Saint Delilah by Isabelle Spotts

 Creepy.

 I'm really not into tragic horror stories.  When I read the small blurb about a new book being published August 11, 2026 by Berkeley Publishing I saw the description tag of paranormal but for some reason I focussed on paranormal as perhaps timetravel or other forms of paranormal. 

Nope.

Saint Delilah by Isabelle Spotts is not that. It's a good ole' horror story dealing with murder, ghosts, psychics and poltergeists.  Think...."Sixth Sense" with more of an adult flair of evil murder and trauma.  

Delilah, an exotic dancer at the club, "Night Faces" , owned by her longtime friend and protector Magda is violently murdered. Magda also happens to be a psychic who can contact spirits who have not yet crossed over to the afterlife.  Some spirits Magda can help move on towards their destiny.  But violent deaths becken the "keepers", those evil entities that feed on the trauma and consume the souls to turn the ghosts into evil poltergeists. 

Delilah is inherently good, yet the keepers are preying on her in much the same way her killer did, trying to take the last part of her humanity, her soul. Magda enlists a young man, Cross, to help find and kill Delilah's murderer so that Delilah's soul will be released to crossover.  Cross just happens to have psychic abilities also, he can see the physical bodies of ghosts and he falls in love with the enchanting Delilah's spiritual form.  They create an unholy love affair, man and ghost.  Magda's job just got more complicated to save her beloved friend and child of her heart. 

When I first began reading the book and grasped the true content of the story I must say I was turned off.  I just don't enjoy paranormal ghost stories.  However, the further I read into the story I saw several themes emerge.  Mourning loved ones and living through a healthy grief process was one.  In this story many of the characters did not do this, but Magda attempts to help them process and let go.  Embracing a person's life and memories while coming to terms with the loss is essential and the book Saint Delilah illustrates this theme in a complicated thought provoking  way.  Another theme I identified was "actions and consequences."  Every action in life can have a positive and negative consequence and a person must own their response to those actions.  

Spotts is a gifted writer, her characters are intense and well developed. Her writing is compelling, obviously, to hook me into a horror story which is a genre I do not enjoy.  She has a strong voice and excellent plotting skills.  

I hope she explores other genres because I'd like to read more of her writing, but probably won't be choosing another paranormal book.  Saint Delilah publishes August 11th, but I think Halloween would be the time to read this one if you are into creepy, scary literature.  I give Saint Delilah four stars.  It is well done. 

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing group, NetGalley, and Isabelle Spotts for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Saint Delilah in exchange for this honest review. 

#SaintDelilah #NetGalley 

Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage by Della Galton

 We are now in the heat of the summer, and all things light and refreshing are desired. If you are looking for your next read,  then I would offer a new book being published by Boldwood Publishing on August 3,  2026 written by Della Galton.  Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage fits the definition of a light summer escape. 

Galton creates a story that reads simply but involves the reader in a enjoyable set of friends and family that could very well emulate anyone's life.  The main character's; Jade  and Sarah are planning a double wedding with their fiance's Finn and Callum (respectively; along with their shared son between the two couples, Ben. Jade owns a pet rescue sanctuary where pet owners may surrender a pet and the sanctuary works to rehome the animal.  Jade accepts all types of pets which opens the reader to a rich cast of characters and circumstances.  Jade, Sarah and Finn come from complicated family backgrounds.  So Galton has many scenarios and plot lines to create stories from throughout the book.

In  Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage , readers encounter wedding planning, lost pets, the events of meeting long lost estranged family, and rescues. Sprinkle in one temperamental chef,  a boisterous, well meaning son, some potty-mouth parrots and you have an entertaining summer read for a hot sunny day.  Galton has multiple books available to read in a few separate series.  

This is my first book read from the publisher, Boldwood Books, an independent, multi fiction award winning global publishing house.  Boldwood Books is located in the United Kingdom and represents many authors in all forms of publication.  Readers can find their books on major retailers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  

If you are looking for a new light series check out Della Galton and read her newest release  Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage   publishing soon! 

I received the Advanced Reader's Copy of  Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage  by Della Galton and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.  

#PerfectMomentsatDuckPondCottage 

#NetGalley #DellaGalton #BoldwoodBooks

Under The Falls by Richard Russo

 Pulitzer Prize winning author of the novel, Empire Falls, Richard Russo,  is releasing a new novel on August 11, 2026. The book, Under the Falls,  set in the fictional town of Stone Mountain, near the Adirondack mountains of New York state, features country music star Tyler Sinclair returning to his hometown for a benefit concert organized for a childhood friend.  Upon returning to Stone Mountain, Tyler finds that though his life and career has skyrocketed to wealth, fame, and accomplishments, the world he left behind has become stagnant with secrets and the tragic life he escaped when he left without even saying goodbye. 

Some of his friends are excited to see Tyler return to the mountain. But not everyone welcomes him home. At the benefit concert for Tyler's childhood friend "Doc" (who was paralyzed, becoming a paraplegic from a fall at the dam when they were boys) a riot breaks out. The crowd attacks Tyler and the band. When finally, he and his band can leave the town to go back down the mountain,  his limo is a forced off the road and down a steep embankment.  Tyler wakes up to find himself in the hospital with devastating news.  His band manager and the limo driver are dead, his body is broken and his voice, his music is gone.  He must put the pieces of his world back together and discover what secrets of the past have now corrupted his future. 

Under the Falls is a  true crime story embracing the fact that you can't run away from your past, you can only live with the consequences of your actions. 

Under the Falls is the first novel I have read by Richard Russo, and I am eager to discover his other works. That is one of the greatest gifts to a reader...more stories.  Finding a talented author with many prior books is like opening up a treasure chest of precious gems. So many wonderful writings to experience.  I was touched by the emotion he coaxed from his characters. How involved I became in their lives. On top of that, Russo's book was a page turner. It's pacing moved the story along expertly as if the reader was careening down the Stone Mountain with the story, barreling towards the climactic ending, eager to find out the fates of his characters and the world he created. 

I am rating Under the Falls four stars for excellence in storytelling and character development. I look forward to seeing how others respond to the book when it is published by Knopf Doubleday August 11, 2026.  Thank you to Knopf Doubleday, NetGalley and Richard Russo for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Under the Falls in exchange for this honest review.

#UndertheFalls. #NetGalley #RichardRusso

My Last Day by Michael Nohe

 If you found out today that you had only three months left to live, how would you choose to finish out your life here on this side of eternity?  This is the premise of Michael Nohe's book, My Last Day. 

Robert Sanctus, an multimillionaire stock trader living in New York City, is informed by two of the most renowned medical institutions that he has terminal cancer and only a couple months left to live. Rob chooses to not receive treatment for his condition and to die on his own terms. He begins a journal to catalog his last two days of his life.  During those two days as he reflects on his past and pursues to relish his fleeting existence. He comes across a man who panhandles him then precedes to attempt to mug him. Rob stands up to the vagrant and the man runs off only to return to Rob to apologize.  This sets off a series of events that shake Rob's grasp of his purpose during his last couple days.  He meets a nun, a priest, a bar owner and a homeless mother and child. His spirituality and christian beliefs are explored and he grapples with the questions - Is ending his life on his own terms an unforgivable sin? - and- What will he find God and heaven are  like when he dies? 

As with everything in the world, the old adage "Man proposes and God disposes" comes into play.  Rob learns that he must live until he dies.  

My Last Day is told through the main character's journal entries, with Rob, being the narrator of his writings.  In addition to this there is a foreward and epilogue written by his financial advisor. 

I wasn't certain when I chose this book to review, whether I would feel uplifted or depressed upon finishing it.  Thankfully I was encouraged and perhaps enlightened.  Nohe's book inspires the reader to consider how they are currently living their life. If they were gone tomorrow, what are they leaving behind? If you don't like what your legacy would be...can you change your path while there is still time to do so? Do events happen by coincidence or is it all a part of God's eventual path? 

My Last Day is a very quick read, only a little over 100 pages, but well worth the time.  I finished the book and have been mulling the themes and questions brought forth by the writer ever since.  

I think this book would be amazing to read with a friend or as a member of a book club.  After finishing the book, get together and share how you would live your last day, as an itinerary.  What would you do? What would you eat? Who would you talk to? What would you leave behind? 

I give My Last Day a rating of 5 stars! I would rate it higher if there were more stars to give it.  I plan on ordering it on Amazon so that I can share it with friends and family.  Thank you to Micheal Nohe for writing this thought provoking book, NetGalley for the reader's copy to review and BooksGoSocial for promoting small press authors and marketing them for greater impact in the book market.  You can find My Last Day by Michael Nohe on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Bookshop.org 

#MyLastDay. #MichealNohe #NetGalley