Archive for April, 2026

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

Published April 28, 2026 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery

In this modern day retelling of Little Women, the story opens with Beth being found dead in the woods after a New Year’s Eve Party. Each chapter focuses on a different character so the reader gets to see how each sister and friend handle the aftermath of her brutal death. The March sisters vow to find out who might have hurt their beloved sisters, but as they all begin to recount their final moments with her it becomes obvious that they all had motives. To complicate things further, in this retelling Mr. March, the girls’ father, had written Little Women about all of their lives and in his version Beth died. This had caused public outrage for fans of Beth who felt she deserved better. Even Beth herself felt like she had to show everyone that her life was worth living. After the backlash from the book, Mr. March moved to the woods to let things die down, but no one has been able to reach him since. They very much want him to come home at this terrible time for the family. Beth’s boyfriend and their childhood neighbor both take the news of Beth’s death very hard as well, but are they both telling everything they know about that fateful night? Can the March sisters find out who killed Beth? Will they ever find out where their father is? Will they ever truly be able to move forward without Beth as their moral guide?

This retelling is modern, fresh, and suspenseful. There are some changes made by the author to the original story that may not sit well with readers who love the original, but for the most part readers will find it to be a fun new twist on an old classic. The characters are all developed fully, including Beth. They are all individuals who have their own opinions and motivations and are never confused with each other in the story. The clues to the mystery keep getting more and more interesting as it becomes obvious that everyone has a really good secret they do not want anyone to find out, but are they secrets worth killing over? The ending is both exciting and satisfying for mystery readers and will leave everyone feeling like they know these characters whether or not they are familiar with the original.

Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts

Published April 21, 2026 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Fantasy

Tilla was raised by a father with a royal title, Lord Kent of the Western Province. Things were good for Tilla until he remarried and had legitimate children. After that point she was technically provided for, but he spent less and less time with her. She didn’t mind spending time with the other royal bastards (especially her half brother, Jax), but often wished her father would visit her like he did in the old days. When Princess Lyriana comes for a visit, Tilla is shocked when she chooses to sit at the bastards’ table. They end up agreeing to meet Princess Lyriana later to show her the tunnels under the castle and have a bit of fun, but end up witnessing a coup! They all manage to escape, but are now on the run from Tilla’s father and others of his loyal subjects who participated in the coup. Tilla isn’t sure if she can trust her father not to kill her for what she saw, but she does feel a responsibility to Princess Lyriana, whom she knows was supposed to die that night had she been where she was supposed to be. Can they get the princess across the country to warn the king of the threat coming his way? Will they be any more accepted by the King than they were back home? Will Tilla and her friends ever be regarded as more than just a bastard?

This is the first in a series and contains a very interesting setup. The royal bastards are not treated terribly well in their kingdom, but they still have some benefits over servants as long as they don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves. As they have gotten older they have questioned what their role will be as adults, but their royal parents are not keen to discuss much of anything with them let alone future plans. When the Princess comes to visit it becomes painfully clear that when the kingdoms merged there were still many people who wished they had stayed separate and have been planning their chance to break away this entire time. This of course leads Tilla to wonder if her father has merely kept her around to help with this coup he has been planning or if he truly cares for her. Meanwhile, the other bastards are dealing with their own insecurities, but for the good of them all they vow to band together to help the princess. Can they really get to safety when everyone they ever cared about is trying to hunt them down? Recommended for readers who enjoy fantasy series.

The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn

Published April 14, 2026 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery

Holly is pulled into a very high profile wedding after her mentor Simone, the previous bridesmaid, is found dead in one of the wedding dress choices at a rehearsal. The Kensington family is wealthy and powerful, but even they are struggling to understand how something so tragic could happen at such a happy time for them. Adrianna’s, the bride’s, fiancee hires Holly to look into the matter, but quickly gets pulled in as a replacement bridesmaid in the hopes she can uncover the truth. Adrianna is especially freaked out because years earlier she had been kidnapped for days and the details are eerily similar to how Simone were found. Holly gets close to a detective working the case with her, but their styles are very different and she isn’t sure how compatible they are working the case together. Meanwhile, Adrianna’s father, Leopold, is determined the wedding go on as scheduled at the family owned island where a private school once stood. After arriving at the island, Holly notices both how secluded they truly are and some Kensington family secrets from the past she thinks might have led to Simone’s death. Can Holly uncover all of the Kensington’s secrets before the killer strikes again? Is she safe on the Kensington owned island where no one can get to her for miles? Will she ever understand how Adrianna chose her bridesmaid’s in the first place?

This mystery story is perfect for a vacation read because it is exciting and engaging, but also moves quickly and the ending is satisfying. Readers looking for a quick, fun read will enjoy this title as the mystery kicks off right away in the story. Holly’s character is unique and clever as she stands out from other more generic detectives in stories. Her appearance, specialty, and even background help her stay memorable should she appear in any future books. The characters definitely all have their own secrets and when they are finally revealed they are pretty shocking and unexpected. Fans of mystery books will be pleasantly surprised a the conclusion.

Rings of Fate by Melissa De La Cruz

Published April 7, 2026 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Aren has been running her father’s tavern and getting her twin sisters’ ready for the prince’s upcoming visit all on her own. She is used to acting alone since her mother’s death. Her father is too sick and frail and her sisters are so beautiful they need to be protected at all costs. When Prince Dietan finally arrives, Aren is surprised that he doesn’t seem that interested in meeting a potential princess, which is supposed to be the purpose of his trip. Nearby kingdoms are threatening to attack and if he were to find a suitable princess a war could possibly be avoided between the countries. Instead, Dietan wants to know where a reclusive witch lives and Aren knows he will need help if he wants to find her. Meanwhile, Aren is attacked on her way back to the tavern and Dietan arrives to save her, while clearly using magical means. She learns he has a secret that has been plaguing him for years and if he can’t find someone to help him the secret will probably kill him. In order to travel and try to find a solution to his curse, he needs a bride by his side to help explain his tour around the country. Now that Aren has found suitable matches for her sisters she desperately wants to see outside their town and this could be her chance. She agrees to pose as Dietan’s bride to be, but as they continue to head toward danger and enemies on all sides, they begin to form an attraction for real. Can Aren help Dietan break the terrible Rings of Fate curse? Can they ever truly be together? Is their alliance meant to be?

This engaging fantasy story pulls the reader in from the beginning because Aren is such a great character. She can do it all: run the tavern, run the family home, and take care of everyone. Yet, when she is attacked she cannot fight them on her own and is grateful when Dieten steps in. He gives her the possibility of being able to explore and be something other than the person everyone has come to rely on. While she loves her family, she definitely feels like everything is resting on her shoulders and she isn’t sure this is the life she really wants. Dietan, on the other hand, has huge expectations on him as well, but the curse has limited him in every way. If he could find a way to break the curse he might be able to truly fulfill his true leadership potential. As their journey begins it becomes obvious that they need each other in order to attain their goals. Romantasy readers will devour this story.

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