The Maid

This was a book club pick or otherwise I would've missed out on this excellent read. 

Please note that I listened to this as an audiobook and though the narrator was spot on. She excellently conveyed the tone and thoughts of our heroine, who has some interesting quirks to her thoughts, language, and personality. 

Important background was sprinkled throughout the story, but there were still some smaller mysteries left to the reader at the conclusion of the book that required one's own intellect to solve. Or your friend might have a different defendable opinion. 

Very satisfying read. 

AMAZON

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Fresh Starts

Ms. Krey crafts a great romantic suspense with all the feels. 

We get second chance romance, heartache, fear, worry, and then she sticks her heroine and hero together on an apple orchard where all they can do is have their emotional walls smashed down. 

I very much enjoyed the pacing and the secondary characters. Lots of fun. 

AMAZON

Bree's stalker is out of prison.
It's Greyson's job to protect her on the family's apple orchard.
Danger & romance unite in this fun escape!

When Bree’s stalker is released from prison, she heads to a remote orchard to hide away. Joining her is Greyson Law, a former bodyguard who had a crush on her in their school years. Soon sparks ignite between them, and Bree feels she and Greyson might have a future.
But could it all be destroyed by the stalker from her past?

After being stalked for several years, Bree Fox helped put her stalker behind bars.
But now the time has come for his release. To test the stalker-infested waters, her brother, Braden, purchased an orchard house where Bree can hide away. And though she must leave her kids with her ex-husband for a time, Bree feels certain the plan will keep her family safe. She only wishes Braden hadn’t hired his friend and former bodyguard, Greyson Law, to watch over her.

After leaving his training center in capable hands, Greyson is back in his hometown to stay. So when Braden Fox asks for a favor, the timing is just right. Plus, working as a personal protector once more has an appeal all its own. Trouble is, Bree Fox never liked him much back in school, and he hasn’t seen the woman much since. Still, just thinking about the hard-to-get girl from his school days has Greyson wondering if the timing is right in more ways than one. But just how dangerous is this man from her past?

Risking it All

I'm a long time fan of Ms. Checketts. 

This romance starts fast and never slows down, which means you need to clear your schedule when you sit down to read this book. 

It's a second chance romance with wacky, life in peril twists along the way. So besides the characters emotional baggage, they need to find a way to stay alive and stay together. 

Now to read the rest of the series...

AMAZON

A world-renowned athlete who desperately loves the only woman out of his reach. . .
Bridger Hawk has been in love with Avalyn Shaman since childhood. He knows he’ll never be worthy of her charitable heart, so he throws himself into a life-threatening extreme sports career. When they reconnect at his brother’s wedding, he can’t resist kissing her at every opportunity. She demands that he stay away from her and her heart, and after multiple rejections, he gathers what’s left of his pride and leaves.

A motivational speaker and philanthropist who’s convinced they are polar opposites . . .
Avalyn has always loved Bridger Hawk, but he shredded her heart in high school and she knows that, given a chance, he’ll do it again. She can’t let him toy with her emotions again, so she pushes him away, almost against her will. But when she’s kidnapped and forced to be the pawn and prize in dangerous events that risk her life and virtue, Bridger is forced to compete in the deranged challenges and is the only hope she has to survive.
Will Avalyn choose to open her heart and see the sincerity of Bridger’s devotion? Bridger knows he has to save Avalyn at all costs ... even if it means he can’t have her. Can he save her and prove to her that his love isn’t just a show for his fans?

Her Cowboy Billionaire Bachelor: An Everett Sisters Novel

Whenever I sit down to read a book by Ms.Isaacson I know I'm in for a well written, well paced, and stunningly sweet romance that will keep me turning pages. 

This novel is no exception. 

The characters each come with their own problems and own goals and have to figure out how to mesh them together. Set in winter, you'll get all the cozy vibes. 

Now I need to read the other books in this series. 

AMAZON

A holiday bachelor auction brings a cowboy billionaire doctor and a country music star together. Will Rose and Liam be able to navigate their opposites to find a future together?

Rose Everett isn't sure what to do with her life now that her country music career is on hold. After all, with both of her sisters in Coral Canyon, and one about to have a baby, they're not making albums anymore. She travels to Wyoming to help her sister with the new baby, only to discover that she may have been focusing on all the wrong things, and that she desperately wants a family of her own.

Problem is, she's been out with several men in the past year and there's never a spark—until she meets a handsome doctor on the plane.

Then there's fireworks, even if he brags about speaking Swahili.

Liam Murphy has been working for Doctors Without Borders, but he's back in the US now, and looking to start a new clinic in Coral Canyon. He's never wanted anything but to practice medicine and help people, but when he runs into the beautiful blonde he met on the plane, he starts to think there could be more to his life than his job.

When Rose wins a date with Liam in a bachelor auction, their relationship blooms and grows quickly. Problem is, Liam's spent his whole life building his career, and he doesn't know how to make room for Rose and the family she wants. As Christmas approaches, and he's still no closer to putting her above his clinic, Rose wonders if she should find someone else. After all, she's not getting any younger, and her time to have children won't last forever.

Can Liam and Rose find a solution to their problems that doesn't involve one of them leaving Coral Canyon with a broken heart?

The Entangled Princess

This is my first read by Ms. Sessions. 

Overall I enjoyed the characters, setting, and worldl building. Clearly a lot of effort and time were put into the creation of the story. For this Ms. Sessions should be commended, and the reader is rewarded with being plopped in a romanticized medieval novel. 

My only difficulty was the pacing. It moved a little slow for me once I'd identified the principal players, the conflict, and how the issues would need to be resolved. That is purely personal preference and shouldn't slow you down from adding this book to your device for a good read. 

There's a serious loose thread I'd like to see wrapped up in the next book, but I think that was purposeful on the author's part. I won't explain so as not to spoil the story. 

AMAZON

A princess in disguise. A dangerous warrior. A hundred-year war.
They never know that their greatest love and greatest threat are one and the same.

Amid the ruins of endless war, Princess Marguerite of Asterias, Meg to those who love her, is determined to find a way to help her people. Unknown to her weary father and domineering brother, she secretly steals away from the castle to feed and clothe the hungry in her kingdom. She hopes desperately to find someone, some way to save her country.

And then she meets a stranger.

Dark, dangerously handsome, a soldier in her father’s army, or at least that’s what he says. When she sees his extraordinary fighting skills, Meg can’t help but wonder. He’s far more than a mere foot soldier. Despite the mystery that enshrouds him and the ever-increasing danger of her kingdom falling into chaos as the enemy army prepares to attack, Meg cannot resist him.

Will undeniable attraction, secret rendezvous, and forbidden love stand in the way of their happily-ever-after?

If you like sweet historical novels with spunky heroines, dreamy warriors, and sweeping, majestic scenery, then you will adore Shantal’s evocative enemies-to-lovers romance.

The Southern Billionaire Romance Series

Ms. Pennington's box set is a true delight. 

Four excellent books to read at your leisure and get lost in swoony billioniare stories, each one better than the one before. 

You'll be hard pressed to choose a favorite couple. 

Wonderful characters, clean and wholesome with just kisses, to entice a romance reader. 

AMAZON

This is a collection of four clean romances—three novels and one novella. These are complete stories, not samples.

The Trouble with Billionaires

Charlotte has just moved to the perfect small town to build a new life with her son, Taylor. She wants him to grow up to be a better man than his father, whose rich lifestyle brought her nothing but pain during their marriage. When Taylor's handsome new t-ball coach, Nate Haverton, turns out to be a billionaire, she knows she has to keep him at a distance. But Nate is determined to change her mind.

The Truth about Billionaires

Jill is determined to prove she deserves her position at her father’s consulting firm, so the last thing she has time for is dating. Since her only experience with love ended in heartbreak, she isn’t tempted to break her own rule—until she meets Blake McDaniel. When she’s asked to take a job working with Blake, it’s a great step in her career, but the more time she spends around the attractive, determined billionaire, the harder it is to remember why she wants to stay single.

The Trust of a Billionaire

Hannah is determined to keep her beachfront property, even though she can’t afford to. But it’s her childhood home and she can’t bear to see it plowed down by Carter Ellis, the billionaire investor who keeps raising his offer to buy it. When Carter hires her to be his daughter’s nanny—providing her the income she needs to reject his offer—the irony is not lost on her. However, seeing him as a loving, worried father makes it difficult to enjoy her secret revenge—and even more impossible not to fall for him.

A Tree for the Billionaire

Getting hired as the personal assistant to the intelligent and attractive billionaire Christopher Warren seemed like a fairytale come true for Kate Ryan, but two years later, she hands in her two-weeks notice just before Christmas. How can she keep working for him day after day when she's in love with him? Not even the most beautiful and fascinating women in the world hold his interest, so there’s clearly no chance for her. Unfortunately, Mr. Warren seems determined to change her mind.

The Golden Spoon

This book is the perfect marriage between Great British Bake Off and Clue. Brilliant. 

An excellent debut novel by Ms. Maxwell. (At least I think it's her debut novel.)

The minute I heard about this book, I was sold. And it's not my usual genre. But every once in a while, I love a clean cozy mystery. 

The narration was the biggest and best surprise because each character is voiced by a different actor. Supurb talents all around. You will love them. They bring the characters to life with their individuality. I especially liked Stella. 

I could gush, but that would take too long. Listen to or read the book. I hope she writes more like this one. 

AMAZON 

Every summer for the past ten years, six awe-struck bakers have descended on the grounds of Grafton, the leafy and imposing Vermont estate that is not only the filming site for “Bake Week” but also the childhood home of the show’s famous host, celebrated baker Betsy Martin.

The author of numerous bestselling cookbooks and hailed as “America’s Grandmother,” Betsy Martin isn’t as warm off-screen as on, though no one needs to know that but her. She has always demanded perfection, and gotten it with a smile, but this year something is off. As the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage—sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high—but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.

A sharp and suspenseful thriller for mystery buffs and avid bakers alike, The Golden Spoon is a brilliant puzzle filled with shocking twists and turns that will keep you reading late into the night until you turn the very last page of this incredible debut.