Adult Fiction

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, volumes 7 and 8

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by Beth Brower
First sentence: “I’ve yet to come up with a suitable greeting for when I see Pierce this morning.” (volume 7) and “When I came down for breakfast this morning, I found Agnes happily fussing over the stove while Parian ate his breakfast at the table, a cup of steaming coffee at his side.” (volume 8)
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: Volume 1, Volume 2 and 3, Volume 4 and 5, Volume 6 (which I didn’t review!)
Content: There’s not much, though it does touch on abuse and PTSD in volume 8. It’d be in the Fiction section if the bookstore carried it.

I was talking to my husband when I was reading volume 7, and he asked what was happening, and to be honest: I couldn’t sum up the plot. It’s about Emma and her daily adventures. And he said, “So, it’s a bit of a soap opera?” and I can’t get past that. Yes, it is a bit of a soap opera. Maybe in the way that Austen is a bit of a soap opera, but Austen was concise and didn’t draw things out. I found myself losing patience with volume 8 in particular – how many pages do we need to read about Emma and her adventures at Stonecrop? Yes, I did finish the series, but by the end – especially as we got Revelations about Pierce and Islington and Emma’s feelings – I wanted to know when it would end.

And maybe that’s the rub. I enjoy Emma and the variety of people she has collected around her, but there’s no end in sight. How long can I read about Aunt Eugenia Spencer’s desire to use Emma as a foil to marry off her daughter? How long can Hawkes be mysterious and enigmatic? How long is she going to draw out the Pierce-Emma-Islington triangle (I firmly believe that there is a triangle there). How long is she going to draw out Mary’s crush on her professor? What happened to Jack? It’s just. so. much.

So, yes, I finished it, and I didn’t hate it, but I think I’m a bit tired of Emma, and I’m glad there isn’t a volume 9 just yet.

Audiobook: The Starling House

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by Alix E. Harrow
Read by Natalie Naudus
Support your local independent bookstore: Buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is violence of the demon kind and abuse of the human kind. There is also swearing, including several f-bombs. It’s in the Science Fiction-Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Opal’s mom died when she was 15, and she was left to raise her younger brother. Twelve years later, she’s dropped out of high school, working, and barely scraping by with her brother. Who she wants to get out of this cursed town of Eden, Kentucky. To help her do that, she takes a job cleaning the Starling House, the creepy house in town that Opal is inexplicably drawn to. Once in there, her life gets complicated. She’s not supposed to like Arthur, the current Starling at the house, and some people are trying to get information about the house from her. Not to mention the weirdness of the house itself, and the dreams that aren’t going away. It’s a lot to deal with, especially since all she wants is to feel like she belongs.

I had no idea what this was about when I started it, and maybe that was the best way to do it. Every twist and turn of the story was a surprise, and in Harrow’s capable hands, it kept me wondering what would come next. Naudus’s narration added to that; she’s an exceptional narrator, one that I will gladly listen to more of. I had no idea how the book would resolve, and yet the ending was everything I wanted. It’s a creepy story, yes, but it’s also a story of finding home and forgiveness and being true to oneself.

Remarkable.

Rules for Aging and Larceny

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by Julia London
First sentence: “Frances Deluca was kicked out of the Pecan Springs Pickleball Club leage the week before the championships, which she considered a direct assault on her unbeaten record.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: June 30, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and talk of sex, but none actual. It will be in the Mystery section of the bookstore.

What Fran wants, three years after the death of her husband, is to go back to her glory days in the 1970s when she and her three best friends – whom she hasn’t talked to in decades – were a girl gang doing heists. They always targeted men who thought they were All That, and they got away with it. That is, until Edie betrayed them. But now, especially when Fran learns she has inoperable brain cancer (I know, it’s a bit much), all she wants is to do one last heist. So she rounds up Irene and Joan and convinces Edie to come along. They have the perfect mark, too: Edie’s granddaughter just lost a LOT of money in a Ponzi scheme run by an old college friend who just inherited a casino in Vegas. Sounds like a dream.

This was the perfect fluff book. Sure, there are themes of agism (they get away with a lot because no one thinks about older women) and dying and reconciliation and trust, but mostly it’s just a fun romp while these women get back at a man who took advantage of one of their own. And I adored it.

It was just a lot of fun to read; the writing is solid, there are some laugh-out-loud moments, and the characters were all interesting (love the guys they find to help in Vegas). It was a perfect summer read, and I can’t ask for more than that.

Christmas in Austenland

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by Shannon Hale
First sentence: “
Release date: September 22, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher
Others in the series: Austenland, Midnight in Austenland
Content: There is some mild swearing, and talk of abuse in a cult setting. It will be in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Perhaps I should start with this: when I learned that Hale had written another book set in Austenland, I was super excited. I love these books, I love the movie; it’s very much a comfort read/watch for me. What could be better, in this crap timeline we find ourselves in, than another silly romance set in a world where everything is mostly good and works out?

Reader, that is not what I got.

Kestrel is at Austenland because she won a dance contest (she danced the longest). She’s mostly trying to move beyond a 2-year-old breakup when her boyfriend left her high and dry. She wants to immerse herself in this world. Except, she can’t because of two reasons: Miss Charming’s ex-husband shows up and inserts himself into things (and he’s emotionally abusive), and Kestrel’s ex-boyfriend shows up, which throws Kestrel’s life into chaos.

Sounds delightful, yes? Except that it wasn’t. Partially because in alternating chapters, Hale gives Kestrel a tragic cult background that she has to escape from. It’s a completely different book, those chapters. And then, even worse, Hale spends too much time telling us how Kestrel feels. It was super annoying and just made for a boring book. I was so annoyed, I bailed halfway and then read the ending just to see. I am so disappointed. Maybe it’s because I expected too much from the book, built it up too much in my head.

But it’s not good. And that made me sad.

Audiobook: Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It

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by Brooke Averick
Read by the author
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is a lot of swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and fade-to-black sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Phoebe Berman is coming up on her 30th birthday, and she’s feeling anxious about it. Mostly because she’s never been in a relationship or on a date or kissed anyone or (gasp) had sex. And this is a Problem To Be Solved. So, against the advice of her therapist and friends, she makes a How to Lose Your Virginity in Thirty Days list.

It’s as embarrassing as it sounds. (There were multiple times that I was driving and I had to resist the urge to cover my eyes while I was listening.) See, Phoebe has crippling anxiety (and she’s unmedicated! Someone in the group thread for our Romance book club said the title should be “Phoebe Berman Needs Lexapro”), especially around relationships. And that doesn’t bode well for her status as a virgin.

It’s super hard to read about a person who is struggling with crippling anxiety (though John Green does it in his books), especially when they’re super unlikable. And I did want to smack Phoebe over the head a lot. She’s the same age as my oldest, and my 20-year-old is less annoying/obsessive/whatever than Phoebe is. Granted, I do have a daughter who struggles with this same thing, and maybe it would be annoying to be in her head all the time, so I tried to have patience and compassion around Phoebe. But it was hard, especially since I could see what the solution was early on. It’s good to have representation, especially in the romance genre, but it was a hard one to get through it (this was my second attempt, after all – I bailed on reading the book).

Averick’s narration was good, but I’d have liked to hear this book read by an experienced narrator; it may have smoothed out a few of the rougher edges on the book.

It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t my favorite, either.

Vengeful

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by V. E. Schwab
First sentence: “The night Marcella died, she made her husband’s favorite dinner.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: Vicious
Content: It is very violent, with a super high body count, and some of the deaths are quite violent. It’s also swearing, with multiple f-bombs. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Spoilers for Vicious, obviously.

Marcella Riggs is a powerful woman, married to a rising mob man. But when she discovers that he’s been cheating on her, she loses her temper. And then he kills her. She doesn’t die, though, but is turned into an EO – an ExtraOrdinary – with an unusually dangerous power. Eli Ever is still in custody at EON – the organization that was created to track and capture/neutralize EOs – but has become useful (by force? by choice?) to helping them track EOs (since that’s what he was doing before he was captured). Victor Vale has evaded death again, with the help of his sidekick/ward, Syd, who can raise things from the dead. The problem is that she didn’t do it quite right, and Victor’s power overwhelms his system and kills him for an increasingly larger length of time.

And then there’s June.

I found June to be the most interesting of the characters that Schwab introduces. We don’t know much about her: she’s a shapeshifter, she’s a hitwoman, and she takes a fascination/liking to Syd.

A lot happens, plot-wise: Marcella gets revenge and then collects June and another EO and decides to take over the mob and then the city. Eli’s dealing with EON and trying to get his freedom again. Victor spends most of the book trying (and failing) to find a cure. But in Schwab’s deft hands, all these moving parts coalesce into a grand finale that not only wraps this book up but also sets up a third (out this fall! Reading soon!) quite nicely.

Did I love it? No. But then, this series isn’t my favorite of Schwab’s. That said, it is compelling to read about people who are so morally questionable, and explore the idea of what if EO’s really existed and the consequences of their actions (which superhero movies never seem to do). It’s very Watchmen-like in its DNA, which, if you like that, then this is a solid read.

That said, I am curious to see how Schwab wraps this up, and I have the ARC of the third book, so I’ll be reading it.

Audiobook: The Girl with a Thousand Faces

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by Sunyi Dean
Read by Natalie Naudus
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is a lot of violence, including some gruesome killings, as well as swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Mercy Chan has spent the past 30 years since she washed up on the shores of Hong Kong being a ghost talker in the walled Kowloon neighborhood of Hong Kong. She’s made a bit of a reputation for herself and works for the largest gang in town, helping them keep the streets of Kowloon safe (ish). But a new demon has infiltrated the walls of the neighborhood, one that can’t be talked down to and one that is killing indiscriminately. As Mercy finds out more about the demon, she slowly comes to realize that maybe this one has more to do with her than she thought.

I was told by my SFF reading buddies at work (whom I trust to send good books my way) that this was excellent. And when I saw it on audio, I picked it up. First, that was an excellent choice. Nadus is a FANTASTIC reader, one of those that I will actively seek out books she reads. She added a level of atmosphere to this one that added to the creepiness and to the story, which really made it engrossing.

Second, I might have given up on this one if it weren’t for Nadus. It’s interesting but not really compelling until nearly through the second part, when it just hits a different level. The problem for me, though, was that the second part was written in the second person. Which I loathe. I really hate feeling like a book is talking to me rather than just reading a story, but listening to it on audio softened this annoyance. I get why Dean made that choice, but it still was mildly annoying. Even so, this was a fantastic ghost story – horror lite, which I’ve discovered I don’t hate – and one definitely worth listening to.

Wild Goose Chase

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by Sarah Adler
First sentence: “Dear Dr. Worthy – My name is John Otis Morse.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: July 28, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is some swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and on-page sex. It will be in the romance section of the bookstore.

As part-owner of an antique store, Cal knows his stuff. He’s been working there since the previous owner (who has since died) caught him attempting to steal, became a surrogate father, and completely changed his life. So when the other part-owner takes off for Italy (to get married!) and sends his niece, Annie, to help Cal out, Cal’s a bit put out. Especially since Annie comes in, all whimsy and charm, threatening to upend everything. It also doesn’t help that Cal has suddenly had an illegal taxidermied goose thrust on him. He just has to figure out where the goose came from, and what to do with Annie (NOT fall in love, ha), and all will be as it was.

There are flashbacks to the early 1900s and a woman ornithologist to explain where the goose came from, and that’s a sweet little story in itself. As for the main one, I liked it a lot. I don’t think I loved it – I may be a bit burned out on romance right now – but I had fun with it. I liked both Cal and Annie, and while the 3rd act breakup seemed a bit forced, it wasn’t terrible.

In all, it’s much like Adler’s other books: it’s fun, it’s sweet, and it’s not a bad read.

Love Song

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by Elle Kennedy
First sentence: “Wyatt Graham is staring at me.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: Lots and lots of on-page pretty graphic sex, plus lots of swearing and some (kind of – she’s not quite 21) underage drinking. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Blake Logan and Wyatt Graham have known each other their entire lives, mostly because their fathers are best friends. (See: The Deal.) Wyatt is four years older, which has always been a problem, especially when Blake confessed her crush to Wyatt when she was 16. And then there was the Christmas two years ago when they came close to having sex, but Wyatt was drunk and pulled away. And now, on the heels of a breakup, Blake finds herself at the family house on Lake Tahoe, looking for some solace to recover. Except Wyatt is there, dealing with songwriter’s block. Of course, there is tension between the two. Of course, they (eventually) give in to it. And, of course, there is fallout.

I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. And my big problem was with Wyatt. The first 250 pages (yes, you read that right) was Wyatt going “oh I’m obsessed with her, but I CAN’T” over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. To say it got repetitive is an understatement. Then at the 280-page mark, I got tired, skipped 100 pages and picked it up again. (Yes, you read that right, too.) I didn’t miss anything. (Well, I missed a subplot item, but I was beyond caring at that point.) I got the Drama with the pregnancy (drunken sex will do that to you) and then the aborton (well, it was an etopic pregnancy, so it had to happen), and then the fallout. And it was all so. much. Drama. Eventually, Wyatt gets his act together, but Blake kind of just mopes around the whole ending until she gets to drop out of college and be Wyatt’s full-time girlfriend.

Ugh.

At the bare minimum, this book was 100 pages too long. But, it was just not good. I liked the idea, I even read The Deal in preparation (it wasn’t bad). It was all very disappointing. Then again, maybe I’m just a little bit burned out on romance right now.

Either way, this was not good.

Audiobook: Piranesi

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by Susanna Clarke
Read by Chiwetel Ejiofor
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There’s some talk of murder; it’s pretty intricate in its writing, and there are about a dozen f-bombs at one point. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore

I don’t have a lot to add to my original review; let’s just say if you’re among those who have not read this yet, the audiobook is incredible. We picked it up because we were going to St. Louis and back, and my husband hadn’t read it yet (though our daughters have urged him to). I didn’t remember much from the last time I read it, so I was willing to listen to it. And it was remarkable. Ejiofor did an incredible job with the narration, and I was captivated from beginning to end.

It’s a truly remarkable book.