Recent Reads
Jan 08, 2026 by Karen Janowsky
I've decided to try and keep better track of and share with you things I've been reading. It seems that for every book I take out of my TBR list, of course, a few more appear. I've given up on ever getting my stack under control. But, here are the indie and the mass market books I've most recently finished.
Indie Book: Return to Silkeborg by Vanessa Benford
So, I expected an engaging, emotional read based on the other reviews of Benford's Return to Silkeborg, but I didn't expect to be moved to tears! Don't get me wrong: without giving anything away, the ending was satisfying, and I didn't cry because I was devastated. It's just that this story of love, friendship, and coming to deeper understandings of oneself and one's past were just that moving. I often gravitate toward love stories that involve an age gap, especially if the author goes out of their way to explore the power differentials, differences in perspective, and the ethics of such relationships (see Her Name Was Lola by yours truly, for example). Benford handled all of these issues with sensitivity without ever devolving into moralizing or creating two-dimensional depictions of the characters. They seemed real, and I enjoyed the back-and-forth between memory and the present. Be prepared to get invested in this book. Be prepared to care deeply about Abigail, what happens during her time with Mads, and how she processes that time in the present. I hope to see more from this author.
Mass Market: What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon
I picked up this book because my work in progress (one of them, anyway) is a second-chance romance/rom-com. Whenever I choose a new topic and a few tropes, I often read a bunch of other well-reviewed novels in the same vein, and oh! I'm so glad I read this one. Ellie and Ash fall head-over-heels in love in their twenties as they travel through Portugal one summer. They plan to meet again after seeing to their separate family obligations for a few days, but lose track of each other. For the next six years, each works through their heartbreak over "the one that got away" and give up hope of ever seeing one another again until surprise! But a lot has happened over the years, and they discover that neither of them were entirely truthful about their true identities originally. Their grownup perspectives have been colored by personal traumas as well of the deep pain of separation. Neither has a good idea of how, or even if, they can move forward, forgive, and find a deeper, more abiding connection. I've never read anything by Toon before; apparently she's a kind of powerhouse of a contemporary romance writer. And now of course, she's on my (once again) ever-growing list of authors whose work I need (not want, NEED) to read more of.
Upshot:
Romance readers and love story fans, get your hands on these books if you enjoy realistic, flawed characters who stay with you well after you've reached "the end."