Bookmarked for Love by Sarah Monzon

Bookmarked for Love by Sarah Monzon is third in the Checking out Love series, but can definitely be read as a stand alone novel.  Martha Alderidge is a children’s librarian who in trying to save her job.  Julien King is the heir to King Publishing his family business.  They both strike up a deal to help each other out.  They have known each other forever.  

I adored this book.  Martha Aldridge is probably one of my all-time favorite characters behind Elizabeth Bennet.  She is thoughtful, funny, loves children, a great friend, and is happy in her own skin.  Julien is loveable, kind hearted and an overall great guy!  Martha and Julien together had good banter, chemistry, and a delightful friendship.  I might need a shirt that says #teammarthaandjulien.  

 The themes of friendship, accepting yourself, and fighting for what you believe in resonated with me.  The story had a satisfying ending and a lovely happily ever after.  As a former first grade teacher and homeschool mom I loved the references to children’s literature throughout the novel and relived so many happy reading memories.  

This delightful novel had it all for me with wonderful characters, sweet romance, and themes I could believe in.  I adored Bookmarked for Love by Sarah Monzon and this will be a 2026 favorite for me.

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

Winner of the Holt Medallion and Selah Award, Sarah Monzon is a stay-at-home mom who makes up imaginary friends to have adult conversations with (otherwise known as writing novels). As a navy chaplain's wife, she resides wherever the military happens to station her family and enjoys exploring the beauty of the world around her

Worse Than Strangers by Kyleigh Leddy

 

Thank you @kyleighleddy & @gallerybooks for the traveling arc copy. All thoughts are my own.

Worse Than Strangers by Kyleigh Leddy is wonderful sweet retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.  Rose and Lily are mother and daughter and also best friends.  Their summer is going as usual until someone from the past moves into the other side of their cottage.

This was a delight to read and brought me joy.  I enjoyed the dual POV of Rose and Lily, the Nantucket setting, and finding Persuasion storylines throughout the story. The characters were engaging and I enjoyed following along with Rose and Lily as they navigated romance, family, and learned to embrace life. The themes of second chances, forgiveness, and finding yourself brought the story to life for me.

I highly recommend Worse Than Strangers for the engaging characters, Nantucket setting, and Persuasion storyline.  The perfect summer beach read that I adored. 

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

Kyleigh Leddy is the author of The Perfect Other: A Memoir of My Sister, which is based on her New York Times Modern Love essay, “Years Ago, My Sister Vanished. I See Her Whenever I Want.” Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Cut, Parents, among others. In 2023, she was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Media list. She holds a BA from Boston College, an MSW from Columbia University, and an MFA from Bennington College. She is a licensed therapist and teaches creative writing at Gotham Writers and Boston College.

Worse Than Strangers is her debut novel.

Mail-Order Viscountess by Misty M. Beller

Mail-Order Viscountess by Misty M. Beller is book three in the Lord of the Rockies series, but could be read as a stand alone novel. Lord Thomas Balfour is frustrated at his current situation. He does not feel respected by his family and worries they will find out his secret. Kate McKinney brings her sister across the country for an arranged marriage to rescue her from her mother’s controlling plans. When Thomas finds out his family has sent for mail-order bride, he is furious. While escorting the women back from town he and Kate must take shelter in an ice cave overnight. Marriage of convince to save the day?

I am so invested in the Lord of the Rockies series and especially loved Mail-Order Viscountess. I was lost in the Montana frontier setting in this delightful slow burn romance. Kate and Thomas are such endearing characters that had my heart from the beginning, and I loved getting to know them in this dual POV story. The themes of redemption, second chances, family, and grace resonated deeply with me.

It was a pleasure to read Mail-Order Viscountess with its sweet romance, frontier setting, and adventure. I am very invested in the Balfour family and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I highly recommend Mail-Order Viscountess 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.

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

One Sharp Stitch: A Nimble Needle Mystery by Allie Pleiter

One Sharp Stitch: A Nimble Needle Mystery by Allie Pleiter is a cozy mystery you don’t want to miss. Shelby Phillips returns to her hometown outside of Asheville, North Carolina when her graphics art career goes sideways. She reluctantly agrees to run her mom’s Nimble Needle needlepoint shop for a few months while figuring out her life. While hosting a trunk show she finds a local vendor, Kat Katsaros, dead in her traveling sharpening van. The question she is pondering is “Was it an accident or something worse?”

This was wonderful cozy mystery and the great start to a new series. Shelby is an endearing character who is still figuring out her life and working in her parent’s needle point shop in her hometown was not part of her life plan. I appreciated the relational aspect of the story watching Shelby connect with the ladies in the shop, her sister, and make new friends in the town of Gwen Lake which is filled with colorful characters. There were many funny parts that kept the book not too heavy. This story has several twists and turns that kept me engaged and wondering how it would end.

One Sharp Stitch by Allie Pleiter is a great cozy mystery. I highly enjoyed and can not wait to read the second book in the series. I highly recommend.

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

Bestselling international author Allie Pleiter honed her talents in the world of popular fiction, where she still releases multiple books a year. Allie has over 50 published titles to her name, and over 1.5 million Allie Pleiter fiction and non-fiction books have been sold around the world.

Her well-known Chunky Method system trains writers at every level to formulate plans and meet deadlines in a way tailored to their unique working style. Allie runs an active coaching practice helping writers and all kinds of creative people be more productive, as well as training productive people to be more creative. Already a national speaker among writing associations, Allie now extends her reach to entrepreneurs, speakers, consultants, and anyone who needs to bolster their productivity and creativity in a demanding marketplace.

Allie is an avid knitter, confirmed coffee junkie and firm believer that “pie makes everything better.” She holds a BS in Speech from Northwestern University and lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and the world’s most adorable dog.

How to pronounce my name:

“Pl-EYE-ter” (rhymes with “writer”)