Tag: book review

The Best Books I Read in October (2026)

In October, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 142 books read. I am woefully behind, It’s been a busy year. Most of those were solid reads, a couple were meh, and a few were really great.

This Shattered Tempest, by Thea Guanzon. I really enjoyed this trilogy! (After I got past the Star Wars fan fiction feel–or that bit calmed down some,). I liked the different cultures and I loved both main characters. At times I really wondered how they were going to survive.

Hecate Cavendish and the Angel of Death, by Paula Brackston. This was another final installment in a trilogy–and I’m very sad to see this story end. Excellently written historical fiction, a bit of murder mystery–and a vengeful ghost. Yes, please.

The Queen of Roses, by Julia Kelly. Another historical fiction read, albeit one about a time and place I had no idea was interesting. Even though I initially disliked the MC, I was soon drawn in by Julia Kelly’s excellent writing and storytelling abilities. Definitely give this a read.

What I Read in October (2026)

Books Read in October: 17
Books Read for the Year:  142/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, by Lois Tverberg (spiritual): This was a fascinating read!
A Seer and Present Danger, by Devon Monk (TBR): This was a solid mystery read! I do love the setting.

For Review:

Murder on the Sacred River, by Tasha Alexander. This felt quite slow, but it wasn’t a bad read.

In the Woods They Wait, by Carrie Lee South. This was pretty creepy–and not what I was expecting.

To Vex & To Hex, by Neena Noon. I’d say give this one a pass. The MCs are both whiny, immature, and terrible people.

The Worst Is Yet to Come, by Trish Lundy. This was a decent YA/thriller. Apart from the question of why the MC thought it was a good idea to venture into a deserted housing development in the middle of the night….

Where There’s Smoke, by Rachel Louise Adams. Apart from the creepy cover, there a fair amount of creepiness in the read itself. A solid thriller/murder mystery.

Strange Lights, by Mira González. This was a decidedly quirky read. Chupacabras, aliens, and werewolves…oh my!

Fallen Beauty, by Astrid Scholte. I found this to be very meh. The characters were okay. The premise didn’t really work for me.

This Shattered Tempest, by Thea Guanzon. Loved this series finale! Tons of actions, twists, and so many choices to be made.

The Paris Files, by Eva Jurczyk. This was NOT what I was expecting!

Sunderworld, Vol. 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry. This was a definitely a fun, campy read.

Hecate Cavendish and the Angel of Death, by Paula Brackston. I’m sad to see this series end so soon! I do love Brackston’s writing, and these characters are wonderful.

The Queen of Roses, by Julia Kelly. Loved this read! Engrossing dual-timeline historical read.

The Sign of the Raven, by Pippa Dunn. I’d say pass on this. Great premise, but I didn’t care for the reality.

Just Because:
All In, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (audio). Still enjoying this series!
Bad Blood, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (audio). This was a good series wrap-up (I thought) …but there’s a new one out today!

Left Unfinished:

Galinda, by Gregory Maguire. I just need to remember that Maguire’s books/writing style just aren’t for me. I’m very much not a fan of the disjointed, rambling style he seems to like. This is the second book of his I’ve DNFed in a row.
The Lost Spectacular, by Zoe Duhaime. I didn’t like either MC, and the world of the story seemed very…nonsensical.
The Pools, by E. Lockhart. It would have been helpful to know upfront this was a novel written in verse, then I never would have picked it up.
Hallowed Bones, by Lucy Smoke. Eh…this just wasn’t a good fit for me. I’m not buying the whole why choose/four rich boys/whatever scenario.
An Auction of Souls, by Amber Chen. I just didn’t care about the characters, so I didn’t want to waste my time reading more.

Sundays are for Writing #395

This was a great writing week! I wrote four book reviews—Sunderworld, Vol. 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry, by Ransome Riggs, Hecate Cavendish and the Angel of Death, by Paula Brackston, The Queen of Roses, by Julia Kelly and The Sign of the Raven, by Pippa Dunn— and my October reading post (live tomorrow) and my best books I read in October post (Tuesday) as well.

It’s dreary and a tiny bit cooler—“fall” in Texas—so I just cooked a big pot of chicken and dumplings and I’m about to take a nap.

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Queen of Roses, by Julia Kelly

Image belongs to Gallery Books.

Title: The Queen of Roses
Author: Julia Kelly
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1960: Frustrated reporter Theresa Johnson’s life changes when she receives a phone call from a Miss Pearce who claims her obituary about one of Pasadena’s last great hoteliers is wildly inaccurate. Seeking the truth, Theresa drives to the mysterious Rosewood House nestled high in the Altadena foothills. Even more intriguing than the house’s beautiful garden is Miss Pearce’s proposal that Theresa help her settle old scores by writing her biography.

1903: Beautiful but haughty, Adele Pearce is reluctant to leave the London Season and her last hope of a proposal. When she arrives in California, she discovers the startling truth of why her mother has called her her father has squandered his fortune and Adele must marry a wealthy American to save the family.

Stifled by expectation as Pasadena’s newest doyenne, Adele’s only comfort is Rosewood House and the beautiful garden she creates with the help of taciturn gardener Alexander Macalister. However, as Adele’s feelings for Alex flourish, a fire ignites in the San Gabriel Mountains above Rosewood House, threatening everything Adele holds dear, while in 1960, Miss Pearce learns that history has a terrible habit of repeating itself.

I do love Julia Kelly’s books, and this was no exception. I knew absolutely nothing about this era/place in America, but it was an interesting read. I’m not big on social “rules,” so that’ always a challenge for me to read about, and I’m very independent—so the reality of it being a man’s world so exclusively was a challenge, too.

I didn’t really like Adele much at first, but she grew on me a bit. Very much the Ice Queen, but…her mother was not a nice person. And we won’t talk about her husband. I did love the 1960 timeline even more and found that story to be completely engrossing. This is an excellent read!

Julia Kelly is a bestselling author. The Queen of Roses is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Sunderworld, Vol. 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry

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Title: Sunderworld, Vol. 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry
Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: YA, Sci-fi
Rating: 4 out of 5

The magic was failing. The monsters were coming. Sunder was desperate for a hero, and Leopold Berry was certain he’d been chosen to save it.

He was wrong.

After flunking his channeler test in spectacular fashion and getting kicked out of Sunder in record time, Leopold swore he was done with magic for good—until a trail of clues from his late mother dragged him back in, then led him to a mysterious ring that might just be the most powerful object in magical history. If only he can figure out how the damn thing works.

Now the walls are closing in.

Famous in Sunder for all the wrong reasons, Leopold is being stalked by paparazzi, threatened by government agents determined to get their hands on the ring, and hunted by terrifying creatures hungry for its power. His only hope is to learn to wield the ring before someone kills him for it and then use it to uncover his family’s buried connection to Sunder before the trail goes cold—and the magical world collapses around him.

Because the magic is still failing. The monsters are everywhere. And Sunder still needs a hero.

With loyal friends Emmet and Isabel at his side, Leopold must decide who he can trust in a city built on illusion—and whether the kid who was never chosen is willing to risk everything for the world that didn’t want him.

Welcome back to Sunderworld.

This was a fun continuation of the Sunderworld story. Still a bit campy, like Labyrinth, but fun. The friendship is my favorite part. Leopold and Emmett are so natural together, with them bouncing ideas and quips off each other. Such a believable long-lasting friendship. This was definitely a fun read.

Ransom Riggs lives in L.A. Sunderworld, Vol. 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Young Readers Group | Dutton Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #394

This was a decent writing week. I wrote two book reviews, The Paris Files, by Eva Jurczyk and Sunderworld, Vol. 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry, by Ransom Riggs.

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Paris Files, by Eva Jurczyk

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Title: The Paris Files
Author: Eva Jurczyk
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Genie St. Onge’s heart is broken more often than it’s not—but that doesn’t stop her from diving in head-first when she meets Jacob Ford. Their connection is instantaneous and consuming, and they agree to meet again in Paris. In a heady mix of sugared pastries and rumpled bedsheets, they begin plotting their future together. In the dreamy apartment they’re renting in the 11th arrondissement, they become intoxicated by each other.

Until Jacob disappears.

Genie knows Jacob would never leave her. Not by choice. When phone calls to hospitals turn up nothing, she grows convinced that someone must have taken him. It’s the only explanation.

Under the scrutiny of the French police, however, Genie’s story doesn’t quite hold up—and it sounds like Jacob might not be all he seems, either. Through police interviews with Genie and nearby residents of the 11th arrondissement, the truth remains elusive. She swears has no idea what happened to Jacob – so why doesn’t her story align with anyone else’s?

This was pretty twisty! I wasn’t sure if I was going crazy or Genie was for a long time. The style—the story is told through police reports—was a bit strange to me at first, but it really worked for this story. This is a mystery with a very small setting—a building and its residents and a neighboring shopkeeper—but set against the larger backdrop of Paris. This was a very solid mystery read.

Eva Jurczyk lives in Toronto. The Paris Files is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Viking Penguin | Pamela Dorman Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: This Shattered Tempest, by Thea Guanzon

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager.

Title: This Shattered Tempest
Author: Thea Guanzon
Genre: Sci-fi/fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5

When the storm swallows the world, who will be left standing?

Throughout their political marriage, Alaric and Talasyn struggled to resist the undeniable pull between them, even as rising tensions forced them on opposite sides of a looming war. Hand in hand, they vanquished the cataclysmic threat of the Moonless Dark—and started to hope for a future together.

That hope is shattered when a devastating attack sets off a chain of events that tears them apart once more. Now, as two rival nations prepare for a final, decisive clash, the Master of the Shadowforged Legion and the last Lightweaver fight to find their way back to each other. But the odds are stacked against them, and time is running out…

Is love enough to rewrite destiny? Can a new beginning rise from the ruins of the past? Or are Alaric and Talasyn doomed to meet as enemies on one last battlefield? This explosive third and final book brings the beloved Hurricane Wars series to a stunning conclusion—where passion and power collide, and the fate of a divided world hangs in the balance.

I really enjoyed this trilogy! Yes, the first book especially gave me Star Wars déjà vu, but I ended up loving these characters and worlds for themselves. So much intrigue here! And lies. Everyone is playing a game, telling lies, and manipulating everyone around them. That’s probably a very accurate picture of the lives of politicians, but it was disturbing to me. I enjoyed how everything wrapped up, even though there was a lot to be sad about, too.

Thea Guanzon is a bestselling author. This Shattered Tempest is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #393

This was a good writing week: I wrote three book reviews. Strange Lights, by Mira González (quirky and a step above meh), Fallen Beauty, by Astrid Scholte (very meh), and This Shattered Tempest, by Thea Guanzon (I enjoyed this very much!).

Happy writing!

Book Review: Strange Lights, by Mira González

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Title: Strange Lights
Author: Mira González
Genre: Sci-fi/fantasy
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Parenting is never easy, but it’s a hell of a lot harder when your toddler is a chupacabra.

Paranormal investigator and cryptozoologist Reggie has embraced her fate as parent to an adopted toddler, Eldi—a blood-sucking chupacabra with a fondness for goats. Reggie wants nothing more than to put her complicated past in the rearview mirror and fade into as much obscurity as her toddler will allow. But a rash of UFOs in the night sky and a couple of crop-circle-carving Roombas force Reggie into an investigation that attracts the attention of an old enemy, an anti-supernatural agency hunting for creatures like Eldi. To outwit them, Reggie must team up with Calvin: a podcaster-turned-werewolf whose charm is a real threat to Reggie’s rule against romantic attachments.

With Reggie’s history quickly catching up to her and Eldi in the agency’s crosshairs, any shred of normalcy evaporates. Reggie must decide: Can she confront her dark past to save Eldi—and an entire alien species—from getting wiped out of the universe?

Me, trying to tell a friend what this book was about, “Werewolves, aliens, chupacabras. Maybe some Men in Black vibes.” There was quite a bit going on here, I’m not going to lie. I loved Eldi! The relationship between her and Reggie was so great! Definitely a relatable parent/child relationship. This felt a little bit like a bad sci-fi movie, but I really liked the characters and the action level.

Mira González lives in Fiji. Strange Lights is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Bindery Books in exchange for an honest review.)