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VBT# Taken From Her Family - CJ Grayson

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Review: Taken from Her Family - Book #3 Detective April Fisher - CJ Grayson - March 2026 There’s something about a story that begins with a parent simply trying to get through the end of a long day that immediately hooks me in. As parents (or anyone who’s ever been responsible for kids), we all know that feeling of exhaustion, the bickering from the backseat, and the temptation to just take the easiest option to keep everyone happy. In Taken from Her Family, C.J. Grayson takes that everyday moment and twists it into every parent’s worst nightmare. Tracy Marley is just popping by the gym to pick up her husband after hours. The kids are restless in the car, the evening feels routine, and when a text arrives inviting her inside, it seems harmless enough. The children are excited, and Tracy gives in. But stepping into that dark building turns out to be a decision that will change everything. Instead of her husband waiting, Tracy walks straight into a robbery in progress , three masked men,...

Review: Circle of Vengeance - Ramona Richards

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Review: Circle of Vengeance - Book #2 Star Cavanaugh Cold Case Series - Ramona Richards - October 2022 For fans of cold cases, small-town secrets, and the kind of mystery that slowly unravels like a tangled ball of wool on a rainy afternoon, Circle of Vengeance by Ramona Richards delivers a suspenseful and intriguing read.  Star once again finds herself diving deep into a case that many people would rather keep firmly buried in the past. Twenty-five years ago, a young girl named Hope Marshall vanished without a trace. Months later, tragedy struck again when her mother, Genevieve Marshall, was discovered murdered in the barn on the Turney family farm. The shockwaves of that crime rippled through the community, and the blame ultimately fell on Kevin Turney, who was convicted of the murder despite always maintaining his innocence. Now, decades later, Kevin’s daughter Jill Turney wants the truth uncovered once and for all. She’s determined to clear her father’s name and prove that the ...

Review: The Book Boyfriend - Karli Perrin

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Review: The Book Boyfriend - Karli Perrin - November 2017 As a proud bookworm, I’m sure I’m not the only reader who has closed a romance novel and sighed, wishing that book boyfriends could step straight off the page and into real life. You know the type charming, swoon-worthy, and just the right amount of dreamy. Well, in The Book Boyfriend by Karli Perrin, that fantasy gets a cheeky little twist, and honestly, it’s the perfect short read to scratch that romantic itch. This delightful short story introduces us to Zara Hennessy, a woman who has well and truly had enough of the dating scene. After a string of failed relationships, she’s decided that love just isn’t worth the drama anymore. Fair enough, right? Sometimes it really does feel easier to curl up with a good book than deal with real-life heartbreak. When Zara agrees to help her sister at the biggest book signing event of the year, she expects a busy day surrounded by authors, readers, and the usual bookish chaos. What she does...

Review: The Inheritance - Jennifer Benson

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Review: The Inheritance - Book #1 Happy Endings Resort Series - Jennifer Benson - February 2015 There’s something rather magical about the idea of inheriting a place you never even knew existed. Imagine opening a letter one day and discovering that somewhere out there is a whole resort with your name on it,  a bit like stumbling across a hidden bach at the beach you didn’t know your family owned. That’s the premise behind The Inheritance by Jennifer Benson, the first book in the Happy Endings Resort series. At twenty-six, Rory London is feeling a bit lost in life. She doesn’t have much to show for herself and is pretty much alone in the world. So when she learns she has inherited Happy Endings Resort from a long-lost relative she didn’t even know existed, it feels like the universe has finally thrown her a lifeline. Suddenly she’s the owner of a resort filled with staff, secrets, and a past she never knew belonged to her. Enter Jason Duke, the handsome twenty-eight-year-old attorne...

Review: Seal My Fate - Roxy Sloane

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Review: Seal My Fate - Book #3 The Oxford Legacy - Roxy Sloane - April 2025 There’s something wonderfully satisfying about reaching the final book in a trilogy you’ve been invested in, and Seal My Fate by Roxy Sloane definitely delivers that dramatic, heart-thumping finale. Curl up with a cuppa and prepare yourself, because this story is packed with secrets, loyalty tests, and the kind of emotional turmoil that makes you turn pages faster than a Wellington wind gust. At the heart of the story is Tessa, who is finally experiencing the joy she thought she had lost forever , her sister Wren is alive. But this reunion isn’t all hugs and happy tears.  Tessa is determined to get revenge on the people who hurt her sister , and she’s not backing down anytime soon. Wren finds herself caught between relief and fear, knowing that digging into the truth could open up a world of danger. Meanwhile, Saint is facing his own impossible dilemma. He loves Tessa, but helping her and Wren means potenti...

Review: The Last Witch - Various Contributors

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Review: The Last Witch - Fear & Fire - Various Contributors - September 2021 There’s something rather magical about discovering a new fantasy world that instantly pulls you in  the kind where you can almost imagine curling up with the book on a rainy New Zealand afternoon, a cuppa in hand, and letting the story whisk you away. The Last Witch, a young adult fantasy graphic novel collecting issues #1–5, is exactly that sort of adventure: mysterious, atmospheric, and filled with heart. At the centre of the story is Saoirse, a brave and slightly reckless young girl who lives in a village where the terrifying witch known as the Cailleach hunts children once a year. Instead of hiding away like everyone else, Saoirse sees the annual hunt as the perfect chance to rebel against her father and uncover the secrets hidden within the witch’s tower. Of course, as many fantasy heroes learn the hard way, curiosity can be both a gift and a curse. When Saoirse and her brother Brahm are captured ...

Review: Cry Out Loud - Tara O'Connor

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Review: Cry Out Loud - Tara O'Connor - September 2025 There’s something delightfully eerie about curling up with a good horror story especially when it’s presented in graphic novel form—and Cry Out Loud by Tara O’Connor absolutely delivers that spine-tingling experience. Published by Random House Kids Graphics, this YA graphic novel blends family secrets, folklore, and rebellion into a chilling story that had me turning the pages faster than you can say “ghost story around the campfire.” We meet Nell, a fiery and fiercely independent Irish teen who has absolutely no interest in following anyone else’s rules. She’s the kind of character who speaks her mind, pushes boundaries, and isn’t afraid to challenge authority , something that many readers (especially teens) will instantly recognise. After getting suspended from school, Nell’s mum ships her off to stay with relatives she’s never even met before. If that already sounds like the beginning of a horror story, you’d be right. From t...