Source: Penguin Random House Canada

#BookReview Witchcraft for Wayward Girls @PenguinRandomCA #WitchcraftForWaywardGirls #GradyHendrix #PenguinReads

#BookReview Witchcraft for Wayward Girls @PenguinRandomCA #WitchcraftForWaywardGirls #GradyHendrix #PenguinReads Title: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

Author: Grady Hendrix

Published by: Berkley on Jan. 14, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror

Pages: 496

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

There’s power in a book…

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.


Review:

Dark, visceral, and atmospheric!

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is an intricate, ominous tale that transports you back to 1970s Florida and into the lives of several teenagers who, after being dropped off at a home for unwed pregnant girls and treated barbarically, decide to impart their own type of revenge using the spells they find in the “How to Be a Groovy Witch” book they are gifted by a strange bookmobile librarian with an agenda of her own. 

The writing is vivid and sharp. The characters are vulnerable, desperate, and impulsive. And the plot is an eerie tale full of twists, turns, secrets, surprises, heartbreak, abuse, survival, childbirth, female friendship and violence, all interwoven with the supernatural.

Overall, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is an intense, creative, disturbing page-turner by Hendrix that, being the unique mix of horror, fantasy and historical fiction genres, certainly left me unnerved and highly entertained from start to finish.

 

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix is a New York Times bestselling novelist and screenwriter living in New York City. He is the author of How to Sell a Haunted House, The Final Girl Support Group, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, We Sold Our Souls, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, and Horrorstör. His books have sold over two million copies and have been translated into more than twenty languages. He also writes nonfiction and his history of the horror paperback boom of the seventies and eighties, Paperbacks from Hell, received the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Nonfiction.

#BookReview Spiral by Bal Khabra @authorbalkhabra @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #BalKhabra #Spiral #OffTheIceSeries #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

#BookReview Spiral by Bal Khabra @authorbalkhabra @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #BalKhabra #Spiral #OffTheIceSeries #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: Spiral

Author: Bal Khabra

Series: Off the Ice #2

Published by: Berkley on Jan. 28, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Berkley Publishing, Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

He’s on edge while she’s en pointe in this fake-dating sports romance from the author of the smash hit Collide.

Elias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame and media scrutiny. With a growing fan base and too many expectations on his shoulders, he’s struggling to make his first career goal. The tabloids are reporting on his every move, including which woman he was last seen with, but all he wants to do is escape the spotlight.

Enter from stage left Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina with dreams of joining the Aurora Ballet Theatre, but her lack of popularity online leaves her at a major disadvantage for securing the lead role. When Sage finds herself with the perfect opportunity to make her dreams come true by fake dating Elias, she takes her shot.

Soon enough, the flimsy fake-dating rules they set in place fall away in the face of their sizzling connection. But before things spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will have to decide if they’re willing to take the leap together or if they’ll call it quits.


Review:

Amusing, seductive, and sassy!

Spiral is a sweet, playful rom-com featuring the considerate, hunky Elias whose life is in turmoil due to the media’s relentless fascination with him and the ongoing stress of a looming trade if he can’t ever get that elusive first goal and the independent, selfless Sage who is struggling to get that one audition which would finally allow her to live beyond pay cheque to pay cheque.

The writing is light and sultry. The characters, including the supporting characters, are charming, flawed and fun. And the plot is an enchanting, tender tale filled with smouldering chemistry, sizzling tension, heartfelt emotion, witty banter, friendship, support, understanding, compromise, communication, delicious romance, and hockey.

Overall, Spiral is an alluring, sensitive, passionate addition to the Off the Ice series by Khabra that had characters I couldn’t help but root for and a happy-ever-after ending that left me once again eager for more. 

 

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 and Penguin Random House Canada for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Bal Khabra

Bal Khabra is a Canadian writer and book lover. Before she decided to jump into the romance pool, she spent her time gushing about books on social media. When inspiration strikes, she is found filling her notes app with ideas for romance novels. She loves reading about love, watching movies about love, and now, writing about it herself. There really isn’t much else that gets her heart fluttering the way HEAs do. She fell in love with writing and hopes to continue living out her romance author dreams.

#BookReview The Favorites by Layne Fargo @PenguinRandomCA #TheFavorites #LayneFargo #PenguinReads

#BookReview The Favorites by Layne Fargo @PenguinRandomCA #TheFavorites #LayneFargo #PenguinReads Title: The Favorites

Author: Layne Fargo

Published by: Random House on Jan. 14, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance, General Fiction

Pages: 448

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story” through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.


Review:

Multilayered, dramatic, and gripping!

The Favorites is an absorbing, passionate tale that sweeps you away into the cutthroat world of figure skating and the unauthorized documentary of the tumultuous, intimate relationship and lives of Olympic figure skaters Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha ten years after their final skate.

The prose is intricate and raw. The characters are flawed, genuine, and well-developed. And the plot, using a mix of narration and interviews, intertwines and unravels seamlessly into an immersive tale about life, loss, love, family, manipulation, obsession, desire, dreams, betrayal, competition, gossip, glitz, glamour, fame, and ruthless ambition.

Overall, The Favorites is a seductive, scandalous, intoxicating tale by Fargo that I absolutely devoured. It had just the right amount of intensity, angst, romance, and passion to keep me invested from start to finish and will definitely hold a spot as one of my favourite reads of the year!

 

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Layne Fargo

Layne Fargo has a background in theater, women’s studies, and library science, so it’s only fitting that she now writes deliciously dramatic, unapologetically feminist stories for a living. She’s the author of psychological thrillers They Never Learn and Temper, as well as co-author on the bestselling Young Rich Widows series, and her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner, their pets, and an ever-expanding collection of books she’s definitely going to read before she dies.

Photo by Katharine Hannah Photography

#BookReview Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #HeavenlyBodies #ImaniErriu #PenguinReads

#BookReview Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #HeavenlyBodies #ImaniErriu #PenguinReads Title: Heavenly Bodies

Author: Imani Erriu

Series: Heavenly Bodies #1

Published by: Random House Canada on Jan. 14, 2025

Genres: Fantasy

Pages: 496

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A runaway TikTok sensation, Heavenly Bodies is the first book in a dazzling new romantasy series that blends mythology and shadow magic with a tantalizing enemies-to-lovers romance that will rewrite the stars.

“You know the most dangerous kind of villain? A woman with nothing left to lose.”

In a world ruled by the cruel and merciless Stars, Elara has been cursed by fate. A prophecy promises she will fall for a Star, but that it will kill them both.

So when Ariete, Star of Wrath, War and Chaos, descends to wreak havoc on Elara’s kingdom, she flees her home—the Kingdom of Night—for the neighbouring Helios, Kingdom of Light.

And strides straight into the arms of an enemy prince.

Fearing that Ariete might turn his sights to Helios next, Prince Lorenzo is forced to train Elara as a weapon—one worthy of battling against the tyrannical reign of the Stars. But there are shadows even within the Kingdom of Light—and they threaten to reveal the darkness in Lorenzo’s past and the ancient magic that slumbers in Elara’s veins.

And with it all comes an undeniable, star-crossed pull between Elara and Lorenzo that neither can seem to resist…


Review:

Fantastical, suspenseful, and action-packed!

Heavenly Bodies is a fierce, gripping tale that takes us to both the Kingdoms of Night and Light and into the lives of the powerful, fiery Elara and her nemesis the ruthless, handsome Prince Lorenzo as they reluctantly join forces to battle the King of Stars all while trying to resist the ever-growing attraction quickly building between them.

The prose is intense and passionate. The characters are complex, gifted, and unique. And the plot is a riveting tale of twists, turns, passion, angst, betrayal, wrath, loyalty, heartbreak, duty, sizzling tension, violence, secrets, prophecies, fate, mysterious pasts, and supernatural abilities.

Overall, Heavenly Bodies is an imaginative, seductive, highly entertaining tale by Erriu that’s brimming with bloody battles, grit, determination, heat, sexual chemistry, gods, stars, and other magical elements. It kept me invested and engaged from the very first page and has undoubtedly left me counting down the days until I have the opportunity to read the next novel in the Heavenly Bodies series, Fallen Stars, to find out how this epic adventure will continue.

 

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Imani Erriu

IMANI ERRIU is the author of the romance fantasy series Heavenly Bodies. She is a graduate from the Manchester Metropolitan University where she received a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. She spent most of her childhood in the forests of the English countryside, which definitely gifted her an overactive imagination. When she isn't crying over her own fictional characters or daydreaming up her next plot twist, she can be found eating pasta and watching "The Office" on repeat.

Photo by Alessia Erriu

#BookReview I Died on a Tuesday by Jane Corry @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #IDiedOnATuesday #JaneCorry #PenguinReads

#BookReview I Died on a Tuesday by Jane Corry @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #IDiedOnATuesday #JaneCorry #PenguinReads Title: I Died on a Tuesday

Author: Jane Corry

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Dec. 17, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 480

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the internationally bestselling author of Coming to Find You and My Husband’s Wifecomes another edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller about a harrowing crime, the long-buried secrets surrounding it, and the explosive uncovering of the truth.

18-year-old Janie has the world and her bright future ahead of her. She’s about to leave behind the small seaside town she’s known all her life to embark on a career in London in book publishing and couldn’t be more excited. She’ll miss home—especially her dad. They’ve only had each other since her mother died years earlier. But she’s about to start her life and she can’t wait.

She’s on her way home after her last early dawn swim in the bay when the peaceful stillness of the quiet Tuesday morning is suddenly shattered. A white van careens around the corner and onto the quiet street Janie is riding her bike along, and in one swift moment, her life is forever changed, and her dreams of a new life destroyed. She’s brutally run-down by the van and left for dead on the street.

Twenty years later

Robbie Manning, international pop superstar and all-around good guy, answers the front door of his palatial home to a pair of police officers who inform him that he’s being arrested for the attempted murder of Janie White. Everyone knows the horrifying story of Janie and what happened to her, and the mystery of who could have done such an awful thing has rattled the world for the last twenty years. But as word of Robbie’s arrest spreads, no one—including Robbie’s family—can believe it; Robbie is upstanding, a model citizen and family man. He couldn’t possibly have committed a hit-and-run that left a young woman paralyzed and unable to speak.

Robbie doesn’t deny the accusations. He’s been waiting for the truth to come out for the last two decades, and he’s ready for his punishment. He deserves it after what he did to Janie . . .

. . . But what if there’s more to the story? What if someone else knows what really happened that day?

Janie may be the only one who can reveal the truth—if they can get her to tell her side of the story.


Review:

Sinister, immersive, and addictive!

I Died on a Tuesday is an ominous, compelling novel that takes you into the lives of a handful of people, including the famous pop star Robbie Manning, whose worlds have been irrevocably changed forever by a tragic accident that occurred twenty years prior that left one young woman physically and emotionally scarred for life, and the rest haunted and struggling to survive the inevitable guilt, repercussions and fallout sure to come.

The prose is expressive and charged. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are complex, vulnerable, and conflicted. And the plot is a menacing, intricate tale of life, loss, family, deception, friendship, grief, guilt, denial, secrets, self-preservation, manipulation, coercion, violence, redemption, and survival.

Overall, I Died on a Tuesday is a dark, twisty, gripping tale by Corry that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me chilled, satisfied, impressed, and curious to see what her devious mind might manage 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 Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jane Corry

Jane Corry is a former magazine journalist who spent three years as the writer-in-residence at a high-security prison. This often hair-raising experience helped inspire her Sunday Times-bestselling psychological dramas, which have been translated into sixteen languages and sold over a million copies worldwide. This is her ninth novel.

Photo by Justine Stoddart

#BookReview The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman @leverus @PenguinRandomCA #TheBrightSword #LevGrossman #PenguinReads

#BookReview The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman @leverus @PenguinRandomCA #TheBrightSword #LevGrossman #PenguinReads Title: The Bright Sword

Author: Lev Grossman

Published by: Viking on Jul. 16, 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Pages: 673

Format: Hardcover

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a spot on the Round Table, only to find he’s too late. The king died two weeks ago at the Battle of Camlann, leaving no heir, and only a handful of the knights of the Round Table survive.

They aren’t the heroes of legend, like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Tables, from the edges of the stories, like Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill. Together this ragtag fellowship will set out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance.

But Arthur’s death has revealed Britain’s fault lines. God has abandoned it, and the fairies and monsters and old gods are returning, led by Arthur’s half-sister Morgan le Fay. Kingdoms are turning on each other, warlords are laying siege to Camelot, and rival factions are forming around the disgraced Lancelot and the fallen Queen Guinevere. It is up to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this ruined world and make it whole again. But before they can restore Camelot they’ll have to learn the truth of why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell and lay to rest the ghosts of his troubled family and of Britain’s dark past.


Review:

Poignant, creative, and compelling!

The Bright Sword is a captivating, mystical tale that takes us back to Camelot two weeks after the death of King Arthur as kingdoms are falling, Britain is in chaos, the remaining colourful, mediocre knights are struggling to find a leader amongst themselves, and a young man with a dream to become a Knight of the Round Table finds himself a little too late but nevertheless swept up in a journey to bring Excalibur back where it belongs and a responsibility to bring harmony to a world cloaked in ruin.

The prose is vivid and rich. The characters are lost, conflicted, and burdened. And the plot is an enigmatic, absorbing tale of life, loss, battles, love, betrayals, friendship, self-identity, magic, confrontations, adventure, courage, and heart.

Overall, The Bright Sword is an imaginative, passionate, epic, fantastical novel by Grossman that combines the classic Arthurian legend with the magic of the supernatural to weave a fresh, contemporary spin on a centuries-old story that is bursting with soul-searching dilemmas, dangerous quests, 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 Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lev Grossman

Lev Grossman is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy—The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician’s Land—which has been published in thirty countries and adapted as a TV show that ran for five seasons on SYFY. He is also a screenwriter and the author of two children’s books, The Golden Swift and The Silver Arrow, and his journalism has appeared in Time, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, among many other places. He lives with his wife and children in New York City.

#BookReview Make Me a Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #MakeMeAMixtape #JenniferWhiteford #PenguinReads

#BookReview Make Me a Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #MakeMeAMixtape #JenniferWhiteford #PenguinReads Title: Make Me a Mixtape

Author: Jennifer Whiteford

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Oct. 8, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 280

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

A guarded punk-rocker-turned-barista meets a big-hearted sound tech who charms his way into her life and helps her revisit her musical past in this truly charming, cozy fall romance.

Allie Andrews gave up on the music world ten years ago. No wild tours, no late nights, no career-ending inter-band blowouts. Just day after comfortable day of working in her aunt’s café in Brooklyn and recording ’80s cover songs in her tiny apartment. The last thing she wants, or expects, is to be recognized as former punk rocker Allie Jetski. But a last-minute coffee delivery lands her face to face with the big, charming, handsome (and quite possibly number one fan of the Jetskis) Ryan Abernathy.

Ryan isn’t about to forget meeting the lead singer of one of his favorite bands. Undeterred by her prickly demeanor, he sets his mind to helping Allie find her way back to the Jetskis—so she can come to terms with what happened all those years ago. Allie finds Ryan hard to resist, and her quiet life is turned upside down as she is swept up in a whirlwind hunt for her old bandmates.

But when Aunt Mindy announces that she’s decided to sell the café, Allie is faced with a life-altering choice: play it safe and take over the business, or risk opening herself up to a future in music . . . and maybe even love.


Review:

Charming, comical, and uplifting!

Make Me a Mixtape is a sweet, heartwarming tale that takes you into the life of the hardworking Allie Andrews who, after walking away from a burgeoning music career a decade earlier, now finds herself spending her days recording 80s cover songs, working in her aunt’s cafe, and trying to deny a blossoming attraction to a sound technician who was once one of her band’s biggest fans.

The prose is tender and smooth. The characters are multilayered, amusing and endearing. And the plot is a smart, engaging tale full of life, loss, love, friendship, tricky moments, awkward situations, miscommunication, delicious chemistry, romance, tension, self-reflection, and a soundtrack of some of the most unforgettable 80s songs.

Overall, Make Me a Mixtape is a light, refreshing, entertaining tale by Whiteford that I thoroughly enjoyed and which is a solid choice for fans of contemporary romance novels that are brimming with humour, heart, hope, and music.

 

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jennifer Whiteford

JENNIFER WHITEFORD (she/her) lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with her partner, children, dog and record collection. She writes regularly for Razorcake, a long-standing punk publication. She was also a founding member of the "all girl, all rock" band Sophomore Level Psychology. With those rock 'n roll days behind her, she now mostly stays home and reads.

#BookReview The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose @NitaProse @PenguinCanada #TheMistletoeMystery #MollytheMaidSeries #NitaProse #PenguinReads #PenguinCanada

#BookReview The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose @NitaProse @PenguinCanada #TheMistletoeMystery #MollytheMaidSeries #NitaProse #PenguinReads #PenguinCanada Title: The Mistletoe Mystery

Author: Nita Prose

Series: Molly the Maid #2.5

Published by: Viking on Oct. 1, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 128

Format: Hardcover

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

Molly the Maid has a whole new mystery to solve in this heartwarming novella from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest.

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s mofinst joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all.


Review:

Sweet, cosy, and romantic!

The Mistletoe Mystery is a delightfully charming, uplifting novella that takes us back into the life of Molly Gray as she juggles the highs and lows of another Christmas season without her beloved grandmother, a hotel filled to the brim with guests and holiday cheer, an employee Secret Santa gift exchange that always fills her with trepidation, and an attentive boyfriend who spoils her daily with lots of little things but is increasingly acting extremely suspicious.

The writing is sincere and smooth. The characters are engaging, supportive, and genuine. And the plot is a touching, nostalgic tale about life, love, family, friendship, surprises, misconceptions, festive cheer, and holiday magic.

Overall, The Mistletoe Mystery is a heartwarming, engaging, festive addition to one of my favourite series, Molly the Maid, by Prose that reminds us to always surround ourselves with those we love, stay open-minded, and always be excited for whatever comes next.

 

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Canada for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Nita Prose

NITA PROSE is a longtime editor, serving many bestselling authors and their books. She lives in Toronto, Canada, in a house that is only moderately clean.…

Photo by Dahlia Katz Photography.

#BookReview Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks @NicholasSparks @PenguinRandomCA #CountingMiracles #NicholasSparks #PenguinReads

#BookReview Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks @NicholasSparks @PenguinRandomCA #CountingMiracles #NicholasSparks #PenguinReads Title: Counting Miracles

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Published by: Random House on Sep. 24, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the acclaimed author of The Longest Ride and The Notebook comes an emotional, powerful novel about wondering if we can change—or even make our peace with—the path we’ve taken.

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone . . . happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are: find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where he might be found.

Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. For Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog Arlo for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.

As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.


Review:

Absorbing, heart-tugging, and nostalgic!

Counting Miracles is a sweet, engaging tale that takes you into the life of Tanner Hughes, a former Army Ranger who, after tending to his ailing grandmother and finally learning of his biological father’s name, heads to Asheboro, NC, to discover a little more about his parentage and perhaps find a place to finally call home.

The prose is fluid and sentimental. The characters are multilayered, independent, strong, and kind. And the plot is a charming tale full of life, love, loss, grief, heartache, healing, community, intrigue, friendship, self-discovery and romance.

Overall, Counting Miracles is another hopeful, tender, immersive tale by Sparks that reminds us that life is complicated, messy, challenging, short, and heartbreaking, as well as all those other wonderful things, lovely times, and special moments that happen in-between.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Nicholas Sparks

With over 100 million copies of his books sold, Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. His novels include fifteen #1 New York Times bestsellers, and all of his books, including Three Weeks with My Brother, the memoir he wrote with his brother, Micah, have been New York Times and international bestsellers, and were translated into more than fifty languages. Eleven of Nicholas Sparks’s novels–The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven, The Lucky One, The Last Song, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Message in a Bottle–have been adapted into major motion pictures.

Photography courtesy of Grand Central Publishing Website.

#BookReview Middle of the Night by Riley Sager @PenguinRandomCA #MiddleOfTheNight #RileySager #PenguinReads #PenguinRandomCA

#BookReview Middle of the Night by Riley Sager @PenguinRandomCA #MiddleOfTheNight #RileySager #PenguinReads #PenguinRandomCA Title: Middle of the Night

Author: Riley Sager

Published by: Dutton on Jun. 18, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 367

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend—and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines of his picture-perfect neighborhood.

The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul de sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul de sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?

The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed monsters roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate.

The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place—be it quiet forest or suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.


Review:

Atmospheric, dramatic, and intriguing!

Middle of the Night is a dark, captivating mystery that takes us into the life of Ethan Marsh who, upon moving back to his childhood home, decides it’s finally time to probe, explore and piece together what actually happened to his best friend Billy on the night he vanished thirty years prior.

The writing is crisp and precise. The characters are troubled, determined, and genuine. And the plot builds quickly, creating intensity and suspense as it unravels all the relationships, motivations, personalities, deception, and devious behaviours within it.

Overall, Middle of the Night is, ultimately, a story of lies, secrets, revelations, manipulation, friendship, violence, and murder. It’s a tight, clever, eerie thrill ride by Sager that had just the right amount of twists, turns, and surprises to keep me absolutely engrossed from start to finish.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Riley Sager

Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, most recently The Only One Left and The House Across the Lake. A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Photo by Michael Livio.