Review: Skin and Bone - T.L Keary - November 2019 I'll be honest with you this week nearly broke me. Work absolutely swallowed me whole, and by the time I dragged myself to the sofa each evening, I had barely enough energy to reach for my book, let alone make any real progress. Three books for the week. That's all I managed. Three. A number that would usually have me feeling quietly shameful, but honestly? One of those three was Skin and Bone by TL Keary, and that alone made the whole exhausting week feel worthwhile. I need to talk about this book. Skin and Bone is the kind of psychological thriller that grabs you by the collar from the very first page and simply refuses to let go. The premise alone is deliciously chilling: a woman so desperate for a man's love that she doesn't just change herself for him , she becomes the woman he's pining for. Completely. Obsessively. Down to the clothes, the laugh, the face. The dual narrative between the imposter and the real...

Review: Mr Lemoncello's Library Olympics - Book #2 Mr Lemoncello's Graphic Novels - Chris Grabenstein and Illustrated by Douglas Holgate - October 2025 I have to be honest with you, lovely readers, some books arrive at just the right moment and wrap around your heart like a warm hug from an old friend. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics: The Graphic Novel was exactly that for me. Growing up, the library wasn't just a place I visited ,it was my place. Every Saturday without fail, I'd be there, tucked into a corner with a stack of books taller than my good sense. And for years and years after that, it became my workplace too, five days a week right up until April 2021. The library was simply woven into the fabric of who I am. Sadly, due to some difficult and toxic circumstances in that workplace, I had to say goodbye to the physical library experience, something I never in a million years imagined I would do. Walking through those doors started to bring up feelings I...

Review: Redeeming 6 - Book #4 Boys of Tommen Series - Chloe Walsh - March 2023 I'll never forget the bus ride home from Auckland to Tauranga when I devoured Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh in one glorious sitting. There's something magical about being completely transported by a book while the New Zealand countryside rolls past your window, and this fourth installment in the Boys of Tommen series did exactly that. As someone who's read most of Chloe Walsh's work, I can confidently say she's outdone herself here. If you loved Rebecca Donovan's Reason to Breathe series, you'll absolutely fall head over heels for these books. Chloe Walsh has this incredible gift for capturing the raw, unfiltered power of first love , the kind that makes your heart ache and soar simultaneously. Joey and Aoife's story continues with even more intensity than before, and honestly, I wasn't prepared for how deeply it would affect me. Joey's world is crumbling around him, th...

Review: The Royals Upstairs - Karina Halle - September 2024 There's something magical about receiving the perfect book at just the right moment. When "The Royals Upstairs" by Karina Halle arrived as a birthday gift from one of my wonderful bookstagram groups, I had no idea I was about to fall head over heels for this charming romance. Holding this paperback in my hands felt like unwrapping a cozy hug and that's exactly what this story delivered. From the very first page, I was swept into pure Hallmark royal movie territory, and I mean that in the absolute best way. This book has all those deliciously swoon-worthy elements we crave: a brooding bodyguard, a spirited nanny, adorable royal children (who James hilariously describes as "demon children"), and a picturesque Norwegian estate that practically begs you to curl up with a warm blanket and get lost in its pages. James Hunter and Laila Bruset's second-chance romance absolutely captivated me. There...

Review: America's Most Gothic - Haunted History Stranger Than Fiction - Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes - September 2025 I'm absolutely delighted to share my thoughts on America's Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger than Fiction by Leanne Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes. This atmospheric gem arrived as a physical ARC from Kensington Publishing, and honestly, it couldn't have found a better home on my nightstand. One of my reading goals for 2026 is tackling at least twelve non-fiction books ,one per month and I'm thrilled to report I'm right on track. This beauty marks my second non-fiction read of the year, and what a wonderfully eerie way to continue this journey. As a writer for Gothic Bite Magazine US, I've spent countless hours researching historical crimes, peculiar criminals, poison rings, and architecturally strange buildings. The weird, the wacky, the downright spine-tingling , demons, hauntings, unexplained phenomena , all of it fascinates me...

Review: The Dead Husband's Cookbook - Danielle Valentine - August 2025 There's something wonderfully cozy about curling up with a book that centers around food, recipes, and the warmth of a kitchen until that comfort turns deliciously sinister. That's exactly what Danielle Valentine serves up in The Dead Husband's Cookbook, which I devoured on the Libby Library App. I'd already fallen for Danielle Valentine's YA thrillers, so I was eager to see what she'd cook up for adult readers. Let me tell you, this didn't disappoint. What makes this book particularly charming is how it weaves actual recipes throughout the story and it's like getting a cookbook and a thriller all in one satisfying package. The book-within-a-book structure reminded me of Catherine Ryan Howard's The Nothing Man, adding layers of intrigue that kept me turning pages late into the night. The premise is absolutely mouthwatering: Maria Capello, a beloved celebrity chef with her ow...