Book List 2026

Review: First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong

Title: First Sign of Danger
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Haven’s Rock (Sequel series to Rockton)
Note: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Summary: Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are entering a new chapter of life as parents to their six-month-old baby. Their family is hidden away in the sanctuary town of Haven’s Rock where they can live safe and private lives. But when they encounter hikers too close to the borders of Haven’s Rock, they realize they’re in danger of being exposed. 

When they find one of the hikers dead the next day, they realize that their paranoia was justified, but they’re no closer to finding out who these people were and what they were doing in the vicinity of Haven’s Rock. Only by tracing the hikers’ movements, as well as examining the recent behavior of their closest neighbors, the workers of a secretive mining camp, will they be able to figure out where the threat is coming from and shut it down. Otherwise, the lives of everyone in Haven’s Rock—and their safe, secure new existence—are at risk.

My Thoughts:

Characters

The characters in Kelley Armstrong’s books are always standouts for me and the strength that Dalton and Casey began with only continues to grow and solidify. April is quickly becoming a fave as well. Casey remains a total badass, even as a mom and I love her all the more for it.

As always there is a background cast of characters who I adore, such as Will, Kenny and others.

Setting

I am so sad to hear we will soon be saying goodbye to the Yukon as this is the second last book in the series (who knows maybe we’ll get another sequel series). It remains equally beautiful and dangerous to those arrogant enough to venture without the proper preparedness required. And sadly, someone keeps finding bodies (ahem, Casey, ahem), which could really put a cramp in the whole situation

The plot

This book was exactly the mystery I was looking for and then some, with a little bit of thriller thrown in for good measure. There are so many twists and turns every time I thought I had something figured out I ended up being wrong.

It’s a pleasure to read a book and not be able to figure out what’s happening until you get hit with that moment of clarity and realize there were clues you missed all along.

Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Winging It With You

Title: Winging It With You
Author: Chip Pons
Release Date: June 10, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: Local library then local bookstore.
Would I buy it as a gift for others? Yes, yes, yes.

My Thoughts:

I think many of us have stayed in a relationship because it felt routine, it felt safe and it was what we were used to. Some of us maybe also made ourselves smaller, less loud and different in order to keep that comfort with us.

And when that comfort gets taken away? It can lead to some slightly irrational decisions and then questioning those decisions.

Continue reading “Review: Winging It With You”
Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: The Entanglement of Rival Wizards

Title: The Entanglement of Rival Wizards
Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Magic and Romance
Release Date: August 26, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: Local bookstore.
Would I buy it as a gift for others? Absolutely. It’s so good.

My Thoughts:
Cause of my bruised heel? Me kicking my feet into the arm of the couch while reading.

I loved this book more than most words can say which is why it’s taken me days to figure out it out.

Sara Raasch creates characters I can’t help but immediately fall in love with, whether they are the central characters in the book or background characters who are amazing. This book, my third of hers, and the first in a new series is no exception to that rule. This book was partly inspired by Critical Role which just made me fall in love with it even more.

Continue reading “Review: The Entanglement of Rival Wizards”
Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: On Her Terms

Title: On Her Terms
Author: Amy Spalding
Series: Out in Hollywood
Release Date: February 25, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Would I buy it? I’m just waiting for the whole series to come out in hopes there will a boxset or special editions.

God, I love that there’s romance with people who are older than 22. I love it so much. I love it even more because it’s sapphic, and has both lesbian and bi rep for its main characters, and diverse representation amongst the background characters.

I took a while to read this, simply because I love this series so much, and rushing through it makes me super sad while I wait for the next book. It really does. Amy Spalding is a special writer who is on my auto-read list.

Continue reading “Review: On Her Terms”
Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Just Our Luck

Title: Just Our Luck
Author: Denise Williams
Series: N/A
About this Book: Sybil Sweet has always been lucky, but lately she can’t catch a break. After years of bouncing from job to job in search of something that feels right and from man to man in search of something special, Sybil is worried that she’s the directionless, floundering daughter her family thinks she is. All she really wants now is a little financial stability and carb comfort. Lucky for her, she’s got just enough in the bank to buy a lottery ticket, and the late-night donut store is open.

Kiran Anderson put his dreams of becoming a doctor on hold to take over running his family’s bakery, and after fighting a losing battle to save the place, he’s exhausted, broke, and no closer to getting back to school. But when a whirlwind of a woman sweeps in late one night, flirty energy gives way to more…until she runs out, leaving behind her winning lottery ticket.

Lucky for Kiran, his attempt to return the ticket looks like a grand romantic gesture and goes viral, sending sales through the roof. In an effort to keep the store afloat and to convince Sybil’s family she can make good relationship choices, they agree to fake a relationship for three months. Even with hundreds of millions of dollars, finding each other might end up being the sweetest bit of luck for both of them. 

My Thoughts:

This book made me feel good, and to a certain extent, it also made me feel seen. I know what it’s like to be considered dumb, flaky, and a failure. Sometimes it takes some time to get to who you’re meant to be and where you’re meant to be, especially if you have undiagnosed ADHD, and especially if you don’t have someone who believes in you. Especially if you don’t believe in yourself.

I empathize so much with Sybil. She tries her best constantly, but sometimes can’t keep on track and as much as he tries it seems like no one really notices how much she is actually trying. She’s become a funny footnote in her family’s story next to someone who seems perfect.

Kiran is stuck being the person he thinks he should be, rather than who he wants to be, and doing what he thinks he should do, rather than what he can do for himself. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a major sweetheart, but through much of the book I kind of wanted to shake him and tell him to open his eyes. That being said, the two of them do seem to have a better understanding of each other than they initially thought.

There is a host of background characters in this who are amazing, and deserve their own stories.

Denise Williams is always a must-read for me, and should be for you too.

Book List 2025 · Lists · Reviews

Review: Go Luck Yourself

Title: Nightmare Before Kissmas
Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Royals and Romance
About this Book: Here
Source: My local library.
Would I buy it? Abso-freaking-lutely.

My Thoguhts: Sara Raasch gave Kris his own book. I screamed. I shouted. I kicked my legs in glee.

This is not the same Kris you meet in Nightmare Before Kissmas, this is more mischievous version who plays pranks on people who aren’t his brother Coal. And I love him for it.

He also loves a private study space. Can’t blame him there.

This book sure has a somewhat explosive beginning and I am most definitely not going to complain about that either.

Kris is easy to identify with, unsure of what he wants to do with his life and finding himself on the path of what’s expected of him instead of leaning into his likely dream.

Continue reading “Review: Go Luck Yourself”
Book List 2025 · Lists · Reviews

Review: Nightmare Before Kissmas

Title: Nightmare Before Kissmas
Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Royals and Romance
About this Book: Here
Source: My local library.
Would I buy it? Abso-freaking-lutely. Just waiting for the money to do so.

My Thoughts:

These characters were so completely and utterly easy to fall in love with.

Nicholas aka Coal is grumpy, sad, and completely hilarious and easy to love. He is not dedicated to anything except his brother and the seeming destruction of his life including kissing a hot as hell stranger behind a bar. He is the epitome of longing, constantly thinking about this strange, mysterious bar worker. He loves Christmas, in the same way that I love the winter holidays, when it’s filled with memories of family, of giving and warmth and joy, and less about competition in giving the best present, or who can win in the corporate world.

Hex. What can I say about Hex? I adore him? He’s lowkey hilarious and no one would expect it from him which is actually somehow even better. He wears CORSET VESTS. I adore a man that cares about fashion. His angst became my angst, his jokes made me laugh out loud and god, the love he feels for his holiday and family just made me want to swoon.

Continue reading “Review: Nightmare Before Kissmas”
Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

Title: Nine Liars
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Truly Devious
About this book: Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an axe.

The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.

Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.

Continue reading “Review: Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson”
Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Finding Mr. Write
Author: Kelley Armstrong
About this Book: This is a romance novel by Kelley Armstrong! KELLEY ARMSTRONG! Raise the wicked alarms. Daphne, the MFC, is a writer who struggles to get her book published under her own name. Her sci-fi, adventure novel.

Sounds familiar? It should be, because this happens a lot. So what does she do? She uses a pseudonym and then hires someone to be Zane Remington, author and outdoors person.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and honestly? I cannot wait for Writing Mr. Wrong.

Also, please note if you are Canadian, and reading this, Kelley Armstrong is Canadian, and the link above will lead you to your local independent bookstore to purchase. I gain nothing from putting that link there aside from the knowledge that I am hopefully helping people support their local businesses.

Continue reading “Review: Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong”
Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: At Her Service by Amy Spalding

Title: At Her Service
Author: Amy Spalding
Series: Out in Hollywood

About this Book: This book is queer joy and sapphic love, along with some character building and growth. This book is about Max, who you would have met in For Her Consideration if you read that book (also great). She, like many people, is unsatisfied with her career progression and trying to get ahead. She’s also trying to get the girl, in a way.

You’ll recognize familiar names and faces from the previous book as well.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and honestly? Loved it.

Continue reading “Review: At Her Service by Amy Spalding”