Sloth Goes Places is a feature where I share books I have tracked from previous Literary Escapes reading challenge hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book.
Today we are looking at books set in ....
California
The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis
Published by Avon on January 16, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a heartwarming story about the choices we make and the love we let into our lives...
Luna Wright is a lot of things, but sweet and trusting isn’t on the list. However, she’s a sucker for the underdog and a hard-luck story. Adopted at birth, with scant knowledge of her biological family, she’s created her own inner circle, a motley crew which includes her bestie Willow, to help her run the struggling but charming Apple Ridge Farm.
With a farm-to-table café as well as a menagerie of rescued animals (complete with a baby goat who keeps escaping to the pantry to eat the secret stash of decidedly not organic potato chips), it’s the best home she’s ever known. But when the owner Silas, who they secretly call The Grinch, passes away, Luna discovers the farm is now under control of his investment manager, the enigmatic Jameson Hayes….and her. And that Silas had many, many secrets.
Now Luna’s carefully controlled corner of the world is threatened and she—along with some help from her friends—has to dig deep to find true strength and the real meaning of love and family.
I always love a Shalvis book! The community aspect and farm animals were highlights for me. I adored all the fun antics and the way everyone rallied to save the farm. Fun and feel-good!
[review]
Penelope in Retrograde by Brooke Adams
Published by Lake Union Publishing on October 1, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Goodreads
In this witty and heartfelt debut from author Brooke Abrams, a romance writer with a passion for astrology reluctantly travels home for Thanksgiving to make amends with her estranged family…and possibly manifest her own happily ever after.
Romance writer Penelope Banks can write the perfect love story, but when it comes to family, all she’s got is a rough draft. Penny shelved the idea of fitting in with her high-achieving family years ago, but when her new business venture—a romance bookstore—is at risk of closing before its doors have opened, she’s forced to ask for help from the one place she never expected. Home.
Penny’s prepared for the usual Thanksgiving lineup: her perfect sister, meddling nana, matchmaking mother, and workaholic father. The guest she didn’t anticipate? Her ex-husband, Smith. After an awkward rideshare with Smith leaves Penny questioning why the romance in her life exists only in her novels, Penny adds some fiction to reality and turns her father’s colleague into the perfect fake boyfriend.
With only four days to mend damaged relationships, and her bookstore’s future at stake, all the stars must align for Penny to finally write a happily ever after for herself and her family.
This was such a fun and surprising read for me. I loved being back home with Penelope for Thanksgiving, and I was impressed with the way Adams made Penelope's personal journey so meaningful while also keeping it so humorous. I had a rollicking good time and was so excited for what the future held for Penelope.
[review]
Published by Berkley on March 14, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Mystery & Dectective
Goodreads
Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing… Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.
Vera Wong owns my heart! She was such a feisty lady while also being such a sweetheart. The mystery was all fine and good, but what really won me over with this one was the "family" Vera assembled from her suspects. She inserted herself into their lives, and it was incredible the way it benefitted them all. Such a great cozy mystery with lots of heart and warmth.
[review]
Let us know in the comments!
Vera Wong! LOVED her so much. Definitely one of my all-time faves. That being said. I wish more books were set outside of CA, NY, and TX. That was by far where the majority of the books I read last year were set.
ReplyDeleteVera was so great. She deserves a sequel. I don't actually read too many in TX, but CA and NY dominate my books. Just this week, I read 6 books - 2 in CA, one in NY, but at least it wasn't the city.
DeleteAll those sound like they would be good reads. I grew up in California so I always like that as a setting for a book.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun when it's someplace I recognize. That's why books set in NYC tend to charm me
DeleteI love the fictional town of Sunrise Cove that Jill Shalvis writes. I think she bases it in part on Truckee, the town she lives in because the way she describes it is very much like that downtown. I live about 50 minutes from there and we visit sometimes. It's a cute place. I have The Bright Spot on hold and I'm looking forward to it. Loved Vera Wong. San Francisco is another place I like to visit.
ReplyDeleteI know she writes near Tahoe. She posts some incredible pictures. I visited your state once - Hollywood and Anaheim, obviously. I would love to get up north. That's more my speed.
DeleteAgreed, California is a very popular setting! But it's a good one!
ReplyDeleteI just feel like so many books are set in the same places in California. Every once in a while we get a different setting.
DeleteI adored Vera Wong! And it seems that California is a favorite for writing books about!
ReplyDeleteIt's a huge state, and you know, Hollywood is a popular setting. Other times, I notice that it's the author's home state.
DeleteCalifornia is definitely a popular setting! And like you mentioned, it often seems to be in the same general location(s). It's fun to come across one in CA that offers a different locale.
ReplyDeleteI like when we travel to different parts of the state. It's a big state with so many different climates. It's great to get out of LA sometimes.
DeleteCA has to be the easiest state to find books in. There are so many celebritiy romances out there. I loved the ones you picked.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I have already read 5 books set in California and I think 3 were celebrity romances.
DeleteI've read so many books set in California but that Jill Shalvis series is definitely my favorite. I just finished The Bright Spot a few days ago and am still chuckling about Dammit Ziggy, lol.
ReplyDeleteShe went above and beyond with the animals in the Bright Spot. LOVED IT!
DeletePenelope was sooo cute! It needs more attention. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a great book, and I agree, I wish it got more buzz
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