A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

THE SPARROW SISTERS Book Review

I tried reading the second book in the Sparrow Sister series a few years ago. I only made it a few pages into Book #2 -- The Forbidden Garden -- before putting it aside. It was mainly because I just couldn't get into the story or keep the characters straight.  Now, I know why. I was supposed to read The Sparrow Sisters first.  Whoops.    What's The Sparrow Sisters about? The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick unfolds slowly. It eases you...

BEST SERVED HOT Book Review

Best Served Hot marries two of my favorite types of books: a hilarious rom-com and delicious foodie fiction. I ended up loving this funny, sweet, and sexy novel by Amanda Elliot, though it admittedly took a few chapters to get into it. This is mostly because of main character Julie. When we first meet her, she spends most of her time scheming about how to get clicks on her restaurant review blog. As a result, Julie comes across as a little...

THE COTTAGE ON PUMPKIN AND VINE and THE BAKESHOP AT PUMPKIN AND SPICE Book Reviews

Tartlets, it’s Two-fer Tuesday! The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine and The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice are set in the same enchanting world of Moonbright, Maine, so I thought it'd be fun to do a dual book review today.   Never judge a book (completely) by its cover LOOK AT THESE BOOK COVERS. And these titles! With the fall season in full swing, how can you resist something with “pumpkin” or “spice” in the title? Obviously, I couldn't,...

RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE Book Review

The quickest way to dissolve a marriage is with secrets and lies. Both abound in Recipe for a Perfect Wife.  This bold, thought-provoking, and heartfelt novel by Karma Brown captured me right from the start with its recipes, its gardening advice, and its setting in the New York suburbs – all the things an in-her-late-30s woman like myself enjoys.    What's Recipe for a Perfect Wife about? In Recipe for a Perfect Wife, you have Nellie,...

SUNRISE BY THE SEA Book Review

Sunrise by the Sea is the fourth installment of the Little Beach Street Bakery series, and boy, was it worth the wait. Much like one of the “red thinks” (a.k.a., strawberry tarts) from character Polly’s bakery, I devoured this Jenny Colgan novel that brought me back to the fictional Mount Polbearne, a quaint and remote fishing village on an island off the Cornish coast.   A note about the Little Beach Street Bakery series If you’re...

CHRISTMAS JOY Book Review

Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle is the perfect book to sink into over the holiday season. Last year, I basically swiped right on a bunch of Christmas books available from my local library. My six weeks leading up to Christmas were spent reading about nothing but candy canes, cookies, holiday décor, and small-town romance. There were some hits and some misses, but Christmas Joy is definitely one of the highlights from that book stack.  ...

PARTY OF TWO Book Review

I'm pretty sure that Party of Two is not author Jasmine Guillory's best work. I know, I know: that's a pretty bold statement to make right off the bat. Guillory’s first book, The Wedding Date, made huge waves when it published a few years ago, but I never got around to reading it​. I picked up Party of Two because it was the only Guillory title my library had on hand during COVID quarantine. Given all the fuss surrounding the author and her...

MIDNIGHT AT THE BLACKBIRD CAFE Book Review

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is as wonderful and lovely as its book cover. Please read it. There. DONE! Book review complete. Oh, okay. I suppose I should tell you a little more about why I blazed through this utterly charming novel by Heather Webber.     What's Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe about? Anna Kate Callow unexpectedly inherits her grandmother’s adorable Blackbird Café, on the stipulation that she uproot her life and move to...

THE COOKBOOK CLUB Book Review

I think I want to start a Cookbook Club. I had no idea what one was until I read The Cookbook Club by Beth Harbison. Now, I'm obsessed with the idea. And that's completely due to the fact that this women's fiction-meets-foodie-fiction novel is a sheer delight.   What's The Cookbook Club about? The Cookbook Club is about three women whose lives intersect when they meet up together for this unique book club group. They pick a cookbook,...

MEG and JO Book Review

OMGILOVEDTHISBOOK. *deep breath* Ahem. Sorry. But, seriously, guys. I absolutely adored Meg and Jo. I’m a huge fan of retellings, particularly ones that modernize classic stories (see Eligible), but this is the first retelling of Little Women that I’ve read. That being said, expectations were high when I started reading – and I’m so happy to report that Virginia Kantra's reimagining completely surpassed everything I could have hoped...