Loud and Clear (2016) Aidan Wayne Another mental hug for me. Jaxon was getting the feeling that was his default way of coping with the world. Blanking himself out when things got tough. Jaxon used to do the same thing but with anger, till he’d gotten better ways to cope. If he wanted to do […]
Jericho Candelario’s Gay Debut (2018) R. Cooper I just needed the mental hug. Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble was rough on my mental well-being. He and Jerry had argued once, in their way, about the difference between Lincoln working for his dream and doing what he loved, and why Jerry might be tired at […]
Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble (2022) Alexis Hall (Winner Bakes All) I should not have read this book. Main character with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder (that does get diagnosed), on-page panic attack, hospital stay due to panic attack, treatment plan for anxiety disorder discussed, emotionally unavailable parents, very graphic swearing, cyberbullying, religious and racial […]
4:50 from Paddington (1957) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) This might be one of my favorite Miss Marple mysteries. It’s definitely one of the most memorable. At that moment another train, also on a downline, swerved inwards towards them, for a moment with almost alarming effect. For a time the two trains ran parallel, now one […]
Miss Vee and the Lecherous Lawyer (2020) Delilah Knight This has the bones of a good story. However, the editing was poor enough that paragraphs seemed out of order, and there were continuity errors. And I am pretty sure the police didn’t have grounds for arrests, which made that part of the story problematic. Additionally, […]
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 […]
The Doctor (2022) C.S. Poe (Magic & Steam) Set in alternate US in 1882. Gillian Hamilton has been caught. He has been exposed as Simon Fitzgerald, the Butcher of Antietam. And he is now on Blackwell’s Island at the Asylum for the Magically Insane. “Why are you helping a criminal?” Barrie wiped his nose again. […]
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 […]
The Pride of Garnet Run (2022) Roan Parrish (Garnet Run) This is a Garnet Run story set between Best Laid Plans and The Lights on Knockbridge Lane that came out this fall. Cameron returned to Garnet Run after unable to work as a musician. He works as a barista because he never quite figured out […]
The Rivals of Casper Road (2022) Roan Parrish (Garnet Run) This is the fourth book in the Garnet Run series (actually the fifth, because there is a novella in there as well) and the characters from those stories all make appearances here. Every year, the residents of Casper Road have a Halloween house decorating contest. […]
Murder Is Announced (1950) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6: 30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation. This is post WWII story, and there are so many bits regarding that I love. “You know the Fuel Office won’t […]
Thirteen Problems (1932) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) The Tuesday Night Club (1927) The Idol House of Astarte (1928) Ingots of Gold (1928) The Blood-Stained Pavement (1928) Motive versus Opportunity (1928) The Thumb Mark of St. Peter (1928) The Blue Geranium (1929) A Christmas Tragedy (1930) The Companion (1930) The Herb of Death (1930) The Four […]
Witchmark (2018) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle) Set in a world somewhat like England after WW I, but not really. Miles Singer escaped his family and ended up in the war between Aeland and Laneer, his medical schooling put to terrible use. Now he works as a psychiatrist in a veteran’s hospital, and is trying […]
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 […]
Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez Off kilter and knew this would work to distract me. Rating: 8.5/10
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 Moving Finger (1942) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) This is the third Miss Marple mystery, and one I’ve reread multiple times, yet this time through I picked up some things I’d not noticed before. Which isn’t unusual, but is fascinating, as things I have learned elsewhere shine a different light upon things I’ve read before. […]
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 […]
The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple) This is the first Miss Marple novel. I’d somehow forgotten that it’s told from the point of view of the vicar, and Miss Marple is only a secondary character–even if she does solve the mystery. Miss Marple is a white-haired old lady with a gentle, […]
Lucky Yellow Shoes (2020) Jae This is a short story set after Wrong Number, Right Woman. Denny wants to propose, but cannot find a ring that both suits Eliza and that she can afford. It’s a sweet story about family and acceptance and love. Rating: 7/10
Coffee Boy (2016) Austin Chant Kiernan doesn’t like his food service job, but at least it pays the bills. (M)anagers have never exactly declared him their favorite employee, but they do praise his attitude, which is funny because no one else ever has. And it’s all because Kieran has never burst into tears over a […]
Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking (2022) Raquel V. Reyes (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery) I read Mango, Mambo, and Murder and Mia P. Manansala’s Arsenic and Adobo very close together, and have spent the past year confusing the two, because cozy mystery with food and a female lead are what I remembered. To be clear, I liked […]
Agents of Winter (2022) Ada Maria Soto (The Agency) I was slightly worried I wasn’t going to enjoy this anywhere near as much as His Quiet Agent, which I adore. It is different from the first story, His Quiet Agent, and also from the short story Merlin in the Library. But it is definitely the […]
The Great Atlantean Battle Royalchemy (2022) K.D. Edwards This takes place between The Hanged Man and The Hourglass Throne. Rune has to judge an alchemy contest that is possibly going to harm the peace of Atlantis. As always, the dialog was wonderful. Did Layne tell Corinne that they left the estate?” I asked bluntly. “I […]
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 […]
Blackmail and Bibingka (2022) Mia P. Manansala (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery) As previously, I finished this story with a slight pang of disappointment. It’s not bad–not at all–but I want it to be just a tiny bit better. I think it was the mystery that was the issue. I guessed pretty quickly who was involved […]
Can’t Escape Love (2019) Alyssa Cole (Reluctant Royals) I bought this book because I loved the cover. And I read it and really enjoyed it. But I still haven’t read the rest of the series–not because I dislike Alyssa Cole’s writing, but because I tend to dislike books with characters in the peerage. I want […]
A Girl Like Her (2018) Talia Hibbert (Ravenswood) Ruth is trouble. Everyone knows that. After all, the most charming man in town told them all about it. And they beieved him, because he is rich and handsome, and she is weird. Ruth had a policy, when it came to knocked doors: she didn’t answer them. […]
A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie (2015) Kathryn Harkup Agatha Christie volunteered as a nurse during the first world war, and ended up working at the pharmacy. In order to prepare for the Apothecaries Hall examination Christie was tutored in practical, as well as theoretical, aspects of chemistry and pharmacy. And she […]
Bewitching Benedict (2017) C. E. Murphy (The Lovelorn Lads) Set in England ~1800 (Napoleonic Wars) Claire Dalton is excited her cousin and two friends are coming to visit. She hasn’t seen her cousin since he left for the war, and hopes he and his friends are as dashing as she remembers. Unfortunately, the first thing […]
Band Sinister (2018) K.J. Charles Why? Because I needed something I knew would take me out of my own head, and I do adore Guy. “Oh dear God,” Frisby whispered. “Please get better. Please. I can’t do without you and you’ve got so much more to do, and I know it’s been— not marvellous for […]
Glass Tidings (2018) Amy Jo Cousins Something caught at my memory and made me think of this story. Eddie witnesses a hit-and-run accident, and is asked to remain in town over night until the police can take his statement. A soft jacket dropped onto his shoulders. Eddie shrugged it off reflexively. The man caught it […]
Adorkable (2020) Shane K. Morton I had some major problems with this story. Let’s start with the biggest one first. Billy’s best friend shows up to the most important class of her freshman year and crushes on the TA. Then, But I did think about asking you out to my fraternity’s mixer this weekend, if […]
His Quiet Agent (2017) Ada Maria Soto Arthur Drams likes his job. But he doesn’t like that he is going nowhere with it. “Hi, Arthur Drams, level two analyst, trying, badly apparently, to make friends because I’m really tired of getting promoted sideways because my own supervisors forget I exist.” As he is already out […]
And Everything Nice (2020) Ada Maria Soto I needed something fun and happy to clean my brain out. I really do adore this story. He had drawn the short straw and now had to explain to the entire version 5.1 team how a kid they shouldn’t have hired who had already left was going to […]
Ravensong (2019) TJ Klune (Green Creek) I struggled with this book just as much the second time through as I did the first time around. It was long. I still think it needed edited down. And it still was dark and upsetting. I WAS eight, and my father took a needle and burned ink and […]
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 […]
Pack of Lies (2022) Charlie Adhara (Monster Hunt) Whine whine whine. I don’t wanna read about Eli, I wanna read more about Cooper and Oliver. (finally picks up book) (devours book) (immediately preorders sequel) Eli is managing the retreat while Cooper and Oliver are on their honeymoon. What could possibly go wrong? Multiple things, including […]
Lucky Charm (2019) Chace Verity Set in Hollywood in 1928. Gilbert’s director and lover takes him out to dinner–and dumps him. “I need an actor who can go to the future with me. You can talk, but it doesn’t sound right.” I got tossed because there’s no longer any place in Hollywood for a deaf […]
Requiem for Mr. Busybody (2020) Josh Lanyon Aaaaand… I accidentally reread this as well. Michael spends a lot of time watching his neighbors. He has large windows, and since he doesn’t go out often, it gives him something to do. I usually woke up at about five-thirty and dealt with all the stuff that was […]
Sympathy (2009) Jordan Castillo Price I didn’t mean to reread this story. I was looking for books where a main character deals with a long term injury or disability, and I ended up reading the entire thing. I tried to brace my good leg and pull harder, get the lousy root ball up over the […]
The Other Side of the Roses (2017) R. Cooper Sami is content to live at home, while working as an aide in a nursing home. But he worries his family is disappointed in him. “Maybe I’ve already met my future husband,” he lamented. “Maybe he said ‘There is Sami, who lives at home and works […]
Wolfsong (2016) T.J. Klune (Green Creek) I’m trying this series again. I liked the first book well enough the first time, but the second book was a problem. I’m hoping that knowing the rest of the books are NOT about Ox an Joe will make the adjustment a little easier. Ox’s dad is awful. I […]
Broken Homes, Audio Edition (2014) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London) A lot happens in this book. And there are a couple things I missed the first couple times through (mostly about the ends at the end of the book). As always, the story is a joy. I’d love to stick some […]
The Hourglass Throne (2022) K.D. Edwards (The Tarot Sequence) I really thought I had pre-ordered this. I hadn’t, and because I was failing to deal with all the things, I didn’t notice it was out until the end of August. That said, I read it almost immediately, and devoured it in a day. Rune Saint […]
The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in England in 1817 Courtenay has been ruined. He was already not accepted in polite society, but now he has fallen so far he has been denied access to his nephew–the one person in the world he loves unreservedly. Julian has more good […]
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 […]
Loud and Clear (2016) Aidan Wayne I just needed to reread this is all. This is a romance, but it’s also about the huge difference that money and power can make. Jaxon: “Serves you right for being the smart one,” he said, shouldering his phone so he could clear away his dishes. “Shut up.” Tatyana […]
The Soldier’s Scoundrel (2016) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in England in ~1815 To be honest, I have avoided reading this book for ages, because the cover squicks me out. Luckily, neither character is anything at all like the models. Oliver sold his commission after taking a bullet to the back of his knee. […]
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 […]