Review: The Spirit of Love by Lauren Kate

 

The Spirit of Love by Lauren Kate

Publication Date: July 1st 2025 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Fenny travels to Catalina Island to prepare for her directorial debut on Zombie Hospital, the show she’s been writing for the last ten years, where she meets Sam as he rescues her in a storm. Instead of brainstorming alone, Fenny spends a passionate weekend with Sam while embarking on adventure after adventure.

 

Coming back to Hollywood Fenny’s blindsided when she finds out that instead of directing like she was promised, they’ve brought in a famous director Jude DeSilva, a man who resembles Sam in an uncanny way. She’s livid, at her network boss and Jude, and I was enraged for her, but Jude wasn’t the bad guy here and they began to form a connection as they work together.

 

I’ve seen a few reviews that recommend not reading the book description before reading, but I’m glad I did because it would’ve soured the romance for me if I didn’t have an idea of what was going on. I absolutely loved this romance! It was witty and fun but also explored deeper topics.

 

The setting was fun and featured places I love in Southern California, like the Huntington Library, Museum and Gardens. Despite having lived in SoCal for years, I didn’t know that there are really canals in Venice, California!

 

I would’ve loved an epilogue but was thrilled with how it all worked out!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Kate comes a magical time-slip love triangle about a man split into two—one version young and carefree, the other suave but jaded—and one woman’s quest to reunite his broken pieces.

Two loves. One soul. One choice.

Fenny’s got that boss glow. Not only did she just have the best sex of her life, but she’s finally about to direct the TV show she’s been a screenwriter on for ten years. Only one thing could floor her—finding out she’s been replaced by a hotshot director named Jude. Wait, no. Two things. Jude looks exactly like the guy who just turned her bones to jelly. Same dimples, same eyes, but he looks older and has a sadness Fenny wants to fix.

Last weekend, Fenny met Sam when he movie-style rescued her from a storm on Catalina Island. Here he is again, just…different. Can Sam and Jude be the same man? And if they are, will Fenny’s love be enough to put him back together?

Sunday Post #302

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday!

I'm late getting this all together! 

We got back late on Monday from Montana. Yep, we were there again our trips less than two weeks apart. There was a golf tournament our SIL was playing in and some friends from Texas were there, too. It was fun but very busy. It's nice to be home. 

 My son is coming out with his wife and their two little ones, one and three-year-old. They'll be here for the week. I don't see these two grandkids as much as my daughter's kids so it'll be nice to have the time together. We have a lot of possible activities.

It's been a mild summer so far with highs in the low 80s this last week. We heat up a little this week with upper 80s. I picked a bunch of blackberries from the yard and canned jam. I have to trim back a bunch of the vines, though. They can get out of control!

Blackberry Vines

Had one peach from our young peach tree we planted last year. We had a late frost this spring that froze the blooms so I was surprised we even got that. I'll try covering with a landscape blanket if I catch a frost in the forecast next year.

Our lone peach

Jack rabbit in our front yard. Cute and hoppy!

Smokey and Starla following us on the front property. 

Puzzle: Roll Call With a Bang (2004) by Charles Wysocki

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads description)

Two weeks worth of reading here since I didn't post last week:

That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White-4.5 Stars

The Blue Horse (Porter Beck #3) by Bruce Borgos-5 Stars

Atonement Sky (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) by Nalini Singh-5 Stars

Rage (Kate Burkholder #17) by Linda Castillo-4 Stars

Eliza and the Duke (The Doves of New York #2) by Harper St. George-3 Stars

Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells-4 Stars

Out of the Shadows (Angelhart Investigations #1.5) by Allison Brennan-4.5 Stars

Be Afraid (Morgans of Nashville #2) by Mary Burton-4 Stars

I read more than I thought I would considering all the traveling we've done!

Received:

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons, Macmillan Audio and Berkley!

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How was your week?

Review: That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White

 

That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White

Publication Date: July 22nd 2025 by Park Row & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 54mins

Narrators: Jorgeana Marie and Kimberly Farr

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Phoebe was struck by lightning when she was a child. Since then, she’s had premonition dreams. As soon as she could she left home to live across the country to escape the premonitions and family drama. It disappointed her mother that she didn’t care about being a Southern belle like her sister, Addie. Phoebe was more interested in exploring the beaches and marshes, spying birds along the way.

 

Now Phoebe must return home to help to care for her ailing mother and she has a lot of mixed feelings. Her dreams come back, the most disturbing one back in full force. Old resentments between Phoebe and Addie rise to the surface and her mother’s condition brings all the hurt into sharp focus. I felt bad for Ophelia, Addie’s young daughter.

 

I had my ideas about the dream. Things made sense as more came to light and I felt for all involved.

 

In all of this, Phoebe meets Celeste a woman whose granddaughter went missing years ago. Celeste her grandson, Liam and great grandson, Will are all big players in the story as well.

 

I enjoyed how each chapter opened up with interesting bird facts, how they sometimes related to human behavior. The setting of South Carolina was almost another character, hot, vibrant and mysterious.

 

That Last Carolina Summer was a captivating story with mystery, family secrets, reconciling the past and a bit of romance! I loved every minute!

 

I alternated between the audio and e-copy. I can recommend either version. Jorjeana Marie did a wonderful job with Phoebe’s chapters, the range of ages, male and female voices and emotions. I thought Kimberly Farr performed Celeste well, age appropriate, but there was little change with other voices making it a little hard to distinguish who was speaking at times. Still, I really enjoyed the audio version!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Karen White returns with a brand-new contemporary stand-alone novel about sisterhood, secrets and one woman’s reckoning with the past

As a child, Phoebe Manigault developed the gift of premonition after she was struck by lightning in the creeks near her Charleston home. Plagued throughout her life by mysterious dreams, and always living in the shadow of her beautiful sister, Addie, Phoebe eventually moves to the West Coast, as far from her family as possible. Now, years later, she is summoned back to South Carolina, to help Addie care for their ailing mother.

As Phoebe’s return lures her back into deep-rooted tensions and conflicts, she is drawn toward Celeste, whose granddaughter went missing years ago. Their connection, woven through shared losses and hope, brings comfort to Phoebe, while Celeste’s adult grandson Liam resurrects complicated emotions tied to Phoebe’s past.

But the longer Phoebe spends in her childhood home, the more her recurring nightmares intensify—bringing her closer to the shocking truth that will irrevocably change everything. Unfolding against the lush backdrop of the South Carolina Lowcountry, That Last Carolina Summer is an unforgettable family drama and mystery about the unbreakable bonds of family and the gift of second chances.

Review: Rage by Linda Castillo

 

Rage (Kate Burkholder #17) by Linda Castillo

Publication Date: July 8th 2025 by Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 17min

Narrator: Kathleen McInerney

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Librofm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, is called to the murder of Samuel Yutzy, an Amish man who owned the local landscaping/tree farm. The scene is a disturbing one and it takes a lot of police work and interviews to get the smallest bits of information, but Kate and her team are determined to nail the bad guys. Especially when they discover another murder.

 

Kate’s background with the Amish helps pave the way for cooperation between English and the Amish community. As she questions Samuel’s family and friends it becomes apparent that he was running with an unsavory crowd but had been turning his life around.

 

The story was a page-turner, and I really like Kate, but just like the last book she charged ahead without waiting for backup and it ended badly almost every time. It was frustrating and hard to believe a seasoned police chief would do this over and over. With that being said, the mystery was hard to put down and the conclusion was a nail-biter!

 

Rage is book seventeen in the series, but I think it could be read as a standalone as each book introducing a new mystery and is wrapped up by the end. I would highly recommend reading at least the first couple of books to get Kate’s history being raised Amish and the circumstances that led to her leaving. It has bearing on how she came to be the police Chief of Painters Mill and includes the start of the romance between Kate and Tomasetti, an Ohio BCI agent.

 

I alternated between an audio and e-copy and can recommend either version. Kathleen McInerney’s wonderful narration enhanced my enjoyment! Her accents and performance of Deitsch accents are well done.

4 Stars

Book Description:

In this gripping new installment of the Edgar Award winning series, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a brutal double murder that takes her into the dark underbelly of society and exposes the dangers of Amish lives gone wrong.

Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Painters Mill, and a macabre discovery by three Amish children brings the quiet to a grinding halt. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Eicher, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. What twisted individual murdered him in such a sadistic way?

The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Eicher’s best friend. What could these two young Amish men have done to deserve such violent ends?

With a heat wave bearing down, Kate learns quickly that, for reasons she doesn’t understand, no one is willing to talk about what happened to the men. Just as she begins to fear the case may be hopeless, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory characters―individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market.

To solve the case, Kate must delve into the most sordid corners of her community, but when she gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will the secrets simmering beneath the surface of Painters Mill take another life before she can expose the truth? Or will Kate be the final victim?

Review: Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh

 

Atonement Sky (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: July 15th 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Justice Psy Eleri Dias knows she doesn’t have much time left with her mental shields collapsing, so she travels to Raintree, Arizona to following a serial killer’s trail and to make amends with the only man she’s ever loved a falcon-shifter, Adam Garrett. There’s a lot of hurt between Eleri and Adam, since his parents were killed and Eleri was caught between a dangerous situation and justice.

 

They work together as they hunt for a killer and are forced to confront the past.

 

Nalini’s Singh’s writing is captivating and beautiful, playful and sensual! I loved how Eleri was gathered into Adam’s clan, giving her family, love and protection. However, there’s a lot of intensity in Atonement Sky. Eleri and her Justice Psy “family” are at the brink of complete mental overload with no solution in sight. I always trust we’ll come to a happy ending by the end, though!

 

The Psy-Changeling series is original and addictive! It’s a blend of sci-fi and fantasy and Nalini Singh’s creative mind never fails to impress. It’s a long running series but I think you could read Atonement Sky without reading the previous books and enjoy it, but I’d recommend reading Silver Silence first, book one of the Trinity books, a sort of “season two” in the long-running series. There’s enough background there to understand the series more fully.

5 Stars

Book Description:

The hunt for a stealthy predator takes a damaged J-Psy to the heart of falcon territory in this new Psy-Changeling Trinity novel from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh...

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias knows the end is near for her, her mind one step away from fatal psychic exposure. In the short time that remains, she is determined to atone for an act of omission that has haunted her for a long, cruel decade. But that decision not only means facing a powerful changeling wing leader, but also putting herself in the path of a serial killer.

Falcon wing leader Adam Garrett is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. After losing his parents as a teenager in a shocking act of malice, Adam has no forgiveness in him for the J-Psy who betrayed him, betrayed them, at the most painful moment of his life. But the evil that stalks his territory will allow him no respite, forcing him once more into contact with the J he has never been able to forget.

Everything that could've been between Eleri and Adam was lost years ago, a shimmering promise crushed. As they work to uncover a monster, the moment of reckoning looms ever closer. Soon, there may be no more time left for either atonement...or love...

Review: The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos

 

The Blue Horse (Porter Beck #3) by Bruce Borgos

Publication Date: July 8th 2025 by Minotaur Books 

Pages: 368

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Detective Porter Beck has his hands full when a wild horse round-up by the Bureau of Land Management has equine activists, CANTER, protesting. Things turn violent when the helicopter pilot hired by the BLM to assist with the round-up is murdered. Right away CANTER is under suspicion, but Beck feels things aren’t as they seem. The FBI is called in and they ignore Beck’s observations and gut instincts. It doesn’t stop him from following up on his own.

 

Meanwhile, Beck’s sister Brinley is volunteering with a wilderness program helping troubled teens and when one of them runs off, her pursuit lands in the crosshairs of some really bad people. It all intersects with Beck’s case.

 

I’ve been loving the Porter Beck series! Each installment is a new mystery but ongoing personal relationships are at play, as well: Beck and his girlfriend Detective Charlie Blue Horse, his sister Brinley, a gun expert, his dad the previous sheriff, now suffering from dementia. I loved seeing how they’re all getting along. Being set in September 2020, there was some sadness with Covid at its height of deadliness.   

 

The Blue Horse was a twisty, action-filled mystery with Beck and his crew following the clues and ferreting out the bad guys. Captivating from beginning to end! I was eager for justice to be served, especially when there were animals at risk and completely on the side of the horse activists! It all wraps up in a thrilling conclusion and with the way things ended I’m wondering if this is the final book in the series. If so, it was a satisfying conclusion. Still, I’d love more mysteries!

5 Stars

Book Description:

A controversial wild horse round-up in the high desert of Nevada results in two murders and too many suspects for Sheriff Porter Beck to deal with.

A helicopter driving a controversial round-up of wild horses suddenly crashes and the pilot is found to have been shot. Then the person coordinating the round-up for the Bureau of Land Management is savagely murdered, buried up to her neck and then trampled to death by the very same wild horses. And there's no lack of suspects—with the wild horse advocacy group having sworn to protect the horse At Any Cost! Now the state and federal agencies are showing up looking for answers or at least a scapegoat.

Sheriff Porter Beck has had better days.

Porter Beck's new girlfriend, Detective Charlie Blue Horse, arrives to help with the investigation, which leads them to Canadian Lithium mining operation near the round-up area that sets off Beck's mental alarm bells. Brinley, Beck's sister, is leading a group of troubled kids in a wilderness program, when one of them, Rafa, bolts one night. When Brinley catches up to him, they're just outside the mine—in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

With his personal life in turmoil, too many suspects and too many secrets, the feds pushing for a quick resolution, and his impetuous (if skilled) sister in the mix, one wrong step could be deadly for Porter Beck.

Review: Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf

Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf

Publication Date: June 3rd 2025 by MIRA & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 320

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 26mins

Narrator: Brittany Pressley

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Grave Birds was a Southern gothic mystery with Sixth Sense vibes in that the grave birds show Hollis bits from the past that are unresolved. The ghostly birds are “pinned” to the Earth until someone with the ability to “see” the flash of whatever is left behind by a person’s death. Hollis becomes inundated with several grave birds when Cain Landry blows into town, some connected to the prominent Hawthorne family. What’s being revealed is disturbing and dangerous and throws a different spin on the past she thought she knew!

 

I really enjoyed unraveling this mystery right along with Hollis! Hawthorne, South Carolina is a small town where everyone knows everyone and there’s plenty of secrets that needed to come out! Some was surprising and there was a twist I didn’t see coming! There was a bit of romance, as well!

 

I alternated between reading an e-copy and listening to the audio and enjoyed both versions. Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite narrators and she enhanced the story, bringing the characters and their emotions to life! 

4 Stars

Book Description:

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires meets Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this twisty, fresh take on a Southern gothic that follows a mysterious, charming bachelor as he makes his way into a small town, bringing a plague and the devil with him, from GMA Buzz Pick author Dana Elmendorf.

Grave birds haunt the cemeteries of Hawthorne, South Carolina, where Spanish moss drips from the trees and Southern charm is imbued with lies. Hollis Sutherland never knew these unique birds existed, not until she died and was brought back to life. The ghostly birds are manifestations of the dead’s unfinished business, and they know Hollis and her uncanny gift can set them free.

When a mysterious, charming bachelor wanders into their small town, bizarre events begin to plague its wealthiest citizens. Like blood dripping from dogwood blossoms, flocks of birds crashing into windows of their homes, and faces in paintings morphing into distortion. Hollis knows these are the omens her grandfather warned about, announcing the devil’s return. Despite Cain Landry’s eerie presence and the plague that has followed him, his handsome face and wicked charm win over the townsfolk. Even Hollis falls under his spell as they grow closer.

That is, until lies about the town’s past start to surface. The grave birds begin to show Hollis the dead’s ugly past from some twenty-five years ago. And she learns all about the horrible things these noble families did to gain their wealth. Hollis can’t decide if Cain is some immortal hand of God, there to expose their sins. Or if he’s a devil there to ruin them all. Either way, she’s determined to save her town and the people in it, whatever she has to do.

Sunday Post #301

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday!

We got back from Montana late on Tuesday and I'm still off with my days. We drove through Idaho to Spokane again and stopped in a couple of  neat historic towns, Wallace and Kellogg, shopping and having lunch on the way back to the airport.  Next time we're flying into Missoula, but we have a stop in Seattle.

Brewery in Anaconda, Montana with neat art made of reclaimed wood pieces. Another piece called a triptych:

My husband and had our thirty-eighth wedding anniversary this week! We went to dinner at place called Lola in the historic National Hotel in downtown Nevada City (California) on Friday to celebrate.

It's been hot here with temps in the 90s, but my garden flowers are really producing:

I've seen several butterflies. They really do love the Butterfly Bush! 

Zinnias and Scabiosa from the garden.

Must have at least one cat photo: Peanut

 And last week's puzzle: Birds of the World by Galison

Read:

One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles #3) by Ilona Andrews-5 Stars

Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf-4 Stars

The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant 

(A Merrit & Blunt Mystery #1)-4.5 Stars

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells-4 Stars

Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells-4 Stars

A good reading week despite being on vacation. Listening to an audio while traveling and reading while flying helped. The Murderbot novellas are helping me catch up with my Goodreads reading challenge! Now I'm only one book behind.

Received:

Thank you to Harlequin Audio, Berkley, Hachette Audio and Libro.fm!

I also won a Goodreads giveaway! The third book in The Brides Trilogy by Nora Roberts:

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Thank you St. Martin's Press!

How was your week?

Review: The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully

 

The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully

Publication Date: July 8th 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Olivia Blunt applied for a job as assistant to renowned detective Aubrey Merritt in hopes that she’ll get to help investigate cases. Instead, Olivia’s doing office work and research. This changes when they’re asked to look into the death of Victoria Summersworth. The police believe Victoria took her own life, but her daughter Haley believes she was murdered.  On paper it seems Victoria had everything going for her: wealth, a new romance and a loving family.

 

Olivia and Merritt travel to Vermont to sort it out and become embroiled in a web of family drama with a wealth of suspects.

 

We get the story from Olivia’s perspective and while she was the assistant and in training, she was pretty observant and smart.  She did have much to learn from Merritt who was like a cross between Hercule Poirot and Miranda Priestly, albeit a bit nicer. It was fun to see Olivia and Merritt work together. I enjoyed their methodical investigation as they question suspects, analyze the facts and mull over motives.

 

The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant was a fun sort of modern-day Agatha Christie with a bit of humor! I loved every page of this twisty, cozy mystery! I’m hoping we get more mysteries with this duo in the future!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery.

Olivia Blunt doesn't want to be an assistant detective for the rest of her life. She's determined to learn everything she can from her mentor and renowned investigator, Aubrey Merritt, but the latter is no easy grader.

After weeks of fielding phone calls from parties desperate for the world-renowned detective’s help, a case comes across Olivia’s desk that just might be worthy of Merritt’s skills. On the evening of her sixty-fifth birthday party, Victoria Summersworth somehow fell over her balcony railing to her death on the rocky shore of Lake Champlain. She was a happy woman—rich, beloved, in love, and matriarch of the preeminent Summersworth family. The police have ruled it a suicide, but her daughter Haley thinks it was murder.

Merritt is ever the skeptic, but Olivia believes Haley. Plus, she’s desperate to prove her investigative skills to her aloof boss. But the Summersworth family drama is a complicated web.

Olivia realizes she might be in over her head with this whole detective thing... or she might be unravelling a mystery even bigger than the one she’d started with.

About the author:

Author Liza Tully is an alternate pen name for Elisabeth Elo (for dark thrillers) and Elisabeth Panttaja Brink (for literary fiction). Her novel North of Boston received glowing critical acclaim, a Book of the Month selection, and an Indie Next Pick. Finding Katarina M. was praised by Publishers Weekly as a “tense and illuminating journey [that] will enthrall readers.”