I love a good, twisty suspense novel, and this new one by B.A. Paris comes out today (2.17.26)! It was a good one, and I thank St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for my review galley.
Here’s the scoop:
Who is watching Nell Masters?
Nell Masters is certain someone is following her. The hairs on the back of her neck rise when she travels to and from work, there are silent calls to her office, and a huge bouquet of flowers arrives without a card. And Nell has a reason to be looking over her shoulder, because she has a secret that she’s hiding from everyone in her life, including her new partner, Alex. But Alex also has secrets of his own.
Fourteen years earlier, when Nell went by the name Elle Nugent, she witnessed a student, Bryony Sanders, getting into a stranger’s car. When Bryony was found murdered, Elle became obsessed with finding the person responsible. She was convinced she knew who it was and her fixation with Brett Parker, the man she accused, led her down a dangerous path . . .
Now, Nell tries to convince herself that this unnerving feeling of being watched is all in her mind. Has someone from her past discovered her new identity? Has the stalker become the stalked? Or is there something even more deadly at play?
London, 1940. When Jess Gresham arrives in the capital, she’s completely out of her depth. With bombs falling and a heartbreaking family lie about her beloved sister to get to the bottom of, can she find the help she needs at a Mayfair lodging house?
When Jess discovers the letter from her older sister Charlotte tucked into an old typewriter, her world is shaken. It’s dated two days after their father, the vicar, said she died. How could he lie about that? Desperate to uncover the truth, Jess must find her sister. The London location in her sister’s letter is her only clue…
Leaving her quiet life in the country as a vicar’s daughter behind, now Jess is in the city in wartime, her gas mask slung around her shoulder. Her one refuge is her room at a Mayfair lodging house with two other girls. Wealthy Betony is all style and charm, but she’s trying to shake her aristocratic airs and graces. Irish nurse Grace with her easy smile is much more down to earth, but Jess is certain she’s keeping a secret…
With war throwing the three girls together, can Jess’s new friends help find her missing sister, despite the secrets between them? Or will they be torn apart for good?
An totally emotional and gripping historical novel, perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe.
I’m here today to dish about the second book in a historical fiction by Natalie Meg Evans, The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House, a follow up to last fall’s The Irish Nurse at the Lodging House.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I was a little upset at the ending. What was going to happen?? Then I realized it was part of a trilogy and each book has a focus on one of the characters. These books are a blend of WWII historical fiction, women’s friendships, and even romance. It kept me engaged and was not too gritty or disturbing (always hard for me). I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. I really thought Grace was my favorite character, but now I’m thinking Jess is! I do like a good protagonist I can root for while reading.
Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!
Here’s a bit about the author:
Natalie Meg Evans has been an art student, actor, PR copywriter, book-keeper and bar tender but always wanted to write. A USA Today best-seller and RITA nominee, she is author of four published novels which follow the fortunes of strong-minded women during the 1930s and 40s. Fashion, manners and art are the glass through which her characters’ lives are viewed. Each novel is laced with passion, romance and desire. Mystery is never far away.
An avid absorber of history – for her sixth birthday she got a toy Arthurian castle with plastic knights – Natalie views historical fiction as theatre for the imagination. Her novels delve behind the scenes of a prestige industry: high fashion, millinery, theatre, wine making. Rich arenas for love and conflict. Most at home in the English countryside, Natalie lives in rural Suffolk. She has one son.
I saw this book listed as a best of 2025, and it sounded intriguing, so I purchased it with an Audible credit. What an interesting book! It is rich in allegory and moves with a measured pace. I can see why those who crave action and excitement are not drawn to it, but it is beautifully written and has one of my favorite themes: redemption. I also loved the narrator’s voice.
Here’s the scoop:
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A LOS ANGELES TIMES TOP FIFTEEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, a novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be good, from the award-winning author of The Weekend.
“Stone Yard Devotional is as extraordinary as you’ve heard.” —The Washington Post
“An exquisite, wrenching novel of leaving your life behind.” —New York Times Book Review
“Meditative (but by no means uneventful).” —New York Times
“Riveting prose about how humans beat back despair.”—Los Angeles Times Burnt out and in need of retreat, a middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of rural Australia. She doesn’t believe in God, or know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive existence almost by accident.
But disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signaling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who disappeared decades before, presumed murdered. And finally, a troubling visitor plunges the narrator further back into her past.
Meditative, moving, and finely observed, Stone Yard Devotional is a seminal novel from a writer of rare power, exploring what it means to retreat from the world, the true nature of forgiveness, and the sustained effect of grief on the human soul.
I won’t lie to you – this was a book that I would step away from, listen to something else, and then go back to it. Like many of Backman’s novels, it moved slowly and I was not sure what was happening until all the pieces came together, and then I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the story. The same thing happened when I read Anxious People. I was asking myself, “what is happening here??” and then suddenly I was like, “I love this novel!” and sobbing.
Here’s the scoop:
A 2026 Audie Award Finalist for Best Fiction Narrator
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Fallon Book Club Pick WINNER OF THE 2025 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS FOR BEST FICTION A Most Anticipated Book of 2025: Goodreads USA TODAY Marie Claire BookPage Literary Lifestyle Book Riot Sunset Magazine Totally Booked with Zibby Owens
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
Oh, I loved this sweet story of the many people who live in Wisteria House and the older woman who brings all their stories together. It felt like a Maeve Binchy novel – warm and reassuring, and satisfying at the finish!
Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour.
Here’s the scoop:
Description
On a peaceful avenue stands the once-grand Wisteria House. Now it’s split into apartments, occupied by strangers who rarely say hello. Could one last dinner party bring it to life again?
Ninety-year-old Alice has one last wish: to fill her new home with light and laughter, just like when her husband was alive. So she sets out her favourite plates, opens an old recipe book, and sends invitations to the neighbours she’s certain need friendship just as much as she does…
Declan hasn’t believed he deserves to follow his dreams since he tragically lost his sister.
Jess has been working herself to the bone to provide for her little daughter and has no time for joy in her own life.
Mark, a widower, has been isolated in his grief for so long.
Over a shared meal, Alice reminds each of them that sharing stories keeps those we love alive, and that time is our most precious gift. As they hug goodbye, everyone feels lighter than they have in years. Little do they know Alice has her own secret reason for gathering them together…
The next morning the tenants receive terrible news. Is their first dinner party destined to be the last? With Wisteria House under threat, can they come together to save the one place that has only just started to feel like home? Or will they lose their little community just when they need it most?
This absolutely gorgeous, emotional and uplifting novel of finding friendship in the most unexpected of places is perfect for fans of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, Sally Page and Kate Storey.
What readers are saying about Sue Roberts:
‘OMG I loved this!! Gorgeous and glorious. I simply adore this… So absolutely beautiful… Perfect book!’ Loris2littlelibrary, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Absolutely fantastically gorgeous… I was absolutely devastated when I came to the end… I was truly whisked away… An absolutely gorgeous book!!… I absolutely adored.’ Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I absolutely LOVED, no make that ADORED reading… I was hooked… I was so addicted… I stayed up reading the book until the early hours of the morning… Made me laugh out loud and I got some strange looks on the bus for it.’ Ginger Book Geek, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I simply loved this book! A ray of sunshine during the two cloudy days that I read it… One of the best books I have ever read… I adored this.’ Bibbidi Bobbidi Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Gorgeous… Fantastic… lots of laugh-out-loud moments… I literally flew through the pages… I loved every minute… I was literally glued to my eReader for 3 consecutive days… Brilliant.’ The Cosiest Corner
‘Nothing is better… Fabulous, light-hearted fun.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
About Sue Roberts:
Sue was born in Liverpool and moved to Lancashire as a teenager where she has lived ever since. Her twelfth book ‘Theres something about Greece.’ was published on June 15, 2023, with another sunshine book published for August!
When not busy writing, Sue spends her time with her husband Derek, and her ever-growing brood of grandchildren! In her spare time, she enjoys walking, watching films, and travelling. Her first book, ‘My Big Greek Summer,’ was inspired by frequent visits to the Island of Rhodes in Greece. All Sue’s books are available from Amazon in kindle and paperback format.
This was such a fun novel to read – so clever and engaging. Main character Greta wants her life to be different and finds a way to do that by visiting a magical coffee shop that puts her into the coffee commercials that she used to star in long ago. The premise reminded me a bit of the movie Pleasantville (which I also love!). Greta needs to learn that she doesn’t need magic to find happiness, but can make her own magic. I was thinking that this would be a good Hallmark movie and I see that her previous novel was made into a Hallmark movie!
A fun read – thank you for having me as part of the tour and for my copy!
Phaedra Patrick is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, which has been translated into twenty-five languages worldwide. Her second novel, Rise and Shine Benedict Stone, was made into a Hallmark movie. An award-winning short story writer, she previously studied art and marketing and has worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organizer and communications manager. Phaedra lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her family.
Book Summary:
Greta Perks was once the shining star of the iconic Maple Gold coffee commercials, everyone’s favorite TV wife and mom. Now fame has faded, that once-glittering career a distant memory. Her marriage is on the rocks, her teenage daughter is distant, and she can’t even book any acting jobs.
When Greta stumbles upon a mysterious coffee shop serving a magical brew, she wishes for the perfect life in those past Maple Gold commercials. Next thing she knows, she’s waking up in the idyllic town of Mapleville, where the sun always shines and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and second chances fill the air. Given the opportunity to live the life she dreamed, Greta is determined to rewrite her own script. But can life ever be like a coffee commercial? And what will happen when Greta has to choose between perfection and real life, with no turning back?
I truly enjoy this “Secret Detective Agency” series, so I was thrilled to be part of the blog tour for the latest installment, Murder Most British.
Here’s the scoop:
Big Ben chiming in the distance, chilly walks along the river Thames, cocktails at the Ritz… and a government secretary dead? Only Jane Treen can solve the case!
London, 1941. Miss Jane Treen is faced with another mysterious disappearance within her Secret Detective Agency’s team. Tabitha Moore, a government typist, was on her way to meet Jane with vital information about some secret codes. But she didn’t turn up for work and has seemingly vanished without trace. Then Jane and her colleague, handsome codebreaker Arthur Cilento, receive a call: a body has been found, and it matches Tabitha’s description…
It quickly becomes clear that Tabitha’s death was not due to ongoing air raids on the city: the silk scarf tied tightly around her neck suggests otherwise. The prime suspect is Tabitha’s fiancé Leo Cavendish, a dashing government official, but there are plenty of others with a motive too. Jane and Arthur scrutinise those around Tabitha at work and at home, including a charming newsreader reporting on government affairs, a jealous pianist in love with Leo, and a known womaniser and gambler fond of causing trouble.
Together, Jane, Arthur and her fluffy ginger cat Marmaduke hole up in her London townhouse, with black coffee in plentiful supply and a roaring fire in the grate. But just as they begin to piece together the puzzle, someone else is found dead. It’s clear they need to step up and catch the killer on the loose in the big smoke, before it’s their turn next…
If you love twisty crime novels, top-secret intrigue and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Helena Dixon’s totally gripping cozy novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright!
Here’s a bit about Helena Dixon:
Helena Dixon is a Black Country woman living in Devon. Married to the same man for over forty years she has three daughters, two grandsons, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon. She now writes historical 1930’s and 40’s set cozy crime. Helena enjoys hearing from readers and you can read her news and contact her via her website, visit her blog, find her on Twitter/X @NellDixon and friend her on Facebook or follow her on instagram or Threads.
I think I love this series so much because it, in part, reminds me of the Maggie Hope series by Susan MacNeal. I always love a plucky, intelligent heroine!
Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!
I love these Ally McKinley cozy mysteries! This one was about a murder at a writer’s retreat (loved how the murder happened right away! That pulls you in!). I did NOT figure it out before the end and enjoyed this installment.
You don’t need to read them in order (but I did). I always appreciate having a protagonist who is “mature” and not a 20-something, too.
Thank you for my copy!!
Book Description:
Welcome back to the tiny Highland village of Locharran, where Ally McKinley – guesthouse owner and accidental detective – is about to stumble upon another dead body… and her next case.
When Ally McKinley hears that well-known novelist Jodi Jones is going to host a writers’ retreat at the hotel just down the road, she’s delighted to offer rooms at her little guesthouse for some of the attendees. Ally is thrilled to join the group for one of their first sessions – but the retreat has barely begun before she finds the famous writer strangled in the ladies’ bathroom!
The cake tin and teapot come out at the little guesthouse in the Highlands as Ally begins to question her bookish guests. Accusations of plagiarism and infidelity start flying and it’s clear that more than one of the retreat attendees had a grudge against Jodi. But could any of them have resorted to murder?
When Ally discovers a diary in Jodi’s bedroom at the guesthouse with several pages ripped out of it, she thinks she’s close to cracking the case. But the plot thickens when another of the aspiring writers is found dead, only hours after she said she knew the identity of Jodi’s killer.
Not only is the murderer still in Locharran, they’re desperate to stop Ally getting to the truth. With her faithful puppy Flora by her side, can Ally unravel the clues and solve the mystery before she’s written out of the story for good?
A totally gripping and bookish cozy mystery set in the Scottish Highlands from bestselling author Dee MacDonald. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Clare Chase.
Author Bio:
Aged 18, Dee arrived in London from Scotland and typed her way round the West End for a couple of years before joining BOAC (forerunner of British Airways) in Passenger Services for 2 years and then as a stewardess for 8 years.
She has worked in Market Research, Sales and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise.
Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70!
I love Sarah Ackerman’s novels, so I was excited to get this new one (coming out in September 2025) through Net Galley. This tells three different stories that intertwine and are based on a historical event: the death of Mrs. Leland Stanford (of Stanford University).
I found this story so engaging and so fantastic that I had to do some research afterwards to see what had occurred in real life. I had never heard about this event before and found it fascinating. Historical fiction is such a great way to experience past events and other’s take on them. I highly recommend this one to those who enjoy historical fiction and historical mystery.
Here’s the scoop:
Description
From USA Today bestselling author Sara Ackerman comes a spellbinding dual-timeline novel set at Honolulu’s iconic Moana Hotel, where a real-life mysterious death in 1905 collides with a writer’s search for the truth one hundred years later. For fans of Ariel Lawhon and Fiona Davis
1905 As the mother of a university and a woman with an iron will, Jane Stanford has made her share of enemies. After a scare at her mansion in San Francisco and on the advice of her doctor, she flees to Honolulu and the fashionable new Moana hotel. But as fate would have it, the island is not as safe as it seems.
2005 Zoe Finch is a bestselling author who desperately needs a jump start on her next novel, and she makes a split decision to attend a writers’ conference at the Moana under an assumed name. As a storm brews offshore, she begins having nightmares that feel hauntingly real. Terrified, Zoe enlists the help of mystery writer Dylan Winters and, over the course of the week, races to uncover the shocking truth of what happened in the hotel one hundred years ago almost to the day.
1905 ‘Iliahi Baldwin’s life changes the moment she lands a job at the Moana. Newly hired and reeling from a tragic loss, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the formidable Jane Stanford upon her arrival, which leaves young ‘Ili devastated when the unthinkable happens. ‘Ili knows things, but there are powerful people who need the truth to remain hidden, and to cross them could prove disastrous.
Inspired by the incredible true story of one of America’s most mysterious deaths, this is an unforgettable tale of betrayal and secrets that still echoes through the years.
More captivating stories from Sara Ackerman:
The Maui Effect
The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West
The Codebreaker’s Secret
Radar Girls
Red Sky Over Hawaii
The Lieutenant’s Nurse
Island of Sweet Pies & Soldiers
Thank you for my copy! Fun fact: I have stayed at the Moana! But I was not in Room 120.
I loved this sweet and touching novel, focusing on several main characters whose paths are inter-related. Each one has their own journey in this story and each one is what I can “perfectly imperfect”. This one is bound to be one of my favorite reads this summer. I’d love to see it made into a film!
Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!
Here’s the scoop:
The Second Chance Bus Stop
Ally Zetterberg
On Sale Date: August 19, 2025
9780778387626
Trade Paperback
$18.99 USD
352 pages
ABOUT THE BOOK:
For fans of Frederik Backman and Phaedra Patrick, a heartfelt and moving multiple POV tale that follows Sophia, who’s trying to save her favorite uncle’s flower shop; Blade, a devoted son looking for his mother’s long lost love; and Edith, who’s trying to hold on to her memories for as long as she can, from Ally Zetterberg, author of The Happiness Blueprint.
Edith has Alzheimer’s. The idea that she might someday forget her son, her life, even herself plagues her constantly. So there is something important she must do before the disease robs her of her memories: she has to find Sven, the love of her life whom she was supposed to meet on a bus stop bench twenty-seven years ago and run off with, but he never showed.
Her son, Blade, is struggling to keep an eye on her, to keep her safe. His mother’s full-time caregiver, he resents the fact, if he’s being honest, that he gave up his career and most of his life to look after her. But what wouldn’t he do for his mother? Track down her decades old flame so that she has a chance to finally understand why he never showed all those years ago, before her mind fails her? Sure, he can do that.
Sophia is desperately trying to keep her business afloat. Her uncle — her favorite person in the world — left his flower shop to her and her brothers after he died, but she seems to be the only one interested in keeping it; they would rather sell. But she can’t let that happen, can’t let the memory of him and the times they shared fade away. All she has to do is land a big job, big enough to show her family not only is the business worth saving but she’s the one to do it. So when an opportunity comes along that takes her all over Sweden, she can’t say no.
They say life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. While Edith is desperately trying to hold on to her memories, she discovers friendship in a young woman who sits with her daily at the bus stop. While Blade is looking high and low all across Sweden for Sven, he learns to embrace his relationship with his mother more fully and see her for everything she is and is not. While Sophia is fighting to keep her uncle’s dream alive, she comes to terms with the way her parents treated her as a child, and the therapies forced upon her in response to her autism diagnosis. Life is happening all around them, and it’s a delight to watch these different stories unfold, to watch how their lives change, all while they were busy with something else. And much like with life, there’s so much good to be found in these pages.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ally Zetterberg is a British-Swedish writer. She spent ten years working internationally as a fashion model before becoming a full-time mum. Being neurodivergent herself and the mother of a child with Type 1 Diabetes, she is passionate about writing relatable characters and representing those living with medical conditions in commercial fiction. She speaks four languages and spends her days doing her best not to muddle them up.
I have SO MANY books that I’m trying to read this summer and Harper-Collins has a lot of great reads out this summer under their HTP imprint.
Today I’m covering The Dead Come to Stay by Brandy Stillace. This was a solid cozy mystery that I did NOT figure out! I liked the characters, especially the protagonist Jo, and this book is part of a series (though I read it as a standalone, which was fine). Jo is neurodivergent, a characteristic which is often underrepresented in adult novels, so this made this novel stand out to me even more.
A delightful new cozy crime novel from the award-winning author of the “twisty, engaging, and thoroughly unexpected” (Deanna Raybourne) The Framed Women of Ardemore House An amateur autistic sleuth. A wry English detective. A murder case that thrusts them both into the wealthy world of the rare artifacts trade…
Jo Jones can’t seem to catch a break. Trading in city life for the cozy, peaceful hills of North Yorkshire to take over her family estate should have been a chance for a “fresh start.” Instead, she’s been driven further into the past than she thought possible — and not just her own. The estate property is littered with traces of ancestors that Jo never knew existed, including the mysterious woman in a half-destroyed painting – and hints about Jo’s late uncle, who may hold the key to her cryptic family history. Then there’s the gossipy town politics Jo must constantly navigate as a neurodivergent transplanted American… And of course, the whole murder business.
When prickly town detective James MacAdams discovers a body in the moors with coincidental ties to Jo Jones, they’re forced to team up on the case. The clues will lead them into the wealthiest locales of Yorkshire, from sparkling glass hotels to luxury property sites to elite country clubs. But below the glittering surfaces, Jo and MacAdams discover darker schemes brewing. Local teens, many of them international refugees, are disappearing left and right, and each case is somehow linked to a shady architectural firm — which also happened to employ the dead man from the moor-side ditch.
What begins as bizarre murder case quickly plunges them both into the black market world of rare artifacts and antique trading… and a murderer who will do anything to cover it up.
About the Author:
BRANDY SCHILLACE is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher. She is the creator of Peculiar Book Club, a twice-monthly live-streamed YouTube show. A former professor of English and gothic literature, she writes about gender politics and history, medical mystery, and neurodiversity for outlets such as Scientific American, Wired, CrimeReads, and Medium. She is also autistic, though has not (to her knowledge) been a suspect in a murder investigation.
Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!
Beth's Book-Nook Blog 