The Second Story Bookshop is a Miss

 Best-selling author Denise Huner is my go-to if I want sweet small-town love stories with depth.

Having read probably over half of this author's 40+ books I had high hopes for The Second Story Book Shop.

Shelby Thatcher has been helping her grandmother run her bookshop since she was in high school. Reeling from the death of her beloved grandma's passing she's shocked to learn at the will reading that her grandmother left her 51% of the book shop and 49% to Grayson "Gray' Briggs that man who broke her heart a decade ago.

Typically, I like Denise's heroines, but 80 pages in I was struggling to like Shelby. The only thing I liked about the heroine was that she was an avid reader. Bonus points for working at a bookstore. (I'd never make any money working at a bookstore.) I got a total character 'ick' when I found out she dog-ears her pages. That's a bookworm cardinal rule to never ever do in my opinion. (If you break this rule, I'm never lending you another book.) I know Shelby's just lost her beloved grandma, but I found her to be a little whiny and naive. 

Gray Briggs left the second he graduated high school leaving the girl he loved. Now back because he's a beneficiary in his elderly friend's will he faces the same animosity of the town when he was younger.

I normally binge Denise's book in a couple of days. The Second Story Bookshop took me a little longer to finish. Honestly, I skipped the last ten chapters read the final chapter and epilogue. 

The theme of this story centers around forgiveness and second chances. It explores how grief can change you and bring you back to people and places you thought you left behind. The Second Story Bookshop reminds readers that letting go of the past is hard, but necessary to make room for something new. 

As for Shelby and Gray's relationship. There were a few moments of chemistry where they let their guard down were great. Maybe it stems from my lack of relating to Shelby's character that I had hard time believing their relationship. 

I'd rate The Second Story Bookshop 3 stars out of 5. The premise of the story had potential with the shared inheritance of the bookshop and there were some sweet, small-town cozy moments. For me, the pacing lagged and I had a hard time connecting with the heroine. Longtime fans of Denise Hunter might still enjoy this story for the heart and message of second chances. I'll definitely keep reading her work, just not re-reading this one. 

Reading is an adventure,

    Emilee 

Top 5 Books I'd Re-Read Forever

As an avid bookworm I joke my TBR pile is taller than my 5-foot-2 frame. Every true bookworm is 50% wondering why they have nothing to read and 50% wondering how they are going to find time to read all the books. 

Maybe I'm following C.S. Lewis' quote on reading. "It's a good rule after reading a new book, never allow yourself another new one till you've read an old one in between."

It got me thinking what are top 5 books I'd re-read forever.  No matter what stage of life I'm in re-reading these books feels like coming home. They are comfort reads.

5.) Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter

You can read more about The Keeper of the Bees here.

4.) Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

You can read more about Short-Straw Bride here.

3.) The Hawk and the Jewel by Lori Wick

It's been over a decade since I last e-read The Hawk and the Jewel. Before writing this blog post I read this story again and remembered how I felt as a teenager (I won't say how long ago). It brought back the same nostalgia. I'd forgotten how swoon worthy Captain Brandon Hawkesbury was! 

Sunny Gallagher's family thought she perished at sea with her mother. She was being raised in the alabaster courts off the Arabian coast by the ruler of the palace of Darhabar. 

Brandon nicknamed "Hawk" is sent by the Gallagher family to retrieve Sunny and bring her home to England. In the beginning of The Hawk and the Jewel it had elements that reminded me of My Fair Lady with Brandon's teaching her the customs and traditions of the British. During the midpoint of the story, it reminded me Jane Austen's Emma with how Brandon became a mentor to Sunny but is also falling in love with her.

Brandon and Sunny's relationship and love story has always been my favorite part of this book. But I also love how Lori Wick incorporates so much gospel into her stories through characters turning to God's Word for guidance or turning to God in prayer.

I'd rate The Hawk and the Jewel a solid 4 out of 5 stars. The writing is a little dated, but the heart and soul of the story still rings true. 

2.) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

You can read more about Anne of Green Gables here.

1.) The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

You can read more about The Blue Castle here.

I'm curious what's on your re-reads list? Did any of these books make it on your list? I'd love to know. 

Reading is an adventure,

    Emilee 

The Christmas Book Flood is a Heart-Warming and Charming Read

 I am thrilled Christy-award winning author Roseanna M. White (Roseanna can write any genre. Historical, contemporary, fantasy she does it all.) is delving a little more into the WWII era. Just in time for Christmas she's given us The Christmas Book Flood novella. Don't you just want to dive into this gorgeous cover? 

Tatiana Eliasdottir works at a publishing house. Her first seasonal book catalog she put together for the company is a massive success and floods the publisher with book orders. 

Anders Johannasson is an editor and illustrator at the same publishing house and has garnered a reputation for being one of the best in the industry. He shares Tatiana's love of story. 

Anders and Tatiana's friends-to-more romance was heart-melting. I love how the author had both Ander's family and Tatiana's niece playing matchmaker between the two. It added an extra dose of humor and fun. 

As much as I enjoyed the sweet romance between them, I think I liked Ander's storyline the best. For years he felt misunderstood and unseen by his family for his love of writing and drawing. He discovers how proud his family is of him. This brought tears to my eyes. Everyone wants to know they are loved. I also liked the way Roseanna wrote Tatiana's sweet relationship with her niece. It was adorable. Being an auntie eight times over it reminded me of my own precious nieces and nephews.

Unfortunately, for all you die-hard bookworms who love paperback (It's me, I'm the one who loves paperback) The Christmas Book Flood is only available in e-book and audiobook. If you love audiobooks, I highly recommend this one.  The narrator did a marvelous job.

I'd rate The Christmas Book Flood a solid 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. My reason being I feel like the author perhaps stated Ander's sense of not feeling like his family understood him a few too many times. I'm not trying to be nit-picky; it's just something I noticed. 

The Christmas Book Flood is the perfect read to get you excited about the delights and traditions of Christmas. 

A Very Merry Match Up is the Perfect Holiday Read

If you loved First Love, Second Draft you NEED to add A Verry Merry Match Up to your TBR pile. I don't mind admitting I was having some serious Becca Kinzer withdrawals after First Love, Second Draft.  Thankfully, Becca didn't make her readers wait too long and treated us to this hilarious and zany novella just in time for Christmas. This story has heart, charm and all the holiday joy and magic to rival your favorite rom com. 

Ivy West is a travel nurse who loves to play matchmaker. 

Beau Wall is a minor league baseball player with his sights on the majors lands the hospital. (Fun fact: Scotty, Noah's agent from First Love, Second Draft makes a brief appearance in A Very Merry Match Up.) 

There's an undeniable spark between him and Ivy. She does what any girl in her position would do...she tries to set him up with her best friend Lucy. The chemistry between Beau and Ivy was one of my favorite parts of the book. 

In A Very Merry Match Up the matchmaker gets a taste of her own medicine. Ivy has some deep scars from her childhood. Her parents divorce ingrained in her certain ideals and tendencies she clung to of what she did and didn't want in a marriage. Over the course of the story, her ideals shift.  

I was howling with laughter at so many scenes in this book. Becca's humor tickles my funny bone. I loved the clever use of pop culture references from Hollywood's Golden Age. So skillfully woven in. For me, old movies are a close 2nd to my love of reading and whenever the two (reading and old movies) are combined you've got a fan for life. Becca Kinzer is an auto-buy author for me. One aspect, I appreciate about Becca's stories is how you end up falling in love with all the characters she creates in her books. She's consistently done that in every book and it's part of what keeps me coming back to her stories.

I enjoyed the dual POV of Ivy and Beau in A Very Merry Match Up. I liked that the audiobook version had dual narrators as well.  It added more enjoyment and depth to the story. 

If you love laugh-a-minute, sidesplitting humor set during the holidays you need to add A Very Merry Match Up to your TBR pile.  I'd rate this a solid 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. My reason being Ivy's insistence on following her plan drove me a little nuts, but I think the author was trying to show her readers we can all be like Ivy during certain times in our life. All in all, a great holiday read not to be missed.