The Shop on Hidden Lane - Suspense Review

Goodreads: The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret.

Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and his uncle have been sleeping together—and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the last traces of them are at the scene of a murder soaked in negative paranormal energy. Clearly, someone is willing to kill to obtain the secret their families have been charged with protecting. Despite their mutual distrust, which, as far as Sophy is concerned extends to Luke’s hellhound of a dog, they both know that the terms of the pact must be honored.

Their investigation uncovers a psychic trail leading to a bizarre desert art colony where nothing is as it seems. But Luke and Sophy are concealing a few secrets, too. By a strange twist of fate, a Harper and a Wells have no choice but to trust each other and the fierce attraction that is binding them as surely as the pact between the families.

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Why I Picked This Book:  I've really enjoyed this series and this author so of course I had to read this one!

My Impression:  This was a fun read with adventure, feuds, crazy villains, and a dog with some special powers.  The book gets going right away with Sophy and Luke trying to figure out what happened to their relatives who seem to have been in a relationship despite a generations long family feud.  Sophy and Luke are both highly motivated to find out what happened and have complimentary skills so like it or not they are now a team.  

I love a teamwork plot and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Sophy and Luke.  I also really liked that while they are attracted to each other they never forget that they're in the middle of an investigation where time really matters.  The dog, Bruce, is my absolute favorite part.  He doesn't talk and we don't see his thought process but he has a big personality that definitely makes himself known. 

The mystery was interesting with strong paranormal motives and the pacing was excellent as I could definitely feel the clock ticking as the book went on.  This was a fun read from start to finish with plenty of tension, suspense, and even a touch of humor (mostly from Bruce).  I always enjoy Krentz's books and I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  Krentz writes some of my favorite escapist reading books and I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you like a bit of escapist reading and enjoy paranormal romantic suspense this is a fun read that I definitely recommend - though maybe start with the first book in the series.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - My Ten Favorite Books I read in 2025

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Ten Favorite Books Read in 2025.  I'm going with books I read in 2025 regardless of year published though I am not counting rereads.  

1.  The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber - I loved this one and stayed up super late one night finishing the book.  This was just an absolute delight from beginning to end.

2.  The Dressmakers of London by Julia Kelly - Julia Kelly is quickly becoming a must read author for me. I loved this one and it dealt with an issue of wartime scarcity that had never occurred to me.  

3.  The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center - I adored this story from beginning to end and the audio was fantastic.

4.  The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - I enjoyed this quiet book story about  a group of people reliving their most important memories through a particular dish - and two tenacious food detectives determined to figure out just what that dish was .

5.  The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick - Patick was one of my must read authors for the year and I loved this one - especially the audio format.  Imogen Church is one of my favorite narrators and it was fun listening to her read something other than a thriller.

6.  The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - I expected to enjoy this one but I absolutely adored it.  The audio was especially good and I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

7.  The Keeper of the Lost Art by Laura Morelli - This one broke my heart and was a bit unusual for a World War II homefront story though as the main character is a young girl and it is set in Italy.

8.  Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto - This was a bit darker than the previous book but Vera still shines.

9.  Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon - I love a story involving found family or a family coming together and this was all that with a side of murder mystery solving.

10. Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley - I loved that not only did Worsley tell Christie's story she did an amazing job putting both her life and work in context of the time period Christie was living in.

What were some of your favorite books for 2025?

The Storm - Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…

Genre: Mystery 

Why I Picked This Book:  I've enjoyed other books by this author and this one looked intriguing

My Impression: This book takes place in an area I'm super familiar with which is always an added bit of fun to the book.  While St. Medard's Bay is a fictional town there are several small beach towns in Baldwin County, Alabama and I happen to have quite a bit of family in one of them.  Hawkins does a good job of capturing the feel of small town beach living - the weird stories and legends, the way heat affects residents and visitors, the attitudes towards hurricanes, and the constant issues of property damage both due to environment and the weather.  Geneva is a likable main character.  She's so overwhelmed at times she's not sure she's going to make it but she can't make herself give up.  When August Fletcher shows up with Lo Bailey in tow to spend the summer writing a book about a scandalous case that changed the little Bay town and Lo's life forever, it feels a bit like a gift.  

Lo is a complicated character and until the very end I wasn't quite sure how the story would end - and what the story actually was.  I guessed one or two of the twists but there were several surprises and I couldn't have guessed how everything would unravel.  

This was a fast paced complex read with a satisfying ending that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I'm looking forward to reading more from this author and I'll think of St. Medard's Bay next time I'm at the beach!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I really enjoyed this one and have several books by Rachel Hawkins on my TBR.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Yes! If you enjoy atmospheric mysteries with a bit of a twist this is a good read.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Week in Reading - January 4

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Nothing Yet!  I did place an order over at Thrift Books but since they haven't arrived it doesn't count.

Currently:

Reading:  Someone to Care by Mary Balogh and The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

Slow Read:  Brought to Book by Antonia Fraser

Listening:  The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

Watching:  911, Lone Star 911, and VERY slowly Death in Paradise on BritBox.  I'm watching this one with my husband and we watch an episode or 2 a week so it's taking us awhile.

Off the Blog:

2026 is off to a quiet start which is heavenly.  I'm loving my books and have been enjoying all the TV I'm watching.  Tomorrow I'm back to my regular life and it'll be good to be back to routine though I do enjoy the slower pace of between the holidays.

I have two non-bookish projects going for this first quarter.  The first is to get my office organized and decorated in a way that makes me happy and is useful.  I'm also trying to get all of my favorite recipes in one location to make things easier.  It's slow going but it'll be nice when it's done.

Have a great week and happy reading!

Last Monthly Recap of 2025 - December

Monthly Reading Total: 31 - A lot of these books were started in previous months so December was mostly finishing up books I had already started.

Type:

Print: 12

Ebook:  8

Audio: 11

Genre:

Mystery - 25

Fiction - 6

Favorite Books of the Month:

The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves- I expected to enjoy this one but was surprised by how much I did.  The audio especially was really good.

A Chapter of Accidents by L.M. Montgomery - This isn't my favorite collection of short stories but any newly published collection is going to be a winner.

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A Grave Deception by Connie Berry - I really love this mystery series and I really enjoyed this one.

This Month's Armchair Travel

Domestic Travel:  No new states but I did visit California (three times), Massachusetts (twice), New York, Georgia, Maine, Arizona, Ohio (twice), Alabama

International Travel: England (ten times), Canada, Italy, France, Japan, Scotland, and the Atlantic Ocean

How was your reading for December?

Friday Fives - January TBR

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. Since this is the first Friday in January, I'm planning my January TBR.  Here are 5 books I plan on reading in January. 

1.  A Spirited Supper at Dundoon Castle by Darci Hannah - I enjoyed the first book in this series and I'm really curious to see how the series develops.

2.  We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida - I've really been enjoying Japanese cozy fiction and just the title of this one makes me smile.

3.  Panic Button by Kylie Logan - This is the next book in a short series that centers on a button shop and its owner (who has a tendency to stumble over dead bodies).  It looks like a fun cozy.

4.  The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams - This is set in post-war Bahamas and looks fantastic.  Plus, I could you a bit of warmth - even if it's from a book!

5.  Murder in the Crypt by Irina Shapiro - Audible Plus Catalog got rid of the bulk of the books I want to read so I'm trying to focus on finishing up the ones I do want to listen to this month.

What are you hoping to read in January?

First Books for 2026

 

I can't believe it's 2026!  Last year wasn't my best reading year in multiple ways so this year I'm focusing on favorites.  Favorite authors, favorite rereads, favorite tropes or just books that I genuinely think I'll love.  Here are the books I'm starting out the year with.

Print Book:

Someone to Care by Mary Balogh - This is a series that I've really been enjoying and this is the next book in the series.  This one involves the mother of the Westcott family and I'm really looking forward to reading her story.

Ebook:

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz - I enjoy this series and this is a side character that I'm looking forward to knowing more about.

Audio Book:

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst - I adored the first book in this series and am so looking forward to listening to this one.

Slow Read:

Brought to Book by Anthea Fraser - This book has been on my TBR for years and looks like a good classic mystery.