ARC Review: Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher

Heart Marks the Spot
Author: Libby Hubscher
Publication: Berkley (July 22, 2025)

Description: A treasure hunter and the bestselling adventure novelist who broke her heart after one successful expedition reunite for a summer to search for lost riches.

Treasure hunter Stella Moore dreams of having it all—wealth, love, and a flourishing career—but knows she’ll never be that lucky. Every summer she and her childhood friends travel to search for hidden treasure, but she can barely manage her bills, let alone a relationship. Then, a chance encounter with alluring novelist Huck Sullivan during an expedition in Iceland has Stella thinking maybe her fortune has changed.

After his last book bombed, Huck hasn’t written a word. Joining Stella and her crew on an adventure seems like the perfect distraction from his problems, and when the crew finally uncovers hidden treasure, he is certain that he’s found more than just inspiration for his next novel. Huck and Stella’s undeniable connection gives way to an unforgettable night on a black sand beach.

After Huck disappears without a goodbye, Stella vows to put the heartbreak behind her—but that’s easier said than done when, a year later, every bookstore has a life-size cutout of her ex-lover next to stacks of his latest record-breaking bestseller. Good thing it’s time for another summer treasure hunt. Stella throws herself into mapping the path to a shipwreck off Key West, but the last thing she expects is an extra crew member showing up in search of material for a sequel and a second chance.

Stella and Huck are prepared for storms, sharks, sea sickness, even a tentative truce. But facing the feelings they buried and confronting the devastating truth about why Huck left is the only way to find what their hearts have been searching for all along.

My Thoughts: This dual viewpoint romance introduces two interesting characters. Stella Moore is a treasure hunter. Huck Sullivan is a best-selling author. 

Stella was abandoned by her treasure hunting parents when she was a teenager. It left her with the sure knowledge that everyone she loves will abandon her sooner or later. She is hoping that if she manages to find the treasure that her parents will come back because she has proven her worth. 

Huck doesn't have abandonment issues, but he does have a deeply rooted sense of insecurity since he had spent most of his life being berated by his father for what his father perceived as "failures". While Huck did write a very successful series of adventure novels, the last tanked while he was dealing with the death of his father and abandonment by his fiancée who was only in it when he was at the top of the food chain.

The two meet in Iceland. Stella is on the hunt for a particular treasure along with her friends Ted, Zoe and Gus. Huck was sent there by his friend/agent in hopes that a new place will inspire his creativity and clear up the writer's block that has plagued him for more than a year. 

Introduced by Ted who went to boarding school with Huck and who has been partners in adventure with Stella for a number of years, the two fall in love. But Huck leaves Stella in the night for reasons that aren't explained until a year and a half later. She's managed to patch over a broken heart, and he's written a new instant best seller starring a treasure hunter who greatly resembles Stella.

They meet again in the Caribbean when the four friends are on their annual treasure hunt looking for a lost Spanish treasure ship and all the secrets come out. 

This was an engaging romance but not a light and fluffy one. Both main characters have serious therapy worthy issues which is not helped by the presence of Ted who has been keeping secrets of his own. I recommend this one because the struggle to reach a "happily ever after" was real in this story. 

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

ARC Review: The Last Wizard's Ball by Charlaine Harris

The Last Wizard's Ball
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Gunnie Rose (Book 6)
Publication: S&S/Saga Press (July 22, 2025)

Description: #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns with the sixth and final installment in the critically acclaimed Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia must face their fates at the last Wizards’ Ball.

Lizbeth Rose’s sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards’ Ball, and as one of the most powerful—and beautiful—death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia…and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

My Thoughts: The final book in the Gunnie Rose series has Lizbeth in San Diego with her husband and sister so that her sister Felicia can attend the Wizard's Ball. Held every three years, the ball gives magic users a change to get to know one another and make marriage alliances. 

Lizbeth is not enjoying herself. She doesn't like San Diego or dressing up or attending social events. She is there out of a sense of duty to her sister and to keep her sister alive. As one of the most desired attendees, Felicia is a lovely death wizard with a great amount of power. She's also carrying a reputation since it is well known that she murdered her family. Nonetheless, Felicia is being courted by wizards from all over the world. 

Tensions are high at the gathering since Hitler is making plans for Germany which include killing all the Jews and invading everywhere. The German wizards and the Japanese who are allied with Germany are there in force trying to recruit Felicia to their cause. And if she can't be recruited, her death would work as well. 

The story is filled with attempted murders from arrows shot at a tea garden, to a bomb under a table at a tearoom, to an assassin trying to get to Felicia during a welcoming party. Besides the stress of keeping Felicia alive, Lizbeth and her husband Eli are facing stresses in their marriage. He's keeping secrets that could impact their future.

With everyone choosing sides in the upcoming war, Lizbeth and Eli find themselves at odds with each other. Despite their love for each other, their futures look to be taking different paths. And Felicia has chosen her own difficult path for her future. 

Although I'm told that this is the final book in the series, there are definitely a number of loose hanging threads in the story. I enjoyed it for its worldbuilding and its characters. 

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

Audiobook Review: New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb

New York to Dallas
Author: J. D. Robb
Narrator: Susan Erickson
Series: In Death (Book 33)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (September 13, 2011)
Length: 14 hours and 17 minutes

Description: It was one of Eve Dallas’s earliest takedowns, back in her uniform days. A monster named Isaac McQueen had been abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. Thanks to Eve, he wound up where he belonged, removed from civilized society in Rikers. But he’s not behind bars anymore.

After his escape, McQueen has two things in mind. One is to take up where he left off, preying on the young and innocent - when necessary, with the help of a female partner all too willing to be manipulated and to aid and abet his crimes. His other goal: to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago, now a high-profile lieutenant in the NYPSD and married to one of the city’s richest men.

Commanding Eve’s attention with a chilling and brazen crime, McQueen sets off the chase - forcing Eve down a road marked with blood and tears, a road that eventually leads southwest to Dallas, Texas, the home Eve fled long ago. And each new twist brings her closer to the harrowing memory of when she wasn’t a hardened detective but a vulnerable girl just like McQueen’s innocent prey. As her husband, Roarke, tries to rescue her from the nightmares that claw at her mind, and her partner, Peabody, doggedly works to support her, Eve must confront - and call upon - the darkest parts of her own soul in order to survive.

My Thoughts: NEW YORK TO DALLAS is the 33rd book in the In Death series and is one of the most emotionally intense episodes. 

The story begins with a case that she worked when she was a rookie. Isaac McQueen was a violent pedophile who has imprisoned more than twenty young girls in his apartment. Eve stumbles onto the situation when she is knocking on doors looking for witnesses to a mugging which resulted in death. McQueen was convicted of a number of crimes and sentenced to Rikers Island. The situation caused Eve to open the door a little bit to her past which she thought she had successfully buried.

At least ten years have passed, Eve has become a decorated Homicide Lieutenant, fallen in love, married Roarke, and uncovered more of the past she had buried. But now McQueen has escaped from prison leaving a dead guard behind and wants a rematch with Eve.

He moves his crimes to Dallas where he abducts one of his previous victims. Eve has to leave her comfortable setting and return to Dallas. Dallas holds only horrible memories for her. It was in Dallas that she killed her abusive father while he was raping her. She was nine. Found wandering and without any memory of her past, she was placed in the foster care system and name Eve Dallas by a social worker. 

Returning to Dallas triggers the nightmares that she thought she had conquered and flashbacks to a time when she was abused and raped by her father. But this time she's not alone. Not only is Roarke there with her to help and support her, but Dr. Mira has come too. Mira has gradually grown through the books to be almost a mother-figure to Eve. This is essential in this case because McQueen has a partner who just happens who has ties to Eve. 

And, besides Eve, McQueen is hunting for a new "bad girl" - a young, innocent thirteen-year-old girl. 

This was an excellent story. The relationship between Eve and Roarke is one of the best romantic pairings that I have ever read. 

I bought this one on sale from Audible December 1, 2023. I bought the hardcover August 15, 2011. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell

Dead of Summer
Author: Jessa Maxwell
Publication: Atria Books (July 22, 2025)

Description: Years after her best friend mysteriously disappeared from a remote New England island, a young woman returns in search of answers in this atmospheric and scintillating thriller from Jessa Maxwell, nationally bestselling author of the “deliciously entertaining” (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon.

Orla O’Connor hasn’t been to the isolated New England enclave of Hadley Island since she graduated from high school a decade ago. As a teenager, her best friend Alice disappeared from its shores without a trace—but with plenty of rumors.

Now, Orla returns to her family’s beachfront home to clean it out before her parents sell it. The island and her best friend’s house next door, abandoned after her family left in grief, are stirring up memories she would like to avoid. Then there are the locals, always gossiping and watching Orla’s every move. Worst of all, David, Orla’s childhood crush and son of a wealthy Manhattan family, is back for the summer with his new, impossibly pretty girlfriend, Faith.

Faith suspects that David is going to propose but as soon as she settles into his family’s sprawling Hadley Island estate, she feels out of place. She anticipated a luxurious summer of fun and romance, but David is never around—lured into business conversations with his entrepreneur father from dawn to dusk. With nothing else to do, Faith begins to investigate the island’s dark past, curious about what really happened to Alice all those years ago.

Meanwhile, local Henry hasn’t left his house since the young girl went missing, in an attempt to let the accusations against him die down. Except they never have. For years, Henry has had an endless supply of time to pursue his only hobby, watching the island from his telescope and recording the activities of its inhabitants. But Orla’s return has shaken him and lately he’s been seeing strange things: shadowy figures walking on the beach in the middle of the night and a light on in the upstairs window of the long-abandoned house of the missing girl.

When there’s another disappearance on the island, all three find themselves pulled into an eerie and twisty mystery that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

My Thoughts: DEAD OF SUMMER takes place on Hadley Island. It is a playground for the rich with all sorts of buried secrets.

Faith comes to the island as the girlfriend of David Clarke who is the son of billionaire Geoffrey Clarke. She's expecting to soon become his fiancée but finds his behavior on the island troubling. All of a sudden, he seems to have no time for her and is constant meetings with his father. 

Orla comes back to the island where she grew up to prepare her parents' home for sale. She fled after high school and had an excellent career as an artist in New York City until her last show failed spectacularly. She's home living on Xanax and trying not to be overwhelmed with the memories of her lost best friend. 

Henry has never left the island. He and his wife became recluses after being accused of the murder of Orla's best friend Alice. Now he spends his days with his telescope watching the town and making notes in his logbooks. 

Alice is the thread that ties all three characters together and is the mystery that needs to be solved. 

David, Alice and Orla were summer friends while they were children and teens. Alice and Orla had dreams of leaving the island for New York City, attending art school, and then becoming famous artists. But she disappears and is presumed drowned during the Clarke's famous 4th of July party. 

Years have passed but this year Geoffrey Clarke plans to renew the annual party and another young girl disappears. 

The story is woven between Orla, Faith and Henry's viewpoints and the secrets of the past and their own secrets are gradually revealed. It was an engaging story with interesting characters. 

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? (July 14, 2025)

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 week was an excellent one despite the fact that we are under an Air Quality Alert with very hazardous air due to Canadian wildfires. The house is closed up and the central air is running despite temperatures that should allow for open doors and windows. Since I'm already coughing a lot, I don't need to mix in smoky air. 

My friend Bev visited this week from southern Minnesota. We had a great time catching up. We listened to a few audiobooks while she crafted, and I played computer games. We went out to Olive Garden one evening and I'm still working on the leftovers. She left with plans to come again sooner than the year it has been this time between visits.

I got lots of reading and listening done and reviews scheduled. I also bought a lot of books because the combination of BookBub deals, double Kindle rewards points, and Prime Day deals was too much for me to resist. I bought my first print book of the year when I got a cookbook written by a guy who recipes intrigued me when I saw him making them on Facebook Reels. It was a Prime deal this week. I also received an ARC of At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming from a Goodreads Giveaway. I was excited even though I already have the eARC of the title. 

Bev brought a book along that she was reading. It is the third in a series. I happened to have an audiobook of the first in the series, so we listened to it. Afterwards, I had to buy books two and three myself. The audiobooks are a bit pricier than I wanted to spend right now, but I may get them when I actually manage to find time to read the new books. 

This coming week should be quieter. The air quality is supposed to clear up in a few days. And the Baseball All-Star Break will mean that I have less baseball I care to watch leaving more time for reading. I do have a bunch of review books that I want to read this week. There are no audiobooks in the plans, but I will likely continue with the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R. King since I have all of them. 

Read Last Week

• Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee (Review, July 29) -- Contemporary Romance, Retelling of Persuasion with a primarily Korean cast. My review will be posted on July 23.
• Road Trip with a Rogue by Kate Batemen (Review, July 29) -- Entertaining historical romance. My review will be posted on July 24.
• Murder at Marble House by Alyssa Maxwell (Audiobook, Mine since July 26, 2021) -- Secomd book in the Gilded Newport historical mystery series. My review will be posted on July 29.

• Who Let the Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt (Mine since September 14, 2023) -- Thirteenth book in the Andy Carpenter mystery series. My review will be posted on July 29.
• Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (Review, July 29) -- Contemporary thriller. Spooky with a touch of humor. My review will be posted on July 26.
• Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner (Audiobook, Mine since June 30, 2025) -- Contemporary mystery with engaging characters. My review will be posted on July 31.

• For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews (Review, August 5) -- The latest in the Meg Langslow humorous mystery series as Meg is preparing for the First Annual Mutt March. My review will be posted on August 2.
• Hades by Candice Fox (Audiobook, Mine since August 12, 2021) -- Very dark thriller set in Sydney, Australia. My review will be posted on August 12.
• The Locked Tomb Mystery by Elizabeth Peters (Mine since August 29, 2023) -- Four short stories introduced by other authors who indicate how they influenced them. My review will be posted on July 30.

• Interlude in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, Mine) -- An In Death novella
• Midnight in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, Mine) -- An In Death novella
• The Beekeeper's Apprentice, or On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King (Audiobook Reread) -- This is the first book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes historical mystery series. I love the characters and the historical detail. My review will be posted on August 14.

DNF

• The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Review, August 5) -- I abandoned this one at the midpoint. I didn't care for any of the characters who were all, at best, morally ambiguous. I also couldn't figure out what genre it was since it was sort of a mystery and sort of a romance.

Currently

• Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Review, August 5)

Next Week

• Picking Up the Pieces by J. B. Abbott (Review, August 12)
• Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver (Review, August 12)
• The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan (Review, August 12)

• Knife in the Back by Kristi Rose (Review, August 12)
• A Silence in Belgrave Square by Jennifer Ashley (Review, August 12)
• Puma by Jorrie Spencer (Mine since August 1, 2009)

Reviews Posted

• The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone (Audiobook, Mine)
• Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts (Review copy)
• Fateless by Julie Kagawa (Review copy)

• Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh (Review copy)
• Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods (Review copy)
• Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal (Mine)

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

Review:

• At Death's Dough by Mindy Quigley (Review, October 28)
• At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer Fleming (Review, November 18 -- Goodreads Giveaway)
• The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews (Review, November 25)

Bought:

• One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner (Kindle, $9.99)
• Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner (Kindle, $2.99)

• Campus Murder Club by Kristi Rose (Kindle, $6.99)
• Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths (Kindle, $7.99)
• The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (BookBub, $1.99)

• The Picasso Scam by Stuart Pawson (BookBub, Free)
• Murder on the Intergalactic Railway by Kate MacLeod (BookBub, Free)
• The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James (BookBub, $1.99)

• Blind Side by Catherine Coulter (BookBub, $1.99)
• The Adventure of the Demonic Ox by Lois McMaster Bujold (Kindle, $3.99)
• The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn (BookBub, $1.99)

• Keep It Simple, Y'all by Matthew Bounds (Print, $12.31)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal

Death on the Boardwalk
Author: Caleb Wygal
Series: A Myrtle Beach Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Franklin/Kerr (February 2, 2021)

Description: THE BOARDWALK IS BEAUTIFUL—UNTIL SOMEONE TURNS UP DEAD.

Welcome to Myrtle Beach, where the sunsets are vibrant, the sea breeze carries secrets, and murder lurks just beneath the surface. Clark Thomas, a grieving bookstore owner trying to rebuild his life, makes a chilling discovery: the body of a friend rolled up in a rug behind his shop.

As Clark digs into the mystery, he’s pulled into a web of suspects that include business owners, environmental activists, and even the victim’s own coworkers. With the police focused elsewhere, a beautiful and suspicious tipster encourages Clark to investigate the crime himself.

But is he ready to face what he might uncover—and confront the ghosts of his own past along the way?

Perfect for fans of Southern mysteries, amateur sleuths, and small-town secrets, Death on the Boardwalk is a witty, fast-paced read that blends charm, suspense, and heart.

Don’t miss your chance to start the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series—where every charming corner hides a secret.

My Thoughts: Myrtle Beach bookstore owner Clark Thomas finds himself in the middle of a mystery when he finds a body wrapped in a rug outside the rear door of his bookstore. He recognizes the woman as a frequent customer and employee of OceanScapes resort.

Stuck in a holding pattern after the sudden death of his wife two years earlier, Clark finds his curiosity rousing. He has read many, many mysteries and works as a ghostwriter of thrillers, but he's never come face-to-face with a real murder. 

When one of the other employees of OceanScapes asks Clark to look into the crime, he lets his curiosity take control. He's lucky to get some covert help from the detective on the case and from a local reporter. Even his avid mystery lover mother throws in some hints. 

This was a fun mystery that begins a series. I enjoyed it and the Myrtle Beach setting. 

I got this free book via BookBub April 27, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

There was a rug I wasn't expecting awaiting me in the alcove by the backdoor of my bookstore as I arrived to start the day. The rug had an art deco pattern of periwinkle and sepia toned multi-colored squares with a tan border. Each square was different. Random. It was a nice rug.

Except for the body rolled up on the middle of it.

Friday 56:

"It was weird, Clark," Margaret said after I returned. "I've never seen a young person have problems with that card reader before."

This week I am spotlighting Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal. It was free when I got it in April 2025. It is also the start of a nine-book series. Here is the description from Amazon:

THE BOARDWALK IS BEAUTIFUL—UNTIL SOMEONE TURNS UP DEAD.

Welcome to Myrtle Beach, where the sunsets are vibrant, the sea breeze carries secrets, and murder lurks just beneath the surface. Clark Thomas, a grieving bookstore owner trying to rebuild his life, makes a chilling discovery: the body of a friend rolled up in a rug behind his shop.

As Clark digs into the mystery, he’s pulled into a web of suspects that include business owners, environmental activists, and even the victim’s own coworkers. With the police focused elsewhere, a beautiful and suspicious tipster encourages Clark to investigate the crime himself.

But is he ready to face what he might uncover—and confront the ghosts of his own past along the way?

Perfect for fans of Southern mysteries, amateur sleuths, and small-town secrets, Death on the Boardwalk is a witty, fast-paced read that blends charm, suspense, and heart.

Don’t miss your chance to start the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series—where every charming corner hides a secret.

ARC Review: Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh

Atonement Sky
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling Trinity (Book 9)
Publication: Berkley (July 15, 2025)

Description: The hunt for a stealthy predator takes a damaged J-Psy to the heart of falcon territory in this new Psy-Changeling Trinity novel from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh…

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias knows the end is near for her, her mind one step away from fatal psychic exposure. In the short time that remains, she is determined to atone for an act of omission that has haunted her for a long, cruel decade. But that decision not only means facing a powerful changeling wing leader, but also putting herself in the path of a serial killer.

Falcon wing leader Adam Garrett is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. After losing his parents as a teenager in a shocking act of malice, Adam has no forgiveness in him for the J-Psy who betrayed him, betrayed them, at the most painful moment of his life. But the evil that stalks his territory will allow him no respite, forcing him once more into contact with the J he has never been able to forget.

Everything that could’ve been between Eleri and Adam was lost years ago, a shimmering promise crushed. As they work to uncover a monster, the moment of reckoning looms ever closer. Soon, there may be no more time left for either atonement...or love…

My Thoughts: ATONEMENT SKY was another excellent story in an excellent series. J-Psy Eleri Dias has one last goal before she succumbs to her mind's disintegration. She wants to catch the notorious serial killer known as the Sandman who has developed a fixation on her and keeps sending her letters. 

However, doing so will take her to the Arizona desert and a meeting with falcon that she met when she was an apprentice in her trade. Adam Garrett if the wing leader of his clan and has hated Eleri for years. Her mentor lied during the case trial of the murders of his parents, and the murderer got off with the official verdict of an accidental death. Adam blames Eleri for not stepping in and contradicting her mentor.

This ill feeling is complicated by the fact that the two of them were destined to be mates. But the years have changed both of them. Silence has fallen and the Psy are hanging on by a thread. And Eleri has had her mind worked on so much by her keepers that she is almost completely emotionless. 

This story was engaging. I loved the relationship that grew between Adam and Eleri. I liked the focus on the winged clan. I also liked the way many of the different groups managed to work together to solve a problem plaguing the Psy and the humans. 

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

ARC Review: Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods

Roll for Romance
Author: Lenora Woods
Publication: Dell (July 15, 2025)

Description: Two fledgling tabletop gamers find themselves falling for each other—both in and out of their weekly D&D sessions—in this charming, fantasy-tinged romance.

When Sadie Brooks unexpectedly loses her marketing job, she flees New York City to spend the summer with her best friend in small-town Texas, where joining his Dungeons & Dragons campaign is the perfect distraction while she plans her next steps.

In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out—until she meets Noah Walker, the outgoing bartender roped into joining their party as Loren, an adventurous and charismatic lute-strumming elf. Just as Jaylie finds herself succumbing to the bard’s charms over the course of their party’s travels, Sadie also begins to fall under Noah’s spell.

As their relationship progresses in both worlds, Sadie wonders if what they have might last beyond the game. But like his traveling bard character, Noah never stays in one place for long. When a new opportunity arises in New York, Sadie must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place—and whether she and Noah have found something in Texas worth staying for. Torn between her career dreams in the city and the exciting uncertainty of a new adventure, she will have no choice but to roll the dice.

My Thoughts: ROLL FOR ROMANCE was a nice contemporary romance. Sadie Brooks has left her high-paced marketing job in New York City and is spending the summer with her best friend Liam in rural Texas. They have been best friends since childhood and had shared the same New York City dreams. But when he had a chance to move to Texas to settle his grandfather's estate, he decided that he preferred the small-town lifestyle. He's a gay math teacher and dedicated gamer.

Liam convinces Sadie to join him in a Dungeons & Dragons session with a group of those new to the game while she summers in Texas. There she meets some of his friends and develops a new character as Jaylie who is a cleric with some magic and a sense of adventure. She is joined in the game by a barbarian with a big axe, a knife-wielding rogue, and a bard. 

The bard is Noah Walker who is also new in town. He's helping his college best friend set up a brewery which is also a restaurant and bar. Both in real life and in the game, Sadie and Noah begin a romance. But it looks like it can only be a short-term romance because Sadie thinks she's going to tackle New York City again in the fall and Noah never stays anywhere for long. 

The story is told in parts. Both real life and the D & D world that is being created get equal play in this story. In the real world, Sadie finds herself dusting off her background as an artist and creating and painting a mural at Noah's new business...and having second thoughts about her career plans.

Fans of romance and gaming will enjoy this story. 

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

ARC Review: Fateless by Julie Kagawa

Fateless
Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Fateless (Book 1)
Publication: HarperCollins (July 15, 2025)

Description: Deep in the forgotten city of the Deathless Kings, an ancient relic of untold power waits—for one bold enough to steal it.

When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. So when a mission comes along from The Circle, a group of mysterious, dangerous beings who control the Thieves Guild from the shadows, Sparrow is determined to cement her place in the guild.

What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. The fate of Sparrow, her companions, and Raithe, the enigmatic yet alluring assassin Sparrow is forced to join forces with during their quest, all hang in the balance as they find themselves battling ancient forces within the tombs and facing the unwavering hold of fate.

Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Sabaa Tahir, this new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa will sweep readers into a bold and exciting new world, where a twisted game of destiny has far-reaching consequences.

My Thoughts: FATELESS is the first book in a new epic fantasy series. It introduces Sparrow who is a seventeen-year-old member of the Thieves Guild. She was found as an infant by the guildmaster and raised in the guild. She is a very talented thief. 

She is given a mission by the Circle to travel to a buried city and retrieve an artifact. She'll either die on the quest or retrieve the artifact if she wants her mentor to survive. But what she doesn't know is that the artifact can be used to resurrect the Deathless King who wants to take over all life.

With the help of a fatechaser named Halek and despite the interference of the iylvaahn assassin Raithe, Sparrow does find the artifact and make it back to the surface. A former friend and fellow member of the guild steals the artifact from her and when she goes to the Circle to retrieve it, she is just in time to see him sacrificed and see the resurrection of the Deathless King. 

She manages to flee the city as it is being destroyed along with Halek and Raithe but the Deathless King isn't willing to let her go. Apparently, she is fateless, her life's threads aren't tangled in the web that hold all other lives. That makes her the only one who can possibly defeat the Deathless King. 

But what can one young woman who has known no future but that of the thieves guild manage to defeat a Deathless King? As Sparrow travels with Halek and Raithe to find answers, they are being pursued by agents of the Deathless King, chief among them being her mentor from the Thieves Guild so has been secretly engineering the return of the Deathless King. Sparrow needs to gather colleagues and allies if she will ever be able to triumph.

This story was packed with adventure. The world building was intriguing and the characters engaging. The only fault I can find with the book is the first in a trilogy. There is still so much adventure and growth that the reader will have to wait for in the rest of the trilogy. 

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

Audiobook Review: The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone

The Woman Who Smashed Codes
Author: Jason Fagone
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Publication: HarperAudio (September 26, 2017)
Length: 13 hours and 3 minutes

Description: Joining the ranks of Hidden Figures and In the Garden of Beasts, the incredible true story of the greatest codebreaking duo that ever lived, an American woman and her husband who invented the modern science of cryptology together and used it to confront the evils of their time, solving puzzles that unmasked Nazi spies and helped win World War II.

In 1912, at the height of World War I, brilliant Shakespeare expert Elizebeth Smith went to work for an eccentric tycoon on his estate outside Chicago. The tycoon had close ties to the US government, and he soon asked Elizebeth to apply her language skills to an exciting new venture: code breaking. There she met the man who would become her husband, groundbreaking cryptologist William Friedman. Though she and Friedman are in many ways the Adam and Eve of the NSA, Elizebeth's story, incredibly, has never been told.

In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Jason Fagone chronicles the life of this extraordinary woman, who played an integral role in our nation's history for 40 years. After World War I, Smith used her talents to catch gangsters and smugglers during Prohibition, then accepted a covert mission to discover and expose Nazi spy rings that were spreading like wildfire across South America, advancing ever closer to the United States. As World War II raged, Elizabeth fought a highly classified battle of wits against Hitler's Reich, cracking multiple versions of the Enigma machine used by German spies. Meanwhile, inside an army vault in Washington, William worked furiously to break Purple, the Japanese version of Enigma - and eventually succeeded, at a terrible cost to his personal life.

Fagone unveils America's code-breaking history through the prism of Smith's life, bringing into focus the unforgettable events and colorful personalities that would help shape modern intelligence. Blending the lively pace and compelling detail that are the hallmarks of Erik Larson's best sellers with the atmosphere and intensity of The Imitation Game, The Woman Who Smashed Codes is riveting popular history at its finest.

My Thoughts: This was a fascinating biography of a woman who had a profound effect on codebreaking and who almost managed to be totally overlooked. Elizebeth Smith was a Quaker schoolteacher hired by an eccentric millionaire to work on his odd theory about William Shakespeare's plays. He believed that they were written by Francis Bacon, and the proof lay in obscure marks found in an early printing of the plays. 

The search for proof that Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays was only one of the many experiments going on at Riverbank. Also there working on genetic research was an American Jew named William S. Friedman. The two formed a friendship and then a romance and a duo that is directly responsible for the United States' codebreaking agencies. 

Elizebeth and William worked on various codes which allowed Elizebeth, working for the Coast Guard, to track down and capture rum runners and other local criminals, and William to be instrumental in breaking the codes sent by America's enemies during World War I. 

While William's work is well known and celebrated, Elizebeth's was lost in file cabinets and classified by the nascent NSA. But her role in breaking codes and locating Nazis in South America was vital to the war effort in World War II. 

There are lots of take-aways for me. I didn't form a good impression of J. Edgar Hoover and the early years of the FBI. He was quick to claim credit for other people's successes. As this quote says: "It's not quite true that history is written by the winners. It's written by the best publicists on the winning team."

I came away from this story with really impressed at how a man and woman working with pencil, paper, and brains could do so much to solve so many puzzles. I was also impressed by Elizebeth's modesty in that she didn't think what she did was all that special. 

I bought this one March 17, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts

Death of an Ex
Author: Delia Pitts
Series: Vandy Myrick Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 15, 2025)

Description: Delia Pitts expertly writes about family, race, class, and grief in her mysteries. Vandy Myrick captured readers' and critics' hearts in Trouble in Queenstown. She returns in Death of an Ex, where Vandy tries to piece together what brought her ex-husband's life to an end.

Queenstown, New Jersey, feels big when you need help and tiny when you want privacy. For Vandy Myrick, that’s both a blessing and a curse. Now that Vandy’s back in “Q-Town,” her services as her hometown’s only Black woman private investigator have earned her more celebrity―or notoriety―than she figured.

Keeping busy with work helps Vandy deal with the grief of losing her daughter, stitching the seams, cementing the gaps. The memories will always remain, and they come crashing back to the surface when her ex-husband, Phil Bolden, walks back into her life. Promising everything, returning home, restoring family. Until she answers her door to the news that Phil has been murdered. And Vandy decides Phil is now her client.

It’s hard to separate the Phil that Vandy knew from the one Queenstown did. She sees him―and their daughter―in Phil’s son, who attends a prestigious local high school. She sees the layers of a complicated marriage with his wife. She sees all of Phil’s various roles: parent, husband, businessman, philanthropist. But which role got him killed?

My Thoughts: This is the second Vandy Myrick mystery. Vandy is Queenstown, New Jersey's only Black private investigator. She is also a Q-town native who is back trying to rebuild her life after the death of her teenage daughter. When she runs into her ex, she is still smitten. 

When her ex, Philip Bolden, is shot to death after their one-night stand, Vandy uses guilt as her lever to look into the murder. Her investigations take her from her mother's church Bethel African Methodist Episcopal and its very eager church secretary to the prestigious Rome School where Philip's son Tariq is a student and wife Melanie is a guidance counselor. 

The more she investigates the more she learns about her ex-husband and the life he was living. She uncovers secrets that indicate he didn't just forget about her and her daughter even though they split up with Vandy was four months pregnant. She also learns that he's involved in a twisty scheme that includes money-laundering. She has a plethora of suspects that she needs to sort through since a number of people might have wanted the charming philanderer dead. 

Vandy is an interesting character who lives on the grey side of life. She manages to combine toughness with vulnerability and is a realistically flawed human being. 

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? (July 7, 2025)

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 nice summer week. We had just a little bit of rain though many cloudy days. Some of the days were spent with the doors and windows open for fresh air and some of the days the house was closed up and the air conditioner was running. No furnace needed this week!

I spent a lot of time reading and am almost finished with my July review copies. I set up my calendar for August and filled in the very few blank dates with books and audiobooks that have been on TBR mountain for a long time. I do have 18 review copies on the calendar with August and September release dates. 

On a related topic, I got an email from Amazon telling me that I first purchased a Kindle 13 years ago in July. They are offering a 20% discount on a new Kindle. I don't need one this year since my current Kindle (I think it's my fifth) is still working just fine. It is interesting that I have converted so totally to reading on my Kindle that I can't remember the last print book I read. 

I set up dummy posts for my August calendar and will be fleshing out the posts as I watch baseball games since neither really requires my full attention. 

This coming week should also be a good one. I have a friend coming Monday to spend a few days resting and relaxing and chatting and going out to eat, etc. I'm looking forward to catching up. 

June Report

I read 38 books in June. Twenty-two were mine including 17 audiobooks. I also read 16 review books. I listened to audiobooks for 201 hours. 

I added 46 books to my LibraryThing Account including fifteen review copies and twenty audiobooks. Among the audiobooks were all of the In Death novellas by J. D. Robb. Twenty-seven of the new additions are still on the TBR pile including the J. D. Robb novellas. 

Here's my State of the Stack post which helps me keep track of my review copies. 

Read Last Week

• Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh (Review, July 15) -- Another excellent paranormal romance. My review will be posted on July 10.
• Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal (Mine since April 22) -- Contemporary mystery set in Myrtle Beach and starring bookstore owner Clark Thomas. My review will be posted on July 12.
• The Obsession by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Mine since February 15, 2021) -- Excellent romantic suspense. My review will be posted on July 22. 

• The Last Wizard's Ball by Charlaine Harris (Review, July 22) -- Finale of the Gunnie Rose series. My review will be posted on July 16.
• Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell (Review, July 22) -- Thriller set on an island where the wealthy spend their summers. My review will be posted on July 15.
• Mary Russell's War by Laurie R. King (Audiobook, Mine since June 22, 2021) -- A collection of short stories filling in some blanks in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. My review will be posted on July 24.

• Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher (Review, July 22) -- Contemporary romance starring a treasure hunter and a best-selling novelist. My review will be posted on July 17.
• Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Review, July 29) -- Cozy culinary mystery set in the south side of Chicago. My review will be posted on July 22.
• The Librarian by Judith A. Barrett (Kindle & Audiobook, Mine since May 24) -- Librarian who always wanted to be a spy turns investigator when she overhears or sees something which puts her in a killer's cross hairs. My review will be posted on July 19.

Currently

• Murder at Marble House by Alyssa Maxwell (Audiobook, Mine since July 26, 2021)
• Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee (Review, July 29)
• Road Trip with a Rogue by Kate Bateman (Review, July 29)

Next Week

• Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (Review, July 29)
• Who Let the Dogs Out? by David Rosenfelt (Mine since September 14, 2023)
• The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd Robinson (Review, August 5)

• Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Review, August 5)
• Steadfast by Mercedes Lackey (Kinde & Audiobook, Mine since September 28, 2021)
• For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews (Review, August 5)

Reviews Posted

• Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilbert (Review copy)
• The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos (Review copy)
• The Myth Maker by Alie Dumas-Heidt (Review copy)

• Rage by Linda Castillo (Review copy)
• The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (Review copy)
• Heir of Light by Michelle Sagara (Mine, Kindle & Audiobook)

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

Review:

• The Princess and the P. I. by Nikki Payne (Review, September 16)

Bought:

• River's End by Nora Roberts (BookBub, $2.99)
• Supernatural Academy: Freshman Witch by Ingrid Seymour & Katie French (BookBub, $.99)

• Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner (Kindle and Audiobook Add-On)
• Campus Murder Club by Kristi Rose (Chirp Audiobook, $.99)

What was your week like?