The Extraordinary Dreams of Cynthia Peabody by Lynne Marshall

April 29, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Extraordinary Dreams of Cynthia Peabody by Lynne Marshall
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: LGBTQ, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Mysterious portals, inexplicable abilities, intergenerational friendship, and a reluctant hero who just might be off her trolley!

Cynthia Peabody can’t sleep. Recently widowed, her future seems a dreary blur. While practicing meditation techniques to fight insomnia, she discovers a mysterious portal in her backyard through which her dreams are shockingly realistic.

She runs to her neighbor for help after a dream about a dog leads to a real dog in her yard. The next-door teen offers to be the dog walker, and a surprising friendship develops. Juniper’s natural sincerity influences Cynthia to reevaluate her grumpiness.

While dealing with complicated grief along with her life turning toward the supernatural, Cynthia’s doctor’s report brings lousy news. What else can go wrong? She’s desperate for answers.

Pouring out her heart to her husband’s memory, she fears the only logical explanation is that she’s gone mad. But people in her hometown need help, especially a certain next-door teenager. Wishing she’d had someone looking out for her when she was young, Cynthia will do whatever it takes to protect the vulnerable, even if it means risking her life.

Perfection isn’t necessary so long as there’s genuine effort.

Cynthia’s complex personality and character development made me wish we could be neighbors. She was sweet and kind, but she also had a stubborn streak and a tendency to project her traumatic past onto others that kept me interested in how she might work on these flaws in the future. Knowing more about her past helped to explain the person she had become, metaphorical warts and all.

The magical realism was subtle enough to make this tale a little tricky to classify as far as genres go. This is something I always enjoy discovering in new author’s work due to how many different types of readers it can attract. I shared Cynthia’s opinion on why her dreams seemed to repeatedly come true in her waking life, but there was also plenty of space for other interpretations as well given how much nuance was included in the clues about what was happening to her.

I adored the found family and cross-generational aspects of the storyline as well. The protagonist built some incredible friendships as she mourned her husband, including some with people who were young enough to be her children or even grandchildren. Some of the funniest scenes were the ones exploring the social, technological, and pop culture differences between various generations as what is familiar and comforting to a 75-year-old woman will not always resonate with someone in their 40s, much less a teenager (and vice versa). These scenes were gentle and gave the characters so many opportunities to bond.

The Extraordinary Dreams of Cynthia Peabody was a beautiful and memorable story that I didn’t want to end. While I don’t know for sure if there’s a sequel in the works, I’d sure like to read it if one is ever published.

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Life is Lifey by Sarah Shahi

April 10, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Life is Lifey by Sarah Shahi
Publisher: Regalo Press
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Contemporary, Self-Help
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Equal parts pep talk, reality check, and cocktail party confessional, Life is Lifey is a humorous and inspirational guide to unapologetically and authentically figuring out life’s messy middle.

Join Sarah Shahi as she cannonballs into the magical chaos of life—marriage, divorce, kids, career pivots, and everything in between. Like your brutally honest big sister (with a glass of wine in hand, wearing yesterday’s eye liner), Life is Lifey is an encyclopedia on “how to adult,” filled with personal stories that will have you lol-ing and advice that’s like a warm hug followed by a swift kick in the pants.

This isn’t about living your “best life” (so 2015). This is about shutting out the noise—self-doubt, partners, or that one mom from the PTA—and tapping into the voice within that’s 100 percent, unapologetically you.

Whether you’re limping out of a messy breakup or just trying to survive Mondays, Life is Lifey is the permission slip you didn’t know you needed to start making choices that scream your truth.

Many know Sarah as the lead in the global sensation Sex/Life, where she became the poster child for unhappy women everywhere. As her personal life started imitating art, her inbox lit up with questions from women around the world: How did you have the strength to get a divorce? What do you do when you’re questioning everything? How do you pick up the pieces of a broken heart and start over with kids clinging to your legs and peanut butter in your hair?

This book is her answer. Part memoir, part guide, it’s the story of endings and beginnings, of finding yourself when the script you’ve been following no longer fits. Life is Lifey invites you to tap into your authentic self and start living a life that’s bigger, bolder, and unapologetically yours. A cocktail of hard truths, big laughs, and unfiltered honesty, Life is Lifey will help you live a life that’s unapologetically you.

Equal parts pep talk, reality check, and cocktail party confessional, Life is Lifey is a humorous and inspirational guide to unapologetically and authentically figuring out life’s messy middle.

Join Sarah Shahi as she shoots into the chaos of life—marriage, divorce, kids, career pivots, and everything in between. Like your brutally honest big sister (with a glass of wine in hand, wearing yesterday’s eye liner), Life is Lifey is an encyclopedia on “how to adult,” filled with personal stories that will have you laughing (or cringing) and advice that’s like a warm hug followed by a swift kick in the pants.

This isn’t about living your “best life” (so 2015). This is about shutting out the noise—self-doubt, partners, or that one mom from the PTA—and tapping into the voice within that’s 100 percent, unapologetically you.

Whether you’re coming out of a messy breakup or just trying to survive Mondays, Life is Lifey is the permission you didn’t know you needed to start making choices that scream your truth.

Many know Sarah as the lead in the global sensation Sex/Life, where she became the poster child for unhappy women everywhere. As her personal life started imitating art, her inbox lit up with questions from women around the world: How did you have the strength to get a divorce? What do you do when you’re questioning everything? How do you pick up the pieces of a broken heart and start over with kids clinging to your legs and peanut butter in your hair?

This book is her answer. Part memoir, part guide, it’s the story of endings and beginnings, of finding yourself when the script you’ve been following no longer fits. Life is Lifey invites you to tap into your authentic self and start living a life that’s bigger, bolder, and unapologetically yours. A cocktail of hard truths, big laughs, and unfiltered honesty, Life is Lifey will help you live a life that’s unapologetically you. It is filled with truth and profanity. There is a lot to consider here.

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

Devil’s Gambit by Jade Rowe

April 9, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Devil’s Gambit by Jade Rowe
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

My abusive husband lost me in a poker game.
Now I belong to the most dangerous man in New York.
And he only has one condition:

Give him two weeks.

Two weeks under the constant watch of his whisky-colored eyes.
Two weeks next to his perfect, tattoo-covered body. In his billion-dollar bed.

Two weeks to be treated like a queen. And dominated like his toy.

Two weeks. That’s all Dante Caruso demands. Then I can make my decision.
Leave this dark life behind and never look back. Or become his forever.

But there’s one secret he doesn’t mention. Something I could never have predicted.

He’d burn the world down to make me stay.
And I’ll yearn to melt in the fire.

Bella’s life is a series of being constantly on edge. When her abusive husband – whom her father sold her to in order to settle his debts – then puts her up as a last stake in a poker game, she finds herself sold on to another unknown, tattoo-covered mafia man. Dante demands very little, and insists at the end of the two week period Bella can make her own decision. Leave this dark life behind, or become his forever.

I have to admit this is my first foray into the dark mafia romance genre and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. While there are certainly dark themes in this book, and some of the action, fighting and bloodshed in certain key scenes is descriptive – I have to say this story wasn’t as dark as I was expecting. Yes, there is shooting and fights, mafia style scenes and posturing. There is also some violence against Bella in a few scenes – but there is nothing titillating or over-indulged to my mind. The violence is there and not shied away from, but it’s also not drawn out or dwelled on. So I feel this was a good balance between what I was expecting and not hiding it away, either.

This is also a fairly spicy book. I don’t feel this is as explicit (or as sex-heavy) as many erotica stories I have read. That said, it’s not a mafia story with a little romance. I definitely feel it rates a spicy level and not “mainstream romance” sort of heat level, but neither would I slot it in with the erotica genre or more sex-based-plot sort of books either.

I was particularly pleased that the plotline – the mafia fighting and posturing – was absolutely front and center though much of this story. Dante and Bella’s romance is equally prominent, but I feel the plot had about equal amounts of time and this gave the book a better foundation to my mind that had the author primarily focused on the romance between the two main characters. There was also a good number of strong secondary characters and I absolutely felt the next book was set up towards the end of this one – likely featuring Marco, Dante’s older brother and Grace. I’d absolutely be keen to follow on with that book.

Readers should also be aware that while I did find Dante’s character to be fairly straightforward, Bella’s character is quite complicated and might not be to everyone’s tastes. I found she really grew on me but Bella was not what I would think of as a traditional heroine. She is complicated and layered – and what I found brilliant (and slightly difficult) is that in many ways she’s just as morally grey as Dante. Bella is a survivor. She is intelligent and strong. These are brilliant things, but in the difficult mafia world she finds herself embedded in – that means making difficult decisions and not necessarily walking a pure and white path. I’m not sure this will appeal to more traditional romance readers and is likely why it comes more under the dark mafia genre heading – even though I, personally, didn’t find it as dark as I was expecting it to be. Readers who enjoy complicated plotlines and character journeys and growth should likely find this as engrossing as I did.

With a good balance between plot and spice, I found this to be an interesting story and a good “first try” of the dark mafia genre that seems to be everywhere lately. I enjoyed this book and will absolutely be looking at others this author has written. Recommended.

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Becoming A Mom – An IVF Story by Liz Jauvtis

April 7, 2026 By 2 Comments


Becoming A Mom – An IVF Story by Liz Jauvtis
Publisher: The Book Publishing Pros
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

This raw and intimate memoir follows Liz Jauvtis through her seven-year fertility journey, multiple IVF cycles, three pregnancies, and the unwanted realities of motherhood at 35 during the global pandemic. Liz brings an intimate and personal perspective to universal experiences. Her story dismantles the idealized version of motherhood perpetuated by social media, instead offering authentic insights into the physical, emotional, and birth trauma, sleep deprivation, social pressure, and the identity shift from career woman to stay-at-home mother. A compelling narrative for anyone touched by fertility struggles or modern parenting challenges.

Fertility isn’t guaranteed for anyone.

It was nice to see so many acronyms and other terms related to fertility and reproduction described in the footnotes, especially in the first several chapters. Not every reader is necessarily going to be aware of what all of these things mean, but understanding them was critical in order to visualize everything this couple needed to go through in order to have kids together. The explanation of how PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) can affect not only the ovaries but many other parts of the human body as well was especially interesting.

I found myself wishing for more detailed descriptions of every step of Ms. Jauvtis’ journey to having biological children. This could have been separated into a trilogy, one for her infertility treatments like IVF and the toll they took on her mental and physical health, a second title about experiencing anxious pregnancies after treatments have been successful, and a final instalment about parenting during the Covid-19 pandemic. While I understood why all three topics were combined into the same book given how rapidly everything happened in the author’s life, it also meant that this was something I’d be a little hesitant to recommend to a friend who was currently experiencing infertility or pregnancy loss because of how many pages were dedicated to pregnancy and parenting. Not everyone who pursues treatment is successful, after all, and that’s something that could make it trickier to determine who the right audience is for this piece.

Some of the most memorable sections for me were the ones that acknowledged the many controversial topics surrounding fertility treatments, pregnancy and birth care, and parenting choices in the first few years of a child’s life. Ms. Jauvtis’ open-minded approach to these subjects was refreshing, and she came across to me as someone who was willing to listen to other points of view regardless of the decisions she and her husband made for their own family. I was especially interested in how she responded to the people in her life who had moral qualms about IVF and the possibility of using donor gametes given that she and her spouse needed medical help in order to have a baby. It takes maturity to remain so level-headed about a subject matter that is this important to someone, and I admired how she handled those difficult conversations.

Becoming A Mom – An IVF Story was thought provoking.

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The Demon’s Delight by L. Alexander

March 30, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Demon’s Delight by L. Alexander
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Summoning a demon may be my only option for survival.

Captured.
Exploited.
Bonded to a Demon Prince.

After being taken from the forest near my home, I’m tormented in the name of research, and forced to use my healing gift for my captor’s profit.

Desperate to escape, I risk it all. I steal a spell book, and summon a demon for aid.

I’m prepared to beg a creature that’s vicious and cruel for help, but a Prince of Hell arrives instead. One that’s devastatingly charming. Kind. It’s easy to forget he’s a demon at all.

Though the contract demands he travel with me on my journey back home, I start to wonder if our bond is more than just obligation. I can’t resist his charm or his thoughtfulness, and his protective flirting seems genuine.

What awaits me back home will test not only our connection, but everything I know about myself and my magic.

Have the fates forsaken me altogether, or have they given me the greatest gifts of all?

Hailon is a healer, but having been captured and sold, trafficked and experimented on these last few months for her powers and gift, she’s on the edge, utterly desperate. When she manages to steal a small notebook she discovers in it enough knowledge to piece together how to summon a demon. Seir is the demon prince from Hell who answers her call. Both of them embark on an adventure, one that neither of them had ever expected.

After picking this up on a whim I discovered it’s the third in the series – but having never read anything previously by this author I found this book stood very well on it’s own. I found Seir to be an enjoyable and amusing main lead character – totally different to the “demon prince” I was half expecting – and I thoroughly enjoyed how he simply relished experiencing everything on Earth. Hailon was in many ways a far more normal and relatable character to me and one I could empathise with for much of the story.

Readers should be aware that while this book does have romance and “fated mates” and a bit of spice – for much of the first ha;f of the full length novel it’s primarily Seir and Hailon getting to know each other and travelling. Readers looking for a “dark romance” novel or something heavily erotic might not enjoy the pace of this story. I greatly enjoyed the almost epic traveler/fantasy sort of style and thought it was quite well written. The fact Seir and Hailon were interesting characters and learned to trust each other was well worth the time and read to my mind.

Once the action kicked off I felt the pace of the book really did speed up a bit. Admittedly a number of secondary characters also appeared (like Seir’s brothers and their wives, whom I presume are from previous books). There is some spicy romance scenes in this but I strongly feel the book is predominantly a paranormal/adventure style of book. While the romance is present it felt very much “in addition to” the plot and actual progress of the book – not front and center or taking up an enormous portion of the storyline.

An interesting blend of paranormal, alternate reality and romance, this was a fun and enjoyable full length novel and a book I really enjoyed. There appears to be two connected series with this book and I’ll be looking into both of them. Recommended.

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Next in Line by T.W. Baker

January 23, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Next in Line by T.W. Baker
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Welcome to Mortar and Pestle RX, where prescriptions are filled, patience is tested, and absolutely nothing goes according to plan.

Meet Mic, Janice, Monika, Bronco, and Sammy—five pharmacy employees held together by caffeine, sarcasm, and the thinnest thread of professionalism. Whether they’re dodging irate customers, surviving corporate chaos, or staging passive-aggressive Post-it note wars, this band of lovable misfits is just trying to make it to closing time without strangling each other.

A sharp-witted satire of customer service culture and workplace dysfunction, Next in Line is for anyone who’s ever worked retail, waited in line too long, or wondered if the pharmacist was secretly judging them (spoiler: they were).

Sometimes irritation is a gift.

The most memorable scenes were the ones that described how the pharmacy crew bonded over their hectic and occasionally wacky workplace. Having warm and strong relationships with coworkers can make this type of often low-paid, unappreciated job so much easier on an employee’s mental health. There is nothing like an inside joke or a friendly offer to help clean up a customer’s mess to soothe the soul, so I nodded along as all of the main characters gelled together and faced the best and the worst of what they were about to experience as a close-knit team.

I struggled with the repetition, especially given the limited character development. Many chapters seemed to follow a similar pattern of introducing a new customer who had a troubling habit or personality trait and then explaining why he or she behaved that way. It would have been more meaningful for me to meet a few memorable customers and then gradually learn their difficult backstories as the pharmacy employees interacted with them over weeks or months. This is something I’m saying a reader who adored the concept of this tale and would have loved to give it a full five-star rating.

However, this captured the frustration, drudgery, and occasional joy of working in the customer service industry beautifully. People are fascinating and there is so much more to learn about humanity by observing folks when they’re impatient, in pain, frightened, bored, or otherwise not functioning as they normally might on a better day for them. This is a topic I wish was covered much more regularly in fiction as there are so many opportunities waiting for clerk and customer like to grow as individuals when characters are forced to serve a long line or to wait in one.

Next in Line has piqued my interest about what this author will write next.

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Vagankov – A Fable by V. Campudoni and Andrew Schiavoni

December 16, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Vagankov – A Fable by V. Campudoni and Andrew Schiavoni
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A strange fellow on a strange alternate plane during a strange non-descript epoch provides strangers with exactly what they require.

Being a good influence is harder than it looks sometimes.

This was a good example of how modern satire can poke fun at ideas that have become so widespread in western culture that many folks don’t necessarily think twice about them. I grinned and nodded along as Vagankov travelled from place to place and attempted to improve the lives of various groups of people he met along the way.

I must admit to being a little confused by the beginning because of how it threw the reader straight into Vagankov’s adventures without explaining what was going on. To be honest, I scrolled back to the first page just to make sure I hadn’t missed a tiny row of text or something early on as I was not expecting such an immediate start. While the reason for this was partially explained later on, it was something I wish I’d known about ahead of time.

It’s difficult to discuss the message of this piece without sharing spoilers, but what I can say is that it echoed throughout every page once I knew what to look for. This is exactly the sort of stuff I love to discover when trying new authors, and it really helped to make everything gel together in the end. It worked as both a commentary on human nature as well as an explanation for why Vagankov was such a vagabond and what he hoped might happen every time he found a new group of people to get to know.

Vagankov – A Fable made me wish for a sequel.

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The Nameless Land by M. Laszlo

October 28, 2025 By 1 Comment


The Nameless Land by M. Laszlo
Publisher: Alkira Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Psychological Drama
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Rose

This metaphysical novel, like its predecessor, Anastasia’s Midnight Song, is a mix of stream of consciousness narration and imaginary happenings. Mystical and mysterious, The Nameless Land follows the misadventures of Rupert Lux and Anastasia T Grace.

Rupert, a young New Zealander working as a night clerk in a hotel in Sinai, is beset by a daemon that inhabits his eye. His delusion is much the same as Anastasia’s was when she was tormented by the Arctic fox and the diadem spider in the earlier book.

Anastasia, now blind, travels to Sinai at the behest of a Spiritualist Society to seek hidden treasure by dowsing. She longs to find someone she can heal and love. Perhaps Rupert is the one she can save and thereby save herself.

But Rupert is plagued by females who seem to blend into one another and appear and disappear at will. Traumatised by childhood abuse, he worries that he is not worthy of love. He races headlong through many strange encounters, while Anastasia maintains a calmer stance, though troubled by what she is being coerced into doing. She has been urged to find lost Egyptian treasure and, though reluctant, manages to do so. A sense of menace attends the discovery.

Both protagonists are troubled by wild imaginings and beset by odd visions, smells, sounds, and touches as the pair descend into hallucinatory madness. This is a fast-paced metaphysical adventure, the events hiding many layers of emotional turmoil and insanity. The reader is whisked through a dreamlike landscape, disoriented, and made to experience a kind of madness themselves.

THE NAMELESS LAND is the second book in Anastasia’s travels and begins shortly after the incidents in ANASTASIA’S MIDNIGHT SONG (see our review here). However, if you haven’t read the first book, no worries. It definitely can be read alone.

Anastasia, now blind, falls victim to a group of spiritualists who use her in their pursuit of treasure. She very much wants to be free…that is her overriding pursuit during the course of the book, but she escapes from one group only to fall victim to yet another. She wonders if perhaps Rupert Lux, a hotel clerk in Sinai will be the one to set her free.

Rupert has longed to meet Anastasia but has his one daemon to face – and this leads him to not know what to do. Overcome with different hallucinations and dreamlike episodes, he is beset on all sides.

Mr. Laszlo brings his readers into this world and invites them to join the madness and the dreams that surround Anastasia and Rupert. Beautifully written, you never quite know what is real and what the characters have imagined. This leads to a big of tension during the reading, and that’s not a bad thing. There is definitely a depth to his writing that can take more than one reading to completely dive into.

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

The Fox Creek Plantation Trilogy by M. E. Torrey

October 6, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Fox Creek Plantation Trilogy by M. E. Torrey
Fox Creek: Book 1
Publisher: Sly Fox Publishing, LLC
Genre: Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Ginger

The year is 1843 when six-year-old Monette, the pampered and beloved daughter of a French Creole sugar planter, is taken to New Orleans and sold into slavery. Sold along with her is Cyrus, a boy big for his age, torn from his mother without a chance to say goodbye.

Together they go to Fox Creek Plantation in “English” Louisiana, home to the Jensey family. While Cyrus is sent to the fields, Monette becomes the childhood playmate of Kate, the planter’s daughter, and catches the eye of Breck, the planter’s son. It’s easier and safer for Monette to pretend life is normal. That she belongs. To forget her past, even to forget Cyrus, whom she’d loved. But as the years pass, it becomes clear that children of color do not belong in the world of the white elite—at least, not as equals. The brutality and powerlessness of slavery begin to take their toll upon Monette.

Who is she now? Who will protect her? And who is that big boy from the fields who keeps pestering her?

Fox Creek is a powerful novel set in 1843 Louisiana, during one of the most turbulent times in American history. The story follows six-year-old Monette, a French Creole sugar planter’s daughter, and Cyrus, who is a little older, after they are sold into slavery and sent to Fox Creek Plantation. While Cyrus is sent to the fields, Monette becomes a playmate for the planter’s seven-year-old daughter, Kate, and forms a bond with the planter’s son, Breck.

While the novel’s subject matter is compelling, I found its narrative flow to be challenging at times. The story jumps between multiple perspectives and over several years, making it difficult to identify the central plot and a clear main character. For a book of its length, I felt the plot lacked focus, and I was often left waiting for a significant event to occur. This untraditional narrative style made it hard to connect with the characters on a deeper level, as many were introduced and then given little attention. For example, Cyrus, a significant character at the beginning, is barely mentioned again.

I understand that plantation life wasn’t always exciting, but for the sake of fiction, I was hoping for more. The book was unnecessarily long, with a lot of slow-paced and less interesting details—such as the in-home schooling from Mr. Gilbert, singing and dance lessons, social gatherings that introduced additional characters, and every detail of Sarah’s pregnancies was very slow-paced and not that interesting. What I assumed would be the heart of the story—the bond between Monette and Cyrus—never developed. Instead, the focus shifted to Monette and Breck, and my excitement for a climactic taboo romance was short-lived.

Despite these issues, the book’s greatest strength lies in its ability to show the complexities of life on a plantation from various perspectives. The author provides a glimpse into the bonds between Kate and Monette and the relationship between Breck and Monette. The character of William Jensey, the father, is particularly complex. He is shown to be a “kind master,” yet his actions reveal a more ruthless, less compassionate side. I wanted Monette to have a happy ending, but the author’s uncomfortable portrayal of reality ultimately felt more true to the time period.

Overall, M. E. Torrey’s writing captures the pain and complexity of the era, providing insight into the characters and events. Although the narrative structure could be improved, the book succeeds in exploring the painful legacy of slavery and the difficult truths of that time.

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

Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery

September 18, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery
Publisher: Gordon Hill Press
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ, Poetry
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Fantasies are places we briefly visit; we can’t live there. The stories in Widow Fantasies deftly explore the subjugation of women through the often subversive act of fantasizing. From a variety of perspectives, through a symphony of voices, Widow Fantasies immerses the reader in the domestic rural gothic, offering up unforgettable stories from the shadowed lives of girls and women.

Life is filled with shades of grey.

“Jaws” explored the warm, loving friendship between a lonely woman and her goldfish. There aren’t enough tales out there about this type of pet, so I was immediately intrigued. I enjoyed learning about how they grew so close and why the woman’s husband was jealous of that bond. This could have easily been expanded into a novella or full length novel, and yet I was still satisfied with how it was written and what the characters chose to reveal about their lives.

Some of the stories in this collection had endings that were too abrupt for my tastes, especially since I only had a few pages on average with each one. When combined with the subtle messages in some cases, it was tricky for me at times to connect with the characters and their conflicts. As much as I wanted to choose a higher rating, these issues were an obstacle in my path to do so. “Widow Fantasies,” which captured a moment on a farm that changed the lives of everyone who lived there, was one such example of this. I needed a few more pages of exposition to understand what was going on with Leyla and Georgette on that unforgettable day.

Using a kayak in a ditch after it floods with melted snow from the entire winter was never something I’ve considered doing, so I was curious to see how this game would work out for Cassie in “Ditch Run.” She planned it all out so thoroughly that I was surprised by how her ride actually unfolded for her. What an adventure! It would make an excellent addition to a scrapbook.

Widow Fantasies was thought provoking.

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