Review & Giveaway - - First and Forever

First and Forever

by Lynn Painter

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: May 12, 2026

Reviewed by PJ

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyote football. So after she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain following an awful encounter with the team’s beloved mascot, she is disgruntled, to put it mildly. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of a PR nightmare, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, a strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. But he quickly discovers being with Duffy is much easier than he anticipated, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. This secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.

Oozing with chemistry that feels like fireworks and banter that makes you swoon, Lynn Painter delivers her signature blend of heart and humor in this love story that you won’t soon forget.

PJ's Thoughts:

First and Forever is my first book by Lynn Painter. I see all of you out there shaking your heads at me, muttering "first book?" and wondering what rock I've been living under. My only excuse is the tried (but true) too many books, not nearly enough time. I can assure you that after reading this book I will not be using that excuse again. Lynn Painter is now firmly placed on my "must buy, must read" romance list.

I love a book that pulls me in from the get-go and keeps me engaged until the final page, especially if it also gives me well-developed characters who leap from the pages straight into my heart. Characters like Connor and Duffy. I adored them. Their chemistry is top notch, with sparkling banter, plenty of laughs, swoony romance, and emotional underpinnings. There's more than fun and games with these two. I laughed with them, cried with them, and kept eagerly flipping the pages of their story from start to finish.

As a sports obsessed only daughter with multiple brothers and a mischief making father, I especially enjoyed Duffy's family dynamics in this book. I don't know if Painter has brothers but she hits those sibling/parent and sibling/sibling dynamics on the head. It's like she created those characters just for me. 

I loved not only the interactions among the members of Duffy's family but also between Connor and her family. The fan-"boying" over Connor by all of them was an absolute treat. Then there's Connor's own family relationship and Duffy's response to it. It made me want to give them all a big hug. 

If you enjoy contemporary romance bubbling over with humor, heart-tugging emotion, swoony romance, fake dating, and a cheer-worthy happy ending, I recommend picking up a copy of First and Forever by Lynn Painter. It's a keeper. 

Have you read Lynn Painter? 

Do you have a favorite Painter book you recommend? (I'm ready to dive into her back list)

What are you currently reading? 

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM (Eastern), September 18 will receive a print copy (with sprayed edges) of First and Forever.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Tour Review - - Keeping Score

Keeping Score

by Brittany Kelley

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: August 25, 2026

Reviewed by Santa

Michelle Oxford lives and breathes soccer. After an injury that ended her dreams of going pro, she snagged the next best thing: a position as the director of operations for the LA Aces. And even if it’s not quite what she imagined it would be, it’s still better than cutting out soccer altogether.

The only problem? Carefree, wonder boy goalie, Tristan Gold.

Tristan has wanted more than just friendship with Michelle since the moment he laid eyes on her, but nothing would kill her career faster. When she loses a bet, the team gleefully insists she has to take lessons on “being chill” from Tristan himself.

They couldn’t be more different, but Tristan’s always met her perfectionist tendencies with good-natured goofiness, so she reluctantly agrees. The more time she spends with him, the more she likes what she sees . . . and Michelle starts to think that with him by her side, she could do just about anything—even saying goodbye to the future she thought she always wanted.

Santa Says:

Keeping Score by Brittany Kelley was a delightful read for me. It is the second book in a series that centers around a professional soccer team called the LA Aces. I am fast becoming a fan of sports romances. This book was a solid five stars for me. It features a whole cast of characters who work within the LA Aces both on the pitch and in the back offices, as well.

That is where we meet Michelle Oxford, Operations Manager for the LA Aces. She came to them when after a career ending injury in college benched her dreams of being a soccer star in her own right. But she’s smart, talented and more than up to the task. That’s a good thing because her baptism by fire would have  knocked down anyone else. The old owners of the team were shrouded in scandal. The new owner was exacting in what he wanted for the team. Employees were jumping ship in epic numbers. Everything fell to Michelle to not only keep things going but to implement new procedures. She took to sleeping on the couch in the office and was very close to existing on a caffeine only diet. The sour cherry on top was the vultures of the press who were ravenous for one more scandal or for one more brick to be pulled out before the whole organization would tumble.

Tristian Gold was the team’s goalie. He is tall, blond haired and criminally good looking. He was a man well liked both on the pitch and off. He had an easy going manner about him that somehow rubbed off on everyone around him. He cared about his team. He cared about their image in the eye of the public. But what he most cared about was Michelle. He fell in love with her at first sight but never pursued it or admitted it out loud. He kept his distance as a professional.

That all changed when he and Maddie, who worked with the PR department, convinced a normally business-only Michelle to come out for drinks with the team. Something she never did and wasn’t even aware happened on a regular basis. Everyone was there including people from the back office. The night turns out to be a rousing success when Michelle pitched the idea to have the team out in public interacting with charitable events. This led to a good natured shuffleboard bet that pitted Michelle and Tristan against one another. If Michelle lost at shuffleboard Michelle would have to take lessons from Tristian on how to “chill out” a little bit.

Perfect! I love close proximity tropes! As Tristian and Michelle spend more and more time together, Tristian struggles with not letting what he feels for Michelle be known. He doesn’t want to cross any lines but, beneath his bravado, he doesn’t feel worthy of her. This insecurity stems from negative messages from, of all people, his mother. Michelle also struggles, at first, to control her own attraction to him. I had a huge grin on my face when they finally do come together. Just a wonderful HEA for these two.

As always with books that I love - run, don’t walk, to get your hands on this book! The interactions are wonderful. The dialog and banter are equally as terrific! Enjoy! Now I have to go and grab the first book!

Review - - The Cloak and Dagger Club

The Cloak and Dagger Club

by Jackie McMahon

A Cloak and Dagger Club Mystery - Book 1

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: July 14, 2026

Reviewed by Santa

London, 1930. Lucy Hubbard is on the cusp of achieving her dreams. With her first mystery novel debuting with strong sales and glowing reviews, she's been invited by Horace Hazelmoor, the king of crime fiction, to join his elite group of writers—the Cloak and Dagger Club.

Thrilled at the opportunity, Lucy finds herself swept up into Horace's glamorous world at the Ritz hotel. She's even willing to put up with the inconvenient presence of her former fiancé, Frank Murray, the club's rising star who is on track to eclipse Horace as Britain's most popular crime writer.

But when Horace is found with a knife in his back, Frank is the police's prime suspect. Despite their complicated history, Lucy knows he's not capable of murder. With suspects galore and the danger rising, these two mystery writers must race to solve the crime—and fight their lingering feelings for each other—before the murderer strikes again.

Santa Says:

The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon is a murder mystery that takes place in 1930s London. The book's title intrigued me but the story itself drew me in.  There is an interesting cast of characters who are popular mystery writers of their time all with secrets and intrigues of their own. Horace Hazelmoor, the club’s founder, is the keeper of those secrets and intrigues which he enjoys dangling over them all. Horace craves the spotlight the success of his books brings him but when someone’s light starts to overshadow his there is hell to pay.

The latest interlopers are his mentee Frank Murray whose books are starting to gain ground on his. Lucy Hubbard, a debut novelist, has written her own sleuth who is popular with both readers and critics alike. This is not to be supported! Even juicier in Horace’s eyes is the fact that Frank and Lucy share a past. They were set to wed a few years ago when it all crumbled to dust. They had not seen each other at all in the past three years.

Horace invites Lucy to join the club’s Saturday meeting at London’s Ritz. This is a surprise that wreaks havoc on Frank and Lucy’s life in more ways than one. On the way into the room, Horace provokes Frank and they have an argument. Once in the room, Horace relishes his hold over everyone and becomes increasingly drunk and belligerent. He provokes a usually quiet member of the club to punch him in the face knocking him to the floor. The meeting ends in chaos and the men get Horace back to his room to sleep it all off.

Horace does not sleep it off as he is found dead the next morning. Each of the members are called back to the hotel for questioning and it becomes clear that Frank is a prime suspect based on his loud exchange witnessed by several people in the hotel. Lucy and Frank band together to puzzle out why Frank went to the head of the queue and who the real culprit or culprits are who were responsible for Horace's death.

Throughout their investigation we get a better understanding of the other members and their secrets. Frank and Lucy work through their own demons, pasts and the secrets they bear. It turns out they grew up together and their love story started when they were teens.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. I usually don’t read traditional mysteries or early 20th century settings. I am delighted to say I may very well be a convert!  I struggled writing this review because I didn’t want to give too much away and spoil the book for anyone!

The story was so well thought out and the characters were well rounded by the end. The ending also offered a glimpse of how this club grows and moves on while still holding a bit of intrigue. Grab a copy of this book. You will not be disappointed.

Review - - Wild Goose Chase

Wild Goose Chase

by Sarah Adler

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: July 28, 2026

Reviewed by Santa

Antique store owner Callahan Leitner has an illegal taxidermy goose in his living room.

Why? It’s…complicated.

But it may end his career unless he finds a legitimate way to dispose of the bird ASAP. Except, there’s an unexpected wrench in his plans—the frustrating, effervescent Annie O’Neill.

Annie is happy to fill in for her uncle at his antique store; it’s the perfect opportunity to gain more experience before opening a shop of her own, plus she'll finally meet his handsome young business partner. Unfortunately, Cal is nothing like the charming man she expected. She’s tempted to take his apparent dislike personally, until she stumbles upon the source of his moodiness: the contraband waterfowl hidden upstairs.

When the goose goes missing, both of their professional reputations are on the line. As Cal and Annie attempt to track down the bird before it can be traced back to the store, their tentative alliance turns into something much deeper. Will the hunt for their felonious fowl lead to true love, or end in ruin?

Santa Says:

Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler is a five star read for me. Callahan Leitner is stuck. He has his dream job as partner of Virtu Antiques and Collectables but his girlfriend of fifteen years broke up with him a couple of years ago and quickly met and married someone else! His partnership came as a gift from his friend and mentor Graham after he passed away at the same time. He tried to move on with his love life with disastrous results and he misses Graham everyday and hopes he honors his legacy.

Enter Annie O’Neill who arrives at Virtu like a whirlwind. She is the niece of his other partner, Howard, who is off on his whirlwind marriage and honeymoon in Italy. She is eager to learn everything she can about a brick and mortar storefront as she hopes to open one day. And Cal doesn’t quite know what to make of her. She repurposes antiques and sells them on the internet! The horror!

Oh, and then there’s the taxidermied goose that Cal promised his ex he’d look into finding more about, at great personal risk to his and the store’s reputation. Fun fact it is illegal to kill and taxidermy geese based on a law from 1918. Cal’s task is to find out if the goose predates the law or not and to then donate it. So now Cal has to juggle running the store, finding out about the goose and keeping Annie from finding out about it. 

Good luck with that because Annie has a way of getting under Cal’s skin and making him feel things long dormant in him. That all changes when the goose goes missing under Annie’s watch. And so begins the wild goose chase as they follow its whereabouts throughout the city of Baltimore, introducing them to an insane cast of characters and placing them in close proximity to one another time and time again. Which leads them to uncover their true feelings for one another. Not an easy task for two wounded souls.

Ms. Adler weaves throughout Cal and Annie’s story the origin story of the goose which introduces us to Ona and John just after the turn of the 20th century. John is a newspaper editor and illustrator. Ona is an ornithologist and they start a correspondence based on an unusual bird he has seen and captured on paper. She goes down to see him to see if she can see the bird for herself and earn the respect of her peers in discovering a new bird. It turns out to be a ruse but they, too, discover their feelings for one another. Ora is furious with him but eventually forgives him as they then discover this unusual goose! The rest, as they say, is history and brings Cal and Annie’s goose’s journey full circle.

This book kept me turning page after page following these four main characters’ stories. It was hilarious and touching and a little heartbreaking but the HEAs were well worth the wait! I highly recommend picking this one up. And I will be reading her other works, both past and future. Enjoy!

Review - - Formula Zero

Formula Zero

by Meredith Lanzen

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: July 7, 2026

Reviewed by Nancy

  

Madeline Clarke didn't think her life would be all fun and trophies after earning her spot in the solar system's most elite zero-gravity racing circuit, but she definitely thought it'd be better than this. Aside from being a female pilot in a male-dominated sport, her boss is a controlling jerk, her estranged father is a beloved figure from her team's past glory days (and an absolute ass), and she's performing so poorly she risks losing her contract. And worst of all, there's Julian Casperi.

Julian was Clarke's childhood best friend and is a rising star in the league. The dance between them has always been complicated, but when Clarke walked away from her feelings years ago and Julian didn’t stop her they became nothing more than competitors—until Clarke gets into a near-fatal accident on the track and Julian comes to her rescue.

Now back in each other’s orbits, the tension between them is at an all-time high. But navigating their relationship might be the least of Clarke’s problems. Things keep going wrong on the track, and she suspects there's something shady at play. If she wants to come out on top, she needs to move fast and make bold choices—about her team, her future, and her heart.

 

Nancy’s Thoughts: 

Formula Zero is a fun friends-to-lovers romance set in a future that has space travel, people living on parts of the solar system other than Earth, and high-speed racing on planets and in space. The characters are likeable, the romance is mostly handled well, and the worldbuilding is generally detailed and interesting. 

I’m not a fan of Formula One racing, which appears to have inspired the racing aspects of this book, but the race scenes are interesting without delving so deeply into the process as to take over the story. The descriptions of the race courses, including obstacles and changes, are clever and intriguing. 

Clarke races to win. Her ship isn’t in good shape, though, so her successes come despite her equipment and the lack of support from team management. The problem never get  fixed. She shrugs it off and tries not to let it bother her. It does, however. Now designs for next year’s ships for the team are under discussion, and no one consults her. Things don’t look good for her future. 

On top of that, her friendship with Julian is becoming increasingly strained. The attraction between them has always been strong, but they agreed to set it aside rather than have it offer a publicity distraction while they’re racing. Unfortunately, ignoring it is becoming increasingly difficult. My one problem with the way this is handled arose when Julian tentatively reached out, only to have Clarke lash out at him in a way that seemed immature. I was glad to see that this was an isolated reaction. From that point on, the relationship push-pull was both believable and sympathetic. The emotional tension was extremely well done. 

Julian also wants to win, but he keeps an eye out for Clarke. He knows she isn’t getting the support she should, but even he doesn’t realize quite how bad her situation is. As the story progresses, he plays an important role in resolving her problem. 

When Julian was just getting into racing, he lived with Clarke’s family. His own family lives on a colony near Jupiter, and traveling from there to Earth isn’t easy. Lanzen says navigating through the asteroid belt is what makes the trip so difficult. This reference stopped me because the asteroid belt is in the plane of the ecliptic. It isn’t a sphere encasing the inner worlds. A ship could chart a course over or under it, relative to the plane of the ecliptic, and not go through it There may be reasons not to do that, but those reasons aren’t shared with the reader. 

The interaction between Clarke’s family and friends, including Julian, is lovely. The wider family grouping includes Julian’s mom when she can make it to Earth and the moms of a friend of Clarke and Julian who died in a race. The three started in racing together, so his memory is a silent presence with Clarke or Julian when they race. 

I was puzzled that Clarke is the only main character consistently referred to by her last name. Julian is always Julian, not Casperi. 

I enjoyed Formula Zero a lot even though it’s written in present tense, which is not my favorite. But I’m rating the book as four stars, not five, mostly because of the problems I had at the end. The worldbuilding, as I said, is generally good, but it falls down when it comes to the actual ships the characters race. They are never described. My mental image, which may be different from that of other readers, is based on a Formula One car with a rocket pack and an enclosed cockpit. At the end of the story, Clarke has to catch something important on the front of Julian’s ship. There’s nothing to stop it sliding off the front, which actually tips when the object’s weight lands on it. And if it’s no wider than a Formula One car, and has a smooth surface, how does anything not fall off immediately? I just did not believe that scene because I didn’t have an image of the ship that would make it believable. 

In this scene, Clarke also breaks a bone in one foot operating the ship but has no trouble continuing to operate it. Nothing explained how she was able to do that. When a character suffers a broken bone, I expect difficulties to flow from that, but none did here. She later comments that her foot hurts, but she didn’t seem to notice than when applying pressure to it immediately after the injury. I liked the action and choreography, but these problems kept me from fully buying into it. 

Overall, story is a lot of fun and moves at a good pace. The characters are well drawn and engaging.  I recommend this book. 

Nancy

 

Review - - The Final Score

The Final Score

by Lana Ferguson

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: July 7, 2026

Reviewed by: Santa

 

Jack Baker is on top of the world now that he’s back on the rink where he belongs. But the high comes crashing down when he reinjures his arm immediately following his return to the ice, and this time, he might never be able to play again. After a lifetime as the strong, happy hockey guy whose sister needed him, Jack is left questioning everything he knows about himself.

Abigail Thompson feels like she’s hit rock bottom. It’s only been a few months since the massive scandal that finally severed the cord between her and her narcissistic father. And now, in her last weeks of grad school, she’s been kicked out of her building with very short notice. The last thing she wants to do is ask her half-brother for help after what she’s put him through, but it’s looking like his best friend’s spare room might be her only choice.

Jack is flighty, flirty, and a little full of himself—all the things Abby’s learned to avoid in men. However, spending every day together breaks the ice between them, and she starts to realize that Jack might not be who he seems. It’s possible that maybe, just maybe, he might be struggling as much as she is. Soon, confiding in each other leads to falling into bed, and this fling will either play with their hearts—or score them the ultimate goal of love.

Santa Says:

I really enjoyed The Final Score by Lana Ferguson. It is a real feel good story about two people who could not be more different from each other. This novel centers around two people at odds with each other and themselves. Jack is a super star hockey player who is brash and cocky. Abby's life has been nothing but chaotic between her manipulative father and the bursting pipes in her apartment.

Jack exudes self-confidence. To him, hockey is life. His world is defined by two things, love for his sister and the game. He takes both very seriously. However, an injury to his arm changes everything. It requires surgery and time away from the game. Impossible. They are close to winning the playoffs. Next stop is the Stanley Cup. Taking time off is out of the question. He’s tough. He can work through it. He wouldn’t want to disappoint the fans, especially the female ones. And without hockey, well, he’d rather not think about that at all.

Abby just wanted to be left alone as she navigated work, her work in graduate school and her new found half brother whose life her father threw her into. Her poor excuse for a father would not leave her alone. She wanted nothing to do with the man who thought that through her he could gain access to the lucrative Druids hockey team which his ex-wife happens to own! Add to this mess the fact that she must move out of her apartment while her landlord was fixing the water damage in her apartment. She didn’t want to impose on her newly married brother and his wife who also happens to be Jack’s sister. They are disgustingly happily married with a penchant for strong PDAs!

Jack, who continues to ignore the injury to his arm, invites Abby to use his spare bedroom for as long as she needs. Abby has more than enough on her plate! She has enough armor around her to ignore the cocky man! She reluctantly agrees to stay at Jack’s place. What is the worst that could happen? Plenty of close proximity lends itself to this slow burn romance where armor and a lot more falls away as two people in pain learn to lean on each other.  Delicious especially as he falls first and Jack discovers there is a lot more to life than just hockey and Abby finds strength and confidence.

Add this book to your TBR list and be prepared to add Lana Ferguson to your favorite rom com authors. I give it five out of five stars. Enjoy!

Blog Tour Review - - Enter the Nightmare

Enter the Nightmare

by Jayne Ann Krentz

writing as Jayne Castle

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: June 30, 2026

Reviewed by PJ

Alice Radstone should have known not to return. Her life before the Hotel of Dreams had been one of a perfectly cloistered teacher at the Ballantine Academy. When the death of her mentor forced her out, she was left to reinvent herself in the big city. Since then, things have not gone well. Ten months ago, after her first trip to the hotel, she woke up in the locked ward of a hospital for the criminally insane and was informed that she had murdered her husband on their wedding night. She has no memory of the husband or the wedding, but after she escapes from the asylum, one thing is certain: She is never going back.

Unfortunately, Alice’s second reinvented life is also deteriorating rapidly, which is why she finds herself once more at the Hotel of Dreams—this time hiding in the shadows of her room with a dead body in the shower and two men wearing masks creeping toward the bed to kidnap her. Again.

When the enigmatic and decidedly dangerous Owen March shows up and claims he’s there to rescue her, she has no choice but to accept his offer—and hope that he doesn’t also intend to kidnap her.

With Alice and now Owen in the killer’s sights, time is running out. They must trust each other and the electric passion between them if they are to make it out of this hotel alive.

PJ's Thoughts:

Jayne Ann Krentz's imagination is a strange and wondrous place to visit. This newest novel set in her fictional, futuristic world of Harmony threw me into the action from the first few pages and kept me on the the edge of my seat until the final sentence. 

Krentz has the ability to create a psychic paranormal world that, while I know is completely fictional, feels believable and real. She immerses me into the various setting of Harmony, making me feel as if I am actually walking the dark and misty streets of the Shadow Zone, overdosing on the glitz and glamour of the Illusion Town casinos, outrunning bad guys through the psy-rich tunnels of the Underground, and racing against time in the hotel where Alice's life first went off the rails and now is in danger of ending.

Interspersed among the action, danger, and suspense of this book is Krentz's trademark humor, sarcastic wit, snappy banter, and romance. It made me gasp on one page and sigh on the next while feeling like I was experiencing every emotion right along with Owen and Alice. 

Of course, a Harmony novel would not be complete without a mischievous dust bunny and Sebastian more than lives up to the DB standard set by his predecessors from earlier books. I adored him!

Don't be intimidated by the fact that this is the eighteenth book set on Harmony. Every book stands on its own and Krentz includes a brief Harmony history in each book that brings new readers up to date. Readers new to Harmony will be fine jumping in with Enter the Nightmare or at any point along the way. 

~~~~~~~~

Jayne Castle, the author of People in Glass Houses, Sweetwater and the Witch, Guild Boss, Illusion Town, Siren's Call, The Hot Zone, Deception Cove, and more, is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She writes contemporary romantic suspense novels under the Krentz name, as well as historical novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick. Photo credit: Chandra Wicke Photography

~~~~~~~~~~

ENTER THE NIGHTMARE EXCERPT

 

The thing you had to remember about the Hotel of Dreams was that the nightmares were real.

I ought to know, Alice thought. This was the second time she had checked in. The first occasion had been her wedding night. The following morning, she had awakened in the locked ward of a hospital for the criminally insane and been informed that she had murdered her husband.

The amenities and the service had not improved. Tonight she was hiding in the bathroom of Room 205, a flamer in one hand, a sleeked-out, poised-to-attack dust bunny crouched at her feet, and a dead man in the shower behind her.

She watched through the crack in the partially open door as a figure in a medical mask crept toward the bed.

She had only herself to blame. She had not simply reached for the bait that had been dangled in front of her-she had lunged for it. In doing so, she had violated Core Principle Number One of the Ballantine Method for Achieving the Harmonic Life: Do not mistake impulse for true intuition.

She stayed very still in the deep shadows and tried to will away the shivers. Shivering was not good, because she was clutching a flamer. It was set to stun, but she had only rezzed it a couple of times and her aim was still problematic due to lack of practice. Setting the bed on fire by accident would not be helpful.

She did not like having to resort to the weapon-it went against all her training-but she had learned the hard way that a woman alone in the world had to take personal security into her own hands. It was either the flamer or the dark side of her talent.

There were significant reasons not to go full-rez with her psychic senses for the purpose of self-defense. The results of using the negative side of her talent could be unpredictable. She did not want to take the risk of sending a potential informant into a waking coma. It would make it difficult or even impossible to get the answers she desperately needed. Besides, she hated having to brush up against someone else's dreamlight for even the few seconds it took to unlock the nightmares. She had enough bad dreams of her own.

And then there was the inconvenience of having to spend who knew how many hours in the demanding mental and physical practices needed to restore her inner harmonic balance. She did not have the time to spare. She was too busy trying to survive. Priorities.

The shivering was caused by adrenaline, not panic, she decided, opting for positive self-talk. She had been doing a lot of positive self-talk in the past ten months. But what if returning to the opening scene of her own personal nightmare was causing her to lose control? What if she was hallucinating? Undergoing a psychic break? Maybe she was imagining the dead man in the shower and the figure stalking toward the bed.

Sebastian pressed against her lower leg and looked up at her, all four eyes-the baby blues and the amber pair he used for hunting-wide open. It was as if he knew she was questioning what they were both seeing in the other room.

She wasn't imagining things. The dust bunny was ready to roll in hot. Now that he was not fluffed up and looking like a large wad of dryer lint, you could see all six paws and his sharp little teeth. He had even left his beloved sunglasses on the floor of the bathroom in preparation for battle. As far as he was concerned, the danger was real. That was good enough for her. Reassured, she tightened her grip on the flamer.

The masked figure reached the bed and looked down at the bundled shape beneath the quilt. In a horrifyingly swift, efficient motion, he yanked back the covers. He raised his other hand in preparation for plunging a small weapon of some kind into what he assumed was a sleeping woman.

Moonlight sparked briefly on the syringe. At least it wasn't a knife. Maybe murder wasn't the goal. Of course, you could kill a person quite easily with the injection of a lethal drug. Nevertheless, it was starting to look like someone wanted to abduct her-not kill her-again.

 

She jerked open the bathroom door, clutched the flamer in both hands, and tried for a firm, authoritative voice. Attitude was crucial in situations like this. She could not let the incipient panic show.

"Stop or I'll fire," she said.

 

Excerpted from Enter the Nightmare by Jayne Castle Copyright © 2026 by Jayne Castle. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Tour Review - - Thistlemarsh

Thistlemarsh

by Moorea Corrigan

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: April 21, 2026

Reviewed by Nancy

In the wake of The Great War, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin’s body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left

with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams.

When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother’s side and return to her

childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle’s offer: If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.

It quickly becomes clear it’s impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh...for a price.

Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie—especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant—but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and

Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.

Nancy’s Thoughts:

Thistlemarsh is an engaging fantasy romance with some dark undertones. The romance grows slowly amid hints that something is not right. Mouse doesn’t know whether the problem is something about Thornwood, the Faerie attempting the repairs or arises from the magic infesting the house and interfering with the repairs or comes from something else altogether. As the story

progresses, the hints that something is off become more common but are never clear. Corrigan does a good job of making them troubling but so cryptic that Mouse’s failure to act on them,

despite her efforts to decipher the clues, is understandable.

Mouse is easy to root for. Because she has few good memories of life at Thistlemarsh, her first impulse is to waive her claim to the house. If she does, however, she loses not only the house but

the money that comes with it to a spiteful, selfish cousin. The same thing happens if she fails to restore the house sufficiently to satisfy her uncle’s solicitor. Unless she has that money, she

cannot pay for the convalescent home where her brother lives.

Thornwood is more enigmatic. He can be snide and arrogant, but he also has unexpected moments of kindness. As he and Mouse seek to unravel the magic that’s impeding his repairs, 

her courage and cleverness earn his trust and respect. A bond slowly forms between them.

Not everyone is happy about Mouse’s decision to work with a faerie. Mouse’s one childhood friend in the village, John, the vicar, doesn’t want to hear about faeries. The gardener, Mr. Hobb, who was friendly with Mouse when she lived at Thistlemarsh, avoids Thornwood. While their attitudes trouble Mouse, she has no alternative to helping Thornwood proceed.

The world is generally built in detail. The woods, the magical traps, and the house itself are beautifully drawn. The story incorporates Mouse’s experiences as a nurse on the Western Front in ways that add depth to her character and texture to the world.

Most of the supporting characters have enough depth to make them seem real. The main exception to that is Mouse’s nasty cousin, Anthony Carlyle. He seems one-dimensional in his

meanness. He truly is awful in his few appearances in the story, but I would’ve liked to see a little, tiny something more to him. I also wanted some deeper reaction from Mouse to his fate in

the story.

John tells Mouse the villagers disapprove of her staying at the house with Thornwood, but we never see the villagers’ disapproval. We only hear about it. And this disapproval seems

inconsistent with their attitudes at the end of the story.

Finally, a supporting character who appears late in the story initially insists on staying out of the confrontation Mouse is preparing, but this character later takes a pivotal role, which seems inconsistent. I would’ve liked a little more motivation for that. I wasn’t happy that this character’s actions overshadow Mouse’s in solving the big problem.

Despite those concerns, the final resolution to the story was satisfying overall. I was especially impressed with the way so many things about Thistlemarsh and some of the characters turned out to be not what they seemed. These revelations were surprising, but the story laid enough groundwork for them to be believable. Mouse’s relationship with Thornwood suffers a

devastating blow. The way she handles it at the end may not work for every reader. Although I expected a little more motivation for her decision, I found it believable.

Thistlemarsh offers a detailed magical world, a problem with clever, interesting magical twists and turns, and engaging characters. I recommend it.

Tour Review - - Archangel's Eternity

Archangel's Eternity

by Nalini Singh

Guild Hunter - Book 18

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: May 5, 2026

Reviewed by Nancy 

 A thousand years.  

It’s been a millennium since Elena’s fateful first meeting with Archangel Raphael. She has survived war and loss, experienced beauty and cruelty. But no matter what, she has always held on to her mortal heart, as she and Raphael have held on to each other. Passionate and vibrant, they’ve built a life that has stood the test of time, growing ever stronger with each turn of the sun.

But change is coming—of a magnitude they could have never imagined—and it will forever alter the trajectory of their existence. 

Even as they grapple with the cataclysmic shift in their personal lives, the Cadre of Ten, which has maintained a hard-won peace for centuries, begins to simmer with dangerous fault lines. The specter of madness looms in one archangel, the promise of war burns between two others, and in darkness far from mortal and immortal eyes stirs an ancient, slumbering power.

Suddenly, the future is terrifyingly uncertain . . . at the very moment that Elena and her archangel need to protect a treasure infinitely more precious than eternity.

 

Nancy’s Thoughts: 

Nalini Singh has announced that Archangel’s Eternity is the final book in her long-running, popular Guild Hunter series. Her letter to readers at the end confirms this, as does the structure of the book. It is very much a farewell to the series world and its characters, and it reads like a book written for fans, not as one designed to attract new readers. 

The focus of this book is the characters and their relationships, especially Elena and Raphael. The theme is the importance of family, both blood-linked and found. Unlike the other books in this series, there is no overarching, threatening plot. There’s not much adventurous action and little about the politics of the Cadre, the group of archangels who rule the world. 

Readers who love the action and adventure that were such a part of this series may miss that and thus may find the pace a little slow. Others may find that focusing on the relationships and character interactions is a fair trade-off. 

Writing a detailed review of Archangel’s Eternity  would require spoiling something that has been carefully kept close by Singh and by Berkley. Rather than do that, I’ll just say that characters we haven’t seen lately—some of them, not in a very long time—reappear and have a moment with Elena and Raphael. I didn’t remember who some of them were, which isn’t surprising with a series this long, but the text includes reminders. It’s likely that some of those I didn’t recall are favorites of other readers, who will enjoy those bits all the more for having a deeper appreciation of the relationships. 

As the blurb promises, Elena and Raphael’s life is about to change, and that change runs through the story. It’s also the reason for many of the reunions in the book. 

Singh has always written emotion beautifully, and this book is no exception. I don’t generally cry at books or movies, but I got a little choked up several times and had to blink back tears at one reunion. 

Archangel’s Eternity is a moving and fitting end to this series. While reading the last of something I’ve enjoyed is bittersweet, I applaud Singh for closing the series on a high note rather than keeping it going past its prime. 

If you’re a fan of the Guild Hunter series, you’ll love this book. If you’re not already a fan, go back and read from the beginning, Angels’ Blood. You won’t be disappointed.

 

~ Nancy