The Reimagining of Thornwood House
by Jaleigh Johnson
A Feel Good Cozy Fantasy (5/18/2026)
Thornwood House is acting out. At the heart of the community of Iskendra, it has lost its caretaker and is in a mood. Enter Evie Sharpe to set things straight.
This story is a light, comforting read that explores numerous themes, including magic, family, community, and romance. After what I thought was a slow start with a plotline that took a little getting used to, I really enjoyed the pacing and narration in the second half of the story with an engaging ending.
While I think general audiences will enjoy this book, it will be those fans of romantic contemporary fantasy that will probably really relish this tale. There is a bit of mystery to several of the characters, which makes for a layer of tension on top of the story. The protagonist, Evie, is one that many people will be able to identify with as she navigates the many challenges she faces.
A fun read by a promising author.
The Take
by Kelly Yang
Crazy Premise, But an Entertaining Page-Turner (4/25/2026)
The Take by Kelly Yang starts with a relatively absurb premise but blossoms into a dramatic, character-driven story that had me riveted to the end. Maggie Wang is a young writer from humble beginnings who is willing to trade her youth and innocence for the chance to break into the publishing world. Ingrid Parker, fearing for her health, offers to trade her connections in the industry for Maggie's youth.
After a relatively brief slow start, I became enthralled by this story. The characters are well fleshed-out and I found the plot basis to be a fascinating, albeit unrealistic, premise driving this novel. Although framed by this trade of assets, the majority of the book addresses the film and book industries, the power plays and backstabbing that can be found in them, and how two people from notably different backgrounds can so firmly impact each others lives.
Anybody who enjoys a good character-driven page-turner will enjoy this novel. I look forward to future novels by this author.
Thistlemarsh
by Moorea Corrigan
A Faerie Story I Had Trouble Getting Into (3/19/2026)
Thistlemarsh presented a challenge for me. As a reader not familiar with faerie literature, I read this book to see if it would enchant me. In the end, the results were mixed at best.
Although I do think readers more familiar with the faerie genre might enjoy the story more, it was a book that I just couldn't get into, no matter how hard I tried. It did have its moments though. The ending was the best part of the story, and there were some touching subplots. I did find the protagonist to be a likeable character, and the author did a great job with descriptions of the setting.
While I appreciated the author's narrative style, I just had trouble getting into the story throughout the length of the book. Although the final quarter of the story made an admirable effort to draw me back in, I unfortunately ended the book with a notable lack of satisfaction.
The House of Hidden Letters
by Izzy Broom
Captivating Duel Timeline Novel Set on a Greek Island (2/24/2026)
Skye MacKinnon embarks on a new beginning on an exotic Greek island surrounded by an air of mystery that gradually reveals itself throughout the story. Things are not what they seem, and the reader slowly learns Skye's backstory and how she ends up in this setting.
Numerous subplots abound, but none are as fascinating as the dual timeline which includes a story taking place in the same location at the outbreak of WWII that has impacts to Skye's life in the modern day. With deft agility, the story switches back and forth between the two timelines, and it kept me on edge to see how the stories would intersect, and the payoff was definitely there in the end.
Izzy Broom has a narrating style that really draws the reader in, and I was hooked from the start of this story. I felt like I knew the many characters very well, and all of the various side plots integrated beautifully in this well-told story of relationships, community, moving on, and new beginnings. The Greek island setting only added to the story.
I can't wait to read more books by this author.
Stay for a Spell
by Amy Coombe
An Uplifting Fairy Tale for Adults (2/6/2026)
This is a feel-good story that is sure to resonate with booklovers everywhere. Royal Princess Tandy receives a curse forcing her to live in a bookstore for an extended period of time. What reader wouldn't love that?
This romantic fantasy book features an interesting cast of characters and great narration. The plot is fairly simple, and I must admit it did start to drag a bit, especially in the second half of the story. That doesn't take away from the overall story, which survives on great writing, inspiring vibes, and an overall guilty pleasure narration. Despite the slow pace, I enjoyed this book until the very end. The ending sums up the story nicely in good fairy tale fashion.
I loved many of the themes explored during this story. The search for personal identity, the ability to find happiness in unexpected places, and the importance of surprising friendships are all imagined throughout the story.
This book will be enjoyed by booklovers, lovers of light-themed stories, and romantics everywhere.
A Beautiful Loan: A Novel
by Mary Costello
A Great Piece of Literature (1/11/2026)
I was assigned to read this from a book club that I participate in. It wasn't a title or topic I would have normally selected on my own. That said, I'm very glad that I ended up with this book to read.
The book is presented in two parts. The first part really drew me in right away and really showcased the author's beautiful writing style. I really felt like I knew the characters well, and the book flowed very nicely. I was struggling to figure out which direction the book was heading in the second half, and it explored different topics, and was still a joy to read.
The book focuses on numerous life challenges for Anna, the protagonist, and takes place over twenty or so years. The author's descriptions of everything from love and sex to religion and family is rich and a pleasure to read. If I had any criticism of the novel, I would say that it ends rather suddenly without a definitive ending, which isn't always my favorite style. This is a minor criticism and it doesn't detract from the overall quality of this writing.
Overall, a great story, and I look forward to reading more from this promising author.
The Midnight Taxi
by Yosha Gunasekera
Entertaining Debut Novel by a Promising New Author (12/3/2025)
I didn't know what kind of book The Midnight Taxi was when I picked it up. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised.
Mixing genuine humor with serious tones involving racism, the plight of the working class, the criminal justice system, and other real societal issues, Yosha Gunasekera delivers a fresh mystery novel involving a Sri Lankan taxi driver that kept me engaged until the very end. With such serious topics being central to the story, it was surprising that not only thrills, but humor carries the story throughout the novel, and the ending was very unexpected. The author's description of all the boroughs and hidden places of New York City really added to the narrative. Her heroine's constant search for the perfect bodega food and her descriptions of life for working class immigrants were spot on and gave the story added color. The dialog was frequently laugh out loud witty, and her use of metaphors was very effective.
This is one of the most unique stories I have read in years and one of my best reads of 2025. I can't wait to read the next novel in what I hope becomes a series. This is an author to keep your eye on.
The Sister's Curse
by Nicola Solvinic
A Great Cross-Genre Thriller (8/11/2025)
The Sister's Curse is a great story that is hard to immediately categorize. Definitely a thriller, containing some hints of witchcraft and occult, and to some extent some Gothicism. This book will appeal to all fans of modern thrillers, but it does contain refreshing differences from the standard thriller formula.
Anna Koray is a police officer in Bayern County (specifically non-specific as to which state) with lots of baggage in her life. She balances the ethics of her position with the ghosts of her past. All contribute to the very unique story presented on these pages.
The story goes through many twists and turns, some quite unexpected, but wraps up very nicely at the end. Well-paced, the narrative kept me guessing and coming back for more. I found Anna to be a very complex and sympathetic.
The Possession of Alba Díaz
by Isabel Cañas
A Very Interesting Kind of Gothic Horror (5/23/2025)
The Possession of Alba Diaz is not the kind of book I would normally select.
But I'm glad I did.
It contains an interesting plot with surprises that held all the way until the very end. As a bonus, I learned quite a bit of new stuff in regards to history, chemistry, and geography. I spent a lot of time looking things up as I read only to discover things that I never knew before and were presented with accuracy as key plot elements.
The story is presented as a back and forth point of view between the two protagonists, and the author's use of this technique was quite effective.
I look forward to reading other stories by this author. She has me hooked!
Too Old for This
by Samantha Downing
A New Kind of Protagonist (3/30/2025)
Lottie Jones is in for a surprise. I won't give away the surprise, but you'll know what it is by the end of the first chapter.
Lottie is an anti-hero, one who does not fit the mold of a typical protagonist, but one you just can't help rooting for nonetheless. The novel consists of a series of cat-and-mouse games that keep you guessing from one to the next. I had a difficult time figuring out where the novel was going.
I had a hard time putting this novel down and looked forward to restarting my reading whenever I could, and for this reason, it ended up being a quick read for me. I've read uncountable thrillers and mysteries, and this one was unlike any I had read before. It kept me guessing all the way up to the very end. The story was very balanced by disturbing thoughts and actions along with dark humor.
