#Review - A Touch of Treachery by Jennifer Estep #Romance #Suspense #Fantasy

Series: Section # 4
Format: E-galley, 477 pages
Release Date: August 26, 2025
Publisher: Jennifer Estep
Source: Author
Genre: Urban Fantasy

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep serves up a new, action-packed adventure in her Section 47 urban fantasy world. This series features secrets, lies, and superspies with amazing magical abilities, along with dangerous missions, double crosses, and a swoon-worthy romance. Perfect for fans of Alias, James Bond, Jason Bourne, Nikita, True Lies, and Netflix’s Bodyguard.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS . . .
My name is Charlotte Locke, and I’m on a mission to capture my nemesis. As an analyst for Section 47, a secret spy organization, I use my magical form of synesthesia to track down paramortal criminals, but one villain keeps eluding me—Henrika Hyde.

Henrika claims to have answers about my father’s death on a Section 47 mission years ago, and she has also created a horrific new weapon capable of killing even the strongest paramortals, which makes her my number one target. Helping me is Desmond Percy, a powerful galvanist who is my partner both inside and outside Section 47.

Desmond wants to take Henrika down just as badly as I do, but our mission quickly goes sideways, and soon we’re surrounded by enemies on all sides with no idea whom we can truly trust.

A TROUBLING FUTURE . . .
The name Desmond Percy is well known inside Section 47, since I’m one of the organization’s top cleaners, aka assassins. Charlotte Locke and I have been tracking Henrika Hyde for months, and when we finally get a lead on her location, we jump at the chance to take down the weapons maker once and for all.

I’m determined to help Charlotte get the answers she is so desperately seeking, as well as taking my revenge on Henrika for killing my best friend.

But the deeper Charlotte and I dig into Henrika and her murky motives, the more dangerous our mission becomes. Henrika is playing her own spy game, and Charlotte and I are just the pawns she is using to achieve her own evil ends—caught up in a deadly legacy of treachery.

A Touch of Treachery is the Third installment in author Jennifer Estep's Section 4 series. A Touch of Treachery picks up with Charlotte, an analyst for Section 47, who wields a magical form of synesthesia that allows her to sense danger and uncover lies, trying to find a way to finally beat her nemesis. Her primary target is Henrika Hyde, a cunning and elusive villain who claims to hold secrets about Charlotte’s father’s death on a Section 47 mission years ago. 

Henrika has also developed a devastating new weapon capable of killing even the most powerful paramortals, raising the stakes to a global level. Alongside Charlotte is Desmond Percy, one of Section 47’s top “cleaners” (assassins), whose personal vendetta against Henrika stems from her role in the death of his best friend. Together, they embark on a mission to capture Henrika, only to find themselves ensnared in a web of deception, double-crosses, and deadly enemies, especially when Desmond's father gets involved and makes things hard for Charlotte because of who her father was. 

The story unfolds through dual perspectives—Charlotte’s analytical, synesthesia-driven viewpoint and Desmond’s gritty, action-oriented lens—providing a dynamic contrast that enriches the storytelling. Their mission takes them from covert operations to high-octane confrontations, with each chapter unveiling new betrayals and alliances that keep readers guessing. Estep’s paramortals—individuals with abilities like synesthesia, galvanism, or enhanced strength—add a magical twist to the classic espionage formula. 

Comparisons to Alias, James Bond, and Nikita are apt, as the story captures the same blend of high-tech gadgetry, magical flair, and moral ambiguity. Charlotte is a compelling protagonist—intelligent, determined, and haunted by her past. Her synesthesia, which manifests as sensory cues tied to her emotions and perceptions, is not just a plot device but a window into her psyche. Demond, the brooding assassin, complements Charlotte perfectly. 

His galvanist abilities (manipulating electricity) make him a formidable operative, but it’s his loyalty to Charlotte and his struggle with past losses that humanize him. Henrika Hyde is a standout antagonist, her manipulative intelligence and murky motives making her a worthy foil. The author was encouraged to write another novel in this series, and I hope she will continue as there are still questions about the person named Nemesis, Henrika, and a group called the Syndicate.

Note: Two additional bonus chapters feature Gabriel Chase, a former cleaner and Charlotte's best friend, and Joan Samson. No spoilers, but both characters play roles in this story. Gabriel has become a regular because of his abilities.   

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#Review - Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer #Fantasy #Romance

Series: Braided Fate # 1
Format: Hardcover, 408 pages
Release Date: August 12, 2025
Publisher: Avon
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy / Romance

Fates collide and passions ignite in New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer’s steamy adult fantasy debut about three characters torn between chasing, betraying, and craving each other: a princess caught between duty and desire, the fearsome warrior king she’s promised to, and the assassin tasked with hunting them down.

WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his land is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that their royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his kingdom flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how this blaze began.

PRINCESS. With enemies advancing on Astranza, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous secret: her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she’s deceiving him?

ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Ky and Jory dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves.

Warrior Princess Assassin is the first installment in author Brigid Kemmerer's Braided Fate trilogy. This is the author's first attempt at adult romantic fantasy. The story revolves around 3 key characters: 

King Maddox Kyronan of Incendrian, Astranza Princess Majoriana, aka Jory, and Asher, a member of the Hunters Guild who has been Jory's best friend most of their lives. King Maddox Kyronan, a fire-wielding warrior king of Incendar, is desperate to save his drought-stricken kingdom from ruin. 

His solution lies in a marriage alliance with Princess Jory of Astranza, whose royal family is rumored to possess weather-manipulating magic that could restore his lands. However, Ky harbors a dangerous secret about the origins of his kingdom’s blaze, adding layers of tension to his mission. Jory, meanwhile, is trapped by her brother Prince Dane’s political machinations, forced into an engagement she doesn’t want while hiding the truth that her family’s magic is fading, threatening Astranza’s stability. Enter Asher, Jory’s childhood friend turned assassin, who now works for the Hunter’s Guild. 

When tasked with killing both Ky and Jory, Asher faces an impossible choice between his duty to the Guild and his lingering feelings for Jory—and, unexpectedly, a growing attraction to Ky. The story unfolds over a matter of days, with the trio navigating assassination attempts, treacherous travel, and their own conflicting emotions. As they flee danger together, their relationships evolve from distrust to tentative alliance. Ky is a standout—a warrior king whose fearsome reputation belies a compassionate, sharp-witted nature that makes him both commanding and relatable. 

Jory’s journey from a sheltered, naive princess to someone grappling with her kingdom’s secrets is compelling, though her initial naivety can occasionally frustrate. Asher, with his traumatic past (including time spent in a brothel after being exiled), brings emotional depth and moral ambiguity, making his choices the emotional core of the story. The plot, while light on action in the middle, is driven by secrets and mistrust, particularly around the mysterious Draegonis and the origins of Incendar’s fires. 

The political machinations, especially Prince Dane’s sinister control over Jory, provide a strong foundation for the trilogy’s larger conflicts. If you are into polyamorous dynamics in a love triangle, this story is for you. If not, perhaps it would be best served to pass on it, and read something else. That is what I have decided to do.  

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#Review - We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter #Thriller #Suspense

Series: North Falls # 1
Format: Hardcover, 448 pages
Release Date: August 12, 2025
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thriller / Suspense

The first thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Girls and the Will Trent Series.

Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think.

Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites.

For Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend's daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home.

But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did.

Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?

We Are All Guilty Here is the first installment in a brand new series by author Karin Slaughter called North Falls. Set in the claustrophobic small town of North Falls, Georgia, the novel unravels a chilling mystery that exposes the underbelly of a seemingly idyllic community, leaving readers both haunted and eager for more. The story opens 12 years ago on the Fourth of July in North Falls, a tight-knit town where everyone knows everyone—or so they believe. 

The festive atmosphere of the annual fireworks display is shattered when two teenage girls, Madison Dalrymple and Cheyenne Baker, vanish without a trace. For Officer Emmy Clifton, the disappearance is deeply personal: Madison is the daughter of her best friend, Hannah, and Emmy’s guilt over dismissing Madison’s distress earlier that day fuels her determination to find the girls. The narrative unfolds across two timelines—present-day and twelve years prior, when the initial investigation led to the conviction of a suspect, only for new evidence to overturn that conviction years later. 

When another girl, Paisley Walker, disappears in a chillingly similar manner, Emmy is forced to confront the possibility that she and her police-chief father, Gerald, got it wrong all those years ago. As Emmy digs deeper, aided by Jude Archer, a retired FBI agent with her own secrets, the investigation reveals a web of predation, betrayal, and institutional corruption that implicates some of North Falls’ most trusted figures. The novel’s structure builds suspense while exposing how trauma reverberates across generations, culminating in a devastating yet satisfying climax that ties the threads together without feeling contrived. 

Emmy, now a Deputy Chief, is a standout protagonist—flawed, fierce, and burdened by guilt that makes her both relatable and compelling. Her personal stakes—her strained marriage, her role as a mother to her deputy son, Cole, and her complicated family history—add layers to her relentless pursuit of justice. Especially after her own father is murdered right in front of her. Emmy’s internal conflict is realistic as she struggles to balance professional duty with personal regret. When Jude returns to the scene after 40 years, she brings a twisted history along with a stellar 27-year career with the FBI. 

The two characters don't get along that way at first, but things eventually are revealed about both that I won't spoil here. Cole, Emmy’s son, embodies the earnestness of youth while grappling with the weight of his family’s legacy. I do think that if you pay attention to the subtle clues that the author gives you along the way, the ending shouldn't be that much of a surprise for anyone. Overall, this was a story that proves that Karin Slaughter should be among the author's you must turn to for your next escape. 

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