Sweet Romance

Dancing With a Royal by Tomi Tabb

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As a Book Reviewer, I received a free copy of Dancing With a Royal by Tomi Tabb for my honest review.

Dancing with a Royal by Tomi Tabb is the story of an up and coming ballerina, Clara Little, in Los Angeles, California who is invited to replace a star ballerina in “The World of Ballet” showcase in England. An unexpected meeting with a handsome man at the airport in Los Angeles leads to another unexpected meeting with the same man in England, Prince David, the Duke of Leeds, a workaholic member of the Royal Family and eligible bachelor. Sparks ignite and the story becomes a sweet romance, and as the romance builds, it soon becomes a heartwarming love story.

Dancing with a Royal by Tomi Tabb is the best book I’ve read in 2021 so far. Tomi Tabb did a fantastic job of creating, not just likeable, but loveable characters — characters that made me smile, that had me cheer for them, that had amazing chemistry, and whom I would love to meet and spend a day with in real life. Ms. Tabb also wrote so well about what it’s like to be hounded by the paparazzi, I could easily sympathize with the characters. Ms. Tabb didn’t just create engaging, delightful main characters, but her secondary characters were just as well written.

This story was definitely a character driven story, but also had a very interesting plot line that kept things moving, and just enough description to paint a picture of the many settings in the reader’s mind.

This book and its characters will live in my memory and heart for a long time, and I look forward to reading the next book in Tomi Tabb’s “Unexpected Royals” series as soon as it’s available.

I highly recommend Dancing With a Royal to anyone who loves a good sweet romance or heartwarming love story, and I give this book 5 stars.

The Holiday Bride by Claire Sanders

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The Holiday Bride by Claire Sanders

As a Book Reviewer, I received a free copy of The Holiday Bride by Claire Sanders for my honest review. The Holiday Bride by Claire Sanders is the second book in “The Masons of Brightfield” series. Ms. Sanders continues to write great sweet romance stories with a touch of humor, and this novel even included a bit of a mystery.

In The Holiday Bride, Andrew Mason has been in love with Hildy for years and finally believes it’s the right time to let her know his feelings for her. However, one problem after another prevents them from building a relationship, including another man. Hildy believes the other man would be perfect in her father’s eyes. However, Andrew, in his jealousy, stumbles across some incriminating information about the other man. This information takes Andrew on a fascinating journey to find out more with the hopes of winning Hildy in the end.

Ms. Sanders creates captivating characters that feel like friends. She paints pictures with her words and brings many smiles and occasional chuckles to her readers’ lips. She creates a plot with a pace that keeps the reader turning page after page late into the night.

The Holiday Bride is original in that Andrew is the main character, although we get plenty of Hildy’s point of view as well. It was very interesting to follow Andrew’s point of view in this story and I came to value the originality of Andrew’s character. He was engaging, unique, intelligent, and lovable.

After reading the first two books in “The Masons of Brightfield” series by Claire Sanders, I have become a fan of Ms. Sanders books and look forward to reading more.

I give The Holiday Bride 5 stars.

The Baseball Bride (The Masons of Brightfield) by Claire Sanders

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The Baseball Bride (The Masons of Brightfield Book 1) by [Claire Sanders]

The Baseball Bride by Claire Sanders is a delightful story. It is my favorite genre — Sweet Romance, and as a Book Reviewer, I was given a free copy for my honest review.

This tale is set in 1910. Abigail Mason has grown up with three brothers and a father who loves baseball. Being the only girl, of course she wanted to do whatever her brothers did, and her father taught her how to play baseball right alongside her brothers.

But as Abigail begins to think about marriage, she decides it’s best to put her baseball glove away and focus on pretty dresses and being more dainty. She catches the eye of the town’s doctor, who begins courting her.

This book is well written and I simply couldn’t put it down. The characters were believable and I quickly felt as though I knew them. Being a girl who grew up in a neighborhood of boys, I grew up playing wiffleball, similar to baseball but with a plastic bat and ball. And, though, I grew up in a much different time frame, I, too, found a time to put the game aside to become a young lady. But having had that similar experience, I could relate to Abigail.

I loved Abigail’s relationship with her brothers and parents. The good-natured banter between her and her brothers brought smiles and chuckles as I read. Abigail’s relationship with the town doctor faced challenges and struggles.

Ms. Sanders did a great job of resolving the conflicts and wrapping up the ending. This was definitely a feel-good story with enjoyable characters. I give this book 5 stars and look forward to reading the rest of the Masons of Brightfield series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sweet romance stories and baseball.

By Design by J. Boykin Baker

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By Design: A Love Story with a Twist by [J Boykin Baker]

I am a book reviewer and was given a free ebook copy of this book for my honest review.

About the Book

Anne’s mother passed away when Anne was young, but her mother left her a very valuable legacy.

When Anne is grown, she becomes an interior designer and begins to do quite well, then moves to Atlanta to take a job at a very high profile interior design firm. Her plate fills quickly with jobs, one of which is for a surgical practice where Dr. Brad Young, Jr. is a partner with his father.

When Brad meets Anne, he is taken by her beauty and asks her out. However, Brad has a reputation as a player, and several people warn Anne about Brad’s reputation. But Anne feels the chemistry between them and continues to see Brad, until an emotional weekend creates a problem that Brad isn’t sure he can overcome to make this relationship work.

My Review

I found the Introduction to be very “telling”. It didn’t draw me in and engage me in the story, but I continued to read to find out what would happen to Anne as the story truly began. I was pleasantly surprised that the story itself, engaged me from the start and drew me in to Anne’s life.

As I read the story, I found value in the Introduction and knew why the author had included it. It adds important information about Anne and why Anne is who she is.

I enjoyed the relationships between Anne and all of the characters she interacted with in the story. Anne had a strong influence on others she met and interacted with. Then she met Brad, and her affect on him was strong and unexpected for him. He had never met anyone like her before and he wasn’t sure he liked how she made him feel and think.

I really liked the interaction between Brad and Anne. They had a chemistry, but there were obstacles between them. As I continued to follow their story, I found their way of interacting, as they tried to figure out if their relationship could be long term, delightful. The way they teased one another and spoke to one another of their thoughts and feelings were all engaging and realistic. Their banter often made me laugh. The scene where Anne finally lost her temper with Brad, as well as Brad’s reaction to the things she said in anger, also made me laugh. At the same time, I still hoped they would work things out.

J. Boykin Baker created deep characters and gave them real life struggles, one of which, though it still faces some young people in today’s world, seems antiquated, but Ms. Baker did a wonderful job showing the importance of the struggle and I was impressed with Anne’s strength even in the face of temptation.

I loved the fact that the story doesn’t end in the typical way of most romance stories, but Ms. Baker resolves the struggles in a very satisfying manner and takes the ending a step further.

I love sweet romance stories. They are one of my favorite genres, and I especially love a sweet romance story that dares to step out of the normal romance formula. Therefore, By Design by J. Boykin Baker and Anne and Brad will live in my heart and on my “favorites” list for a long time.

I was also thrilled to find that Ms. Baker continues the story of Anne and Brad in two more books and I can’t wait to read them.

I give By Design (Book 1) by J. Boykin Baker 5 stars.