Brooke St. James is one of my favorite authors. Her series The Hunt Family and The Martin Family made me feel like I had new friends in different parts of the country. Her new series Shower & Shelter Artists Collective hit me very close to home since I am also an artist. Written in first person, the reader is immediately drawn into the story. The characters are genuine and lovable. These are pure and simple romances, very little angst, with sweet, honorable leading men and women. I loved the banter, the willingness to own their feelings, but stay true to their situations, and their strength of character. A perfect example is the last line in Chapter 12 of So Much for Boundaries when the heroine, Zoe, says, "Lane Alexander was entirely too noble." Each story leaves a smile on your face and peace in your heart. The books so far are, in order:

JFK to Dublin
Not Your Average Joe
So Much for Boundaries
Suddenly Starstruck

First line from So Much for Boundaries:

"I had been going to Fran's Beauty Shop since I was a kid. I was raised by my grandparents, and my grandmother, God rest her soul, went there once a week like clockwork to get her hair shampooed and set with rollers."

I'm looking forward to the next one. This is a series you won't want to miss. Happy reading.

   

Fridays are my nemesis

My weeks are full of work, school, and now preparing for my son's wedding. I always take on more than I should and that means all my personal stuff suffers. But I try to take time in the evenings to read - usually short novellas so I feel like I've accomplished something. Here's a taste of last week's from the newly released SILVER SCREEN KISSES: AN ECHO RIDGE ANTHOLOGY (BOOK 3):

"Lacey Johnson had always thought that hitting rock bottom required you to be an alcoholic or a drug addict. But no. It turned out there wre lots of ways to smack right into that piece of real estate."

My Fair Lacey by Janette Rallison

Each novella in this anthology is a parody of a classic movie with little twists. My favorites were this one and While You Were Skiing by Lucy McConnell, but they were all fun reads. Each novella was followed by a recipe from the story as well. If you're looking for a little light-weight entertainment, these are wonderful authors.

Happy Friday everyone. Sorry this is late, but I'm trying to juggle so many things right now. Not able to do much reading, but started a new anthology this week: "Love at First Laugh" Eight novellas, all with light-hearted tone; perfect for a quick escape. This week: Pepper Basham's book titled Second Impressions and here's the first line:

Birthdays were not her happy place.
Or at least they hadn't been for the last three years.

Happy reading!