⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. Thirteen-year-old Patch Macauley, a one-eyed misfit with a good heart, becomes an unlikely hero when he stops a kidnapping. But his act of courage sets off a chain of events that will scar the town—and everyone who loves him. By the time the police arrive, Patch has vanished, leaving behind only a bloodied T-shirt and a whole lot of questions. Over the next twenty-five years, his best friend, Saint Brown, can’t let go of what happened. Her search for answers takes her from small-town Missouri to the FBI, where her past still shadows every step. Meanwhile, Patch endures […]
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A Love Story Etched in War: The Courage of a Nurse, the Secrets of a Lifetime
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I rarely cry when I read a novel, but The Lies We Leave Behind completely undid me—I was a sniveling mess by the ending. This sweeping WWII story follows Kate Campbell, a fearless flight nurse who risks everything to save others. From the blistering skies over the Pacific to the misty fields of England, Kate’s journey is one of heartbreak, duty, and unrelenting courage. After an injury grounds her from active service, she’s reassigned to a quieter post in the English countryside. There, she meets William, a wounded officer with a quick wit and a tender soul. Their bond offers Kate her first glimpse of peace—but secrets from her […]
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Trailblazing Without a Degree: The Brilliant, Flawed Mary Leakey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Penny Haw’s Follow Me to Africa is an inspiring and educational novel about Mary Leakey, the groundbreaking paleoanthropologist whose discoveries changed how many view human origins. Haw paints a vivid picture of the grit and glory of fieldwork in East Africa—complete with the heat, dust, and danger of the dig sites. It’s incredible to see how much Mary accomplished without a formal education. Her keen eye, intellect, and fierce independence set her apart in a field dominated by men. I found the book fascinating for its historical and scientific detail, but it also reminded me that geniuses are often complicated people. While I admired Mary’s brilliance and courage, I was disappointed […]
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Wingbeats, Secrets, and Second Chances on the Hudson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jocelyn Green’s The Hudson Collection scratched my bird-nerd itch in the best way. Set in 1926 New York, Elsa Reisner works in the ornithology department at the American Museum of Natural History and heads upstate to catalog explorer Linus Van Tessel’s vast bird collection. What sounds like a quiet assignment turns into a fight over a priceless aviary that Van Tessel’s wife willed to Danielle, the gardener’s young daughter—much to the dismay of Mr. Spalding, the heir who doesn’t think a child should inherit anything so valuable. The plot moves with a steady hum: hidden journals, a looming demolition deadline, and the search for the aviary keep the pages turning. As […]
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Sherlock Holmes Heads North in a Clever Farewell to Minnesota’s Favorite Sleuth
I hadn’t heard of Larry Millett’s Shadwell Rafferty series before this book—which is funny, considering I live in Minnesota. Rafferty’s Last Case: A Minnesota Mystery Featuring Sherlock Holmes is the ninth and final installment, and it’s a smart, nostalgic sendoff to a beloved local detective. The story kicks off with a shocker: St. Paul saloonkeeper and sleuth Shadwell Rafferty is found murdered just as he’s about to reveal a killer’s name. When word reaches Sherlock Holmes—who happens to be on a lecture tour in Chicago—he and Dr. Watson head north to investigate their friend’s death. Set in 1928, the novel captures the grit and glamour of old St. Paul, from its smoky speakeasies to […]
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Rumrunners, Code Breakers, and One Wild Chase Down the Florida Coast
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Erika Robuck’s The Last Twelve Miles is a thrilling Prohibition-era showdown between two real women—one a 5’2” code-breaking genius, Elizebeth Smith Friedman, cracking smuggler codes for the U.S. Coast Guard; the other, Marie Waite, a fierce and calculating rumrunner determined to rule the high seas. Both are brilliant, fearless, and driven—just on opposite sides of the law. Robuck captures the grit and glamour of the 1920s beautifully, from smoky D.C. offices to the perilous waters off Florida and Cuba. The alternating perspectives pull readers into the minds of two masterminds—Elizebeth’s quiet intellect and Marie’s ruthless ambition. The tension builds as their paths tighten into a deadly cat-and-mouse chase that feels cinematic […]
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A Stellar Fifth Entry in Meyer’s Timeless World
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gabrielle Meyer does it again. In Every Hour Until Then, the setup crackles, the stakes sting, and the clock never stops. In Every Hour Until Then, Kathryn Voland lives two lives—Victorian London in 1888 and pre–World War II Washington, D.C. in 1938. Gifted with the ability to time-cross, she’s torn between eras and destinies. In 1938, Kathryn is invited to London to curate a groundbreaking museum exhibit on Jack the Ripper. But as she digs into the Ripper’s reign of terror, she makes a chilling discovery—her own sister is destined to become his final victim decades earlier. Determined to rewrite fate, Kathryn crosses back to 1888 and joins forces […]
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A Spirited Girl with True Grit of Her Own
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sandra Dallas once again brings the Old West to life in Tough Luck, a rollicking adventure filled with humor, grit, and heart. The story follows fourteen-year-old Haidie Richards, who escapes a dreary Illinois orphanage with her little brother, Boots, to search for their gold-mining father in Colorado. Disguised as a boy, Haidie joins a wagon train and sets off across dangerous territory, armed with more nerve than experience. Along the trail, she meets a colorful cast of characters—a kind freighter, a gambler with a soft spot, two feisty spinster sisters, and one loyal dog who might just steal the show. As Haidie learns to handle mules, men, and misfortune, […]
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From POW Camps to Code Rooms: Hold Strong Reveals the Brutal Truth of War
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What an unforgettable book! Hold Strong is one of those rare novels that grips your heart from page one and doesn’t let go. Based on true events, it’s both a sweeping love story and a harrowing survival tale set against the darkest days of World War II. Sam Carlson, a small-town Minnesota projectionist turned soldier, endures the unimaginable—from the Bataan Death March to the horrors of Japanese POW camps. Meanwhile, his sweetheart Sarah Haber uses her brilliant math skills to become a wartime codebreaker in Washington, D.C. Their paths are worlds apart, yet fate ties them together in one of the most shocking and tragic episodes of the war. The authors […]
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Bootlegging, Betrayal, and a Bold Heroine
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jeannette Walls (The Glass Castle) takes readers to Prohibition-era Virginia in Hang the Moon, a story of family feuds, power struggles, and one unforgettable heroine. Sallie Kincaid grows up in the shadow of her larger-than-life father, the Duke, who controls most of Claiborne County. After being cast out as a child, Sallie returns years later determined to earn her place, only to find herself entangled in the family’s bootlegging empire. Sallie is a whip-smart daredevil—tough, resourceful, and often reckless. Her narration pulls you right into the drama as she navigates secrets, betrayals, and a community divided by politics and whiskey. Walls paints the era with striking detail, from the fast […]
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