ARC Reviews

Jamie, a stressed magazine editor at CRA Publishers, finds his mundane life in Cape Town transformed when he inherits a bakery in Simon’s Town from his enigmatic great-aunt Elzanne . Alongside the shop, he discovers the Codex Umbrarum, a magical tome revealing that his family’s baking is actually a form of protection against supernatural threats—specifically "Vampyres".

If you have ever felt like you’re "bad at being a Christian" because you don’t fit into a specific spiritual mold, this book was written for you. Hosanna Wong has created a 19-chapter roadmap that systematically dismantles the performance-based religion many of us have accidentally built, replacing it with something far more beautiful: authenticity.

Lucy Martin has been hiding in the small town of Chesterfield for a year, escaping an abusive arranged marriage to a powerful crime boss in New York. She’s built a quiet life working testing motorcycle gear , until a plumbing disaster destroys her home. Enter Officer Nate Mueller, the uptight cop who has pulled her over five times but offers her his spare room because she has nowhere else to go.

The story follows Cara, a stay-at-home mom who is actually a former "Dark Angel" spy. The pacing is a bit of a slow burn at first; it didn’t necessarily have me rushing back to pick it up every spare second, but whenever I did, I was genuinely entertained. The "Duran Duran" trigger, hearing the song The Reflex everywhere, was a clever way to build psychological tension.

This book is a vital "primer" for the politically homeless. The authors argue that the American political system incorrectly divides love and truth. They offer a "Third Way" that refuses to choose between social justice and moral order, providing a framework that is both grounded in biblical principle and active as a citizen.

Lament of Light is a character-driven urban fantasy about superheroes who don’t get to feel heroic. It explores guilt, forbidden love, and the emotional cost of wielding power in a world that demands violence but punishes compassion. Fans of slow-burn tension, morally complex heroes, and emotionally grounded fantasy will find this story devastating in the best way.

Kingdom of Deceit and Desire follows a young woman whose life is upended when she becomes entangled in the political and magical power struggles, a realm ruled as much by secrets as by crowns. She begins the story relatively constrained—by class, expectation, or circumstance—and is drawn into the orbit of the MMC, whose authority, reputation, and hidden agenda make him both dangerous and impossible to ignore.

Copy Kat has an intriguing premise and a strong psychological foundation, but the execution didn’t fully work for me. The idea of an actor method-acting his way into the role of a vigilante killer, and slowly losing the line between character and self is compelling, and the meta angle of fiction bleeding into reality has real potential.

The story begins with a high-stakes, cinematic prologue featuring King Arthur’s final battle against Mordred. This hook effectively establishes the conflict and the legend of the teal lance, Ron, before transitioning to Arion’s quieter life years later.