Y’all! I posted a book review maybe two weeks ago? Someone send help my way please.  I found a contender for one of my favorite books of 2018, and then I feel down a very, very deep rabbit hole of a book series.  Oh dear.  I have read so much in the last few weeks, that I am going to give myself a break for a few days.  Also, I need some sleep. And, I was afraid that if I added anymore books to this post, you would judge me.  No worries, I am judging me.  This has basically been me since my last book review post.

I would like to blame at least one carpool line per day, long golf lessons for my youngest, Reid going hunting, and late nights for my craziness! Ha! Check out the book reviews below.  As we are headed into the holiday season, I think that ANY and ALL of the books that I read would be great gifts or stocking stuffers! Here we go . . .

cancel the wedding by carolyn t. dingman

This was the first book I read for this post.  I LOVED THIS BOOK! This is definitely in the running for one of my favorite books of 2018!  For me, this was chick-lit, plus a little more.  Olivia and Georgia’s mother dies, and they are left with no other family and strange instructions as to what to do with their mother’s ashes.  Olivia embarks on this journey to carry out her mother’s wishes, to learn who her mother was before marrying their father, and maybe learn a little bit about herself in the process.  There is a little mystery to this book that is so intriguing, and I found myself desperately wanting Olivia and Georgia to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together for their mom.  And, of course, there is some good old fashioned love, fun friendships, and teenage goofiness.  I really, REALLY enjoyed this book.  This is the perfect gift for yourself or someone on your Christmas list! Click here to grab yourself a copy!

winter street series by elin hildebrand

WINTER STREET

WINTER STROLL

WINTER STORMS

WINTER SOLSTICE

Welcome to my rabbit hole!  Fun fact about me: I am such a sucker for a series.  I loved all seven of the Harry Potter books.  Hunger Games, check! Twilight series, check! Fifty Shades of Grey, don’t judge me, but check!  So, in about a one week period, I read ALL FOUR of the books from the Winter Street series.  I know that there are MANY, MANY Erin Hilderbrand fans out there.  I have tried to read a book or two of hers in the past, and was never able to make it past the first few chapters.  Apologies to the Hilderbrand fans out there!

But, then I came across Winter Street, and . . . well, it is based around Christmas.  And, I LOVE CHRISTMAS! My favorite time of the year. This entire book plays out in three days: December 23rd (my birthday, so another good reason to read this book), Christmas Eve, and Christmas.  I not only made it through this book, I really, really liked it! The story follows the Quinn family throughout these three days in a precious Bed & Breakfast Inn in Nantucket.  There are so many different story lines going one throughout the book, but they are woven together perfectly.  When it ended, my first thought was “what the heck was that? where are the other chapters?” This book had ZERO closure, ZERO!  There were so many issues outstanding at the end of the book, but it didn’t take away that I laughed out loud several times, I teared up in sweet places, and I just loved the big family dynamic.  Now, full confession . . . after reading this book and doing a little research, I discovered that Winter Street is the FIRST in a series of FOUR Quinn Family books written by Hildebrand.  Oops! Maybe that is why there was no closure.  So, there in lies the rabbit hole.

Pros of these books: I really enjoyed all of the characters.  They all had their own issues (as we all do!), but they were overall lovable people that truly cared about one another.  And, again, I love anything surrounding Christmas.  All of the books either centered around Christmas, or the holidays were at least a heavy part of the book.

Cons: I was fine with the cliffhanger endings in books one through three, but I truly felt that I needed a little more closure when the last book ended.  Maybe that is just because I had spent my week attached to the Quinn family. These sweet characters have stayed with me only because I need to know what happened to them! While I really liked this series, it could have used a few more chapters.

Listen . . . this is a sweet series.  Very easy to read, and will definitely make you laugh.  If you love Christmas as much as I do, and if you are a Elin Hildebrand fan, definitely check these books out.  They would be even better reads while sitting next to the Christmas tree on a cold night.
Click here to grab Book #1: Winter Street
Click here to grab Book #2: Winter Stroll
Click here to grab Book #3: Winter Storms
Click here to grab Book #4: Winter Solstice

the perfect match by kristan higgins

Speaking of a series or trilogy . . . this is the 2nd book of the Blue Heron series by Kristan Higgins.  In my last book review, I raved about the 1st book of the series: The Best Man.  Such a great book.  Well, The Perfect Match is super cute as well.  The Best Man is the story of Faith Holland and her life, The Perfect Match is the story of her sister, Honor Holland.  Honor Holland is a thirty-five year old woman that is running the business side of the Blue Heron Vineyard.  She is smart, she is capable, but she is failing miserably in her love life.  Kristan Higgins definitely has a formula for writing her stories, but she is SO GOOD! And, in my experience, she gives you closure.  You never end a book, and think “what the heck was that?”.  You know what happens to the characters you have fallen in love with, which makes you happy that you spent your time with this book! I am a HUGE Kristan Higgins fan, and plan to read many more of her books in the future! Click here to grab a copy for yourself or a friend!

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Whew! That is six books in about three weeks! Today is my 14th wedding anniversary with my sweet husband, and I am going to take some time AWAY from books to hang with him! I do, however, have a few books on standby and am excited to crack them open.  As always, let me know if y’all have any suggestions! It is always so fun to chat with you about these with you! XO

October 30, 2004