Spotlight and Giveaway: Love You a Latke

Amanda Elliot's latest Jewish foodie rom-com, Love You a Latke, is now available! We're excited to feature it here today and Melissa is even more excited to read it, as she enjoyed Amanda's previous novel, Best Served Hot (reviewed here). Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

Snow is falling, holiday lights are twinkling, but the beauty of December in small-town Vermont is being eclipsed for Abby Cohen by one person: Seth. He comes into her café every morning with his incessantly positive attitude to spread holiday cheer, and Abby has enough to deal with without his antics. As the only Jewish business-owner on her town’s tourism board, she’s been tasked with planning an upcoming Hanukkah festival. Unfortunately, the local vendors know nothing about the story of the holiday, and her efforts to host an authentic event are coming up empty.

Desperate for support, Abby puts out a call for help online and discovers that she was wrong about being the only Jewish person within a hundred miles when Seth comes to her rescue.

It turns out that Seth’s family has been badgering him to bring home a girlfriend for Hanukkah, especially after his recent breakup. Abby has a business to run, and no time for such nonsense—except that Seth has connections with some of New York City’s best food vendors. If she plays along, Seth will introduce her to anyone she needs to make the Hanukkah festival a success. If Abby can survive Seth’s incessant positivity and irritatingly handsome smile for a week—not to mention his very excited family—this just might be a win-win situation for everyone involved. But over latkes, doughnuts, and winter adventures in the city, Abby begins to wonder if her fake boyfriend and his family might be what she needs to truly understand the reason for the season.

"Love You a Latke is the Hallmark Hanukkah movie I've been waiting for all my life. Seth's and Abby's lovely story of fake dating and meddling parents, small town Hanukkah festivals and finding friendship in unexpected places, is a cozy delight, and as sweet and inviting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter night. I loved every word!"

—Jenna Levine, USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire

“One of my favorite reads of 2024, Love You A Latke by Amanda Elliot is Hanukkah romance at its very best.”

—Jean Meltzer, international bestselling author of The Matzah Ball

"Love You a Latke is a beautiful story with an unexpected slow burn romance and amazing supporting characters. But it's also a story about community — the community you're embraced by, the community you make and the magical miracle of Hanukkah."

—Stacey Agdern, award-winning author of The B'Nai Mitzvah Mistake 

Credit: Cassie Gonzales (2021)

Amanda Elliot lives with her husband and daughter in New York City, where she collects way too many cookbooks for her tiny kitchen, runs in Central Park, and writes for teens and kids under the name Amanda Panitch.

Visit Amanda online:
Website * Twitter * Instagram

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends October 20th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: The Time Keepers

By Sara Steven

Two women from different worlds, Grace and Anh, are indelibly changed when a runaway boy is found on a street in their small Long Island town. Brought together by the love of this child displaced by war, the women find friendship and healing from their own painful pasts when their lives intersect with a mysterious wounded Vietnam vet. The vet, Jack, works at the Golden Hours, a watch store that mends timepieces—and might even mend damaged souls. 

Richman interweaves the journeys of these wonderfully diverse characters who will grip, fill, and break your heart—only to bring them together with the care and precision of an expert watchmaker, one piece at a time. Inspired by the true story of a Vietnamese refugee who entrusted the dramatic account of her escape from Vietnam to the author, and also that of a wounded veteran, Richman sheds light on those whose lives were forever impacted by the devastation of that war. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

The Time Keepers was absolutely riveting. I enjoy stories that highlight particular moments from history, and reading about the various perspectives from all characters involved really brought the late nineteen-seventies and the Vietnam War to life.

One viewpoint comes from Grace, a mother who is raising her daughters as best she can while still processing tragedy in her own life. When she finds a young boy (Bao) and later meets Anh, a refugee who has been tasked with caring for her nephew Bao, they discover that for all of their differences, they have more in common than they could ever imagine they might have. We also get to see Anh’s experiences and what ultimately brought her and Bao to Long Island.

Jack is a Vietnam vet who can’t shake the past, his visual wounds a constant reminder. Golden Hours, the watch store that has been in Grace’s husband Tom’s family for generations, has become a lifeline for Jack, enabling him to feel as though he can still be a productive member of society, even though he still hides from life. The flashbacks of war we get to witness through Jack’s eyes and memories made me feel as though I was right there with him, with Tom’s gentle thoughts on how Golden Hours had come to be providing a much-needed buffer to balance out the grit and violence.

The most endearing perspective comes from Bao, who is the central focal point that brings everyone together. The author did an excellent job of weaving everyone’s storylines in such a way that felt much like a spider web of connectivity, leading up to some pretty scary moments that affected the characters emotionally, mentally, and physically, in both good and not so good ways. In the end, the overall message I received was one of great perseverance and love. The Time Keepers was an amazing story and well worth the experience, a definite five-star read!

Thanks to Get Red PR for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Alyson Richman:
The Lost Wife
The Velvet Hours
The Secret of Clouds

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What's in the (e)mail...plus a giveaway

Melissa:
Save the Date by Allison Raskin from Harlequin (NetGalley)
Swept Away by Beth O'Leary from Berkley (NetGalley)
The Seven O'Clock Club by Amelia Ireland from Berkley (NetGalley)

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff from Harlequin (NetGalley)

The California Dreamers by Amy Mason Doan from Harlequin (NetGalley)

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn from Sourcebooks (NetGalley)

We Are Made of Stars by Rochelle B. Weinstein from Lake Union (NetGalley)

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly from Random House (NetGalley)

Eight Nights to Win Her Heart by/from Miri White (print)

Somewhere Along The Line by Mallory Thomas from Thomas Books (NetGalley)

Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi from Harlequin (NetGalley)

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi from Random House (NetGalley)

Sara:

Murder in Verona by T.A. Williams from Rachel's Random Resources (NetGalley)

Taken by Danielle Ramsay from Rachel's Random Resources (NetGalley)

Still the One by Aimee Brown from Rachel's Random Resources (NetGalley)

Troublemakers by Gillian Godden from from Rachel's Random Resources (NetGalley)

Jami:

The Fisherman's Gift by Julia R. Kelly from Simon & Schuster (NetGalley)

Allyson:

A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne from Tor (print)

What could be in YOUR mail:

Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein

Thanks to Andrea, we have one copy to share with a lucky reader!

See Melissa's review here.

Synopsis:

Eliza’s world broke apart when she was sixteen and her mom died of cancer. Now, years later, she has rebuilt her life to include a director-of-development job at a nonprofit, a Manhattan apartment, and an easy-on-the-eyes bedroom buddy—just the kind of no-strings relationship she wants, even if it’s less than her best friend, Mo, thinks she deserves. But when Eliza’s dad dies unexpectedly, her beloved aunt Claude arrives at the shiva with a letter from her mom—to be opened only after her father’s death. Inside the letter? A bombshell.

Suddenly, all of Eliza’s relationships are upended. Her brother is angry, her stepmother is threatening to disinherit her, and Mo—who has always been her rock—doesn’t seem to understand what she’s going through. But as Eliza struggles to cope with the shocking news, she finds an unexpected ally—her brother’s best friend, Josh—her high school crush, whom she’s tried hard to forget. It’s not in Eliza’s nature to trust . . . but maybe it’s time for that to change.

Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin, Katherine Center, and Jennifer Weiner, Dear Eliza explores the meaning of family, the complexities of grief, and the beauty in finding your way again. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“The beautiful and heartfelt tale of a woman who goes looking for her biological father and ends up finding herself. Andrea Stein deftly dances on the line between grief and love—keeping the story upbeat without shying away from the depths of emotion. I loved it!” 

—Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise

“Written with humor and hope, Dear Eliza is the story of a young woman navigating the complexities of loss, love, and family. I couldn’t put it down! Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Mhairi McFarlane.” 

—Elyssa Friedland, author of Jackpot Summer

“I loved everything about it—especially its relatable, funny, honest heroine, who will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Jennifer Weiner.” 

—Angela Terry, award-winning author of The Palace at Dusk

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends October 15th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: What Was Lost

By Sara Steven

When a young girl feels complicit in her own abuse, how does that thwart her attempts to build a happy life as an adult woman?

When disturbing memories begin to surface, Marti returns to the small Vermont town she ran away from thirty years ago to face her demons. She drags her unwitting teenage daughter along on the journey—heightening already existing tension between mother and daughter. But Marti is determined to achieve what she’s returned home for: forgiveness for lies told, and revenge for secrets held.

Exploring the vast social changes that took place between 1970 and 2000 and turning a critical eye on times before language such as #MeToo helped give voice to these all-too-common occurrences, What Was Lost is a raw, powerful tale of one woman confronting the ghosts of her past. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

What Was Lost is a gripping experience. Told from Marti’s perspective from the past and in the present, the reader gains a better perspective when it comes to who Marti is, particularly when it comes to her inner struggles and the issues she faces when it comes to parenting her daughter. Marti has always felt some sort of disconnect with her daughter, despite the powerful love she has for her, with walls that have been in place for decades. 

The trip was initially meant to be a means of apology to a family who meant everything to Marti when she was young. From there, so much of her past, which she’s kept shoved down deep in places she refuses to acknowledge, seeps out and won’t leave her. It affects everything for her. I really appreciated the writing style displayed by the author–I felt like I was really inside Marti’s head, for better or for worse, no matter what. There are times when I wanted to tell her to stop what she’s doing, or to tell someone, and when it comes to the fractured relationship with her daughter, I wanted her to have more grace and to be honest about the reason they’re in Vermont to begin with. Despite the many times Marti makes choices I would never make, they are choices that are real and raw, so much of it based on experiences she’d had and suffered through, back when she was young and didn’t realize she could have more of a voice than she ever thought she could.

The sad thing is, and what is pointed out repeatedly throughout the story, is that despite the times Marti either wanted to use her voice and felt she couldn’t, and even when she does, it goes unnoticed. How realistic. So many people failed Marti, no matter how many people may have cared about her. There was no comfort in being open and verbal during a time when a young girl felt she had no means of protection against a society that protected those with authority, particularly when dealing with someone who knows they have the upper hand. There are some pretty explicit scenes that are painful to read, but it all supports the characterization of adult Marti, and her demons. It takes a scary moment pertaining to her daughter that assists in giving Marti the push she needs to finally face those demons head on.

She has to do it as a means of showing that it’s OK to have strength; that it’s OK to say no and to seek guidance and help. Ultimately, because Marti has to be the role model she knows her daughter needs her to be, and it’s OK if she’s flawed and imperfect. I loved the last few chapters when we get to see Marti’s standoff, and when she finally lets her daughter in. I think I may have gotten teary-eyed at that, too. It felt like the steps Marti needs to take to healing–something she’s wanted for most of her life. What Was Lost is touching, disturbing, and heart-jarring, and the best honest stories are that way. A definite five-star experience!

Thanks to Books Forward for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Spotlight: The Nightmare Before Kissmas

Just in time for Halloween, The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch is now available! Melissa has this in her five-book pile and is excited to read it soon, especially since she loves LGBTQ+ rom coms. Read below to see what it's all about!

Red, White & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas in a sexy, quirky romcom where the golden-hearted Prince of Christmas falls for the totally off-limits Prince of Halloween.

Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make-out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.

Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.

It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.

"Candy cane-coated catnip...Rollicking, imaginative, and sweetly steamy." 
~ Timothy Janovsky, author of You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince

Photo by Lorel Marshall

Sara Raasch grew up among the cornfields of Ohio and currently lives in the historical corridor of southeastern Virginia. She is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books for young adults. In her debut adult novel, Raasch offers readers all the joy, irreverent wit, and crackling sexiness of your favorite sweet-as-a candy-cane holiday romp. 

Visit Sara online:

Website * Instagram * TikTok

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Book Review: Not Yours to Keep

By Sara Steven

Billie Campbell, a Massachusetts adoption specialist grappling with fertility issues, dreams of adopting a baby, but not just any baby—her pregnant client’s baby. While her longing threatens to send her down a dark path, her husband, Tyler, is keeping he’s full of doubts about becoming a father, and he’s also trying to figure out who is sending him upsetting anonymous texts and photos. On the other side of town, Anne, a woman scarred by childhood abuse, obsesses with a second chance at becoming a family with the two people she regrets ever having let go the baby she gave up for adoption twenty years ago and the man of her dreams.

Their lives become entangled when the client’s newborn is abducted, and Billie becomes a prime suspect.

Amid the chaos unleashed by the abduction, Tyler uncovers a link between the person tormenting him and the abduction—but now Billie has disappeared too. The race to find both her and the baby is on; but will they find them before it’s too late? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

Not Yours to Keep contained a lot of little shocks and twists and turns that continually kept me on my toes. The story begins with Anne and her reflections, then Billie and a welcome surprise, which later turns into devastation, and Tyler, who wants to be a support for Billie, but he is dealing with his own hidden secret. The way the three characters are so intricately connected was a joy to experience, but it was also a chilling revelation. 

Billie has wanted nothing more than to be a parent. It’s a major reason she wanted to work with families who want that same thing, and with her own fertility issues, it brings that eventuality even more into the forefront. The longing she has for her client’s baby goes deeper than just a fleeting connection, feeling as if she’s known her client from somewhere before. Anne also becomes obsessed with Billie’s client, and Billie, too. There are moments that felt very Single White Female–with Anne replicating the way Billie dresses and wears her hair, all in an effort to attract Tyler’s attention. She wants to recall the past in a way that will bring it to life in the present, but there’s just one problem: Tyler has no idea who Anne is. 

The more Tyler keeps things from Billie, the more she spirals. And the more unsolicited texts and messages Tyler receives, he wants to protect Billie from the drama of it, even though he’s feeling more and more incapable of dealing with it all. As the chapters progress, the reader gets the feeling that the stakes are rising higher and higher, not knowing what will happen next. Is Billie safe? Is Tyler? And what does the dated baby photo that Tyler received have to do with any of them?

When it all comes crashing down, I didn’t know what would happen next, or how the characters would handle all of the revelations. It felt very much like watching a Dateline episode, where you just can’t believe something like that could ever happen in real life, but the truth is, it very well could, and that is the most terrifying aspect of it all. I felt emotional towards the end of the characters’ stories, particularly after the eventual fallout, when everyone is working towards coming back to some sort of normalcy. At the heart of everyone’s motivating factor, despite it all, is love, and that was a beautiful thing indeed. I enjoyed the suspense within Not Yours to Keep, making this a well-deserved five-star read.  

Thanks to BookSparks for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Lynda Cohen Loigman has us under her spell...plus a book giveaway

Today we welcome Lynda Cohen Loigman back to CLC to celebrate the publication of her latest novel, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern. Melissa loved this novel and gave it five stars! Check out her review. We had a fun time chatting with Lynda and we hope you'll enjoy reading about how she came up with the ideas for her novel. Lynda has one copy, along with a really cool necklace, for a lucky reader!

Fun side note: Yesterday was Lynda's birthday, so she has a lot to celebrate this week! 🎂

Lynda Cohen Loigman graduated from Harvard College and Columbia Law School. Her debut novel, The Two-Family House, was a USA Today bestseller and a nominee for the Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards in Historical Fiction. Her second novel, The Wartime Sisters, was selected as a Woman's World Book Club pick and a Best Book of 2019 by Real Simple Magazine. 

Her most recent book, The Matchmaker’s Gift, was named a Best New Book by People Magazine and a Best Book of Fall by the New York Post, Parade Magazine, Buzzfeed, and GoodMorningAmerica.com. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is her fourth novel.

Visit Lynda online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram * X

Synopsis:

On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs—an active senior community in southern Florida—she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy—and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.

As a teenager growing up in 1920’s Brooklyn, Augusta’s role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta’s mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta can’t help but be drawn to Esther’s curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon’s customers her own advice—unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to a mysterious array of powders and potions.

As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding but complicated relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther’s enchantments forever.

Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it’s too late? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"With the language of elixirs and potions at its center, Loigman brings us the sort of novel we need today, one full of hope, delight, and magic." 
―Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea

"Utterly charming and delightfully heartwarming, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern will cast a spell on you from the very first page." 

―Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of The Rewind

"Loigman's latest is a perfect gem! The unforgettable characters in this delightful, beautifully written novel discover that it's never too late to right wrongs, to make a fresh start, and to fall in love all over again. A truly charming, meaningful, and, above all, uplifting story." 

―Amy Poeppel, author of The Sweet Spot

If you could tell the debut novelist version of yourself one thing, what would it be?
Write down all of your story ideas in one place! I have them everywhere—in my phone, on scraps of paper, stuck in drawers. It’s a terrible habit I can’t seem to break and I wish I had started out in a more organized way!

How much research did you have to do in order to write The Love Elixir...?
The research for this book spanned many different topics. In order to understand the role of a neighborhood pharmacist, I started with the book Corner Druggist written by Robert B. Nixon, Jr. in 1941 about his father’s career. I read several other personal accounts of druggists working in this role from the early 1900’s to the 1950’s. I also spoke with several working pharmacists, including the father of my local pharmacist, who was born in 1937 and worked at a drugstore in Brooklyn as a teenager. I also read early editions of American Druggist magazine to learn about all of the products Stern’s Pharmacy might have carried on its shelves. 

To amplify the details of living in Brownsville, I read several books about the neighborhood in the 1920’s and beyond. I also read about Jewish gangsters during Prohibition. I found a 1922 article from Saturday Evening Post called “Inside the Bootleg,” which was helpful in understanding how a bootlegger might start his or her business.

Finally, in order to bring Esther’s role as a healer to life, I did a great deal of research on Jewish mysticism, folklore, and herbalism. 

Which authors have inspired you?
Edith Wharton brings emotional depth to her characters in the most astounding way. I love everything that Alice Hoffman writes. Recently, I have found Gabrielle Zevin and Leigh Bardugo to be great sources of inspiration as well. I loved both of their new books.

What is the last movie you saw that you would recommend?
I saw Wicked Little Letters at my local theater, and it was terrific! Highly recommend!

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I would take you to my two local bookstores—Scattered Books in Chappaqua and the Village Bookstore in Pleasantville. Then I’d probably take you for omelets at Le Jardin du Roi (a little café we all usually just call “The French Place”) and we’d eat outside if the weather was nice. Of course, you’d also meet my dog, Winston.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
This is such a great question. Maybe Kristin Wiig. At least then it would be funny!

Thanks to Lynda for chatting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

The necklace

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends October 13th at midnight EST.

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