Happy Friday! I’m sharing a selection of books that are on preorder in a weekly post.
Please check the price before preordering. Amazon will always give you the lowest preorder price and bill your payment method on release day.
Click on the book cover to preorder the ebook at Amazon USA. Direct Sales Links (if listed under the book category) will take you to the author or publisher’s website or a universal link to multiple book retailers.
Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment if there’s a book in my post that’s on your TBR (to be read) list. Or, if you’ve already had the pleasure of reading an advanced reader copy. I’m always looking for book recommendations.
Shannon’s Book Bargains Roundup – Visit my friend Shannon Taylor Vannatter’s blog, check out her SATURDAY weekly book bargains posts, and discover book giveaways, sales, and more.
Disclaimer: Book information is provided by third parties. Book prices are subject to change. The inclusion of a book in this post is not necessarily an endorsement.
Authors and Publishers: If you’d like to submit a book for consideration for a future post, please fill out the Google form here.
Welcome to my Fan Girling with Narelle podcast and YouTube show.
In this episode, I’m talking about why I recommend TWENTY SOMETHING ELSE by STEPHANIE MACK to contemporary fiction readers who like Christian novels with magical realism and time travel.
Jeanette didn’t anticipate she’d be arguing with contractor Cameron about every little detail—but she also never imagined she’d start falling for him…
Eager to prove herself to her demanding boss, Jeanette Wertz travels to Cloverdale Falls with the hopes that helping renovate the local B&B will boost her interior design career. She never imagined the grumpy man she unexpectedly meets on the first day, when her car breaks down on Main Street, is the same man she’ll be working with on the renovations. When her every suggestion meets resistance, Jeanette fears she’ll never accomplish her assignment in time to meet the deadline. An assignment that could cost her the job of her dreams.
Cameron Krausman enjoys running the family business, but what he doesn’t enjoy is going toe-to-toe with a pretty but opinionated interior designer who has an alternative suggestion for every one of his recommendations. Not only must Cameron help his dad recover from a near-fatal health event, but he must now also contend with Jeanette Wertz and her countless ideas.
When differences morph into friendly bets—most of which Cameron loses—things begin to slowly change between the two rivals. Can a series of competitions and an old building in desperate need of an update be enough to turn rivalry into romance?
He’s a grumpy contractor. She’s a bubbly interior designer. Will an unexpected alliance be the blueprint for love?
Can be read as a standalone or enjoyed with the other books in the series.
Rivals to more
Opposites
Forced proximity
Small town
Numerous hilarious moments
Secondary characters in every generation
Fun rom-com (think Great American Family/Pureflix or Hallmark with faith)
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Blueprint for Love, the third book in Penny Zeller’s Small Town Shenanigans series set in a small mountain town. Jeanette is an interior designer from Florida who’s visiting Cloverdale Falls and staying at the B&B to assist with renovations. Cameron is a building contractor who’s working with Jeanette at the B&B to convert the attic into a guest bedroom suite.
Jeanette and Cameron’s meet cute is almost a disaster. They’re both stressed for different reasons and they don’t make a good first impression. Sparks fly when they’re forced to work together on the B&B reno and can’t agree on anything. Their work rivalry situation has a fun twist and the person with the losing idea has to do an activity chosen by the winner.
Their cute romance is sweet and their friendship challenges them to deal with their emotional baggage, including pride issues. Jeanette’s life is in Florida. She’s working hard to please her difficult boss and obtain a work promotion. Cameron’s dad is struggling with health issues that are putting pressure on his mother and their family construction business.
There are many LOL moments as Cameron and Jeanette are drawn out of their comfort zone when they do new activities. I loved how the characters lived their faith in the story. The quirky side characters, including the seniors who are sleuths and private investigators, created many funny and memorable moments.
I recommend Blueprint for Love to contemporary romance readers who like charming small town friends-to-more romcoms with adorable animals, forced proximity, work rivalry, family drama and strong faith elements in the story.
Happy Friday! I’m sharing a selection of books that are on preorder in a weekly post.
Please check the price before preordering. Amazon will always give you the lowest preorder price and bill your payment method on release day.
Click on the book cover to preorder the ebook at Amazon USA. Direct Sales Links (if listed under the book category) will take you to the author or publisher’s website or a universal link to multiple book retailers.
Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment if there’s a book in my post that’s on your TBR (to be read) list. Or, if you’ve already had the pleasure of reading an advanced reader copy. I’m always looking for book recommendations.
Shannon’s Book Bargains Roundup – Visit my friend Shannon Taylor Vannatter’s blog, check out her SATURDAY weekly book bargains posts, and discover book giveaways, sales, and more.
Disclaimer: Book information is provided by third parties. Book prices are subject to change. The inclusion of a book in this post is not necessarily an endorsement.
Authors and Publishers: If you’d like to submit a book for consideration for a future post, please fill out the Google form here.
Welcome to my Fan Girling with Narelle podcast and YouTube show.
In this episode, I’m talking about why I recommend BRIGHTER THAN BEFORE by COURTNEY WALSH to contemporary romance readers who like clean and wholesome romance novels.
Here are the links to my recommendations for Courtney Walsh’s books.
Life has a way of changing your path–and Claire Karadec certainly didn’t plan on a fork in the road in her forties. From New York Times bestselling author Courtney Walsh comes a witty, warm, and uplifting novel about second chances, found family, and the courage it takes to become yourself–perfect for fans of Annabel Monaghan and Sarah Adams.
After a painfully public discovery shatters her marriage, along with her picture-perfect, country club life, Claire finds herself suddenly single and faced with a blank page for a future. On that page she writes a simple list that reads like equal parts dare and daydream–Move to a new city. Make a real friend. Get a job I love–and she vows to accomplish every single one.
Before she can talk herself out of it, she takes a step of faith, puts her old life in the rearview mirror, and leases an apartment in Chicago, the city that has always had her heart. This one step sends Claire on a journey of self-discovery, giving her the courage to conquer her fears, one checklist item at a time, and showing her that life can be a whole lot brighter than she imagined.
She rediscovers a love for baking, stumbles into new friendships, and even allows her daughter, Minnie, to create a dating profile and choose her dates for her. Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is Miles, the charming, off-limits neighbor whose kindness makes it hard to remember why he’s off-limits at all.
Between late-night journaling, disastrous first dates, great big lessons and priceless small victories, Claire learns to quiet the voice telling her she wasn’t enough and listens to the one that asks the harder question . . .
What do I really want?
As old expectations loosen their grip, Claire discovers that belonging isn’t a place you’re invited to–it’s a life you build one brave choice at a time. And the sweetest things often show up when you finally get out of your own way.
Lose yourself in a story that’s equal parts heartwarming, hopeful, and full of joy. Early readers are loving the witty humor, uplifting journey, and sweet, clean romance that makes Brighter than Before such a life-affirming escape. Grab your copy today and discover a second-chance story about courage, connection, and building a life that feels truly your own.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Brighter than Before, a low spice contemporary romcom with women’s fiction themes. The story opens with Claire making an impulsive and ridiculous decision that becomes the catalyst for her choosing to take control of her life. She leaves Colorado and rents a cute apartment in the Chicago suburbs.
Claire is on a self discovery journey and she’s seeking genuine friendships with honest people. She spent the previous twelve months in survival mode, struggling to cope with the brutal way her cheating husband of twenty-three years ended their marriage and convinced their friends to abandon her. Their young adult daughter is overseas, studying in the UK.
Miles is a business owner and landscape gardener who lives in Claire’s apartment complex. Their meet cute is hilarious, ridiculous, and embarrassing for Claire. I loved how Miles became Claire’s friend and helped her create a new life in Chicago. Despite their mutual attraction, he friend zones Claire and teams up with Claire’s daughter, using an online dating app, to set Claire up on a series of first dates.
Claire and Miles challenge each other to deal with their emotional baggage and take a risk on love. I recommend Brighter than Before to contemporary romance readers who like low spice friends-to-more romcoms with depth that include second chances, dating mishaps, and found family themes.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
Welcome to my Fan Girling with Narelle podcast and YouTube show.
In this episode, I’m talking about why I recommend ALMOST BY DESIGN by JENNY ERLINGSSON to contemporary romance readers who like Christian romance novels.
Here is the link to my recommendation for the book.
A botched promotion, an awkward reunion, and a fake-dating scheme they never planned to fall for.
Kenya Stewart is so close to getting her dream position at an event agency. When a scheduling blunder risks her promotion, she hopes an upcoming pitch will allow her a second chance. Then an accident at her cousin’s wedding sends her to the emergency room in the care of another wedding guest, Solomon Anruchi, the handsome doctor who ghosted her after their first date.
Solomon’s parents are eager for him to find a business-savvy wife and make the move to New York to take over a recent acquisition by their family’s company. But he needs to buy more time to finish his residency and convince them that staying in Hope Springs is the best path for him. He realizes that Kenya is the perfect person to help, and she needs his connections to land a high-profile client and save her career. Their solution? A fake-dating relationship.
As attractions increase amid their ruse, secrets they’ve kept from each other and the weight of others’ expectations begin to unravel their scheme. Will their carefully constructed plans crumble when the truth comes out?
This charming Southern contemporary Christian romance features humorous banter, second chances, faking dating, and neurodiverse characters in small-town Alabama for fans of Toni Shiloh, Pepper Basham, and Courtney Walsh.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Almost by Design, a delightful small town contemporary romance set in Alabama. Kenya is an events manager who’s on track to secure a work promotion until she’s forced to take leave to recover from an accident at her cousin’s wedding. Solomon is a physical therapist at the hospital who had previously ghosted Kenya after their first date. Their meet cute at Kenya’s cousin’s wedding is an embarrassing disaster for Kenya and they end up visiting the hospital.
Solomon needs a girlfriend to discourage his parents from finding him a bride. His Nigerian immigrant parents have worked hard to build a business empire for their adult children to run. Solomon wants to pursue a physical therapy career but he’s torn because he’s the eldest son with family responsibilities.
Kenya has a complicated relationship with her mother and often feels like she disappoints her mother. Kenya is dyslexic and she tries to hide her dyslexia due to past hurts and unresolved childhood issues.
I enjoyed journeying with Solomon and Kenya as their fun and sweet fake relationship moves into friendship territory and starts to feel real. When their secrets are revealed, they’re forced to deal with their emotional baggage and feelings for each other. Trust issues, the importance of honest communication, the fear of rejection and pride issues are explored in the story.
I recommend Almost by Design to contemporary romance readers who like second chances and fake relationship small town romances with romcom story elements, neurodiverse characters, family drama, Nigerian cultural influences, and relevant faith threads in the story.
Many thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
