⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kristina McMorris has a gift for blending history and heart, and her latest novel, The Girls of Good Fortune, digs deep. Set in 1888 Portland, the story opens in the city’s infamous Shanghai Tunnels, where Celia, a young woman of mixed heritage, awakens in a drugged haze, disguised and imprisoned. She’s about to be shipped off as forced labor—shanghaied into a nightmare that pulls no punches. Celia’s struggle to piece together how she ended up there takes readers on a twisting journey through corruption, injustice, and survival. As a half-Chinese woman passing as white in a time of deep anti-Chinese sentiment, her very existence is a balancing act. The […]
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Gorgeous Setting, Questionable Choices
⭐⭐⭐ If you’ve ever dreamed of escaping to the Amalfi Coast—eating lemon pasta, sipping crisp white wine, and staring out at the sparkling sea—One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle has your name on it. The book’s setting in Positano is downright dreamy. I loved the sensory details. The food, the wine, the charming seaside streets—I felt like I was there. On that level, the book is a five-star getaway. Unfortunately, the plot and characters didn’t live up to the scenery. The premise—grieving daughter somehow meets her mother as a young woman—requires a huge suspension of disbelief. I’m fine with a little magical realism, but this one felt too far-fetched, even […]
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Twists, Truths, and Tupelo Grove: Where Secrets Lie is a Must-Read Mystery
If you’re looking for your next binge-worthy suspense read, put Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker at the top of your list. I just finished it—five stars, no hesitation. I couldn’t put it down. The story follows Savannah Webster, a professor at Tupelo Grove University who’s trying to move forward after a painful divorce. But when her ex-husband Hez shows signs of slipping back into trouble, and a dangerous smuggling ring threatens the university her family founded, she finds herself caught in a high-stakes tangle of secrets, lies, and buried history. What really stood out to me? The intricacies of the plot. Coble and Acker clearly did their research—this […]
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Too Cold, Too Cruel: Why This Hunger Games Prequel Isn’t for Teens
Review (⭐️⭐️ 2 stars): The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes attempts to deepen the lore of Panem by diving into the early life of Coriolanus Snow, but instead of delivering a gripping origin story, it offers a slow, unsettling narrative that’s both emotionally hollow and shockingly inappropriate for the YA shelf. The pacing is glacial for the first half, bogged down in bureaucratic politics and Snow’s narcissistic inner monologue. The violence, while expected in this world, is crueler and more disturbing than ever—without the moral clarity that grounded the original trilogy. There’s a particularly toxic romance that feels forced and predatory, and the ending offers little resolution, just a bleak […]
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Aching, Thrilling, Unforgettable — Broken Country Is a Masterpiece of Love and Loss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 glowing stars!) If you’ve been waiting for a book that grabs your heart, twists it around, and leaves you breathless in the best possible way—Broken Country is it. This novel has everything I love: an aching love story, rich emotional layers, and the kind of tension that keeps you turning pages way past bedtime. Clare Leslie Hall’s American debut is set in the wilds of the English countryside and tells the story of Beth, a woman torn between the life she chose and the love she never forgot. The narrative shifts between past and present, slowly revealing the legacy of first love—and the secrets it left behind. And […]
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The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers: Grit, Guns, and God in the Gold Rush
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (3.5 stars) I normally wouldn’t pick up a book like The Lady’s Mine, but it was a book club selection—and I’m glad I gave it a chance, even if it didn’t completely win me over. Set in the rugged mining town of Calvada, California, Francine Rivers introduces us to Kathryn Walsh, a fiery suffragette exiled from Boston by her stepfather. She inherits her late uncle’s newspaper and quickly finds herself shaking up a corrupt and chaotic community. The setup has all the makings of a satisfying Western: a gutsy heroine, a brooding saloon owner (hello, Matthias Beck), and the kind of moral showdown that’s become a Rivers signature. I […]
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Slow Start, Steamy Distractions, and a Solid Twist in Blood Moon
3.5 stars Sandra Brown delivers another suspenseful thriller in Blood Moon, in which a troubled detective and a determined TV producer race against time to prevent another disappearance. Detective John Bowie, teetering on the edge of professional disaster, teams up with Beth Collins, a true crime producer convinced that a series of teenage girls vanishing under a blood moon isn’t a coincidence. With only four days until the next blood moon, they dig into a case riddled with corruption, danger, and an undeniable attractio The plot had promise, with an intricate mystery and a solid twist at the end. However, the book struggled to keep my attention. The pacing was sluggish […]
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A Willy Wonka-esque Premise
Lucy Hart knows all too well what it’s like to grow up without loving parents. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found solace in books, especially the Clock Island series by reclusive author Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she shares her love of reading with her young students, particularly seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who tragically lost his parents and became an orphan. Lucy dreams of adopting Christopher, but she lacks the funds and stability to make it happen. Jack Masterson, the mega-bestselling author of the Clock Island series, quit writing under mysterious circumstances and for the past six years has been drinking himself into an early […]
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A Magical Journey of Love, Loss, and Connection
The Lost Bookshop is a heartwarming blend of mystery, historical fiction, and contemporary storytelling, woven together through a magical bookshop brimming with secrets. The novel follows three storylines: In 1921, Opaline defies societal norms by escaping a forced marriage and finding refuge at a bookstore in Paris. In the present, Martha rebuilds her life after fleeing an abusive marriage, and Henry searches for a missing manuscript tied to the enigmatic bookshop. At its heart, the story centers on a hidden bookshop that transcends time and space, offering solace and second chances. Woods’ vivid descriptions bring the settings to life, from Dublin to Paris, and the bookshop itself, with its dusty […]
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Eliza Hamilton’s Untold Story of Love, Loss, and Legacy
4.5 stars. Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie’s retelling of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton’s life in My Dear Hamilton is rich with historical detail and vibrant prose. They bring Eliza to life not just as Alexander Hamilton’s wife, but as an influential figure who helped shape a nation. Through extensive research, including thousands of letters, they explore Eliza’s journey from spirited young woman to the grieving widow of a flawed yet brilliant man. Eliza’s fierce love for her country and her complex relationship with Hamilton lie at the book’s heart, and her character shines against the backdrop of a nation struggling to find its footing. The story is episodic, immersing readers in […]
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