Audiobook Review: Dark Summer by Iris Johansen

Dark Summer
Author: Iris Johansen
Narrator: Joyce Bean
Publication: Brilliance Audio (October 21, 2008)
Length: 11 hours and 38 minutes

Description: Devon Brady is a devoted veterinarian working in a makeshift hospital at an island search and rescue site. When Jude Marrok arrives with his wounded black lab Ned, she has no idea that she is about to be plunged into a whirlwind of terror, destruction, and unstoppable passion.

The last thing Devon needs is to be drawn into Marrok's high-stakes game. And while she feels increasingly drawn to him and his extraordinary dog, she doesn't trust him. Then the bullets start flying and she has nowhere else to run. The body counts gets higher while a mortal mystery swirls around a pack of gifted canines called the "Dogs of Summer."

Is Jude her salvation or her damnation? Are the secrets he's protecting worth killing...or dying for? With lighting-fast pace, unforgettable characters, gut-wrenching action, and sizzling sensuality, is compelling new terrain for this master storyteller.

My Thoughts: Devon Brady is a veterinarian and a member of search and rescue teams. She's volunteering on an island near Venezuela when Jude Marrok arrives with his injured black lab Ned. he leaves Ned with her to treat and says he'll pick him up at her home near Denver. Devon doesn't know what to make of the pair. She loves the dog but wonders if the man is worthy of keeping him.

She returns to Denver and her practice there briefly before Jude calls telling her to take Ned and get out of the office. Jude's enemies have caught up to them and want Ned and are willing to kill anyone who gets in their way. Jude arrives in time to save Devon and Ned, but Devon's staff are murdered.

Jude takes Devon to his ranch to keep her safe. He is intrigued by her but is very slow to share his secrets with her. Ned and three other dogs and all targets for a variety of enemies who want to use them. The dogs have incredibly long life spans and seem to have the ability to heal. Jude will do anything to keep the dogs safe. 

The enemies are gathering while Jude and Devon are falling in love. And some of the enemies are right inside his compound. The story is filled with tension and danger for Devon, Jude and the dogs. The action is fast-paced, and the paranormal twist just adds to the story. 

This classis Johansen - first published in 2008 - was a great romantic suspense title with enough of the paranormal to add zest. 

I bought this audiobook June 14, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Until She Dies by Kendra Elliot

Until She Dies
Author: Kendra Elliot
Series: Noelle Marshall (Book 3)
Publication: Montlake (September 8, 2026)

Description: Detective Noelle Marshall and FBI Agent Max Rhodes unearth bodies and secrets as they become targets of a serial killer in a chilling novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

When a search dog locates a mass burial ground in the Oregon forest, Detective Noelle Marshall is plunged into a hunt for a killer who’s hiding in plain sight. The key to her case lies in a decades-old secret: a lone survivor who escaped and is still out there, living in fear. The murderer is a phantom who left behind a collection of victims with nothing in common but their final resting place.

As pressure mounts to identify the bodies and find the killer, the investigation draws in FBI Agent Max Rhodes—Noelle’s partner in work and in life. They’ve hunted monsters before, but this one has spent years preparing for this moment, and he craves revenge. As the search narrows and the clock tightens, Noelle and Max must confront a predator who knows the terrain—and their weaknesses—better than they do.

My Thoughts: The third Noelle Marshall thriller begins with a hike in the woods and a search dog who discovers a mass burial site. Identifying the victims is the first step to finding out who murdered them all. When the first woman is identified, it is discovered that she has a four-year-old daughter who is also missing. Finding the child becomes the first priority and leads Noelle to work with her partner Max Rhodes who is with the FBI.

Things get even more complicated when a connection is made to Noelle's foster daughter Emma. One of the bodies may be that of her missing mother. At least a gun traced to her missing mother is found in one of the graves. 

This hunt brings in a lot of characters from the author's previous book series though most have only a walk-on role. The story centers on Emma's need for information about her parents and Noelle and Max's search for the missing child and the hidden murderer. 

The story was fast-paced and twisty. It was filled with suspense and tension. Secrets long buried are revealed as the story unfolds. 

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

Audiobook Review: The Long Call by Ann Cleaves

The Long Call
Author: Ann Cleaves

Narrator: Ben Aldridge
Series: Detective Matthew Venn (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 3, 2019); Macmillan Audio (April 8, 2021)

Length: 11 hours and 36 minutes

Description: In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his estranged father’s funeral takes place. On the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too.

Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.

The case calls Matthew back to the people and places of his past, as deadly secrets hidden at their hearts are revealed, and his new life is forced into a collision course with the world he thought he’d left behind.

My Thoughts: This story begins with Detective Matthew Venn standing outside the church where his father's funeral is being held. He's been estranged for years since he no longer believed in the evangelical faith of his family.

He's called to the beach nearby where a man has been found dead. He has no identification on him and only a tattoo of an albatross on his neck to possibly identify him. Venn and his team soon learn that the man was a former drifter with mental health challenges who is currently cooking at the Woodyard - a local community center and adult day care. 

Simon Walden had been living with Caroline Preece and Gaby Henry. Caroline is a social worker who has the Woodyard in her territory and Gaby is an artist in residence there. Matthew is thinking that he'll have to step aside from the case since his husband Jonathan is in charge of the Woodyard and there might be a conflict of interest. 

While they are busy investigating Simon's murder, a woman with Down's Syndrome who also spent time at the Woodyard goes missing. Venn and his team are searching everywhere for this missing vulnerable adult. Lucy has known Simon who had befriended her on her daily bus ride home. 

Venn soon comes to believe that there is something shady going on at the Woodyard. This feeling is confirmed when a second woman with Down's Syndrome is kidnapped from the center too. Venn and his team find himself investigating anyone connected with the center including the board of directors which includes the pastor from the church that threw him out as a teenager. 

I enjoyed this mystery and liked getting to know the various police officers who are part of Venn's team. His subordinate Jen was one of the viewpoint characters in the story as was the father of the kidnapped Lucy. 

Nice start to a series. 

I bought the Kindle copy May 28 and the audiobook July 21, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Death of an Irish Druid by Catie Murphy

Death of an Irish Druid
Author: Catie Murphy
Narrator: Ruth Urquhart
Series: The Dublin Driver Mysteries (Book 6)
Publication: Tantor Media (January 21, 2025)
Length: 6 hours and 43 minutes

Description: Featuring the humor and charm of Ireland, a compelling whodunit, a sleuthing American expat, and Jack Russell Terrier puppies, the latest book in the Dublin Driver cozy mystery series is perfect for fans of Carlene O'Connor!

Megan is excited to show her visiting American friends the best of Ireland. A dead body in a holy well, however, was not on her list. The victim is Seamus Nolan, nicknamed "the Irish Druid" for his controversial efforts to rewild his country estate. The local police seem all-too-willing to write off his death as an accident. But Megan's instincts say not so fast.

Megan knows that sleuthing cost her her last girlfriend. Maybe solving another murder will help her make peace with that. And she's even more determined to figure out whodunnit when she learns that an antiquated law may pass the estate on to Nolan's land-grabbing, sell-out uncle instead of his beloved daughter.

But then, with Nolan out of the picture, a rival conservationist's bid for a major grant is uncontested. And as more suspects crop up, so does a toxic surprise on the estate, throwing everyone's plans, and Nolan's reputation, into jeopardy. Now Megan will have to unearth a killer with a dirty secret.

My Thoughts: Megan Malone has taken a couple weeks off as a limousine driver in order to show her friends Rafe and his wife around Ireland. Her first stop for them is Bridget's Well which is a site known for helping women get pregnant. The pair wants to have a baby and hasn't been able to get pregnant.

Megan discovers the body of a man in the well. It turns out to be Seamus Nolan who has been nicknamed the Irish Druid. He's a large landowner who is determined to rewild his country estate. Naturally, she calls the police but is unable to call her favorite policeman since he's off with his girlfriend as she shoots a movie in the Middle East. 

The local policeman is too quick, in Megan's opinion, to call the death an accident despite the fact that his bicycle has gone missing. Megan gets involved in the mystery when she befriends Nolan's teenaged daughter who needs help coping with everything surrounding the death. 

From a great-uncle who wants to sell off the land immediately to a mother who is wondering what's in the will for her and problems with just who is the one who stands to inherit the estate, the young woman has a lot of problems to solve. She's also like to know if her father's death was murder or the accident the police claim.

All the while, Megan is also still dealing with the loss of the girlfriend who just couldn't take being involved in one more murder investigation. 

This was another entertaining mystery filled with interesting characters. 

I bought this one April 8. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury

The Oxford Guide to Scandal & Lies
Author: Kate Westbury
Series: The Oxford Guide Series (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur (September 1, 2026)

Description: Set against the backdrop of post-WWII Oxford University, The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies is the irresistible debut from Kate Westbury that seamlessly layers mystery, romance, and a dash of academia to introduce the Crown’s newest undercover operatives.

Oxford, England, 1951 - The Honorable Ginevra Bishop likes red lipstick, clever retorts, and earning top marks in her tutorials. She’s following her mother’s footsteps by studying at Oxford, eager to prove she’s more than a debutante.

Sidney Braithwaite likes brooding, Latin, and ignoring his nightmares. He’s determined to forge a new life for himself at Oxford, far from his childhood mining village and free from memories of the war.

Though Gin and Sidney have little in common, the British Security Service is keen to unite her charm with his espionage experience: there’s a Soviet spy at the university, and the agent tracking them down was poisoned. MI5 wants Gin and Sidney to pick up the trail and identify the informant before more sensitive information is compromised. As a team, the pair of undergraduates clash in personality, upbringing, and taste––but have a connection neither can deny. Gin and Sidney must unite their respective talents to follow the clues before they’re caught in the traitor’s crosshairs…if the sparks flying between them don’t blow up the operation first.

My Thoughts: Ginevra Bishop is a student at Oxford in 1951. She's studying German since she's already fluent in some romance languages. She's an Honorable grieving the death of her mother and at odds with her father. Sidney Braithwaite is a former soldier from a small mining town in Wales. He worked in intelligence during World War II and still has the nightmares to go with it. 

Two people less likely to work together would be hard to find. But since they first met over a conflict of who has rights to a table in the library, they had been crossing paths. When Gin's favorite librarian dies at her feet at a gathering, she and Sidney are recruited by a branch of British Intelligence to look into who murdered him. Rumor has it that someone at the University is selling information to the Russians which might be a reason for the librarian's death by cyanide.

Sidney, who has been earning his way as a handyman to supplement his grant, isn't eager to get back into the intelligence game. Gin who wants to have a meaningful life and not marry the fribble her father has picked out for her is eager since she sees a positive future for herself in intelligence. 

The two clash as their varied experiences and personalities mean they look at their assignment in widely different ways. However, their varied skills do let them discover more than one secret buried at Oxford University but not before they find themselves in danger.

This was an engaging story with two well-drawn characters. I liked the Oxford setting and the 1951 time period. I enjoyed the mystery too.

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? (August 24, 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...

I don't know where the week went. August is just zipping by. The temperatures are hovering in the mid-seventies. We had just a trace of rain and could use a lot more. I finished a couple of review books and listened to lots of audiobooks. 

Reading Turning Darkness into Light introduced me to Marie Brennan's work. So, when the first in the prequel to the book I read series went on sale at Amazon, I snapped it up. A couple of the others in the five-book series were also on sale. I bought those too. I added the other two books to my "Books I'm Waiting For" list at Amazon and I'm hoping they go on sale before I get to them in my reading. 

I spent time this week setting up my October (!) calendar on my blog and preparing the posts as much as I can before I've actually read the books. 

I read two review copies and added two new ones leaving my review stack at 44 books. I have reviews scheduled for the next three weeks and am sort of taking time off to listen to the In Death series again. I'm up to book 55 with book 64 being published September 5. I've already read a review copy of that one and loved it. 

My Next Week books contain a number in series that I've enjoyed. I should be more eager to read them than I actually am. The In Death books are more compelling. 

I have a friend coming to visit late next week. She'll arrive Thursday after work and leave Sunday afternoon. I'm eager to see her. We're listening to The Others series by Ann Bishop and I'm eager to do that too. Since my brother Bill doesn't have time off while my friend visits, we'll have lots of chances to visit restaurants which is always fun.

Read Last Week

• The Pumpkin Vice Cafe by Ellie Alexander (Review, September 29) -- 23rd in the Bakeshop Mysteries. My review will be posted on September 22.
• Murder on the Sacred River by Tasha Alexander (Review, September 22) -- 20th in the Lady Emily historical mysteries. My review will be posted on September 15.

• Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan (Audiobook, Mine since August 16) -- Epistolary novel in the Lady Trent Universe. Great worldbuilding. My review will be posted on September 18.
• Abandoned in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread)
• Forgotten in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread)

• Faithless in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread)
• Naked in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread)

Currently

• The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves (Review, September 29) 
• Desperation in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread)

Next Week

• Cursed City by Kate Golden (Review, September 29)
• The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson (Review, September 29)
• Murder on Threadneedle Street by Andrea Penrose (Review, September 29)

• The Fey Duology by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Kindle, Mine since July 1)
• The Vanished Sister by Sherry Thomas (Review, September 29)
• Where There's Smoke by Rachel Louise Adams (Review, October 6)

Reviews Posted

• The Ruling Class by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook)
• The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook)
• You Can Tell Me by Melinda Leigh (Audiobook)

• Make It Out Alive by Marie Brennan (Audiobook)
• And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Audiobook)
• The Bravest Hour by Anna Lee Huber (Review copy)

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

Review:

• The Last Mission to Paris by Susan Elia MacNeal (Review, January 19)
• Murder Most Cryptic by Alys Cummings (Review, February 16)

Bought:

• A Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan (Kindle, $3.99)
• Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan (Kindle, $3.99)
• A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (Kindle, $2.99)

• Slightly Shady by Amanda Quick (Audiobook, $5.45)
• Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan (Audiobook, Audible Credit)

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

And the Crowd Went Wild
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Narrator: Kelli Tager
Series: Chicago Stars (Book 11)
Publication: Avon (February 10, 2026)

Length: 10 hours and 8 minutes

Description: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips, a romance between a star quarterback and one of the country’s most beautiful—and misunderstood—actresses.

After a mortifying—and very public—humiliation, Dancy Flynn is desperate to find sanctuary far from the crowd. But where can a washed-up sex symbol hide? How about making an unannounced appearance at the secluded lake house of the sweet, sensitive high school boyfriend she hasn’t seen in almost twenty years?

But Chicago Stars quarterback Clint Garrett is no longer the kid Dancy remembers. Now he’s a gridiron superhero, still holding a massive grudge against her for breaking his teenage heart. With no room in his life for either complexity or distractions, he banishes Dancy to a refurbished old railroad caboose tucked away in the woods…and out of his sight.

Except Dancy’s not good at staying invisible. Her efforts to rebuild her career clash with Clint’s desperation to regain his focus, all made more challenging by a rescue dog, a local woman in trouble, a meddling mother, an ex with an agenda…and the sizzle of rekindled emotions.

As Dancy attempts to get her life on track and Clint tries to get his groove back, can these two one-time lovers navigate their rocky pasts and complicated present to find themselves…and each other?

My Thoughts: Actress Dancy Flynn is in a bad place. She's recently divorced from superstar Roth Hardy who left her for a younger woman who is now pregnant. Dancy had wanted children. Roth had not. Once divorced, she visited a sperm bank to have a child of her own. A miscarriage at ten weeks was just about the final straw.

After meeting in a disastrous encounter at a gala in Chicago, Dancy flees to Wisconsin and to the home of her first boyfriend. Clint Garrett is the Chicago Stars quarterback who is still holding a grudge against Dancy for breaking his heart while they were in high school. 

Garrett does let Dancy stay, but only in the railroad caboose he's restoring on the edge of his property. Dancy adopts a dog she names Watch from the dog in The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warren. She didn't want a dog but couldn't abandon the already once abandoned mutt. 

When the ex arrives offering her a meaty role in his next movie and needing her help with getting into his role, Dancy thinks things are finally looking up for her. But she faces another heartbreak when he leaves after she gets him ready for the part and selects another actress to play the role Dancy had assumed was hers. 

And while all of this is going on, Dancy and Clint are becoming friends again even though Clint is suffering his own career issues. 

This was an engaging and excellent story of resilience and second chances for both careers and for love. I really liked it. 

I bought this one June 14. You can buy your copy here.