Tag Archives: read in 2026

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

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Amazon / Goodreads

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 – Caged In Desire by Sadie Winchester #sadiewinchester #cagedindesire

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Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I will start off by saying that Caged In Desire by Sadie Winchester is recommended for those eighteen and over. When you read the sexy scenes, you will know why.

Caged In Desire by Sadie Winchester is a story about gods and godesses and I loved it. It has a very pretty cover. We meet Charlee Amoretti, who is better known as Cupid. It’s Valentine’s Day, so she is happily delivering the Double Tap, where two hearts will beat as one. She knows it will never happen for her…When she meets a grouchy Eryx Nightvale, the God of Discord, both their lives will be changed forever.

The story may be a quick read, but it is full of love and laughs. That twist at the end…I love it! Makes me want more of Sadie Winchester’s world of gods and godesses.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Born among the gods and bound for eternity as a matchmaker to the mortals, my life has been dedicated to pairing hearts and souls. But these powers come at a high cost. By bonding couples together, I’ve been robbed of having that same connection with another.

Valentine’s Day has come around, as it always does, filling people with a deep desire to find true love. And just when I think this will be another successful year, I find myself on the doorstep of a man whose heart and life have been cast in darkness.

Eryx Nightvale isn’t just any man—he’s the god of discord, everything I’m not, and he’s determined to break everything I represent.

Now I’m caged, my heart and body trapped behind bars. Will I be able to charm my captor into opening the lock keeping me prisoner? Or will we both be lost to the shattered remains of our own making?

*This book is intended for mature audiences 18+ years. Please check the trigger and content warnings on the author’s website.*

  • Genre: Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Romance
  • 162 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published February 2, 2026

ABOUT SADIE WINCHESTER

A dark romance author, Sadie Winchester is looking forward to sharing the stories living in her head rent-free with the rest of the world. She writes across a variety of sub-genres, including mafia romance and paranormal romance.

During her high school years, she fell in love with writing short stories which continued on/off into adulthood. Finally, she decided to pursue her dream in 2023, and the rest is history.

Sadie lives in the Pine Barrens with her husband and son. When she’s not reading and writing, she enjoys spending time outdoors, sipping local brews, and binge-watching her favorite shows.

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Review – Stolen In Death by J D Robb #jdrobb #stolenindeath #netgalley #stmartinspress

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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.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

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

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Review – The Profiler’s Daughter by Sabrina Wade #sabrinawade #theprofilersdaughter

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MY REVIEW

I love stories about serial killers, but The Profiler’s Daughter by Sabrina Wade is a bit different. Alexandra Monroe is an FBI trainer. Her father had been a famous FBI profiler and she was following in his footsteps. During a training exerciase, she comes across a cold case that was never solved, three missing women from Midland State Psychiatric Hospital.

Alexandra had a past she wanted to keep buried. I love damaged characters and she carries a heavy load. It might be what makes her so good at her job. She wants answers and her persistence will prevail. She will face her demons and come out the other side whole. Answers will be found and they will come from a surprising source. The danger will come from an unexpected villain and I do love surprises.

When I began reading, Alexandra made me think of Clarissa, from the Hannibal series. And…we do have a serial killer that has her in his sights. What will he do with her, if he gets the opportunity? After all, his is locked up….for now.

How about a little romance? Just enough to round out the story, hitting all the elements that I love in a story like The Profiler’s Daughter by Sabrina Wade.

I was quickly drawn into The Profiler’s Daughter by Sabrina Wade. It was more than I expected and it kept me turning the pages the deeper I got into the story. The suspense rose as Alexandra faced her past, up front and personal. I wondered who would betray her and Sabrina Wade did a good job of keeping the doubt alive…was it him…or him…or someone else entirely? I was completely satisfied with the ending and want to congratulate Sabrina Wade for a job well done.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

HER FATHER HUNTED MONSTERS. NOW ONE IS WAITING FOR HER.

Quantico, Virginia. 1990.

Alexandra (Alex) Monroe is an FBI trainee whose father was a famous FBI profiler from the late 70s and early 80s.

But during a forensics exercise in the FBI’s cold case archive, Alex stumbles on a file bearing her father’s three missing women from Midland State Psychiatric Hospital in Chicago, 1975–76.

No bodies. No answers.

Buried in the interviews is a detail that makes her blood run cold, a thread that ties the case to something far too close to home.

And when Alex is chosen to accompany an agent into live inmate interviews, she’s given a chance her father never Look the monster in the eye, and find out what really happened.

With the past closing in and new evidence emerging from the DNA lab, Alex must decide who to trust, what to believe, and how far she’s willing to go to finish the work that shattered her family.

Because the truth about her father’s case isn’t just buried in the files.

It’s been waiting for his daughter.

  • Genre: Police Procedural, Psychological
  • 390 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published January 21, 2026

ABOUT SABRINA WADE (from Amazon)

Sabrina is a retail pharmacist from the Midwest who has always loved mystery and suspense movies and books. She’s been writing poetry and short stories since grade school and is really excited to start this publishing journey! She hopes to one day meet her favorite screenwriter/producer, M. Knight Shyamalan.

She loves National Parks, hot tubs in cold weather, searching for seashells on the beach, unsweet tea, and chocolate mixed with peanut butter. She lives in Missouri with her husband, three kids, rescue pit bull mix, and tuxedo cat.

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Review – Detour by Jeff Rake & Rob Hart #jeffrake #robhart #detour

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Earth is not the home they left behind.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart is the first book in the science fiction Detour series.

Ryan, a Washington DC policeman, was in the right place at the right time to save John Ward, a billionaire, from assassination. Because of that, John has offered him a chance in a lifetime, to go into space. Myself, I would have said thanks, but no thanks. I can’t imagine being trapped in a tin can, floating through space, hoping nothing goes wrong.

Ryan Crane, Padma Singh, Alonso Cardona, Della Jameson, and Mike Seaver will share their points of view, as they struggle from the aftermath of their trip. Lies and betrayal flow smoothly throughout the story. None of them know what is really going on, so that puts them in danger. Secrets are to be kept…and John Ward will do anything to keep them.

I do have a problem with all the series I get caught up in. Now, I’m hooked and I really want to now what comes next. The suspense and danger increased as the story unfolded, making me curious about where the authors will take the next book in the series. Is it a cliffhanger? Not in an urgent sense of the word, but I will still need to read the next book to find out how the character’s stories end. And, I do want to know. My mind is already running through scenarios. So, Jake and Rob, I hope you are writing fast.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in this emotional, mind-bending thriller from the creator of the hit Netflix series Manifest and the bestselling author of The Warehouse.

“If The Martian and The Twilight Zone had a baby, it would be Detour—a thriller that messes with your head as you scramble to piece together what’s really going on.”—Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

Ryan Crane wasn’t looking for trouble—just a cup of coffee. But when this cop spots a gunman emerging from an unmarked van, he leaps into action and unknowingly saves John Ward, a billionaire with presidential aspirations, from an assassination attempt.

As thanks for Ryan’s quick thinking, Ward offers him the chance of a lifetime: to join a group of lucky civilians chosen to accompany three veteran astronauts on the first manned mission to ******’s moon Titan.

A devoted family man, Ryan is reluctant to leave on this two-year expedition, yet with the encouragement of his loving wife—and an exorbitant paycheck guaranteeing lifetime care for their disabled son—he crews up and ventures into a new frontier.

But as the ship is circling Titan, it is rocked by an unexplained series of explosions. The crew works together to get back on course, and they return to Earth as heroes.

When the fanfare dies down, Ryan and his fellow astronauts notice that things are different. Some changes are good, such as lavish upgrades to their homes, but others are more disconcerting. Before the group can connect, mysterious figures start tailing them, and their communications are scrambled.

Separated and suspicious, the crew must uncover the truth and decide how far they’re willing to go to return to their normal lives. Just when their space adventure seemingly ends, it shockingly begins.

  • Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction
  • 290 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication January 13, 2026 by Random House Worlds

ABOUT JEFF RAKE

Jeff Rake recently served as creator, executive producer, writer, and showrunner for NBC/Netflix’s Manifest. He previously developed and Executive Produced The Mysteries of Laura, which aired for multiple seasons on NBC and in more than 100 countries. His past credits include consulting producer on The CW’s Beauty and the Beast, TNT’s Franklin & Bash and Hawthorne, and Fox’s Bones. Jeff also executive produced ABC’s Cashmere Mafia and Boston Legal. On the feature side, he has written screenplays for MGM and Disney. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and many children.

ABOUT ROB HART

Rob Hart is the author of the USA TODAY bestseller ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS. He also wrote THE PARADOX HOTEL, which was nominated for. Lambda Literary Award, as well as THE WAREHOUSE, which has been sold in more than 20 countries. He also wrote the Ash McKenna crime series, the short story collection TAKE-OUT, the novella SCOTT FREE with James Patterson, and, with Alex Segura, the comic book BLOOD OATH and the novel DARK SPACE.

His short stories have been published widely, including “Due on Batuu,” set in the Star Wars universe, which appeared in FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and “Take-Out,” which appeared in BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2018.

He’s worked as a political reporter, the communications director for a politician, and a commissioner for the city of New York. He is the former publisher at MysteriousPress.com and class director at LitReactor. He lives in Jersey City. Website: http://robwhart.com/

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