Audiobook Review: Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll

Like a Charm
Author: Elle McNicoll
Narrator: Carmella Brown
Publication: Audible Studios (April 12, 2022)
Length: 8 hours and 34 minutes

Description: Edinburgh is a city filled with magical creatures. No one can see them...except Ramya Knox.

As she is pulled into her family's world of secrets and spells, Ramya sets out to discover the truth about the Hidden Folk with only three words of warning from her grandfather: beware the sirens.

Plunged into an adventure that will change everything, Ramya is about to learn that there is more to her powers than she ever imagined.

My Thoughts: This was an engaging middle grade title with an intriguing main character. Ramya Knox has a learning disability - dyspraxia. It is a motor disorder meaning she falls often and has really messy handwriting. Since her intelligence is not affected, she's bright and really frustrated to be in special education classes when she sees her cousin in Gifted and Talented classes. 

Ramya's parents are news presenters on television. They are really busy people who don't seem to have time for her. Her mother is also frustrated about her motor issues and is constantly criticizing her. A recent move to Edinburgh has brought Ramya from London to the same city where her aunts live. But a long ago disagreement has estranged Ramya's family from her other relatives.

When her grandfather dies, Ramya attends the funeral - without her parents - and learns that he has left her a gift. The gift opens up a whole new world for her. There is a whole magical side to Edinburgh that she has never seen. But now she learns that she can see through the glamours the hide all the non-human residents. And she learns that sirens are evil and have chaos and divisiveness as their goal. 

She and her cousin - who is bright but doesn't see through glamours - are on a quest to help the magical residents of Edinburgh and to reunite Ramya's family.

The story was filled with adventures for both cousins. It was an engaging and imaginative story. It also had nice things to say about those who have learning disabilities and about the importance of families. I enjoyed the story very much.

This Audible book was included as part of my membership. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Midnight Dunes by Laura Griffin

Midnight Dunes
Author: Laura Griffin
Series: The Texas Murder Files
Publication: Berkley (May 24, 2022)

Description: When the shocking discovery of a murdered woman’s body disturbs the tranquility of tourist season, the police detective in charge of the puzzling case must work alongside the new filmmaker in town to pursue every lead in the new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

After a scandal derails her television reporting career, Macey Burns comes looking for a change of pace in Lost Beach, Texas. She’s ready to focus on her first passion—documentary filmmaking—and has a new job working for the island’s tourism board, shooting footage of the idyllic beachside community. Her plans for a relaxing rebound are dashed when she realizes the cottage she’s renting belonged to the woman whose body was just found in the sand dunes.

Detective Owen Breda is under intense pressure to solve this murder. Violent crimes are rising in his small town, and he can’t stand to see anyone else hurt…especially not the beautiful documentarian who keeps showing up at the precinct

With the clock ticking, cameras rolling, and body count climbing, Macey and Owen must use all their resources to find the killer without getting caught in the crosshairs.

My Thoughts: This is a romantic suspense title that is third in a series. In this episode, Detective Owen Breda is trying to solve the murder of a woman found buried in one of the area's famous sand dunes. And filmmaker Macey Burns is trying to make commercials to highlight the attractions of the area for the tourist board.

Macey has left her current career as a television personality in disgrace. She's sunk all her savings into her new business as a filmmaker. She has self-doubts and still some guilt about her previous bad choices.

Owen is busy trying to prove himself as a detective and suffering some doubts of his own. He feels he isn't measuring up to the standards set by his older brother who is a successful detective. 

Macey finds that she has unknowingly leased the same house that the murdered woman lived in - and it seems someone wants something she might have left there. 

Owen and Macey's paths keep crossing as he's searching for clues and she's searching for perfect locations on the island to film. Both are really busy people who have different desires for a relationship. Owen is fascinated with her, but she is hesitant to start a new relationship with memories of her former relationship's implosion firm in her mind.

For me, this story suffered from an overabundance of characters. I'm assuming that quite a few of them were introduced in the previous two books of the series and were here to let readers know what was happening with them. I found it hard to focus on the two main characters of this story because so many other characters kept showing up.

The mystery was interesting and there was a nice amount of suspense both in relation to the crime and to the new relationship. Fans of the previous two books will enjoy this one.

Favorite Quote:

When she'd opened up to Owen, he'd seemed so nonjudgmental. He'd made her feel like he understood what it was like to screw up and regret it. She'd thought they had connected, but now it seemed like he was using their conversation against her. 

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

ARC Review: A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman

A Daring Pursuit
Author: Kate Bateman
Series: The Ruthless Rivals (Book 2)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (May 24, 2022)

Description: The Davies and Montgomery families have been locked in an ancient feud. But it’s a thin line between love and hate in Kate Bateman's A Daring Pursuit.

TWO ENEMIES
Carys Davies is doing everything in her power to avoid marriage. Staying single is the only way to hide the secret that could ruin her―and her family―if it was revealed. For the past two seasons she’s scandalized the ton with her outrageous outfits and brazen ways in a futile bid to deter potential suitors. Outwardly confident and carefree, inside she’s disillusioned with both men and love. There’s only one person who’s never bought her act―the only man who makes her heart race: Tristan Montgomery, one of her family’s greatest rivals.

ONE SCANDALOUS BARGAIN
Wickedly proper architect Tristan needs a respectable woman to wed, but he’s never stopped wanting bold, red-headed Carys. When she mockingly challenges him to show her what she’s missing by not getting married, Tristan shocks them both by accepting her indecent proposal: one week of clandestine meetings, after which they’ll go their separate ways. But kissing each other is almost as much fun as arguing, and their affair burns hotter than either of them expects. When they find themselves embroiled in a treasonous plot, can they trust each other with their hearts, their secrets…and their lives?

My Thoughts: The second book in the Ruthless Rivals romances stars Carys Davies and Tristan Montgomery. They have secretly been fascinated with each other since they were children, but the Davies-Montgomery feud has kept them apart. 

Carys is built herself quite a reputation in London for her outrageous outfits and bold nature. After a distressing encounter with a man she thought would be marrying her, Carys needs to hide that she is no longer a virgin. That and blackmail from the blackguard who seduced her, has kept her from any thought of marriage. Besides she knows that sex just isn't that great.

Tristan Montgomery is back from the war with Napoleon and trying to build his career as an architect. He's looking for the perfect woman to be his wife. She should be someone who will support his career. He's found a candidate even though she doesn't interest him nearly as much as Carys.

When he comes upon Carys after a brief encounter with her blackmailer, he discovers that he has major protective instincts where she is concerned. He also proposes that he would be an excellent teacher for the amatory arts. After all, she doesn't know what she would be missing if she remained unwed or married one of her suitors who preferred men.

As they two explore each other, each becomes more in love than they were before, but neither is thinking of marriage, until one encounter goes too far, and her blackmailer threatens to destroy her reputation. It helps their cause that the blackmailer is being blackmailed into funneling money to Napoleon which would do a lot more than ruin his reputation if it came out.

This was an entertaining and romantic story. I enjoyed both main characters.

Favorite Quote:

Wasn't that the true measure of love? entrusting something with its freedom, and having it return to you through choice? Keeping it with kindness, not restraint?

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

Book & Audio Review: The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

The Dead Travel Fast
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Narrator: Charlotte Perry
Publication: MIRA; Original edition (July 12, 2021); Harlequin Books (March 1, 2010)
Length: 318 p.; 10 hours and 4 minutes

Description: A husband, a family, a comfortable life: Theodora Lestrange lives in terror of it all.

With a modest inheritance and the three gowns that comprise her entire wardrobe, Theodora leaves Edinburgh—and a disappointed suitor—far behind. She is bound for Romania, where tales of vampires are still whispered, to visit an old friend and write the book that will bring her true independence.

She arrives at a magnificent, decaying castle in the Carpathians, replete with eccentric inhabitants: the ailing dowager; the troubled steward; her own fearful friend, Cosmina. But all are outstripped in dark glamour by the castle’s master, Count Andrei Dragulescu.

Bewildering and bewitching in equal measure, the brooding nobleman ignites Theodora’s imagination and awakens passions in her that she can neither deny nor conceal. His allure is superlative, his dominion over the superstitious town, absolute—Theodora may simply be one more person under his sway.

Before her sojourn is ended—or her novel completed—Theodora will have encountered things as strange and terrible as they are seductive. For obsession can prove fatal…and she is in danger of falling prey to more than desire.

My Thoughts: Theodora Lestrange has just lost her grandfather and thinks this would be a perfect time to take control of her own life. With a modest inheritance, she decides to visit an old school friend in the Carpathians to work on finishing her novel. She leaves behind her publisher who would very much like to be her husband. But Theodora does want a life of domesticity when she can have a life of adventure. 

She arrives at an isolated castle complete with an ailing countess, her companion, the companion's son who is the steward, and her school friend Cosmina. Also present is the new master of the castle Count Andrei Dragulescu who is back from his life in Paris now that his father has died. 

This story is filled with Gothic goodness. From the werewolves in the woods to vampires in the castle, all the elements are here. From a hero who has spent years seducing women in Paris to a heroine who has plans for a career and an independent life, the characters also run the gamut. 

The story has elements of horror, a murder, an exhumation of the former count's body, and elements of romance as our heroine lets herself be seduced by and fall in love with the count. I enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of this story. I thought the writing was both descriptive and engaging. Charlotte Perry did an excellent job in bringing the author's words to life with her narration. 

Favorite Quote:

"I do not require love," he said stonily.

"We all of us require love," I replied. "You think me childish and silly for clinging to the promise of it, but it is human to want happiness, and if there is happiness without love I am not convinced of it."

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

ARC Review: Nightwork by Nora Roberts

Nightwork
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication: St. Martin's Press (May 24, 2022)

Description: #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts introduces an unforgettable thief in a new novel of suspense, greed, love, and survival…

Harry Booth started stealing at nine to keep a roof over his ailing mother’s head, slipping into luxurious, empty homes at night to find items he could trade for precious cash. When his mother finally succumbed to cancer, he left Chicago―but kept up his nightwork.

Wandering from the Outer Banks to Savannah to New Orleans, he dons new identities and stays careful, observant, distant. He can’t afford to attract attention―or get attached. Still, he can’t help letting his guard down when he meets Miranda Emerson. But the powerful bond between them cannot last―because not all thieves follow Harry’s code of honor. Some pay others to take risks so they can hoard more treasures. Some are driven by a desire to own people the way they own paintings and jewels. And after Harry takes a lucrative job commissioned by Carter LaPorte, LaPorte sees a tool he can use, and decides he wants to own Harry.

The man is a predator more frightening than the alligators that haunt the bayou―and when he strongarms Harry into robbing a Baltimore museum, Harry abandons Miranda―cruelly, with no explanation―and disappears. But no matter what name he uses or where he goes, LaPorte casts a shadow over Harry’s life. To truly free himself, he must face down his enemy once and for all. Only then can he hope to possess something more valuable than anything he has ever stolen…

My Thoughts: Harry Booth became a thief at the age of nine. His mother was battling cancer and someone had to help with the bills. Besides, it was a thrill to enter other people's homes and help himself to their belongings. He and his aunt Mags took care of his mother, and he developed skill at his nightwork, until she died when he was just eighteen. 

Then Harry began a journey to find out where he wanted to be. He headed East and his aunt headed West and they promised to meet again at least once a year around April 1. Harry wanted to learn so he headed to college towns where he continued his nightwork and began to take classes in things that interested him. 

He settled for a while in New Orleans where he met some friends including a successful thief who helped hone his skills. But he also introduced him to a man who would haunt his life. LaPorte was rich and greedy for things, especially things that others had, so he hired Harry to steal a painting for him. Unfortunately, Harry was so successful that LaPorte decided that he wanted to keep Harry too.

So Harry disappeared, changed his identity, and landed in Savannah where he attended college and met a young woman named Miranda Emerson. They fell in love, but LaPorte found him, and blackmailed him into another heist. To protect the ones he loved, Harry, now known as Booth, had to break the heart of the woman he loved, steal the statue, and disappear again. 

He traveled all over the world, stealing, and keeping one step ahead of LaPorte until he decided to take a sabbatical and work as an English and drama teacher in a small town. He wasn't expecting Miranda Emerson, now a best-selling author, to come there to work on her next book. When the two reunite, Booth and Miranda realize that they are still in love and Booth realizes that he has to do something permanent to get LaPorte off his back so that he and Miranda can have a future.

This was another excellent story by Nora Roberts. Roberts' writing has a way to really touch my emotions. She made me cry when I read about the loss of Harry's mother and made me ache for a happy ending for him. 

The characters were well-rounded, intriguing people. I loved the relationships between them all. The writing was engaging and the story gripping. Fans of Nora Roberts will love meeting these characters and enjoy this heist story. 

Favorite Quote:

He hadn't - precisely - waited up. He'd been reading. But now that the center of his world had come home safe and sound, he could sleep.

Maybe he'd worry a bit about his little girl's starry eyes when she'd talked about the boy, but he could sleep.

"Six languages?" Ben muttered when he turned off the light. "At his age? We'll see about that one."

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 16, 2022)

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

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

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

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

Other Than Reading...

I had a nice week despite the fact that my friend cancelled her visit. Her assistant was ill and being tested for Covid and she didn't want to take any chance of bringing Covid north with her. 

We had a few days with heavy rain, lightning and thunder. Duluth didn't have the heavy, damaging storms that hit a large part of Minnesota. The rivers and creeks are very full right now and flooding is possible. However, I live on the top of the hill and am not in any danger of flooding. The rest of the week was nice, sunny and very spring-like.

I caught up on posting reviews at Amazon which I hadn't done for a month. I also caught up posting on LibraryThing. I made good progress on lowering my stack of June review books. I also watched a lot of baseball. 

Read Last Week

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

• A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong (Review; May 31) -- First in a new time travel series by a favorite author. My review will be posted on May 26.
• A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari (Review; June 7) -- Entertaining historical mystery set just after World War I in England. Lots of social commentary. My review will be posted on May 31.
• The Ambitious Card by John Gaspard (Mine; Kindle & Audiobook) -- This audiobook set in Minneapolis/St. Paul stars magician Eli Marks. It had engaging characters and an interesting plot. My review will be posted on June 7.

• The Gatekeeper by James Byrne (Review; June 7) -- Great hard-boiled thriller that was packed with action and engaging characters. My review will be posted on May 31.
• A Fatal Booking by Victoria Gilbert (Review; June 7) -- Cozy mystery that is third in a series. Nice characters and engaging mystery. My review will be posted on June 1.
• The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters (Audiobook Reread) -- I read this one years ago and got it as an audiobook as part of my membership recently. It was a fun story. My review will be posted on June 9.

• Peril at Pennington Manor by Tracy Gardner (Review; June 7) -- Second Avery Ayres cozy mystery. Nice characters and story. My review will be posted on June 2.
• Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron (Review; June 7) -- Beginning of a new cozy series set in New Orleans. Filled with quirky characters and a nice mystery. My review will be posted on June 2.
• The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King (Audiobook Reread) -- I wanted a comfort read to listen to while playing computer games. I reviewed this one back in 2021.

Currently

• A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King (Audiobook Reread)
• Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman (Review; June 7)

Next Week

• Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs (Mine since June 8, 2008)
• Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (Mine since 2008)
• Her Dying Day by Mindy Carlson (Review; June 7)

• Thank You, Next by Andie J. Christopher (Review; June 14)
• Never Coming Home by Kate Williams (Review; June 21)
• Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley (Review; June 21)

Reviews Posted

• Night Work by Laurie R. King
• Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman
• Dead Against Her by Melinda Leigh

• The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions by Kerry Greenwood
• Contempt by Michael Cordell
• A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier

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

Review:

• The Hidden One by Linda Castillo (July 5)

Bought:

• The Adventuress by Tasha Alexander (Kindle Daily Deal)
• From the Grave by David Housewright (Kindle Daily Deal)
• The Counterfeit Heiress by Tasha Alexander (Kindle Daily Deal)

• No Nest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews (Audiobook; Chirp Deal)
• Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews (Audiobook; Chirp Deal)
• Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews (Audiobook; Chirp Deal)

• Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg (Kindle & Audiobook; BookBub Deal)
• Where Art Thou? by Sean Patrick Little (Free Kindle) - I taught with the author some years ago.
• The Vorkosigan Companion by Lillian Stewart Carl (Kindle)

• Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman (Kindle & Audiobook) -- This was the May book from my Christmas bundle.
• The Wrinkle in Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle (Kindle; BookBub Deal)
• Sinister Magic by Lindsay Buroker (Audiobook; Chirp Deal)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Contempt by Michael Cordell

Contempt
Author: Michael Cordell
Series: Contempt (Book 1)
Publication: TCK Publishing (July 27, 2020)

Description: Playing by the rules landed him on death row. Now he’ll have to break all the rules to survive.

After spending five years in jail for a murder he didn't commit, lawyer Thane Banning agrees to take on a case defending a former inmate against the same DA who put Thane behind bars. Thane is besieged by death threats from the alleged victim’s father and a tidal wave of public outrage following his release, not to mention the corrupt DA who has a grudge to settle. But he doesn’t have much time to think about his personal problems because the case is turning into a nasty fight. Luckily, prison taught Thane a thing or two about survival in a world full of criminals. The last time he played by the rules in court, he landed on death row. This time he'll have to break more than a few rules to come out of this battle unscathed. With help from an ex-inmate and an ambitious law student, Thane will do everything in his power to make sure another innocent man isn’t locked up. But will they be able to uncover the truth in time and convince the jury before the gavel drops for the last time?

My Thoughts: CONTEMPT was an intriguing and engaging legal thriller with a surprising twist. Real Estate Lawyer Thane Banning was wrongly accused and convicted of murder. After five years in prison, he manages to get his conviction overturned on a procedural error.

Thane's out of prison but not with a cleared reputation. The court of public opinion and the victim's father are sure that he was guilty. The District Attorney Bradford Stone hates the idea that Thane got out. Stone has quite a reputation for being tough on crime and political ambitions too. Thane's release doesn't provide good optics.

The only ones who believe in Thane are his former boss Joseph Crowell who runs a boutique law firm specializing in real estate developers and their project, and Thane's wife Thane's wife Hannah who almost never lost faith in her husband's innocence but who doesn't really know the man who has come back to her. 

When a man he met in prison comes to him for help when he's accused of murder, Thane tries to discourage him. Thane's specialty is real estate law, after all, But the chance to finally take on the DA who has decided that Skunk Burns' case would give him needed publicity for his upcoming campaign, Thane can't pass up the opportunity. What also draws him in is the fact that the man Burns is accused of killing is the same police detective who arrested Thane.

Thane has help from a friend who helped him learn how to survive in prison, Gideon who is a career criminal now out on parole, and Kristin Peterson, a law student twelfth in her class and looking to give herself an edge in the job market when she graduates.

These three unlikely heroes are taking on the might of the LA District Attorney's office. But the underdogs aren't going to play by the rules if it means losing the case.

I really enjoyed this story and couldn't put it down. Thane is an intriguing character who doesn't realize how much prison and death row has changed him. I liked the fast-paced plot and all the twists and turns that it took.

Fans of legal thrillers will enjoy this one and hope for more about the characters. 

Favorite Quote:

"I was never what you'd call a good egg, if that's what you mean." Gideon smiled, but Thane didn't respond. "You think maybe you're different from when you went in?" Gideon continued. "You'd have to be. Everyone is."

Thane finally looked up at him. "I thought maybe I wouldn't have changed much because I was innocent."

"Hell, that'd be worse. Besides, nobody leaves Forsman innocent. I don't give a fuck who it is."

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

Publisher Link: https://www.tckpublishing.com/

Author Link: https://michaeljcordell.com/