Tag: romance

This Chick Read: The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston

When Sophie Drear plans her escape to coastal Maine for the summer—for a temporary job revitalizing the storied grounds at Lilymoor House—she doesn’t expect to fall in love.

But she does: With the beguiling land, the fragrant flowers, and the towering hedge maze. With the quirky staff and the enigmatic woman who owns the place.

And then, the door appears. Never in the same place twice, it leads her to a secret, and unfinished, garden with a frustrated thundercloud of a man trapped inside.

This mysterious garden is not the only sign that the future of Lilymoor is unstable: the foliage resists Sophie’s careful nurturing, vines threaten to strangle the hedges, and the manor’s owner has wild ideas about who will take over when she retires—including her inconveniently attractive nephew who is also there just for the summer.

Despite herself, Sophie has come to care for the residents of Lilymoor just as much as she cares for its grounds. With the help of one man on the outside of the secret garden, and one man on the inside, she might be the only person who can figure out exactly what Lilymoor needs to bloom once more.

Break out the box of tissues for this one! Sophie “escapes” to Lilymoor House grieving her best friend who died the year before. When they were in college they took a road trip to this storied garden. They were both leaving college and pursuing careers in opposite locales so they made a pact to return to Lilymoor in 10 years, regardless of where they are in their life. It’s the 10 year date, and to honor Harrie Sophie accepts this summer job. She is having trouble living her life since Harrie’s death. She doesn’t expect it to be but Lilymoor jumpstarts her heart and her imagination.

There’s a wonderful cast of characters in this novel, all of them searching for something, even if they don’t quite know what it is they’re searching for- with that in common they bond over throwing a 250th anniversary for the home. Sophie’s job is to make sure the gardens are in good shape, and as she’s working she comes across a blue door where there shouldn’t be one. Behind that door is one of the owners nephews, stuck in time and as Sophie visits him she falls in love with this dichotomy of this strong and gentle warrior. This “secret garden” may give her just what she needs, to find the magic in her own life again, and enjoy the act of living.

I had a very hard time not falling in love with the gentle prose in his novel and as it went on the emotions Sophie was going through swept through me as well. I spent the last few chapters shedding a few tears and feeling my heart beat with hope and joy. If you’re going through a tough time yourself, this may lead you into the light. It’s a five star read from me.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Someday Garden

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: A Shop Girl’s Guide to Wooing a Lord by Shana Galen

Tamsin Archer has had a difficult year, her father’s dead, her mom lost her arm, and now her younger siblings have gone missing. Tamsin is doing everything she can to hold her family together. When she dresses as a liveryman at a ball and pockets a couple of items, she runs into Garret Kildare. A few years ago, he made an impression on her with his gentlemanly ways when he saved her from being trampled. She thinks that he has it made with his perfect family and his family manor. What she doesn’t know is that he has just been delivered devastating news as well. His family has run out of money and the only way they will be saved is if one of he and his four siblings marry well and support the family. When he meets Tamsin, a young woman lower in station than he, those plans de-rail.

I loved the premise of this book. A young man ignores society’s expectations and falls for a woman from another class. What I didn’t like as much as that the writing made the characters seem really juvenile, or at least Garret seemed juvenile. I think the challenge in writing a historical romance of this nature is portraying how the hero changes his expectations and goes against how he has been brought up. The author chose to portray Garret, a 32 year old male, as a much younger man and in that way she gave him an innocence that just wouldn’t be the norm in this historical time in London, or at least I don’t think it should be. Tamsin, on the other hand, was tough and written exactly as she should be. The contrast between her situation and his, and how he and his brothers would solve the problem was just too big for me to ignore. It was too juvenile.

I did finish the book, but I just didn’t enjoy it that much and skimmed it to finish. ❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Dolly and her son moved back home to Whitfield, Rhode Island for the summer to help out her dad and her brother save the family home. Working at the family fish shop while problem solving needing a new roof and not having the funds to get one, she runs into local scion Stewart Whitfield with a flat tire. At the end of a messy, very public break-up, Stewart is having a really bad week. A picture of an attractive young woman changing his tire is not what his reputation needs, so when it comes out in the paper the paper prints that he was teaching her instead of the other way around. Stewart tracks Dolly down to apologize and ends up with a paid for fake girlfriend. This sounds like a terrible idea to Dolly but when he offers to pay for her new roof she figures why not? As they get to know each other what was once fake starts to feel very real.

I eagerly wait for Annabel Monaghan’s book to come out every year. She is one of a handful of author’s that I can always count on to write a great story, create wonderfully real characters, and to know I’m going to enjoy practically every word that’s written. This book delivered on all three of those things. Their opposites attract/fake boyfriend-girlfriend tropes worked, although there were some silly, totally saw it coming story lines. I enjoyed the fact that Dolly was level headed and so real, and that Stewart was a workaholic who excelled at business but not at changing a tire. Their journey towards love was sweet and heart-breaking at the same time. I wasn’t sure when the shoe was going to drop on their fake scheme and it kept me reading every chapter!

Something else this author excels at is writing great familial relationships. Dolly’s dad was just wonderful and his sense of humor and dad advice were great additions to round out the story about her situation at home. Her son’s backstory held all of the drama of youth, but gave Dolly some great moments as a mother. She was such a well-rounded character.

If you love love, family relationships, and a little drama, then you should pick up this book and give it a go. I was not disappointed one bit and am not looking forward to next year when this author will release her next book. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Dolly All The Time

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: First and Forever by Lynn Painter

Duffy Distefano is a long-time fan of her football team, the Minneapolis Coyote’s. When she has an unfortunate interaction with the mascot at a game, she becomes the most hated person in Minneapolis. When she has the opportunity to go on a local TV show and tell her side of the story she jumps at the chance. What she doesn’t expect is for the Coyotes star tight end to join her on the show, and for them to have great chemistry! Connor Cunningham thinks he’s just helping out his PR department by making nice with Duffy, but when she starts hazing him on live TV he sits back and enjoys the show. She knows his stats better than he does and when her father drags out a chair and joins the interview they have the audience in hysterics. He can’t help but want to see her again.

You know, I don’t think I’ve ever read a Lynn Painter novel that I haven’t liked and I’m not starting that here. First and Forever was absolutely charming. Duffy is unlike any romance heroine I’ve ever read. She’s attractive, but doesn’t really care about her looks, she’s funny but always gets slotted into the friend-zone by her dates, and she lives with her father- who is an absolute hoot! When Connor calls her on the phone to ask her out and she says she needs to call him back, I laughed out loud. She was so adorable and Connor, too, was drawn to her charm.

I don’t want to give away any of the wonderful scenes that this author created to draw in the reader (and Connor!), but when you get to the paint ball scene you are going to laugh just like I did. This girl is hysterical and Connor is all in for her brand of crazy. So was I. OK, that’s all I’m going to tell you other than, just READ THE BOOK. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* First and Forever

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Chase the Light (National Parks Summers #2) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

When National Park ranger Scout Johnson discovers a packet of notes in an old lighthouse in Acadia Park, she joins together with Naki Dana, a historian of Penobscot heritage and together they start to unravel the mystery of forgotten shipwreck and its treasure. As they explore the territory, it brings them together and ignites feelings in Scout that take her by surprise. Also hunting for this treasure is journalist and newspaper owner Chase Fletcher. Chase see’s this treasure hunt as being his last chance to save his paper and despite his attraction to Scout and the possible future he sees with her, he’ll have to make a decision to save his paper or hold off on getting the scoop of a story of a lifetime.

I have never read a novel by this author and I was eager to unravel what sounded to be a great mystery. I love history and the mix of native american heritage, shipwrecks, and treasure hunting drew me in and after the first chapter where Scout discovers a letter with a clue, I wa all in. Suzanne Woods Fisher created a fascinating main character. Scout’s childhood, which we learn all about in this novel, created a strong-willed, caring, true to herself main character. She grew up in the south and had the qualities you’d expect from a young southern woman, and then she had this backbone. I love that mix of strength and honor. I also loved how Naki Dana, described as inhumanly tall, dark, good looking, and with Presence- note the capital P, made her extremely nervous. Although polite and polished, she couldn’t help but take peeks at him and was tongue tied in his presence. This made for a very fun tension as they hunted for treasure.

There were other wonderful side characters and sub-plots, a teen romance, a missing father and domineering mother, and of course, Chase Fletcher and his chase to save his family’s business. I loved how the author gave us the contrast of Naki’s strong silence, and Chase’s smooth charm and how different their interactions were with Scout. All of these things helped create a well-rounded cast list and a story that shone. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Chase the Light

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchased this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West

Sutton is back in her hometown to take care of her grumpy, ailing mom. When she runs into her best friend from childhood, Tara, she gets dragged into a bet. She and another stranger are going to pretend to be engaged and go to couples therapy. If the therapist guesses they aren’t a real couple her friend’s fianceé will agree to go to his own couple’s therapy with Tara. Sutton and Elijah head to their first therapy session as strangers but come out knowing a little bit more about each other and a homeworks from the therapist. As they continue to attend these sessions Sutton and Elijah seem to only be proving one thing this true connection forming between them is threatening to unravel everything Sutton thought she knew about family, friendship, and her own heart.

You can rely on Kasie West to create characters that you can identify with, draw you in, and make you think “yes! I have felt the same way”. When I read this story I could totally identify with Sutton and her situation. She and her mom don’t have the best relationship. Her mom’s injury makes her grumpy, but she’s always been very critical of Sutton’s choices in life. As Sutton goes through her therapy sessions with Elijah she uses some of what’s she’s learning about herself to deal with her issues with her mom too. Lesson learned? Therapy is good!

Elijah was a sweetheart. Adorable, friendly, flirty, but he also seemed to care a lot about Sutton as the novel moved forward. There was some great chemistry between the two of them and despite all of the things they are both dealing with in their lives, they connect on a real level. The author’s portrayal of their story was so seamless that I sped through this novel relishing the way it ended. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGally for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Stranger Things Have Happened

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Rerserved

*Amazon Associate- If you purchased this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Happy Ending by Chloe Liese

Thea and Alex met when Thea was going to pick up her dog from her recent ex-husband’s home and Alex was going to pick up his daughter at his recent ex-wife’s new boyfriends home- Thea’s ex. Both a little off guard by the situation they find themselves in, they spin a little tale about being childhood best friend’s. What starts as a little prank, two years later, grows into a true friendship. When their ex’s ask them to take a group family vacation they realize this friendship might be growing into something more.

This is a tough review for me because I love Chloe Liese’s novels. She always has realistic characters who are slightly challenged by life. Happy Ending’s characters are challenged by a situation, but as characters they didn’t really hold my interest. I like a friends to lovers romance, and the plot set this one up nicely, but for me, something was missing. Thea’s pining for Alex was kind of annoying and his not so secret crush on her was equally irritating. These two people who claimed to be best friends just didn’t communicate at all. They each subverted their emotions so they could continue this lackluster friendship. It was well written, but I just found the story boring. I hope she gets back to writing interesting characters on the next novel!

❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved.

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This Chick Read: What Lasts by J. Bengtsson

As a fan of J. Bengtsson’s Cake series, I was intrigued by her news that she was writing a prequel about the couple that created all of our favorite characters…Michelle and Scott McCallister, the parents. After six books about the McCallister siblings, you’d think the reader would know everything about Michelle and Scott, but I learned that my knowledge only brushed the surface. What Lasts takes us back to the 80’s and the beginning of it all.

Michelle has grown up in privilege and when she meets Scott, someone who is not among the privileged (at all), she embarass’s herself in front of him, and yet Scott is intrigued. Not thinking she’ll ever show up, he invites her to his gig that night and surprisingly she shows up. This is just the beginning of Michelle showing up for Scott. As we learn from the other novels, Michelle wants more from her future than to marry whomever her parents deem appropriate, so she gives it all up for a single dad who works three jobs in order to be there for his boy, Mitchell. What follows are a couple of decades of having and raising kids, living in poverty, and Scott trying to live up to what he thinks Michelle needs.Then comes the backbone of all of Cake’s novels. Jake’s kidnapping, return, and skyrocketing career to rockstardom. How do Michelle and Scott handle all of the above? The details are in the novel so I’ll let you see if you like how their story is told. I’ll admit, I found it kind of lackluster.

I love these books, but what I really like about them are the relationships between all of the siblings. Was I curious about Michelle and Scott? A little bit? Scott was obviously a character so it was kind of cool to see where all of his unusualness came from. Michelle always came off as a bit of a cool customer. I knew she came from a wealthy background but even after learning about their struggles, and how as a mother she felt during all of the kidnapping trauma, I just never really warmed up to her. So, for me, I didn’t find their story that riveting. What it did do though, is make me want to read all of the sibling novels again, so really it did it’s job! I’ve read them all at least twice as well as listened to the audiobooks. I have my favorites, but I think this time I’m going to read them in order.

❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much for allowing me to read an early copy! I’m a SoCal girl who grew up in Ventura County, so I always love to read stories that take place in that area. I’m looking forward to going back and taking a visit to SoCal with some of my favorite characters.

Click this link to purchase this book!* What Lasts

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn

Layla Bailey spent the last year telling herself she’s moved on from her divorce with her college sweetheart. Wanting to stay amicable she accepts an invitation to her ex-sister-in-law’s wedding in Paris, the place where she and her ex spent their honeymoon. No problem, she tells herself, even though he’s bringing his new girlfriend. She spends the first night having a fun dinner with the bride then wakes up the next morning to find that something she innocently said has caused the bride to doubt following through with the wedding. It’s up to she and the taciturn best man, Griffin to make sure this wedding happens.

I did kind of cut to the chase on the above synopsis making this sound like a bit of fluff, when it absolutely was not. The Paris Match shredded my heart. I loved Layla, and the more we all got to know Griff and his heartbreaking back story, the more I came to love him as well. While they tried to figure out the reasons why the bride starting having doubts they both did a lot of soul searching. Layla on why she was trying so hard to be “amicable” with her ex and his family. Yes, she’s a very nice and loving woman, but there are limits to what she’s going to allow. Griff who maybe should’ve been named Gruff, hit his limits pretty quickly- on her behalf. I’ll admit there’s nothing I love better than someone who is a protector, and despite not understanding his feelings on why he felt so deeply, Griff was her support.

Layla was such an easy character to like. She tried to do all the right things, be pleasant, kind, professional (she was a doctor), but at the same time kind of let people walk all over her. As the novel moved forward you could see her backbone straighten. She needed to take this trip back to the city she loved so much and had all of these memories from her past life- face them- and make new ones. I’m a big believer in learning from your mistakes and moving forward. It took her a little while to see and accept them, but ultimately she was able to do that- with Griff’s help. Griff had his own troubles he needed to face and Layla was just as much a supporter to him as he was to her. A perfect partnership if they can get past their pasts and face the future together. This was a lovely story and I really enjoyed reading it- even though I left a wad of tissues by my bedside.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Paris Match

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard

Allegra Hart has been working her whole life towards being a principal ballerina. When her director announces he’s choreographing a brand new ballet and will be holding auditions for the leads, Allegra knows she will be auditioning, however when she approaches her director he tells her that she doesn’t have the sex appeal to play this character. That evening she goes to her sister’s bachelorette party at a male revue club and is gobsmacked by the lead dancer. Determined to gain his help in training her she approaches Cord Donovan and appeals to him for his help. When he agrees she’s not sure of the direction this training will take, but is sure it will take her outside her comfort zone.

I don’t usually read reviews before I write my own but I was curious what other people thought of this book. There were some triggering subject matters. An example-Allegra worked in a ballet company where she was sexually harassed by her director.. and she ignored it in order to keep her job. Some readers were pretty pissed off that the author wrote a story where the protagonist didn’t stand up for herself, other women, and pretty much all things sexually harassed related. Yes, I noticed these things as well but I’m just going to throw this idea out there. While I would kick scream and shout to the world about what was happening, not everyone handles situations in strong outspoken ways. Sometimes the fight happens when that person is ready. Do I wish that Allegra had forsaken all that she’s worked for in her career to scream about harassment to the world? Nope. As a woman of a certain age who works in a not at all related field, let me just say that you deal with all sorts of things that you have to weigh and decide what’s best for you at that moment and for your future. I wasn’t mad but I could see how some readers might be.

I enjoyed the push and pull of Allegra and Cord’s slow burn romance. Despite their instant attraction they were both committed to their careers and didn’t really want to cross that line, but while they were getting to know each other those dance scenes sure did create some great tension. As a non dancer I really appreciated how I could visualize their dancing too. Kudos to this author for doing her research and writing some great numbers.

Cord and Allegra’s relationship was not perfect but it did feel real and it brought up that age old issue. Do women need to compromise their wants and needs, the future they were building, in order to live happily ever after with a man? I know my answer but if you want to know Allegra’s read the book. 🙂

❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Toe to Toe

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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