Book Review: The New Year’s Man by Michael Scott Clifton

3 November 2026 by Melissa

About the book, The New Year’s Man

Genre: Romantic Fantasy / Romantic Comedy
Publication Date: September 11, 2026
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Landry LeBlanc has everything he wants: a luxury condo, a fast-rising legal career, expensive taste, and an ironclad rule against falling in love. Relationships, to him, come with expiration dates—and New Year’s Eve is his favorite time to end them.

But when Landry takes his latest girlfriend to the mysterious Fairy Lights Brasserie, his perfectly controlled life comes apart in spectacular fashion. One brutal breakup later, he finds himself face-to-face with Stella: a cigar-smoking, wand-wielding fairy godmother with questionable fashion sense, a faulty temper, and a mission to thaw his hardened heart.

Stella has one simple plan: make Landry fall in love.

Landry’s plan is simpler: get rid of Stella.

Then he meets Allie Beck—brilliant, fearless, unpredictable, and every bit his equal. As legal games become personal and magic keeps crashing through his carefully ordered world, Landry must face the past he buried, the heart he protected, and the possibility that love isn’t a weakness after all. Funny, romantic, and touched with fairy-tale chaos, The New Year’s Man is the story of a man who breaks hearts every New Year’s Eve.

This year, magic will break his.

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About the author, Michael Scott Clifton

Michael Scott Clifton is an award-winning author celebrated for conjuring tales where magic and mystery collide, including the 2024 Reader’s Favorite Book Award winner Pringle Prawn and the 2026 Reader’s Favorite Bronze Award winner The End Game.

His diverse body of work whisks readers into fantastical worlds and across genres, from the enchanting Conquest of the Veil series to gripping stand-alone novels like The Treasure Hunt Club, the haunting The Janus Witch, and the acclaimed sports romance The End Game.

Recognized for imaginative plots, compelling characters, and heart-pounding adventure, Clifton invites readers to explore more at michaelscottclifton.com.

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My Thoughts

It’s not easy to combine a compelling legal drama with a rom-com and not have it feel like all the worst stereotypes of a Hallmark movie, but Michael Scott Clifton does it with style and a little bit of actual wand-waving in The New Year’s Man.

Landry LeBlanc is not a particularly lovable protagonist. In fact, when we first meet him, he’s downright awful. He’s arrogant, calculating, devastatingly handsome, and entirely too pleased with himself. His professional success as a ruthless attorney is matched only by his talent for treating romantic relationships as disposable. I disliked him almost immediately, which made it all the more impressive that Clifton had me genuinely interested in his fate before the opening chapter was over.

Enter Stella, a fairy godmother who is decidedly lacking in the traditional sweetness-and-sparkles department. She’s opinionated, irreverent, and more than willing to give Landry a taste of his own medicine. Their encounters are among the book’s funniest moments, particularly because neither is inclined to surrender an inch. Of course, there’s also Allie Beck, a woman with the intelligence and backbone to challenge Landry on his own terms, and the possibility that he might finally meet someone who can see past his carefully cultivated exterior.

What I particularly enjoyed was the way Clifton balances the fantastical elements with the more grounded legal storyline. The courtroom maneuvering and professional rivalries have enough substance to be interesting on their own, while the magical interference adds an unpredictable dimension to the proceedings. There are genies, elves, and some rather alarming toothy creatures, but the story never loses sight of the very human emotions at its center.

For all its humor and supernatural mischief, The New Year’s Man is ultimately about the difficult business of becoming a better person. Landry’s transformation isn’t simply a matter of finding the right woman. He has to confront the experiences that shaped him and recognize the damage he’s done along the way. That emotional foundation gives the romance more weight and makes his journey worth following.

I’ve been reviewing Michael Scott Clifton’s books for years, yet his versatility as a storyteller continues to surprise me. He moves so comfortably between genres and styles that each new book feels like discovering an entirely different author. Here, his knack for making even an initially objectionable character compelling, combined with a lively blend of wit, romance, legal intrigue, and fairy-tale mayhem, makes for an entertaining and satisfying read. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy their romantic heroes imperfect, their heroines formidable, and their happily-ever-afters earned.

Goes well with: Steak au poivre and a glass of champagne, shared beneath the glow of fairy lights.

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Book Review: Lift and Let Die by Helen Golden

31 October 2026 by Melissa

About the book, Lift and Left Die

Lady Beatrice should be finalising her wedding vows — not investigating murder.

With just weeks to go before she marries Richard Fitzwilliam, Bea is helping put the finishing touches to Three Lakes, a rehabilitation centre for veterans, when a senior staff member dies in a late-night lift malfunction.

At first, it looks like a tragic accident. Until the toxicology results suggest otherwise.

With the centre’s opening looming and scandal threatening to overshadow both Three Lakes and her wedding, Bea can’t help getting involved. While Rich helps with the official investigation, Bea and the others have a few theories of their own. And while Perry obsesses over lift mechanics and Simon insists he’s staying out of it (he isn’t), Daisy uncovers a clue everyone else missed.

As they dig deeper, they discover buried secrets, old resentments, and a grievance someone may have carried for years.

Some loyalties last a lifetime. So do some grudges.

A warm, cozy mystery with loyal friends, buried secrets, a determined little dog, and exactly the sort of trouble Bea should be avoiding before her wedding.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon (USA) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

About the author, Helen Golden

“Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.

“I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.

“It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes.”

Connect with Helen:

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My Thoughts

There’s something bittersweet about discovering a series just as it’s coming to an end. Lift and Let Die is the sixteenth and final installment in Helen Golden’s A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series, and while I had no trouble following the mystery as a newcomer, I couldn’t help feeling that I’d arrived rather late to a very entertaining party.

Golden has clearly spent fifteen previous books building a world populated by characters with shared histories, established friendships, and a collection of inside jokes. I enjoyed meeting them, but I suspect longtime readers will find an extra layer of satisfaction in this final adventure, particularly in the relationships between Lady Beatrice, Richard, Simon, and Perry. There are moments of genuine warmth beneath all the witty exchanges, and Bea and Richard’s approaching wedding gives the story a lovely emotional center.

Speaking of wit, Golden has a wonderfully dry sense of humor. Consider this description: “Perry was not hiding; he was casually loitering. The distinction was important.” It’s precisely the sort of understated, character-driven observation that makes me smile, and one of several reasons I’m tempted to return to the beginning of the series.

Naturally, as a devoted dog lover, I was particularly charmed by Daisy, who manages to be both an endearing companion and a surprisingly useful participant in the investigation. She may not be the central character, but she certainly stole my heart.

The mystery itself is nicely constructed, with enough red herrings and unexpected turns to keep me reconsidering my suspicions. Golden balances the investigation with the personal lives of her characters, allowing the friendships and romantic relationships to feel just as important as uncovering the culprit. I especially appreciated Richard’s passing of the investigative torch to DI Tina Spicer, a satisfying touch in a book that is as much about endings and new beginnings as it is about solving a murder.

One small detail I appreciated was the author’s introductory note explaining that the novel uses British English and British spellings. I’m equally comfortable with either variety, but it’s a thoughtful courtesy to readers who might be less familiar with the differences.

By the time the royal wedding arrived, I understood why readers would be reluctant to say goodbye to this particular circle of friends. Although I missed some of the accumulated history and recurring humor, I found Lift and Let Die an engaging, affectionate, and thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery, with plenty of charm, clever dialogue, and a very memorable dog.

I may have arrived for the final curtain, but Helen Golden has given me fifteen good reasons to go back and enjoy the rest of the performance.

Goes well with: A glass of chilled champagne and a generous slice of wedding cake, served on the finest China, naturally.

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Book Review: Stuck with You For Christmas, by Jen Smith

28 October 2026 by Melissa

About the book, Stuck with You for Christmas

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pellerin Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 27, 2026
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 280 pages

A deliciously festive enemies-of-Christmas-to-lovers romance – perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Heidi Swain and Milly Johnson.

Event planner Natasha needs a distraction this December…

With her grown-up children on the other side of the world, Natasha is facing Christmas alone. So when England’s most famous Christmas town, Wellcombe, needs saving from a PR disaster, she packs her bags. She’ll spend the season working, not wallowing – mulled wine strictly optional.

Stained glass restorer Will is counting the days until it’s all over…

Since a terrible tragedy shattered his Christmas five years ago, Will wants nothing to do with twinkly lights, carol singers or festive cheer. But his biggest job this year is restoring a pair of ancient church windows in Wellcombe… at the heart of the very celebrations he’s spent years avoiding.

Natasha and Will have one thing in common: they’re both faking their way through the most wonderful time of year. Can gingerbread, mistletoe and a little festive magic thaw their frozen hearts? Or will it take a snowstorm to show them it’s never too late for a second chance at love?

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon (USA) | Amazon (UK)

About the author, Jen Smith

Jen lives in the Midlands with her two kids, where she dreams of living by the sea in the south of France. She is an audiobook narrator with an MA in Medieval History and loves castles and King John (possibly a smidgen too much).

When not writing or narrating, Jen can be found planning the next family holiday, being taxi to the kids and giggling through her kickboxing lessons.

Connect with Jen:

Facebook | Instagram

My Thoughts

I love a good RomCom. I especially love a good second-chance RomCom, or one featuring lead characters who are past their twenties. Even more, I love a good Christmas RomCom. So when I was offered a review copy of Stuck with You for Christmas by Jen Smith, well, obviously, I said yes.

I’m glad I did, because there’s something particularly appealing about a romance that acknowledges that falling in love doesn’t necessarily become easier with age. If anything, the accumulated disappointments, responsibilities, and losses can make it considerably more complicated.

Natasha and Will are both at points in their lives where the future looks rather different from what they’d once imagined. She’s a London event planner facing an unexpectedly solitary December, while he’s an artisan whose work brings him into the middle of a celebration he’d prefer to forget. Neither makes an especially favorable first impression, but I found that my affection for them grew as their individual histories came into focus. Smith allows them to be prickly, occasionally unreasonable, and recognizably human, which makes their eventual connection all the more rewarding.

I was especially fond of Kathleen, Betty, and Olive, a formidable little committee of unofficial matchmakers who seem to regard other people’s private affairs as a community responsibility. Their presence adds a welcome dash of mischief, and I found myself looking forward to their appearances almost as much as those of the romantic leads.

There are places where the narrative could have benefited from a firmer editorial hand. Some expressions appear so frequently that they lose their effectiveness, while certain sentences seem determined to take the scenic route to their destination. Although the direction of the romance is rarely in doubt, I don’t necessarily consider that a serious drawback in this genre. Sometimes the pleasure lies less in being surprised by the destination than in enjoying the company along the way.

What stayed with me most was the book’s gentle insistence that we aren’t required to have everything sorted out by a particular birthday. Life changes. Families evolve. Grief rearranges our priorities. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is the one looking back at us from the mirror. There’s a lovely sense of possibility here, particularly for readers who understand that beginning again can require considerably more courage at fifty than it did at twenty-five.

Lest all this talk of emotional growth make the book sound terribly solemn, rest assured that the romantic chemistry generates considerably more heat than the beverages being served at Wellcombe’s holiday festivities.

Stuck with You for Christmas offers a welcome reminder that the season’s greatest gifts don’t always arrive wrapped in ribbon, and that there’s no age limit on finding someone who makes the future look bright again.

Goes well with: a steaming mug of mulled wine and a generous slice of gingerbread cake, preferably beside a crackling fire while snow falls outside.

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Book Review: The Last Christmas by Liz Fenwick

22 October 2026 by Melissa

About the book The Last Christmas

When a final goodbye in Cornwall is only the beginning…

Meredith Tremayne Russell has spent her life mapping the world, first in intelligence during WWII, and later as a professor. But at ninety-eight with time running out, she faces a journey she cannot chart, a return to her old Cornish home to sell it and to scatter her beloved husband’s ashes.

With her is her twenty-five-year-old granddaughter, Grace, a dyslexic who believes she is a failure in a family of academics. For Grace the trip is a welcome escape from her mother’s demands. But when she unlocks her great-grandmother’s abandoned art studio, she finds a legacy of a passionate artist and a French resistance fighter.

As Meredith relives the frozen December of her 1946 wedding, she understands her final mission isn’t to say goodbye to her old home, but to draw one last map—showing Grace how to navigate a life of her own making.

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About the author Liz Fenwick

Liz Fenwick, dubbed ‘the queen of the Cornish contemporary novel’ by The Guardian, is an award-winning author of emotional, immersive, feel-good fiction. Her books are filled with history, mystery and love. She loves stories that pull her into their world like they did when she was young so that’s what she writes.

When she’s not writing, she’s procrastinating on Instagram, plot walking, reading and painting. She lives in Cornwall with her husband and two mad cats.

Connect with Liz:

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My Thoughts

I’m new to Liz Fenwick’s work, but based on my recent devouring of The Last Christmas, I’ve been missing out on some incredible storytelling.

I read this book over the course of a week, allowing it to keep me company in a couple of waiting rooms and on a fairly long car ride (no, I wasn’t driving). When I finished it, I didn’t want to leave Kestle behind or say goodbye to nonagenarian Meredith Tremayne Russell (aka Merry) and her American granddaughter, twenty-five-year-old Grace. Instead, I wanted to stay for Christmas dinner, toast myself by the fire where the Yule log was burning, and enjoy a couple of retro cocktails.

The story is set in 2012, making it quasi-contemporary, but the year matters less than the setting. Fenwick writes with such a vivid sense of place—particularly fitting when one of her main characters was a wartime cartographer—that I felt as though I were experiencing the streets of Cornwall (including Grace’s dreaded double traffic circle) and the chilly December weather myself.

I appreciated the alternating points of view between Merry and Grace, and especially the way Grace’s dyslexia was woven into the story rather than mentioned once and forgotten. Merry, meanwhile, is a wonderful blend of wistful nostalgia and the raw practicality that comes from being ninety-eight years old. Both women feel fully realized, and their relationship gives the story much of its warmth.

The supporting characters are equally delightful, an assortment of helpful neighbors and old friends who make Kestle feel like a place where people have lived and loved for generations. Not all the relationships are so comfortable, however. Merry and Grace each have a fraught relationship with the same woman: Merry’s daughter, who is also Grace’s mother. For Merry, the distance is marked by a lack of communication, while Grace’s relationship with her mother is one of open contention, fueled by the weight of academic expectations. Grace finally stands up for herself, declaring, “I have a very good brain, just not an academic one, so back off.” It’s a satisfying moment, and one that speaks to the novel’s larger themes of family, identity, and finding one’s own way.

If certain elements of the plot felt predictable (no spoilers here!), that didn’t detract from the overall reading experience. It was the journey that mattered, and the journey of this book was beautifully mapped.

Goes well with: A pink gin followed by proper fish and chips, preferably in a riverfront pub on a chilly late-autumn evening.

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Book Review: Narcissi by Babette Fraser Hale

19 October 2026 by Melissa

About the book, Narcissi: A Novel

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Texas Fiction
Publisher: Winedale Publishing
Publication Date: October 15, 2026

Ten women fall for Cole Burnett, a traveling Texas writer. He is the kind of man whose need for freedom should send lovers running in the opposite direction. But he has a lanky charisma and the gift of listening, rare enough at any time. The women he encounters in Narcissi, a novel-in-stories, find his attention compelling, and they all get hurt, or cause hurt. But hurt is never the whole story.

Each woman brings her own complicated life into her time with Cole, conflicts with husbands, traumas survived, needs postponed, children. And children grow up with questions.

Burnett understands that loneliness compels him toward the women he meets. But none of them seems to reach where the loneliness resides, where whatever’s missing pushes him to keep moving, to find a purpose for his future. Later, after the death threat, traveling becomes a way to stay alive.

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About the author, Babette Fraser Hale

Babette Hale is the author of A Wall of Bright Dead Feathers, winner of the 2022 Troncoso Award for debut fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, and a memoir, This Familiar Heart, about her relationship with her late husband, Leon Hale.

In addition to writing fiction, she has been a magazine feature writer, columnist, book editor, publisher and part owner of a bookstore. She lives in Texas and is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

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My Thoughts

I recently had the opportunity to interview Babette Fraser Hale for Lone Star Literary Life, and one of the first things I told her was how much I loved her use of language, which manages to be both precise and lyrical. Consider the opening of the first chapter: “Free is not exactly what Cole Burnett feels, walking away from the house. But he is certainly unencumbered.” In just two sentences, we have a sense of how Cole thinks, and even how he sounds.

“I do love a really good sentence,” Hale told me, and Narcissi is built from a whole lot of them.

We discover later that Cole, a Texas writer, writes a monthly magazine column called “Slow Travel,” which is also a fitting description of this book: a slow journey through the life and loves of a writer, beginning in 1980, with plenty of unexpected turns along the way.

But while Cole is the central character, this “novel in stories” is really about the women he encounters. Each is distinctly herself. There is no particular type, no interchangeable parade of romantic interests. Hale gives these women agency, personality, and histories of their own, while allowing us to experience Cole’s story through their eyes.

Nor does the narrative unfold like a catalogue of relationships. The interconnected stories revisit several women, linger with them, diverge, and return. It’s an elegant structure, so deftly crafted that when the novel shifts perspectives, the transition feels entirely natural.

At roughly 300 pages, Narcissi is a substantial read, but it’s also one rich with discovery. Cole gradually comes to understand his complicated relationship with intimacy and his seemingly insatiable wanderlust. The women, meanwhile, make discoveries of their own, often at stages of life when conventional fiction might suggest that reinvention is no longer possible.

And readers are invited to make discoveries, too. Perhaps the most important is that understanding why someone behaves as he does isn’t the same as absolving him of responsibility. Explanation is not excuse, and empathy needn’t erase accountability.

In another writer’s hands, Narcissi might have been merely the story of a literary man with a wandering eye and a reluctance to commit. Instead, Babette Fraser Hale flips that script, offering something far more nuanced: a deeply human exploration of longing, connection, self-discovery, and the ways we are all fallible and perfectly imperfect.

And she does it, sentence by beautiful sentence.

Goes well with: a chopped beef sandwich and a Shiner bock enjoyed at a picnic table outside the local BBQ place.

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Book Review: Rocket Girl (Kick Johnson Mysteries) by Diane Vallere

27 September 2026 by Melissa

About the book, Rocket Girl

Pages: 330
Publisher: Polyester Press
Publication Date: 23 February 2027
Categories: Historical Mystery/Thriller

A plucky, recently widowed mathematician takes a job with a new NASA-funded research center, but when a fellow employee turns up dead, things add up to murder…

Dallas, 1961. There’s a new president in the White House, a new birth control pill, and a new Russian satellite called Sputnik flying overhead. Everything’s new except Kick Johnson’s options: she’s unexpectedly on her own after three months of marriage to a man she barely knew, her car has been repossessed, and no bank will give her—or any single woman—a loan. When she answers an employment ad at the new Center for Rocket Science Research and lands a job as a math aide, her trajectory points upward—until evidence of a murder is found on the property.

The victim was an engineer who worked on the space program. His death raises questions about the safety of the center and the lengths someone will go to steal the research inside. It also highlights more personal issues like why he was at Kick’s house two days before he was killed. Now her new life involves a fair amount of deception and danger with global stakes—not to mention a surprising secret that hits painfully close to home.

As the space race heats up, Kick has to solve a formula she had no part in writing before her future—and that of the space program she’s learned to love—burns up on reentry.

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About the Author, Diane Vallere

National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes mysteries where ordinary women stumble into extraordinary situations…and murder is never far behind. From the dawn of the Space Race to contemporary life, her character-driven novels combine memorable heroines with humor and heart.

A past president of Sisters in Crime Worldwide, Diane edited the Agatha Award–winning essay collection Promophobia: Taking the Mystery out of Promoting Crime Fiction. She studied art history at the College of William and Mary and spent decades working as a merchant in the luxury fashion industry before trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder.

Connect with Diane:

Website | Goodreads | Instagram

My Thoughts

I’m a space junkie, and I love a strong female character, so a historical mystery that combines wit, charm, and the space race was practically guaranteed to appeal to me. I devoured Rocket Girl in a single afternoon, completely forgetting to eat or drink in the process.

Kick Johnson is exactly the kind of amateur detective I love. Circumstances propel her into a radically different life: from newlywed to widow in just three months, and from homemaker to gainfully employed at a fictional research center reminiscent of the facilities depicted in Hidden Figures. It’s a whirlwind of change, but the story never feels rushed.

Diane Vallere clearly did her research. She captures the atmosphere of Mercury-era NASA and its associated research facilities while grounding her story in the broader culture of 1961 Texas. Women faced significant barriers to financial independence, while public schools were still struggling through court-ordered desegregation. These realities aren’t merely period window dressing. They’re part of the world that shaped Kick, and they inform both her choices and the story itself.

One thing I particularly appreciated was the distinction between systemic misogyny and individual behavior. While Kick encounters plenty of institutional barriers, most of the men she works with at the rocket center have genuinely good intentions. I especially liked Don Lancer, who gives her a chance professionally, and Bill Arden, who encourages her growing sense of adventure. Honorable mention goes to her brother-in-law, Ned.

The female friendships are equally important, particularly because they’re imperfect. Kick’s relationship with her mother-hen sister, Trudy, is especially compelling. Watching her establish her independence without sacrificing their closeness was one of my favorite aspects of the novel. Connie and Betty, her colleagues at the rocket center, also stood out, as did Mildred, whom I sincerely hope we’ll see more of in future books.

Of course, there’s also a murder to solve, and Vallere delivers excellent plotting with pacing to match. The mystery unfolds naturally alongside Kick’s personal transformation, with neither element overshadowing the other.

Rocket Girl is a thoroughly satisfying historical mystery that feels like a period piece without ever feeling dated. Instead, it has a breezy, retro-futuristic energy that perfectly suits its setting. It’s smart, engaging, and full of characters I’d happily spend more time with. I’m already looking forward to Kick’s next adventure.

Goes well with: Texas BBQ brisket, coleslaw, and a cold Shiner Bock.

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Book Review: The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror, by Stephen Cox

15 September 2026 by Melissa

About the book The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror:

Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2026
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
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True terror is a murderer you can’t stop.

London 1882. A carpenter is killed by a train – an eerie, brutal crime. Flamboyant medium Mrs Ashton and her sapphic partner Braddie seek justice for the widow.

A charismatic new medium takes London by storm. Dock-lass Maisie sees her frightening prophesy of vengeance. A noble family is devastated, but worse is to come.

Outgunned and bewildered, the three confront a deadly conspiracy. They risk losing everything.

A reckoning from beyond the grave.

Praise for Book 1: The Crooked Medium’s Guide To Murder

“witty, atmospheric and queer‑hearted”

“humour, mystery and a wonderfully crooked sense of morality… delivered with charm.”

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About the author Stephen Cox:

Author Bio – My grandmother told me I read too much. I remember walking in the garden when I was small, telling myself stories. It was over thirty years of wanting to be a novelist before I tried… and succeeded.

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder was much loved. It arose because I wanted to write about Britishness and specifically about Englishness; about our complex relationship with the past; I wanted leads who were morally grayer but still capable of kindness. Personally, it was time for a novel with queer leads. And these difficult times I needed to write something with some uplift. I always intended more than two books. The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror is spookier, and more dangerous. It throws all three women out of their comfort zone.

I spent nearly all my childhood in Bristol, and I’m now an adoptive Londoner. I live with my partner, and it’s lovely my two adult children come back from time to time. Our garden rages wild.

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My Thoughts

I came into the world of Stephen Cox’s The Crooked Medium with book two, and while I had no trouble navigating the story—it absolutely works as a standalone—I suspect my experience would have been even richer had I read the first book beforehand. (I’ve since purchased it, so I can remedy that at my leisure.)

What hooked me immediately were the characters. Braddie and Mrs. Ashcroft are partners in every way, and I loved their relationship as much as I loved the reason Mrs. Ashcroft is a “crooked” medium: she genuinely possesses a supernatural gift, but it’s telepathy rather than the Sight she claims to have.

It’s the smaller details of their relationship, though, that made them sing from the page. These are two women who had argued over where to exchange vows in a time when their relationship could not even be openly acknowledged. One had wanted a church wedding—even if the church was closed—while the other had lobbied for something open-air. Their eventual compromise, a ruined abbey open to the sky but centered around women, was both romantic and wonderfully symbolic.

Cox is as good at world-building as he is at plot. The mystery is well-paced and, I confess, kept me guessing, while the people left behind by the victim’s death felt substantial enough to deserve stories of their own. I especially enjoyed period details such as mentions of D’Oyly Carte and unfamiliar slang like “hinny,” little touches that gave this American reader the pleasure of encountering Victorian Britain rather than merely being told that the story was set there.

I also appreciated that while earning enough to live—and creating the life they want—is important to our detecting duo, neither woman has lost her compassion. That compassion, particularly toward other women, gives the novel warmth beneath its spiritualism and murder.

I was so thoroughly immersed that I came away from the final pages half-expecting horse-drawn coaches, gray weather, and the scent of strong tea. Instead, I was subjected to unrelentingly sunny Florida skies and the realization that my coffee had gone cold.

At roughly five hours of reading time, The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror is a quick read, but an immersive one, with just the right blend of spiritualism, crime-solving, period atmosphere, and British wit.

Goes well with: steak-and-kidney pie and a pint of porter.

Giveaway (Open to UK Residents Only)

Win 4 x Signed Books by Stephen Cox

Prize includes – Our Child of the Stars, Our Child of Two Worlds, The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder and the Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror.

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

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Book Review: A Thousand Painted Hours, by Barbara O’Neal

3 September 2026 by Melissa

About the book, A Thousand Painted Hours

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 11, 2026
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 543 pages

An epic, emotionally charged novel about love, art, and survival spanning 1900s colonial India to Blitz-era London by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

In the shadow of the London Blitz, artist Elsie Turner clings fiercely to her canvases, refusing to let war dim the colors that define her. The bombs test her nerve, but the struggle also stirs memories of her golden youth in India and of the long-lost love of her life.

The daughter of a British civil servant in the Himalayan station of Nainital, Elsie crosses cultural divides to forge an unlikely bond with Tanveer Singh, a Sikh prince with hopes, dreams, and far-reaching ideas. What begins as shared sketchbooks and stargazing becomes first love and a secret correspondence. When Elsie’s father is summoned to England, Elsie is severed from the world she knows—and is determined to preserve it through both her art and a connection with Tanveer that endures through the most tumultuous years of their lives.

Across four decades and two continents, Elsie navigates a journey from lush colonial India to war-torn London, amid landscapes of beauty, protest, and peril. As past and present collide, the most impossible choices and sacrifices are yet to be made in the name of love, war, and survival.

Praise for this book:

“From the forested hills of India to the bomb-scarred streets of London to the searing heat of Cairo, A Thousand Painted Hours is a colorful, transportive, and heartrending novel. In a sweeping tale of friendship and love through the ages, O’Neal grabs her readers by the heart and doesn’t let go. Not to be missed!” —Heather Webb, USA Today bestselling author of The Hope Keeper

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About the author, Barbara O’Neal

Barbara O’Neal is the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of twenty novels of women’s fiction, including the #1 Amazon Charts bestseller When We Believed in Mermaids, as well as The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth, Memories of the Lost, This Place of Wonder, and The Starfish Sisters.

Her award-winning books have been published in more than two dozen countries. She lives on the wild Oregon Coast with her husband, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent.

For more information, visit www.barbaraoneal.com.

Connect with Barbara:

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My thoughts

A Thousand Painted Hours entered my life during a summer when I was already doing a lot of reading about both British colonial India and World War II, so I felt as though the literary gods were smiling upon me.

Then I loved the print version so much that I bought the audiobook simply because I wanted to hear Barbara O’Neal’s language read aloud.

This isn’t a review of the audio edition, but that seems worth mentioning because it says something about the prose itself. O’Neal writes with a richness that never becomes cumbersome. Her descriptions are lush and evocative without slowing the story, and there is a musicality to the language that made me curious about how it would sound rather than simply how it looked on the page. For the record, the narration is spot-on, and the story flows just as beautifully when heard as it does when read.

The print edition, though, is gorgeous.

Different languages weave through the text. Letters pass back and forth, sometimes accompanied by pressed flowers or small pieces of art. These elements aren’t decorative flourishes pasted onto the story; they’re part of the way O’Neal builds intimacy between her characters and gives physical presence to relationships stretched across enormous distances and spans of time.

They also contribute to one of the novel’s greatest strengths: its sense of texture. This is a book that feels tactile. Paper, paint, flowers, landscapes, food, weather, clothing, and color all contribute to the world of the novel without overwhelming it.

At 543 pages, A Thousand Painted Hours is wonderfully meaty—and somehow still not enough.

That is partly because O’Neal handles the pacing of a long, dual-timeline novel remarkably well. The movement between periods creates momentum rather than interrupting it, and the letters provide yet another rhythm within the larger structure. Instead of feeling as though I were being pulled away from one story just as it became interesting, I found that each shift added another layer to what I already knew.

O’Neal is equally good at allowing relationships to develop over time. Connections between characters are not treated as static things established in one scene and carried unchanged through the rest of the book. Affection, resentment, obligation, desire, friendship, and loyalty evolve as the characters themselves do. Four decades is a tremendous amount of emotional territory for a novel to cover, and the relationships feel lived in rather than merely plotted.

There is also considerable care in the novel’s treatment of culture and belonging. O’Neal doesn’t use India simply as an exotic backdrop for a British woman’s story. Questions of colonialism, privilege, cultural identity, and independence are woven through the characters’ lives, while the multilingual elements of the novel allow people to inhabit their own languages rather than having every interaction flattened into English.

Perhaps most impressive is the balance of all these elements. This is historical fiction, romance, family drama, and a novel about art, memory, culture, and identity, but none of those pieces feels as though it has wandered in from a different book.

And despite those 543 pages, I reached the end wishing there were just a few more painted hours left.

Goes well with: Gulab jamun and a steaming cup of cardamom tea.

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Review: The Frequency by Randall D. St. Claire – with Giveaway

12 August 2026 by Melissa

About the book, The Frequency

Genre: Mystery / Speculative Thriller / Thriller / Suspense / History
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: July 21, 2026
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He didn’t expect his life to change in a single moment. He didn’t expect it to ask anything in return.

Bronx Rousselle built his small life on purpose: a pawnshop in northern Minnesota, a few familiar faces, no debts he couldn’t count, no relationship anchors. Friendship, in his experience, always came with a cost—and Bronx never owed much to anyone. Humor helped. If he laughed hard enough at trouble, it often lost interest.

Then something finds its way into his hands. Old. Hidden. Mystical at first glance. Powerful enough to draw attention from people who don’t ask—they take. Curiosity bleeds into pursuit, and luck demands a toll. As it stretches from the American Midwest to the frozen edges of Greenland, Bronx is pulled into a world where survival is measured in seconds—and trust in scars.

But the greatest danger isn’t what’s chasing him. It’s how the journey begins to change him—forcing uneasy alliances.

A woman who carries pain without breaking. Another who will not bend. Men in shadows, where loyalty is uncertain and betrayal waits.

And somewhere between the cold, the fear, and the weight of what he carries, Bronx begins to feel something he’s spent a lifetime avoiding:

Connection. Responsibility. Loss.

The kind that doesn’t let go.

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About the author, Randall D. St. Claire

Randall D. St. Claire writes intelligent, character-driven thrillers that live at the intersection of discovery, consequence, and the human cost of both.

His ninth novel, The Frequency, grew from a simple question that wouldn’t let go — what happens when a historic discovery powerful enough to change the world appears destined to fall into the wrong hands? Born in Southern California, he moved to Texas in 1996. Mentored by Patricia Anthony and Carol Woods, he is a past President of the Greater Dallas Writer’s Association.

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My Thoughts

The Frequency does not so much begin as detonate. Randall D. St. Claire had me from the opening sequence, and once the story took off, I had no interest in putting it down. This is a rocket-powered thriller with a cinematic sensibility, but its speed never comes at the expense of character. The tension holds even when the humor slips in, and both feel completely natural.

Bronx Rousselle is a terrific reluctant hero. Gruff, taciturn, and firmly committed to keeping the rest of humanity at arm’s length, he becomes more appealing as the pressure builds and the man beneath the defenses begins to emerge. His growing attachment to other people is gradual, believable, and clearly inconvenient to him—which makes it all the more satisfying. He may prefer not to care, but his actions keep giving him away.

Dr. Edwin James Gibbons is an equally memorable presence. His collection of Texas expressions brought warmth and levity to the story, while also giving Bronx one more unpredictable personality to contend with. His homespun Texas expressions may occasionally bewilder outsiders, underscoring how regional phrases do not always travel as intended.

St. Claire packs a great deal into the novel: murder, conspiracy, scientific possibility, Arctic danger, betrayal, loyalty, and a restrained thread of romance. None of it feels crammed in. The plot remains clear, the suspense keeps tightening, and the quieter moments give the action emotional weight. I was especially impressed by the way the humor relieves the tension without puncturing it.

The Arctic setting is rendered with enough clarity to feel both beautiful and actively hostile. The landscape increases the isolation, magnifies every risk, and made me appreciate central heating on an almost spiritual level.

What stayed with me most, though, was the balance between spectacle and tenderness. The Frequency offers all the momentum and danger I want from a thriller, but its characters are what make the story matter. The ending lands with an unexpected softness that feels earned after everything that precedes it. Engaging, deftly constructed, and impossible to resist, this is exactly the sort of novel that deserves a screen adaptation. I would happily buy a ticket.

Goes well with: A piping-hot deep-dish pizza and an ice-cold St. Pauli Girl Lager.

To learn more about the book, look for #LSLLTheFrequency on your preferred social media platform.

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Review: Indigo, the Deep by Kellye Abernathy – with Giveaway

16 July 2026 by Melissa

About the book, Indigo, the Deep:

Genre: Teen and YA / Coming of Age / Fantasy
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
Scroll down for Giveaway

“In the heart of the deepest sea caverns, there is a stillness. Learn to surrender to it.”

Fifteen-year-old Condi Bloom knows the magic will happen again. The autumn equinox is looming. Strange currents are sweeping through her coastal town. Tides are turning wild, and a mercurial mist cloaks the lonely rock tower known as Windy Hollow, long believed to be haunted.

When a silent threat glides into the cove, altering the fragile ecosystem and drawing sharks close to shore, Condi ignores the danger. A fierce surfer, she insists on pushing her skills to the limit, hoping to heal a broken heart. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Firth Cristo, a bold free diver, is tormented by a past he cannot reveal. Guided by the Beachlings, the mystical women who teach the secrets of the deep, he dares to explore remote underwater sea caverns, navigating the pulsing tides of a shimmering enchantment.

Inspired by the certainty of wonder and the uncertain nature of time, Condi and Firth dive into their rawest places, discovering that healing—of nature, of others, and of themselves—is found in the bounty of a limitless sea.

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About the author, Kellye Abernathy

An avid reader and writer, Kellye is the author of the YA science-fantasy series: The Aquamarine Surfboard (2022), Amethyst, The Shallows (2024), and Indigo, The Deep (2026). A former wireless business executive and a graduate of the University of Kansas, Kellye teaches practical life skills, creative writing, yoga, and mindfulness within the trauma-survivor community in Plano, Texas. She hopes to inspire healing through body and breath awareness, creativity, consistency, and compassion. Her joys are many and varied, among them neuroscience, oceanography, swimming, biking, family adventures, and great conversation. She believes in staying curious, showing up, and keeping her heart open.

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Indigo, the Deep Reel

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My Thoughts

Indigo, the Deep is the third installment in Kellye Abernathy’s Yellow Cottage series, and the third time I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in one of her stories.

I love the way Abernathy combines magical elements without turning the story into in-your-face fantasy. Dolphins communicate with humans, surfboards are imbued with ancient energy, and neurodivergence—specifically synesthesia—is almost a superpower. One character uses it to compose music, while another perceives moods as colors. The magic feels organic to Craggy Point and Windy Hollow, woven naturally into the lives of the people who call them home.

Abernathy takes a slightly different direction with this book. Where the conflicts in the previous stories were generated largely by the town, the beach, and their history, Indigo, the Deep introduces a biomedical research ship whose presence is disrupting the local ecosystem and drawing more sharks into the cove. There is still surfing, of course, as well as free diving, mysterious sea caverns, and the restless pull of the water.

What remains central, however, is the young people—and some of the older folks—discovering who they are and how they fit into the world around them. Condi may be the focal point, but it is the entire community that keeps pulling me back into these books. Kait, Abe the master surfer, Firth, the Beachlings, and the others are all dimensional and imperfect. They feel real, making it easy to become invested in their lives, their relationships, and the healing they find in one another and in the limitless sea.

This book can be read as a standalone novel, but reading the previous books in the series will make the experience richer.

Overall, this is a fantastic read for anyone who loves foggy coastal weather, salt air, leaping dolphins, and a bit of a mystery to be solved.

Goes well with: clam chowder, warmed baguette, and a mug of hot tea.

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The applications are always due at midnight, which is when the house is finally quiet and the only one awake to witness your professional ambitions is the dog, who has seen you cry in three different lighting scenarios and still believes you are the best thing in the world.

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