Image of four windows in a classical building with columns and a nature background. A woman in the upper left window reaches down toward a man in the lower right window, who is reaching up toward her. Text says "The Temple of Fortuna International Bestselling Author of The Wolf Den Elodie Harper"

Wolf Den Trilogy

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THE TEMPLE OF FORTUNA rating: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Titles in the Wolf Den trilogy by Elodie Harper: THE WOLF DEN (Union Square & Co., March 29, 2022).THE HOUSE WITH THE GOLDEN DOOR (Union Square & Co., September 26, 2022).THE TEMPLE OF FORTUNA (Union Square & Co., November 14, 2023): four stars Throughout this immersive trilogy, […]

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Text says: "The Madstone a Novel Elizabeth Cook Author of The Which Way Tree." Cover image shows a woman on horseback with two children on horseback, a boy and a girl. They are on a dirt road that stretches into the foreground with trees on other side. In the background is a huge sky with a sunset. The cover blurb says, "'The Madstone is a treasure: a brilliant, beautiful page-turner . . . Both a poignant love story and a riveting road novel–I devoured it.'–Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Double Bind."

The Madstone

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THE MADSTONE rating: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I’ve fallen for another western: THE MADSTONE by Elizabeth Crook (Little, Brown and Company/Hachette, November 7, 2023). The madstone of the novel’s title is not just a talisman with reputed healing power: it is a symbol of found family, a mother’s determination to protect her children at all costs,

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Text says "Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands Book 2 of the Emily Wilde Series a Novel by Heather Fawcett." Image of flowers, a compass, and two foxes forming a border around the ornate text.

Wild Over Emily Wilde

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EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS rating: 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. The first book in the series was EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett (Del Rey/Penguin Random House, January 10, 2023), and EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS (Del Rey/Penguin Random House, January 16, 2024) is the second book in the series. They are

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Image of a red-haired woman in a black robe wearing a locket with a Nautilus shell who has skeleton hands around her throat. Text says "Projections a Novel S. E. Porter." Cover blurb says "'Sarah Porter is a genius. . . her books burn with the beautiful, ferocious intensity of a bonfire in the darkest night.'–Brittany Cavallaro"

Projections

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PROJECTIONS by S. E. Porter rating: 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐. Once upon a time there was a rich boy who thought he owned a poor girl: this is the story of Gus and Catherine in the novel PROJECTIONS by S. E. Porter (Tor/Macmillan, February 13, 2024), Porter’s first adult novel. Gus obtains magical powers, which make

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Image of swirling green, blue, and gold with a masted sailing ship. Text says "New York Times Bestselling Author of Neon Gods KATEE ROBERT Hunt on Dark Waters."

Hawt Pirates

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HUNT ON DARK WATERS rating: 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐. I love pirates, especially sexy ones. I’m not big on sex scenes. If a novel is well written, I am eager to get on with the plot and a blow-by-blow account (begging your pardon) in excruciating detail tends to make me skip ahead. In HUNT ON DARK

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Cover image of a house with flowers and crows on the roof. Smoke is coming out of the chimney in the shape of a skull, There is a tortoise making a trail across the yard and a man in a hat in a wheelchair and a woman bent over a cane. Text says "The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp A Murder Mystery Leonie Swann Translated from the German by Amy Bojang." The cover blurb text reads "'A deliciously clever plot with warmly drawn characters, dollops of tension and dark secrets. Brilliant!'–Helen Tursten, bestselling author of An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good"

Aging Disgracefully

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THE SUNSET YEARS OF AGNES SHARP rating: four stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. THE SUNSET YEARS OF AGNES SHARP by Leonie Swann (Soho Crime/Penguin Random House, August 29, 2023) is a new favorite of mine in the fictional trend I like to call “Aging Disgracefully” or “Surprising Seniors,” and not just because it’s set in England. The seniors

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Image of two sets of binoculars looking through window blinds. Text says "MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT a novel NINA SIMON." Cover blurb text: 'No novel has ever made family drama (or murder) this much fun.' KATY HAYS, New York Times Bestselling author of The Cloisters."

Mother-Daughter Murder Night

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MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT rating: 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. At the heart of MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT by Nina Simon (William Morrow/HarperCollins, September 5, 2023), are three generations of strong women in one family: Lana, Beth, and Jack. I just fell in love with these characters. I was also enthralled by the setting: Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay,

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Image of roses and a bee. Text says "New York Times Bestselling Author Before Romeo loved Juliet, he loved FAIR ROSALINE Natasha Solomons A Novel." Cover blurb says "'Irresistible. An Excellent spin on a timeless classic.'–Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne"

Fair Rosaline

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FAIR ROSALINE rating: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. In FAIR ROSALINE by Natasha Solomons (Sourcebooks Landmark, September 12, 2023), a retelling of Shakespeare’s play THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET, this ain’t Franco Zeffrelli’s Romeo, not that I liked him that much either. At least the 1968 movie Romeo looked the same age as Juliet. In fact,

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Image shows a man on a horse in the distance between trees and shrubs under a colorful sky. Text says "New York Times Bestselling Author of News of the World Paulette Jiles Chenneville a novel of murder, loss, and vengeance"

Chenneville

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CHENNEVILLE rating: 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. After the Civil War, former Union soldier John Chenneville tracks his sister Lalie’s killer, a crooked deputy named Dodd, across hundreds of miles of battle-ravaged Indian territory and the U.S. frontier. His hard and painful journey takes him from Missouri to the Gulf Coast of Texas in CHENNEVILLE by Paulette

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Image of bones crossed over flowers and fruit. Text says "Stephanie Foo What My Bones Know A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma." The cover blurb says, "'Achingly exquisite . . . providing real hope for those who long to heal.'–Lori Gottlieb, New York Times Bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone."

What My Bones Know

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WHAT MY BONES KNOW rating: four stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. CW: child abuse. Got deep trauma? Feel like true healing is impossible? You need to read this stunning memoir, WHAT MY BONES KNOW, by radio producer and journalist Stephanie Foo (Ballantine/Penguin Random House, February 21, 2023). She explains how she ended up with complex PTSD (C-PTSD) and

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