Isn't She Lovely(Clairsville,#2.5)

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

   Thank you to the author,Nicole Mikell for providing with with EARC, and Rattle The Stars PR for letting me be part of  ARC Team!

 

 03.15.26 

 

 

Years have passed, but some things never change when it comes to Whiskey Jane’s.
The regulars are quirky, the drinks are strong, and karaoke is still an off-key tradition.
Olive Rowe has everything she could ever dream of: the lively bar, the perfect man, and the picture-perfect home. So why does she feel like there’s still something missing? 

Hunter Rowe has always tried to be the best husband possible, so when he notices that his wife hasn’t been herself, he plans to do everything in his power to bring the light back into her eyes again.  Step back into Olive and Hunter’s love story to see how their future unfolds.

 

   🌷

I loved everything about this novella. I have read all the books that Nicole Mikell has written, and I feel like I shouldn’t be surprised by now. Yet I am. Isn’t She Lovely is such a heartwarming story of Olive and Hunter, but it also deals with some heavy topics. It’s one of those stories that will make you think, but it will also make you smile at the bittersweet moments between Olive and Hunter. I loved Olive and Hunter in the firs book, Baby, It’s You , and I think I adore them even more in this book. 

When I found out that Nicole was writing this novella, I knew that I had to check it out. I’m so glad that I did! Olive and Hunter, I think, are my favorite couple in the Clairsville series; just the way they are with each other, you can tell how much in love they are. What Olive had to face; it couldn’t have been easier, and I’m so glad that she had Hunter by her side. There was part of me that wished the story were a little longer, because I loved it so much. I’m still smiling while thinking about the story. Nicole has become one of my favorite authors since I started reading her books, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next. 

Battle Of Bookstores.

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

 4.5★

  

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer. 

Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other. 

As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.

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Battle Of Bookstores has been on my reading list since Ali Brady announced on Instagram. It sounded like the type of book I enjoy reading. I love books that feature bookstores or talk about other book lovers. The Battle Of Bookstores became one of my favorite enemies-to-lovers stories; I loved the way that Josie and Ryan’s relationship changed through the book; it wasn’t too fast or too slow. I was curious whether they disliked one another or whether they acted that way because of an attraction between them. I found myself rooting for two of them to get together. 

This story gave me a big You’ve Got Mail, especially when Josie and Ryan were communicating with an anonymous friend on the BookFriends forum. I loved it when they discussed books; some of them that I have read and were just there for one another. I did wonder how long it would be until the truth came out. Part of me worried what would happen when the truth came out, though. I loved that both Josie and Ryan had bookstores, and if it were me, I couldn’t imagine losing mine. Part of me hoped that they could find a way to keep their bookstores. 

I loved both Josie and Ryan; if I were asked to pick a favorite, I think I would have a hard time deciding. I liked how everything was described through both Ryan and Josie’s eyes; I could see and feel it all while reading. It didn’t take me long to get into the story, and once I did, I didn’t want to put it down because I was eager to see what happened next. Battle Of Bookstores was my second book by Ali Brady, and I am eager to discover the others!

Anderson In Bloom.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

 Thank you to publisher,Avon and Harper Voyager, for providing with eARC via Netgalley, In exchange for honest review. All opinions are my own. 

 

03.03.26 

 

Former child star Anderson “Andy” Ducharme is hiding—has been for a long time, if she’s honest with herself, which she isn’t. 

When she suddenly cut off all ties and left LA six years earlier to work in a flower shop in coastal New England, she wasn’t just running away from toxic relationships, embezzling agents, and all the rest of her Hollywood life; she was running to something… sort of, if you squinted, and if you accepted that what she was running toward was little more than a vacation daydream she had made up with her (in)famous ex, and former costar, Nicole “Nikki” Price. 

Then Nikki announces her plan to write a tell-all book about growing up in Hollywood and their tumultuous time on the Nik and Andy show, and Andy’s feelings of hurt and betrayal come rushing back. Emboldened by anger (and maybe one too many drinks), Andy does something very she texts her ex for the first time in years. No one’s more shocked than Andy when Nikki actually shows up to her small florist shop, looking for answers. 

Andy is fully prepared to send Nikki away, but it seems Nikki has some unfinished business as well. Now that she finally knows where Andy’s been hiding, she’s not letting her go so easy. And with each passing encounter, Andy can’t deny the simmering physical attraction that threatens to boil over every time they get close. 

But can the two of them really reunite without wrecking Andy’s carefully rebuilt life? Or is she setting herself up for a fresh heartbreak?

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I couldn’t get enough of this book; I loved everything about it. 

Have you ever come across a story that you couldn’t get out of your mind? Anderson In Bloom was that book for me; I had the hardest time forcing myself to put it down. It made me wish that I didn’t have tests coming up, so I could spend it – reading. Anderson In Bloom reminded me of the reason that I love romance books. It was both the cover and the title that drew me to the story, and I’m so glad that I decided to check it out. I loved Nikki. I loved Andy. I adored the relationship between the two of them and how they reconnected. Although Andy had doubts about Nikki when she appeared, I hoped that she would find it in her heart to give her another chance. I wanted the two of them together. 

I love that Andy worked in a flower shop; I love flowers, so I like anything to do with them. I was curious how Nikki managed to find her though. The reunion between Nikki and Andy was messy, but I could see there was a connection there, even if Andy refused to admit it. I liked the development of their re-connection; always making you wonder what’s going to happen between the two of them next. I had trouble believing all those things Andy said about Nikki; based on how she acted, it was as if she were a completely different person. I also liked how realistic this story felt; I could see some of it happening in real life. 

Anderson In Bloom is the type of story where you didn’t just get attached to the main characters, but the secondary characters as well. I loved Regan and Johnny, but mostly Regan, and the way that she looked out for Andy. I felt like Regan should have her own book because I wanted more of her story. Anderson In Bloom was the first book that I read by Jennifer Dugan, and I’m excited to check out her others. Highly recommended for romance fans.

The Love Hypothesis.

 

 

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As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. 

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. And when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding. . . six-pack abs. 

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

 

 🌷

 
I adored this book! I love science, so I love any books that include it. My friend and I decided to do a buddy read of The Love Hypothesis, and I’m so glad we did. You can’t help but love Olive; there is something about her. I think it’s the way that she acts and how she looks out for her friends. I thought it was sweet what she did for Anh, although I had a feeling that this whole fake dating wasn’t going to turn out the way either of them hoped it would. I was worried about what would happen if Anh found out that she had lied to her. It might have started as fake dating, but I saw how Adam was with Olive and the way that he acted around her; there was nothing fake about it. He had more feelings for Olive that he was sharing. I was curious to see what would happen between them next, for how long they would be able to pretend. 

What I loved about The Love Hypothesis is the way the characters were portrayed, including the side characters such as Anh, Malcolm, and Holden. Besides Olive and Adam, Anh and Holden were my favorites. I loved the friendship that Holden had with Adam and the way that he tried to look out for him. Anh was a fantastic friend. She reminds me so much of my best friend, Mariah, who would do anything for me. Everyone needs friends like this. 

I loved the relationship and development between Adam and Olive. It was obvious that they had feelings for one another, even if they tried to deny it. I liked that each chapter had a small hypothesis. I loved reading those and always looked forward to the next one. The banter between Adam and Olive was one of the best, making me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. The Love Hypothesis was the second book that I read by Ali Hazlewood , and one of my favorites. I can’t wait to check out the others.

Leave It Up To Love.

 

 

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

  Thank you to Amazon First Reads for ARC. All opinions are my own. 

 

 

 03.01.26 

Ready for her big break after publishing her first novel, Lila Everwood has two fresh book ideas and dreams of quitting her barista job. She’s hopeful about her future—until her writing catches her literary idol’s attention in all the wrong ways. 

Elizabeth Lancaster, the queen of regency romance, hasn’t written a word in three years. Her publisher’s solution? A ghostwriter. Specifically, her favorite coffee server. It’s either brilliance or madness—and her literary agent son Grady thinks it’s definitely the latter. 

As the ideas begin to fly, so do the sparks—between Lila and Grady. And, as Lila’s and Elizabeth’s worlds collide, the two writers must lean on each other, learning something vital in the In life, love, and publishing, sometimes you have to write your own happy ending.

 

 

 🌷

 
This was such heartwarming short story! 

I love reading short stories; although sometimes, depending on the story, you will find yourself craving more. Leave It Up To Love was that story, and even though I knew it was a short story, I wanted more. I wanted to find out what would happen with Lila, Elizabeth, and Grady. I love the title of this short story, but when I came across it, I wondered about the meaning behind it. I loved that this story was about writers. I’m an aspiring author, and this inspired me to keep going and not give up. I love the bond that was established between Elizabeth and Lila. I did wonder what would happen once the book was finished. 

From the moment that Lila and Grady meet, you can tell that there is some sort of connection between the two of them. I do feel that Grady is the first one to realize it, though. I’m curious to see what would happen between the two of them. There is part of me that wishes that this book was longer; mostly because I want to know what would happen with them next. Besides the characters, I loved the setting; it made me wish that I could escape there. A short and sweet story about friendship, and love. Highly recommended it.