The Rainy Day Bookshop by Raeanne Thayne

Life is full of plot twists...

Sandwiched between caring for her mother and rebuilding the relationship with her estranged daughter, Emma, Rosie Lucas’s life is full. In the best way. With Emma and her 3-year old daughter, Olive, back home, Rosie has a partner for The Rainy Day Bookshop, the family business, and a chance to fix the past. What she doesn’t have time for is a romantic relationship. And even if she did, Andrew Morgan is the last person she’d choose. Not only is he an arrogant and reclusive writer, but he’s a single dad with two young kids. She’s already been there, done that. Still as an irresistible flirtation builds between them, he becomes her unexpected confidante on the distance Rosie can’t seem to overcome with Emma, a secret she can’t quite unravel…

Emma isn’t proud of her past. But she’s pulled herself up by the bootstraps, caring for her own daughter, and protecting her mom at all costs. Just as she always has. She never told Rosie what she saw all those years ago and she never will. But some secrets refuse to stay buried, and sometimes the truth is more shocking than fiction. Rosie and Emma will have to navigate an unimaginable path forward. Together. 

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 The Rainy Day Bookshop: A Contemporary Small-Town Story of Family, Community and Books: Thayne, RaeAnne: 9781335013200: Amazon.com: Books

#1 Publishers Weekly, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including seven RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews magazine. RaeAnne loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.

My Thoughts...

Full of emotions and so much drama. This book is so entertaining it has it all heartbreak, love and lets not forget a bookstore. It even had a fire, so I was in heaven. I am still thinking about this book days after reading it.
Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The Empty Side of Our Bed by Bill Beckett

The Empty Side of Our Bed is a heartfelt exploration of life after loss—a raw and honest account of the profound journey through grief, from the painful “firsts” to the quiet moments of survival. In this follow-up to Love, Family, Cancer, Bill Beckett opens up about the emotional aftermath of losing a spouse, capturing the loneliness, the sorrow, and the strength required to face each new day.

This book is for anyone who has experienced the devastating loss of a loved one and is searching for understanding, healing, and hope. With unwavering transparency, Bill shares the painful process of adjusting to a life without their partner, the heart-wrenching “firsts” that follow, the bad days that seem to never end, the duality of memories and the quiet victories of rebuilding a new life after the old one is gone.

The Empty Side of Our Bed doesn’t shy away from the dark days but also offers a message of hope: that even in the midst of unimaginable loss, it’s possible to find new strength and create a life that honors the past while embracing the future. 

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The Empty Side of Our Bed: A Journey Through Love, Loss and Moving Forward: Beckett, Bill: 9798291181683: Amazon.com: Books

 Bill Beckett is a former IT and digital forensics professional who turned to writing after the loss of his wife, Bonnie, in 2020. He is the author of Love, Family, Cancer, a heartfelt account of their journey through illness. His current project, The Empty Side of Our Bed, is a deeply personal memoir about grief, healing, and rediscovering identity.

A self-described "logical deep thinker" and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), Bill writes with raw honesty, offering a unique perspective to fellow widowers and anyone navigating profound loss. His insights have been featured on the Open to Hope, Solo Dad, and HSP podcasts, and his work on the "firsts" of grief will be featured in the April 2026 issue of the publication Journeys. Bill is a father, grandfather, and storyteller who believes in the quiet power of words to help us carry on.

The Ledger by Steven Manchester

 Set in a medium-security penitentiary in the mid-1990s, The Ledger is a faith-based story that pulls back the curtain on prison life, allowing the reader a safe peek behind the wall.

Although told from three alternating perspectives—officer, inmate, and sergeant—many of the same questions are asked: Can light be found in the deepest darkness? What about forgiveness, redemption, and grace? And if the code is clear, “loyalty above all things except honor,” when should an officer cross the blue line to police one of his own?

The Ledger is the long-awaited companion novel to The Menu.

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Amazon.com: The Ledger: 9798999472021: Manchester, Steven: Books

New England's Storyteller Steven Manchester is the author of the soul-awakening novel, The Menu, as well as the '80s nostalgia-series, Bread Bags & Bullies; Lawn Darts & Lemonade; Yearbooks & Yo-Yos. His other works include #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin' Chair, Pressed Pennies and Gooseberry Island; the national bestsellers, Ashes, The Changing Season and Three Shoeboxes; the multi-award winning novels, Dad and Goodnight Brian; and the heartwarming Christmas movie, The Thursday Night Club (NYIFA & LAFA winner). He is the co-author of You Will Be Peter, as well as Officer Erik & the Very Special Dad (written with TV icon, Erik Estrada). His work has appeared on NBC's Today Show and CBS's The Early Show; in Billboard and People Magazines. Three of Steven's short stories were selected "101 Best" for Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is a multi-produced playwright and winner of several book festivals, Including Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Amsterdam, New England, and London (from 2017-2026). When not spending time with his family., this Massachusetts author is promoting his works or writing.

Devoted Keeper by Sienna Judd

 I'm currently reading Devoted Keeper by Sienna Judd!

Releases June 4, 2026

Growing up the daughter of a motorcycle club president, I know what men like Rio Mendez are — powerful, dangerous, convinced the world exists for their benefit. So when I walked into his office with blackmail in my bag and two missing women on my conscience, I expected a fight. I expected to hate him.

I was right about both.

Rio reluctantly agrees to help me find the women my father's world swallowed whole — but getting close to the answers means getting close to each other.

His family thinks we're together. A cover story. Fake smiles. Sitting on his lap. It would be simple if he weren't so infuriatingly hard to hate with his hands all over me and his eyes saying things the arrangement never agreed to.

I came here to use him. I didn't plan on him making me want things I'd convinced myself didn't exist.

I sure as hell didn't plan on discovering who Rio really is.

Or that he'd turn out to be my mirror.

I shouldn't trust him. I've never trusted anyone.

But somewhere between the lies we told his family and the truths he pulled out of me, the idea of losing him becomes unbearable.

And as we close in on the missing women, Rio is in trouble, too.

And there's no way of saving both.

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Amazon.com: Devoted Keeper: An Enemies to Lovers Romantic Suspense (Echo Valley Book 5) eBook : Judd, Sienna: Kindle Store

Sienna Judd is a small town, contemporary romance author who lives for all the spice and book boyfriends who are book husband material.

Sienna is an American girl married to her Prince Charming. She lives with her husband, three children, pony, dogs, guineas pigs and countless other animals on a small farm England. She thinks kitchens are for dancing, is everybody's hype girl and might be known for talking too loudly. Like every respectable woman she also loves drinking champagne and eating half of every chocolate in a truffles box.

Her spirit animal is a butterfly.

Missed Connections by Aimie K. Runyan

 What if you had the chance to revisit every choice that mattered?

Sabrina Sorensen is 37, single, and just lost a fabulous job as manager of a posh Parisian restaurant. She heads home to California for her younger sister’s engagement party, and it's an open door for her mother and siblings to chide Sabrina for her inability to commit to any of her previous jobs and relationships. What they don't know is that Sabrina, for fifteen long years, has been building her résumé in hopes of becoming an inspector for the famed MICHELIN guides—a path that has required keeping her ambitions hidden, even from her family. And, with the job loss, all she’s worked for is in jeopardy. After her mother's final clumsy attempt to fix her up with the charming "boy next door," Sabrina leaves the party and retreats to the Burbank Airport.

The problem? She has nowhere to go.

She arrives at the airport, resolved to put the family conflict behind her and focus on her work, but now her mother's critical voice fills her with doubts. Has she been wasting her life? Faced with the enormity of her next decision, Sabrina breaks down at the ticket counter. The ticket agent pulls her aside and offers her the life-altering opportunity to revisit some of her key life choices, both personal and professional. Sabrina suddenly is given the rare chance to answer the burning question: has she been foolish to sacrifice so much for her dream of becoming a Michelin inspector? And will a spark with an aspiring Danish chef change her priorities altogether?

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Missed Connections: A Novel: Runyan, Aimie K.: 9781400353255: Amazon.com: Books

Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines and the spirit of strong women of any era. She has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a five-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year. Both of her 2024 titles have been long listed for the Reading the West Award in Fiction. Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond, and is an adjunct professor for the Drexel University MFA in Creative Writing Program. She is a proud member of the Tall Poppy Writers. She lives in Colorado with her amazing husband, two (usually) adorable children, two (always) adorable kitties, and a dragon.

Bad Boy Era by Amy Daws

 Rule #1 on the Everly Fletcher Matchmaking Manifesto…Never fall for your best friend’s grumpy brother.

Everly is the matchmaking mastermind of her family, but her own love life is a bit of a flop.

Back from four years in Dublin, she’s ready for a quiet summer on Fletcher Mountain helping launch her aunt’s animal rescue center—until Conri “Wolf” Reilly shows up.

Wolf is her college roommate’s infuriating twin brother. He’s brooding, Irish, and college rugby’s resident bad boy with thighs that could crack a watermelon.

His red card reputation has trashed his rugby prospects…until a training camp in Denver comes calling. As a favor, Everly reluctantly gets Wolf a place to stay if he volunteers at the rescue center.

Now Everly finds herself working and living next door to the Irish tattooed grump who treats her like a nuisance—but looks at her like he could press her up against a hay bale until they forget their own names.

Wolf swore he came to America to fix his image, not fall for his sister’s best friend, but the more time he spends with Everly, the harder it is to keep his distance.

Perhaps Everly’s in her bad boy era…or maybe Fletcher Mountain might has its own matchmaking plans.

Perfect for fans of:

• Grumpy x Sunshine
• Small Town Romance
• Irish Rugby Players

• Overprotective family

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Bad Boy Era: A Best Friend’s Twin Brother Small Town Sports Romance (Mountain Men Matchmaker, 4): Daws, Amy: 9781335219978: Amazon.com: Books

Number 1 Amazon and USA Today bestselling author Amy Daws writes spicy love stories that take place in America, as well as across the pond. She's been known to pen her steamy novels in a tire shop waiting room and that experience inspired her rom-com Wait With Me that was turned into a feature film on Passionflix. When Amy is not writing, she’s likely making charcuterie boards from her home in South Dakota where she lives with her daughter and husband.

Follow Amy on all social media channels under the handle amydawsauthor

Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts

 The battle lines are drawn—between a romance-loving bookseller and the shock jock determined to tear happily-ever-afters apart.

Alice Willoughby and her mom run HEA Books, a cozy shop devoted to love stories and the people who crave them. Alice is great at matching customers with their perfect happily-ever-after…she just can’t seem to find her own.
Enter Parker Black, a disillusioned radio host who’s reinvented himself as a romance-bashing shock jock. Bitter from his breakup with a romance author who turned love into a four-letter word, Parker takes aim at the entire genre—and his on-air rants start stirring up trouble for Alice’s loyal customers and their partners. He’s arrogant, aggravating, and absolutely not book-boyfriend material.
Parker’s crusade leads to spirited debates and bookstore protests, but when unexpected sparks fly between the two of them Alice begins to wonder if her favorite trope—enemies to lovers—might actually be playing out in real life. Parker may claim romance is a lie…but is he protesting a little too much?
With sharp wit and plenty of charm, USA Today bestselling author Sheila Roberts delivers a modern battle of the sexes where the biggest question is simple:

Are romance novels ruining love—or rewriting it? 

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Love on the Shelf: A Witty Enemies to Lovers Rom Com about a Bookseller and Radio Host: Roberts, Sheila: 9780778305828: Amazon.com: Books

With more than fifty books to her name, Sheila Roberts is a frequent USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller - and a fan favorite. Her Christmas perennial "On Strike for Christmas" was made into a movie for the Lifetime Channel and her novel "The Nine Lives of Christmas" was made into a movie for Hallmark. Hallmark also made a sequel, titled "The Nine Kittens of Christmas." Her most recent novel to hit the small screen was "Christmas on Candy Cane Lane," which aired on the Great American Family Channel in 2022. Before settling into her writing career, Sheila owned a singing telegram company and played in band. When she's not traveling, she splits her time between the Pacific Northwest and Southern California.