{"id":7419,"date":"2026-10-01T03:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T03:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=7419"},"modified":"2026-10-01T03:08:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T03:08:22","slug":"monthly-features-september-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=7419","title":{"rendered":"Monthly Features \u2013 September\u00a02026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Confessor: A Logan Hollister Novel by Noah Christopher<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.<\/p>\n

Synopsis: <\/strong>A killer is making Los Angeles confess.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Confessor is never wrong. He has built his whole life around being sure of it.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

He chooses people who got away with it \u2014 never charged, never even suspected. The charity director who gutted his own foundation. The smiling influencer who built an empire on a lie.<\/p>\n

He sits them down alone with a pen and a yellow legal pad, and waits as long as it takes for the truth in their own hand.<\/p>\n

Then he balances the account.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The confessions are real. But on paper, nothing connects the victims \u2014 separate lives, separate crimes, no thread that should tie one death to the next.<\/p>\n

Detective Logan Hollister has every reason to stay out of it. The money came a long time ago; the house is an hour down the coast, the kind of quiet other men spend their whole lives chasing. Logan can only tolerate it in small batches before he wants back in. He keeps the badge, works the cases that still mean something, and this is the one he can\u2019t walk away from.<\/p>\n

On the surface, he and the man he\u2019s hunting are opposites. One has everything a life can hold. The other spent years making himself into no one at all.<\/p>\n

But the bodies keep coming, and the difference between them keeps thinning \u2014 until Logan can\u2019t always tell whether he\u2019s hunting the man or recognizing him.<\/p>\n

Summary: <\/strong>The Confessor <\/em>is a smart, fast-moving crime thriller about an LAPD detective hunting a killer who forces seemingly respectable people to confess the ugly truths they have been hiding. The alternating perspectives make the cat-and-mouse element especially fun, while Logan\u2019s secret life as the owner of an investigative news site adds a genuinely interesting complication. Readers who like police procedurals, serial killer thrillers, morally complicated villains, clever detective work, strong partner banter and contemporary Los Angeles settings may enjoy this book.\u00a0<\/p>\n

See the full review here: The Confessor<\/em><\/a>
Purchase here<\/a><\/p>\n

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Crossingsbrook Georgians by L. Gale<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.<\/p>\n

Synopsis: <\/strong>In\u00a0<\/span>Crossingsbrook Georgians: the crossingsbrook series prequel<\/span>, the back-story is told to the series, explaining how the Reverend and Clara James met, how Dr. Walton and Lady Greenfield met, the impacts of war and loss on Victor\u2019s youth and young adulthood, the childhood friendship of Beatrice and Clara, and Beatrice\u2019s experiences raising children that were not hers by birth. Also featured is a romantic episode between a freed slave and a free-born individual. Readers discover some of the better medical treatments available at the turn of the 19th Century, and the psychological impact that astronomical events may have had on ordinary individuals, if only by the power of suggestion. This novella fills in seventeen years, or nearly a generation, of the early lives of some of the key Crossingsbrook villagers, and introduces others who will have larger roles to play later in the series. All is told against a backdrop of the impacts of technology, legislation and cultural developments in Britain of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Summary: <\/strong>Crossingsbrook Georgians <\/em>is a gentle, character driven Georgian historical novel that follows several interconnected families in the village of Crossingsbrook beginning in the late 1790s. There\u2019s romance, family life, grief, village gossip, religion, old family rivalries and a surprising amount of everyday historical detail. Readers who enjoy gentle, character driven historical fiction where the pleasure comes from spending time in a community and watching relationships develop over years, rather than racing through a single dramatic plot may enjoy this book.<\/p>\n

See the full review here:\u00a0Crossingsbrook Georgians<\/a><\/em>
Purchase here<\/a><\/p>\n

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Death in Utopia by Phillip Vega<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.<\/p>\n

Synopsis: <\/strong>An idyllic paradise. A deadly secret. A detective who can\u2019t escape the past.<\/p>\n

When Detective Karen Skaryd and her husband arrive at a luxurious Caribbean resort to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, they expect sun, relaxation, and romance. But when a prominent guest drops dead in the middle of lunch\u2014with a cryptic biblical message left behind\u2014Karen is thrust into a web of lies, power, and murder.<\/p>\n

As she navigates law enforcement politics, elusive suspects, and a retired senator with secrets of his own, Karen soon realizes that this case may be tied to something much darker than she ever imagined. With danger lurking in paradise, she must uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.<\/p>\n

Because in Utopia, nothing is what it seems.<\/p>\n

Summary: <\/strong>This is a vacation mystery that gradually turns into something much bigger. Readers who like amateur-out-of-necessity investigations, police procedurals, tropical destination mysteries, married protagonists, large suspect pools, serial-killer elements and mysteries that continue into a larger series may enjoy this one.<\/p>\n

See the full review here:\u00a0Death in Utopia<\/em><\/a>
Purchase here<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Crowned Flame: Illuminated Songs of Becoming by Aroya Wallace<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.<\/p>\n

Synopsis: <\/strong>The Crowned Flame: Illuminated Songs of Becoming <\/span>What does it mean to become?<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps becoming is not the journey toward someone new, but the quiet return to who we have always been.<\/p>\n

The Crowned Flame: Illuminated Songs of Becoming<\/span> is an illuminated Songbook of poetry, music, and art exploring ancient memory, sacred love, creative imagination, spiritual awakening, and return.<\/p>\n

Across seven lyrical movements, these Songs of Becoming<\/span> journey from the first spark of creation, through forgetting, longing, love, remembrance, and transformation, before returning once more to the quiet landscape of the human heart.<\/p>\n

More than a book<\/span><\/p>\n

This beautifully illustrated hardcover was created as a companion to the recorded album by Aroya Wallace<\/span>, available on major music streaming platforms.<\/p>\n

Each song is accompanied by richly illuminated artwork, inviting readers to pause, reflect, and linger. Whether experienced as poetry, music, or both together, every page offers another doorway into wonder.<\/p>\n

Inside you\u2019ll discover<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Seven original illuminated songs<\/p>\n

\u2022 Full-color companion artwork throughout<\/p>\n

\u2022 Mystical and inspirational poetry<\/p>\n

\u2022 Themes of memory, love, imagination, and becoming<\/p>\n

\u2022 A keepsake edition created for slow, contemplative reading<\/p>\n

Perfect for readers who enjoy<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Illuminated poetry<\/p>\n

\u2022 Mystical literature<\/p>\n

\u2022 Inspirational verse<\/p>\n

\u2022 Beautiful gift books<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sacred art<\/p>\n

\u2022 Thoughtful reflection<\/p>\n

Approach softly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Listen deeply.<\/span><\/p>\n

And perhaps remember something beautiful that has always lived within you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Summary: <\/strong>The Crowned Flame<\/em> feels more like an experience than a conventional poetry book. There is a surprisingly clear progression underneath all of the dreamlike imagery, moving from separation and forgetting into self-discovery, love, healing, and return. I think it works best when you don\u2019t try too hard to decode every symbol and instead allow the imagery and ideas to wash over you a little. It is unusual, very earnest, and visually beautiful, and I can see it really connecting with readers who already enjoy poetry that has a mystical or meditative quality especially those who enjoy spiritual or metaphysical poetry, mythology and symbolism, visually beautiful books, meditative writing, fantasy-inspired imagery, and poetry collections that tell a larger story across individual pieces.<\/p>\n

See the full review here: The Crowned Flame: Illuminated Songs of Becoming<\/em><\/a>
Purchase here<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Confessor: A Logan Hollister Novel by Noah Christopher I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. Synopsis: A killer is making Los Angeles confess. The Confessor is never wrong. He has built his whole life around being sure of it. He chooses people who got away […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":7420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7419"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}