Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of May of 2025. Here are the 10 books I read and reviewed for May. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews.

I love sharing my eclectic reads in this Jemsbooks Segment, Books Read in the Month. I hope you will get a chance to look over these books soon. Thank you for your kind support of my work and that of my fellow authors.

If you are an avid reader, as I am, please review the books you love on Amazon or wherever you purchased them for others to enjoy your reviews. Reviews are one way for readers to know about an exceptional book. We indie authors love to receive reviews and appreciate the efforts of readers to do them. Once again, I thank you for your kind support of me and my books and for supporting my fellow authors too.

When I wrote these reviews I rated them on Amazon, Goodreads and sometimes Barnes & Noble. I did not include the ratings here though. It is best to share my thoughts with you about how I felt about the book without the rating. Ratings can be deceiving at times.

We all feel differently about books. Sometimes we love them, sometimes we like them and still other times we may dislike a book. Some other books are so memorable they take our breaths away! While still others are sweet, sensitive, and enjoyable reads that we soon will forget. But all these books I have reviewed were lovely reads as you can see from my reviews. I hope you enjoy my reviews and that they will help you to decide what will be your next read.

Comfort & Joy is a moving, magical story of one woman, Joy Faith Candellaro. Joy is injured in a plane crash when she tries to escape her life that is falling apart. She divorces her husband after he falls in love with her sister. All she wants to do is leave and begin a new life.

What happens afterward is surprising and unexplainable. This book was a quick read but thoroughly enjoyable. I did not want it to end. 

Kristin Hannah created a beautiful written story that makes one believe that anything is possible.

Cold Justice is the first book in this mystery, suspense, thriller series that is gripping and end-of-the-seat action-packed. The main protagonist, FBI Agent Carly Phoenix is good at here job but her tendency to go overboard with enthusiasm and verve gets her demoted to the Cold Case Division.

This division seems to fit her well since she is tenacious with her first case and will not back down until she solves it. She wants to see those responsible put to justice and give the long bereaving families some relief. This particular case is a murder of a young and successful woman. When Carly delves deeper into the evidence she discovers more murders that could be committed by the same perpetrator. She becomes supercharged and continues to push herself until she finds some surprising similarities that even her supervisor cannot ignore.

This was a thrilling beginning to this unputdownable series with an intriguing main protagonist. I look forward to more in this series from this talented author.

The Color of Hope, book 3, is a moving and unforgettable story in the Color of Heaven Series. This story involves a successful lawyer with a perfect life. Diana Moore has everything anyone could possible want but something is missing in her life. She has a handsome and rich boyfriend and all is going well and leading up to what she thinks she needs – a husband and eventually children. But something happens to change all that.

Diana discovers that she has a doppelgänger and vies to meet this woman to discover who she is. When she does, her life takes an unexpected turn and not all positive. Can she trust this woman? Is she her twin? How could this happen that her adopted parents did not know about this second baby? Would they have adopted her too? Diana has so many questions but feels compelled to aid this woman who has had a tragic upbringing, not as gifted as she had been in her life.

This was an emotional and heartfelt read with so many tragedies that kept befalling one woman. I found myself trying to cheer both women on as they struggled to find peace and love in their lives. This is part of a wonderful series of stories by this creative writer that will touch you and break your heart. Once I catch my breath and stop the tears, I will reach for the next book in the series.

Loss, Life, and Puffins is a memorable and touching story about the coming of age of two teens. Gabriel is almost eighteen while Ru is thirteen. They are both unhappy in their lives and feel something is missing. They are drawn together when Ru, who is a genius, enlists in a university and stays in Gabriel’s home with his mother. They develop a strong friendship and find that they have more in common than they thought possible.

After Ru’s mother dies from lung cancer she feels a need to make a list of what she would like to do before she has to go live with her ill tempered aunt. Gabriel agrees to go along with Ru and drive them wherever they need to go in order to complete their to-do lists.

They develop a close friendship and don’t want to be separated once they trip is over but life has a way of doing what you least desire. Ru does all she can to keep in contact with Gabriel in spite of his mother’s refusal to allow them to connect. She continues with her degree with a four-year scholarship without assistance from her aunt while she waits for Gabriel to contact her.

This story was an enjoyable, unusual and refreshing read.

The Destination book 3 of the Harbor Pointe Series is an intriguing read filled with paranormal suspense about two young women, Sandy and Lacey, who visit this unique old inn for a get-a-way. Sandy is engaged to be married but is not sure of what her heart wants to do. She is heading toward being an accountant but her dream is to become a marine biologist. Lacey tries to convince her to follow her dream.

The women meet two men at this inn. Lacey becomes enamored with one of the men while Sandy stays clear of the other man because of his odd ways. When Lacey disappears overnight, Sandy searches for her but finds that strange things are afoot along with a ghostly presence.

A quick and enjoyable addition to this series that features all stories around this quaint inn with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean that left me wanting more. I look forward to the next book in this series. It was clever to have a series written by different talented and creative authors to showcase their different writing styles.

The Edge of Too Late is the fifth book in the Harbor Pointe Series. This series has been thoroughly enjoyable featuring a different author for each book.

This story was gripping with its mystery and paranormal components which held my interest throughout. Brandon takes his girlfriend, Angi, to this quaint inn with the intention of proposing to her. Some unexpected things happen preventing him from asking her to marry him. Angi is hesitant about marrying again since her first marriage was a disaster. Will they have a chance at happiness?

There are a variety of interesting characters who keep the mystery intense. This was a book that I could not put down by this talented author.

The Seas of Time: Harbor Pointe Series Book 4 is full of fantasy, time travel, voodoo magic, and social issues with the quaint backdrop of the Harbor Pointe Inn along the Pacific Ocean. Each book in this series is different from the others in that they are written by different authors and are in eclectic genres.

This tale is told in two timelines, 1858 and 1972, through the eyes of a young woman, Tali. There are plenty of adventures between the two timelines that test Tali.

She leaves school to take some time to think over what she would do with her future and takes on the job of caretaker of her aunt’s and uncle’s inn while they go on vacation during the renovations of the inn. What she finds there is anything but a relaxed atmosphere that she was hoping would be conducive to painting and thinking about her future.

When she finds a bible with odd incantations, she reads it out loud and strange things begin to happen in the cottage she is staying in. She finds herself with a monster who invades her space and eats all her food. She tries to find out where it came from and why it is there. This is just the beginning of her surprising adventures.

This was another enjoyable book in this series. I look forward to more in this intriguing and cleverly written series by some talented and creatives authors.

To Die For is full of action, suspense and danger as the body count rises. The 6:20 Man is at it again in this new thriller.

No one can do a thriller justice like Baldacci! This book kept me glued to my seat and staying up late into the night to read until I couldn’t see the words anymore. There was so much action in this book that I can see it on the big screen as an award-winning, money-making movie.

There are good guys and bad guys and some who are in between that kept me guessing which side they were on. That is how this author keeps readers coming back for more. Danger against the government is what the main protagonist is searching for and doesn’t give up even when his life is on the line again and again. Those who want him killed do their best while others who see him for the man he is turn to his side and assist him in his quest for justice.

I highly recommend this book for those thriller-seekers who want a memorable read!

The Color of a Dream is book 4 in this Color of Heaven Series. It is touching, emotional and heartfelt collections of stories involving different couples who are connected in different ways. Each story is about one couple and their lives, loves and heartaches.

This story is about Nadia who has been unlucky all her life. Each time she tries to rise up something in life knocks her down again. She was separated at birth from her twin sister and didn’t meet her until many years later. She had a setback after having a virus which affected her heart enough to warrant a heart transplant. She managed to deliver her baby before her transplant and had the support of her twin sister, Diana, which was a Godsend. She finally felt as if her life would be better until her former boyfriend, father of her child, threatens to take his daughter away from her mother. Can Nadia survive another setback? Will she be able to win custody of her daughter? Will the brother of her former boyfriend come to her rescue?

This was an enjoyable and heart wrenching read. I look forward to more in this memorable series.

The Color of a Memory is book 5 in the Color of Heaven Series. This is heartfelt read involving families and all the issues they have to overcome. This story is about Audrey and Alex and their love story, their highs and lows of marriage.

Audrey, an ER nurse, meets an injured firefighter one day in the emergency room who pursues her relentlessly until she accepts his invitation of a date. They are smitten with each other early on in their courtship and soon are married once she finds herself pregnant. After their first child is born things are different in that Alex becomes introspective. Audrey suspects something is wrong and maybe he has a wandering eye as he was known to have when he was single. She finds something to make her ponder more on this and is determined to find out if he was unfaithful to her.

This is another enjoyable, emotional read about a family with unsuspecting connections to others in the series. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. I hope you enjoyed my reviews and will check out all these interesting reads. Please keep reading and reviewing authors’ books to help spread word about their work. We authors appreciate your efforts to do this.

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

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