Spells for the Dead (2020) Faith Hunter (Soulwood) The fifth Nell book begins with Nell trying to sort out her life. She hopes to soon become the guardian of her younger sister Mud, and has to work all that involves into her schedule. Also, her very pregnant older sister Esther is having marital problems, and […]
Secrets in the Mist (2016) Anna Lee Huber (Gothic Myths) Set in England in 1812. Ella Winterton has been struggling since her brother died. Her mother’s death troubled her father, but after her brother died fighting France, her father descended into alcoholism–an open secret that Ella can’t admit even to her best friend. Why could […]
Two Rogues Make a Right (2020) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London ~1817-1818 Will Sedgwick’s best friend, Martin Easterbrook, had been found fevered and somewhat delusional in the attic of Hartley Sedgwick’s home (a home that by rights should have belonged to Martin). So Will stole him away to the country in the […]
Invitation to the Blues (2018) Roan Parrish (Small Change) This story is not for everyone. So there I was, working in my younger brother’s sandwich shop to make rent after moving out of my parents’ house, where I’d gone to temporarily lie low when I was released from the hospital I ended up in after […]
Raze (2019) Roan Parrish (Riven) Huey has spent a decade focusing on being sober, and helping others by being a sponsor. But in building his life, he hasn’t allowed anything unplanned or unexpected. I liked the dishes to be done in a particular way, and the routine was important to me. For as long as […]
Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter (2017) R. Cooper I’m still struggling, and remembered this is a cute story, so I borrowed it again from the library. Scotty left the city and moved to a small down to help his sister care for her kids. And he likes working for the fire department. But it’s hard […]
Burn Bright (2018) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega) And now, I’m all caught up and have no more Alpha & Omega stories until March. I was unsure how I felt the first time I read this story. There is a lot that happens here, that probably has repercussions for future books (and possibly the rest […]
Spooky Business (2020) S.E. Harmon (The Spectral Files) Rain Christiansen is settling into life with Danny. They both work for the cold case unit, which uses Rain’s (non-publicized) talent as a Medium to help solve cold cases. The fact that Rain worked as a profiler for the FBI doesn’t hurt. But the FBI wants him […]
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega) This is set only a few months after the previous book (which is set immediately following the novella). Charles and Anna are still setting into their marriage and their mating bond. He wasn’t used to all of this emotion. He’d taken the feelings and desires of his […]
Alpha and Omega: A Companion Novella to Cry Wolf (2007) Patricia Briggs Comfort reading it is right now. So I decided I needed Patricia Brigg’s Alpha & Omega series. Charles wasn’t worried about dying— it was just that cars went too fast. He couldn’t get a feel for the land they passed through. One thing […]
How to Be a Normal Person (2014) TJ Klune Gustavo Tiberius lives in Abby, Oregon and is not a a little odd. He doesn’t really mind that much, because he is mostly content with his life. IT WAS seven in the morning when the alarm clock belonging to Gustavo Tiberius rang and he opened his […]
Waiting for the Flood (2018) Alexis Hall (Spires) The last book I finished wasn’t at all for me. This book was perfect for me. The waters are rising, and Edwin Tully worries more about his elderly neighbor than his own home–the home he bought with his ex. The home he thought was going to be […]
A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in the mid 1870s. Miss Jane Ballenger is a recluse. She’s tried going out in society, but it went very badly, so she remains at home, hiding her problems from the world. Sir Gabriel Arkwright is a famous thief-taker who now works as a […]
Better Than People (2020) Roan Parrish (Garnet Run) I’ll be honest–I’ve been wanting nothing but comfort and fluffy reading right now, and Roan Parrish is generally the last author I’d turn to for that. Her other books–while excellent–have been extremely angsty. But reviews said this was NOT full of angst, and one of the characters […]
Vincent’s Thanksgiving Date (2014) R. Cooper Vincent has issues with anxiety, and it makes him avoid talking to people–even his super cute neighbor who works at the florist. There was no easy way to explain being a grown man who was terrified of meaningless conversations and meeting new people. Saying small social embarrassments haunted him […]
Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte (2017) Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Peter Steigerwald, Beth Sotelo Set in Mexico in 1869 This is set outside of the regular series, and was published the same year as the third volume, The Lost Boys of West Abbey. I actually don’t know what year (in steampunk time) […]
The Weight of It All (2016) N.R. Walker After eight years, Henry Beckett’s left him, because he was too old (35!) and too fat. At first Harry things that he wants to get into shape to get Graham back, but he quickly realizes he wants to make the changes for himself. “Who’s Graham?” “What?” He […]
Joy (2017) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) Another book I re-read becuase I needed more fluffy happy. Gideon Joy has bad luck. This time his bad luck is a moose. That he runs into with his car as he’s passing through a small town. I ran a hand through my hair and then pushed up […]
Kneading You (2019) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) I needed some happy fluffy with outside conflict (not internal angst). Christopher Hughes is is applying for what he hopes will be his dream job–librarian in the small town to which he has moved. But a local businessman wants to tear down the building and put up […]
An Unexpected Gentleman (2011) Alissa Johnson (The Haverston Family Trilogy) Set in Scotland in the early 1800s. Adelaide Ward is her family’s only hope. Her brother is in debtor’s prison and Adelaide is in charge of her younger sister and her even younger nephew. Connor Brice has one over-arching goal–revenge against his half-brother, and he’ll […]
McAlistair’s Fortune (2009) Alissa Johnson (Providence) Set in England in 1814. After the death of her father and the subsequent neglect by her mother, Evie Cole was taken in my her aunt and it was there she truly healed from the carriage accident that left her with scars and a limp. Gritting her teeth, she […]
Tempting Fate (2009) Alissa Johnson (Providence) Set in England in 1813. Miss Mirabelle Browning has spent most of her time since her parents died with the Coles, the neighbor of her uncle where she was sent to live. The Coles have been a refuge for her, even if she spends much of her time bickering […]
A Seditious Affair (2015) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1819. This book dovetails and overlaps with the previous, A Fashionable Indulgence. Dominic Frey is a Tory who works for the Home Office. He also has want and needs that embarrass him, because he has been told that what he wants is […]
A Fashionable Indulgence (2015) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1819. Harry Vane has spent his life on the run. His parents were both radicals and they had to flee England after a riot broke out during one of his father’s speeches. After his parents died of cholera, he sneaked back into […]
The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in England in 1816 Georgie Turner needs to leave London ASAP. He has run afoul of the crime lord with whom he had worked for several years, because he couldn’t go through with a confidence game. So his brother sends him out to Cornwall […]
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (2018) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London in 1817. Hartley Sedgwick has been hiding in the house left to him by his godfather–a house he earned, that is now almost a prison as rumors have swirled about just what Hartley did to earn that house, and the livings […]
It Takes Two to Tumble (2017) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in England in 1817. Imagine the sound of music, except with three kids, Maria is a local vicar, and the sea captain is hiding his reading disability. The children of Barton Hall have been running wild since their mother died. Their father is […]
An Unnatural Vice (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the Cities) Set in London, 15 November – 25 December 1873 The second Sins of the City book overlaps the first, but shows those events from Nathaniel Roy’s point of view. The other character is Justin Lazarus, who is spiritualist Nathaniel is determined to expose as a […]
An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the Cities) Set in London 28 October, 1873 Clem Talleyfer is quite happy running a lodging house. There is quiet and order and it’s in a neighborhood where he doesn’t stand out. As a plus, he currently has Rowley Green as a lodger. As a minus, he […]
The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) TJ Klune I’ve read several TJ Klune books, and I am not always sure how I feel about them when I am done. That was not a problem here. Linus works for the agency in charge of monitoring the welfare of magical children. He is a caseworker who […]
NPCs (2014) Drew Hayes (Spells, Swords, & Stealth) What happens when the haggling is done and the shops are closed? When the quest has been given, the steeds saddled, and the adventurers are off to their next encounter? They keep the world running, the food cooked, and the horses shoed, yet what adventurer has ever […]
Starcrossed (2020) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan) Set in New York in 1925. This is set immediately after the events of the first book. Rory and Arthur are in Hyde Park where Rory is helping to authenticate some of Arthur’s brother’s supposedly antique compasses, and Arthur is visiting his family. “Speaking of children,” Arthur said […]
Spellbound (2019) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan) Set in New York in 1924. Rory Brodigan works for a woman he calls his aunt, helping assess the authenticity of antiques. But there is no science–only magic–behind his abilities. Arthur Kenzie needs someone who can read the history of objects, and he thinks Mrs Brodigan is the […]
Gentleman Wolf (2019) Joanna Chambers (Capital Wolves Duet) Set in Scotland & Europe in 1682 and 1788. Lindsay Somerville spent years as the prisoner of a man who turned and then tortured him solely because Lindsay looked like the man who turned him–a man he cannot disobey any more than Lindsay can disobey him. The […]
Slippery Creatures (2020) K.J. Charles (The Will Darling Adventures) Will Darling returned from the Great War at a bit of a loss. Will had gone to the War at eighteen, and come back five years later to find himself useless and unwanted. In Flanders he’d been a grizzled veteran, a fount of professional expertise who […]
A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) It was a normal day at work, when they took Rex Fortescue. Then he keeled over, and nothing made sense any more. Who could have poisoned Rex–and filled his coat pocket with grain? His much younger (and beautiful) wife, who has been carrying on with […]
Love in 24 Frames (2019) C.S. Poe Declan Groves is a CPA who loves art, and rented a space in a studio to have the space to work on his stop-motion project. When one thinks of a “New York City artist,” they don’t envision a forty-eight-year-old man in a three-piece suit, strolling through the door […]
A Murder Is Announced (1950) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) In Chipping Cleghorn, the local paper sports an unexpected advertisement: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m.’ One of the bits I found particularly amusing was where people slowly show up for the announced murder–but […]
He’s Come Undone: A Romance Anthology (2020) Emma Barry, Olivia Dade, Adriana Herrera, Ruby Lang, and Cat Sebastian Appassionata by Emma Barry Unraveled by Olivia Dade Caught Looking by Adriana Herrera Yes, And… by Ruby Lang Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian This is five romance novellas by five authors, three M/F and two […]
The Safety Net (2017/2020) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (Inspector Montalbano) As always, the story opens with a dream. Head still numb with sleep, the inspector opened his eyes and immediately realized he was in bed. There was no Livia. She was at home, in Boccadasse. He’d dreamt the whole thing, including Livia’s dream. […]
The Body in the Library (1942) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) This was published in 1942, but does not really seem to actually be set during the war, although there are allusions to war. He did A.R.P. work, you know, when he was only eighteen. I suppose that makes the story feel even more timeless, although […]
Secret at Skull House (2020) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) This second mystery finds Ellery still working to keep his inherited book store open, but at least the local theater group is putting on a production of one of his screen plays. Then the news breaks: someone has purchased Skull House! That someone is moving […]
Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) This is three interrelated stories, of gods and men and angels and monsters. The first book is about Hades, who has been surprised by divorce papers from Persephone. He comes to the world (things aren’t that busy for him after all) and opens a private investigation business. […]
The Heiress Effect (2013) Courtney Milan (Brothers Sinister) Set in England in 1867. Miss Jane Fairfield has just one goal–to not get married until her sister comes of age. So far, she’s succeeded. Poor Miss Fairfield. She had the opposite of conversation, the opposite of taste. They were going to rip her to shreds, and […]
Heathen Volume 1 (2017) Natasha Alterici Aydis was sentenced to death or marriage for kissing another girl, but her father secretly saved her life and sent her into exile. Aldis has decided to that as a warrior she will go on a quest, and free the Valkyrie Brynhild. But the goddess Freyja has other ideas, […]
The Duchess War (2012) Courtney Milan Set in England in 1863 Minnie has spent her adolescence learning how to be quiet. Unnoticed. Unexceptional. When she was taken in by her great aunts, she agreed with them this would be the best path for her, but now she has reached the point where she needs to […]
Dead in the Shop (2018) Dahlia Donovan (Grasmere Cottage Mystery) Valor and Bishan are struggling after the events of the last book. Someone is trying to kill them–has killed people around them–and they don’t understand why. And that’s one of the interesting things about this story–that there isn’t really a good why. Don’t get me […]
Naked Once More (1989) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby Mysteries) How old is this book? This old. Jacqueline proceeded on her way, pleased but wondering how the young officer had known who she was. She couldn’t be the only handsome middle-aged lady with green eyes and auburn hair driving a car with New York plates and […]
Lady Mechanika, Vol. 4: Clockwork Assassin (2018) Joe Benitez, Peter Steigerwald, Mike Garcia The longer this series goes on the better I like it. Although I think some of the outfits she wears are ridiculous, I have accepted the, because she does use the more ridiculous outfits to fight and generally kick ass. A man […]
The Guilt of Innocents (2006) Candace Robb (Owen Archer) Set in England in 1372 Although this story is about the murder of a dockworker, beneath and beside that the story is about children. It’s about Jasper, Lucie & Owen’s adopted son, who is finally coming to accept Lucie and Owen as his parents, even while […]