Too Old for This by Samantha Downing

A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.

Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.

Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends.

When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.

But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…

Kindle Edition, 395 pages

Expected publication August 12, 2025

 by Berkley

4.5/5 stars

Too Old For This was a captivating read as were my previous reads by Samantha Downing. She writes about morally grey characters with unpredictable plots.

Lottie Jones she is more than a flawed protagonist, she is calculated, complex and oddly compelling. I was never quite was sure if I should root for her or not.  Her motivations were rooted in the past, which the author wove seamlessly into the present day narrative.  She is also elder, plays weekly bingo with her church friends and looking at places to live out her final years. A retired serial killer you say...a very interesting story.

Too Old For This is a story of unfinished business, buried secrets and the deadly consequences of not letting the past stay in the past.  There was lots of tension and, of course, twists...many surprises along the way. Yes a few parts might have felt over the top but Downing makes it work without realizing how implausible some things might sound.  All in all this was a binge-worthy read that keep me reading just one more chapter (pun intended).

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

Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler

Two estranged best friends find that a long-abandoned treasure hunt might be the key to a fresh start—for both their futures and their feelings, from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler.

Last week, Nina Hunnicutt was a professor about to move into a gorgeous new apartment with her long-term boyfriend. Now, she’s single, unemployed, and living with her parents. Even more surprising is the fact that Quentin Bell, her childhood neighbor (and okay, fine, crush), is also back in town—and wants to resume the treasure hunt that ended their friendship almost two decades ago.

Hoping the reward promised to whoever finds the rumored riches left behind by the town’s eccentric turn-of-the-century seltzer magnate will help her get her life back on track, Nina agrees. Granted, last time the search resulted in a broken heart and seventeen years of silence. But Nina’s older and wiser now—surely things will be different.

Except, Quentin is also older and wiser…not to mention distractingly handsome. As they resume their hunt, Nina and Quentin begin to rediscover all the things they once loved best about each other. But unlike the treasure, the secrets that left them empty-handed the first time refuse to stay buried. If there’s any hope of finding what they’re looking for—and for a future together—Nina and Quentin will have to be brave enough to excavate their past as well.

Kindle, Edition, 396 pages

Published June 24, 2025

 by Berkley

3.5/5 stars

This was my first time reading anything by Sarah Adler, Finders Keepers was such a fun, feel-good surprise. It’s a second-chance romance about two estranged best friends who reunite years later to finish a treasure hunt they started as teens. It isn't like they planned this but circumstances in life have them back in their hometowns when life throws some curve balls their way.

Finders Keepers had just the right amount of emotional depth mixed with some quirky and lighthearted moments. There’s some humor sprinkled in, I found myself smiling at the banter and the ridiculous (but charming) situations the characters get into. It wasn't super deep or dramatic but it didn't need to be, this is the kind of book to pick up when you want something playful and adventurous.

I’m glad I gave Sarah Adler a try, I will be checking out her backlist.

My thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

A dysfunctional book club must pull together when one of their members goes missing in this bighearted new mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Nosy Neighbors.

The five members of the St. Tredock Book Club disagree on everything, from the books they read to the biscuits they eat. But when one of the group suddenly disappears and a dead body is discovered at his house, these bibliophiles must put their differences aside to solve the mystery.

Having recently moved to Cornwall, Nova Davies started the book club to impress her new colleagues at the community center, but so far it’s a disaster. To make matters worse, six thousand pounds is stolen from the community center during one of her meetings, putting both her job and the whole center at risk.

Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when a dead body is discovered at his house and Michael disappears. The police think he’s simply run away, but the other members have their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove he’s a murderer as well as a thief, while secret romance reader Arthur believes Michael’s eloped with his mistress, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.

While trying to find Michael and recover the money, each book club member has their own secrets to protect. With inspiration from their favorite fictional sleuths, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and everyone is safe at home where they belong.

Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Published May 27, 2025

 by Berkley

4/5 stars

I don’t usually gravitate toward cozy mysteries—if this even fits that genre—but I have to say, this was a surprisingly fun read.

The story centers on a newly formed book club made up of five very different individuals, each with their own quirks, secrets, and backgrounds. What unites them is their shared love of reading—though not everyone is thrilled with every book pick, the meetings are more about connection than the literature itself. (The blurb gives a good rundown of who's who.)

Things take a dramatic turn when a large sum of money goes missing, and Nova finds herself accused. That accusation sets off a chain of events involving a dead body, long-buried secrets, and a determined effort by the group to clear Nova’s name—and save her job in the process.

The Busybody Book Club is ultimately a heartwarming story about unexpected friendship, healing old wounds, and solving a pretty compelling mystery along the way. The characters are delightfully quirky, easy to root for, and the plot had enough twists to keep me engaged throughout. It was a genuinely enjoyable ride.

 My thanks to the Berkley for a digital arc (via Netgalley) in exchange for a honest review.

A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing

From the bestselling author of My Lovely Wife comes a reckless, delicious thriller about a young couple that gives a whole new meaning to the dangers of modern dating.

Wes and Ivy are madly in love. They've never felt anything like it. It's the kind of romance people write stories about.

But what kind of story?

Because when it's good, it's great. Flowers. Grand gestures. Deep meaningful conversations where the whole world disappears.

When it's bad, it's really bad. Vengeful fights. Damaged property. Arrest warrants.

But their vicious cycle of catastrophic breakups and head-over-heels reconnections needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy--and she's a detective.

There's something Wes and Ivy never talk about--in good times or bad. The night of their worst breakup, when one of them took things too far, and someone ended up dead.

If they can stick together, they can survive anything--even the tightening net of a police investigation.

Because one more breakup might just be their last…

Hardcover, 390 pages

Published July 18, 2023

 by Berkley

4/5 stars

Ever since reading He Started It, Samantha Downing has become one of my go to authors. She writes books that are kind of zany with a good mystery/suspense theme.  Judging by the title of this her latest, A Twisted Love Story, I was anxious to dive in.

West and Ivy are apparently madly in love, but given their actions throughout this book, one really has to question that. It actually reminded me of a scene from Mr. and Mrs. Smith as they tried to kill each other off. But there’s more to the story than meet the eye.

Released this past July I am so surprised at it’s rating on Goodreads, I found this to be a highly entertaining and addictive read. No matter how much I didn’t like each of the characters I was sucked right in. The cat and mouse game through the years showed how their relationship worked, to the onlooker one can just shake their heads and wonder why they are even together. Love Story is a book about a toxic relationship that borders on the side of abusive and unbelievable. If you read the blurb above and let your imagination go to the unthinkable, that is what this is. As for the ending, it was fitting, but not as satisfying as I had hoped, you will have to read the book to see why.

My copy was obtained through my public library.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Paperback, 352 pages

Published June 27, 2023 

by Berkley

4.5/5 stars

Ashley Poston is a recently discovered author, Among the Beast & Briars along with The Dead Romantics are my previous reads which I enjoyed very much.  Released back in June The Seven Year Slip did not disappoint.

Told from the POV of Clementine, a bookish/traveling publicist, she gets more than she bargained for when she inherits her aunt's apartment.  It's through this magical apartment that her friendship with Iwan begins. Iwan is the younger handsome dishwasher with his love for cooking, he has sights on becoming a chef.

I'm a hard sell when it comes to time travel stories, with some intricate plotting and attention to detail the author has crafted a wonderful story with many relatable themes - grief, friendship, food and more.  Clementine's job makes this a fit for those that love bookish books and chef Iwan...well...what can I say?

A unique plot, fun banter, authentic life problems along with a well written story made this an entertaining read and one I highly recommended.

This book was part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge (#63).

A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica must find and stop a devious killer when a group of old friends is targeted for death in this new adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica’s natural-historian beau, Stoker, has been away in Bavaria for months and their relationship is at an impasse. But when Veronica shows up before him with his brother, Tiberius, Lord Templeton-Vane, he is lured back home by an intriguing job offer: preparing an iguanodon for a very special dinner party.

Tiberius has received a cryptic message—along with the obituaries of two recently deceased members of his old group of friends, the Seven Sinners—that he too should get his affairs in order. Realizing he is in grave danger but not knowing why, he plans a reunion party for the remaining Sinners at his family estate to lure the killer out while Veronica and Stoker investigate.

As the guests arrive and settle in, the evening’s events turn deadly. More clues come to light, leading Veronica, Stoker, and Tiberius to uncover a shared past among the Sinners that has led to the fatal present. But the truth might be far more sinister than what they were prepared for.

Kindle edition, 336 pages

Expected publication March 7, 2023

by Berkley Publishing Group

3.5/5 stars

For much of November I was in a reading slump, and even though A  Sinister Revenge does not release well into the new year, I felt I needed a visit with some old friends, and went in with fingers crossed that it would get me out of my slump.

Opening up this book felt like getting together with some old friends, and I might even have sighed a little while I hunkered down to the familiar writing of Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica and Stoker are my one of my favorite literary couples. They bring life to a story with their escapades, banter and unique settings. With A Sinister Revenge, I was given a deeper glimpse into the life of Stoker's family, his hometown and some of his growing up years.  The mystery was an intriguing part of the story. New characters were brought to the scene and ultimately a conclusion that in typical Speedwell fashion came with peril and danger. But while I enjoyed this book, there were some aspects that were missing and characters I didn’t see nearly as much as I wanted to.  The typical bantering was lacking and seriously missed.

But all in all another great installment in this series that has me already wondering what is next for Veronica and Stoker.

My thanks to Berkley Publishing for a digital arc (via Edelweiss) in exchange for a honest review.

Review: An Unexpected Peril (Veronica Speedwell #6) by Deanna Raybourn

A princess is missing, and a peace treaty is on the verge of collapse in this new Veronica Speedwell adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

January 1889. As the newest member of the Curiosity Club—an elite society of brilliant, intrepid women—Veronica Speedwell is excited to put her many skills to good use. As she assembles a memorial exhibition for pioneering mountain climber Alice Baker-Greene, Veronica discovers evidence that the recent death was not a tragic climbing accident but murder. Veronica and her natural historian beau, Stoker, tell the patron of the exhibit, Princess Gisela of Alpenwald, of their findings. With Europe on the verge of war, Gisela's chancellor, Count von Rechstein, does not want to make waves—and before Veronica and Stoker can figure out their next move, the princess disappears.

Having noted Veronica's resemblance to the princess, von Rechstein begs her to pose as Gisela for the sake of the peace treaty that brought the princess to England. Veronica reluctantly agrees to the scheme. She and Stoker must work together to keep the treaty intact while navigating unwelcome advances, assassination attempts, and Veronica's own family—the royalty who has never claimed her. 

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Expected publication: March 2nd 2021 

by Berkley

4/5 stars

What better day to post a review of one of my favourite couples, Veronica and Stoker, than Valentine's Day.

An Unexpected Peril is book 6 in Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell Series and one I've been waiting for.  On any given day it's great to spend time with this couple but even more so now given what the world is going through.  If you've read this series you'll know what I mean and if not...well you should pick up A Curious Beginning.

Again in typical Raybourn style, she delivers a unique story that sets Veronica and Stoker on a path filled with mystery, suspicion and, danger with a group of unreliable characters. There were new faces and new places along with some familiar faces. The mystery part had some twists and turns, quite entertaining with the usual bantering and comments that made me smile and put me in my happy place.

This Veronica Speedwell Series is one of my favorite series, I love that each story is different, the time period is great and I love watching their relationship develop.  Definietely a series I highly recommend and suggest starting at the beginning with A Curious Beginning.

My thanks to Berkley for an advanced ARC (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

 

Review: A Murderous Relation (Veronica Speedwell #5) by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell navigates a dark world of scandal and murder in this new adventure from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, known as the Club de l'Etoile, and the proprietress, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie would like Veronica and Stoker to retrieve the jewel from the club before scandal can break.

Worse yet, London is gripped by hysteria in the autumn of 1888, terrorized by what would become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper--and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.

Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Aurore's high-class brothel, where another body soon turns up. Many secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family--and it's up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth before it's too late for all of them.

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Expected publication: March 10th, 2020

by Berkley

3.5/5

Veronica Speedwell and Stoker have been one of my favorite couples since reading A Curious Beginning, the sexual tension, with its sarcastic dialogue between these two and the situations they find themselves in makes for an entertaining read.

 In anticipation of this release (the 5th in series) I did a reread via audiobook, they are excellent and I highly recommend, I was able to put voices to these unique individuals. I don’t feel this book would work as a stand-alone, there are lots of backstories that would be confusing and make for an unenjoyable read.

Beginning where book 4 left off and I gotta say the author sure knows how to start a book, what a hoot! The synopsis above does a great job outlining the story, and yes there is action and adventure that is to be expected with these two, but this one just lacked a little something that I can't quite put my finger on. It had the twists and turns that surprised me and went in a direction I didn't anticipate.

I read this on my kindle which features the dictionary. Veronica has a vocabulary (as does the author) that had me looking up words without interrupting the flow. A Murderous Relation had Jack the Ripper and Prince Eddy making appearances and brought back fictional characters from previous books. If you haven't read this series yet I highly recommend it.

  My thanks to Berkley (via Netgalley) for an advanced e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner

Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943--aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity.

 The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences.

Kindle, 389 pages

Published March 19th 2019

by Berkley

****

As much as I have been trying to steer away from books involving either of the World Wars I somehow end up there. Susan Meissner is a favorite of mine so it stands to reason I’d be grabbing her latest.

 One of the things I loved about this one is the educational part. Having heard of interment camps but never fully grasped how they function this was an eye opener for me. Deemed traitors of war these 2 families meet and friendship between the daughters is forged.

 Sometimes told in a matter of fact way I still found myself immersed in the story. The amount of research is evident and while some might find it lengthy I found it gave room to get to know Elise as well as feel the affects this war had on her and the family.

With a unique subject The Last Year of the War is a story of friendship, family and searching. Definitely a book and author I recommend.