Falling for the Innkeeper

Good afternoon reader friends! Today I have a brand new review for you, a sweet romance by Meghann Whistler entitled Falling for the Innkeeper!

• Heat Level: ❤️
• Genre: Christian Romance
• Overall Rating: 5/6 Glass Slippers

Laura Lessoway is just trying to keep moving forward in the wake of a divorce from her workaholic husband. She and her young daughter Emma have been living at the Sea Glass Inn, a place once owned by her grandmother and left partially to her. Her mother’s trying to sell it, but Laura isn’t going to let her grandmother’s legacy go without a fight.

Johnathan Masters is a lawyer working on behalf of Carberry Hotels and is hoping to snag a prime piece of ocean front property. He’s not keen on playing hardball with a single mom, but he’s already arranged to stay a few days and is hoping he’ll seal the deal and go back to his office a winner.

Both are dealing with the scars of their pasts and learning to overcome their own fears for the future. While there’s an old saying that sea air cures all, it’ll take more than a stroll on the beaches of Cape Cod to bring this pair together.

Personally, I generally haven’t read much Christian romance, but I really enjoyed how Whistler made it a theme in her book without it being the focus. Laura’s faith just added to her character and it was nice to see how each of her decisions was given multiple layers of thought. Still, if you don’t enjoy religion as an ongoing theme, this book might not be for you, but general romance readers will probably see it as I did–a Hallmark-ish novel set in a charming location.

Laura and Johnathan have a great back and forth. They really seemed matched when it came to wits, and gave as good as they got. Honestly, if I didn’t know it was Whistler’s debut novel, I would have thought she was a seasoned author! The scenery was clear and the inner thoughts of the main characters were clear as a bell.

I’d recommend this book to all romance readers who enjoy a sweet read with a little faith and a whole lot of laughs.

The Winter Sea

Time hopping historicals are always my go to when it comes to having a good time. And any historical romance reader knows Susanna Kearsley is a big name for all things historical. I picked up a paperback of The Winter Sea to read by the pool and loved it. The twist at the end made the story, but when it comes to that, my lips are sealed.

• Genre: Historical/Contemporary Fiction/Romance
• Heat Level: ❤️❤️❤️
• Overall Rating: 6/6 Glass Slippers

Bestselling author Carrie MacClellan travels the world, following the stories she writes. Not every tale comes from her imagination, though. Carrie’s always heard whispers, seen hints of things that have happened, and knows how to research into her visions to dig up the true facts behind old ruins and aged letters. She moves to a cottage in Cruden Bay in the shadows of Slains Castle to work on another book, one that will hit closer to home than any before.

In 1708, Sophia Paterson has not lived an easy life. Orphaned and alone, she goes to live with a distant relative, the Countess of Errol, at Slains Castle. Sophia will be on the coast of Scotland, overlooking the North Sea and the strange ships that carry hints of Jacobite rebellion and encoded notes. One in particular carries a cargo too precious for words, and soon Sophia is entangled in a world of secrets and the handsome John Moray who has a price on his head.

As Carrie works to separate fact from fiction, her book begins to unravel family secrets. The young woman Sophia is no longer just a name on paper and John isn’t some blur of a man with eyes like a storm sea. Their pasts become her reality, and it’s up to her to write their ending.

You guys, I loved this book. I’ve gotten pretty lucky lately in the reading department, but Kearsley really pulled me in with her tale of forbidden love and modern day detective work. I rooted for Sophia and John from their first meeting and nervously waited for each historical document Carrie unearthed. There were breadcrumbs and a twist that had had me reeling.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it for all historical and contemporary romance fans.