Review – Songbird Of The Sorrows by Braidee Otto #netgalley #songbirdofthesorrow #braideeotto

Posted on February 11, 2026 by fundinmental

MY REVIEW

I was born dead.

The first sentence of the book wrapped it’s hooks around me and it didn’t take long for me to be hanging on every word.

I love books where the characters are forced to face life altering decisions, so Songbird Of The Sorrows by Braidee Otto was a wonderful choice. This romantic fantasy will challenge Princess Aella. She is torn from the palace, the only world she has ever known, and sent to the Aviary to be trained as an assassin. She is not only a princess in hiding, only a few people knowing who she really is, but she is to be trained to be a scout, a spy, an assassin, a thief, a songbird.

The rules: Don’t ask questions. Obey your orders. Respect your masters. Most of all, love no one.

“…I know the rules.” I’m just not very good at following them…

Nyssa cracks me up. She’s Aella’s friend and knows her true identity. She will stick by her side, no matter what the outcome will cost her.

Forbidden love. Does that peak your interest? It did mine. I love to see how the characters figure out what is most important in their life and then find a course of action that will allow them to get it. I love to watch characters grow and develop as fully fledged characters.

Aella is tasked with competing in the bridal trials held by the Prince of Eritrea…as herself.

I love when an author creates a world I want to get lost in. Where the characters have me holding my breath in anticipation, waiting to find out what happens next. The adventure is filled with danger and betrayal. Will there be war?

OMG…talk about a cliffhanger. I can hardly wait for the next book, Myths of the Empyrieos.

I am so glad I saw this on NetGalley and grabbed a copy for myself.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

An outcast princess turned spy embarks on a mission to infiltrate a rival kingdom, but the secrets she uncovers force her to decide whether to follow orders or defy them.

Ask no questions. Obey your orders. Respect your masters. But most of all, love no one.

Spy. Thief. Princess. Songbird.

Princess Aella was ousted from the Palace of Sorrows as a child, shattering her world and forcing her to abandon the truth of her royal lineage. Instead, she was raised in The Aviary, which disguises itself as a school for orphaned children but is actually a secret order designed to train its students as spies for an intelligence network embedded throughout the Empyrieos.

Now twenty-three years old and having completed her final tests, Aella is summoned to join Alpha Flight, the Aviary’s elite team of assassins that’s led by none other than her former flame, Raven. Everything about him calls to her—he’s brave, loyal, and lethal. But is Raven worth breaking the rules and risking everything she’s worked so hard to achieve?

Before she can decide, the Alpha Flight team is sent on a dangerous mission that tests Aella’s resolve in every way. Her role is crucial and she must assume her former title of Princess of the Sorrows, the identity she once had to forsake, to compete in the bridal trials held by the Prince of Eretria. As old sparks reignite and the harsh realities of the realm reveal themselves, the mission begins to unravel, and Aella must decide if she is brave enough to disobey her superiors in order to do what she believes is right.

Songbird of the Sorrows is the first book in Myths of the Empyrieos, an epic romantic fantasy series that follows a feisty heroine through trials, a perilous heist, court intrigue, kingdom politics, and a journey of self-discovery, true love, and redemption.

Genre: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Greek Mythology, Romance,
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2024 by The Dial Press
Series: Myths Of The Empyrieos #1

ABOUT BRAIDEE OTTO

A self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, Braidee Otto combines her academic background in Literary Studies with a deep passion for storytelling to create heartfelt, immersive narratives. Songbird of the Sorrows is the first installment in her debut adult romantic fantasy series, Myths of the Empyrieos. She lives in Adelaide, South Australia with her partner, two beloved dogs, and a cat that appeared in her backyard on the winter solstice.

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Review – Impostor by L J Ross @LJRoss_author #netgalley #impostor

Posted on February 4, 2026 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Well, the whole elite criminal profiling unit shut down because of scandal caught my eye, so I grabbed a copy from NetGalley. I have never read any of L J R Ross’s work, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I am always open to reading new author’s work, especially when they write about murder and mayhem.

Small town mysteries are fun to read. Everyone knows everyone else, so you may think it would be easy to figure out who the murderer is, but I think it would be harder. Just like your neighbor, your friend, or you significant other…you think you know everything about them, but…do you? Everyone has secrets.

L J Ross does a good job of hiding who the villain is. Could it be the police that Dr Alex Gregory is working with? Could it be one of the neighbors? And…Dr Alex Gregory has his own secrets. I love watching him work through his own haunted past.

The humor is dark.

I never saw the end coming. I love when an author can surprise me.

GOODREADS BLURB

There’s a killer inside all of us…

After an elite criminal profiling unit is shut down amidst a storm of scandal and mismanagement, only one person emerges unscathed. Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory has a reputation for being able to step inside the darkest minds to uncover whatever secrets lie hidden there and, soon enough, he finds himself drawn into the murky world of murder investigation.

In the beautiful hills of County Mayo, Ireland, a killer is on the loose. Panic has a stranglehold on its rural community and the Garda are running out of time. Gregory has sworn to follow a quiet life but, when the call comes, can he refuse to help their desperate search for justice?

Murder and mystery are peppered with dark humour in this fast-paced thriller set amidst the spectacular Irish landscape.

Genre: Crime, Fiction, Murder, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2019
Series: Dr Alex Gregory #1

ABOUT L J ROSS

LJ Ross is an internationally bestselling author, whose books have sold over 7 million copies worldwide.

Her debut, Holy Island, was released in 2015 and became an instant, international bestseller. Since then, a further eighteen of her novels have gone on to take the coveted #1 spot, some even before general release and whilst only available to ‘pre-order’. The Bookseller magazine has reported on Louise having topped the ‘Most Read’ and ‘Most Sold’ fiction charts, and she has garnered an army of loyal fans who love her atmospheric and addictive storytelling.

Her eleventh novel, The Infirmary, is a prequel story to the DCI Ryan series and is available as a major Audible Originals audio-drama starring Tom Bateman, Kevin Whately, Bertie Carvel, Hermione Norris and Alun Armstrong.

The first novel in her Alexander Gregory Thrillers series, Impostor, was shortlisted in the British Book Awards 2020: Crime & Thriller Book of the Year. The audiobook of Impostor, narrated by Hugh Dancy, was also selected as a finalist in the New York Festivals Radio Awards, Best Fiction Audiobook of the Year Category.

In May 2021, Louise was shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association ‘Dagger in the Library’ award, which recognises an author’s entire body of work having been consistently enjoyed by library borrowers around the United Kingdom, and an author’s longstanding support of libraries.

Louise was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King’s College, University of London and then abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a lawyer for a number of years until taking the decision to change career and pursue her dream to write. Now, she writes full time and lives with her husband and son in Northumberland and Edinburgh. She enjoys reading all manner of books, painting, travelling and spending time with family and friends.

To find out more about the many philanthropic ventures Louise has founded and sponsored through her publishing imprint, Dark Skies Publishing, please visit ‘Philanthropy’.

If you would like to connect with LJ Ross, she would be very happy to hear from you:

https://www.facebook.com/LJRossAuthor
https://twitter.com/ljross_author
www.lovesuspense.com
lj_ross@outlook.com

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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Review – Stolen In Death by J D Robb #jdrobb #stolenindeath #netgalley #stmartinspress

Posted on February 3, 2026 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have been reading J D Robb’s and Nora Robert’s work for many years now, and she has never let me down. That makes it easy to snatch a copy of one of her books whenever I see it. I want to thank NetGalley for my copy.

“You’re here. No dead bodies.” “Night’s young,” Eve said.

I love the Eve Dallas and Roarke stories. Eve is a homicide police lieutenant and Roarke is a retired billionaire thief. When murder and a hidden safe holding many valuable objects is discovered, Eve is on the case. Roarke’s expertise will come in handy. Roarke’s past can sometimes make Eve’s life more complicated, but she couldn’t be sorry about it. I’m glad, because they make an intriguing couple.

I was waiting for something to happen, and now, we’re off and running.

The year is 2061, and while most things are the same, there are some things that bode well for the future. Such as, the AutoChef. Hungry? How about a burger from the AutoChef? Thirsty? How about a tube of Pepsi? I love it, seeing I am not a very good cook and a little on the lazy side when it comes to preparing food. And prison? How about an off planet cage for criminals?

J D Robb doesn’t waste any time setting the hook for her futuristic suspense, In Death, thriller series. The pacing makes the story flow smoothly, and the mystery growing. Stolen In Death may be J D Robb’s 62nd book in the series, but it still has a lot of bite.

GOODREADS BLURB

A violent death and a vault of stolen treasures has Eve Dallas struggling to solve crimes old and new in the latest thriller in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series.

A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead―while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry, and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband, Roarke―who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief―recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing.

Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father―and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house, and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.

By all accounts, Nathan Barrister was a good man, a generous employer, a devoted husband and father. As for his father―he clearly had secrets. Now it’s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed―and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
368 pages, Hardcover
Publication February 3, 2026 by St. Martin’s Press
Series: In Death #62

ABOUT J D ROBB

J.D. Robb is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series and the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. The futuristic suspense series stars Eve Dallas, a New York City police lieutenant with a dark past. Initially conceived as a trilogy, readers clamored for more of Eve and the mysterious Roarke. Stolen in Death (St. Martin’s Press, February 2026) will be the 62nd entry in the series.

MY NORA ROBERTS REVIEWS