Jeff Sexton

If You Only Read One 2023 Release, Make It This One. Wow. Phenomenal. I'm writing this review roughly 12 hrs after finishing the book, and I am still in awe of what Drake was able to do here. When I first encountered her books, Drake was writing cowboy romances. She's extended into women's fiction more recently and done a great job with it, and this one I would assume would mostly classify within that space as well.

But let me be clear: This book has a LOT going on, a lot that places Drake writing about very serious issues and very different spaces. We get medical discussions and specifically discussions around terminal illness, suicide, assisted suicide, and related issues. We get a legal courtroom thriller that dives deep into questions of justice vs mercy vs the letter of the law and even into what are laws and why do we have them. We get open discussions of how to make different spaces better and more responsive, and in these areas Drake shows several practical ideas that could genuinely work - even though this is a fictional tale. Throughout all of this. Drake proves herself capable of at minimum holding her own with even the masters of these spaces who only write explicitly within them, such as John Grisham's legal thrillers.

And then there are the more traditional women's fiction aspects, the relationships that make this book truly sing throughout all the heaviness of the above discussions. The loving wife who is barely older than her stepdaughter, despite being in absolute love with her husband. The stepdaughter who resents the stepmother being so very close to her own age. The brilliant husband who dearly loves his wife *and* daughter. The best friend who happens to be the Governor of Texas, with all the behind the scenes politicking that entails. The mother who loves her daughter no matter what. The misunderstood older sister. And yes, in a nod to Drake's real life (as anyone who follows her socials will know), a mischievous and nearly scene-stealing cat named Boomer.

In telling such a moving story, Drake truly masters bringing in such difficult discussions that *need* to be held at every level and in every corner of this great land.

Issues of how to handle terminal illness within a marriage - how far is each willing to go? What is the loving thing to do? Do the local statutes matter when it comes to trying to make the right decision? What *is* the right decision?

Issues of criminal justice as it relates to terminal illness, echoing at a societal level the same types of questions every relationship needs to answer within itself.

Issues of what we expect from our penal system - can people be rehabilitated, or should they be exclusively punished? Is there a difference between someone committing suicide, their spouse helping them, their doctor helping them, another person outside of a legally protected relationship helping them? Does the situation itself matter, and if it does, what do we condemn and what do we excuse?

All of this and so much more, Drake crafts into a moving and poignant tale of one particular family struggling to navigate these very complicated and delicate issues.

Read this book. Think about how *you* would handle these things. Think about how *we* should handle these things...

Or not. Maybe you jus need to cry, or even bawl your eyes out. Maybe these issues aren't theoretical for you - maybe they're as real for you as they are for the characters in this book. Maybe you're just trying to find answers yourself.

Read this book too. And may you find comfort within its words even in the midst of your own storm.

But read this book, regardless. Very much recommended.

Solid Series Continuation, Maybe Slightly More For the Zoomer Set. As is my custom, I went in and read a lot of reviews of this book *after* I read the book myself. In a bit of an unusual move, I *also* actually went back and read my own review of Book 1 of this series - which I read roughly 200+ book ago. Here, La Rosa continues a lot of the things that made the first book so good - she isn't afraid to shy away from far deeper issues, but also tries to make sure that they don't overly weigh down the book (and for the most part, succeeds quite well there). She also uses various social media platforms - in this particular case, primarily current "darling" TikTok - to further the overall story, both in the actual plot and in the comments and DMs related to the various videos. Yes, that means that at some point this book will be quite dated - but it also means that it will serve as a bit of a time capsule for what this particular era really was like. So again, it actually works quite a bit better than its detractors in other reviews claim.

Now, about the Zoomer bit - our female lead is openly bisexual, her former partner is a lesbian, and there are a fairly good mix of sexualities, genders, and most other demographics present in this book. La Rosa actually used them quite well within the world she created here, though yes, depending on where you, the reader of my review lives and the life you lead... maybe this isn't as expressive of the world you've created for yourself. Further, I know nothing of La Rosa beyond her pen name and her general writing style. So while others may want to critique her on not being "real" or not being "own voices" or "authentic" or some other bullshit... I truly don't give a flying fuck about an author's demographics, and the story La Rosa has crafted here is genuinely *good*. So complaining about those things, to me, speaks more about your own issues than La Rosa's storytelling abilities.

Finally, the substance abuse angle. Yes, it is prominent. And yes, it likely doesn't follow the path of real-world recommendations, particularly in the last chapters of the book when it comes to a head. There again, the dominant real-world recommendations aren't the only ones, and there are many who have real-world problems with the real-world dominant recommendations. So the fact that La Rosa chose to craft a *fictional romance tale* the way she did... doesn't bother me as much. And to be clear, I say this as the grandson of an alcoholic and the cousin of more than a few drug abusers, in addition to all the other areas of my life I've worked with those affected by these choices. But there again, if this is a topic that is going to be particularly sensitive to you, it says more about you and your issues than it does about La Rosa's storytelling when you complain about these things in your review. So if you, the reader of my review, thinks this issue will be a problem for you... maybe spare yourself the hurt and La Rosa the 1* and just skip this book? No harm, no foul, and I wish you the best in your own struggles.

Overall, truly a solid sequel, and I'm truly looking forward to seeing how this series progresses. Very much recommended.

Shocking Final Chapters Leave Readers Breathless. This book was one of the more interesting in this series both because the crime being investigated here is one of the more brutal Bratt has ever put into her fiction (at least in my now 5+ yrs of reading most of her work) *and* because Bratt's style doesn't normally lend itself to "oh my god I can't stop reading I have to know what happens next NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" level pacing... and yet this one's last several chapters read exactly that way. Thus, showing a truly deft hand with her storytelling along with strong growth as a storyteller. Indeed, perhaps one minor weakness here is that given the somewhat limited number of characters (wait, what? I know - but bear with me here), it isn't really *possible* to show just how shocking this particular crime would be throughout an entire region of small Southern towns - though even here, Bratt works well within her style and within the world she has crafted through this series to relay that as best as possible. And yes, as others have noted, given everything that happens here... Book 8 *could* be the series finale... but I too agree I'd like to see it continue well beyond that point. Very much recommended.

Another (Mostly) Solid Entry In Series. This was a solid entry in the series for the most part, though perhaps it did have a touch of pacing issues. And yet I've struggled for nearly a week now to come up with words to put "on paper" about my experience with the book. Perhaps that is more on me though, as I really do think I'm reaching the limits of my own "hyper reading" abilities as new/ more pressing interests and needs come to bear in my life.

The book itself was intriguing in so many ways. The manner of murder, the placement, the investigation... and the personal, for the team. Specifically, I actually particularly enjoyed how an injury Lexi suffers at the beginning of the tale is worked throughout this story and isn't just some random detail to make her "more relatable" - although it certainly does, to anyone who has ever trained for and ran a half marathon themselves. (Though to be clear, I managed to run 2 of them - separated by several months - completely injury free, back in my own running days. But getting injured during training or racing is actually a very common thing that I simply managed to be lucky enough to avoid.)

There were enough callbacks to the earlier books here to link it in series without being a spoilerfest for those books, so readers new to the series actually *could* enter it here - but I still recommend going back to Book 1 and entering the series there. On the other end, there wasn't any real sense of continuation *needed* by the reader, so while I hope this series continues, it also wouldn't feel incomplete if it ended as a trilogy. Still, here's hoping we get many more books here, as I really do like the writing style and characterizations.

Very much recommended.

Intriguing Investigation Marred by Academic Elitism. A disclosure up front: as I get into the meat of this review momentarily, know that I am literally a man with "R == R" tattooed on his arm, which reads "Real is Real" for those less familiar with mathematics and C-family programming, and -for those less familiar with the work in question- it is the actual subheading for Part III of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

Now, as to the actual text at hand for this review: It really was quite remarkable. Don't let the three star rating fool you: this is a book that you *need* to read if you hope to have any remotely accurate understanding of politics in the United States, as it is the singular best book I've found to date on just what makes its titular subject a truly distinct class. In likely north of 90% of the time, I can tell you straight up that no matter what you *think* the rural voter is or how you *think* they vote or what you *think* they value... you're more than likely wrong. Read this book to set your facts straight, and proceed from there as you will.

Now, as to the star deductions: The first is fairly standard for me, though some readers may have less of a problem with it. Quite simply, I expect any nonfiction book to be well documented, and by that I mean at least approaching the 20-30% mark (which is the typical average in my experience, though as some other reviews this year have noted, I'm slowly getting less stringent on that as long as the book in question is at least close to that number). However, this book had barely half of the bottom edge of the range, clocking in at just around 11% of the text. So there's the first star deduction, one I knew of before I ever read a word of this text.

The second star deduction is likely given away by the "Marred By Academic Elitism" part of the title of this review. Indeed, while the authors both note that they actively live in rural America and work at a small college, their active partisanship is rather blatant and even openly embraced - and of the typical sort most would expect from Academia. Indeed, one reason I didn't deduct *two* stars here - yes, some would say the elitism and partisanship are *that* heavy handed, certainly at times - was because even as the authors wanted *Democrats* to become more active with rural voters (and yes, they specifically noted exactly that multiple times, particularly later in the text), they also openly noted that more people *generally* need to get more active with rural voters and allow those voters the active choice in candidates and policies to support or oppose, rather than simply allowing national politics to take the fore unopposed. As a two time rural/ suburban small town City Council candidate myself... that was actually *the* message I centered both of my campaigns around - that the People would have a direct choice. (For those who care, if any, I lost both races roughly 75%-25%, though the second race was a Special Election and yet had higher turnout than the first, a General Election. So I consider that fact alone a moral win. :D)

But truly, even if you don't agree with the authors' heavy handed elitist partisanship - read this book anyway. They really do show quite a bit of solid research that you need to understand if you expect to play well in rural America generally, and even if you grew up in the town/ region you're hoping to win an election it... this research may show even you things about the rural voter more generally that likely apply to even your specific rural voters. It will certainly be worth your effort to read and decide for yourself.

Which brings me to another class of reader, as someone who was *also* a former Party Leader (having served as both the local affiliate Chair of my local Libertarian Party as well as on the Libertarian Party of Georgia's State Executive Committee as both a member and an appointee): Party Leadership, and particularly those in *any* US Political Party (to be clear, any organization that considers itself such, regardless of State election laws) who are responsible for candidate training and education, or even overall Party outreach or strategy. In any of those cases and in any of those Parties, you need to read this book. (And for those unaware, there actually are literally upwards of 100 such organizations with ballot access in at least one State across the United States, though only the Green Party and Libertarian Party have threatened - or achieved - enough ballot access to *theoretically* win the Presidency this Millennium.)

Overall a solid, if flawed, text, and very much recommended.

Solid Hallmarkie Christmas Movie. The main way you're at least somewhat positive Viola Shipman wrote this particular one is that it is set in her (his) beloved Michigan. Beyond that, this is a fairly standard and typical Hallmarkie type Christmas tale of the young girl who loves the magic of Christmas growing up into a successful business tycoon before coming back to her small hometown for Christmas. Indeed, probably the one thing that makes this one at least a *touch* different is that our heroine is *also* (theoretically) the villain...

Filled with the wonders of Christmas as portrayed in the US 1970s ish, complete with department stores sending out toy catalogs at Christmas and the ubiquitous Boris Karloff How The Grinch Stole Christmas, this is yet another tale that so many fans of Hallmark Christmas movies will absolutely love - and those who despise those types of tales will most likely not like much at all. And yes, there is a loveable and old dog.

Overall a solid tale of its type, if not a particularly standout "Viola Shipman" novel. Still, very much recommended.

Solid Adventure W/ The Promised Christian Apocalyptic Themes. Going into this review, I was going to call out the heavy use of a particular version of Christian eschatological (end times) thinking, one that the reader of both this review and this book may or may not agree with/ have issues with (but you should absolutely read this book even if you do, as it *does* work within-world). But then I noticed the description of the book, and a careful reading there actually points the reader to knowing that these themes will be there. So hey, you've now been warned both in the description and in this review. Still, again, even if you are die-hard 100% adamantly opposed to believing anything remotely similar to this strain of thought... read this tale anyway. It is more action/ adventure/ spy thriller than anything overly Christian, and even when it gets into its (several) eschatological discussions, it isn't preachy about it. Instead, the tale lays out the in-world reasons for thinking this way, and as this is admittedly a fiction tale, it never actually makes "real"-world claims about the authenticity of any of them. Yes, prayer and conversion are also discussed here, but again, always in world and never overly preachy, and those familiar with American conservative evangelicalism will likely be familiar with most of the speech patterns used here. (Even if you're not familiar with that particular version of Christianity, it will be close enough and explained well enough in-world to follow along.)

No matter what else, this is absolutely a fun adventure with tinges of the scifi, and absolutely worth the read no matter your thoughts on any "real"-world issue. Very much recommended.

Slow Burn Second Chance Romance With Quite A Bit Of Political Commentary Baked In. Straight up, just from the nature of the work of our female MC in particular, this book has *quite* a bit of left leaning politics baked in. That noted, if you can accept that this is simply this character... it actually isn't overly preachy. I've certainly seen *far* more preachy books given similar characters in other works by other authors before, so, truly - don't let that scare you too much, just know your eyes may roll a bit if you disagree with the politics being espoused.

Beyond that though, this really is a solid and remarkably deep second chance/ single dad romance showing the power of love... and meddling grandfathers and saccharine sweet young daughters. But it *is* a *very* slow burn, almost with more focus on everything *other* than the romance itself. Like, our MCs met in HS and had this instant chemistry, broke it off, went their separate ways, and yet the flame never died... so it is never really *shown* in the book so much as *told* that it is there (with the *occasional* view of it, often seeming more to remind the reader that this *is* intended to be a romance novel).

And yet... the story really does work quite well. There's nothing definitively *wrong* with it, and the world created here is remarkably "real" and one of the more fully fleshed out communities I've encountered in all of my reading. It just may not be *exactly* the kind of book various readers are looking for for various reasons. Including pissing off the sweet/ clean crowd with its in-the-room sex scenes.

Still, ultimately this *was* a really good book. I *am* looking forward to Book 3. And this *is* very much recommended.

Not Again. HOW? At Least The MC And Author Acknowledge It. Third book in the series - and the third murder within a few weeks that our MC, police officer Macleish, finds herself locked in an enclosed environment with the bodies piling up and a murderer prowling about - but at least there is a quick line early where the MC (and thus, the author) acknowledge that this just doesn't happen to people normally. Which then allows the reader to settle in and just enjoy the book. For the established formula, this one again works well - though perhaps with even more pure speculation and even less actual evidence throughout this particular tale, due to the exact nature of this particular "locked room" isolated environment. (Here, a blizzard in the Scottish Highlands, vs the first book's flood-blocked valley and the second book's storm-blocked island.) Solid overall character work again with the MC though, bringing in the best friend for this particular event and then having some solid progression on the overall mythos of the series in the finale. Which leads to lingering questions of if this series will continue and if it will continue with the existing formula...

Overall a solid book of its type, and one that is well worth the read. Very much recommended.

Strong Growth All Around. While this book is no WRECKAGE - Bleeker's debut that was also her most gut-wrenching to date - as someone recently said on social media, authors have an entire lifetime to craft a debut novel - and then the lucky ones are expected to crank out a new one every year thereafter (or even more often).

Here, Bleeker actually shows remarkable growth in her writing even from her previous, also dual-timeline, tale. While yes, her direct family still plays a role in even this tale (which I suspected while reading certain parts of this tale, and Bleeker confirms in the author's note), here it is a bit more oblique, with lots of extra research thrown in. And speaking of the research - Bleeker manages to bring forth both the era of the book remarkably well *and* the particulars of a particular section of WWII that most outside of the town Bleeker set this tale in are likely unaware of. Specifically, the treatment of Italian POWs in prison camps within the US prior to Italy's defeat and switching sides late in WWII. In both her treatment of these characters and in her detailed view of the world they live in, Bleeker shows here that she can do full historical fiction with the best in that space - and combined with her sense of drama, arguably better than many within it.

But Bleeker's growth as a storyteller isn't the only story here - indeed, it is more of an "long timer" view that even really allows one to see that particular story. No, the actual story here shows remarkable growth within two key characters the book uses as its endpoints - grandmother Vivian in 1943 (when my own eldest uncle was born, adding a touch of the truly "real" for this particular reader) and granddaughter Elsie in more present-day times. Both live fully in their worlds with all of their relevant struggles, but both show how those struggles can be overcome - and how essential friends are, no matter the period you find yourself living in.

Overall truly a remarkable work, and a truly easy Amazon First Reads selection, for those so inclined to participate in that program. Very much recommended.

Complex Heroes + *Dark* Villains + Taut Suspense = Winning Combo. While this particular tale almost seems like the ending of at least Phase 1 of these heroes (and you should absolutely start at the beginning of this series, rather than jumping directly into this book), this is also a book that features some of the most complex and complicated heroes I've come across in fiction - which is a worthy aim as an author, and one Leadbeater pulls off remarkably well. It also has some of the most brutal, sadistic killers I've ever come across in fiction - which is another win, certainly for those who like that particular type of villain. And seriously, from pretty well Page 1, the stakes are sky-high and never really drop, even as different team members get different parts of this particular tale to truly shine in. Truly one of the better crafted team-based adventure series I've ever come across. Very much recommended.

Promising Debut. This was one of those debut novels where yes, the author tries to do too much at times (including the perfectly valid complaint among some lower star ranked reviews of perhaps trying *too hard* to shove in every possible non-straight-white-male demographic), and yes, the lead character can be annoying at times (expecting to get a Project Manager role with zero actual qualifications, then mad at the dude who had the qualifications who go it), and yet... there is still quite a bit of promise here, as these are issues that an author can learn from and do better with in their next book... or not, and instead steer into the skid and do even more of them, perhaps playing for a different segment of the market tan I represent.

Overall it really was a fun, somewhat inventive at times, workplace romance- one perhaps more suited for Zoomer sensibilities than Boomer, but one that is solid enough for truly most anyone to enjoy. Very much recommended.

Former International Space Station Commander Channels Spirit Of Tom Clancy. Growing up, I *loved* Tom Clancy's writing - and yes, I was reading it as a young teen, including Without Remorse in just 8th grade. Here, Hadfield - he the Canadian who rose up the astronaut ranks in NASA to have quite a remarkable career in actual space - brings us a historical fiction / alternate history spy thriller that truly does channel Clancy in both the spycraft and the technobabble. Yes, there are some intensely thrilling fighter action scenes, particularly in the early and late phases of the book. But while there is no 10-pages-covering-the-first-nanoseconds-of-a-nuclear-detonation level intensely detailed technical description... there is quite a bit more than at least some readers will prefer. I personally enjoyed it... but I'm also a guy that wrote a HS paper on the technical specifications and capabilities of the F-14 Tomcat fighter. Overall, the tale as told works quite well, though in the end it does almost feel like this was always meant to be the middle tale of a trilogy. As such, it does have quite a few spoilers for Book 1, The Apollo Murders, so those who are particularly sensitive about those things should absolutely read that book first. But then this book picks up soon after, and trust me... you're gonna want to read this one too. Very much recommended.

Country Music Romance For The Anti-Second Amendment Crowd. So let's get it out of the way as quickly as Hahn does in the book: Seemingly literally on page 1 of this tale, Hahn brings in an anti-Second Amendment screed. Which could have been excused... except that then became a recurring and even somewhat central theme of the overall book. And not even in a way that felt particularly organic, if anything it actually felt quite derivative of the real-life Dixie Chicks anti-Iraq War controversy of a generation ago. So there's the star deduction, right there. And from a tactical side of "As an author, I want to sell as many books as possible"... tacking into the *anti* Second Amendment side of *Country Music*? As a lifelong fan of Country in all its forms... eh, there may in fact be a sizeable enough niche there to sell a few books. I wouldn't recommend trying to build a career as a romance author specifically within that niche. (Though it is certainly wider within the overall romance novel reader set, and perhaps *there*, it could in fact be more sustainable in today's hyper-divisive world.)

As to the actual friends-to-lovers romance here... it works, and it certainly has enough spice and XXX elements that the clean/ sweet crowd probably won't like this one as much. And enough F-bombs that those who abhor those won't like it either. But overall, for the characters as portrayed and the situations they are placed into, it actually works rather well. Maybe not as good as the first book in this series - but that could be the lingering aftertaste of the hyper politicization and preachy politics still tinging my thinking of this book.

Ultimately, if you like spice and you like being in the room for sex scenes in your romance novels, you're going to like this book - likely even if you don't actually care much for Country Music itself and particularly if you find yourself to be more of a Dixie Chicks / Taylor Swift fan. If you happen to actually agree with its preachy politics, you'll probably like it even more. For more Country Music traditionalists... eh, maybe less, maybe you want to build your trust in Hahn a bit by reading the first book in this series first before you come into this one.

And as more of a note to Hahn, herself a teacher who openly notes that she wrote the politics of this book this way due to her beliefs about the classroom... I myself am *also* a former teacher. One who actually had a high school senior lean across my desk and directly say "If you do [the thing I had just told him I was about to do, which was to write him up for blatantly sexually harassing a Junior in my classroom not 10 feet from where we were then standing], I *will* kill you." Yes, I then wrote him up for the threat, and yes, he then spent a few days out of school. So yes, I've seen at least some of the same things you have. And I still disagree.

Recommended.

Better Than Malibu Rising. I read and reviewed Mailbu Rising as an ARC, back before it came out. In that review, I noted that while it was a good story overall, I knew of many others that were at least as good - and would likely never get anywhere *near* the hype.

Here, despite being published by an Amazon imprint and thus having a pretty solid team behind even it... we have just such a book that is *better* than Malibu Rising... and yet isn't getting anywhere near the hype, even though it absolutely should.

Even from the opening of the tale, before you even get to a word of Weinstein's own alternate history of Hey There Delilah, the fact that she/ someone on her team was able to get Tom Higgenson from the Plain White T's to write a foreword for this tale is freaking awesome.

Then, we get into the tale. And what a tale it is. I've read several of its type over the years, of coming of age, of finding yourself, of mysterious zeitgeist happenings, of journalists looking for their big break and landing on a secret they decide to try to find the truth of, of star crossed lovers and what comes of them, of famous rockers that famously either disappear or crash and burn or crash and burn and then disappear.

And yet... Weinstein manages to make this tale her own unique blend of all of the above, and a love song to the entire music industry and the songs that we all believe were written about specific people to boot. Choosing to lead into every chapter with a song referencing someone specific, then discussing so very many different artists and songs through the narrative - and even having cameos by various artists - was a great touch.

Including a condo in Miami was an interesting touch, and perhaps a nod to her own real-life tragedy as her family knew some of the victims of the 2021 Surfside Condos collapse - though this is pure speculation (about the nod) on my part. (Those who follow her on social media know she did in fact know some of those victims.)

Weinstein almost always brings her own Jewish faith into her tales as well, and this is no different - and yet, like the best Christian writers I've encountered over the years, she always does it seamlessly and without preaching, just bakes it right into the overall tale she is telling and uses it to even *enhance* the story she is telling.

The addition of a young character who barely speaks English when we first meet him is also quite relevant to where we originally encounter him - Miami, where thanks to the large Hispanic population, this is a particular character type that much more commonly gets overlooked - particularly in these types of tales.

And then there are the actual relationships here, and where the true magic and heartbreak of this story lies. The daughter who may not know as much about her parents or why they split as she thinks she does. The lover who pushes people away because she thinks she is unworthy of love. The soulmates forced into separation. The loving parent who never stopped wanting the best for their kid - even when the kid actively rejected them. So many others, and it all comes crashing together in this maniacal way that in less deft hands and with a less skilled storyteller could have been an absolute mess, but instead Weinstein pulls off masterfully in ways that will have you both breathless and bawling.

Truly an excellent work, and very much recommended.

Strong Dual Timeline Emotional Rollercoaster. This is a book about finding yourself and doing your own thing - even when everything and everyone is against you. It is about finding family you never knew you had. It is about unravelling decades old family secrets... that you didn't even know were secrets. It is about falling in love, a few times over - at least once in each timeline, + falling in love with a new land.

As Lane has done throughout this series, she yet again shows remarkable skill in bringing together the two halves of her former writing - the romance + the historical fiction - in a genuinely compelling, but only very loosely coupled, series. Indeed, while other *groups* of authors have, over the last several years in particular, come together with similar loosely coupled "series" where each can be read as standalone, all tied together by some theme or some macguffin... with this series, Lane manages to create a much more cohesive single author version of the gimmick that still maintains the "can be read as standalone" allure of this gimmick. In doing so, in many ways she changes it from a marketing gimmick to her own (so far unique, at least in my own reading) almost genre, really. Because this tale, and this series, isn't *just* romance, though it fills every (mostly "clean" / "sweet" / "behind closed doors") requirement for the romance genre that I'm aware of, even by its more strict interpretations. This book isn't *just* historical fiction, though again, it fills every requirement I'm aware of for the genre (which are much looser generally than romance). And while Lane truly excels in both spaces - and I think I've said this next bit before in other reviews of this series - she truly comes to her full ultimate power in combining them so effectively and beautifully.

And speaking of effective and beautiful... be forewarned here: there are sections near the end where the room gets extremely dusty all of a sudden. To the point that some readers may cry out for an Audible version of the tale, as it may genuinely become impossible to read the words on the page with your eyeballs due to the amount of dust in the room. (To be clear... men don't cry. But sometimes, sometimes rooms get extremely dusty - and it may *look* like we're crying or even bawling as we try to keep the dust out of our eyes. ;) )

Very much recommended.

Controversial Yet Mostly Solid - But Needs Better Documentation. I first became interested in fire management over a decade ago, when I read an article on wired.com on July 8, 2012, where it made the case that perhaps our modern American efforts to suppress wildfires... had actually led directly to fires becoming ever bigger and more destructive. Over the following 11 yrs, I would both watch the movie Only The Brave, about the Yarnell Hill fire that claimed so many firefighters' lives less than a year after that Wired article came out (which I just realized when researching for this review) and read the book Granite Mountain/ My Lost Brothers (it has used both titles) by Brendan McDonough that the movie was based on. I had also already seen numerous controlled/ prescribed burns as a native of the Southern US, and distinctly remember several over the years in the woods directly behind Lee County (GA) High School - where country singer Luke Bryan, American Idol Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips, and San Francisco Giants great Buster Posey had all attended.

All of that to say that here, O'Connor spends a year actively working with wildland firefighter crews roaming the western US (well, west of the Mississippi - she starts and ends in Nebraska), learning their ways, their thoughts, their struggles. And creating a compelling voice for her effort in this book. She gets the same certifications they do, goes through the same training and meetings, and does everything she is qualified to do per those trainings, and in turn we as readers get a first hand account of what it is really like on said crews. (Which McDonough's book is also great at - just be prepared for some *very* dusty rooms near the end of that tale.)

Through this memoir portion of the book - interwoven with other interviews and research that I'll get to momentarily - she is particularly strong and vivid. Truly, read the book for these passages if for no other reason, as it really brings home what a difficult, demanding, and yes, frustrating job this can be.

Even the research, both interviews and historical, is truly remarkably well done. It is this section in particular (along with, perhaps, some of the commentary from the fire teams she is on) that will likely prove most controversial, as it really drives home the exact point that at least parts of that 2012 Wired article were making - the "suppression only" firefighting tactics we've used against wildfires primarily over only the last century or so really do seem to be causing more harm than they are doing good. And, as it turns out... pretty well everyone knew this before we started doing it. From millennia before Europeans came to the Americas, Native Americans had already been using fire to shape and control their environment in numerous ways, and had already developed tactics that worked *with* nature for the good of all beings. O'Connor's work here makes a particularly strong case that at minimum, these strategies need to be more actively considered. Indeed, much the same way that Gilbert Saul's 2019 book The Geography Of Risk made such a strong case for re-examining coastal development strategies in the face of hurricane damage.

The one weakness here is a quibble, perhaps, but it is consistent with my other non-fiction reviews (and I did already mention it in the title of this review, above), and that is that at just 14% bibliography, it falls a bit short in my own experience - where 20-30% documentation seems to be more standard. Extraordinary claims - and yes, challenging the prevailing "wisdom" of the last century qualifies as such - require extraordinary evidence, and while O'Connor's case through her narrative is stellar, her documentation is sadly quite lacking.

Still, overall truly a fascinating read that deserves far more attention than it may ultimately wind up getting. Very much recommended.

Sold Short Sychological Sequel. (Yes, the alliteration didn't work with "psychological", so I had to misspell it. :D) This is one of those sequels where you actually really need to read its prior book, in this case The Retreat, first. But since both are actually perfect for when you want a spooky read (such as during Halloween, when this book releases)... that is actually a great thing in this case.

This one is perhaps a bit less gothic, though it certainly has the creepy old mansion. It also has an even deeper tangle of secrets, as characters from the first book come back to play roles in this book as well - though certainly not all of them, and even in nearly every horror tale out there, at least one person survives. So the prior bit isn't really a spoiler of anything. :D But *does* point to *why* you need to read The Retreat first.

In both cases though, you get quite a bit of tale packed into relatively short (here, 260 ish pages) books - making them a bigger bang for your buck than longer, slower tales. And making them overall better for when life is busy and/ or you are doing other things, but also want to read some books.

And as explosive as the ending was in The Retreat... here, while the explosions are of a different type... they may be even bigger and more devastating...

Very much recommended.

Exceptional Bordering On Transcendental, With A Few Flaws. If you, like me, read David French's 2020 book Divided We Fall and were utterly *terrified* of just how real its scenarios sounded (particularly given that one of them later began to become true)... you need to read this book. If you, like me, read James A. Morone's 2020 book (indeed, published just days before French's) Republic of Wrath and saw that despite the paranoia and fearmongering of today's media, punditry, and even citizenry, the US has always had a great deal of heat and vitriol in its civil discourse (and in fact was far worse in earlier periods of our shared history) - but that doesn't mean our particular era isn't pretty damn bad itself... you need to read this book. If you, like me, simply observe and even discuss politics with a "pox on all your houses" attitude as an independent thinker aligned with no particular group... you need to read this book. And if you, like me, genuinely wish for a return to a more civil era - if there ever actually was one, in fact rather than in nostalgia - ... you need to read this book.

Quite simply, Hudson here does for the topic of civility what Morone did for overall vitriol in American politics or Radley Balko did for the rise of the Police State in America in his 2012 book Rise of the Warrior Cop - and that is, bring a relatively full historical examination of the topic, beginning with the most ancient of texts known to humanity and bringing it all the way to the exact context we see as this book is released to the public in the next few days after I write this review. She even manages to look at the topic *globally*, incorporating thoughts on civility from several different major and influential civilizations over the course of history - and not just Western, but also at least some Eastern thinking as well. Along the way, we do in fact see some of the "usual suspects" such as perhaps Erasmus, St. Augustine, Voltaire, CS Lewis, MLK Jr, and Gandhi. But we even see other thinkers such as Thoreau, Emerson, and many others - including cutting edge thinkers such as Scott Alexander of SlateStarCodex.com. It is within this particular examination of the entire breadth of history, along with (mostly) strong applications of each, that this particular text truly stands out from the pack.

And yet, there are in fact a couple of issues, which may or may not be particularly *big* issues, but one of which was at minimum enough to deduct a star, at least based on my own "subtractive method" / "objective-ish" reasoning I strive to maintain within my own reviews. The star deduction coming from the overall dearth of a bibliography, despite such deep and wide examinations and despite having so many references it almost seemed as though there were a popup with some relevant quote on nearly every page! While Hudson has already disagreed with me on this on Twitter at the time I write this review, I maintain that for nonfiction works, particularly works such as this that reference oh so much, I expect to see a much larger bibliography. Even with the discussion in other recent reviews of perhaps revising my target down closer to 20% rather than 25-30%, the fact that this book contains less than 10% bibliography is still rather disappointing.

The other issue is nearly one more of style, but also raises a potential allegation of bigotry: Hudson's emphasis that civility requires looking people in the eyes. Despite Autistics in particular being well known for not really being able to do this due to our particular neurodivergence. But perhaps Hudson, despite her clear knowledge in other subjects, was not aware of this. It is possible, and I'll not clearly condemn her as a bigot due to Hanlon's Razor.

But again, the overall biggest point here, and the reason you *need* to read this book despite its specks of flaws: This truly is an exceptional, bordering on transcendental, examination of the history and nature of civility, with plenty of real-world applications that are sorely needed - and truly challenging for even the most committed of us. This is one of those books that is going to challenge you to be better in ways that few outside the overtly religious texts manage to do, and it is one that is largely going to leave you with a smile even as it calls you out. Very much recommended.

Fast, Twisty Read With Plenty O' Drama. Once again Banner delivers on managing to pack quite a tale into a relatively short (260 ish page) package. Here, her personal passion for old typewriters (shared by Tom Hanks, fwiw) shines through, and she manages to essentially wrap an entire story around this anachronistic device that yes, was still being used by some as recently as 2004, when the "before" period of this book was set. Was it the dominant form of communication then? No. But remember: the smart phone was still 2-3 years away, as dated by Apple's introduction of the iPhone in 2007. So it wasn't as though communication had been completely revolutionized yet at that point either. The twists here come at a rather frenetic pace once they start, and the tension is particularly well paced, starting out rather slow as we first enter the world, before ramping up slowly and consistently before getting to a few peaks and troughs leading into the climax. Overall yet another excellent work by Banner, and I for one truly hope she continues to keep writing, as her particular style not being around anymore would be quite a loss for the literary world. Very much recommended.

More Noir Than Thriller. This is a *great* detective story set in pre-D-Day 1944 San Francisco that truly reads as more of a noir than an actual thriller. There is quite a bit of mystery and intrigue, but very few murders or even action sequences and really a rather lot of mind games and misdirection. So while it has bone-chilling moments, I really wouldn't market this thing as a "thriller". Beyond that, though, truly a superb book that combines history that many likely didn't know (I know *I* didn't, and American History is one of my stronger non-degree-oriented knowledge sets) with a *just* real enough story that you could believe it could have actually happened, if you were not 100% aware as you're reading it that it is, in fact, historical fiction. Thus, it actually ranks as one of the *stronger* historical fiction tales around - and particularly noteworthy for a debut (in fiction anyway) author. While there is an element of "white guy bad" here, there is also a crucial *good* white guy, which brings enough of a balance to avoid any allegations of *blatant* racism, even as both the story itself and the author's note at the back reveal that there is quite a bit of anti-white animus animating the story. But as this is primarily a story of non-white characters and their struggles during the Japanese Internment Camp era of US History, along with a dose of international intrigue with the addition of several more non-white characters from another prominent region outside of the US but significant during the era (and since), it isn't so truly blatant or pervasive as to really mar the story at all. Indeed, it is only after finishing the book, and particularly while reading the author's note, that the anti-white sentiment is *really* noticeable. So yet again, kudos for hiding in plain site with that one. Overall, this is truly a rather strong (fiction) debut, and it will be interesting to see what the author can do in this space with any sophomore effort. Very much recommended.

Several YMMV Issues But Nothing Objectively Wrong. This is one of those stories where there are a LOT of valid issues that people may have with the book, but ultimately pretty well all of them are matters of taste and not something truly concretely objectively *wrong*. Some may quibble about the rather obvious nature of having lesbians playing women's professional sports (in this exact case, soccer). Fairly or unfairly, this is almost insulting in just how much it plays into the stereotypes of women's professional sports in particular. Some may quibble about the extremely casual and flirting with erotica level sex that dominates most of the book, or the way that neither character actually knows much about the other before starting this form of "relationship". That last bit may actually be the most realistic thing about that aspect of the relationship here, however! Some may quibble about the lack of communication and arguably even consent in at least a few key aspects of the later story. Some may quibble about the insistence on medication and the glorification of a "miracle cure" that eventually comes up. Some may quibble about the rather blatantly obvious "bad guy ex" stereotype or the rather wooden and largely barely characterized at all extended cast of friends and teammates that play such crucial roles at various points in the tale.

And I could keep going, but you, *my* reader, begin to get the picture here. There are issues, but they are issues that any given reader may or may not actually have problems with, and that is completely for Wilsner's readers to decide for themselves here. Ultimately, I felt the book was fine for what it was, with nothing truly *jarringly* glaringly wrong about it, and nothing to objectively say "THIS IS WRONG!!!!" about. So read it for yourself if you're remotely interested in reading about lesbian romances. Recommended.

Moving Memoir Of A Memorable Moment. This is a memoir of one of those moments in one man's life where he was just looking to make a buck and make sure his family was ok... that turned into something he found he loved doing. After it ended, this book has become his love song to that period in his life, that place, and those people. And yes, Batt discusses his entire life, including touching on what he is doing outside the restaurant quite a bit. But even when the tale leaves the restaurant, it never strays too far... and it always comes back fairly quickly. Overall a poignant tale that will leave you looking back on the similar periods of your own life. Very much recommended.

Solid Hallmarkie Christmas Romance. For the millions - AND MILLIONS! ;) - of the Hallmark Christmas Movie fans... here is Hannah Mary McKinnon writing under a pen name giving you *exactly* the kind of story you love so much... with a *touch* of spice to boot. The pure-as-fresh-snow clean/ sweet crowd may not like certain scenes, but overall this book is exactly what it was designed to be and not one thing more - which is exactly what a book should be, to at least some schools of thought. Ultimately this book is going to come down to just how much you like that particular vibe. If you're one of the types that can't WAIT until Hallmark starts playing all Christmas movies, all the time, you're going to love this book. If you're one of the ones that sees the Hallmark Movie Channel and immediately flips to... literally *anything* else, even a channel dedicated to nothing more than paint drying videos... maybe this book isn't for you. ;) This isn't necessarily a short read at roughly 350 pages, but it also isn't a slog fest that you're going to fight to get through (assuming you like these types of tales) either. A nice change of pace from McKinnon's much more serious women's fiction books under her actual name (which are also great, and something maybe the anti-Hallmark readers should consider instead :D), and I look forward to McKinnon continuing to write both types of books. Very much recommended.

Middle Ages Mediterranean Adventure. One of the interesting things for me when reading this book is that David Wood released his book Baal just a couple of weeks before this one came out, and both books are rather similar at the highest of levels - in that both are adventure books touring the Mediterranean Sea region in search of lost treasures. Separated by a few hundred years and thus with completely different specifics as far as character motivations, transportation, weapons used, cultures, etc. And to be clear, with Beth Morrison - an apparently renowned Medieval period scholar - as coauthor here, the actual historical aspects - from the various factions involved to the different cultures of the various Italian cities to even exactly how different things worked and who would have what skillsets, are apparently spot-on, so best as I could tell anyway. Paired with her brother Boyd's action story sensibilities, once again the two create a spectacular historical fiction tale that anyone interested in any modern action/ adventure tale can also love - and showing those who "only" read historical fiction that modern tales can also be just as great. Overall truly an outstanding book, and I hope these siblings can continue to work together for many more books to come. Very much recommended.