Reluctance turns to inclination, and duty to love in the enchanting, candied romance of The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Alice Hoffman will find a new author to follow in this Dove Pond series by best-selling author of historical romance.

As book one, it does an excellent job of setting the stage for all sorts of delightful and magical tidbits that are sure to come our way as the series progresses. Sarah Dove is a most charming character, it’s no wonder she claims the title of ‘book charmer.’ A woman from generations of ‘gifted’ women, the Dove luck is in high demand when The Book Charmer sets off. On the precipice of falling into bankruptcy, a thing far too many delightful small towns suffer from, Sarah Dove has been waiting for a sign, and with a little of her family luck, she’s about to get her hopes (or perhaps her destiny) answered. In rolls Grace Wheeler, a grieving sister who has newly adopted the role of mother to a recalcitrant eight-year-old Daisy. Daughter to Hannah, Grace’s younger sister, this young girl is in need of a steady ship to call home, but Grace is not feeling like she’s capable of steering any ship at the moment. Poor Grace is a woman on the edge, and moving to Dove Pond is a chore, but a necessity, at least until Grace can get her feet back under her.

Sarah has other plans for her though, and as the town unveils its list of quirky characters, scintillating history and demand for a savior, Grace might find herself unwilling to let go of the love she not only finds for the town, but also the love she’s found for herself. Easily, these characters slip into the readers’ memory as if they too have lived years with Aunt Jo and her bulldog Moon Pie, or spent time with neighbors who talk to books, or spot flowers changing colors when two people in love walk by. This is the type of book that reminds us to pause and take note of the good things, however small. The smell of an old book, the hint of a loved ones cologne, or the remembrance of childhood summers on the scent of freshly clipped grass, all coalesce in this most inviting book. Perfect for a summer at a beach cottage, but equally as warming if read by the fire in the dead of winter, The Book Charmer is simply magical.

Many people say Sarah Dove loves books but the opposite is true, books love Sarah Dove. They talk to her and guide her on who needs them. Sounds crazy right, however this is the main story in this delightful book about a small town that is falling apart. Luckily for them the person they need just moved to town they just have to convince her to stay.



** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

The Book Charmer is positively enchanting. The mystical and magical of life blended skillfully with the challenging and disquieting hurdles in life make this book sing.

Whether you are a book lover or not this story of small town life will appeal to many. The struggles of the characters are very realistic and the storyline was such fun. I can’t wait to read more in this series and more from K. Hawkins. A good book club selection.

The Book Charmer is one of those utterly delightful, small-town stories built on a wonderful cast of quirky characters. It's a fun and easy read that also manages to tackle a few hard topics (PTSD and Alzheimers) with great sensitivity. This story is centered around Grace and her move to Dove Pond, with her niece Daisy and foster mother Mama G in tow. She has a plan that will be challenged as she gets to know the community and learns the importance of friendship, loyalty, and healing.

Karen Hawkins writing is flawless and I look forward to the next installment in the series and getting to know more about the magical Dove sisters.

A heartwarming story of how opening yourself to friendship can change everything in your life for the better.

I loved this book! I am a huge fan of Sarah Addison Allen, and this story hit all the same good emotions. My only complaint was that the story ended before finishing up some loose ends regarding some of the characters, but it was only after finishing that I realized this will be an on-going series (which I am very excited about following). This book tells the story of Dove Pond and it's many citizens. One of the main characters in this first book is Sarah Dove, who has a special gift that allows her to communicate with books. She uses her ability as the town librarian to pair books with whomever may need that book (most of the time they don't even know it themselves!). The Dove family is well-known for their special gifts, and are accepted by the community. However the community has become worn-down and is at the brink of bankruptcy. Sarah believes that a newcomer, Grace Wheeler, holds the power to save Dove Pond, if only she can get Grace to stay. This was a great read, and made me feel genuinely happy to experience the novel. I wish there was a real Dove Pond for my family to move to and experience. I would give this book a 10 out of 10, and highly recommend to any fans of magical realism.

I am a sucker for a magical realism novel. I enjoyed this one about a magical family living in a dying small North Carolina town. Members of the Dove family all have different gifts -- Sarah Dove, the town librarian -- can talk to books. In fact they talk to her and tell her which books people need for whatever is happening in their lives. The town of Dove Pond is struggling, so when Grace Wheeler moves to town, Sarah senses that she is the person who will help save the town. I enjoyed this sweet book full of quirky characters in a charming (and a little bit magical) small town.

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins is the story of a small town with a magical family. Dove Pond was founded by the Dove family in the 1700s. A family with special gifts. As the story opens in 2001, we meet Sarah Dove, the seventh daughter, on her seventh birthday when something extraordinary happens: a book speaks to her! Not just catches her attention but speaks to her. Once she embraces the books, a whole new world opens to her. Grace Wheeler and her sister, Hannah, have been bounced from one foster home to another, and their last chance to stay together is at Mama G’s house. For the first time, despite her best efforts not to, Grace finally feels like she’s home. Fast forward to 2019, Grace is headed to Dove Pond with Mama G, who is now suffering from Alzheimer’s, and her niece, Daisy. Grace has taken a job as the town clerk, reluctantly, but they all need a change of scenery for a while. When she arrives, Sarah, now the town librarian, feels a change in the air, something good is going to happen to their town. At first, Grace keeps everyone at arm’s length, determined to do the job she was hired for and move on. Will the Dove Family Good Luck help win her over? How will the books help Sarah convince Grace to stay?
I loved, loved this book! From the open chapter, really a girl who can hear the books?!? To the closing pages, I fell in love with everyone in this lovely small town. I laughed, I cried. I smiled so much my face hurt! I could sympathize with Grace as she struggles to care for her ailing Mama G, learning to raise her niece and learning to ask for help. As a foster child, attachment meant pain, so Grace pushes everyone aside because it is what she knows. Sarah, who believes Grace is the key to save their town, won’t be pushed aside. Every small town has their characters from the mayor who likes the status quo, to the wealthy family who likes everyone to know it and those who hide their pain and suffering, everyone has a story. The Book Charmer is the first book in the Dove Pond series and I highly recommend it! I cannot wait to read more about this town and its wonderful residents.

The Book Charmer
is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! The setting was reminiscent of Gilmore Girls - small, sleepy town with eccentric residents. The back story of the main characters was nicely developed. This was a perfect book to read at the end of summer.

A sweet book - I enjoyed the characters and loved the small-town vibe. The elements of magical realism were just enough to give it a fun whimsical touch and I appreciated the fine balance the author achieved with that. I did find some plot points to be a bit predictable - which unfortunately allowed my attention to wander a bit - but overall, a satisfying read!

This was such a wonderful book. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to the end. I cannot point to one thing that made it interesting, I just have to say any story with books is always exciting.

This book was such a fun read! I adore books that are able to mix in a little magical realism and make is seem believable. If you love books from Sarah Addison Allen then you need to read this book. This story alternates view points and I loved all three of the main characters. I found that each one offered a unique view and had great depth. I loved the story and the town itself too. This was a really great read and I definitely recommend it!

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
Book #1: Dove Pond Series
Source: NetGalley and Gallery Books
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Love can’t cure a broken heart, but it can hold the two sides together while they heal.”

Holy WOW, y’all!! The Book Charmer is my first Karen Hawkins book and it is absolutely and without doubt not going to be my last! What a read this was and from beginning to end, I was all in, totally invested, and ugly crying by the end.

Sarah Dove (and her family!) is special. If you believe, Sarah and her six sisters each have special gifts which often allow them to enhance the lives of those around with. Sarah’s gift allows her to hear the wishes of the books she tends as town librarian. Though she may not always understand why, when Sarah is told by a book whom it needs to go to, Sarah complies. While not everyone believes in Sarah’s gift, all have learned not to turn away one of her books. One of the oldest books in Sarah’s library, a town history written by one of Sarah’s ancestors, has long believed and often loudly informed Sarah that she will be involved in securing the fate of her beloved hometown, Dove Pond.

Sarah has spent her life in service to her town and while she knows the town is struggling, she has no idea how badly until Grace Wheeler comes to town. As the new town clerk, Grace Wheeler has no intention of staying in Dove Pond any longer than is strictly necessary. The move to Dove Pond is a last-ditch effort to help ease Grace’s foster mother into the throws of Alzheimer’s, to settle her into a place she is long-familiar with. Additionally, Grace has also taken over the care of her niece, Daisy, a precocious and sassy eight-year-old reeling from the recent loss of her absentee mother. With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Grace is angry and tired and feels she has no room or energy for friends, let alone saving a small town.

Grace has never experienced small town life and isn’t at all prepared for what she finds. Sarah Dove is the nicest person on earth and is bound and determined to bring Grace into the fold. Because her books have told her so, Sarah firmly believes Grace is the way to Dove Pond’s salvation and if she can’t get Grace on board then there’s no hope at all. Sarah’s plan is simple, make Grace see the beauty of Dove Pond, the power and grace of her people, and convince her to stay forever. Shouldn’t be hard, right? What the eternally optimistic Sarah does not at all understand is the stubbornness and anger in Grace as a result of her situation and circumstances. To convince Grace to help and stay is going to take a monumental effort on everyone’s part.

The effort to keep Grace comes in the form of annual Apple Festival. As town clerk, Grace is the head of the planning committee and is expected to pull off a miracle on a shoestring budget. As Grace begins her research she discovers how desperately in trouble Dove Pond is and after a few shenanigans involving other committee members, Grace decides to dig her heals in and help the small town come back to life. As Sarah (and many others) had hoped, Grace not only becomes invested in the festival, but in the town and her citizens as well. The road to success isn’t at all smooth and without obstacles, both personal and professional, but it is the single most rewarding road Grace has ever travelled. In fact, as she is working hard to save a small town, Grace finds her own salvation.


The Bottom Line: If I didn’t have to adult and be responsible daily, this book would have been completed in a single sitting! The Book Charmer is everything I love in contemporary fiction: small town setting, wonderful characters with bright and full personalities, a bit of the mystical, and the full range of the feels. What’s more, this book is beautifully written and deals gently though honestly with difficult topics that so many in the real world face every day. There is an overall feeling of love, friendship, acceptance, loss, and community in this book and it appealed to me on every level. Finally, as I began this review and looked up the book on Goodreads, I discovered this is just the first in a series and I am beyond excited to know more about the Dove sisters, their special gifts, and life in Dove Pond.

There is so much charming magical realism, it's hard for me to write this review. There are some things that I really loved about this book and other things that fell a little flat for me.

I love prickly Grace whose armor is wrapped tightly around her. She is such a stranger in Dove Pond, I immediate felt for her once she moved into this foreign town with her plans. She is mourning the loss of her sister Hannah who has died and left her a niece and aging foster mother to take care of. I wish there was more storyline between her and the departed Hannah, I think this would have added more depth to her character.

Travis is the bad boy and wounded solider. He's handsome and haunted and closed off and of course, super attracted to Grace, whether he wants to be or not. While I like him on paper (no pun intended) he felt a little flat for me and I didn't really feel so much chemistry between him and Grace.

My favorite though is Sarah who speaks to books and they speak to her. I love her unrequited love for the town sheriff, their romance teetering on the edges of the book, teasing us. I am sure this romance will be front and center in the next book. This is the romance I can't wait to read. I felt closer to these two characters and their romance.

Overall, I think The Book Charmer will be a big hit for some readers. There's a lot of small town charm and brightly colored characters. The saving of the town is a great plot and Grace shows off her intelligence and skill through the book, swaying an entire community to her side. I wish there was a little more chemistry between Grace and Travis and I felt like the romance was a little off, but overall I want to read the next book in the series.

4.5 stars.

I am SUCH a sucker for magical realism. I love living vicariously through books, I tell you. The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins is a cute story with a few quirky characters. It's one of those that fits perfectly into the trope of small town Southern magical realism and it's a book that provides all the feels in a wonderfully fantastic way.

The title of the book is apt, but still feels a little misleading given the actual plot of the book. Sarah Dove does function prominently in the development of the narrative, but I felt that Grace's story was more of the focus. Because of this, the plot was a little different than I expected, with less focus on Sarah that I really wanted based on the title, but it worked all the same. The narrative was interesting and the characters were fun and real. There was a balance of emotion within the writing and not everything was generated with a shiny exterior. I appreciated that and felt that Hawkins left quite a bit in her development of the characters and the town that I wanted to continue to explore.

Overall, The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins was a very charming, cozy, and cute read. I loved the characters and...noting that there are some unfinished stories and that the author does have a prequel of sorts for this book already...I will be hoping for a sequel. I am longing for more!

Nina has a busy life- everyday she has filled with a book club or some kind of hobby. She works at a local book store and spends her only free time reading. Her busy world get turned upside down when she finds out her father died, a father she never knew about. Not only does she not know about her father, she has a whole other family she didn't know she had. And on top of all of that, she can't stop thinking about the guy in the rival trivia team. She most certainly does not have the time for all of the new things in her life, but they seem to find time to work their way in.

This was such a fun read and perfect for summer. If you are a reader and lover of books, you will totally get Nina needing her night to just read.

Oh, to have and retain the knowledge of the book charmer so to meet everyone's needs through books, would be ideal. I found this book to be magical and a breath of fresh air in our world today. Karen Hawkins you charmed us with books and love for humankind.

A lighthearted read for a book lover. Books speak to us every time we turn the pages just not quite as literally as they do here! Will their savior connect with the town or move on. A beautifully written story

This was a charming book that I could not put down. I love this book ! The world the author created drew me in and held my attention until the last page was done. This is a endearing story for all book lovers and those who like the charm of a small southern town and stories of friendship.. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the ARC. My opinion is my own.

The small town of Dove Pond is a sweet small thriving town with the Dove family at the heart of the town. . Librarian Sarah Dove is the current heart of the town. Books talk to her and tell her who needs them. The good of the town and the people who live there are always better for her recommendations. She loves books and creating her own book magic for the people of the town.

The books have talked about a stranger coming to town, Enter Grace Wheeler, who has her orphaned niece and elderly mother who suffers terribly from dementia. The books say she is here to stay but Grace has no interest in staying until she meets Sarah and begins to settle into this quirky magical town that embraces her. Soon the citizens of Dove Pond are calling Grace one of their own and she finds ties that bind her to want to stay and build a new life for her family. Grace and Sarah have a instant bond as friends that means the world to Grace as she struggles with her family issues.

I highly recommend this book for all who enjoy a endearing story of friendship amid the southern charm of a small town. This is one of my favorite books of the year. I only wish I could stay in the author''s world . I look forward to further works by this author. This is a perfect summertime read .