Freaks & Other Family (2016) Lish McBride You Make Me Feel So Young Halfway Through the Wood This collection is two stories about the characters from Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, Sam and Ramon. Sam is now a necromancer. Ramon is now a were-bear. Luckily, Sam’s inheritance also included a house and money, so he’s able […]
The Magpie Lord (2013) K.J. Charles (Charm of Magpies) One for sorrow Two for joy Three for a girl Four for a boy Five for silver Six for gold Seven for a secret never to be told Eight for a letter over the sea Nine for a lover as true as can be Lucien Vaudrey […]
An Unsuitable Heir (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the City) Set in London in 1873 Mark is a private enquiry agent. He and his mother came to England, fleeing Poland after his mother got in trouble one too many times for her anarchism. Through the lawyer who often defended his mother, he came to know […]
An Unnatural Vice (2017) K.J. Charles Set in London in 1873 This book follows–and in some cases overlaps–An Unseen AttractionClem’s brother is dead, his heir has been made a bastard, and now Clem’s friends are trying to keep Clem’s cousin from throwing him out of his home by searching for another possible heir–the children on […]
Bewitching Benedict (2017) C.E. Murphy I really enjoyed CE Murphy’s Magic and Manners, so when I saw she had a straight-up historical romance, I put it on my wish list, and then got a surprise when Tania got it for me. Set in the late 1700s (Many of the male characters fought in the Napoleonic […]
Sixth Watch (2015/2016) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield This text is mandatory reading for the forces of Light. —THE NIGHT WATCH This text is mandatory reading for the forces of Darkness. —THE DAY WATCH This is the final book of the Night Watch series. Definitely and irrevocably the final book of the series. It’s […]
New Watch, Audible Version (2012/2014) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael I don’t love this book as much as the previous, but I still love this series and spending time in this world. Nadia is now ten, and in training at the Night Watch. Sveta is still out of the Watch, […]
The Terra Cotta Dog, Audio Edition (1996/2002/2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartaelli narrated by Grover Gardner I do enjoy this series, and I’m glad that Michael is enjoying listening to it (since I couldn’t get him to read it). We see Montalbano become fascinated with a murder that happened during WWII–a completely inexplicable tableau. […]
This Side of Murder (2017) Anna Lee Huber Set in England in 1919. Verity Kent is a war-widow. Her husband was killed during the Great War and she has spent the last 15 months trying to come to terms with his dead and adapt to her new status. The period during and immediately after the […]
Cold Reign, Audio Edition (2017) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam I’ve been working my way through the Jane Yellowrock audio books since 2014. It’s been lovely since it’s allowed me to keep the story and world current in my brain, so I didn’t feel the need to go back and re-read every time a […]
Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant Set in Spain and England in 1813 Adam Durward has used his ability with languages to move throughout Europe, gathering information. He also investigated issues in England, including the problem of exploding canon. Caroline Rawley has known Adam since they were children. Once they were best friends, then things changed […]
As Death Draws Near (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in Ireland in 1831 Kiera and Sebastian are on their honeymoon when Gage receives a letter from his father, ordering him to Ireland. (A) nun at the Loretto Abbey there, has gotten herself murdered. The matter is of some importance to His Grace, the Duke of […]
The Tropic of Serpents (2014) Marie Brennan The second novel in the Lady Trent series finds Isabella preparing to go on another scientific journey–this one to Eriga, where they hope to document other types of dragons. The warnings delivered in my first foreword continue to apply: if you are likely to be deterred by descriptions […]
A Grave Matter (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1831 After the death of her friend in the previous book, Kiera has fled to her brother’s home (her sister and brother-in-law are in Edinburgh during her sister’s pregnancy), but a New Year’s Eve murder pulls her into another investigation, and back into the […]
Mortal Arts (2013) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1830. Alana and her sister and family are setting up in Edinburgh, because Alana is pregnant again, and the local doctor is a quack, and they want her to have access to better care. Their journey–slow as it is with Alana’s carriage sickness–is interrupted with […]
The Seventh Sinner (1972) Elizabeth Peters I read one book in this series years and years ago, and remembered next to nothing about it other than I wanted to read the other books in the series, so when I came across the ebooks on sale, I snatched them up. First, this story was copyrighted in […]
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007) Diana Gabaldon This is a boinking book, but it’s also a book about family and justice and doing what is right. Although I find Hal (John’s brother) sometimes rather difficult, I think in this book I truly begin to like him. Hal relaxed a bit at […]
Rivers of London: Vol. 4 Detective Stories (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Luis Guerrero, Lee Sullivan The fourth Rivers of London comic finds Peter being interviewed to become a detective. The gentleman interviewing him is a bit unprepared for what he’s about to get. There is a lot to love about this comic. First off, […]
Twice Tempted (2013) Jeaniene Frost Leila is living with Vlad, but quickly comes to discover that as much as she loves him, she cannot live with him not loving her. One of the things I particularly like is the history that the various vampires have seen. the Knighthood of the Temple of Solomon had secret […]
Once Burned (2012) Jeaniene Frost Leila was electrocuted as a teen. “So let me get this straight,” Auburn Hair said, drawing the words out. “You touched a downed power line when you were thirteen, nearly died, and then later, your body began giving off electric voltage and your right hand divined psychic impressions from whatever […]
Shadowhouse Fall (2017) Daniel José Older This is the second book in the Shadowshaper Cypher series. Sierra is coming to terms with being the Lucera and leading a team of Shadowshapers. She’s also learning that all of this is going to be far more dangerous that they could have guessed, because The Sorrows–the House of […]
A Rare Book of Cunning Device, Audio Short Story (2017) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith This is a Peter Grant short story, available only as an audible short story (currently free). Oh My Dog I love this so much. Peter is summoned to the London British Library because the library (who knew his mother) […]
Tempting Fate (2009) Alissa Johnson Set in England in 1813 Whittaker Cole, Earl of Thurston, and Miss Mirabelle Browning have fought and argued with each other since they were young. Whit’s mother, however, has had enough and orders him to bury the hatchet and behave themselves, for it’s possible his attitude towards Mirabelle has kept […]
Mockingbird Vol. 2: My Feminist Agenda (2017) Chelsea Cain, Kate Niemczyk, Sean Parsons, Rachelle Rosenberg Clarification: the last two chapters (issues) in this book are NOT written by Chelsea Cain et al. They from The New Avengers. I didn’t like them. The difference between the two was kind of amazing. In the Cain chapters, Bobbi […]
Once Upon a Marquess (2015) Courtney Milan Set in England in 1866. Judith Worth has been raising her brother and sister since her father and eldest brother were convicted of treason. Since that conviction cost them their fortune, it has been a struggle–especially since they didn’t know how to do anything for themselves. Additionally, her […]
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished (2013) Sarah MacLean Set in England in 1831 Temple is called the killer duke, accused of murdering his father fiancee. Disparaged by society he became one of the four partners of The Fallen Angel. The Angel’s founders had created a single path of redemption for these men. There was a […]
Unraveled (2011) Courtney Milan Set in England in 1843. Smite Turner is known as Lord Justice–a magistrate who takes his duties very seriously. Billy Croggins licked his lips. “Lord Justice. Please. Have mercy.” The man shook his head. “The proper form of address is ‘Your Worship.’” Croggins frowned. “In any event,” Lord Justice continued, “if […]
Unclaimed (2011) Courtney Milan Set in England in 1841 Mark Turner has been knighted by the queen for his book on Chastity for men. That single event has made him a super star–despite all his best efforts not to be one. Why was it that men had to take every good principle and turn it […]
Some Danger Involved (2004) Will Thomas Set in London in 1884. I believe I started with series when Grandmom was living with us–both of us loved it for certain. Thomas Llewelyn is a young Welshman who is at the end of his rope. He was kicked out of Oxford, spent time in Oxford prison, and […]
Rivers of London Volume 3: Black Mould (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan I read these as ebooks, but being able to read on paper made a surprisingly huge difference. It’s possible I picked up on more things because it was the second read, but I think it’s because I could read it as […]
White Hot (2017) Ilona Andrews Guess what? I DESPISE THIS COVER TOO. It’s TERRIBLE. I tells you nothing about the story except that there is boinking. BLETCH. OK, enough. How about the story? The story is good! Things are even more complex, and not just between Nevada and Rogan. The cabal that attempted to destroy […]
Burn for Me (2014) Ilona Andrews I STILL DESPISE THIS COVER. Avon? THIS COVER IS HORRIBLE. No, really. It’s been what, three years, and I STILL HATE THIS COVER. Especially considering the proposed cover. But this review is not for me to rant. Well, not completely anyway. Nevada Baylor is owned by MII, the investigative […]
Where the Dead Lie (2017) C.S. Harris Set in London in September 1813. In case you’ve lost track, this is book 12 in the Sebastian St Cry series. Sebastian is becoming used to fatherhood, and although his sister still hates him, Sebastian’s father has been reaching out to Sebastian, to try perhaps to repair their […]
The Furthest Station (2017) Ben Aaronovitch My current theory is that the reason the previous novel took so long to come out was because it was too long, and a lot had to come out, and that material has made up the comics and this novella. Sounds good anyway. This is a Rivers of London […]
Passionate Minds: Emilie du Chatelet, Voltaire, and the Great Love Affair of the Enlightenment (2006) David Bodanis In France (and Europe) ~1706-1749 Unless you are a geek or a mathematician (or perhaps astronomer) you probably have never heard of Emilie du Chatelet. Not because she lacked achievements, but because she achieved those things as a […]
Legion: Skin Deep, Audio Version (2014) Brandon Sanderson narrated by Oliver Wyman I really like this series, but I fear with all his other writing commitments, further books may be few and far between. Since Michael listened to the first book, we listened to the second as well, on another car trip. Just as good […]
The Shape of Water, Audible Version (1994/2006) Andrea Camilleri narrated by Grover Gardner I’ve been trying for years to convince Michael to read Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano series. Finally, on a long drive, he agreed to listen to the audio book. He liked it. Just as I knew he would. At first, it felt weird […]
A Savage Place, Audio Version (1981/1987) Robert B. Parker narrated by Michael Prichard This is another fascinating look at Spenser, his ethics, and how he changes even over the course of the first few book. He’s still admitting to having served in Korea. “Do you remember the first time?” “The time, not the person. It […]
The Forgotten Man (2005) Robert Crais The 10th Elvis Cole book. The story opens with the discovery of a brutal murder–the bodies of mother, father, and son are found, along with the bloody footprints of their unharmed four-year-old daughter. The girl is physically unharmed, but no one involved leaves that home unchanged. Padilla was relieved […]
Earthly Remains (2017) Donna Leon The 26th Brunetti mystery sees nothing of Brunetti’s children, and very little of Paola. Although there is of course food. It seems like the corruption in Venice has finally gotten to Brunetti. In order to save Pucetti from himself, Guido pretends to fall ill, and then is unable to stop […]
Magic Stars (2015) Ilona Andrews If you’ve read the Kate Daniel’s series, this novella (which seems like it’ll be ongoing) features Derek and Julie. If you haven’t read the Kate Daniel’s series, I’m not sure how good of a starting place this would be, simply because Derek and Julie have a past that is intertwined […]
New Watch (2012/2013) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield The fifth book of the Night Watch series! I finally got around to reading it! This is a dubious text for the cause of Light. —THE NIGHT WATCH This is a dubious text for the cause of Darkness. —THE DAY WATCH As with the rest of […]
Sacred and Profane (1987) Faye Kellerman Peter Decker is trying to decide if being in love with Rina Lazarus is reason enough to take up practicing orthodox Judaism. He has become close with her sons, but chafes against the strictures and wonders if he truly has faith. There was an easy way out. He could […]
Magic Shifts (2015) Ilona Andrews Book 8 of the Kate Daniels series finds Kate and Curran living in the suburbs, forbidden from the Keep grounds for 90 days after Curran stepped down as the Beast Lord. Jim is now the Beast Lord, Dali his mate and co-alpha, and now shifting power and alliances are happening–but […]
Magic Strikes (2009) Ilona Andrews This book opens with one of my favorite scenes. An old woman is atop a telephone pole, and the Order is called to get her down. I trotted into the dark entrance to the apartment, where five members of the McSweeney family crouched in the gloom. “Tell me again why […]
Magic Bites (2007) Ilona Andrews This is another series that I’ve fallen behind reading. Unlike Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty series, these books are still coming, but I’m two books behind on my reading, and I’ve forgotten some major points, so I figure it’s time to re-read. Magic returned to the world, destroying much technology as it […]
Low Midnight (2014) Carrie Vaughn Book thirteen and all that’s left is the finale. This is NOT a Kitty book, this is a Cormac and Amelia book. Amelia had insisted on putting magical protections on the laptop, a protective rune here and an arcane mark there. Cormac wasn’t sure electronics worked that way, that magic […]
Kitty Goes to War (2010) Carrie Vaughn Book 8–since I was starting to lose track. The story opens with the radio show. After hearing about it more times than might be coincidence, Kitty asks about strange and/or supernatural events that happened at or around Speedy Marts. And gets more information than she expected. She also […]
Kitty and the Silver Bullet (2008) Carrie Vaughn Cormac is in the clink. Kitty and Ben are trying to settle into the new pack of two. Then everything comes crashing down when Rick shows up asking Kitty to help him overthrow the supernatural power structure in Denver, followed by a call from Kitty’s father that […]
Kitty Goes to Washington (2006) Carrie Vaughn The second Kitty book finds her taking her show on the road after being forced out of Denver, and the getting called to Washington to testify before a Senate hearing. One of the best things about this book is the contrast between Alette the vampire and Senator Duke, […]