Wednesday, February 12, 2025

ARC Review: Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson

Unhallowed Halls

Author:
Lili Wilkinson
Publication: Delacorte Press (February 18, 2025)

Description: DARK ACADEMIA...WITH DEMONS.

A teen girl travels to an exclusive boarding school after a deadly incident at her old school, but the wood-paneled halls of Agathion are built over centuries of secrets—including an ancient society which may have ties to demonic magic—in this dark academia fantasy perfect for fans of Curious Tides.

Page Whittaker has always been an outcast. And after the deadly incident that destroyed her single friendship at her old school, she needs a fresh start. Which is why when she receives a scholarship offer from Agathion College, an elite boarding school folded deep within the moors of Scotland, she doesn’t even consider turning it down.

Agathion is everything Page has ever wanted: a safe haven full of dusty books, steaming cups of tea and rigorous intellectual debate. And for the first time in her life, Page has even managed to become part of a close group of friends. Cyrus, Ren, Gideon, Lacey and Oak help her feel at home in Agathion's halls--the only problem is, they're all keeping secrets from her.

Page doesn't know it yet, but her perfect new school has dark roots--roots that stretch back to its crooked foundation, and an ancient clandestine society with rumored ties to demonic magic. Soon, Page will be forced to learn that not everyone at Agathion is who they say they are. Least of all, her friends.

Agathion claims to teach its students history…but some histories should stay buried.

My Thoughts: UNHALLOWED HALLS was an excellent paranormal thriller. 

Page Whittaker is offered a scholarship to the mystery Agathion College in Scotland. This Florida girl has been looking for a new start after a disturbing incident that has left her with burn-scarred palms. Page has always been a loner. She's smarter and stranger than average teens and finds herself an outcast at whatever school she has attended and there have been lots of them. Every "incident" has resulted in her parents moving her to another school.

At first, Agathion College looks like just the place for her. She loves the atmosphere, the steaming cups of tea, and classes filled with intellectual debate. And it looks like she might finally be making friends. She finds herself in a group with Cyrus, Oak, Ren, Gideon and sometimes Lacey. 

But everyone has a hidden agenda and has slotted Page into place to further it. Even her friends are keeping secrets from her. And then the weirdness begins... Cyrus "graduates" early and Page sees him taking part in a strange ritual. 

She learns that her friends are part of a secret society who want to overthrow the school's Masters and stop the evil they have been perpetrating for centuries. But ancient evil isn't that easy to overcome, and all of the group will be tested to their limits before the thrilling finale. 

I loved the complex worldbuilding complete with ancient goddesses and demons, and I loved the personalities of the members of Page's group. Page grows and changes a lot through the course of the story as she battles demons and finds love and friends.

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

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Audiobook Review: Rest in Pink by Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer

Rest in Pink

Author:
Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer
Narrator: Cris Dukeheart & Eric G. Dove
Series: Liz Danger (Book 2)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (February 6, 2024)
Length: 9 hours and 40 minutes

Description: From the NY Times Bestselling duo that wrote Agnes and the Hitman, the second book in the Liz Danger series.

Liz Danger is a ghostwriter, trapped in her old hometown for the summer. Good thing she has Vince Cooper, her recurring one-night stand living down by the river in his old diner car, making her feel happy and safe and normal until September when she’ll be leaving again, although she’s starting to wonder if she really wants to.

Vince Cooper is a cop in a town with a shady new housing development that’s bringing a lot of armed strangers, a corrupt mayor, a police chief boss under fire, and an idiot blogger stirring up trouble. Good thing his recurring one-night stand is sticking around for the summer. The only drawback? He’s not looking forward to the empty space Liz Danger will leave behind her when she goes in September.

Treacherous small-town politics, a rust belt biker gang, a widowed ex who doesn’t understand the word “no,” a seven-year-old in need of a temporary mom, a flamboyant blonde boss who needs watched at all times, exploding family secrets, arson, murder, and three hundred and ninety-two soaking wet teddy bears later, Liz and Vince will come face to face with the madman burning down their town, and even worse, with their imploding relationship.

My Thoughts: The second book in the Liz Danger series is filled with small town politics and romance. Liz is a ghostwriter who fled her hometown at eighteen but who has reluctantly come back home. Luckily, Vince Cooper is there to keep her occupied while she deals with family drama.

Vince is a New York City transplant to Burnie, Ohio, who has found a home there. He lives in a restored diner on the banks of the Ohio. His one-night-stands with Liz which are happening almost every night has him rethinking his plan of staying a loner. 

Meanwhile, there is a shady housing development going in, Liz's ex not knowing when to let go, arson, and a needy seven-year-old woven into the plot. Then there's Liz's flamboyant client who has decided to follow Liz so that they can finish her book. 

This was an engaging story told in alternate chapters by Liz and by Vince. The dual narrators did a good job with a complicated story and with the very complicated feelings between Liz and Vince. 

I bought this one October 24, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong

Cold as Hell

Author:
Kelley Armstrong
Series: Haven's Rock (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (February 18, 2025)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong returns to Haven’s Rock in Cold as Hell as Casey Duncan hunts down a dangerous killer during a deadly blizzard.

Haven’s Rock is a sanctuary town hidden deep in the Yukon for those who need to disappear from the regular world. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are starting a family now that they’ve settled into their life here. As Casey nears the end of her pregnancy, she lets nothing, including her worried husband, stop her from investigating what happens in the forbidden forest outside the town of Haven’s Rock.

When one of the town's residents is drugged and wanders too close to the edge of town, she’s dragged into the woods kicking and screaming. She’s saved in the nick of time, but the women of the town are alarmed. Casey and Eric investigate the assault just as a snowstorm hits Haven’s Rock, covering the forest. It’s there they find a frozen body, naked in the snow. With mixed accounts of the woman's last movements, the two begin to question who they can trust―and who they can't―in their seemingly safe haven.

My Thoughts: With meticulously vetted residents and Casey and Eric's supervision, serial killers aren't supposed to be able to sneak into Haven's Rock. It looks like one has managed it though.

When a resident is attacked and barely escapes, Casey who is eight months into a difficult pregnancy sees a gap in their security. With less than 100 residents, Haven's Rock should have to worry about roofies and date rape. At first, that is the conclusion that Casey and Eric come to. 

But when Lynn disappears during a blizzard and is found staked out on the lake when the weather breaks, it becomes clear that a murderer has made it into Haven's Rock. An unknown murder that is. Haven's Rock is a refuge for a couple of people, including Casey, who have committed murder. 

With Casey nearing the end of her pregnancy and suffering from potential complications, it becomes necessary to leave the investigation and fly out to Whitehorse to be nearer to medical help. Casey is tron between the needs of her unborn child and the needs of the investigation. 

This was another excellent addition to the Haven's Rock series. I like the way Eric and Casey are growing their relationship. I also like catching up with some of my favorite residents including Mathias and Sebastian. The story was very suspenseful. 

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

Monday, February 10, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (February 10, 2025)

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 an interesting week. Wednesday while cooking dinner, our oven threw out an error message that my buddy Google says meant "runaway temperature condition" and indicated that it could happen again even if the oven was turned off. The house smoke alarm went off. My brother pulled the stove away from the wall and unplugged it. After a rest while he read the manual and I checked Google, he plugged it in again so that we could finish dinner. I moved the pork roast to the toaster oven to finish and, although the top was a little burnt, it turned out okay. He unplugged the stove again after finishing dinner (see "runaway temperature condition" above). 

He worked during business hours on Thursday, but on Friday we went stove shopping and bought a new one which will be delivered on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the new stove doesn't have an option for Convection Bake which is no longer done with new stoves apparently unless you buy a stove with induction burners. We have had negative experiences with glass cooktops and wanted old-fashioned coil burners. And, since induction burners require pans that are magnetic, we skipped that option too since we didn't want to replace all of our pots and pans. 

We've both come to enjoy the benefits of convection baking and so we also bought a new toaster oven that has an air fryer setting. Our old toaster oven had some non-working features that we had been working around so it was probably time to replace it anyway. 

Needless to say, I haven't done any cooking since Wednesday. My brother, who is more able to muscle the stove around, has done some cooking and then unplugged the stove again. I didn't want it plugged in when he wasn't home since I'm not sure I could have pulled it away from the wall to unplug it if it errored and sent the oven temperature soaring again. 

Even though we have a toaster oven, microwave, and other electric cooking options, I never realized how much I would miss the stove and oven. I had made bread sticks earlier in the week and had plans to do more bread baking. Now those plans will wait until next week. 

Other than that, I had a pretty normal week. I have a bunch of review books to read over the next couple of weeks since I added fourteen with March release dates to my stack of Review books. I am also going to finally get to Onyx Storm this week since I've been really eager to read it. 

Read Last Week
  • Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen (Mine since January 25, 2025) -- First in a series of Edwardian mysteries. My review will be posted on February 20.
  • The Girl from Greenwich Street by Lauren Willig (Review; March 4) -- Historical fiction about a murder trial, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr. My review will be posted on February 25.
  • Dead Man's List by Karen Rose (Review; March 4) -- Third in a contemporary thriller series set in San Diego. My review will be posted on February 26.
  • Deadly Games by Sally Rigby (Mine since November 11, 2022) -- This Audible Plus title introduced a new detective pair and is the first of a contemporary mystery series. My review will be posted on March 1.
  • Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Mine since February 4, 2025) -- I read the eARC January 2 and enjoyed listening to the 60th In Death mystery while adding it to my keeper collection.
  • Between Two Strangers by Kate White (Mine since January 2, 2025) -- Fast-paced domestic thriller that I couldn't put down. My review will be posted on February 27.
Currently
Slow and Steady
  • Seeing Further edited by Bill Bryson (Mine since January 27, 2025) -- I've reached 44%
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:
Bought:
  • Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (Dramatized Adaptation; Chirp $3.99)
  • Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (Dramatized Adaptation; Chirp $4.99)
  • Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Dramatized Adaptation; Chirp $4.99)
What was your week like?

Saturday, February 8, 2025

ARC Review: No Comfort for the Dead by R. P. O'Donnell

No Comfort for the Dead

Author:
R. P. O'Donnell
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (February 11, 2025)

Description: After witnessing a murder, a small-town librarian is forced to act when the local police arrest the wrong man, perfect for fans of Dervla McTiernan and Carlene O’Connor.

1988, West Cork, Ireland.
Emma Daly has returned to her home in Castlefreke, a small and peaceful village where everybody knows everybody. She has taken over the local library and is trying not to think about the scandal she left behind in the city. But when the richest man in the village is murdered and the main suspect is the mysterious son of a local family, her charming small-town life is turned upside down.

Emma knows for a fact that there is more to the story, and when the family asks her to investigate, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

Teaming up with a stubborn widow, an elderly hypochondriac, and her high school sweetheart, it is up to Emma to solve the mystery before either the police or the murderer can stop her.

My Thoughts: This historical mystery set in West Cork, Ireland, in 1988 stars a librarian who has come back to her hometown in disgrace. Emma Daly breezed through university and was building a career with the police until an affair with an older officer caused her to be fired and blackballed. She heads home to lick her wounds and winds up running the local library.

When the owner of the Big House is found murdered and the main suspect is a local who left town thirty years earlier, Emma is asked by the man's family to look into the case. Emma's devotion to Sherlock Holmes has fueled her love of mystery but this one is tough. She has no authority and the local police are less than welcoming.

She soon learns that there is more to the crime than a simple burglary gone wrong which is the police's viewpoint. She is assisted in her investigation by a local widow who has been isolated and overlooked most of her life and her former boyfriend who has come back to Castlefreke under mysterious circumstances. 

The story sounds straightforward. However, the execution was marred in my opinion by being too "literary" and too introspective. I found myself skimming a lot as I tried to follow the mystery and avoid the social commentary, the characters all falling apart, and the whole issue of dying Irish villages struggling to hold on. 

Fans of that sort of wandering, introspective story will enjoy this one. I like a more straight forward story with characters who are less stuck in their own heads. 

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

Friday, February 7, 2025

Friday Memes: No Comfort for the Dead by R. P. O'Donnell

 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. 

Beginning:
When Ophelia arrived in Castlefreke, she ripped the front shutters off the parish hall. A few shingles from the old creamery came loose and she threw them, shrieking, into Mycross Wood and the Blackfield pitch.
Friday 56:
Mary made in impatient noise. "You don't really have a choice here, Frances. You're going to need to talk to Colm eventually. Emma's a smart girl, but you and I both know that you're the one who will get the real answers from your son."
When This week I am spotlighting No Comfort for the Dead by R. P. O'Donnell. This is a review mystery from an author who is new to me. Here's the description from Amazon:
After witnessing a murder, a small-town librarian is forced to act when the local police arrest the wrong man, perfect for fans of Dervla McTiernan and Carlene O’Connor.

1988, West Cork, Ireland.
Emma Daly has returned to her home in Castlefreke, a small and peaceful village where everybody knows everybody. She has taken over the local library and is trying not to think about the scandal she left behind in the city. But when the richest man in the village is murdered and the main suspect is the mysterious son of a local family, her charming small-town life is turned upside down.

Emma knows for a fact that there is more to the story, and when the family asks her to investigate, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

Teaming up with a stubborn widow, an elderly hypochondriac, and her high school sweetheart, it is up to Emma to solve the mystery before either the police or the murderer can stop her.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Book Review: The Dragon's Dedication by Marie Johnston

The Dragon's Dedication

Author:
Marie Johnston
Series: Peridot Dragon Shifter Brothers (Book 2)
Publication: LE Publishing (January 19, 2023)

Description: Cricket

I was born and raised in Las Vegas, so I thought I’d be the last girl to say “yes” in an impulsive Vegas wedding. But I met Maverick at a wedding reception, the one where my ex was marrying my boss. I was vulnerable, Maverick was the hottest guy I’d ever seen, and he was nice. Even more, he was interested. I’m sure I won’t regret marrying a stranger who can make my toes curl by just looking at me.

Maverick

I saw Cricket, and I wanted her. I knew exactly what she was going through at her ex’s wedding since my own ex immediately mated someone else. There’s only one issue. Two, really, thanks to Cricket’s overprotective brother. My new wife doesn’t know I’m not human. I’m a dragon shifter who has to live with his clan—far away from Las Vegas. And Cricket will either have to accept me, or pay the price, while keeping her brother blissfully unaware. I’m sure I won’t regret marrying a lovely human I met and had to have.

My Thoughts: This paranormal romance is the middle book in a trilogy. Cricket is trying to quietly leave the wedding of her ex and her boss when she literally runs into Maverick Peridot. Maverick is in Las Vegas to get over the surprise mating of his ex immediately after dumping him. 

Cricket was born and bred in Las Vegas. After her parents' deaths when she was eleven, she was raised by her older brother who is now a driven pediatrician who is still very close with her.

After a whirlwind courtship, Cricker finds herself married to Maverick. He hasn't yet mentioned that he is a dragon shifter who has to return to his small town in Minnesota where the rest of his clan and his two siblings live. 

She needs to accept his secret and officially become his mate or one of them will have to die. She agrees to go home with him even though she knows she will miss her brother. And, once she sees him shift, she will keep his secret since his shifting is just one more intriguing part of the man she has fallen in love with. But there is someone in the town who doesn't want their mating to go on. This being has her own vision of the future and a mated and happy Maverick isn't part of it. 

Matters come to a head and Maverick's sister has to battle this other person to the death. Unfortunately, this is the moment that Cricket's brother arrives in town to check up on his sister's happiness. Now he is in the position of having to mate or die. 

This was a light and entertaining romance. I liked both main characters and am interested in reading the other two books in the trilogy to find out Maverick's brother and sister's stories. 

I added this one to my TBR pile December 31. 2024, when it was Free via BookBub. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

The Queens of Crime

Author:
Marie Benedict
Publication: St. Martin's Press (February 11, 2025)

Description: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie―a thrilling story of the five greatest women writers of the Golden Age of Mystery and their bid to solve a real-life murder.

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.

Inspired by a true story in Sayers’ own life, New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict brings to life the lengths to which five talented women writers will go to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of letters as they unpuzzle a mystery torn from the pages of their own novels.

My Thoughts: THE QUEENS OF CRIME was an interesting piece of historical fiction. It is 1930 and Dorothy Sayers comes up with the idea of forming the Detection Club. Its purpose is to provide a venue where the authors of detective fiction can come together. 

Dorothy comes to feel that the club is being hijacked by male authors. So, she recruits some of the leading female lights of the day. First on her list is Agatha Christie who is past the time of her unexplained disappearance and is remarried to Max Mallowan. She also invites Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. She surprises the membership when she invites the other ladies to join.

Then come the suspicious death of May Daniels, a trainee nurse in England, who disappears in Boulogne and whose body is discovered some months later. Dorothy's husband is a newspaper writer assigned to the May Daniels case. 

Dorothy and the other self-styled Queens of Crime go along to see if they can solve the locked room mystery. After all, May disappeared from a train station restroom and didn't reappear until her body was discovered. The women decide if they ever want to be respected by their male colleagues, they will have to discover what happened to May whose reputation has been thoroughly trashed by the horde of newspaper men covering the story. 

Their investigations help these five very different women get to know each other and also solve the murder of May Daniels. 

The story was entertaining. I enjoyed that it was told through Dorothy Sayers' viewpoint. It painted an interesting picture of women and women writers during the early 1930s as they dealt with male prejudice.

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

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

ARC Review: Get Lost with You by Sophie Sullivan

Get Lost with You

Author:
Sophie Sullivan
Series: Rock Bottom Love (Book 2)
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (February 11, 2025)

Description: A second chance at love, small-town romance that’s all sweet with just a hint of heat from the “queen of sweet romance” (Falon Ballard) Sophie Sullivan.

Jillian Keller took the long route to her best life, but is now happily settled in her hometown of Smile, raising her little girl alone while helping her brother run Get Lost Lodge. A lover of structure and routine, she doesn’t need anyone disrupting her carefully curated life.

After chasing and achieving his culinary dreams, Levi Bright realizes he’s still missing something he can’t find in a big city. Returning home to Smile, he intends to build a different future for himself, including reconnecting with family and friends, and creating elevated comfort food for a town he loves.

When Levi and Jilly run into each other, past feelings that never had a chance to bloom flare between them… but she’s been hurt before, and falling for her older brother’s best friend seems like a recipe for drama. But sometimes, a second chance at love leads you right where you’re meant to be.

My Thoughts: This second chance at love romance reunites Jillian Keller and Levi Bright. He was best friends with her brothers and the object of her teenage crush. He went off to culinary school and has had a career as a successful chef. She married, divorced, and is back at home raising her nine-year-old daughter Ollie having lost all faith in men and all faith in promises. 

Jillian and her brothers run a fishing camp/resort. Levi has come home to visit his estranged father after his father's surgery. He also is ready for a change in his life and is planning to buy and run a food truck.

These are two very different people. Levi's impulsive and Jillian likes plan and schedules and order. But the attraction they both felt as teenagers hasn't abated. Levi wants to explore the possibility of a relationship and Jilly wonders how she'll be able to fit one more thing on her already-full plate. 

This was a nice romance. I thought it was a bit heavy on the relationship advice everyone in the small island town of Smile, Michigan, was ready to dispense at the drop of a hat. However, seeing how Levi and Jillian built their new relationship was satisfying.  

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

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Audiobook Review: Fate of the Union by Max Allan Collins

Fate of the Union

Author:
Max Allan Collins & Matthew V. Clemens
Narrator: Dan John Miller
Series: Reeder and Rogers (Book 2)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (November 10, 2015)
Length: 8 hours and 21 minutes

Description: When a retired colleague dies of an apparent suicide, ex - Secret Service agent Joe Reeder knows there must be far more to the story. Why did the man leave a desperate message for Reeder moments before dying? And what could possibly make such a seasoned veteran fear for his life?

FBI Special Agent Patti Rogers has a mystery of her own to solve: she's leading a task force investigating a brutal series of similar but seemingly unconnected murders across the DC area. Are they serial killings or something even more sinister?

Could Reeder and Rogers be tracking down different facets of the same conspiracy? And how do the continued assassination attempts on a presidential hopeful figure into an unprecedented attack on the heart of government?

The answers to these questions are uncovered in this riveting sequel to the bestselling Supreme Justice.

My Thoughts: The second book in the Reeder and Rogers series begins with the death of a former Secret Service agent. He left a message on Joe Reeder's phone, but Reeder doesn't get the message until after his former colleague is dead. Joe is suspicious when the death is declared a suicide and is determined to look into it more closely.

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Patti Rogers is leading a taskforce investigating a series of murders in the area around Washington, DC. All they seem to have in common is the manner of death. Otherwise, the victims are seemingly random. 

It soon becomes apparent that Joe's investigation and Patti's are connected and lead to something big coming up. Their investigation takes them to billionaire and potential third-party candidate Adam Benjamin who is pushing an agenda of Common-Sense centrism. Benjamin is one of Reeder's few heroes.

The story is packed with action, suspense, and high stakes crimes. I enjoyed getting together with Reeder and Rogers for another excellent thriller. I especially enjoyed the quotes at the beginnings of chapters which featured people buried at Arlington National Cemetery. 

I bought this one June 28, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales

Author:
Heather Fawcett
Series: Emily Wilde (Book 3)
Publication: Del Rey (February 11, 2025)

Description: The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world: How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

My Thoughts: The third Emily Wilde fantasy has Emily and Wendell returning to his fairie kingdom. He is happy to be home and she is intrigued by all the research she could do now that she lived in his kingdom.

However, the deposed queen has left a curse behind her. 

Now, Emily and Wendell have to find the deposed queen and Emily has to decide which story is being played out in the here and now. Emily being a dryadologist has a vast knowledge of fairie stories. But the story that seems to be playing out could lead to Wendell's death. 

This was another engaging historical fantasy complete with footnotes. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the wide variety of fae creatures involved. 

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

Monday, February 3, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (February 3, 2025)

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...

We had a nice week to end January. We had our January thaw with one day reaching a high of 42 degrees and most of the rest of the week with highs in the 30s. Then the snow rolled in for the weekend. My brother says there is about 8 inches of the fluffy stuff in our driveway. He's out snowblowing before he has to get ready for work.

Snow meant chili was on the menu. My brother made the chili, and I made the cornbread. I also made a crockpot casserole this week using frozen meatballs which had been in the freezer for quite a while and other things in the refrigerator that needed using. I was inspired by a recipe I saw while watching Reels this week. It turned out pretty well. 

This was another massive week for my TBR pile. BookBub and BookPerks had lots of good deals. I added quite a few books that were the first books in series that I haven't read. Not that I need any more unfinished series on my stack, but I was curious about them. I even got the first Hercule Poirot. I don't think I've ever read any of the Hercule Poirot mysteries. 

I also added four more review copies to my stack including Nora Roberts' 2025 standalone which I was invited to read. 

I filled out my March calendar and discovered that it will be mostly full of review copies even though I'm starting reading March releases for posting the last week of February. I have only four spots for books from my TBR pile and I've chosen three of them. With so many review copies, I only have room for six audiobooks, and I've already read and scheduled the reviews for two of them. 

January Report

Despite what my Goodreads Challenge says, I read 32 books in January. Twenty were mine and twelve were review copies. Of the twenty that were mine, ten were from the TBR pile and ten were rereads. Also, sixteen of the twenty were audiobooks. Mysteries and Romance dominated my reading this month with many books being both. 

I added 89 books to my LibraryThing account in January. Twenty-nine of the additions were review copies. Seven were audiobooks. Six of the audiobooks were from Chirp. BookBub emails led to 26, BookPerks emails led to eight, and I took advantage of one Kindle Daily Deal. I did not buy any print books in January. I have only read one of my January additions so far, but the two I'm currently reading were purchased in January.

With these new additions, my TBR collection rose to 2585 which does not include review copies. My total collection, not including Review copies, numbers 7038.

Here is my State of the Stack post as of February 1.

Read Last Week
  • The Dead Letter Delivery by C. J. Archer (Mine since March 8, 2024) -- Fourth in the Glass Library series. This is a combination of fantasy, historical fiction and alternate history. My review will be posted on February 13.
  • Born in Fire by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook; Mine since November 12, 2024) -- This is contemporary romance by a master of the genre and is the first in a trilogy. My review will be posted on February 27.
  • My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh (Mine since February 12, 2024) -- Contemporary romance that is also a sports romance. Fun story. My review will be posted on February 15.
  • Born in Ice by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook; Mine since November 12, 2024) -- Second in the Concannon Sisters trilogy. Great romance. My review will be posted on March 6.
  • A Slash of Emerald by Patrice McDonough (Review; February 25) -- Second Dr. Julia Grey historical mystery. My review will be posted on February 18.
  • Born in Shame by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook, Mine since November 12, 2024) -- Finale of the Concannon Sisters trilogy. My review will be posted on March 20.
  • I Died for Beauty by Amanda Flower (Review; February 25) -- Third Emily Dickinson mystery. My review will be posted on February 19.
  • The Pirate by Jayne Ann Krentz (Chirp Audiobook; Mine since July 24, 2023) -- Contemporary romance by a favorite author. I originally read this one before 2008. My review will be posted on February 22.
Currently
  • Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen (Mine since January 25, 2025)
  • Seeing Further edited by Bill Bryson (Mine since January 27, 2025) -- I'm making this history of science book my "slow and steady" read. I plan to read a chapter a day. I'm at 17% before today's chapter.
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:
Bought:

Audiobooks
  • Revenge at Ravenswick by Kelly Oliver (Kindle for $2.99, Chirp audiobook for $.99)
  • Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (BookBub for $1.99; Audiobook Add-On for $3.99)
BookBub
  • The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (BookBub, $1.99) -- I keep seeing this one around
  • Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower (BookBub, $.99) -- I enjoy the author and this is first in a series I haven't started yet
  • Quicksilver by Amanda Quick (BookBub, $1.99) -- Kindle copy of a book in my keeper collection
BookPerks
  • Seeing Further edited by Bill Bryson (BookPerks, $1.99) -- Chosen for my "slow and steady" read because I'm fascinated by the history of science
  • Killing Orders by Sara Paretsky (BookPerks, $1.99) -- Early book in the V. I. Warshawski series
Kindle & Kindle Daily Deal
  • My Lucky Charm by Courtney Walsh (Kindle, $4.99) -- bought because I liked My Phony Valentine
  • The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths (Kindle Daily Deal, $1.99) -- next in the Brighton Murders
What was your week like?