Favorite Reads of 2025

 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The Inmate by Freida McFadden

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

The Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett

Ken Follett has written a page turner in The Hammer of Eden with many twists and turns.

Judy is hoping for an upgraded position within the FBI but when someone, who Judy feels is incompetent, is promoted, she finds herself with a case that no one wants. A radio talk show host is approached by a man, Priest, declaring he will cause an earthquake if demands aren't met. While this might seem like an idle threat, California has many earth moving faults that could result in seismic activity at any moment. Judy and Priest are in a battle of wits. Judy is trying to stop a possible earthquake and Priest wants to stop the building of a dam which would flood the commune he lives in.

The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel

 

Set in WWII occupied France The Room on Rue Amelie follows Ruby, an American in Paris and a British Royal Air Force pilot. Warning: The novel starts off with a tear jerker. 

Newlywed Ruby Henderson Benoit arrived in Paris in 1939, dreaming of walking along grand boulevards but war is looming on the horizon. Her husband disappears for days hours and sometimes days without explanation, but Ruby is caught up in the fear for her Jewish neighbors and befriends eleven year old Charlotte. When Thomas, an English pilot, arrives on her doorstep looking for shelter, it changes Ruby's resolve and both she and Charlotte spend the next few years protecting each other and praying that Thomas would one day find them once again. 

The Inmate by Freida McFadden

 The Inmate by Freida McFadden is a thriller with tense moments on practically every page. Brooke Sullivan begins her job as a nurse practitioner at a maximum security prison. She accepts that this will be an uncomfortable position but her fears are heightened when she discovers Shane Nelson needs medical treatment. He's not only one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates, but he's also the man who tried to kill her and whom she testified against. The story continues going back and forth over present day and the horrendous night when a party turned into a murder scene.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

 I wasn't too sure about the Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont when I first looked at the blurb, but Nina de Gramont wove a wonderful fictitious story of two women, Agatha Christie and Nan O'Dea (Nancy Neele). One was Archie Christie's wife, the other his mistress. Agatha Christie, in 1926, threw the newspapers into a frenzy when Agatha Christie disappeared for several days. Her own personal mystery was never solved, but Nina de Gramont surmises what she may have been doing during her disappearance. The two women were opposites with Nan growing up in a poor  London family and Agatha living a wealthy life. 

If I Were You by Lynn Austin

 If I Were You is set in London during the WWII blitz. Eve and Audrey had two very different backgrounds. While Eve and her family had worked at the nearby manor house, Audrey was the privileged daughter. They had become friends but it was during the war years that they really began to rely on each other. When they meet two American GI soldiers in London it opens up new avenues for both of them.

Although well researched, it was obvious that the novel was not written by an English author. For me, the war years stories brought back many memories my family had shared of living in London during the terrible constant bombing of The Blitz. 

I thought the descriptions of WWII London were well written, but I can't say I particularly liked any of the characters. Eve seemed to be an opportunist. Audrey, rather than taking advantage of her upper class status to help others, whined about it constantly. The ending, although nice, was a bit far fetched. Rather than being a Christian novel, that some have complained about, I found that God was thrown in every so often without any substance or reason. 

And, my pet peeve when reading novels about England written by an American author, (please have someone from England edit it) Americanisms scattered throughout were annoying and much of the dialog would not have been said by an English person during that time.

Things You Won't Say by Sarah Pekkanen

 Things you Won't say is the story of a family whose life unravels when, following the injury of his police partner, Mike shoots a young offender. He later finds out the young boy was not a danger. Sarah Pekkanen weaves in numerous relationships including Mike's wife, Jamie, her younger sister Lou and Mike ex-girlfriend. All are trying to decide whether to stick together or distance themselves from everything that is coming unraveled.