Spells for the Dead, Audio Edition (2019) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam Nell is learning how to control her powers as a “plant person” as she calls herself. But she doesn’t understand why she’s called out the death of a famous country singer, whose body whose body is rapidly decomposing–along with the bodies of […]
Renovated to Death (2022) Frank Anthony Polito YA author PJ and his fiance, the actor JP, became starts of the home renovation show, Domestic Partners, and are trying to settle on a house for the next season. Unfortunately, one of the owners of the house the are planning to renovate doesn’t want to sell. And […]
Circle of the Moon, Audio Edition (2019) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam Nell is recovering from spending several months as flora instead of fauna. The farm had seemingly figured out that if I was a tree, there would be no one to work the soil and it liked me around. Now, as I worked, […]
The Lion Tamer (2018) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) First off, this story has a lot happening. Over the course of the series we’ve watched Scottie spiral out of control. The story just before this sees the start of the interactions between Scottie and Gray. Gray sees Scottie as a potential submissive, and sees something […]
The Unexpected Santa (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) This is an interlude rather than a proper novella / short story. We saw Gray and Scottie meet in the previous story. This story shows Gray looking after the twins… “You two doing all right?” Gray crouched down by their table to avoid towering over them. […]
The Royal Marine (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) Wyatt’s partner, Hamish, is set up with Graham and Freddie’s friend Akash. Except that the rugby players are also trying to set Akash up with Scottie. This does not go well for Scottie. Although this is Hamish and Akash’s story, a major thread is watching Scottie […]
The Botanist (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) This is another dark story. It opens years prior to the events in the previous stories, with Wyatt helping to rescue Aled, a young botanist who was mistakenly grabbed by drug runners. This story takes course over several years and Aled slowly (slowly) heals and Wyatt falls […]
The Caretaker (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) This story picks up after The Wanderer. Taine is another retired rugby player. Freddie is the traveling nurse who helped Graham through his cancer treatments, and became a friend. Taine is fascinated by the slight young man. Taine stood silent while the nurse gathered himself. He squared […]
The Wanderer (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) After a hookup at his friend Francis’s wedding, Graham doesn’t expect to see the handsome rugby, but when the meet a second time, when Graham’s brother books him at the Inn BC inherited, he has a wonderful time–and then leaves in the middle of the night. Graham […]
After the Scrum (2016) Dahlia Donovan Although there are occasional issues with this series that could have been solved with stronger editing, this remains a series that has lodged itself in my brain and keeps popping up at random times. Francis is an interior designer who lives with his grandmother. He’d gone away to college […]
The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) TJ Klune This book came out a week into the pandemic lockdown, and it’s possible it might have been lost in the ensuing insanity. Except that it is such a comforting read, it was precisely the thing to read to escape the world. Linus works for DICOMY (Department […]
A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in ~1872 This is such a marvelous book. Jane, struggles with so many things, and is justifiably terrified of anyone discovering her secret, which makes it one of the few books where it is completely logical for the main characters to keep secrets from […]
A Gift for Guile (2016) Alissa Johnson (The Thief Takers) Set in England in 1872. Esther has finally admitted that she was involved in her father’s schemes–as his teenage henchman. And no one blames Esther for that–except Esther herself. Though he suspected she’d be surprised to hear it, Samuel didn’t hold it against her. She’d […]
A Talent for Trickery (2015) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in 1872 Owen Renderwell, the first Viscount Renderwell and Gentleman Thief-Taker needs to solve a series of crimes. And to do so, he needs the help of a woman he hasn’t spoken to in eight years. A woman who sent all his letters […]
Pandemic 1918: Eyewitness Accounts from the Greatest Medical Holocaust in Modern History (2018) Catharine Arnold This is a look at the 1918 pandemic from the stories of those who died and survived. Some of the bits I liked. Especially the more esoteric bits. (A)n accident of chemistry meant that the lead dramatically slowed the decay […]
Flame in the Dark, Audio Edition (2017) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Soulwood) The third Soulwood book finds Nell settling into working at PsyLED. And being gently courted by Occam. “Nell, you act like you never been kissed before.” “I ain’t— I haven’t. Not like . . . Not like this.” Occam’s pupils widened […]
Twice Baked (2019) Andrew Grey Luke is a popular food blogger–known for writing about foods he hates, and how it’s okay to not like goods. Professionally, I was a graphic artist, and I had a small number of clients that I worked with. Each of the businesses had been very successful but didn’t have the […]
Fugitive Telemetry (2021) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries) Murderbot solves a murder! The full station threat assessment for murder was sitting at a baseline 7 percent. (To make it drop lower than that we’d have to be on an uninhabited planet.) Why don’t you come to the hotel when you’re done and we’ll do something […]
An Impossible Impostor (2022) Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell) Set in England in 1900. Veronica and Stoker are back in London, when Sir Hugo comes to them to ask a favor: check on his goddaughter, and see if the man claiming to be her brother is truly returned from the dead. He is asking Veronica, because […]
The Cubby Hole: A Bear Camp Short (2022) Slade James I’ve enjoyed the other stories I’ve read by Slade James–I picked the first novella up free, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. (It’s set in a gay nudist camp, so there was a whole lot of potential to be absolutely something not […]
Murder in Pastel (2015) Josh Lanyon Kyle Bari still lives in the home that belonged to his father, the famous painter Cosmo Bari, and makes his living writing mysteries. “That was the summer I got sick. Rheumatic fever.” “ Which left you with a weak heart.” “It was the summer my father disappeared.” Adam MacKinnon […]
A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (2022) Dianne Freeman (Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in London in 1900. I’ve been picking up books, then putting them down, and noe and Murder and it was precisely what I was in the mood to read. It’s a cozy mystery. This is book five. Main character is […]
Color of You (2017) C.S. Poe (A Lancaster Story) I think I finally figured out why this is my least favorite story in this series. Although it has a mystery (good!) and I adore the characters (good!) the dynamic between the couple isn’t standard (good!) and the misunderstandings are … understandable, something has always felt […]