The Tides of Time by Sarah M. Eden

 The Tides of Time by Sarah M.Eden. Shadow Mountain, 2025. 

Adult fiction. A Storm Tide Romance part of series. 

  When the French Revolution is at its worst, Lili Minet must leave her home and take a ship to England. Unfortunately, the ship is wrecked near shore. Fortunately, Lili is rescued by Armitage Pierce, who with his grandfather, keeps a lighthouse in 1873! Somehow Lili has travelled through time eighty years into the future! Of course, since this is billed as a romance, the two young people fall in love. But life is complicated. When Lili's wicked brother, who is part of the Tribunal in Paris, arrives in the present and challenges their simple life, they must decide whether time travel works backward and if they can change the past by going back to rescue others. 

Fans of the Outlander series will enjoy another time travel story. Fans of the French Revolution times will appreciate the details about life then. Fans of lighthouses will like the details about life in a lighthouse. And, of course, who doesn't like a little romance? This book really may have something for everyone! 

I Wish I Didn't Hae to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin

 

I Wish I Didn't Hae to Tell You This by  Eugene Yelchin. Candlewick Press, 2025.Graphic Novel. Memoir. Young Adult.

In his THE GENIUS UNDER THE TABLE, Eugene Yelchin describes his childhood passion for art and his life in the Soviet Union. In this graphic novel, he continues his life story as he becomes a young adult in the oppressing regime. He meets a young American woman and works through his feelings for her. He still lives with his mother and grandmother and does not want to  become a Russian soldier! He dreams of being an artist and living as an adult, perhaps as a theater designer and artist. Unfortunately, he comes under scrutiny of the government and sent to Siberia and even placed in a mental asylum. His finally escape into freedom is bittersweet.

The illustrations add a great deal to the words. The book moves along with humor and wit.(Grandmother's words and expressions are a highlight!) Readers who are not familiar with the Russian state may be surprised at the hard life of citizens. The scenes in Siberia are both challenging and sad. The book is perfect for adults who think graphic novels are just for children!

The Crime Brulee Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly

 

 The Crime Brulee Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2025. A Claire Walker Mystery. Adult fiction. Mystery.

Baker Claire Walker accepts an opportunity to be on Britain's Battle of the Bakers which means several weeks at a beautiful castle. The local viscount has reluctantly agreed to the show taking over, but when one of the bakers is killed and it resembles a long ago murder in his family, he must get involved to help solve the crime. It doesn't hurt that Claire also attracts his attention and the two become partners to help the police...and maybe more.

A cute cozy mystery, the first in a series, this novel has touches of humor as well as mystery. Claire's use of food and baking terms instead of "bad" language is contagious! 

The Miniaturist's Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford

 

The Miniaturist's Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford. Regal House Publishing, 2025. Adult fiction. Historical fiction.

 When art conservator Gamble Vance sees a young woman in 2004 Charleston, she realizes the young woman looks like a miniature portrait Gamble has worked to restore. With a recent miscarriage and divorce, Gamble feels fragile and uncertain and leans on her handsome friend and art professor Tolliver Jackson for support. But, nothing is as it seems when Gamble's work and life collide in 1804 style. For witty, sexy, smart Gamble is a time traveler. 

The descriptions of Charleston make the old city come alive. The problems of slavery and the interracial love story at the novel's center provide a historic context to Gamble's life. A lovely fairy tale of a book that readers will not want to end, fans of the Outlander series will enjoy this very different look into the past and present.

Death on the Island: A Novel by Eliza Reid

 

 

Death on the Island: A Novel by Eliza Reid. Poisoned Pen Press, 2025. Mystery. Adult fiction.

When several important people are invited to a small island off the coast of Iceland, things do not go as expected. Murder happens. The weather turns bad and no one can leave the island. From the mayor who has recently lost his spouse to the young artist whose exhibit at a local museum can make or break her to the ambassador and his wife, the chef who cooks for them all, a handsome journalist with local ties, and the man responsible for local business dealings and his wife, everyone is suspect at dasterdly dealings. 

  Advertised as "Agatha Christie meets Nordic noir, this novel gains momentum as it progresses. The author is the former First Lady of Iceland from 2016 - 2024 so details ring true. This is apparently the first in a series and has been optioned for television. It is perfect for travelers to Iceland who want a book for their bags! 

Blonde Dust by Tatiana De Rosnay

 

 Blonde Dust by Tatiana De Rosnay. Adult fiction. Historical fiction. Grand Central, 2025. (June, 2025 publication).

When Pauline Bazelet comes to America as a child, her French mother has married a soldier from Reno, Nevada. Although Pauline falls in love with the open spaces and wild mustangs, her mother never really feels at home. Pauline, as a teen, takes a job as a cleaner in the gorgeous,  tall Mapes Hotel in town. The people there get to know each  other and share their excitement as a film crew goes to work filming The Misfits. Pauline's life is changed by the son of the owner who takes advantage of the young woman. All is not lost, however, as close friends and none other than Marilyn Monroe herself help Pauline find a new life. Bookends of modern times center the book's story and provide context for the main narrative.

The author seems to have done her research well as the descriptions of the land and people of the 1960's in Reno ring true. Those who are interested in film history may enjoy the real and imagined as they twist and turn in this fascinating novel. 

The Ghostwriter A Novel by Julie Clark

 

 The Ghostwriter: A Novel by Julie Clark. Sourcebooks/Landmark, 2025. Adult fiction. Mystery.

Olivia Dumont has spent the better part of her life trying to understand her family. Her father, horror writer Vincent Taylor, is declining in health and hires Julie to ghost write his real story.  As a teen, Vincent lost both his siblings, Poppy and Danny, to murder. Although Vincent had an alibi, he has long been suspected as the one who killed them. Now, Olivia returns to her hometown, to the house where the murders took place, and to demons people only imagine.  Can she find the truth? Can she live with the truth?

Unique stories seem to be Clark's forte. If you have not read The Last Flight, try it, too! Two women, meeting at an airport, change places. Their flight goes down. Only one survives. Everything changes...