ARC Review: Wined and Dined in New Orleans by Ellen Byron

Wined and Dined in New Orleans
Author: Ellen Byron
Series: A Vintage Cookbook Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Berkley (February 7, 2023)

Description: The second in a fantastic new cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.

It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.

Repairs on the property unearth crates of very old, very valuable French wine, buried by the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet. Ricki, who’s been struggling to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried treasure goes viral. She’s less thrilled when the post brings distant Charbonnet family members out of the woodwork, all clamoring for a cut of the wine’s sale.

When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall decorations, the NOPD zeroes in on Eugenia Charbonnet Felice as the prime suspect, figuring that as head of the Charbonnet family, she has the most to gain. Ricki is determined to uncover the real culprit, but she can’t help noticing that Eugenia is acting strangely. Ricki wonders what kind of secret her mentor has bottled up, and fears what might happen if she uncorks it.

In the second Vintage Cookbook Mystery, Ricki has to help solve a murder, untangle family secrets, and grow her business, all while living under the threat of a hurricane that could wipe out everything from her home to Bon Vee.

My Thoughts: Transplanted California girl Ricki James-Diaz is trying to calm her fear of hurricanes, run her vintage ccokbook and kitchenware shop, and overcome her fear of social media. When a cache of very valuable wines is discovered in Bon Vee, Ricki posts the find to social media which manages to unearth Charbonnets from all over who all want a piece of the prize.

When one of the most obnoxious is found killed with an antique meat mallet from Ricki's shop, Ricki is on the case to prove that none of her friends at Bon Vee had anything to do with it despite all of them having run-ins with the victim in which they threatened to kill him. 

Bon Vee and the Charbonnet's restaurant have been facing hard times because of Covid and various weather disasters, the wine find would be a real lifesaver. Ricki needs to sort through quite a variety of suspects to find the guilty party.

Meanwhile, Ricki is still on the hunt for her birth parents and learns that she is a Charbonnet, great-granddaughter of the famous Miss Vee. But the generations in between are still a mystery. 

This was an engaging story with interesting characters. I enjoyed the strong bonds of family and friendship growing among the cast of characters.

Favorite Quote:

Knowing full well Virgil would never have approved the switch, Ricki locked eyes with her nemesis. She might suffer from bouts of insecurity, indecision, and intimidation -- the "ins that should be outs" as her mother called them -- but never when it came to animals.

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

ARC Review: Three Can Keep a Secret by M. E. Hilliard

Three Can Keep a Secret
Author: M. E. Hilliard
Series: A Greer Hogan Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (February 7, 2023)

Description: The library is no safe haven in this taut, tense mystery perfect for fans of Louise Penny and Elly Griffith’s Dr. Ruth Galloway series.

Greer Hogan is a librarian turned sleuth, an avid reader of crime fiction who possesses an uncanny knack for deduction—and now, she’s drawn into another murder case as late autumn slowly turns to winter in the idyllic village of Raven Hill. When Anita Hunzeker, chair of the library board of trustees, is run off the road and killed, no one seems all that sorry. Anita was widely disliked, and the townsfolk would just as soon be rid of her. But when a local professor turns up dead as well, his connection to Anita and to other local residents leaves the suspect pool covering the entire county.

Greer starts poking around, and the more she digs, the more it seems like everyone she knows is trying to hide something. When she unearths a clue in the old manor cemetery, she finally discovers the shocking truth—a cache of dark secrets stretching back decades that could rock the town to its core. Everyone who’s come close to the truth has ended up dead—and if Greer doesn’t tread lightly, she could be the next librarian to get archived for good.

Drawing nostalgic inspiration from classic girl detective mysteries, Hilliard deftly captures notes of Agatha Christie and  Dorothy L. Sayers in this third installment of the Greer Hogan mysteries.

My Thoughts: Librarian Greer Hogan is back with another mystery to solve when the head of the Library Board is run off the road and killed. No one can be found who liked Anita Hunzeker, often referred to behind her back as "Attila the Hunzeker," but Greer wouldn't have thought that any of the dislike was strong enough for someone to murder her.

As she looks into Anita's death, she finds another mystery. This one concerns the family that set up a trust which includes the library where Greer works. Anita had been advocating for a new library building which also included the local historical society and was willing to go to lengths including blackmailing people to support her side in the on-going argument.

Greer also looks into the trust, or tries to, since there have been long-standing rumors of a lost will or codicil that would affect it. Fellow librarian Millicent, in her 80s and determined not to retire, has a role in this one. She disliked Anita and her plans for the future and she knew the family that set up the trust and was keeping some secrets about it. 

I enjoyed this story which had interesting characters and a nicely twisty plot. 

Favorite Quote:

Cynthia really was a terrible liar. So was Sloane Harris, for that matter. I marveled that they'd gotten this far in life so completely lacking in the ability to dissemble, though I was grateful that they gave away so much without knowing it. It made a girl detective's job much easier.

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (January 30. 2023)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

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

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

Other Than Reading...

This was another quiet winter week. It snowed lightly on a number of days and then the temperature plunged. We've had single digits above and below zero this week for daytime highs and with windchills as low as -20F after dark. I have mostly stayed in with one quick trip to the grocery store.

Since it is nearing the end of January, I set up my March calendar. I have plans for what I want to read but haven't set up any of the posts yet. I did put a couple of the books I discovered on my TBR pile that have been hanging around since 2008 and before on the calendar. 

2008 is a magic number for me. That is when I added my whole book collection - every book I could find in my house - to LibraryThing. I still use LibraryThing to keep track of the books I own. Since it shows the date I added a book to the collection, it is easy for me to know when I got a book. It lets me tag books too. Each unread book gets a TBR tag which I remove after I've read the book. I also put books in collections and save reviews and comments. Collections like "New This Week," "Currently Reading," "Review-Pending," and "Read Last Week" really make writing this post easy. My unlimited subscription was the best $25 I've ever spent!

This week I'll be writing my State of the Stack post for February 1. I would really like to finish all my February review books before I write it. I just have one book to go - Cold-Blooded Liar by Karen Rose - at 464 pages. It's doable if I start reading it as soon as I finish Dark in Death.

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.)

• Primer and Punishment by Diane Kelly (Review; February 21) -- 5th in the House Flipper series. Nice cozy mystery. My review will be posted on February 14.
• Murder Served Neat by Michelle Hillen Klump (Review: February 21) -- Second in an interesting cozy series. Engaging characters. My review will be posted on February 15.
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Kindle & Audiobook; Mine since October 26, 2021) -- Great worldbuilding and an interesting group of characters in this space Opera. My review will be posted on February 11.

• Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop (Mine; Audiobook) -- First reread of this favorite series in 2023.
• Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong (Review; February 21) -- Beginning of a spinoff series. Great characters and an engaging mystery. My review will be posted on February 16.

• Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evonovich (Mine since April 13, 2021) -- The twenty-sixth in the Stephanie Plum series was a fun humorous mystery. My review will be posted on February 18.
• Silent Evidence by Rachel Grant (Kindle &Audiobook; mine since October 29, 2021) -- Fast paced and spicy romantic suspense. Stands alone despite being the 8th or 9th in the Evidence series. My review will be posted on February 16.
• Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop (Mine; Audiobook) -- First reread of this series in 2023.

• Hawken's Heart by Suzanne Brockmann (mine since at least 2008) -- This romantic suspense title (written in 1998) is a big part of the reason I love reading that genre. Great characters. My review will be posted February 22.
• The Disappearance of Trudy Solomon (Mine since December 17, 2022) -- When the second in this series landed on my Review stack, I decided I needed to read the first. It was an excellent twisty mystery with intriguing characters. My review will be posted on February 21.

Currently

• Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey (Kindle & Audiobook added 9/28/2021)
• Dark in Death by J. D. Robb (Mine) - reread in anticipation of the newest In Death being released February 7. 

Next Week

• Cold-Blooded Liar by Karen Rose (Review; February 28)
• Royal Blood by Aimee Carter (Review; March 7)
• Standing Dead by Margaret Mizushima (Review; March 7)

• The Bullet Catch by John Gaspard (Kindle & Audiobook added 8/3/2021)
• The Eyes of Tamburah by Maria V. Snyder (Kindle added 2/1/2021)
• The Fire's Stone by Tanya Huff (Kindle & Audiobook added 8/29/2021)

Reviews Posted

• Beyond by Mercedes Lackey
• A Call to Insurrection by David Weber, Timothy Zahn, and Thomas Pope
• The Maraan by Christie Meierz

• Promise Boys by Nick Brooks
• The Second You're Single by Cara Tanamachi
• Into the West by Mercedes Lackey

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

Review:

• Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective by Katie Siegel (Review; June 27)
• The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair (Review; July 25)

Bought:

• Hex Life edited by Kelley Armstrong (Kindle Daily Deal, $1.99)
• Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen (Free with Amazon Prime)
• Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh (Kindle & Audiobook) -- I bought the paperback in 1997 and have never read it. Now it is on my calendar for March.

• High Stakes by Dick Francis (BookBub, $1.99) - Kindle version of a paperback in my collection
• Cold Evidence by Rachel Grant (Kindle Free & Audiobook $1.99)

Grace Draven is fighting cancer and will be starting chemo in February. One way that was suggested to help her was to buy her books. I chose these. She also has a GoFundMe. 

• Dragon Unleashed by Grace Draven
• Raven Unveiled by Grace Draven

• Radiance by Grace Draven
• Eidolon by Grace Draven
• The Ippos King by Grace Draven

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: A Call to Insurrection by David Weber, Timothy Zahn & Thomas Pope

A Call to Insurrection
Author: David Weber, Timothy Zahn, & Thomas Pope
Narrator: Eric Michael Summerer
Series: Manticore Ascendant (Book 4)
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (February 1, 2022); Audible Studios (December 6, 2022)
Length: 480 p.; 14 hours and 11 minutes

Description: Book four in the nationally best-selling Manticore Ascendant series, set in the world of David Weber’s multiple New York Times best-selling Honorverse series.

Yesterday, the Star Kingdom of Manticore was a small, unimportant interstellar backwater. A quiet little star nation, only recently recovered from the devastating blow of the Plague Years. More affluent than some, perhaps, but with little to attract trade or interstellar commerce, it had little need for a navy...and even less interest in paying for one.

But Manticore has now become a target. The Star Kingdom isn't certain who is attacking it, or why, or what its mysterious foe can possibly want, but Queen Elizabeth I knows she has to find out. And she knows that whatever some of her subjects think, Manticore does need a navy. And it needs allies, friends like the dynamic Republic of Haven and the Andermani Empire. It needs their trade...and to learn from their more experienced and powerful navies.

It is the job of officers like Travis Long and his wife, Lisa, to acquire that experience. Of utterly inexperienced diplomats like Travis's brother Gavin, Earl Winterfall, to build those alliances.

They have been sent to the powerful Andermani Empire to do just that, for the Imperial Navy is one of the most potent and experienced fleets in the galaxy. But the Andermani have problems of their own. Their Emperor's death is the trigger for insurrection, and now that powerful and experienced navy is locked in civil war

The Manticoran visitors find themselves squarely in the path of the storm, and before Travis, Lisa, and Gavin can accomplish anything else, they first have to survive.

My Thoughts: This is the fourth book in the Manticore Ascendant series. It takes place in the early years on Manticore when they have just come through the plague years and are trying to build relationships with their interstellar neighbors. They have also attracted an enemy who has made numerous attempts to destabilize and conquer Manticore.

Travis Long and his new wife Lisa have been sent to the Andermani Empire at the request of Emperor Gustav. Travis is hoping to absorb some of the Andermni's military knowledge to bring home to Manticore's fledgling Navy. 

Also on the trip is Travis's brother Gavin who is Earl Winterfall and a new member of Manticore's government. Though inexperienced, he has been sent to try to forge trade agreements with the Andermani.

Left at home is Chomps who has run afoul of Navy Intelligence and has been sent to the countryside until things cool down. However, he quickly gets involved in solving the murder of the local duke and all of his family. He thinks the determination that it was an accident caused by a drunken duke is very suspicious. 

Travis and Gavin also soon find out that their trips are much more complicated than they had thought. Emperor Gustav has died and things in the Andermani Empire are a little unsettled as the new 23-year-old emperor is trying to consolidate his position. Gavin stumbles upon conspirators who have a different candidate in mind for emperor.

And Travis and Lisa find themselves about a fleet sent to put down an insurrection as the would-be emperor has joined forces with a world that wants out of Andermani control. There are lots of space battles in this section of the story.

And weaving through all the different plot threads are the machinations of a shadow corporation whose aim is to conquer Manticore without sending in a fleet this time since it didn't work at all well when they last tried it. 

I enjoyed this story very much. I like the characters and find the world building very entertaining. Eric Michael Summerer did an excellent job with the different voices and accents.

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

 

Friday Memes: A Call to Insurrection by David Weber

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The 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:

Hereditary President Trudy McIntyre had never been what Lucretia Tomlinson would have called a handsome woman. But there were pictures from two decades earlier that had captured a smoldering fire, a defiance, and a sense of righteousness that had more than made up for the lack of physical beauty.

Friday 56:

"Absolutely not," Elizabeth said. "We start by downplaying the urgency. Dr. Tolochko's analysis indicates that the shift has been gradual, and was only noticeable over decades of readings. No rush, no worry, no drama."

This week I am spotlighting A Call to Insurrection by David Weber, Timothy Zahn, and Thomas Pope. I got the Kindle copy a year ago, but it got lost among all the TBRs. When the Audible book was released December 6, I bought it and realized that I had never read and reviewed the print copy. Oops!

Here's the description from Amazon:

Book four in the nationally best-selling Manticore Ascendant series, set in the world of David Weber’s multiple New York Times best-selling Honorverse series.

Yesterday, the Star Kingdom of Manticore was a small, unimportant interstellar backwater. A quiet little star nation, only recently recovered from the devastating blow of the Plague Years. More affluent than some, perhaps, but with little to attract trade or interstellar commerce, it had little need for a navy . . . and even less interest in paying for one.

But Manticore has now become a target. The Star Kingdom isn't certain who is attacking it, or why, or what its mysterious foe can possibly want, but Queen Elizabeth I knows she has to find out. And she knows that whatever some of her subjects think, Manticore does need a navy. And it needs allies, friends like the dynamic Republic of Haven and the Andermani Empire. It needs their trade . . . and to learn from their more experienced and powerful navies.

It is the job of officers like Travis Long and his wife, Lisa, to acquire that experience. Of utterly inexperienced diplomats like Travis's brother Gavin, Earl Winterfall, to build those alliances.

They have been sent to the powerful Andermani Empire to do just that, for the Imperial Navy is one of the most potent and experienced fleets in the galaxy. But the Andermani have problems of their own. Their Emperor's death is the trigger for insurrection, and now that powerful and experienced navy is locked in civil war.

The Manticoran visitors find themselves squarely in the path of the storm, and before Travis, Lisa, and Gavin can accomplish anything else, they first have to survive.

Book Review: Into the West by Mercedes Lackey

Into the West
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: The Founding of Valdemar (Book 2)
Publication: DAW (December 13, 2022)

Description: The long-awaited founding of Valdemar comes to life in this second book in the new series from a New York Times-bestselling author and beloved fantasist.

Baron Valdemar and his people have found a temporary haven, but it cannot hold all of them, or for long. Trouble could follow on their heels at any moment, and there are too many people for Crescent Lake to support. Those who are willing to make a further trek by barge on into the West will follow him into a wilderness depopulated by war and scarred by the terrible magics of a thousand years ago and the Mage Wars. But the wilderness is not as "empty" as it seems. There are potential friends and rapacious foes....

....and someone is watching them.

My Thoughts: Baron Valdemar has gotten his people through the gate and away from the Empire. But there is still a lot to do before they can stop moving. This second in the Founding of Valdemar series is about their journey. 

Delia has been sent ahead with the scouts both because her gift of Fetching is very useful to the scounts and because it gets her away from the object of her crush Kordas. The worldbuilding is great in this story and we get to see all sorts of magical creatures and magical landscapes in the land that was the battleground in the Mage Wars 500 years earlier. 

But besides the magical creatures, they are not alone in this new land. The Tayledras, the Hawkbrothers, and the Hertasi and learn about their purpose in this blighted land. 

This story had a lot of action as they all travel to search for a new home. I enjoyed watching Delia grow up and enjoyed thinking along with Kordas as he tries to do the best for his people. 

Favorite Quote:

Our Path, for the future of our expedition, for the well-being of those we befriend, for the land and the spirits, is this.

"There is no one, true way."

I bought this one December 13, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

Promise Boys
Author: Nick Brooks
Publication: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (January 31, 2023)

Description: The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying in Nick Brooks's Promise Boys, a trailblazing, blockbuster YA mystery about three teen boys of color who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names―for fans of Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Karen McManus.

The Urban Promise Prep School vows to turn boys into men. As students, J.B., Ramón, and Trey are forced to follow the prestigious "program's" strict rules. Extreme discipline, they’ve been told, is what it takes to be college bound, to avoid the fates of many men in their neighborhoods. This, the Principal Moore Method, supposedly saves lives.

But when Moore ends up murdered and the cops come sniffing around, the trio emerges as the case's prime suspects. With all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. But is the true culprit hiding among them?

My Thoughts: The Urban Promise Prep School is Washington, D.C., is supposed to turn boys into men. Principal Kenneth Moore runs the place with strict rules and brutal discipline. J.B., Ramon, and Trey are all students there. Each has a different background and different aspirations for their lives. When Principal Moore is shot while the three are in detention, they become the immediate suspects in his death.

In order to save their own reputations and futures, these young men need to band together with their various allies to put all the clues together to find out who killed the principal. Each knows that he didn't do it, but at first, they aren't too sure of the others. As they explore suspects, we also learn a lot about each of the three main characters from their own words and the words of those around them. 

This is a story told in multiple viewpoints. Each viewpoint gives clues to the solution to this crime. It is also told over the course of a few days. Luckily, chapter and section headings orient the reader. Once I got into the style, I enjoyed this story and was glad to get to know these three very different, but equally remarkable, young men. 

Favorite Quote:

Every day we send our children out into the world, they are inflicted with a thousand tiny cuts. And all the limpias in the world can't clean it, because the wound is open.

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

ARC Review: The Second You're Single by Cara Tanamachi

The Second You're Single
Author: Cara Tanamachi
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (January 31, 2023)

Description: Cheerfully irreverent, bitingly funny, and filled with romantic charm, Cara Tanamachi's The Second You're Single is all about navigating the most romantic month of the year, and how love always seems to arrive when you least expect it.

Freelance writer Sora Reid believes in inertia. She’s the odd one out in a close-knit family of go-getters, including her Japanese-American mom, who hints about her need to lose weight, and her soon-to-be married, overachieving younger sister, who needs her to have a date for the wedding, since a wedding party couples' dance with their Scottish great uncle Bob simply won't do. For Sora, minimal input, minimal expectations is the way to go. She’d rather stay at home with her insufferable neighbor and her adorable pitbull.

The one thing that disrupts her inertia: an intense dislike for Valentine’s Day. What is it with the commercial love machine? Why do we pin our hopes on one romantic day, when staying home with a package of bacon and a bottle of tequila would be way better? Sora’s been betrayed and disappointed more than once and her heart is starting to feel like her Grandma Mitsuye’s antique Japanese ceramic bowl, with its many gold-filled cracks.

When her pledge to stay single in February inspires readers to #gosolo, Sora has a responsibility to empower her readers. But relationships aren’t built to last, so it shouldn’t be that hard. Right?

Enter Jack Mann. A muscle-bound baker who looks like he lifts logs on the weekends, Sora hasn’t thought of Jack since they were in elementary school together. When they see each other at the local grocery store and the attraction hits hard, Sora knows she has to shut it down, quick. She can’t #gosolo AND get the guy. She can’t let down her readers. And relationships always end, so why should Jack be any different–even though he’s confounding all her long-held expectations of love?

My Thoughts: Sora Reid is thirty-two and works from home in Chicago as a freelance writer. After still another romantic disappointment, she pitches a new story to her editor. She suggests #GoSolo as a theme for February since Valentine's Day really won't work for her. She suggests taking a dating break and working on oneself as a way to empower women. She finds herself at the head of a movement which really isn't what this risk-averse young woman was looking for.

It especially won't work for her now that she has connected with Jack Mann. They were in elementary school together where they were great friends but lost track of each other after fifth grade. Now Jack is a baker at the grocery store where Sora shops. He rescues her when she runs into her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. He seems like the perfect guy - friendly, considerate, caring - but the time couldn't be worse.

Meanwhile, Jack who is planning to start his own bakery is having issues convincing a former girlfriend who is the heir to a hotel empire that their relationship is really over. She keeps trying to restart the relationship which makes Jack look like a liar when he's with Sora.

This was an entertaining story with some moment of laugh-out-loud humor, i.e. Sora's experience with aerial aerobics, but also some touching moments when Sora and Jack share hurtful memories from their pasts. I loved Jack's optimism which was a nice foil to Sora's more pessimistic viewpoint. 

Fans of contemporary, very contemporary, romance will enjoy this adventure in modern love and dating. 

Favorite Quote:

"What the hell is this?" I whisper to Mom.

"Aerial aerobics," she says. "Haven't you heard of FlyFit? And what did you think it was?"

"My idea of hell. Since when is this a thing?"

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

Audiobook Review: Beyond by Mercedes Lackey

Beyond
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Narrator: Paul Woodson
Series: The Founding of Valdemar (Book 1)
Publication: Tantor Audio (September 14, 2021)
Length: 12 hours and 13 minutes

Description: Within the Eastern Empire, Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a tiny, bucolic Duchy that focuses mostly on horse breeding. Anticipating the day when the Empire's exploitative and militant leaders would not be content to leave them alone, Korda's father set out to gather magicians in the hopes of one day finding a way to escape and protect the people of the Duchy from tyranny.

The signs in the Empire are increasingly dire. Under the direction of the Emperor, mages have begun to harness the power of dark magics, including blood magic, the powers of the Abyssal Planes, and the binding and "milking" of Elemental creatures.

But then one of the Duchy's mages has a breakthrough. There is a way to place a Gate at a distance so far from the Empire that it is unlikely the Emperor can find or follow them as they evacuate everyone that is willing to leave.

But time is running out, and Kordas has been summoned to the Emperor's Court.

Can his reputation as a country bumpkin and his acting skills buy him and his people the time they need to flee? Or will the Emperor lose patience, invade to strip Valdemar of everything of worth, and send its conscripted people into the front lines of the Imperial wars?

My Thoughts: This story tells about the beginnings of Valdemar. It begins in the corrupt Eastern Empire and Duke Valdemar rules a rural and hopefully overlooked dukedom. Its two major products are barges and very finely bred horses. 

Duke Kordas Valdemar is at least the third generation that has been working to remove his goods and people from the Empire and start a new life somewhere else. Now that the mages who have stayed under the emperor's view have discovered a spell to make gates into new lands far away, the plans can begin to be realized.

But Kordas is called to the capitol with the latest tribute shipment of horses. He sees that even more has changed for the worse from the time some years earlier when he had been kept as a noble hostage in the palace. Human servants have been replaced by dolls powered by captive Vrondi and the city is almost empty since anyone not immediately needed to support the palace has been sent to the Southern border to fight in the emperor's long-running war. 

Kordas, being the kind of man he is, becomes determined to also free the Vrondi, rescue that latest group of noble hostages, and rescue anyone else in danger. And danger is imminent because the emperor has captured a child earth elemental to provide magical power for his mages to use and its very angry parents are getting closer.

Meanwhile back at home, Kordas's wife and sister-in-law are mobilizing the transfer of people, goods and supplies to their new home.

I really enjoyed all of the magic and intrigue. This was an engaging audiobook presentation.

I bought this one during and Audible Sale November 20, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Maraan by Christie Meierz

The Maraan
Author: Christie Meierz
Series: Tales of Tolari Space (Book 1)
Publication: Self-Published (October 6, 2012)

Description: A brilliant young teacher. A seemingly cold alien ruler. A love Earth Central Command tried to prevent.

High school teacher Marianne Woolsey was teaching Spanish in rural Iowa when Central Command decided her linguistic talents would be better exercised teaching human languages to the daughter of an alien ruler on a planet 24 light-years from Earth. Deeply wounded by a childhood trauma, she has always avoided men, but now she's thrown into close contact with a man who is as gentle as he is dangerous.

Driven by duty, deadly to anyone who dares cross him, the Sural has ruled his province and led his planet far longer than he can admit to his daughter's human tutor, and he hides much more from the space-faring races of the Trade Alliance than he is willing to admit. What he doesn't want Central Command to know, he has to conceal from Marianne, but she is keeping her own secrets from him - and as an empath, he knows it.

My Thoughts: A Spanish teacher from Iowa named Marianne Woolsey is drafted by her government to travel to Tolari to act as a tutor to the daughter of the ruler of the planet. Her government hopes to find out more about the strange and reclusive Tolari. 

Marianne arrives to find a world very different than her own. Outwardly, it looks like a medieval civilization. But her opinion quickly changes as she learns more about the people, and especially the Sural who rules the largest area on the planet and is the supreme ruler of all other areas. She enjoys the challenge of learning new languages but misses human contact despite her weekly calls to the ambassadorial ship in orbit around the planet. 

Marianne has a past trauma in her life which is readily apparent to the empaths who surround her, and which makes it difficult for her to realize that the Sural is falling in love with her. This is very much a "slow burn" romance. She's on the planet for 8 years before any sort of romance begins that she recognizes. 

And while she is falling in love, the humans who are in orbit are getting more and more anxious to find out about the aliens who live on the planet and threaten to pull her out to drain her of everything she's learned but not told them about. 

But the aliens have been keeping a number of secrets and they aren't willing to share them with Earth's Central Command. Nor are they willing to surrender a woman who has bonded with their leader. 

This was a fun space opera and romance. 

Favorite Quote:

"Don't leave me," she whispered to him in English. "I need you." In Tolari, she added, "Beloved."

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (January 23, 2023)

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...

Last week was a quiet one spent at home. It snowed three different days but the total accumulation for all of them was just over two inches. We did manage to have gray and gloomy skies all week.

I did a lot of rearranging of my physical TBR pile. This time I sorted the books by the year I added them to my collection. While doing that, I found six more that I had added in 2008. I thought I was finished with all of those books. Among the discoveries were two contemporary romance, two fantasies, a nonfiction history of science, and a science fiction classic. I'll be working them into my March calendar.

I also found a few among the physical TBR that weren't in my LibraryThing account and a few others that I'd already read and need to move downstairs. While this process was entertaining and I found lots of books I wish I could read right now, it was a lot like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic for the progress it made in lowering TBR mountain.

I think I may have to change the way I manage my reading. Right now, I usually have a print book and an audiobook going. I think I need to add in a book of short stories where I read maybe a story or two a week and a nonfiction book where I read a chapter a week. I need to think more about how I would review those books that take weeks to read. Do I have an on-going review in draft form? Or do I wait until I finish the book? What do you do?

This week is empty of appointments and with nothing to watch on TV since baseball won't start for a long time and football is winding down for the season. I should be able to do a lot of reading and listening.

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.)

• Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron (Review; February 7) -- Second in a contemporary cozy series. Interesting characters and mystery. My review will be posted on January 31.
• Three Can Keep a Secret by M. E. Hilliard (Review; February 7) -- Third in a contemporary mystery series about the murder of a library trustee and the librarian who investigates the death. My review will be posted on January 31.
• Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan (Review; February 7) -- A bridalwear designer from LA finds herself inheriting an Irish castle and having to solve the mystery of the death of her uncle and find a way to make the castle profitable. My review will be posted on February 1.

• Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings (Review; February 7) -- Nice start to a cozy historical mystery series. My review will be posted on February 4.
• Every Missing Girl by Leanne Kale Sparks (Review; February 7) -- Second in a contemporary suspense series deals with child trafficking. My review will be posted on February 2.
• The Ties That Bind by Jayne Ann Krentz (Mine since 2021) -- Audiobook of a classic Krentz first written in the 1980s. While the hero was a bit of a chauvinist, he was capable of learning. My review will be posted on February 14.

• Written in Red by Anne Bishop (Audiobook) -- Relisten to a favorite book.
• When the House Burns by Priscilla Paton (Review; February 14) -- Mystery set in the Twin Cities. Odd writing style but interesting mystery. My review will be posted on February 8.
• Dark All Day by Brenden Carlson (Review; February 14) -- Finale to alternate history/science fiction/mystery trilogy. I found the story impenetrable. My review will be posted on February 9.

DNF

• Girl, Alone by Blake Pierce (Audiobook from 2021) -- I listened to half but thought it was extremely melodramatic and unrealistic. I'm planning to avoid this author in the future despite how often I see the books on Chirp.
• Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow (Review; February 14) -- Just didn't care for the writing in this one.

Currently

• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Kindle copy from 2021; Audiobook new)
• Primer and Punishment by Diane Kelly (Review; February 21)

Next Week

• Murder Served Neat by Michelle Hillen Klump (Review; February 21)
• Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong (Review; February 21)
• Silent Evidence by Rachel Grant (Audiobook)

• Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich
• The Disappearance of Trudy Solomon by Marcy McCreary
• Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook)

Reviews Posted

• Until We Touch by Susan Mallery
• Kris Longknife: Defender by Mike Shepherd
• Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

• A Fashionable Fatality by Alyssa Maxwell
• Exile, Texas by Rachel Caine
• Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews

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

Review:

• The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick (Review; May 2)

Bought:

• The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey (Kindle Daily Deal)
• The Very Best of the Best edited by Gardner Dozois (Chirp; $4.99)
• Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews (Kindle)

• Blood Defense by Marcia Clark (Kindle Daily Deal & Audiobook)
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Audiobook; Audible Credit)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Exile, Texas by Rachel Caine

Exile, Texas
Author: Rachel Caine
Publication: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (October 19, 2021)

Description: New York Times–Bestselling Author: A woman long suspected of murder returns to her hometown as a PI—and soon finds her own life at risk . . .

Most folks in Exile, Texas, think Megan Leary got away with murder. Megan was acquitted of her mother’s vicious killing after someone else confessed—but suspicion still shadows her fifteen years later. Now a private investigator, she’s come back to help a friend look for her missing teenage daughter—and it’s not just gossip that’s being stirred up.

Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Fox wasn’t sure what to think of Megan or her mysterious past when he pulled her over for speeding. But suddenly, people are dying—and Dan may have to decide whether he can put his trust in Megan to ensure both of them survive . . .

My Thoughts: This romantic suspense title is a little unusual because it is told by the male lead. Dan Fox has left his career as a homicide detective in Houston and called on the current sheriff of Exile, Texas - an old college friend - for a job. We begin the story getting hints of the reason why he changed jobs and the guilt he feels.

The story begins with him stopping a woman for speeding. Megan Leary hasn't been back to Exile since she left it at 15. She was accused and acquitted of murdering her mother with a shotgun. While she was in jail, she was raped by four of the deputies. That rape led to her suing the town and winning $3 million, It seems that no one in town wants her back and everyone blames her for the hard times the town is going through. Especially bitter is Deputy Lew Peyser who is the son of the lead rapist and blames Megan for his father's imprisonment and suicide. 

Megan's reason for returning to Exile has to do with the disappearance of teenaged Aurelia who is the daughter of one of Megan's childhood friends. With Dan commanded by his friend the sheriff to stay close to Megan, the two begin an investigation which uncovers a number of the town's dirtiest secrets. 

Dan believes that the girl ran away as she had said she was going to do, Megan thinks the boyfriend - Javier Nieves - likely has something to do with her disappearance. Nieves is a member of one of the most violent gangs in the area. 

But Megan wants to take a look at her mother's death while she's in town since she never believed that her father, who confessed to the crime, had anything to do with it. Dan has questions too, and the case files add more questions than they answer.

When the house Megan inherited from her mother is set on fire with Megan inside, it becomes clear that someone really doesn't want Megan and Dan to dig into the past. 

The story is filled with all sorts of twists and turns and more than enough sketchy characters. I liked the way Megan and Dan manage to work together to solve the case. I also liked learning more about Dan's backstory and the reasons he found himself in Exile, Texas.

Favorite Quote:

There's something great and intensely satisfying about rage. Things get very simple. I was going to the grain elevator. I was going to find the Impala, was going to shove my foot up the ass of the kid -- hopefully, Javier Nieves -- who thought shooting a gun was the answer to his problems. 

I bought this one March 20, 2022. You can buy your copy here.