Audiobook Review: Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz

Eclipse Bay
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Gail Shalan
Series: Eclipse Bay (Book 1)
Publication: Tantor Media (June 13, 2023)
Length: 8 hours and 47 minutes

Description: FIRST IN THE STUNNING TRILOGY

Eclipse Bay has grown and flourished amongst the sharp cliffs and hidden coves of the rugged Oregon coast. But this small town is also filled with secrets as treacherous as the landscape and rivalries as fierce as an ocean storm.

Their grandfathers hated each other. Their fathers hated each other. But they don't hate each other. Not at all . . .

Hannah Harte remembers the long-ago night on the beach that revealed Rafe as more than just "that disreputable Madison boy." And Rafe remembers the heroic gesture that proved Hannah's fierce spirit was stronger than any feud—and saved him from near-certain imprisonment.

Now—reunited by a surprising inheritance after years of living their separate lives—Rafe and Hannah return to Eclipse Bay, and the hostilities that still divide, and bind, their families. And they are discovering something that is at once delightful and deeply disturbing . . .

My Thoughts: ECLIPSE BAY begins a romance trilogy set in coastal Oregon. The Harte and Madison families are bitter rivals. A business deal gone wrong in their grandfathers' time has built quite a feud by the time Hannah Harte meets Rafe Madison on the beach.  Both had been abandoned by their dates to long walks home. The two spend most of the night talking and getting to know one another. The next day, when Rafe's date is found dead, Hannah is the one who provides his alibi for the murder wrecking er own reputation along the way. 

The two go their separate ways after that. Hannah becomes a successful wedding planner and Rafe, whose past is more mysterious, becomes a chef. Their paths collide again when Hannah's great aunt leaves her mansion to both of them. 

Reunited in Eclipse Bay, both learn that the feelings they had for each other years earlier have not gone away. That doesn't mean that they don't have arguments about the fate of their inheritance. Both want to open an inn, and Rafe wants to add on a restaurant, but they don't want to work with each other.  And that long ago death is still haunting them especially since the victim's brother is sure that Rafe caused his sister's death. 

They decide to look into her death together to see if they can learn what really happened eight years earlier and begin to uncover a number of secrets that someone wants to remain buried. 

This was an engaging romance with a bit of suspense. I liked the way each of the main characters was developed. The banter between them was also entertaining. 

I bought this one December 3, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

The Escape Game
Author: Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss
Publication: G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (April 7, 2026)

Description: It’s all fun and games until someone ends up dead.

Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set.

Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show's trickiest escape rooms. There's Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master; and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes.

But Sierra’s not just here to win. She’s here for justice.

When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia’s true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren’t high in this competition, they’re deadly. If these teens want to win—and survive—the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of all: who killed Alicia Angelos?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer and rising star Tamara Moss comes a twisty thrill-ride, filled with sabotage, betrayal, and puzzles to die for.

My Thoughts: This YA mystery tells the story of four teens who are chosen to take part in season five of The Escape Game where they need to pit their skills against other teams who are trying to solve the puzzles and escape first. 

Season four ended in tragedy when Sierra Angelos found her sister's body in a prop coffin at the finale. Since Sierra had been arguing with Alicia earlier, she's the prime suspect but there isn't evidence to arrest her. She's back to try to solve what she is certain was her sister's murder.

Beck has joined the cast. He's trans and has the goal of becoming a game master himself. He's created many escape rooms on his own. Carter has also joined the cast. She's a math wizard and an influencer who is big in her persona as Kick It Carter on the online community built around the show. In person, she's looking for friends who are like her and lacks the confidence of her online person. 

Finally, there is Adi. Adi has a broad base of knowledge and is a cryptographer. He's also the son of a has-been actress who is more than willing to use him to force her way back into show business. He'd like to know more about his absentee father who is one of the show's backers. 

As the four try to learn to be a team and solve the puzzles of the various escape rooms, they are also dealing with other clues that someone who calls themself the Real Game Master is leaving inside the puzzles that will guide them to Alicia's killer. 

The story is filled with intriguing puzzles, suspicious characters, and dangers for our heroes. This is the first book in a series. Sierra's mystery is solved giving her resolution. The other three main characters still have dangling threads left to unravel. 

I enjoyed this story where smart kids were looking for, and finding, their people and learning more about themselves along the way. 

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 30, 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...

My, the year is going by fast! It is hard to believe that it is the end of March and Easter is next Sunday. We still have quite a bit of snow on the ground, and our temperatures are doing the roller coaster thing. After a high of 60 on Wednesday, we had a high of 25 on Friday. Saturday, we hit a high of 48. Right now (Noon on Sunday), the temperature is 34. This coming week looks like highs should be in the 30s. I'm eager for Spring to finally show up in my part of Minnesota but the forecast says snow again on Thursday.

Luckily, I have baseball to watch and books to read and listen to. I would really like to finish my April review copies before April 1. This would have worked better if I had known that one book on my stack had switched its release date from April 21 to May 5. Oh well! At least I have a start on my May releases and only two more Aprils to read by Thursday. 

This week was my annual wellness visit which went well. A couple more follow-up tests were scheduled but I don't have anything medical on the calendar for a couple of weeks. I did get my tenth Covid booster while I was at my doctor's office. This is the first one where I had any arm soreness, but it went away by the next day. I feel lucky that I have managed to never contract Covid and want to continue my streak. 

Baseball has been going well so far. My Braves are 2-0 even though last night's game was a nailbiter until the ninth inning when a Grand Slam saved the day. 

This week my reading calendar is filled with books from my own stack. I have a bunch of titles by Lisa Gardner from two of her series to read. I also have audiobooks from purchases made in December 2025 that I want to listen to. The audiobooks are by a favorite author. I know I read the print books years ago, but the audiobooks are new to me. I'll also be finishing a fantasy trilogy by Brigid Kemmerer. 

Read Last Week

• Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn (Review, April 14) -- 16th Chet and Bernie mystery told from Chet's viewpoint. He's a failed police K-9 with a unique viewpoint. My review will be posted on April 8.
• Thankless in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread)
• The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown (Review, April 14) -- Dual timeline mystery from the viewpoint of Elizabeth Barton, the Holy Maid of Kent, and the modern medieval scholar who found a copy of Elizabeth's book which had been presumed destroyed in the time of Henry VIII. My review will be posted on April 7.

• Naked Came the Phoenix edited by Marcia Talley (Kindle, Mine since April 15, 2025) -- Serial mystery written by some female stars of the mystery-writing genre. My review will be posted on April 10.
• Concealed in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread) 
• Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair (Kindle, Mine since January 16, 2026) -- 8th Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery. My review will be posted on April 9.

• Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan (Review, April 21) -- Excellent historical fantasy set in England just after World War I. My review will be posted on April 14.
• Festive in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread)
• Liar's Creek by Matt Goldman (Review, May 5) -- Contemporary mystery set in southern Minnesota about searching for a missing uncle. My review will be posted on April 15.

Currently

• Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer (Audiobook, Mine since February 18, 2026)
• How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin (Review, April 28)

Next Week

• 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)
• Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, Mine since December 3, 2025)

• Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Review, April 28)
• Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner (Kindle, Mine since October 1, 2025)
• Summer in Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, mine since December 3, 2025)

Reviews Posted

• Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts (Audiobook)
• Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews (Audiobook)
• The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst (Review copy)

• The Barn Identity by Diane Kelly (Review copy)
• Family Lies by Karen Rose (Review copy)
• Jules Cassidy, P.I. by Suzanne Brockmann (Mine)

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

Review:

• Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox (Review, July 7)
• Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen (Review, October 13)

Bought:

What was your week like?

Book Review: Jules Cassidy, PI by Suzanne Brockmann

Jules Cassidy, PI
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Series: Troubleshooters (Book 20)
Publication: Suzanne Brockmann Books (January 29, 2026)

Description: Troubleshooters series fan-favorite Jules Cassidy is back!

Starting over is never easy, but when Jules is forced out of the FBI, he has the help of his good friend, former Navy SEAL Sam Starrett, as he takes on his first case as head of the Troubleshooters personal security firm’s brand new Los Angeles office.

Jules’s assignment: Locate a woman named Emily Johnson, the unexpected heir to a Hollywood producer’s massive fortune. The weird twist? The producer’s estranged son is the client who’s hired Jules and Sam to find this mysterious stranger who’ll inherit what should have been his—millions he claims he does not need or want.

Still, the investigation should be simple despite the lack of information about this woman with a very common name. But Jules knows that with Sam’s help, he’ll find her, even if they have to knock on the door of every Emily Johnson in the greater Los Angeles area.

Best of all? This easy case is danger-free.

But as the WTFs surrounding the investigation start piling up rapidly and haphazardly, it soon becomes clear to both Jules and Sam that someone’s gunning for their mysterious and hard-to-find Emily—and for them, as well.

In a novel that’s part mystery, part drama, part comedy and all heart, Brockmann’s long-awaited return to the Troubleshooters world also delivers the story of Jules Cassidy’s first-ever investigation as a seventeen-year-old high school student.

Shortly after his father’s untimely death, Jules and his mother move back to her rural Connecticut hometown, where Jules begins his senior year as the “new kid.” It’s not long before he is immersed in solving a crime—someone is attacking girls at weekend parties. With the help of a new group of friends, Jules is determined to catch and bring the violent perpetrator to justice.

But life doesn’t always go according to plan…

My Thoughts: This new entry into the Troubleshooters series stars former FBI Agent Jules Cassidy. Because of changes in Presidential administrations, Jules has resigned from the FBI and joined Troubleshooters. He is tasked with setting up a Los Angeles office which works out well because his husband Robin has the offer to star in a new television series. 

Jules and Robin are dealing with heartbreak because the surrogate who was supposed to have their baby had a late-term miscarriage in Texas and almost died before she could be transported to a more woman friendly state. However, although she lives, she can no longer have children. Jules and Robin are both grieving the loss of their child and their friend's loss too. Add that to Jules grieving the loss of a career he loved and you have an emotional episode.

Jules and Sam Starrett are setting up the office and hoping to ease into the investigation business. They accept what should be an easy case. Locate a lost heir for the estate of an old man who was a Hollywood producer. They are hired by the deceased's lawyer and estranged son to locate Emily Johnson. Unfortunately, both claim not to know who Emily is and Emily Johnson is a far too common name. 

As they begin to investigate with Jules missing the FBI's ability to generate background information, they soon discover that there are more difficulties than finding a woman with a common name. Someone doesn't want them to succeed and is willing to use assault weapons.

This story is told from Jules' point of view, but it is also told from the point of view of the deceased's son who is keeping secrets of his own and who knows very well who Emily is and why he wants her to inherit the estate instead of himself. 

The story also includes flashbacks to a younger Jules who has moved to a new town after his father's death and is trying to make a place for himself which isn't easy for an openly gay teen. He finds a friend group and also works with his friends to track down a rapist targeting young women. 

This was an engaging story. I'm glad that it is the beginning of a new story arc since Jules, Robin and Sam are great characters. 

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

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.

Audiobook Review: Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz

Untouchable
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Amanda Leigh Cobb
Series: Sons of Anson Salinas (Book 3)
Publication: Recorded Books (January 8, 2019)
Length: 8 hours and 40 minutes

Description: A man's quest to find answers for those who are haunted by the past leads him deeper into the shadows in this electrifying novel from The New York Times best-selling author of Promise Not to Tell.

Quinton Zane is back.

Jack Lancaster, consultant to the FBI, has always been drawn to the coldest of cold cases, the kind that law enforcement either considers unsolvable or else has chalked up to accidents or suicides. As a survivor of a fire, he finds himself uniquely compelled by arson cases. His almost preternatural ability to get inside the killer's head has garnered him a reputation in some circles - and complicated his personal life. The more cases Jack solves, the closer he slips into the darkness. His only solace is Winter Meadows, a meditation therapist. After particularly grisly cases, Winter can lead Jack back to peace.

But as long as Quinton Zane is alive, Jack will not be at peace for long. Having solidified his position as the power behind the throne of his biological family's hedge fund, Zane sets out to get rid of Anson Salinas's foster sons, starting with Jack.

My Thoughts: The main characters of this finale to the Sons of Anson Salinas trilogy are Winter Meadows and Jack Lancaster. Jack has been a consultant to the FBI and an author. He is drawn to investigating cold cases especially those dealing with fire. He is also a lucid dreamer. 

Winter Meadows is a skilled hypnotist who has been hired to held Jack deal with his nightmares. She has attracted a stalker.

Winter and Jack team up to defeat the stalker who has some links to Jack's old enemy Quinton Zane. Zane has decided to return to the United States but needs to get rid of Jack, his brothers, and their foster father before he can feel safe. Encouraging Winter's stalker is the start of his campaign.

Zane has also hired a couple of mercenaries to assist with his plans. They have their own agenda but killing Winter and Jack will fit in. 

This was an engaging romance with some nice suspense. A character who appears in some of Krentz's other stories - Arizona Snow - makes an appearance in this one. Jack's psychic abilities and Winter's too are traits often seen in the author's books. 

This was a nice conclusion to the trilogy.

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

ARC Review: A Deadly Inheritance by Kelley Armstrong

A Deadly Inheritance
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication: Tundra Books (March 24, 2026

Description: After discovering she's an heiress to a billion-dollar corporation, seventeen-year-old Liliana finds herself at a new boarding school where she must navigate secret societies and a deadly competition. Not to mention two handsome boys.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price meets The Inheritance Games series in this new YA thriller from bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

In the wake of her mother's death, Liliana Chamberlain's estranged (and very wealthy) grandparents swoop in. Or their lawyer does. Her grandparents aren't ready to meet her, but they want her to have the life her mother walked away from, starting with Westdale Academy, the elite boarding school her mother attended. It should be a Cinderella dream come true, but Lili has serious misgivings. Yet she doesn't have a choice, being under eighteen and dead broke.

Westdale Academy is a school of secrets as well as intriguing classmates, including Hollywood golden boy Theo Dubois and the mysterious Maddox Moreno. As she gets to know them all, Lili realizes there's more to the school than elite-level networking. Something deadly.

For the new girl at school, investigating the deaths of past students — including Maddox's own sister — is a very dangerous game. Do those deaths have something to do with why her mother fled Westdale at the cost of her inheritance?

When a fun night out turns bloody, Theo is the prime suspect, and Liliana must race against time to connect the past with the present and discover the truth behind her inheritance.

My Thoughts: Liliana Green is just trying to hang on after her mother's death. She already has a full ride scholarship to a state college, but she has to graduate from high school. She's sold everything loose and eating from the healthy snacks bowl at school. She also dodging Child Protective Services because foster care won't help her college plans. 

One day a stranger knocks on her door and tells her that she is the heir to a billion-dollar corporation through her mother. She has grandparents that she's never met and who don't apparently want to meet her either. The family lawyer becomes her guardian and convinces her to attend a very exclusive boarding school - the same one her mother attended. 

Dumped into a situation that is strange in many ways, Lili finds herself making friends with two very different hot boys and dodging what might be murder attempts. She also makes friends with a number of the girls who are her classmates. She also finds herself in the running to be the Optima - the best of the best. 

Lili is determined to find out why her mother left school. She always thought that her mother got pregnant and left with her lover. But the timelines don't quite mesh. There must be some other secrets to explore including the deaths of several other students over the years. The most recent death is that of one her new boyfriend's sister. Another was a classmate of her mother's. Both were the leading Optima candidate of their classes. 

This was an engaging story that has so many of the YA tropes - a boarding school, an unexpected inheritance, hot boys who both fall for her. I liked the way all the tropes were handled. I also liked the mystery and that Lili was sharp enough and determined enough to solve them. 

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

ARC Review: The Survivor by Andrew Reid

The Survivor
Author: Andrew Reid
Publication: Minotaur Books (March 24, 2026)

Description: A hijacked New York subway train, an anonymous killer, and a young man trapped by his hidden past converge in a breathless, breathtaking thriller

Do not turn off your phone
Do not get off the train
I know who you really are

Fired and walked out by security on his first day at his new job in New York City, Ben Cross thought his day couldn't get worse. But he couldn't be more wrong. Getting on the 1 train headed uptown, Ben starts receiving text messages from an anonymous killer, showing that they've already killed someone, then pointedly killing another as they got off the train to prove they aren't bluffing and to ensure Ben follows orders. But Ben wasn't picked at random―he has a history that no one is supposed to know.

At the same time, A NYPD detective, Kelly Hendricks, is on punishment duty with the transit police. The first one on the scene after the first murder, she gets on the train to find out what is really going on.

Switching rapidly between Cross and Hendricks, as the hijacked 1 train heads from South Ferry to 181st, the secret to the killer lies in Ben's own history―why he's been targeted and punished.

My Thoughts: This was a tense and twisty thriller. Things begins when new hire Ben Cross is walked out of his new job by security on his first day. Naturally upset and almost broke, he wonders how he will get back home. The subway wins despite his claustrophobia. 

No sooner has Ben sat down that he begins to get text messages. They are definitely threatening telling him to stay on the train and not turn off his cell phone. The messages escalate. He's told to find a passenger and keep him from leaving the train. When Ben fails, he sees the man shot on the subway platform.

The shooting brings in the police in the person of Detective Kelly Hendricks of the NYPD. She's been assigned to the transit police after she objects to being patted on the ass and threw the patter, a superior officer, into a table of refreshments. She knows her career has hit a roadblock but she's still a cop. 

Believing that the shooter got back on the train, she leaves to try to catch up to the subway and arrives at a further station just in time to be present for an explosion the kills a woman and wounds many. Ben had been told to keep the woman on the train but had failed to convince her. Kelly does manage to get on the train as it leaves the station. 

The bombing brings in Homeland Security in the person of Agent Paul McDiarmid and his assistant Hoyt. McDiarmid's agenda is to make himself look good. If that takes multiple casualties, he views it as the cost of doing business. 

The story is told from all three viewpoints, Ben, Kelly and McDiarmid are all trying to figure out who is causing this chaos and what they want. Ben thinks he knows that it has something to do with a past he had hoped was deeply buried. 

This was an engaging thriller that was packed with tension and secrets. 

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

Audiobook Review: Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz

Promise Not to Tell
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Susan Bennett
Series: Sons of Anson Salinas (Book 2)
Publication: Recorded Books (January 2, 2018)
Length: 10 hours and 40 minutes

Description: A broken promise reveals a terrifying legacy in this electrifying novel from the New York Times best-selling author of When All the Girls Have Gone.

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide - and her own past.

Like Virginia, PI Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire - and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the picture, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories - and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear.

My Thoughts: PROMISE NOT TO TELL is the middle book in the Sons of Anson Salinas trilogy. Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy needs a private detective to look into the death of one of her artists. The local police have called it suicide, but Virginia has her doubts.

Virginia goes to Cabot Sutter to investigate. Both Virgina and Cabot were raised in a cult and nearly lost their lives when a fire was set outside the locked barn where the children were sleeping. The cult leader set the fire and escaped. Virginia was raised by her grandmother and Cabot was raised by Anson Salinas, the police officer who rescued the children in the barn. 

Cabot, Anson, and Cabot's two adopted brothers have long believed that the cult leader got away despite his proclaimed death when a boat he had stolen exploded in the ocean. Virginia's artist is also a survivor of the cult and worked out her nightmares in a series of paintings. Her last painting seems to show the cult leader in modern dress which convinces Cabot that he is still alive. 

Besides the hunt to discover if the cult leader is still alive, Cabot is also dealing with family issues. The grandfather who never acknowledged him has died and has left Cabot something in his will. A lawyer is being very persistent about wanting Cabot to sign a paper which will give him a $25 thousand inheritance. He could use the money, but something just doesn't seem right about the lawyer's need for a speedy resolution to the settlement.

Virginia and Cabot also learn that there might be some money involved in the cult too. They learn that some of the women including both of their mothers found a way to divert funds into a secret account. Now someone who might or might not be the cult leader wants the money and believes that Virginia has the key to locating it.

This was an entertaining story. I liked the relationship between Cabot and Virginia who are both still dealing with the trauma of being in a cult and almost dying while trying to escape it. This was a nice romance and a nice mystery too. 

I bought this one November 20, 2022. You can buy your copy here.