Tag Archives: #NetGalley

Book Review: A New World for the Irish Daughter by Kate Hewitt

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Publication Date: July 27, 2026 by @Bookouture

San Francisco, 1893: When Maggie O’Halloran steps off the train in California, she knows she must be brave for her friend Brendan and her brother Danny. Having fled both New York and Chicago, they all have broken spirits and fear having to start again. Can Maggie find courage and strength for them all?

Maggie soon finds a boarding house that will take them in. In a lively part of town, and with a colorful clientele, it is not somewhere she ever imagined staying. Until one night when they are woken by a distressing cry, Maggie finds herself assisting a doctor to save a young woman’s life.

Working through the night by candlelight, Maggie realizes this may be her true calling. When the doctor asks if she would consider training as a nurse, she says yes immediately, hopeful she might have finally found her purpose in life. Will this now give her the courage to tell Brendan how she truly feels?

But before she can risk her heart, Brendan reveals that Danny is in trouble once more. They are leaving at dawn for Alaska to mine for gold, and Maggie is both shocked and heartbroken. Should she stay, and continue the work that has given her life such meaning? Or should she sacrifice everything, and follow those she loves even further into the unknown?

My Thoughts:

When Maggie, Brendan and her brother, Danny stepped off the train in San Franciso, almost immediately I knew they were off to a bad start when they discovered Maggie and Danny’s father living at a house of ill repute. With nowhere else to go, and very little money, they were invited to stay by the owner, and before too long, Maggie found herself in an awkward situation with the owner and must find another place to live. The opportunity quickly presents itself, and she begins two years of training as a nurse. When she has two months left of her training, Brendon tells her that he and her father and Danny are leaving for Alaska. My heart absolutely sank when she heard the news! A big part of me wanted her to stay because she finally found purpose, but I knew losing her family and Brendon would have been heartbreaking for her. When they left for Alaska, this is when the story really got adventurous and I felt I was in the wilds of alongside them.  

I had the pleasure of reading the second book in this trilogy, but I mentioned in my review for that book that I had not read the first book yet, and I still haven’t! That said, this latest and final installment of Maggie’s adventures is my absolute favorite so far. I will be adding these books to my physical book stack, and my only complaint about this series is that it has ended.

Beautifully historical woven elements blended with atmospheric surroundings, and deeply complex characters that will capture your heart.

Stephanie

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

Book Review: Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw

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Publication July 7, 2026 by Atria Books

The second adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, in which a woman rediscovers the mythical island she stumbled upon as a child—and the man she once met who apparently hasn’t aged—and must choose between the life she’s built and a love that defies the laws of time and nature.

The night Clay Lockhart’s wife dies, a violent storm tears their home—and the eight hectares of land beneath it—away from the Scottish coast, sending it adrift into the Atlantic. Thirty years later, twelve-year-old Ellie Mills discovers the fabled floating island off the coast of Nova Scotia and finds Clay still living in the weatherworn farmhouse perched on its highest hill.

When the island vanishes overnight, Ellie is left questioning whether it ever existed at all. But decades later, now in her thirties, the island resurfaces—and Ellie returns, determined to uncover the truth. What she finds is even Clay hasn’t aged a single day.

Faced with the impossible, Ellie learns that some mysteries aren’t meant to be solved—and that a life shaped by wonder may hold more promise than one bound by certainty.

Spanning centuries and coastlines, Habits of the Sea is a haunting, romantic journey through time, memory, and the invisible tides that pull us home.

My Thoughts:

When I received an email invite from Atria Books to review this book, I immediately accepted, no questions asked.  The very idea of an island that vanishes and resurfaces in different parts of the world captivated me.

In my review “A History of Wild Places” I stated that Ernshaw employs artistic composition in a unique and refreshing way that has you hanging on to every word. Her ability to articulate any situation or surrounding in the story is outstanding. This very statement applies to Habits of the Sea, but…

There was a sudden shift in the second half of the book that truly caught me off guard and after thinking about it for a bit, I could see where Ernshaw was going with it, but it just did not work for me. Habits of the Sea went from being mystery story centered around an intriguing mystical Island to a climate-changing, apocalyptic world without really any natural transition so that you aren’t disoriented when it happens. At least, that was my experience with the storyline.  Also, the character development was lacking and the relationship between Ellie and Clay was not convincing enough for a romance story.

That said, Ernshaw’s beautiful and unique storytelling laced with melancholy and highly emotional scenes had me hanging on to the end despite the moodiness, and frustrations I felt reading this story. I know many readers will love this book; I was just not the right reader for it.

I rated this book three stars.

Stephanie 

I received an ARC from the publishers via email and obtained a galley copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

Side Bar: There is profanity, a violent scene, and sexual content in this story. Yeah, I’m a closed-door romance reader with very little to no profanity preference. I’m frustrated with not knowing these things about stories before reviewing them. Early readers deserve that. I would also like to add, I wrote this review before the publication date, and I held off posting my review of this story on my blog, because quite honestly, I was torn about the descion of doing so.

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 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 storieswere 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.

Book Review: Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk

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Storied Sisters Society #1

Published May 19, 2026 by Sea Crow Press

Three hearts. Countless letters. One impossible choice.

Through letters exchanged across oceans and Manhattan streets, Irish immigrant Catherine McGuirk navigates love, ambition, and heartbreak. Torn between her seafaring husband, the suitor she once refused, and her own dreams, Catherine’s fate unfolds in an intimate, epistolary saga of passion, resilience, and nineteenth-century life.

My Thoughts:

I know this might sound strange to some, but after I finished reading Dear Missing Friend, written in the form of corresponding letters, I thought, how would I respond if I were to write a letter in the form of a review? You see, a letter would be more fitting, and more worthy because Susan McGuirk has given readers an incredibly personable and thought-provoking experience and as I navigated through the lives of a family and their friends, I have never felt such a deep connection this way before with characters in this format.

19th Century: Catherine McGuirk and her brothers are Irish immigrants who came to America to start new lives in a world full of uncertainties. Through the years, their thoughts, joy, friendships, heartbreak, domestic troubles, loss of children, abandonment, sorrow, loneliness, are shared through letters in such an open way that it’s as if you were part of their family experiencing everything they were going through.

As Catherine’s decisions in life unfolded, years later she was faced with examining the result of her decisions in life, and as a Christian, I felt such a deep conviction of my own choices in life regarding my relationships past and present. Which brought me to Catherine’s dear friend Jane, and a particular letter she wrote to Catherine about “putting things to right.” That letter really moved me. There is much to reflect on with this story about relationships. There were beautiful lessons of mercy, grace, faith and forgiveness.

There were also so many historical threads interwoven with the characters’ lives and one will experience that with these letters. Such as, the whaling industry, the great famine, civil war, the gold rush, immigration of the Irish, the Panic of 1857 and so forth. I also enjoyed reading the poems the author included in the beginning of each chapter by Walt Whitman from his book Leaves of Grass. I am going to buy a physical copy of Dear Missing Friend, and place it next to my copy of Whitman’s book. This is a story I won’t ever forget. This is a story I will always go back to. Even as I wrote this, I wanted to read the story all over again and I will.

I have rated this book five stars and so far, this book is among my five top favorite stories of this year. 

Stephanie

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.

Book Review: A Wartime Promise for the East End Girls by Jean Fullerton

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The East End Girls #3

Published  May 29, 2026 by @Bookouture

East London, 1943: As air raid sirens wail, can the East End Girls join forces to protect their city and the people they love?

Nell Reilly’s blonde curls and piercing blue eyes might look angelic, but she is ready to fight with everything she has for a better future. Brought up in London’s tough East End, she is fiercely determined to keep the promise she made to her little sister Jo to build a new life for them one day. Until a chance meeting changes everything…

Absorbed in her work with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, the last thing Nell is looking for is love, but tall, broad-shouldered Tom Hunter stops her in her tracks. Tom is her wayward brother Frank’s new right-hand man in his black-market operations, and Nell knows from bitter experience the risks of falling for a man like that. But when she witnesses his unexpected kindness and sees how he cares for Jo, she realises that Tom has made an impression she can’t forget, no matter how hard she tries…

But Tom has a secret, one he’s finding harder and harder to keep. And when Nell finally discovers that he is an undercover police officer, she also learns something that makes her heart his cover is blown and he’s in terrible danger.

As London prepares for another night of air raids, Nell races through the blackout to find Tom and warn him. Can she reach him in time to save his life? And as bombs crash down over the East End, will their love survive to fight another day?

My Thoughts:

I was delighted the author included the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in her story! They were part of British Royal Air Force during the Second World War and their supportive roles across the British Empire is fascinating to read about.

A Wartime Promise for the East End Girls also centers around the black market in East London during the war and Nell’s family is caught right in the middle of it. Nell doesn’t approve of her family’s criminal activities and wants a better life for her sister and herself. Nell and Jo’s situation is precarious and the sisters must make a decision that could break their family apart.

Jean Fullerton certainly did her research for this book, and it shows through her use of the unique dialect during that era.

There was also a little romance in this story and it was well balanced for the story and was heartfelt to read about.

The style of language, the well-researched historical elements really put me in the time and place. I enjoyed this story so much and I was fully engaged in the character’s lives.

A wartime story for the ages!

Stephanie

I obtained a review copy 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.