Game Changer by Rachel Reid (★★★★☆)
E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2018
Short synopsis: A pro hockey star falls for the barista whose smoothies seem to bring him luck, but as their secret relationship deepens, he must decide whether his career is worth keeping the man he loves hidden.
The Compound by Aisling Rawle (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Fiction • 2025
Short synopsis: Lily joins a reality TV competition on a remote desert compound where contestants vie for luxury prizes and basic necessities, but as the producers push them into increasingly dangerous situations, she must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to survive.
The best way I can describe this book is to call it interesting. It’s the kind of book that was easy to set down, but I also got immediately engrossed whenever I picked it back up. None of the characters are particularly likable, least of all the main character, Lily. I felt the same way about the characters in Yesteryear—they’re pretty terrible people, but they’re fascinating to follow around. This is a book about consumerism and the lengths people will go to win, but it’s also about how much someone has to lose: if you don’t have an impressive job or a satisfying home life to go back to, you might be willing to make a lot more sacrifices than other people would. I also have to give the author credit for pulling all of this off as a debut; it’s an inventive premise with a genuinely interesting plot and well-written characters. It’s not a book I’d necessarily recommend, but it would make for a pretty interesting book club discussion.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 7 by Beth Brower (★★★★★)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2023
Short synopsis: Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
Volume 7 of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion follows Emma through the spring of 1884, where her will-they-or-won’t-they becomes a lot more will-they. Emma is also trying to help her cousin Arabella through her season, in the hopes she will finally secure a husband. And Young Hawkes remains the most exceptional fictional character I’ve ever come across. Am I in love with him? Perhaps. Emma starts seeing all the different secrets the three men in her life are keeping from her, and it’s leading to some very exciting plotlines to come. I have one more volume to read, and then I have to wait for Beth Brower to release Volume 9. A travesty!
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