Audiobook Review: Dawn in Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz

Dawn in Eclipse Bay
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Gail Shalan
Series: Eclipse Bay Trilogy (Book 2)
Publication: Tantor Media (July 25, 2023)
Length: 8 hours and 33 minutes

Description: From New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz comes the second novel in a dramatic trilogy set in breathtaking Eclipse Bay, a town filled with rivalries as fierce and compelling as the rugged Oregon coast . . .

Nothing was ever simple between a Madison and a Harte. The feud that had divided their families still simmered. Now, only months after their siblings' wedding, Lilian Harte and Gabe Madison are at each other's throats.

Successful CEO Gabe had insisted on becoming a client of Lilian's matchmaking service. And after five disastrous dates, Lilian is at her wit's end. If she hadn't already decided to close her business and move home to Eclipse Bay, Gabe would have been the final straw. But when she finds Gabe at her door demanding she fulfill their business contract, the sparks between them suddenly turn personal. Once again, Eclipse Bay will witness a showdown—between a relentless Madison and an irresistible Harte . . .

My Thoughts: The second book in the Eclipse Bay trilogy stars Rafe Madison and Lilian Harte. Rafe has made himself into the successful CEO of a venture capitalist firm. Lilian runs a successful computer matchmaking business. 

After meeting again at their siblings' wedding, Rafe comes to Lilian to try to find a wife who meets his criteria just as Lilian is preparing to close her business and give being a full-time artist a try. Since Rafe has lied on most of the questionnaire Lilian had him complete, Lilian is not successful in finding him a match before her business closes.

He follows her to Eclipse Bay ostensibly to have Lilian find him his sixth contracted match. But sparks are flying between them and a romance grows. Lilian also seems to have attracted a stalker. 

Romance flourishes despite interfering grandfathers, old girlfriends, and political intrigue in this engaging romance. 

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.

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: Maybe This Once by Sophie Sullivan

Maybe This Once
Author: Sophie Sullivan
Series: Rock Bottom Love (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (February 10, 2026)

Description: From the “queen of sweet romance” (Falon Ballard) Sophie Sullivan, comes a small-town, opposites-attract romance about two people who end up with more feelings than they bargained for after pursuing a summer fling.

Tired of living in the shadow of her famous parents, Charlotte Ashford gladly left behind a life of glitz and glamour to pursue her true passion: becoming a counselor. However, when a viral video upends Charlie’s plans, she wonders if the real key to discovering herself is through her late father.

Grayson Keller has finally settled in one place, surrounded by family, and secure in his business. By his third summer as owner, Get Lost Lodge is thriving. Whatever happens, Grayson is perfectly content with his quiet life and careful heart. That is, until he meets Charlie, whom he can’t seem to get out of his head.

On the surface, Charlie and Grayson have nothing in common, but they can’t fight their attraction to each other. They’ve both been hurt before, and they’re not looking for anything serious. The solution is easy: they’ll date, have some fun, and walk away unscathed. Right? Or, maybe this once, they can see past the hurt to what, or who, is on the other side waiting for them.

My Thoughts: Charlotte Ashford is on the run from scandal and winds up with her great uncle in Northern Michigan. She's lost her dream job as a play therapist before it has even begun. Grayson Keller has built a new life for himself as the owner of Get Lost Lodge after a bitter divorce. Neither is looking for a new relationship. 

Charlie and Gray's romance is a slow building one. Neither is eager for more heartbreak in their lives. And Charlie is only in the area for a while. She's taken a job as a college professor while she finds out what she wants for the rest of her life. 

This is the third book in a series and the characters from the first two books have major roles in this one. Their romances are sort of settled with marriages coming soon. There is a strong bond between Gray and his brother and sister. They are a welcoming blended family who have taken Charlie's great-uncle in as a family member and are welcoming to Charlie too. 

But Charlie's troubles seem to be following her to the Get Lost Lodge when an ex-boyfriend who wants to use her celebrity to advance his own career and a producer who wants to center a reality TV show around either Charlie and her ex or Get Lost Lodge arrive to plead their cases. 

This was an engaging story about two people who have been battered by events in their lives but who are willing to take another chance at love and the lives they want to have. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. 

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

Audiobook Review: Entranced by Nora Roberts

Entranced 
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrator: MacLeod Andrews
Series: The Donovan Legacy (Book 2)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (August 23, 2023)
Length: 7 hours and 11 minutes

Description: The Donovan Legacy continues in Entranced, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts’ mesmerizing novel about a headstrong detective expanding her mind to paranormal possibilities while opening her hardened heart to love.

Tough and tenacious, Mary Ellen Sutherland is a private investigator who never gives up on a case or a friend in need. When her friend’s baby is abducted and every clue leads to a dead end, Mel reluctantly turns to Sebastian Donovan, a psychic reputed to possess extraordinary abilities. Despite her skepticism, Sebastian proves to be amazingly gifted—especially when it comes to enchanting Mel, body and soul.

My Thoughts: The second book in the Donovan Legacy stars Sebastian Donovan. He is a psychic who can find people and things and read people's minds. Mary Ellen Sutherland is a private investigator who comes to him when her friend's baby is abducted. Even though she doesn't believe in psychics, Mel agrees to work with Sebastian if it will help her find young David. 

Using a combination of her skills as a PI and Sebastian's gifts, David is found and a baby selling ring is discovered. Mel and Sebastian team up along with the FBI to break up the ring. While they are undercover as a wealthy couple looking to do anything to finally have a baby of their own, Mel and Sebastian fall in love. 

This was another excellent paranormal romance. It was also excellent romantic suspense. 

I bought this one from Chirp May 12, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: If It Makes You Happy by Julia Olivia

If It Makes You Happy
Author: Julia Olivia
Publication: Berkley (September 2, 2025)

Description: Grab your favorite fall candle, cuddle into a comfy blanket, and travel back in time to 1997 in this cozy, slow-burn romance set in the autumn glow of small-town Vermont.

Now with exclusive bonus content!

My new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear.

I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out. Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy. It should be a good place to heal after my divorce. But apparently my scones belong in the garbage with my small talk skills. As pointed out by none other than Cliff.

Cliff is inescapable. He knows exactly what people need–always. His charm, the way he wears flannel, and even his pastries, make not wanting to be friends with Cliff and his daughters pretty hard.

Friends? I can make friends. That’s safe. Except I’m leaving in three months to pass the inn off to my little sister and get the promotion in Seattle I’ve been working towards. So ask me why I’m thinking about kissing my hot neighbor.

My Thoughts: IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY was a nice romance. Goal-driven Michelle travels from her fast-paced life in Seattle after her mother's sudden death to take over the bed & breakfast that was her mother's life dream. 

The timing isn't perfect. Even if the time running the inn is only a couple of months, it will mess up her fast track in her advertising career. But the trip will give her a chance to come to terms with her divorce from Allen. 

She isn't really prepared for what she is going to find in a small town in Vermont. Least of all is she prepared to meet Cliff, the divorced guy who lives next door with his two daughters. But Cliff is a friendly sort who had promised Shell's mother that he'd be around to help. His friendly manner and delicious baked goods and wacky sense of humor all appeal to Shell.

But can two very different people find a way to make things work? With her in town only until her younger sister finishes college and takes over the inn and him content to live and work in the small town forever, they have lots of things to work out. 

The story had a great cast of characters including Rocket the dog Michelle gained custody of in the divorce. Cliff's daughters were great characters too. And the assorted friends who want to help add to the interest. Even Cliff's ex-wife had her role to play.

Fans of romances with grown-up characters with busy lives will enjoy this story.

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

ARC Review: Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ARC Review: Just Beachy by Wendy Wax

Just Beachy
Author: Wendy Wax
Publication: Berkley (June 3, 2025)

Description: A former actress in need of a reset reunites with her grandmother, her first crush, and the ladies of Ten Beach Road in this escapist novel from USA Today bestselling author Wendy Wax.

After losing her long-time acting gig on the hit show Murder 101, Sydney Ryan decides she needs a break from Hollywood politics. She heads to Treasure Island, Florida where her grandmother has been visiting and now refuses to leave. Sydney’s plan to lie low for a bit quickly goes awry though, as she is swept up in her grandmother’s now flourishing social life—Grand not only bought a new house in Casas de Flores, she’s also helping her neighbor Myra open a bookstore in Pass-a-Grille. But when someone breaks into Grand’s house repeatedly Sydney realizes her grandmother is keeping something from her.

Determined to ferret out the truth and protect her grandmother, Sydney enlists the help of the Ten Beach Road ladies and Luke, a local police officer who was once her high school crush. While Sydney puts her television crime-solving skills to the test, she decides to act on the sizzling chemistry between herself and Luke. And as Sydney spends more sunsets toasting to true friends and new romance, she begins to wonder if the sun is setting on her time in Hollywood and if this town could be the dawn of a new chapter.

My Thoughts: Sydney Ryan has lost her acting gig as Cassie Everheart on Murder 101 because she has run afoul of an A-List actress. She decides to visit her grandmother in Florida while she tries to decide what to do with the rest of her life. The A-Lister has made it impossible for Sydney to get another job in LA, but she's opening that her reach doesn't extend to Florida.

Sydney is also glad to spend time with her Grand in Florida and reconnect with a high school crush who is now a police officer. And it is lucky that she has met Luke again since Grand's house has become the target of a number of break-ins and searches. Grand has a secret that she is trying to keep from Sydney.

Meanwhile, Grand, Sydney and another friend are getting ready to open a beachside bookstore with space for Sydney to conduct story hours and give acting lessons while Grand offers art lessons. Sydney is able to put the skills she learned as a television detective to use when she is able to protect her grandmother from the villains who want a painting that she has kept hidden for many years. 

Sydney also has time to wonder if she really wants to go back to acting or if she wants to build a new life with Luke and her Grand in Florida. 

This was an engaging romance with more than a touch of mystery. 

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

Book Review: This Is Not a Dead Girl Story by Kate Sweeney

This Is Not a Dead Girl Story
Author: Kate Sweeney
Publication: Viking Books for Young Readers (August 6, 2024)

Description: A dark and powerful mystery perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and true crime podcasts, in which a teen girl must do whatever it takes to find her missing cousin—who everyone else thinks is dead.

Remy Green is missing. Eight days after the death of her boyfriend, River O’Dell, the magnetic, golden-haired girl disappeared in the dead of night.

Jules Green, Remy’s cousin, is her opposite in every way: awkward, shy, and a bit strange, never feeling at home in the small town of Black Falls, NY. The only place she has ever belonged is with River and Remy. Now she’s on her own—and everyone around her believes that Remy is dead.

But Jules can still hear Remy’s voice in her head, urging her to keep looking. With the help of River’s cousin Sam, a troubled and mysterious boy, Jules starts untangling the truth of what exactly happened. Through her search, Jules must delve into the dark corners of her hometown—unearthing family secrets and hidden truths about the two people she thought she knew most.

Who was Remy, really, behind the popular-girl façade she wore? What trouble was she involved in? And can Jules find a way to save her from it? Or is this a dead girl story after all?

My Thoughts: THIS IS NOT A DEAD GIRL STORY was an interesting Young Adult mystery. While it includes a few of the YA tropes, it handles them well.

Jules Green is dealing with lots of trouble. She's sixteen and in high school. She grew up with River O'Dell and her cousin Remy Green. The trio was inseparable and was quite a triangle. Jules has been in love with River since they were small. He's the school's golden boy: a straight arrow and athlete. But River loves Remy who is the school's golden girl. Her sparkling personality draws people to her in droves. Jules has always felt like the weak third of their triangle with her quiet nature and unobtrusive appearance. She and Remy were best friends and didn't keep secrets from each other. At least that is what Jules believed.

But when River dies in what was either an accident or a suicide, the world falls apart for Jules. Then, a few days later Remy disappears. The town thinks she's dead and organizes searches for her. Jules can't believe that Remy is dead and determines to find her.

Jules isn't quite alone in her search. Joining her is Sam who is River's cousin. He got in some trouble with drugs and fighting and his parents have sent him to live with his aunt and uncle for a while. He physically resembles River which gives Jules quite a start when she first sees him at River's funeral, but he is a very different personality. 

Together the two begin looking for Remy and trying to come to terms with River's death. Along the way, Jules discovers that the two people she loved the most were keeping secrets from her. As she investigates, she learns those secrets and discovers that she has the strength to step out of the shadows and be her own independent person. 

This was an engaging story with an intriguing protagonist. Jules isn't good at self-evaluation. Like a lot of teens, she's focused on her flaws and doesn't have a strong self-image. She does have strong parental support in her single mother who gets out of the way so that Jules can act by being a midwife working long shifts in nearby Albany. 

Fans of YA mysteries and drama filled stories will enjoy this one. 

I bought this one January 11, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper

A Proposal to Die For
Author: Molly Harper
Publication: Berkley (April 8, 2025)

Description: A fast-paced, witty, and delightful new mystery about a marriage proposal planner whose biggest job yet is threatened by a dead body (or two).

Jessamine Bricker loves a plan. Contingency plans and pros-and-cons lists are her love language, and because of that, her proposal planning business is thriving. But with rent costs rising at her office building, Jess jumps at the chance to plan a proposal between her snobby high school classmate, Diana, and her very wealthy boyfriend, Trenton Tillard…the Fourth.

Roped into joining Diana’s ”pre-bridal” retreat at the exclusive Golden Ash resort, Jess hopes to fade into the background, get some work done, and maybe find some time to unwind. Their first day is anything but relaxing: Diana is furious about the mountain spa’s lack of cell phone reception, the couple next door argues constantly, and Jess swears she just saw a drug deal go down. To top it all off, she’s warned to stay out of the woods by the gruff and sexy chef, Dean Osbourne. Is this a retreat or a horror movie?

As Jess tries to do her job while placating the bride-to-be and her increasingly over-the-top demands, she spends more and more time with the resort owners, finding herself much more in tune with the laid-back Osbourne family than her social climbing “boss.” Between a meditation garden-related drowning and Jess’s discovery of a body in a sauna, it's clear that deadly secrets abound at the Golden Ash. Now it’s up to Jess to unravel the mysteries here in the mountains—before all her plans are cancelled…permanently.

My Thoughts: Jess Bricker is a proposal planner. She helps people find just the right place, time, accessories, etc. to create a memorable proposal of marriage. However, planning for her latest client could be the death of her. 

She is approached by a former schoolmate who is disappointed by the way her boyfriend Trenton Tillard the Fourth proposed. Diana sees herself as a social media influencer and didn't find his sincere proposal acceptable to her brand. Diana was not a friend of Jess's when they were in school, and she hasn't heard from her in years. But with the building where she lives and has her business is in danger of being sold out from under her, a lucrative contract - and she can charge Trenton through the nose - is just what Jess is looking for.

Jess finds herself hauled to an exclusive spa retreat in the mountains of Tennessee for what is supposed to be a planning session. Diana has also brought along her wedding planner and an add-on cousin named Kiki who is supposed to be one of her bridesmaids.

Jess finds herself trying to stay sane and calm among the bride-to-be's outrageous demands and the wedding planner's sniping and finds refuge with the Osbournes who own and run the spa. She needs her new friends because almost the first thing she does upon arrival is find the body of another guest drowned in a meditation pool.

More chaos is added when Trenton and his two best buddies arrive at the spa too. And soon Jess is discovering another body - that of Clay who is Trenton's best friend and who was going to be Trenton's best man. 

There is also a romance with Dean Osbourne who is the spa's executive chef and a total curmudgeon. He suffered a loss as an early adult which has made him the man he is. His cousins are really pleased that he seems to be developing a relationship with Jess.

This was quite an enjoyable mystery/romance. I liked Jess's snark and her attitude. The bridezilla also added some humor to the story.  

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

Audiobook Review: Born in Shame by Nora Roberts

Born in Shame
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrator: Fiacre Douglas
Series: Born In Trilogy/Concannon Sisters Trilogy (Book 3)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (November 3, 2008)
Length: 9 hours and 17 minutes

Description: Shannon Bodine’s life revolves around her job as a graphic artist at a New York ad agency. But her world turns upside down when she learns the identity of her real father: Thomas Concannon.

Obeying her late mother’s wishes, Shannon reluctantly travels to County Clare. There, amid the lush landscape steeped in legend, she meets her half sisters and their families, but she’s wary of opening her heart to them—or to their charming neighbor…

Murphy Muldoon is a successful farmer and horse breeder with a romantic streak that can turn the most trite sentiment into poetry. Soon, his striking good looks and unpretentious ways have Shannon discovering the possibility of a love that was meant to be.

My Thoughts: This is the finale of the Born In/Concannon Sisters trilogy. Shannon Bodine learns at her mother's deathbed that her father was Tommy Concannon not Colin Bodine as she had always believed. She also learns shortly after her mother's death that her half-sisters and their husbands have been searching for her and her mother. 

Even though she has a successful career as a graphic artist in advertising, the facts of her birth are haunting her. Obeying her mother's dying request, she travels to County Clare to meet her half-sisters. While Brianna is welcoming, Maggie is not. And Shannon doesn't have any good thoughts about Tommy Concannon either. 

However, things really begin to change when she meets Murphy Muldoon who is a great friend of the Concannon girls and their husbands. Murphy takes one look at Shannon and is gob smacked. She is the woman he's been dreaming of since he was young. He's all-in with his desire to court her and make her his wife. She thinks he's crazy - stunningly handsome and very talented, but crazy. 

It is in Ireland that Shannon rekindles her artistic side and begins to paint. Maggie's husband Rogan is gently steamrolling her to take up a career as an artist with him representing her. But Shannon is holding on to her career and career goals and both Rogan and Murphy have a hard road convincing her to change her plans and build a new life in Ireland. 

I loved the strong connections that exist or grow between the sisters. And I love how their circle has grown with the addition of husbands and children. I also loved the sense of community and the way they were quick to welcome Shannon. 

This was another excellent romance from one of my favorite authors. 

I bought this one from Chirp November 12, 2024, for $3.99. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Big Fix by Holly James

The Big Fix
Author: Holly James
Publication: Kensington (March 25, 2025)

Description: Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard meets The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling in a modern blend of screwball action and romantic attraction when a case of mistaken identity lands a college professor on the run with a mysterious—and dangerously hot—fixer . . .

When bookish Penny Collins reluctantly lets her sister drag her to an estate sale at a neighbor’s house, she’s hoping for a little diversion rummaging through dusty antiques. Instead, she ends up in a public squabble over candlesticks with the deceased owner’s nephew, Anthony—right before a dead body tumbles out of a closet.

Penny’s plan for the summer involved finalizing tenure at the university where she’s a computer sciences professor. Instead, she’s suddenly on the run with a man she barely knows, scaling walls, evading bullets, and accidentally stabbing henchmen. It seems the wrong people have got it in their heads that she’s Anthony’s girlfriend and, by association, in possession of something they desperately need—and will do anything to get.

As for Anthony, he has a top-secret occupation as a fixer, but a recent fix went dangerously awry, and now he and Penny are dodging both a ruthless billionaire and the FBI. And it’ll take all of Penny’s plentiful savvy and common sense, in addition to Anthony’s particular set of skills, to survive long enough for her to see the next semester . . .

My Thoughts: This romantic thriller finds Penny Collins on the run with Anthony Pierce after innocently attending a house sale and discovering a body in the closet. Penny's sister Libby had some matchmaking in mind. All Penny wants is to finish up all the requirements for tenure at the university where she teaches computer science.

When the erroneous news spreads that Penny is Anthony's new girlfriend, she finds herself on the run from people who want to use her in order to get Anthony to tell what happened to a billionaire's missing wife Portia. 

Portia has been Anthony's friend since childhood. He promised her brother that he's take care of her when her brother died. They had gone their separate ways with Portia reinventing herself in California and marrying a tech billionaire and Anthony becoming an Econ major at Penn before joining his uncle's firm. His uncle was a highly successful and somewhat shady fixer. 

Now, Portia is missing, and her billionaire husbands isn't willing to let her go. She knows too much about his shady dealings.

Penny and Anthony fall in love while trying to elude the bad guys and find a way for Portia to begin a new life. 

This was an entertaining story. The cover which looks to me to be cartoonish and promising a light read doesn't really do justice to the more serious nature of the story inside. While there are some lighter moments, the book is more thriller than romance. 

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

ARC Review: Code Word Romance by Callie Walker

Code Word Romance
Author: Callie Walker
Publication: Berkley (March 18, 2025)

Description: One fake prime minister, one ridiculously hot handler, and one Italian summer collide in this thrilling adventure rom-com.

Max is just your average girl. She works odd jobs, has a soul-crushing amount of debt, and happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Europe’s youngest female prime minister, Sofia Christensen. Sofia is powerful, beautiful—and unfortunately, someone is trying quite hard to assassinate her.

When the CIA approaches Max with a deal, a life-changing amount of money if she pretends to be Sofia on the prime minister’s annual Italian vacation, Max packs her bags for the Amalfi Coast. The delicious food, the breathtaking views—this trip would be a dream if it weren’t for those pesky assassins and Flynn, the handler assigned to Max’s case. Flynn, who has an unexpected history with Max, from another sun-drenched summer years and years ago. Now he’s instructed to stay in Max’s suite to protect her, as old passions and assassins collide.

Losing herself in the role of a prime minister is one thing. But losing her heart to Flynn again? Now that’s a risk she isn’t willing to take . . .

My Thoughts: This romance is the story of a young chef who lost everything in the pandemic, is vastly in debt, and guilty for losing the money of people she loves, who gets a chance to be the body double of the youngest Prime Minister in Europe who is facing assassination. 

Max finds herself in Italy with a CIA handler with whom she has a past. Flynn was the summer boyfriend she lost track of when she was a teen. They had a wonderful summer romance in Kennebunkport, Maine, and never saw each other again -- until now. 

It seems that neither the CIA nor Max are told the whole story since Max finds herself with a seeming horde of assassins on her trail. But while running from assassins and pretending to be a Prime Minister, Max finds what she has lost - love and a sense of optimism about the future. 

This was a fun story. Her roommate Kevin adds a lot of comic relief to the story and might be my favorite character of all. 

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

Friday Memes: Code Word Romance by Callie Walker

 Happy Friday!

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

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

Beginning:

Night air slaps my face. We're speeding faster on the motorcycle, swerving around a restaurant with patio tables, and I accidentally clip one, rattling several plates full of antipasti.

Friday 56:

"I've been thinking," I tell Flynn from the back seat, eyes almost watering at the corners. "If someone did get to the PM, what're they going to think when my face is splashed all over the papers? That I'm the decoy, or she's the decoy?"

This week I'm spotlighting Code Word Romance by Callie Walker. This book is on my stack of review copies. Here's the description from Amazon:

One fake prime minister, one ridiculously hot handler, and one Italian summer collide in this thrilling adventure rom-com.

Max is just your average girl. She works odd jobs, has a soul-crushing amount of debt, and happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Europe’s youngest female prime minister, Sofia Christensen. Sofia is powerful, beautiful—and unfortunately, someone is trying quite hard to assassinate her.

When the CIA approaches Max with a deal, a life-changing amount of money if she pretends to be Sofia on the prime minister’s annual Italian vacation, Max packs her bags for the Amalfi Coast. The delicious food, the breathtaking views—this trip would be a dream if it weren’t for those pesky assassins and Flynn, the handler assigned to Max’s case. Flynn, who has an unexpected history with Max, from another sun-drenched summer years and years ago. Now he’s instructed to stay in Max’s suite to protect her, as old passions and assassins collide.

Losing herself in the role of a prime minister is one thing. But losing her heart to Flynn again? Now that’s a risk she isn’t willing to take . . .

Audiobook Review: Born in Ice by Nora Roberts

Born in Ice
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrator: Fiacre Douglas
Series: Born In Trilogy/Concannon Sisters Trilogy (Book 2)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (June 10, 2008)
Length: 10 hours and 38 minutes

Description: When the harsh storms of winter descend upon western Ireland, the locals stay indoors - and visitors stay away. Brianna Concannon's bed-and-breakfast becomes a cold and empty place. And that's fine with Brianna. She enjoys the peace and quiet, even when icy winds howl at her window.

This year, though, she's expecting an unusual guest: mystery writer Grayson Thane, from America. A restless wanderer with a dark past, he plans to spend the cold winter alone. Yet sometimes fate has a plan of its own. Sometimes a fire can be born in ice...

My Thoughts: Brianna Concannon runs a bed and breakfast in Western Ireland. She loves being an innkeeper and making a comfortable home for her guests. She sometimes regrets that she isn't making a home for a husband and children but tries to be content with her life. 

Grayson Thane is an American mystery author who comes to Brianna's bed and breakfast during the quiet winter season to write his latest mystery surrounded by the setting he has decided on for it. He's very successful as an author but doesn't have anything but a sense of wanderlust. He's always leaving people and places behind before he allows himself to get attached. 

They seem that they would be unlikely lovers, but a romance grows between them during their winter together. Brianna is willing to love even though she sees heartbreak in her future. Gray is much more reluctant to fall in love and decide that he has found a place to stay and a woman to love. 

While this is primarily a romance, discovered letters to Brianna and Maggie's father from a woman he fell in love with when Bri was an infant and the discovery of 10,000 shares of stock in a company Maggie's Rogan can't track down add plot threads of suspense to the story. 

I loved the setting, and I loved both Gray and Brianna whose damaged and empty spots found filling in each other. 

I bought this one from Chirp November 12, 2024, for $3.99. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Pirate by Jayne Ann Krentz

 Happy Friday!

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

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

Beginning:

"No, absolutely not. You cannot make me get on that plane. I won't go." Katherine Inskip braced herself in her chair and glared at the two women across the table.

Friday 56:

"Mine is Kate Inskip." She was searching for something else polite to say and wishing the music would start again, when a miniature pirate tugged on her arm. She looked down to see Jared's son, David, in an elaborate costume complete with eye patch and plastic cutlass.

This week I am spotlighting The Pirate by Jayne Ann Krentz. I recently got a copy of this from Chirp. I read the original when it was first released in 1990 and thought it was time for a reread. Here's the description from Amazon:

Historical romance novelist Kate Inskip needs a break. Divorced, overworked, and completely stressed out, her writing buddies decide to surprise her with exactly what she needs - a vacation on a remote island that boasts a rich history and a crumbling castle built by an 18th-century pirate.

It's the kind of story Kate can't possibly pass up, and it will allow her to turn her thoughts from the reality of today to the romance of the past. But things don't go according to plan. A long flight, lost luggage, and a missed connection leave Kate wishing she'd stayed home. A knife-wielding mugger is the last straw.

Too late to help, but just in time to enjoy the show, Jared Hawthorne catches a harried woman in the act of kicking the local thief into submission. As far as Jared is concerned, Kate is the most interesting tourist to arrive on Amethyst Island in a very long time. Kate, however, has already concluded that a month-long vacation on the island is about 30 days too long. Still, Jared Hawthorne is starting to look very familiar....

ARC Review: Get Lost with You by Sophie Sullivan

Get Lost with You
Author: Sophie Sullivan
Series: Rock Bottom Love (Book 2)
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (February 11, 2025)

Description: A second chance at love, small-town romance that’s all sweet with just a hint of heat from the “queen of sweet romance” (Falon Ballard) Sophie Sullivan.

Jillian Keller took the long route to her best life, but is now happily settled in her hometown of Smile, raising her little girl alone while helping her brother run Get Lost Lodge. A lover of structure and routine, she doesn’t need anyone disrupting her carefully curated life.

After chasing and achieving his culinary dreams, Levi Bright realizes he’s still missing something he can’t find in a big city. Returning home to Smile, he intends to build a different future for himself, including reconnecting with family and friends, and creating elevated comfort food for a town he loves.

When Levi and Jilly run into each other, past feelings that never had a chance to bloom flare between them… but she’s been hurt before, and falling for her older brother’s best friend seems like a recipe for drama. But sometimes, a second chance at love leads you right where you’re meant to be.

My Thoughts: This second chance at love romance reunites Jillian Keller and Levi Bright. He was best friends with her brothers and the object of her teenage crush. He went off to culinary school and has had a career as a successful chef. She married, divorced, and is back at home raising her nine-year-old daughter Ollie having lost all faith in men and all faith in promises. 

Jillian and her brothers run a fishing camp/resort. Levi has come home to visit his estranged father after his father's surgery. He also is ready for a change in his life and is planning to buy and run a food truck.

These are two very different people. Levi's impulsive and Jillian likes plan and schedules and order. But the attraction they both felt as teenagers hasn't abated. Levi wants to explore the possibility of a relationship and Jilly wonders how she'll be able to fit one more thing on her already-full plate. 

This was a nice romance. I thought it was a bit heavy on the relationship advice everyone in the small island town of Smile, Michigan, was ready to dispense at the drop of a hat. However, seeing how Levi and Jillian built their new relationship was satisfying.  

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

 

Book Review: Death Echo by Elizabeth Lowell

Death Echo
Author: Elizabeth Lowell
Series: St. Kilda (Book 5)
Publication: Avon; Reprint edition (May 21, 2010)

Description: When she joined St. Kilda's, the elite security consulting firm, Emma Cross thought she'd left behind the blood, the guilt, and the Tribal Wars that defined her life at the CIA. Yet trading spying for investigating yacht thefts didn't alleviate the danger. Now, the same good instincts that got her into trouble at the agency might be the one thing that will help her survive her latest case.

St. Kilda and Emma are tracking a yacht named Blackbird. Emma knows the boat's intended cargo is lethal. What she needs to find out is whether it's biological, chemical, or fissionable. And she's only got seven days to uncover the truth...or a major American city will be lost. Fortunately, she's working with a new partner as menacing and distrustful as the worst enemy she's ever faced—Mackenzie Durand.

But Emma and Mac aren't the only eyes watching Blackbird. Taras Demidov, an expert in extortion and execution in the pay of oligarchs running the Former Soviet Union, is also waiting in the shadows, determined to intercept a fearsomely powerful arms dealer with the money, weaponry, and connections to alter the geopolitical balance.

My Thoughts: This romantic suspense thriller is the fifth and final book in the St Kilda series. This time former CIA Emma Cross is working for St Kilda's who has been hired by an insurance company to look into a variety of thefts of yachts. But the yacht she is currently tracking is somehow involved in a political game played by Russia and Georgia. Aided and abetted by the CIA, the two countries have nuclear destruction in mind with the goal of each blaming the other. 

Since the proposed target is an American city, US Intelligence is willing to do anything to track down the missing yacht and the bad actors. Anything includes blackmailing St Kilda's and setting it up as the fall guy if something goes wrong. 

Add in Mackenzie Durand who is a former Special Ops soldier who is vastly disillusioned by the CIA and other intelligence agencies that he blames for the deaths of his whole team. He has become a transfer pilot ferrying yachts to their new owners. As it happens, the yacht he has been hired to move is the one that is the focus of the action. 

Emma worms her way on board and she and Mac are instantly attracted. Once Mac finds out what is going on he is eager to sign on the bottom line with St Kilda's to help with the problem. He'll go back to a normal life when this issue is dealt with. 

This was an action-packed and twisty thriller complete with assorted villains all wanting to further their own agendas and not caring how many bodies they leave behind. I loved the Pacific Northwest setting and all the information about yachts and sailing them. 

I bought this one July 9, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Legend in the Baking by Jamie WeslRomantiey

A Legend in the Baking
Author: Jamie Wesley
Series: Sugar Blitz (Book 2)
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (November 19, 2024)

Description: In A Legend in the Baking, the new romance from Jamie Wesley, a cupcake-baking football player gets assistance from a social media maven―and his best friend's little sister―to help promote his new bakery after accidentally going viral online.

August Hodges was supposed to be the silent partner in Sugar Blitz Cupcakes. Emphasis on silent. That is until his impromptu feminist rant about how women bakers are the backbone of the industry and baking cupcakes isn’t a threat to masculinity goes viral, making him the hottest bachelor in town. With a new location in the works, August and his partners decide to capitalize on this perfect opportunity to help cement their place in the community. But the hiring of his best friend’s younger sister, the woman who has haunted some of his best dreams for years, was as much of a shock as his new-found fame.

Social media manager Sloane Dell fell hard for her brother’s best friend the moment she met him more than a decade ago, but that teenage infatuation cost her dearly. Still, she accepts her brother’s request to revamp the bakery’s social media presence to take advantage of August’s newfound popularity, knowing it’s the big break her fledgling career needs. She’ll just ignore the fact that August is still August, i.e. sexier and sweeter than any man has a right to be. And that he drives her crazy with his resistance to all her ideas.

They vow to leave the past in the past. But when an explosive make-out session makes it clear their attraction burns hotter than ever, Sloane and August are forced to reconsider what it means to take a risk and chase your dreams.

As they’re both about to find out, all’s fair in love and cupcakes.

My Thoughts: A LEGEND IN THE BAKING is the second romance in the Sugar Blitz series. It stars quiet football player August Hodges and social media maven Sloane Dell. August and his partners Donovan and Nick are getting ready to open their second cupcake store. 

Sloane has just quit her job in social media after she was passed over for a promotion. She finds herself working for her older brother Donovan when August goes viral after an impromptu speech on women's rights. Knowing that she can capitalize on August's new popularity to build interest in the second story, Sloane comes up with all sorts of ideas.

But Sloane and August have a history. She had a massive crush on him when she was in high school, and he was her brother's roommate and teammate. After an embarrassing incident, they went their separate ways. But Sloane's crush is still part of her life. It's a large part of why her relationships were failures. And August has always been interested in Sloane, but a girlfriend turned wife and now ex-wife got in his way. 

The romance rekindles as they work together even though Sloane is intent on denying that she is still attracted to August. August is more willing to begin a new relationship. He's a quiet guy who really doesn't like talking and doesn't like being the center of attention. He's willing to go along with Sloane's plans on social media but it is hard for him. He knows that his cooperation will help Sloane get her dream job. 

This was in all ways a typical contemporary romance. It was filled with misunderstandings and miscommunication. It also had quite a bit of denial especially on Sloane's part. The characters were well-developed and interesting people. She's a knock-out, and he's a handsome pro football player which shows that even beautiful people can have trouble with romance. The love scenes, once they began, were spicy.

Fans of contemporary romance will enjoy this one.

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

ARC Review: The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard

The Killer Guide to San Francisco
Author: Michelle Chouinard
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 24, 2024)

Description: In Michelle Chouinard’s clever mystery The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, the granddaughter of a serial killer shows readers another side of the beloved city.

Welcome to San Francisco, a city with killer charm.

The chill of a San Francisco summer can be deadly. No one knows this better than Capri Sanzio, who makes her living giving serial killer tours of the city. Capri has been interested in the topic since she was a kid, when she discovered she’s the granddaughter of serial killer William ‘Overkill Bill’ Sanzio. She’s always believed in his innocence, though she's never taken the leap to fully dive into the case.

But now an Overkill Bill copycat has struck in San Francisco. And Capri’s former mother-in-law, Sylvia, just cut off Capri’s daughter’s tuition payments. Needing cash, Capri wonders if this is the time to exonerate her grandfather. The case is back in the news and the police will be looking to understand the past to catch a present-day killer. Capri could finally uncover the truth about Overkill Bill―documenting the process with a podcast and a book―and hopefully earn some money.

Before Capri can get very far, the cops discover the copycat’s latest victim: Sylvia. Capri soon finds herself at the heart of the police’s investigation for an entirely different reason. She and her daughter are prime suspects.

My Thoughts: Capri Sanzio is a tour guide in San Francisco and the granddaughter of a serial killer known as Overkill Bill. She's determined to clear her grandfather's name despite her father's insistence that she do nothing. But before she can work on that problem, she has to solve the murder of her former mother-in-law who was murdered in a copycat version of her grandfather's method.

As she looks into her socialite mother-in-law's life she finds all sorts of buried secrets. Somehow, the generations of San Franciso wealth have disappeared, and her mother-in-law has invested in some very chancy enterprises. Capri is suddenly looking into various internet frauds and trying to keep her daughter from being a suspect in the murder.

With an ex-husband who is lying about his whereabouts at the time of the murder and a daughter who is dodging the police for reasons of her own. Capri is having a hard time. However, she's dusting off the old journalism degree and looking into not only her grandfather's past but her mother-in-law's dealings too and sharing all that she finds with attractive police Detective Potito who isn't working fast enough for Capri's taste. 

This was an engaging story filled with all sorts of San Francisco tourist attractions. I enjoyed the story. 

Favorite Quote:

My mother had always been big on feelings. Exploring them, validating them, putting them under the microscope, until the only thing you were feeling was fed up with feelings. 

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