Review: Too Close to Home by Seraphina Nova Glass

 

Too Close to Home by Seraphina Nova Glass

Publication Date: April 14th 2026 by Park Row Books & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 7hrs 53 min

Narrator: Brittany Pressley, Rebecca Lowman, Karissa Vacker

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★½

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

My Thoughts:

Three friends, Regan, Sasha, and Andi, live in the affluent, picture-perfect community of Cloverhill Lakes. On the surface, it’s all charm and privilege, until Regan’s car explodes during the neighborhood’s annual Labor Day party. Thankfully, she isn’t inside, but the blast shatters the illusion of safety, and from that moment on, everything spirals.

 

Regan is already barely holding it together, numbing her grief over her husband’s death with prescription pills. When she spots him alive, just for a moment, from a distance, her world tilts again. Sasha is juggling her own troubles, including her son Drew’s increasingly unsettling behavior and secrets she’d rather keep buried. And Andi is forced to deal with her ex-husband’s new wife, Tia, who is such a nightmare I wanted to strangle her myself!

 

Too Close to Home opens with a bang, literally, and never lets up! The short, cliffhanger chapters rotate between Andi, Regan, and Sasha. I was riveted as each new thread was revealed, on edge for what it meant for each of the women!  It all builds to a danger-packed, thrilling conclusion that delivers!

 

I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, and the narration elevated my experience. Rebecca Lowman (Andi), Brittany Pressley (Regan), and Karissa Vacker (Sasha) each bring a distinct voice and emotional tone to their characters. All three narrators shine, making the women, and secondary characters, feel fully alive.

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

The two-time Edgar Award–nominated author of ON A QUIET STREET and THE VACANCY IN ROOM 10, Seraphina Nova Glass, is back with TOO CLOSE TO HOME

Nothing in this idyllic community is quite what it seems…

Those lucky enough to live in the elite lakefront community of Cloverhill Lakes are drawn to it for its safety and top-notch school district. The moms meet for coffee at the park while their kids play, they’re heavily involved in the PTA, and the summers are filled with chardonnay, brunch, sundresses, and backyard bonfires.

But everything changes when Regan Hoffman’s car explodes at the annual Labor Day party. The wrong person is killed, but it was meant for her. As the carefully crafted walls of her community begin to crumble, Regan tries to keep it together—something made infinitely harder when she sees her dead husband…alive.

When a Cloverhill Lakes resident suddenly goes missing, dark secrets begin to surface from underneath the idyllic veneer of their beautiful community—and the truth threatens to destroy them all as Regan finds herself in a fight for her life.

Review: The Moonlight Runner by Karen Robards

 

The Moonlight Runner by Karen Robards

Publication Date: March 24th 2026 by Park Row & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 368

Audio Book Length: 12hrs 2min

Narrator: Alana Kerr Collins

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

The Moonlight Runner was equal parts action, thriller and romance and completely riveting!

 

Ireland in 1918 is still recovering from World War I and there’s a rebellion against the British rule gaining momentum. Rynn Carmichael, works as a nurse to aid the soldiers still healing from their wounds. When Rynn overhears two British soldiers talking about apprehending gun runners that night, she rushes to the shore to warn her fiancé, Donal, knowing he’s probably involved despite telling her he’d have no part. It puts them all in grave danger.

 

From the first chapter the story was an action-packed read that I didn’t want to put down! I’ve read stories set Ireland during this period and have enjoyed learning about the events of this tumultuous time. The Moonlight Runner vividly depicts the danger and personal cost without making the story too gritty or depressing. There were friendships and romance, and one man that Rynn ends up counting on again and again. He was a charismatic presence!

 

This is a sweeping page-turner I wholeheartedly recommend!

 

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to an audio and recommend either version. This is the first time I’ve listened to Alana Kerr Collins and I thought her narration was fantastic! Her Irish accent sounded authentic to me, and she seamlessly performed all voices, male and female in a range of ages.

5 Stars

Book Description:

In the wake of the Great War, a young woman joins the Irish rebellion and risks everything for her country in this sweeping story of love, bravery and the relentless pursuit of freedom.

Ireland, 1918. In a world brutalized by the Great War and devastated by the Spanish flu, twenty-two-year-old Rynn Carmichael is suddenly pulled into the war of independence when Donal O’Reilly, the boy she has loved for most of her life, takes up gunrunning in support of the rebellion.

Raised in a small Irish village on the shores of Donegal Bay, Rynn is working as a nurse in a convalescent home for soldiers wounded in the Great War when she overhears a British officer gloating over the trap that has been set for Irish gunrunners bringing a boat full of smuggled arms ashore. Knowing that Donal must be involved, she rushes out at midnight to warn the incoming boat, only to find herself caught up in a terrifying and tragic series of events that take her from the glittering ballrooms of London to the narrow back alleys of Dublin as she and those she loves fight for their lives and their country.

Review: It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

 

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

Publication Date: February 3rd 2026 by Park Row & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 2min

Narrator: Jennifer Jill Araya, Brittany Pressley, Gary Tiedemann

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★½

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

My Thoughts:

Courtney’s peaceful family vacation is shattered when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law murdered in the cottage next door. They discover her nephew asleep upstairs, but her seventeen-year-old niece is missing. Was it a stranger who came in or was it one of the family? They definitely weren’t getting along.

 

The story is told from Courtney’s present day POV and Reese’s POV starting from when the family arrives at the lake resort. I have to say I preferred Courtney’s POV since I liked her character more, even if she did pull some TSTL moves. It was difficult being in Reese’s head, since she was so difficult and her parts were a bit drawn out for me.

 

It's Not Her was a page-turner! There was no shortage of suspects here and I suspected just about everyone at one point or another. I was shocked to find out the killer’s identity by the end! The reason the events were put into motion... Yikes!!! And that last revelation, wow!

 

I alternated between the audio and e-copy and recommend either version. I enjoyed all the narrators, Jennifer Jill Araya, as Courtney, Brittany Pressley as Reese and I won’t say who Gary Tiedemann performed. All performed a variety of ages, male and female distinctly and well!

3.5 Stars

Book Description:

Two families vacationing at a secluded lake resort are at the center of a chilling crime and mysterious disappearance in this twisty, unputdownable thriller

A stunning discovery…
Courtney Gray's tranquil family vacation is shattered when she hears a blood-curdling scream from the lakeside cottage next door. There she finds the lifeless bodies of her brother and sister-in-law. Her teenage niece Reese is nowhere to be found, while her nephew Wyatt lies asleep upstairs, unharmed.

A shocking investigation…
As the police descend on the quiet resort town, disturbing secrets about Courtney’s family start to emerge. When she learns that the town has secrets of its own, it makes her wonder if Reese is another victim in a brutal crime or if she’s the killer.

A truth no one could have imagined …
As Courtney begins to unravel the terrible mystery, she realizes that everyone around her has something to hide. And the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to see…

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: Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

Publication Date: February 25th 2025 by Park Row & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 384

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 34 mins

Narrators: Vivienne Leheny

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Adele has had a tough five years. Having her husband take off and disappear after finding out he embezzled money from his company was a shock. Now she and her two kids, Violet and Blake, struggle to get by and Adele wonders how she’ll pay for college or ever be able to retire. But Adele has pulled herself up and has been building a following in her fitness challenges, reclaiming her life as a single parent. When her son Blake suggests she take part in an extreme contest of hide and seek on a remote island with a cash prize of one million dollars, Adele’s hesitant. Especially since there’s been rumors swirling about the host, Maverick Dillan and a missing girl, but the lure of that money makes it hard to say no.

 

This is the second story I’ve read where the main characters have lives centered around social media, living a life in front of the camera worried about views and sponsors. Maverick and his team were prodded on by this and it wasn’t a good thing. Makes you think about the pitfalls of social media.

 

There are many POVs here: Adele, her kids, Violet and Blake, as well as Maverick and his girlfriend and co-worker, Angeline, but at the center of this story, for me, was Adele. I was most invested in her journey, rooting for her having to pick up the pieces after such a devastating betrayal!

 

I enjoyed “seeing” true-crime podcaster, Harley Granger show up again!

 

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 was an engrossing page-turner! A crumbling hotel, an isolated island location, and approaching storm created an air of danger. However, I felt the mystery and suspense centered more around the personal conflicts and issues each character was facing rather than the actual contest. 

I alternately read and listened to Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 and recommend either version. Vivienne Leheny’s did a great job making each character distinctive. Her narration enhanced my enjoyment of this addictive story! 

4 Stars

Book Description:

An extreme game of hide-and-seek turns deadly in this riveting new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger

When the real game begins, who will make it to the count of 10?

Charismatic daredevil and extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan invites you to the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. But as the players gather on Falcao Island, the event quickly spirals into a chilling test of survival. A storm rages as a deadly threat stalks the contestants, turning the challenge into something far more sinister than the social media stunt it was intended to be.

Enter Adele, a single mother with a fierce determination to protect her children at all costs. When she begins the game, she unwittingly enters a twisted web of deception and intrigue. Can she maneuver through the treacherous storm and the relentless competition and get home to her family? In a ruthless battle for survival where the stakes are higher than ever, the blurry line between the virtual and the real proves that the only person we can trust is ourselves.

Blog Tour Review: The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle

 

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle

Publication Date: June 11th 2024 by Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row Books

Pages: 304

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | HarperCollins | BookShop.org | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Adam and Stella have been traveling all over Europe, blissfully still in love after four years, but then a bomb goes off and Adam goes missing. Stella is panicked and desperate in her search for him and it becomes apparent, Adam wasn’t just the nice, normal guy she thought she married. However, Stella has secrets of her own, too.

 

As Stella digs deeper into Adam’s past, it’s not clear who she can trust. There are those who think she was involved with Adam’s business, and that she knows more than she’s letting on putting her in danger, as well.

 

The Paris Widow was an engrossing, action-packed mystery unfolding all over Paris, and parts of Europe, a glamorous backdrop to exciting story! I felt like a lot of the revelations were easy to spot, but the story was still a fun page-turner! A perfect thriller to sink into this summer! 

4 Stars

Book Summary: 

From USA Today bestselling author Kimberly Belle comes a deliciously twisty new thriller following a married couple vacationing in Paris whose trip takes a dark turn when the husband goes missing, dredging up secrets from both of their pasts, perfect for fans of THE PARIS APARTMENT.

When Stella met Adam, she felt like she finally landed a nice, normal guy – a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jetsetter lifestyle with him. She loves knowing she can always depend on Adam, which is why when he goes missing during a random explosion in Paris, she panics. Right after what is assumed to be a terrorist attack, she’s interviewed live on TV by reporters, begging anyone who knows anything about her husband’s whereabouts to come forward and is quickly dubbed “The Paris Widow.”

As the French police investigate, it’s revealed that Adam was on their radar as a dealer in the black market for priceless antiquities, making deals with very high-profile and dangerous clients. Reeling from this news and growing suspicions about her husband, Stella can’t shake the feeling that she’s being followed. And with Adam assumed dead, she realizes that whoever was responsible for the bombing will come after her next. Everything – and everyone -- that Stella has tried to keep in her duplicitous past might be her only means of survival and finding out what really happened to Adam.

An irresistible and fast-paced read set in some of Europe’s most inviting locales, THE PARIS WIDOW explores how sinister secrets of the past stay with us – no matter how far we travel.

Photo Credit: Sara Hannah Photography

Author Bio:

Kimberly Belle worked in marketing and nonprofit fundraising before turning to writing fiction. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Kimberly lived for over a decade in the Netherlands and currently divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam. She is the bestselling author of The Marriage Lie, Three Days Missing, Dear Wife, as well as The Last Breath, The Ones We Trust, Stranger in the Lake, My Darling Husband, and The Personal Assistant.

Connect with Kimberly Belle:

Website | X | Instagram | Goodreads

Blog Tour Review: Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

Publication Date: March 26th 2024 by Park Row

Pages: 320

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookbub | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Five contestants: Maire “The Best Friend” a mother of two young girls, barely scraping by, Camille “The Confidant” a psychiatrist, Richard “The Senator” a retired senator, Samuel “The Boyfriend” a prosecutor and “The Executive” are all invited to compete for $10 Million Dollars in a reality TV show. Locked away from the world on a beautiful winery in Napa Valley. They arrive and it’s quickly apparent that things are not as they seem, but they’re all intent on winning, each for their own reasons. As the game plays out snippets from the past come to light, secrets the contestants do not want revealed.

Everyone is Watching was a page-turner! While the plot was a little predictable, I wanted to find out how it’d all turn out. I was rooting for several characters, but there were a few I wanted to pay for their actions! It’s hard to write much without spoiling things, but I will say it was an entertaining, popcorn thriller!

4 Stars

 

Excerpt:

Book Description:

The Best Friend. The Confidant. The Senator. The Boyfriend. The Executive.

Five contestants have been chosen to compete for ten million dollars on the game show One Lucky Winner. The catch? None of them knows what (or who) to expect, and it will be live streamed all over the world. Completely secluded in an estate in Northern California, with strict instructions not to leave the property and zero contact with the outside world, the competitors start to feel a little too isolated.

When long-kept secrets begin to rise to the surface, the contestants realize this is no longer just a reality show—someone is out for blood. And the game can’t end until the world knows who the contestants really are…

 

Photo Credit: Kate Cousins Photography

Author Bio: 

Heather Gudenkauf is the critically acclaimed author of several novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Weight of Silence and The Overnight Guest. She lives in Iowa with her husband and children.

Review: The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger

 

The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger

Publication Date: March 5th 2024 by Park Row & Harper Audio

Pages: 382

Audio Book Length: 12hrs 8 mins

Narrators: Vivienne Leheny

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Rosie and Chad are newly married, in love and just getting by financially. Chad is a struggling actor, good looking and talented, but that doesn’t always translate into success. Rosie has authored a best-seller and working on her next book, but hasn’t been feeling great about her efforts.

Rosie and Chad have just lost his elderly uncle Ivan, after a long illness, and aren’t close to any other family. Rosie expects Ivan’s daughter to inherit his historic apartment in the Windemere, but in a surprising turn of events Ivan has willed the stately place to Chad and Rosie. They’re beyond excited and are quickly brought into the fold of its residents. Not a bad thing for extrovert Chad, but not a great thing for introvert Rosie. Plus, she’s getting weird vibes from the place and its inhabitants.

The Windemere has a dark history, murders, suicide and untimely death have plagued the place.  Rosie, before knowing she was to inherit, was basing her next book on the Windermere and its tragic past.

I was rooting for Rosie while trying to figure out who was the bad guy/guys here. People all around Rosie and Chad end up dead. Chad, with his good looks and charisma gave me pause, and I thought Rosie was so very trusting. Still, he seemed to love her so much. I adored Max, Rosie’s best friend and editor, but she only had platonic feelings for him. The residents of the building, as well as the doorman were suspicious, and I wondered what the angle was there. There’s also a bit of the supernatural at play.

The New Couple in 5B was a riveting read/listen that I couldn’t put down! Events built into a crescendo and I worried for Rosie!

I alternated between the audio and e-copy and recommend either! Vivienne Leheny’s performance of both male and female voices definitely enhanced my enjoyment of this addictive story! I listened at my usual 1.5x for the most part and sped up in the intense parts. 

4 Stars

Book Description:

A couple inherits an apartment with a spine-tingling past in this binge-worthy thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.

Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.

At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.