My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast by Zoje Stage, illustrated by J. E. Larson ~ a Review & Giveaway

by MK French

Nine-year-old Pru is interested in many things, and right now she wants to find the source of the strange noises under her bed. UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts only come out in the dark, she had never seen one. When her mother asks her to clean her room, Pru's life changes.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.i

Free eBook: A Texas Christmas Miracle by Justine Davis

Day 2 of our 25 Days of Christmas Reading features a free holiday romance ebook. Be sure to stop by every day for a new book list, free ebook, or other festive goodie. You can always find all our 25 Days of Christmas  Reading posts at this link.

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Bluebird Day by Megan Tady ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

In this hilarious, heartwarming tale, mother-daughter skiing champs face the bumps in their own relationship when an avalanche in a Swiss village forces them together.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

5 Holiday Romances to Read This Season

by Donna Huber

Today we are kicking off our 25 Days of Christmas Reading. We did this last year and it was a lot of fun. Each day we will feature reading recommendations, free ebooks, or some other festive goodies. If you aren't into reading Christmas books, we will still have reviews of new and recent releases throughout the month. 

As we have been reviewing Christmas books since September, today is a round-up of some of them since you might not have been thinking of Christmas at the time.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

The Forgotten One by Catherine Bybee ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A dazzling tale of long-lost relatives, overnight riches, and unexpected romance. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

14th Annual Holiday Shopping Guide

by Donna Huber

I love putting together the annual books to give list. It's probably why the Holiday Shopping Guide is one of the few things I started the first year of Girl Who Reads that I still do today. If you have readers on your gift list this year (or if you want to get a gift for yourself) here are some of the best books I've read this year. Surprisingly, out of the 138 books I've read so far only 6 received 5 stars, but I have a few other books that were really close to getting 5 stars so they're on this list as well.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Many of the books on this list were provided free for an honest review.

Unforgotten by Shelley Shepard Gray ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

An Amish romance threaded with heart-racing suspense.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Murder in New York by Helena Dixon ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Sipping Manhattan cocktails, strolling through Central Park and sightseeing at the Empire State building. Kitty Underhay is loving life in New York… until she stumbles across a murder!

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A once-famous ballerina faces a final choice—to return to the world of Russian dance that nearly broke her, or to walk away forever—in this incandescent novel of redemption and love.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

2 Novels of Crime Fiction To Curl Up With

by Donna Huber

My library just added a bunch of audiobooks to its digital holdings so I'm catching up on some of the books I missed earlier this year. Today I have a couple of crime fiction stories by authors I enjoy.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Magical Girl Blues by Russell Isler ~ a Review

by MK French

Xenia Findlay survived the crash that killed her parents and best friend Bethany. She moved to Porter Valley to live with her great aunt, and she is plagued by headaches and hallucinatory visits from her dead friend. Students of Porter Valley High are disappearing, and Xenia is starting to see them along with Bethany in her visions. She starts to suspect that magic and ghosts are real, and that a monster is lurking in the shadows. She has a brand new power that might allow her to save herself and her town.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Time Will Tell by Rita Mae Brown ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Between organizing a joint session with her friends at Bull Run Hunt, leading her own Jefferson Hunt Club’s fox hunting season, and looking after her beloved hounds and horses, “Sister” Jane Arnold is as busy as can be. She and her friend Tootie Harris are helping to lure home hunt club member Cindy Chandler’s two escaped cows, Clytemnestra and Orestes, when they discover an expensive watch carelessly abandoned on an overgrown path. The last thing Sister needs is another mystery to solve, but when one falls into her lap, she can’t help but get involved.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

One More Lie by Sheryl Browne ~ a Review

by MK French

When a group of friends were celebrating the last day of school on the beach, Pippa ran away from the campfire and was found dead the next day. Everyone said they didn't know what happened, though one of the group was lying. Twenty years later, one of the group is now dead. Is one of them the killer?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

3 Nonfiction Books for Science Enthusiasts

by Donna Huber

If you have followed this site for very long you probably know I like science. Since it is Nonfiction November, I picked up a couple of science books that have been in my TBR pile for a while and one book that is outside of my usual science reading. If you are a science enthusiast like me you should definitely consider adding these to your reading list.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley ~ a Review

by MK French

August Hodges was the silent partner in Sugar Blitz Cupcakes, but a feminist rant goes viral, making him the hottest bachelor in town. Capitalizing on this new fame to build up the hype on a new location, his best friend’s younger sister is hired as their social media manager. Sloane Dell was just as infatuated with August, but isn't willing to revisit her teenage crush. She needs the job to boost her fledgling career, but it's difficult to ignore August.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Shell Games by Bonnie Kistler ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

A dazzling thriller about a young woman whose fabulously wealthy mother might be the victim of an elaborate con or might be losing her mind––and the daughter can’t tell where the truth lies.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Golemcrafters by Emi Watanabe Cohen ~ a Review

by MK French

Faye stays quiet, avoiding schoolwork, peers who mock her biracial heritage, and her competitive family. Her brother Shiloh understands her, and they share a private made-up language that is Japanese written in Hebrew letters. When their grandfather teaches them golem crafting, it's something Faye is good at. Will it help her feel whole or heal the rifts within her family?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Every Moment Since by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A small Southern town. An ordinary Saturday night. A little boy disappears without a trace.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review

Every parent's worst nightmare is to have their child disappear.  This beautifully written novel dissects that experience for a family over a 20-year period.  Everyone in the small North Carolina town knows the name Davy Malcor.  He disappeared in a field in 1985 while playing with his brother and friends.  He wandered off from the group and vanished into thin air.  When his jacket is found 20 years after his disappearance in an old shed near where he was last seen, the cold case is opened again and the media descends on the small town and Davy's family.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Flint Kill Creek by Joyce Carol Oates ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

These new, recent, and reformulated stories by Joyce Carol Oates, collected here for the first time, showcase a wide range of crime fiction and psychological suspense. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.i

Pictures of You by Emma Grey ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

If you knew then what you know now, would you make the same choices? Imagine having a second chance with the one you never forgot.

The story of a young woman struggling to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragic accident, and the man who gives up everything to help her.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Something for every fantasy reader

by MK French

What kind of fantasy novel do you enjoy? If fairy tales, fantasy adventures, cozy fantasy, or young adult dark fantasy are your cup of tea then check out my recommendations below.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

April Storm by Leila Meacham ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A seemingly perfect suburban housewife is being pursued by a private detective . . . and hunted by a murderer in this riveting, much-anticipated posthumous novel

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan ~ a Review & Excerpt

by MK French

Sir Griffin de Beauford was cursed and trapped in stone while still able to see, hear, and think. Divorcee Emily Porter is a conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago, working to restore a statue of a medieval English knight. A kiss breaks the curse, releasing Sir Griffin in the middle of her workshop. He seems to be perfect, but is having a hard time adjusting to the modern world. Emily is also the prime suspect in the investigation of the missing sculpture. Can they find their way to a fairytale ending?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

New Science Fiction Titles from Titan Books

by MK French

Today, I have a few science fiction titles for you. If you are a fan of the television show Firefly, then you don't want to miss the two new books in the series. If cyberpunk is your thing, then you'll definitely want to check out The Escher Man.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

'Amish romance at its very best.' 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

In this 5th installment of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, 4 new characters seek to time travel:

• The father who could not allow his daughter to get married
• A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one
• A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents
• A wife holding a child with no name 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Adventures on Land and Sea: Searching for Culinary Pleasures in Provence and Along the Cote d'Azur by Carole Bumpus ~ a Review

by MK French

Carole Bumpus and her husband Winston are now following the excursions of Peter Mayle hoping to find the real Provençe. They travel from Nice to Nîmes, Moustiers to Marseilles, and San Tropez to San Remy while sailing along the Côte d’Azur. Provençe had its own myths, festivals, and traditions, as well as historic ways of cooking and winemaking.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Power to the Parasites by Chelsea L. Wood ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Power to the Parasites! lets you in on a Parasites are all around you, all the time, quietly running the world. You might think of them as slimy, disgusting freeloaders – tapeworms and roundworms and ticks and lice, too small to be important and too selfish to be valued. But by the end of this book, you’ll realize that sometimes parasites are the good guys.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Mr Nice Spy by Tiana Smith ~ a Review

by MK French

Andee Paxton is a fireworks designer, and her biological father is actually the prison escapee Holt, a dangerous arms dealer. The CIA informs her of this as they tell her that they want her as bait to recapture him,  since he's searching for her. She and Officer Adam Chan were captured together, so now they're putting on a fake relationship to stay together. Holt has a deadly plan they hope to stop.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory―a real-life Handmaid's Tale―during World War II.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Freshly graduated from a rigorous training program in all things spy craft, former typist Evelyne Redfern is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. However, when she learns her first task is performing a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned manor house in the sleepy Sussex countryside, she can’t help her initial disappointment. Making matters worse, her handler is to be David Poole, a fellow agent who manages to be both strait-laced and dashing in annoyingly equal measure. However, Evelyne soon realizes that Blackthorn Park is more than meets the eye, and an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill means that security at the secret weapons research and development facility is of the utmost importance.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

2 New Christian Fiction Books with Great Characters

by Susan Roberts

Revell  Publishing is a Christian publisher that provides all types of books from Fiction to Historical Fiction to non-fiction.  Their fiction books are often referred to as  'clean'.  Clean reads are stories without graphic violence, explicit sexuality, or strong profanity. They may or may not also have religious content.  Today I have reviews for you of two new books from Revell.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for honest reviews.

Crime Fiction for the Long, Cold Nights

by MK French

The long, cold nights of fall and winter are a great time to read crime fiction. Today, I have two that you will want to put on your reading list and two that you can start reading today.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

5 Books to Read for National Native American Heritage Month

by Donna Huber

Did you know that November is National Native American Heritage Month? Here are a few books to read if you are looking to explore the culture through literature. I chose books from a variety of genres and formats so hopefully, you will find something that piques your interest.

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Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson ~ a Review

by MK French

Happy Halloween! I saved one last horror novel to feature today. If you need some other seasonal recommendations check out my recent fantasy, paranormal romance, horror and middle grades books posts.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

'A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder.'

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Baking It Merry by Samantha Chase ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

For two months out of the year, Daphne Noelle got to live her dream of owning a bakery. Her little pop-up bake shop—one that looked just like a gingerbread house—brought joy to every customer who stopped by to enjoy her sweet treats. She loved meeting people and making them smile, and being in such a festive setting every day was just the icing on the cake! For the last three years, everything had gone smoothly, but this year, there was one guy who was determined to ruin it all.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

Dark Christmas Short Stories for Holiday Reading

by MK French

What better way to transition from Halloween reading to Christmas reading than with holiday horror, ghosts, and murder? If aren't quite ready for the Hallmark movie-worthy holiday stories, then these short stories are the perfect solution.  

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

An enthralling novel about three generations of strong-willed women, unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their family’s past.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Thirteen festive crime stories set in New York City’s beloved mystery bookstore. The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City commissions a short story each year to send to their customers at Christmas time. The only stipulations to the story are that it is set at Christmas, there's a crime, and that the bookshop is included. Now in this anthology, those of us who have never visited the bookshop are treated to some of the best from this annual tradition.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Arizona Triangle by Sydney Graves ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A whodunnit about loyalty, love, and the legacy of trauma featuring a hardboiled, queer private eye whose latest case takes her deep into her own complicated past.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

2 Engaging Novels of Historical Fiction to Read

by Donna Huber

I love historical fiction and there were two books that I was looking forward to reading this year but I couldn't find the time to read them - that is until now! Did you miss these two wonderful books or they are buried in your TBR pile? Why not read them now, too.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Fondue or Die by Korina Moss ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

The lazy, hazy, dairy days of summer are coming to a close in the Sonoma Valley. . . and so is someone’s life.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Causative Factor by Megan Staffel ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Causative factors are things that cause something to happen.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux ~ a Review

by MK French

Margaret Arden would love to live as the heroines in her novels. Her idyllic life is fine, but rejections might mean being forced into marriage to improve the family finances. Captain Bridger Darrow is back in England, but struggling to save his family from destitution. His publishing venture isn't successful, but he finds pages of a novel he would love to publish. Unfortunately, he already told off the author. Bridger now must regain Margaret's trust, and sparks begin to fly.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

2 Great Middle Grades Books to Read

by MK French

We are just under two weeks until Halloween and I have my final recommendations for Halloween reading. If you are looking for young adult and adult reading recommendations check out my fantasy, horror, and paranormal romance suggestions. Today I have two books for younger readers. Whether you are looking for something to keep the kids reading in the lead-up to Halloween or a bedtime book to wind down with after all the candy from trick or treating, these are fun options.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

The Trip by Phoebe Morgan ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

How well do you know your friends?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Editor Caroline Holt is on her way to her late mother’s upstate cabin in Hudson to spend the holidays. She was supposed to be in London, having a holiday romance. But this Christmas, she isn’t in the mood to get her heart broken again. Caroline loves being an editor, but in the last year burnout has taken over. She has been mourning her mother, and she is looking to get that spark back.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone by Randy Susan Meyers ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Seven Children. Five Mothers. One idyllic commune. What could go wrong?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

A solo holiday trip inspires one woman to rediscover her passion—and remember that, sometimes, duets are more fun.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson ~ a Review

by MK French

Moira and Rhys recently married, and there's malevolent spirit activity in their home. He's a ceremonial sorcerer and she's a tarot-reading witch, yet neither one can banish the spirit. Rhys turns to his secret society for help, but it's coming from his ex-boyfriend David. Everything is on the line, from their marriage to their magic.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.