I loved this book so much. I loved the warm and caring people of Dove Pond and the way the community came together to support each other. And I loved the magic of the books.

Grace, Mama G, and Daisy are a family, a family that has had their share of troubles and drama. The move to Dove Pond is only temporary, just until Grace can save enough money to move them all back to the city. But... the town and people of Dove Pond have a different plan for this little family.

Grace meets Sarah, the town librarian, and they don’t hit it off... at all. There’s definitely trouble there. But Sarah has the power and wisdom of the books to help her break through Grace’s hard exterior. I’ve always felt that books are special, so to read about the connections the books have with Sarah and how they seem to know what everyone needs made The Book Charmer such an entertaining book to read.

And I love how the ending left the future wide open for more book magic. I can’t wait to go back to Dove Pond and find out what the books have in store for everyone. The author has more stories in her head about this wonderful community, book #2, A Cup of Silver Linings will be out July 7, 2020.

This book was quaint and lovable! I enjoyed the town that was described with the book tie in! If you’re on the hunt for a heartwarming read that is set in a small town with, lovable characters, and a strong focus on family and friendships, I highly recommend adding Karen Hawkins’ The Book Charmer to your reading list.

NetGalley recommended the ARC of Karen Hawkins’ new book, The Book Charmer, the second in the Dove Pond series. Now I am recommending it to you. In this enchanting tale, main character, Sarah Dove, has always loved books. So it was a no brainer that she would become the town librarian in the small, picturesque town of Dove Pond, NC, the town founded by and named after her ancestors. Sarah doesn’t just love books, she talks to them – and they talk to her!

After being sent from one foster home to another, Grace Wheeler and her sister, Hannah, were taken in by Ms. Giano, (Mama G to most folks). Now Grace is grown and is raising her deceased sister’s child, Daisy, and is caregiver to Mama G., who has Alzheimer’s Disease. In an effort to provide a more familiar setting for Mama G., Grace quit her lucrative job in Charlotte, and moved to Mama G.’s hometown of Dove Pond to be the town clerk.

The books are telling Sarah that Grace is just what the doctor ordered for the failing town of Dove Pond. Grace plans to stay only one year, then return to her high-powered job in the big city. After a rocky start, the entire town comes to love Grace, and she loves them.

Then there is Travis Parker, who was severely burned in Afghanistan. Travis came home to heal, and ended up being a caregiver for his aging widowed father. Travis keeps to himself most of the time, but couldn’t help noticing the standoffish but gorgeous Grace Wheeler.

The Book Charmer is not just a sweet, heartwarming book, it deals with many issues that affect most or many people:

the difficulty of raising a child;
the fear and exhaustion of caring for an aging parent with dementia;
the struggles of our wounded warriors;
the physical pain those warriors suffer even after wounds appear to be healed;
the overworked foster care program;
the assumptions we make about men with tattoos and long hair;
the regrets we all have after losing a parent;
the assumptions often made about people living in small towns.
Ms. Hawkins has created a very special book. It’s a quick, easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The Book Charmer should be made into a Hallmark movie.

What makes The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

Well, because this was an advanced reader’s copy that had not yet had its final editing when I read it, I will let the verb tense disagreement and numerous typos slide. Still, it did have its share of split infinitives, and the use of “bringing” in place of “taking” – both of which most editors these days seem to ignore. They shouldn’t.

This was a great, feel good read. I felt like the characters were developed well and there were some tough issues that they had to deal with. The small town and the people in it grew on me for sure as the story progressed. Even though there were magical books, which I thought would take away from the story, it didn't bother me. The Book Charmer was well written and I'm looking forward to the next in the series now.

This was definitely a charmer of a book! I don't read much fantasy or magic, but this was just the perfect amount and focused on some good plot lines and of course - the beauty of books. Thanks NetGalley for my review copy.

Although I received this book in exchange for my opinion from the publisher (via netgalley) all opinions are my own and in no way are influenced by the publisher or netgalley.

I loved this book. It is the perfect balance of magic and realism. It does follow some of the classic story lines, big city girl is thrown into small town life, not by choice but by necessity. This time because she is caring for her aging mother and her sister's orphaned daughter. I love the magic of the book charmer, the small city trying to survive as a bedroom community, the small businesses trying to survive the big box stores in surrounding cities. The small town people trying not to be swallowed by the big surrounding cities. (I know, I've said cities a lot, but it is a big thing in this town.) The planters are changing and there is a cat with two homes. You have to read it to find out more. It's seriously a charming book. Can not wait to read more from Karen Hawkins and learn more about the Dove family.

This was an amazing story of a small town, the wonderful people who live there and believe in it and their hope for the future. It is also a story about family and friendships and hardships and the challenges that must be overcome. Grace is new to the town of Dove Pond but has relocated there to help Mama G and her niece Daisy. Sarah Dove, the town librarian, has a special gift with the books and she and the other long-time residents believe that the town will once again be the wonderful place that it was when they were growing up. This story touched my heart from the beginning of it and I hated to see it end. I was so glad to find out that there will be another book in this series because there are so many more stories that can be told about this town and its residents.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Gallery Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Pure magic. A book about how wonderful books are. Love the cover and all the insides! Wonderful. Great plot, charming characters.

The Book Charmer was a book full of sweetness and magic. I knew the book was about books, but I loved it much more than I thought because of it. I loved the quotes about books and about everything. If you know me, you know I love quotes and when I find a lot of them, it is normally a sign that I really liked the book.
The story is simple, but as I said, it has a touch of magic. I thought that was interesting, but I would have loved to know more about that (I understand there will be more books, so hopefully we will get to know the Dove magic more deeply). I loved the characters, they were all nice and sweet and they all added to the story. I did not like Grace at the beginning, though, but then I started to understand her and then I liked her more with each chapter. I loved Sarah and Trav and I would like to know more about the whole Blake thing.
That is actually one of the only things I did not like about the book. I felt the ending was a bit rushed. It was as if all the story had developed slowly and then everything ended. I was not a bad ending, but I needed more (like about the Major thing and Blake’s story).
However, I deeply enjoyed the book. It was the perfect lovely story to read. The plot is perfect for book lovers; the pace is just the right one for a weekend read, and the whole setting for more Dove Pond stories is great.
Highly recommended, I cannot wait to read more of the author’s books.

Sarah Dove is the 7th daughter of the Dove family and the town librarian in the charming, quaint town of Dove Pond. Books "speak" to her - they tell her who they need and insist on Sarah getting that book into the hands of their intended reader! The town is better because of Sarah - she loves books and creating magic for her hometown.
Grace Wheeler moves into Dove Pond - her family has experienced tragedy and she is trying her best to care for her orphaned niece and her elderly mother who suffers from dementia. Grace is skeptical about this town and has no intent on staying - but she meets Sarah and develops a close friendship. She becomes the town clerk and discovers that Dove Pond is in financial ruin. Grace and Sarah both have the mutual desire to come together with the residents of Dove Pond in order to save the beloved town.
I loved this book!!! It was such a special book that touched my heart - the topics of friendship and family and the bond we share with them was prevalent throughout. I generally don't care for "magical fantasy" types of books, but this one was done just right! I really look forward to more books in this series!
Thanks to Karen Hawkins, Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this wonderful book!

A great premise, with well-formed characters and enough tension to keep it from feeling superficial. I really enjoyed the author's writing style, and how real the characters felt.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful novel. The characters were so warm and lovable and the interactions were funny but also heart warming. I loved all the different facets and relationships that evolved throughout the story. I also enjoyed the nice blend of humor, self growth and a little romance too with a surprising dash of magical mystery. I would hands down recommend this book to anyone and cannot wait to read more by this author. This is definitely one of my favorites I have read so far this year!

Thank you to Gallery Books for an advanced reader copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fun book to pick up and get lost in for the weekend! Moving back to a town your family comes from has its problems, but making an effort to learn will get you far.

The Book Charmer was charming and delightful! I enjoyed the way that the story was written in a way that made the town feel familiar and cozy. Grace has moved to Dove Pond with her foster mother and her niece. Grace isn't very happy about moving to such a small town, but she feels responsible to take care of her family now that her sister has died. She is angry that she's stuck living there and doesn't want to bother with anyone. But somehow she finds herself in charge of the annual Apple Festival and starts to get to know her neighbors and the other people who live there. Sarah somehow has books talk to her and delivers books to the people who need them. Sarah has reasons of her own to get to know Grace and her family, You will love this novel if you enjoy books about small towns and wonderful characters! All of the characters were delightful and the story contained both moments of humor and moments of real life challenges.

Title: The Book Charmer

Author: Karen Hawkins
Pages: 344

Genre: Contemporary fiction magical Realism with a hint of romance

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Gallery Books


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The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins is the first book in the Dove Pond series. A small town in North Carolina that basically finds out that they are going broke. Can a town actually go broke? Sarah Dove who just happens to be the town book whisper as well as the town librarian. Wants to save the town but doesn't know-how. That changes when Grace Wheeler comes to town, Grace doesn't plan on staying in town longer than she has to. Especially since she's now the guardian of her niece and her foster mother whose health is failing. She determined not to make friends and she avoids Sarah at all costs despite them being neighbors. To add to the typical small-town everybody pretty much knows each other’s business. There's also the whole bad boy next door, in the form of cynical veteran Travis Parker. Who may understand what Grace is going through more than most?
Even though The Book Charmer was a bit out of my normal reading genre, I don't tend to read magical realism I enjoyed the book. The small-town North Carolina setting was perfect. I love small-town setting especially small towns with festivals that are a small town staple. The small town that my mom grew up in had a honey fest every year. And just like the back cover says, North Carolina has the best BBQ this side of Atlanta I prefer North Carolina BBQ. Dove Pond is a fictional town not too far from Ashville. I'm always wary of how author's write veteran's as characters, but Karen did a good job of writing Travis and what he was going through adjusting to civilian life.
When it came to Sarah's book charmer skills I mean what book worm hasn't dreamed that their books might actually talk to them. As well as wishing that their local librarian knew what book was perfect for them before they even opened their month.
This book is great for all book worms. There is a bit of romance in the book but it subtle. I look forward to reading the next book in the Dove Pond series.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This book immediately made me think of Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. While I do not like to compare authors or books, I think The Book Charmer did not quite live up to what I thought this would be. Sometimes charming and cozy, I also lost interest half way through.

While this book had me at hello, it lost its charm somewhere near the middle. I loved the idea of this story, especially the books speaking to the librarian and being placed with certain townsfolk – people united with a book they didn't know they needed, hence, the title of the book. However, the author veered away from this idea and, to me, focused entirely too much on business transactions and saving a small town with an Apple Festival. The book charming message got kind of lost amongst a storyline that could've meant more without seeming so unrealistic. When I began reading, I was so excited about the direction I felt this book would take, a magical Sarah Addison Allen spin. Unfortunately, it fizzled for me midway and the magic was lost.



*E-copy provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley.

I'm a fan of Sara Addison Allen and have been hoping for another book like "Garden Spells" for a long time. This one seemed to tick all the boxes- quirky Southern town, magical realism (plus magic books!), women who learn to rely on each other. Why not try it?

I will answer my own question. The book is slow, bland as unsalted butter, and I didn't care about the characters. I will give detail:

The pace of the book is glacial, and I don't even think we're really going to get to the end of the "plot" in this book. Basically, the town of Dove Pond is in the red financially and has been going downhill for 25 years. The same mayor, an utterly uncharming and negligent man who only wants to go fishing, has been elected for 15 years. No one in town knows how bad things are until Grace blazes into town with her mother and niece, takes the town clerk position even though she is a financial advisor whiz and the job is far beneath her (no joke, it really is, and it's too bad no one has been doing that job for the last 15 years) and discovers the financial mayhem. There's some handwaving about how the mayor has no oversight, no town council, no board of directors or anything, but basically everyone has either been incompetent or oblivious. This revelation takes over 200 pages to appear, because the author is more concerned about discussing how everyone drinks their coffee and setting the stage for quirky characters. This could actually be in interesting plot in a different book in which the author cared about how to save the town. But the author really is setting many slow burn romances in motion and doesn't want to focus on this idea, just needs it as an excuse to talk about quirky characters. I don't actually mind the idea of quirky characters but they are also

Bland as unsalted butter. The author seems like she is using a Pinterest board of things that people like and then put them all in this little Southern town. She has included: a family of seven sisters who can all do different semi-magic things. One bakes cake, one makes teas, one is a librarian who chooses books for people. Who doesn't like cake, tea or books (who is this book's target audience)? I love all these things myself. Other things include: cats, ghosts (maybe), flowers, old houses, childhood sweethearts, festivals and ( think I can see this one coming) makeovers. Really, if you can turn your brain off and just get a dopamine response whenever you read about a cat, a book, coffee, cake, or coffee cake, you'll actually do very well. But the characters don't make sense.

Characters: Grace is a "financial advisor" from Charlotte (or another big Southern city, it doesn't really matter). I don't think the author has much of a clue what a financial advisor does, but she needs a character who knows money because that character must save Dove Pond. Grace is Uptight. She, to be fair, has to care for her niece (sister's tragically dead) and her foster mother who is going downhill from dementia- this is why they came to Dove Pond in the first place; Mama G needs familiar surroundings. Although Grace is in her mid-twenties, the first time she sees her obvious love interest driving his motorcycle, she despises him because he rides a motorcycle, has long hair and tattoos (looks like Khal Drogo in the author's attempt to get us into the twenty first century despite all the characters acting like they live in 1980) and has scars. So, she was told that he's a veteran before she ever sees him, but looks down on him because he has scars. Really. I never really took to Grace, not because she's uptight, but because she feels like a character idea rather than a character. Her traits are: uptight, angry, city girl. Grace's love interest is Travis. His traits are: angry, depressed,deep down a real find. The author even lists why Travis is a find: he is an adult male, he has a house, he has a business (it's a manly mechanic business inherited from his father), he was captain of the high school football team. I am serious. The author lets us know that many women in Dove Pond have been trying to get Trav to "notice them" (because I guess in Southern USA Brigadoon women can't ask a guy out, they can only hope he notices them). Despite Travis's long hair and tattoos, he acts like a guy in a Cialis ad. He only drives his motorcycle in town, under the speed limit (although he does like to rev the engine), and his favorite thing is to wash and wax the motorcycle. He doesn't like kids (I have sympathy for him on this one; our child character Daisy has a bad case of Adorable Urchin Syndrome) except of course he really does like kids; he just doesn't know it yet. Also, Sarah our magic librarian and Travis are best friends and have been forever even though Travis was the popular captain of the football team/valedictorian/homecoming king and Sarah was "edgy", whatever that means in Dove Pond. Nothing about this makes much sense ( do the most popular kid in school and a social outcast usually stay friends without any complications or baggage in small town high schools?) but because all of these characters are just a collection of character traits instead of characters who act like people, I guess you have to just go with it.

Grace, Travis and Sarah the magical librarian all act like they are at least in their 50's, more like 70's although they are supposedly in their 20's( I say as a 50 year old woman). Dove Pond has apparently never heard of Powerpoint or websites, because all meetings and notifications are done with handouts and flyers. I have a feeling that Dove Pond is entirely white ( a few characters have "brown skin" but otherwise the default is white and middle class). If this book had been set back in the 80's, it would make a lot more sense, but as it is, it's written for a target audience that likes its paper instead of technology, in more interested in a VERY slow semi-romance than in a plot, and really is just reading for a pleasant way to turn the brain off for a bit. If you're looking for that, you may find it here. But I got irritated instead of calmed due to the cookie-cutter characters and the paper-thin plot (which looks like it will get strung out over at least seven books because there are seven magical Dove sisters). It takes a lot for a book with books, cake and magic to utterly fail with me, but two thirds of the way through I can't take it anymore.

If you need a fluffy but makes you think book add this to your TBR list now. If you need a little 'magic' to make you smile move it from TBR to reading. Karen Hawkins is definitely on my authors to follow list.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

A super cozy read about a small town with a hint of magic. The perfect kind of book for curling up with next to a big mug of tea or cocoa. Quirky neighbors, magic and a librarian with talking books. What more do you want?