By Lauren Ling Brown
** Publication Date 1 October 2024 **
4.5 stars

It’s hard to believe this is a first novel for Lauren Ling Brown. The incredible way this was written, I can only imagine a wall of notes with strings connecting different people and themes together. It is a sincerely wild ride through a secret society and the lengths some people are willing to go to protect their lives and livelihood.


Maya is Black-Asian. She’s never quite fit in. Ten years older than her younger sister Naomi, she attends Princeton, while her sister lives with a relative’s family in California. It was the only way after their mother suddenly died.


At Princeton, Maya works so hard to achieve, to study and try to make it so that Naomi can have a better life someday. Just as before, Maya doesn’t really fit in until she meets Daisy. Daisy is a member of Sterling, an eating club. Princeton had outlawed secret societies many years before, but eating clubs grew out of that ban. Daisy convinces Maya to try to become a member, and wanting a place of connection, Maya agrees.


Not all is right in Sterling, but Maya has her group - Cecily, Kai, and Daisy - and they stick together through everything. Though when a classmate suddenly dies, the four know their are secrets they will be forced to keep for a lifetime. So when Naomi wants to attend Princeton, Maya cringes. It only gets worse when Naomi also joins Sterling. Maya kept secrets for years trying to protect those she loves, and now Naomi is right in the middle of it all.


Truly exceptional thriller. Never saw the ending coming, which is an amazing mark of a thriller. I would gladly line up to read every novel that Lauren Ling Brown writes. If they’re even half as good as this one, they’ll be excellent. 

(The Watch Hill Trilogy, Book One)
​By Karen Marie Moning
** Publication Date 1 October 2024 **
​5 stars 

The hardest part of reading book one of a series that has just been published, is knowing you’ll be waiting what feels like an eternity for the remaining books. Karen Marie Moning, the master of this cruelty, has definitely roped me in. This book was unreal. Riveting, engaging, spellbinding in so many ways.


Zo (as in No) lives in a small town in Indiana with her ailing mother. Her mom has been sick for so long, Zo can scarcely remember a time when she wasn’t. Working three jobs to try to support them and pay for her mother’s care, Zo is tired. She often wonders if there will ever be a way out of this hole they seem to live in.


And then the unthinkable happens. Her mother is gone. And a world full of magic is about to engulf her in ways she never could have imagined. Good, bad, and all manner of insanity are about to take over Zo’s life. 


Without giving anything else away, I can only say that I will be sitting, impatiently, awaiting the next book. Incredible. Just as always. A story for the ages full of love, lust, rapture, sadness, and every emotion of the rainbow. Incredible. 

By Michelle Chouinard
** Publication Date 24 September 2024 **
4.25 stars

San Francisco has so much history and is such a perfect place to set a murder mystery. This  novel by Michelle Chouinard is a riveting look into the high society of San Fran and the dark underbelly.


Capri Sanzio is quite well associated with murder. Her grandfather was an infamous serial killer convicted and sentenced to life in prison back in the sixties. While Capri believes he was innocent, her father has always slammed that door shut. So when a copycat murder occurs, and Capri’s ex mother in law goes missing, she’s thrown right back into the history.


Only Capri’s connection to the past killer and her connections to the copycat murders bring her and her daughter onto the suspect list too. Capri decides to finally investigate what’s been stewing in her brain for decades - who really was Overkill Bill? More importantly, who has decided to copycat and throw her into suspicion now?


Really fun novel. So much embedded history about San Francisco’s history. I loved Capri’s best friend’s description of the wealthy as ‘puff adders’ and how they’d do anything to maintain their images. The many twists will keep you guessing about the actual murderer until the end. Easy and quick read. Definitely recommend for a chilly fall night by the fire (or a summer day in San Fran!) 

By Allison Saft
** Publication Date 17 September 2024**
4 stars

​Can we please make this a series? I absolutely loved this novel. The characters! The setting! 


Lorelai Kaskel is an outlier. Handpicked by Ziegler to learn how to manipulate aether and follow in her footsteps, she does not fit in with the popular crowd. She is Yevanisch. A culture of people who have no homeland, while her fellow classmates are all upper class, some royalty from the lands. Yet all of them have been chosen to search for the magical spring that their king is after.


Ziegler is the leader of the pack, Lorelei the assistant. Her nemesis, Sylvia von Wolff is the naturalist that will help them navigate the wildelute they will encounter along the way. When Lorelei finds Ziegler murdered aboard the boat, she is tasked with solving the murder and returning to Brunnestad with the location of the magical spring. Can Lorelei survive the trip with the others all vying for favor with the King? Or will there be yet another murder?


I really enjoyed this. It was slow to start, as all fantasy novels can be until you get the locations and lingo down. What a fabulous story of love, power, entitlement. In many ways it mirrors our world, with its divisiveness. Excellent and fun read that I wish would be a series. I want to know where our adventurers are off to next!

By Brenda Novak
** Publication Date 17 Sept 2024 **
4 stars

I love Brenda Novak’s books. They are fun, engaging, and usually have a relevance to today’s world. Banned books have reached the forefront of our country again. So the fact that this book not only tackles the subject of banning books, but also sexual impropriety, I feel like it has a lot of relevance to our current world.


Gia left home after high school. When college wasn’t where she wanted to be, she escaped to Alaska to work on fishing vessels. The money was good, and it gave her the space and nature she needed to put her life back together.


But now Gia is back home in Iowa. Her mother is dying, and her sister had pleaded for help where her parents were concerned. Only Gia doesn’t want to be here. Too many bad memories. Too much scandal and drama. Too much. 


Back in high school, Gia divided the town when she accused her Honors English teacher of sexual misconduct. She’s barely been home since, and when she has been home, she’s been in and out like the wind. But now she’s going to be home for an extended length of time. She’s the villain as far as Mr. Hart’s family is concerned. She’s not even sure how most of the rest of the town feels. And it’s weighing on her.


This book really tackles the tough stuff. Facing up to your past. Facing up to bullies and demons. Standing up for yourself and your integrity. Learning to forgive and learning to love again. It’s a wonderfully written novel that was easy to breeze through. Perfect for the upcoming fall days and nights. Enjoy.