Top Ten Tuesday/ Fall Colours On The Cover

I know you might be fed up with me showing you fall-themed books, but they are what fit the readathon I’m taking part in, and I’m really enjoying the thrill element in the books I’m finding; therefore, I’m reading/listening to them right away even if it won’t help my TBR. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl, who has a new weekly topic.

October 13: Book Covers Featuring Autumnal Colours (submitted by Wordy Witterings)

Goodreads Blurb:

I live for happily ever afters.
And I’m finally meeting my favorite romance author in person!

Only, all this time, I thought author, Amelie De Pierre, was a woman.

It turns out, Pierre Toussaint is the man behind the books that make me weak in the knees.
He could be the consummate book boyfriend with his dreamy hazel eyes, strong jawline, and those black-rimmed glasses. Not to mention that accent. Oh, that French accent. When Pierre speaks, I feel like I’m curled in his arms on a riverbank being fed chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Not Pierre’s arms, of course. We barely just met. And I’m just me. And he’s Pierre, internationally renowned romance author.

Seeing Pierre in person has me stammering and blushing—two things I don’t usually do.

Imagine my surprise when I receive a call a few weeks after meeting Pierre—from his agent—proposing marriage. Not that I’d marry his agent.

They want me to marry Pierre.

Goodreads Blurb:

Jamie pretends to be content with the single life after a sparse trail of relationships set fire to the hopeless romantic’s fairytale fantasies and validated his deepest insecurities.

Nathan avoids intimate connections that might disrupt his quiet nomadic life, preferring the companionship of his beloved bulldog Mabel—and the occasional stranger to satisfy carnal needs.

The pair meet in a nature reserve and ignite universe forces that won’t let them escape each other, no matter how hard they try.

Goodreads Blurb:

At 26, Brooke McVay has made what everyone calls “the responsible choice.” She’s rented an apartment in her girlfriend’s small New England hometown, determined to finally make their relationship work. Four years of being on and off, of trying long-distance, of missed calls and broken promises… It’s all left Brooke exhausted. Yet here she is, trying one more time.

Then she meets Emily’s mother.

Vanessa Mitchell is everything Brooke never knew she needed. At 48, recently divorced and still discovering who she is outside of being someone’s wife and mother, Vanessa should be off-limits in every possible way. She’s also the most captivating woman Brooke has ever encountered. Confident, intelligent, and stirring feelings Brooke’s never experienced in four years with Emily.

As autumn transforms the town into a canvas of red and gold, Brooke finds herself drawn into Vanessa’s orbit. What begins as an uncomfortable attraction becomes an undeniable connection, and Brooke realizes she’s been looking for love in all the wrong places.

For Vanessa, Brooke represents everything she’s been denied. Not just desire, but the earth-shattering passion she always assumed was fiction. After decades of marriage to her high school sweetheart, Vanessa is discovering that some awakenings come late, but they come fierce. Brooke makes her feel alive in ways she’d given up hoping for, in ways that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

But falling for your daughter’s girlfriend isn’t just taboo—it’s devastating.

As their connection deepens from stolen moments to something neither can deny, Brooke and Vanessa must navigate the impossible terrain between desire and loyalty, between finally finding the right person and destroying the one who brought them together.

When everything falls apart, will they choose each other, or will guilt and obligation keep them from the one relationship that finally feels right?

Goodreads Blurb:

For four years, Elle Winnick and Quinn Camden have shared a standing date as friends -no expectations, no strings attached. After all, a romantic relationship between them seems impossible. Elle’s roots are firmly planted in Tennessee, tethered to her life and family, while her trust in love remains fragile after a devastating heartbreak. Meanwhile, Quinn is immersed in managing his father’s company and preparing to inherit his family’s ancestral estate in England -a destiny predetermined since his childhood.

The rules between them are crystal clear. Sex is off the table. Honesty is paramount. Meet the first week of October, every year.

But what happens when their connection runs deeper than friendship, when every encounter stirs the embers of love? Are they willing to risk breaking the “rules,” knowing that it could change everything they’ve known? Join Elle and Quinn on an unforgettable journey as they navigate the blurred lines between friendship and passion. Will their unspoken desires shatter their bond or lead them to an extraordinary love neither of them expected? Find out in this spellbinding contemporary romance that explores the boundaries of the heart.

Goodreads Blurb:

 swear, he isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just my best friend.
At least, he used to be….

Devin:
From day one, our friendship never made sense. I was happy in the studio with a canvas and a paintbrush, and Russ was the gorgeous star quarterback that everyone loved… including me. But I could never tell him. He was straight. I should have been happy that I got to see a side of him that nobody else did: Russ was sensitive, thoughtful, and affectionate when it was just the two of us. Our friendship didn’t make sense, but it was ours. That’s all that mattered.

But after college, Russ left Rose Falls without even saying goodbye. I was ripped apart, and everyone could see it.

But that was eight years ago. Ancient history. It was all in the past… Until suddenly, it wasn’t.

Russ:
I’m done running.

Eight years ago, I was terrified of losing everything because of feelings toward Devin I couldn’t shake. It shouldn’t have been possible—I was straight! So why couldn’t I keep my eyes off my best friend’s lips, his smooth skin, his body after a shower? I thought that leaving would make the confusion go away. But it never did.

Now that I’m back home, I feel like myself for the first time in my life. I need to make things right with Devin.

But I hadn’t anticipated falling into bed with him. And even after one scorching night, can Devin ever forgive me for leaving without a trace? Or have I missed my chance?

Goodreads Blurb:

Would you kill to win the Giant Pumpkin Festival?

Retired festival director Rusty Redmond thought she’d traded pumpkin chaos for peace and quiet. But when the Giant Pumpkin Festival’s brand-new drone-carving derby ends in a shocking on-air murder, she’s pulled right back into the spotlight.

With her buff-colored cocker spaniel, Boo, at her side, Rusty finds herself juggling a tangle of a teen coding prodigy, a rival grower with a grudge, a social media queen, and a charming corporate sponsor with a polished smile and too many secrets.

The mayor’s given her until the lantern-lit finale to help the sheriff crack the case—or risk the festival’s reputation going up in smoke.

Armed with sharp instincts, a lifetime of event-planning savvy, and Boo’s knack for finding clues, Rusty must untangle the sabotage before the killer turns the spotlight—and the danger—on her.

Goodreads Blurb:

Fall has arrived in picturesque Cinnamon Falls, and café owner Harper Lane is perfecting her signature pumpkin spice blend for the annual Spice & Harvest Festival competition. With famous food blogger Savannah Bloom judging this year’s entries, winning could put Harper’s quaint Whisking Leaves café on the culinary map. But when Savannah is found floating in the historic mill pond the morning after the festival gala—with traces of Harper’s unique spice blend found in her lungs—the cozy competition turns deadly. Suddenly, Harper finds herself the prime suspect, her reputation in tatters, and her beloved café closed by police order.

Determined to clear her name, Harper teams up with her teenage barista Tessa and best friend Maggie to investigate Cinnamon Falls’ secrets. Between her café rival Gloria Finch’s smug accusations, gruff farmer Eddie Whitlock’s mysterious opposition to town development plans, and retired history teacher Norman Crisp’s obsession with the mill’s mechanisms, Harper uncovers a web of motives more complex than any recipe. Even Detective Miles Rowan, whose professional demeanor can’t quite hide his growing attraction to Harper, is following evidence that all points in her direction.

As Harper delves deeper into the town’s hidden rivalries and long-simmering resentments, she realizes the killer has more planned than just framing her for murder. With the festival competition rapidly approaching and more evidence mounting against her, Harper must identify the culprit before they decide she’s becoming too troublesome to leave alive. In Cinnamon Falls, it seems the most dangerous ingredient isn’t in the pumpkin spice—it’s the secrets bubbling just beneath the surface of this seemingly perfect small town.

Goodreads Blurb:

🍁 Autumn in Vermont means golden leaves, pumpkin spice, and a touch of small-town magic. Tour guide Autumn Ackerman loves sharing the season’s charm with anyone who visits Maple Falls. But when work brings Lukas Spellman to town for just a month, their easy connection soon feels like something more.

🎃 Cozy hayrides, glowing jack-o’-lanterns, and crisp nights draw them closer—but one unexpected misunderstanding threatens to end things before they’ve really begun.

✨ Heartwarming, romantic, and full of fall charm, Leaving Autumn is the first book in the Sweet as Maple Syrup series—a trio of cozy, feel-good holiday romances set in picturesque Vermont. Each book celebrates a different holiday, a new love story, and a happily-ever-after

Goodreads Blurb:

He can find a property line nobody else can see. A hint from a pretty nurse is another matter.

Lainey Pruitt spends her nights caring for the residents of Laurel Ridge and her Saturday mornings selling her grandmother’s biscuits. When quiet surveyor Hollis starts arriving for coffee at the same time each week, she suspects there’s more to his order than breakfast. Her best friend bets twenty dollars she can’t get ten words in a row out of him.

Lainey has a better idea. Six words, written in Meet me in the pumpkin patch.

Hollis takes the invitation seriously. Unfortunately, he picks the wrong patch.

Between baking sessions, autumn sunsets, and a town that considers everybody’s business its own, two people who keep misunderstanding each other begin to find their way. But Hollis returned to Pell’s Gap to settle his father’s debts and disappear. His family’s history could undo every tender thing growing between them.

With her grandmother’s trust at stake, Lainey must decide what she believes about the man she’s falling for. Hollis must learn that putting things right means more than balancing a ledger.

Goodreads Blurb:

Rosie Brennan loves everything about October in Harvest Hollow—the crisp autumn air, the colorful leaves, and especially the endless opportunities to bake her famous pumpkin spice treats at The Harvest Moon Bakery. But when the town’s most difficult resident storms into her shop accusing her of stealing a family recipe, Rosie’s peaceful fall season takes a dark turn. The public argument is witnessed by half the town, and within twenty-four hours, her accuser is found dead with a slice of what appears to be Rosie’s cake wrapped in her distinctive bakery packaging. Suddenly, Rosie finds herself as the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

With the local sheriff convinced of her guilt and an arrest looming, Rosie has no choice but to investigate the murder herself. Teaming up with her best friend Tessa, hardware store owner Hank, and her perceptive assistant Shirley, Rosie begins unraveling a web of small-town secrets, long-held grudges, and dangerous deceptions. Her grumpy gray Persian cat Cobweb proves to be an unlikely ally with his uncanny ability to sense when someone is lying, though his habit of sitting on important evidence is less helpful. As Rosie digs deeper, she discovers that the victim had enemies all over Harvest Hollow, each with their own reasons for wanting her dead.

Racing against time to clear her name before the sheriff makes an arrest, Rosie must navigate suspicious business partners, bitter rivals, and buried secrets while keeping her beloved bakery running. In a town where everyone knows everyone, the killer could be anyone—and they’ve already proven they’re willing to destroy an innocent life to protect themselves. Can Rosie sift through the lies and find the truth before she loses everything she’s worked three generations to build? Join Rosie and Cobweb in this cozy mystery full of autumn charm, delicious baked goods, and a puzzle that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Mind if you tell me yours too? I’m a book hoarder.

Alex