Heart the Lover

Lily King

At the start of Lily King’s Heart the Lover, a novel of three parts, our narrator is in her final year of college. While the school she attends is never…

The Rose Field

If you were to ask me what the greatest fantasy series ever is, I’d not hesitate to say: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I read the trilogy when it…

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

(originally published on December 25, 2019) Despite being a family of non-believers, every year we pull out our holiday paraphernalia. We dress the tree, hanging with care the delicate glass…

The Plight Before Christmas

The Plight Before Christmas needs an editor, has leads in their late thirties who behave at least ten years younger, and manufactures so much angst in its final few chapters…

Hunk for the Holidays

Hunk for the Holidays knows exactly what it is: a light Christmas love story that exists just to entertain. Lane leans into the charm of a slightly ridiculous premise and,…

Duet

Duet, the first in Julie Kriss’ Road Kings series, has a sweetheart of a smokin’ hot rock star improbably named Denver who spends much of this slight tale trying to…

How to Summon a Fairy Godmother

What if Cinderella—here named Beatrice—were a self-serving, conniving brat? And what if her stepsister—here named Theodosia—were the one who deserved a happy ending? If that sounds like your jam, this…

Rebel Bride

Hatch Kershaw, NFL hockey star (of the fictional Chicago Rebels) and son of one of the sport’s greats, doesn’t want to be at the wedding of his asshat teammate Dash…

The Everlasting

The Everlasting begins where it ends: beneath a yew tree. Its first chapter, The First Death of Una Everlasting, reads like a eulogy written for a nation’s best. We’re told…

Love Sick

I met my husband, a surgeon, in the last year of his final residency, and for the next fifteen years watched him train residents of his own. I have never,…

Thief of Night

(this review contains spoilers for Book of Night, the first book in this duology) Thief of Night is the rare sequel that not only improves its predecessor—it redeems it.  I…

The Good Liar

I love many of Denise Mina’s books, but The Good Liar is not one. It begins well. Doctor Claudia O’Sheil, famous forensic scientist, is preparing to speak at a glittering…