Tag Archives: #Fiction

Book Review: The Castle in the Glen by Rhys Bowen

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PublishedAugust 4, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

Australian writer Emma Callander has been recruited to complete the final historical mystery in a series by celebrated author Iris Blackburn. It’s 1964, and Iris’s memory is fading. She’s certain that only Emma can do justice to her novel about a murder on the Isle of Skye. When Emma ventures to Scotland for research, she discovers it isn’t fiction at all, but rather a true crime unsolved for more than fifty years.

It was 1904 when a couple’s suspicious drowning led to the disappearance of a mysterious young woman the locals called the Wild Girl. To this day the mystery is unforgettable, especially among the descendants of an aristocratic family who’ll do anything to keep their secrets buried. From the misty Highlands to a medieval castle, Emma and Tony Gordon, Iris’s handsome lawyer, work ever more closely to uncover them.

But while Iris may be known for her fiendishly clever twists, there’s one not even Emma could have seen coming.

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Emma is hired to be a ghost writer for a famous author and soon discovers that the story she is researching turns out to be an actual cold case, and as she investigates the case further, her life is put in danger. Not only that, but Emma also discovers that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye and it will change the course of her life.

Rhys Bowen is a talented storyteller. I have read her work before and was excited to pick this story up. I knew it would be good and she did not disappoint. Bowen has such a way of weaving a story that captures the reader and you become fully engaged.

Most of the setting for this story takes place in the Isle of Skye, Scottland and Bowen really captures the atmosphere and its surroundings. I was completely taken to time and place.

There is so much to this mystery, including family secrets and romance. The character development is well developed and the clever plot kept me turning the pages.

A must read!

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the publishers through Netgalley for an honest review.

I rated this book four stars.  

Book Review: When She Was Ours by Anna Nordberg

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Published August 1, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

Thea Erickson, a renowned surgeon, is filled with both joy and grief as her family gathers at their home on a summer night in 1995. Her elder daughter Phoebe is getting married, but even the happiness of the day feels bittersweet, as Thea grapples with a terminal cancer diagnosis. She worries she won’t be around to support her younger daughter Astra, who’s still in college, but even Thea cannot foresee what is to come—a terrible accident the night of the wedding that changes Astra’s life forever.

In a last-ditch effort to protect her family, Thea arranges a secret meeting with an old family friend and extracts a promise that will reverberate long after she’s gone.

Years after her mother’s death, Astra has moved forward with a career and relationship, but she still struggles with her grief. When a man reaches out to her and Phoebe, offering a window into their mother’s past, Astra must make a choice, and her decision forces her to face what it means to love someone after they’re gone, who we decide to forgive, and how families reckon with the past.

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This year, I have been reading a lot of stories about family and that was the main reason why I chose this book. When She Was Ours is Anna Nordberg’s debut novel, and I was intrigued with why she chose to write this story. Nordberg has stated that the inspiration for the novel was her own experience with how loss unfolds in a life, and the way it rearranges the atoms of a family. I believe she portrayed that rather well in this story. The reader experiences how the dynamic of the relationship of Astra, Phoebe and their father changed, and how each day they were grappling -if you will- with the different emotions of grief, and how it affected their everyday life. They made quite an impression on me, and I found myself connecting to each of them in many aspects.

Overall, despite a few things that needed to be fleshed out or a bit stronger, I enjoyed reading this story and I learned a few things about people’s grieving processes. I was also invested in the character’s daily lives and how they would continue without Thea. She was really the center of their world and was such a strong support to them all. If you like reading stories about family, this one may be for you.

Stephanie

I’ve rated this book three stars.

I obtained a physical copy of this book through the publishers for an honest review.

Check out my guest post with the author HERE.

Book Review: The Club for Rebellious Ladies by Siobhan Curham

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Published July 8, 2026 by Bookouture

Provence, 1919: When Elodie Sinclair is sent from Boston to a glamorous finishing school for socialites in training, she is determined to do all she can to rebel. Setting up The Wildflowers Club with best friends Genevieve and Lucille, the women make secret plans to escape their insufferable conversation classes. But just weeks later, a terrible scandal leaves the women reeling. And Elodie Sinclair is presumed dead.

2025: Looking for a fresh start after her drawn-out divorce, Rae Morgan finds herself in a crumbling clifftop manor house in Provence. The mysterious elderly owner, Madame Devereaux, speaks of a glitzy charm school and the tragedy that closed its doors. Though she refuses to say any more… until Rae finds a slip of yellowed paper titled The Wildflowers Club Vows left with the keys. Intrigued, Rae knows there is more that Madame Devereaux wants her to uncover.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed the dual timelines of this story and Elodie and Rae’s story was equally intriguing and heartfelt. Rae’s dedication to finding out the mystery of what happened at the charm school and to Elodie kept me fully engaged in the story, and as the story unfolded, I kept thinking about which direction this story could go. I was pleasantly surprised by the conclusion and have been thinking about this story for days after reading it.

There are sad, and extremely emotional moments in this story including a tragic injustice that happened to Elodie that happens in society not just in those days but in today’s as well. I felt deeply distressed and heartbroken for Elodie. I will be thinking about her story for a long time.

Rae had just gone through an all too public divorce and her husband had no shame whatsoever in his public treatment of Rae. Wanting to escape it all and heal, she finds herself in Provence and the new owner of the school Elodie was a student at! Not long after she starts renovations, she begins to discover clues about its past. The more she digs, the mystery unfolds… I felt this mystery to solve is what she needed to heal from her own tragedy and it really adds to the story of resilience, hope and new beginnings.

A deeply atmospheric, emotionally compelling woven story that will transport you to time and place.

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the pubslihers through Netgalley for an honest review.

Side Bar: I must caution the reader that there is a rape scene in this story.

Book Spotlight and Author Guest Post: When She Was Ours by Anna Nordberg

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I am thrilled to introduce Anna Nordberg to Layered Pages, and to be an early reader of her debut novel “When She Was Ours.” Stories about mothers and daughters are among my favorite stories to read. My review will be posted on the publish date.

Be sure to read below, what Nordberg has to say about what inspired her to write this story.

Stephanie

Expected Publication: August 1, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

About the Book:

Thea Erickson, a renowned surgeon, is filled with both joy and grief as her family gathers at their home on a summer night in 1995. Her elder daughter Phoebe is getting married, but even the happiness of the day feels bittersweet, as Thea grapples with a terminal cancer diagnosis. She worries she won’t be around to support her younger daughter Astra, who’s still in college, but even Thea cannot foresee what is to come—a terrible accident the night of the wedding that changes Astra’s life forever.

In a last-ditch effort to protect her family, Thea arranges a secret meeting with an old family friend and extracts a promise that will reverberate long after she’s gone.

Years after her mother’s death, Astra has moved forward with a career and relationship, but she still struggles with her grief. When a man reaches out to her and Phoebe, offering a window into their mother’s past, Astra must make a choice, and her decision forces her to face what it means to love someone after they’re gone, who we decide to forgive, and how families reckon with the past.

From the Author:

The inspiration for the novel was my own experience with how loss unfolds in a life, and the way it rearranges the atoms of a family. My mother died when I was 17, and it felt like the first real thing that happened to me. The experience of grief was so different than I expected—there was tremendous anguish, of course, but there were all these other feelings—guilt, disorientation, even relief, because she had been suffering for such a long time. Then there were days I felt totally normal, because I was a teenager and adolescence is lived so in the present, and that, in a way, felt terrible too.

I wanted to try to write a novel that was as emotionally honest as possible, that showed the experience of loss over time from multiple points of view, including from the perspective of the person who was dying. And I wanted to write about a happy family going through a hard time. There is so much great literature about brittle families, and dysfunctional families, but I actually find happy families interesting.

Finally, I wanted this story to be hopeful. The thing I didn’t know when I was 17 was how much my mother would reveal herself in her absence. Decades later, when my own pregnancies went off the rails, one of the things that allowed me to stay calm and put one foot in front of the other was that I had watched my mother do this as she was sick, and so all of a sudden this grief, this old loss, became its own gift. That’s the thing about grief—it can have these surprising legacies; it can be a source of strength.

Author Bio:

Anna Nordberg is an author, journalist and culture writer whose essays have appeared in Slate magazine, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She spent a lot of her childhood writing novels with a number 2 pencil on yellow legal pads. She actually still has these novels.

In 2015, she started writing a memoir about becoming a mother without her mom, who died when Anna was 17. This memoir never found a home, but its themes—how loss unfolds throughout a life, how we carry the memory of someone forward, the surprising legacy of grief—are all themes in Anna’s debut novel, When She Was Ours, out August 1.

Anna grew up in New York City and now lives in San Francisco with her husband, son and daughter, and English cocker spaniel, Guinness (who also loves books). She loves muddling through middle school with her kids, trying to remember what the formula for the circumference of a circle is, and rereading books like Tuck Everlasting and A Wrinkle in Time. Favorite books she has read to her kids: The Hobbit, The Dark is Rising, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Bridge to Terabithia.

It was always her dream to write a novel after watching her mother write one on an ancient Apple IIC when Anna was eight years old. When She Was Ours is dedicated to her.

Book Review: The Museum of Second Chances by Jo Leevers

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Publish Date: July 1, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

Every morning, Evelyn Silver walks the shoreline before the rest of Portheast wakes, gathering what the tide leaves behind. Broken cups. Lost trinkets. Objects others have discarded. In her small Museum of Maritime Curiosities, each one earns its place—because to Evelyn, every forgotten thing deserves to have its story told.

At the heart of the museum lies her most precious fragment of Cornish lace, found pinned to her blanket when she was abandoned as a newborn. For over sixty years, she has kept it close, hoping someone might one day recognize it and tell her who she really is.

So, when the local council threatens to close the museum, Evelyn stands to lose far more than her livelihood. Forced out of her solitude, she rallies the community around the museum’s curious collection—and as the objects begin to give up their secrets, lives start to intertwine in ways nobody expected.

My Thoughts:

When I first read the book description about a woman who walks the shoreline to gather what the tide washes ashore, I knew I had to read this story.  That detail alone brought back memories of my childhood combing the sand on the beaches where I grew up.

I love the idea of a museum of maritime curiosities, and the stories the found items tell or secrets they reveal.  

Evelyn is an intriguing character. She is introverted, quirky and eccentric in some ways, and needs help to save her museum. Yet at the same time, she doesn’t want to be intruded on. As the story builds, and a group of individuals come into her life to help her, you begin to see a change in her, and in them as well.

I enjoyed reading about Evelyn and the other characters: Della, Jacob, Allison, Sariah and George. Each of their stories is heartwarming and their friendship is a special one.

There are many lessons to be learned in this story. One of them is when you’re in a bad situation or something bad happens, there is also something good that can come from it.  

A well written story with timeless themes, engaging characters, and found curiosities to spark your imagination of exploring.

Stephanie

I received an ARC from the Publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

Book Review: The Island Bookshop by Roseanna M. White

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The Island Shop #1

Published May 9, 2025 by Guideposts

When Kennedy Marshall sets off for a prestigious career in the city, she leaves behind the sunlit shores of North Carolina’s Outer Banks—and runs from a love she believes she can never have. With her sister, Lara, managing their grandmother’s beloved island bookshop, Kennedy feels confident she’s escaped the past. But when Lara is suddenly injured, Kennedy is drawn back into the island’s warm embrace—and bittersweet memories she thought she’d buried forever.

For Wes Armstrong, the Outer Banks is more than home, it’s his anchor. Building a successful family business was supposed to bring stability, but life has been anything but steady since his wife’s passing. Haunted by past regrets and facing a life-changing decision, Wes is determined to make the right choice for his family’s future. Yet Kennedy’s unexpected return stirs up old emotions and mistakes he thought he’d put to rest.

As hidden family secrets surface and long-buried truths come to light, Kennedy and Wes must navigate the delicate tides of forgiveness, second chances, and the unspoken love that still lingers between them. Can they find the courage to rewrite their story and create a new future on the island’s shifting sands?

My thoughts:

This is the first book in The Island Shop series, and the story has two dual timelines, which I love. The setting for both timelines is on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and is the perfect location for this series. I love the coast of North Carolina!

I really enjoyed the wholesomeness of this story and the themes of faith, forgiveness, and second chances. Though I have to say, I wasn’t feeling the spark-if you will-with the relationship with Kennedy and Wes. Oftentimes, the interaction between the two felt forced and flat in my opinion. That said, I did enjoy reading about all the characters, the activity at the bookshop, and I liked reading about the sisterly relationship with Kennedy and Lara in the modern story. I do hope there will be a story coming out that centers around Lara!

I was immersed in the story that takes place in the past more so, and I would have liked to have seen that timeline flesh out a bit more. Nonetheless, both stories were engaging and there was a mystery that connects the past to the present that was well written.  

I read the second book The Island Bakeshop first before starting with this one. I recommend starting with this book first for more background.

This story was atmospheric, heartwarming and is the perfect read for the summertime!

Stephanie

I obtained a review copy from the publishers from NetGalley for an honest review.

Side Bar: Be sure to check out my review for the sequel HERE

Book Review: The Museum of Lost Dreams by Christine Nolfi

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Publish Date: June 23, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

When Bess Rollins’s parents die in a tragic accident, she is forced to abandon her dream job overseas. After three years away, she returns to her family’s estate in the Finger Lakes, a veritable monument to her brilliant late grandmother, and a reminder of the wreckage Bess left behind.

There’s the guilt over leaving her younger twin siblings, Casey and Caleb, and she struggles to rebuild a bond that may be irrevocably broken. Amid the grief, resentment still looms toward her reckless and self-indulgent mother and father. And then there’s Luke Monticelli, the devoted man Bess walked out on but never stopped loving.

Haunted by her regrets at every turn, Bess soon realizes that the past is far more complicated than she ever knew. With each secret that she uncovers about her family, Bess comes closer to healing their wounds, seizing a second chance at love, and fulfilling dreams that can lift them all—right here at home, where she belongs.

My Thoughts:

The Museum of Lost Dreams is the second book in a row I’ve read about family, and this story does not disappoint. Christine Nolfi gives the reader a realistic view of a family who is fractured by tragic circumstances, and we are shown the mindset of everyone, and their journey of opening their hearts to understand each other’s experiences, and how forgiveness and healing begins.

My heart went out to Bess and her siblings. They were severely neglected by their parents and when tragic strikes Bess’s younger brother, she goes through extreme quilt for what happened to him and her mother’s blaming Bess was unwarranted, but typical of her behavior. Essentially her drug addicted mother blamed her for many things and there was no self-accountability for the actions of herself, nor from her husband which ultimately, their recklessness and disgusting behavior, and lifestyle was their demise in my opinion.

This story has a dual timeline which really helped the premise and gave me clarity in the family dynamic. There are also historical elements that were intriguing and helped keep me invested in the story even more. I absolutely love dual timelines and when they are done right, it is a guarantee, I’m giving the story a high rating.

A thought provoking, emotional, and moving story of second chances.

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

Side Bar: I maybe counted three curse words in the entire book? Also, there is low spice in this book, but no actual description of-ahem-spice scenes.

Reader’s Log 074: Amazon Prime Ebook Deals

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Amazon Prime Day is running for four days this year, starting June 23 to 26. This special deal is for Amazon Prime members. Already there are many deals that have started and this post is about the ebooks I have already downloaded. I was able to acquire five ebooks that are on my wish-list. Next week, I will be purchasing a few physical copies of novels, and perhaps more ebooks. My Birthday is this weekend. I can’t wait!

The List of ebooks:

  1. The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson
  2. Where the Sea Lavendar Grows by Kitty Johnson
  3. To Love a Lady by Gabrielle Meyer
  4. To Dance with a Duke by Gabrielle Meyer
  5. Pre-ordered: To Educate an Earl Gabrielle Meyer

I was auto approved to read and review “Where the Sea Lavendar Grows” by Kitty Johnson, published by Lake Union Publishing, but my review stack was full for May. I am delighted to get an ebook copy at such a great price. That said, not all my books come from publishers to review. What books I choose to review from publishers depend on several factors.

The Gabrielle Meyer books are part of her Dollar Princess Sereis. I’ve read two of her books from another series so far, and her story telling is so good. I recommend checking out her books.

“The Mountains We Call Home” by Kim Michele Richardson is the third installment in her series “The Book Women of Troublesome Creek.” This series has been on my to-read list for some time and I’m starting with the third book? I’m not sure yet. It depends on if I can get the first two at a good price.

I love the books covers of all these books!

Stephanie

The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson

Published April 21, 2026 by Sourcebooks Landmark

When Cussy Lovett, a Packhorse Librarian famed for bringing books to the people of Appalachia, is unjustly incarcerated, she finds a new calling as a prison librarian, bringing hope to downtrodden women and voiceless city residents alike, finding a home even while separated from those she loves. A vivid portrait of mid-century Kentucky, from the hills and hollers of Appalachia to a vibrant city neighborhood on the cusp of urban renewal, The Mountains We Call Home explores the effects of criminalization and incarceration on the poor and powerless, while tracing the societal consequences of fractured family bonds.

Where the Sea Lavendar Grows by Kitty Johnson

Published May 1, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

Elise, an artist grieving the loss of her son and a fracturing marriage, is in North Norfolk to restore Marsh House to its former glory, its walls adorned with the fading murals and paintings of its long-ago owner, Lilias Carter-Brown. Elise makes an immediate connection to the house, to Sam—a carpenter and a comfort—and to history itself when an old photograph draws Elise into Lilias’s heartbreaking past.

In 1939, with war threatening, Lilias and her sister turn Marsh House into a sanctuary for London evacuees—a young boy and his mother. But it’s the boy’s father, Harry, an enlistee soon to report for duty, with whom Lilias forms an unexpected and intimate bond. When Harry suddenly vanishes without a trace, it changes the course of Lilias’s life forever.

Now, as Elise and Sam work to solve the mystery of the disappearance, the restoration of Marsh House is bringing Elise back to life as well—to love again, to put her and Lilias’s past to rest, and to finally move on.

To Love a Lady by Gabrielle Meyer

Dollar Princess #1

Published  January 6, 2026

For fans of My Fair Lady and The Gilded Age

New York City, 1883. Keira O’Day has spent her life scraping by in the tenements, haunted by the mystery of her parents’ abandonment. When wealthy widow and social climber, Maude Hill, offers her a daring proposition—to be adopted, polished, and presented as a society bride for an English lord—Keira sees an opportunity she can’t pass up.

Maude’s nephew, Alexander Paxton-Hill, is skeptical from the start. Tasked with teaching Keira the art of charm and flirtation, he soon finds himself captivated by her honesty and warmth as she challenges everything he thought he knew about love—and about himself.

After navigating the glittering, treacherous world of New York society, Keira arrives in England and catches the eye of the elusive Duke of Severton. She’s poised to win everything until a lavish ball, a long-buried secret, and one reckless act of love threaten to unravel it all. Now Keira must the role she’s been prepared to play—or the woman she’s become.

To Dance with a Duke by Gabrielle Meyer

Dollar Princess #2

Published  June 9, 2026

For those who love The Gilded Age and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

In 1884, Ames Welby, the Duke of Severton, is desperate. His ancestral home is falling apart, his tenant farmers are starving, and his family name is tainted by a mysterious scandal that keeps people away. With no fortune and no time, he does the unthinkable—marries for money. But Lily Parker, the American heiress he weds in haste, is no pampered socialite. She’s practical, passionate, and has a plan to restore Pickering Castle—and the reputation of the five reclusive Welby brothers.

Inspired by her love of matchmaking and her longing for connection, Lily invites four eligible young women to a summer house party, hoping to spark romance and rebuild the family’s future. What follows is a whirlwind of mischief, mismatched couples, and unexpected love. But when Lily’s belief in true love clashes with Ames’s fear of family curses and social ruin, their fragile marriage is put to the ultimate test.

To Educate an Earl by Gabrielle Meyer

Dollar Princess #3

Expected Publication  October 6, 2026 by

For those swept away by The Gilded Age and The Sound of Music.

In 1886, when a scheming suitor threatens her family’s fragile reputation, Adeline Ranier is sent to England under a false name to pose as a governess for the Earl of Torrington’s five motherless children. Stripped of her title and fortune, she steps into a world of quiet sorrow and stubborn resistance—and discovers a household aching for joy.

George Stafford, the Earl of Torrington, has buried his heart along with his late wife. His children have driven away every governess, and he has no hope that Miss Ranier will be any different. But Addie’s unconventional charm, fierce loyalty, and refusal to give up begin to awaken something long forgotten in all of them, including George.

As laughter returns to the halls of Torrington Manor, Addie finds herself falling for the children—and for their father. But secrets from her past threaten to unravel everything, especially when George chooses a wealthy heiress to be his bride. Torn between duty and desire, Addie must decide whether to protect her heart or fight for the family she’s come to love.

Book Review: A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery by Kate Khavari

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Saffron Everleigh Mystery #5

Published June 9, 2026 by Crooked Lane Books

Saffron Everleigh is newly engaged and full of optimism as she sets off on the adventure of a lifetime for any a research expedition. She sails to newly formed Turkey, with her fiancé, Alexander Ashton, and a bevy of fellow researchers under the watchful and reformed eye of Dr. Henry. With only two other women on board, Saffron soon finds she is right back in the same infuriatingly misogynistic environment that marked the earliest days of her career. Only this time, Saffron is determined to show everyone, including Alexander, that she can handle the trials of an expedition.

And trials she has in spades. Before the expedition team has even arrived, Saffron has managed to find an enemy in historian Joseph Clark, who frequently torments the assistant that Saffron has taken under her wing, Martin Neill. But when Martin unexpectedly dies, Saffron is targeted as the main suspect.

Falling ruins, venomous snakes, and mysteriously blocked passages are the least of Saffron’s worries. With unexpected help from a familiar face, Alexander and Saffron have to work fast to prove not only that Saffron is innocent, but that they both have nothing to do with a larger conspiracy at play among the expedition crew.

My Thoughts:

A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery is the fifth installment of Khavari’s Saffron Eveleigh Mystery series, and I am delighted I chose to pick this one up. When I read that Saffron Everleigh was finally going on her first expedition and sailed to the newly formed Turkey, I knew the story would be good. I’m fascinated with the history of the land and the archaeological discoveries, and with the blend of a murder mystery makes it all the more mysterious!

The story builds slowly in the beginning-in a good way- and half way through things really picked up and I couldn’t put this book down!  

I really enjoyed all the characters in this story, including the detective Polat, even though he was a thorn at Eveleigh’s and Alexander’s side. Polat was determined to get his man-if you will-with really only speculation to go on.

This story had a wonderful blend of culture, elements of suspense, social constraints that added depth to the mystery and the possible motives of who murdered the young man, Martin Neill. I must confess, I was sad that it had to be him. I really felt his loss in this story.

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

Reader’s Log 073: Book Highlights

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There are two fiction stories I wanted to highlight today, and I thought I would share how it is going.

The two books are A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery by Kate Khavari and Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk. I am enjoying the corresponding format of Dear Missing Friend a lot more than I thought I would. That is not to say I haven’t enjoyed the letter written style of telling a story before, it’s just that sometimes, I feel I’m not getting the whole picture-if you will, and the bouncing back and forth can feel a bit disjointed at times. That said, I’m glad I chose this story to read and review. I like Susan McGuirk’s writing style.

Yesterday, I started A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery, and previously I read and reviewed the first book A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons, and I was a bit critical of some of the elements in the story, but I did enjoy it nonetheless. Skipping a few books in the series, I’m hoping I will enjoy this story I’m currently reading. I will probably state in my review that I’ve only read two books in the series to be fair with my critic.

Below are the two books I will be starting next and I can’t wait to read and review them!

Be sure to read my latest review The Last Fatal Hour by Jan Matthews!

What are the books you are currently reading and expecting to get to next?

Stephanie

The Museum of Lost Dreams by Christine Nolfi

Expected Publication June 23, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

When Bess Rollins’s parents die in a tragic accident, she is forced to abandon her dream job overseas. After three years away, she returns to her family’s estate in the Finger Lakes, a veritable monument to her brilliant late grandmother, and a reminder of the wreckage Bess left behind.

There’s the guilt over leaving her younger twin siblings, Casey and Caleb, and she struggles to rebuild a bond that may be irrevocably broken. Amid the grief, resentment still looms toward her reckless and self-indulgent mother and father. And then there’s Luke Monticelli, the devoted man Bess walked out on but never stopped loving.

Haunted by her regrets at every turn, Bess soon realizes that the past is far more complicated than she ever knew. With each secret that she uncovers about her family, Bess comes closer to healing their wounds, seizing a second chance at love, and fulfilling dreams that can lift them all—right here at home, where she belongs.

The Museum of Second Chances by Jo Leevers

Expected Publication July 1, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

Every morning, Evelyn Silver walks the shoreline before the rest of Portheast wakes, gathering what the tide leaves behind. Broken cups. Lost trinkets. Objects others have discarded. In her small Museum of Maritime Curiosities, each one earns its place—because to Evelyn, every forgotten thing deserves to have its story told.

At the heart of the museum lies her most precious a fragment of Cornish lace, found pinned to her blanket when she was abandoned as a newborn. For over sixty years, she has kept it close, hoping someone might one day recognize it and tell her who she really is.

So, when the local council threatens to close the museum, Evelyn stands to lose far more than her livelihood. Forced out of her solitude, she rallies the community around the museum’s curious collection—and as the objects begin to give up their secrets, lives start to intertwine in ways nobody expected.

Because sometimes, the most precious things aren’t lost at all. They’re simply waiting to be claimed.