Isn't It Romantic?

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A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
Published by Delacorte Press on October 3, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

A young chef stumbles on a secret family recipe that might lead her to the love—and life—she’s been looking for in this stunning novel.

When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice.

But Bobby, Iris’s best friend, isn’t about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that’s in an old photo of her mother’s?

Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family’s gelato recipe, is in a coma, so they can’t make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she’s not sure why Gio’s uncle gave it to her mother in the first place?

Iris offers her services as a chef to help them re-create the flavor and finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio’s uncle finally wakes up, all of the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life—and new love—she’s been building all winter long.

Every time I see an announcement for a new Josie Silver book, I get excited because I know I will be reading a warm and wonderful story. Once again, Silver touched my heart with A Winter in New York.

There were so many things that delighted me in this story, but what stood out for me was the theme of connection among these people. Belotti's was an important part of Iris' mother's past. It was there that she fell in love and made the difficult decision to leave him behind. It was also where she was gifted the family's top secret gelato recipe which then led Iris to Gio. There were a few more points of connection in this story, one which made me giddy, but I will let you discover them on your own.

I feel like the gelato drama was the universe's way of bringing Gio and Iris into each other's lives. Both were still dealing with grief - Gio's due to the loss of his wife, and Iris' due to the loss of her mother. The mornings they spent together may have been in search of the perfect gelato recipe, but it also served as a time for them to heal. It was so wonderful watching them slowly open their hearts, and it was even better to see them fall in love.

When these two were not in the kitchen, they were out exploring the NY. One part that was an utter delight was when they went to view the Christmas lights in Dyker heights. This was a walk down memory lane for me, as one of my aunts lived in that neighborhood, and I used to go see the lights. A great tradition, and I loved that they brought me back there. I wish I was able to find the pictures, though you really need to see them in real life to appreciate the splendor of all those lights. 

I also was able celebrate the holidays with Iris and Gio. I had no doubt this would be a wam-fuzzy kind of experience given that I would be spending time with the fabulous Belotti family. This tight-knit and boisterous bunch filled me with glee. The chaos and energy of it all reminded me of past holidays spent with my extended family. I felt so happy that Gio had such an incredible support system, but I also loved the way they welcomed Iris into the fold. This was something that was really missing from her life. 

Iris had experienced some tough years. A never present father, the death of her mother, and an abusive ex were among the struggles that led her to New York. There, she found Bobby, Robin, Gio, and the rest of the Belotti family, and I was so happy she did. They became her family, showed her love, gave her comfort, and filled an important space in her life. 

As I had previously stated, there was a lot to love about this story. There's some subterfuge as Iris tries to keep Santo's past relationship with her mother under wraps, but that didn't distract me from all the lovely parts. It was the food, family, and romance elements of this story that won my heart, and I adored getting to bear witness to this sweet and heartfelt tale.

*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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Talulah's Back in Town by Brenda Novak
Published by MIRA on August 22, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Sometimes the past we leave behind leads us right where we belong.

Talulah Barclay doesn’t like complications. Unfortunately, they seem to love her. Fourteen years after leaving her fiancé at the altar, Talulah returns to her hometown of Coyote Canyon, Montana, to settle her great-aunt’s estate. As she’d feared, her “runaway bride” reputation is waiting right where she left it, and her ex’s best friend, Brant, isn’t about to let her slip by unnoticed.

Brant has always been a loyal friend, but Talulah’s decision to run isn’t the only thing he hasn’t forgotten. He remembers more about Talulah than he cares to admit. Vividly. And it’s increasingly difficult to ignore her now, especially when they find themselves in close quarters. Talulah has no plans to stay in town after she fixes up her aunt’s Victorian farmhouse, even if the unbridled sparks with Brant give her a good reason to linger. Besides, bailing on relationships is kind of her thing. But a lot has changed since Talulah last turned tail—maybe her heart has changed, too?

Talulah fled Coyote Canyon after leaving her groom at the alter, running from her past and the fallout of her actions. Now, she was back to arrange her great aunt's funeral and tie up loose ends. She wasn't exactly welcomed back with open arms, but comfort and acceptance came from a very unlikely source making Talulah rethink her opinion of Coyote Canyon.

At first I had to wonder about Talulah. Not only did she run from her wedding in Coyote Canyon, but she repeated this two additional times. I almost believed the story her ex was spreading, but as I got to know Talulah, I understood that she really didn't mean to cause any harm. She was actually a very nice people-pleaser type, but lacked the ability to let the people in her life down. This included her romantic parters with whom she had been previously confessed her commitment issues.

Her love interest was perfect and lovely, but quite scandalous in the grand scheme of small town life. Who knew her ex's best friend would be the man to make her want to commit? It would seem unlikely given their history, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

It's interesting to watch the dynamic between two commitment-phobes slowly change, but I live for stuff like that. I love the idea that our perfect match is out there somewhere, and I was overjoyed that Talulah and Brant found that in each other. Yes, it was messy, but this union was worth the trouble.

Speaking of trouble, I thought people were a bit too hard on Talulah. It had been FOURTEEN years. Her ex's family really needed to move on. This was not a fresh wound by any means, and Talulah had already paid the price and done her time for the crime. She deserved the chance to move forward and find her someone.

Overall, I had a wonderful time getting to know Talulah as I rooted for her HEA. I am very excited about this series and cannot wait to return to Coyote Canyon.

Are you a gelato fan?
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