September was a good reading month. I finished three books, gave all three five stars, and started a fourth that already has me hooked. Grab your latte and let’s get into it.
Books I Finished
The Sky Beneath Her by Mary Ellen Taylor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
From page one, I felt like I was right there with Tula Cassidy, carrying the weight of grief, guilt, and unfinished questions. She’s messy in the most relatable way, trying to rebuild her life while still tripping over the pieces of her past. Then there’s the historical storyline with Gertrude Werner, which is so vivid and tense that I kept catching myself holding my breath. Mary Ellen Taylor writes women with such tenderness and grit that you can’t help rooting for them.
What I loved most is how the book handles trauma and healing. It doesn’t rush it, and it doesn’t sugarcoat it. It lets these women find their strength in their own time, in their own way. And the ocean imagery? Gorgeous, haunting, and healing. It becomes a character all its own.
Link to full review: The Sky Beneath Her by Mary Ellen Taylor – Chapters & Lattes
Trust No One by Mary Burton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one is all about tension. Mary Burton doesn’t just ask “who did it?” She builds a creeping sense that nobody in the story is who they seem to be. The title is no exaggeration: you truly can’t trust anyone in this book, and that’s exactly what made it so addictive. I kept turning pages long past when I meant to stop.
Link to full review: Trust No One by Mary Burton Book review – Chapters & Lattes
It’s Only Love by Kay Bratt (Hart’s Ridge #17) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kay Bratt delivers another gripping, emotional mystery in the 17th installment of the Hart’s Ridge series. This time the story shifts gears. Taylor takes a backseat, and her husband, PI Sam, steps into the spotlight during a trip to the Florida Gulf Coast.
When Walker Barrett arrives searching for the truth about his brother Wade’s mysterious disappearance, a case everyone else believes was a simple drowning, Sam and Taylor are pulled into a dangerous web of hidden betrayals, family secrets, and a trail of clues someone is desperate to keep buried. Seventeen books in, and this series still knows how to keep me hooked.
Link to full review: It’s Only Love by Kay Bratt Book Review – Chapters & Lattes
Currently Reading
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
I’ve just started this one, and so far I’m loving it. It caught my attention the moment I read what it was about, because part of the story takes place in the city where I was raised. It’s a fictional account inspired by the real-life Georgia Tann, who ran an illegal adoption operation in Memphis, Tennessee. Reading about a dark chapter of history set in streets I know so well is a little haunting, and I’m anxious to see where it goes. Review coming soon!
September Wrap-Up
Three five-star reads is a pretty great month. The theme of the month seems to be mysteries. I love a good mystery, and these did not disappoint.
What did you read in September? Drop your recommendations in the comments, because my TBR is never full enough.
