⭐⭐⭐⭐ Laurie Lico Albanese’s Hester reimagines Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, from the point of view of a woman who might have inspired Hester Prynne. Isobel Gamble is still a teenager when she emigrates from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts, with her much older husband, Edward. She comes from a long line of women with secret knowledge—including her ancestor, Isobel Gowdie, Queen of Witches—and has learned to hide her synesthesia, a condition that makes her see letters and sounds in color. Albanese describes this brilliantly, weaving it into the story in ways that feel both magical and grounded. Told in a dual narrative between Isobel Gamble and Isobel Gowdie, the novel’s prose is […]
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A Norwegian Twist on WWII Fiction
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham offers a fresh take on WWII fiction by shifting the setting to Nazi-occupied Norway. It was a welcome change to step outside the usual France-or-England narrative and experience the war from a different vantage point. The icy backdrop, secret missions, and quiet acts of defiance give this story a unique atmosphere. The plot centers on a young woman drawn into the resistance after a personal tragedy. She’s not a superhero, but her courage feels real—and that grounded strength gives the book its heartbeat. There’s a romantic subplot that adds warmth, though at times it overshadows the larger wartime stakes. A few secondary characters […]
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Dual‑Timeline Tale of WWI and WWII Wrens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) If you enjoy wartime fiction with strong female leads, add The Call of the Wrens to your reading list. Jenni L. Walsh takes us on a ride—literally—through two world wars with dual heroines who sign up for the Women’s Royal Naval Service, better known as the Wrens. Marion is an orphan in WWI who finds purpose as a motorcycle dispatch rider. Evelyn is a wealthy young woman in WWII, born with a clubfoot and aching to break free from expectations. Their stories are told in alternating timelines, and I found both characters really likeable and well-drawn. I was especially moved by how their paths ultimately connect in a meaningful […]
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A Gripping Cat-and-Mouse Thriller
Terri Blackstock’s If I Run kicks off like a shot and doesn’t let up. When Casey Cox finds her best friend murdered—and her own DNA at the scene—she bolts. Not because she’s guilty, but because she knows the police won’t believe her. With a traumatic past and deep distrust of law enforcement, Casey is on the run with only her instincts. Enter Dylan Roberts, a war vet with PTSD, hired to bring her in. At first, he believes she’s guilty. But as he digs deeper, the story doesn’t add up—and neither does Casey. Told in alternating points of view, the book builds tension and empathy as the stakes climb. Both characters are […]
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Timely Tension and Tactical Thrills
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Andrews and Wilson’s second entry in Clancy’s Jack Ryan series (following Act of Defiance) is a top-notch geopolitical thriller centered on rising tensions between China and the United States. When China’s new hardline president sets plans in motion for an invasion of Taiwan, U.S. President Jack Ryan must navigate diplomacy, military strategy, and international fallout—all while working to extract a high-ranking Chinese defector. Though technically a military thriller, this book focuses more on strategy and global maneuvering than nonstop action. There’s some danger and suspense, but it’s the behind-the-scenes planning and diplomatic brinkmanship that drive the story. I appreciated how current the storyline felt—it could’ve been lifted from today’s […]
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A Dark and Twisty Honeymoon Gone Wrong
4.5 stars Talk about dysfunctional families! Everyone in Karin Slaughter’s This Is Why We Lied has secrets, but only one of them is a killer. From the first scream at McAlpine Lodge, the tension never lets up. This locked-room mystery—the 12th book in the Will Trent series—had me hooked from the start. Will Trent and Sara Linton just wanted a quiet honeymoon. Instead, they stumble upon a murder and a web of lies so tangled it’s hard to know who to trust. Mercy McAlpine, the lodge manager, dies whispering her last words to Will, and every family member and guest quickly becomes a suspect. Mercy’s abusive ex, her ice-cold parents, […]
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The Grand Design: Gilded Ambitions, Unrelatable Lives
⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love your historical fiction with a side of luxury, The Grand Design by Joy Callaway might catch your eye. Set at the glamorous Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, the story is based on real-life interior designer Dorothy Draper, who carved out a career for herself in an era when women were expected to marry well and stay quiet. Callaway paints a vivid picture of high society in the early 20th century, from debutante balls to decor trends. The historical tidbits about Draper’s life and inner circle were genuinely interesting, and I enjoyed learning more about the Greenbrier itself—it’s the kind of place that’s fun to peek at from afar, […]
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When the Music Turns into Mayhem: The Dark Maestro Hits a Sour Note
⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars) I was really looking forward to The Dark Maestro. Brendan Slocumb’s first two books were fresh and original, blending music and mystery in a way that worked beautifully. But this one? It veers way off-key. The plot centers on Curtis Wilson, a classical music prodigy whose career gets derailed when his dad—who happens to be a drug dealer—ticks off a ruthless cartel. The family goes into witness protection, but when law enforcement fails to deliver, Curtis and crew decide to take down the cartel themselves. Sure, why not? The premise was already shaky, but then came the comic book storyline. It was supposed to be metaphorical or […]
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Edge-of-Your-Seat Espionage: The Beijing Betrayal Ends the Ryker Series with a Bang
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love political thrillers that move fast and hit hard, Joel C. Rosenberg’s The Beijing Betrayal should be at the top of your list. This is the final installment in the Marcus Ryker series, and Rosenberg doesn’t just stick the landing—he lights the runway on fire. Ryker’s latest mission sends him to Pakistan to hunt down the world’s most dangerous terrorist. What he finds instead is a nightmare scenario: a cutting-edge lab, a deadly virus, and a sinister plan that could wipe out millions. Meanwhile, Washington is distracted by tense trade talks with Beijing—unaware that China is quietly prepping for a full-scale invasion of Taiwan. What follows is […]
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A Heroine with Ink on Her Fingers and Fire in Her Blood
⭐⭐⭐⭐ My Name is Emilia del Valle is vintage Isabel Allende—lush, sweeping, and utterly addictive. But it’s also refreshingly bold. Emilia is a whip-smart heroine who barrels through 19th-century expectations like a runaway press. Born illegitimately to an Irish nun and a Chilean aristocrat, Emilia grows up defying convention. Her journey from dime store novelist to war correspondent is gripping enough, but it’s the layers beneath—the fractured family ties, the search for identity, the slow-burning love story with fellow journalist Eric Whelan—that give the novel its heart. The battlefield scenes are vivid and unsparing, told through Emilia’s clear-eyed reporting. The horrors of war don’t overshadow the personal stakes, especially as […]
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