SAM&PAM's Book Radar

"Bloodline" written by Priscilla Masters, It is a mystery novel published in 2025. The story takes place in Leek, Staffordshire, where Detective Inspector Joanna Piercy is called to investigate a hostage situation at Cloud Mansion, a large, isolated house overlooking Rudyard Lake. The hostage is Joseph Holden, an elderly and reclusive man who had major surgery eight months prior. The hostage-taker...

My Sister's Daughter by Liv Constantine is a work of fiction published in 2025. After Courtney drowns, her thirteen-year-old daughter Serena moves in with her aunt Ashley and her family. A series of accidents and strange occurrences lead Ashley and her husband Elliott to believe that Serena is a danger to their children, Luna and Maddox. Ashley eventually learns that Elliott is Serena's biological...

A Traitorous Heart by Erin Cotter is a young adult fantasy romance novel published in 2025. Jacqueline d'Argenson-Aunis is the niece of the royal spymaster and a member of Societas Solis, a secret society that uses magic to protect France. Jacqueline is tasked with persuading her best friend, Princess Marguerite de Valois, to marry King Henry of Navarre in order to secure peace between the Catholi...

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes , a horror fiction novel by Clay McLeod Chapman , was published in 2025 . When Noah's aging parents in Virginia stop returning his calls, he travels to their home and finds it in shambles. His parents have been violently possessed through the media they consume, and a large portion of the country is experiencing the same phenomenon. Noah, along with his nephew, who is al...

By the Sharp and Shadowed Wings by Rachel N. Harker a Fantasy Romance published in 2025. This is a work of fiction about Revna, a warrior who leads a group of women called the Myddheim Maidens. The story begins nine years after her friend Fenrick sacrifices himself to the Gods in her place. When a ship returns to Myddheim calling for Revna, she boards it and finds herself in the realm of Vanaheim....

Dead Souls, the second book in the "Hospital" trilogy, was written by Han Song and published in 2018 as Wangling by Shanghai wenyi chubanshe in China . It was first published in English by Amazon Crossing in 2025. Dead Souls continues the story of the Hospital, which has now moved to Mars. The story is told in the second person, from the perspective of Yang Wei, who is appointed to help rewrite Pr...

A Verse for Witches is the first book in the "Song of Tsing" trilogy by John Hundley. It's a fantasy romance published in 2025. This installment tells the story of Tsing, an orphan raised by monks who becomes a mercenary. He is hired by an Alchemist to find a jewel called the "Eye of Ellindrell". Tsing meets Erin, a young woman who helps him on his quest. It turns out that Tsing is the "orphan kin...

Death's Kiss by M.M. Reeves, is a fantasy novel published in 2025. It follows the story of Merena Boreas , a castaway and bastard-born, who competes in the Pillar Trials for a chance to win The Vault , the closest thing to freedom that exists within the Tide Raiders organization. Merena faces numerous challenges, including: Taming kelpies Navigating a treacherous kórallian maze Confronting her tra...

Acid Yellow, by Dominic Piper, is a thriller novel published in 2024. It is the fourth book in the PI Daniel Beckett Series. The story revolves around private investigator Daniel Beckett as he investigates the murder of a renowned pianist, Kiaraa Jeong. Kiaraa was kidnapped and subsequently found dead two years prior to Beckett's involvement. He is hired by the victim's sister, Micha Jeong, to unc...

Mutiny on the Black Prince: Slavery, Piracy, and the Limits of Liberty in the Revolutionary Atlantic World, a historical nonfiction work by James H. Sweet, was published in 2025. The book tells the story of the Black Prince, a British slave ship that was the subject of a mutiny in 1769 . The book uses the mutiny as a starting point to explore the complex and often contradictory relationships betwe...

Remember When by Mary Balogh is a romance novel published in 2025. The story takes place in 1818 and centers around Clarissa Ware, the Dowager Countess of Stratton, who returns to her family estate, Ravenswood, after the death of her husband. Seeking a peaceful summer of solitude and reflection, she reconnects with Matthew Taylor, her childhood friend, who now lives a simple life as the village ca...

Single Player, a novel by Tara Tai, is categorized as romance and was published in January 2025. The story follows Catherine Li, an aspiring video game writer who lands her dream job at the prestigious Heartrender Studios. Working on their highly anticipated game Compass Hollow, Catherine is tasked with developing the game's romantic storylines. Initially excited about the project, Catherine soon...

Sweet Fury, by Sash Bischoff, is a thriller novel published in January 2025. The story follows Lila Crayne , a famous film actress, as she navigates the treacherous world of Hollywood while grappling with a dark past. Lila is in a relationship with Kurt Royall , a successful director who is making a feminist adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night , starring Lila. As Lila delves de...

The Last Demon Hunter, by Vaughn Heppner & STORMWEAVER, is a fantasy novel published in 2025. The story follows Dane Thorson, a wheelchair-bound security officer at the Quantum Gateway Institute. Dane discovers a dimensional breach and is pulled into the world of Holger, a realm threatened by demons. He finds himself wielding Veriax, the Blade of Truth, a powerful artifact that chooses him as...

The Note, by Alafair Burke, is a suspense novel published in 2025.. The story revolves around May Hanover, a former prosecutor turned law professor, and her friends Lauren and Kelsey. During a vacation in the Hamptons, the trio becomes entangled in a missing person case when they encounter David Smith, who is later found murdered. May's past as a prosecutor and her tendency to "amateur-sleuth" lea...

The Power of Enough: Finding Joy in Your Relationship with Money by Elizabeth Husserl, published in January 2025, is a self-help guide focusing on personal finance. It encourages readers to redefine their understanding of wealth and money. The book promotes the idea that true wealth is not just about accumulating material possessions but about finding meaning and joy in one’s life. It explores the...

The Queen's Reaper by Cole Hopkins. a fantasy novel published in 2024. The story follows the assassin Grim, a man known for his skill with the sword and his ruthlessness. Grim is hired to kill Viscount Ovidius Depal who is expected to become the new steward of the Kingdom of Harth. However, Grim decides not to accept the contract because it would cause political turmoil. Grim soon discovers that t...

The Songbird, a World War II novel by Stacy Lynn Miller, was published in 2025.; The novel follows Hattie James, a singer in New York City, whose life is upended when her father, a diplomat, is accused of spying for Nazi Germany. Hattie's world is further turned upside down when she is questioned by the FBI and loses her recording contract. Determined to clear her father's name, Hattie travels to...

"Troll Lotta Love" , written by DC Farmer , is a fantasy novel published in 2025 . This book, the fifth in "The Hipposync Archives" series, follows the intertwined stories of several characters: Nadia Komangetme: A young woman from the isolated village of Spiv in the Fae world. She is a talented writer who hides her imaginative stories within the pages of a sacred historical text, fearing the stri...

Royal Heirs Academy, by Lindsey Duga, is a young adult novel published in January 2025 . The story follows three royal grandchildren and one commoner as they compete to inherit the kingdom of Ashland while attending Almus Terra Academy. The book is told in alternating voices. The royal grandchildren were sent away 16 years ago to protect them from being murdered or manipulated, as there was no nam...

"See How They Hide" by Allison Brennan, published in 2025, is a thriller . The story revolves around FBI agents, Kara Quinn and Matt Costa, as they investigate a series of murders connected to a secretive commune called Havenwood. The victims, including Jane Merrifield and Robert Benson, are linked by their past connection to Havenwood and their deaths are marked by the presence of red poppies. Th...

Published on January 7, 2025 , Emily Renk Hawthorne wrote the fantasy and mythology novel Of Mountains and Seas . This book follows the story of Shifters , people with magical powers who hide in plain sight from the Statics , non-magic people. This separation of society impacts the lives of several families, spanning almost a century. The story explores their relationships with one another and the...

"No Place Left to Hide", written by Megan Lally. the copyright date is 2025. The genre of this book is likely a young adult thriller , based on the description in the "About the Author" section. The book seems to be centered around a young woman named Brooke Goodwin , whose life takes a dark turn after a party at her family's lake house. The party ends in tragedy when a classmate, Claire Heck , di...

"The Wedding Party" written by Rebecca Heath. It is a thriller novel published in 2025. The story centers around a wedding party that takes place on a yacht in Refuge Bay, South Australia. The novel is told from various points of view, primarily the bride, Adele, and her future mother-in-law, Melanie. A tragic event from twelve years ago haunts the present as Adele prepares to marry Jason, her dec...

The Lady of the Mine by Sergei Lebedev. Genre: Fiction. Publication Date: 2025. This novel, set in a small Ukrainian mining town in July 2014, follows the intertwined lives of three individuals connected by a shared past: Zhanna: A young woman grappling with her mother's recent death and the unsettling secrets she left behind. Valet: A former resident returning to his hometown as a pro-Russian mil...