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The Finders Keepers Library–caring and helping
The Finders Keepers Library
by Annie Rains
I was immediately enchanted by the format of The Finders Keepers Library. Each chapter begins with a quote, usually bookish, always by a famous author (from Lamott to Tolkien and many in between), and always pertinent to the content of the chapter. I am quite familiar with starting chapters with quotes, but sometimes they are obscure, obtuse, or irrelevant. Not in this book where they are charming and relatable! Each chapter also begins with a pencil sketch of flowers emerging from a book. This illustration has a special meaning because one of the main characters, Eleanor, owns the free library created by her deceased husband along with an extensive garden. They combined their hobbies in a way that engages the community.
Savannah is in between jobs and has just had a troubling medical diagnosis, lupus, that she is learning to live with. Rather than go to her parents’ home, she has a long overdue visit with her beloved Aunt Eleanor who could really use her skills with plants to get the garden in shape for the wedding of a friend of Savannah. Eleanor’s next door neighbor is Evan who was Savannah’s close friend every summer when she came to visit. When they parted ways after high school graduation, they lost touch with each other although neither forgot the “what could have been” of their relationship. Now they are at a different place in their lives. Evan is divorced and has newly become the custodial parent for his grieving daughter. Savannah’s partner of two years walked away when she got her lupus diagnosis. Eleanor has not left her house in a year since she was hospitalized from a bad fall. All of these really nice characters, plus several more, have issues to work through and obstacles in the way. Annie Rains weaves several sweet romances into this story of people helping each other. I highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #1 in the Love in Bloom series
2. Clean
Publication: April 16, 2024—Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Memorable Lines:
“If you ask me, a cup of tea and a good book is the best kind of medicine.”
“I think sometimes, when we’ve been wounded, we humans like to push people away, to prove our greatest fears.” She looked at him again. “What fear?” She shrugged. “That we’re unlovable.”
Knowing that someone loved you enough to bother you when you wanted to be alone was always better than leaving that person alone and letting them believe that no one cared.
Gingerbread Danger–compulsive thief
Gingerbread Danger
by Amanda Flower
Bailey is a prominent chocolatier who owns and manages a candy shop in Harvest, Ohio, with her grandmother. She returns to New York occasionally to film episodes of a cooking show. In Gingerbread Danger, she has just opened a candy factory, Swissmen Candyworks, now selling her famous candy online. Her best seller is Jethro the polka-dotted pig bars, fashioned after her mother-in-law-to-be’s potbellied pig who is frequently left with Bailey for pig sitting duties. Fortunately, Jethro gets along well with Bailey’s huge rabbit Puff and her grandmother’s cat.
A young man falls off the icy roof of Bailey’s candy factory when he is setting up a sign for Harvest’s latest tourist attraction for the Christmas season—a life size version of the board game Candy Land. Is his fall an accident or murder? Meanwhile, Bailey’s parents are in town. Her mother has hired a wedding planner to create the wedding she has always dreamed of for herself, but this one would be for Bailey who really just wants a simple wedding. There are also multiple robberies occurring at Amish stores in Harvest. An Amish Robin Hood seems to be at work. Now Aiden, Bailey’s fiancé, has to try to keep her safe while she insists on investigating; and as sheriff, he is playing “whack a mole” with all the crimes in what should be a quiet tourist town.
Gingerbread Danger is a good cozy mystery, at Christmas, or year round.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1.#9 in the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries. I advise reading some of the other books in the series first for character development, but I recommend all of the books in this series. They contain a good mystery, humor, and both Englisch and Amish characters.
2. Do you like gingerbread? There is a gingerbread house contest for Bailey’s staff that produces a standout food artist. Also included is a recipe for Maami’s Gingerbread Fudge!
Publication: October 22, 2024—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
At times people could be so caught up in their own lives that they were unaware of the suffering around them. It happened to everyone. I was guilty of it myself. Now I couldn’t say it happened to me when I was standing twenty feet from a dead body…
Grief. It was a feeling I knew well…There was a ringing in my ears that wouldn’t go away for weeks. It was as if I was tuned in to every electric hum around me…I was in the candy shop. I was present. But at the same time, I wasn’t. My soul felt as if it was somewhere lost in space.
“I told my husband that I should at least be there to represent the mothers in the district and show our support. He told me nee.” She sniffed. “He is my husband and I must do his bidding, but if he thinks he is getting a roast when he comes home, he is sadly mistaken.”
Zeus: Water Rescue
Zeus: Water Rescue
by W. Bruce Cameron
Do you know a kid who loves dogs? They just might be interested in Zeus: Water Rescue. Written for Middle Grade children, this book shares the story of Zeus, a puppy who watches his littermates find new homes while he is left desperately wanting a person of his own. It is charmingly told from Zeus’ point of view as the puppy tries to understand what the people are doing and to please them.
In Hawaii, Marco pieces a living together between jobs focusing on Search and Rescue and as an Emergency Responder. He especially needs the income he receives when he trains a dog in water rescue and sells it in Europe. Not many dogs are right for the job especially when they are given the final test—jumping from a helicopter.
Kimo lives with his dad Marco and his grandmother and wants a puppy of his own as much as Zeus wants a boy of his own. Because of the financial need to sell a trained dog, even if Kimo can train the rambunctious Zeus, there doesn’t seem to be a way forward for the pair to stay together. Kimo’s cousin Giana is smart and not intimidated by adults. She helps Kimo in his efforts to keep Zeus. Their banter is fun and lightens the sadness that naturally occurs as the impending separation looms on the horizon.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Children’s Fiction
Notes: #1 in the series Dogs with a Purpose
Publication: September 26, 2023—Tor Publishing Group
Memorable Lines:
“Giana’s the only person in history to be kicked off the debate team for arguing,” Kimo informed me.
I could feel some of the fear leaving her as I lay there, so I didn’t try to change position. Having a dog nearby always makes things better.
I did not know why he had shouted Bear’s name. Bear obviously wasn’t here. Anyone could smell that.
A Cowboy’s Fourth of July–love you can count on
A Cowboy’s Fourth of July
by Melinda Curtis
I enjoy Harlequin Heartwarming books, and I favor books by Melinda Curtis. The Cowboy Academy series combines what I like in A Cowboy’s Fourth of July. In the prologue, the reader gets a peek at Allison Burns, a talented singing cowgirl, and Dixon Youngblood (Dix), her math tutor guarding a heavy crush on her, in high school. The rest of the novel focuses on them as adults, however. Allison is a single mom trying to manage a ranch floundering in debt, and Dixon has returned to his roots in Clementine, Oklahoma, working with his grandmother as a banker. Both characters have trust issues and long for the love found in a stable family. Most of the characters in this book have cowboy/rodeo connections and values rooted in family and the land. Dix, however, was abandoned by his parents and then his grandparents. He was taken in by a loving ranch couple who fostered lots of boys who chose to call them “mom and dad.” The ranch was their home, and they became brothers with all the teasing and support that comes with that relationship.
In his banking job, Dix has to work with people who are under water financially. They fear him because, despite his cowboying abilities, he dresses like a city slicker and has the power to foreclose on their loans. Allison inherited many loans when her parents died and doesn’t have the financial skills to get herself out of debt. Besides the obvious challenges of running a ranch and raising a child, Allison feels pressure to win out over “Pilates Queen” Evie in the yearly fair baking competitions continuing the Graces versus Burns feud, another family inheritance of sorts.
Dix has always been attracted to Allison and steps up as her fake boyfriend to help her in a difficult social situation. As might be expected in a Harlequin Heartwarming romance, sparks fly even as the two work on their own issues. Dix helps Allison discover why she is so far in debt and inspires her to recall the joy she once found in music. Throw into this plot Dix’s uncaring parents and sick grandmother, and Allison’s daughter’s self-obsessed baby daddy. The result is a fun romance with 4th of July fireworks.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance
Notes: 1. Allison’s daughter is Piper. She is 10 years old and enthusiastic about so many interests, especially as they relate to being “the best cowgirl ever.” Allison has never told her anything about her father and that comes to a head in this book when he appears in Clementine to sing. He is also unaware he has a child. Piper is a fun character, sweet but manipulative.
2. #2 in The Cowboy Academy series, but works well as a standalone because each book focuses on a different cowboy. There are four books so far in this series.
Publication: July 25, 2023—Harlequin Heartwarming
Memorable Lines:
“Even if you opened branches of the Clementine Savings & Loan across the state of Oklahoma, your mother would still look at you and see the boy she failed because she had to give you up. And until she can look at you without that filter, your relationship with your reals is going to be strained.”
“At some point, Dix, you’re going to have to make choices about your life based on what makes you happy, not what might mend that dysfunctional family of yours….Maybe then, you’d look around and find yourself a good woman, one who understands you’re always going to be watching for signs she’s leaving you to find a happier place in the world, because that’s what most fosters do.”
“If you wait until she’s worked through her issues and you’ve worked through yours, you might just be waiting forever…instead of finding your forever.”
Secrets in the Stacks–supporting friends
Secrets in the Stacks
by Lynn Cahoon
The Survivor’s Book Club is for women who are currently undergoing or have finished treatment for breast cancer. It was founded by Rarity, a local bookstore owner and cancer survivor. The group does not actually read books about cancer, but their background gives them an unspoken bond and perspective. When one of the club members discovers her grandmother murdered in their home, the group shifts into high gear to support their friend, clear her of suspicion, and help discover the real murderer.
As is usual with a Lynn Cahoon book, Secrets in the Stacks has an intricate plot, great characters, and a lot of surprises. Cahoon actually discovered cozy mysteries when she was going through breast cancer treatments herself and realized that writing is what she really wanted to do. She has been very successful with several popular series to her credit, but this is the first one that draws on her experiences with cancer treatment and survival.
Rarity is supported by a group of friends who are Sedona, Arizona, locals. She is close friends with Drew, a detective, but the romantic interest in the story is Archer, an athletic man who leads group hikes in the surrounding area. Rarity has her dog Killer, a Pomeranian, with her almost constantly. As the boss, she can even take her well-trained dog, who has a great instinct about people, to work with her.
The murdered grandmother was well-loved in the community, but no one seemed to know anything about her life before she and her teenaged son moved to Sedona. The group decides that something from her past could be a motivation for the crime. The deeper they delve, the more complications arise.
The ending is dramatic, action-packed, and surprising. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #2 in the Survivors’ Book Club Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone as Cahoon provides any background information needed.
2. Sedona is often associated with new-age beliefs so there are several references to tarot cards as well as one to crystals and sending out good wishes through the universe. Some of the characters believe in the “mystical part” of the tarot card reading and others don’t. As a Christian, I avoid the occult, but there are few enough references and enough skepticism on the part of the characters that I am able to read this book. It is not a predominant theme.
3. Includes a recipe for Hamburger Stew.
Publication: November 1, 2022—Kensington Books (Lyrical Press)
Memorable Lines:
“…running my own business is harder than I thought it would be. Every time I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel, it turns out to be a train.”
She’d worked out her negative feelings about what Shirley had said without confronting the woman. Sometimes you just needed to realize it was you and not them.
The book club was more than just a bunch of women reading books. Or even poking their noses into an investigation, or now, two. They were there for each other.
Hooked on You–Riley and Hayden’s story
Hooked on You
by Kathleen Fuller
Riley and Hayden went to the same high school, but barely knew each other. She went off to New York City hoping to find success as an artist while he pursued a career in baseball. Both find themselves helping out at family businesses—a yarn shop and a hardware store in the dying little town of Maple Falls. Author Kathleen Fuller has created damaged, but likable characters and surrounded them with loving, supportive people. Will the pair overcome their pasts? Can they save the businesses and the little town?
Join the BB’s (Bosom Buddies) who are Riley’s grandmother’s friends, and the Three Musketeers, an unlikely group of three young women as they welcome the loner Riley with the friendship she never had.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance
Notes: 1. #1 in the Maple Falls Romance Series which should be read in order.
2. Includes a map of Maple Falls and Discussion Questions
Publication: 5/11/2021—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
A riot of colors, textures, and fibers filled the canvas in front of Riley McAllister. She tilted her head to the right. To the left. Then, with careful precision and pointed tweezers, she started to apply a hair-thin golden thread to the narrow bead of glue on the peacock feather in the center, the final touch to a project that had taken over three months to complete.
Mimi’s lilting Southern drawl filled Riley’s ear, triggering the tiniest spark of homesickness, which always surprised her. After nine years of living in New York City, she should be over it, but every time she heard Mimi’s voice, it came back again. Riley’s life in Maple Falls had been a big disappointment, but that wasn’t Mimi’s fault.
Frozen Stiff Drink–perfect title
Frozen Stiff Drink
by James J. Cudney
Both clues and motives for murder abound in Frozen Stiff Drink, the latest addition to James J. Cudney’s Braxton Campus Mystery Series. With each book, I think the plot threads can’t get more tangled than in the previous books, but they do! With a cast of characters that will intrigue you, draw you in, and evoke strong reactions, this cozy mystery will provide you with all the distraction you need during this time of shelter in place.
Kellan has a history of finding dead bodies since he returned to Wharton County; but his girlfriend, Sheriff April Montague, has finally begun to accept that he doesn’t go looking for trouble. With the series’ usual large number of characters, this book holds a challenge when trying to sort through the many relationships, but the author helps out with a list of characters including their connections to other characters.
I enjoyed Frozen Stiff Drink all the way to the conclusion where my jaw dropped as the many plot threads were resolved, and several new issues dramatically appeared beckoning me into delightful anticipation of the next installment in the series.
I would like to extend my thanks to author James J. Cudney and to Gumshoe (Next Chapter) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #6 in the Braxton Campus Mystery Series—could be read as a standalone, but the reader would need to be ready to work a little at sorting characters and absorbing backgrounds.
Publication: March 18, 2019—Gumshoe (Next Chapter)
Memorable Lines:
Constance’s frightening premonition cracked holes in the perimeter of my skull like a determined woodpecker in search of its next meal.
“That girl is as useless as a pair of chopsticks scooping pebbles in a bowl of soup while riding a scooter on a high wire.”
“I am not the bread bowl. I am the dessert. The last thing you want and the only thing you need. The part you will remember for the rest of the night.”
Ripe for Vengeance–love for a pot-bellied pig
Ripe for Vengeance
by Wendy Tyson
Megan is a commercial organic gardener with an organic store and café in Winsome where it seems everybody has at least heard of everyone else. She has a handsome, charming boyfriend in Dr. Denver Finn, the local vet. When some of his friends come to town, however, it seems that a cloud of confusion and possibly evil has arrived with them as one of the group is murdered.
In Ripe for Vengeance, author Wendy Tyson has created yet another cozy mystery that is a page turner. The character of Dillon, a high IQ young man suffering from PTSD after witnessing family trauma, is an oxymoron. Is he a mild-mannered introvert as some believe or did he snap in response to an emotional trigger? This cozy is replete with twists and turns revolving around a special school for students like Dillon and drug trials for a startup pharmaceutical company. The introduction of a Pot-bellied pig into the story adds a little humor and softness. Tyson resolves the plot’s mysteries quite well, even picking up one tiny thread at the end that I had completely forgotten about. In doing so, she actually ties up three threads into a nice bow. As I finish each book in this series, I’m always looking forward to the next one.
I would like to extend my thanks to Edelweiss and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #5 in the Greenhouse Mystery Series, but can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Publication: July 16, 2019—Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
If hope were a season, it would be spring.
Despite working with the public at the café and farmers markets, and years of practicing law before that, she wasn’t particularly extroverted, and walking into a party that was already underway lived between root canal and scrubbing toilets on her favorites list.
“Rough neighborhood. Kid born there is already a few football fields behind their peers in the game of life.”
Mother’s Day Mayhem–fun novella
Mother’s Day Mayhem
by Lynn Cahoon
You don’t have to have a good relationship with your mother or your child to enjoy Lynn Cahoon’s Mother’s Day Mayhem. This novella provides a quick, enjoyable, themed read. Lynn Cahoon is a big proponent of “sometimes, the family you make is just as strong or stronger than blood.” Another nice feature of this book is that although there are mysteries (where ARE those missing garden gnomes?), there are no murders.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: mystery
Notes: a novella in the Tourist Trap series
Publication: April 2, 2019—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
Life was good. Or it would have been if Greg hadn’t thrown a stone in the pond. Now, I had to deal with the ripples his request had caused.
“You’re never making a mistake by making yourself vulnerable. You’d regret it more if you didn’t take a chance.”
“Bite me,” the kid called back, speeding up even more. Greg sighed. “Not my circus, not my monkey. But if it was, that kid would be sitting in my office waiting for his folks to come and get him. Sometimes people need to know that respect is an important part of building a community.”
education pathways 