The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander
Published: August 19, 2025 by Avon and Harper Voyager
Genre: Romance, Book About Books
A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman
determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the
shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her
family’s rivals.
The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of
Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years…
The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches
crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these
days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is
full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too
frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and
comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember.
Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever
imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, unlikely to make it to its own
centenary celebration, and the lease on the building is up for renewal. With a
six-figure sum needed, the future looks bleak.
To make matters worse, the owner of the property is the
insufferable Roman Montbeau, from the posh, local family who owns half of
Portneath. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have feuded for years, and Roman has
clearly not improved since he tormented Jules as a child. Fresh from a
high-flying career in New York, he is on a mission to shake things up,
and—unforgivably—proves his point about Capelthorne’s being a relic of the past
by opening a new bookshop directly opposite—a shiny, plate-glass-windowed
emporium of books.
Jules may not be able to splash the cash on promotions and
marketing like the Montbeaus, but she’s got some ideas of her own, plus she has
a tenacity that may just win the hardest of hearts and the most hopeless of
conflicts.
Let the battle of the bookshops commence…
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy on Amazon
Poppy Alexander is the author of The
Littlest Library, Storybook Ending, and 25 Days
’Til Christmas. She wrote her first book when she was five. There was
a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying
classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off
without her and took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying, and
a bit of journalism instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family,
friends, and life in her West Sussex village (think The Archers crossed
with Twin Peaks), where she lives with her husband, children, and
various other pets.
PRAISE FOR POPPY ALEXANDER
"A heartwarming romance about family, friendship, love
and rivalry set in competing seaside bookshops - the perfect summer read."
— Ella Allbright, author of The
Last Charm
"A seaside-village, second-chance romance that tugs all
the right heartstrings. I couldn't wait to see how our modern-day Romeo and
Juliet would quiet their feuding families and find their happy ending."
— Sue Moorcroft, bestselling author
"Delightful bookstore details, a family mystery that
revolves around a witch trial, and a dash of enemies-to-lovers romance make for
a breezy read."
— Library Journal
"This book has all the magical qualities of a perfect
small-town bookish romance, with a witchy and Shakespearian vibe that sharpens
up a cosy, clever and compelling read you'll want to curl up with and lose
yourself in."
— Harper Ford, author of Hot
Not Bothered
No comments:
Post a Comment