One Night of Passion by Elizabeth Boyle

May 22, 2026 By Leave a Comment


One Night of Passion by Elizabeth Boyle
Publication: Avon Books
Gene: Historical, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

They Met At London’s Notorious Cyprian’s Ball . . .

Georgiana Escott has one night to find the perfect man to ruin her and leave her with a tattered reputation so she can avoid an arranged marriage to an aging, despicable roue. With a misstep, she tumbles into the arms of the disgraced and dashing Lord Danvers. But Georgie doesn’t know that the lover she has enticed to follow her into the night and the stranger she holds responsible for her misfortunes are in the same . . .

When Lord Danvers find himself entangled with a tempting Cyprian, his secret mission to expose a dangerous spy goes awry. Yet once he starts to unmasked this bewitching lady, he realizes the seductress who claims his heart may be the traitor he seeks. Mistrust makes them adversaries in a perilous game—but how can he dismiss his obsession with her when one night of passion entwined their lives forever?

I haven’t been inspired to write a book review in almost a year. I’ve read many books since then, but none made me want to sit down and tell people why they absolutely should read it—until now. I just finished One Night of Passion by Elizabeth Boyle, a library find that completely swept me away.

I feel like I’d been starving for a book like this without even realizing how hungry I was until I started reading it. Once I opened this thirst-quenching novel, I couldn’t put it down for fear of going back to the reading slump I’d been stuck in before. Even after finishing the epilogue, I still didn’t want to close the book—and by then it was 2:00 in the morning with my alarm set for 6:00 a.m. for work.

To be fully transparent, I’ve been lazy about sitting down to write reviews lately. I debated whether I really wanted to spend the time and mental energy writing one, but this book compelled me to do it because it was just that good.

The storytelling felt like watching a movie without commercials—smooth, immersive, and impossible to pause. The plot flowed effortlessly, pulling me from one chapter to the next. When I finally did force myself to put the book down for the night, I ended up dreaming about the hero, Captain Danvers. I honestly can’t remember the last time I read a hero worthy of the title “book boyfriend.” He was handsome, intelligent, romantic, and brave—the kind of character that makes you want to be rescued by him yourself.

The heroine, Georgie, was equally entertaining. She was every bit the lady who could pack a punch—quite literally. She was a delightful damsel in distress who made me laugh out loud several times throughout the story. I found her personality incredibly relatable because of her strong will and determination once she set her mind on something.

And the chemistry between Georgie and Captain Danvers? Absolutely palpable. Their witty banter was one of my favorite parts of the novel, especially because of the timing and circumstances in which it happened. Watching their romance slowly evolve was pure delight.

The character development throughout the entire cast was wonderfully done. The mix of heroes, villains, and morally questionable characters all played important roles in the constantly twisting plot. I know I already said it, but I truly could not put this book down—even though I knew I should because it was a work night. I was completely riveted, turning pages nonstop with every new revelation. The storytelling made me feel like I was part of the adventure myself. I never once felt sleepy because there was simply no good stopping point.

One of the strongest parts of the story was how unpredictable it was. I had absolutely no idea who the traitor was. Near the end, I was reading faster and faster, second-guessing every theory I had—and in the end, it wasn’t who I expected at all.

The epilogue tied everything together perfectly with a beautiful finishing touch. I loved this entire journey from beginning to end and felt compelled to recommend it to others immediately. This is absolutely a “keeper shelf” book for me—one I can easily see myself rereading a second or even third time.

The best part? I discovered this is the first book in the Danvers Family series. I honestly can’t believe my luck finding it in the library’s honor book section. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Montana El Diablo – The Infinite Adventures by Peter Martin

May 21, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Montana El Diablo – The Infinite Adventures by Peter Martin
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Humor, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Montana El Diablo, the manliest man to ever man and the greatest Private Detective to ever detect privately, sits at his desk. It’s all very noir and cool.

The phone rings, but at the same time there is a knock on the door.
Which will he answer? It’s up to you. If you answer the phone, turn to page 30. If you answer the door, turn to page 58, but buy the book first.

Montana El Diablo, The Infinite Adventures is a unique user driven narrative experience where you, the reader, will determine the fate of Montana El Diablo. Cults, zombies, an alien invasion all await Montana El Diablo and, more importantly, you. Will you find the Leprechaun or will the Leprechaun find you?

Together you can forge forward and determine the fate of Montana El Diablo. Will you find success or fall into complete ruination in what has been called “a book” and “pretty neat”. That was from some pretty reserved people, so it was a party popping off for them.

Will the party pop off for you? Only one way to find out, that being to purchase the book and read it. With 60+ possible outcomes, 500 insightful footnotes by the author, the adventure is truly infinite*.

*Except for the fact that 60 is a very finite number**

**This is an example of an insightful footnote.

Any move could be Montana’s last one.

Mr. Martin had a wry sense of humor that worked perfectly for, as he put it, a “non-linear user-driven narrative experience.” I especially enjoyed the many off-topic sections he included in which he rambled on about subjects ranging from cat facts to how echolocation works to the etiquette of Korean bath houses. They were an amusing detour from the zombies, cults, and mysterious beautiful women that Montana El Diablo generally concerned himself with.

It would have been helpful to see more character development for the protagonist, especially since this was over three hundred pages long. As much as I laughed along the way and enjoyed the plot it self, I didn’t feel as though I got to know Montana particularly well as a individual. Yes, he loved flirting with pretty women, seemed to be extroverted, and was full of zany antics, but I’d find a bit harder to describe other parts of his personality. For example, what did he like to do during his time off from work? Was he close to his family and friends? What were his biggest hopes and fears? If I knew more about him, I would have happily given this a full five-star rating.

I adored the creativity of this book. It’s difficult to discuss specific plot lines as every reader will have his or her own unique experience with that based on which options they choose as they read, but I thought the author did a great job of exploring many different options that ranged from logical to absurd depending on the scene. Some of my favorite moments were the ones that described the multitude of ways in which Montana El Diablo could die if he made the wrong choice. Given how common that type of ending is in the choose-your-own-adventure writing style, I don’t believe that should count as a spoiler so long as I avoid mentioning the specific circumstances of any of his deaths. All other potential readers need to know is that there were some unexpected twists along the way that made me think a lot of work went into developing them.

Montana El Diablo – The Infinite Adventures was a wild ride that I’d recommend to teens and adults alike.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Heritage Mountain by Karen Black

May 20, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Heritage Mountain by Karen Black
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Cozy Mystery, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

In a world where the mystical and the actual coexist, adventure, romance, and a touch of mystery unfold. Set in the majestic Adirondack mountains, when Marco Cason leads an expedition to explore the history of the mountain wilderness, he doesn’t know his colleagues are guardians of the fae.

Searching for clues about ancient societies that inhabited the Adirondacks centuries before, the team delves into legends, navigates ancient maps, and learns that folklore about magical clans is based on facts. When a pixie introduces herself to Maria, the expedition takes a different path. The guardians realize the mountain is filled with mystical clans whose homes are under attack. Negligent use of dynamite, illegal mining, and disregard for nature and the environment has destroyed much of their habitat. It has also cost lives.

Faced with the truth about the existence of magical beings, Marco is forced to reevaluate everything he believed. Still, he becomes a central force when he battles beside the fae to save Heritage Mountain as elves, stargazers, and goliaths fill the pages and the explorers unite with the supernatural creatures to save the mountain from invaders whose greed is destroying their territory.

Themes of friendship, conservation, love, and acceptance flourish, as well as a heavy dose of karma.

The mountains are full of possibilities.

Romance and fantasy are often combined into the same plot, so I wasn’t too surprised to see that happen here. While the latter definitely took up more space, the occasional romantic moments scattered here and there provided additional depth to the characters and gave them some tender experiences interspersed among more serious and sometimes even dangerous ones. I think using this form of love sparingly but purposefully was a great decision for this universe.

The slow pacing and repetition made it difficult for my interest level to remain high even though I was quite curious about this book when I requested it. While I did feel as though I had a good understanding of who everyone was in the large cast of characters, introducing so many of them meant that the protagonists needed to repeat their reasons for being on Heritage mountain and, in some cases, their abilities to see or communicate with mystical beings over and over again. Unfortunately, this only slowed down the storyline even more and made it harder for me to remain highly invested in what was happening.

There was plenty of attention paid to the world building which made this a satisfying read in that regard. I wasn’t aware this was part of a series when I began the first chapter, but it worked pretty well as a standalone piece given the explanations of what seemed to be the most important events of past books. It was especially interesting to me to find out what the various types of magical beings thought of each other and how they organized their societies in order to remain hidden in a world filled with nosy and sometimes destructive humans.

Heritage Mountain was filled with wonder.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk

May 19, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk
Publisher: Sea Crow Press
Genre: Romance, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Three hearts. Countless letters. One impossible choice.

Through letters exchanged across oceans and Manhattan streets, Irish immigrant Catherine McGuirk navigates love, ambition, and heartbreak. Torn between her seafaring husband, the suitor she once refused, and her own dreams, Catherine’s fate unfolds in an intimate, epistolary saga of passion, resilience, and 19th-century life.

Not all choices are equal ones.

Being an immigrant requires courage and the hope that that things will improve. Some of the most memorable passages were the ones that described the prejudice Irish people faced when they came to the United States in the 1800s as well as how Catherine and her loved ones pushed through their struggles to find housing, employment, and a sense of community in cities and towns that were anything but accepting of them. These sections were written tenderly and with so much sympathy for all of the hard times this family experienced as a result of their social class and ethnicity.

I struggled with the slow pacing of this novel, especially in the beginning as the characters were being introduced. Since not everyone’s relationship to the protagonist was explained immediately, this only made those passages trickier to get through. This is something I’m saying as a reader who enjoyed the plot in general and was hoping to choose a much higher rating for it. I simply needed things to unfold a little faster and with a bit more attention paid to how everyone knew each other.

The realistic and bittersweet ending fit the characters and the era they lived in perfectly. While this was a work of fiction, it was loosely inspired by the life of author’s great-aunt. There was a section at the end that shared some of the research Ms. McGuirk did about her family tree in the 1800s and this relative in particular. I love it when historical fiction authors use real life as inspiration for their work, and despite my struggles with the pacing I thought this was a good example of how to use a few historical records to imagine what might have happened generations ago that was never written down. Life was incredibly difficult back then for the vast majority of people, and I liked the fact that this was acknowledged as Catherine lived out her days.

Dear Missing Friend was thoughtful.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Bloody Genius by John Sandford

May 18, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Bloody Genius by John Sandford
Publisher: Putnam
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

At the local state university, two feuding departments have faced off on the battleground of science and medicine. Each carries their views to extremes that may seem absurd, but highly educated people of sound mind and good intentions can reasonably disagree, right?

Then a renowned and confrontational scholar winds up dead, and Virgil Flowers is brought in to investigate . . . and as he probes the recent ideological unrest, he soon comes to realize he’s dealing with people who, on this one particular issue, are functionally crazy. Among this group of wildly impassioned, diametrically opposed zealots lurks a killer, and it will be up to Virgil to sort the murderer from the mere maniacs.

When the police stall on their investigation into the murder of a doctor from the local state university, Virgil Flowers is called in to stir the pot. Initially reluctant, Virgil soon uncovers a whole host of clues – each one seemingly more bizarre and random than the last. Can Virgil and the police work out what’s really going on?

I’m a big fan of both the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers series and this is another excellent book. I frequently find the Virgil based books are a little more lighthearted – and often nearly ludicrous – and wasn’t disappointed. This book doesn’t push the realms of reality too far, but I have to admit that readers looking for a serious, or intense plotline might not find what they’re after here. There is very much a tongue in cheek feeling to these books and while the plot is twisty and interesting I’m not sure anyone could really call it serious.

That said, I did love how as a reader I could tell items were linked together but it was oblique enough it was almost impossible for me to sort through what was relevant and what was a red herring. This kept me both entertained and deeply interested in reading more to find out how everything was connected – or not – and what had really been going on. While the focus really was on Virgil and some new police characters there was plenty of cameos and assistance from regulars like Davenport, Jenkins, Capslock and Shrake so I feel long-time readers of the series should also find this book deeply satisfying.

A fun, slightly frivolous and strongly written mystery book, this is a great series and an excellent addition. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Audit This! by Anne Kane

May 15, 2026 By 1 Comment


Audit This! by Anne Kane
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

No matter how you add the numbers, Nick is one hunk of an auditor!

When government tax auditor Nick finds himself obsessed with the work of romance author Khloe Matters, there’s only one thing to do. Audit her! But getting a closer look at the author in her own home just makes him switch his obsession from the writing to the writer.

When he accompanies her to a writers’ festival, things heat up in a hurry. Neither of them is being entirely honest, and as the weekend progresses so does the hilariously tangled webs of deceit as each of them seeks to further their own agenda.

Anything is possible in a hotel room.

This was an excellent example of how to explore the enemies to lovers trope between two characters who are instantly attracted to each other. Despite the disagreements between them, I genuinely bought the idea that Nick and Khloe could be a great match due to how carefully these scenes were written and how hot the chemistry was between them. Kudos to Ms. Kane for putting so much effort into those early scenes that established why these two had such a mixture of feelings about each other.

I would have liked to see a little more time spent exploring the conflicts between Khloe and Nick. The solutions to them made sense, but I was slightly surprised by how the characters reacted to what could have been bigger issues depending on how one thought about them. Had another scene or two of discussion been included, this would have been a five-star read for me.

A great sense of humor is something I love discovering in the erotic romance genre, and there were plenty of laughs to be found here. Trying to attend a professional work conference while also entertaining a new love interest leaves a lot of room for good-humored conversations along the way, especially when said love interest also happens to be one’s auditor. The playful dialogue was a great addition, and I would have happily read an entire novel’s worth of conversations between these two.

Audit This! was a funny and sexy tale.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

OldTown: Fly, Sparrow, Fly by A. K. Frailey

May 14, 2026 By Leave a Comment


OldTown: Fly, Sparrow, Fly by A. K. Frailey
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Rhona Dewar takes her niece, Syn, into her home after a tragic accident. Together, they discover the healing powers of nature, dedicated kindness, and disarming honesty. Cultural identity, mystery, and humor bring this family drama to life.

On her sixteenth birthday, Syn’s brother, Andy, gave her a secret gift: an ancestry DNA test. As he suspected, the results proved that she was not their father’s daughter and carried not an ounce of Asian blood. Though she had her mother’s Scottish heritage, her father was a mysterious Venezuelan. Was she the child of an unrevealed love affair? Since Syn consistently outperformed him scholastically, Andy uses the discovery to punish Syn, slyly teasing her about her unusual intelligence. In a desperate desire to protect her parents’ marriage, Syn hides her feelings and the test results.

After Rhona and her husband take Syn into their home, suspecting deeper wounds than the ones caused by the accident, they learn the truth about Syn’s parentage. Rhona confronts her sister, Nia, and the forthcoming revelations astound her. Supported by her husband, the revealed talents of townspeople haunted by their own shadowed pasts, and a sense of earthy humor, Rhona navigates turbulent family and community issues. The poem, Fly, Sparrow, Fly, guides Rhona as she helps her niece fly free from the painful misconceptions that have held her bound.

Acknowledging the truth is the first step to becoming free.

Relationships between friends and various family members can be complex at times, and Ms. Frailey did a good job of exploring both the best days these characters shared with each other as well as the worst ones when they struggled to understand each other’s perspectives. There was a nice balance here of wholesome moments and more serious disagreements between certain characters depending on which scene was currently unfolding, and sometimes both happened at almost the same moment!

I struggled with the slow pacing, especially as it pertained to how much time it took for Syn receive the results of her ancestry DNA test and realize that she wasn’t actually biologically relate to her father. While I appreciated the character development that happened along the way, my interest levels did begin to wane as more chapters went by without the main conflict coming into focus. It would have been helpful in my opinion to either have Syn discover this family secret much earlier on or for additional conflicts to be introduced early on to keep the characters busy until the big reveal.

There were some interesting plot twists later on that added extra layers of meaning to earlier scenes. They fit the themes well and made a great deal of sense based on what I’d already learned about the characters. Will other readers see them coming in advance? It’s hard to say, but I liked how naturally they flowed into each other and into the storyline in general.

OldTown Fly, Sparrow, Fly was thought provoking.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

A Trinity of Chosen – An Age of Avarath by JP Behrens

May 12, 2026 By Leave a Comment


A Trinity of Chosen – An Age of Avarath by JP Behrens
Publisher: Budget Shakespeare Aspirations
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Billy has felt forgotten and invisible since the day his mother passed away. He tries to escape into the fantasy worlds of video games and books.

One day, while at the mall with his step-mother, they get into an argument and Billy runs away. She tries to give chase, but Billy loses her in the crowd. Before she can find him, reality shifts and Billy finds that no one can see or hear him any longer.

However, one blind girl by the name of Miranda can perceive him by his aura. She’s been trapped in the mall, invisible to the world, for over fifty years. Complications force them to flee the mall and enter the world of Avarath.

Together, with the help of Tuac, a carnivorous, affable giant, and Swift, a feral nine-year-old boy, they must confront their destiny as The Chosen of Avarath. While searching for a way home, they will influence a world.

But whether the change they bring will be good or ill, no one can say for sure.

Anything is possible with a little luck and effort.

Focusing on friendship was a great decision for these characters. Given that Billy didn’t know Miranda, Tuac, or Swift when the first chapter began, I was impressed by how close they all became later on. It’s not easy to weave such a thing together, especially when the protagonists are also attempting to survive in a dangerous world where many different types of creatures are actively hunting them down. Kudos to the author for understanding the importance of these relationships and spending so much time developing them.

I had trouble with the pacing of this novel. Some scenes sped by while others felt much slower to me due to the time spent on dialogue and descriptions of the unusual places the characters visited. While I preferred the faster pacing, I could have adjusted to something slower, too, if every chapter had been written that way. More than anything, switching between the two speeds was what interrupted my immersion in the plot and encouraged me to select a lower rating.

With that being said, the world building was strong and creative. Some aspects of it need to be kept out of this review for spoiler reasons, but I can say that I truly enjoyed the early scenes that showed how Billy shifted into this alternate reality while at the mall with his stepmother as well as the later descriptions of how dragon eggs were incubated and hatched. The inclusion of so many little details like these made this world come alive in my imagination and kept me reading despite my struggles with the pacing.

A Trinity of Chosen – An Age of Avarath was filled with adventure.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Word With The Dead by Rhys Dylan

May 11, 2026 By Leave a Comment


A Word With The Dead by Rhys Dylan
Publisher: Wyrmwood Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

A body in the hills. A missing man. An unreliable witness.

When a drone uncovers a dead cyclist in the West Wales countryside, DCI Evan Warlow is pulled into a case where the clues are scarce, the suspects slippery, and the motive buried deep beneath layers of power and deceit.

From a silent hospital ward to a shadowy woodland path, this is a mystery that exposes more than murder—it unravels a community.

Gripping, atmospheric, and disturbingly relevant.

DCI Warlow and his team are called in to what is a suspected hit and run cyclist death. From that single point the case soon spirals out of control, leading to some dark and murky places, Can they uncover what’s happening in the small, remote town?

I have found this to be a really enjoyable Welsh police procedural series and I thought this was a very good addition. The team is well linked and cohesive – I think readers will easily enjoy the various characters and what they each add to the problem solving aspects of the case. While there is plenty of history between the characters I do still feel the plot of this story stands very well by itself. I feel readers might get more emotional attachment and enjoyment for having read the series, but that isn’t necessary to enjoy and pick this book up by itself.

A few of the personal life plotlines do tend to arc over numerous books, and while I feel that gives longer-term readers a better depth to the story the mystery plot is very well contained just inside this story. I also really enjoyed the slightly darker, gritter aspect of these Welsh stories. While the pace is slower and more of a police procedural style of story (as opposed to an action-orientated plot) there are some quite heavy and deeper issues that are brough forward so this isn’t a fuzzy or warm kind of “feel good” plotline.

With excellent characters and a realistic plot I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable story and a series I am really liking. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff by GetChrissy

May 8, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff by GetChrissy
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

No more waiting around. It’s time to fast forward to the good stuff!

Ross is the most impatient person you’ll ever meet. You don’t want to keep him waiting in line too long because things will get ugly, fast! He wants to zoom through life, and tired of all the waiting that comes along with it. He wants to speed things up a bit. One day, a weird woman leaves a mysterious package for him that will change his life forever. Ross is in for a magical journey which is powered by his thoughts, but soon things begin to take a bad turn. Ross is in for the craziest ride of his life that you don’t’ want to miss!

Excitement comes in many forms.

Ross was a fascinating main character whose flaws made me want to learn more about him even though I found his quick temper and impatience irritating. He had such a short-sighted view of the world that he was often blindsided by things a more rational and thoughtful person would probably be able to predict in advance at least occasionally. While I don’t know that I’d want to hang out with him in person until he’s matured a bit, he sure did make this tale a memorable one.

There were some plot holes involving the mysterious woman and the package she left for the protagonist that made it hard for me to follow the storyline at times. I had several questions about how her present worked and how she became aware of Ross’ existence that were never satisfactorily answered, especially given that the warning about what would happen if he overused it seemed to be brushed over in later chapters. As much as I enjoyed the playfulness of this story, these issues prevented me from choosing a higher rating.

I enjoyed discovering the wild scenarios Ms. GetChrissy came up with for her characters as they continued to play around with their newfound power and figure out what it could and couldn’t do for them. She had some imaginative and sometimes wonderfully frightening ideas about what this device could do and how someone who was impulsive might push the boundaries of how to use it while attempting to skip over all of the boring parts of his own life.

Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff was creative.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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