We Live and Breathe Books: Library Loans

Business Casual by B.K. Borison
Published by Berkley on July 16, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
four-half-stars

Goodreads

Two opposites decide to test their chemistry with one steamy night together. But will once be enough?

Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations.

In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities. But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him.

And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.

From the jump ahead epilogue, this felt like it could be my final visit to Lovelight Farms. If it is, I am glad it was a good one.

This book started out on a high note for me by allowing me to see one of my favorite couples tie the knot. It's at Luca and Stella's wedding where Nova and Charlie began their little dance around each other. I could instantly see these two clicking, and they were just so much fun to be around.

They both may have called this a "business casual" relationship, but it was real from the very beginning. It was in their playfulness and the small acts of kindness they showed each other. It was in the way they really "saw" one another.

I liked Nova just fine, and I found her to be the perfect foil for Charlie. But, oh, Charlie! He was the best and my favorite! He was always made to feel like her was "too much", and he was never the one who was chosen, never the favorite. Charlie, I can relate. BUT Nova saw what an incredible person her was. In fact, everyone in this town saw what an amazing person Charlie was, and heck, that had my heart growing two sizes.

This book was packed with lots of wonderful and memorable moments that had me smiling or shedding some happy tears. So, if this is the end of the series, I am grateful for such a fabulous sendoff for this world and these characters who made an impression on my heart.

The Beach Trees by Karen White
Published by Berkley on May 1, 2018
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
four-half-stars

Goodreads

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Tradd Street novels comes the story of one woman’s journey into a secret past—and a life she never expected on the ravaged coast of Biloxi, Mississippi...

Working at an auction house in New York, Julie Holt meets a struggling artist and single mother who reminds her very much of her missing younger sister. Monica Guidry paints a vivid picture of her Southern family through stories, but never says why or how she lost contact with them. And she has another secret: a heart condition that will soon take her life.

Feeling as if she’s lost her sister a second time, Julie inherits from Monica an antique portrait—as well as custody of her young son. Taking him to Biloxi, Mississippi, to meet the family he’s never known, Julie discovers a connection of her own. The portrait, of an old Guidry relative, was done by her great-grandfather—and unlocks a surprising family history....

I have been working my way through White's Tradd Street and Royal Street books and really enjoying her work. I had stumbled upon The Beach Trees while searching for a book set in Mississippi for my reading challenge.

This was a great pick because there was so much to love about this book. There was murder, mystery, family drama, and romance. And I sort of had double doses of it from the two timelines that played out in this tale.

It's so hard to talk about mysteries because I don't want to reveal too much, but I was impressed with how White wove it all together. I was fully engrossed as I moved through the past and present, collecting clues and getting the answers I sought. I have not been deeply affected by hurricanes in my lifetime, but White brought me right back to that post Katrina world. It was heartbreaking, as was all the other misfortunes these people suffered.

Overall, The Beach Trees had me hooked from the very beginning and surprised me over and over again.