Friday, February 13, 2026

BLOG TOUR - The Antique Store Detective and the Riverside Murders


DESCRIPTION:

A priceless statue, two mysterious deaths and a missing body… it can only be a case for the antique store detective! 


Bella Winter is happily settled in Hope Eaton, with her business flourishing: antiques sold and problems solved. So when Margie Fleming approaches her to sell a family heirloom, a beautiful marble statue of a mother and child, Bella jumps at the chance.

But the day before the sale, Margie is found dead: drowned in the river Kite, a year after her older sister Bethan died the same way. Everyone is convinced it’s a tragic accident, but Bella isn’t so sure. One mysterious death might be a coincidence. Two feels a lot like murder… 


Bella’s spine tingles when she realises Bethan also had plans for the statue. Could someone have killed to make sure it wasn’t moved? It feels far-fetched… but when they shift the statue, there’s a bloodstain beneath it. Someone is trying to conceal a crime. But who was the victim, and where is the body? 


As she investigates the Flemings’ friends and family, Bella becomes convinced the strange graffiti appearing all over Hope Eaton holds answers… Can she paint a clear picture and solve the case, or will she find herself facing a watery end? 


A completely charming cosy murder mystery, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Emylia Hall and Agatha Christie.


BUY LINK:

Title:   The Antique Store 
Detective 
and the Riverside Murders
Series:  A Bella Winter Mystery #4
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Genre:   Cozy Mystery 
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  351
Date of Publication:  February 11, 2025
My Rating:   4 Stars 

MY THOUGHTS:

Bella Winters is not a woman who believes in coincidences. She soon finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue when she has a chance to possibly purchase an exquisite marble statue. The day after the possible sale, there is the mysterious death of a woman named Maggie who had offered to sell it to her. 


While the statue would have seamlessly fit into Bella’s charming antique shop, which was her primary focus, she is drawn to another, more pressing matter. Bella soon learns that Maggie had a sister, Bethany, who died in the exact same manner. Two sisters. Two eerily similar deaths. And a statue that now feels less like a prize and more like a clue.


Bella can’t help but to question the circumstances surrounding the untimely deaths of the sisters. Were they accidents? Slipping naturally into the role of amateur detective, Bella sets aside her shopkeeping duties long enough to dig deeper. Her curiosity isn’t idle—it’s insistent. The more she uncovers, the more convinced she becomes that these deaths demand answers. Bella’s determination to separate coincidence from conspiracy drives the story forward at a brisk, engaging pace.


This is the fourth book in a delightful series, and the setting continues to be one of its greatest charms. Bella’s antique shop adds warmth and texture to the mystery, grounding the suspense in a cozy, inviting atmosphere. With its blend of intrigue and charm, this series continues to deliver exactly what I’ve come to love about it.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this free ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.

Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.


You can find Clare's website and blog at www.clarechase.com

Social Media
Website: www.clarechase.com 
Bookouture email signup: https://www.bookouture.com/clare-chase

BLOG TOUR - To His New Wife

 


DESCRIPTION:

 His ex sent me a letter. I thought she was dead.

When Emma married Benjamin, her life came as close to perfect as someone like her ever could have dreamed. No longer just working for his father, she was part of the family. Helping Benjamin move on from the tragic loss of his first wife hasn’t always been easy – tears, anniversaries, photos of her everywhere – but it brought them closer together, even if his daughter still spends all her time shut up in her room.

But then the first letter arrives at Emma’s desk at work. A pristine white envelope with flawless calligraphy inside.

To Benjamin’s new wife,

With love from,

The wife he killed…

An addictive, jaw-dropping psychological thriller from multi-million-copy bestseller Willow Rose. For fans of Tess Gerritsen, Freida McFadden and Jeneva Rose.

BUY LINK:


Title:  To His New Wife
Author Willow Rose
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Psychological Thriller
Format:  Kindle ARC  
No. of Pages:  314
Date of Publication:  February 12, 2026
My Rating:   4 Stars
MY THOUGHTS:

Emma is Benjamin’s second wife, and she has always known that marrying a widower means living in the shadow of another woman. What she doesn’t expect is for that shadow to start writing back.

When Emma begins receiving letters signed, “the wife he killed,” her world tilts on its axis. She had believed without question that Benjamin’s first wife died in a tragic accident. Benjamin is a respected surgeon, polished, admired, and seemingly beyond reproach. The idea that he could be capable of something darker feels impossible… and yet the letters keep coming. Each one chips away at Emma’s sense of safety, leaving her frightened, isolated, and unsure of whom to trust.

Emma’s position makes everything more complicated. She works for Benjamin’s father, which tightens the family web around her. Even within the walls of her own home, she must navigate the presence of Benjamin’s teenage daughter - a constant reminder of the woman who came before her. The emotional tension is thick, and Emma’s growing paranoia feels both justified and deeply unsettling.

What I appreciated most is how Willow Rose slowly tightens the screws. The dread builds in layers. Is Emma being manipulated? Is someone playing a cruel game? Or has she married a man whose carefully curated reputation hides something sinister? Just when you think you have a handle on where the story is heading, another doubt creeps in.

Willow Rose delivers another twisty psychological thriller that keeps you second-guessing until the very end. As the final twist begins to take shape, the tension becomes almost unbearable—in the best way. This is a story about trust, perception, and how quickly certainty can unravel.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this free ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Willow Rose is a multi-million-copy bestselling author of more than 90 novels. Several of her books have reached the top 10 of all books in the Amazon store in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than seven million books, which have been translated into many languages. Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting page-turners with twists you won’t see coming; that’s why her fans call her "The Queen of Plot Twists". Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.


Thursday, February 12, 2026

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW - No One Knew

Title:  No One Knew
Author Kendra Elliot
Series:   Noelle Marshall #2
Publisher:  Macmillan Audio
Genre:   Romantic Suspense
Format:  Audio ALC and Kindle ARC
Narrator:  Stephanie Németh-Parker
Length:  8 hrs 48 mins
No. of Pages:   314
Date of Publication:   January 6, 2025
My Rating:  5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

For a detective and an FBI agent, two seemingly disparate murder investigations collide with a twist in an explosive novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

In the crisp mountain air of central Oregon, a teenage girl’s search for discarded cans leads to a horrifying a body, brutally murdered and abandoned in the woods. The case falls to Deschutes County Detective Noelle Marshall, who finds herself navigating a community steeped in secrets, suspicion, and distrust of outsiders—especially law enforcement.

Miles away, FBI Special Agent Max Rhodes investigates a different kind of darkness—chatter about a violent uprising from a shadowy militia group preparing for war. The two cases seem worlds apart. But as Noelle digs into the murdered man’s past and Max closes in on the source of the terror plot, their paths begin to converge in a terrifying way. This was no random killing. It was a message. A merciless killer and a hidden army are operating in the same shadows, and finding the link between them is the only thing standing between a single murder and a full-blown massacre.


MY THOUGHTS:

When I first listened to No One Knew, Kendra Elliot was an unknown author to me. As I first went to write this review it wasn’t easy, so I visited the Fantastic Fiction website to explore her book collection. I discovered that I was reading the second book in a series. Thanks to Kindle Unlimited, I could access the first book, Her First Mistake, and even listen to her entire catalog. As the series progressed, I was impressed by Kendra Elliot’s ability to connect the various 34sseries and its characters seamlessly.

The story follows Noelle Marshall, a detective who has recently returned to her hometown in central Oregon. While there, she confronts her past and the secrets that her community harbors. These secrets come to the forefront when a body is discovered, causing concern among the townspeople. Their distrust and hidden truths pose a challenge to Noelle as she delves deeper into the investigation.

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Max Rhodes is called in to investigate a militia group. As the story unfolds, the cases that both he and Noelle are investigating reveal a surprising connection. This connection brings them together, as they had done in the past.

If you’re a fan of crime and FBI thrillers, this series and any of Kendra Michaels’s other works are a must-read. Both books in the Noelle Marshall series were wonderfully narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker. Her ability to bring the characters to life made the story captivating and impossible to put down. 
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for this free ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As a kid, I read and read and read. Laura Ingalls, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden were my close companions, and I was never without a book in hand. Today mysteries and suspense are my primary reading genres. I enjoy Lee Child, Karen Rose, Robert Crais, Lisa Gardner, Michael Connelly, and Tami Hoag. But I also love to escape with a historical romance or an engrossing fantasy set in another world. Authors are always huge readers.

In 2006 I’d recently finished one of Diana Gabaldon’s novels for the umpteenth time, and I loved how satisfied and content I felt at the end. A true sign of great storytelling. Could I provide that experience for a reader? I sat down and spent six months writing a contemporary romance. Strangely I kept tripping over dead bodies in each chapter. I got the hint and my stories evolved into suspense. I never felt the need to “tell the stories cluttering my head” or “share my work with the world” like some authors. My goal was to simply see if I could entertain a reader.

HIDDEN was the third manuscript I finished, but my first book purchased by a publisher. It came out in the summer of 2012 and since then has sold over a million copies. I won the Daphne du Maurier award three times and have hit the Wall Street Journal’s best seller list more than a dozen times. I’ve been an International Thriller Writers’s finalist and a finalist for Romantic Times Magazine’s best Romantic Suspense. As I update this in 2025, I’ve sold 14 million books, and I’m working on my twenty-fifth novel. I’ve also written eleven novellas and sold the TV rights for my Mercy Kilpatrick series, but the option was not renewed after two years, so the series is not in production.

I wouldn’t trade this career for anything, and I count my blessings every day, thankful that readers have embraced my books.



BLOG TOUR - Such a Perfect Family

Title:  Such a Perfect Family
Author Nalini Singh
Publisher:  Berkley
Genre:   Psychological Thriller
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   372
Date of Publication:   January 27, 2026
My Rating:   4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

A man with a deadly past marries into the perfect, respectable family in this riveting thriller from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh . . .

A woman buried.
A woman broken.
A woman crashed.
A woman burned.
And the man who knew them all.


Love at first sight, a whirlwind Vegas wedding, a fairy-tale romance.
For seventy-nine days, Tavish Advani has been the happiest man in the world—until his new life turns to ash, his wealthy in-laws’ house going up in a fiery explosion. His badly injured wife lies in a coma, her family all but annihilated.

Tavish thought he left the sins of his Los Angeles life behind, but it’s not so easy to leave behind an investigation into the deaths of several high-profile women—all of whom he professed to love. Tragedy and death follow him no matter where he goes . . . but this time, he knows he’s innocent.

Desperately trying to clear his name as the authorities zero in, he begins his own investigation into the fire—and learns that his wife’s picture-perfect family may have been nothing but a meticulously constructed mirage. The truth is much darker than anything Tavish could’ve imagined . . .


MY THOUGHTS:

Tavish and Diya’s married life is a whirlwind right from the start. At least one of their families is hiding dangerous secrets. The very start of their married life is all but destroyed by tragedy. After a fire takes the lives of most of Diya’s family, and she is left in critical condition. The police have more than one probing question for Tavish. It can’t be a coincidence that Tavish’s previous three relationships have led to the death of each of those partners. 

Tavish’s first-person perspective dominates this story, interspersed with flashbacks from Diya’s life. The detective’s notes and context also play a crucial role. Singh’s writing style makes this story highly addictive. The excellent pacing and shocking twist make Such a Perfect Family a truly captivating read.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.


I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).

So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.


Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Review - Our Beautiful Mess

Title:   Our Beautiful Mess
Author:  Adele Parks
Publisher:  Harlequin Trade Publishing
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   448
Date of Publication:   February 10, 2026
My Rating:   4 Stars 

DESCRIPTION:

Connie can’t wait to have all her daughters back home for the holidays. It’s not just the excitement of the girls being together under one roof; uni student Fran is bringing a new boyfriend to stay. The empty nest will once again be full of friends, family and young love.

Yet from the moment she sees Zac, Connie feels a deep unease. Zac reminds her of the worst mistake she has ever a man whose charm and good looks nearly destroyed her marriage. Then, Fran announces she’s pregnant.

Reeling from Fran’s news and terrified that her past might threaten her family’s future, Connie desperately tries to navigate a path forward. But there’s a much greater menace looming, because she’s not the only one who has something to hide. Someone in the house has another devastating secret. A deception which will put everyone Connie loves in shocking danger, and one of them will pay the ultimate price.

Number One bestseller Adele Parks returns with an explosive and deeply emotional family drama which explores the lengths a parent will go to protect a child; for there’s nothing stronger than a woman whose family is under threat. 

MY THOUGHTS:


Connie’s nest is about to be full once again. The holidays have arrived, and Connie couldn’t be happier. However, when her daughter Fran brings her new boyfriends, Zac, along, Connie is immediately concerned. There’s something about Zac that makes Connie uncomfortable, but she puts on a good show, eager to bask in the attention from her family. 


Fran and Zac have news to share with her family, all while something beneath the surface is being revealed. Zac is troubled, and is doing his level best to keep anyone from finding out what is actually going on. Also, Zac now has the opportunity to meet his biological father, and has no idea that a can of worms is about to explode.


Our Beautiful Mess, a captivating domestic thriller, masterfully weaves together drama, tension, and excellent pacing, all while presenting multiple perspectives that propel the story forward seamlessly. The narrative takes an intriguing turn when Connie’s past unexpectedly surfaces, immediately injecting drama and tension into the plot. Adele Parks skillfully builds and layers this tension throughout the story, creating a gripping and suspenseful reading experience. 


Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and to NetGalley for this free ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she's had 20 international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages. She's been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She's lived in Italy, Botswana and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son and cat.


Social Links:

Author Website

Instagram: @adele_parks

Twitter: @adeleparks

Facebook: @OfficialAdeleParks

Goodreads


Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Review - GLP-1 Meals Made Easy

Title:  GLP-1 Meals Made Easy
Authors Aliza Olive, MD; 
  Kellie Badie PharmD
Publisher:  Callisto Publishing
Genre:   Self-Help
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   192
Date of Publication:   February 10, 2026
My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Millions of Americans are managing their weight and blood sugar with the help of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic. But medicine is only half the battle. Understanding how this drug affects your appetite and digestion can be daunting, especially when figuring out what to eat. GLP-1 Meals Made Easy looks to deliver on the promise of simplified nutrition. Written by a doctor and a pharmacist team who run a clinic for GLP-1 patients, GLP-1 Meals Made Easy features 80 recipes, dozens of photos, and insightful tips and meal planning advice backed by real-world clinical experience
Developing a better relationship with food

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

As someone currently taking the GLP-1 medication Wegovy, I’m always on the lookout for self-help books that can support me on this journey. While weight loss itself has been significant, methods definitely vary. With GLP-1 medications studies cited here and elsewhere suggest an average loss of 15–20 percent weight loss. I’ve personally lost 35 percent of my body weight and continue to hope for broader improvements in my overall health.

Even knowing how critical good nutrition is, simply wanting to eat better hasn’t always translated into feeling better. That’s what initially drew me to GLP-1 Meals Made Easy. The book is divided into two sections - Getting Started and Meal Planning and Recipes - and it was the promise of practical meal ideas and guidance that really caught my attention.

There is always something new to learn about GLP-1 medications, and the first section of this book is both informative and eye-opening. One of the focuses is on setting a strong foundation by creating a solid plan. This is with the goal of helping readers to understand how GLP-1 medications work and how nutrition can be used to optimize fat loss. For some people, myself included, the weight seems to melt off. However, fatigue, irritability, weakness, and low energy can still be ongoing challenges. This book speaks directly to those struggles.

The second section introduces a structured 21-day meal plan that emphasizes protein intake and a specific calorie range. It’s designed to help readers build their own 21-day plan, with the goal of increasing energy and supporting overall well-being. With more than 80 recipes as well as photos, this section feels practical, approachable, and motivating.

I highly recommend GLP-1 Meals Made Easy to anyone considering starting a GLP-1 medication, as well as those already on this journey. Paired with guidance from my physician, information like this has been incredibly helpful to me. I believe it could be just as beneficial for others navigating the same path.

Many thanks to Callisto Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.