REVIEW: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
Paranormal Romance published by Orbit 23 Aug 23
If you strip The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy down to its core, it’s basically You’ve Got Mail, but with zombies, a mortician, and a pistol-crossbow-toting marshal. You might be thinking, “Um, Kaitlyn, that’s ridiculous.” Let me tell you, you’d be WRONG. This book is perfection. The postal workers are also god-blessed sassy little animals that can talk…immediate A+.
REVIEW: Of Magic and Men by Meg Alivien
Fantasy Romance published by Duke Books 10 Oct 23
The premise of witches and the warlocks cursed to be animalistic demons is so incredibly cool. The way the story is structured and organized keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing the entire time. As a debut fantasy novel, it checks all the boxes I love.
REVIEW: Liar by Fern Michaels
Romantic Suspense published by Zebra Books 22 Aug 23
An exciting and fast-paced action-adventure story that is totally in my wheelhouse. Luna is a psychic. When she finds herself inside an old armoire that her brother just acquired at auction, it speaks to her of a decades’ old kidnapping case that was never solved. With her friends, and especially her U.S, Marshall boyfriend, it is finally time to put the mystery to rest.
REVIEW: One Night by Georgina Cross
Stevie‘s review of One Night by Georgina Cross
Psychological Thriller published by Bantam 01 Aug 23
Ten years ago, Meghan Chisholm was found dead, drowned in a creek after being struck on the head during a party to celebrate the end of term. The youngest of Meghan’s two sisters claimed to have seen Meghan arguing with her boyfriend Cal close to the creek, and he was subsequently convicted of Meghan’s murder. Now Cal has been released, and mysterious letters have been delivered to Meghan’s parents, her sisters, her father’s second wife, and a close family friend, inviting them all to spend the night at a holiday home, close to where they all stayed one summer before Meghan’s death.
REVIEW: Inheritance by Nora Roberts
Paranormal Romance published by St. Martin’s Press 21 Nov 23
We all know the old saying, when it comes to our favorites in life, so-and-so could write or sing the phonebook and we would love it. Nora Roberts is one of those for me. I received the advanced copy of this book months and months ago, and I could not wait to get started on it, even though it didn’t release until this month. Because I wanted more details fresh in my mind for writing my review, I decided to re-read Inheritance, even though I have tons of books waiting in the wings to be read. Oh, poor me, but, then again, the phonebook has never pulled me in to a story so completely, even on the second time around.
REVIEW: There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh
Crime Thriller published by Berkley 21 Nov 23
Ms. Singh is a superb writer. She has the rare talent of sweeping her readers into her world and taking them along for the ride that her words paint. The suspense is bone chilling and, in fact, I still have goosebumps to show for it.
REVIEW: Who She Was by Tony Parsons
Stevie‘s review of Who She Was by Tony Parsons
Murder Thriller published by Penguin 17 Aug 23
I read Tony Parson’s Man and Boy and at least one of its sequels many years ago, but I’ve not read any of his crime fiction up until now. This particular book of his from that genre particularly appealed, because I’m always keen to read books set in Cornwall, which are more on the historical side, but contemporary is also good. In this case, we are plunged into the close-knit community of a small fishing village cum holiday destination, whose lives are permanently disrupted by the arrival of a different sort of stranger. Tom, our main protagonist and narrator, has lived in St Jude’s for ten years, having given up a career in the city to run a restaurant specialising in locally caught lobster and other fresh fish on the days when the lobster catch falls short. He is one of the first villagers to encounter Clementine, while she is sitting on the beach, awaiting the morning and the arrival of an estate agent with the keys to the cottage she is to lease for the next twelve months.
REVIEW: Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch & Beth Revis
Fantasy Romance published by Sourcebooks Fire 3 Oct 23
This story weaves the German witch hunts in the 1500s and the Roman Empire’s influence over Europe with fantastical elements. It is such a cool concept, and I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and setting. Think Serpent and Dove vibes but make it German instead of French.
REVIEW: Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains
Holiday Romance published by Kensington 22 Aug 23
This book is an interesting trope on Christmas hope where Diana has the chance to repeat the day when her fiancé met with an accident over and over again, hoping to change the outcome. In the process, Diana gets an opportunity to discover herself and grow as a human being.
REVIEW: Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
Stevie‘s review of Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
Multicultural Holiday Romance published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons 26 Sep 23
I love holiday fiction that doesn’t (just) centre around the expected Western Christian ones. This story, set in Canada during a December when Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid fall within days of each other, particularly appealed to me. Our protagonists first encounter each other at an airport on a stormy night. Anna is on her way to Toronto to spend Christmas with her wealthy new boyfriend and his family but is still mourning her father two years after his unexpected death and resents her Jewish stepmother for having seemingly moved on already. Meanwhile, Maryam and her family are waiting for the same flight, because Maryam’s younger sister has decided that Eid is the perfect time to marry her fiancé after a whirlwind romance.
