𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 | Book Reviews

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

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It’s Halloween Eve, time for a few thrills and chills! While I wouldn’t say these are horror books, each is frightening in its own way. Take a look.

𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗸

𝗕𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗱

Pub Date: 9.29.26

Thank you | gifted | @grandcentralpub

I love vampire books, but this is not your sexy or sparkly kind. Think more like a paranormal gangster story. It took me a while to get into the story, and then things got violent and darkly weird. If you like cheering for a gritty, rough-around-the-edges kick-butt vampire hunter, you’ll eat this one up.

🖤

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀

𝗕𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗻

Pub Date: 10.27.26

Thank you | gifted | @crownpublishing and @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

Anytime I read dystopian books where survival is key, I get anxious, and this one is no exception.

May is trying to survive on her own with her Autistic son after a virus wiped out 99.9% of the population. Batteries are a key commodity for survival and for her son’s Game Boy. But when a stranger convinces her to help him join a community, May’s instincts and decision-making are tested. I almost set this one down a few times, but the farther I got in, the more I needed to know what would happen to May and her son. Plus, the villain(s) weren’t entirely as clear as I thought. I would say be patient with this one.

🎧 I enjoyed both the print and the audiobook narrated by Ellen Adair. But because May tells the story, Ellen’s narration felt more intimate and helped me connect with May.

🖤

𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁

𝗕𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁

Pub Date: 7.28.26

Thank you | gifted | @simonteen

This is for fans of Young Adult/Middle School spooky small-town horror stories. The author uses the powerful river atmosphere and Viking folklore to set the stage for this ghost story. I loved the town’s haunted hotel and the Viking museum, but the creepy, ghostly happenings had me looking over my shoulder.

😱 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀: 𝗩𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹, 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿?

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲 | Review & Tour Stop

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲

𝗕𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽

𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘸!

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This is a perfect blend of Gothic mystery and a generational family drama. Janyre Tromp uses folklore, historical signposts, touches of magic, trauma, mental health, and nature itself to conjure up a story that will chill you to the bone.

It starts with a cold-case murder and the sorrows of two witchy-like sisters. A lawyer comes to town and digs deep into their past. He finds it’s filled with buried secrets of abuse, trauma, fear, as well as mental health issues; it is heartbreaking. Yet he is determined to become their protector and find the truth.

One has been a witness to all: The Raven Tree.

Beginning slowly and hauntingly, the narrative twists and rises to a fever pitch until you can’t catch your breath.

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @JanyreTromp for this gifted book.  #burningtheraventree

🐦‍⬛ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 & 𝗝𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 | Audiobook Feature

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 & 𝗝𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿

𝗕𝘆 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝘆

Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks

Pub Date: 10.13.26

Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez

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𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚. 𝘼 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝘿𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

After discovering her boss, Garrett’s, dead body, Grace is ready to pack up her things and move back home. Until his widow, Jo, shows up and offers Grace a job as her assistant.

The catch?

Jo only wants assistance with one thing: solving her husband’s murder.

Armed with Jo’s creative “crime board” and various disguises, these two millennial women might just give the police a run for their money.

After all, how hard can solving a murder really be?

Thank you @tlcbooktours and @jessmeywrites for this gifted audiobook.

🎧 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼-𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀? 𝗔𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 | Review & Book Tour

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 (𝘈 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺)

𝗕𝘆 𝗞.𝗟. 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗵𝘆

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If you love a tension-filled locked room mystery with a dose of juicy drama, you will devour this one.

Five couples decide to spend a few days enjoying a winter getaway at the beautiful Blair House. The plan is for a relaxing time with catered dinners, excessive drinking, and scenic hiking, until one of the husbands ends up dead.

Detective Callie Forde and her partner, Zel, are called to the scene as snow falls and temperatures are plummeting. When a blizzard blankets the mountainous area, they become isolated and completely cut off. Now they are trapped in the house with the suspects and the body.

The wintry atmosphere and the interactions between these couples made this one a page-turner. Two are sisters and social media influencers, and several of the husbands work together, making for reality TV-style drama.  As Callie interviewed the suspects, secrets came out, betrayals were revealed, and tempers flared. Everyone seemed to have a motive for the killing.

I believe this is my fourth Callie Forde Mystery, and they never disappoint. I do miss that her dad had a much smaller role in this one.

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @k.l._murphy for this gifted book.  #theperfectgirls #lockedroommystery

🔐 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱-𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼? 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗱!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀 (The Commons World, 1) | Book Feature

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀 (The Commons World, 1)

𝗕𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗮 𝗜𝗵𝗶𝗺

𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘸!

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I know many of you are deep in the pages of ACOTAR-sh, but I wanted to get a new dark academia series on your radar.

It’s set in a 22nd-century elite school where being common is celebrated. It’s “fit in or face death.”

The school is for science and technology, with advanced tracks and trials. But they do not accept exceptionalism, which raises a fascinating idea: conformity. The idea that uniqueness is bad and will be suppressed and controlled.

The heroine, Shantavia, is extremely intelligent, which is a big problem, and it only gets worse when her sister goes missing. She is determined to find not only her sister but the truth behind The Commons. But she must survive six deadly tests and resist an attraction that could cost her everything.

🌙𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀:

Dystopian meets Dark Academia

Elite College

Enemies to Lovers

Slow Burn

Science & Technology

Steamy Tension

Imaginative World Building

The book has been compared to The Hunger Games and Maze Runner, even Harry Potter.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤!”

Thank you @deeppublishing for this gifted book.

🎒𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀? 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲?

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲 (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 2) | Book Review

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲 (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 2)

𝗕𝘆 𝗣𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲

𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘸!

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Okay, I loved 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, the first in The Mercer Family series, but 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲? Whew!

I started with the ebook and switched to the audiobook, narrated by Connor Crais and Maxine Mitchell, with a full cast. I loved hearing the emotion in their voices, which drew me completely into the story.

I knew I was walking into an emotional one when I saw the “best friend’s widow” trope listed, but this duo of authors threw me for a loop! There were surprises I did not see coming, and my heart ached for Collins as she was processing the grief of losing her husband.

Ansel is amazing! But he is walking on eggshells as he tries to care for his late best friend’s widow and not let his feelings grow. Plus, he’s navigating his own grief and guilt.

I loved that they worked through things together and leaned on friends and family, even those who questioned them at first. This is a hot and yes, spicy romance, but it is a powerful story about finding strength, peace, and love again after loss.

And that ending! That bonus chapter has my mind racing; I need book three now, please.

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀:

💜Small Town Romance

🔥Best Friend’s Widow

💜Forbidden

🔥Slow Burn

💜Firefighter MMC

🔥He Falls First

💜Spicy

Thank you @hambright_pr and @authorpiperrayne for this gifted eBook and audiobook.

🧑‍🚒 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻?

𝗔𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 | Book Review

𝗔𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿

𝗕𝘆 𝗝𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗻

𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘺

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Thank you | gifted | @scribnerbooks and @simon.audio #scribnerinfluencer #simonaudioinfluencer

Since this is part ghost story, it fits right in with my spooky-ish week. But don’t come looking for thrills or chills. No, this is a heartwarming meditation on loss and grief.

This is my first time reading Joanna Cannon, and I love how she blended Margaret’s recent grief over losing her husband Derek with the mystery of solving their daughter’s disappearance decades ago.

Margaret feels utterly alone until she realizes she can see ghosts from her past. It’s the push she needed to continue to seek out what happened to her little girl all those years ago. A little humor, some wonderful pets, and the beauty of forgiveness make the narrative’s sadness feel lighter.

The little details are what made this extra special for me. From Margaret not being certain what her daughter was wearing the day she went missing, to her being visited by the ghost of a beloved dog, they had me on a roller coaster of emotions.

While the mystery is sad and tragic, Margaret’s journey is filled with tender moments. This reflective ghost story reminds us that though the person may be gone, their love never leaves us.

🎧 Emily Joyce was the perfect narrator for this story. Her kind, calm voice brought Margaret to life. Listening to the audiobook made me feel as though I was in the room with Margaret. It gave this quiet, somewhat magical, and very heartfelt narrative a very realistic feel.

👋 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿, 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗸?

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗛𝗮𝘂𝗻𝘁 | Audiobook Review

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗛𝗮𝘂𝗻𝘁

𝗕𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗴

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Thank you | gifted | @PRHAudio #prhaudiopartner

This is a perfect romance for the season! Really, it’s for anyone who loves not only a paranormal romance but one with pining, yearning, and hot chemistry.

Libby is having one heck of a fall. Her best friend, Carter, is getting married in a matter of months, and his cousin Trip’s spirit just visited her. Two problems: she’s secretly in love with Carter, and Trip is lying in the hospital in a coma.

So it’s not a ghost story in the purest sense, but it’s definitely a paranormal romance, as Trip asks Libby to help break a family curse and free him. I loved Libby and Trip’s interactions; there was humor and snark, and you could sense the chemistry building. Yet, a lot stands between them.

I enjoyed following them as they tried to figure out how to break the family curse; it felt like a mystery woven into the romantic plot. The ending had me biting my nails as I worried about whether Libby would make the right choices for herself and what exactly that would mean for all involved.

Many of these characters were refreshing, likable, and thoughtful of others, and I loved seeing their growth throughout. There is a little spice toward the end, but it is more about yearning, desire, and finding the right one. As this is the author’s debut, I’ll be watching what she writes next!

🎧 I couldn’t stop listening. I was hooked by the plot and the tug Libby’s heart felt between Carter and Trip. I enjoyed Gail Shalan’s narration, especially of Libby and Sabrina. I wasn’t that fond of her voicing of Trip and Carter, but it didn’t make me dislike the story.

🤍𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱:

Paranormal Romance

They Can’t Touch

Magic & Mystery

Wedding Countdown

Family Curse

Supportive Female Friendships

NYC Setting

👻💕 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀? 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 | Book Review

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹

𝗕𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴

𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘸!

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Thank you | gifted | @williammorrowbooks and @librofm

Since this is Halloween Week, I thought I’d take a break from all my festive holiday reads and read some more spooky-ish books.

This one definitely set the spooky mood, as it’s set in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. Adam (the resident Arborist) and his two children live there, which allows for a great atmosphere and vivid descriptions of the grounds, statues, and mausoleums.

Jess gets lost on a late-night tour of the cemetery and sees a boy who appears to need help. Turns out it’s Adam, the Arborist’s son. As Adam walks Jess out of the cemetery, strange things happen.

This was right up my alley. It blends a cozy mystery dating back to the Gilded Age with spooky Gothic vibes. The romance is sweet, but it really hits on family, with the single-dad trope coming in strong, and the tug at the heart with grief and the struggle to move on.

The scare factor, with supernatural occurrences and demons, is mixed with a bit of humor, so it never turns into a true horror story. I had a lot of fun with this one.

🎧 Jesse Vilinsky did a great job narrating the audiobook. She voiced all the characters well, with a mix of humor and emotion, and even captured the quirky demons. It was highly entertaining.

🪦 𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗸𝗶𝗱, 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀? 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆?

𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 | Review & Tour Stop

𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀

𝗕𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗲𝗯 𝗥𝘂𝗯𝗶𝗻

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This is an engaging mix of historical fiction and coming-of-age.

The story immersed me in the 1920s Prohibition Era, with bootleggers and gangsters, creating a suspenseful contrast against the beautiful backdrop of New York’s Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains.

Young Ella is a wonderful character. With so much responsibility on her shoulders, she leaves Brooklyn to find family and a safe place for herself and her little brother by coming to her uncle’s farm.

Yet when she runs into a very shady, notorious gangster, she may have invited danger into their midst.

I quickly became engrossed in Ella and her family; I feared for their safety and well-being. It was heartbreaking to see the antisemitism they faced as the KKK gained a foothold in the North. The historical markers and events are fascinating, but the unforgettable characters and familial bonds give this book so much heart.

Though this is the fourth book in the Gilded City Series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @janeloebrubin for this gifted book.  #mayheminthemountains

⛰️ 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻?