Heirs of Infamy: two teens from rival gangs join forces for a heist of a lifetime

Heirs of Infamy by Kyla Zhao is a story of friends to lovers among two rival crime families in postwar San Francisco. The East Phoenix deals in secrets and stealth while the West Dragon is fists and fear. However, with the rise of the Red Scare and anti-Chinese hostility, both crime families have a fragile truce that weakens with each passing day. Alexis Sung is the daughter of East Phoenix’s crime boss and all she wants to do is join the family business. When her first job goes wrong, her father refuses to allow her to join any other jobs. Her friend and classmate, Zachary Ren is a brilliant orphan who was raised by West Dragons. He is desperate to leave the crime life. When given a chance for a large payday for both families, Alexis defies her father’s orders and joins Zachary in a shaky alliance. As they plot and plan, old wounds are reopened and new sparks fly. 

With the gorgeous book cover and a title that caught my attention. I was intrigued by this story and I couldn’t wait to read it. The story started out great and grabbed my attention. I loved the history of the postwar atmosphere of San Francisco and Chinatown and the racial tensions of the day. I loved the relationships between Alexis and Zachary. However, the heist they were planning slowed the story down. The actual heist takes place off the page and I was disappointed. I wanted to see them succeed or fail but not be told what happened. The ending itself was disappointing and felt rushed, although I liked where Alexis and Zachary end up. Overall, I enjoyed this story. The author’s writing is beautiful and I enjoyed that she included the Chinese characters for the idioms the characters used. It added to the realism of the characters and I also appreciated that she followed it with the translation. I recommend Heirs of Infamy. 

Heirs of Infamy will be available in hardcover and eBook on October 13, 2026

Releasing 10: young love that blossoms into a deep bond but can it survive the tests of life

Releasing 10 is the sixth book in the Boys of Tommen series by Chloe Walsh. Lizzie Young has always been “too much.” Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a young age, she never really fit in anywhere. Not her family. Not her community. Not with her friends or in school. Like any child, she just wants to be accepted and loved, with very few on her side, she carries her secrets alone. That is until she meets a kind boy on the school bus and everything changes. Hugh Biggs is a young man beyond his years with a sharp mind and a firm code of ethics, he finds himself drawn to Lizzie with an intense sense of protection. Lizzie finally finds a group of friends and a tenuous sense of belonging. With a bond that grows through their teen years, Lizzie and Hugh’s chemistry grows with a potent love and a connection that goes soul deep. However, their love is shaken by forces and circumstances beyond their control. Can their love within stand the tests that most adults would buckle under? 

I love the Boys of Tommen series and while the series tackles serious topics like childhood abuse, sexual abuse, self-harm, mental illness and suicide, these characters are worth reading such hard topics. Hugh and Lizzie have been on the sidelines since the beginning with little tidbits as to their story, Releasing 10 dives deeper into their history and how they got to where they are when readers first meet them. My heart broke for Lizzie as she struggled with mental illness. My heart also broke for Hugh as he tried to be strong for Lizzie while longing to be a regular teen. I am looking forward to reading the continuation of their store. While the book is categorized as a young adult fiction by the publisher, the topics covered in this series are not suitable for readers under the age of 18. If these topics are too sensitive for you, I do not recommend reading Releasing 10 or the rest of the series. However, if you can handle these topics, I highly, highly recommend Releasing 10. 

Releasing 10 is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Saving 6: an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance with dark, gritty and heartbreak themes

Saving 6 is the third book in the Boys of Tommen series by Chloe Walsh. Joey Lynch is the second son in a broken family. He has spent his entire life trying to keep his unraveling family together after his older brother leaves them behind. He is the protector and pseudo parent to his younger siblings while teetering precariously on the cliff of addiction. The only light in his dark life is Aoife Molloy. The firecracker classmate and his boss’s daughter, she is always looking forward with a bubbly, strong and self-assured attitude. Ever since the first day of secondary school, she has been curious about the fiery, hothead boy that grows each day. They begin a complicated, tangled and very complex friendship as Aoife wants to get closer to Joey while he is desperate to keep her at arm’s length. What they don’t know is that their relationship is combust into a deeper relationship that will change their lives forever. 

Readers meet Joey and Aoife in Binding 13 and Keeping 13 and in Saving 6, we see the beginning of their relationship. I would describe their relationship as an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story. Aoife goes toe-to-toe with Joey as Aoife wants to get closer to this bad boy; however, is she ready for his reality? This story is heartbreaking, gritty and very real. I loved Aoife’s character as a strong woman who doesn’t run from Joey, even after she learns the dark secrets he tries to hide. Joey is desperate for a normal life, for a mother’s love. Overall, I loved this story. It took a while to read it as it is filled with very heavy topics that my mind needed time to process. I also loved seeing the other side of the story from books 1 and 2 without completely rehashing it. I highly, highly recommend Saving 6. Word of warning though, there is harsh language and violent moments and it may not be the story for some readers. 

Saving 6 is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Secret Year: a romance no one knew about and a grief he could not express

The Secret Year is a young adult romance by Jennifer R Hubbard. Colt Morrissey had a secret relationship with Julia for an entire year and no one had a clue. They seemingly had nothing in common. Julia comes from the country club world and Colt is from the other side of the tracks; but it didn’t seem to matter to them. Until one day when Julia dies in a car accident and Colt pays a price for their secret. He can’t mourn her in the way he wants to and is even tormented with his possible role in her accident. When Julia’s brother hands him a journal Julia wrote to “CM,” Colt relives their time together as he tries to move on as if he never knew her. Can her words help him move on? 

Advertised as a mixture of Romeo and Juliet and The Outsiders, I was looking forward to a drama filled story about two teens and a secret love. However, it was disappointing. The author does a lot of “telling” and not a lot of “showing.” It is horribly cliched with the rich girl and the poor guy, the homophobic family and the stereotypical high school characters. And Romeo and Juliet meets The Outsiders is misleading. Romeo and Juliet is not a romantic story and the boy and girl from opposite sides of town whose parents aren’t really forbidding their romance aren't the same. Also, The Outsiders is a beloved favorite of mine and this story just doesn’t not compare! Colt is weak and has no growth throughout the story. I do not recommend The Secret Year. 

The Secret Year is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Secrets of Wildflower Island: a great mystery that will keep you guessing!

Secrets of Wildflower Island by Michelle Files is the first book in the Wildflower Mystery series. The story opens with the Carmichael family, Tim, Roxanne and their 15-year-old twin daughters, Mary and Piper, as they sit down for a family meeting. They own the Wildflower Inn and Café on the island off the coast of California. Tim and Roxanne have employed girls who need a place to stay after leaving a bad home situation or after getting in trouble with the law. The locals affectionately call these girls, “The Wildflowers” and the current girls, Frankie and Anna, are working well with the family and the community. Suddenly everything goes wrong after an earthquake and tidal wave which wreaks havoc on the island and in the aftermath and clean up, the body of a teenage boy is found. Soon accusations are flying, and fingers are pointing at the less than reputable individuals in the community. Will the killer be found? Will the residents be able to restore their once peaceful and beautiful community?

Secrets of Wildflower Island is a fast-paced mystery will no clear clue as who the killer is and the reader will be kept guessing until the very end! It has an abrupt ending but since this book is the first in the series, I assume the aftermath of this case will continue in the next book along with a new mystery. The main characters are the teenage girls at the center of the case and each one has a secret to hide. I enjoyed each character and the tension and fights between the girls feel very realistic. I could easily imagine these girls in a real high school or community somewhere. I highly recommend Secrets of Wildflower Island and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Secrets of Wildflower Island

is available in paperback and eBook