Click here to read about Where my ‘Judge a Book by its Cover’ started.

The book cover is the first thing to grab my attention, secondly the title, and then I’ll read the blurb.

This week I have three more covers that caught my eye, and like the last time, I hope these covers portray the same story as the blurb.

Number 1

This cover of When you Returned by Havelah Mclat, speaks romance. There’s a softness to it, and it gives me happy vibes. Also, I love covers with snow on them. Any time of year!

If I were in the mood for a sweet romance, I’d look twice at this book. The title; When you Returned. Sub title; Does everyone deserve a second chance? This is a question. I imagine one of them has compromised the relationship and is back looking for a second chance. Does he/she deserve the chance?

I would expect a happy ending from a book like this. But who is the happy ending with? I would expect this book to give me sweet dreams rather than nightmares. I’d imagine I would relate to the characters in this story–at least I would hope to.

Now, I’ll look further and read the blurb!

Here’s the blurb.

Once a renowned skater, Jaclyn is now a single mother, working at the beloved skating rink in a small town in Colorado that has been in her family for generations. When the rink is at risk of being lost, she looks for help from professionals.

The last person she expects to help them get back on their feet is Lavern, an old flame from high school.

After running from grief over the loss of his brother eight years ago, Lavern is back in town on assignment from a company that helps struggling businesses. Assigned to help the rink recover, he now must face the girl he once loved and left behind.

Together, Lavern and Jaclyn are the only hope to save her family’s rink. But confronting the pain of the past might be more than they can imagine.

I believe the cover of this book tells us exactly what to expect from inside the pages. I was more or less spot on with my interpretations.

Here’s an example of an Amazon review.

Erin D

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet and simply satisfying

I enjoyed A Forever Summer, also by Havelah McLat, and was very excited to read When You Returned. Once again, Havelah delivers a sweet romance with timeless themes. In this novel, I particularly enjoyed the theme of second chances and forgiveness.

I also loved the generational connection that was woven into the story. Jaclyn shared emotional ties to her grandmother, which made the mission of saving the rink that much more significant. Of course, I also loved the sparks that ignited as Jaclyn and Lavern found themselves trying to figure out their relationship. Several emotional scenes made this book well worth reading and I loved cheering on this adorable couple!

I’m eager to see authors continue to improve in their writing and storytelling and Havelah has flourished in this novel. The writing was a lot smoother, and I found myself quickly engaged in the plot. There were a few aspects of the story that made me a little skeptical about whether or not they would work out quite that smoothly in real life. Still, I appreciated that this book had a sound resolution and a happily ever after. I definitely look forward to future books and highly recommended to readers looking for a clean romance. You’ll be happy to discover a sweet and simple story with a core of healing from tragedies and forgiveness for mistakes.

Number 2

Darkness, sinister, intriguing. Ravens usually come with evil. So, I think I’m looking at a horror story. I like ghostly, supernatural horrors. I’m thinking ‘The Omen’ here. Something evil happens at midnight. Who owns the red baseball cap? Many questions, without it overstimulating my mind.

I’m certainly intrigued by this cover and the title. What will the blurb tell me?

Here’s the blurb.

Lauren Harris had it all… a college career, a job she enjoyed, and a two-year relationship. But then her boyfriend cheated on her (in the worst way possible), her job burned down, and her grades went in the toilet.

She decides to move back home only to find that her Mom has taken a job at Paranormal Acres… a job that includes a place to live, on the park grounds.

She’s also shocked to learn that the legends about the park… about strange creatures walking the midway, unearthly monsters most think to be the stuff of myth… are all true. Her brother has become a shape shifter, her Aunt Simone is a FaeWitch, and (most importantly) vampires, a fascination of hers for most of her life, are both real and residents of the park.

When Raven, the sexy bass player of the rock band Vampire Baseball, shows an interest in her, Lauren is drawn both into her world as well as the underside of human society, where vampires hunt the worst of the worst of human predators.

Will Lauren be seduced by Raven’s ancient kiss? Will she bid farewell to her humanity to join the vampire’s crusade? And what secrets about her past will come out in the process? Enter, and find out…

I wasn’t completely right about this one. Vampires didn’t enter my head, or fantasy. Perhaps that’s because fantasy and vampires are not the type of books usually found on my bookshelf. I was wrong about the raven. It’s a person. The birds on the cover and the title made me think the book had something to do with ravens.

This is great blurb though, and I’m pretty sure it would attract readers of that genre. The Raven at Midnight is one of five books in the Paranormal Acres series.

This book has only been recently published and has yet to receive any reviews. But check out the author, Taliesin Govannon, for more information about his books.

Number 3

This is a simple but eye catching cover. It tells me rom com and I’ll be very surprised if it’s not. It’s their facial expressions that makes me love this cover. He has a cheeky look and she’s in love. Judging by the guy’s look and the way his arms are folded, there seems to be rivalry going on here.

Let’s see what the blurb tells me.

Two childhood rivals.
One summer that can change everything.
Will they finally succumb to their feelings for each other or let them boil over?

Dani Solomon started writing when she was eight years old. She’s on the cusp of publishing her debut romance novel she’s been working on for years. On top of that, she’s a full-time college student studying creative writing and magazine journalism.

When Dani was a teenager, she lost someone she was very close to. Now, almost a decade later, she’s still haunted by the traumatic experience when her eyes are wide open and when they’re tightly shut.

Luckily for her, she had a distraction in the form of the annoyingly charming Noah Kaplan. Okay, maybe she wasn’t so lucky. She had to endure spending time with him since she was a little girl because their mothers have been best friends since college. Dani and Noah were the bane of each other’s existence.

Noah Kaplan started writing when he was eleven years old. He’s close to publishing his debut mystery/thriller novel he’s been working on since high school. Along with getting his debut novel out into the world, he’s a full-time college student studying creative writing and film.

Five years have passed by since Noah and Dani uttered a single word to each other. An unexpected tragedy brings them back together and it’s like no time has passed. The only difference is the undeniable chemistry and palpable tension between them.

As the two of them reconnect, their distaste for one another transforms into something neither of them expect or maybe they saw it coming from the very beginning.

I was right about the rivalry and I was right about the romance, but it doesn’t seem to be comedy; more sweet! Maybe there’s a little humour in there somewhere.

After all This Time by Jessica Sydney won’t be released until the 17th of May, so there’s no reviews yet. It’s available to pre-order here.

Thanks for visiting today! Before you go…

Would you like a peek inside the pages of my fictional novel? It might just be your cup of tea!

Set in a gossipy small town in Ireland at a time when marriage is for keeps and sexuality is repressed, Secrets in the Babby House is a family saga over three decades that starts in 1956. It is a story of love, deception, and stolen diaries filled with sins and secrets.