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#BookReview: Lie In The Bay by Holly Danvers

Strong Yet Short Neighborhood Mystery. Fans of the whole “entire neighborhood has secrets that impact each other” subgenre, I have a book for you. Even if you don’t think you’re into that thing… this is still a strong mystery that you’re going to want to try out.

Danvers manages to pack quite a tale into less than 250 pages, making this a great short read for those looking to not turn as pink as the cover of this book while reading it poolside or beach side during the summer. Told from multiple perspectives, Danvers does a solid job of making each feel distinct enough from the others that it is fairly easy to track who’s head we’re in at any given point, at least for those readers who don’t find doing this at all taxing to near impossible. Danvers even manages to illuminate some far too common “real world” issues these days in ways that never feel preachy yet also show the “real world” complications of these actions.

Truly a great, short, mystery read that will thrill fans of the genre and raise the heartrate of nearly anyone, particularly given its different sequences here.

Very much recommended.

This review of Lie In The Bay by Holly Danvers was originally written on May 22, 2026.

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#BookReview: The Hardest Longest Race by Eric Moskowitz

Detailed Yet Approachable History of Historic And Even Monumental Event That Is Virtually Unknown. This is exactly the kind of detailed history relying on personal investigation using archived newspapers and similar materials you would expect from an investigative journalist of prior eras. Filled with exactingly precise details and dispelling many myths that arose from both culture and corporate propaganda, this is the kind of history that needs to be written about far more subjects, particularly unknown topics such as this that really did come to shape so much of American culture.

Specifically, a rising yet nowhere near as prominent as he would become Henry Ford and the lengths he went to in order to claim victory in the very first true intercontinental automobile race from New York to Seattle, in an era when most highways were proto-asphalt (macadam) at best and just as likely to be true dirt roads – decades before the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways that moves literally tens of millions of Americans daily, particularly on holiday weekends such as the beginning of Memorial Day weekend as I write this review.

Told in a style reminiscent of both historian and race announcer, this tale is an engaging look at an event that even I had never heard of before, and I’ve literally won an award (long ago) for my knowledge of American history. (No, not just trivia night at a bar. An actual academic award.) Moskowitz does a truly great job of detailing the event and brief yet relevant biographies of the key people within it, and the almost “Return Of The King” epilogue (nowhere *near* that long) does a great job ala a Fallout game of coming back to each of the key players and detailing what happened in their lives after this race.

Oh, and it has a decent bibliography, clocking in at 17% or so – and it is made crystal clear that a more detailed bibliography, citing every individual article found and referenced, would be much, much longer.

Anyone interested in American history of the 2oth century at all, particularly those looking for the lesser known tales outside of the various wars, should absolutely look to this very well done tale.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Hardest Longest Race by Eric Moskowitz was originally written on May 22, 2026.

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#BookReview: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

Less Thriller, More Up Meets Anne Of Greene Gables Meets Lizzie Borden. Wow. So much to say about the book, but its impact really is about that ending, and thus all I can really say *there* is that it really is quite impactful and extremely well done.

One of the most important things I can tell you though is exactly what I said in the title. This is not your typical dark mystery/ thriller, even with the body count it has. This is much more a lighthearted ish psychological drama with a lot of depth. The Up elements are even in the description of the book, but are very well done. The Anne of Green Gables and Lizzie Borden elements – and to be clear, I’m mostly familiar with those stories themselves due to my wife being a fan of them, so please don’t crucify me on exact details here – also work quite well and between the three you really get an interesting blend of a story that I don’t think I’ve ever seen done quite this way.

There are a lot of things within this tale that various people will find disturbing, perhaps disturbing enough to want to defenestrate the book over, perhaps from the highest location available. Don’t. Keep going. Because even those elements are here to serve a purpose in this story, and it is a story that needs to be seen and understood.

No, perhaps the greatest strength of this story – even as I adamantly disagree with the US cover tagline that “sanity is subjective” and indeed that idea is quite harmful itself, because both reality and thus sanity (as defined by the degree to which your mind complies with reality) *are*, in fact, quite objective – is just how well Hepworth weaves in such an intricate display and discussion of mental health. Some of it is very obvious and surface level, but there is also a great deal left understated or even completely off the page yet crystal clear.

Overall truly an excellent story from a master storyteller, and the 10K+ Goodreads reviews as of the moment I add this one show that quite a few people already know of it.

Very much recommended.

This review of Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth was originally written on May 20, 2026.

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#BookReview: The Shippers by Katherine Center

Another Solid Katherine Center Romance. If you’re already a fan of Center – and clearly she has many, as evidenced by nearly 5K reviews of this book on Goodreads on release day -, know that this is her typical excellent storytelling, this time set on a cruise ship more than her more typical Galveston area setting. (Though it *does* start there.) If you’ve somehow never read a Katherine Center romance, this is a pretty good introduction to her overall style. you’re going to laugh. Your heartstrings are going to be pulled without necessarily moving into dusty room territory. You’re going to have more eggnog/ horchata level spice where sex is mentioned, but generally happens off screen and where about the spiciest it gets on screen is some intense kissing and maybe changing clothes while the other person’s back is turned. Yes, there will always be some level of drama, and yes, there will always be some level of family tale as well, and Center uses these well to provide a degree of depth of flavor to the tale beyond the bubblegum label. Call it something around the lines of a good sit down meal at your favorite chain restaurant. Fairly standard stuff, but tastes good and you enjoy it and you know what to expect nearly every time with nearly every bite. Perfectly safe, perfectly tame, perfectly designed for mass appeal. Which clearly is working quite well for her and her fans.

The cruise setting here is something I actually have a degree of experience with, having sailed with Carnival for over 150 days over the last nearly 20 years, and Center does a solid job of both showing the beauty of cruising while also taking a decent amount of creative license when her story needs her to. So yes, elements of this tale will ring all too true, though revealing which ones would dive into spoiler territory. Others are more fantastical, but work well within the story being told.

For those looking for a solid, safe romance that will transport you away from your “real” life and into a fun, funny, and peaceful enough world without too much of the bullshit of the “real” one, this is absolutely one of those types of books.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Shippers by Katherine Center was originally written on May 20, 2026.

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#BookReview: I Know You Killed Your Husband by Steena Holmes

Scene In Service To Story. As It Should Be. With the exception of those tales where the scene is *intended* to *be* the story, scene should generally support the story of a tale and enhance it – and this book does that quite well. Yes, there are a lot of Parisian details. Holmes has been there a few times, loves it, and wanted to celebrate it in a tale – similar to so many other writers over the years, including her colleague in the Facebook group Readers Coffeehouse Kimberly Belle’s 2024 release, The Paris Widow.

Here, what we actually get is a very dark, very twisty tale of college friends who both share some very dark secrets… and are keeping other equally dark secrets from each other. This is one of those tales where there are no angels… and yet there may be a few antiheroes, depending on one’s perspective. There are aspects here that will be challenging for some readers, yet they primarily happen off screen and only the aftermath is really seen on screen at all – which can perhaps be all the more concerning for some. Yet Holmes works them with care, treading the line between hyper realism and preachiness quite well, never really veering into preachy – at least for me. Read the book for yourself and let us know what you thought of that wherever you see this review. 🙂

If you enjoy dark, twisty thrillers involving long time friends, you’re going to enjoy this book. If you enjoy being transported to Paris via books, you’re going to enjoy this book. It really does work well on both levels, even as the Parisian setting truly is in service to the story and never feels excessive or weighty at all. And if you enjoy books that are twisting until almost the very last word… yep, this is absolutely going to be your kind of book.

Very much recommended.

This review of I Know You Killed Your Husband by Steena Holmes was originally written on May 18, 2026.

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#BookReview: The Missing Ones by A.R. Torre

HBO Desperate Housewives. This is one of those books that requires a certain composure to be able to withstand – but for those with the fortitude, it will be quite fun and delicious indeed. One where everyone has secrets, a lot of them are dark, and some of them are the kind that tend to grab a lot of headlines when exposed, even when among fully consenting adults.

Spice level is maybe jalapeno or so, *maybe* a touch hotter, but it is more the exact scenarios of the spice that will test more people than the actual heat of it. So more like a very concentrated lemon suppository kind of heat than a “I’m breathing fire” heat. The kind of heat that (mostly) doesn’t *hurt* so much as make at least a lot, perhaps most, of people extremely uncomfortable.

The other things that will be difficult for some are the multiple perspectives combined with seemingly no real distinction between them – these are all similar people with similar enough backgrounds living similar enough lives, and the way they “speak” on the page doesn’t really differentiate themselves strongly, so it can be difficult at times to keep track of whose head we’re in at what point. Combined with a short documentary style interview paragraph or so at the beginning of each chapter, most often from still other perspectives, it can be a lot at times, even for such a short-ish (300 ish page) book.

But for those with the fortitude, this really is a strong, delicious book that has a lot to offer. It hits in some expected ways… and a few unexpected ones to boot. Torre knows what her readers will expect in such a situation and tale, and both gives and withholds these expectations to craft a story that is compelling for what it actually is. One where you could absolutely see even a lady reading this book with a strong maduro cigar as she lounges out on her back pool deck overlooking the 18th hole at a golf course, daring the fat asses playing through to ogle her knowing that she could ruin any of them in an instant. So, not exactly the “chilling poolside in Vegas with the girlfriends” vibe, yet also far from a girlboss thing as well.

Overall a strong book that will prove itself too strong for some readers – and that is perfectly ok for both the book and those readers who know themselves well enough to know they likely can’t withstand it. For those who do choose to take on the challenge though, please do leave a review yourself wherever you found this one.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Missing Ones by A.R. Torre was originally written on May 17, 2026.

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#BookReview: The Players Club by Rachel Mills

Female Fight Club Has Zero Magical Realism. A lot of the low-rated reviews of this one claim they expected magical realism in this book and… why? There is literally *nothing* about this book that I can find in the days before its release that would indicate there is a shred of magical realism anywhere near this book… because there isn’t any. Expecting any here is entirely on you, not on the author, and it is a you problem, because again, there is no magical realism in this text. At all.

Instead, what we do get is a rather intense psychological drama that really is a female version of Fight Club in so many ways. Approached from this perspective, the tale actually works quite well indeed, even when it does get a bit quick and hazy with particulars at times.

Pretty well the opposite of light and fluffy bubblegum, this is more akin to a nicely done elk steak – deep, satisfying meat, but slightly atypical for most people in a way that will feel weird at times yet is ultimately quite satisfying indeed. Perhaps best enjoyed with a strong red wine and even, if that is your thing, an equally strong cigar. Again, truly, not that light poolside/ beachside read with a ceviche and a margarita. At all.

But for those that dare… it really is quite fun in its own way, and quite devastating in others – there may in fact be some dusty rooms at times here.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Players Club by Rachel Mills was originally written on May 15, 2026.

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#BookReview: The Cupid Dilemma by April Asher

Fun Spicy Bubblegum Paranormal Romance. This is another of those books where the 2* reviews are so wrong as to be laughable. I don’t know what is happening with those reviewers of late, but they used to be at least somewhat more reliable, pointing out things that were actually problems from certain perspectives rather than just completely not getting a book at all or even making shit up about it. So ignore those bastards. Seriously.

What we *do* get here is exactly what I said in the title of this review – a fun spicy bubblegum pop paranormal romance that never takes itself overly seriously and just has fun with its premise. We get the children of Greek gods living in NYC – along with a singular “they” most often presented as female but always using “they”, so do with that what you will with no judgements from me either direction there. We get a band full of mythological beings that is essentially virtually any teen/ early 20s rock band of any era of the last 50 yrs or so. To the level that my own mind was essentially making them a mashup of Sum 41/ Good Charlotte/ etc (because that was my own era of that age) but with griffins and gargoyles and phoenixes.

Yes, a lot of this is quite silly from a “Serious Romance Reader” perspective. It isn’t meant to be “Serious Romance Reader” approved. This is light summer reading specifically targeted at that very late teens/ early 20s ish “new adult”/ starting their career set that these characters themselves are, with a lot of the issues common at that age.

Now, for the “clean” vs “spicy” romance debate, this one definitely comes in fairly spicy. Somewhere between a habanero and a Carolina Reaper, you’re definitely going to feel the heat here… but you may not be rushing off to find a private area yourself. Unless, perhaps, you *are* that late teens/ early 20s ish target audience (or someone who still acts like it even at more advanced ages), in which case, well, hey, do what you need to do. So “clean” romance crowd… this one may not send you to the emergency room, but you’re probably going to be reaching for the smelling salts and maybe checking your pulse to make sure it isn’t too high. Might be best for y’all to just skip this one, unless you’re feeling particularly adventurous. (But if you *do* read this one despite these warnings, please don’t 1* it for being too spicy – I already warned you about that!)

The paranormal aspects here are done in a fairly realistic way that doesn’t require much of a leap… but also requires that you not think too deeply about it. Just follow the jump through the portal and don’t worry about how it works or where they actually are. This is bubblegum. It isn’t supposed to be deep or thoughtful. Just enjoy the spectacle and keep moving. You’ll be fine. If you’re one that can’t help but think too deeply about even bubblegum… again, this may not be the book for you. I think one of the best illustrations I can give that a lot of people may be somewhat familiar with is how Loki just shimmers his armor on in his first scenes with Captain America in The Avengers or just shimmers his way into other realms in those early MCU movies. If that isn’t something you can handle in novel form without deep explanation… this probably isn’t the book for you.

But for those looking for exactly what this book is – fun spicy bubblegum paranormal romance, again – hey, this one works on a lot of levels and will very likely be something you’ll enjoy.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Cupid Dilemma by April Asher was originally written on May 15, 2026.

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#BookReview: Out Of Her League by Ava Rani

Carolina Reaper Spicy Romance With Atypical And Controversial Message. First thing to know about this book: Not for the “clean romance” crowd. AT. ALL. Y’all don’t need to bother reading a word of it, because there are at least three instances where you will need the fucking *emergency room* from the heart palpitations you’ll get, rather than just smelling salts. But for those that enjoy actual porn level (Fifty Shades level, if not exact type) spice… hey, I’ve got a book for you. (Though to be clear, there is actual plot here. This is *not* erotica. Just *very* spicy romance. If only in like 3 scenes.)

Now that the romance crowd has sorted themselves already, let’s talk to the rest of us who fall somewhere in the middle. Beyond the spice debates, there was actually a lot to like here, and indeed a lot of in your face yet not actually preachy (weird, I know, but mostly because of how well it worked within the story itself) messaging that will prove controversial to some and refreshing to others. Subversive, in fact. Which to me makes things so much more interesting anyway.

The actual story itself progressed maybe a touch slowly, but also, the two star reviews here are fucking morons that I wish Goodreads allowed users to block other users, because seriously, after reading this book myself they are so wrong that I will never trust them to tell me the sky is fucking blue, ok?

Instead, for me, the story absolutely clicked on all levels. You’ve got two people at some of the highest levels of their respective fields yet at different stages within them and all the competing wars within both of their heads about how to proceed. You’ve got some tough but not backbreaking emotional weight for both of them to overcome. You’ve even got some travel in here, and hell, for those soccer fans – and at least Rani never called it “football”, because “football” is the sport played with an oblong pigskin whose best players come from the American Southeast – you’ve got a decent amount of soccer-adjacent stuff going on. No, this isn’t anything remotely resembling a sports romance, so there are no actual soccer games here, just a lot of more off the field stuff with this character at this stage of his career.

An excellent tale that nails pretty well everything pretty solidly, again, this is going to be one that is controversial to some and refreshing to others, and again I repeat: “clean” romance crowd, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. This is one for the Carolina Reaper spicy crowd to enjoy. Particularly those that enjoy their Carolina Reaper as the sauce on some good slow cooked fall off the bone ribs. Dammit, I’m making myself hungry.

Very much recommended.

This review of Out Of Her League by Ava Rani was originally written on May 12, 2026.

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#BookReview: Meet Me In Italy by Brenda Novak

Solid Women’s Fiction/ Romance Blend. This is one of those tales the genre blends between women’s fiction and technically satisfying all known RWA/RNA “romance genre” requirements… while being around habanero spicy to boot, at least in once instance. (Others are closer to jalapeno or even milder, though still stronger than a warm glass of milk.)

Told from a few different characters’ perspectives and thus allowing them all to feel fully fleshed out, one weakness here is that many characters outside these specific perspective characters often feel… not as fully fleshed out. Indeed, at least a few are “I need a character in this role” thin – but for the most part they’re also barely relevant to the story at hand, so it does make at least a degree of sense that they aren’t as strongly written. Particularly given the length of the tale even with these “less fully fleshed out” characters – giving them more to do and making them feel more fully alive the way our main characters do could easily have added a few dozen pages to this already decently chunky tale, particularly given its type.

Overall this is exactly one of those safe *enough* women’s fiction / romance blends that while it may have a thing or two here or there that may begin to step on some toes, for most readers this really will go down about as easily as a cool bottle of Coca Cola on a hot summer day – which is exactly what it was designed to do, clearly. It is that exact kind of not-quite-bland-yet-also-not-too-memorable tale that is almost explicitly designed to appeal to as many readers as possible, and I have exactly zero doubt that it will do exactly that. If you’re looking for a safe *enough* read over the summer, one that transports you to an exotic location – again visiting Italy’s Amalfi Coast, as Sarah Penner’s The Amalfi Curse did last summer and a few others have done over the years – and tickles the brain *enough* and warms the heart *enough* while also providing *enough*… “excitement”… for other regions of the body that it will quite clearly play well with the summer “beach read” / “vacation read” set, which this is clearly intended for.

One thing that makes this a touch more interesting to read after its release (due to life issues arising just before its release, despite having had it as an Advance Review Copy for nearly four months prior to release) is Novak’s public announcement about her own real life shortly after the publication of this book and how that seems to inform various aspects of this tale.

There is also a decent amount of social commentary about various topics, specifically the publishing industry as well as a few others, but other than perhaps the publishing industry “inside baseball”, none of it ever really comes across as preachy. Again, this is where the brain is tickled a bit while never going so far as to produce real agitation, at least for most readers.

Ultimately this is a book that will likely do everything it set out to do – a perfectly safe, flavorful enough, summer/ vacation/ beach read that will play well with the women’s fiction/ romance set generally while being perhaps a bit spicier than the Hallmarkie crowd specifically would prefer.

Very much recommended.

This review of Meet Me In Italy by Brenda Novak was originally written on May 11, 2026.