Review: Crown of War and Shadow ( Kingdoms of the Compass #1) by J. R. Ward

An outcast burdened with a curse and a mercenary who’s out for himself collide in this star-crossed, slow-burn, high-stakes romantic fantasy from #1 New York Times bestseller J. R. Ward.

In the dead of night, passions rise and empires fall. Welcome to Kingdoms of the Compass.

The Fulcrum is failing, and demons are slipping into the mortal world, stalking the night.

No one is safe.

Especially not Sorrel. An orphan and an outcast, she’s spent her whole life within the walls of her small village, ostracized for her mystical abilities. She wants to survive…and maybe find somewhere she can call her true home. But Fate has other plans.

Sorrel has been chosen. Cursed.

She must cross the Badlands to return the Queen’s crown and convince the fearsome female to save their world from destruction.

Well aware she’s no brave hero, Sorrel makes a dangerous deal with Merc, a brooding, commanding mercenary known only by his unscrupulous profession.

The deal? A night in his bed that she will never forget, in exchange for her safe passage.

But Merc has secrets of his own, and even though passion runs hot between them, enemies are around every corner, and danger and betrayal threaten at every turn.

Crown of War and Shadow is the first book in the Kingdoms of the Compass series.

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What I thought about Crown of War and Shadow 

In this first installment of the Kingdoms of Compass series, Sorrel is a young woman with powers that frighten. She's considered cursed, so she hides her skills, although the townspeople aren't above calling on her if they need her. When a mercenary arrives in town, she sees it as her ticket out. Of course, there's a price to pay for that and adventures to come as they escape.

J. R. Ward does what she does best here, creating an interesting cast of characters with an intricate plot with lots of great reveals and plot twists. I liked that about the story. The romance is of the slow burn variety, but that worked here and the pace was great aside from a smattering of slow spots. There's a cliff hanger too, which I do like in a series. Overall, a great start to the series! Looking forward to more.

Review: The Fatal Confidant by Debra Webb

An aspiring DA must put his trust in a criminally seductive fixer in a twisty thriller about secrets, manipulation, and murder by USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb.

Deputy district attorney Carson Tanner is nicknamed the Avenger for good reason. Fifteen years ago, the murder of Carson’s family fueled an unrelenting need for justice. His latest investigation into Birmingham crime boss Otis Fleming is a career maker—if he can crack Fleming’s closest confidant.

Annette Baxter is a fierce and cunning fixer who makes the dirty deeds of the city’s elite disappear. She’s ready to turn on Fleming to save herself—but Carson may not be ready to face all the secrets she protects.

Annette claims there’s more to Carson’s brutal past than he could have imagined, and a string of new murders suggests that someone in town is tidying up loose ends. Can he trust her long enough to find the truth? Can she trust him long enough to survive?

Revised edition: Previously published as Faceless, this edition of The Fatal Confidant includes editorial revisions.

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What I thought about A Fatal Confidant

Carson Tanner is a dedicated prosecutor and in line for the new district attorney job once his boss moves up. He's given a case to deal with it -- take down the local crime boss by way of a woman named Annette Baxter. Carson has already met Annette and it could cause him big trouble in his quest for the top spot. 

A bit part of this book is figuring out who is the bad guy and who isn't.  Annette has many of those answers but it could cause her to lose her life. She has to decide whether she wants to help Carson or not.

There were some romantic elements in this story and I liked that about it.  The growing relationship between Carson and Annette was my most favorite thing about this story.

I did find this to be a slow read.  It was hard to get invested in the characters. There was so much going on in the story that dominated things over the characters, which is why I am rating this 4 stars. 

Release Week Review: First Sign of Danger (Haven's Rock #4) by Kelley Armstrong

 

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong continues the atmospheric Haven’s Rock series as Casey Duncan investigates a threat to their off-the-grid Yukon town.

Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are entering a new chapter of life as parents to their six-month-old baby. Their family is hidden away in the sanctuary town of Haven’s Rock where they can live safe and private lives. But when they encounter hikers too close to the borders of Haven’s Rock, they realize they’re in danger of being exposed.

When they find one of the hikers dead the next day, they realize that their paranoia was justified, but they’re no closer to finding out who these people were and what they were doing in the vicinity of Haven’s Rock. Only by tracing the hikers’ movements, as well as examining the recent behavior of their closest neighbors, the workers of a secretive mining camp, will they be able to figure out where the threat is coming from and shut it down. Otherwise, the lives of everyone in Haven’s Rock--and their safe, secure new existence--are at risk.

se, the lives of everyone in Haven’s Rock--and their safe, secure new existence--are at risk.se, the lives of everyone in Haven’s Rock--and their safe, secure new existence--are at risk.se, the lives of everyone in Haven’s Rock--and their safe, secure new existence--are at risk.

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What I thought about First Sign of Danger

Quiet life in the Haven's Rock sanctuary is disrupted when two hikers get a little too close to the mining camp. The question is why were they so close to Haven's Rock and the mining camp? Are the residents of Haven's Rock in danger? Eric and Casey take their law enforcing roles seriously and they work to unravel the secrets behind both the hikers and the mining camp that has been a thorn in their side.

I love this world that the author has created. With each book in the series, new details are exposed and it's become easy to become invested in Eric and Casey as they keep the peace in their little sanctuary. They are both very likable characters, and the addition of their young daughter brings hope for the future of this community. What really attracts me to this series is the fact that we all need a Haven't Rock to go to at times, and this series is a great escape! Definitely recommended.  

Review: The Swamps by Seraphina Nova Glass

Some disappearances are tragedies. Others are warnings.

Macy and Ethan built their careers chasing the unknown, turning their YouTube channel, Ghost Patrol, into a viral sensation as they investigated the paranormal. But when they venture into the murky depths of the Louisiana bayou to investigate the disappearances of Emily Tremblay and Elizabeth Brockton alongside team members Tasha and Max, their latest case takes a lethal turn.

What begins as a routine hunt for answers quickly spirals into something far more sinister. Shadows move where they shouldn't. Secrets surface where none should exist. And when Macy stumbles upon a horrifying truth, she realizes they were never just hunting a story; they were lured here for a reason. As the swamp closes in and the line between hunter and hunted blurs, one thing becomes terrifyingly some secrets are better left buried.

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What I thought about The Swamps 

 In this novella / short story, a team of ghost hunters decide to take on the disappearance of two young women from the southern town. It's creepy from the start and stays that way until the very end. 

Things are bad from the start with a cabin on the swamp that is run by two very strange proprietors.  Even so, the group decides to interview suspects and search for the killer. Things move along quickly, which I liked, although there were some times when I wondered why Macy wasn't asking more questions.  I'm not going to say much more than that, except that I figured out the killer just moments before it is revealed in the story.  

If you are looking for a short story with a little "bite" you might like this one.

 

5 Stars for Make it Out Alive (Quinn & Costa #7) by Allison Brennan

 

Allison Brennan returns to her bestselling series with an edge-of-your-seat thriller that thrusts Quinn and Costa into the crosshairs of a sadistic serial killer.

Three newlywed couples have disappeared from an exclusive resort in Florida, only to turn up dead soon after. With the location and the similarities between the female victims as their only leads, it’s up to the FBI Mobile Response Team to catch a serial killer before anyone else ends up dead. And they have the perfect bait—Detective Kara Quinn, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the targeted women.

Undercover as newlyweds pretending to enjoy their honeymoon, Kara and FBI Agent Matt Costa set a flawless trap. When their plan works and they arrest the predator, Matt sends the rest of the team home so he and Kara can have the weekend for some much-needed R&R. But on Monday morning, the couple doesn’t show up to work, and the MRT learns they never checked out of their hotel.

As their team tries to find them, Matt and Kara learn the truth—the killer wasn’t acting alone. He had a partner who succeeded where he failed. Kidnapped and forced into a twisted escape room, they need to find a way out, because if they don’t escape, they’ll die. 

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What I thought about Make It Out Alive

Kara Quinn and Matt Costa and their FBI Mobile Response Team are back! There's a serial killer on the loose targeting newlywed couples and Matt and Kara go undercover to catch the killer.  But things don't go exactly as planned and Matt and Kara find themselves in some serious trouble. 

I really loved this story.  I couldn't put it down. This author is becoming one of my favorites for thrillers with plenty of action and a main couple that are extremely competent at their job and in this case also have some serious feelings for each other. This story had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. There were some moments of true terror throughout. And that ending!  Loved it!

Cover Reveal: My Kind of Guy by Sarina Bowen

 Coming March 24, 2026

He’s a backup goalie with a broken game. The only thing he needs more than a win is the hot, grumpy bartender who pours his weekly beer.

Becker James is having a spectacularly bad season. Once a top draft pick, he’s now riding the bench in the minors, one failed save away from being cut. The highlight of his week? A lonely hour on a barstool at Sportsballs, Denver’s queerest watering hole—and Forest, the bartender with flannel sleeves, a gruff voice, and a beard that stars in Beck’s dreams.

Opportunity strikes when Forest’s LGBTQ hockey team—the Stickhandlers—loses their goalie last-minute. Beck makes Forest an he’ll help them beat the most hated team in the beer league, but he wants something in return—one night together.

Cue the record scratch, because Seth Forrester doesn’t do hookups. After his last one went horribly wrong, he swore off men for good. He’s definitely not falling for the awkward hottie who just stammered through an indecent proposal.

But Beck is prepared to press his case, no matter how awkward it gets. And one beer league game turns into something messier, sweeter, and so much harder to walk away from…

Books page:
https://sarinabowen.com/my-kind-of-guy

Series links page:
https://sarinabowen.com/hockey-guys-links

ADD TO GOODREADS:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245204597-my-kind-of-guy

Release Day Review: A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

Siblings return to the house they fled eighteen years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request to come home.

Strange things happen in Fell, New York: A mysterious drowning at the town’s roadside motel. The unexplained death of a young girl whose body is left by the railroad tracks. For Violet, Vail, and Dodie Esmie the final straw was their little brother's shocking disappearance, which started as a normal game of hide-and-seek.

As their parents grew increasingly distant, the sisters were each haunted by visions and frightening events, leading them to leave town and never look back. Violet still sees dead people—spirits who remind her of Sister, the menacing presence that terrorized her for years. Now after nearly two decades it’s time for a homecoming—because Ben is back, and he’s ready to lead them to the answers they’ve longed for and long feared.

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What I thought about A Box Full of Darkness

 Three siblings return home to find their brother who disappeared years ago. What happened to beloved Ben? How could he have disappeared without a trace?  Violet, Vale and Dodie have some theories about what happened to Ben almost twenty years ago that they will have to face when they return home to Fell NY.

The town is probably the creepiest part of this story.  Weird things have happened there, usually involving the death of someone. There were just too much bad going on in this town. I really didn't understand why anyone lived there!

The story focuses on current day, and is told in multiple points of view, with flashbacks to the siblings unhappy childhood. It seemed like Ben was the only good thing in their lives, among the nightmares and bad parenting. Violet sees dead people, Vail has alien problems and Dodie is just strange. These characters are the most likable characters, but they are interesting with respect to how the horrors of this house scarred them for life. 

Speaking of the Esmie parents, they really aren't part of the story besides there being much verbal animosity toward them by the siblings, and I was left with quite a few questions about them and their involvement with Ben in the end. 

There was a nice build-up to the very tense climax, and I did like that the author let us know what happened to them afterward.  I do wish we had 

Overall, this was a tense paranormal mystery with some horror elements. I found the pace to be even and engaging and I read this book rather quickly, which I really like. If you are looking for something a little chilling, you might like this. 

 

5 stars for Wildewood by Jessica Thorne

You don’t need to run, my beloved. Not anymore. It’s time to come home to Wildewood…

The last of the de Wildes, scientist Alex point-blank refuses to believe the family is cursed – even though all her relatives died in mysterious circumstances at their ancestral manor, Wildewood. Now her twin brother has passed away there too. All she wants is to finally sell the old place and move on.

But Nick, the brooding, dangerously hot groundskeeper and her brother’s best friend seems determined to stand in her way. He was a suspect in her brother’s death. And Alex can find no records of him before he came to Wildewood 15 years ago…

Yet, when Alex nearly falls to her death restlessly pacing the shadowy halls in the dead of night, it’s Nick that saves her life. Cradled in his arms at the bottom of the winding staircase, Alex is barely able to stop herself kissing him as a sultry voice from seemingly deep within the house whispers, just give in.

But this near-death experience isn’t the last. Increasingly strange and potentially fatal accidents mount – each with striking similarity to those that claimed her relatives. Alex is forced to dig into her family’s wretched history, with Nick’s help. But are they ready to face just how dark the heart of Wildewood truly is?

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What I thought about Wildewood 

Wow! I finished this book a few days ago and I'm still thinking about it.

Alex comes home to her ancestral home near Kilfayne, where things are always a bit strange and nightmare inducing. She just wants to sell the house and be done with it, but it doesn't quite work out that way for her as she's drawn into some really crazy circumstances. 

I thought the first half of this was a little slow, but it had some very scary bits to set the stage that had me wondering if I would be able to finish it because I found it a bit intense! Your mileage may vary, as they say and I'm really glad that I stayed with it.

The pace in the second half of the book speeds up, with more explanation for what is going on in the house, more creepy goings-on and Alex's role in all of this is revealed. I loved the ancient folklore that was folded into this story. I really couldn't put this down once the story got rolling.

And there's Nick, the caretaker of the property. He's a sexy beast and part of the estate's sordid history. I didn't see his role in this story at first, and at one point I didn't even understand his true nature, but it all works out, and I liked that.

Nature, in particular the "wild wood", is like another character in this story that really brought all the pieces together for me in such a satisfying way. 

If you are looking for a horror story with strong romantic elements and a good use of ancient folklore, you might enjoy Wildewood.

5 Stars for The Devoted Game by Debra Webb

A disgraced FBI agent is challenged to a life-or-death match by a deviously clever kidnapper in this propulsive novel by USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb.

Former FBI agent Ryan McBride crashed and burned three years ago after a case took a fatal turn. He swore he was done with the Bureau forever—until Special Agent Vivian Grace shows up at his door with a new case he can’t refuse.

Six-year-old Alyssa Byrne has been kidnapped, and her abductor, alias Devoted Fan, has threatened to kill her in twenty-four hours. He promises to reveal the girl’s location to the FBI on one condition: He’ll only talk to McBride.

With the clock ticking, Grace and McBride race to solve Devoted Fan’s puzzles, each more twisted than the last. But when another victim goes missing, with a promise of more to come, they realize that Devoted Fan is not just a stranger with a deranged obsession. His sick game is somehow connected to both their pasts—but around which dark corner lies the answer?

Revised edition: Previously published as Nameless, this edition of The Devoted Game includes editorial revisions.

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What I thought about The Devoted Game

I'm not going to rehash the plot of this story since the blurb does a good job of that. I don't want to spoil anything, because this one was a real page-turner for me. I don't often stay up reading all night, but this book had me up to the wee hours of the morning to read the ending.

I just loved Vivian and Ryan. They both have some serious skills and some serious downfalls as well. But together there is a spark for both police work and personal contact. I'm not sure how this author made Ryan so appealing so quickly, but he's one hot disgraced FBI agent. The electricity with Vivian is just so perfect for them both. And I love that what started as a brief explosion turns into something over the course of the case.

As for the case of the devoted fan that is driving so much of this story, I thought that was well done from the perspective that I really couldn't guess the culprit and then there is a lovely twist at the end that had me holding my breath and turning the pages as quick as possibly.

Overall, this was a 5 star read for me. I loved the characters, I loved the story and the writing did a wonderful job of directing me through the story. My first favorite read of 2026. 

Review: Only on Gameday by Kristen Callihan

An ALL-NEW sports romance from New York Times bestseller Kristen Callihan with high emotional stakes and a slow-burn, steamy heat level.

A “fake” fiancée is just the trick to help a bad-boy football player clean up his image. Trouble is, there’s nothing fake about the way August feels about his “pretend” fiancée.

August Luck is on the brink of greatness: top NFL draft pick, a great team, multiple corporate sponsorships, but he keeps messing it up with bonehead moves. After his latest shenanigan goes viral, everyone is telling him to get his act together.

Penelope Morrow grew up with August. Their mothers were best friends. Unfortunately, Pen always fled the room with a look of disapproval on her pretty face whenever August was around. But Pen has a problem too: she inherited her grandparent’s house and can’t pay the estate tax.

On a whim, August decides a temporary public engagement is the solution to both their problems--he’ll pay her taxes, and she’ll help his image. Win-win.

But, when it comes to Pen, nothing is certain or safe. Because Pen isn’t so reserved anymore. This time, she’s smiling back at him. And he likes it. A lot. Will they each survive the ruse unscathed?

Game on...

Perfect for readers who love:

Shy girl/sunshine boy
Hero in hot pursuit
Unrequited love + epic yearning
Fake dating (or is it?)
Delicious slow-burn romance
Childhood nemeses (all grown up)

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What I thought about Only On Gameday

The Luck football dynasty might be taking a hit when current wonderboy August Luck gets in the press for his off-the-field antics instead of on-field accomplishments. To help repair his image, he asks a childhood friend to help out by being his fiance. But he's keeping a secret that everyone catches onto quickly.  Seems that his feelings for his childhood friend aren't exactly out in the open.

 Penelope has always been nervous around August, thinking that he didn't like her since he always ran away when she was around. But it's just that these two can't recognize their true feelings for each other, without a little effort.

 This was a very lovely and sweet maybe-enemies, sorta-friends to lovers story.  Most of the book is dedicated to August and Pen finding friendship and feelings for each other.  Very slow burn romance, but it's so worth it in the end!  

There's also plenty of the Luck family in this story, with August having 2 brothers affiliated with sports and two sisters that love to stick their nose in what is going on.  I'm hoping we get their stories, too.

Overall, a very low-key and lovely sports romance. There's plenty of heat, too. Great addition to this author's sports themed romances.  

 

Review:Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe by Catherin Ryan Hyde

Two disparate people—lost in their own way—find an unexpected healing connection in a poignant novel about redemption and chosen family by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

An army veteran with a career as a beat cop behind her, security guard Addie Finch is tough—on the outside. Internally, she’s in crisis mode. She’s lonely, introverted, struggling through AA, estranged from her son, and, at sixty-two years old, questioning her role as a protector. She also has a soft spot for the underdog that’s about to change her life.

Addie finds Jonathan, a homeless teenager abandoned by his mother, holed up in a warehouse and vulnerable to the elements and to predators. Touched by the boy’s gentle nature and a wisdom beyond his years, Addie offers him temporary shelter in her garden shed in exchange for maintaining the sprawling property. It’s an act of kindness and purpose that means the world to Jonathan. But when Addie faces a situation that sends her internal world tumbling, the emotional connection with Jonathan, once the unlikeliest of strangers, becomes her lifeline as well.

As both process past traumas, Addie and Jonathan forge a surrogate grandmother-grandson bond—a chosen family that could restore trust and heal hearts they thought were broken forever.

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What I thought about Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe

Whenever I'm looking for "all the feels" as they say, this is a go-to author for me.  Her books are always soulful, taking a deep look at the human condition and all the terrible things that people can experience that might take them down.  And while it might seem from the description that this is a dark book, it also shines a light on much humans need each other for healing.

This one was another winner.  There are seriously deep emotions at play here and this author is great at writing about them in a way that lets the reader feel them.  Addiction and recovery are a big part of this story and are portrayed realistically and with sensitivity. The story moves along at a good pace and while the content is sometimes difficult it does maintain a sense of hopefulness that I like in this author's work.