The Sirens by Emilia Hart

A story of sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine

2019: Lucy awakens in her ex-lover’s room in the middle of the night with her hands around his throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister’s house on the coast of New South Wales hoping Jess can help explain the vivid dreams that preceded the attack—but her sister is missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she starts to unearth strange rumours about Jess’s town—tales of numerous missing men, spread over decades. A baby abandoned in a sea-swept cave. Whispers of women’s voices on the waves. All the while, her dreams start to feel closer than ever.

1800: Mary and Eliza are torn from their loving home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship heading for Australia. As the boat takes them farther and farther away from all they know, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies.

A breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea.

Paperback, 368 pages

Published February 3, 2026

 by St. Martin's Griffin

3.5/5 stars

I enjoyed Emilia Hart’s previous novel, Weyward, I was curious to pick this one up. This ended up being a bit of a hybrid read for me, switching between the physical book and the audiobook.

The story moves between timelines, it's one of my favourite formats.  The current timeline follows Lucy as she arrives in a small Australian coastal town searching for her sister, Jess. It doesn't take long for her to realize something is amiss since Jess is no where to be found.  Alongside this storyline is a historical thread set in the early 1800s involving twin sisters being transported by ship to Australia. As the novel unfolds, the connection between these timelines slowly comes to light.

I always enjoy an Australian setting, the coastal landscape here adds a wonderfully eerie and atmospheric feel to the story. The sea, local folklore and the slow revealing of secrets all help build the mystery. This was a slow paced story that kept me guessing and taken by surprise with the ending, the merging of storylines worked.  Nice build up Emilia Hart.

This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge #12

Brian's Hunt by Gary Paulsen

Millions of readers of Hatchet, The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return know that Brian Robeson is at home in the Canadian wilderness. He has stood up to the challenge of surviving alone in the woods. He prefers being on his own in the natural world to civilization.

When Brian finds a dog one night, a dog that is wounded and whimpering, he senses danger. The dog is badly hurt, and as Brian cares for it, he worries about his Cree friends who live north of his camp. His instincts tell him to head north, quickly. 

With his new companion at his side, and with a terrible, growing sense of unease, he sets out to learn what happened. He sets out on the hunt.

Paperback, 112 pages

Audiobook, 2 hours, 23 minutes

Published October 11, 2005

 by Laurel Leaf

3/5 stars

Brian’s Hunt is the final installment in the series that began with Hatchet, it follows Brian Robeson and his continued connection to with nature.

Brian returns to the place where he feels most at home,  the Canadian wilderness. When he comes across a badly injured dog, it sets him on a course of investigation and a tragic discovery.

Gary Paulsen has always had a way of bringing the wilderness to life. The survival details and Brian’s respect for the natural world are some of the things that made this series memorable in the first place.

Again, it was nice returning to Brian’s story, to see how his experiences in the outdoors have shaped him. While it felt a bit shorter and more straightforward than some of the earlier books, it still felt like a fitting final chapter to Brian’s journey.

I listened to the audiobook of this one, its a quick read whether read or listened to.

I obtained the audiobook via CloudLibrary

Secrets of the Starlit Sea by Santa Montefiore

The moment Pixie Tate steps inside the opulent Aldershoff Hotel in Manhattan, one of the last relics of New York's Gilded Age, she senses instantly that its elegant walls hide a dark secret.

Pixie knows that she must use her unique gift to travel back in time in order to discover the mysteries of the past, and as she slips back over a hundred years, she's shocked to find herself in the midst of one of the most famous events in history.

As the stars twinkle overhead, Pixie realises that time is running out. But when she comes face-to-face with a man she thought she'd lost forever, will she keep her promise to save only the souls she should - or is it too late, and has she already changed the future?

Paperback, 480 pages

Expected publication March 17, 2026

 by Simon & Schuster

5/5 stars

Secrets of the Starlit Sea  is the 2nd book in the Timeslider Series, it features Pixie Tate and solidifies why Santa Montefiore is one of my go-to authors.

This series began with Shadows in the Moonlight, a great introduction to Pixie and her unusual gift - the ability to slip through time to help spirits resolve unfinished business.  I highly recommend going back to the beginning, but this could be read on its own, there is somethings carried over.

In this book things begin when a feisty 98 year-old woman pulls out a Ouija board, she wants to summon her father and discover the location of a priceless jewel, but instead she has summoned a rather disgruntled spirit.  And thus the action begins.

As Pixie slips back through time searching for answers, she finds herself transported to a real moment in history.  I won't say when exactly since the blurb keeps it a mystery also.  Immersed in a world of immense wealth, forbidden love and a glittering society.  She has to be careful navigating her role knowing even the smallest action can risk changing history.

Secrets of the Starlet Sea was a captivating read, it was atmospheric with vivid descriptions of the era, mysterious and heartbreaking.  With this being a planned trilogy, I can't wait to see what happens next for Pixie Tate.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster CA for a print ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Hudson Bay Bound by Natalie Warren

The remarkable eighty-five-day journey of the first two women to canoe the 2,000-mile route from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay 

Unrelenting winds, carnivorous polar bears, snake nests, sweltering heat, and constant hunger. Paddling from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, following the 2,000-mile route made famous by Eric Sevareid in his 1935 classic Canoeing with the Cree , Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho faced unexpected trials, some harrowing, some simply odd. But for the two friends—the first women to make this expedition—there was one timeless the occasional pitfalls that test character and friendship. Warren’s spellbinding account retraces the women’s journey from inspiration to Arctic waters, giving readers an insider view from the practicalities of planning a three-month canoe expedition to the successful accomplishment of the adventure of a lifetime.

Along the route we meet the people who live and work on the waterways, including denizens of a resort who supply much-needed sustenance; a solitary resident in the wilderness who helps plug a leak; and the people of the Cree First Nation at Norway House, where the canoeists acquire a furry companion. Describing the tensions that erupt between the women (who at one point communicate with each other only by note) and the natural and human-made phenomena they encounter—from islands of trash to waterfalls and a wolf pack—Warren brings us into her experience, and we join these modern women (and their dog) as they recreate this historic trip, including the pleasures and perils, the sexism, the social and environmental implications, and the enduring wonder of the wilderness.

Hardcover, 226 pages

Published February 2, 2021

 by Univ Of Minnesota Press

3/5 stars

As a canoe-tripping family this book immediately caught my attention. The idea of paddling all the way from Minnesota to Hudson Bay is an incredible (and daunting) undertaking, so I was really anxious to reading about this adventure.

The trip itself was inspired by the classic memoir, Canoeing with the Cree by Eric Sevareid, which tells the story of a similar canoe trip from the early 1900s. It was interesting to see a modern version of that same route and the challenges that still come with traveling such remote waterways.

While I enjoyed the sense of adventure and the appreciation for the wilderness along the route, I’ll admit I was hoping for a bit more detail about the practical side of the trip. When the authors mention arriving at camp, I found myself wanting to know more - how they set up camp, how they packed and organized their gear, and especially what kind of food they carried for a journey that lasted around three months.

Overall, this was still an interesting nonfiction adventure, I enjoyed the sense of community of those that helped along the way. I also happen to have Canoeing with the Cree sitting on my shelf, now I’m even more curious to read that one and see the original story that inspired this trip

This book is part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge, #10

A Far-flung Life by M.L. Stedman

From the author of the acclaimed bestseller The Light Between Oceans comes a breathtaking and epic novel set in the vast outback of Australia—about tragedy, family secrets, and the enduring power of love.

When we do something that can’t be undone or mended, how do we go on living? How do we find our North Star when there is no right answer? These are the questions at the center of M. L. Stedman’s unforgettable and magisterial new novel, A Far-flung Life. From the author of the beloved and bestselling The Light Between Oceans, this is a sweeping and epic story of a family, a tragedy, and the aftermath that reverberates for decades.

Remote Western Australia, 1958: here, for generations, the MacBrides have lived on a vast sheep station, Meredith Downs. It is a million acres, an ocean of arid land. On an ordinary day, on a lonely road, under the unending blue sky, patriarch Phil MacBride swerves to avoid a kangaroo. In seconds the lives of the entire MacBride family are shattered. And then, tragedy revisits when a twist of consequences claims the life of one sibling, and leads another to give up everything for the sake of an innocent child. Matt, the youngest MacBride, is plunged into a moral and emotional journey for which there is no map, no guide. The secrets at the heart of this gutting and beautiful story force him to choose between love and duty, sacrifice and happiness.

A Far-flung Life is a tale about family and belonging, fate and time. It is about people trying to do their best, and each, for private reasons, seeking shelter from the storm of life.

Can a fleeting moment unravel a whole life, mar it indelibly and irrevocably? Can compassion, resilience and forgiveness allow us to come to terms with our human imperfections? These are the questions Stedman asks in A Far-flung Life, her profoundly moving, uplifting, and luminous new novel about what the heart can endure for the sake of love.

 Kindle Edition, 448 pages

Published March 3, 2026 

by Scribner

4/5 stars

I first discovered M. L. Stedman through her debut, The Light Between Oceans, which I really enjoyed even if it was such an emotional and heartbreaking story. So I went into this one expecting the same, and yes that is what I got.

A Far-Flung Life is set in Western Australia,  the rugged and isolated landscape plays a strong role in shaping the lives of the characters. Given the detail in the blurb above there isn't really much to say about the story other then that it was yet another emotion read with many layers.

Beginning with the tragic accident I appreciated how the author seamlessly weaves stories from the past into the present-day narrative. These glimpses into earlier events slowly add the layers  and help explain how the characters arrived where they are.

Like her debut this is a thoughtful, character-driven novel about family, difficult choices and the long shadows of the past. I enjoyed the writing and found it quietly pulled me into the story.

My thanks to Scribner for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

Paperback, 384 pages

Audiobook, 10 hours 47 minutes

Published September 2, 2025

 by Penguin Books/Harper Audio

2/5 stars

I went into The Life Impossible with mixed expectations. While many readers absolutely loved The Midnight Library, that one didn’t quite work for me. But I was still curious to see what Matt Haig would do next, and the setting for this one grabbed my attention.

The story follows Grace Winters, a seventy-two-year-old retired teacher who is struggling with grief and regret after the losses in her life. When she unexpectedly inherits a house in Ibiza, from a former colleague she barely knew, she travels to the island hoping to uncover the mystery surrounding the woman’s death and why the house was left to her.

The novel actually started out quite strong for me. I enjoyed the reflective tone and the look into Grace’s past along with the mystery surrounding the inheritance kept me interested early on. However, as the story progressed it took a turn into much more fantastical territory than I expected. What began as an intriguing and emotional journey gradually became increasingly strange and hard for me to connect with.

Thankfully, I did switch over to the audiobook, because I’m not sure I would have finished it in print. While I appreciated Haig’s themes of healing, second chances and learning to live again after grief, this one ultimately just wasn’t the right fit for me.

This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge. 

Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

In her now classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon told the story of Claire Randall, an English ex-combat nurse who walks through a stone circle in the Scottish Highlands in 1946, and disappears . . . into 1743.

1778: France declares war on Great Britain, the British army leaves Philadelphia, and George Washington s troops leave Valley Forge in pursuit. At this moment, Jamie Fraser returns from a presumed watery grave to discover that his best friend has married his wife, his illegitimate son has discovered (to his horror) who his father really is, and his beloved nephew, Ian, wants to marry a Quaker. 

Meanwhile, Jamie s wife, Claire, and his sister, Jenny, are busy picking up the pieces.

The Frasers can only be thankful that their daughter Brianna and her family are safe in twentieth-century Scotland. Or not. In fact, Brianna is searching for her own son, who was kidnapped by a man determined to learn her family s secrets. Her husband, Roger, has ventured into the past in search of the missing boy . . . never suspecting that the object of his quest has not left the present. Now, with Roger out of the way, the kidnapper can focus on his true target: Brianna herself.

Hardcover, 825 pages

Audiobook, 45 hours

Published June 10, 2014

 by Delacorte Press

4/5 stars

My slow journey through the Outlander series continues with Written in My Own Heart's Blood, book eight in this epic historical saga. And yes you really should read this series in order. After the way the previous book ended with a couple of pretty big cliffhangers I was definitely curious to see where things were headed next.

Without giving too much of the plot away (even though the blurb above does), this installment continues to follow Jamie, Claire, Bri and Roger and the many characters whose lives are tied to theirs during the chaos of the War of Independence.

By this point in the series some of these characters really do feel like old friends that I've come to care about. I’ll admit a couple of the previous books weren’t favourites of mine as they felt a bit drawn out, but this one held my attention more with a bit more action and movement in the plot. There were new layers added as the story involves the 2 different timelines and some new characters to keep track of. Most of my time was spent with the audiobook, the narrator is awesome.

Though I’m not a huge fan of the storyline involving Lord John Grey and his 'son', I do understand why it’s there since he plays such an important role in Jamie’s life.

And yes… this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger...of course it does. I’m looking forward to reading the final published book, and then I can join everyone else waiting a year… or two… or five for the next one.

This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge with the audiobook purchased from Audible.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

A couple's fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting...

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

Hardcover, 390 pages

Published March 26, 2019

 by Berkley Books

4.5/5 stars

Samantha Downing is an auto-read author for me, and somehow I managed to save her debut for last. After finishing My Lovely Wife I can officially say I’m current on all her books and it’s been such a ride seeing where she started. This one proves she came out of the gate strong.

At its core, this is a twisted domestic thriller about a seemingly ordinary suburban couple trying to keep their marriage…interesting. Told from the husband’s perspective, we follow Millicent and her husband as they balance family life with something far more sinister. The tension builds in that slow, deliberate way Downing does so well. You know something is off from the very beginning, but watching the layers peel back is what makes it so compelling.

The husband’s voice is unsettling in a calm, almost rational way, which makes everything that unfolds feel even more disturbing. Downing layered in red herrings and kept me questioning what I thought I knew. The characters are unreliable, the storyline is dark and twisty and the writing addicting. The chapters aren't long, perfect for just another one. Before I knew it I was done.

Can't wait to see what Samantha Downing comes up with next.

This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge #6

A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica and Stoker are practically dying for a new adventure but when their wish is granted, they find themselves up against a secret society and a darkly seductive duo.

When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica’s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide, and Veronica and her intrepid beau, Stoker, know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere.

Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Roma boy may know more about their first victim, but the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker’s, Lady Julia Brisbane. Lady Julia and her dashing husband, Nicholas, occasionally track down murderers and are only too happy to help. But as it becomes clear the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple.

The professed leader of the society claims to be a creature of the night; his partner practices witchcraft and they both fancy themselves emissaries of the otherworldly. Just as Veronica and Stoker get closer to learning the true purpose of the society and unraveling this macabre mystery, another body turns up, and they quickly discover they’ve gone from being the hunters to the hunted. . . .

Kindle Edition, 330 pages

Published March 3, 2026 

by Berkley

3.5/5 stars

Deanna Raybourn is back with another installment into the adventures of Veronica Speedwell and Revelstoke Templeton-Vane (aka Stoker), it felt a bit like catching up with old friends. A Ghastly Catastrophe marks the 10th installment in this series, Veronica and Stoker remain one of my all-time favorite fictional couples. 

This time around, Veronica and Stoker are drawn into a particularly strange case that begins with a suspicious death near Highgate Cemetery. As they begin digging for answers, the trail leads them toward a secretive society with some very unusual beliefs. The deeper they look, the clearer it becomes that this mystery is far more complicated and of course dangerous than it first appeared.  

  

It had a unique plot,  a tad slow on the uptake but once the action started it was a captivating read.  The appearance of Lady Julia Brisbane and her husband Nicholas, characters longtime Raybourn readers will recognize, was a great addition. Their involvement added an extra layer of fun to the story and created some entertaining dynamics as the two investigative couples cross paths. Would be great to see them again.

Even ten books into the series, Raybourn still manages to keep Veronica and Stoker’s adventures feeling fresh. The mystery leans toward the macabre and occasionally borders on the theatrical, but Veronica’s sharp narration, Stoker’s steadfast presence and their clever banter continue to keep me entertained...and guessing.

My thanks to Berkley for a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Spotlight: The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble

The Sisters of Book Row

by Shelley Noble

 

A thrilling and timely historical novel of books, banning, and the women who helped save New York’s famed Book Row, from bestselling author Shelley Noble.

1915: Manhattan’s Book Row, an eclectic jumble of forty bookshops along Fourth Avenue, is the mecca for rare book buyers from around the world, and the haunt of locals looking for a bargain. It is also the target of the most vicious censor in American history—Anthony Comstock.

And home to three sisters who vow to stop him.

For the three Applebaum sisters, the narrow, four-storied Arcadia Rare Bookshop is the only home they’ve ever known. Olivia, the oldest, is an expert in restoring rare manuscripts. Daphne, the outgoing middle sister, oversees the retail shop and is a favorite with their customers. Celia, the youngest, is left to dust and catalogue, but often sneaks out to do heaven knows what. Little do her sisters know, Celia has joined a group of young people who secretly print and distribute articles on women’s health by hiding them within the pages of ordinary cookbooks, household hints, and sewing patterns, despite the personal risk.

Meanwhile, the Comstock Laws threaten anybody who owns or circulates “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” publications. Even classic literature or fine art could send a person to jail. In the face of such oppression, Celia and the booksellers of Book Row band together. But secrets and a mysterious stranger mean the fate of the famed Book Row is anything but secure.

Paperback, 384 pages 

Publication March 3, 2026 

by William Morrow Paperbacks