BOOKS AND CHINOOKS

Isla sets out to discover what happened in the disappearance of her friend ten years earlier in this slow-burning, suspenseful story. Isla hasn’t had an easy life, so her only friend suddenly vanishing was heartbreaking. Tracing back to where Eden last went sends Isla dealing with the powerful Corrigan family, and she soon learns she didn’t know as much about Eden as she thought. As the secrets unfold, will Isla finally get the answers she wants? An entertaining and engaging

This was an okay book, but parts of it didn’t work for me. Skylar is a college softball pitcher, and she first meets hockey player Robbie when her brother ropes her into pitching at a game. Soon, we have insta love on playboy Robbie’s part and a fake dating scenario for the benefit of Skylar’s family. This was too insta-lovey for me. Robbie had a complete personality change overnight, and Skylar wasn’t far behind in falling for him. It was too much, too fast! If you like this

This is an entertaining romance with a brother’s best friend trope. Willow is dog-sitting for her brother while he is deployed, and she is also hiding out from a public humiliation meme that is making the rounds about her. Deacon has assured his best friend, Cruz, that he will look out for his sister, and that includes not getting romantically involved with her. As Willow and Deacon become friends, they decide to re-do all her romantic firsts to erase them from being connecte

This is a lovely character-driven story about second chances. Bonnie has been around antiques all her life, as her father owned an antique shop. After his death, she continued to work in antique shops, and luckily, her path eventually crossed with Lew as he struggled to keep his antique shop alive. Both Lew and Bonnie are also dealing with difficult marriages. These two were lovely, gracious, and warm characters and made the book a joy to read. The secondary characters connec

Tess is a successful Hollywood star best known for her superhero movies. She wants to change her image and pursue her love of the theatre, and is about to begin a play. After a director change right before rehearsals start, it turns out her ex, Rebecca, will be the director. Rebecca is a well-known stage director and, unbeknownst to anyone else, was Tess’s first and only love. Tess has still never come out with the worry about career and personal ramifications. Will Tess be a

This book may have a fake marriage trope but it isn’t the light, fluffy one we sometimes see. The fake marriage in this case is so Simi’s sister doesn’t have to return to India, where the girls lived a terrible life before going to the U.S. Simi has built a great life, but lives in fear of deportation while she waits for her green card. Rupi is in trouble now and has always helped Simi, and now it’s Simi helping her by allowing her boyfriend to be the groom so she can stay in

Sage is a debut writer and is flying to NYC to attend her first Comic Con. She meets Theo on the plane, who, unbeknownst to her, is an up-and-coming popular actor. When a severe writer's block doesn’t abate, Sage books a trip to Scotland to see if that will spur her writing. She runs into Theo there, and their chemistry is still palpable. As Sage and Theo both confront deep-seated issues in their lives, they find comfort in each other. The main characters have major personal

I was curious about this book since I was seeing it everywhere, so I decided to give it a try. This is the story of Lexi, who is a princess in the British royal family and her sudden thrust into being able to become the monarch. Lexi was totally unprepared as her brother was supposed to be the heir upon her father’s passing. Unfortunately, both men died at the same time. Lexi is ambivalent about taking the throne, as she was estranged from her family and wanted nothing to do

This was a great book to read during the hectic holiday season. A second-chance romance and a dose of Christmas magic are the key components of this book. After her father is arrested, Everly heads to the place where she was once happiest and also where her first love is. The setting is perfect with the cute small town and interesting characters. Tate and Everly slowly reconnect and remember why they were first attracted to each other. Overall, a great Hallmark-type book that

This is a great second-chance romance between a figure skater and a hockey player. Chase and Zoe met ten years earlier when they were teenagers and worked at a summer figure skating camp. After a whirlwind romance followed by a terrible event that caused them to not have any further communication until now, they suddenly find themselves having to work together. Chase is annoyed, and Zoe is nervous. After winding through what happened all those years ago, they finally start to

This one definitely gave me all the Christmas feels! Very adorable Christmas-themed town and an adorable child. A lot of interesting family dynamics and overall very close family connections. The two main characters have great chemistry. This is my third book by this author, and it is well written and entertaining.

This is a second-chance romance story with a beautiful setting in Italy. Ellie and Cris have known each other since they were kids, and both had hoped their relationship would progress beyond being friends. Circumstances caused distance and distrust, but now they are forced to be together at the wedding of their grandparents. I loved learning more about both of their lives and careers and enjoyed getting to see their relationship bloom. This was a well-written story with grea