Friday, May 31, 2019

Friday Memes: The Liaden Universe Constellation IV by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Happy Friday everybody!
Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City ReaderThe Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:
Val Con yos'Phelium leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Friday 56:
Well, that might not've been the best decision she'd ever made in her life, Algaina thought, but it'd sure do for now. 
This week I am featuring The Liaden Universe Constellation IV by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. I have been a fan of the Liaden Universe books since the 1980s. I can't wait to read this newest short story collection. Here is the description from Amazon:
BOOK 4 in the multivolume Liaden Universe ®  short fiction collection.  Tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.

For more than thirty years, the Liaden Universe® novels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have captivated readers with their unique blend of action adventure, science fiction, and romance. In addition to twenty-one novels (and counting) Lee and Miller have written dozens of shorter works based in the Liaden Universe®, featuring the strong characterization, detailed world-building, wit, and derring-do that readers of the series adore.

This fourth volume collecting Lee aned Miller’s shorter Liaden Universe® stories features four novelettes, two novellas, and two short stories – including the celebrated linked stories, "Block Party" and "Degrees of Separation."

Sure to delight longtime fans and newcomers alike, these tales highlight why the nationally best-selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados, with detailed world-building, strong characterizations, compelling romance, and edge-of-the-chair action in stories that range from cosmic to comic.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

ARC Review: Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley

Death in Kew Gardens 
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: A Below Stairs Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Berkley (June 4, 2019)

Description: Kat Holloway steps out from beneath the stairs and into international intrigue, where murder and stolen treasure lurk among the upper echelons of Victorian London.

In return for a random act of kindness, scholar Li Bai Chang presents young cook Kat Holloway with a rare and precious gift—a box of tea. Kat thinks no more of her unusual visitor until two days later when the kitchen erupts with the news that Lady Cynthia's next-door neighbor has been murdered.

Known about London as an "Old China Hand," the victim claimed to be an expert in the language and customs of China, acting as intermediary for merchants and government officials. But Sir Jacob's dealings were not what they seemed, and when the authorities accuse Mr. Li of the crime, Kat and Daniel find themselves embroiled in a world of deadly secrets that reach from the gilded homes of Mayfair to the beautiful wonder of Kew Gardens.

My Thoughts: This third Below Stairs mystery has Kat Holloway looking into the death of her next door neighbor Sir Jacob Harkness. She quickly finds herself deep into the case when a Chinese man that she recently met is accused of the crime.

Kat met Li Bai Chang when she literally ran into him on the street. She meets him again outside her home in Mayfair when he presents her with a gift of very fine Chinese tea. Sir Jacob was a well known China Hand who gained all sorts of riches in his many trips to China. His home is packed with all the goods he gathered and Kew Gardens has been the recipient of many, many strange and wonderful plants that he gathered on his journeys.

Mr. Li has come to speak to him to get back something precious that Sir Jacob stole from his family which would seem to give him a motive for murder. Kat is certain that he is not guilty and needs to convince Daniel MacAdam of her opinion. Daniel is a man of mystery still but Kat does know that he has influence on the police which is strange for a man whose accent and occupation seems so changeable.

Meanwhile at home, Kat and the rest of the staff are dealing with a new housekeeper who is stealing things and digging for secrets to blackmail all of them. She quickly ferrets out the existence of Kat's greatest secret - her daughter Grace. Kat's past as the supposed wife of a bigamist has colored her trust in men and could destroy her new respectable life if her employers learn of it.

I loved the descriptions of Kew Gardens. I also loved the interesting characters that surround Kat - Lady Cynthia, who wants the freedom men have and dresses in masculine attire; the mysterious Daniel; Mr. Thanos who is Daniel's friend and a scholar of some note and falling for Lady Cynthia; Tess, who is Kat's kitchen assistant and a girl from the street who has potential as a cook. Most of all I like Kat who is proud of her role as a cook and happy with her place in society even if, I feel, her role might not be a great fit for her intelligence and acuity.

I can't wait for Kat's next adventure.

Favorite Quote:
I felt a twinge of guilt at my morbidity, but I assuaged it by telling myself I could possibly help find the killer and make him pay for what he'd done. Sir Jacob, from what little I knew of him, had been pompous and boasted a bit too much about his adventures in China, but he no more deserved to die than if he'd been saintly and silent.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

ARC Review: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig

The Summer Country
Author: Lauren Willig
Publication: William Morrow (June 4, 2019)

Description: The New York Times bestselling historical novelist delivers her biggest, boldest, and most ambitious novel yet—a sweeping Victorian epic of lost love, lies, jealousy, and rebellion set in colonial Barbados.

Barbados, 1854: Emily Dawson has always been the poor cousin in a prosperous English merchant clan-- merely a vicar’s daughter, and a reform-minded vicar’s daughter, at that. Everyone knows that the family’s lucrative shipping business will go to her cousin, Adam, one day.  But when her grandfather dies, Emily receives an unexpected inheritance: Peverills, a sugar plantation in Barbados—a plantation her grandfather never told anyone he owned.

When Emily accompanies her cousin and his new wife to Barbados, she finds Peverills a burnt-out shell, reduced to ruins in 1816, when a rising of enslaved people sent the island up in flames. Rumors swirl around the derelict plantation; people whisper of ghosts.

Why would her practical-minded grandfather leave her a property in ruins?  Why are the neighboring plantation owners, the Davenants, so eager to acquire Peverills? The answer lies in the past— a tangled history of lies, greed, clandestine love, heartbreaking betrayal, and a bold bid for freedom.

A brilliant, multigenerational saga in the tradition of THE THORN BIRDS and NORTH AND SOUTH, THE SUMMER COUNTRY will beguile readers with its rendering of families, heartbreak, and the endurance of hope against all odds.

My Thoughts: This historical novel takes us to Barbados and shows us a tangled story of love and betrayal.

In the 1854 portion of the story, Emily Dawson has traveled with her cousin Adam and his wife Laura to Barbados because she learns that she has inherited a sugar plantation from her grandfather. She finds Peverills to be a burnt out, derelict place when she finally gets a chance to see it. And it is supposedly haunted by the ghost of the Portuguese Girl - a child who died when the plantation was burned by rebelling slaves.

They are taken in by Mrs. Davenant who owns the neighboring plantation Beckles. Emily hopes that Mrs. Davenant will teach her about restoring a sugar plantation. But Mrs. Davenant has her own hidden agenda which she doesn't choose to share with Emily. She also seems very intent on making a match between Emily and her grandson George.

The other portion of the book begins in 1812 when Charles Davenant returns to Peverills after spending years in England being educated and studying law. His father has died, Charles has inherited, and he returns to a place that isn't what he remembers from his childhood. He should be interested in Mary Ann from the Beckles plantation because he needs to marry an heiress but instead he falls in love with her slave Jenny - a situation that must be kept secret. Since he is not able to buy Jenny, their love must be kept secret and their meetings infrequent and secret. Charles has also come back to Barbados filled with progressive ideals and different views about slavery.

The two time periods were entwined and woven to reveal both the present and the past. I liked Emily budding romance with Dr. Nathaniel Braithwaite who began life as a slave at Beckles plantation. I liked the way they got close while battling the cholera epidemic that decimated the island.

This was an intriguing story filled with the beauty and color of Barbados and the darkness that slavery cast over the people and the time. It was filled with interesting characters who had all sorts of moral dilemmas to contend with. I especially enjoyed Emily who learned some very surprising things about her family and Jenny who was probably the character I most sympathized with.

Favorite Quote:
Emily used to feel quite comfortable assuming. But here, everything she thought she'd knows had turned on its head, not once, but again and again. All of the assumptions that seemed sturdy as masonry one moment were revealed as hollow reeds the next. 
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

ARC Review: The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair

The Right Sort of Man
Author: Allison Montclair
Publication: Minotaur Books (June 4, 2019)

Description: First comes love, then comes murder.

In a London slowly recovering from World War II, two very different women join forces to launch a business venture in the heart of Mayfair―The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Miss Iris Sparks, quick-witted and impulsive, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, practical and widowed with a young son, are determined to achieve some independence and do some good in a rapidly changing world.

But the promising start to their marriage bureau is threatened when their newest client, Tillie La Salle, is found murdered and the man arrested for the crime is the prospective husband they matched her with. While the police are convinced they have their man, Miss Sparks and Mrs. Bainbridge are not. To clear his name―and to rescue their fledging operation’s reputation―Sparks and Bainbridge decide to investigate on their own, using the skills and contacts they’ve each acquired through life and their individual adventures during the recent war.

Little do they know that this will put their very lives at risk.

My Thoughts: THE RIGHT SORT OF MAN was an amazing historical mystery. Set in London in 1946, it stars two very different young women as they try to set up a matrimonial agency.

Iris Sparks is quick-witted and seems to have too much of a taste for danger. She is still guilty about what she did during the war - most of which is covered under the Official Secrets Act. She is in the role of "other woman" to a man who is still spying in Europe.

Gwen Bainbridge is an aristocratic young widow who lost her husband at a battle in Italy and had a nervous breakdown. The breakdown allowed her in-laws to sue for custody of her six-year-old son. She is forced to live in her in-laws home if she wants any contact with her child. She is still deeeply grieving for the loss of her beloved husband.

The two met at a wedding and learned that they were both instrumental in bringing the couple together. They decided to start their matrimonial agency to play on their talents and bring some happiness into the world.

When one of their clients is murdered - possibly by another of their clients that they matched with her, Iris and Gwen need to investigate both to gain justice for the man and also to save their fledgling business.

I loved the setting and dialog in this story. I keep visualizing the black and white movies of the 40s with suave, smart, and sassy characters. The dialog was pitch-perfect for the time as were the attitudes of the characters. The mystery was nicely done and realistic. I liked the depth the author brought to both Gwen and Iris which easily showed that the cost of war wasn't only borne by the soldiers who fought it.

Favorite Quote:
"There's unavoidable danger that happens because it finds you, and there's avoidable danger that happens because you decide to prod it with a sharp stick. What were you thinking, goading him on like that?"
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, May 27, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 27, 2019)

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.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Other Than Reading...

This was a pretty quiet week with lots of rain and cooler than normal temperatures. I got a phone call last Monday saying that Minnesota Power had approved our solar project and the contractor was ordering the panels from the warehouse and getting the city permits. He said installation might begin this week. I hope he is right. It will be nice to get the project done.

I have been reading lots. I have all but one review read and scheduled for June. The last one isn't read only because I don't have a copy of that June 4th release yet. I'm starting to fill in my July calendar. I have plans for what I'll be reading through the 18th. Then I'll be looking over TBR mountain to see what catches my eye. I also sorted my LibraryThing by date added and pulled a couple that I've had since I started LibraryThing in February 2008 to see if I still want to read them.

This is the week I work on my State of the Stack post about Review books. It shouldn't take long. I didn't have very many to read this month and I didn't add very many either. I do have 30 review books with publication dates from July 2019 to January 2020.

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

  • The Outback Stars by Sandra McDonald (Mine since August 2011) - This space opera draws its inspiration from Australian mythology and was a fast-paced, action-packed story with engaging characters. My review will be posted on June 20.
  • Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer (YA Review; June 25) - This YA contemporary was filled with angst and melodrama and I really loved it. It had great characters. My review will be posted on June 22.
  • Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (Mine since February 2016) - This historical mystery begins a long-running series. I liked the characters and thought the setting was quite well done. My review will be posted on June 25.


  • Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger (Review; July 2) - Fast-paced and tension-filled thriller about an FBI Agent who comes home to bury her father and finds herself in the middle of a very tricky situation. My review will be posted on June 26.
  • The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanna Fluke (Mine since March 2010) - I chose this one because it was set in Minnesota but wasn't reading many cozies when I got it. I liked it but found that it was a little dated. My review will be posted on June 29.
  • Mary Russell's War by Laurie R. King (Mine since October 2016) - This anthology sat on TBR mountain as many anthologies do until I was in the mood for these historical mysteries. I enjoyed the stories and now I want to reread the rest of the series. My review will be posted on June 27.


  • Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews (Review; August 27) - The 4th book in the Hidden Legacy series changes focus on Catalina Baylor who has assumed control of her family after her older sister's marriage and takes on a very difficult case. My review will be posted on Aug. 20.
  • Thrice Burned by Angela Misri (Mine) - 2nd in the Portia Adams historical mystery series. As the granddaughter of both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson which she just learned, Portia is ready to be a consulting detective but she also wants to be a lawyer and keep her identity private. My review will be posted on July 3.

Currently


Next Week




Reviews Posted




Want to See What I Added My Stack Last Week?

Bought:



  • Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal (Print) - I enjoyed the first in the series and wanted to read more.
  • The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King (Kindle) - I recently read a book of short stories in this series but found that I didn't have a copy of the first book in the series. I want to reread it. 

Review:

  • Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews (August 27) - I asked for this highly anticipated upcoming title at Edelweiss and NetGalley and was pleased and surprised to be approved at both sites. 

What was your week like?

Sunday, May 26, 2019

ARC Review: The Beyond by Chloe Neill

The Beyond
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: A Devil's Isle Novel (Book 4)
Publication: Berkley; First Edition edition (June 4, 2019)

Description: Sensitive Claire Connolly must journey to another world in the electrifying fourth installment of Chloe Neill's post-apocalyptic urban fantasy series.

It's been a year since the Veil between the human world and the world Beyond was torn apart, and war began again. Sensitive Claire Connolly and bounty hunter Liam Quinn have been helping their human and paranormal allies fight back against the ravaging invaders and save what's left of New Orleans.

But a new enemy has arisen, more powerful than any they've seen before, and even Devil's Isle cannot hold her. . .

When Claire learns of a new magical weapon—one built by paranormals themselves—she knows it could turn the tide of war.  But to reach it, she and Liam will have to cross into the Beyond itself.  In a world full of hostile magic and dangerous foes, she'll have to channel the powers she once kept hidden in order to survive. New Orleans hangs in the balance, and the storm is growing closer...

My Thoughts: This fourth book in the Devil's Isle novels begins with conditions deteriorating in New Orleans. Already nearly a ghost town since the Veil was opened a year earlier, now a new group of Court paras has come to the city with thoughts of revenge.

The seelie are good at controlling the wind and are going to use their powers to halt the newest hurricane, which bids to be as strong as Katrina, over New Orleans until the whole city is destroyed. Claire and Liam and their friends need to find some way to halt the seelie's plans before the city they love is completely destroyed.

When they receive news of a possible weapon that can strip the magic from magical beings, they don't think that they have a choice other than to find the plans and the components and use it to get rid of the threat.

Finding the components means that they will have to travel through the Veil into the land of Elysium and convince the ruling Consularis to give up the essential piece they hold. The journey is hard and the Consularis unwilling to get involved in a war on Earth. Their trip also gives them a chance to see what the Consularis have made of their world and they aren't impresses. Outwardly perfect and happy, dissent is punished harshly. It seems apparent that the Consularis were glad when their dissentors decided to go through the Veil and take their war to Earth.

Claire has to do a lot of soul-searching in this one as she wonders if it is finally time to give up on the city she loves. She does come to realize that what she loves are the people she has made into her new family and, if necessary, she could find a satisfying life elsewhere.

The story was engaging. The characters well drawn. And the situation desperate. The plot was fast-paced and I loved the details about New Orleans.

Favorite Quote:
It felt like it was slipping away. That after fighting for so long, after battles and blackouts and MREs, this was the beginning of the end of New Orleans. The place where I'd grown up, where I'd lost two parents and found friends and love. Where my memories were stored. New Orleans was the city of my heart. I just couldn't let it go.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Book Review: Island of Glass by Nora Roberts

Island of Glass
Author: Nora Roberts
Series: The Guardians Trilogy (Book 3)
Publication: Berkley (December 6, 2016)

Description: The final Guardians Trilogy novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bay of Sighsand Stars of Fortune.

As the hunt for the Star of Ice leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there’s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley—and the wolf within her...

An archaeologist, Riley is no stranger to the coast of Clare, but now she finds herself on unsure footing, targeted by the dark goddess who wants more than the stars, more than the blood of the guardians. While searching through Irish history for clues that will lead them to the final star and the mysterious Island of Glass, Riley must fight her practical nature and admit her sudden attraction to Doyle is more than just a fling. For it is his strength that will sustain her and give her the power to run towards love—and save them all...

My Thoughts: The final book in the Guardians Trilogy focuses on the final defeat of the dark goddess who has been after them and the three stars they had to find. It also focuses on the romance between archaeologist and werewolf Riley and the immortal Doyle.

This time the chase takes them to Ireland, to the land when Doyle was born 359 years earlier. He has to face the past that he has never come to terms with and the guilt he feels for not being able to save his younger brother from the witch who cursed him with immortality. He has tried to harden his heart because he is fated to outlive everyone he might love but his fellow guardians, and especially Riley, have found a way into it.

Riley is perfect for him because she is competent and strong. She is strong enough to tell him that she loves him and strong enough to accept it if he doesn't feel the same.

I loved the magic and the myth of this story. But the best part of it for me was the relationship between the six guardians who are all strong, competent, and loving and not afraid to show it. Each is strong and together they are truly formidable as a dark goddess learns to her cost.

Favorite Quote:
She'd never dreamed of weddings and marriage and happy-ever-after. Not that she stood against any of that. But she led and full and interesting life--even before waging war against a god. If she survived that war, she fully intended to continue leading a full and interesting life.

Doyle could be part of it, or not. Choice entirely his.
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, May 24, 2019

Friday Memes: Island of Glass by Nora Roberts

Happy Friday everybody!
Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City ReaderThe Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:
A man who couldn't die had little to fear. An immortal who'd lived most of his long life as a soldier, waging battle, didn't turn from a fight with a god. A soldier, though a loner by nature, understood the duty, and loyalty, to those who battled with him.
Friday 56:
"I was cursed. It wasn't a gift."

"I'm sorry." Sympathy and briskness mixed in her tone. "I'm sorry for what happened to your brother, and to you. But putting the emotion of it aside, that aspect of your, the curse of immortality is part of the whole. Every one of us brings something special to the table, and together it makes the meal."
This week I am featuring a book that got lost on my TBR mountain. Island of Glass by Nora Roberts is the third in her Guardians trilogy. Here is the description from Amazon:
The final Guardians Trilogy novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bay of Sighsand Stars of Fortune.

As the hunt for the Star of Ice leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there’s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley—and the wolf within her...

An archaeologist, Riley is no stranger to the coast of Clare, but now she finds herself on unsure footing, targeted by the dark goddess who wants more than the stars, more than the blood of the guardians. While searching through Irish history for clues that will lead them to the final star and the mysterious Island of Glass, Riley must fight her practical nature and admit her sudden attraction to Doyle is more than just a fling. For it is his strength that will sustain her and give her the power to run towards love—and save them all...

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Book Review: Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag

Prior Bad Acts
Author: Tami Hoag
Series: Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska (Book 3)
Publication: Bantam (March 21, 2006)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag returns with a thriller that begins with a shocking crime scene you’ll never forget and follows two relentless detectives on a manhunt that ends in a chilling confrontation with the essence of human evil.

It was a crime so brutal, it changed the lives of even the most hardened homicide cops. The Haas family murders left a scar on the community nothing can erase, but everyone agrees that convicting the killer, Karl Dahl, is a start. Only Judge Carey Moore seems to be standing in the way. Her ruling that Dahl’s prior criminal record is inadmissible raises a public outcry—and puts the judge in grave danger.

When an unknown assailant attacks Judge Moore in a parking garage, two of Minneapolis’s top cops are called upon to solve the crime and keep the judge from further harm. Detective Sam Kovac is as hard-boiled as they come, and his wisecracking partner, Nikki Liska, isn’t far behind. Neither one wants to be on this case, but when Karl Dahl escapes from custody, everything changes, and a seemingly straightforward case cartwheels out of control.

The stakes go even higher when the judge is kidnapped—snatched out of her own bed even as the police sit outside, watching her house. Now Kovac and Liska must navigate through a maze of suspects that includes the stepson of a murder victim, a husband with a secret life, and a rogue cop looking for revenge where the justice system failed.

With no time to spare, the detectives are pulled down a strange dark trail of smoke and mirrors, where no one is who they seem and everyone is guilty of Prior Bad Acts.

My Thoughts: The horrible, brutal murder of a mother and her two foster children is the centerpiece of this thriller. Drifter and petty criminal Karl Dahl is assumed to be the perpetrator. After all, he has a history of smaller sexual crimes from peeping to exposing himself in public. But Judge Cary Moore isn't going to let those past Prior Bad Acts be presented in the current case.

This decision infuriates Detective Stan Dempsey who found his life changed by the crime. He's a loner who lived for the job but his obsession with this case has him on desk duty and on his way out the door of the police force short of the time needed for his thirty year pension.

When Judge Moore is assaulted in the parking garage where she keeps her car outside the court building, Kovac and Liska get the case despite the fact that neither of them are fond of the judge's rulings which seem to bend too much to the criminal's side. As Kovac gets closer to the judge and her five-year-old daughter, Liska is looking into the family of the murdered woman and coming up with troubling things.

Kovac begins to suspect that the Judge's husband might have hired someone to attack his wife. Their marriage is hanging on by a thread and he has been supporting a girlfriend. His career as a film producer never took off and he feels overshadowed by his wife, the judge.

Then Karl Dahl escapes from prison and focuses on Judge Moore who he sees as an angel who is on his side.

This thriller had a wide assortment of probable villains and I was led astray by a number of red herrings before the case finally came to its thrilling conclusion. I liked the banter between Kovac and Liska and the other police detectives. I'm glad that there are five other thrillers starring Kovac and Liska.

Favorite Quote:
For the very first time in his career, Stan Dempsey had committed the cardinal sin of letting a case get under his skin. He had allowed himself to imagine the last terrifying hours of the victims' lives, to feel their fear, their helplessness.
I bought this one sometime before February 2008. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Book Review: Dancing with Werewolves by Carole Nelson Douglas

Dancing with Werewolves
Author: Carole Nelson Douglas
Series: Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator (Book 1)
Publication: Juno Books (November 5, 2007)

Description: Paranormal investigator Delilah Street, who watched underworld beings like vampires and witches move into the real world during a Y2K television broadcast as an orphan, moves to Las Vegas to search for a possible blood relative shown on CSI

It was the revelation of the millennium: witches, werewolves, vampires and other supernaturals are real. Fast-forward 13 years: TV reporter Delilah Street used to cover the small-town bogeyman beat back in Kansas, but now, in high-octane Las Vegas—which is run by a werewolf mob—she finds herself holding back the gates of Hell itself. But at least she has a hot new guy and one big bad wolfhound to help her out...

My Thoughts: Delilah Street was an unwanted orphan in a Catholic orphanage when Y2K brought all sorts of paranormal creatures into public. She had a difficult time because she was incredibly attractive to vampires with her Snow White coloring. Once grown, she became an investigative reporter in Kansas who focused on the paranormal beat. However, a jealous weather witch and a spurned vampire anchorman convince her to move away for a new start.

Having seen a murder victim on CSI V who is her exact double helps her decide that Las Vegas should be her new destination. The current version of Las Vegas is controlled by werewolf gangs and somewhere there is the answer to her lookalike.

She soon finds herself living in the guesthouse of the producer of CSI V who is just as eager as she is to find out why one of his now-famous corpses is her exact double. She adopts a new dog - this time a huge wolfhound cross - to replace her former lhasa apso who died from a vampire bite. And she meets a man who dowses for corpses. Ric is former FBI and fascinated with Delilah.

This book introduces a wide variety of paranormal creatures beyond werewolves and vampires. There are zombies who have become reanimated film stars which fits right into Delilah's fascination with vintage film and fashion. There is a vampire version of Howard Hughes.

Delilah was an interesting character who has a number of hangups from her childhood to overcome. She is also developing some interesting paranormal talents of her own. I liked her investigative reporter's instincts and her self-esteem issues.

Favorite Quote:
Quick regarded me with such intelligent eyes that I wanted to put a pair of sunglasses over them so as not to give away his awesome IQ. Whiles he was looking so Rhodes Scholarish, I added, "Ric is a great guy and I really, really like him, so you will not treat him as an appetizer tray, got it?"

Quicksilver growled softly and stared out the open side window, letting his tongue flap through his fangs so he looked like the usual idiot canine easy rider.

When your dog is better at undercover work than you are, you have a problem.
I bought this one October 13, 2007. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

ARC Review: Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson

Smitten by the Brit
Author: Melonie Johnson
Series: Sometimes in Love (Book 2)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (May 28, 2019)

Description: DEFINITELY, MAYBE...OR LOVE, ACTUALLY?

English professor Bonnie Blythe expects her life to play out like her favorite novels, especially now that her long-term boyfriend has finally proposed. So when a shocking discovery leads Bonnie to end her engagement, she decides to close the book on love. But the plot thickens when a brand-new character enters the scene―and quickens Bonnie's heart.

With his brilliant blue eyes, sexy accent, and irresistible charm, Theo Wharton is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel. When fate places Bonnie in England for a summer―conveniently close to Theo―she realizes a hot friends-with-benefits fling is exactly what she needs to start a fresh chapter. Just as Bonnie begins to believe she's falling in love, an eye-opening revelation into Theo's life makes Bonnie feel like she's wandered into one of her favorite books. Will Bonnie have the courage to risk her heart and turn the page with the dashing Brit to find her true happy ending after all?

My Thoughts: This contemporary romance is the second in a series. English professor Bonnie Blythe finds her life's plans derailed when she walks in on her fiance making love to another woman. Now a chance to teach a summer workshop at Cambridge seems like the perfect opportunity to begin her new life. She is also busy in her role as Maid of Honor at her best friend Cassie's destination wedding at a Scottish castle.

Helping to mend her broken heart is Theo Warton who is the best friend of Cassie's husband-to-be Logan. They all met in England when Bonnie, Cassie and some of their other friends made a trip of a lifetime. Bonnie was immediately attracted to Theo but rebuffed him because of her fiance at home. Theo was also attracted to Bonnie but family obligations as a Duke with estates on the edge of bankruptcy has him looking for an heiress to marry.

They meet again in Chicago right after Bonnie walks in on her cheating fiance and begin a relationship. But Theo's family obligations keep getting in the way of their relationship. Luckily, he has a very smart sister who isn't going to let him sacrifice his happiness.

I liked that the main character is surrounded by a strong circle of friends. I liked that she was a reader and a writer.

Favorite Quote:
She'd spent so much time focusing on what was going to happen next, so eager to start the next chapter, she'd forgotten to pay attention to what was happening on the current page.  
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, May 20, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 20, 2019)

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.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Other Than Reading...

This week we played host to the roofers who got to work pounding and stamping around on my roof at 8 AM Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This would be okay if I didn't think that midnight was an early time to go to bed. So I was a little sleep deprived all week.

I'm told that we are in the "permitting phase" for our solar project which could take a couple more weeks before the "install" phase begins. I am excited to carry on with this project and hope it happens soon.

Otherwise, the weather was good although we are looking at a cool and rainy weekend where the temperatures hover in the low 40s. It should allow for a lot of nice reading time. I am nearly finished filling all the reviews on my June calendar and have to start to think about what I'll be reading next for posts in July. I have 12 slots to fill after the review books are slotted in. I'll probably divide them up like this month with some from recent purchases and some that have been lingering on TBR mountain for a while.

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

  • Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop (mine) - This was a re-read for the umteenth time. I just love this series. 
  • Shadow of the Fox by Julia Kagawa (mine) - I combined reading and listening to this one and enjoyed this fantasy based on Japanese mythology. My review will be posted on June 11.
  • Straight by Dick Francis (mine) - Dick Francis is one of my all-time favorite mystery authors. Straight is one of my favorites of all his books. I recently got a Kindle copy and, since I'm trying to read what I buy, I chose to re-read this one. My review will be posted on June 15. 


  • Shoot to Thrill by P. J. Tracy (mine) - Entertaining entry in the Monkeewrench series. My review will be posted on June 16.
  • The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre (mine) - An entertaining and spicy paranormal romance. My review will be posted on June 13.
  • Shout of Honor by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (mine) - This is the latest novella in the Liaden Universe series. I won't be reviewing it but it was an excellent story.


  • Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong (Review) - This was a fast-paced thriller by one of my favorite authors. My review will be posted on June 18.
  • Off the Grid by P. J. Tracy (mine) - Another great entry in the Monkeewrench series. My review will be posted on June 23.


  • The Sixth Idea by P. J. Tracy (mine) - Monkeewrench #7 was filled with fast-paced action. My review will be posted on June 30.
  • A Spell of Trouble by Leighann Dobbs (mine) - This paranormal mystery begins a self-published series and was a fun story. My review will be posted on June 19.
DNF
  • I read 37% of Girl in the Rearview Mirror by Kelsey Rae Dimberg before I set it aside. I kept waiting for something mysterious or suspenseful to happen and kept being disappointed. 

Currently


Next Week



  • Mary Russell's War by Laurie R. King (mine) - This is a print book that has been on TBR mountain since Oct. 8, 2016.
  • The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (mine) - purchased the Kindle copy March 11
  • Thrice Burned by Angela Misri (mine) - purchased the Kindle copy April 23

Reviews Posted




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

Bought:





  • Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop - hardcover for my Keeper shelf
  • Shout of Honor by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller - latest novella in the Liaden Universe

Review:
These arrived in a surprise package from Bloomsbury YA:


These are from NetGalley:


What was your week like?