ARC Review: The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson

The Velvet Knife
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Truly Devious (Book 6)
Publication: HarperCollins (September 29, 2026)

Description: Return to the world of Truly Devious as Stevie Bell and her friends travel to New York to solve a murder in the next standalone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.

Stevie might be the greatest teenage detective Ellingham Academy and the world has ever seen, but even she can’t figure out what happened with her boyfriend, David. What she needs is a distraction: a good old-fashioned murder. Stevie is much happier dealing with dead people. They’re a lot less confusing—they don’t send cryptic texts and make out with other girls in British pubs.

But then Stevie gets exactly what she wanted when a dead body turns up in the middle of a Manhattan apartment complex, and this one is . . . complicated. Caught in a web of messy alive-people feelings, Stevie finds herself questioning all human connection. Is magnetism only manipulation? Can you trust anyone? Does anyone realize that they’re joining a cult—before it’s too late? And are things with David really over?

My Thoughts: Stevie Bell is still reeling after her break-up with David. She's back at Ellingham Academy, blowing her exams, and wandering the twisting paths trying to figure out what went wrong. She is also celebrating her eighteenth birthday by breaking up with her parents who seem to care more about David than they do about her. 

Stevie tags along as Nate heads to New York City to stay in his editor's apartment to finally finish the novel he has been working on for years. He is under a deadline: finish it just after the new year or pay back the advance that he needs for college tuition. 

While Nate buries himself in his novel, Stevie gets to know the eccentric residents of the eighth floor of their apartment building. There's Helen who is an excellent baker and dying of heart failure and who has a very noisy cockatoo named Murph. There's Arthur who is the who is the social organizer. There's Elliot who is also writing a book and who gives Nate some very odd advice about finishing his. There's Benny who spends most of her time at an animal shelter. There are Lance and Mitzi. Lance channels Stanley Tucci and Mitzi snarks. There are Andy and Margo Lopez and their goth daughter Luna who wants to be a mortician. Finally, there are Imogen and her wife Sophie who are new residents from London who've come so that Sophie is on Broadway in Macbeth.

When Murph doesn't stop making lots of noise, Stevie and the doorman enter the apartment to find Helen dead. Stevie's first reaction is that dead people are following her around, but when the death is declared to be from natural causes, Stevie can go back to her brooding. But, when Benny who has custody of Murph after Helen's death, falls from her apartment window, Stevie is sure that death is murder. 

Going along with this story is a story that takes place in 1976 which tells about a young woman swept up into a cult led by the charismatic and controlling Dean. From her meeting the rest of the cult in New York City until she abruptly leaves it taking with her a large bag of money that has been amassed by pickpocketing and stealing and most of the cult dying in a fiery car crash, Helen who was renamed Blue by Dean has her life explored. Stevie discovers this older story as she tries to find out more about the very mysterious Helen. 

This was another excellent YA mystery starring the intriguing Stevie Bell who is trying to figure out her own life while solving mysteries. 

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

Audiobook Review: Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander by Christian Hurst

Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander

Author: Christian Hurst

Narrator: Aryn Mello Pryor
Series: Lily Starling (Book 1)
Publication: Outpost Books SE (May 6, 2026)

Length: 12 hours and 34 minutes

Description: Lily Starling wakes up in a city she barely recognizes, with no memory of her past—only a metal tag bearing her name and an instinct for survival. When a Union starship crew claims she belongs with them, she's pulled centuries beyond her own time and into a desperate mission against the psionic Krythar.

Aboard the starship Salamander, Lily is drawn into a found family of misfit officers, warriors, and exiles. Together, they uncover mysteries hidden among the stars: an ancient memory seed carrying the voices of the dead, and a weapon capable of unraveling time itself.

But when Lily faces her greatest fear, she must choose—confront the demons of her past, or risk losing everything.

Lily Starling and the Voyage of the Salamander is an award-winning, bestselling YA space opera about identity, connection, and courage at the edge of what's known. Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers, N.K. Jemisin, and Mass Effect, with the heart of found-family adventures like Firefly and Red Rising.

If you love found family, queer identity, time travel twists, and lyrical, fast-paced sci-fi adventures, you'll love joining Lily on her voyage.

My Thoughts: This YA space opera stars Lily Starling who begins the story on the street in the 20th Century. She's homeless, hungry and has lost her memory, but she is still kind and caring especially when she comes across a homeless kid. She is soon rescued by space travelers from the future who tell her that she is an orphan, but also a member of the crew of the Salamander. 

Lily is told that she's a genius with special talents that can defeat the psionic Krythar who want to conquer the galaxy and remake it to their design. She and her companions on the Salamander want to stop that from happening. The crew is a mixed bag of characters from many of the worlds the Krythar want to conquer. 

Even with her memory loss Lily still wants to be of use. She finds herself making friends and having adventures, most of which are solved successfully because of her genius. 

I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this story. The characters from all the different races were interesting. The action scenes were exciting and the suspense kept building. I liked the way Lily manages with her memory loss and the great blow that comes late in the book. She is an interesting character. 

I bought the Kindle copy May 13. The audiobook was available as part of my Audible subscription. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Long Game
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Narrator: Cassandra Morris
Series: The Fixer (Book 2)
Publication: Audible Studios (August 2, 2016)
Length: 10 hours and 10 minutes

Description: For Tess Kendrick, a junior at the elite Hardwicke School in Washington, DC, fixing runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties.

When Tess is asked to run a classmate's campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are children of politicians, even a high school election can involve life-shattering secrets. Meanwhile, Tess' guardian has also taken on an impossible case, as a terrorist attack calls into doubt who can - and cannot - be trusted on Capitol Hill.

Tess knows better than most that power is currency in Washington, but she's about to discover firsthand that power always comes with a price.

Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Ally Carter, the second audiobook in this thrilling series will leave listeners breathless.

My Thoughts: I loved this book. It is a fast-paced thriller with murder, intrigue, and betrayal primarily set in an exclusive private school in Washington DC. Tess Kendrick is a fixer like her mother. She has a talent for solving problems and her school provides her with lots of opportunities. Drafted into the campaign for student council president that one of her friends is mounting, Tess has to deal with the behavior of another of the candidates who thinks it is okay to post compromising pictures of her candidate to social media. Things get more complicated when the rival candidate is murdered and one of Tess's friends is the prime suspect. 

Meanwhile, her mother Ivy is dealing with a terrorist who happens to be the lover of one of the president's sons and an assassination attempt on the president. Strangely enough, the two cases are both parts of a bigger conspiracy.

I like Tess who is bright and loyal. I can see her working on her relationship with her mother who had left her with her grandparents to be raised while she pursued her dangerous career in Washington DC. Tess grew up believing that her mother was her older sister. She is having trouble getting over the lies and the abandonment. She is also forging a relationship with her grandfather who is a Washington kingmaker and her mother's rival. 

The writing was compelling and the story was filled with tension.

I bought this one July 13. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Ruling Class by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Ruling Class
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Narrator: Ina-Marie Smith
Series: The Fixer (Book 1)
Publication: Bloomsbury YA (September 2, 2025)
Length: 10 hours and 5 minutes

Description: This mystery thriller by the bestselling author of The Inheritance Games is a gripping story of high stakes, betrayal, and unpredictable twists.

Any problem can be fixed for a price . . .

When Tess Kendrick is  isent to stay with her older sister in Washington D.C., she has no idea that Ivy is the capitol’s go-to “fixer,” a person who can make powerful people’s scandals disappear with a snap of her fingers. Tess never thought she and Ivy had much in common, but when she enrolls at the exclusive Hardwicke School, she soon finds herself thrust into the role of high school fixer, solving problems for the children of the D.C. elite.

But secrets pile up as each sister lives a double life, and their worlds come crashing together when a scandal from the halls of Hardwicke reaches Capitol Hill. As the stakes turn deadly, Tess must uncover who’s behind the power play before she becomes a target herself.

My Thoughts: Seventeen-year-old Tess Kendrick lives in Montana on her grandfather's ranch. She has been taking care of him while he is developing Alzheimer's, but the school alerts her older sister Ivy Kendrick when Tess's behaviors change. 

Ivy sweeps Tess away to Washington, D.C., where she works and transfers her grandfather to a facility in Boston for possible treatment. Tess resents being swept away by the older sister she thinks abandoned her years earlier. She doesn't even know what Ivy does.

Tess is enrolled in the Hardwicke school where she meets the children of Washington's movers and shakers. Many of them know more about Ivy than Tess does. She learns that Ivy is a fixer who manages to take care of a multitude of problems in Washington.

Many of her classmates look at Tess as their own fixer which isn't far from the truth. When she comes upon a freshman crying in the bathroom, she's the one who confronts the older boys who have taken pictures of her and confiscates the phone. She later learns that the girl is the Vice President's daughter and the picture taking slime is the son of the Whip. 

When she arrives, things are already in turmoil. Her fellow student Henry's grandfather is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He dies under what the grandson believes are suspicious circumstances and her new friend Vivvy's father is the man who operated on him. Vivvy overhears enough to believe that he killed him. 

Tess and her new friends are busy investigating. So is Ivy but their investigations, while on parallel tracks, are secret from each other. 

This was an engaging and suspenseful thriller filled with secrets. I loved getting to know Tess and empathized with both the disruption in her life and the uncertainty in it. Tess has lots of problems to solve not least of which is the relationship with her sister. Luckily, she has the brains and ability to do so. 

The cliffhanger ending is sending me running to The Long Game which continues the story. 

I bought this audiobook May 11. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

The House Saphir
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication: Feiwel & Friends (November 4, 2025)

Description: The "Queen of Fairytale Retellings" is back! #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer weaves the tale of Bluebeard as it's never been told before. This is a thrilling romantasy and murder mystery, perfect for fans Meyer's Cinder and Heartless.

Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.

Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest challenge: learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.

My Thoughts: THE HOUSE SAPHIR is a reimagining of the Bluebeard fairy tale. It is set in a lush fantasy world complete with monsters and ghosts.

Mallory Fontaine is a con woman having lost her magic when doing a spell to help out her older sister. She and her sister Anais are trying to survive with fake spells, bogus card readings, and ghost tours. Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir who became known as Monsieur Le Bleu when he murdered three of his wives and was bested by the fourth a hundred years earlier.

Mallory gives tours of his townhouse in Morant. She has all the stories and the assistance of Saphir's ghostly first wife Triphine who is a bit of a hypochondriac. But her tour goes wrong one night when two of her clients turn out to be investigators investigating rumors of fraud. Luckily, the third client turns out to be the great-great grandson of Monsieur Le Bleu and wants to hire Mallory to remove his ghost from their country estate. 

Mallory quickly agrees in order to get away from the investigators despite her total lack of magic. She and her sister travel to the estate now fallen on very hard times. Mallory has to fake attempts to get rid of a very real and evil spirit. Along the way, she's falling in love with young Armand who isn't interested in his family's historic wine business but prefers working with medical herbs and other plants. 

When a young housemaid is murdered in the same manner as Le Bleu's wives, Mallory and Anais have to really find a way to defeat Le Bleu. They aren't quite alone. They are assisted by a pair of adventurers on a quest of their own. 

The worldbuilding in this story was intriguing. The characters well drawn and the setting elaborate. I enjoyed this retelling. 

I bought this one March 8, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer

Sparking Fire Out of Fate
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Narrator: Cecily Bednar Schmidt et al.
Series: Forging Silver into Stars (Book 3)
Publication: Bloomsbury YA (January 27, 2026)
Length: 13 hours and 50 minutes

Description: Broken loyalties. Uncertain fates. Two kingdoms hanging in the balance... The exhilarating finale in bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer’s Forging Silver series will leave fans breathless!

Callyn has grown closer to Queen Lia Mara in Syhl Shallow, bonded by the secret magic they share. But their magic can stay hidden only so long, especially when a dangerous plot on the Queen’s life forces Callyn to work with the man who betrayed her.

In Emberfall, Tycho and Jax are struggling to rebuild their connection after months apart, complicated when they learn of Truthbringers causing trouble at the borders. Sent to investigate together, Jax and Tycho soon discover that the rebellious faction has formed a devil’s bargain with the magical scravers to destroy human magic once and for all.

When their missions bring them together, Tycho, Jax, and Callyn find themselves facing threats from all sides. With one last chance to save their magic and their kingdoms, they must work together, or lose everything.

War has erupted. Love is tested. And without sacrifice, magic could destroy everyone...

My Thoughts: This was the concluding story in the Forging Silver into Stars trilogy. The characters who were separated in book 2 are reunited in this episode. While I did think that the teenage angst got a little thick, I did enjoy this story. 

The worldbuilding was done well in this series. I liked the magical system. As usual in epic fantasy, discoveries are made, betrayals happen, and right triumphs. 

I bought this one February 18, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer

Carving Shadows into Gold
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Narrator: Cecily Bednar Schmidt et al.
Series: Forging Silver into Stars (Book 2)
Publication: Bloomsbury YA (January 28, 2025)
Length: 15 hours and 47 minutes

Description: Dangerous magic. Fateful choices. Broken promises. The spellbinding series by New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer continues.

The King’s Courier Tycho has made a treacherous bargain. Now beholden to the magical scraver who saved King Gray’s life, one false move could end everything.

Jax escaped his life in Briarlock and traveled with Tycho to Emberfall. But life outside his small village brings unexpected challenges--and unlikely adversaries.

After years of hating the royal family and their magic, Callyn never expected to be at the Queen’s side, with magic on her fingertips. But at the royal court, she can’t trust anyone--including the man she thought she loved.

Cast apart, Tycho, Jax, and Callyn must learn to wield the magic that is dividing their kingdom. As the magical scravers attack from the north and the king’s rivals gain strength, time is running out.

War is looming. Love is tested. And magic could be the only answer. . .

My Thoughts: This is the middle book in the Forging Silver into Stars trilogy. It sees the main characters from the first book separated and learning and growing and getting more involved in the main conflict. 

King's Courier Tycho is at odds with the king but still loyal to him. To save the king's life, he makes a bargain with a scraver. That bargain brings him into the fight between rival groups of scravers and might put him at odds with the king.

Jax was taken by Tycho to Emberfall for safety. When Tycho is sent back to the king, Jax is left alone in a country where he doesn't speak the language and has no friends. He needs to learn and build his place there all the while missing his lover Tycho.

Baker Callyn finds herself at the queen's side and taking care of the young princess. She discovers that she has magic which is anathema to most of the queen's kingdom. She discovers that the man she thought she was falling in love with is loyal to the queen but wants the king and all magic to leave the kingdom. 

This episode likely doesn't stand alone since there are really no beginnings or endings, but was a nice continuation of the story begun in Forging Silver into Stars. 

I bought this one February 18, 2026. 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.

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.

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.

Audiobook Review: Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer

Forging Silver into Stars
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Narrator: Cecily Bednar Schmidt et al.
Series: Forging Silver into Stars (Book 1)
Publication: Bloomsbury Publishing (June 7, 2022)
Length: 17 hours and 28 minutes

Description: Forbidden magic. Secret romance. Dangerous alliances. Enter the world of New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer's electrifying series.

When nineteen-year-old Tycho, the King’s Courier, arrives in the remote village of Briarlock, he hopes to escape the demands of his new life in the royal court, where magic reigns for the first time in ages. He doesn't expect to fall for a handsome blacksmith with a bruised heart.

After years of cruelty in his father’s forge, Jax never dared to dream of a better life—until a magic-wielding young lord shows him an enticing alternative. But when rumors of a rebellion reach Briarlock, Jax wonders who he can trust—and if he'll even survive.

Jax’s best friend, Callyn, doesn’t trust anyone—especially not a handsome stranger with magic, which killed her parents years ago. When another royal emissary arrives, seeing a co-conspirator, Callyn finds herself embroiled in a plot that could lead them all to ruin. . .

As tensions flare throughout the kingdom, it won't be long before everyone must choose a side.

War is brewing. Passions are building. And magic may doom—or save—them all.

My Thoughts: FORGING SILVER INTO STARS begins a new epic fantasy series which includes characters from her CURSEBREAKER epic fantasy series.

The three main characters are Tycho who is nineteen and a King's Courier. One of his trips between his king and his king's brother results in a thrown shoe and the need to stop at a village named Briarlock. There he meets blacksmith Jax and baker Callyn. 

Jax has been abused by his father for most of his life. He had an accident which cost him a foot and ended a possible career as a soldier. His father's drinking and gambling have led to them nearly losing their smithy for failure to pay the taxes. In order to earn the silver needed for the taxes, Jax has agreed to hold sealed messages for the Truthbringers who say they want to protect the queen but get rid of the king who has brought magic to the kingdom.

Jax's friend Callyn has been running the family bakery since her father died in an attempted invasion of the palace. He had previously given all his silver to support this revolution. Callyn is also far short of the silver she needs to pay the taxes, save the bakery, and take care of her younger sister. She hates magic because she blames it for both her mother's death in battle and her father's death at the palace. 

While Tycho is waiting for his horse to be shoed and flirting with Jax, Lord Alex who is a rival at court makes an appearance. He's come to pick up the message Jax is holding. Tycho finds this very suspicious as do the king and queen when he reports this. Suspicions also fall on Jax who hasn't explained why he became a mail drop. 

Suspicions lead to Callyn being the new mail drop and to the attentions of Lord Alex who begins to court her and help her with needed repairs and also by making her popular with travelers who bring in lots of new business. She is falling for Lord Alex but doesn't really trust him and what he is telling her.

This was an engaging fantasy with interesting characters and interesting worldbuilding. I'm looking forward to reading books two and three. I also want to read the CURSEBREAKER trilogy. Luckily, I have all five books in my audiobook collection.

I bought this one January 18, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer

Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin
Author: Nancy Springer
Series: The New Adventures of Enola Holmes (Book 4)
Publication: Wednesday Books (February 10. 2026)

Description: Enola Holmes―international bestselling and Netflix streaming sensation―returns when the rescue of a young woman sends her into battle with her brother Sherlock against his most deadly, implacable enemy - Professor Moriarty.

In February 1891, London, Enola Holmes―the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes―is attending a burial when she hears the faint sound of a handbell in the graveyard. It is not in Enola’s nature to ignore such oddities, no matter the occasion and when she investigates further, as is the Holmes' family instinct, she discovers something absolutely chilling. The ringing bell is attached to the tombstone erected over a recent gravesite and someone, buried within, is pulling the string to ring the alarm.

Galvanized into action, Enola and her companions swiftly and successfully unearth the coffin within, freeing a still-living young woman, one Trevina Trairom. Enola, by predilection and by trade a Scientific Perditorian, a finder of lost things, finds herself comforting and protecting this young girl. The girl herself is a mystery – she remembers very little, including her identity, and has no idea who has buried her alive, much less why. While protecting this mysterious girl from an enigmatic enemy, she discovers that Sherlock is engaged in a related mystery. Enola joins Sherlock in his battle against the scourge of London, the Napoleon of Crime himself, Professor Moriarty. Facing her most brutal foe ever, determined to protect and unravel the secrets surrounding the mysterious Trevina, Enola takes her place more fully than ever as a proud member of the Holmes family.

My Thoughts: Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock, begins her next mystery in a graveyard. She's there to bury her landlady when she hears a ringing bell and discovers that the occupant of the grave is not dead. Enola discovers a young woman whose name is Trevina. 

Trevina doesn't remember much more than her name at first leaving Enola to determine who she is and who buried her alive. Enola's investigations lead her into one of Sherlock's most difficult cases when she learns that her young rescue is the niece of the dreaded Professor Robert Moriarty. 

Enola finds herself up against Moriarty's very dangerous henchmen as she tries to solve her mystery. I enjoyed the Victorian setting and Victorian attitudes in this engaging historical mystery. I liked Enola's first person account of her investigation and adventures. 

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

Book Review: Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Bad Blood
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Naturals (Book 4)
Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (November 4, 2016)

Description: In this stunning conclusion to the popular thriller series, Cassie Hobbes finally has answers about her mom as her and the rest of the Naturals faced off with a secret group of deadly killers.

When Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI's Naturals program, she had one goal: uncover the truth about her mother's murder. But now, everything Cassie thought she knew about what happened that night has been called into question. Her mother is alive, and the people holding her captive are more powerful—and dangerous—than anything the Naturals have faced so far. As Cassie and the team work to uncover the secrets of a group that has been killing in secret for generations, they find themselves racing a ticking clock.

New victims. New betrayals. New secrets.

When the bodies begin piling up, it soon becomes apparent that this time, the Naturals aren't just hunting serial killers.

They're being hunted.

My Thoughts: The Naturals was an amazing mystery series with wonderful characters who have abilities that make them useful to the FBI. Dean and Lia are extraordinary profilers. Michael and Lia can read emotions and tell if people are lying. Sloane has a talent for math and for solving puzzles. They all have some sort of emotional trauma in their pasts too. Their FBI mentors use them to solve difficult cases while trying to protect them. Although they are young, seventeen and eighteen mostly, they are not children. 

Cassie was recruited to the program to try to find answers to her mother's death or disappearance when Cassie was 12. The investigation leads the team to a cult of murderers that have been in existence for generations. When they determine that Cassie's mother has been captured by the cult, they are determined to find her and rescue her.

I love the distinct voices that each of the characters have. I love the relationship that is building between them all. The story is full of danger as they follow leads to the mysterious cult. This book makes a wonderful conclusion to the four book series but leaves room if the author wishes to revisit the Naturals.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 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:

Without order, there is chaos.

Without order, there is pain.

Friday 56:

That was what profilers did. We submerged ourselves in the darkness again and again and again.

This week I am spotlighting Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is the fourth book in The Naturals series. These are YA mystery stories. I read them years ago and am enjoying this reread. Here is the description from Amazon:

In this stunning conclusion to the popular thriller series, Cassie Hobbes finally has answers about her mom as her and the rest of the Naturals faced off with a secret group of deadly killers.

When Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI's Naturals program, she had one goal: uncover the truth about her mother's murder. But now, everything Cassie thought she knew about what happened that night has been called into question. Her mother is alive, and the people holding her captive are more powerful—and dangerous—than anything the Naturals have faced so far. As Cassie and the team work to uncover the secrets of a group that has been killing in secret for generations, they find themselves racing a ticking clock.

New victims. New betrayals. New secrets.

When the bodies begin piling up, it soon becomes apparent that this time, the Naturals aren't just hunting serial killers.

They're being hunted.

Book Review: All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

All In
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Naturals (Book 3)
Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (November 3, 2015)

Description: Three casinos. Three bodies. Three days. Crack the case with the Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games.

After a string of brutal murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team's unique profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike many serial killers, this one uses different methods every time. All of the victims were killed in public, yet the killer does not show up on any tape. And each victim has a string of numbers tattooed on their wrist. Hidden in the numbers is a code -- and the closer the Naturals come to unraveling the mystery, the more perilous the case becomes. Meanwhile, Cassie is dealing with an equally dangerous and much more painful mystery. For the first time in years, there's been a break in her mother's case. As personal issues and tensions between the team mount, Cassie and the Naturals will be faced with impossible odds -- and impossible choices.

My Thoughts: The third book in the Naturals series takes Cassie and the team to Las Vegas where there have been three murders in three days at different casinos. 

What is most baffling is that the methods for each killing are different. It doesn't give profilers Cassie and Dean much to work with. But Sloane who is the numbers and pattern genius on the team figures out that the killer is using a Fibonacci pattern to select the dates and locations for each kill.

Cassie has learned that some bones have been discovered which might be her missing mother's. This adds a lot of tension for Cassie. But she's not the only one under tension. Michael has spent time with his abusive father and is in a downward spiral. Worst of all, Sloane is back in Las Vegas and having to deal with the father who has never acknowledged her or paid any attention to her. 

The team makes a surprising discovery when they connect Cassie's mother's disappearance and the murder of their caretaker Judd's daughter to the killings currently going on in Las Vegas. 

The killer is found, but the mystery deepens in this emotionally charged story. I liked the way the team members each used their strengths to work on the case. I enjoy the banter between the characters in these stories. 

I bought this one August 6, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 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:

Anything can be counted. The hairs on her head. The words she's spoken to you. The number of breaths she has left.

Friday 56:

"Camille Holt." I paused after reading her name. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"Because she's not just a professional poker player," Lia replied. "She's an actress."

This week I am Spotlighting All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is the third book in The Naturals series. These are mysteries and thrillers with some romance too. All written for young adults. Here is the description from Amazon:

Three casinos. Three bodies. Three days. Crack the case with the Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games.

After a string of brutal murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team's unique profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike many serial killers, this one uses different methods every time. All of the victims were killed in public, yet the killer does not show up on any tape. And each victim has a string of numbers tattooed on their wrist. Hidden in the numbers is a code -- and the closer the Naturals come to unraveling the mystery, the more perilous the case becomes. Meanwhile, Cassie is dealing with an equally dangerous and much more painful mystery. For the first time in years, there's been a break in her mother's case. As personal issues and tensions between the team mount, Cassie and the Naturals will be faced with impossible odds -- and impossible choices.

Audiobook Review: Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Killer Instinct
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Narrator: Amber Faith
Series: The Naturals (Book 2)
Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (November 4, 2014)

Length: 9 hours and 23 minutes

Description: A chilling copycat killer has the Naturals in his crosshairs in this exhilarating crime thriller from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games.

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother's murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean's incarcerated father—a man he'd do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer's psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer's brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

With her trademark wit, brilliant plotting, and twists that no one will see coming, Jennifer Lynn Barnes will keep readers on the edge of their seats (and looking over their shoulders) as they race through this thrilling novel.

My Thoughts: In this sequel to THE NATURALS, the five kids are still getting over the events of the first book when Agent Sterling moves in. She is a profiler like Dean and Cassie and she and Dean have a history. The kids get involved in a murder investigation when a crime is committed that looks like a copycat crime mimicking the crimes Dean's father committed. 

Last book, the focus was on Cassie. This time the focus is on Dean though Cassie is the viewpoint character. Cassie, Lia, Sloane and Michael all want to protect Dean from getting swept up into his father's games. But Dean's father is a complex character who has set up some long range plans.

The kids all use their skills as they try to out-think Dean's father and save lives. Michael read emotions; Lia is a human lie detector; Sloane is great with facts and details. They all need to use all their abilities in this case. 

Cassie also has to make some decisions about her relationships with both Michael and Dean. She really likes both boys who have a rivalry between them. Cassie doesn't want to hurt either but it is inevitable that she does.

The story is fast-paced, action-packed and still takes time to work on the relationships between the five kids. I enjoyed every page!

I bought this one using an Audible credit November 5, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Games Untold
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Inheritance Games
Publication: Little Brown Books for Young Readers (November 12, 2024)

Description: Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that takes readers deeper into the world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series

There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret.

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.

This collection includes: 

• That Night in Prague (novella)
• The Same Backward as Forward (novella)
• The Cowboy and the Goth
• Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (and One Time He Didn’t)
• $3CR3T $@NT@
• One Hawthorne Night*
• What Happens in the Treehouse*
• Pain at the Right Gun

*previously published in limited release

My Thoughts: This was an excellent collection of stories. I liked the romance and the puzzles. My favorite - because it gave a background to the whole series - was The Same Backward and Forward. 

Fans of romance and puzzles will enjoy this collection. 

I bought this one November 21, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 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:

I wasn't worried about him. Worrying about Jameson Winchester Hawthorne was about as useful as trying to argue with the wind.

Friday 56:

I moved, swift and sure, reordering the letters, unscrambling them and writing them anew in the dirt below the original.

This week I am spotlighting Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is a collection of short stories and novellas set in the Inheritance Games world. Here's the description from Amazon:

Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that takes readers deeper into the world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series
 
There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.
 
An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret. 
 
Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.
 
This collection includes:

• That Night in Prague (novella)
• The Same Backward as Forward (novella)
• The Cowboy and the Goth
• Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (and One Time He Didn’t)
• $3CR3T $@NT@
• One Hawthorne Night*
• What Happens in the Treehouse* 
• Pain at the Right Gun

*previously published in limited release

Book Review: The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Author: Holly Jackson
Publication: Delacorte Press (April 2, 2024)

Description: Lights. Camera. Lies.

Eighteen-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on.

But the case is dredged up from the past when the Price family agrees to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again.

Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her. Unbelievable, because Bel isn’t sure it’s real. If Rachel is lying, then where has she been all this time? And—could she be dangerous? With the cameras still rolling, Bel must uncover the truth about her mother, and find out why Rachel Price really came back from the dead . . .

From world-renowned author Holly Jackson comes a mind-blowing masterpiece about one girl’s search for the truth, and the terror in finding out who your family really is.

My Thoughts: Bel Price is eighteen. She's lived under the shadow of her mother's disappearance since she was two. She was the only one there when her mother was taken from their car on a quiet rural road. She must have seen the kidnapper but is too young to remember anything.

Now, her father has agreed for the family to take part in a documentary exploring the disappearance. Bel just wants it to go away. She's built her life with her father, aunt, uncle, grandfather, and beloved cousin Carter. She's also developed a fear of being abandoned and a kleptomania problem. She pushes people away before they can leave her. 

Things change abruptly when Rachel Price comes back with an outrageous story about where she has been for the past sixteen years. Now, the documentary has gone from being the Disappearance of Rachel Price to the Reappearance of Rachel Price. Bel doesn't know what to think. Rachel's story has some holes in it and Bel is determined to prove her a liar so that her life can go back to her comfortable normal. 

With the assistance of a young member of the documentary crew, Bel determines to find out the truth which isn't at all what she thought it was. 

This story was engaging and twisty and compelling. I spent most of it wondering if Bel was a reliable narrator telling us the truth. Or was she gaslighting us or being gaslighted herself. 

I bought this one January 6, 2025. You can buy your copy here.