Falling for Alaska

Title: Falling for Alaska

Author: Belle Calhoune

Year: 2024

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Queer shit: None of note

Vibe Check: Slow paced inheritance drama with found family and learning to heal together

Pile of Opinions:

This book kicked off as possibly the thirstiest thing I have ever read all while not being a spicy book? It was cute and cheesy and low stakes. It was like a sweet Hallmark movie except the leads kept eye-banging each other in almost every scene. True, female MC, works at a tavern that is owned by her dear friend Hattie and that True hopes to own someday. Xavier, male MC, is a has-been football player who is recovering from his career-ending injuries. He also happens to be Hattie’s oldest grandson who, along with his brothers, was summoned to the small town in Alaska they were born in. Hattie has a terminal illness and she wants her grandsons to learn her cider business so they can take it over. True doesn’t know what is the agreement with Hattie and her grandsons for business takeover, Hattie’s son Red bailed on the boys when they were little and is the reason they moved away, and every one of them has to play nice and work together while the future of Hattie’s businesses unfold. This is a good book if you like slow plot, flirtatious interactions, respectful dating with (lightly) dirty internal monologue, and family (found and blood) drama.

The Corner Shop on Foxmore Green

Book Review (more just a pile of my personal opinions from my personal experiences)

Title: The Corner Shop on Foxmore Green

Author: Lilac Mills 

Year: 2023

Genre: Fiction, romance, low stakes, wholesome, eco friendly, small town

Queer shit: I can’t remember so not enough

Vibe Check: Small town, given and found family, single parenting, cute little dating stuff with cute little falling in love, cute little dream of owning a shop

Pile of Opinions: This book was so freaking cute! I loved how wholesome it was. Our MC is a single mother in a small town who has a passion for eco-friendly living. Our love interest is new to town and looking for the small town charm and simpler living. There’s mix ups and misunderstandings and an ex that will make you want to throw hands (and rocks). The community is so sweet and supportive to our MC’s dreams and future. It’s a good mix of given family and found family blending together and I love their life they all build together. Also men could avoid so much misunderstanding if they just fucking asked some follow up questions instead of assuming *eyeroll* but it works out in the end and I am so happy for them and also would like to petition the author for a cute little bonus chapter like a year down the road just to see how our cute little town and sweet couple are doing:)

Professional Reader