BOOKLOVES

In this atmospheric follow-up to her award-winning debut The Curse of Penryth Hall, Jess Armstrong brings back the intrepid American heiress Ruby Vaughn for another gothic adventure, this time set in the misty Scottish Borders. While The Secret of the Three Fates delivers on its promises of mystery, murder, and supernatural intrigue, it occasionally stumbles […]

P. J. Nelson’s debut cozy mystery, Booked for Murder, presents an intriguing blend of small-town dynamics and theatrical flair, centered around a Victorian mansion-turned-bookstore in the aptly named town of Enigma, Georgia. While the novel shows promise with its unique setting and compelling protagonist, it occasionally stumbles in its execution, much like its main character’s […]

Lydia Reeder’s The Cure for Women is a meticulously researched and vividly written exploration of a pivotal chapter in medical and feminist history. The book unpacks how Victorian-era male physicians weaponized pseudoscience to justify gender inequality, declaring women unfit for higher education and professional ambitions. Against this backdrop, the story of Mary Putnam Jacobi—a pioneering […]

Loretta Ellsworth’s latest novel, “The French Winemaker’s Daughter,” weaves an intricate tapestry of love, loss, and redemption against the backdrop of World War II France and its cherished wine country. This dual-timeline narrative masterfully connects two women separated by nearly five decades, bound together by a mysterious bottle of wine and the historic Hôtel Drouot […]

In her debut novel, The Champagne Letters, Kate MacIntosh masterfully weaves together two timelines – the inspiring story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot revolutionizing the champagne industry in 19th-century France, and a modern-day tale of self-discovery featuring Natalie Taylor, a recently divorced American finding her way in Paris. While the parallel narratives don’t always achieve perfect harmony, […]

In her sophomore novel Woo Woo, Australian author Ella Baxter crafts an experimental narrative that blends conceptual art, stalker thriller, and meditation on creative identity. The story follows Sabine, a performance artist preparing for a pivotal exhibition while grappling with an increasingly threatening stalker, a distant husband, and her own spiraling mental state. As pressure […]

In “The Rules of Royalty,” Cale Dietrich crafts a contemporary young adult romance that reimagines the classic royal romance trope through a refreshingly queer lens. As the author’s fifth novel and his second standalone work following “The Love Interest” and “If This Gets Out” (co-written with Sophie Gonzales), Dietrich demonstrates his growing confidence in crafting […]

In her adult debut novel, Beth Kander crafts a masterful blend of magical realism, romantic comedy, and poignant family drama that defies easy categorization. I Made It Out of Clay takes the ancient Jewish legend of the golem – a protector formed from earth and animated through sacred words – and transplants it into contemporary […]