Monday, June 16, 2025

Battle of the Bookstores

    ~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

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The Story:

Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.

 

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.

 

Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.

 

As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.



One (or more) Sentence Summary: I am a huge fan of Ali Brady having just finished some other books (The Comeback Summer and The Beach Trap - loved them both).  Absolutely love Jose and Ryan's battle of bookstores. You can't help but fall in love with both of them and cheer for them throughout the story.

I liked how both Jose's and Ryan's families were weaved into the story and it allowed us to get them even better. It also helps the readers understand their hesitation to get to know each other. I also loved that there were online friends without knowing who they really were, it just added a wonderful depth to the book. 

Quick read, wonderful characters you will love, laugh-out-loud scenes, and a great read.

I wish I had bookstores near me like the two in the story. How fun would it be! The duo writers Ali and Brady make reading so much fun! Looking forward to their next book!


Ali Brady is the pen name of writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey. The Beach Trap is their first book together. Alison lives in Chicago and works as a VP and creative director at an advertising agency. She’s the author of You and Me and Us and Little Pieces of Me. Bradeigh lives with her family in Utah, where she works as a physician. She’s the author of the psychological thrillerImposter.
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Friday, June 6, 2025

Just Beachy

 ~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

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About:  A former actress in need of a reset reunites with her grandmother, her first crush, and the ladies of Ten Beach Road in this escapist novel from USA Today bestselling author Wendy Wax.


After losing her longtime acting gig on the hit show Murder 101, Sydney Ryan decides she needs a break from Hollywood politics. She heads to Treasure Island, Florida, where her grandmother has been visiting and now refuses to leave. Sydney’s plan to lie low for a bit quickly goes awry, though, as she is swept up in her grandmother’s now-flourishing social life—Grand not only bought a new house in Casas de Flores, she’s also helping her neighbor Myra open a bookstore in Pass-a-Grille. But when someone breaks into Grand’s house repeatedly, Sydney realizes her grandmother is keeping something from her.

 Determined to ferret out the truth and protect her grandmother, Sydney enlists the help of the Ten Beach Road ladies and Luke, a local police officer who was once her high school crush. While Sydney puts her television crime-solving skills to the test, she decides to act on the sizzling chemistry between herself and Luke. And as Sydney spends more sunsets toasting to true friends and new romance, she begins to wonder if the sun is setting on her time in Hollywood and if this town could be the dawn of a new chapter.


One (or more) Sentence Summary: Just Beachy is my favorite of the "Ten Beach Road" books. Absolutely loved it and Sydney's journey.  So many laugh-out-loud moments when people can't separate Sydney the person and Cassie the actress! I want to shop at Sandcastle Books and Arts, which added a really nice touch to the book!

Great new characters, with a great weave-in of the "Ten Beach Road" characters.

Just Beachy is a must-read this beach season! 

Wendy Wax, a former broadcaster, is the USA Today bestselling author of sixteen novels and two novellas, including the popular Ten Beach Road series. After over thirty years in Atlanta, she once again lives on the water on the west coast of Florida near the home she grew up in and Ten Beach Road’s fictional Bella Flora.

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