I thought with Prime Day being this month I’d end up buying a ridiculous amount of books but I’ve actually only bought three – which is probably my lowest amount for 2026 to date. I’m being much more thoughtful with what I buy (other than one book in this post) as I’m aware I have a huge backlog to get through. I’m making slow progress so what better way to reward myself than by buying more books?
The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore
This series has become an instant buy for me and if you’d told me that after reading The Pumpkin Spice Cafe I would have called you crazy. There’s a part of me that feels like I need to re-read that book as surely it can’t be as bad as I first thought, especially if the rest of the series is 4+ stars for me.
I had no idea this was a fake dating book, I’m now even more excited to read it than I already was. Could this take the top position from The Cinnamon Bun Book Store? Not likely, but I’m looking forward to finding out.
I’ll probably make this a near future read as I do like to try to stay on top of this series, but I’m also months ahead on reviews so it wouldn’t be posted for a long time anyway.
Synopsis: The greatest love is the one you never expected to find
Daisy is fed up with being unlucky in love, and after several weddings she has done the flowers for end in divorce, her beloved flower shop has gained a reputation of being cursed, thanks to Mayor Kelly and his infamous visions.
Dream Harbor newcomer, Elliot, has been adjusting to town life following his own relationship turmoil. And until now he’s avoided the flower shop at all costs. If the mayor is correct, he doesn’t need any more bad luck in his life.
But with his family coming to visit, Elliot finds himself reluctantly in front of Daisy’s store in need of some flowers. As the petals blossom in the sunlight, Daisy and Elliot might find that love comes when you’re least expecting it…
The Daisy Chain Flower Shop is a cozy romantic mystery with a fake relationship dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed.
And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens
I won’t lie to you all, I bought this book because it has a whippet on the cover and as a whippet mom I couldn’t resist. Will the whippet play a huge role in this book? Not likely, but it’s so cute! Watch this space to find out if the dog has any significance – I’ll be fuming if it turns out it’s an Italian Greyhound, it’s 100% whippet sized (which you can take with a pinch of salt as my whippet is huge).
Sophie Cousens is also a name I’ve seen pop up a lot but I weirdly don’t recognise the titles or covers of any of her books. Which doesn’t matter as I’m always up for checking out new authors.
Synopsis: He’s perfect on paper. But is he perfect for her?
Chloe is sick of dating.
Since her break-up, she can’t find what she’s looking for – and she’s no longer sure if she even knows.
But when she’s invited to a university reunion, she knows one thing – she can’t turn up alone. Especially not with her career going nowhere, despite her best attempts. And especially not when her former best friend Sean will be the man she turned down years ago, who is now a successful movie producer in LA.
On another bad date and hiding in the toilets, Chloe meets an older woman who hands her a card, for a dating agency called Perfect Partners. With nothing to lose and days until the reunion, Chloe decides to give it a go. And then she meets Rob.
He’s absolutely made for her. He’s everything she’s looking for. He’s utterly perfect. Isn’t he?
Chloe realises that it’s time to put love to the test again – but what do you do when your head says one thing, and your heart says another?
More than a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban
A sapphic Victorian romance with a parent trap twist? Yes please! This sounds like a lot of fun and what a great read to buy during Pride month. Will it take until next Pride month for me to actually read it? Quite possibly. You never know when I’ll end up picking something up. I still have books bought back in 2019 that I’ve never opened.
Anyway, this debut novel looks like a great time. It’s not a new release, it came out in 2024, but it’s new to me so that’s exciting.
Synopsis: A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other—the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed!
Gwen has a brilliant beyond brilliant idea.
It’s 1857, and anxious debutante Beth has just one season to snag a wealthy husband, or she and her mother will be out on the street. But playing the blushing ingenue makes Beth’s skin crawl and she’d rather be anywhere but here.
Gwen, on the other hand, is on her fourth season and counting, with absolutely no intention of finding a husband, possibly ever. She figures she has plenty of security as the only daughter of a rakish earl, from whom she’s gotten all her flair, fun, and less-than-proper party games.
“Let’s get them together,” she says.
It doesn’t take long for Gwen to hatch her latest scheme: rather than surrender Beth to courtship, they should set up Gwen’s father and Beth’s newly widowed mother. Let them get married instead.
“It’ll be easy” she says.
There’s just…one, teeny, tiny problem. Their parents kind of seem to hate each other.
But no worries. Beth and Gwen are more than up to the challenge of a little twenty-year-old heartbreak. How hard can parent-trapping widowed ex-lovers be?
Of course, just as their plan begins to unfold, a handsome, wealthy viscount starts calling on Beth, offering up the perfect, secure marriage.
Beth’s not mature enough for this…
Now Gwen must face the prospect of sharing Beth with someone else, forever. And Beth must reckon with the fact that she’s caught feelings, hard, and they’re definitely not for her potential fiancé.
That’s the trouble with matchmaking: sometimes you accidentally fall in love with your best friend in the process.
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