Review: Alchemy of Secrets - Stephanuie Garber - October 2025 After falling head over heels for Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart series and Caraval, I've learned something important about reading order: sometimes it matters more than you'd think. While I adored Caraval, I made the mistake of meeting Jacks first in the Broken Heart series. When I later encountered his portrayal in Caraval books two and three, I just couldn't reconcile them , I'd already fallen for the version of him I knew, and seeing a different side felt impossible to accept. So when I picked up Alchemy of Secrets, I'll admit my expectations were cautiously optimistic. I thought it would be a solid, perhaps average read. Reader, I was spectacularly wrong. From the first chapter , a gripping twenty pages that had me cursing my lunch break's inevitable end. I was completely hooked. Stephanie Garber has crafted something truly special here, weaving together mythology, folklore, a...

The Magic of Painted Creek Robyn Kilgore Publication date: June 24th 2025 Genres: Adult, Magical Realism She only came back to settle a will, but her roots ran deeper than she bargained for… Mabel Morrison considers herself fortunate to have a thriving art business at only twenty-five years old. After the sudden passing of her grandmother, Mabel leaves her mother, her only living relative, in Columbus, Ohio and finds herself back in Painted Creek, North Carolina to settle her grandmother’s affairs. The longer she is stuck in town, the more she learns about her grandmother’s legacy and the family that came before her. As she starts to piece together a found family of her own, Mabel begins to embrace her other natural gifts within her paintings that she’s been denying for years. Suddenly, she imagines what life could be like in Painted Creek surrounded by friends, magic, and love. The future seems brighter than ever as she slowly begins to stray further from the path that was...

Seven Hundred Beachfront Ligia de Wit Publication date: July 22nd 2025 Genres: Adult, Magical Realism, Romance, Women’s Fiction Some places hold memories. Others have opinions. I didn’t mean to run again. But when life gets tangled, I untangle it by leaving. And this time, my escape came with strings attached: a five-year-old brother I never signed up to care for, a seaside town I barely remember, and a tattered house on stilts that belongs in Renter’s Hell. I told myself it was just for the summer. A break. A pause. A way to escape the people I care about but can’t seem to fit with anymore, and the choices I don’t know how to fix. But the sea doesn’t let you stay distant for long. Then there’s him. Quiet. Grumpy. Mysterious. The kind of man who doesn’t ask questions, but somehow sees more than he should. I don’t even like talking to him, and yet… here we are. Sharing long silences. Unexpected moments. Maybe even something more. And as for the house? Let’s just say it ha...

Somewhere Along the Way Anna Gomez Publication date: September 24th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance Charlotte “Charlie” Hastings never missed her mother. But when Charlie’s late father visits her in a dream and reveals the letters her mother had written to him over the years, she begins yearning for a connection she never desired to make. Reeling from a mix of emotions, Charlie embarks on a soul-searching cross-country journey to California to find the mother she thought she never needed. Along the way, she stumbles upon Graham Mead, a mysterious stranger with a secret identity, who becomes her unexpected travel companion. Each pit stop reveals new truths from her mother’s letters, unveiling a poignant love story and the reasons behind her departure. From state to state, Charlie and Graham unravel their pasts, confront their fears, and discover a love that goes beyond their personal journeys. But as they reach their destination, they must face the harsh reality of...

Review: A Novel Love Story - Ashley Poston - June 2024 Ever imagined what it would be like to live in the world of your favourite book? Would it get tiresome to relive the same moments over and over again, or would it be like being in heaven? For Eileen, her world last year came crashing down as not only did her favourite author die, Rachel Flowers, her fiance left her for another woman just as they were about to be married. She had been looking forward to her yearly book club week away in a cabin. But then when the other members said they couldn't make it, Eileen decided that she was still going to go anyway by herself. She deserved this. Driving in the rain though, she ends up getting lost in the storm and almost runs over a man at the same time. This leads her to a small town tucked away, one of those blink-and-you-will-miss-it towns. She thinks she will just stay the night until the storm passes but as she settles in - there are little easter eggs that make her feel like she ha...

  Review: The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck - Kylie Scott - February 2024 This is one of those books where I am like why did it take me this long to get around to it? I enjoyed The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck way more than I had initially expected and I have to say I am not surprised as I have enjoyed all the Kylie Scott books that I have read which are mostly her Stage Dive series. I just loved the character of Lilah Goodluck as she was a bigger woman and down to earth and despite everything that was happening, she held her head high and had this kick-arse I am woman, hear me roar attitude. The other thing I loved was that Lilah is a librarian and falls for a prince as I am a sucker for the plain Jane x royalty romances -even if technically Alistair isn't in line for the throne - you have to read for his family story. Lilah was at her friend's party and then left early and on her way home, saved the life of the fortune teller witch Good Witch Willow. After she saved her, Good W...

Review: The Seven Year Slip - Ashley Poston - June 2023 Where to start with this book as it was such an amazing and beautiful #meetcute story, one of those once in a lifetime love stories. The type of book that reminded me of a few of my favourite chick lit and romantic movies which included The Lake House , Just Like Heaven and Kate and Leopold. The Seven Year Slip had vibes of all those films with a touch of Sunday at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet which is another one of my favourite magical realism romances. The book starts when Clementine was a young girl and her Aunt told her the apartment where she lived was magical, but there was one rule - don't ever fall in love within the apartment. Her aunt had a few other rules which Clementine enjoyed and she travelled the world with her Aunt. That was until her Aunt died and the light in Clementine faded. The book then jumps to Clementine hanging out with her friends as they all work in publish...

Review: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Grady Hendrix - April 2020 This particular book, I tried a few years ago and couldn't get into it. However this year, I found myself getting into a few of Grady Hendrix's books and decided to give this one another read. This time I managed to enjoy it and push my way through the book. The book starts with a Southern Book Club group of friends who decide to start their book clubs by reading a mixture of classics and then true crime stories like Helter Skelter and The Stranger Beside Me. During this time Patricia's MIL Mrs. Mary comes to live with her, she is suffering from Dementia. During this time, their neighbor has passed away and her nephew James Harris has come to live in the house and clear it out. At first, James is very nice and inviting and charming but things start to get a bit odd as Mrs Mary is convinced he is someone she knew from her past Hoyt Pickens, and that Hoyt was involved in missing chil...