en-US Thu, 24 Apr 2025 18:46:13 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 218153839 USA Today bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script, a novel about a former adolescent TV punchline who has left her awkwardness in the rearview mirror thanks to a fake-it-till-you-make-it mantra that has her on the cusp of success, until she tells a lie that sets her on a crash-course with her past, spending a week in Long Island with the last man she thinks might make her believe in love.

Rules for a love story: There are none. It’s all a lie.

Jane Jackson knows that true love is a lie. Laughter is the only truth—you can’t fake a belly laugh. Jane should know, she spent her adolescence as "Poor Janey Jakes," the barbecue-sauce-in-her-braces punchline on America's fifth-favorite sitcom. Now she’s a Creative Executive at Clearwater Studios and she’s living by a new mantra: Fake it till you make it.

Except, she might have faked it too far. Desperate to get her first project greenlit and riled up by pompous cinematographer and one-time crush Dan Finnegan, she opened her mouth and a big fat fib fell out. She claimed that Jack Quinlan, hottest popstar of the moment, has promised to write an original song for the soundtrack. Jack may have been her first kiss—and greatest source of shame—but she hasn’t spoken to him in twenty years.

Now, Jane must turn to the last man she’d ever want to owe: Dan Finnegan. Because Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown on Long Island, and Dan has an in. A week in close quarters with Dan while facing down her past is Jane's idea of hell, but Dan just might surprise her. While covering up her lie, can they find something true?]]> 368 Annabel Monaghan 0593714105 Christine 5 owned, preorder
I loved Jacks family and how inviting they were to Jane and watching their relationship grow. Jack did not have it easy as he moved away from his home while the rest of his family stayed where they grew up.

Jane has her own secret, but it’s discovered in Jacks hometown and I love how supportive Jack and his family are. This novel gave me all the feels.

Thankful to Annabel for allowing our book club Beyond the Pages this traveling ARC. I can’t wait to get my own copy.]]> 4.30 2025
author: Annabel Monaghan
name: Christine
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: owned, preorder
review:
I could not put this book down! I loved EVERYTHING about it. Jane finding herself. Enemies to lovers. Friends to lovers. Jack is one person at work and another with his large family. Jane finds this out when an unexpected trip to Jacks home turns out to be the reset she needs and never expected.

I loved Jacks family and how inviting they were to Jane and watching their relationship grow. Jack did not have it easy as he moved away from his home while the rest of his family stayed where they grew up.

Jane has her own secret, but it’s discovered in Jacks hometown and I love how supportive Jack and his family are. This novel gave me all the feels.

Thankful to Annabel for allowing our book club Beyond the Pages this traveling ARC. I can’t wait to get my own copy.
]]> 226381562
In 1990, Lu Tibbott is under the gun to complete her senior thesis in modern American history. Instead of spending weeks in dusty archives, Lu decides to dig into a true twentieth-century mystery and write about her aunt Lori, now the Mother Abbess at a cloistered convent in rural New England. Biographers, bloggers, and media types have long speculated about her aunt’s sudden departure from Hollywood. Mother Lori, however, has refused all requests for interviews—until Lu arrives at the abbey with a tape recorder in hand. To her delight, Mother Lori announces she’s finally ready to talk...but only if Lu is truly ready to listen.]]> 336 Sarah McCoy 0063338742 Christine 0 to-read, preorder, owned 4.08
author: Sarah McCoy
name: Christine
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read, preorder, owned
review:

]]> 218171597 An American expat‘s startling discovery plunges her into the glamorous but deadly world of Amsterdam’s diamond industry.

Following a nasty divorce, Rayna Dumont came to Amsterdam for a fresh start. She’s never been the type for a one-night stand, but this move is all about adventure, and Xander is handsome and successful and more than willing to go along for the ride. Until the morning after, when Rayna finds him dead on the shower floor and millions of dollars�� worth of diamonds missing from his safe.

From her lavish home in the heart of the city, Willow Prins is captivated by the news. Her husband is Xander’s former boss and heir to a diamond house, and the scandal strains their already-rocky marriage. As the house comes under scrutiny, Willow wonders if her life is about to implode—and how much of the blame she can place on Rayna. Soon, Willow and Rayna are dragged into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the diamond market, where they’ll have to uncover the truth to survive. Who killed Xander? Where are the missing diamonds? And who can you trust in a strange and unfamiliar city thousands of miles from home?]]> 320 Kimberly Belle 0778310949 Christine 0 to-read, preorder, owned 4.12
author: Kimberly Belle
name: Christine
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read, preorder, owned
review:

]]> 220435882 ��The Felons�� Ball��is full of secrets—ones that refuse to reveal themselves and ones that refuse to stay buried. It's also full of wit and empathy and characters as real as your own family members. This novel is assured, propulsive, and thrilling, and I tore through it.”—Rebecca Makkai,��New York Times��bestselling author of��I Have Some Questions for You

?The critically acclaimed author of The Good Ones returns with an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a powerful Southern family whose dark secrets set in motion a chain of events with deadly consequences.

In their younger years, Trey Macready and his best friend Ben Marsh were distributors and enforcers for the local distillers who made their small hamlet of Ewald, Virginia, the moonshine capital of the world. But that was years ago, and now the only tie to their criminal past is the Felons�� Ball—Trey’s annual birthday party where they regale the crowd with tales of their youthful exploits. But when Ben is found dead after Trey’s fiftieth celebration, it’s clear those connections may not be past at all.

Finding Ben’s body propels his much-younger secret lover, Natalie—Trey’s daughter—to search for Ben’s estranged son, Lanny, and to find the truth about his killing. Her quest will lead to a battle with a police department that refuses to ignore her family’s history, and to form unexpected connections with Hardy, the sheriff investigating the case, and her brother-in-law Jay, who had a very public fight with Ben on the night of his murder.

When Jay goes missing on the morning he planned to meet Natalie, she begins to wonder if her mother was right . . . and if the past should be left in the past.]]> 240 Polly Stewart 0063412063 Christine 0 to-read, preorder, owned 4.83
author: Polly Stewart
name: Christine
average rating: 4.83
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read, preorder, owned
review:

]]> 222376698
After being sidelined for a pesky gunshot wound, typist-turned-field agent Evelyne Redfern is ready for her next assignment with Britain’s secretive Special Investigations Unit. When a British Intelligence informant in Portugal mysteriously disappears just after hinting that he has vital information about German plans that could tip the balance of World War Two, Evelyne and her dashingly irksome partner, David Poole, are sent headed to Lisbon to find him.

Once they land, Evelyne and David aren't even able to leave the airport, before she discovers one of their fellow aeroplane passengers murdered and uncovers a diary with a clear link between the victim and their missing informant. With their mission in jeopardy before it can truly begin, Evelyne and David fight to keep their cover intact as they descend deeper into the shadows that surround Lisbon’s glittering collection of wealthy expats and dangerous spies. This case will test Evelyne and David’s training, charm, and wit―and their growing attraction for one another.]]> 304 Julia Kelly 1250865549 Christine 0 to-read, preorder, owned 4.33 2025
author: Julia Kelly
name: Christine
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read, preorder, owned
review:

]]> 216594947 From the New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday and The Ways We Hide��

��She came from a lineage known for good fortune…by those who don't know the whole story.��

��Portland, 1888. Amid the subterranean labyrinth of the notorious Shanghai Tunnels, a woman awakens in an underground cell, drugged and disguised. Celia soon realizes she's a "shanghaied" victim on the verge of being shipped off as forced labor, leaving behind those she loves most. Although well accustomed to adapting for survival—being half-Chinese, passing as white during an era fraught with anti-Chinese sentiment—she fears that far more than her own fate lay at stake.��

��As she pieces together the twisting path that led to her abduction, from serving as a maid for the family of a dubious mayor to becoming entwined in the case of a goldminers' massacre, revelations emerge of a child left in peril. Desperate, Celia must find a way to escape and return to a place where unearthed secrets can prove even more deadly than the dark recesses of Chinatown.

��A captivating tale of resilience and hope, The Girls of Good Fortune explores the complexity of family and identity, the importance of stories that echo through generations, and the power of strength found beneath the surface.]]> 416 Kristina McMorris 1728284872 Christine 5 preorder, owned By: Kristina McMorris
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
“She came from a lineage known for good fortune…by those who don't know the whole story.��
This line really showcases the novel and sets the pace for the little underground world of the Shanghai Tunnels. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot as it is super involved, intriguing and interesting.
1988, We find Celia who is the victim of being “shanghaied�� and her journey begins in an underground cell. What will she do to save herself? Can she save herself?
I was soon immersed in her story to survive. Thank you McMorris for always giving us unique stories in Historical Fiction. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy.]]> 4.05 2025
author: Kristina McMorris
name: Christine
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: preorder, owned
review:
The Girls of Good Fortune
By: Kristina McMorris
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
“She came from a lineage known for good fortune…by those who don't know the whole story.��
This line really showcases the novel and sets the pace for the little underground world of the Shanghai Tunnels. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot as it is super involved, intriguing and interesting.
1988, We find Celia who is the victim of being “shanghaied�� and her journey begins in an underground cell. What will she do to save herself? Can she save herself?
I was soon immersed in her story to survive. Thank you McMorris for always giving us unique stories in Historical Fiction. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy.
]]> 217387810 It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch�� Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.

Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!

But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.]]> 320 Katherine Center 1250283825 Christine 5 By: Katherine Center
Pub date: May 20, 2025
Publisher: St. Martins Press
5]]> 4.02 2025
author: Katherine Center
name: Christine
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: advanced-copies-arc, netgallery, owned, preorder
review:
The Love Haters
By: Katherine Center
Pub date: May 20, 2025
Publisher: St. Martins Press
5
]]> 214918159
Seattle, 1984—while the city is gripped by the terror of the Green River Killer, young John is grappling with a horror that's far more personal. As adolescence falls upon John, so does the stark reality of his father's secret nocturnal life. The line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and John's inner conflict intensifies.

Threads of trust unravel, alliances form in unlikely places, and the chilling realization dawns that sometimes the most perilous beast lurks uncomfortably close to home.

The First Hunt lures you into the chilling inner workings of a killer's mind—right before it snaps the trap shut, leaving you breathless, desperate to uncover the fate of a boy who must hunt or be hunted. How will John face his primal initiation when the blood he fears may run through his own veins?]]> 284 Audrey J. Cole Christine 5 netgallery, owned, preorder By: Audrey J. Cole
Pub date: June 17. 2025
Publisher: Rainier Publishing

I really love this series by Cole. Another fast paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller about a serial killer. The other two in the series are The Final Hunt and The Last Hunt. They can be read as stand-alone, but they are both must reads as well.
]]> 4.29 2025
author: Audrey J. Cole
name: Christine
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: netgallery, owned, preorder
review:
The First Hunt
By: Audrey J. Cole
Pub date: June 17. 2025
Publisher: Rainier Publishing

I really love this series by Cole. Another fast paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller about a serial killer. The other two in the series are The Final Hunt and The Last Hunt. They can be read as stand-alone, but they are both must reads as well.

]]> 218460306 Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.��

Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.����

As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.]]> 432 Ali Brady 0593640853 Christine 5 netgallery, owned, preorder By: Ali Brady
Pub date: June 3, 2025
Publisher: Berkley

5]]> 4.15 2025
author: Ali Brady
name: Christine
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: netgallery, owned, preorder
review:
Battle of the Bookstores
By: Ali Brady
Pub date: June 3, 2025
Publisher: Berkley

5
]]> 69706058 Is it better to believe a lovely lie or know the horrible truth?

1999: The night of their senior picnic, Scarlett Russo and her best friend Pepper were involved in a car accident that left two of their classmates dead. Afterward, they lied to the police, protecting each other from the consequences. Then Pepper left town and Scarlett never heard from her again��

Now: Twenty-two years later, Scarlett has buried that deadly incident deep in her mind and built a comfortable life for herself, working in a hotel on the west coast of Florida and raising her teenage son with her husband Vince. Her peace is disrupted, however, when Pepper’s daughter shows up with news of Pepper’s death. Zoey is twenty-one and studying to be an investigative journalist. She has a cryptic letter from Pepper addressed to Scarlett that alludes to the events of that fateful night and Pepper’s initial intentions to get an abortion. Now Zoey wants answers about her mother’s past. Who is Zoey’s father? And what really happened after the senior picnic? As Zoey continues to dig into the past, all of Scarlett’s buried secrets threaten to rise to the surface.]]> 312 Jaime Lynn Hendricks 1613165196 Christine 5 A lovely Lie<br />5 3.99 2024
author: Jaime Lynn Hendricks
name: Christine
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/13
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: thriller-book-loversthepulse, owned
review:
A lovely Lie
5
]]> 220813132 Living a double life always comes with a cost.


A down-on-her-luck waitress at a posh New Jersey country club, Kim Valva couldn’t be living a more different life from the carefree socialites she serves. Her live-in boyfriend recently cheated on her, her social life is in shambles, and her dog needs a life-saving surgery that she can’t afford. Then her luck seems to change when a mysterious figure identifying themself only as The Stranger contacts her with an offer she can’t Put a pill in the new member’s drink and, when he dies, she’ll have enough money to fix her dog and her life.



Her target turns out to be Tony Fiore—Kim’s bad boy ex-boyfriend from high school. Fifteen years have passed, and he now goes by Anthony Fuller. He’s cleaned up, made tens of millions, and his gorgeous fiancée, twenty-two-year-old PJ Walsh, is on his arm.



PJ had her own agenda from the second she met Anthony. Find him, trick him, marry him, kill him. It was supposed to be easy, but she finds that while living her double life, the lines blur between who she is and who she’s pretending to be.



Stunned to see Tony again, Kim can’t bring herself to go through with spiking his drink. Instead, it is PJ who dies horrifically at the table just as dinner ends. Was someone else at the club—member or worker—tasked with poisoning PJ just as she had been instructed to do to Tony? Who would want both of them dead? With no one to trust and The Stranger to answer to, Kim must peel back the layers of deceit to reveal a deeply buried truth, more shocking than she could ever imagine…]]> 304 Jaime Lynn Hendricks 1613166044 Christine 5
PJ is out from revenge. She plans a meeting Anthony and her plans could go array. Her plan was to kill him after marrying him. I do NOT want to give anything away because each twist had my head spinning and turning the pages TO FIND OUT WHAT could possible happen now!]]> 4.50
author: Jaime Lynn Hendricks
name: Christine
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: thriller-book-loversthepulse, owned, preorder
review:
Jamie Hendricks was an author I discovered with my Thriller friends, and she is now an auto-buy. Another gripping book which I could NOT put down.

PJ is out from revenge. She plans a meeting Anthony and her plans could go array. Her plan was to kill him after marrying him. I do NOT want to give anything away because each twist had my head spinning and turning the pages TO FIND OUT WHAT could possible happen now!
]]> 205098644 In a dark thriller from USA Today bestselling author Samantha M. Bailey, a TV reunion brings costars back for the drama and betrayals their viewers once craved—and this time, the stakes are deadly.

Ivy Westcott fled LA as her acting career imploded. In a flash, she lost her first love and chosen family—her Hello, Juliet castmates. But she never discovered who turned her closest friends against her. Now the whole world knows her as #PoisonIvy.

A decade later, Ivy is horrified when a celebrity exposé thrusts the Hello, Juliet cast back into the limelight, dredging up the old scandals she hoped to escape. Desperate for a fresh start and some financial stability for her mother and manager, Ivy agrees to participate in a top-secret reunion episode.

Ivy’s poised for a comeback, but past betrayals become a present danger when she and the man who once broke her heart find their costar dead.

Determined to find justice and clear her name, Ivy must tear down the facades of cast and crew to uncover chilling secrets that have plagued the Hollywood set from day one. Or she could be the next to die.]]> 301 Samantha M. Bailey 1662513577 Christine 5 By: Samantha Bailey
Pub date: April 29, 2025
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
5]]> 4.19 2025
author: Samantha M. Bailey
name: Christine
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: thriller-book-loversthepulse, owned, preorder
review:
Hello, Juliet
By: Samantha Bailey
Pub date: April 29, 2025
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
5
]]> 219301734 Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own grand adventure, leaving gritty Chicago behind for Kansas and a life that will utterly change her, in this transporting new novel from New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor.

Chicago, 1924: Emily Gale and her new husband, Henry, yearn to leave the bustle of Chicago behind for the promise of their own American dream. But leaving the city means leaving Emily’s beloved sister, Annie, who was once closer to her than anyone in the world.

Kansas, 1932: Emily and Henry have made a life in the warmth of the community of Liberal, Kansas, and among the harsh beauty of the prairie. Their lives hold a precarious and hopeful purpose, until tragedy strikes and their orphaned niece, Dorothy, lands on their doorstep.

The wide-eyed child isn’t the only thing to disrupt Emily’s world. Drought and devastating dust storms threaten to destroy everything, and their much-loved home becomes a place of uncertainty and danger. When the past catches up with the present and old secrets are exposed, Emily fears she will lose the most cherished thing of Dorothy.

Bursting with courage and heart, Before Dorothy tells the story of the woman who raised a beloved heroine, and ponders the what is the true meaning of home?]]> 368 Hazel Gaynor 0593440331 Christine 0 to-read, preorder, owned 4.58
author: Hazel Gaynor
name: Christine
average rating: 4.58
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read, preorder, owned
review:

]]> 228233909 The perfect pre-wedding getaway. The perfect murder. The perfect trap��

Jake and I planned our romantic trip to the south of France to unwind from all the stress of organising our wedding and enjoy some blissful, sun-soaked days just the two of us.

But when we return to the villa after a day exploring the stunning countryside, our dream holiday is turned upside down. Because there, on the beautiful antique rug, is the body of the man everyone saw Jake arguing with in the town square just this mornin����

I stop breathing as I take in the scene. The footprints in the same tread as Jake’s trainers. The knife I used at breakfast lying near the body, covered in my fingerprints.

I feel dizzy, reaching out for Jake as my knees tremble. He holds me upright, saying nothing. Is someone trying to frame us for this death? If they are, they’ve set us up flawlessly.

And now we have a choice to make. Call the police and risk everything �� or get rid of the body and hope nobody ever finds out��

I’d give anything to go back to the stress of wedding planning, because now I feel nothing but terror.

Who would do something like this? Are we next to die? And why �� as I look at my pale, sweating fiancé �� do I wonder if he knows more than he’s letting on��?

An absolutely gripping psychological thriller that will have your heart pounding, your jaw dropping, and your fingers breathlessly turning the pages! Perfect for fans of addictive page-turners like The Housemaid , One of the Girls , and The Family Across the Street .

Readers love Lauren

��Wow, wowsers, just wow!�� My mind is blown�� I could barely stop reading�� I kept on gasping out loud�� Just wow�� I loved it�� Addicted!�� Rachel’s Random Read, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Wow, just wow!�� Brilliant�� Kept me awake far later than planned�� I devoured this gem in one sitting. I was hooked�� Impossible to put down!�� littlemissbooklover87, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��OMG!!!�� My mind is still trying to wrap my head around this story! SOO GOOD!!!�� I was literally yelling at my e-reader!!�� Suspenseful, thrillin���� Intensely wicked twists that will blow your mind!! A must-read!!�� Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

��I could not put this book down�� Devoured it in one sitting�� An absolutely unputdownable, addictive page-turner!!�� Fantastic�� Unputdownable!!�� A heart-racing, action packed, page-turning must-read!�� Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Wow! I am at a loss for words�� Incredible�� Kept me on the edge of my seat�� I could not look away from the pages for a second.]]> 310 Lauren North 1836186282 Christine 5 bookouture-tours
This story starts out with a BANG!

As the countdown to their wedding begins there are many secrets held by both Jake and Hannah.

A fight, a death and a cover up all in the first few paragraphs. Someone knows what happened but who? Jake had a public fight with the man who was murdered, but is he being framed?

Doubt and trust are now in question!!! The past does not always stay in the past��

HOLY CRAP! That ending! What a crazy twist. Never saw this plot coming, but it WORKED!]]> 4.11
author: Lauren North
name: Christine
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: bookouture-tours
review:
FOR Better, FOR Worse, FOR MURDER!!!!

This story starts out with a BANG!

As the countdown to their wedding begins there are many secrets held by both Jake and Hannah.

A fight, a death and a cover up all in the first few paragraphs. Someone knows what happened but who? Jake had a public fight with the man who was murdered, but is he being framed?

Doubt and trust are now in question!!! The past does not always stay in the past��

HOLY CRAP! That ending! What a crazy twist. Never saw this plot coming, but it WORKED!
]]> 228418465 From #1 bestselling author Genevieve Graham comes a gripping novel set in Toronto and Vietnam during the turbulent sixties about two women caught up in powerful social movements and the tragedy that will bring them together—perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Women .

Toronto, 1967. Two young women with different backgrounds, attitudes, and aptitudes are living in an exciting but confusing time, the most extreme counter-culture movement the modern world has ever seen. They have little in common except for the place they both call an apartment building on Isabella Street.

Marion Hart, a psychiatrist working in Toronto’s foremost mental institution, is fighting deinstitutionalization—the closing of major institutions in favour of community-based centres—because she believes it could one day cause major homelessness. When Daniel Neumann, a veteran with a debilitating wound, is admitted to the mental institution, Marion will learn through him that there is so much more to life than what she is living.

Sassy Rankin, a budding folk singer and carefree hippy from a privileged family, joins protests over the Vietnam War and is devastated that her brother chose to join the US Marines. At the same time, she must deal with the truth that her comfortable life is financed by her father, a real estate magnate bent on gentrifying the city, making it unaffordable for many of her friends.

The strength of their unlikely friendship means that when one grapples with a catastrophic event, the other must do all she can to make it right.

Inspired by the unfettered optimism and crushing disillusionment of the sixties, On Isabella Street is an extraordinary novel about the enduring bonds of friendship and family and the devastating cost of war.]]> Genevieve Graham Christine 0 currently-reading 0.0
author: Genevieve Graham
name: Christine
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 230923747 She’s what every mother needs. But can you trust her?

Since my husband Lawrence died it’s just me and our sweet baby girl Jordan. It’s so hard raising her alone. Then Sophie shows up at my door. She says she is Lawrence’s sister�� and she seems like a blessing in disguise. But with her in my house, looking through my things, it’s going to be difficult to keep the secrets about my marriage hidden...

Charlotte didn’t recognize me. That isn’t surprising. She seems frantic, and I know she’s not sleeping. I hear her tossing and turning while I rock her baby to sleep. When Jordan stares up at me with those big blue eyes, my heart melts. Charlotte doesn’t deserve such a gorgeous child. Not after what she did.

It’s clear to anyone that Charlotte isn’t coping. All she needs is a little push to send her over the edge�� And then I’ll finally get what I really came for.

Both of these women are liars. One of them is a killer. Who is really in danger in this house?

Perfect for fans of The Housemaid , The Perfect Marriage and The Girl in Seat 2A, this totally addictive psychological thriller will have you up all night!

What readers are saying about Emily

��OMG!!! This. Book. THIS BOOK!!!�� Will be taking up space in my head for a long time�� Unputdownable!! I started at dawn and finished before the sun went down�� A MUST-read.�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐�� Literally SO FREAKING GOOD!�� On my list of Top 10 books of all time! I was on the edge of my seat the entire book! Phenomenal�� Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor and then recommend this book to everyone I know!!!!!!�� ŷ������ reviewer

��WOW WOW! A rollercoaster ride from start to finish�� I couldn't put it down�� My mind was spinnin���� Gripping!�� NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��I DEVOURED this book. It had me hooked from the first page to the last�� Brilliant.�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��WOW! So freakin�� good! I could not put it down!�� I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and my heart was racing.�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

“I was addicted to this from page one and I really struggled to put it down (it’s nearly 2am and I just had to stay up to finish it)�� The ending had my jaw on the floor.�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Jaw-dropping ending, OMG! I love Emily Shiner�� I couldn’t put this book down.]]> 352 Emily Shiner 1836186703 Christine 0 4.50
author: Emily Shiner
name: Christine
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: bookouture-tours, currently-reading
review:

]]> 228431812 Wilder Girls meets Outer Banks where a group of scuba diving friends stumbles across lost treasure, a legendary cave, and a new type of power... that comes at a price.


The deeper you go, the darker you fall.

Phoebe “Phibs�� Ray is never more at home than when she’s underwater. On a dive six months ago, she and her four closest friends discovered a handful of ancient gold coins, rocketing them into social media fame. Now, their final summer together after high school, they’re taking one last trip to a distant Australian island to do what they love most �� scuba dive.

While diving a local reef, Phibs discovers a spectacular underwater sea cave, rumored to be a lost cave with a buried treasure. But when Phibs and her best friend Gabe surface from the cave, they notice that they're undergoing strange changes. Oozing gashes that don’t heal. Haunting whispers in their heads... Something has latched onto them, lurking beneath their skin, transforming them from the inside out.

When treasure hunters arrive, desperate to find the location of the cave and hold Phibs�� group for ransom, she’ll do anything to keep her friends safe. In the process she learns that, of all the dreadful creatures of the sea, she might be the most terrifying of them all.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.]]> 8 Rachel Reiss Christine 0 3.83 2025
author: Rachel Reiss
name: Christine
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: currently-reading, audio, macmillin-audio-program
review:

]]> 228416539 From #1 New York Times bestseller Vi Keeland comes a brand new slow burn, swooning romance where 27 Dresses meets The Hating Game.

Weddings. I spend every working minute talking and writing about them, when just the thought of one makes me want to scream. After my fiancé abandoned me at the altar last year, my dream job at Bride magazine has turned into a reoccurring nightmare.

To add insult to injury, the bridezilla at my latest assignment somehow roped me into filling in for a missing bridesmaid. Of course, I had to get paired with the most gorgeous groomsman. Wilder Hayes is perfect—except when he opens his mouth and we end up bickering all evening. That is, until the coat closet incident.

At least I’ll never have to see him again. Or so I think... Until I walk into work on Monday and find out Wilder isn’t just a jerk, he’s also my boss’s son. And I’ll be spending the rest of the season working with him at every single wedding I cover this year.

It's a match made in heaven...or hell. Only time will tell.

A Macmillan Audio production from Bramble Books.]]> Vi Keeland Christine 0 3.61 2025
author: Vi Keeland
name: Christine
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: currently-reading, audio, macmillin-audio-program
review:

]]> 228459863 What does it mean to call a place home?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeanine Cummins comes a deeply felt multigenerational family story

On her wedding day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1968, Rafaela Acuña y Daubón has mild misgivings, but she marries Peter Brennan Jr. anyway in a blaze of romantic optimism. She has no way of knowing how dramatically her life will change when she uproots her young family to start over in the American Midwest, unleashing a fleet of disappointments.

In the 1980s, against the backdrop of her mother’s isolation in St. Louis, Missouri, Rafaela’s daughter, Ruth, wants only to belong. Eager to fit in, Ruth lets go of her language, habits, and childhood memories of Puerto Rico. It’s not until decades later when Ruth’s own daughter, Daisy, returns to San Juan that her mother and grandmother begin to truly reflect on the choices that have come to define their lives.

When a hurricane ravages the island in 2023, leaving Daisy critically injured, Rafaela and Ruth return to the city where their story began. As they gather at Daisy’s bedside, we follow them back into the moments that brought them to this We watch as they come of age, fall in love, take risks, and contend with all the heartbreaks, triumphs, and reversals of fortune—both good and bad—that make up a meaningful life. As old memories come to light, so do buried secrets, leaving everyone in the family wondering exactly where it is that they belong.

A striking, resonant examination of marriage, family, and identity, Speak to Me of Home is ultimately a story of mothers and daughters that How can three women who share geography and genetics have such wildly different ideas of where they come from? And, more important, can they discover a common language to find their way back home?

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.]]> Jeanine Cummins Christine 0 4.00
author: Jeanine Cummins
name: Christine
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: macmillin-audio-program, currently-reading
review:

]]> 216970859 A taut and lyrical coming-of-age debut about a young American woman navigating class, lies, and love amid London’s jet-set elite.

I would arrive, blank like a sheet of notebook paper, and write myself new.

Anna first fell in love with London at her hometown library—its Jane Austen balls a far cry from her life of food stamps and hand-me-downs. But when she finally arrives after college, the real London is a moldy flat and the same paycheck-to-paycheck grind—that fairy-tale life still out of reach.

Then Anna meets the Wilders, who fly her to Saint-Tropez to tutor their teenage daughter. Swept up by the sphinxlike elder sister, Anna soon finds herself plunged into a heady whirlpool of parties and excess, a place where confidence is a birthright. There she meets two handsome young men—one who wants to whisk her into his world in a chauffeured car, the other who sees through Anna’s struggle to outrun her past. It’s like she’s stepped into the pages of a glittering new novel, but what will it cost her to play the part?

Sparkling with intelligence and insight, All That Life Can Afford peels back the glossy layers of class and privilege, exploring what it means to create a new life for yourself that still honors the one you’ve left behind.]]> 384 Emily Everett 0593545141 Christine 4 owned 3.71 2025
author: Emily Everett
name: Christine
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: owned
review:

]]> 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 432 Emily Henry Christine 4 preorder, owned 4.22 2025
author: Emily Henry
name: Christine
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: preorder, owned
review:

]]> 219401075 Four strangers time travel to the past and find themselves stuck on the day all their lives were changed in this stunning speculative mystery from award-winning film and television producer Dete Meserve, perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Wrong Place Wrong Time and The Paradox Hotel.

What would you do if you could spend an hour in your past? Four strangers in the beach town of Ventura, California are about to find out.��

Elizabeth aches for one more precious hour with her son who died in a senseless accident. Andy is desperate to find his first love who vanished after a whirlwind romance. Logan craves the rush of surfing and mountain climbing, yearning to reclaim the freedom he lost after a misstep��landed him in a wheelchair. Brooke is looking for an hour of relief from the guilt of an unforgivable mistake.

Enter Aeon Expeditions, the groundbreaking time travel��invention of Mark Saunders—which allows��some lucky clients�� the chance��to spend an hour in their past. Even though Aeon’s technology ensures time travel can’t alter the future, all four clients,��including Mark’s ex-wife Elizabeth,��yearn to revisit the hour that changed their lives forever.��

But when their “hour�� extends beyond sixty minutes, they find themselves stranded in the past. As their paths intertwine unexpectedly, they unearth shocking secrets hidden in the shadows of their shared All their lives were shattered the same night on a secluded highway by the beach. As they delve into the hidden truths of that pivotal hour, a startling revelation emerges. They were not alone. Someone else was present, harboring deadly intentions.

The Memory Collectors is a heart-wrenching, genre-bending novel brimming with hope, grief and second chances.

]]> 336 Dete Meserve Christine 0 4.17 2025
author: Dete Meserve
name: Christine
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: suzy-approved-book-tours, currently-reading
review:

]]> 224004584 A group of Harvard alums have played a secret game for decades but as the stakes rise, deadly consequences emerge from old lies. An unputdownable debut thriller for readers of the suspenseful novels of Julia Bartz and Ruth Ware.

Harvard promised them everything.

Ambitious futures, peers who pushed each other toward their absolute best, and an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. And though they started out as roommates, Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine soon became family. They had their whole bright lives ahead of them—until their senior year, when a shocking tragedy changed everything.

Twenty years later, five of the roommates still indulge in a secret tradition they’ve kept alive since their campus the Circus, a harmless elimination-style “killing�� game played across the private rooms and hidden alleys of New York City. The game is a nod to their younger selves and a tribute to the sixth roommate they lost too young. But this year, Sara wants out of the game—until she discovers there is a small fortune awaiting the winner of this final round.

As the Circus unfolds, Sara begins to suspect that the others aren’t playing by the rules, and as the danger turns real and the old friends start pointing fingers, she discovers that even those closest to her harbor secrets of their own…secrets that could kill.]]> 240 Alissa Lee 1668094002 Christine 0 to-read, netgallery 3.00
author: Alissa Lee
name: Christine
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read, netgallery
review:

]]> 217476780
A peaceful retreat. A maze of smoke and murder. Is their remote getaway about to become a death trap?

Sheriff Jax Turner is worried about going off-grid and leaving his young team of deputies behind. But while his getaway with his ex is meant to help them reconnect, Jax is distracted by signs of a break-in at their rented lookout.

After a string of unsettling events and an approaching wildfire turn their isolated retreat into a danger zone, he’s stunned to find a dead body with marks tying it to a killer he put away a decade ago.

Terrified his attempt at reconciliation has led them both into a fatal setup, Jax rushes back to his estranged wife before she joins the list of victims. But his dedication to serving and protecting could become an Achilles heel as other players join them among the darkening trees.

Can he fight his way out of the woods before the flames of revenge consume everything?

Killer Tracks is the tense third book in the Misty Pines Mystery Series. If you like tangled relationships, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and small town sheriff procedurals, then you’ll love Mary Keliikoa’s page-turning game of cat-and-mouse.]]> Mary Keliikoa Christine 0 0.0
author: Mary Keliikoa
name: Christine
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read, thriller-book-loversthepulse
review:

]]> 219603177 One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.

In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family.��Twelve years later, she’s ready for retribution.

Under false pretenses, Anna has lured those responsible for her family’s downfall onto��a luxury��train from Philadelphia to Chicago,��an overnight��journey of fourteen hours. Her goal? Confront the people who’ve wronged her, get them to confess their crimes, and deliver them into the hands of authorities waiting at the end of the line. Justice will at last be served.

But Anna’s plan is quickly derailed by the murder of one of the passengers. As the train barrels through the night, it becomes clear that someone else on board is enacting their own form of revenge—and that they won’t stop until everyone else is dead.

With time running out before the train reaches its destination, Anna is forced to hunt the killer in their midst while protecting the people she hates the most. In order to destroy her enemies, she must first save them—even though it means putting her own life at risk.]]> 400 Riley Sager 0593472403 Christine 0 to-read 3.58 2025
author: Riley Sager
name: Christine
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216367280
Welcome to Ivory Island where all of your deepest and darkest desires can come true��

In life, it’s always the goal to be the most loved, respected and adored. The favorite, if you will. However, Demi Rao has realized that being the favorite isn’t always a dream come true. Being the favorite can be your worst nightmare. After barely escaping, Demi finds herself at the gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, exclusive resort run by her former psychopath boss, Dr. Ivory’s younger brother.

As she begins her new job, she knows that the ocean-views and amenities are all a façade. The resort has an all-inclusive experience not limited to food and drinks but rather a sick and twisted way to fulfill everyone’s wildest dreams and fantasies without judgement. Couples are carefully selected and invited, some go missing, and others are found tied up��

Demi can’t live with herself if she doesn’t find a way to end the Ivory family once and for all. The only problem is she may go from the favorite girl to the caged girl if she’s caught.

And once you’re in the gilded cage, you’ll never get out.]]> 291 Monica Arya Christine 0 to-read, owned, preorder 4.90
author: Monica Arya
name: Christine
average rating: 4.90
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read, owned, preorder
review:

]]> 218441121 In a hard-hitting thriller from the author of Lights Out and Dangerous Play, reporter Kate Green courts danger once again when the famous subject of her next story is kidnapped during the US Open.

With a hard-won Emmy now gracing her mantel, sports reporter and former Olympian Kate Green turns her energy to the action unfolding in Flushing Meadows. Working on a feature for her weekly TV show, she spotlights two of today’s biggest female tennis the sunny up-and-comer and the brash veteran. But the project goes sideways when one turns up missing.

Following an interview with Kate, one player receives a sinister text with a disturbing photo of the other woman, bound and gagged. Kate calls on her estranged father, an NYPD detective, for help in launching a search. Although wary he’s hiding something, she’s not sure where else to turn.

Their investigation leads to the victim’s hometown—and a growing list of suspects. The kidnapper threatens to spill secrets that could destroy lives. Tangled up in a deadly web of deceit, Kate races to connect the dots and find the missing player…before it’s too late.]]> Elise Hart Kipness 1662527861 Christine 0 4.80
author: Elise Hart Kipness
name: Christine
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read, suzy-approved-book-tours
review:

]]> 9218725 ��
TEXAS! SAGE
��
The youngest heir to her family’s oil fortune, Sage has always been the unbridled spitfire in the Tyler clan. Now, fresh out of the University of Texas with her MBA in hand, she’s looking to settle down at last with her safe, predictable upper-crust fiancé. But unbeknownst to Sage, her well-ordered future is about to be suddenly and irrevocably upended.

Into her life saunters Harlan Boyd, an irritating, rootless drifter recently hired by her brothers for a Tyler Drilling Company project. Harlan’s just the sort of man Sage should avoid—particularly during this rare period of vulnerability. But there’s something irresistible about the laconic cowboy that intrigues her, makes her want to reveal all her secrets to him, and even forces her to reconsider the path her life will take. But can she trust a man who shares her maverick spirit—and harbors long-held secrets of his own?

When a financial crisis threatens to wreck Tyler Drilling for good, Sage and Harlan must channel their simmering chemistry into the immediate task of saving the family business. Working side by side in close quarters, Sage will discover that a man who seems all wrong for her may prove to be the right choice after all.

Crackling with the lightning heat of a Lone Star summer, Texas! Sage is a fitting final chapter for the Tyler family saga.]]> 304 Sandra Brown 0553804057 Christine 5 4.15 1991
author: Sandra Brown
name: Christine
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 30362
After leaving Hollywood to host a San Antonio TV show spotlighting children with special needs, Cat fights to gain respect as a newscaster. She meets Alex Pierce, an ex-cop turned crime writer, who regards her as a woman, not as a heart patient.

When fatal "accidents" begin killing the other heart recipients, Alex may -or may not- be her most important ally.

With her new world turning sinister and a mysterious stalker shadowing her every move, Cat is caught in a dark maze of betrayal and secrets...and perhaps sees too late the mask hiding a killer's face.]]> 496 Sandra Brown 0446601853 Christine 5 3.91 1993
author: Sandra Brown
name: Christine
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 230910912 THE CURTAIN FALLS IN It's a one-night-only performance of a glamorous play in a Paris theater, and the drama is onstage... and off... when an unscripted murder stops the performance. In this suspenseful mystery, Aria Nevins, formerly a respected American journalist with her reputation ruined by a serious lapse in judgment leading to a woman’s death, has fled to a questionable job in Paris, where she’s embedded with top French homicide detective Noah Roche and his team for one week, her task to follow them and write about their work. When Roche suspects her motives, she finds herself fighting for credibility, while trying to gain access to every aspect of the murder investigation. Each member of the play’s star-filled cast and crew is a suspect in this shocking and grisly crime. When the case is marred by false leads, an attempted murder at the theater, old loyalties, and obstacles placed in their path by entitled theater luminaries, it’s a race against time to find the murderer.
]]> 310 Victoria Zackheim Christine 4 suzy-approved-book-tours By: Victoria Zacheim
Pub Date: May 13, 2025
Publisher: Level Best Books

Murder, mystery, theater and PARIS! Yes, please.
I love live theater and Paris, so this was a fun one for me. Everyone is a suspect.
Aria Nevins is a fascinating character whose own past as an American journalist proves to be an integral part. She ends up following a homicide detective and her motives come into question, even though this was approved.
Nothing like live theater and the main attraction ends up with a murder which haults EVERYTHING!

Thank you Suzy Approved Books for this novel .]]> 4.00
author: Victoria Zackheim
name: Christine
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: suzy-approved-book-tours
review:
The Curtain Falls in Paris
By: Victoria Zacheim
Pub Date: May 13, 2025
Publisher: Level Best Books

Murder, mystery, theater and PARIS! Yes, please.
I love live theater and Paris, so this was a fun one for me. Everyone is a suspect.
Aria Nevins is a fascinating character whose own past as an American journalist proves to be an integral part. She ends up following a homicide detective and her motives come into question, even though this was approved.
Nothing like live theater and the main attraction ends up with a murder which haults EVERYTHING!

Thank you Suzy Approved Books for this novel .
]]> 203237161
If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably . . . with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where’s that zest she keeps hearing about? She’s a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love.

When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She’s not ready to date. In fact, it’s been years since she felt passion for something. Not even pottery, or organized sports—not anything. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they’ll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course.

As their “passion project�� continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she’s truly ready to move on. With emotional resonance and sparkling banter, Passion Project is a fun, flirty, thoughtful story of finding a spark—and igniting happiness.]]> 368 London Sperry 0143138561 Christine 4 books-of-the-month 4.00 2025
author: London Sperry
name: Christine
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: books-of-the-month
review:
An emotional journey of loss, love, grief and moving forward. An impressive debut.
]]> 217223380 "This is book club fiction at its finest!" —Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author

From��New York Times��bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe comes her highly anticipated Where the Rivers Merge, the first of two epic and triumphant novels celebrating one intrepid woman's life across multiple generations in the American South.

1908: The Lowcountry of South Carolina is at the cusp of change. Mayfield, the grand estate held for generations by the Rivers family, is the treasured home of young Eliza. Free spirited, she refuses to be confined by societal norms. Instead, Eliza revels in exploring the golden fields and sparkling ponds of Mayfield, observing wildlife, and riding horses.

But her halcyon days are cut short by the Great War, coastal storms, and unexpected challenges to Mayfield. As Eliza battles personal pains and the ravages of family turmoil over the years, her love and devotion for the natural world puts her on a collision course with the patriarchal traditions of a bygone era.

1988:��At 88, Eliza is the scion of the Rivers/DeLancey family. She’s fought a lifetime to save her beloved Mayfield and is too independent and committed to quietly retire and leave the fate of the estate to her greedy son. She must make decisions that will assure the future of the land and her family—or watch them both be split apart.����

Set against the evocative landscape of the twentieth-century low country,��Where the Rivers Merge��is a dramatic and sweeping multigenerational family story of unyielding love, lessons learned, profound sacrifices, and the indomitable spirit of a woman determined to persevere in the face of change in order to protect her family legacy and the land she loves.]]> 352 Mary Alice Monroe 0063249421 Christine 5 suzy-approved-book-tours By: Mary Alice Monroe
Pub Day: May 13, 2025
Publisher William Morrow

Family is complicated and when some kind of inheritance is involved it can create tension. Monroe brought us a story with rich, family dynamics and a heritage to save.
This novel takes place 80 years apart. 1908 in South Carolina Eliza lives on Mayfield, an estate with her brothers and parents. She is free spirited, much to her mothers dismay. She is wild and free and they clash. She meets a young girl who will change her life forever.

1988 Eliza is now 88 and has wants to save her beloved Mayfield. Her son is greedy and is trying to take the reins.
This novel had all the feels and I am excited to see there will be another book which continues with the new generation.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and Monroe for having me on tour. Your books always take me away for hours on end.
]]> 4.44
author: Mary Alice Monroe
name: Christine
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: suzy-approved-book-tours
review:
Where the Rivers Merge
By: Mary Alice Monroe
Pub Day: May 13, 2025
Publisher William Morrow

Family is complicated and when some kind of inheritance is involved it can create tension. Monroe brought us a story with rich, family dynamics and a heritage to save.
This novel takes place 80 years apart. 1908 in South Carolina Eliza lives on Mayfield, an estate with her brothers and parents. She is free spirited, much to her mothers dismay. She is wild and free and they clash. She meets a young girl who will change her life forever.

1988 Eliza is now 88 and has wants to save her beloved Mayfield. Her son is greedy and is trying to take the reins.
This novel had all the feels and I am excited to see there will be another book which continues with the new generation.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and Monroe for having me on tour. Your books always take me away for hours on end.

]]> 216541298 A crime writer. A cold case. Will she survive to tell the story?

Since the sudden and tragic death of her partner, bestselling crime author Serena Winters hasn’t written a word. With deadlines looming, she packs up her grief and escapes from New York City to a secluded clifftop house in small-town California, hoping the change of scenery will cure her writer’s block.

But as news of her arrival spreads, Serena finds herself facing strange accusations that she’s here to cash in on the house’s history. When she uncovers the chilling story of a young family who mysteriously vanished from the very same house thirty years earlier, she can’t help asking more questions��

Someone in the local community doesn’t want the past dug up, though. Someone willing to push Serena to the limits of her sanity to keep the truth buried. Caught in a spiralling campaign of intimidation, and harbouring a dark secret of her own, Serena soon finds herself in the kind of danger she usually only writes about…]]> 267 Lisa Gray 1662519176 Christine 5 thriller-book-loversthepulse By: Lisa Gray
Pub Date: May 15, 2025
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Shared with: Thriller Book Lovers THE PULSE, I quickly signed on for this one. Gray is now a MUST read for me. I loved the suspense, the story, scenes and creepy vibes of this novel.

Serena Winters has lost her partner and is struggling to write another book. She is of the bestselling authors of crime. She books a stay in small town in California in a secluded house on a cliff.SECLUDED and a CLIFF, oh NO!!!!

When she arrives she finds out the house has a mysterious past��..This is when the story turns chilling. How does a family vanish into thin air? This story gripped me and took my heart on an emotional journey along with frightening things along the way.

We love Gray at THE PULSE. Thank you Gray for your advanced copy.
]]> 4.31
author: Lisa Gray
name: Christine
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: thriller-book-loversthepulse
review:
Dead of Night
By: Lisa Gray
Pub Date: May 15, 2025
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Shared with: Thriller Book Lovers THE PULSE, I quickly signed on for this one. Gray is now a MUST read for me. I loved the suspense, the story, scenes and creepy vibes of this novel.

Serena Winters has lost her partner and is struggling to write another book. She is of the bestselling authors of crime. She books a stay in small town in California in a secluded house on a cliff.SECLUDED and a CLIFF, oh NO!!!!

When she arrives she finds out the house has a mysterious past��..This is when the story turns chilling. How does a family vanish into thin air? This story gripped me and took my heart on an emotional journey along with frightening things along the way.

We love Gray at THE PULSE. Thank you Gray for your advanced copy.

]]> 219540562
In this stunningly twisty thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben, a secret from former Detective Sami Kierce's college days comes back to haunt him. His memory is clear, but all these years later, the facts don’t add up…which is something he cannot ignore.

Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning, covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. Beside him, the body of his girlfriend. Anna. Dead. He doesn’t know what happened. His screams drown out his thoughts—and then he runs.

Twenty-two years later, Kierce, now a private investigator, is a new father who’s working off his debts by doing low level surveillance jobs and teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. One evening, he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. Anna. It’s unmistakably her. As soon as Kierce makes eye contact with her, she bolts. For Kierce there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment since that terrible day.

His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past—and prove, after all this time, he’s nobody’s fool.]]> Harlan Coben Christine 5 audio 4.10 2025
author: Harlan Coben
name: Christine
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: audio
review:
Hard to believe this is my first novel by Coben. I have watched his series on NetFlix and new I wanted to read /listen to his books. So glad I took a chance because this audio is so good. The buildup, the secrets, the narration and the story gripped me from the beginning and did not let go until the final page. I will be looking for more.
]]> 221251814 The power to be seen. The power to be heard. The power to be adored. . .

A woman's life is forever changed by a mysterious perfume in this stunning novel about ambition and untapped desire from the New York Times bestselling author of Ghosts of Harvard.

Reeling from a breakup and overlooked at her job as a lighting designer, Iris Sunnegren finds herself stuck, disconnected, and lonely in crowded New York City. Her wealthy friends are married and having babies, while she’s trying to pay for freezing her eggs. And the future she longs for feels out of reach.

Then, a mysterious neighbor, an older Frenchwoman, makes her a a bespoke perfume.

One spritz, a dab behind the ears, and Iris is a different woman. Suddenly, she is the object of every man’s desire, and she can satisfy her own hungers for sex, love, and ambition. She can cast off her inhibitions and use her newfound allure to dazzle��the high-profile client, attract a man who excites her like no other, and access all the rarified spaces that once excluded her.��Under the perfume’s heady spell, Iris embodies her maximum power—a flower fully bloomed.

But there is danger in connecting to our primal emotions. Scent awakens buried memories, and nightmares of the childhood house fire she barely survived return to haunt her. As Iris ventures deeper into the glamorous and male-dominated worlds of New York real estate, dimly-lit steakhouses, and beachfront mansions in the Hamptons, she finds herself getting closer to unspeakable truths—about the people she trusted, about the people she loved, and about the new circle of power-players that invited her in.

A sensual and seductive novel set among the upper echelons of New York City, Full Bloom is at once a poignant story of becoming and a riveting mystery that Who are you without your inhibitions? Does being wanted get what you want, or will you be devoured by desire?]]> 416 Francesca Serritella 0525510397 Christine 0 to-read 4.41
author: Francesca Serritella
name: Christine
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223633326
One evening in 2009, April Balascio was searching online, as she had been every night, for unsolved murders in the towns her family had lived growing up, when she stumbled across the latest investigations into the “Sweetheart Murders�� cold case. All at once, the buried memories of her father’s dark history were awakened, and she knew she had to take action. She picked up the phone to call a detective and the rest is infamous true crime history.

In her unflinching memoir, Balascio bravely reveals an astonishing tale of a lifetime of manipulation, unexplained upheavals, and silent fear. Some part of her had always known what her father was capable of, but the full truth of how she came to these revelations is as riveting as it is quietly terrifying. Through searing storytelling, dedicated research, and intimate insight, Raised by a Serial Killer is a gripping, courageous memoir unlike any other.]]> 14 April Balascio Christine 4 audio, library
I hope she finds some peace from all she went through personally as well. Lots of triggers as you would expect.]]> 3.70 2024
author: April Balascio
name: Christine
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: audio, library
review:
This novel is told from the point of the daughter of a serial killer. No one seemed to understand someone who could be normal and kind could also have another side to them.

I hope she finds some peace from all she went through personally as well. Lots of triggers as you would expect.
]]> 229766686 Norway, 1951: ‘I need you to know how much I love you, Amalie. I never wanted us to be parted, and I will do whatever it takes to come back to you and our baby. Please wait for me.��

London, present Everything in ��󲹰����dzٳٱ�’s life is about to change. As she clutches a small box in her palm containing a diamond ring and a Norwegian crest, she knows she must return home to be reunited with her beloved great-grandmother Amalie and her Norwegian family.

Accepting her dream job as a head chef at Norway’s most prestigious hotel, Charlotte is welcomed by the hotel’s head designer, Harrison. For years, Charlotte sacrificed everything for her career. As she tours her new surroundings with Harrison, she soon starts to see a way of focussing on her heart too.

But when Charlotte takes the box to Amalie, everything Charlotte thought she knew about her family changes in an instant. As Amalie clutches the ring that she thought had vanished forever, she reveals a tragic love story and a precious secret that stayed buried for years.

When Charlotte discovers the huge sacrifice Amalie made to keep her family safe, will it give Charlotte the strength she needs to follow her heart? Or will she leave Norway forever?

An utterly heart-warming and stunning story about the importance of following your heart and never being afraid to find your new beginning. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.

What readers are saying about Soraya

��AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING MUST READ!!�� I loved every page�� A true page-turning, perfect romance that will sweep you off your feet.�� Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Absolutely love�� Pull[s] on the heartstrings!�� A real page-turner�� Beautiful�� Incredibly moving and my heart really broke�� I loved this novel so much�� Wonderful�� Gorgeous�� Heartbreaking�� Will make you cry (both sad and happy tears)�� Mesmerising.�� Cindy L Spear, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Had me sobbing�� Heartbreaking and beautiful�� Filled me with so much emotion�� One of those books that will always stick with you once you’ve read it. It’s been days and I still can’t get this breathtaking story out of my head.�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Stunning�� I love this series!�� A heartbreaking, emotional story�� Tugged at my heartstrings�� Beautiful�� A page-turner�� Have tissues close by as you will be crying happy and sad tears as you read.�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��A masterpiece.]]> 258 Soraya M. Lane 1805500708 Christine 0 to-read 0.0 2025
author: Soraya M. Lane
name: Christine
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 196848524
Best friends Ava, Madison, and Chelsea made a pact to reunite for each other’s weddings when their careers sent them in different directions. But after one of them makes a choice that tears the group apart, an upcoming wedding might be their last chance to heal old wounds.

Ava is about to marry the man she loves in a lavish ceremony on the shores of Lake Como, but she’s haunted by the mistakes she’s made.

Madison’s made a name for herself as an influencer in the fashion world but is threatened by a scandal impacting everything she holds dear.

And Chelsea has the perfect family she always craved, but her professional dreams have fallen by the wayside.

As they return to Italy’s gorgeous coast, the three women revisit their life-changing first trip to Lake Como during college.��When Madison comes face-to-face with the college sweetheart who was at the heart of one of the most pivotal times of her life, can they forge a new way forward?]]> 400 Jennifer Probst 0593546040 Christine 5 owned 3.56 2024
author: Jennifer Probst
name: Christine
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: owned
review:
The perfect ending to a story about friendship, love, betrayal and forgiveness. I am not cryin���� ALL the FEELS!
]]> 53194745 From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst comes a new women's fiction novel featuring three generations of Ferrari women who need to heal the broken pieces of their lives...and one trip of a lifetime through Italy.

Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of life except one: family. She struggles to make time for her relationship with her teenage daughter, Allegra, and the two have become practically strangers to each other. When Allegra hangs out with a new crowd and is arrested for drug possession, Francesca gives in to her mother's wish that they take one epic summer vacation to trace their family roots in Italy. What she never expected was to be faced with the choice of a lifetime. . . .

Allegra wants to make her grandmother happy, but she hates the idea of forced time with her mother and vows to fight every step of the ridiculous tour, until a young man on the verge of priesthood begins to show her the power of acceptance, healing, and the heartbreaking complications of love.

Sophia knows her girls are in trouble. A summer filled with the possibility for change is what they all desperately need. Among the ruins of ancient Rome, the small churches of Assisi, and the rolling hills of Tuscany, Sophia hopes to show her girls that the bonds of family are everything, and to remind them that they can always lean on one another, before it's too late.]]> 384 Jennifer Probst 0593098463 Christine 4 owned 3.80 2021
author: Jennifer Probst
name: Christine
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: owned
review:

]]> 57926132 A secret romance sends three estranged sisters to the Amalfi Coast to follow clues about their mother's past, and challenges them to a whole new future, in this emotional novel from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey haven't been close in years, but when the sisters are forced to come together to settle their mother's estate, they discover a secret. In an old trunk, they happen upon ownership papers for a house on the Amalfi Coast, along with a love letter to their mother from an anonymous man, promising to meet her in Italy during the summer of her sixty-fifth birthday.

Now they're questioning everything they knew about her history. In order to get answers about the woman they thought they knew, they'll have to go back to where it all started. The sisters embark on a trip to the stunning cliffside village of Positano, Italy, to track down the mysterious ex-lover, and figure out who their mother really was.

As Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey unearth the truth, they also experience the magic of Italy, the power of sisterly love, a little unexpected romance, and newfound hope for the future.]]> 384 Jennifer Probst 059333289X Christine 5 owned 3.98 2022
author: Jennifer Probst
name: Christine
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: owned
review:

]]> 219290875 Returning to Kaua‘i, park ranger Makalani finds her family divided and their way of life at risk in this rich and emotional adventure by the bestselling author of the Lily Wong series.

After ten years as a national park ranger in Oregon, Makalani Pahukula is back on Kaua‘i for her grandmother’s birthday. Having been gone for so long, Makalani finds the disconnect with her people and her struggles have never been more profound. Neither has her need to reacquaint herself with everything she left behind. When she reaches the homestead, she finds a bickering family and the disconcerting news that her cousins—a failed college football player and a rebellious teenage girl—have gone missing.

Makalani hopes they just ran off, too careless to realize the worry they’ve caused. But when hunters find a dead body in the Keālia Forest Reserve, Makalani fears something ominous is at play, and the search for her cousins grows more desperate. Although her help may not be welcomed by family and locals, Makalani is determined to solve a mystery that poses a greater risk than anyone imagines.

The investigation will open her heart, reawaken her love for the land she calls home, and strengthen her bond with her family. Because no matter how long she’s been away, for Makalani, Hawai‘i is in her blood.]]> 447 Tori Eldridge 1662525230 Christine 0 to-read, mb-communications 4.50
author: Tori Eldridge
name: Christine
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read, mb-communications
review:

]]> 223749545 She sits motionless in the corner, white-blonde hair framing her face like a halo, one finger tapping an endless rhythm on the leather armrest. 'This is Lucy,' Thomas says, gesturing to me. 'She's going to take care of you.' The tapping suddenly stops. Like a ballerina on a spindle, her head twists to meet my gaze, and her lips part into a silent scream.

Lucy Greer is at the end of her rope. Desperate to pick up the broken pieces of her life—and atone for past mistakes—she finds herself on the doorstep of successful entrepreneur, Thomas Caine, who has hired her to care for his ailing wife. But beneath the polished surface, something is terribly wrong.

It all began when the Caines' teenage son vanished years ago. The housekeeper has theories, the ex-wife has secrets. But Emilia, now trapped in her silent prison, knows the darkest truth of all. Now, with Lucy's help, the carefully constructed lies within this beautiful home are about to shatter.

A dark psychological thriller about deception, vengeance, and the mask we wear to hide the truth. The Wife's Silence will keep you guessing until the final page. Perfect for fans of Behind Her Eyes, The Silent Patient, and The Perfect Marriage.]]> 294 Amanda McKinney 1805088904 Christine 5 thriller-book-loversthepulse By: Amanda McKinney
Pub Date: May 23, 2025
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Shared with: Thriller Book Lovers THE PULSE

McKinney knows how to captivate her readers. A house full of secrets. The wife is being cared for by Lucy. Emilia’s husband hired Lucy to take care of his wife who is basically in bed with meds. Their son has been missing for years. They also have someone who takes care of their home.

They all have secrets and when they come out you will be hooked. I love all the multiple points of view!

With the title, you know this will be a good one and McKinney delivered. A home filled with secrets that will keep you wondering.]]> 4.24
author: Amanda McKinney
name: Christine
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: thriller-book-loversthepulse
review:
The Wife’s Silence
By: Amanda McKinney
Pub Date: May 23, 2025
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Shared with: Thriller Book Lovers THE PULSE

McKinney knows how to captivate her readers. A house full of secrets. The wife is being cared for by Lucy. Emilia’s husband hired Lucy to take care of his wife who is basically in bed with meds. Their son has been missing for years. They also have someone who takes care of their home.

They all have secrets and when they come out you will be hooked. I love all the multiple points of view!

With the title, you know this will be a good one and McKinney delivered. A home filled with secrets that will keep you wondering.
]]> 224816534 From Bram Stoker Award finalist KC Jones comes White Line Fever, a harrowing thrill ride about friendship, trauma, and learning how to take the wheel of your own life.

THEY'LL BREAK MORE THAN SPEED LIMITS ON THIS GIRLS' TRIP FROM HELL.

At a passing glance, County Road 951 is an entirely unremarkable stretch of blacktop, a two-lane scar across the Cascade foothills of Central Oregon.

But the road is known by another name, coined by locals who’ve had to clean up after all those scenic detours went horribly The Devil’s Driveway.

When Livia and her long-time friends take the Driveway as a shortcut to a much-needed weekend getaway, what begins as a morning joyride quickly becomes anything but. Soon, they’re driving for their lives, pursued by a horror beyond anything they ever imagined.

The Devil’s Driveway might be only 15 miles long, but with danger at every turn, it will take the four women to the very limits of their friendships and their sanity.

And there’s no telling what else lies in wait just beyond the bend.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.]]> K.C. Jones Christine 4 macmillin-audio-program The Devil’s Driveway on the back-roads of Oregon is full of danger at every curve. Friends on a getaway get more than they bargained for. No spoilers, but the narrator nailed the creepiness in this audiobook and I highly recommend not reading AFTER DARK!
]]> 3.50 2025
author: K.C. Jones
name: Christine
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: macmillin-audio-program
review:
White Line Fever by K. C. Jones
The Devil’s Driveway on the back-roads of Oregon is full of danger at every curve. Friends on a getaway get more than they bargained for. No spoilers, but the narrator nailed the creepiness in this audiobook and I highly recommend not reading AFTER DARK!

]]> 228445927 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes the story of three siblings who, upon the death of their father, are forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities, and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential.

Where there’s a will, there’s a war.

Thayer Wren, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology, is dead. Any one of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne.

Or at least, so they like to think.

Meredith, textbook accomplished eldest daughter and the head of her own groundbreaking biotech company, has recently cured mental illness. You're welcome! If only her father's fortune wasn't her last hope for keeping her journalist ex-boyfriend from exposing what she really a total fraud.

Arthur, second-youngest congressman in history, fights the good fight every day of his life. And yet, his wife might be leaving him, and he's losing his re-election campaign. But his dead father’s approval in the form of a seat on the Wrenfare throne might just turn his sinking ship around.

Eilidh, once the world's most famous ballerina, has spent the last five years as a run-of-the-mill marketing executive at her father’s company after a life-altering injury put an end to her prodigious career. She might be lacking in accolades compared to her siblings, but if her father left her everything, it would finally validate her worth—by confirming she'd been his favorite all along.

On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins—but which Wren will come out on top?

As Alexene Farol Follmuth

Twelfth Knight

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.]]> Olivie Blake Christine 4 macmillin-audio-program “Where there’s a will, there’s a war.�� How befitting. Three very different siblings which add to the story for one heck of a ride.
]]> 3.38 2025
author: Olivie Blake
name: Christine
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: macmillin-audio-program
review:
This cover drew my in as I anticipated a crazy ride, and I am so glad I was correct. We find three siblings who must deal with the death of the father and the will presents a challenge.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a war.�� How befitting. Three very different siblings which add to the story for one heck of a ride.

]]> 228336997
The Murder Show is a pulse-racing novel about secrets, old friends, and how the past never leaves us by New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award winning author Matt Goldman!

Showrunner Ethan Harris had a hit with The Murder Show, a television crime drama that features a private detective who solves cases the police can’t. But after his pitch for the fourth season is rejected by the network, he returns home to Minnesota looking for inspiration.

His timing is fortunate �� his former classmate Ro Greeman is now a local police officer, and she's uncovered new information about the devastating hit and run that killed their mutual friend Ricky the summer after high school. She asks Ethan to help her investigate and thinks that if he portrays the killing on The Murder Show, the publicity may bring Ricky's killer to justice.

Ethan is skeptical that Ricky's death was anything but a horrible accident, but with the clock running out on his career, he's willing to try anything. It doesn't take long for them to realize they've dug up more than they bargained for. Someone is dead set on stopping Ethan and Ro from looking too closely into Ricky’s death �� even if keeping them quiet means killing again...

The Murder Show is a pulse-racing novel about secrets, old friends, and how the past never leaves us by New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award winning author Matt Goldman!]]> Matt Goldman Christine 4 macmillin-audio-program 3.88 2025
author: Matt Goldman
name: Christine
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: macmillin-audio-program
review:
It is evident that the author is a screenwriter and this audio was so good. Ethan is a struggling writer after years of success. When he returns to his family home he gets inspiration from a past tragedy and teams up with an old friend who is now a cop.
]]> 217387696 In the new novel from the bestselling author of Two Nights in Lisbon, on the worst night in the greatest city on Earth, a doorman at the toniest address in town is drawn into a web of intrigue, robbery, and murder.

Chicky Diaz stands on his little patch of the earth, the clean quiet sidewalk in front of the Bohemia Apartments, there sure are a lot of great places to kill someone in this city.

Chicky Diaz is everyone’s favorite doorman at the Bohemia, New York City’s world-famous home of celebrities, financiers, and the cultural elite.

Chicky serves at the pleasure of residents like Emily Longworth, who, up in her penthouse, leads a life of her perfect kids in her perfect home, her perfect worries about museum boards, charity work, and so on. Emily’s husband, though . . . perfectly wealthy, but she has quietly loathed Whit Longworth since well before the revelations that he’s a private-equity war profiteer. But their marriage came with an iron-clad prenup, and Emily can’t bring herself to leave all that. Yet.

Meanwhile, in apartment 2A, there’s nothing perfect about Julian Sonnenberg’s middle-aged life. Already struggling with the indignities of turning fifty—a stale marriage, teenage kids who no longer need him, his work as an art gallerist making him feel culturally obsolete—and now his doctor tells him that he needs openheart surgery, immediately. Things are falling apart awfully fast.

In the basement staff room, the life-and-death stakes of daily life are hardly news to the primarily Black and Latino hospitality. So when the NYPD fatally shoots an unarmed Black man and the streets swell with both protestors and counterprotestors, the staff’s concerns are less about the building and more about their survival—and what justice will look like.

Enter Chicky in his epauletted suit, manning the line between the turbulent streets outside the Bohemia and the far more sanguine world within. And not that the Bohemia’s residents care much (except maybe Emily Longworth), but Chicky has his own problems, the kind that mean that for tonight’s shift, for the first time in thirty years, Chicky will be carrying a gun. Because someone, tonight, is going to die.

In what is far away his best and most ambitious book yet, Chris Pavone has delivered a piercing portrait of the way we live now that is also a finely honed thriller of ticking-clock suspense. The Doorman is a book about class and privilege in a city poised to boil over its proverbial melting pot, and the ever starker divisions testing everything the City likes to believe about itself.]]> 400 Chris Pavone 0374604797 Christine 3 macmillin-audio-program 3.79
author: Chris Pavone
name: Christine
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: macmillin-audio-program
review:
Chicky Diaz is THE DOORMAN who knows ever secret as he guards the Bohemia whose resident are the elite, including celebrities and big wigs of NYC. I enjoyed this political thriller.
]]> 219401057
Thirteen years ago, Providence Byrd threw the family car in reverse and ran over her mother. Even though she survived, that single instant of teenage madness made Providence a felon and irrevocably altered her life. When her mother disappears years later under suspicious circumstances, Providence tells herself that returning home is her chance to find closure after a prolonged estrangement from her family. Never mind that this is only half of the truth: she’s also returning to finally confront her abusive father, Tom Byrd. Nothing can stamp out Providence’s certainty that he is guilty of whatever terrible thing has happened to her mother.

As the search unfolds, Providence is haunted by the wounds of her past, none of which cut as deep as the distance between her and her younger sisters. Harmony and Grace are both uniquely scarred by her attempted matricide, and both have their own idea of what reconciliations might look like �� if reconciling is even possible. Harmony urges Providence to make their father pay for his sins; Grace begs her to end the cycle of violence that has haunted their family for generations. As her thirst for vengeance collides with her desire to heal her relationships with her sisters, Providence must decide which she values more: revenge or redemption.

Sharp and poignant, Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter is a stunning novel that eschews picture-perfect endings and dares to tell a story about a resilient queer woman and her relentless determination to persevere.]]> 320 Samantha Crewson Christine 4 advanced-copies-arc
“Home is not what you run from, but what you run towards.”]]> 3.68 2025
author: Samantha Crewson
name: Christine
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: advanced-copies-arc
review:
Wow what a debut. Raw, gritty and complicated characters. A story about a family having dealt with a difficult past and how the sisters struggle to move forward.

“Home is not what you run from, but what you run towards.��
]]> 220506794 In a home where the past lives on, can the truth ever really be buried?

Recently fired and adrift, Charlotte Boyd agrees to oversee renovations on her parents�� small-town summer home that holds a tragic past. After discovering an enthralling diary hidden amidst junk the previous owners left behind, Charlotte connects with the author—a troubled teen named Lark Peters who died by suicide at the house sixteen years ago.

When an unsettling incident forces Charlotte to seek refuge at the local pub, regulars, including the police, warn her of Lark’s older brother, Darryl, who has become a recluse since Lark’s death, and may know more than he’s letting on. But Charlotte sees a side of Darryl others don’t, being an outsider herself.

In a search to uncover the truth, Charlotte must question those closest to Lark and reconcile her own past trauma. Because if Lark was actually murdered, then whoever is responsible might be lurking in ��󲹰����dzٳٱ�’s own backyard.]]> 350 Brianne Sommerville 1990253938 Christine 0 4.06
author: Brianne Sommerville
name: Christine
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read, thriller-book-loversthepulse
review:

]]> 227926027 She invited her into her home. She shouldn’t have��

It’s been a long time since my best friend Ava stopped speaking to me. But I knew I’d find a way back in. When I hear that her daughter won’t sleep at home because of a burglary on the street, I offer to swap houses for a while. Ava is so grateful. And now ��’m staying in her family home, I finally understand why she’s been avoiding me�� Ava isn’t as perfect as she makes out. She’s been hiding a big secret that could ruin her idyllic life. Only now, I know all about it��

I didn’t want to let Emily back into my life, but my daughter begged me to agree to the swap. I’ll do anything for my precious girl. As I lie in Emily’s bed in her cramped apartment, I fear what she’s up to inside my home. Has she looked through my belongings? Has she found the key to the locked room in my basement? And does she know the truth about what I did?

Two friends. Two secrets. Which one is telling a deadly lie, and which is in danger?

With a jaw-dropping twist, What’s Mine Is Yours is a truly addictive psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Sally Hepworth and Adele Parks.

What readers love about What’s Mine is Yours:

��SIX STARS!!!�� I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. From the start I got hooked and had to find out what would happen next�� the twists were twisting!!!�� 10/10 recommending this to EVERYONE I know!�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��I LOVED THIS!�� This is one heck of a journey that I still cannot stop thinking about! My heart is still pounding!�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‼��Ա� gripping!�� Totally unexpected and explosive�� I was glued to my Kindle all evening until l finished it and devoured it in one sitting!�� arcreviews_by_m ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��W.O.W. what a read!!!! This had me up reading it till the early hours. Explosive.�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘Had me gripped from the very first page, I could not put it down!�� book_lovers_nook ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

What readers love about Leah

��Brilliant�� I was kept on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the end I just couldn’t put it down�� 5+ stars from me.�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘A cannot put down novel�� A page-turner�� I did not want to stop reading�� Don’t miss this book.�� NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Gripping�� I devoured in a day!�� It had me on the edge of my chair all the way to the very end�� This is a winner!�� ŷ������ reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 275 Leah Mercer 1835259774 Christine 4 bookouture-tours 4.23
author: Leah Mercer
name: Christine
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: bookouture-tours
review:
House swap, secrets, jealousy. Another page turner with so many crazy twist.
]]> 223627279 A mother- and daughter-in-law. To move on, one of them will have to move out in a hopeful and hilarious novel about widowhood and family friction by the bestselling author of Don’t Forget to Write .

It’s 1963, two years since Barbara Feldman’s husband died. Raising two kids, she’s finally emerging from her cocoon of grief. Not yet a butterfly, but she’s anxious to spread her wings.

Then one day her mother-in-law, Ruth, shows up on her doorstep with five suitcases, expecting a room of her own with a suitable mattress. Abrasive and stuck in her ways yet well meaning, Mother Ruth arrives without warning to help with the children. How can Barbara say no to a woman who is not only a widow herself but also a grieving mother? As Ruth’s prickly visit turns from days to weeks to what seems like forever, Barbara realizes Ruth has got to go. But Barbara has an ingenious introduce Ruth to some fine gentlemen and marry her off as fast as she can.

Soon enough, something tells Barbara that Ruth is trying to do the same for her. At least they’re finding common ground—helping each other to move forward. Even if it is in the most unpredictable ways two totally different women ever imagined.]]> 287 Sara Goodman Confino 1662527535 Christine 0 to-read, get-red-pr 4.59
author: Sara Goodman Confino
name: Christine
average rating: 4.59
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read, get-red-pr
review:

]]> 219838797 A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 2025 HOT SUMMER READ: "Irresistible.��

Set in Hollywood and Carmel-by-the-Sea, an unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a young actress hoping to be Alfred Hitchcock's new star �� from the internationally bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris and The Last Train to London,

1957. Isabella Giori is ten months into a standard seven-year studio contract when she auditions with Hitchcock. Just weeks later, she is sequestered by the studio’s “fixer�� in a tiny Carmel cottage.

Léon Chazan, next door, is annoyed as hell when Iz interrupts his work on yet another screenplay he won’t be able to sell, because he’s been blacklisted. But soon, they’re in his roadster, speeding down the fog-shrouded Big Sur coast.

2018. Twenty-six-year-old screenwriter Gemma Chazan, in Carmel to sell her grandfather’s cottage, finds a hidden safe full of secrets—raising questions about who the screenwriter known simply as Chazan really was, and whether she can live up to his name.

In graceful prose and with an intimate understanding of human nature, Meg Waite Clayton captures the joys and frustrations of being a writer, being a woman, being a star, and being in love. Typewriter Beach is the story of two women separated by generations—a tale of ideas and ideals, passion and persistence, creativity, politics, and family.]]> 320 Meg Waite Clayton 006342214X Christine 0 to-read 4.44 2025
author: Meg Waite Clayton
name: Christine
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 229070419 Adults can behave badly too...

��It's the mid-1980s in the tiny town of Longview, Texas. Nellie Anderson, the beautiful daughter of the Anderson family dynasty, has burst onto the scene. She always gets what she wants.��What she can't get for herself�� well, that's what her mother is for. Because Charleigh Andersen, blond, beautiful, and ruthlessly cunning, remembers all too well having to claw her way to the top. When she was coming of age on the poor side of East Texas, she was a loser, an outcast, humiliated, and shunned by the in-crowd, whose approval she'd so desperately thirsted for.��When a prairie-kissed family moves to town, all trad wife, woodworking dad, wholesome daughter vibes,��Charleigh's entire self-made social empire threatens to crumble. Who will be left standing when the dust settles?

From the author of The Hunting Wives comes a deliciously wicked new thriller about mean girls, mean moms, and the delicious secrets inside all the little houses.��


]]> 336 May Cobb 1464245797 Christine 0 to-read 5.00
author: May Cobb
name: Christine
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220160204 Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who “is the best there is at sweeping historical drama�� (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a priceless bracelet that disappears in 1940s Paris, and a quest for answers in a decades-old murder.

Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance.

But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette’s four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane’s body was found floating in the Seine—but the bracelet was nowhere to be found.

Seventy years later, Colette—who has “redistributed�� $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations—has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time—and who owns it now—she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn’t the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she’s forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.]]> 384 Kristin Harmel 1982191732 Christine 0 to-read, netgallery, preorder 4.52
author: Kristin Harmel
name: Christine
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read, netgallery, preorder
review:

]]> 219520689 An actress desperate to reclaim her fame must survive the real-life plot of the horror movie that made her famous in this psychologically twisted locked-room thriller influenced by '90s slasher films.

Twenty years ago, Ella Winters was the it girl. She made a name for herself in Hollywood and throughout America as the final survivor in the cult-classic slasher Grad Night. But the real horror is what happened when the cameras weren’t rolling—something terrible that Ella and her co-stars agreed never to speak of again. Shortly after the movie's premiere, Ella disappeared from the acting scene under the pretense of caring for her ailing mother, hoping for a quiet life out of the spotlight to ease her guilty mind.

Now, after her mother’s passing, Ella has decided to return to the silver screen. And with the cast and crew of Grad Night in the process of filming a reunion documentary, Ella has the perfect ticket back into Hollywood's good graces.��Weighed down by the secret she’s been keeping all these years, Ella apprehensively makes the trip to the original set—a cabin in rural Tennessee—to reunite with her castmates for the first time in over a decade.��But when the actors begin to meet the exact gruesome fates of the characters they originally played, falling victim to someone dressed as the Grad Night villain, it's clear their secret is out.

Now, the question Can the final girl survive one last nightmare?]]> 320 Miranda Smith 0593983165 Christine 0 to-read, netgallery 3.70
author: Miranda Smith
name: Christine
average rating: 3.70
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read, netgallery
review:

]]> 220225112 From the creator of the 2017 film All I Wish comes the heartbreaking story of two strangers searching for the truth about their families—and discovering a secret that will change their lives forever.

Jane’s father is far from perfect. But his sudden death brings crushing grief. As Jane grapples with her pain, life delivers another a stack of letters pointing to a secret life. A life her father shared with another woman…who may have had his child.

Across the country, sixteen-year-old Adam is self-destructing. His adoptive parents never intended to show him the unsigned letters from his birth mother, but he is desperate for answers, even if they hurt.

Jane and Adam are on a collision course, but not for the reasons we might suspect. Because the letters do not tell the whole story. What is true is that Adam and Jane are both looking for a woman who does not want to be found.

A family saga spanning two decades, this emotional story explores how good things can grow from the ashes of old scars.]]> 310 Susan Walter 1662523491 Christine 0 to-read, netgallery 4.27
author: Susan Walter
name: Christine
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read, netgallery
review:

]]> 221733722 There’s no place like home��

Blake Porter is riding high, until he's not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancee, he's desperate to make ends meet.

Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She's exactly what Blake's looking for. Or is she?

Because something isn't quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets...

Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it'll be far too late. The trap is already set.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden knocks at your door with a gripping story of revenge, privilege, and secrets turned sour��]]> 368 Freida McFadden 1464227314 Christine 0 to-read, preorder, owned 4.45 2025
author: Freida McFadden
name: Christine
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read, preorder, owned
review:

]]> 217387937 A pulse-pounding new Southern thriller from the author of the runaway bestseller A Flicker in the Dark.

Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist... until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew.

With the entire summer now looming ahead—a summer spent with nothing to do in her childhood home, with her estranged mother—Claire decides on a whim to accept a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard in coastal South Carolina less than an hour away from where she grew up. At first glance, Galloway is an idyllic escape for Claire. A scenic retreat full of slow-paced nostalgia, as well as a place where her sister seemed truly happy in that last summer before she vanished, it feels like the perfect plan to pass the time. However, as soon as Claire starts to settle in, she stumbles across an old diary written by one of the vineyard's owners, and what at first seems like a story of young rebellion and love turns into something much more sinister as it begins to describe details of various unsolved crimes. As the days stretch on, Claire finds herself becoming more and more secluded as she starts to obsess over the diary's contents�� as well as the lingering feeling that her own sister's disappearance may be somehow tied to it all.

Galloway was supposed to be a place to help her move forward, but instead, Claire quickly finds herself immersed in her own dark and dangerous past.]]> 368 Stacy Willingham 1250887976 Christine 0 to-read, netgallery 4.23 2025
author: Stacy Willingham
name: Christine
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read, netgallery
review:

]]> 220161354 "Southern bestselling sensation�� (Katie Couric Media) Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with a delightfully moving new novel about a mother-daughter duo learning to lean on their community of women—and each other—after their world is turned upside down.

When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.

Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever?

“Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Jennifer Weiner�� (Country Living), Beach House Rules is a charming exploration of the joy of friendship, the true meaning of family, and reclaiming the power to reshape our own destiny.]]> 368 Kristy Woodson Harvey 166807480X Christine 0 to-read, preorder 4.41 2025
author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
name: Christine
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read, preorder
review:

]]> 215028499 Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath.

Julie Tudor is 49 and has it a fantastic job (well-maintained spreadsheets are the lynchpin of an efficient office), a beautiful house (some may wonder how she got the money for it, but nothing has been proved) and the man of her dreams.

Julie Tudor is Not a Stalker.

Sean is 25 and the love of Julie's life. The only problem is, he thinks he's in love with someone else.

And Julie Tudor is definitely, definitely not a serial killer.

But Julie has found herself in a similar situation before. And if there's one thing Julie knows, it's how to get rid of the competition...

After all, what's a little murder in the name of true love?]]> 0 Jennifer Holdich 1399733478 Christine 0 to-read, netgallery 3.67
author: Jennifer Holdich
name: Christine
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read, netgallery
review:

]]> 219240806 From the author of the multimillion-copy bestselling thriller The Perfect Marriage

Till death do us part. Yours. Not Mine.

It’s been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress. Sarah has long since moved on, starting a family with her new husband, Bob Miller, and changing careers. Her life is back to being exactly how she always wanted �� or is it?

After discovering Bob engaged in a one-night stand, Sarah wastes no time filing for divorce. However, amid their ugly separation, new DNA evidence is uncovered in the case against Adam, forcing the police to reopen the investigation and putting Sarah right back in the spotlight. Everyone wants to know what really happened, most of all former deputy Marcus Hudson, who is hell-bent on finding the truth.

But when the woman Bob slept with is reported missing, he and Sarah start to fight dirty, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues. Filled with page-turning suspense and Jeneva Rose’s signature twists and turns, this book will have readers wondering: Can Bob and Sarah achieve the perfect divorce? Or will it be “’til death do us part��?]]> 288 Jeneva Rose Christine 5 preorder, owned 4.20 2025
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Christine
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: preorder, owned
review:

]]> 228389759 Eliza has everything I’ve ever wanted. Three perfect children. A doting husband. A dream home. But I know a secret that could destroy it all��

When Eliza Watts hires me as her assistant, I can’t believe my luck. I steady my nerves as she glances approvingly at my glittering CV. I need this job more than anything. But she must never know why.

It’s funny she doesn’t recognize me, because we’ve met before. And ever since we crossed paths, I’ve wanted nothing but to be close to her and her flawless family.

But the job comes with rules. I can only leave on weekends. I must be back by sunset. And I can’t tell a soul about what I see in her home. Or else��

I accept instantly and she looks pleasantly surprised. It’s clear others have turned this job down. But I’ll do whatever it takes to get into her house.

Eliza shouldn’t have been so quick to trust me. Now that ��’m here, I see that her entire life is built on lies. And when I talk to her children, it’s clear they’re afraid of her.

I thought I knew Eliza’s darkest secret long before I got here. But what she’s really hiding in this house is so much worse. And if Eliza finds out who I really am, I know I will need to run for my life��

An utterly gripping psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the small hours, flipping the pages until you get to the next heart-stopping twist. Fans of Sue Watson, Freida McFadden and K.L. Slater will be gripped from start to finish!

Readers love Jenna

��A WINNER!!�� OHMYGOSH!!!�� I could NOT read the chapters fast enough, I had to know what was happenin���� soooooooooo GOOD, why did it have to end? And speaking of the ending, WHOA, NEVER EVER SAW THAT COMING!�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��I could NOT put this book down! WOW! WOW! WOW!�� NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��OMG!!!!! Wow!!!!!�� I read this in just a few sittings. I couldn’t swipe fast enough�� left me totally speechless.�� Blue Moon Blogger, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��WOW just wow!�� jaw dropping�� stunning.�� NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Wow!!�� I was holding my breath and biting my nails�� I was completely absorbed from page one�� I ended up devouring it in one sitting�� genuinely unputdownable!!!! I absolutely love, love, loved the explosive endin���� you won't be able to put this book down even at 2am!!�� an absolutely heart racing, suspense filled, unputdownable addictive page turner�� with a bombshell unexpected twist at the end!�� Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

“Wow! Just wow!�� left me reeling�� Kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first page until the very last�� What a wild and intense ride.]]> 402 Jenna Kernan 1836182465 Christine 4 We all know social media normally shows the good, and necessarily the good, bad and the ugly! We learn early on that Bailey has her motives and she is determined to find out Eliza’s secrets. Let me say this��..Eliza has tons of secrets, but so does Bailey.
Another twisted tale by Kernan, and this one had plenty of twist throughout the story.
]]> 4.23
author: Jenna Kernan
name: Christine
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves:
review:
Bailey takes a job as an assistant to Eliza Watts, who is a social media influencer who shares her perfect family to her followers.
We all know social media normally shows the good, and necessarily the good, bad and the ugly! We learn early on that Bailey has her motives and she is determined to find out Eliza’s secrets. Let me say this��..Eliza has tons of secrets, but so does Bailey.
Another twisted tale by Kernan, and this one had plenty of twist throughout the story.

]]> 214269008 The long-awaited follow-up to the Reese’s Book Club��pick and New York Times bestselling global phenomenon The Light We Lost: a thrilling love story about the roles fate and choice play in shaping a life

It’s been ten years. In case you’re out there somewhere—in case you’re listening, ��’m here. And I have so much to tell you.

It’s been nearly ten years since Gabe’s been gone when Lucy finds a tiny piece of paper in a box of his old photos. An address in Rome. Why did Gabe keep it, and what was he doing in Italy? Lucy buys a last-minute ticket. Impulsive, but Gabe always brought that out in her.

Lucy’s journey to uncover Gabe’s secret leads her to Dr. Dax Amstrong, a New Yorker in Italy working with an NGO. His broad shoulders and sad, intense eyes draw Lucy in. His touch reaches her in a forgotten place—one that no one has neared since Gabe.

But her old life awaits, along with an earth-shattering decision—whether she and Darren should tell their son Samuel the truth about his real father. How can Lucy move forward while she’s rooted in regret? Fate broke her heart in the past. Can finding new love set her free?]]> 352 Jill Santopolo 0593419200 Christine 5 owned, preorder 3.90 2025
author: Jill Santopolo
name: Christine
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: owned, preorder
review:
The perfect book after The Light We Lost. Jill's books are a must read for me. This story had all the feels.
]]> 230894926 Nine Pines Inn is a safe place.
At least it was until a young girl disappeared during her stay.

On a mission to learn about her enigmatic past, Lennon understands one the truth lies at Nine Pines. But as the whispers and rumors surrounding the inn’s history pique her curiosity, the allure of the mystery still haunting the place draws her in.

In a small town where gossip is traded as currency, Lennon’s instincts about whom to trust will be put to the ultimate test as she seeks the truth about where she came from and just what secrets the old inn is hiding.

Miles away, Ingrid’s husband is lying.
At least his cryptic behavior would suggest he is.

Determined to get to the bottom of his suspicious activity, Ingrid partners with a stranger to test him. But when the woman who meets her husband for the setup suddenly vanishes, Ingrid finds herself buried beneath more questions than she started with.

Is there an innocent explanation for the woman’s disappearance? Or is the answer something much more sinister?

To the rest of the world, the missing girls have been forgotten. As both women dig deeper for clues, nothing could prepare them for the dark and disturbing truths just waiting to be unearthed��

Settle in for a heart-pounding, read-in-one-sitting domestic suspense packed with menacing secrets, catastrophic revelations, and a terrifying search for answers alongside two women who will leave no stone unturned. ]]> 282 Kiersten Modglin 1956538682 Christine 5 owned By: Kiersten Modglin
Pub date: April 7, 2025
Publisher: Bitter House Publishing

FIRST off, CONGRATULATIONS on Book #50. She had a promo and I scored Room #10.
]]> 4.67
author: Kiersten Modglin
name: Christine
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: owned
review:
Nine Pines
By: Kiersten Modglin
Pub date: April 7, 2025
Publisher: Bitter House Publishing

FIRST off, CONGRATULATIONS on Book #50. She had a promo and I scored Room #10.

]]> 213618285 When she learns she has a big Italian family she never knew about, a lonely woman travels to Sicily for a life-changing summer in the new romance from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst

Aurora York had it all loving parents, a steady relationship, and a promising career. But after she loses both parents unexpectedly, she can’t seem to stay on track any longer. Lonely and lost after a public meltdown that threatens her professional credibility, she’s shocked when DNA test results show a blood relative in Sicily. When her cousin reaches out online and begs her to come to Italy to meet everyone in person, Aurora makes the leap.

Aurora arrives in Sicily for a month, and there she meets a colorful, dynamic family steeped in tradition. The younger generation is fascinated by her social media fame in America, and even though her grandparents have more traditional viewpoints, Aurora begins to heal from her grief…and enjoys the attention of a kind and handsome Italian man.

But when the summer ends, a new opportunity calls her back to the States and her old habits threaten to reemerge. Will Aurora leave everything in Sicily she loves behind, or take the chance on a whole new future?]]> 384 Jennifer Probst 0593546067 Christine 5 audio, owned By: Jennifer Probst

I love Italy and this story moved me deep within my soul as I have lost both my parents and can imagine the profound loss.

When Aura York looses her parents her grief sends her on an incredible journey. Her relationship and career are placed on hold, when she finds out she has a family she never knew.

This journey takes her to Sicily and her personal growth along with a receptive family change her live in more ways than she thought possible. This is my second novel by Probst, and I am starting the rest in this series. This is Book 4 in Meet Me in Italy. About to start Our Italian Summer, The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti and A Wedding in Lake Como.

Send me off with a nice glass of wine and back to Italy. I have seen several cities in Italy, but not Sicily but the country is breathtaking.
]]> 3.98 2025
author: Jennifer Probst
name: Christine
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: audio, owned
review:
To Sicily with Love
By: Jennifer Probst

I love Italy and this story moved me deep within my soul as I have lost both my parents and can imagine the profound loss.

When Aura York looses her parents her grief sends her on an incredible journey. Her relationship and career are placed on hold, when she finds out she has a family she never knew.

This journey takes her to Sicily and her personal growth along with a receptive family change her live in more ways than she thought possible. This is my second novel by Probst, and I am starting the rest in this series. This is Book 4 in Meet Me in Italy. About to start Our Italian Summer, The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti and A Wedding in Lake Como.

Send me off with a nice glass of wine and back to Italy. I have seen several cities in Italy, but not Sicily but the country is breathtaking.

]]> 216351856 When a daring art heist takes place at the Regency Grand, Molly’s life is threatened. The question is who’s out to get her, and why? Long-buried secrets will be revealed in this intriguing and heartwarming novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest

A wedding. A heist. A secret.

Molly Gray’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined. As the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, good things are just around the corner, including her marriage to her beloved fiancé, Juan Manuel, only two months away.��

But Molly’s entire existence is upended when a film crew descends upon the hotel to shoot the hit reality TV show Hidden Treasures, starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle. On a whim, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone's surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure. Instantly, Molly is both a multi-millionaire and a media sensation—the world’s rags-to-riches darling—until the priceless piece vanishes from the hotel in the boldest, brashest antiquities heist in recent memory.

The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about Gran’s true-to-life fairytale, a young girl to the manor born, the only child of a wealthy magnate. But when Gran falls head over heels in love with a young man her parents deem below her station, her life is thrown into turmoil. As fate would have it, the greatest love of Gran’s life is someone Molly knows quite well��.

Together with her friends, Molly combs the past and the present to catch the thief before looming threats against her become real.

A spirited heist caper and an epic love story, The Maid’s Secret is a spellbinding whodunnit that will capture and warm your heart.]]> 336 Nita Prose 0593875419 Christine 4 owned, preorder I love this series! 3.95 2025
author: Nita Prose
name: Christine
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: owned, preorder
review:
I love this series!
]]> 228171461 For fans of Modern Lovers and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo comes a tender queer romance about one woman’s rediscovery of choice, hope, and wild love in the wake of her husband’s coma.

When Lacie Johnson’s husband, Derek, suffers a stroke at forty-seven and falls into a coma, her plans come to a screeching halt—asking Derek for a divorce, going back to school to get her master’s, and starting over as a single woman now that their children have grown up. But what begins as a disaster brings an unexpected blessing in the form of Quinn, a kind stranger whom Lacie meets in the halls of the hospital.

This is just a stop-over for Quinn, who is traveling up to the British Columbia coast to live in a co-op of grief survivors on a remote island after the loss of her young daughter. She's also the former singer of a post-riot grrrl band who fled the group and the public eye more than fifteen years ago for reasons unknown. Lacie thinks she's discovered in Quinn the life and the person she’s always wanted. But Quinn harbors a secret that connects her to Derek. And if Derek wakes up, Quinn must come clean and risk destroying her growing relationship with Lacie.

Told in alternating points of view, All This Can Be True follows Lacie and Quinn as they make the journey to each other—and then grapple with the fallout.]]> Jen Michalski 1684426103 Christine 0 to-read, get-red-pr 3.83
author: Jen Michalski
name: Christine
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read, get-red-pr
review:

]]> 221132590
As the recently promoted assistant to the Tate's Modern Collections keeper Diana Gilden, Lily helps plan a world-class Picasso exhibit to honor the passing of the great artist--and she's waited her whole life for this moment. The opening is beyond anyone's expectations--the lighting, the champagne, the glittering crowd, and the international acclaim--until Lily does the unthinkable. She stops in front of a masterpiece and hears her own voice say, "It's a forgery." The gallery falls silent.

Lily's boss, Diana, is polished perfection, schooled in art, and descends from European high society. She's worked hard to become the trusted voice in London's modern art scene and respected across the Continent. The Tate's Picasso Commemorative is to be her crowning achievement, featuring not only the artist's most iconic and intimate works, but a newly discovered painting--one she advised an investor to purchase. But when Lily makes her outrageous declaration, suspicion and scandal threaten everything Diana has achieved, as museums and collectors across Europe, already doubting most post-war acquisitions, fall into chaos and rumors of a world-wide forgery run wild.

All Lily has ever wanted is to follow in Diana's footsteps and take the art world by storm in her own right. Yet one comment puts not only her own career at risk but also her mentor's. Unless . . . Was she right? With the clock ticking and the clues starting to pile up against her, Lily must uncover the truth behind the Picasso before she loses not only the career she's always wanted, but her freedom.

Block off your calendar and lose yourself in The English Masterpiece, a thrilling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end from the author who brought you The London House and The Berlin Letters.]]> 304 Katherine Reay 1400347270 Christine 0 to-read 4.19 2025
author: Katherine Reay
name: Christine
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228160576
Jane Whitaker and Ivy Chapman have been best friends for twenty years - ever since their sons Cal and Brad attended the same preschool.

But their close bond is severely tested when their now adult sons go skiing together in Wyoming and only one returns.

Where is Cal Whitaker and why didn’t Brad Chapman report him missing? With growing fears for Cal's safety, his family begins to suspect Brad knows a lot more than he's saying.

Friendship turns to suspicion and then to open hostility when Cal's sister Emerson posts an online appeal that ignites a vicious crusade against Brad.

As decades-old loyalties crumble, Jane and Ivy find themselves on opposite sides of a deadly divide. How far will each mother go to protect her family? And what happens when saving one son means destroying the other?

You Shouldn’t Have Done That �� the gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty, and Sally Hepworth.]]> 351 Liz Alterman 1837565325 Christine 4 By: Liz Alterman

Long time friends are a blessing when the whole family gets along. Jane Whitaker and Ivy Chapman along with their husbands and sons have been best friends for years.
They are looking forward to vacation together, but tragedy strikes. Their sons Cal and Brad were skiing in Wyoming, BUT only Brad came home. The families are torn apart as Brad seems less than cooperative about the circumstances surrounding Carl’s disappearance?
In stead of working together to find Cal, the families relationship starts to strain. It does not help that Cal’s sister Emerson starts vilifying Brad.
This nail-biter shows you how far a family might go to protect their children. Secrets come out and the the twists keep coming.]]> 3.96
author: Liz Alterman
name: Christine
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves:
review:
You Shouldn’t Have Done That
By: Liz Alterman

Long time friends are a blessing when the whole family gets along. Jane Whitaker and Ivy Chapman along with their husbands and sons have been best friends for years.
They are looking forward to vacation together, but tragedy strikes. Their sons Cal and Brad were skiing in Wyoming, BUT only Brad came home. The families are torn apart as Brad seems less than cooperative about the circumstances surrounding Carl’s disappearance?
In stead of working together to find Cal, the families relationship starts to strain. It does not help that Cal’s sister Emerson starts vilifying Brad.
This nail-biter shows you how far a family might go to protect their children. Secrets come out and the the twists keep coming.
]]> 215529846 An Iraq War veteran returns to Puerto Rico to reconnect with—and confront—the past in a heart-wrenching novel about duty, motherhood, and the healing power of home.

As a combat medic, Lina LaSalle went to Iraq to save the lives of fellow soldiers. But when her convoy is attacked, she must set aside her identity as a healer and take a life herself.

Although she is honored as a hero when she returns to the US, Lina cannot find her footing. She is stricken with PTSD and unsure of how to support her young son, Teó, a little boy with Tourette’s. As her attempts to self-medicate become harder to hide, Lina realizes she must do the toughest thing ask for help.

She retreats to her parents�� house in Puerto Rico, where Teó thrives under her family’s care. Lina finds kinship, too—with a cousin whose dreams were also shattered by the war and with a handsome and caring veteran who sought refuge on the island and runs a neighborhood bar.

But amid the magic of the island are secrets and years of misunderstandings that could erode the very stability she’s fighting for. Hope lies on the horizon, but can she keep her gaze steady?]]> 399 C. I. Jerez 1662523424 Christine 5 4.70 2025
author: C. I. Jerez
name: Christine
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: advanced-copies-arc, suzy-approved-book-tours
review:
Review coming soon. An emotional one!
]]> 90588721
After their first interaction in years leaves her mind spinning and her emotions out of control, Julia knows she needs to keep her distance from him if she wants any chance of keeping history from repeating itself, but her meddling best friend has other plans to throw them together. It seems inevitable that Julia will have to face her past with Samuel, but only if she can work up the courage to embrace the kind of new beginning she never thought she'd see again.

Rebekah Millet will make you laugh, swoon, and cry in this delightful debut novel of first loves and second chances wrapped in the magic of New Orleans.]]> 384 Rebekah Millet 0764240951 Christine 4 owned 4.04 2023
author: Rebekah Millet
name: Christine
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: owned
review:

]]> 216248542 How did a young Parisienne mother, celebrated for her beauty and glamour, come to lead the largest spy network in France? A powerful, heartbreaking historical novel by the New York Times bestselling author

Morocco, 1928. Eighteen-year-old Frenchwoman Marie-Madeleine is not the kind of woman who goes through life sitting down, something her new husband can attest. Her unconventionalities - rally car driving, flying planes and dabbling in intelligence work for the government - earn her a reputation, but she knows who she is at an adventurer.

Paris, 1938. As Europe teeters on the brink of war, a chance encounter with a mysterious man codenamed Navarre turns Marie-Madeleine's life upside down. Recruited to help build a resistance network known only as Alliance, she conceals her identity - and gender - as she navigates a perilous double life away from her children and the man she loves. Capture and death are only a heartbeat away.

Bestselling Australian novelist Natasha Lester passionately brings to life the true story of one of history's unsung Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the only woman to lead a resistance network in WWII France. Her story is one of epic love, tragic loss and magnificent leadership.

Praise for the immersive, impeccably researched novels of Natasha

'A beautifully written historical novel that will have you wiping away tears' Woman's Day

'Page-turning . . . Rich with intrigue and laced with secrets' The Australian Women's Weekly

'A master storyteller' Daily Telegraph

'A sweeping story of love, betrayal and one woman's struggle to find her place in the world. Engrossing and beautiful' TANIA BLANCHARD

'Thrilling' RUTH DRUART

'Held held me enthralled from the first page' CHRISTINE WELLS]]> 429 Natasha Lester 0593726545 Christine 5 netgallery, owned, preorder By: Natasha Lester
Pub Date: Expected April 8, 2025
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Lester always gives the readers an intriguing and very detailed historical fiction. I am a historical fiction reader, and she knows how to delve into the past.
In 1928 eighteen-year-old Marie-Madeline is living in Morocco with her husband. She is not your typical female of the time. She is into flying planes, driving fast and working in intelligence for the government. She loves live and is living for the next adventure.

In Paris in 1938 Europe is on the cusp of war. Marie-Madeline encounters a enigmatic man with the code-name Navarre. She ends up helping him build a resistance network. Marie-Madeline knows going in as a women thing will not be easy. She ends up with a double life on the edge of danger at every turn.

The author notes are very interesting. Do not read ahead as it contains spoilers.

Thank you, Ballantine for the gifted e-ARC and I will be pre-ordering to add to the rest of her books on my shelf.]]> 4.68 2025
author: Natasha Lester
name: Christine
average rating: 4.68
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: netgallery, owned, preorder
review:
The Mademoiselle Alliance
By: Natasha Lester
Pub Date: Expected April 8, 2025
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Lester always gives the readers an intriguing and very detailed historical fiction. I am a historical fiction reader, and she knows how to delve into the past.
In 1928 eighteen-year-old Marie-Madeline is living in Morocco with her husband. She is not your typical female of the time. She is into flying planes, driving fast and working in intelligence for the government. She loves live and is living for the next adventure.

In Paris in 1938 Europe is on the cusp of war. Marie-Madeline encounters a enigmatic man with the code-name Navarre. She ends up helping him build a resistance network. Marie-Madeline knows going in as a women thing will not be easy. She ends up with a double life on the edge of danger at every turn.

The author notes are very interesting. Do not read ahead as it contains spoilers.

Thank you, Ballantine for the gifted e-ARC and I will be pre-ordering to add to the rest of her books on my shelf.
]]> 211004141 An expansive new thriller in Michael C. Grumley’s Revival series, exploring humanity’s thirst for immortality at any cost

Technology never works well the first time. Or even the second. Army veteran John Reiff is living proof.

This time he is revived in the back of a dilapidated ambulance, on the run from a shadowy organization that is desperate to take him back. He is the first one, their archetype, and they need to know what happened after his escape. What is happening to his body and his mind. And they need to know now.

Because Reiff knows things he shouldn’t. About them and about what they are hiding. A secret that has been in cold storage for several hundred years. And the insidious, methodical plan that has been in motion for a half a century.

John Reiff is their key—a problem, but also the solution. A lab rat gone rogue, and at the worst possible time. But they will find him. They have to. And they will stop at nothing to get what they want.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 320 Michael C. Grumley 1250898757 Christine 4 gift 3.89
author: Michael C. Grumley
name: Christine
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: gift
review:

]]> 223530718 320 Michael Wendroff 1035918935 Christine 0 0.0
author: Michael Wendroff
name: Christine
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read, suzy-approved-book-tours
review:

]]> 211004927 What is the difference between men and women? Jennifer Finney Boylan, bestselling author of She’s Not There and co-author of Mad Honey with Jodi Picoult, examines the divisions—as well as the common ground—between the genders, and reflects on her own experiences, both difficult and joyful, as a transgender American.

Jennifer Finney Boylan’s She’s Not There was the first bestselling work written by a transgender American. Since its publication twenty years ago, she has become the go-to person for insight into the impact of gender on our lives, from the food we eat to the dreams we dream, both for ourselves and for our children. But Cleavage is more than a deep dive into gender identity; it’s also a look at the difference between coming out as trans in 2000—when many people reacted to Boylan’s transition with love—and the present era of blowback and fear.

How does gender affect our sense of self? Our body image? The passage of time? The friends we lose—and keep? Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent, and spouse. With heart-wrenching honesty, she illustrates the feeling of liminality that followed her to adulthood, but demonstrates the redemptive power of love through it all.

With Boylan’s trademark humor and poignancy, Cleavage is a sharp, witty, and captivating look at the triumphs and losses of a life lived in two genders. Cleavage provides hope for a future in which we all have the freedom to live joyfully as men, as women, and in the space between us.]]> 256 Jennifer Finney Boylan 1250261880 Christine 4 advanced-copies-arc 3.77 2025
author: Jennifer Finney Boylan
name: Christine
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: advanced-copies-arc
review:
Thank you Celadon for the gifted ARC. A memoir about a transgender woman and all that she felt and had to deal with on a daily basis.
]]> 216437557 disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wron����

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 0349442827 Christine 5 owned, preorder 4.14 2025
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Christine
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: owned, preorder
review:

]]> 123266566 336 Jennifer Moorman 1400240484 Christine 5 owned 3.75
author: Jennifer Moorman
name: Christine
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: owned
review:

]]> 175738601
When torrential rains flood Mystic Water, Tessa’s condo drowns in floodwater. In need of a temporary residence, Tessa moves into an empty apartment above the local diner owned by the Borellis. While trying to help people find lodging while the flood recedes, a client sends Tessa a package containing a tarnished key belonging to a neglected historic mansion that is now on the market, and a whole new set of troubles arises, starting with the return of the Borellis�� prodigal son.

Paul Borelli, a travel journalist, shows up unexpectedly in Mystic Water and claims the apartment above the diner where Tessa has been staying. Now in need of another place to live, Tessa’s love of historic homes overtakes her logic, and she tosses aside her numbered lists, unloads her savings account, and buys the mansion with the intention to bring the grand beauty back to life.

Nearly everyone doubts Tessa’s sanity, but along the way she finds unlikely support in an ancient Cherokee spear, a traveling mint plant, and a journalist on the run from his past. Filled with charm, unexpected twists, and a touch of magic, A Slice of Courage Quiche is an enchanting tale of listening to one’s heart, camping indoors, and how acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference.]]> 356 Jennifer Moorman 1734739509 Christine 0 to-read, owned 4.26
author: Jennifer Moorman
name: Christine
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 74894657 Like most teenagers coming of age in the 1950s, Kate Muir wants the basics—rock and roll and a sense of belonging. But for Kate, one thing she can't live without is her endless supply of lavender tea.



At sixteen Kate would be happy just to blend in with her Mystic Water peers, but she has “a cursed fate,�� her mama says. Kate can see the future, which makes being like everybody else nearly impossible. In spite of her special gift, Kate is forbidden to alter the future in any way, no matter what she sees. Her only chance at living a somewhat normal life is to drink lavender tea, the only remedy that stops the visions.



Kate’s older brother, Evan, is her opposite—popular, charming, everyone’s friend—and the main reason Kate isn’t completely rejected by the local kids. When Evan dies in a tragic accident, Kate withdraws into herself and becomes more of an outcast than ever before.



But a chance encounter with a young man from the most prestigious family in Mystic Water tosses Kate into a whirlwind of friendship, acceptance, and love. Just when she believes this new life might last, Kate has a terrible premonition. Will she break the rules and alter the future? At the risk of exposing her special ability, can she prevent the horrible event from happening before it’s too late?



Journey into this enchanting heart-filling tale of magical realism and the powerful changes brought on by accepting oneself.]]> 290 Jennifer Moorman 1734739568 Christine 0 to-read, owned 4.22
author: Jennifer Moorman
name: Christine
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 61349433 This enchanting and whimsical tale of friendship, love, and the power of baking dreams into life will open readers�� eyes to the magic all around them.

New York City–trained pastry chef Anna O’Brien inherited her grandma Bea’s small-town Southern bakery—situated between the seventy-five-year-old hardware store and the newly opened clothing boutique on Main Street—along with its unusual, life-changing recipes two years ago. And while Anna has adjusted to small-town life with the support of her two best friends, Lily and Tessa, she’s also smothered her own dreams in order to keep the family legacy intact.

When she tries out a recipe left behind by her grandmother—“how to create the perfect man”—a gorgeous stranger suddenly appears. Soon Anna is living in a world where she must deal with the repercussions of Elijah’s unexpected existence. Amid the inevitable chaos, she realizes that listening to her own voice is the most important ingredient of all.]]> 336 Jennifer Moorman 1400240476 Christine 5 owned Charming! More to come 3.62 2012
author: Jennifer Moorman
name: Christine
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: owned
review:
Charming! More to come
]]> 214175092 After the murder of her best friend, a librarian’s search for answers leads back to her own dark secrets in this sweeping novel about a woman transformed by war, family, vengeance, and love, from award-winning writer Allen Eskens.

Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who��wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared.

Thirty years before, Hana was someone Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head.

Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her friend has paid the price, leaving her eight-year-old grandson in Hana’s care. To protect the child without revealing her secret, Hana must again become the Night Mora—and hope she can find the killer before the past comes for them, too.]]> 320 Allen Eskens 0316566314 Christine 5 owned Review coming soon 4.19 2025
author: Allen Eskens
name: Christine
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: owned
review:
Review coming soon
]]> 62329475 How far would you go to keep what’s yours?

Someone is hunting Cass.

Cass lives an enviable life: a successful career, two great kids, and a handsome husband. Then an email from her husband’s mistress, Emma, brings the façade of perfection crumbling around her, setting off a chain of events where buried secrets come back to haunt her.

A taunting email turns into stalking and escalates into much worse. Ethan and Cass try to move on, then Emma disappears.

No longer considered a victim, Cass finds herself the prime suspect and center of the investigation. Her dark secrets—including ones she didn’t know existed—threaten to destroy everything they’ve worked for.

A fast-paced psychological thriller with jaw-dropping twists, the novel examines buried family secrets and how desperation can lead to fatal mistakes when We’re All Lying.

Named one of Buzzfeed's most anticipated mystery/thrillers of 2023, and a 2023 FAPA President's award winner in mystery/suspense.]]> 330 Marie Still 1990253318 Christine 4 owned Review coming soon. 3.27 2023
author: Marie Still
name: Christine
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: owned
review:
Review coming soon.
]]> 222254096 Trapped in a house where the walls whisper, and secrets fester beneath the garden soil, Willow Hawthorne teeters on the edge of reality and delusion.

In this haunting psychological horror, Willow’s life has become a fever dream, her days lost in a twisted loop where time no longer flows as it should. Is she held captive by her husband Liam’s iron rules—or by the insidious darkness of her own mind?

Her only connection to the world beyond her walls is a young girl named Sarah, whose unexpected visits to Willow’s garden spark a glimmer of hope. But as cracks form in her carefully controlled existence, horrifying truths seep through, twisting the familiar into something sinister. The floral wallpaper peels back to reveal haunting messages carved into the walls, and the house itself pulses with malevolent life.

When Sarah suddenly vanishes, Willow is forced to confront the dark shadows of her past and the horrors lurking within her fractured psyche. The question remains: is Willow truly a prisoner of her home, or of her own mind?

Some doors, once opened, can never be closed. And some truths are better left buried in the garden.]]> 304 Marie Still 1990253997 Christine 5
I finished this in one setting because I had to know the ending! One twisted novel. Lots of content warning, so the author shares those at the beginning.]]> 4.91 2025
author: Marie Still
name: Christine
average rating: 4.91
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: advanced-copies-arc, author-sent
review:
“Remember the lies. Collect them.�� This story had my mind in a TAILSPIN! I could not tell if the story was a nightmare, dream, postpartum depression, being controlled or ALL the above. So many avenues explored that I had no freaking idea what would happen next.

I finished this in one setting because I had to know the ending! One twisted novel. Lots of content warning, so the author shares those at the beginning.
]]> 220160948 The “absolutely hilarious�� (Real Simple) Amy Poeppel delights once again with a charming new novel about a house swap gone wonderfully awry.

Perfect strangers Lucy and Greta have agreed to a house swap—and boy, are they going to regret it.

Lucy’s hometown of Dallas has gone from home sweet home to vicious snake pit in the blink of an eye after her son makes a mistake he can’t undo. And Greta’s beloved flat in Berlin is suddenly up for grabs when her husband Otto takes a dream job in Texas without even telling her. In their rush to leave town, Lucy and Greta make a deal, pack their bags, and—thanks to martinis, desperation, and some very rusty German—have absolutely no idea what they’re getting themselves into.

Trading Southern charm and barbecue for European sophistication and schnitzel, the two women get a lot more than a change of scenery as they move into each other’s houses, neighborhoods, and lives. Greta and Lucy’s husbands are no help: Otto is winning over his colleagues, swimming laps in the backyard pool, and rooting for the Rangers, while Lucy’s husband is doing a six-month stretch out west, either in a NASA biosphere or in jail, depending on who you ask. Meanwhile, Greta’s daughter Emmi and Lucy’s son Jack get tossed into each other’s orbits, where they both discover secrets they can’t ignore.

When Greta’s biggest career achievement—the buzzworthy purchase of a Vermeer at auction—is thrown into question and Lucy’s past with a hot Viking named Bjørn invades her present, the two women need each other in ways they never could have imagined. Through jet lag, culture shock, suspiciously nice neighbors, and scandals that refuse to be left behind, Lucy and Greta will have to decide if they can ever go home again.]]> 400 Amy Poeppel 1668022850 Christine 5 netgallery 4.41 2025
author: Amy Poeppel
name: Christine
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: netgallery
review:
A witty novel about two families doing a house swap. They each have their reasons for the swap. Berlin and Dallas are two worlds apart. Can the families enjoy their time away from home?
]]> 214629681 A mother and daughter in hiding are threatened by more than secrets and lies in a twisting novel of paranoia, revenge, and psychological suspense by bestselling author Douglas Corleone.

For two years, Kati Dawes and her teenage daughter, Zoe, have lived off the grid in Hawaii, hiding from a past Kati must forget as if her life depends on it. New names. Anonymous online presence. So far, safe. Until Kati’s fiancé, attorney Eddie Akana, disappears along a popular hiking trail in a Maui national park. Now all eyes are on Kati. Exposure can make a woman with so many secrets very paranoid.

Eddie’s law partner, Noah Walker, is doing everything he can to protect his new client from the press that’s hovering like a vulture and the authorities whose suspicions about Kati—and the disappearance—are rising. Then suddenly, Zoe goes missing as well. Kati will risk anything to find her. But the worst is still to come. Because Kati’s not the only one with secrets. And buried among them is a twist she never saw coming.]]> 250 Douglas Corleone 166252207X Christine 4 thriller-book-loversthepulse 3.45 2025
author: Douglas Corleone
name: Christine
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/20
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: thriller-book-loversthepulse
review:
A riveting novel which will keep you guessing until the last few pages. This was a first for me by this author and I will be looking for more. Mystery and fast past. Hawaii is not only beautiful but deadly when secrets come out. Trigger warning: abuse
]]> 228823986
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Greer Hendricks comes a chilling story about the hidden cost of perfection.

Anne is barely keeping it together. A frazzled ghostwriter and aspiring novelist, she juggles nine-year-old twins and a listless marriage from an overcrowded Manhattan apartment, spreading herself thinner each day. Just as Anne is about to give up on her dreams, she lands her biggest client Melody Wells.

Melody paints a picture of serenity and empowerment in the lavender haze of her visualization workshops—however, the one thing she can’t manifest are the pages her publisher is demanding for her new motivational book. Enter Anne.

As Melody invites Anne deeper into her magical world, Anne finds herself working impossibly long days and traveling far beyond her comfort zone.

When Melody passes along a lead on a spacious sublet complete with East River views, built-in closets, and three bedrooms, Anne can’t believe her luck. Melody seems to know just what her family needs. But as small, unsettling incidents begin to accumulate, Anne starts to wonder what price she’s willing to pay for the good life.]]> Greer Hendricks Christine 4 audio As Anne arrives at the sublet, things begin to happen. Perfect for your lunchtime listen. ]]> 3.03 2025
author: Greer Hendricks
name: Christine
average rating: 3.03
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: audio
review:
I love the narrator Karissa Vacker and the author Hendricks. A quick audio about Anne who is a mother of twins, ghostwriter and her live is unraveling. She accepts a job from a lady by the name of Melody for her book. Melody is a quirky, eccentric, demanding and she loves all things lavender.
As Anne arrives at the sublet, things begin to happen. Perfect for your lunchtime listen.
]]> 211003795 Climbing in Heels, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas's debut novel, is a fictional tale of the rise of three secretaries at the hottest agency in 1980's Hollywood, giving you a glimpse into the boys-will-be-boys club and the women who wanted a seat at a table where they were expected to serve. It's the story of friendship, betrayal, survival, standing up when they pass you by, and saying I won't go when they want you gone. And it's also a story about how some of those women became very much like the monsters who trained them.

Meet Beanie Rosen, the fast-talking and even faster-thinking Valley girl who knows where she wants to go, and doesn’t care if she doesn’t look the part.

Mercedes Baxter, who learned early on how to leverage the monied friends of her monied friends' parents until she found a foothold in Hollywood.

And Ella Gaddy, a sexy free-spirit anti-debutante from a white-glove Kentucky home who shakes up any room she walks into.

Read Climbing in Heels and watch these women meet, meld, fight, strategize and climb their way into your heart.

A rollicking tale of sex, drugs, and power �� in heels.]]> 384 Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas 1250274788 Christine 4 By: Elaine Goldsmith- Thomas
Pub date
Publisher

4]]> 3.99
author: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
name: Christine
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: macmillin-audio-program, netgallery
review:
Climbing in Heels
By: Elaine Goldsmith- Thomas
Pub date
Publisher

4
]]> 221132677 Set against the optimism and excitement of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969, a feat many said was impossible, one woman struggles to achieve something she thinks is impossible--living a happy and fulfilling life.

Rennie King's world isn't at all what she expected when she married the hotshot baseball player from her small town of Spark, Tennessee. Reeling from the loss of her newborn son, she desperately needs the support of her husband, but instead of providing comfort, he is becoming increasingly angry, often turning that anger on her.

When a glowing bee lands beside her, Rennie senses she needs to check on her beloved beekeeper uncle. The bee stirs long-forgotten memories of a childhood lived close to nature, a connection she lost over time. As the summer progresses, she finds both the bees and her uncle advising and encouraging her. While healing from her loss, she gains the courage to break free from the husband who is becoming increasingly violent.

With help from her family, her friends, and of course, the bees, Rennie dares to hope that she can build a happy life for herself and opens a business that could provide a path to independence. But starting over is hard, and as the heat rises that summer, so do tempers, until everything comes to a head the night the astronauts first step onto the moon's surface.


Hope-filled and infused with magical realism, Bees in June captures Rennie's journey back to her true self, creating a rewarding life that the bees showed her was possible if she only believed in herself and the magic that surrounds her.]]> 352 Elizabeth Bass Parman 1400342600 Christine 0 to-read, netgallery 4.36
author: Elizabeth Bass Parman
name: Christine
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read, netgallery
review:

]]> 214151202 “The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.��

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.]]> 320 Clare Leslie Hall 166807818X Christine 4 owned 4.42 2025
author: Clare Leslie Hall
name: Christine
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: owned
review:

]]> 223673607 The mysteries of a remote estate lead a young woman down a twisted path in this gripping gothic thriller from the Edgar Award–winning author of Or Else.

After a car accident took the lives of both her parents, Mira Caine's transition to adulthood was hard and fast. Solely responsible for the welfare of her intellectually disabled younger brother, she's searching for a better life for them both when she's approached by an enigmatic woman with an offer that seems like the answer to their problems. Allison Wyndclyffe, the young heir to an enormous fortune who's suffered her own trauma, is in need of a mentor and companion.

Isolated on an island in the St. Lawrence River lies the Wyndclyffe estate—beautiful but possessing a dark and complicated legacy. As Mira settles in and befriends her troubled charge, she quickly learns her new home is full of questions that no one wants to answer. What caused Allison's father to murder his wife and almost kill his daughter? How is the tragedy connected to the arcane writings Mira stumbles across? And why do parts of the island feel strangely familiar to her?

As more of the sprawling manor's secrets are revealed through Allison's damaged psyche, Mira's sense of time and self begin to erode. Before long she will come face-to-face with the unspeakable truth at the heart of Wyndclyffe, and not everyone will make it off the island alive.

Perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus's The Cousins and Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Edgar Award–winning and Wall Street Journal–bestselling author Joe Hart's Wyndclyffe is a taut, multilayered mystery that pulls you in and won't let go.]]> 272 Joe Hart 1039490026 Christine 0 5.00
author: Joe Hart
name: Christine
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read, thriller-book-loversthepulse
review:

]]> 214986213 1956, Malibu, Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.

Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?

As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke…]]> 352 Susan Meissner 0593332865 Christine 4 owned, preorder 3.68 2025
author: Susan Meissner
name: Christine
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: owned, preorder
review:

]]> 213974063 Orphan Train meets Before We Were Yours meets Water for Elephants in this compelling multigenerational novel of survival, love, and the families we make.

In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister�� to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde. With Isabelle and the rest of the circus, Cecily finally feels she’s found the family she craves. But as the years go by, the cracks in her little world begin to show. And when teenage Cecily meets and falls in love with a young roustabout named Lucky, she finds her life thrown onto an entirely unexpected—and dangerous—course.

In 2015, Cecily is now 94 and living a quiet life in Minnesota, with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandson. But when her family decides to surprise her with an at-home DNA test, the unexpected results not only bring to light the tragic love story that Cecily has kept hidden for decades but also throw into question everything about the family she’s raised and claimed as her own for nearly seventy years. Cecily and everyone in her life must now decide who they really are and what family—and forgiveness—really mean.

Sweeping through a long period of contemporary history, The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is an immersive, compelling, and entertaining family drama centered around one remarkable woman and her determination to survive.]]> 384 Ellen Baker 0063351218 Christine 4 suzy-approved-book-tours By: Ellen Baker
Pub date: Feb 20, 2025
Publisher: Mariner Books
Your: Suzy Approved Book Tours

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cecily has been through a lot in her life. 1924 when Cecily is dropped off at an orphanage, but her mother promises to be back. She is told she has one year before Cecily would be up for adoption.

Cecily is a handful and at the age of seven she is adopted. A traveling circus is where her next stage of her life begins.

Her life takes many paths and in her 90’s DNA testing turns her world inside out.

Several timelines, so you have to pay attention. This novel will tug at your hearts with Cecily’s journey.

Thank you Suzy Approved Books and author Ellen Baker for this novel and spot on your tour.
#ellenbaker, #suzyapprovedbooktours, #thehiddenlifeofcecilylarsen, #historicalfiction, #mystery, #marinerbooks, #stamperlady50]]> 4.06 2024
author: Ellen Baker
name: Christine
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: suzy-approved-book-tours
review:
The Hidden Life of Cecily Larsen
By: Ellen Baker
Pub date: Feb 20, 2025
Publisher: Mariner Books
Your: Suzy Approved Book Tours

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cecily has been through a lot in her life. 1924 when Cecily is dropped off at an orphanage, but her mother promises to be back. She is told she has one year before Cecily would be up for adoption.

Cecily is a handful and at the age of seven she is adopted. A traveling circus is where her next stage of her life begins.

Her life takes many paths and in her 90’s DNA testing turns her world inside out.

Several timelines, so you have to pay attention. This novel will tug at your hearts with Cecily’s journey.

Thank you Suzy Approved Books and author Ellen Baker for this novel and spot on your tour.
#ellenbaker, #suzyapprovedbooktours, #thehiddenlifeofcecilylarsen, #historicalfiction, #mystery, #marinerbooks, #stamperlady50
]]> 223199392 Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.]]> 82 Abby Jimenez 1662529082 Christine 4 audio 4.12 2025
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Christine
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: audio
review:
Cute story full of wit and banner!
]]> 228807691 The warm sea breeze ruffles the pages of my notebook as I meet the bright eyes of the elderly lady sat opposite me on the porch. Sofia has been keeping a devastating secret for over sixty years. Why did she fake her own death during the war? And why is she back now to finally tell her story?

Writer Lily Christie is at rock bottom when she’s tasked with the job of a lifetime writing the memoir of Sofia Castello �� once world-famous in the war years for singing across Europe, until her tragic death in 1941. So Lily is shocked to hear Sofia is actually in her eighties, living in secret, in a blue-tiled cottage on the Portuguese coast.

Lily listens in fascination as the feisty woman spins an unbelievable tale of fear-filled days spent caring for a young orphaned German girl, and nights performing to crowds of Gestapo until she risked it all, using her fame to help the Allies. Then a tragic betrayal changed the course of her life forever��

But as Lily starts to open up to Sofia about her own private heartache, she realises that Sofia is not being entirely honest with her. And when Sofia refuses to say why she really hired Lily, her fears start to grow. Sofia’s remote beach home, accessed only by a bumpy dirt track, is miles away from anyone. She is clearly still hiding from someone, but who? And could Lily now be in danger too?

What is the final secret haunting Sofia? And can Lily uncover the devastating truth, before her time with Sofia runs out?

A totally gripping and emotional tale of lost love, tragedy and secrets hidden for decades. Fans of Fiona Valpy, Lorna Cook and The Letter will adore it.

Read what everyone’s saying about The Lost Story of Sofia Castello :

��Unforgettable�� pulls on the heart strings�� had me glued to the pages�� left me breathless�� dug deep into my heart�� absolutely loved�� 5 Glorious Stars�� I loved this story so much.�� Cindy L Spear, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Totally gripping�� I adored�� mesmerizing and I didn’t want it to end�� a page turner that will capture your heart.�� Christian Bookaholic, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘From the very first page of this book, I was stunned, mesmerised�� knock the wind out of you! ��’m so sad it's over. I could have read another sixty chapters�� fantastic.�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Oh how I loved this�� amazing�� I absolutely was lost in the tale�� sublime.�� NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Heartbreaking�� kept me hooked�� really lingers�� Absolutely loved it!�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Heart wrenching�� perfect.]]> 439 Siobhan Curham 1835256317 Christine 5 bookouture-tours By: Siobhan Curham
Pub Date: April 25, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

This novel is full of dreams, betrayal, secrets, and the past that binds people.

Lily Christie is a writer who gets the chance to write a memoir about Sofia Castello. She was well known during the war as a singer who died tragically in 1941.

What the world does not know is that Sofia is alive and ready to tell her story. She is now in her eighties and the truth will come out.

Discovering love during war lead to complications as she finds out she was betrayed.
All these years later we hear Sofia’s story. This quote from the novel is compelling. “Sometimes the things that seem like the end of the world are actually the prologue for something truly delightful.�� An ending can become a new beginning

Thank you Bookouture and Curham for a spot on your tour and this lovely book.

A moving story that I highly recommend to EVERY historical fiction fan.]]> 4.44
author: Siobhan Curham
name: Christine
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: bookouture-tours
review:
The Lost Story of Sofia Castello
By: Siobhan Curham
Pub Date: April 25, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

This novel is full of dreams, betrayal, secrets, and the past that binds people.

Lily Christie is a writer who gets the chance to write a memoir about Sofia Castello. She was well known during the war as a singer who died tragically in 1941.

What the world does not know is that Sofia is alive and ready to tell her story. She is now in her eighties and the truth will come out.

Discovering love during war lead to complications as she finds out she was betrayed.
All these years later we hear Sofia’s story. This quote from the novel is compelling. “Sometimes the things that seem like the end of the world are actually the prologue for something truly delightful.�� An ending can become a new beginning

Thank you Bookouture and Curham for a spot on your tour and this lovely book.

A moving story that I highly recommend to EVERY historical fiction fan.
]]> 228177777 When a daughter and her famous mother return to Winthrop Island to confront their complicated past, they discover a secret trove of paintings that connect them to a mysterious woman who vanished on a luxury steamship two centuries earlier.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Husbands & Lovers comes an epic tale of family legacy, love, and truths that echo down generations.

Audrey Fisher has struggled all her life to emerge from the shadow of her famous mother by forging a career as a world-class chef. Meredith Fisher’s glamorous screen persona disguises the trauma of the tragic accident that haunts her dreams. Neither woman wants to return to the New England island they left behind and its complicated emotional ties, but Meredith has one last chance to sober up and salvage her big comeback, and where else but discreet, moneyed Winthrop Island can a famous actress spend the summer without the intrusion of other people? Until Audrey discovers an old wooden chest among the belongings of her estranged bartender father, Mike Kennedy, and the astonishing contents draw the women deep into Winthrop’s past and its many secrets…attracting the interest of their handsome neighbor, Sedge Peabody. How did a trove of paintings from one of America’s greatest artists wind up in the cellar of the Mohegan Inn? And who is the mysterious woman portrayed on every canvas?

On a stormy November night in 1846, Providence Dare flees Boston and boards the luxury steamship Atlantic one step ahead of the law��.or so she believes. But when a catastrophic accident leaves the ship at the mercy of a mighty gale, Providence finds herself trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the one man who knows her real identity—the detective investigating the suspicious death of her employer, the painter Henry Irving. As the Atlantic fights for her life and the rocky shore of Winthrop Island edges closer, a desperate Providence searches for her chance to escape…before the sea swallows her without a trace.

In Under the Stars, the destinies of three women converge across centuries, as a harrowing true disaster at the dawn of the steamship era evokes a complex legacy of family secrets in modern-day New England. Williams has written a timeless epic of mothers and daughters, of love lost and found, and of the truths that echo down generations.]]> 368 Beatriz Williams 0593724259 Christine 0 to-read 4.43 2025
author: Beatriz Williams
name: Christine
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211003802 A brand new suspense novel from "the master of the suburban scandal" (Samantha M. Bailey), Aggie Blum Thompson.

Neighbors Gwen, Aimee, and Lisa share more than playdates and coffee mornings on their tranquil street in East Bethesda. They confide their deepest secrets, navigate the challenges of motherhood together, and provide a support system that seems unbreakable.

But when Gwen's husband is found murdered after one of their weekly Friday night dinners, the peaceful quiet of their cul-de-sac shatters. The seemingly idyllic world of the three close-knit mom friends becomes a web of deception, betrayal, and revenge.

As the police investigate, the veneer of friendship begins to crack, revealing hidden tensions, clandestine affairs, and long-buried jealousies among the three women. With suspicions mounting and the neighborhood gripped by fear, Gwen, Aimee, and Lisa must confront the chilling truth about their husbands, and the sinister undercurrents in their own friendship.]]> 336 Aggie Blum Thompson 1250892031 Christine 4 owned 3.84 2025
author: Aggie Blum Thompson
name: Christine
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: owned
review:

]]> 229098232 Two sisters, a failing family business, and a whole lot of hairspray�� Good Hair Days is a modern twist on Steel Magnolias with a little extra Dolly Parton flare.

"I've really messed it all up, Georgia," Junie says. "And this time it's the shop. June's is in trouble."

June's Beauty Shop is a staple in Whitetail, a small Southern town north of Atlanta. It may look like an outdated hole-in-the-wall slathered in Dolly Parton memorabilia, but to the women in town, it is a sacred space.

To Georgia and Junie Scott, it is their family legacy, particularly their late mother's. For generations, the shop has been passed to the oldest daughter, always named June. But Mama wanted more for her firstborn.

Now Georgia is living the life everyone expected, the life everyone wanted for her. Everyone, that is, except her. But what can a girl do when her mother's last wish was for Georgia to get out of Whitetail? So that's what she did. She lives in Atlanta, has a swanky job, drives a fancy car, and--as far as her family knows--makes the big bucks.

It should be no surprise then when Junie asks for fifty grand to fix her latest mess. But Georgia's never had that kind of money. Dad and the aunts don't have it either. To save June's, they'll have to get creative.

Bursting with energy, heart, and sass, Good Hair Days is about a family pulling together for a common purpose, finding healing from the past, and moving forward courageously as they encounter their hardest trial yet.]]> 368 Grace Helena Walz 1400345669 Christine 0 to-read 0.0
author: Grace Helena Walz
name: Christine
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228531737
Four writers. Four genres. Four reasons to kill.

When four broke writers meet for their annual retreat in upstate New York, they share it all—insulting rejection letters, crushing disappointments, the projects that almost made it but fell short. With s'mores, too much wine, and the need to let loose, they decide to have some harmless fun and create an outlandish story using AI.

But what starts out as a joke accidentally produces a real book that somehow goes viral and brings an unexpected cash windfall the likes of which they’d never thought possible.

As book sales surge and pressure to maintain their anonymity mounts, they turn against each other, leading to deadly consequences.

In The Accidental Life of MF Ascher, loyalties are tested, reputations are at stake, and revenge is the only way out.

Dark, gripping, and laugh-out-loud funny, this is a novel about friendship and the intoxicating dangers of money, technology, and the blinding quest to succeed at any cost.]]> 318 Ivy H. Booker 1965014054 Christine 0 4.62
author: Ivy H. Booker
name: Christine
average rating: 4.62
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read, suzy-approved-book-tours
review:

]]> 222280553 A married man is dead. I was the last one to see him. Just as his wife planned��

After meeting Jamie’s smiling blue eyes across a crowded bar, I tell myself, that after my recent divorce, this is the bit of fun that I need. It is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.

Because when I return to his flat the next day, excited to see him again, I am horrified to discover he has been murdered.

I know I should tell the police, but I can’t be the person to call them. With my past they will just assume the worst��

I need to act normal and just focus on my little boy. A playdate at his new friend’s house is the perfect distraction.

But as our sons run riot upstairs, and I admire his mother’s elegant living room, I see it. The wedding photo on the wall. The man in the photo is Jamie.

A shiver slides down my spine. I had no idea that Jamie was married. And now ��’m drinking tea with his wife.

This can’t be a coincidence. And when I find an old newspaper cutting about me on her kitchen table, the shocking thought comes. Did she plan for me to meet her husband the night he was murdered?

How much does she know about me? Why would she want me to get close to her husband? And with her watching my every move, if I discover the truth, will she destroy me?

A completely gripping page-turner from the Amazon number 1 bestselling author of The Girl with No Past. Fans of Lisa Jewell and The Housemaid won’t be able to put The Last One to See Him down.

What everyone is saying about The Last One to See Him:

��WOW!! I can’t even believe how good this story was. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time�� There were so many twists and turns. I couldn’t decide who I trusted and when I thought one person did something, it was another person. There was a perfect amount going on to keep me reading. I didn’t want to put the book down. The ending was so shocking but so good, I loved it! Kathryn always writes the best psychological thrillers! This one was so addictive!!�� ŷ������ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘Oh my god this book has me lost for words. I expected a twist but what I did not expect was the amount of twists in this book and you know what it made it absolutely fantastic because you have no idea what’s going to happen and which character to believe. I was doubting each character thinking is to is person telling the truth, and so many times I was surprised, I thought to myself wow I didn’t expect that. It’s like a rollercoaster full of twists and turns. It will definitely have you gripped from that first chapter.�� Jessica’s Book Biz, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘First of all, let’s just say I was HOOKED from only 3% into this book. The amount of anxiety this book instilled in me was through the roof!�� I eat pages for breakfast, ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘Tense chilling a true page-turner. I picked this book up to read a few pages could not put it down read late into the night.]]> 324 Kathryn Croft 1836183372 Christine 5 bookouture-tours By: Kathryn Croft
Pub Date: March 26. 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

This one had me hooked right from the start.
A chance meeting ends up in a death. Was the meeting spontaneous or something more sinister? There are multiple timelines and the main characters are Kate, Harper, Jamie and Rowan.
When Kate meets Jaime at a bar, they click and have a one night stand! Her ex recently moved out. Jaimie is charming, BUT by morning he is dead. Harper is Jaimie’s partner and she inserts her life into Kate’s and their children go to school together. Kate was the last one to see Jaimie alive and knows she did not kill Jamie.
So many delicious plot twists, motives, secrets, lies and more made this one a pleasure to read and kept me invested until the last page.]]> 4.10
author: Kathryn Croft
name: Christine
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: bookouture-tours
review:
The Last One to See Him
By: Kathryn Croft
Pub Date: March 26. 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

This one had me hooked right from the start.
A chance meeting ends up in a death. Was the meeting spontaneous or something more sinister? There are multiple timelines and the main characters are Kate, Harper, Jamie and Rowan.
When Kate meets Jaime at a bar, they click and have a one night stand! Her ex recently moved out. Jaimie is charming, BUT by morning he is dead. Harper is Jaimie’s partner and she inserts her life into Kate’s and their children go to school together. Kate was the last one to see Jaimie alive and knows she did not kill Jamie.
So many delicious plot twists, motives, secrets, lies and more made this one a pleasure to read and kept me invested until the last page.
]]> 216052887 Unraveling the tangled roots of her family takes her places she never expected.

Veronica Stratton, a specialty food broker with a business riding close to the margins, visits her parents in idyllic Estes Park for Christmas. With the holiday comes a DNA test from her younger sister and an engagement ring from her longtime boyfriend. The test confirms her secret she's adopted. The ring rattles her even more, and she realizes that she might not be as ready to commit as she'd thought.

With so much that she'd counted on suddenly falling apart, Veronica is looking for an escape. Inspired by her best friend, she plans to go to Europe to see four of the places listed on her DNA ancestry report. She treks to County Mayo in Ireland; the Dordogne region of France; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Tuscany in Italy. She hopes to learn a bit about where her family lived and to make more connections for her struggling business, but she finds that each stop brings her visions of her ancestors that raise more questions than they answer. And among those pressing questions is how brooding Irish restauranteur Niall Callaghan will fit into her visions for the future.]]> 368 Aimie K. Runyan 1400237289 Christine 5 suzy-approved-book-tours 4.02
author: Aimie K. Runyan
name: Christine
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: suzy-approved-book-tours
review:
Runyan never runs out of ideas. I was captivated by the protagonists journey to discover her birth mother. She travels near and far. A little mystery, romance and travel along with delicious recipes makes this one to read in one sitting.
]]> 217983157
At Sunny Pines Retirement Community, where the “Sixty-Two and Better!�� share their golden years, secrets abound. Some scandalous, some haunting, and some dangerous. For Birdie Allen, a retired business owner and grandmother, her secret is the only thing she’s got left. Getting old isn’t the hardest part about life. It’s the memories from more than fifty years ago of the death of her unrequited love. And Birdie’s abandoned quest to root out the killer.

With retirement comes a lot of time to revisit old ghosts, so when Birdie ties together a string of recent murders, and a woman disappears, she’s drawn into the same chase she gave up decades earlier. But this time she has the help of an eccentric community of eager new friends. And they’re not alone. Restless souls are watching, including Birdie’s lost love, and they sense the danger that lies ahead. They’re not leaving Birdie’s side until she finishes what she set out to do. But will Birdie’s pursuit of a killer finally free her of regrets and allow her to embrace the beauty of the life she’s created?]]> 333 Melissa Payne 1662515758 Christine 4 Sunny Pines Retirement Community is full of secrets. Through the golden years one usually reminisces about the past and possible regrets in life.

Birdie is a retiree, grandmother and business owner. She is still haunted by the death of someone close to her more than fifty years ago.

She is soon caught up in her past along with a disappearance and murders. Thankful for her community of friends she gets the support she did not have years ago.

A quirky novel full of drama, and a unique cast. I enjoyed this one along with her earlier work The Wild Road Home and A Light in the Forest.]]> 4.19 2025
author: Melissa Payne
name: Christine
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: get-red-pr, advanced-copies-arc
review:
This is my third novel by Payne.
Sunny Pines Retirement Community is full of secrets. Through the golden years one usually reminisces about the past and possible regrets in life.

Birdie is a retiree, grandmother and business owner. She is still haunted by the death of someone close to her more than fifty years ago.

She is soon caught up in her past along with a disappearance and murders. Thankful for her community of friends she gets the support she did not have years ago.

A quirky novel full of drama, and a unique cast. I enjoyed this one along with her earlier work The Wild Road Home and A Light in the Forest.
]]>