June 8, 2025 – My Sanctuary

Review Card & Book Review – Nobody’s Perfect By Sally Kilpatrick

Vivian Quackenbush enjoys a typical life. She has winesday evenings with her two best friends. Her son is in college. She and her husband, Mitch, are planning the next move for their empty-nester future. But to Vivian’s blindsided surprise…not together.

After nearly twenty-five years of marriage, Mitch wants a divorce. He confesses that he doesn’t love her anymore. He never even liked her chicken salad! Brutal. What is Vivian to do but channel her anger, frustration, and pain into a video she posts online. Ill advised? Perhaps. Cathartic? Absolutely. Overnight, Vivian goes viral. Millions of views and counting—to Mitch’s fury, her son’s embarrassment, her mother’s support, and the media’s delight. For Vivian, it’s a moment of truth: hide or lean into it. Vivian 2.0 chooses to lean—maybe even toward the younger single father next door.

Now Vivian is wondering where she goes from here. She’s discovering that somewhere in her trending if upended life, she’ll have to figure out who she really wants to be.

About The Author

My Review

Vivian, a stay-at-home mom, is blindsided when her husband of nearly 25 years, Mitch, reveals he’s been planning a divorce for years. With her son off to college, her seemingly content life crumbles. She leans on her two best friends and her mother, though their relationship is strained due to her mom’s history of five divorces.

Vivian’s modest YouTube channel takes an unexpected turn when a drunken rant about her divorce goes viral, thrusting her into an overwhelming new reality. While she begins to prioritize herself, it sometimes comes at the cost of those around her.

The story explores themes of self-discovery, resilience, and the challenges of starting over. While the ending offers closure, it could have been more impactful with a stronger epilogue.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Happy Publication Day – 8 June 2025

Too Hard To Resist By Olivia Spring

Sparks Fly…but with the wrong guy?

Sammie Gordon knows of The Love Hotel’s infamous reputation for making happy ever afters a reality. So when she gets her coveted invite to the hotel’s exclusive resort in Italy she’s packed her bags before she’s signed on the dotted line. What could be more perfect than sun, sea, culture and… her perfect match?

Except Sammie doesn’t get the immediate flutters of excitement when she meets her date. He may be perfect on paper, but their connection is more lukewarm than red hot passion! And when he leaves abruptly, Sammie is left alone in paradise. This is a disaster!

But The Love Hotel always goes above and beyond for their guests. And so Love Alchemist Romeo steps into the breach to keep her company on all the planned dates and intimate dinners. In a professional capacity… obviously! When sparks fly instantly, Romeo knows he’s in trouble. With a strict no-dating guests rule, Romeo has to try and keep things professional. But like magnets, Sammie and Romeo are drawn to each other. Their chemistry is forbidden and so they must, at all costs resist the temptation to cross the line…

Review Card & Book Review – The Broken Places By Mia Sheridan

In this twisted journey into the shadows of the Golden Gate, an inspector and an FBI agent must track down the source of an unknown drug, but their attraction and their own secrets keep getting in the way.

The streets of San Francisco aren’t as sunny as the city pretends they are. Inspector Lennon Gray has learned this the hard way, and it’s starting to wear on her. When a new case plunges her into the depths of the transient community, Lennon must once again face ugly truths about humanity.

Her new partner makes things a little easier, though.

Agent Ambrose Mars is charming—innocent, somehow, despite his own hard years in the field. The combination leaves Lennon fascinated and disturbed at the same time, and she’s even more drawn to him for it.

As they investigate the hallucinogenic drug that’s forcing homeless citizens into bizarre and dangerous role-plays, Lennon and Ambrose find their relationship intensified with every new twist. But when these revelations begin to uncover secrets she wasn’t prepared to know, Lennon will have to decide how much more she can take…before something important is taken from her.

About The Author

My Review

Set in the heart of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, this timely and thought-provoking novel sheds light on the stark realities of extreme homelessness and the darker side of experimental treatments for PTSD. Against this backdrop of desperation and vulnerability, police investigator Lennon Gray is thrust into a case that challenges her both professionally and personally. The story begins with Lennon being called to investigate a horrific triple murder, where the victims also appear to be the perpetrators. The crime scene reveals unsettling evidence: the individuals seem to have participated in a chaotic “orgy” fueled by a potent combination of psychedelic drugs and chemicals designed to heighten aggression.

At the scene, Lennon encounters Agent Ambrose, an enigmatic figure from the FBI. Despite her initial reluctance to work with him, she finds herself both wary of and mysteriously drawn to her new partner. Their uneasy alliance grows as they uncover deeper layers of the case, which is tied to a secretive and controversial study involving regression therapy for PTSD. This experimental approach, designed to address trauma stemming from childhood abuse and neglect, involves orchestrated scenarios using illicit drug cocktails.

While one faction, led by a well-intentioned but desperate doctor, pursues these methods in secret to avoid bureaucratic hurdles, another, more sinister force manipulates the process to deadly effect. The ethical boundary between innovation and exploitation becomes a central tension as Lennon and Ambrose race to uncover who is tampering with the treatments and triggering a wave of violence.

The novel masterfully weaves its narrative through complex themes of trauma, morality, and the challenges of navigating human vulnerability in a world of scientific ambition and systemic failure. Flashbacks provide insight into the characters’ motivations and histories, though they demand careful attention to track the intertwining storylines.

With its realistic portrayal of social and psychological struggles, this gripping novel confronts the grim realities of our modern era, blending suspense with a sensitive exploration of human resilience and ethical dilemmas. The result is a powerful and unsettling story that lingers long after the final page.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble