2025 releases

Review: The Day I Lost You by Ruth Mancini

~ megs14malloy

The Day I Lost YouThe Day I Lost You by Ruth Mancini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Day I Lost You is the 2025-release from Ruth Mancini, author of the popular 2024-Thriller, The Woman on the Ledge, which I adored. Ever since reading TWOTL, I’ve been looking forward to more from this author.

I’m happy to report I found this book to be equally twisty and fast-paced. Even though the content didn’t wow me quite as much as TWOTL, I still found this to be so enjoyable and I read it in an afternoon without stopping.

This story spans two countries, Spain and the UK, and involves a reportedly missing child. The child’s name is Sam, and he’s actually just a little baby when he’s thrust into the middle of a lot of adult drama.

Lauren and Hope are our two female leads, and it’s interesting following along as the truths of their connection is revealed. I actually really appreciated how Mancini rolled this all out. There’s a lot of moving pieces. You go in, of course knowing nothing, and as the narrative progresses, more and more pieces slot into place.

As the larger picture reveals itself, some details become predictable, IMO, but for me, not in a way that negatively effected my experience. I still enjoyed the journey to the conclusion, even if I knew exactly where we were headed.

I was lucky enough to have access to the audiobook and I thought it was so well done. I loved the full cast narration and the inclusion of some mixed media passages truly brought the drama to life.

Additionally, the fast-paced narrative worked so well in audio form. It was truly gripping. I enjoyed the time shifts, as well, as all the puzzle pieces came together. I respect Mancini’s concepts and writing style so much. I’m looking forward to more from her in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Perennial and Harper Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this!

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Review: I Found a Body by Becky C. Brynolf

~ megs14malloy

I Found a BodyI Found a Body by Becky C. Brynolf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I Found a Body is a Adult Mystery that I ended up really enjoying. I was hesitant going in because the overall rating is below a 3.5, which seems fairly low for a new Mystery. I actually put it off for a while because of that.

And I have to say it wasn’t at all what I expected, particularly based on the vibes this cover is giving off, but I did find it interesting. I think it could be a case of the cover selling Cozy or Humorous, and it’s not really that. It’s just a Mystery, and it actually tackles some fairly serious topics.

We have DS Mona Hendricks, who 9-years ago was called to the scene of murder after a body had been discovered by a popular influencer while she was live-streaming. The footage went viral and the case sort of blew up, with lasting repercussions both for Mona and the influencer, Kylie.

In spite of its high exposure, the case remains unsolved all these years later. Mona, who has officially reached rock bottom, alone and out of work, estranged from her daughter, is surprised when Kylie, now a TV personality, approaches her to reopen the case.

Though she can’t really do so in an official capacity, Mona agrees to help Kylie and the two set out to see if they can finally solve the case that haunts them both.

There’s some back and forth in time and amongst people involved; a lot of moving pieces. I found Mona to be a compelling main character. You don’t learn immediately what led to her life taking such a stark downward trajectory, and I did like learning about all of that.

I thought the mystery was fairly well-plotted. There were moments where I might have been mildly confused, or felt like maybe some things didn’t add up, but in the end, I feel like Brynolf pulled it off. I am glad I ignored the overall rating and still gave this one a shot.

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books and Highbridge Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I would recommend this to Mystery fans, and particularly the audiobook format, which was well narrated.

I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

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Review: Enchantra (Wicked Games #2) by Kaylie Smith

~ megs14malloy

Enchantra (Wicked Games, #2)Enchantra by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Enchantra is the 2nd-book in Kaylie Smith’s Wicked Games Romantasy series. I loved the 1st-book, Phantasma, when I read it in 2024, and it single-handedly propelled me into my admittedly short-lived Romantasy Girl era.

And when I say era, what I mean is as is typical for me, I quickly purchased numerous Romantasy books and then never read any of them.

I’m not proud, but here we are. In fact, I even got an audio ARC of this book, which I was over the moon excited for, and I am just reading it now, over a year later.

Full disclosure: I didn’t listen to the audio ARC, I read my hard copy, which I received from Book of the Month. Anywho, with the boring admin out of the way, let’s get into the book, shall we?

In Enchantra, we’re following Ophelia’s little sister, Genevieve. At the end of the 1st-book, we learn that Vivi is getting ready to do some European travels. Even though Ophie has established an entire itinerary for Vivi to follow, Vivi has other plans.

Desiring answers about her mother’s past and her own true nature, Vivi heads to Italy to seek out her Mom’s old friend, and occasional pen pal, Barrington Silver, at his family estate, Enchantra.

Once there, she’s greeted gruffly by one of Barrigton’s many children, Rowin, who insists that she leave immediately. After traveling all that way though, Vivi is determined not to leave without answers.

One thing leads to another and she ends up getting sucked into the Silver’s lives and the insidious game of hide and seek they’re forced to play every year, solely for the entertainment of the Devils in Hell.

She’s forced to team up with Rowin, in a fake courtship, so that they may compete together as a couple. It’s her only possible chance of survival.

It’s enemies-to-lovers, it’s high stakes and it’s got a strong gaming element that I always enjoy. I actually enjoyed the games here even more than in Phantasma because of the family element. The family is fighting against each other to win, which made it feel more personal.

I loved the Silver family. There’s a lot of them and their relationships are complicated to say the least, but you can still feel the love among the siblings. Even when they’re trying to stab each other through the heart.

I loved the setting of Enchantra as well. The property was giving heavy Beauty and the Beast, but darker and more twisted, vibes. They even spent a lot of time in the library, though I wouldn’t want to sit on that couch ever again.

The game was played in rounds, with one family member selected to be the hunter and the rest of the players had to hide. It provided quite a bit of downtime for Rowin and Vivi to get to know one another, particularly since they needed to hide as a couple.

I loved the progression of their relationship and the push and pull as the attraction grew. Vivi is my girl, I adored her. She was strong-willed, defiant and a little mouthy, but she also had a strength and determination that I think ended up surprising Rowin in a good way.

Rowin was such a strong leading man as well. He was swoony and so hot. I could definitely understand why Vivi would become so enraptured by him.

The steam was fantastic too. Not too much, not too little, it was just right.

I also appreciated how evenly Smith distributed the action/family drama plot with the romance element. Neither one overshadowed the other, and I feel like there’s a real art to that. It’s executed so well, whether you’re here for the romance or here for the games.

I’m kicking myself for putting off reading this for so long. I loved it. It was an absolute blast of a read. Someone please tell me we are getting more books in this series. I am guessing yes based on the ending of this one, but I have heard no actual news in that regard either way.

Overall, this was freaking fantastic. I loved it with my whole heart, even more than the 1st-book actually. Vivi is such a sensational protagonist and Rowin is just my kind of kink. Am I about to enter my Romantasy era 2.0, where maybe I actually read the books this time?

Thank you to Second Sky Books for providing me with a copy to read and review. Though I didn’t listen to the audio, I am confident this book is just as fabulous regardless of the format you read it in!

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Review: Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews

~ megs14malloy

HazelthornHazelthorn by C.G. Drews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Hazelthorn is a YA Gothic Horror story from C.G. Drews. I read from Drews for the first time last year when I read their popular novel, Don’t Let the Forest In.

I was immediately impressed by the style of their prose, the relationships developed within the story and the vivid imagery evoked. I’m happy to report, all of these top-shelf qualities are again on display within the pages of Hazelthorn.

This story follows Evander, who has lived like a ghost within the walls of Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in as a small child by Byron Lennox-Hall, the reclusive billionaire owner of the estate.

Evander has very specific rules that he is made to abide by, such as he can never leave the estate, he isn’t to go into the gardens, and he shouldn’t ever be left alone with Laurie, Byron’s mischievous grandson.

The last rule was actually established for good reason, when 7-years ago, Laurie tried to kill Evander, a situation which he barely survived. In spite of this though, Evander does have a bit of an unhealthy attraction to Laurie. Honestly, he’s hard to resist.

When Byron unexpectedly dies, and it’s announced the entire estate is being left to Evander, he suddenly has threats coming from all sides. As you can imagine, other family members aren’t exactly pleased with this turn of events.

Despite his sudden windfall, Evander’s not happy. He’s suspicious about the way the way Byron died. He believes he was killed, but why? And how can he prove it?

Suddenly, Laurie becomes Evander’s best ally for getting to the bottom of what really happened to Byron, and figuring out the true that lies at the heart of Hazelthorn.

This was great. It’s dark and engaging and I was intrigued by Hazelthorn and everything going on there. Actually the more I think about it, perhaps I underrated this one a bit. It’s probably closer to a full 4-star rating for me.

I just think in comparison to Don’t Let the Forest In, I didn’t find this one as easy to track, and I also didn’t feel as emotionally invested, although there was still so much to love about this story.

In some ways, this story did remind me of a few other things I’ve read before, for example, These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall. What did stand out was the level of botanical horror that Drews included. That I really, really enjoyed.

This did have some interesting twists and some dangerous family drama, which I also thought was a lot of fun. I actually wouldn’t mind reading this again someday, maybe getting a hard copy and annotating could help bring more of the nuances of the story to the forefront for me.

At the end of the day, this is another fantastic story from Drews, delivering on their signature writing style and lush, gothic atmosphere.

Thank you to the publisher, Recorded Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. C.G. Drews is such a talent, and I cannot wait to continue to follow their career. I know we’re going to have a long and beautiful friendship!

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Review: Cold Burn (National Parks Thriller #2) by A.J. Landau, Jon Land & Jeff Ayers

~ megs14malloy

Cold Burn (National Parks Thriller #2)Cold Burn by A.J. Landau
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cold Burn is the 2nd-book in the National Parks Thriller series by A.J. Landau, which is actually a pseudonym for the writing duo of Jon Land and Jeff Ayers.

I didn’t read the 1st-book in the series, Leave No Trace, but as with many Adult Mystery series, they can be read in any order. I certainly didn’t feel lost jumping into this one as I did without that background of book 1.

This book includes scenes at Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, as well as Florida’s Everglades National Park. The thing connecting the two, a deadly prehistoric microbe that not only killed off the wooly mammoth, but more recently, a USGS survey team that kicks our action off.

With powerful people battling for the lethal microbe, to use for their own gain, it’s up to NPS Special Agent Michael Walker and FBI Special Investigator Gina Delgado to exterminate the threat the microbe poses to the world.

In the beginning, Cold Burn felt refreshing. I don’t tend to pick up a lot of Action Thrillers, but unfortunately it was unable to ever fully capture my attention.

There are a lot of moving parts to this story. I liked how we were getting action in both Alaska and Florida. Unfortunately, because there was so much going on, and because I wasn’t fully hooked in, I feel like I wasn’t paying close enough attention to grasp all of the connections.

I can appreciate that this is a good book, particularly for Readers who love an intense Action Thriller with political intrigue and shady dealings. I just wasn’t that person at the time that I read this.

I might still read the 1st-book in the series, because it was alluded to a few times in this story, and the case they were investigating in that one did sound very interesting. Also, I have recently seen a 3rd-book announced, which is set at Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park that sounds like it could be a good one too.

Needless to say, even though this one didn’t blow me out of the water, I still enjoyed it enough that I’m willing to continue on with the rest of the books in the series.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I know many Readers will love this series, and I’m not willing to give up on it yet. It’s got a great concept and compelling main characters. I feel like the more I read, the more attached I’ll become.

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Review: 25 Days by Per Jacobsen

~ megs14malloy

25 Days25 Days by Per Jacobsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

25 Days is a Winter Horror Thriller set in the month of December. The author has cleverly structured it so that it can be read like an advent calendar, as each chapter is one day leading up to Christmas.

Hence the name, 25 Days.

The story follows Adam Gray and his family. Adam and his wife have been at odds recently, and in an effort to draw everyone closer together, he rents a holiday home for them for the days leading up to Christmas.

The vacation rental is a remote cabin tucked away on a snowy mountain. Far from the outside world, the family should have zero distractions, allowing more time for good ole’ fashioned family fun.

Things quickly take a dark turn though, when someone begins leaving grotesque gifts in a Christmas stocking tacked to the barn door. Each more brings something new, and the gifts progressively escalate in threat level.

It’s clear someone is stalking their cabin, toying with them like a cat with a mouse. How will Adam be able to protect his family? He needs to get them off this mountain, but the odds are definitely stacked against them.

I don’t have a ton to say about this one. This wasn’t bad by any means, it just felt very standard to me. Glancing at other reviews, it definitely seems that other Readers enjoyed this one a lot more than me.

It does have a particular intensity to it that I can see why it would pull people in, but for me, it just never truly captured me. I was reading it and it was fine, but nothing drew me in, or made me feel invested for this family.

It was mildly entertaining in the moment, but overall I’d say fairly forgettable. It’s giving standard Winter Thriller, vacation gone bad, vibes, but maybe amping it up a bit.

I do think it could be fun to read while on your own Winter vacation. It might keep you up at night, particularly if you’re in a remote location.

In only took me a day to read, quick and easy, so that was a plus, but I probably won’t think about it again now that the review is done. If you’re looking for a Wintery Horror Thriller though, give it shot. So many Readers are having fun with it, and you may too.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for providing me a copy to read and review. While I appreciate the thought the author put into the structure of the story, it just wasn’t for me.

On to the next!

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Review: The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson

~ megs14malloy

The ScammerThe Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️

The Scammer is classic Tiffany D. Jackson. A true to life, hard-hitting YA Thriller with thought-provoking Social Horror elements and a compelling protagonist.

This story gets so intense and succeeded in getting my pulse absolutely racing in multiple places. A++ to the added twist at the end, which I did not see coming!

I’m getting ahead of myself though. What is this about?

This story follows Jordyn, who against her overbearing parents wishes, has given up her shot at an ivy league school in order to enroll at a prestigious, historically-Black college, in Washington, D.C.

She has her reasons for making this choice, but her parents don’t want to hear any of it. They practically disown her. By the time Jordyn is moving into her dorm she is ready for a fresh start, far removed from her parents.

She enjoys meeting her new roommates and all seems to be going well. Jordyn keeps a lot of her past to herself, but other than that, she feels like she’s found a place to belong and is making good friends.

But when one of her new roommate’s brother, Devonte, moves into their dorm suite after he’s released from prison, things start to vastly change.

It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, to help him get back on his feet, but as time passes, Devonte shows zero signs of leaving. In fact, he’s inserted himself into the girls’ lives in disturbing and inappropriate ways. Jordyn seems to be the only one growing increasingly uneasy in Devonte’s presence, and soon she finds herself on the outside.

When one of her roommates suddenly disappears under frightening circumstances, Jordyn suspects Devonte had something to do with it, but how can she prove it?

She teams up with the university’s lone white student to try to get to the truth regarding her roommate’s disappearance. Unfortunately, they’re ready for her and Jordyn finds herself enmeshed in a nightmare she may never escape.

Watching Devonte come into this shared living space and do the things he did, it infuriated me at times. And by at times, I mean the majority of the time.

The way Jackson wrote this, it was like I was a fly on the wall watching it all go down, and as the danger escalated, I was powerless. I couldn’t do anything to help these girls. I imagine that may have been what Jordyn was feeling in a lot of these moments too.

I believe this is based on the case at Sarah Lawrence that began around 2010, but I don’t know too many specific details on that. This did make me want to research it further though, as I’m shocked something like this could happen on a University campus and it wouldn’t be stopped.

Jackson also did a great job developing Jordyn as a character. There were moments I wasn’t sure I liked her, some of her thought patterns bothered me, but as I learned all she had been through with her family and just her entire past, it started to make sense. I grew to really love her.

Also, I feel like she had such a great character arc, from her first day on campus until the shocking conclusion.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys an intense and twisted YA, or New Adult, Thriller. Bonus points if you enjoy social commentary, or have enjoyed any of Jackson’s work in the past. This has her signature style all over it and I love it.

Thank you to the publisher, Quill Tree Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Tiffany D. Jackson is one of my favorite authors. I always look forward to her new releases and they NEVER disappoint.

I can’t wait to see what she graces us with next!

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Review: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham

~ megs14malloy

Forget Me NotForget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Claire’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared 22-years ago. This was a traumatizing event for young-Claire, and she’s carried heavy feelings regarding it ever since. It severed their family and nothing was ever the same.

In fact, after leaving home for college, Claire has never returned. She was more than happy to leave the past in the past, where it belongs.

She moved to a city and worked her way up as an investigative journalist. Recently, after not receiving a promotion she should have been a shoe-in for, she gave up her position and decided to do freelance work.

Unfortunately, securing that work has been more difficult than she anticipated, so when she receives a call from her Dad saying her Mom has been injured and can use her help, she decides to go to her aide.

Returning to her hometown after such a long period of time away churns up all sorts of buried emotions. Additionally, her estranged mother doesn’t seem all that happy to see her, like not at all. It hurts.

With nothing but time stretching ahead of her, and restless where she’s at, Claire decides to do a little digging. She’s an investigative journalist, after all.

She decides to go to visit Galloway Farm, the vineyard in South Carolina where Natalie had a Summer job just prior to her disappearance. The visit ends up turning into temporary work for Claire, who although she’s never been a farm hand, is excited about the offer of free room and board.

The idyllic escape quickly moves in a more mysterious direction though after she stumbles across the owner’s wife’s old diary stashed away in her cottage. Originally thinking it’s just a tale of young love, Claire is surprised when the diary reveals much darker truths involving unsolved crimes and missing persons.

I really enjoyed my time reading Forget Me Not. Stacy Willingham definitely knows how to write a compelling and suspense-filled story. I always anticipate her latest releases, and so far, I’ve never been let down.

I read this via audio, and it does feature dual narration, with one of my favorite voice artists, Karissa Vacker, voicing Claire, and Helen Laser voicing the diary bits. I appreciated that the publisher chose to use the two narrators as it really helped to make the separate sections distinct.

This also features a couple of my favorites tropes, the MC returning to her hometown after a long-time away and the found diary, so it was sort of fated to work for me.

I also tend to love mystery stories that follow journalists, because it feels natural for them to be digging into things the way they do. It doesn’t seem forced, or far-fetched. It’s literally part of their jobs and they have the training and experience to do so.

I felt bad for Claire as a character. My heart definitely went out to her. She lost her sister, a person she idolized, and through that also ended up losing her Mom and Dad. They separated, and her family unit all went their separate ways. She felt very alone.

The intensity builds steadily throughout. It pulls you in and while I did guess a few of the big twists that were revealed, there were many more that I didn’t see coming.

This is def entertaining and I would recommend it to Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Readers. I’m not sure how memorable it’ll be for me long term, but it was very fun.

It’s a bit culty, a bit cringey domestic drama and dark family secrets. It’s got a lot going for it, honestly, for those of us who love messy relationship dynamics.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’ve enjoyed all of Willingham’s books and will be anxiously awaiting whatever she writes next. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us.

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Review: The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder (Nosey Parker #9) by Fiona Leitch

~ megs14malloy

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder (A Nosey Parker Cozy Mystery, #9)The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

❤️💚🤍❤️💚🤍❤️💚🤍❤️💚🤍❤️💚🤍

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder is the 9th-book in the Nosey Parker Mystery series by Fiona Leitch. This is my favorite currently-running Cozy series. I absolutely adore it and look forward to each new installment.

For someone who tends to shy away from commitment, to be here at book #9, already anxiously anticipating the next, is definitely saying something.

These books follow Jodie Parker, who resigned from the Metropolitan Police in London after a close call and returned to her native village of Penstowan, in Cornwall, with her daughter, Daisy, to live a simpler life.

Even though she now runs her own successful catering company, old habits are hard to break and Jodie has helped the local police with some challenging cases. It’s through this that she first met her beau, DCI Nathan Winters. Her Pomeranian, Germaine, rounds out their crew.

This mystery, set around the Christmas holiday, begins at the local theater where the amateur dramatics group, the Penstowan Players, are putting on their annual pantomime. Both Jodie’s daughter, Daisy, and her mother, Shirley, are taking part.

Jodie got away with not participating by agreeing to cater the Opening Night Party. Unfortunately, before the party can even get started, in fact, barely halfway through the show, a cast member’s murdered body is found in the wings.

The show cannot go on. The police swiftly take control of the scene and an investigation begins. And just because she’s not formally with the police anymore, doesn’t mean Jodie’s not going to be asking some questions as well.

This was another fabulous installment. I love this series so, so much. Settling in with each consecutive book feels like reuniting with old friends.

This cast of characters fills my heart to the brim and then some. I love their cheeky humor and the mysteries are always engaging. Jodie and her family are such a focal point in the stories, and I appreciate so much how Leitch has portrayed their relationships.

This one kicks off very quickly, which gave plenty of time for the investigative portions, which is something I tend to look for in my Cozies. Other things I frequently look for that Leitch excels at are the humor and the small village vibes.

I also liked the number of different suspects we had in this mystery, as well as their varied potential motives. It made it a fun and engaging mystery to try to solve.

Finally, I love that this series doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s still incredibly well-written, paced and plotted. Fiona Leitch is a true gem in the Cozy space.

I’m really hoping for more; meaning, I hope it never ends!

Thank you to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will patiently be awaiting news on Book #10!!!

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Review: A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox

~ megs14malloy

A Magic Deep and DrowningA Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

A Magic Deep and Drowning is set in the Dutch Republic in 1650. We follow 20-year old, Clara, who at the start of the story discovers a rotting whale carcass washed ashore. Surely, a bad omen.

Clara dismisses this thought though. She’s a sensible girl, not one to rely on superstitions and old wives’ tales. Her sensibilities seem rewarded when she shortly thereafter receives a proposal from a wealthy merchant.

This is what she’s been waiting for. A chance to flee her parent’s psychologically traumatic household. I won’t get into the details of how terrible her parents are. I’ll let you discover that fun bit of information for yourselves.

However, before her fate is sealed, Clara has a chance encounter with another handsome young man. His name is Maurits, and Clara feels compelled to be near him. It seems Clara has an important decision to make.

Should she go with the safe bet, the marriage she’s been raised for, or chase after the man the sparkling eyes the color of the sea, the man she can’t stop thinking about?

This was good. It’s not my typical read, but I always enjoy Hester Fox’s writing and ideas. As an allegory for climate change, I thought this was nicely done. It’s subtle, and didn’t interfere with the overall fairytale retelling.

I also enjoyed the other folklore elements Fox included. While it’s mainly a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but gender-flipped, there were also many other folkloric beings involved in the plot.

I did feel for Clara as a character. As mentioned above, her parents weren’t great. She deserved so much better. Her home life was pretty insufferable and I feel like she had to make desperate choices in order to get out of that situation.

She was still so young, forced to make these life choices for herself in regards to her path. Love or safety? Convenience or risk? These weren’t easy choices, and she had zero support.

In the midst of all of this, she also ends up getting dragged into this war amongst mythological beings and humans, basically, as she was part of a deal that was struck years and years before.

I picked this up because it had Hester Fox’s name on the cover. I didn’t really know what it was all about. I’ve read 4-other books from her and have really enjoyed them all. Granted, this won’t stand out as a favorite from her for me, but I’m still glad I picked it up.

I can appreciate the beauty of this story and the fact that she went in a different direction with it. Regardless of the topics explored, she always writes with such conviction and passion. You can feel it. That she truly cares about what she is writing. Every book feels like a heavy-dose of research went into it, and I have no doubt that is also the case here.

Even though this is a little out of my comfort zone, I would highly recommend it to Readers who enjoy fairytale retellings, or stories with strong mythological or folklore elements. There’s a lot packed in here in that regard, and I know so many will enjoy it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Harlequin Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The narration by Lauren Ezzo truly swept me up into the story. Well done!

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