Henry Tudor Must Die
by Jillian Laine
What if Henry VIII didn't have all the power? (5/12/2026)
I had such a fun time reading this book!
If you like the Tudor era, are fascinated by Anne Boleyn or any of Henry VII's wives and their plight, I highly recommend picking this up! This won't give you any additional history that you didn't know, but it will give you some really fun alternate history surrounding Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr (that is a lot of K/Catherine's). Imagine if Henry did not have the power, if a group of fierce, determined women were working behind the scenes to make sure the women Henry tried to rid himself of were saved from their fate!
I loved this book, it was well written, well plotted, and got me right back into my obsession with the Tudor women. I am truly excited to see what this author does next, and I hope we see some more historical fiction from her very soon!
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and BookBrowse for the advanced e-copy.
Summer's Never Over
by Darby Bozeman
Summer camp thriller (4/29/2026)
The hook for this one is a summer camp with a murder mystery. While I did enjoy this book, it did drag for me at times, and it read a little young-ish. Being in Greer's head the entire book was a little repetitive, and I would have loved another perspective. I would also have loved a little more focus on the camp itself and Greer's mom as a more developed character. I was very confused as to why a summer camp would demand so much media attention and attract such a high-end clientele. The twists were many, and some were a bit surprising. However, the end didn't land for me as I had hoped. I do think this author did a good job and has promise, so I hope to read something else from her in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, BookBrowse, and Berkley for the advance e-book!
Feast
by Catherine Kurtz
Enchanting story of a girl coming into her own (4/11/2026)
4.5 stars
This book completely enchanted me. It was very much like reading a fairy tale, and while at times, I worried that Minha would never get a happy ending, I am happy to report that we do end the book on a hopeful note. Minha dealt with so many struggles throughout her story. We meet her at her birth and travel with her through dual timelines. We learn the story of how she grew up and how she ended up at a gorgeous chateau in France as a poison-taster for royalty. She encounters racism, bullying, and hatred, among other difficulties. Be aware that this book contains some fairly dark themes. However, they are never too graphic, which I appreciated in this unique novel.
The most vivid aspect of this novel was the food writing. Don't read this when you're hungry! I don't believe I have ever read a book like this, and I am excited to read this author again.
Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley, and Book Browse for the advanced e-copy.
The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives
by Elizabeth Arnott
Solid mystery set in the 60's (12/24/2025)
This novel was unexpected! Three friends in 1960's California bond over their shared past of each being married to serial killers. While each woman's story is threaded throughout the current timeline, we follow them as they work to catch a new serial killer threatening the women in their town and their own stability.
Beverly, Elsie, and Margot seemed hard to distinguish at first, but Arnott unwound each character and established them as their own individuals the further I read. There were some excellent passages in this novel, and the writing was propulsive. The mystery was solid, even if there were some far-fetched ideas that these three clung to, and I was hoping that they wouldn't turn out to be the actual resolution. What really happened in the last 15 of the book was very surprising, and I never imagined who the culprit ended up being.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to seeing what Arnott brings us next!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing and BookBrowse for the advanced reader e-book.
The Wilderness: A Novel
by Angela Flournoy
Life is better lived with best friends (11/5/2025)
I really enjoyed this novel! The structure is set up more like vignettes that take the reader through the different character's experiences ranging from their 20's into middle age. These characters experiences are told in gorgeous, literary prose. Flournoy includes so many different aspects of life including class, race, motherhood, aging, familial relationships, friendship and politics. This book spans into 2027 which was quite interesting.
I wish this book had been a little longer so we could find out some of the character's later stories and possibly some reconciliations, but as it is, I enjoyed it very much. The last section and the end were tough. This is not an easy read much of the time, but the way these friends continue to stay together and support each other makes for a beautiful story.
The Sister's Curse
by Nicola Solvinic
Another great installment! (7/30/2025)
I was so excited to get an ARC of this book by Nicola Solvinic and to find out that it was the second installment where we follow our MC, Lt. Anna Koray. I read The Hunter's Daughter earlier this year after hearing several people rave about it. I loved The Hunter's Daughter - top notch police procedural! So, diving back into Anna's world and tagging along with her on her next case was very exciting!
The Sister's Curse follows Anna as she investigates the cold case of a missing girl in Bayern County and the ties that some local 'kings' of the county might have to the case. That is really skimming the surface, but it is much more satisfying to take the time to let the story unravel as you read it. I love Solvinic's writing and the way she crafts her stories. She does an excellent job of weaving magical realism, folk tales, beautiful nature writing, and gritty suspense all together into a propulsive novel. In this book, we learn about a water spirit, but that is all I will say! I loved this book, and am eagerly awaiting the next book that Solvinic writes!
The Bone Thief
by Vanessa Lillie
Highly anticipated! (7/6/2025)
3.5 stars rounded up
This book was one of my highly anticipated novels for 2025, and I was so happy to receive an advanced reader copy via BookBrowse and Berkley/NetGalley.
Blood Sisters was an excellent reading experience for me, and The Bone Thief was very good, but I still loved Blood Sisters even more. We join our MC Syd Walker, archaeologist with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as she delves into another mystery involving a missing girl, and stolen bones on the Narragansett tribal land in Rhode Island. The mystery is detailed, twisty and involves a lot of characters.
I did love how the story unfolded, but I admit at times I got confused about what was going on as some events were happening quickly and not completely fleshed out.
There is no doubt I will continue to read anything Lillie writes and hope to continue following Syd and all her friends and family in their adventures.
L.A. Women
by Ella Berman
Gritty portrait of friendship in mid-century LA (4/8/2025)
Wow, I would never have picked this up if it weren't for BookBrowse! This story about two L.A. women circling around each other throughout the 60s and 70s brought me right into the heart of L.A. in those times. The gritty nature of the party scene, rich people behaving not so well, the culture of being constantly surrounded by beautiful, famous people.
Throughout the years of their on-again/off-again friendship, Lane and Gala revolve around each other in ways that are not healthy for either of them. Lane is traumatized from her horrible childhood and struggling with knowing what she wants in life. She is a successful author, but can not figure out how to love. Gala is a wild card, the party girl of L.A. who knows everyone and in love with one of the most famous lead singers of the era. Gala knows what love is, but what will she do to keep it?
I said this was gritty and it is. It feels hazy, dark, and ethereal at times. I just loved the feeling the book evoked and could not put it down until I knew what became of Lane and Gala.
Delicate Condition
by Danielle Valentine
Creepy but too long (8/4/2023)
Thanks to Book Browse and Sourcebooks for the ARC copy of this book.
I was really excited to read this book and I think it had a decent premise. There were some creepy suspenseful scenes, and most of the time I was left wondering what the heck was going on and who was the real culprit.
Unfortunately for me, it just dragged on too long and I felt like it was very repetitive and over the top in the writing. Some of this could have changed in the final copy, but I clocked quite a few repetitive phrases such as "the hair stood up on the back of my neck", "I couldn't breathe", etc. I will admit though that I had no clue that it was going to end the way it did, and it did wrap up the story quite neatly.
The author's views on the medical establishment are obvious throughout the book, and I can't say I don't disagree with much of it. Overall, I think the melodramatic writing style just wasn't for me, but I'm sure a lot of people will really enjoy this book and relate to all the pregnancy realities that it tries to highlight.
