Wednesday, May 6, 2026

ARC Review: The Anniversary by Alex Finlay

The Anniversary
Author: Alex Finlay
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 12, 2026)

Description: Every May 1st, a serial killer stalks a small town. Every year he comes for them . . .

On May 1, 1992, Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley hardly know each other.

Jules is high school queen bee in a small Midwestern town when she survives a brutal attack by the elusive May Day Killer―a predator who strikes every May 1st and then vanishes without a trace. Quinn, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, is arrested the same night after trying to break up a fight and nearly killing someone.

By morning, their lives are forever connected.

A year later, Jules is haunted by trauma and guilt, tormented by one question: Why was she spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to devastating news―the unsolved murder of his mother.

Over the next decade, their lives are revisited on a single day each year: May 1st.

As the years pass, secrets surface, lies unravel, and the paths of Jules and Quinn draw closer together. Two mysteries edge toward the truth―what really happened the night Jules was attacked, and who murdered Quinn’s mother? All the while, the May Day Killer is still out there.

And the clock is racing toward another anniversary.

Twisty, high-concept, and emotionally charged, The Anniversary is an addictive murder mystery and nail-biting thriller―but it’s also a tender, heartrending story about fate, innocence lost, and two people bound by a single day. With its masterful structure and propulsive tension, The Anniversary reaffirms Alex Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.

My Thoughts: May 1 is the anniversary. This story begins in 1992 when Jules and Quinn meet in high school study hall. They are from different cliques. Jules is upper class and Quinn comes from the wrong side of the tracks. They do begin a tentative friendship though. Events come to a head on May Day when Jules is abducted and raped after ditching her cheating boyfriend at a concert and Quinn takes part in a fight that almost kills a guy. Jules doesn't tell anyone, but her life is disrupted. Quinn finds himself in Juvie and also has his life disrupted when his mother is murdered.

The next May Day Jules is discovered by a model agency and Quinn joins the Army. And the May Day Killer continues to take and kill young girls.

And the years go on. Jules has a successful career as a fashion model and masks her pain with drugs and alcohol. Quinn is invalided out of the Army after action in Somalia and, with a career in law enforcement impossible because of his injuries, becomes a private investigator in Omaha. Between his cases, he continues to investigate his own mother's murder because he doesn't believe the boyfriend did it. He is also working on the case of missing 8-year-old that the police have given on and put in the cold cases file. 

Then Jules younger sister is taken by the May Day Killer. She finally tells her parents that she was one of the lucky ones the killer didn't kill. She opens a nonprofit which searches for the missing. The May Day Killer is not the only source of missing persons.

Through the years, Jules and Quinn do keep running into each other, but it never seems like the right time for them. She's modeling in New York. He has a girlfriend. 

This was an excellent mystery. It was also an excellent story about friendship and love, lost innocence, and lost opportunities. I really enjoyed it. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Audiobook Review: Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey

Owlflight
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Series: The Owl Mage Trilogy (Book 1)
Publication: Tantor Audio (August 8, 2017)
Length: 13 hours and 40 minutes

Description: Apprenticed to a venerable wizard when his hunter and trapper parents disappear into the forest never to be seen again, Darian is difficult and strong willed - much to the dismay of his kindly master. But a sudden twist of fate will change his life forever when the ransacking of his village forces him to flee into the great mystical forest. It is here in the dark forest that he meets his destiny, as the terrifying and mysterious Hawkpeople lead him on the path to maturity. Now they must lead the assault on his besieged home in a desperate attempt to save his people from certain death.

My Thoughts: Owlflight is a coming-of-age fantasy story set on the far borders of Valdemar. Darian is a young orphan who has been apprenticed to the local wizard after his parents' disappearance in the Pelagirs. Darian isn't happy with his placement. He hasn't accepted his parents' deaths, and his future plans were to be a trapper like his parents were. 

The Wizard Justin is an old man who was damaged fighting in a war. He doesn't have much magic left but is an adequate healer and can still forecast the weather most of the time. He long since recognized that Darian had magic and could be trained to take his place. 

After Darian runs away in anger after a conflict with Justin, he sees his town being invaded by barbarian raiders and sees Justin die defending a bridge against the raiders. Darian flees into the forest not knowing what to do.

Darian is rescued by a group of Hawkpeople who are in the area to try to build new nodes of magic after the Mage Wars disrupted the flow of magic in the world. They are also hunting the change beasts created by the same magic. 

Darian finds acceptance and friendship and even reconciles to being trained to use his magic. But before he can embrace his future, the barbarian raiders have to be driven from the town he lived in, and the locals need to be rescued. Luckily, his knowledge of traps gained from his parents have the small group of Hawkpeople defeat a much larger horde and their mage too. 

I bought this one at Chirp March 15, 2026. You can buy your copy here.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

ARC Review: Griffin Speaker by Jan M. Flynn

Griffin Speaker
Author: Jan M. Flynn
Publication: Disney Hyperion (May 5, 2026)

Description: Impossible Creatures meets The Giver in this unforgettable fantasy series starter perfect for kids 8-12!

When twelve-year-old Rain bonds with the last wild griffin, she has the chance to change her fortune—and possibly her world.

As an orphan on the lowest rung of society, twelve-year-old Rain is destined for a future of hard labor—until she meets a wild griffin and bonds with him.

An old law says that bond entitles Rain to an education at the elite Griffin Riders Academy instead of a life in the mines. But Rain’s Rise threatens to topple Griffin Land’s fragile hierarchy, and those at the top are determined to see her fail. So they task Rain with proving herself: Armed with just her wit and accompanied by her best friend and an unlikely ally, Rain must scale the highest peak in Griffin Land and defeat the monster at its summit.

Rain’s success could change the world. But with an impossible quest ahead, will she and her griffin even survive?

Filled with awe-inspiring black-and-white illustrations, Griffin Speaker is both a delightful friendship-adventure story and a hopeful tale of resistance in an unequal world.

My Thoughts: This middle grade fantasy tells the story of a 12-year-old girl named Rain who is an orphan at the lowest rank in society. Her future will consist of underground mining of root. She fears her future because she is afraid of the dark, closed-in tunnels. 

Rain's future changes when she meets a griffin that her aunt, who has a farm raising exotic winged creatures for sale to the rich, is hiding in her barn and training to sell to a man from the highest rank of society. His daughter Orla wants to join the exclusive griffin riders, but she's been denied because of politics. 

Rain names the creature Griff. She able to talk to him and understand him in her mind. Griff is a wild griffin. Wild griffins are hunted by the griffin riders who are the society's enforcers. Rain decides that she and Griff will present themselves to the griffin training academy which must admit them both according to an ancient law. 

Rain's plan runs into politics. Those in the highest ranks of society see Rain as a demonstration of societal change that they do not want to happen. To keep her out, they design a quest that they intend to see that she doesn't survive.  With Griff taken from her and drugged, Rain and Orla who has declared herself Rain's Champion have to travel to a distant mountain to get the tail of the queen of the Nightflyers. They are joined on their quest by Rain's only friend Twig who has come to the city with Rain's belongings. 

This was an engaging introduction to epic fantasy for young readers. A young heroine of pure heart goes on a quest which changes society before it is all finished. It is also a friendship story about friends working together for a goal. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Monday, May 4, 2026

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 4, 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...

Happy May! This was a pretty quiet week for me. There was baseball and lots of reading and listening. There was also quite a bit of record keeping as I wrapped up April and set up my calendar for June since the books I'm reading now will finish up my May calendar. 

I added two new review copies to my collection this week and purchase two new books too. I had to get the latest Penric novella by favorite author Lois McMaster Bujold since she's an auto-buy for me, and the next book in the Colleen Hayes historical mysteries was on sale for $.99. I realized I hadn't yet read the 4th Colleen Hayes mystery. So, I added both of them to my calendar. Then I got Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg since I'm a fan of his writing. This was a May Kindle First Reads which sort of makes it a review book since it will be released on June 1.

I am doing well on my goal to schedule any new purchases onto my reading calendar so that I don't end 2026 with hundreds on unread books. However, the Colleen Hayes mysteries are on my August calendar! I still need to buy less, or I'll run out of 2026 dates.

April Report

I read 33 books in April. This includes 22 that were mine with 18 being from my TBR stack and 4 being rereads. I read 11 review copies. Sixteen of my 33 books were audiobooks for a total of 211 hours of listening.

I added 32 books to my LibraryThing collection including 14 audiobooks and 12 review copies. I have read six of my April additions. The rest are on my calendar to read sometime in 2026.

Through the end of April, I have read 135 books. 82 were mine including 47 from the TBR Pile and 35 rereads. January was a huge month for rereads.  Twenty-one of 28 books listed as mine were rereads. No other month had more than 5 rereads. I've listened to 67 audiobooks so far this year. I've also read and reviewed 53 books. 

Here's my State of the Stack post which is the way I keep track of review books. 

Read Last Week
  • Brotherhood in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- 43rd in the series centers around the disappearance and murder of Mr. Mira's cousin Edward. 
  • Ode to the Bones by Carolyn Haines (Review, May 26) -- The search for a missing farmer takes Sarah Booth and her partner Tinkie on an adventure complete with ghosts and lost Civil War gold while spending time on the plight of the American farmer. My review will be posted on May 20.
  • The Final Target by Nora Roberts (Review, May 26) -- A debut author attracts a stalker convinced that the two belong together forever. My review will be posted on May 21 for this excellent thriller.
  • Smoke in Mirrors by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, Mine since December 3, 2025) -- Classic Krentz romantic suspense story. My review will be posted on May 28.
  • The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan (Kindle, Mine since February 1) -- Fifth book in the Quinn & Costa thriller series takes the characters to LA. My review will be posted on May 22.
  • Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop (Audiobook Reread) -- First in a new urban fantasy series by a favorite author. 
  • Darksight Dare by Lois McMaster Bujold (Kindle, Mine since April 27) -- The latest Penric fantasy novella. I shared some quick thoughts on Goodreads. 
  • Apprentice in Death by J. D. Robb (Audibook Reread) -- This 43rd book in the In Death series is one of my favorites. Eve needs to track down a long-distance serial Killer. Lots about fathers and children and nature versus nurture woven into the adventure. My review will be posted on June 2.
  • Man of My Dreams by Olivia Worley (Review, June 2) -- An interesting combination of a meet cute romance and a psychological thriller complete with an unreliable narrator and plot twists. My review will be posted on May 26.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:
Bought:
What was your week like?
Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Friday, May 1, 2026

State of the Stack (May 1, 2026)


This is my monthly post which details progress made on review books. I want to thank the authors and publishers who have contributed their books. 

Read This Month 

Dates indicate the date the review was/will be posted.
  1. How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin (April 21)
  2. Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto (April 22)
  3. Cast in Blood by Michelle Sagara (April 23)
  4. A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon (April 28)
  5. I, Spy by L. M. Kemp (April 29)
  6. Archangel's Eternity by Nalini Singh (April 30)
  7. Griffin Speaker by Jan M. Flynn (May 5)
  8. The Anniversary by Alex Finlay (May 6)
  9. The Cupid Dilemma by April Asher (May 7)
  10. An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong (May 12)
  11. Storm Warning by James Byrne (May 19)
  12. Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney (May 19)
  13. Ode to the Bones by Carlolyn Haines (May 20)
  14. The Final Target by Nora Roberts (May 21)
DNF
  1.  
Read Previously, Posted This Month 

Dates indicate when the review was posted.
  1. Blood Trail by Matt Query & Harrison Query (April 1)
  2. The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (April 2)
  3. The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea by C. L. Miller (April 3)
  4. The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown (April 7)
  5. Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn (April 8)
  6. Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan (April 14)
  7. Liar's Creek by Matt Goldman (April 15)
New This Month 

Date indicates when the book will be released.
  1. Deadly Does It by Abbi Waxman (July 21)
  2. Probable Caws by Donna Andrews (August 4)
  3. Death on the Books by Victoria Gilbert (August 4)
  4. Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty (August 4)
  5. (Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall (August 4)
  6. A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett (August 11)
  7. Death at a Scottish Halloween by Lucy Connelly (August 11)
  8. The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle (September 8)
  9. Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima (September 8)
  10. A Field Guide to Death and Deceit by Michelle L. Cullen (September 15)
  11. Murder on the Sacred River by Tasha Alexander (September 22)
  12. The Pumpkin Vice Cafe by Ellie Alexander (September 29)
All TBR Review Books

June
July
August
September
October


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Audiook Review: Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner

Touch and Go
Author: Lisa Gardner
Narrator: Elisabeth Rodgers
Series: Tessa Leoni (Book 2)
Publication: Dutton (February 5, 2013); Brilliance Audio (February 5, 2013)
Length: 14 hours and 29 minutes

Description: The secrets of a picture perfect family are exposed in this “tour de force” thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner.

Ten minutes after walking the elite Back Bay townhouse and investigator Tessa Leoni already doesn’t like what she sees. Signs of an abduction. Clearly the work of professionals. At best, the entire family has been kidnapped. At worst…

The more Tessa learns about the Denbe family, the less she likes their chances. What might have looked like the perfect existence—a powerful CEO, his adoring wife, their angelic child—is not what it appears. Husband, wife, daughter—magazine perfect, but each hiding dark secrets…

Tessa knows more than she’d like to about families riddled with lies. What she doesn’t know is where the Denbes are and if any of them are still breathing. She’ll have to climb over unbending feds and territorial local cops to find out, and if she’s not fast, the Denbes’ chances of survival will quickly become little more than touch and go...

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Tessa Leoni series which is a part of the D. D. Warren series. When the entire Denbe family is abducted from their Back Bay townhouse, Tessa is hired by the Denbe Construction to investigate the disappearance. She isn't alone. The Boston Police in the person of D. D. Warren are also on the case but only until evidence suggests that the family was taken into New Hampshire.

The FBI is called in to try to find the family and so is a Sheriff's Department in New Hampshire. Wyatt Foster is a cop who wants to be a carpenter or a carpenter who wants to be a cop. 

The story is told from three viewpoints. Tessa and Wyatt handle the police viewpoint. Libby Denbe is also a viewpoint character. Libby is Justin Denbe's wife of eighteen years and the mother of fifteen-year-old Ashlyn. Libby is also a betrayed wife who has developed an addiction to pain pills to cover up the pain of her cheating husband. Libby still loves Justin but doesn't think she can get over his cheating,

The family is taken from their home to the wilds of New Hampshire and a finished but never occupied prison built by Justin's company. Meanwhile, the FBI, Sheriff's Department, and Tessa are trying to figure out who took the family and what they want.

Lots of secrets are exposed as Tessa and Wyatt investigate Justin's company including more than $11 million embezzled over the past sixteen years. All of Justin's trusted employees are lying about something and it is up to Tessa and Wyatt to learn the truth.

I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints. The story was really filled with tension and plot twists. 

I bought the Kindle book December 31, 2025. I got the audiobook on sale April 1, 2026. You can buy your copy here.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Audiobook Review: Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts

Hidden Riches
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrator: Sandra Burr
Publication: Brilliance Audio (June 10, 2008)
Length: 14 hours and 23 minutes

Description #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts unveils the intriguing world of antiques dealing, where an independent woman discovers the price of breathless desire—and the schemes of an obsessed killer…

Dora Conroy has a passion for antiques—and any other rarities she can acquire for her quaint Philadelphia shop. A seasoned dealer, she knows all the tricks of the trade. But she is unprepared for the deadly consequences when she purchases a few curiosities at an auction—and unknowingly brings home a priceless cache that makes her the target of an international criminal. Entwined in a reckless chase, Dora turns to her new neighbor, Jed Skimmerhorn, a cop who’s turned in his badge—and whose desire for lovely Dora puts him back in the line of fire. Fighting their attraction while falling in love, they find that hidden riches can have a most ordinary façade. And that possession can be a lethal obsession…

My Thoughts: Dora Conroy has a new tenant for the apartment above her antiques and curiosities shop. Jed Skimmerhorm was a police captain who has given up his badge after he kills the man who, aiming for him, set a car bomb that murdered his sister. Independently wealthy, Jed is content to do nothing except exercise and stew in his guilt. 

When Dora returns home from her buying trip, she meets the man her actor father chose for her new tenant. Banter ensues with Dora being friendly and Jed being grouchy. 

Meanwhile, a wealthy, murderous and insane collector receives a package which doesn't contain the goods he purchased. He sends his henchman to find and recover his missing pieces which are the same goods Dora bought. He learns that the shipping company mislabeled the shipments and, starting at the auction house, beings to track them down killing anyone who gets in his way. 

Dora's shop is burglarized but she and Jed manage to chase away the burglar after some shots are fired. Jed finds himself pulled back into police work as he tries to find out who tried to burglarize Dora's shop and why. 

As the book progresses, the viewpoints alternate and the danger creeps ever closer to Dora. And Dora and Jed are falling love with Dora being the open-hearted one and Jed the more reluctant because his abuse childhood made him very suspicious of love. 

The story was fast paced. It was also an intense thriller and intense though not graphic love story. I liked that Dora's family and Jed's friends were both pushing the couple together while providing strong support for both characters. 

Published in 1994, the only things that made it seem dated were the lack of cellphones and the prevalence of characters who smoked. I enjoyed this one very much.

I bought this one from Chirp April 26, 2025. You can buy your copy here.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)