Fiction Archives - The Litertarian

Book Review:: Circle of Days | Ken Follett

Put yourself in the shoes (or lack of them) of our ancestors. Those tribes of people who came before us. Living in rudimentary societies, living off of the land, shaping the most basic of industries we still have at the foundations of our current societies. What were they like? What was important to them? What did they think about and care about and love? We have so few scraps of information about them, and even less context for who they were and how they lived. Stone circles, for example, in the hills of Great Britain.

Circle of Days by Ken Follett Book Cover

In Ken Follett’s newest novel Circle of Days, he explores a possible answer to those questions with several groups of people who lived back then, and left a monument behind that would outlast them, their children, and for many generations beyond. Their most ingenuitive accomplishment that took major feats of persuasion, teamwork, and problem solving the likes their tribes had never before imagined.

What a story.

The world that Follett paints in this novel is colorful and realistic and obviously based in extensive research (considering the plausibility), and also incredibly creative. He uses the vehicle of these ancient times to discuss many attributes of human nature from cruelty, spiritualism, education, control, and love.

The novel follows several casts of characters from different societies: herders, farmers, and forest folk who gathered. In the book they are quite separate, with their own beliefs, cultures, and structures, usually coming together on certain ceremonial days throughout the year. There is a flint miner, a priestess, a herder, a farmer, men and women, powerful and weak. It’s a grand scope of a novel with life and death, sorrow and love, triumph and tragedy.

I loved it, and I’m happy to have so many of Ken Follett’s backlist still to enjoy. If you like historical fiction, you are in for a treat with this one.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Circle of Days
Author:: Ken Follett
Genre:: Historical Fiction
Publisher:: Grand Central Publishing
Length:: 704 pages
Audio Length:: 19h 13m
Published:: September 23rd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Babylonia | Costanza Casati
Daughter of Ruins | Yvette Manessis Corporon
The Hounding | Xenobe Parvis

Book Review:: We Met Like This | Kasie West

This is the kind of book you have to pause the audio when you have literally anything that takes brain power, because you don’t want to miss a second. Something about this book has you constantly turning pages. The chemistry, the tension, the absolute mess of the FMCs life. So delicious.

We Met Like This by Kasie West Book Cover

Margot and Oliver meet on a dating app. Their first date is a disaster. But then they keep matching…and matching. Eventually three years pass and Margot is still looking for Mr. Right, while making some bad Mr. Right Now choices. Oliver is in the same way, and through the dating app messaging system, they become sort of friends.

Their connection is so sparkly. I mean–sparks everywhere. It’s probably a hazard. But their first date was so bad, it holds them back from pursing more in the present.

Until. They. Do.

This book had me screaming, crying, kicking my feet. Margot made me slightly crazy with some of her over-the-top and highly selective decisions through the middle of the book, and some of the middle was a little but they don’t feel the same way kind of angst which dragged the tiniest bit, but overall, absolute banger of a romance novel.

9/10, Recommend.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: We Met Like This
Author:: Kasie West
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Saturday Books
Length:: 368 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 19m
Audiobook Narrator:: Katie Bloomwood
Published:: September 16th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Wes and Addie Had Their Chance | Bethany Turner
The Reluctant Flirt | Jennifer Probst
Hate Mail | Donne Marchetti

Book Review:: Leave Before I Love You | Max Monroe

If you are looking for a bit of a harrowing love story, look no further than author duo Max Monroe’s newest release Leave Before I Love You.

Leave Before I Love You by Max Monroe Book Cover

Avery and Henry get stuck traveling solo on what was supposed to be a big group trip. They’ve known one another forever had have had a few fly-by romantic interactions, but he’s her brother’s best friend, and she’s got every guy she could ever want. Henry, who is an adrenaline junkie who literally founded a company based around it, persuades Avery to go skydiving with him. He promises everything will be fine, but that was before the pilot has a massive heart attack and the plane falls into a dive. Avery and Henry have to jump early and frantically, leaving them far off course, on a deserted island.

I love this kind of incredibly dramatic and tension heavy novel with Big Trauma in act one that leads to a trauma bond that binds the two characters together inexorably. My other two recs in this sub-genre are at the bottom of this post.

However, Henry kind of gets a bad deal, because he is stranded with a carbon copy of Shannon from Lost (if you know, you know). Avery is worse than useless. She’s a plastic barbie Miami girl whose greatest talent is spending daddy’s apparently endless money. There’s a little bit of depth to her eventually, but for me, it was still pretty darn shallow. I wish she wasn’t quite as much of a caricature, but I guess it works for what they were after.

If this book was another hundred or two pages longer, I’d still be happy. There was a lot of backstory with Henry I feel like I could have enjoyed exploring between his two parents and how he got into such a very specific and incredible industry. But the story is complete and pretty wonderful as it is.

This is my second Max Monroe novel, and this was very different than the other title I read (Oops, I’ve Fallen), but it’s clear this writing team is very good at what they do. I’m looking forward to reading more of their stuff!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Leave Before I Love You
Author:: Max Monroe
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Indie
Length:: 300 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 25m
Audiobook Narrator:: Will Damron & M.K. Blackwood
Published:: July 24th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4.5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Swept Away | Beth O’Leary
Still Beating | Jennifer Hartmann

Book Review:: People Watching | Hannah Bonam-Young

I’ve heard only good things about Hannah Bonam-Young, so I was curious to experience her writing for the first time with People Watching. Now on the other side of it, I can say I get the hype.

People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young Book Cover

This book brings together a retired teacher who has Alzheimer’s disease’s caregiver daughter with one of her former art students who is only back in town for an S.O.S. his brother sent out. They are completely different. Milo is a world traveler and so far has loved widely but never deeply. Prue is a responsible small town girl with no worldly experience, who holds onto the relationships in her life with both hands. I found the union of these two characters lovely and surprising and the bond they forged through their small town adventures together was steamy and genuine and lovely.

All elements of the plot were handled well and adequately tangled and inter-woven, which tells me this author has a great handle on her craft. There were plenty of scenes handled with such tenderness, and the unfolding of the two hearts at play was just so swoony and satisfying.

The spice in this book is quite spicy, and there’s plenty of it, so if you’re sensitive to that, this book is probably not for you.

Personally, I look forward to reading the rest of Hannah Bonam-Young’s novels, and I’ll surely be keeping an eye out for her work in the future.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: People Watching
Author:: Hannah Bonam-Young
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Dell
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 21m
Audiobook Narrator:: Victoria Connolly & Brandon Francis
Published:: September 9th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4.5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book Review:: Ghost Business | Jen DeLuca

Welcome back to Boneyard Key, where the kitchy beach town theme is actually rooted in truth. Boneyard Key is haunted by a wide array of ghosts, and Sophie has dedicated her business to digging up the truth about each of their stories.

Out of nowhere comes a cute newcomer who turns out to be a businessman in the ghost tours business. Sophie’s business. And he’s coming for her market. Trouble is, he doesn’t care if the stories are real or not as long as the customers keep coming. His mentality causes natural clashing between himself and Sophie – a rivalry with an undertone of admiration on his side, and heat on hers. And what happens when Tristan finds out the ghosts in this town are real?

There wasn’t much new or surprising or endearing really about the little town of Boneyard Key that wasn’t already there in Haunted Ever After. I think it certainly fits in the same world, but I was hoping for a stronger story for book two. The romance wasn’t particularly swoony, there wasn’t much new about the ghosts or hauntings of the island that wasn’t in book one…it was okay.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Ghost Business (Boneyard Key #2)
Author:: Jen DeLuca
Genre:: Paranormal Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 368 pages
Audio Length:: 11h
Audiobook Narrator:: Jeannie Sheneman
Published:: September 9th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca
The Battle of the Bookshops | Poppy Alexander
Battle of the Bookstores | Ali Brady

Book Review:: Buckeye | Patrick Ryan

What can I say about this stunning novel except that it will move you.

It is a story of life, love and war, family and community, marriage, parenthood, independence and dependence, skepticism and mysticism, hope, lies, and truth. It will bring you through lofty highs and the lowest lows as it navigates the intersecting stories of two families drawn together by a moment of celebration, exuberation, and desperation.

It will pull you back into 20th century America with an empathetic eye for those who lived through some of the hardest years of our history.

It will squeeze your heart as you somehow absorb currents of feeling flowing through these characters in such a real and surprising way.

Buckeye is a triumph, and I could not recommend it more highly. What a wonderful, wonderful book.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Buckeye
Author:: Patrick Ryan
Genre:: Historical Fiction
Publisher:: Random House
Length:: 464 pages
Audio Length:: 15h
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Published:: September 2nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Correspondent | Virginia Evans
Whale Fall | Elizabeth O’Connor
I’ll Come to You | Rebecca Kauffman
The Cheesemaker’s Daughter | Kristin Vukovic

Book Review:: At Last | Marisa Silver

At Last is a new slower-paced saga style novel from Marisa Silver that follows the connecting of two families through the marriage of their children. It’s an interesting dynamic, blending two families together. They each come with their own baggage and motivations.

Helene’s son Tom and Evelyn’s daughter Ruth are starting a family together. The novel explores both of their histories, and follows the fate of them through to the sunset of their lives. They don’t have a lot in common, and honestly get quite competitive with one another, especially once grandchildren become involved. This story explores the theme that love isn’t quantifiable. Loving someone doesn’t mean there is any less available for someone else, even when our human instincts fight against that idea.

It’s an interesting story, but I didn’t find it very engaging. It’s not a very happy story, and there wasn’t much active drama either. I felt like maybe a stronger through line could have been helpful. As it is, it felt quite disjointed. I’m not sure I was the ideal reader for this.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: At Last
Author:: Marisa Silver
Genre:: Women’s Fiction
Publisher:: Simon & Schuster
Length:: 288 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 4m
Audiobook Narrator:: Mia Barron
Published:: September 2nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Accidental Favorite | Fran Littlewood
The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo

Book Review:: A Winter Wedding Adventure | Leonie Mack

This novel is exactly what it sounds like: an adventure set during wedding festivities in the winter.

A Winter Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack Book Cover

Neither Kira or Mattia are characters you might expect to be leads in a story like this, he is an Italian opera singer with extreme misophonia (irritation to certain sounds), she, a jaded adventure guide forced to work on weddings despite her long frosted over heart. Part of her job on this wedding is getting Mattia, one of the groomsmen, to the venue, which sounds straight-forward, but this is a rom-com, after all.

Through lots of mishaps and straight up disasters plaguing the pages, Mattia and Kira get to know each other’s true selves, underneath the baggage they carry from their pasts. It’s actually a surprisingly tender story, and I really enjoyed watching these two opposites attract so strongly.

Mattia is unlike maybe any character I’ve ever read. Almost neurotic, but only in certain ways, he’s extremely emotionally intelligent, which is useful skill around Kira, who is so guarded she’s started to think the walls she has up are just part of her personality at this point. They are so well matched and fun to read about, but of course, the shenanigans in the story are a little bit over the top.

For a true-blue rom-com, this novel does a great job. It’s quick, interesting, quirky, and, above all, quite romantic.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: A Winter Wedding Adventure (Wedding Adventures #2)
Author:: Leonie Mack
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Boldwood Books
Length:: 328 pages
Published:: September 2nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

An Italian Wedding Adventure | Leonie Mack
The Summer You Were Mine | Jill Francis
The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain | Hannah Brown

Book Review:: Love Walked In | Sarah Chamberlain

Sarah Chamberlain’s sophomore romance is another deep dive into grief and healing, all wrapped up in a rocky-start inevitable romance that’s just what the doctor ordered.

Love Walked In by Sarah Chamberlain Book Cover

Mari’s come to the UK as a consultant to help save a bookstore flailing after the death of the founder and patriarch of the family-run business. Leo, who stands to inherit the shop, immediately dislikes the always-sunny newcomer due to the stark difference in his ever-stoic British sensibilities. Not to mention his entire life has been overturned more than once in the past few years and smiles seem to be something long forgotten.

I really enjoyed this book. Everything was set up very well, if not a little too conveniently. It’s no argument that Sarah is a great writer who pours a lot of real world complexity into her books. Life and love are never simple. They’re messy, and contradictory, and sometimes painful, and that’s what you’ll find in this book. But things are always all the sweeter when they don’t come easy.

In some ways, it did feel a little over the top. Sometimes it felt like the drama was ratcheted up a little bit too high for the type of book this is trying to be. Both characters, but especially Mari has a very difficult past that is deeply explored through the narrative. It also almost felt like the author was trying to fit in as many little ‘representations’ as possible, and it started to feel a little tired. Maybe it’s part of the reading slump-y mood I’ve been in lately, because that was actually something I really enjoyed about her first novel, but it felt a little distracting this time if I’m being honest.

However, this book is a really great option for a quite modern contemporary romance, and if you love reading about book lovers, you’ll love Mari!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Love Walked In
Author:: Sarah Chamberlain
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 352 pages
Published:: September 2nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Slowest Burn | Sarah Chamberlain
It’s A Love Story | Annabel Monaghan
Work in Progress | Kat Mackenzie

Book Review:: Pitcher Perfect | Tessa Bailey

Girl meets boy. Girl hates boy for being a sleezy womanizer. Boy is completely lost for her. Girl ‘hires’ him to fake date in order to catch the boy of her dreams and impress her family at their uncivilized annual event. Feelings catch and blaze along the way.

Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey Book Review

It’s a tale as old as time. Or at least, it must be because the amazon marketplace is flooded with them. Another fake dating sexy sports romance novel is here, and folks, you’re actually not going to want to miss it!

Okay so every time it just feels so cheesy for anyone anywhere at anytime agreeing to ‘FAKE DATE’. Like, I really don’t understand this trope at all. That being said, there are good ways to do it, and Tessa Bailey nailed it in Pitcher Perfect. Both characters are highly motivated, and everything clicks together like a snug little puzzle piece that is so satisfying to find.

The process of falling in love in this novel isn’t rushed, but at the same time, we don’t have to wait for it either. There is insecurity there for each of the characters, but their falling together is so inevitable and wonderful it’ll make you giddy. Also, the protectiveness thing is what gets me going, and this book had me feral with it.

Tessa Bailey is clearly a master at her craft, and if you like sexy little books, girl, get over here. The best part? I have SUCH a backlist to devour. *chefs kiss*

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots #4)
Author:: Tessa Bailey
Genre:: Sports Romance
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 12h
Audiobook Narrator:: Callie Dalton & Teddy Hamilton
Published:: September 9th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars