1st Light - Dawn Reads and Reviews

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle My rating: 5 of 5 stars “…happiness is determined not by getting what you want but by determining which things to hold on to and which things to let go.” 🌅 Since discovering Rebecca Serle five years ago, I’ve been hooked on her stories of magical realism. I’ve consistently rated them 5 stars, and this one is no different. Why do I love them? They are part of a group of stories that sneak up on you quietly and then completely undo you. In  Once and Again  Serle blends magical realism with raw family drama, delivering a tale that is as much about love, memories, and regret as it is about the impossible question of  what if . At its heart, this book follows three generations of Novak women, each of whom carries a silver ticket granting them the chance to rewrite a single moment in their lives. For Lauren, caught between her faltering marriage, her longing for motherhood, and the reappearance of a pas...

Holding On to Chaos by Lucy Score My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Fine Art of Faking It by Lucy Score My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Last Second Chance by Lucy Score My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Because I realized I didn’t have to change everyone else in my life to make me happy. I just had to remember who I was.” “Don’t ever let anyone make you feel less than, and that includes yourself” “When you’re not honest about shit, shit comes back to bite you in the ass” “But, my God, how do you forgive stupidity like that?” And my favorite - “Because they aren’t just a piece of you. They are a human being learning how to survive and thrive in this world. And if you clean up every mess and bandage every scrape and shield them from every hurt, you take that self-reliance away from them. And that is what turns children into good men and women.” 🌅They say you never really get over your first love, and Joey Greer knows that all too well. Once inseparable from her childhood best friend-turned-high school sweetheart, Jackson Pierce, Joey had her world turned upside down when Jax walked away without e...

Not Part of the Plan by Lucy Score My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Don’t be afraid of pain, or less-than-perfect, daughter of mine. That’s where the real joy comes from. Life gets its color from challenges and adversity. You can’t plan your way to happiness, you know.” 🌅 What happens when a tightly wound brewery manager collides with a broody, motorcycle-riding photographer who’s lost his creative spark? Welcome to Blue Moon, where chaos, chemistry, and meddling neighbors are guaranteed. Emma Merrill has carved out a carefully controlled life, managing the Pierce Brewery and keeping her family close. Love isn’t on her to-do list, especially not with Nikolai, the infamous New York bad boy and Summer Pierce’s best friend. But Niko, burnt out on the city and in search of inspiration, finds himself captivated by Emma from the moment he sees her. What starts as a reluctant friendship quickly morphs into something neither of them can deny, and soon Emma’s...

Fall into Temptation by Lucy Score My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Between the highs and the lows, what keeps you going, what keeps you coming back together, is knowing that your heart beats for that one person.” Review: Fall Into Temptation by Lucy Score 🌅 Small towns have a way of magnifying both love and gossip, and in Lucy Score’s  Fall Into Temptation , that charm and chaos take center stage. Another Pierce brother and another heart swoon from Lucy Score. Beckett Pierce, Blue Moon’s lawyer and mayor, is the definition of a good guy. He prioritizes family and community, carries the weight of responsibility following his father’s passing, and possesses the kind of steady, protective energy that makes him immediately likable. Enter Gianna Decker (Gia), a strong single mom who moves to town with her two kids for a fresh start and opens a yoga studio. Their attraction sparks instantly, but between his public role, her determination to prioritize her children,...