Book Review: The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Hawthorne Legacy
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Inheritance Games (Book 2)
Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 7, 2021)

Description: Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions—including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons. 

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she’s not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, two of the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture—by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, Knives Out-like family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.

My Thoughts: The sequel to The Inheritance Games was another exciting, puzzle-filled adventure. Avery Kylie Grambs thought she had finally figured out why multi-billionaire Tobias Hawthorne left her almost his entire estate, disinheriting his daughters and grandsons, but she might have only uncovered one of Tobias Hawthorne's secrets.

She is dealing with disgruntled relatives - both Hawthornes and her own - while trying to locate the missing heir who supposedly died in a fire some twenty years earlier. She has to find a way to stay alive while untangling all kinds of family secrets.

The characters are smart and relatable. The mysteries and puzzles are intriguing and the story is fast-paced. The writing is engaging. I really liked getting to know Avery and all of the fascinating Hawthorne brothers. 

Favorite Quote:

I stepped into the secret passageway to find Jameson waiting for me. "Fancy meeting you here, Heiress."

"You," I told him, "are the most annoying person on the face of the planet."

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

Book & Audio Review: Elfhome by Wen Spencer

Elfhome
Author: Wen Spencer
Narrator: Tanya Eby
Series: Elfhome (Book 3); Tinker (Book 3)
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (July 1, 2012); Audible Studios (December 12, 2014)
Length: 219 p.; 14 hours and 42 minutes

Description: Pittsburgh, PA has been magically transported to a world of elves and magic in order to stave off a monstrous invasion of Earth. Now Tinker, once a downtrodden waif from that city, but now a full-blooded elf ruler, must root out and destroy an evil plot that involves the kidnapping and breeding of elf children.

Tinker uncovers ancient secrets and a web of betrayal as she searches for the lost elflings. Meanwhile, the orc-like oni gangster kidnappers will stop at nothing to win, so neither can she. At five foot nothing, Tinker’s greatest weapon has always been her intelligence. Politics, she discovers, is a battle of wits, and Tinker comes heavily armed.

My Thoughts: This third book in the Elfhome series is told from multiple viewpoints. While Tinker does have a substantial role, the focus for me was on her cousin Oilcan. Oilcan has been the supportive side-kick in earlier books but this time he gets center stage.

His story begins when he rescues a Stone Clan child who has just arrived on the train. She is being kidnapped when Oilcan comes on the scene. Saving her leads to a conspiracy wherein multiple Stone Clan children have been drawn to Pittsburgh and then kidnapped to be experimented on by oni. 

Because Pittsburgh is under control of the Wind Clan, no one at the train station did anything to help these children. Oilcan calls in Tinker to help rescue the children and finds them in horrible situations. The only Stone Clan in the city are very unsuitable as guardians which is why Oilcan ends up responsible for five Stone Clan children who are in various states of distress including one who has lost her name and memories and only makes the sound of a duckling and is called Baby Duck.

Oilcan needs a new home that will accommodate his expanded family and takes over a former girls' school which needs lots of repair. That brings in Riki and his clan of tengu who have been taken under Tinker's care despite the way he betrayed her to the oni. Tinker can forgive him but Oilcan isn't there yet. Oilcan contemplates sponsorship by Wind clan but hesitates when he finds out the depth of commitment needed.

Meanwhile, Tommy Chang is also dealing with the new situation in Pittsburgh. He is the head of his group of half-oni - most of whom are either children or pregnant women. Although Windwolf offers sponsorship to him, Tommy sees it as just another kind of slavery and his people have been slaves to their oni masters for far too long. It takes the head of the tengu reframing the situation for him before he realizes that he needs relationships with other groups if he's to keep his own people safe. 

As Tinker tries to discover why the oni wanted the children Oilcan is now protecting, she discovers a long-term plot with some members of Stone Clan cooperating with, or being puppets for, a new oni leader who is determined to conquer Elfhome. Tommy discovers huge encampments of oni in the wilderness outsside Pittsburgh while he is looking for a kidnapped member of Stone Clan whom he is searching for to forestall being blamed for her disappearance. 

The worldbuilding in this story was excellent. It was fascinating to see the various groups - elves, humans, half-oni, and tengu - try to learn to work together and build a new sort of society. The characters were richly drawn and brought to life by Tana Eby's masterful narration of this story. 

Favorite Quote:

There were things that nothing could make right. They stayed hidden as black holes inside you. You went on the best you could, pretending everything was fine.

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

ARC Review: Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas

Miss Moriarty, I Presume?
Author: Sherry Thomas
Series: Lady Sherlock (Book 6)
Publication: Berkley (November 2, 2021)

Description: Charlotte Holmes comes face to face with her enemy when Moriarty turns to her in his hour of need, in the USA Today bestselling series set in Victorian England.

A most unexpected client shows up at Charlotte Holmes's doorstep: Moriarty himself. Moriarty fears that tragedy has befallen his daughter and wants Charlotte to find out the truth

Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to a remote community of occult practitioners where Moriarty's daughter was last seen, a place full of lies and liars. Meanwhile, Charlotte’s sister Livia tries to make sense of a mysterious message from her beau Mr. Marbleton. And Charlotte’s longtime friend and ally Lord Ingram at last turns his seductive prowess on Charlotte—or is it the other way around?

But the more secrets Charlotte unravels about Miss Moriarty’s disappearance, the more she wonders why Moriarty has entrusted this delicate matter to her of all people. Is it merely to test Charlotte's skills as an investigator, or has the man of shadows trapped her in a nest of vipers?

My Thoughts: The sixth Lady Sherlock mystery begins when Charlotte is hired by a most unusual client - Moriarty himself. He wants her to investigate a religious center on the Cornwall coast that has been his daughter's home for a number of years. He has reason to believe that something has happened to her.

Moriarty is not a client that Charlotte can refuse. So she and Mrs. Watson, along with Lord Ingram, make a visit and uncover a number of secrets. 

Secrets abound in this episode. Mr. Marbleton is leaving secret messages that require deciphering and then investigation. Charlotte's half-brother Myron Finch is on the run from Moriarty too and hasn't left a message for a while which causes Charlotte to worry.

Charlotte and Lord Ingram's romance is proceeding in a typical Charlotte sort of way. Ingram's divorce is nearing finality and he's worrying about how to tell his two young children about it. And Charlotte is sending him racy letters...

This was an entertaining and engaging episode of this series with lots of twists and turns. New readers would likely be lost, but fans of the series will enjoy this addition. 

Favorite Quote:

Lord Ingram and Miss Charlotte suited each other both very well and not at all. She wanted to picture a lovely future for them, but she could just as easily imagine a slow, soul-crushing disaster.

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

Book Review: Rival's Break by Carla Neggers

Rival's Break
Author: Carla Neggers
Series: Sharpe & Donovan (Book 9)
Publication: MIRA; Original edition (August 27, 2019)

Description: A deadly poisoning. A stolen painting. A criminal mastermind. Don’t miss the latest high-stakes Donovan & Sharpe case by New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers.

Emma Sharpe is recovering from a shattering loss while her husband, Colin Donovan, is deep into his latest undercover mission. The couple are grateful for a respite—a chance to enjoy a peaceful autumn weekend together on the southern Maine coast to celebrate Colin’s brother Andy’s wedding.

But the peace is short-lived when Kevin Donovan, a marine patrol officer, receives a call to check on suspected food poisoning at a party aboard a yacht. Colin decides to tag along. He is surprised to recognize one of the victims as an undercover British intelligence officer, and it quickly becomes evident they’re dealing with something very sinister. At the same time a valuable painting by Irish artist Aoife O’Byrne—a friend of Emma and Colin’s—goes missing from the yacht, and the connections make the investigation international and extremely personal.

Emma and Colin discover they are up against a deadly foe who plans to strike again. With the help of their small, elite Boston-based FBI team, they must foil an attack that will have devastating effects. It’s a case that will alter their lives beyond anything they’ve ever imagined…

My Thoughts: Colin and Emma are at his brother Andy's wedding reception when Kevin Donovan gets a call to check on a food poisoning incident at a yacht in the harbor. Colin decides to tag along and is there when he discovers an old friend Jeremy Pearson - MI5 - undercover as an art consultant is one of the victims. 

The chef, who might have accidentally included a poisonous mushroom in the canapes, is Georgina Masterson. Her father is a scientist who specializes in neurotoxins and is a colleague of Jeremy's. Georgina's father is in critical condition after ingesting a poisonous mushroom. He's in London. Jeremy has come to Maine to bring Georgina a painting by Aiofe O'Byrne that was a gift from her father and to check up on her. 

Now the painting is missing and Georgina isn't sure if she accidentally put the wrong mushrooms in the canapes. And Henrietta and Oliver have arrived at Father Bracken's to add more complications to the story. Oliver had met with Georgina's father in London because the father wanted to know more about poisons in mythology. Henrietta, who works for Jeremy, is wondering if her boss has gone rogue. 

The investigation is a little different for Colin and Emma since their specialties - art crimes and arms dealing - need to give way to an investigation of chemical weapons. They do great anyway. 

Lots of futures are decided in this one, too, as many of the characters are asking what comes next in their lives and careers. 

Favorite Quote:

Sister Cecelia hopped off the pine root and lifted a low-hanging branch, pointing to the ground. "See those red mushrooms? I haven't had a mycologist make a positive identification, but I believe they're the russula emetica species. They'd be my first candidate for yesterday."

"Emetica? Another one appropriately named?"

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

Book & Audio Review: Crime & Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett

Crime & Punctuation
Author: Kaitlyn Dunnett
Narrator: Margaret Strom
Series: Deadly Edits (Book 1)
Publication: Kensington Cozies; Reprint edition (May 29, 2018); Tantor Audio (July 10, 2018)
Length: 213 p.; 8 hours and 48 minutes

Description: After splurging to buy her childhood home in the Catskills, recently widowed Mikki Lincoln emerges from retirement as a freelance editor. With her ability to spot details that others fail to see, it's not long before Mikki earns clients - and realizes that the village of Lenape Hollow isn't the thriving tourist destination it was decades ago. Not with a murderer on the loose....

When perky novice writer Tiffany Scott knocks at her door holding a towering manuscript, Mikki expects another debut novel plagued by typos and sloppy prose. Instead, she finds a murder mystery ripped from the headlines of Lenape Hollow's not-too-distant past. The opening scene is a graphic page-turner, but it sends a real chill down Mikki's spine after the young author turns up dead just like the victim in her story....

Mikki refuses to believe that Tiffany's death was accidental, and suspicions of foul play solidify as she uncovers a strange inconsistency in the manuscript and a possible motive in the notes. As she gets closer to cracking the case, only one person takes Mikki's investigation seriously - the cunning killer who will do anything to make this chapter of her life come to a very abrupt ending....

My Thoughts: Recently widowed Mikki London has moved back to her hometown in the Catskills and is renovating the family home. She had spent almost all of her married life in Maine and had lost track of all of her childhood friends.

After a career as a Language Arts teacher, Mikki has set herself up as a freelance editor to help pay for the renovations and supplement her retirement income. Since she got most of her clients from online referrals, she was surprised to find Tiffany Scott knocking on her door to ask Mikki to edit her debut novel. But before Mikki had done more than write out the contract and read the first few pages, Tiffany is found dead with Mikki's card in her pocket.

Mikki is immediately concerned when the first verdict is that Tiffany committed suicide. Tiffany hadn't given any signs when she met with Mikki. Things get more complicated when she learns that Tiffany's husband was a shady businessman who wanted to turn some land outside of town into a theme park and that Tiffany's grandmother who was a childhood rival of Mikki's was opposed to the plan. 

When Tiffany's manuscript draws attention from a number of sources, Mikki begins to wonder if the story is hiding some things that could have led to her death. On the surface, a murder mystery featuring mobsters set in 1937 would not seem to do so. But why were so many concerned that Tiffany might have left anything else besides the manuscript with Mikki?

I liked Mikki who is quite an opinionated woman especially about grammar. I liked her relationship with her cat Calpurnia. I liked that she was eager to reconnect with old high school friends now that she was back home. 

The mystery was interesting with an assortment of suspects and red herrings. It also had exciting bits where Mikki is followed by a suspicious character and her house is broken into. I liked the narration by Margaret Strom. I liked that the main character was an older, retired woman who was both curious and nosy.

Favorite Quote:

Then I spent the rest of the day trying to find various functions in the newest incarnation of the word processing software I use. Can you say frustrating? I come from a long line of folks who believe that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The computer industry had obviously never heard that saying.

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (October 25, 2021)

 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.

Other Than Reading...

This was another quiet week albeit much sunnier than it has been for some time. The highlight was a phone call from my brother at 10:17 PM asking me to go get him from work since his car refused to start. He started with an apology because he knows I don't see very well when driving at night and don't drive at night unless I have no choice. 

He was busy for a couple of days between calling for a tow truck to take his car to the dealership and learning that he needs a new starter. Since his baby is a 2001 Honda Prelude, the parts take a week to arrive which means his car as been sitting at the dealers and he's been driving his equally old winter car - a Subaru Outback. At least a starter is available. He's been finding some other needed parts unavailable. I think he should look for another car and stop pouring money into this one, but he loves it and hasn't found another kind that he likes as well. 

I kept busy watching baseball and listening to the Liaden Universe audiobooks. With Houston clinching last night, half of the World Series is set. My Braves need to win one of the next two games against the Dodgers. Edited to add: THEY WON! THEY WON! I'M SO HAPPY FOR THEM!

I have the most recent Liaden Universe story to listen to again. Then I'll take a break since the authors have just submitted the next Liaden Universe book to their publishers for publication in May. The new one will be third in a story arc earlier in the timeline. I'll listen to the first two books nearer to when I can get my hands on the new book. 

This coming week has only one appointment. I have to have blood drawn as I do every three months. It looks like I will finally get to reading the rest of my November review books. 

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.)

• Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) -- Here's my review from May 28, 2015.
• Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread) -- Here's my review from July 2, 2016.
• To End in Fire by David Weber & Eric Flint (Mine) -- The latest book in the Honorverse is a 700+ page chunkster that takes place after the destruction of the Solarian League and concerns itself with the search for the villains - the Mesan Alliance. My review will be posted on November 23.

• You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus (November 30) -- This excellent YA thriller was told in alternate chapters by the main characters who were well-developed and interesting people. My review will be posted on November 24.
• Neogenesis by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook reread) -- Here is my review from December 27, 2017.

DNF

• A Murder Like No Author by Amy Lillard (November 30) -- This was an interesting combination of over-description and under-description often on the same page. Characters - large numbers - were introduced with no background while the setting was described in minute detail.

Currently

• Accepting the Lance by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill (November 30)

Next Week

• Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott (Audiobook)
• An Unexpected Distraction by Catherine Bybee (November 30)

• Last Redemption by Matt Coyle (November 30)
• Trader's Leap by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)

Reviews Posted

• Wolf Who Rules by Wen Spencer (finished August 1)
• Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell (finished August 11)
• Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest (finished August 27)

• Archangel's Light by Nalini Singh (finished August 29)
• Thief's Mark by Carla Neggers (finished September 12)
• Imposter's Lure by Carla Neggers (finished September 13)

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

Review:

• A Perfect Equation by Elizabeth Everett (February 15)

Bought:

• Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate by Forthright
• Knot of Shadows by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Little Girl Lost by Cheryl Bradshaw

What was your week like?

Book & Audio Review: Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell

Murder at the Breakers
Author: Alyssa Maxwell
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Series: A Gilded Newport Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Kensington Books; Reprint edition (March 25, 2014)
Length: 305 p.; 9 hours and 42 minutes

Description: In a historical mystery for Downton Abbey fans, a society reporter covers a killer party in Gilded Age Newport.

Newport, Rhode Island, August 1895: She may be a less well-heeled relation, but as second cousin to millionaire patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt, twenty-one-year-old Emma Cross is on the guest list for a grand ball at the Breakers, the Vanderbilts’ summer home. She also has a job to do—report on the event for the society page of the Newport Observer.

But Emma observes much more than glitz and gaiety when she witnesses a murder. The victim is Cornelius Vanderbilt’s financial secretary, who plunges off a balcony faster than falling stock prices. Emma’s black sheep brother Brady is found in Cornelius’s bedroom passed out next to a bottle of bourbon and stolen plans for a new railroad line. Brady has barely come to before the police have arrested him for the murder. But Emma is sure someone is trying to railroad her brother and resolves to find the real killer at any cost .

My Thoughts: Emma Cross is a poor relation to those famous Vanderbilts who spend summers in Newport. She's invited to the grand reopening of The Breakers and discovers the body of Cornelius's financial secretary and also her half-brother Brady passed out in the room the victim fell from. Everyone wants to quickly cover things up and railroad Brady for the crime. But Emma doesn't believe that her brother could have done that. Not that Brady is squeaky clean; he's noted for scams and not unknown to the police. In fact, he had lined Emma up as a distraction for Cornelius so that he could return some stolen plans that same evening.

Emma decides to use her family connections and her abilities as a writer for the Newport Observer to discover who really murdered Alvin Goddard. Her investigation takes her into the secrets of the summer visitors to Newport and force her to learn things she didn't want to know about some of her friends. 

She finds a number of suspects who had reason to want Goddard dead including her cousin Neily who objected to Goddard following him to discourage his romance with a woman his parents feel is unsuitable. There is lots of financial chicanery going on too, centering around a railroad line Cornelius wants to take over. One of childhood friend's new husband is involved with the railroad as is her father's best friend and honorary uncle. Then there is the mysterious Derrick Anderson who seems to be following Emma around. 

Emma is an interesting character who combines shrewdness with a sort of naivety that seems to go with her young age. She's only twenty-one; her parents are artists who have left her and moved to France. She lives in a home inherited from her great-aunt and cared for by her former nanny whom she thinks of as an unofficial grandmother. 

There is a nice mix of real historical figures and made-up characters in this story. There is also a touch of danger as Emma gets closer to uncovering the murderer. And there is a potential new romance for Emma. 

This was an engaging story. I liked the way Eva Kaminsky portrayed Emma through her narration.

Favorite Quote:

But sometimes a child just wants to be held. Just wants a mother's or father's whole attention, not as a reward for any particular achievement, but simply because.

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