Book Talk with Deanna Lynn – 8 June 2025
BOOK TALK WITH DEANNA LYNN
JUNE 8, 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
INTRODUCTION
Hello, my book-loving friends. Welcome to Book Talk! My name is Deanna Lynn and I’ll be your post-host today. As you can see, Okie Dreams has undergone some layout changes in recent weeks. I’ve started a new posting format, too, and though it takes a lot more time to post content now, I also love it a lot more because it feels like there is more value in reading them. But I’d love to hear your thoughts on things.
What are we thinking of the changes? Yay or nay? Comment below and let me know, or if you’re so inclined, leave a comment on one my socials. I promise I’ll see it!
Now, let’s dive in and talk about some books, shall we?
NEWEST RELEASES
Here is a list of books that released this week. It is not a full list, but these are some of the titles caught my eye. These new releases range in genre, of course, because while I love me some romance, I also enjoy mystery & thrillers, biographies, fantasy & science fiction, YA & middle grade, new adult, and a whole host of other things. I also read both indie and traditionally published so I try to post a healthy mix of both of those, but with the rise of A.I, I am also very selective of what I post here because I’m for actual writers not cash-grab machines.
WOMEN’S FICTION | ROMANCE
She returned to prove her father’s innocence, but there’s no telling what she’ll find…
It’s been fifteen years since Lucy Sinclair saw her father. Fifteen long years since she sat in a courtroom and watched him sentenced to life in prison. He murdered three victims—all people she knew—which ruined her life at just seventeen. But now she’s back in Virginia to talk to him, wondering if there’s more to the story of what happened that fateful night.
An old flame, Ford Wagner, makes his own return to North Hampton Beach, fleeing a marriage that seems destined for divorce. He’s wary of Lucy and her digging into the past, but the more time they spend together, the closer they get and the more he finds himself reconsidering the truth behind the death of their mutual friend that summer. Problem is, there are plenty of those in this small coastal town who would prefer things stay quiet…
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ADD TO GOODREADS
ROMANCE | COMEDY | CONTEMPORARY
Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.
Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.
Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.
As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ADD TO GOODREADS
PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
Jane and Colin are soulmates. He just doesn’t know it yet.
For twenty-four-year-old Jane, finding love in New York City is even harder than making it as a playwright. So when Jane meets Colin, she can’t believe her luck: they’re perfect for each other. Even when Colin breaks off their relationship after six dates, Jane knows this is just a stumbling block. She’ll get him back. She knows she will.
That is, until Colin starts dating Zoe—perfect, luminous Zoe. Even worse, she’s actually kind of nice. But Zoe doesn’t have what it takes to love Colin. All Jane has to do is prove it, and they’ll be so happy together.
But when Jane sneaks into Colin’s apartment, she makes a shocking discovery—one that will ensnare them all in a dark web of lies, secrets, and murder.
Some hearts get broken, some get even.
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ADD TO GOODREADS
SUSPENSE THRILLER
June, 1975.
The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets.
Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she’s offered a job to ghostwrite her father’s last book. What she doesn’t know, though, is that this project is another one of his lies. Because it’s not another horror novel he wants her to write.
After fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975.
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ADD TO GOODREADS
MC ROMANCE | SMALL TOWN SUSPENSE | CONTEMPORARY
From USA Today best selling author, Scarlett Cole, writing as S. Cole, comes an electrifying small town MC, grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers romance.
Quinn
Two things happened on my thirteenth birthday. My older sister went missing. And I told Smoke Callahan, the Iron Outlaws Road Captain, that it was his fault she was gone.
Fourteen years later, I still hate him.
But hate doesn’t keep me safe when the Bratva sets its sights on me.
I need protection. The kind only a ruthless, broken man like Smoke can provide.
So I make him an offer. I’ll help him recover from the burns that nearly cost him his life. In return, he keeps me breathing.
It should be simple. It isn’t.
Because the more time I spend in his orbit, the more I see the man behind the scars. The one who carries a past as heavy as mine. And when he looks at me, it’s not hatred I see in his dark eyes anymore.
It’s something far more dangerous.
Smoke
Quinn Moran was just a kid when she came at me, fists flying, blaming me for her sister’s disappearance. I let her. I deserved it.
Now she’s all grown up—sharp-tongued, stubborn as hell, and standing in my cabin, asking for my protection.
I should say no. I should send her away.
But I don’t. Because even if she still hates me, I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt her.
Even if it means she learns the truth.
Even if it means she never forgives me.
Because she was never meant to be mine. But that won’t stop me from taking her.
PARANORMAL | SUSPENSE | GHOST | PSYCHIC
Two unlikely allies search for the secrets of their pasts while on the run within the Alien world of Harmony in the thrilling new novel by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Castle.
Leona Griffin is at the height of her career as a para-archeologist thanks to a recent Underworld discovery. Her high profile attracts the attention of an organization of elite, secretive collectors. They want her to authenticate the artifacts that aspiring members submit as evidence to join their group. The ceremony takes place at a glittering reception where Leona is shocked to discover that one of the relics is a powerful Old-World object known as Pandora’s Box. But she’s not the only one interested in that artifact.
Oliver Rancourt, a man with a unique talent—they say you never see him coming—is also there. Leona knows she must not underestimate him. Attempting to make a discreet exit, she stumbles over the body of a waiter wearing the emblem of a dangerous cult. Before she can alert authorities, a police raid sends the reception into chaos. To avoid being arrested, Leona slips away with Oliver—a risky decision that gets her fired.
Now forced to work together, Leona and Oliver pursue an investigation that leads them to the town of Lost Creek where the locals are obsessed with a chilling legend involving a long-dead cult leader and illicit paranormal experiments. But Leona knows the real danger may be the irresistible attraction between herself and Oliver.
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ADD TO GOODREADS
YA FANTASY | ROMANCE | VAMPIRES | DYSTOPIAN
The world ended ten years ago.
Vampires showed up, took over, and turned the whole planet into their personal all-you-can-drink buffet. The president? Bloodsucker. The government? Bloodsuckers. My social life? Absolutely nonexistent.
But hey, at least I had one thing going for me—slayer training. My twin sister, Ripley, and I were about to go pro, officially joining the ranks of the last people on earth who actually do something about the whole “undead overlords” situation.
And then X had to show up. The vampire boogeyman. The worst of the worst. And instead of killing Ripley, like any decent monster would, he turned her. Now she’s technically a vamp, but something tells me my sister is still in there. Which means I can’t slay her.
What can I do? Break every rule. Lie to my friends. Strike a deal with the most dangerous vampire on the planet: X will protect Ripley from everyone else who wants her dead—like, really dead—until I can snag the cure for vampirism. The catch? Risking my own head to help him free his good-for-nothing BFF from the very slayers who taught me everything.
If I want Ripley back, I’m going to have to play nice with the thing that ruined my life. And the worst part?
I think he’s enjoying this.
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ADD TO GOODREADS
UPCOMING RELEASES
Available now as a June First Read to Prime members
GENERAL FICTION | WOMEN’S FICTION
In South Carolina, a woman discovers her aunt’s profound secrets in an emotional novel spanning decades about trauma, survival, and the bonds of female friendship by a USA Today bestselling author.
Since Bailey Rae Rigby’s adoptive aunt Winnie passed, Bent Oak, South Carolina, doesn’t have much of a hold on her anymore. So it seems.
Bailey Rae aims to settle the small estate and, armed with her aunt’s inspiring personal cookbook, buy a food truck with an ocean view in Myrtle Beach. Everything goes awry when a distraught young mother arrives in town clutching a copy of that same cookbook. Embedded inside is a code that promises a safe place in Bent Oak for desperate women on the run. For Bailey Rae it opens up a world of questions. Who really was the beloved aunt she’s known most of her life?
Winnie Ballard’s story reaches back fifty years—one of a Southern debutante’s harrowing marriage, of her escape and reinvention, and the galvanizing friendship of three resilient women who overcame their traumas, created a shelter, and found purpose. But there’s more to Winnie’s deliverance and long-held secrets than Bailey Rae imagines.
With each revelation, Bailey Rae draws on her aunt’s courage to find purpose herself. For now, whatever threats may come, Bailey Rae isn’t going anywhere.
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | ADD TO GOODREADS
Here is some bookish news from around the web!
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- Alisa Dean’s THE JEZEBEL LIST, in which a pastor’s daughter and a documentary filmmaker work their way through her to-do-list of previously forbidden experiences as she embarks on a journey of joy, embracing her newfound freedom, to Jess Verdi at Alcove Press, in a two book deal, for publication in Fall 2026 (Source: Publisher’s Weekly and NYLiterary)
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- James Cameron is set to adapt the science fiction and fantasy novel, THE DEVILS, by Joe Abercrombie for a feature film, according to The Wrap.
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- Paramount is working on an adaptation of Rebecca Ross’s fantasy romance novel, DIVINE RIVALS, with screenwriter Sofia Alvarez of ‘To All the Boys.’ DIVINE RIVALS is “an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.” Shadow and Bone meets Lore. (Source: The Dallies)
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- POWERLESS TV series, based on the fantasy romance books by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Roberts, is in development at Amazon. (Source: Deadline)
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- GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES TV series, based on the psychological thriller by Eliza Jane Brazier, is in the works at Amazon. The author will write the pilot, according to The Wrap.
LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS
I have read several books in recent weeks and I want to share some quick thoughts on some of them. If you are looking for some new books to add to your TBR or just want to keep an eye out for what is coming out later this year, I’ve got you covered!
AVAILABLE NOW
ROMANTASY | ROMANTIC FANTASY
Shield of Sparrows is a slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros—where enemies become lovers, monsters stalk a cursed realm, and a forgotten princess finds the strength to tear off her crown and become the warrior she was never meant to be.
The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.
I’ve spent my life kneeling—to their will and to my father’s. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.
I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.
But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.
Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him—bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.
Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.
But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?
And what if—for the first time—I reached for it?
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ADD TO GOODREADS
QUICK THOUGHTS: Shield of Sparrows is one of my favorite reads of the year. It was a slow read for me because I didn’t want to miss anything, but it was a fantastic adventure. I absolutely loved Odessa, and then adding in the Guardian? Pure perfection. I cannot wait for book two in the series because this one was just phenomenal. Also, a movie of this one is in the works!
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