February 21, 2026

Review: A Novel Crime by Deborah Vadas Levison


Product Description:
Struggling romance writer and recent divorcée Marcy Jo Codburn feels like a failure. She’s green with author envy and longing for a book deal, a launch party with cupcakes, and the admiration of her daughter. But her dream of literary success is fading faster than her beige hair dye. When she witnesses celebrated author Francesca Barber in a compromising position, Marcy sees her chance. Transforming into Summer Branigan, her bolder, blonder pen name, she leverages Francesca’s secret to secure the ultimate coauthor.

As their collaboration spirals from Marcy’s modest Connecticut home to Francesca’s lavish Hamptons estate, both women discover that in the cutthroat world of publishing, every story has its price. With looming deadlines, a kidnapping plot gone awry, and more than one fraud to hide, their twisted partnership careens toward a surprise ending neither could have written.

In this darkly comic page-turner, critically acclaimed author Deborah Levison skewers the publishing industry with razor-sharp wit. A Novel Crime asks just how far an aspiring writer will go to see her name on a book jacket—and what happens when the stories we tell start to write themselves.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed the book overall but I knocked my rating by a star because of the ending. Yes, the book was dark humor so I expected a lot of over the top scenarios but the ending was just too much for me. 

That aside I had so much fun alternating between loving and hating Marcy and would definitely  recommend this for anyone who loves twisted humor. 


January 3, 2026

Books I've Read in 2026

Books
January
  1. Famous Once by Jane Green
  2. Let Time Fly by John A. Heldt
February
  1. A Novel Crime by Deborah Vadas Levison
March
  1. Witch Is The Lamest Excuse Ever by Adele Abbott
April
  1. King Sorrow by Joe Hill
  2. The Replacement by Liv Constantine
May
  1. 200 Monas by Jan Saenz
June
  1. The Safe Room by Lisa Unger
  2. Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg
July
  1. The Museum of Second Chances by Jo Leevers
August
  1. John Grebble Is Gone by Peter James
  2. Haute Mess by Erica J Whelton
September
  1. Witch Is The Enemy Of Magic by Adele Abbott

Audiobooks
January
  1. The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
  2. The Compound by Aisling Rawle
  3. The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman
  4. Long Shadows by David Baldacci
  5. The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
  6. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
  7. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
  8. Mercy by David Baldacci
  9. Brushfire Craig Alanson
  10. The Widow by John Grisham
  11. The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
  12. Golden Son by Pierce Brown
  13. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
February
  1. The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
  2. Too Old for This by Samantha Downing
  3. Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
  4. What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
  5. The Patient's Secret by Loreth Anne White
  6. Night Watcher by Daphne Woolsoncroft
  7. Fairest of All by Serena Valentino
  8. Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian
  9. Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver
  10. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
  11. Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
  12. Dead in the Water by John Marrs
  13. The List by Steve Berry
  14. The Shell Collector by Hugh Howey
  15. Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
March
  1. Nether Station by Kevin J. Anderson
  2. Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
  3. A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
  4. Talking to Girls About Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield
  5. The Event by Nathan Hystad
  6. On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane
  7. The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao
  8. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (re-read)
  9. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
  10. The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman
  11. These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
  12. Look Closer by David Ellis
  13. Never Whistle at Night by Shane Hawk
April
  1. Morning Star by Pierce Brown
  2. Run by Blake Crouch
  3. Red City by Marie Lu
  4. God's Junk Drawer by Peter Clines
  5. Casanova LLC by Julia Whelan
  6. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
  7. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
  8. Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
  9. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
  10. New Threat by Nathan Hystad
  11. Only Rogue Actions by Jennifer Estep
  12. Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
  13. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
May
  1. The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson
  2. The Ashes of the Unknown by Ryan Schow
  3. I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
  4. This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
  5. Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
  6. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
  7. The Price of Honey by Liane Moriarty
  8. Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas
  9. Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
June
  1. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
  2. The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown
  3. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
  4. The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean
  5. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
  6. The Sisters of Glass Ferry by Kim Michele Richardson
  7. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
  8. Payback in Death by J.D. Robb
  9. The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
  10. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
  11. You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe
  12. Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey
  13. Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
July
  1. Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
  2. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman
  3. Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
  4. Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino
  5. Virtual Light by William Gibson
  6. Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
  7. Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
  8. Valley of the Moms by Hannah Selinger
  9. Murder Road by Simone St. James
August
  1. After the Fall by Edward Ashton
  2. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
  3. Five by Ilona Bannister
  4. Remain by Nicholas Sparks
  5. The Names by Florence Knapp
  6. Fatal Error by Michael Cheney
  7. Last Summer Boys by Bill Rivers
  8. Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See
  9. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
  10. Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell 
  11. Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt (Hardcover) by Ben Reeves
  12. Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman 
September
  1. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
  2. Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
  3. It's Not Her by Mary Kubica
  4. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
  5. A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict
  6. Family Jewels by Stuart Woods
  7. Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
  8. The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter
  9. The Traveler by Joseph Eckert
October
  1. The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
  2. An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton
  3. The Conductors by Nicole Glover
  4. New World by Nathan Hystad

Total: 123

Here's what I've read in previous years:

Top 5 Books I've Read in 2026


  1. The Widow by John Grisham
  2. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
  3. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
  4. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
  5. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
  • Bonus Short Story: John Grebble Is Gone by Peter James


Books I Didn't Finish in 2026

Below will be any books I started and didn't finish and the reason why. 

  1. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
    • There were too many characters and strange names and nothing grabbed my attention or interest. Although I do love a good fantasy book this one was more High Fantasy than I prefer. 
  2. Triptych by Karin Slaughter
    • I'm a big fan of the TV show based on this series so I decided to read the books however the TV character is so different from the book version that I couldn't combine the two in my head and I had to bail.
  3. Don't Die Dave by A.R. Witham
    • This was so similar to Dungeon Crawler Carl I had to bail pretty quickly. I love DCC and this booked tried so hard but read more like the Temu version.



July 15, 2025

Review: Long Day For Ray by Bonner Litchfield



Product Description:

Far into the future, scientists discover a new form of time travel. Transferring a human being's consciousness into a person who lived in the past.

Ancient data from the 1980s identifies Ray Caldwell as an ideal human host.

Destined never to create the slightest blip in history, his entire existence adds up to one big nothing. No personal connections. No aspirations or achievements. Not even an occasional paycheck.

Thus, an elite warrior from the future takes over Ray’s mind and body to carry out a mission in twentieth century North Carolina.

But has Ray Caldwell packed more into the stream of life than historical records show? And stirred up a cauldron of troubles wider and deeper than anyone realizes?

Featuring a twisty plot with shocking results, Long Day For Ray melds time travel and body snatching into a maze of violence and retaliation.

This pulse pounding techno thriller delivers a breakneck ride with nonstop action and a high body count. Everything you could want in an unputdownable book.

My Review:
This book was so much fun. It reminded me of an episode of my favorite 80's show Quantum Leap. From the moment the traveler steps into Ray's life, the action is non-stop. I was quickly engrossed in what put Ray in this situation, how the traveler planned to get him out and what his actual mission in the past was. 

In just a few short chapters I was sucked in and the ride didn't stop. It's faced paced with a lot of action and an absolute must for suspense thriller lovers. 


June 18, 2025

Review: The Winding Road by John A. Heldt





Product Description:

Southeast Pennsylvania, November 1777.

For Noah and Jake Maclean, the saga gets real. One year after the brothers entered a time portal and traded the computer age for the colonial age, they rush headlong into the American Revolution.

Noah, 23, rides off to war. Against the wishes of his fiancée, Abigail Ward, he joins the Continental Army as it retreats to Valley Forge. To improve his odds of surviving the rebellion, he brings modern knowledge and pistols, weapons that soon draw the attention of the enemy.

Jake, 16, stays behind. He helps furniture maker Samuel Ward and his family resettle in the country after the British seize Philadelphia. As he supports his newfound kin, he strengthens his relationship with Rachel Ward, Sam's mischievous younger daughter.

The time travelers chart new courses in an era filled with violence, disease, and disruption. In doing so, they leave a mess for relatives tasked with reporting their disappearance.

As Douglas and Donna Maclean confront investigators and reporters in 2024, they do their best to carry out an elaborate ruse, guard an ancient family secret, and use the resources of the present to protect their nephews in the past.

In THE WINDING ROAD, the second book in the Stone Shed trilogy, two brothers find romance, danger, and adventure as they make their way in a world they were never meant to see.

My Review:

I am a super fan of John A. Heldt and have read most of his books. This one was a little less exciting than his previous time travel works. Usually there is so much history in the story that it keeps me reading and wanting to learn more about the historical event but this one felt like a repeat of book 1 with just a little more suspense at the end. 

Heldt's formula usually follows a different character's romantic arc each book in the series but in this one there is more of Noah and Abby than I expected because they were the focus in book 1 which is possibly why it felt different to me. I'm hoping the next book in the series advances the story a bit more than what we got in this one. 

My Recommendation:
I recommend this to anyone who loves historical romance with a little suspense. 


January 13, 2025

My Top 10

Seeing everyone's Top Reads in 2024 has got me thinking. I've been tracking what I've read on this blog since 2009 but only doing my Top 5 each year since 2014. On this list I'm going to give my Top 10 books of all time. I'm sure many I'm going to miss so many I read before this blog but I'll do my best. 

  1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 
  2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  4. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
  5. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
  6. The Martian by Andy Weir
  7. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
  8. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
  9. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
  10. Watchers by Dean Koontz

January 2, 2025

Books I've Read in 2025

Books
January
  1. Empty Graves by Jonathan Maberry
  2. Hellhound on My Trail by D.J. Butler
  3. Stiffs and Stones by Kevin J. Anderson
February
  1. Superstition by James Blakey
  2. The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez
  3. Witch Is The Hardest Pill To Swallow by Adele Abbott
March
  1. Resurrection, Inc. by Kevin J. Anderson
  2. American Housewife by Anita Abriel
April
  1. Amen Maxine by Faith Gardner
  2. Advent of Libra by Chris Wimpress
June
  1. The Winding Road John A. Heldt
  2. Long Day For Ray Long Day For Ray by Bonner Litchfield
July
  1. The Eleventh Metal by Brandon Sanderson
  2. Gray After Dark by Noelle W. Ihli
August
  1. Case of the Broken Bridge by Shanna Swendson
September
  1. Estate: To my once darling child by J. Andrew Shelley
  2. Witch Is The Joke No One Got by Adele Abbott
October
  1. Mystery of the Secret Santa by Shanna Swendson
  2. Intersect by Elle O'Roark
November
  1. The Pernicious Pixie and the Choked Word by Kelly Ethan
December
  1. Waking Up In Vegas by J.E. Rowney
  2. The Last Father-Daughter Dance by Lisa Wingate

Audiobooks
January
  1. All Fours by Miranda July
  2. Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli
  3. When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
  4. The Last Party by A.R. Torre
  5. Scythe by Neal Shusterman
  6. The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek
  7. Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli
  8. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
  9. Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby 
  10. Babel by R.F. Kuang
  11. American Rapture by C.J. Leede
February
  1. Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
  2. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 
  3. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
  4. Lexicon by Max Barry
  5. Pines by Blake Crouch
  6. Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry
March
  1. The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
  2. The Unquiet Bones by Loreth Anne White
  3. The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin 
  4. The Will of the Many by James Islington
  5. Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb
  6. Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
  7. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
  8. The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker
  9. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
  10. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
  11. The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
  12. Lights Out by Navessa Allen
  13. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
  14. The Loch by Steve Alten
April
  1. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
  2. You Killed Me First by John Marrs
  3. If It Bleeds by Stephen King
  4. Wayward by Blake Crouch
  5. Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
  6. The Favorites by Layne Fargo
  7. Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
  8. Parallel by Elle O'Roark
  9. The Kaiser's Web by Steve Berry
  10. Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
  11. The Fifth to Die by J.D. Barker
  12. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
  13. City of Thieves by David Benioff
  14. The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
  15. A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers
May
  1. Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore
  2. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
  3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
  4. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
  5. Only Good Enemies by Jennifer Estep
  6. Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
  7. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
  8. The Last Town by Blake Crouch
  9. Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
  10. The Night Gardener by George P. Pelecanos
  11. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  12. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
  13. Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
  14. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
  15. The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch
  16. Bunny by Mona Awad
  17. All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall
June
  1. Never Flinch by Stephen King
  2. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
  3. Going Home in the Dark by Dean Koontz
  4. Shift by Hugh Howey
  5. All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
  6. Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich
  7. The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
  8. The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
  9. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  10. The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer
  11. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
  12. Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping by Jesse Q. Sutanto
  13. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
July
  1. Beartown by Fredrik Backman
  2. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
  3. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
  4. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
  5. The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
  6. Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
  7. A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
  8. The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman
  9. The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick
  10. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
  11. The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer
  12. The Long Walk by Richard Bachman 
August
  1. The Sixth Wicked Child by J.D. Barker 
  2. A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck
  3. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  4. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
  5. The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths
  6. Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb
  7. Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor
  8. The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher
  9. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
  10. Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich
  11. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
  12. The Only One Left by Riley Sager
  13. The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa 
  14. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
  15. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese 
September
  1. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
  2. Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
  3. The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar
  4. Only Bad Options by Jennifer Estep
  5. The Payback by Kashana Cauley
  6. The Darkest Deep by Chris Butera
  7. Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich
  8. The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen
  9. The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline
  10. Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich
  11. The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown
  12. Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell
  13. The Winners by Fredrik Backman
  14. The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
  15. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
  16. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
  17. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
October
  1. The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
  2. By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
  3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown (re-read)
  4. The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
  5. The Graveyard Shift by D.M. Guay
  6. Monster Burger by D.M. Guay
  7. Hell for the Holidays by D.M. Guay
  8. Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
  9. My Friends by Fredrik Backman
  10. The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison
  11. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
  12. Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah
  13. The Burning Hollow by Ryan Schow
November
  1. Labyrinth by A.G. Riddle
  2. Funny Story by Emily Henry
  3. Circle of Days by Ken Follett
  4. Critical Mass by Craig Alanson
  5. Leonard by Carlie Sorosiak
  6. Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon
  7. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
  8. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
December
  1. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman
  2. Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E Taylor
  3. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
  4. The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  5. The Last Word by Lisa Lutz
  6. Now or Never by Janet Evanovich
  7. What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
  8. Encore in Death by J.D. Robb
  9. The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes Chanel Cleeton
  10. Only Cold Depths by Jennifer Estep
  11. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
  12. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
  13. The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
  14. Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
  15. The Minders by John Marrs
  16. Cat's People by Tanya Guerrero
  17. Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

Total: 180

Here's what I've read in previous years:

Top 5 Books I've Read in 2025


  1. The Favorites by Layne Fargo
  2. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
  3. The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
  4. Beartown by Fredrik Backman
  5. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Books I Didn't Finish in 2025


Below will be any books I started and didn't finish and the reason why. 

  1. Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
    • To be fair I was only a couple of chapters in before I gave up on this one but I just couldn't keep my attention on the audiobook version so I'm passing on this one.
  1. The Fragile Threads of Power Victoria E. Schwab
    • I tried getting into this one twice but the pace of the story was too slow and I kept losing my focus. 
  1. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
    • I disliked the main character, Cyrus, right off the bat and just couldn't see myself getting through the whole book. It also didn't help that I listened to this one on audio and it irritated me that the volume of the narrator's voice was so low. 
  1. Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic Meghan Ciana Doidge
    • I think the 2010s burned me out on vampires, urban fantasy and paranormal books. I just couldn't engage with the characters or the story. 
  1. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
    • I started and restarted this one audio four times and just couldn't keep my attention on the book. 


December 4, 2024

Review: The Forgotten Son by BJ Sloan

Product Description:
The kind-hearted delivery nurse had no way of knowing that her well-intentioned words would doom Bunny Boy Potts to a lifetime of ridicule. Well, that and the unfortunate way his ears stuck out like two ping-pong paddles.

Living with his unhinged single mother, his entire life is spent apologizing for existing while scraping by for enough to survive. Food and love—neither is freely available in the Potts’ home, but the sharp sting of the strap is always on standby.

When Bunny meets Raquel, he thinks she could take him from scarecrow misfit to normal teen. Growing in the sunshine of her approval, Bunny even gets a job from his rancher neighbor, TC. For the first time in his life, Bunny can buy clothes that fit. He can eat enough to stave off the hunger that used to sing him to sleep every night. Along with a paycheck, he earns a nickname and the grudging respect of those around him as he begins to rise above the hand he’s been dealt.

But Bunny Boy Potts wasn’t meant to have a life like everyone else.

My Thoughts:
The Forgotten Son was really a heartbreaking story. Bunny was raised by his mom, who seemingly blamed him for his very existence, in a household with no love and when he finally meets Raquel who is willing to be his friend, he doesn't fully know how to process it and pushes too far.

I really wanted to love Bunny and I started too but then when his relationship with Raquel doesn't go his way his character becomes less likeable. Either way I was fully engrossed in the story and was rooting for him all the way.

My Recommendation:
I recommend this for anyone who loves an engrossing fiction story. 

October 29, 2024

Review: The Patriots by John A. Heldt






Product Description:
When Noah Maclean, 22, races home from Europe, he finds a dying grandfather, a hidden letter, and a family secret that dates to the 1740s. He learns he is the keeper of a stone shed that can send people through time.

Within weeks, Noah and his brother, Jake, 15, test their inheritance. They travel to 1776 to see Philadelphia in the age of Benjamin Franklin, the Declaration of Independence, and the American Revolution.

Expecting to return within weeks, the orphaned brothers make the most of their field trip through history. Then they meet the lovely daughters of a furniture maker, and a pleasant adventure becomes a transformative journey.

Filled with humor, romance, and heartbreak, THE PATRIOTS follows two lost souls through a critical moment in time as they adjust to new surroundings and wrestle with knowledge of things to come.

My Thoughts:
Time travel books are always a favorite genre of mine and John A. Heldt is an expert at writing a story that pulls you in right from the beginning and keeps you hooked throughout the adventure. The Patriots is the start of a new series from Heldt that sends two brothers from 2024 to Philadelphia in 1776. Imagine meeting and having a conversation with Ben Franklin! 

The story is very well researched and since I'm not a history buff the book made me go back and seek out more details of the original events. So not only am I reading an enjoyable fiction story, I'm learning more about American history. 

My Recommendation:
I cannot wait for the next book in the series and recommend this for anyone who loves romance, time travel and historical fiction all rolled into one. 

September 10, 2024

Review: Feral Creatures of Suburbia by D. Liebhart






Product Description:

THREE ORDINARY MOTHERS. TWO TERRIBLE SECRETS. ONE HEART-STOPPING CRISIS THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Mothers will do anything to protect their children . . . but the greatest threats come from within.

Julie White's once-sweet son has morphed into a teenage terror. She hoped it was normal growing pains but a glimpse into his private messages shatters that illusion. Now she wonders if her moody teen is actually a ticking time bomb.

Varvara Perlman's researcher job is hard, but caring for her emotionally-complex daughter is harder. After dismissing the latest call from the school counselor as another ploy for attention, she can only hope it's not too late when she finally understands. This latest crisis may not only be real, but deadly.

Crystal Carrasco is as warm and fuzzy as steel wool. Nothing gets to her, not even her own terminal illness diagnosis. When she realizes her newly-married son will cancel his upcoming honeymoon if he finds out, she decides to do the only thing that makes sense. Do whatever it takes to hide the truth.

Three ordinary women linked by one heart-stopping crisis. When faced with the unthinkable, how far will they have to go to protect their children?



My Thoughts:


Feral Creatures of Suburbia was really one of those "ripped from the headlines" kind of books. All three characters are dealing with situations that sadly we see happen so often nowadays. I was instantly pulled in by the characters and their difficult decisions. 


Each mother had a difficult decision regarding their children and as so often is the case they start second guessing everything over the course of the novel. I was moved by the real emotions coming through the pages and the author made the story come alive. I am eternally grateful I got through my son's teen years with no major troubles and watched friends and family deal with difficulties all the time. 


This one is very powerful and deals with topics we all hope we never have to face; violence, suicide and mental and physical health. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves women's fiction and current headlines.  




July 5, 2024

Review: Mexicanos Hustle by J Benjamin Sanders



Product Description:
Glenn Helka’s business has never been what you’d call lucrative. But chasing bond jumpers and following cheating spouses pays the bills. Most of the bills. Some of the time. Occasionally.

When a woman drops a fat stack of cash on his desk to bring her wayward son home from Mexico, Glenn thinks he has it made. One tiny detail—the son is dead, and the local authorities are refusing to release his body.

Was it the money or the haunting look on the face of the bereaved mother? Maybe it was Glenn’s barely functioning moral compass finally pointing true north. Or, in this case, south to Mexico where he takes on corrupt government officials, drug-dealing hitmen, and everything the desert can throw at him.

My Thoughts:
Mexicanos Hustle was a fun noir crime mystery. Not only did Glenn have to deal with the very crooked Mexican authorities but he also had to deal with two low life thugs chasing him across the border. 

This was a fast-paced read that kept me reading late into the night. Overall I enjoyed the story and how the ending played out. 

Recommended for anyone who loves crime fiction. 



May 30, 2024

Review: Come and Get Me by Marisa Rae Dondlinger



Product Description:

When Vanessa kidnaps her ex-lover’s newborn baby, some might call her evil. Those who know her story might call her justified.

Vanessa thought she found her soulmate in August. Mind-bending sex. Soul-baring conversations. Safety and acceptance and being seen. Perhaps too perfect? Yes. August is married to his college sweetheart, Cassidy. When Vanessa gets pregnant, August manipulates Vanessa into getting an abortion with promises of a future together, but dumps her soon after. Vanessa plots her revenge, kidnapping August’s baby, Daisy, from her nursery.

Each member of this haunting love triangle tells their story as a nationwide search for Daisy ensues. August’s secret affairs play a pivotal role in the police investigation, Cassidy learns her marriage is a sham, and Vanessa struggles to keep Daisy alive.

Come And Get Me is a forty-eight hour pulse-pounding domestic thriller that explores issues of truth and consequence and how one decision can have an unforeseeable rippling effect on countless lives.


My Thoughts: 
Come and Get Me was very much a page turner. The chapters frequently ended on a cliff hanger that left me reading well past my bedtime. The book really gets into the mind of the scorned woman well and as the story unravels she gets even more unhinged. I love these types of fast-paced, well written thrillers. It makes the read that much more enjoyable. 

My Recommendation:
This book is perfect for anyone who loves a good suspense thriller.

February 12, 2024

Review: All Of Us Alone by Holly Payne-Strange


Product Description:

In the dead of night, an alien family crashes into the middle of New Mexico. Refugees from across the stars, they've only just escaped a planet wide catastrophe when they arrive on Earth. But they are not given a warm welcome.

The remnants of their crashed spacecraft are swiftly appropriated by the US military, stranding them entirely. Adapting to this unwelcoming new world becomes their only choice. Though they manage to evade the army, they are quickly pursued by

 so called ‘paranormal investigators’, who want nothing more than to catch them on camera- and expose them to the whole world. They must adjust swiftly to this new and hostile planet, where a single misstep could mean death- or worse, brutal experimentation.

As they grapple with the strangenes of Earth, they are forced to choose between their true selves and survival, deciding which pieces of their identity to relinquish for a chance at life. What must they sacrifice in order to live? And what's more, how could they even know?

Explore a captivating journey through uncharted territories, where a family's fight for survival transcends planets, and the human experience takes on a whole new hue.


My Thoughts:
I loved the storyline of aliens crash landing on earth after fleeing their home planet. We've seen this story before but this one was a fun take on what the aliens were up to while on earth and their quest to get back to the stars. The younger aliens are running around trying to get a glimpse of what humans are really like, the parents are struggling with their current reality and working on putting their destroyed ship back together and the grandparents are working hard at keeping their secret regarding why they had to flee their planet.


All in all I really enjoyed this one but I feel like it needs just a little more polish with editing and explaining more about how the aliens know everything about our planet and humans. Other than that I recommend this to anyone who loves a quick sci-fi read.


January 22, 2024

Books I've Read in 2024

Books
January
  1. All of Us Alone by Holly Payne-Strange
February
  1. Witch Is Where Chickens Go To Roost by Adele Abbott
April
  1. The Texas Twist by John Vorhaus
May
  1. Come And Get Me by Marisa Rae Dondlinger
  2. Tiger Chair by Max Brooks
June
  1. Mexicanos Hustle by J Benjamin Sanders
July 
  1. Acts of Violets by Kate Collins
August
  1. Feral Creatures of Suburbia by D. Liebhart 
October
  1. The Patriots by John A. Heldt
November
  1. The Forgotten Son BJ Sloan
  2. Witch Is The Nest Now Empty by Adele Abbott
December
  1. Ushers by Joe Hill

Audiobooks
January
  1. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  2. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
February
  1. The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
  2. Antarctica Station by A.G. Riddle
  3. Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
  4. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
  5. The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
March
  1. The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn
  2. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  3. The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen
  4. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
April
  1. The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz
  2. In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros
  3. Camino Island by John Grisham
  4. The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill
  5. Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly
May
  1. They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
  2. Slow Time Between the Stars John Scalzi
  3. The Mosquito by B.A. Paris
  4. The Authorities by Scott Meyer
  5. The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
  6. Snowglobe by Soyoung Park
  7. A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
  8. The Love of my Life by Rosie Walsh
June
  1. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
  2. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
  3. The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
July
  1. A Short Walk Through a Wide World Douglas Westerbeke
  2. Camino Winds by John Grisham
  3. You Like It Darker by Stephen King
  4. Bloodsworn by Scott Reintgen
  5. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
August
  1. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
  2. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
  3. The Other Valley Howard by Scott Alexander
  4. The Lost Story by Meg Shaf
  5. Quicksilver by Dean Koontz
  6. All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
  7. Stoner by John Williams
September
  1. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
  2. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
  3. Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
  4. The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  5. Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
October
  1. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
  2. I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue
  3. The Hike by Drew Magary
  4. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
  5. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
  6. The Future by Naomi Alderman 
  7. I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella
November
  1. Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan
  2. Never Lie by Freida McFadden
  3. We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida
  4. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer 
  5. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
  6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
December
  1. Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange 
  2. Keep It in the Family by John Marrs
  3. How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard
  4. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
  5. The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
  6. Victim by Andrew Boryga
  7. James by Percival Everett
  8. The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
  9. Persephone by Kevin J. Anderson, Jeffrey Morris
  10. The Women by Kristin Hannah

Total: 79


Top 5 Books I've Read in 2024

  1. James by Percival Everett
  2. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
  3. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
  4. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
  5. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Books I Didn't Finish in 2024

Below will be any books I started and didn't finish and the reason why. 
  1. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton 
    • I started on this one twice but I just couldn't get into the story. Nothing about it caught my attention. 
  2. Becky by Sarah May
    • I just didn't care about the characters or story. I bailed about 1/3 in. 

January 28, 2023

Books I Didn't Finish in 2023

Below will be any books I started and didn't finish and the reason why. 
  1. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
    • I was listening to this on audio and by part 3 I had no clue what was going on so I bailed. 
  2. Do They Know It's Christmas Yet by James Crookes
    • The narration was terrible on this one and it made it too distracting to continue listening
  3. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
    • I just couldn't get into the story which is an issue I have with a lot of classics. I thought listening to this one would help me get past it but no such luck.