ARC Review: Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney

Bodies and Battlements
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Series: The Ravensea Castle Series (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 27, 2025)

Description: The first in a new cozy mystery series by Elizabeth Penney investigates a suspicious murder in a haunted British castle-turned-bed and breakfast.

Herbalist Nora Asquith is delighted to welcome Ravensea Castle’s first guests to the picturesque village of Monkwell, Yorkshire. After a thousand years of ownership, her family has decided to convert the castle into a bed and breakfast. But when Hilda Dibble, a self-appointed local luminary, is found dead in the knot garden the next morning, Nora’s business is not only at risk―she’s a prime suspect.

Hilda had opposed the hotel plan every step of the way, and although she didn’t succeed in stopping the venture, her disagreements with Nora seem to only further her motive. One of Ravensea’s guests happens to be Detective Inspector Finlay Cole, who is new to the area and now finds himself with a murder case in his lap.

Nora and her actress sister Tamsyn decide to investigate for themselves. They look into the entangled dealings of their newly arrived guests, while also getting hints from Sir Percival, one of the castle ghosts. As they learn, Sir Percival’s tragic death centuries ago sheds light on present-day crimes. Surely they can get to the bottom of this mystery while keeping their new business afloat . . .

My Thoughts: This is the first in a new cozy mystery series. Nora Asquith has jumped through all sorts of hoops to open the castle her family has occupied since the 1100s to bed-and-breakfast guests. Village newcomer Hilda Dibble had led a campaign to get the village council to forbid Nora's plans. but Nora persevered and the first guests are arriving.

Nora is also an herbalist who grows plants for her tinctures, soaps and other products. The morning after her first guests arrive when she goes out to weed, she finds Hilda dead in her herb garden. Luckily but perhaps not completely coincidentally, one of her guests is Detective Inspector Finlay Cole who is newly transferred to the area. He is right on hand to assist with the investigation. Also, newly arriving is Nora's sister Tamsyn who is an actress in historical drama TV series. 

Nora learns that she is not the only one at the castle who had a previous relationship with Hilda. Her birdwatching guest turns out to be the son Hilda's sister put up for adoption as an infant. And she has some connection to the couple Nora's brother comped to a night's stay in hopes of placing his mead with their chain of liquor stores. Also, there is the entrepreneur on the yacht who wants to add the castle to his chain of hotels made from stately homes who had a connection to Hilda too. 

But Hilda is only the first body that Nora stumbles on. She also finds a local stonemason on the beach when she goes to gather seaweed from some concoction she's trying out for her herb business. 

Nora and her sister begin investigating because Nora fears that having the castle associated with murder is going to ruin her fledgling business before it can even get off the ground. 

I enjoyed this mystery. I look forward to more books in the series. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

We have always lived in this castle, this jumbled, tumbled heap perched above Robin Hood's Bay.

Friday 56:

Where to begin? I didn't quite dare to ask him why he'd come out to Patrick's yacht. Did his visit have anything to do with Hilda or was it another matter?

This week I am spotlighting Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney. This first in a new series is on my Review stack. Here is the description from Amazon:

The first in a new cozy mystery series by Elizabeth Penney investigates a suspicious murder in a haunted British castle-turned-bed and breakfast.

Herbalist Nora Asquith is delighted to welcome Ravensea Castle’s first guests to the picturesque village of Monkwell, Yorkshire. After a thousand years of ownership, her family has decided to convert the castle into a bed and breakfast. But when Hilda Dibble, a self-appointed local luminary, is found dead in the knot garden the next morning, Nora’s business is not only at risk―she’s a prime suspect.

Hilda had opposed the hotel plan every step of the way, and although she didn’t succeed in stopping the venture, her disagreements with Nora seem to only further her motive. One of Ravensea’s guests happens to be Detective Inspector Finlay Cole, who is new to the area and now finds himself with a murder case in his lap.

Nora and her actress sister Tamsyn decide to investigate for themselves. They look into the entangled dealings of their newly arrived guests, while also getting hints from Sir Percival, one of the castle ghosts. As they learn, Sir Percival’s tragic death centuries ago sheds light on present-day crimes. Surely they can get to the bottom of this mystery while keeping their new business afloat . . .

ARC Review: Doggone Bones by Carolyn Haines

Doggone Bones
Author: Carolyn Haines
Series: Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries (Book 29)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 27, 2025)

Description: The latest novel in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as "Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney.

After a dog belonging to local pet activist Tilly Lawson is snatched right out of her backyard in Sunflower County, MS, Sarah Booth and the Delaney Detective Agency are up to their ears in concerned pet owners. Could Tilly's work liberating abused animals have come back to bite her, or was this a random act of dognapping?

Delaney Detective Agency has their work cut out for them, especially as a troublesome online pet detective agency tries nosing their way into the investigation. But as Sarah Booth and Tinkie start to sink their teeth into the mystery, they discover there's much more at play than they thought: neighborhood rivalries, questionable dog breeders, and an illegal dogfighting operation.

As their digging churns up dangerous attention—and with their own beloved dogs, Sweetie Pie and Chablis, possibly next in line to be dognapped—Sarah Booth and Tinkie are in a race against time to track down the thieves and return the missing pets home.

My Thoughts: The Delaney Detective Agency takes on a case of dognapping when the beloved pet of a pet activist is stolen from her yard. Both Sarah Booth and Tinkie are pet lovers too and are going to do their best to get Jezebel back. Then another pet is stolen from another older lady.

The detective duo has lots of suspects including a shady police chief, the mayor, the second lady's ne'er-do-well grandson, and a villain who has plagued Sarah Booth for some time and is on the lam from various law enforcement agencies in Mississippi. Then there is the local boy who made it good in pro wrestling and might be dipping into dog fighting and drugs with maybe a side of gambling. 

Things get even more tense when Sarah Booth's and Tinkie's dogs are dognapped too. 

This was a fun story filled with all sorts of Southern sayings. It also features "assistance" from Sarah Booth's ghost Jitty who makes appearances as famous historical dog lovers. And her boyfriend Coleman has a large role to play too. 

This is the 29th book in this series. I've only read one other, but will be putting the series on my TBR stack. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: A Deadly Discover by Ciar Byrne

A Deadly Discovery
Author: Ciar Byrne
Series: The Woolf and Bell Mysteries (Book 1)
Publication: Headline Accent (September 26, 2024)

Description: In the shadow of Lewes castle lies buried an ancient tablet. Hours after discovering it, dashing local archaeologist Gideon Rivers is dead.

Writer Virginia Woolf and her artist sister, Vanessa, both know firsthand that it doesn't take much to cause a stir in town. And when Gideon returned home from a dig in Syria with a glamourous Parisian heiress on his arm, all eyes were on him.

But who would have conspired to murder such a charming young man? There are more suspects in his circle than it first seems: an ambitious fiancée, a jealous best friend, and a string of scorned former lovers.

With the police chasing false leads and the murderer hunting down a second victim - one far closer to home - Ginny and Nessa are forced to take investigations into their own hands.

Solving this mystery calls for a little creativity . . .

My Thoughts: This is the first mystery starring author Virginia Woolf and her artist sister Vanessa Bell. The story takes place in England in 1928. The two women are invited to visit an archaeological site being overseen by Gideon Rivers who is the son of one of Virginia's acquaintances. They are present when a clay tablet is found. It is purportedly an artifact brought to England with the remains of the Crusader ruler of the local castle. But things take a turn when Gideon's body is found at the site by a local author Alice Dudeney whose home backs up to the archaeological site. 

Virginia is asked by Gideon's mother to look into the murder since she doesn't have much faith in the local constabulary. Neither Virginia nor Vanessa has much faith in Chief Inspector Gripe either. Besides both women are very curious about the case. 

Ginnie and Nessa soon find themselves with a variety of suspects including Gideon's best friend, his fiancee, professional rivals, and romantic rivals too. The complex interpersonal relationships mirror the relationships of Nessa and Ginnie who are devoted members of the Bloomsbury set. 

The story is told from multiple viewpoints with Virginia, Vanessa, and Alice all having their chances to shine and take center stage. 

This was an engaging historical mystery that had me going to Wikipedia to find out more about Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. Fans of mysteries with real but fictionalized characters will enjoy this story. 

I bought this one January 8, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

The Busybody Book Club
Author: Freya Sampson
Publication: Berkley (May 27, 2025)

Description: They can’t even agree on what to read, so how are they going to solve a murder?

Having recently moved from London to a small Cornish seaside village, Nova Davies started a book club at the local community center, but so far it’s a disaster. The five members disagree on everything, and to make matters worse, a significant sum of money is stolen during one of the meetings, putting the much-loved community center at risk.

Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when he disappears and a dead body turns up at his house. But the book club has their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove Michael’s been framed, while romance reader Arthur believes there’s a mystery woman involved, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.

While trying to locate Michael, solve the murder and recover the stolen money, each of them has their own secrets to protect. But despite the danger closing in, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and gotten everyone safe at home with a book, where they belong.

My Thoughts: After the death of her beloved father, Nova Davies moves from London to a small village on the seaside in Cornwall. She's come to her fiance's hometown where they are living with his parents, and his mother has taken over plans for the wedding setting Nova's wishes aside.

Nova works for the local community center which is in financial difficulty. She also runs a book club through the center. Her readers are a small, eclectic mix. Phyllis is an elderly Agatha Christie fan who sees mysteries everywhere and who has been warned off by the local constabulary for her excessive "help." Athur is an elderly farmer who reads a lot of romances aloud to his housebound, blind wife of sixty years. Ash is a quiet teenager who is a science fiction fan. Michael is a new member of the group and somewhat mysterious. 

When Michael gets a text and rushes out of the meeting one Wednesday night. Next, the theft of 10,000 pounds is discovered. It had been kept in the petty cash drawer intended as a payment to the roofers who were set to begin fixing the leaky roof the next day. Nova is being blamed for allowing the theft because she didn't lock the office door. 

The book club decides to track down Michael because they are certain he was the only one who could have taken the money. When they get to his house, the find the police and an ambulance and see a body being removed from the premises. But it is Michael's mother who has died, and no one can find Michael. 

Our amateur sleuths are undaunted though Nova tries to reign them in since she should be working on her wedding plans for her rapidly nearing wedding date. However, she's having some second thoughts about getting married and she's being plagued with other mistakes at work. 

This was an engaging story filled with quirky but lovable characters. I liked the mystery. But what I liked most of all was getting to know the members of the Busybody Book Club.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Tell Me by Anne Frasier

Tell Me
Author: Anne Frasier
Narrator: Erin Bennett
Series: Inland Empire (Book 2)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (July 27, 2021)
Length: 9 hours and 1 minute

Description: What really happened in the forest? Hidden crimes and secrets of the past converge in a riveting thriller by Anne Frasier, the New York Times bestselling author of Find Me.

No strangers to evil, criminal profiler Reni Fisher and detective Daniel Ellis both still grapple with traumatizing pasts. It unites them. So has a crime they must solve before someone else dies.

At a campsite on California’s Pacific Crest Trail, a guide is murdered and three young hikers vanish without a trace. The only lead is a puzzle in itself: a video of the crime scene, looking eerily staged, uploaded to social media. The girl who posted it can’t be found. Is it a viral hoax gone unspeakably wrong, or is there something more sinister at play in the forest?

The case intensifies when one of the missing is found wandering down a dirt road, confused and afraid. As Reni and Daniel struggle to sort fact from fiction, a secret past collides with the present, threatening to sever their relationship. Are some truths too much to bear? Will this be the case that finally breaks them?

My Thoughts: Reni Fisher and Daniel Ellis team up again to solve a horrific crime. A guide is murdered and three young hikers disappear at an isolated campsite on the Pacific Crest Trail. The group is from a camp which tries to end teens' addictions to social media. 

Daniel learns that he has a connection to one of the young hikers. He had previously rescued her from a school shooting, and he had had a relationship with her mother when they were college age. Emerson, the young girl, believes that Daniel is her real father. Her mother denies this.

Meanwhile, Daniel has just about given up the search for the mother who disappeared when he was a young boy. That disappearance had ruled his life and was the basis for all the choices he had made in his life. Reni isn't so quick to give up the search and manages to find the woman who wasn't one of her father's victims but who just left and left Daniel behind to make a new life for herself. 

Reni is trying to come to terms with her own bitter past as the daughter of a serial killer. The former FBI Agent makes pottery and does watercolor painting along with a few consulting jobs to find missing people. She's currently fixated on doing watercolors of her father's burial sites. 

This was a nicely twisty thriller with lots of red herrings. 

I bought this one March 23, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Hidden Nature
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication: St. Martin's Press (May 27, 2025)

Description: The #1 New York Times-bestselling author presents a novel about an injured cop who must fight to bring down a pair of twisted killers…

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store―and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young―the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case―and she's willing to risk her life again if that's what it takes to stop the horror.

My Thoughts: HIDDEN NATURE was another excellent romantic suspense novel from Nora Roberts. Sloan Cooper is a Natural Resources police officer who is shot when she enters a convenience store where a robbery is happening. Her heart stops and she's clinically dead for some minutes while her chest is being operated on. Faced with a long, difficult rehabilitation, Sloan returns to her parents' home in Heron's Rest. 

Also landing in Heron's Rest is Nash Littlefield. After a career in finance that he was good at but which made him unhappy, Nash has purchased a fixer-upper in Heron's Rest and is planning to open business as a handyman. He's joined by his younger brother Theo who is a lawyer due to parental pressure but wants to work with Nash. 

Sloan is busy with her physical therapy, but it doesn't meet her need for mental stimulation. When she learns that a young newlywed has disappeared outside the local grocery store leaving her car and family behind, Sloan decides to look into the case. She soon learns that there have been other similar cases in the larger area. The victims don't seem to have anything in common as they vary in age, occupation, and sex. However, Sloan learns that they were all revived after being clinically dead.

We learn that the villains are religious fanatics determined to return those who have been revived to their destined afterlife. The scenes from the villains' point of view were really creepy. 

I liked the romance. I also liked the way family was central to the story. The contrast between Sloan's family and Nash and Theo's family was striking. I liked reading about the way both Nash and Sloan were rehabbing their two homes while growing their relationship.

This was an engaging story. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 19, 2025)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

From a high of 87 last Sunday to a high of 54 on Saturday, our temperatures have been on a downward trend. Right now (Sunday morning), it is 40 with rain and fog. Temperatures will be gradually getting warmer with a high of 64 expected for next Friday. This past weekend brought thunderstorms and rain but not very much rain. With wildfires in the area, we could use more rain which is not expected this week. We are expecting breezy winds which won't be good for ending the fires. 

My two appointments this past week went well. I'm still waiting for the results of the mammogram which should come early next week. This week I'll be heading back to the clinic for my bi-monthly blood work. That's the only appointment on next week's schedule. 

Otherwise, this past week was a quiet one with lots of time for reading and listening. Next week should be the same. The Voice is coming to an end which means the only thing I'll be consistently watching on television is baseball - Braves baseball. My team isn't doing very well this year. They're hovering around 500 but expecting two of their superstars to return to the lineup soon. 

Read Last Week

• He's to Die For by Erin Dunn (Review; June 3) -- LGBTQ+ mystery romance. My review will be posted on May 27.
• Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (Chirp Audiobook; Mine since February 3) -- Dramatized, full cast audio version of the first book in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. My review will be posted on May 29.
• A Lethal Cocktail by Ciar Byrne (Review; May 22) -- Second in the Woolf and Bell historical mystery series. My review will be posted on May 27. The paperback won't be out until August 26.

• One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver (Review; June 3) -- Finale of the Electra McDonnell historical mystery series. My review will be posted on May 28.
• It Takes a Psychic by Jayne Castle (Review; June 3) -- The latest in her series of paranormal romances set on Harmony. My review will be posted on May 31.
• Just Beachy by Wendy Wax (Review; June 3) -- Contemporary romance set in Florida. My review will be posted on May 29.

• Obsession in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- #41 in the In Death Series
• Grave Words by Gerri Lewis (Review; June 10) -- Second in a contemporary cozy mystery series. My review will be posted on June 3)
• Storm Furies by Wen Spencer (Audible Credit) -- Sixth book in the Elfhome urban fantasy series. I reviewed the print edition of this book last September. I've been waiting for the audiobook so that I'd have the whole series on audio. 

Currently

• Captivated by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook)
• Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King (Review; June 10)

Next Week

• A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge by Kate Khavari (Review; June 10)
• Believe Me Now by S. M. Govett (Review; June 10)
• Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West (Review; June 10)

• Don't Open the Door by Allison Brennan (Mine since May 12)
• The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott (Review; June 10)
• The Journal of a Thousand Years by C. J. Archer (Mine since March 17)

Reviews Posted

• Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews (Review Copy)
• Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong (Review Copy)
• Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis (Mine)

• Treachery in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook)
• Shadows in the Water by Kory M. Shrum (Audiobook)
• All Eyes on Me by Linsey Lanier (Audiobook)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh (Review; July 15)
• Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman (Review; August 26)

• A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouninard (Review; September 23)
• Revenge, Served Royal by Celeste Connally (Review; November 11)

Bought:

• Don't Open the Door by Allison Brennan (BookBub; Free with Kindle Rewards)
• Captivated by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook; $3.99)
• Charmed by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook; $3.99)

• Enchanted by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook; $3.99)
• Entranced by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook; $3.99)
• Storm Furies by Wen Spencer (Audible Credit)

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: All Eyes on Me by Linsey Lanier

All Eyes on Me
Author: Linsay Lanier
Narrator: Kristen James
Series: A Miranda and Parker Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Felicity Books (July 8, 2024)
Length: 7 hours and 18 minutes

Description: The Las Vegas desert.

A once famous pop singer lies dead.

The only clue to her murder—a bizarre disfigurement.

Only one thing to do.

Call in Parker and Steele.

To avoid the hassle of a media frenzy, the local police sergeant decides to contact his old mentor, Wade Parker, and ask him to consult on the case.

After nearly dying eight months ago, Miranda Steele can't wait to get back to real detective work.

Nobody deserves to die that way.

But this one isn’t so easy. If she can't solve this case, not only will she fail her destiny, another psycho killer might get away with murder.

Meanwhile, Parker harbors secret reservations about their new venture together.

Especially when he suspects there might be more to this murder than meets the...eye.

You’ll love this intriguing mystery full of twists and turns, because it’s the start of many more adventures.

My Thoughts: This is the first Miranda and Parker mystery. There is apparently considerable backstory in the Miranda's Rights mysteries which I haven't read. 

As I began this one, I met Miranda Steele and Wade Parker. He's an upper-class private investigator in Atlanta, Georgia. She's his new wife and former apprentice. They were called by one of Wade's former apprentices who is now a sergeant in the Las Vegas Police Department.

It seems that the sergeant has a case he wants to palm off on someone else. A once famous pop singer has been discovered murdered in the desert outside of Las Vegas. She's found with one eye removed by a melon baller. The mutilation is reminiscent of her most popular song All Eyes on Me. Everyone is going to be paying attention as this crime is investigated, and the sergeant doesn't want any part of it. 

Parker has been thinking of branching out to work as consultants for other police departments. This looks like a good first test case. He also wants to gently get his new wife involved in investigating again as she's recovering from a serious injury. A roll of the dice makes Miranda the lead in the investigation. 

Miranda and Parker are confronted with a wide variety of suspects since the singer has a popular show in Las Vegas and a variety of hangers-on including her former Elvis impersonator husband who has turned into her business manager and her sister who works in the background of her productions. Then there is the chauffeur who wants to be in her band and her personal chef who is very tired of always being asked to make melon balls. 

I found this story to be entertaining even if is it wildly unrealistic. I don't believe that police departments farm out murder investigations to hired private investigators. I did enjoy the way Miranda identified suspects and was so sure that each was guilty until evidence showed they weren't. The narrator did a good job ramping up the tension. 

I bought the Kindle version and the Chirp Audiobook March 25, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: All Eyes on Me by Linsey Lanier

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

He told her she was stupid. He called her a whore. He said she was ruined. He told her he'd given away her three-week old baby to strangers. 

Friday 56:

She sat up and pulled her bare feet under her as if she had to think about that. "Is he doing all right?"

This week I am spotlighting All Eyes on Me by Linsay Lanier. I bought the Kindle version and Chirp audiobook March 25, 2025. Here is the description from Amazon:

The Las Vegas desert.

A once famous pop singer lies dead.

The only clue to her murder—a bizarre disfigurement. Only one thing to do.

Call in Parker and Steele.

To avoid the hassle of a media frenzy, the local police sergeant decides contact his old mentor, Wade Parker, and ask him to consult on the case.

After nearly dying eight months ago, Miranda Steele can't wait to get back to real detective work. Nobody deserves to die that way.

But this one isn’t so easy.

If she can't solve this case, not only will she fail her destiny, another psycho killer might get away with murder.

Meanwhile, Parker harbors secret reservations about their new venture together.

Especially when he suspects there might be more to this murder than meets the...eye.

You’ll love this intriguing mystery full of twists and turns, because it’s the start of many more adventures.

Audiobook Review: Shadows in the Water by Kory M. Shrum

Shadows in the Water
Author: Kory M. Shrum
Narrator: Hollie Jackson
Series: Shadows in the Water (Book 1)
Publication: Timberlane Press
Length: 9 hours and 11 minutes

Description: An original new series, with heart-pounding suspense and surprising twists. Meet Louie Thorne. They didn't kill her--and they'll soon regret it.

When DEA agent Jack Thorne's house is stormed by vengeful drug lords, both he and his wife are shot dead. Only his daughter Louie survives--by using a terrifying power that defies reason. Piecing together a life in his absence, Louie embraces her gift and her rage under the force of a single need: revenge. She will destroy the men that took her family. No matter the cost, no matter how many bullets, she won't stop until justice has been well and truly served.

My Thoughts: SHADOWS IN THE WATER was a story of vigilante justice. Louie Thorne was only a child when her parents were murdered in their home. Her DEA agent father was targeted by some criminals he had brought to justice. Louie idolized her father and was determined to get justice for him.

Luckily, Louie had a secret power. She was able to slip between places as long as there were shadows in the places and she could visualize the place or person she wanted to go to. 

When this story begins, Louie has been exacting her own brand of justice for more than ten years and has finally eliminated all of the family of the person she blames for her father's death. All except one that is. 

A young Roman criminal who was the illegitimate son of a Martinelli has inherited the criminal organization. He has his own reasons for also wanting revenge against the Martinelli family. Not only did his father never acknowledge him, but he had his mother murdered and buried in an unknown location. 

Louie's Aunt Lucy who raised her after her parents' deaths is dying but before she does, she wants to help Louie find a new purpose in life. Lucy introduces Louie to a man who was a mentor to Louie's father. He is retired but still does a few investigations. This time he's been asked by an old colleague to locate a witness who has disappeared. Louie could be useful. 

The only problem is that the investigation brings new information and new villains to light who really want Louie dead.

This was an interesting story with lots of action.

I bought this one from Chirp April 6, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis

Wooing the Witch Queen
Author: Stephanie Burgis
Series: Queens of Villainy (Book 1)
Publication: Bramble (February 18, 2025)

Description: In a Gaslamp-lit world where hags and ogres lurk in thick pine forests, three magical queens form an uneasy alliance to protect their lands from invasion…and love turns their world upside down.

Queen Saskia is the wicked sorceress everyone fears. After successfully wrestling the throne from her evil uncle, she only wants one thing: to keep her people safe from the empire next door. For that, she needs to spend more time in her laboratory experimenting with her spells. She definitely doesn’t have time to bring order to her chaotic library of magic.

When a mysterious dark wizard arrives at her castle, Saskia hires him as her new librarian on the spot. “Fabian” is sweet and a little nerdy, and his requests seem a little strange – what in the name of Divine Elva is a fountain pen? – but he’s getting the job done. And if he writes her flirtatious poetry and his innocent touch makes her skin singe, well…

Little does Saskia know that the "wizard" she’s falling for is actually an Imperial archduke in disguise, with no magical training whatsoever. On the run, with perilous secrets on his trail and a fast growing yearning for the wicked sorceress, he's in danger from her enemies and her newfound allies, too. When his identity is finally revealed, will their love save or doom each other?

My Thoughts: If there is such a genre as cozy romantasy, WOOING THE WITCH QUEEN definitely fits there. It is the first of Burgis's The Queens of Villainy trilogy.

Queen Saskia is a very powerful sorceress who has finally managed to overthrow her evil uncle, but now she has to rule even though she wants to spend more time in her laboratory finding ways to keep the evil emperor out of her country. 

When a masked dark wizard comes, she hires him to organize her library which was neglected in her uncle's reign. But the dark wizard isn't one at all. He's Archduke Felix and he's been under the abusive control of his father-in-law for years. Now that his wife has passed away from a fever, Felix feels that he has nothing more to lose and runs away hoping to gain sanctuary with his country's greatest enemy.

The two gradually fall in love throughout the story. And Felix, now called Fabian, learns about magic as he organizes the library. He also learns that Saskia is the evil queen his father-in-law decided she was. 

This was cute, romantic, and filled with magic. 

I bought this one April 1. 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong

Death at a Highland Wedding
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Rip Through Time (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 20, 2025)

Description: Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth installment in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's gripping Rip Through Time Novels.

After slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has embraced her new life in Victorian Scotland as housemaid Catriona Mitchel. Although it isn’t what she expected, she's developed real, meaningful relationships with the people around her and has come to love her role as assistant to undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie.

Mallory, Gray, and McCreadie are on their way to the Scottish Highlands for McCreadie's younger sister's wedding. The McCreadies and the groom’s family, the Cranstons, have a complicated history which has made the weekend quite uncomfortable. But the Cranston estate is beautiful so Gray and Mallory decide to escape the stifling company and set off to explore the castle and surrounding wilderness. They discover that the groom, Archie Cranston, a slightly pompous and prickly man, has set up deadly traps in the woods for the endangered Scottish wildcats, and they soon come across a cat who's been caught and severely injured. Oddly, Mallory notices the cat's injuries don't match up with the intricacies of the trap. These strange irregularities, combined with the secretive and erratic behavior of the groom, put Mallory and Duncan on edge. And then when one of the guests is murdered, they must work fast to uncover the murderer before another life is lost.

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s unique time travel mystery series continues to entertain as Mallory adjusts to life in the 1870s.

My Thoughts: In the fourth Rip Through Time historical mystery, Mallory, Gray, Isla and High McCreadie travel to Scotland for the wedding of Hugh's younger sister. They arrive at quite a fraught situation since Hugh's sister is marrying the brother of the woman Hugh jilted when they were younger. 

Archie Cranston was a school friend of Hugh's. The bridal party also includes a number of other school friends. Mallory feels out of her depth because she doesn't know all the in-jokes and references to past exploits that are flying by. The groom is also constantly picking at Gray which Archie considers good-natured teasing.

However, when a body is found, it first looks like it is Archie. It turns out to be Archie's best friend and groomsman Ezra Sinclair. Someone has bashed him in the back of his head with a shillelagh from Cranston's collection. 

Though Gray, Mallory and Hugh have extensive experience solving murder, this case falls on the shoulders of the local constable who is woefully unprepared, inexperienced and too stubborn to use their expertise. In fact, he soon arrests Cranston for the crime. 

However, Mallory, Gray and Hugh are giving up their own investigation and soon discover that Sinclair had a secret and seedy life which leads to lots more suspects for the murder including a number of the houseguests and staff.

This was an entertaining mystery. I liked the subtle romances going on in the story as Hugh and Isla are conducting a very slow courtship and Mallory isn't at all certain about her own relationship with Gray. I also enjoyed the investigation and Mallory's frustrations for the lack of tools she had available as a cop in Vancouver 150 years later in time.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Treachery in Death by J. D. Robb

Treachery in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Narrator: Susan Erickson
Series: In Death (Book 32)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (February 22, 2011)
Length: 13 hours and 38 minutes

Description: In a New York City fifty years in the future, Detective Eve Dallas tracks down those who break the law - including the ones sworn to uphold it.

Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a brutal, senseless crime - an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. And for the first time, Peabody is primary detective on the case, which means she has to get used to a new level of authority and responsibility. Good thing she learned the ropes from a master like Eve.

But after rounding up the perps, Peabody stumbles upon a much trickier situation. Determined to start working out as hard as she grills suspects, she chooses to do it at the old, rarely-used gym at Central. After a grueling workout, she squeezes into one of the narrow shower stalls, happy to have the place to herself. Just after she shuts the water off, the gym door clatters open - and while she cringes inside the stall, trying not to make a sound, Peabody overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. References are made to delivering product, and a house in the islands, and someone named Keener who’s supposed to look like an OD. It doesn’t take long for a naked and vulnerable Peabody to realize that both officers are crooked - guilty not just of corruption but of murder as well. Fortunately, the two clear out of the locker room without realizing there was a witness.

Eve Dallas may have trained Peabody well - but this is too dangerous for one person to take on alone. Now Peabody, Eve, and her husband, Roarke, must try to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down - knowing all the while that the two have already killed to keep their secret, and are no doubt willing to do it again.

My Thoughts: This is the 32nd book in the In Death series. It begins as a simple police procedural. Eve and Peabody are called to a Mom and Pop convenience store because three high patrons have murdered the elderly proprietor. Eve makes Peabody the Primary on the case, and it is quickly solved.

Afterwards, Peabody is working out in a seldom-used gym at Central because Eve has told her she needs to be lighter on her feet to chase down criminals. While showering, she overhears an angry conversation between two people that indicates that there is police corruption going on that has led to murder. 

Shaken, Peabody goes to Eve at home to tell her what she overheard. She is shaken and frightened since she knows she came within moments of being discovered and killed. Eve takes charge. First, they need to find the body of the murdered junkie and claim the case for Eve and Homicide. Then they need to find evidence to arrest the dirty Lieutenant of the Illegals Division. 

Since the Lieutenant is the only daughter of a legend in the Department, Eve has to keep her investigation quiet. Renee Oberman has managed to corrupt most of her department and has tentacles in many other departments. Eve calls in only people she knows she can trust. Feeney and McNab will handle the electronics. Lieutenant Webster will represent Internal Affairs. Mira and Commander Whitney have roles to play. And Roarke will be there to help with the electronics, find the hidden financial details, and support Eve in any possible way. Even Mavis and baby Bella have roles to play in this one. 

Besides the police procedural, this is a story about fathers and their children and what it means to have a leadership role. Eve and Roarke didn't hit the jackpot with their birth fathers but the men who mentored them more than filled the roles. Feeney for Eve and Sommerset for Roarke. There was a stark contrast between the way Eve runs Homicide and the respect she has from her detectives and officers and the way Oberman runs Illegals. 

This was an excellent story. It allowed Peabody to shine and included many favorite characters from earlier books in the series. I missed Nadine Furst's presence since she was only mentioned near the end but enjoyed the cameo from Mavis and Bella. 

I bought this audiobook December 1, 2023. I bought the book when it was released in 2011. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews

Rules for Ruin
Author: Mimi Matthews
Series: The Crinoline Society (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley (May 20, 2025)

Description: No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must decide: break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break her heart.

On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful lord’s systematic attack on women’s rights in Parliament, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is struck: bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.

But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.

From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It’s the danger to her heart.

My Thoughts: RULES FOR RUIN is the first in a new historical romance series. Effie Flite was raised in a bit unconventional orphanage. The patroness was determined to raise young women who were educated and able to take care of themselves and eager to pursue social justice for women. 

Effie was the oldest of the students and has spent some time in France as a companion to a gentlewoman. Her time abroad has given her polish, and a cute French poodle named Franc. She has come to London with the intention of finding some way to ruin Lord Compton who is an influential man, a member of Parliament, and strongly opposed to women's rights. He is also a villain who began his rise to power by stealing the fortune of a young woman he had promised to marry leaving her ruined.

Gabriel Royce is a man who has built a successful life by running a betting shop in the Rookery. He is blackmailing Compton in order to have his business protected and to further his plans to improve conditions for the people who live in the Rookery. 

The two meet and recognize something in the other, but with opposing plans, there doesn't seem to be any hope for a future for them. Nonetheless, they keep running into each other while trying to further their own plans until they find a future they both can live with. 

This romance is packed with historical detail concerning the struggles of the women's rights movement and the passage of the Married Woman's Property Act. It also has details about the conditions for the poor in a very famous slum that existed right next door to some very wealthy parts of London. 

I liked this story and will be looking forward to more in the series. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 12, 2025)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

I had a great reading week, but an otherwise quiet week. Our temperatures were a sort of roller coaster. We had a range of high temperatures from 52 to 84. After yesterday's 62, today should be another in the 80s. The same day we had an 84, we had an overnight temperature of 32. Spring in Duluth!

We did try out a new recipe this week for porkchops with apples and sauerkraut which will go on our stack of keeper recipes. Bill also made his favorite meatloaf. 

This week I have a couple of long-delayed appointments to get me out of the house. It's time for the dentist and to have my annual mammogram. 

I set up my June calendar with placeholder posts and rearranged the end of my May calendar when I realized that I hadn't made space for a couple of review books. I don't know how that happened when I have a tried-and-true system in place so that no review book falls through the cracks. 

I also had to move a review book because I had the wrong publication date. The eBook comes out May 22, but the print book won't be released until August 26. I was using the August date until I noticed the earlier date at NetGalley when I went to post some reviews. 

There is a benefit to this temporary confusion since I now have three written and scheduled audiobook reviews already set for June. I didn't have much room to slot in any of my own books or audiobooks in June since I have 15 review books on the calendar.

I went a little crazy at Amazon this week when I saw that all of William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor books were on sale for $2.99. I had read the first book but wasn't willing to pay big bucks to get the rest of the series. When I saw that I could get triple points for each of them through Kindle Rewards, I decided to buy the whole series. While this was a great deal, I sort of wrecked my plan to read what I buy in 2025 in 2025.

On the positive side, I did turn down all email requests for me to add books to my Review stack this week mainly because most of them were June releases. 

Read Last Week

• Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis (Mine since April 1, 2025) -- A cozy romantacy which begins a trilogy. I loved the worldbuilding and character development. My review will be posted on May 15.
• All Eyes on Me by Linsey Lanier (Chirp Audiobook; Mine since March 25, 2025) -- First Miranda and Parker contemporary mystery takes the duo to Las Vegas to solve the murder of a pop singer. My review will be posted on May 20.
• Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts (Review; May 27) -- Standalone romantic suspense by a master of the genre. My review will be posted on May 20.

• The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson (Review; May 27) -- A quirky assortment of characters form a book club in a small English town and solve a variety of crimes. My review will be posted on May 21.
• Tell Me by Anne Frasier (Audiobook; Mine since March 24, 2025) -- Second thriller in the Inland Empire series. Fast-paced and engaging. My review will be posted on May 20.
• Doggone Bones by Carolyn Haines (Review; May 27) -- 29th book in the Sarah Booth Delany mystery series was a cozy with lots of Southern charm. My review will be posted on May 22.

• Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney (Review; May 27) -- First in a new cozy series set in a castle turned B&B in England. My review will be posted on May 24.
• Paw Enforcement by Diane Kelly (Chirp Audiobook; Mine since February 11, 2025) -- First in a new contemporary romantic suspense series. My review will be posted on June 12.
• A Deadly Discovery by Ciar Byrne (Mine since January 8, 2025) -- First in a series. Author Virginia Woolf and her sister artist Vanessa Bell solve a mystery in England 1928. My review will be posted on May 22.

Currently

• He's to Die For by Erin Dunn (Review; June 3)

Next Week

• A Lethal Cocktail by Ciar Byrne (Review; May 22)
• One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver (Review; June 3)
• Just Beachy by Wendy Wax (Review; June 3)

• Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (Chirp Audiobook; Mine since February 3, 2025)
• It Takes a Psychic by Jayne Castle (Review; June 3)
• Grave Words by Gerri Lewis (Review; June 10)

Reviews Posted

• No One was Supposed to Die at this Wedding by Catherine Mack (Review copy)
• The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery (Audiobook)
• The Language of the Birds by K. A. Merson (Review copy)

• Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala (Review copy)
• Hounding a Killer by Kallie E. Benjamin (Review copy)
• Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron (Review copy)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

Bought:

• Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz (BookBub, $1.99)
• Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger (Kindle Daily Deal, $2.99)
• Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger (Kindle Daily Deal, $2.99)

• Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Copper River by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)

• Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Red Knife by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Heaven's Keep by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)

• Vermilion Drift by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Trickster's Point by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)

• Tamarack County by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Windigo Island by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Manitou Canyon by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)

• Sulphur Springs by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Desolation Mountain by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)

• Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger (Kindle, $2.99)
• Spirit Crossing by William Kent Kruger (Kindle, $2.99)

• Tithe by Holly Black (BookBub, $1.99)
• Valiant by Holly Black (Kindle, $1.99)
• Ironside by Holly Black (Kindle, $1.99)

• The Potting Shed Mysteries Books 1 - 4 by Marty Wingate (Kindle, $4.99)
• The Potting Shed Mysteries Books 5 - 8 by Marty Wingate (BookBub, $.99)
• Far Horizons edited by Robert Silverberg (BookBub, $1.99)

What was your week like?