Friday, December 31, 2021

Friday Memes: Cold Wind by Paige Shelton

 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:
I lifted the curtain flap. Twilight was one of my new favorite things; an extended time here in my new neighborhood in Alaska before and after real sunrise and sunset. 
Friday 56:
I scanned two doors on a side wall. They were closed, but I walked over and opened both of them. Two bedrooms, again with furniture someone had made.
This week I am spotlighting Cold Wind by Paige Shelton. It is the middle book in a trilogy. I had the first and third as review books and wanted to know what happened in between. Here is the description from Amazon:
Second in a new series set in Alaska from beloved cozy author Paige Shelton, Cold Wind will chill your bones.

Beth Rivers is still in Alaska. The unidentified man who kidnapped her in her home of St. Louis hasn’t been found yet, so she’s not ready to go back.

But as October comes to a close, Benedict is feeling more and more like her new home. Beth has been working on herself: She’s managed to get back to writing, and she’s enjoying these beautiful months between summer and winter in Alaska.

Then, everything in Benedict changes after a mudslide exposes a world that had been hidden for years. Two mud-covered, silent girls appear, and a secret trapper’s house is found in the woods. The biggest surprise, though, is a dead and frozen woman’s body in the trapper’s shed. No one knows who she is, but the man who runs the mercantile, Randy, seems to be in the middle of all the mysteries.

Unable to escape her journalistic roots, Beth is determined to answer the questions that keep arising: Are the mysterious girls and the frozen body connected? Can Randy possibly be involved? And—most importantly—can she solve this mystery before the cold wind sweeping over the town and the townspeople descends for good?

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Book & Audio Review: Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case by Kristen Painter

Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case

Author:
Kristen Painter
Narrator: Hollis McCarthy
Series: Jayne Frost (Book 1)
Publication: Sugar Skull Books (March 8, 2016)
Length: 198 p.; 8 hours and 18 minutes

Description: Jayne Frost is a lot of things. Winter elf, Jack Frost’s daughter, Santa Claus’s niece, heir to the Winter Throne and now…private investigator. Sort of.

Needing someone he can trust, her father sends her undercover to Nocturne Falls to find out why employees at the Santa’s Workshop toy store are going missing.

Doing that requires getting to know the town, which leads to interesting encounters with a sexy vampire, an old flame, and an elevator that’s strictly off-limits. The more Jayne finds out, the more questions she has, but the answers lead her deeper into danger.

Will her magic save her? Or will she come up cold?

My Thoughts: Jayne Frost is North Pole royalty. Her father is Jack Frost, the Winter King. Her uncle is Santa Claus. She has been working in the family business but still hasn't found the career that excites her passions. 

Her father sends her undercover to the Santa's Workshop toy store in Nocturne Falls to try to discover why employees are going missing. They are leaving letters resigning their jobs but not packing up their stuff when they leave. Jack Frost wants to know why.

Jayne gets a job in the Santa's Workshop and is disguised to mask her distinctive looks. She does find the store manager to be a bit of a problem but that doesn't seem enough to account for the turnover. Jayne also makes some friends among the other clerks in the store which is a new thing for her. Most people who want to be friends with the Winter King's daughter don't have the purest of motives. 

Jayne also runs into an old boyfriend who is living in town and working for the Fire Department. Their parting was not an amicable one. Jayne's heart was broken. She isn't excited to see Cooper and she's confused when others tell her that Cooper is nursing a broken heart of his own. Jayne also meets sexy vampire Greyson Garrett and begins dating him.

I really enjoyed this story. I like the worldbuilding and the humor. I wish I had Jayne's metabolism! Her descriptions of all the wonderful sweets she tries made me hungry. 

The narrator did a good job with the various voices and made the characters really come to life. 

Favorite Quote:
"This can't be a thing, you showing up on my fire escape. I'm not a misunderstood high schooler looking for an immortal boyfriend to stalk me into loving him. Normal people call or text."

He popped a brow. "And I would have had you given me your number."

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry."
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Pistols and Poinsettias by Bruce Hammack

Pistols and Poinsettias

Author:
Bruce Hammack
Series: Smiley and McBlythe Mystery (Book 5)
Publication:  Jubilee Publishing, LLC (September 21, 2020)

Description: Steve isn’t celebrating Christmas…he’s trying to survive it.

Blind PI Steve Smiley loathes Christmas—too many memories. When his partner secures an invitation for them to teach at a mystery writers’ conference in Miami, what promises to be a welcome early December escape turns into a tidal wave of mysteries to solve.

Steve and Heather walk into the midst of a raging civil war between two factions of the writers’ group. When they agree to locate a missing author slated to be the next organization president, they find themselves plunged into the midst of the battle. Before they can solve that mystery, another one lands at their feet, along with a dead body.

With more than a thousand mystery writers watching, Steve’s reputation is on the line. He and Heather make a plan to unravel the mysteries and expose the murderer. But the killer has a plan too. Steve’s no longer worried about enduring another lonely Christmas…this year he just wants to survive it.

If you like your Christmas reads full of mystery and suspense, you’ll love Pistols and Poinsettias!

My Thoughts: Blind detective Steve Smiley and his partner Heather McBlythe are traveling to a convention for female mystery writers when the story begins. Steve is also trying to avoid any mention of Christmas since the season reminds him of his deceased wife and threatens to throw him into depression.

The mysteries begin even while they are on the plane when they overhear an argument between two of the attendees. Apparently, the organization is threatening to splinter since the traditionally published authors and the self-published authors want to see the group take two different directions. 

Tensions are high among the attendees but that only starts the problems. Heather's family is a part owner of the hotel and she notices some lacks: banquet food that is inadequate, security cameras that aren't working, and a security chief who seems to have no experience. 

Things escalate when three different attendees from different factions all try to hire Heather and Steve to locate one of the missing members of the group who is a potential next president of the organization. Then the private chef who prepared a meal for them in their suite is found murdered in the VIP parking garage. 

Steve and Heather are both very busy trying to solve the crimes and also conduct their seminars and Q&As with Heather concentrating on the murder and other problems in the hotel and Steve concentrating on the missing author.

I enjoyed this story. The characters were interesting people and the setting was intriguing. This is the fifth book in a series and I am eager to read the rest of them. 

Favorite Quote:
She didn't have to travel far. "Glacier water, seltzer, mineral water or vitamin water?"

Steve shook his head. "I grew up playing outside and drinking out of a garden hose."

"Sorry, no hose water. How about Perrier?"
This one was a free Kindle title. You can get your copy here.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

ARC Review: Curse of Salem by Kay Hooper

Curse of Salem

Author:
Kay Hooper
Series: A Bishop/SCU Novel (Book 20)
Publication: Berkley (December 28, 2021)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper is back with a brand new thrilling paranormal suspense novel in the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series.

The small town of Salem has been quiet for months—or so Bishop and his elite Special Crimes Unit believe.  But then Hollis Templeton and Diana Hayes receive a warning in Diana's eerie "gray time" between the world of the living and the realm of the dead that a twisted killer is stalking Salem, bent on destroying in the most bloody and horrifying way possible the five families that founded the town.

The stakes are high, especially for new friends Nellie Cavendish and Finn Deverell, both members of the Five, and this time Bishop and his wife Miranda will lead the team to hunt down a vicious killer and uncover a dark and ancient curse haunting Salem.

My Thoughts: This is the twentieth book in a series that began in 2000. This time Bishop, his wife Miranda, Hollis Templeton and Reese Demarco, and Diana and Quentin Hayes find themselves returning to Salem at the request of Finn Deverell who is the Chief Deputy. 

Mediums Hollis and Diana have had a vision in the gray time which indicates that a serial killer is going to be killing members of the five powerful, psychic families that control Salem. When Finn calls them in because of a farseeing by one of the Elders, they are ready to respond in numbers. 

But Salem isn't their usual scene. Psychic powers don't work as usual. There is a lot of interference that has just gotten worse since the events of HIDDEN SALEM (2020). They do have other allies in town besides Finn. Nellie Cavendish is a powerful multi-talent who is a recent arrival in town and just getting used to her considerable powers - when she isn't trying to deny them. Even the crows are useful allies.

When a man who's had a fight with his wife disappears, and then is found tortured to death, and another man is kidnapped almost immediately after the first disappearance, the team begins to think that someone is really trying to destroy member of the five families. But that doesn't make a lot of sense since about 40% of the town is related in some way to the families.

Then Hollis has another vision and a young woman named Megan Hales comes to her and tells her she was the first. This comes as a surprise because everyone thought that she had left Salem to make a new life for herself after being jilted by her fiancé shortly before their planned wedding day. Being led to her buried body by the crows turns their investigation onto a new path.

The story is filled with all kinds of paranormal abilities along with being a police procedural. It was interesting trying to figure out who the villain was and to watch the team go off in all sorts of directions until they could focus on the correct villain. 

Fans of the Bishop/SCU stories won't want to miss this latest episode. 

Favorite Quote:
"Why grab a strong telepath, mess around with some kind of injection and oxygen tanks, and then hang him out like bait on a hook?"

"To offer us a puzzle?" DeMarco suggested wryly.

"Or just to see if he could lead us around by the nose?" She sighed. 
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: In Every Generation by Kendare Blake

In Every Generation

Author:
Kendare Blake
Series: In Every Generation (Book 1)
Publication: Disney-Hyperion (January 4, 2022)

Description: A new Slayer for a new generation...

Frankie Rosenberg is passionate about the environment, a sophomore at New Sunnydale High School, and the daughter of the most powerful witch in Sunnydale history. Her mom, Willow, is slowly teaching her magic on the condition that she use it to better the world. But Frankie’s happily quiet life is upended when new girl Hailey shows up with news that the annual Slayer convention has been the target of an attack, and all the Slayers―including Buffy, Faith, and Hailey’s older sister Vi―might be dead. That means it’s time for this generation’s Slayer to be born.

But being the first ever Slayer-Witch means learning how to wield a stake while trying to control her budding powers. With the help of Hailey, a werewolf named Jake, and a hot but nerdy sage demon, Frankie must become the Slayer, prevent the Hellmouth from opening again, and find out what happened to her Aunt Buffy, before she’s next.

My Thoughts: Fans of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER will be delighted by this revisiting to the world and will enjoy the many references to the story.

Frankie Rosenberg is a nerdy, eco-witch and very concerned with being environmentally friendly. She's a vegan. Her mother is Willow who has set aside most of her magic but not her wardrobe. Her best friend is Jake Osbourne who is being raised by his uncle Oz since his parents took his older brother to a werewolf enclave in New Zealand.

Then one day, Frankie develops slayer powers...

It seems that the slayers - Buffy, Faith, and most of the others - all died in an explosion while they were in Nova Scotia for a retreat. Xander and Dawn are there trying to find out what happened, but it doesn't look good.

Then Spike shows up in Sunnydale with Hailey whose sister Vi is also a slayer. Hailey has been kept secret by Vi who wanted to protect her. Hailey has grown up knowing about the supernatural world and knowing she has to keep it a secret. She has also secretly been training so that she could help her sister.

It looks like a new Scooby gang is forming around Frankie and just in time. Vampires and demons who have heard of the disaster with the slayers are starting to gather again in Sunnydale. And Frankie, totally untrained, is the one who has to defeat them. She is correctly concerned and really feels that she's in over her head despite help from her Scooby gang, her mom, Uncle Oz, and Uncle Spike. 

It also seems that there is a new head vampire trying to set up camp in Sunnydale. The Countess may or may not be Elizabeth Bathory but her predilection for virgins does lend the story some credence. So does the fact that simply staking her doesn't make her turn to dust. 

Luckily, Frankie has a semi-secret protector in the Hunter of Thrace who has his own reasons for hanging around despite the rumor that his preferred diet includes the hearts of slayers. 

The story was filled with engaging characters, lots of references to the TV series, and lots of vampire-fighting action. Fans of the series, which is available on Amazon Prime, will enjoy getting to know these new characters and will be eager for more since the ending left quite a few threads dangling. 

Favorite Quote:
Sunnydale High. It had been rebuilt so many times that it was known among the students as The Thing That Wouldn't Die. Unlike many of their classmates.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Book & Audio Review: Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

Bellewether

Author:
Susanna Kearsley
Narrator: Tim Campbell, Megan Tusing & Sarah Mollo-Christensen
Publication: Sourcebooks Landmark (August 7, 2018); Audible Studios (November 6, 2018)
Length: 452 p.; 13 hours and 38 minutes

Description:
 Secrets aren't such easy things to keep: It's late summer in 1759, war is raging, and families are torn apart by divided loyalties and deadly secrets. In this complex and dangerous time, a young French-Canadian lieutenant is captured and billeted with a Long Island family, an unwilling and unwelcome guest.

As he begins to pitch in with the never-ending household tasks and farm chores, Jean-Philippe de Sabran finds himself drawn to Lydia, the daughter of the house. Slowly, Lydia Wilde discovers that Jean-Philippe is a true soldier and gentleman, until their lives become inextricably intertwined.

Legend has it that the forbidden love between Jean-Philippe and Lydia ended tragically, but centuries later, the clues they left behind reveal the true story.

Susanna Kearsley's books combine the magic of Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy, the remarkable women of Lucinda Riley's Seven Sisters Series, and the intrigue of books by Simone St. James.

Part history, part romance, and all kinds of magic, Susanna Kearsley's latest masterpiece will draw you in and never let you go, even long after you've turned the last page.

My Thoughts: Charley Van Hoek has come to Long Island to offer support to her niece after the sudden death of her father, Charley's brother Niels. Van Hoek is a famous name in the area. Her grandmother still lives there though Charley has never met her. Charley's father was opposed to the Vietnam War and left to live in Canada which caused a major rift in the family. 

Charley has taken a job as a museum curator at Wilde House, most famous for being the home of Benjamin Wilde a patriot during the Revolutionary War. But Charley becomes more fascinated with a ghost story she is told by one of the board, himself a descendent of the Wildes. It seems that during the French and Indian War the Wildes took in a couple of French officers who had given their paroles. Legend says that the daughter of the house Lydia fell in love with one of them who was murdered by Lydia's brother. Then Lydia herself died at age twenty-one. It is said that the French soldier wanders the woods lighting the way for Lydia to follow so that they could run away together. Charley would like to try to prove the story and add it to the story that the museum is to tell, but a few of the board members are quite opposed.

The story is told from three points of view. Charley has the present time and we watch her investigate the mystery, deal with her grief and her niece's, and fall in love with the contractor restoring the house. 

The second point of view is Lydia's. She tells of her life at the end of the French and Indian War as she deals with grief at the loss of her fiancĂ© and tries to help her brother Joseph heal from the mental damage done to him by being caught in one of the battles. She also finds herself dealing with the growing unrest in the colonies rising from the British Empire's unfair treatment. 

The final point of view is that of Jean-Philippe who is one of the two French lieutenants quartered with the Wildes. Jean-Baptiste is French-Canadian. He is an officer in the Troupes de la Marine and spent a year with the Seneca when he was ten. He is loyal to his King, brave, and kind. He also speaks no English and the Wildes no French. While the second officer there with him does speak English and can translate, Jean-Philippe gets most of his clues about his situation by observation. 

The story is filled with wonderful characters both in the past and in the present. It also shines a light on some things the history books often miss. I wasn't really aware that slavery was a fact in both the Northern United States and in Canada. And while I had heard about the Acadians, I didn't know that any of them went to New York. I knew little about the French and Indian War and little about the build-up to the American Revolution. While being completely engaged in the stories in the present and the past, I still learned a lot about history while reading this story.

I loved the romances and the parallels between the two time periods as Lydia gradually comes to love Jean-Philippe while Charley falls in love with Sam. 

This was another excellent story by Kearsley and it was well-narrated by Tim Campbell, Megan Tusing and Sarah Mollo-Christensen.

Favorite Quote:
"If life has taught me one thing only, it is never to look back. Be happy where you are. Grow roots where you are standing. If you have the ones you love, then you have everything."
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Missing by Shiloh Walker

The Missing

Author:
Shiloh Walker
Series: The FBI Psychics (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley (October 30, 2008)

Description: Her psychic gift drove away the man she loved? and years later has drawn him back to her?

As a teenager, Taige Branch hated her psychic gift. No one could understand -- except for Cullen Morgan, the boy who stole her heart. He did his best to accept her, until his mother was brutally murdered -- and he couldn't forgive Taige for not preventing it.

Now a widowed father, Cullen Morgan has never forgotten Taige. But what brings her back into his life is another tragedy. His beloved little girl has been kidnapped, and Taige is his only hope of finding her. Working together against the clock, Cullen and Taige can't help but wonder whether -- if they find his daughter in time --it isn't too late for the overpowering love that still burns between them...

My Thoughts: This was an intense paranormal thriller. Mixed-race Taige Branch was orphaned at ten and sent to live with her only relative - Leon Carson. Leon is a religious fanatic who tried to beat Taige's psychic ability out of her. 

When she meets Cullen Morgan when she is sixteen and he is seventeen, she's used to not trusting anyone and keeping away from people. Sometimes her gift overwhelms her and she makes daring rescues of children in trouble. 

Cullen and his family visit the coast for vacations. When he meets Taige, he is smitten. They form a close friendship during his vacations and fall in love. He's able to accept her psychic gifts and she is able to touch him without being overwhelmed by his thoughts and feelings. However, their relationship falls apart when his mother is kidnapped, raped and murdered and he blams Taige for not being able to save her. 

Twelve years pass during which Taige works as a consultant for the FBI on harrowing child kidnapping cases and Cullen becomes a fantasy writer, married, and is widowed when his wife dies in childbirth leaving him to raise their daughter Jillian on his own.

Though they don't see each other, they have a psychic connection that manifests itself during dreams where they are lovers. Each thinks the dreams are theirs alone and indications that they still love each other. 

When Cullen's Jillian is kidnapped, he goes to Taige for help in finding her. It turns out that Taige has been seeing visions of Jillian since before she was born. Jillian has psychic talents of her own which Cullen recognizes and so does her kidnapper.

Jillian is rescued but her kidnapper escapes. The only thing to do is for Taige and Cullen to team up to find the kidnapper (and murderer) and bring him to justice if they ever want Jillian to feel safe. 

The story was very emotional. Cullen and Taige still love each other, but his guilt and her fear of risking her heart again, make formidable obstacles to any new relationship. Through it all runs the shadow of the villain who is one creepy dude. 

This is the first of a five book series. 

Favorite Quote:
Taige knew she hadn't ever gotten over him, and truth be told, she had little interest in trying. It wasn't that she was pining after him. She was just protecting herself, keeping her heart closed off because she didn't want any man to ever have the power to hurt her again.
I bought this one December 23, 2008. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, December 27, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 27, 2021)

 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.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was a quiet week. We had a nice Christmas. I got a couple of Amazon Gift Cards which are always useful. We also had a nice ham dinner and have lots of leftover ham to turn into a variety of recipes this week. 

I finished setting up my February calendar and have done all I can getting posts ready for posting. Now I just have to read the books and write the reviews. I also caught up posting reviews to Amazon for books from my review stack that have now been published. I have a few more to post by the end of the year since the books will be published this week. 

Having finished my January review books, I began reading February's and finished those being released February 1. My plans for next week include reading more February review books and slotting in some audiobooks too. Those might be rereads. I'm really tempted to listen to some books from the Liaden Universe. I also have quite a few audiobooks from Chirp and Audible that are tempting me too.

This looks like it could be a great reading week because we are expecting 9 - 12 inches of snow from Sunday night through most of Monday and then another snowstorm on Tuesday before the temperatures cool off going into the new year. I have no intention of leaving home this week. My brother works until 10 PM tonight and hopes to get home before the snow gets really bad. He starts work late morning tomorrow and will probably have to snow blow the driveway before he goes to work - and then again when he gets home from work. Tuesday is a day off for him -- but the grocery list is getting long!

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.)
  • Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley (Kindle and Audiobook) -- Another excellent story by Kearsley which seamlessly weaves the present and the past into an intriguing mystery. My review will be posted on January 25.
  • Never Look Back by Mary Burton (Kindle and Audiobook) -- Great mystery with two different serial killers. My review will be posted on January 27.
  • In the Serpent's Wake by Rachel Hartman (Review; February 1) -- Sequel to TESS OF THE ROAD. Interesting characters and great worldbuilding. My review will be posted on January 26.
  • Plan B by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook) - Reread
  • I Dare by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook) - Reread
  • The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont (Review; February 1) -- Interesting reimagining of Agatha Christie's 10-day disappearance told by the Other Woman. My review will be posted January 27.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?
  • Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (Kindle) -- Keeper copy of book I reviewed some time ago and prequel to review book on my stack.
  • Someone Like You by Susan Mallery (Kindle and Audiobook) -- I made use of a $5 credit for a book by Susan Mallery. This one sounded good and began a series. 
What was your week like?

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Book Review: The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by David Rosenfelt

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas

Author:
David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 15)
Publication: Macmillan Audio (October 18, 2016)

Description: Defense lawyer Andy Carpenter usually tries to avoid taking on new cases at all costs. But this time, he's happy - eager, even - to take the case that's just come his way. Andy's long-time friend Martha "Pups" Boyer takes in stray puppies that the local dog rescue center can't handle, raises them until they're old enough to adopt, and then finds good homes for them. Not everyone admires the work Pups does as much as Andy does, however.

With Christmas just around the corner, one of Pups's neighbors has just reported Pups to the city for having more than the legal number of pets in her home under the local zoning laws. Andy happily takes Pups's case, and he feels confident in a positive outcome. Who could punish someone for rescuing puppies, after all, especially at Christmastime? But things get a lot more complicated when Randy Hennessey, the neighbor who registered the complaint against Pups, turns up dead. Pups had loudly and publicly threatened Hennessey after he filed his complaint, and Pups was also the one to find his body. All the evidence seems to point to Pups as the killer, and suddenly Andy has a murder case on his hands. He doesn't believe Pups could be guilty, but as he starts digging deeper into the truth behind Hennessey's murder, Andy may find himself facing a killer more dangerous than he ever imagined.

With his trademark wit, larger-than-life characters, and clever plotting, David Rosenfelt delivers another gripping mystery.

My Thoughts: Andy Carpenter is working for a friend - Pups Boyer - who is dealing with complaints from a neighbor named Andy Hennessy because she is fostering puppies at her home. Andy wins the court battle, but when Pups is arrested for the death of that same neighbor, Andy's job gets a lot harder.

Things get harder still when it is learned that the gun used to murder Hennessy is the same gun that was used eighteen months earlier when Pups husband was murdered. Since he died at the same time as a gang thug, it was assumed that he was just an accidental victim. Pups was quickly cleared of any involvement by the police at the time, but no killer was apprehended.

Now, the prosecutor is trying to connect Pups to the earlier murder. As Andy and his team look into the two cases, they learn lots they didn't know about Pups and her husband John Boyer. Andy hadn't asked if Pups could cover his bill, but that wouldn't be a problem. Her husband left her a multi-millionaire and whose estate included lots of plots of land all over the central US. Since a lot of the land has received multiple offers for purchase, and both John and Pups have turned down all the offers, Andy feels the land has something to do with why someone is trying to frame Pups for murder.

Complicating things is the fact the Pups is dying of cancer and has only months to live. She has left the whole estate to a wide variety of animal rescue sites. So Andy doesn't see how anyone could benefit from a possible murder conviction. 

This was a great story filled with Rosenfelt's wit. Andy tells the story and his snarkiness is on full display. The mystery is tightly plotted and very engaging. The characters are also engaging. I liked that the story was set around Christmas-time which gave Andy special opportunities for snarkiness as he talks about Bing Crosby's White Christmas and tree decorating and undecorating. 

Favorite Quote:
Judge Hough is not pleased.

I can tell by the way she sneers at me when she takes her seat on the bench. She seems to believe this case is somehow beneath the dignity of her courtroom. I can't imagine she's surprised, though, since I've been lowering the dignity of New Jersey courtrooms, including hers, for more than fifteen years.
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, December 24, 2021

Friday Memes: The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by David Rosenfelt

 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:
"You looking for work?"

The guy in the pickup asked the question, but he had to have already known the answer. He was at the convenience store at the edge of town where the young men hung out when they needed money and were willing to spend the day working for it.
Friday 56:
Both the police and the writer of every article I am able to find believed that the target was Parker, misnamed Little Tiny because he was six foot four, 250 pounds. Everyone felt that Boyer and Barnett were unfortunate bystanders, Boyer being by far the most unfortunate of the two.
This week I am spotlighting a Christmas Mystery. The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by David Rosenfelt is the fifteenth book in the Andy Carpenter series which I am not reading in order. Here is the description from Amazon:
Defense lawyer Andy Carpenter usually tries to avoid taking on new cases at all costs. But this time, he’s happy―eager, even―to take the case that’s just come his way. Andy’s long-time friend Martha “Pups” Boyer takes in stray puppies that the local dog rescue center can’t handle, raises them until they’re old enough to adopt, and then finds good homes for them. Not everyone admires the work Pups does as much as Andy does, however. With Christmas just around the corner, one of Pups’s neighbors has just reported Pups to the city for having more than the legal number of pets in her home under the local zoning laws.

Andy happily takes Pups’s case, and he feels confident in a positive outcome. Who could punish someone for rescuing puppies, after all, especially at Christmastime? But things get a lot more complicated when Randy Hennessey, the neighbor who registered the complaint against Pups, turns up dead. Pups had loudly and publicly threatened Hennessey after he filed his complaint, and Pups was also the one to find his body. All the evidence seems to point to Pups as the killer, and suddenly Andy has a murder case on his hands. He doesn’t believe Pups could be guilty, but as he starts digging deeper into the truth behind Hennessey’s murder, Andy may find himself facing a killer more dangerous than he ever imagined.

With his trademark wit, larger-than-life characters, and clever plotting, David Rosenfelt delivers another gripping mystery.

Thursday, December 23, 2021

ARC Review: Tall, Dark and Off Limits by Shannon McKenna (Blog Tour)

Tall, Dark and Off Limits

Author:
Shannon McKenna
Series: Men of Maddox Hill (Book 3)
Publication: Harlequin Desire; Original edition (December 28, 2021)

Description: His job is to protect his best friend’s sister…not seduce her! Don’t miss the conclusion of the Men of Maddox Hill series by New York Times bestselling author Shannon McKenna.

When it comes to his best friend’s sister

he’s tempted to be much more than her protector…


Assigned to keep an eye on social media darling Ava Maddox, security expert Zack Austin is more than up to the task. After all, she’s like family. But dealing with the dynamic beauty requires every ounce of patience…and sexual control. They’ve been denying their forbidden feelings for way too long and soon professionalism gives way to passion. Zack’s willing to face her overprotective family’s wrath, but is Ava’s talent for finding trouble about to explode in his face?

My Thoughts: Ava Maddox has finally hit the end of her rope. She's being trolled on social media and now someone has painted "slut" on the side of her garage. She goes to Zack Austin who is the head of security for Maddox Hill. 

Zack has been intrigued with Ava since he first met her ten years earlier when her brother took him to their house. But Zack is from West Virginia and from a working class family. Ava is rich and talented and beautiful and, in his opinion, way out of his class.

Ava has always been intrigued by Zack, but personal issues revolving around the deaths of her parents and lack of respect for her career choices from the uncle who raised her after her parents' deaths, have made her into a workaholic who will do anything for her clients but leave her little time for herself.

Zack immediately assigns himself as her personal bodyguard since she needs to attend a trade fair with a couple of her clients. The clients are up for an award and have a marvelous new invention but need venture capitalists to invest. While there, and while sharing adjoining rooms, Zack and Ava begin a hot and heavy relationship. But her nightmares and his flashbacks to when another girl out of his class ghosted him along with the busy trolls, almost sabotage their relationship.

I enjoyed this story. I liked both Ava and Zack and thought they made a perfect couple. I liked the romance and found the identity of the villain to be surprising. 

Favorite Quote:
"Zack," she said. "It's been a long day, so be clear. Are you apologizing to me or bullying me? Because you can't seem to make up your mind."
I received this one from the Harlequin Winter blog tour via NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan

The Sorority Murder

Author:
Allison Brennan
Publication: MIRA; Original edition (December 28, 2021)

Description: A popular sorority girl. An unsolved murder. A campus podcast with chilling repercussions.

Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swain, who left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found after two weeks, but the case has grown cold. Three years later while interning at the medical examiner's, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested.

Lucas knows he has several credible pieces of the puzzle. He just isn't sure how they fit together. So he creates a podcast to revisit Candace's last hours. Then he encourages listeners to crowdsource what they remember and invites guest lecturer Regan Merritt, a former US marshal, to come on and share her expertise.

New tips come in that convince Lucas and Regan they are onto something. Then shockingly one of the podcast callers turns up dead. Another hints at Candace's secret life, a much darker picture than Lucas imagined—and one that implicates other sorority sisters. Regan uses her own resources to bolster their theory and learns that Lucas is hiding his own secret. The pressure is on to solve the murder, but first Lucas must come clean about his real motives in pursuing this podcast—before the killer silences him forever.

My Thoughts: This was a very entertaining thriller. Lucas Vega has chosen to look into the murder of fellow student Candace Swain for his capstone project. He has recruited Lizzy Choi to be his producer. And his advisor introduces him to former US Marshal Regan Merritt who's on campus doing a guest lecture who might be willing to be a guest on his podcast. 

Lucas knew Candace Swain. She was his writing tutor when he was a freshman and she a senior. As a forensics major, he had interned at the coroner's office and read the autopsy reports which raise interesting questions. Sure, Candace disappeared after her sorority's Spring Fling, but she didn't die for nine days after that. What was she doing during those nine days?

Regan, who is back in Flagstaff dealing with her grief at the death of her ten-year-old son and the end of her marriage, becomes intrigued with what Lucas has found. Besides, helping him with help take her mind off her loss and give her some purpose while she tries to come up with a plan for the rest of her life. 

The story shifts in time from three years earlier at the time of Candace's death and the present. It includes excerpts from Candace's secret diary which gradually relay why she was so troubled in the days leading up to her death. 

Meanwhile in the present, old witnesses are interviewed again for Lucas's podcast and new witnesses are discovered. And the killer is killing again to keep the events of three years ago secret.

This was an excellent story with engaging characters and a fast-paced and twisty plot. 

Favorite Quote:
He never told his advisor his real motivation behind the podcast but justified that omission by knowing it was for the right reason. To find the truth.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Book & Audio Review: Pork Pie Pandemonium by Steve Higgs

Pork Pie Pandemonium

Author:
Steve Higgs
Narrator: Charles Robert Fox
Series: Albert Smith's Culinary Capers Recipe 1
Publication: Kindle Unlimited (May 29, 2020)
Length: 5 hours and 33 minutes; 223 p.

Description: When a retired detective superintendent chooses to take a culinary tour of the British Isles, he hopes to find tasty treats and delicious bakes …

… what he finds is a clue to a crime in the ingredients for his pork pie.

His dog, Rex Harrison, an ex-police dog fired for having a bad attitude, cannot understand why the humans are struggling to solve the mystery. He can already smell the answer – it’s right before their noses.

He’ll pitch in to help his human and the shop owner’s teenage daughter as the trio set out to save the shop from closure. Is the rival pork pie shop across the street to blame? Or is there something far more sinister going on?

One thing is for sure, what started out as a bit of fun, is getting deadlier by the hour, and they’d better work out what the dog knows soon or it could be curtains for them all.

My Thoughts: Long-retired Detective Superintendent Albert Smith is recently widowed and has decided to set off on a tour of the country sampling, and learning to make, famous British culinary offerings despite the misgivings of his three children who are all serving police officers. He's traveling with his dog Rex Harrison who is a K-9 school dropout. Rex shares his thoughts with the reader even though Albert can't hear him.

Albert's first stop is Melton Mowbray where he is visiting Agnew's Perfect Pork Pie Emporium to learn to make the iconic pork pie. However, things are quickly disrupted when a severed thumb is found on one of the piles of meat the members of the class are supposed to turn into their own pies. 

With the owner of Agnew's in hospital after having her appendix removed, her seventeen-year-old daughter Donna is in charge. She is sure that it is just the latest prank by the owners of Simmons Pork Pie Palace which is just across the street, They have wanted to steal Agnew's business and reputation since they opened. It doesn't help that Donna and the Simmons son Toby had dated for a while.

Albert wants to help Donna. So, the first thing they need to do is try to identify the owner of the thumb which is made easier by the unique tattoo on it. Albert, Rex and Donna visit tattoo parlors and quickly identify the thumb's owner. They are surprised to learn that he is the night guard for the Simmons factory and is missing. 

They discover all sorts of things as they look into the case including a drug sting. Albert and Rex attract the attentions of the villains and have his room at the B&B where he is staying firebombed. 

I liked that Albert is 78 and quite a bit slower and creakier than he was in his working days. He's experiencing some memory issues and, at one point in the story, gets lost while doing some investigating. He also, like many of us older adults, finds himself in a crucial situation with a cellphone in need of a charge. I really like his relationship with Rex who has quite a mind of his own and who gets a chance to use his training in the story.

This was a fun story with a nicely quirky main characters who is determined to keep his independence and live his life in hos own way.

Favorite Quote:
The British Isles has so many famous meals: Lancashire hotpot, Eton mess, Eccles cakes, Cumberland sausages, the list was long and extensive. For no better reason than he couldn't think of a reason why he shouldn't, he packed a small suitcase and a backpack and set off.
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

ARC Review: Buried Cold Case Secrets by Sami A. Abrams (Blog Tour)

Buried Cold Case Secrets

Author: Sami A. Abrams
Publication: Love Inspired Suspense Larger Print; Original edition (December 28, 2021)

Description: Recovering her missing memories

could be the key to solving a murder


Searching for her best friend’s remains could help forensic anthropologist Melanie Hutton regain her memories of when they were both kidnapped—unless the killer gets to Melanie first. For her safety, Melanie must rely on Detective Jason Cooper, who still blames her for his sister’s death. Can Jason set the past aside to solve the cold-case murder…and shield Melanie from the same fate?

My Thoughts: This suspense story from the Love Inspired line stars Dr. Melanie Hutton and Detective Jason Cooper. Now a forensic anthropologist, Melanie has come back to town hoping to finally find out who kidnapped her and her best friend Allison fifteen years earlier and to try to recover Allison's body.

Jason Cooper was Allie's older brother and the object of Melanie's teenage crush. He has never forgiven Melanie for surviving and escaping when his sister did not. But Melanie doesn't remember those two days when she was held captive and beaten. But her amnesia and the PTSD she also suffers from don't relieve her guilt that she left her best friend behind. 

But someone is really, really unhappy that Melanie is back to try to uncover secrets. First, she's attacked while jogging. Then her apartment is fire bombed. There are more attacks because Melanie is determined to do her job which puts her out in public. Jason has been assigned and then self-assigns himself to keep Melanie safe. He gradually gets over his anger at her and begins to remember the young woman he was falling in love with.

The attacks don't stop with both Melanie and Jason getting injured numerous times throughout the story. Each injury, each attack, makes Melanie more determined to find out what her brain has suppressed and makes Jason fall in love with her more. 

There are lots of possible suspects and another murder to add to the tension and twists of this story. It was action-packed and fast-paced. Fans of Christian Romantic Suspense will especially enjoy this story. 

Favorite Quote:
Jason's attitude change the other night had thrown her. She'd prayed for years he's put aside his anger and assumptions, and talk to her. Why his questions about starting over had shocked her, she had no clue. She'd asked God, and He had delivered.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley as a part of the Harlequin Winter Blog Tour. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Little Girl Gone by Amanda Stevens (Blog Tour)

Little Girl Gone

Author:
Amanda Stevens
Series: A Procedural Crime Story (Book 1)
Publication: Harlequin Intrigue; Original edition (December 28, 2021)

Description: Nothing matters more to her when a child's life is at stake.

Special agent Thea Lamb returns to her hometown to search for a child whose disappearance echoes a twenty-eight-year-old cold case—her twin sister's abduction. Working with her former partner, Jake Stillwell, Thea must overcome the pain, doubt and guilt that have tormented her for years and denied her a meaningful relationship. For both Thea and Jake, the job always came first…until now.

My Thoughts: This was an excellent romantic suspense title. FBI agent Thea Lamb returns to her home town to support her mother when a child is abducted from her home. This disappearance echoes the disappearance of Thea's twin when they were four years old. No trace of her sister Maya has ever been found. That disappearance is likely why Thea joined the FBI and specializes in child abductions. It also has a lot to do with why Thea and her mother are estranged. 

FBI Agent Jake Stillwell and his team are assigned to the case of finding little Kylie Buchanan. Jake and Thea were once involved, but a promotion for Jake separated them. Neither was willing to ask the other anything that would keep them together, but that doesn't mean that they have forgotten each other. 

This was a very atmospheric title. From the local scenery to the town, things are eerie. Both Thea and Jake have "feelings" that might be paranormal if either believed in that sort of thing. There are also a number of suspicious characters around including Kylie's abusive and sociopathic father, a creepy next door neighbor, and an old flame of Thea's mother who has recently been released from a tough Florida prison and is looking to even the score. 

I enjoyed the mystery and really liked both Thea and Jake.

Favorite Quote:
They were too alike, she and Jake, and that had become an insurmountable obstacle. The each had things in their past they didn't want to talk about. Dark things that had turned both of them into scarred, wary loners.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley as a part of the Harlequin Winter Blog Tour. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, December 20, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 20, 2021)

 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.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was an interesting week weatherwise. We have been having abnormally warm temperatures for December and even set a temperature record by reaching 49 degrees one day. 

Then a storm rolled through which began with rain and thunderstorms and even a potential for severe weather. Overnight, the rain turned to snow and the temperatures dropped rapidly which raised the potential for black ice on the streets. The storm also brought strong winds and power outages, but ours was only out for a brief time. 

Most of the storm's impact was south of us. I think we only got three inches of snow when all was said and done. We even missed most of the ice. However, temperatures have become more December-like with highs in the 20s and lows approaching zero. 

I've been content to stay at home while my brother is working every day until Christmas. He began this schedule with no days off on Friday. Only two of his eight shifts before Christmas included working until midnight but all of them having him working 8-hour days. It is crazy trying to plan dinners together when he starts work anytime between 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM. After Christmas his schedule resumes a more normal pace with him having two days off a week.

I've finished all of my January review books and will probably begin reading February books this week. I did some work on my February calendar and filled in books around the review books that were already scheduled. I tried to lean heavily to audiobooks and also added some older titles. I am very, very gradually reducing my TBR mountain. 

I hit my newest Goodreads goal (365 books) this week and will likely read about a dozen more books before the year ends. 

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.)
  • Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop (Mine; Audiobook, Reread) -- This finishes up the five-book The Others series and was a wonderful story. I've read it many times and listen again when I need a comfort read.
  • High Jinx by Kelley Armstrong (Mine; Kindle) -- This is the second is Armstrong's new urban fantasy series featuring curse workers and immortals who were once the Greek gods. It was a fun story. My review will be posted on January 19.
  • Mariana by Susanna Kearsley (Mine since 2012; Kindle) -- This was another engaging story by one of my favorite newly discovered authors. My review will be posted on January 20.)
  • The Body Reader by Anne Frasier (Mine; Kindle and audiobook) -- Excellent thriller set in a slightly alternate Minneapolis about a homicide detective who was abducted, tortured, and held captive for three years before escaping and who resumes her life a very changed woman. My review will be posted on January 22.
  • Summer Days by Susan Mallery (Mine since 2012; Paperback) -- Engaging contemporary romance set in Fool's Gold, California. My review will be posted on January 25.
  • Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon (Review; January 25) -- Second in the Ice Planet Barbarians series. This is erotic romance and light science fiction. My review will be posted on January 20.
DNF
  • Undercover K-9 Cowboy by Addison Fox (Review; January 25) -- I read 30% waiting for something to happen either with the mystery or the romance, but I waited in vain. 
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

I took advantage of lots of sales this week. All are Kindle copies.
What was your week like?