Loon Point A Novel by Carrie Classon

 

Title: Loon Point

Author: Carrie Classon

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Release Date: January 27, 2026

Set against the rugged beauty of the northern woods, the heartwarming first novel by columnist Carrie Classon explores how chosen family can sweeten bitterness into surprising joy.

Alone in the Northwoods, Norry Last settles in for another springtime lull at the remote resort she inherited from her father. She’s content with the solitude, maybe resigned. But when a blizzard hits, those little cabins by the lake start to fill up fast.

First to arrive is Lizzie, an eight-year-old with resilience and wisdom beyond her years, neglected by a mother struggling with addiction. Next comes Wendell, a cantankerous old fellow whose house collapses in the storm, the same way hope collapsed inside him long before. And then there’s Bud, the helpful handyman who’s always buzzing around, his kindness thawing something Norry thought she’d buried deep in the Minnesota snow.

As white melts to green, the Last Resort’s unlikely companions learn to share space, stories, and quiet comforts—an unexpected family that makes perfect sense. After all, Lizzie needs to be cared for. Wendell needs to care. Norry needs to open up. And Bud? Bud just might fix everything.

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Quite an endearing novel!

Norry Last is the owner of the Last Resort in Minnesota. She inherited it from her father. When she was younger, she left town but returned after her divorce. She is content with her life, taking care of the cabins and the people who rent them.

Lizzie is an eight-year-old girl who is left alone during a blizzard. Her mother is an addict. Lizzie doesn’t think she can survive the night without electricity or food, so she decides to walk to the Last Resort, accompanied by her recently adopted dog, Mr. Benson. Norry can’t believe her eyes when she opens the door to find Lizzie and her dirty dog. She feeds them, lets Lizzie take a much-needed shower, and prepares a room for her to stay overnight. Norry can’t let the dog sleep with the now-clean girl, so she bathes Mr. Benson as well. Throughout the night, Norry repeatedly calls Lizzie’s mother but gets no answer.

Wendell is a recluse who is ready for life to end. His house nearly kills him when the roof collapses, but Bud saves him and asks Norry to give Wendell a place to stay until something becomes available at the independent living facility.

Bud is the local handyman. He is always ready to help anyone who needs it. He has long carried a torch for Norry. They grew up together, and he hopes she’ll finally let him take her on a date. After two failed marriages, he wants this to work.

This was a wonderful debut! The characters were memorable. I loved Mr. Benson—he was a great addition. I like how these lonely souls found each other. Their bonds strengthened, and their lives became more fulfilling when they were together.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

Title: Anatomy of an Alibi 

Author: Ashley Elston

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Release Date: January 13, 2026

Two women. One dead husband. And only one alibi.

Everyone at Chantilly’s Bar noticed out-of-towner Camille Bayliss. Red lips, designer heels, sipping a Negroni. But that woman wasn’t Camille Bayliss. It was Aubrey Price.

Camille Bayliss appears to have the picture-perfect life; she’s married to hotshot lawyer Ben and is the daughter of a wealthy Louisiana family. Only nothing is as it seems: Camille believes Ben has been hiding dirty secrets for years, but she can’t find proof because he tracks her every move.

Aubrey Price has been haunted by the terrible night that changed her life a decade ago, and she’s convinced Benjamin Bayliss knows something about it. Living in a house full of criminals, Aubrey understands there’s more than one way to get to the truth—and she may have found the best way in.

Aubrey and Camille hatch a plan. It sounds simple: For twelve hours, Aubrey will take Camille’s place. Camille will spy on Ben, and the two women will get the answers they desperately seek.

Except the next morning, Ben is found murdered. Both women need an airtight alibi, but only one of them has it. And one false step is all it takes for everything to come undone.

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A good thriller!

Camille Bayliss is desperate to escape her marriage to the controlling Benjamin Bayless, a powerful lawyer. Camille knows her prenup is airtight, so she must uncover something Benjamin is hiding in order to fight for her freedom. When she meets Aubrey Price, she sees a way out. Aubrey agrees to impersonate her for a day while Camille investigates her husband.

Aubrey Price lives with ex-criminals, but she feels safe with them. She works at a bar, and when Camille confronts her there, Aubrey realizes Benjamin might know something about the deaths of her parents a decade ago. They were killed in an accident by a drunk driver. Aubrey decides to play along and help Camille gather the information they both seek. She disguises herself as Camille, with her friends assisting her.

The next day, Benjamin is found dead—by Camille.

Who killed him and why?

This is the question you’ll keep asking yourself while reading Anatomy of an Alibi. So many suspects who had a reason to get rid of Ben, starting with Camille and ending with Aubrey.

Quite an enjoyable novel.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Pamela Dorman Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

 

Title: Regretting You

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Release Date: December 10, 2019

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

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Another book I had to read in order to see the movie!

Regretting You is a mixture of Young Adult and Contemporary Women's fiction.

Morgan Grant is a sister, a mother, and a wife. She is content with her life. Her daughter, Clara, is about to turn seventeen. Jonah, their high school friend, is back in their lives. He and Morgan’s sister, Jenny, used to date. In the last year, they reconnected, and now they have a son together.

Clara is on her way to her mom’s birthday when she sees one of her classmates, Miller, on the side of the road. He looks like he needs a ride. At first, she isn’t sure she wants to stop for him, but in the end, she does. She spends time with him and finds herself intrigued by him.

Then, just a day later, everything changes for Morgan and Clara. Their world turns upside down, and they seem unable to communicate with each other. There is fighting and unshared secrets that only divide them more.

How can they both move forward from all the pain?

Regretting You was classic Colleen Hoover. I enjoyed the book and its characters, although the plot was fairly straightforward.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

The Extra by Annie NeugebauerThe Outsiders Sequence #1

Title: The Extra

Series: The Outsiders Sequence #1

Author: Annie Neugebauer

Publisher: Shortwave Media

Release Date: September 9, 2025

10 people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night 11 set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who's the extra?

THE EXTRA is the debut dark sci-fi novella by Annie Neugebauer.

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Who else thought we needed one more chapter or an epilogue?

The Extra begins with ten people heading out on a backpacking trip. At night, while setting up camp, the guy in charge, Matt, does a headcount—and instead of missing someone, he comes up with eleven!

Who is the extra with them?

How come he seems to remember everyone from orientation, and nobody seems to be new in the group?

Is he losing his mind, or did the Extra give him a false memory?

This short story was fascinating. The chapters were short. The ambience was well displayed, with a constant sense of foreboding and danger.

Cliffhanger: Yes

4/5 Fangs

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney

Title: My Husband's Wife

Author: Alice Feeney

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Release Date: January 27, 2026

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists is back with a psychological masterpiece that will leave you questioning everything you know about love, identity, and revenge.

Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn’t fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife.

One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying.

Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift from a long-lost grandmother brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person's date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel, and as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.

My Husband’s Wife is a tangled web of deception, obsession, and mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page. Prepare yourself for the ultimate mind-bending marriage thriller and step inside Spyglass – if you dare – to experience a story where nothing is as it seems.

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Quite a few plot twists!

Eden Fox is an artist and something of a recluse. She has recently moved to Spyglass in Hope Falls, and tonight is the first time she’s opening her gallery in town. Before heading out, she goes on her regular run, taking only her key with her. When she finishes, she tries to open the front door, but the lock won’t work. She knocks—and is shocked to see a woman who looks exactly like her open the door. The woman claims she is Eden Fox. Eden is stunned. She doesn’t know what to do next before the door slams shut in her face.

Six months earlier, Birdy received terrible news: she had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. She also inherits Spyglass after her grandmother passes away. At Spyglass, she finds an invitation from a London company claiming they can predict the exact date of her death.

I’m so happy I went in blind with this book—no idea what I was getting into. I have to say, it has quite a convoluted plot with several genuine shocks. Truly entertaining, even though it’s confusing at the beginning.

The narrators did a great job. I especially loved the sound effects during the running scenes. Great job!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Twelve Months by Jim ButcherThe Dresden Files #18

Title: Twelve Months

Series: The Dresden Files #18 

Author: Jim Butcher

Publisher: Ace

Release Date: January 20, 2026

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day—but, in this powerful entry in the Dresden Files, can he save himself?

One year. 365 days. Twelve months.

Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed, everything is different—and it’s not just the current lack of electricity.

Harry lost people he cared about in the battle, and that’s the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he’s doing his best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild, but it’s a heavy load. He needs time.

Time is one thing Harry doesn’t have, however. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and killing innocent civilians. Harry’s brother is dying, and Harry doesn’t know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires—and Harry’s been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal.

It’s been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard—but after loss and grief, is there enough left of him to rise to the challenge?

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Finally!

The wait is over after Battle Ground was published in 2020!

As a huge fan of this series, I was thrilled to get my hands on Twelve Months.

Twelve Months is all about Harry’s year after the battle, a time when he sustained devastating personal losses. At first, Harry has no motivation to do much beyond some exercise. People are still dying or getting into trouble, and little by little, he begins to emerge from his grief. Eventually, he also has to deal with Mab, the Winter Queen of the Fae, who has ordered him—as her Knight of Winter—to marry the White Court vampire Lara Raith.

Harry is forced to take Lara on a monthly public date, with plenty of Winter Court fae and White Court vampires present to witness it. Over time, I think Lara starts to see who Harry really is, and he begins to look beyond her facade. One of their shared goals is to bring Thomas back without him dying. Spells and deals are made to plan for it. It’s not easy, but Harry will never give up.

As always, listening to James Marsters narrate the audiobook is the best! He does so many voices, and every single one sounds perfect. No one else could do this job.

I’m already excited for Mirror, Mirror, which is coming out in 2027… hoping it’s true.

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Ace via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Save Us by Mona KastenMaxton Hall #3

Title: Save Us

Series: Maxton Hall #3

Author: Mona Kasten

Publisher: Berkley

The third and final book in the international bestselling Maxton Hall series—now a Prime Video streaming series—in English for the first time.

Can they save themselves? Or will they destroy each other?

Ruby is in shock: Her worst nightmare has come true, and now Oxford and all her dreams that finally seemed within reach are at risk. Worst of all, everything points to James as the one responsible, even after everything they’ve been through together. Ruby thought that she had met the real James—the one who has his own dreams, the one who makes her laugh and makes her heart beat faster with a single glance.

However, after an explosive fight between the two, they discover a terrible truth. Together, Ruby fights to graduate, as James tries to clear her name at school. But that means once again James must challenge his father and his expectations for him. And despite everything, James still threatens to break under the obligations to his family. Ruby and James must ask themselves if the worlds they live in are perhaps too different after all, or if they can finally find a way back to each other.

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I'm happy with the ending!

At the beginning of Save Us, Ruby's future is uncertain, and James might be the one to blame.

Ruby and James are still fighting the outside forces that want to tear them apart. They’re fighting for their love. At the same time, James feels a heavy responsibility toward his family legacy. Although he would rather forge his own path, he can’t bear the thought of letting his mother down. Ruby, meanwhile, is still fighting to keep her dream of attending Oxford without losing James.

How can they both be happy in the end with their choices without losing each other?

I really enjoyed this final book. Ruby and James evolved so much and finally started trusting each other. They realized they were stronger together than apart.

I was also deeply invested in all the subplots. I was rooting hard for good outcomes for the three other couples.

The ending, even though everything was tied up a bit too perfectly, still worked for me!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs