Close Up by Amanda Quick

If you’d like to know more about my love for Amanda Quick and Burning Cove, here’s a review from May 2020 for book 4 in the Burning Cove series. Enjoy!

Available Now

Book 4 of the Burning Cove series

I have a longtime relationship with the author that goes by so many names: Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Jayne Castle. When I learned I was pregnant with my son, I was already off for the summer and took “resting” to a whole new level. I started at the beginning of the Jayne Ann Krentz shelf at the Library and worked my way, one to two books per day, through the Library’s entire collection. When I exhausted that section, I found her other pen names and worked my way through them. When I discovered that she did three book arcs throughout all three pen names, I had to start those over and read them as trilogies. I have an entire shelf in my private library dedicated to signed copies I ordered from Seattle bookstores. She doesn’t know it, but I love her.

I know exactly what I’m getting when I pick up one of her books and this book did not disappoint.

Close Up by Amanda Quick is the fourth installment in the Burning Cove series. Vivian Brazier is a talented photographer with dreams of becoming a famous art photographer. When her wealthy family cuts financial ties with her after walking away from a respectable and lucrative marriage proposal, Vivian is forced to take portrait appointments and crime scene photos to pay the bills. The mysterious Dagger Killer is on the loose and Vivian's crime scene photos provide insight to the local police force but also place Vivian in grave danger. When a private investigator named Nick Sundridge, and his gentle giant of a dog Rex, show up on her doorstep and declare her life is in danger, Vivian is not only shocked, but also not really surprised. With some reassurances from a police detective, Vivian and Nick work together to expose the threat against at Vivian and also, to expose the attraction between them.

I'm a longtime reader of Amanda Quick and have enjoyed all of the different story lines that are woven together to create the Arcane Society world. In Close Up, Quick provides us more clues to the range of psychical gifts found in certain people and the their connections to different members of the Society. Devoted readers of Quick, and her other pseudonyms, will not be disappointed in this high stakes adventure full of 1930's glamour, set in the highbrow world of the arts.

Interested in your own copy? You can get yours here:












More in the Burning Cove series:



Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own.





Comfort Reads: The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick

Available now

Content Notes: a list of content notes can be found at The StoryGraph

Back in the summer of 2007, I was pregnant, off for the summer, and decided to take things very easy. After losing our first pregnancy just a few months previously, I wasn’t willing to take any risks and spent that summer reading as many books as I possibly could. I finally went to our closest library only to discover that wasn’t where I was supposed to get my library card and after successfully acquiring said library card from the correct library, discovered Amanda Quick. Quick, the historical romance pen name of Jayne Ann Krentz, became my obsession that summer. I read them all. Every single title the library, and the surrounding libraries, had. I read through the trilogies that spanned time and pen names. Books set in the 1800’s written by Amanda Quick. Contemporaries written by Jayne Ann Krentz. Futuristic paranormals written by Jayne Castle. These books all contain her core story: an independent and ambitious woman saves herself from danger with the help of a handsome and grumpy man who has a complicated and tragic past. Some are incredibly dated, pretty sexist, and, with a lot of love, formulaic. But, I still love them and will continue to read them.

I have shelves of signed books and preorder swag. Whenever I find a hardcover in one of those bargain bins at Menards, seriously the best part of the store, I always buy them. Sometimes you just need a book that is going to go exactly as you know it will. No surprises, no new and exciting ideas. Just a book that brings a smile when you realize that you hit that point in the book, just like you knew you would. The books where they always say the whole name of a town or hotel every single time it’s brought up. The books where the villain always spills their guts as they’re about to harm the main characters. The books where everyone is so concerned about High Society and it’s Expectations. The books that make you chuckle every time you realize you could play a bingo card off the tropes. I love it all.

When I was prepping everything for my hysterectomy last week, I knew I would need an audiobook that I would enjoy but also not really need to pay attention to. Something that would keep me entertained but also not one that required 100% of my focus because hello, pain and pain meds are kind of known to be distracting.

So what did I pick? Wow, it’s in the title folks.

Book 7 of the Burning Cover series, The Bride Wore White, brings us the story of Prudence Ryland, aka Madame Ariadne, a psychic dream consultant who is obsessed with tea. (They all are. Every single heroine.) When a client mysteriously dies after a consultation, Prudence packs her bags and heads to Burning Cove to start a new life away from the suspicions of the tightly knit psychic community and the high society clientele they serve. There, mysterious circumstances cause her to enlist the help of Luther Pell and his investigator Jack Wingate. Together, Prudence and Jack race against time to uncover the threat against her and of course, fall madly in love with each other.

It was everything I could have hoped for! It truly was. Prudence does have real psychic powers and once in Burning Cove, goes on to get a job as a Librarian in an academic library where she quickly discovers she has a great talent in working with psychic research and materials. So of course she becomes obsessed with Jack’s manuscript on criminal profiling. Jack had a disastrous ending to his previous case which left him scarred and with horrible nightmares. With so much love, of course the psychic dream consultant falls hard for the grumpy handsome guy with nightmares! Truly, this book was exactly what I needed, when I needed it. The perfect comfort read.

If you’re interested in checking out this series, know that people from previous books show up, but you can definitely read all of them as stand-alone novels. If you haven’t read her Arcane Society novels, I highly, highly recommend them. The way the characters are woven together across time always makes for fun cameos and were an absolute nightmare to shelve at the Library.

I hope this book brings you as many smiles as it did me.

If you’d like to add this book to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information. I listened to my copy through Libby from my library.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.


The September House by Carissa Orlando

Available now

Content notes can be found at The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 
Margaret is not most people. 
Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September is just around the corner, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

This book! I listened to it on audio and was instantly hooked. It’s so refreshing to have a middle aged female main character who is so interesting and intelligent and refuses to be made into a victim. Margaret is such an absolute force of calm, reasoned thinking that it’s almost disconcerting how easily she adjusts to the quirks of her dream home. Now, I fully understand that her devastating and painful past has shaped her into the woman she is, but she really comes across as a woman who knows herself and her ability to handle any situation. Literally, any situation.

The writing in this novel is absolutely incredible. I was instantly invested in the characters, especially the mystery of the house and it’s “pranksters” in just the first few chapters. Margaret narrates our tale of horror and supernatural suspense and do so in the most casual and light hearted way. The narrator, Kimberly Farr, was perfect as the voice of Margaret. My husband caught the last two hours of the book while we completed some home projects and stopped several times to comment how flippant Margaret seemed to be about actual horrors happening before her eyes.

Evenly paced with a balanced mix of plot and character development, flashbacks to Margaret’s early years of marriage and raising her daughter provide a very heartbreaking, but important insight to her ability to always be a survivor. And the way she has fallen in love with the house! I felt that on a visceral level.

I absolutely loved this book. I listened to all 13.5 hours over just two days because I couldn’t put it down. If you’d like to add this incredible novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

While you wait for Bethany Baptiste’s The Poisons We Drink to come in May, check out this magical adventure also set in an alternate reality where magic is real and once again, the fate of the world rests in the hands of a teenager. This was originally posted in July 2021.

Available Now

I am a sucker for any book with “library” in the title. Add in “the dead” and I’m instantly intrigued. It’s science. 

Set in a complex and strange near future, The Library of the Dead, is a genre-bending mix of fantasy, post-apocalyptic dystopia and mystery. With all that it has going on, it would be easy to stray off course, but Huchu keeps the story tight and the characters never stray from the world’s rules that have been crafted for them. 

After losing their home, Ropa, along with her sister and grandmother move into their caravan and are barely making ends meet. With her grandmother’s ailing eyesight and her sister still being quite young, it’s up to Ropa to make enough money relaying messages from the dead to the families they left behind. It’s also up to Ropa to run all errands, maintain the caravan, and protect her family. Needless to say, Ropa has a lot of responsibility and it is really, really starting to wear on her. But, Ropa is also incredibly smart and loyal and does all she can to protect her grandmother and sister from the stress. 

When a deceased mother begs for Ropa to find her missing son, Ropa is more than hesitant to take on a non-paying job. But as mysterious occurrences around town begin to point to a larger child abduction operation, Ropa quickly realizes that if she doesn’t help the children, no one will. It’s through her investigation that Ropa discovers her best friend Jomo has begun to work at a private and prestigious Library. When she convinces him to sneak her in so she can utilize the Library for her investigation, the two are quickly caught and Ropa has somehow defied a death sentence to become a member of the mysterious Library. Upon meeting Priya, a powerful healer who herself is confined to a magical wheelchair, Ropa finds a fast and loyal friend. But as much as Ropa would love to lose herself in the immense collection of occult knowledge found within the Library, she has bills to pay and missing children to find. 

Ropa’s sharp instincts and keen intellect save her from one near death experience after another. I was immediately drawn to her no-nonsense attitude and fierce love for her family and friends. Ropa’s world is similar to our own, full of economic disparity and power imbalances. Even the magical power and knowledge is reserved for those with wealth and connections. Ropa has no problem with pointing out the unfairness of it all and it’s her lack of refinement, and amazing courage,  that let her get by with calling out the members of the Library for their unwillingness to help her find the missing children. But Ropa does find a few allies within the Library and I really hope that books are written in this world so we can find out more about the Library’s history and I would love to see how much change Ropa could bring as she gets older and more powerful in her magical ability. 

I thoroughly enjoyed The Library of the Dead and if you are interested in adding this wonderful adventure to your shelves, you can find ordering information here:

 
 




This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 




The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Available Now

Interested in a book similar to The London Séance Society? Look no further than one of Sarah Penner’s other books that I love! This was previously posted in March of 2021.

In a secret apothecary shop, Nella spends her days providing simple cures for her neighbors as a cover for her more secret services. The women in the area know who to come to for help with abusive and oppressive husbands, and Nella saves those services only for women. When a young woman seeks help for her mistress, Nella’s apothecary services are put in danger. 

In the present day, Caroline finds herself in London celebrating her tenth wedding anniversary alone. On a whim, she joins a mudlarking group combing the banks of the Thames and discovers a unique apothecary bottle. As her historian instincts kick in, Sarah finds herself lost in the research of the bottle’s origins, she discovers the truth behind the bottle and the truth about herself. 

Lushly told through alternating timelines, The Lost Apothecary is a beautiful blend of history, mystery, and the dark secrets of women and medicine. Caroline’s journey of self discovery blended beautifully with the dark tale of Nella’s apothecary. The Lost Apothecary also highlights the value of female friendships. Nella rescues Eliza from the gaze of her employer through an apprenticeship at the apothecary and Caroline strikes up a friendship with the Librarian who helps her research the bottle’s origins and reignite her spark for history and academia. Through those friendships, the women find the strength they need to make life-altering decisions for themselves. 

Combining the history of London with the history of Nella’s apothecary, Penner provides a gripping story of women’s survival. Whether it be an abusive marriage, a brutish employer, or a cheating and manipulative spouse, all three women survive and learn to grow within their own new realities.  

I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves history, a good mystery, and tales of found family and deep friendship.  Nella’s story was really interesting and while I know she was helping commit murder, it was very easy to find sympathy for all involved. Except the men. They really should have been nicer. Caroline’s story running parallel to Nella’s did feel a little too on the nose at times, but overall, her marriage difficulties were easy to relate too. Nothing had ever really gone Caroline’s way and all of her major life decisions were to help her family or husband. Her husband was a major jerk and I was so proud of her every time she stood up for herself and did something she wanted to do. Overall, this was a very interesting blend of genres and I really liked it. Also, isn’t that most gorgeous cover? I love the color choices and since I have a new office to decorate, this cover is starting to spark some inspiration.

If you want to add this book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

 




Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.




The London Séance Society: A Novel by Sarah Penner

Available now

CW: a comprehensive list can be found on The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. With shared determination, the women find companionship that perhaps borders on something more. And as they team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

Reader Friends, this book is absolutely captivating! It’s lushly written with interesting and engaging characters and the setting is well developed and richly described. Penner does a great job of keeping you guessing with both the mystery behind Evie’s death and an even broader mystery that encompasses nearly everyone in the story. It truly has a little bit of everything: a mystery, a love story, betrayal, the supernatural, and some good ol’ female rage. It’s a book that I wanted to make time to read and I still find myself, weeks later, thinking about the characters.

Once again, this is a Book of the Month pick that I held on to for way too long; although I’ve come to consider these my “Break in Case of Emergency” books. This was from Mach of 2023 and since I enjoyed The Lost Apothecary so much, I knew it was going to be a good one.

If you’d like to add this gorgeous book to your shelf, you can click on the cover above for more ordering information. If you’re interested in Book of the Month, that I use my own real money on, you can use my referral link to get a great deal for yourself, and a free book for me. As always, check your local library for these gems and recommend the title if they don’t carry it.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Sign Here by Claudia Lux

Available now

CW: Click here for a comprehensive list available on The StoryGraph

This book is another “Why Did I Wait So Long To Read” Book of the Month pick. You would think that a book set on the fifth floor of Hell would be an immediate read for me and you would be correct. But like many people, I sometimes like to save a book that I know is perfect because it’s my favorite way to get out of a reading slump. And yes, this book did just that.

Peyote Trip works in the Deals Department on the fifth floor of Hell. Surrounded by pens that don’t work, annoying coworkers, endless paperwork, and Jagermeister as the only alcohol available, it’s actually a pretty good job. Peyote is set to land his first Complete Set, a major accomplishment in his line of work. While we follow Peyote on his quest to complete this goal, we are introduced to the Harrison family, the family that will give Peyote his first Complete Set. Silas and Lily Harrison are high school sweethearts who are raising their two children, Mickey and Sean. When the Harrison’s go on their annual summer vacation at the family’s vacation home, they bring along Mickey’s new best friend Ruth.

No one was prepared for Ruth.

Like so many young, wealthy families, things aren’t always picture perfect. Secrets and lies, both on Earth and in Hell, threaten to tear everyone apart and upend their lives.

I absolutely adore this book! I love quirky books with interesting settings and characters who are…pretty awful. And these characters are pretty darn awful. Considering Peyote is working in Hell, we can only assume he made some questionable choices in life. I’m not judging, apparently someone else did that for us…but he actually seems like a nice guy. I thought it was quite interesting how kind and helpful he was to Calamity even though he was residing in the literally the worst place ever. I really enjoyed all of the quirks of Hell and the wonky things that went on there. Pens never work, radios only play your most hated genres of music, and the only drink sold in bars is Jagermeister and Peyote just rolled with it all. Meanwhile on Earth, the Harrison family is harboring all sorts of awful secrets. Told from multiple POVs, this fast paced story really kept me guessing and there were a few twists I did not see coming.
I found this book to be darkly humorous, imaginative and wildly entertaining. This was an incredible debut and I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.

If you’d like to add this amazing novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover above for ordering information. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge

Available now

Ages 8-12, 288 pages

I was first introduced to Aldridge’s work with his graphic novel Estranged. The Kid selected that one during one of our many bookstore runs and I fell instantly in love with his art style. When I saw the news about Deephaven, I immeadiately went to all the usual ARC request sites and placed my request. Yes, I was sent an advanced digital copy and yes, life got in the way and I’m late getting the review out.

From the Publisher:

When Guinevere "Nev’" Tallow receives an acceptance letter to Deephaven Academy, an exclusive and secluded school, they know it’s the fresh start that they’ve been looking for.

But things are strange from the moment they arrive—the house itself seems to breathe, students whisper secrets in dark corridors, and the entire east wing of the academy is locked away for reasons no one wants to explain. And Nev knows something strange and ragged stalks the shadowy corridors, something that sobs quietly and scratches at the walls, waiting to be released.

With the help of another first-year student, Nev takes it upon themself to unravel the mysteries hidden in Deephaven's halls. But will they risk their fresh start to bring the academy’s secret to light?

Deephaven is a beautifully written coming of age story set in a magical boarding school. If you have a young fantasy reader in your life, this book is a perfect addition to their bookshelf. It's the perfect balance of compelling story, quiet character development, and a gentle spookiness perfect for young readers. There are several parts that involve some fantasy violence and scariness, but it’s all age appropriate and written with care for the readers.

You can feel the love and care Aldridge has put into his characters and their story. Nev is struggling with a complicated home life and knows that Deephaven could be their way to a happier life. But with a fresh start comes other complications that many readers will readily identify with: finding new friends, the stress of a new environment, and wanting to fit in. Anyone who has been the new kid knows how scary that can be.

I loved this book and if you want to add it your shelf, you can click on the cover above, or here, for ordering information.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may also contain associate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg

Narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb, Graham Halstead, and Nicholas Boulton

Available now

CW: murder, child abuse. It is kept pretty brief and matter of fact, with the majority of the story being quite light, but there are a handful of violent scenes.

I don’t remember adding this to my KU library but Past Me has excellent taste! This book was the perfect field mowing companion and I immeadiately downloaded the second book in the series as soon as I finished it. It’s so sweet, a little silly, and incredibly compelling. If you’re looking for a light, magical, cozy fantasy read with a dash of romance, this book is perfect.

From the Publisher:

Rhode Island, 1846. Estranged from his family, writer Merritt Fernsby is surprised when he inherits a remote estate in the Narragansett Bay. Though the property has been uninhabited for more than a century, Merritt is ready to call it home—until he realizes he has no choice. With its doors slamming shut and locking behind him, Whimbrel House is not about to let Merritt leave. Ever.

Hulda Larkin of the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms has been trained in taming such structures in order to preserve their historical and magical significance. She understands the dangers of bespelled homes given to tantrums. She advises that it’s in Merritt’s best interest to make Whimbrel House their ally. To do that, she’ll need to move in, too.

Prepared as she is with augury, a set of magic tools, and a new staff trained in the uncanny, Hulda’s work still proves unexpectedly difficult. She and Merritt grow closer as the investigation progresses, but the house’s secrets run deeper than they anticipated. And the sentient walls aren’t their only concern—something outside is coming for the enchantments of Whimbrel House, and it could be more dangerous than what rattles within.

It’s so good! This one is hard not to spoil, so apologies for the brief and excited squealing. Keeper of Enchanted Rooms is incredibly fun. It begins with dual narratives. One is from a wealthy wizard who has a tragic childhood and the other is Merritt Fernsby, bachelor writer who inherits Whimbrel House. The magic found within Whimbrel House is quite whimsical in the beginning, balancing out the darkness of the story of our tortured wizard. There is a light romantic element that is full of pining and Great Concern for Propriety but isn’t the main focus of the story, more of a delightful bonus. There is delightful banter amongst all the characters, as well as some found family elements. The magic system, widely known to all in the world, is simple and easy to follow and provides some great comedic moments. Hulda holds an important and respected position within the BIKER, the magical agency that oversees enchanted homes. I love a heroine with an interesting job and Hulda definitely has an interesting job! She’s incredibly competent and I don’t remember her dealing with any type of patriarchal b.s. It could be there, but I don’t remember. Quite refreshing, to be honest.

I found the Keeper of Enchanted Rooms to be delightful and engrossing story with a fantastic mystery. I listened to the audio version and the performances were absolutely fantastic. If you would like to add this magical mystery to your shelf, you can click on the cover above, or here, for ordering information.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Available now

Reader Friends, sometimes I pull a bonehead move so bonehead it surprises even me. This delightfully horrifying book came out in March, which I read in January, and I didn’t tell you about it! Seriously?

From the Publisher:

"Mom seems off."

Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

As always, T. Kingfisher knocks it out of the park. Kingfisher has this way of making a book incredibly funny and incredibly scary all at the same time. The characters are remarkably relatable which makes the book even scarier. Sam is just an ordinary person who is going to visit her mom. It’s so ordinary! But what’s not ordinary is the way her mother has redecorated the house, ridding it of the eclectic clutter and replacing it with boring white walls and unsettling family portraits of unlikeable relatives. And the jar of teeth. The jar of teeth is definitely not ordinary.

The longer Sam stays with her mother, the more the house feels wrong and the more Sam becomes convinced that something is trying to harm them. And she’s not wrong. But it’s so easy to brush many of the experiences off, which is the scariest part to me! Kingfisher’s skill at making the mundane horrifying is a sight to behold.

It’s such a fun reading experience to have a book be both incredibly dark and unsettling, as well as genuinely funny and relatable. I found the story to be incredibly compelling and fast paced. The mystery was well plotted and all of the characters were fantastic.

If you would like to add this dark and twisted tale to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information.

As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

Available now

From the Publisher:

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She's always lied to fit in, so if she's straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don't belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can't ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves cryptic warnings: Don't eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house--the home they have always wanted--will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house's rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

Look at that cover! Isn’t it incredible!

This book comes to you from not just me, but also recommend by my two fabulous, real-life teenage interns at the Library! It’s definitely one of the most compelling, horrifying, and imaginative books I’ve read this summer. It delves into the complexities of colonialism, identity, belonging, and intergenerational trauma. Jade is a very complex character that is dealing with SO MUCH. Her relationship with her father is strained even more with her bargain to stay in Vietnam with him for the summer in exchange for tuition money. She’s scared to come out to her mother but also wants to live her life as she wishes. She feels the need to protect her siblings as much as she possibly can. She also has a house that is actively trying to do her harm. You know, life stuff.

It’s beautifully written, incredibly compelling, and very fast paced. The highly descriptive writing makes you feel like you are right beside Jade as she’s learning more about her ancestors and the horrors they faced. Also, don’t read this book hungry! The food descriptions alone are worth reading for. I learned so much about Vietnamese culture from this book and for that, I’m so grateful.

I loved this book, as did my fabulous interns, and if you want to add it to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Pride Reads: Fantasy Quickie: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available now

CW: homophobia, magical violence, aversion therapy

Even Though I Knew the End is a magically charged noir thriller that doesn’t hold any punches. Helen, a private investigator and warlock who sold her soul to save her brother’s life, is quietly putting her affairs in order so Edith, her longtime love, will be able to live out her dream of moving to California. When someone offers her one last job-a job that could get Helen her soul back, she can’t refuse.

Discovering the identity of the White City Vampire, a prolific and magical serial killer, places Helen and everyone she loves in danger. Helen and Edith race against time to save their lives, their souls, and their love.

Coming it at just 133 pages in the print version, Polk does a masterful job at creating an interesting and intricate alternate 1930’s Chicago. There’s romance, pain, magic, mystery, and a stark look at the hate and discrimination the queer community faced then, and now. It’s a brilliant story that I hope becomes the start of a new magical mystery series.

Grab our tissues, you’re going to need them.

If you’d like to add this magical sapphic mystery to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.


As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Fantasy Quickie: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

Available now

CW: homophobia, magical violence, aversion therapy

Even Though I Knew the End is a magically charged noir thriller that doesn’t hold any punches. Helen, a private investigator and warlock who sold her soul to save her brother’s life, is quietly putting her affairs in order so Edith, her longtime love, will be able to live out her dream of moving to California. When someone offers her one last job-a job that could get Helen her soul back, she can’t refuse.

Discovering the identity of the White City Vampire, a prolific and magical serial killer, places Helen and everyone she loves in danger. Helen and Edith race against time to save their lives, their souls, and their love.

Coming it at just 133 pages in the print version, Polk does a masterful job at creating an interesting and intricate alternate 1930’s Chicago. There’s romance, pain, magic, mystery, and a stark look at the hate and discrimination the queer community faced then, and now. It’s a brilliant story that I hope becomes the start of a new magical mystery series.

Grab our tissues, you’re going to need them.

If you’d like to add this magical sapphic mystery to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.


As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Mystery Quickie: Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

Available now:

CW: physical assault, homophobia, police brutality, suicidal ideation

It’s 1952 and Evander “Andy” Mills is in a tragic place when he meets a woman who not only knows his history, but sees it as the selling point in selecting him as the private investigator looking into the death of her beloved wife. Irene Lamontaine was the wealthy head of a fancy soap empire until her mysterious death at her home that her wife Pearl, believes was actually murder.

Entering Lavender House feels like walking into a fantasy. Andy struggles to believe that it’s possible to live a life as openly and freely as the family and staff of Lavender House. Everyone who lives and works at Lavender House is queer. Together, they have created a sanctuary where they can openly love and live together.

As Andy investigates Irene’s death, he is drawn in deeper and deeper into the intimate lives of the family and the Lamontaine empire and discovers a world full of secrets.

I was instantly swept up in the beauty of Rosen’s writing. The characters are written with such love and care that you can feel their hearts breaking over and over again as they are faced with the discrimination and limitations that society throws at them. The story felt perfectly paced with enough twists and turns to keep you immersed in the mystery, but not so many as to feel contrived.

This is an excellent novel and I look forward to reading many more books from this author.

If you would like to add this incredible book to your collection, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe

Available now

CW: child abuse, parental death, suicide, drowning

Mourning the end of her marriage, Meredith comes back to the one place she never wanted to return. Cape Disappointment is haunted by the tragedy her family suffered generations ago, and by the animosity of the townspeople who have made their money on the tourists brought in by the ghost that haunts the water. Adding to Meredith’s already stressful life, her mother appears to be suffering from alzheimer’s and is caught up in delusions about the dangers of the water. Convinced the ghost stories are real, Meredith’s mother is consumed by the need to keep her daughter and granddaughter safe at any cost.

This is a gorgeously written and compelling slow burn gothic mystery. Told through multiple points of view across history, we learn of the tragedy that has shaped Meredith’s family over several generations. Monroe weaves one of my favorite types of story: is it a ghost or is it a delusion? I was immediately invested in the characters and their continued survival. It’s incredibly atmospheric. Set on the Pacific coast, Monroe’s descriptions of the beaches, lightowers, and the character’s greatest threat-the ocean-leaves you feeling cold and damp throughout the entire story. Meredith, along with her other female ancestors, felt a palpable connection to the water and whether it was real or not, that connection ruled their daily lives. Adding to the mysterious and otherworldly feel are the characters with supposed magical knowledge and workings that are used to keep generations of the family safe. I really love a story with women who make charms and know the power of nature to fend off ghostly nonsense. It’s one of my favorite tropes.

This is a fabulous book that I flew through in two days and couldn’t wait to read more of it. It’s creepy, atmospheric, mysterious, and has wonderfully developed characters. Highly recommend this if you like generational stories, women with magic, dark family secrets, and complicated characters.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can click here or on the book cover for ordering information.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

#BlogTour! Out of Her Depth by Lizzie Barber

Available July 12, 2022

Out of Her Depth 

Author: Lizzy Barber

ISBN: 9780778386445

Publication Date: July 12, 2022

Publisher: MiRA

Rachel lands her dream summer job at a luxurious Tuscan villa. She’s quickly drawn into a new group of rich and beautiful sophisticates and their world of partying, toxic relationships, and even more toxic substances. They’ve never faced consequences, are used to getting everything. But then someone goes too far. Someone dies. And nothing will ever be the same.

Lizzy Barber’s debut A Girl Named Anna won the Daily Mail First Novel Competition. In her newest and even more unputdownable work, she weaves a clever and deadly web of manipulation and desire. A summer thriller rife with back-stabbing, bed-hopping, and murder, Out of Her Depth is a perfect escapist read for fans of Euphoria, J.T. Ellison’s Her Dark Lies, or Rachel Hawkins’s Reckless Girls.

Before you judge me, remember this: a girl died, but it wasn’t my fault.

I know that seems like a pathetic confessional. Even more pathetic because the confession itself has, until this point, never been uttered.

I’ve wanted to. Believe me, I’ve wanted to.

The words have formed themselves on the precipice of my tongue, palpitating with their ugly need to be heard, to make me part of the narrative. To declare to the A-level students when I see it coming up on their news feeds, languorously debating it, now, once more, as it has risen into public consciousness twenty-one years after the fact: I was there.

When they stumble in late to my lesson, less eager to talk of the trapassato prossimo than about who fucked whom at last night’s social, and whether crimped hair really is making a comeback.

I was there.

When they blink at me from faces still etched with yesterday’s makeup, reeking of the top-shelf vodka and menthol cigarettes that their house mistresses will studiously ignore.

I was there.

When they declare they “really struggled with this week’s essay” so they only have notes, and they say, “About that C on the mock exam… Did you know my parents funded the library?” and they don’t even bother to wait for the response as they pull out their laptops and glance at their watches, and they think to themselves, Boring bitch has never lived.

I was there.

I imagine each letter incubating in the saliva that pools in the side of my gums. I picture myself standing, drawing the blinds. An illicit eyebrow raise that will make them pause, look up at me anew, place their laptops on the floor as I edge toward them.

Screw Dante. Let me tell you a real story about Florence.

..….

Read on for an excerpt from Out of Her Depth

Now

I am just leaving for dinner when I hear.

People talk of remembering exactly where they were when great events happened: Princess Di, the Twin Towers, Trump. I know this isn’t quite on the same scale, but I’ll remember exactly where I was, all the same.

I’ve had back-to-back lessons all day, but now, at last, I have an hour to myself, the only person left in the languages office. I spend it working on my paper “Pirandello and the Search for Truth” for the Modern Language Review, barely coming up for air. This is the part of academia I enjoy the most: the research, the pulling together of an idea, the rearranging of words and thoughts on the page until they start to take on a life of their own, form arguments, cohesion. I’m hoping that this will be the one they’ll finally agree to publish.

I am the only French and Italian teacher at Graybridge Hall, 

have been for the last ten years. When they decided to introduce Italian for the younger years, as well as the older students, I did suggest that perhaps now it would be time to look at hiring someone else. But Ms. Graybridge, the eponymous head—and third of that name to have held the position—reminded me that the school’s ethos was “personal and continuous care for every girl.” Which didn’t really make sense as a rebuttal, but which I knew was shorthand for no, and which she knew—because of certain circumstances under which I assumed my position in the first place—I wouldn’t argue with.

Not that I don’t enjoy teaching. Sometimes. “shaping young minds” and all that seems like it should be a worthy cause. When I was younger, much younger, I imagined maybe I would do a PhD, become a professor. I also thought about diplomatic service, traveling the world as a translator, journalism, maybe, why not? Instead I sit through mock orals on topics as ground-breaking as Food and Eating Out, Cinema and TV, and My Family.

My rumbling stomach is the first signal I have that evening is approaching, and when I tear myself away from my laptop screen to look at the darkening sky, I decide to ditch my planned root around in the fridge, and be sociable instead. Wednesday is quiz night at the pub near school. A group of teachers go every week, the little thrill they get as their cerebral cortexes light up with a correct answer just about making up for a day spent asking the girls to kindly not look at their Apple Watches until break, and maybe not take their makeup out of their Marc Jacobs backpacks until class is over just this once.

I close down my laptop and do a brisk tidy of the room before slipping on my coat and scarf, and am just about to slide my phone into my rucksack when an alert catches my eye—specifically, a name, bouncing out of the BBC News push notification, one I have avoided all thought of for a long while, as much out of circumstance as necessity.

Sebastian Hale.

I freeze in the doorway—phone clutched in my hand as preciously as though it were the Rosetta stone—and look again, not quite believing I saw it right, presuming perhaps it was just wishful thinking, a long hour of screen-staring playing tricks on my eyes, that could have conjured his name before me.

But there it is. That name. Those five syllables. The six vowels and seven consonants that have held more significance for me than any word or sentence written in my entire attempted academic career.

And next to them, three words that throw my whole world off kilter, that see me reaching for the door handle and wrenching it shut, all thoughts of dinner gone from my mind:

Sebastian Hale Appeal Proceeds Tonight.

I sit at my desk, lights off, face illuminated by the white glow of my phone screen, and read someone else’s report of the story I know so well. The story I have lived. I place the phone facedown on the desk, snuffing out its light, and press my palms into the woodwork. The feel of my flesh rubbing against the desk’s smooth surface grounds me, helps me process the report—think.

I knew there had been requests for appeals over the years, all denied by the Corte d’Assise d’Appello. A change of lawyer, probably hoping that new eyes on the case could find something that was missed. But they’ve all come to nothing. How did I miss this?

If he is retried, if there is any possibility that he might be released…everything would change.

After the initial trial, after my part was done and I could finally go home and resume the life I had worked so hard to live. I tried—I really, truly tried—to put it behind me.

That was what she did, after all, and I wanted to follow her lead. I have always wanted to follow her lead. But that time has never truly left me. Sometimes, it will take the smallest thing—the light filtering through a window just so, a particular kind of humid heat, walking past a patisserie and being hit with a waft of baked vanilla sweetness—and it all comes back to me with cut-glass clarity. The sound of our laughter ricocheting off ocher-colored walls. The clink of glasses and the taste of hot weather, raw red wine. The touch of sweat-dewed skin. The scent of pine. The giddy, delightful feeling of being young and happy and having the rest of our lives spooling out in front of us.

These are the good things—the things I want to remember.

The bad things…those I have no choice but to remember.

And now, at the sight of his name alone, I am instantly transported: flying on the wings of a deep déjà vu, away from the cold late-autumn day and the dusty corners of my tired office and back, back, back to that time—that summer.

To those gold-tinged days and months that crescendoed so spectacularly into those final, onyx hours.

To the start.

Buy Links:

BookShop.org

Harlequin 

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

Lizzy Barber studied English at Cambridge University. Having previously dabbled in acting and film development, she has spent the last ten years as head of marketing for a restaurant group. Her first novel, A Girl Named Anna, won the Daily Mail and Random House First Novel Prize. She lives in London with her family.

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @ByLizzyBarber

Facebook: @ByLizzyBarber

Instagram: @ByLizzyBarber

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Sci-fi Quickie: Drunk on All Your Strange Words by Eddie Robson

Available now

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is a fascinating and compelling take on first contact. Lydia is a translator for Fitz, the cultural attaché to Earth. Her job requires her to translate mentally with Fitz and the effects of this work leave her feeling drunk by the end of the day. While her job can be incredibly stressful, it pays well and her client is pleasant enough to work with. After a long night of translating at a prestigious event, Lydia wakes up to find her client murdered. Racing against the clock, Lydia must help to solve the murder and declare her innocence. But Lydia is haunted by the voice of Fitz and finds herself unable to trust anyone around her, including herself.

Absolutely fascinating and thrilling, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is a compelling and well-written sci-fi mystery. I really liked how the author centered the way Lydia and Fitz communicate, as well as all humans and Logi, and the intimacy that this kind of communication can develop. Lydia had Fitz in her head all the time, essentially reading each other’s thoughts without any way to lie or deceive one another. I found the mystery was well crafted and I definitely didn’t solve it before the end. Overall, this was a delightfully weird and fascinating book that I was very happy to spend a few hours with.

If you’d like a copy for your shelf, you can click on the cover for ordering information.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may also contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

#BlogTour! On A Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass

ON A QUIET STREET

Author: Seraphina Nova Glass

ISBN: 9781525899751

Publication Date: May 17, 2022

Publisher: Graydon House Books

A simple arrangement. A web of deceit with shocking consequences.

Welcome to Brighton Hills: an exclusive, gated community set against the stunning backdrop of the Oregon coast. Home to doctors, lawyers, judges--all the most upstanding members of society. Nothing ever goes wrong here. Right?

Cora's husband, Finn, is a cheater. She knows it; she just needs to prove it. She's tired of being the nagging, suspicious wife who analyzes her husband's every move. She needs to catch him in the act. And what better way to do that than to set him up for a fall?

Paige has nothing to lose. After she lost her only child in a hit-and-run last year, her life fell apart: her marriage has imploded, she finds herself screaming at baristas and mail carriers, and she's so convinced Caleb's death wasn't an accident that she's secretly spying on all everyone in Brighton Hills so she can find the murderer. So it's easy for her to entrap Finn and prove what kind of man he really is.

But Paige and Cora are about to discover far more than a cheating husband. What starts as a little agreement between friends sets into motion a series of events neither of them could have ever predicted, and that exposes the deep fault lines in Brighton Hills. Especially concerning their mysterious new neighbor, Georgia, a beautiful recluse who has deep, dark secrets of her own...

Read on for an excerpt from On A Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass

ONE

Paige

Paige stands, watering her marigolds in the front yard and marvels at how ugly they are. The sweet-potato-orange flowers remind her of a couch from the 1970s, and she suddenly hates them. She crouches down, ready to rip them from their roots, wondering why she ever planted such an ugly thing next to her pristine Russian sage, and then the memory steals her breath. The church Mother’s Day picnic when Caleb was in the sixth grade. Some moron had let the potato salad sit too long in the sun, and Caleb got food poisoning. All the kids got to pick a flower plant to give to their moms, and even though Caleb was puking mayonnaise, he insisted on going over to pick his flower to give her. He was so proud to hand it to her in its little plastic pot, and she said they’d plant it in the yard and they’d always have his special marigolds to look at. How could she have forgotten?

She feels tears rise in her throat but swallows them down. Her dachshund, Christopher, waddles over and noses her arm: he always senses when she’s going to cry, which is almost all the time since Caleb died. She kisses his head and looks at her now-beautiful marigolds. She’s interrupted by the kid who de-livers the newspaper as he rides his bike into the cul-de-sac and tosses a rolled-up paper, hitting little Christopher on his back.

“Are you a fucking psychopath?” Paige screams, jumping to her feet and hurling the paper back at the kid, which hits him in the head and knocks him off his bike.

“What the hell is wrong with you, lady?” he yells back, scrambling to gather himself and pick up his bike.

“What’s wrong with me? You tried to kill my dog. Why don’t you watch what the fuck you’re doing?”

His face contorts, and he tries to pedal away, but Paige grabs the garden hose and sprays him down until he’s out of reach. “Little monster!” she yells after him.

Thirty minutes later, the police ring her doorbell, but Paige doesn’t answer. She sits in the back garden, drinking coffee out of a lopsided clay mug with the word Mom carved into it by little fingers. She strokes Christopher’s head and examines the ivy climbing up the brick of the garage and wonders if it’s bad for the foundation. When she hears the ring again, she hollers at them.

“I’m not getting up for you people. If you need to talk to me, I’m back here.” She enjoys making them squeeze around the side of the house and hopes they rub up against the poi-son oak on their way.

“Morning, Mrs. Moretti,” one of the officers says. It’s the girl cop, Hernandez. Then the white guy chimes in. She hates him. Miller. Of course they sent Miller with his creepy mustache. He looks more like a child molester than a cop, she thinks. How does anyone take him seriously?

“We received a complaint,” he says.

“Oh, ya did, did ya? You guys actually looking into cases these days? Actually following up on shit?” Paige says, still petting the dog and not looking at them.

“You assaulted a fifteen-year-old? Come on.”

“Oh, I did no such thing,” she snaps.

Hernandez sits across from Paige. “You wanna tell us what d id happen, then?”

“Are you planning on arresting me if I don’t?” she asks, and the two officers give each other a silent look she can’t read.

“His parents don’t want to press charges so…”

Paige doesn’t say anything. They don’t have to tell her it’s because they pity her.

“But, Paige,” Miller says, “we can’t keep coming out here for this sort of thing.”

“Good,” Paige says firmly. “Maybe it will free you up to do your real job and find out who killed my son.” Hernandez stands.

“Again, you know we aren’t the detectives on the—” But before Hernandez can finish, Paige interrupts, not wanting to hear the excuses.

“And maybe go charge the idiot kid for trying to kill my dog. How about that?”

Paige stands and goes inside, not waiting for a response. She hears them mumble something to one another and make their way out. She can’t restrain herself or force herself to be kind. She used to be kind, but now, it’s as though her brain has been rewired. Defensiveness inhabits the place where empathy used to live. The uniforms of the cops trigger her, too; it reminds her of that night, the red, flashing lights a nightmarish strobe from a movie scene. A horror movie, not real life. It can’t be her real life. She still can’t accept that.

The uniforms spoke, saying condescending things, pulling her away, calling her ma’am, and asking stupid questions. Now, when she sees them, it brings up regrets. She doesn’t know why this happens, but the uniforms bring her back to that night, and it makes her long for the chance to do all the things she never did with Caleb and mourn over the times they did have. It forces fragments of memories to materialize, like when he was six, he wanted a My Little Pony named Star Prancer. It was pink with purple flowers in its mane, and she didn’t let him have it because she thought she was protecting him from being made fun of at school. Now, the memory fills her with self-reproach.

She tries not to think about the time she fell asleep on the couch watching Rugrats with him when he was just a toddler and woke up to his screaming because he’d fallen off the couch and hit his head on the coffee table. He was okay, but it could have been worse. He could have put his finger in an outlet, pushed on the window screen and fallen to his death from the second floor, drunk the bleach under the sink! When this memory comes, she has to quickly stand up and busy herself, push out a heavy breath, and shake off the shame it brings. He could have died from her negligence that afternoon. She never told Grant. She told Cora once, who said every parent has a moment like that, it’s life. People fall asleep. But Paige has never forgiven herself. She loved Caleb more than life, and now the doubt and little moments of regret push into her thoughts and render her miserable and anxious all the time.

She didn’t stay home like Cora, she practically lived at the restaurant. She ran it for years. Caleb grew up doing his homework in the kitchen break room and helping wipe down tables and hand out menus. He seemed to love it. He didn’t watch TV all afternoon after school, he talked to new people, learned skills. But did she only tell herself that to alleviate the guilt? Would he have thrived more if he had had a more nor mal day-to-day? When he clung to her leg that first day of preschool, should she have forced him to go? Should he have let him change his college major so many times? Had he been happy? Had she done right by him?

And why was there a gun at the scene? Was he in trouble, and she didn’t know? Did he have friends she didn’t know about? He’d told her everything, she thought. They were close. Weren’t they?

As she approaches the kitchen window to put her mug down, she sees Grant pulling up outside. She can see him shaking his head at the sight of the cops before he even gets out of the car.

He doesn’t mention the police when he comes in. He silently pours himself a cup of coffee and finds Paige back out in the garden, where she has scurried to upon seeing him. He hands her a copy of the Times after removing the crossword puzzle for himself and then peers at it over his glasses.

He doesn’t speak until Christopher comes to greet him, and then he says, “Who wants a pocket cookie?” and takes a small dog biscuit from his shirt pocket and smiles down at little Christopher, who devours it.

This is how it’s been for the many months since Grant and Paige suffered insurmountable loss. It might be possible to get through it to the other side, but maybe not together, Paige said to Grant one night after one of many arguments about how they should cope. Grant wanted to sit in his old, leather recliner in the downstairs family room and stare into the wood-burning fireplace, Christopher at his feet, drinking a scotch and absorbing the quiet and stillness.

Paige, on the other hand, wanted to scream at everyone she met. She wanted to abuse the police for not finding who was responsible for the hit-and-run. She wanted to spend her days posting flyers offering a reward to anyone with information, even though she knew only eight percent of hit-and-runs are ever solved. When the world didn’t respond the way she needed, she stopped helping run the small restaurant they owned so she could just hole up at home and shout at Jeopardy! and paper boys. She needed to take up space and be loud. They each couldn’t stand how the other was mourning, so finally, Grant moved into the small apartment above their little Italian place, Moretti’s, and gave Paige the space she needed to take up.

Now—almost a year since the tragic day—Grant still comes over every Sunday to make sure the take-out boxes are picked up and the trash is taken out, that she’s taking care of herself and the house isn’t falling apart. And to kiss her on the cheek before he leaves and tell her he loves her. He doesn’t make observations or suggestions, just benign comments about the recent news headlines or the new baked mostaccioli special at the restaurant.

She sees him spot the pair of binoculars on the small table next to her Adirondack chair. She doesn’t need to lie and say she’s bird-watching or some nonsense. He knows she thinks one of the neighbors killed her son. She’s sure of it. It’s a gated community, and very few people come in and out who don’t live here. Especially that late at night. The entrance camera was conveniently disabled that night, so that makes her think it wasn’t an accident but planned. There was a gun next to Caleb’s body, but it wasn’t fired, and there was no gunshot wound. Something was very wrong with this scenario, and if the po-lice won’t prove homicide, she’s going to uncover which of her bastard neighbors had a motive.

She has repeated all of this to Grant a thousand times, and he used to implore her to try to focus on work or take a vacation—anything but obsess—and to warn her that she was destroying her health and their relationship, but he stopped responding to this sort of conspiracy-theory talk months ago.

“What’s the latest?” is all he asks, looking away from the binoculars and back to his crossword. She gives a dismissive wave of her hand, a sort of I know you don’t really want to hear about it gesture. Then, after a few moments, she says, “Danny Howell at 6758. He hasn’t driven his Mercedes in months.” She gives Grant a triumphant look, but he doesn’t appear to be following.

“Okay,” he says, filling in the word ostrich.

“So I broke into his garage to see what the deal was, and there’s a dent in his bumper.”

“You broke in?” he asks, concerned. She knows the How-ells have five vehicles, and the dent could be from a myriad of causes over the last year, but she won’t let it go.

“Yes, and it’s a good thing I did. I’m gonna go back and take photos. See if the police can tell if it looks like he might have hit a person.” She knows there is a sad desperation in her voice as she works herself up. “You think they can tell that? Like if the dent were a pole from a drive-through, they could see paint or the scratches or something, right? I bet they can tell.”

“It’s worth a shot,” he says, and she knows what he wants to say, also knows he won’t waste words telling her not to break into the garage a second time for photos. He changes the subject.

“I’m looking for someone to help out at the restaurant a few days a week—mostly just a piano player for the dinner crowd—but I could use a little bookkeeping and scheduling, too,” he says, and Paige knows it’s a soft attempt to distract her, but she doesn’t bite.

“Oh, well, good luck. I hope you find someone,” she says, and they stare off into the backyard trees.

“The ivy is looking robust,” he comments after a few minutes of silence.

“You think it’s hurting the foundation?” she asks.

“Nah,” he says, and he reaches over and places his hand over hers on the arm of her chair for a few moments before getting up to go. On his way out, he kisses her on the cheek, tells her he loves her. Then he loads the dishwasher and takes out the trash before heading to his car. She watches him reluctantly leaving, knowing that he wishes he could stay, that things were different.

When Paige hears the sound of Grant’s motor fade as he turns out of the front gate, she imagines herself calling him on his cell and telling him to come back and pick her up, that she’ll come to Moretti’s with him and do all the scheduling and books, that she’ll learn to play the piano just so she can make him happy. And, after all the patrons leave for the night, they’ll share bottles of Chianti on checkered tablecloths in a dimly lit back booth. They’ll eat linguini and clams and have a Lady and the Tramp moment, and they will be happy again.

Paige does not do this. She goes into the living room and closes the drapes Grant opened, blocking out the sunlight, then she crawls under a bunched-up duvet on the couch that smells like sour milk, and she begs for sleep.



Excerpted from On A Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass, Copyright © 2022 by Seraphina Nova Glass. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

Social Links:

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Twitter: @SeraphinaNova

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Author Bio: 

Seraphina Nova Glass is a professor and playwright-in-residence at the University of Texas, Arlington, where she teaches film studies and playwriting. She holds an MFA in playwriting from Smith College, and she's also a screenwriter and award-winning playwright. Seraphina has traveled the world using theatre and film as a teaching tool, living in South Africa, Guam and Kenya as a volunteer teacher, AIDS relief worker, and documentary filmmaker.