Delayed Diagnosis (2001) Gwen Hunter Dr. Rhea Lynch fled to Dawkins county South Carolina after her engagement fell apart. Returning home after a camping trip she discovers that her best friend is lying at home, seriously ill, and no one seems to know what happened, and her husband (also a doctor) is keeping her at […]
Midnight Hour (2016) C. C. Hunter I really enjoyed most of the Shadow Falls series, but never quite got into Miranda’s short story, so I held off getting the final book in the series (which is Miranda’s) until it went on sale. It was… nowhere near as good as the rest of the series. It […]
Treacherous Is the Night (2018) Anna Lee Huber Set in Europe in 1919. The second Verity Kent story finds Verity and her husband trying to come to terms with each other–and decide if their marriage will survive his letting her think he was dead for more than a year. I was still coming to grips […]
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (2018) Mackenzi Lee Set in Europe and other locales in the 1700s. Oh this was FUN! The sequel to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue follows Felicity Montague, a young woman who does not want to be a proper lady but instead wants more than anything to […]
Pyromantic (2017) Lish McBride The sequel to Firebug is set a few months after those events. Ava and Cade are adjusting to their changed relationship, and also rebuilding Cade’s bookstore, which was burned down amidst everything else. Luckily, the head of the new Coterie believes that the incident was a Coterie incident, so he’s adding […]
The Richmond Thief (2017) Lisa Boero Set in London in the early 1800s. The widow Lady Althea Trent–a woman of scientific bent and interest in insects–and her sister-in-law Jane are traveling to London, so that Althea might experience London, and so she and Jane can visit with their cousins, the Levanwoods. But things are not […]
A Treacherous Curse (2018) Deanna Raybourn Set in London in 1888. The third Veronica Speedwell mystery finds Veronica and Stoker investigating the disappearance of an archeologist and a valuable Egyptian diadem. They get involved because the missing man is the husband of Stoker’s ex-wife–a woman who left him for dead and then completely destroyed his […]
A Deeper Sleep, Audio Version (2007) Dana Stabenow narrated by Bernadette Dunne Louis Deem has been getting away with murder for years. He’s killed three wives, but has gotten off every time; no jury in the park is willing to risk his retribution. Kate Shugak and every other decent person wants him locked away–wants young […]
Within the Sanctuary of Wings (2017) Marie Brennan Lady Trent has become a force in her own right–she has made amazing discoveries and published scientific papers, yet she still has not be accepted by the Fellow of the Philosophers’ Colloquium. She has also become political, no matter how unwittingly. (W)e cannot pretend the education of […]
Fire Touched (2016) Patricia Briggs Another re-read because the library doesn’t have the audio version of this book available, and BY GUM I have to have all material fresh in my mind before going onto the final book. It starts when Mercy and Adam receive calls at the same time. “I don’t know if you […]
Night Broken (2014) Patricia Briggs As much as I’ve whined about the narration of this series not being what I wanted it to be, I still am irritated I couldn’t borrow this as an audio book from the library and had to read it. I read it fast, because this isn’t a favorite. Publisher: Ace
In the Labyrinth of Drakes: A Memoir by Lady Trent (2016) Marie Brennan The 4th book in Lady Trent’s memoirs finds her traveling with Will to Akhia to attempt to start a dragon breeding program. (I suppose I should offer fair warning. Because this volume of my memoirs concerns itself with my research in Akhia, […]
River Marked, Audio Edition (2011) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King Mercy and Adam are getting married. But Mercy’s mother is about to drive her over the edge. “Butterflies and balloons,” I told Adam. “She wants to release butterflies and balloons. Two hundred balloons. Gold ones.” “I expect she’s trying to get Monarch butterflies if […]
Voyage of the Basilisk (2015) Marie Brennan The third installment of the Memoirs of Lady Trent finds Isabella on a ship with her son, his governess, and her friend Tom Wilker touring the world while continuing her research on dragons. I found my quarters at first shockingly small, then acceptable, then unbearable, and finally as […]
Bone Crossed, Audible Edition (2009) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King This book still has difficult parts, but not as difficult as the previous book, so I wasn’t skipping this time. I feel like I’m being overly picky about the narrators, but I think it’s partially due to the fact that these stories have a […]
The Service of the Dead (2016) Candace Robb Set in York, England in 1399 Kate Clifford is a widow struggling to recoup the financial losses of her husband while trying to maintain her independence and avoid a marriage pushed upon her by family. And also to stay out of politics. The truth was, if the […]
Iron Kissed, Audio Version (2008) Patricia Briggs I almost skipped listening to this book, but instead I just skipped through the very distressing parts. This is a very good story, but a very difficult one. Publisher: Penguin Audio
By the Sword (1991) Mercedes Lackey It’s been decades since I last read this book. Partially because I haven’t been much in the mood for straight-up fantasy, partially because I didn’t have it as an ebook, and partially because I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to my memories of it. Kerowyn is the granddaughter […]
Lady Helena Investigates (2018) Jane Steen Set in Sussex in 1881 Lady Helena Whitcombe survived the death of her first love, and now she must get past the accidental death of her husband. Except that her husband’s doctor doesn’t think the drowning was an accident, but a murder. Helena’s is the youngest of her siblings, […]
Dreams Underfoot (1993) Charles de Lint “Uncle Dobbin’s Parrot Fair,” Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Nov ‘87 “Stone Drum,” Triskell Press chapbook, 1989 “Timeskip,” Post Mortem: New Tales of Ghastly Horror, ed. Paul F. Olson & David B. Silva, St. Martin’s, 1989 “Freewheeling,” Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine Issue 6, ed. Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Pulphouse, 1990 […]
Moon Called, Audible Version (2006) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King I’m now listening my way through the Mercy Thompson (and most likely Alpha & Omega) books. As I’ve noted before, I don’t dislike Lorelei King’s narration. I think she does a very good job with Mercy. I just think she’s weaker than other narrators […]
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson, Audio Version (2014) Patricia Briggs narrated by Alexander Cendese and Lorelei King Flailing around for something to listen to, I decided that I’d listen to the Patricia Briggs short story collection and then go from there. This collection has very few Mercy stories in, and several […]
Dark Queen (2018) Faith Hunter Wow. This is the culmination of several story arcs that have been going on for awhile, but especially the visit of the European Vampires to the US and their attempt to take over the US. A LOT happens here. And fair warning, multiple people die. But so many things are […]
Stiletto, Audible Edition (2016) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk Felicity Clements is a Pawn of the Checquy–a pawn who wants to become a Barghest. Odette Leliefeld is the great(s)-granddaughter of Ernst, lord and master of the Wetenschappelijk Broederschap van Natuurkundigen. She and her little brother have come to England with the Broederschap delegation to […]
The Rook, Audible Version (2012) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Susan Duerden Myfanwy Thomas awakens in a park, surrounded by bodies, with no idea who she is. I really do like this story a lot. It’s so dryly funny. The meeting with the people from accounting proved spectacularly uninteresting as Myfanwy learned how cheaply one could […]
Cat o’ Nine Tales, Audible Version (2013) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam This is the audio collection of the stories set in Jane Yellowrock’s world. It has many–but not all–of the stories in Blood in her Veins. “WeSa and the Lumber King” “The Early Years” “Cat Tats” “Kits” “Haints” “Signatures of the Dead” “First […]
A Pattern of Lies (2015) Charles Todd Set in Europe in Autumn 1918 It’s time to take a break from this series. Reading one after the other is making me notice the weaknesses rather than the strengths. It’s unfortunately, because I thought the bits about the mill were very interesting. (A) mill had to be […]
An Unwilling Accomplice (2014) Charles Todd Set in Europe in Autumn 1818. I may need to step away from this series for a little bit, or at least read something in between books, because I’m beginning to wonder just how much murder a nursing sister in the Great War can possibly witness/get involved in. That […]
A Question of Honor (2013) Charles Todd Set in Europe during the summer of 1918. I still really like this historical bits of these stories. The war is still ranging, influenza is still decimating the ranks on both sides, and the militaries are learning how to fight this “new” war. Since the institution of helmets […]
An Unmarked Grave (2012) Charles Todd Set in Europe in the spring of 1918. A new enemy has entered the war, one that indiscriminately cuts down both sides. The Spanish Influenza had already cut down three of our nursing sisters, and two doctors were not expected to live through the night. The rest of us […]
A Brush with Shadows (2018) Anna Lee Huber Set in 1831 in Dartmoor England Lady Darby and her husband Sebastian Gage have been summoned to Dartmoor by Sebastian’s grandfather, because his cousin has gone missing. But when they arrive, it seems that everyone believes Alfred has simply gone off for awhile–he has a deserved reputation […]
A Conspiracy in Belgravia (2017) Sherry Thomas This is the second Lady Sherlock Holmes book, and as I’ve mentioned before, I generally hate Sherlock Holmes stories, but this one I don’t mind as such, since instead of taking the characters are Doyle wrote them, she has imagined that Sherlock Holmes was based upon a woman, […]
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 […]
An Impartial Witness (2010) Charles Todd Set in Europe in 1917. Nursing sister Bess Crawford has just escorted a group of wounded soldiers back to London, including a terribly burned pilot whose picture of his wife was what he turned to through his excruciating first days. When that woman’s murdered body is discovered, Bess realizes […]
A Duty to the Dead (2009) Charles Todd Set in Europe in 1916 Bess Crawford is a nursing sister on the HMHS Britannic when its sunk by the Germans. She’s sent him to recuperate, and also to deliver a message given to her by a dying soldier. The mystery here is good, but what I […]
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 […]
From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review (2016) Marie Brennan This short story is a series of scientific letters between Isabella Camherst and Benjamin Talbot in “The Falchester Weekly Review” about a supposed discovery made by Talbot. It’s a brief story, and silly, since it’s all the politeness of scientists accusing each other […]
The Myth Manifestation (2018) Lisa Shearin Our world is populated by a greater variety of creatures than we might imagine, from vampires and werewolves to goblins and dwarves and all variety of creatures considered mythical. For these creatures to hide in plain sight, a treaty was hammered out 100 years earlier, to keep fights that […]
The Brimstone Deception, Audio Version (2016) Lisa Shearin narrated by Johanna Parker This is a series that we both listen to on car trips. I generally try to get input as to what Michael wants to listen to (since he’s the driver) but generally it’s me picking a couple books and him choosing one of […]
At Bertram’s Hotel (1966) Agatha Christie Several years ago when I had the flu I started to re-read the Miss Marple mysteries (which I hadn’t done in a couple decades). I read through all my favorites, then stopped once I felt better. Since I’ve been reading books set in the time of her later mysteries, […]
Silence Fallen (2017) Patricia Briggs I have no idea how I did it, but I somehow completely missed reading this when it came out last spring. This story is slightly different in that for most of the book the POV switches between Adam and Mercy. Mercy is first person, Adam is third person. This would […]
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 […]
A Pressing Engagement (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1831 This is a short story, but you should think of it as an outtake from the novels, rather than a stand-alone story you could pick up to read if you are unfamiliar with the characters or want to see if you like the […]
A Study in Death (2015) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1831 Lady Darby is slowly returning to society, and has started taking commissions again. Her sister is planning Kiera’s upcoming wedding to Sebastian Gage as a way to deal with her confinement during her pregnancy and as a distraction from the danger she […]
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 Anatomist’s Wife (2012) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1830. I must have read the first paragraph of about twenty books before I settled on a re-read of The The Anatomist’s Wife. Lady Darby has been hiding at her brother-in-law’s estate after her husband’s death and the ensuing scandal. At a house party, […]
Flame in the Dark (2017) Faith Hunter The third Soulwood novel finds Nell at the scene of a murder–a party where a vampire was in attendance and could have been the intended victim of the assassin. Nell is still attempting to assimilate all the changes in her life: her work for PsyLED, her relationship with […]
The Far West (2012) Patricia C. Wrede There are plans for a new expedition to explore and research the Far West, and they’re looking for scientists and others with experience to join. In my experience, the things everybody knows are just exactly the ones that are most likely to be mistaken in some important way […]