Teaser Tuesday: Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"Oh, no, Chef," he said and took the carrots and asparagus from me to cut and prep them. "My mum actually likes the nursing home. She orders people about as if she were the queen herself." He laughed. "My job is to stay out of the way and say, 'Yes, Mum, that's fine with me.'"

This week I'm reading Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton. What could be better than a cozy mystery set in Kensington Palace? Here's the description from Amazon:

Chef Carrie Ann Cole is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime--an assignment as the new Personal Chef to the Royal Family at Kensington Palace. But no sooner has Carrie Ann touched down across the pond and donned her apron than a dead body crops up beneath the royal kale beds.

With one assistant dead and the other soon under suspicion for his murder, Carrie Ann is scrambling to keep her kitchen up and running. Not to mention she gets off to an immediate bad start with the tempestuous Royal Chef Butterbottom, who has a bitter taste in his mouth since the prestigious position in the Royal Family's kitchen was given to an "over-privileged, under-educated American chef."

But the Royal Family's appetites wait for no one, and Carrie Ann must solve the murder and still get supper on the table on time--even with the annoyingly handsome Head of Security Ian Gordon tracking her every move like an MI6 agent. Suspects abound as an American chef adds a bit of spice to the traditional royal household in the first in Nell Hampton's charming and tasty Kensington Palace Chef Mystery series, Kale to the Queen.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (April 10, 2017)

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.

Other Than Reading... 

Yay for the beginning of the baseball season! Besides loving the Atlanta Braves, the start of the baseball season heralds the coming summer. I have about 35 more working days until I retire.

I had to spend a day at the Mayo Clinic this week for testing and consulting with my gastroenterologist which gave me a lot of extra reading time while I was waiting for tests, etc. As usual, I came home and developed some sort of crud. Too many sick people around there for my immune system, I guess. Of course, one the tests also had consequences for the rest of the week. I'm glad the results were good and will be even more glad once I feel "back to normal."

I'm looking forward to going home for Easter. I already have more than a carload of stuff that I'd like to bring with me. I've also been exchanging a flurry of emails with the realtor who is selling our Duluth home as she keeps me up to date with the various fix-up projects that are needed before it goes on the market. She's clearly a full-service realtor. She has arranged the cleaners and painters and whatever which is saving my brother and I a ton of work. I'm eager to see the changes when I get home. Her thought is that we will be able to put it on the market by May 1.

I really need to find a mover soon. I'm so caught up in cleaning and sorting to get ready for my sale that I haven't done that yet. I haven't made much visible progress this week. But my front closet with all my winter outerwear has been sorted through and packed to go home with me this week. A lot of it will be donated but this isn't the season to donate winter clothes. I will bring them to Duluth and donate extras next Fall.

Read Last Week

I started Finding Gideon by Eric Jerome Dickey and abandoned it at 20%. The sort-of stream of consciousness writing peering into the minds of two evil characters wasn't for me.

I grabbed One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews as a palate (and brain) cleanser because I can always count on that author to give me a successful reading experience. This book was great. I really like this main character and was in the mood for a good urban fantasy. My review will be posted on April 15.

Echo of Danger by Marta Perry was from my review stack and was an entertaining romantic suspense title. I liked both characters and thought the mystery was okay too. I did have a strong suspicion about the villain's identity early on but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the story. My review will be posted on April 20.

Currently

Grave Visions by Kalayna Price is from my TBR mountain and continues my urban fantasy theme. This is the fourth book in the Alex Craft series. Despite the three year gap since the last book, I was quickly back into the story.

Next Week

A Gleam of Light by T.J. & M.L. Wolf is next on my stack but I have a few YAs that need to be read before I can get to it.

Reviews Posted

• Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen
• Alice & the Assassin by R. J. Koreto

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

As a new subscriber to Toni Anderson's newsletter, I was offered two of her books for free. I downloaded A Cold, Dark Place and Cold Pursuit to my Kindle.

I also added two new books to my review stack.

• Say You're Sorry by Melinda Leigh (May 16)
• A Merciful Truth by Kendra Elliot (June 6)

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

ARC Review: Alice and the Assassin by R. J. Koreto

Alice and the Assassin
Author: R. J. Koreto
Series: An Alice Roosevelt Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (April 11, 2017)

Description: In 1902 New York, Alice Roosevelt, the bright, passionate, and wildly unconventional daughter of newly sworn-in President Theodore Roosevelt, is placed under the supervision of Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair, ex-cowboy and veteran of the Rough Riders. St. Clair quickly learns that half his job is helping Alice roll cigarettes and escorting her to bookies, but matters grow even more difficult when Alice takes it upon herself to investigate a recent political killing--the assassination of former president William McKinley.

Concerned for her father's safety, Alice seeks explanations for the many unanswered questions about the avowed anarchist responsible for McKinley's death. In her quest, Alice drags St. Clair from grim Bowery bars to the elegant parlors of New York's ruling class, from the haunts of the Chinese secret societies to the magnificent new University Club, all while embarking on a tentative romance with a family friend, the son of a prominent local household.

And while Alice, forced to challenge those who would stop at nothing in their greed for money and power, considers her uncertain future, St. Clair must come to terms with his own past in Alice and the Assassin, the first in R. J. Koreto's riveting new historical mystery series.

My Thoughts: This historical mystery stars a seventeen-year-old Alice Roosevelt and her Secret Service bodyguard/nanny Sgt. Joseph St. Clair. It takes place shortly after McKinley's assassination. Alice, fearing for her father's safety, begins her own investigation into McKinley's death. Her search leads her and St. Clair into parts of New York that she hasn't seen before as she investigates anarchists and immigrants from various ethnic groups. Soon, clues lead her and St. Clair to the family of one of her childhood friends - Preston van Schuyler. It seems like the van Schylers might be pushing the boundaries of the business practices of the day. They keep popping up in Alice's investigation.

The story is told by St. Clair who started life as a cowboy in Wyoming with side trips as a lawman in Wyoming to becoming a Rough Rider fighting with Teddy Roosevelt and to the Secret Service as Alice's bodyguard. He is a fascinating character who begins by indulging Alice's curiosity out of a sense of boredom but soon becomes intrigued himself. His cowboy persona hides a sharp man who might just have a couple of blind spots where Alice is concerned.

The novel's settings give the reader a grand tour of New York City in 1902. It also gives a good picture of the social structure of the city at that time. I liked the dynamics between the smart, sheltered and spoiled Alice Roosevelt and St. Clair. I'll admit to stopping in the middle of the story for a bit to research Alice since, while I'd heard of her, I knew little about her.

Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this engaging and well-told tale.

Favorite Quote:

"What's the Secret Service's interest here?"

"They call it the Secret Service," I said. I never get tired of that, but Breen rolled his eyes.

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

Friday Memes: Alice and the Assassin by R. J. Koreto

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now 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:

Mariah always said that I'd do anything for a pretty face, and she might be right, but I guess I'm not that different from most other men. And I'd like to meet the one who could refuse Alice when she challenged you.

Friday 56 (from 56% in the eARC):

I thought Alice was going to complain, yet again, about answering questions with questions, but instead she just said, "I find it amusing to visit some of my father's old colleagues in the Tombs, and one of them mentioned an odd case, a figure called the Archangel. We know of at least one worker upstate who was terrified of him."

This week I am reading Alice and the Assassin by R. J. Koreto. I got the ARC of this historical mystery from the author. Here is the description from Amazon:

In 1902 New York, Alice Roosevelt, the bright, passionate, and wildly unconventional daughter of newly sworn-in President Theodore Roosevelt, is placed under the supervision of Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair, ex-cowboy and veteran of the Rough Riders. St. Clair quickly learns that half his job is helping Alice roll cigarettes and escorting her to bookies, but matters grow even more difficult when Alice takes it upon herself to investigate a recent political killing--the assassination of former president William McKinley.

Concerned for her father's safety, Alice seeks explanations for the many unanswered questions about the avowed anarchist responsible for McKinley's death. In her quest, Alice drags St. Clair from grim Bowery bars to the elegant parlors of New York's ruling class, from the haunts of the Chinese secret societies to the magnificent new University Club, all while embarking on a tentative romance with a family friend, the son of a prominent local household.

And while Alice, forced to challenge those who would stop at nothing in their greed for money and power, considers her uncertain future, St. Clair must come to terms with his own past in Alice and the Assassin, the first in R. J. Koreto's riveting new historical mystery series.

ARC Review: Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen

Gone Without a Trace
Author: Mary Torjussen
Publication: Berkley (April 18, 2017)

Description: A jaw-dropping novel of psychological suspense that asks, If the love of your life disappeared without a trace, how far would you go to find out why?  

Hannah Monroe's boyfriend, Matt, is gone. His belongings have disappeared from their house. Every call she ever made to him, every text she ever sent, every photo of him and any sign of him on social media have vanished. It's as though their last four years together never happened.

As Hannah struggles to get through the next few days, with humiliation and recriminations whirring through her head, she knows that she'll do whatever it takes to find him again and get answers. But as soon as her search starts, she realizes she is being led into a maze of madness and obsession. Step by suspenseful step, Hannah discovers her only way out is to come face to face with the shocking truth...

My Thoughts: GONE WITHOUT A TRACE was a very unexpected read for me. It wasn't at all what I was thinking it would be.

The story begins with Hannah's live-in boyfriend Matt disappearing along with all his stuff while she was at a day long training. She comes home excited to tell him about the glowing comments her boss made about her to find him and all of this things gone. She can't understand why as all of her memories are of things going well and the two of them being happy.

She determines to find him and her obsessive search causes her to pay less attention at her job and to neglect her personal appearance. She has a best friend Katie who is possibly the most toxic best friend in the history of fiction. Katie's live-in boyfriend is a former boyfriend of Hannah's who she had lost track of for a number of years. Hannah's parents are dysfunctional. Her father has anger issues and abuses his wife who refuses to leave him. Hannah seldom sees them and when she does hear from her father it is mostly when he is angry at her.

I don't think that there was an admirable character in the whole book. Hannah's friend at work is having an affair with her assistant who is busy sabotaging Hannah's career - not that Hannah isn't doing a good job of that herself.

Without spoilers, I will say that the ending was both expected and unexpected. Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this one.

Favorite Quote:

I started to cry, then, at the thought of that. We'd been together for four years -- how could he just walk out without an explanation? And to put all my things back in their old places; it was as though he'd never been here!

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

WoW: The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for. I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist though. Be warned!

The Red Hunter

Lisa Unger

April 25

What is the difference between justice and revenge? In this buzzworthy new standalone thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger, two wronged women on very different paths find themselves in the same dark place…

Claudia Bishop’s perfect life fell apart when the aftermath of a brutal assault left her with a crumbling marriage, a newborn daughter, and a constant sense of anxiety about the world around her. Now, looking for a fresh start with a home restoration project and growing blog, Claudia takes on a crumbling old house—one that unbeknownst to her has an ugly history and may hide long buried secrets.

For Zoey Drake the defining moment of her childhood was the horrific home invasion murder of her parents. Years later, she has embraced the rage that fuels her. Training in the martial arts has made her strong and ready to face the demons from the past—and within.

Strangers to each other, and walking very different paths in the wake of trauma, these two women are on a collision course—because Zoey’s past nightmare and Claudia’s dreams for her future take place in the very same house. As Zoey seeks justice, and Claudia seeks peace, both will confront the monsters at the door that are the most frightening of all.

Teaser Tuesday: Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser (from 10% in the eARC):

We spent the next ten minutes dissecting the conversation I'd had in Oxford, but the fact remained that I'd give up the chance of promotion in heartbeat to have Matt back home and I could tell from the sympathetic looks that Sam was giving me that he knew it, too.

This week I am reading Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen. I got this eARC at NetGalley. Here is the description from Amazon:

A jaw-dropping novel of psychological suspense that asks, If the love of your life disappeared without a trace, how far would you go to find out why?  

Hannah Monroe's boyfriend, Matt, is gone. His belongings have disappeared from their house. Every call she ever made to him, every text she ever sent, every photo of him and any sign of him on social media have vanished. It's as though their last four years together never happened.

As Hannah struggles to get through the next few days, with humiliation and recriminations whirring through her head, she knows that she'll do whatever it takes to find him again and get answers. But as soon as her search starts, she realizes she is being led into a maze of madness and obsession. Step by suspenseful step, Hannah discovers her only way out is to come face to face with the shocking truth...