Wednesday, August 31, 2022

ARC Review: Bound by Murder by Laura Gail Black

Bound by Murder

Author:
Laura Gail Black
Series: An Antique Bookshop Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (September 6, 2022)

Description: For fans of Ellery Adams and Paige Shelton, the wedding can’t go on when the bride is found murdered—but can love still win the day in this third installment of Laura Gail Black’s cozy series.

The birds are singing, books are selling, and the Hokes Bluff Inn has begun to host weddings on its property. Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn loves the romance in the air—until her ex-fiancé, Blake Emerson, walks in with his bride-to-be, Missy Plott. Blake continues to profess his love for Jenna if she’ll have him back, no matter the consequences. And the consequences are grave, indeed, when Missy turns up dead.

All evidence points to Blake, who was the last one to see her alive. He begs Jenna to help him clear his name. Blake’s mother, Gwendolyn, is also bent on exonerating her son. Jenna doesn’t believe Blake could have killed Missy, and she starts digging for suspects. It could have been Missy’s ex-boyfriend, who p

Evidence turns up that links Missy's death to embezzlement and another murder—crimes that had falsely implicated Jenna herself less than a year ago. As Gwendolyn continues to beg Jenna to help prove her son’s innocence, Jenna wonders if Blake could truly be innocent.

Jenna has to choose whether to risk it all—her reputation, her growing relationship with her boyfriend, and maybe her life—or let a possibly innocent man go to prison.

My Thoughts: Things are going well for Jenna Quinn. Her bookstore is doing well, and she has a wonderful new boyfriend in police detective Keith Logan. But then her ex-fiancé Blake Emerson has come to town with his new fiancée Missy Plott, and all is not well with the couple. 

Blake has something he wants to say to Jenna and is being quite stalkerish about it. Missy is a textbook example of a Bridezilla, and she repeatedly warns Jenna off her Blakey. Jenna has no interest in the man who didn't support her when she was accused of embezzlement and murder and who handed her the key to the storage locker where he had put all her things when she got out of jail.

Unfortunately, Keith is suffering from some jealousy since his and Jenna's relationship is only a few months old. No matter how often Jenna says Blake is out of her life, he doesn't seem to be convinced.

When Missy is found murdered behind the dumpster behind Jenna's bookstore, she's all for letting the police handle the investigation. But Blake's mother - a woman she never met during her three-year romance with Blake - wants Jenna to convince the police that he wasn't involved. Missy's bridesmaids are also convinced Jenna had something to do with causing trouble in Missy and Blake's relationship and are using vandalism to make their anger known.

Then there is Tom who is the guy Missy was involved with until she met Blake and who is in town to try to convince Missy that he's really the right guy for her. And Missy's younger sister wants Tom for herself. 

Jenna can't help investigating; people just say things around her. What's a girl to do?

This was an entertaining cozy romance. I liked that the resolution to this story also gave Jenna resolution to the events in Charleston the ended up with her accused of embezzlement and murder.

Favorite Quote:
"Well, it couldn't have been your jerk of an ex." Mason raised his hands up, his shoulders in a shrug. "Because it's never the one you want to be guilty. It's always the one you don't expect it to be, which would be the sister, and we both heard her say she wished Missy was dead. At least that's how it would work out in TV shows and books."
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Book Review: They Also Serve by Mike Moscoe

They Also Serve

Author:
Mike Moscoe
Series: Jump Universe (Book 3)
Publication: Ace (August 27, 2013)

Description: A WAR WITHIN

Colonel Ray Longknife and Marine Captain Mary Rodrigo were once enemies in an interstellar war. Now they’re working together to keep the peace. But can they protect themselves from an enemy they can’t even see?

When a bad space jump flings their starship thousands of light-years away from home, Longknife and Rodrigo make an amazing discovery: a planet inhabited by the descendants of a ship’s crew—lost three hundred years earlier.

As acting ambassador, Longknife is eager to welcome the planet’s population back into the fold of humanity. But Rodrigo is suspicious. She senses that something is wrong under the planet’s veneer of peace and prosperity. And she’s right....

My Thoughts: Sabotage flings the spaceship Colonel Ray Longknife and Marine Captain Mary Rodrigo are travelling on thousands of light-years away from home where they discover a planet settle by the descendants of a spaceship lost 300 years earlier. 

While the ship's captain and crew try to find the way home, Ray and Mary are on planet trying to be ambassadors to the castaways. They discover a planet that seems peaceful and prosperous until they look closer. The descendant of one of the settlers, who claimed all the mineral rights on this mineral poor planet, is getting ready to make herself the ruler of the world.

But what is more troubling is that the humans are not alone on the world. There is a massive computer in the ground that has been tampering with the new settlers since they arrived - engineering them to survive on the planet and encouraging the growth of a new organ in their brains. 

Ray has been tampered with which is actually a good thing because it means that he can communicate with the computer that calls itself Teacher. But after a million years of isolation, the computer is going insane. It has decided that the humans infesting it have to be eliminated.

It is up the Ray with three young human children and nodes of the disintegrating computer to fight against the large piece of the computer that wants humans dead. While he is battling, Ray learns a lot about the jump gates that humans use but don't understand and which were built by the three long-vanished races that the Teacher taught.

This was a fast-paced and engaging space opera. I liked getting to know more about Ray, Mary, and the Marines who were on planet with them. There was a lot of intriguing stuff about war and fighting and making choices. 

Favorite Quote:
If you find yourself in a situation, you can always choose not to use the rifle you've got. You can't use the one you don't have.
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade by Nancy Springer

Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade

Author:
Nancy Springer
Series: Enola Holmes (Book 8)
Publication: Wednesday Books (September 6, 2022)

Description: Enola Holmes, Sherlock's much younger, and feistier, sister, returns in an adventure of a confused young Baronet's daughter who is on the run from her father's devious schemes in Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade.

Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock, is now living independently in London and working as a scientific perditorian (a finder of persons and things). But that is not the normal lot of young women in Victorian England. They are under the near absolute control of their nearest male relative until adulthood. Such is the case of Enola's friend, Lady Cecily Alastair. Twice before Enola has rescued Lady Cecily from unpleasant designs of her caddish father, Sir Eustace Alastair, Baronet. And when Enola is brusquely turned away at the door of the Alastair home it soon becomes apparent that Lady Cecily once again needs her help.

Affecting a bold escape, Enola takes Lady Cecily to her secret office only to be quickly found by the person hired by Lady Cecily's mother to find the missing girl - Sherlock Holmes himself. But the girl has already disappeared again, now loose on her own in the unforgiving city of London.

Even worse, Lady Cecily has a secret that few know. She has dual personalities - one, which is left-handed, is independent and competent; the other, which is right-handed, is meek and mild. Now Enola must find Lady Cecily again - before one of her personalities gets her into more trouble than she can handle and before Sherlock can find her and return her to her father. Once again, for Enola, the game is afoot.

My Thoughts: The eighth Enola Holmes adventure has Enola coming to the rescue of her friend Lady Cecily Alistair who is being held captive by her father since she won't agree to marry the man of his choice. 

Lady Cecily is an interesting character who was first introduced in The Case of the Left-Handed Lady. She has a split personality. When she is left-handed, she is bold and assertive. When she is right-handed, she is meek and submissive. 

Enola has to fight against law and custom which sees a young woman as subject to her father's authority and without rights of her own to help her friend get the independence and medical help she needs to integrate her two personalities. 

I like that Enola is no longer hiding from her older brothers and, in fact, is consulting with Sherlock about her and sometimes his cases. I like that she is independent and smart and willing to go the distance to help her friend. 

I like the setting and the time period. I appreciate Enola's expansive vocabulary and her sense of adventure. 

Favorite Quote:
Down that inanimate gullet I shot with force that stunned me, body and mind. Apparently, I had not previously given sufficient respect to Sir Isaac Newton's musings on natural philosophy. I had, of course, experience his law of gravity when falling out of trees, but I found it infinitely more puissant and fearsome within the blind confines of the laundry chute. 
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, August 29, 2022

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (August 29, 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...

There hasn't been much except for reading this week. I'm working on a Review book that isn't holding my attention but that I will finish one day. After reading a chapter or two of it, I give myself a break by reading something I really want to read. 

I do have some of my October Review books that I should be reading since I have 15 of them. But I also got the next two Kris Longknife stories for my Kindle this week that I really want to read. These are the two, that in paperback, have been on my TBR stack since 2008.

This coming week should be quiet too. I plan to do my monthly State of the Stack post which keeps me current on my review books. New ones. Ones I've read. And ones coming up on my reading stack. It would be embarrassing if one of my review books fell through the cracks and was overlooked. Of course, when I get one, I add it to LibraryThing, a Google spreadsheet, my Google calendar, and save it to a collection on Amazon. Forgetting to read one on time is more a recurring nightmare than a real possibility. 

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.)
  • Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea (Review; September 13) -- Contemporary romance with a female main character it took a while for me to like. My review will be posted on September 7.
  • Sweetwater & the Witch by Jayne Castle (Review; September 20) -- Excellent paranormal romance set on Harmony. Great dialog and a cute dust bunny. My review will be posted on September 15,
  • Kris Longknife: Deserter by Mike Shepherd (Mine since 2008) -- Reread of the 2nd Kris Longknife adventure. My review will be posted on September 20.
  • Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews (Chirp Audiobook) -- 2nd Meg Langslow mystery set on an island off the coast of Maine during a hurricane. My review will be posted on September 15.
  • The Silent Witness by Carolyn Arnold (Kindle & Audiobook) -- Unrealistic by entertaining thriller that is 3rd in a series. My review will be posted on September 13.
  • A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 3 by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook) -- I read this one a couple of years ago, but the audiobook just came out and I wanted to reread. Nice collection of stories from the Liaden Universe. My review will be posted on September 20.
  • Kris Longknife: Defiant by Mike Shepherd (Mine since 2008) -- Reread of the 3rd Kris Longknife adventure. My review will be posted on September 22.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:
Bought:
Keeper copies of books I reviewed.
What was your week like?


Saturday, August 27, 2022

Book & Audio Review: Death in the Sunshine by Steph Broadribb

Death in the Sunshine

Author:
Steph Broadribb
Narrator: Sarah Zimmerman
Series: The Retired Detectives Club Book 1)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (March 1, 2022); Brilliance Audio (March 1, 2022)
Length: 319 p,; 8 hours and 54 minutes

Description: Four ex-cops in a retirement paradise. Sure they’ll rest…when the killer is caught.

After a long career as a police officer, Moira hopes a move to a luxury retirement community will mean she can finally leave the detective work to the youngsters and focus on a quieter life. But it turns out The Homestead is far from paradise. When she discovers the body of a young woman floating in one of the pools, surrounded by thousands of dollar bills, her crime-fighting instinct kicks back in and she joins up with fellow ex-cops—and new neighbours—Philip, Lizzie and Rick to investigate the murder.

With the case officers dropping ball after ball, Moira and the gang take matters into their own hands, turning into undercover homicide investigators. But the killer is desperate to destroy all the evidence and Moira, Philip, Lizzie and Rick soon find themselves getting in the way—of the murderer and the police.

Just when they think they can finally relax, they discover that someone has infiltrated their ‘safe’ community. Can they hunt down the murderer and get back to retiring in peace? And after all the excitement, will they want to?

My Thoughts: Moira Flynn was hoping for peace and quiet when she left her job as a DCI in London. A takedown gone wrong left her subject to panic attacks and forced her retirement. Retiring to The Homestead - a retirement community in Florida - seems like just the thing for her new start.

However, plans for an early morning swim are derailed when Moira discovers the body of a young woman floating in the lap pool and surrounded by lots of cash. Her 911 call does draw the local police but also draws another retired cop. Philip was Thames Valley Police and his wife Lizzie worked crime scenes. Philip seems to want to butt in on the investigation which the local cop is not going to allow.

After seeing that the local cop is seemingly uninterested in really working the crime, Philip wants to get involved along with his wife, and retired DEA Agent. Since Moira hasn't mentioned that she was also on the job in England, Philip is all for pushing her aside and minimizing her role. Even though Moira is trying to keep her background a secret, she isn't willing to be pushed aside by Philip and his bossy ways.

So, the group that calls itself the Retired Detectives Club gets the bit in their teeth and begins to investigate the murder. There are lots of clues, other less fatal attacks, and maybe a connection to a series of local burglaries. And both Moira and Philip are keeping secrets.

I enjoyed the audio version of this story. Sarah Zimmerman handled the accents well and did a good job with the pacing of the story. 

Favorite Quote:
Nowhere is safe and a world with zero crime is a fantasy nirvana. Humans are hardwired to hurt each other. 
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, August 26, 2022

Friday Memes: Death in the Sunshine by Steph Broadribb

 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:
Just before sunrise is Moira's favorite time. Dawn is when the day has most promise; it's still a blank slate - a tabula rasa. It gives her another opportunity to try and forget what happened and focus on making something new. Again.
Friday 56:
"That's understandable," says Moira, cautiously. "But I'm new here, and not long out of the job."

Lizzie bites her lower lip and holds Moira's gaze for a long moment.
This week I am spotlighting Death in the Sunshine by Steph Broadribb. This was a recent Kindle Daily Deal with a cheap audiobook too. Here's the description from Amazon:
Four ex-cops in a retirement paradise. Sure they’ll rest…when the killer is caught.

After a long career as a police officer, Moira hopes a move to a luxury retirement community will mean she can finally leave the detective work to the youngsters and focus on a quieter life. But it turns out The Homestead is far from paradise. When she discovers the body of a young woman floating in one of the pools, surrounded by thousands of dollar bills, her crime-fighting instinct kicks back in and she joins up with fellow ex-cops—and new neighbours—Philip, Lizzie and Rick to investigate the murder.

With the case officers dropping ball after ball, Moira and the gang take matters into their own hands, turning into undercover homicide investigators. But the killer is desperate to destroy all the evidence and Moira, Philip, Lizzie and Rick soon find themselves getting in the way—of the murderer and the police.

Just when they think they can finally relax, they discover that someone has infiltrated their ‘safe’ community. Can they hunt down the murderer and get back to retiring in peace? And after all the excitement, will they want to?

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Book Review: The Price of Peace by Mike Moscoe

The Price of Peace

Author:
Mike Moscoe
Series: Jump Universe (Book 2)
Publication: Ace (May 28, 2013)

Description: THE WAR IS OVER. THE TREATY IS SIGNED.

AND ALL IS WELL IN THE GALAXY…

Izzy Umboto is a hero of the conflict between the Society of Humanity and the Unity Party. Instead of retiring and living out her days quietly, she’s wrangled command of her very own warship. Unfortunately, that ship is the less-than-state-of-the-art Patton.

Lieutenant Terrence Tordon, called “Trouble” by both his enemies and his friends, and even himself, is a career marine. The word “quit” isn’t in his vocabulary.

Now Lieutenant Trouble and his troops have signed on with Commander Umboto, trading a higher paycheck for the promise of action.

For all is not well in the galaxy. On the scattering of planets along the rim, remnant thugs of the Unity Party still hold power. In the shipping lanes of rim space, pirates roam freely.

Umboto and Tordon will soon learn that enforcing the peace can be just as expensive as fighting the war—and the cost will be counted in human lives…

My Thoughts: The war is over but forging a peace is not going to be easy because the hidden actors in the war haven't stopped their actions.

Izzy Umboto didn't muster out. Instead, she was given command of the Patton - a ship barely getting by and in need of a multitude of repairs and upgrades. Lieutenant Terrance "Trouble" Tordon didn't muster out either. He's a Marine with a mission and no idea of any other kind of life.

When the Patton is approached by a businessman to investigate on frontier planet Hurtford Corner, they find links to a new drug business that needs workers and is willing to kidnap people to get them. Ruth Edris-Morton and Trouble are both captured by the kidnappers, and it is up to Izzy and Trouble's fellow Marines to rescue them which they do. 

Izzy is troubled to learn that one of the pirates she blew out of space was also a slaver heading to a secret planet controlled by a secretive organization who is boosting corporate profits by growing, processing, and distributing a new drug - one which happened to kill Izzy's niece. She is haunted by the idea that she killed innocent hostages along with the pirates. 

Plans to check out that planet go awry when Tordon's scouting mission is discovered and Tordon and his crew are added to the forced labor pool. Things get even more dire when he learns that Ruth and several others from Hurtford Corner were also taken there when the villains fled that planet after being discovered. 

Now, it is up to Izzy and her crew, aided by Wardhaven, to get to that planet, find Trouble, and stop the illicit drug operation. 

I really enjoyed this fast-paced space opera. I liked that some of the characters from the first book (The First Casualty) have larger roles in this one while others have supporting roles. The worldbuilding is intriguing and the characters are interesting people.

Favorite Quote:
"You're a damn good spy," Izzy told him.

"And you're a damn good ship driver," the spy paid her back.

"We'd all better be damn good at what we do if we're going to pull this off."
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: McKettrick's Heart by Linda Lael Miller

McKettrick's Heart

Author:
Linda Lael Miller
Series: McKettrick Men (Book 3)
Publication: HQN Books; Reissue edition (August 14, 2017)

Description: She’s the last woman this cynical rancher thinks he needs in his life… a beloved classic from #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller!

Keegan McKettrick has learned the hard way that trust results in betrayal. The only light in his life these days is the young daughter he sees all too rarely, and his sole passion is for his job overseeing his family’s corporation. Until beautiful but mysterious Molly Shields comes to Indian Rock on a mission—and keeping a suspicious eye on her becomes Keegan’s full-time hobby….

Molly doesn’t know why she’s attracted to a man who’s determined to dig up dirt on her, even if he is gorgeous. But cynical Keegan might be the one person who can truly understand her shadowy past—and if the two can risk opening their hearts, they just might forge a brighter future.

My Thoughts: Molly Shields has come to Indian Rock at the request of Psyche Ryan. Molly is hoping for a glimpse of the son she gave up for adoption to Psyche and her husband - who was formerly Molly's lover now deceased. She arrives to find that Psyche is dying of cancer and wants to have Molly adopt and raise her son Lucas which was much more than Molly could have hoped for.

But Psyche's childhood love - Keegan McKettrick - isn't willing to have Molly anywhere near Psyche's son since he knows about her affair with Psyche's husband. His attitude isn't much changed when her learns that Molly is Lucas's biological mother. Psyche has asked Keegan to manage her estate for Lucas after her death. 

But then Psyche has another idea: she wants Molly and Keegan to marry and form a family to raise Lucas. Keegan has already been part of one loveless marriage and has a ten-year-old daughter that his ex-wife uses as a hostage against him in order to get money from him. She is threatening to take their daughter with her to Paris where she will cavort with her lover while the daughter attends a boarding school. 

And while all this is going on: his ex-wife's threats, his childhood love dying, Keegan also has to deal with the company he has devoted his life to going public. He is going through some major life changes. Molly life isn't exactly stable either. She desperately wants to raise her son, but it means closing her successful career as a literary agent in Los Angeles, selling her house, and moving away from her alcoholic father. 

But somehow their pretend marriage becomes real, but not without trauma. I really enjoyed this story about two strong people who found a way to make a life together. 

Favorite Quote:
Joy, in her experience, was a Siamese twin to sorrow, conjoined at the heart.
I bought this one in 2007. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

ARC Review: A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber

A Certain Darkness

Author:
Anna Lee Huber
Series: A Verity Kent Mystery (Book 6)
Publication: Kensington (August 30, 2022)

Description: Set in Downton Abbey-era post-war England, and featuring indomitable heroine Verity Kent, this action-packed series from Anna Lee Huber, USA Today bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries, is a treat for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Susan Ella MacNeal. Historical mystery fans will “savor the intricate plotting and captivating details of the era.” (Library Journal)

The 1920s are off to an intriguing start, but even as a new decade dawns, the shadow of The Great War persists…


March 1920: Life has turned unsettlingly quiet for former British Intelligence agent Verity Kent and her husband, Sidney. But even that false calm is about to end. As threats remain, the French authorities soon request Sidney’s help with a suspect who claims to have proof of treason—shortly before she is assassinated. And Verity, too, is called to investigate a mystery.

The murder of a Belgian lawyer aboard a train seems at first to be a simple case of revenge. But the victim was connected to British Intelligence, and possessed papers detailing the sinking of a gold-laden German ship during the war.

As Verity and Sidney dig deeper, they discover their cases are intertwined—and a lethal adversary persists. Officially, the Great War may be over, but this is a battle of nerves and wits they cannot afford to lose…

My Thoughts: The Great War might be over, but Verity and Sidney Kent are still trying to tie up some loose ends and hunt down a very well-connected and concealed traitor. Their investigation is sidetracked when Sidney is asked to travel to France to interrogate an informant who has information that she won't share with anyone else.

Verity's former boss C is also interested in what this young woman has to tell and since Verity is still an off-the-books agent of his, she goes along. Adele Baverel might have some information but before she can share it, she's found dead in her cell and the French are shouting suicide while one look tells Verity it was murder. 

Mlle. Baverel did give some possible hints that might lead Verity and Sidney to her hidden information, but the British Intelligence head there in France wants them to look into the murder of a lawyer who worked for the British during the war and who might also have information that needs to be found. 

As Verity and Sidney try to track down people who might know something about either of these cases, they begin to believe that the two are related and that the secrets they might uncover could have a devastating effect on Britain's relationships in Europe. And they are not the only ones on the hunt for this information. Lord Ardmore has a couple of his men there too both helping and hindering the Kents at seemingly random times.

This was a very complex story the brings in people and events from earlier books in the series. I've read them, but not recently, and found that the background that brings up earlier events was more confusing than helpful. I would guess someone not familiar with the earlier books would have been even more baffled. 

The strength of the story was the depiction of the political atmosphere with all its complexities as people try to adjust to the new post-Great War scene. I also enjoyed the random bits of culture and fashion that were dropped into the story. 

Fans of the series will enjoy this entry and be looking forward to the next.

Favorite Quote:
I needed to know why they'd lied to us. Sidney needed to know. We'd both sacrificed nearly all, including each other, for our country. We needed to know what C and T were so intent on hiding from us. 
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Book Review: First Casualty by Mike Moscoe

First Casualty

Author:
Mike Moscoe
Series: Jump Universe (Book 1)
Publication: Ace; 1st edition (February 26, 2013)

Description: FOUR SOLDIERS. ONE WAR.

Asteroid miner Mary Rodrigo and freighter owner Mattim Abeeb are green draftees of the Society of Humanity, forced to fight for Earth—a planet they’ve never even seen.

Major Ray Longknife and his lover, Senior Pilot Rita Nuu, are career soldiers, invested with the cause of the Unity Party—and its ambitious new president.

These four soldiers on opposing sides of the battle are about to discover the true nature of this terrible war: a quest for profit—from the high command of both sides. What they will risk is nothing less than their lives. For although truth may be the first casualty of war, it’s not going to be the last…

My Thoughts: This is a science fiction war story. It follows four main characters - two from each side of the war - as it unfolds. Major Ray Longknife and his wife Senior Pilot Rita Nuu Longknife are on the Unity side of the conflict. Asteroid Miner turned drafted Marine Mary Rodrigo and freighter owner turned drafted captain of a warshop Mattim Abeeb fight for the Society of Humanity.

The story is filled with space battles and political intrigue. Each of them comes to learn that the wars they are fighting are designed for profiting some wealthy special interest groups on both sides of the conflict. 

I liked the action and adventure and liked getting to know the four main characters. I found the worldbuilding to be interesting. I liked the idea of gates that travel great distances quickly and that are still not understood. I liked that Captain Abeeb and his crew discover a whole new star system when they accidentally enter a jump incorrectly. I liked the way they found their way home and the way the powers that be wanted to hide Abeeb's crew's discovery. 

I liked the romance between Ray and Rita and the way they were willing to do the hard thing as long as it was the right thing. 

This is the first book in a six-book series, so I wasn't surprised that things were left unresolved. I'm eager to read more in the series to follow their adventures and lives. 

Favorite Quote:
"Let's take it down to a dull roar. Volume does not make truth."
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, August 22, 2022

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (August 22, 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...

It was a quiet, cool, and cloudy week. But the sun is shining brightly right now, and the temperature is 71 degrees F. Generally speaking, this year has been cloudier that any year since we installed our solar panels in June 2019 as seen by this chart.
We are going to need lots and lots of sunny days to catch up!

I did a little cooking this week. We had a Cheesy Chicken and Rice casserole recently that we both thought was a little bland and dry. We thought it could be good if we did a little tweaking. So I tweaked it by adding a can of Cream of Chicken soup and some Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning. It turned out to be really good this time and will become part of our rotation when wondering what to do with leftover rotisseries chicken.
Other than that, my week consisted of reading and watching Braves Baseball. I made good progress on my September review books. I have two and half September releases still to go to finish that bunch, I'm finding the main character of my current read very annoying but not enough to abandon the book. 

I met my original Goodreads goal this week. I increased it from 240 to 275 which still puts me 69 books ahead of schedule. Last year I read 379 books which might be a little high for this year - or maybe not.

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.)
  • Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade by Nancy Springer (Review; September 6) -- Latest Enola Holmes adventure has her helping a friend who is being held captive by her own father until she agrees to the husband of his choice. My review will be posted on August 30.
  • Rita Longknife: Enemy in Sight by Mike Shepherd (Mine) -- Old fashioned space opera with battles and aliens. My review will be posted on September 13.
  • Bound by Murder by Laura Gail Black (Review; September 6) -- Entertaining cozy mystery. My review will be posted on August 31.
  • Dewey Decimated by Allison Brook (Review; September 6) -- Sixth Haunted Library mystery includes renovations at the library which unearths a new ghost who happens to be Carrie's fiancé's uncle. My review will be posted on September 1.
  • Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (Review; September 6) -- Great story about four female assassins who hit retirement age and whose employer wants them dead. My review will be posted on September 3.
  • Proof by Dick Francis (Audiobook) -- I recently got the audio for this one which is one of my favorite stories by Dick Francis. I was sucked in again and loved it. My review will be posted on September 8.
  • Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King (Review; September 6) -- King introduces a new character and a new historical period in this engaging mystery. My review will be posted on September 6. 
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Saturday, August 20, 2022

Book Review: McKettrick's Pride by Linda Lael Miller

McKettrick's Pride

Author:
Linda Lael Miller
Series: McKettrick Men (Book 2)
Publication: Hqn Books; First Edition (January 1, 2007)

Description: The only wide-open space Rance McKettrick wants to see in his future is his hometown in his rearview mirror. The down-to-earth ex-rancher is determined to make a fresh start with his two young daughters—and leave his heartbreaking loss and family's corporation far behind. He sure doesn't need Indian Rock's free-spirited new bookstore owner, Echo Wells, confusing his choices…and raising memories he'd rather forget. But her straightforward honesty and reluctance to trust is challenging everything Rance thought he knew about himself. And when their irresistible attraction puts their hearts on the line, Rance and Echo must come to grips with who they really are in order to find a once-in-a-lifetime happiness.

My Thoughts: Echo Wells is heading for a new start in Indian Rock after a bad break-up in Chicago when she finds an abandoned dog at a truck stop in New Mexico. She can't leave the dog; she reminds her too much of herself - lonely and abandoned. 

Almost the first persons he meets in Indian Rock is Rance McKettrick, scion of the famous and very wealthy McKettrick family. They don't exactly hit it off. Rance is still grieving for the wife he lost five years earlier and is using work to fill up his time which leaves his seven and ten-year-old daughters in the care of his wife's mother more often than not. 

Echo and Rance have had very different pasts. Echo was orphaned at four and reluctantly raised by an aunt and uncle who already had four children of their own. She hasn't seen them since she left for college at eighteen. Her loneliness wasn't eased when her fiancé abandoned her at the altar of a wedding chapel in Las Vegas. She's hoping for better in her new life in Indian Rock, but it is starting with her adopting a dog that likely belongs to someone else. 

Rance was raised surrounded by a bunch of cousins and other family. He has suffered loss; his sister Cassidy died of leukemia when she was seventeen and he was in college. He also lost his wife to a horseback riding accident. 

I liked the way the two of them grew to like and trust each other. There were a bunch of interesting side characters from Rance's cousins to his mother-in-law and other townspeople who both welcomed Echo and encouraged her relationship with Rance. 

This was a nice contemporary romance from a very prolific author. 

Favorite Quote:
All of a sudden, Echo wanted to break down and cry, right there on the sidewalk. Because little girls lost their mothers. Because their fathers were too busy to attend birthday parties. Because maybe no one cared enough about this dog to search the Internet and then come take her home, and because someone might do just exactly that. 
I bought this one when it was released in 2007. I'm seeing three different covers at Amazon. I chose the one on my paperback copy. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, August 19, 2022

Firday Memes: McKettrick's Pride by Linda Lael Miller

 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:
The dog, fur soaked, matted and muddy, sat forlornly on the rain-slicked pavement, next to Echo Wells's custom-painted hot pink Volkswagen Bug. Echo, rushing from the truck-stop restaurant with the remains of her supper in a take-out box, in hopes of not getting too wet before she reached her car, stopped cold.
Friday 56:
While the girls ran ahead to join the festivities, Cora wended her way from her own distant parking spot to walk with Echo. From the other woman's expression, Echo gathered she'd half expected Indian Rock's newest arrival to bolt for town without saying howdy to anybody.

Since she'd been tempted to do exactly that, Echo blushed slightly and bit her lower lip.
This week I am spotlighting McKettrick's Pride by Linda Lael Miller which has been on my TBR Pile since February 2008. I used to read everything Linda Lael Miller wrote but haven't read any of her books for years. 

Here's the description from Amazon:
The only wide-open space Rance McKettrick wants to see in his future is his hometown in his rearview mirror. The down-to-earth ex-rancher is determined to make a fresh start with his two young daughters—and leave his heartbreaking loss and family's corporation far behind. He sure doesn't need Indian Rock's free-spirited new bookstore owner, Echo Wells, confusing his choices…and raising memories he'd rather forget. But her straightforward honesty and reluctance to trust is challenging everything Rance thought he knew about himself. And when their irresistible attraction puts their hearts on the line, Rance and Echo must come to grips with who they really are in order to find a once-in-a-lifetime happiness.