If you are a fan of small-town vibes and yearning romances, you’re going to love Savannah Pryce’s new release, Firelight Days.
Penny is a baker in town who works herself to the bone for a boss who takes her for granted. When a dangerous fire starts ripping through the forest nearby, one of her regular customers and friends, Jack, offers to put her up at his family’s property to wait out the evacuation orders. Things have been changing between them lately, but Penny isn’t sure she wants to cross any lines with him and ruin the good thing they have going.
Firelight Days is well written and captures that small-town vibe so well. It’s cute and full of tension and the characters have to reckon with themselves before they can open themselves up to another. I was very impressed with this one! It’s got everything you want when picking up a new romance novel – this one isn’t risky…you’ll love it!
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:: Firelight Days Author:: Savannah Pryce Genre:: Contemporary Romance Publisher:: Rosmarin Books Length::327 pages Published:: August 3rd, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
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.
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
Nothing pulls me out of a reading burnout better than a really compelling mystery thriller. Sometimes you just want a book where you can’t stop turning the pages, and for me, Forget Me Not, Stacy Willingham’s newest release, was exactly that.
After her sister disappeared as a teenager, Claire left home and never went back, eager to escape the weight of the memories. Now as an adult she’s an investigative reporter and she gets a call from her father that her mom needs some help. She feels like she has to go home, despite their difficult relationship. She only lasts a day or two under the same roof before she’s desperate to find an alternative temporary residence. When she visits a local muscadine vineyard and they have an opening, she agrees immediately. Her sister worked there before her disappearance, and they have a live in cabin for her to stay in – a perfect setup for her to do some digging into her sister’s case. But something is a little bit strange at Galloway, she just can’t quite put her finger on it.
I thought this book played perfectly between is Claire just on edge and looking for things to be suspicious when it’s really just a quirky little farm, or is there actually something else going on here? There’s a secret journal, homemade teas, complete seclusion, and lots of room for tension between these pages, and the author uses all of them.
This is a perfect book for an escape. A creepy escape, perhaps, but certainly transportive. I recommend the audiobook. It definitely pulled me in and made the experience quite atmospheric.
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:: Forget Me Not Author:: Stacy Willingham Genre:: Mystery Thriller Publisher:: Minotaur Books Length::336 pages Audio Length::9h 30m Audiobook Narrator:: Helen Laser & Karissa Vacker Published:: August 26th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Sometimes when you’re stuck in a bad pattern of thinking you have to be jolted out of it. That’s what happened to Zachary. Literally. During an electrical repair at the shop of a girl he’s been secretly harboring feelings for for years, he gets the shock of his life, but physically and emotionally when he realizes that if he keeps waiting to share his heart, he may never get the chance.
Unfortunately, he’s been so standoffish and ugly toward Marigold Martin for too long and she doesn’t believe him when he says he’s a changed man. His timing is way off, because a handsome rich bachelor comes in for a trim at her hair salon and sweeps her a little bit off her feet with flattery and flowers.
There’s something off about this new guy in town, building a behemoth establishment in town the likes of which none of them have ever seen. He’s a little too forward with Marigold, a little too fishy in his business dealings, and a little too possessive of a girl who doesn’t even know if she likes him yet. And when things get really uncomfortable, Zachary is there to step in and protect the girl of his literal dreams.
So romantic suspense is absolutely my jam, and Claire Kingsley is one of the bestsellers of the genre. This one gets quite dark with a missing girl, a true evil psycho, and some seriously dark scheming. I think maybe it was a little too dark for me ultimately, but the bond and connection between Zachary and Marigold was done so well and was very swoony. Personally I think I preferred the first book in this Haven Brothers series because it was a little bit more behind the curtain so the love story was more of the center stage and the cloud wasn’t so damn dark over the whole thing.
I’ll certainly be reading more of this series, and everything I can get my hands on from this author!
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:: Storms and Secrets (The Haven Brothers #2) Author:: Claire Kingsley Genre:: Romantic Suspense Publisher:: SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca Length::384 pages Audio Length::10h 41m Audiobook Narrator:: Samantha Brentmoor, Teddy Hamilton, and Desiree Ketchum Published:: August 26th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars
It’s the Romeo + Juliet of the 21st century, but make it cozy and super intricate! Of the two bookstore battle books that have come out this year, this is the one I prefer. The plot is detailed and well thought out, both the characters and setting are charming, there are hearts on the line, age old rivalries, AND there is a mystery to solve!
The Battle of the Bookshops certainly has a lot going on. In some ways I wonder if it could have gone without an entire storyline, or even two and still been an interesting story, but also, the more the merrier! The Capelthorne’s and Montbeau’s have been in a competitve rivalry for generations. Currently the Montbeau’s are on the upswing, and the Capelthorne’s are on the verge of losing their beloved bookshop. Roman (Montbeau) and Julia (Capelthorne) are the young generation, and guess what? Yep, they’re falling in love.
With such a robust plot, every time you open the pages it feels like you’re stepping right into the quaint little seaside town. There’s got to be something for everyone to enjoy in this book, and it’s such a fun book for a summer read!
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:: The Battle of the Bookshops Author:: Poppy Alexander Genre:: Contemporary Romance Publisher:: Avon and Harper Voyager Length::336 pages Published:: August 19th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
A big idea can change the world, for what is the world as we know it, but ideas? It starts small, inside the mind of one person, who grapples with it, tries to fully understand it, articulate it into words to share with another mind, who will poke and it, test it, expand it. Some of them wither and die under scrutiny, and others balloon with importance and have the power to change the world as we know it. Democracy. Germ theory. And in the case of The Book of Lost Hours, the manipulation of time.
This book is a wonder. Any book about time is going to bend our ideas of a timeline, and this one plays with the strings of time beautifully, skillfully, coherently, it will have you enthralled. This is a page turning thriller with so much heart and intellectual stimulation it will grip you and not let go until the final dang sentence.
It’s also the kind of book with twists and turns and the simple joys of small discoveries. With that, I don’t want to spoil one detail of the plot for those of you who go on to read this, which I very much recommend you do. It is marketed as a mashup of The Ministry of Time and The Midnight Library and I could not come up with a better description of this impressive novel.
Hayley Gelfuso, you are a genius and I think I will pick up anything you put down. Also, what do you mean this is a debut novel. Masterful work. Thank you, sincerely, for writing this fascinating 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:: The Book of Lost Hours Author:: Hayley Gelfuso Genre:: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance Publisher:: Atria Books Length::400 pages Audio Length::13h 41m Audiobook Narrator:: Carlotta Brentan Published:: August 26th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Love at First Sighting is no ordinary romance. You might say…ahem…it’s out of this world.
Just kidding. It takes place on Earth. But it is tightly wrapped up in a mystery that has more at stake than broken hearts. It’s fun, it’s a little bit silly, it’s tender-hearted, and absolutely worth a read.
Mallory Marlowe is also the author of Love and Other Conspiracy Theories, so I think she’s nicheing down into a pretty distinctive brand here, and I love that for her.
A close encounter of the romantic kind?
Come on. Pure gold.
El is an influencer who encounters something she cannot explain. An Unidentified Flying Object. Naturally, she livestreams it following her. Carter is the agent assigned to her case, but this time it’s different…because it’s the very same thing Carter saw the night his father died. Together they uncover the truth of what it really was up there.
So it’s a little cheesy, but this book will leave you with a full heart by the time you’re done turning pages. Carter’s story is tragic, and completely entwined in the plotline. It’s El’s background and profession that is honestly kind of hilarious. There is certainly some mild commentary about the career of an influencer, but when it comes up in the climax crisis, it just had me rolling.
The best part of this novel, as all romances should be, is the budding romance between El and Carter. Their connection is genuine and so sweet, and is what will bring me to pick up this book again in the future for a reread. It’s exciting, it’s action-packed, and it has a big, mushy, heart at it’s center. Can’t go wrong!
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 at First Sighting Author:: Mallory Marlowe Genre:: Romantic Comedy Mystery Publisher:: Berkley Length::352 pages Published:: August 12th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Another second chance love story out of Adelaide Springs. That place did their youth so bad the universe has conspired against it to bring all the little soulmates back together. Wes and Addie are just the latest to be struck (again) by cupid’s arrow. Of the two books I’ve read in this currently three book series, it is by far my favorite. The stakes are high, the histories are complicated, and they choose each other anyway.
He’s running for president, and she’s running from her problems. Wes once left his dream girl Addie at the alter and skipped town. It broke her. For years. Until she decided to let go of all that hurt and move on. Now hovering around 40, she’s widowed, unemployed (kind of), and recovering from an alcohol addiction, living back with her aging father in good ol’ Adelaide Springs. She’s seen Wes on TV. Who hasn’t? He’s the country’s most hopeful candidate for president in a long time, following in his once undisclosed father’s prestigious footsteps. He recently lost his perfect candidate’s wife to cancer and flies back to Adelaide Springs without telling anyone on his campaign team. Once more Wes and Addie are at the same place at the same time, and the profound love of their childhood has a long memory.
Okay, so I wasn’t expecting this book to be quite this good. I read Brynn and Sebastian awhile back and Brynn’s attitude and entire kerfuffle from the first book of the series kind of turned me off. However, this is a very grown up story of two people with many faults finding their way to forgiveness and love. How can you not love that?
My main complaints would be in how many elements seemed to mirror in this book and the first in the series, and how convenient certain things are set up in order for all of this to make sense, but hey, it’s a rom-com. It’s for fun.
I have to say I really liked the male narrator on the audio version of this novel, Patrick Zeller. He has a very deep and calm voice and I certainly believed he could be running for president. He did a great job with Wes’ character! Talon David was also great, but Patrick really stuck out to me, and I listen to a lot of audiobooks.
Also, the covers for this series are amazing. Seriously, look at them!
Ultimately, this book really gives me hope for future Bethany Turner books. I many even search out the Cole & Laila love story. The blurb actually sounds amazing. Okay Okay Turner, I hear you, I see you, I’ll read you again!
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:: Wes and Addie Had Their Chance (Adelaide Springs Love Stories #3) Author:: Bethany Turner Genre:: Small Town Romance Publisher:: Thomas Nelson Length::320 pages Audio Length::10h 48m Audiobook Narrator:: Talon David, Patrick Zeller, and Bethany Turner Published:: July 15th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Julia London’s new novel Everything Is Probably Fine is an absolute triumph. I’m convinced this novel has the potential to change the world, at least for those who can find a piece of themselves in this story. If you can’t tell, I am one of them. It’s about a strong woman who has pushed blindly forward her entire life, past things that cause her pain, because she’s the one who had to hold things together. Until one day, the lid she’s clamped down over it all can’t hold it in anymore, and she’s forced to deal with things she never wanted to think about again.
In many ways I’m not necessarily proud to admit to, I am like Lorna. We come from broken families, have siblings with substance abuse issues, deal with overwhelm often with anger (at least internally), and are always expected by those we love to be the soft landing space whenever they have problems (creating lots of pressure to constantly have it all together enough for everyone). Though she doesn’t realize it, she’s at a breaking point: crying often for no apparent reason, avoiding mail piling up in the corner, obsessed with buying back the home where she last had happy memories with her family. The final straw lands at work, and she is forced to participate in a mental health recovery program if she wants to keep the job she genuinely loves.
Lorna’s journey is one of clarity, grief, and forgiveness. She is…highly encouraged…to revisit some of her most formative memories. We all know that memory is fallible. We know it, but it doesn’t feel like it is. Sometimes some distance and looking at things from the perspective of your now-disconnected self can be eye-opening.
It is both this exploration of the past, and navigating the present with the people who live in the now split-into-apartments building she once lived in with her family. There’s a puppy, a charming little boy, and his single-father doing his best. What’s not to like?
I absolutely recommend this book! It’s not really comparable to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, but I feel like they’re perhaps kindred spirits. This book is balm to the damage of our souls (big or little). Please read it!
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:: Everything is Probably Fine Author:: Julia London Genre:: Contemporary Fiction Publisher:: HarperMuse Length::368 pages Audio Length::10h 50m Audiobook Narrator:: Marni Penning Published:: August 12th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
The Hounding is a new novel by Xenobe Purvis full of mysticism, skepticism, and general uproar over rumor and gossip that will have consequences for an entire village.
There’s something strange about the five Mansfield sisters. The village has been plagued by a strange pack of dogs that never seem to be around at the same time as the sisters. When someone claims one afternoon to have seen them transform from girls into dogs, it sets off a chain of events that shrouds the whole village in low key hysteria.
The message this novel shares with The Crucible is an important one, even in our ‘modern’ times. Spreading lies and half truths or things you don’t know for sure has consequences and will have outcomes you won’t see coming.
I loved the telling of this tale. The writing itself was beautiful to read. It was an atmospheric almost fairy tale style read that I found immersive and interesting. It is technically historical fiction being based sometime in the 18th century, but it reads so smoothly I’m convinced readers of all genres will enjoy it.
It’s a lingering sort of tale – the type of story that will live in your mind far longer than the time it takes to read. The kind that makes me think I’ll get something new out of it no matter how many times I read it. Brilliant.
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:: The Hounding Author:: Xenobe Purvis Genre:: Historical Fiction Publisher:: Henry Holt & Co. Length::240 pages Audio Length::6h 24m Audiobook Narrator:: Olivia Vinall Published:: August 5th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
