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…

Review: Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass

 

Nothing Every Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass

Publication Date: February 11th 2025 by Graydon House & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 9 hrs 33 min

Narrator: Brittany Pressley, Stacey Glemboski, Petrea Buchard

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harper Collins | Libro.fm | Audible | Bookshop.org

My Thoughts:

Shelby comes back to Mackenzie’s diner at the wrong time and interrupts a theft in progress. She ends up narrowly surviving the night. Things are relatively quiet for the next fifteen months, and Shelby tries to move on with her life. However, it seems the attacker isn’t finished with her.

 

The night of the attack, Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, goes missing, too leading some to theorize Leo was the attacker. As if his disappearance isn’t enough to deal with, Mackenzie finds out that Leo spent all the savings and was in debt, devastating her finances. She doesn’t know what to think.

 

Florance is a resident at the senior center Shelby manages. When a friend claims her husband didn’t die of natural causes, but was murdered, Florance decides to look into it which ends up being connected to Shelby’s case.

 

I did find Shelby’s actions to be a little frustrating in places. After being attacked and all the things going on, she plowed on without thinking things through. I also wondered why Mackenzie and Shelby weren’t a little more forthcoming with each other, especially since they were close friends.

 

Still, it was an entertaining mystery, fast paced and kept me guessing!

I alternately read and listened to an audio and can recommend either version. Stacey Glemboski is a new to me narrator, but I’ve listened to both Brittany Pressley and Petrea Buchard in that past and enjoyed all three narrators. It was nice to have a different voice for each of the POVs. They fit the personality of each character and sounded age appropriate. 

4 Stars

Book Description:

“A charming cast of characters, a twisty mystery, and a diabolical killer make Nothing Ever Happens Here impossible to put down. A riveting page-turner with a sly sense of humor.” —Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author of The Haters

Nothing ever happens in small towns…

When Shelby Dawson survives a harrowing attack that should have left her dead, she tries to move past it—for herself, and for her family. Fifteen months later, with the help of her best friend, Mackenzie, she finally feels safe again in the snowy Minnesota town she calls home. But when an anonymous note appears on her windshield bearing the same threats her attacker made, Shelby realizes that her nightmare has only just begun.

As new evidence surfaces, and a group of well-meaning senior citizens accidentally makes the case go viral online, the situation quickly goes from bad to worse. And with suspicious accidents targeting those closest to her happening all over town, Shelby can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. Fighting to stay one step ahead of disaster, she finds herself asking the question on everyone’s lips: Who attacked her that night?

But Shelby isn’t the only one with questions. Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, vanished without a trace on that terrible night, and over a year later, no one knows why. Until a deep dive into his finances reveals a history of debts, mismanaged funds, and hidden accounts—one of which is still active. Their suspicion that Leo is still alive only complicates things further, though, and when another person connected to Shelby goes missing, she’s caught in a race against time before her attacker becomes a killer.

Photo credit: Bryan Chatlein

About the Author: 

Seraphina Nova Glass is an assistant professor of instruction and playwright in residence at the University of Texas, Arlington, where she teaches film studies and playwriting. Her novel On A Quiet Street was nominated for an Edgar Award, was a New York Times Summer Read, an Amazon Bestseller and Editor’s Pick, and also featured in the Boston Globe and Bustle. Publishers Weekly has named her “a writer to watch.” She’s also an award-winning playwright and holds an MFA degree in dramatic writing from Smith College and a second MFA in directing from the University of Idaho. She is a proud dog mom and loves to travel the world with her husband. She resides in Dallas, Texas.

Connect with the author:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Audio Review: Always the First to Die by R.J. Jacobs

 

Always the First to Die by R.J. Jacobs

Publication Date: September13th 2022 by Dreamscape Media

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length:  8hrs  33min

Narrator: Petrea Buchard

Source: Publisher & Libro.fm

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Lexi has no desire to return to her infamous filmmaker father-in-law’s mansion, Pinecrest Estate, in the Florida Keys. There’s a terrible history there, from an accident while filming his blockbuster horror flick, to the disappearance of Lexi’s husband just a year earlier, there’s bad, scary memories connected to the mansion and her father-in-law. But when Lexi’s teenage daughter does a bait-and-switch in order to work on a new slasher movie being filmed at Pinecrest, she has no choice but to go. Especially, with a category 4 hurricane headed there.

The story alternates telling the past, how Lexi ended up on the original film, met and fell in love with her husband, and the tragedies that ensued, to the present with Lexi desperate to get to her daughter and stay alive.

Always the First to Die was a fun mystery that had a slasher-movie feel to it, complete with yelling at the heroine “don’t go in there” moments! I enjoyed how it all turned out. An ode to all the 80s slasher/horror flicks, fun mentions of ones like Aliens (one of my favorites that scared the heck out of me at the time!) and more.

It’s my first time listening to Petrea Buchard and I really enjoyed her performance of all voices, male and female! I listened at my normal 1.5x speed.

4 Stars