Saturday, December 31, 2022

Audiobook Review: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

The Kaiju Preservation Society

Author:
John Scalzi
Narrator: Wil Wheaton
Publication: Tor Books/Audible Studios (March 15, 2022)
Length: 268 p.; 8 hours and 2 minutes

Description: The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy.

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.

What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm, human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.

It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society who have found their way to the alternate world. Others have, too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.

My Thoughts: This was a light and entertaining science fiction story. Jamie Gray is fired from his job at a startup and finds himself working as a food delivery guy in the middle of the Covid pandemic.  When me makes a few deliveries to an old acquaintance, he is offered a job at an "animal rights organization." 

Jamie jumps at the chance and is even more excited when he learns that he will be traveling to an alternate Earth inhabited by kaiju - huge nuclear-powered dragon-like creatures. This is perfect for a guy whose doctoral thesis was going to be about science fiction. But all is not well for the kaiju since someone is trying to steal one to bring to our Earth to learn about the way they create nuclear power.

I loved the science fiction and pop culture in-jokes. And I love Jamie who was hired because "he can lift things." There was an intriguing cast of characters of multiple ethnicities and genders. There was also a daring rescue to plan and execute if the kaiju were to be safe.

The author's note at the end of the story tells how this story came to be written rather than the book Scalzi was planning to write. I found that note a wonderful look into an author's mind and gave me even more respect for John Scalzi.

This story was narrated by Wil Wheaton who did a good job with the voices and pacing of the story. 

Favorite Quote:
"The only real question is, who are the monsters>"

"They ask that question in every monster movie, you know. It's an actual trope."

"I know," Tom said. "What does it say about us that it's relevant every single time they ask it?"
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, December 30, 2022

Friday Memes: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is 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:
"Jamie Gray!" Rob Sanders popped his head out of his office door and waved at me, grinning. "Come on down. Let's do this thing."
Friday 56:
The doors opened. We shuffled out, stepping through the doorway onto the gangplank, and were immediately swarmed by apparently all the small flying insects that ever existed in the history of the universe.
This week I am spotlighting The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. I bought this one in November after reading a couple of sample chapters. Here is the description from Amazon:
The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy.

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.

What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm, human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.

It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society who have found their way to the alternate world. Others have, too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Audiobook Review: Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs

Wild Sign

Author:
Patricia Briggs
Narrator: Holter Graham
Series: Alpha and Omega (Book 6)
Publication: Penguin Audio (March 16, 2021)
Length: 11 hours and 23 minutes

Description: Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham must discover what could make an entire community disappear - before it's too late - in this thrilling entry in the number one New York Times best-selling Alpha and Omega series.

In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It's as if the people picked up and left their possessions behind. With a mystery on their hands and no jurisdiction on private property, the FBI dumps the whole problem in the lap of the land owner, Aspen Creek, Inc. - a.k.a. the business organization of the Marrok's pack.

Somehow, the pack of the Wolf Who Rules is connected to a group of vanished people. Werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham are tasked with investigating and soon find that a deserted town is the least of the challenges they face.

Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous - and it has met werewolves before.

My Thoughts: This sixth in the Alpha and Omega series has Anna and Charles traveling to Northern California to look into the disappearance of a town that just happens to be on land owned by Leah, Bran's mate and Charles' step-mother. 

They discover that the town, now empty, was once populated by white witches. They also discover from the local sasquatches that the area is one they avoid because of some ancient evil that lives there. The more they explore the deeper they get into trouble. Anna's musical ability provides a link for the ancient being to grab a hold on her. And clues in the empty town lead to a nursing home staffed by black witches who are sucking the magical power from other witches they are holding prisoner. Since one of the prisoners is a man Charles has been looking for after he discovered that he led a very large child trafficking ring which turned the children into empty husks, Charles feels that the man is getting what he deserves. 

When he learns that the black witches have made a deal with the Singer in the Woods, the need to kill that entity becomes even more necessary. But how does one, even one as formidable as a werewolf, kill a god?

When Anna is kidnapped to bring her to the Singer in the Woods, Charles and Tag and Leah who has run from Montana to California have a battle on their hands. Luckily Bran is on the way with a sword made by the Dark Smith which has already killed one immortal if they can just survive until he gets to the fight. 

A quick visit from Coyote helps to seal the deal too.

This story gave a look at Leah's past and at her relationship with Bran and made an unsympathetic character through all the earlier books more understandable and maybe more likeable. I love watching Anna grow into herself and love watching how her relationship with Charles is changing both of them.

Urban Fantasy fans will enjoy this new episode in a great series.  

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

ARC Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

The Villa

Author:
Rachel Hawkins
Publication: St. Martin's Press (January 3, 2023)

Description: From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

My Thoughts: The Villa is a modern Gothic which tells two parallel stories. Emily and Chess have been friends since elementary school, but life has set them on different paths. Emily writes cozy mysteries and Chess is a social media star with a string of successful self-help books. After Emily goes through a mysterious illness which causes her husband to leave her and demand divorce, Chess suggests that they spend the summer in Italy at a villa which was once the scene of a murder.

Paralleling the present story is one written by Mari in 1974 as she recounts her time at the villa which results in her writing one of the best-selling horror novels of all time, her stepsister Lara writing a major Grammy winning album, and her boyfriend Pierce being brutally murdered. 

At first, it looks like the girls were just hangers-on. Noel Gordon was a rock star looking for some new music to revitalize his career. He thinks Pierce might give him the spark he needs. It was a summer of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, but Mari still found the time to write the novel that made her famous with its own parallels to things that happened that summer.

Emily becomes intrigued with Mari's story and the events of the long-ago summer. Her latest cozy gets set off to the side as she begins to write her own version of that story, but Chess has a wrench to throw in. She wants to get away from her self-help image and co-write the story with Emily.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this wonderful story. It was filled with lots of surprises and parallels and secrets and intrigue. 

Favorite Quote:
This is, she knows, how Pierce thinks. Nothing in life is too hard or too ugly, everything can be worked out. 

But only because the rest of them bear the hard and ugly bits for them.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Book Review: The Last Exit by Michael Kaufman

The Last Exit

Author:
Michael Kaufman
Series: A Jen Lu Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (January 12, 2021)

Description: Perfect for fans of Ben Winters and Cory Doctorow. In this thrilling near-future novel, the secret to eternal life is closely guarded by people who will do anything to protect it--even if it means destroying everything in their path.

Set in Washington D.C. in the near future, climate change has hit hard, fires are burning, unemployment is high, and controversial longevity treatments are only available to the very rich. Enter resourceful young police detective, Jen B. Lu, and her 'partner', Chandler, a SIM implant in her brain and her instant link to the Internet and police records, and constant voice inside her head. He's an inquisitive tough guy, with a helluva sense of humor and his own ideas about solving crimes.

As a detective in the Elder Abuse unit, Jen is supposed to be investigating kids pushing their aging parents to "exit" so they are eligible to get the longevity drug. But what really has her attention are the persistent rumors about Eden, an illegal version of the longevity drug, and the bizarre outbreak of people aging almost overnight, then suddenly dying--is this all connected? Is Big Pharma involved?

When Jen's investigations of Eden take her too close to the truth, she is suspended, Chandler is deactivated, and her boyfriend is freaked out by "the thing inside her brain." This leaves Jen to pursue a very dangerous investigation all by herself.

My Thoughts: This near-future dystopian mystery stars police detective Jen B. Lu and her partner Chandler who is a SIM implant in her brain. Unemployment is high, climate change is making Washington, DC, much hotter than it has ever been. And Jen's job with the Elder Abuse unit has her investigating a number of crimes where kids are pushing their parents to "exit" -- submit to euthanasia so that their children can take a longevity drug. 

Jen has her own issues with her mother who is suffering from dementia and nearing the time when Jen can sign for her exit. Jen is still dealing with all the various kinds of abuse she suffered at her mother's hand as a child and thinks the decision to end her mother's life will be easy. 

Then Jen starts hearing rumors of something called Eden which is supposed to be an underground longevity drug prepared outside of Big Pharm. But Big Pharm has heard the rumors too and has their own plan to discredit Eden. 

Suspended from the police department and with Chandler deactivated, Jen has to gather allies who are willing to fight to find answers. 

This was an engaging story about an undesirable future that still seems to be a possible extrapolation of current events if we don't make changes soon. Chandler tells the story which gives it a unique viewpoint. Fans of political thrillers in a dystopian setting will enjoy this story.  

Favorite Quote:
"Do you have a Bible?"

Olive looked offended. "Of course we have a Bible.Two. One in Spanish and one in the original English. I go to the Assembly Hall each and every week."
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

ARC Review: Picture in the Sand by Peter Blauner

Picture in the Sand

Author:
Peter Blauner
Publication: Minotaur Books (January 3, 2023)

Description: Peter Blauner's epic Picture in the Sand is a sweeping intergenerational saga told through a grandfather's passionate letters to his grandson, passing on the story of his political rebellion in 1950s Egypt in order to save his grandson's life in a post-9/11 world.

When Alex Hassan gets accepted to an Ivy League university, his middle-class Egyptian-American family is filled with pride and excitement. But that joy turns to shock when they discover that he’s run off to the Middle East to join a holy war instead. When he refuses to communicate with everyone else, his loving grandfather Ali emails him one last plea. If Alex will stay in touch, his grandfather will share with Alex – and only Alex – a manuscript containing the secret story of his own life that he’s kept hidden from his family, until now.

It's the tale of his romantic and heartbreaking past rooted in Hollywood and the post-revolutionary Egypt of the 1950s, when young Ali was a movie fanatic who attained a dream job working for the legendary director Cecil B. DeMille on the set of his epic film, The Ten Commandments. But Ali’s vision of a golden future as an American movie mogul gets upended when he is unwittingly caught up in a web of politics, espionage, and real-life events that change the course of history.

It's a narrative he’s told no one for more than a half-century. But now he’s forced to unearth the past to save a young man who’s about to make the same tragic mistakes he made so long ago.

My Thoughts: When Ali Hassan's eighteen-year-old grandson Alex skips out on going to college to go to the Middle East to join the holy war, the only one he will communicate with his grandfather...and only if his grandfather tells him the story of his life. 

So, Ali Hassan tells his story of growing up in Egypt. He was a poor boy who fell in love with movies. When he had a chance to work for the legendary Cecil B. DeMille on the set of The Ten Commandments, he was overjoyed. But the 1950s was a time of great turmoil in Egypt. The king had been forced to abdicate. The military government was in flux with the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood waxing and waning by the day. Ali's own cousin Sherif was getting more and more militant. And soon, Ali finds himself caught up in politics and espionage and shifting governments. 

His emails to his grandson and his grandson's return emails show a caring man determined that his grandson does not make the same mistakes that he had made in his own past. And the emails show a grandson who is gradually becoming more and more disillusioned with the choice he made.

The story was wonderful. The writing vivid and descriptive as though seen through a cinematographer's eye. The people were all well-developed and intriguing in their choices and actions. From Raymond Garfield who is making a documentary about the changes in Egypt and who is also likely a Jewish spy to Mona Salem who is the French-Egyptian love of Ali's life and who is informing on the actions of those rebelling against Nasser's new rule in Egypt, all of the characters have a variety of sides which are presented sympathetically. 

Read this one! It is filled with unforgettable characters in a turbulent time and place in world history.  

Favorite Quote:
I was beginning to realize that terrorists, dictators, and Hollywood filmmakers were alike in not accepting the world as it really existed, but insisting that the terms be changed for then, that logic be bent to their purposes, and that life as everyone else knew it be broken down and remade according to their expectations.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz

Sleep No More

Author:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: The Lost Night Files (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley (January 3, 2023)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz returns with the first novel of the Lost Night Files, an exciting new romantic suspense trilogy about a night that changed three women forever—but that none of them can remember.

Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.

After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women's mysterious tipster.

Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

My Thoughts: This was the first book in Krentz's The Lost Night Files trilogy. Three women had an unusual experience one night. Strangers until their lost night, Pallas, Talia, and Amelia have banded together to support each other since the night seems to have enhanced their psychic gifts. They have begun a podcast which explores unusual things. 

Ambrose Drake is a writer who also experienced a lost night which also enhanced his psychic gifts. But without support, he has been afraid that he is losing his mind. He knows that he has developed insomnia to keep him from sleepwalking himself into danger. When he spends that night at a clinic that specializes in sleep disorders and thinks that he witnessed a murder, he calls on the ladies of the Lost Night podcast to help him investigate.

Pallas answers his call which takes her to Carnelian, California, where the sleep clinic is and where there is also an old, abandoned asylum. Their first meeting doesn't seem propitious. She is frightened by him and by the atmosphere of the old asylum. 

Where Ambrose has an enhanced ability to see auras and take fast action based on what he sees, Pallas uses a sort of dream state to do automatic drawings which show her the past in a cryptic sort of way. She also can feel emotions in places and has been getting clumsier as she tries to avoid hot spots only she can sense. She can also use her new paranormal senses to calm violent emotions of the person with the emotions is touching her. She is an interior decorator who uses her gift to fine tune spaces. 

Both of them have lost relationships because of their new gifts, though Pallas's ex has followed her to Carnelian to propose a new business venture. Their relationship broke down when she scared him with her gift. 

Pallas and Ambrose find more than they bargained for in Carnelian. A shady sleep clinic, a drug ring, a college teetering on the edge of disaster, and a few assorted murders should make it hard for anyone to find a new relationship, but Pallas and Ambrose to fall in love and find lots of answers. 

Because this is the first book in a trilogy, there are still lots of answers to be found. Why is someone using illegal drugs and experiments to enhance psychic gifts? How were the people who were enhanced found and chosen for these experiments? We will need to wait for Talia and Amelia's stories to find the answers. 

This was an engaging romantic suspense story with interesting characters. I liked the relationship between Ambrose and Pallas who are both determined to find answers. 

Favorite Quote:
Ron squinted at him. "Someone said you were a writer."

"Yep."

"What name do you write under?"

"My own," Ambrose said. 

"Huh. I've never heard of you."

"I get that a lot," Ambrose said. "About our questions."

"What kind of stuff do you write?"

"Thrillers," Ambrose said.

"Cool," Ron said. He paused. "I don't read a lot of fiction,"

"You'd be amazed how many people tell me that," Ambrose said.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, December 26, 2022

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 26, 2022)

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...

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I'm now stocked up on gift cards from Amazon and eager to shop. 

I spent this week mostly listening to my favorite audiobooks from the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold and watching the weather. We had a little more snow, but I didn't notice the blizzard that was supposed to accompany it. It was pretty windy here and my brother tells me that the roads and visibility as he went to work weren't great, but from inside my living room it didn't look bad. We've had a total of 43.1 inches of snow so far this December which is about 30 inches above normal. The main problem this week was the bone-chilling cold and the strong winds. 

I watched my Minnesota Vikings win a very exciting close game on Saturday and plan to watch the Green Bay Packers play later today. My brother is in charge of dinner - baked ham, a hash brown casserole, and some sort of vegetable to be named later.

I need to get back to reading books from my review stack since I have quite a few January releases on it.

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.)
  • Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- This is another of my favorites from the Vorkosigan series. It is the story of building a marriage and building a world. I've read this one multiple times but haven't actually reviewed it on my blog.
  • Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- Miles Vorkosigan falls in love and solves his first case as an Imperial Auditor with lots of help from his new love Ekaterin. I don't seem to have ever written a review on my blog for this one either.
  • A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- Miles's romance with Ekaterin doesn't run smooth as he secretly courts her (secret from her!), deals with political infighting, and deals with his brother Mark's latest entrepreneurial venture which includes butterbugs. Here's my review from 2011.
  • Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- Lord Ivan Vorpatril has been a side character in most of the Vorkosigan books. He finally gets his own story. Even though I've owned it since 2012 and read it a few times, it looks like I've never actually reviewed it. Maybe later, my January calendar is full.
  • Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold (Mine; Audiobook) -- This is the finale of the Vorkosigan series. It is a great culmination. I reviewed this one back in 2016.
  • River of Fallen Angels by Laura Joh Rowland (Review; January 10) -- Seventh in a series of mysteries set in London in the early 1890s. The discovery of a torso in the Thames leads Sarah and her crew to a serial killer. Great period detail and realistic relationships are hallmarks. My review will be posted on January 5.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

None

Bought:
What was your week like?

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Book Review: The Gift by Nora Roberts

The Gift

Author:
Nora Roberts
Publication: Silhouette; Reissue edition (October 25, 2011) - originally published 2004

Description: Home for Christmas

After years spent abroad, reporter Jason Law returned home determined to win back the heart of the girl he left behind. It would take all his skills—and then some—to convince Faith Monroe that he was the man for her. But this time, nothing would stand in his way. All he needed was a little faith!

All I Want for Christmas

Identical twin boys Zeke and Zach wished for only one gift from Santa this year: a new mom! But convincing their love-wary dad that their music teacher, Miss Davis, was his destiny and part of Santa's plan wasn't as easy as they'd hoped….

Gabriel's Angel

All Gabriel Bradley wanted was solitude. But when a very pregnant—and very beautiful—woman ended up at his remote cabin during a blizzard, desperate, alone and on the run, the modern-day Scrooge couldn't turn her away. For Laura brought him the gifts of passion, hope and life—he needed only the courage to reach for it.

My Thoughts: The hardcover has only the first two stories while the paperback adds Gabriel's Angel.

Home for Christmas is a classic secret-baby story set at Christmas time. Jason Law left at eighteen to pursue a career in journalism not knowing that he left a pregnant girlfriend behind. Now Jason is back home to find that Faith Monroe is divorced, running a doll store, and raising a ten-year-old daughter. She's afraid to start anything with him because she fears he will just leave them again. This was a lovely, touching story about taking a chance on love.

All I Want for Christmas tells the story of a man who is raising his twin sons alone after his wife abandoned them and a woman who is making a new start as a music teacher in town. His six-year-old twin sons have asked Santa for "the mom" for Christmas and think that Miss Davis is a perfect candidate. But their father will have to learn how to trust his heart and take a chance on love for everyone to get their Christmas wishes.

Gabriel's Angel pairs a pregnant woman on the run and a reclusive artist. Laura's running from the parents of her abusive ex who want to take her baby from her now that the father is dead. Gabe Bradley has come to the Colorado mountains to try to get over the guilt he feels about the death of his younger brother. He finds a woman who needs him, and she finds a man she can trust.

These older stories were all very entertaining. The only thing that shouted to me that they were older stories was the fact that Gabe smoked. I'm not used to that in contemporary romances anymore. I also noticed that the viewpoint shift between the main characters was less smooth than in Roberts' more recent stories. Sometimes the viewpoint would shift a couple of time within one paragraph which could be a little confusing. 

Favorite Quote:
"Dad makes the best brownies in the whole world." Zack told her, holding up his offering.

Nell took one and bit in. "You may be right," she was forced to admit, her mouth full. "And I know my brownies."

"Can you make cookies?" Zeke wanted to know.

"I happen to be known far and wide for my chocolate chip." Her smile became puzzled as the boys eyed each other and nodded.
I bought this one probably in 2004. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, December 23, 2022

Friday Memes: The Gift by Nora Roberts

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is 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:
So much can change in ten years. He was prepared for it.
Friday 56:
Quiet valley bustled with Christmas energy. From a jerry-rigged loudspeaker on top of the hardware store roof carols rang out.
This week I am spotlighting The Gift by Nora Roberts. This is the last book in my LibraryThing account that I added in 2008 and hadn't read. It is a collection of three Christmas themed novellas. Here's the description from Amazon:
Home for Christmas

After years spent abroad, reporter Jason Law returned home determined to win back the heart of the girl he left behind. It would take all his skills—and then some—to convince Faith Monroe that he was the man for her. But this time, nothing would stand in his way. All he needed was a little faith!

All I Want for Christmas

Identical twin boys Zeke and Zach wished for only one gift from Santa this year: a new mom! But convincing their love-wary dad that their music teacher, Miss Davis, was his destiny and part of Santa's plan wasn't as easy as they'd hoped….

Gabriel's Angel

All Gabriel Bradley wanted was solitude. But when a very pregnant—and very beautiful—woman ended up at his remote cabin during a blizzard, desperate, alone and on the run, the modern-day Scrooge couldn't turn her away. For Laura brought him the gifts of passion, hope and life—he needed only the courage to reach for it.

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Audiobook Review: The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much

Author:
Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries (Book 8)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (February 22, 2017)
Length: 7 hours and 15 minutes

Description: Hold on to your hats, everybody! Donna Andrews is taking us on another ride into the wonderful world of Meg Langslow, a world filled with laughter as well as the knotty problems Meg always seems to encounter and---somehow---solve.

Okay, maybe there are people in Antarctica with penguins in their basements, but in Virginia? Only Meg's dad could manage that one. A body down there---well, that's somewhat more likely.

It turns out that explaining the penguins' presence is easy---Meg's dad volunteered to take care of the birds until the future of the bankrupt local zoo could be determined. But identifying the body in the basement proves a harder task---could it be, as Meg fears, that of the vanished zoo owner?

In the small southern town of Caerphilly, rumors fly quickly, and all the other well-meaning citizens who have agreed to take in zoo animals are now worried that they might be stuck with their guests indefinitely. So when Meg's dad generously offers to help out anyone who can no longer care for their four-legged charges, a parade of wild creatures begins to make Meg and Michael's newly renovated house look more like Noah's ark.

Meg and Michael have been planning to elope in order to avoid the elaborate wedding their mothers have begun to organize---a plan that's threatened by both the murder investigation and the carnival of animals. The only way to set things right, Meg decides, is to identify both their uninvited visitor and the killer who put him in their basement.

The award-winning Donna Andrews has demonstrated her immense talent by creating and nurturing a series that continues to delight and surprise with each new book.

My Thoughts: The eighth book in the Meg Langslow mystery series was a fun romp. Meg and Michael are getting ready to move into their newly renovated home and hold a housewarming party (from which they intend to elope). However, when the local zoo has some problems and Meg's Dad agrees to take in some penguins (and tells other volunteers that he'll take in any animals that prove too difficult), Meg finds herself living in a modern version of Noah's Ark. 

First there are penguins, then llamas, hyenas, and countless other species show up. Knowing her father, this isn't too unexpected. But when the body of the zookeeper is found in a half-dug trench in her cellar, Meg has a mystery to solve and little time to solve it if they want to get to their honeymoon on time. 

Adding to the confusion are the Shifley's who begin digging up Meg's yard looking for their long-lost great-uncle when they realize the body isn't him and a visiting world-famous zoologist whose reason for being in Caerphilly seems really suspicious to Meg makes Meg's investigation even more complicated. 

This was a fun story with lots of humorous moments and some dangerous ones too. I'll admit that the villain seemed particularly inept but dangerous none the less. 

Bernadette Dunne made all the various characters come to life with her narration.

I bought this one at Chirp. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman

A Wicked Game

Author:
Kate Bateman
Series: Ruthless Rivals (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 27, 2022)

Description: If there’s one thing impossible for a Davies to resist, it’s a challenge from a Montgomery. . .

A teasing bet.


Shipwrecked and imprisoned thanks to an incorrect map, Captain Morgan Davies has returned to London to exact sweet revenge on the cartographer responsible for his suffering. He’s also vowed to claim the winner’s prize―three kisses―in the bet he made with his long-time nemesis, the prickly, smart-mouthed Harriet Montgomery. His incarceration has clarified his feelings for her, but convincing the infuriating woman he wants to marry her is going to be his greatest challenge yet. When Harriet’s revealed to be the very mapmaker he seeks, Morgan decides to combine revenge and seduction into one delightful package. . .

A dangerous enemy.

Harriet’s always wanted witty scoundrel Morgan, and now he’s back; as handsome and as taunting as ever. She has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s failing eyesight and a rival mapmaker copying her work to play wicked games with a dastardly Davies―however tempting he might be. But when a threat from Morgan’s past puts them both in danger, Harry discovers that she and Morgan might not be enemies at all . . .

My Thoughts: Harriet Montgomery and Morgan Davies have been friendly rival since childhood. They have made many bets with each other over the years. When Morgan was sailing off to fight Napoleon, Harriet bet him that he wouldn't come back safe, knowing he'd do anything to make her lose, with a penalty of three kisses. 

Morgan has come back to London with two goals: first, he wants to find the mapmaker whose inaccurate map caused him to wreck his ship and spend time captive in the Carribean, and second, to find Harriet and claim his kisses on convince her that he wants to marry her. One of his goals is met when he learns that Harriet is the mapmaker and the disinformation on the map was a planned technique to fool the enemy.

Harriet has been in love with Morgan for years, but never expected him to return her feelings. It will take a lot of convincing, and a lot of kisses, to bring Harriet around to the idea of marrying Morgan.

This was an engaging historical romance with lots of spicy love scenes and lots of strong emotions. There is an element of danger in that the man who imprisoned Morgan is in London and looking for a copy of a map Harriet made so that he can find treasure he stole from Napoleon but focus on the story was on the building romance between Harriet and Morgan.

Fans of historical romances will enjoy this latest in the Ruthless Rivals series.

Favorite Quote:
"Anything for you, my sweet. I'd raze cities to the ground if only you asked me to."

She snorted.

"Men always say things like that. But I'd rather have someone build me a city, not burn one down. Destroying something is the work of a moment. Creating somethi that will stant the test of time takes much more effort."
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

ARC Review: The Secret of the Lost Pearls by Darcie Wilde

The Secret of the Lost Pearls

Author:
Darcie Wilde
Series: A Useful Woman Mystery
Publication: Kensington (December 27, 2022)

Description: Beyond the glittering ballrooms and elegant parties of Regency London lurk all manner of unexpected dangers. In Darcie Wilde’s captivating mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen and written with the wit of “Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s cheeky asides in Fleabag” (Bookpage), no one is better equipped to help ladies who find themselves wronged than “useful woman” Rosalind Thorne…

Rosalind Thorne may not have a grand fortune of her own, but she possesses virtues almost as prized by the haut ton: discretion, and a web of connections that enable her to discover just about anything about anyone. Known as a “most useful woman,” Rosalind helps society ladies in need—for a modest fee, of course—and her client roster is steadily increasing. Mrs. Gerald Douglas, née Bethany Hodgeson, presents Rosalind with a particularly delicate predicament. A valuable pearl necklace has gone missing, and Bethany’s husband believes the thief is Nora, Bethany’s disgraced sister. Nora made a scandalous elopement at age sixteen and returned three years later, telling the family that her husband was dead. But as Rosalind begins her investigations, under cover of helping the daughters of the house prepare for their first London season, she realizes that the family harbors even more secrets than scandals. The intrigue swirling around the Douglases includes fraud, forgery, blackmail, and soon, murder. And it will fall to Rosalind, aided by charming Bow Street officer Adam Harkness, to untangle the shocking truth and discover who is a thief—and who is a killer.

My Thoughts: This is the sixth Rosalind Thorne mystery. Miss Thorne has excellent breeding, a wide circle of useful acquaintances, and very little money. She makes her living as a "useful woman" who can be hired discreetly to solve problems in the haut ton.

When she is contacted by old school friend Bethany, who is now Mrs. Geral Douglas, to find a very valuable pearl necklace which his gone missing, Rosalind doesn't seem to think this will be a diffucult job. But when she moves into the house and discovers the Bethany also lives with her hypochondriac mother, her lazy and drunken father, her sister Nora who has returned after a scandalous elopement with an unsuitable man, her sister Mariah, and her sister-in-law Penelope, Rosalind finds that the pool of suspects and secrets in the household both multiply.

When Nora's supposedly death "husband" Bryan Cantrell resurfaces and wants something from Nora, things get even more complicated. And the complications aren't resolved when someone murders him.

Rosalind has taken on her toughest challenge in this episode. I enjoyed the setting of this story. I also liked the way Rosalind was taking control of her own life. I liked her relationship with Adam Harkness and her maid Amelia. 

This was an engaging and entertaining story which makes me want to read earlier episodes in the series. 

Favorite Quote:
"Well..." Mrs. Hare glanced over her shoulder. "In the middle of all this, Gilpin comes running down, saying her missus is in hysterics, and Mrs. Douglas, she goes up to see what she cand o to help, and Mr. Douglas, he shuts himself up in his room, and somewhere in the night, the pearls is away with the fairies."
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

ARC Review: Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

Nine Liars

Author:
Maureen Johnson
Publication: Katherine Tegen Books (December 27, 2022)

Description: Stevie Bell solved the case of Truly Devious, and now she’s taking her detecting skills abroad when she becomes embroiled in a mystery from 1990s England. Another pulse-pounding and laugh-out-loud stand-alone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.

Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.

The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.

Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.

My Thoughts: This was another excellent mystery starring Stevie Bell and her friends from Ellingham Academy. 

It's October of their senior year and her friends are busy planning their college applications. Janelle and Vi want to go to college close to each other but not at the same college. So Janelle has made a spreadsheet... Nate is furiously writing every time Stevie sees him which is unusual because he has been avoiding writing since his book was published when he was a young teen.

Stevie is at loose ends. She doesn't know what she wants to do for college. She's solved some mysteries and none of the emails about new unsolved crimes are interesting her. And her boyfriend David is studying in England for a semester which means it's harder to communicate with him.

When David calls up and proposes that group come to London because he has a friend with an unsolved mystery, they are all eager to go each for their own reasons. They convince the school leader that this will be a great educational opportunity. 

In 1995, a group of newly graduated Cambridge students who have been best friends since freshman year go to spend a final week at one of the group's family home. During a drunken game of hide and seek, two of the nine students are brutally murdered. No murderer has ever been found. 

Izzy, David's new friend, wants to get Stevie involved because one of the nine was her aunt who said some questionable things about the murder while under the influence of pain killers after knee surgery. Shortly after Izzy brings her friends to her Aunt Ange's to talk about the crime, Ange disappears. 

I loved that way the story wove events from 1995, various police reports, and current day activities together. I especially enjoyed the sections from Stevie's point of view because she is a very interesting character. I liked that her inner uncertainties are so different from her outer competence. I loved the setting which ranged from London's tourist sites to a grand English manor. 

Favorite Quote:
"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked.

"Are you being serious right now?"

"I just asked if you wanted to go for a walk."

"Nighttime walk at ax murder manor? For sure. Especially if you heard a noise and want to investigate."
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Bookclubbed to Death by V. M. Burns

Bookclubbed to Death

Author:
V. M. Burns
Series: Mystery Bookshop
Publication: Kensington Cozies (December 27, 2022)

Description: When a literary critic is found bludgeoned to death with a copy of The Complete Works of Agatha Christie, Michigan bookstore owner, author, and amateur sleuth Samantha Washington discovers there is such a thing as bad publicity in Agatha Award finalist V.M. Burns’ latest Mystery Bookshop novel.

After the local library in North Harbor, Michigan, is flooded in a storm, Sam offers her bookstore as a new venue for the Mystery Mavens Book Club. Unfortunately, she immediately runs afoul of the club leader, Delia Marshall, a book reviewer who can make or break careers—something Sam can ill afford with her debut historical mystery soon to be published. But the next morning, Sam opens her shop to find the unpleasant woman dead on the floor, bashed with a heavy—apparently lethal—tome: the Complete Works of Agatha Christie. While Sam is busy writing her latest British historical mystery in which the queen mother is suspected in the murder of a London Times correspondent, a pair of ambitious cops suspect Sam of the real-life crime. When she gathers Nano Jo and their friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Village to review the case, they discover every one of the Mavens had a motive. With her novel about to hit the stores, Sam must find out who clubbed Delia before a judge throws the book at her. . .

My Thoughts: Sam Washington finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation when critic Delia Marshall is found dead in her bookstore. She was bludgeoned to death with a copy of The Complete Works of Agatha Christie which she had asked Sam to order for her. Delia's syndicated book review column can make or break any author, and Sam's first historical mystery is due out soon. But Sam isn't the only author wary of Delia. 

The police seem convinced that Sam committed the crime. If she wants to stay out of jail, marry her fiancé, and celebrate the release of her new book, she has to find out who murdered Delia and find out fast. Luckily, she has the help of her grandmother Nana Jo and all the ladies at the Shady Rest Retirement Village to help her out. Her fiancé with his mysterious past is also very helpful. She has somewhat less help and support from her pessimistic older sister Jenna who is also her attorney.

I enjoyed this cozy story despite the fact that Sam seems to break down in tears awfully frequently. I liked that she worked out her thoughts by writing on her next historical mystery set in England just as World War II is about to begin. 

This was an entertaining story which is eighth in a series but works well as a standalone title. I have the first two in the series but haven't read them yet and felt that, while background might have added depth, it wasn't necessary to the enjoyment of this story.

Favorite Quote:
My issues were related to thirty-plus years of little sister torture. Jenna was almost four years older than me, and despite the fact that I am an adult, it's only recently that I've realized I don't have to do everything she tells me. I've even said, "You're not the boss of me." Okay, maybe I haven't said it out loud and to her face (Nana Jo says saying it to Snickers and Orea doesn't count), but I've certainly thought it.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, December 19, 2022

It's Monday! What Are You Reading (December 19, 2022)

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...
We've received 30.3" of snow since Tuesday evening! Tuesday: 0.8", Wednesday: 11.5", Thursday: 10.8", Friday: 3.4", Saturday: 3.8".
I spent most of this week watching the snow fall. It was really pretty, and I could appreciate it because I didn't have to go out and remove it from our driveway. My brother was lucky that the guy who plows for the lady across the street was nice enough to move the snowplow ridge from across the front of the driveway for him - twice. The snow was very heavy and wet on Wednesday and Thursday. Our snowblower got a real workout - and so did my brother. He only missed one day of work since he was previously scheduled to have Tuesday and Thursday off. Our street hadn't yet been plowed on Wednesday when he was supposed to work from 3:30 until midnight.

I got lots and lots of reading done. Since I had recently received the newest book in Charlaine Harris's Gunnie Rose series, I decided to listen to the previous books before reading the new one. I was very impressed with the worldbuilding in this alternate history with magic series. For some reason not readily apparent to me, these books triggered a desire to listen to Lois McMaster Bujold's romances from the Vorkosigan series. I finished Shards of Honor and am well into Barrayer. Then I plan to skip ahead many years in the internal timeline to Komarr and A Civil Campaign before I get back to reading books from my review stack. 

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 Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (Kindle & Audiobook) -- This light science fiction story was great fun to read. My review will be posted on December 31.
  • The Last Exit by Michael Kaufman (Mine) -- This is the first in the Jen Lu mystery series. It takes place in a future dystopian US. It is partially narrated by Jen's computer implant Chandler. My review will be posted on December 28.
  • The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (Review; January 3) -- This contemporary Gothic was a treat to read. I liked the way it combined two stories from two different time periods into one thriller. My review will be posted on December 29.
  • The Last Resort by Michael Kaufman (Review; January 10) -- The second Jen Lu mystery was another great story. My review will be posted on January 3.
  • An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris (Audiobook Reread) -- The first Gunnie Rose story introduces Lizbeth Rose who is a gunnie living in a broken United States. It has wonderful worldbuilding and interesting charactere.  Here's my review from January 2018. My new review will be posted on January 3.
  • The Game Is a Footnote by Vicki Delany (Review; January 10) -- The latest in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series was another fun adventure. My review will be posted on January 4.
  • A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris (Audiobook Reread) -- In the second Gunnie Rose story, Lizbeth travels into Dixie to deliver a mysterious chest. Here's my review from January 2020. My new review will be posted on January 5.
  • The Russian Cage by Charlaine Harris (Audiobook Reread) -- This is the third book in the Gunnie Rose series and is set in San Diego where Lizbeth goes to rescue her partner, Eli. My review will be posted on January 10. I also reviewed this one on February 16, 2021.
  • Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (Audiobook Reread) -- This is probably my all-time favorite of the Vorkosigan series. Here's my review from January 14, 2021.
  • The Serpent in Heaven by Charlaine Harris (Kindle & Audiobook) -- The newest in the Gunnie Rose series shifts the focus to Felicia Karkarova and her life in San Diego. We learn a lot about her past when it comes back to cause her problems. Great worldbuilding. My review will be posted on January 12.
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What was your week like?