Deep in My Soul. Kimberly Brown. 2023. 304 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] The second installment with the Jareau family returns with a deeper dive into a situation first presented in Where Love Blooms. Cartel Jareau has been drawn Adina Harold since he intervened when her husband made a scene in his restaurant a year prior. Adina’s trapped in a toxic, abusive relationship to Dominic, and can’t find her way out. Nonetheless, Cartel remains at the ready to support her, and remains an attentive friend in the meantime. When he literally saves her life after yet another attack from Dominic, it seems like he might finally have his chance to prove that he can be the partner and protector Adina needs. Unfortunately, Adina’s recovery is anything but smooth, and Dominic isn’t so quick to give up his wife. He remains ever present but in the shadows, making sure Adina, Cartel, and the Jareau family know he won’t be easy to get rid of. His character is that of a true villain; unfortunately, he was just as cunning and connected. There’s definitely a dramatic tension where he’s concerned, but it was balanced with a predictable anticipation for me. While reading, I could…

The Expiration Date. Kimberly Brown. 2023. 230 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Serial dater Audrey has a fool-proof system for breaking up with men. On her “expiration dates,” she takes them to her favorite coffee tavern where she can let them down easy and enjoy a spiked hot cocoa for her troubles. That “foolproof” plans works great … until it doesn’t. Sullivan “Sully” Santiago is more than familiar with Audrey’s reputation, having seen it in action for months. And while he’s content to let it continue, he’s not going to let Audrey’s inability to commit mess with his money.  He walked away from an executive level position at the coffee business that made his family billionaires, damaging his relationship with his father in the process. Failure isn’t an option, which Audrey learns the hard way when she gets kicked out after an “expiration date” goes wrong. A chance meeting brings them back into each others’ orbit and the two explore what feels like instant chemistry. All seems to go well until misinterpretation and miscommunication land Audrey with another yet expiration date. Unfortunately, the cut isn’t so clean and the two eventually find their way back to each other with a surprise…

Daddy’s Maybe. Denise Essex. 2023. 197 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] This book was messy as hell. That’s not a terrible thing; it just comes with the territory when the main characters have to live out the adage, “mama’s baby, daddy’s maybe.” Destiny Cooper has settled into a quiet life in her small hometown. She has a career that’s rewarding and three loveable kids, which she holds onto to balance out that she’s accepted the reality of her marriage to a habitually unfaithful man.  Things are shaken up when her high school flame returns home, moving in across the street with his wife and son.  Xavier Grant had no reason to return to Tinsville, but an unexpected – and impossible to pass – opportunity brings him and his family back to face his skeletons, both known and unknown.  With a wife who is going stir-crazy and a son looking for connections after being uprooted, the last thing he needs is a wrench that changes everything he thought he knew about his own past. What sets this book apart is how realistic this plot is. I personally know people whose lives closely mirror the situation Destiny and Xavier found themselves in, and…

The House at the End of the World. Dean Koontz. 2023. Thomas & Mercer. 398 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Katie’s life on the island known as Jacob’s Ladder is peaceful, predictable, and most importantly, private, just the way she’s intended to live out her days. But that’s all turned on its head when she gets unwanted visitors from the nearby island that houses a clandestine government facility. With her sense of safety in isolation shattered, it’s up to her to figure out what’s going on so she can protect herself from yet another tragedy. I purposely didn’t look to heavily into the description before diving into this book; sometimes the fun is in figuring out where exactly an author will take you. Koontz is one author for whom I love this approach. As I started reading, I knew something was off pretty quickly, but the unfolding was an experience. The book is filled with suspense, in an unnerving, paranoid way. Given Katie’s reasons for moving to Jacob’s Latter, this paranoia is less unsettling and more a defense mechanism. One thing I really enjoyed about this book is how Koontz laid breadcrumbs about Katie’s life prior to Jacob’s Ladder. It was…

The Song of Achilles. Madeline Miller. 2012. Ecco. 369 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Madeline Miller’s take on Greek mythology might become my new favorite genre. I was first introduced to her through Circe, and it was a no-brainer when I connected that she also wrote The Song of Achilles. My reading was a hybrid of ebook and audiobook, and neither disappointed. The Song of Achilles is told from the perspective of Patroclus, an “orphaned” prince who finds himself exiled to Phthia. Here, king Peleus takes Patroclus in as a foster child of sorts, and Achilles makes him a companion. The book then follows the pair as Achilles leans into family legacy and training as a soldier. Along the way, they forge a bond that few truly understand, but (most) respect nonetheless. Much of the book takes place during the Trojan War. I’ve seen depictions of the war and its causes over time, but Miller gives an easy-to-understand overview of how exactly these two find themselves square in the middle of the battle, with Achilles as a central part of the struggle not only among the Greeks but also in the battles. It is here that Miller’s writing was most compelling;…