It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (November 10, 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...

And so it begins... I woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground and snow falling in big puffy flakes. Earlier in the week, the forecast was for up to an inch of snow. Unless it starts up again later in the day, we are going to fall short of that. 

After watching the Vikings play football on Sunday and watching The Voice on Monday, I turned off the television and concentrated on reading and listening. I listened to four audiobooks and read five books on my Kindle including the final two books on my November review stack and the first book on my December stack. 

I'm entering into a short stretch of being able to choose what I want to read from my massive TBR pile. Deb asked how I choose. I don't really have a system. I generally look at my To Read collection on LibraryThing and put what I'm in the mood for on the calendar. Here's what my December calendar looks like today:

Asterisks indicate unfinished posts. All I'm sure of right now is the audiobooks. I have four already read and the posts ready to go. The other audiobooks are subject to change, but I think I want to finish the trilogy that began with Blood Brothers. I've also had a partial post for The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter hanging out in my partial posts for months waiting until I read it in December. 

I think I'm going to do something unusual for me. I am going to choose something to read and read enough of it to decide I want to finish the book before I set up the post on my blog. I'm feeling a little uncertain since I do like to plan ahead, but I'm going to give this method a try for my December reading. 

This will be another week of the Vikings on Sunday and The Voice on Monday and then reading and listening. I don't have any appointments on the calendar. Depending on the snow, I might not leave the house. Trips to the grocery store which is about a mile away from my house might still happen. Today I'm planning to make Broccoli Cheese soup, and I know I have all the ingredients. I might dust off my skills and make some bread too this week. 

Both my brother and I are fighting colds with coughs. Soup sounds like a good idea! 

Read Last Week

• Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, mine since October 14) -- First in a contemporary paranormal romantic suspense trilogy. My review will be posted on November 27.
• The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews (Review, November 25) -- Second in the Crinoline Academy series which is set in the Victorian period. It is a romance with some mystery attached. My review will be posted on November 19.
• Vows and Villainy by Elizabeth Penney (Review, November 25) -- Contemporary romantic suspense/cozy mystery set in Scotland. Fifth in a series. My review will be posted on November 20.

• Lark! The Herald Angels Sing by Donna Andrews (Audiobook, mine since November 13, 2022) -- A baby found in the creche during a rehearsal for the children's Christmas pageant begins this 24th Meg Langslow humorous mystery. My review will be posted on December 2.
• To Kill a Badger by Shelly Laurenston (Kindle, mine since September 18) -- Humorous urban fantasy/romance filled with honey badgers, lions, bears, and wolves. My review will be posted on November 22.
• Second Sight by Amanda Quick (Audiobook, mine since March 7) -- First in the Arcane Society series which combines the paranormal with romance. My review will be posted on December 4.

• All My Bones by P. J. Nelson (Review, December 2) -- Second in the Old Juniper Bookshop series. Former actress and current bookstore owner needs to prove a new friend innocent of murder when a body is found buried in front of the bookstore. My review will be posted on November 25.
• The Residence: Inside the Private World of The White House by Kate Andersen Brower (Kindle, mine since March 19, 2017) -- Kate Brower interviews many of the butlers, maids, cooks, etc. who work at The White House and have through many administrations. What comes through the most is the dedication and pride of those who served the House and the Presidents. My review will be posted on December 9.
• Naked in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, Mine) -- I felt like a reread of the first book in the In Death series. I love the romance and the mystery. 

Currently

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Audiobook, mine since November 7)
• The Snow Lies Deep by Paula Munier (Review, December 2)

Next Week

• Gutter Mage by J. S. Kelley (Kindle; mine since September 18)
• A Grave Deception by Connie Berry (Review, December 9)
• The Elusive Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Kindle; mine since August 6)

• Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook; mine since November 5)
• Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths (Kindle; mine since July 8)
• Challenges by David Weber (Kindle; mine since November 4)

Reviews Posted

• Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop (Review copy)
• Wild Instinct by T. Jefferson Parker (Review copy)
• Innocence Road by Laura Griffin (Review copy)

• Revenge, Served Royal by Celeste Connally (Review copy)
• Haze by Katharine Kerr (Review copy)
• Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (Review copy)

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

Review:

• Axe and Grind by Tayor Hutton (Review, January 6)
• Storm Tide by Paul Doiron (Review, June 30)

Bought:

• A Fae in Finance by Juliet Brooks (BookBub, $1.99)
• Solid Gold Murder by Ellen Byron (BookBub, $1.99)

• The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis (BookBub, $2.99)
• Challenges by David Weber ($6.99 after Kindle Rewards)

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Audible Credit0
• Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audible Credit

What was your week like?

ARC Review: Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree

Brigands & Breadknives 
Author: Travis Baldree
Series: Legends & Lattes (Book 3)
Publication: Tor Books (November 11, 2025)

Description: Return to the cozy fantasy world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes series with a new adventure featuring fan-favorite, foul-mouthed bookseller Fern

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable.

My Thoughts: This third book in the Legends & Lattes fantasy world stars rattkin Fern who has come to Thune to open a bookstore next door to her friend Val. She has been a bookseller for years but has been looking for a change of pace. 

Unfortunately opening another bookstore isn't the thing she needs to cure her boredom. But she doesn't know what she really wants from life until she wakes up hungover and far from home in the cart belonging to Astryx, Blademistress, Oathmaiden, etc. who is ferrying a goblin thief to a faraway town to collect the bounty on her. 

Being broke and far from home, Fern decides to go along and finds herself having all sorts of rather dangerous adventures which she writes about to Val in letters that all seem to start with "I'm sorry." Fern learns about herself on the journey and makes friends and enemies along the way. 

This cozy fantasy is a bit more violent than the earlier books as Astryx and her talking sword Nigel try to keep the goblin Zyll from many who have violent grudges against her. And Fern is tagging along and providing some timely help along the way with Breadlee, a "greatsword that has experience diminishment" and ne\ow is a breadknife. 

This was a fun story with some depth as Fern tries to figure out what it is that she really wants for her life. 

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

Friday Memes: Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree

 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:

"F**k!" cried Fern, ducking back inside the carriage a whisker before a clawed and scaled hand sailed past. 

Friday 56:

Saved by a bunch of penitents, she thought. Then, Too bad I'm out of the bookselling business. I bet they could really use some filthy romances. The thunder of a distant avalanche swallowed up the sound of her delirious laughter.

This week I am spotlighting Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree. This cozy fantasy is the third book in the series and is from my review stack. 

Here's the description from Amazon:

Return to the cozy fantasy world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes series with a new adventure featuring fan-favorite, foul-mouthed bookseller Fern

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

If only things were so simple…

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable.

ARC Review: Haze by Katherine Kerr

Haze
Author: Katherine Kerr
Publication: Caezik SF & Fantasy (August 14, 2025)

Description: Once, Dan flew amongst the stars as a decorated Fleet Officer. Now destitute, he sleeps on the streets of Gleam, trading his body for a drug called Haze that dulls the pain of what he’s lost with nothing left to his name but a battered knife, a damaged mind, and a past he can’t escape. But he is given a rare second chance when former comrades track him down and make an offer that he never expected.

Across the galaxy, the invisible lanes of faster-than-light travel—the shunts—are beginning to fail. One has already vanished without warning. If the rest collapse, entire civilizations will be cut off, stranded, and left to die. The Fleet needs someone who can read the hyperspace currents like no one else. Someone like Dan. But bringing him back into the fold won’t be easy—and keeping him alive may be even harder.

Thrown together with a crew of misfits and old friends carrying wounds of their own, Dan boards a disguised merchant ship on a secret mission to uncover the truth. What they find will challenge everything they believe—about the shunts, about the Fleet, and each other. And through it all, Dan must battle the addiction that nearly destroyed him… and still might.

Haze is a bold, character-driven space adventure that blends high-stakes intrigue with raw emotional depth. Gritty, moving, and impossible to put down, it’s a story of redemption, found family, and the fragile ties that hold the stars—and ourselves—together.

My Thoughts: HAZE is a space opera with engaging characters and intriguing worldbuilding. 

Dan is a pilot who is addicted to Haze. His addiction and a run-in with a superior officer led to his court martial. Now, he has been recruited to be part of a Special Ops team tracking down rumors. His reinstatement comes with a ready supply of Haze and a chance to reunite with old friends.

Rumors are spreading through space about ways to collapse the shunts that are used to quickly travel from planet to planet. The Special Ops branch of the Fleet in the persons of Captain Evans and her motley crew are investigating the rumors. They are under cover as merchanters who are just a bit down on their luck. 

This was an engaging story. I thought the world building was interesting. I liked the variety of aliens and humans in the world. I also liked their various social customs including four-way marriages. I thought the whole idea of throwbacks with different skills was interesting. Most of the human characters in the crew are throwbacks with the captain who can sense and control energy fields, a pilot able to find previously unknown shunts, and a Chief of Security with the ability to detect patterns. The world is also inhabited by AIs who control a lot of the systems including space travel. 

This story is hard to describe because so many things are happening. It was great to follow along on all the adventures and relationships. 

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

ARC Review: Revenge, Served Royal by Celeste Connally

Revenge, Served Royal
Author: Celeste Connally
Series: Lady Petra Inquires (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (November 11, 2025)

Description: Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in this dazzling third instalment to the captivating Regency-era Lady Petra Inquires mystery series.

September, 1815. Autumn is in the air as Lady Petra Forsyth and some of the most illustrious members of the ton descend upon Windsor Castle for a week of royal celebrations, with the highlight being Queen Charlotte’s inaugural patisserie contest for the best bakers employed by England’s finest houses. Not only is Lady Petra’s own cook one of the contestants, but Her Majesty has requested that Petra herself serve as one of the judges.

Petra’s happiness at tasting delicious cakes and biscuits only increases at finding her beloved Aunt Ophelia in attendance at Windsor, as well as Sir Rufus Pomeroy. As England’s most famous former royal chef-turned-cookbook author, Sir Rufus is slated to present his best recipes to the Queen during the festivities, with Petra being granted an early viewing in the royal library.

Yet upon arrival, Petra instead encounters a frantic housemaid pointing to a body of one of Her Majesty’s guests―and to the valet still tugging at the silk ribbon used to strangle the victim. What’s more, the valet turns out to be Oliver Beecham, the ne’er-do-well brother of Petra’s own lady’s maid, Annie. But as Oliver is hauled away to the dungeons, he protests his innocence, claiming the late guest argued with several aristocrats, including the Prince Regent and Petra’s Aunt Ophelia, and boasted about hiding a potentially scandalous document within the vastness of Windsor Castle.

When some poisoned tea meant for Petra is consumed by one of her fellow judges, it’s clear the real killer is still walking the castle’s halls. Indeed, in order to prove the innocence of Annie’s brother and find the incriminating document, Petra will need to act like a lady, eat like a chef, and think like one of Her Majesty’s best spies before a murderer can turn the celebrations from sweet to royally deadly.

My Thoughts: The third Lady Petra mystery has her at Windsor Castle for a week of celebrations. One of the events is a patisserie contest. Her cook Mrs. Bing has been invited to participate, and she has been invited to be one of the judges. Another judge is Sir Rufus Pomeroy who is a famous chef. He once cooked for her family when she was a child. He also cooked for the Royal family before turning to writing very successful cookbooks. 

When he is found dead after planning a meeting with Petra and his valet is accused of the crime, Petra begins her own investigation. The valet happens to be her lady's maid's younger brother which piques her interest. 

Petra soon learns that Sir Rufus was not very well-liked. In fact, her aunt was one of the people who disliked him and who met with him early the same morning when he died. She is one of five people who were up and about very early that morning for reasons that might have included murder. 

It seems that instead of writing a new cookbook, he was writing a novel revealing the secret's he'd learned while working among the Royals and the upper classes. The manuscript is missing and someone is willing to commit murder to find it.

I enjoyed the setting and the time period. I liked the mix of real and imagine characters. I thought the mystery was nicely plotted. I like the way Petra had to battle with herself when she learned that her beloved aunt might be a suspect. 

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

ARC Review: Innocence Road by Laura Griffin

Innocence Road
Author: Laura Griffin
Publication: Berkley (November 11, 2025)

Description: Detective Leanne Everhart swore she’d never go back to her hometown near Marfa, Texas—but she returns when her brother needs her, only to find a town in need too, still torn apart by a decades-old crime.

Leanne Everhart knows women have something to fear in her artsy hometown, especially so if they’re not rich, white locals. Returning to town after her father’s death, she sees the ugliest sides of an area that draws people for its severe, untamed natural landscape.

While her department faces mounting backlash over a recent wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a popular local teenager—which is now unsolved—Leanne is called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert. A nameless woman was found murdered, with no clues as to her identity. As Leanne digs into the crime scene evidence, she grows convinced this latest murder case is linked with the local teenager’s murder. And to multiple cold cases, all unnamed female victims, that have all been shelved by her department without leads.

Now, with conflicted loyalties and without allies, Leanne must hunt down a serial killer, one who’s been preying on local women for two decades, growing bolder and more ruthless with every strike.

My Thoughts: INNOCENCE ROAD takes place in rural Texas. Leanne Everhart has returned to her small hometown after serving as a police officer in Dallas. She has joined the local police department as the only female officer. Her father who recently died in a car accident was once the chief of police. 

When the man convicted of killing a pretty local teenager fifteen years earlier has his conviction overturned because he claimed he was coerced into a confession, the local PD is in an uproar. The current chief is more worried about the possible law suit the man is poised to bring than he is about any current crimes. 

Leanne has a current crime to investigate. The body of a battered young woman has been discovered. She is unidentified. When Leanne begins to investigate, she learns that this body is not the first to be found in the area. None of the deaths have been sufficiently investigated and Leanne faces pushback from the chief when she wants to dig deeper. 

Already feeling isolated in the department, Leanne goes outside it to people she knows in the sheriff's department and a friend in the local FBI to find out more. Her investigation leads her to believe that the old murder was the first of a series of serial killings that have been going on for years. Proving it puts her in danger from unknown enemies. 

Meanwhile, Leanne is dealing with family issues. She and her mother have never gotten along, and tensions are building again as Leanne looks into her father's role in the young man's conviction fifteen years earlier. Leanne is also dealing with a younger brother who is dealing with an addiction issue.

This was an engaging mystery. I liked the setting. I wasn't as fond of Leanne though I could see that her personality was a result of the various stresses in her life and job. 

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

ARC Review: Wild Instinct by T. Jefferson Parker

Wild Instinct
Author: T. Jefferson Parker
Publication: Minotaur Books (November 11, 2025)

Description: A gripping high-stakes thriller by three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker ("A marvel...hits the high-water mark for crime fiction every time out." ―Gregg Hurwitz)

The hunt for the truth is the deadliest game.

Former Marine sniper Lew Gale, now a detective with the Orange County California Sheriff’s Department, is assigned to track and shoot a mountain lion that has killed a man in the rugged country east of Laguna Beach, California. The victim is Bennet Tarlow, a rich developer and man-about-town in upscale coastal Orange County.

The investigation takes a chilling turn when Lew and his new partner, Daniela Mendez, discover that Bennet was dead long before the lion got to him. And while he might have been the first to die, he certainly will not be the last.

My Thoughts: Former Marine sniper and current Orange County Sheriff's Department Detective Lew Gale has been assigned the task of hunting down a mountain lion who apparently killed developer Bennet Tarlow near the site of his planned new city. Lew knows the area since he is a Native American who lives near there.

When it is discovered that Tarlow was dead before the cat ate him, Lew and his new partner Daniela Mendez have a murder to investigate. They uncover all sorts of secrets as they look into who might have wanted Tarlow dead. 

But that is not all that is going on. Single mother Daniela is busy tracking her son as he seems to be getting involved with gangs and bad companions. She is also carrying on an affair with her son's father who refuses to let her tell him who she is because his existence with ruin the lover's future plans. 

Between Lew's issues with his Native heritage and his war wounds and Daniela's with her son and his father, the mystery sort of takes the back seat for me in this story. Clues and suspects are uncovered but they didn't feel like the focus of the story. 

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