Book Review: The Awkward Agenda by Beth Morton
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — Learning to be seen is the bravest love story of all.
Review Date: February 22, 2026 | Release Date: March 1, 2026
There is something incredibly tender about watching two people decide—sometimes clumsily, sometimes bravely—to take up space in their own lives.
The Awkward Agenda follows Cali Barton, who is exhausted from shrinking herself into something more “digestible.” When her new job labels her as unapproachable, it confirms her worst fear: that being quiet, thoughtful, and reserved somehow translates to “wrong.” Meanwhile, her upstairs neighbor Simon Goldberg has spent his entire life being perceived first and understood second because of his Tourette syndrome. When his graphic novel lands him a publicity tour, he faces the possibility of being reduced to a headline instead of being seen as an artist.
What unfolds between them isn’t flashy or over-the-top—it’s intimate, awkward, and deeply human.
Simon’s idea of an “awkward agenda” — intentionally pushing Cali into situations she’d normally avoid — becomes the heartbeat of the story. But what makes this romance shine is that it’s never about fixing one another. It’s about witnessing. Cali learns that confidence doesn’t mean becoming louder; it means becoming honest. Simon learns that vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s connection.
Their chemistry feels organic and lived-in. Their banter has warmth without forced quirkiness. And the representation of Tourette syndrome is handled with nuance—Simon is never framed as inspirational or tragic. He’s funny, complicated, talented, sometimes scared, and entirely real.
The emotional core of the book rests in the small moments: shared laughter after something mortifying, quiet late-night conversations, the realization that someone is choosing you—not because you’re polished, but because you’re you.
This is a romance about reclaiming your narrative. About realizing you were never a background character. And about how love can be the safest place to practice being seen.
It’s soft, hopeful, and quietly empowering.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: I Want Your Family by Daniel Hurst
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — She doesn’t want your husband… she wants your whole life.
Review Date: February 22, 2026 | Release Date: February 20, 2026
Daniel Hurst truly understands how to crawl inside the mind of obsession—and make you uncomfortably at home there.
I Want Your Family is a chilling, slow-burn psychological thriller that peels back the glossy exterior of suburbia to reveal rot underneath. From the very first chapter, we’re placed squarely inside the mind of a woman who believes she deserves someone else’s life. Not just their husband. Not just their house. Their entire family.
What makes this story so unsettling isn’t just the obsession—it’s the rationalization. The delivery driver (whose perspective drives much of the tension) doesn’t see herself as dangerous. She sees herself as deserving. She studies Sadie’s life like it’s a blueprint she’s meant to step into. Every glance from Reid becomes evidence. Every crack in Sadie’s marriage becomes justification. It’s delusion wrapped in calm logic, and that’s what makes it terrifying.
But Hurst doesn’t stop at one unreliable lens. As secrets unravel, the “perfect family” façade fractures in surprising ways. Sadie isn’t as polished as she seems. Reid isn’t quite the flawless provider. And the more we learn, the more the lines between victim and villain blur. The pacing is sharp and deliberate, building tension through quiet interactions rather than explosive drama—until it hits you with twists that force you to reassess everything.
The suburban setting feels claustrophobic in the best way. That bright yellow door becomes symbolic—cheerful on the outside, hiding something far darker within. And the domestic details—the packages, the windows, the routine—create a chilling realism that lingers long after the final page.
If you love thrillers that explore obsession, envy, and the dangerous fantasy of “if only I had her life,” this one absolutely delivers. It’s compulsive, unsettling, and deliciously twisted.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: Stolen in Death by J.D. Robb
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — Justice never overlooks what others try to hide.
Review Date: February 15, 2026 | Release Date: February 3, 2026
There’s something uniquely satisfying about returning to Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s world, and Stolen in Death delivers exactly what longtime fans crave: a layered mystery, emotional depth, and the quiet intensity of justice pursued with relentless precision.
What begins as a seemingly straightforward murder—a billionaire killed by a blow from an amethyst—quickly spirals into something far more complex. The discovery of a hidden vault filled with stolen treasures introduces not just a motive, but a legacy of secrets that refuse to stay buried. The brilliance of this installment lies in how the crime isn’t just about theft or revenge, but about inheritance—the emotional kind as much as the material.
Eve remains one of the most compelling protagonists in crime fiction because she doesn’t romanticize the truth. She dismantles it piece by piece, confronting the uncomfortable realities people try to hide behind wealth, reputation, and family loyalty. Her investigation forces everyone—including Roarke—to confront the moral gray areas between justice and survival. Roarke’s personal connection to the stolen art adds an extra emotional layer, reminding readers that his past will always shape how he sees the present.
What makes this story especially engaging is the slow unraveling of motive. Every revelation feels earned. Every suspect carries believable weight. And the emotional tension doesn’t come from shock value alone, but from understanding the human choices behind the crime.
As always, the partnership between Eve and Roarke remains the emotional anchor of the story. Their dynamic balances strength and vulnerability in a way that elevates the procedural elements into something deeply personal.
Stolen in Death is a reminder that the most dangerous secrets aren’t always the ones people steal—but the ones they inherit.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: She Thought She Was Safe by Terri Parlato
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — Even the safest places can hide the deadliest secrets.
Review Date: February 15, 2026 | Release Date: February 24, 2026
There’s something especially unsettling about stories where safety itself becomes the illusion—and She Thought She Was Safe leans into that fear with chilling precision. Terri Parlato crafts a slow-burn psychological suspense novel that draws you into its haunting lakeside setting and refuses to let go.
Emma Shrader arrives at Cheshire Lake emotionally fragile but hopeful. After losing her mother and ending her marriage, she’s desperate for belonging—so when her estranged father, bestselling author Alex Spencer, invites her to stay at his sprawling Victorian estate, it feels like fate offering her a second chance. The house itself feels like a character: beautiful yet oppressive, filled with whispers of history and secrets that never quite settled.
From the beginning, there’s an undercurrent of wrongness. Emma’s half-sister Sunny is cold and territorial. The neighbors are polite but watchful. And when a woman in the community dies under suspicious circumstances, the cracks in Cheshire Lake’s perfect façade widen into something much darker.
What makes this story especially compelling is Emma herself. She isn’t naïve—but she is vulnerable, shaped by abandonment and loss. Her desire for connection makes her both relatable and heartbreakingly exposed. Parlato expertly builds tension not just through external danger, but through Emma’s growing realization that she may have walked directly into something she cannot escape.
The pacing is deliberate, layering unease through atmosphere, relationships, and carefully revealed secrets. Each revelation reframes what you think you know, creating a constant sense of instability. Trust becomes the central question: who deserves it, and who has been lying all along?
The setting amplifies everything. The isolated Victorian house, the quiet lake, and the insular community create a suffocating environment where escape feels increasingly impossible. The past isn’t buried here—it lingers, watching, waiting.
By the final act, the tension tightens into a gripping, emotional conclusion that leaves you questioning every character’s motives. This isn’t just a story about solving a mystery—it’s about identity, belonging, and how easily hope can become vulnerability in the wrong hands.
Terri Parlato delivers a suspenseful, emotionally resonant thriller that proves the most dangerous places are often the ones that promise safety.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: Lonesome Ridge by Maisey Yates
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — Some rivalries are inherited—but love is always a choice.
Review Date: February 15, 2026 | Release Date: February 24, 2026
There’s something timeless about a romance rooted in rivalry, legacy, and a small town where everyone knows your name—and your family history. Lonesome Ridge delivers all of that and more, blending emotional vulnerability with simmering chemistry and the kind of stakes that make every moment feel meaningful.
Jessie Jane Hancock has always carried her family’s legacy with confidence. As a trick rider in the Hancock Wild West Show, she’s fearless in the saddle and unshakable in the spotlight. But offstage, Jessie is restless. She’s tired of watching Rustler Mountain’s future shaped by the same powerful families, tired of feeling like history is something she has to live under instead of something she can change.
Flynn Wilder represents everything she shouldn’t want. His family name has been tangled in conflict with hers for generations, and Flynn himself has every reason to distrust the Hancock legacy. He’s guarded, intense, and carries his own quiet resentment toward the town—and the family—that never truly gave him a place to belong.
When Jessie proposes a fake relationship to support her mayoral campaign and shake up the town’s political structure, Flynn agrees for reasons that are both strategic and deeply personal. But neither of them expects how quickly their carefully controlled arrangement begins to unravel.
What makes this romance so compelling is the emotional realism behind their defenses. Jessie is bold but vulnerable, driven by a desire to prove she can shape her own destiny. Flynn, beneath his hardened exterior, is deeply loyal and painfully human, struggling with years of rejection and betrayal. Their connection isn’t instant—it builds through quiet moments, reluctant trust, and the slow realization that they see each other more clearly than anyone else ever has.
Rustler Mountain itself feels alive with history and tension. The generational feud isn’t just background noise—it actively shapes who Jessie and Flynn believe they’re allowed to be. Watching them challenge those expectations, and choose each other anyway, makes their romance feel earned and deeply satisfying.
Maisey Yates excels at creating characters who feel emotionally authentic, flawed in ways that make them relatable and strong in ways that make them unforgettable. Jessie and Flynn’s journey isn’t just about falling in love—it’s about reclaiming their identities, breaking cycles, and finding the courage to choose something better.
This story is tender, passionate, and quietly powerful—a reminder that sometimes love isn’t about escaping your past, but rewriting it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.