Love on the Shelf

 

A fast-paced rom-com that offers a thought-provoking cultural commentary on love—most notably, the virtues of romance novels.

With 60 books under her belt, Sheila Roberts (The Man Next Door) once again tackles the genre she knows best--romantic comedy. Love on the Shelf is a wry send-up that cleverly pits a hopefully romantic bookseller against a jaded, romance-averse, radio shock-jock.

Shy, single, bookish Alice Willoughby believes in love and happy endings. She and her mother own and operate HEA Books, a fun, “haven and happy place” bookstore in Seattle, Washington. Since Alice graduated college and became a local merchant, she has taken pride in promoting romance titles--even successfully serving as a ‘book matchmaker’ for readers hungry to find the perfect literary love story escapes.

Enter Parker Black, who is bitter from a soured, broken relationship with a romance writer who later poison-penned their story, casting him as a villain. Parker uses his popular radio platform and machismo to take-down all things romance—including ‘evil’ romance novels. His outspokenness ultimately stirs up trouble for Alice and HEA until an on-air debate sends sparks flying between the two that not only incite a public protest about the nature of love and happy endings but suddenly shifts the perspectives of the two disparate souls.

Nobody does the charm of witty romance better than Sheila Roberts!  Love on the Shelf is a thought-provoking cultural commentary on the romance book industry, offering well-defined characters in whom readers will root to fall in love.

The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts

MIRA Books (HarperCollins, Harlequin), 18.99 paperback, 9780778305828, 336 pages

Publishing Date: May 26,2026

To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE

Learn more about Sheila Roberts HERE

A Ferry Merry Christmas

 

A broken-down ferry stuck in Puget Sound (Washington State), brings unexpected Christmas joy and blessings to a group of strangers.

Debbie Macomber’s wholesome, holiday-themed fiction has become “literary comfort food” for legions of her faithful readers. In A Ferry Merry Christmas, she again warms hearts and souls with a feel-good story of how lives interconnect in unexpected ways.

 

Set two days before Christmas, the story features an ensemble cast of strangers who set off via ferry from Bremerton to Seattle, Washington. When the ferry breaks down and the part needed to get it back up and running is delayed, the inconvenience challenges passengers whose holiday plans are suddenly disrupted. This includes a father-to-be whose pregnant wife is on the brink of giving birth; a sister on her way to share Christmas with her brother, as the two will celebrate their first holiday without their beloved grandmother; a twin enroute to finally make up with her long-estranged other half; a handsome sailor on leave from the Navy; and a mother with a young daughter who wants a special Christmas wish to come true.

 

With the ferry stuck in Puget Sound, the journeys of every passenger on board—as well as for their loved ones awaiting them on land—veer off course. But when one passenger decides to crack open a gift tin of her delicious homemade cookies and shares them with the group, the emotional tides shift into holiday cheer.

 

Tender hope and good-natured providence bind up a host of story threads, as Macomber weaves a comforting tapestry that depicts how sometimes the best holiday gifts are the ones never expected or planned for.

 

A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Ballantine Books (Random House), $25.00 hardcover, 9780593974674, 272 pages

Publishing date: October 21, 2025

To order this book on Indiebound/Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

 

Learn more about Debbie Macomber HERE

Pickleballers

A flirtatious romcom about a jilted divorcée, a craft artist, who takes up the sport of Pickleball enroute to carving out a brand-new life. 

A craft artist recovering from an abruptly severed marriage takes consolation via the sport of Pickleball in the competitively spirited romcom, Pickleballers, an amusing first novel by Ilana Long.

 

Meg Bloomberg--a 30something Seattle, Wash. native--is struggling after her dentist husband of two years walked out on her. Unmoored, Meg is emotionally cast adrift. But when her bestie from college encourages Meg to take up pickleball as a “mental distraction from her loneliness,” Meg soon finds meaning and purpose for her life again.

 

Meg crosses paths with a diversity of players—each with personal problems of his/her own. But as she sets out to competitively master the game, Meg learns her local pickleball courts are facing closure—environmentalists are intent to restore the area to a nature preserve. This sends Meg to practice with her partner on nearby Bainbridge Island. Via the 35-minute ferry crossing from Seattle, Meg is drawn to a charming stranger with “dreamy eyes” whom, she learns, also plays pickleball. As the two strike up a romance, Meg discovers that her new beau is the very conservationist intent on closing her local Seattle courts. This sets up a host of complications for Meg--both on and off the court.

 

Pickleball history and lore--as well as nuances about the game--flesh out this amusing, flirty romcom. Long serves up witty volleys of banter and clever plot twists that play out with winning aplomb.

 

Pickleballers by Ilana Long

Berkley, $19.00 paperback, 9780593642238, 368 pages

Publication Date: November 12, 2024

To order this book on INDIEBOUND/Bookshop.Org, link HERE

 

NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review as originally published on Shelf Awareness (November 15, 2024), link HERE 

Must Love Flowers

A gentle, heartfelt story about a grieving widow--and those suffering similarly in her orbit--who gets her life back on track.

Starting over is the central theme of Must Love Flowers, a tender, graceful novel written by Debbie Macomber. 

 

Joan Sample of Seattle, Wash., is a 54-year-old mother of two adult sons who has been widowed for four years. Since her husband’s passing, she’s become paralyzed by grief. Even her flower garden, once her pride and joy, has become grossly overgrown. When the town sends a condemning notice about the state of her property, she is finally propelled out of her emotional malaise. She joins a grief support group and sets out in search of hiring a landscaper “who must love flowers.” She enlists Phil Harrison—a quiet, private local. When she later crosses paths with Phil at the support group, she learns that he, too, is burdened by grief and loss of his own. As Joan’s broken heart begins to heal, she decides, on a lark, to take in a border, Maggie Herbert, a hard-working college student who longs to escape her abusive, alcoholic father. Thus begins a journey of second chances for each of these lost, wounded, and struggling souls. As they forge ahead in rebuilding their lives, friendship and romance find each of them along the way. 

 

Examining the gentle nuances of multi-generational smalltown life is what Macomber (The Best Is Yet to Come, It’s Better This Way) does best. In Must Love Flowers, Macomber’s heartfelt storytelling is on full display, showing how hope can rebloom when cultivated with kindness, caring, and love.

 

Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber

Ballantine Books, $28.00 hardcover, 9780593600559, 336 pages

Publishing Date: July 11, 2023

To order this book on INDIEBOUND/Bookshop.Org, link HERE

 

NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (July 14, 2023), link HERE

The Best Is Yet to Come

An emotionally immersive romance about two grief-stricken people struggling to open up their lives to love again.

The aftereffects of war on two people trying to rebuild their lives anchor The Best Is Yet to Come, a deeply moving, compassionately drawn contemporary romance by Debbie Macomber (It’s Better This Way, A Walk Along the Beach).

Los Angeles native Hope Godwin relocates to Oceanside, Wash., after her twin brother, a soldier, is tragically killed in action. Longing to reconcile her grief and live simply--teaching at the local high school--Hope’s plans are complicated when her pushy landlord ropes her into volunteering at the local animal shelter. There, she meets injured ex-Marine, John Cade Lincoln Jr. “Cade” may have been awarded a Purple Heart, but a sordid past keeps him standoffish. Having witnessed his army buddies “blown to bits,” he is a recovering alcoholic and loner dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and serious anger-management issues that sent him to jail for a year. Cade is performing community service at the local animal shelter when Hope crosses his path. He becomes intrigued when “Shadow,” an abused, human-averse canine takes eagerly to Hope. As the fearful dog warms up to Hope, so, too, does Cade. The couple slowly--and awkwardly--get to know each other until the past suddenly resurfaces, testing what’s in their hearts and challenging their romance.

Memorable, fully fleshed-out characters--including a suspenseful, very well-drawn subplot involving students at the school--round out an emotionally immersive story. Debbie Macomber is a master of depicting the nuances of smalltown life and how romance can rally and recharge the human spirit with hope.

The Best is Yet to Come: A Novel by Debbie Macomber

Ballantine Books/Random House Books, $28.00 hardcover, 9781984818843, 304 pages

Publication Date: July 12, 2022

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

 NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (July 15, 2022), link HERE

Sadie on a Plate

A deliciously appealing romcom about a jilted Seattle-based chef who competes in a high-stakes reality TV cooking show competition.

Readers who hunger and thirst for juicy cooking show competitions will eagerly lap up every last drop of Amanda Elliot’s delicious romcom Sadie on a Plate.

Sadie Brooks Rosen--a saucy, 27-year-old, Seattle-based chef--has her up-and-coming career dismantled by her jealous boss and beau when local media highlights her menu dishes instead of his in a feature about his restaurant. Suddenly unemployed, with her confidence shaken, Sadie is selected to compete on Chef Supreme, a high-stakes reality TV show where chefs face-off to win big money and national recognition. 

On a plane bound for NYC, where the show is set, Sadie meets handsome and charming, New York-based Luke Weston. Instant chemistry bonds the two as they share passions for food and cooking. Sadie is lured by upscale presentations of Jewish foods; Luke leans toward Korean influences. When they get to New York, they have dinner together and soon part ways. Until the next day, when they learn they are both affiliated with Chef Supreme: Sadie’s a contestant; Luke, a fill-in judge. Keeping their attraction secret, Sadie competes among talented chefs with distinct personalities, quirks and modi operandi. Can she regain her confidence and rise to the top of the cut-throat pack? 

Under the name Amanda Panitch, Elliot writes thrillers and character-driven novels for young adults and middle-grade readers. In Sadie on a Plate, her first adult romcom, detailed food descriptions, recipes and kitchen culture--along with a diverse cast--spice up a well-plotted story warmed with romance, humor and heart.

 

Sadie on a Plate by Amanda Elliot

Berkley, $18.99 paperback, 9780593335710, 352 pages

Publication Date: March 15, 2022

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE 

I Hate You More

A golden retriever sparks a contentious romance between a former beauty queen and a dog show judge in this spunky, sexy rom-com. 

Rom-com fans will laugh out loud while reading I Hate You More by Lucy Gilmore (Ruff and Tumble), a fun opposites-attract story about a former beauty pageant winner who falls for a Type-A, by-the-book dog show judge.

Twenty-eight-year-old Ruby Taylor of Seattle, Wash., is beautiful--inside and out. Crowned a Beauty Queen multiple times as a child and teen, Ruby regularly competed and preened in front of judges, with a little help from her thrice-married mother. When Ruby finally gave up the circuit, she settled into a more fulfilling life as a nurses' aid, helping others at Parkwood Manor, a local retirement community. There, she and Mrs. Orson, a resident, bond over their shared affinity for reading erotic novels. When Mrs. O enlists Ruby's help to qualify Wheezy--a golden retriever, her late husband's pride and joy--for the West Coast Canine Classic dog show, Ruby agrees, not fully realizing what she's in for.

 

Rotund Wheezy has a little problem with obedience and an even bigger problem with bacon. Matters snowball when cranky veterinarian and dog show judge Spencer Wilson questions Wheezy's purebred status. This leaves Ruby and Wheezy to jump through hoops with training and dieting while waiting for blood work to prove Wheezy's lineage. Along the way, Spencer's identical twin brother, Caleb, steps in to train Wheezy. He's a fun-loving dog-trainer under house arrest--living at Spencer's while on probation for running an illegal gaming website. Meanwhile, the brothers face major territorial issues.

Gilmore's sexy, snarky rom-com takes the crown, humorously showcasing winning dynamics of dysfunctional families and quirky romantic relationships.

I Hate You More by Lucy Gilmore

Sourcebooks Casablanca, $14.99 Paperback, 9781728226002, 288 pages

Publication Date: November 2, 2021

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (November 5, 2021), link HERE

 

Grave Reservations

 

An energetic cozy mystery follows a travel agent as she puts her psychic tendencies to work on a police cold case.

Cherie Priest (The Toll; The Inexplicables) is a prolific author who has published across genres, including steampunk, horror and sci-fi. In Grave Reservations, a smart and sassy first cozy mystery, she dips into the paranormal, telling the story of a fledgling travel agent with often erratic psychic tendencies. 

Leda Foley of Seattle owns and operates her own travel agency--Foley's Far-Fetched Flights of Fancy--and is struggling to get it off the ground. Leda also experiences very "strong feelings" and vibes about things. For fun, she practices her supernatural skills at a local bar, where she clairvoyantly selects karaoke for customers. When Leda books a flight heading out of Orlando, Fla., for Seattle Police detective Grady Merritt, a widowed father of a 17-year-old daughter, she gets a flash of insight that he should not board the plane. It leads her to proactively change his flight plans, redirecting him into Atlanta.

Leda's hasty decision upsets Grady. However, when Leda's hunch spares the detective from a fatal plane accident, it creates a bond. When grateful Grady returns to Seattle, the two begin a secret partnership, where the detective enlists Leda's psychic ability to help solve a cold case. In the process, demons from Leda's and Grady's pasts resurface, forcing them both to tie up loose threads and reconcile respective losses.

Polished prose, steady pacing and quirky characters, including Leda's lovable and loyal, long-term best friend--along with a cast of eccentric bar patrons--add levity and wit to this suspenseful story that unravels darker themes.

Grave Reservations: Booking Agents Book One by Cherie Priest

Atria Books (Simon and Schuster), $26.00 Hardcover, 9781982168896, 304 pages

Publication Date: October 26, 2021

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (October 29, 2021), link HERE

It's Better This Way

An emotionally evocative portrait of mid-life love complicated by blended family dynamics.

Debbie Macomber is never afraid to tackle hot-button contemporary issues. In It's Better This Way, she delivers a highly charged story that packs an emotional wallop, centered on the aftermath of breakups and a middle-aged romance that faces opposition from their two complicated families. 

This tightly woven story is bound by many threads. After 31 years of marriage, Julia Jones's golf-pro husband, Eddie, left her for another woman. Julia is finally ready, after six months of readjustment and transition, to embark on a new chapter in her life. She sells the family home and her design business and then moves into the Heritage, an upscale building in downtown Seattle, Wash. Her supportive adult daughters, Hillary and Marie--furious with their father, his choices and the hurtfulness of his actions--cheer her on. When Julia starts working out in the exercise room at the Heritage, she meets Heath, a divorced hedge-fund manager and father of two sons, Adam and Michael, close in age to Julia's girls. When Julia and Heath strike up a friendship that slowly begins to heat up into something more, their respective children become leery and try to quash the middle-aged couple's chance at forging new love.

Macomber (A Walk Along the Beach; Window on the Bay) has a firm grasp on issues that will resonate with readers of domestic fiction. Well-drawn characters and plotting--coupled with strong romantic subplots and striking coincidences--will keep readers rooting for forgiveness, hope and true love to conquer all.

 

It’s Better This Way by Debbie Macomber

Ballantine Books (Random House), $27.00, hardcover, 9781984818782, 320 pages

Publication Date: July 27, 2021

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

 

NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (July 13, 2021), link HERE

St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets

Who can resist a novel where a dog resides at the heart of the action? (Not me, that’s for sure!) Add a knitting club and themes of second chances and that ups the ante.

A colorful story of Women’s Fiction about a washed-up writer whose life changes after inheriting her birth-mother’s estate—and her memories.

In one day, 36-year-old Seattle sportswriter Maeve "Mae" Stephens is laid off from her newspaper job, learns that her boyfriend (a left fielder for the Mariners) is cheating on her, and gets mugged for $32 in her wallet. No sooner does down-on-her-luck Mae move in with her parents (who lovingly adopted her as a baby) when she receives a phone call informing her that her birth mother, Annabelle, has died in a freak accident. An old friend of Annabelle invites Mae to attend the funeral in the small town of Timber Creek.

For years, Mae wrote Annabelle letters, which were returned to her unread. But with life at a standstill, Mae sets off for Timber Creek and learns she is the beneficiary of Annabelle's worldly possessions, including her house, an old VW and a moody cat. When a wayward bulldog is found chained to the front porch, Mae extends her stay. She's befriended by curious townsfolk, including a handsome but blocked writer and a group of women as tight-knit as the colorful sweaters they craft to keep local animals warm. Is there more than meets the eye to the idyllic town--and to the story of Annabelle's life?

As Mae learns more about the woman who gave her up and why, she also discovers herself--who she is and what she wants out of life. Annie England Noblin (The Sisters Hemingway, Pupcakes) spins a poignant, heartwarming story about secrets and lies, strangers and lovers.

St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets: A Novel by Annie England Noblin

William Morrow Paperbacks, $16.99 Paperback, 9780062748317, 384 pages

Publication Date: January 14, 2020

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review as published via Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (February 11, 2020), link HERE