BookLoverAmanda

The Holiday Cottage by Sarah Morgan 4.5 Stars rounding up to 5  I read this book with my friend Melissa and we both really enjoyed it. It was a surprising read with lots of depth and heartache but also hope. This is one that deals a lot with a toxic mother - daughter relationship, so please be aware before diving in, but I did like the ending with how everything was wrapped up. It was done in a realistic way. We follow Imogen, who keeps her non-existent personal private life...well, not just private, but made up. With her tragic relationship with his mother, who wants nothing to do with her, she pretends like she has it all together to her co-workers, when deep down she is drowning in work and her lies....when things go wrong at work, her boss makes her take a month off from work and rest. This is when peace and truth become a reality for Imogen....the side character perspectives really take off at chapter 13 and we see the truth behind these characters and we follow what the futur...

 Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee 5 Stars Another favorite book of 2025 Wow. A story of enduring grace. A love letter to the Smoky Mountains. A beautiful, heart-tugging exploration of adoption, sacrifice and what family really means. We have a dual timeline story - 1943 and 1973. 1943: We follow Bertie Jenkins and her sisters living in life in their family cabin. Bertie is a local midwife. Songbird, a pregnant and injured teen fleeing from her abusive father, stumbles onto their land. The sisters take her in and a heartbreaking story unfolds that changes their lives forever. 1943: 30 years later, famous country singer Walker Wylie discovers he was adopted after his step-father passes away. He goes on a search to find his birth mother, to find the midwife who delivered him - Bertie Jenkins - hoping to uncover the truth. He meets a midwife, Reese, also adopted, who helps him along the way. This was just a beautiful story - faith filled...a tear jerker...but beautiful. I cried se...

  Liar's Winter by Cindy K. Sproles  5 Stars  Another favorite book of 2025 I met Cindy at a local bookstore in Tennessee a couple of years ago and purchased most of her books that day. It's been a long time coming for me to finally read one of her books and I am SO glad I did! She was so kind and I loved Liar's Winter so much! As a Tennessee girl, specifically growing up in East Tennessee, I heard so much about the Appalachian Mountain stories and the history of its people. Cindy has a gift for capturing the grit and grace of mountain life. It is a story of secrets, identity and the heavy burden of shame in a mark our main character Lochiel has on her face. She has the "mark of the devil" as they call it, something to be afraid of. She was raised in isolation with everyone thinking she is cursed. Her entire life she has been hated and felt less than over this mark. Tragedy strikes and she flees for her life. She is rescued by a peddler and shown the first glimpse...

  Solo for the Season by Martha Keyes 5 Stars SO CUTEEEE THIS WAS SOOOO ADORABLE. What can I even say?! READ IT!  ➡️⬅️  Forced Proximity 😂 Childhood Teasing → Adult Tension 💘 Former Crush 🏔️ Snowy Mountain Setting 🌲 Small-Town Romance ❤️‍🔥 Somewhat Enemies to Friends to Lovers ❄️Snowed In Trope I love the snowed in trope and a handyman sooooo this was right up my alley. We have Wes, the once-teasing childhood classmate Maggie remembers all too well and the guy who somehow manages to be the handyman fixing up all the cabin issues :) Maggie goes on a solo cabin trip and they get to know each other better as he keeps coming around helping with cabin maintenance and other issues.  I loved their communication together, the banter, the laughs, the sweetness....the christmas feels - SO CUTE. Highly recommend as a kisses only, clean, closed door - rom-com for the Christmas season!  Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8084740685 Amazon:  ...

  Christmas at Tolliver's Bookshop by Elle Christopher 4.5 Stars  - rounding up to 5 Y'all, this was seriously the most adorable little Christmas read! So cozy and cute! It had the snowed in trope, and at a BOOKSTORE at that, which I LOVED! It's set in the south, Georgia - also a bonus for this southern Tennessee girl! It has small town charm, lots of good book and bookstore details, no spice or language - and a lot of chemistry between our couple within only 60 some odd pages! I read this on Kindle Unlimited and it was such a cute quick read.  We follow Lila and James, who meet while she is working at the bookstore and they have a very instant connection. I love it wasn't all based on attraction but it was based on common interests, like poetry, reading, helping others during the holidays, etc.  Overall, this is a great quick read to pick up while sitting in front of your tree, drinking coffee, or hot cocoa - and a soft blanket. I loved it! Content: kisses only, cle...

  Murder at Donwell Abbey by Vanessa Kelly 4 Stars Book 2 in the Emma Knightley Mystery Series Read this series if you enjoy: ✨ Regency settings ✨ Jane Austen continuations done right ✨ Cozy mysteries with heart and humor ✨ Smart, observant heroines ✨ Mysteries centered on family secrets  This was another delight to read after Murder in Highbury! Perfect for Austen fans and cozy mystery lovers. The author always captures the wit and spark of Jane Austen in these books while keeping you invested in the whodunit storyline.  Emma and her husband George host a holiday celebration at the Hartfield estate but things get wild when her father announces him and Mrs. Bates are engaged to be married! Emma's lady's maid Prudence Parr is found dead and Emma's instincts tell her something more happened here....once again, her and Mr. Knightley have to figure out what happened.... Overall, I just really enjoy my time in this series. I haven't read Emma myself, but it makes me want...