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Fall to Pieces
Fall to Pieces
Becky Flade | 2021 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
loved the back seat the romance takes!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I liked this book, I liked it a lot!

Xavier is sent to assess Alexandra's mental capacity to do her job, following the suicide of her detective husband. But things are not as they seem and Xavier and Alex are soon fighting her department as well as a child killer hellbent on driving Alex mad.

This is a dark book. Suicide, child murder and abuse. How cops deal with stress. And I liked that. I liked that it made me think about those things. I have no triggers though, and some readers might not like it.

Both Alex and Xavier have a say, and they have a lot to say about a lot of things! Both of them are suffering from things that happened but while Alex' is (mostly) clear from the start, it takes time to get the whole picture. Xavier's pain is far deeper and we don't get the whole picture there til much later. I like being made to wait.

The romance between Alex and Xavier takes a back seat to the crime aspect of the book and I loved the twist that took. I did think Alex would push Xavier away more than once and, Lord she tries! But Xavier is strong and even though the reasons he comes into Alex' life are beyond his control, keeping her safe is within his control and he will do that.

I liked this, a lot. It's the first I've read of this author, I would like to read more.

4 stars

*same worded review ill appear elsewhere
  
Treasure and Tarot (Echoes of Secret Springs #1)
Treasure and Tarot (Echoes of Secret Springs #1)
Minerva Howe | 2025 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
TREASURE AND TAROT is the first book in the Echoes of Secret Springs series, and we begin with Sebastian and Colton. Sebastian is the omega who was left holding the baby, seemingly abandoned; Colton is the alpha who walked away, intending to return, but never did - and you find out why on both sides of the story!

This is a spin-off from Minerva Howe's Secret Springs series, which I haven't read. I get the feeling I might have enjoyed this book more if I had, but I was still able to read their story without too much trouble. My biggest problem was figuring out which town they were speaking about.

Colton and Sebastian's second-chance romance was a wonderful story, with plenty of ghostly action, romance, and cuteness to spare. Their daughter, Abby, wins everyone's hearts, and I loved the big group of supporting characters. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place over which one I want a story for first.

Just as an aside, for some reason, I thought Tarot might play a bigger part than it did. I'm not saying it's bad the way it is, just that I thought there'd be more. 😆

Anyway, I read this in one sitting and hope to return to this ghostly town, whatever it's called. Definitely recommended by me.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 23, 2025
  
A Wedding in December
A Wedding in December
Sarah Morgan | 2020 | Humor & Comedy, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Wedding in December is a book that was long overdue. I was supposed to read it for Christmas, but yet, here we are in February. Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience and I am so glad I finally read it.

Sarah Morgan has an extremely good talent in human relations and relationships. She puts these relationships on paper so easily… Do you know that feeling where you can sense people’s mood by just walking into a room? She managed to capture this moment in most of her scenes - and it was a true joy to read that.

The Synopsis
Maggie has two daughters: Katie and Rosie. While Katie has always planned everything in her life and never failed (becoming doctor is her biggest achievement), Rosie is the complete opposite. She changes her mind all the time and never knows what she truly wants.

And one evening, Rosie calls her mum to tell her she is getting married. All of a sudden. Not in her hometown in the UK, but in some snowy mountains in the USA. For Christmas. THIS Christmas. In just a few months.

Everything is happening so fast, and Maggie is afraid for her daughter. But most importantly, Maggie is afraid that she will finally reveal to her girls that she is getting divorced from their dad.

My Thoughts
In a lovely snowy atmosphere, we get to see this family, and their different personalities coming together, in a book where love wins in the end. Reading this book under a warm blanket and with a hot chocolate definitely gave me the true feelings of Christmas again.

I encountered some interesting scenes, a couple of plot twists, a bit of a mystery behind one of the sisters. The importance of mental health as well, and how important is to share our troubles with someone. Anyone.

Some of the relationships, new or current, happened at a very fast pace, which wasn't too my great pleasure. There was some sense of unnecessary urgency which didn't feel believable nor relatable to me. But in hindsight, a wonderful book to spend your evenings with.

If you love romance novels and you also love Christmas, A Wedding in December will probably end up being your favourite book. I highly recommend it!
  
The Marriage of Innis Wilkinson
The Marriage of Innis Wilkinson
Lauren H Brandenburg | 2020 | Mystery, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonists of this story would be Margarette and Roy, but this novel is told from multiple perspectives, including Innis herself. Margarette and Roy belong to the families, that hate each other. Both of the families trying to outdo each other with better events and showing off, and Margarette has to endure all that competing behaviour. Innis is a character, who’s story is running in the background. Innis is an incredibly strange woman. Her story is revealed little by little, but it is very sweet and heartbreaking. I really liked all the main characters, they are very kind, sensitive and pleasant people. Margarette has patience made of steel, she does so much for both of the families, scared to offend them, I know I would have lost my patience in no time. 😀 😀

The book is set in a very small town called Coraloo, during a festival, and the whole vibe feels like Bruge (Belgium) for some reason. I imagine little shops down the little alleys, cobblestone everywhere… It just seems cosy, small and inviting. The narrative is quite slow and steady, the characters are sharing their thoughts about family, love, relationships, but it is quite funny at times when crazy family members join in. The topics discussed in this novel are family relationships, marriage preparations and stress, abandoned dreams, wish to be accepted and many more. This novel has some mystery elements, but the whole novel is more oriented towards romance and wedding.

I really liked the writing style of this book. It was very creative, and even though some of the things kept repeating, I could feel the love for everything through the characters. I am very happy that the author used her experience as a teacher in this novel, I think it was very well utilised. The chapters are medium length, and some of the information was a little repetitive, but I was quite curious to find out more about Innis, so the chapters didn’t feel draggy to me. The ending was very unexpected but left me very satisfied with the outcome.

So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this funny, heart-warming book, that is filled with unique and entertaining characters, as well as very soothing and “cuddly” plot. I think this book is perfect for these long and cold evenings, it feels like a hug.