Series Sunday: The First Time I Saw Him

(Hannah Hall #2) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is The First Time I Saw Him, the second book in the Hannah Hall series by Laura Dave. Before I delve into this new book review, please read my previous pithy review of The Last Thing He Told Me then watch season one on Apple TV+. It features Jennifer Garner and is oh-so-good! Binge and catch up before season two begins on February 20, 2026.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled review. The First Time I Saw Him picks up five years, 10 months and 24 days later. Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have settled into a new life in Southern California. Just when Hannah feels well-adjusted and safe, she gets a sign that her and Bailey are in danger. Owen risks everything to deliver a warning forcing Hannah and Bailey to uproot their lives yet again and go on the run. As the thriller unfolds, there is a chance that their family can be reunited.

"Because that's the thing about faith. Even if the world decides it looks crazy, it shows up for you in the moment you need it most." ~ 32%

I love it when a sequel is perfectly executed! The First Time I Saw Him was even better than the first book. The suspense, mystery and fast pace kept me reading nonstop. More background info on the characters was revealed creating several layers to the story. Laura Dave's writing is so descriptive, I thought I was on the run right along with Hannah and Bailey holding my breath. By the time I reached the ending, I was spent...in a good way!

My only gripe is the repetitive sentences. At only 37% in, there were six sentences repeated word-for-word. By 46%, I had to take my editor hat off; otherwise, I would not have enjoyed the story. At that point, my nose stayed in the book turning pages frantically, skipping over the repetitiveness. The story was so edge-of-the-seat that I didn't realize only 30% was left in the book when I came up for air. And by 82%...WHOA! 

Let me stop my review here to avoid spoilers. The First Time I Saw Him is obviously recommended; it will be one of my top reads of books published in 2026. Reserve your copy now!

Happy Early Pub Day, Laura Dave! The First Time I Saw Him will be available Tuesday, January 6.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The First Time I Saw Him

Author: Laura Dave

Published: January 2026

Pages: 271

Edition: Galley

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 ♡

Series Sunday: Crime Rangoon

(Noodle Shop Mystery #12) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Crime Rangoon, the 12th book in the Noodle Shop mystery series by Vivien Chien. One of my favorite sleuths, Lana Lee, is back to investigate a stranger-than-fiction murder with the help of her detective boyfriend. Lana Lee is excited for the appearance of her favorite author at a book signing in Asia Village.

"And if it wasn't someone from her writers community, the murderer is probably a reader." ~ 67%

Lana Lee has the honor of being the author's "handler" for the event. Unfortunately, the author is found dead in the mystery aisle of the bookstore, clutching a copy of her own new book. Coincidentally, the details of the murder matches the book's plot! Detective boyfriend, Adam, and Lana team up for the first time on purpose to solve the mystery. But first, they must work through the novel to outwit the murderer.

Books within a book can be tricky. It takes a skilled author to tell a story within a story, carry two plots without confusing the reader and solve a double mystery. Vivien Chien pulls it off in Crime Rangoon but something was off. Perhaps the mystery was too easy to figure out. Or maybe because my least liked character, Kimmy, had a bigger role in the story so it annoyed me. There is humor and light romance but it didn't save the book for me.

That doesn't mean Crime Rangoon is not for you, if already a fan of this series. Newbies, I do not recommend this as your first Vivien Chien novel. Anyhoot—here's a holiday task for you, Bookhearts. Order your favorite Asian dish with a side of crab or cream cheese rangoons, then settle in for a cozy mystery read. Crime Rangoon will take your mind off the bustle of the holidays while enjoying a takeout meal.

Happy Early Pub Day, Vivien Chien! Crime Rangoon will be available Tuesday, December 30.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Crime Rangoon

Author: Vivien Chien

Published: December 2025

Pages: 320

Edition: Galley

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"The dress was made for sinning. Black. Strapless. Sheer."

~ Brimstone by Callie Hart

The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe

"America's most famous actress with a man who could be America's next president? Why not? She married America's greatest living sportsman, and then America's greatest living writer." ~ 69%

June 1, 2026, would be Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday. In life, she was a superstar. In death, she is a mystery. New true crime thriller by bestselling author James Patterson with Imogen Edwards-Jones focuses on her eventful rollercoaster life. 

The title of this true crime thriller is misleading. It begins way before Marilyn Monroe's last days. In fact, it begins when she was a little girl named Norma Jean, through her teen years, multiple marriages, rise in Hollywood then finally to the months leading to her death. Longtime Bookhearts know how I am a stickler for titles. It has to fit and make sense. This did not! 

I appreciate the authors starting with background but it should have been limited to the first couple chapters. Because of the title, I expected a detailed account of the literal days before her unexpected death. What led to it? Who did she argue with and what about? What was her state of mind? Who was around? Who did she last talk to, clutching the phone as she took her last breath? Who found her body and why did it take so long to call authorities? Was it an intentional or accidental overdose? While some of the questions were answered, I finished the book with even more questions. I doubt this was the authors' intention.

"It's not really me who's late...It's the others who are in such a hurry." ~ 34%

The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is an extra long biographical article. A compilation of information I could have easily read and researched online. I recommend to readers interested in learning surface level information about the iconic Marilyn Monroe with no expectations of a deep dive. 

Happy Pub Day, James Patterson and Imogen Edwards-Jones! The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe
Author: James Patterson and Imogen Edwards-Jones
Published: December 2025
Pages: 416
Edition: Galley
Genre: True Crime Thriller
Rating: 🖤 🖤 

Series Sunday: Eleanor & Grey

(Chances #1) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Eleanor & Grey, the first book in the Chances series by Brittainy C. Cherry. I am not a romance girlie but the cover caught my attention. The colors, gold foil and simple title was a good first impression. So here I am. This new edition of Eleanor & Grey includes a never-before-published bonus chapter and designed edges. Judge this book by its cover!

"I think people underestimate how important just showing up is." ~ 18%

Greyson was Eleanor's first crush and closest friend until tragedy struck and tore them apart. Fast forward years later, Eleanor accepts a nanny job only to discover that Greyson is her new boss. But he's not the same teenage boy she once knew. He is a man filled with grief, little patience and a cold heart. As Eleanor spends more time with Greyson and his two daughters, she chips away at the wall he's built.

"It was just three words. Three words changed my mood. Three words that cracked my heart. Three words that I never wanted to hear." ~ 3%

A good second chance romance includes conflict and healing. The pain Greyson tries so hard to bury is forced to the surface while Eleanor is considering walking away from the situation to protect her own heart. The story is so beautifully told in a hopeful way. It gave me all the feels, the heart flips and skips. This one is for the romantics!

Happy Early Pub Day, Brittainy C. Cherry! Eleanor & Grey will be available Tuesday, January 20.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Eleanor & Grey

Author: Brittainy C. Cherry

Published: January 2026

Pages: 400

Edition: Galley

Genre: Romance

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: Return of the Spider

(Alex Cross #34) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Return of the Spider, the 34th book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson.

What a treat to take Alex Cross back to the original days of him catching a spider. In this 34th installment of the Detective Alex Cross series, we are taken back in time. Cross was a rookie. Sampson was learning the job. And the infamous Gary Soneji entered the scene. Return of the Spider is the companion to Along Came the Spider, the debut novel that introduced our beloved Detective Cross.

"What was the psychology behind that?" ~ pg. 279

Eighteen years later, police discover that Gary Soneji kept a murder book, detailing his evil transformation from substitute teacher to serial killer. Included are clues that imply missteps Cross may have taken in his earlier rookie days of a homicide detective. The story moves to eighteen years ago, with Soneji live and in the flesh committing murders while Sampson and Cross are trying to solve the murders as they hurriedly come in.

The real treat are the alternating chapters featuring Alex's first wife, Maria, and their early home life. Reading about her secret spaghetti sauce, her pregnant with an active baby sure to be an athlete and their young love. I always wanted to read more about Maria and Patterson delivers it here! What a great addition to the series filled with suspense, mystery, action and heartfelt scenes. And the ending is like the series has just begun...

Happy Early Pub Day, James Patterson! Return of the Spider will be available tomorrow, November 17.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Return of the Spider
Author: James Patterson
Published: November 2025
Pages: 329
Edition: Galley
Genre: Mystery

Challenge: Keeping Up with Patterson
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: Nash Falls

(Walter Nash #1) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Nash Falls, the first book in the new Walter Nash series by David Baldacci. Walter Nash is an intelligent businessman with a model family. He has a wife, daughter and high-level position at Sybaritic Investments. He lives a normal routine life until it's turned upside down after his estranged father's funeral. 

Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI to be an inside man. They want to bring down a criminal enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through his employer, Sybaritic. Nash has no choice but to cooperate, becoming the exact opposite of who he's always been. A man not even he recognizes in the mirror.

"In life everything is subject to change, sir, is it not?" ~ 7%

I am used to Baldacci hooking me from the first couple chapters. He creates main characters that are uniquely different, full of inner conflict and slowly developed. So I expected the slow burn in Nash Falls. I wanted to take my time getting to know Walter Nash but soon realized I didn't care about him or the secondary characters like his cheating wife, big Black godfather figure and scamming entitled boss. I found myself rolling my eyes way too many times. 

I know Baldacci writes better than this. I know he is capable of developing a brand new series that is hard to put down. I know he doesn't usually stereotype characters or drone on and on with mundane details that have no bearing on the mystery or character development. I know he usually doesn't write something so ridiculously unbelievable that it's hard not to laugh out loud while reading. And when I wasn't rolling my eyes or laughing, I was dozing from the super slow pace.

"She fell asleep before her head hit the pillow." ~ 12%

So what did I just read?! Because Nash Falls is not the norm. What a disappointing first book of a new series! I will not be continuing the Walter Nash series but keeping an eye out for other standalone Baldacci books while catching up on his Amos Decker series instead. However, for those still interested, the second book is due in April 2026 so you have time to read Nash Falls and judge for yourself before Hope Rises releases.

Happy Early Pub Day, David Baldacci! Nash Falls will be available Tuesday, November 11.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Nash Falls
Author: David Baldacci
Published: November 2025
Pages: 416
Edition: Galley
Genre: Crime Thriller
Rating: 🖤 🖤