It is September 16, 2001, and a cruise to Bermuda (hey, I’m on a cruise as I type this, but notARC for review. To be published March 10, 2026.
4 stars
It is September 16, 2001, and a cruise to Bermuda (hey, I’m on a cruise as I type this, but not to Bermuda) that was supposed to leave from NYC is headed out from Boston instead. Onboard are: Franny, a daughter who is determined to properly host her mother’s chitsan, her seventieth birthday, a milestone in Korean families. She and her husband are fronting the celebration for her down at the heels brother and his girlfriend. Franny isn’t close to her mother and everything seems to go wrong.
Doug is an older, has-been actor, whose last major role was on a nighttime soap set on the very boating which they are sailing (think “Love Boat”/Pacific Princess, and how amazing/sad is it that the name of that ship is still etched in my mind after all of these years? Charo would be proud!) The eternal bachelor Doug has brought his nephew, Ethan as his plus one as he performs (constantly. He really needs to have his agent review his contracts more carefully) on a reunion/nostalgia tour for the series alongside two of his former costars.
Lucy is the only black, female graduate in her major at MIT, and she’s as solid as they come, so it’s a shock to all when she takes off on a cruise with her roommate whom she does not know well. It’s interview season and she’s nervous about all these tech companies that are hiring, especially one her mentor is excited about that has a funny name.
The book is interesting. Its blurb says it isn’t a 9/11 book but I beg to differ, and I think it was well done. The three primary characters and the main supporting ones are presented very well and the drama is all solid and quite believable. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended. ...more
ARC for review. To be published April 7, 2026 (how is it possible that this is a date that is already in our sights?)
3 stars
Caroline Neumann is 24 andARC for review. To be published April 7, 2026 (how is it possible that this is a date that is already in our sights?)
3 stars
Caroline Neumann is 24 and married to therapist husband Harry. She’s been hustling to make it as a Hollywood writer for years and has never quite gotten there; now Harry’s suggesting children and Caroline doesn’t even know if she wants them at all, let alone now.
The Caroline learns about The Teacher, a patient of Harry’s and she finds some notes about her she thinks she can build something around…she she creates a potential TV series around her and has to go deeper and deeper to flesh out the character, and to keep it all a secret.
The story was cute. I learned that as much as the work kind of appeals to me (younger me) I don’t believe I have the cojones to be a Hollywood writer…too much rejection for terrible reasons (though this affirms the reason(s) I watch almost no television.) Some, though. I’m no hater. And I’ve been known to watch and enjoy some absolute garbage, too. So, anyway, this was a pleasant way to spend a few hours learning more about the hideous process that goes in to making the sausage. ...more
Well, that’s it. I’m officially old. I hated everyone in this book. They all needed to wash tARC for review. To be published November 4, 2025.
2 stars
Well, that’s it. I’m officially old. I hated everyone in this book. They all needed to wash their faces, get themselves together and accomplish something. ...more
A group of thirteen stories, all previously published in print or online. I thought I would rARC for review. To be published October 14, 2025.
3 stars
A group of thirteen stories, all previously published in print or online. I thought I would really like this, but if I’m being honest I found most of the stories underwhelming, even the one about the incel guy. A number of them look back at old crimes, and the one I was most looking forward to, yes, even more than super incel man, about why people like John Ramsey and Gabby Petito’s parents would go to CrimeCons, didn’t dive deep enough. So, it was OK, but I didn’t love it. ...more
Simeon Link’s husband has died and he is caught in a horrible grief spiral. He comes across an ARC for review. To be published March 24, 2025.
3 stars
Simeon Link’s husband has died and he is caught in a horrible grief spiral. He comes across an unusual grief support group called the Wretches and hopes they will be able to offer solace. They introduce the possibility that he could have one, final contact with his beloved.
So, is Eric LaRocca under some sort of blood oath contractural provision to put out a novel every month? I JUST read a new book from him (WE ARE ALWAYS TENDER WITH OUR DEAD, releasing September 9, 2025, and now, another? Maybe slow that roll (I don’t even know what that means) and focus on quality. . I liked this book better than TENDER, but neither is as good as the book before both, AT DARK, I BECOME LOATHSOME.
And I get that this is LaRocca and all, but, um, love is not sex, right? ...more
ARC for review. To be published November 11, 2025.
3.5 stars.
Lucy Gardiner started dancing as a young girl and excelled, winning a major juniors compARC for review. To be published November 11, 2025.
3.5 stars.
Lucy Gardiner started dancing as a young girl and excelled, winning a major juniors competition at age 12. Soon after she was cast on a dance reality show opposite judge Bruise, a famous pop singer.
Bruise becomes enthralled with Lucy and convinces her to leave the show to become Bruise’s full time muse (a rhyme.). Lucy grows up fast in Hollywood and becomes generally estranged from her decidedly odd family. She also learns that most shiny things don’t last.
So, the plot is basically ripped from “Dance Moms,” up to and including star Maddie becoming Sia’s muse. I really enjoy the trashy drama of it all, though, so I was fine with that, plus there’s some nice stuff with her oldest brother. A lot of the supports characters are strong, and it’s nice to see Lucy acting just like a young girl would…she’s left to her own devices and doesn’t know anything about anything, so of course she’s not going to make the best choices. Who would, in her situation?
This is a debut, so I’m interested to see where this author goes next, when she has to plot the whole thing herself. I would definitely read her again....more
D.’s friend Lamb drops off his things at their new shared apartment…and then he disappears. Now as is lARC for review. Published June 3, 2025.
3 stars
D.’s friend Lamb drops off his things at their new shared apartment…and then he disappears. Now as is looking through Lamb’s belongings some time later and has found his journals which remind him of his enigmatic friend.
This is a debut novel and it shows, but there is real promise here. Your heart will break a little for Lamb, over and over again. ...more
Lydia Moffatt takes her two year old daughter Annie to a ballet class and Annie is hooked. LydiaARC for review. To be published July 28, 2025.
3 stars
Lydia Moffatt takes her two year old daughter Annie to a ballet class and Annie is hooked. Lydia becomes a dance mom, along with all that entails as Annie becomes absorbed in the world of competitive dance.
This book is a bit hard to fully describe because about half to three quarters of the way through two more plots come up, so there’s a fair amount of meandering around. I enjoyed the book overall, though. ...more
When Josh Finley was a child he was abducted by the pedophile Michael Traynor. After nineteen days JoARC for review. Published May 16, 2025.
3 stars.
When Josh Finley was a child he was abducted by the pedophile Michael Traynor. After nineteen days Josh escaped and Taylor was caught and prosecuted. Josh remembers seeing the dead body of another of Traynor’s victims while he was being held in the house.
Now Traynor is nearing a possible release date and an FBI agent named John, Rodriguez needs Josh’s help because Traynor says he’s willing to talk, but will only speak to Josh.
What might have been your typical serial killer story swerves into horror. Characters were pretty good, but the story was just OK; it’s pretty telling that I just finished this on the 6th, and now it’s the 10th and I’m struggling to remember what happened. ...more
Midi is 14 and in the last year her body has changed in all kinds of ways. Now she’s going toARC for review. To be published January 13, 2026.
3 stars
Midi is 14 and in the last year her body has changed in all kinds of ways. Now she’s going to have to be a bridesmaid in both her brother’s and sister’s weddings, and her brother’s includes her nemesis Toxic Tiffany, She does NOT have a body built for bridesmaid dresses, but, of course, Tiffany does! Can she survive all these weddings and dresses?
ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET can rest easy, but this was a simple little book covering both body issues and religion. ...more
I don’t know that I should have expected anything other than a five star short story experience from DrARC for review. Published July 1, 2025.
5 stars
I don’t know that I should have expected anything other than a five star short story experience from Dr. Verghese. This Amazon short (I know there are many, MANY problems with Amazon, but I do love these short story bundle from great writers they put out.) this wonderful story is about a family of three Indian Americans, a father, a surgeon, a mother, who stays at home, and a son, a teenager who loves tennis and thinks he could make a go of it but also feel pressure from his mother to become a surgeon like his dad. A heartbreaking but ultimately beautiful story. ...more
This is a reissued book, first out in 2020. Fifteen gothic folk tales, I believe four of them ARC for review. To be published October 7, 2025.
3 stars
This is a reissued book, first out in 2020. Fifteen gothic folk tales, I believe four of them are new, but if you’ve already read the book the first time around, unless you loved it so much your eyeballs fell out I wouldn’t buy the book just for the new stories…they definitely aren’t carbon copies of each other, but there’s a bit of a sameness running through them. That said, all were imaginative and lots of people will enjoy them. ...more
Liv Montgomery is an aspiring writer who is invited, for no real reason as far as I can see, on ARC for review. To be published July 22, 2025.
2 stars
Liv Montgomery is an aspiring writer who is invited, for no real reason as far as I can see, on a writing retreat at the Nyx resort in the Catskills. Just before she leaves her ex is killed and Liv is a suspect (why does autocorrect keep wanting to capitalize “LIV”? Is it that LIV golf thing which is no more, right? My golf loving husband boycotted that. But I digress.)
Liv’s current boyfriend (and brother of one of her long time enemies) shows up as well as pretty much everyone from Liv’s past (yep, the sister.) No one ever evolves past being a mean girl, I guess.
This is all really dumb. And the fact that all these idiots fall for….SPOILER!…..is even dumber....more
ARC for review. To be published September 16, 2025.
3 stars
Henry Hotard is a young man who lives just off the Takoda Indian Reservation, and it was hiARC for review. To be published September 16, 2025.
3 stars
Henry Hotard is a young man who lives just off the Takoda Indian Reservation, and it was his original home: vHe now lives with his girlfriend, Jade. He, Jade and his best friend, Toad were getting some traction on Henry’s ghost hunting You Tube channel when a terrible incident occurred. Now Henry lives with his grandparents (the fabulous Pawpaw Mac and Mawmaw Tilly) caring for him. I just realized that there’s never information about what Henry does for money.
Anyway, Henry believes that he is being haunted and that it stems from an old tale and from an old superstition about whistling at night.
Apparently Medina writes quite a bit about Natuve American characters, but, actually, there’s not a lot of NA content here, other than the proximity of the reservation and my assumption that, at least, Henry, Pawpaw and Mawmaw are members of the tribe. The horror story is very scattered, but overall I liked the book....more
ARC for review. To be published November 13, 2025.
4 stars
On July 29, 2018, American cyclists Lauren Geoghagen and Jay Austin were murdered along withARC for review. To be published November 13, 2025.
4 stars
On July 29, 2018, American cyclists Lauren Geoghagen and Jay Austin were murdered along with two other cyclists by five ISID terrorists in the mountains of Tajikistan. This book tells the story of the two 29 year old Georgetown graduates who decided to quit their jobs and cycle around the world (which sounds pretty miserable, even pre-death.)
This ARC was riddled with misspellings and errors (including reference to “Keith” Ledger) which made it a bit frustrating to read…I know these aren’t meant to be perfect, and so font expect that, but, Geez. It was also a bit repetitive, biting to same statistics multiple times. However, since either I missed this story in 2028 or have completely forgotten about it, this was incredibly interesting to me. So, despite the errors and assuming all is cleared up for publication, strong four stars. ...more
ARC for review. To be published February 17, 2026.
4 stars
Drew once one a writing contest and that win lives in his head. Now he, wife Peggy and son SARC for review. To be published February 17, 2026.
4 stars
Drew once one a writing contest and that win lives in his head. Now he, wife Peggy and son Samson live a subsistence life on a ramshackle house boot in a canal near Cairo, Illinois. Samson is a scholarship student at a local school where he is bullied relentlessly. Both Peggy and Samson dream of breaking free while Drew gaslights Peggy and emotionally terrorizes the family.
I loved Dean’s THE CHAMBER and the book led me to choosing this one. It was second novel in a row involving spousal abuse, which is a bit much, but this one was far better than the last. This was tough to read at various times, but a good book. Unlike in my last book, I understand (to a point) why Peggy feels like she cannot leave her marriage. A reader feels the claustrophobia she and Sam must live with.
Oh, one quibble. I’ve said this before. British/European writers who want to write books set in America, that will have a large American audience, should really consider having an American read the book before it goes to press! Americans don’t worry about “bailiffs” coming to the door, or dress out in football “kit,” and you know we’re not talking about the same game? It’s the little things! ...more
ARC for review. To be published September 16, 2025.
DNF at 52%
Just, no. Five women with liars as husbands (mostly) and/or abusers and some of the womeARC for review. To be published September 16, 2025.
DNF at 52%
Just, no. Five women with liars as husbands (mostly) and/or abusers and some of the women are liars themselves. It’s 2025, people. Can’t we do better? In a bad marriage? GTFO? I know that’s oversimplifying for some, but not for the ladies of Hawthorne Lane. Ugh. ...more
