J.E. Leak (Author of In the Shadow of the Past)

J.E. Leak rated a book it was amazing Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 26, 2025 07:15PM · 8 likes · like
J.E. Leak and 37 other people liked Jen Lyon's review of Atmosphere: "I finished this book a week or so ago, and I still need to sit down to do a full review of it. But for now, let's suffice it to say that I loved it so much, I ended up hosting a Zoom session to chat about the book with strangers from all over the glob" Read more of this review »
Jul 13, 2025 02:33AM · see review
J.E. Leak rated a book it was amazing The Unfinished Line by Jen Lyon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I will start by saying I loved The Senator’s Wife series by Jen Lyon. It was angsty, poignant, and brought me one of my favorite fictional characters in Catharine Cleveland. If you’ve read that series, you know Jen is a bold writer, and she doesn’t p ...more
Oct 06, 2024 11:36PM · 25 likes · like · see review
J.E. Leak rated a book it was amazing Falls From Grace (Grace Notes #1) by Ruby Landers (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sometimes a book comes along that just carries you into its world and wraps itself around you like a warm blanket. Falls from Grace by Ruby Landers is that kind of book for me. I was first introduced to one of the main characters, country music super ...more
Mar 06, 2024 01:57PM · 38 likes · like · see review
J.E. Leak rated a book it was amazing No Way Out by Susie Fleming	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I've always been a fan of Ruby Scott's novels, so when I heard that she was writing a thriller under the name Susie Fleming, I couldn’t wait to read it. As a fan of thrillers and mysteries, I like to think I’m pretty adept at unraveling plots and iden ...more
Feb 29, 2024 06:29AM · 3 likes · like · see review

J.E. Leak rated a book it was amazing

Atmosphere
by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Goodreads Author)

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J.E. Leak and 37 other people liked Jen Lyon's review of Atmosphere:

"I finished this book a week or so ago, and I still need to sit down to do a full review of it.

But for now, let's suffice it to say that I loved it so much, I ended up hosting a Zoom session to chat about the book with strangers from all over the glob" Read more of this review »

J.E. Leak rated a book it was amazing

The Unfinished Line
by Jen Lyon (Goodreads Author)

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I will start by saying I loved The Senator’s Wife series by Jen Lyon. It was angsty, poignant, and brought me one of my favorite fictional characters in Catharine Cleveland. If you’ve read that series, you know Jen is a bold writer, and she doesn’t p ...more

J.E. Leak rated a book it was amazing

Falls From Grace (Grace Notes #1)
by Ruby Landers (Goodreads Author)

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Sometimes a book comes along that just carries you into its world and wraps itself around you like a warm blanket. Falls from Grace by Ruby Landers is that kind of book for me. I was first introduced to one of the main characters, country music super Sometimes a book comes along that just carries you into its world and wraps itself around you like a warm blanket. Falls from Grace by Ruby Landers is that kind of book for me. I was first introduced to one of the main characters, country music superstar Savannah Grace, in Landers’ debut novella Two Tickets (which is also lovely). It was a brief appearance (along with her philandering co-star husband) and it intrigued me enough to want to read Falls From Grace in what was sure to be a messy, heartbreaking journey for Savannah as she goes through a very public breakup of her marriage, which dissolves one of country's top musical acts.

This is where Falls from Grace begins. A few years after her appearance in Two Tickets, Savannah’s aforementioned jerk of a now ex-husband is also an absentee dad, and Savannah is left with a career to revive and a precocious two-year-old to raise on her own.

I’m going to pause right here and interject something about me as a reader: On country music … unless your name is Dolly, Patsy, Loretta, or Tammy, I am not a country music fan. I am also not a fan of small children in fiction. If this is you as well, I urge you to put all that aside and read this book. You might even change your mind about small children (you thought I was going to say country music, didn’t you?). But seriously, don’t let either hold you back. And the child? Absolutely delightful. So often when a child is brought into a scene, the child overpowers the scene. In this case, Landers has cleverly kept the focus on the main characters so their interaction with the child moves their relationship and the plot along. It’s seamless, and lovely, and one of the reasons this book warmed my (admittedly cynical) heart. If you love country music and small children in fiction, then run, don’t walk to this one!

Okay, on with the review. We’re introduced to Brynn Marshall as a woman who has had her share of hard times and is searching for her place in the world. As a final straw, she has just lost her apartment. Brynn’s best friend, Noah Lyman, has just been hired as Savannah’s new co-writer and is off to Savannah’s beautiful Vermont estate to work on her new album. Noah has the brilliant idea of bringing Brynn along, but to make sure Savannah won’t have a problem with him inviting a plus one, Noah tells her Brynn is his wife. So we’ve got a little fake relationship trope added to the mix!

The slow burn starts as soon as Brynn and Savannah meet. Through a series of twists and turns, their off-the-charts chemistry evolves from tentative friendship to something much more profound. Falls From Grace is about finding love in unexpected places, bravely confronting the past, and conquering the fear that comes with opening up to another person. It may start out as a slow burn, but when that smolder catches fire … hoo, it catches fire!

Landers has created compelling main characters and side characters, and the themes of love, loss, and the search for identity are so well written that, regardless of interests or background, they resonate and pull us in. As this is part one of a trilogy (it is standalone), I can’t wait to see where the author takes these characters!

A big thanks to the author for the ARC! ...more

J.E. Leak rated a book it was amazing

No Way Out
by Susie Fleming

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I've always been a fan of Ruby Scott's novels, so when I heard that she was writing a thriller under the name Susie Fleming, I couldn’t wait to read it.

As a fan of thrillers and mysteries, I like to think I’m pretty adept at unraveling plots and iden ...more

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	In the Shadow of the Past (Shadow, #1) 4.24 avg rating — 772 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In the Shadow of Love (Shadow, #2) 4.46 avg rating — 518 ratings — published 2022 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In the Shadow of Truth (Shadow, #3) 4.47 avg rating — 354 ratings — published 2023 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In the Shadow of Victory (Shadow, #4) 4.62 avg rating — 337 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In the Shadow of Truth: Shadow Series, Book 3 by J.E. Leak (Goodreads Author), Abby Craden (Narrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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