Archive | October 2015

The Bookshop on the Corner… a book review

Right off the bat I have say the author of The Bookshop on the Corner, Rebecca Raisin has an amazing talent for creating whimsical imagery. I want to share two of my favourites:

“I imagined the books exhaling, stretching their binding, as they relaxed, not on show any more. And once I left for the night, I pictured them moving around the shop, their pages fluttering, as if they’d come to life. Until morning, where I’d walk in and find them not quite where I’d left them the previous night.”

“Most booksellers frowned upon dog-earing a book, but that was how you knew it was special. It had lived, and been reincarnated again with another owner; there were notes on the margins, and words highlighted. With a book like that, when you gently pried open the cover you could hear whispers from the past float out from the pages.”

She won me over with these passages but kept me there with lovely bookseller in her tiny quiet store and the travelling reporter who fell in love at first sight. You spend the book following along sweet Sarah Smith as she visits with her friends, runs her bookstore and falls in love with the dashing Ridge Warner. Is it storybook perfect or too good to be true?

This is a wonderful novella and part of a series I know I will keep an eye peeled for! It works as a standalone or within a series, added bonus! So look for “The Bookshop Series” or “The Gingerbread Cafe Series.”21796832

The Accidental Demon Slayer… a book review

And now I flip from light romantic library finds to… demon slaying girls with small yappy dogs as pets? In my defense, it was a free book on my Kindle and I do like to vary my reading. So, The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox. You do jump all in on the action with the main character Lizzie ready for a safe 30 th birthday celebration with a potential boyfriend before Grandma rolls in on her motorbike yelling about demons and going on the run.

The basic premise is that Lizzie has inherited the ability to slay demons from her mother who ran off when she was a baby. Lizzie is then raised by her rather stuffy adopted parents until Grandma shows up. On her birthday her slaying powers are awakened and suddenly her small yappy dog (Jack Russell terrier) Pirate can talk to her and her life is full or biker witches, a thoroughly attractive griffin turned man named Dimitri and a big bad demon out for her powers and potentially her soul.

There are a laundry list of spells (hilarious… who wouldn’t want to run into a tickle spell?) and monsters that go bump in the night in this book as well as romance, a mystery and adventure. I think my only meh moment was the sexual encounter. Though I must give the author credit, there was a reason things happened the way they did and it is soon after that you realize the greater story. BUT I do love a main character who sticks to her guns and holds strong until the end. 

One of the huge pluses for this book is the absolutely unique characters. I have not read a story with a coven on the run of witches who enjoy biker bars and hard living. And the names – Ant Eater, Scarlet… the witches of the Red Skull. 

So a contemporary romance which is first and foremost supernatural with mystery and adventure. I would say this is a mature reader book with the blatant violence and romance, but it is fun. I don’t know how hard I will hunt for the rest of the series but I will definitely read the next one if I fall across it. It is a fun read. Check out how the prim and proper preschool teacher becomes a butt kicking demon slayer with the Accidental Demon Slayer Series! the-accidental-demon-slayer

The Holiday Nanny… a book review

Another library gem… And seasonal to boot… just once again the wrong season. (I will admit I looked no luck on the Halloween Love Inspired books) The Holiday Nanny by Lois Richer is a fun seasonal contemporary romance set (of course) during Christmas. Some of the same elements as previous reviews are there… a child (this time the widow’s daughter), the single woman problems of her own (Connie Ladden on the search for her father who left her to live in a loving foster home suddenly). Don’t forget a grieving step mother (our hero Wes’ step mother) in the mix.

I have a few major loves on this one – the step mother is neither evil nor cruel, she is wounded like the others in this story which is something the writer actually recognizes and incorporates into the story. There are multiple issues in this story to deal with… faith, fear of love, parenting, there is so much to be examined and worked through. So much introspection and a few true mysteries to solve.

I am a huge fan of Christmas romances. And this one did not disappoint. There is a history for each of the characters to explore, love to be recognized and fears to be faced. I will warn you a few more volatile topics are discussed… infidelity, potential of a child being the product of that… abandonment and long term illness as well as multiple accidents.

A bit of a slow burn on this one… but a wonderful romance with a nice healthy dash of faith. Check it out (literally at the library).51seWbAJzpL._SX314_BO1,204,203,200_