8.5/10

#BookReview Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews @acebookspub @PenguinRandomCA #BrokenSoulsAndBones #LJAndrews #AcePub #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

#BookReview Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews @acebookspub @PenguinRandomCA #BrokenSoulsAndBones #LJAndrews #AcePub #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: Broken Souls and Bones

Author: LJ Andrews

Series: Broken Souls and Bones #1

Published by: Ace on Apr. 29, 2025

Genres: Fantasy

Pages: 480

Format: Hardcover

Source: Berkley Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Lyra Bien intended to live a quiet life to avoid the attention of the magic-obsessed king in the fortress of Stonegate. Until Roark Ashwood—the prince’s silent guard and rumored killer for the crown—invades her village and uncovers the truth behind the silver scars in her eyes. To save her best friend from death, she’s forced to reveal her abilities, and is immediately claimed by the crown as the next melder.

To be the King’s melder is to be revered and feared in equal measures, but above all it is a slow death sentence. Lyra is determined to find a way to free herself and her friends from bondage. But first she must get more information from the silent, brooding sentry who first took her captive: Roark.

As Lyra gets closer to Roark, she soon learns he’s nothing like she assumed—and in fact everything she needs. The more they work as allies, the harder it becomes to ignore the growing passion between them. After a sinister truth is revealed, Roark and Lyra must choose to stand against all they know, or accept their dark destiny.


Review:

Immersive, action-packed, and seductive!

Broken Souls and Bones is a fierce, fervent tale that takes us into the life of Lyra Bien, who after her silver scars are discovered, is brought to the fortress of Stonegate where she will do whatever it takes, even work closely with the deadly Roark Ashwood, the prince’s silent guard, to protect those she loves.

The prose is brisk and tight. The characters are multilayered, courageous, and dependable. And the plot is a riveting tale full of twists, turns, angst, loyalty, duty, heartbreak, danger, deception, family, friendship, sizzling tension, undeniable attraction, and supernatural abilities.

Overall, Broken Souls and Bones is a passionate, creative, entertaining first novel in the Broken Souls and Bones series by Andrews that is bursting with soul-searching dilemmas, sizzling romance, dangerous quests, unforeseen twists, and complex, intriguing characters.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Ace for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About LJ Andrews

LJ Andrews is a USA Today bestselling author of fantasy romance. She mystically brings to life worlds of dark Nordic and Viking myths bound by conflicts that bring together impassioned heroes and heroines. In her non-author moments, she is courageously corralling her four children to the myriad of life activities that involves, along with spending time with her favorite hero, her husband. Add two high maintenance dogs and a sassy conure to the mix and that sums it up. LJ Andrews thrives spending time in the Rocky Mountains where she lives in Utah.

#BookReview All the Perfect Days by Michael Thompson @mcwthompson @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #AllThePerfectDays #MichaelThompson #bookmarkedbylandmark

#BookReview All the Perfect Days by Michael Thompson @mcwthompson @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #AllThePerfectDays #MichaelThompson #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: All the Perfect Days

Author: Michael Thompson

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on May 20, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Family doctor Charlie Knight is in his late thirties, still playing tennis against the same people every Friday night. Still jogging the same streets every morning. Still treating the same patients every day—fixing the high blood pressure and arthritic knees of folks who’ve known him since he was a kid. But Charlie has a secret plan to escape. A plan to live the life he wants, even if the woman he was meant to do it with has left him behind.

But then Genevieve Longstaff comes back to their hometown, just as something extraordinary happens. Charlie begins to have a vision of the exact number of days a person has left until they die.

Charlie believes it’s a gift. It certainly seems like one—after all, he’s using it to help his patients, family and friends make the most of their to mend relationships, to travel, to retire. But this gift comes with awful consequences, and soon Charlie realizes there are things he doesn’t want to know—especially about the woman he still loves.


Review:

Pensive, heartwarming, and hopeful!

All the Perfect Days is a charming, captivating tale that takes you into the life of Charlie Knight, a young doctor who after years of doing the same thing in the same town finally decides it’s time to move on until he’s suddenly struck with the ability to see the number of days a person has left to live, and the love of his life, the one he let get away all those years ago, returns home.

The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are troubled, complex, and genuine. And the plot is an absorbing tale of life, loss, love, family, guilt, grief, friendship, forgiveness, compassion, support, community, and romance all interwoven with a thread of magical realism.

Overall, All the Perfect Days is a compelling, emotional, thought-provoking novel by Thompson that reminds us that even the little choices we make often have far-reaching consequences, and sometimes, perhaps, things are truly just fated to happen. 

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson has been a journalist, producer and media executive for the last fifteen years. He now co-owns a podcast production company called Fear and Greed – home of Australia’s most popular business podcast. He lives in Sydney with his wife, two young children, two cats and his beloved lawn. How to Be Remembered is Michael’s first novel.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

#BookReview Cold Burn by A. J. Landau @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #AJLandau #ColdBurn #NationalParksThriller

#BookReview Cold Burn by A. J. Landau @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #AJLandau #ColdBurn #NationalParksThriller Title: Cold Burn

Author: A. J. Landau

Series: National Parks Thriller #2

Published by: Minotaur Books on Apr. 29, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: Hardcover

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8/10

Agent Michael Walker returns when multiple deaths at Glacier Bay National Park are just the first steps in a potential global disaster.

National Park Service investigator Michael Walker is battling smugglers stealing priceless artifacts when he’s dispatched to Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, where, in the first stage of a potential global disaster, a team of scientists has gone missing.

Meanwhile, in Florida’s Everglades National Park, FBI special investigator Gina Delgado traces the murder of an environmental science intern back to another U.S. Geological Survey team’s ongoing experiments that are decimating the fragile ecosystem. That is before she’s dispatched to the scene of a sunken U.S. nuclear submarine, the entire crew of which has inexplicably been killed.

The connection between these disparate investigations lies in a deadly prehistoric organism, frozen for thousands of years in the ice until global warming brings it back to life in what could mean the death of all life on Earth. An organism that a rogue billionaire sees as the ultimate fuel source and a Russian strongman views as the ultimate weapon that can shift the global balance of power forever. Against that backdrop, Walker and Delgado find themselves desperately doing battle across multiple fronts against an ancient, unstoppable enemy.


Review:

Creative, menacing, and suspenseful!

Cold Burn is a fast-paced, addictive thriller that sees FBI ASAC Gina Delgado and National Park Service ISB agent Michael Walker working together once again when their cases collide in Alaska, and it quickly becomes apparent that something extremely secretive, sinister, and worth killing for is underway.

The writing is seamless and smooth. The characters are relentless, driven, and knowledgeable. And the plot is an eerie tale full of twists, turns, secrets, deduction, mayhem, experimentation, power, grandiose delusions, violence, and murder.

Overall, Cold Burn is an intricately woven, highly entertaining, fantastic addition to the National Parks Thriller series by Landau with its flawed characters, great pace, and consistent sense of urgency.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About A. J. Landau

A. J. LANDAU is the pseudonym for two authors, Jon Land, the award-winning, bestselling author and co-author of more than fifty books, and Jeff Ayers, reviewer, former-librarian, and author. Land lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and Jeff Ayers lives in Seattle, Washington.

#BookReview Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin @harperbooks #DetectiveAunty #UzmaJalaluddin #HarperBooks #HarperPerennial

#BookReview Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin @harperbooks #DetectiveAunty #UzmaJalaluddin #HarperBooks #HarperPerennial Title: Detective Aunty

Author: Uzma Jalaluddin

Series: Kausar Khan Investigates #1

Published by: Harper Books on May 6, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Harper Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

After her husband’s unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she’d receive another phone call as heartbreaking—until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say that she’s been arrested for killing the unpopular landlord of her clothing boutique. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years.

Returning to the Golden Crescent suburb where she raised her children and where her daughter still lives, Kausar finds that the thriving neighborhood she remembered has changed. The murder of Sana’s landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes which have gone unsolved.

And the facts of the case are Sana found the man dead in her shop at a suspiciously early hour, with a dagger from her windowfront display plunged in his chest. And Kausar—a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by her years—senses there’s more to the story than her daughter is telling.

With the help of some old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can’t predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way…


Review:

Captivating, humorous, and suspenseful!

Detective Aunty is a well-paced, amusing murder mystery that takes you into the life of Kausar Khan, a middle-aged widow who, after her daughter becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a local businessman, returns to Scarborough to prove her innocence, discover what’s really going on, and ultimately identify the killer.

The prose is witty and light. The characters are quirky, intelligent, and intriguing. And the plot is a mysterious, engaging whodunit full of family, friendship, community, secrets, greed, suspects, deduction, red herrings, and amateur sleuthing.

Overall, Detective Aunty is a cosy, satisfying, entertaining read by Jalaluddin that was so much fun with all its intricacies, culture, and drama, and which I do hope, and was slightly hinted at, may just be the first in a multitude of books in the Kausar Khan Investigates series.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Harper Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Uzma Jalaluddin

Uzma Jalaluddin is a critically acclaimed and bestselling novelist, playwright, public speaker and teacher. She writes authentic, nuanced and entertaining stories about Muslims, South Asians, and Canadians and is the author of DETECTIVE AUNTY (2025), MUCH ADO ABOUT NADA (2023), THREE HOLIDAYS AND A WEDDING (2023), HANA KHAN CARRIES ON (2021) and AYESHA AT LAST (2019) as well as her first play, THE RISHTA (2023). Her novels have been optioned for film and television, including by Amazon Studios and Mindy Kaling.

#BookReview No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack @CEMcKenzie1 @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #NOWSTDATW #TheVacationMysteries #CatherineMack

#BookReview No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack @CEMcKenzie1 @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #NOWSTDATW #TheVacationMysteries #CatherineMack Title: No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding

Author: Catherine Mack

Series: The Vacation Mysteries #2

Published by: Minotaur Books on May 13, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The second in a witty, USA Today bestselling series following author Eleanor Dash as she goes from wedding guest to murder mystery investigator at her best friend’s wedding on Catalina Island.

Attending your best friend’s wedding should be a piece of (wedding) cake, but not for Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series. Because murder seems to follow her every time she goes on vacation and is definitely her uninvited plus-one to the special occasion.

Emma Wood, Eleanor’s best friend since childhood, is starring in the movie adaptation of When in Rome, Eleanor’s first novel. Emma is also marrying Fred Winters, a major movie star and Emma’s co-star, who just happens to be playing Connor Smith, Eleanor’s ex and leading man of the series.

Filming wraps and they invite the whole cast and crew to their wedding at nearby Catalina Island. There may be a storm headed their way—because of course there is—but nothing will stop their nuptials . . . that is until Emma receives a note that says “Someone is going to die at the wedding.”

Eleanor is a professional at this point, and she’ll do everything she can to uncover the murderer so true love can prevail . . . before it’s too late for her and the rest of the storm-trapped wedding party.


Review:

Mysterious, intriguing, and atmospheric!

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is a cosy, amusing tale that takes us back into the life of writer Eleanor Dash as while taking a break from the set of the movie adaptation of her book to attend the wedding of her best friend on Catalina Island, somehow annoyingly finds herself once again in the company of a murderer.

The writing is descriptive and light. The characters are sharp, creative, and quirky. And the plot is a well-paced, witty whodunit full of misdirection, clues, suspects, red herrings, solid deduction, and drama.

Overall, No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is a fun, twisty, easy read by Mack that’s refreshing and highly entertaining.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to Minotaur – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Catherine Mack

CATHERINE MACK (she/her) is the pseudonym for the USA Today and Globe & Mail bestselling author of over a dozen novels. Her books are approaching two million copies sold worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages including French, German, Portuguese, and Polish. Television rights to Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies and its forthcoming sequels sold in a major auction to Fox TV for development into a series, with Mack writing the pilot script. A dual Canadian and US citizen, she splits her time between Canada and various warmer locations in the US.

Photo Credit: Fany Ducharme

#BookReview Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen @harperbooks #DyingToMeetYou #SarinaBowen #HarperBooks #HarperPerennial

#BookReview Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen @harperbooks #DyingToMeetYou #SarinaBowen #HarperBooks #HarperPerennial Title: Dying to Meet You

Author: Sarina Bowen

Published by: Harper Books on May 13, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Harper Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The acclaimed USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author returns with a twisty thriller that probes how well we actually know the men in our lives.

Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she’s a mess. She knows that stalking her ex’s avatar all over Portland on her phone isn’t the healthiest way to heal from their breakup. But she’s out of ice cream and she’s sick of romcoms.

Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He’s dining out while she’s wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car.

Instead of catching her ex in a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder—and the primary suspect.

But Rowan isn’t the only one keeping secrets. As she digs for the truth, she discovers the dead man was stalking her too, gathering intimate details about her job and her past.

Struggling to clear her name, Rowan finds herself spiraling into the shadowy plot that killed him.

Will she be the next to die?


Review:

Intense, deft, and suspenseful!

Dying to Meet You is a tortuous, simmering tale that introduces us to Rowan Gallagher, a successful architect who, after tracking her ex-boyfriend through his phone to the historical mansion she’s currently working on, suddenly becomes the number one suspect in his death when she happens to be the unfortunate one who stumbles across his bloodied body.

The writing is fluid and tight. The characters are vulnerable, consumed, and multilayered. And the plot is an intricate tale of deception, manipulation, secrets, suspicions, revelations, drama, entangled pasts, mayhem, and murder.

Overall, Dying to Meet You is another ominous, gripping, twisty whodunit by Bowen that does a wonderful job of reminding us that things are never as straightforward as they seem.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Harper Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

#BookReview A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussain @BlackstoneAudio #OmarHussain #AThousandNaturalShocks #BlackstonePublishing #BlackstoneInsiders

#BookReview A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussain @BlackstoneAudio #OmarHussain #AThousandNaturalShocks #BlackstonePublishing #BlackstoneInsiders Title: A Thousand Natural Shocks

Author: Omar Hussain

Published by: Blackstone Publishing on May 6, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Blackstone Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Omar Hussain’s dazzling debut, A Thousand Natural Shocks, is a mesmerizing meditation on trauma, memory, and identity wrapped in a high-octane thriller.

Dash, a reporter in Monterey, California, is desperate to outrun his past. During the day, he investigates the reemergence of a long-dormant serial killer. At night, he has become entangled with a criminal cult that promises a pill to erase his traumatic memory.

But as Dash begins to lose his memories—and his sense of self—he discovers a dark secret about the cult, one that would horrify its members. And soon he finds himself in a race against time to evade the cult, unveil the killer, and reconcile his past before his own memories fade away …


Review:

Intricate, gritty, and unsettling!

A Thousand Natural Shocks is a dark, compelling tale that takes you into the life of reporter Dash Hassan as his life begins to spiral out of control when he joins a wellness cult whose intentions are not quite what they seem, he overindulges in memory-erasing pills, and he triggers a serial killer to come out of retirement when he makes up a story in order to save his career.

The writing is tight and intense. The characters are vulnerable, impulsive, and tormented. And the plot is an engrossing tale full of desperation, manipulation, family, troubled pasts, haunting memories, trauma, paranoia, death, and murder.

Overall, A Thousand Natural Shocks is a dark, atmospheric, promising debut by Hussain that kept me enthralled from the very first page and left me entertained, satisfied, and eager to read whatever his deliciously sinister mind manages to come up with next. 

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Omar Hussain

Omar Hussain is a writer from the San Francisco Bay Area currently living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He holds an MFA in creative writing from NYU. A Thousand Natural Shocks is his first novel.

#BookReview What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #WhatHappensInAmsterdam #RachelLynnSolomon #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

#BookReview What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #WhatHappensInAmsterdam #RachelLynnSolomon #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: What Happens in Amsterdam

Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon

Published by: Berkley on May 6, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Berkley Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Falling in love with your husband is anything but convenient in this steamy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Business or Pleasure.

Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she’ll actually get it.

Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend—and suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.

Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani’s job falls apart, she needs a visa. As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it’s worth taking a risk on a second chance.


Review:

Romantic, humorous, and sentimental!

What Happens in Amsterdam is a sweet, amusing tale featuring the kind, unmoored Dani and the handsome, considerate Wouter as they discover that there may be more to their relationship than just history, pretence, convenience, and fake feelings.

The writing is honest and light. The characters are endearing, fun-loving, and supportive. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, love, family, friendship, patience, understanding, palpable attraction, scorching chemistry, tender moments, nostalgia, and second chances.

Overall, What Happens in Amsterdam is a heartwarming, engaging, satisfying tale by Solomon that I thoroughly enjoyed and which, in my opinion, is a great choice for anyone who loves a good romcom set in an idyllic locale that has a whole lot of hope, humour, and heart.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Berkley Romance for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Rachel Lynn Solomon

Rachel Lynn Solomon is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk, Weather Girl, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Originally from Seattle, she's currently navigating expat life in Amsterdam, where she can often be found exploring the city, collecting stationery, and working up the courage to knit her first sweater.

Photo by Dennis Heeringa

#BookReview Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas @StMartinsPress #ToughLuckNovel #SandraDallas #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas @StMartinsPress #ToughLuckNovel #SandraDallas #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Tough Luck

Author: Sandra Dallas

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Aug. 29, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 288

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

In this homage to True Grit, a young woman makes a perilous journey west in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father.

After their mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are put to work in an orphanage. Their father left four years earlier to find a gold mine in Colorado Territory, and since then he’s sent only three letters. Still, Haidie is certain that he is alive, has struck gold, and will soon send for them.

But patience is not one of Haidie’s virtues and soon she and her brother make a break for it. Boots and Haidie, disguised as a boy, embark on a dangerous journey deep into Western territory. Along the way, Haidie learns fast not only how to handle mules, oxen, and greedy men, but also that you are better off in a community. Hers includes a card shark, independent “spinster” sisters, and a very fierce dog. Once she arrives in Colorado and finds out the truth about her father, Haidie will need all her new friends for a get-even plot worthy of The Sting.

Filled with vivid period detail, colorful characters, and the irreverent voice of our scrappy heroine, Tough Luck celebrates both the tenacity of youth and the persistence of the heart in the great American West.


Review:

Heart-tugging, uplifting, and evocative!

Tough Luck is an absorbing tale set in 1863 that takes you into the life of Haidie Richards, a fourteen-year-old-girl who, after her mother dies and her older brother decides to sell the farm, escapes the orphanage with her little brother and does whatever she has to in order to make her way to Denver to find their estranged father who left years ago in search of riches in the west.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are strong, courageous, and resilient. And the plot is a tender tale of life, loss, heartbreak, determination, hardship, hope, secrets, survival, love, and friendship.

Overall, Tough Luck is an atmospheric, hopeful, captivating tale by Dallas that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, personalities, and lives of the characters you can’t help but root for them.

 

This novel is now available in paperback.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sandra Dallas

Sandra Dallas, dubbed “a quintessential American voice” in Vogue Magazine, is the author of over a dozen novels, including Prayers for Sale and Tallgrass, many translated into a dozen languages and optioned for films. Six-time winner of the Willa Award and four-time winner of the Spur Award, Dallas was a Business Week reporter for 25 years covering the Rocky Mountain region, and began writing fiction in 1990. She has two daughters and lives with her husband in Denver and Georgetown, Colorado.

Photo Credit: Povy Kendal Atchison.

#BookReview The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer @BelindaBauerBooks @PGCBooks @groveatlantic #TheImpossibleThing #BelindaBauer #PGCBooks

#BookReview The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer @BelindaBauerBooks @PGCBooks @groveatlantic #TheImpossibleThing #BelindaBauer #PGCBooks Title: The Impossible Thing

Author: Belinda Bauer

Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press on Apr. 18, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the exceptionally original mind of CWA Gold Dagger Award winner and Booker longlisted author Belinda Bauer comes this sweeping tale of obsession, greed, ambition, and a crime that has remained unsolved for a hundred years.

How do you find something that doesn’t exist?

1926. On the cliffs of Yorkshire, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there. The most beautiful are sold for large sums. A small girl—penniless and neglected by her family—retrieves one such treasure. Its discovery will forever alter the course of her life.

A century later. In a remote cottage in Wales, Patrick Fort finds his friend, Nick, and his mother tied up and robbed. The only thing missing: a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg. Doggedly attempting to retrieve it, Patrick and Nick discover the cruel world of egg trafficking, and soon find themselves on the trail of a priceless collection of eggs lost to history. Until now.

A taut, wonderfully imagined novel brimming with skullduggery at every turn, The Impossible Thing is a blazing testament to Belinda Bauer’s status as one of our greatest living crime writers.


Review:

Suspenseful, simmering, and humorous!

The Impossible Thing is a crafty, twisty tale set in Yorkshire during the early 1920s, as well as present-day Wales, that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Celie, a young girl from an impoverished family who, due to her size, ends up retrieving one rare guillemot egg each year for thirty years for a wealthy collector, and Patrick Fort, a man with special talents who, after “Weird Nick” his friend and neighbour is burglarized, offers to help hunt down and retrieve the fancy wooden box containing a red egg that surprisingly was the only thing stolen.

The prose is descriptive and light. The characters are quirky, charming, and determined. And the plot, using a past/present, back-and-forth style, is a captivating tale full of red herrings, amateur sleuthing, dangerous endeavours, deduction, secrets, deception, and the fascinating world of oology.

Overall, The Impossible Thing is another creative, amusing, beautifully written tale by Bauer that was not only entertaining and nostalgic but also thoroughly enjoyable and interesting.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Belinda Bauer

BELINDA BAUER is the award-winning author of seven previous novels that have been translated into twenty-one languages. She won the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Crime Novel of the Year forBlacklands, the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award forRubbernecker, and the CWA Dagger in the Library Award for outstanding body of work. Her previous novel, Snap, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. She lives in Wales.