The Christmas Keepsake (Love in Bloom 2) by Annie Rains-review

The Christmas Keepsake (Love in Bloom 2) by Annie Rains-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 7, 2025

Sometimes the best gifts aren’t under the tree.

Everyone has a story to tell. And for Mallory Blue, her grandmother Nan’s community theater and annual Christmas play has been a beloved tradition for as long as she can remember. But this year is different. With Nan losing her memories to dementia, Mallory has taken on more than she can handle—including directing this year’s show.

Two things are keeping Mallory going: A journal that tells the story behind each handmade ornament on Nan’s tree. And Hollis, who volunteers to play Santa to spend time with Mallory and prove he’s no longer the rebellious boy she knew growing up.

As Mallory reads through Nan’s entries, she realizes there’s so much she never knew about her grandmother. And when Mallory has big decisions to make in both her personal and professional life, it’s Nan’s wise advice and Hollis’s steadfast support that will hold the key to this year’s holiday magic.

•••••••

REVIEW:THE CHRISTMAS KEEPSAKE is the second instalment in Annie Rains contemporary, adult sweet romance series. This is ER nurse Mallory Blue, and construction worker / Christmas tree farmer Hollis Franklin.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Mallory and Hollis)using present day and journal memories from the past, THE CHRISTMAS KEEPSAKE focuses on family secrets and history. Mallory Blue is an ER nurse who has found herself the director of the annual Christmas show, at the local community in the wake of her beloved grandmother’s failing health. The family owned theatre has seen better days, and her sister Maddie is hoping for a quick sale, and with the help of local construction worker Hollis Franklin, Mallory begins to focus on her grandmother’s dream but reading her grandmother Nan’s journal brings with it memories from the past, a life of loss and love Mallory knew nothing about.

The world building follows several paths, some intersecting, some diverting as the reader is pulled into the struggling dynamics of two families focusing on the past, without considering a change in direction for the younger generation.

The relationship between Mallory and Hollis is a frenemies to friends. There is some bad history between our story line couple but Hollis is determined to make amends for sins of the past. There are no $ex scenes, and limited physical contact.

THE CHRISTMAS KEEPSAKE is a story of family and friendships, relationships,forgiveness and love. The character driven premise is entertaining and charming; characters are desperate and lively; the romance is limited but sweet.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one THE FINDERS KEEPERS LIBRARY

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Annie Rains is a contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and 3 children, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors.

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The Finders Keepers Library (Love in Bloom) by Annie Rains-review

The Finders Keepers Library (Love in Bloom 1) by Annie Rains-review

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 16, 2024

For a gardener blessed with a green thumb, Savannah Collins’s life sure seems like it’s all thorns, zero roses. She has no job, no relationship, and no place to live. With nothing but a car full of plants and her new rescue kitten, Savannah heads to Bloom, North Carolina, to spend the summer with her beloved Aunt Eleanor, a retired librarian.

Her aunt shares her love of literature with the Finders Keepers Library, located in her beautiful garden, where anyone can stop by to pick a book or leave a book. When a sudden summer storm destroys the library and many of the roses, it will take a village to get everything ready for the garden wedding that is planned there in just three weeks.

As the entire town joins in to make the necessary repairs, Savannah bonds with their neighbor Evan Sanders over the books that Eleanor has handpicked for each of them, helping them both find healing and self-discovery. Savannah only intends to stay through the summer, but when an unexpected job offer, a sudden health crisis, and a wayward pre-teen push her future in new directions, she has to wonder whether this is the place that she is meant to be—and the family she’s meant to be with.

••••••

REVIEW:THE FINDERS KEEPERS LIBRARY is the first instalment in Annie Rains contemporary, adult LOVE IN BLOOM romance series focusing on the people of Bloom, North Carolina. This is teacher / single father Evan Sanders, and botanist Savannah Collins’ story line.

Told from three omniscient third person perspectives (Evan, Savannah, Eleanor) THE FINDERS KEEPERS LIBRARY follows Savannah Collins return to Bloom, North Carolina where she spent summers with her Aunt Eleanor but Savannah is struggling in the wake of a broken engagement, a life-threatening illness, and the discovery that her aunt is battling with her own recovery following a fall. Reconnecting with Evan Sanders whose own life is nothing like Savannah remembers gives Savannah thoughts of something more but damage from a summer storm, and the impending wedding of a childhood friend pushes Savannah, Evan and the small town of Bloom, North Carolina together to make repairs before the big day, including repairs to Aunt Eleanor’s Finders Keepers Library. What ensues is the slow building romance and relationship between Savannah and Evan, and the potential fall-out when Savannah pushes Evan out of her life.

The world building follows several paths, focusing on numerous scenarios: Savannah’s heart break and broken engagement: her ongoing illness, and her search for a job; Aunt Eleanor’s struggle to move forward; and Evan’s battle with, not only his twelve year old daughter but, the grandmother who is threatening our story line hero.

The relationship between Evan and Savannah is a frenemies to friends to boyfriend and girlfriend but Savannah continues to battle a life-threatening illness, and refuses to be a burden to anyone else. Pushing Evan out of her life means another heart break for everyone, including Aunt Eleanor and Evan’s twelve year old daughter. There are no $ex scenes.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including a numbers of small town locals. We are introduced to Aunt Eleanor, Evan’s daughter June; sisters Mallory and Madison, and their grandfather Charlie Blue, and Evan’s friend Hollis.

THE FINDERS KEEPERS LIBRARY is a story of secrets, illness, family and friendships, The premise is sweet and entertaining; the romance is mostly implied; the characters are charming but mostly two-dimensional.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Bookbub / Website / Goodreads / Twitter/ Facebook

Annie Rains is a contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and 3 children, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors.

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Bayside Escape (Love in Bloom: Bayside Summers #4) by Melissa Foster-Review and Giveaway Tour

BAYSIDE ESCAPE (Love in Bloom: Bayside Summers #4) by Melissa Foster-Review and Giveaway Tour

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About the book: Release Date March 6,2019

Fall in love at Bayside, where sandy beaches, good friends, and true love come together in the sweet small towns of Cape Cod. Bayside Summers is a series of standalone steamy romance novels featuring alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re fun, flirty, flawed, deeply emotional, always passionate, and easy to relate to.

Hold on to your hat for Violet’s wildly hot love story! Lizza is up to her old tricks again, and Violet is in for the surprise of a lifetime!

Two years ago Violet Vancroft was a nomadic artist who never wanted to put down roots and Andre Shaw was a prominent Boston physician whose roots ran too deep to unearth. Their love didn’t stand a chance-or at least that’s what Violet believed when she received a plea for help from the sister she’d never really known-so she snuck away like a thief in the night.

Now Andre travels the world setting up new medical clinics, and Violet has finally found the family she’d always craved and the roots she’d never known she wanted. When their paths cross unexpectedly, it’s not the reunion either one imagined. But they’ve never stopped loving each other, and after the dust of anger and hurt settles, passion ignites even hotter than before. As the end to Andre’s time at the Cape nears, reality sets in, leaving them no closer to a future than they were before. Violet and Andre are forced to dig deep to discover if they’re destined to live apart forever or if true love really can conquer all.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: BAYSIDE ESCAPE is the fourth instalment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult LOVE IN BLOOM: BAYSIDE SUMMERS erotic, romance series focusing on a tight knit group of friends and family in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. This is Dr. Andre Shaw, and artist/inn owner Violet Vancroft’s story line. BAYSIDE ESCAPE, and subsequently BAYSIDE SUMMERS is another one of Melissa Foster’s spin off series from both the Love in Bloom and Seaside Summers series but can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Several characters and couples cross over for cohesion and familiarity.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Violet and Andre) BAYSIDE ESCAPE follows the second chance romance between Dr. Andre Shaw, and artist/inn owner Violet Vancroft. Two years earlier, Violet volunteering overseas fell in love with Dr. Andre Shaw but a call from her sister found our heroine disappearing without a trace, breaking Andre’s heart in the process. Fast forward to present day wherein Violet will come face to face with her past, at her sister’s wedding. Enter Dr. Andre Shaw, the man with whom Violet fell in love. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Andre and Violet, and the potential fall-out as Andre’s time back in the States, comes with an expiry date.

Andre Shaw hasn’t stopped looking for Violet Vancroft but was caught unaware of her true identity. Meeting Violet at aher sister’s wedding brought with it painful memories of loss and heartbreak. Seeing Andre on the arm of someone she knew sent Violet into overdrive where it concerned her love for the man she left behind Having finally set down roots, Violet struggles with Andre’s need to pursue the lifestyle she once enjoyed.

The relationship between Andre and Violet is one of second chances; a rekindling romance between two people hurt by secrets and lies, and Violet’s need to run when things got serious. Mature to understand where everything went wrong, Andre and Violet agree to start fresh, on the road to their happily ever after. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The character driven story line has a large ensemble cast of colorful, familiar and fun secondary and supporting characters. The premise is fun, fast paced, inviting and entertaining ; the characters are sexy, sassy, and energetic; the romance is seductive, spicy and provocative. BAYSIDE ESCAPE is an animated, lively and spirited story line of second chances.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews:
Bayside Desires
Bayside Passions
Bayside Heat
Bayside Escape

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

FREE boxset of SEASIDE SUMMERS (Love in Bloom 1-3) by Melissa Foster

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Bayside Desires (Bayside Summers #1) 

As the co-owner of Bayside Resorts, Rick Savage has a fabulous job working with his best friends and brother, and a thriving business in Washington, DC, which he’ll be returning to at the end of the summer. Spending time with his family is great, but being back on Cape Cod has unearthed painful memories. When sweet, smart, and overly cautious Desiree Cleary moves in next door, Rick is drawn to the sexy preschool teacher, and she just might prove to be the perfect distraction.

Running an art gallery was not in preschool teacher Desiree Cleary’s plans, but after being tricked into coming to her impetuous, unreliable mother’s aid, she’s stuck spending the summer with the badass half sister she barely knows and a misbehaving dog. If that’s not frustrating enough, she can’t escape the sparks igniting with her strikingly handsome and pushy neighbor, Rick, who makes all her warning bells go off.

Passion ignites as Desiree and Rick spend long summer nights sharing heartfelt confessions and steamy kisses. For the first time in years Rick is enjoying life again instead of hiding behind mounds of work miles away from his family. Desiree has touched him in a way that makes him want to slow down. Only slowing down means dealing with his demons, and he isn’t sure who he’ll be when he comes out the other side.

•••••••••••

Bayside Passions (Bayside Summers #2)  
Bayside Passions (Bayside Summers Book 2) by [Foster, Melissa]

When Emery Andrews’s best friend, Desiree, moves away, falls in love, and opens a an inn all in one summer, she feels her absence like a missing limb. Until she visits over the holidays and meets sinfully hot Dean Masters, who’s as easy on the eyes as he is to talk to. After returning home, what starts as a flurry of late-night flirtations quickly turns into a deep connection and unexpected friendship. Now, months later, Desiree offers Emery a job teaching yoga at the inn. Adventurous Emery jumps at the chance and heads for Wellfleet, Massachusetts, to reunite with her BFF and her new close friend, Dean.After months of sharing their lives, and their secrets, over video chats and phone calls, Dean’s ready to move things to the next level. The fact that Emery seems oblivious to the sparks between them and has recently put her foot down about dating friends just means he’ll have to bide his time.

When Emery finds a naked man in her kitchen the first morning she’s there, Dean doesn’t hesitate to move her into his guest room. Maybe now Emery will see what’s right before her eyes–although that guy she’s got a date with might be a problem.

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•••••••••

BAYSIDE HEAT (Bayside Summers #3)

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 8, 2018

Drake Savage has always done the right thing, especially where beautiful and fiercely determined Serena Mallery is concerned-even when it means keeping his feelings for her to himself. Serena has always wanted more than what their small town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts has to offer, and Drake’s roots are so deeply entrenched in the Cape, it’s all he can do to watch her pack up her life and move away.

Serena has always had big dreams. As a teenager she dreamed of becoming an interior designer and marrying smart, musically inclined, sexy-as-sin Drake Savage. Now she’s finally landed a killer job with a top interior design firm, but though she has spent the last four years working side by side with Drake, he’s never made a move. Four years is long enough for her to accept reality, and her new job in Boston is the perfect way to move on.

A weak moment leads to sizzling, sensual kisses, opening a door through which they’ve both been aching to walk. But Serena’s determined not to give up her shot at the career she’s always dreamed of, and Drake has loved her for too many years to stand in her way. With true love at their fingertips and a world of unstoppable passion igniting between them, can the two star-crossed lovers find their way to their happily ever after?

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa’s fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big-family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summer, Harborside Nights, Wild Boys and Bad Boys After Dark, and the Montgomerys. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented– perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about loyal, wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines with complex and relatable issues.Melissa also writes sweet and clean romance under the pen name Addison Cole.

Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on Facebook or her personal website.

Never miss a brand new release, special promotions or inside gossip again by simply signing up to receive your newsletter from Melissa.

Find Melissa on the following sites….

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Swept Into Love: Gage Ryder (The Ryders #5 : Love in Bloom) by Melissa Foster-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

SWEPT INTO LOVE : GAGE RYDER (The Ryders #5 / Love in Bloom) by Melissa Foster-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

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SWEPT INTO LOVE: Gage Ryder
The Ryders #5 /Love In Bloom
by Melissa Foster
Release Date: August 16,2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance

Swept Into Love

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ABOUT THE BOOK : Release Date August 16, 2017

The Ryders are a series of sexy stand-alone romances. These hot contemporary romance novels feature alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy new adult romance, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction.

It’s been years since Sally Tuft’s husband died and she was left to raise her teenage son alone. And almost as long since she told the only other man she’d ever wanted that they should be just friends. Now her son has left for college and Sally has no distractions to keep her from thinking about her best friend and coworker, Gage Ryder, and what could have been.

Gage always believed that one day Sally would move past the death of her husband and they would finally explore the passion that’s simmered between them since the day they met. Tasked with opening a new youth center in Oak Falls, Virginia, Gage hopes the trip away is just what they need to finally come together.

Before Gage and Sally ever reach Oak Falls, one night at a conference changes everything, putting their friendship—and their love—on the line, and the two must decide if getting swept up in love is the beginning of forever, or the end of their friendship as they know it.

•••••••

REVIEW: SWEPT INTO LOVE is the fifth installment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult THE RYDERS erotic, romance series focusing on the Ryder siblings. This is children’s center workers Gage Ryder and Sally Tuft’s story line. SWEPT INTO LOVE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. The Ryder series is a spin off from, and set in the world of the author’s Love in Bloom series.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Gage and Sally) SWEPT INTO LOVE is a friends to lovers story line that focuses on widow and single mother Sally Tuft, and Gage Ryder. Gage and Sally have worked together for years, and with the death of her husband David (six years earlier), Gage has been our heroine’s rock and savior, as well as her son’s mentor and friend. A business conference in Vegas finds our couple living the reality of ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’, after a drunken night of romance and $ex. With a week to recover before heading home Gage Ryder sets about proving to Sally that she is the woman who holds the key to his heart. What ensues is the long-time-coming friends to lovers relationship that will change Sally’s outlook of the future with man that she loves.

The relationship is a friends to lovers but a relationship that has been simmering for several years. Gage is a swoon-worthy hero; a man every woman wishes for both in and out of the bedroom-the perfect lover, husband, and the epitome of emotional strength and support. Sally struggles with memories from the past, and the love for Gage she is unable to acknowledge fearing guilt and betrayal of the ghost in the room. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, seductive and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including most, if not all, of the previous story line couples. We get a glimpse into the Ryder family dynamics and support system including the overwhelming love and acceptance of Sally and her now college-bound son.

SWEPT INTO LOVE is a sexy, sassy, spirited romantic love story; a second chance for a woman who loved and lost, and a happily ever after for a man who waited in the wings until the time was right. The premise is emotional and spirited; the characters are passionate and real; the romance is captivating and inspiring. WE should all fall in love with a man like Gage Ryder. Melissa’s pulled me into a sensual ride of romance and love.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Series Spotlight

The Ryders Series

SEIZED BY LOVE: Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / iBooks

CLAIMED BY LOVE: Amazon.com /Amazon.co.uk /Barnes and Noble / KOBO /iBooks

CHASED BY LOVE: Amazon.com /Amazon.co.uk/ Barnes and Noble/ KOBO /iBooks

RESCUED BY LOVE: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.co.uk / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / iBooks

SWEPT INTO LOVE: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.co.uk / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / iBooks / Google Play

Swept Into Love Teaser

about the author

Melissa FosterMelissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance (M/F, M/M, F/F), romantic suspense, thrillers, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success.Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on Facebook
or her personal website.

Never miss a brand new release, special promotions or inside gossip again by simply signing up to receive your newsletter from Melissa.

Find Melissa on the following sites….

Download Today -Sisters in Love (Snow Sisters), Lovers at Heart (The Bradens), Game of Love (The Remingtons), Seaside Dreams (Seaside Summers), and Taken by Love (The Bradens at Trusty).

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