September Reading List

I read 19 books in September and started and discarded close to twenty. Here are a few of the ones I finished and enjoyed.

The Boy by Tami Hoag 2018

Spoiler Alert: A young boy is brutally stabbed to death in the opening chapter.

I almost put this book down right away because the subject is dark and the author is graphic. I cannot read about or watch children or animals being harmed. But Ms. Hoag sucked me in. It’s a good yarn that digs into people’s psyche’s, and it’s a good mystery.

The lead detective is at odds with his new boss and under pressure from a rape case he’s not having any luck solving. The murder takes place in the Louisiana bayou country which adds a rich depth to the story. The relationships and frictions are believable and relatable. This is the first book I’ve read of Hoag’s and I’ll be looking for more. 5 stars

Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts 2000

Tory Bodeen grew up in SC, poor white trash. Her best (and only) friend, Hope, lives in the big house, the plantation owner’s daughter. After Hope’s unsolved murder at the age of eight, Tory’s life falls apart. She returns to her hometown as an adult and opens a home-design shop, determined to face and bury the ghosts she left behind. What she doesn’t expect is that Hope’s murderer is still hanging around. 5 stars

The Runaway Duchess by Joanna Lowell 2022

This historical romance takes place when women were owned by their fathers, brothers, and husbands. A disgraced member of the ton is maneuvered into marrying a lecherous old duke, but a case of mistaken identity allows her to run away before the marriage is consummated. The botanist who thinks she’s a fellow scientist plans to ask for her hand. Their relationship progresses, but everything is based on lies. 5 stars

The Carriage House by Carla Neggers 2001

I don’t know why I haven’t read this author before. This book was definitely my cup of tea: a wonderful blend of romance and mystery.

Graphic designer Tess Haviland is gifted an historic carriage house on Massachusett’s North Shore in lieu of payment for a job. When the client disappears, she waits a year to check out the building and discovers a skeleton in the dirt cellar, a sexy next door widower with a six year old daughter, and a killer who got away with murder. Since I read this in one day I have to give it 5 stars and will definitely be looking for more of Carla’s books.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston 2024

A woman assumes different identities set up by her boss, the mysterious Mr. Smith. Once established, he sends her the mark. Evie Porter is her newest identity and a decent man named Ryan her latest mark. Unfortunately, her target becomes more than a job and she dreams of a future where she can be herself and not a part of Mr. Smith’s schemes. The stakes are high, but then Evie always liked a challenge.

This book took me by surprise and I enjoyed every moment of it. Cons inside of cons––what’s not to like? Big 5 stars.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes 2019

From the back of the book: An unlikely relationship between a woman who lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game.

Evvie is half-packed to leave her husband when she gets a call that he was in an accident. By the time she reaches the hospital, he is dead. For the next year she rarely leaves her house. The small Maine town thinks it’s because of her grief. When a washed-up Major League pitcher rents the apartment at the back of her house, they both end up dealing with their pasts. I couldn’t help but root for these two. 5 stars

Prom Mom by Laura Lippman 2023

Amber Glass has spent her adult life putting distance between her hometown of Baltimore where she fears she will be forever known as Prom Mom––the girl who allegedly killed her newborn baby, a baby no one knew about––not Amber, and not her prom date, Joe, the baby’s father. When circumstances bring her back to the city, she realizes she can have a second chance if she stays away from Joe, now a successful real estate agent married to a plastic surgeon.

But Amber can’t stay away from Joe, and Joe finds it difficult to ignore Amber. She remembers the boy he was, the boy he wants to reclaim.

Set against the onset of covid and the lockdown, Prom Mom carries the reader at a relentless pace through to the final stunning pages. I read this in two sittings because I couldn’t put it down. 5 big fat stars.

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune by Hunting Sophie Irwin 2022

Kitty Talbot needs to wed a wealthy man in twelve weeks or she and her four sisters will be homeless and destitute. The only way to do so is to join London’s Season, where the young wealthy members of the ton make their debut.

Cunning and determined, Kitty finds a way to join the upper class and sets her sights on a wealthy young man who responds to her flattery. Unfortunately, the man’s older brother sees Kitty for the fortune hunter she is and threatens her. She retaliates by enlisting his help in finding a replacement in exchange for leaving the younger brother alone. You can guess where this is going, but a good tale. 4*

The Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley 2015

Kate Darling’s mother, a famous ballerina, dies, leaving Kate bereft. She lost not only a mother, but her closest friend. When her grandmother falls ill and gives Kate a sketch of a woman who looks like her mother, Kate is intrigued. After her grandmother’s death, Kate sets out to find the woman’s identity and finds a love story that spans decades and a war. the story is told in two timelines. This is more literary than most romances, so I don’t classify it as a “pure” romance. 4.5*

The Cabin by Carla Neggers 2002

Susanna Galway has left her Texas Ranger husband and joined her grandmother and twin teenaged daughters in Boston. She has secrets she should have shared, but didn’t, and they’re creating problems in her marriage.

Ex-convict Alice parker has made a mess of her life but hopes to start fresh in Australia. Problem is, she needs money, and the easiest way to get some places Susannah and her family in the sights of a murderer. 4*

Thus With a Kiss I Die by Christina Dodd 2025

This is the second book in the Fair Maiden of Verona series, an alternate history in which Romeo and Juliet do not die and have many children instead.

The eldest daughter Rosaline is betrothed to Verona’s prince after he kissed her in the garden, but her heart still belongs to Lysandra, her One True Love. When her entire family attends dinner at the palace, the king’s ghost appears to her and demands she find the traitor who took his life. This is a mystery and a romance and I absolutely love the series. 5 stars

The Last Straw by Sharon Sala 2021

This was the first book I’d read by this author. It’s the fourth in her Jigsaw Files series, about a genetically engineered woman, Jade Wyrick, who has amazing abilities. Jade and her partner, PI Charlie Dodge are hired to find a missing woman who disappeared from her apartment. Nothing shows on security tapes and the police are baffled.

I don’t want to say too much and spoil the series for anyone who hasn’t read it. I loved Charlie and Jade and wish I’d started with the first book in the series. I’ll be looking for more of Ms. Sala’s books. 5 stars