Book Review: Sierra's Homecoming by Linda Lael Miller

Sierra's Homecoming
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Series: The McKettrick Series (Book 5)
Publication: Harlequin Special Edition (November 21, 2006)

Description: When she moved to her family's ancestral ranch, single mom Sierra McKettrick was disconcerted by the Triple M's handsome caretaker, Travis Reid. But when her son claimed to see a mysterious boy in the house, and an heirloom teapot started popping up in unexpected places, Sierra wondered if the attraction between herself and Travis might be the least of her worries.

In 1919, widowed Hannah McKettrick lived at the ranch with her son and her brother-in-law, Doss. Her confused feelings for Doss and her son's health problems occupied all her thoughts…until the family teapot started disappearing.

Could Sierra and her ancestor, Hannah, be living parallel lives?

My Thoughts: This was an entertaining contemporary romance combined with a historical romance about two women ninety years apart living in the same home, dealing with losses, and having fragile sons of similar ages. 

Sierra McKettrick is newly a McKettrick. Her father kidnapped her when her parents divorced when she was two and took her to Mexico to raise. After her father's death, Sierra got involved with a man she didn't know was married and had his son just a few days after he died. She been raising her gifted and asthmatic son Liam alone and traveling from place to place. 

Her mother - the woman she thought had abandoned her - found her and made her a deal: live on the McKettrick land in Arizona for a year and she'd take care that Liam had the best health care possible. That was a deal no loving mother could pass up, even if she wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with McKettricks.

Sierra moves into her mother's family home and finds that Travis Reid is taking care of the place. Travis is a lawyer who quit his job with the McKettricks when his younger brother blew himself up in an attempt to make meth. He is guilt-ridden and sure he could have saved his brother.

Travis and Sierra are immediately attracted to one another but his grief and her feeling that her current life is only temporary make it hard to build a relationship. It doesn't help her peace of mind that the house seems to be haunted. 

In 1919, Hannah McKettrick is a recent widow and a mother of an 8-year-old son who almost died from pneumonia. She's living in the family home with her brother-in-law Doss who has secretly loved her since he met her after she married his brother Gabe. Doss wants a relationship with Hannah, but Hannah is convinced, for a while, that Gabe would be her only love.

A teapot that keeps moving around, a photo album that also moves around, and a journal that is written in by both women, show that their lives have very many parallels. They both find their loves and build their lives in this wonderful romance.

Favorite Quote:

Being a McKettrick meant claiming a piece of ground to stand on and putting your roots down deep into it. Holding on, no matter what came at you. It meant loving with passion and taking the rough spots with the smooth. It meant fighting for what you wanted, letting go when that was the best thing to do.

I bought this one April 15, 2007, and then put it on TBR mountain until now. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (October 24, 2022)

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.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

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 nice quiet week. There was lots of baseball playoff action which I'm still watching even though my favorite team isn't still playing. I also had a lot of time for reading and listening. I finished more books than usual since I had three on my currently reading list last week which I finished this week. 

This week has a couple of medical appointments on the schedule. I have a short visit on Wednesday to check on a new medication and an eye exam very early on Friday morning. Since I'm sure to have dilated eyes after Friday's appointment, my brother is set to be my driver. 

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop (Mine; Audiobook) -- the fourth exciting episode of The Others series.
• Kris Longknife: Daring by Mike Shepherd (Mine) -- Ninth in the Kris Longknife series. My review will be posted on December 8.
• Calling by Molly Harper (Mine; Audiobook) -- Finale of the Sorcery and Society trilogy. Entertaining YA fantasy. My review will be posted on November 10.

• Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop (Audiobook) -- Finale of The Others series. 
• Hands Down by Felix Francis (Review; November 8) -- Next Sid Halley adventure. My review will be posted on November 8.
• Incriminating Evidence by Rachel Grant (Mine; Audiobook) -- Romantic suspense set in Alaska and part of the Evidence series. It stands alone well. My review will be posted on November 15.

• The Last Goodnight by Kat Martin (Mine) -- Entertaining romantic suspense title set in Colorado. My review will be posted on November 9.
• Shadow Girl by Gerry Schmitt (Mine since 2018) -- Entertaining thriller set in Minnesota's Twin Cities. My review will be posted on November 12.

Currently

• The Last Mile by Kat Martin (Mine)
• Harbinger by Wen Spencer (Mine; Audiobook)

Next Week

• The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn (Mine since April 2, 2012)
• The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith (Mine; Audiobook)
• Murder at Redwood Cove by Janet Finsilver (Mine; Audiobook)

• Bury the Lead by David Rosenfelt (Mine)
• Through the Liquor Glass by Sarah Fox (Review; November 29)
• One Last Chance by Kat Martin (Review; November 29)

Reviews Posted

• Rita Longknife: Enemy in Sight by Mike Shepherd
• A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 4 by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
• Kris Longknife: Audacious by Mike Shepherd

• Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin
• Archangel's Resurrection by Nalini Singh
• The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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

Review:

• Smolder by Laurell K. Hamilton (March 21)
• The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian (March 21)

Bought:

• In the Woods by Tana French (BookBub, $1.99)
• Harbinger by Wen Spencer (Audiobook using Audible Credit)

• Murder at Keyhaven Castle by Clara McKenna (BookBub, $1.99)
• Murder at Queen's Landing by Andrea Penrose (Kindle)

What was your week like?

Book Review: The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Final Gambit
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Inheritance Games (Book 3)
Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (August 30, 2022)

Description Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.

My Thoughts: Avery Kylie Grambs is set to inherit billions from Tobias Hawthorne who disinherited his other heirs for her. She doesn't know why, but she knows that he left lots of puzzles for her and for his grandsons to solve to figure it all out. 

This last puzzle might be the one they can't solve, and they are all drawn into a game with some other unknown and dangerous player. This player has kidnapped Toby and sent Toby's daughter Eve to them to cause havoc. 

More puzzles are solved. More secrets are unearthed. And it is ultimately up to Avery if things are going to turn out well. 

I loved all the puzzles. I loved the relationships between Avery and the four Hawthorne grandsons. This was an excellent thriller with a very satisfying ending. 

Favorite Quote:

"Where's Jameson?" Grayson's question drew me back to the present.

"Probably somewhere he's not supposed to be," I answered honestly, "making very bad decisions and throwing caution to the wind."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

"We need to talk about your eighteenth birthday." Alisa's words echoed through the largest of Hawthorne House's five libraries.

Friday 56:

"I'm going to throttle him!" There was a grand total on one person who could get a rise out of my sister. 

This week I am spotlighting The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I missed my chance at a review copy but needed to read this third book in The Inheritance Games. Here is the description from Amazon:

Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles.  In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.

Book & Audio Review: A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 4 by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 4
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Series: Liaden Universe Constellation (Volume 4)
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (June 3, 2019); Tantor Audio (August 23, 2022)
Length: 343 p.; 13 hours and 23 minutes

Description: BOOK 4 in the multivolume Liaden Universe® short fiction collection. Tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.

For more than thirty years, the Liaden Universe® novels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have captivated readers with their unique blend of action adventure, science fiction, and romance. In addition to twenty-one novels (and counting) Lee and Miller have written dozens of shorter works based in the Liaden Universe®, featuring the strong characterization, detailed world-building, wit, and derring-do that readers of the series adore.

This fourth volume collecting Lee and Miller’s shorter Liaden Universe® stories features four novelettes, two novellas, and two short stories—including the celebrated linked stories, "Block Party" and "Degrees of Separation." 

Sure to delight longtime fans and newcomers alike, these tales highlight why the nationally best-selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados, with detailed world-building, strong characterizations, compelling romance, and edge-of-the-chair action in stories that range from cosmic to comic.

My Thoughts: Here are the stories included in this volume and my brief thoughts about them.

Street Cred talks about the differences between contracts on Liad and on Surebleak when two Liadens grieving losses writes a contract to kill the Road Boss and then expects someone on Surebleak to carry it out. 

Due Diligence tells the story of Chi yos'Phelium and Daav's father. I liked this story a lot and was glad to find out about this period in Chi's life. 

Friend of a Friend tells the story of someone coming looking for Quin and finding Villy instead who isn't going to put his friend in danger no matter how scared he is.

Cutting Corners tells a story about the past of one of Theo's teachers at Anlingdin Academy on Eyelot and introduces us to Beeslady and its pilot.

Block Party tells the story about some Liaden refugees newly come to a changing Surebleak and making a new home for themselves.

Degrees of Separation tells the story of how Don Eyr meets Serana and eventually finds his way to Surebleak.

Excerpts from Two Lives tells the story of the Rosa Ring which we first heard about in a song sung when Miri and Val Con were marooned on an interdicted world.

Revolutionists takes place sometime between Jethri's time and Daav and Val Con's time. It is about a revolution on a space station just coming out of Rostov's Dust. 

This was a mixed bag of stories fitting into a variety of time periods. I really enjoyed Due Diligence. I found Revolutionists a little baffling. I think this is the first story set in that period of history. I would have liked more context for it. 

Favorite Quote:

"My name is Chi," she said, with an informality that might yet equally come from a pilot shopping for a bedmate, or a wolf casing a mark.

"My name is Fer Gun," he answered, matching her tone.

"In fact your name is Fer Gun pen'Uldra," she said calmly. "I have a proposition to put before you."

I bought the Kindle copy in 2019 and the audiobook in 2022. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Archangel's Resurrection by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Resurrection
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter (Book 15)
Publication: Berkley (October 25, 2022)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into the dangerous, haunting world of archangels . . . and a love that is legend.

For thousands of years, the passion between Alexander, Archangel of Persia, and Zanaya, Queen of the Nile, burned furious and bright, seemingly without end. But to be an archangel is to be bound to power violent and demanding. Driven by its primal energy, Alexander and Zanaya fought as fiercely as they loved, locked in an endless cycle of devotion and heartbreak. It is only Zanaya’s decision to Sleep that ends their love story.

Eons later, the Cascade of Death wakens them both. The passion between them a flame that yet burns, Alexander and Zanaya stand together in one last battle against the ultimate darkness. But even a warrior archangel cannot win every war. Alexander’s scream shatters the world as Zanaya falls, broken and silent . . . only to rise again in a miracle that may be a devastating curse. For is it truly the Queen of the Nile who has been resurrected?

Only one thing is clear: This is the last beat of their passionate, angry dance. The final song for Alexander and his Zani .

My Thoughts: This story is a love story that lasts through eons. Alexander is the Archangel of Persia. Zanaya is the Queen of the Nile. The story starts before they ascended to be archangels. Alexander was the son of loving parents who had no power under the rule of a thoughtless archangel. He grew up to be a powerful and intelligent warrior. 

Zanaya was the daughter of an angel who was obsessed with the angel who left her and who raised Zanaya to be distrustful. She also had the goal of being a great warrior.

When they first set eyes on one another, the spark was apparent to both of them. But Alexander was much older and determined not to hinder Zanaya's growth by claiming her. So the years passed...

When Zanaya got older and became a general, it was finally time for Alexander to claim the woman he loved. But then he ascended to archangel and the power disparity between them almost kept them apart. Once they began their relationship, it was a strong one, but it was also tumultuous. Both Alexander and Zanaya were prideful, stubborn people. Their relationship roller-coastered from epic highs to epic battles between them. Then Zanaya became an archangel too and the roller coaster continued. Until Zanaya went into Sleep.

She slept for millenniums leaving Alexander to live his life without her. But then Lijuan happened, and the cascade woke Zanaya in time to be in the battle of the archangels against Lijuan.

Gravely injured in the battle, Zanaya is taken by Cassandra to heal. When she awakes after only ten years, she feels different and fears that she carries a small part of Lijuan. In a way, that was a good thing because Lijuan had a plan that wouldn't be stopped by her own death. 

This was another entertaining episode in the Guild Hunter series. The romance was different than in a lot of the earlier books. In fact, I had some trouble believing it. They seemed too much the same in their pridefulness and stubbornness to sustain a relationship. Fans of the series won't want to miss this one, but I wouldn't give it to someone not familiar with the series.

Favorite Quote:

"When I was a girl, I thought love meant high romance and great drama, but now I understand that love that lasts is a constellation of small kindnesses."

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

ARC Review: Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin

Vanishing Hour
Author: Laura Griffin
Publication: Berkley (October 25, 2022)

Description: When a cold case in Texas leads to a sinister string of disappearances, a newcomer to the small town helps a detective piece together the clues in this new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

Corporate lawyer Ava Burch has had enough of the big city and the daily grind. She grew up with her father, who raised search-and-rescue dogs, in rural Texas and has moved to the small town of Cuervo to spend time in the dry, rugged wilderness near Big Bend National Park. When she and her dog, Huck, discover an abandoned campsite on a volunteer search-and-rescue mission, she’s perplexed, but she carefully photographs it all the same.

All Grant Wycoff can see when he looks at Ava is a city slicker—with her designer jeans and shiny car—who has no business on a serious team made of seasoned outdoorsmen and retired cops. But when she tells him of her findings on the trail, he sees there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Ava’s discovery reminds Grant of the unsolved case of a young woman who went missing two years ago. As they look into the campsite further, another woman disappears under odd circumstances. With time running out, Ava and Grant must work against the brutal heat from both the Texas sun and their own electric chemistry to solve the case.

My Thoughts: Ex-corporate lawyer Ava Burch has moved to western Texas to start a new life. Her estranged father has died leaving her his search and rescue dog Hank. She and Hank have been doing some SAR work since her arrival. 

While out looking for a missing three-year-old, Ava stumbles onto a well-hidden campsite that looks like it has been there for quite a while. She takes some pictures but the search for the child takes priority. She talks about the site to the local sheriff and the head game warden and prints out the photos for them when she gets home.

Sheriff's deputy and chief investigator Grant Wycoff is interested in the pictures because they may help him solve a cold case that has been plaguing him. Molly Shaw went missing after going camping alone two years earlier. There have been other cases of lone women disappearing too. Deanna Moore's death was attributed to a fall but there are some inconsistencies. And Brittlyn Spencer disappeared the previous June. Brittlyn's mother has devoted her life since that day to finding her daughter and keeping her case on the minds of the various investigators.

When Grant and Ava hike out to where she had seen the campsite, they are surprised to find that everything is missing. All that is left are the few pictures Ava took. Ava becomes intrigued with the idea of solving the case much to Grant's dismay. She investigates and finds some clues the sheriff's department missed which give Grant new leads to follow. Her investigations also put her and her dog Huck into danger. A rattlesnake in the back of her car, strange footprints under her window, and someone shooting arrows at her while she is working a SAR rescue, indicate that someone doesn't want her to keep investigating. 

Meanwhile, Grant and Ava are beginning a relationship made complicated by Ava's unresolved issues of abandonment by her game warden father and by Grant's sense of duty which makes him keep breaking dates with her. 

This was an entertaining and engaging romantic suspense title. I liked the characters and understood where each was coming from. I also really liked Huck who was great at SAR but also doggy enough to eat shoes and steal steaks. 

Favorite Quote:

Donovan was facing reelection in the fall, and his campaign had already ramped up. Connor didn't like to think about politics affecting the sheriff's decisions.

He tipped his head back and sighed. There was something deeply depressing about questioning the integrity of the people above him.

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