Books are food for my soul! Pull up a beach chair and stick your toes in the sand as the Jersey surf rolls in and out, now open your book and let your imagination take you away.

Monday, June 15, 2026

Book Spotlight: Staged by Caitlin Rother

 








 


Staged by Caitlin Rother
Book 2: Katrina & Goode Series
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: June 16, 2026
Format: Paperback - 412 pages
               Kindle - 407 pages 
               Audiobook - 14 Hours 19 Minutes
               Barnes & Noble (PB) - 412 pages
ISBN (Paperback): 978-1662532368
ASIN (Kindle): B0FN4KLN9M
ASIN (Audiobook): B0FXN5TPVV
Genre: Thriller


Buy The Series: Katrina & Goode
Book 1: Hooked (Publication Date: 2/1/2026)
Book 2: Staged (Publication Date: 6/16/2026)

Buy The Book: Staged


Book Description:

In this thrilling sequel to Hooked, the secret leaders of a deadly cabal prove to be a veritable match for the determined reporter and the insightful surfing detective who double down to expose them.

Investigative reporter Katrina Chopin is back home in San Diego on a mission (or two). The first is reheating the cold case of her parents’ murder and investigating her brother’s reported suicide. The second involves a new spate of deaths with alleged causes that just don’t smell right. She and Detective Ken Goode need each other’s help for both. But she has to keep the sexy surfer at arm’s length, because dating him is off limits. For now.

Teaming up, they make coordinated progress down each path. Digging deeper into La Jolla’s corrupt network of elites, they uncover a pattern of lies, depravity, and greed. And with every new discovery, Katrina is pulled closer to danger…and to Goode.

Sharing sexy phone calls and sunset drinks isn’t exactly following the rules, but fully crossing that line could jeopardize the case. As they start to connect the dots, they realize they must risk everything to bring down the shadowy cabal that kills to keep its secrets.




About The Author



New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 14 books, ranging from narrative non-fiction crime to mystery and memoir. Her newest book is DEATH ON OCEAN BOULEVARD: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case (April 27, 2021). Her backlist includes HUNTING CHARLES MANSON; SECRETS, LIES, AND SHOELACES; LOVE GONE WRONG; DEAD RECKONING; THEN NO ONE CAN HAVE HER; I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU; NAKED ADDICTION; POISONED LOVE; BODY PARTS; TWISTED TRIANGLE; LOST GIRLS; WHERE HOPE BEGINS and MY LIFE, DELETED

A Pulitzer Prize nominee, Rother worked as an investigative reporter at daily newspapers for 19 years before quitting the news biz in 2006 to write books full-time. Her journalism has been published in Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and The Daily Beast. She has done more than 200 appearances as a crime commentator on TV, radio and podcasts, ranging from "20/20," "People Magazine Investigates," "Nancy Grace," and "Crime Watch Daily," to shows on HLN, Oxygen Network, Investigation Discovery, C-SPAN, XM Radio and PBS affiliates. She also works as a writing-research-promotions coach and consultant.



















Monday Musings: 6/15/2026

 

 



Welcome to Monday Musings!

Monday Musings is the day for sharing interesting postings, articles, my thoughts, and everything book related. Come along for the journey and share your comments!








Books are my go-to therapy for when life is crazy ... but then again, books are my passion, so I'll take late-night reading every time! 📖


Happy Monday! May your week be filled with amazing books to read! #JustRead ✌📖
















Sunday, June 14, 2026

Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan (Book Review)

 















Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan
Publisher: Putnam Books
Publication Date: May 26, 2026
Format: Hardcover - 400 pages
               Paperback - 400 pages
               Audiobook - 9 Hours 10 Minutes
               Kindle - 395 pages
               Nook - 400 pages
ISBN (Hardcover): 979-8217185054
ISBN (Paperback): 978-0593853979
ASIN (Audiobook): B0FPGMSSQK
ASIN (Kindle): B0FNVHX96C
BNID (Nook): 978-0593853986
Genre: Romance / Romantic Comedy



Buy The Book:


Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I also purchased a hardcover copy from my monthly Book Of The Month (BOTM) subscription. 


Book Description:

If they start by pretending, can they end with something real?

Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now?



My Book Review:


In Dolly All The Time, author Annabel Monaghan weaves a lighthearted romantic tale of finding unexpected love.

Set in Whitfield, Rhode Island, the reader is easily drawn into this entertaining rom com as they follow a business arrangement between Dolly Brick and Stewart Whitfield, as they fake date to improve his professional and personal image in exchange for money to pay for a new roof on Dolly's dad's house. In this Pretty Woman type of deal, will their business arrangement lead to unexpected love?

Single mom Dolly Brick and her thirteen-year-old son Gus come home to Whitfield for the summer to help her dad Freddie and disabled younger brother Christopher after an electrical fire leaves minor damage and a need to replace the roof, or they will face the house being condemned by the fire chief. 

Stewart Whitfield is all business all the time. When his engagement ends on Page Six of the New York Post, he needs to find a way to improve his business and personal image especially since he is battling his cousin Grant over becoming the CEO of Whitfield Industries when his dad retires in a few months, and he needs to prove he is the better choice to the board of directors. 

A chance meeting on the road outside the Whitfield estate leads Stewart to ask Dolly if she would consider a business arrangement, one that would help him improve his image and also provide her with $60,000 to replace the roof. It's a no brainer for Dolly, but their business arrangement would be anything but easy, especially when Stewart doesn't know how to relax and have fun, let alone know how to show intimacy even in a fake relationship, she's got her hands full! Can Dolly and Stewart pull off their fake arrangement within a few months of his getting the CEO position in the family business, or will they discover that there is also something more than just business between them? 
 
Dolly All The Time is such a fun and flirty romantic comedy that easily keeps the reader engaged as they follow Dolly and Stewart's story. The reader follows along as their unexpected partnering helps them rediscover their personal selves as well as an unexpected chance at finding love and happiness in their lives. 

There was a great mixture of emotion, drama, angst, banter, humor and crazy antics mixed in this story. The author does a great job of describing Dolly and Stewart's lives, and how their undeniable chemistry has sparks flying, even when they still need to figure out that their fake relationship was something much more real.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that if you loved the movie Pretty Woman, then you'll love this story, because it definitely has the same type of business relationship to real love theme.

Dolly All The Time is a wonderful story that has enough emotional depth, drama, romance, comedy, and witty banter, that makes it a delightfully entertaining romantic comedy tale that romance fans will certainly enjoy!


Rating: 5 STARS 




About The Author



Annabel Monaghan is the New York Times bestselling and Library Reads Hall of Fame author of It’s A Love Story, Summer Romance, Same Time Next Summer, and Nora Goes Off Script, as well as Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud essays. Her latest novel Dolly All The Time was recently published in May 2026. She lives in Florida and Connecticut with her family.






















Sunday Funday: 6/14/2026

 



Welcome to Sunday Funday


Every Sunday is a fun day to read and relax. I will be sharing the book that I am currently reading. So, join in on the Sunday Funday and post a comment about the book that you are currently reading! 


























My PangoBooks Online Bookstore


If you have some free downtime, check out my PangoBooks Online Bookstore! 🕮📚








My Book Nook She Shed