Gallows Humor (Curtis and Reynolds #1) – Carolyn Elizabeth

One of my favourite things as a reader is discovering new (to me) authors. Another is when a debut novel is so good it’s hard to believe it’s a debut. I got both with this book. Corey Curtis doesn’t fluster easily. She’s very good at her job as an Autopsy Services Coordinator at Jackson City …

London Undone – Nan Higgins

London Undone is not as light as the blurb would have you think. It’s actually really sad before it gets really heartwarming and full of love and hope. London wasn’t prepared for her girlfriend of six years to propose to her in the most public way. She wasn’t prepared for her to propose at all, …

A Town Called Noelle – M.K. Hardy

I used to love Christmas as a child, then as the parent of a young child, but I don’t so much anymore. Dealing with family isn’t as easy as I wish it were. I still love the idea of Christmas however, and Christmas novellas are like tiny presents with all the Christmas spirit inside them. …

Shadows & Dreams (Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator #2) – Alexis Hall

Iron & Velvet, the first Kate Kane book, had taken me by surprise, in the best way. I’d really enjoyed the gothic vampire / film noir atmosphere, and the cynical but benevolent Kate. I therefore had great expectations for the next one, Shadows & Dreams. I was not disappointed. Kate is on trial for the …

Too Late… I Love You – Kiki Archer & Ella Lynch (narrator)

This is my second book (audiobook, actually) by Kiki Archer, and it was as delightful as the first one (But She Is My Student). Connie Parker's life revolves around her three-year-old son Noah, a fact her boyfriend Karl fails to understand. Yet, while she loves her son more than anything, she's sometimes bored with her …

Sophomore Surge (Sophie Fournier #2) – K.R. Collins

At the end of Breaking the Ice, many reviewers, myself included, wondered whether we’d get some romance in the next book. It made sense that there wasn’t any in the first one: Sophie was eighteen, the first woman drafted into the NAHL, very focused on her first season and not giving anyone reason to get …

Penny on Parade – Penny Taylor & Gill McKnight

I don't usually read nonfiction. I mostly read to escape reality, so fiction is my go-to. However, I'm awfully glad I made an exception for this book. It's based on a true story, written from notes taken by Penny Taylor (a pseudonym). Names, places and other details have been changed for confidentiality, but it doesn't …

The Road Ahead (Around the World #1) – A.E. Radley & Ella Lynch (narrator)

I love how narration can elevate (I’m not sure it’s the right word…) a book. I really liked The Road Ahead when I read it, but listening to it was even better. There’s nothing obviously extraordinary about Ella Lynch’s narration, but it’s perfect for the story. The things that had mildly bothered me in book …

Queen of Hearts – Sheryl Wright

Allyson Parker would do anything for her younger cousin Connie, even take part in the reality TV show she hopes will jumpstart her career. Ally agrees to be one of the four Queens the show begins with. Only one of them will end up being the Queen of Hearts, (hopefully) proposing to the love of …

Little Lies – Lila Bruce & Tia Rider Sorensen (narrator)

Wow, this book hits the ground running… When she goes to the bank to deposit money that morning, little does Lia know that the pretty woman she has noticed a few times lately at her favourite coffee place is there too. She doesn’t know either that she is going to get shot by bank robbers …