Book Review: North Country by K.A. Tucker

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Romantic Suspense
Length: 398 pages
Author: K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 16th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the USA Today and international bestselling author of the Simple Wild comes a sweeping second-chance, forbidden romance set against the rugged beauty of northern Canada.

Emery McAllister once dreamed of leaving Cold River with the boy next door, but one devastating night destroyed their future and left her heart carefully guarded. Twenty years later, she’s built a life of control: running the town’s police detachment, raising her daughter, and keeping a fragile peace with her ex-husband, the mayor.

She’s certain she has moved on until the day she has dreaded—and secretly hoped for—finally arrives.

Logan Landry is home.

After two decades behind bars for being in the wrong place at the wrong time—and the choices that haunted him ever since—Logan returns to his family’s bison ranch carrying the weight of everything he lost, but especially Emery. Friendship is all he dares hope for now, but seeing her ignites a fire he thought long extinguished.

When a teenage girl disappears and old wounds reopen, Logan becomes Cold River’s favorite suspect, despite his airtight alibi. As distrust closes in, Emery must choose between the life she’s built … and the love she can’t let go.

Thank you RB Media for the gifted audiobook.

PRETTY GOOD.

I haven’t read a K.A. Tucker release in a hot minute but this one was calling my name. I really liked the audiobook narrators and that it was dual POV. Definitely recommend that route!!

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with this kind of premise and it was intriguing. I liked the way it added to the suspense and left me wondering what was going to be revealed next. The mystery was good and honestly left me grasping at straws. I could not pin down that correct suspect and that made much of this book fly by.

Logan’s arc and reconnection with this family and Emery was fantastic. I love that I also got his POV to better understand his story and decisions. I do wish the spice hadn’t been thrown in so quickly? But I was grateful to find that it was more of a slow burn after that and much of the focus was on solving the murder.

I loved a lot of the little pieces like Logan’s relationship with Emery’s daughter, Logan’s parents and more. The setting is immaculate and atmosphere was perfect. I’ve missed reading K.A. Tucker’s books and hope she has plans for more in this vein!

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantic Suspense
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: murder, loss of life, loss of loved ones, cheating (not between main characters), grief depiction, weapons violence, adult/minor relationship, gun violence

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Book Review: The Tapestry of Fate (Amina al-Sirafi #2) by Shannon Chakraborty

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 485 pages
Author: Shannon Chakraborty
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty sets sail into the second adventure of pirate Amina al-Sirafi as her quest to track down magical artifacts brings her to the island lair of a sorceress whose woven enchantments are impossible to flee.

Amina al-Sirafi thinks she’s struck gold. Tasked with hunting down arcane artifacts for the council of immortal peris, she can savor the occasional rollicking adventure on the high seas with her cherished criminal companions while still returning home to raise her beloved daughter, Marjana. But when Raksh, the spirit of discord with whom she is reluctantly wed, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina is charged with a seemingly impossible quest: steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate from a mysterious sorceress on an island no one can escape.

Forced to leave Marjana—who is increasingly frustrated at being peddled what are clearly lies about her mother’s life and her own past—Amina finds her mission almost immediately thrown into peril. But deadly storms, an erratic poison mistress, and old enemies are the least of her worries. For the peris’ story is unraveling, hinting at a far deadlier game whose rules Amina must swiftly puzzle out. A game that sets her against an adversary more cunning and powerful than she has ever faced.

A game that not everyone on her crew wants her to win.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the gifted copy.

SOLID SEQUEL.

What I find most charming about these books is that the audiobook feels like I’m being read a storybook. There’s this whimsical quality to the writing that is translated fantastically by the narrator that makes reading this book easy. I liked being back in this world and with these characters and seeing what chaos was persued this time.

I will note that I’m not sure this did anything for the larger plot? Like, it was a great adventure. I had a good time, but is there an over arching plot? I’m not sure there is. Maybe that’s the point? It’s just different tales from Amina’s life? I have yet to determine the answer but I definitely want to read the next book regardless. I would love more interactions with Rashk. I liked getting some more background from Anima’s best friend at least.

But all in all, a good story, not mad I continued the story and I still love Chakraborty’s writing.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: moderate+

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Non-fiction Book Review: Big Kids, Bigger Feelings by Alyssa Blask Campbell & Rachel Stuart Lounder

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Non-fiction
Length: 288 pages
Author: Alyssa Blask Campbell & Rachel Stuart Lounder
Publisher: Harvest
Release Date: September 16th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the coauthor of Tiny Humans, Big Emotions, a guide to supporting children’s social and emotional growth through the elementary school years (ages 5–12), a critical but often-overlooked developmental stage.

TOO OLD FOR TANTRUMS

TOO YOUNG FOR TEENAGE DRAMA

Meltdowns. Name-calling. Hitting, kicking, and hair pulling. Except, these aren’t the toddler years. Why is your elementary schooler still having these outbursts?

Long thought of as years when parents can finally enjoy calmer kids and deal with less emotional volatility and tears, the elementary school years are anything but. During these pivotal years, our children navigate a new set of social and emotional challenges. From playground bullying to cliques and exclusion, ever-increasing academic challenges—and plenty of physical growth and hormonal changes thrown in the mix—the elementary school years are more complicated than most parents realize.

Big Kids, Bigger Feelings is the guide you need to help your child thrive during these developmentally complex and wonderful years. The social and emotional skills you provide your children with now will prepare them for a lifetime of self-advocacy and stronger emotional intelligence. Campbell’s revolutionary Collaborative Emotion Processing (CEP) method, used in preschool and elementary school environments, teaches you how to work with your children to help them understand how they are feeling and process their big emotions in healthy, constructive ways. Discover how

Teach kids to handle unkind behaviors and set boundaries. Help kids learn to regulate themselves when they feel angry, sad, and upset, Manage technology use in a safe and healthy way, Navigate puberty, body changes, sex, drugs, and other important topics, Develop a deeper connection with your child. The elementary school years are rife with change—from changing bodies to changing social structures—and there’s never a better time to help your kids handle these ever-increasing challenges so they can thrive today and tomorrow.  

WORTH THE LISTEN.

I’m fairly anti-self help/parenting books because I’ve seen many lean on them TOO much, but occasionally I want to read one and touch base with how I’m feeling towards how I’m parenting and I thought this was a good listen.

I liked that it wasn’t a one size fit all or you MUST do it this way. There were multiple mentions of studies and recent data about everything from risky behaviors to screen use. I liked the implementation ideas and that reading this didn’t make me feel like I was a bad parent.

There were some ideas I hadn’t considered or want to look into more and I think that’s the sign of a good non-fiction book too. Will I take every single thing here and use it? No and that’s okay (and the point honestly). I found enough to ponder that I think it’s a solid read if you’re looking for a little extra help.

Overall audience notes:

  • Non-fiction
  • Language: none

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Book Review: A Summer Without You by Caitlin Moss

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance / Magical Realism
Length: 330 pages
Author: Caitlin Moss
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Savannah Swanson is an author and self-proclaimed nomad, wandering from town to town to fully immerse herself in each setting before weaving it into her next romance. She’s written love stories in bustling cities, quaint beach towns, exotic destinations, and charming suburbs. But when her publisher demands a small-town romance, she balks—until she remembers the one place she’s avoided for years.

Roslyn, Washington.

It isn’t just another dot on the map. It’s where she left Graham Stewart, the man she almost chose, the love she almost had. And as fate would have it, he’s still there—now a rugged dairy farmer with a life far different from her own.

A near collision on the highway sets off an unexpected shift in her world, revealing glimpses of what life could have been if she’d said yes all those years ago. As Savannah navigates the pull of past regrets and present possibilities, she’s forced to decide: is love just something she writes about, or is it something worth staying for?

NOT TOO SHABBY.

Once again, I remain a fan of Caitlin Moss and her books (I mean come on, we both spell our names the CORRECT way, but I digress). I liked the way the magical realism aspects played into this. While not a minor part of the plot it was woven in seamlessly where I was continually pulled into both lives wondering what conclusions Savannah was going to come to by the end of the book.

I looooved the way Graham loved Savannah. It was sweet and heated and all consuming. I loved the way he looked after her and just wanted her to be whoever she wanted. I did struggle with the way Savannah was with Graham sometimes though. Enough so that I questioned how long they made it after the epilogue? I don’t know, something was off for me.

But it’s an engaging plot that will keep you guessing and swooning. There is spice but it isn’t the focus of the plot. I thought many of the conversations and dialogue supported good themes and I look forward to Moss’s next book!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3ish open door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: divorce, loss of a grandparent, post-partum depression

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