The concept of this book intrigued me as I love historical fiction mixed with a present day tie-in.  The Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls built in 1903 in Arlington, Texas provides the backdrop for the meeting of Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride.  Their shared situation brings the two women to forge a sisterly friendship that will stand the test of time and many other tribulations.  In present day, university librarian Cate Sutton uncovers information in the archives about the Berachah Home and its residents.  She feels drawn to these women and their stories, inspiring her to deal with issues from her past as well.  

I thought the stories of Lizzie and Mattie were so interesting and compelling.  The fact that this home actually existed that long ago and touched so many lives was inspiring.  I failed to connect as much with Cate and found her portion of the story somewhat of a distraction for me.  I couldn't connect the importance of her assistant Laurel's character with the narrative.  That said, I did enjoy the book but just felt more drawn to the historical component.  

I received this book courtesy of Crown Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I loved the concept of The Second Chance Boutique.  Francesca Delaney has built her wedding dress business around some simple concepts:  1) Never covet a dress and 2) Never sell a dress that led to a doomed marriage.  Fran researches all of her shop's vintage wedding dresses to find the stories behind each one, the brides that wore them and the marriages that were created.  Fran has recently discovered a very unusual and beautiful vintage gown, but as she is tracking down the story of its bride, she crosses paths with Rafael Colt, whose mother and grandmother wore the gown.  Rafael is the ultimate playboy, but he is also a philanthropist heading up his family's foundation.  He and Fran consistently butt heads over almost everything, but sometimes love and hate are more closely related than we realize.

I did love the parts of the stories about connecting the brides with the unique dresses described and simply the concept of the wedding dress shop itself.  I felt that the exchanges between Fran and Rafael were a bit contrived and somewhat predictable.  I would have preferred their relationship to have developed a little differently in order to be more believable for me.

I received this book courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  
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This love story really took me through a range of emotions as I read it from cover to cover.  Missy Carmichael is 79 years old and finds herself in a new world that she isn't sure she is ready to be in.  Her son and grandson live in far away Australia; her relationship with her daughter is tenuous, at best; and the love of her life is gone.  Missy doesn't expect a spur of the moment trip to a local park to have such a tremendous impact.  Suddenly two complete strangers are making their way through all of Missy's barriers and finding a place in her life.      

The characters in this novel are so well written and real.  I would go from being a cheerleader for Missy to feeling she had let me down and then back to empathizing with her.  All of the relationships were unique and compelling.  It was a wonderful transformative journey to go through with Missy and I am grateful for reading this book.  What seems like a simple story in some ways is so multi-layered and touching that I will remember it for some time.  

I received this novel courtesy of Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putman Sons in exchange for an honest review.  

I fell in love with the cozy small-town of Winsome after reading The Printed Letter Bookshop so I was so thrilled to pickup Of Literature and Lattes and fall right back into that wonderful setting.  

While also being set in the same town, Of Literature and Lattes could truly be read as a standalone novel.  There are some familiar characters that appear but this novel introduces new individuals to the town.  The book primarily focuses on Jeremy Mitchell who has just moved to Winsome and taken over ownership of the local coffee shop and Alyssa Harrison, a Winsome local that is returning from Silicon Valley after a workplace scandal.  Both of these characters seem to be running from their past, and perhaps into each other's future.  

The author does an amazing job creating the town of Winsome and the cast of beloved characters.  Each character seems so realistic that that truly come to life off the page.  I think most readers would find many, if not all, of the characters relatable.  I very much hope that she will continue to explore the lives of the residents of Winsome, because I'm just not ready to let any of them go.  I just want to stroll the streets and visit The Printed Letter Bookshop, the coffee shop Andante, and the other quaint shops I envision there.  

I received this book courtesy of Thomas Nelson Fiction through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.