Book Review: The Perfect Hosts

📚 ARC Book Review: The Perfect Hosts

Heather Gudenkauf

🗓️ Publication Date: November 4, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: This slow-burn, twisty read was packed with secrets and drama! The author’s gift for building tension shines once again.. I really enjoy her writing! The explosive gender reveal premise hooked me from the start (so over the top!) and the ending delivered some great surprises. Another solid read from a favourite author!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing |  Park Row via netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚Goodreads Synopsis: Is it a boy or a girl? They would die to know…

Madeline and Wes Drake have invited two hundred of their closest friends and family to their sprawling horse ranch for the most anticipated event of the year: a “pistols and pearls” gender reveal party so sensational it is sure to make headlines. But the party descends into chaos when the celebratory explosive misfires, leaving one woman dead and a trail of secrets.

As the aftershocks of the bloody party ripple across the small town, Agent Jamie Saldano is brought on the scene to investigate. Battling his own demons from the past, Saldano unearths a web of deceit spun around the Drakes. The appearance of some unexpected houseguests only deepens the mystery. And as tensions mount, it becomes clear that the explosion wasn’t just an unlucky accident. But who was the target, and why? As the shadow of a killer looms, the happy parents-to-be must unravel the truth before it’s too late.

Book Review: Big Nick Energy

📚 Book Review: Big Nick Energy

Kristen Bailey

🗓️ Publication Date: October 21, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: Kristen Bailey’s holiday novels never miss! She’s truly a queen of cozy chaos and Christmassy charm! I loved the triangle of Kay juggling two Nicks with each having their moments and Kay working through her own journey of self discovery. I ADORED the IT gang cameo, and all in all, the story was just as cozy as it was hilarious. Her writing style is full of warmth and wit, and her Christmas books always put me right in the holiday spirit. A fun, feel-good read (even if we've got a couple months before the tree goes up!)

Thank you to Storm Publishing via netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚Goodreads Synopsis: One woman, two Nicks, and a Christmas season that’s about to get very complicated.

When librarian Kay bumps into her ex-boyfriend Nick at a Christmas market, she thinks fate is finally giving her a second chance with her first big love. But then she gets spectacularly tangled in a Christmas tree-netting machine and meets another Nick entirely. One who cuts her free, dresses her wounds, and makes her pulse race in ways that thoroughly confuse her.

Finance Nick is successful, settled, and ready to talk five-year plans. Farmer Nick makes handcrafted furniture, supports local charities, and sees the creative spirit Kay has kept hidden behind her library desk. But how is a girl to choose?

Soon she’s spending her days delivering books to children’s hospitals and care homes with farmer Nick, before dashing home to whip off her reindeer onesie and glam up for romantic dates at the ballet with finance Nick.

But the countdown to Christmas is on, and Kay can’t keep this up forever. Somehow she must navigate London’s most complicated love triangle, avoid getting any more pine needles stuck in her hair – and work out once and for all which Nick has her heart.

All the Things we Never Knew

📚 Book Review: All the Things we Never Knew

Sophie Ranald

🗓️ Publication Date: October 3, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: A heartfelt story of grief, betrayal, and unexpected connections. The story wove the pain of loss, while revealing difficult truths within the family with honesty and care. I enjoyed the writing style and while the pace was often full of heavy emotions, it mixed heartbreak and hope in a way that stays with you. A moving and thoughtful read! If you love family drama, this one's for you!

Thank you to Storm Publishing via Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚Goodreads Synopsis: A marriage built on secrets. A family torn apart. A love that could heal them all.

When Anna Graham finds diamond earrings in her husband’s drawer the day before Valentine’s Day, she knows they’re not for her – her ears aren’t even pierced. Gray is having an affair – but before she can confront him about his betrayal, he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis that shatters their family.

As Gray lies dying in their Damask Square home, Anna meets Laurel – the nurse who stole her husband’s heart. Despite her rage, Anna finds herself sharing Gray’s final days with this other woman, both desperate to ease his suffering while drowning in their own grief.

But hidden in their loft, Anna discovers traces of a stranger – a boy who was a gifted pianist, who had a different life before he became her husband. As she struggles to hold herself together for her teenage children, Anna realises everything she believed about Gray was built on carefully constructed lies.

Can two women who loved the same man find a way to heal – and help each other discover who Gray really was?

Book Review: Love Walked In

📚 Book Review: Love Walked In

Sarah Chamberlain

🗓️ Publication Date: Sept 2, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: This was a cozy, bookish romance with all the makings of a well done opposites-attract story. I enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, especially with the witty banter and the slow-burn shift from tension to affection. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at bringing the old bookshop back to life and felt that the added family elements gave the story extra heart and depth. A charming, feel-good read perfect for anyone who loves books, romance, and second chances!

Thank you to St Martin's Press | Griffin via netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚Goodreads Synopsis: He has a struggling bookshop. She has a knack for bringing bookstores back to life. As soon as she walks into his store, all bets are off… 

Mari Cole’s whole life is her dream rescuing and revitalizing indie bookstores. Friendship? Love? No thanks. After a hard childhood, she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone. Besides, books have never let Mari down the way people have.Then she gets the offer of a rescuing Ross & Co. Once the most prestigious independent booksellers in London, the store is a shadow of its former self and needs an expert outsider to turn things around. But the offer turns out to be a double-edged Leo Ross, the store's new owner, is as cold and hostile as the British winter.

For as long as he can remember, Leo Ross has known his future is becoming the next generation to run Ross and Co. He’s sacrificed almost everything he cares about, but the bookshop is still failing on his watch, and now there's an obnoxiously cheerful American woman convinced that she's going to magically make everything better. Leo’s life is difficult and messy enough as it is, and he doesn’t want her help.

When Mari and Leo are forced to work closely together to bring the store back to life, Leo's icy surface thaws to reveal the passionate man underneath. As the cold winter gives way to the possibility of new beginnings, Mari begins to see that true love could be even better in real life than in the pages of a book. Can they put their pasts aside and learn to let love in?

Book Review: Snowflakes over Starr's Fall

📚 Book Review: Snowflakes over Starr's Fall 

Kate Hewitt

🗓️ Publication Date: August17, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: I adore Starr's Fall! This is a cozy small-town romance with just the right touch of holiday magic. I really enjoy the author’s warm, engaging writing style—it made the snowy Starr’s Fall setting sparkle on the page! Jenna and Jack’s opposites-attract banter was fun to watch unfold, and though it's still summer here, the cozy winter wonderland brought such a festive charm to the story. A sweet, heartwarming read that feels like a cup of cocoa by the fire!

Thank you to Boldwood Books via netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚Goodreads Synopsis: Jenna has lived in Starr’s Fall for most of her life, and has run the general store for over ten years. Secretly she might dream of love and romance, but she’s happy as she is. Really.

That is, until Starr’s Fall’s newest resident—ex-New Yorker, millionaire investment banker—Jack Wexler breezes into Jenna’s store, seemingly furious they don’t stock smoked salmon. Jenna is as amused as she is annoyed. Who is this ridiculous guy, and doesn’t he realize he’s not in Manhattan anymore?

Jack meanwhile can’t believe he lost it in public. But ever since being forced to leave his high-flying career to focus on his health, he’s not been himself. What’s more, the last person he’d expected to be attracted to is the shrew of a storekeeper he’s just encountered… which he might have called Jenna, in a moment of temper…

Neither of Jenna or Jack’s ideal of romance includes these sorts of furious sparks flying. But when they’re both roped in to organizing the town’s Winter Wonderland parade, they’re forced to work together. And as Christmas approaches – will two opposites merely attract? Or, in magical Starr’s Fall, could they fall in love for keeps?

Book Review: what She Left Behind

📚 Book Review: What She Left Behind

Brianne Sommerville

🗓️ Publication Date: August 12, 2025 - Out Now!

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚 My Review: This was the first book I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed their writing style. The pacing kept me engaged, and I especially liked the unique diary entry format which gave the story a fresh, layered feel. I also had fun recognizing some of the city references that were woven into the narrative, which made the setting feel more real. I enjoyed the mystery itself, and the character dynamics kept me turning the pages. A solid, compelling read that makes me curious to check out her first book! Add this one to your list if you like slow burn mysteries!

Thank you to Rising Action Publishing via netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚Goodreads Synopsis: In a home where the past lives on, can the truth ever really be buried?

Recently fired and adrift, Charlotte Boyd agrees to oversee renovations on her parents’ small-town summer home that holds a tragic past. After discovering an enthralling diary hidden amidst junk the previous owners left behind, Charlotte connects with the author—a troubled teen named Lark Peters who died by suicide at the house sixteen years ago. 

When an unsettling incident forces Charlotte to seek refuge at the local pub, regulars, including the police, warn her of Lark’s older brother, Darryl, who has become a recluse since Lark’s death, and may know more than he’s letting on. But Charlotte sees a side of Darryl others don’t, being an outsider herself. 

In a search to uncover the truth, Charlotte must question those closest to Lark and reconcile her own past trauma. Because if Lark was actually murdered, then whoever is responsible might be lurking in Charlotte’s own backyard.

Book Review: Who We Used to Be

📚 Book Review: Who we Used to Be

Caitlin Weaver

🗓️ Publication Date: July 29, 2025

📚 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

📚 My Review: This is a novel exploring grief, friendship, and learning to take back control of your life. Dana’s journey, from letting others lead to finding her own strength, is honest and compelling. Her friendship with Padma is the heart of the story: deep, messy, and deeply human. Watching it crack under pressure was heartbreaking but so believable and real.

Ian and Meave’s paths to self-discovery added another interesting layer to the story. The pacing is just right, and the writing style drew me in from the very first page. A thoughtful, emotional read that stays with you.

Thank you to Storm Publishing via netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📚Goodreads Synopsis: Dana Blair has spent her life letting others take the wheel, from her relationship with her husband to her business. Now, with her marriage unraveling, her son in crisis and her career on the verge of collapse, Dana is left wondering whether she ever really had control of anything at all.

Padma Paulsen is the a brilliant, fiercely driven ER doctor who’s given her all to her career. Her friendship with Dana has been the one constant in her high-pressure life.

But then a tragedy on Padma’s watch leaves Dana’s daughter in critical condition and their bond in tatters.

As Dana fights for justice for her daughter, grief turns to blame. Soon she’s forced to make a decision that could either save her family or destroy the most important friendship of her life.