Standalone Title – Page 3 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury

Series: The Oxford Guide, #1

Release Date: September 1, 2026

In the fall of 1950, the Honorable Miss Ginevra “Gin” Bishop has started her Modern Languages studies as an underclassman at Oxford, hoping that this will finally help her move on from the grief of losing her mother. She never expected to be drawn into espionage or to be partnered with a man who seems like he can’t stand the sight of her. But it almost seems like Gin was born to be a spy, and when she learns that her father is planning for her life and inheritance, she is determined to finish her mission and claim her reward. She just needs to convince the taciturn Mr. Sidney Braithwaite, her fellow student and former military intelligence operative she was partnered with to cooperate!

Mr. Sidney Braithwaite has returned to Oxford after taking a year off after the war to heal and to help his parents settle into their new home. He hopes returning to his studies after a five-year absence will help him finally put the war behind him. But almost immediately “The Rook”, his intelligence handler from the war tries to pull him back into his spy ring, when whispers of treason abound and a librarian informant at the college is murdered. At first, he refuses, especially with a Gin as a partner, but she is more relentless than the Rook. And once again he finds himself drawn into the cloak and dagger world of spying. As he gets to know Gin, he grudgingly admits to himself that she isn’t what he assumed the daughter of a viscount would be, as she is incredibly intelligent, resourceful and very attractive. Together, they uncover much more than they were looking for and form a bond that neither expected.

I loved this story; it was so much more emotional and immersive than I was expecting. Gin and Sidney both entered the story with things in their pasts that haunted them, resentment and a true desire to change their lives, but neither expected to be drawn into a spy ring, or that doing so would help them find the answers they were looking for in their own lives. The story is filled with intrigue, murder, lots of suspects, great secondary characters, secrets, a bit of mutual attraction, a slow building but ultimately strong partnership, more than one twist and satisfying ending with the suggestion of more adventures to come! This book was hard to put down and left me wanting more, if you enjoy a good mystery with wonderful, strong characters, 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. *

I Haunt It That Way by Isabelle Popp

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: August 25, 2026

For years Thora Williamson has worked for best-selling author Bryony Brooks as her personal assistant and in the end as her nurse/companion. To her surprise, Bryony left her an outrageous inheritance, and in doing so, gave Thora the means to follow her own dreams, whatever they may be. Thora starts by divorcing her husband Cody Briscoe and setting out to visit her cousin Mackenzie “Mack” who is living in the Adirondacks with her wife Jade and struggling to open a B&B. She plans on surprising Mack with the money she needs to renovate the property, she also plans on buying Juniper, the family’s summer retreat, since her Uncle George passed on three years ago and the property is to be auctioned off by the town to cover the back taxes. She is looking forward to some time spent reflecting on the past and deciding how to incorporate those memories into a children’s book she wants to write. She is just settling in when she gets her first visitor, Lee Halliday, her ex-husband’s best friend and the bane of her existence.

Thora harbors a lot of anger against Lee, she blames him for her uncle’s death, because Lee partly renovated Juniper, enabling George to stay alone in the home year-round. Sadly, George was a recluse and passed away alone but wasn’t found for quite some time. Thora lays that directly on Lee, so she is furious when he shows up without warning. But Lee had no idea that George passed away and is genuinely heartbroken. Thora wants to kick him out but knows that George cared for Lee and knows he needs closure, so she agrees to let him stay for a few days. She is even more annoyed that she finds him attractive and doesn’t want to like him. But when things start happening in the house, she secretly admits to herself that she is glad he is there.

This book was not what I was expecting, I thought it was going to be a paranormal rom-com with a enemies-to-lovers trope, but there was nothing even remotely “rom-com” about this book. Thora is one of the angriest heroines I have ever read, and for the life of me, I couldn’t find a way to justify her anger – I understood some of it, but I couldn’t understand why she held onto it so tightly and kept regurgitating it. The book is filled with snarky banter, spicy love scenes, a heroine filled with rage at life in general, a heart of gold hero, some interesting secondary characters, a spooky house filled with memories and some paranormal activity, and ending with a horrifying twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. Overall, once I accepted that it wasn’t a rom-com and just enjoyed it as a sort-of-fantasy read with spicy love scenes and a heaping helping of feminine rage – I actually liked it. If you are looking for an emotional read with a bit of supernatural and some spice – you should give this book a try.

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

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