Something Spectacular (2023) Alexis Hall (Something Fabulous #2) I was somewhat hesitant to read this book as I thought it was Arabella’s book, and I’m not sure I can handle an entire book with her as the main characters (Bonny was difficult enough and that book wasn’t from his point-of-view) but this is Peggy’s story […]

Nine Goblins (2013) T. Kingfisher It’s not that Nessilka wanted to be in charge of this squad of goblins, it’s just that there wasn’t anyone else to do the job. Smart goblins became mechanics. Dumb goblins became soldiers. Really dumb goblins became officers. So when, in the midst of battle, they are pulled away and […]

Something Fabulous (2022) Alexis Hall (Something Fabulous #1) I struggled the first time I read this, partially because I was having a difficult time reading anything, and partially because I went into it thinking “historical romance” instead of “fantasy rom com”. This time I went in thinking fantasy rom com and I enjoyed it much […]

Execution in E (2020) Alexia Gordon (A Gethsemane Brown Mystery #5) “If you don’t want me to see your fingers crossed behind your back,” she pointed to his semi-transparent hand visible through his semi-transparent torso, “you should dial up your density.” “Ms. Markham’s parents’ money buys a great deal of tolerance of Ms. Markham. The […]

Fatality in F (2019) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #4) He’d hybridized the rose himself and christened it the ‘Sandra Sechrest’ in honor of the librarian who’d given him a biography of Pythagoras when he was seven and sparked his lifelong love of math. Gethsemane winced. Dunmullach’s murder rate had tripled after she arrived. Some […]

Killing in C Sharp (2018) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #3) Ghost Hunting Adventures reigned notorious for both its physicality and the amount of profanity that had to be bleeped out. “Some versions say Maja was the choice from the jump. Long and short of it, the baroness tricked Maja into going to the construction […]

Soulstar (2021) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle #3) This is the conclusion to the Kingston Cycle, and there is a lot going on here: Severin Mountrose is now king, witches are free, there is a search to replace aether, and Solidarity has decided to hold an open election–even if it doesn’t officially count. “Why doesn’t […]

Stormsong (2020) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle) Grace has escaped with her brother after the destruction of the aethernet, but when she senses a terrible storm coming she knows she has to return to Aeland to protect her people. A storm spread out miles wide, spinning away from the Cauldron off the coast. It was […]

The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century’s On-line Pioneers (1998/2009) Tom Standage I somehow failed to realize until just now that I’ve actually read other books by Tom Standage. Probably because those other books were about food and drink, not technology. this book gives us the history of the […]

Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections #1) “It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s more like I don’t know you.” “You’ve glared at me for most of lunch. That’s what I meant.” “Oh.” He went red again. “I thought you were being all pretentious and coming on to me or something, so I […]

Witchmark (2018) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle #1) I reread this so I can finally finish the series. Mr. Elliot dragged in a tattered breath. “I got too close. They needed the souls. The war—” He gagged and rolled away from me, retching. I held him steady. “Don’t try to talk.” He dragged in ragged […]

Death in D Minor (2017) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #2) “Thank you, Miss Brown,” Hank said. “Doctor Brown,” she corrected. “Oh, that’s right, you do have some sort of degree in, what is it, music?” “A Ph.D. From Yale.” “You must forgive me, Doctor Brown. I believe I mentioned before I don’t pay much […]

The Tattered Cover (2025) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society #8) There is a good deal of excitement for Nora and her friends in Miracle Springs. First for Nora, she is holding her live event with an author, and has a second event lined up for Halloween. “A medium?” Betty cried. “Count me in! […]

Murder in G Major (2016) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown #1) Teaching teenaged schoolboys was going to be almost as much fun as defending her dissertation to a hungover committee head who’d lost his tenure and his wife in the same week. Almost. “My friends call me Frankie.” “And what should I call you?” Gethsemane asked. […]

Broadway Butchery (2023) C. S. Poe (Memento Mori #3) It hasn’t been that long since Everett resolved the issue of the subway killer, and his Cold Case Department is getting great press, but things are difficult, and someone with knowledge of the cases continues to send anonymous notes and evidence to Larkin. “Did you watch […]

Subway Slayings (2022) C.S. Poe (Memento Mori #2) Detective Everett Larkin is finally healed from the injuries incurred during his previous case. He is also now living with the detective be became friends at that time, Ira Doyle, as he’s in the process of getting divorced and wasn’t capable to living on his own until […]

The Missing Page (2022) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #2) Set in Cornwall, England in 1947 Not knowing how to respond to that, as he could hardly accept a compliment bestowed on a version of himself that was twenty years out of date, he pasted on a smile. “The letter from the solicitor said the […]

The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series, #3) Set in London in 1817 “You ordered tea,” Courtenay said. “I like tea,” Julian responded. “You like sugary milk.” Courtenay, as if to demonstrate the point, poured about an inch of tea into Julian’s cup and then added a nearly equal amount of […]

The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series #2) Set in Cornwall, England in 1816 “Five servants quit,” Halliday said, tapping Lawrence’s desk in emphasis. Dust puffed up in tiny clouds around the vicar’s fingertips. “Five. And you were woefully understaffed even before then.” Five fewer servants? So that was why the house […]

Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #1) Set in England in 1946. Do you know, James, this evening I thought to myself: I would like to put paper stars and glass balls on a tree.” “I see you’ve reached the heights of depravity.” “I’d suggest going easy on this fellow. He had a […]

The Mistletoe Motive (2021) Chloe Liese There is a lot I love about this story: the ace rep, the female lead with ASD, the single point-of-view. Jonathan glances up and meets my eyes, his gaze speaking some cryptic language that I don’t. I hate that feeling. It’s old and familiar, and it never fails to […]

Mystery on the Menu: A Three-Course Collection of Cozy Mysteries (2023) Nicole Kimberling “This is Andrew,” Evelyn announced, waving her hand back as though I were some stray dog that had followed her home. “He’s the chef at the murder restaurant.” I pivoted and strode briskly into the walk-in refrigerator all the way to the […]

We Could Be So Good (2023) Cat Sebastian (Midcentury NYC #1) Set in NYC in 1958 Nick is a reporter at the New York Chronicle, I job he worked hard to get, and loves doing. So he finds himself annoyed to be working with the boss’s kid, Andy Fleming, who is now on the city […]

Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue (2023) Cat Sebastian (The Cabots #3.5) Set in North Carolina in 1953 This is a story about being injured. Billy was no prince when he was hurting, either. He always felt, idiotically, that giving in to pain was some kind of character flaw. He knew it wasn’t, he […]

You Should Be So Lucky (2024) Cat Sebastian Set in NYC in 1960 Eddie O’Leary made a mess of things when he reacted badly to being traded. Now his teammates hate him, the fans hate him, as far as he can tell everyone in NYC hates him. And now he can’t hit a baseball to […]

The Impossible Fortune (2025) Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club #5) A year has passed since the last adventure of the Thursday Murder Club–and since Stephen’s death. And Joyce’s daughter is getting married. It’s at the wedding that the best man (having heard about the Thursday Murder Club from Paul) goes to Elizabeth for help. “So […]

The Wonder Engine (2018) T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War #2) “Politics,” she said. “It doesn’t make any sense. People do the stupidest shit and you want to scream that it’s against their own interests and you never know if they’re playing some deep game you don’t know about or if they’re really just that stupid.” “I […]

Clockwork Boys (2017) T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War, #1) This is a rare book: one that I listened to before I read. (Honestly, at the time I was desperate for distraction and wasn’t really able to concentrate on reading.) I still enjoyed it, and as it has been two years, managed to forget just enough that […]

The Soldier’s Dark Secret (2015) Marguerite Kaye (Comrades in Arms) Set in England in France in 1815 Jack struggles to deal with the things he saw during the way, not just the Battle of Waterloo, but before. Dammit! It had been two years. He should be over it by now. Or if not over it, […]

All Accounts Settled (2025) Drew Hayes (Fred the Vampire Accountant #9) The final Fred the Vampire Accountant book. I believe I read the author had health issues that kept him from finishing the book on the schedule he set for himself, and I also think he was fighting with the publisher of his earlier books, […]

Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature’s Toxins—From Spices to Vices (2023) Noah Whiteman Many of the plants we treasure–for the way they taste or the way they make us feel, were developed by plants not for our benefit, but as defense mechanisms from threats like herbivores. It just happens that we are less susceptible […]

After Hours at Dooryard Books (2025) Cat Sebastian Set in NYC in 1968 Patrick has worked for Dooryard Books since Mrs. Kaplan picked him up and gave him a place when he was seventeen. He may have reconnected with his brother and best friend, Susan, after being kicked out by their aunt and uncle, but […]

Legends & Lattes (2022) Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes #2) As a rule, folks with a fixed address avoided swindling an orc. Viv sighed. “I’ve lived a long time knowing I’m a threat walking. I’d rather that wasn’t the shape of it for you.” The hob pushed a handcart loaded with a big, brass-barreled mechanism, […]

Bookshops & Bonedust (2023) Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes #1) The sequel to Legends & Lattes recently came out, so I decided I really needed to read the prequel to that so I could reread Legends & Lattes and then the new book. For some unknown reason I’d put off reading this story. I loved […]

Help Wanted (2018) J. Emery (Ashveil Academy #1) Em wants to get her best friend the best gift this year for her birthday. Except that she’s broke, and her alchemy skills are terrible. So she decides to get a job, so she can buy Thaian the gift she wants to get her. Calpurnia West, sister […]

Supernatural Crimes Unit: NYPD (2025) Keith R. A. Decandido Monsters are real, and the NYPD has to deal with the ones who break the law. Thus was born the SCU, or Supernatural Crimes Unit. The SCU had been formed after a vampire named Bogdan Albescu killed a City Hall employee named John Rosario on the […]

Mockingbird Court (2025) Juneau Black (A Shady Hollow Mystery #6) This is the final Shady Hollow mystery. I’m not mad, though I am a little sad. The authors have every right to walk away, and with a series as enjoyable as this one has been, I can see how hard it would be to keep […]

Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker “There has to be a reason you picked Sisko.” He smiled at me and seemed to relax before launching into a spiel on consistency and compassion and how Sisko’s being a father in the show made him more relatable. She inhaled deeply, her eyes shooting daggers at me. “Siri, what’s […]

The Game Is Afoot (2025) Elise Bryant (Mavis Miller #2) I’m not rating this book. I had a very difficult time reading and finishing it (it took me more than a month) so I don’t think I can clearly judge it. Why? Because for most of the book Mavis is in denial about her anxiety […]

The Drunken Botanist (2013) Amy Stewart I love food and history and botany, and this book is all three. It’s the botany of various plants that are used to make alcohol, and history of those plants and those drinks with recipes for various drinks thrown in. And all kinds of important information about flavor Water […]

Cry Wolf (2021) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #5) But loss was too complex a thing to always feel what you were supposed to feel. Fear is just your body protecting itself, Dr. Ripodi had said once. Just like pain exists to let you know something is wrong, fear is another message. Sometimes, though, the […]

Nearly a Lady (2011) Alissa Johnson (Haverston Family #1) “He needs something to do. Something to accomplish.” Something, the marquess thought, that might lighten the shadows his brother attempted to hide behind a cheerful wit and careless smile. Being knocked unconscious by two small women was a degree better than being knocked unconscious by just […]

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2020) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #4) Park inclined his head slightly in that way of his that always made him look like some kind of benevolent god accepting a loving sacrifice. When Cooper tried the same he looked like he’d suddenly dropped food down his shirt. “It’s not you, it’s […]

Thrown to the Wolves (2019) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #3) “(T)he book said no one should hike alone. What if you run into an animal?” “Then there’s a 50/50 chance we’re related.” Cooper felt the discomfort that had been prickling at the base of his skull since the market bloom across his skin. You […]

The Wolf at Bay (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #2) I love the opening of this book so very much. But I have quoted it every review I’ve done, so I’ll skip this time. But really, it’s the best. Ever since (learning of Cooper’s injuries) Park had been hyper-vigilant that Cooper was getting enough […]

The Wolf at the Door (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #1) Ava being Ava. He didn’t understand why she always sent a thousand little texts rather than put all the information in one long message. She didn’t understand why he used commas. “It’s a standing joke around the Trust that the real reason behind […]

Battle Hill Bolero, Audio Book (2017) Daniel José Older narrated by Daniel José Older (Bone Street Rumba #3) It’s almost over. Kia is back in town and now an Iyawo, Sasha and Reza have become friends, and Kia, Jimmy, Kris, and Redd–one of the ghosts from the Burial Grounds–have become friends. “Him and Damian and […]

The Most Unusual Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy (2025) Roan Parrish Edgar Lovejoy sees ghosts. This isn’t a gift to him, it’s a nightmare, and one he tries very hard to avoid and flees whenever he can. But seeing ghosts is in his family, and there’s nothing he can do about it…is there? Jamie Wendon-Dale loves […]

Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) What I’ve got is a headache as annoying as a cruise ship full of sugared-up four-year-olds. “So you’re saying I should’ve been more mature and ignored the fact that he hurt me?” He glanced from one face to the other, Auntie Hestia’s managing stern and sympathetic at once, […]

Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations #1-3) “Epically bad.” Orpheus dropped the divorce papers on the table, shaking his fingers out as if the words had singed him. “She’s kicking him out, too. Keeping the palace and the dog.” Neither one of these dudes even smirked, like Tiberius was as normal a name […]