Review: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Goodreads Blurb

Pete the Cat goes walking down the street wearing his brand-new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change from white to red to blue to brown to WET as he steps in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other big messes!

But no matter what color his shoes are, Pete keeps movin’ and groovin’ and singing his song…because it’s all good. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes asks the reader questions about the colors of different foods and objects—kids love to interact with the story.

The fun never stops—download the free groovin’ song.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Who loves their white shoes? I sure do! Pete the Cat gets to teach the children different colors after he steps his white shoes in different things. He also sings throughout the book, depending on what color his shoes changed into. Great fun book.

Goodreads Author Biography

Eric Litwin (Mr. Eric) is a guitar strumming, book writing, harmonica blowing, song singing, folksy, fun type of guy. He is the # 1 New York Times Best Selling author of the first four Pete the Cat picture books and the author of the new musical series The Nuts. Eric’s books have sold over 1.5 million copies, been translated into seven languages and won 15 state and national awards including a Theodor Geisel Seuss Honor Award. He has also recorded award winning music CDs. Eric is a popular performing artist who plays guitar, sings, tells musical stories and brings books to life. He is also a nationally respected keynote speaker on interactive literacy and music. Eric is the co-creator of The Learning Groove which offers parent and child music classes and preschool music curriculum. Eric likes music, books and coffee.

Review: Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin

Goodreads Blurb

Pete the Cat is rocking in his school shoes. Pete discovers the library, the lunch room, the playground, and lots of other cool places at school. And no matter where he goes, Pete never stops moving and grooving and singing his song…because it’s all good.

The fun never stops—download the free groovin’ song.

My Review: Rated  4 out of 5 stars

The first day of school is memorable. Pete goes to school with his new red shoes. He sings throughout the book as he goes through his school day having fun. We can rock on if we have our red shoes too.

Goodreads Author Biography

Eric Litwin (Mr. Eric) is a guitar strumming, book writing, harmonica blowing, song singing, folksy, fun type of guy. He is the # 1 New York Times Best Selling author of the first four Pete the Cat picture books and the author of the new musical series The Nuts. Eric’s books have sold over 1.5 million copies, been translated into seven languages and won 15 state and national awards including a Theodor Geisel Seuss Honor Award. He has also recorded award winning music CDs. Eric is a popular performing artist who plays guitar, sings, tells musical stories and brings books to life. He is also a nationally respected keynote speaker on interactive literacy and music. Eric is the co-creator of The Learning Groove which offers parent and child music classes and preschool music curriculum. Eric likes music, books and coffee.

Review: Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha

Goodreads Blurb

Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.

Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for all eternity.

Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don’t quite go as planned, it’s a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches’ latest vile scheme.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Let’s Hocus Pocus again!

It was so much fun to experience Hocus Pocus again. It’s truly one of my favorite Halloween movies that brings back wonderful memories. Loved that the first original story started this book off. The new sequel brings back the Dennison family 25 years later. The three main characters are teenagers, one of them being Max Dennison’s daughter Poppy. I loved that they kept the same characters and made all the characters connected with a great story. This time, the three Sanderson sisters are back with a vengeance. This time, hell was in person, and the witches came to take over. The new sequel is modern with LGBT romance. I was laughing my socks off with the ideas of the appliances used by the witches to fly. Overall, the story was well developed and modernized. I think I would have loved to have seen more scenes with the Sanderson sister’s experience in modern technology. I was shocked at the end. I wasn’t expecting that. It is to be continued.

Review: Hard Trigger by S.L. Hannah

Goodreads Blurb

“Your mother’s opiates are coming from Jose Herrera’s distribution network.” My pulse races as my stepfather speaks these words. Because taking on the Herreras also means taking on Diego.

Reckless, and hardened by a volatile past, Victoria does not see a future with Diego Herrera as a realistic option. As their childhood friendship ignites, they find themselves on opposite sides of a bloody feud between the two most powerful families in Mexico City. And she’s a Moreno now—brought up to be the secret weapon nobody suspected.

But Victoria can’t deny the attraction. Diego’s commanding muscles, the coarse, dark hair of his solid chest, that rugged scar above his sensuous lips…

Loyalty is in the eye of the beholder.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This story will leave you wanting more hot friction between Victoria and Diego. The cover and the title are perfect for this sweltering book. Victoria knows how to kickass to save her family, but when the hot Spanish Diego shows up, she forgets what mission she was on. I love the friction between the two families. They can’t live together but they can’t live without. Hannah knows how to light the room up. She makes you feel the raging fire between these two characters that burns a fire from just one look. It will keep you up all night before you can finish reading it.

Goodreads Author Biography

S.L. Hannah is a romance author known for writing fierce, flawed women treading unchartered territory. S.L. Hannah was born in Poland, grew up in Canada, and moved to Southern California to pursue her love of single-engine airplanes. When she’s not writing fiction she continues to solve the aviation problems of the world.

She is excited to be part of the To LA With Love anthology. Check out her short story, Special Teams, in that anthology.

Her latest release, Baller, is about a successful, divorcing woman who finds a life reset in a younger, hot professional beach volleyball player.

The Need is her first erotic thriller; a story about a woman struggling to free herself from her lover’s physical and emotional binds.

Hard Trigger, is a rogue romance about a reckless and hardened heroine who finds herself entwined with a lover on the opposite side of a bloody feud.

Review: The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Goodreads Blurb

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It’s a beautiful love story to last a lifetime. Beautifully crafted with unforgettable characters that you will grow to love. Written fully in letters back and forth through characters. Could only imagine the time and difficulty it was to bring this book together. Writing a novel is difficult, but writing it with letters and being creative with each characters story brought an epic story. I loved how the story unraveled as you read. I was also impressed with the creativity of the book club at such a terrible time. This story brings people together during a time of turmoil. Books created an escape for each character. They were able to share their thoughts on the books they read, and they created a book club that brought them together. Books bring love to all.

Goodreads Author Biography

Mary Ann Shaffer worked as an editor, a librarian, and in bookshops. Her life-long dream was to someday write her own book and publish it. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was her first novel. Unfortunately, she became very ill with cancer and so she asked her niece, Annie Barrows, the author of the children’s series Ivy and Bean, as well as The Magic Half, to help her finish the book. Mary Ann Shaffer died in February 2008, a few months before her first novel was published.

Review: A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels

Goodreads Blurb

Make it a merry Christmas with four stories of the special way the holidays warm our hearts…

CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING * Fern Michaels
Former Air Force Pararescueman Kevin Matthews is back home in Texas, working at his family’s Christmas tree farm while deciding his next move. Or maybe he won’t move at all, if sparks keep flying with the town’s new surgeon, Kate Stafford . . .

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT * Kate Pearce
Widower Billy Morgan wishes his grown children still needed him. Good thing his longtime friend, Bella, does. She’s planning her son’s Christmas wedding and Billy is happy to help. Along the way they just might discover their own occasion to celebrate . . .

CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS * Donna Kauffman
Attorney Moira Brogan expects her brother’s Christmas wedding to be a peaceful affair. She doesn’t expect to be cornered by an unwanted lothario, rescued by a gorgeous Aussie chef–or be swept off her feet by said chef. Nursing a broken heart, the last thing she wants is a new romance. But Hudson Walker has other ideas . . .

HOLIDAY HOMERUN * Priscilla Oliveras
Event planner Julia Louisa Fernandez dreams of a life in Chicago. But her family in Puerto Rico expects her to take over the catering business. Former pro baseball player Ben Thomas knows what that’s like–and when they meet, he might be the one to inspire a winning strategy, just in time for the holidays . . .

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Each story in this novel brings you good tidings at Christmas. All four stories bring family together and romance unexpectedly.

Christmas Homecoming had me laughing. Kate Safford is the new surgeon who meets Kevin Mathews, who was an Air Force pararescueman that returned home. The teenage romance that circled around these two was romantic. Love makes us act weird and not think straight.

An Unexpected Gift gives Billy Morgan a second chance at romance and spending time with his family. A wedding sometimes leads to another wedding for an attendee. Past friendships can lead to romance.

Christmas in Blue Hollow Moira hasn’t been having the best love life. She is an attorney, and her career hasn’t been going on how she planned. At a bar, while a fight breaks out hot, Aussie chef Hudson Walker comes to the rescue. Hudson was sent to by Moira’s brother to keep an eye on her. Well, he sure keeps his eyes on her. A wedding at Christmas is my dream wedding.

Holiday Homerun, what a lovely spanglish novel. I loved that my Puerto Rican heritage was celebrated in this story. Strongly can relate with the heritage, family values, and strict family. Julia Fernandez hit a home homerun to create a spectacular event with Puerto Rican traditions. Ben Thomas, the hot former baseball player, falls in love with Julia. They have great chemistry.

Goodreads Author Biography

Fern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.

As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.

Review: In Paris With You by Clementine Beauvais

Goodreads Blurb

A runaway bestseller in France, Clémentine Beauvais’s In Paris With You is a love story you won’t soon forget.

Eugene and Tatiana had fallen in love that summer ten years ago. But certain events stopped them from getting to truly know each other and they separated never knowing what could have been.

But one busy morning on the Paris metro, Eugene and Tatiana meet again, no longer the same teenagers they once were.

What happened during that summer? Does meeting again now change everything? With their lives ahead of them, can Eugene and Tatiana find a way to be together after everything?

Written in gorgeous verse, In Paris With You celebrates the importance of first love. Funny and sometimes bittersweet this book has universal appeal for anyone who has been in love.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

It is a beautifully written novel about a love so true and strong. A story filled with words that grasp your attention. Written in poem stanza, filled with rumbling of words that send you raising after the characters’ thoughts, dreams, and reality. The characters have vivid day dreams and times where they talk to themselves, giving you a picture of their thoughts and feelings. I loved how the author would take you from the past and back to the present. Author freely threw words, phrases, and poems to bring you a love story of a lifetime. It was ironic that Tatiana was the one obsessed with Eugene. The tables turned 10 years later, and Eugene was found with regrets and true lust for Tatiana. Each character went through a phase of sleepless nights because of those strong feelings of love. A book that will send you spinning for Tatiana and Eugene to become one while you seek the same for yourself.

Goodreads Author Biography

I was born in Paris in 1989 and though I started to read children’s books pretty early, I somehow never stopped. As a result, I’ve become a writer, reader and student of children’s literature. I’ve now been living and studying in Cambridge (UK) for seven years and have become a doctor. Well, not the type that saves people’s lives. The type that scribbles ‘PhD’ after their name and rambles on about beauty, truth and the value of (all) literature. Worth striving for, I think! More about my academic work here.

The other thing I do is write books – children’s books, surprisingly enough. In fact, it’s not ‘the other thing’. It’s the first thing I ever did, really – long before I heard that you could actually analyse books for a living, I wanted to write books for a living. So I started writing, and ultimately getting published – in French first, and now in English as well. My first series of children’s books in English, led by self-made superheroine Sesame Seade, is being published in 2013 by Hodder Children’s Books!

Review: She’s Got This by Laurie Hernandez

Goodreads Blurb

Even Olympians have to start somewhere. And in this charming illustrated book, Laurie Hernandez tells the story of Zoe, a little girl who dreams of flying—and becoming a gymnast.

When Zoe sees a gymnast on TV, she realizes that gymnastics is just like flying. But when she first goes to class and falls off the balance beam, she discovers that following her dreams is harder and scarier than she thought.

Through this heartwarming and inspirational story, featuring vibrant art from Nina Mata, Laurie imparts important lessons she learned on her way to Olympic glory: You always have to get back up and try again, and you always have to believe in yourself. 

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Cute book that teaches children that falling is all part of succeeding. If you don’t try and you give up, then you won’t succeed. Practice makes perfect. Laurie learned from all her falls while she trained. It is all part of life. I loved the illustrations.

Cover Reveal: Structure of Love by AJ Sherwood

BOOK DETAILS:

Structure of Love

by AJ Sherwood

( Gay 4 Renovations, #2)

Publication date: December 26, 2025

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Synopsis:

Gage has a blueprint for his life all mapped out.

First, straighten out his little brother so Gage can finally stop being pseudo father to him.

Second, expand the company to have permanent crews.

Third, avoid any more hookup dates–he wants all or nothing.

The very sexy, tatted bar owner that slides into his life? Not part of the plan.

But god, Gage can go for some red line changes to make Logan part of it.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241997629-structure-of-love

Pre-order: https://readerlinks.com/l/5035795 

AUTHOR BIO:

AJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga. 

She currently resides in Michigan with aforementioned dogs and cats. Being in snow country gives her the excuse to stay inside and watch bl dramas, which suit her perfectly. 

Author links:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18541140.A_J_Sherwood

https://www.ajsherwood.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/580361995783229/

https://www.instagram.com/sherwoodwrites/

@ajsherwood_author

https://www.facebook.com/ajsherwoodwrites/