Life continues to be a lot, hence the roundup for June and July, as we are well into August.

I’ve been tearing through audiobooks–I listened to seven Sebastian St. Cyr audio books, which tend to be about ten hours long. On the plus side, I’ve gone through more boxes and gotten rid of more junk AND I made jam.

But I also read new books, including some new releases.

I’ve been borrowing the Veronica Speedwell series from the library, so I had a bit of a wait for the latest book. It wasn’t bad, but I was also glad I didn’t pay list price for it as a new release.

Two other historical mystery series had new releases in June: the Lady Darby and Countess of Harleigh series. I didn’t enjoy these as much as previous books, but that might have been my frame of mind as much as anything.

What I did very much enjoy was the new Shady Hollow book, Juneau Black’s Summers End. That series is simply a wonderful escape from reality.

And I came across The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (2023) Alison Goodman which, despite dealing with heavy topics was enjoyable. There is (of course) a romantic sub-plot but that was second to the the relationship between the sisters. Oh, and the heroines are twin middle-aged spinsters.

And I want to take a moment to note the cover for Hen Fever, which is a queer Victorian romance with chickens. That cover is gorgeous AND delightful.

Romance

• Hen Fever: A Sapphic Victorian Romance (2022) Olivia Waite 7/10
• Curio (2024) C.S. Poe 6/10

Mystery

• Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series Ellis Peters: One Corpse Too Many (1979) (#2) 9/10, Monk’s Hood (1980) (#3) 9/10, Saint Peter’s Fair (1981) (#4) 8.5/10, The Leper of Saint Giles (1981) (#5) 9.5/10
• Summers End (2024) Juneau Black (Shady Hollow #5) 8.5/10
• A Dangerous Madness (2014) Michelle Diener (Regency London #3) 8.5/10
• The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (2023) Alison Goodman (The Ill-Mannered Ladies) 8/10
• A Deceptive Composition (2024) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby Mystery #12) 7.5/10
• An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder (2024) Dianne Freeman (Countess of Harleigh Mystery #7) 7/10
• A Grave Robbery (2024) Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell #9) 7/10
• Corpse at Captain’s Seat (2024) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble #8) 6/10

Audiobook

• Sebastian St. Cyr series C.S. Harris narrated by Davina Porter: What Remains of Heaven, Audiobook (2009/2016) (#5) 8.5/10, Where Shadows Dance, Audiobook (2011) (#6) 8.5/10, When Maidens Mourn, Audiobook (2012) (#7) 7.5/10, What Darkness Brings, Audiobook (2013) (#8) 8.5/10, Why Kings Confess, Audiobook (2014) (#9) 8.5/10, Who Buries the Dead, Audiobook (2015) (#10) 8.5/10, When Falcons Fall, Audiobook (2016) (#11) 8/10, Where the Dead Lie, Audiobook (2017) (#12) 8/10, Why Kill the Innocent, Audiobook (2018) (#13) 8/10, Who Slays the Wicked, Audiobook (2019) (#14) 8/10
• An Impossible Impostor Audiobook (2022) Deanna Raybourn narrated by Angele Masters (Veronica Speedwell #7) 6.5/10