“I can see you’re in a hurry…”

…then proceeds to talk at me for five minutes.

Old white men are the WORST.

OK, we’ve also had rain.

But it’s time for ephemeral spring wildflowers!

Trout lilies! (Erythronium americanum)

Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica)

Wood Anemone (Anemonoides quinquefolia)

Star chickweed (Stellaria pubera)

Romances are perfect for comfort reads, since you know you’re going to get the HEA. They can have their issues, but most of my favorites tend to have external conflicts, rather than the third act break-up because the characters were too damned stupid to talk to each other.

• Loud and Clear by Aidan Wayne | Average Rating: 9.2 | Rereads: 7
• And Everything Nice by Ada Maria Soto | Average Rating: 8.6 | Rereads: 7
• Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter by R. Cooper | Average Rating: 8.2 | Rereads: 6
• Kneading You by C.S. Poe | Average Rating: 7.9 | Rereads: 6
• Blank Spaces by Cass Lennox | Average Rating: 8.6 | Rereads: 5
• A Gift for Guile by Alissa Johnson | Average Rating: 8.4 | Rereads: 5
• Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins | Average Rating: 8.5 | Rereads: 3
• After the Scrum by Dahlia Donovan (Sin Bin) Average Rating: 8.0 | Rereads: 3

Blank Spaces and A Gift for Guile are mystery + romance, which made them prime comfort reads.

Many of the others are shorter reads.

• And Everything Nice – 44 pages
• Loud and Clear – 88 pages
• Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter – 108 pages
• Kneading You – 44 pages

Novellas are a perfect escape when my brain needs a reset. Usually less than 100 pages so I can gobble it down quickly, but enough of an emotional punch to get my head out of whatever rut its wallowing in.

Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter is particularly interesting as it was 7.5 on first read, but every time I read it, I picked up little things that made me like it just a little bit more.

There are a LOT fewer of these, because there aren’t a lot of stand-alone mysteries, and most series have ten or more books, which is a pretty big lift.

• Secrets in the Mist by Anna Lee Huber | Average Rating: 8.5 | Rereads: 3
• Jury of One by Charlie Cochrane (Lindenshaw Mysteries) Average Rating: 7.7 | Rereads: 3
• Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown) Average Rating: 7.3 | Rereads: 3

Secrets in the Mist is a stand-alone gothic-romance-mystery. I have a feeling I read it at least one other time but failed to track that I’d read it.

The Gethsemane Brown series is only five book, which makes it an easy reread, and the Lindenshaw Mysteries are all very quick reads and there are only seven books in the series.

 

These are the books I reread more than twice.

• Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk (Checquy Files #2) Average Rating: 9.3 | Rereads: 7
• The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton (Raven Boys #4) Average Rating: 9.3 | Rereads: 3
• Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage C.S. Poe, | Average Rating: 9.0 | Rereads: 4
• Who Killed Sherlock Holmes by Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (Shadow Police #3) Avg Rating: 8.6 | Rereads: 6
• Midnight Taxi Tango by Daniel José Older narrated by the author (Bone Street Rumba) Avg Rating: 8.5 | Rereads: 3
• The Brimstone Deception by Lisa Shearin (SPI Files #3) Average Rating: 8.3 | Rereads: 3
• Bloody Acquisitions by Drew Hayes (Fred the Vampire Accountant #3) Average Rating: 8.2 | Rereads: 5



• Shadow Rites by Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock #10) Avg Rating: 8.2 | Rereads: 3
• Soulwood by Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam: Blood of the Earth Avg Rating: 8.0 | Rereads: 3; Curse on the Land #2 Avg Rating: 8.3 | Rereads: 3
• Open for Business by Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) Avg Rating: 8.1 | Rereads: 5
• Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #9) Average Rating: 8.0 | Rereads: 3
• Occult Crimes Unit by Angel Martinez: Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters Avg Rating: 7.8 | Rereads: 3; The Pill Bugs of Time Avg Rating: 7.3 | Rereads: 3

There are several of these that I have listened to more times than I’ve read the stories, namely:

• Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk
• Who Killed Sherlock Holmes by Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch
• Shadow Rites by Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam
• Soulwood series by Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam

The Checquy Files and Shadow Police especially are books I listen to when I need to be firmly distracted. In fact, I listened to both series while I was emptying out my parent’s house.

There are four books I’ve read three or more times that did NOT make my end-of-the year favorites.

• Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage C.S. Poe (short story)
• Open for Business by Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations)
• Occult Crimes Unit by Angel Martinez: Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters & The Pill Bugs of Time

Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage is a short story, and it fills me with glee every time I read it, because it is extremely silly.

The Angel Martinez books are also silly–especially the Occult Crimes Unit series, which, honestly, was reread multiple times mostly for books four and five–the ones about Alex Wolf, a wolf who was cursed and turned into a human.

Frontlist is books that were published in 2016 that I read in 2016 or 2017. Backlist are the ones I read late but that still made my end of the year favorites when I eventually read them.

Frontlist

Romance

• A Gift for Guile by Alissa Johnson (Thief-Takers #2) 8/10

A Gift for Guile is the second Alissa Johnson I read, and going through her backlist lead me to one of my all time favorite stories.

Comics

• Mockingbird Vol. 1: I Can Explain (2016) Chelsea Cain, Kate Niemczyk, Ibrahim Moustafa, Joelle Jones 9/10
• Rivers of London: Night Witch (2016) by Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero : 9/10

I loved the Mockingbird run, and like X-23, wish there were more stories with these characters as leads.

The Rivers of London comic, however… I feel like Andrew Cartmel took over most of the story lines, and I enjoyed them less and less until I pretty much hated to last one I bothered reading.

Backlist

Romance

• Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins 8/10
• Blank Spaces by Cass Lennox 8.5/10
• Society of Gentlemen series by K.J. Charles: A Fashionable Indulgence 8/10, A Seditious Affair 8/10

The Society of Gentlemen series is not my favorite KJ Charles, but the other two books are ones I’ve read multiple times as those stories stuck in my brain.

Was browsing for clothes I might actually wear ^** when I was stopped in my tracks.

I am pretty sure I had that exact Walkman in the late 80s or early 90s.

Cassette player with AM/FM radio.

The ear pieces didn’t cover your ears, but weren’t earbuds, and the headphones kinda folded to a quarter of their “expanded” size.

That is not what I was expecting to see in a 2026 ad.

** To clarify, I would not have given that article of clothing a second glance, but the BRIGHT YELLOW of the Walkman caught my eye and I had to check I wasn’t imagining things.

Again, Frontlist is anything published in 2016 that I read in 2016 or 2017. Backlist is anything t I read after 2017.

Same notes for mysteries as for fantasies. 2016 ended up being a rough year, and I cut back on new books at the end of that year.

Frontlist

• When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #11) 8.5/10
• As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby #5) 8/10
• Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli: A Voice in the Night #20 (2012/2016) 8/10, Montalbano’s First Case and Other Stories (2008/ 2016) 8/10
• London Gambit by Tracy Grant (Malcom & Suzanne Rannoch) 8/10

I’m current on the Lady Darby series, and did read the final Inspector Montalbano book. I listened to a lot of the Sebastian St. Cyr series in 2024, but needed to take a break after reading (listening) to 18 books in a row, and really need to get caught up there.

The Malcom & Suzanne Rannoch series fell off for a couple of reasons–one, it didn’t have a regular publishing schedule so I missed a lot of books when they came out, and secondly, the stories are all closely linked, so a couple years had passed, I felt like I needed to reread the previous books to get caught up and… that didn’t happen.

Backlist

• Model Bodyguard by Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations #2) 8.5/10
• A Geek Girl’s Guide to Arsenic and A Geek Girl’s Guide to Justice by Julie Anne Lindsey 8/10

What is interesting about these two series is how surprised I am at how highly I rated these books. I’m not saying they were bad, because I remember that I tore through the Haven Investigations series. It’s simply that I haven’t felt a pull to reread either series, which is a bit unusual for books I enjoyed so much.

Unlike the fantasy books published in 2016, there isn’t much here that really stands out in my memory, aside from the Montalbano series, and that was in part because he was ninety, so I knew that series was going to be ending sooner rather than later.

I enjoyed this last year, so I thought I’d do it again.

We’ll start with the fantasy books published in 2016 that made my end of the year favorites list. I count as Frontlist anything published in 2016 that I read in 2016 or 2017.  Backlist is (obviously) anything published in 2016 that I read after 2017.

Frontlist

• Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley (Checquy Files #2) 9.5/10
• The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornell (Lychford series) 9/10
• Midnight Taxi Tango by Daniel José Older (Bone Street Rumba) 9/10
• Magic and Manners C.E. Murphy : 9/10
• The Brimstone Deception by Lisa Shearin (SPI Files #3) 9/10
• Ghost Girl in the Corner by Daniel José Older (Shadowshaper Cypher) 8.5/10
• Who Killed Sherlock Holmes by Paul Cornell (Shadow Police #3) 8/10
• Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #9) 8/10
• Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter: Shadow Rites #10 8/10, Blood in Her Veins 8/10
• Soulwood series by Faith Hunter: Blood of the Earth 8/10, Curse on the Land #2 8/10
• Tremontaine: Season One Volume One by Patty Bryant, Joel Derfner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Ellen Kushner, Malinda Lo, Racheline Maltese and Paul Witcover : 7.5/10

This year and 2017 will be particularly interesting, because I went through a really bad period in 2016 and was struggling until 2018. I also cut back sharply on my book purchasing at the end of 2016 and that lasted through 2018 and a bit beyond.

So I see some series that I really liked, but didn’t follow up on reading any later books as I wasn’t buying many new books for the next couple of years.

Which means I really need to go back to the Lychford, Shadowshaper, and Termontaine series.

And finally read those last Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood books. And get caught up on the Mercy Thompson series…

Backlist

• The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (Raven Boys #4) 9/10
• Bloody Acquisitions by Drew Hayes (Fred, the Vampire Accountant #3) 8/10
• In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan (Lady Trent #4) 8/10
• Freaks & Other Family by Lish McBride 8/10
• Rag and Bone by K.J. Charles 8/10

I’d actually pre-ordered The Raven King, but held off reading it, mostly because I didn’t want the series to end. But the follow-up series, Ronan’s series, (heart eyes!) fell through the cracks and I really need to read it.

I loved the entire Lady Trent series, and the audio was lovely. But each book was more than 300 pages, and none was a stand alone, so that’s a pretty big commitment if it’s not something I’m listening to.

I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Lish McBride, but for some reason hold off on reading new books, in fear this one won’t be as good as the others.

All in all, most of the books that made my best of the year are ones I’ve come back to, or that have otherwise stuck in my brain in some manner.

Favorite Book Cover

We’ll start off with my favorite book cover of the year, Copper Script by K.J. Charles designed by James T. Egan, self-published. (Queer historical romantic mystery)

It’s just so very pretty and atmospheric. And again I’ll note this is a self-published book, so  traditional publishers out there: you have no reason not to do better.

I’m not 100% on tracking cover artists yet (it sometimes involves searching), but from what is in my spreadsheet, these are the most common cover artists for books I read this year:

Cover Artists

• Jaime Jones: 9
• Ashley Ruggirello: 5
• Perry De La Vega: 5
• Tiferet Design: 5
• A.M. Ruggs: 4
• Mitxeran: 4

I know of the top of my head Jamie Jones did the covers for most of the Murderbot books, and Perry de la Vega did the covers for the Shady Hollow series. (The only websites I can find for Perry de la Vega are Tumblr and Instagram, and unfortunately, both require a log in.)

Favorite Books

My favorite books of the year were:

Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch (Queer urban fantasy & mystery)

and

After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian (Queer historical romance).

Seeing those titles listed together, I realize both have a major theme of dealing with grief.

Take that as you will.

 

Series Read

With some series I can read (or listen to) one book right after the other. With others I need a pause after a couple books–or to read slowly (ha).

There are two series here that I went through twice this year: The Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells) and the Page & Sommers books (Cat Sebastian).

• Murderbot Diaries:  14
• Miss Marple:  13
• Below Stairs Mystery:  9
• Fred, the Vampire Accountant:  9
• Goldy Bear:  6
• Shady Hollow:  6
• Big Bad Wolf:  5
• Bone Street Rumba :  4
• Brothers Sinister:  4
• Page & Sommers:  4
• Rivers of London:  4
• Chronicles of Brother Cadfael:  4
• Lords of Bucknall Club:  4
• Thursday Murder Club:  4

Publishers

The publisher whose books I read the most frequently was… self-published.

• self-published: 38
• Recorded Books:  20 (RBMedia)
• Tor:  6 (Macmillen: 8)
• William Morrow:  10 (HarperCollins)
• Carina:  8 (Harlequin:  9) (HarperCollins)
• Dreamscape Audio:  8 (Independent)
• Tantor Audio:  8 (RBMedia)

The world of publishing is confusing, because the big companies have multiple imprints that have imprints of their own; I put tordotcom (which is now something else) with Tor, just to make like easier for myself.

The Stats!

As 76% of the books I read in 2025 were rereads, the percentage of backlist I read is large.

What did surprise me is that I managed so many new releases (19).

Because I almost never listen to a fiction book I haven’t read previously, you can see the correlation between audio books (63) and rereads (137).

According to the BookRiot reading log tally, I spent 23 days, 8 hrs, and 8 mins listening to audio books.

I read 180 books in 2025, which is just over half the number of books I read in 2021.

But 2020 and 2021 were outliers, so for the most part the number of books I read each month was on par with previous years.

Again, according to the Book Riot Reading log calculations, I read 31423 pages, and an average of 86 pages a day.

Most books I read fall into multiple genres, so that data is always a little wonky.

Much of the romance I read is historical, but I also love historical mysteries, and of course there are paranormal mysteries, so genre often adds up to 200-300% of the number of books read.

Lastly…

I’m still reading diversely.

This is so much easier to do than it used to be, since it’s getting easier and easier to find books that aren’t just straight white characters. (Thank you, ebooks.)

And I think that wraps up the books of 2025.

Happy reading in 2026 to everyone.

Favorite Fantasy Books of 2025
Mystery Books Books of 2025
Audio Books Books of 2025
Romance, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, & Non-Fiction Books Books of 2025

Fantasy Book Covers of 2025
Mystery Book Covers of 2025
Romance Book Covers of 2025
Non-Fiction Book Covers of 2025

I may have read 26 romances this year, but only three of them were new to me books, and only one of those was more than meh.

I never read much SF, I’m backlogged on comics (I really do need to pick up my new reading glasses), and I’m only reading a little non-fiction, so these genres get to share a single post.

Romance

After Hours at Dooryard Books (2025) Cat Sebastian

Coming as a surprise to no one who has read a Cat Sebastian book, this was excellent.

It’s not light and fluffy as it deals with grief and homophobia and the Vietnam war.

“I realize this is wildly hypocritical of me,” Nathaniel says. “But even though I’m very much against emotions when they happen to me, I think it’s possible that refusing to feel anything at all fucks you up fairly comprehensively in the long run.”

But it is good.

Patrick is doing his best to pay back good into the world after one woman saved him when he was a teenager and had no where to turn. Nathaniel has spent his life pretending to be something he isn’t and ignoring the things going on around him until he can’t take it any more.

Add to that grief, folk music, and a new baby and it still doesn’t tell you anything about how the book made me feel.

9/10

Self-published

Historical, Queer

Graphic Novel

Lady Mechanika: The Devil in the Lake (2025) Joe Benítez, M. M. Chen, Siya Oum

Lady Mechanika Volume 8

Lady Mechanika is a steampunk superhero who remembers almost nothing of her past and how she was transformed from a normal young woman into a someone no longer fully human.

You absolutely can’t start here, but you can absolutely find the earlier volumes.

8.5/10

Image Comics

Fantasy, Historical

Non-Fiction

The Drunken Botanist (2013) Amy Stewart

Have you ever wondered how we got the various alcohols we have today?

No?

You should, because a look at the history of alcohol and the plants we’ve taken up into the cause is fascinating.

8/10

Algonquin Books

Food, Science & Nature

SF

Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy (2025) Martha Wells

The Murderbot Diaries #2.5

Murderbot short story, but with ART and his crew.

8.5/10

Tor

Queer

 

The Books of 2025

I have been listening to a lot of audio books for the past several years. They allow me to get out of my own way when I need to get things done but my brain won’t shut up.

The Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall narrated by Nneka Okoye

Mortal Follies (2023) (#1) 9/10, Confounding Oaths (2024) (#2) 9.5/10

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the books, but Nneka Okoye’s narration is perfect.

Almost as good as Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, which is high praise coming from me.

Random House Audio

Fantasy, Romance, Alternate History, Queer

The Masquerades of Spring (2024) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

(Rivers of London) 8.5/10

Kobna Holdbrook Smith’s American accents have gotten better, but some of them felt a bit off here, however, he was being required to do multiple historic accents from places all over the US.

That aside, listening to this was just as lovely as reading it.

Random House Audio

Fantasy, Historical, Queer

Peter Grant: Midnight Riot (2011), Moon Over Soho (2011), Whispers Under Ground (2012), Broken Homes (2014), Foxglove Summer (2014), The Hanging Tree (2017), The Furthest Station (2017), Lies Sleeping (2018), False Value (2020), Amongst Our Weapons (2022)

Rivers of London: The October Man (2019), Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection (2020), What Abigail Did That Summer (2021), Winter’s Gifts (2023), The Masquerades of Spring (2024)

Shady Hollow Mysteries by Juneau Black narrated by Cassandra Campbell

Shady Hollow (2015) 8/10, Cold Clay (2022) 8.5/10, Mirror Lake (2022) 8.5/10, Twilight Falls (2023) 8/10, Summers End (2024) 8/10

Random House Audio

When we finished the Chequy Files we needed something else to listen to, and after Michael insisted he wasn’t at all interested in a mystery series where animals were the main characters, I started the first book and we went through the whole series excluding the most recent book.

Mystery, Fantasy, Cozy, Queer

Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Man Who Died Twice (#2) (2021) narrated by Lesley Manville 8.5/10, The Bullet That Missed (#3) (2022) narrated by Fiona Shaw 8.5/10, The Last Devil to Die (#4) (2023) narrated by Fiona Shaw 9/10

Penguin Audio

The series switched narrators halfway through, so it was a tiny bit confusing when I was listening to the books one after the other, but I adjusted relatively quickly.

One of the best things about the audio books is most had interviews with the author at the end, and I liked hearing him talk about the characters.

Mystery, Queer

The Books of 2025

I read 20 new-to-me mysteries this year, including one I’d been sitting on for… er…. nine years.

Because I didn’t want to finish the series.

No, I don’t understand how my brain works either.

~ 8.5/10 ~

Copper Script (2025) K.J. Charles

Self-published

This story has what can be seen as paranormal elements, but they aren’t presented as such so I choose not to classify it as such.

This is set in the Interwar period. Joel Wildsmith returned from the war minus a hand, and has been making his way as best he can, which isn’t that great.

Joel had spent a year or more fighting to get the hook. The Ministry for Pensions had made things entirely clear in their literature at the end of the war. “You are going back to ordinary civil life,” the leaflet had said, “and it is up to you to make yourself as fit for that work as possible.”

He runs up against Aaron Fowler, a police detective who doesn’t like the corruption he sees in the force, and he doesn’t like people taking advantage, which is what he things Joel is doing.

(It was) quite right that he had no qualifications and no proof that he could do what he claimed. Joel’s only defence was the fact that he could do it.

Historical, Queer, Romance

We Solve Murders (2024) Richard Osman

We Solve Murders #1

Sometimes when I love one series, a different series by the same author is either a disappointment or just something that doesn’t work for me.

But after listening to the audio books for the Thursday Murder Club series I decided to give We Solve Murders a try.

“Your passport will be checked in the Arrivals Suite,” says Brad. “Then Border Protection. They never check bags, though.”

Steve is relieved—he doesn’t need a bored man with a gun questioning why he’s only packed three pairs of underpants.

It was just as delightful.

Pamela Dorman Books

~ 8/10 ~

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin (2025) Alison Goodman

The Ill-Mannered Ladies #2

The second book find Gus still railing against their brother, who insists upon trying to control both sisters, and trying to come between Gus and Julia.

Which isn’t a good thing when they are hiding one fugitive and Gus wants to meet up with a different one.

Like the first book, this book is somewhat dark, primarily in how it insists upon portraying much of the past as it was, not as we wish to see it.

“Do not be ridiculous, Augusta,” Duffy said. “Whitmore is an Oxford man and a trusted member of Liverpool’s government. You cannot fling around preposterous accusations about men of good standing.”

It’s another good story, but don’t assume from the cover that it is a cozy.

Berkley Prime Crime

Historical, Queer

The Ill-Mannered Ladies: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (2023), The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin (2025)

A Tarnished Canvas (2025) Anna Lee Huber

Lady Darby #13

The 13th Lady Darby book sees Emma’s first birthday coming up, and Kiera confused by her mood and reactions to what should be a joyous occasion.

I knew I was being ridiculous. Naturally, Gage was absorbed with the inquiry. All I needed to do was speak up and tell him I was troubled, and he would attend to me. I knew this, and yet the words stuck in my throat, stifled by my own insecurities.

After living through the abuse dealt by her first husband, a modern reader isn’t surprised by her responses, but PTSD isn’t something that existed then, so Kiera sees her feelings and reactions as weakness and something she should be able to control, which makes dealing with their current inquiry even harder.

Berkley Prime Crime

Historical

Lady Darby: The Anatomist’s Wife, Mortal Arts, A Grave Matter, A Study in Death , A Pressing Engagement, As Death Draws Near, A Brush with Shadows, An Artless Demise, A Stroke of Malice, A Wicked Conceit, A Perilous Perspective, A Fatal Illusion, A Deceptive Composition, A Tarnished Canvas

Dominoes, Danzón, and Death (2024) Raquel V. Reyes

A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #4

The end of the third book felt a bit like a cliffhanger to me, but it apparently wasn’t, and here we pick up after the worst of the pandemic, as people are starting to put their lives back together and Miriam is appreciating having not been involved in any murders since the end of the third book.

Spoiler: Her streak of no murders is ended.

Even more unfortunately, she is expected to help out her utterly horrible mother-in-law.

The more Marjory talked, the looser she got. The museum that she (and Senior) had ‘paid for’ was supposed to be more about ‘our history’ and less about ‘Indians.’

Crooked Lane Books

Cozy, Food

Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries: Mango, Mambo, and Murder, Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking, Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal, Dominoes, Danzón, and Death

Mockingbird Court (2025) Juneau Black

A Shady Hollow Mystery #6

This is the final Shady Hollow book, and not only do we revisit most of the characters from the previous book, we also learn what led Vera to flee the city in the first place.

She huddled under the comforter, curled into a near-perfect circle with her paw over her snout and her tail wrapped protectively around her, in a vain attempt to shut out the world.

Sadly, one of the characters making a return is Bradley Marvel.

“First, we aren’t friends. Second, last time you were here, you were told to leave Shady Hollow and never come back. And third, never call me cute. Not if you want to live long.”

I’m sad the series is over but glad they chose to go out while they were still enjoying writing it.

Vintage

Cozy, Fantasy, Mystery, Queer

Shady Hollow, Cold Clay, Mirror Lake, Evergreen Chase, Twilight Falls, Phantom Pond, Summers End

Brother Cadfael’s Penance (1994) Ellis Peters

The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #20

This is the book I’ve not read for almost a decade, simply because I didn’t want to series to actually be over.

Nevermind that I have the collection of three novellas still in my TBR pile.

The Brother Cadfael series is just so comforting to read, despite the fact it’s set during the time of English history referred to as The Anarchy.

The voices of cold reason were talking, as usual, to deaf ears.

Set in 1145, written in 1994, some things are as true as ever.

MysteriousPress

Historical, Cozy

Brother Cadfael: A Morbid Taste for Bones, One Corpse Too Many, Monk’s Hood (1980), Saint Peter’s Fair, The Leper of Saint Giles, The Virgin in the Ice, The Sanctuary Sparrow, The Devil’s Novice, Dead Man’s Ransom, The Pilgrim of Hate, An Excellent Mystery, The Raven in the Foregate, The Rose Rent, The Hermit of Eyton Forest, The Confession of Brother Haluin, The Heretic’s Apprentice, The Potter’s Field, The Summer of the Danes, The Holy Thief, Brother Cadfael’s Penance

Below Stairs Mysteries by Jennifer Ashley

A Moveable Feast #7.6 (2025) Self-published

This novella sees Kat forced to go to someone else’s house and kitchen to prepare a holiday meal for a friend of Mrs. Bywater’s whose own cook has fallen sick.

“Is his lordship all right?” I asked Mrs. Bywater. “Considering.”

“Lord Babcock is made of stern stuff,” Mrs. Bywater said decidedly. “He still has an heir, so all is not lost.”

She’s so awful.

A Silence in Belgrave Square #8 (2025) Berkley Prime Crime

This may or may not be the final book in the series, as it ends with Daniel finally free of Monaghan, although she herself is still working as a cook.

So I’m hoping we’ll at least get one more book that sees Kat with her own tea shop and Cynthia away from Mrs. Bywater and the rest of her family.

Cynthia pursed her lips. “I’m not certain we should show these awful things to Thanos. He becomes very upset when someone is disparaging to ladies, bless him.”

And hopefully getting married to Thanos.

Cozy, Historical, Queer

Kat Holloway: A Soupçon of Poison, Death Below Stairs, Scandal Above Stairs, Death in Kew Gardens, Murder in the East End, Death at the Crystal Palace, The Secret of Bow Lane, The Price of Lemon Cake, Mrs. Holloway’s Christmas Pudding, Speculations in Sin, A Measure of Menace, A Moveable Feast, A Silence in Belgrave Square

Mavis Miller Mysteries by Elise Bryant

It’s Elementary (2024) #1 (9/10)

Mavis lives with her retired father, so he can lend a hand when needed as she’s a single mom.

It’s not that her daughter’s father isn’t in the picture, it’s that he’s a touring musician and just not around.

The “Daddy Tracker” is what Pearl calls Find My Phone, the app and website that we use to track where Corey is every night.

To be clear, she uses the app because her ex is trying to be as much a part of Pearl’s life as he can be, not because Mavis is stalking Corey.

The trouble comes when the heat of the PTA corners Mavis to try and force her to head the PTA’s DEI group. And then Mavis sees that PTA mom dragging black trash bags out of the school the same night the principal (with whom Nightmare PTA Mom had just fought) disappeared.

I read the second book, The Game Is Afoot (2025) and it is well done, but I didn’t rate it because for almost the entire book Mavis is in denial about her anxiety and PTSD and that was too nerve-wracking to read for me to enjoy it at all.

Berkley

Cozy

Mavis Miller Mysteries: It’s Elementary, The Game Is Afoot

Berkley: 5
self-published: 1
Vintage: 1
Pamela Dorman: 1
MysteriousPress: 1

Favorite mystery covers of 2025
The Books of 2025

~ Rated 9/10 ~

Stone and Sky  (2025) Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London #10

The POV in this book alternates between Peter and Abigail: Peter looking into police matters and Abigail theoretically helping to look for the disappearing leopard, but mostly there because they adults thought a change would be helpful as she struggles with the death of Paul.

His death was inevitable–even Abigail noted this in earlier stories–but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard for a teenager to come to terms with the loss of her brother.

Peter wants me to do grief counseling, which is rare coming from him, but I said it’s my grief, innit? And I ain’t finished with it yet.

Story-telling-wise, now that Peter has kids, those kids both take up a lot of his time and make him far more risk-adverse. So adding in Abigail gives us not just another story-line, but a character interested in adventure (even if she is far more sensible than Peter ever was).

I appreciate that Ben Aaronovitch lets us see Abigail’s grief, but offsets it with both Abigail’s adventures and Peter’s dealing with his kids.

The twins ate their chips and the inside of their burgers, and would have used the buns as impromptu frisbees if I hadn’t moved to confiscate them.

Note to other authors: that’s how you write young kids.

But I expected the kids to be well-written, considering what a good job he did with a younger Abigail.

DAW

Mystery, Queer

Peter Grant: Midnight Riot, Moon Over Soho , Whispers Under Ground, Broken Homes, Foxglove Summer, The Hanging Tree, The Furthest Station, Lies Sleeping, False Value (2020), Amongst Our Weapons

Rivers of London: The October Man, Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection, What Abigail Did That Summer, Winter’s Gifts, The Masquerades of Spring

~ Rated 8.5/10 ~

Rogue Community College (2024) David R. Slayton

Liberty House #1

I liked the Adam Binder series, but haven’t been able to get into Dark Moon, Shallow Sea (this isn’t a surprise, as I still have some trouble starting new books).

Although this is in the same world as the Adam Binder books, it’s much less of an urban fantasy, with much of the action taking place in parallel lands rather than our world.

“Now, can anyone tell me what occurred in the Christmas War of 1984?”

“Is that the one where people were beating each other up over dolls?”

“Not exactly, though you have the correct time period.”

Mostly.

Isaac Frost is an orphan who had been taken in by The Undertaker and raised as an assassin, but never sent out on a mission–until now.

Blackstone Publishing

Queer

Fire Spells Between Friends (2024) Sarah Wallace and S.O. Callahan

Fae & Human Relations #2

This is the second book in the series, and follows the brother of one of the characters from the first book.

Instead of enemies to lovers, we have two characters who are already lovers. One is being pushed to find a spouse, and the other doesn’t believe they could ever be married because of politics and the fact that Torquil is half-human/half-fey, a position that generally makes one an outcast.

“Such is the price for being the most outstanding sibling in a prominent family,” Keelan said matter-of-factly.

“Why should I be the one to suffer? Would it not make more sense that I be rewarded for my magical aptitude by having the freedom to marry for love rather than duty?” His brothers had been allowed such privilege, as would Aveline when she finally settled down.

Keelan made a thin hum of uncertainty. “Your reward is inheritance. Knowing your future is secure. In turn, you find an equally powerful partner to ensure that your children and grandchildren are guaranteed the same.”

But things are changing in the world, started by the events in the first book.

Self-published

Romance, Historical, Queer

Fae & Human Relations: Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms

Bookshops & Bonedust  (2023) Travis Baldree

Legends & Lattes #1

This is the prequel to Legends & Lattes, and a book I’d put off reading for reasons that didn’t even make sense at the time.

We go back to the start of Viv’s career, when she is injured during her first battle, and is forced to recuperate in a small town.

With every impact, she found a new, more colorful epithet for Rackam. Not that it was his fault, of course. Still, it was a lot more satisfying to curse someone by name, even if that name should’ve been her own.

It’s just as cozy as the first book, although not a romance (since Viv finds love after she gives up life as a mercenary).

Tor

Cozy, Queer

Legends & Lattes (2022)

Supernatural Crimes Unit: NYPD: The Thin Blue Ley-Line (2025) Keith R. A. Decandido

I love police procedurals. Add in supernatural elements and I’m all but guaranteed to at least try the story. But good supernatural cop stories are hard to find, and my favorites tend to last only three books, but I’m hoping this book is the start of a series.

The SCU had been formed after a vampire named Bogdan Albescu killed a City Hall employee named John Rosario on the latter’s way to work.

One of the things I appreciate in a well-written law enforcement story is the acknowledgement that much of the job entails dealing with bureaucracy, and that solving crime is a lot of really boring work that only rarely becomes exciting.

Of course dealing with supernatural elements–especially newly discovered ones–makes things more exciting by default.

Blackstone Publishing

Mystery, Queer

~ Rated 8/10 ~

Viscounts & Villainy  (2025) Allie Therin

Roaring Twenties Magic #3

This finishes the story arc begun in Spellbound, as well as the romance between Sebastian and Wesley.

“Stop trying to give me feelings, you absolute menace.”

I like Wesley.

Although the POV stays between Wesley and Sebastian, we do get to see Rory and Arthur.

“We’ll follow behind your train tomorrow in the car.”

“It’s a long drive,” Wesley said.

“Respectfully, Wes,” Arthur said patiently, “what you consider a long drive as an Englishman and what I consider a long drive as an American are not the same thing. We’ll be fine.”

I love that exchange so much.

Carina Press

Romance, Mystery, Queer

Magic in Manhattan: Spellbound (2019), Starcrossed (2020), Wonderstruck (2021)

Roaring Twenties Magic: Proper Scoundrels, Once a Rogue, Viscounts & Villainy

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea (2022) Rebecca Thorne

Tomes & Tea #1

Cozy has been my by-word in recent years, so when I heard about this book I added it to my TBR pile.

And then actually picked it up to start reading.

Reyna is an elite bodyguard who is more than tired of her job. So she finally decides to run away.

Run away with me, the mage had said, her eyes alight. You like tea. I like books. Let’s open a shop somewhere remote and forget the world exists.

Unfortunately, her job isn’t one you’re allowed to walk away from, and her girlfriend is the top mage in her country, so it’s complicated.

This did have higher stakes than I was expecting, but was still nice escape.

Self-published

Queer, Cozy

As much as I read this year, I only finished 11 new-to-me fantasy books. But it’s ok. I’m slowly starting to pick up books that aren’t rereads, so hopefully I’ll double that number in 2026.

• self-published: 2
• DAW: 1
• Tor: 1
• Carina (Harlequin): 1

Favorite fantasy covers of 2025
The Books of 2025