Audiobook Review: Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews

Five Golden Wings
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow (Book 38)
Publication: Macmillan Audio (October 14, 2025)
Length: 9 hours and 26 minutes

Description: Two of Meg’s cousins, members of Mother’s vast Hollingsworth clan, are getting married, and both have chosen Caerphilly for their Christmas destination wedding . . on the same day, in the same venues. But while they’re cousins they’re also lifelong enemies. Mother’s efforts to keep the peace are wearing her down, and the battling brides (and their mothers) are making the holiday season miserable for everyone. So Meg steps in to keep the peace. And it was going badly even before she stumbles over the murdered body of the wedding photographer.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of suspects. The photographer has been hitting on many of the guests, bridesmaids . . . possibly even one or both of the brides. He’s also been slinking about and taking candid shots that are unflattering, embarrassing . . . occasionally even incriminating.

Can Meg help the local police nab the killer in time for the weddings to go on as planned? Unless, of course, the killer was one of the brides or grooms, in which case she needs to identify the killer in time to reveal their identity when she hears those fateful words, “If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else forever hold your peace.”

My Thoughts: The 38th Meg Langslow mystery takes place near Christmas time. Two of her cousins from the large Hollingsworth clans have planned Christmas weddings in Caerphilly. Unfortunately, the girls are lifelong enemies. Running interference between the two battling bride's is Meg's mother. Tensions are high and threaten to ruin Christmas for everyone. 

When the wedding photographer is found dead - by Meg. His murder must be solved before the brides walk down the aisle. Unfortunately, there are a number of candidates for killer since the photographer was definitely not a good guy. His assistant hates him since he ruined her changes of establishing a career as a wedding photographer herself. His former clients hate him because of the deceptive contracts he forced them to sign. Many women hate him because of his inappropriate actions and the compromising, or at least embarrassing, pictures he's taken of them. Meg has to sort it all out. 

But other things are going on too. Meg's friend Carolyn has some rehabbing eagles in the lobby of the inn to impress a donor, but they are being really stressed by the actions of the guests. Jamie and Josh are co-directing the children's Christmas pageant and have conflicts about the direction for the production. And that nice older couple staying at the inn may have a hidden agenda of their own.

This was another excellent humorous mystery in this long-running series. I enjoy catching up with all the various characters.

I bought this one December 7, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Family Lies by Karen Rose

Family Lies
Author: Karen Rose
Series: The San Diego Case Files (Book 4)
Publication: Berkley (March 31, 2026)

Description: The fourth nerve-shattering installment of the San Diego Case Files from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose sees Kit McKittrick’s sister caught in a maelstrom of deadly family secrets.

As an infant, Kit McKittrick’s foster sister Akiko was abandoned at a firehouse. Now 32, Akiko has received an unsettling phone call from a woman who says that she knew her birth mother but refuses to divulge any details except in person. Akiko is nervous but also thrilled at the prospect of finally learning about her blood relations.

Kit has a bad feeling about this and insists on accompanying Akiko to meet the woman. Sure enough, as they stand on Mary Sherman’s doorstep, shots are fired and Kit is hit...and inside the house is a corpse: Mary Sherman herself.

Although she’s on medical leave and forbidden to work the case, Kit cannot rest. With police psychologist Sam Reeves, she undertakes a covert investigation into the mysterious Mary Sherman. Was she Akiko’s birth mother? Why did she reach out after all these years? And who had a motive to kill her?

As more bodies pile up, Kit starts to put together the pieces of the frightening puzzle that is Akiko’s birth family, and she’ll come to wonder whether some secrets should stay buried after all.

My Thoughts: The fourth book in the San Diego Case Files is centered around Akiko McKittrick. Detective Kit McKittrick goes with her adopted sister Akiko when she receives a call from a woman who says she knows something about her mother. Since Akiko was left in a box outside a firehouse when she was only a couple of days old, she wants to know about her mother. 

When Akiko, Kit and Kit's boyfriend psychologist Sam Reeves, arrive at Mary Sherman's house, they are shot at. Kit is hit in the arm but only because she bent her head to look at something which caused the shooter to miss the head shot. They go into the house to find that Mary Sherman has been murdered. 

Kit is determined to find answers for her sister but is surprised when her lieutenant takes her off the case in favor of another pair of detectives one of whom really hates Kit. The lieutenant tells her to stop investigating and puts her on medical leave. But it's Kit's sister. She can't step aside especially since she knows one of the investigator's assigned to the case is incompetent. 

Kit keeps investigating and soon finds herself suspended from her job which just adds additional stress to her life. Choosing between her job and her sister is a no-brainer though. Kit will always put family first no matter how much she loves her job. 

Kit, Sam and Kit's retired partner Baz keep investigating and trying to uncover the events that led to Akiko's abandonment as an infant. They discover a tangled and twisty past for Akiko's relatives and face all sorts of dangers along the way including another couple of deaths and more attacks on Kit. 

This was an excellent thriller filled with engaging characters. I enjoyed Kit's tentative steps into love and letting someone else into her life. 

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

ARC Review: The Barn Identity by Diane Kelly

The Barn Identity
Author: Diane Kelly
Series: House-Flipper Mysteries (Book 8)
Publication: Minotaur Books (March 31, 2026)

Description: The eighth in the House-Flipper mystery series set in Nashville, where the real estate market is to die for.

In Nashville, carpenter Whitney Whitaker is ecstatic when she discovers an abandoned barn perfect for her next project. However, since the surrounding former farmland has now developed into a shiny new shopping center, it seems the decrepit antebellum barn that once served as a livery stable should be torn down to make way for something more modern. Even so, Whitney can’t help but think the barn should be preserved. While unproven, it’s rumored the building once served as a hiding place for escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. She convinces her cousin to take a chance on the old property. After all, the barn would make a unique retail space or, with its high ceilings and wide walls, could be turned into an arthouse cinema.

When a local print journalist reporting on the renovation is found dead on the property, investigators suspect he might have been murdered for any one of several exposés he’d published about local politicians, movers, and shakers. Whitney suspects there’s more to the story, and that the journalist’s fate might be tied directly to the stable renovation. Can she solve the murder and bring a killer to justice? Or might this goal be too lofty?

My Thoughts: Whitney Whitaker Flynn and her cousin find themselves renovating an old barn outside of Nashville that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad and a monument to enslaved persons. When a podcaster/journalist is murdered on the site, Whitney is on the case. After all, she was napping in the hayloft while waiting for a meeting with the barn's owner when the man was murdered. 

The suspects could be anyone on the journalists list of articles and podcasts, so Whitney finds herself investigating a megachurch, a vegetarian restaurant, and a rival land developer on her hunt for the killer. All the while, she is nursing her pregnancy and looking forward to her baby's birth.

This was an entertaining cozy mystery. It is the 8th in the House-Flipper series which makes it nice for fans to catch up on the lives of characters from earlier books. 

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

Audiobook Review: Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts

Blue Dahlia
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrator: Susie Breck
Series: In the Garden (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (June 10, 2008)
Length: 10 hours and 46 minutes

Description: Against the backdrop of a house steeped in history and a thriving new gardening business, three women unearth the memories of the past in the first novel in #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts’ In the Garden Trilogy.

A Harper has always lived at Harper House, the centuries-old mansion just outside of Memphis. And for as long as anyone alive remembers, the ghostly Harper Bride has walked the halls, singing lullabies at night…

Trying to escape the ghosts of the past, young widow Stella Rothchild, along with her two energetic little boys, has moved back to her roots in southern Tennessee. She isn’t intimidated by Harper House - nor by its mistress. Despite a reputation for being difficult, Roz Harper has been nothing but kind to Stella, offering her a comfortable place to live and a challenging new job as manager of the flourishing In the Garden nursery.

As Stella settles comfortably into her new life, she finds a nurturing friendship with Roz and expectant mother Hayley and a fierce attraction to ruggedly handsome landscaper Logan Kitridge. He’s difficult but honest, brash but considerate - and undeniably sexy. And for a sensible woman like Stella, he may be just what she needs...

My Thoughts: BLUE DAHLIA begins the In the Garden trilogy by Nora Roberts. Stella Rothchild is a widowed mother of two young boys who transplants herself to Southern Tennessee to be nearer to her father and his wife. She takes a job as manager for Roz Harper who owns the In the Garden nursery. 

Stella and her boys live with Roz as they begin their new lives. Stella finds the job challenging and just what she needs for her new start. One fly in the ointment is Logan Kitridge who is the landscape designer associated with the nursery. They butt heads immediately but fall in love too which comes a surprise for the organized, plan ahead Stella. 

However, she loves working for Roz and with Hayley who is a young sort of relation of Roz's who has come looking for a job while pregnant. Hayley has recently lost her father and is also looking to build a new life. 

Things would be great for all of them except for the existence of the Harper Bride who is a ghost. She is especially concerned with young children. It is Stella's boys who see her first as she sings to them in their bedroom. Roz has long been familiar with the ghost but is now eager to find out who she is. 

This was an excellent story. All of the characters were well-defined. The romance fit in nicely and the ghost was an added bonus. 

I bought this one January 25, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

The Faraway Inn
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publication: Delacorte (March 31, 2026)

Description: A teen girl decides to spend her summer helping her eccentric great aunt manage her quaint Vermont inn—only to discover that the fixer-upper is hiding a magical secret—in this cozy and irresistible new young adult fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop.

This stunning first edition of The Faraway Inn features gorgeous designed edges!

“Frosted with whimsy and sprinkled with joy, The Faraway Inn is a testament to why Sarah Beth Durst is the queen of cozy fantasy!”—Tricia Levenseller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkness Within Us

When sixteen-year-old Calisa arrives at her great-aunt’s B&B in rural Vermont for the summer, she’s shocked to find a rundown inn rather than the cozy bed-and-breakfast she was expecting. Grumpy and eccentric, Auntie Zee is determined to keep anyone from messing with her beloved inn . . . even though she clearly needs the help.

To convince her great-aunt to keep her around, Calisa sets to work fixing up the inn, enlisting extra help from the groundskeeper’s (handsome) son. But the longer she stays, the surer she is that there’s something strange about the B&B—and its guests. Something almost . . . otherworldly.

The inn is keeping a magical secret—but to protect the place she’s come to love, Calisa must unravel the truth before it’s too late.

My Thoughts: This Young Adult fantasy takes place in Vermont at the Faraway Inn. Brooklynite Calisa is eager to get away from her broken heart caused by her boyfriend's betrayal by joining her great-aunt at her inn in Vermont.

Calisa arrives to find an inn that looks to be on its last days and a great-aunt who isn't eager to see her. However, she is eager to make a place for herself at this strange inn. She meets Jack who is the groundskeeper's son and who is worried about his dad's disappearance. The strange things begin almost immediately when Calisa opens a broom closet and sees only black, has a wind blow in her face, and hears a howling scream. Her aunt quickly slams the door and tries to convince her it wasn't real.

That is only the first strange thing that happens. She is determined to make a place for herself at the inn since she isn't ready to face things back in Brooklyn. She finds herself cleaning, making pancakes, and learning to bake cakes to go along with the teapot that seems to make tea without human intervention. 

She meets the quirky guests and is adopted by a small lizard that one of them inadvertently brought along with them. Then there's the statue that keeps moving around...

When her great-aunt disappears, Calisa and Jack need to find her and find themselves visiting many worlds through the various doors at the inn. Calisa manages to find herself along the way and learn what is really important to her. 

This was a sweet, adventurous story with wonderful characters and great worldbuilding. 

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? (March 23, 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 an odd reading week. I didn't finish my first two books until Wednesday which is really unusual for me. I guess I spent too much time doom scrolling and watching baseball. It was exciting to see Venezuela win the World Baseball Classic even though they did beat the US team. Also, Spring Training is winding down, and the real season will begin for my Atlanta Braves on Friday night. There are still a couple of games to watch or listen to this week. 

I am currently reading three books. I started The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown (Review, April 14) and said "Oh, dear." It begins in 1527 with an ignorant young farm girl having a vision during a fever which brings her to the attention of the Catholic Church which is desperately trying to keep Henry VIII from leaving the Catholic Church. I didn't think I could deal with either the politics or the spirituality. 

So, I went to my calendar and picked the next book - Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn, started reading it, and went "Oh, dear" again. I'm not a big fan of talking animals and discovered that this one is narrated by a dog with a dog's eccentric viewpoint.  

Then I went looking in my TBR pile for something to sub in if DNFing either left a hole in my calendar. I found Naked Comes the Phoenix which is a serial novel written by a lot of female mystery authors with a percentage of the profits going to breast cancer research.

I gave The Lost Book... another chance and found that it was a dual timeline with the second being a contemporary scholar who has discovered Elizabeth Barton's book. I'm at 22% I'm also at 22% of Naked... which has been enjoyable so far. Cat on a Hot Tin Woof is at 8% and I hope I get into the rhythm of it soon. Otherwise, it will be quite a slog. 

Hopefully, I'll finish these before Wednesday this week and move on to the next books on my calendar. I'm looking forward to Fire Must Burn since I've enjoyed all the earlier books in that series. 

Read Last Week

• Blood Trail by Matt Query & Harrison Query (Review, April 7) -- Interesting combination of techno-thriller and horror story. My review will be posted on April 1.
• Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer (Audiobook, Mine since February 18, 2026) -- Middle book in an epic fantasy trilogy. My review will be posted on April 7)
• The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (Review, April 7) -- Excellent fantasy for book lovers. My review will be posted on April 2.

• Black Rose by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Mine since March 11, 2026) -- Second romance/paranormal in the In the Garden trilogy. My review will be posted on April 9.
• The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea by C. L. Miller (Review, February 18) -- Second in a cozy mystery series. My review will be posted on April 3.
• Red Lily by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Mine since March 11, 2026) -- Finale of the In the Garden Trilogy. Great characters and a nice conclusion to the series. My review will be posted on April 16.

Currently

• Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn (Review, April 14)
• The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown (Review, April 14)
• Named Came the Phoenix edited by Marcia Talley (Kindle, Mine since April 15, 2025)

Next Week

• Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair (Kindle, Mine since January 16, 2026)
• Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan (Review, April 21)
• Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer (Kindle & Audiobook, mine since February 18, 2026)

• Liar's Creek by Matt Goldman (Review, April 21)
• Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner (Kindle, Mine since July 8, 2025)
• Love You More by Lisa Gardner (Kindle, Mine since March 2, 2026)

Reviews Posted

• Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict (Review Copy)
• The Survivor by Andrew Reid (Review Copy)
• A Deadly Inheritance by Kelley Armstrong (Review Copy)

• Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook)
• Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook)
• Magelight by Kacey Ezell (Audiobook)

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

Review:

• I Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zannikas (Review, September 15)

Bought:

• Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)
• Owlsight by Mercedes Lackey (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)
• Owlknight by Mercedes Lackey (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99_

• A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton (Kindle, Gift Card)
• The King's Ransom by Janet Evanovich (Kindle, Gift Card)
• When You See Me by Lisa Gardner (Kindle & Audiobook)

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: Magelight by Kasey Ezell

Magelight
Author: Kasey Ezell

Narrator: Jennifer Jill Araya
Series: Magelight (Book 1)
Publication: Baen (May 6, 2025), Podium Audio (September 16, 2025)

Length: 16 hours and 6 minutes

Description: Fleeing her sheltered life, a noblewoman must trust a warrior, a forester, and a thief to unlock her true power and face her destiny.

Embrace Your Power and Forge Your Destiny

All her life, Aelys of Brionne had been weak. As the noble daughter of one of the empire’s most powerful magic-wielding families, it should have been easy for her to live her dream of bonding with a warrior protector and joining the Imperial Battlemage Corps. But when her weakness robs her of her dreams, her best friend, and the man she loves, Aelys makes the only choice she can see: she takes her fate into her own hands and she runs, leaving her safe, protected world behind.

Now she must find a way to work with three dangerous strangers—a warrior, a forester, and a thief—to escape the bandits stalking her, fight through the dangers of the untamed forest, and make her way back home, where her family and her destiny await.

Only . . . her violent protectors might be the key to the power and freedom she’s always craved. Can Aelys find the strength to choose her own destiny and become the sorceress she was born to be? Or lose herself on the path to power?

My Thoughts: MAGELIGHT is the first book in an epic fantasy series. Aelys of Brionne is the daughter of a powerful family. She has the dream of using her magical talent to become a Battlemage for the Empire. However, her weak magic makes that dream impossible. Even though she graduates from the academy, she isn't chosen by the man she wants who picks her best friend instead. The betrayal sends Aelys fleeing for home.

Meanwhile, three men who were best friends as boys, but whose lives have taken different paths after their village was destroyed meet again. Romik was first an arena fighter who bought his way out to be a mercenary soldier before growing disenchanted with the life. Daen had become a Forester even though his low birth should have made that career impossible. While he is an exceptional archer, he has never been accepted by his highborn "brothers." Vil has been sold into prostitution in the city but murdered his first customer and escaped. He has made his life as thief in that same city. 

The three men meet at a country inn and swear their brotherhood just before Aelys arrives pursued by bandits. They rescue her but find themselves in an inn that has been set on fire by the same bandits. They survive because Aelys is able to form bonds with all three of them which increases her magical power enough to save them. Needless to say, none of the three men are happy or comfortable with the concept of being bound to her. 

The story concerns their adventures while bringing Aelys back to her home and with dealing with their new bonds. For the first third of the book, I didn't like Aelys at all. She spent it crying, apologizing, and feeling guilty. However, the men recognized her deep inferiority complex and bolstered her each in their own different ways. They couldn't do much about the guilt though since she knew she should not have bound them to her. 

I enjoyed the worldbuilding in the story and the personalities of the main characters. I look forward to reading their further adventures. 

I bought this one February 2, 2026. You can buy your copy here.