‘Thank goodness for books,’ Bryony said. ‘They rescue us so many times, don’t they?’
(from Natural Born Readers)
Natural Born Readers is the third book in The Book Lovers series by Victoria Connelly. Although it can be read on its own, it builds on the previous books, so I highly recommend that you read The Book Lovers and Rules for a Successful Book Club first.
The series centers on the members of the Nightingale family, who own a trio of bookshops in the small village of Castle Clare. Natural Born Readers focuses on Bryony, who runs the children’s bookshop. Bryony is an outgoing, colorful, and passionate person, but she’s hurting inside and has been since her best friend and childhood sweetheart Ben Stratton left Castle Clare behind six years ago to travel the world. She couldn’t bring herself to go with him and didn’t understand how he could leave her behind. And then Ben comes back and seems to want to pick right up where they left off, but he broke Bryony’s heart, and she is determined for him to feel the same pain that he caused her.
Of course, there are things that Bryony doesn’t know, like why Ben was forced to leave Castle Clare, and since she refuses to talk to him, he doesn’t have an opportunity to tell her. Meanwhile, Bryony befriends her neighbor, Flo, an older woman who lives alone and spends her time gardening and caring for the animals on her property. Flo’s life is turned upside down when her great-nephew, Sonny, is dropped on her doorstep, and Bryony is there to provide support when Flo learns the reason Sonny has been left in her care.
Natural Born Readers is another fantastic installment in the series. I can’t get enough of the Nightingales, their Sunday gatherings, their love of books, and their close bond. I liked that Connelly presents the different viewpoints of each character so you can really understand them and their motivations. I wanted to smack Bryony at times and tell her to just tell Ben how she feels, but it was realistic that she wasn’t willing or able to welcome Ben back with open arms after so many years. Bryony and Ben are far from perfect, and I loved that Connelly showed their strengths, their weaknesses, and their mistakes. I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series, as there are still some Nightingales left with stories to tell! Stay tuned for my review of Christmas with the Book Lovers, a novella set between books 1 and 2.
A family who own book shops and love books. Sounds splendid. 🙂
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I hope you get a chance to read them!
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What a lovely heartwarming review! This series sounds like just what we need to curl up by the fire worth,in these dark cold nights!
Great review!
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Thanks, Mary! Hope you get a chance to read them!
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A cup of tea/coffee/what-ever, a comfy afghan or lap rug, a fireplace [if applicable], a rainy or snowy day and a good book. I sounds like this series is just the ticket needed for a cozy reading time. Thanks for sharing with us Anna.
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My pleasure! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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Your love of this series makes me want to give it a try. I love the cover of this one.
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I hope you do! Enjoy!
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This series sounds wonderful. Next book money is going for these, I think.
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Oh, good! I think you’d really enjoy them.
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I’ve recently read 2 books from Victoria Connelly and enjoyed them very much, but I didn’t know this series. Thank you so much for your review Anna, I’m glad to know I can continue reading this authors work :))
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My pleasure! I’m reading the Christmas novella right now and really enjoying it. Hope you get a chance to read this series and love it as much as I do!
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That’s the one of those I read Anna, it’s a really nice one :))
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Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!
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