Robin’s Reviews – 2026

Book Summary

THE BOOK WITCH by Meg Shaffer is a mix of cozy mystery, detective noir, and fantasy. Rainy March (and yes, she knows she sounds like a weather report) is a book witch. With her magic umbrella and cat familiar, she jumps into stories to protect them from the burners. Burners are those who try to destroy the book from the inside by wiping away pages until the story is gone forever.

But there are rules for book witches. They can’t stay long because they could get trapped inside the story and change it by becoming a character. They can’t sleep, eat or drink inside the story, and they certainly can’t fall in love with a fictional character. After all, real people live in the real world and fictional characters live in stories.

But what if Rainy does? Fall in love with a fictional character, that is. When she meets the dashing hero of her favorite detective series, the Duke of Chicago, it’s love on both sides. Once the book coven catches on, they ban her from seeing him, or she will be expelled from the group and forced to give up her magical gifts.

As if that isn’t enough, her grandfather goes missing and a special book is stolen from their safe. Rainy finds herself in her own mystery, flitting from novel to novel to track down clues. The Duke and Nancy Drew join in to help solve the case. She hops in and out of familiar titles like The Great Gatsby, Alice in Wonderland, and a Nancy Drew book, The Secret of the Old Clock.

My Thoughts

THE BOOK WITCH was not what I was expecting. For a while, I wasn’t sure it was ‘for me’ because it felt like an old-time, noir, detective story— not my usual cup of tea. I’ve read and enjoyed Meg Shaffer’s other two books (unique and different from each other), so I kept reading. I’m glad I did. For me, I enjoyed the experience of diving in and out between fiction and reality and catching all the literary references. Even LaVar Burton from Reading Rainbow gets a mention! The deeper I went, the more the book delivered: a deeper plot than it first appears, unexpected twists, fun adventures, interesting characters, a romance, a mystery, and so much more. Each time you think you know what’s happening, there’s another twist.

Meg Shaffer delivers a quirky, unique book that crosses many genres. By the end it may have you questioning —What is reality? Maybe YOU’RE living in a book right now.

THE BOOK WITCH by Meg Shaffer comes out April 7, 2026. Pre-ordering is VERY helpful to authors. I suggest ordering through Bookshop.org since they help support small, independent bookstores across the country. You can order here. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC of this novel. The opinions are my own.

About the Author

Meg Shaffer is the author of THE LOST STORY and THE WISHING GAME, my personal favorite, which was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist, a Book-of-the-Month Book of the Year finalist, a Barnes and Noble bestseller, a Reader’s Digest Best Book of the year and a USA Today bestseller. Meg holds an MFA in TV and Screenwriting and lives in Kentucky with her husband and two cats. THE BOOK WITCH is Meg Shaffer’s third book.

If You Like…

If you like the description of THE BOOK WITCH by Meg Shaffer, check out my past reviews on these recommendations: The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan, and The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young.

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Robin’s Rave Reviews 2024

What a treat to read an advanced reader copy (ARC) of SUMMERS AT THE SAINT by Mary Kay Andrews!

This book is just fabulous! I love it so much that I did a thing. I wrote to the author directly! Although I write a lot of reviews, I seldom write to the author personally. Even after decades of writing, Mary Kay Andrews just keeps getting better and better! She makes something so difficult (writing a book that hooks the reader) look so easy.

So let’s talk about SUMMERS AT THE SAINT!

Summary

Summertime, beach resort, romance, mystery…and murder.

The St. Cecelia resort, nicknamed “The Saint,” welcomes the rich who vacation there year after year on the Georgia coast. The people who can afford to stay here are called the Saints. Locals are the Ain’ts.

Traci, one of the Ain’ts who worked as a teenage lifeguard at the hotel, ended up marrying one of the owner’s sons. Now widowed, she’s the owner of the hotel. Her ruthless brother-in-law Ric is appalled that his brother’s death left Traci as the owner of the hotel part of the business. He is a constant thorn in her side while she’s trying to bring The Saint back to a 5-star hotel after Covid caused financial troubles and staffing issues.

Those aren’t Traci’s only troubles. An accidental drowning from years ago comes back to haunt her. She and her friend Shannon were the lifeguards on duty when it happened. Now, when another tragic death occurs on the grounds, Traci is barely holding it all together. She’s also beginning to realize so much more is going on behind the scenes at the hotel. However, the possibility of romance adds some relief to the craziness in Traci’s life.

My Thoughts

I expected SUMMERS AT THE SAINT to be a women’s fiction/romance/ beach read. It is, but it’s so much more! Cozy mystery readers will also love this one.

It was a light, easy-read story with twists and turns you won’t see coming. Filled with juicy secrets, family discord, shady deals, murder, past indiscretions, strong females, misplaced trust, new employees with all their “baggage,” and a side dish of romance, you’ll need to set aside time for this one. Once you start it, you’ll put everything else on hold.

Right when I thought I understood everything that was going on at The Saint, MKA threw in a new detail or twist. I kept wondering how deep she would go! Could she possibly come up with another unexpected turn?

At first I was concerned about the large cast of characters and keeping them straight. Silly me. The writing was in the hands of a master. Not only could I keep them straight, they were all necessary to the story. Every time I thought I had the whole picture of how all the characters were intertwined, Mary Kay would throw in another twist. Don’t let the introduction of all the characters discourage you from reading on.

Reserve your spot at The Saint and put SUMMERS AT THE SAINT by Mary Kay Andrews on your 2024 summer reading list. The pub date is coming up — May 7, 2024. Did you know it REALLY helps an author if you pre-order? You can pre-order from any bookstore, but I like to support independent bookstores here through bookshop.org.

Book Tour

If you live in NE Ohio like me, register to meet MKA in person and have her sign your book. She’ll be at the Parma-Powers Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library on Tuesday, May 14 at 7 PM. I’ll be there! Register here. For other tour stops, click here.