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A Virgin River Novel, Book 21

From the publisher:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr returns to the beloved town of Virgin River with a brand-new story about fresh starts, new friends and the magic of Christmas.

Kaylee Sloan’s home in Southern California is full of wonderful memories of the woman who raised her. But the memories are prolonging her grief over her mother’s recent death. A successful author, Kaylee hoped she could pour herself into her work. Instead she has terrible writer’s block and a looming deadline.

Determined to escape distractions and avoid the holiday season, Kaylee borrows a cabin in Virgin River. She knows the isolation will help her writing, and as she drives north through the mountains and the majestic redwoods, she immediately feels inspired. Until she arrives at a building that has just gone up in flames. Devastated, she heads to Jack’s Bar to plan her next steps. The local watering hole is the heart of the town, and once she crosses the threshold, she’s surprised to be embraced by people who are more than willing to help a friend—or a stranger—in need.

Kaylee’s world is expanding in ways she never dreamed possible. And when she rescues a kitten followed by a dog with a litter of puppies, she finds her heart opening up to the animals who need her. And then there’s the dog trainer who knows exactly how to help her. As the holidays approach, Kaylee’s dread turns to wonder. Because there’s no better place to spend Christmas than Virgin River.

This has long been one of my favorite series, and it was great to be back in Virgin River. The storyline here was really good, but there was way too much catching up on all the other characters and the stories that came before. So this can be read as a standalone without any trouble, but I found myself skimming parts that were all too familiar.

I know there are some people who are finding this series because of the Netflix show. I was barely able to watch it, and friends who also loved the books really hated the show. I didn’t hate it, but I certainly didn’t love it. It was a disappointment, especially coming from Netflix. Other series based on books that they’ve done have been really good, but this just felt like they took the characters’ names and went a whole different way. Very annoying. So I was really happy to find this new book in the series, but I have to say it felt like Carr just called it in. Not her best.

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

Happily Inc, Book 6

From the publisher:

Wynn gave up dating when she found herself single and pregnant, and now that her son is a teenager, and she has a hot single cop living next door, she’s thinking maybe it’s time. They are the “wave hello” kind of neighbors, so when Garrick knocks on her door, she is surprised and happy. Turns out the hot cop is a single dad, but his daughter, Joylyn, has been living with her mom and wants no part of dad. They were super close until her teenage years when she started treating him like the enemy and broke his heart. Now she’s pregnant and due around Christmas, her husband is deployed to Afghanistan, and her mom thinks she will be better off waiting for her husband and the baby at her dad’s house.

Garrick’s house is a total man cave and he knows he needs to do something to make it feel like home for Joylyn. In desperation, he asks Wynn to help. They go on a shopping spree and find they have a lot in common, not to mention there is a strong, physical attraction as well.

Joylyn is a bitch. Her mother neglected to mention that fact to Garrick but she’s been a bitch to him for years. And she’s pregnant, alone, scared, and taking all that out on everyone in her world. Wynn understands as she has been in a similar place, except without all the privilege. As the two women grow closer, Joylynn’s behavior starts getting a little bit better. As Garrick is nothing but patient and kind with her, their relationship starts thawing, too.

Getting through Thanksgiving and Christmas together definitely makes life better for everyone. Garrick and Wynn don’t have a lot of time to spend together with all the holiday and baby craziness, but the heat between them is spiking and everyone can see it.

Happily is a small town and Joylyn never understood why her father wanted to live there until she moves in with him. She’s starting to learn about friendship and love and family and she grows more than any other character – and I’m not talking about the pregnancy!

Even so, this is not her story but Wynn’s. Fans of the Happily Inc series have been waiting for Wynn to find love and all I can say is that it was worth the wait. All the characters from previous books make an appearance, but if you haven’t read the series, no worries, this book easily stands alone. But I love this series, so go read them all, okay?

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

Pine Hollow, Book 1

From the publisher:

A Christmas book with puppies? Sign me up! This author was new to me but the title alone sold the book for me. I really liked these characters and the Vermont small town setting.

Ally thinks she is swooping in to help save her grandparents’ home and animal shelter. The town council has a budget crisis and needs to make some quick cuts, the shelter seems like the most painless route to take. Except for the dogs who haven’t found homes yet.

Ben cast the deciding vote on the budget cut, so he is feeling a tiny bit guilty about it, even though logically it was the right thing to do. Ben is the guardian of his niece, and feels the weight of that responsibility. He is also the type to think he can do everything himself, but it is proving to be a lot harder than he thought it would be.

Ben takes his guilt to the shelter and offers to help Ally find homes for all the dogs. He comes up with this great idea of a Christmas-dog promotion and it starts to work fairly quickly. Meanwhile, all that working together has Ben and Ally falling in love, but both are fighting it; Ben, because of the weight of his responsibilities, and Ally, because this is supposed to be a pit stop in her life, not her permanent destination. But happily-ever-afters often come with sacrifice. After a lot of ups and downs, Ben and Ally find theirs. As do the dogs.

I really enjoyed this romantic romp. If you like your Christmas stories with a side of puppies, as I do, this is your book. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

For something fun, take the “Who Is Your Furry Friends Rescue Match” quiz!

10/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

From the publisher:

The writing duo known as Christina Lauren is (are?) a definite favorite. They write compelling stories with characters that spring to life on the page, with just enough sex to keep it real. It was a real joy to see their latest is a Christmas story, but not just any Christmas story, a “Groundhog Day” version.

“Groundhog Day” is one of my favorite movies, so this aspect really appealed to me. I had to laugh out loud when Mae’s confidant, Benny, points this out to her and she is just drawing a blank. This Millennial has never seen the movie! Personal note: shame on her parents for that oversight.

It did take me a bit to figure out all the characters, as there are three families sharing the Christmas holiday. They are the kind of friends who become family, and family of the best kind – the ones you pick are the ones you love best. They have traditions born of spending decades of holidays together, and Mae is the traditionalist of the bunch, always wanting everything to be exactly the same, year to year.

Except for one thing: when she turned 13, she realized that she was majorly crushing on Andrew, the elder brother of her contemporary, Theo. The families always sort of expected Theo and Mae to get together as they have been best friends all their lives. But friendship is all it is meant to be, so when one night a drunken Mae & Theo make out, it changes the relationship. But not as much as when on the way to the airport for the ride home, Mae & her family are in a car accident, or so she thinks. When she wakes up, she finds she is on the plane heading to Utah for the Christmas vacation. 

As in the movie, Mae understands that something has to change to get her back to real life, whatever that turns out to be. She keeps reliving the holiday until she finally gets it right – or so she thinks. Lots of angst mellowed by a lot of laughs make this a really fun holiday read. Don’t miss it!

10/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

From the publisher:

October is chock full of Christmas stories and I love them. This one is British, too, set in a small, quaint village where all the characters know one another. But for a single woman, there just aren’t a parade of single men passing through so it’s hard to meet someone. A dating app comes up with the idea of “12 Dates of Christmas” and pricy though it is, Kate signs up. At least the fee includes all the activities, and there are some really fun ones.

The book is divided into chapters by date, but there is more to the story than just that. Bayliss does a really good job bringing her characters to life, and I felt like I could have lived there by the end. Except for the snow, of course! Me and snowy winter do not get along.

Kate is a fabric designer, which I found fascinating. She also bakes for the local cafe, which is owned by her childhood friend, Matt. We know that there was a falling out at some point, but that storyline is secondary – until it isn’t. Meanwhile, Matt and Kate love giving each other a hard time, and the dating app is great fodder for Matt to tease Kate about.

Kate’s first date is a no show, so not off to a great start! The people running this promotion make all the dates so it’s not like you can just swipe on who you want. Then there is the “crying vegan,” a couple of men still in love with their exes, a highly wound, super competitive architect, and well, you get the idea. There are a couple of men who seem promising and Kate remains hopeful, but there are more dates ahead…

This is a super fun romance, and I think it would make a great rom-com (hello, Netflix!) The town is charming, Christmas is almost another character, and I highly recommend!

10/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™