So what have you been reading?

#15 This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews, Kristen Sieh (Narrator)

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:08:39 GMT

Maggie wakes up naked in the mud in the city of her favorite fantasy book with no idea how she got there. She quickly uses her deep knowledge of the unfinished trilogy to get money and shelter and finds out that she can come back to life after being killed. She uses this skill a few times to painfully get ahead in the story. She uses what she knows to stop the main bad guy from taking over the kingdom but every change she does effects plot points further down and the ending of the book is a complete surprise to her and the reader.

I can’t wait for the next one.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

comments

#14 Butterfly Effects by Seanan McGuire

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:51:57 GMT

This wraps up the Sarah story arc. As Mark is finally coming out of the coma he has been in for the last eight years, Sarah is kidnapped by the Johrlac and taken back to their dimension to stand trial for her crimes. As they were doing this, the Johrlac take Arthur as evidence of Sarah’s crimes. As the story unfolds, we find out why the cuckoos were sent to our dimension and why they are different from home world. Annie, Sam, Alice and Thomas travel to Johrlac to rescue Sarah and Arthur and along the way also find out more about the Karios. A great book and the novella at the end had me in tears.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#13 The Lost Daughter of Sparta by Felicia Day, Rowan MacColl (Illustrator)

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:55:36 GMT

This black, white and red graphic novel is a story of an unloved princess born with a birthmark on her face and sent away to be raised by herders until they need her to marry for a political alliance. Philonoe is only mentioned in one known text so this is a idea of how she avoided the curse that was placed on her family and her sisters in particular. There are gods and monsters both involved in this tale and as usual in most myths the gods use mortals as pawns for any slights they feel.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#12 The Baby Dragon Café by Aamna Qureshi, Ash Raju (narrator), Hunter Johns (narrator)

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:12:51 GMT

In a world where some families in this valley have and ride dragons there is a coffee shop where you can bring your baby dragon. Saphira is alone in the world and opened a café with the funds provided by grandmother’s will. Aiden is a bit of a recluse from an important local dragon owning family who is grieving his brother’s death and now trying to raise the dragon that his brother left to him when it was still an egg. When he meets Saphira and sees how well Sparky responds to her he begs her to train him, the money is a boon to the café since it is barley scraping by due to the damage the little dragons do to the café. This is a cute cozy romance the the dragons give a nice little fantasy touch to.

comments

#11 The Ship Who Dared by Mercedes Lackey, Veronica Giguere

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:00:01 GMT

This is a sequel to The Ship Who Searched but doesn’t need to be read to understand what is going on in the book. The plus is there are more books like this set in the same universe. Tia is a brainship that works with her Brawn partner Alex. They are testing a singularity drive for the military that occasionally sends them off course and causes issues for them with the courier service they work for. They end up helping out several people along the way and finally have to take on 2 military tech to help suss out the weird glitch that keeps sending them off course. Things work out in the end and I wonder if we will see more books in this setting.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher

comments

#10 The In Death Cookbook: To-Die-For Recipes from the World of J. D. Robb by Theresa Carle-Sanders

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:33:29 GMT

The In Death Cookbook: To-Die-For Recipes from the World of J. D. Robb by

Theresa Carle-Sanders, J.D. Robb (Foreword)

This themed cookbook is various dishes mentioned or eaten by the characters in the series. There are also cocktails recipes in here as well so you can make your own screamer if you want. What I liked about the setup was there was paragraph from the book where the recipe was pulled from before every recipe and it left me wanting to reread the series from start to finish. A nice gift for fans of the series.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#9 Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:23:42 GMT

When the gate finally opens between the New Sonora colony and Earth things are looking good for New Sonora. Oliver and his sister Lulu are working the farm together after their grandfather died with the help of Roge,r an AI bot used to control the drones that work the fields. But when large mechs land on planet and start attacking the colonists they quickly find out that they are being targeted for extermination by Earth. The battle lasts five days and with some backroom deals with the company controlling the game as the battle is seen from Earth, Oliver alongside his friends and neighbors have to work with the company to make the game interesting in the hopes of surviving the game. The players think they are helping to destroy the rebels but there are no rebels and a lot of disinformation is going on.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#8 Beast Business by Ilona Andrews

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 19:33:07 GMT

Not the place to start in this universe of stories but very entertaining for fans of the series. Diana Harrison needs a very special baby back before it dies without its mother’s milk. She also has loyal employees to avenge that were killed during the theft. She hires Augustine to help her and between the two of them they will succeed along with a little help from Augustine’s intern.

There are bits and pieces from the website collected here as well as a short story that happens along the same time line.

comments

#7 The Mating Game by Lana Ferguson

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:06:29 GMT

Tess Covington shows up to an inn in a remote part of Colorado to do a job that the owner’s aunt had scheduled. Tess has just found out she is a late blooming omega, the first shifter in her family for generations so she doesn’t know what to expect. Hunter is an alpha werewolf and is mad at his aunt for having Tess’ company come and work on the inn but relents to have the work done. Hunter has to end up helping Tess with new heat cycles since she can’t control them and she doesn’t know what to do.

This is set after The Fake Mate but this story can be read without having to know what happens in that book. The story was cute and there is a lot of family interactions with Tess’ family with her brothers and her worry about her dad.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#6 Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:30:44 GMT

Everyone is an unreliable narrator in this book. Tavish has recently married Diya in a whirlwind romance in Las Vegas and has moved with her to New Zealand. It is a fresh start for him with a string of death of former lovers behind him. There is a cop in LA that is convinced that he has gotten away with murder. Diya’s family wants to hold a huge Hindi wedding in six months so have asked the couple to say they are just engaged. Tavish comes back to the family residence with cake samples to find it in flames and Diya in the yard with multiple stab wounds. Her sister-in-law has survived the fire with stab wounds as well, but the parents are dead and the brother-in-law is missing. As the primary suspect in the killing his alibi checks out cursory but his past quickly comes back to haunt him with the police. As he is investigating the family secrets the detective in LA has chapters in between the narrative where he is convinced that Tavish has gotten away with murder and he is trying to find out how he did it. A good story with lots of twists and I didn’t see the ending coming.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#5 Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis, Jennifer Jill Araya [Narrator]

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:52:38 GMT

The second book in the series has Queen Lorelai the half elven queen of Baravia and one of the Queens of Villainy kidnap her nemesis the General Gerard de Moireul that she has been taunting for the last seven years and now she has kidnapped him to open his eyes to get his to see what is wrong with the Emperor he serves. She takes him to the Fae realm and they enter a contest and have to work together. As they are winning the various challenges each realizes that they have feelings for one another. This is a enemies to lovers storyline and by the end of the book the romance for book 3 is set up to happen.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

comments

#4 For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:29:44 GMT

As Bob’s copies keep going out in the universe and replicating themselves each is slightly different than Bob but they are working to get the remaining humans off Earth and settled on new planets. New problems with this happens with both an alien race that devours all life on any planet if finds and strip-mines it for resources for it to expand further out in space and the copies of the Brazilian AI that wants to defeat all of Brazil’s enemies. Can’t wait to read the next one.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#3 The Summer War by Naomi Novik

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 19:09:13 GMT

The day Celia came into her magical powers she cursed her oldest brother to live without love. Her father now ignores her and her middle brother causing the tow siblings to forge a relationship that was previously prevented to happen due to middle brother’s mother being of low status. When the king decides that Celia must go to court to marry the prince she finds out that not is all as it seems with the reasons of the marriage and now she is nothing more that someone to be ignored by her new husband as she finds out the true meaning behind the war that has gone on between her people and the elves. A good novella that reminds the reader of the power of words.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#2 Storm Front [Dramatized Adaptation] by Graphic Audio (Adaptor), Jim Butcher

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:48:55 GMT

Storm Front [Dramatized Adaptation] by Graphic Audio (Adaptor), Jim Butcher, [Author] Emlyn McFarland (Reader), Brian Kim McCormick (Reader), Matthew Bassett (Reader), Christopher Walker (Reader), Nora Sofyan (Reader), Drew Kopas (Reader), Nicole Perez (Reader), Stephanie Németh-Parker (Reader), John Kielty (Reader), Gregory Linington (Reader), Christopher Mclinden (Reader)

This is a great multicast audio of a book I haven’t reread in years and there were little plot points I had forgotten about. The voice casting was great and it is a different but good take on the single narrative reader audio book. A entertaining start to a long and fun series.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

comments

#1 Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:06:48 GMT

Riela lives on the fringes of her village and is barely tolerated by her neighbors due to not being from there and having magic even if she did save the village from a flood that caused them to manifest and save everyone. Armed with weapons she hasn’t trained with she goes into the forest to kill the monster that attacked another villager. After barely surviving an attack and being rescued by a mage named Garrick. Turns out that Riela has magic she can’t use and Garrick thinks she is the latest trick from his enemy Feylan to kill him once and for all.

Slowly Garrick starts showing Riela how to use her magic as he finds out why it seems she is blocked from most of it. Feylan also wants to know about this new mage and take her for her magic. As the story unfolds Garrick and Riela develop feelings for one another even if they aren’t sure about one another. As the story unfolds Riela finds out more about her mother who died during her birth. This adds complications to Riela and Garrick’s relationship and throws a wrench into Garrick’s plans to get even with Feylan.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

comments

#78 Archangel's Eternity by Nalini Singh

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 01:43:00 GMT

What a great ending to this series. The book starts with Elena being a thousand years old and thinking about all the changes to her life and to everyone around her. Everyone that has shown up during the series gets mentioned. Some angels go to Sleep and a one awakens. The book is still too far out from publication to really get into the details that might spoil any surprises for fans and I won’t be the one to do it. But every chapter was great to read and loose ends were tied off nicely. There is always room for short stories set in this universe but if there wasn’t any more the fans really get all their questions answered.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#77 Platform Decay by Martha Wells

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 01:24:44 GMT

Murderbot is on a mission to save some people and then it gets complicated. Murderbot is running some new code that Art helped write to monitor their organic parts for emotional regulation. And when they find who they are looking to rescue a new complication arises and they have to rescue more people. Lots of internal dialogue as usual and seeing Three’s personality develop was great as well.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#76 Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 02:29:32 GMT

This is set earlier in Penric’s life and has him solving the murder of a woman that wanted to speak to the archdivine but was turned away. When Penric finds out she is dead the next day he starts to find out what she wanted to tell his boss and who wanted her dead.

comments

#75 The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly, Peter Giles [Narrator]

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 19:09:28 GMT

After the events of the previous book Mickey is now doing civil work and is representing a grieving mother, whose teen daughter was killed by a former boyfriend that the case says did this at the motivation of his AI girlfriend. The story also crosses paths with Jack McEvoy who approaches Mickey because he wants to write a book about the case and the risks of AI. Mickey uses all his tricks from working criminal defense cases to try and bring some accountability of the AI’s company on their actions. A timely story about the dangers of AI and its effects on people.

comments

#74 The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo, John Picacio (Author And Illustrator)

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 16:56:57 GMT

Cala’s family is prepping for Día de Muertos celebration but she is missing her recently departed grandfather to much to enjoy or help with the preparations. As she goes to the cemetery with her family ghosts approach her and help her with realizing that this is the way to celebrate her grandfather and remember him with her family. The art is amazing in the book and really helps with the storytelling.

comments

#73 Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 16:47:49 GMT

The story goes over the year after the battle of Chicago. Harry is in a funk from all the death and losses of both friends and allies. This is a story about grief and depression and how Harry works through it. Of course, there is stuff he is trying to fix from the aftermath of the war and also do his duties as the Winter Knight. This is definitely the beginning of a new story arc in the Dresden series and can be a good place for a few reader to start if they don’t mind spoilers for past events. I liked how Harry just didn’t bounce back and neither did Chicago and yet by the end of the book there is hope.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

comments

#72 Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire, Cynthia Hopkins [Narrator]

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 18:13:37 GMT

Nancy has returned from the Halls of the Dead looking for help from her former classmates. Her friends spring to action and return with her to fight the ghosts of the unquiet dead and help save the other living statues. You find out more about this realm and there are more surprises instore for the group as they try to figure out what caused the spirts to come out and attack everyone. A great story in this universe and there are new students so people will be asking for more backstories.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

comments

#71 The Reluctant Reaper by MaryJanice Davidson

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 17:22:17 GMT

Amara has been avoiding her family because she isn’t interested in taking up the family business of being Death. Granted she always knows when someone is going to die and it has made it difficult for her to have friends and know when and how they will die. When she gets a call saying that her father is ill she goes home thinking that it is a ruse but her dad is really sick and she needs to take up the slack of the region he is responsible for.

Amara’s friend Gray comes home with her since he knows all her secrets and helps with the situation. The story is good and the ending complete you know there is more room in this setting for more books but the reader isn’t left hanging.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

comments

#70 Stolen in Death by J.D. Robb

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 18:14:09 GMT

When a respected business man is found murdered in his home office laying in front of an opened vault with priceless stolen treasures inside Eve has to solve this and hope that nothing inside comes back onto Roarke’s misspent youth. A good mystery with the usual Eve and Roarke romance and nothing bad happening with any of their friends make this a great read to curl up with.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

comments

#69 Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 17:42:04 GMT

Thea finds out she has inherited some property in a small mountain town from her grandmother that she has never met. Her mom had made her and her sisters swear they would never go back to their mother’s hometown and never speak to their grandmother. Well after being fired from her job and needing money she goes to find just what she has inherited. With only a suitcase and a pet cockatoo that used to belong to her former boss that the bird hated she is off to Georgia to see just what her inheritance is. This is a cute story with a lot of hidden family history that comes to light and trying to find a new start in a new town. Rhea’s sisters are really only on the phone and don’t come into town until near the end of the book. There is a cute romance that has forbidden vibes since Rhea’s grandmother and his grandmother didn’t like one another but for good reasons.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

comments