Three Confess by Luana Erhlich

 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Foreign Espionage and a Chaotic Home Front
This latest installment of the Silas McKay series ramps up the stakes with a fierce focus on corporate espionage, balancing a high-pressure case with Silas’s equally chaotic personal life. Between a daughter home from college, a new puppy, and the delicate dance of introducing Ashley to his daughter, Silas has his hands completely full.
The central investigation hits close to home and feels incredibly timely. A Chinese company has stolen CID’s product right down to the factory floor, presenting an alarming breach of intellectual property. More concerning, however, is the chilling depiction of foreign handlers manipulating immigrants working within American borders. It raises a sobering question about corporate security, particularly for companies holding sensitive government contracts: should we be hiring non-native citizens when the risk of external leverage is this high?
As Silas untangles the web, the tension peaks with the realization that the enemy is already standing at his own front door. With heavy decisions weighing on our hero, the story races toward a gripping, suspenseful finish that delivers on every front. It is an intense, thrilling ride.

Anointed by TJ Monroe

 

Rated:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Intense Warfare, Unresolved Ending
I was highly impressed by the substantial use of scripture in this book. Spiritual warfare requires being fully equipped with God’s Word, and the battle scenes here are intense and gripping.
A pivotal turning point occurs when Cassie begins to take her gift for granted, only for it to fail her. God has His reasons for saying no, and her gift returns precisely when she needs it most.
However, the conclusion left me unsatisfied. During the battle, the demon recognizes Cassie, and Cassie seems to understand this recognition as well. Unfortunately, the author never explains this identity to the reader, leaving a frustrating gap in the narrative. I read through the extensive conclusion searching for answers, but found none.
Additionally, while I believe spiritual curses can be inherited, I believe they are passed down through families who do not know Christ, rather than those covered by His blood—though I recognize demons work harder to prevent the children of believers from following Him. While I do not need to know God’s ultimate plans, I needed to understand what the author awakened in Cassie, as it is entirely relevant to the story.

One Wonders: A Silas McKay Suspense Book 1 of 5: Silas McKay Suspense Series by Luana Ehrlich

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Suspenseful Read, but Lacks Spiritual Balance
Silas McKay is a man consumed by sorrow, shutting out God and burying himself in his work. But when a client asks him to mentor his daughter, Ashley, Silas ignores his better judgment and agrees. Together, they plunge into a high-stakes espionage case, forcing Silas to decide just how much danger he is willing to put her in on her very first assignment.
While the espionage plot delivers solid suspense, Ashley herself is a major weak point. Brash, overdressed, and frankly spoiled, she feels entirely wrong for Silas—even if the author is determined to force the match. A forty-year-old widow with a college-aged daughter deserves a partner who is spiritually grounded, not a man who is only just beginning to wander back to God eight months after losing his wife. It's a frustrating dynamic that leaves me wondering exactly where this series is headed.
 

Forbidden Earl Next Door by Tess Aubrey

 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tasteless Mothers and Misplaced Honor
This is one serious age-gap romance—minus the actual romance.
We have an eighteen-year-old debutante thrust into the Season the very same day she buried her father. A tasteless move by her mother, to say the least. Enter Lord Banbury, a man twenty years Rebecca’s senior, courting her with a vigor that feels entirely unseemly. Then there is Lord Normanby, a man with honor so misplaced it borders on frustrating; he should have destroyed Banbury ten years ago rather than settling for a quiet, private blackmail to save Rebecca’s sister.
In Regency England, the aristocracy has two courts: the law and society. For a villain like Banbury, it shouldn't matter which delivers the blow, so long as he is either jailed or utterly crucified by the ton and financially ruined.
While the characters are well-defined in their flaws and the plot is solidly written, Rebecca’s compliance is hard to swallow. Letting her mother match her up with a man old enough to be her father—not once, but twice—is simply ridiculous.

A Lady's Guide to Subterfuge and Science by Isabella Kamal

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 A Compelling Regency Romance with a Frustrating Heroine
This story is well-written, featuring a heroine who initially comes across as strong and determined, putting herself on a path to become a pioneer in her field. However, my admiration faltered when Jennings stole her paper and she simply gave up. It is at this point that the one man who truly believes in her must conquer his own fears to retrieve the paper for its rightful owner. While the romance is sweet and the narrative manages to be quite humorous despite the seriousness of the subject, the heroine's reaction to adversity was a letdown.
Frankly, Kalila allowed herself to be distracted by Oliver, and because of that, she deserved to lose her paper. Even when I fell in love with my husband, I never permitted him to distract me from my professional goals. It is difficult enough to crash into a man’s world without allowing the person you love to derail your focus. Letting them do so ultimately falls on the woman, as it only reinforces the archaic notions of the ton that women are the weaker sex. Women were meant to stand beside men as equals—not above them, and certainly not below them.

A Duke Worth Healing Sally Forbes

 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Duke Reclaimed and Etiquette Ignored

Can a broken man truly be healed? Rowan hides from the world, thoroughly drowned in self-pity, until Eliza arrives armed with genuine insight and warmth. While others see only his physical damage, Eliza looks past the trauma of that cannon blast to see the man he could be, teaching him to wear his scars as a badge of honor and accept that he is still worthy of love.

The plot delivers a sharp lesson in betrayal; the true villain, Marcus, remains hidden until it is almost too late for our Duke. Fortunately, Rowan possesses remarkably loyal servants who know exactly when to disregard a foolish order to save their master.

My only real grievance is the author’s blatant disregard for the rules of the ton. Rather than cleverly navigating the strict etiquette of the era, the narrative simply ignores it—a lazy shortcut that disrupts the historical illusion. However, if you are looking for a deeply emotional story of survival and redemption, Rowan and Eliza’s journey delivers.

The Billionaire Prince's Secret Engagement by Lina Brighthart

 

Rating: ⭐⭐

The Trope Lacks Substance

This narrative attempts a unique spin on a classic fairytale dynamic, though the execution misses the mark on character development.

Rose is written with a constant sense of vulnerability, spending most of the book with her eyes wide like a scared rabbit waiting to run—an action she eventually takes. This defensive posture makes it difficult to see her agency in the relationship. Lucas presents a different contradiction; despite his claims that he doesn't want Rose in his world, his actions suggest otherwise. Rather than shielding her, it feels as though he uses her presence to reclaim his identity apart from the paparazzi stories, which undermines his character's integrity.

The story relies heavily on the "fake it till you make it" trope, but it struggles with transparency. The revelation that the engagement was never truly fake feels less like a twist and more like a manipulation of the premise, leaving the romance overshadowed..