Blood Moon, Britney S. Lewis

This was such a fun read!

Eighteen-year-old Mirabella “Mira” Owens grew up in Timber Plains, Kansas, hearing all about the local legend— how Werewolves had come to their area to protect the humans from Vampires. No one really believes those old fairytales, do they?

Mira's mother had disappeared one night when Mira was 13, and now it's just her and her dad. She's got so much to worry about, as she goes off to college and leaves him alone. Little does she know that was the least of her worries as strange things start to happen on and off campus as she tries to settle in, make new friends and focus on her studies. 

Things start to spiral as she receives a cryptic letter from her mother, warning her that all is not as it seems, and some of her friends start acting strange. 

I enjoyed the campus life happening in this story and the diverse cast. When things started being creepy I had my suspicions, but I was wrong about what I thought was coming and the twists and turns kept me reading to find out what happened! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series! I also have to say that I rarely read a book set in Kansas, and as a Kansas girl myself, that made it even better. 

Expected publication August 12, 2025

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for letting me read this ARC edition for an honest review. 

Our Last Resort, by Clémence Michallon

 

Growing up in a cult, Frida and Gabriel were once so close they finished each other's sentences. Each one all the other had to call family. As they've grown older, they've grown apart. They are trying to reestablish that sibling connection, at a secluded spa and resort in the desert of Escalante, Utah. The spot is ideal - until the dead body of a resort guest is found. The local police put the resort on lock down, and the siblings, who would rather leave and try to forget, start to revisit memories of their childhood in the confining cult in upstate New York. Frida starts to see the darkness she avoided looking at in her brother - who exactly is he and what is he hiding?

This book alternates between past and present, and you learn piece by piece what contributes to their personalities, their bond, and the gap that has grown between them.

The characters aren't exactly likable, and the book starts slowly, but then it starts rolling and I couldn't  put it down until I knew what happened. I did guess the "plot twist" early, but it was a very enjoyable read.

Expected publication July 8, 2025

Dancing in the Florida Sun, by Kim Griffin

One of the things I love most about Kim Griffin's Christian Fiction is that it is truly Christian. Many books today have a sentence or two about God and call themselves CF. Kim delivers on the Christian message.
Brooke Ferguson had the life she dreamed of: a 4.0 in pre-law, the perfect pre-med boyfriend, and a prestigious position in her sorority. When she found out she was pregnant, all that came crashing down. Her sorority kicked her out, and her boyfriend became distant. She struggled with being a single mom. She thought she was at rock bottom—but then her mother died. How could she survive it? 
Moving in with her grandmother in sunny Florida seemed a good way to get a new start. 
This book follows Brooke as she searches for peace and healing in her new life.
God is so patient with us, even when we are angry at him and stubbornly refuse to see His goodness. Brooke goes through many things that many of us struggled with before we became believers, on our Christian walk, and meets up with good people who lead her through it all. I enjoyed this story immensely, how it dealt with hard issues without seeming dark, and the beautifully sweet romance that ensues. In this crazy world, we live in now, this story was the perfect one to get lost in.
Thank you to Kim Griffin for the ARC of this delightful book!

(Pub date: 3/26/25)

 

The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn

 

The Alice Network was a real-life network of female spies during WWI, based mostly in the Lille region of France. They gathered information for the British by utilizing their civilian jobs to pick up information on German troop movements and military positions. The network was named after it's leader, Louise de Bettignies, who used the alias Alice Dubois.

This book has been on my TBR since it came out in 2017. I'm sad that I waited until now to read it.

1947, the world still reeling from WWII, Charlie St. Clair, an American college girl, is pregnant and being taking by her mother to Switzerland to "fix" her problem. Restless and still grieving the death of her brother, she realizes that this is her chance to find out what happened to her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in France during the war. 

1915, Eve Gardiner joins the fight against Germany by being recruited to be a part of the Alice Network. Sent into enemy occupied France. She is trained by the best, and works well for her country, at great personal cost.

Now in 1947, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded, aided by a hired hand named Finn, until a cheeky American girl lands on her doorstep mentioning a name she hasn't heard in years. The girl wants help in finding her cousin, and Eve just wants revenge.

The chapters in this book go back and forth between WWI and 1947, and while I loved Eve's story (as hard as it was to imagine what the real life spies went through), Charlie's story was less interesting to me. I also thought it could have been shorter. But all in all I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to any Historical Fiction fans. 

What Kind of Paradise, by Janelle Brown

Can you ever escape legacy?
Jane has spent all the life she remembers in a cabin in the woods of Montana. Her father tells her very little about her late mother and their former life, instead focusing on homeschooling her in philosophy, survival skills, and self-reliance. He never tells her what he's doing when he goes away for days, but he constantly warns her about technology and its inevitable destructive force on humanity.
One day, her father brings home a computer, hoping to use it to further his message, but inadvertently opens up a whole new world and skill and connections for Jane. At 17, all the questions in her mind come to a head, and she finally convinces her father to take her with him on one of his trips, and the trajectory of her life is changed forever.
At what point in trying to keep someone safe from what you believe to be controlling and destructive, do you become controlling and destructive yourself?
I absolutely loved Jane's strength and her determination to see things for herself. Jane's family was so broken, yet she always kept her own head above water and survived.
This was my first of Janelle Brown's books, but I will definitely be reading more. It's a brilliant read that brought up so many questions on the effects pop culture and technology have on who we are as people. I will be buying a copy for my own library and one to donate to the public library where I work. It is a must-read.

 

The Perfect Divorce (Perfect #2), by Jeneva Rose

 

If, like me, you thought The Perfect Marriage was fabulous, get ready - this sequel filled with dark, cunning people and whiplash-inducing plot twists is even better!
Eleven years ago, Sarah Morgan defended her husband against the charge of murder in the bloody death of his mistress, Kelly. Sarah moved on after that and now has a new husband and a beautiful daughter. Finding out that her second husband has also cheated on her leaves her in an ugly divorce settlement battle, and having full custody of their daughter is her priority.
When new evidence is found in the case of Kelly's death, prompting authorities to reopen the case, and her current husband's mistress goes missing, Sarah's life gets much more complicated.
If a Kindle could overheat by turning pages too fast, mine might have exploded while I read this book. It is very fast-paced, with Jeneva Rose's shocking revelations page after page.
Release date: April 15, 2025
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

With a Vengeance, by Riley Sager

 

This book, a classic "whodunit" set in 1954, on a train, felt like Film Noir. Just like some of those old films, the plot wears thin in places, and there are some "wait, that couldn't have happened...", but it was a fun read, with some really surprising twists and turns.

Anna Matheson's family was torn apart deliberately. She has spent 12 years plotting her revenge on those responsible.
Anna sends out invitations, unsigned, but with information sure to lure those people onto a luxury train going from Philadelphia to Chicago, nonstop. What they don't know is that there are no other people on the train, other than the engineer who has been paid off. Anna's goal is to confront them one by one with the hard evidence her late aunt left to her. Things go wrong almost from the start when one of them ends up dead. Someone else has plans for these people, and unless they discover who it is, they will all be dead by Chicago.

If you're a person who likes to read books analytically and look for mistakes, you might find plot holes in this book. But if you read strictly for a good story and a fun time, you will enjoy this ride!
expected release: June 9, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.