Strong Tale Of The Travails Of Friendship After College. This is one of those tales where, as someone in his 40s who graduated college 20 yrs ago this year himself and who has maintained at least a couple of friendships since that era, I get it. Now, my friends and I were nowhere near as complicated as these ladies. There were no secret houses or anything remotely like that at our then-commuter school that was just on the cusp of creating its first actual dorms as I was graduating. Our football team was "still undefeated"... because it didn't exist yet. And yet, as I type this review just a couple of weeks before Selection Sunday 2025, there is a chance that that very same football team goes to a bowl for the first time in school history this year! (Go Kennesaw State Owls!)

Even so the book, for me, evokes the fireside scene in the 2017 Power Rangers movie (and particularly the soundtrack playing in that scene) and even elements of the John Knowles classic A Separate Peace or the more obscure One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick. Those beautifully tragic moments when you realize that all that you thought you knew, you never really had a clue, and yet there is still that essence there that is exactly what you always knew, that essence that drew you to these people to begin with, that was truly the foundation of your friendship.

Now, there is a lot going on in this book, and yes, there are elements of both 'literary fiction' and thriller that make for an interesting merger, but I actually thought Lee did a solid job with said merger. The tale gets chaotic at times, even though told from a single perspective... but I almost think that was the very intent. Lee needed the reader to feel the chaos around these characters in these situations, and this was the best vehicle to really bring that out.

Overall, this is truly a book that won't work for everyone. I suspect Lee knows that, or at least I hope she does. But for those it works for, I think it has the potential to really work for. Will it be remembered and studied ala A Separate Peace? Unlikely. Is it an enjoyable short ish (sub 250 page) book that can be a fun yet cathartic diversion during the cold winter months? Absolutely.

Very much recommended.

Solid Laid Back Cozy Florida Mystery - With Magical Realism Tossed In. This is the book that exactly one person alive was capable of writing - particularly writing this well. That person being St. Augustine-based medical investigator and now pastor of a St. Augustine area church, Kent Holloway.

I've known Holloway for years. I first started reading his works when he began working as a coauthor with The New God Of Science Fiction Jeremy Robinson, and I've read most of his independent works since - even his nonfiction book I Swallowed A Goldfish, where he looks at his older day job (medical investigator) through the eyes of his newer one (pastor). I either know of or have read every project he names in the Author's Note at the end of this tale, and I was largely around when he was coming up with all of them. Living in Jacksonville myself for nearly a decade now, I even finally got a chance to meet Holloway in real life a couple of years ago now... when Robinson came to St. Augustine and brought his annual gathering of fans and colleagues, Robinsonfest, with him.

As noted in the Author's Note, years ago Holloway wrote a book called The Legend Of The Winterking. In its level of detail and blending of both fantasy and Christian lore - but with Holloway's own particular Christmas-focused bent to it - it really did seem capable of standing right up there with Lewis and Tolkien. As I don't read fantasy, I don't know this, but being familiar with the overall stories of all three authors - despite never having read a word of any of their fantasies - I feel confident enough in saying that. Winterking was supposed to be Holloway's Magnum Opus. It was going to be glorious and make Holloway as famous as those other two. Wait. Has anyone ever heard of them? ;)

Here, with this particular tale, Holloway actually does better than he has ever done before - including with Winterking. Yes, you heard that right. This long time fan and reader of Holloway is openly proclaiming this to be his best book yet - and I have strong thoughts on this.

Who else beyond Holloway would be able to create a Tolkien-level world... and then when that project failed, instead use it as a magical realism deep background element to an Agatha Christie level cozy murder mystery... that happened to be based both at Christmas and in Christmas, Florida? I know many more Florida based authors, from the few native Floridians to be found these days to transplants who have lived here various lengths of time, both longer and shorter than I've lived here myself. Literally not one of them - talented authors all in their own rights, many of whom I am an active fan of - could have pulled something quite like this off. Sure, many of them have done emotional family mysteries of various levels. A few have done scifi epics. But none of them have been able to combine fantasy and cozy mystery the way Holloway has here, and it shows just how strong a storyteller he really can be.

Who else could take the real-world Christmas, FL - a town on the opposite outskirts of Orlando from that place with the castle famously ruled by a rodent, a town that literally doesn't have so much as a stop sign on its main road through town, a town where it is more than possible to imagine the rampant (recovering) alcoholism Holloway incorporates into this book being all too real - and use it quite the way Holloway has here? Even with the blatant set up of the name, I've not yet encountered anyone.

And yet Holloway takes all of this, takes his deep Christian faith and his deep love of all things Christmas (the holiday), and creates... this truly remarkable cozy mystery that somehow blends all of this, along with quite a bit of both heart and hilarity, into a tale that will be unlike most anything you will ever read from any other author.

Now, because of all of this - the several mentions of alcoholism throughout the book, the focus on Christmas, the magical realism based in nothing you've likely ever heard of before, the sheer number of characters (though from only a single perspective), the merry-yet-acknowledging-the-darkness, the (off screen) referenced child abuse, the (behind the door) attempt to cajole a young adult lady to have sex (played for both heart and a touch of comedic relief, to be clear), and perhaps any number of other issues... maybe this book isn't for you. You do you. But I'm telling you as someone who has read over 150 books this year, who has read nearly 1800 books in a decade now... this is one of the most singularly unique books I've ever encountered, in so many of the best possible ways. Do what you need to do for your own mental health, I'll never say otherwise there (so long as you're not harming anyone else, that is, and choosing not to read a book is not harming anyone). But I'm not going to hide my opinion that this book is great for all readers.

Ultimately, this could yet be the opening chapter in Holloway's true Magnum Opus. It truly is the best book he has written to date, bar none, and I for one cannot wait to see where he takes this world next.

Very much recommended.

No Angels. No Demons. Only Humans. This is one of those tales that has a lot going against it - multiple perspectives, pretty well everyone is "unlikeable" at best, etc. And yet... that is the very strength of this particular tale.

I for one enjoy and even embrace tales where humanity is shown in all of its highs - and lows. Where people are shown to be exactly what they are - flawed creatures simply trying to live their lives the best they can. Where no matter how angelic someone appears, there is clearly a demon hiding just under the surface, and no matter how demonic a person appears, there is an angel hiding in there somewhere. (Eh, maybe a fallen angel, but still an angel. ;) )

That Satterthwaite uses a fairly standard-ish overall plot of high school friends reuniting after several years apart to tell this particular story actually works well to establish expectations... which makes it even better when she actively subverts these very expectations at nearly every turn.

Fans of the particular story type and overall genre will have enough here to sink their teeth into and enjoy, while those like me who enjoy having something "more" will find a fair amount of that here as well.

Indeed, looking back to my review of Satterthwaite's 2024 debut, Made For You, it seems here that Satterthwaite leaned into the better parts of her storytelling in that tale, threw out the bits that didn't work so well, and used the remaining time to really tighten up what worked so well there and really do it even better here. Thus, showing strong progression as a storyteller that indeed makes me want to come back for book 3 to see what she has in store for us next, and if she can continue to improve her storytelling and potentially evolve it even further.

Very much recommended.

Romance Author Creates Eureka-Esque Scifi. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was proofreading The New God of Science Fiction Jeremy Robinson's late April 2026 release, Parallax, where he - a long time and prolific scifi author who has never really dabbled in romance at all - created a kick ass scifi action tale that was also a spicy romance book. Now, just a few books later, I'm reading a book by a more recently established romance author... who is introducing quirky scifi into her romance book. Interesting times, it seems. ;)

And this is absolutely a quirky scifi romance. To me, it gives off strong vibes of the now-long-dead Syfy show Eureka, where the entire town knows they are in a scifi tale and they all merrily do their own things within it. If your sense of humor is of the 'WTF' variety... this is absolutely going to be right up your alley.

And yes, speaking of things being 'up alleys' (groan, I know, sorry), if you're not a fan of spicy romance of the habanero, maybe even hotter, level... this book probably isn't going to be your thing. There isn't much of it... until there is. But when it is there, it is there.

And the ambiguity. Other than giving away that there is some here, all I'll note about it is that I appreciated it. Obviously, some readers have to have every possible thread buttoned up exactly so. I've never been one of those, so I appreciate books that don't do that since they are so rare.

Another thing that is going to be one of those that some will love and others will loathe is the seemingly forced LGBT inclusion here. I don't personally have strong feelings either direction on should it be here, shouldn't it be here, but it did feel a touch out of the blue and it never really added much to the story for me, but hey, maybe I'm the idiot here and it is the fact that sells the book for you. You do you there. Doesn't affect me in any way at all.

Ultimately, I did think that this book largely works quite well overall, and I absolutely LOVE that La Rosa was stretching herself so far here and making everything work as well as it did. That is absolutely a mark of a strong storyteller, and a brave one that can at least stretch the norms of her established genre and try different things within it that are far from cookier cutter. And that is something I will always applaud any author doing.

Very much recommended.

More Primer Than Deep Dive. I read George's (nearly 20 yr old now) The Big Necessity near the start of 2025, so beginning the ending of 2025 with her latest release seems appropriate, right? ;) Like Necessity, this book takes George to several different places to talk to several different people and chronicle their lives and thoughts on the subject at hand - in this case, commercial fishing. Unlike Necessity, here George mostly stays in and around the British Isles, with a few ventures into other European areas such as Norway.

The overall text here is essentially 15 different essays, one per chapter, using wherever she is and whoever she is talking to for that chapter to glance at the history of that chapter's focus before primarily looking to what is currently going on in that area. There is little to no overall narrative beyond "I want to look at as much about commercial fishing in and around the United Kingdom as possible."

And yet, for what the book is, it absolutely works and works well. You're going to learn a little about a lot here, even as George has her own distinct editorial thoughts. On those, your mileage will absolutely vary, but George does a seemingly solid job of presenting the issues at hand in a mostly even-ish manner and never treating those she is profiling in the given chapter as anything less than fully human - for good and not so good.

No, where the star deduction comes here is the just-too-short bibliography, clocking in at 12% of the overall text, at least in my Advance Review Copy, and thus coming in just shy of the 15% or so I expect to see even with my more recent more relaxed bibliographic standards. Had George been more forceful or more novel, the Sagan Rule might have applied, but I don't think the text here warrants that particular application - through the vast majority of the text, George is relating what she personally sees as well as what those she is profiling have directly seen as well.

Overall a solid primer on the issues surrounding commercial fishing, at minimum in and around the United Kingdom, and something a lot of us will learn a fair amount from reading.

Very much recommended.

Solid History Of A Well told Yet Unfocused On Era. The subtitle of this book speaks of the "untold story" of Gemini... which is a bit misleading. Anyone who knows most anything about NASA in the 1960s and/ or the Apollo missions knows a fair amount about the Gemini missions that created and proved the tech that made Apollo possible. What this book does is that it centers its focus on that exact period. (Literally, the central part of the book is specifically about Gemini, after an introduction discussing how we got to Gemini, including Mercury, and a back end that begins discussing Apollo and other fallout from Gemini.)

In this focus, Kluger does exceptionally well. He shows the key players and tech, and even provides details that even those who know a fair amount about the history involved here may not know. (Such as the Chris Kraft toddler/ sandwich story, which I had never previously heard despite reading several books about and memoirs from many of the people Kluger profiles yet again within these pages.)

Indeed, the only real fault I could find here is the absolute lack of any bibliography at all, at least in the Advance Review Copy of this book I read. Which is the reason for the star deduction.

Overall this is a book where many will probably already know a lot about this subject, but more in passing while having been focused on other things. Again, the subtitle is misleading in that the Gemini story has always been well told, but most always before now as part of the Apollo narrative. Indeed, Kluger's own Apollo books, at least the ones I've read, have all discussed the Gemini missions to some extent as well. But in centering this text precisely on Gemini, this new version does in fact provide at least some new details even those who think they know every possible thing about the Space Race of the 1950s and 1960s could possibly know quite likely did not, in fact, know.

Very much recommended.

Math And History Nerds Will Love This. Solid History For Everyone Else Too. Ok, so I'm a dude that got a Computer Science degree 20 yrs ago and came within literally half a dozen classes of getting degrees in Mathematics and Secondary Mathematics Education at the same time... who also took HIST classes as electives just because they sounded interesting. In other words, this book may as well have been titled "Jeff Sexton Will Beg To Read This Book", because I damn near did. But clearly, I am the very math and history nerd that my title of this review above explicitly said would love this book.

Clocking in at 19% bibliography, it has a healthy enough backing so that it doesn't drop a star on that account, and really the only even quibble I have here is that in choosing to end in 1938, Bardi doesn't even attempt to show how the war he describes here played out in the Post Second World War world where the rise of computers and computer science changed pretty well everything in mathematics.

Still, for what it is and what it actually covers, this is an utterly fascinating book that gives enough of the backstories of everyone involved to show how they arrived at the moments they did and why they mattered when they got there without going too deep into unnecessary detail too often. Yes, even when it looks like Bardi is going off on some wild tangent that can't possibly be related to The Great Math War (such as the Boer War), he ultimately manages to bring it right back around and show how that tangent actually played a role in shaping the thinking of one of his principle targets or at minimum someone closely linked to them who also shaped their thinking.

For me, this was an utterly fascinating look at a period of math history I hadn't previously really considered, featuring several names I had known of from other exploits and adventures, but had never really dived into from this angle. And yes, at least some of the most famous of their era make appearances here, up to and including one Albert Einstein.

I do think that one of the more fascinating tidbits that I had not known, particularly as someone who learned the basics of Set Theory in 2004-2005, was just how new that particular branch of mathematics was - and how controversial it had been even a century before I learned it, at which time it was (clearly) being routinely taught to Senior level college students. (And I still hold that we can actually teach it even in elementary school, as one key feature of it ultimately revolves around remainder division.)

Truly an excellent book written without the dryness that can accompany such texts in the hands of less skilled storytellers, this is absolutely one of those kinds of books that many will enjoy and a few will absolutely love.

Very much recommended.

Solid Susan Mallery Women's Fiction (With A Touch Of Romance). With Susan Mallery, you know pretty well exactly what you're going to get. She basically has two styles, with a few wrinkles per style, and once you know which style and which wrinkle you're in... well, if you enjoy reading a lot of variations on the same thing and are looking for the kinds of books that are essentially the reading equivalent of TV you can simply zone out and enjoy and know you're not going to hit anything too complex or disturbing... Mallery is an author you're going to love. Which long time fans will already know, but the above explanation was more for those newer to her or perhaps who haven't read her books at all.

With this particular iteration, again, we're more on the women's fiction side, but even on this side of Mallery's writing, romance is never far from the scene - indeed, it will always be close enough that technically the books can be (and generally are) marketed as romance tales, even when the women's fiction side is actually more dominant in the overall story (as it is here).

Overall, I thought this was actually perhaps a touch more standout than typical Mallery, more dealing with the specifics at hand here that can't be discussed too much without going into spoiler territory. But she absolutely nails the women's fiction side, showing strong growth in each of her four central characters - not always easy to do with so many moving parts. So if you're looking for a solid escape this holiday season - and have some time to invest in this near almost 370 page book - well, here's yet another solid option.

Very much recommended.

Don't Let Your Opinions Of Over The Top Gender Reveals, Guns, or Multi-Perspective Stories Fool You - This Is A Solid Book. Seriously, this is one of those books where the opening scene has a lot of ick for a lot of people - me included, to an extent. Indeed, I delayed reading this book for a week in part because of the very inciting incident literally listed in the first sentence of the description as of publication day earlier this week as I write this review. (Yes, I've had it as an Advance Review Copy for months and yes, I'm officially running behind. Apologies.)

You see, while I have exactly zero problems with guns and enjoy a good Tannerite explosion from time to time (on video, never experienced one in person), the over the top gender reveal and thus making a pregnancy a central point of this story... that was the ick for me.

And I was wrong.

Yes, the opening scene is complex and more than a bit confusing and perhaps even accurately labeled as hard to follow.

But the story opens up from there and becomes much easier to understand, even as it revolves around small town and family secrets and decades long mysteries all coming to a head.

Gudenkauf creates here a truly layered story with many things going on at the same time, in the mold of some of the best soap operas - and yet with a fair degree more danger involved.

Overall truly a fun book once one gets beyond the chaotic opening scene, one that plays very well within genre norms without really pushing the boundaries too hard. In other words, a perfectly comfortable read for genre fans that works well enough for those looking to see whether they enjoy this genre.

Very much recommended.

The New God Of Science Fiction Exposes New And Unexpected Abilities. Straight up, I'm writing this review as one of the very first people to read this book beyond Jeremy and his long time editor, Kane Gilmour, and I'm targeting this review as much to Jeremy's long time fans in his Facebook group, the Tribe, as I am to more general readers who possibly haven't ever even heard of Robinson.

With this book, Robinson - who first came to my attention with several intricate, detailed, and spot on allegories of Biblical events wrapped up as kick ass science fiction action - manages to craft a romance subplot here that is rather spicy -jalapeno level, if not habanero. And yet he manages to do this in service to his overall kickass science fiction action thriller. So even if the romance side gets you into the door here - and it really is both completely unexpected from Robinson and yet at least as well done as most any romance book I've ever read, and better than many of them - know that Robinson never strays far from his roots, even with this new ability.

Another new ability - and I say this next one as someone who literally has a tattoo of an image Robinson created on one of the arms he is using to type this very review - is the particularly poignant quotability deep in this book. As in, Ender's Game level quotability and profoundness in a couple of key sections in particular. Quotes I WISH I could share publicly, but can't until after this book releases almost six months to the day after I finished reading it.

The final new ability is perhaps the most interesting of all - this is the first book I've ever read from Robinson where even I - who absolutely LOATHES the very concept of a "trigger warning" - point blank told Robinson and Gilmour that they may want to consider adding one to this particular text. As one of the reasons I detest them so very much is the simple fact that they are always spoilers, no matter how generally they are crafted, unfortunately the only thing I can note here is that in two sections in particular, both in the front half of the book and both effectively side by side, Robinson brings into this tale certain real-word tragedies that he has never before brought into any of his books, tragedies that are so dark that they tend to be blights nearly any time they are even mentioned at all. (To be clear, Robinson uses them in a responsible manner that adds depth to the characters involved without glorifying - indeed, while explicitly condemning - the tragedies at hand.)

These are all depths of storytelling that Robinson has never plumbed so deeply or so well, that despite being one of the earliest readers to have read his books at all and having been a reader of his works for nearly two decades now (since MySpace!), I had never really known him to show. That he is adding these kinds of abilities into his storytelling now, this deep into his career and as he beings to approach his 100th novel (and may have even already broken that?), shows remarkable advancement that very few authors ever really display - which only serves to make Robinson stand out (in great ways) all the more.

And then, yes, the kickass scifi action that is Robinson's bread and butter. You're never getting far from it in this book, and yes, Robinson's more recent pop culture referencing and frequent use of all manner of cussing is equally prevalent throughout our action here. Long time fans or those just looking for a fun few hours of distraction from the so-called "real" world will find here exactly what Robinson has always done so very well - crafting an exciting and pulse pounding scifi thriller that will allow you to think if you so choose, but which also works perfectly well with all "thinking" turned off and just sitting back and enjoying the show.

Further, this is also Robinson showing some of the very profound thoughts he sometimes buries to greater or lesser degrees - this time barely buried at all, IF at all. Surely to get cancelled or crucified over some of the things his characters say in nearly every book he writes, this one is no different. I can tell you that even knowing Robinson as long as I have, even having shared a couple of meals over the years directly at his side... even I can't tell you his actual political or religious beliefs. So before you think to one star this book over those comments... know that yes, we, Robinson's long time fans, see them... and those reviews say far more about you than about him. :D

Overall quite possibly Robinson's best yet - which is not said lightly, in part due to said tattoo ;) - that also seems to possibly be leading... somewhere beyond this particular book. Will it? We shall see...

Very much recommended.

Solid Sophomore Southern Suspense. This is a tale that builds on its predecessor, Broken Bayou, in an unexpected direction for readers of Broken Bayou - one of the secondary, yet essential, characters gets her own tale here. Which would be expected in the romance genre, but in mystery/ suspense is far less common.

And yet Moorhead absolutely makes this work. There's enough of the Bayou here that there are at least a few spoilers from that book, but not so much that you absolutely have to have read it first, and thus new readers (who don't mind a few minor ish spoilers) can come into this book without stressing about not having read Bayou first. (Though you should read Bayou too, as it is an excellent tale in its own right.)

Yet there is also quite the tale to be told here, and as deep as Willa's tale was in the Bayou... this tale may even run a touch deeper. It certainly expands its world a touch, if only in that certain players have larger connections than just Ms. Meade's home town. And yet as someone who grew up in and around similar connections - which I can't really detail at all without revealing who some of the players in this tale are - this struck me as perhaps a touch too real in some aspects. Clearly, Moorhead has some similar life experiences of her own to get it this spot on.

Truly an excellent small town Southern mystery tale that manages to raise a lot of real world emotions without ever getting preachy about any actual real world issue, which is perhaps one of Moorhead's great strengths as a storyteller, at least as shown in this series.

Very much recommended.

Interesting - Yet Long - Provocative Look At Actual AI. This is one of those scifi tales that in 2025 feels like it could be a year or two from being reality, that indeed there are very likely companies working on exactly the kind of tech used in this tale - and indeed, there are and have been. I know for a fact that one of the Computer Science part time professors at Kennesaw State University was working on immersive computer simulated therapy as far back as 2000, when I started there as a 16yo kid. (Hi Dr. North! :D)

The tale told here is suspenseful yet reasonably realistic while still clearly being fiction. (We hope?) In its more suspense elements in the front half of the book, it works particularly well.

Where it starts going off the rails a touch - and becoming ever less realistic, while also maintaining a fairly stunning amount of realism in how things actually play out, to a degree - is more with the events of the second half. Indeed, there is one seemingly rather long section that seems like it could have been cut entirely and a few - rather than seemingly a few hundred - pages used to cover that part of the tale, similar to the 80 page "Galt's Speech" in Atlas Shrugged, except more actually integral to the story here, which is where the "yet long" bit in the title of this review comes in to play. Even through this section though, there is a touch of an homage to The Odyssey, which is unclear if was the intent or not - but cool either way.

Overall, I'd say this is one of Riddle's better works as a whole. You've got the near future scifi. You've got the almost domestic thriller level suspense in the front half in particular -which I've never really seen Riddle even attempt, and thus shows a fair amount of growth as a writer. You've got enough of a romance tale here that technically this satisfies all known RWA rules to be ruled a "romance novel". You've got a few different homages to classic tales from Crichton (Disclosure in particular) to Homer. And yet you've also got an 800+ page book whose halves wouldn't work quite as well - at least as written here - as separate books, and where another 200-300 pages to make a trilogy could be excessively long to boot, making this feel like the perfect way to present this particular story even if the one book feels (and is) long.

Very much recommended.

Intriguing Academic Analysis Of 250 Years Of American History Through One Central Lens. With about 16% bibliography, Rosen here crafts a well wriiten - if perhaps dryly academic in styling - narrative that serves as both history (particularly of the actual events while Hamilton and Jefferson were both alive) and filter to history (as American history progresses through 2024).

On the actual history end, Rosen is perhaps at his best, seemingly almost bringing us into the rooms where these discussions and their resultant divisions first happen. On the historical filter end, Rosen does a solid job of keeping his filter intact while examining different periods of American history from its earliest days and first insurrections (the Whiskey Rebellion, among others) through the Jan 6, 2021 "insurrection" (used in quotes here because even this text shows how dramatically different they were). And yes, we get stops at Jackson and his Indian Removal, the obligatory Civil War look, several other key points in American history. All through this lens of how various leaders chose to interpret the writings and philosophies of both Hamilton and Jefferson.

Overall it really is a fascinating look that both illuminates key ideas in new ways and works well with other books and their own filters to give a more complete view of both the American Founding and the resultant 250 years of American history. Thus, it is absolutely one that every American should read and consider, and it may well be something that even those outside the United States could learn valuable lessons about either their own countries or perhaps just the American mindset which frequently flips between Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian ideals.

Very much recommended.

Possibly Explosive Soviet-Side History Of WWII. The central tenet of Hellbeck's narrative here is rather simplistic: Yes, Hitler hated Jews. But he really hated Communist Jews, and believed that the Soviets were just dumb rubes being controlled by said Communist Jews. This, according to Hellbeck, explains everything from the infamous (and disastrous, for both Germany and the Soviet Union) Operation Barbarossa to why, where, and when the most infamous of the death camps - all located in former Soviet controlled territory after Barbarossa pushed so far into Russia - all came to be, and much more.

Admittedly, as an American and an American who happens to be a grandson of two different men who both fought in the Ardennes Offensive/ Battle Of The Bulge, I've been fascinated by WWII all my life. I grew up hearing that one grandfather had been there - I found out at his death that he actually had earned the most medals of anyone in his small exurban (at the time) Atlanta town. The other died weeks after my birth, and I learned decades later - when I finally got his service records - that his Division had been the first on the American side to liberate a concentration camp.

Thus, WWII is as much a part of me and my blood as it is for Hellbeck, simply on opposite sides of the fight against Germany. Well, maybe more for Hellbeck, a Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers specializing in Soviet history, as he both chose and found a way to make studying WWII his occupation, while I remain a professional software engineer and "hobbyist" prolific book reviewer.

Beyond his central premise above, Hellbeck does as good a job as any - and better than many - of presenting both his case and his evidence. Clocking in at roughly 26% bibliography (as measured from where the Acknowledgement section begins, at least in my Advance Review Copy), this is both a fairly hefty tome at over 550 pages and a well researched one, with over 150 of those pages being source documentation.

By shifting the focus from Jews generally to specifically Soviet Jews, this narrative could become explosive, potentially even nuclear level explosive. And yet, even while focusing on Soviet Jews and Soviet citizenry more generally, Hellbeck actually presents a more balanced approach to the history than those who focus exclusively on Jews generally (and erase the extra hatred Hitler directed at Soviet Jews specifically) or those who focus on Soviets generally (and whitewash the Jewish nature of Hitler's specific targets, as Hellbeck brings the case that the Soviet Union did throughout their existence).

WWII as a whole and even the history of the Holocaust specifically is such a large topic that I fail to see how anyone can truly grasp all that happened and why, and thus I appreciate histories such as this one that bring a side of the discussion that we often miss, particularly in the West. While others with more specific knowledge about specific events may have more harsh criticism of particular points or perhaps even the entire narrative here, it fits in enough with my own existing knowledge that the text here provides a lot of information I didn't previously know, yet seems plausible given what I did know prior to encountering this book.

And yes, utterly, absolutely, horrific - no matter who was doing the killing or why. (As you'll see here, Hellbeck doesn't excuse Soviet actions against the Jews either.)

Overall truly a fascinating look at the war from an angle I hadn't often considered, and for that reason alone it would be a worthy read. That it was so well documented and read so easily was a bonus.

Very much recommended.

Christmas Love Angle. Let me be crystal clear as someone more trained in mathematics than most who happens to work in a field that is technically a sub-discipline of mathematics: For three (or more, really) straight people, there can never be a true love triangle. There can only be a love angle. A triangle, by definition, has three sides and three intersecting points. For a romantic love triangle to exist, at least one person involved must be romantically attracted to both of the other two - even if unrequited. With three straight people, no matter the combination of either gender, it will thus never happen. Thus, this book is about a love angle, not a love "triangle", as all of our central characters here are straight.

Now, possible (likely) pedantry aside, this was still a fun Kristen Bailey Christmas book. A bit spicier than a Sarah Morgan Christmas book, with far more sexual innuendo (but you knew that from the title, or should have :D), with quite a bit more comedy, and really at least as much heart to it as Morgan's annual tales.

Now Jeff, why do you bring up another author in this review? Well, because in both cases they're both United Kingdom based, with tales primarily based on that side of the "pond" and are fairly consistent in releasing a Christmas book every year, generally within a few weeks of each other. Meaning I tend to read them pretty close and indeed read this one barely ten days after reading Morgan's latest, so it is fresh on my mind. :)

Overall this book hit about as expected - meaning I had a great time and think most readers will too, but if you're one that doesn't like cussing or jalapeno (at least) level spice (to be clear, this is nowhere near ghost level, even habanero is debatable, which is why I went with jalapeno)... maybe stick with Morgan's books. But hey, if you prefer the occasional fuck - both in word and in deed - Bailey is going to be right up your alley bringing her version of... well, Big Nick Energy. :D (Ok, it had to be done once I realized I was kinda walking myself into that one. :D)

I would say that long time fans of Bailey will enjoy this one, and also that if you're new to Bailey, this is a fun book that is fairly typical of her overall style, even as she writes a few books every year - not just her annual Christmas book. As someone who has been reading her stuff for a few years now, I can honestly say that they're all fun and if you enjoy this one and are new to Bailey, you're going to have a fun time reading through her back catalog.

As always, read the book for yourself and let us know what you think by leaving your own review wherever you see this one. Even if you think I'm completely wrong in my thoughts on this book, feel free to call me out in your review if you think I need it. Overall, more reviews reach more readers and help sell more books, so please, help both me and you and help Bailey continue to be able to write more books for us. :)

Very much recommended.

A (Jewish) Christmas Tale. Seriously, if it wasn't clear from the description, that is exactly what you're getting here: a retelling of the Dickens classic, reimagined with a Jewish couple during Hannukah (and with the genders reversed) rather than a Christian couple at Christmas. Yes, the lower level details are more significantly different, but at a very high level, this is what you're getting here.

Which means it is far from a romcom. So don't delude yourself there. Even though Meltzer has written romcoms, this is absolutely a romantic drama, in line with its base tale. Yes, there is comedy here, enough to keep the overall heavy nature of the tale from being too heavy, but it isn't really the core of this tale.

As a retelling, Meltzer really gets the overall spirit of the original quite well, making this an excellent read no matter your religious faith or what you do for December-ish (not technically winter all over the world, if we're truly trying to be as "inclusive" as possible ;) ) holidays. The re-envisioning of it to fit with a Hannukah theme is actually done really well... perhaps until the very ending. Without going into spoiler territory, let's just go ahead and insert my "read the book and write your own review wherever you see this one" spiel here and let everyone know what you think about that. I personally think it works well enough, but I could see a lot of genuine and fair debate on that particular point.

Now, with all of this said, I actually had a bit of a personal connection with this book, and I'm absolutely going into more overt religious discussion in this paragraph than I normally do, so feel free to skip it if you feel you must. I promise to keep all of this type of commentary within this paragraph, but to be true to my own experience with the book I must discuss it. You see, while I can't reveal what the personal connection is without going into spoiler territory - and to be clear, my own experience here wasn't exactly the same in particulars, only fairly similar in end effect - what I really need to discuss here is how the religious aspect hit. Because what struck me, as a near lifeiong Christian who grew up in the Southern Baptist Church before finding the more Anabaptist-type Christian traditions as an adult and more closely identifying with them now, is the absolute despair this couple felt due to their religion offering no real hope in that particular circumstance. And while despair is an absolutely normal human reaction in it - which Meltzer absolutely nailed, by the way - as a Christian, there is always hope there. Enough to put a blindingly golden lining on even the darkest clouds, and sometimes the only thing a Christian can really cling to in those situations. Again, this was something I actually lived in a very similar circumstance, so I had to speak up at least a bit here.

Meltzer makes it a point with most everything she does in her public life to celebrate all things Jewish, and certainly in her writings, and she absolutely nails it here - at least so far as a Son of the South who has only casually known a few different Jews throughout his life can tell, at least. An actual Jewish person may have a very different take on how well Meltzer celebrates that particular culture and religion. But this is my review of this book, and from my view, I stand by what I said. Whether it be an Adam Sandler-esque romp through the entire Hannukah celebration (and yes, at times it does get up to Sandler level funny) or the much more intensely personal dramatic moments of a boy and a girl falling in love... and falling in love again..., Meltzer here proves that she isn't a one trick pony only writing Jewish romcoms, that she really has the chops to accentuate Jewish tales across the two largest romance sub genres and do each remarkably well.

Overall a truly worthy holiday read no matter your own practices during the season, and one that shouldn't be missed.

Very much recommended.

Strong Penultimate Book In Series Brings In New Elements. This entire series of Lane combining both her historical side and her romance side have been truly excellent, and this one is no different there. What makes this one different from the rest of the series is that this one actually takes place comfortably outside the shadow of WWII... and is perhaps one of the more powerful books in the series because of this. Indeed, while it can sometimes be hard for modern audiences nearly a century removed from wartime horrors and tribulations to fully understand all that is happening inside a WWII setting, no matter how good the storyteller is, in bringing the story out of that particular shadow and in using a tragedy that is still rare but at least more relatable than total war, Lane makes this particular tale perhaps all that much easier to fully understand the depth of the tragedy here.

Once again, both historical and contemporary elements are done well and perhaps here blended even more seamlessly than the other books, due to the precise nature of what is happening within this one. Foodies will love the restaurant talk of having our FMC be a chef, and indeed her entire story is richly layered with all too relatable drama for far too many. Even the MMC, while not given remotely equal screen time, manages to have the main point of his backstory developed enough to be quite the gut punch when it is fully revealed.

Perhaps most exciting for fans who have been with this standalone-yet-interconnected-ish series since the beginning is the stinger in the epilogue here. On a scale ranging from "makes you not want the next tale at all to Infinity War's "I need the next tale RIGHT TBIS FUCKING SECOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!", this one ends not far off Infinity War's level of build. With no release date given for the next book!

Which just means you have time to either read this book (if you've already been following along) or the entire series (if you haven't) before the finale comes seemingly at some point in 2026. (Pure somewhat educated guess there.) When you read them, make sure to write your own reviews wherever you see this one. I clearly think this book and the entire series are truly excellent, and I'd love to see what you think too.

Very much recommended.

Atypical Romance Offers Solid Trilogy Conclusion. This is a very atypical romance that some could potentially see as problematic... and others could possibly very easily feel all too seen in. And that all centers on our FMC here.

In the characterization of her rigidity of habit and how completely clueless she is socially, Evans here presents one version of a condition not named in the description, so it would be a spoiler to reveal here. To this writer, living in the real world with the same condition, the characterization here is perhaps a touch stereotypical... and yet while my own life and romances therein have been wildly different than portrayed here... I'm also aware enough of others living with this to know that there are indeed very likely some, perhaps many, who will feel quite seen in this characterization and indeed perhaps find hope that they too can find a love as portrayed herein.

Other irritations - and truly, these are simply irritations that your mileage will absolutely vary on - are that the author for some reason or another seems to have written "Disney" and then hit Replace All on the manuscript with a fictional name - that is how blatant the descriptions of the company are to real life, yet with the fictional name for the company. There are a few different reasons I can think of even off the top of my head that an author may choose to do this, but it was an irritant every time I encountered it and it did take away from the story a touch... which is unfortunate, given how critical it is at one point.

The other irritant is far more minor in its presentation... and yet it is also one I know many readers will want to be aware of, as it can be a deal breaker for some: without actually diving into spoiler territory, let's just say there is a certain surprise in the epilogue that at least was hinted at briefly in the earlier text that it could potentially be a possibility in this exact situation, so at least it wasn't a situation of the book before that moment either never mentioning this at all or even outright saying this wasn't wanted at all.

To be clear though, this really was a solid romance of a very atypical form, between someone who thought he was going to be a priest and thus never have a romantic relationship and someone for whom relationships had always been rather difficult. Indeed, it is these exact two characterizations coming together that actually make this story as strong as it is, as it offers hope to so very many who perhaps are in similar boats of being on the verge of hopelessness for their own potential romances.

Another thing that was done quite well here is the integration of many elements of the Catholic faith, perhaps obvious with a potential priest as the MMC and with the author being so openly Catholic herself. Still, this is one element where at least some readers will want to be aware of up front and can make your own decision to thus read this book or not based on your own thoughts on the Catholic Church. Once again, I'm simply asking you, now that you've read this far into my own review, to simply leave this book be if you're going to give it one star just because it features Catholicism and shows it so favorably or, more actually, normally.

The non-romance drama with the Brighthead Crafters is done very well once again, and this is where the trilogy conclusion comes to bear with both humor and heart, as is to typical of Evans.

Ultimately this really is a quite strong, if also very atypical, romance and a solid conclusion to this trilogy. So pick all three books up, read them, and leave a review for each wherever you find this review. Let us all know what you think - even if you think I'm a complete moron in my thoughts about these books, feel free to tag me anywhere and let me know! I'm just excited that you're actually reading them, no matter what you think of them. :)

Very much recommended.

Tom Clancy Of Space. Except Hadfield Has Been There. One of the things that struck me most about this book were the several sequences that were so technically detailed and explaining the almost microsecond by microsecond events that were taking place that it honestly felt like Clancy's infamous pages upon pages of the first nanoseconds of a thermonuclear detonation in The Sum Of All Fears... except Hadfield's passages here were nowhere near as long, despite being very similarly exacting and detailed.

Outside of these passages, what we get here is a seeming conclusion to an alt-history trilogy based in and around the time of the Apollo missions, here specifically the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

Using his experiences as everything from a fighter test pilot to NASA pilot to NASA liaison at the Roscosmos HQ to being Commander of the International Space Station (all detailed in his excellent memoir An Astronaut's Guide To Earth), Hadfield brings the reader into Low Earth Orbit as only an astronaut who has been there - and been there several times - can. The launch sequences rattle and jostle with real power as though you yourself are there in the capsule awaiting ignition of the then-most powerful rocket humanity had ever built - one controlled by a fraction of the computing power (and in particular a fraction of the lines of code) of whatever device you're reading this review on. Pick your favorite movie showing such a sequence, and here Hadfield has its literary equal if not better. The precise details of NASA and Roscosmos procedures - even technically in the era before Hadfield actually joined NASA - are here, at least at the public or at minimum now outdated levels.

Indeed, the alternate history of this tale actually works as well as it does - and introduces another level of similarity to both Clancy and similar military technothriller author Dale Brown - specifically because the real history details are buttoned up so solidly. Hadfield is able to create a world so similar to our own that it feels just as real... even as certain elements play out seemingly as they only ever do in action books of various forms.

Truly breathtaking in many ways, this is one of those books that will have you checking your own heart's health as it races with the action at times, but also giving some space to slow down and take a breather as other elements are setting up.

Indeed, if there is one criticism of this book, it is perhaps that one particular inclusion of one particular side tale may arguably be a touch too much and could have likely been left on the editing room floor with no hindrance at all to the tale told here, but even there it is interesting enough and wouldn't have spared enough pages to make the book feel any shorter.

At slightly over 400 pages, this is one of those books that both feels it and at the same time almost doesn't, as there is just so much action here. Indeed, we get well into the 90% range of this text before the final moments of the action... and yet the conclusion doesn't feel rushed at all. Truly well done, beginning to end.

Very much recommended.