Inside of a Dog

Friday, October 31, 2025

Friday Memes: Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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:

I wasn't worried about him. Worrying about Jameson Winchester Hawthorne was about as useful as trying to argue with the wind.

Friday 56:

I moved, swift and sure, reordering the letters, unscrambling them and writing them anew in the dirt below the original.

This week I am spotlighting Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is a collection of short stories and novellas set in the Inheritance Games world. Here's the description from Amazon:

Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that takes readers deeper into the world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series

There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret.

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.

This collection includes:
That Night in Prague (novella)
The Same Backward as Forward (novella)
The Cowboy and the Goth
Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (and One Time He Didn’t)
$3CR3T $@NT@
One Hawthorne Night*
What Happens in the Treehouse*
Pain at the Right Gun
*previously published in limited release

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Audiobook Review: Hid from Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Hid from Our Eyes
Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Series: Clare Ferguson/Russ Van Alstyne (Book 9)
Publication: Macmillan Audio (April 7, 2020)
Length: 13 hours and 37 minutes

Description: This program includes a bonus conversation with the author

New York Times best seller Julia Spencer-Fleming returns to her beloved Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series with new crimes that span decades in Hid from Our Eyes.

1952. Millers Kill Police Chief Harry McNeil is called to a crime scene where a woman in a party dress has been murdered with no obvious cause of death.

1972. Millers Kill Police Chief Jack Liddle is called to a murder scene of a woman that's very similar to one he worked as a trooper in the '50s. The only difference is this time, they have a suspect. Young Vietnam War veteran Russ van Alstyne found the body while riding his motorcycle and is quickly pegged as the prime focus of the investigation.

Present-day. Millers Kill Police Chief Russ van Alstyne gets a 911 call that a young woman has been found dead in a party dress, the same MO as the crime he was accused of in the '70s. The pressure is on for Russ to solve the murder before he's removed from the case.

Russ will enlist the help of his police squad and Reverend Clare Fergusson, who is already juggling the tasks of being a new mother to her and Russ' baby and running St. Alban's Church, to finally solve these crimes.

Listeners have waited years for this newest book and Julia Spencer-Fleming delivers with the exquisite skill and craftsmanship that have made her such a success.

My Thoughts: In this ninth addition to the Clare Ferguson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series, Clare and Russ are dealing with lots of new stresses. They are trying to fit being parents of a fussy infant around two very demanding and more-than-full-time jobs.

The town Aldermen want to shut down the local police force and get policing from the State Patrol. And a body of young woman is found on an isolated road which echoes an eerily similar crime from 1972 where Russ was a person of interest. That case was eerily similar to a case in 1952. In each case, an unidentified young woman was found dead with no apparent cause of death.

An unsolved case isn't going to help Russ convince to town to keep its police force. His mother and a strong supporter in Clare's church who are both savvy politicians begin a campaign to save the local force requiring Russ to smooze with anyone who will let him talk. Clare's new intern is a transgender woman who has ties to the rich, summer people who live in the camps that the town police watch over and volunteers her mother to help with the campaign.

Adding to the stress on the police force is that the newest officer - Hadley Knox - has a vindictive ex who is suing her, former officer Kevin Flynn, the police force, and the town for endangering his reputation and planting meth in his suitcase. Unfortunately the accusation is true. Flynn did plant the drugs hoping to get the ex off Hadley's case and protect her and her children. Flynn had moved on to the Syracuse police force after a break-up with Hadley and is currently undercover looking for extremists. He is with the carnival that comes to the fair each year - the same carnival occurring when each of the murders took place.

Meanwhile, Clare is dealing with stress which isn't good for a recovering alcoholic and pain pill user and has a lot of temptation to deal with. A fussy baby and Russ's stresses all weigh heavily on her.

I liked that the story rotated between the cases in 1952, 1972, and the present day. I liked the connections in that a young patrol officer was present in 1952, was the police chief in 1972 and a mentor to Russ and is there in the present case to add his insights. I liked that the cops in all three cases were dedicated to solving the crimes and protecting the people.

This is a great series. I look forward to more - especially since there is something of a cliffhanger ending to this one.

I bought this audiobook August 30, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott

The Nameless Land
Author: Kate Elliott
Series: The Witch Roads (Book 2)
Publication: Tor Books (November 4, 2025)

Description: Surprising betrayals, surprising alliances, and surprising discoveries of heritage abound in this energetic sequel to The Witch Roads.

When the royal party finds themselves in a land they never believed they could access, it will take all of Prince Gevulin's (admittedly impressive) diplomatic skills to forge a coalition with an unlikely group of would-be allies.

Meanwhile, as Elen mourns her lost love, an unwelcome visit to the land of her birth brings back the traumatic memories of the childhood she shared with her sister.

And a surprise visit from an unwelcome family member threatens to derail the plans of multiple opposing factions.

Loyalty cannot be demanded, only won

My Thoughts: This epic fantasy is the sequel to The Witch Roads. Deputy courier Elen has been dragged into the affairs of princes. She has been swept into the retinue of Prince Gevulin who has treason in mind.

Gevulin is heading for the nameless lands in search of allies in his conspiracy to overthrow the Emperor who is his sister. He has drafted Elen as his guide not knowing that the nameless lands were lands she and her heart sister were glad to flee as young girls. Going back threatens her life and the life and safety of her young nephew who is also an apprentice warden in the party.

Elen is also mourning the loss of the being who had taken over Gevulin and the first book and then left him to complete his own mission. Gevulin wasn't supposed to remember being taken over but that part of the deal didn't work. Remembering has told him things about Elen that put her and her nephew in danger.

But her lost love isn't quite as lost as she had thought. He is given permission by one of the prince's potential allies to take over her body which reunites the lost lovers for a while.

This was engaging epic fantasy seen through the eyes of someone with very little social standing but quite epic powers. Elen is a woman who has a past she doesn't remember and a skill that could lead a prince to control of the empire if she can stay alive.

I liked the worldbuilding with its varied creatures. I liked the characters even the prince grew on me a bit as I got to know him as something other than a man willing to do anything to get the throne. Elen was intriguing. She was a woman who had modest goals: enough to eat nine days out of ten and a pair of good boots. She was also willing to do anything to make sure her nephew had a safe and fulfilling life.

While this story can stand alone, it gains richness and depth by reading The Wild Roads first.

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

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

ARC Review: The Devil in Oxford by Jess Armstrong

The Devil in Oxford
Author: Jess Armstrong
Series: Ruby Vaughn Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur (November 4, 2025)

Description: Set after the Great War, Jess Armstrong’s USA Today bestselling and award-winning series is historical gothic murder mystery at its best, and Ruby Vaughn returns in The Devil in Oxford.

If someone were to ask American heiress Ruby Vaughn how exactly the occult came to play such a large role in her life, she would immediately point to her octogenarian housemate and employer, Mr. Owen. Together, the pair run a rare book shop in Exeter. Mr. Owen’s penchant for arcane, unusual—and occasionally illegal—books has been known to get Ruby into her fair share of trouble. And after the last year, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in picturesque Oxford while Mr. Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. Secretly, Ruby is also looking for a holiday from her confounding feelings for Ruan Kivell, the intriguing folk healer Pellar that she met in Cornwall.

When Mr. Owen secures two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of artifacts amassed by disgraced scholar Julius Harker, Ruby reluctantly agrees to attend. The evening turns out to be more eventful than either of them bargained for. Harker’s dead body is discovered amongst the collection, his business partner is hastily arrested, and Ruan arrives…wanting to speak with Ruby. It seems both the arcane and her Pellar have followed Ruby to Oxford.

The murder case is suspicious at best, but the last thing Ruby wants is another investigation. That is, until an old friend comes begging for Ruby’s help. It soon becomes painfully clear that there is more going on in Oxford than meets the eye. Ruby and Ruan will have to uncover the dark secrets of the competitive world of antiquities while trying to understand the peculiar force that keeps drawing them back together.

My Thoughts: It is 1922 and Christmas time. Ruby Vaughn and Mr. Owens are spending time in Oxford where Mr. Owens is attending an Antiquarian Society annual meeting. Ruby is hoping for a quiet time free from the occult and murder investigations where she can consider her relationship with Ruam Kivell.

However, an invitation to an exhibition of artifacts leads to a dead body stuffed into an airtight container. Ruby could consider it not her problem until a friend comes to her begging for her help solving the crime.

When Ruan also arrives in Oxford, he and Ruby find themselves trying to discover just what is going on. Ruan was a student at Oxford and has a number of acquaintances including the father of his bewst friend who died duting the war.

With missing artifacts, a missing book from the Bodleian, and possible drug smuggling, Ruby would have enough to deal with. But piling on is the appearance of another imposter claiming to be her mother who was lost along with her father and sister on the Lusitania.

When Ruby starts seeing things and having flashbacks to her time as an ambulance driver during the First World War, she fears that she is losing her mind and becomes plagued with even more disturbing dreams. Fighting to determine what is real becomes a large part of this story.

I enjoyed the setting and the characters in this third Ruby Vaughn mystery.

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

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

ARC Review: Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron

Crescent City Christmas Chaos
Author: Ellen Byron
Series: Vintage Cookbook Mystery (Book 4)
Publication: Severn House (November 4, 2025)

Description: It's Christmas. It's cozy. It's culinary. It's chaos! It's the fourth book in this fabulous mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.

Have yourself a merry little . . . murder?

Ricki James-Diaz gets the best present ever when her parents arrive in New Orleans for the holidays. Not only is it a chance to catch up, it’s also an opportunity to jog her mom Josepha’s memory about Ricki’s adoption. The details have always been shrouded in mystery. And Ricki understands why when she learns her mother was blackmailed for years, simply for not wanting to lose her precious daughter.

But digging into the past soon lands the James-Diaz clan in water hotter than a big pot of gumbo! When the woman who extorted Ricki’s mom is found dead at her home, Josepha becomes the primary suspect. Now Ricki has another murder to solve, and tracking down a killer in Crescent City is going to take a miracle.

Luckily, ‘tis the season! And Ricki has all the staff at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum on hand to help. Can she prove her mother’s innocence and have the case wrapped up in time for Christmas?

My Thoughts: It's Christmas time in New Orleans. Ricki James-Diaz is surprised by her boyfriend when he hires Ricki's father to be the cameraman shooting his TV special. Ricki looks forward to talking to her mom and learning more about her birth parents. She learns that her mother has been blackmailed for years by a woman named Phyllis Gibbs who worked in the office of the Charity Hospital where her mother was a nurse.

Gibbs helped Ricki's mother by changing her records to indicate she was widowed rather than single which was a key point to allow a Black woman to adopt a white infant. But Gibbs demanded payment for her assistance.

When Gibbs is found dead after recent visits by Ricki, her mom Josepha, and dad Luis, Josepha and Luis head the suspect list in the eyes of the New Orleans police. Ricki is on the cast to prove her parents innocent and find the guilty party. Her friend Nina has the case but is more preoccupied finding the Bongle Bandit who is breaking into all sorts of stores and potentially scaring the tourists.

Ricki learns all sorts of things about Phyllis Gibbs as she investigates. The woman was running all sorts of scams and had a plethora of enemies who might have committed the crime. Among them are her next-door neighbors in her exclusive residential area. And the people she worked with at a Concierge Medical group weren't happy with her either.

When Ricki's boyfriend Virgil gets swept onto the suspect list because Phyllis left money to the animal rescue he's involved with, Ricki has even more reason to solve the crime.

This was an engaging cozy mystery with tasty recipes included. I liked that Ricki runs a vintage cookbook and housewares store inside a culinary museum. She had a lot of help from her friends as she worked at solving the case.

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

ARC Review: The Hidden City by Charles Finch

The Hidden City
Author: Charles Finch
Series: Charles Lenox (Book 15)
Publication: Minotaur (November 4, 2025)

Description: Against the vividly drawn backdrop of Victorian London, amateur sleuth Charles Lenox must unlock a mystery concealed in the architecture of the city itself, in this new novel from acclaimed author Charles Finch.

It's 1879, and Lenox is convalescing from the violent events of his last investigation. But a desperate letter from an old servant forces him to pick up the trail of a cold case: the murder of an apothecary seven years before, whose only clue is an odd emblem carved into the doorway of the building where the man was killed. When Lenox finds a similar mark at the site of another murder, he begins to piece together a hidden pattern which leads him into the corridors of Parliament, the slums of East London, and ultimately the very heart of the British upper class.

At the same time, Lenox must contend with the complexities of his personal life: a surprising tension with his steadfast wife, Lady Jane, over her public support of the early movement for women's suffrage; the arrival of Angela Lenox, a mysterious young cousin from India, with an unexpected companion; the dizzying ascent of his brother, Sir Edmund Lenox, to one of the highest political posts in the land; the growing family of his young partners in detection, Polly and Dallington; and the return of the problems that have long bedeviled one of his closest friends, the dashing Scottish physician Thomas McConnell.

Featuring a beloved cast of characters, a top-notch puzzle, and Finch's trademark humor and richness of historical detail, The Hidden City is a novel by a master at the top of his form

My Thoughts: This fifteenth book in the Charles Lenox series takes place in 1879. Charles is recovering from being stabbed during his previous case and the recovery isn't going as well as he had hoped. He's in constant pain which has had a bad effect on his mood. He's been ignoring his responsibilities at his detective agency.

However, a letter from the woman who was his housekeeper when he first set up his detective agency gets him involved in a mystery again. Someone seems to be scaring her and trying to break into her flat. Charles learns that the previous resident was a man who was murdered in the same building where his former housekeeper lives. The pharmacist was universally disliked in the neighborhood but the potential suspects in his murder all have iron clad alibis.

Charles is also involved in meeting and caring for the daughter of his cousin who passed away in India. He's surprised when he goes to meet her ship to find that she has brought along her Indian best friend. She had switched her First Class ticket for Third Class so that they could both come. Her arrival brings back good memories of times with her father and some regrets that he hadn't seen him for many years.

Charles is also having some conflicts with his wife who has begun protesting and marching for Women's Suffrage. Charles is worried for her since protestors are not well treated.

I enjoyed this story which is the first in the series that I have read. I liked the setting which I felt was well-described. I thought Charles was an interesting character. I liked his empathy and his curiosity.

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

Monday, October 27, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (October 27, 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...

It is hard to believe that it is the last week in October. This year has really whizzed by. Looking out the window does show me trees with colorful leaves or no leaves at all, and the temperatures are cooling off. My brother tells me he had to scrape frost off the windows of his car after work on night this past week. He realized that he hadn't put scrapers and snow brushes in his new car yet.

My doctor's visit and tests this week have led to still another doctor's visit this Tuesday. This one is at 8AM which is a couple of hours before I usually get out of bed. I am trying to trick my body by setting this morning's alarm for 8 AM, tomorrow's for 7AM, and Tuesday's for 6AM. I hope that will make me coherent on Tuesday's doctor's visit. However, going to bed before midnight or even 1AM is not the way I want to live my life. I like staying up late.

Otherwise, I'm watching The Voice and the World Series. I am still working my way through November's review copies and should finish them this week if things go according to plan. I'm not starting my next audiobook (Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop) until I finish my current review copy and have a good start on the next on my stack.

I will finish A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny on Halloween. The chapters are getting longer as the book nears its conclusion.

Read Last Week

Haze by Katharine Kerr (Review, November 11) -- Space opera with intriguing characters and great worldbuilding. My review will be published on November 6.
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop (Audiobook reread) -- Second in The Others series.
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (Review, November 11) -- 3rd in series stars rattkin Fern who finds herself on an adventure as she tries to figure out what she wants from life. My review will be posted on November 8.

Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron (Review, November 4) -- 4th in a series set in New Orleans at Christmas time. Engaging characters and tasty recipes. My review will be posted on October 28.
The Queen Who Came in from the Cold by S. J. Bennett (Review, November 11) -- 5th in a series in which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is a secret amateur sleuth working through her Assistant Press Secretary Joan McGraw. Great historical detail and espionage. My review will be posted on November 11.
The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts (Review, November 18) -- Conclusion to the Lost Brides trilogy leans into horror along with the romance. Still an excellent story. My review will be posted on November 13.

Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold (Novella, Mine since October 24) -- The latest in the Penric and Desdemona fantasy series jumps back to a mystery solved while working for the princess-archdivine of Martensbridge.
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop (Audiobook Reread) -- the third book in The Others series.

Currently