Book Review: Dear Mothership by Marcus Wicker

 I Saw this book as an option at my library, and the vibrant cover art, and title found me grabbing it, lest someone else got to it first.  SPOILER, there was no one else in the library at that time. This feeling of urgency hit me out of nowhere. 

Then it rode around in my car, for over a week. It's a slim volume produced by Ecco and I think the size made it feel deceptive to me. Then, I borrowed it through the Libby app as I realized it was poetry and read by the author. Say what you will about audiobooks and reading... I will argue to the end of the day and into the next that there is nothing quite like experiencing poetry  read as it was meant to be heard. 

This cover art was created by the amazing artist April Bey.  I could not resist the cover. Not at all. 

  I picked up this one 4 days after the midterms and found that it was perfect timing and that many of the poems really resonated. Particularly this one line that I put below. 

 "If only in the beginning someone said, I wish us both could do more than survive" 

I had to "rewind" a few times. I meet so many people who really are feeling at the end of their rope these days, I do consider what we could have been if things had been different about a decade ago. 

The second thing that struck me is that Wicker and I grew up about a decade or so apart, in different parts of the US, with likely quite different experiences, but based on this collection, we were apparently listening to the same sound tracks.  References to iconic musicians are sprinkled throughout, and mad me feel more connected than I normally would to a book of poetry.  I'm not a huge poetry fan (for reasons) and I usually average 1 book a year of verse, and this was it for me.  I am glad I found this one, it fit into my outerspace theme (sort of) and  I feel like it enriched my day, and possibly more than just today. 

   Definitely one that I want on my shelf now. 

STATS

First Published: 9/8/26

Pages: 119

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~ 2hrs

Trigger Warnings: I didn't particularly find myself noting any "trigger warnings" 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly) 

Book Review: Engaged to the Enemy by Lucy Smoke

 

  Engaged to the Enemy is the second in Lucy Smoke's New York Mafia series. 

This is a delightful, escapist rom-com that Hachette says readers who enjoy Brynne Weaver will like.  I Whole Heartedly AGREE.  If you enjoyed Butcher and Blackbird, you will love this series. 

   When I saw the audio on Net Galley, I ran for it and convinced my friend to request it also, so we could buddy read it.  We did the Audiobook from Hachette. THANK YOU HACHETTE!!!!!

It is a dual narration with Amelia Hugh and JD Tomlinson. Both narrators were new to me, but I had no trouble following the story, and there were no issues with the narration.  Hugh in particular has a very clear voice that made it easy to follow - even when I turned it up to 2X speed because I had to know what happened! 

     My friend texted me stating "This book is giving me life!"  soon after we started.  It was funny and fresh, even thought the tropes of a fake engagement, forced proximity and overprotective MMC are quite familiar to readers.  I just fell in love with Dante and Michelle.  I enjoyed this book even more than book one, which I LOVED.   We had so much fun reading together, and giggling over some of the ridiculous moments, and just adoring the dog that gets adopted along the way.  YES, there is a dog, and nothing bad happens to the dog.  (yes that is a spoiler, but one that matters for people when deciding on a book.) 

Readers looking for a darkish romance that is funny and somehow manages to feel light despite the dark themes may want to pick this one up! 

STATS

First Published: 4/21/26

Pages: 352

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~ 9 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  violence, Death, gun violence, financial struggle, kidnapping,bad boyfriends, ugly dog,  flashbacks, more death, on page sex, cursing. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)  

Book Review: Alien Earths By Lisa Kaltenegger

 This is a book to gift to any young person interested in Astronomy/physics/biology. It was so easy to read and so enjoyable. 

Lisa Kaltenegger is the Director of  the Carl Sagan Institute in New York, and her ability to communicate difficult scientific concepts in ways that are easily understood may be unmatched.

This cover is also stunning, one of my favorite telescopic photos of our universe. I know it's a hot gas or something, but to me it always makes me think of the hands of the creator. 

This cover by Allen Lane is decidedly less stunning and I dislike it.

It has sort of child's coloring book look about it, when inside this book is a lot of very interesting and important information about exoplanets etc.  But hey- covers sell books. 

I picked this audio from the library, and I was kind of worried.  Lately my outer space reading has been kind of blah on the non-fiction side.  A lot of it has remained in the DNF pile, which was discouraging. Thankfully, this one did not disappoint!  I felt like I learned both interesting trivial things - such as the story of how Tardigrades ended up on the moon (encased in all sorts of metals etc) and the consistency of various planets (marshmallows? yep)  and also how to better conceptualize the distance between planets, orbits and the shape of the earth actually (nope - it isn't a perfect globe.)  Kaltenegger also generously shares her experiences as a woman scientist in a field dominated by men, how this affected her career, and how it hasn't affected her career. Some of her writing was honestly quite inspiring as I listened to the audiobook at a time when I was facing a lot of challenges at work. 

One of the most interesting things that is raised is that it is possible that we have already left living material in space (not on purpose) and if we discover life in places we have been we might not ever know if it evolved from something left behind, or on it's own.  MIND BLOWN! 

Should you read this?  YES if you are interested in the possibility of alien life! It was a very easy to understand book, which added to my brain! 

STATS

First Published: 2024  

Pages: 228

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~8 hours

               Trigger Warnings: misogyny (very brief), discrimination (very brief), alien discussion.  

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: The Cowboy and The Stray by Lainie Anderson

 I believe this book came out some time ago, but I read less physical books these days so it didn't catch my attention until I saw the audiobook on Net Galley.  

I am a sucker for the Cowboy romance as a genre.  It makes no sense to me, I don't know a think about actual ranches, cows, horses, livestock, nor have I knowingly met an actual cowboy in real life. 

Thus- the cowboy romance is much like reading a dragon fantasy for me, as I'm pretty sure that the reality of ranching isn't all tumbling into bed with impossibly pretty women and men.  But I still want to read all about it! The Cowboy and the Stray did not disappoint me! 

I personally do not like this cover.  It was designed by a professional graphic designer, who I am not going to name because this is without a doubt, a bad cover.  I have been looking at it for weeks while listening to this book and I can barely tell what is supposed to be on the cover. I understand there are a few other covers, and if I were to purchase this book, I would need one of the other covers. Love the lettering though, that is really a good choice.  Would have been better to just have a plain brown cover in my opinion! 

Without any spoilers, this is kind of a comfortable romance that I was able to sink into.  We have an abused (but very tough and stubborn) woman on the run. She conveniently crashes on a ranch full of mostly single men - who also happen to be wolf shifters.  She is - of course- impossibly fragile and strong at the same time, and beautiful. Eventually her past catches up to her, and about 10 pages of drama occurs, and then the family of shifters settles back into a happy ranching life. 

While this all sounds trite, I LOVED it.  I have had a stressful year, and this level of quickly resolved conflict was exactly what I needed in my reading life. In my actual life, I could also go for a man who shifts into a wolf, because - yes why not? 

First thing I did was recommend it to my friend who likes PNR  and shifters in particular, and then next thing I am doing is looking for the next audiobook! I mean, there are still some single men on that ranch, and it would be a shame if they couldn't flex out their wolf muscles!  

The audiobook had dual narration with Loretta Rawlins and Tristan Josiah did a super job with the story - I will say they both read with the sort of dramatic pauses that I'm not super fond of, but do set the tone for a dreamy romance. Narration was clear and I felt like it did add to the story, as I felt like the voice tones did flesh out the main characters more. 

STATS

First Published: June 27 2025  New Audiobook 11/3/26 

Pages: 534

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~11.5 hours

               Trigger Warnings: Murder, domestic violence, violence against women, paranormal happenings- people turning into wolves, guns, car accident, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review : Blade of Two Faces By Blake Blessing

 Romantasy is hit or miss for me.  When I saw Blade of Two Faces pop up from Macmillan Audio on NetGalley, I REALLY wanted to request it, but I wasn't sure I'd get approved - so in a bit of discipline, I just scrolled by. 

Macmillan Audio then delighted me with a Widget for the book!  (A widget is a link that allows a reader to access it on NetGalley without submitting a request.)  So, of course I took this as a sign, and I downloaded the book. 

The cover was designed by Gabrielle Ragusi  who has done quite a lot of work for fantasy book covers and also for those special collectors editions. There is no mention of AI use or not on her page, but based on her covers, history, and business, this does not seem to be AI generated- and here is a POST from her own website discussing some of her process. Her work is very smooth and polished and I suspect she uses some computer generated techniques, but not Generative AI. 

Moving on.  

This book is advertised as some sort of a cross of Mulan and Gladiators.  I KNOW  that they like to market this way as it's possibly a hook for someone.  It was a hook for me. Mulan is my favorite thing that Disney ever did. This isn't Mulan. It really is so far from Mulan, that I found that was a major disappointment. No spoilers as to why, however. There is one big similarity and then pretty much everything else is not really the vibe or character of Mulan. 

That said, I did enjoy this audio book. And I think readers of primarily Dark Romance are going to be feral for it.   

    Blade of Two Faces is a bit of a dark and gritty novel following a Princess who escaped entirely vile circumstances. She's unwillingly swept up into a competition which she never wanted to enter, but- as a spunky, stubborn and clever princess- she is going to do her best to survive.  In doing that- she's going to have to present as a man. This leads to some very amusing moments where Blessing lets the readers in on the "joke" if you will, before all the main characters know, and that is just one thing I love. When I can feel in the know as the story unfurls, I am so excited as the characters get in on the secret. 

 I did feel that the beginning of the novel was perhaps a bit long and maudlin, but as the competition moves forward, relationships become more complex and the plot becomes much more interesting. I found myself drawn in further.  

   There is little in the way of romance here in this first book- in what seems to surely be a series to come, but the attraction of the main characters is obvious and, if one has read a lot of romantasy, it's easy to see where this may be headed.  I did find the instant, misunderstood attraction to work for the plot but to also be entirely unrealistic.  Personally, when I am in a near death experience, my nether regions aren't also tingling all at the same time, but it does work for the plot, and perhaps for someone else, that is a thing. By the end of the book, no romance is started between the characters who all have expressed some sort of attraction to each other. I think this will be a hit with hard core romantasy readers especially as the series unfolds.  Without book two, this fell a bit flat for me, but as a listener to many audiobooks, I can say that the story has a clear narrative arc, lots of details that will enhance a romantasy lovers enjoyment, and some character development that was better than your average romantasy! 

This was a multi-cast narration with Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick, Marcio Catalano, Robert Hatchet, and Sarah Sampino.  I enjoyed all the narrators, and felt that they did not detract from the story. 

STATS

First Published: 11/17/2026

Pages: 432

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~15.5 hours

               Trigger Warnings: Alcohol use, smoking, death, body horror, vomit, animal harm, copious swearing, on page sex, murder, attempted incest, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

   

 

Book Review: Infection Points: A Winter Census of Urban Predators by Elena Pavlova

 I had a hankering for another spooky book for the season, and since it is also International Infection Prevention Week,  I jumped at the chance to listen to a Novella by Elena Pavola.  

Pavlova is a Bulgarian writer, who's written under a few other names and seems ot have been consistently publishing over the past several years. 

   I was super grateful for the audio version of Infection Points: A Winter Census of Urban Predators. My eyes have been less interested in reading- especially E-books, so an audio was fantastic. Julian Elfer read the novella and I enjoyed his rich voice, feeling as if really brought something to the charm of this short volume. 

For me, i felt like the cover was kind of fun with the characters in shadow. It deftly represents one of the first scenes in the book.  Loved it. 

   This is a book in translation, and I did feel like maybe the translation wasn't as smooth as it could have been. That said, this is Bulgaria in winter, with a pack of vampires So perhaps SMOOTH wasn't the intention!

     No Spoilers here- Our Main character is working for an organization that tracks vampires. These vamps live in nests and tend to improve the lives of others around them.  This makes them prime study material for some academic types, looking to build a reputation off of the work of the Nest minders. Vampires are also susceptible to a fungal infection.  When infected there's a few options- all of them risky. Once this nest appears to be infected, two separate parties start to race to apply their brand of cure.   If you want to know what happens, you'll want to make time for this one. 

    I enjoyed the story and would have loved it to be a bit longer with more character development and back story. I was struck by the harshness of the description of the life of a Bulgarian Vampire minder. I felt the author brought to life the gritty, cold and somewhat bleak nature of winter in Bulgaria and I loved that! Definitely one if you want to sneak in something before we hit the season of gratitude!

STATS

First Published: 11/10/2026

Pages: 112

Available as an Audio Book :  YES  ~ 2.25 hours

               Trigger Warnings: Alcohol use, smoking, death, body horror, vomit, Supernatural beings. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

 

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Book Review: Tommy From the Moon by Daisy Garrison

 This is a book that I would not normally read.  I honestly chose it for the cover and the title.  I'd never heard of Daisy Garrison, and so... I probably am not the best person to promote this book out to you , but, bear with me.  YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK.  

I loved the cover, and I liked that it would fit into my Outer Space theme. I was so hoping to read more about how the Moon and other celestial bodies feature heavily in books that aren't really about space. Bingo!!!   Thankfully Macmillan Audio came through with an advanced listener copy.  Helen Laser is a new narrator to me, and I loved her very clear narration that allowed me to forget this was an audiobook, and slip into the bar booth with Grace and Miles, perch on the bucket in Grace's dressing room or wander the streets of New York. 

   I'm not a theatre kid, never was one. I'm also not that much into contemporary type romantic fiction, but BOY oh BOY did this one grab me and leave me shaking in my shoes. 

     Daisy Garrison has captured that liminal time of life where we are adults, but not particularly Adult-y adults. Friendships are still paramount, and the future is where our vision lands. I became completely absorbed in this story of Grace and Miles- and eventually had to simply sit down with a cup of coffee to listen to the last hour. I HAD TO KNOW. I laughed a little, and cried these awful ugly tears, and smiled quite a bit at the end. 

  Can I do this without spoilers?  Let's see.  Our story starts with 18 year old Grace attending an audition for experience, and ending up being cast as an understudy for Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She's starstruck as she's now suddenly in the same orbit as her childhood crush - Miles- who played Tommy in her favorite Childhood movie. 

   As Grace and Miles get to know each other, a strong friendship develops. Grace and Miles must weather the pitfalls of celebrity life as each movement is scrutinized by an attentive public glued to Instagram and other media sites. It's hard to develop friendships, and even harder when much of your life is splashed onto media pages. What will happen to Grace and Miles- and the people closest to them as they start to lose control? You'll have to read to find out.

   I cannot even describe why I found this one so compelling, but I hope you'll trust me just a little to give Daisy Garrison's debut novel (for adult readers) a try.  It has that spark, and magic that keeps one turning pages long into the night. 

 

STATS

First Published: 12/1/2026

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book :  YES 10 hours 19 min

               Trigger Warnings: parental neglect, parental estrangement, alcohol and drug use, addiction, underage alcohol use, breakups, makeups. Shakespeare, unethical behavoir. 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)