Hello, everyone, and welcome to Day One of the Five Fall Favorites event, hosted by Katja Labonte. This is an absolutely massive event, so you don’t want to miss all of the goings-on. Visit Katja’s blog, linked above, to find the full list of participating bloggers, and don’t miss the other bloggers in Team Hedgehog, of whom are listed at the end of this post.
There is also a giveaway and a daily opportunity to grab some free books provided by some of the bloggers. Learn more about the giveaway here and visit Katja’s blog, linked above, to learn which books are free today.
Today’s category is books featuring family. Read on to see my recommendations. Have you read any of these or are any on your TBR?
A TOUCH OF TIARAS AND TREACHERY by ASHLEY EVERCOTT
Review Snippet: I am officially declaring that Nin and Cedric must be protected at all costs.
Blurb:
A teaspoon of borrowed identities
A cup of courtly deception
And a serving of peril hidden in plain sight
For Nin, the dream was never a tiara—only survival. But when a desperate bargain promises her brother’s safety in exchange for taking a princess’s place, she can’t refuse. Thrust into a world of luxury and suspicion, Nin must master courtly etiquette to keep the true princess hidden. One mistake could cost more than her secret, it could cost lives.
Captain Cedric Duval lives by a strict code of order, discipline, and restraint. Training a street-smart pauper to impersonate a princess, however, proves far more difficult than any security drill. As he teaches Nin curtsies and royal customs, he begins to question the wisdom of his plan… and his growing feelings for the girl beneath the disguise.
With a royal wedding drawing near, Nin and Cedric must survive a court where danger lurks in the shadows and every dance could reveal hidden truths. Each step closer to uncovering the plot puts their deception—and their hearts—at risk. If they fail, it won’t be a princess the assassin strikes, it will be the girl wearing her tiara.
A Touch of Tiaras and Treachery, a gender-swapped retelling of The Prince and the Pauper, is a standalone novella, complete with tropes such as “swapped identities”, “slow-burn”, “princess training”, and “bodyguard romance”. It is a part of The Enchanting Confections series, a collection of clean and cozy stories guaranteed to delight your sweet tooth.
TWO TICKETS TO THE CHRISTMAS BALL by DONITA K PAUL
Review Snippet: Only Paul could pull off a tale of this nature.
Blurb:
Can mysterious matchmaking booksellers bring two lonely hearts together in time for Christmas?
In a sleepy, snow-covered city, Cora Crowder is busy preparing for the holiday season. Searching for a perfect gift, a fortuitous trip to Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad’s (a most unusual bookshop) leads to an unexpected encounter with co-worker Simon Derrick. And the surprise discovery of a ticket for a truly one-of-a-kind Christmas Ball.
Every year, the matchmaking booksellers of the Sage Street bookshop host an enchanting, old-fashioned Christmas Ball for the romantic matches they’ve decided to bring together.
This year, will Simon and Cora discover a perfect chemistry in their opposite personalities and shared faith? Or will the matchmakers’ best laid plans end up ruining everything this holiday?
MAIL-ORDER DUCHESS by MISTY M. BELLER
Review Snippet: Sometimes, you can’t escape heartbreak.
Blurb:
Five sons of an English duke, all raised in the Rocky Mountains…
A marriage born of duty. A love neither expected.
When Enoch Balfour’s eldest brother tragically dies, the weight of family responsibility falls on his shoulders. Now this Montana rancher must train for his role as the next Duke of Clarence—and marry the mail-order bride his brother sent for. Hardened by loss, Enoch has no intention of opening his heart to a stranger, but duty demands he produce an heir.
Mandie Beaumont is a desperate young widow fleeing the sinister advances of her brother-in-law. After arriving in the Montana Territory to marry a man she’s never met, an accident leaves her robbed of her recent memories—memories that conceal a devastating secret. When she discovers she’s carrying a child conceived through betrayal and violence, Mandie fears rejection and ruin. Yet, in Enoch, she finds an unexpected protector whose fierce gentleness makes her long to trust again.
Though Mandie’s charm and resilience begin to thaw Enoch’s guarded heart, he struggles with his fear of loss. When Mandie’s past resurfaces, Enoch must risk everything to save her. If he fails, Mandie will be torn from him—and the love they’ve begun to embrace could be lost forever.
DOCTOR’S SNOWFLAKE BRIDE by LACY WILLIAMS
Review Snippet: “It doesn’t matter where you come from. It matters that you’re His.”
Blurb:
Minnie Bannister’s mail-order bride journey takes an unexpected twist when she encounters a charming stranger instead of her intended husband.
Bound by his doctor’s oath to help those in need, Jed Dawson cannot ignore the plight of the beautiful Minnie stranded during a raging blizzard. Minnie is the missing link that will help him bond with his preteen son, who is still mourning his late mother.
With Christmas just around the corner, Minnie and Jed discover that sometimes the greatest gifts come in the most unexpected packages, and that love can be found even when it seems like everything is working against them. Will they have the courage to embrace the love that has blossomed between them, or will they let their chance at happiness slip away?
KATE LANDRY HAS A PLAN by REBEKAH MILLET
Review Snippet: From pooping parrots to a sniveling ex, Kate Landry has a lot going on.
Blurb:
I turned to him, and he winked at me. Winked! We needed clear lines in place between us. We would not be flirty friends. We’d be friends, period. The sooner I made that distinction, the better.
Forty-year-old Kate Landry’s carefully planned life has become as messy as the powdered sugar on her famous beignets. Juggling the responsibilities of running her café, raising her teenage niece, and the emotional baggage from her breakup, Kate finds her world once again turned upside down when her first-ever crush, Micah Guidry, returns to town as the hunky local librarian.
As Kate struggles to implement her plans to expand her café amid the New Orleans Mardi Gras madness and the meddling of her conniving ex-fiancé, Micah becomes the unwitting hero of her misadventures, stirring up feelings she thought she’d long buried. How can falling in love in the Big Easy be this hard?
Team Hedgehog
Myself at Madi’s Musings
