Review: Spring Fling

Spring Fling by Annie England Noblin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

He's coming back. 

It's been ten years since Mylie's childhood friend Ben left and never looked back after highschool graduation. When the small town grapevine let's her know he's going to be back in town, she has mixed feelings. It could be a chance to go for what she always wanted with him, but their problem has always been Mylie loving their small town and Ben wanting to escape it. 

After all this time, all these years, here he was, finally, right in front of her. 

Spring Fling was a low angst and stakes romance that, at times, lulled me into the storytelling world. Mylie had an absent mother and father who left her with her grandmother and then age gap younger sister that made her feel like she had almost put her life on hold to take care of. She always liked the small town in Arkansas she grew-up in, though. Now, as an adult still living with her grandmother and sister, she owns her own tackle and bait shop, one that just about employs the whole town. Ben, moved with his mother to the small town to live with his grandfather when his father died. He never felt like he fit in and the only saving grace was becoming friends with Mylie. The book gives us occasional flashbacks, starting in the sixth grade and progressing each year to see how Mylie and Ben's friendship progresses and the scared to make, missed opportunities as they get older. 

He'd always wanted her, and now he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to stop wanting her. 

It's all pretty sedate with Mylie dealing with her business and a potential danger from a miscreant townie who wants revenge for Mylie firing him, her younger sister's friend and relationship drama, and then reconnecting with Ben. We do get Ben's point-of-view with Mylie's but his is pretty calm with, mostly, thinking he's only in town to sell his grandfather's house and then he's leaving. It's around the midway point that they decide to act on their feelings and we get some opendoor scenes (one later shower scene that read a little out of place hot for how the tone of the story had been going, but who's complaining). They're nice together but if you're looking for Thee Drama, that is not to be found here, it's all pretty calm waters. 

He knew what he wanted. 

Eventually, we get The Moment where it comes to head that Mylie doesn't want to leave her town, family, and business and Ben hasn't brushed the chip off his shoulder that he didn't feel like he belonged in the town and a danger moment from the miscreant, to give us a fork in the road. The characters work out their third act breakup and we, fairly quickly, get the expected happily ever after. This wasn't bad, just wasn't terribly exciting. I thought the flashbacks weren't really needed in this case and getting late povs from Mylie's younger sister and grandmother felt like it dragged the story on and in quick directions I wasn't interested in. However, if you're looking for a calm, female main character going about her daily life and getting a second chance at her childhood friend crush, this would fit the bill.

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Review: Christmas at Corgi Cove: A Novel

Christmas at Corgi Cove: A Novel by Annie England Noblin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

“What if I could save it?” Rosie asked, her voice just above a whisper. “What if I could save the Cove?” 

When Rosie was a troubled teen, her mother brought her to her half-sister's place in a small town outside of Austin, TX to live. Rosie hated it at first but then grew to love her aunt, uncle, and the town. Now, twelve years later, Corgi Cove Inn is barely keeping it's head above water. When a representative for Lake Queen company, a resort built a town over that has taken their business, shows up, Rosie can't help but see him as the enemy. 

Everett knows it's a punishment from an argument with his boss when he gets sent down from New York to small town Texas to close a deal with a property they are trying to buy. He wants to be in and out but when he meets the niece of the people he's trying to buy from, spending more time down south is starting to change his views on a lot of things.

Even if making friends, or anything more than that with her, was out of his reach, the least he could do was enjoy what was right in front of him in the moment. It was just one night. There was no harm in that. 

Christmas at Corgi Cove started with a highly emotional scene where Everett comes to talk to the family about selling and then Rosie's uncle has a heart attack. This sets-up Everett having to stay longer in TX and gives Rosie time to try and come up with a way to save the Inn. This was a blend of women's fiction, contemporary, and romance, with the first half focusing more on Rosie as she relays to the reader issues she's had/has with her mother, sad and anxious about not wanting to sell the Inn, her place in the small town community, and a little bit of beginning attraction to Everett. It wasn't until the second half that she finds an answer to trying to save the Inn with entering a contest and then it plays a fairly quick but important part. 

She'd nearly kissed Everett. Rather, he'd nearly kissed her, but it was hard to see it that way when she just stood there, wanting him to kiss her. 

This was told in alternating povs from Rosie and Everett and we do get some background on Everett. He moved around a lot as his dad was in the military and therefore is not used to making long lasting connections with anyone, making him a workaholic. So, while being in TX gives him time to slow down and he's attracted to Rosie, the conflicting interest and his fear of actual connection with someone, keeps them a little apart. Rosie has the conflicting interest too and her not being able to fully trust Everett's motives keeps her from wanting to dive into their attraction with both feet, even when he does a couple things that works against his own company's interest and helps her and the Inn out. 

He was caught somewhere between wanting what he knew he shouldn't and wanting to do his job. 

Since this was TX, you're not going to get a snowy wonderland but there was still some holiday atmosphere goodies, a Christmas carnival, play, and decorations. The adorable Corgis on the front cover (Bonnie and Clyde) get a good amount of page time and definitely brought the cute factor and livened up a story that at times dragged in pace. There was also Rosie being a sort of amateur beekeeper who gets a windfall when an influencer highlights her products, but then oddly felt like she was brushing off the great money she was going to make from the ordeal, so not sure why that whole segment was added. The ending gave a Christmas miracle for the Inn and our third act break-up didn't last long as Everett shows back up towards the very end. The romance in this wasn't as strong as I usually like, the focus seemed more on women's fiction for a lot of the page count but there was a, shorter, open door scene. Rosie and Everett didn't spend a huge amount of time together and when they did, the relationship development depth wasn't there. The ending resolving went a bit more to Rosie and her mother's relationship but an epilogue showed a HEA for Rosie and Everett. I do highly recommend this if you have corgi dogs because this would be a treat read!

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Reading Update: Page 1

Cracking open the door to holiday reading towards the end of my spooky season! 

🎄🐶🎄 

Look at those adorable puppies! 

Y'all, the corgis' names are Bonnie and Clyde 😂 

Raised by her aunt and uncle, Corgi Cove became the home Rosie needed. Now with their family Inn struggling and a big city chain snapping at their heels, Rosie wants her turn to save them. 

Rosie enters a contest to get their Inn named the best Christmas themed in the USA. But Everett, aka big city guy enemy, shows up and suddenly both are questioning what they really want. 

Christmas at Corgi Cove by Annie England Noblin (Releases tomorrow, Oct. 17th!) purchase link

Summer Minestrone with Turkey Meatballs recipe

I thought the broth was tasty in this one

Review: Christmas in Blue Dog Valley

Christmas in Blue Dog Valley by Annie England Noblin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

Blue Dog Valley, Wisconsin, had not been in Goldie's five-, ten-, or even fifteen-year plan. 

As a vet to animal tv and movie stars, Goldie doesn't always love her high-maintenance clientele owners but loves the business she has worked to build up with her fiance, even if he considers it his business. At forty, Goldie is scared to start over but when her fiance of ten years, who's at least tried to keep his cheating discreet, gives his newest paramour a job as a vet tech in their business, Goldie decides that she's done. After a night of too much wine and chatting with one of her computer pen pals, Goldie is on the way to Wisconsin to do a trial run at taking over a small-town vet clinic. 

It was an odd feeling, Goldie thought, to have a life full of people and still feel alone. 

Christmas in Blue Dog Valley was a cute fish out of water, but game, holiday story that never lacked animals stealing the show. When Goldie arrives in Wisconsin, she's picked up by Cohen Gable, an early thirties grump and town farrier, who doesn't exactly trust outsiders and isn't ready to see his vet for years give his business over to some L.A. big city transplant. Cohen's not exactly unfriendly but he's not friendly either, but right away readers will sense the attraction between the two. Goldie was a fun character to follow along with and her friendship with her older, cantankerous vet tech Tiffany, who, begrudgingly, shows her the ropes around the small town, was a solid friendship to cheer for. The romance between Goldie and Cohen flickers in and out but Goldie starting to fit into the town was really the star of the show. This was heavier on the small-town fiction aspects than romance but even with it's Hallmark movie vibe, there was a quick, not too detailed open door scene.

If someone had told her two months ago that by the beginning of November, she'd be sitting in a shabby cabin in Wisconsin, drinking whiskey alone out of a John Deere mug, she would have laughed hysterically. 

At each chapter heading, there were adorable illustrations of some of the animals, Cohen's dog Peanut Butter and his therapy alpaca Alice, and some of the tutu wearing goats. While cute little additions to the story, I thought the middle started to slow some with each addition of Goldie taking care of various animals. It works to take Goldie around the town to introduce the townspeople but even my animal loving self started to grow tired of the animal ailments interrupting what I wanted more of, the romance and holiday festivities. At around 30% Goldie saves a dog from bloat and that has the townspeople trusting her and they start to welcome her in more. Then in the second half, the story becomes more about Goldie getting roped into reviving the Christmas Carnival that holiday obsessed Blue Dog Valley used to put on, until the bypass diverted traffic away, almost killing their little town. 

Goldie ran in front of him, jumping up onto the bottom porch step so that she was at eye level. “Well, I think it's probably time somebody is a thorn in your side,” she said. 

“And you think you're the person to do it?” Cohen asked. “I hate to break it to you, Dr. McKenzie, but better women have tried.” 

Goldie crossed her arms over her chest. “There is no woman better than me, Mr. Gable.” 

“Is that right?” 

“That's right.” Cohen took a step closer to her, so close that they were nearly touching. 

As Goldie is trying to organize the carnival, we get some backstory on Cohen, his mother dying when he was ten, gaining a step-mother and step-brother, only to lose his step-mother while in highschool. The alcohol and drug abuse talk, along with a pet death definitely dragged down the lighter, sweeter tone I was personally looking for, especially since it was in the latter second half and felt rushed together. I wanted to be dazzled by the Christmas carnival but the story rushed that too, I would have loved for Goldie and Cohen to spend more time walking through the winter wonderland of lights and perhaps a hay ride but we get a lost little girl and Cohen thinking Goldie lied to him about not respecting his privacy in something and overhearing her friend who came to town to visit her, calling their town “podunk holler.” 

From underneath the blanket, Cohen's hand found hers, and she unfurled her fingers and let him trace constellations in her palm of her hand as he pointed each one out to her. 

This delivered, what I see more as, a happy for now ending. I was looking for a little more sweet and cute but if you're looking for a woman with gumption with some fish out of water success, a few lightly touched on heavier topics, some small-town fiction dynamics, and a good amount of animals of all varieties getting some spotlight, this could be your pick and you get the bonus of Kevin the valley's worst sheepdog.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

Look at this cover! 

😍😍😍 

Sneaking in a holiday story and having some lunch outside, on what will probably be my last nice day before it cools down for winter. 

Goldie is a L.A. vet who transplants to small town Wisconsin, there's a therapy alpaca and sweater wearing goats!, and most importantly, Cohen, the attractive town grump. 

❄️🎄🐶 

I'm so excited for this holiday romance that looks like it's going to hit all those sweet spots (there's even a Christmas carnival!) 

Christmas in Blue Dog Valley by Annie England Noblin purchase link

Sweet Potato Chicken Poppers recipe