June 12, 2026

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * MIDNIGHT RIDGE by Rita Herron

Midnight Ridge by Rita Herron
Series: Detective Ellie Reeves #12
Published by Bookouture on June 12, 2026
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When the call comes in that sixteen-year-old Minnie Benton’s body has been found at the bottom of Midnight Ridge, Detective Ellie Reeves is first on the scene. The local sheriff insists that Minnie’s death is a suicide… but Ellie can’t believe this beautiful young girl would kill herself in such a brutal way. When a witness confirms there were two people up on the ridge, and Ellie finds strands of Minnie’s dark hair in the thorny bushes, the thought of Minnie’s terrified final moments sends a shiver down her spine.

Minnie’s suicide note should provide answers but instead brings a shocking new twist to the case. The note is addressed to her baby daughter Iris, and as Ellie dispatches her team to hunt for the little girl, she can’t forget the shaky handwriting, as if Minnie was forced to write it. And Minnie’s love for Iris shines through. Why would she leave her daughter all alone in the world?

Desperate for answers and to find Iris, Ellie discovers that in the past year two other teenage girls plummeted to their deaths from Midnight Ridge, written off as suicides. But when Ellie realizes that they both left much-loved babies behind, she knows she is dealing with a serial predator.

With no sign of Iris anywhere, a call about a young mother and her baby missing from a nearby town fills Ellie with dread. Her mind races as she tries to get inside the head of this depraved killer. Can she stop their deadly mission before they claim another victim?

High intensity intrigue with a splash of romance! I love Herron’s Detective Ellie Reeves series and always look forward to the next one coming as soon as I’m finishing the current one. There is always a lot of heart and angst mixed into the mystery Ellie is trying to solve. Her sidekicks add a lot to the story, but I would like to see the history of her (parents, Derrick, Cord, Angelica, Bryce, etc.) told a little bit in each story when something brings them up. I’m familiar with the backstory because I’ve read the series in order, but if someone were to pick this one up as their first it would be lacking some key background context that is really important to get a full picture of Ellie. This particular story had an emotional kick to it and I highly enjoyed it. Always looking forward to more Ellie!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who loves a gruesome discovery that leads to a powerful search for whodunnit as drama surrounds the town. I personally recommend reading the series in order to get full context of Ellie’s past.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Release Blitz/Review * LEAD ME HOME by Catherine Bybee

Lead Me Home by Catherine Bybee
Series: Queen Anne Hill #1
Published by Montlake on June 9, 2026
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Goodreads

When spreadsheets are safer than people, falling in love becomes the ultimate risk in this powerful novel of trauma, healing, and unexpected courage.

Luna Canning trusts numbers more than people—and for good reason. As a forensic accountant who specializes in exposing fraud, she knows numbers never deceive, unlike the toxic family she’s spent a lifetime trying to escape. Now living in her grandmother’s Victorian home, Luna has built a carefully ordered life behind walls she thought were unbreakable.

When her car is stolen from an airport parking lot, former FBI agent turned PI Nate Warren steps in to help—and proves more dangerous to her defenses than any thief. Despite Luna’s ironclad rules about mixing business with pleasure, their chemistry ignites, and for the first time, she considers letting someone past her guard. But just as their relationship begins to blossom, Luna’s manipulative mother arrives unannounced, dragging with her a dangerous man and decades of unresolved trauma that threaten everything Luna has built.

Now Luna must confront the ghosts of her past—both metaphorical and possibly literal, as strange occurrences in her historic home suggest she’s not alone. With a violent threat looming and her heart on the line, Luna discovers that sometimes the hardest person to trust is yourself.

A healing journey into forever! Bybee is delivering all the feels in this emotional story of mystery, learning to trust after childhood trauma, and a quirky, possibly haunted house as the backdrop. The main characters and their key support systems were easy to like and fairly well developed from early on. I was a little slow to be truly hooked, but once the magical moment came that I was fully invested in them, I was happily following them along to forever. The premise of the book is powerful and the follow through satisfying. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a women’s fiction novel with a twist of mystery and lots of angst.

Title: Lead Me Home
Series: Queen Anne Hill #1
Author: Catherine Bybee
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Workplace, He Falls First, Slow Burn, Green Flag Hero
Release Date: June 9, 2026

BLURB

When spreadsheets are safer than people, falling in love becomes the ultimate risk in this powerful novel of trauma, healing, and unexpected courage from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee.

Luna Canning trusts numbers more than people—and for good reason. As a forensic accountant who specializes in exposing fraud, she knows numbers never deceive, unlike the toxic family she’s spent a lifetime trying to escape. Now living in her grandmother’s Victorian home, Luna has built a carefully ordered life behind walls she thought were unbreakable.

When her car is stolen from an airport parking lot, former FBI agent turned PI Nate Warren steps in to help—and proves more dangerous to her defenses than any thief. Despite Luna’s ironclad rules about mixing business with pleasure, their chemistry ignites, and for the first time, she considers letting someone past her guard. But just as their relationship begins to blossom, Luna’s manipulative mother arrives unannounced, dragging with her a dangerous man and decades of unresolved trauma that threaten everything Luna has built.

Now Luna must confront the ghosts of her past—both metaphorical and possibly literal, as strange occurrences in her historic home suggest she’s not alone. With a violent threat looming and her heart on the line, Luna discovers that sometimes the hardest person to trust is yourself.

BUY LINKS

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/queenannehill1us
Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/leadmehome-bn
Books-a-Million: https://tinyurl.com/leadmehome-bam
Audible: https://tinyurl.com/leadmehome-aud

EXCERPT

Five minutes past nine, Luna walked into the law offices of Allen and Associates. She paused at the reception desk and started to unbutton her coat.

“Hi Melinda.”

“Hi.”

“Marcus is expecting me. Is he in his office or the conference room?”

“They’re in the conference room,” she said.

They? Great . . . nothing like being late for more than one person.

Luna shrugged out of her coat.

Melinda stepped around the desk to take it. “No need to stress.”

“I hate being late. This jerk bumped into me, my coffee ended up on the street . . .” Luna pulled in a deep breath, stood tall, and pasted on a small she didn’t feel.

Melinda laughed. “I’ll bring coffee to the room.”

Luna sighed. “I could kiss you.”

“Not in the office,” Melinda teased.

Swiping a strand of soaked hair back, Luna made her way to the conference room.

Just outside the open door she heard voices.

“She elbowed me, her coffee took flight, and she had the audacity to act like it was my fault.”

Luna froze in the doorway.

Dark roast venti guy had his back to her.

Marcus stood to his left, shaking his head. “It feels like most people are walking around in a daze. Heads in their phones, earbuds blasting music. No one pays attention anymore.”

“Tell me about it.”

The fake smile she’d painted on only moments ago slid from her face. Seriously? This guy blamed her?

The nerve.

“There she is. My secret weapon for numbers,” Marcus boasted once he caught sight of Luna standing there.

Slowly, Mr. Venti turned.

A sinister feeling of joy bloomed in Luna’s chest as recognition hit his eyes.

Unaware of the silent communication between her and Venti, Marcus made the introductions. “Nate Warren, this is Luna Canning.”

She placed her purse on the conference table and reached out to shake his hand. “Hello, Mr. Warren. You look familiar. Have we met before?”

His hand was warm, despite the fact that they’d both just come in from the cold.

“If we did, I, ah . . . certainly didn’t catch your name.” Nate gave her hand a little extra squeeze before letting her go. “Marcus has told me a lot about you.”

“All good I hope.”

To Nate’s credit, he didn’t break eye contact, even when her smirk of a smile said ten times more than her words did.

“Singing your praise, Luna. If I could sing,” Marcus said as he patted her shoulder in a warmer welcome than a handshake.

“You’re too kind.”

That made him laugh. “Since when are you humble?”

It was then that Luna purposely looked away from Nate. “I have to try once in a while.”

“Sit, sit.”

Luna moved to a seat opposite Nate.

Marcus sat at the head of the table.

“I’m sorry for being late. It’s a little . . .” She glanced at Nate. “Hectic out there.”

Amusement swam in Nate’s hazel eyes without the least bit of shame.

“So I’ve heard,” Marcus said.

Melinda walked into the room, a cup of coffee in her hand. She sat it in front of Luna with a small caddy filled with cream and various types of sugar.

“Thank you.”

“Can I get anything for you, Mr. Warren?”

Nate cleared his throat. “Ah, no. I’m good.”

Luna glanced at Nate’s Starbucks cup before doctoring her coffee to her liking.

Melinda closed the door behind her when she left.

“I’ve already told Nate about your prowess with numbers. You won’t find a better forensic accountant in the state.”

This time, Luna accepted the praise without humility.

“Nate is our new consultant. He worked as a criminal fraud investigator for the federal government. Now he works independently as a private investigator using those same skills.”

Luna lifted the coffee to her lips and talked over the rim of the cup. “You’re a little young to be retired from the Feds.”

“I was more interested in the private sector with more room to do my job than bureaucratic red tape allowed.”

Luna sipped her coffee, then put the cup down.

“And more lucrative,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. “No one likes to wait for Congress to approve their paycheck.”

“Their loss, our gain,” Marcus said. “And I have a feeling that with the two of you, we’ll be an unbeatable team.”

Luna placed her fingers on the charm she had hanging from her neck and slowly slid it along the chain.

Marcus handed them each a folder. “Our client is Joel Mercier . . .”

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242029141-lead-me-home/

AUTHOR BIO

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written nearly 50 books that have collectively sold more than 11 million copies. Her titles have been translated into more than 20 languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full time and has penned the popular Not Quite, Weekday Brides, Most Likely To, First Wives, D’Angelos, Heirs, and Queen Anne Hill series.