One Old, One New features two books – one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today I am featuring two books by Sarah Chamberlain.
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on September 2, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
A sunshine American bookstore whisperer clashes with the grumpy British owner of the shop she’s trying to save in this winning opposites-attract romance for book lovers.
He has a struggling bookshop. She has a knack for bringing bookstores back to life. As soon as she walks into his store, all bets are off…
Mari Cole’s whole life is her dream rescuing and revitalizing indie bookstores. Friendship? Love? No thanks. After a hard childhood, she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone. Besides, books have never let Mari down the way people have.Then she gets the offer of a rescuing Ross & Co. Once the most prestigious independent booksellers in London, the store is a shadow of its former self and needs an expert outsider to turn things around. But the offer turns out to be a double-edged Leo Ross, the store's new owner, is as cold and hostile as the British winter.
For as long as he can remember, Leo Ross has known his future is becoming the next generation to run Ross and Co. He’s sacrificed almost everything he cares about, but the bookshop is still failing on his watch, and now there's an obnoxiously cheerful American woman convinced that she's going to magically make everything better. Leo’s life is difficult and messy enough as it is, and he doesn’t want her help.
When Mari and Leo are forced to work closely together to bring the store back to life, Leo's icy surface thaws to reveal the passionate man underneath. As the cold winter gives way to the possibility of new beginnings, Mari begins to see that true love could be even better in real life than in the pages of a book. Can they put their pasts aside and learn to let love in?
A bookstore was her refuge when her mother's untimely death left her under the care of her cold and stand-offish step-father. After years working as a bookseller, Mari developed a gift for saving struggling shops. When her mentor sends her to London to help turn a friend's 100-year old shop around, Mari is met with opposition. But soon enough, she wins Leo over and as she also wins his heart.
I cannot resist a bookshop setting, and who doesn't enjoy a good save-the-shop tale. I, for one, enjoy cheering for the indie stores as they battle to keep their place in this big-box world, and Ross & Co was one storied shop. I loved the backstory and its history and was excited about the 100-year celebration. The setting was a winner for me, but I have to admit, that little plot twist that came in the last part of the book was one of my favorite parts. I did wish it played out more on page, but I understand that this was a romance.
Mari and Leo were quite an interesting grumpy-sunshine pairing. Him, brooding and all in black, while she presented in bright colors and optimism. That optimism didn't quite extend to Mari's personal life, and I understood why. Her childhood was tough. Losing her mother young and never knowing her biological father, she was provided the bare necessities by her step-father and then abandoned by him when he deemed her old enough. Mari was forced to rely on herself, and this kept her from forming meaningful relationships. I was eager to see Leo break through her defenses because there was no doubt in my mind that this woman needed and deserved to have her own group of people to love and be loved by.
Overall, I enjoyed this spending time at Ross & Co while Mari and Leo worked together to save the shop, come to terms with their pasts, and open their hearts to possibilities.
*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on September 24, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
Love could be a recipe for disaster, or the best thing they ever cooked up...
Kieran O'Neill should be on top of the world. He's just won a cooking reality TV show, he's on track to open his own restaurant before he turns thirty, and he's even got a high-paying cookbook deal. Still he can't impress his stuck-up family, his ADHD makes planning ahead impossible and, worst of all, his ghostwriter is the most uptight, humourless woman he's ever met. But to be seen as a serious chef like he's always wanted, he needs to finish this book...
Ellie Wasserman is barely holding it together. She's a thirty-year-old widow living with her needy in-laws, her little brother won't adult without her help, and instead of working on her own cookbook, she's ghostwriting one for the chaotic, impulsive Kieran O'Neill. Or would be, if he'd ever answer her emails. But to own her own home like she's always dreamed of, she needs to finish this book...
As their deadline gets closer and the heat between them builds, can these two driven, lonely people let go of their past hurts and make something truly sweet together? Or will their fragile new love go up in smoke?
The ultimate will-they-won't-they, enemies-to-lovers romance that readers everywhere are falling in love with!
Ghost writer Ellie has met her toughest challenge yet - writing a cook book with reality TV chef, Kieren. After a rocky start, a working partnership develops between Kieren and Ellie which eventually blossoms into friendship and more. But with the book and Ellie's future at stake, can she afford to take a risk on love?
If you are looking for a true slow burn, you are not going to find it here. That was actually a relief to me because I like my books to have the romance burning by that halfway point. Kieren was an interesting match for Ellie. She had spent her life seeking stability. When her husband suddenly died, she had to abandon the life she thought she would have with him and set out to find that security on her own. Kieren was more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of guy, but he brought something special, something that was missing, to Ellie's life.
I liked the romance between these two just fine, but the bigger story was Ellie's. Being with Kieren and writing this book opened her eyes to many things about her own life. Things that she let slide but really needed to address with respect to her in-laws, family, and business partners. She made some huge realizations and pushed herself to finally fulfill her own needs, and I was really proud of her.
Overall, I enjoyed taking this culinary and personal journey with Kieren and Ellie as they worked through their past and set out to build a future together.
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