Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2026.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Blurb:  Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now?

My Thoughts:  Oh I loved this one.  This was my first book by this author and it was an absolute delight from start to finish.  I loved all the characters and their relationships and how they evolved over time.  Dolly is a fantastic character who isn't perfect though she tries hard to be and I loved her relationship with Stewart, her family, (especially Gus) and her friends (especially Naomi).   I knew there was going to be a conflict as was kind of dreading it because I liked Dolly and Stewart so much but it really enhanced the book and the characters.  The audiobook version is narrated by Julia Whalen who as always does a phenomenal job.  This was a fantastic summer read (or listen) that made me smile and sometimes tear up a bit.  I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.  My Rating: Loved It (5 Stars)

Top Ten Tuesday - Summer TBR

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 Summer TBR.  I love making seasonal TBRs!  Am I best about sticking to them? Not in the slightest but I like pretending I will.

1.  The Secret Thread by Eve Chase - This looks creepy and eerie and like quite the page turner.  I read another book by this author years ago and really enjoyed it so I'm excited to pick this one up.

2.  Enter the Nightmare by Jayne Castle - The books in this series are always just a fever dream of a good time and I'm looking forward revisiting the world Castle has created.

3.  The Woman in White by Sarah Pekkanen - I've read several books by this author written with another author and always really enjoyed them so I'm excited to read this one.  Plus, it sounds like an exciting read.

4.  The Moonsingers by Robin J. Pritzker - This is listed as a cozy fairytale which sounds absolutely perfect right now.  

5.  Probably Caws by Donna Andrews - I can't make a TBR list without a cozy on it!  This is one of my favorite chaotic mystery series and I'm looking forward to seeing what craziness Meg gets up to next.

6.  Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen - I love this author and her books make for perfect summer reading so I'm so excited about this newest one!

7.  Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett - This is on my priority list this year and involves ghosts and romantic suspense so it sounds perfect for summer reading!

8.  The Third to Die by Allison Brennan - Allison Brennan is on my Authors to Read list and I'm really looking forward to this mystery.

9.  The Luck Runs Out by Charlotte Macleod - I'm pulling this mystery off my classics list for the summer.  I really enjoyed the first book in this series and Macleod always delivers a solid mystery.

10. Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst - I'm so excited for this one.  I've loved the previous two books in the series and I loved the main character in this one when I met her in book 2.  

What are you planning to read this summer?

When You Loved Me - Fiction Review

Goodreads: When You Loved Me by Beatriz Williams

Rating: Really Liked It
Source: Publisher

Description: Local history insists that a legendary pirate buried his treasure somewhere beneath Windward, the decayed Cooper estate on Winthrop Island, but Lucy Cooper never trusted the fable that broke her family apart. When a widowed Lucy returns with her young daughter to grieve her estranged father, she discovers the property’s buried under a mountain of debt, and Ben Ressler has just turned up on her doorstep.

Thirteen summers ago, a teenaged Lucy never meant to fall in love with Ben, a Dartmouth football star vacationing next door at the Peabody estate, and the object of an all-consuming crush by Laura Peabody, Lucy’s best friend. Those two weeks with Ben were the best and worst of Lucy’s life, dooming her friendship with Laura. Now Ben’s returned to live quietly in the Peabodys’ caretaker lodge, after a fatal accident ended his dazzling NFL career. He’s also the last person who saw Lucy’s father alive.

As Lucy reconstructs her father’s troubling final days, she uncovers his research on the frozen winter of 1717, when a desperately wounded pirate sought refuge on Winthrop Island with an enigmatic healer. To Lucy, this history points the way to a different kind of how to forgive yourself for the mistakes of the past and earn a second chance at love. But just as Lucy’s long-buried emotions sear to the surface, a shocking turn of events reveals that someone else on the island will do whatever it takes to claim the fabled plunder.

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book: I've enjoyed other books from this author and loved the last book set in Winthrop Island.

My Impression: I really enjoyed this read.  Winthrop Island has a complex and sometimes dark history and I really enjoyed getting another peek into it.  This time we see events unfold in the early 1700s as a family battles both pirates and a blizzard and tries to survive.  The bulk of the book takes place in modern day as Lucy and her daughter Elise (aka Punkin) returns to Winthrop Island after the disappearance and suspected death of her father.  

There she reunites with Ben, the guy who got away who has had a tough time of it himself.   I was pulled in not only by their story but also what was happening around them.  It took Lucy a bit too long to realize something was not as it should be but she is pretty overwhelmed though I did get frustrated in her handling of a few aspects that seemed far more serious than she treated them.  The reveal was nicely done and a bit of a surprise and I very much enjoyed getting there.

Williams' books are frequently linked together which can make them confusing at times.  I am glad I read the previous book (Under the Stars) but haven't read any of the previous books set on the island and had no trouble keeping up with everything.  I am really looking forward to reading the previous books that took place on Winthrop Island though.

This was a good read with mostly likable characters, a poignant history featuring pirates, and an interesting mystery.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Definitely!  I want to do a bit of a dive into her backlist and read more Winthrop Island books as well as finally finishing the Schuyler sisters books.  

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy books with multiple timelines and interesting history this is a good choice though I would pick up Under the Stars first.

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

Colour Scheme - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads: Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh

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

Description: Often regarded as her most interesting book and set on New Zealand's North Island, Ngaio Marsh herself considered this to be her best-written novel. It was a horrible death -- Maurice Questing was lured into a pool of boiling mud and left there to die. Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn, far from home on a wartime quest for German agents, knew that any number of people could have killed the English exiles he'd hated, the New Zealanders he'd despised or the Maoris he'd insulted. Even the spies he'd thwarted -- if he wasn't a spy himself!

Genre: Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:  This is the next Marsh book I had on my shelf.  

My Impression: I think this is the first Marsh book I've read that she set in her native New Zealand and I really enjoyed it.  It definitely has a different feel from her traditional English village mysteries but her ability to draw unique and interesting characters is the same.  This book was published in 1943 so I was expecting some datedness regarding different cultures, but I was pleasantly surprised.  There is a clear difference between the British Claire family and their guests and the local Māori community but there is a lot of respect between the two groups as well as appreciation for the Māori culture and traditions.   Though they are a little horrified by Simon Claire's strong New Zealand accent.  Marsh has a very dry and sometimes sly sense of humor, and this is very much on point in this book - especially with Dr. Ackrington and Geoffrey Gaunt.  

It takes quite awhile for the actual murder to happen but there is a growing sense of unease as the story develops.  Something is definitely not right at this out of the way resort and it's more than just the Claire family's casual incompetence.   Marsh can get a little overly indirect with her details which took away some of the impact when the death happens.  As well, I'm not quite sure how I felt about the relationship that develops between two of the characters.  

This is an enjoyable mystery and definitely a bit different from the typical classic mystery.  This isn't my favorite Marsh mystery so far, but I did enjoy it.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I'm looking forward to reading more of her mysteries.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you're a mystery fan this is an interesting read and one worth picking up.

Friday Fives - Five Books By Some of My Favorite Authors I Have Yet to Read

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. My focus this year is on my favorites and right now I'm looking at some of my favorite authors and what books by them that I haven't read yet.

1.  Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts - I avoided some of her more fantasy books because that isn't my usual genre but lately I've been enjoying fantasy books more and more so I'm looking forward to picking this trilogy up.  Roberts' books aren't always 5 stars but they're always satisfying.

2.  The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor - This book has been on so many of my want to read lists since it came out.  I have really enjoyed everything I've read by this author but somehow this one just never quite gets to the top of the list.  

3.  Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry - I love this author's books and a previous one involving Lewis (Once Upon a Wardrobe) is on my Top Ten Favorite books.  I don't always love historical fiction that focuses on actual people but this author has yet to let me down so I have high hopes.

4.  At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber - I love Heather Webber's books and have a few on her backlist to read.  This may be the one I pick up this summer.

5.  Fool Errant by Patricia Wentworth - I've read most of Wentworth's books and at least met all of her main characters - except for Benbow Smith. I need to hunt down some of her earlier books and this one is top of my list.

Recipe Thursday: SkinnyTaste's Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken

One of my goals for 2026 is to sort through all the recipes I have laying around tucked into folders and notebooks as well as my gigantic Pinterest/food blog collection that hasn't been touched in years.  I've been having quite a good time with it.  I enjoy cooking but it can become a chore pretty easily and this has made it a lot more fun for me as I feel like I'm working on a project.   Around here we've taken to calling it Recipe Thunderdome as all recipes have to be auditioned before earning their place in the final recipe binder. 

*For context I'm a reasonably capable home cook but one who is often trying to multitask and who is pretty much completely self-taught. *

Cookbooks aren't exempt from the Thunderdome and here's this week's candidate from The Skinnytaste Cookbook by Gina Homolka

Slow-Cooker Santa Fe Chicken

1 (14.4 oz) can Swanson 99% fat free chicken broth

1 (15 oz) can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

2 c frozen corn kernels

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies (ie Rotel)

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

3 scallions, chopped

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 1/4 t ground cumin

1 t cayenne pepper

1/4 t kosher salt

1 1/2 lb chicken breasts

In a slow cooker, combine the broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cayenne.  Season the chicken with salt and lay it on top.  Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.

Thirty minutes before serving, remove the chicken, shred it with two forks and return it to the slow cooker.  

Changes:  I left out the cilantro because I hate cilantro with a fiery passion and the corn because somehow, I completely forgot to pick it up at the grocery store and didn't realize it until I was in the middle of putting this together.

Thoughts on Recipe Difficulty: Super easy.  I pretty much just dumped everything in the slow cooker and walked away for 6 hours.  

Cook Time:  Prep time is maybe 10 minutes plus another 5 to shred the chicken

Served With: Cornbread

Results:  This was good, flavorful and super easy.  I definitely won't forget the corn next time as I think the texture and the touch of sweetness would really make it better.  This made enough for 2 of us to have a dinner and then enough leftovers for at least another meal without ending up with a vat of soup.  

Verdict: Survived! 

Whose Body in the Library - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Whose Body in the Library (Lighthouse Library Mystery #13) by Eva Gates

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

Description:  While Lucy McNeil is enjoying her new job as the mother of twin boys and library director, new librarian Nichelle Gilchrest has just arrived at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, reporting for duty. But life throws a wrench on Nichelle’s first day when she finds a body on the steps–a body that bears a startling resemblance to her father who disappeared on a fishing trip to the Outer Banks thirty-eight years ago.

Fingerprints confirm the dead body is indeed Nichelle’s father, now living in Nags Head under the name Brian Saunders. Brian had been befriending older lonely women in exchange for money, but was he working alone?

Detective Rhonda Thomas is on the case and the suspect list is only getting longer. Sorting through the wronged women and their relatives, Detective Thomas discovers Nichelle’s own brother Brad had been in Nags Head a few days before the murder happened and has been lying about his whereabouts.

Hoping to clear her brother’s name, Nichelle decides to investigate what happened. With seasoned sleuth Lucy’s gentle encouragement for the amateur, Nichelle is in for an exciting and dangerous first week at the library.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book: I've really enjoyed this series so far and the premise of this one with a new main character was intriguing.  

My Impression: I've been a big fan of this series since the beginning, so I was super excited to pick this latest book up.  I was intrigued by the idea of a new primary character with the addition of Nichelle and was really pleased with the result.  With long running cozy series (and probably any series) you can get a certain sameness the later it gets into the series.  This was very cleverly done.  There's the same setting and side characters that I've grown to love over the years though some roles have changed but a new perspective on it all.  The mystery was also a good choice for this new path and it gives the reader a good chance to get to know Nichelle and her backstory but in a way that shows and not tells.  

I really like Nichelle and enjoyed watching her learn her way around town.  The mystery kept me hooked and I wasn't sure how it was going to work out.  I thoroughly enjoyed getting there. I'm hoping there will be more books in the future as Nichelle is a great lead character and I'm looking forward to seeing more develop with the other side characters - especially Sam (the former lead detective) as he gets used to retirement.  

This is a fun cozy mystery series with a great beachy AND bookish setting.  It has a fun group of side characters and a great sense of community.   It is probably best read in order but you could jump in just with this one without too much issue.  If you're a fan of cozy mysteries this series is a fun one.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I've really enjoyed every book in this series and am excited to see the next book.  

Would I Recommend this Book? If you are a cozy mystery fan this is a must not miss series.  

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