A Novel Engagement - Review

A Novel Engagement (The Gentlemen's Gamble, # ?)

By: Anneka R Walker

Expected Publication: March 19, 2026 by Anneka R. Walker

238 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A reckless wager. A forgotten promise. Two enemies in a race to the altar.

With an arranged marriage looming, Rowan Ashworth and Arabella Delafield cannot get past their vexing history—or their growing attraction. He has a vow to keep, and she’s determined to wed anyone but him. Old hurts, mistaken identities, and surprise chemistry turn a childhood promise into a second chance neither expected—and a love neither can outrun.

***The Gentlemen's Gamble is a series about seven men racing to the altar in order to avoid losing a wager. Starting January, the books will release in surprise order so as not to give away who the final bachelor and loser of the wager is.

Rowan and Arabella have been arranged to marry since they were little. The story goes that Arabella and family arrived at Rowan's family's house for a house party in tears. Two-year-old Rowan asked to hold baby Arabella, and she settled. At the entire house party, whenever Arabella would get upset, they would jokingly call in Master Amrbose to calm her down, and it worked every time. And thus they were promised to each other. However, being told you're going to marry someone from the time you're little doesn't always sit right, and Arabella and Rowan began to resent and tease each other. Rowan's mother dies while he is still young, and his grief plays a part in his treatment of Arabella. Also, he and his friends ridicule Arabella's writing and break her heart in the process, as writing has become her favorite pastime and way of dealing with life. Yet after the wager between his friends, Rowan has finally decided it is time to do his duty and marry Arabella afterall.

Arabella knows that Rowan is coming to force her hand since he's written to her father. She travels to visit her sister and concocts a plan to find someone else to marry in the meantime. She does settle on her sister's husband's cousin. She hopes that marrying him will allow her to live a quiet life where she will continue to write undeterred. But there are a couple of issues with Mr. Clodwick, one he's not Rowan. Two, Arabella isn't attracted to him at all and can only stand close proximity to him in small doses, and three, he believes in ghosts and thinks they not only haunt his house but also follow him around.

Rowan and Arabella have a lot of history that has caused a lot of tension. They behave with each other in a way that they wouldn't behave towards anyone else. Yet they also have a sweet history that needs to be remembered and brought back to the surface.

Favorite quotes:

-"You're a liar Arabella Delafield. You're more drawn to me than you dare admit. So fight all you want, but in the end, we both know I'm the only one for you."

-The more she tried to push me away, the more she ensnared my interest.

A Novel Engagement is probably my second favorite of this series. And I'm not going to quite say that Anneka R Walker is a better author than the other ladies writing this series, but I will say that I noted her writing style and felt it was more polished and to my tastes, even if I plan to seek out more books by the other authors of this series as well. Anneka R Walker has become an auto-read author for me, and A Novel Engagement reinforced exactly why. A Novel Engagement gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Novel Engagement? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Twined Fates

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Twined Fates (Tangled Hearts, # 3)

By: K Bromberg

Expected Publication: October 20, 2026 by Bramble

368 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The explosive conclusion to the Tangled Hearts trilogy from New York Times bestselling author K. Bromberg!

Holden
She’s my rival. My obsession. My ruin.
I told myself Rowan Rothschild was nothing more than the enemy across the boardroom table.
But the longer our worlds collide, the harder it is to remember which battles are worth winning.
Now she’s the woman I can’t stay away from, even when the cost might be everything I’ve worked years for.

Rowan
The company. The inheritance. The family name.
I’ve fought to protect it all from Holden Knight, but nothing prepared me to face him again.
Every look, every touch, every ruthless move he makes drags me deeper back into him.
The line between love and hate has never been thinner.
And this time, falling for him could destroy us both.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top Ten Summer 2026 TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Summer 2026 TBR List

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1. Silver & Smoke (The Ashes of Thezmarr, # 3) by Helen Scheuerer
2. Her Hidden Fire by Kasie West
3. Soulgazer (The Magpie & the Wolf, # 1) by Maggie Rapier
4. The Sea Spinner (Reign of Remnants, # 2) by Julie Johnson
5. Deceptive Inheritance (Remnants of the Lost, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis
6. Chase Me if You Can by Heather Frances
7. Spellcast (Fire in the Sky, # 3) by Sophie Jordan
8. Pride Comes Before the Fall (Miss Prentice's Protegees, # 3) by Virginia Heath
9. The Matchmaker's Cottage by Kat Sloane
10. Kiss of the Black Flame by Helen Scheuerer

Which books are on your summer 2026 TBR list? Let me know!

A Founding Mother - Review

A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams – A Historical Novel of the Woman Who Helped Shape America from the Shadows

By: Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

Narrated By: Cassandra Campbell

Publication: May 5, 2026 by William Morrow Paperbacks

464 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, American Revolution

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton.

In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments, amassing savings, battling plague and loss, and defending their home. Unafraid to speak her mind, she famously offers fearless political counsel, urging John to “remember the ladies” in the new government. Through it all, she becomes his most trusted confidante and indispensable ally.

When peace is secured, Abigail steps onto the world stage—exchanging ideas with Thomas Jefferson in the French countryside, navigating court life as the wife of the Minister to Great Britain, and presiding over the parlor politics of the early American republic in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Even after her husband’s presidential administration, she continues battling political foes and working behind the scenes to advance her family, secure independence for the women in her life, and ensure a better life for the next generation of Americans.

From war-torn streets to the chandeliered halls of power, A Founding Mother is the unforgettable story of a woman ahead of her time—one whose voice, vision, and valor still resonate powerfully today.

Given the United States of America is set to turn 250 years old this July 4th, I saw A Founding Mother for review and knew I wanted to check it out. I requested the audio version because I knew I would get through it quicker that way. And man, was that the right choice! Cassandra Campbell does a wonderful job narrating the audio version.

I've got to be honest. I didn't know too much about John or Abigail Adams. Neither was a big part of my American History education throughout school, and after listening to this audiobook, I feel like that's probably a disservice to myself and to the Adams family and their service to the country.

I do find history fascinating. When you look at it through the lens of just being a collection of stories about individual people, then I find it much easier to learn about. I will say that I cried at least three times while listening to this book. I don't think that has ever happened to me while reading (or listening to) a book before. Part of that is the story, but also, as I mention, Cassandra Campbell does a wonderful job bringing this story to life. Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie's writing. All of it merging into a wonderful conglomeration.

Of course, when you're reading a book that isn't dual or multiple perspectives, you are just getting one person's point of view. So it's easier to sympathize with what a person is going through and to see that person as being the "good guy" and the people that oppose them as "bad guys". That isn't the correct lens to look at the world, though. Things are rarely black and white. And the people who might have worked against the Adams family have their own versions of events. I have come out of this story having learned a lot while also having a desire to learn more. And that's one of the best recommendations that I can give it.

It amazes me how much things haven't changed in our world. How, from the formation of America, the news has been printing lies, scandals, stirring the pot, and trying to take down the opposite political viewpoint. Today we often think of the biased news media as being a new thing. It's talked about so frequently that it's easy to see. But this has been happening since the beginning. It's also easy for us to think that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, and the country was unified and everyone was happy and working together to create this great nation. Without proper education on how truly difficult our forefathers fought to create our nation, it's so easy to forget what all the people who lived and died fought for. It seems like American History must hardly be taught, and what is taught is skewed.

For instance, I know that slavery is such a talked-about thing concerning America's foundation. And a lot of our founding fathers even owned slaves, but then when you look deeper, you learn that some of our founders opposed slavery from the beginning. Abigail was strongly against it, and her work for women's rights is something that could easily be forgotten because progress wasn't exactly made in her lifetime.

A Founding Mother was a deeply moving story about a woman whom I came to respect. My heart broke for her throughout the story, yet Abigail was a strong woman who stood through many heartbreaking times. She had a strong understanding of politics and helped her husband often throughout his political career. She was also a brilliant businesswoman, taking control of their family's finances nearly on her own while John was overseas and even after, to the point where John didn't concern himself with finances and he didn't even know how Abigail actually made money for their family. It's mind-blowing what she accomplished in a time when women weren't given the freedoms that we have today. The story itself is engaging enough for me to recommend it to my readers. I was never bored while listening to it.

Yet if you have a particular fondness or interest in history, I cannot recommend this book to you enough. A Founding Mother easily gets 5 Stars from me. As a matter of fact, A Founding Mother is the first book I've given 5 Stars to in 2026. Have you read or listened to A Founding Mother? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - The Spooky Sound

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

The Spooky Sound (Disney/Pixar Cars)

By: Melissa Lagonegro

Illustrated By: Ron Cohee

Publication: July 13, 2010 by RH/Disney

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Level-2, Early Readers

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--CAfter Mater and Lightning McQueen hear a mysterious sound one night, they decide to investigate. But when they can't figure out where it's coming from, Radiator Springs suddenly becomes very spooky!

Disney•Pixar's Cars fans will love this all-new Step 2 reader featuring all of their favorite characters.

The Spooky Sound is one of our Level-2 readers. This one was given to us and not one that I bought. Lightning McQueen and Mater like telling scary stories. But they aren't scared. Yet they are. They see a variety of spooky shadows and shapes on their way home. But then each of these scary things is revealed to be something not scary at all. I liked the play on how often the things we get worked up and scared about, especially as a kid, all have unscary truths behind them. However, sometimes just telling scary stories can get us scared over nothing. The yo-yo of not scared, scared, not scared, scared was actually funny for my level-2 reader.

My son read this book with a little less reluctance than some other books. I don't think there were any words he struggled with. He wanted to see what each of the spooky things Lightning and Mater were afraid of actually were. The Spooky Sound gets 4 Stars. Have you or your child read The Spooky Sound? What did you think? Let me know!