Anita Ojeda Looking for a cozy romance to cuddle up with this fall? These two new releases will warm your heart.
I receive free electronic advanced reader copies of these books through an arrangement between the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion on NetGalley’s website. I only review books on my blog that I really love.
Warm Your Heart and Laugh Out Loud
One book will warm your heart and prepare you for the Christmas season, the other will keep you belly laughing. Laughter counts as exercise, right? And exercise will keep you warm on even the coldest evening.
An Ivy Hill Christmas
By Julie Klassen, Bethany House Publishers, September 2020, 212 pages (a novella).
Richard Brockwell hides behind his dandy’s demeanor and fastidious façade. When his mother and brother conspire to uproot him from his comfortable London existence by forcing him home for Christmas, Richard invites his friend David Murray to come along with him.
For the last decade or more, Richard has enjoyed the pleasure of London life and the separation from his family—a family he loves but isn’t sure that he likes. For years he has successfully kept his emotions in check and his heart hard. But that all starts to change on the eve of his journey with the appearance of a stray mutt outside his door. On the coach ride to Ivy Hill, a boy topples off the top, further pricking Richard’s long-unused conscience. Will he survive the holidays at Ivy Hill with his mask firmly in place? Or will the charm of Ivy Hill and its inhabitants widen the fissures and help Richard discover his true self.
Arabella Awdry, her sister Penelope, and her mother have received invitations to spend Christmas at Brockwell Court as part of a large house party. Secretly, Arabella’s mother hopes to find husbands for her two daughters. But Arabella wants to dedicate her life to helping the poor in London. And she knows Richard Brockwell, the man her mother wants her to wed, wants nothing to do with her.
Who Will Love This Book
If you’ve read Klassen’s other Ivy Hill novels, you’ll love this one, too. If you haven’t read them yet, grab and copy and settle down for engaging tales in a Mitford-like 19th century English village. Klassen simmers her stories on the back burner to bring out the nuance of each character. Take time to savor her rich creations and recreations of village life. They will warm your heart and restore your faith in our ability to change.
Don't miss this heart-warming novella from @Julie_Klassen. It will put you in the Christmas spirit. #amreading @BethanyHouse @NetGalley Click To TweetTo Steal a Heart (The Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency Book 1)
By Jen Turano, Bethany House Publishers, November 2020, 368 pages.
Gabriella Goodhue has put her past as a pickpocket and safecracker behind her. Or so she thought. But when a fellow resident of the Bleeker St. Boardinghouse gets unjustly accused of stealing a priceless jewel collection from her fiancé’s parents, Gabriella has no choice but to help prove her friend’s innocence. Despite the motely group of lookouts, coachmen, and companions, Gabriella feels she’s well on her way to finding the true thief. She sneaks into the homeowner’s private chamber and can feel victory. Until she discovers the boy who abandoned her in the same bedroom, trying to crack the same safe.
Nicholas Quinn grew up on the streets, learning the nefarious trades of one of the toughest gangs in New York City. When a professor takes Nicholas under his wing as part of an experiment to see if he can turn a street urchin into a gentleman, Nicholas’s life takes a dramatic turn. The only thing he regrets about leaving his life of crime is his former partner and best friend. After her arrest, she gets sent out west on an orphan train—out of reach and lost to the unknown.
While trying to help a friend, Pinkerton agent Cooper Clifton, discover who really stole the Linwood Sapphires, he runs into his companion of old trying to crack a safe during a society event.
Gabriella, now a gainfully employed seamstress, wants nothing to do with the boy-turn-society-man who abandoned her during her darkest hour. But Nicholas keeps popping up at the most (in)opportune times. Will their friendship survive their changed circumstances? As they two start collaborating, they discover their feelings of friendship have turned into something more. But can true love find a way when he lives in a mansion and she resides in a boardinghouse?
Why I Love This Book
Turano reigns as queen of witty dialogue and fast-paced action. I laughed out loud a time or two and giggled in between. Don’t mistake her books for pure fluff, though, Turano’s books pack a punch of self-discovery. Especially in today’s contentious, divisive climate, readers will appreciate how characters work together to find common ground and follow their true north. If you love historical fiction, you’ll adore To Steal a Heart, a must-read novel set in the Gilded Age.
@JenTurano has done it again! The queen of witty dialogue and fast-paced comedy has a new series out, and you won't want to miss the first book #ToStealaHeart. #amreading #comedy #romance #inspy Click To Tweet
