I have been a long time fan of Karen Hawkins historical romance, and when I found out she was writing a contemporary series I was very excited. Overall, I enjoyed The Book Charmer.
The fact that it is the first in the series is why I rated 4 stars instead of 3. With the first book in the series there is always so much set up of the town, other characters, history etc that sometimes the story gets lost. Also, going into the book I expected it to be about Sarah, but it isn't really. It's about newcomer Grace who is trying to feel her way around a new town while also caring for a parental figure with dementia, raising a recently orphaned niece, dealing with her own grief and, trying not to fall for the guy next door with emotional baggage of his own, and she has to save the town from financial ruin! There is A LOT going on in this book and it's a great set up for following novels.
The fact that it is the first in the series is why I rated 4 stars instead of 3. With the first book in the series there is always so much set up of the town, other characters, history etc that sometimes the story gets lost. Also, going into the book I expected it to be about Sarah, but it isn't really. It's about newcomer Grace who is trying to feel her way around a new town while also caring for a parental figure with dementia, raising a recently orphaned niece, dealing with her own grief and, trying not to fall for the guy next door with emotional baggage of his own, and she has to save the town from financial ruin! There is A LOT going on in this book and it's a great set up for following novels.