ARC Review: I, Spy by L. M. Kemp

I, Spy
Author: L. M. Kemp
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 5, 2026)

Description: Ex-spy Kendal was one of the best, but now she’s wearing the toughest disguise of her career: Mom.

“An incisive feminist thriller and heaps of fun.”―Margot Douaihy

Kendal Carter is out in the cold and she wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been four years since her daughter Rosie was born and Kendal has kept her miles away from the danger of her former life as a spy. But when their hiding place is discovered, Kendal is forced to turn to old contacts for help. Her longtime friend and ex-handler Rico doesn’t miss his chance to pull his best spy back in. Whisking them to London, Rico offers them a luxury safe house in an area with good schools. How can Kendal resist?

But there’s a catch, of course. Rico wants Kendal to come back to work for his espionage agency Bon Temps. He’s offering an assignment with no apparent downside, investigating one of the dads at Rosie’s new school who works at one of London’s biggest, murkiest tech firms and suspected of being up to no good. It should be easy enough for someone with her experience, and luckily, mother is the perfect cover.

However, it doesn’t take long for Kendal to realize that Rico’s got an agenda of his own. The tech firm may be dealing in darker and more deadly secrets than they all realize, plus the world of coffee mornings and playdates comes with its own web of allegiances and betrayals. Kendal soon finds herself in way too deep . . .

A gripping blend of suspenseful spy thriller with heartfelt women’s fiction, I, Spy is the first in a propulsive debut series about the masks we all wear, whether as a spy or as a parent.

My Thoughts: Kendal Carter is laying low after delivering her daughter Rosie. She hopes that her life as a spy is long behind her. But that old life catches up to her forcing her to call on old allies for aid. 

Kendal finds herself in London in a luxury safe house and enrolling Rosie, now four, in a good school. She's supposed to be training a guy to go undercover at a tech firm suspected of wrongdoing. But Kendal should know better than to trust her old colleague. 

Kendal soon finds herself deep in a web of spies with conflicting agendas and the local mom's group at her daughter's school which is also filled with conflicting agendas. Kendal needs to dust off her old skills in a hurry if she and Rosie are to survive. 

And Rosie has reached the age when she's starting to ask about her father. He's the only man that Kendal ever fell in love with and it turns out he was a spy too. His supposed death turns out not to be as final as Kendal had supposed. 

This was an interesting story filled with people with hidden lives and agendas. It started slowly for me but persistence drew me into the story which ended up being quite satisfying. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Obsession in Death by J. D. Robb

Obsession in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Narrator: Susan Ericksen
Series: In Death (Book 40)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (February 10, 2015)
Length: 13 hours and 22 minutes

Description: Lieutenant Eve Dallas walks the thin line between love and hate in this fabulous 40th thriller from #1 New York Times bestseller J. D. Robb....

Eve Dallas has solved a lot of high-profile murders for the NYPSD and gotten a lot of media. She - and her billionaire husband - are getting accustomed to being objects of attention, of gossip, of speculation.

But now Eve has become the object of one person's obsession. Someone who finds her extraordinary, and thinks about her every hour of every day. Who believes the two of them have a special relationship. Who would kill for her - again and again....

With a murderer reading meanings into her every move, handling this case will be a delicate - and dangerous - psychological dance. And Eve knows that underneath the worship and admiration, a terrible threat lies in wait. Because the beautiful lieutenant is not at all grateful for these bloody offerings from her "true and loyal friend." And in time, idols always fall....

My Thoughts: Lieutenant Eve Dallas is a NYPSD murder cop. She's really good at her job and has solved some very high-profile cases. She's also married to a gorgeous and mysterious billionaire named Roarke. Putting those things together means that Eve has a much higher profile than she would like. 

Eve's fame has attracted a person who really admires her and wants to be her best friend. Her new best friend has decided to murder people they believe have done Eve wrong. The first victim is a high-profile lawyer. The lawyer defended a man Eve arrested for inventing a device that let him control people's minds which made some of them kill themselves. Once the court case was over, Eve didn't give the lawyer another thought until her new friend decided to murder her. Her friend left a note for her written in the wall with a Sharpie. 

The second victim was a third-rate junkie who accidentally bruised Eve's face when she went to him for some information about a case. Now his body was found impaled by a broken pool cue. Eve's friend has left a note on the wall for her. This one was still written with a Sharpie but was longer and less controlled then the first note. 

Even though they need to investigate each victim, it soon becomes clear that the only thing that connects the murders is Eve's involvement. Eve and her partner Detective Peabody have to search for people who might know about the details of the cases or who might be focused on Eve. 

Eve also has to find a way to protect her friends because her new friend doesn't want any rivals. This brings Eve to a realization of how many friends she now has and makes her wonder how it all happened. Eve life has changed and expanded in many ways since she fell in love with and married Roarke. 

There are lots of references to Eve's earlier cases since this is the 40th book in the series. There are also lots of references to her early life and the way she has overcome her childhood trauma. The romance is also strong in this one. She and Roarke are building unbreakable bonds. In some of the books, there are conflicts as she and Roarke are building their marriage. In this one, she and Roarke are on the same page. 

This was an excellent entry into this long-running series. 

I bought this audiobook December 1, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon

A Zoom with a View
Author: Jess Cannon
Publication: Dutton (May 5, 2026)

Description: A fiction debut filled with heart and humor, A Zoom with a View will make you want to move to Blue Oak—if only the annual Fourth of July festivities didn't end with a dead body.

Leo can't believe she's back in Blue Oak. Her small, quirky Texas hometown feels suffocating after trying to make it big as an English professor in New York—especially due to her strained relationship with her overly hair-sprayed mother, Karina. But with Leo’s career in academia in shambles, at least she's able to work as a photographer for her godmother's real estate business. And her best friend, Emily, is around to help her navigate through the mess—and maybe force her to reconnect with her old high school boyfriend, Mack.

But while at work, Leo makes a grisly discovery at one of her godmother's properties: the dead body of rival real estate agent and social media influencer Chaz. Even worse, Leo and Emily have been secretly running a snarky Reddit page making fun of Chaz’s cringe-inducing advice and duck-faced selfies. When someone she loves is accused of the murder, Leo finds herself flung headfirst into a dangerous investigation, teaming up with a local detective who is a lot more attractive than she remembered when they were both teenagers. Meanwhile, Karina has been acting stranger and stranger, as if all her hair hides a big secret. . .

My Thoughts: Leo is back in her hometown of Blue Oak, Texas, where she needs to find a new start after failing to find a tenure position in a college English Department. She'll be working for her godmother's real estate company taking photos and managing the business's social media accounts. 

Leo wasn't eager to come home. She has a very difficult relationship with her mother who runs the local beauty shop. And she isn't all that eager to catch up with her high school classmates. She's glad to be able to spend some in-person time with her best friend Emily as opposed to their online friendship as they are moderating an online group that is following a former high school acquaintance who is trying to make his name as a social media influencer. Chaz runs a fitness center, is a rival real estate broker, and runs his own church. 

When Leo and Emily go to one of their new real estate properties, they discover Chaz's body. The local sheriff is sure that Leo's godmother Kay murdered him, but his deputies including another of Leo's classmates is actually willing to investigate and is willing to have Leo help him with the ins and outs of social media. 

This was an interesting mystery with quite a few twists and turns and quite a few viewpoints too. It seems Leo's mother has a secret life of her own. And Leo has to explore her feelings about her hometown and about old friends who might be romantic interests. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (April 27, 2026)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was a quiet week. It rained quite a few times during the week and sometimes there was thunder and lightning. The rain didn't amount to much. We got just over half an inch for the week. It did have the benefit of melting all the rest of the snow in our yard. 

I had a chance to do lots of reading and listening. I also had a big week for adding books to my stack. I added six more review copies. I also added a Kindle copy of a cookbook written by one of the people I follow on Facebook. I added a Kindle copy and two audiobooks for one of Jayne Ann Krentz's more recent trilogies. Now I have both the Kindle and Audible copies of the whole trilogy. I added them to my calendar for rereads. 

With the addition of Probable Caws by Donna Andrews to my review stack, I checked to see how many of the older Meg Langslow books I haven't read. (BTW, Fantastic Fiction is a great website to keep track of books in a series.) I found I had only two left to read and added them to my calendar so that when it comes time to read Probable Caws, I will actually be caught up.

I'm trying to catch up with David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series too since I have the latest on my review stack. I have two left to read which are already on my TBR stack. I put them on the calendar for July, but they'll appear after the review of the newest which is also on my July calendar. 

It will be nice to be caught up with two long-running series. I'll have to think about what series I want to tackle next. I know I have twenty of William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor books on my TBR stack and have only read the first. I also have some of Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily mysteries on my stack and have read the first three and then stopped reading them until I was offered the 16th for review. 

This week should also be quiet. The calendar looks appointment-free. 

Read Last Week

• Bark of Night by David Rosenfelt (Kindle, Mine since June 1, 2021) -- Nineteenth Andy Carpenter mystery. My review will be posted on May 13.
• Owlknight by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon (Chirp Audiobook, Mine since March 15) -- Conclusion to the Owl Mage trilogy. My review will be posted on May 14.
• The King's Ransom by Janet Evanovich (Kindle, Mine since March 17) -- Second Gabriela Rose mystery. Cut caper story. My review will be posted on May 14.

• Seven Girls Gone by Allison Brennan (Audiobook, Mine since April 4) -- Fourth book in the Quinn & Costa thriller series. My review will be posted on May 21.
• The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer (Kindle, Mine since March 8) -- Lush retelling of the Bluebird myth. Filled with interesting characters and mythological beasts. My review will be posted on May 15.
• Devoted in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread)

• Storm Warning by James Byrne (Review, May 26) -- Fourth Dez Limerick Techno-thriller. My review will be posted on May 19.
• Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney (Review, May 26) -- Second Ravensea Castle cozy mystery. My review will be posted on May 19.
• The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, mine since April 1) -- Paranormal romantic suspense. My review will be posted on May 26.

Currently

• Ode to the Bones by Carolyn Haines (Review, May 26)
• Brotherhood in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)

Next Week

• The Final Target by Nora Roberts (Review, May 26)
• The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan (Kindle, Mine since February 1, 2025)
• Man of My Dreams by Olivia Worley (Review, June 2)

• Skyring Water by Louis L'Amour & Beau L'Amour (Review, June 2)
• A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton (Kindle, Mine since March 17)
• Smoke & Mirrors by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, Mine since December 3, 2025)

Reviews Posted

• How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin (Review copy)
• Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook)
• Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Review copy)

• Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner (Mine)
• This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews (Audiobook)
• Cast in Blood by Michelle Sagara (Review copy)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• Deadly Does It by Abbi Waxman (Review, July 21)
• Probable Caws by Donna Andrews (Review, August 4)
• (Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall (Review, August 4)

• Death at a Scottish Halloween by Lucy Connelly (Review, August 11)
• Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima (Review, September 8)
• A Field Guide to Death & Deceit by Michelle L. Cullen (Review, September 15)

Bought:

• Keep It Simple Y'All Every Day by Matthew Bounds (Kindle, Cookbook)
• Shattering Dawn by Jayne Ann Krentz (Kindle, Daily Deal, $1.99)

• Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, $5.60)
• The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, $5.60)

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
Author: Ilona Andrews

Narrator: Kristen Sieh
Series: Maggie the Undying (Book 1)
Publication: Tor Books (March 31, 2026); Macmillan Audio (March 31, 2026)

Length: 21 hours and 33 minutes

Description: Outlander meets Game of Thrones in this blockbuster new epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.

Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love—a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes—and attentions—of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.

For fans of Samantha Shannon, Danielle L. Jensen, Sarah J. Maas, and isekai and portal fantasy, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse author duo Ilona Andrews.

My Thoughts: Maggie wakes up cold, dirty and naked in a gutter. It doesn't take her long to recognize that she is in Kair Toren. There is a big problem. Kair Toren only exists in a dark fantasy trilogy that she has been reading and rereading for years. Book three hasn't been written yet and it has been years. 

Maggie needs to survive. Luckily, she has an encyclopedic memory of all of the story details. Unfortunately, she knows the fate of Kair Toren. At least as much as has been written in the first two books of the series. 

She is determined to change the fate of the Kair Toren that the author wrote. She makes friends and finds herself much more involved in the great events than she would like. She earns that she can be hurt and can die and can come back from the dead. But being killed hurts - a lot. 

Then things start happening that are not exactly as the book has written them. Selling secrets about the future puts her in a lot of danger but she's determined to save the city she has fallen in love with in the book. 

This was a complex fantasy made more complex by a large cast of characters many of whom are using pseudonyms. The interrelationships among the characters are twisted and convoluted. I felt like I could have used a cast of characters but realize that such a cast would contain spoilers. 

I was swept along with the events of the story even though I had to stop every once in a while, to ask myself "Who was that person again?' This is a story that merits rereading despite the 21 hour length. I liked the characters especially Maggie but even the characters that were new to Maggie because they were never mentioned in the books were interesting and well-developed people. The world building was excellent.

I bought this one March 31, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Cast in Blood by Michelle Sagara

Cast in Blood
Author: Michelle Sagara
Series: Chronicles of Elantra (Book 19)
Publication: Hanover Square Press (April 28, 2026)

Description: DO NOT MEDDLE IN THE AFFAIRS OF BARRANI

Kaylin has been warned to steer clear of the lords of the Barrani High Court. She’d be more than happy to oblige, but it’s a bit difficult considering she lives with ten of them, all sent to the green to gain power or die. With Kaylin’s help, they finally escaped their imprisonment. But their attempts at freedom had devastating consequences—and a price that has yet to be paid.

The first warning sign is the Consort’s invitation to visit the High Halls—a Barrani invitation, which means an immediate visit.

The second sign is less subtle: Kaylin finds Nightshade’s unresponsive body. He hovers on the edge of death, beyond saving through Kaylin’s healing power. No one can explain his state, nor why she’s powerless to save him. And if she and her Barrani friends can’t figure out a way to bring him back, he’ll be lost forever.

Yet even as Kaylin struggles to keep Nightshade from death, there is deeper magic at play, a growing threat with the potential to affect the entire Barrani race. Factions are shifting, new lines are being drawn—and Nightshade’s near assassination is only the beginning. Can Kaylin uncover the nebulous forces that threaten the balance of Barrani—and their entire world—before it’s too late?

My Thoughts: The nineteenth book in the Chronicles of Elantra series is concerned with the Barrani. Kaylin would be more than happy never having to deal with the Barrani again. These immortals spend a lot of time jockeying for power and playing politics. 

However, Kaylin's mentor in the Hawks is a powerful Barrani lord and she lives with the cohort of Barrani she rescued from the Green. But most of all, she is marked by Nightshade who is a Barrani fief lord albeit an exiled one. 

Problems start with the discovery of Nightshade after an assassination attempt. With threats from a war band of Barrani, Nightshade is taken back to Kaylin's sentient house Helen. Kaylin is a healer, but she is unable to reach Nightshade. It's like he has some sort of shield around him. While working in that problem, Kaylin is summoned by the Consort who has a problem. She's the only one who is able to access the Lake of Dreams where the True Names are kept. Without the True Names, no Barrani babies will ever awaken. This information needs to be kept secret until Kaylin who also has access to the Lake of Dreams and who substitute for the Consort can find out why this is happening and fix the problem. To add complications, the Consort's problem needs to be kept secret or Barrani society will be destroyed. 

There is another Barrani that might be able to fill the Consort's role, but Yvonne is a young powerless woman under the care of a ruthless lord. Kaylin's partner Severn has some connection to her since he rescued her from the Green. Somehow, she's involved in the problem too. 

Kaylin is bombarded with all these problems and even the Arbiters at the Academia don't have answers. In fact, they add more questions. It is up to Kaylin to figure things out if the problems can be fixed. 

This is a complex, meaty fantasy filled with great worldbuilding.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner

Kiss Her Goodbye
Author: Lisa Gardner
Series: Frankie Elkin (Book 4)
Publication: Grand Central Publishing (August 12, 2025)

Description: #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner returns with the 4th installment in her bestselling Frankie Elkin series, in which Frankie is called to Tucson, Arizona, to find a missing Afghan refugee, whose friend suspects she is in grave danger—before it is too late.

A young mother haunted by war, determined to make a fresh start. But sometimes, the sins of the past aren't so easy to escape.

Recent Afghan refugee Sabera Ahmadi was last seen exiting her place of work three weeks ago. The local police have yet to open a case, while her older, domineering husband seems unconcerned. Sabera's closest friend, however, is convinced Sabera would never willingly leave her three‑year old daughter. At her insistence, missing persons expert Frankie Elkin agrees to take up the search through the broiling streets of Tucson. Just in time for a video of the young mother to surface—showing her walking away from the scene of a brutal double murder.

Frankie quickly notes there's much more to the Ahmadi family than meets the eye. The father Isaad is a brilliant mathematician, Sabera a gifted linguist, and their little girl Zahra has an uncanny ability to remember anything she sees. Which given everything that has happened during the girl's short life, may be a terrible curse. When Isaad also disappears under mysterious circumstances and an attempt is made on Zahra's life, Frankie realizes she must quickly crack the code of this family's horrific past.

Someone is coming for the Ahmadis. And violence is clearly an option. When everything is on the line, how far would you go to protect the ones you love?

Frankie is about to find out.

My Thoughts: The fourth Frankie Elkin mystery takes Frankie to Tucson to find a missing Afghan refugee. Sebera Ahmadi has gone missing. Her friend is sure that she wouldn't have left her four-year-old daughter behind if she had left by her own choice. 

Whenever Frankie comes to a new place, she needs to find a job and a place to live. This time she is hired to pet-sit for an eccentric tech billionaire and offered a place on the estate. Only the pets are a large iguana and snakes. A huge ball python and twelve baby pythons are her new charges. Frankie hates snakes and the idea of defrosting a rat to feed the big one is almost enough to make her look for another job. 

The job does come with perks including a car and driver and a somewhat unusual chef which does a lot to make up for the snakes. Besides, Bart the billionaire is out the door before Frankie can say she doesn't want the job. 

Frankie begins her investigation which is complicated by the fact that Sebera has lots of secrets and very real enemies after her. She's a genius and a polyglot who worked for British and US military intelligence for a while before she left Afghanistan when the Taliban invaded Kabul. 

This story, told from both Frankie and Sebera's points of view had a lot of information about the plight of political refugees and the horrors they faced trying to get to a place of safety. It was also a complex and engaging thriller. 

I bought this one October 1, 2025. You can buy your copy here.