The Last Lady B by Eloisa James

Every girl dreams of marrying well, especially in the early 1800s. Not every girl would want to marry a man who is seventy years old, older than her father. But not every girl has a sister who also needs to marry and, while both are pretty enough and have a good lineage, their family cannot provide them with a dowry. And Genevieve would like to at least give her sister a chance at love. So she marries Lord Burnsby. And seven months later, she is visiting his hunting lodge in the Highlands. She will meet his heir and the heir's wife. She does not expect Lord Godric, boyhood friend of the heir, nor Lord Burnsby's seemingly mad illegitimate sister, and his daughter. Genevieve certainly doesn't expect to meet Sophonisba, Lord Burnsby's mistress of thirty years. And she certainly doesn't expect to find her own voice and start speaking up. Nor to find love while she's still married.

A Gothic novel in the best sense. I couldn't get past our heroine falling in love while still married but I enjoyed the ghosts, the drama, and, of course, the compulsory madwoman in the attic (although Mima is allowed to roam freely in this book.)

Four stars

This book comes out May 12, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk, Allyson Morgan (Narrator)

The comparisons to an Agatha Christie novel are glaring. It starts with the narrators name, the title that is so close to the 4:50 to Paddington, and a snow storm that stops a train. 

 The narrator had a plan. Well, a couple of plans. Her husband has bought her a ticket to a train that has no cell service. She can ride it to Montrea  and then come home. Plenty of time for Agatha to write the five thousand words needed to follow up her best selling novel. She's going to use it for a different plan that the reader (listener) wont know for most of the book. Agatha purposely chose a seat that wasn't near anyone else. So she's surprised when Finch sits down next to her. He wants her seat and is determined to get it. So, Agatha moves. As she does, she notices that Cyan (sp?), her stalker/ex-something, is also on the train. That  would have been bad enough, but then the train stops. And someone dies.

We go back and forth between the past and the present and see how Agatha got to this place, what her plans really are for the train ride, and why this day is so important for her.

The beginning was a bit slow and the ending didn't make sense with the tone of the rest of the book, but I really enjoyed the middle.

Three stars

This book came out October 28, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

This Weekend Doesn't End Well for Anyone by Catherine Mack

As the narrator even notes, there are a LOT of people in this book. There were nine people that were going to be integral to the story introduced within the first 11% of the book (might have been 10, 11 is just when I looked.) I had to write them all down just to keep track of how each one was related to the narrator. And I've read the other two books in this series. The ending was a bit complicated but the clues were there if you listened.

Eleanor is going to a writing conference. Just because her last two vacations have contained murder doesn't mean this is going to end badly, right? Sun, sand and writing. It should be a blast.

Except that they walk right into a dead body. The hotel is, of course, wanting to downplay the incident. Eleanor is ready to leave but her boyfriend, Oliver, and her sister/assistant, Harper aren't as enthusiastic. They want to stay. 

Eleanor decides that she has not other option but to stay at a conference that contains not only the people she loves, but her ex-boyfriend Connor, his former partner (who Eleanor included in her books), her own ex-best-friend, and a BookToker who doesn't like ANYONE'S books. Oh, and crazy Kathy (sp?), Eleanor's very own stalker. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out April 28, 2026

The Vacation Mysteries #3

Follows No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding

ARC audiobook kindly provided by Minotaur Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin

stars

Castle Knoll Files #3

This book comes out April 28, 2026

Follows by How to Seal Your Own Fate

ARC kindly provided by Dutton and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe

Tanadelle "Tandy" de Courcy is a bona fide princess. And, while she knows that many people would LOVE to be a princess, she's not fond of traveling thirty weeks a year. It becomes repetitive. And boring. And she has to follow a lot of rules. But at least she can keep reading. So, when she's cursed by a bookseller and is unable to leave a bookshop, it doesn't seem the worst thing. 

Her parents are trying everything they can to undo the spell, including sending seven princes to kiss Tandy. And meeting each of the princes is a delight. At least for the reader. Tandy, meanwhile, is enjoying not having to do her royal duties.

A quite lovely book. It reminded me of Legends and Lattes with a charming world that was just a little sweet. 

Four  stars

This book comes out April 14, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander

I read the previous book in this series eleven years ago but was recently reminded that the Lady Emily series was one that I had enjoyed so I picked the series back up. I had forgotten about the alternating timelines... not one of my favorite plot devices. 

Emily has been summoned to Italy by her best frenemy, Emma. There is no love lost between them but Emma's father-in-law has been murdered, her husband has disappeared. Emily's husband is well known as an investigator and Emily is becoming no slouch herself. 

This murder is entwined with a romance from the 1500s and a family feud that is still ongoing. 

Three and a half stars

Lady Emily #7

This book came out 

Follows A Crimson Warning

Followed by Behind the Shattered Glass

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

Many readers wish they could live within the covers of their favorite books. They don't always consider where they will land. Maggie discovers, to her dismay, that just because she is in her favorite world, it doesn't mean she's going to be the top of the heap. In fact, she's quickly running out of money and resorts to a desperate act to get some more. But once she does, she embarks on a campaign to make sure that the bad guy who takes over the kingdom in the stories isn't going to do so anymore. Using her knowledge of the books, she starts to make deals based on her knowledge of future events. But, even knowing that if she makes changes, it could affect the book's timelines, she is willing to make those choices and try to save the world. 

I have read most of the books the Andrews team has written but this one took me longer than usual. And not just because it clocks in at almost 400 pages. There was so much going on and so many characters with so many names that I had to stop and think about who was whom. Maggie is dropped into the world knowing the books REALLY well. Would I remember everything with such clarity, even a book I have read over and over? Probably not. But I do believe that there are people who can so that wasn't a point I needed to suspend disbelief over. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out March 31, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

Lana Lee, twenty-seven, has returned home and has been working for her parents for the last six months. Her parent's restaurant is a part of the "Asian Village." Mr. Feng, the owner of said village, is raising the rent and people are not happy. Since this is a murder mystery, Mr. Feng is the one who ends up dead. Also, since this is a murder mystery, there are any number of suspects as well as a variety of motives.
I finished this book but won't be actively looking to continue the series. Lana actively interferes in investigations, puts both herself and her friends in danger, and withholds evidence. And there's no reason for it! She's not even really a suspect nor is anyone she loves. The victim wasn't someone she loved. I just didn't get why she was invested at all. 

Two and a half stars

This book came out March 27, 2018

Noodle Shop Mystery #1

Followed by Dim Sum of All Fears

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest is back in the thick of things, solving crimes using the rules of Golden Age mysteries. This time, he and Juliette are trying to get a loan to get their detective business off the ground but are having little success. Then, a letter comes from a bank that is willing to loan them money. 

They head to the bank and discover that the man willing to lend them money wants them to prove themselves first by finding his brother. While they're there, the bank is going to be robbed. And by the end of the story, all ten people in the bank will have stolen something. 

This is the closest of the sequels to hit the tone and feel of the first book with a setting that makes sense for the update to a golden age mystery. 

Three and a half stars

Ernest Cunningham #4

Follows Everyone this Christmas Has a Secret

ARC kindly provided by Mariner Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano

The last book ended suddenly with Finlay's live-in nanny, best friend, and body-moving buddy, Vero, being arrested for stealing a large amount of cash from her sorority. Her loss is keenly felt, especially since her attorney has cut off communication to both Finlay and Vero's husband-ish-type-person, Javier. 

Finlay isn't okay with that and neither is Javi so they're going to go see Vero. And that turns into helping Vero and suddenly they're breaking her out of the house and tryin to figure out who actually stole the money. This leads them on another madcap adventure where they're again on the wrong side of the law, but Cosimano makes it seem so fun. 

Four stars

Finlay Donovan #6

Follows Finlay Donovan Digs her own Grave

ARC kindly provided by Minotaur Books and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

The Antique Hunter's Murder at the Castle by C.L. Miller

Bella, recently added to the Lockwood Antique Hunter's Agency, has gone off to track down some more faked antiquities. But is it a trap? Bella disappears and when Freya and Carole come up to see what is happening, they find a dead body.

The owner of the castle has been killed. Carole had met him before and was not impressed, especially in how he treated his daughter, India. Freya nad 

From there, the plot gets a little crazy and convoluted. I had to go back and reread the last couple of chapters to really try and get everything. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out March 17, 2026

Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder #3

Follows Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Murderbot is still trying to stay under the radar. It would, in fact, prefer if people would forget it existed. But the investigation around GrayCris is still ongoing. Murderbot has decided to go to Milu to uncover what GrayCris was really doing there. Then, humans get on the same transport along with a robot that Murderbot gets to know. And when they're attacked, this SecUnit gets involved. 

Short but with a lot of action. 

Three and a half stars

The Murderbot Diaries #3

This book came out August 7, 2018

Follows Artificial Condition

Followed by Exit Strategy

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Late-Night Witches by Auralee Wallace with Robyn Maryke

Cassie Beckett lives on Prince Edward Island in a neighborhood she loves. The book opens with her enjoying the quiet of her neighborhood but she does feel a gentle quiet, like she's supposed to be doing something other than all of the other things she does as a mother with three kids who's husband is away with Doctors Without Borders.  Then, her sister Eliza appears with a story about going to battle with a car. There's a lot going on. This is really not the time to find out she's The Chosen One. Well, the thirteenth witch. There's a Big Bad and, if he kills her, she's the thirteenth witch and he can escape the curse her great-great-whatever-grandmother put him  under. 

There was some character development but not a lot. There was also a lot of time hopping and glossing over parts. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 19, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler

Davi and her team are back. They are trying to have the humans and the wilders join forces. To do that, she and Tsav have donned disguises. Davi isn't sure how she's going to convince her erstwhile lover (not in this time loop) to join her cause, but she knows him inside and out. Or does she?

This Prince Johann is not only married, he seems to be in love. And the running of the kingdom is being left up to Duke Aster who is... less than receptive to Davi's overtures. Even though she has the super-good plan of pretending to be the new oracle. 

Everything is in shambles and there are enemies not only surrounding her, but coming from inside the camp. And an ancient evil is rising once again. 

A fun story that lagged a little in parts but was overall an enjoyable read. 

Four stars

Dark Lord Davi #2

This book comes out May 27, 2025

Follows How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

ARC kindly provided by Orbit Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Murder, Mess, and the Tangerine Dress by Lynn Rankin-Esquer

This book reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series. The main character, Izzy Bishop, is a chatoic mess, getting food on her clothse and feeding one of her clients a weed cookie. She even has a best friend who is somehow even brasher than her and trying to lose weight. But Izzy has something that Stephanie doesn't - extrasensory powers. They grew after she had a near-death experience in the previous year. That is the the experience that threw off her plan to open an organizing business with her sister so now, rather than being a true partner, Izzy is actually working for her sister. Her younger sister. Her younger  sister who clearly doesn't trust her. Which, to be fair, Izzy is on the manic pixie dream girl end of the spectrum so she tends to have a dirty car and stained clothes (no shame, just not her sister is expecting.)

So, Izzy is late to her appointment for an older widow who is cleaning out her closet. While there, a death occurs and Izzy and the woman nearly die as well. The only reason that they're saved is the woman's dead husband tells Izzy that they need to leave. 

An interesting story that I mainly read because I had also gotten the second book and didn't realize it wasn't the first in a series and I really like to start with the first book in a series. 

Three stars

Order Out of Chaos Mystery, #1

This book came out February 2, 2025

Followed by Murder, Hijinks, and Peridot Cufflinks

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot by Alexis Hall

Though they've been broken up for quite awhile, Audrey Lane still hears the voice her ex-girlfriend berating her for most of her decisions. But she goes on the baking show in Britain anyway. And comes right up against Jennifer Hallett, the producer. It starts when Audrey asks for help for the contestant who is over ninety. She, quite rightly, would prefer that Doris not have to walk up a giant hill to get back to the hotel after a full day of baking. Jennifer just wants her show to work; she's (at least on the outside) more concerned 

I don't remember this from the other books in the series but this book includes some time hopping and a switch to a first person point of view by someone who isn't the main character. And, while that story is kind of lovely and helps Audrey grow, I wish we had seen more of the two characters growing together. 

Three and a half stars

Winner Bakes All #3

This book came out December 9, 2025

Follows Paris Daillencourt is about to Crumble

ARC kindly provided as ebook by Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Too Old for This by Samantha Downing

Lottie Jones is long past retirement. Not just work, but her early crime spree. So why is someone stirring up the past? It's too bad that the trend of docuseries has come to roost on her doorstep in the form of Plum Dixon. So she has to die. But cleaning up is harder than it was in her youth. And people keep following up on Plum.

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 12, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death and Dinuguan by Mia P. Manansala

There have bee n a series of burglaries in town, all have occurred at women-owned businesses. Then one of the burglaries ends in one death and one woman in a coma, someone who is very close to Jae. 

This is a regular in the series though I do not think you need to have read the rest of the books to enjoy this one. The author's note markd this as the final book in the series which would be sad, but there are some possibilities to continue further if Manansala changes her mind in the future.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out November 25, 2025

Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #6

Follows Guilt and Ginataan

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Holly Village Murders by Benedict Brown

Marius and Bella have another mystery to solve when her Aunt Adele dies. They immediately head for her cottage in Holly Village which is made up mainly of people who are classed as "elderly." There have been a number of deaths in the past year but that's not really suspicious based on the median age. 

What is odd, however, is that the Manet that was over Adele's fireplace has disappeared and another painting was put in it's place. Compounding that is the fact that Adele's death is not the last that this group of people will see. 

An interesting story wherein Bella and Marius are pretending to be married. A nice addition to the series. I don't think you'd need to read other books in the series but it might help. 

Three and a half stars

Marius Quin Mystery #6

This book came out November 10, 2025

Follows Arsenic and Old Lies

ARC kindly provided Storm Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch

There's yet another murder in Jodie Parker's small town. This time it occurs on stage during the Christmas pantomime. Both Jodie's daughter and her mother are involved with the pantomime so she's met some of the people involved as well, including the woman who was murdered.

At first, the assumption is that it has to be connected to the pantomime, but it turns out that the murder is connected to a crime that happened over thirty years ago. Jodie, being police-adjacent, is up to her nose in this mystery. I enjoy this series because Jodie was once a policewoman and she also is invited to help with solving the crime, not just running around on her own. 

Three and a half stars

The Nosey Parker Mysteries #9

This book comes out October 31, 2026

Follows The Cornish Castle Murder

Followed by The Cornish Honeymoon Murder

ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins UK and NetGalley

Opinions are my own