Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Audio Edition (2014) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton (The Raven Cycle) Blue and Adam exchanged a delighted look. The only thing more pleasing than seeing Ronan singled out was seeing him singled out and forced to repeatedly sing an Irish jig. “Spruce Knob. Highest peak in West Virginia. Forty-five hundred […]
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings (2016) Lydia Sherrer (The Lily Singer Adventures) Lily Singer is a wizard. She didn’t learn this until she went away to college, but she quickly acquired a mentor, and even a friend who was a witch (much to the chagrin of her mentor, as the witch is her nephew). […]
N or M? (1941) Agatha Christie (Tommy & Tuppence) It’s 1940 and both Tommy & Tuppence feel useless. “Well, come on, out with it. Nothing doing?” “Nothing doing. They don’t want me in any capacity. I tell you, Tuppence, it’s pretty thick when a man of forty-six is made to feel like a doddering grandfather. […]
The Gorgon Agenda (2023) Lisa Shearin (SPI Files) I seem to have forgotten much of the previous book. But now I check the publication date, I bought it a the end of March 2021, so, yeah, that explains it. The Aegis–the mythical shield with Medeusa’s head head embedded in the center, has been stolen from […]
Hide and Seek (2022) Josh Lanyon Andy was already headed home–to the small Maine town where his great uncle has his small antique store, but when he arrives, things are made even worse: his uncle was in the hospital after being badly beaten during a break in. It makes Andy’s reasons for running home seem […]
There Will Be Phlogiston (2014) Alexis Hall (Prosperity) Anstruther Jones is the Phlogiston Baron. Wealth beyond imagine from ignominious beginnings, he wants to be accepted not because he admires society, but because he wants to find companionship. Lady Rosamond Wolfram is on the marriage mart because it is expected of her. She will catch a […]
Legends & Lattes (2022) Travis Baldree Viv is read to retire from the life of an adventurer. She has her dream, and she has the treasure to make that dream come true, which is what leads her to Thune. After twenty-two years of adventuring, Viv had reached her limit of blood and mud and bullshit. […]
Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey (2018) Ngozi Ukazu It’s like a hug! Only with hockey and bad language and drinking. Art from the comic blog. Publisher: First Second Rating: 8/10
The Holiday Trap (2022) Roan Parrish Greta has had it with her family. She may love them, but that doesn’t change things. “I know it’s Chanukah and I know your family, but I must introduce you to my friend Boundaries, and her best friend, Also Boundaries.” Truman needs to get away. “I left. Excuse me […]
Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism (2018) edited by Barb Cook & Michelle Garnett A collection of essays where autistic women describe life from a female autistic perspective, and present empowering, helpful and supportive insights from their personal experience for fellow autistic women. Prologue: Barb Cook Chapter 1: Finding Your Tribe by Maura […]
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (1985) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) The first half of this edition is The Thirteen Problems / The Tuesday Club Murders, which I earlier. The second half has the following stories: From The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (1939) “Miss Marple Tells a Story” first in Home Journal (1935) [“Behind […]
A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) This is one of the stories that has always stuck with me–probably because of the rye mentioned in the title. Rex Fortescue dies in his office, and the police immediately suspect murder. “I gather you don’t think it was natural death,” he said dryly. “Not […]
Proper Scoundrels (2021) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic) Set in England in 1925. Me: I really liked this first series that this book is a spin-off of. Obviously I should not read it. (Repeat time and again for author after author) Sebastian de Leon spent the past three years enthralled, and forced to do terrible […]
Deadbeat Druid (2022) David R. Slayton (Adam Binder) This is the third book in the Adam Binder series, and unlike book two, does not end on a cliff-hanger. I’ll be honest, I was reading with a eye on the percent done, worried I’d get another cliffhanger. Luckily, it ended cleanly. This might be the final […]
Always Only You (2020) Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers) Frankie is a social media coordinator for the LA Kings hockey team, which (considering the nature of hockey) gives her plenty to do. I also document informal charitable outings geared toward our most underrepresented fans. It’s not in my exact job description, but I’m a big believer […]
The Body in the Library (1942) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) The second Miss Marple book has both Miss Marple and Sir Henry Clithering. One of the things I always loved Agatha Christie books is how descriptive they can be. The gay, laughing expression on his face was wiped off as though by a sponge from […]
Damaged Goods (2018) Talia Hibbert (Ravenswood) This novella is a sequel of sorts to A Girl Like Her. We see Laura’s redemption from Ruth’s enemy to friend. Laura is pregnant and that has given her the strength to flee her husband, so she has come to the place where she once was happy to rebuild […]
What Abigail Did That Summer (2021) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Shvorne Marks and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London) First, this is Abigail’s story. Peter doesn’t make an appearance (although we see Nightingale and hear from Postmartin). Second, this story jumps back and forth in time, opening with Abigail at a police station, and then jumping […]
The Hanging Tree, Audio Edition (2017) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London) Lady Ty has decided to call in her favor. “Peter,” said Lady Ty, “Nightingale is not to know about this— is that clear?” “Crystal,” I said. As soon as she hung up, I called the Folly. Not that he’ll let […]
Human Enough (2019) ES Yu Noah Lau joined the Vampire Hunters–first as an Intelligence Analyst, but after issues with his supervisor, as a hunter. Although people assume he joined in revenge for the murder of his parents, he really just did not want another child to have to live through what he and his sister […]
The Secret of Bow Lane (2022) Ashley Gardner (Kat Holloway) Set in England in 1882 The Sixth Book in the Below Stairs mystery series finds Kat embroiled in her own mystery. Her husband’s actual wife has come to Kat demanding assistance in discovering treasure Joe supposedly had before he died. Kat has little interest, but […]
The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in England in 1816. Lawrence has a reputation as a madman. A reputation he fully believes. Penkellis was no place for a child, madmen were not fit guardians, and nobody knew those facts better than Lawrence himself, who had been raised under precisely those […]
Husband Material (2022) Alexis Hall (London Calling) Although the characters are the same, this is a very different book from Boyfriend Material. Which I utterly adored. That doesn’t mean this book wasn’t excellent, just that you need to go into it with different expectations. First and foremost, Alexis Hall said he wanted to write a […]
For Better or Worse (2017) R. Cooper I reread the previous book, so I had to reread this one. To this day he could remember the exact feeling of relief at discovering terms like demisexual and gray ace, and his immediate need to know more, and then still, always, that faint shame of not being […]
Purloined Poinsettia (2022) Dahlia Donovan (Motts Cold Case Mystery) Motts has been fascinated by cold cases since her childhood best friend was murdered and no one every caught. Recently, she’s discovered that the majority of girls she went to school with have been killed in the interim. Now, as they are slowly closing in on […]
Lock, Stock and Peril (2022) Charlie Cochrane (Lindenshaw Mysteries) Set in early 2021 during the pandemic. What a year 2020 had been, and the start of 2021 wasn’t shaping up that great, either. The pandemic is a part of the story, because it was part of the world at the time, but it is not […]
The Labours of Lord Perry Cavendish (2021) Joanna Chambers (Winterbourne) Set in England in 1823 For no reason I could discern I thought of this story and wanted to reread it. I think what I like best about this novella is that since it is a shorter length, there isn’t time for misunderstandings to be […]
The Wanderer (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) After a hookup at his friend Francis’s wedding, Graham doesn’t expect to see the handsome rugby, but when the meet a second time, when Graham’s brother books him at the Inn BC inherited, he has a wonderful time–and then leaves in the middle of the night. Graham […]
After the Scrum (2016) Dahlia Donovan Although there are occasional issues with this series that could have been solved with stronger editing, this remains a series that has lodged itself in my brain and keeps popping up at random times. Francis is an interior designer who lives with his grandmother. He’d gone away to college […]
A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in ~1872 This is such a marvelous book. Jane, struggles with so many things, and is justifiably terrified of anyone discovering her secret, which makes it one of the few books where it is completely logical for the main characters to keep secrets from […]
An Impossible Impostor (2022) Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell) Set in England in 1900. Veronica and Stoker are back in London, when Sir Hugo comes to them to ask a favor: check on his goddaughter, and see if the man claiming to be her brother is truly returned from the dead. He is asking Veronica, because […]
A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (2022) Dianne Freeman (Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in London in 1900. I’ve been picking up books, then putting them down, and noe and Murder and it was precisely what I was in the mood to read. It’s a cozy mystery. This is book five. Main character is […]
Kneading You (2016) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) Reread. Because I can’t settle down into anything. Rating: 8/10
Shattered Bonds, Audio Book (2019) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock) Book 13 of Jane Yellowrock I wasn’t sure how I feel about this book the first time I read it, and I’m still not positive how I feel about it now. Leo was killed in the Sangre Duello. Jane is dying of […]
The Soldier’s Dark Secret (2015) Marguerite Kaye (Comrades in Arms) Set in England in 1815. I’d picked this book up on a whim in2015, and was surprised by how much I liked it. Jack was a soldier for 13 years, and was Wellington’s code-breaker during the war with Napoleon. He resigned his commission after being […]
Prosperity (2018) Alexis Hall (Prosperity) Set in Prosperity in 1863. I’ve had this book for a bit, but wasn’t sure I was in the mood for a fantasy, but when a discussion of Our Flag Means Death. Which I haven’t seen, but sounds utterly marvelous. So since I’m not going to be watching Our Flag […]
Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction (2019) Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson It’s (somewhat) common knowledge that Mary Shelly wrote the first SFF book: Frankenstein. But there were so many other women at the start of the horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction genres, and this book tells you […]
Dark Queen, Audio Edition (2018) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock) I’m having a hard time believing that I read this four years ago. Obviously it’s true, but it feels both forever ago and far more recent. Mostly because parts of this book stuck in my brain. And I still have problems with […]
Amongst Our Weapons (2022) Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London) It’s been two years since the previous full Rivers on London book, although in between we had a story set in Germany, comics, short stories, and Abigail’s novella. And I am GREAT with all that. Did I want to know what was happening with Peter? Of […]
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Identity, and the Meaning of Sex (2020) Angela Chen What is ace? The book opens with a decent explainer. What I didn’t know was what it felt like to want sex without a specific person in mind. To think about sex at all when I was alone. To feel […]
A Perilous Perspective (2022) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby Mystery) Set in Scotland in 1832 The tenth Lady Darby book finds Kiera and Sebastian are in Scotland for the wedding of her friend Charlotte to her cousin Rye. Trouble comes with Kiera realizes that several of Lord Barbreck’s paintings are most likely forgeries. If the […]
Women Warriors: An Unexpected History (2019) Pamela D. Toler One of the things about ebooks that is both good and bad, is that when I am reading them I have no idea how long they are. This means I can be surprised at an ending, since I generally have little idea how far along I […]
In a Treacherous Court (2011) Michelle Diener (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker) Set in England in 1525 Although this is fiction, it is based upon real historical characters. Few details are known about them, so aside from the bare details, this is fictional, although the time period is well-researched. Susanna Horenbout is sent by her […]
Shadow Rites (2016) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock) Now we’ve reached the place where the story starts to pick up steam and we only get partial resolutions at the end of each book, as things in New Orleans get worse and worse. The Witch Conclave is scheduled for New Orleans, and Leo […]
Lady Odelia’s Secret (2022) Jane Steen (Lady Helena Investigates) Set in England in 1882. I read the first book, Lady Helena Investigates, soon after it came out, and was disgruntled when there wasn’t a sequel. Until a couple weeks ago I stumbled across the second book in the series. HUZZAH! Lady Helena is a widow, […]
An Agreement with the Soldier (2021) Sadie Bosque (Necessary Arrangements) Set in England in 1817. Miss Samantha Lewis twice had her coming seasons interrupted for periods of mourning. So she is quite old to be on the marriage mart despite her looks and her dowry. John Godfrey never expected to become the Baron of Ashbury. […]
A Sanctuary for Soulden (2021) J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry (The Lords of Bucknall Club) Set in an alternate England in the early 1800s. Philip Winthrop, Viscount Soulden is easily bored. But you wouldn’t guess that if you saw him out on the town, where he presents himself as a fop, concerned with little other […]
Dark Heir, Audio Edition (2015) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock) This is the point where story arcs begin to leak between books, with more being unresolved than is resolved. I don’t actually blame her for this, because the story has been building for almost a decade, so it is now heading towards […]
Lessons in Discovery (2009) Charlie Cochrane (Cambridge Fellows) Set in England in 1906 Amnesia! An historical murder! Letters hidden for centuries! It’s been a year since Jonty and Orlando met, but they didn’t expect to spend their first anniversary in the infirmary, with Orlando suffering from a concussion and a complete loss of memory of […]
Lessons in Desire (2009) Charlie Cochrane (Cambridge Fellows) Set in England in 1906 Jonty and Orlando take a vacation! Murder ensues! That’s the summation, but it isn’t at all the feel of the story, just so you know. Unsurprisingly, Orlando has never taken a vacation. “It sounds delightful, Jonty,” Orlando said, with liar written plain […]