Thursday, January 22, 2026

Favorites of 2025: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Historical Romance & Women's Fiction

 This is the last of my favorites list from 2025. I'm getting this list out later than I planned but at least it's before February has rolled around!


Favorites of 2025: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Historical Romance & Women's Fiction:


See How They Hide by Allison Brennan
Knife in the Back by Karen Rose
Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell
The Summer That Changed Everything by Brenda Novak

Release date: 1/7/25

Release date: 8/12/25

Release date: 7/15/25

Release date: 6/3/25



That Carolina Summer by Karen White
A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan
Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady
The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Release date: 7/22/25

Release date: 10/7/25

Release date: 6/3/25

Release date: 5/20/25


Swept Away by Beth O' Leary
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes
Isabella's Not Dead by Beth Morrey

Release date: 4/1/25

Release date: 4/22/25

Release date: 2/11/25

Release date: 8/25/25


The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews
Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti

Release date: 11/25/25

Release date: 5/20/25

Release date: 1/21/25



Did any of these make your list?





Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Audiobook Review: My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney

 
My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney
Publication Date: January 20th 2026 by Macmillan Audio
Pages: 320
Audio Book Length: 8hrs 58min
Narrator: Bel Powley, Henry Rowley, Richard Armitage
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:
Wow, what a twisty story! Eden Fox’s goes for a run and upon returning to her house finds her key won’t unlock the door and the woman answering claims to be her. On top of that her husband claims he doesn’t recognize her. No one believes her. I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on! Is she delusional? Or was there something more nefarious going on?
 
Then we have Birdie, with her POV six months earlier, a woman sort of isolated with no friends except her sweet dog Sunday. She’s just received a devasting diagnosis and found out she’s inherited Spy Glass Manor in Hope Falls from a grandmother she didn’t know she had. Carter, the police detective at Hope Falls figures in as well.
 
How do these characters all connect? There were some shenanigans for sure!
 
I rooted for Birdie as she tried to connect the dots.
 
My Husband’s Wife was a deliciously twisty mystery, riveting from the start! This is a story where it’s best to know as little as possible. Just dive in, buckle your seat belt and go along for the crazy ride! That last twist definitely got me! I’d love another book with these characters!
 
I listened to the audio version with a full cast narrating with sound effects which made for an immersive experience! I absolutely loved it!

4.5 Stars


Book Description:

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists is back with a psychological masterpiece that will leave you questioning everything you know about love, identity, and revenge.

Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn’t fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife.

One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying.

Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift from a long-lost grandmother brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person's date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel, and as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.

My Husband’s Wife is a tangled web of deception, obsession, and mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page. Prepare yourself for the ultimate mind-bending marriage thriller and step inside Spyglass – if you dare – to experience a story where nothing is as it seems.


Saturday, January 17, 2026

Sunday Post #323

 


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're home over this holiday weekend and the weather has been beautiful. Sunny and warmer than normal (high 60s). Nothing exciting to report. I've been getting out for my runs, puzzling and got some gardening in, while listening to some audiobooks, of course. I planted spinach, carrots, radishes, and green onions outdoors. I'm going to start my tomato plants indoors tomorrow.  

Flowering Quince on my run. Seems to be early this year.

We installed a new bird feeder in our backyard as the older one would get clogged up with soggy birdseed every time it rained. We see a lot of birds on our property. Lately I've spotted Oak Titmouse, Spotted Towhee, American Robin, Northern Flicker, the ever present Steller's Jay and a bunch of quail. My cats sit and make a lot of bird calls as they watch from inside. Almost like they're cussing them out. It's pretty funny! 

I finally watched The Woman in Cabin 10. I was hazy on the plot of the book, since I read it ten years back, but I do remember Lo being a hot mess, overdrinking and pretty inept with as she tries to figure out what happened. Film Lo didn't seem quite as bad, well as far as the drinking anyhow. I thought they did a great job with the film and really enjoyed it!


1000 Piece Puzzle Completed: A Cozy Cat Christmas by Puzzlefolk


1000 Piece Puzzle Completed: Happy Camper by Werkshoppe


Read:

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney
The Mating Game by Lana Ferguson
Inside Man by John McMahon
Wreck Your Heart by Lori Rader-Day

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney-4 Stars



Received:

How to Kill Your Biggest Fan by Helen Blair

How to Kill Your Biggest Fan by Helen Blair

Thank you to Bolinda Publishing and Libro.fm!

Instagram:

I altered my graphic (you can see the photos/results on my Instagram post) to reflect my actual total of books read since Goodreads cuts it off early.




How was your week?




Friday, January 16, 2026

New Release: Puffin in Bloom's Wuthering Heights

Puffin in Bloom has just released a stunning new edition of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and it's gorgeous! Another one to add to my collection!

I'm in love with Rifle Paper & Co.'s Anna Bond beautiful illustrations for this new special edition! Here's the cover and a bit about the new release:


PUFFIN IN BLOOM’S WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Brontë; illustrated by Anna Bond Puffin Books | $19.00 | Ages 12 and up ISBN: 9798217043408 | on sale January 13,
 2026






The Puffin in Bloom collection adds another elegant flower to its bouquet with a hardcover edition of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, with original cover art by Rifle Paper Co. co-founder, CEO, and artist Anna Bond. This gorgeous edition of the classic gothic romance blooms on bookshelves January 13th, just in time for the big screen debut of Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. 

For this timeless tale, Bond has designed a striking new cover that evokes the mood and mystery of the Yorkshire moors. Both new and returning fans of Brontë’s classic will be drawn to this stunning edition of the literary treasure, complete with warm gold foil accents for a special touch. 

Puffin in Bloom is a collection of beloved classics, reimagined with original illustrated covers by Anna Bond of the stationery, home, and gifts brand Rifle Paper Co. Delighting readers and design lovers alike, the collection’s previous editions include Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, A Little Princess, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, The Wizard of Oz, and the all-time top-selling edition of Little Women. 

This stunning publication of Wuthering Heights is sure to captivate collectors, readers, gift-givers, and design enthusiasts eager to elevate their shelves with a keepsake edition of a cherished novel. 

Emily Jane Brontë (1818-1848) was the most solitary member of a unique, tightly knit English provincial family. Born in 1818, she shared the parsonage of the town of Haworth, Yorkshire, with her older sister, Charlotte; her brother, Branwell; her younger sister, Anne; and her father, the Reverend Patrick Brontë. All five were poets and writers, and all but Branwell would publish at least one book. Fantasy was the Brontë children’s one relief from the rigors of religion and the bleakness of life in an impoverished region. In 1845, Charlotte Brontë came across a manuscript volume of her sister’s poems. At her sister’s urging, Emily’s poems, along with Anne’s and Charlotte’s, were published pseudonymously in 1846. An almost complete silence greeted this volume, but the three sisters, buoyed by the fact of publication, immediately began to write novels. Emily’s effort was Wuthering Heights; appearing in 1847, it was treated at first as a lesser work by Charlotte, whose Jane Eyre had already been published to great acclaim. Emily Brontë’s name did not emerge from behind her pseudonym of Ellis Bell until the second edition of her novel appeared in 1850.

Anna Bond, Rifle Paper & Co., Photo Credit: Patrick Michael Chin


Anna Bond is an artist, designer, and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder, CEO, and CCO of Rifle Paper Co., an international stationery, home, and gifts brand based in Winter Park, Florida. Founded in 2009 with her husband, Nathan, the company grew organically from an apartment-based business to a beloved, multimillion-dollar brand, carried in thousands of stores around the world. Beyond her work at Rifle Paper Co., Anna enjoys illustration, interior design, and, most of all, keeping up with her five young children.



Have you read Wuthering Heights? 




Thursday, January 15, 2026

Review: Inside Man by John McMahon

 
Inside Man by John McMahon

Inside Man (PAR Unit #2) by John McMahon
Publication Date: January 13th 2026 by Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio
Pages: 400
Audio Book Length: 10hrs 20min
Narrator: Will Damron
Source: Publishers
Rating: 
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:
FBI Agent Gardner Camden leads the Patterns and Recognition Unit, PAR, a small, eccentric team skilled at cracking cold cases by spotting overlooked patterns and details. Cassie, the brilliant mathematician; Shooter, a firearms expert; and Richie, the tech‑savvy rookie each bring something essential to the table.
 
What starts as an unemployment‑benefits fraud case quickly escalates into something far more dangerous. The scheme is tied to a militia group stockpiling weapons, and when PAR’s confidential informant is murdered, the team must dig for answers without tipping off the militia’s volatile leader. Their search uncovers chilling links to another investigation, one that suggests a serial killer may be operating in the shadows.
 
Gardner remains the heart of the story. His eidetic memory and knack for connecting stray details make him a phenomenal investigator, even as everyday social cues continue to trip him up. I loved seeing him balance his demanding job with his commitment to his young daughter. His mother‑in‑law remains a complicated but invaluable presence. There were developments with his mother since the events of the last book. Her sage advice continued to help Gardner navigate his social and professional life.
 
I adored Head Cases, and this follow‑up absolutely delivers! It’s a tightly plotted mystery that opens with a bang and never loses momentum, yet still finds space for the human side of Gardner and his team. I was hooked from page one and tore through this fast‑paced, high‑stakes thriller.
 
I alternately read and listened to Inside Man and recommend either version. Will Damron performed Gardner with a kind of matter-a-fact tone that fit with his character’s personality perfectly!

5 Stars


Book Description:

In this sequel to McMahon's electrifying series debut, Head Cases, Gardner Camden and the PAR team return to investigate potentially connected cases.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

PAR’s latest case involves a militia group stockpiling weapons. When their confidential informant in the case is killed, it quickly becomes clear that the militia did not kill him.

As the squad looks into the evidence surrounding his murder, an unidentified man is caught on camera with their informant. This mystery man’s picture is connected to another case at the FBI, an unsolved series of murdered women, buried in the ground in north Florida. Could they have uncovered a serial killer? And if so, what is his connection to their C.I.?

As PAR juggles an investigation into both the dead women and the militia, they enroll a new informant, only to find the case escalating in dangerous ways. How will PAR handle a case that increasingly looks like a terrorist plot? And in the serial case, with no puzzles or witnesses, and few leads, how will a group set up to decode riddles be successful?


Monday, January 12, 2026

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

 

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.


This week the theme is: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

I tried to keep it to ten books but it somehow turned into fifteen! 

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

Inside Man (Head Cases #2) by John McMahon
The Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan
Wolvers by Taylor Brown

Inside Man (Head Cases #2) by John McMahon
Release Date: 1/13/26
(I'm listening to this one now!)

The Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Release Date: 3/31/26

Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan
Release Date: 6/23/26

Wolvers by Taylor Brown
Release Date: 4/7/26

Storm Tide (Mike Bowditch #16) by Paul Doiron
The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) by Matt Dinniman
Family Lies (San Diego #4) by Karen Rose
Make it Out Alive (Quinn & Costa #7) by Allison Brennan

Storm Tide (Mike Bowditch #16) by Paul Doiron
Release Date: 6/30/26

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
Release Date: 2/10/26

Family Lies (San Diego #4) by Karen Rose
Release Date: 3/31/26

Make it Out Alive (Quinn & Costa #7) by Allison Brennan
Release Date: 1/27/26

Antihero (Orphan X #11) by Gregg Hurwitz
An Ordinary Sort of Evil (A Rip Through Time #5) by Kelley Armstrong
First Sign of Danger (Haven's Rock #4) by Kelley Armstrong
Bloodlust by Sandra Brown

Antihero (Orphan X #11) by Gregg Hurwitz
Release Date: 2/10/26

An Ordinary Sort of Evil (A Rip Through Time #5) by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date: 5/19/26

First Sign of Danger (Haven's Rock #4) by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date: 2/17/26

Bloodlust by Sandra Brown
Release Date: 3/17/26

Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan
The Name Game by Beth O'Leary
The Shippers by Katherine Center

Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan
Release Date: 5/5/26

The Name Game by Beth O'Leary
Release Date: 4/7/26

The Shippers by Katherine Center
Release Date: 5/19/26


What are your most anticipated reads for the first half of 2026?