A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder (2019) Dianne Freeman (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in London in 1899. I have officially decided this series is delightful. I leaned toward her as we walked out. “Very well done, dear. But a ranch in Brooklyn? What were you thinking?” She released a merry laugh. “That […]
A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (2018) Dianne Freeman (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in England in 1899 Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh, is finally done with her mourning and is more than ready to move on with her life. When her husband died a year ago, he managed to be an even […]
The Remaking of Corbin Wale (2017) Roan Parrish Alex Barrow broke up with his boyfriend and lost his job so he has headed back to Ann Arbor and taken over his parent’s coffee shop–turning it into his dream bakery. The best bakeries had a cohesive vision. You didn’t want a counter selling bran muffins next […]
Heathen Volume 3 (2020) Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods Aydis has entered the lands of the gods, searching for Odin. But Odin, angered by Aydis’ brash demands and actions, wants revenge against her, and will take it out in her people. Some of those she has met along the way are also journeying–some towards her […]
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter (2019) Alexis Hall Captain John Wyndham has returned to the city of Khelathra-Ven after five years of war. He needs rooms, but anything nice is beyond what he can afford–until he sees a posting. Co-tenant required. Rent reasonable to the point of arousing suspicion. Tolerance for blasphemies against nature […]
Valor: Swords (2015) edited by Isabelle Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton Fairy tales do not inform children that there is such things as monsters. Children already know that there are monsters. What fairy tales really teach is that monsters can be transformed or destroyed. “Prunella” By Isabelle Melançon And Megan Lavey-Heaton “Little Fish” By Emily Hann […]
Real Men Knit (2020) Kwana Jackson I absolutely love the idea of this story. Four young men take over their mother’s knitting store after she dies unexpectedly. That is a fantastic premise and I adore it to death. Sadly, I didn’t love it’s execution. First thing I didn’t enjoy was on me: Jesse is a […]
Glass Tidings (2016) Amy Jo Cousins Eddie Rodrigues is back on the road, heading to Texas–like he should have in the first place. But a breakdown and then witnessing a hit and run leaves him stuck in the small town of Clear Lake, an unwelcome guest of a man who owns a Christmas shop. Grayson […]
Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall I don’t care that I just read this. I managed to hold off before re-reading, and then tore through it, no better able to put it down in a second read than it was on the first read. In fact, I’m lucky I didn’t just go back to the beginning […]
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 […]
Passing Strange (2017) Ellen Klages Set in San Francisco in 1940. Haskel is an artist who makes her living doing pulp covers. She and her friends live on the edge of polite society, either because they aren’t white or because of their sexuality, but they are found family. “Ah, Jack. You failed the three-garment test […]
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 […]
Something to Talk About (2020) Meryl Wilsner Jo Jones is a Big Deal in Hollywood. She started out as a child star, then went on to script-writing and producing, and although she’s currently working on an award-winning show, she wants to do something else–a super hero movie. He didn’t come out and say it was […]
A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking (2020) T. Kingfisher Mona isn’t an impressive wizard. Her power is is with baked goods, which is very specific, and (as far as she can tell) not much good unless you’re a baker. Which she is. But someone is killing wizards, and it seems like Mona isn’t quite as […]
Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall This story was an utter delight. I started it mid afternoon, and pretty much didn’t set it down until I’d finished it–past my bedtime. Luc O’Donnell is a mess. Because both of his parents were semi-famous musicians, he’s always been in the eye of the press, and when his relationship […]
A Murderous Relation (2020) Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell) Set in London in 1888. Victoria and Stoker are not to get much time to recover from their last adventures, as they are almost immediately asked to call upon Lady Wellie who has some important visitors she wants Victoria and Stoker to help. But Victoria doesn’t have […]
A Talent for Trickery (2015) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in 1872. It’s still the time for falling back on old favorites. This book was my introduction to Alissa Johnson, and I immediately snatched up everything by her I could find. Charlotte Walker (now Bales) was the daughter of an infamous confidence man–and […]
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) […]
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) Vaughn Hargrave is tired of dating. He doesn’t want what every other guy wants, so he’s decided he’ll just stop trying. Devon took a hefty gulp, then pressed his mouth to Toned’s. Vaughn saw liquid dribble from one corner as the gulp passed from mouth to mouth. His […]
Turning Darkness Into Light (2019) Marie Brennan Audrey Camherst, grand-daughter of the famous Lady Trent, is a scholar in her own right. But it’s so hard when I can feel everyone looking at me, waiting to see what I’ll do. Not my family, of course; if I decided I wanted to retire to a country […]
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 […]
The Immortal Conquistador (2020) Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville) Set in the Americans, 1500s to present. This has four stories and a surrounding tale. “Conquistador de la Noche” (2009) Subterranean Online “El Hidalgo de la Noche” (2015) First time in print “El Conquistador del Tiempo” (2019) Original appearance “Dead Men in Central City” (2017) Asimov’s Science […]
Meet Cute Club (2020) Jack Harbon (Sweet Rose) Jordan Collins wants more than almost anything to keep his book club–the Meet Cute Club–going. His grandmother’s book club was his inspiration, and he wants to share his love of romance with his community. Unlike anyone normal, Jordan had opted to reread the entire eight-book series again, […]
Shattered Bonds (2019) Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock) This book came out last October. I started it, and immediately realized I just wasn’t up to reading a book that was all action and bad stuff from the get go. At the end of the last book, Leo is dead, the vampire world is in chaos, and […]
Too Big to Miss (2006) Sue Ann Jaffarian (An Odelia Grey Mystery) Odelia Grey. is middle-aged, plus-sized, and single. She’s also a professional woman who is good at her job, and more importantly has good friends. We were almost identical in size. Both of us are about five foot one or so. Both tip the […]
Heathen: Volume 2 (2019) Natasha Alterici, Rachel Deering The second volume picks up where the first volume left off. Brynhild and her lover have separated from Aydis who has been sent on a quest by Freyja. Aydis needs to reach Heimdall, but the sea is cursed, and filled with mermaids who see humans as delicious. […]
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It (1999) Gina Kolata I’d been wanting to re-read Flu for years, however, I the digital version never went on sale. But when the Covid-19 pandemic started, it went on sale one day, and I snatched it […]
Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) This is two books and a short story. The first story is about Dionysus and Leander (the Minotaur of the cover. (with a KILT. Which is PERFECT.)) The second story is a short story about a young woman stumbling upon Artemis and the muses in the forest. “That’s […]
Who Speaks for the Damned (2020) C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr) Set in London in 1814 I have loved this series since the start, and generally adore her writing. However. Third Person Omniscient POV does NOT WORK if you are hiding a person’s gender. It just DOESN’T. It is stilted and kludgy and what you’re […]
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, […]
A Kiss for Midwinter (2012) Courtney Milan (Brothers Sinister) Set in England in 1863 I re-read the previous book in this series because I was wanting to re-read this story. Dr Jonas Grantham wanted more than anything to become a doctor. Right before he left for medical school, he followed the town doctor around 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 […]
A Stroke of Malice (2020) Anna Lee Huber (A Lady Darby Mystery) Set in Scotland in 1832 Kiera and her husband Sebastian Gage are spending the holidays at Duchess of Bowmont’s Twelfth Night party, when a group stumbles upon a dead body. Although it’s suspected that the decayed body is the husband of the Duchess’s […]
Trickster: Native American Tales (2010) edited by Matt Dembicki This is a collection of 21 stories, told by 24 Native American story tellers and drawn by 21 artists. Coyote and the pebbles / Dayton Edmonds and Micah Farritor Raven the trickster / John Active and Jason Copland Azban and the crayfish / James Bruchac, Joseph […]
The Emperor’s Conspiracy (2012) Michelle Diener (Regency London) Set in London in 1811. Charlotte Raven was rescued as a child, and although she leads a somewhat unorthodox life, she tries very hard to be the perfect lady for Lady Howe, who saved he from the stews. This always surprised her, Catherine’s willful habit of seeing […]
Play It Again (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid and his sister Rachel are YouTube stars. They actually make their living from it, first becoming famous after Rachel recorded Dovid ranting about how he hated it when people didn’t pronounce his name correctly. But he also spends time going to schools and talking abut bullying because that’s […]
The Kiss Quotient (2018) Helen Hoang Stella Lane has learned to function and even thrive, finding econometrics the perfect fit for her autistic brain. I designed an algorithm to help with some of their purchase suggestions. Apparently, it’s working better than expected.” “When is the new promotion effective?” her father asked. “Well . . .” […]
Trick of the Light (2009) Rob Thurman (Trickster) I had not read this book in years. It’s been on my list of books to purchase as ebooks (since I only had the paper book) but it never went on sale,so I finally broke down and bought it. Then I worried it wouldn’t be as good […]
The Art of Theft (2019) Sherry Thomas Charlotte Holmes has been taking a break from consulting after her last case. But when Mrs. Watson’s old friend asks for help, Charlotte, Livia, and everyone else is drawn into a heist. I’ve had a request for this from the library since it came out, so when it […]
Thaw (2017) Elyse Springer (Seasons of Love Book) Dedication: You are not broken. You are not alone. You are perfect exactly the way you are. And you are loved. The first thing to know about Abigail is that she loves her job as a librarian. The second is that she isn’t particularly social, but agrees […]
Play It Again: A Slow Burn Romance (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid Rosenstein and his sister Rachel run the popular YouTube channel Don’t Look Now, with Rachel behind the camera and Dovid starring in the videos–many of which focus on accessibility and anti-bullying, since Dovid has spent most of his life navigating a sighted world. Dontlooknowdovid: […]
A Holiday By Gaslight (2018) Mimi Matthews Set in England in 1861. Sophie Appersett has decided that although Mr Edward Sharpe is handsome as well as wealthy, they do not suit. After months, she still knows nothing about him, other than that he and his best friend made their money in an investment that paid […]
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (2005) Lauren Willig Set in England and France in 1803. I knew I’d read this before, but after checking, it was 2010, so I can be forgiving for remembering next to nothing about the story. Amy’s father was killed during the Revolution, and her English mother died of […]
The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant (2014) Drew Hayes I’ve read quite a few new releases recently, so I’ve been interspersing them with books I really liked and wanted to re-read. Hence, returning to The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant. I recorded my journeys in […]
Whiteout (2017) Elyse Springer Noah Landers wakes up with with a crushing headache and nausea, and no memory of who or where he is. The man he’s with says he fell and hit his head, but that the storm means no rescue vehicles can reach them, so he’s been doing his best, calling the doctor […]
The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (2019) Olivia Waite Set in England in 1816 Lucy Muchelney spent years helping her father, and writing many of his astronomical maths. Catherine St Day finds widowhood a relief, after years of dealing with her husband’s wants and tempers, and financing his expeditions. When Catherine asks if her father […]
Can’t Escape Love (2019) Alyssa Cole First things first: I LOVE THIS COVER. This is an AMAZING cover and I completely cannot believe it came from Avon. So the story. This is a novella that apparently takes place at the same time as the book about the main character’s twin sister. This become important later […]
Devil’s Daughter (2019) Lisa Kleypas Set in England in 1877 This is a sequel to Devil in Spring, which I really liked, and enjoyed Hello Stranger so this ended up on my wish list. Phoebe, Lady Clare married her childhood best friend and love, even knowing he would make her a young widow. Now that […]