaron comes out to play. But he knows that if he wants to work for the country’s most powerful senator, he’ll have to keep his eye on the prize. That’s easier said than done, though, when he meets the senator’s daughter. She’s wild, gorgeous and 100 per cent trouble.

Grace Pendleton is the black sheep of her family. Yet while Aaron’s presence reminds her of a past she’d rather forget, something in his eyes keeps drawing her in. Maybe it’s the way his voice turns her molten. Or maybe it’s because deep down inside, the ultra-smooth, polished Aaron Clarkson might be more than even Grace can handle . . .

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads / Opposites Attract


(5) Prime Minister (Frisky Beavers #1) by Ainsley Booth & Sadie Haller (2016)

Gavin: Ellie Montague is smart, sensitive, and so gorgeous it hurts to look at her. She’s also an intern in my office. The office of the Prime Minister of Canada. That’s me. The PM. She calls me that because when she calls me Sir, I get hard and she gets flustered, and as long as she’s my intern, I can’t twist my hands in her strawberry-blonde hair and show her what else I’d like her to do with that pretty pink mouth.

Ellie: How much I like the PM varies on a daily basis. He’s intense, controlling, and a perfectionist in every way — and he demands the same of his staff. How much I want him never wavers. There’s something about him that tugs at me deep inside, and makes me wish that just once he’d cross the line in a late night work session. I’d take that secret to the grave if it meant I got a taste of the barely restrained beast inside him.


(6) Mr President (White House #1) by Katy Evans (2016)

He’s won the hearts of millions. But is he willing to lose his?

I met the president’s son when we were both young. Matthew Hamilton was handsome, polished, and intelligent. I’d never met a guy like him.

He promised me that he’d never run for president. I promised that if he did, I’d be by his side.

Three terms later, an invitation to join Matthew Hamilton’s campaign is the most exhilarating opportunity I’ve ever experienced. I’m determined to make a difference; he is determined to win.

Focused on his goal, Matt is steadfast, ruthless, and disarming. All eyes are on him and his popularity is surging. But soon, the next possible president of the United States is possessing me in more ways than one—and despite the risks, I’m helpless to resist.

We’re stealing touches, stealing moments, and stealing away at night. But our chemical connection is quickly becoming dangerously combustive, putting not only my heart, but Matt’s chance at the presidency on the line.

Winning will take everything. Walking away will be the hardest thing of all.

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)


(7) Commander in Chief (White House #2) by Katy Evans (2017)

We fell in love during the campaign. The stakes were high. Reputations could have been ruined. Scandal hovered over us like a cloud.

Now the man I love is the President of the United States of America. And it’s not my vote he is after. He wants it all. My heart. My body. My soul. He wants me by his side. In the White House. Normalcy will be gone from my life, privacy forgotten.

I am only twenty three. I just wanted to play a part in history. But it seems like history wasn’t done with me. The part where I lost my heart to Matthew Hamilton? It was only the beginning…

Tags: Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)


(8) Perky (Do-Over #2) by Julia Kent (2019)

One hundred years ago when I was young and impulsive (okay, it was five, alright? Five years ago…) I let my boyfriend take, let’s just say… compromising pictures of me. (Shut up. It made sense at the time.)

Surprise! The sleazy back-stabbing jerk posted them on a website and, well, you can guess what happened. That’s right. I’m a meme. A really gross one. You’ve seen the pictures. And if you haven’t – don’t ask. And don’t look! As face recognition software online improves, I get tagged on social media whenever anyone shares my pictures. You try getting a thousand notifications a day, all of them pictures of your tatas. So. I’m done.

It’s time for revenge. Let him see how it feels! But how do you get embarrassingly intimate pictures of your jerkface ex who double-crossed you five years ago? Especially when he’s a member of the U.S. House of Representatives now?

Getting sweet between the sheets with a congressman is pretty much every political roadie’s dream, right? I’m one in a crowd. Except to this day, he swears he didn’t do it. Pursued me for months after I dumped him five years ago. Begged me to take him back. And I almost did it. Almost. I was weak and stupid and in love a hundred years ago. Okay. Fine. Five.

But I still have the upper hand. Second chance romance has all the emotional feels, doesn’t it? I can’t wait to punch him in the feels. All I need to do is sleep with him once, take some hot-and-sweaty pics of him in… delicate positions, and bring him down. That’s it. Nothing more.

Pictures first. Revenge after. And then I win.

At least, that’s how it was supposed to happen. But then I did something worse than sexting. I fell in love with him. Again.


(9) Yours in Scandal (Man of the Year #1) by Lauren Layne (2020)

If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts, you’ll know that it’s virtually impossible for me to put together a book list without including at least 1 x book by Lauren Layne.

Fresh off being named Citizen magazine’s Man of the Year, New York City’s youngest mayor, Robert Davenport, decides it’s time to strategize. Next move: a bid for the governor’s seat. In his way: an incumbent with a flawless reputation. He also has an Achilles’ heel: an estranged wild-child daughter with a past so scandalous it could be Robert’s ticket to victory. And a charm so irresistible it could be Robert’s downfall.

Rebellion is a thing of the past for Adeline Blake. As New York’s premier event planner, she’s all about reform and respectability. Then she’s approached by Robert to organize the party of the season. Curious, considering he’s her father’s most formidable opponent. And alarming, too. Because Addie can’t help but fall for the righteously popular candidate with the movie-star smile.

Now it’s Robert’s choice. Does he pursue a future that holds his legacy? Or the woman who holds his heart?

Tags: Favourite Author


(10) Something Just Like This (Stay #3.5) by Jennifer Probst (2019)

Jonathan Lake is the beloved NYC mayor who’s making a run for Governor. His widowed status and close relationship with his daughter casts him as the darling of the press, and the candidate to beat, but behind the flash of the cameras, things are spinning out of control. It all has to do with his strait laced, ruthlessly organized assistant. Her skills and reserved demeanour are perfect to run his campaign, but her brilliant brain has become a temptation he’s been fighting for too long. Can he convince her to take a chance on a long-term campaign for love or will his efforts end up in scandal?

Alyssa Block has admired the NYC mayor for a long time, but her secret crush is kept ruthlessly buried under a mountain of work. Besides, she’s not his type, and office scandal is not in her job position. But when they retreat to an upstate horse farm for a secluded weekend, the spark between them catches flame, and Jonathan sets those stinging blue-eyes on winning her. Can she convince him to focus on the upcoming election, or will she succumb to the sweet promise of a different future?

Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series


(11) Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead (2022)

Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that’s better than Tesla, thank you) and after work she is “Stoner,” drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed…

That’s because Lee’s learned one big lesson: never trust love. After four major heartbreaks set her straight, from her father cheating on her mom all the way to Ben Laderman in grad school—who wasn’t actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind.

Then Ben shows up five years later, working as a policy expert for the most liberal governor in Texas history, just as Lee is trying to get a clean energy bill rolling. Things get complicated—and competitive as Lee and Ben are forced to work together. Tension builds just as old sparks reignite, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.

Tags: Favourite Author / Second Chance


(12) The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead (2023)

As a shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she’s dumped for being too meek-in bed!-she decides she needs to change. And what better way to kick-start her new more adventurous life than with her first one-night stand?

Enter Logan, the gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Audacious and filterless, Logan is Alexis’s opposite-and boy, do opposites attract! Just as she’s about to fulfil her hook-up wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm. In their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras. Cameras Logan promptly-and shockingly-flees.

Alexis is bewildered until suddenly pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. Turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot candidate challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious scandal is poised to sink his career-and jeopardize Alexis’s job-until a solution is he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months. What could possibly go wrong?

Tags: Fake Dating / Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Five Star Reads


Posted in The Weekly Book Date

The Weekly Book Date (20 November 2023)

The Weekly Book Date

Photo Credit: Lisa Fotios @ Pexels.

The Weekly Book Date is where I talk all things books from the previous 7 days.

I’ve got 5 x books to talk about from last week (13-19 November 2023) and I’m definitely still deeply entrenched in my Winter Holiday Romance era.

Before we start, I should probably warn you that if this blog post was a person it would already be decked out in its ugliest Christmas jumper and Santa hat, eating a mince pie and carrying a boom box blaring out Last Christmas by Wham!

Side Note: If you want to find out more about The Best Christmas Song Ever, check out my blog post all about Last Christmas.

There’s still just over a month to go until the big day but for my Kindle it might as well be 25 December already.

All the best, Louise x


Currently Reading:

I’ve been really looking forward to reading A Little Magic because (a) it’s Jewish and (b) lots of my favourite bookstagrammers have waxed lyrical about it. I’ve only just started reading ALM but I’ve already fallen in love with Sugar Valley, Vermont and I’m intrigued by the backstory with Ellie & Theo.

A Little Magic by Lindsey Lanza (2023)

Nine years to fall in love. Eight nights to learn the truth. One chance to rewrite the past.

Ellie Klein fled Vermont after graduating high school, and she hasn’t been back since. Not to see her overbearing parents nor her distant brother, not even to visit her temperamental cat and beloved dog. And most importantly, she hasn’t been back to see Theo Fox. Her first love and brother’s best friend has been but a distant and painful memory for the last seven years.

When Ellie’s travel site lands her back where it all began, her goal is to get in and out without seeing anyone from before. But life has other plans when she’s caught in a blizzard that leaves her seeking refuge in a cabin owned by none other than the infamous Theo.

Theo Fox has been winning collegiate hockey and NHL championships since Ellie disappeared, but all he really wants is a second chance with the woman he can’t stop loving. When she shows up unannounced in Vermont, he’s determined to find out why she left and never returned. And if he has a little magic on his side, how to get her back.

Tags: Brother’s Best Friend – Cabin in the Woods – Christmas – Hanukkah – New-to-Me Author – Pupsters – Second Chance – Sports Romance (Ice Hockey)


What I Read This Week:

(1) Christmas in Cape May (Sunshine Sisters #3.5) by Jennifer Probst (2023) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Christmas in Cape May had everything I really enjoyed about the Sunshine Sisters Series and I’m glad we got cameos from Avery, Bella & Taylor. Christmas can be a difficult time for lots of reasons and I really appreciate it when authors don’t just assume everybody has perfect Christmases like we see on TV and include other perspectives in their books. I liked Devon and Jameson but I felt as though their courtship, probably because CICM is a novella, was slightly rushed. If you love dogs, big, slobbery Bear will absolutely steal your heart and was one of my favourite things about CICM.

Devon Pratt loves many things in life. The beauty of flowers. The yin and yang of energy. The power of positivity in people. And everything to do with the Christmas season.

As a floral shop owner in the beach town of Cape May, she looks forward to decorating both the town and running the annual holiday party to benefit the local animal shelter. Too bad the new owner of her favourite venue is more like the Grinch than Santa. Working with him will be a challenge, but she’s too full of seasonal cheer to let him annoy her, right?

Jameson Franklin hates many things in life. Crowds. Fake cheer. Ostentatious décor. And especially Christmas. The season is full of things he’d rather avoid, but since taking over the popular restaurant Vintage temporarily for his cousin as a favour, he’s trying to play nice with the locals. Too bad the florist is insisting on overrunning his sacred space with blooms, dogs, and an endless positive persistence that pushes all of his buttons. But when too many heated confrontations lead to heated encounters, he begins to wonder what it would be like to love not only Christmas, but Devon Pratt.

Let the festivities begin.

Tags: Christmas – Favourite Author – Favourite Series – Flowers – Grumpy Sunshine – Pupsters

(2) Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey (2023) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Another week, another Tessa Bailey Holiday Romance (after New Year’s Eve-themed Same Time Next Year was one of last week’s Five Star Reads (The Weekly Book Date – 13 November 2023)). Wreck the Halls is a fun, Christmassy read: there’s instant chemistry between Melody & Beat, I liked the side plot with the TV producer and her cameraman, its set in New York and the scenes with the Steel Birds (Trina & Octavia) are funny.

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live TV, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.

Tags: Christmas – Favourite Author – Fictional Musicians – One Bed – Reality TV – Reunion

(3) The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman (2023) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

It’s a shame but TCOC was just OK for me. I had really high hopes going into it but I found the skipping back and forth in timeline confusing and I just didn’t connect with the 4 x central characters.

Hannah and Finn have spent every Christmas together since they were sophomores in college. Neither has anywhere else to go–Hannah’s parents died, and Finn’s disowned him when he came out. Their first makeshift Christmas kicked off a tradition of offbeat holiday adventures that grew only more outrageous as the years passed. When the pair starts their adult lives in New York City, they add stylish Priya and mysterious Theo to the crew, solidifying a found family that provides the sense of belonging they’ve always craved.

But ten years into their tradition, Finn announces he’s moving to L.A., meaning that this Christmas will be their last. Hannah is terrified of losing the family she’s built for herself, even as her seemingly perfect boyfriend nudges her toward commitment. Meanwhile, Finn struggles with the things he’s about to leave behind–namely, his unexpressed feelings for Theo. What will this Christmas look like to friends who are doing their best to stay together even as they learn, finally, to grow up?


What I Bought This Week:

I wish I could say that the 1 x book I bought this week wasn’t holiday-related but unfortunately I can’t. It’s all Book Bub’s fault. I was just merrily going about my day when they decided to inform me that A Holiday Set-Up was free on Amazon. How can I possibly call myself a book lover if I just ignore a free book by one of my favourite authors?

A Holiday Set-Up (Green Valley #1) by Noelle Adams (2022)

Most people don’t have a nemesis, but I do. His name is Rafe Archibald.

On the first day of kindergarten, he stole my chocolate cupcake. In sixth grade, he won the big essay contest, while I ended up runner-up. All through high school, he was my academic rival, and in college he dated all my friends. After graduation, I hoped to be rid of him at last, but he moved into the apartment across the hall.

He’s always around. Inescapable. Constantly infuriating me with his too-long hair, his laid-back attitude, and his smug smile.

Just when I think it can’t get worse, it does. Our grandmothers start meddling. They decide we must be secretly in love and concoct a matchmaking scheme.

When my grandmother announces she’s inviting all her friends and family to her huge country estate for an old-fashioned holiday house party, I’m excited about a two-week break from running into Rafe in the hallway, at the coffee shop, and at our favourite bar. Then there he is. At my grandmother’s house for Christmas. In the room across the hall.

Their set-up won’t work. I’ve developed a lifetime’s worth of resistance against Rafe’s dubious charms. Sure, I might slip and fall into bed with him, but that’s an accident and won’t happen again. And, even if it does, it still won’t touch my heart.

After all, the last thing a smart woman should do is fall in love with her nemesis.

Tags: Christmas – Enemies to Lovers – Favourite Author


Pre-Orders:

I can’t decide if I’m ashamed or proud of the fact that I managed to make it 7 days without pre-ordering any books. My TBR is currently doing cartwheels of delight. (*whispers*) There’s always next week though…