reecaspieces

Overview

Two women, bound by blood and betrayal, must break silence across centuries—or be silenced forever, in the dazzling new novel by New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin.

Lilith Legare’s life is unraveling. Since her mother’s death, strange things have been happening – plants turn toward her touch, animals linger in her path, and the birthmark on her arm has started tingling. Worse still is her recurring nightmare of being burned alive at the stake.

Her search for answers brings her from Savannah to England, to the decaying Brackenmere Manor where the past blurs with the present. There, Lilith discovers a legacy she never asked for and along with it, the threat of peril. History must be rewritten, or she too will die.

In 1645 Suffolk, Sybil Brantham stands accused as a witch. An educated, wealthy widow, she is branded a threat by men who fear her independence. As arrests begin and suspicion abounds, Sybil must protect her younger sister, even as betrayal takes root within her household.

Across centuries, Lilith and Sybil are bound by blood and by danger. To save themselves, and each other, they must confront the silence that has stolen women’s power for generations—and dare to claim their voices before it’s too late.

Review

Lilith Legare’s life is unraveling. Since her mother’s death, strange things have been happening – plants turn toward her touch, animals linger in her path, and the birthmark on her arm has started tingling. Worse still is her recurring nightmare of being burned alive at the stake.

Nothing like a recurring nightmare to get you to travel across the pond and find your ancestors! And Lilith does just that!

I enjoyed this dual timeline story. Lilith and Sybil are woven so well together that each story makes you want more. But Sybil’s tale will break your heart. She is such an amazing character and I wanted to jump through the pages to help her.

I did feel the ending is a bit too easy after all the drama, but this is a minor issue.

And do not sleep on the author’s note, it is fantastic!

I have listened to several books with this narrator, Saskia Maarleveld. As always, she is excellent.

Need a good, witchy read to start your fall season…THIS IS IT! This publishes September 1!

I received this novel for a honest review.

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Overview

Amy Bridwell reluctantly accompanies her family on a Grand Tour of the Continent–the very trip her former sweetheart proposed they take as newlyweds. Receiving no suitable marriage offer in the six years since, and with her heart still guarded by regret, Amy has no choice but to go along with her widower father and younger sisters to ensure their travels go smoothly.

James Fletcher is building his practice as a physician in the fashionable resort town of Spa. Though he came with a wounded heart, seeking distance from Amy’s rejection, he’s managed to build a respectable life and is now engaged to a woman who will ensure his professional future. If only he could be sure that his betrothed’s heart is truly his.

When the Bridwells arrive at their first destination, Amy is stunned to encounter James again and to find him promised to another. As old feelings resurface, Amy must confront the choice she made six years ago and face the possibility that her heart has never truly moved on. 

Review

This had a bit of slow start. But once I fell in love with these characters, the story took off.

This is a second chance romance which follows Amy and James. James is struggling to get his physician practice off the ground. He has been in love with Amy forever. But circumstances beyond their control have kept them apart. That is until Amy ends up in Spa and runs into James. And the old feelings resurface!

This setting of Spa, Belgium in the 18th century really had me intrigued. I enjoyed reading about the baths and the cures people expected from these miracle waters.

This is not my usual genre. I used to read historical romances quite a bit in my younger days. I may have to start picking them back up.

This is well researched with great characters and a wonderful setting.

The narrator, Hannah Curtis, did a good job, especially with all the secondary characters.

Need a second chance romance…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from Recorded Books for a honest review.

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Overview

A touching novel about unexpected connections and found family. Leo’s growth and change are paramount, and he feels like a real person, not a token.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS 

A Zibby Owens Most Anticipated Book of Summer 2026

The current is threatening to pull them under.

Berry thought she had it figured out—juggling her vice principal role while raising her sixteen-year-old autistic son, Leo. But when a promotion opportunity collides with her family’s deepest needs, she must confront whether she’s been fighting the wrong battles all along.

McKenna is drowning. Between caring for her grandmother with dementia, losing her swimming scholarship, and facing homelessness, the college student’s carefully constructed world is crumbling. Her only lifeline? Teaching swim lessons to children with autism—including Leo.

As these two women’s paths converge in the most unexpected way, they discover that sometimes the people who need saving the most are the ones who end up saving you.

Review

This is told from two different points of view, Berry and McKenna. Berry is juggling her vice principal role while raising her sixteen-year-old autistic son, Leo. McKenna is caring for her grandmother with dementia, possibly losing her swimming scholarship, and facing homelessness.

I loved both of these women. And trust me, both are so different and are dealing with difficult circumstances.

Berry seems to be so strong, and she is, but she is also vulnerable in so many ways, especially where her family is concerned. I enjoyed how Leo is portrayed in this tale. Also, the problems with raising an autistic child is never ending! The author showed it all! The effects on a marriage, family, and the struggle with letting go…are paramount to Berry’s life.

Then there is McKenna. Her situation breaks your heart in so many ways. Some of it is her fault but not all! Her relationship with Leo is a lifeline for her and him. I love how Leo and McKenna’s friendship grows!

This is narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Annalee Scott. They each did such a great job!

Need a story about life, love and friendship…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

She thought she knew her family. One photograph proves she has been living a lie.

Joanne has always believed her mother died giving birth to her. It’s a painful truth, but one she’s accepted. Then, whilst sorting through old baby clothes, she finds a photograph tucked away in a box—her birth mother, smiling and very much alive, cradling a newborn in her arms.

As Joanne starts searching, the answers she gets only lead to more questions. Her journey takes her to Rose Cottage, where her mother once lived, and into a past filled with long-hidden secrets. Can she find out what really happened? What could be so terrible that her father has kept it from her for her whole life—and is she ready for the truth?

Revised edition: Previously released as The Secret of the Brighton House, this edition of The Missing Mother of Rose Cottage includes editorial revisions.

Review

Joanne has always believed her mother died giving birth to her. It’s a painful truth, but one she’s accepted. Then, whilst sorting through old baby clothes, she finds a photograph tucked away in a box—her birth mother, smiling and very much alive, cradling a newborn in her arms.

I enjoy a good family drama with secrets. And this is pretty good. It does tend to drag in places. But I loved Joanne and her quest. And trust me…she discovers more than she bargained for.

The setting of Brigton and Berwick-Upon-Tweed in the United Kingdom is definitely unique (unless you are from across the pond). This and the dual timelines of present day and the 1980s, create an uncommon story to captivate you.

I also enjoyed these narrators, Lucy Rayner and Bronwen Price. I am not sure I have ever listened to either one. I will have to look for other books by these narrators.

Need a family drama with a great setting…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

An epic, emotionally charged novel about love, art, and survival spanning 1900s colonial India to Blitz-era London by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

In the shadow of the London Blitz, artist Elsie Turner clings fiercely to her canvases, refusing to let war dim the colors that define her. The bombs test her nerve, but the struggle also stirs memories of her golden youth in India and of the long-lost love of her life.

The daughter of a British civil servant in the Himalayan station of Nainital, Elsie crosses cultural divides to forge an unlikely bond with Tanveer Singh, a Sikh prince with hopes, dreams, and far-reaching ideas. What begins as shared sketchbooks and stargazing becomes first love and a secret correspondence. When Elsie’s father is summoned to England, Elsie is severed from the world she knows—and is determined to preserve it through both her art and a connection with Tanveer that endures through the most tumultuous years of their lives.

Across four decades and two continents, Elsie navigates a journey from lush colonial India to war-torn London, amid landscapes of beauty, protest, and peril. As past and present collide, the most impossible choices and sacrifices are yet to be made in the name of love, war, and survival.

Review

The daughter of a British civil servant in the Himalayan station of Nainital, Elsie crosses cultural divides to forge an unlikely bond with Tanveer Singh, a Sikh prince with hopes, dreams, and far-reaching ideas. When Elsie’s father is summoned to England, Elsie is severed from the world she knows—and is determined to preserve it through both her art and a connection with Tanveer that endures through the most tumultuous years of their lives.

Now, this story is a bit too long. But it does encompass so much! I love the setting of colonial India. Plus, the love story between Elsie and the Sikh prince, Tanveer, creates a wonderful tale full of forbidden romance! But that is not all…you of course have war, revolt and family drama. Like I said…this story has so much to offer! And you do not want to miss it.

The narrator, Sneha Mathan, is just plain excellent!

Need a tale to take you through four decades and two continents…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

1880s, Ohio. When Mary and Anna enter the Bachelor of Arts program, also known as the “gentlemen’s course” of study, at Oberlin College, they have little in common other than the color of their skin and their passion for education.

While Mary was raised in luxury, attending presidential inaugurations with her wealthy father, Anna is a schoolteacher, likely the daughter of her enslaved mother’s former owner, and works a second job to pay for her room and board. But despite their differences, both women share strength, ambition, and a deep yearning for change. If they can bridge the gaps between them, they just might build a lasting legacy.

From its earliest days in the 1830s, Oberlin College admitted men and women, white and Black students. Though the doors are officially open, school policy cannot change the hearts of classmates who refuse to see a woman, and especially a Black woman, excel. Despite constantly being forced to prove themselves, the women triumphantly overcome every obstacle and push through their pain. And as the world evolves around them, Mary and Anna persevere to build a legacy of success and excellence.

Based on the real lives of Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida Gibbs Hunt, The Ladies Hall is a mirror into times of great change–where progress and new possibilities are met with violence and resistance . . . but hope always rises. And it rises still.

The Ladies Hall is an ideal choice for book clubs eager to explore the intersections of race, gender, and resilience in American history. Miller’s richly researched narrative sparks meaningful conversation about equality, allyship, and the personal cost of progress–themes that resonate just as powerfully today as they did in the 1880s. An included discussion guide helps groups dig deeper into the legacy these remarkable women left behind.

Review

1880s, Ohio. When Mary and Anna enter the Bachelor of Arts program, also known as the “gentlemen’s course” of study, at Oberlin College, they have little in common other than the color of their skin and their passion for education.

I enjoy a book based on real people. And this story follows Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida Gibbs Hunt. All three of the African American ladies set a standard. All were amazing and so dang smart.

This story will make you mad to realize how far we have come and yet how we have stayed the same. The strength these women exhibited during such a tumultuous time period made me so proud.

The narrator, Angel Pean, has done quite a lot of books that I loved. And I love her in this one as well! She does an excellent job with the characters’ emotions.

Need a well researched story about equality, historical perspective and power…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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