Cozy Archives - The Litertarian

For fans of the Hallmark Channel, I give you, The Guest Cottage, by Lori Foster – the first book in her new Firefly Summer series.

The Guest Cottage by Lori Foster Book Cover

A woman named Marlow is in need of a fresh start after her recent ex-husband unexpectedly dies. He used to be her whole life, until her job with his highly successful family became her focus, and they lost sight of their relationship. This series of events brings with it a complex set of emotions, and she finds she just needs to get away. After some research, Marlow finds a place that is perfect, a little lake town called Bramble Kentucky. The landlord turns out to be an emotionally intelligent ex-marine named Cort who helps her work through her feelings and next steps. Just when Marlow feels like she’s starting to settle into the slower lifestyle of Bramble, her ex’s mistress shows up in need of help in more ways than one. And though Marlow feels like she’s found her forever home, the town itself is not accepting of outsiders.

Told in a very calm and measured tone of voice, The Guest Cottage is full of drama and conflict that never tips over the scale into stressful territory. If I had to describe it in a word, I’d give it: cozy.

Everyone deserves second chances, including just about every character in this book. More than anything, I feel this story is about community, compassion, and found family. After reading it, I felt on some level that something inside me somewhere was healed a little bit. It wasn’t quite as engaging and high-stakes as I generally prefer my fiction to be, but it was certainly worth the time spent reading it.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Guest Cottage (Firefly Summer #1)
Author:: Lori Foster
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Kensington
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 13h 20m
Audiobook Narrator:: Piper Goodeve
Published:: May 27th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

It’s All Relative | Rachel Magee
The Christmas Inn | Pamela Kelley
Counting Miracles | Nicholas Sparks

Bake off, but make it bookish!

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame is the cozy adventure of a lithe septuagenarian ready to take a little piece of the world for herself for the very first time.

Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford Book Cover

Jenny Quinn bakes every day. She uses antique scales to weigh her ingredients, and recipes passed down to her from the women in her family. Recipes tell their own stories, you know, of the women who wrote them down, and the time they recorded them. One day on a whim, she decides to enter a televised baking competition, but she’s so unsure of herself (and specifically her bread baking skills) that she keeps her application a secret from her beloved husband. It’s only the second time she’s kept something from Bernard, and the guilt starts to rise like her nemesis: yeasted dough. Remarkably, she gets through to audition after audition and eventually, she can’t hide it any longer, and she realizes she doesn’t want to keep her other secret anymore either. She’s just not sure how to tell it.

Okay seriously, this book gives all the cozy feel-good vibes of Bake Off. Jenny is patient and kind and so sincere it hurts a little bit, but in a good way…? Somehow Olivia Ford has really captured the essence of that British baking competition and infused it into this story perfectly.

Some of the book focuses on some flashbacks to a young Jenny, who finds herself in a very difficult situation. The world was different in those days, especially for women, and I found that storyline so heartbreaking and emotional.

The writing was so engaging and compelling it was easy to connect to the story. A delight all the way through. Like a hug in a book!

5 stars, no notes.

Details

Title:: Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame
Author:: Olivia Ford
Genre:: Cozy General Fiction
Publisher:: Pamela Dorman Books
Length:: 384 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 12m
Audiobook Narrator:: Melanie Crawley
Published:: January 30th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars