Week of August 18, 2025

As you may have heard me say before, my husband, Ross, is a non-reader. Like, reading just isn’t fun for him at all. He sees no point if it’s not to learn a specific thing or study up on a particular topic for work. So when I got home from being apart from him for a week and he asked me what books I read while I was away, I wasn’t sure what level of detail he was looking for. Usually I gloss over what I’m reading because he’s really not interested. So I started out small and told him about the book I was currently reading, Pictures Of You by Emma Grey (book #4, below). I told him a very brief synopsis of the first 20% of the book. We talked about that for a bit and then that topic led me to tell him about the book I finished on the plane (book #3, below), which dealt with a man being married for 20 years to another man who turned out to be a serial killer and how that knowledge shattered his existence psychologically. Like I said, Ross rarely takes an interest in what I read, and I think it’s because he thinks it’s all lovey dovey fluffy romance. But we talked for probably an hour about the underlying aspects of these books, and he was asking a lot of questions. For example, when we were discussing the Nicky James book about the serial killer, he asked if I thought the author has a specific trauma that led her to write about this specific topic. I said I couldn’t begin to guess, but the same author handled the issue of post-wartime PTSD really well in the book I read last week (Long Way Home) and then we started to talk about that book.

I know I’ve said it before, but I love how fiction writing isn’t just fluff and can spur these great conversations. I’m continually impressed by these authors and the way their minds works and the lengths they go to to breathe life and depth into their characters. Some are so incredibly gifted in this way and it’s such a gift to read their stories. And when I can talk about these books, even in really broad strokes, whether it’s here in this newsletter or with my non-reader husband on the couch, it just makes my day. Once again, thanks for sharing these books with me!

• As always, here’s my rating scale for your information:

  ⭐️ Did not like this book, would not recommend. Lots of errors, plot holes, not worth the effort to read, most likely didn’t finish. But I’m giving this author a single star for making the effort to publish a book. Not everyone’s even gotten that far, so yay for you.

  ⭐️⭐️ Didn’t really like it, multiple issues with style, plot, syntax or characters. Most likely forced myself to finish it. Would consider other books by the same author but I might have to be convinced.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoyed the book. Perhaps there were issues with plot or style but it was an enjoyable read. I could see recommending it if it were of a specific genre or trope or series. Most of what I read could easily fall into this category and I’d be a happy camper.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a good book. Like a really good book. I will think about this book when I’m finished, and there’s a really good chance I’ll buy it for my personal library if it was a KU read. I’d recommend it to other readers of the same genre or trope. I’ll definitely search out other books by this author, probably as soon as I’m finished reading.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wow. Just wow. Amazing book, amazing story. If there were flaws in the book I’m completely overlooking them because in my mind the book was sheer perfection. I didn’t want the book to end and I’m immediately adding it to my favorites and my re-read pile. And if there’s an audio version I might have to buy that, too. I have a book hangover, I miss the characters, and I feel actual, physical loss in my life when this book is finished.

Thanks for joining me this week! Let’s dive in!

1. Not That Complicated, by Isabel Murray ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

   Kindle Unlimited, 296 pages.

   Genre/tropes: MM Romance, mystery, humor

   Once again, British humor ropes me into this charming book. This story was quirky and fun and, well, uncomplicated as the title might suggest. The two MMCs, Ray and Adam, don’t seem to have all that much in common but the way Ray literally stumbles and bumbles his way into Adam’s life makes for a fun romance book. It’s a single POV story, which I love, and Ray as the narrator is perfect in all his flaws and self-deprecating Brit-isms. There is a mystery component to the book which fills some of the space in the pages and makes for a cute sub-plot, but it’s the connection between Ray and Adam that makes the book. This book was very light and fun and if you’re looking for something witty and cute in the MM genre, for sure this would fit the bill.

2. He Falls First, by Jill Shalvis. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Kindle Unlimited, 352 pages.

   Genre/tropes: Contemporary Romance, small town, slow burn/low angst

   This is the first book I’ve read by Jill Shalvis, and I will absolutely be looking for others. This book is part of the Colburn Brothers series, and I look forward to the rest of the books coming up on KU so I can read them - apparently book 2 will be available in February of 2026.

   Let me get some points out of the way right off the bat. I didn’t feel like the introduction between Penny and Ryder was handled all that well. Like he walks into the house, sees her, and boom, that’s it? He’s smitten? The way he was so into her, I don’t feel like she gave him anything to work with so I’m not sure why he was so over the moon for her instantly. Similarly, the prologue in which the Colburn kids were running away from Hank and Ryder was protecting his siblings didn’t play enough of a role in the plot of the story to warrant being the prologue - I feel like a flashback sort of thing could have covered this topic of Ryder being the big brother/protector role. Those flaws aside, I did love the romance part of the book, even though at times I wanted to grab Penny by the scruff of her neck and yell at her. Ryder was the epitome of patience and kindness and manliness and was ALMOST too much of a good thing. So when Penny still was wishy washy about whether or not to go all in, I felt like pushing her aside - come on, woman! What more could you possibly be looking for in a man! Lol. Anyway, this was cute, and I will be looking for more by this author.

3. The Endless Road to Sunshine, Nicky James ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Kindle Unlimited, 361 pages.

   Genre/tropes: MM Romance, age gap, suspense, mental health.

   Ooh, this was interesting. I read (and loved) my first Nicky James book last week so I wanted to try another one. I picked this one at random from KU and I read it in one sitting on my flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia on Tuesday. Jason is married to Morgan for 20 years without any knowledge that Morgan is a sociopath and a serial killer (!) who has killed a string of men that have flirted with Jason during their marriage. When Morgan is finally caught and convicted for his crimes, Jason is psychologically crushed at the deception and overwhelmed with guilt for the men who lost their lives because of him. He just wants his life back after 18 month of torment during the trial so he moves six hours away and changes his name for a sense of normalcy. He also has to continue therapy and he’s struggling in a big way. He takes a job as a professor at a new university and immediately catches the eye of a very outgoing student named Skyler.

   Jason is in no frame of mind to 1. date a student, 2. allow himself to feel anything for anyone again after being so completely deceived by his husband, and 3. allow himself happiness because he feels he doesn’t deserve it after eleven men lost their lives because of him. He’s a shattered shell of a man. But Skyler is irrepressible. He’s the most vivacious character I’ve ever read, and to see him in comparison to Jason is like picturing Skyler in full color and Jason in black and white. It feels that way in the book. There’s absolutely no way these two should work together at all. But they do. Jason slowly but surely allows himself to get out of his head when Skyler is around and escape the intense negativity for just moments at a time. It’s very sweet to see how the two of these men end up helping each other. Of course, the romance between them is only half of this book. There’s a LOT more that that happens, like when a “fan” of Jason’s psycho ex comes into the picture and threatens to uproot his newfound sense of peace. But this was another good read from Nicky James.

4. Pictures Of You, by Emma Grey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Kindle Edition, $9.99, 416 pages

   Genre/tropes: Romance, thriller, mystery

   I’m very impressed by this book. From Oliver to Drew to Evie, each of these characters is incredibly unique and I understood each one throughout this book. I think the author did an amazing job at developing each of their personalities and holding true to them from start to finish.

   The premise of the book is that Evie wakes up in the hospital after a car accident and finds that she’s not only lost her husband, Oliver, in the wreck, but she’s also lost the last 13 years of her life to amnesia. And the rest of the book takes us on a journey with her to help her piece back together her life to find out why she’s estranged from her family and her best friends. It’s both an uplifting story and a cautionary tale all in one. The author paints Evie’s young idealistic thoughts of love so vividly, and when we see Oliver start to manipulate her thoughts and actions, it’s a classic case of what we know as love-bombing. And when Drew and Bree, Evie’s best friends, start to warn her away from him, we can see that his control over her is too deep for her to withstand. As the reader, seeing Evie’s decline into this abusive relationship through flashback chapters is frustrating, but reading Drew’s perspective on the Evie he knew and hopes still exists is so hopeful. This book was really well done and I’d recommend it whole-heartedly to anyone.

5. Foxed, by Jay Hogan ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

   Kindle Unlimited, 323 pages

   Genre/tropes: MM romance, slow burn, friends to lovers

   When divorced classic car mechanic and closeted bi-sexual Jed sees his daughter’s boss, out and proud high school principal Nash, and long-suppressed feelings start to stir, he never expects the feelings to be mutual. This was a nice book about two men in their 50’s who never expected real feelings to develop after a lifetime of low expectations in their respective love-lives. Jed, having been married and had a family, thought his bi-sexual feelings were so tamped down that they’d never appear again. But when Nash caught his eye, everything woke back up and stirred the pot in an unsettling way for him. Nash, on the other hand, had been out and having casual flings for years but never allowing true feelings to enter the picture after being hurt in the past. So both men were guarded and hesitant to start anything. But they couldn’t help it and the result was really a sweet story about found family and second chances. I enjoyed that the characters were mature and were navigating their lives and emotions as adults with significant past histories. I’d definitely look for other books by this author.

That’s it for this week! As always, you can keep up with all of my reading on my Goodreads if you want to. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12921106-karen

Love, Karen