ARC Review: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

A Trade of Blood
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Series: Ana and Din (Book 3)
Publication: Del Rey (August 4, 2026)

Description: Detective Ana Dolabra must prove a condemned man’s innocence and confront a terrifying magical technology in this fantasy-mystery from the bestselling author of The Tainted Cup, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards.

The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.

But if the great detective Ana Dolabra cannot save him from the noose, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, threatening to plunge the whole Empire into starvation and chaos.

As Ana investigates—her assistant Dinios Kol, as ever, acting as her eyes and ears—she fears her task is even more daunting than it seemed. For this murder is just the latest in a deeper, subtler web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.

With their customary skill, Ana and Din pursue their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses. Yet even they are not prepared to learn the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers.

My Thoughts: Ana and Din's next case takes them into the third ring to investigate a murder that could lead to a revolt. It's a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. The only remaining heir to one of the great agricultural families is found running away from a room where the daughter of the other major family lies butchered. 

The boy says he doesn't remember what happened and Ana and Din believe him. As they investigate, they find that a number of other deaths in the boy's family were also suspicious. The more they look into things the more confusing things get for Din. It seems a common agricultural tool which compels cat-like creatures to harvest crops seems to have been adapted to make humans also compelled to do things - like commit murder.

This fantasy mystery is set in a well-developed fantasy world. I enjoyed both the mystery and the world it was set in. 

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

ARC Review: Probable Caws by Donna Andrews

Probable Caws
Author: Donna Andrews
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries (Book 39)
Publication: Minotaur Books (August 4, 2026)

Description: Readers will flock to New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews's next installment in the award-winning Meg Langslow series.

Meg has finally found time to get some blacksmithing done when a call from her dad interrupts her--can she come out to Ragnar’s right away to help with the horses? Their friend Ragnar Ragnarsen, who is gradually turning the enormous house on his nearby estate into an authentic moated castle, has agreed to shelter nearly fifty horses for Hoof and Hearth, an equine rescue organization that has lost access to the farm where the horses have been living. The owner of the farm recently died without leaving a will, and while his older son Abel would be happy to let the horses stay, younger brother George wants to sell to a developer . . . and is suspected of sending a thug to harm the horses as part of his efforts to evict Hoof and Hearth.

That night, while Meg and her family are camping at one of Ragnar’s barns, to keep an eye on the horses, they discover that the thug has been murdered. Unfortunately George is alibied . . . but his horse-loving brother Abel is not. Neither are the hot-tempered founder of Hoof and Hearth or the passionately protective ex-jockey who serves as its stablemaster. Meg juggles helping keep the horses safe and doing what she can to help the chief solve the thug’s murder . . . all the while hoping that the killer won’t turn out to be one of the dedicated horse rescuers she has come to like and respect.

My Thoughts: The 39th Meg Langslow mystery begins with a phone call. Meg's father calls her to come to Ragnar's to help with the horses. When she arrives, she learns that Ragnar has volunteered to help Hoof and Hearth house their rescue horses. Abel Abernathy has been hosting them on his farm but his father recently passed away without a will and now the farm belongs to both Abel and his brother George. George wants the horses gone and the farm sold to developers. 

Abel fears that his brother might do harm to the horses and wants them safe until the inheritance can be settled. The founder of the rescue is upset and testy because of it. She's more likely to be alienating donors than finding new ones. 

When a man is found dead in one of the horse barns, at first it looks like it is George. It turns out the be George's chief henchman instead. It would be good if the killer turned out to be George, but he's alibied. Unfortunately, neither Abel nor the rescue founder have alibis. 

This was another excellent episode in the series. There are lots of humorous moments including Meg's grandfather deciding to paint patterns on some of the wildlife to see if the patterns discourage flies. Meg's twins get into decorating the animals. Then there is the horse who is excellent at opening gates and untying knots. There are some heartbreaking moments too as the abused horses are described. 

Fans of the series will enjoy this latest episode. 

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? (July 27, 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 have air conditioning! The new system was installed last Wednesday. Friday through Monday was hot with temperatures in the mid-80s to 90 degrees, but the air quality had improved so that I could at least open the windows and run my fans. The temperature broke on Tuesday with a high of only 73 and an overnight low of 49 which gave the house a chance to cool off. Wednesday was also in the high 70s. Right now, we're under a heat advisory again but the new AC is working like a champ. 

I spent a lot of the first part of the week reading and sweltering and of the last part of the week reading, listening to audiobooks, and basking in the cool of the house. Next week should be the same with some record keeping happening at the end of the week when a new month starts. 

My brother and I are planning to eat out at Texas Roadhouse one day this week since I got a really good coupon in the mail that expires on August 1. He has a weird work schedule this week with Monday, Wednesday, and Friday off. I don't know which day we'll go out. I did try out a new recipe yesterday which had enough leftovers for another meal if we get a chance to eat together on the days he works. He gets to choose what we'll eat on his days off and cook it too. 

I had a DNF this week. The blurb sounded good: romantasy and LGBPT+ but the execution didn't work for me. I read to 42% and got very tired of both viewpoint character's constant fantasizing about sex with the other viewpoint character. The fantasizing dominated what could otherwise have been a fun adventure story set in an interesting fantasy world. 

Even with the DNF, I read four review copies and added two more to the stack. My review stack now sits at 41 books. If I don't add any more and I'm currently turning down more requests than I'm accepting, I should make good progress this week with the September 8 releases. Five of the six books on the stack for this week are by authors I've read and enjoyed before. 

Read Last Week

• Murder on Charity Lane by Jo Nichols (Review, August 18) -- The second case for the eccentric detectives of the Marigold Cottages Murder Collective. My review will be posted on August 11.
• Night Candy by Max Tomlinson (Audiobook, Mine since July 18) -- Fifth in the Colleen Hayes mysteries set in San Francisco in 1979. My review will be posted on August 14.
• And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Audiobook, Mine since July 19) -- Second chances at both careers and love are the focus of this contemporary romance. My review will be posted on August 21. 

• For Services Rendered by Will Thomas (Review, August 18) -- Historical mystery, 17th in a series with lots of references to old cases and the reappearance of a villain long thought dead. My review will be posted on August 13.
• Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich (Kindle, Mine since June 1, 2023) -- 29th in the humorous Stephanie Plum contemporary mystery series. My review will be posted on August 12.
• The Bravest Hour by Anna Lee Huber (Review, August 25) -- Finale of the Dublin story arc for former espionage agent Verity Kent and her husband Sidney. My review will be posted on August 18.

• Dark Summer by Iris Johansen (Mine) -- I've had the Kindle and Audiobook since June 14, Both were one sale. This slightly paranormal romantic suspense title was an early book by the author. I liked it. My review will be posted on August 27,
• The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury (Review, September 1) -- Oxford, 1951. A girl from the upper classes and an ex-soldier from a coal mining town are teamed up to solve a murder and root out the person selling secrets to the Russians. My review be posted on August 25.

DNF

• Homeward for a Spell by Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos (Review, August 18) -- I abandoned this one at 42% when I decided I couldn't read one more page of the main character's sexual fantasies and unrequited desires. 

Currently

• The Long Call by Ann Cleaves (Mine, Kindle since May 28, Audiobook since July 21)
• Until She Dies by Kendra Elliot (Review, September 8)

Next Week

• The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg (Audiobook, Mine since July 21)
• The Chase by Felix Francis (Review, September 8)
• Those Who Are Gone by Laurie R King (Review, September 8)

• Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima (Review, September 8)
• Fury in Death by J. D. Robb (Review, September 8)
• The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle (Review, September 8)

Reviews Posted

• The Seance Garden by Juliet Blackwell (Review copy)
• Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst (Review copy)
• Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt (Audiobook)

• Pride Comes Before a Fall by Virginia Heath (Review copy)
• Fossil Feud by Maggie North (Review copy)
• Falling Awake by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook)

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

Review:

• Murder in the Upper Crust by Mindy Quigley (Review, October 27)
• Birth of the Witch by Nora Roberts (Review, November 17)

Bought:

• Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich (Kindle, Free after Kindle Rewards)
• The Lady Jewel Diviner by Rosalie Oaks (Kindle, $.99)
• The Long Call by Ann Cleaves (Audiobook, Audible Credit)

• Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis (Kindle, $2.99)
• The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg (Audiobook, $4.71)

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt

Dachshund Through the Snow
Author: David Rosenfelt

Narrator: Grover Gardner
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 20)
Publication: Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio (October 1, 2019)

Length: 6 hours and 42 minutes

Description: This Christmas, lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, can't say no to helping young Danny and his dachshund, Murphy.

Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, have started a new Christmas tradition. Their local pet store has a Christmas tree, where instead of ornaments there are wishes from those in need. One poignant wish leads Andy to a child named Danny, whose selfless plea strikes a chord. Danny asked Santa for a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund, Murphy, and for the safe return of his missing father.

It turns out Danny’s father doesn't want to be found, he’s on the run after just being arrested for a murder that took place fourteen years ago – a murder that Danny’s mother swears he didn’t commit.

With his trademark humor and larger-than-life characters – including a police officer and his K-9 partner, Simon – Rosenfelt never fails to deliver as Andy and his eccentric crew dash to reunite a family in time for Christmas.

My Thoughts: Andy has two different cases in this holiday entry into the Andy Carpenter mystery series. First of all, Laurie's friend Corey Douglas is getting ready to retire after 25 years in the police department, but his K-9 Simon Garfunkel still has one year to go before he can be retired. Corey wants Andy to find a way to get Simon out of the police department since his efforts to go up the chain of command to get this done has failed. 

The second case is a lot more complicated. Laurie has picked up a wish from a local pet store from a boy named Danny who wants a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund Murphy, and for his father to come home.

Being an investigator, Laurie is willing to work on the toughest part of the wish and find out why Danny's father can't come home. It turns out that he has been arrested for a fourteen-year-old murder. Noah Trainor was dating Kristen McNeil at the time of her murder. They had a physical fight which left DNA evidence under her fingernails, but Noah claims she was alive when he last saw her. It wasn't until recently that Noah's DNA entered the system when a relative sent DNA to one of those websites to find out about their ancestry. 

Andy, Laurie and the rest of what will soon by the K-Team - Marcus and Corey - need to find out who really murdered Kristen or at least provide reasonable doubt that it wasn't Noah. Bodies start dropping all around them as they investigate the tech firm where Kristen worked then and where her former boyfriend still works. 

This was another engaging thriller with adorable dogs and yet another chance for David Rosenfelt to name drop one of his own books into the story. Andy's desire for retirement and general snarky attitude make this one fun. 

I bought the Kindle copy October 3, 2022, and the audiobook June 5, 2020. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Falling Awake by Jayne Ann Krentz

Falling Awake
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Amanda Cobb
Publication: Recorded Books (July 7, 2015)
Length: 10 hours and 55 minutes

Description: A dream interpreter and her mysterious client find themselves in a waking nightmare in this romantic suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz

As a dream interpreter at the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research, Isabel Wright has never lacked attention from the opposite sex. Of course that's because they're hoping she'll shed a little light on their dreams. Lately, however, she's been pining for a man she's never met. She knows him only as Client Number Two and his most intimate dreams have captured her imagination...

But everything goes south when her boss drops dead at his desk and Isabel loses her job—until Client Number Two finally pops up, asking all kinds of questions. His name is Ellis Cutler, and he's even sexier than she imagined him. He's convinced there's a sociopath on their trail, but fortunately that doesn't stop him from introducing Isabel to a passion wilder than she's ever known. Drawn into a web of desire, betrayal, and murder, Isabel and Ellis now have to find the killer before they find themselves falling far too deep...

My Thoughts: Isabel Wright is a dream interpreter for the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research. She was hired by the eccentric owner of the center despite her lack of academic credits and past job at a psychic hotline. When the man who hired her is found dead, his son who is the new owner is quick to fire her. 

Isabel actually only had two clients, but their fees made up a large percentage of the center's budget. When the new owner learns this, he wants Isabel back, but she is already exploring other career opportunities. 

Ellis Cutler is her Client Number 2. He is convinced that a sociopath is on their trail and needs Isabel's help to find him. Finding him might be difficult because, to everyone but Ellis, he is not only dead but cremated. 

Ellis and Isabel fall in love but have to dodge a lot of danger before they can find their way to a happy ending. 

This was a longer story, originally published in 2004, that had some of the seeds that have grown to more prominence in Krentz's later works. The story centers around lucid dreaming and the rare people who are able to reliably to that. It also features a secretive government agency doing research into using dreams to track down killers. Ellis worked for the agency and still freelances for it but is mainly a venture capitalist these days. The agency is Client Number 1 on Isabel's schedule. 

This was an enjoyable story with a variety of interesting characters.

I bought this audiobook December 3, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Fossil Feud by Maggie North

Fossil Feud
Author: Maggie North
Publication: Dell (July 28, 2026)

Description: The hunt for fossils—and love—is on in this steamy, STEMinist romance about two opposing paleontologists who join forces to prevent a fraudulent dinosaur discovery, but accidentally dig up feelings for each other along the way.

Renegade paleontologist Ripley Adams is this close to digging up a fossil treasure and vindication. She’s spent the last three years in academic exile after her ex-boyfriend stole her work, betrayed her trust, and broke her heart in one fell swoop. If she can unearth a complete specimen of her newest discovery—a never-before-seen missing link between dinosaurs and birds—it will put her back on the map and finally restore her ruined reputation.

But when unfairly hot Oxford professor James Smithson crashes Ripley’s dig site, she realizes she’s not the only one searching for redemption in the Montana dirt. James is convinced a splashy new fossil is a fraud, and he needs Ripley’s help to prove it. She’d tell the buttoned-up Brit where to stick his suspicions, but the fake fossil is eerily similar to hers . . . and the fraudster is her ex.

The race is on to reveal a T-rex-sized discovery. Polar opposites Ripley and James will have to find common ground if they’re going to take down a hoax that could ruin them both. And as they dig deeper into their unlikely attraction, Ripley’s excavation boots won’t be the only things getting a little dirty. . . .

My Thoughts: This contemporary romance is buried in the world of paleontology. Ripley Adams is a citizen scientist on the hunt for the fossil link between dinosaurs and birds. She was forced out of her PhD program when she refused to put her boyfriend's name on her groundbreaking paper. She withdrew the paper, was ditched by the boyfriend, and had her reputation ruined by him. 

Ripley has been working with her friend Cara on Cara's grandmother's land. She has found something and is desperate to keep it secret until the right time. But James Smithson, who is an Oxford professor and leading light in the field of paleontology, comes to her asking for help. He had turned down her plea for help three years earlier when all the scandal was going on, so she's reluctant, very reluctant, to help him.

It seems that someone is ready to introduce his discovery of a fossil very similar to the one Ripley is unearthing, but James believes this man is getting ready to commit fraud. Ripley is willing to believe that since the fraudster is her ex. But she has a limited time to finish her excavations before her lease and her sponsor's patience run out. 

As James and Ripley work together to complete both their missions, they fall in love. But Ripley is based in Montana and James in Oxford. He has an excellent reputation in the field of paleontology while hers was trashed by her treacherous ex. 

This was an engaging story. I liked the characters very much and enjoyed the information about paleontology. 

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

ARC Review: Pride Comes Before a Fall by Virginia Heath

Pride Comes Before a Fall
Author: Virginia Heath
Series: Miss Prentice's Protégées (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (July 28, 2026)

Description: In the third installment of this witty Regency romcom series, a headstrong chaperone is torn between following her rigid principles or her heart

Despite his many responsibilities, there is nothing Leopold Sloane, the 11th Duke of Debden, takes more seriously than the safety of those he loves. When one of his sisters is injured at a protest rally, he drags his family to Bath for the summer to keep his reckless and rebellious siblings out of harm’s way. The only flaw in his plan is his overwhelming but inexplicable attraction to the new chaperone he has hired to watch out for them. An outspoken conundrum of a woman who soon causes him more trouble than both his sisters combined...but who calls to his soul regardless.

From the moment Portia Kendall read her first revolutionary pamphlet beneath her bedcovers at Miss Prentice’s School for Girls, she realized that her true calling was to make the world a fairer place for the masses downtrodden by the aristocracy. A calling that led her to Equitas, a radical newspaper that champions reform. But as Portia discovers, writing doesn’t pay the bills. To make a living, she must push aside her principles and serve the very people she criticizes weekly in her column. A temporary position as a chaperone in the home of a pompous duke seems like the perfect way to earn enough to follow her heart. Unfortunately, the duke who hires her seems to be more dashing and noble than pompous and soon begins to call to her heart too―as much as she tries to deny it. But dare she risk her principles for love or will her pride always come before a fall?

My Thoughts: The third in the Miss Prentice's Protégée's series stars Portia Kendall. Portia has been determined to reform society since she read Mary Wollstonecraft's treatise on the rights of man when she was a lonely sixteen-year-old learning to be a governess. Her zeal for reform has only grown in the eight years since. Now, she has a chance to be the assistant editor of Equitas after a move to Bath. Unfortunately, the position is unpaid which means she needs to find a job.

I fou

Leo Sloane is the 11th Duke of Debden and he has a problem. He needs someone to ride herd on his two younger sisters. One is a budding reformer and the other has a marked penchant for men in uniform. Despite having a number of highly qualified candidates for the position of social secretary and chaperone, Leo hires Portia.

Determined to never marry and having a marked dislike of dukes, Portia falls in love with Leo despite her need to lie to him about just about everything. Leo has also fallen in love with a woman he's afraid he can't protect from the dangerous things she does in her quest for reform.

This was an engaging story filled with all sorts of information about the social upheaval surrounding the rights of man and judicial reform. I found both of the main characters to be well-written and sympathetic characters. I could understand both of their viewpoints and the problems that ensued when those viewpoints clashed. 

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