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Book Review: The Spy Keeper of Marseille

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The Spy Keeper of Marseille
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Historical Christian romance

Zelie Bellarose is second-in-command of a resistance organization in France during the time of Nazi occupation. Marcel Laurent is a famous concert pianist who was recently freed from a POW camp and is tasked with using his contacts and talents to help with the resistance. As the spy network grows, is betrayed from within, and loses members to arrest and execution, Zelie and Marcel lean on each other for support more and more.

As much as I loved White’s The Imposters series, set in Edwardian England, so far her WWII-era books haven’t resonated with me nearly as much. I’m not sure why there would be such a difference, but the plot here dragged for me. I didn’t really care for Zelie as a main character. I liked Marcel more, but honestly, do professional musicians often think in musical terms as much as he does in this book? Also, though I don’t need a Christian book to be heavy on a Christian message by any means, there seems to be an intent to have a message here, but it’s pretty weak. Zelie doesn’t really trust God, but because Marcel does and is kind and says a few nice things about God, she suddenly realizes she needs to trust Him more.

The stakes in this book with a spy network trying to outsmart the Nazis are weirdly high but also not that high. Though people are captured, even executed, I never really felt much of that personally. The climax was fairly intense in this area, at least, which I did appreciate. There are ups and downs in the book that renewed my interest now and then, but overall, it just felt sort of okay. The romance wasn’t necessarily completely front and center, but it still seemed somehow more important in the book than the spying and danger.

I’ve planned to read some of White’s earlier works, set during WWI, and I think I’ll still give one or two of those a try, but if she releases more WWII-era books, I think I’ll pass. Not that this book was terrible, but not interesting enough to want more like it. However, others liked it more than I did, so if you’re interested, check out other reviews at the link below.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Book Review: Corpse Creek

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Corpse Creek
Bleak Haven #3
by Vincent Ralph

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: YA paranormal horror

The town of Bleak Haven has had more than its share of serial killers, almost as if it’s under a curse. But Ethan’s older brother’s death was ruled an accident, though Ethan has never been able to accept that. Four years after Brody’s death, Ethan still hasn’t found the closure he needs to move on and hopes visiting the creek where Brody died will help. Instead, he seems to have roused the spirit of his dead brother, who now tells Ethan that he can bring Brody back if he’s willing to sacrifice someone else to do so—a life for a life.

After enjoying the first book in this series, which is a straight-up slasher thriller, the next two books have been more of a letdown. They both still involve horror and suspense, but in a different sub-genre from the first book and even different sub-genres from each other. The second book was more of a zombie story, and this book…well, this one is more difficult to define. It has supernatural elements, though it’s difficult to say how much of it is meant to be real and how much imagined. In the end, there’s not a whole lot of plot, and though yes, it does have some creepy moments, it’s much more of a drama showing how grief can eat away at one’s life and relationships than a thriller. The only character I really cared about at all in this book is Ethan’s dad, as I did appreciate his progression through the book. But in the end, the drama side of the book is repetitive and tedious, while the thriller side is confusing and unfulfilling.

I was really interested in this town after reading the first book and hoped for more insight into why it has such a history of serial killers and violence, but none of the later books so far have delved further into that, at least not in any remotely satisfying way. Like the previous books in the series, this one has no sexual content, but I do seem to recall more language this time. It’s really not necessary to have read any of the other books before reading this one—past events in the town are referred to quite a bit here, but none of them were the subject of any previous books. On the other hand, there are a lot of references to the event that the 4th book is named after, which made me wonder if this installment might have any spoilers for the final book. As for recommendations, I’m sure there is an audience for this kind of exploration of extreme grief with horror elements, so if that interests you, you may want to read some of the positive reviews at the link below.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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September in Review

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I read 15 books last month, which is just shy of my average for this year so far but with just above my average total page count in a month. It was nice to have an average rating for the month up over 4 stars again, after a few months with a lot of low ratings.

Here are the books I read in September:

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken (4.5 / 5)
Empire and Frontier by Samuel Marquis (3 / 5)
The Terminal List by Jack Carr (2 / 5)
Mandie and the Abandoned Mine by Lois Gladys Leppard (4 / 5)
First Degree by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Boreal Wilderland by Robert Mullen (4 / 5)
Criminal Destiny by Gordon Korman (5 / 5)
Life Is Hard. God Is Good. Let’s Dance. by Brant Hansen (5 / 5)
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (4 / 5)
Sketch by Ros Hill (3.5 / 5)
Hunt for Jade Dragon by Richard Paul Evans (3 / 5)
An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers (4.5 / 5)
Bark Humbug by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Payback by Gordon Korman (5 / 5)
Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson & Janci Patterson (4 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 4 re-reads. My favorite book from September was Bark Humbug. I started 1 series, continued 5 series, and finished (or caught up on) 2 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: Blightfall

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Blightfall
Riftwake #1
by Brandon Sanderson & Janci Patterson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

Soon after winning a decades-long war against alien oppressors, a team from the planet Detritus is sent to another planet, Blightfall, to make contact with a settlement of humans that had been isolated there during the war. But they can’t possibly guess what awaits them even before they land on Blightfall.

I have not read the series that this is an offshoot of. It wasn’t even until I was around 2/3 into the story that I realized this was a continuation of the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson (though I suppose I should have suspected) and, more directly, a series of side novellas in the same world, written by Janci Patterson. But that means that my perspective will be as a complete newcomer, not a veteran, and as such, I did not have too many issues following the worldbuilding. Yes, I was initially lost with terms like cytonics, aliens that are given only cursory explanations, and people that clearly have backstories that I don’t know. I didn’t feel like it was any more difficult to muddle through the early chapters than any other sci-fi book with worldbuilding that hits the ground running though. By the end, I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of everything I needed an understanding of.

I was caught up in the story and the story world, especially when it became clear that there was something strange going on on Blightfall. I absolutely adored the taynix (slug-like creatures), their way of communicating, and their love of scritches and snuggles. There were a few interludes from the perspective of some of the taynix that made me really curious to know more about the world outside of what we’re shown for this story. I have no idea if any of that is part of the previous books in this world or not. Things got a little strange, though, with a couple of romances that felt awkward and unnecessary. And I really wish fiction writers could understand that having characters with they/them pronouns just makes things confusing in fiction, especially when any kind of action is going on. It was so hard to follow.

Despite the fact that I never had a desire to break into any of Sanderson’s epic fantasy/sci-fi works before, I have to admit that this has made me consider starting at the beginning of the series. As I understand it, this book was basically written by Patterson but with some input from Sanderson, which makes me all the more curious to see what his writing is like. (The only other Sanderson book I have read in the past is Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians.) I recommend the book for fans of futuristic, space-themed sci-fi, even if you haven’t read any of the books that precede it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Sketch

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Sketch
by Ros Hill

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Fantasy

Sketch isn’t like other people. For one, he’s a superhero, at least when his powers are working. Also, he’s not really human. He’s a drawing brought to life by ancient magic imbued into a batch of ink. Sketch has been created to stop the Finger Gunman, who is trying to find all of the ink and use it for his own nefarious purposes.

This is a really creative, inventive book, from the ancient Egyptian magic that imbues the ink with the ability to bring some drawings to life to the results of some of those drawings. The story spans centuries, with 2 main stopping points: when Sketch’s creator receives the ink and brings him to life and when Sketch must find a new artist in the hopes of getting his lost superpowers back. The author had some interesting ideas for how to keep the ink, or its creations, from being overpowered. At times, I was a little confused about the limitations, because I don’t think they were conveyed very well to the reader.

The pacing of the book is a little slow at times, but most of the time I was engaged. I have to admit that the villain was a bit underwhelming, though. For one thing, his name, the Finger Gunman, is out of place in this book that is overall pretty serious in nature. It seems better suited for a middle-grade book or a parody story. But besides that, he spends a lot of the book doing very little and then suddenly becomes over-the-top evil near the end.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and unique. Fans of super hero stories and speculative fiction should definitely consider reading this book.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: Bark Humbug

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Bark Humbug
Andy Carpenter #34
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Sometimes pseudo-retired defense attorney Andy Carpenter takes a case willingly, even if reluctantly, and sometimes he’s practically forced or tricked into it. The latter is the case here, as a woman who claims to be doing a magazine story on local celebrities visits Andy and then reveals her true purpose. Her brother is suspected of killing the local mayor, is innocent and prepared to turn himself in, and needs a good lawyer. Andy starts out slow, but the more he digs into the case, the more corruption he uncovers.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I enjoy the formulaic nature of this series, and I love it when the formula is turned on its head. That happens here, and even though I guessed at it way in advance, I still appreciated it and would have felt let down if it had gone a different way. The humor that I have loved all through this series made me chuckle a couple of times in this book, and it’s always great to see the different parts of Andy’s team working together on a case. Even Eddie Dowd, who I specifically mentioned in my review of the previous book seemed like he added little to the stories, was more involved this time.

With this book, I am fully caught up on this series for the first time since I started reading it 2 1/2 years ago. I’ve already started back at the beginning of the series, because I love it so much. More specifically, I love the audiobooks, because Grover Gardner brings Andy to life perfectly. If it’s not clear, I recommend this book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, but if you’re interested, you should definitely consider starting at the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: October 13, 2026

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August in Review

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I read 17 books last month, another month above my average from the past few years. I guess it’s within range of my average for this year though, thanks to how much more time I have for audiobooks lately. Still a lot of re-reads, which means less reviews I have to write.

Here are the books I read in August:

Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans (4 / 5)
Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko (5 / 5)
Thornbird by Elle Kennedy (2 / 5)
Mandie and the Charleston Phantom by Lois Gladys Leppard (3 / 5)
Persuasion by Jane Austen (3 / 5)
Living Unoffended by Brant Hansen (4 / 5)
Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Asylum Murders by Michael G. Colburn (2.5 / 5)
Four Windows, One Jesus by Chad Colter (3 / 5)
The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin (5 / 5)
So You Want to Be an Architect by Linda Soules (5 / 5)
The Ginghams by T.C. Kemper (2.5 / 5)
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (4.5 / 5)
Scythe by Neal Shusterman (5 / 5)
Masterminds by Gordon Korman (5 / 5)
The Order of Time by Scott P. Southall (2 / 5)
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (4 / 5)

This list includes 4 ARCs and 6 re-reads. My favorite book from August (that wasn’t a re-read) was Scythe. I started 3 series, continued 3 series, and finished 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: The Ginghams

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The Ginghams
by T.C. Kemper

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade sci-fi

Best friends Joni and Tyler return home from summer camp to discover that the third member of their trio, May, is acting a little differently. Soon enough they realize that May is not the only one acting differently, and it all seems to stem from the mysterious Thursday night book clubs at the home of the newest family in town, the Ginghams. As the behavior of more and more of their schoolmates, neighbors, and others in the town begins to conform to that of the Ginghams, Joni and Tyler wonder if they can keep their own originality.

Because the book is labeled as horror and mystery, I expected something more thrilling from this book. But the villain is obvious, even if their methods aren’t, and the book seemed to be trying to make a point but missed its mark, at least for me. Although the methods involved are villainous and even horrifying, the ideals espoused by the Gingham family are not all “bad,” so mostly it seems like the author/MCs are trying to convince us that it’s bad to want kids to behave or obey their parents. Individuality/non-conformity seems to be the main theme here, but at the same time, I couldn’t escape the feeling that there was something more that the author was trying to instill in the young readers of this book.

Beyond whatever message the author may or may not have been attempting to put into this book, I found it somewhat boring. Joni and Tyler seem more bothered by the idea of losing their individuality than losing control of themselves in general. I was just never very engaged. The climax involves a disproportionately gruesome action (that I might have misunderstood, because in the end, it didn’t seem nearly as damaging as I imagined), and then there’s the way the villain is dispatched. It all felt a little dark and harsh for middle grade, at least for my preference as well as for the tone of the book up to that point. Though I didn’t enjoy the book, there are many others who did, so if you’re interested in the book, please check out other reviews at the link below.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Book Review: Living Unoffended

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Living Unoffended
by Brant Hansen

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian living

Radio show host Brant Hansen counters the common opinion that Christians are entitled to “righteous anger,” while also making a case about how learning to let go of our “right” to be offended can change our lives.

I read Unoffendable by Brant Hansen 6 years ago and found that it had a lot to offer; it helped me examine a lot in my life, not only about anger and anxiety but also hypocrisy and self-righteousness. As Brant says in the intro to this book, “We need to keep talking about this stuff.” Brant does a good job here of laying out why righteous anger doesn’t really make sense and how anger and worry mean we’re not trusting God like we should. He uses scripture as well as examples from both Christian and secular writers and thinkers to back up his claims, and he does it all with his signature humor. Brant also offers some practical advice for learning to let go of offense, becoming more humble and Christ-like, and trusting God more fully.

The book is basically a series of short essays, and some of the content comes from at least 2 of Brant’s other books (Unoffendable and Life Is Hard. God Is Good. Let’s Dance.). I haven’t read the 2nd of those books yet, and fortunately I read the 1st long enough ago that it didn’t feel like a repeat to me. However, if you have read either or both of those books, you may not feel the need to read this one. Not that there isn’t anything new here, but I’m not sure how much is new. I do recommend this book, as well all of Brant Hansen’s books, really, for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Thank you to Netgalley and W Publishing for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Thornbird

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Thornbird
by E. Kennedy

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: YA thriller, romance

Gabrielle Thorn’s father confessed to murdering 6 women, but for 10 years, he refused to reveal where their bodies were. As both the 10th anniversary of his conviction and the date set for his execution approach, Gabrielle returns to the town where the murders took place with a new name and new story. Now she’s Ryan Shipley and even the cousins she’s living with don’t know who she really is. Ryan just wants to live as normal a life as she can before she graduates and leaves town for good, but as the search for the victims’ bodies heats up, she starts to get texts from an unknown sender threatening to reveal her true identity.

I don’t think I’d call this book a thriller, and it’s not much of a mystery either. For one thing, the murders have been solved. The only mystery here is where the bodies are, and Ryan does not spend any remotely significant amount of time in the story trying to figure that out—in fact, she actively avoids it as much as possible. For me, there was some suspense in the book, but that was really mostly due to me thinking there was going to be more going on than met the eye. There really wasn’t. A lot of the book is spent with Ryan feeling guilty, nauseous, etc. over what her dad did, the lasting effect he still has on his victims’ families, and keeping her secret from people she’s getting close to. She constantly does things she thinks are a bad idea, mostly chalked up to hormones, and basically is just carried along by the actions of those around her.

Romance is here in full force, though, albeit a worldly, YA version of romance. Ryan is pursued by the football quarterback, which then turns into a predictable-yet-ridiculous love triangle. In fact, around the 75% mark, when a thriller should be heating up, instead the serial killer side of the story slows way down as the romance heats up, and for a few chapters it seems the only focus is the physical side of this new relationship (which, by the way, is the only side to the relationship). After that, there are some reveals, at least one that could probably be seen as a twist, but I still kept expecting something else exciting or unexpected to happen, but the story played out fairly blandly to the end. So much of what happens in the last several chapters is illogical or just really stupid decisions on Ryan’s part.

So, I don’t really recommend this book to anyone. Younger readers might not be as bothered by the plot holes, terrible characterization, or other things that made me roll my eyes. However, the graphic nature of at least one of the physical interactions between Ryan and her triangle guy is inappropriate for teens. And for once, after reading other reviews, I’m not the only one that felt that it went too far, even amongst reviewers that are less conservative than I am. So let that be a warning to anyone considering reading this, of any age, really.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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