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I’d like to give a bit of explanation for my ratings in the reviews I write. I probably should have done this when I started rating reviews…but it seemed self-explanatory. Except my ratings are more nuanced than five stars=a spectacular book. I read a lot. Like, a lot. But just because I loved a book, doesn’t mean you will. And just because something bothered me in a book, doesn’t mean it will bother a single other person on the planet. A review is an opinion, and we all know what they say about opinions.

It’s highly unlikely you’ll ever see a one- or two-star rating on a review here. Because if I think the writing is that bad, or I dislike the content that much, I won’t finish reading the book. (It took me years—most of my life—to embrace the freedom of not finishing a book that was a bad choice for me.) Writing is hard work, and I refuse to give a bad review to a book just because I don’t like it a bit. That’s disrespectful to the author and the work that went into creating the book. And, just because I don’t care for the book, doesn’t mean you won’t, either.

So, as a general guideline:
-5 stars means I loved the book. It might have a few issues, but I loved it anyway.
-4 stars means I liked the book, possibly loved parts of it. A solid read.
-3 stars means I thought it was good enough to finish—but there was something I
didn’t really care for (could have been a writing issued, could have been a character
I found annoying). The writing might have been superb—which I’ll mention—but if
the MC is whiny and annoying, that detracts enough that it knocked the rating
down.
-anything with a decimal number means it leaned towards the next number up (So,
the character was annoying, but not that annoying.).

Again, my reviews are my opinions. We don’t all have the same tastes or pet peeves or preferences. That’s what makes us individuals. If you think my 3-star rating is wrong on a book, please tell me why. Maybe your insight into the character I disliked will change my mind. Anything is possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sundays are for Writing #379

This was just an okay writing week. I wrote one book review, The Moonsingers, by Robyn J Pritzker. I DNFed a couple of books, and it was a terribly demanding and stressful week at work, so that’s it.

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Moonsingers, by Robyn J Pritzker

Image belongs to Poisoned Pen Press.

Title: The Moonsingers
Author: Robyn J Pritzker            
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5 

In a quiet glen beyond the reach of the railway lives a peculiar family who knows the best magic is the kind found in ordinary moments.

When Ismay Gebhardt is dismissed from yet another teaching post after an unfortunate accident (which everyone survived!), she accepts a last-chance job as a private tutor in sleepy Glenmaidens village. The town is brimming with natural beauty, uncanny traditions, and earnest locals, none more unusual than her three young pupils—the Underhill sisters—and their puzzling father.

Determined to make herself useful after several catastrophic lessons with the unbiddable girls, Ismay writes to the transport bureau suggesting an extension to the train line, hoping to bring Glenmaidens into modernity. As usual, Ismay’s good intentions lead to chaos with the arrival of the bureau’s frustratingly thorough officer, Hamish Breck, whose railway plans threaten not only the glen’s tranquility, but also the ancient oak tree at its heart. Amidst a mess of her own making, Ismay unearths Glenmaidens’ enchanted secret: the Underhills, like many villagers, are fairies who settled in the mortal world in search of a gentler life, and the oak is their only bridge back to the moonlit realm of the fantastic.

As summer heat rises, Ismay schemes with her magical neighbors to prevent the extension, each day finding herself more entangled with the charming, persistent bureaucrat. With her newfound family, the way between worlds, and her heart all at risk, Ismay must decide how much she would bargain to finally embrace the wonder and belonging she’s always wished for.

I enjoyed this read! I love the historical fiction setting, and the Underhills were such fun characters. This was just a calm, lovely read and I liked the characters as well. It’s definitely a cozy fairy tale, and I could get used to reading this genre—no reading stress, a believable setting, and a magical twist.

Robyn J Pritzker has a doctorate of literature. The Moonsingers is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Rewrite the Stars, by Lindsay Hameroff

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin,

Title: Rewrite the Stars
Author: Lindsay Hameroff
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

A sparkling romance between an ex-actress and her contractor, reminding us that it’s never too late to rewrite our destiny.

Semi-retired actress Marissa Morgan has played many parts in her life. But these days, her primary role is mother of two. Since hitting pause on her career, she’s worked hard to give her kids a normal childhood and shield them from the spotlight. So when her ex-husband announces his high-profile engagement and a media storm ensues, Marissa and her kids flee Los Angeles for a summer at her recently inherited Poconos lake house.

The long-vacant house needs major TLC, so Marissa hires a home renovation company to do repairs. But when the project hits a snag and Marissa finds herself sharing space with the crew, including Jesse, the handsome (and vaguely familiar) foreman, her plans for a drama-free summer hit choppy water.

Jesse doesn’t expect Marissa to remember him; they were just kids when they last played together at the lake. But he’s never forgotten her; he’s spent the last two decades quietly following her career, even as his own dreams fell apart. And now that she’s stumbled back into his sleepy hometown, Jesse’s predictable life has gotten a lot more complicated.

As the summer days pass, Marissa finds herself centering her own needs for the first time in years—and that includes giving into her mounting attraction to Jesse. Soon, she finds herself wondering if their fling could become something more.

After an unexpected career opportunity falls into Marissa’s lap, it feels like the stars have finally aligned. But when new complications arise, the pair wonder how they’ll fit into each other’s future. Can Marissa and Jesse chart a new course together, or is it too late to rewrite the script for a happily ever after?

This was a sweet romantic read. Not quite a second-chance romance, but I really enjoyed it. The Hollywood/social media drama Marissa has to live with is horrifying to me, but she deals with it with aplomb and serenity—on the surface anyway. I enjoyed seeing her step into becoming a person willing to stand up for herself and her own needs, not just caving to the demands of Hollywood, her ex-husband, and even her kids. This would be a perfect summer weekend read.

Lindsay Hameroff is from Baltimore. Rewrite the Stars is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Pretty Dead Things, by Kelsey Cox  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books.

Title: Pretty Dead Things
Author: Kelsey Cox             
Genre: Mystery/thriller  
Rating: 4 out 5

2000: Isabelle Whitmore vanishes at Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas, without a trace.

2025: The annual Lone Star Princess Pageant looms, bringing long-standing grudges to the surface. Ingrid fled Anhalt in the wake of her sister Isabelle’s disappearance and has now returned, just in time for a construction crew to start digging up Sherman Ranch; the pageant brings up past traumas that Melanie can’t forget; Cat, newly sober, starts to feel threatened in ways that bring back old demons; and Sarah Lynn, who comes from a long line of pageant winners, knows that losing is not an option.

When old resentments and new confrontations reach their boiling point, temperatures drop to deadly degrees as a record-setting storm brings down the state’s power grid. With everyone trapped under one roof, scores will be settled, and more than one person will end up dead.

Not going to lie: the portrayal of pageant culture (especially pageant moms) felt pretty spot-on. This was an engrossing read, and I enjoyed both the present-day scenes and the past scenes. The characters were all quite vivid and there were enough twists and turns that I kept changing my mind about who the killer was—and I never actually did figure it out.

Kelsey Cox lives in the Hill Country. Pretty Dead Things is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review.)

   

Sundays are for Writing #378

This week was a good writing week. I wrote my June reading post, my best books I read in June post, and two book reviews, Pretty Dead Things, by Kelsey Cox and Rewrite the Stars, by Lindsay Hameroff.

And I think I have the beginnings of a fiction idea.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in June (2026)

In June, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 84 books read. I also DNFed a handful, but we won’t talk about those. Of the 17 I finished, several were really good.

The Secret Thread, by Eve Chase. I really enjoyed this dual timeline/historical fiction/mystery mashup. The MC was very vivid in both timelines, and I loved seeing how she became who she was.

When Dealing with Dragons, by Dana Swift. This was a unique read for me. I loved the world and the culture, and I thought the characters were well done, too. I’d love to read more in this world!

Don’t Forget to Write, by Sara Goodman Confino. I absolutely loved this! The MC’s parents, particularly her dad, were horrible, but her aunt Ava was so inspiring! The voice was phenomenal and I just loved every page. Great ending, too.

What I Read in June (2026)

Books Read in June: 17
Books Read for the Year:  84/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, by Joshilyn Jackson (audio): This did not turn out like I expected! I love Joshilyn Jackson’s Southern fiction.
Strange New World, by Rachel Vincent (TBR): This was a decent YA duology.
Don’t Forget to Write, by Sara Goodman Confino (TBR): I LOVED this!
The Road Towards Home, by Corinne Demas (TBR): I enjoyed this read, although I found the ending a little too quick and tidy.
Out of the Ashes, by Kara Thomas (TBR): I’m surprised I finished this. The MC was awful.
For Whom the Spell Tolls, by Devon Monk (TBR): This is a cute series.
Desiring God, by John Piper (spiritual): Very deep read.

For Review:

Scandal of the Summer, by Alexandra Vasti. This was a decent romance read.

The Secret Thread, by Eve Chase. I enjoyed this a lot–both timelines. Some mystery, family drama, cool fashion/historical stuff. A very solid read.

Cursed Ever After, by Andy C. Naranjo. This felt a bit like The Princess Bride. It was funny in places, a bit over-the-top, and just generally solid. A storybook type of fantasy.

When Dealing with Dragons, by Dana Swift. I thought the world/culture in this read was very unique. I enjoyed that very much, and I like all the characters. The hidden secret was also very cool.

Witch Season, by Julia Bianco. I finished this, but it felt pretty meh to me.

The River She Became, by Emily Varga. I really enjoyed this read. It felt unique and fresh and I liked the world a lot.

Pretty Dead Things, by Kelsey Cox. Man, pageant culture is real in Texas. And this was a pretty ugly look at the inside of it–with an unexpected (to me, anyway) twist at the end.

Rewrite the Stars, by Lindsay Hameroff. I really enjoyed this! I think the banter between the MC and her best friend was my favorite part, but this was a sweet, lovely read.

Just Because:
Anxious for Nothing, by Max Lucado (Audio): Anything by Max Lucado is good.
I’ll Start Again Monday, by Lysa TerKeurst. I really enjoyed this. Made me think.

Left Unfinished:
Leave and Come Back, by Lavanya Lakshmi. I had to put this down because I was busy, and never felt the urge to pick it back up.
La Vie, According to Rose, by Lauren Parvizi. I absolutely refuse to read about stupid people, and Rose is stupid. How many times can you lose your phone or keys or something else important while in a foreign country? How do you blatantly refuse to see the con man in front of you, when everyone else on the planet can see it? Ugh.
Most Ardently Yours, by Freya Sampson. I can’t believe I DNFed this, but the MC got on every single nerve I have and I couldn’t stand to read more.
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, by Ben Reeves. This started off slow and did not catch my attention. At all.

Book Review: The River She Became, by Emily Varga

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books.

Title: The River She Became
Author: Emily Varga              
Genre: Fantasy, YA  
Rating: 4 out of 5

I’m going across the River. And I’m going to save us all.

Yaseema is a brilliant scholar and loyal servant of the Empire—or so they think. By day, she catalogs the fae relics of her conquered kingdom. But by night, she reclaims the artefacts in secret to restore magic to her dying land.

Until she finds the long lost key to cross the River into the fae world and save her people. But a ruthless realm awaits her there, ruled by monsters wearing beautiful skin—especially the cold-eyed captain who sees through her lies. But even he isn’t what he seems—under the guise of upholding a cruel regime, he works to overthrow it from the inside. To succeed, he needs the same lost relic Yaseema the crown of an ancient Fae Queen.

With magic that is a mystery even to her, Yaseema can help him find the crown and save his family from a fate worse than death. Unless she steals it first to help her own.

To survive, they must work together to outwit ancient curses, battle creatures born of nightmares, and find a power that could resurrect their worlds. But as secrets unravel and loyalties blur, they face the greatest danger of losing their heart to each other.

I enjoyed this read. It felt unique and fresh, and I liked the characters and the world. The magic was interesting, too. Several layers of conflict happening at once, plus the enemies-to-lovers trope helped keep me engaged. I never totally understood the different factions and politics of what was going on, but this was still a solid read.

Emily Varga is a bestselling author. The River She Became is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Witch Season, by Julia Bianco     

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Witch Season
Author: Julia Bianco       
Genre: Fantasy  
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

That is the price of magic – not just the blood, but the pain to bring it out.

Katherine Barnes is an enforcer, charged with upholding the rules of the notorious Los Angeles-based Aestas coven. It’s her job to maintain order and bring unsettled witches – people who aren’t aware they have magic until it explodes out of them in a catastrophic burst – into the coven’s fold. As a former unsettled witch, Katherine owes her life to Sylvia Page, coven leader and silver-haired rebel who founded Aestas years ago.

When Silas Khatri, heir to Noctis, the most powerful coven in the world, arrives to take Aestas to task for some of their more unconventional practices, Katherine’s dislike for him reaches blistering levels. She hates his money, his good looks, and his coven’s dangerous attitude towards unsettled witches. She can absolutely overlook that he sets her off in more ways than one.

But a powerful threat is about to rise. Stronger than any one coven. More insidious than the decades-long power struggle that exists in the hidden witch world. One that will pull Katherine and Silas together despite their differences. And one that will lead to an all-out war.

I…didn’t really like these characters—or this world—so it’s kind of surprising I kept reading. It was a quick read, so that helped. Everyone here was morally grey, so that was a problem for me. Katherine was not really a likable person, and I’m still undecided about Silas. That’s my takeaway, and I have no desire to reach more about these people.

Julia Bianco lives in L.A. Witch Season is her debut novel.           

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

       

Sundays are for Writing #377

I only wrote one book review this week, The River She Became, by Emily Varga. I was just too busy for much reading. Hopefully next week will be better.

Happy writing!