Reading with Mrs. Leaf

Title: The Fastest Way to Fall Author: Denise Williams Publication: 11/2/2021 Genre: Romcom My Rating: Loved it How do I even being to convey how much I loved this book, how much the main character Britta resonated with me, how much I related to this book?  In short:  This is a book about Britta and Wes. Britta is a plus sized writer working on a article about her experience using the FitMi app, an app that focused on body confidence and health, not weight loss. Her coach is Wes, who also happens to be the CEO.  Full synopsis from the publisher:  Britta didn’t plan on falling for her personal trainer, and Wes didn’t plan on Britta. Plans change and it’s unclear if love, career, or both will meet them at the finish line. Britta Colby works for a lifestyle website, and when tasked to write about her experience with a hot new body-positive fitness app that includes personal coaching, she knows it’s a major opportunity to prove she should write for the site full-time. As...

  Title: Love off Limits Author: Jenny Proctor Publication: 10/21/2021 Genre: Romcom My Rating: 5 Stars   In short: Tyler and Olivia meet at a wedding & have an instant connection. Olivia refused to consider romance as she’s too busy convincing her parents that’s she’s ready to fun her family farm and events center. Tyler is feeling unsettled in his job as a videographer for a YouTube star and risks everything to follow his heart and find something more fulfilling. For the moment, that means taking a job as a farmhand on Liv’s farm, even if she makes it clear that any flirting is off limits.   What to expect:  *Closed door, but sizzling chemistry *Off limits romance/Close proximity *Great setting on a mountain farm *Close family bonds *Dual POV’s   My thoughts: This book was a amazing and everyone should go read it now. That’s all.  😊  In all seriousness though this book captured my heart from the start with the instant connection and witty banter...

Title: The Christmas Village Author: Annie Rains Publication: 10/12/2021 Genre: Romance My rating: 5 stars In short:  Lucy & Miles are giving love a second chance while competing for the annual Christmas decoration contest. Series background: Book 2 of the Somerset Lake series. Each book focuses on a different couple and can be read as a stand alone. Synopsis from the Publisher:   Lucy Hannigan has inherited her mother's bulldog, Bella, and her childhood home, the only pink house on Gingerbread Lane. With the holidays coming up, the pressure is on to decorate the house for the annual lights competition and maintain her parent's winning streak. But Lucy already has her hands full as a midwife and a new landlord-to her ex-fiance. When Miles Bruno is suddenly asked to move out of his rental home, he's grateful to Lucy for taking him on as a tenant. But their broken-off engagement doesn't make it easy to live next door. Sparks still fly between them, and he'd give a...

Title: A Cure For What Ales You Author: Ellie Alexander  Publication: 10/5/2021 Genre: Cozy Mystery  My Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ In short: It’s spring & Leavenworth is getting ready for Maifest. A local housekeeper is murdered and a mysterious woman from Sloan’s past is involved. She also brings a warning that Sloan & her family are in immediate danger.  From the publisher :  After a long cold winter, spring is beginning to bloom in the alpine village of Leavenworth, Washington, where craft brewer Sloan Krause and her partner in crime Garrett Strong are putting the finishing touches on their bright and refreshing Lemon Kiss ale. They’ll be debuting their new line at the Maifest celebration, which will bring visitors from near and far to dance around the Maipole and shop at the outdoor flower markets. Despite the festive spirit in the air, Sloan is brewing over her past. She’s spent months following leads that have turned into dead ends. But when she spots a woman wh...

Title: The Last Mona Lisa Author: Jonathan Santlofer Publication: 8/17/2021 Genre: Mystery  My Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In Short: The Mona Lisa is stolen in 1911 and not recovered for 2 years. Flash forward to current day and Luke Perrone, the thief’s great-grandson is following clues to discover what actually happened.  From the publisher: August, 1911: The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincent Peruggia. Many replicas of the Mona Lisa exist, and more than one historian has wondered if the painting now in the Louvre is a fake, switched in 1911.  Present day: art professor Luke Perrone digs for the truth behind his most famous ancestor: Peruggia. His search attracts an Interpol detective with something to prove and an unfamiliar but curiously helpful woman. Soon, Luke tumbles deep into the world of art and forgery, a land of obsession and danger. My thoughts: I was so fascinated with this book. It was a page turner for sure that I thoroughly enjoyed. From the opening chapters de...

 “  Thank you, Lord, for all of this, for allowing me to see, to fell. It truly is a view most glorious.” Title : A View Most Glorious Author: Regina Scott Publication:  10/5/2021 Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   In short: Washington 1893, Socialite Coraline is asked to climb a mountain in order to bring attention to the suffragette movement.   Series : This is book 3 in the American Wonders Collection series. Each is a stand alone set in different National Parks.   From the publisher: Reluctant socialite Coraline Baxter longs to live a life of significance and leave her mark on the world. When her local suffragette group asks her to climb Mount Rainier to raise awareness of their cause, she jumps at the chance, even though she has absolutely no climbing experience. If she can do it, any woman can do it. And after her mother issues an ultimatum--that Cora marry the man of her mother's choosing if she is not successful--Cora...

  In the short: 2 neighbors from opposite worlds, Kiran and Nash, meet and fall in love while working on a New York bucket list.   What to expect: *Neighbors/Friends to Lovers *Closed door *Multi-cultural relationships *Strong sense of family  *Friends that are family & friends   From the publisher:   Kiran was the good daughter. When her sister disobeyed her family's plan and brought them shame, she was there to pick up the pieces. She vowed she wouldn't make the same mistakes. She'd be twice the daughter her parents needed, to make up for the one they lost. Nash never had a family. The parents who were supposed to raise him were completely absent. Now as a psychologist, he sees the same pattern happening to the kids he works with. So he turns away from love and family. After all, abandonment is in his genes, isn't it? If she follows the rules, Kiran will marry an Indian man. If he follows his fears, Nash will wind up alone. But what if they follow their h...