It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 31, 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 past week was a nice one. The highs were in the 80s with the thermometer hitting 88 on the 27th. Good thing for central air conditioning! Night temperatures were pleasant with high 50s and lower 60s. We also got a scant quarter inch of rain due to a couple of brief thunderstorms. 

We tried out some new recipes this week. My brother had purchased a pre-seasoned pork roast for the crockpot in order to make some pulled pork. With leftover pulled pork after our original picnic meal of pulled pork, potato salad and corn on the cob, we had pulled pork hash and pulled pork burritos. We liked both the recipes made with our leftover pulled pork. Our only complaint was that the pre-seasoned roast had too much salt. Since his heart attack and bypass surgery, we have been trying to lower our salt consumption. Next time we'll make our own pulled pork to better control the salt.

Being hungry for noodles, I also tried a new recipe for Fettuccini with Mushroom Alfredo Sauce which I really enjoyed. We're having the leftovers before my brother goes to work today. 

I finished up my August review books and, being almost a month ahead on my blog, decided to give myself a break and listen to a few of my favorite audiobooks by favorite authors Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. After I finish my current listen, it is back to reading for my blog and starting my September review book releases. 

With a quick doctor's appointment on the 1st and going out to dinner to celebrate my birthday on the 2nd, this week looks to be busier than the last couple of weeks. However, I'm sure there will still be time for books and baseball. Go Braves!

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.)

• Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare (Mine) -- Historical mystery set in 1936. Black but able to pass for white, singer Lena Aldridge gets a deal too good to be true for a job in New York City and finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery that she is being framed for. My review will be posted on September 16.
• The Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook) -- This riff on a gothic romance hit all the tropes. I read the book years ago and enjoyed the audio very much. My review will be posted on August 24.

• Harlem After Midnight by Louise Hare (Review; August 29) -- Historical mystery set in Harlem in 1936. Interesting characters and story. My review will be posted on August 23.
• Fledgling by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine (Review; August 29) -- Debut romantic comedy. A free spirit rents a room from a vampire who wants help adjusting to modern life. My review will be posted on August 24.

• Saltation by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)

Currently

• Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle (Mine)

Next Week

• All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris (Review; September 5)
• Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg (Review; September 1)
• Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer (Review; September 5)

• Seams Deadly by Maggie Bailey (Review; September 5)
• Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy (Audiobook; Audible Plus; Mine since June 29, 2021)
• The Small Rain by Madeleine L'Engle (Mine since June 8; $2.99)

Reviews Posted

• Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald (Audiobook)
• Murder in the Crypt by Irina Shapiro
• Against the Wild by Kat Martin

• High Stakes by Dick Francis (Audiobook)
• Birder, She Wrote by Donna Andrews (Review book)
• The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

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

Review:

None

Bought:

• Foundation by Isaac Asimov (Kindle; Kindle Daily Deal $2.99)
• Sanctuary for Seers by Kathleen Baldwin (Kindle)
• Only Good Enemies by Jennifer Estep (Kindle)

• Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths (Kindle)
• The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths (Kindle)
• Stranger at the Wedding by Barbara Hambly (Kindle; $1.99)

• Fantastic Hope by Laurell K. Hamilton & William McCaskey (Kindle)
• Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson (Kindle; BookBub $2.99)
• The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (Kindle; Kindle Daily Deal $2.99)

• Solar Flare edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Parmentier (Kindle)
• You Did This by Jamie Millen (Kindle; BookBub Free)
• Lonely Path by Melissa F. Miller (Kindle)

• The Bodhi King Series Books 3 - 4 by Melissa F. Miller (Kindle)
• The Bodhi King Series Books 5 - 6 by Melissa F. Miller (Kindle)
• The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, & Karen White (Kindle)

• A Most Intriguing Lady by Sarah Ferguson (Audiobook; Chirp; $4.99)
• The Pirate by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook; Chirp; $.99)
• The Adventurer by Jayne Ann Krentz (Audiobook; Chirp; $.99)

• Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna (Audiobook; Chirp; $2.99)
• Murder at Keyhaven Castle by Clara McKenna (Audiobook; Chirp; $2.99)
• Murder at Blackwater Bend by Clara McKenna (Audiobook; Chirp; $1.99)

What was your week like?

Book Review: The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

The Templar Legacy
Author: Steve Berry
Series: Cotton Malone (Book 1)
Publication: Ballantine Books (February 21, 2006)

Description: The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes . . . until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost.

But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was–and its true nature could change the modern world.

Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts–and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he’d left behind.

It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton’s former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who’ s far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune-hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she’s not alone. Competing for the historic prize– and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses–is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command.

Welcome or not, Cotton seeks to even the odds in the perilous race. But the more he learns about the ancient conspiracy surrounding the Knights Templar, the more he realizes that even more than lives are at stake. At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world–and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees.

My Thoughts: This excellent thriller introduces Cotton Malone who stars in eighteen thrillers. The plot of this one revolves around lost Templar treasure and information about Jesus Christ that could rock the Roman Catholic church. 

Cotton is approached by Stephanie Nelle his former boss at the Magellan Billet where he used his skills as a lawyer to deal with international crime. He left the Magellan Billet, moved to Denmark, and opened a bookstore. Stephanie has received a journal from her deceased husband. Her husband was obsessed with investigating rumors regarding the Templars. He wrote a number of bestselling books before he took his own life. 

Stephanie feels that she owes it to her husband to see if there was anything to the rumors he was investigating. Since someone is trying to kill her, it looks like there is something to his research. Despite trying to not get Cotton involved, he becomes involved because of his curiosity and loyalty to Stephanie. Then the action happens as they travel from Denmark to France in search of the Templars lost treasure.

We also get the viewpoint of a man who wants to be the new Master of the Templars and get revenge for actions done in the 13th Century. 

This was a fun thriller that reminded me of The Davinci Code. I enjoyed the characters and plan to read more in the series. 

Favorite Quote:

"Dreamers have many times changed the world."

"This is a wild goose chase for a goose that doesn't exist."

I bought this one October 7, 2009. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

 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:

Paris, France

January 1308

Jacques de Molay sought death, but knew salvation would never be offered. He was the twenty-second master of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, a religious order that had existed under God's charge for two hundred years.

Friday 56:

Beauseant. Be glorious.

Precisely the word Red Jacket had uttered as he'd leaped from the Round Tower.

What was happening?

Old motivations stirred inside him. Feelings he'd thought a year of retirement had quelled.

This week I am spotlighting The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry. It is the first in the 17-book Cotton Malone series. This is also a book that has been sitting on my Kindle since October 2, 2009.

Here is the description from Amazon:

The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes . . . until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost.

But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was–and its true nature could change the modern world.

Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts–and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he’d left behind.

It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton’s former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who’ s far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune-hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she’s not alone. Competing for the historic prize– and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses–is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command.

Welcome or not, Cotton seeks to even the odds in the perilous race. But the more he learns about the ancient conspiracy surrounding the Knights Templar, the more he realizes that even more than lives are at stake. At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world–and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees.

Audiobook Review: High Stakes by Dick Francis

High Stakes
Author: Dick Francis
Narrator: Geoffrey Howard
Publication: Canelo USA (May 2, 2019); Blackstone Audio (December 15, 1999)
Length: 308 p.; 5 hours and 47 minutes

Description: Steven Scott may have been a successful, wealthy inventor with no experience in horse racing, yet with the inspired guidance of his trainer, Jody Leeds, and the prowess of a beautiful black hurdler named Energise, he has brought home several wins.

But his winning streak is about to come to a fast end when he discovers trouble in his own stables: trouble that could bring about his own termination if he doesn’t watch his step.

My Thoughts: Steven Scott finds himself in danger when he realizes that his racehorse trainer has been systematically cheating him. However, firing his trainer at the racecourse and his trainer's popularity, makes him the villain of the piece.

When he further realizes that his trainer has substituted another horse for his, he plans and epic con to get his horse back and get the trainer his comeuppance. Steven, who is a very successful inventor and engineer, is assisted in his quest by his new girlfriend, his workshop assistant, and a wealthy banker in his quest. 

I really enjoyed this mystery which was written in 1975. I had read it years ago but it was just as exciting and engaging as when I first read it. I liked Geoffrey Howard's narration. 

I got this one through Audible Plus. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Birder, She Wrote by Donna Andrews

Birder, She Wrote
Author: Donna Andrews
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries (Book 33)
Publication: Minotaur Books (August 1, 2023)

Description: Meg is relaxing in the hammock, taste-testing Michael’s latest batch of Arnold Palmers and watching the hummingbirds at their feeders when her hopes for a relaxing early summer morning are dashed.

First her father recruits her to help him install a new batch of bees in the hive in her backyard. Then Mayor Shiffley recruits her to placate the NIMBYs (Not in my backyard), as she calls them – a group of newcomers to Caerphilly who have built McMansions next door to working farms and then do their best to make life miserable for the farmers. And finally Meg’s grandmother, shows up, trailed by a nosy reporter who is writing a feature on her for a genteel Southern ladies’ magazine.

Cordelia drafts Meg to accompany her and Deacon Washington of the New Life Baptist Church – and the reporter, alas – in their search for a long-lost African-American cemetery. Unfortunately what they discover is not an ancient cemetery but a fresh corpse. Can Meg protect her grandmother – and Caerphilly – from the reporter who seems to see the worst in everything . . . and help crack the case before the killer finds another victim?

My Thoughts: Meg is hoping for a restful day, but she doesn't get it. The mayor asks her to deal with the NIMBYs who are always complaining about the nearby farms. They are currently most upset by their next-door neighbor Edgar Bortnick's beehives. 

Since Meg's father is currently an enthusiastic beekeeper, Meg is familiar with the situation. In fact, she has a newly installed beehive in her garden. But before she can go soothe ruffled feathers again, she is drafted to escort her grandmother Cordelia and Deacon Washington on a hunt at the southern end of the county for a lost black cemetery. 

Cordelia is being trailed by Britni Colleton who writes for Sweet Tea and Sassafras - a Southern living magazine. She plans to spotlight Cordelia in a forthcoming issue. But Britni is a fish out of water on their hunt for a graveyard. She's always complaining about being hot and getting dirty. And when they discover a fresh dead body near the cemetery, things get even more interesting. 

The body is that of Walter Inman, aka Wally the Weird, the most obnoxious of all the NIMBYs. He hasn't made any friends in town with his complaints and demands and has an extensive array of enemies including many of his fellow NIMBYs.

Between trying to solve Inman's murder, locating a missing Edgar Bortnick, discovering who murdered all of Edgar's bees, and trying to find out why Britni chose Cordelia for her article, Meg is kept quite busy. 

This was another fun entry into the Meg Langslow series. I was especially taken with the Pomeranians who were being trained as search and rescue dogs and cadaver dogs. I also always like the way Meg handles all the outrageous situations she finds herself in. 

Favorite Quote:

While I very much approve of the Bite Bag, whose contents included everything from antihistamines and topical steroids for itching to epinephrine injectors for anaphylactic shock, I wanted to avoid anything that would require my getting treatment from it.

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

Book Review: Murder in the Crypt by Irina Shapiro

Murder in the Crypt
Author: Irina Shapiro
Series: A Redmond and Haze Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Merlin Press LLC (February 4, 2020)

Description: When the body of a young man is found stuffed into the tomb of a medieval knight, Parish Constable Daniel Haze is tasked with investigating his first solo murder case. Suspicion instantly falls on the only stranger to arrive in the village of Birch Hill just before the crime took place, but the American captain proves to be an unexpected asset. A former soldier and a skilled surgeon, Jason Redmond is not only willing to assist Haze with the investigation but will risk his own safety to apprehend the killer.

With no suspects, no motive, and few leads to follow, Redmond and Haze must solve the crime before one of them becomes the murderer’s next victim.

Murder in the Crypt is the exciting first installment of this Victorian murder mystery series set in a quaint British village.

My Thoughts: This book introduces the crime solving duo of Jason Redmond and Daniel Haze. Haze is a village constable who had a past as a London bobby but returned home at his wife's request after the death of their child. Redmond is a Civil War veteran who spent time in Andersonville and who is a doctor. He has recently inherited property and a title from his British grandfather.

When Haze comes to Redmond's home to ask questions after a murder is discovered in the local church's crypt, the two begin a partnership. Redmond acts as a medical examiner and, his curiosity aroused, helps investigate the crime. The two have an interesting partnership as their social classes let them investigate all levels of society. 

I enjoyed the investigation. But most of all I enjoyed learning about these two well-rounded characters. Haze is dealing with a very depressed wife. And Redmond is dealing with the trauma of having been a brutalized prisoner of war. Redmond has a young ward who was also in Andersonville after being a drummer boy for his dead father's company. 

Set in 1866, this was an engaging mystery with interesting characters. It is the first of a twelve-book series. 

Favorite Quote:

The English viewed Americans with suspicion and thought them to be uncultured, unmannered, and generally rough around the edges, whereas Americans saw England's upper crust as an elitist group who valiantly clung to the past, looking down their noses at anyone who didn't share their arcane values, and would generally do well to remove the stick from their collective ass.

I bought this one from BookBub for $.99. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald

Nightmare in Pink
Author: John D. MacDonald
Narrator: Robert Petkoff
Series: Travis McGee (Book 2)
Publication: Audible Studios (March 13, 2012)
Length: 5 hours and 39 minutes

Description: From a beloved master of crime fiction, Nightmare in Pink is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat.

Travis McGee’s permanent address is the Busted Flush, Slip F-18, Bahia Mar, Lauderdale, and there isn’t a hell of a lot that compels him to leave it. Except maybe a call from an old army buddy who needs a favor. If it wasn’t for him, McGee might not be alive. For that kind of friend, Travis McGee will travel almost anywhere, even New York City. Especially when there’s a damsel in distress.

“As a young writer, all I ever wanted was to touch readers as powerfully as John D. MacDonald touched me.”—Dean Koontz

The damsel in question is his old friend’s kid sister, whose fiancé has just been murdered in what the authorities claim was a standard Manhattan mugging. But Nina knows better. Her soon-to-be husband had been digging around, finding scum and scandal at his real estate investment firm. And this scum will go to any lengths to make sure their secrets don’t get out.

Travis is determined to get to the bottom of things, but just as he’s closing in on the truth, he finds himself drugged and taken captive. If he’s being locked up in a mental institution with a steady stream of drugs siphoned into his body, how can Travis keep his promise to his old friend? More important, how can he get himself out alive?

My Thoughts: Mike Gibson was an Army buddy of Travia McGee's when they both served in Korea. Mike was blinded and otherwise injured and is in a VA hospital. He gives McGee a call and asks for a favor: his sister's fiancé was mugged and died, and he wants Travis to help her out. 

Travis will do anything for his old friend and heads off to New York City. Travis is taking his retirement a little at a time. He takes a job when he needs some money and then retires until he needs funds again. He's a sort of knight errant in tarnished armor. He'll help someone who needs him in exchange for half of what he recovers. 

Nina Gibson has some questions about her fiancé. After his death, she finds $10 thousand in a shoe box and doesn't know how he came by the money. As Travis begins to look he discovers a complex financial scheme going on. Some con artists are taking a wealthy guy for millions which means that Travis might have gotten in over his head. 

Travis stumbles into trouble and finds himself in a hospital where illegal experiments are going on. He's been dosed with an LSD-like potion and learns that the wealthy guy had had the same thing done to him before he had a lobotomy. 

He manages to get out, leaving a trail of bodies behind him, and gains a bit paycheck from the wealthy guy's wife. He also gets the girl - at least temporarily. 

Travis McGee is a character I first met in 1972 when I was riding Greyhound busses between graduate school and my hometown. He was an interesting sort of hero. He has a strong moral center, but it isn't conventional morality. His attitude toward women reads more than a little chauvinistic at a 50 year remove. But still, if a person is in really bad trouble, Travis McGee would still be my choice of a hero to call upon. 

I enjoyed this walk down memory lane. The narration was well done.

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

Book Review: Against the Wild by Kat Martin

Against the Wild
Author: Kat Martin
Series: The Brodies of Alaska (Book 1)
Publication: Zebra Books; Reissue edition (May 27, 2014)

Description: It’s been three years since Lane Bishop tragically lost her fiancé, and she’s finally ready to risk her heart on someone else. The hot look in Dylan Brodie’s eyes says he’s going to be that man.

But when Lane flies to a remote fishing lodge in the untamed Alaskan wilderness to help him renovate it, she discovers a little girl who won’t speak, eerie legends, and strange sounds in the night. And when she investigates the history of the lodge, she uncovers a legacy of injustice and murder.

As danger stalks his daughter and the woman he is coming to love, Dylan must risk everything to uncover the shocking truth . . .

My Thoughts: This first in a romantic suspense trilogy set in Alaska stars Alaska native Dylan Brodie and an interior decorator from LA. Lane Bishop met Dylan while he was in LA. He hired her to decorate his new lodge in Alaska. 

Dylan had neglected to mention that he had an eight-year-old daughter who was selectively mute. She hadn't spoken since her mother left her a few years earlier. His wife's abandonment has convinced Dylan that a city woman like Lane would never be able to fit into the lifestyle in Alaska. And, even though the are strongly attracted to each other, neither is eager for a short-term romance.

But the possibility of ghosts in the lodge, evidenced by a sobbing child, a rocking chair that rocks itself, and ghostly footsteps, do help bring the couple closer. They are brought even closer when Dylan's friend who is helping with the remodel is accused of murdering a former girlfriend. Dylan and Lane begin to investigate since they know their friend isn't guilty.

It begins to look like some of the problems that are happening at the lodge are because trouble followed Lane from LA. And it is quite a lot of trouble.

The story had a lot of interesting characters including Lane's Irish Wolfhound Finn. I liked the romance and thought the story was also quite suspenseful. 

Favorite Quote:

She really couldn't say she believed in ghosts or spirits, and clanging pipes in the middle of the night certainly weren't enough to convince her. Clearly, Dylan didn't believe the stories either or he wouldn't have purchased the lodge. 

Of course, there was that crazy dream...Lane shoved the thought away and settled back to enjoy the ride. 

I bought this one as a BookBub $.99 special. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 24, 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...

Generally, this was another quiet week. I did go out for my hearing test on Thursday. The doctor said I can get hearing aids if I want them. I don't. I don't spend enough time away from home that I think they would be very useful right now. I need to go back in a year or two and be evaluated again. 

I had a successful reading week with mostly good books. I really liked the Holly Jackson book I pulled off TBR mountain but ended up adding the finale of the trilogy to the mountain so the mountain wasn't lowered. I'm making progress on catching up on the Ruth Galloway series and reading my August review books. 

Since one of my August review books is a sequel, I decided I wanted to read the first book in the series first. I used some of my built-up Kindle Rewards credits to lower the price. In fact, this week I used up all of my 3000+ Kindle Rewards credits and need to start building again. I think it's a pretty good deal. Get credits for buying books and get $3 off for every 300 credits earned. I earn 3 points for every dollar spent on ebooks and 1 point for every dollar spent on print books. Right now, this is a beta program that you have to be invited to join. I'm glad I was because who doesn't want to save money.

I added a number of books this week since I had trouble passing up Kindle Daily Deals and BookBub deals. Though two of my additions from BookBub were actually free. I'm gradually collecting Dick Francis's sports mysteries. I read them as they were released and am prepping for a reread. And, since I don't really like jumping into a series that has begun, I added the two books that come before my new review book using more Kindle Reward points.

This wasn't a big week for cooking. Bill made Hamburger Stroganoff which was two meals. And I just made a "clean out the refrigerator" pasta salad to snack on this week. We have a BBQ pork roast to go in the crockpot tomorrow which will give us pulled pork for a while. 

Read Last Week

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

• Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews (Mine since June 13, 2023) -- Second in the Wilmington Years urban fantasy series. Great worldbuilding. My review will be posted on August 10.
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Mine since June 20, 2023) -- Hugely popular title that was okay but didn't blow me away. My review will be posted on August 12.
• Dark Path by Melissa F. Miller (Audiobook; mine since February 12, 2022) -- Stars a Buddhist forensic specialist who is called out of early retirement when a cluster of deaths occur at a nursing home in the Florida Keys. Great characters. My review will be posted on August 15.

• The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths (Mine since May 11, 2023) -- 8th Ruth Galloway mystery is set in Walsingham and concerns women priests, a cult worshipping the breast-feeding Virgin Mary, and changes in relationships. My review will be posted on August 22.
• Murder at the Elms by Alyssa Maxwell (Review; August 22) -- 11th in the Gilded Newport historical mystery series was an engaging story. Loved the historical detail. My review will be posted on August 15.
• Nine Lives and Alibis by Cate Conte (Review; August 22) -- 7th Cat Cafe mystery takes place around Halloween and concerns the death of a psychic. My review will be posted on August 16.

• Board to Death by CJ Connor (Review; August 22) -- Gay man comes back to Salt Lake City to help out at his father's board game store and needs to solve a murder to keep from being arrested for it. My review will be posted on August 17.
• Aged for Murder by Fiona Grace (Mine; Audiobook) -- Cozy mystery that was aiming for funny but IMHO missed badly. My review will be posted on August 17.
• Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (Mine since December 25, 2022) -- Excellent YA thriller. Sequel to A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER which should likely be read first. My review will be posted on August 19.

Currently

• Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare (Mine)
• Harlem After Midnight by Louise Hare (Review; August 29)

Next Week

• My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine (Review; August 29)
• The Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook; Audible Plus)
• In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle (Mine)

• All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris (Review; September 5)
• Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg (Review; September 1)
• Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer (Review; September 5)

Reviews Posted

• A Fatal Groove by Olivia Blacke (Review)
• Murder, Stage Left by Robert Goldsborough (Audiobook; Audible Plus)
• I Did It for You by Amy Engel (Review)

• The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair (Review)
• Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh (Review)
• Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie (TBR Mountain; part of the Jennifer Crusie Bundle)

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

Review:

• The Fatal Folio by Elizabeth Penney (Review; October 24)

Bought:

• The Veiled Web by Catherine Asaro (Kindle Daily Deal & Kindle Rewards; $.49)
• Knockdown by Dick Francis (Kindle Daily Deal)
• Dead Cert by Dick Francis (Kindle Daily Deal)

• Enquiry by Dick Francis (Kindle Daily Deal)
• For Kicks by Dick Francis (Kindle)
• Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare (Kindle Rewards)

• As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson (Kindle Rewards)
• Steeltown Magnolia by Melissa F. Miller (BookBub; Free)
• Elemental Thief by Rachel Morgan (BookBub; Free)

• Chapter and Curse by Elizabeth Penney (Kindle Rewards)
• A Treacherous Tale by Elizabeth Penney (Kindle Rewards)
• A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn (Kindle Daily Deal; $1.99)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie

Strange Bedpersons
Author: Jennifer Crusie
Publication: HQN; First Time Paperback edition (October 15, 2012)

Description: Tess Newhart knows her ex-boyfriend Nick Jamieson isn't the right guy for her. He's caviar and champagne; she's take-out Chinese pot stickers. He's an uptight Republican lawyer; she was raised in a commune. He wants to get ahead in business; she just wants…him. But there's no way Tess will play second fiddle to his job.

Yet somehow she finds herself agreeing to play his fiancée on a weekend business trip that could make or break Nick's career. And while he's trying to convince Tess that he needs her in his respectable world, Tess is doing her best to keep her opinions to herself and her hands off Nick.

My Thoughts: This was an engaging contemporary romance about a couple that appears to be polar opposites. Tess was raised in a commune and is a liberal, helping sort who can't pass up a person in trouble. Nick is an uptight Republican lawyer whose main goal is making partner in his law firm. 

However, Nick needs a fake fiancée in order to get a new client, encourage the head of the firm to retire, and become a partner. The firm is courting conservative author Norbert Welch and Tess has read and despised his work. Welch does a reading and Tess recognizes a story that was told to her often when she was eight and in the commune. Is Welce a plagiarist? That would really make it hard for Nick to represent him. 

The story also has a secondary romance going between Nick's partner in the law firm and Tess's best friend. 

Both romances concerned how much a person should change for the one they love. It was also a humorous romance. I liked Tess's observations but disliked her seeming inability to see anyone else's point of view as valid. This romance from 1994 is showing its age a bit but was still enjoyable. 

Favorite Quote:

The problem with Nick was that, aside from the fact that she never knew when he was going to be Alaan Alday and when he was going to be Donald Trump, it was getting harder and harder to pick a fight with him because he was right there in bed with her, and if she reached out she could have him, and she wanted him.

She really wanted him.

I bought this one as part of a Jennifer Crusie Bundle August 11, 2009. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie

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:

When Tess Newhart threw open her apartment door, Nick Jamieson was standing there -- tall, dark, successful, and suspiciously happy to see her, his pleasantly blunt face a nice human contrast to his perfectly tailored suit. She stared at him warily, fighting down the ridiculous jolt of relief, happiness, and lust that welled up in her just because he was back. 

Friday 56:

"You have white suede couches," Tess said and closed her eyes. "Do you live here? Does anyone live here?"

"Don't you like it?"

"It's incredible. But I am definitely going to get it dirty."

This week I am spotlighting Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie. I got this book as part of a Jennifer Crusie bundle for my Kindle on August 11. 2009. It has been lurking on my Kindle since then waiting until I wanted to read a feel-good romance. Here is the description from Amazon:

Tess Newhart knows her ex-boyfriend Nick Jamieson isn't the right guy for her. He's caviar and champagne; she's take-out Chinese pot stickers. He's an uptight Republican lawyer; she was raised in a commune. He wants to get ahead in business; she just wants…him. But there's no way Tess will play second fiddle to his job.

Yet somehow she finds herself agreeing to play his fiancée on a weekend business trip that could make or break Nick's career. And while he's trying to convince Tess that he needs her in his respectable world, Tess is doing her best to keep her opinions to herself and her hands off Nick.