Audiobook Review: The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Only Game in Town
Author: Lacie Waldon
Narrators: Brittany Pressley, Lee Osorio, Catherine Taber, Mark Deakins
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: March 21, 2023
Print length: 416 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 53 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

One small town, one big prize, one handsome stranger…

Nothing ever changes in Redford, Georgia. That’s what freelance editor Jess Reid loves about her hometown—and part of what keeps her from leaving. Content taking care of her father, a car mechanic who singlehandedly raised her after her mom skipped out, Jess is resigned to a safe, unremarkable existence…until Jasper Wilhelm, the town’s eccentric benefactor, dies suddenly and leaves behind the opportunity of a lifetime.

Financial advisor Carter Barclay has been too busy to visit his grandfather in Redford, but he’s heard countless stories about the town and its zany residents from Jasper. A small, insular town in Georgia is the last place Carter expects to be spending his summer—but it seems his grandfather had one final trick up his sleeve.

At the funeral, it’s revealed that Jasper has devised a massive, high-stakes game for the people of Redford, with the winning duo taking home his entire fortune. The catch? He’s already taken the liberty of pairing them up. As tensions of all kinds rise between Jess and Carter, and the life-changing prize looms closer, the two must decide what they’re willing to risk to change their lives. A love story full of spirit and hijinks, The Only Game in Town is a funny, quirky homage to the people we get to call home.

The Only Game in Town has a romance as a central storyline… but really, I’d describe it more as a love letter to the idea of small town community. There are rivalries and grudges, but also odd-couple friendships, unexpected sources of support… and yes, romance too.

Jess moved back to her beloved home town of Redford, Georgia several years earlier. Her editing career is just okay — she had the opportunity to pursue a more high-powered career with a major publisher, but missed her community and her father. Life in Redford is quiet, to say the least. There’s one bar (a dive, but full of lovable personalities), one bakery (whose owner is currently at war with a former friend who’s dared to start a pop-up muffin business), one hair salon, and plenty of unique personalities (like the guy who sits on a street corner to talk about the weather every day).

Life in Redford is upended when the local philanthropist, Jasper Wilhelm, passes away. Unknown to most of the townsfolk, he worked behind the scenes, assisted by his beloved grandson Carter, to give anonymous bequests to Redfordonians in need. (Yes, they refer to themselves as Redfordonians, which feels clunky, but okay).

Carter only connected with his grandfather ten years earlier, after walking away from his hard-driving, unfeeling parents’ family business and reconnecting with his mother’s estranged father. Carter’s first visit to Redford is for Jasper’s funeral, where he’s immediately charmed by the tiny town… and especially Jess, with her brightly colored wardrobe and devotion to Redford.

After the funeral, Jasper’s lawyer reads the will to the town. Jasper has left his fortune — $10 million — to the people of Redford, but with a catch: They have to play to win. He’s concocted a competition, assigning people as partners to carry out a series of challenges. The winning pair win it all, with all scoring at the discretion of his lawyer. No arguing, no contesting the outcome, and no changing partners. If you want in, you follow Jasper’s rules.

Naturally, the prize money is too enticing for anyone to willingly sit out. And that extends to Jess as well, who’s paired with Nikki, the mean girl who’s never gotten over a high school betrayal (as Nikki sees it) and who’s gone out of her way to be cruel to Jess ever since.

Carter isn’t interested in Jasper’s money for himself, but knows that Jasper intended for him to carry on the work they’d been doing, so when he learns that Jasper assigned him to a team and expects him to play the game as well, he’s convinced that he’s already the prearranged winner. Still, this game seems to have been very important to Jasper, so he goes along with it. But as the game progresses, he finds himself more and more immersed in town life, and starts to feel guilty that the competition may actually be a sham.

Meanwhile, Jess and Carter are drawn together from the start, and as they compete and get to know one another, their initial sparks grow in a deeper connection. But still, they’re competitors, and Carter doesn’t actually live in Redford… so is there any possible future for them once the game ends?

There’s a lot to love about The Only Game in Town. The game itself is silly — there’s a scavenger hunt, a hike, even a Barbie jeep race. Jasper clearly designed the competition to force people to work together, and it’s amusing to see the antics that the townspeople get up to, as well as the way old resentments either derail certain teams or inspire people to keep going.

The small town vibe is a little exaggerated — it’s a bit hard to believe that any small community could be quite that ideal — but still, it’s fun to see all the quirks and charm of the various characters.

I especially enjoyed the dynamic between Nikki and Jess. Their old feud is not what it seems, and Nikki is much more than first impressions might imply. Nikki gets her own point-of-view chapters, and that’s a wonderful decision on the part of the author — hearing from Nikki herself allows us to understand what drives the character and who she is deep-down, beyond the ice princess/mean girl exterior.

Jess’s relationship with her dad is also terrific. He was a teen dad, abandoned by Jess’s mother, who’s worked all his life to give his daughter a warm, loving home. He’s a great character, and I loved seeing his interactions with Jess.

Carter and Jess’s romance sparkles, but it’s not the only storyline — dare I say that the romance is not the only game in town??? — and I really appreciated that. Yes, the romance is an important part of the story, but there’s a lot more going on, and we readers get the opportunity to care about all of it, not just the will-they-won’t-they aspect of the couple’s attraction, or the inevitable romance novel beats (the slow burn, the obstacle, the reunion…)

I listened to the audiobook, and it was great! There are four narrators, one for each of the POV characters (Jess, Carter, Nikki, and less frequent, Ross). Jess and Carter get most of the narrative, but Nikki’s chapters add a lot to the overall story. As a whole, it really works, and the narrators do a terrific job presenting the different perspectives, making the silly competition scenes feel like fun, and also letting the emotions come through at key moments.

The Only Game in Town is a charming story about small town life and what community really means. Friendship and a love story are both important elements, but devotion to the town is what truly drives the characters and the plot. This is a very enjoyable book, and I recommend the audiobook. Really fun entertainment — I look forward to reading more by this author.

17Feb2024

Audiobook Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Yours Truly
Author: Abby Jimenez
Narrators: Kyla Garcia & Zachary Webber
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: April 11, 2023
Print length: 416 pages
Audio length: 11 hours 23 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

I loved Abby Jimenez’s previous novel, Part of Your World, and just had to stay in that book’s world a little longer by immediately starting Yours Truly. Great decision on my part! I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive, romantic audiobook.

But before I explain why, I do need to point out that that is a seriously terrible synopsis above. The synopsis makes Yours Truly sound like a comedic war-of-wills workplace romance… and that’s not how I’d describe this book at all.

So let me put my own spin on this book.

Briana is a highly-skilled ER doctor who’s loved by her coworkers and seems on track for a chief position, just as soon as her current boss finally takes his long-awaited retirement. She’s thrown for a loop when she’s informed that he’s holding off on retirement just a bit longer, and that she may have competition for the chief role — the new ER doctor who just transferred to her hospital.

The new doc doesn’t seem to be lining up fans. On his very first day, the nurses have secretly dubbed him Doctor Death. He’s rubbing everyone the wrong way, and manages to thorougly irritate Briana as well.

What Briana doesn’t know is that Jacob is an introvert with social anxiety, who’s just trying to get through his day without further triggering his anxiety responses. Jacob is dealing with stress in his personal life — his brother announcing his engagement to Jacob’s ex-girlfriend — and learning a whole bunch of social cues in a brand new work setting is not easy for Jacob.

Eventually, Briana clues in to the fact that Jacob is not actually some arrogant, sexist jerk, but is really a deeply sensitive man who’s also a terrific doctor. After Bri extends an olive branch by advising Jacob to win over the ER staff via cupcakes, Jacob writes her a thank-you letter. Yes, writes — as in, by hand — a letter — as in, on paper. Briana can’t help being charmed.

Bri and Jacob start exchanging letters, opening up in writing in a way they haven’t been able to in person. Eventually, letters turn into long conversations, and suddenly, they’re spending more time talking with one another than with anyone else.

When Jacob turns out to be a perfect match as a kidney donor for Briana’s ailing brother, she wants to do a huge favor for him in return. Jacob’s family refuses to embrace his brother’s engagement, fearing that Jacob will be too terribly hurt by the whole thing. He’s not… but to convince his family to get on board and be happy for the couple, Jacob decides he needs a fake girlfriend, and Bri is happy to sign up for the role.

As Jacob and Brianna play-act a relationship, they spent lots and lots of time together, even to the point of fake living together. You get where this is going right? Before long, they’ve both caught feelings — but each is 100% sure that the other is pretending. There’s a lot of tormented self-doubt and longing in store for both of them. Ah, if only people in romance novels knew how to communicate!

Yours Truly has lots of funny scenarios and flirty banter, but it’s also rooted in more serious emotions and complications. Bri is still deeply wounded by her divorce, thanks to her jerky ex-husband who cheated on her for years with a woman she thought was a good friend. Between that and the father who abandoned the family when she was a child, Bri doesn’t believe that love can be counted on, and has serious issues around trust and security. Jacob, meanwhile, has learned to manage his anxiety, but he can be triggered by uncertainty and lacks the confidence to feel that he’s worthy of love. While Briana and Jacob fall madly in love with one another, it takes them a very long time to realize that their feelings are returned, in large part because neither is able to believe that they deserve to be loved by someone so wonderful.

The author does a terrific job of developing these two characters and making them likable even while showing their wounds and their flaws. We readers may feel frustrated enough to want to give them each a good shake, but we also understand why they’re having such a hard time believing in the truth of their relationship.

I did feel that the communication issues dragged on longer than necessary, and wished that these two incredibly intelligent people talked honestly a lot sooner. They each make some pretty significant assumptions based on overheard conversations and mistaken beliefs about the other’s feelings, and while we get where they’re coming from, they really could have worked all this out through a simple conversation.

Another quibble is that they’re a pair of doctors, and yet they have unprotected sex! In this day and age, when most romance novels do such a fantastic job of incorporating condoms into sexytimes, its absence in a key scene between Jacob and Briana is a glaring omission. Yes, it’s dealt with later in the plot, but still, given who they are as people, it was not believable to me that they’d have sex in that moment without protection.

That aside, I really did love the characters, the plot, and the overall story. When Bri and Jacob make bad choices, we understand why. The writing balances the zippy, light-hearted moments with the deeper emotional stakes and traumas, and I loved how sensitively they’re able to connect with one another when they open up and truly communicate.

“We’re all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We’re made up of all those we’ve met and all the things we’ve been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn’t exist.”

Yours Truly is set in the same fictional world as Part of Your World, and it’s nice to get to visit with that book’s main characters, Alexis and Daniel, and see how they’re doing. Zachary Webber, who voices Daniel in Part of Your World, is back in Yours Truly as the narrator for Jacob’s chapters, and he’s got the role of smart, sensitive, sexy boyfriend down to a science. Kyla Garcia is very good as the narrator for Brianna (and gets her lisp just right in a scene where Bri wears her retainer!). The voices work really well together, and the audiobook as a whole is a treat.

Part of Your World was my first book by Abby Jimenez, and after listening to Yours Truly, I’m all in! I need to read EVERYTHING by this author. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her books!

On a related note…

Amazon’s free story collection for February is romance-themed — it’s the Improbable Meet-Cute collection, and includes a very sweet story by Abby Jimenez, so naturally, I read it immediately after finishing Yours Truly. Worst Wingman Ever is a fast, enjoyable read. Check it out!

The rest of the collection looks great too — have you read any of these stories yet?

9Feb2024

Book Review: The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Frame-Up
Author: Gwenda Bond
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication date: February 13, 2024
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

A magically gifted con artist must gather her estranged mother’s old crew for a once-in-a-lifetime heist, from the New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Suspicious Minds.

Dani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world’s most famous art thief, as well as being an expert forger in her own right. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. Dani’s mother possesses the power of persuasion, able to bend people to her will, whereas Dani has the ability to make any forgery she undertakes feel like the genuine article.

At seventeen, concerned about the corrupting influence of her mother’s shadowy partner, Archer, Dani impulsively sold her mother out to the FBI—an act she has always regretted. Ten years later, Archer seeks her out, asking her to steal a particular painting for him, since her mother’s still in jail. In return, he will reconcile her with her mother and reunite her with her mother’s old gang—including her former best friend, Mia, and Elliott, the love of her life.

The problem is, it’s a nearly impossible job—even with the magical talents of the people she once considered family backing her up. The painting is in the never-before-viewed private collection of deceased billionaire William Hackworth—otherwise known as the Fortress of Art. It’s a job that needs a year to plan, and Dani has just over one week. Worse, she’s not exactly gotten a warm welcome from her former colleagues—especially not from Elliott, who has grown from a weedy teen to a smoking-hot adult. And then there is the biggest puzzle of why Archer wants her to steal a portrait of himself, which clearly dates from the 1890s, instead of the much more valuable works by Vermeer or Rothko. Who is her mother’s partner, really, and what does he want?

The more Dani learns, the more she understands she may be in way over her head—and that there is far more at stake in this job than she ever realized.

I’m not entirely sure what this book was trying to be. A heist caper? A tale of generations of women with magical powers forced to serve a supernatural being? A contemporary romance, complete with love triangle? Perhaps the problem is that The Frame-Up tries to be all of these, and doesn’t quite hit the mark with any.

Dani Poissant has been estranged from her mother and her chosen family of art thieves ever since she turned her mother in to the FBI ten years earlier. Now, she lives and works alone, using her magical gifts to scam bad guys and restore a little bit of justice to their victims (and earn a paycheck for herself).

When her mother’s former associate, a mysterious man named Archer, tracks her down, she’s forced to confront her past. A billionaire art collector, who has never let anyone inside his well-named Fortress of Art, has died, and his family plans to open the collection to the public for the first time and auction it off. There’s a painting that Archer wants, and he wants Dani to get it for him.

For… reasons, Dani accepts, and heads back to her old home base to reunite with her former circle of thieves/family and plan one final heist, hoping to repair her connection to her mother and rid themselves of Archer once and for all.

I’ll be blunt. This book is a mess. Plot lines are all over the place, as is the tone. We’re supposed to feel Dani’s deep connection to the people she goes back to — Rabbit, Mia, Elliot — but none of it is fleshed out. We’re told about Dani’s thoughts and emotions, but none of it felt substantial to me.

The magical powers that enable them to control technology or create master forgeries or find anything lost are a convenient jumble, and the heist itself is nonsensical, as are the other magical art thieves who try to get in their way.

The storyline about Archer’s past with the women of the Poissant family is a little more interesting than the rest… but it doesn’t get explained until past the midway point of the book, and even then, it feels familiar. A supernatural being haunting/controlling generations of women in the same family? I could name at least two or three other books with the same theme.

Messy, jumbled plots and characters aren’t helped by messy writing. There are sentences that I had to stop and parse — just who are we talking about here? There’s even a scene where someone using an alias gets referred to by his real name — but it’s clearly not an intentional slip or a piece of the plot, just a place where more editing was needed. I can only hope that the errors and awkwardness I noticed in the ARC are cleaned up in the final published version.

I considered DNFing repeatedly throughout this book, but wanted to see it through in case something happened in the latter half to make me feel more invested. It didn’t. By the end, I was hate-reading. I was going to finish this book, dammit!

Such a disappointment. I read the author’s three previous books, which were all cheery, silly, supernaturally-infused adventure/romances. I hoped for a similar reading experience with The Frame-Up, but sadly, that was not the case.

2Feb2024

Audiobook Review: Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Part of Your World
Author: Abby Jimenez
Narrators: Julia Whelan & Zachary Webber
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: April 19, 2022
Print length: 400 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 5 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.

While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

The New York Times bestselling author of Life’s Too Short delivers a refreshingly modern fairy tale perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Emily Henry.

After seeing rave reviews for Abby Jimenez’s books for a few years now, I decided to borrow Part of Your World when it popped up as “available now” in my library app. What a treat! Sometimes a spontaneous borrow is exactly right.

In Part of Your World, a driving mishap in the middle of nowhere (okay, not exactly nowhere — rural Minnesota, about two hours from Minneapolis) introduces Alexis to Daniel when he comes to her rescue and tows her car out of a ditch. Hungry and rather amused by this nice, charming guy, Alexis accepts his offer of grilled cheese, especially when there’s an opportunity to meet his “kid” (the baby goat he’s fostering). One thing leads to another… but then Alexis goes back to her regular life, never expecting to see him again.

Alexis is an ER doctor working at the hospital her family founded 125 years earlier. In the world of high-profile medicine, her family is royalty. A Montgomery has always led the hospital, and with her parents retired and her elder brother suddenly deciding to continue his medical work overseas, the mantle is passing to Alexis, whether she wants it or not.

But she can’t get Daniel out of her mind, and he can’t stop thinking of her either. Daniel runs a B&B in his small town (where he’s also mayor), works as a carpenter/woodcrafter as a passion, and is deeply embedded in the lives of his neighbors. His life is in Wakan; hers is in Minneapolis. They’re incredibly different. There’s no way they fit together… and yet, as Alexis visits again and again, their chemistry is undeniable, and it’s soon clear that their connection goes well beyond physical.

While this may sound like a sweetness-and-light romance (and parts of it certainly are), there are heavier, more serious themes running through Part of Your World. Most significantly, the book deals substantially with abusive relationships. While there’s a background storyline involving domestic violence woven into the plot, the piece that most severely affects Alexis and her self-esteem, her outlook on life, and her self-criticism and stress is the emotional abuse she suffered for years in her relationship with her ex-boyfriend. It was never overt and certainly never in public, but the consistent demeaning and gaslighting left Alexis with deep wounds and insecurities that color how she moves through the world. Also, importantly, the behavior she lives with for years is both affected by how she interacts with her father and the burden of expectations she places on herself in order to fulfill her parents’ wishes, and this also severely impacts her relationship with Daniel.

In a nutshell, the pressures on Alexis to be what her family expects narrows her worldview to such an extent that she can’t even imagine doing anything but what’s demanded of her — and with that limitation, she can’t envision any possible world in which Daniel fits into her life. I ached for Daniel, who — not understanding Alexis’s experiences or knowing her history — is left feeling that he’s an embarrassment and not good enough for her. I often felt angry with Alexis, but that’s not really fair either. The abuse she lived with scarred her, and while Daniel is hot and kind and amazing, that doesn’t automatically erase everything that came before.

There’s a touch of magical realism in Part of Your World which startled me at first, but I ended up really loving. Nasty people who treat Daniel shamefully are suddenly pelted by acorns falling from the trees in the yard, despite it being the wrong season. A lightning strike, seemingly out of nowhere, knocks a branch from a tree and prevents Alexis from leaving in a moment when she feels all is hopeless. It’s not so frequent as to feel heavy-handed, just a nice, subtle touch that lends a bit of a “forces of nature” element to the love story.

One reason I was eager to listen to this audiobook, once I stumbled across is, is that Julia Whelan is the narrator for the Alexis chapters, and she’s as amazing here as always. Zachary Webber voices Daniel, and he captures his sensitivity and sense of fun to a T.

Part of Your World is romantic and full of small-town charm, but there’s plenty of heartache and sorrow too. The light and dark elements work together very well, and overall, this is a lovely, relatable, and uplifting novel. Highly recommended — and if you’re an audiobook listener, don’t miss out on these terrific narrators!

There’s a companion book set in the same fictional world, with Alexis’s best friend as main character. Can’t wait to read it!

24Jan2024

Book Review: The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Guncle
Author: Steven Rowley
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: May 25, 2021
Length: 326 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is honestly a bit out of his league.

So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules” ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting—even if temporary—isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you’re unfailingly human.

After absolutely loving this author’s most recent novel, The Celebrants, I was eager to explore more. The Guncle, released in 2021, charmed me as soon as I saw the cover (I’m easily swayed by great covers!). I’m happy to report that The Guncle delivers in so many ways, and won my heart completely.

In The Guncle, our main character is Patrick O’Hara, a successful TV star (he’s won a Golden Globe!) now living a secluded life in his lovely (but lonely) Palm Springs home. In the four years since his sitcom ended, he’s stayed in the desert, avoiding anything close to real human interaction or connection.

As we learn, Patrick is a man so deeply mired in grief that’s he’s completely walled himself off from the possibility of truly caring — or getting hurt — again. Years earlier, his beloved was killed in a tragic car accident. Making things as painful as possible, Joe’s family refused to acknowledge Patrick’s relationship with their son, and banned him from Joe’ hospital room during his awful final days. Patrick has simply never recovered, and shields himself with quips, banter, fabulousness, martinis, and solitude.

As The Guncle opens, however, Patrick is forced back into the sticky world of human connection when his former best friend (who later became his sister-in-law) passes away after a battle with cancer. Not only does Patrick have to mourn Sarah’s loss, but he’s also confronted immediately with a huge demand: Sarah’s husband (Patrick’s brother) Greg informs Patrick that he’s signed himself into rehab, and that he wants Patrick to take his two children, Maisie and Grant, for the summer.

Patrick loves his niece and nephew, of course… but from a distance. He’s not a family man and has never even considered raising children. Yet within days, he finds himself back in Palm Springs with a 6- and 9-year-old, and with no clue what to do with them.

Silliness and hijinks ensue — everything from teaching them the fine art of brunch to creating cotton candy mustaches to adopting a dog, and we mustn’t overlook (and really, it would be impossible to overlook) the pink Christmas tree in the living room. And yet, there’s seriousness and sadness underneath it all: These children have just lost their mother and been separated from their father. They’re adrift, and it’s up to Patrick to anchor them, teach them how to live again, and show them a way forward through their grief.

But how can Patrick, a man who’s never fully dealt with his own heartbreaking loss, hope to help the children?

Seeing how Patrick evolves alongside the children is part of the beauty of The Guncle. Who would think, with such a cute and silly cover, that this would be a book of depth and emotion? After reading The Celebrants, I really shouldn’t have been surprised at how beautifully the author conveys the full range of emotions, denial, anger, and confusion that comes with terrible loss.

Despite the sadness that permeates so much of the book, The Guncle is also hilarious. Patrick is a trip, who never fails to delight with his quips and snide comments and blazing asides. I think every child could benefit from an Uncle Patrick — he doesn’t coddle and he doesn’t talk down; he may not always be the most age-appropriate, but at the end of the day, he’s supportive and loving and… well… just amazing.

I only have two minor quibbles when it comes to The Guncle: First, the timeline confused me (possibly more so because I listened to the audiobook, so it’s entirely possible that I might have missed soemthing early on). The book states that Patrick has been living his secluded life in Palm Springs for four years, so I’d assumed that this related to Joe’s death… but no, it’s clear later that Joe died twelve years earlier. The timeline for Patrick’s relationship with Joe, his TV career, Sarah and Greg’s marriage… all felt fairly jumbled to me, and I would have prefered greater clarity.

Second, I wish we’d gotten to see more of Patrick and Sarah’s frienship. There are flashback scenes throughout the book, but not enough to make me feel as if I truly understood or was invested in their chemistry and commitment to one another. For that matter, I would have liked a little more about how Sarah and Greg got together, and what the immediate impact was on her relationship with Patrick. We get a little of this, but I felt like I was missing the big picture.

Quibbles aside, I loved The Guncle. It’s piercingly funny, yet also heartbreaking and sweet and even hopeful. The characters are wonderful, the descriptions are vivid, and the depiction of Patrick and the children muddling through a summer together is unforgettable.

I’m delighted that a sequel is on its way! While The Guncle has a completely satisfying ending, I’m happy we’ll have the chance to spend even more time with Patrick, Maisie and Grant. The Guncle Abroad will be released in May 2024.

21Jan2024

Book Review: One Girl in All the World (In Every Generation, #2) by Kendare Blake

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: One Girl in All the World
Series: In Every Generation
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: January 31, 2023
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

New York Times best-selling author Kendare Blake takes us back to the demon capital of the world in this highly anticipated sequel to In Every Generation, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Frankie Rosenberg is coming to terms with the fact that she’s the newest slayer, but that doesn’t mean she has it all figured out just yet. She and her friends are still reeling from the deadly attack on the annual slayer retreat—and the new revelation that some slayers may still be alive. She’s got her own Scooby Gang, but sometimes feels more on the outside than ever. She throws herself into training with her mom, the great witch Willow, and her new Watcher, Spike, but they’ve got demons of their own to contend with (both of the real and metaphorical variety). Buffy made it look easy, but being a slayer is hard—and lonely.

But Frankie doesn’t have time to wander through Sunnydale Cemetery singing about her new responsibilities. With news of Buffy’s possible demise, Demons are making their way back to Sunnydale in droves, called by a Hellmouth that is starting to reawaken. And then an oracle brings news of a new Evil brewing…something called The Darkness. Could this be what attacked the slayers? And is it coming for Frankie?

With a satisfying blend of fresh and familiar, humor and (stakes through the) heart, One Girl In All The World is a breathtaking continuation of the series that Booklist calls “a worthy successor to the Slayer stories” (Starred Review on In Every Generation).

One Girl in All the World is book two in a trilogy — and I’m happy to say that this second book neatly avoids the middle book doldrums, instead raising the stakes (ha!) and providing a fast-paced plot that also includes terrific character moments and plenty of Buffy-esque quips.

One Girl picks up shortly after the events of In Every Generation. Frankie (Willow’s teen daughter) is now more settled into her new role as a slayer, with her very own band of Scoobies to accompany her on patrol and into and out of assorted shenanigans. Although they defeated the Big Bad of the moment in book 1, more badness is on the way.

Specifically, something is calling demons back to the Sunnydale Hellmouth, especially its “greatest hits” — demons who’ve battled there before, back in Buffy’s day, seem especially drawn to the town. Frankie’s nightly patrol battles are escalating, and some disturbingly familiar demons raise all sorts of havoc.

One Girl continues the through-line of the missing Slayers. An explosion at a Slayer gathering apparently killed all Slayers, resulting in Frankie being called, but in One Girl, we learn that many survived, but ended up in alternate dimensions. The Scoobies are desperate to find Buffy, Faith, Andrew, and the rest, but also have to contend with a new threat from a decidedly unexpected direction.

Plus, there’s high school drama involving relationships, friendships, identity, parents, and sneaking out after curfew. The danger is real, but so is the cuteness.

What elevates these books above more standard high school supernatural fare are the character moments. We get to spend time with the younger generation — Frankie and friends — but also get plenty of Willow, Oz, and (be still, my heart) Spike.

Spike walked through the streets of New Sunnydale, carrying a box of cinnamon shortbread. Thursday night. Poetry club meeting. His turn to bring the cookies.

As Frankie’s Watcher, playing the part of school librarian, Spike wears a face glamoured to make him appear in his 40s plus lots of tweed (even though we know his black t-shirts and leather duster are close at hand whenever he needs them).

After all, he was still the Big Bad, still able to beat down the worst of whatever the Hellmouth threw at him. And to prove it, that night he’d traded the tweed for a pair of jeans and a black sweater. Let these poetry ladies get a taste of who they were really dealing with. Someone dangerous. Someone damaged. Someone who had killed, and would kill still more, and would never get the blood off his hands.

But then again, maybe he would, if he put in enough hours teaching the kiddies how to use reference databases and the importance of proper shelving.

There are lots of terrific callbacks to Buffy incidents, characters, and baddies, as well as sweeter moments when we’re reminded of how important Buffy’s circle of friends and family always were.

Having an all-powerful witch as a mother offers some benefits to Frankie, and she certainly doesn’t have to hide her Slayer duties — but conflicts do naturally arise. Can you even ground a Slayer? Who’s going to go out and slay if Frankie is grounded?

“Grounded!” Willow declared. “So, so grounded.” And to drive home the point, she snapped her fingers, and Frankie’s door slammed shut on its own. “So that’ll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo!” Willow shouted from the other side.

“Mom,” Frankie growled. “I still don’t know what that means!”

“Neither. Did. She,” Willow said mystifyingly, and Frankie heard her footsteps walk away down the hall.

Willow gets a bit more action in this second book than in the first, and I felt as though more of the “real” Willow came through this time around. Spike is, of course, glorious and wonderful to be around at all times, and it’s especially delightful to see him deal with being perceived as an “old” librarian when he still feels like a 20-something rebel bad boy.

I think I actually enjoyed One Girl in All the World even more than In Every Generation (which I liked a lot). The 3rd and final book in the trilogy, Against the Darkness, will be released in April, and I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up.

This trilogy is a great treat for Buffy fans. If you miss hanging out with Slayers, Scoobies, and assorted demons, check out these books!

17Jan2024

Book Review: Clover Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Clover Hendry’s Day Off
Author: Beth Morrey
Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication date: January 30, 2024
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

A hilarious and empowering perimenopausal Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, about Clover Hendry, 46, and the day she decides to stop keeping the plates spinning, say F@#! it all, and finally get hers.

Today is not the day to mess with Clover Hendry.

Clover hasn’t said “No” a day in her life. Until today. Normally a woman who tips her hairdresser even when the cut is hideous, is endlessly patient with her horrendous mother, and says yes every time her boss asks her to work late—today, things are going to be very different. Because Clover is taking the day off. Today, she’s going to do and say whatever she likes, even if it means her whole life unravels.

What made Clover change her ways? Why doesn’t she care anymore? There’s more to this day than meets the eye.

Clover Hendry’s Day Off is a joyful, raging, galvanizing story about putting life on pause, pleasing yourself, and getting your own back. Whatever it takes. Because when Clover stops caring, she can start living.

Cute, upbeat writing elevates this story of a 40-something-year-old woman who decides to just… be different one day.

Clover Hendry works in television, has a loving husband and twin 16-year-olds, and has never not been nice, not a single day in her life. She brings donuts to work so her underlings will like her, and does their work for them so she’s not seen as asking too much. She never objects, never confronts, never makes a fuss. She takes up as little space as possible, and manages to move through her life.

After an unexpected email sends her reeling — and after taking a couple of expired Vicodin with a chaser of Benadryl — Clover decides that she just needs a day to herself. Most importantly, she also decides that she needs a day of not worrying about everyone else.

Chaos ensues. She breaks the rules at a private social club. She doesn’t meekly give in when a group of yoga moms want her space at the park. She acts out — strongly — when an old woman at a cafe makes homophobic comments. She provokes her (admittedly awful) mother into a truly outrageous public display. And that’s only some of what Clover gets up to on her day off.

There are some very funny observations about corporate life:

There are endless echelons of MDs and CEOs, CFOs and presidents and global heads and elusive chairmen of parent corporations above me, and what unites them is that they love meetings. They live for meetings. The more obscure the point of the meeting, the better. Utterly pointless is by far the best.

Yup.

We eventually learn what sets Clover off at the start of the day, and see her take her life back from the various fears and years of put-downs that have kept her so passive and accepting of whatever comes her way. I was happy to see that her husband is not one of the bad elements in her life, and neither are her kids. It’s refreshing to see someone standing up for herself who can also appreciate the good people who have her back.

Clover Hendry’s Day Off is amusing and a quick read, and while there were parts that made me want to cheer — I mean, yes, stick it to the patriarchy!! — Clover’s actions are so over the top and often just plain mean that I couldn’t really get behind a lot of it. Yes, she gets away with it all and manages to improve her life by the end of the day, but I didn’t actually find her day believable, especially with the lack of any real consequences for the ridiculous (nasty, illegal, disrespectful) things that she does.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad read. It kept me entertained, and was easy to speed through. That’s not a rave review, I know — it was okay, not fabulous.

13Jan2024

Audiobook Review: Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Funny You Should Ask
Author: Elissa Sussman
Narrator: Kristen Sieh
Publisher: Dell
Publication date: April 12, 2022
Print length: 352 pages
Audio length: 7 hours 52 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

Then. Twentysomething writer Chani Horowitz is stuck. While her former MFA classmates are nabbing book deals, she’s in the trenches writing puff pieces. Then she’s hired to write a profile of movie star Gabe Parker. The Gabe Parker–her forever celebrity crush, the object of her fantasies, the background photo on her phone–who’s also just been cast as the new James Bond. It’s terrifying and thrilling all at once… yet if she can keep her cool and nail the piece, it could be a huge win. Gabe will get good press, and her career will skyrocket. But what comes next proves to be life-changing in ways Chani never saw coming, as the interview turns into a whirlwind weekend that has the tabloids buzzing.

Now. Ten years later, after a brutal divorce and a heavy dose of therapy, Chani is back in Los Angeles, laser-focused on one thing: her work. But she’s still spent the better part of the last decade getting asked about her deeply personal Gabe Parker profile at every turn. No matter what new essay collection or viral editorial she’s promoting, it always comes back to Gabe. So when his PR team requests that they reunite for a second interview, she wants to say no. She wants to pretend that she’s forgotten about the time they spent together, years ago. But the truth is that those seventy-two hours are still crystal clear, etched in her memory. And so… she says yes.

Chani knows that facing Gabe again also means facing feelings she’s tried so hard to push away. Alternating between their first meeting and their reunion a decade later, this deliciously irresistible novel will have you hanging on until the last word.

A restless young journalist with big dreams interviews a Hollywood heartthrob–and, ten years later, it’s clear that their time together meant more than meets the eye in this sexy, engrossing adult debut novel.

I’ve never considered myself a fan of the celebrity romance trope… but here I am, absolutely devouring my second book by Elissa Sussman, and I gotta say — it’s working for me.

In Funny You Should Ask, author Chani Horowitz gets her big break at age 26 when she’s assigned an interview with movie star Gabe Parker. He’s just been named the next James Bond, kicking off a media frenzy of negativity, and his publicists are hoping that a positive profile will turn things around. Chani has been writing about the film industry, but hasn’t really hit her stride yet, so this is an unprecedented opportunity for her. One interview turns into a weekend of movie premieres and parties, and the article she writes catapults her into the spotlight and does wonders for Gabe’s career. Yet after the two part, real-life scandals crop up, and they go their separate ways.

Ten years later, despite her success as a published non-fiction writer, Chani has never quite shaken the gossip that’s surrounded her ever since the Gabe article. And for Gabe, the ten years have brought success as Bond, a viral public downfall, rehab, and now sobriety. As his first new movie in years is about to be released, his team asks Chani to do another interview — a chance to put Gabe back in the spotlight and give him an opportunity to show who he’s become. Chani agrees, with trepidation, but is not prepared for the deluge of feelings and memories that being with Gabe again sparks.

This book has so much to love! The “then” and “now” plotlines are interwoven skillfully, so that we only see the past events in little bits and pieces, leaving the big questions about what exactly happened and what might have gone wrong unresolved until close to the end of the book. What’s clear is that Chani and Gabe connect with one another right from the start, and while she is plagued by doubts about whether he sees her as just another fawning fan, it’s obvious to readers how much more is going on between them.

Gabe is portrayed with sensitivity. He’s a gorgeous Hollywood star, but we’re shown his vulnerable side, as well as his alcoholism and the downward spiral he falls into. Chani is flawed as well — funny and talented, but quick to jump to conclusions or read a situation incorrectly. It’s lovely to see them connect, and heartbreaking to see them misread one another, time and time again.

I really enjoyed the writing, and especially the dialogue. I mean, how can you not love a book that includes lines like this:

“I thought we’d established that I’ve read everything you’ve written.”

It’s one of the hottest things anyone has ever said to me.

The romance is, of course, central to the plot, but It’s Funny You Should Ask is also both moving and keenly interesting when focusing on Chani’s writing career, the obstacles she encounters, the negativity she encounters from people who should be her biggest supporters, and the self-doubt that plagues her no matter how well her essays and books are received.

The “then” and “now” narrative is also sprinkled throughout with excerpts from Chani’s articles and blog posts, movie reviews, gossip columns, and inside-Hollywood thought pieces. These help ground the story and show how public perceptions feed into Gabe and Chani’s personal situations.

The audiobook, narrated by Kristen Sieh, is bright and engaging. It’s a fun, upbeat listen, and the narrator’s expressiveness captures the characters’ dynamics and their inner lives very well.

I picked up It’s Funny You Should Ask after listening to the author’s more recent book, Once More With Feeling, just a few months ago. It’s safe to say that I’ll be back for whatever Elissa Sussman writes next.

7Jan2024

Audiobook Review: Get Lucky by Katherine Center

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Get Lucky
Author: Katherine Center
Narrator: Morgan Hallett
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: April 6, 2010
Print length: 288 pages
Audio length: 8 hours 13 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

How do you change your luck? Katherine Center’s marvelously entertaining and poignant new novel is about choosing to look for happiness—and maybe getting lucky enough to find it.

Sarah Harper isn’t sure if the stupid decisions she sometimes makes are good choices in disguise—or if they’re really just stupid. But either way, after forwarding an inappropriate email to her entire company, she suddenly finds herself out of a job.

So she goes home to Houston—and her sister, Mackie—for Thanksgiving. But before Sarah can share her troubles with her sister, she learns that Mackie has some woes of her own: After years of trying, Mackie’s given up on having a baby—and plans to sell on eBay the entire nursery she’s set up. Which gives Sarah a brilliant idea—an idea that could fix everyone’s problems. An idea that gives Sarah the chance to take care of her big sister for once—instead of the other way around.

But nothing worthwhile is ever easy. After a decade away, Sarah is forced to confront one ghost from her past after another: the father she’s lost touch with, the memories of her mother, the sweet guy she dumped horribly in high school. Soon everything that matters is on the line—and Sarah can only hope that by changing her life she has changed her luck, too.

After reading and loving Katherine Center’s five most recent novels plus one from her backlist, I decided to listen to another backlist book via audio when I stumbled across it on Hoopla. And while Get Lucky was a fun, engaging listen, it’s clear to see that this is an earlier work from an author whose books just keep getting better and better.

In Get Lucky, Houston-born Sarah is thriving at her New York ad agency. Well, okay, she got passed over for promotion in favorite of the less-qualified jerk she’d been dating… but still, her ideas have resulted in a huge campaign (more on this later) that’s getting loads of attention. Unfortunately, when an email from her sister has her spiraling in the middle of the night, she shares a link with the rest of the company (never hit Send on an all-staff email in the middle of the night!!) that’s deemed inappropriate, and she’s abruptly fired. By her jerky ex. Whose nickname is Mr. Dynamite, in case you’re wondering.

Getting fired right before Thanksgiving is not ideal, and things get worse for Sarah when she boards her flight back to Houston for the holiday and ends up seated next to her high school ex-boyfriend, who (a) has gotten incredibly hot and (b) has apparently never forgiven her for dumping him in a truly thoughtless and cruel manner (which she regrets, but of course, you can’t undo the past).

Arriving home, Sarah’s sister Mackie immediately informs her that she’s done with trying to have a baby. After yet another miscarriage related to endometriosis, Mackie is giving up on her dreams of becoming a mom. And Sarah — adrift, jobless, and without plans — has an idea. Her uterus is just fine, after all. Why not become Mackie and her husband’s gestational carrier? After a tiny pause to consider, Mackie and Clive are in, and in practically the blink of an eye, Sarah is living in Mackie’s nursery/guest room, and pregnant.

The book delves into Sarah and Mackie’s past, the death of their mother during their teen years, and how that’s affected (and continues to affect) their openness toward love, connection, and commitment. While their father continued to care for them after their loss, he was so befuddled by his own grief that his parenting was always distant and ineffectual, so the girls had to rely on one another for everything that mattered. As Sarah lives with Mackie and moves forward with the pregnancy, she also is confronted by the feelings from her past that bubble up, complicating an already complicated situation.

There’s also a love story, of sorts, which is more of a background plot thread than a front-and-center focus, which is why I wouldn’t classify this book as a romance. Sarah also deals with career choices, rebuilding a relationship with her father, and finding a new outlook on life thanks to the outrageous-but-awesome new woman in his life.

Get Lucky is enjoyable, but some elements feel especially dated or jarring, even though it was only published 13 years ago. The ad campaign launch that kicks off the story is truly atrocious — it’s a campaign for a new line of bras, and the tagline is “boob ’em”… and I won’t even go into all the ways this plays out and how awful it sounds. Later, there’s an extended plot element revolving around Sarah’s involvement with the young woman who was the ad campaign’s bra model — all of which feels unnecessary and distracting, and does nothing to move the plot forward.

Overall, I’m not sure that the story truly holds together. There are a lot of random plotlines, and Sarah’s journey sort of meanders through them all. That said, there’s also plenty of humor, some very funny dialogue, and sneaky little moments that are suddenly quite emotional and pack a punch.

Morgan Hallett’s narration is quite good, capturing Sarah’s inner voice, the zaniness of some of the side characters, and the array of voices and situations. I found this a light, entertaining listen that didn’t demand a whole lot of attention, which was perfect for my life this week.

If you’re a Katherine Center fan, or simply enjoy a sister-centric story, it’s worth checking out this backlist title.

30Dec2023

Audiobook Review: The Vintage Village Bake Off by Judy Leigh

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Vintage Village Bake Off
Author: Judy Leigh
Narrator: Phyllida Nash
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication date: December 4, 2023
Print length: 336 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 24 minutes
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

Living in happy solitude with his cat Isaac Mewton in the Devon village of Millbrook, entertained by his mischievous chickens and goats, Robert has never figured out the rules of romance. But as the local ladies vie for his company, it soon becomes clear that Robert’s Victoria Sponge cake is the lure, and as his baking prowess grows, so does his confidence.

Cheesecakes, meringues, puddings, Robert can do it all, but his real masterpieces are his scones – ginger, rosemary, coconut, fruit, his recipes are inspired and soon come to the attention of the local media. Which county does the best cream tea – Devon or Cornwall? It’s time for an age-old debate to be settled with a competition.

Robert’s sisters Bunty and Hattie are both at crossroads in their lives, so news of their brother’s baking competition is the perfect excuse to bring them to Millbrook. And as the siblings relish each other’s company, and Robert relishes being at the heart of his community, a summer of scones may just light the way to long-lasting happiness for them all.

Enjoy Judy Leigh’s wonderful world of family, friendship and feasting in this perfect feel-good story for all fans of Maddie Please, Dawn French and Caroline James.

This is my 3rd Judy Leigh book, and it definitely won’t be my last. The Vintage Village Bake Off is a feel-good, warm-hearted book about second chance love, sibling support, small town communities… and lots and lots of scones.

The main character, contrary to what the synopsis above implies, is not Robert Parkins, but his sister Hattie. Hattie’s bully of a husband ran off with another woman after fifty years of a miserable marriage. Newly divorced and on her own, Hattie is finally starting to reemerge from the protective shell she’d tucked herself into so long ago.

When Hattie’s sister Bunty arrives unexpectedly, having left her husband for a fling with another man who paid her some attention, Hattie’s patience wears thin. Finally fed up, she leaves Bunty and her ill-advised lover in her own home and heads to their brother Robert’s home in Devon.

Robert is delighted by Hattie’s arrival. The siblings hadn’t spent much time together while Hattie was married, and this is a chance for them to reconnect and simply enjoy one another’s company. Robert lives a peaceful bachelor life with his cat, goats, and hens, and has become a “babe magnet” (as the vicar describes it) thanks to the delicious desserts he brings to the local gardening club’s meetings.

When a reporter describes Robert’s scones as the best in the entire region, she inadvertently kicks off a war, as a rival reporter in Cornwall takes offense and challenges Robert to a showdown. The Scone Wars are on! While presented as a way to generate media buzz and some local pride, Robert is less than enthused about the idea of going to war over baking… but when he meets his opponent, a lovely teashop and bakery owner named Tressy, the competition becomes a lot more enticing.

Ah, this book is a delight! The Scone Wars storyline doesn’t actually kick in until much later, and meanwhile, it’s quite a lovely story following the three siblings — Robert, Hattie, and Bunty — with chapters from each of their perspectives, learning more about their lives, their disappointments, and their hopes for new beginnings. All three are in their seventies, and while they may each in their own way feel that they’ve missed out during their lives, they’re all ready for new adventures and are open to learning and changing their ways.

Hattie, especially, is wonderful. While it’s sad to see how diminished she became through her marriage to a domineering, emotionally abusive man, her road to self-discovery and empowerment is terrific. As Hattie rediscovers her love of music, allows herself to try new clothing, styles, and activities, and opens herself to new friendships, she finds courage and hope after a long, dismal stretch of years.

Bunty is flighty and harder to like at the start, but as we get to know her, we see too how her poor decision-making and silliness are just some aspects of her loving personality, so I did eventually warm up to her as well.

Robert is a gentle soul, lovably befuddled by the women who clamor for his attention and continually show up at his doorstep asking for jam or for help with recipes. He’s a dear man who’s live a solitary life, and is a great example of how it’s never too late to find love, even when least expected.

Judy Leigh once again delivers a story of sweetness, connection, and humor — I adore her gentle touch with a story and the mix of silliness with deeper emotions and the occasional sadder memories.

Phyllida Nash’s narration is spot on, providing the voices of the main characters as well as the cast of characters making up village life — each person is distinctive, and I love how well she brings the quirks and personalities to life.

Sweet and savory (just like Robert’s scones), The Vintage Village Bake Off is a tasty little treat that left me hungry for more (and yearning to savor some delicious home baking). I’m looking forward to enjoying more of Judy Leigh’s wonderful books in the coming year.