It's 1929 and a dazzling luxury hotel is about to open in Toronto, Canada. Living in the city's slums, 17-year-old Roisin "Rosie" Ryan is convinced that The Dominion represents her chance to change her fate. Instead of struggling through an impoverished childhood just to marry another penniless soul and continue grappling for a better life, she's determined to make one happen for herself. When she lands a job as a chambermaid to the hotel's special clients, then meets a dashing waiter who sweeps her off her feet, Rosie thinks she just about has it made. The trouble begins when she attracts the attention of a notorious mobster who's about to make a fortune from The Crash that will bankrupt people the world over. When Rosie realizes just how far Marco Carboni's reach goes, she knows she will have to risk everything to get herself and the people she loves out of his grasp. That's not as easy as it seems, and more than one person will lose their life in the ensuing melee...

Almost 100 years later, building inspector Bridget Kelly has been hired to make sure renovations being made to the The Dominion are up to snuff. As a lover of history and antiques, she's thrilled by the assignment. Meeting Matthew Buchanan, an adorably awkward archivist who shares many of her interests, is the icing on the cake. When she notices odd irregularities at the site, however, Bridget begins to suspect something is not quite right at the grand old hotel. As she digs deeper, she uncovers secrets—some of them a century old—that someone will kill to keep hidden. Can she and Matthew figure out what's really happening at The Dominion now and what truly occurred 100 years ago before it's too late? Or will they, too, become victims to nefarious goings-on at the historic hotel?

I always enjoy an absorbing dual-timeline novel, and The Chambermaid's Key by Genevieve Graham is certainly that. I've never been to Toronto, but the city came alive for me as I read, with lots of vivid details and interesting tidbits. (The history of The Tombs slum is particularly fascinating.) It was especially intriguing to compare/contrast the city over the course of 100 years. 

The characters in this novel are likable and root-worthy. Rosie is hard-working, loyal, brave, and compassionate. I wanted good things for her, even though it was obvious from the get-go that she was heading down a dangerous path. Bridget is less compelling, but I still liked her. It was sweet to watch her relationship with gawky Matthew grow over the course of the novel. With dual-timeline setups, I usually find myself caring much more about the past story than the present one, but this time, I felt invested in both storylines.

As far as plot goes, The Chambermaid's Key is fairly predictable. Still, I enjoyed its appealing blend of history, mystery, drama, suspense, and romance. The story gets far-fetched in places, sure, but that's okay. Overall, I found the book to be an engrossing, satisfying read. Bonus: it's clean, free from any graphic content. All of these elements combined to make this novel a very enjoyable one for me as well as one that I can confidently recommend to anyone.

(Readalikes: Reminds me a little bit of the Molly the Maid mystery series by Nita Prose)

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Chambermaid's Key from the generous folks at Simon & Schuster via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I'm back from my cruise through the Yucatan. My husband and I had fun exploring new places, soaking in beautiful scenery, and learning about the history of the region we visited. We balanced out our excursions with a lot of relaxation time. Although the weather was mostly very hot and very humid, I did make good use of my balcony. It was lovely to read outside, especially after the sun went down and I could enjoy the warm breezes ruffling my hair while I Kindled my way through several books. 

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

These are the ten books I put on my potential reads list. I highlighted the ones I read (titles link to my Goodreads review):

1. Last One Out by Jane Harper - I ended up finishing this mystery/thriller the night before I left, so I'm not counting it as one of my six vacation reads. As much as I usually love Harper's work, Last One Out turned out to be a bit of a slog for me. It's just...slow. I liked it overall, but I came close to DNFing it several times because I got bored with it. Disappointing.

2. The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn

3. My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney - This needs to be my next read since it's already two weeks overdue at my library and I can't renew it because someone else is waiting for it. Oops!

4. A Map to Murder by Michelle Chouinard - This third installment in the A Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco series was one of my at-sea day reads. It's another fun murder mystery in an always-entertaining series. I enjoyed it.

5. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

6. The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson

7. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

8. The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane

9. Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn - If you like interesting narrative non-fiction, you should definitely pick up this book. It tells the fascinating story of how the author discovered that her grandparents were Nazi spies in Hawaii. 

10. The Season of Sinking by Daphne Woolsoncroft

In addition to the two highlighted titles, I also read:

1. Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli - This was my first read of the vacay. It's got a unique premise: a woman who does the books at a small-town newspaper learns her company will be starting a true crime podcast, the first season of which will highlight a notorious unsolved case involving a murdered family and a missing pre-teen. Unbeknownst to her colleagues, the bookkeeper is the missing child. With the murderer still out there, it's imperative that no one discovers her real identity, not even her husband. Can she sabotage the podcast enough to protect herself, even if it means losing her job, her friends, and everything else she's worked so hard to gain? Or will all that be lost anyway when her true identity is exposed? 

Despite this unique and promising premise, Missing Molly was only an okay read for me. The plot is far-fetched, the characters are pretty blah, and the prose is rather humdrum. It kept me turning pages, though.

2. How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz (available July 20, 2026) - Although this murder mystery is largely about a woman grieving the sudden death of her mother, with whom she had a complicated relationship, it's actually a pretty upbeat, hopeful story. It's also funny, quirky, and satisfying. I really enjoyed it.

3. What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally - On the last day of my cruise, as we were gliding away from Mexico and back to Florida, I decided it would be fun to read a YA survival story about a group of teens who go sailing on a stormy day in Puerto Vallarta and end up in a fight for their lives. This novel tells a pretty generic story with a cast of heavily stereotyped characters, but it kept me turning pages.

4. Devils at the Door by Tessa Wegert - I read this murder mystery, the fifth book in the Shana Merchant series, during a very long wait at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Although it gets into some weird subject matter, the novel is engrossing and compelling, just like all the other installments in the series.

5. The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien - This is the "ish" part of six(ish) since I haven't actually finished this cozy mystery yet. I read half of it on the plane ride from Raleigh, North Carolina, back to Phoenix. It's the 11th book in the Noodle Shop mystery series. It's about a secret society of Chinese Americans in Cleveland, the members of which are suddenly perishing in ways that seem suspicious. A man who fears he is next hires P.I. Lydia Shepard to investigate, and she enlists the help of Lana Lee, restaurant manager and amateur sleuth.

There you go, the six(ish) books I read on my vacation. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What do you like to read while on holiday? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Favorite Secondary and Minor Characters—is a great one, but I've done it recently-ish (actually, it was FIVE years ago!) and I don't know that I really have anyone to add to that list. Since I'm heading out on Saturday for my week-long cruise around the Yucatan, I'm going to use that as my inspo for today's list. While I doubt I'll be able to read ten books on my vacation, I will have two long flights (Phoenix to Fort Lauderdale and back), plus six days on the ship (with a balcony!) to enjoy some reading. I've been thinking about which titles on my Kindle and on my physical bookshelves might make for enjoyable vacation reading. (I don't know about you, but I always travel with my e-reader and at least one paper book, just in case.) I'll list some possibilities below and you can help me decide which ones to pack.

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Last One Out by Jane Harper—After a month on the library's waiting list, I've finally got my hands on this newest novel from one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors. Set in Carralon Ridge, a rural Australian village that is dying a slow, painful death, the story revolves around a grieving mother whose son vanished from Carralon Ridge five years ago. When Ro returns to the town on the anniversary of his disappearance, she begins to suspect that there is a lot more to his disappearance than she ever suspected.

2. The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn—This historical fantasy revolves around a mysterious carousel that is linked to a number of missing persons on two different continents. 

3. My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney—Feeney's newest has a unique premise. After moving into Spyglass, an old home with a charming aesthetic, artist Eden Fox goes out for a run. When she returns, she is shocked when her key doesn't open the front door, another woman—one who looks oddly like Eden—answers her knock, and Eden's husband claims not to know Eden. Something very strange is going on, but what? What will Eden have to do to get her life back? 

4. A Map to Murder by Michelle Chouinard (available September 22, 2026)—The third installment in a fun murder mystery series starring a true crime tour guide in San Francisco, this outing has Capri Sanzio investigating a cold case involving a woman who went missing during the Summer of Love. 

5. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown—I'm re-reading the Robert Langdon series in anticipation of enjoying the latest installment, The Secret of Secrets. In The Da Vinci Code, Robert is called to the Louvre, where its aged curator has been murdered. A cipher left beside his corpse leads to a trail of clues hidden in Da Vinci's works that Robert must follow in order to find a killer.

6. The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson (available October 6, 2026)—I always love a bookish read and this one sounds intriguing. It stars a librarian who works at a centuries-old library that is about to be shut down. Desperate to save the beloved institution, she discovers a magical door that leads to a room full of books only she can see, volumes that contain memories of all those who have visited the library over the years. Somewhere in the collection lies the key to saving the library, if only she can find it in time...

7. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen—I've been meaning to start this highly-recommended series for years. I have this first installment out from the library right now, and I need to read it before it comes due. The book introduces Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, aka "Georgie." A penniless cousin of England's King George V, she's trying to navigate life as an ordinary citizen. She's managing...sort of...when she's asked to become a spy for the queen. When she then finds a dead body in her bathtub, things start to get very interesting indeed.

8. The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane—This is the first installment in a new cozy mystery series starring Maggie and Ryan, both of whom work in an English fish and chip shop. When a dead body is found in the village's harbor, Ryan is identified as the last person with whom the victim interacted. Soon he's the prime suspect in the murder. Not believing he could have done it, Maggie determines to find the real killer and clear her co-worker's name.

9. Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn—Another book I've been meaning to read, this non-fiction title tells the story of the author's grandparents. Sent to Hawaii by Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels, they set up a secret spy network in order to pass war-changing secrets to the Japanese. Shocked and fascinated by her family's unknown history, Kuehn grapples with the enormity of what she has discovered. 

10. The Season of Sinking by Daphne Woolsoncroft (available July 7, 2026)—It might be a little disconcerting to read a book with this title while cruising, but the story sounds promising, if a bit generic. When her mother dies suddenly, Imogen Bly returns to her quaint hometown to help her twin sister clean out their mom's house. Almost immediately, strange things begin to happen, reminding Imogen of the unease she's always felt in Lake Blair. Suspecting there is more to her mother's death than meets the eye, she begins to look at everyone with suspicion, even the man she once loved.

There you go, ten books I might read while on vacation. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What books are you planning to take on your next trip? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

I'm late to the party this week. Yesterday was a DAY, and I just wasn't up to crafting a TTT list. I was up all night with an upset stomach, so I finally just got out of bed in spite of the early hour. It's quiet and peaceful in my house, so it's the perfect time to make my belated list. This week's prompt is May Flowers, a follow-up to the April Showers one from a few weeks ago. Even though we haven't had much rain at all this year in the Phoenix area, we do have flowers blooming. The lantana in our backyard has been growing like crazy. I'm not sure how long it will last considering the crazy hot temps we've had this week. Our high yesterday was 105! Anyway, as much as I like flowers, I'm going to go rogue this week. Since I will be cruising the Yucatan on May 26, I'm going to jump ahead and do the theme for that week: My Favorite Books By My Favorite Authors (submitted by Cathy @What Cathy Read Next). Sounds like fun!

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The following authors aren't my ten absolute favorites. However, they are all writers I love and read often. More importantly, I can identify the one book of theirs that I love most. I can't necessarily do that with all of my favorite authors, you know? Or am I just weird? (I might just be weird. That's okay!) Here we go in alphabetical order:

1. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong—I yap about Armstrong a lot because I enjoy her crime fiction so much. Her urban fantasy novels don't interest me at all, and I haven't loved her horror novels either. As much as I enjoy her Rockton/Haven's Rock series, the Rip Through Time series is my favorite. The books are less graphic than the Rockton/Haven's Rock ones and funnier. All of the installments are worth reading, the but the first one is the one I like best so far.

In A Rip Through Time, a modern-day homicide detective travels to Edinburgh, Scotland, to visit her dying grandmother. While taking a mind-clearing jog, she is assaulted in the same spot where a chambermaid was attacked exactly 150 years earlier. When Detective Atkinson wakes up, she's in Victorian Scotland inhabiting the body of the maid, who works for a physician who moonlights as a coroner. As a confused Mallory tries to figure out what is happening and how to get home, she realizes that her professional skills can be of great use to her boss, who helps the police catch killers. How can she help him without revealing that she's not actually an uneducated maid? And how in the world is she going to get home?

2. Bluebird by Sharon Cameron—This YA author pens historical novels centered around World War II as well as sci-fi/fantasy books. Bluebird is the former. It's about a young German woman who travels to the U.S. after the war in order to unmask the Nazi who spearheaded a series of psychological experiments performed on concentration camp prisoners. Absorbing and memorable, Bluebird is a stunner of a novel.

3. Exiles by Jane Harper—I've enjoyed every book I've read by Harper, but those starring federal investigator Aaron Falk are my favorite. Of those, I like Exiles best. It tells a quieter, more intimate story than the other installments in the series do, but it's still a compelling mystery/thriller in its own right. The mystery revolves around a young mother who goes missing at a town festival, leaving her infant behind.

4. The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth—Another Australian author, Hepworth writes domestic fiction with lots of warmth and wit. This novel, my favorite of hers, is my book club's selection for May, so I'll be happily rereading it before next Tuesday. As is indicated by the title, the story concerns sisters, twins Fern and Rose. Fern lives a carefully structured life, sticking religiously to her routines in order to keep her fragile psyche intact. Rose is one of her few friends, someone for whom she is profoundly grateful, so when Rose learns she can't have children, Fern offers to carry a baby for her. She just needs to find a father. That search begins a journey that will profoundly affect both sisters as old secrets surface and new tensions emerge between them. 

5. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee—Lee writes YA novels, most of which are historical fiction, featuring characters of Chinese descent. This one tells the story of 17-year-old Jo Kuan, a Chinese American who works as a maid for a wealthy, powerful family in Atlanta. Secretly, she also writes an advice column, doling out wisdom for genteel Southern ladies. As Jo's writing gains in popularity, she decides to use it to protest against the injustices she sees every day in her community. She's not prepared for the backlash those articles receive or the danger it will put her in if anyone discovers her secret identity. In the meantime, she's also grappling to understand her own mysterious past.

6. The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner—I've read almost all of Meissner's books and this one, about the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, is the one that has lingered most in my mind. It stars Sophie Walen, an Irish woman who is so desperate to escape poverty in her homeland that she travels across the sea to become the mail-order bride of an American man she's never met before. She's confused by her silent stranger of a husband, although she quickly becomes enamored of his young, mute daughter. Although she doesn't know it yet, Sophie's life is about to be rocked to its core, not just by a deadly earthquake that will literally shake up her world but also by the unknown woman who will appear at her door, revealing shocking secrets that will change the course of both of their lives. 

7. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton—Morton's rich family sagas always sweep me away. Although I haven't loved her more recent books nearly as much as I do her older ones, I still consider her one of my favorite authors. Published in 2012, The Secret Keeper is about a woman who secretly witnesses a disturbing crime when she is 16 years old, an event that puts into question everything she knows about her mother. Fifty years later, Laurel is back home to celebrate her mom's 90th birthday. Realizing that time is running out to discover the truth about her mother, she determines to uncover all of the woman's many secrets.

8. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny—Although I've only read 13 of the 20 books in the Armand Gamache series (the 21st comes out in October), it's one of my very favorite crime series. How the Light Gets In, #9, is set at Christmastime. Our hero, Inspector Armand Gamache, is at a low point in both his professional and personal life. When a friend in Three Pines invites him to come back to the quaint village to investigate a disappearance, he leaps at the chance to return to the place that always feels like home. Turns out, the missing woman is a celebrity who was once famous all over the world. What has happened to her? Because I hate to see my beloved Gamache suffer, How the Light Gets In was a bit of a painful read for me, but it's also a tender and heartening one.

9. The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan—Ryan's latest two novels (one of which comes out next month) are set in the 1950s, but the rest of her books are all set during World War II. The Spies of Shilling Lane is my favorite of hers because although it has its poignant moments, it's mostly a fun, lively, madcap adventure. It stars the indomitable Mrs. Braithwaite, a hilarious queen bee who's knocked off her throne by her scandalous divorce. Indignant, she hies off to London to lick her wounds with her daughter, Betty, who has been in the city helping with war work. When Betty's timid landlord informs her mother that Betty is missing, Mrs. Braithwaite strong arms the reluctant landord into helping her locate her daughter. Turns out, her child has a much more complicated complicated life than Mrs. Braithwaite ever could have imagined, a life that will put all of them in grave danger.

10. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager—Final Girls is the only one of Sager's novels that I haven't read. I've enjoyed all of them, some more than others naturally, but Middle of the Night is my favorite. It's different from his other books, more gentle and moving. Never fear, though, it's just as riveting as his other thrillers. The story revolves around Ethan Marsh, a man who returns to the picture-perfect neighborhood he lived in as a child. It was there that, many years ago, his 10-year-old best friend disappeared during an overnight campout in Ethan's backyard. Already suffering from insomnia and disturbing nightmares, Ethan is plagued by strange things happening in the middle of the night. Signs of his missing friend keep appearing. Is someone playing a terrible joke on Ethan? Or has his long missing pal returned? What really happened the night of the campout? Ethan is determined to find out.

11. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James—I love St. James' eerie thrillers. This one is set in a rundown motel in a dying town where strange things are known to happen. Viv Delaney reluctantly takes a job at the dumpy place with the goal of saving enough money to escape to New York City. It doesn't take long for her to realize that something is very wrong at her place of employment. There's a reason for the bad juju that emanates from the Sun Down Motel and she's going to uncover all its many secrets.

There you go, eleven of my favorite books by eleven of my favorite authors. Have you read any of them? Which are your favorite books by your favorite authors? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.