THE TRUE LOVE BOOKSHOP by Annie Rains

 

Publisher: Forever
Date Published: July 5, 2022
ISBN#    ‎ 978-1538710067
Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by Gina (myreviewbooks@aol.com)
Obtained via publisher
3-1/2 Hearts

Tess Lane lost the love of her life when her husband, Jared, died in a suspicious car accident three years ago. With her husband’s former best friend, River Harrison, back in town old wounds surface mainly because of how River almost ruined her wedding.  When an injured River shows up in her book store, Tess soon finds her feelings toward him changing. When she learns he is looking into Jared’s death she insists on joining him in his investigation.

River Harrison is a former Marine – although ask a Marine and they will tell you once a Marine, always a Marine. He is a man of is word and a strong sense of right and wrong. When he caught his friend, Jared, sleeping with another woman days before his marriage to Tess, River insisted Jared to the right thing and come clean to Tess. Jared refused to and River decided it was on him to expose his cheating. Now he’s looking into some suspicious activity around Jared’s death and more than one secret is about to be unveiled. When Tess insists she be part of the investigation, despite is personal feelings for Tess, he agrees.

I probably should have taken a break between reading Annie Rains’s THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE and THE TRUE LOVE BOOKSTORE because she is her own tough act to follow.  THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE was just such a perfect story. Ideal for when you just want a good romance and great for introducing teens to reading romance. With TRUE LOVE BOOKSTORE I loved the idea of Tess’s book club and how she tries to have something for everyone in town to read. Her story, having her husband die in a suspicious car accident was a sad one and how she picked herself up after was well done. Where the story bogged down for me was the repetition of how she has “brown” skin and that she was mixed race. But sometimes she was, and sometimes she wasn’t.  I got it after the first ten times. I didn’t need to be reminded in virtually every chapter.

I got it that River was a Marine. Ask a Marine, as I said above, they will tell you once a Marine, always a Marine so the constant referring to him as a former Marine was like nails on a blackboard to me.

THE TRUE LOVE BOOKSTORE, like the other books in this series, is a standalone story. You don’t need to read them in order – although you should if you want some good reads – to enjoy them. Rains does add some passages that bring readers up to date on the characters from earlier books and it’s good reading to see how their relationships have progressed. I have a feeling Lara, Tess’s assistant at the bookstore has her own story to tell and I look forward to the next read in this series.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE by Annie Rains

 

Publisher: Forever
Date Published: October 12, 2021
ISBN#    ‎ 978-1538703472
Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by Gina (myreviewbooks@aol.com)
Obtained via publisher

5 Hearts

Lucy Hannigan hasn’t had the best year. With her mom first getting stick and then dying, the holidays are looking pretty bleak. Added to that are the stream of seemingly never ending bills her mother left behind. What was her mother thinking with all these changes and additions to her home?  Making things even harder is that the love her life, the man she was engaged to be married to, but who dropped her without a word, is still in town. Not only is Miles Bruno still in Somerset Lake, he’s a deputy sheriff.

Miles Bruno never left his home town and really hasn’t wanted to. Despite having a hard life growing up, things are looking pretty good for him now, as an adult. He has a good job, good friends and looking to buy his first home. He still hurts from his broken engagement and can’t help but hope to make amends when Lucy moves back in town. Can Lucy and Miles put their past behind them and move forward to a happy ever after now?

Sometimes you just need to sit down with a cup of tea, a cat on your lap and sigh over a really good romance. Annie Rains gives her readers that exact thing in her CHRISTMAS VILLAGE. There are themes in the story we can all relate to and Rains ties them all into a wonderful read. While the story takes place from just before Thanksgiving through the New Year, it is an ideal book to read anytime because of how she delves into the foibles of human nature. Broken and mended hearts, down on their luck families with friends and neighbors who are there to support them, a gossipy character who makes you laugh and an adorable dog and cat, what’s not to like?

The CHRISTMAS VILLAGE is the second book in Rains’ Somerset Lake series but stands completely on its own. She does catch readers up a bit on Jake and Trisha from The Summer Cottage, but the focus of the story is on Miles and Lucy. There are hints as to who will have the next story and what their futures hold. Book 1 had a few quick appearances by the town’s blogging gossip, Reva. She’s more present in the CHRISTMAS VILLAGE and a hoot. Rains doesn’t rush the relationships between her characters, but takes them through the ups and downs we all encounter at some point. She writes for any age and guys would enjoy this one too because it shows they too have a softer side. It’s an ideal read to introduce a teen to reading romance while at the same time, perfect for an adult to curl up when you just want a good read.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

 

                                                                           

THE SUMMER COTTAGE by Annie Rains

  

Publisher: Forever
Date Published: May 25, 2021  
ISBN#   978-1538703427
Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by Gina (myreviewbooks@aol.com)
Obtained via publisher

2-1/2 Hearts

Trish Langly needed a new start on life for her and her son. Disgusted with her now ex-husband for the financial scam he ran bilking his victims of millions of dollars she could no longer remain in her town of Sweetwater Springs. When she saw an ad for a property manager in Somerset she jumped at the chance. For the most part her job is ideal and while she hasn’t exactly gone out and about town, she’s enjoying the safety and security she’s found there.

Jake Fletcher left Somerset years before hoping to run from the grief of the love of his life dying. Now, years later, he’s ready to leave a thriving law practice and join his family in Florida. First though he has a stop to make.  At the behests of his parents and their siblings they have determined it is time for his grandmother, Vi, to sell her cottages at Somerset Lake.

Selling her cottages is not what Vi wants for herself. In fact, that’s why she hired Trisha. With Trisha, Vi and Jake at cross purposes for their futures, only one can come out the winner. Or, can everyone have what they most need and want?

I hadn’t read Annie Rains before but the blurbs on her stories sound so good. This one looked like it was going to be a sit down and sigh with pleasure beach read. It wasn’t the most awful book. There were parts that were pretty good reading. For the most part the writing came across pretty juvenile. I wondered if maybe a teen daughter or relative wrote it at different points. There was just no emotion to the story. I didn’t feel there was any chemistry between Jake and Trisha and aside from stowing away in Jake’s plane, Petey was just a too good to be true seven year old.

That said, it is actually an ideal read to introduce a teen to romance. It’s about respecting boundaries, respecting people, especially women. It’s about caring for not only family, but those around us.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.