Tag: romance

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Recent Reads from Sonali Dev

Sonali Dev has become one of my favorite authors, and I have recently read a novel and a short story of hers. The novel, Lies and Other Love Languages, is the story of Vandy Guru and her daughter Mallika. Vandy Guru is an advice columnist who is struggling with grief after the loss of her husband, and her daughter Mallika is an aspiring choreographer who is struggling to find her niche. The story also involves Vandy’s estranged childhood friend Rani Parekh and the secrets that tore them apart.

The book moves back and forth between the past and the present day until finally the story merges near the end of the book. Sometimes all that switching is difficult for me to follow or engage with, but I didn’t have any trouble with this one and was interested in both storylines. I was most invested in Vandy and Rani but gradually connected with Mallika as her character was fleshed out more and more. I also really liked the ending.

The Wedding Setup is a short story about Ayesha Shetty, a young woman who has thrown herself into the family business after the death of her brother. At her best friend’s wedding, she runs into an old flame while trying to avoid a doctor her mother is trying to set her up with. It was cute but mostly predictable, but I did enjoy the little twist at the end.

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Rome, Kentucky Series

I just finished the Rome, Kentucky series by Sarah Adams, and it definitely ended on a strong note. I think the fourth book was my favorite because it went deep into what was driving each of the characters’ feelings and actions and showed the main characters slowly getting to know each other better.

This is a series that follows each of the four Walker siblings as they find love in their small town. They are open-door romances, but (at least in the last two books) Adams identifies which chapters a reader should skip if they prefer to avoid that. 

I really enjoyed this series. If you are a fan of small town romance, these would definitely be right up your alley.

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ICYMI: Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler

ICYMI: my quest to highlight books you may have missed

The Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler consists of fifteen books published between 1994-2011. The protagonist, Benni Harper, has moved to fictional San Celina, California after losing her husband a few months earlier and is managing an artist’s co-op and art gallery. When she encounters a fellow artist’s dead body, she decides to play amateur sleuth and try to solve the mystery.

I really enjoyed these cozy mysteries. I liked the main character a lot, even though she is quite headstrong, and appreciated the inclusion of the arts. Each book title was taken from the name of a quilt pattern, which I found really charming.

The book names in order:

  • Fool’s Puzzle
  • Irish Chain
  • Kansas Troubles
  • Goose in the Pond
  • Dove in the Window
  • Mariner’s Compass
  • Seven Sisters
  • Arkansas Traveler
  • Steps to the Altar
  • Sunshine and Shadow
  • Broken Dishes
  • Delectable Mountains
  • Tumbling Blocks
  • State Fair
  • Spider Web

Have you ever run across these? Are you familiar with any of the quilt patterns?

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The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know is a chick lit/romance by Freida McFadden. It is a sequel to The Devil Wears Scrubs, which I read back in 2023. I must not have realized there was a second book, but when I saw this one on Kindle Unlimited, I grabbed it to read right away.

The story centers on Dr. Jane McGill, who has a husband, a daughter, and a job at a VA hospital. At work, she runs into Dr. Ryan Reilly, who she had previously dated, and starts to wonder if she made the wrong choice back then.

I liked the first book better and would recommend starting with that one if you decide to read these, but this was a fun read and I’m glad I read it. I think it’s kind of funny that McFadden is known for her thrillers but I haven’t read any of them yet!

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ICYMI: Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig

ICYMI: my quest to highlight books you may have missed

The Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig contains twelve books, which were published between 2004 and 2015. I learned about the series in 2013 from my former college roommate and quickly became enamored with them.

The series starts out with present day doctoral student Eloise Kelly, who travels from America to England to study the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian, two spies from the Napoleonic Wars. As she digs into her research, she discovers the secret history of the Pink Carnation, an elusive spy who saved England from Napoleon. From there, the story focuses on the intrigues of the Pink Carnation, occasionally coming back to the present to follow Eloise’s journey. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this series with its mix of mystery and romance. Highly recommend checking it out!

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The Dandelion & The Thistle

The Dandelion & The Thistle by Pip Dolyn

Most of the time these days I read in short bursts, usually while I am having a meal, but I could not put this book down. I was so invested in the friendship and possible romance between Addison and Colin that I just had to keep reading until I got to the end.

Addison and Colin meet at Makers Market, a monthly market for local artists. Addison has been there forever and is the go-to person for anyone who needs anything, and Colin is a new vendor who is trying to make ceramics his full time job. Over time, they become friends and explore the potential for a romantic relationship.

This book has its share of lighthearted fun, but there are also a lot of serious topics raised as the two share their stories with each other and learn how to navigate around each other’s unique characteristics and past trauma. The author has a note at the beginning of the book listing the sensitive topics so you can decide whether you are comfortable reading it. It is also an open-door romance.

I felt like Addison was autistic-coded, but I don’t want to read anything into the story that wasn’t there, so I will just say I could relate to them in a lot of ways.

One neat thing about the ebook is the inclusion of several song playlists Colin makes for Addison. There are links to them for both Apple Music and Spotify so you can listen to them yourself, which is really cool.

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Never Meant to Stay

Never Meant to Stay by Trisha Das is a romantic comedy set in Delhi, and I loved it! I especially loved everything about the female main character, Samara. She is capable and kind and fun, and I wish I had her ability to make people feel cared for and encouraged. Sharav, the male main character, is a good man who has been carrying the burden of leading his family since his father died. In an effort to be responsible, he has found a suitable woman and gotten engaged.

When Samara needs a place to stay before returning to New York, she comes to live with Sharav’s family for a while. Finding them all still grieving their husband and father in different ways, she looks for ways to help them through it. 

I am so glad I picked up this book. The characters were well developed and interesting, and I enjoyed the setting and culture. The story was fun and warm, and I thought the romantic aspect of it was well done.

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Wherever the Wind Takes Us

In Wherever the Wind Takes Us by Kelly Harms, Becca Larkin is fresh out of a twenty-two year marriage and all she has to show for it is an expensive sailboat. Selling it will give her enough to make a new start, so she and her daughter Liv decide to sail it from Maine to Miami to meet a buyer. After a rough first leg, Liv calls handsome sailing instructor Grant Murphy for help and abruptly leaves the boat. For the rest of the journey, Becca learns how to sail while trying to resist her attraction to the much younger man.

I could relate to both Becca and Liv, having seen divorce from both sides. Liv is struggling with trying to understand what has happened and how to relate to her parents separately, while Becca is trying to maintain a good relationship with her daughter without revealing too much sensitive information. I also thought Harms did a really good job of explaining the intricacies of sailing in an interesting way, and I enjoyed the romance between Becca and Grant.

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South West Series

I recently finished the South West series by Rebecca Paulinyi, which I started back in 2024 when I downloaded the first book for free during a stuff your Kindle event. I liked it enough to buy the second book and then recently decided to take advantage of a three month trial of Kindle Unlimited to finish the series (and read a few other books that I couldn’t get through the library.)

I find these books to be charming, quick reads. We start out in book one by meeting Lee Jones, who impulsively moves to a town in Devon after discovering her husband is cheating on her.  In book three, we meet her sister, Beth Davies, who moves to Devon to shake up her boring life. Lee and Beth continue to be the focus through book six, and then the last two books are about related characters.

The books in order:

  • The Worst Christmas Ever: Christmas in Devon
  • Lawyers & Lattes: Happily Ever After in Devon
  • Feeling the Fireworks: Starting Over in Devon
  • The Best Christmas Ever: A Wedding in Devon
  • Trouble in Tartan: True Love in Devon
  • Summer of Sunshine: Missing Devon
  • Healing the Heartbreak: Moving On in Devon
  • Dancing Till Dawn: First Love in Devon

I am glad I finally got the chance to read the rest of these books. They are fun, feel-good reads.

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Modern Persuasion

Modern Persuasion by Sara Marks (21st Century Austen #1)

📚Summary

Emma Shaw is a modern woman with a classic problem. Eight years ago, Emma put her career and family above her own needs. She’s cut out the man she loves, is exhausted from carrying the emotional load for her family, and her dream career as an editor is on the brink of disaster. 

Now she has to face the man she gave up eight years ago in order to keep her career. When her ex’s book launch is in crisis, her bosses coerce Emma to step in to save it even if that’s no longer her job. Forced to spend a month on the road, Emma has too much time to think about her regrets but also discover new opportunities to make the life she thought she would have, including a second chance with Fredrick. If she can run her life as well as she runs this book tour, she can save her career, be with the man she loves, and maybe tell her family where to stick it.

✍️My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. I had read another book in this series last year but only recently realized the author had done more Austen retellings. I especially loved how this version was set in the publishing world with the FMC being an editor. I did find it ironic that a book set in that industry would have several grammatical errors in it, but I was able to ignore them because of how much I was enjoying the story.

I do wish she hadn’t changed the FMC’s name from Anne to Emma, especially when she kept the MMC’s name as Fredrick. I like the name Anne and found it confusing given that there is already an Emma in Austen’s work. I also thought the writing Fredrick shares with Emma at the end was way too long and detailed. I did like the Louisa character and appreciated how her story was handled, and I loved that Mrs. Smith was included in the book.

All in all, this was a very fun story, and I plan to read more from the series.