Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

 

Aspen is a writer who had the unbelievable luck of writing a bestselling novel right out of the gate. Her readers flock to her signings…but all they are interested in is that first novel. Even though Aspen knows her next one is technically better, it doesn’t have the power of the first one, and no one is buying it.

The trouble is, that first novel came from her own heart… her own agony and he own breakup. She created a character that so many related to, that’s what they want to read. But Aspen got over that heartbreak, and now her writing has lost its spark. And the deadline for her next book, the one she has to succeed with, looms.

Convinced by her agent to get out of the city, Aspen heads to the Outer Banks to spend time with her sister and let the beauty of the beach nurture her muse. Along the way, she determines that the only way to get her mojo back is to fall in love and get her heart broken … again. Then she meets breathtaking Brick Babel, the local bad boy.

This was a different kind of romance, with the pitfalls of novel writing, the fragile environment of the Outer Banks and dealing with emotional fallout of both past heartbreak and reputations. Anyone interested in writing will find it fascinating and may want to take notes!  But the writing is great, and I was thrilled to learn that there is another book following this one. Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the introduction to Jennifer Probst’s work. Book of the Month was released October 22, 2024.

 

The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley

   

Riley is an up-and-coming wizard at digital content creation and loves her work. When she’s called into a meeting after a successful campaign, she expects a promotion. Instead, she learns that she, and the entire department, are being replaced by AI.

It’s barely December when she gets a call from her sister that her mother has broken her leg and needs help running the struggling Cape Cod B-n-B she owns, at least through the holidays.

Reluctant to leave her hot shot …and hot… lawyer boyfriend, but he’s too busy to spend much time with her anyway, so she decides to take the time off to regroup. She can look for jobs from the Cape as easy as NYC. She drives to the Cape and the magic of the location and lifestyle swallows her up.

This is an ideal Christmas romance, with warm and interesting characters from three different generations. Also, a cat and charming little boy, plenty of hot chocolate and enough lovely décor, beaches and ocean and even songs to delight anyone who loves a good romance and idyllic Christmas book.

My only problem with the book as that it was deep in details that I wanted to skip over: cookie ingredients, wine brands, every meal and the cost of everything. Still, it was an easy, comforting read and perfect for busy season!

The book was published by St. Martins on September 24, 2024. Thanks to them and NetGalley for giving me the chance to review.