Meg Napier | New Favorites

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were replete with that most wonderful gift: guilt-free reading time! I cheat by managing to squeeze in most of my reading via audiobooks since that way I can carry out all the cooking, laundry, and endless dog walking without remorse.

And squeeze in I did! I “read” many fantastic books, both new and old, by an array of talented authors, and I’m delighted to tell you about them. Fresh Fiction recently hosted the wonderful Elizabeth Boyle for its Wednesday night video book club (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC2EH8w2FhI)  to discuss her new book, O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM. Excited by her presentation, I put that title in my basket, hoping Santa would bring a gift card. (He did.) While waiting, however, I read her SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE from 2020 and loved it. In turns funny, informative, and oh-so romantic, it tells the story of that stereotypical British aristocrat pressured by his family to marry. To quiet the harpies, Baron Sedgwick invents a sickly wife who must remain in the countryside and names her Emmaline. Imagine his surprise when he starts receiving bills accrued by his wife, Emmaline, busy shopping in London to redecorate his residence! Hijinks and contretemps ensue, and I was kept enraptured from the first page to the last.

I “stumbled” upon another slightly older (2019) title: FUMBLED, by the talented Alexa Martin. Football is a terrible, violent sport (excuse me while I zip my Packers hoodie and adjust my cheesehead), and single mom Poppy knows better than to let her son get involved with the game or learn that his father is a star wide receiver who’s taken a fair share of hard hits to the head. FUMBLED sensitively explores many important topics while successfully telling a sweet love story that will long linger in my memory.

And now for the fabulous new releases! First up: WHEN WE HAD FOREVER, by Shaylin Gandhi. I fell in love with Ms. Ghandi’s work in 2019 when she brought out the poignantly beautiful BY THE LIGHT OF EMBERS. Her new WHEN WE HAD FOREVER is captivating, intriguing, and utterly wonderful. Mina’s husband died tragically in an accident, leaving her bereaved and lonely. Her marriage had been perfect, or so she keeps telling herself. As time goes by, however, she slowly learns secrets about her dead husband, including, astonishingly, that he had an identical twin brother. The plot thickens as layer upon layer of subterfuge comes to light until the breathtaking conclusion that leaves the reader filled with wonder and happiness.

Jenny Holiday is another author I’ve come to adore over the years, and her newest book, INTO THE WOODS, merits my continuing adulation. We met Gretchen in the author’s last book, CANADIAN BOYFRIEND, where she served as a friend, confidant, and mentor to a struggling young dancer. Now we get to see the tired and frustrated woman behind the polished veneer as she approaches her fortieth birthday, trying to succeed in a competitive business environment and fed up with obnoxious men. She’s determined to declare herself an independent “crone” and put dating aside forever. An unexpected stint as an artist in residence at a summer camp puts her in close proximity to a troublesome rock star, and, well, guess what happens??! Yes, of course you can guess, but the “rocky” (or in this case, sandy!) path to that happily-ever-after is a delightful one, and I enjoyed every moment.

EARL CRUSH is another new fun, informative, and marvelously romantic story from the keyboard of the gifted Alexandra Vasti. Lydia’s a secret, seditious pamphleteer, crusading for women’s rights and political reforms in the wake of the Napoleonic wars, who believes herself well-suited to an equally enthusiastic and committed correspondent. She sets off from London to Scotland to propose marriage to said correspondent, believing her fortune and his political savvy will serve to affect societal change while providing the necessary financial support to his struggling family estate. Tee-hee and surprise, surprise: nothing turns out as poor Lydia expects. But her misadventures are our reward as Lydia embarks upon one unexpected caper after another with the swoon-worthy Earl of Strathrannoch. I got a crush on him instantly, and I’m sure you will as well.

LET’S CALL A TRUCE, by Amy Buchanan, comes out next week and is destined to enchant readers far and wide. Another young widow, Juliana is struggling to earn a decent living while trying to be both mom and dad to her two young daughters. She re-enters the competitive workplace, determined to “do it all,” but finds herself confronted at every turn by a judgmental colleague who makes it clear that parenting and professionalism are incompatible. Ben has issues of his own, however, and as they gradually come to light, the two work out first a truce and then maybe something even better, until a metaphorical bomb explodes, and the truce goes out the window. Never fear; this is a romance, and it lives up to that definition spectacularly. 

So many great books, and so little time! If you have just a second, pick up the sizzling collection LIGHT MY FIRE, and read my sigh-worthy story, “Second Spark(le)” before the anthology’s gone forever. Until next time, happy reading!

About Meg Napier

Meg's friends during her high school years all expected her romance novels to hit the shelves decades ago, but she foolishly allowed "serious pursuits" to get in her way. Now that her beloved children can feed, clothe, and most importantly, support themselves, she's free to turn her attention to her first passion - putting words to paper that capture your attention and make your heart sing in quiet joy. Her stories tell most frequently of second chances--in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | AMAZON | FACEBOOK | TWITTER