Sunday Post #322

 

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 early Tuesday night, like 1:30 in the morning! My week is completely thrown off. We had a good time with family and friends. It was busy. We had friends over for dinner, went snow skiing, sledding, went to a New Year's Eve party complete with fireworks and lighting of Chinese lanterns. We did Mingo (Bingo done with music trivia) at the lodge, puzzles and games at home and more. I had Tuesday off, thankfully, but worked Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (today). We met my sister and her husband for dinner out tonight after work and had fun catching up. I hope to sleep in Sunday. 

Came home to my camellia bush blooming. I've had a hard time getting this bush to bloom here so this was exciting to me. 

Debutante camellia 

Debutante Camellia in the garden

500 Piece Puzzle Completed: American Road Trip by Rifle Paper Co.

Pepper kitty (my daughter's cat) puzzling.

I wish I had more photos from Montana but I just didn't take that many. 

Read:

(This is two weeks worth of reading)

Seeing Other People by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka-4 Stars

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry-5 Stars

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman-5 Stars

Remember That Day (Ravenswood #5) by Mary Balogh-4.5 Stars

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz-4 Stars

Great Big Beautiful Life was my last read of 2025 and it was excellent! A romance wrapped in a mystery I wasn't expecting with some surprising revelations! Bravo, Emily Henry! I almost didn't pick up Seeing Other People because their last book was underwhelming, but the premise sounded good and I ended up enjoying it. I’m loving the Dungeon Crawler Carl books! I listened with my earbuds every chance I got in Montana! I had to put the series on hold because I've had a bunch of review books due, but I'll be starting book four as soon as I have a minute. I told my daughter about the series as soon as I finished the first book. She started listening and has now finished the series! I think she was on book six when we were in Montana.

Received:

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

Thank you to Penguin and Harlequin Audio!

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How was your week?

Favorites of 2025: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror

 Favorites of 2025:

Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror

Most are new releases but a few are older and the last two (Ilona Andrews books) are re-reads for a read-along.

Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs

Turns of Fate (Isle of Wyrd #1) by Anne Bishop

A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett

A Judgement of Powers (Inheritance of Magic #3) by Benedict Jacka

Mate (Bride #2) by Ali Hazelwood

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

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman

Lies on the Serpent's Tongue (Bittersweet in the Hollow #2) by Kate Pearsall

Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries #6) by Martha Wells

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong

The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews

Hot for Slayer by Ali Hazelwood

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed #2) by Brigitte Knightley

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

Steel's Edge (The Edge #4) by Ilona Andrews

Have you read any of these books? If not, what were some of your Fantasy, Sci-Fi or Horror favorites from 2025?

Review: The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

 

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

Publication Date: January 6th 2026 by Berkley

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

The Harper and Wells families have been locked in a generations‑long feud but are bound together by one dangerous secret: the existence of a powerful psychic weapon.

 

When Sophy Harper’s aunt and Luke Wells’ uncle vanish, along with sensitive documents and a prototype of that weapon, Sophy and Luke are reluctantly paired up to track them down. Each brings a unique psychic talent to the hunt: Sophy can read echoes of past crimes, while Luke excels at piecing together scattered clues. And they have Luke’s dog, Bruce, along for backup. Loved Bruce!

 

The clues lead them to what’s supposed to be a peaceful artist retreat, but the moment they arrive, it’s clear something is wrong and the place hums with psychic energy. As danger closes in, Sophy and Luke must rely on their abilities, and each other before catastrophe strikes. Despite coming from rival families, Sophy and Luke quickly became a compelling team. Their wary partnership evolves with growing trust, and a wonderfully slow‑burn romance that adds warmth to the high‑stakes mystery.

 

Fans of Jayne Ann Krentz will find familiar supernatural elements: Fogg Lake, the Bluestone Project, the Arcane Society, but with a new cast of characters. It was an engaging blend of action, danger and romantic tension. The central mystery wraps up satisfyingly, but the last chapter hinted at more stories to come.

4 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz dives into an enthralling new romantic suspense novel filled with deeply entrenched grudges, psychic dangers, and a conspiracy that threatens not only two families but also the entire paranormal community.

The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret.

Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and his uncle have been sleeping together—and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the last traces of them are at the scene of a murder soaked in negative paranormal energy. Clearly, someone is willing to kill to obtain the secret their families have been charged with protecting. Despite their mutual distrust, which, as far as Sophy is concerned extends to Luke’s hellhound of a dog, they both know that the terms of the pact must be honored.

Their investigation uncovers a psychic trail leading to a bizarre desert art colony where nothing is as it seems. But Luke and Sophy are concealing a few secrets, too. By a strange twist of fate, a Harper and a Wells have no choice but to trust each other and the fierce attraction that is binding them as surely as the pact between the families.

Photo Credit: Marc von Borstel

About the Author

Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name and futuristic and historical romance novels under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, respectively. www.jayneannkrentz.com.
 

Review: Remember That Day by Mary Balogh

 

Remember That Day (Ravenswood #5) by Mary Balogh

Publication Date: January 6th 2026 by Berkley

Pages: 368

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

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

My Thoughts:

Twenty-one-year-old Winnifred Cunningham, adopted daughter of Lady Camille and portrait painter Joel Cunningham, knows how lucky she is to have been taken into such a warm, boisterous family. She’s never believed marriage was necessary for her happiness, until her easy friendship with Owen Ware, the Earl’s youngest son, makes her wonder if marriage could be a happy possibility.

 

Colonel Nicholas Ware, Owen’s older brother, is preparing to propose to Grace Haviland. At thirty-four, he’s ready for a settled life filled with love and children. Grace is beautiful, poised, and perfectly suitable, yet Nicholas can’t seem to imagine true happiness with her. Something essential is missing.

 

When Winnifred and Nicholas meet, the spark between them is immediate and undeniable. They’re hardly an obvious match, both are on the cusp of commitments to others, and their age difference, but fate keeps placing them in each other’s path. With every encounter, their connection deepens.

 

Remember That Day was an absolute delight! This is the fifth book in the Ravenswood series, and I think you could get by reading this as a standalone, but you’d get more reading them in order because there’s a history with the Ware’s, a devastating event that made a huge impact in their lives.

 

Mary Balogh’s writing shines as she breathes life into her characters, their hopes, fears, longings, and quiet moments of vulnerability. Both Winnifred and Nicholas dealt with internal struggles, yet their bond became a source of comfort and clarity. The secondary cast, especially the many children with their charming side stories, added warmth and joy to every chapter.

 

Winnifred and Nicholas’ journey to love was tender, thoughtful, and deeply satisfying. Their story touched my heart from beginning to end!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

A soldier and a pacifist make the unlikeliest of pairs, but when attraction sparks, there’s nothing that can prevent their love from igniting.

Winifred Cunningham, the adopted daughter of a portrait painter, hopes that her new close friend, Owen Ware, will soon ask for her hand in marriage. But when Owen introduces Winifred to his elder brother Nicholas, the late Earl of Stratton’s second son, the slow burn of attraction between them begins.

Nicholas is a cavalry colonel—a hardened soldier whom Winifred at first despises. She finds him intimidating and cruel-looking, while he finds her strange and startlingly forthright. During a summer at Ravenswood, however, Nicholas and Winifred are unwillingly thrown together on several occasions, until they realize the passion that drives their disagreements is not due to dislike—it is because of attraction.

Winifred still awaits Owen’s proposal, and Nicholas has made his intention to marry his commanding officer’s daughter quite clear. With allegiances to other marriage prospects and brotherly bonds at risk, not to mention the age difference between them, Nicholas and Winifred know it would be wholly improper to pursue a romance...

And yet, romance is irresistible. Perhaps even inevitable.

Review: The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

 

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 6th 2026 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 288

Audio Book Length: 7hrs 48min

Narrator: Alex Knox, Cathi Colas, Dan Bittner, Jane Oppenheimer, Patti Murin, Petrea Buchard, Stephanie Németh-Parker

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★½

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

My Thoughts:

Geneva has inherited her parents’ beloved but financially struggling inn, the Rosalie, perched on the hurricane‑battered coast of St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama. The historic property has weathered many storms, yet keeping its doors open has been a fight. So, when August Fletcher, a true‑crime author, books a long stay to research the infamous Lo Bailey case, Geneva sees a rare opportunity to help keep the Rosalie afloat.

 

Lo Bailey, a local girl accused of killing her married lover during the catastrophic Hurricane Marie in 1984, has always been a name Geneva recognized but never truly understood. As a new hurricane builds and threatens, secrets are revealed that tie past and present together.

 

The tension builds chapter by chapter, each reveal raising the stakes as the incoming hurricane barrels closer. The story unfolds through multiple POVs, primarily Lo and Geneva, with glimpses of August through his manuscript and other characters. Lo, in particular, was a standout: flawed, magnetic, and impossible not to root for.

 

While I correctly guessed some of the twists and found a few details a bit far‑fetched, I was completely absorbed from start to finish. It’s an engaging, atmospheric read that kept me turning pages.

 

I alternately read and listened to the audio copy and can recommend either version. The audio was wonderfully narrated by a full cast, Dan Bittner, Patti Murrin and Stephanie Németh-Parker, just to name a few, and it definitely enhanced my entertainment!

3.5 Stars

Book Description:

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…

Favorites of 2025: Mystery/Thriller

 Happy Tuesday! I'll be posting my favorites for 2025 this week starting with Mystery/Thriller here.

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader where each week they post a new top ten list and ask fellow bookish folk to share their lists on that topic.

My Favorite Mystery/Thrillers for 2025:

Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

Head Cases by John McMahon

The Dark Hours by Amy Jordan

Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos

Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

South of Nowhere by Jeffrey Deaver

The Cross by Steve Cavanagh

A Silence in Belgrave Square by Jennifer Ashley

A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber

Death at a Highland Wedding

How about you? 

What were some of your favorite mystery/thriller or other genre books for 2025?