Winter is on the doorstep. At least here, on the Baltic Sea coast, it has already started to snow. Moreover, it seems that the white blanket that covered the ground when I woke up today is here to stay.
What is the best thing to do when the weather is raging outside? For an avid reader, nothing is more satisfying than to snuggle up with a good book, bundled up in a favourite blanket, with a cup of hot beverage.
Romance is definitely the genre for long winter reading sessions. A good love story makes a heart beat faster, thus warming us.
Below are four romance novels I thoroughly enjoyed reading and can heartily recommend. All are different, tackling more than how two people search for a way to be together.
“Mr. Darcy’s Complex Courtship” by Kelly Miller
This book has all the ingredients a Jane Austen admirer wishes to see in her books’ variations. Miss Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy and others feel familiar and the Regency era setting is beautifully portrayed. I love how Kelly Miller balances the plot, mixing the characteristic scenes for that period with twists and turns a modern reader expects to find in a book. A friend once told me that she couldn’t read ‘Pride and Prejudice” since, quoting: ‘Nothing happens there at all.’ Although I ardently disagree with that statement – not discarding her opinion – her words came to my mind in connection with Ms. Miller’s work. A lot happens in her stories! Enough to keep even the most demanding reader turning the pages until the very end.
Read my full review of “Mr. Darcy’s Complex Courtship” by Kelly Miller here
“Meg” by Jan Romes
“Meg” by Jan Romes is the first book in the Coffee and Dessert in Key West series. It follows the turbulent time in Meg’s life. Problems seem to attack her from every possible side. Her love life – or more precisely, the lack of it – is disastrous. And something unpleasant is brewing at work.
This book has a lot to offer to the readers. The beautiful setting of Key West, with its beaches and trails, quirky and likeable side characters, plot twists you didn’t see coming, and relatable main characters for whose happy-ever-after you begin to wish while reading.
Read my full review of “Meg” by Jan Romes here
“Chasing Dreams on Oak Tree Lane” by R.A. Hutchins
It is a heart-warming story of two people overcoming the prejudices their life lessons have led them to adopt.
Having read other romance novels by this author, I was eager to read more. I’ve come to appreciate R.A. Hutchins’s ability to wrap the reader in the knot of emotions of the characters and feel what they’re going through.
I recommend this book to all romance book lovers who appreciate reading about people who, despite struggling with all kinds of trauma, keep the light of hope in their hearts.
Read my full review of “Chasing Dreams on Oak Tree Lane” by R.A. Hutchins here
“Shattered” by Susan Cochran
Morgan has it all. A husband who doesn’t spare money he earns aplenty to make her life as comfortable as possible. Two amazing children who are in college. A beautiful house.
And then, Morgan’s marriage begins to fall apart.
Along with a beautiful love story, this book tackles some serious issues, such as the influence of radicalisation on domestic life and abuse within a family. I loved the backdrop of the rich suburb and the glimpses of beautiful nature spots the author dropped throughout the story.
Morgan felt very relatable to me. I appreciated that her struggles were of a different nature rather than the search for work after a long stay-at-home period. And the romance plotline is done wonderfully, with the right dose of unexpected, swoony, and steamy moments.
Eve's Book Diary 
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