NARRATORS: Jenna Lamia and January LaVoy 

RATING: Ebook - ★★★    Audiobook - ★★★★

REVIEW: This was my first time reading Kathryn Stockett’s work, and I really enjoyed it. Having lived in Mississippi my whole life, it was fun being able to follow along with the towns that were mentioned because I’ve been to all of them, and I know several people who lived in Oxford and graduated from Ole Miss. The story itself wasn’t what I expected it would be. (I should also mention that I didn’t read a summary or blurb before I read the book either). So, when it came down to the nitty-gritty of the story, I was kind of caught off guard. (Wish I could elaborate but that would give the whole plot away). But Stockett did the story justice, and I loved getting to know all of the characters. There are several degrees to this story - sad, hopeful, and shocking, just to name a few. If trigger warnings were listed, I’m afraid there would be many, due to the era it takes place in. My only complaint is there was no epilogue. After reading the 600+ pages and getting fully invested in everyone’s lives, I hated not knowing how some of the character’s future’s played out. The audiobook version is absolutely incredible, and the narrators are AMAZING! I would highly recommend the audiobook version over the ebook. 

(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own).

AUTHOR: Meg Shaffer

NARRATOR: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw

RATING: ★★★

REVIEW: This was my first time reading Meg Shaffer’s work, and The Book Witch was such a fun read. I don’t think there’s a librarian or book lover out there who hasn’t wished they could hop into their favorite books, and that’s exactly what the main character, Rainy, is able to do. Actually, it’s her JOB. (Wouldn’t that be awesome?) My little librarian heart adored all the references to the numerous works of literature mentioned in this story, and I even learned some new things too. (Did you know the Nancy Drew books originally had blue covers? I didn’t!) The narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw did an amazing job too, and I have to admit I especially loved her narration of Rainy’s love interest, Duke. (It was - dare I say it - quite sultry and hypnotic). There’s a lot of different elements to grasp in this book, which could be confusing at times, so there was a good bit of backtracking and re-listening on my part. Just take my advice and try not to get distracted because you might miss something crucial to the plot. Overall, I happily recommend The Book Witch to everyone, and I look forward to reading more of Meg Shaffer’s work in the near future.

(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own).

NARRATORS: Teresa Palmer and Zachary Webber

RATING: ★★★

REVIEW: Let me just say that I’ve read every one of Abby Jimenez’s books, and I haven’t rated any of them less than four stars…until now. It killed my soul to give this one three stars, but the whole story was so different from Abby’s other books. The highlight: I listened to the first few chapters before I finished reading it with the ebook. The audiobook version is amazing because the narrators are reciting all of their lines through the whole book and not just in their individual chapters. It was like actually listening to them carry on a conversation, and I loved it. The misses: The Night We Met is just…sad. There’s hardly any witty banter between the two main characters, like I'm used to in Abby’s books, and their whole love story is more depressing than exciting. Let’s put it this way - there’s much more angst than passion. I will say that I liked the female lead, Larissa, a lot - although it was painful at times how much I related to her upbringing and relationship with her parents. Chris, the male lead, is admirable in my eyes for the way he takes such good care of Larissa, but is he swoon-worthy? Unfortunately, no. Even the ending felt disjointed and lacking. I hope this isn’t some terrible foreboding of what Abby’s future releases will be like because that would really break my heart.

NARRATORS: Erin Mallon and Teddy Hamilton

REVIEW: Hello, dear readers. I know…I know. You’re probably sick and tired of seeing book reviews for Abby Jimenez on my website. LOL. I do apologize, but what can I say? She’s just a really great author. I believe I'm caught up on all of her books now, except for her latest one, The Night We Met. I have that one in digital format, but I’d rather wait on the audiobook version. The Friend Zone was another funny, romantic, and enjoyable read. Lots of sarcastic and hilarious banter between the two main characters, and I was glad to see Abby took on something that’s rarely talked about in romantic comedies - women’s reproductive issues. Kristen, the female lead, suffers from uterine fibroid tumors, which have caused debilitating periods for most of her adult life, and she makes the difficult decision to have a hysterectomy. Josh, the male lead, wants a house full of children someday, so this causes problems between the two of them. There’s a lot of back and forth drama, especially on Kristen’s part, which honestly could’ve been solved with a simple conversation, but this is a romance book, so you’ve got to go through all of their angst first before they get their happy ending. This is book one in the Friend Zone series, and I wish I had read it first instead of The Happy Ever After Playlist (book two) because I knew what was going to happen toward the end, and I dreaded it. I’m not giving away any spoilers, so I’ll just leave this review with recommending reading the book series in order and not how I did it. 

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 12-cup non-stick muffin tin generously with baking spray. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients from flour to salt. Whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, combine wet ingredients from eggs to oil. Whisk to combine then pour mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk until JUST combined. Don’t over mix. There will be lumps but don’t worry. Using a 1/3 cup measure, fill 12 muffin tins to the top with batter. Add a few blueberries to each. Place in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through bake time, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes then with a paring knife or off set spatula, gently remove muffins from tin and transfer to cooling rack. 

NUTRITION INFO: 2 muffins, Calories: 249 kcal, Carbohydrates: 43 g, Protein: 10.5 g, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 63.5 mg, Sodium: 273 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 7 g

(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste) 

TITLE: Yours Truly (audiobook) 
AUTHOR: Abby Jimenez 
NARRATORS: Kyla Garcia and Zachary Webber 
RATING: ★★★★

REVIEW: Yup...just finished another Abby Jimenez book. LOL. What can I say? I really enjoy her work. Yours Truly was kind of different from her other books, but not in a bad way. Normally, her male leads are always gruff and...what's the word...lumberjack-ish? (Not sure how else to describe them). They chop wood, build things with their bare hands, drive a truck...you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, the male lead in Yours Truly, Jacob, wasn't like that. I mean, yes, he was handsome and sexy, but not in the usual way I'm used to in Abby's books. Jacob suffers from crippling anxiety, so he's quiet, introverted, and shy. The female lead, Briana, is totally opposite, so their relationship is very sweet and give-and-take. She draws him out of his comfort zone and he softens her rough edges. Briana has unresolved issues from her childhood and a past failed marriage, that causes a lot of problems and wore on my nerves at times, but they did get their happily ever after. As with all of Abby's books, I recommend it to anyone who loves a good rom-com. 

Here are just a few of the books I’ve received in the mail recently from various authors and publishers. I haven’t read any of them yet, so let me know what you think if you decide to pick one up. (Oh, and The Pastor’s Easter Prayer is signed by the author, Tina Radcliffe).

   

AUTHOR: Abby Jimenez 

NARRATORS: Julia Whelan and Zachary Webber 

RATING: ★★★★

REVIEW: Life has been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to read, but I'm happy I was able to fit this audiobook in on my drive to work every day. I started off reading a different book that was more serious and dramatic by a different author, but life kept life'ing, and I really needed something I knew would cheer me up, so I reached for another Abby Jimenez audiobook. In my eyes, she is right up there with Lucy Score, who is also on my favorite author list, mainly because they both do such an excellent job writing hilarious romantic comedies. The snarky dialogue and witty banter is top notch, and I caught myself laughing out loud SO many times as I listened to Part of Your World. The two main characters, Daniel and Alexis, are adorable and fit perfectly together, even though they come from two completely different backgrounds and upbringings. She's almost a decade older than him, but instead of it being something that causes a problem, it balances them out. I don't know how else to describe it. If you love rom-com's, then I would definitely give this one a try. The narrators, Julia Whelan and Zachary Webber did an amazing job, and Abby Jimenez outdid herself once again. 

FYI: The Sullivan Book Nook will be closed temporarily this weekend, March 13th-15th, while I work on renovating it. Thank you so much for your patience. 

TITLE: The Happy Ever After Playlist (audiobook)

AUTHOR: Abby Jimenez

NARRATORS: Erin Mallon and Zachary Webber

RATING: ★★★★

REVIEW: Yes...I know. Another Abby Jimenez book. LOL. What can I say? I love her work. Also, this is another book narration with Zachary Webber, and like I've said in my previous reviews, I would listen to that man recite the alphabet over and over again. (*happy sigh*) I loved the main characters, Jason and Sloan. As always with Abby's books, the banter between the couple is both romantic and hilarious, which always makes for an interesting and fun read. The secondary characters, especially Kristen, are lovable too, and that's another reason why I admire Abby's work. She gets everyone involved in the main couple's love story, and the results are funny but also heartwarming. I love that there is an actual playlist connected to this story, and the song list is included in the back of the book. Most of the bands I've never heard of, but there were several I liked. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially the audiobook format. Hmmm....now which Abby Jimenez book should I listen to next? 

For the vanilla bean cream cheese frosting:

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners and spray with oil to avoid sticking. Combine pumpkin puree and water in a large bowl; mix to combine. Add chocolate pudding mix and mix well. Add chocolate cake mix and beat 2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full and bake about 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. For the frosting: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add to a piping bag or use a zip lock bag and cut the corner off, pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.

NUTRITION INFO: Serving: 1 cupcake, Calories: 149.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 29.5 g, Protein: 3.5 g, Fat: 3.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 9.5 mg, Sodium: 429.5 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 12.5 g

(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)

Hello, dear readers! Today I decided to go with a different prompt from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl, and since I missed last week’s TTT, I'm going with my favorite new-to-me author discoveries of 2025. Happy Tuesday! 

TITLE: Life’s too Short (audiobook) 

AUTHOR: Abby Jimenez 

NARRATORS: Christine Lakin and Zachary Webber

REVIEW: If you haven’t noticed yet, I’ve been on an Abby Jimenez kick lately, and I’ve been having so much fun with it. It’s good to switch things up every once in a while, you know? I’ll get back to my historical fiction soon, but right now I'm just enjoying all the laughter and love of rom-coms. Jimenez has jumped right up there on my favorite rom-com author list alongside Lucy Score and Christina Lauren, and the main reason I’ve listened to a lot of her books lately is because I adore the narrators, especially Zachary Webber. I would happily listen to that man read Old McDonald Had a Farm over and over again and be perfectly content. He has a very sexy voice, and when he does women’s voices it is SO hilarious. Life’s too Short is a great book, and as with all of Jimenez’s books, it packs a ton of emotions. One minute you could be laughing your butt off, and in the next breath you could be crying. The heroine, Vanessa, has a family history of people dying young from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and she worries this may be her fate too, especially when she starts showing the symptoms, so she’s determined to live her life to the fullest. The hero, Adrian, is a strait-laced, very Type A personality lawyer, and Vanessa helps him loosen up and have fun. They’re adorable together, and the secondary characters are lovable too. I would highly recommend Life’s too Short, especially the audiobook version. 

Hello, dear readers! Happy Tuesday! Today's prompt from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl is goals for 2026. So, in no particular order, here are mine: 

📗 READING GOALS: I would love to read four books a month, but I don’t know how attainable that will be, so we’ll see. I’ve already read four books this month so it’s a start. 

🖊️ WRITING GOALS: One of my two words for 2026 is AMBITION. I just recently started writing again, and my goal for this year is to submit my manuscript to Harlequin for their Love Inspired line. I have almost 28,000 of the 55,000 word requirement so I’m getting there, slowly but surely. 

🏠 HOME IMPROVEMENT GOALS: My biggest home improvement goal this year is to turn one of our three bedrooms into a home office. 

📚 LITTLE FREE LIBRARY GOALS: I plan on repainting the Sullivan Book Nook within the next couple of months. I’ve had it since December 2021, and it’s past time for a refresh. 

❤️ MARRIAGE GOALS: My other word for 2026 is ADVENTURE. Our youngest son got married last week, so my husband and I are officially empty nesters. We’ll celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary on January 29th, and we want to start planning more adventures. Just the two of us. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy either. We just want to get out and explore new places and have some fun. 

What are your goals for 2026?