Review: Meet Me in Italy by Brenda Novak

 

Meet Me in Italy Brenda Novak

Publication Date: April 7th 2026 by MIRA & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 400

Audio Length: 12hrs 11min

Narrator: Stina Nielsen

Source: Publisher 
Rating: ★★★★
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

As Charlotte stares down the looming deadline for her second novel, with not a single word written when her life implodes. Her marriage to Cliff Jackson, a famous basketball star, ends abruptly when he demands she move out with no explanation. She has no idea what went wrong. Then comes another shock: Charlotte learns she has a twelve‑year‑old half‑sister, Lilly, stranded in Italy after their mother is killed in a tragic accident. As Lilly’s closest relative, Charlotte is suddenly the only person who can step in.

 

Determined to meet her sister, escape the chaos of her divorce, and hopefully find inspiration for her book, Charlotte heads to Italy. Her estranged best friend Sloane and Sloane’s brother Julian join her, offering support she didn’t realize she needed, and sparking an unexpected connection with Julian.

 

Charlotte is carrying so much heartbreak and uncertainty, but Sloane and Julian have their own wounds and reasons for needing a getaway, and I found myself caring deeply for all three of them.

 

Meet Me in Italy was an engrossing, heartwarming story, that swept me away! For Charlotte, Sloane, Julian, and young Lilly, this trip becomes a journey of healing, rediscovery, and quiet transformation with a touch of romance woven in set in against the gorgeous Italian Coast.

 

I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, and Stina Nielsen’s narration was wonderful. She gave each character a distinct voice and emotional depth, bringing them vividly to life and enhancing my experience.

4 Stars

Book Description:

A sun-soaked trip to the Amalfi Coast promises a fresh start—and reveals secrets never imagined in New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak’s tender new novel.

In the wake of her debut novel’s breakout success—and a very painful public divorce—Charlotte Williams-Jackson has something to prove. With her second novel overdue, she’s scrambling to hold it together. But her focus is rocked when she discovers that her childhood wasn't as it seemed—and she has a tween half-sister who's been orphaned in Italy.

Alongside her best friend, Sloane, and Sloane’s charming brother, Julian, Charlotte ventures to the Amalfi Coast to meet her sister. She would never turn her back on family, especially since this girl doesn’t have anyone else, but between her looming deadline and her entire identity being flipped upside down, it’s a lot. Determined to rebuild her life, Charlotte must confront the relationships she’s held dear—and the loss of those she thought she had but didn't—forcing her to question everything she understood about herself and the bonds that shape a family.

Review: The Summer That Changed Everything by Brenda Novak

 

The Summer That Changed Everything by Brenda Novak

Publication Date: June 3rd 2025 by MIRA & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 368

Audio Length: 10hrs 39min

Narrator: Courtney Patterson

Source: Publisher 
Rating: ★★★★
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Fifteen years ago, Lucy Sinclair’s father was convicted of murdering three people in the small town of North Hampton Beach, Virginia. At just seventeen, with no other family, she was left to fend for herself. Lucy weathered some tough times but got through it and made something of herself. Now all these years later Lucy’s ready to go back to answer some nagging doubts she had about one of the murders.  She doesn’t count on running into Ford, the man who abandoned her and broke her heart, but he’s also back in town taking a summer break from his own problems.

 

Lucy gets flak from the townsfolk right away when they find out why she’s there, but there are also ones who’ve questioned the past, as well. While we find out what’s behind one of the mysteries pretty early on, some of it doesn’t come all the way out until the end. I had my suspicions.

The Summer That Changed Everything was part romance, part mystery and a messy situation on several levels. Messy is usually something I avoid because I’m not a big fan of angst, but somehow Ms. Novak writes it in such a way that it doesn't come off as angsty.  Once I started, I knew I’d have to read/listen to it all the way through! It wasn’t a story I’d have an easy time setting aside to continue later. I was riveted and had to know how it’d all turn out! I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m still thinking about it!

I alternately read and listened to The Summer That Changed Everything. I thought Courtney Patterson performed all voices, males and female wonderfully with appropriate emotion, bringing the characters and story to life. 

4 Stars

Book Description:

She returned to prove her father's innocence, but there's no telling what she'll find…

It's been fifteen years since Lucy Sinclair saw her father. Fifteen long years since she sat in a courtroom and watched him sentenced to life in prison. He murdered three victims—all people she knew—which ruined her life at just seventeen. But now she’s back in Virginia to talk to him, wondering if there’s more to the story of what happened that fateful night.

An old flame, Ford Wagner, makes his own return to North Hampton Beach, fleeing a marriage that seems destined for divorce. He’s wary of Lucy and her digging into the past, but the more time they spend together, the closer they get and the more he finds himself reconsidering the truth behind the death of their mutual friend that summer. Problem is, there are plenty of those in this small coastal town who would prefer things stay quiet…

 

Audiobook Review: Shooting the Moon by Brenda Novak

 

Shooting the Moon by Brenda Novak

Publication Date: January 14th 2025 by Harlequin Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Length: 9hrs 36min

Narrator: Alana Marie Cheuvront

Source: Publisher 
Rating: ★★★★
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Harley Nelson is back in Oregon to see his son Brandon after hearing about the death of his old flame, Audra, Brandon’s mother. Audra was a troubled soul, always getting into trouble, acting out to rile her strict father.  Harley left soon after Audra gave birth, being run off by her father and didn’t feel worthy to come back until he made something of himself.

 

Lauren, Audra’s younger sister, was the one who took care of Brandon for the most part. She was the studious, serious and responsible sister and it fell to her to take care of Brandon when Audra was off being wild.

 

Lauren has always loved Brandon like a son, and she believed the stories her father told of Harley and his history with Audra. Now that he’s back in town and wants a relationship with his son she’s on guard. She doesn’t want to risk Brandon’s stability or mental health. However, his behavior doesn’t match what she’s heard of him, prompting Lauren to delve deeper into the past and find out what actually happened. As she gets to know Harley, seeing the way he cares for Brandon, she can’t help but fall for him.

 

Lauren’s parents were out of the country for much of the story and I worried what was going to happen once they got back. I was happy with the way Lauren and Harley handled the situation.

 

I love how Brenda Novak somehow makes a messy situation that seems like it would be cringe-worthy (like falling for your dead sister’s beau) feel natural! The story hooked me right in! I enjoyed the romance and seeing Harley and Brandon so happy to finally find each other and bond!

 

I listened to the audio version and enjoyed Alana Marie Cheuvront’s pleasant and smooth voice!

4 Stars

Book Description:

He's a man from the past -- and a man with a past...

When Harley Nelson got on his motorcycle and drove out of Portland, Oregon, 10 years ago, he left behind a bad reputation -- and a baby. Audra Worthington was the reason for both. Well, the baby, anyway. The reputation he already had. It's why rich girl Audra fell for him in the first place.

Now Audra's dead. His son, Brandon, is being raised by her family -- good girl Lauren, the perfect daughter, and her uncompromising parents. But Harley's a self-made success down in California and he's ready to take responsibility for his son.

She's a woman who knows trouble when she sees it...

She's a woman who knows trouble when she sees it.... And Harley Nelson's trouble. He's shown up at her door, saying he wants to get to know his son -- 10 years too late, in Lauren's opinion. Too bad he didn't stick by her sister, Audra, when he got her pregnant. (At least, that's the story Lauren's always heard.) And too bad he still looks so good in that black leather jacket....

Review: The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak

 

The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak

Publication Date: September 17th 2024 by MIRA

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harper Collins | Bookshop.org | Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

I absolutely LOVED The Banned Books Club! I had been picking up and setting aside several books, none capturing my attention and then I started it and was hooked from the very first page!

 

Gia loved reading, part of that passion was ignited by her favorite teacher, Mr. Hart, but then he crossed boundaries. Gia reported him and things changed when he lost his job. Some believed Gia and some believed Mr. Hart and so Gia left town after graduating and rarely came to visit. However, she can’t avoid her hometown anymore since her mother is losing her battle with cancer and Gia doesn’t want to miss the precious time she has left with her. Plus, her sister Margot has appealed to Gia to come back and help, which is uncharacteristic. Gia’s worried something’s off with her sister, but Margot is mum on the subject.

 

Margot has her own story, and I was worried for her! She was clearly in danger, and I wondered how it would be resolved!

The Banned Books Club was part romance, and that was a messy situation but so good! It was also emotional on so many levels and suspenseful with a situation that had me on the edge of my seat! I started the story and read straight through in one day! Five stars all the way!

5 Stars

Book Description:

For fans of Elin Hilderbrand, a riveting exploration of family, sisterhood, and the transformative power of literature. When two sisters, one a free spirit at the helm of a rebellious book club, the other a conventional woman locked in the clutches of an unhappy marriage are forced into a reluctant reunion by their mother's illness, they must confront past ghosts that rock the entire community.

Gia Rossi was considered a bit of a rebel in her small hometown of Wakefield, Iowa ever since she challenged the gaggle of well-meaning but misguided women from the PTA who’d insisted the high school English department, drop a number of "controversial" titles from the reading list. Gia had expected her favorite teacher to stand up for the books she loved by explaining why they were so important. Instead, just to avoid a fight, he’d caved in immediately, which was what had incited her to start The Banned Books Club.

That was the first time Mr. Hart had let her down, but it wouldn’t be the last. Because of him she left her hometown when she turned eighteen and graduated. But now, with her sister begging her to return home due to their mother's failing health, Gia will come face to face with the beloved teacher who was fired after she reported him for sexual misconduct. Gia's return has the town divided between those who believe her and those who believe she ruined Mr. Hart's life. Even members of her beloved book club--who've continued to meet virtually over the years--aren't sure who to believe.

Gia's homecoming dredges up a lot of pain from her past. Her relationship with her sister has always been strained but there's no denying that Margot has taken on the burden of caring for their mother and now it's Gia's turn to help. She's grateful to have the time with her mother and to come to terms with what happened to her in high school. What she doesn't expect is for her sister to use Gia's arrival as the opportunity to pack up her kids and leave town to escape her emotionally abusive husband. With the support of an unlikely ally, Gia is able to prove that Mr. Hart really was to blame for his own downfall, supports her mother and her sister when they need her most and finds love and a future in the town she thought rejected her.

Photo Credit: Rudy Meyers Photography

Author Bio: 

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Bookbuyer's Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com. 

Connect with Brenda Novak:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour Review: The Talk of Coyote Canyon by Brenda Novak

 

The Talk of Coyote Canyon (Coyote Canyon #2) by Brenda Novak

Publication Date: November 28th 2023 by MIRA

Pages: 432

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harlequin | Bookshop,org | Goodreads 

Powell's | Books-A-Million

My Thoughts:

Ellen’s father, Stuart, left her and her mother when she was young and didn’t make any effort to see Ellen after, and the abandonment still stings. Ellen inherited her grandparents’ house and property in Coyote Canyon, so she moved there to set up her own well-drilling business in direct competition with her father’s business. Ellen’s set on taking his business down one client at a time to pay him back for carelessly tossing her aside. However, when Hendrix, Stuart’s business partner and stand-in-son, stirs things up with her only employee, Ellen’s left high and dry on an important job. Hendrix steps in to help, feeling guilty and then ends up striking up a reluctant friendship.

 

Hendrix didn’t find Ellen attractive when she first moved to town, with her short spiky hair and tattoos, isn’t what he’d normally been into.  Also, with all the family/business turmoil, he’s only viewed her as an adversary, but as they work together, Hendrix starts to see her in a different light. He also starts to question the events of the past, how his aunt, Stuart’s wife, treated Ellen as a little girl and realizes how unfair they’ve all been to her. His opinions start to cause waves.

 

Ellen and Hendrix’s romance was a challenge because of the family/business aspect, and because Ellen had excellent reasons to be guarded, but most of the conflict was external. Hearing Ellen’s past and how she was treated, by Stuart, his new wife and even her mother I was outraged in her behalf! I was so happy she had Talulah and then Hendrix to take up for her!

Complicated family relationships, sabotage, and an online dating experience gone awry factor into the story; there’s so much more going on than just a romance, and I loved every minute! The story was captivating, and I didn’t want to put it down!

The Talk of Coyote Canyon can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading Talulah’s Back in Town first as some of the events come into play here. I highly recommend both romances! Brenda Novak’s stories are compelling and addictive! You think you’re just going to read a few chapters and end up finishing the book in one sitting!

 

5 Stars

Book Description:

She’s not here to make friends. She’s here to make trouble.

With her piercings, tattoos and spiky blond hair, Ellen Truesdale doesn’t quite fit in with the other folks in Coyote Canyon—and that’s just fine with her. She’s only here to put her father out of business, as payback for abandoning her when she was young.

Or is she more interested in finally proving that she was worth keeping?

Either way, she’s struggling to keep her rival well-drilling company afloat. And being a single woman in a male-dominated field has started to take a toll. So when Hendrix Durrant steps in to help, Ellen has no choice but to let him—even though he happens to be her father’s business partner and therefore her enemy. But the closer she works with him, the more she sees what she’s been missing…in life and love. And once she lets go of her anger long enough to learn the truth about her past, she might just find the family she’s always wanted.

Photo Credit: Rudy Meyers Photography

Author Bio: 

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Bookbuyer's Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com. 

Connect with Brenda Novak:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Review & Giveaway: Talulah's Back in Town by Brenda Novak

 

Talulah's Back in Town (Coyote Canyon #1) by Brenda Novak

Publication Date: August 22nd 2023 by MIRA

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | BookShoporg | Harlequin | Powell's

My Thoughts:

Talulah’s back in her hometown to sort through her great-aunt’s house, getting it ready for sale after her death. She hadn’t been looking forward to coming back after she left her fiancé at the alter fourteen years ago shattering one of her best friendships and becoming the talk of the town.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a “runaway bride” romance, didn’t really think it would appeal to me. I’ve wondered how someone could let it get to that point, knowing they had cold feet and doubts, but for Talulah it boiled down to trying to please everyone. Hoping her feelings would change or deepen enough before the wedding so she wouldn’t have to disappoint anyone. Unfortunately, by the time she broke it off it caused more damage than if she would’ve done it right when she started having doubts, but she didn’t trust her gut instincts.

Now Talulah makes it clear up front to any potential love interests that she’s commitment phobic. She’d like to be able to fall in love, settle down and have a family, but the thought of commitment gives her hives! That is until she returns home and circumstances lead her to falling in with Brant Elway, the best friend of her ex-fiancé. Yep, it’s messy and normally I’d be running the other way from a story like this, but it was sooo good!  Talulah and Brant had off-the-charts chemistry (this was hot stuff!) and deepening emotional bond. I just loved how naturally they fit as a couple! They just had to figure out the details.

I’m fairly new to Brenda Novak’s writing, having only read two of her stories in the past, both more on the women’s fiction side with a bit of romance and suspense. This is my first full on romance by her and I loved it! I was mesmerized by the story from page one!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Sometimes the past we leave behind leads us right where we belong.

Talulah Barclay doesn’t like complications. Unfortunately, they seem to love her. Fourteen years after leaving her fiancé at the altar, Talulah returns to her hometown of Coyote Canyon, Montana, to settle her great-aunt’s estate. As she’d feared, her “runaway bride” reputation is waiting right where she left it, and her ex’s best friend, Brant, isn’t about to let her slip by unnoticed.

Brant has always been a loyal friend, but Talulah’s decision to run isn’t the only thing he hasn’t forgotten. He remembers more about Talulah than he cares to admit. Vividly. And it’s increasingly difficult to ignore her now, especially when they find themselves in close quarters. Talulah has no plans to stay in town after she fixes up her aunt’s Victorian farmhouse, even if the unbridled sparks with Brant give her a good reason to linger. Besides, bailing on relationships is kind of her thing. But a lot has changed since Talulah last turned tail—maybe her heart has changed, too?

I went to the book launch/signing event for Talulah's Back in Town at Ruby's Bookstore in Folsom, California last week and bought an extra signed copy to giveaway to one lucky reader! The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!

The mini-version of the macaron tower from the book cover at the signing.

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Photo credit: Rudy Meyers Photography

About the author:

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak has written over 60 novels. An eight-time Rita nominee, she's won The National Reader's Choice, The Bookseller's Best and other awards. She runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity that has raised more than $2.5 million for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). She considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life. Visit Brenda at www.brendanovak.com.

Connect with Brenda Novak:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Review & Giveaway: The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak

The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak

Publication Date: April 11th 2023 by MIRA

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Mariners Island is an idyllic summer retreat like Nantucket. Three best friends, Ivy, Ariana, and Cam are year-rounders, staying when the summer crowd goes home. Their lives change at sixteen when a twelve-year-old girl goes missing and Cam is supposedly the last person seen with her. When it’s apparent Cam will be the prime suspect Ivy and Ariana lie to give him an alibi because they’re sure he couldn’t have done anything to hurt this girl. Twenty years they’ve stuck by their story, Ariana leaving for college soon after, staying away for the most part. Now the girl’s remains have been discovered and Ivy and Ariana question if they did the right thing.

From the cover, The Seaside Library looks like a breezy beach read, but it’s more of a serious story. It’s a cold case mystery, a story of friendship and of unrequited love.

Ariana has loved Cam since they were teenagers, but he skipped from girl to girl and never gave any sign that he was interested in her. Granted Ariana never let Cam or even Ivy know that she loved him, but part of the reason she’s stayed away is because she felt too much for him, and those feelings just come rushing back the moment they connect again.

The other reason was the guilt she felt from lying to the police and everyone else about the true timeline of the night the girl went missing. Ivy has also struggled with her decision, but they felt Cam would’ve been unjustly accused and railroaded into a conviction if they didn’t give him an alibi.

Slowly the truth of that night comes out, what actually happened. There were some twists I guessed, others I didn’t. I wanted all three to find happiness. I wanted the truth to come out so they could all move on from the events of that night and justice for the little girl.

The Seaside Library grabbed my attention from the first page, and I didn’t want to stop reading! I needed to know how it all turned out, so I ended up reading it in one sitting!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

There are secrets that bring friends together, and others that drive them apart…

Mariners Island is barely ten miles long, but when Ivy, Ariana and Cam were teenagers, it was their whole world. Beyond the pristine beaches and iconic lighthouse lies the beautiful old library that belongs to Ivy’s family. While that bound Ivy to the island as an adult, Ariana could not leave Mariners behind fast enough. The town holds too many… memories . Not only her unrequited feelings for Cam, but the tragedy that left a scar on the community.

When a young girl went missing, a teenage Cam was unthinkably the prime suspect. Ariana and Ivy knew he couldn’t have hurt anyone, and they promised to protect him—even if it meant lying on his behalf.

Now, twenty years later, Ariana returns to Mariners just as new evidence emerges on the case, calling into question everything the three friends thought they knew—and everyone they thought they could trust. What really happened that night? Over the course of one eventful summer, Ariana, Ivy and Cam will learn the truth—about their pasts, their futures and the ties that still bind them as closely as the pages of a book…

 

A couple of weeks back I was able to attend the launch party for Brenda Novak's newest: The Seaside Library and I bought a paperback copy of The Seaside Library signed by the author to give away to one reader. The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Fill out the out the rafflecopter for a chance to win! Good luck!

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Blog Tour Review: Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

 

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

Publication Date: April 5th 2022 by Mira Books

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Walmart | BooksAMillion | Brenda Novak Store 

Barnes & Noble | Indigo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Marlow is back on Teach, an island off the coast of Miami, after her father’s death to help her mother pack up his stuff. She’s also there for a much-needed break with her two friends Aida and Claire.  After closing down her law practice, Marlow is mulling over what she’d like to do next, so she’s there indefinitely.  Seclusion has always been her favorite of the family’s houses and now her mother is condensing and planning on living on Teach full-time. But part of the past is regret over how she treated Walker, the housekeeper’s son. He had a wild crush on her and being young, immature, and selfish she wasn’t very nice about it, something she deeply regrets.  

Walker, now the Chief of Police for Teach, plans on keeping his distance from Marlow. He has no plans of repeating the past by fawning over her now. However, it seems life has other plans.

 

Walker and Marlow’s romance was a long time coming with him pining over her while they were teenagers. Unrequited love is one of my favorite tropes, so it was a pleasure to see Marlow, while trying to make amends, fall hard for Walker. They started off with a little bit angry, passionate encounters that lit up the pages! Of course, they couldn’t stay angry with each other for long.

There’s also the fallout after Marlow finds out her father wasn’t the saint she thought, a blow to her mother as well. And then there’s Aida and Claire, her two friends that joined her for the Summer. Aida met Claire when Claire found out she was seeing a married man, Aida’s husband. I had to scratch my head over that storyline. Not sure I could be friends with my husband’s ex-mistress, even if she didn’t know she was seeing a married man!  There’s some kerfuffle with that situation as things are not as resolved as they think.

Summer on the Island was part women’s fiction, part romance (my favorite part, of course!) with a little bit of danger mixed in the end, and I enjoyed every bit of it!

4 Stars

About the book:

For fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak's newest standalone novel about friendship, family and the ties that bind and challenge us follows three friends as they escape to a coastal Florida town for the summer.

Marlo Madsen has just been through a global pandemic that turned her life—and the lives of almost everyone she knows—upside down. Her beloved father has died from COVID. Helping her mother, who has MS, handle his estate means returning to the small coastal Florida town where she was raised.

Having just left her job as a divorce attorney—which paid well but showed her too much of the worst in people—she’s invited two friends to join her for a seaside summer. The two friends are also facing huge life changes after the worsening California wildfires took everything from them, and need to decompress and recuperate. And travel has long been forbidden, so they are beyond appreciative for the ability to escape.

Unfortunately, a restful summer doesn’t seem to be in the cards, especially when Marlo learns about a special provision in her father’s will that reveals he has a love child with Rosemarie, the housekeeper who’s worked for the family for years. Rosemarie’s son was around while Marlo was growing up, but she never suspected a thing. Nobody did. And once the news is revealed, the fallout will cause waves big enough to topple two families and a whole community.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Bookbuyer's Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.

Connect with Brenda Novak:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Review: The Heart of Christmas (Whiskey Creek Series) by Brenda Novak

The Heart of Christmas (Whiskey Creek #7) by Brenda Novak

Published October 28th 2014 by Harlequin MIRA

Just call her Christmas Eve…

Eve Harmon has always enjoyed Christmas, but this year it reminds her of everything she doesn't have. Almost all her friends are married now, and that's what Eve wants, too. Love. A husband and kids of her own. But the B and B she manages, and even Whiskey Creek, the small Gold Country town where she was born and raised, suddenly seem…confining.

Eve's worried that her future will simply be a reflection of her past. There's no one in the area she could even imagine as a husband—until a handsome stranger comes to town. Eve's definitely attracted to him, and he seems to have the same reaction to her. But his darkly mysterious past could ruin Eve's happily ever after—just when it finally seems within reach. And just when she's counting on the best Christmas of her life!

My Thoughts

The Heart of Christmas by Brenda Novak is yet another new-to-me author and new-to-me series that I picked up during my holiday reading frenzy. After diving into this enticing holiday read, I definitely want to continue with the Whiskey Creek series.

In The Heart of Christmas, we meet Eve Harmon during the winter season as she prepares her B&B for another Christmas. At thirty-five, it’s the holiday season that accentuates what Eve is missing in her life. After several failed relationships, she wants nothing more than to fall in love, as she sees all of her friends getting married and having children. So, when she indulges in a one-night stand before her birthday, the mysterious man she brings home also comes with tons of secrets and a shady past that has her family and friends leery about this stranger.

Rex McCreedy has been on the run for many years. At eighteen he was imprisoned for some mistakes that seem to follow him no matter how much time passes, and now the Crew he joined in prison, which he’s been trying to escape, is after him once again. When he lands in Whiskey Creek, he indulges in what he hopes is a quick reprieve, but Eve eventually becomes a safe haven for him at a time when his life seems so out of control. As they begin to fall in love, he knows the best thing he can do for Eve is to leave Whiskey Creek rather than bring the dangers of his past to this small town and her community.

Eve and Rex were a great couple to come to know. I have no experience with Eve’s past, so I didn’t have any preconceptions about her friends and their decisions that seemed to affect her life. These two characters definitely had a ton of chemistry to melt plenty of snow! I enjoyed journeying with Rex and Eve as they fell in love, faced some difficulties, and came together to find a way to make things work.

The secondary characters in the novel also grabbed my attention enough to want to pick up the series, so I’m eager to get to know more about Eve’s friends.

Lastly, the whole mystery around Little Mary's death and her ghost added a touch of intrigue to the novel, which was a perfect blend to the Christmas romannce, drama and adventure in Whiskey Creek!

Overall, I enjoyed this Christmas story that takes place amongst a tight group of friends, a small town and a quaint B&B. I'll be sure to dive further into the Whiskey Creek series to learn more about the rest of the cast.

3 Suns