February 25, 2025

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery
Published by Canary Street Press on March 18, 2025
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What would you do if you caught your brother cheating on your best friend?

While Beth is proud of her Malibu beach shop, Surf Sandwiches, she's even prouder of her charismatic brother Rick, who rose from foster care through surgical residency. She makes subs, he saves lives. Life takes a turn for the happy after she finds out Rick is dating her new best friend, Jana. Then Jana’s handsome brother adds even more sparkle to Beth’s days...and nights.

But when she catches Rick with another woman—like, with-with—her visions of an idyllic family future disappear in one awful instant. Either she betrays her brother, or she keeps his secret and risks losing the man she loves and her best friend.

An emotional journey of love, loss and going with your heart! Mallery is adept at weaving a character into an attention grabbing, easy to like individual while setting the stage to develop the core plot to allow her reader to co-exist in their world. Descriptive prose made it easy to like Beth and her business life while joining her on her journey to help others and broaden her circle with the new friend she meets while volunteering. Jana has a heartwarming family backdrop to guide her as she builds a better life for she and her young daughter. She doesn’t always trust her instincts after past mistakes, but hopes for a brighter future with each undertaking. I enjoyed their friendship and the twists and turns it took as things didn’t add up to what they were expecting, but the depth of their caring enables them through.

I enjoyed this book as a whole and felt like there was a delightful story told and enjoyed, but there was also a void left in giving a resolution. I feel like at some point there should have been something further between Beth and her brother and fallout if there was going to be any from her continued connection with him. I definitely walked away lacking a satisfactory conclusion to all of the emotions.

* Review * DEAD MAN’S LIST by Karen Rose

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Dead Man's List by Karen Rose
Series: The San Diego Case Files #3
Published by Berkley on March 4, 2025
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On a long-anticipated second date with police psychologist Dr. Sam Reeves—right as things are getting steamy—Kit stumbles across the mutilated body of a local San Diego politician. The man was loved by many of his constituents but is hated and reviled by many more. That the suspect list is long surprises no one, but exactly who ends up on it stuns Kit and her team.

As the SDPD reveal the victim’s sinister dealings, Kit and Sam are forced to navigate the closely guarded world of the city’s richest and most powerful citizens to find answers. But time is rapidly running out, with their sources of information dropping like flies as the killer methodically eliminates loose ends—and anyone else who stands in the way.

Fast paced and addictive! Fans of Karen Rose’s San Diego Case Files series will delight in seeing Kit and Sam growing closer as they are drawn into the heart of a high profile murder investigation with lots of twists and turns along the way. Kit’s family is playing center stage in her off time as usual and we learn a little more history on a cold case that’s near and dear to her heart. The main characters of this series are very easy to like and grow invested in and the cases they work with always draw attention. We’re left with a bit of a foreshadow of what’s to come and I am so here for it. I cant’ wait to visit Kit and Sam again! Great characters, complex crimes and a heartwarming family background.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a murder mystery withs lots of twists as a core cast work together against the racing clock to bring the bad guys to justice. Kit was adopted by a great couple who have opened their doors to many throughout the years and they play a key part in the series as well.