The Secret Thread by Eve Chase

August 14, 2026

The Secret Thread by Eve Chase

Seeking answers about her family, a young woman takes a job as assistant to a very famous designer to write the catalog for an auction of the designer's collectibles.

This was a good story, well written and interesting, except for one thing that didn't make sense. I found it impossible to believe that in the 21st century, a very famous, very wealthy person would hire an assistant off the street and not do a background check. Her other assistant is constantly online and on his phone and HE doesn't do a background check. It would have made more sense if the "big reveal" was the designer saying yes, she knew all along who the young woman was and was waiting for her to tell her who she was and why she was there. Every place I worked at from the 1990s on routinely did background checks before hiring anyone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Crocodilopolis by John Manuel Arias

August 9, 2026

Crocodilopolis by John Manuel Arias

Seth Oreamundo has hated his younger brother since he was born, first for taking his mother's ove and later for taking his career and home. Ten years after being exiled from his homeland, Seth devises what he considers to be just revenge for all that he has lost.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read this, but once I started, it sucked me in and I finished it in just a few days. This is one messed up family. Themes include revenge, toxic masculinity, corruption, mythology, brotherhood, rage, identity, and a family secret that is the root of all the evil in the family. The crocodiles in the river are the perfect metaphor for the Oreamundo family.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

American crocodile - can grow up to 20 feet long - hideous

Ice Vegas by Larry Niven and Stephen Barnes

August 3, 2026

Ice Vegas by Larry Niven and Stephen Barnes

A retired assassin comes out of retirement to stop a megalomaniac's quest for world domination.

DNF at 40%. Based on the synopsis, I was expecting a different book, more about an underground entertainment Mecca somewhere below Greenland and a detective trying to solve a final case. But this was mostly an internal monologue by a spy/assassin, pondering how she got where she is. The themes like world domination and the threats posed by technology seem like classic sci fi themes from the last half of the 20th century. Also, including an octopus in the story seemed like a rip-off of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

It's Not What You Think by Clare Macintosh

July 24, 2026

It's Not What You Think by Clare Macintosh

Nadeeka comes home from work to find the police at her house and her boyfriend dead on the floor. From the way he had been acting, she suspected that he had been seeing someone else and was planning to leave her. But the mystery only deepens as Nadeeka tries to piece together what her boyfriend had really been up to.

No. No, it wasn't. What I thought it was going to be.

It's the middle of summer, and I was expecting a juicy "is he cheating/isn't he cheating" thriller, with a host of suspects: the current girlfriend, the girlfriend's ex, the boyfriend's new side piece, the side piece's partner, the boyfriend's ex, the BFF, the jealous buddy, the creepy neighbor, etc. But this turned out to have heavy poitical/social themes. Not my thing at all, especially since it's a reflection of what is going on in the world today. There were a couple of twists but I saw both of them coming well in advance. 

I've read other books by this author and really enjoyed them. This one, not so much, although I'm sure it will appeal to many readers. Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Queenswood by Kathleen Schwab

July 16, 2026

Queenswood by Kathleen Schwab

Angus is the High Prince of the Faerie world, destined to become king. He is dismayed when a seer tells him he must find a bride among the mortals, since the fae bloodlines are so weak they are no longer able to produce heirs. Angus finds an acceptable bride in Rhiannon, a girl from a noble family destined to become a nun before he abducts her. But many of his courtiers and the fae are not accepting of his human queen and displeased with his choice, and they plot to take his throne.

This story isn't sure what it wants to be: is it historical fiction, a romantasy, a mythological epic? Adventure, fairy tale, coming of age story? There are also overtones of the Snow White story. I think the author tried to incorporate too many ideas into one book, when maybe she should have written one book about Angus and Rhiannon, and then a follow up book about Angus' struggles to hold onto his kingdom. The moral of the story is that the fae world is a dangerous place for both the fae and humans. Not terrible, but it certainly wandered around. Beautiful cover art. Will appeal to readers who are into atmospheric reads with heavy world building.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Valet by J. P. Lacrampe

June 26, 2026

Valet by J. P. Lacrampe

Cy is a VALET, an AI-controlled robot assigned to be the personal assistant to Grayson, the 35 year old son of the the owner of AI+, Cy's creator. Grayson grew up with Cy and Cy's current assignment is to find Grayson a wife or at least someone who will look after him so his family doesn't have to. This is harder than it sounds since Grayson is something of an oddball. The longer it takes, the lower Cy's success rating drops. If it falls below a certain level, not only will Cy not be eligible for an upgrade, he will be farmed out for parts. Worse yet, Grayson's sister Charlotte, the company CEO, is working on a deal to sell the family corporation to a competitor.

It's impossible to turn on the television or computer these days and not get bombarded with ads for AI, and generally speaking, it's pretty annoying (no, I don't need AI to write an email for me, summarize an article, or tell me how to invest). Set in the not-too-distant future, AI and robots haven't exactly taken over society but humans are dependent on them for everything. The takeover plot is silly and you know from the start that it's not going to work. You can't help but love Cy, who is devoted to his human "brother" Grayson and Grayson's dog, a golden retriever named Sasha III who is a clone of Grayson's childhood dog (non-spoiler alert: Sasha III is fine at the end of the book). The real question here is what makes us human and what makes us a family. I did want to slap Cy's friend Larry by the end of the book. Will appeal to readers who enjoy the quirky fiction of Kevin Wilson or Augusten Burroughs.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester

July 13, 2026

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester

After her parents are killed in a freak accident, 13 year old Aria is sent to California to live with her aunt, a former Golden Age actress who lives at the historic Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles. Aria soon discovers the seedy side of the hotel and Hollywood, and is determined to help the young starlets being abused by producers and studio executives.

A retelling of the Jane Eyre story set in Hollywood. But the real story here is the Hollywood studio system, where powerful men expected aspiring actresses to trade sexual favors for movie roles. Although the story here is set in the 1950s and 1960s, unfortunately these abuses continue to the present day as demonstrated by the Me Too movement. The ending was a little too saccharine and unbelievable for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review. 

Hotel Marmont, Los Angeles, CA

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C. L. Miller

May 26, 2026

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C. L. Miller

Following the death of her estranged mentor, a private antique dealer is invited to a weekend at a country home to value a collection of objects. But almost as soon as she arrives, she realizes that something is wrong, since all of the "antiques" appear to be cheap and obvious fakes.

DNF. I love a mystery set at an English country house (see the Heathcliff Lennox series by Karen Baugh Menuhin), so I thought this one would be a slam dunk based on the description. Country house? Art forgeries? A cast where everyone has something to hide? A goofy aunt? Sign me up.

But the characters turned out to be on the boring side and the writing was clunky - I found myself mentally correcting/improving the author's writing starting on the first page (the publisher needs to hire some editors). Even the cover was boring. Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Life: a Love Story by Elizabeth Berg

May 7, 2026

Life: a Love Story by Elizabeth Berg

Florence Greene is 92 years old and has just been told that she is terminally ill, with only a few months to live. Widowed and childless, Flo has always known that she will bequeath everything she has to Ruthie, who lived next door while she was growing up. Flo begins to write Ruthie a letter to tell her about some of the things that she saves over the years, things that wouldn't seem important to anyone else, and why. Along the way, Flo also has some life lessons to impart.

A feel-good read about life, friendship, relationships, and forgiveness, and about enjoying your life, even if it isn't perfect (especially when it isn't perfect). Flo's memories are written in sections of a long letter, explaining about the small things that made her life so wonderful, even if someone looking at her life from the outside might not think so, as well as the importance of paying attention to small things. Recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Librarians by Sherry Thomas

April 30, 2026

The Librarians by Sherry Thomas

When two of their patrons are murdered after a mystery game night, four librarians at a library in Austin, TX, are forced to band together to solve the crimes.

DNF at 25%. Being a librarian, I thought I was going to love this but it was disappointing, Characters have silly quirks but not for any specific reason (like one librarian talks with a Swedish accent but she's not Swedish and doesn't know Swedish). Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White

April 22, 2026

The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White

Anneke Van Helsing, daughter of famed vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, works as a consultant for the Amsterdam police. Using the latest forensic methods, she analyzes complicated crime scenes for clues the police may have missed or ignored. But Anneke's real goal is to find the mysterious woman she found standing over her father's body. As she traces the woman across Europe, she discovers a string of murders that appear linked to her father's murder.

More mystery than fantasy with a slow moving plot. The setting and the forensics were the best part, but the characters were lacking and mostly flat. The main character is supposed to be highly skilled in the latest forensic science but she makes decisions without any kind of planning or thought. Acted more like she was 15 than 25. The cover is beautiful - wish the story had measured up to the cover art. Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson

April 21, 2026

The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson

Cussy Mary Lovett, Kentucky pack horse librarian and one of the hereditary Blue People, and her husband Jackson have both been imprisoned for breaking the state's miscegenation laws. True to her nature, Cussy chooses to spread good at the prison and is appointed prison librarian, bringing hope to the hopeless women at the prison. All the while, she longs for her husband Jackson and her daughter Honey.

The third book by the author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. While there are parts that will warm your heart, there are also parts that will crush your soul. Themes include the power of books and literacy, family, home, and the need to belong. Possible triggers include racism, prejudice, incarceration, poverty, questionable and cruel medical practices, injustice against marginalized people mainly based on fear and ignorance, and abuse of women. The Kentucky Blue People are real and you can find pictures of them online. If you haven't read the two previous books, I'm extremely jealous and you should go read them right now. I love this series and I hope there will be more about Cussy and her family. Like the first book, this one makes me extremely proud to be a librarian. Highly recommended for readers of historical or literary fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

One of the Kentucky Blue People with his non-blue partner

Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler

March 28, 2026

Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler

Renata Bronstein lives in a Manhattan tenement with no particular goals other than finding a steady girlfriend, partying with her friends, and doing her best not to hold down a regular job. She sees ghosts, especially the ghosts of her friends who died of complications from AIDS. The only ghost she wants to see but never does is the ghost of her best friend and roommate Mark, who she didn't get a chance to say goodbye to.

A look at LGBTQ life in 1980s Manhattan, with the grief from losing friends far too young and the fear of AIDS lurking at every corner. The two main tropes are the AIDS crisis and Renata's ability to see ghosts, both of which have been done before and done better (see Lincoln in the Bardo about the dead being unable to rest; Angels in America, Borrowed Time, or And the Band Played On about AIDS in the 1980s). The ghostbusters here are not funny guys with slime guns but might be government contractors tasked with getting old, sick, poor, marginalized people out of their rent-controlled apartments so the areas can be gentrified. Possible triggers include addiction, violence against LGBTQ people, suicide, poverty, shame.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

New York LGBTQ club scene circa 1980

The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev AC Rosen

March 24, 2026

The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev AC Rosen

When hotel clerk Brandon falls in love (again) after a one-night stand with Jon, his new love ghosts him. Convinced that Jon is the man of his dreams, he persuades his three best friends to help him track down the new man. But when they witness a murder that Jon appears to be involved in, they realize that there is a lot more going on than just a guy who led Brandon on, and that they may be in way over their heads.

The strong sense of friendship was one of the most appealing things about this mystery. But the characters are all quirky just for the sake of being quirky, and the last half of the story was extremely repetitive (do we really need to read the exact same texts and get the exact same scene from four different POVs?). It took a long time to get to the solution. Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung

February 26, 2026

The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung

Korea 1950. Ellie Chang is an American reporter covering the recently begun Korean War, sent by her newspaper because she speaks both Japanese and Mandarin. As one of the few women journalists in Korea, she struggles to be included in press and military briefings. To get a story on the UN evacuation, she hitches a ride with an American pilot heading to the front lines in North Korea to pick up a load of wounded soldiers. On the way back to the American base, their plane is shot down by the Korean military. Mistaking Ellie for Chinese, they are about to shoot her when an unknown Korean woman intervenes and persuades them to let her take Ellie away, claiming that Ellie is her long-missing daughter.

I don't know about where you went to school, but the Korean War was largely skipped over in the U.S. history courses that I took. I think most of what Americans know about this war came from the TV series MASH. Like most wars, the people making the decisions didn't have to live with the consequences, like bombing North Korea for 90 days straight. Nothing is black and white in this story. Even among those that are supposed to be the enemy, Ellie finds kindness and help. If you enjoy historical fiction but are tired of reading about the world wars and the Holocaust, this is a different take on a different war. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, after UN forces fire bombed the city 

Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay

February 22, 2026

Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay

Thierry Villar is a tavern poet. University educated, he prefers to spend his nights in Orane's shadowy underworld, drinking, improvising poems, and associating the city's less savory citizens. One night as he slips out to commit a minor robbery, he is picked up by the city's provost, who require's Thierry's specific skill set for a specific job.

Not sure if this should be called historical fantasy or alternate history. In this fantasy of medieval France, there is a strong Game of Thrones vibe, with many characters, political machinations, high born/low born worlds, and frequent crossing and double-crossing. The Henry V character is a brutal jerk and he loses at Agincourt. The author also saves Joan of Arc (here called Jeannette of Broche). He develops his characters really well - even brief characters get a backstory, even if only a few sentences long. The most heart wrenching is the woman who takes Jeannette's place of the pyre after Jeannette's brothers spirit her away. Other readers have complained that this novel doesn't measure up to the author's other books, but this is the first book by the author that I've read, so I don't have anything to compare it to, and I enjoyed it. A good read for a winter afternoon, a good escape.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

February 8, 2026

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

Personal trainer Sarah Jones moves to Minneapolis where she quickly meets a group of women all named Sarah Jones. But when another woman named Sarah Jones is found murdered and a friend is suspected, Sarah the personal trainer finds herself involved with finding the killer. At the same time, FBI agent George Nightingale is trying to track down a con artist operating in the Minneapolis area.

One of the book's "quirks" was that a number of characters including the murder victim have the same name and were distinguished by their ages. I know a lot of readers found this cute and fun, but I thought it was just confusing. Two of the "Sarahs" played almost no role. 30 year old Sarah, the main narrator, was on the naive side and instantly bonded with everyone she met, especially the people who had the same name as her, even with a number of people telling her to be careful and less trusting. I was more interested in what happened to George's childhood friend who went missing. Cute cover. If you like mysteries with a lot of offbeat characters who are all over the place, this may appeal to you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake by Rachel Linden

February 6, 2026

The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake by Rachel Linden

Juliana Costa is an internet influencer, hosting a weekly cooking show where she cooks retro recipes. When her co-host moves to Los Angeles for a chance at network television, Jules finds herself pretty much out of a job. To make matters worse, she has a publishing contract to write a cookbook, and her publisher has rejected her initial submission. When her mother offers to pay her expenses so she can go work on her book at the family farm in Italy, Jules feels she has no choice but to accept. The only catch is, she has to take her teenaged half-sister with her.

I'm not really crazy about magical realism but I was looking for something kind of light. This is a quick if predictable read with a warm and fuzzy vibe that centers around a magical cookbook. The descriptions of Italy and the food are the best parts of the book. Themes include healing, depression and grief, family, and love lost and found.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Orange blossom cake - looks pretty yummy!

Upward Bound by Woody Brown

January 24, 2026

Upward Bound by Woody Brown

Upward Bound is a rundown daycare facility for young disable adults, not exactly a place where most people want to spend time. Walter is a nonverbal autistic adult who spends his days at the daycare center observing others. They are supervised by a group of disinterested caregivers waiting to return to college or to move on to something else, who organize activities for the attendees when they can be bothered to stop analyzing their favorite reality television shows.

A remarkable short novel by a nonverbal autistic writer. Written in interlocking chapters that form a narrative, each section focuses on a different client or employee at a daycare facility for adults with autism and other disabilities. A look at a set of experiences and a world that is hidden from most of us.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

When We Were Brilliant by Eve Cullen

January 24, 2026

When We Were Brilliant by Eve Cullen

In 1952, photographer Eve Arnold is approached by Marilyn Monroe, a rising starlet, to do a photo shoot that will portray who Marilyn really is, not just a platinum blonde sex kitten as male photographers show her. Little did Eve know that the chance meeting would lead to a partnership and a friendship that would last until the end of Marilyn's life.

Eve Arnold was a celebrated photojournalist who did photo stories mainly of women and children, but some of her best-known work were her photos of Marilyn Monroe, depicting Marilyn behind the scenes in non-studio settings. Eve's book about Marilyn, Marilyn Monroe: an Appreciation, was recently reprinted in a new edition. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy this fascinating portrait of a woman intimately connected to one of the most famous women of the 20th century.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

One of Eve Arnold's first photos of Marilyn Monroe