The power of fiction, the beauty of words, and the God who made us to wield them for His glory.

Best of 2020 – Emoji Files, Part V: The LOL Awards

Greetings, reader friends! Today we reach the end of my annual Emoji Files celebrating my best reads of 2020. If you’ve missed my previous posts for 2020, make sure you check out The Swoony Awards, Got Me in the Feels, The WOW Awards, and Take Me Away.

The LOL Awards are, not surprisingly, for those books that have made me laugh this year. I’m always on a quest to find books that make me laugh, and for that reason, I’ve branched out a bit in my search for romantic comedy, which means there are some general market reads on this list that aren’t clean reads (Chateau of Happily Ever Afters by Jaimie Admans and Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn). 

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2 January 2021

The Cul-de-Sac War (Melissa Ferguson) – Review

All’s fair in love and prank wars. 

Bree Leake doesn’t want to be tied down. She’s had more jobs than she can count, and she plans to move as soon as the curtains fall on her less-than-minor stage role at The Barter—the oldest live performance theater in the US. But just when it’s time to move on again, Bree’s parents make her an offer: hold steady for a full year, and they will give her the one thing she’s always wanted—her grandmother’s house. Her dreams are coming true . . . until life at the theater throws her some curve balls. 

And then there’s Chip McBride—her handsome and infuriating next-door neighbor. 

Chip just might be the only person whose stubborn streak can match Bree’s…

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5 December 2020

The Holiday Husband (Jenny B. Jones) – Review

Annie made a holiday wish to be reunited with the one who got away.
She should’ve been more specific…

Museum curator Annie Bristow has spent years regretting a marriage proposal she turned down from her college sweetheart. When a fateful ride on a holiday train gives Annie the opportunity to make it right, she wishes for a do-over. She wants to go back and say yes to her one true love. Who better than a twinkly-eyed Mrs. Claus to make it happen? What could possibly go wrong?

Getting a second chance at love should’ve been a dream come true. But when Annie wakes up married to the wrong ex-boyfriend, she’ll have to pretend to be Mrs. Holden Thomas until the holiday train returns on Christmas Day. She’s determined to find a way to reunite with the right true love, but obstacles keep foiling her efforts.

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14 November 2020

First Line Friday – The Holiday Husband (Jenny B. Jones)

Happy Friday, and welcome to First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books. Any time a new Jenny B. Jones book lands is a day for rejoicing! I love the humour in her books, and I was sooooo in the mood for a fun contemporary romance this week. This one fit the bill perfectly! Any other Jenny B. Jones fans out there?

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13 November 2020

Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish (Bethany Turner) – Review

Celebrity chef Maxwell Cavanagh is known for many things: his multiple Michelin stars, his top-rated Culinary Channel show To the Max, and most of all his horrible temper. Hadley Beckett, host of the Culinary Channel’s other top-rated show, At Home with Hadley, is beloved for her Southern charm and for making her viewers feel like family.

When Max experiences a very public temper tantrum, he’s sent packing to get his life in order. When he returns, career in shambles, his only chance to get back on TV and in the public’s good graces is to work alongside Hadley.

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4 May 2020

First Line Friday – Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish (Bethany Turner)

Happy Friday, book lovers, and welcome to First Line Friday hosted by Hoarding Books. This week I’m featuring Bethany Turner’s new release, which will be out on 5 May 2020. That’s only a little over a week away! Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish is the title you’ll be looking to pre-order, and I’m very much looking forward to diving in once I’ve finished my current reads (yes, that’s reads, plural).

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24 April 2020

Simply Starstruck (Aspen Hadley) – Review

It’s been two years since Kate Evans unexpectedly lost her husband and one year since her aunt Cassandra stepped in and moved Kate and her son back to Colorado to start a new life.

Just when Kate is starting to get comfortable in her new reality, three very different men enter her life. Alec is young, easygoing, and up for anything. Nate is a divorced dad who is steady, reliable, and everything Kate should want. Jess is quite literally the boy next door, not to mention a real-life movie star straight from every girl’s dreams.

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16 April 2020