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Barefoot on the Beach
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
122 of 220
Book
Barefoot on the Beach
By Katlyn Duncan
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Renee may be thrilled to be planning her sister’s wedding, but after witnessing her mother’s two failed marriages, she has always vowed that she is better off on her own.
 
But when Renee discovers that Luc Hardy has moved next door, her world is knocked off kilter. Luc was her whirlwind summer romance as a teen and, more importantly, her first love. Now he’s back in West Cove, looking more handsome than ever.
 
There is no escaping the romance in the air this summer. With the wedding planning in full swing, Renee begins to believe that she might be able to put her childhood reservations about marriage aside.

Yet when her mother arrives, she stirs a torrent of emotions in Renee’s heart. She’s up to her old tricks again – boasting about her latest conquests – reaffirming Renee’s lack of faith in love.

As Renee’s happily-ever-after hangs in the balance, will Luc be able to convince her that true love can last forever?

This was a nice quick read and really sweet story. I’m not a romance fan normally but this was well written and enjoyable.
  
An Amish Christmas Wedding: Four Stories
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/11/21/an-amish-christmas-celebrate-lit/">Travelers Wife 4 Life</a>
This was such a good collection of stories to get me in the Christmas spirit! I had the privilege of reading last Christmas’s book (<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/amish-christmas-bakery-celebration-lit/">An Amish Christmas Bakery</a>) by this collection of authors (Vanetta Chapman is new though) and truly fell in love with each author’s unique writing style. While not interconnected each story brings hope and warmth into my mind and I hope you will like them too!

<b>Evergreen Love</b> by Amy Clipston – I so enjoyed this story filled with mishaps, love, and second chances. Ryan and Lorene both show growth as characters and a sweet desire to learn from their previous experiences. They were fun to get to know and they showed a great look at forgiveness and the importance of communication!

<b>Holiday of Hope</b> by Kelly Irvin – This story was adorably sweet and heartfelt. I loved Henry’s journey, his special patience with his nephew (especially how he took it all in seamless stride not trying to force things), and his dedication to his first wife and subsequent openness to second chances. Leesa was also a very interesting character whom I rooted for from the beginning. I loved her courage, strength, and willingness to help others; even when it was outside her comfort zone. Overall, I loved the sweet romance in this book and enjoyed Kelly Irvin’s descriptions of deep snow Montana life.

<b>Wreathed in Joy</b> by Kathleen Fuller – I loved this friends to more gone awry story! Definitely one of my favorite sub-genres and Kathleen Fuller nails it. Mary and Jakob are sweet and the best of friends until a sad misunderstanding changes everything. But I enjoyed watching them banter and rekindle their friendship. It was full of sweet moments, memories, and the courage to try again. A great reminder to always give people second chances. Such a sweet story and I loved the ending.

<b>A Christmas Prayer </b> by Vannetta Chapman – Ever had the feeling that life is not going where you planned? Well, Rachel and Micah’s story is definitely one you will like. It was like ‘watching Rachel bloom’ as Micah so eloquently put it. I loved Micah’s caring nature, his use of Cloe (a Beautiful lab
  
A Mother&#039;s Secret
A Mother's Secret
Dilly Court | 2010 | Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
As a turn of the century romance book fan, it ticks all the boxes. (0 more)
Now I can see a pattern with Dilly Court. The endings are abrupt. (0 more)
Another sweet one, another abrupt end
The endings of Dilly Court's books seem to just end with questions left unanswered. It can be left quite easily (as they have done, annoyingly) however, they have been left in a way they can also have a sequel written without much scrambling. I'm a romantic so these kind of books I love completely, it ticks the boxes I'm looking for and it also had a twist that left me considering not sleeping last night so I could finish it!
  
Breathe (Sea Breeze, #1)
Breathe (Sea Breeze, #1)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is something like my 4th/5th read by Abbi Glines, and I have to say that I didn't think it was as good as the Too Far trilogy--though technically I haven't got around to reading the last book yet.

I liked how it started and it pulled me in quickly but I think the romance appeared a little out of nowhere. Okay, they'd been talking and having sweet moments but suddenly they can't stay away from each other anymore? I didn't buy it.

Nevertheless I liked the storyline.

I have the next two or three books in the Sea Breeze series but I think I'm going to try something else first.
  
Kindling the Moon (Arcadia Bell, #1)
Kindling the Moon (Arcadia Bell, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
4.5 stars.

I was surprised that I liked this so much. I think it was the fact that the romance took up a good 50% or so of the book, the other 50% being the hunt for the demon that Cady believed killed the three people her parents had been accused of killing.

I still haven't decided if Lon is attractive (wavy longish hair and moustache?) but I have to admit that despite the age difference between him and Cady that I really like the thought of them as a couple. Some of the scenes between them were just amazingly sweet and others were just plain sexy.

I cannot wait to read more of this series!
  
An Eccentric Engagement
An Eccentric Engagement
Donna Lea Simpson | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
3
5.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sweet romance (1 more)
Good commentary about social justice
Does more telling than showing (1 more)
Felt more like a lecture than a love story
A sweet regency romance
So this was a bit of a non-traditional romance as it takes place after the courtship. Sorrow and Bertram are engaged to be married and the two return to Sorrow’s country home for the wedding. The two are very clearly in the early stages of excitement over a new relationship, stealing kissing and admiring each other — the “puppy love” stage. Neither of the two truly love each other but are already prepared for marriage. The actual romance was more told than shown and it unfortunately just didn’t work for me. The romantic aspect seemed to take a back seat to the other two major plot lines: Sorrow’s altruistic family and Bert’s difficult relationship with his overbearing father.

Both of these plot lines are actually really good, but I felt that they both needed more time to be developed and would have been better in a full length novel. All of the conflict was resolved in a few pages with barely any resistance and the discussion felt more like a lecture that was repeated multiple times. Not that the message was bad, I appreciated the way they approach discussing the mentally ill and the elderly, and I actually liked the Marchand’s way of life, but I think it could have been delivered better.

It also didn’t help that Sorrow kind of annoyed me. When she talks to other people to try and explain her views it again turns into a mildly pretentious lecture. Her insistence on absolute harmony and willingness to throw everything out of the window if she didn’t get her way was also extremely grating. Creating needless drama for the sake of drama is not a good way of filling up pages.

Overall its not bad, it’s a cute and clean love story that will appeal to folks with a strong sense of social justice. It was a fluffy and pleasant way to pass the time, but I didn’t feel much of anything while reading it.