Rosepoint Publishing

On the Rising Wind by Brian L Casey – #BookReview #historicalfiction #NetGalley

Book Blurb:

America is on the brink of its 200th birthday, and seventeen-year-old Jesse O’Brien is standing at a crossroads.

The year is 1976. Across the nation, patriotic celebrations are being planned, old wounds from Vietnam and Watergate are still fresh, and a generation of young Americans is searching for hope, purpose, and a place to belong. In the rice fields and small towns of rural Arkansas, those changes feel both distant and unavoidable.

For Jesse, life has become a battle between who he is and who everyone expects him to be.

Bright, independent, and fiercely determined, Jesse dreams of a future larger than the one laid out before him. But intelligence alone cannot protect him from the mistakes of youth. Driven by restlessness and a hunger for freedom, he repeatedly pushes against boundaries, tests limits, and challenges authority. Each decision carries consequences, and before long he finds himself facing choices that could shape the rest of his life.

As the familiar world of his childhood begins to slip away, Jesse is forced into situations that test his courage, judgment, and character. Friendships are formed and broken. Loyalties are questioned. Trust is earned and lost. The simple certainties of youth give way to difficult realities, and Jesse discovers that growing up demands far more than he ever imagined.

Along the way he encounters unforgettable people whose lives become intertwined with his own—friends who stand beside him when the odds seem impossible, rivals who challenge him at every turn, mentors who offer guidance, and young women who awaken emotions he is unprepared to understand. Each relationship leaves its mark, helping to shape the person he is becoming.

Yet the greatest struggle lies within.

Jesse must confront his own fears, his impulsive nature, and the growing realization that freedom without responsibility can lead to disaster. As setbacks, disappointments, and hard-earned lessons accumulate, he begins to understand that true maturity is not measured by age but by the choices a person makes when everything is on the line.

Against the vivid backdrop of 1970s America, On the Rising Wind captures a nation and a young man both searching for identity. From dusty Arkansas roads and endless rice fields glowing beneath fiery sunsets to the excitement, uncertainty, and promise of the Bicentennial era, the novel immerses readers in a time when the future seemed limitless and every horizon offered the possibility of a new beginning.

Rich with nostalgia, authentic historical detail, and deeply human emotion, On the Rising Wind is more than a story about one boy’s journey into adulthood. It is a story about family, friendship, love, loss, redemption, and the universal desire to find one’s place in the world. It explores the difficult transition from innocence to experience and the painful but necessary lessons that transform a young dreamer into a man.

Readers who enjoyed character-driven coming-of-age classics will find themselves drawn into Jesse’s world from the very first page. His struggles are personal, his triumphs hard-won, and his journey unforgettable. Whether facing moments of heartbreak, exhilaration, danger, or self-discovery, Jesse’s story reminds us that the path to adulthood is rarely straight—and that the winds that seem determined to push us off course may ultimately carry us exactly where we need to go.

Epic in scope yet intimate in emotion, On the Rising Wind is a powerful coming-of-age novel that captures the spirit of an era and the timeless challenge of discovering who we are meant to become.

Some journeys change where we live.

Others change who we are.

Jesse O’Brien’s journey does both.

His Review:

Coming of age is never an easy transition. Jesse has reached the age where his pants are too short and everything seems to be a struggle. His father decides that he should learn discipline and the best way to do that is to send him to a military school. The choice is training aboard a long sailing ship. Eleven months of grueling life aboard ship sailing up and down the Atlantic seaboard.

The ship he is placed aboard is the Southern Star out of Newport, Virginia. She is a tall ship with her spars going up over 90 feet. Hoisting the topsail is not for the faint of heart. Jesse loves climbing to the top of the masts and melds into the crew he is assigned to.

There are the usual fights and struggles that young men get into as they establish their places among the crew. Jesse has a couple of other mates who see him as a threat and a pain in the posterior. However, most of his shipmates become fast friends.

The final sail will be in the 200^th anniversary of the United States of America. They are the tallest of the ships sailing grandly into the New York Harbor setting off a spectacular celebration.

This book is very well written, flows fast, and is spell binding. I recommend it for all ages. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: US Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: KPD
Publication Date: July 23, 2026
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: No Bio

Reading couple — Graphic courtesy ChatGPT

The September House by Carissa Orlando #AudiobookReview #GhostHorrorFiction #TBT

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Award Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Horror (2023), Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Debut Novel (2023)

Book Blurb:

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee.

Margaret is not most people.

Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

My Review:

Ah, gee. It’s a horror story? I just thought haunted house, okay, well, that should be fun.

I guess in several ways, it is meant to be humorous, but I couldn’t find that kind of gore funny. I know you’re wondering then, why I continued reading it. I’m just that stubborn?

Initially, the hook will have many people identifying with the characters. Margaret and hubby find an old Victorian for sale at a ridiculously cheap price. Of course it is. Should have been razed years ago. Failing that, it’ll need a lot of repair work, rehab even. But the location…oh yeah, private, quiet, out in the sticks. What could go wrong?

The first September in the house pretty much answers that question. There are all the usual haunting sounds, but thrown in are rivulets of blood cascading down the walls, barely there visible ghosts in all their horrific mutilated countenance along with the usual demons, a lone priest, and suicidal birds.

Some characters are rather benign; some aren’t friendly at all. I think the daughter, Katherine, actually provided the obnoxious antagonist, while it could be the maid who provided the thoughtful sidekick and occasional attempt at providing the satire.

The plot moves along fairly well with increasing tension and suspense that always comes back with “He’s down there.” And he was. There were plot twists and an interesting ending—pretty creative—enough to have kept me reading.

I read this for October; if you haven’t read it and have an interest in horror, you might enjoy this novel with not just an unreliable narrator or crazy MC, but a questionably stomach-turning storyline as well.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Ghost Horror Fiction, Ghost Fiction, Ghost Thrillers
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrator: ‎ Kimberly Farr
Release Date: September 5, 2023

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Carissa Orlando - author — Author bio and photo courtesy Goodreads

The Author: Carissa Orlando has a doctorate in clinical-community psychology and specializes in work with children and adolescents. In her “day job,” Carissa works to improve the quality of and access to mental health care for children and their families. Prior to her career in psychology, Carissa studied creative writing in college and has written creatively in some form since she was a child. It was only a matter of time before Carissa, an avid horror fan for much of her life, merged her understanding of the human psyche and deep love for storytelling into a piece of fiction. [Goodreads]

Have a great weekend!

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff #AudiobookReview #FamilyLifeFiction

Book Blurb:

When April and Leo’s house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication.

As the family reckons with the aftermath—grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact—the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo’s marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April’s generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo’s relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here.

A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, The Burning Side is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.

My Review:

A new-to-me author delivers a family life portrait and then does a deep dive into family dynamics.

April and Leo have been having marital problems and grown apart, somewhat estranged. He announced to her, during dinner preparation, that he wants a divorce, and as it will sometimes, the food and the fire are forgotten until the flames threaten their entire family.

With no home, the loss of everything, and nowhere to go, they move to her parents house. Leo has a tight tie with his inlaws who always treated him as their own son. Now Deb has been dealt with a diagnosis of her husband’s Alzheimers and is learning to come to terms with it.

They say events comes in threes…that old rule has happened more than once…and comes into play here. The reader is allowed POA’s of all three, April, Leon, and Deb. My perspective changes with all three, and might have changed more than once throughout the narrative.

The tension ebbs and flows while the reader begins to understand the experience of each, the pressure of a mother of little ones, while Leo exhibits increasing arm distance with little or no communication with his wife. It helps that all characters are likable but there are times when you’d like to yell at both to just talk to each other. Feelings of alienation can’t quite swallow the love each obviously still has for the other.

There are themes of abandonment, trust, loyalty, loss, and family bonds. It’s emotional but didn’t always feel authentic to me. No surprises here; the plot and storyline followed a rather predictable pattern. There is definitely a failure to communicate and that ends only one of two ways—the way you expect.

The novel is engaging, providing enough tension and interesting characters to carry the read to conclusion. If you’re a fan, you’ll no doubt find it well written and satisfying.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Family Life Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrators: Stacy Gonzalez, Timothy Andrés Pabon, Jackie Sanders
Release Date: May 19, 2026

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Sarah Damoff is the author of the debut novel, THE BRIGHT YEARS, published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. It was a national bestseller; a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist; and Southern Literary Review Book of the Year. Her second novel, THE BURNING SIDE, is out now. Sarah’s books are being translated into over twenty languages. Her writing has also appeared in Oprah Daily, Porter House Review, Ruminate Magazine, Texas Highways, and Open Global Rights, among other publications. A Texas native, Sarah lives with her husband and children in Dallas, where she has worked in child welfare. Her third novel, STATE OF CARE, is forthcoming.

#Audiobooks

Rosepoint Reviews – October Recap – All the News That’s Fit to Print

Rosepoint Reviews October Recap

I mentioned last recap that I moved my water garden critters inside as the weather took a cool turn and these can’t tolerate cold water. Inside, I have no lid, no light, no heater. So far, they’ve done well, but I had read that cool water (between 64-68 degrees) will keep the female snails from laying eggs. Nope. Now I have a clutch of eggs despite the temp. I’m wondering what colors they will produce, however, as I have both orange and ivory and don’t know which female laid the eggs. Always something!

In order to attend the local library American Mahjong games (they also have Chinese games), I’ve been studying any free apps I can find. Most have introductory games then a monthly fee. The games are several hours long and held weekly—no way I can do that—but was hoping to learn enough not to embarrass myself. Do you play?

Also, last recap I mentioned that Punkin the Pom would have her birthday in October, and she did, but it was her eighth, not the seventh. She continues to stretch her boundaries with us, finally getting comfortable enough with us to do so and continues to be a picky eater.

As usual a very busy month in which I take on far more than capable of accomplishing, but do it anyway, so, yes, my reviews have suffered. In the middle of trying to get a review to post during the month, discovered I could no longer use the Classic Editor without upgrading. The “happiness engineers” were pretty thrilled, I wasn’t. I paid for the basic and still getting used to it. The biggest problem for me is opening but not being kept in the dashboard. Despite the trauma and much gnashing of teeth, the CE and I read and reviewed four ebooks and six audiobooks in October.

I’m woefully behind reviewing audiobooks, with five read and sitting out there waiting for much needed attention. If I can get those caught up, it’ll go a long way towards my Goodreads goal for the year.

#RosepointPublishing - October Recap

EBooks

Secrets of the Artis Zoo by Paulette Mahurin (CE review)
Lady Reid’s Legacy by Jean Grainer
The Seagull by Wes Snowden (CE review)
Conspiracy by Colleen Coble

Audiobooks

Forget You Saw Her by Noelle W Ihli
Too Old for This by Samantha Downing
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce ( book club selection)
He Started It by Samantha Downing
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Favorite Book of the Month

I liked both Too Old for This and Lady Reid’s Legacy but have to give the nod to Too Old for This because it was unique, shocking, and fast-paced. Never a dull moment there!

Favorite for October – Too Old for This

My Reading Challenges page…Once again, just too much going on with aquatic critters, cleaning up the yard, and trying to learn Mah Jong. Goodreads now at 107 books of a 125 book challenge, putting me at 86%. Also wrestling with my Amazon Vine goal and it’s looking like it’s going to be a squeaker.

To my readers and fellow bloggers: I appreciate every view and like and thank you so much for taking the time to check out my posts and leave your comments. You still remain the reason I keep posting and now own a two-year subscription.

Halloween books

Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday #FictionSagas

Best Books of 2021

Award Winner for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2021)

Book Blurb:

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, the family drama that ensues will change their lives forever.

Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come rising to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.

My Review:

Yes, it’s Taylor Jenkins Reid—and it’s 100% character-driven. Not that I don’t like some character-driven inclusions, but 100%?

No plot. Just characters. Now and back then.

I read Daisy Jones and the Six back in 2023 and really enjoyed it. Then I read Atmosphere in 2025 but didn’t find it up to the level of enjoyment as Daisy Jones.

Malibu Rising - US cover — Malibu Riding – US cover

Having listened to this one some time ago, I’m even having a problem remembering it at all, except that just that fact tells me what I felt about it at the time. It’s a deep dive into the character of four siblings who are facing the annual celebrity party.

Yes, they have daddy issues and each have struggled with it according to their own personalities. The Riva family has a tragic history, creating flawed characters all. Each has widely different interests. I was awed by Nina’s sacrifices. The roles in the Riva family flip early, making the kids the mature, responsible members while the parents abdicated being adults and were more about play time.

Malibu Rising - UK cover — Malibu Rising – UK cover

I did like the well-drawn atmosphere of the California 50s. I could almost relate except that Malibu never figured into our moves. And I liked the way the ending settled the father fiasco and Nina’s rewards. Thank you—gave me another half star. Otherwise, if you’re a die-hard Reid fan, you probably enjoyed it. For me, the glow of Daisy has worn very thin.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Two point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Fiction Sagas, Family Saga Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: ‎ Julia Whelan
Release Date: June 1, 2021

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her newest novel, Malibu Rising, is out now. She lives in Los Angeles.

You can follow her on Instagram @tjenkinsreid.

audiobook reader — Graphic image courtesy ChatGPT

He Started It by Samantha Downing #AudiobookReview #TuesdayBookBlog #DarkHumor

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

From the twisted mind behind mega hit My Lovely Wife comes the story of a family—not unlike your own—just with a few more violent tendencies thrown in….

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven’t all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we’ll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and—more importantly—secure their inheritance.

But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.

It’s even harder when you’re all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory, a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won’t stop following your car—and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there’s a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.

But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.

My Review:

Without realizing it, I borrowed two audiobooks by the same author within a month. I previously read and reviewed Too Old For This and greatly enjoyed it, perhaps because it involved a female senior main character. Major dark satire. This book is also dark. Very dark and also quite original.

This one, however, doesn’t include the satire; no sense of humor. At first I thought the bickering between siblings was meant to establish a sense of familial connectedness. Boy, was I wrong. Grandpa died and the inheritance comes after a road trip.

He Started It by Samantha Downing — He Started It – US cover

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan all have widely different personalities and they all remember their grandfather differently. For that matter, they remember their parents differently as well.

Not the first book I’ve read recently with totally unlikeable characters, truly dysfunctional. They all have secrets and are disturbed to varying degrees. You can’t believe what happens on this cross-country trip they are forced to recapture of the one with their grandpa when they were all little—some twenty years ago. There are caveats, of course, but they must all do the trip just like they did before, including the dumps they stayed in and the greasy spoons where they ate. Beth, the middle child, is both the narrator and a liar.

He Started It by Samatha Downing — He Started It – UK cover

This trip is a little more complicated, given that now there is a marriage involved along with another significant partner. Beth was given the edict to find their missing sister by their mother—now in prison. But guess how that goes.

Yes, it’s a mind-blowing, skull-numbing read, with twists and whip-fast, shocking turns. Once I got my eyes back and focused, I’d reread that passage. No, that’s what I read. Who writes this stuff?!

Okay, so the deal was that the siblings had to complete the trip, report back and get their inheritance—no small change. So, how in hell did this ending solve that one? Hated the ending. So much drama, never-ending bickering, one extra little zinger after another. (Who is following them? Why did grandpa whisk the kids away from their parents and what’s with the calls? What’s the deal with Eddie?) It’s clever, keeps you hooked, entertained until the end. And did we find out what happened with the missing sister?

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Dark Humor Literature & Fiction, Dark Humor, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrator: ‎ Karissa Vacker
Release Date: July 21, 2020

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Samantha Downing is an internationally bestselling thriller author. Her novels include My Lovely Wife, He Started It, For Your Own Good, and A Twisted Love Story. Her debut novel, My Lovely Wife, was nominated for Edgar, ITW, and Macavity awards in the US, the CWA award in the UK, and was the winner of the Prix des Lectrices award in France.

Her latest thriller, Too Old For This, was released in August 2025.

#ThrowbackThursday

The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday #psychologicalthriller

Best Books of the Year 2015

Book Blurb:

The #1 New York Times bestseller, USA Today Book of the Year and now a major motion picture starring Emily Blunt.

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple having breakfast on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

My Review:

Sorry, not sorry, that I did not find Rachel sympathetic.

This is a novel I sucked into because it was a book of the year. Not the first time I’ve wondered if I read the same book alluded to in the raves. It wasn’t until I actually started this review that I discovered it also became a successful movie starring Emily Blunt. Well…Emily Blunt. Now I’ll have to go and look for the flick, but it won’t be involved in my review of the novel.

The Girl on the Train - US cover — The Girl on the Train – US cover

There are actually three main characters but Rachel Watson has the predominant POV. Also included in short chapter bursts are Anna and Megan. They all share the storytelling, but it’s Rachel who is the most dominant and unreliable narrator. Excuse me, but did they all have to be so nasty? There’s no one here to invest in.

It’s Megan who goes missing. It’s Anna who is the sweetie who stole Rachel’s hubby (the rat) and became pregnant just to spite Rachel. Anna obviously knew Rachel couldn’t conceive, thank heaven, as with the amount of booze Rachel consumed, the poor thing would come out in the shape of a bottle.

Never mind all that. Rachel manages the money to continue to commute to the city every morning where she was fired for drinking and being totally obnoxious on the job. One morning on the way in though, she believes she witnesses what has to be a crime and she attempts to report it.

HA! No one takes her seriously. Would you? So she decides to find out what happened herself. Does this sound familiar at all?

The Girl on the Train - UK cover — The Girl on the Train – UK cover

The narrative manages a timeline shift as well as POV shifts, some stretching disbelief, some little more than a repeat, but therein lies a heavy philosophical study in the mind of three disparate women. There are twists galore, because…who do you trust to tell this tale?

The denouement, when it comes, may not be one of the answers you’d thought of, but is rather a let down anyway and my summation: meh.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrators: Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, India Fisher
Release Date: January 13, 2015

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over fifty languages, it has been a Number 1 bestseller around the world and was a box office hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Paula’s thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant Number 1 bestsellers.

Audiobooks with headphones — Graphic books and coffee courtesy Freepik.com

Conspiracy (A Sanctuary Novel) by Colleen Coble #BookReview #ChristianMystery

A small town, second chance romantic suspense

Book Blurb:

In the third book in USA Today bestselling author Colleen Coble’s Sanctuary series, Paradise Alden learns firsthand that a conspiracy of lemurs is a family . . . but a conspiracy of people can be deadly.

Fifteen years of secrets. One chance for justice.

Just as wildlife veterinarian Paradise Alden begins to envision a future with Blake Lawson, the ghosts of her past return with a vengeance. The murder of her parents has shadowed her for fifteen years, but a new threat brings the cold case into the terrifying present. A trained leopard–a chilling embodiment of Paradise’s deepest fears–is now stalking her.

Haunted by resurfacing memories, Paradise, Blake, and her newfound brother, Drew, follow a trail of clues that leads them into a web of dark family secrets. The deeper they dig, the more shocking the connections become, linking their families to a dangerous conspiracy that someone is still willing to kill to protect.

With every step closer to the truth, the killer becomes more desperate. Paradise, Blake, and Drew must race to expose a murderer who has remained hidden for fifteen years, but this time, they are the ones being stalked. If they can’t unmask the killer, the past will destroy both the fragile future Paradise and Blake are trying to build and the family she has finally found with her brother.

Colleen Coble’s Conspiracy combines gripping suspense with slow-burn romance and includes intriguing mysteries from both the past and present, sabotage and danger, second-chance romance, found family, and themes of overcoming pain and how the past doesn’t have to define you. Perfect for fans of Laura Dave, Allison Brennan, and Lynette Eason.

The Sanctuary series: Ambush (book 1), Prowl (book 2), and Conspiracy (book 3)

My Review:

My guess is that I acquired this book hoping Book 3 could read as a standalone and, for the most part, it does. I didn’t read either Book 1 or 2 and missed that it is faith based. I expected a suspenseful mystery story and, again, for the most part, it is.

First, the names of the two main characters began to annoy me: Paradise and Blake. Her half-brother Drew, perhaps more formally Andrew, possibly based from Celtic roots. I’m not sure why the clash bothered me, but I kept tripping over “Paradise.”

Then I realized I’d missed the part that called it a slow burn. And, indeed, it is. Guess I prefer that to she and Blake jumping into bed at every opportunity for some afternoon delight.

When Paradise lost her parents, she became a ward of the courts and foster care, where, once again, descriptions of abuse at the hands of caregivers is enough to make a twelve-year-old opt to live on the streets instead. (How do I manage to have successive books with the same theme? Usually it’s the same names.)

Then there is Drew, a (former?) detective, who is ready to join the half-sister train and move to Alabama. Together, their goal is to solve the murders of Paradise’s parents and Drew’s dad. Yup—can’t be a coincidence—but that’s how they found each other.

I was impressed, however, that Paradise is written as a wildlife veterinarian at an animal refuge in Alabama. Blake’s mother owns it. This book doesn’t go deeply into how Paradise comes to work there or where she came from or how with such varied and sufficient knowledge. My bad for not reading Book 1 and 2 first! Not a fan of apes in general, however, was interested in the different origins and biology of a “wet-nosed” primate. Lemurs came before apes. “Conspiracy” is the collective noun for lemurs as is a “murder of crows.”

In between twists, some building tension, and clues dropping like bread crumbs, there are slow areas for me (i.e., romance). The relationship with Blake is a sweet one though, since she has no family and he has plenty, a believable match. There are numerous references to faith and prayers.

Although an interesting or unique plot, I had a little problem with the pacing, losing the thread, and the protagonists’ half-brother, as well as the MC names.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Christian Mystery & Suspense Romance, Christian Mystery & Suspense
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: July 7, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Colleen Coble has captivated readers with over 6 million books in print, earning #1 spots on Amazon. Her novels blend suspenseful plots, emotional depth, and faith-filled redemption that keep fans turning pages late into the night.

Colleen also teamed up with attorney Rick Acker. Together they launched the high-octane Tupelo Grove series which infused her signature coastal intrigue with Rick’s courtroom-sharp twists. Multiple high concept novels continue to flow from their fun and exciting collaboration including I Think I Was Murdered, a ripped-from-the-headlines AI suspense novel.

A passionate mentor to aspiring writers, Colleen has served on the American Christian Fiction Writers board for 20 years, helping foster a warm and supportive community. A life-long Hoosier, she and her husband recently moved to Arizona where she continues to spoil her grandchildren and craft stories in the sunshine.