Meant for You by Nora Everly

 A cozy, emotional small-town romance about choosing love, building family, and discovering that some people are meant for you.

Eliza Darlington is doing her best to keep her distance—from her meddling family, her messy past, and especially from the sunshine single dad who keeps showing up at her coffee hut with sweet smiles and steamy glances.

Nate Winters has his hands full running Honeybrook Hollow’s favorite diner and raising his daughter. Falling for Eliza? Not part of the plan. But the more time they spend together—cooking, flirting, and maybe falling in love—the harder it is to stay away.

When her secret ex shows up to open a rival restaurant, the town’s annual food festival turns into more than just a culinary competition. Eliza must choose between protecting the people she loves… and finally fighting for the future she wants.

Filled with cozy charm, slow-burn kisses, and one determined four-year-old, Meant for You is a feel-good romance about second chances, small-town secrets, and the kind of love that feels like home.

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Amazon.com: Meant for You (Honeybrook Hollow): 9781965207109: Everly, Nora: Books

Nora Everly is a lifelong bookworm. She started reading the good stuff once she grew tall enough to sneak the romance novels off the top of her mother’s bookshelf and it has been non-stop ever since.

Once upon a time she was a substitute teacher and an educational assistant. Now she’s a writer and stay at home mom to two small humans and one fat cat.

Nora lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her overactive imagination.

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Keep in touch with Nora here: https://www.noraeverly.com/

This author is so well written. Her books pull me in, and I can't put them down. This book was no exception, a fun small-town romance that I will be sharing with everyone. 

Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang

 Shanghai, 1911. Lisan Liu is elated when she is hired as secretary to wealthy American Caroline Stanton, the new mistress of Lennox Manor on the outskirts of Shanghai’s International Settlement. However, the Manor has a dark past due to a previous owner’s suicide, and soon Lisan’s childhood nightmares resurface with more intensity and meld with haunted visions of a woman in red. Adding to her unease is the young gardener, Yao, who both entices and disturbs her.

Newly married Caroline looks forward to life in China with her husband, Thomas, away from the shadows of another earlier tragedy. But an unwelcome guest, Andrew Grey, attends her party and claims to know secrets she can’t afford to have exposed. At the same party, the notorious princess Masako Kyo approaches Lisan with questions about the young woman’s family that the orphaned Lisan can’t answer.

As Caroline struggles with Grey’s extortion and Thomas’s mysterious illness, Lisan’s future is upended when she learns the truth about her past, and why her identity has been hidden all these years. All the while, strange incidents accelerate, driving Lisan to doubt her sanity as Lennox Manor seems unwilling to release her until she fulfills demands from beyond the grave.

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The Fourth Princess: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai: Chang, Janie: 9780063308121: Amazon.com: Books

Janie Chang's historical novels have been critically-acclaimed Canadian national bestsellers. Her novels THREE SOULS and DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD were long listed for the International Dublin Literary Award. Her third novel THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS was a Book of the Month Club pick. Her fourth novel, THE PORCELAIN MOON, was named one of the 5 Top Historical Novels of 2023 by the Toronto Star. THE PHOENIX CROWN, a novel co-authored with Kate Quinn, released in February 2024.

Her stories often feature a family connection, drawing from a family history with 36 generations of recorded genealogy and stories about life in a small Chinese town in the years before the Second World War, including tales of ancestors who encountered dragons, ghosts, and immortals.

Born in Taiwan, Janie has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, and New Zealand. She now lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada with her husband.

Even After This by Deborah Clack

 When you're ready to live again, love often has a way of finding you.

Four years after tragedy, Meredith Harper is tired of hiding in her corner of Texas and living life like a game of dodgeball. She packs up her grief, awkward social graces, and sizable life insurance in search of a vacation and investment property in Colorado Springs. A botched dinner reservation throws her into the path of a bona fide movie star, and Meredith pushes through her comical celebrity neurosis to discover he is charming but a terrible dancer.

A viral video of a daring rescue makes Harlan Holcombe's celebrity star stronger, with millions of his fans deeming him a real-life Hercules. But a minute of heroism doesn't absolve his past mistakes.

As Harlan and Meredith spend more time together, he helps her believe there might be more for her not just in life but in love. And she might be part of the solution to restore the legacy he fears is tarnished. But what happens when the path to redeem his mistakes collides with the path to redeem her loss?

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Amazon.com: Even After This: A Clean/No-Spice Contemporary Romance of a Widow’s Second Chance at Love with a Hollywood Celebrity (Shelter and Sky): 9780800746940: Deborah Clack: Books

Award-winning author Deborah Clack is a native Texan who believes in the power of fiction, the lost art of lip synching, and that chocolate should be eaten without nuts. A high school AP history teacher for 10 years, Deborah earned a Master’s Degree in Education and was awarded Teacher of the Year for Arts in Education. Now she creates stories of her own filled with endearing characters and a hard-fought romance.

Cry Havoc by Rebecca Wait

 Fleeing Scotland after a humiliating family scandal, sixteen-year-old Ida Campbell secures a scholarship at a failing girls’ boarding school situated on the remote south English coast. Her new Headmistress—an eccentric woman obsessed with the Cold War and nuclear annihilation—seems surprised that the young woman accepted her offer, but Ida feels that St. Anne’s could be a refuge—until she discovers that her roommate, the infamous Louise Adler, is a potential arsonist and hardened outcast.

Ida barely has time to make a good impression (or figure out what Louise’s deal is) when Matthew Langfield, a new teacher, arrives. While the girls are all desperately intrigued to find out everything about him – after all, who takes a job at St. Anne’s? - the school’s geography teacher, Eleanor Alston, has an uneasy feeling that he is not who he says he is. And things only get worse when a mysterious sickness starts to spread throughout the school, causing strange limb jerks and seizures among the pupils.

What is happening to the girls of St Anne's? Are some of the girls faking these fits? Could someone be poisoning them? Is Matthew Langfield a smooth-tongued liar? Will Louise set the school on fire, or push a girl out of a window. . . again? And is Ida’s past going to catch up with her, despite doing everything to keep it secret?

Pick up your copy here....                                                                                                                                    Amazon.com: Cry Havoc: A Novel: 9780063473133: Wait, Rebecca: Books

Rebecca Wait is the author of five novels, most recently Havoc.

Her fourth novel, I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, was a book of the year for The Times, Guardian, Express, Good Housekeeping and BBC Culture, and was shortlisted for the Nota Bene Prize.

Her third novel, Our Fathers, received widespread acclaim and was a Guardian book of the year and a thriller of the month for Waterstones.

Book of Forbidden Words by Louise Fein

 1552, PARIS: The print­ing press is quickly spreading new ideas across Europe, threatening the power of church and state and unleashing a wave of book burning and heretic hunting. When frightened ex-nun Lysbette Angiers arrives at Charlotte Guillard’s famous printing shop with her manuscript, neither woman knows just how far the powerful elite will go to prevent the spread of Lysbette’s audacious ideas.

1952, NEW YORK: Milly Bennett is a lonely housewife struggling to find her way in her new neighborhood amidst the paranoid clamors of McCarthy’s America. She finds her life taking an unexpected turn when a relic from her past presents her with a 400-year-old manuscript to decipher, pulling her into a vortex of danger that threatens to shatter her world.
From the risky backstreets of sixteenth-century Paris to the unpredictable suburbs of mid-twentieth century New York, the stakes couldn’t be higher when, 400 years apart, Milly, Lysbette, and Charlotte each face a reality where the spread of ideas are feared and every effort is made to suppress them.

Dramatic and affecting, and inspired by the real-life encrypted Voynich manuscript, Book of Forbidden Words is both an engrossing story about a timeless struggle that echoes through the ages and a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who dare to let their words be heard.

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Amazon.com: Book of Forbidden Words: A Novel: 9780063411432: Fein, Louise: Books

Louise writes historical fiction, focusing on unheard voices or from unusual perspectives. Her debut novel, Daughter of the Reich (entitled People Like Us in the UK edition) was published in 2020 into 13 territories and is set in 1930’s Leipzig. The book was shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2021 and the RNA Historical Novel of the Year Award, 2021. Louise's second novel, The Hidden Child, was published in 2021 and is centered around the eugenics movement in 1920’s England and America. It was a Globe & Mail bestseller in Canada. Her third novel, The London Bookshop Affair, about one woman’s journey to uncover secrets of her past, set against a backdrop of espionage and looming nuclear war in 1962 London, will be published in January 2024.

Louise, previously a lawyer and banker, holds an MA in Creative Writing from St Mary’s University and now writes full time. Equally passionate about historical research and writing, she loves to look for themes which have resonance with today’s world. Louise lives in the Surrey countryside, UK, with her family, and is a slave to the daily demands of her pets.

For more information, go to https://www.louisefein.com and sign up to Louise's newsletter. She also posts regularly to her blog at

https://www.louisefein.com/blog-and-news, or follow her on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/louisefeinauthor; Twitter, https://twitter.com/FeinLouise; or Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/louisefeinauthor

Adventures in the Friendly Forest by Amanda Jass

 Welcome to the Friendly Forest! This 30-day storybook devotional features lovable characters and reflective questions that will help kids learn and grow in their faith.

Blaze, Hensley, Hoo, Cubby, and Flora love living in the Friendly Forest! So when a big storm brings big changes, these little critters band together to help rebuild their community and save their home. But they are also about to discover that the biggest—and best—change is what happens in their minds and hearts.

Every day, kids can listen to one chapter, which includes:

• a short story about the forest friends' adventures and challenges
• a key Bible verse to connect the story to God's Word
• reflection questions to help kids apply the day's lesson to their lives
• a truth statement for kids to hold on to after the reading
• a brief prayer to invite kids to have conversations with God

Adventures in the Friendly Forest teaches kids that God is with them through all of life’s ups and downs—and that some changes might mean they are growing into exactly who God created them to be.

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Amazon.com: Adventures in the Friendly Forest: A 30-Day Storybook Devotional to Help Kids Grow in Faith and Character (Audible Audio Edition): Amanda Jass, Eileen Stevens, Listening Library: Books

I’m Amanda. A writer, editor, illustrator, and encourager. I enjoy creating content for all ages, and I especially love creating resources for kids and families!

Prior to writing for kids, I worked in higher education as a career counselor and adjunct professor among other roles. Staying in higher ed was my plan, but after several years I made a big pivot in my own career path by taking a job developing kids ministry curriculum.

I could hardly believe my actual full-time gig was writing words that taught kids about Jesus! I’m so grateful that God uses imperfect people to share about His truth, love, and grace.

These days, I’m a work-from-home + homeschooling mom. I get to take on various publishing projects with organizations including Penguin Random House, Tyndale House, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing. It’s really, really fun. 😊 My first children’s devotional called Discovering Christmas released in 2024, and my upcoming kids’ book called Adventures in the Friendly Forest releases in February 2026!

My husband, Brian, and I have been married for 14 years, and we have three girls who are beautiful answers to lots of prayer after a season of infertility. Our house is filled with mac & cheese messes, lots of big emotions, and an inappropriate amount of arts & craft supplies. It gets crazy around here, but we love it.

Other random things: I like coffee, cozy blankets, children’s books, barnyard animals, and long walks. I usually try to avoid conflict, but I’m getting better at taking a stand for what’s right—even when it’s uncomfortable. I have a Master of Education degree, and I enjoy finding innovative ways to teach unchanging truths in an ever-changing world. Some of my favorite activities include being involved in our local church, bringing people together, drawing & creating art, listening to podcasts, and family dance parties.

Live To See The Day by Mark Medley

 Why do people pursue impossible goals?

In Live to See the Day, journalist Mark Medley sets out to find people who straddle the line between determination and delusion, who have devoted their lives to dreams they know have little chance of coming true, or that will only come to pass in decades—if not centuries—from now. Over the course of five years, and through interviews with more than 250 people, he immersed himself in a question we all reckon with personally in our lives: how to push forward when the world is telling you to give up. Travelling to the jungles of Indonesia to encounter a photographer who has devoted his life to pursuing a mystery ape; to the forests of Norway, where a time-bending artist is amassing books that will only be read a hundred years from now; to the deserts of the American Southwest, where he shadows a grizzled treasure hunter who has spent his life searching for a legendary lost fortune, Medley asks: What keeps these people going? Why start a race they know they’ll never finish?

Paddling across a quiet volcanic lake in Sumatra, under the eye-blue sky on a scorching day in the Superstition Mountains, and at the launch of a historic space mission on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, Medley finds people with almost bottomless reserves of patience and perseverance. Captivating, funny, and full of curiosity and heart, Live to See the Day is ultimately an examination of hope and what it means to live a rewarding life.

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Live to See the Day: Impossible Goals, Unimaginable Futures, and the Pursuit of Things That May Never Be: Medley, Mark: 9780771062261: Amazon.com: Books

Mark Medley is the author of Live to See the Day: Impossible Goals, Unimaginable Futures, and the Pursuit of Things That May Never Be. He is the Deputy Opinion Editor of The Globe and Mail. He lives in Toronto with his family.