Ashleigh's Bookshelf

Pumpkin Spice by Belle Bailey Marigold can't wait to enter the annual pumpkin pie baking contest, even if it means she will be partnered with a professional chef. However, things get off to rough start when they must first share a vending booth and then determine whose recipe to use for the contest. With the appearance of their rivals, Marigold and Sawyer work doubly hard prove they can make the best pumpkin pie. While this story is cute, it is very short. So short, that it is not even divided into chapters, although there are clear scene breaks. There were also a number of grammatical and typographical errors, as well as inconsistencies in the tense and voice, though not enough to fully detract from the story. Due to it's short length, there was not a lot of room for character development. While I felt there was a little growth and possibly even the beginnings of an attraction, it did not feel like a romance to me. I would have liked to ha...

Snowed Inn: The Beginning by Eliza Harwell In 1969, hippie Iris has no idea what she wants to do with her life. So when the opportunity arises to learn how to work an organic farm in rural Virginia, she figures she has nothing to lose. It's been a year since Vern has returned from Vietnam, but he still remembers the trials of war. When his advisor suggests he spend time researching his doctoral thesis in rural Virginia, he welcomes the opportunity. Little do Iris and Vern realize they will find their futures in the woods. This novella is a prequel to Eliza Harwell's Snowed Inn series and tells the story of how the innkeepers, Iris and Vern, met. When I read the blurb, I expected the story to remain in the past, but it not only begins in the present time, but it continues to interrupt the story with flashes back to the present. I would have much preferred a story that was set in the past and stayed there. The story begins with an des...

Between a Rock and a Deadly Place by Zoey Chase After a very unpleasant divorce, Thea is ready to start over. She left her law practice, packs only her most important possessions into her car, and sets off for the campground she inherited from her grandparents. But, the place is nothing like her memories. Completely run down, it will need a lot of work to get in shape for the summer. When an unexpected death results in cancellations, Thea realizes it's up to her to figure out what happened in order to save her new home. I loved this novella for many reasons. It opens with a map of the campground that is difficult to read on the kindle. However, if you click on the link, you can download a free, color, annotated map that looks so authentic, I was picking out a site for my RV this summer. Since this is a novella, there were a few places where things felt a little rushed, but overall I liked the story. I found the characters very relatable and look forward to r...