October 2026 Favorites

October was a slower reading month for me since I took a trip to FL to see my daughter.  I still had a good month and a lot of quality reads.  Here are my six favorite:

Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson - A sharp and deeply felt debut about the connections that both inspire and undo us.  Incisive social commentary elevate the book’s irresistible will-they-won’t-they romance to a once-in-a-lifetime read about truth, art, vulnerability, and all the sticky places they intersect. 

Once, Again, Always by Amanda Gayle - A second-chance romance following a young woman who wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the past six years, only to find that she apparently married the one man she can’t stand—her arrogant and infuriating former boarding school rival.

Peregrine Hill by Nina De Gramont - Out next week 11/10 Full RTC.  Thank you @simon.audio & @simonandschuster for the gifted copies!  A sweeping novel set in Gilded Age New York where a forced marriage, family secrets, and the fight for freedom collide in an unforgettable story about a desperate mother and headstrong daughter navigating a world built on men’s appetites and women’s silence.

Love, Like Apples by Jeff Zentner - A lyrical, deeply felt story of an artist and the great love that defined his life, set against the electric, delirious backdrop of 1970s New York City and the tumultuous years prior.

Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas - A sweeping, richly layered Victorian novel about a trailblazing female economist who’s determined to build Britain’s first women’s bank, but she must fight both financial corruption and a system intent on destroying the newly found family she’s created.

Samantha: The Next Chapter by Fiona Davis - (Review later this week) From American Girl and New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis comes the next chapter of Samantha Parkington's story--now an adult searching for justice after her legacy is stolen in New York City in 1920.

Be sure to check out my feed for full reviews of these books!