Book Review: Wreck Your Heart by Lori Rader-Day

 

From the publisher: 

From award-winning author Lori Rader-Day, Wreck Your Heart is an engaging, “wisecracking and wonderful” crime novel with a big heart, about a country and midwestern singer out to catch her big break before family—or murder—wrecks everything.

Dahlia “Doll” Devine had the kind of hardscrabble beginning that could launch a thousand broken-hearted country songs, but now she’s the star of her own stage at McPhee’s Tavern. As part of Chicago’s—yes, Chicago’s—country music scene, Dahlia is an up-and-coming singer in spangles and boots of classic country tunes. Up and coming, that is, until her boyfriend Joey up and went, taking the rent money with him.

So Dahlia is back to square one, relying on Alex McPhee—again. Alex helped her out of a bad situation when she was a kid living rough with her mother. Now he’s part landlord, part band booster, all-around rescuer. It’s just that Dahlia wishes she didn’t keep giving him reasons to have to do it.

Just as Dahlia suspects she’s scraped rock bottom, the mother she hasn’t spoken to in twenty years shows up with something to say. The next morning, a distraught young woman arrives at the bar, asking after her missing mother—Dahlia's mother, too, even if the missing suburban PTA mom the girl describes sounds pretty different from the one who let Dahlia down all those years ago.

Though no one is using the word sister any time soon, Dahlia lets herself be drawn into reuniting the family that might have been hers. But when a body is discovered outside McPhee’s Tavern, the crime threatens not just the place Dahlia has made into a home, but everything she’s believed about her past, her dreams for the future, and the people she was just, maybe, beginning to let into her heart.

Wreck Your Heart by Lori Rader-Day was published January 6, 2026 by Minotaur Books.

My Thoughts: The characters were interesting, some more than others. Dahlia was probably the most interesting character in the book which is apt since it's a book about her. When the book starts, we see her at close to her lowest moment. She has been evicted because her boyfriend Joey disappeared with the rent money. She's carrying her belongings in a trash bag going back to Alex McPhee's Tavern. Her life after this point has its ups and downs. More downs than ups. Honestly I felt for her much of the time, but there were occasions where she came across to me as difficult and a little bratty. As the book progresses, the reader can see her changing. She grows emotionally.

Second most interesting character would be Alex McPhee. He is the neurodivergent owner and bartender of McPhee's Tavern. I thought that the author did a pretty good job of portraying him without hitting the audience over the head with his differences.

Plot wise, it's slow at first. When it picked up though, it kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The closer to the end, the faster the plot runs. I was rooting for Dahlia and her friends and family to come out alive at the end. The mysteries that drive the plot are varied. There's something for everyone.

I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. Overall it is well-written. The characters are interesting. The plot moves once it gets going. I would recommend this mystery for people who like found family stories, a variety of mysteries, and diversity in the characters. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions.

Teaser Tuesday: The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 No one else is in the room, so she allows herself the pleasure of running her hands across the spines, listening to the little voice in her head that chatters their contents to her. She's always been good at this language -- it's why Chiron had been so eager to put her to work so young. As a thief, it's been indispensable. (pp 66-67)

The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers was published November 2025 by Redhook.

What have you been reading? Have you got a teaser to share with us? Leave it in the comments. Happy reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #520: Alter Ego by Alex Segura

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

Alex Segura, award–winning author of Secret Identity, returns with a clever and escapist standalone sequel set in the world of comic books. In the present day, a comics legend is given the chance to revive a beloved but forgotten character. But at what price?

Annie Bustamante is a cultural force like none other: an acclaimed filmmaker, an author, a comic book artist known for one of the all time best superhero comics in recent memory. But she’s never been able to tackle her longtime favorite superhero, the Lethal Lynx. Only known to the most die-hard comics fans and long out of print, the rights were never available—until now.

But Annie is skeptical of who is making the offer: Bert Carlyle's father started Triumph Comics, and has long claimed ownership of the Lynx. When she starts getting anonymous messages urging her not to trust anyone, Annie’s inner alarms go off. Even worse? Carlyle wants to pair her with a disgraced filmmaker for a desperate media play.

Annie, who has been called a genius, a sell-out, a visionary, a hack, and everything else under the sun, is sick of the money grab. For the first time since she started reading a tattered copy of The Legendary Lynx #1 as a kid, she feels a pure, creative spark. The chance to tell a story her way. She's not about to let that go. Even if it means uncovering the dark truth about the character she loves.

Sharply written, deftly plotted, and with a palpable affection for all kinds of storytelling, Alter Ego is a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

Alter Ego by Alex Segura s expected out December 3, 2024 from Flatiron Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I read the first one, Secret Identity, and enjoyed it. I like that this is a standalone sequel. What seems to be carried over from the first book is that it is a mystery involving the comic book industry, in particular the character of the Lynx. I am interested in how the main character will fare and what she will do with the Lynx.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Omega Factor by Steve Berry

 

From the publisher:

The Ghent Altarpiece is the most violated work of art in the world. Thirteen times it has been vandalized, dismantled, or stolen. Why? What secrets does it hold?  
 
Enter UNESCO investigator, Nicholas Lee, who works for the United Nations’ Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office (CLIO). Nick’s job is to protect the world’s cultural artifacts—anything and everything from countless lesser-known objects to national treasures. 

When Nick travels to Belgium for a visit with a woman from his past, he unwittingly stumbles on the trail of a legendary panel from the Ghent Altarpiece, stolen in 1934 under cover of night and never seen since. Soon Nick is plunged into a bitter conflict, one that has been simmering for nearly two thousand years. On one side is the Maidens of Saint-Michael, les Vautours—the Vultures—a secret order of nuns and the guardians of a great truth. Pitted against them is the Vatican, which has wanted for centuries to both find and possess what the nuns guard. Because of Nick the maidens have finally been exposed, their secret placed in dire jeopardy—a vulnerability that the Vatican swiftly moves to exploit utilizing an ambitious cardinal and a corrupt archbishop, both with agendas of their own.  

From the tranquil canals of Ghent, to the towering bastions of Carcassonne, and finally into an ancient abbey high in the French Pyrenees, Nick Lee must confront a modern-day religious crusade intent on eliminating a shocking truth from humanity’s past. Success or failure—life and death—all turn on the Omega Factor.

My thoughts: 

This standalone novel is worth a read. The characters are interesting. I like that the main male character was reluctant to use guns which would have been an easy out in many situations. And both Nick and Kelsey come across as being of good character - responsible, loyal, caring and more. On the other hand, it never seizes to amaze me the evil people will perpetrate in the name of religion. 

The novel has plenty of action. It's fast paced generally speaking with occasional lulls that explain why some of what is happening is happening.

I think the basis for the novel is creative. I like the way the author blends fiction and history. In the author's note, he explains how much is history and which parts are fiction. It makes for an interesting read.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's really good. I'd recommend it to people who enjoy some truth mixed with their fiction. And I would recommend it to people who enjoy adventure books. The book is currently available.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.