Happy Endings Book Club Boxed Set Books 4-6 by Kylie Gilmore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's always a pleasure to read Kylie Gilmore. With sweet stories that are as moving as the characters are irresistible, it's obvious why she makes up at least half of my favorites list.

Formal Arrangement (Happy Endings Book Club #4) 

The Campbells are a rambunctious clan. Good times, fiery personalities and tons of love are what the Campbells are all about, but beneath all the fun lies some turbulent emotions that need to be worked through. Formal Arrangement is Alex's turn to shine. This single dad has a little girl he adores, a family he loves and guilt that never seems to subside. From a tragic loss to the responsibilities that weigh him down, Alex just can't catch a break. Enter Lauren, nanny extraordinaire. Lauren lightens up his days and fills his heart with an emotion he refuses to acknowledge. Can he let go of the pain of his past to claim his Ms. Right? (5 stars) 


Bad Boy Done Wrong (Happy Endings Book Club #5) 

Looking to chase away the blues? Kylie Gilmore knows just what to do. Bad Boy Done Wrong follows the perfect script to lighten the heart and brighten up any day. Carrie and Zach turn one little mistake into a hugely irresistible romance. The laughs never stop flowing and the love refuses to quit growing anytime the Happy Endings Book Club is involved. Resistance is futile. (5 stars)

Mess With Me (Happy Endings Book Club #6)

The forecast is perfect for a total eclipse of the heart. Mess With Me has everything I've come to expect from Kylie Gilmore. Charming characters, hysterical antics and a whole lot of laughter pave the way to a happy ending. Second chances, surprise romances and the welcome arms of family are instrumental to a heartwarming tale of love and fun. (5 stars)

A person has to be made of stone to not find pleasure in the irresistible world that is Kylie Gilmore.

Hidden Hollywood - The Happy Endings Book Club series begins on a high note with this energetic, playful and sincere bundle of feel good fun. An addiction to books and romance helped reel me in because any lover of books I would gladly befriend. Behind the glamour and wealth of big city lives, Claire and Jake have a simpleness on their minds. Matchmaking, a little slight of hand and let the masquerade begin.

Inviting Trouble -
Once a Kylie Gilmore fan, there is no escape. Inviting Trouble is just another reason why resistance is futile. How can you help but love an author that uses charm and humor to deliver relevant advice? Did I mention she’s does all this while stealing your heart? The lesson: Every color is special, don't be afraid to let them shine through. I just lost another little piece of my heart and I'm so okay with that.

So Revealing continues to play up the value of friendship and family while cluing in the clueless males of the Campbell brood. Ty is an idiot at times, but his pursuit of Charlotte helped him rise to the rank of lovable goofball in my eyes. Charlotte needed to lighten up her outlook and Ty was just the person to help her do that. If laughter is the best medicine, I would gladly take a double dosage, as long as Kylie Gilmore is holding the spoon.

More than I realized, apparently.

While I was on my little hiatus from the reading and internet world last week, I went out into the real world and did something I hadn't done in years. I visited a brick and mortar independent bookstore and spent hours browsing. I looked at every used title and realized I owned many of them (oops) and then I went over to the new section and tried to touch them all.

It was heavenly.

You all need to do it at least once a week if you don't already, even if you don't buy anything (I didn't, I really wish I had but tbr guilt stayed my hand). Go, look, touch, smell (well, maybe don't smell if they look anything like this!) and savor the bliss that washes over your soul. There is nothing quite like it. I used to do this when I was young and free and had all the time in the world. I worked next door to a used bookstore and the employees all knew me by name and usually had a stack waiting just for me. I hadn't realized how much enjoyment and peace those weekly (sometimes daily) trips brought into my life.

It's only been a week and I am dying to go back to relive that feeling and buy some books I do not need but must have. How ever did I let this kind of joy leave my life?! Wait, I know. Non-reading visitors to my home began to comment on the number of books I had lying about and I began to feel indulgent, wasteful, greedy. I started hiding my books from sight and from the unwanted comments that would wound them. Don't let it happen to you. I don't care if you own all the books in the world on your e-reader or in your home, do yourself a favor and visit a real bookstore if you're lucky enough to have a good one nearby.

If you're road-tripping it to the northeast of the US may I recommend the lovely independent  The Toadstool Bookstore? They have three locations and two have cafes. I don't know about the third as I haven't made it there yet. The Peterborough location has an enormous selection of used and new books that you can lose yourself in for a day or two and, best of all, no one bugged me the entire time I was there!

Do you have a favorite spot to buy "real" books? Do you ever browse a physical bookstore without a list in hand? And, because I'm super nosy, do outsiders give your love of books the side-eye too?

There are some things that I have a hard getting rid of … clothes, shoes and books!  I’m not a hoarder (although a quick peek into my storage room in the basement may convince you otherwise) but I get attached to things.  I recently did some purging of books *sob* *hiccup* and came across some children’s books I had put away.  I couldn’t bear to even donate them to the Free Little Libraries even though there were some pretty desperate pleas for children’s books.