The Runner by Scarlet Thomas

 A jumbled mess, that's how I would describe The Runner by Scarlet Thomas.  I know that statement does not sound very kind, but while reading the book, I felt lost and confused through most of the story so this is the most accurate description that I could come up with.  

One of the hardest parts about being a professional reader is the statement, "I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review."  I strongly dislike writing honest reviews that are not complimentary to a particular piece of literature. Yet I say honest review so I must be honest.  Now I love most stories that I read.  I am a very openminded reader and do my best to find the good in each book. However The Runner  by Scarlet Thomas, felt like a disjointed plot with constant changes in scenes and characters that held little substance.  I never felt like I truly knew the main characters, Jay and Ellie.  The were surface characters that never grew to feel real to me.  

Now to say something positive about the novel, because I just have to, I liked the premise of the story.  Jay, is a runner who had a troubled childhood and found that running was one way he could build his self esteem. Through tragic circumstances he becomes the victim of being 'on the run' from assassins who have purchased a contract that was created using bitcoin on the dark web.  The contract had little value when it was created, but due to the nature of bitcoin, it was not cashed in for the past 15 years and has become a literal vast fortune in exchange for proof of his assassination.

Elle has the the contract on Jay but falls in love with him and doesn't want to kill him.

 Sounds like a really good story...but sadly it isn't.  It isn't executed well and I finished it feeling frustrated. The storyline ebbed more than flowed. I found no distinct climax to the story. There were too many tepid characters and nothing ever got overly exciting. I was relieved to finish the book. That being said.  I feel very sad to rate it with 1 star.  My only consolation is that after I post my feedback on the NetGalley website, I will not post this review on extra locations to keep the disappointment I have for the book to a minimum amount of damage.  

The Runner is being published November 3, 2026 by Simon and Schuster. I wish Thomas well with future novels even though this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader's copy of The Runner, by Scarlet Thomas in exchange for this honest review.

#NetGalley. #TheRunner

The One Who Walked Away by Karen Rose

 She was the only one who walked away from a terrible accident, killing three others. Would it have never happened if she had only walked away from her abusive husband sooner?  

In bestselling author Karen Rose's latest murder mystery, The One Who Walked Away, Elle Randolph, a former attorney turned bounty hunter finds herself as the center of a serial killer's obsession.  As the body count increases, she must rethink her work and life choices to help find the killer before another innocent is murdered.

Ronan Clarke, a Mendocino police detective has little patience for bounty hunters. Especially when they are hunting a skip through his jurisdiction. Yet in meeting Elle Randolph, he finds he may have a soft spot for a troubled soul.  After spending the last 15 years raising his daughter as a single dad, the smart, troubled bounty hunter reignites his desire for more than his daughter and his job.  But is falling for her the right thing to do when a serial killer that is somehow connected to her is attacking his community?

Rose's novel, The One Who Walked Away, is a fast paced mystery full of intrigue and emotion.  Rose entices the reader to ponder topics including survivor's guilt and victim's ownership of responsibility for events outside of their control.  As a reader I was surprised when I found myself stepping into her heroine's role, which illustrates how well written and developed her characters are.  I empathized with Elle, understanding her misguided feelings of responsibility for other's actions.  I felt anxiety when the tension of the plot tightened, and joy when the final event concluded. 

I believe one of the highest praises for an author is when the reader looks for additional titles they have written upon finishing the book.  I felt this way at the end of Roses's story, The One Who Walked Away.  I was impressed with her book and now I am anxious to read more of her work. I rate The One Who Walked Away with four stars. 

The One Who Walked Away by Karen Rose is scheduled to be published August 11, 2026 by Berkley Publishing Group.  I would like to thank NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Karen Rose for the Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley  #TheOneWhoWalkedAway

The Seance Garden by Juliet Blackwell

 Paranormal mysteries always intrigue me so when I was offered an advanced reader's copy of The Seance Garden by Juliet Blackwell, I jumped on the chance.

Professor Harper Grae needs a change of life after being denied tenure at her former University. As a historian specializing in the historical and societal significance of witchcraft, ghosts, and medicinal poisons of all sorts, being taken seriously by her colleagues has been a challenge. Harper ends up with a docotrate position at a university in Monterey California and it seems like the perfect opportunity to start anew. A dear friend from graduate school reconnects with Harper. After Harper loses a bet with her friend Tariq,  she must pay the price by going on a hokey ghost tour of Monterey.  Little did she know that she would be a part of digging up one of the tour's home owners who had been busied alive under a famous Cyprus tree. Harper then becomes tangled in a murder investigation that puts her historian's skills into use.  

Harper finds that she is "sensitive" to the supernatural entities involved in the mystery, and she becomes haunted by more than her nightmares as she works to find out what really happened to Delilah Mason and who else had been buried beneath the Cyprus tree at the Perles Mansion where Delilah Mason lived. 

Blackwell wrote an engaging novel filled with subtle creepiness that kept me involved with the story until the final page.  I continually felt I had solved the mystery, just to find out I was wrong once again.   Her characters were well written and came off the page into my imagination.  The setting was particularly fun for me because last summer my husband and I visited Monterey on vacation so I could picture many of the scenes. 

I enjoyed how Blackwell was able to build the intrigue of the plot as she built the suspicion in the reader's mind. I was surprised by the ending and happy I chose to read the book.  I give The Seance Garden 4 stars! 

Look for  The Seance Garden when it is published July 27, 2027 by Berkley Publishing Group.

#TheSeanceGarden #NetGalley

The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon

 A group of mystery writers meeting as a literary critiquing club, great idea! What could go wrong? Well...murder, Intrigue, deception, to just name a few.

Horace Hazelmoor, bestselling author of crime mysteries has created an elite club of fellow writers at London's The Ritz Hotel. Lucy Hubbard received a formal invitation from Horace Hazelmoor himself! She's finally made it, to be recognized and invited to Hazelmoor's club means her crime novels, her writing, Lucy herself are now literary successes. 

At her first meeting, she is introduced to the other writers, all invited by Horace and  publicly famous for their novels. Only one is a surprise to Lucy,  he is her childhood best friend and ex fiance, Frank. Their romance ended badly and now she must face him in his realm as part of the elite writers group. 

Horace meets up with Frank before the meeting and tensions rise. Horace has a habit of collecting secrets and using the information to his advantage. He has details on his writer's lives that would best remain hidden. Horace has found out information about Lucy and Frank and now has leverage over Frank as well.

Lucy's first meeting of the Cloak and Dagger Club comes at a cost when Horace Hazelmoor is found dead in his hotel room the following morning. Now,  every member of the Cloak and Dagger Club are suspects.  A regular crime mystery unfolds and the writers are unraveling the unwritten plot. Will Lucy and Frank remain estranged or will murder and mystery bring them together once again? Who actually killed Horace Hazelmoor?

Jackie McMahon does an amazing job of weaving plot and intrigue amongst the lives of her characters which creates a story with depth and emotion in her book, The Cloak and Dagger Club.  Her setting, 1930's London is rich with history and such a fun location to place her story.  I felt completely invested in the people, the story and McMahon's writing voice. The overall effect of her novel made it memorable and left me hanging on the whodunit until it was revealed at the very end.  As an avid professional reader, that's quite a feat.  I can usually solve the murder well before the end, not this one.  I was constantly guessing and I was consistently wrong.  That's the mark of a great writer, keeping the truth hidden until it is purposefully revealed. McMahon succeeds splendidly!

I rate The Cloak and Dagger Club five stars and recommend it to anyone who loves a great crime mystery!  

The Cloak and Dagger Club, is publishing on July 14, 2026 by Berkley Publishing Group.  Thank you to Net Galley and Berkely Publishing for the Advanced Reader's Copy of The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #TheCloakandDaggerClub

The Bureau of Unknown Fates by Gaëlle Nohant

 Choosing to read a novel based on the Holocaust is not easy for me.  I have read many, and I find them so important to read but also emotionally draining. I am a firm believer that we study history to illustrate the mistakes and atrocities of the past to hopefully be cognizant to not repeat them in the future.  The Bureau of Unknown Fates by Gaëlle Nohant is just such a novel.  

Irene, a french woman, is hired by the ITS, International Tracing Service, located in Bad Arolsen,a small German town that she moves to after marrying her German husband.  In post war Germany the ITS looks for displaced and missing persons following the Holocaust.  Irene becomes so engrossed with her job and the tragedies of war as she learns the stories and fates of the victims, that she divorces her husband just after her son is born. The estrangement occurs following an argument she has with his parents about their participation in German's WWII war crimes.  

Irene then spends her life being a single mother while researching and uniting families with fates of their loved ones from the various German concentration and death camps.  She becomes friends with survivor's families as she reunites both the people and the items left by them.  

Due to the topic, this is obviously not an easy book to read. Especially if you are an empathic sponge like I am.  I found Nohant's writing style read like a documentary. The accounts were less narrative and more investigative writing styled. Which makes sense due to the nature of the book.  Yet, Nohant pieced together her accounts with personal narrative from Irene's life. Illustrating how the tragedies of history's past effect generations to come. 

I found the book slow moving due to the detail and emotional accounts.  Like reading Elie Wiesel's Night, I had to take it in smaller doses.  

Yet, Nohant does a stellar job of making her fictional characters into human beings that a reader becomes emotionally attached to, I always feel this is the gift of a talented author. 

I recommend reading The Bureau of Unknown Fates by Gaëlle Nohant and rate it 4 stars. Look for it to be published by St. Martin's Press on December 8, 2026.  Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the Advanced Reader's Copy of The Bureau of Unknown Fates in exchange for this honest review.

#NetGalley. #TheBureauofUnknownFates

Romantic Hero

 It has been quite a long time since I have treated myself to a lighthearted romance novel. I am so glad that I did, It was just what I needed. Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood is a delightful lark of a novel. Romantic Hero is funny when it needs to be, yet seasoned with just enough emotion to  tug at the heartstrings of her readers. 

Gertie Bickerstaff lives in London and is an accomplished romance writer of a popular series,  Bedlam Creek, which is set in a fictional Texas community. Gertie knows her characters as if she is reading their very own thoughts. Several books into the series and beginning to write her final book for the story, Gertie finds herself stonewalled by an enormous case of "Writer's Block".  Her boyfriend of 4 years, Henry, has asked her for a "break" and she only wants to wail out her woes in her bathtub, drink strong cocktails and eat meat. 

Gertie's neighbor, Mrs. Casablancas has an idea. With her book deadline fast approaching and her neighbor's patience hearing the bath wailing diminishing, she suggests that they perform a manifestation ceremony to draw in a solution to Gertie's writer's block. 

River Oakley is a villain in Gertie's novels. He's also a very handsome cowboy.  Gertie's readers love to loathe him. River's one goal is to see Oakley Ranch succeed, a promise he made to his father.  There's a land auction he needs to attend to be able to protect the ranch from outside investors, and he needs to be there.

River Oakley decides to take a little nap under his favorite cedar tree in Blue Egg Meadow, when he wakes he finds himself shirtless, on a couch, in London, staring at a woman wearing nothing, but holding an ugly hat in a dismal attempt to cover her nakedness. This is how he meets Gertie. 

And the wild ride has begun. Gertie needs to finish her book. River needs to get back to Bedlam Creek. 

Greenwood does a masterful job creating a motley crew of supporting characters to help Gertie and River fulfill their destinies, while entertaining her readers in the process. 

I rate Romantic Hero as a four star frolicking escape. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Romantic Hero hits the shelves on June 16, 2026, published by Berkley Publishing group. Treat yourself to a little summer reading fun and read Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood.

Thank you Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Romantic Hero, in exchange for an honest review.

#RomanticHero # NetGalley

Feast!

 Feast , a debut novel by Catherine Kurtz could not be more aptly named! Feast is truly a feast for the senses. Rich in voice, characters, and emotion, Feast propels the reader into the world of gourmand flavors, mixed-race judgmental attitudes, the harsh reality of never feeling wanted or belonging, and just how cruel a world can be to an outsider. Kurtz's novel Feast also envelopes the reader in the gift of the senses. 

Minha, begins her life with the acute awareness of taste and smell. Her first memories are being born and smelling the yeasty bread aroma from the bakery her parents live above, and the subtle spices wafting from her father, an Indian spice merchant who sails the seas.  She grows knowing an incredible palate, centered on her sense of smell and taste. She can identify not only the subtle notes of the food's spices and ingredients, but also the soil and sea it is grown nearby.  For all the richness of her abilities, she lives a very starved emotional existence.  Her mother works the London streets, taverns and clubs to grudgingly sustain Minha.  Minha's father sailed out to sea soon after her birth, leaving her mother to exist as best as she can with a baby. As a small child, Minha's mother takes her to her Grandparents' home in Kent to stay, to keep her from the dangers of the streets.  Her grandmother is prejudiced of her dark Indian skin, but she finds love and acceptance from her grandfather, Armand.

Armand's homeland is France and he tells Minha much about it. At his death, she escapes her grandmother's never ceasing cruelness to see the country her grandfather loved.  She finds no acceptance there either. In fact she is more ostracized than ever and only finds employment as an odd circumstance arises. Her acute sense of smell detects poison in a duck dish to be served at a celebration of Duc Nicholas. She saves him and becomes his poison taster in residence. 

So many obstacles to happiness and belonging assault Minha. Will she ever find love and belonging? Are there friendships to be had amongst the sadness?

I confess, I love to cook and bake. I would not say I have a ability to taste  and identify many ingredients, but I do smell every spice and addition to my recipes.  It helps me fully experience the joy I find in preparing foods.  I was enchanted by Minha's unique gift of her palate.  I reveled in her senses. When she felt joy, when she sensed danger, when she tasted fear and sadness. Kurtz created a complex character in Minha.  She is a masterful storyteller with a wonderful gift of bringing her characters to life. As a reader, one loves them, hates them, and most of all becomes completely immersed in their world. 

I am so thankful to Berkely Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced reader's copy of Feast by Catherine Kurtz, publishing  TOMORROW!!!, June 9, 2026.  Taste and see the talent of Catherine Kurtz, read Feast!

#Feast #NetGalley

Biblical Hypocrite? Me?

 I have bible verses throughout my home. You can find them on plaques, pictures,  and blocks of wood as decorative items. I even have my favorite bible passage as a tattoo on my foot. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him and he will keep your paths straight." Lately I have wondered, am I a hypocrite? 

Do I really trust in the Lord with all my heart? Or do I trust in God only when it benefits me and I try to forge my own path and do things my way the rest of the time? 

Lately, I realized that I have been trying with all my will to create my own paths. I have actively worked at making things in my life happen on my timeline and according to my will. Guess what...It's not working. Things are not falling into place. Praying for my wants has not helped. My human nature has taken over my mind and I have not been focusing on the simple truth that is literally etched into my skin.  "Trust in the Lord!"

All this truth hit me this morning as I was getting ready to stay with a family member who was recently injured in an accident.  Needless to say it has been a rough patch. Just prior to the accident I was feeling melancholy because I was not getting my wants. Like I "deserved"  them because I wanted them so much.  Today I realized what a bunch of baloney I had been pursuing.  

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart!" "Lean not on your own understanding!"  There is a reason that God placed his word so deeply into my heart that I then put them on my body.  It's truly not about my wants.  God always covers my needs.  That is enough. 

I am going to do my best to remember this more and lean not on my own understanding but search for His will.  I am going to be honest with you reader, I am rather strong headed and will probably have to remind myself, but I am going to try harder to lean into God and have him direct my paths rather than running ahead forging my own.  I am confident that He will bless me in ways that I can bless others, whatever that looks like, I just have to have faith and believe.  

Good thing it's summer, and I can go barefoot! Maybe I need to read my tattoo more often. 😎

If you have ever felt this way, share your experiences.  I would be interested to know your tools to focus and trust God above all things.  I am planning to delve more into his word and  pursuing unselfish prayers.  I am thankful for God's wakeup call this morning.  I definitely needed the reminder. ✟