The Book Charmer

June 7, 2019

Grace Wheeler has a plan: she will move her niece, Daisy, and her foster mother, Mama G, back to her small hometown of Dove Pond, NC, for one year. Long enough to figure out how to transition from aunt to full-time mother for Daisy and from daughter to full-time caretaker for Mama G. After she sorts that all out, she will go back to Charlotte, NC. However, the town librarian, Sarah Dove, and her books, which live and breathe, according to Sarah, have other plans for Grace. They tell Sarah that she must convince Grace to stay and that the social committee is going to help her see to it. Armed with books that whisper whom they should belong to, Sarah sets out on a campaign to woo Grace over to Dove Pond. Taking on the community's apple festival and rescuing the village from bankruptcy are all part of the plan, not to mention falling in love with the local bad boy. VERDICT This heartwarming story by Hawkins ("MacLean Curse" and "Hurst Amulet" series) will delight fans of cozy romantic fiction with its quirky characters and charming small town.--Jane Blue, Davie Cty. P.L., Mocksville, NC

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
With a dash of magical realism and a massive fondness for books, Hawkins introduces Sarah Dove, a librarian in small-town North Carolina, also known as a book charmer. Sarah matches books to the readers of Dove Pond when the books talk to her, telling her who needs them. Sarah's gift isn't enough to save the town from the financial troubles it's fallen upon, but Sarah suspects that Dove Pond newcomer Grace Wheeler can. Grace insists that she is only in town temporarily, having brought her foster mother and her niece back to the town in which her foster mother grew up. But small towns and the friendships that hold them together have a way of reaching the heart, and Grace may need Dove Pond as much as it needs her. Hawkins has created a delightfully quirky town, and the ending leaves the possibility of a sequel or series. Reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen, Abbi Waxman, and Fannie Flagg, this is a great summer read for those who love small southern towns filled with magic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)