This Chick Read: Murder in Blackfriars (A Below Stairs Mystery #9) by Jennifer Ashley

Kat Holloway’s beau, Daniel has always had a past shrouded in mystery. When a man comes forward saying he has information about who Daniel’s parents were and then is abruptly murdered, Kat knows she must help Daniel solve the murder so he can finally know his roots. Kat is afraid this mystery will tear them apart, something her heart may not survive.

As we move closer to the union of Kat and Daniel, it seems another mystery stands in the way of their happiness. Kat is determined to help Daniel, but at the same time she learns that her darling daughter will be moving with her adopted family out of the city into a suburb of London. Something that Kat knows may be the best for her, but will also make it difficult for her to see her very frequently. This, along with solving the mystery of Daniel’s background really amps up the tension in this story. As a reader of all 9 novels, and a bunch of short stories in this series, I just want Kat to get her happily ever after. A home with Daniel, her daughter, and his son. I feel like we are fast approaching that time which may or may not be the end of this series.

It seems like, with the death of this mystery man who said he had information for Daniel, that they would’ve hit a dead end, but Kat can pull information out of a brick. Tracking down info is her secret sauce and somehow she finds a thread to follow. I love it that these threads don’t seem to dangle in front of her but that she hunts them down with the help of her bevy of friends. I like all of the stories in this series but Murder in Blackfriars was especially poignant. Her daughter moving away, and the threat to Daniel’s peace made for an emotional story and one of the better ones in the series. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Murder in Blackfriars

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This Chick Read: The Castle in the Glen by Rhys Bowen

Australian author Emma Callandar has been offfered the chance to help esteemed mystery writer Iris Blackthorne finish her final novel. It’s 1965 and Iris’s memory is fading. She sends Emma off to the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where the novel is set so that she’ll get a feel for the place and the people. What Emma uncovers is a tie to a real-life crime from 1906, and the family enmeshed in its history does not want that tale told.

Emma has traveled alone to London for work, leaving her life behind in Australia. Despite the bold start to a new life, Emma is young and naive. She lives in a time where she both wants to find a way, but also find a husband who will take care of her and keep her safe. These two dichotomy’s to her personality are what led Emma into solving this mystery. She was bold enough to once again, travel a distance to discover a new place, the Isle of Skye, but her naiveté and poor decision making keeps her on the edge of disasterous occurances and in the end, danger. This was a book where I enjoyed seeing her grow but at the same time was saying ‘come on now, Emma, is that the best plan’?

I love a good historical mystery and Rhys Bowen does a great job of setting a scene and the mood of a novel. I’ve been to Scotland, but not to the Isle of Skye, a place that sounds beautiful, but also a place that hasn’t gotten out of the previous century. I enjoyed the slower pace on the island juxtaposed against the increasing tension as Emma gets closer to solving the mystery. There is a hint of romance, but really, Emma seemed to want to find romance with any young man, which I found slightly annoying. Again, that was a sign of the year this story took place more than it was that Emma wasn’t independent thinking.

I don’t always love a slow paced mystery, but I was definitely in the right mood for this one. I was charmed by the characters, frustrated by women’s rights in the ’60’s, and hooked by the mystery. A solid weekend read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book! The Castle in the Glen

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Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren

When Emery met Luca at her cousin’s wedding their connection was instant. Their eyes met across the room, he crossed to her side and they never strayed far from each other from that moment forward. Three months later they were married. This was completely out of character for Emery, a scientist who connects all the dots and crosses every T. When she forgets their third anniversary Luca gives her the “We need to talk” line and she knows her life is heading in the wrong direction. When she witnesses him being hit by a car she doesn’t think, she injects him with this super secret life saving serum and brings him back from the dead. She knows Luca would’ve wanted her to take the risk, but unfortunately the Luca that wakes up, doesn’t remember a thing about her. This is her chance to start over and pick her relationship over her job.

Despite the incredible premise, these characters won me over and made me want to believe that a love like theirs exists. Yes, Luca had no idea who Emery was, but there was still that instant connection that they felt the day they met. The author made that connection believable despite the resurrecting from the dead main plot. This story was the ultimate second chance romance. Brought back from the dead, Luca doesn’t know he was going to have “the talk” with Emery. He just knows that she feels familiar, safe, and is gobsmacked by her beauty and smarts. Emery takes this chance to be 100% honest with Luca, something that she held back from during their marriage. We can all take a few lessons from the characters in this book, being honest with the ones you love is always the best road to happiness.

I’m never bored when reading a Christina Lauren novel. Her dialogue is always witty and usually the plot has a little extra oomph and holds my interest. This one had a double dose of both and this story was fun, easy to read, and held my interest, which has been hard lately with how busy life sometimes gets. It makes me appreciate how I can count on this writing duo to give me what I need the most, an escape from reality through the lives of really interesting characters. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Romance Revival

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Unpredictable Magic by Faith Hunter

Angie Everhart and her brother Evan run a PI firm in Chattanooga solving paranormal crimes. When they are hired to find a missing woman who was last seen at their Aunt Jane’s residence things get very complicated. The client isn’t who she appears to be and all of a sudden the city gets overrun by demons led by Angie’s ex-husband. All of a sudden they are in the middle of a political paranormal war. Partnering with the local CPD and with the help of their friends they set out to rid Chattanooga of these unpleasant visitors.

Loved! If you have read the Jane Yellowrock series you’re familiar with many of these characters. Angie and her brother were children in that series and boy have they changed! Evan went on to fight in the war at 17 and his many experiences have led him to team up with the sister he’s closest to, far away from their family and Queen (Aunt Jane). When Angie’s ex shows up wanting to take over the world, because that’s what the bad guys always want, she steps up and we get to see the bad @&& witch that was hinted at in her youth. I love me a heroine who is strong and can kick some vampire butts.

As with all of Faith Hunter’s novels, the dialogue was lively and full of snark and sass, the action scenes were amazing and full of blood and gore, and the interactions between the characters showed growth, emotion, and even romance! I don’t want to spoil the love interest angle, but Angie and an old beau find each other again and are perfect for each other! Hopefully this is the first of many books in this exciting new series. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Unpredictable Magic

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This Chick Read: Falling Into You (Colburn Brothers #3) by Jill Shalvis

Hazel Price is back in Star Falls to help her estranged dad. She wants to avoid two things – keep her time in Star Falls short, and don’t fall back in love with Tucker Colburn. Unfortunately when a wasp flies through her car window she veers off the road into a brook and has to be rescued. Who arrives? No other than Star Falls finest firefighter, her ex-best friend and one night stand Tucker Colburn. As they spend more time together, they get closer and Hazel has to decide if she’s going to remain in the city that she left behind long ago.

This is the last Colburn brother in the series and I’ll admit I think I might like this one the best. We got a hint of Hazel and Tucker’s past in the previous two books. If you read those, you knew that they used to be best friends and something made that friendship sour. In Falling into You we get to learn all about their back stories, who they were to each other in their youth’s. They were best friends that turned into something more. Tucker had a horrible father and escaped to Hazel’s house (through her bedroom window) for years. Until they became old enough to start developing feelings. They were going to run away together as teens but Tucker stayed in town to be a buffer for his little sister with their abusive father. Hazel never forgave him and stayed away until her father had a health issue.

I really enjoyed learning about who they were to each other and the tension between them as they slowly built up to become what they were always meant to be, each other’s person. The re-building of Hazels’s relationship with her rather grouchy father was heart-warming as well, and then when you add in the amazing group of friends and family relationships, this was a really well rounded novel! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book! Falling into You

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This Chick Read: Metal Slinger (Fire & Metal #1) by Rachel Schneider

Despite being an outsider, Brynn has spent her life among the Alaha training to be a guard and waiting for the chance to go to the annual market hosted by the Kenta, the very same people who exiled her people to a life at sea. She doesn’t foresee that she’d have a chance encounter with an enemy soldier that would change her world. When the truth of her identity comes to light by this same soldier, Brynn’s loyalty to the Alaha is tested even further when the world of magic she belongs to comes to light. She was once certain of her fate and where she belonged, but the dark, knowing eyes of this stranger have her questioning everything, including her heart.

If you’re a fan of T.A. White’s Firebird Chronicles, you will really enjoy this first installment in the Fire & Metal series. Brynn is a strong woman who has dealt with being on the outside for her entire life. Fed niceness in increments by the Alaha, she’s really loyal to her core group of friends who have seen her through these tough times. When her eyes are opened to the world she really belonged to, she didn’t immediately embrace it, but had to make quick life or death decisions that ultimately had her sailing away from the Alaha, but not without them giving chase. Oh wait, I forgot one important point! She escaped with Acker, the soldier from Kenta followed her out to sea and was in jail with a death sentence when she broke him out and they sailed away into the sunset. Not really, but kind of.

Also reminding me of the Firebird Chronicles, Brynn is always getting into and out of scrapes of some sort so if you love a book with a lot of action adventure this is your style of read. What other things did I like? There was a bit of romance, lots of secrets, and a core friend group that didn’t seem to go away, despite her actions. Typical hero stuff, right?

There is also a HUGE plot twist at the end of this book. I didn’t see it coming and it blindsided me. I didn’t care for it, and was stunned when it played out on the pages of this novel. Will it keep me from reading the next book? Probably not. Leopards just don’t change their spots that much, and I gotta have faith my girl Brynn (and this author) is going redeem herself in the Light Wielder, the second book in the series. The good news is that it’s out NOW and you don’t have to wait to see what happens. Enjoy!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Metal Slinger

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This Chick Read: The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston

When Sophie Drear plans her escape to coastal Maine for the summer—for a temporary job revitalizing the storied grounds at Lilymoor House—she doesn’t expect to fall in love.

But she does: With the beguiling land, the fragrant flowers, and the towering hedge maze. With the quirky staff and the enigmatic woman who owns the place.

And then, the door appears. Never in the same place twice, it leads her to a secret, and unfinished, garden with a frustrated thundercloud of a man trapped inside.

This mysterious garden is not the only sign that the future of Lilymoor is unstable: the foliage resists Sophie’s careful nurturing, vines threaten to strangle the hedges, and the manor’s owner has wild ideas about who will take over when she retires—including her inconveniently attractive nephew who is also there just for the summer.

Despite herself, Sophie has come to care for the residents of Lilymoor just as much as she cares for its grounds. With the help of one man on the outside of the secret garden, and one man on the inside, she might be the only person who can figure out exactly what Lilymoor needs to bloom once more.

Break out the box of tissues for this one! Sophie “escapes” to Lilymoor House grieving her best friend who died the year before. When they were in college they took a road trip to this storied garden. They were both leaving college and pursuing careers in opposite locales so they made a pact to return to Lilymoor in 10 years, regardless of where they are in their life. It’s the 10 year date, and to honor Harrie Sophie accepts this summer job. She is having trouble living her life since Harrie’s death. She doesn’t expect it to be but Lilymoor jumpstarts her heart and her imagination.

There’s a wonderful cast of characters in this novel, all of them searching for something, even if they don’t quite know what it is they’re searching for- with that in common they bond over throwing a 250th anniversary for the home. Sophie’s job is to make sure the gardens are in good shape, and as she’s working she comes across a blue door where there shouldn’t be one. Behind that door is one of the owners nephews, stuck in time and as Sophie visits him she falls in love with this dichotomy of this strong and gentle warrior. This “secret garden” may give her just what she needs, to find the magic in her own life again, and enjoy the act of living.

I had a very hard time not falling in love with the gentle prose in his novel and as it went on the emotions Sophie was going through swept through me as well. I spent the last few chapters shedding a few tears and feeling my heart beat with hope and joy. If you’re going through a tough time yourself, this may lead you into the light. It’s a five star read from me.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Someday Garden

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This Chick Read: A Shop Girl’s Guide to Wooing a Lord by Shana Galen

Tamsin Archer has had a difficult year, her father’s dead, her mom lost her arm, and now her younger siblings have gone missing. Tamsin is doing everything she can to hold her family together. When she dresses as a liveryman at a ball and pockets a couple of items, she runs into Garret Kildare. A few years ago, he made an impression on her with his gentlemanly ways when he saved her from being trampled. She thinks that he has it made with his perfect family and his family manor. What she doesn’t know is that he has just been delivered devastating news as well. His family has run out of money and the only way they will be saved is if one of he and his four siblings marry well and support the family. When he meets Tamsin, a young woman lower in station than he, those plans de-rail.

I loved the premise of this book. A young man ignores society’s expectations and falls for a woman from another class. What I didn’t like as much as that the writing made the characters seem really juvenile, or at least Garret seemed juvenile. I think the challenge in writing a historical romance of this nature is portraying how the hero changes his expectations and goes against how he has been brought up. The author chose to portray Garret, a 32 year old male, as a much younger man and in that way she gave him an innocence that just wouldn’t be the norm in this historical time in London, or at least I don’t think it should be. Tamsin, on the other hand, was tough and written exactly as she should be. The contrast between her situation and his, and how he and his brothers would solve the problem was just too big for me to ignore. It was too juvenile.

I did finish the book, but I just didn’t enjoy it that much and skimmed it to finish. ❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: The Final Target by Nora Roberts

At her first book signing, introverted Arden Bowie puts on a smile and makes an effort with every single person who came to purchase her novel. When Dustin got her autograph he showered her with compliments which made her slightly uneasy, but she ignored her intuition. Then he showed up at another book signing, and another. When he showed up at her apartment declaring his intention that he be together she finally got mad but it was too late. He assaulted her and would have done worse but her downstairs neighbors heard the noise and came to her rescue. He was arrested and found guilty but because of his wealthy mother only got five years in a psychiatric prison where he has stewed and stewed. Arden wanted to start a new life so she chose a small town in Oregon and befriended Gideon an ex-LAPD cop, and when Dustin’s five years ended hoped he had forgotten all about her.

What can I say, I’m a big Nora Roberts fan, but dare I say it? Are her romantic thriller’s getting a bit darker? Her last two have had serial killers hunting her heroine and I’m a big scaredy fan, so would love her to turn her attention to a caper or other sort of thriller for a change in tune. That being said, The Final Target was another winner.

Arden held just the right amount of feminine vulnerability and strength. What she went through was awful and the fact she kept writing mysteries and living a full life made her journey easy to admire. She had a great group of family and friends gathered around her, a mix of kooky, loving, and fun which added color to the story. Her romance with Gideon had a slow build because he was a man who liked to think things through, and being an ex-detective, he knew there was a mystery in her background. The fact he didn’t push and prod it out of her and had a gentle approach made him so likable but the romantic in me would’ve liked him to have a little more heat but that didn’t stop me from liking them together.

If you’re a scaredy cat like me, you may not want to read the chapters from the serial killers point of view. I skimmed those but I read every single word of Arden’s viewpoint and enjoyed her journey of strength, resilience, and love.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Final Target

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This Chick Read: A Curse of Beasts and Magic (Beautiful and Beastly #1) by Jeaniene Frost

After an attack by a mysterious creature that killed her family, Raine is living with a big secret. She has a beast inside of her that feeds on chaos and anger. She keeps it reined in by working as a nurse in an ER where she can feed the beast with residual feelings from her patients. At night she plays vigilante on the streets where she occasionally allows it free. One night she sees an elderly man being attacked by two men and she steps in to help. After vanquishing the threat she uses her power to heal the man and because of that she becomes part of a magical world that she never knew existed. She meets Remy Byrne, a Warden who guards the gateway between the human world and the magical. Her beast’s power could help tip the scales in his favor if she allies with him.

It’s been a little while since I’ve read one of this author’s books and I’d forgotten how good she is at creating world’s and dropping the reader into the middle of them. In this case, I didn’t feel at all lost, and Raine and Remy’s world was familiar and yet held a magical element that was new and interesting. Raine had always lived in the human world, so seeing this new vibrant place with magical beings through her eyes added an element of “wow” that kept things fresh and new.

Raine and Remy both held an element of mystery that kept me guessing their motives with others but more importantly with each other. They were both dark beings who were drawn to each other physically making for some rather spicy chapters, but they also had something that other dark fantasy novels lacked, they communicated and worked together against the big bad that was coming for the two of them. I’ve read so many darker fantasy novels lately that I’d forgotten how nice it was to see a couple drawn together who kind of liked each other and weren’t just having a good time in the sack. So, plot and romance mixed together with interesting characters makes for a good book. Not so surprising, but it doesn’t happen all the time so I really enjoyed this novel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book! A Curse of Beasts and Magic

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