Tag Archives: Karen Hawkins

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins – a Review

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The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins – a Review

 

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Description:
Sarah Dove is no ordinary bookworm. To her, books have always been more than just objects: they live, they breathe, and sometimes they even speak. When Sarah grows up to become the librarian in her quaint Southern town of Dove Pond, her gift helps place every book in the hands of the perfect reader. Recently, however, the books have been whispering about something out of the ordinary: the arrival of a displaced city girl named Grace Wheeler.

If the books are right, Grace could be the savior that Dove Pond desperately needs. The problem is, Grace wants little to do with the town or its quirky residents—Sarah chief among them. It takes a bit of urging, and the help of an especially wise book, but Grace ultimately embraces the challenge to rescue her charmed new community. In her quest, she discovers the tantalizing promise of new love, the deep strength that comes from having a true friend, and the power of finding just the right book.

 

 

Review:

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins is the 1st book in her Dove Pond series.  The Book Charmer revolves around the small town of Dove Pond, and it’s librarian, Sarah Dove, who is the book charmer;she magically hears her books suggest who should be reading the selected book. The Dove family has always had a little magical ability to help the town and its townsfolks.  Though Sarah plays an instrumental part of the book, the lead in this story is newcomer Grace Wheeler.

We meet 10 year old Grace and her younger sister, Hannah, when they are placed in a foster home, as due to Grace’s tough attitude they have found themselves moving often, but upon meeting her new foster mom, Mama G, she will find a place to stay.  We pick up years later, with a grown-up Grace, leaving a good job, to move to house in Dove Pond, to help Mama G (who is in the stages of dementia), and her niece, Daisy (her now deceased sister’s child).  Grace takes a job as a township clerk; and gets help for a caregiver for her Mama G.  Grace is distant, and tries not to befriend anyone in town, just do her job.  But Dove Pond is a sweet wonderful small town, with friendly and caring residents.   The town is in financial trouble, and Grace as part of her job, needs to fix the budget, and in time find ways to bring the town back to financial stability.

What follows is a sweet story of Grace slowly understanding more of this town, especially the residents who are determined to keep her. Grace is also having her issues with the deterioration of Mama G, who does have lucid times, but the inevitable will happen.  Daisy is also a handful for Grace, but as the townsfolk start working more with Grace to run a festival and bring in money and people back to Dove Pond, they also bring Daisy into being around new friends and neighbors, bringing her out of her shell.

The Book Charmer was a sweet story line in a wonderful cozy small town in Dove Pond.  Hawkins also gives us wonderful characters, especially Grace, Sarah, Trav, Ava, Daisy, Mama G and so many more. I also enjoyed the animals, as well as spending time with everyone in Dove Pond.   Grace was a great heroine, who over time began to change when she became part of the wonderful town, and make friendships that she never had.  Her late blooming romance with Trav was slow built mostly in the background, but it was a sweet happy ever after. A major part of the story was Grace having to deal with Mama G descent into dementia, and this was done so very well by Hawkins.    The Book Charmer was an an enjoyable read that had a bit of everything; books, small town, magic, family, friendship and sadness.  I suggest you read this book now.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Love in the Afternoon by Karen Hawkins – a Review

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Love in the Afternoon by Karen Hawkins – a Review

 

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Description:
A woman with a legendary green thumb, a man living in an emotional desert, and a small boy unable to connect with others. Can the three of them, with a little help from the charmed town of Dove Pond (and a pesky ghost), turn a nightmare into a fairytale and forge their own happily ever after?

Young widow Sofia Rodriquez has just accepted the position of greenhouse manager for Ava Dove’s booming herbal tea business. Sofia is delighted to have found a job that will make use of her gardening skills and allow her to spend time with her son, Noah, who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s. Adding to her joy is the charming farmhouse she’s renting on the edge of Dove Pond.

The only cloud on Sofia’s horizon is her next-door neighbor, Jake, whose yard is a thorny jungle worthy of Sleeping Beauty. Soon enough, Sofia discovers that Jake himself is just as thorny and unpleasant as his yard.

After his fiancé left him, work-from-home IT whiz and game developer Jake Klaine has gone from Prince Charming to complete hermit. But Jake isn’t really alone; he’s living with a ghost: a (formerly) hairy man named Doyle who’s a fan of bad puns and who refuses to leave Jake’s bathtub. This is nothing new for Jake, as he’s been talking to ghosts since he was a boy. He finds real people harder to deal with, like the kid next door who won’t stop bugging him about the new game he’s developing.

Sofia and Jake know all too well that life isn’t a game. They’ve both lost the person they loved most. But under the watchful eye of the ghostly Doyle and Sofia’s new friend Ava, who has abilities of her own, Jake and Sofia decide to take a chance and let in an outsider. Soon they discover that, with a little magic, even the thorniest walls are no match for the innocent trust of a lonely child and the fierce determination of a woman wielding a razor-sharp pruner and a heart big enough to make even the most stubborn flower bloom.

 

 

Review:

Love in the Afternoon by Karen Hawkins is a novella in her new Dove Pond series.  This was a wonderful heartwarming story that kept us reading from beginning to end.  We meet our hero, Jake Klaine, who unbeknownst to other people sees ghosts from time to time.  Jake is an IT Geek and game developer, and a loner.  After his ex fiancé left him, Jake keeps to himself, totally engrossed in his creating games.  Doyle, is a ghost, who was his next door neighbor who died a few years before, but is now a frequent visitor, continually harasses Jake to go out and meet people. 

Sofia Rodriquez, our heroine, has moved next door to Jake, having accepted the position working for Ava Dove overseeing the greenhouse. Sofia, who is a widow, is happy for the first time in a long while, as she loves her job utilizing her gardening skills.  Sofia’s son, Noah, has Asperger’s, and this job not only pays well, but allows her to be home more for Noah.  

Sofia notices the house next door is covered with rose bushes, and finds out that the man next door is more or less a hermit.  When Noah goes next door, after getting of the school bus, he asks Jake, to Sofia’s horror, if he is a hermit.  Jake, who doesn’t talk much, or out of practice, is surprised, but even more so when he realizes how smart Noah is, and he is a top gamer.  Noah wants to learn how to create codes to make his own games, and Jake decides to teach him a few days a week.

What follows is such a sweet, wonderful slow build romance (totally in background), as we see Jake slowly come out of his phobia to be around people; as well as his developing a close friendship with Noah.  Sofia finds herself also falling for Jake, as he begins to talk and smile at her more.  His ex was not well liked by anyone, and Sofia is such a patient and charming heroine. 

I loved both Jake and Sofia and Noah, and it was such a pleasure to watch those walls come crumbling down.  Doyle was a blast, when he would yell at Jake to tell him how to act or what to do, out of earshot of others.   Love in the Afternoon is a perfect quick read, with a wonderful couple, and dealing with someone with Asperger’s.  I cannot wait to read the next book in this new series, as Karen Hawkins has hit this out of the park.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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What Happens Under the Mistletoe Anthology by Sabrina Jeffries, Karen Hawkins, Candace Camp & Meredith Duran

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WHAT HAPPENS UNDER THE MISTLETOE anthology by Sabrina Jeffries, Karen Hawkins, Candace Camp & Meredith Duran-a review

What Happens Under the Mistletoe

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 27, 2015

In this all-new story collection sparkling with sexy charm and heartwarming wit, four beloved bestselling authors reveal the mix-ups and make-ups, the missed chances and golden opportunities that come but once a year.

•••••••••••••••

MY OVERVIEW: WHAT HAPPENS UNDER THE MISTLETOE is a collection of four holiday-themed historical romance novellas: two storylines focus on second chance romances, while the other two look at cases of mistaken beliefs and a case of mistaken identity. Because of the length of each novella, all of the romances are insta-lust or love; the $ex scenes are limited without the use of graphic sexual language. All of the leading characters befit the time period, while only one novella uses language of the time.

Anthologies are difficult to review due in part to a lack of previous knowledge when some of the novellas are part of an existing series. I am aware that Sabrina Jeffries and Karen Hawkins’s offerings are part of ongoing series but I was unable to confirm the connection for Candace Camp or Meredith Duran.

WHAT HAPPENS UNDER THE MISTLETOE is an entertaining anthology with Christmas/holiday themed novellas for your reading pleasure.

•••••••••••

THE HEIRESS AND THE HOTHEAD by Sabrina Jeffries

Stunned by the heat of an unexpected kiss on a cold winter’s eve, two strangers from vastly different worlds turn hotheaded principles into burning passion in Sabrina Jeffries’s delightful yuletide story, The Heiress and the Hothead.

REVIEW:

THE HEIRESS AND THE HOTHEAD is a novella from Sabrina Jeffries SINFUL SUITORS historical romance series ( a spin off from the Duke’s Men series). This is journalist/writer Lord Stephen Corry, and American heiress/mill owner Amanda Keane’s storyline. Amanda is the sister of artist Jeremy Keane (The Art of Sinning #1). THE HEIRESS AND THE HOTHEAD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

The storyline focuses on the unsafe working conditions in the cotton mills of England, and Stephen’s attempts to bring the atrocities to the public’s attention by reporting and investigating the people and workers. Enter Amanda Keane, an American mill owner who views Stephen’s work as attacks against all mill owners including herself. But a mill fire finds our couple trapped following the rescue of a young boy, and a profession of love and a possible future are made in the heat of the moment.

THE HEIRESS AND THE HOTHEAD is a quick read with a little bit of romance, conflict and a happily ever after. The premise is interesting with a holiday theme; the characters are familiar, colorful and entertaining; the romance is quick to develop- the lone $ex scene is mostly implied with no graphic imagery or text.

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TWELVE KISSES TO MIDNIGHT by Karen Hawkins

In the snowy Scottish countryside, Karen Hawkins’s rakish duke has an unforgettable holiday encounter in Twelve Kisses when the alluring lady he surprises under the mistletoe is not who he expected, but a long-lost love with a score to settle.

REVIEW: TWELVE KISSES TO MIDNIGHT is a Scottish, historical second chance romance between the Fourth Duke of Rothesay Marcus Sutherland, and Lady Kenna Montrose. The novella is part of Karen Hawkin’s Oxenburg Princes series as Crown Prince Nikolai Romanovin, and Grand Duchess Natasha Nikolaevna play a small supporting role throughout the story. TWELVE KISSES TO MIDNIGHT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

The storyline focuses on the rekindling of a relationship between Kenna and Marcus that was destroyed ten years earlier through misunderstanding and male pride. A winter storm finds our couple trapped in a stranger’s bawdy love nest after Marcus is thrown from his horse on way to Kenna’s family cottage. What ensues are Kenna’s attempts at reconciliation, while Marcus continues to find fault with the way their previous relationship ended. TWELVE KISSES TO MIDNIGHT finds our couple stranded together in a cottage completely bedecked for romance and $ex, including some fanciful and graphic paintings upon the walls.

Karen Hawkins adds a little bit of fun and romance with the addition of TWELVE KISSES TO MIDNIGHT where the conflict between sparring lovers is easily resolved with a few well-chosen words leading to a happily ever after. Once again, the $ex scene is mostly implied with no graphic imagery or text. The characters are familiar and colorful; the storyline is entertaining- there is plenty of back and forth, accusations, and questions about love and loss.

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BY AN OTHER NAME by Candace Camp

In By Any Other Name, Edinburgh is aglitter for Christmastime as Candace Camp sends a curious gentleman in hot pursuit of an intriguing lady in disguise—one who refuses to reveal her true identity, though she fears he has already stolen her heart with his kiss.

REVIEW:

BY ANY OTHER NAME by Candace Camp is a storyline of mistaken identity between Rylla Campbell and Gregory Rose. Dressed as a young man Rylla hunts for her runaway, missing eighteen year old in saloons and gaming halls wherein she will meet Gregory Rose-the man who will come to her aid, and steal her heart but a man who is lead to believe Rylla is someone else. With Gregory’s help, Rylla goes in search of her brother only to discover that her brother is already on his way home.

Candace Camp weaves a little bit of mystery and intrigue into an historical romance where our heroine fails to reveal her true identity allowing for a series of mishaps and perceived betrayal. The romance is played out while our couple are on the hunt; like the other storylines the $ex scene is mostly implied without the use of graphic language or imagery.

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SWEET RUIN by Meredith Duran

In Sweet Ruin, will the festive spirit of the season sweep Meredith Duran’s feisty heroine beneath the mistletoe—and back into the arms of the dashing rogue whose carelessness soiled her reputation and sent her into exile in London?

REVIEW:

SWEET RUIN by Meredith Duran is a storyline of second chances between Georgiana Trent, and Lucas Godwin. Two years earlier, Lucas walked out of Georgie’s life without saying good bye or an explanation as to why he ran. Fast forward to present day wherein Lucas has been hired by Georgie’s father to search for a ‘stolen’ letter that may or may not be have taken by one of the holiday guests. What ensues is a rekindling romance between Georgie and Lucas where the truth finds our heroine ready to move on from her family home.

Meredith Duran weaves a Christmas tale of lost love, intrigue and mystery where everyone is suspect in the case of a missing letter, but no one is aware that of the investigation or that anything is wrong. The collection of secondary and supporting characters reads like a game of CLUE but the guilty party has not returned home for the holidays. Again, the lone $ex scene is mostly implied.

Copy supplied by the publisher.

Reviewed by Sandy

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