Inside Job (Gabriel Allon #25)

Inside Job by Daniel Silva is the 25th book in the Gabriel Allon series.

Sometimes the only way to recover a stolen masterpiece is to steal it back …

Gabriel Allon has been awarded a commission to restore one of the most important paintings in Venice. But when he discovers the body of a mysterious woman floating in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon, he finds himself in a desperate race to recover a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

The painting, a portrait of a beautiful young girl, has been gathering dust in a storeroom at the Vatican Museums for more than a century, misattributed and hidden beneath a worthless picture by an unknown artist. Because no one knows that the Leonardo is there, no one notices when it disappears one night during a suspicious power outage. No one but the ruthless mobsters and moneymen behind the theft – and the mysterious woman whom Gabriel found in a watery grave in Venice. A woman without a name. A woman without a face.

Silva is a great writer, pulling readers in on the first page and holding them until the last. 

Silva, Daniel. (2025). Inside Job. New York: Harper.

The Last Wizard's Ball (Gunnie Rose #6)

The Last Wizard's Ball by Charlaine Harris is the sixth book in her alternate history / wester / magic series about a gunslinger in a very different old west.

Lizbeth Rose's sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards' Ball, and as one of the most powerful - and beautiful - death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia . . . and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

Harris has written another addictive series! 

The Oleander Sword (Burning Kingdoms #2)

The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri is the second book in the Burning Kingdoms fantasy series. 

The prophecy of the nameless god - the words that declared Malini the rightful empress of Parijatdvipa - has proven a blessing and curse. She is determined to claim the throne that fate offered her. But even with the strength of the rage in her heart and the army of loyal men by her side, deposing her brother is going to be a brutal and bloody fight.

The power of the deathless waters flows through Priya's blood. Thrice born priestess, Elder of Ahiranya, Priya's dream is to see her country rid of the rot that plagues it: both Parijatdvipa's poisonous rule, and the blooming sickness that is slowly spreading through all living things. But she doesn't yet understand the truth of the magic she carries.

Their chosen paths once pulled them apart. But Malini and Priya's souls remain as entwined as their destinies. And they soon realize that coming together is the only way to save their kingdom from those who would rather see it burn - even if it will cost them.

Suri has created a cast of strong women who are fighting back. This is a good second book in a series. Yes, there is war, but it is also forwards the character paths and leaves readers on edge for what comes next.

Suri, Tasha. (2022). The Oleander Sword. New York: Orbit.

Wake Up, Nat & Darcy (Puck Struck series #1)

Wake Up with Nat & Darcy by Kate Cochrane is the story of two ice hockey rivals learning to work together. This is the first book in the Puck Struck romance series.

Cut from the US women's hockey team right before her third chance at gold, Natalie Carpenter is scrambling for a plan that'll help her avoid moving back home. The answer: a guest-hosting gig on Wake Up, USA's winter games coverage. Her cohost: Darcy LaCroix, Nat's ex-girlfriend, one-time college teammate turned adversary.

Since leaving Team Canada, Darcy has worked hard to make a name in broadcasting. If her big break requires sharing screen time with the former cocky freshman who turned her world upside down, so be it.

At this point, there's nothing between them except history.

But audiences disagree. #PuckingHotties is trending hard, and Nat and Darcy agree to lean into it – for ratings, obviously. It's not like Nat can forget the way Darcy broke her heart or their bitter team rivalry.

Between working, travelling together and that irresistible spark, it's getting hard to separate what's real and what's for the camera. Because somewhere underneath everything that went wrong is the sneaking suspicion that nothing will ever feel quite this right again.

Cochrane, Kate. (2024). Wake Up, Nat & Darcy. Toronto, Carina Press.

The Book of Phoenix

The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor is a science fiction book in which one modified, magical woman fights to set things right in a world gone wrong.

Phoenix was grown and raised among other genetic experiments in New York’s Tower 7. She is an “accelerated woman”—only two years old but with the body and mind of an adult, Phoenix’s abilities far exceed those of a normal human. Still innocent and inexperienced in the ways of the world, she is content living in her room speed reading e-books, running on her treadmill, and basking in the love of Saeed, another biologically altered human of Tower 7.

Then one evening, Saeed witnesses something so terrible that he takes his own life. Devastated by his death and Tower 7’s refusal to answer her questions, Phoenix finally begins to realize that her home is really her prison, and she becomes desperate to escape.

But Phoenix’s escape, and her destruction of Tower 7, is just the beginning of her story. Before her story ends, Phoenix will travel from the United States to Africa and back, changing the entire course of humanity’s future.

The Book of Phoenix is a prequel to She Who Fears Death. Okorafor has a unique style of story that I find un-put-down-able. 

Okorafor, Nnedi. (2015). The Book of Phoenix. New York: DAW. 

Count Your Lucky Stars (Written in the Stars #3)

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur is the third book in the Written in the Stars romance series.

Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found "the one" and she’s beginning tofeel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.

Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married... and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.

When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?

Bellefleur is a great queer romance writer. Read one of her books today.

Bellefleur, Alexandria. (2022). Count Your Lucky Stars. New York: Avon.

The Jasmine Throne (Burning Kingdoms #1)

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri is the first book in her Burning Kingdoms series. 

Exiled by her despotic brother, princess Malini spends her days dreaming of vengeance while imprisoned in the Hirana: an ancient cliffside temple that was once the revered source of the magical deathless waters but is now little more than a decaying ruin.
 
The secrets of the Hirana call to Priya. But in order to keep the truth of her past safely hidden, she works as a servant in the loathed regent’s household and cleaning Malini’s chambers.
 
When Malini witnesses Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a ruthless princess seeking to steal a throne. The other a powerful priestess desperate to save her family. Together, they will set an empire ablaze.

Suri has created a great fantasy world filled with magic, political intrigue, and a story of revenge.

Suri, Tasha. (2021). The Jasmine Throne. New York: Orbit.

Hang the Moon (Written in the Stars #2)

Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur is the second book in the Written in the Stars romance series set in Seattle.

In a delightful follow-up to Written in the Stars, Alexandria Bellefleur delivers another queer rom-com about a hopeless romantic who vows to show his childhood crush that romance isn’t dead by recreating iconic dates from his favorite films...

Brendon Lowell loves love. It’s why he created a dating app to help people find their one true pairing and why he’s convinced “the one” is out there, even if he hasn’t met her yet. Or... has he? When his sister's best friend turns up in Seattle unexpectedly, Brendon jumps at the chance to hang out with her. He’s crushed on Annie since they were kids, and the stars have finally aligned, putting them in the same city at the same time.

Annie booked a spur-of-the-moment trip to Seattle to spend time with friends before moving across the globe. She’s not looking for love, especially with her best friend’s brother. Annie remembers Brendon as a sweet, dorky kid. Except, the 6-foot-4 man who shows up at her door is a certified Hot Nerd and Annie... wants him? Oh yes.

Getting involved would be a terrible idea—her stay is temporary and he wants forever—but when Brendon learns Annie has given up on dating, he’s determined to prove that romance is real. Taking cues from his favorite rom-coms, Brendon plans to woo her with elaborate dates straight out of Nora Ephron’s playbook. The clock is ticking on Annie’s time in Seattle, and Brendon’s starting to realize romance isn’t just flowers and chocolate. But maybe real love doesn’t need to be as perfect as the movies... as long as you think your partner hung the moon.

Bellefleur, Alexandria. (2021). Hang the Moon. New York: Avon.

Written in the Stars (Written in the Stars #1)

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur is a lesbian romance set in Seattle. Book one in the trio of the same name.

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

Darcy begs Elle to play along and she agrees to pretend they’re dating. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family during the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a faux relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

Bellefleur, Alexandria. (2020). Written in the Stars. New York: Avon

Christmas Notch Romance Series

The Christmas Notch romance series by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone is a fun read any time of the year. Books: A Merry Little Meet Cute; A Holly Jolly Ever After; A Jingle Bell Mingle, plus novellas!

Centered around three members of a boy band, years after their retirement, this series is funny, hot as hell, and super queer even though the main romances are m-f. 

If you like romance, erotica or Christmas, read these fun books.

Murphy, Julie and Sierra Simone. 

Love and Other Disasters (Nashville Love #1)

 

Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly is the first book in their Nashville Love romance series. 

Chef's Special cooking show is filming its eighth season. Contestants come from all over the country to participate.

Dahlia Woodson has not been cooking for long. It is something she has been exploring for the last two years, since her divorce. She loves to cook. Also, the hundred thousand dollar prize would get her out of debt and give her a chance to figure out what to do next. 

London Parker has been cooking for years. Their twin, Julie, has encouraged them along the way. If they win, they are going to open an LGBTQ nonprofit in Nashville. But the first set is coming out as nonbinary to the camera.

Kelly's books are both sweet and super hot. Their characters are well written and fleshed out. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite queen authors.

Kelly, Anita. (2022). Love & Other Disasters. New York: Forever Books.

The Gods Below (Hollow Covenant #1)

The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart is the first book in her Hollow Covenant fantasy series. 

After the world was shattered, a man went down to the realm of the gods near the center of the planet. Most gods ignored him, but Kluehnn made a deal. He would restore the kingdoms to lush, plentiful lands. But he would also change the people to be better for the planet.

Harara and Rasha are sisters. They are on their own since their mother and grandmother died. Hakara dives for fish and abalone to eat and sell. Rasha is only nine. But the restoration is coming soon - a wall of darkness that will transform some people into altered. Others will disappear forever. 

In the next kingdom of Langzu the land is dying. The people hold onto their ways. The rich hording wealth and the rest just trying to survive. 

Told from different points of view, Stewart introduces us to her world. This is GREAT fantasy book. Put it on your reading list and wait impatiently with me for the next book!

Stewart, Andrea. (2024). The Gods Below. New York: Orbit.

Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1)

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala is the first book in her Tita Rosie's Kitchen culinary cozy mystery series.

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she's the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila's left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block… [fantastic fiction]

Manansala, Mia P. (2021). Arsenic and Adobo. New York: Berkeley Prime Crime.

Something Wild & Wonderful (Nashville Love #2)

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly, from her Nashville Love romance series, takes place over about a thousand miles of the Pacific Coast Trail. 

Ben is hiking the PCT for two reasons. First, his dad always took in hiking and bird watching. And second, his parents have disowned since he came out to them as gay. His goal is to use the solitude to think about what he wants to do next - likely involving moving away from southern Washington where his parents live. 

Alexi is hiking the PCT as a challenge and a celebration. He just completed nursing school and wants to do this before he dives in to work. He is also grieving a loved one he recently lost. 

Ben and Alexi meet when Ben stops a hiker from stepping on a rattlesnake. When the group meets up again at one of the popular towns along side the trail, Alexi asks Ben if he can hike with him for a while. 

Kelly has written a wonderful queer romance series set around a group of friends from Nashville. These books are sweet, hot and fun.

Kelly, Anita. (2023). Something Wild &Wonderful. New York: Forever books.

A Death in Cornwall (Gabriel Allon #24)

A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva is the 24th book in the Gabriel Allon series - following the life of an art restorer and now-retired Mossad agent. 

Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into London to attend a reception at the Courtauld Gallery celebrating the return of a stolen self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh. But when an old friend from the Devon and Cornwall Police seeks his help with a baffling murder investigation, he finds himself pursuing a powerful and dangerous new adversary.

This is my favorite thriller/mystery/espionage series. Gabriel Allon is a great character. Daniel Silva is an amazing writer. If you like books, check out this series.

Silva, Daniel. (2024). A Death in Cornwall. New York: Harper.

Thieves' Gambit (Book #1)

Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis is the first book in an adventure series about a group of teen thieves. 

Ross Quest is the latest generation of her family of thieves. Somehow, along with pulling of heists around the world, Ross has little freedom. She is considering running away to a camp to see what other people's lives are like.

With an extra escape plan in place, Ross is read to go to the airport once she and her mom clear the yacht they have been hired to break into. But something goes wrong.

Now her only option is to join the Gambit - a contest among young thieves whose prize is the granting of one wish. A wish Ross can use to save her mother.

Lewis, Kayvion. (2023). Thieves' Gambit. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.

The Brides of High Hill (Singing Hills Cycle #4)

The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo is the fourth book in the Singing Hills Cycle series of fantasy novellas that read like folklore. 

After a break at the Singing Hills Monastery, Cleric Chih is back on the road exploring, gathering tales to be kept in the oral history. 

Chih wakes up and cannot remember how they got on a palanquin. They are traveling with a young woman to meet her betrothed. It is a blessing to have a cleric in such an instance, even though that is not what Singing Hills focuses on.

This is all I will say! Read these amazing books! You can finish one in an hour, or savor it for days. 

Vo, Nghi. (2024). The Brides of High Hill. New York: Tordotcom.

Wanderers (Wanderers #1)

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig is the first of two books dealing with a plague and its aftermath. 

Something is causing an illness that makes people lose all sense of themselves. The illness causes a white fungus to form on their faces giving it the name White Mask. 

At the same time, something else strange is happening to a small group of people. Shana's sister Nessie is sleepwalking and cannot be awoken. Shana follows her and as they go, more sleepwalkers are joining her. They cannot be stopped or communicated with. Soon there are sleepwalkers and their loved ones heading across the country. 

Set is a familiar-feeling time politically, society begins to collapse. Terror and violence are rampant. The CDC assigns it best investigator to follow the sleepwalkers while others search for the origin of White Mask. 

Wendig has written a compelling series. It is gripping, haunting and realistic. Book two takes place about five years after the onset of the disease, in the time after the illness has run its course. I HIGHLY recommend this two-book series. It is one of the best I have read this decade!

Wendig, Chuck. (2019). Wanderers. New York: Del Rey. 

Iron Flame (Empyrean #2)

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros is the second book in the Empyrean fantasy series. 

Violet has made it through year one at Basgaith War College - most people would not have bet on that outcome. What the final test revealed to her is that the college (including her mother) are lying about the state of things. Still, she needs the training provided by Basgaith.

Year two is where the real training begins. Now that she is in fighting shape and bonded to not one, but two, dragons. She will need all of her smarts to survive the new teacher who seems to have it out for her. 

Yarros has created a well-crafted fantasy world filled with dragons, magic and more. Great series for all fantasy fans and particularly fans of writers like Sarah Maas. 

Yarros, Rebecca. (2023). Iron Flame. New York: Red Tower Books.

The Broken Kingdoms (Inheritance #2)

The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin is the second book in the Inheritance fantasy series. 

Oree Shoth is a blind woman who moved to the city of Shadow, located under what was formerly known as the city of Sky. Many things have changed since the chained gods have returned to power. 

While Oree cannot see even shadows, she can see magic. And in a city filled with lesser gods, this is perhaps a good skill to have. She spends her day selling things in the markets. And she is an artist. She can somehow enter a trance-like focus and paint amazing scenes. 

One day Oree finds a man in her garbage. He is alive, but barely. She takes him in. 

This second book is from a different point of view, as is the third. This view gives readers a more in-depth look at the world Jemisin has created. This series is brilliant!

Jemisin, N.K. (2010). The Broken Kingdoms. New York: Orbit.