Review: Scent of Hope by Susan May Warren

Scent of Hope (Call of the Wild #2) by Susan May Warren

Publication Date: June 1st 2026 by Revell & Recorded Books

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 57min

Narrator: Brian Hutchison

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Harley’s back in Copper Mountain, Alaska, hunting down a thug from her past who’s now a drug dealer tied to the dangerous criminal organization Mars Sorros. Returning home is bittersweet. She loved the rugged beauty of the Alaskan wilderness and the life her parents built for her and her brother, but their tragic deaths still hurt. To add to that pain, her first love, Jericho Bowie, left her when she needed him most.

 

Harley’s shocked to find out Jericho is assigned to help her track down Mars with his scent dog, Orlando.

 

I rooted for Harley and Jericho as they sorted through their past hurts while working together to catch the bad guy. It was a clean romance with elements of faith threaded throughout.

 

I really enjoyed this story, a great mix of action and suspense, with danger coming from both the brutal Alaskan winter and the criminals they’re chasing. A few twists kept things interesting, and I especially loved the setting. Harley’s family home and the family’s remote cabin sounded absolutely gorgeous.

 

I listened to the audio version and alternately read a print copy and can recommend either version. I thought Brian Hutchinson did a wonderful job bringing characters to life with emotions appropriate for each scene.

4 Stars

Book Description:

Two broken hearts. One deadly mission. And just one avalanche dog standing between them and a killer.

Harley Tatum made a vow to never return to Copper Mountain, Alaska, where a drug dealer destroyed her family and the man she loved walked away. But when that same criminal escapes and justice calls her name, she has no choice but to face everything she buried.

Jericho Bowie remembers things differently. She left him. And he's spent years wondering why. Now Harley needs his search-and-rescue dog, Orlando, to track a fugitive through treacherous mountain terrain--and Jericho refuses to let her go alone. Not again.

But as they push deep into the frozen wilderness, the hunter becomes the hunted. Old feelings resurface at the worst possible time, and survival depends on two people who don't know if they can trust each other--or their own hearts.

Susan May Warren packs action and heart-pounding suspense from the rugged wilderness of Alaska into a nonstop adventure where the greatest danger might be opening your heart again. 

 

Audiobook Review: A Murder in Hollywood by Michael Crichton

 

A Murder in Hollywood by Michael Crichton

Publication Date: May 5th 2026 by Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 244

Audio Book Length: 4hrs 42min

Narrator: Ray Porter

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this murder mystery set on an Old Western movie location in the 1970s! It had a classic film noir, old Hollywood vibe.

Told from the POV of Harvey Jason, the film production publicist, basically in charge of fixing whatever problems arise and keeping things flowing smoothly. Not an easy job! When the screenwriter is found dead in his room, Harvey is charged with trailing the insurance investigator, Harlow Perkins, brought in to solve the case. Perkins is well-known as sharp and determined and Harvey is mystified by some of his requests.

I blew through this in an afternoon and enjoyed every minute! I love Ray Porter’s narration (he narrated Project Hail Mary)! He did an excellent job bringing all characters to life, male and female, and played up the splashes of wry humor enhancing my enjoyment of this entertaining mystery!

4 Stars

Book Description:

From Michael CrichtonCreator of Jurassic Park , ER , Twister , Rising Sun , and Disclosure

Writing as John Lange

Comes a new Hollywood mystery thriller, originally written in 1973 by Crichton but never before published, that will keep you guessing until the very end.

In the glitz and decadence of 1970s Hollywood, an era when sex and drugs were readily available on any movie set, the writer of the next Western blockbuster, Bloodrock, has just been found dead in his motel bathtub. Now publicist Harvey Jason is desperately trying to keep the project on track while the famed Harlow Perkins, a brilliant and ruthless investigator, begins to unravel the mystery and hunt the killer down.

From scorching-hot desert locations to sleazy motel bars, the members of the cast and crew—each one with a very dark secret of their own—will send this case deeper and deeper into a maze of confusion and shadows until the shocking truth is revealed.

Will the murderer be found?

Picture Book Review: Serafina Makes Waves by Matthew Burgess, Illustrated by Robin Rosenthal

 

Serafina Makes Waves by Matthew Burgess, Illustrated by Robin Rosenthal

Publication Date: March 31st 2026 by Dial Books for Young Readers

Pages: 40

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I’m not the usual audience for a picture book, but I couldn’t resist a story featuring a sassy cat with her cute stuffy, Noodles!

 

Serafina hates water with a passion, so she’s appalled when her parents enroll her in swimming lessons!

 

This was an adorable story with a nice message: trying something new can open up a whole world of fun!

 

The illustrations, in pretty pastels with dramatic lettering, vividly brought the story to life with humor and charm!

 

Would make a PURR-fect gift for a beloved youngster!

5 Stars

Book Description:

This purr-fectly adorable picture book introduces an irresistibly over-the-top new kitty character who’s ready to make a big splash!

Meet Serafina! If there’s one thing you should know about Serafina, it’s that she absolutely, positively HATES water. Running faucets, rain, or the sea? No thank you. So even though she looks fantastic in goggles, Serafina is NOT happy to be forced into a swim class by the powers that be. NOTHING can convince her to get into that disgusting pit of seething water. Nothing, that is, except maybe a very beloved old friend who needs a hand.

From acclaimed creators Matthew Burgess and Robin Rosenthal comes an unforgettable picture book that shows how trying new things can lead to unexpected joy.

Sunday Post #340

 

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 had my sister and her husband over for dinner on Friday night so I did a bunch of housecleaning and cooking. We used some of my canned apple pie filling for apple pies. 

It rained off and on all last week, which was nice for the garden but made it hard to get out on our walks. It finally cleared yesterday and we got out early and then did a bunch of weeding and cleanup made easier by the rain. We ate dinner out by the Solo Stove last night.

 

I've been seeing Red-winged Blackbirds, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Oak Titmouse and of course the ever present Stellar Jays in the garden this week. We bought my MIL a birdhouse that has a camera in it and it records whenever a bird lands and gives an identification. It's pretty neat and we can see the feed from out phone, too. It was quite the project to get it up and running for my husband. He regrets having it sent and not being there in person to get it running as he had to tell his mom what to do over the phone. At any rate, we might get one for our house. 

Birds (photos from Photogrid) Red-winged Blackbird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Oak Titmouse, and Stellar Jay

1000 Piece Puzzle Completed: Mabel the Stowaway by Hasbro 2003

Puzzle 29 of 2026

Read:

Hellbound Guilds and Other Misdirections (The Guild Codex: Warped #2) by Annette Marie & Rob Jacobsen-4 Stars

The Alchemist and an Amaretto (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #5) by Annette Marie-4 Stars

A Curses of Beasts and Magic (Beautiful and Beastly #1) by Jeaniene Frost-4 Stars

Scent of Hope (Call of the Wild #2) by Susan May Warren-4 Stars

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto-4 Stars

I had a solid reading week and finally caught up with books for the read-along Anne @Books of My Heart is hosting.

Received: 

Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne

Headlights by CJ Leede

Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry

Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

A Murder in Hollywood by Michael Crichton

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Blackstone Publishing!

How was your week?

Review: Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto

 

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Publication Date: April 28th 2026 by Berkley

Pages: 304

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Mebel’s a sixty-three-year-old who excels at being a “trophy wife”. She maintains her body and looks and has built her life around what her husband, Henk, wants. However, her life is turned upside down when he asks for a divorce. He’s taken up with their twenty-four-year-old chef, Wendy. Mebel isn’t going to take this lying down, though, and decides to go to school to become a chef to win her husband back.

 

Right away, things don’t go as expected and instead of attending a glitzy school in Paris, she’s mistakenly enrolled herself at the campus England, in the very unglamorous town of Cowley. The classes are more work than she thought, and all the students are younger than her son. But soon Mebel is enjoying the feeling of accomplishment she has mastering the skills. She’s even making friends and even though they’re much younger, she feels truly seen for who she is as an individual apart from her husband.

 

Ms. Mebel was a lot of fun with Ms. Sutanto’s signature humor!  Mebel was a character with her brutal honesty and Chinese grandmother ways, but this was also a touching journey. It was satisfying to see Mebel start over and find joy!

4 Stars

Book Description:

A nearly divorced housewife enrolls in culinary school to win back her husband, only to start questioning the strange antics of her classmates in this new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.

Retirement should mean long-awaited trips to the sapphire waters of Santorini or careening down a sand dune in Dubai. For sixty-three-year-old Mebel, retirement means her husband of more than forty years announcing that he's leaving her for their private chef. Mebel isn’t sure who's the bigger loss.

Not to worry, Mebel has the perfect plan: she’s going to win back her husband. No one knows what he needs better than her—after all, she's been anticipating his needs their whole marriage. And if he wants a wife who can cook (why else would he leave her for a chef?), she will simply go to cooking school. Luckily, class at the renowned Saint Honoré School of Culinary Arts in France starts in just four days!

However, Mebel quickly realizes that her culinary school is not in illustrious Paris but rather in England—and some small village outside of Oxford no less. Despite the less-than-warm welcome from her much younger classmates, Mebel manages to befriend Gemma, the breakout star of the program, who offers to help Mebel on their first day. When Gemma stops showing up to class, Mebel knows she must figure out what—or who—caused her friend’s sudden disappearance. After all, Mebel may not know the first thing about how to cut a potato, but she certainly knows how to identify a fraud, and there’s definitely something fishy going on.

Audiobook Review: A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost

 

A Curse of Beasts and Magic (Beautiful & Beastly #1) by Jeaniene Frost

Publication Date: May 26h 2026 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 361

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 28min

Narrators: Tavia Gilbert

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

At fifteen, Raine lost her family in a brutal attack, and she’s been left with the Beast responsible inhabiting her body. Her job as an ER nurse helps satisfy the Beast’s needs to feed on pain and her patrolling at night for criminals helps as well.

 

Everything changes the night she rescues an elderly man from his attackers and draws the attention of Remy, the Warden tasked with policing magical beings. It’s frightening to find out there’s a whole magical world she wasn’t aware of, but it’s also a relief to find out exactly what she has inside her. Remy helps her get her Beast in control in exchange for helping heal his grandfather and pretending to be his girlfriend.

 

With this arrangement, Raine is dragged into the politics of a magical world she knows nothing about. While there’s a growing romantic relationship between Raine and Remy, she discovers there’s a lot of information he’s holding back. I really liked Raine. She had a strong moral compass and worried over having this powerful entity trapped inside and what it might do to others. She trusts easily, because she assumes the best of people. I think she’s going to be more cautious going forward.

 

A Curse of Beasts and Magic delivers action, romance and dangerous political maneuvering. The final battle is a high‑stakes showdown packed with reveals and consequences that I’m sure will play out in the next book. I’m eager to find out what comes next.

 

I listened to the audio version narrated by Tavia Gilbert. I like her female voices, but the male voices less so. Still, the performance overall made for an enjoyable listen.

4 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author of The Night Huntress series Jeaniene Frost returns with a brand-new series! It’s Beauty and the Beast meets The Witcher in this dark fantastical retelling, except Beauty IS the Beast, and he’s the Warden keeping mythical beings in check in our world and beyond.

Raine Stone was the sole survivor of a horrific creature while camping. Her account of the attack was attributed to shock, but Raine knows all too well that her story is true because now she carries that same Beast inside her!

She’s been restraining its violent urges by letting it 'feed' on the pain and chaos she’s exposed to as an ER nurse, and by playing vigilante against would-be muggers at night. But when Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal a frail elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack, she opens herself to a new world of danger—literally.

Remington “Remy” Byrne knows that the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very thin; he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. He also rules the supernatural creatures living in secret among us. Raine’s Beast makes her an intruder on Remy’s territory, but the elderly gentleman she saved is Remy’s grandfather, and her Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if Raine allies with him.

Will they be friends or foes…or will the dangerous attraction between them turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?

Review: The Final Target by Nora Roberts

 

The Final Target by Nora Roberts

Publication Date: May 26th 2026 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 432

Audio Book Length: 14hrs 59min

Narrator: January LaVoy

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Arden’s lifelong dream of becoming a published author finally comes true, but her success draws the attention of a dangerous, obsessive stalker named Dustin. After barely surviving his brutal attack, Arden is left to rebuild not just her life, but her sense of safety. She heals, she grows, and she thrives.

 

Meanwhile, Dustin stews and he focuses on revenge. His determination was chilling adding a constant thread of tension.

 

The Final Target is classic Nora Roberts, and I loved every minute. Arden could’ve shut down after the attack, but instead she chooses to live boldly. Her move to the Pacific Northwest brings new friends, a gorgeous home she pours her heart into, and a community that embraces her. She isn’t looking for love, which of course is exactly when it finds her with Gideon an ex-police detective and current wood-working genius.

 

When Dustin comes for “his woman”, the showdown kept me on the edge of my seat! Arden isn’t alone this time; she has her family, the police, and Gideon at her back. The ending was a thrill ride!

 

I alternated between the audiobook and e‑copy and can recommend both. January LaVoy’s narration was fantastic, truly the icing on the cake! 

5 Stars

Book Description:

A young author becomes the object of a fan’s desire―and rage―in the gripping new thriller by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Nature.

He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude―but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden's purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?