Category: Contemporary fiction

Review:  Mildew & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Corrine Winters 

Rating: 4.75⭐️

“Willowmere had secrets—buried in moss, whispered by roots, and now one of them just turned up dead.”

If ever there was a perfect example of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover “ it’s the haunting, beautifully crafted Mildew & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Corrine Winters.  

The cover, a brightly colored, almost whimsical comedic Candyland of a piece, complete with a cat that bears no resemblance to the highly intelligent familiar inside, gives a reader a totally different feel than what this novel is about. 

The expectations might be for some lighthearted funny cozy mystery. Because that is what the cover infers. 

However what author Corrine Winters delivers is entirely different. We immediately get Maeve Everhart and her familiar, Whim, returning to Willowmere after a long absence. She’s not been back since her beloved great aunt died, her grief still very strong, along with other aspects that kept her away, secrets that are buried deep within her and the town.

Winters builds up the town , the atmosphere and tension within it continually throughout the story.  It’s a beautifully crafted element of the book, creating the suspense as well as crafting a mystical foundation for the characters and setting. 

This is a place where the deep woods and actual dirt talks, it remembers, the mystical nature of the forest breathes here, through moss and mycelium. And it’s sometimes threatening. There’s murder and more threats from many sources. 

It’s layers of intrigue, fascinating characters and landscapes that feel simultaneously sinister and ancient.

Winters’ Willowmere, Oregon, a small town famous for its mushroom festival, and its inhabitants has so many hidden secrets and journeys ahead that I can’t wait to read more of these books. 

Highly recommended. Just a fabulous read. Just not sure why the disconnect between the book and that cutesy cover. Very jarring.

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries (17 book series):

1 Mildew & Murder (2025) 

2 Moss & Murder (2025) 

3 Marigolds & Murder (2025) 

4 Mulch & Murder (2025) 

5 Magnolias & Murder (2025) 

6 Morning Glories & Murder (2025) 

7 Milkweed & Murder (2025) 

8 Mulberries & Murder (2025) 

9 Mint & Murder (2025) 

10 Moonflowers & Murder (2025) 

11 Marjoram & Murder (2025) 

12 Mandrake & Murder (2025) 

13 Meadowfoam & Murder (2025) 

14 Mayapple & Murder (2025) 

15 Mallow & Murder (2025) 

16 Mist & Murder (2025) 

17 Mosswine & Murder (2025)

Buy link:

 Book 1 of 17: Willowmere Cozy Mysteries 

Blurb 

Willowmere had secrets—buried in moss, whispered by roots, and now one of them just turned up dead.

When Maeve Everhart returned to the fog-draped Oregon town she once called home, she expected grief. She didn’t expect the body of a celebrated truffle forager to be discovered during the festival meant to crown him king of the forest. The town whispers “accident.” Maeve, whose magic stirs beneath her skin like the soil under stormlight, knows better.

With her sarcastic familiar cat as unwanted backup and a reluctant handyman-turned-ally watching her back, Maeve digs into the mystery growing in Willowmere’s woods. The deeper she goes, the more tangled it gets—false trails, altered spores, and someone rewriting the land’s memory for reasons that could turn deadly.

And the moss? It’s not just remembering.

It’s watching.

Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!

May 9, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

142 pages

Book 1 of 17

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries

Review:  Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Selena ,with her dog, Copper, has fled an abusive relationship after the death of her mother. Broken and desperate with dollars to her name, she’s bought a train ticket and traveled days to a small desert town of Quartz Creek in search of an aunt she barely knows. 

Kingfisher’s novel pulls us immediately into the character of Selena, as it’s her voice that’s telling her story.  Quietly contained, tense, and worried as we watch through her eyes, her journey to a town so dry , so small that there’s nothing to see when she’s deposited at her final destination with her few belongings and gentle old lab, Copper. 

We’ve no idea exactly how broken Selena is or how horrific a relationship and past she’s fled. That is slowly revealed throughout the narrative as she starts to find her own way and new foundation in this quirky community. 

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher is a richly woven, beautifully written tale of a broken woman who finds in small dusty desert town full of secrets, small Gods both frightening and dangerous and some benign a refuge and home, along with a found family. People who are ready to support her, give her comfort and the space she needs to recover and develop her own strengths. 

It’s a remarkable journey. Full of humor, compassion, joy and yes, horror.  

All the characters are remarkable in their design and detail, human and otherwise.  The mythology and mystical elements are incredible. 

And I appreciate that even in the “horror “ aspect of this tale, there is a grey area attached to the “villain” here. Yes, its actions now are wrong but all the characters can see their origin came from a very different place.  I really like having a broader perspective on subjects like this. Nothing is ever black and white. 

T. Kingfisher  or author Ursula Vernon is a writer whose work is quietly thoughtful and insightful. Her love for this desert and its beauty is apparent here, it flows through the landscape of the narrative in every sentence. 

As does her approach to life and wildlife. Roadrunners are indeed far more than the cartoon characters would have you believe. Authors notes are a delight. Check them out. 

Highly recommended. Both author and book. 

Exquisite cover that carries major themes of the story.

Cover design by Logan Matthews Cover illustration by Tristan Elwell

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comSnake-Eater: Kingfisher, T.: 9781662525094

Blurb 

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award–winning author T. Kingfisher comes an enthralling contemporary fantasy seeped in horror about a woman trying to escape her past by moving to the remote US desert—only to find herself beholden to the wrath of a vengeful god.

With only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt’s house in the desert town of Quartz Creek. The scorpions and spiders are better than what she left behind.

Because in Quartz Creek, there’s a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena’s ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena’s house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn’t ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can’t begin to imagine. And when Selena’s search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new home: It’s the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as “Snake-Eater,” who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled.

Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he’s hell-bent on collecting everything he’s owed.

Review:  Out Of A Fix (Torus Intercession Book 7) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.75🌈

Out Of A Fix brings an end to Mary Calmes wonderful Torus Intercession series with the last of the original fixers, 52 year old Nash Miller takes a job in a small town in Washington state where the family she left behind of a woman who is now in WITSEC program resides. Her brother is concerned their safety isn’t a priority for the FBI and wants Torus to insure they are protected during this trial. 

Seems simple enough. However, that’s not the case that Nash finds out when he enters the town. The ex-husband is absent on a job site. The kids are in trouble and he’s desperately needed there as a fixer. On many levels. 

Calmes quickly turns this last story into a heartbreaking then finally heartwarming tale of a family rescued . Which  turns into an engaging emotional story about a family that has finds their hearts and home rebuilt into a new beginning, including their own fixer. 

The children are so well written. They grab at the readers hearts just as they do Nash’s. Whether’s Tatum, the youngest child or the oldest son, whose behavior has brought him into the worst possible situation, these are kids who are fragile and need help immediately. And get it. 

The issues are slow to be revealed and are addressed as needed. This includes issues of the dad’s too. Luke Duchesne doesn’t get an immediate pass on his behavior but there’s also an effort made to understand and address it. And to do better. 

Therapists have a prominent role here and that’s a positive element of the story. For each of these characters have issues to overcome. 

The plot moves forward swiftly, the romance is not always the center of the story but the forming of the family which folds in the newly created dynamic of Nash and Luke.  That feels very realistic and seated in the story. 

It’s fantastic to see all the characters from the Agency and the couples reunite here at the end. We see where each of them are in their own lives and relationships as well.

This is just an outstanding sendoff to one of my favorite series. 

I’m highly recommending it and have starred my favorite stories below. I’m sure we each have our own. 

Cover art Copyright © 2025 Reese Dante

Torus Intercession series: 7 books complete:

No Quick Fix #1

In A Fix #2❤️

Fix It Up #3 ❤️

The Fix Is In #4

The Big Fix #5

Get A Fix #6

Out Of A Fix #7

Buy link

        Out Of A Fix: Torus Intercession Book Seven

    

Blurb 

If you put a family back together, how can you ever leave them? 

Through the years, Nash Miller has watched all his buddies fall in love and get married. It was romantic, and he’d wondered when he himself would find the one. Now, older, wiser, he realizes that what he’s always wanted—a husband and a family—just isn’t in the cards for him. And that’s all right. He has wonderful friends, a good life, and he gets to help people, which has always been his true calling. So when the time comes to protect a family in a tiny town in Washington State, he’s more than willing to get on his white horse and ride.

The family needs a bodyguard, but it goes beyond that. The mother abandoned them for a new life, and the father is absent, stuck on a work project he took on to keep his family afloat. What Nash finds are three kids in need of a fixer, and lucky for them, that’s exactly what he does. Providing support and structure is second nature to him, and he’s on solid ground, confident…until their father, Luke Duchesne, gets home. He’s nothing like Nash assumed he’d be, and with each passing day, the lure of the man, and his great kids, gets harder to resist. But he can’t stay there. He’s a fixer, after all, and what they’re all feeling is simply gratitude. Isn’t it…? Though when Luke kisses him, it starts to feel like so much more. Nash hopes he’ll be able to explore a life with Luke—he just needs to make sure his own isn’t cut short.

  • Publication date: September 23, 2025
  • Edition: 1st
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 349 pages
  • Book 7 of 7: Torus Intercession

Review:  The Sinner’s Son (Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood Book Two) by  Aimee Nicole Walker

Rating: 4🌈

The Sinner’s Son is the second in the Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood series by Aimee Nicole Walker.  It’s a ongoing dramatic story about a couple who have traveled from their first encounter and police cases as police officers through the obstacles of a complicated process of their relationship and respective careers through the process of marriage and now fatherhood. 

With any long history and multiple series like this, there is going to be books that will hit on every level and some that will fall short. 

For me, The Sinner’s Son fell a bit short. Too much of repetition in terms of certain aspects of the storyline. I felt like I anticipated the plot and villain. Especially since the overall mystery going through to the next book seems clear. 

For me the best elements are those surrounding the impending birth, their emotional state about fatherhood, their friends and support. 

The mystery feels less well developed than usual. Or maybe I just read too many mystery novels. And listen to too many crime podcasts. 

Either way, I enjoyed the first novel more. And will look forward to reading Brokered Betrayals later this year.

Cover photo © Wander Aguiar 

Cover design © Natasha Snow 

Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood series: 

The Paternity Puzzle #1

The Sinner’s Son #2

Brokered Betrayals #3 – Dec 16, 2025

Preceding Necessary Locke and Key Series :

Zero Hour (3 books)

Sawyer and Royce: Matrimony and Mayhem (3 book series)

Related series:

Sinister in Savannah (3 book series)

Buy link

        The Sinner’s Son (Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Can a sinner’s son outrun his father’s shadow, or will darkness follow him everywhere and taint everything? 

No one’s life should be reduced to random items in an evidence box, only to collect dust for decades. Seeking justice for the forgotten will bring a temporary partner into Sawyer’s life who threatens his carefully curated peace. Alec Bishop, the son of a serial killer, arrives in Savannah with an audacious ego, an unwillingness to accept boundaries, and an overzealous fan club. Calling it quits isn’t part of Sawyer’s character, but he might not have a choice when the circumstances surrounding the sinner’s son take a dark twist.

Nature versus nurture? The age-old question forces Sawyer and Royce to reevaluate the relationships with their fathers, and it influences the parents they aspire to be now that the countdown to Baby Locke has begun.

The Sinner’s Son is book two in the Felonies and Fatherhood trilogy, the third installment in the Royce Locke and Sawyer Key story arc. ** New readers should start with the Zero Hour and Matrimony and Mayhem trilogies before reading Felonies and Fatherhood. **The Sinner’s Son continues Royce and Sawyer’s happily ever after as they move into the most anticipated phase of their lives. Though some storylines span the trilogy, this book does not end in a cliffhanger. Heat, humor, heart, and homicide abound. You have been warned.

Review: Four Bears Construction Bonus Scenes by K.M. Neuhold 

Rating: 4🌈

Stories from the small town of Fall Crosse and Four Bears Construction include:

Happy Birthday Honey (Cole and Ren)

Baby Goats (Stone and Dare)

Stone and Dare’s Wedding – ditto 

Christmas Butt Plug. (Everett and Watson)

Tequila Wedding (Ollie and Daniel)

GOATS LIKE CAKE TOO – Four Bears Epilogue 

Each one is exactly what the author says, a short scene from the couple’s life. Cute or sexy or both. The stories are a terrific way to close out the series and say goodbye to these characters and their HEA’s.

If you love them and want to see more of their lives, this is just the thing for you. 

Four Bears Construction series- 8 books 

Related series:

Big Bull Mechanics series 

Ink Slingers series 

Review: Mornings by the Linden Tree (Love’s Journeys #3) by V.L. Locey 

Rating: 4.75🌈

V.L. Locey writes such amazing books. It’s actually hard to name a favorite among her many different books and series, considering the variety of themes and locations. And characters, of course!

Mornings by the Linden Tree , the third book in V.L. Locey ‘s Love’s Journeys series, is a marvelous example of how diverse her books are and how well she writes them. 

If there is one aspect of the story that’s made it slow to connect with, it’s with the beautifully crafted character of Wesley Barlowe.  He’s rich, rigid, so tightly controlled and self restrained that he’s emotionally unavailable, even to the reader. He’s absolutely believable, understandable, and not terribly likable. He’s a single gay divorce lawyer, in Boston, who doesn’t particularly like children, and loves a perfectly scheduled world.

Then his younger drug addict sister dies in another state, leaving him the guardian of a young child he wasn’t aware existed. 

Cue the upheavals on every level. 

Locey addresses many difficult topics here. Both in Aida’s case, the sister who had suffered from substance abuse for years and died of its effects to Wesley, who had abandonment issues that have plagued him, and now his niece who has, as a toddler who has suffered from the effects of her mother’s drug addiction and death, now has her own fears and nightmares.  The author slowly explores each of these characters pain and damage, with sensitivity and realism, and using a wonderful humorous and compelling therapist to help them navigate through their own journey together. With funny socks. 

And the romantic relationship, with a singer/performer , Lennon Cole , who helps them through their own initial experience and the upheaval of becoming a family. That too, is remarkable and real. 

I mean, all the various side characters are pretty much great personalities and make indelible impressions on the reader and in their interactions with the characters in the story.  

This includes Boston itself, it all it’s glorious magic. The buildings, the parks, people,and the legendary Red Sox!

The story ends as it should. A work in progress for the family. We see them happy together and going forward together with new plans, friends and family. 

Mornings by the Linden Tree (Love’s Journeys #3) by V.L. Locey is another fantastic book in a great series. One I’m highly recommending. 

Cover by Meredith Russell

Love’s Journeys:

Where the Pines Kiss the Sky #1 

Reflections of Cypress #2 

Mornings by the Linden Tree #3

Buy link:

        Mornings by the Linden Tree (Love’s Journeys #3)

    

Blurb 

When you think you have everything you need, fate will show you all you never knew you were missing. 

Wesley Barlowe has it all. He’s a highly successful divorce attorney at one of Boston’s most prestigious law firms. His name is on the rosters of many elite clubs, his clothes are from famed designers, and his historic duplex overlooks Boston Common. His lovers are few and far between by choice, his car is a sporty hybrid, and his bourbon is always aged in white oak barrels. There are no surprises in Wesley’s tightly structured life. Until his estranged sister dies, leaving her three-year-old daughter in his custody. With no other family to pass the child off to, Wesley has no other option but to take his niece into his home.

Instead of spending his days in court and his nights at home studying briefs while sipping on triple mash twenty-year-old whiskey, he now finds himself joining single-parent online groups, waffling about how to handle temper tantrums, and how to entertain a rambunctious preschooler. During a particularly rough morning, she spies a musician on the Common singing to a small group of children. At his wit’s end, he carries his niece across the street and discovers that not only do the children seated on rainbow blankets adore the handsome, funny, and charming performer, but Wesley does too. There is something incredibly calming and warm about Lennon Cole and his silly songs. Something that will show the workaholic that there is more to life than litigations, courtroom wins, and million-dollar settlements.

Mornings by the Linden Tree is a slow burn, age gap, rich man/poor man, single father, biracial MM romance with two incredibly different men, a city along a famous harbor, a precocious child, a housekeeper with plenty of sage advice, songs about frogs in baseball caps, an indecent amount of clam chowder, evenings spent slow dancing with the baby monitor on, and a wicked awesome happy ending. 

*Content Warning: This story has references to loss of a family member and substance abuse*

  • Publication date: August 22, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 259 pages
  • Part of series: Love’s Journeys

Review: Something to Prove (Smithton Bears Book 2) by Lane Hayes 

Rating: 4🌈

Something to Prove is another lovely sports college romance in Lane Hayes’ Smithton Bears series, a sequel to the heartwarming older hockey romance series I adore, The Elmwood Stories- Small Town stories.

Same area as Elmwood but focuses on college hockey and college atmosphere with its situations, mostly. I enjoyed the flow from the first novel into this book, the use of characters and that pivotal plot to make these characters have their own dramatic moments.

Ty and Walker are both very relatable and engaging characters. Ty especially has a well written and fleshed out family and foundation as well as hockey team that grounds him realistically. 

Walker has a background that makes him a more isolated person. A person who’s been raised by his uncle and his aunt, who don’t live locally, there isn’t much other than the occasional showing of a side character, Robin, to give him the full picture details that Ty has been crafted with.  What gives Walker life are the moments when he (and Ty) share while interacting for Walker’s show. Love the warmth and funny energy that Hayes brings to this. 

The ending is so satisfying and one that the reader can instantly picture. And the epilogue is a great way to see the couple in their lives, happily moving forward. 

Another terrific story in this ongoing series. A winner!

Cover Design by Reese Dante

Smithton Bears – Small-Town, College Hockey Series 

  • One-Time Shot
  • Something to Prove 
  • The Roommate Game – Coming November 2025 

The Elmwood Stories- Small Town/Hockey Series 

You, Again 

Next Season 

Holiday Crush 

Thin Ice 

Hot Shot 

Puck Love

Buy link

 Book 2 of 3: Smithton Bears 

Blurb 

The hockey star, the influencer, and the deal of a lifetime. 

Ty

I’m going to the pros, baby! Deal made, contract signed. Now all I have to do is finish out my final season at Smithton and stay out of trouble. I like to have a good time, but don’t worry, I’ll behave.

What I won’t do is talk to that double-crossing influencer who’s been badgering me for an interview. No thanks.

I know Walker’s type—sweet as pie on the outside, a shark on the inside.

Get this…he wants to make a deal that sounds a lot like a bribe.

Not interested. No way.

But I am curious.

Walker

I’ve never worked so hard for an interview in my life. Ugh!

Look, I get that Ty doesn’t like me. As in…he won’t return my calls and avoids me like the plague on campus.

Too bad. I’m not giving up.

I don’t want to beg, but I’m willing to barter. Every man has his price—and something to prove.

Even Ty.

Something to Prove is a low-angst, geek-jock MM bisexual college hockey romance featuring a hockey star and the adorkable influencer who’s determined to win him over…

  • Publication date: July 29, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 224 pages
  • Book 2 of 3: Smithton Bears

Review:  Man Advantage by L.A. Witt

Rating: 3.75🌈

Man Advantage by L.A. Witt was a sweet trans m/m hockey romance from an author who writes excellent sports stories.  I did enjoy the second chance, friends reunited elements here as well as the twins who figure greatly in this story. 

The boys are well imagined children, believable at their ages and interactions with their parents and adults around them. 

And Witt’s hockey team and locker room dynamics are all real and grounded in the sports world and teamwork. Just a great example of Witt’s understanding of hockey and how a team’s character unique culture works. 

The romance was good and I enjoyed Cam’s and Trev’s relationship although some aspects of it, especially those that were a part of their resolution of their issues didn’t make sense to me.  And the way all the problems with Trev’s ex started getting smoothed over with one “clearing the air “ semi-fight? Way too easy for all the obstacles that were involved here. 

But it was made clear that therapy was needed and included for all of them, letting them move forward as a mixed family. Which was lovely. 

I enjoyed this, and while not a favorite of Witt’s hockey books, it’s entertaining and sweet. I’m recommending it for everyone who wants a good romance story. 

Cover Art by Lori Witt

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comMan Advantage – Kindle edition by Witt, L.A.. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Blurb 

Trev Allen and his ex-husband had an amicable joint custody arrangement. During the hockey season, his ex took the twins whenever Trev’s team was on the road. Easy peasy.

But now, just two weeks before training camp, Trev’s ex gives him an ultimatum—lock down reliable, full-time childcare for Trev’s custody weeks before the start of the season, or his ex is pursuing full custody.

Trev’s in a panic to keep his kids, but as luck would have it, an old friend—and old flame—is also in a jam.

Cam Wright’s ex didn’t just cheat, he kicked Cam out andgot him fired. Cam’s desperate and flailing… until he receives a message from a man he hasn’t seen in years. Now he has hope of getting back on his feet, not to mention reconnecting with his friend and first love.

Cam’s not prepared for how much Trev has glowed up. Trev is stunned by how kind time and a fitness career have been to Cam. The intense attraction is both instantaneous and hotter than ever; living together, it’s only a matter of time before passion ignites.

But Cam is depending on Trev for stability. Trev is depending on Cam to keep joint custody of his kids. Like it or not, they need each other.

Which means if they stop wanting each other, their lives could come unraveled.

Man Advantage is a 99,000-word standalone Trans M/M hockey romance.

  • Publisher: GallagherWitt Publishing LLC
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: July 16, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 361 pages

Review: The Birthday List (Maysen Jar #1) by Devney Perry

Rating: 3⭐️

I found author Devney Perry through her recent romantasy release, Shield of Sparrows. I really enjoyed that book so when this title popped up I thought I’d give it a shot. 

And, at least, in this case, I’ve found that Devney Perry’s contemporary work probably isn’t for me. 

I quickly finished the story of a young woman widowed early and dealing with her grief. It’s also the fact that she’s trying how best to move forward alone as well as losing the future she’d envisioned of them together growing old.

It’s sweet and moving in some parts. I liked the dog. But it took me a while to figure out what was bothering me about the storylines and characters. And I believe it’s because Perry’s woman characters and story are male centric. And that’s a pass for me.

Poppy Maysen, whose husband Jamie is killed in a robbery, decides to check off all the items Jamie had written on his annual birthday to do list. A list of items he wanted to do each birthday before he was 35, skydiving, jump in a pool of green jello, etc. And open a restaurant , called Maysen Jar, which she accomplishes.

Poppy, a gorgeous woman (almost so perfect it’s unbelievable), is a fabulous cook, who everyone loves who comes into contact with her (with some exceptions). She’s also focused on her husband’s memory, his family and her own interconnected relationships with her brother’s family. It’s a life lived through the lens of men. Mostly Jamie.  Or Finn, her brother. Then it’s Cole, the next one to step into her life. 

The MMC , Cole Goodman , is a handsome sheriff with a deep connection with her. And it’s a dual perspective story, from Poppy and Cole’s POV. Which normally helps, except for Cole’s constant thoughts of Poppy’s physical attributes and what he wants to do with her. Overlaid with trad wife goals (lots a babies , small town families) that he’s envisioning with her immediately. 

But while they are working through her deceased husband’s list (it’s his list, again, another problematic factor for a partnership), but there’s a bigger issue here for me. 

Poppy has an older brother, Finn, who was married to Poppy’s best friend Molly. Finn’s gardening business took priority over Molly and their young children. He was away on business, then came home and took his anger and stress out on Molly. This is straight out from the book. She asked him to go to counseling.He didn’t and moved out. She thought the marriage was over and during a party had a drunken one night stand. Which she told Poppy and Finn about. And was vilified for. Finn? Nowhere is he even mentioned for any responsibility for the broken relationship or marriage. No, Finn can’t EVER forgive Molly for her awful cheating behavior. Again, straight from the novel, over and over. 

This is how the author writes about them and their actions and marriage. Even Poppy who had declared herself “Switzerland” here has called Molly a cheater And , and while she regrets that she called her best friend that, Poppy still hasn’t placed any weight on Finn for his part in the matter.  Nope, it’s all on poor Molly. Huge flags here for me. 

Like I said, a narrative which is male centric or the female character are male focused, right down to the author having them forfeit responsibility doesn’t work for me. 

Now book 2 of the Maysen Jars series is Letters to Molly which we get the first chapter. Molly is now getting her independence and feeling good about herself. Guess who’s getting back into the picture. Finn. After that treatment. 

So I’m noping right out of the series. 

I prefer a strong female character, a realistic story and definitely not a traditional take which makes a contemporary story look more like a fantasy novel than one containing otherworldly creatures within it. 

Cover: Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations

Maysen Jar:

The Birthday List

Letters to Molly

The Dandelion Diary 

Buy link

        The Birthday List (Maysen Jar)

    

Blurb 

From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Devney Perry, comes a heartwarming and emotional small town Montana romance.

I carry a journal with me. A journal with a list.

Take a karate class. Go skydiving. Learn to play the ukulele. Say yes to everything for an entire day. The list goes on, line by line, of youthful dreams.

For too long that list has haunted me. But starting today, I’m going to cross one item off. Today, I’m opening my new restaurant in Bozeman, Montana. The Maysen Jar.

It should have marked the first day of a new life. A fresh start. But then Cole Goodman waltzed through the door and brought with him the past. A man who shattered my heart. A man I tried to forget.

Maybe it’s a good thing he insists on sticking around. Because the only way I’ll finish the list is with Cole’s help. And then I can finally say goodbye.

  • Publisher: Devney Perry LLC
  • Publication date: April 3, 2018
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 404 pages
  • Part of series: Maysen Jar

Review:  Paternal Instincts (Valor and Doyle Book 8) by Nicki James

Rating: 4.25🌈

Paternal Instincts is the finale story in Nicki James Valor and Doyle series, the one that sees the married couple waiting on the birth of their baby, the next step in their journey together as a family. 

Incorporating a mystery about a missing child into their final chapter was a great way to work through Quaid’s traumatic issues with his past before he becomes a father. He must deal with his own emotional pain, his history that he sees reflected in Sparrow, the sister who is being neglected by everyone around her, and the desperate hunt to find Crow. 

Meanwhile, Az is left to deal with his own emotional reactions to this case, his husband’s absence and their more immediate situation of a baby that’s coming.

James has built a complicated story on several levels, that of the missing child’s life and that of Quaid and Aslan’s. It’s a gripping tale and puts a great ending to this couple. Although they are appearing in the sequel series, one I really love. 

It’s not perfect. For me, the overuse of the word sneer, sneered or any form of sneer just took me out of the story. I began to start counting how many times I saw it until I realized I wouldn’t get through the book that way.  I had to let it go.  

Valor and Doyle is a series I enjoyed, especially the books in the beginning of the series.  This ties up many characters nicely and leaves everyone in great shape. That’s a satisfying ending. 

 Buy link

        Paternal Instincts (Valor and Doyle Book 8)

    

Blurb 

At the heart of a missing child case, Quaid and Aslan learn the true nature of fatherhood.

With their baby due any day, Quaid ends up tangled in a case on the last day of work before his parental leave begins. Between eerie ransom notes and family secrets, unanswered questions pile up, twisting the case into something Quaid has never seen.

Someone is lying. Someone knows more than they’re saying.

With the help of supportive friends and colleagues, Quaid and Aslan are determined to solve the case before it’s too late. When their surrogate goes into labor, Quaid struggles to let go and walk away.

A boy has vanished.

A life is in danger.

Can they find the missing child before their baby makes their way into the world?

  • Publication date: June 24, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 370 pages
  • Book 8 of 8: Valor and Doyle