You Know Why by J.T. Ellison

September 4, 2026 By Leave a Comment


You Know Why by J.T. Ellison
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

It’s the holidays, and photographer Brooklyn Locke is bound for Italy with her husband, Trey, and their two children. But when Trey vanishes from the airport, missing their connecting flight, their impromptu vacation—and life as she knows it—begins to unravel.

Desperate to find her husband, Brooklyn accepts help from a stranger on the same flight, Eden Barrow. But Eden soon makes a shocking claim. She is the sister of Trey’s first wife, and ten years ago he was the main suspect in her murder.

Struggling to comprehend these accusations, fate delivers one more blow: a violent accident that leaves Brooklyn fighting for her life. With nowhere else to turn, Brooklyn leans on Eden for support. But each kindness feels too rehearsed, feeding her doubts about Eden’s motives and Trey’s true past.

Brooklyn has her own dark history she’d rather forget and confronts an unsettling possibility. Her life is not what it seems, and the truth is a trap—laid by someone waiting for the perfect time to strike.

You Know Why by J.T. Ellison is a gripping psychological thriller filled with secrets, suspicion, and unexpected twists. The story follows photographer Brooklyn Locke, who travels to Italy with her husband, Trey, and their two children for the holidays. But when Trey mysteriously disappears at the airport, Brooklyn’s vacation quickly turns into a nightmare.

As Brooklyn searches for answers, she meets Eden Barrow, a stranger who makes a shocking claim: she is the sister of Trey’s first wife, whose murder ten years earlier left Trey as the main suspect. Brooklyn is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her husband. After a violent accident leaves her fighting for her life, she becomes even more dependent on Eden, but Eden’s kindness feels suspiciously calculated. At the same time, Brooklyn must face parts of her own past that she has tried to forget about.

One of the strongest aspects of this novel is Ellison’s writing. The story has a good flow and moves at a steady pace, making it easy to keep reading. The tension is maintained throughout the book, and there is always a feeling that something is about to happen. Just when you think you understand what is going on, another clue or revelation makes you question your assumptions.

The characters are also well written and complex. Brooklyn is especially interesting because she is not simply trying to uncover the truth about Trey—she is also forced to confront her own secrets and the possibility that her entire life may not be what she believed it was. Eden is intriguing because it is difficult to determine whether she genuinely wants to help Brooklyn or has another motive entirely. She seems sincere,

Another strength of You Know Why is the way Ellison places clues throughout the story. Readers are given pieces of information that can seem insignificant at first but may take on greater meaning as the story develops. These clues encourage you to form your own theories and keep guessing about who can be trusted.

Overall, You Know Why is an engaging and suspenseful thriller with well-developed characters, strong pacing, and plenty of mystery. The writing keeps the story moving, while the clues and twists maintain the tension from beginning to end. If you enjoy psychological thrillers that keep you questioning the characters and trying to figure out the truth before the final reveal, this is a book worth picking up.

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

The Footman is an Earl by Valerie Bowman

September 1, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Footman is an Earl by Valerie Bowman
Lords in Disguise, book 1
Publisher: June Third Enterprises, LLC
Gene: Historical
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

When a spirited activist falls for a footman, will love survive when she learns he’s really the earl behind the cause she opposes?

Every fortune-hunting female in London is after the newly titled Earl of Kendall, but he’s intent on finding a wife whose heart is true. So, while drunkenly jesting with his friends in a pub one night, he has an idea—what if the ladies of the ton didn’t know he was a wealthy earl? All he has to do is pose as a servant at his friend’s summer country house party and make sure the guest list is full of beautiful, eligible debutantes. What could possibly go wrong?

Miss Frances Wharton is far more interested in fighting for the rights of the poor than in marriage, but her mother insists she attend a summer house party—and find herself a husband. Frances would rather wed a goat than the pompous man her mother has in mind, so in order to dissuade the would-be suitor, she vows to behave like a shrew. The only person she can be herself with is the kind, handsome footman she runs into at every turn. Their connection is undeniable, and the divide between them is no match for the passion they feel. But what will happen when Frances learns that the footman she adores is actually the earl she despises? In a game where everything is false, can they convince each other that their love is true?

The Footman is an Earl is the first book in the Lords in Disguise series and can easily be read as a standalone. However, after enjoying this book so much, I definitely plan to read the second installment in the series.

One thing I especially appreciated was the Author’s Note before the prologue. Combined with the prologue, it provides a wonderful introduction to the cast of characters and immediately made me feel connected to them. It also increased my anticipation to begin the story, even after the synopsis had already captured my interest. This was my first Valerie Bowman novel, and I found her writing style to be engaging and effortless to read.

Frances is the heroine of the story, and I loved that she is clever, sincere, humble, and intelligent. She is exactly the kind of woman the hero, Lucas, has been hoping to find. I especially enjoyed her hilarious shenanigans as she tried to avoid marrying the man her mother had chosen for her.

This was such a fun and refreshing read because I’d never read a historical romance in which the hero was the one in disguise. I’ve read plenty of stories where the heroine disguises herself as a man, but Lucas posing as a servant was far more entertaining. Even better, his disguise carries a deeper purpose that is revealed later in the story when his deception comes to light. It’s a wonderful example of Valerie Bowman’s skillful storytelling, as she ties Lucas’s deception into Frances’s passion for advocating for the poor.

The connection between Lucas and Frances felt genuine, making it easy to become invested in their romance. Their chemistry was irresistible, and Lucas’s friends—who are also in disguise—added even more humor and entertainment to the story.

I found the plot to be fresh and original, with a smooth pace that kept me eagerly turning the pages. By the time I reached the end, I was completely satisfied and already looking forward to reading the next book. I highly recommend The Footman is an Earl to anyone who enjoys witty, engaging historical romance with memorable characters and a unique premise.

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

James by Percival Everett

August 18, 2026 By 1 Comment


James by Percival Everett
Publisher: Vintage
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

I read Huckleberry’s name, and I was back in the 60’s reading Huck Finn in my high school. But this wasn’t Mark Twain’s book. This was someone who had written a book of the time, these times, the 21st century. This was a good story, but it had reality in it. It was full of those things we sometimes don’t like to face.

I am really not sure how Everett did this. He wrote a story I couldn’t put down, one of bad guys and good guys, troubled times, and good times. He included words that I would have put a book down immediately had I read some of the words included. Words I would definitely find offensive in today’s world. I’d be ashamed that someone had called anyone those names. Yet somehow, he portrayed the truth all mixed with reality, even humor, mixed up with a story you just can’t wait to know how it ends. How in this world he did it, I cannot tell you.

I can’t find anything to pick on except for maybe a few typos and for this story even I can forgive those. That’s saying a lot. I can say you will have lost out if you don’t read it.

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

Another One for the God of Insects by Cobalt Stone

August 17, 2026 By 2 Comments


Another One for the God of Insects by Cobalt Stone
Publisher: KDP
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sanderson McCaffrey knows two things for certain.

The first is that some land takes care of the people who respect it.

The second is that government men never know when to leave.

For generations, the McCaffrey family has farmed the same South Texas soil. The crops survive droughts that should have killed them. The harvests come when they shouldn’t. And whenever outsiders push too hard, ask too many questions, or dig too deep into things that don’t concern them, trouble has a way of finding them.

Sanderson doesn’t pretend to understand it.

His father didn’t understand it.

His grandfather didn’t understand it.

But they all learned the same lesson.

Some questions are better left unanswered.

Twelve-year-old Sally McCaffrey has grown up hearing stories, working the farm, and learning the unwritten rules that have been passed down through her family for generations. She believes the world works the way nature works. Flies feed spiders. Spiders feed birds. Everything feeds something.

When a young state agriculture inspector arrives to investigate the McCaffrey farm’s impossible production records, he finds a family hiding something he can’t explain and a field that refuses to behave the way fields should.

The more he digs, the more determined he becomes to uncover the truth.

The more determined Sanderson becomes to send him home.

Neither man realizes how little control either of them actually has.

Set against the backdrop of South Texas farm country, Another One for the God of Insects blends rural folklore, family legacy, quiet dread, and Southern Gothic suspense into a story where the greatest danger is not what can be seen in the fields, but what has been waiting there all along.

Some inherit land.

Some inherit money.

The McCaffreys inherited something else.

Nothing is more important than respecting the land that sustains us all.

The world building was understated but complex. Readers who have any experience with farming or rural culture will have a little bit of an advantage with this piece as the descriptions of people who are from these subcultures was subtle, but I think it can also appealing to anyone who is unfamiliar with these subjects so long as they pay close attention to the dialogue and character development. This was something that should be slowly savored, especially once the inspector from the Texas Department of Agriculture arrived and began disregarding the instructions the main character gave to him.

Speaking of character development, Sanderson’s gruff, no-nonsense personality was perfect for a protagonist who had spent his entire life on the family farm. He valued choosing one’s words carefully and embracing the silence of the countryside if one didn’t have anything useful to say. Other readers should get to know his other personality traits for themselves, but he struck me as a solid example of what the average farmer is often like.

This tale included one of those endings that can make someone pause and go back to reread the last few paragraphs. I adored how open to interpretation was and how much it trusted the audience to pick up on the few clues that had been provided in order to know what deep secrets Sanderson and his family had been protecting for so many generations. If the rest of Mr. Stone’s work is anything like this, I want to read it all!

Another One for the God of Insects made me yearn for a sequel.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Why Do I Want to Get Married? A Guided Journal for Clarity Before Commitment by Venchele Saint Dic, MPH

August 13, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Why Do I Want to Get Married? A Guided Journal for Clarity Before Commitment by Venchele Saint Dic, MPH
Publisher: Pathway Coach Writing
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Before choosing a future with someone else, take time to understand the reasons behind your desire for marriage.

Why Do I Want to Get Married? is a thoughtful guided journal created for singles, divorced men and women, people dating again, and anyone seeking emotional clarity before commitment.

Through reflective prompts, emotional clarity exercises, and intentional self-exploration, this journal helps readers uncover what they truly desire from marriage, partnership, healing, and love.

Inside this journal, you will explore:

• beliefs inherited about marriage
• emotional readiness for partnership
• healing after heartbreak or divorce
• loneliness versus genuine desire
• relationship patterns and boundaries
• healthy marriage values and vision
• self-worth beyond relationship status

This journal is not about rushing toward love.
It is about understanding yourself before choosing your future.

Because marriage is not the prize.
Self-awareness is.

Marriage can have many different meanings, all of which should be explored carefully in advance.

This was one of the most unique books I’ve reviewed so far here at Long and Short Reviews due to the journal format of it and how much space was left for readers to work through their own feelings about marriage, why they desire it, and what they hope it will bring to their lives. There were a series of in-depth questions about this topic with space left below each one for someone to write answers to a wide variety of questions about romantic love, commitment, hopes for the future, and one’s expectations of what each of those things may look like.

I was hoping the author would include a section that focused on memories of past dates and relationships and was thrilled to see this wish granted. It was nice that the questions didn’t make negative or positive assumptions about what those experiences were like as people’s experiences with this topic can vary greatly. Sometimes certain patterns can reveal themselves by looking back at one’s previous choice of partners, though, so I was glad that this was mentioned as well.

What ultimately encouraged me to give this a full five star review was the section that covered what might happen if the reader never ends up getting married (or married again, in the case of people who are widowed or divorced). Not everyone who yearns for this milestone will necessarily reach it, so having a backup plan is important even while one continues to go on dates and work on themselves as they wait to meet their future spouse. I loved the flexibility of the questions in this portion and thought they provided a well-rounded approach to the subject of wanting to be in a happy marriage but not yet knowing when, how, or with whom that might happen.

Why Do I Want to Get Married? A Guided Journal for Clarity Before Commitment was a thorough and thoughtful workbook that I’d recommend to anyone who hopes to be married someday.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

So You Want To Be An Astronaut by Linda Soules

August 10, 2026 By Leave a Comment


So You Want To Be An Astronaut by Linda Soules
Publisher: So You Want To Be…Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What does it really take to become an astronaut — not in a movie, but in the actual universe where rockets shake your bones and silence stretches forever outside the hull?

So You Want To Be An Astronaut is the honest, illustrated guide that curious kids have been waiting for. It takes young readers ages 10 to 14 deep inside the science, the training, and the daily reality of one of the most extraordinary careers a person can pursue. No sugarcoating. No skipping the hard parts. Just the real story of what happens between the dream and the launch.

You will follow the full path: years of preparation before a single mission, from underwater spacewalk simulations to wilderness survival training. You will learn the science of space exploration — orbital mechanics, life-support systems, and what happens to a human body living in microgravity far from Earth. You will discover how a small crew depends on each other across distances no rescue team can cross, and what happens when the mission does not go exactly as planned.

The book is rich with space facts that go far beyond the basics. It explores our solar system and the science careers that make every mission possible — engineers, flight surgeons, mission controllers, and the astronauts themselves. It covers the history of space exploration and the pioneering figures who proved that human beings could survive and work in outer space. And it asks the question young readers care about most: what can I start doing right now?

Every page is designed to pull you in. Colorful images and short, focused sections make even complex science accessible and fun to explore. Glossaries break down key terms without slowing the pace. This is nonfiction built like a reference and an adventure at once — the kind of illustrated companion a child first loves for its photographs at eight, then returns to at twelve or fourteen discovering new depth every time.

Younger readers thrive with a parent or teacher alongside them, turning pages into rich conversations about science, ambition, and what is possible. Independent readers in the middle grades will dive in headfirst, absorbing details and beginning to picture themselves in the role. Older readers and adults will find surprising layers — fascinating history, memorable insights, and a voice that never talks down to anyone.

For every young person who looks up at the night sky and feels something stir, this book is the real answer they deserve.

Everyone needs a goal in life.

The descriptions of what it feels like to orbit Earth were marvelous. I almost felt as if I were right there watching the continents and oceans pass by peacefully below me. It was a calm and joyful moment that helped me to understand why someone would be willing to train for so many years for the chance to experience it.

Speaking of training, I loved the section that gave a practical list of things to start doing now for kids who want to become astronauts. This was such a good way to draw readers in and encourage them to follow their dreams no matter how many years away they are from adulthood.

What catapulted this into a five-star read for me was how honest the narrator was about both the negative and positive aspects of being an astronaut. Anyone who wants to be part of this profession should have the whole truth instead of a sugarcoated version of what it’s actually like. I especially liked the descriptions of the many years of training it takes in many different subjects before someone qualifies to live on the ISS (International Space Station), including the requirement to learn Russian.

I was pleasantly surprised by a page on in this picture book that talked about what astronauts do after they have completed their missions. While I don’t want to give away any spoilers for it, it wrapped up everything beautifully and taught me a few things about them that I didn’t know before.

So You Want To Be An Astronaut was inspiring and made me want to learn more about the brave men and women who have done this work.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

TV Review: Widow’s Bay (Season 1)

August 3, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Widow’s Bay (Season 1) created by Katie Dippold
Directors: Hiro Murai, Ti West, Sam Donovan, and Andrew DeYoung
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll, and Dale Dickey
Publisher: Apple TV
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A New England mayor trying to boost tourism on his island must navigate strange events suggesting it might be cursed.

It may be a small town, but it’s anything but sleepy.

The plot twists in this show were fantastic, and I was surprised by them on more than one occasion. What made them even better was how much effort the creator put into not only giving the audience fantastic clues but also making plenty of space for alternative interpretations of them as well. This meant that even when I was wrong about where the plot was headed, I still felt satisfied by my attempts to predict the ending of season one as my theories were perfectly reasonably at the time.

Horror and mystery are even more enticing to me when mixed together, and I loved digging into the history of Widow’s Bay as secrets were slowly revealed and a few explanations as to why this small community had such terrible luck were put forward by various characters. The paranormal themes only made everything scarier and more thrilling, and I’m hoping that these types of scenes are given even more screen time in the future as they provided ample opportunities not only for frights but also for some memorable character and plot development as well.

Speaking of small towns, I thought this was an honest portrayal of both what it’s like to live in a rural community as well as what it feels like to move to one and interact with people who have all known each other for their entire lives and may not always be that interested in getting to know outsiders. The tensions between various groups of people including newcomers, lifelong residents who wanted to see their community grow, and those who strongly preferred for things to remain the same forever were well written, fair, and sometimes downright hilarious. Honestly, I could understand everyone’s perspectives even if I didn’t necessarily agree with all of them, and I thought this added some nice conflict as well early on when the paranormal antagonists weren’t as active yet.

This first season of Widow’s Bay has me eagerly anticipating what might happen next. What a wild ride!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

TV Review: The Quilters

July 27, 2026 By Leave a Comment

Title: The Quilters
Director: Jenifer McShane
Producer: Jenifer McShane
Starring: Joe Satterfield
Publisher: Netflix
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars (10 on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

In this award-winning short documentary, men in a Missouri maximum-security prison design and sew beautiful, personalized quilts for foster children.

Rehabilitation begins with empathy.

I adored the sensitive and kind framing of this documentary, especially given the fact that many of the men who sew these quilts have been incarcerated for decades or even for the rest of their lies for what were in a few cases hinted to be terrible crimes. It’s not always easy for filmmakers or audiences to see the humanity in people with these kinds of violent pasts, so I appreciated the fact that as little time as possible was spent exploring what, exactly, they did to end up in a level 5 facility. Those details, while obviously important in other contexts, were not relevant to work these inmates were doing for children living in foster care or with disabilities like autism.

As someone who knows little about sewing, I was fascinated by the many detailed steps it requires in order to sew a quilt, weighted vest, or weighted blanket. For example, I didn’t know that cloth needs to be ironed and stretched out before being sewn together or what happens if those steps aren’t done properly. The inmates were trained carefully on their craft, and the items they produced were incredible. It was especially interesting to see how every inch of an item was inspected methodically before being shipped out to the children who were waiting for their gifts.

Regret and forgiveness were two of the deeper themes of this documentary that played out quietly in the background. A few of the men featured will probably never leave the maximum-security prison in Missouri where they have already lived for decades, so hearing their thoughts on the many years they’ve had to consider their life choices was especially poignant. I don’t want to share too many spoilers about what they’ve learned along the way, but I will say that they have had a lot of time to work through their feelings and I liked the way they expressed them.

The Quilters was a beautiful and heartwarming look at how dramatically people can change for the better when given the chance.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

July 23, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
Publisher: Hanover Press
Genre: Historical, Fiction, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe. Grace Bennett has always dreamed of moving to the city, but the bunkers and drawn curtains that she finds on her arrival are not what she expected. And she certainly never imagined she’d wind up working at Primrose Hill, a dusty old bookshop nestled in the heart of London.

Through blackouts and air raids as the Blitz intensifies, Grace discovers the power of storytelling to unite her community in ways she never dreamed—a force that triumphs over even the darkest nights of the war.

Moved my heart. This was such an enjoyable read. It has good times and bad times. It has a bookshop, a curmudgeonly but sweet old man, a lonely old woman having lived through the hells of wars, and young girls trying to make their way in the world all in the midst of World War 2. Don’t get me wrong. This book is not all set during WW2. The story begins as Grace and Viv grow up in a small town and dream of leaving their unfortunate lives and running to make or break it in London. It’s a story of dreams. One of people who know they must work hard to succeed and find they can live through more than they ever dreamed.

This could be perfect for Young Adults, and yet I enjoyed every minute of it as an adult. There might be a lot of sweetness here, but there are some very realistic parts of the British living in London during the bombings in WW2. And in today’s world, a sweet story isn’t such a bad idea.

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

Tawny by Chas Carner

July 15, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Tawny by Chas Carner
Publisher: Scholastic and Macmillan
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Trey and Troy Landry are 12-year-old twin brothers growing up on a New Hampshire farm. Even though Troy is the impulsive trouble maker, and Trey the more dutiful and introverted one, they share an incredibly close bond.

One day Troy is accidentally killed by hunters poaching deer on the farm. Trey is devastated and channels his grief into caring for an injured deer, which he names “Tawny.”

As their friendship deepens, however, Trey finds it harder and harder to release Tawny back into the wild.

What he learns in the process of letting go—about loss, love, and the healing power of nature has even more relevance for youth today than when this critically acclaimed novel was first published.

Grief has many faces.

Mr. Carter had a smooth and descriptive writing style that was a joy to read. I especially liked the passages in this novella that talked about the rhythms of life on a farm and how one season of the year would gradually give way to the next. As someone who had spent his entire life on that same property, Trey was so accustomed to what every month felt like that he didn’t quite seem to realize how special they were, but his descriptions of his childhood were still beautiful and showed me so much about his personality and the empathic and patient man he would become in a few short years as a result of his rural childhood.

It was the passages dealing with Trey’s grief over the death of his twin brother that ultimately convinced me to choose a five-star rating. Many stories that deal with death and loss focus on how it feels immediately or, at most, several months later, but healing can require a much longer period of time than that and sometimes involves old pain returning in quiet moments when the outside world might assume someone is doing much better now than they actually are. I loved the scenes later on that explored how Trey dealt with these feelings while also going about his usual routine of school, chores, and looking after Tawny as she healed from her injury.

The many cultural difference between the 1950s and modern times also piqued my interest. For example, Trey and Troy were taught how to drive at age eight and, a few years later, were doing potentially dangerous chores on the farm like helping cows to deliver their calves or shooting guns. Many children in the Western Hemisphere today would not allowed to participate in these activities, so it was fascinating to see how much more freedom and autonomy people that age had a few generations ago.

Tawny was heartfelt and bittersweet. It made me want to read more from this author!

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