The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins by Melanie Dickerson

 

The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins by Melanie Dickerson is delightful Regency novel with all the feels. Charlotte Robins grew up as an orphan in a school and is now the governess for the Earl of Brookhaven’s siblings. She has very few expectations for her life and is hoping to marry a gardener, vicar or steward. Earl of Brookhaven has been publicly humiliated with his last fiancé. He trusts no one, but he does like Charlotte. Charlotte when she inherits a fortune does that change the game?

I was enraptured by this delightful Regency novel. Charlotte and Earl of Brookhaven had wonderful chemistry, a tender love, and were simply delightful people I wanted to befriend. I loved watching Charlotte mature, fall in love and grow wiser with her new fortune. The side characters were perfect for the story and made the time period come alive. The author does an amazing job writing in all of the nuances of the time period. I felt I had entered an enchanting world that I did not want to leave.

The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins was a delightful book with engaging characters, the perfect Regency setting, and a sweet happily ever after. I was so sad the story had to end. I highly recommend and this will be a 2026 favorite for me.

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review.

Melanie Dickerson is the New York Times bestselling author of happily-ever-after romance. She grew up in rural South Alabama dreaming of a career as a novelist. She wrote stories in notebooks for her friends from the time she was twelve years old and finished her first full-length romance novel when she was fourteen. She’s come a long way since then, but she still believes in love and the power of story.

With over 1M books sold, Melanie’s work has been awarded two Christy Awards, a Carol Award, a Maggie Award, a Golden Quill Award, a National Readers Choice Award, and a Book Buyers’ Best Award, has been named to Christian Retailing’s Best, and hit #1 in her category on the New York Times bestseller list.

When she’s not writing, Melanie can be found watching While You Were Sleeping for the hundredth time with her handsome hero husband, and shaking her head at her slightly unhinged Jack Russell terrier. She lives in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachians near Huntsville, Alabama.

The Shippers by Katherine Center is all that and a bag of chips. JoJo Burton feels stuck in her relationships, and is hoping to solve her problems on her sister’s wedding cruise. Her best friend from childhood, Cooper Watts, agrees to help. But they have had their ups and downs and what if he could be the one?

I adored this novel! It was funny, romantic, and engaging. I was so invested in the main characters JoJo and Cooper with their delightful banter, chemistry and sweet friendship! This novel was filled with so much humor, delight, and I appreciated the depth of the story and characters. The cruise setting was wonderful and I loved the subplots with other family members. This story reminds you that you really never know people quite as much as you think you do. It is always good to look a little deeper in their lives before passing judgement.

 

I was able to listen to the story narrated by Patti Murin. The narrator made the story very engaging and I listened as I drove. The voices were very distinct and I was sometimes surprised she was the only narrator. Amazing job.

I adored The Shippers by Katherine Center and read by Narrated by Patti Murin. It had all the feels and brought me so much joy! I highly recommend and this will be a 2026 favorite for me.

I was gifted an ALC and book and not required to write a positive review.   

BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” She’s the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen books, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, and What You Wish For. Katherine writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. She’s been compared to both Jane Austen and Nora Ephron, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including RealSimple’s Best Books of 2020, Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads' Best Books of the Year, and many more. Bestselling author Emily Henry calls her summer 2022 book, The Bodyguard, “a shot of pure joy.” The movie adaptation of Katherine’s novel The Lost Husband (starring Josh Duhamel) hit #1 on Netflix, and her novel Happiness for Beginners is now a Netflix original starring Ellie Kemper. Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog

 

The Life She Forgot by Joanna Davidson Politano

 The Life She Forgot by Joanna Davidson Politano is a wonderful book that kept me up reading into the night.  Merryn is trying to retrieve her memories to figure out her past so she can prove her competency to live in the now. 

I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who to trust as I tried to solve the mystery of Merryn’s past.  The characters, places and timeline are woven together in the most amazing way in this dual timeline Cornwall setting. The author’s writing had me fully immersed in this incredible story, and the themes of forgiveness, true love, and faithfulness resonated deeply with me.  

I adored The Life She Forgot by Joanna Davidson Politano with its elegant words, beautiful story, breathtaking setting, and inspiring themes.  I highly recommend The Life She Forgot and it will be a 2026 favorite for me that I will recommend to everyone.  Please go get this book!  

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review.

I homeschool my three adventurous, messy, magnificent tiny humans and live out my second childhood by playing alongside them.

I worked as a medical writer for a pharmaceutical company and a Chrisitan publishing house that focused on Sunday school material. I also worked for myself as a freelance writer, and I was the toughest boss I ever had.

I married my hero Vince, who is my love and my polar opposite. I’m quiet, and he’s…. less so. I break things, he fixes them. He’s nailed the “speak the truth” thing, and I bring the “in love” part. But the real spark to our marriage is that he does not like chocolate and I… like it a normal amount. We live in our house in the woods near Lake Michigan where we regularly receive visitors needing a break from adult life.

I own eight library cards—and I use them all
I have an addiction to collecting books of all kinds
I often read the ending first
I often splash in mud puddles with my kids

In Pursuit of Civility by Jen Turano

In Pursuit of Civility by Jen Turano is book two in the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies series. Annaliese Merriweather has been appointed the temporary headmistress of the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies while her sister is on her honeymoon. She doesn't feel cut out for the role, and especially after her students keep disappearing on outings. When one student goes missing from a train station, she enlists the help of Seth McCormick, an inventor, to help her track her charge.

This was a rollicking adventure filled tale. Annaliese is an enchanting character who loves animals, her independence, and has a kind heart. Seth is a cute and loveable scientist who was just so endearing and fun to get to know. I was shipping them from the beginning. The cast of side characters kept me laughing especially the many animals in the story. What is there not to love about a charming monkey that is trained to steal shiny things, a precocious attack ferret, and a winsome parrot.

In Pursuit of Civility by Jen Turano was charming tale with lots of laugh-out-loud humor, endearing characters, and charming animals. I recommend and can not wait for the third book in the series.

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review.

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. Readers may find her at www.jenturano.com – www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor, www.instagram.com/jenturanoauthor

Taming Lady Temperance by Karen Witemeyer

Taming Lady Temperance by Karen Witemeyer is the first book in The Secret Society of Spinsters series. Noreen O' Sullivan is a member of the Christian Temperance Union and a new member of the Secret Society of Spinsters. She has no plans to marry as her goal is to shut down the saloon, change people’s minds about alcohol, and bring justice to the world. Deputy James Paxton is deeply committed to preserving the peace, being a recognizable member of the community, and getting elected sheriff. He carefully watches himself and somehow gets himself involved with Noreen, her temperance marches and finds his whole world tilting on its axis. 

This was an incredible historical romance that drew me in. Noreen and James are very relatable characters and watching them transform, fall in love, and learn what they value made the story very enjoyable. They had great banter, friendship, and chemistry. The themes of forgiveness, loving one another, and faith were gently woven into the story and added depth. I appreciated how the book dealt with harder topics, but still had humor, sweet romance, and relatable themes. 

Taming Lady Temperance by Karen Witemeyer checked all the boxes for me. I enjoyed the with sweet romance, faith threads, and engaging characters. I highly recommend and look forward to reading the other books in the series.

I was gifted the book and not required to write a positive review.

She Found Beauty by Margery Punches

Thank you to the Punches Family for the #gifted copy.She Found Beauty by Margery Punches is filled with poems selected by Margery Punches after working through Leona Ames extensive collection of poetry found after her passing. This beautiful book captures families, children, nature, orchards, and the beauty of life in the early to late 1900's in Michigan. The book is so sweet and genuine and the illustrations by Gwendolyn Mallett bring the poems to life. I delighted in the poems and was truly enchanted. The book also includes pictures of the Leona’s family, the Hill family, and her extensive paperweight collection. This is such a cozy read that will bring you joy and remind you of the gift of life!

I highly recommend She Found Beauty by Margery Punches of selected poems by Leona Ames and illustrated by Gwendolyn Miller. This wonderful book will warm your heart.

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review.

Marrying the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund

 Marrying the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund is book four in A Shanahan Match, and can be read as a stand-alone.  Zaira is the middle child of the Shanahan family and is good at fading into the background which is very helpful when you are trying to be a published female author in 1849.  She stops being unnoticed when some “research kissing” with the local matchmaker, Bellamy McKenna, sets them both on the path to a fake match.  But sometimes fake becomes real.  

This was a swoon worthy romance that I adored.  Zaira and Bellamy were such loveable characters who had fantastic chemistry, banter, and romantic tension.  I appreciated the themes of being honest with yourself, being honest with others, and accepting who you were created to be.  It was a pleasure to learn about St. Louis, Missouri in 1849 and have a greater understanding of the Irish immigrant culture.  The Shanahan and McKenna families were fantastic to visit with and I will miss hanging out at the McKenna’s pub.  

Marrying the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund is a wonderful story filled with great romance, a fascinating setting, and beautiful themes.  I have adored this series and this was the perfect ending.  I highly recommend Marrying the Matchmaker and this will be a 2026 favorite for me.  

I was gifted a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.    

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over sixty sweet historical romances and is the winner of numerous awards. She lives in central Michigan with her husband and is the mother of five wonderful children and five spoiled cats. When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.