Tuesday, December 30, 2025

ARC Review: The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

The Shop on Hidden Lane

Author:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Publication: Berkley (January 6, 2026)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz dives into an enthralling new romantic suspense novel filled with deeply entrenched grudges, psychic dangers, and a conspiracy that threatens not only two families but also the entire paranormal community.

The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret.

Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and Shis uncle have been sleeping together—and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the last traces of them are at the scene of a murder soaked in negative paranormal energy. Clearly, someone is willing to kill to obtain the secret their families have been charged with protecting. Despite their mutual distrust, which, as far as Sophy is concerned extends to Luke’s hellhound of a dog, they both know that the terms of the pact must be honored.

Their investigation uncovers a psychic trail leading to a bizarre desert art colony where nothing is as it seems. But Luke and Sophy are concealing a few secrets, too. By a strange twist of fate, a Harper and a Wells have no choice but to trust each other and the fierce attraction that is binding them as surely as the pact between the families.

My Thoughts: Their family are rivals and feuding, but when her aunt and his uncle disappear together, Sophy Harper and Luke wells team up to find them. 

Sophy is a librarian who also has the psychic gift of seeing crime scenes and cleaning up the psychic traces left behind. Luke is known as No-Talent Wells because he doesn't have the psychic gift for engineering and invention that otherwise runs through his family. He is, however, slated to take over as CEO for his family's security company since that's where his gift lies. 

Luke also has a dog named Bruce that he found shot on the road some months earlier. Bruce looks like a hellhound and might have some psychic gifts of his own. 

The trio find their way to an art colony on a vortex in Arizona where strange things are happening. One of Sophy's failed dating experiments is there obsessing over reclaiming Sophy. So is a tech bro billionaire with a fascination for light. And the woman who broke Luke's heart and shook his confidence is also part of the scheme at the art colony.

This was another of Krentz's psychic romances set in her fantasy world with psychics and organizations like the Foundation and the Arcane Society who attempt to organize them. I liked the way the mystery came together. I also like the way the romance worked for Sophy and Luke.

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

ARC Review: The Devil in the Details by Vicki Delany

The Devil in the Details

Author:
Vicki Delany
Series: Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries (Book 11)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (January 6, 2026)

Description: The game is once again afoot in Vicki Delany’s eleventh Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery, when birthday festivities end in freezing-cold murder.

Gemma Doyle is excited about celebrating Jayne Wilson’s big day. It’s supposed to mark not only the birthday of Jayne, her partner in crime, but also that of the Great Detective himself. Following the festivities at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, Gemma heads for the Blue Water Café, the site of Jayne’s party. To make things even better, Jayne’s wedding is only a week away.

But the much-anticipated affair quickly turns to disaster with the presence of the bride and groom’s respective exes in attendance and other unruly guests. With drama at every corner, Gemma and Jayne take a break on the chilly deck overlooking the ocean when they spot the body of a party attendee floating in the water below.

As Detective Ryan Ashburton takes a closer look at the guest list, Jayne’s wedding is in peril, especially when it is revealed that her fiancé, Andy, is a prime suspect. With the police closing in and more lives on the line, it’s up to Gemma to keep Andy from prison and save Jayne’s wedding day from ruin.

My Thoughts: Gemma Doyle finds herself in the middle of a new mystery when Andy's ex-girlfriend dies at a birthday party he is throwing for his fiancée Jayne. It is just a week before the wedding. A party-crashing ex-girlfriend is only part of the problems. 

The chef Andy has hired as his assistant is getting too independent and causing friction in the kitchen. Jayne's ex-boyfriend Robbie is back in town after his career as an artist has failed, and he's picking up shifts as a waiter in Andy's restaurant. He wouldn't mind breaking up Jayne's new romance. Things get even worse when Gemma goes to talk to Robbie and discovers an intruder in his apartment and Robbie's body. 

With Andy ready to cancel the wedding to keep Jayne away from his troubles, Gemma has just a few short days to figure out what happened to the exes. 

This was another fun entry into the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mysteries. I enjoy catching up with Gemma, Ryan, Jayne and Andy. 

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

Monday, December 29, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 29, 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 hope everyone who celebrates had a wonderful Christmas. I had a nice quiet one and am now stocked up on Amazon gift cards for a while. 

It is snowing right now, and we're supposed to get 6 - 8 inches before the snow moves out on Monday afternoon. The past week was warm (for Minnesota). We hit a high of 34 yesterday. We also had some rain, freezing rain, and drizzle over the last few days. Our steep driveway was a skating rink despite my brother's liberal use of deicer. He came home from work Friday night and fell when going down it to check the mail. He had quite a bump on his head but is feeling better and is bump-free now. 

I mostly threw my reading plans to the side this week. I listened to seven audiobooks in the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews. These were relistens for me since I'd already read the books and listened to the audiobooks. Sometimes it is just nice to revisit old friends. 

I also bought some audiobooks this week. I already had Kindle copies of The Brazen Bride, The Reckless Bride and Ember Eternal but decided that I wanted to listen to them instead. Then I bought the Kindle copies of two audiobooks that I had gotten from Chirp earlier in the year. The one bad thing about audiobooks for me is spelling the names of the characters in the story in my reviews. One of the characters in the Chirp audiobooks was Bo or Beau. I had to know which was correct. I often like to read along and follow the text while listening to the audiobook.

Cooking this week consisted of ham and funeral potatoes for Christmas dinner and a ham and wild rice soup from our Minnesota with Love cookbook. There is still plenty of leftover ham. We also have leftover chicken from the rotisserie chicken we had on Christmas Eve. I really need to find something to make that uses the leftovers this week. 

Read Last Week
  • White Hot by Ilona Andrews (Audiobook Reread) -- 2nd book in the Hidden Legacy Urban Fantasy series. 
  • Wildfire by Ilona Andrews (Audiobook Reread) -- 3rd book in the Hidden Legacy Urban Fantasy series. 
  • Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews (Audiobook Reread) -- Novella in the Hidden Legacy series.
  • Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews (Audiobook Reread) -- 4th book in the Hidden Legacy Urban Fantasy series. 
  • Outfoxed by David Rosenfelt (Kindle, Mine since September 29, 2023) -- Fourteenth book in the Andy Carpenter Mystery series. My review will be posted on January 14.
  • Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews (Audiobook Reread) -- 5th book in the Hidden Legacy Urban Fantasy series. 
  • Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews (Audiobook reread) -- 6th book in the Hidden Legacy Urban Fantasy series. 
  • Bone of Contention by Kristi Rose (Chirp Audiobook, Mine since February 11) -- Contemporary mystery set in Central Florida. My review will be posted on January 20.
  • The Brazen Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Audiobook, mine since December 25) -- Third in the Black Cobra Quartet of historical romantic suspense stories. My review will be posted on January 15.
  • A Moveable Feast by Jennifer Ashley (Kindle, mine since August 6) -- This Below Stairs novella has Kat cooking Easter dinner at another house and solving the murder of the son of the house. 
  • Ember Eternal by Chloe Neill (Audiobook, mine since December 26) -- First in a new Romantasy series. Fox is an honorable thief with a special magic. She uses her talents to foil an assassination and finds her swept up into a long-running conspiracy. Great characters and interesting worldbuilding. My review will be posted on January 17.
Currently
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What was your week like?

Saturday, December 27, 2025

Book Review: Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman

Baltimore Blues

Author:
Laura Lippman
Series: Tess Monaghan (Book 1)
Publication: William Morrow Paperbacks (October 13, 2009)

Description: In a city where someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz’s death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer’s notoriety—and his taste for illicit midday trysts—make the case front-page news in every local paper except the Star, which crashed and burned before Abramowitz did. 

A former Star reporter who knows every inch of this town—from historic Fort McHenry to the crumbling projects of Cherry Hill—now unemployed journalist Tess Monaghan also knows the guy the cops like for the killing: cuckolded fiancé Darryl “Rock” Paxton. The time is ripe for a career move, so when rowing buddy Rock wants to hire her to do some unorthodox snooping to help clear his name, Tess agrees. But there are lethal secrets hiding in the Charm City shadows. And Tess’ own name could end up on that ever-expanding list of Baltimore dead.

My Thoughts: BALTIMORE BLUES begins the twelve-book Tess Monaghan series. 

When this story begins Tess is still dealing with losing her job as a newspaper reporter when her Baltimore newspaper folded. She is working part-time in her Aunt Kitty's bookstore and part-time for an uncle who works in city government. She fills the rest of her time rowing. She is sort of drifting through life including an on-again, off-again relationship with an old boyfriend who is still a reporter for the Baltimore Beacon Light - called the Blight by those in the know.

The death of Michael Abramowitz, a lawyer, causes Tess to change things in her life. Her good friend and fellow rower Darryl "Rock" Paxton is accused of the murder. It seems that his fiancé Ava who was working for Abramowitz might also have been sleeping with him. 

Rock had hired Tess to follow Ava and find out why she had changed. She was becoming distant and making excuses for not seeing him. Ava follows her and learns that she is a secret shoplifter and spends afternoons in a hotel room with Abramowitz. Tess confronts Ava who rushes right to Rock to get her side of the story in first. In her side, she is being taken advantage of by Abramowitz. Rock heads to Abramowitz's office inside of the offices the prestigious firm of O'Neal, O'Connor, and O'Neill and admits to punching Abramowitz. He insists, however, that when he left Abramowitz was not dead. 

Rock's lawyer Tyner, also a fellow rower, hires Tess to do some investigating for him. Tess expands Tyner's remit and finds herself looking into who else might have wanted Abramowitz dead. She finds lots of people including victims of rape whose rapists were successfully defended by Abramowitz, victims of asbestos poisoning who were still waiting for the settlements they won, and serial killers on death row who were also unsuccessfully defended by Abramowitz. 

This was an interesting and engaging story with a main character who is drifting through her life. She's still dealing with the grief at her lost career as a journalist even when she comes to realize that journalism was not making her happy. 

I bought this one January 27, 2025, from a BookBub newsletter. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, December 26, 2025

Friday Memes: Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman

 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:
On the last night of August, Tess Monaghan went to the drugstore and bought a composition book -- one with a black-and-white marble cover. She had done this every fall since she was six and saw no reason to change, despite the differences wrought by twenty-three years.
Friday 56:
"Hi, it's me in the kitchen." She figured the front desk attendant wouldn't want to admit he didn't recognize the voice of a fellow employee. "Hey, what room if Mr. Abramowitz in this week? I can't read it on the room service slip and you know how he is if his food is cold. He always threatens to sue!"
This week I am spotlighting Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman. I bought this first in a series thriller on January 27, 2025, from a BookPerk newsletter. Here is the description from Amazon:
In a city where someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz’s death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer’s notoriety—and his taste for illicit midday trysts—make the case front-page news in every local paper except the Star, which crashed and burned before Abramowitz did. A former Star reporter who knows every inch of this town—from historic Fort McHenry to the crumbling projects of Cherry Hill—now unemployed journalist Tess Monaghan also knows the guy the cops like for the killing: cuckolded fiancé Darryl “Rock” Paxton. The time is ripe for a career move, so when rowing buddy Rock wants to hire her to do some unorthodox snooping to help clear his name, Tess agrees. But there are lethal secrets hiding in the Charm City shadows. And Tess’ own name could end up on that ever-expanding list of Baltimore dead.

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Audiobook Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Hounded

Author:
Kevin Hearne
Narrator: Luke Daniels
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (April 19, 2011)
Length: 8 hours and 6 minutes

Description: The first novel in the Iron Druid Chronicles - introducing a cool, new, funny urban fantasy hero

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old - when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power - plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish - to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

My Thoughts: HOUNDED begins the Iron Druid series of urban fantasy novels. Atticus O'Sullivan is laying low in the desert Southwest. He's the last Druid and over 21 centuries old despite looking 21. He'd be happy quietly running his adult bookstore and tea shop and roaming the desert with his wolfhound. But he also holds a magic sword, and an ancient Celtic deity has been looking for it and for Atticus for centuries.

With the help of some witches, the deity has tracked Atticus down. Atticus will need the help of the friends he has gathered if he wants to survive. Luckily, his lawyers are a werewolf and a vampire. He also has the aid of a couple of goddesses and a Hindi witch inhabiting the body of his favorite bartender. 

The story has great worldbuilding and a wonderful snarky main character and his even snarkier canine companion. It was packed with action and with humor. 

I bought this one June 27, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Field of Dishonor by David Weber

Field of Dishonor

Author:
David Weber
Series: Honor Harrington (Book 4)
Publication: Baen Books (December 15, 2012)

Description: HONOR BETRAYED

The People's Republic of Haven's sneak attack on the Kingdom of Manticore has failed. The Peeps are in disarray, their leaders fighting for power in bloody revolution, and the Royal Manticoran Navy stands victorious.

But Manticore has domestic problems of its own, and success can be more treacherous than defeat for Honor Harrington. Now, trapped at the core of a political crisis she never sought, betrayed by an old and vicious enemy she'd thought vanquished forever, she stands alone

She must fight for justice on a battlefield she never trained for in a private war that offers just two choices: death . . . or a ''victory'' that can end only in dishonor and the loss of all she loves.

My Thoughts: This story concentrates on Honor's relationship with Captain Lord Pavel Young. After his cowardice and desertion on the field of battle that was near the end of the previous book, this book begins with his court martial. But Young has powerful friends and the government needs to appease them if they are going to get the declaration of war against Haven that the need so badly.

An almost hung jury saves Young from being shot but enough was proven to have him cashiered out of the Navy. After his father's death just after the verdict is given, Young becomes the new Lord North Hollow who inherits his father's secrets and position in the House of Lords. But he blames Honor for all his problems and won't be content until she is dead.

Before he gets to Honor though, he decides to make her life terrible by killing Paul Tankersley who is Honor's love and lover. North Hollow hires Denver Summervale to challenge Paul to a duel. Summervale is a cashiered Marine who is a killer for hire who has killed many men on women on the field of honor. 

Honor had been sent to Grayson to get her out from under the massive publicity the court martial has stirred up. When she hears about Paul's death, she is determined to challenge Summervale to a duel and kill him herself. But Honor has friends on her side who get to Summervale and convince him to tell them who hired him. To no one's surprise, the man was hired by North Hollow and Summervale's confession is on tape. Of course, with the confession gotten by less than legal means it is impossible to take the take to law enforcement.

Honor publicly calls out North Hollow and demands that he meet her on the field of honor even though she gets a lot of pressure from the Queen's government and her own superiors to back off. North Hollow's support is still needed in the upcoming war effort. But Honor won't be dissuaded. She feels that the cost to her career is a cost worth paying if it gets justice for Paul and shows North Hollow for the coward he is. 

The story was packed with emotional intensity. Honor's grief for the loss of Paul was very convincingly written.

I bought this story three times - print, Kindle, and audiobook. You can buy your copy here.