May 27, 2026
Allison Saft captures the essence of the Disney Fairies films in Wings of Starlight through a perfect balance of magic, whimsy, and romance — although starcrossed — while ensuring a clear-cut mix of plot and characterization.
March 12, 2026
The Night Library of Sternendach reads as a mixture of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera — revolving around the library at Castle Sternendach, the Graf’s home. The dance of words played in my mind’s eye with each new verse. All I needed was Andrew Lloyd Webber to write the music. I’ve already cast the show for him, if he’ll but ask.
February 24, 2026
Despite the predictability of the characters typical of murder mysteries, the plot was fresh and unexpected, engaging me through all the twists and setbacks. There was never a moment where I was actually able to predict the ending.
February 10, 2026
Now, when I say delectable, I mean it. Practically every page of “The Whisking Hour” drips with baked-in goodness in a vibrant, descriptive tone. For, you see, the narrator is Juliet Capshaw, the owner and head baker at Torte, a cafe and bakery in the small town of Ashland, Oregon.
January 23, 2026
John A. Heldt’s book Indiana Belle was not what I expected. I saw the cover and thought that it was a historical fiction about a woman in the Roaring 20s rebelling against the norms of societal expectations. It is — but it’s also so much more. The unique tale contains aspects of science fiction, mystery, and romance, all while telling a compelling story using many genre tropes.
January 20, 2026
Deep Cuts — by Holly Brickley, published February 2025 — tells of Percy Marks, a music nerd who meets songwriter Joe Morrow in a campus bar. The journey follows her through her twenties as she jumps across the country and is defined by the songs — new and old — that inform her life. As Percy grows, Joe evolves, too, from a quiet student to a confident frontman.
December 2, 2025
Fourteen-year-old Violeta Valentine lives with her older brother, Tommy, and their widowed mother in Arizona. Violeta’s mother isolates Violeta and targets her with abuse and neglect. Tommy tries to protect her as much as he can. This tense situation explodes one day when their mother puts both children’s lives in danger.
November 17, 2025
Despite the difficulty of creating a historical novel, Durham skillfully depicts the love, jealousy, and other complexities of a twin sisterhood influenced by trauma, distance, and forgiveness.
October 31, 2025
Filled with gothic imagery, Carmilla makes for a dark and spooky reading experience. I was immediately enamored with the setting, from the vast castle to the village ruins. I easily became absorbed in the story, and the tense atmosphere from the start pulled me right through to the end.
October 9, 2025
As Rose ascends higher in society, she has to weigh what her own identity, status, and newfound wealth and influence can do for those women who are what she once was. Can she aspire to be the beneficial influence to them that others have been to her?
October 5, 2025
The Bellfontaine Haunting by Marie Wilkins is a suspenseful and gripping supernatural thriller and murder mystery. It held me from the first page to the last with its story of the ghost of a deceased woman haunting a reporter and the cold case surrounding her death suddenly becoming hot and open.
September 25, 2025
Written by Tessa Bailey, Fangirl Down follows Josephine Boyle, a young woman who is a huge fan of Wells Whitaker, a disgraced pro golfer who is one temper tantrum away from quitting the sport forever. Unfortunately for Josephine, she faces the brunt of his outburst during a tournament, leaving the self-proclaimed “Wells’s Belle” disillusioned for a short while.