Everyone in This Bank is a Thief - Benjamin Stevenson

 "I’ve spent the last few years solving murders. But a bank heist is a new one, even for me. I’ve never been a hostage before. The doors are chained shut. No one in or out. Which means that when someone in the bank is murdered, everyone is a suspect. 

The Bank Robber. The Manager. The Security Guard. The Kid. The Film Producer. The Priest. The Receptionist. The Patient. The Caregiver. Me. 

Turns out, more than one person planned to rob the bank today. You can steal more from a bank than just money."

 What Worked For Me:

This is the fourth installment in the Ernest Cunningham series and it was a great entry.  If you liked any of the previous books in this series and Stevenson's style of storytelling where Ernest speaks directly to the reader, then you'll like this one too.  I had a brief thought, before starting this read, that maybe the 'gimmick' of Ernest would start to get old going on 4 books.  However, Stevenson did a really great job of using the heist setting to give a twist on the standard mystery format we've grown to love watching Ernest follow.  It really walked that fine line of being familiar and hit every part of what I've come to expect from an Ernest Cunningham mystery but also new enough to not feel stale or overly formulaic. 

The cast of characters in this are absolutely fantastic and I think we get a really good feel for everyone since they are trapped in such close quarters.  Similar to the 2nd book in the series where they were all stuck on a train together, the tight location helps amplify interpersonal tensions and really adds another level of intrigue.  The variety of characters also helped the mystery investigation because they all came from such different backgrounds and just happened to be in the bank at the right (or wrong) time. 

 The mystery investigation, as usual with these Cunningham mysteries, was great.  I never actually sit down with pen and paper and try to solve the mystery first, but I did try to pay more attention and pause every so often to try and remember some of the different clues or conversations.  There was one reveal where I immediately had the though of "oh, that must mean XYZ" and in the next sentence Ernest calls out that theory and immediately dismisses it which I chuckled at.  I loved the actual reveal and how, once again, more things were connected than I was expecting which is always great in these mysteries.

What Didn't Work for Me: 

 There's one specific plot point of the book that I didn't quite buy, even though we get some on-page explanation of why that character made the choice they did.  But it just felt a little too 'out-there' of a choice to make.  I had a hard time suspending my disbelief for a moment but ended up just shrugging and continuing reading.  It sort of felt like Stevenson wrote himself into a bit of a corner and this was the least-worst option of how to fix it.  It didn't bother me enough to stop reading and I think the downstream impact of the decision was handled well but it still took me out of the book for a bit.

 Overall, this was another great entry in the series and I'll continue to read as many of these as Stevenson would like to write. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC.  Publication date was March 17, 2026 

Romance Wrap-up February 2026

 Maybe This Once - Sophie Sullivan

I really enjoyed this read and I loved being back with these characters.  I was a little hesitant going into this read because I really don't enjoy romances that focus around a fame element or famous people and our FMC is wrapped up in that world (although she doesn't particularly want to be). I found that the fame aspect is sort of on the edge of the story enough that it didn't really bother me.  And big points to Sullivan for not taking the 'easy' route when it came to the conflict in the relationship.  I thought for sure when a certain plot point came up that it would be the central conflict but we ended up going in a different direction.  I did find the sort of push/pull dynamic between our MCs a little tiring after a while but I did think it was believable for their characters since they had both been hurt in past relationships so they would be a little extra cautious this time around.  The chemistry between our two MCs was very well developed and you could really feel the tension when they were still fighting their feelings. I loved that we got to see the conclusion of some plot points with our side characters as well as the main couples from the previous 2 books in the series. 

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.  Publication date was February 10, 2026. 

Tropes: Small Town, Cost of Fame, Love after Divorce, Complicated Family

Series: Rock Bottom Love #3

 

Most Likely to Doubt Love - Mary Waterford

 

 I absolutely adored this book and wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did.  This book had the perfect balance between cute contemporary romance while also handling some quite serious topics with care. Our FMC has quite a lot of childhood trauma which led to self harm and while I have not, personally, dealt with that, it felt like there was a lot of space in the book for our FMC to navigate and be supported by friends and our MMC. The kids in the book were adorable and I liked that they had their own mini-plot line going on that was resolved by the end of the read instead of just being used as plot pawns for our main couple. I really enjoyed the slow-ish burn between our MCs where there was a little bit of insecurity on both of their parts but once they finally went all in, they were in it together for the long haul. 

Tropes: Single Dad, Neighbors, Grumpy/Sunshine, Trauma Healing

Series: The Yearbook #3

 

Feast - Hannah Murray

 Murray has done it again - this was a super fun and a little unhinged of a read and I loved it.  Our MCs do not know who the other one is until the day their parents are getting married and by then they have had one heck of a one night (and next day) stand with no names. Once they are back from the wedding trip, they choose to keep going as a sort of friends with benefits situation.  I really liked the bit of character development we got with our MMC because in previous books, he comes off a bit emotionally closed off.  Our FMC was super fun, confident, and met MMC's energy and vibe every step of the way.  I do wish the timeline wasn't quite so short between them getting together and their family finding out.  I really wanted more emotional development from both characters as maybe they moved from FwB to actual dating first and then telling the family.  

Tropes: ONS to Lovers, Step Siblings, Kinky

Series: FILTH #3

Kissed and Missed - Cleo White

 Similar to the first book in the series, we jump into this read when the MCs already have feelings for each other but aren't acting on it.  I did like the amount of flashbacks we got to see the build up of the relationship given the age gap and situation with the ex-girlfriend. I did find our MMC to be a bit unhinged in the way he 100% went all in on the relationship, despite his best efforts to try and be reasonable and not overwhelm our FMC. I did find our MMC to be surprisingly romantic for a business man and I really loved seeing that softer side to his character. Despite the flashbacks, I do wish we got a little more on-page time to see our MCs interacting and seeing those feelings blossom because as much as I enjoy an age gap romance, I do find ones where the age gap is this significant a bit of a hard sell. This is a novella length read at 160 pages, so I knew I was probably not going to get the amount of character development I usually like and I was ok with it. I loved getting to see the couple from the first book as well as some beginnings of the couple of the third book.  

Tropes: Age Gap, Ex GF's Dad, Billionaire

Series: Daddy Issues #2

Swipe Right on Fate - Roxie Ray

 Roxie Ray is quickly becoming my go-to for softer, cute, but still hot paranormal romances because the books seem to hit that sweet spot for me.  I absolutely adored this book where our two paranormal outcasts accidentally find each other on a human dating site. Our MCs were instantly kindred spirits and I loved their dynamic together.  I enjoyed the amount of character development we get as well as their growth in regards to finding a way to help other outcasts find friends and other connections. Ray gives us enough background on the paranormal world and societies in this book that I never had a question and any time I did have a question start bubbling up, it would get addressed on page. 

Tropes: Paranormal, Wolf Shifter x Vampire, Found Family

Standalone

 A Reckless Indulgence - Aveda Vice

I didn't know going into this read that I wanted a queer, dragon pirate vs siren, enemies to lovers romance but I loved it.  We get dual timelines alternating throughout the book where we see our MCs in current time as well as the first time they met. I loved the world that Vice built and I found the world building to be incredibly thoughtful.  These two have absolute combustible chemistry and I loved watching them heat up until they boiled over.  I was expecting more exhibitionism and performances out of them given the plot mechanic that got our MCs together on the boat, but I loved that the scenes we got with them were more emotional instead of performative.  Great character development and exploration. I was absolutely cheering from the sidelines for every step forward they took in their relationship.  

Thanks to the author for the ARC.  Publication date was January 9, 2026. 

Tropes: Fantasy, Queer, Enemies to Lovers, Sex Worker MC

Series: Tides of Pleasure #1

 

 

Silver Secrets - Tilly H Colson 

 This book is going squarely in the 'it was fine, but not what I wanted' category.  I was in the mood to read some romantic suspense starring a big, competent, alpha dude (I was in the middle of a Reacher re-watch and wanted something with that vibe).  The same time, I saw a video with a snippet of one of the scenes and it sounded exactly what I was looking for.  Unfortunately, this read was a lot more emotional and heartfelt than I was expecting or looking for. I really enjoyed the set up and first part of the book until our MCs got together and started sharing their histories and trauma.  And I know that sounds awful of me to say, but I just wasn't looking for a book with that sort of emotional depth.  I think it was well done and I'm sure if I was in a different mood for that type of book, I would have really enjoyed it. However, it did overall kill the vibe I was looking for and I ended up finishing the book to figure out the answer to the mystery instead of watching our MCs get together. 

Tropes: Romantic Suspense, Serial Killer, Love After Loss

Series: Silver Springs #2