By Meg Donohue
** Publication Date 25 November **
4 stars



Everyone has things in their past they’d like to forget. Or have buried somewhere deep. But there are also those things that you wish you could remember. The good stuff. 


Lucy is a landscape artist and gardener. She has the gift of more than a green thumb, she would almost claim that the scents of plants find her. Over her young life, Lucy has had mostly positive experiences with her gift. There is one time in her past that has led her to think that her gift can do more harm than good. 


Maybe that’s why she’s avoided being home for any time. Her mom passed away just six months ago. Lucy has been on the road for years now. She finds a job, moves into low cost housing while she completes the job, and then moves on. When her last job ended, she headed home to Bantom Bay, a small town on the California coast. 


What she finds when she gets there is a father who has not been taking care of himself. He doesn’t leave the house, which worries Lucy. She also finds her mom’s planner. In there is a visit to Oceanview Home, a place for seniors. When Lucy finds it, she also finds that they are looking for someone to renovate the gardens. Lucy is intrigued.


This was such a lovely novel. A story of a young woman trying to figure out the next steps in her life, alongside a lot of elderly people trying to survive their later years. Lucy is a kind and warm and so gracious to the people she comes in contact with. While she does have a gift, her greatest gift is her generosity of spirit. 


The story flows well, carrying you through both trying times and happy times. The characters at the home are truly unique, and sometimes very sad. I will admit that parts of this book made me cry. Sometimes good cries, but sad as well. Meg Donohue has the ability to keep the reader engaged and excited about what’s to come.


I loved this book and will absolutely want to dive into some of her other work. 

By Kylie Lee Baker 
** Publication Date 18 November 2025 **
4 stars



Folklore and myths are always so much fun to read about. How they came about. What they mean. Asian folklore is something I am less familiar with, but this novel puts folklore and mythology front and center. Dragons! Descendants of dragons. 


Mina Yang is a high school student in Korea. She is a descendant of dragons. Yes, dragons. She is being trained to manipulate the current timeline that we are all living in. Her parents, while also agents for the timeline, are not full descendants. They do not command the respect of the upper level masters the way that Mina might someday. 


Mina’s current mission, to compete her initial training, is to get Jihoon, a classmate, to kiss her. They have been sort-of dating, but Mina feels guilty for leading him on. Until she meets Yejun, a former agent of the timeline. Yejun is now considered ‘rogue’ for his actions to threaten to follow the lead of the upper level dragons.


Yejun convinces Mina to help him create ‘butterfly effects’ to alter the course of the timeline. These butterfly effects are small changes that will effect larger changes to occur. Mina is scared, but very drawn to Yejun. Yejun tells Mina he can help her find her missing sister, which is how she is convinced to join him.


Over time Mina and Yejun become closer, and Mina has to make decisions that could not only affect the timeline, but also her life. She has to rely on her intuition to make the choices that might ultimately lead to her being neutralized or dead. 


Great story about courage and believing in your power. Also, love. I truly loved how this story was written with a young girl as our heroine. A young girl who has doubts about her abilities. Don’t we all? The romance between Yejun and Mina is so sweet. And then the dragons! Such a cool concept. I just loved it.

By Alissa Lee 
** Publication Date 4 November 2025 **
​4 stars




College is a great time in a young person’s life. First time for moving away from home. Making new friends, sometimes lifelong friends. Freedom away from parents. So many changes and choices that affect the rest of your life moving forward 


Sara attended Harvard, along with her former roommates Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Bee. While they are now in their forties, they have continued the tradition of playing Circus. Circus was their residence hall’s annual game of assassin, where you drew a name randomly, and it was your job to hunt that person down and ‘assassinate’ them with a water gun. Pretty much a last man standing game.


The women’s former roommate Claudine was a master of the game, and they continue to play the game in her memory. Only this year, Sara does not want to participate. Allie and Bee are also hesitant. But when the rest of the group urges them on, all agree to one last round. And this time there are monetary rewards to the game.


What a crazy fun novel about grown women trying to hunt down and assassinate one another in their adult lives. Each one of them has a solid reason to want to win, mostly monetary. But what these women will do turns into quite the battle. 


As with most mystery/suspense novels, this one kept me guessing. At times the finger pointed to several of the combatants. Sara is the one telling the story, so it’s pretty clear that she’s not responsible for the things that go wrong along the way. Someone is trying to sabotage the game, and that person has inside info that only the players would know. Who could it be?


Super fast read. So well plotted to keep you guessing. These women are diverse in their characteristics and mannerisms. Really well written and planned. Definitely recommend for a fun read. 

By Olivia Worley
** Publication Date 28 October 2025 **
​4 stars




Cajun folklore has some interesting characters. La Bête Verte is the one we meet in Final Cut. The Green Beast is said to live in the swamps near the town of Pine Springs, feeding on children who don’t behave. In this novel, seems like even the ones who do behave might be subject to being eaten.


Haze Lejeune is an aspiring actress. When her first big role, in a teen slasher film, comes along, there is no way to say no. After all, she’s a huge fan of horror movies. Also, nothing better than going ‘home’ to the town where you were born but have almost no memories of.


Only the first day filming, strange things start to happen. A dead rabbit in the hallway of the high school. A light falling from a standard. A secret note in the desk drawer specifically referencing Haze. And then a murder on the set. 


As teens will be teens, these kids start to want to investigate the strange happenings themselves. They’re not only wrapped up in a horror film, but the horrors surrounding the production of this film. It’s definitely all too much. 


This was a very fun read - if you can call slasher horror ‘fun.’ Haze is a tough little cookie who is determined to shed the demons of her own past by taking this role. Cameron is the hot male lead with his own past. Autumn and Wren, the director and AD. And assorted other cast members to fill out the perfect assortment of people. 


I was left wondering which specific person could seriously be committing these crimes. The finger points to several of them throughout the novel, with the exception of Haze, our leading lady and final girl. Worley does a fine job of putting suspicion on a bunch of them. But as the characters get picked off, you’re left wondering. 


Very fun. Quick read. 

By Mai Mochizuki
** Publication Date 28 October 2025 **
4 stars



The first book about the Full Moon Coffee Shop was so heartwarming. The uniqueness of the concept makes this a fun read. Everything about this novel is endearing.


The Full Moon Coffee Shop only appears when needed for those who need it the most. The Master is a human sized tortoiseshell cat who is in charge of the pop-up food truck. The Master is also responsible for providing the customer with the exact drink and food needed at that time. Mystical and magical, the entire staff of the coffee shop might appear at times as human or cat, but are neither. They are merely embodying those beings. 


In this tale we have Satomi, a workaholic who can’t make a commitment to her personal life. Koyuki, Satomi’s coworker who feels like she hasn’t had a home since her mom remarried. Junko, Satomi’s sister-in-law, who has been estranged from her father since her late teens. Each of these women is seeking something in their lives that is missing. Each will visit the Full Moon Coffee Shop to be given not only an astrological reading, but also something to soothe their souls. 


As this novel takes place during Christmastime, it has an even more special element of the season. 


The writing is beautiful. So much wisdom and thought has gone into the astrological readings that the “cats” provide. I love how the cats explain sun and moon signs. But truly what makes it so magical is the lyrical prose. The characters have those “light bulb” moments when they grasp what they are being told at the cafe. Such a lovely story.
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