Title: Here Comes the Drama
Author: Christa Innis
Publisher: Eleanora Press
Year: 2025
Genre(s): romance
Part of a Series: Possibly book 1.
Why I read it: I’ve seen Christa’s sketches and wanted to read her book.
Summary: Ferris proposes to his girlfriend Sloane but not everyone is happy for them. His mother, Kate, proves to be the biggest obstacle to them getting down the aisle. Will they find a way to get around her…or will she get her way in the end?
Rating: 
Happy New Year, everyone!
I know I pretty much disappeared toward the end of last year and I apologize for that. Real life got a little hectic just as the time seemed to speed up. My writing schedule was disrupted but I’m hoping the holidays have allowed me to get it back on track.
Maybe?
Anyway, as I usually do, it’s time to wrap up the year that was before we look forward to the year that will be.
Here we go!
Title: A Legend in the Baking
Author: Jamie Wesley
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2024
Genre(s): romance
Part of a Series: Yes. Read my review of Book 1 here.
Why I read it: Because I enjoyed the first book.
Summary: August Hodges never wanted the spotlight, even though he is a professional football player and co-owner of one of the hottest cupcake shops in the city. But when his rant in support of women goes viral, the spotlight finds him. He finds himself needing to navigate his newfound fame as he and his partners prepare to open a second location. Since fame doesn’t come naturally to him, he’s going to need help.
Enter Sloane Dell, the sister of his friend and business partner Donovan. Sloane is building a career as a social media manager and helping to manage her brother’s business will be a great stepping stone toward her dream job. She agrees to help August channel his fifteen minutes of fame toward helping the shop grow. However, working closely with August brings back feelings she thought were in the pass. Will she be able to help August and possibly get a happy ending she never thought possible? Or will they both just get burned?
Rating: 
Title: The Undoing of Violet Claybourne
Author: Emily Critchley
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Year: 2025
Genre(s): historical fiction
Part of a Series: No
Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club Pick
Summary: When Gillian Larking goes to spend Christmas with Violet Claybourne, her friend and roommate at boarding school, she sees it as her chance to experience a proper family and the high society life the Claybournes enjoy. But instead of a glittery lifestyle, she finds a crumbling manor house and a darkness that soon threatens to consume her as well. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to prove herself to Violet’s sisters when tragedy strikes?
Rating:
Title: Happy Place
Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2023
Genre(s): romance, contemporary
Part of a Series: No
Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club Pick
Summary: Six friends – Harriet, Wynn, Sabrina, Parth, Cleo and Kimmy – arrive in Maine for their annual summer vacation. It will be their last year there as Sabrina’s family is selling the house in Maine. And while they are there, she and Parth plan to get married. As everyone prepares for the wedding, Harriet and Wynn have to hide a big secret from their friends – they called off their own engagement and broke up six months earlier. Can they make it through the week? Or will they lose their Happy Place forever?
Rating: 
Title: The Lost Bookshop
Author: Evie Woods
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2023
Genre(s): historical fiction, contemporary
Part of a Series: No
Why I read it: Recommendation from Storygraph
Summary: Escaping an arranged marriage and a tyrannical brother, Opaline eventually finds refuge in a store that seems to be alive. Years later, Henry goes on a quest to find the store and encounters Martha, who is reclaiming her life after leaving her abusive husband. Their stories entwine into a beautiful mosaic that hopefully leads to their happy endings.
Rating: 
