Lady Celeste Reads Romance

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Susan's Review of Second Chance Family by Cindy Kirk

Adolescent wounds vs very grown-up attraction. Toss in a small boy and mix well

My name is Margaret Fisher. I agreed to be the guardian of my best friend’s little boy should anything happen to her and her husband. Charlie is my godson and I love him to pieces.
When I was called into the attorney’s office after their tragic deaths, I thought I knew what to expect. Then Cole Lassiter walked in like he owned the place. My first thought was how amazing he looked after all these years. My second was shock. What was he doing here? I hadn’t seen him since high school when he’d broken my heart.
What is the attorney saying? We’re to be co-guardians of Charlie?
Nonononono.
This cannot be happening. It will not end well.
Then again, I’ve been mistaken before…

Margaret Fisher arrives at attorney Ryan Harcourt’s office believing she needs to sign guardianship paperwork. Her child hood friend Janae and her husband Ty had named her to take care of their son Charlie in their will. Margaret is surprised when Cole Lassiter joins the meeting and shocked when she learns she must share custody of Charlie with Cole—the man who broke her heart in high school.

Second Chance Family is a story of new beginnings. Both Cole and Margaret are challenged to put aside their feelings to do what’s right for Charlie. They dated secretly in high school and both of them still held bad feelings over their breakup. Even though there was chemistry between Cole and Margaret--each believed the worst about each other.

Margaret and Cole are strong characters—but they are not perfect which makes them relatable. Both of them had difficult childhoods; Margaret’s parents died in a car crash and Cole’s father died and his mother left him and his brother. Loved the conversations—some were emotionally charges and others were brutally honest-- between the couple as they figured out how to put aside their feelings and co-parent six year old Charlie.

Trust is an important issue between the couple. Margaret and Cole view the reasons behind their breakup very differently. Cindy Kirk does a fabulous job adding pieces to this puzzle bit by bit to allow the couple to understand what really happened. Loved that Margaret and Cole learned to listen and rely on each other as the novel progressed. The author did not make it easy for Margaret, Cole and Charlie; as there are several emotional roadblocks that need to be resolved before they could truly become a family.

Second Chance Family has all the feels—it’s an emotional story of loss, grief, love , forgiveness and new beginnings. I highly recommend this feel good story which tugs at your heartstrings!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the author

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn

First Comes Scandal

by Julia Quinn

★★★★★

There you are, a young woman, just trying

to be nice, following the rules and the next thing

you know, you find yourself the center of

an ugly scandal.

There you are, a young man, going to medical

school, working hard, following the rules and the

next thing you know, you find yourself being called

home to be included in the center of an ugly scandal.

Georgiana Bridgerton and Nicholas Rokesby have

been friends since childhood.

Their families are very close.

These are the people that you hope can help

you out of an ugly scandal.

But will they really help? Or only make things worse?

First Comes Scandal is a story from the Bridgerton family.

Marriages that come with love are more typical. But it

appears there are many ways to begin a loving marriage.

I always enjoy a Julia Quinn story. Especially when it

comes from the wonderful Bridgertons.

Review by Lisa Hutson

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Say Yes to The Duke by Eloisa James

Say Yes to the Duke

By Eloisa James

★★★★★

Miss Viola Astley is the original introvert. Shy and she has actual
physical issues when it comes to anything public with a
person she doesnt know. Just the idea of it makes her
stomach roll. But then she meets a vicar that is set to
lead a quiet life. Being the wife of a vicar would also
mean a quiet life. The Vicar, Mr Marlowe, is handsome,
polite and kind. And when Viola meets him, her stomach
doesnt so much as tremble. She decides to hatch a plan
to marry him!

There is one little thing. He is engaged. But Viola

immediately knows the Miss Pettigrew is the
completely wrong woman for him! So she sets her
ideas in motion. To become the future wife of
Mr Marlowe. The Miss Pettgrew problem will surely
resolve itself.

Viola finds herself in an eavesdropping situation.
We all know that you never hear anything good about
yourself when you are listening in this way. Of course,
Viola hears plenty from Devin, The Duke of Wynter.

This situation sets off a series of happenings. Some
exploding. Some quiet. Some mysterious.
My favorite thing about this story is the fun of it.
Eloisa James never presents predictable characters.
They are sometimes surprisingly dull. But we all know,
there is someone for everyone. Many are funny.
Families are often strong. The locations are easy to
imagine as you read. I always enjoy reading an
Eloisa Jame story. Say Yes to the Duke brings new
blood to this series. I can highly recommend it.

I read a copy from the library.
I bought the audio version.
Review by Lisa Hutson

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