TESSA TALKS BOOKS

What a week of wildly different reads! I bounced from a zombie apocalypse romance to a historical murder mystery, with a fast-paced treasure hunt and a morally murky thriller in between. It was one of those glorious reading streaks where every book felt like a totally new adventure—and I loved each one in its own way. Let’s dive into the chaos, clues, and chemistry:

🧟‍♀️ Zom RomCom by Olivia Dade

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

This book? Unhinged. Hilarious. Hot. And I was so here for it. Zom RomCom reads like a B-movie fever dream in the best possible way—there are zombies (of course), but also vampires, demons, trolls, witches, and a surprising amount of sexual tension.

Edie and Max are the kind of main characters that make you want to third-wheel their apocalypse. Their chemistry sizzles, the banter is top-tier, and their slow-burn romance explodes in the most delightful ways. One minute they’re dodging zombie bites, the next they’re making out in a collapsing building—iconic behavior, truly. Olivia Dade balances the ridiculous and the romantic with such charm that I was grinning (and occasionally swooning) the whole way through.

🪙 Blood and Treasure by Ryan Pote

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

If you’re a fan of nonstop action, ancient relics, and just the right amount of cheese, this one’s for you. Blood and Treasure leans into its Indiana Jones roots with a classic good guy/bad guy setup: Ethan is the emotionally scarred hero, Azhar Arbab is the villain with cheesy one-liners, and Mojdeh? She’s the real star. Complex, mysterious, and layered—she absolutely stole the show for me.

While the beginning was a bit heavy with detail (I was almost ready to scream “Uncle!”), the pacing quickly picked up with short chapters and a solid rhythm of action and discovery. The juxtaposition of biblical relics with futuristic weapons added a fun twist, and the story never let up on thrills.

🕵️‍♀️ Jenny Cooper Has a Secret by Joy Fielding

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 stars)

Creepy, twisty, and full of dread—this one got under my skin. From page one, there’s a pervasive eeriness that never lets go. Short chapters, soft cliffhangers, and a constantly building sense of “what is REALLY going on here?” kept me flying through the pages.

Yes, I guessed the ending early on. But even so, the journey was satisfying and morally complex. The kind of gray-area ending that makes you close the book slowly and sit with it. Joy Fielding does a phenomenal job building atmosphere, letting secrets unfurl at just the right pace, and keeping you guessing until the very end—even if you think you know the truth.

🍬 The Art of the Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 stars)

Give me a grieving widow, a murder mystery, and a suspiciously helpful gentleman with a foreign dessert, and I am hooked. This historical mystery set in 18th-century England was everything I wanted—layered, suspenseful, and dripping with betrayal.

Hannah Cole is such a compelling protagonist: recently widowed, fighting to keep her struggling confectionery afloat, and surrounded by people who may (or may not) want her to fail. Enter William Devereux, who brings both clues and the sweet invention of “iced cream” (yes, please). As Hannah unravels the truth about her husband’s death, she also uncovers a tangled web of secrets that put her in real danger. The writing is rich, the atmosphere immersive, and the suspense just kept building. Loved it.

☕ Final Thoughts

From undead hilarity to historical deceit, this week’s reads gave me whiplash in the best way. Whether I was rooting for lovers during the apocalypse or solving mysteries across centuries, I was fully entertained. And that, my friends, is what reading joy looks like.

🔍 Question of the Week:

Which genre-hopping read has surprised you the most lately? Let’s talk zombies, secrets, and scandal in the comments