Audiobook Review: A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming

A Fountain Filled with Blood
Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Series: Fergusson/Van Alstyne Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Blackstone Audio (February 1, 2009)
Length: 12 hours and 39 minutes

Description: Nestled in the heart of the Adirondacks, Miller's Kill, New York, is about as safe as it gets. That's why Episcopal minister Clare Fergusson is shocked when the July Fourth weekend brings a rash of vicious assaults to the scenic town.

Even Clare's good friend, police chief Russ Van Alstyne, is shaken by the brutality of the crimes - especially when it appears that the victims were chosen because they are gay.

But when a third assault of an out-of-town developer ends in murder, Clare and Russ wonder if the recent crime wave is connected to the victim's controversial plan to open an upscale spa in Miller's Kill.

But not all things in the tiny town are what they seem - and soon, Clare and Russ are left to fight their unspoken attraction to one another even as they uncover a labyrinthine conspiracy that threatens to turn deadly for them both.

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series. Clare and Russ are trying to stay away from each other until their inappropriate feeling for each other subside. Clare is an Anglican priest and Russ is very married. The two do connect with each other in a way that is new for both of them.

When the gay medical examiner's car is stopped and he is severely beaten, Clare wonders if there isn't some gay bashing involved. And when a local video store owner who also happens to be gay is attacked in his store, Clare's fears are confirmed. But Russ isn't so quick to leap to that conclusion. He's concerned about starting a panic in town and the city fathers don't want to make any moves to lose tourist dollars. 

But then the developer of a new spa/resort is murdered in a city park. He was also gay. But Clare and Russ aren't willing to say that his being gay is the only reason that someone would want him dead. Local protestors including Russ's mother want the development to stop because of pollution issues. There are more motives for killing him than just his sexual orientation. 

Clare finds herself involved in the case because she's scheduled to marry the sister of the video store owner and the niece of the local who is in partnership with the developer in building the resort. She also has a talent for being in the right place at the right time to overhear things she thinks Russ and the police need to know. 

The most exciting part of the story concerns a helicopter flight to bring an injured man to medical help. Clare is a former military pilot who flew helicopter missions during the Gulf War. Russ served in Vietnam and has issues about helicopters since he was involved in a helicopter crash that left him the only survivor. Sabotage causes this one to crash too leaving Clare and Russ to survive and get the injured man to the medical help he needs. 

I really enjoyed this story as an audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job ramping up the suspense and dealing with Clare and Russ's mixed feeling for each other. Of course, I also enjoyed it as a print book when I first read it in 2019.

I bought this one at Chirp for $3.99 January 4, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle

Homicide in Hardcover
Author: Kate Carlisle
Series: A Bibliophile Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley; Reprint edition (January 21, 2009)

Description: Book expert Brooklyn Wainwright discovers that murder is always a bestseller in the first novel in the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series.

Brooklyn Wainwright is a skilled surgeon. Sure, her patients might smell like mold and have spines made of leather, but no ailing book is going to die on her watch. The same can’t be said of Abraham Karastovsky, Brooklyn’s friend and former employer.

On the eve of a celebration for his latest book restoration, Brooklyn finds her mentor lying in a pool of his own blood. With his final breath Abraham leaves Brooklyn with a cryptic message, “Remember the Devil,” and gives her a priceless—and supposedly cursed—copy of Goethe’s Faust for safe-keeping.

Brooklyn suddenly finds herself accused of murder and theft, thanks to Derek Stone, the humorless—and annoyingly attractive—British security officer who found her kneeling over the body. Now she has to read the clues left behind by her mentor if she is going to restore justice...

My Thoughts: The first book in the Bibliophile mystery series introduces book restorer Brooklyn Wainright and her eccentric family. Brooklyn spent most of her childhood living in a commune in California's wine country. Her parents met as Deadheads traveling around following the band. However, now they are very successful members of a rich commune. Her father makes wine. Her mother follows every path to enlightenment. 

The commune is where she met Abraham Karastovsky who first began teaching her how to repair books when she was eight. Brooklyn broke off her apprenticeship with him when she went off to college and graduate school. Abraham didn't think she needed what college taught her. 

They met again at an opening at the Covington where rare books were going to be the focus of attention. They mended their past differences and renewed their long friendship just in time for Abraham to be found murdered. 

Brooklyn discovers the body and shortly after is discovered by Commander Derek Stone who is doing the security for the exhibition. He initially suspects her, and she is keeping secrets. She isn't willing to mention that she saw her mother in the same area as the murder. 

When one of her ex-fiancés asks her to take over Abraham's restoration of a very valuable edition of Faust, Brooklyn agrees even though the book is believed to be cursed having left a string of dead owners behind it. 

And the deaths continue when a second, somewhat criminal book restorer is also murdered. Brooklyn also discovered his body since she had an appointment with him. Brooklyn also comes under attack when her studio is vandalized, and she is knocked unconscious. 

This was a fun series beginning. I liked the information about bookbinding. I liked Brooklyn and the cast of characters who surround her. I'm eager to read more in the series. 

I bought this one February 22, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 30, 2024)

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.

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

Other Than Reading...

My brother and I had a nice quiet Christmas week. The weather was unseasonably warm with temperatures above freezing for the end of the week. Of course, with the warmer temperatures, we also had dense fog for those same days. This coming week is supposed to be a return to cold weather.

This week's agenda includes a visit to the eye doctor early on Friday morning. The housecleaners are supposed to come on Thursday. Bill has Thursday and Friday off this week but is scheduled for both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. 

There are no big cooking plans on the calendar. Bill's thinking about making lasagna on Friday since that is an all-day process for him. Bill is also making a ziti casserole today before he goes to work. Leftover Christmas ham and other leftovers will be my dinners this week while he is at work. 

Naturally, with a pocket stuffed with new Amazon gift cards, I couldn't find anything that I wanted to buy this week. I only added two review copies to my stack. 

Also, this week will be filled with end of the year reports, setting up my 2025 reading spreadsheet, and setting up my February reading calendar. 

Read Last Week

• Murder on Mistletoe Lane by Clara McKenna (Audiobook; Mine since October 22, 2024) -- Fifth book in the Stella and Lyndy historical mystery series. My review will be posted on January 21.
• The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen (Audiobook; Mine since November 13, 2024) -- Dual timeline mystery filled with secrets. My review will be posted on January 23.

• Fledgling by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) - First in the Theo Waitley story arc
• Saltation by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) - Second in the Theo Waitley story arc
• Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Review, January 28) -- This contemporary thriller was a twisty trip through the worlds of technology companies and venture capital companies. My review will be posted on January 22.

• Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) - Third in the Theo Waitley story arc
• Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) - Fourth in the Theo Waitley story arc

Currently

• Head Cases by John McMahon (Review; January 28)
• The Gathering Edge by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) - Fifth in the Theo Waitley story arc

Next Week

• Dead Inside by Kate Bold (Mine since April 23. 2024)
• Death Echo by Elizabeth Lowell (Mine since July 9, 2024)
• Of Murder and Men by Lynn Cahoon (Audiobook; Mine since November 4, 2024)

• Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb (Review; February 4)
• An Excellent Thing in a Woman by Allison Montclair (Review; February 4)
• Change of Heart by Cristina LePort, MD (Review; February 4)

Reviews Posted

• The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan (Mine)
• The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews (Audiobook)
• Truth or Dare by Jayne Ann Krentz (Mine)

• Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha (Audiobook)
• Wolves and Daggers by Melanie Karsak (Mine)
• Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell (Audiobook)

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

Review:

• Change of Heart by Cristina LePort, MD (February 4)
• Twice as Dead by Harry Turtledove (March 18)

Bought:

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell

Blue Smoke and Murder
Author: Elizabeth Lowell

Narrator: Carol Monda
Series: St. Kilda (Book 4)
Publication: Avon; Reprint edition (July 8, 2008); Harper Audio (May 27, 2008)

Length: 11 hours and 16 minutes

Description: Jill Breck was just doing her job as a river guide when she saved the life of the son of two of St. Kilda Consulting’s premier operators. But when a string of ominous events -- including a mysterious fire that kills her great-aunt and a furor in the Western art world raised by a dozen Breck family paintings -- culminates in a threat to her life, Jill finally calls in a favor.

Zach Balfour works part-time as a consultant for St. Kilda. Though he’s got the skills to be a highly effective bodyguard, being a bullet catcher isn't his preferred way to spend time. But Jill is in deeper waters than she’s ever known, and she’ll need his protection; as she soon discovers, the perils of running wild rivers are tame compared with the hidden dangers in the high-stakes game of art collecting. Together, Zach and Jill must race against time to unmask a ruthless killer hidden in the blue smoke of money, threats, lies, and death. . . .

My Thoughts: This romantic suspense title is the fourth in the St Kilda series. Jill Breck is a river guide who meets Lane and Joe Faroe when they go whitewater rafting under her direction. When Lane falls out of the raft and gets a strap from his life vest caught, Jill jumps in and saves him. Joe gives her a card with a phone number for St Kilda and tells her to call if she ever finds herself in danger. 

Jill saves the card but can't imagine ever needing the help. Then her great aunt dies under suspicious circumstances leaving Jill the family legacy of twelve paintings believed to be the work of Thomas Dunstan who was a famous artist known for his paintings of the desert Southwest. Unfortunately, the paintings aren't signed. Her aunt had sent one of the paintings for appraisal to a noted art dealer who wrote back that the painting was a worthless forgery. But then someone calls to offer her money for the "worthless" painting, then breaks in to find the other paintings, and kills her burning down her house and barn to hide the evidence. 

Jill comes back to the isolated ranch to find the paintings in a secret room of the cabin she grew up in. She decides to take photos and send them to some dealers to find out if their opinions are the same as the dealer her aunt had used. When Jill's inquiries stir up trouble including vandalizing her car and leaving threatening notes, she decides that it is time to call St Kilda.

Zach Balfour is the nearest St Kilda employee. He's just off a case where he was guarding the air-headed daughter of a Texas millionaire and hopes Jill isn't another of the same sort. Jill couldn't be more different and the threats to her life are real. 

As they investigate the provenance of the paintings and determine who wants to deny their existence, they find themselves deep in the world of art collecting and all the maneuvering that is part of it from shady dealers to shady collectors. 

This was another excellent romantic suspense title. I liked the relationship between Jill and Zach. I also liked all the tension and suspense in the story. 

I bought the Kindle copy July 16, 2024, and added on the audiobook November 19, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

 

Friday Memes: Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 was hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:

Something was wrong.

Heart beating wildly, Modesty Breck sat up in bed.

Friday 56:

When it was full dark, Score finally stirred from his observation post in the back of his minivan.

This week I am spotlighting Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell. It is the fourth book in the St. Kilda series. Here's the description from Amazon:

Jill Breck was just doing her job as a river guide when she saved the life of the son of two of St. Kilda Consulting’s premier operators. But when a string of ominous events -- including a mysterious fire that kills her great-aunt and a furor in the Western art world raised by a dozen Breck family paintings -- culminates in a threat to her life, Jill finally calls in a favor.

Zach Balfour works part-time as a consultant for St. Kilda. Though he’s got the skills to be a highly effective bodyguard, being a bullet catcher isn't his preferred way to spend time. But Jill is in deeper waters than she’s ever known, and she’ll need his protection; as she soon discovers, the perils of running wild rivers are tame compared with the hidden dangers in the high-stakes game of art collecting. Together, Zach and Jill must race against time to unmask a ruthless killer hidden in the blue smoke of money, threats, lies, and death. . . .

Audiobook Review: Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha

Consort of Fire
Author: Kit Rocha
Narrator: Caitlin Elizabeth, Victoria Mei, Will Thorne, Adenrele Ojo
Series: Bound to Fire and Steel (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (November 28, 2023)
Length: 12 hours and 31 minutes

Description: From cult-favorite writing duo Kit Rocha comes a fiery novel set in a lush fantasy world brimming with ancient magic, dangerous secrets, and erotic connections.

For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive.

Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the mountain passes. She is young, beautiful—and she has three secrets.

First: she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction.

Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.

Third—and most dangerous: she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon in his bed. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul.

The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told. And he will do whatever it takes to possess them both.

My Thoughts: This romantacy is set in a world filled with gods and scheming kings. Sachielle is sent to be the dragon's consort as part of a long-standing agreement. She must be bound to the dragon to reinforce the humans promises to respect the land. She is supposed to be the ruling king's heir.

The main problem is that the kings don't want to be restrained in their activities by their old promises to the dragon and the other gods. They hatch a plot to train a nameless orphan to seduce and then murder the dragon. Along with Sachielle is her handmaid Zanya who is also a trained assassin and backup if Sachielle isn't able to complete her mission. 

They have trained to girls using a combination of drugs and torture to complete their assignments. But if training won't hold, they have also placed a curse on Sachielle that will cause her death and the death of her soul if she doesn't complete her mission. Sachielle and Zanya are in love. They bonded through their shared desire to survive their training. Each will do anything including die for the other. 

But the dragon isn't who they have been taught he is. He's immortal but can be murdered. His goal along with his fellow gods is to protect their world. He can be cruel if cruelty is needed but he is also kind and loving. He is hoping that this consort is the one that he has been promised.

This was a lush, erotic fantasy which didn't come as a surprise once I learned that Kit Rocha formerly wrote as Moira Rogers. Fans of the erotic and fantasy will enjoy this story which was ably narrated by four different people. 

I bought this one December 24, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Wolves and Daggers by Melanie Karsak

Wolves and Daggers
Author: Melanie Karsak
Series: The Red Cape Society (Book 1)
Publication: Clockpunk Press (May 8, 2018)

Description: Who’s afraid of the big, bad werewolf?

On the fog-shrouded cobblestone streets of gaslamp London, Agent Clemeny Louvel is the most feared werewolf hunter. Every supernatural creature in Her Majesty’s realm knows the Red Cape Society’s relentless operative dubbed “Little Red.” When the city’s most illustrious alchemists mysteriously disappear, Clemeny is assigned to the case.

To help her get the problem in hand, Queen Victoria appoints Clemeny a temporary partner, Sir Richard Lionheart, a werewolf with a knightly history and a tendency to be far too flirtatious for either of their good.

Can Clemeny trust him to help her chase down the monsters they’re hunting?

From New York Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak, Wolves and Daggers is a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale set in Victorian England.

My Thoughts: Clemeny Louvel is an agent for the Red Cape society in Queen Victoria's London in this steampunk retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. 

The goal of the Red Cape Society is to keep England's preternatural population - werewolves, vampires, goblins, and the occasional fae - in check. Clemeny is one of their best agents. Nicknamed Little Red by the beings she hunts, Clemeny is an orphan who was left on a church doorstep. She was raised by a woman she calls Grand-mere. She doesn't know anything about her parentage. 

When werewolves begin kidnapping alchemists, Clemeny and her partner Quinn are called in to find and rescue them. It seems that various packs of werewolves are working together for some fell purpose. Only the Templar pack led by Sir Richard Lionheart has remained loyal to the Queen. 

Clemeny finds herself working with the dangerously attractive Lionheart to learn the goal of the other werewolves, rescue the kidnapped scientists, and save the world from werewolf domination.

I enjoyed this story which begins a series. I liked the historical detail and the steampunk embellishments. 

I bought this one April 23, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Truth or Dare by Jayne Ann Krentz

Truth or Dare
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Whispering Springs (Book 2)
Publication: Berkley (September 28, 2004)

Description: Zoe is an interior designer with a unique sense of style. But even more uncanny is her sense of what's going on under the surface, the secrets a house can hold. At the moment, though, Zoe isn't concerned about a client's space. She's more worried about what's going on in her own house in Whispering Springs, Arizona, where she lives with her new husband, private investigator Ethan Truax.

After a whirlwind courtship and a dangerous adventure, they've gambled on commitment, hoping that their powerful attraction can help them learn to live together despite their utterly opposite personalities. But newlywed life is suddenly interrupted when a shadowy figure from Zoe's past shows up in Whispering Springs, and her closest friend is put at terrible risk. For Zoe and Arcadia Ames share a shocking secret. And as they seek to protect the truth, they must join together and, with Ethan's help, accept a very dangerous dare.

My Thoughts: This sequel to LIGHT IN SHADOW continues the romance between Zoe and Ethan and also features a couple more romance. Bonnie and Singleton are edging their way to a romance but he's not sure she's ready after the death of her husband and is busy protecting his heart while helping Ethan. Arcadia and Harry are also edging their way to romance. 

This time the focus is on Arcadia's problems. Her ex-husband, supposedly dead, is eager to find Arcadia and get back the "insurance policy" that she kept when she disappeared. He did try to murder her which gave her ample reason to change identities and run. Now, he seems to have found her, and he wants to eliminate anyone around her who might help her. That puts Ethan in the crosshairs. 

I loved the way Zoe and Ethan's relationship is progressing. He's still afraid that she will want to end their hasty marriage but is gaining some hope from the gifts she gives him to keep him safe. From ultra-high SPF sunscreen to a keychain that is also a whistle and a flashlight, he takes her gifts as a sign that she cares about him. 

Zoe is afraid that Ethan will never be able to accept her psychic gifts and she doesn't want another marriage where she has to hide her real self from her husband. She's also concerned that her stay at the mental institution and the drugs they fed her might have done damage to her psychic gifts. She keeps entering rooms and seeing psychic spiderwebs that threaten to engulf her. She's afraid that she really is going crazy. 

But love triumphs and the bad guys get what they deserve in this engaging romantic suspense title. 

I bought this one upon publication, read it, and added it to my Keeper shelves. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews

The Nightingale Before Christmas
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow Mystery (Book 18)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (November 25, 2014)
Length: 7 hours and 33 minutes

Description: As the holidays draw near in Caerphilly, Mother volunteers to take part in a big Christmas-themed decorator show house - each room of a temporarily untenanted house is decorated to the hilt by a different decorator for the public to tour. Of course, Mother insists that Meg pitch in with the organization, and she finds herself surrounded by flamboyant personalities with massive egos clashing and feeling their professional reputations are at stake. Then the rooms start to be sabotaged, and an unfortunate designer turns up dead - making Mother a prime suspect. Can Meg catch the real killer in time to save Mother the indignity of arrest?

My Thoughts: It's nearly Christmas and the local historical society is planning a fundraiser. They have convinced the bank to let them bring in local decorators for a decorator's showcase into a house that has been foreclosed. 

Randall Shipley and his construction company have brought the house up to code. Now, the varied eclectic and eccentric decorators including Meg's mother have taken over. Each is assigned one room. Meg has been given the job of riding herd on the various designers and mediating disputes among them. 

When the story begins, Meg is being called in because the designer of the master bedroom has dripped red paint on another's room and ruined a bathroom by cleaning his brushes there and wiping them on the designer's white towels. This isn't the first time Clayton has caused problems for the other designers. None of them like him and some really hate him. 

When Clayton and his workers break into a wall which is against the rules the designers agreed to follow and breaks a pipe flooding another designer's room, it is the last straw. Meg and the other designers want him out. But since his known to be litigious the board in charge wants to give him another chance. But someone else is going to make the decision for them.

Meg returns on evening to make sure things are locked up and finds the disruptive designer dead on the bed in his own room. Someone has murdered him. And someone also took a couple of shots at Meg. 

Now, besides attending all the fun Christmas events with her husband and five-year-old twins, Meg has a murder to solve. This was another excellent entry into the Meg Langslow series. 

I bought this one at Chirp December 17, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan

The Book Club Hotel
Author: Sarah Morgan
Publication: Canary Street Press (September 19, 2023)

Description: "The Book Club Hotel is a gift...the perfect escape-and-find-yourself novel."—Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author

This summer, let USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan transport you with another heartfelt exploration of change, the power of books to heal, and the enduring strength of female friendship. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Jennifer Weiner.

With its historic charm and picture-perfect library, the Maple Sugar Inn is considered the ultimate vacation destination. But widowed far too young, and exhausted from juggling the hotel with being a dedicated single mom, Hattie Coleman dreams only of making it through each day.

When Erica, Claudia and Anna—lifelong friends who seem to have it all—check in for a girlfriends’ book club holiday, it changes everything. Their close friendship and shared love of books have carried them through life's ups and downs. But Hattie can see they're also packing some major emotional baggage, and nothing prepares her for how deeply her own story is about to become entwined in theirs.

In the span of a week, can these four women come together to improve each other’s lives and make this the start of a whole new chapter?

Find out what happens when a career-driven woman exchanges her briefcase for a Christmas-kissed cottage in USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan's heartwarming story, The Holiday Cottage!

My Thoughts: This story is about four women who are each at a crisis point in their lives and who rely on each other to help each make decisions about their lives. 

It is Christmas time and innkeeper Hattie Coleman is dealing with a temperamental chef, an unpleasant housekeeper, and her own grief at the death of her husband. She's also raising a five-year-old daughter. She feels way over-stressed and under pressure to make her husband's dreams for the inn come true. 

Then three friends from college turning forty check in for their annual book club vacation. Erika has picked the place which seems way out of her comfort zone being much more at home in big cities than in rural Vermont. She's a high-powered executive who does crisis management for big businesses and travels more than she's at home in Manhattan.

Claudia has had her live-in lover of ten years walk out on her for a younger woman and then has lost her job in a high-end restaurant. She's hoping time with friends will help her choose a new direction for her life. 

Anna is a stay-at-home mother who is facing empty nest syndrome as her twins are about ready to go off to college leaving her wondering what to do with the rest of her life. She's loved marrying her college sweetheart, raising her twins, and making a home. She's trying to hold on to all the traditions she and her husband Pete have built up over the years.

But Erika has been keeping a secret. She has recently learned that the father who abandoned her and her mother when she was born had raised a new family. Hattie is the half-sister she never knew she had. Hattie is pleased when she recognizes Erika since her father had talked about her frequently and talked about his regrets at leaving her. Erika's feelings are mixed. She's as ferociously independent as her mother could make her, but she's finding that living alone and not making commitments is a lonely way to live. 

I loved this story. Each of the characters found a way to change with the help of the others. I loved the caring relationships among the college friends. The setting was wonderful. This was a great holiday romance. 

I bought this one December 29, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 23, 2024)

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.

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

Other Than Reading...

This was a quiet week. Temperatures have been above normal, and the anticipated snowstorm missed us. Instead of 8 inches of snow, we got less than three. My brother had his last day off on Wednesday. Now he works every day until Christmas Day. 

We've planned our Christmas Dinner and should have all the ingredients for ham, funeral potatoes, and asparagus. We went out shopping this week to stock up on our various kinds of Diet Pepsi since it was on sale. Otherwise, I didn't leave the house. 

I added four review books to my stack. I also took advantage of sales on lots of Christmas books and audiobooks. I tagged them with "Holiday Fiction" in my LibraryThing account so that they'll be easier to find when planning next December's reading. I'm already scheduled through mid-January on my blog and not willing to read Christmas books in January and February. 

I had my first DNF in quite a while when I gave up on She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke. I would probably have soldiered on at another time. But I just wasn't enjoying the story and decided to move on to something I would enjoy.

Next week should also be quiet given that my brother will be working for most of it. His work schedule means no new recipes since he's working over the dinner hour all week. We don't have any big plans for the holidays. 

Read Last Week

• Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove (Review; January 21) -- After leaving her job on the Chicago PD, Carrie Starr is hired by the BIA to be the marshal on a reservation in Oklahoma where she is looking for lost women and dealing with her own personal issues. My review will be posted on January 15.
• Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J. Chow (Review; January 21) -- This is the second in the Magical Fortune Cookies cozy mystery series. My review will be posted on January 16.

• The Untitled Books by C. J. Archer (Audiobook; Mine since December 13, 2024) -- This is the third in this historical fantasy/alternate history series. My review will be posted on January 18.
• The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook; Mine since December 18, 2024) -- This is the fourth book in the Inheritance Games series. My review will be posted on January 21.

• Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• Mouse & Dragon by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• The Tiger Next Door by Zoe Chant & Elva Birch (Mine since January 17, 2024) -- This was a sweet paranormal romance. My review will be posted on January 16.

Currently

• Murder on Mistletoe Lane by Clara McKenna (Audiobook; Mine since October 22, 2024)
• Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Review; January 21)

DNF

• She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke (Review; January 21) -- I just wasn't feeling it. I kept setting it aside for other things. 

Next Week

• Head Cases by John McMahon (Review; January 28)
• The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen (Audiobook; Mine since November 13, 2024)
• The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits by Elizabeth Peters (Mine since November 16, 2024)

• Death Echo by Elizabeth Lowell (Mine since July 9, 2024)
• Of Murder and Men by Lynn Cahoon (Audiobook; Mine since November 4, 2024)
• Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb (Review; February 4)

Reviews Posted

• Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna (Mine; Audiobook)
• Phantom Evil by Heather Graham (Mine)
• Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters (Mine)

• Salem's Cipher by Jess Lourey (Mine)
• Light in Shadow by Jayne Ann Krentz (Mine; Audiobook)
• Mercy's Chase by Jess Lourey (Mine)

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

Review:

• The Lady Sparks a Flame by Elizabeth Everett (Review; March 25)
• The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson (Review; April 8)

• One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman (Review: April 15)
• Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong (Review; May 20)

Bought:

• The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman (Kindle: Kindle Daily Deal, $2.99)
• Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson (Kindle, $1.99)
• Sea Wrack & Changewind by Sharon Lee (Kindle)

• The Pioneer Woman Cooks Super Easy! by Ree Drummond (Kindle: BookPerks, $2.99)
• The Twilight Before Christmas by Christine Feehan (Kindle: BookBub, $1.99)

New Audiobooks

• The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook, $5.99)
• Dying in a Winter Wonderland by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)
• Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)

• Silent Night, Deadly Night by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)
• Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)
• We Wish You a Murderous Christmas by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)

• Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)
• A Twist of Fate by Kelley Armstrong (Kindle: BookBub, Free; Audiobook: Audible Plus)
• The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audible Add-on)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Mercy's Chase by Jess Lourey

Mercy's Chase
Author: Jess Lourey
Series: Salem's Cipher (Book 2)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (March 26, 2024)

Description: A genius FBI code breaker unravels the mysteries of one of history’s most monumental puzzles in a propulsive thriller by Jess Lourey, the Edgar Award–nominated author of Salem’s Cipher.

Working for the FBI, cryptanalyst and agoraphobe Salem Wiley vows never to return to the conspiratorial underworld her mother revealed to her. Until fieldwork draws Salem to an Ireland farm where a curious discovery has been unearthed: a near-perfect replica of Stonehenge in miniature—except for one extra stone engraved with the word mercy.

When seven-year-old Mercy Mayfair, a child in Salem’s family’s care, is kidnapped, Salem knows it’s more than an unsettling coincidence. Mercy’s centuries-old lineage holds the key to understanding the greatest Neolithic mystery of the ages. A dangerously patriarchal society, just as ancient, will kill to solve it.

As Salem follows a serpentine trail of clues and ciphers, the clock is ticking and her fears are escalating. Because the only way to save Mercy is for Salem to crack the unbreakable code of Stonehenge first.

My Thoughts: Salem Wiley finds herself working for the FBI in London in this sequel to SALEM'S CIPHER. She's still an agoraphobe who would much rather be at home in Minneapolis working on her potentially ground-breaking computer program. And she does not want to be in the Underground which has furthered the bad relationship she's had with her mother since her father died when she was twelve. 

However, there is an up-coming climate conference that the new President Hayes will be attending, and the FBI is concerned with the various threats made to assassinate her. Investigating one threat leads to Ireland and the discovery of a small, buried copy of Stonehenge which Salem sees as a feminist symbol and a possible code. 

When her young friend Mercy is kidnapped by the evil Order that wants to keep things in the hands of the patriarchy, Mercy finds herself swept into solving a cipher that has eluded both the Underground and the Order for centuries if she wants to save Mercy's life. 

Mercy knows that the Order is watching, and she doesn't know who she can trust, but she knows she needs to find the answer. She's swept way out of her comfort zone as she travels to Stonehenge, other henges in Scotland, sea caves and the Queen's Robing Room at the House of Parliament as she struggles to solve the code in time.

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller. I liked the intrigue. I liked the various sites Salem visits. I liked the historical details. 

I bought this one May 6, 2024, when it was a Kindle Daily Deal. You can buy your copy here.