What Happens at Nightfall by Lauren Willig

On By TracyIn Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Mystery, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

What Happens at Nightfall: A NovelWhat Happens at Nightfall: A Novel by Lauren Willig

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 6, 2026

When Jacinta “Jess” Waters agrees to meet her best friend Kimmy for a cemetery tour in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how much her life was about to change. For the last year Jess’s life has been a mess, first she got what she believed to be her dream job, but soon the dream became a nightmare when she discovered her bosses were using the company to launder money, she turned them in, but they turned the tables on her and ruined her credibility and her had her blackballed in the financial community. So, the outing with Kimmy seemed like just the thing to take her mind off things but is regretting that decision when she gets knocked into by some boys and gets separated from the group. As she is picking up her things, she hears someone crying and investigates, she finds a young boy huddled under a bush and tries to help him when something strange happens, which has them running for their lives.

The cemetery’s resident arborist, Adam Chervinsky is a widower and the father of a teenage daughter and a tween son. When he hears a knock at his door, he thinks it is another lost tour participant who needs him to unlock the gate for them, so imagine his shock when he opens the door to find his son, who he thought was in his room with a lovely stranger. He is stunned to learn that his son was at his late wife’s family mausoleum, and somehow this pretty woman was caught in the middle. When Jess reveals that her phone is dead and she has lost her Metro card, he offers to escort her to the subway and pay her fare, but first they need to lock up the mausoleum. Simple right? What they find at the tomb will pull them both into things that neither of them even thought was real and hopefully, they will survive…

This was a well-written, nicely paced story with wonderful characters, which totally sucked me in and kept me flipping pages way past my bedtime (completely worth the lost sleep!). The book has ghosts, demons, slow burn romance, ride or die friends, mystery, great secondary characters, frogs, some witty dialogue, family drama, secrets, moving statues, and a very satisfying ending complete with an epilogue. As much as I enjoyed this book, I wasn’t really sold on the romance, I felt like Adam still had issues with his late wife to deal with and his mistrust for Jess made it hard to believe that he fell in love with her so quickly. Overall, this was a great read, it was spooky but not scary, and very unputdownable. If you are looking for a fun, spooky read with a bit of romance, you need to read this book!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a DRC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

Murder on Threadneedle Street by Andrea Penrose

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Murder on Threadneedle Street (A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery)Barbara’s rating: 5 Stars out of 5
Series: Wrexford & Sloane #10
Publication Date: 9/29/26
Period: Regency London (1815)
Number of Pages: 368

Before I tell you how much I enjoyed this book, I want to tell you how much I admire this author. This series consistently delivers an outstanding mystery built around exciting new inventions and technology from the period. What I especially admire is the author’s ability to take what could be a very complex piece of technology and explain it in a way that ordinary folks like me can understand—not only what it is and how it works, but also how it contributes to the mystery that needs to be solved. And she manages to do all of this without ever making the book feel like a technical manual. That is quite a talent!

It seems poor Hawk has interminably bad luck when it comes to drawing tutors. He is thoroughly enjoying his latest tutor, Mr. Fletcher Campbell, and looks forward to each new lesson—until Mr. Campbell is murdered. Hawk immediately insists that Wrex, Charlotte, and the Weasels investigate. They, of course, cannot refuse a grieving boy.

As they begin looking into Campbell’s past, they quickly discover that he has served time in prison and was connected to the Lisbon Conspiracy, a decade-old counterfeiting scheme. Could his murder possibly have something to do with the conspiracy? Surely not. After all, all of the conspirators were apprehended and hanged.

But then there is the rather curious matter of the Bank of England announcing a **£20,000 prize** for the winner of The Inimitable Banknote Competition. Could these two seemingly unrelated events actually be connected?

Well, of course they can—and figuring out exactly how they are connected keeps Wrex, Charlotte, and the rest of the crew running from one danger to another. It takes everyone—Wrexford, Charlotte, the Weasels, Kit, Cordelia, Allison, Griffin, and many others—to unravel this complicated mystery. Danger and misinformation lurk around nearly every corner, and sorting truth from deception is anything but easy. They soon realize just how careful they must be when some of their members are injured while others are kidnapped.

I especially enjoy how this series continues to develop its characters alongside its mysteries. Wrex and Charlotte remain at the heart of the story, but it is the entire collection of characters that makes these books so much fun. Each has an important role to play, and watching them work together—even when circumstances become downright perilous—is one of the pleasures of the series. And, as always, Hawk manages to add his own special combination of heart and determination to the story.

This is another fast-paced and exciting Regency mystery, filled with wonderful characters, danger, twists, and a fascinating look at the technological developments of the time. The mystery kept me guessing, the pacing kept me turning pages, and the historical setting brought everything wonderfully to life.

Another thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series. I certainly hope there are more adventures ahead for Wrex, Charlotte, Hawk, and the rest of this wonderfully entertaining crew!

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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