October 2023 MBR The Romantic Fiction Shelf

The Romantic Fiction Shelf

The Little Beach Cafe
Sarah Hope
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781805490913, $41.00, PB, Large Print, 388pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-little-beach-cafe-sarah-hope/1143775969

Synopsis: Love, friendship and new beginnings! It's all waiting for Pippa Jenkins at The Little Beach Cafe.

When Pippa's aunt leaves her a cafe by the beach, it doesn't take her long to jump at the chance of a new start. Waving goodbye to mounting debt, threatening bailiffs and never-ending shifts at a job she hates, she and her young son, Joshua, prepare for their new life. But as Pippa strives to make her new business a success, the arrival of her ex makes her question everything. Will she succumb to his charms, or will Joe, the local plumber, be able to repair Pippa's heart?

Critique: With a very special appeal to fans of 'new beginnings' and 'starting over' romance novels, "The Little Beach Cafe" by author Sarah Hope is as memorably entertaining as it is original, deftly crafted, and offering the basis of a Hallmark Channel romance movie of the week! A fun diversion of a read from first page to lasts, this large print paperback edition of "The Little Beach Cafe" from Boldwood Books is especially commended as a pick for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Sarah Hope prefers to write romance novels and novellas with a Happy Ever After ending. She has two main romance series, the Escape To... series that focuses on single mums taking a chance and fulfilling their career dreams as well as finding love, and The Cornish Bakery series, that follows a busy bakery in a beautiful fictional bay in Cornwall. She has also written some women's fiction books. (https://www.boldwoodbooks.com/contributor/sarah-hope)

Every Duke Has His Day
Suzanne Enoch
St. Martin's Griffin
c/o St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250842541, $17.99, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Every-Duke-Has-His-Day/dp/1250842549

Synopsis: Michael Bromley, Duke of Woriton, has a passion, but it's not for chasing ladies or gambling till dawn. No, his is the far more dangerous pursuit of the science of chemistry. He may be a tad eccentric, but he can navigate a society ballroom, and manage a polite conversation -- if he must. He's certainly capable of taking care of his aunt's perfectly behaved poodle, Lancelot, while she's on holiday.

Elizabeth "Bitsy" Dockering, third daughter of a viscount, is enjoying her second, spectacular Season in London. She is a Diamond of the Season and is adored by all -- and especially by her precious black poodle, Galahad. To everyone else, however, Galahad is a demon dog. So much so that Bitsy's most insistent beau and particular victim of Galahad's bad manners, has hired a thief to steal the dog, clearing the way for his suit.

But none of them can plan for a chaotic encounter in the park, resulting in lost notes, a soaking in the Serpentine and an accidental dog swap... and Lancelot being kidnapped instead of Galahad! Determined to locate the dog, Michael isn't thrilled to be saddled with a flighty female insisting on helping - except that Bitsy has a great deal more sense than he expected. And a sharp tongue to match. Still, what's a scientist to do but continue to pursue an outcome, however unexpected it may be? But chemistry is all about attraction, and this is one formula with some hilariously romantic results.

Critique: A deftly crafted and fun read from cover to cover, "Every Duke Has His Day" by Suzanne Enoch will have a very special interest for fans of Regency Romance novels. Offering the kind of wonderfully entertaining and original story that BBC television series and movies are made, "Every Duke Has His Day" is fully recommended for community library Historical Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of growing legions of Suzanne Enock fans that "Every Duke Has His Day" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Suzanne Enoch (https://suzanneenoch.com) loves movies almost as much as she loves books. She has written more than 50 books, including Regency romances, historical romances, and contemporary romantic suspense.

Four Seasons at Cutler's: A Year to Choose the One
Caroline McBride
Post Hill Press
www.posthillpress.com
9798888451182, $17.99, PB, 306pp

https://www.amazon.com/Four-Seasons-Cutlers-Year-Choose/dp/B0C9SDHKYR

Synopsis: Serial dater Charlotte believes she has finally found her soul mate in Wyatt, but his elusive behavior leads her to question his feelings for her. Completely devoted to him, she desperately tries to sustain their relationship while navigating a demanding public relations career. When Charlotte meets Travis, her new boss, he offers a reprieve from the doldrums caused by Wyatt's mixed signals. Dating the owner of the restaurant group who recently acquired her company in a hostile takeover is a conflict of interest, but she can't resist his Southern charm. Until Wyatt resurfaces...

This neurodivergent love triangle takes place during a whirlwind year of travel (both for business and for pleasure) as Charlotte faces challenges and self-discovery in vibrant destinations including Dubai, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, Boston, Houston, East Hampton, and Park City. Escaping her tiny studio apartment in New York City, she visits her family in Southern California and enjoys romantic interludes in Cannes, Florence, Sirmione, Toronto, Puerto Rico, and Santa Barbara.

Critique: "Four Seasons at Cutler's: A Year to Choose the One" by Caroline McBride is a fun romantic comedy about falling in love with someone who communicates differently than those smooth operators who appear perfect. The author's genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative driven storytelling and sense of humor is fully demonstrated in the carefully constructed characters and a memorably entertaining story that will have a very special appeal for fans of Rom- Coms. While a very strongly recommended pick for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Four Seasons at Cutler's: A Year to Choose the One" is also readily available in digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Caroline Alexa McBride (https://carolinemcbride.com) grew up in sunny Southern California and remained there for college to earn her B.A. in Political Science at Loyola Marymount University. She holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Universiteit van Amsterdam in The Netherlands where she studied as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar. As a publicist, she spent the past decade marketing, branding and launching restaurants across the globe, as well as consulting for private clients. "Four Seasons at Angelino's" is McBride's debut novel. She was encouraged by the love of her life to venture into writing fiction as a creative outlet inspired by her work experiences and personal escapades around the world.

Lost and Found
Suzanne Woods Fisher
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.revellbooks.com
9780800739522, $17.99, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Suzanne-Woods-Fisher/dp/0800739523

Synopsis: Trudy Yoder shares a passion for birding with Micah Weaver -- and she has an even greater passion for Micah. Their friendship is finally turning romantic when Micah abruptly grows cold. Worse still, he wants to leave Stoney Ridge.

Micah Weaver thought he was over Trudy's older sister. A year and a half ago, Shelley had broken his heart when she ran away from Stoney Ridge to pursue a singing career in Nashville. Then, out of the blue, she's started to leave distressing phone messages for him.

When the bishop asks for volunteers to scout out a possible church relocation in Tennessee, Micah is the first to raise his hand. Despite scant details, he's confident he can find Shelley. After all, his reputation as a field guide is based on finding birds that don't want to be found.

What Micah doesn't know is that what you're looking for isn't always what you find.

Critique: An Amish romance at its very best, author and storyteller Suzanne Woods Fisher's latest novel, "Lost and Found" is a fun read from cover to cover. While a highly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library romance fiction collections, it should be noted that "Lost and Found" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Suzanne Woods Fisher is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than 30 books, including The Moonlight School, Anything but Plain, The Sweet Life,and The Secret to Happiness, as well as the Three Sisters Island, Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop's Family, The Deacon's Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs. She lives in California. You can learn more at her at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow her on Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor and Twitter @suzannewfisher

Beth's Behavior
Maggie Sims
Independently Published
9798890444028, $5.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CC3VX89F

In the fourth book of the School of Enlightenment series, Beth Jenkins exhibits both high hopes and hijinks as she balances society's rules with her own free spirit and the oversight of cousin Lady Althea Egerton, who is tired of Beth's ability to flaunt propriety and social mores with equal unconcern. Her explorations of her sexual attractions and strong identity have been reinforced by the School of Enlightenment's teachings, but once let loose in the world, Beth has exhibited a nonconformist attitude that challenges her cousin's training and management. Dalliances aside, Beth is about to receive quite a different education in the form of the enticing and comparatively shy Robert Orford, whose attractions to the unusual are mitigated only by his interest in staying in the background of social affairs and romance, having been bullied in the past. Beth's fiery passions set him on fire and threaten to consume them both as the story plays out.

As Beth uses her vast network of contacts (both in the Ton and working class) to help Robert and others, their relationship develops. Her ability to contribute to Robert's business through networking and matchmaking is yet another new experience for Robert. Her disregard for rules results in different outcomes as Beth finds her free spirited ways unexpectedly challenged and changing in new directions. Detailed descriptions of interplays between Beth and Robert and some same-sex encounters provide sensual descriptions of physical intimacy that aren't recommended for romance readers seeking lessons in propriety alone. Maggie Sims embeds Beth's character with the same powerful, sensual passions and pursuits as in previous books and characters' lives, but adds the value of a spirited young woman whose outrageous behaviors may ultimately vanquish the very attraction that has replaced her search for conquests. Concurrently, Robert, too, must decide if he can overcome his past and stretch beyond his comfort zone to embrace a love and partnership with a young lady so willing to help him in business and in life.

Threads of ironic observation permeate Beth's sexual discoveries and add a sense of humor to the ribald encounters she experiences: "You can't say you're bored now. She rolled her eyes at her inner voice." The result is another titillating story of discovery, in which a powerful and proactive experimenter meets her match and must assess whether the price of falling in love is worth bowing to convention or maintaining her independence and outrageous reputation. Readers seeking no holds barred sex scenes which evolve in the course of a determined and sexually active young woman's embrace of not just happily-every-after, but satisfied-for-life will find Beth's Behavior just as passionately engrossing as the prior School of Enlightenment characters and scenarios. It's an attraction filled with surprises as Beth's behavior evolves to enter uncharted territory.

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