authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Strangers in the Car by C. M. Ewan will take readers on a roller coaster ride. The plot has Abi Foster and her boyfriend Ben Simmons driving home, having cut their weekend vacation in Cornwall short due to a crisis at Ben’s law firm. They are arguing about cutting the weekend short when Abi misses a turn in the foggy country roads. They spot a stranded family with a young baby whose car has …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Christmas Cowboy by Melinda Curtis is a delightful holiday read. There are some heavier subjects that are heartfelt and emotionally riveting. But the humor is a welcome relief, coming mostly from a five-year-old boy. Lily Smith has come to Clementine to act as a nanny for her newborn niece and five-year-old nephew, Ford. But there is another reason she is there. She has spent her whole life wondering why her father ignored her …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer is a great holiday read. Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights and this novel shows how the characters were brought out of their darkness and illuminated with light as they take their journey to reconnect. In the style of best-selling author Kristin Hannah, this novel is a heartfelt, sad, and heartbreaking story dealing with loss and trauma. But readers also will laugh with the …
Title: The Lost Author: Sarah Beth Durst Series: not anymore PSA: If you’re furious about the ending and came looking for answers, check the copyright of the copy you just read. If it says 2014 and only 2014, find a copy of the updated 2025 version, stat! Read the last two or three chapters, then come back if you need to. 😉 —————– Initial Post: Wow. I haven’t felt fucked up by a book like this in a while. I …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Hidden Hope by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a fantastic read blending romance, hope, faith, intriguing medical facts, and doctors/nurses learning their craft under the supervision of a very wise doctor. Readers can revisit characters from the previous book and get to know some interesting new ones. The plot has Ruth “Dok” Stoltzfus deciding to lessen her medical workload by taking into the practice two newly minted medical residents, Wren Baker and Charlie King, …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Veteran’s Day is a holiday to honor US veterans and victims of all wars. Janice Lynn who writes a fiction series about veterans who feel broken emotionally and physically. In the Janice Lynn series Wrapped Up in Christmas, there are five books: Wrapped Up in Christmas, Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy, Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope, Wrapped Up in Christmas Love, and Wrapped Up in Christmas Faith. Each book highlights a different veteran who …
A roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Fall 2025. Beware of spoilers! Title: Dead Wrong Author: Kate Allenton Series: Cree Blue Psychic Eye Mystery #1 Not great. Very simplistic and superficial storytelling. Too short to include much detail or character development. The MC, Cree*, is more foolishly headstrong than spunky, and waaayyy overpowered: clairvoyant, psychometric, knows when people are lying, and she can see and communicate with ghosts? She must also be rich, because she’s entirely unbothered by the …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses by Jennifer Faye has Belle Sinclair recently adopting a stray puppy. It was love at first snuggle. He is the best Christmas present ever. And yet her holiday happiness goes sideways when she hears a siren and spots flashing lights in her rearview mirror. It seems Sheriff Parker Bishop always seems to be there when she commits traffic violations. But after Belle’s puppy goes missing, she calls the Sheriff …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima has action, intrigue and suspense. There is murder, a police investigation, family relationships/dynamics, and some information about veterinarians. The plot begins when the Walker family of Cole, Sophie, Angie, and now Mattie are out snowshoeing and hear a scream. Cole takes the girls back to the resort while Mattie and her K-9 Robo go to investigate. Robo finds a trail and Mattie can see a body at the base …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Falling for His Nashville Nurse by Janice Lynn is a story of overcoming past relationship disappointments. This is considered a medical romance where Lynn uses her professional experiences to write a heartfelt story. The heroine, Everleigh Bennett, is determined to focus her energy on her job, her son, and her mother. She swore off romance following her divorce from Bryan who left her and her son soon after she gave birth. That is, until …