By Debbie Macomber
** Publication Date 15 October 2024 **
4 stars
​

How can you not be a fan of Debbie Macomber’s books? They combine all the best of life and love. This book is no exception. It is a lovely Christmas novel about finding yourself while finding love.


Hailey has always had a love for music. As a high school band teacher, she’s gotten away from writing her own music, even if she has sold a few jingles for commercials. When her ex-boyfriend reappears out of the blue, Hailey realizes that her music may have gotten away from her due to him. He discouraged her, and since, she’s not felt she’s good enough to write music.


So when he worms his way into the family Christmas, Hailey decides to head the opposite direction to her friend’s family cabin for a little time to herself and her guitar. What she doesn’t expect is to meet a handsome man and fall in love with a little town called Podunk. 


Grab a cup of tea, a cozy spot, and hunker in to enjoy this holiday novel. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite times of year for a little romance. This one will make you smile. 

By Anita Hughes 
** Publication Date 8 Oct 2024**
​4 stars 
What a glorious place to spend Christmas and New Year’s! Christmas in Aspen sounds like the most romantic and cozy place to have a perfect holiday. At least the way that Anita Hughes writes it.


Caroline is a book editor in New York City. She recently lost her mom to cancer and hasn’t really been able to move forward since her death. Her boss is giving her grief, as Caroline hasn’t had a successful book for a while. Caroline knows she’s unhappy, and feels stuck in the mud, but she simply cannot seem to move forward.


When Caroline heads up to the family cabin for Christmas, she finds a surprising letter in the mail. Unsigned, it is from a man that Anne, her mother, spent time with the summer before Anne passed away. The letter says that he will be waiting for her in Aspen on New Year’s Day. On a whim, Caroline books a flight to Aspen to meet the mystery man.


Once in Aspen, Caroline meets a very good looking man at the hotel bar. He’s a local and convinces Caroline to share dinner. While she’s in no mood for romance, he is good looking and fun to be with. 


Caroline’s sister Daphne and her fiancé Luke show up in Aspen, deciding that they couldn’t be apart for the holidays so soon after the death of their mother. It all seems like a perfect week to be. But perfect doesn’t always happen. Luke & Daphne start arguing. Caroline finds herself falling for Max, which is definitely not in the plans.


How will this happy little romance story end up? Of course, it is Christmas. Magical things happen during the holidays.


Great holiday read as always from Anita Hughes. An amazing setting on the streets of Aspen, with a fabulous little story about moving forward and taking chances. Must read for the holidays. 

By Wallis Kinney
** Publication Date 8 October 2024 **
​5 stars 
​I don't even know where to begin. A Dark & Secret Magic is a magical book. Full of love, danger, the unknown, family, spells, and deceit. 

Hecate, preferring to be called Kate, is the middle Goodwin sister. Her mother passed this year, taking her magic and a lot of secrets with her. Kate is a hedge witch. Born to heal and help. Miranda, the oldest sister, is a sea witch. Celeste, the youngest, is a celebrity witch. She's a master of the tarot.

Samhain is upon us and with it will come the usual celebrations for a witches' new year. But a surprise appears on Kate's doorstep prior to Samhain. Matthew Cypher. Matthew disappeared from Kate's life a decade prior when he was found alone with Kate. He has come to request sanctuary. With him come so many questions. Is he good, is he bad? But what Kate feels most of all is the pull of love. 

As Samhain approaches, Kate starts having fearful nightmares. Matthew is there to try to help her navigate the days before her 31st birthday when she will fully give herself over to being a hedge witch and relinquish her other powers. But as the day approaches, Matthew tries to convince her that containment is not the answer, she must embrace her other half. Kate is torn. Does she believe Matthew, a shadow hexan, or her coven? And with her mother gone, how will she move forward?

Truly an amazing book. I was mesmerized by every little detail. It's such vivid writing. So intriguing and engaging. Honestly, this would be a series I would follow for the days to come. I want to know more. Everything. An amazing read. 

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.