Review: The Lights on Knockbridge Lane, by @RoanParrish

Posted on by Robert Zimmermann

Title: The Lights on Knockbridge Lane (Garnet Run #3)
Author:Roan Parrish
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Can one man’s crowded, messy life fill another man’s empty heart?

Raising a family was always Adam Mills’ dream, although solo parenting and moving back to tiny Garnet Run certainly were not. After a messy breakup, Adam is doing his best to give his young daughter the life she deserves—including accepting help from their new, reclusive neighbor to fulfill her Christmas wish.

Though the little house may not have “the most lights ever,” the Mills home begins to brighten as handsome Wes Mobray spends more time there and slowly sheds his protective layers. But when the eye-catching house ends up in the news, Wes has to make a choice: hide from the darkness of his unusual past or embrace the light of a future—and a family—with Adam.” (description from Goodreads)

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This was my first Garnet Run book and my first from Roan Parrish, as well. Having finished the book, I now know it won’t be the last I read from the series or author. I really enjoyed my time in Garnet Run, especially during the holiday season.

This is a little odd for me to put into my review, but I think it’ll highlight the strength of this story. I’ve been reading this book since the beginning of the year. I’ve now finished it…in July. Reading’s been difficult lately, but I’ve been able to come back to this story in bits and pieces over the months. Each time, I’ve fallen right back into the story as if I never left it. Not every book can do that.

The story of Adam and Gus finding their way after a big move and big life changes is what kept me coming back. Along with that, reading about Wes rediscovering the joys of spending time with people after a traumatic upbringing was so well-done that I would have read a book focused just on him even if it wasn’t a romance. I know there’s more to his story as he breaks out of his comfort zone and I’d gladly read it.

This is a story of family, by birth and found, love, and the magic of the holidays (even if that sounds cheesy…it’s so well done in this book). There’s an overall warm feeling in this book that is what I love about a well-written holiday romance. What I’d love now is a book centered on River. I really want to read their story! I’ll cross my fingers that River’s book is in the works.

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You can find this book on:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

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About the Author:

Rosie Summers is a little bit obsessed with coffee, chocolate, and books…not necessarily in that order. She lives with her husband and children and enjoys writing happily ever afters when everyone else is asleep.

Find out more:

Themed Book Recommendations: Vets in Romance

Posted on by Robert Zimmermann

What’s the theme for this next Themed Book Recommendations installment? If you guessed that it had to deal with animals, then you’re right!

As with most of these posts, I come up with a theme randomly. Usually something pops in my head. Like this time. I was thinking it would be cool to read some romances that have veterinarians in them. And not just have a character who’s a vet. I wanted books that have that character actually doing their job and includes some fun animal scenes. I’ve read enough books that have cool professions in them, but they don’t really play large roles in the plots. And that’s ok some times. But other times having a profession be part of who the character is and actually seeing it on the page makes for a great book!

Well, in order for this list to be what it is and as long as it is, I enlisted the help of Twitter. And I was surprised by the response. I can’t say that all of these books will feature the vet job at the center of the book. But I can say that they all contain at least one character who is a vet (or in some cases a vet tech, and that works for me). I was able to take the time to vet the books (see what I did there?) through reading descriptions and working off of what readers told me. And one reader even pointed me toward a Goodreads list that’s all MM romances with vets. I didn’t go through every single book on that list. We’ll have to trust those who made the list that they’re animal doctors.

Please enjoy this very long list that probably could have been longer. I hope to create another for you soon. I’d love to know what theme you’d like to see next! Comment with any suggestions.

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Find something you might want to read? I hope so. Want to see another set of recommendations focused on a theme? Let me know what that theme is, and if you can help with some recs for it, include them in the message.

Happy reading!

It’s #IndependentBookstoreDay! Go Celebrate!

Posted on by Robert Zimmermann

Today, April 29th, is Independent Bookstore Day, or Indie Bookstore Day for those who are tired of typing Independent (I’m getting close to that point already). It’s a day to go out into the world (if it’s safe enough) or online (where it’s arguably just as dangerous) and support your local Indie bookstores. Barnes and Noble and other big bookstore chains are great, but it’s the Indies that do something special for the community.

If you’re lucky enough to have a local bookstore to visit or shop from in some way, that’s great! There are some great ones out here in Colorado, but they’re all at least an hour away. Some of the more fun ones closer to 2 or more hours. I wish I could visit them all today. Instead, I’ll be visiting one that opened up in the last few months in my county. And if time allows another just a little further out, as well as a local comic/game shop I’ve been meaning to get into.

For those who aren’t blessed with a local store, I have some suggestions. And because this blog mostly features romance books (since that’s mostly all I’ve read in the last few years), they’re romance centered stores. There are two romance only bookstores in the United States currently. Though I recall there’s a third that’s set to open. I just can’t remember what it’s called (and it’s been a long Friday as I type this post up, so my brain isn’t going good at the searching and the Googling). Hopefully you’re better informed and can comment with it’s name/info when you read this. What I did find in my searching is that a romance only store will be opening up in Canada! That’ll give me a chance to go to Toronto as some point. So enough rambling about things. You just want to know what stores these are and jump over to their websites to order some books. I know that’s what I want!

And the last thing I want to say is to please comment with your favorite Indie bookstore and where it’s located. Spread the word so more people can discover them!

 

New Release: Show Off, by @dekabat

Posted on by Robert Zimmermann

From casual hook up … to something more?

Burlesque dancer Charlie Kent should be happy performing and hooking up with sexy people now the pandemic is over, just like before. Instead it feels empty. The audience is always missing Elle, her friend-with-benefits. They were just casual, but Charlie now realises she wants more. Much more. When Elle arrives at the Seraph’s Burlesque Club for business only, Charlie is not going to let this second chance go to waste.

Elle’s interior design business has boomed since the pandemic with so much work she’s barely thought of the sexy-as-sin burlesque dancer who she used to hook up with… Except when she’s lonely all night. But she can’t be just friends anymore, so she stays away. When she is commissioned to refit Seraph’s Burlesque Club, Elle bumps into Charlie, and all her best intentions go out of the perfectly dressed window.

Elle must keep her professional reputation intact, and can’t allow her attraction to Charlie to derail her work and her need for love. . . Unless she can have it all?

  • friends with benefits to lovers
  • second chances

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If you’d like to buy a copy of this book, you can find it on:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

and if you missed getting you hands on book one, Show Up, find it here:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

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About the Author:

Renée Dahlia is an unabashed romance reader who loves feisty women and strong, clever men. Her books reflect this, with a side note of awkward humour. Renée has a science degree in physics. When not distracted by the characters fighting for attention in her brain, she works in the horse-racing industry doing data analysis and writing magazine articles. When she isn’t reading or writing, Renée spends her time with her partner and four children, usually watching them play cricket.

Find out more:

#Review: Christmas in Peony Harbor, by Rosie Summers

Posted on by Robert Zimmermann

Title: Christmas in Peony Harbor (Aster Island #0)
Author: Rosie Summers
Rating: 3/5 stars

“Escape to Peony Harbor this Christmas! A complete standalone novella in the Aster Island series. Grab a cup of hot cocoa, curl up with a blanket, and relax by the fire as the snow falls quietly on Peony Harbor…

Anna Harper hasn’t been home for Christmas in over three years—ever since she got promoted to editor in chief of the popular Stylish magazine in New York City. But this year is different. When a slew of layoffs hit the glam company a week before the holidays, Anna is both out of a job and in need of a change of scenery.

When Anna returns home to the cozy little island off the coast of New England, she’s only expecting to stay a few days at her sister’s beachfront inn. But when she steps foot on Aster Island, she’s in for one festive surprise. On her first day there, Anna runs into a mysterious guest at the inn—while wearing elf pajamas no less—and although she hates to admit it, Ryan Jackson is bringing up feelings in Anna she’s not sure she’s ready to explore.

Anna’s dreams of settling down and having a family were pushed aside as her career skyrocketed, but maybe it’s time for a change. This year, something’s in the air, and a little pinch of Christmas magic is trying to prove her wrong. As the holidays swing into full gear, Anna must make a decision. Will she give herself over to a Christmas miracle, or when New Year’s Eve rolls around, will she be back in New York City… alone?” (description from Goodreads)

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When the holidays come around I tend to gravitate toward holiday romances. In particular, novellas that I can fit in-between all the chaos the season brings. That’s one of the reasons I picked up Christmas in Peony Harbor. Another was that I was really in the mood for a small town setting (another catnip for me).

I was able to breeze through this novella a bit faster than I realized during a few sessions here and there. Partly that’s because I was drawn toward seeing what would happen next at the small island town of Peony Harbor was established and also to see where Anna and Ryan’s character arcs and growing friendship would lead. It was here that I was a bit disappointed, but maybe I was hoping for more than the length of this book could give. I was hoping to see Anna’s growth on the page and some more development of Ryan’s character. I also felt that I needed some more depth to their interactions while falling for each other. Again, a novella length story makes it challenging, but as a reader I was still left wanting more.

Despite this, I think I’ll be trying out the first novel in this series. The town seems like a great setting. Some of the characters could be fun to read if given the chance to show themselves on the page more. And being that it’s centered around Eloise, and “older” character, I’m going to give it a chance. Everyone deserves a story at any age, not just the twenty-somethings.

All-in-all this was a still a quick, cozy holiday read. A bit light on the romance. A bit light on the story depth. But worth giving a shot.

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You can find this book on:

Amazon

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About the Author:

Rosie Summers is a little bit obsessed with coffee, chocolate, and books…not necessarily in that order. She lives with her husband and children and enjoys writing happily ever afters when everyone else is asleep.

Find out more: