Audiobook Review: Hidden Talents by Jayne Ann Krentz

Hidden Talents
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Amy McFadden
Publication: Tantor Audio (May 20, 2017)
Length: 11 hours and 35 minutes

Description: Witt's End is in trouble. The small town of artists is at risk of disappearing from the map if Serenity Makepeace can't expand her small grocery store into a mail order enterprise to sell her neighbors' handcrafted goods. High-priced start-up advisor Caleb Ventress was intrigued by Serenity's impassioned letter. A small town grocer wasn't high profile enough for him, but her request earned her a meeting. And Calebs' attraction to her earned her a few more. But when someone tries to blackmail Serenity, her future, and possibly even her life, is at risk.

My Thoughts: HIDDEN TALENTS is a romance with some suspense. Serenity Makepeace is determined to save her town of Witt's End. She was born there. In fact, she is the only one who was born into that enclave of eccentrics and misfits in the town's history. She is determined to turn her small town grocery into the center of a mail order operation to revitalize her town. 

Serenity appeals to Caleb Ventress who is a big time venture capitalist. He was intrigued by Serenity's plan even though it was much smaller than any other project he's undertaken. He's equally intrigued by Serenity herself. 

Their partnership almost founders when Serenity comes to him to tell him that she's being blackmailed for some nude pictures she sat for to help out the local art photographer. This hits Caleb in a really sensitive spot. He's always been held accountable by his family for the mistakes of his parents. His father had an affair with a woman who made her living as actress who also posed for some nude photos. When his grandfather refused to pay the blackmail, the photos were sent to and published by the local newspaper. When his parents died shortly thereafter, he was raised by his grandfather and guilted almost every day. 

Caleb and Serenity are determined to discover where this latest blackmail scheme began. Their attempt to check out the photographer leads to discovering his body. His death appears accidental and looks like a roadblock to their investigation. 

But the blackmail threats don't end with the photographer's death. As Serenity and Caleb investigate, they uncover other secrets in the small town. And the two fall deeply in love. 

This was an engaging romance between main characters with very different background and characters who learn that they have more in common with each other than they thought. I enjoyed this story. 

I bought this one on Kindle and with an audiobook add-on. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Terns of Endearment by Donna Andrews

Terns of Endearment
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries (Book 25)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (August 6, 2019)
Length: 10 hours and 45 minutes

Description: Meg's grandfather has been booked to give lectures on a cruise as part of the education/entertainment itinerary, and he's arranged for a passel of family members to join him. The passengers’ vacation quickly becomes a nightmare when they wake up to find themselves broken down and in need of repairs. Things get even worse when a crew member announces to all that a woman has jumped overboard, leaving behind her shoes, shawl, and a note. The note reveals she's a disliked member of a writers' group onboard for a retreat, and the group is split on whether this is in-character for her.

The captain decides not to investigate, saying he'll notify American authorities when they reach their destination. But Meg's father decides they need to look into whether there was possible foul play while the prime suspects are all stuck on board. It'll be a race against the clock to solve this mystery before they make the necessary repairs and return to shore.

My Thoughts: TERNS OF ENDEARMENT is the 25th book in the Meg Langslow mystery series. This time Meg, her family, and other relatives are on a cruise to the Bahamas. Her grandfather had been hired to give a series of lectures on natural history and was offered generous discounts so that his family could go along. 

Meg meets a group of authors who have taken the cruise in memory of one of their number who had committed suicide a year before. Also on the cruise is an author - a diva - that they all dislike. Meg is surprised to discover that the ship is becalmed - in the Bermuda Triangle - and the disliked author is missing and presumed to be a suicide. She apparently jumped overboard leaving her shawl and her Louboutin heels behind.

Meg is surprised that the captain isn't going to investigate the death. She and her family including her father who has experience as a doctor and coroner begin their own investigation. Meanwhile, the ship is in need of repair and conditions deteriorate quickly with no electricity, running water or air conditioning. It doesn't help that the understaffed ship is crewed by people suffering from food poisoning. 

This was another engaging episode in this long-running series. 

I bought this one for my Kindle November 21, 2024, and as an audiobook December 5, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell

Books & Bewitchment
Author: Isla Jewell
Series: Arcadia Falls (Book 1)
Publication: Del Rey (February 6, 2026)

Description: In this cozy, witchy romcom, a young woman works to turn a run-down small-town video store into the bookshop of her dreams, only to discover a powerful magic that’s been lying dormant—and a forbidden love she can’t resist.

Dutiful and hard-working, Rhea Wolfe lives a simple, if mundane, life with her pet parrot in small-town Alabama. Sure, she may not love her desk job working for an insurance agency. And her on-again-off-again relationship with the local mechanic may not have the fiery passion she’s read about in her favorite books. Still, things are stable, which is more than she can say about the two hopelessly immature younger sisters who rely on her.

But when Rhea’s estranged grandmother dies, leaving her everything—including a magical heritage Rhea never knew she carried—she finds herself in Arcadia Falls, the quaint mountain town her mother made her swear to avoid at all costs. While the defunct video store she’s also inherited needs a serious upgrade, Rhea’s lucky that resident handyman Hunter Blakely is more than happy to help—and more than easy on the eyes. If only he wasn’t the grandson of her grandmother’s sworn enemy in witchcraft.

Yet as Rhea makes plans for the bookstore of her dreams, she learns that her grandmother made a terrible choice, one that could ruin her own chance at happiness. As she gets ever closer to solving the mystery of what exactly is happening, each clue points to Arcadia Falls’s magic hanging in the balance. To keep her new home safe, Rhea must step into her enchanted birthright and harness her newfound powers . . . before it’s too late.

My Thoughts: This story was a cozy paranormal romance. Rhea Wolfe finds her life changed when she inherits from the grandmother she never met. The inheritance comes at a good time. Rhea has just lost her clerical job. She also wants to get away from her off-again-on-again boyfriend and the small town where she lives. Rhea packs us her belongings including a cockatoo and heads off to a new, hopefully better, life.

Rhea finds herself in Arcadia Falls, Georgia, where her first task as the inheritor of her grandmother's property is to pour her ashes into the local waterfall. Things don't go particularly well. She finds herself covered in her grandmother's cremains and soaking wet with a cockatoo who has apparently been taken over by her grandmother's ghost.

Her grandmother isn't happy about this nor is Rhea. The two try to learn to live with each other but the two butt heads since both are very stubborn. Rhea needs to learn about her family's magic and the secrets her grandmother is keeping. 

There's also a guy who just happens to be the grandson of her grandmother's greatest enemy. Rhea and the guy are attracted and spend a lot of time together since he is the contractor hired to change Rhea's grandmother's failing video store into the bookstore of Rhea's dreams. They need to get rid of a poltergeist first though. 

This was a cute romance with a lot of heart. Rhea is a woman with lots of weight on her shoulders. She has two younger sisters that she loves but who are both conditioned to lean on her for emotional and financial support. 

I enjoyed the hopefulness of this story. It was good to see Rhea grow and change. 

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

Audiobook Review: Lost and Found by Jayne Ann Krentz

Lost and Found
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Dara Rosenberg
Publication: Tantor Audio (June 20, 2023)
Length: 9 hours and 55 minutes

Description: The author of Smoke in Mirrors and Soft Focus presents a sexy, irresistible story of two people searching for secrets—and finding each other . . .

Cady Briggs is useful to Mack Easton. Her expertise in art and antiques helps his low-profile company, Lost and Found, find missing treasures for high-paying clients. But Cady knows that being useful to a client is one thing—and being used is another. So no matter how alluring she finds Mack, she plans to keep business and pleasure entirely separate.

But then a sudden tragedy puts Cady in charge of Chatelaine's, her family's prestigious art and antiques gallery. Suddenly the roles are reversed, as strange developments at Chatelaine's lead Cady to ask for help from none other than Mack Easton. And instead of tracking down missing masterpieces together, they'll be hunting for a killer . . .

My Thoughts: This contemporary romantic suspense title was published in 2001 and displays some of the characteristics of Krentz's more recent novels. Cady Briggs is an appraiser who grew up in the world of antiques and antiquities. She was interested in joining her great-aunt's company Chatelaine. She preferred more independence.

Cady has recently taken on some jobs for Mack Easton who runs Lost and Found which is a company dedicated to find and restoring missing treasures for wealthy clients. Her independent spirit almost gets the best of her when she goes off to find a missing 16th Century helm and runs into robbers who also want it. Mack had been trailing her because he wondered if she might be planning to sell the helm to someone else. Trust is a hard-won thing for him. He didn't know Cady well enough to know if her could trust her. 

After a big argument, Cady quits working for Mack. But, when her great-aunt is found drowned, she wants to hire Mack to help her determine whether or not her aunt was murdered. The two do a lot of investigating because there might be problems with an upcoming merger and they know there have been some fraudulent antiquities passing through the company they had planned to merge with. It becomes more and more likely that Cady's aunt was murdered, and the murderer might not be finished clearing his way to his ultimate goal.

As Cady and Mack investigate, their relationship gets closer and closer and the misunderstandings between them gradually get cleared up leading to a "happy ever after" ending. This story lacked some of the sparkling dialog and strong characterization that are keys to the author's later work but was still an entertaining story.

I bought this one when Audible had a sale in early December. You can buy your copy here.

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

Stolen in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 62)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (February 6, 2026)

Description: A violent death and a vault of stolen treasures has Eve Dallas struggling to solve crimes old and new in the next thriller in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series.

A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead—while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry, and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband, Roarke—who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief—recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing.

Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father—and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house, and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.

By all accounts, Nathan Barrister was a good man, a generous employer, a devoted husband and father. As for his father—he clearly had secrets. Now it’s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed—and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.

My Thoughts: Eve's next case takes her to the scene of the murder of the owner of Zip transport. Nathan Barrister has recently inherited the business from his father and he and his family have moved into his father's home. The family has discovered a vault filled with stolen paintings, jewelry and other objects d'art. They were in the process of trying to figure out how to return these priceless objects without ruining the family name and especially the elder Mr. Barrister's reputation.

The only things missing are the diamond and emerald set known as the Royal Suite which was stolen from the Tate Museum in London about 20 years earlier. Eve is dismayed when she learns that Roarke is the one who stole the set when he was contracted through a broker and offered an excellent fee. 

While finding out who murdered Nathan and finding the missing Royal Suite, Eve also has to find a way to keep the suspicions of Interpol in the person of Inspector Abernathy away from Roarke. Roarke knows that he's covered his tracks, but Eve still worries. 

At first the thief is also thought to be the murderer, but Roarke finds that unlikely. Most thieves are not willing to murder and are far more likely to run away if discovered. But the timing based on when the alarms were cut is awfully tight for it to be anyone else. 

So, as Eve investigates to discover who murdered Nathan and her team watches for signs of an auction to dispose of the extremely valuable and recognizable jewelry, an old enemy from Roarke's past makes an appearance indicating that her fingerprints are all over the plans, theft and murder. 

This was another excellent episode in this long-running series. Although there were only brief cameos by the recurring characters who make up Eve's friends at the beginning charity gala, the story was filled with Eve and Roarke working together to solve the crime. It is nice to see the way their relationship is growing with each book. 

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? (January 26, 2026)

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...

We spent the week in the deep freeze here in Minnesota. Low temperatures ranged from -3 to -29. Add in the windchills and one day got to -51. That low was early in the morning and didn't affect me at all. It was cold when I went to the eye doctor, but I wasn't outside long. 

My eye doctor said that I could have cataract surgery on my left eye if I wanted it since she can no longer correct my vision to 20/20. I'm willing to wait another year and she said that would be okay. I had my right eye done a number of years ago now. I'm a little concerned about my ability to read after the surgery, but she reassured me. I'll still have to wear glasses after the surgery since I need prisms in my lenses, but my vision will be much better. She's talking about correcting the vision to -1.5 from the -8.75 it is now.

Minnesota has been an interesting place to live since Donald J. Trump decided to invade it with 3000 ICE and Border Patrol Agents. There have been three shootings of peaceful protestors with two of them dying. Videos show that both were deliberate murders despite what the Federal Government is saying. There have also been massive protests and strikes. Friday was a No Work, No School, No Shopping protest. Since most of Minnesota schools were already closed because of the bitter cold temperatures, the No School part was pretty easy. Thousands gathered in downtown Minneapolis in the bitter cold to march. 

There have been few ICE sightings here in Duluth so far. Hopefully, ICE will leave before they get here in any significant numbers.

This week I have only one out-of-the-house errand. It's not until Friday. I plan to read and listen a lot this week. 

Read Last Week

• Agent of Change by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) -- Author read along.
• Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) -- Author read along.
• Carpe Diem by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) -- Author read along.

• One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner (Mine since July 8, 2025) -- Second book in the Frankie Elkin mystery series has her traveling into the wilderness to find a man missing for five years. My review will be posted on February 5.
• The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera (Review, February 10) -- A young female cab driver from Sri Lanka finds a body in the back of her cab when she goes to drop him off at the airport. She needs to find the murder with the help of a Sri Lankan public defender before she's tried for the murder. My review will be posted on February 5.
• The Reckless Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Audiobook, mine since December 26, 2025) -- Finale of the Black Cobra Quartet. My review will be posted on February 10.

• Half City by Kate Golden (Review, February 17) -- First in a new urban fantasy series. Viv is a hunter; Reis is a demon. Interesting worldbuilding. My review will be posted on February 10.
• Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews (Audiobook, mine since December 7, 2025) -- A convention about owls, a sudden blizzard, and a murder of a hated ornithologist are the keys to this 26th in the Meg Langlow series. My review will be posted on February 12.

Currently

• When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook, mine since December 3, 2025)
• First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong (Review, February 17)

Next Week

• Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove (Review, February 17)
• The Edge by Dick Francis (Mine since January 1, 2026)
• Buried in Shamrocks by Lisa Q. Mathews (Review, February 24)

• How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson (Review, February 24)
• The Wolves Are Watching by Victoria Houston (Review, February 24)
• The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor by Lucy Connelly (Review, February 24)

Reviews Posted

• Bone of Contention by Kristi Rose (Chirp Audiobook)
• Bone to Pick by Kristi Rose (Chirp Audiobook)
• A Field Guide to Murder by Michelle L. Cullen (Review copy)

• Tell-Tale Treats by Jennifer J. Chow (Review copy)
• Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh (Review copy)
• Midnight Serenade by Dusty Rose (mine)

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

Review:

• Family Lies by Karen Rose (Review, March 31)
• Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Review, April 28)
• The Final Target by Nora Roberts (Review, May 26)

• The Last Time We Saw Her by Jaclyn Goldis (Review, June 16)
• The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen (Review, July 7)
• Fossil Feud by Maggie North (Review, July 28)

Bought:

• Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Kindle & Audiobook)
• Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts (Kindle & Audiobook)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Midnight Serenade by Dusty Rose

Midnight Serenade
Author: Dusty Rose
Series: Moonhaven World Romance
Publication: Self-Published (October 29, 2024)

Description: She never thought she’d trust anyone enough to fall in love—until she meets a protective vampire who can’t imagine eternity without his mate.

I’m thirty-eight and should be in my prime. Instead, I’m dodging men who fixate on me like heat-seeking missiles and avoiding the outside world like the plague.

There’s something wrong with me. People don’t just notice me—they become obsessed. The kind of obsessed that has me hiding out at police stations until it’s safe to go home. Their blank stares, their eerie devotion… it’s like something in my DNA overrides their rational thoughts. And I’m tired of it.

I want a normal life—Saturday barbecues, toddlers causing chaos, a spouse who adores me. That’s not too much to ask, right?

Desperate for answers, I scour the internet and stumble upon Solace Cruise Line’s flagship, the Kamaria. Rumors swirl about its enigmatic owner, Sebastian Solace, and his so-called "pet," Kazi. Turns out, Kazi is a lion. And Sebastian? He’s a suave, dangerously handsome vampire.

Oh, and the ship? It’s packed with paranormals.

Now, I just have to figure out what I am, avoid the humans and creatures falling under my spell, and—most importantly—not fall for Sebastian.

Yeah… that last one isn’t happening.

Maybe life at sea isn’t such a bad idea after all.

My Thoughts: This cozy romance takes place on the Kamaria, a cruise ship owned by Sebastian Solace. Grace Liora is looking for answers about what she is. What she knows is that she seems unusually attractive to some people. She has found herself housebound to get away from unwanted attention. Luckily, her career as a writer of paranormal romances lets her stay at home. She finally finds the Solace Cruise lines trip and hopes that, since it is rumored to be owned by paranormals, she will be able to find some answers about herself.

Sebastian Solace is a 400+ year old vampire who owns Solace Lines. When he first meets Grace, his is also drawn to her. He soon comes to believe that she is the mate who has been fated to be his. But Grace wants to take things slow. She isn't used to dating and romance.

The two have some lovely adventures on tropical islands and with the ocean wildlife interspersed by times of great danger since it seems Grace has attracted a stalker who wants her dead. 

This was a sweet and engaging story. 

I bought this one with last year's Amazon gift card on January 11, 2025. You can buy your copy here.