What Are We Reading & Reviewing in May 2024?

What Are Your Reading Plans for May?

What Carol Plans to read in May
🌸 - ★
56/56
🌸Cold As The Grave - James Oswald 4★ -Group Read
🌸Off Balance - Jay Hogan - 5★ - Friend (2)
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🌸Until The World Stops - L.A. Witt- 2.5★
🌸Love in Spades - Charlie Cochet - 5★
🌸Shiver- Jocelynn Drake - 4.5★
🌸Shatter - Jocelynn Drake - 5★
🌸Winter Wonderland - Heidi Cullinan - 5★
🌸Pick-Up Man - Jodi Payne & B.A. Tortuga -5★
🌸Influenced - Felice Stevens -4.5★
🌸Treasure, Unlocked Mates - Althena Steller -5★
🌸To Not Fall for My Doc - Gianni Holmes -4★
🌸Chaos, Tattoos and Ties- Kindell D. Alexnder -3★
🌸The Right One- Felice Stevens -3★
🌸Wanted: Patient Daddy - Sammie Cee -5★
🌸Wanted: Understanding Daddy - Sammie Cee -4.5★
🌸Wanted: Tender Daddy - Sammi Cee - 4.5★
🌸Wanted: Boss Daddy - Sammi Cee - 4.5★
🌸Renegades - E.M. Lindsey - 5★
🌸Die For You - Max Walker - 4★
🌸Unexpected - K.M. Neuhold - 5★
🌸His Christmas Conundrum - A.W. Scott - 3.5★
🌸Bound, Trophy Doms Social Club- Kate Hawthorne - 5★
🌸Desire & Denial, (Southern Boys)- K.C. Wells - 5★
🌸No Place That Far - L.A. Witt - 5★
🌸To Live Again - L.A. Witt - 5★
🌸Ryder - Jacki James - 5★
🌸Lucas - Jacki James - 5★
🌸Cooper (Blue Collar Daddies) - Jacki James - 5★
🌸Die For You - Max Walker - 4.5★
🌸Walker's Lost Lollipop- Della Caine - 3★
🌸 Aftershock - Tanya Chris - 4.5★
🌸Uncomplicated - K.M. Neuhold - 5★
🌸Parts of Us - Cara Dee - 5★
🌸My Perfect Fit - M.A. Innes - 4.5★
🌸Our Perfect Puzzle - M. A. Innes -5 ★
🌸Roped In - Jodi Payne & BA Tortuga- 5★ (34)
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🌸The Book Eaters - Sunyi Dean - 2.5★
🌸The Resemblance - Lauren Nossett - 4★
🌸The Elementals - Michael McDowell - 5★
🌸Below - Laurel Hightower -5★
🌸When Darkness Loves Us - Elizabeth Engstrom -2★
🌸Familiar Spirit - Lisa Tuttle -2.5★
🌸A House With Good Bones - T. Kingfisher 4.5★
🌸Childgrave- Ken Greenhall -5★
🌸Ghoul - Brian Keene -5★
🌸Wonder - R.J. Palacio - 4.5★
🌸I Loved You in Another Life - David Arnold - 5★
🌸What The River Knows- Isabel Ibanez- 4.5★
🌸Ordinary Monsters - J. M. Miro -2★
🌸The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones - 4.5★
🌸Starling House - Alix E. Harrow -5★
🌸The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits - Elizabeth Peters - 1★
🌸Things in Jars - Jess Kidd - 5★
🌸The Neon Rain - James Lee Burke - 3★
🌸The Ten Thousand Doors of January 4.5★ (19)
🌸Dearly Devoted Dexter - jeff Lindsay -5★ (20

X- Currently Reading

Off Balance - Jay Hogan - (New Zealand)
Painted Bay Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
These two men who should have had nothing in common but turns out that they had so much in common...enough to find love in the small New Zealand town where their friends, the secondary characters... surround them with love and support. This little community isn't perfect by any means, but they make a noble effort to give comfort and support to those that need it. Right now, it’s a current haven for Morgan Wipene...it’s been unkind to Judah Madden in the past, and it’s not much better now. Judah wanted to leave and at sixteen he did just that with his ballet talent. Unfortunately, his Meniere’s has brought him home...not because he missed it but because that’s where you go when your world comes crashing down...that place called home. Eight months later, he's still trying to find some balance, to lick his wounds. He's having to work his family mussel farm with his older brother, Leroy, who is exceedingly angry. Judah doesn’t want or need that but it’s like so many things that are tough(er) when you have a chronic condition. We meet Morgan fairly soon into the book. He’s had lost his wife, Sally, five-years ago and having to learn to live again and he thought the little town of Painted Bay might just be the place. He takes a job as a fisheries officer in hopes of escaping the city and, to some extent, his family. He’s captivated by Judah from the first. He loves how graceful he is...how he looks...his quick wit and even his sharp words that he knows is hiding something more...a tremendous sorrow. Then he learns that Judah has Meniere’s disease, and he knows that this beautiful man needs to find his solid ground. He totally understands what it’s like to have your "feet kicked out from under you". We know almost from the beginning that they are going to be just right for each other. The story is emotional, and they do have to work for their happy place. You can’t help but feel so many emotions for them. The entire story is an example of Jay Hogan's perfectly balanced and captivating writing style.

I had never heard of this disease...so I asked Mr. Google:)
Meniere's disease affects the inner ear, impacting hearing ability and balance in most instances. The severity and specific manifestation of the condition vary from case to case. Though it has no cure, treatments and lifestyle modifications may prevent frequent recurrence of discomforting flares-ups. Because of this, early detection can seriously help those with the condition. Diagnosing Meniere's disease is often difficult because the condition causes symptoms common to many disorders. As such, doctors first rule out other conditions through various tests.

Ordinary Monsters - J.M. Miro - (Scotland)
The Talents series Book #1
Genera: Horror/Fantasy Fiction
2.5★
The book leans heavily on Victorian ideas of occult spiritualism, mysterious, moneyed clubs that have hidden agendas and... those that no one would miss...orphans. The secret society in question here, run the mysterious "Cairndale Institute", which recruits carefully chosen children to house on its grounds in Scotland. Admission requires special “Talents”, which are the equivalent of undeveloped superpowers. Invisibility and accelerated healing get you a place into the institute, along with some more "unusual" powers, such as the ability to manipulate matter or invisibility. Recruitment is mostly an aggressive rather than a passive process. The Institute’s agents actively seek out children worldwide that no one will miss or question their disappearance, to bring into their program. Overseeing the Institute is Dr Berghast, but his true intentions are clouded to say the least. The story initially follows private detective Alice Quicke, who is employed by the Institute to locate an American "talent", Charlie Ovid, who possesses powers to self-heal. Charlie is incarcerated in a Natchez City warehouse while the local police try to figure out what to do with someone sentenced to death but who can't be killed. The case resolves, but not without some bloodshed, and Alice leaves Charlie with her partner and goes off to find an eight-year-old potential recruit named Marlowe. Soon Alice becomes aware that evil forces are after the boy, and they are both in danger. The Institute, we find out, has a long dark and questionable history, and this history is tied to a disgraced former student...Jacob Marber. Now we have flashbacks involving Jacob now taking us from Scotland to Japan. The story has super-powered battles, supernatural creatures, a portal to the land of the dead and magical artifacts that all make an appearance. The book way W-A-Y too long. After 500 pages with well over 150 more to go...I simply lost interest.

The Summer of Katya
Trevanian
4/5 stars
"In the quiet Basque countryside in 1914, Jean-Marc Montjean, a handsome young doctor, moves to the small French village of Salies to assist the village physician. It's there that he meets the seductive, beautiful Katya Treville. Jean-Marc is bewitched, driven to know everything about her. But as he and her family become friendly, he realizes they are haunted by an old, dark secret.
When Jean-Marc learns that the Trevilles are planning to leave the village forever, he insists on a final meeting with Katya. That meeting and the events that follow turn what was an idyllic romance into an unending nightmare. And when Katya’s secret is revealed, the chilling climax will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned." 1983

Synopsis from Good Reads
I enjoyed this book - Very interesting!

His Christmas Conundrum- A.W. Scott
Genera: M/M Romance
3.5★
Trevor Cooper has a conundrum. He had what could be called a "different" type of relationship with his professor’s daughter...she was, as far as he was concerned, someone to hang out with...but Jane thought it to be anything but that and then some. I might have felt sorry for Jane if she hadn't been so overbearing, demanding and over the top plain obnoxious. He broke up with her as gently as he could, after all her father was one of his professors and could make or break him in his class at law school. To say that Jane didn't take it well is the understatement of the century. Not only is she furious, but she’s determined to get Trevor back, any way she can. Not JUST get him back but destroy any chance he might have of dating any other girl. She goes so far as to scare all the girls off that Trevor shows any interested in. Can you say, "creepy stalker"? That's Jane in a nutshell. One of Trevor’s friends, Bailey, suggest something so far out, but not so out there that Trevor doesn’t consider it. The suggestion is for Trevor to pretend to be interested in guys, not girls, and maybe get someone to be his "fake boyfriend". He knows Trevor’s not homophobic because his own fiancé is Trevor’s brother, so what can go wrong? After admitting to Bailey that he’s always secretly thought fellow university student Milo Adair was smoking hot, Bailey puts the plan in motion with Milo. Trevor soon has an appointment with Milo Adair. Milo said that he would give Trevor 30 -minutes to convince him that the "pretend boyfriend" plan is something he should involve himself with. I really liked Milo and the story was cute, for lack of a better description. Both Trevor and Milo's families were total opposites as far as wealth went but equal in the way they loved and supported their children. It's a really heartwarming little story with two sweet, lovable characters...and Jane gets her just reward in the end. Seeing that alone was worth the read.

The House In the Cerulean Sea – T J Klune
Digital audiobook performed by Daniel Henning
3***

Linus Baker is a caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He is conscientious and a rule-follower, and lives quietly with his cat, Calliope. And then he’s summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment: go to an orphanage on a remote island and evaluate the six dangerous magical children living there. Just how dangerous are these children? If the orphanage is closed, is there any place they can safely be moved to? Linus meets the master of the facility, Arthur Parnassus, who is pretty mysterious on his own. As Linus gets to know the island, the orphans and Parnassus, he comes to understand the relationships at work.

This is a modern fairy tale for adults with a message of tolerance, kindness, courage and forgiveness. The sentiment is charming and Klune gives us a wonderful fairy-tale ending.

So many of my friends have loved this book, and I feel that I “missed the magic.” That was probably my fault rather than the book’s. So much going on in real life, that I found it difficult to concentrate on the storyline while listening; perhaps one day I’ll go back to it and re-read it in text format.

Daniel Henning did a wonderful job of narrating the audio version. There are a lot of characters, and they span a variety of magical / fantastical beings as well as humans and animals. He was up to the task of giving them all unique voices.

Influenced - Felice Stevens - (Pennsylvania/New York)
Genera: M/M Romance
4.5★
I'm not a fan of people that are "famous" for no particular reason other than giving their opinion about something, and we all know that everybody has one of those. Felice Stevens did a fantastic job of showing us the good, the bad, and the really ugly of the "Influencer" lifestyle. This story had its ups and downs...and while I was very satisfied with the outcome getting there seemed to be sometimes, a bit forced. It was a slow burn romance as it should have been, with one character, Matty grew up in a small Pennsylvania town and in the "closet" with the door firmly shut, locked, and double bolted. Bryce was born and raised in NYC and had been living the "influencer" lifestyle along with his partner, for a few years, until his partner who was also hi boyfriend, dumps him for Bryce’s friend (?). Noone needs friend like that! Bryce goes off the deep end. It was easy to see that Bryce was immature in the way he approached life after that. He went into a rage along with a downward spiral complete with bad publicity that cost him his contracts...then his agent having had enough, dumps him. After he met a man in a bar on one the worst days of his life, and he was having a lot of those...Bryce agrees to go to a B&B in Pennsylvania to let things settle down and to try to get his life back on track. It turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to him, as he met Matty, the man that will become the love of his life, Matty...the man that believed in him. Matty...who helped Bryce see that the simple life isn’t so bad...that it is okay not to be tied to your phone 24/7...and that self-respect is crucial to true happiness. One of the secondary characters, Pops (Earl)...Maddy's grandfather was one of my favorite people in this story. He was gruff but he was also good for Bryce, and Byrce was almost a life saver for him. The story was in equal parts, sweet, sexy, and emotional.

The Book Eaters - Sunyi Dean (England/Scotland)
Genera: Gothic Horror/Fantasy
2.5★
I should have known from the book description that I was going to stumble through this one...but being the stubborn individual that I am, I refused to stop reading. So, I will say to begin with that the 2.5-star rating wasn't really any fault of the story or the author...it was just that I didn't "get it" and truthfully, I don't think I really cared enough to try. At the start of the story the main character, Devon, is on the run with her son Cai, who had been born a "Mind Eater", in the present day, carrying out some… extremely morally acts on the "gray' side. We are slowing "drip fed" the past throughout the entire story. It became confusing, as if I wasn't confused enough to start with by interchanging past and present chapters. We learn quickly that Devon will do anything to look after her son's wellbeing. Her "mother of the year looking after" borders on a lot of highly questionable acts. Devon is a 'book-enter". It seems that these "people (?) thrive and survive off of the ink, paper and words of the books they eat.... yes...REALLY EAT. Strange??? Do you think???. The women who are born as book eaters are only supposed to keep their young for a few years and not form any kind of bond with them. There is a bit of the "gay lifestyle" in this story also, which I didn't get at all, and I read a lot of M/M romances. I would consider the story to be a kind of hybrid fantasy/horror. It has won or has been nominated for numerous awards including the NPR Best Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction Book of 2022, A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee & A Library Journal Best Book of 2022. I guess if we all liked the same thing there would never be enough to go around and that includes our choice of reading material:)

I Loved You in Another Life - David Arnold
Genera: YA/Romance
5★
Two teens who are feeling stuck find in each other what they need to move on. Shosh Bell and her sister were best friends. Her sister’s death turned Shosh’s life upside down, putting her promising acting career on a sudden stop that she wasn't sure would ever start again. Evan Taft has been avoiding finishing his application for the six-month wilderness education program in Alaska that he’s been dreaming of for ages. He’s worried about leaving his mom, who’s being treated for cancer, and even more so his 7-year-old brother, who is obsessed with ET. An almost overwhelming adoration for their siblings isn’t the only thing that Evan and Shosh have in common...they both can hear music that no one else seems to be able to, and it's pulling them together. When they finally meet, they have an immediate connection and a feeling that they’ve known each other before.... but how is that even possible? Their alternating points of view are interspersed with stories from the past and the future and many timelines in between...1832 Paris...1953 Tokyo...2109 Oslo. They start to believe that maybe their souls are destined to find each other across many multiple lifetimes. The prose and dialogue of this story helps to build two beautiful and sympathetic characters, adding layers that make the story special in spite of the almost overabundant pop-culture references that quickly date the book. It's the first time I have read this author, but he did a magnificent job of completely capturing the intensity of first love.

The Resemblance - Lauren Nossett - (Georgia0
Genera: Mystery/Thriller
4★
When an unknown driver hits and kills a student, Detective Marlitt Kaplan happens to be on the University of Georgia campus. The victim, Jay Kemp, is a member of the Kappa Phi Omicron fraternity. While his fellow Kap-Os insist that they are shocked and grief-stricken, Marlitt is convinced they all have something to hide. The story is part police procedural, and part general critique of the college fraternity system. Marlitt has a long-standing grudge against fraternities and all of the avoidable tragedies that happen under their watch. “I collect them,” Marlitt says... “these horrendously sad and never-ending accounts all across the nation, pile up in my memory, and I want to bury the thing at its core.” Her obsession keeps the investigation, and the plot, moving along at a fast pace, even as her fellow officers begin to try and discourage her. She has such a vendetta against the frat brothers, for example—from the “golden boy” chapter president, Tripp Holmes, to Michael Williams, the charming but ruthless son of the university’s president...that her narration tends to become a bit disconcerting. The are a lot of suspenseful scenes, such as the ill-conceived undercover mission at the “Hawaiian nights” party, that keeps the story interesting and the pages turning. There are also many questions that need to be answered. Why did the driver look exactly like the victim? Why was he driving the victim’s car? Why, during the novel’s shocking midway point, does Marlitt wake in the night screaming a language she doesn’t understand or speak? I found this a bit hard to digest but the answers are very surprising, and at times unsatisfying. Overall, it’s a fun read with some surprising twists that will keep you on your toes. It received a 4-star rating because of some of the difficult to believe things that took place...but in no way was it a bad story. I believe the title will offer some clues as you read along.

Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
4/5 stars
Melinda is a freshman in high school and is now a pariah in her school. Turns out she called the cops and the kids at the unchaperoned party who are not too happy with her. What caused her to do it and how she is shunned at school will shock her school mates when the truth comes out. Banned Book

When Darkness Loves Us - Elizabeth Engstrom
Genera: Horror/Novella
2★
It's two horror tales...one a rather long short-story with some supernatural touches...the other a crude novella-length study of psychosexual mania. When Darkness Loves Us is the shorter one. Sally Hixson is a 16-year-old pregnant farm-bride who becomes accidentally trapped in an underground cave. In the "cave-world", Sally Ann talks with the ghost of a dead sweetheart, gives birth to baby boy, Clint, and supposedly lives in this cave contentedly for 20 years. Then she returns to the upper world and learns that her husband has remarried to Sally Ann's awful sister. She steals a baby girl to become her Clint's "underworld" bride. After a doomed attempt to introduce her old husband to this wonderful cave-life, Sally Ann gives up on reconciling the above ground, and below ground worlds. The we find out that this may all be the dead or dying Sally Ann's dream. It's hard to tell if this is science or fantasy. It appears that the author herself isn't quite sure. Talk about something fitting for the "Twilight Zone.

The second story, Beauty Is is a bit more coherent, but only slightly more. It features Martha Mannes, who is middle-aged, homely, and retarded but fairly self-sufficient, living alone on the family farm now that her very well-off parents have both died. Flashbacks give us the Mannes family-history. There are the faith-healer powers of Martha's mother, Fern, that her husband, Harry, wants nothing to do with, and besides he doesn't believe for minute that they are real. Seems that their daughter who is also named Martha, was born without a nose and attempts at surgery have failed. Harry is cruel and rejects "baby" Martha, who we soon learn he regards as brain damaged. Meanwhile, his wife, Martha is becoming "un-retarded"...is that even possible? Seems that the affectionate sexual attentions of her young handyman have worked some type of miracle. I tried to like the stories but only found the entire book to be...well... awkward. Nice cover though.

The Starlite Drive-In – Marjorie Reynolds
3.5***

From the book jacket: When land developers uncover human bones at the site of the old drive-in, Callie Anne Benton realizes that she alone knows the identity of the victim who mysteriously disappeared thirty-six years ago. She recalls the tumultuous summer of 1956, when, nearly thirteen, she’s stuck at home with her parents during a long, hot summer in rural Indiana.

My reactions
I was completely hooked on this story from beginning to end. Callie is a wonderful character / narrator. She’s smart and observant, but also naïve and prone to flights of fancy. Living on the grounds of the drive-in, where her father is the manager, she’s watched too many movies, and her imagination tends to run away with her. The summer of 1956 is one where she begins to feel the stirrings of first love, but also witnesses the complexity of adult love. She doesn’t always understand what she sees but tries her best to piece it together.

It's a great coming-of-age story and told well. Brought back many memories of my family outings to the drive-in when I was a kid.

Wanted: Patient Daddy - Sammi Cee
Love on Tap: Fragile Hearts series Book #2
5★
Toby's parents are obnoxious...controlling and downright EVIL...no other word for them. What makes this type of people think they have any control over the life of a 25-year-old man...not to mention how you could ever treat your child like this even if they weren't an adult??? I can't tell you how much I wanted to reach into the book and slap them or worse. He was loved and for all purposes, raised by the housekeeper and her husband...plus he had good friends in the guys he worked with at the tavern. One of his friends made and displayed a sign at the tavern that read, "Wanted Patient Daddy". If anyone ever needed a "Daddy" it was our Toby. Thankfully, he hit the lottery when one of his best friends, Melissa, and his friends at the Tavern, had his back and his best interest at heart. They have always wanted him to be happy and know that he really is, despite his parents, is loved for who he is. Melissa sets him up to teach her dad how to cook, while the boys post a "Wanted" sign asking for a Patient Daddy. Toby's parents never praised him and always tried to keep him "under their thumb". He was at the point that he didn't think anyone could ever love him for just himself. He is a bit quirky and very, very energetic, but he is a sweetheart and I wanted him to have his "Happy Ever After". Thanks to Melissa's "cooking lesson idea, Samuel, Melissa's dad enters Tobey's life. Samuel soon realizes that Toby is HIS perfect boy. He just has to convince Toby that he's worthy of every ounce of love his "Daddy" and his friends give him. It was rewarding to see how Samuel supported him while giving him the space to find his own way. This little series, by Sammie Cee, is incredibly heartwarming. I absolutely love these boys and their "Daddies".

The Devil's Tapestry / Barbara Cole
3.75 stars

This book is based on some real people discovered during the author’s genealogical research. It follows a few families from the early 1800s to just into the early 1900s (the bulk is during the 19th century). There is a historical note at the end that talks about some of what really happened.

(Early 1800s): Rachel and Joseph are in love and want to marry when Joseph tells Rachel that he is leaving to go to war. Rachel is devastated. She eventually marries someone who abuses her and her life ends up in jeopardy.

(Later 1800s): a few generations later, drunkard Jacob Marks (a descendant of Joseph) successively marries three women, each younger than the last. His first wife, Mary, falls down the stairs and dies; His second wife, Bess, disappears; his third wife, Tilda(? Or Thirza… these are two very similar names in the book and I can’t remember which one was Jacob’s third wife), is “lucky” enough to have close family nearby who start asking questions when she, too, disappears.

I thought this was really good, but for a while it went back and forth in time (which usually doesn’t bother me too much), and what was trickier was figuring out all the people and how they were related. There is a cast of characters at the front of the book, but even when I referred to it, I still had trouble figuring things out. That’s what took it down a ¼ star for me. However, I thought the storyline was very good.

Bound, Trophy Doms Social Club - Kate Hawthorne - (California/New York)
Trophy Doms Social Club Book #4
Genera: M/M Romance/BDSM
5★
Possible Triggers: Lots of BDSM, all consensual
I previously read the first 3 books and really liked the characters...all into kinky stuff but very good friends. This is an excellent addition to the series and I'm looking forward to finding #5, Shared. Back to this one. It's about second chances... except it’s less of a second chance and more of an “oops, we screwed up". Seems that 15-years ago Ivey and Dalton got married in Vegas, and then "forgot about it.” This could only have happened on the pages of a book but what the heck, it made a good story. When Kate Hawthorne added a bit of the "fake relationship" trope, this all starts to sound more than complicated, but Kate is good at what she does best...write about hot, sexy guys...so she handles the variables and emotions with her usual incredible story writing skills. The kink dynamic between Dalton and Ivey, at its core, is probably one of the most typical D/s dynamics I’ve ever seen from any author. That's one of those reasons that this book reads like a kink romance that's running in reverse rather than full steam ahead. The tension between Dalton and Ivey is strong no matter if the scene takes place today or 15-years ago. We follow their journey of how they got to this point in their present day, with the two of them first connecting after the shared abuse by an ex. It begins with a trauma bond that initially develops between them and it what sends them to Las Vegas in the first place, without necessarily keeping the focus on why that trauma existed in the first place. Both men have grown up since that first college experience... but the connection between them that was always there, remains. If anything, it made Dalton’s attempt at posing as the dutiful husband in New York City even more dramatic. Unfortunately, the distance doesn’t relieve Dalton of any of the pressure of developing a relationship away from the influence and opinion of his friends. Not a single character exists in a vacuum, as Dalton faces the NYC chapter of the "Trophy Doms Social Club" who are particularly overprotective of submissive Ivey. A more significant hurdle to Dalton and Ivey’s "happy ever after" however, is the simple logistics of their lives 3,000 miles away on opposite sides of the country. When the stars eventually align, the author has once again done an excellent job of shaping the two characters of Dalton and Ivey, so that the final decisions on both their parts feels natural. Note: His parents didn't name the poor guy "Ivey". It's what ONLY Dalton has always called Carter Emerson Royce the IV...so, "I-V"...and NOONE but Dalton calls him that.

Wanted: Understanding Daddy - Sammi Cee
Love on Tap; fragile Hearts Series Book #3
Narator: Shawn K. Jain
Genera: M/M Romance/Daddy/boy Relationship
4.5★
These are sweet, short little stories, (less than 200 pages), that don't have much, if any angst, I have really liked this this series. All of the boys work at the Tavern and are all very good friends. One day, one of the boys offered to help one of his friends find a "Daddy" by making and hanging a sign describing what type of Daddy was needed, in the tavern. So far two of his friends have found their "Daddy" and now it's Dylan's turn. Dylan had been abused by his mother's boyfriend/husband. His mother didn't believe him, and it turned his entire view of his self-worth on its head. He was in middle school and had a best friend, Brett who he ghosted because he felt Brett wouldn't want to be friends with him any longer. When the story opens, we find that Dylan is on the path to going to Nurse's School, and while walking his golden retriever, he runs into Brett who he hadn't seen in years, but still had feelings for....and Brett returned those feelings in spades. Brett was the embodiment of understanding when Dylan explained why he had ghosted him. He was so sweet and gentle with Dylan...never pushy or demanding, allowing Dylan to do things and make discissions in his own way and time. It strengthened their relationship. Dylan wanted and needed a Daddy, and Brett wanted and need to be one...to 'take care" of someone... and Dylan was that "someone" for him. Dylan finally had genuine friends and a found family to offer him the support and love he so badly wanted and needed. Seeing everyone come together is always one of my favorite parts of this series. Fellow worker and friend, Cameron, protects all the boys, Christian, the Tavern owner and the boy's employer, provides a warm, and welcoming place for them to feel safe, Levi, the bartender watches out for problems on the floor...and they all look out for each other. Wouldn't it be nice if there were indeed places and people like this everywhere?

Starling House - Alix Harrow - (Kentucky)
Genera: Mystery/Gothic Horror
5★
Opal is broke, so she takes a job as a house cleaner in the creepiest, scariest house in the entire town of Eden, maybe in the whole state of Kentucky. She's never had an easy life. Her mother died, when she was a teenager and to keep the only family, she has together together...she fakes her way into gaining custody of her younger brother, Jasper. Years later we find Opal and Jasper still struggling to make ends meet. Jasper is an exceptionally bright and creative boy, and Opal desperately wants to get enough money together to get him out of Eden and maybe to a private school that will offer him all the resources he needs and deserves. Opal has always been mysteriously drawn to the Starling House. It's a huge old mansion shrouded in rumors and local legends. When she meets the reclusive owner of the house, Arthur Starling, she convinces him to give her the opportunity of a lifetime....to let her work in the house as a cleaner. He doesn't take much convincing, and soon Arthur is offering to pay Opal enough money to send Jasper to school...and in return, she gets to explore the house to her hearts content...the house she’s been dying to see for as long as she can remember. When a woman claiming to be working on behalf of the local power plant offers Opal even more money for information about Arthur Starling and about his house, Opal then begins to think that she must first discover something for herself. She has started to feel that Starling House must have a mind and a will of its own...otherwise why would such powerful people want so desperately to get inside? Author, Alex Harrow has magnificently turned Starling House into a character in itself with a mind of its own and a deeply horrifying plan. The house is strangely ALIVE...but how can that be? Page by page, line by line, word by word, the reader watches as Opal tries to untangle the many mysteries of Starling House, revealing how powerful people will twist the truth until the story suits their purposes, and sometimes gives life to what should never been alive to start with. A delightfully chilling and spooky story about how hidden truths usually always come back to haunt you.

The Bear’s Embrace – Patricia Van Tighem
3.5***

While hiking in the Canadian wilderness, Patricia and her husband were attacked by a grizzly bear. Fortunately, other hikers came upon them shortly after the attack and helped get them to safety and summon help. They both survived, and spent months in hospital undergoing treatment of their injuries. Trevor’s primary wounds were to his leg and thigh. But Patricia suffered devastating wounds to her head and face. This is Patricia’s memoir of the years of reconstructive surgery and depression (PTSD) she suffered following that incident.

I found this gripping and interesting, truly a tale of survival, courage and triumph. But I was not prepared for the severity of mental health issues she would suffer as a result of the attack. Frankly, I was more interested in the physical aspects of her injuries; I wanted to know a bit more about the kind of reconstructive surgery she underwent. But then, she was not the surgeon, but the patient, and her experience was chiefly about the pain and suffering she endured for over fifteen years. (The attack happened in 1983; the book was published in 2001.)

The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones - (Idaho)
Indian Lake Trilogy Book #3
4.5★
Jade Daniels, the reluctant but determined heroine of this...The Indian Lake Trilogy has returned to Proofrock, Idaho... (yes, there is such a place), after her second prison stay for the events that she was involved in in the first two books of this trilogy, My Heart Is a Chainsaw and Don’t Fear the Reaper. Jade's best friend, Letha Mondragon-Tompkins, has gotten her a job teaching high school history, (I can't imagine this), but all the meds and therapy available aren’t really helping. If you've read the first two books, this won't come as a big surprise. Before long, a real estate project at the site of the previous massacre at “Camp Blood,” along with a pair of missing teenagers, and a raging forest fire started by a grieving game warden, have exploded into a nightmare. The writing is still very graphic and precise, but while every word has been carefully chosen, they sometimes fail to really explain what is actually happening. The plot is often overly filled with urban legends. I'm sure the true horror fans that's a big plus. This author is very good at producing images that horror movie producers would pay huge sums of cash to use in the next slasher film. Imagine seeing on the 'big screen" Jade’s rapist father back from the dead, or a murderous child gleefully mutilating many of the town's residents, or ghost enjoying a dead-time at the local lake...at least you could almost stand a chance of working out what is really happening, which is something that doesn't always happen much of the time here... but hey...it's still good, if not necessarily clean fun, and I bet Mr. Jones had a grand old time writing it. Oh...and the trilogy should be read in order. I know that those of you that know me well will be surprised that I actually did that.

Wanted: Tender Daddy - Sammi Cee - Sammi Cee
Love on Tap, Fragile Hearts Series Book #4
Genera: M/M Romance/Daddy/Boy
4★
The guys from the Tap Tavern have happily intermingled in all these stories, but we first really got to meet Archie in the third book that was Fischer and Marcus's story. He had time to grow some and work through his load of trauma caused by his abusive aunt. Now the "Wanted" sign for a "Daddy" is his... but he believes that he has found...all on his own, HIS "Daddy"...the "Tender perfect "Daddy" that is just for him. Hutch is a detective that works with one of Archie's fathers. He and Hutch first meet when Archie sheltered three children from a gun fight taking place in a neighborhood where he had gone to deliver a birthday gift to a lady for her dying husband. Thinking of everyone but himself is just who and what Archie is. I loved the way that Hutch handled Archie... patience...the tenderness, and the care that Hutch displays, along with the trust, love and impatience that Archie has simply blended together to give us a glimpse into the lives of so many other characters from this intertwined series. The stories in this series are all fairly short, straightforward and sweet one. if you are looking for a lot of steam and a ton of sex...you won't find it here. It just wouldn't have fit well in these stories in any way, shape, or form. There is one more story that I'm starting. Levi and Christian...then everyone of the Tap Tavern guys will have their "Daddy".

>22 BookConcierge: I read this quite some time ago. I also rated it 3.5 and how much people go through after being attacked was not something that had occurred to me until I read this book.

Things in Jars - Jess Kidd - (England)
Genera: Supernatural/ Mystery/Thriller
5★
We follow Detective Bridie Devine as she searches for a missing child. but finds so much more than she bargained for. Bridie is no stranger to the seedy underworld of Victorian London. As an accomplished detective with medical training, she sometimes helps the police by examining bodies to determine the cause of death. Bridie recently had failed to find a lost child, so when she’s approached about another missing child, this one not just ANY lost child but the daughter of Sir Edmund Berwick. She isn’t really enthusiastic about taking on the case. However, Christabel Berwick is no ordinary child. Sir Edmund has hidden Christabel away her whole life but yet wants Bridie to believe that this is just an ordinary kidnapping. Bridie starts asking questions and learns that Christabel isn’t so much Sir Edmund's daughter but much more like his "prized procession". He fully believes that Christabel is a “merrow,” which is a darker version of a mermaid. Bridie of course, is skeptical, but there are reports that Christabel has some strange characteristics like sharp teeth, color-changing eyes, and the ability to drown people on dry land. Bridie is without some "strange" herself as newest companion is a ghost who refuses to tell her why he’s following her around. There’s a lot going on in this story and it's NOT PRETTY! London in Birdies time is soaked with mud and blood, and her own past is a nightmare at best. The author, Jess Kidd is an expert at giving us a supernatural mood that any ghost or merrow would be happy to call home... and her human villains would not be the exception. The story has so much detail and so many clever characters. I think Bridie deserves her own series of oh maybe a hundred or so books. This one is creepy, dark, and sometimes violent...but what an adventure!

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega – Crystal Maldonado
Digital audiobook performed by Carla Vega
4****

From the book jacket: Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat. People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it's hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn't help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

My reactions
This is a wonderful coming-of-age story that deals with body image, friendship, parent/child relationships, and societal expectations. Charlie is a strong young woman, mostly sure of herself, though plagued with self-doubt (as are most teenagers). Her feelings of inadequacy are compounded by media messages that “thin is in.” Thank heavens she has a great best friend, Amelia. And now a cute guy, Brian, seems to be interested in her, so things are looking up. But first love is rarely ever a smooth road.

It's how Charlie deals with the bumps in the road that really endears her to me. She’s smart, funny, kind, loyal and determined. I liked how Maldonado treated this first romance, and how the teens dealt with expectations, whether those of friends, each other, parents, teachers, or their own. And I really liked how Charlie found a way to shine and show her considerable talent.

Carla Vega does a wonderful job of narrating the audiobook. She really brought Charlie to life for me.

Unbecoming a Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped America
Therese Oneill
4/5 stars
This is quite an interesting look at women who have influenced the nation. The book covers several women, including Carrie Nation, Hetty Green (the first self-made lady billionaire) and Aimee Semple McPherson, a preacher who also faked her kidnapping. It was a short read but so fascinating. Non-Fiction

Wanted: Boss Daddy - Sammi Cee
Love On Tap, Fragile Hearts series Book #5
Genera: M/M Romance/Daddy, Boy Relation ship
4.5★
Sadly, Levi and Christian's story is the last one in this sweet little, 5-book series. All the boys at Tap Tavern now have the "Daddy" that they needed and wanted. There was a Daddy who was "Gentle"... A Daddy that was "Patient".... A Daddy that was "Understanding"... A Daddy That was "Tender" and bartender, Christian now has his Daddy that is a Daddy who is the "Boss"... and we all that have read the series know that this is Levi, the owner of Tap Tavern. We get to meet Christian's father and two young sisters and can begin to understand why he works every hour that he can to provide for this family...why he constantly does without the necessitates of life, which is something that Levi had been "secretly" providing for him for a long time hoping that Christian wouldn't know it was him. These are all short story about what you will do for the people that you love...even if you don't share DNA with them. It's about learning to accept the help that people that love you will give freely...but mostly it's about finding love and happiness with the person that will make your life complete...no matter what your sexuality is.

Schedule for the group read of Cold as the Grave by James Oswald

Thursday 9th May : Chapter 1 - 13
Friday 10th May : Chapter 14 - 26
Saturday 11th May : Chapter 27 - 37
Sunday 12th May : Chapter 38 - 49
Monday 13th May : Chapter 50 - 63

If anyone wants to join, let me know so that I can send you an invite to the link. Questions are posted daily covering the different sections and people can join the discussion answering as many or as few as they want. All welcome 😍

Treasure, Unlocked Mates - Athena Steller
Unlocked Mates Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Paranormal
5★
Axel is a dragon shifter and Bryce is an older human "little" who is discovering the paranormal world. Being the fated mate of a dragon shifter kind of throws Bryce for a loop, but he manages to finally take it all in stride. The group of paranormal folks that compose the family group are unique and interesting. We don't get to learn a lot about them, but there was enough to stir the "curiosity vats". I really liked both the main characters.... Bryce who thought that he was too old and too "chubby" to be a "little" and Axel, the sweet "Daddy" who showed him how much he could be wanted and loved. The rest of the characters added to the story beautifully. I've got book #2, but I want to thank my reading friend, Christina T, for this little "Treasure".

Chaos, Tattoos & Ties- Kindell Alexander - (Texas)
Tattoo & Ties Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance/Motorcycle Club
I'm a bit confused. This was described in one place as being "a part" of the "Tattoos and Ties" series and in another as being book #3 in the series. This is all true in that it features at least one of the characters from the other books...but it seems to be set in an entirely different time frame. The horrible old man that died in the last book is still alive in this one...and still being a jerk of the highest order. I loved the two main characters in the first books but couldn't relate to any of these guys and I hated the DOJ woman. The story was well written, I just couldn't become invested in it to any extent, or to the lead character, even though he was a brother to one of the characters that I liked. I'll give it 3 stars, but it was nothing like the others.

The Personal Librarian – Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
Book on CD narrated by Robin Miles
3***

As she has done with other women “lost in history,” Benedict shines a light on a little-recognized woman who had enormous influence on American culture. Belle da Costa Greene was J P Morgan’s “personal librarian,” tasked with curating and expanding his collection of rare manuscripts, books and art works, especially those dating from the Renaissance. As his librarian, Greene was required to attend auctions and society balls as a means of becoming friendly and known in the rarified world of high-stakes art collecting. Her success at beating the “boys at their game” was celebrated in news articles on both sides of the Atlantic. So, she was hardly “lost in history.” But … what no one knew was that Greene was born Belle Marion Greener, the daughter of African American parents.

I found this a very interesting look at America in the Gilded Age. I was unaware of the early Equal Rights Act (enacted just at the end of the Civil War), and how it was defeated after offering such promise. It’s no wonder that Belle’s parents left the south for New York and greater opportunity for themselves and their children. The difference in approach between Mr and Mrs Greener was also interesting to me; while she made the decision to register the family as white in the census, her husband embraced his role as a leader in equal rights, fighting AS a black man and was incensed by her decision.

I did get pretty tired of the authors constantly reminding me of the high stakes for Belle and her family if her true identity as a black woman was discovered. I got the first time, or certainly by the third time. I didn’t really need a reminder in virtually every chapter!

I’m glad that Benedict partnered with Victoria Christopher Murray, an African American author, for this work. I wonder why Benedict’s name came first on the cover, though.

Robin Miles does a fine job of performing the audio version. She has clear diction and sufficiently differentiates the characters, so I wasn’t confused about who was speaking.

Red Lily / Nora Roberts
3 stars

This is the third in a trilogy. Hayley is a single mom and has been staying and working with Roz since just before having baby Lily. She is head over heels in love with Roz’s son, Harper. There is also a ghost living in the house, Amelia. Amelia seems to love children and will sing to them, including Lily. But she can be nasty otherwise. Not only that, it’s not long before she appears to periodically be possessing Hayley!

This was ok. I see that I was more interested in the ghost story (than the romances) in the first two books, but even Amelia’s story didn’t appeal to me all that much this time around. It was ok, but nothing more for me.

Desire & Denial - K.C. Wells
Southern Boys series Book #3
Genera: M/M/M Romance
5★
Possible Triggers: Racism & Homophobia
All three of the books in this series thus far have had several themes in common...bigotry, racism, coming out, family drama, but also love and romance. I've read K.C. Wells for a long, long time and I own most of her books in one form or another. I have to say that even though I have liked them all.... sometimes for different reasons and on different levels...I have NEVER been disappointed. I listened to the first book in this series on audio and John Solo did his usual excellent job. The first book Truth & Betrayal could easily stand alone, but if you read all three books, I recommend reading them in order as the characters from Pride & Protection book 2. and Desire & Denial, book 3, overlap. I really liked Del in the second novel, but his brother Jon was somewhat of a mystery. He was closed off and a bit grumpy. Jon’s story is quite moving, and we get all his details in this book, Desire & Denial. Jon’s partners Chaz and Kendis have good stories also, and the way these three men help and love one another is very well done. There’s overwhelming chemistry between each as a pair, and all three together. Jon had no idea how falling in love with these two young men would change his life. They also brought some big changes to this small Tennessee town. I found this part of the story a bit questionable. I was born and raised in the south, and I can tell you that their dynamic would not then, nor even now, be that easily overlooked or accepted. Times are changing but they aren't there yet...especially in the "deep south" where this novel was set. However, I agree that the messages that this trilogy includes about tolerance and acceptance are poignant, timeless, and necessary and simply can’t be repeated often enough. Still there will be some that are going to be offended, angry and upset about the topics portrayed in this book.... enough so that I went back and included possible triggers. I even considered not reviewing it at all...but this author's work deserves to be recognized and everyone can decide to read or not to read.

No Place That Far - L.A. Witt - (Washington)
The Distance Between Us Series Book #7 - Wildes Dance Club Series Book #5
Genera: M/M/M/M Romance
5★
This has become one of my favorite series in spite of being a bit confusing figuring out exactly which series the book your reading is part of, if you actually care about that. Amazon says that it's a part of two series so I will go along with them. My copy of the book says it's #8 in the Wilde's Dance Club series. I found Timur to be one of the most endearing and fascinating characters in this entire series so far...and knew from the start that Marcus, who had already had enough heartache in his life to last him forever.... was in for more. After Timur's and Marcus's friends, Julian and Chris, had left for their honeymoon...Marcus and Timur decided to carry on what had started between them at the wedding...both know they were getting in deeper, and it was going to all come to an end in a month when Timur returned to his unit in the French Foreign Legion. They may not have shared the same language, but their communication skills still worked out and they plainly understood what they both wanted. Timur actually spoke better English that some people I have spoken to that were born in the U.S. These two together were indeed "something else"...but from the start the reader braces for the BIG, depressing event that we knew was coming. You can't help but want happiness for these guys. They just worked so well and were so sweet together. What I liked about this book...well all of the books so far in this series, is that it has all the elements that make a good romance story...some angst, some serious stuff, but most of all there was also humor. Their dynamic changes greatly when Julian and Cris return home...and may put some readers off. There are two woods that Timur always used that I will always remember..."is good". How and when he used them made me smile and they will fill your heart with love and a general content feeling...and that "is good".

The Elementals - Michael McDowell - (Alabama)
Genera: Horror/Paranormal/Mystery
5★
The Savage family of Mobile, Alabama, have a centuries old family tradition that to say it is odd would be an understatement. Every person that is born into the Savage family has a knife presented to them at their christening. The knife goes with them for the rest of their life. When they die, their knife is stuck in the chest, and then buried in with them. The Savages, also take photographs of all of their dead before they are buried. Dauphin Savage has "a whole box of `em." we are told. Now we have been introduced to this "Southern gothic/Addams Family". The Savage and McCray families have been brought together at a funeral and we see more of this eerie world that the author has created as the latest member of the Savage family, Marian, "the meanest bitch that ever trod the streets of Mobile" is laid to rest with a hole in her heart. After Marian Savage's burial, the two families go to Beldame, which is over fifty miles away for a vacation. Beldame is the setting for the majority of the book. There are three Victorian houses that were built in 1875 by the Savage family. Two are inhabitable... one, that is often only referred to as "the third house," Sand from the dunes has piled around the structure and all but sealed most every entryway into the house...but it still contains all of its original, now rotting, furnishings. Fascinated by the dilapidated "third house" and doing her best to see in and take pictures of the dwelling, 13-year-old India McCray is the first of the two families in a long time to sense and maybe catch sight of something that is not quite right... and capture it on film. One character, Odessa, a Black servant, plays a big part in what happens to the families during their stay. She has seen more, knows more, and understands more about what plagues and dwells in the "third house" than anyone. Odessa knows, rather they admit or not that they are all afraid of the sealed-up house. She warns: "They's just some houses that got something inside `em--a spirit like. No ghosts, no such thing as dead people coming back. Dead people go to heaven, dead people go to hell. They don't hang around. Nothing like that. They's just something that's inside that house." It is that "something" that obsesses India and which becomes the focus of the story as it slowly unfolds. The story reminded me a great deal of Shirly Jackson's "Haunting of Hill House"...which I remember reading over and over...the movie never did it justice.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt / Beth Hoffman
3 stars

CeeCee is 12 years old when her mother dies and her usually-absent father decides to send her to live with her great-aunt in Georgia. CeeCee, even though her father is usually away, is still hesitant to leave, but once she arrives in Georgia she becomes great friends with Aunt Tootie’s cook(?).

I listened to the audio. This was pretty slow-moving, but an ok book. Not a whole lot really happened. I did find it odd that CeeCee was really only making friends with women much older than she is. She did make one friend her age, and I assume – had the book continued into the school year – she and her new friend her own age would have been the story at that point. Anyway, this one was ok for me.

Mothers of Feminism by Margaret Hope Bacon

3***

I first read this in 1990 or thereabouts, and I think part of my recollection of struggling with this book is borne out again. The scholarship is well done, and showing the Quaker faith to be what gave Quaker women a voice, but the details on many of the less-known women are too scattered and tend to diminish their stories.

From the very beginnings of Quakerism came the belief that the spirit of God lives within each being, regardless of gender or race or social standing. Many Quakers in the 1800's worked to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, in addition to their work as abolitionists and suffrage.

Examples of women's lives include how some Meetings allowed women to preach to the Friends gathered for Sunday service. Quaker women were allowed to travel in order to preach at other Meetings, or even travel to other cities to bring Quakerism to others. Evangelical, if you will.

Many women were researched in this book and that is a credit to the author. Each chapter has a historical focus, including Colonial America and the rise of Abolition in both the American Colonies and the United States, going through the struggles for Suffrage and Civil Rights.

However. I found myself struggling to find the continuity throughout each era or chapter or set of events. Once an idea was introduced as the main focus, women's lives followed in rapid succession with little to no narrative to bring them together. Other times, women's lives were explored or introduced, then referenced several pages or paragraphs later, again without a narrative voice. The dis-jointed-ness of this overall writing style lessened the strength of this book.

The Tuscan Child – Rhys Bowen
3***

Bowen uses the ubiquitous dual timeline to tell this story that spans three decades: 1944 to 1973. Joanna finds some papers among her late father’s effects that indicate he had a love affair with a woman in Italy while serving as an RAF pilot in WW2. Sir Hugo’s estate has previously been sold and he’s been living in the gardener’s lodge while teaching art at the school that has purchased the estate. He has very little to leave his daughter, but the love letter she finds references “our beautiful boy.” Could she have a Tuscan half-sibling? Joanna feels compelled to travel to the area where her father’s plane went down to find his lost love, Sofia, and to get answers to what really happened during the war.

This was a fun fast read with some intrigue to go along with the romance. I loved all the references to food (and definitely want to try to re-create some of those regional dishes that featured so prominently). The conclusion seems a little rushed and too pat for my tastes. But I still enjoyed the book.

To Live Again - L.A. Witt - (Washington)
The Distance Between Us Series Book #6 - Wilde's Dance Club Series Book #8
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
I have really liked all of the stories in this series, and the good thing is that they all have happy endings, and they can all be read as standalones. The characters do reappear in all the books so if read out of order you might not know exactly who they are or how they relate to the current story...but it's not as much of a problem as you would think. In this one we meet Greg who finds himself single after 25 years of marriage. He realized long ago he had an interest in men but being happily married...until he wasn't... he didn’t try to do anything about pursuing it.... but now that he’s single, he wants to give it a try. Sailo is a deejay at Wilde's Dance Club where they meet when some friends take him out thinking he might meet someone. Sailo and Greg are immediately attracted. They are upfront with one another – Greg wanting to explore his newly recognized side and since Sailo wasn't looking for a relationship, he agrees to help Greg out. No matter their intentions to keep things unemotional, their feelings grow and Sailo is concerned that Greg is just having a midlife crisis, is using him on the rebound...so things come to an unexpected, abrupt halt...and Greg is devastated. Greg is still trying to come to grips with what happened with his cheating ex-wife...their divorce after 25-years and trying to move on, and his growing feelings for Sailo. I really liked this one.... but then I've really liked all of this series. The entire story was done very well. It felt mature, with real life issues.... but I wouldn't have expected anything less from L.A. Witt. Another fabulous story from one of my favorite authors.

Familiar Spirit - Lisa Tuttle
Paperbacks From Hell Series
Genera: Horror
3★
A young woman has recently split up from her boyfriend with whom she's still very much infatuated. She felt that the break-up was a mistake on her part, and what one thing had to do with the other I don't know...but she then moves into a haunted house. It's really difficult to explain just why the story feels rather pointless and empty without giving too many things away... but on some level the young woman seems to never learn anything throughout the story. I didn't find any of the characters likeable or anyone I could root for. The young woman could have been likeable, if her eventual fate had been the result of the spirit's twisting her desires and her character, but it wasn't. How she ends up is 100% her own fault, a result of the self-obsession and tiresome infatuation that she demonstrated from the start of the story, and before she ever set foot anywhere near the haunted house. The ending isn't shocking or satisfying either. It just felt inevitable...you knew it was going to happen like it did taking away a lot of the mystery and most of the horror. This is the second "Paperbacks from Hell" series that I've read. It's a collection of 80s and 90s horror that has been re-released. I think I may have been spoiled by the first one that I read, When Darkness Loves Us. I felt that even though this book was well enough written and I'm sure the author is talented... it missed something...or maybe I missed something. It lacked the "something" that I needed and wanted from a ghostly, spooky tale of possession, loss, regret and obsession. If you're after a story that will leave you feeling that you have been sufficiently scared and had your "dose" of horror...this, isn't it.

Winter Wonderland - Heidi Cullinan - (Minnesota)
Minnesota Christmas Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
This little series follows three gay men in small town Minnesota, Marcus, Arthur and Paul, three "bears" and best friends, as they find their mates. In the first book, Let It Snow, Marcus and Frankie fall in love. The second book, Sleigh Ride we see Arthur and Frankie get their happy ever after, and now in this one we finally get to see Paul, the neediest of the entire group, find his love....but of course we first have to have a little angst and drama. Paul is from a conservative family in Minnesota. Poor guy…. He’s a big bear, and he’s a big mess of anxiety, lack of confidence. He has friends, he’s dated, but he can’t ever seem to connect with the right one. He’s lonely and so tied up in his own head that he can’t see what is right in front of him...namely Kyle Park, resident "twink". Kyle has had a crush on Paul for years...ever since he was a teenager. It doesn't help that he still looks like one even if he is now 25 and works at the local care center. He has an awesome family, which he lives with and a twin sister who has Downs Syndrome. He finally decides he’s waited long enough and he’s going to "get him a man". He starts by trying to connect on Grindr...no luck there, so next he tries his specialty... snow sculptures. He leaves a lovely one on Paul’s front porch. Paul is NOT impressed, and neither is the rest of the town. I won't say what the sculpture was of...just use your imagination. The town's busybody...every town has one...decides to "help" him out and comes up with a plan. To find out what the plan was and how it worked or didn't work, you'll have to read the story...it's a sweet one. The writing was perfect. The plot, the characters, the connection, was all good. If you don't mind same sex romances and are looking for a sweet holiday story, this one could be a good choice. Actually, all three of the stories in this series are great, and so worth the reading time.

Die For You - Max Walker - (Georgia)
Narrators: Javi Wilder & Simon Dornet
Book Club Boys Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance/Mystery
4.5★
This last book in the series was Tristan and Gabriel’s story. Poor Tristan had the misfortune to find himself a psychopathic serial killer. Things escalate and Tristan gets a bodyguard. Enter the man mountain, ex-military, Stonewall Investigations very own, Gabriel. This a separate series written by Max Walker also so was happy to see the two series merging. The Stonewall Investigations series features a serial killer called the "Unicorn" Zane, the owner of the detective agency sends Gabe to protect Tristan. It's great the way we get to meet all the members of the book club in each book and the drinking games they play get more inventive with each meeting. This would have been a five-star read like all the rest have been, but it lost a half star because of all the asinine errors that Gabe made. He should have known better than to make some of the mistakes he made here. Eric has been the hero of two books now, but it was still way to close for comfort. It's a fast paced read with good solid characters. Hope Max Walker will change his mind and there will be more of Tristan, Gabe and the book club.

One Italian Summer – Rebecca Serle
3***

Katy has always been very close to her mother, Carol, and when her mother dies Katy is left feeling alone, abandoned and lost. Who will tell her what restaurant to go to? Who will decorate her house? Who will make holidays special? At her husband’s suggestion, Katy decides to take the trip to Italy she and Carol had planned. Once in Positano, however, Katy comes across a woman SO like her mother, she’s completely caught off guard.

I was fine with this story at the outset, though I thought Katy was very immature for a woman who is thirty. She acted so much like a teenager, voicing a desire to be independent and make her own decisions, but still reliant on her mother to cook, clean, furnish the house, give her permission to go somewhere, etc.

But the tale took a decidedly odd turn about two-thirds of the way through when it’s revealed that Katy has actually time-traveled back to an era when her mother visited the same village. And I felt the ending was pat and rushed.

It held my attention, and it was a relatively fast read. But I’m not sure I’d recommend it.

Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo
3/5 stars
Interesting book about the National Women's Football League and the ups and downs of women playing professional football.

Walker's Lost Lollipop - Della Cain
Found By Daddy series Book #8
Genera: M/M Romance/ Daddy/little Age Play
3.5★
"When my husband /"Papa" died, I swore I’d never want another…and then I lost my sucker...." -Walker
The above quote from the book description pretty much sums up the story. Della Caine's "Found by Daddy" series is a collection of "Daddy /little" books that the stories are short...but every inch is filled with sweetness and loads of love. This one is sweet in other ways as Mateo is a candymaker. Walker is a "little" that loves his sweet treats and, on his way back from making his yearly visit to his husband /Papa's grave, he stops in and buys one of Mateo's lollipops...but in his anxiety about the coming rainstorm, he lays it down and forgets it. When Mateo finds it he remembers seeing the cute little guy that had bought it...so he runs off to find him and return it...and maybe get to talk to him...and maybe ask him to have coffee. A sweet story, with wonderful caring characters and a sweeter than sweet ending. "If you like your romances on the "Hallmark" side but just a bit kinkier, check out Della Cain's "Found by Daddy" series

Until the World Stops - L.A. Witt - (Maine/Virginia)
Narrator: Michael Ferraiuolo
Genera: M/M Romance/2020 Pandemic
2.5★
It's 2019, and Tristan and Casey are in the Navy, and stationed in Maine. The job is not going well for Tristan, who doesn’t think he fits well with the Navy or any other branch of the military. He’s an immature hot head and doesn’t like or want to take orders. To put the icing on the cake he's made some stupid comments on Facebook about giving his opinions of those in command. Now he’s about to be discharged without the word “honorable” anywhere on his discharge papers. Casey, who was Tristan’s superior, should’ve dealt with the issue himself, but it was passed over him. Now Tristan is not only going to lose his job, but also his health insurance, and now will have no place to live. He more than likely won’t be able to get a decent job without that honorable discharge. We know that things are going to get worse here...if that is even possible... because even though they can hardly tolerate one another, Casey suggests a "marriage of convenience" because he feels guilty about Tristan being let out like this. Really??? He figures that if Tristan is his dependent, he can transfer his GI Bill to Tristan so he can go to college and share his benefits. How Casey benefits from all this NOT in the least clear, other than getting his mother off his back if she thinks he's married, and it will alleviate his guilt...but a marriage in name only seems a horrible, terrible, mistake going somewhere to happen. Then it moves forward a year and we find that Casey and Tristan absolutely loathe one another, but they are still living together as husbands. It's now 2020 and the pandemic is just starting to break out in the United States...but their home is a cold war zone. Casey is miserable and resentful of Tristan for them being in this situation. He does everything possible to keep from going home after work. He despises his superiors which has now cost Tristan yet another job, and his anger is hurting any chances for getting another one any time soon. Actually, Tristan is growing increasingly uncomfortable about his complete dependency on Casey. It really was almost impossible to figure out why these two would even consider doing any of this to begin with? I checked to be sure that this was actually written by MY wonderfully talented, L.A. Witt...it was, but the entire thing is not only unacceptable but totally UNBELIEVABLE. I know it was supposed to be about how the pandemic changed everyone's life, but I just didn't see what these two did to have made any difference or helped the situation...they just made their lives a disaster. I found the entire story depressing. I NEVER imagined I'd ever give this author anything less than a 4 or 5-star rating...but guess there's a first time for everything...I just didn't get any of this.

Below - Laurel Hightower - (West Virginia)
Genera: Horror
5★
It's filled with all that makes a good paranormal/horror story... the weird, the bizarre, the unknown, and the unexplainable, and more chills than you can imagine. Addy is haunted by the voice of her ex-husband. No, he isn't dead or "on to the other side". His voice isn't even anything supernatural. His words just constantly sound off in her head at unexpected times. His unwanted opinions and his equally unneeded judgements are her constant companions. But this story isn't about that jerk. There is another man whose voice is currently present in Addy’s life as well, he's on her CB radio. Mads, a trucker...a complete stranger who appears to be a really nice guy. He's been helping Addy through the mountains of West Virginia as the weather quickly begins to deteriorate. Things don't go as planned for Addy and Mads. Raise your hand if that surprises you. Addy is dealt both psychological and physical blows, and she soon finds herself trapped in an unescapable nightmare. There are many, many, truly creepy, spine-chilling moments in this story. The small cast of characters, the isolated and desolate road, and the darkness all blend in to form into a palpable sense of claustrophobia and isolation. While traveling with Addy it's easy to forget that it's "just a story", and you will soon find yourself looking around, over your shoulder. You will soon forget that you're safe in your house, or your bed or your car. Through Addy you almost become her and start to feel the weight and the presence of the darkness, the tingling, crawling sensation of being watched, of hidden eyes tracking your every move. The author, Laurel Hightower did a magnificent job of dropping the reader into the pages and between the covers of the book...and, just when you think you are safe, and it really is ONLY a story...slamming it shut! This is Horror AT IT"S BEST...absolutely solid gold.

The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits - Elizabeth Peters - (Mexico)
Genera: Mystery
1★
Possible Trigger Lots of Drug Abuse
I have read this author for more year than I care to think about. I own and have read everything she had written as Barbara Michaels. Most of these are chillingly wonderful, haunted house/ghost stories. Sadly. something very bad must have been going on in her life at the time she sat down to pen this. I borrowed this one from the library....and my friend that works there told me that she wasn't going to tell me much about the book ...but that it was "different". That was the understatement of the entire century. Quite frankly, it was probably the worst thing I have ever read by ANYONE. It was like a continuous furious rant at life. The very last thing I ever expected of an Elizabeth Peters book is for it to make me depressed and anxious. Reading about a heroin drug smuggling operation south of the border, LSD trips, the effects of drug abuse, and even sadism isn't in any way the norm from this author. It's not that I can't or won't read about those things, but when I do, it's because I intentionally chose to do so. Think about how you would feel if you bought what was supposed to be an inspirational romance in a Christian bookstore and discovered that you were reading hard-core porn instead. This book was written in 1971 and Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels passed away in 1977 so maybe things were already going bad in her world. If you are an "old" fan, you can probably read this with sympathy for whatever caused this wonderful writer to pen this "toxic garbage". If you are a new reader...please read her earlier books, like Ammie, Come Home, my absolute favorite, and Stitches in Time both that she wrote as Barbara Michaels, or her Amelia Peabody series that was written as Elizabet Peters...but please know that this one is as off her norm as the sun is from the Earth.

Ryder (Blue Collar Daddies) - Jacki James
Blue Collar Daddies Series Book #1
Narrator: Kirt Graves
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Ryder and Brennan were really sweet, cute and absolutely perfect together. The story was rather short, but it had so much personality going for it. Some of the best things about it was that the character of Brennan wasn’t portrayed as some kind of stereotype. He was a young proud gay man trying to find what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. The other main character, Ryder, was a hard-working guy that owns his own construction company and had friends that liked to bring their partners, male or female, and hang out on a Sunday afternoon, The way he and Brennan met in the hardware store was cute as well as rather funny. I have no problem with that type of story line...I've read hundreds of M/M romances and sometimes that works well for the characters...but not every "boy" is like that and not every "Daddy" is overly dominate. I was just really nice to see that, and have Brennan clarify that having someone look after him sometimes didn’t mean he couldn’t do those things himself. Ryder and Brennan fell for each other fast, but it made sense. They simply -"worked" with chemistry that was off the charts. Overall, a sweet, low-angst, story with even a puppy. I already have book #2 pulled up on Hoopla.


Lucas{Blue Collar Daddies) - Jacki James
Blue Collor Daddies Book #2
Narrator - Kirt graves
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Lucas owns a motorcycle shop. and when Ben...who had no idea how to ride a motorcycle but thought he'd give it a try just to see if he was going to like it, crashes the bike...Lucas, who had detailed the bike for Ben's Dad, comes to his rescue. That's what brings the two guys together. Ben isn't looking for a "Daddy" since his recent breakup, but Lucas ticks all his "Daddy" boxes. It's a sweet, low angst story with a "Happy Ever After" ending. This three-book series seems to all be composed of fairly short stories that are read on Hoopla by Kirk Graves, who does his usual fantastic job of giving the character's voice. One of the best aspects of this series is that the "boys" are portrayed as capable adult humans. They like their "Daddy/boy" relationship, but they are still capable of taking care of themselves and making adult decisions....and their "Daddies" respect them. A side character that I hope will get his own story is Simon...Ben's ex. Ben's ex was a creep of the highest caliber who Simon had sense enough to pack up and leave. It seemed, without really saying so in this book, that he and Ben might be coming good friends in the future. On to meeting Cooper in book #3.

Cold As The Grave - James Oswald - (Scotland)
Series: Inspector McLean - Book #9
Genea: Mystery & Suspense
4★
A protest march is about to get under way and the police are busy preparing for what they are sure will be a high-tension affair. Inspector Tony McLean has been promoted to Chief Inspector and is less than comfortable with this. McLean hates all that his new position involves and just wants to be out in the field doing what he does best. As the march gets underway on the street...the trouble we know will happen, begins. Tony, not "dressed" to pursue trouble, stumbles near an old doorway. He encounters layers of old circus posters covering the keyhole of an old door. There was no handle, but someone had attached a hasp and a padlock. Someone had also pried it open with a crowbar, splintering wood. McLean is of course, intrigued and carefully opens the door. He right away notices the cold and damp, but also a smell that he can’t quite identify. At the back of the room, he sees a ragdoll up against a wall but on closer inspection he finds that it's not a doll...IT"S A CHILD! Tony is shocked by what he has found and will be more so by what he will soon discover. There is something unknown and unbelievable attached to this case, It has deep layers wrapped in secrecy and coated with fear, mysticism and darkness. The author takes us on a journey that highlights multiple themes...immigration, prostitution, trafficking, militant behavior, racism and much more, all very familiar to today’s society. We also get an insight into the personal life of Tony McLean, a man torn between his own personal relationship with his partner Emma, one that is bordering on becoming a total disaster... and his relationship to the job that he has a love -hate relationship with now. It's an adventure into a world that we as readers of this series have not before experienced on this level. Along with the tale of mystery & suspense we are taken into the world of the paranormal with unimaginable possibilities...which is a favorite venture of mine...but perhaps not for all faithful readers of this series. We have a group read monthly on the Mystery & Suspense group on Librarything...which by the way, everyone is invited to join in. I am probably the only one of the folks that participates, that regularly reads supernatural, paranormal books...so the book only received 4 stars from everyone, including myself. It was a thoroughly engrossing read but it seemed as if the author had introduced and woven the story around the occult and then wasn't quite sure how to finish it. In spite of this little glitch...this is a wonderful series that is so worth the time to read and enjoy.

Aftershock - Tanya Chris
Series: Ever After Book #2
Genera: Mystery/Mild BDSM
5★
Syed has been found innocent of the murder of his boy/sub/lover, Jamie, in the first book in the series. Jamie is still such a big part of his life and a huge chunk of his heart...but he knows Jamie would want him to move on. Yet he is so determined to stay true to his first love while welcoming his second. Watching him figure out how to honor that love while trying to make room in his heart for Dashiell was an amazing and painful process, for not only Syed but the readers also. I loved Dashiel from the start of this series. He is sweet, kind, and so in need of love that he’s willing to do literally anything to make Syed love him, even if the "what" it might take terrifies him. The journey these two take, helped along by Syed’s brother, Aayan...and Dashiell’s friend and boss, Garrett, is one that will sweep you up and take you along, not letting you, go until the very end. This author does a fantastic job of showing us Syed’s struggle, both with himself and with Jamie’s memory. His heart was broken and is broken time and time again in so many different ways. Dashiell’s sweet nature and good heart is the perfect balm for Syed’s wounded soul. Dashiell is facing his own struggles trying to decide how much of himself he’s willing to let go of to be with Syed the way he knows that Syed needs him to be. In the meantime, progress has been made in finding Jamie's real killer...and there is a surprise waiting us with that. I can highly recommend this series, but anyone who might be a little skittish about venturing into the BDSM genre can rest assured that the story is educational for those that may only know about the lifestyle from books they've read. When it's featured here as a part of the story, it shows that BDSM is not all about humiliation and pain... but it can be about anything that the people participating in it needs it to be. It was wonderful to see Aayan and Garrett make appearances in this story. I always like to catch up with favorite characters and see how their "happily-ever-after" is working out. Also, we get so catch up on more of Aaryan and Syed’s family issues. This is a story that truly deserves every one of those 5 stars that I gave it. On to the 3rd book now, and I hope it's not the last one, but if it is, I own all three...so I can revisit as often as I like.

Love in Spades - Charlie Cochet - (Florida)
Four kings Security Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Security Agents
5★
Four Kings Security is composed of four ex-military good friends, Ace, King, Red and Lucky, who have one of the most well-known and successful security business in the area. They’ve earned their nicknames while in the military, and they’ve taken them with them into their business. The names, tattoos, the business motto, crest logo, etc. all form the foundation and basis by which the business was formed. As is this author's style, she gives us great characters who are charismatic and lots of fun, emotional while still coming across as tough. From the start we see the bond that these men share and how much they mean to one another. In this story, Ace is the best man be providing security to a business heir who has absolutely no interest in having a personal bodyguard. But, since the Kings were hired by his father, there isn’t much he can do about it...but he doesn't have to like it or make it easy. The son, Colton has his reasons for not wanting anyone controlling his life, and he puts up a good fight in the beginning. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Ace gives as good as he gets. It doesn’t take long for them to come to a truce and for the threats to escalate into something much more serious. The sparks fly right from the start between Ace and Colton, but then the mutual attraction takes over, and the fireworks begin. Ace puts up some reluctance as he has the most to lose. However, it doesn't take them long until they realize that there is something special between them that will make it worth the risk. They made a great couple and were definitely perfect for each other. The rest of the cast of characters are all interesting as well, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the other Kings. Looks like Red's story might be next..., maybe another "opposites attract" relationship? Can't wait to find out.

Surely You Can’t Be Serious – David Zucker, Jim Abrahams & Jerry Zucker
3***

Subtitle: The True Story of Airplane!

Yes, I saw the surprise comedy blockbuster movie when it first came out. I remember little about it. I laughed and thought some bits were really hilarious (Mrs Cleaver as the translator!), but I also thought that much of the humor was juvenile and typical of middle-school boys.

This is the creators’ memoir of how they came to think of the parody, and their (often naïve) efforts to get it written, produced, cast, made and distributed.

The format is a series of snippets of interviews / memories of not only the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams, but also of actors, technicians, and support staff who worked on the film, and a variety of famous people who reacted to the movie when they saw it.

The book is full of photos from the movie, occasionally with captions of dialogue from the scene depicted.

The ZAZ team is from a suburb of Milwaukee, and they recently reappeared in our city for the launch of this book. In fact, one of my friends now owns the house in which the Zucker brothers lived through their teen years.

Unexpected (Inked) - K.M Neuhold - (Washington)
Inked series Book #3
Genera: M/M/M Romance
5★
I loved Kyle. He had so much strength and determination. Some people are just cruel and intolerable of people or things that don't fit into their idea of what is acceptable or correct. Kyle experienced this almost every day. It appeared that they either didn't take time to see the real him, or if they did, they just didn't care about the pain and the hurt that he hides behind with bright ready smiles and perfect makeup. Those types were always trying to turn off the light inside him just because he didn't fit into their idea of normal. Maverick and Ari are a beautiful couple that have been together a long time and the love between them is almost consuming... but things are not always perfect. Ari works too much trying to support Maverick and his store. Maverick wants Ari to have the success that he deserves. They had recently lost their other partner when he left unannounced. But even when things were difficult for them...when they realized that Kyle had lost his apartment and needed somewhere to stay, they never hesitated for a moment to take him in, with no expectation on their part other helping him out. This story is full of sexy guys with a little "Daddy kink" thrown in, but what I liked most is that it has very little angst and we are given a wonderful ending. I would have expected nothing else from K.M.

Vanderbilt – Anderson Cooper & Katherine Howe
Book on CD read by Anderson Cooper
3.5***

Subtitle: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty

Cooper, the son of “the last Vanderbilt” (Gloria Vanderbilt), and a trained journalist, looks at the family legacy in this work of nonfiction.

There have been many books written about this uber wealthy family of the gilded age. Usually, the books have focused on one or two of the generations from Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt to his children and grandchildren. Cooper tries to encapsulate the history of his family in its entirety.

Unfortunately, there is so much information about the family that we get only glimpses of some of the more colorful members. His focus seems to be on how the Commodore accumulated so much wealth (and why doing so was so all-encompassing for him), and how his descendants managed to squander it all away.

Dysfunctional family with a capital ‘D’! The rich ARE different. He spends some time countering the book (and TV miniseries) made about his mother, Little Gloria, Happy At Last, relating the “true story” behind some of the dramatized scenes.

On the whole, it held my attention, and I learned a few tidbits I hadn’t previously come across.

The text comes with many photos. The ones printed in the center of the book all have captions, but the photos on the front and back cover, and on the front and back endpapers have no captions, so the reader is left to puzzle out who these people might be.

Cooper does a fine job of reading the book. He is, after all, invested in the story.

A House with Good Bones - T. Kingfisher - (North Carolina)
Genera: Horror/Mystery
4.5★
Sam returns to her family home in North Carolina and bad things begin happening almost immediately. Sam's first "greeter" waiting to welcome her home is a vulture perched on the mailbox. It's watching the house like any good "watchdog" would. Sam hardly recognizes her mother. She's lost so much weight and is unusually anxious, even fearful, about something. The house feels and looks strange. The brightly colored walls of before are now painted a dull white and old decorations from her late grandmother time are displayed all over the house. Sam is worried... but she is determined to find out what is the cause of all this strangeness that now surrounds the house. As a biologist I had to chuckle at Sam’s nerdy opinion on insects and arthropods. It added the balance that was badly needed to offset the dark secrets that she eventually discovers. Sam’s humor also provided a realistic commentary on racism and generational conflict in the "old south".... not bad but rather comical. The main problem with this story and what lost it a half star, is that the main plot twist is glaringly obvious, way to early...almost from the start of the story. Sam herself is also too oblivious to all the glaring clues. Nevertheless, this was a really good story.... especially if you are a horror fan. Sam’s thoughts were interesting and revealing as she uses her scientific training to try to "make rational the irrational". The final part of the book contains enough gory detail to make any horror lover squirm. The final conflict could have lasted a bit longer, especially when it had had such a huge buildup for about 75% of the story. Still, I had a great journey with it.

Uncomplicated - K.M Neuhold - (Washington)
Inked series Book #2
Genera: M/M/M Romance
5★
Cas and Beau have been best friends and roommates with benefits for several years. Both have deep feelings for the other, but they have their reasons for not letting it go any further. Beau has a serious fear of abandonment and can very easily feel lonely. Beau who is a bartender and Cas, who is a police detective, are usually on different work schedules, so Beau fills those times by being a big flirt and bringing different men and sometimes women, home for just hookups. Sometimes, he and Cas even share those hookups. When Cas has to go away for a month of Reserves duty, Beau ends up bringing home Finn, and the two hit it off and spend most of the month that Cas is gone together. Beau ultimately hopes Cas will feel the same way about Finn once they meet.
Finn himself, is not without issues. He's an ex-con who was slightly involved with a gang, but that all happened years ago when he was young and unbeknown to either of the guys...Finn was actually once in a relationship with Cas. He really has no idea that Beau's Cas is the same Cas that he had a relationship with. When he went to prison, he cut off all contact with Cas. He returned home to regroup, which is where he met Beau while couch surfing at Owen's, his friend. Now we fast forward to when Cas returns... do we even need to say that it wasn’t all smooth sailing? They had past issues to clean up, but there were bigger issues than who slept with who...there is a gang that thinks Finn had told the police about their leader...and they were going to see that he paid. Cas is alerted to the gang issue coming back to haunt Finn, he moves him in with him and Beau to keep him safe. These guys end up communicating before too long which clears everything up and sets the boundaries, but it takes a bit longer before Finn is fully brought into the fold. When he is, these three are wonderful together. It is clear to see each of them fills a void in the "throuple" that makes them each integral parts of the whole. They take things as they come, deal with them quickly and work to strengthen the relationship. One thing that I didn't understand, and it was never explained was why Cas sometimes called Beau “Blue.” No matter...I really enjoyed watching this relationship play out.

Childgrave - Ken Greenhall - {New York)
Genera: Horror
5★
First, we meet Jonathan, a photographer, a widower, and a father to Joanne, who I found to be one of the creepiest children I have ever encountered in a story. Jonathan himself is no stranger to creepiness either. He is obsessed with a harpist...Sara. He describes her as being beautiful, but she has a profound power over Jonathan who desperately wants to photograph her. I don't trust him very much and really think that he's a pig....and that's doing all pigs a disservice and for that I apologize. The story is somewhat slow, but with a great deal of anticipation and eerie scenes. To add to the eeriness, we find that Joanne has an imaginary friend, whom we will soon learn is not so imaginary or so alive. Joanne constantly makes statements saying that she hopes that she has another birthday and wondering if her father will miss her when she dies. The "beautiful" Sara is also creepy and has an over abundant obsession with blood. Jonathan makes jokes to her about vampires, but by now we readers know that it's not, nor is it going to be a joke soon. Sara finally lets Jonathan into her bedroom, and let's just say their first sexual encounter is...."different"..."odd"..."abnormal"... Sorry, there really isn't a better way of putting it. That scene is not going to be forgotten anytime soon. It's a lot like the sex scene in Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love that makes references a squashed cockroach. Think of the steamiest romance you have ever read, the creepiest ghost or haunted house story, combine them with an M. Night Shyamalan movie and you pretty much have Childgrave. I don't understand the why or the how, but this whole thing...just worked.

The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese
Digital audiobook read by the author.
5*****

An epic tale of one family in Kerala, India, over nearly eight decades, spanning the time frame from 1900 to 1977. The story begins with a twelve-year-old girl traveling by boat to her wedding to a forty-year-old widower. She will eventually become Big Ammachi, the matriarch of a family with an unusual “condition” – in every generation someone dies of drowning.

Gosh, but Verghese can write! The landscape is practically a character, and, of course, given the family “condition” it is vital to this story. There is a lot of drama in this decades-long story, from family relationships to adultery to tragic accidents to political upheaval. Verghese touches on classicism, colonialism, racism and sexism. But this is NOT an unhappy book.

The family relationships are loving and tender. Big Ammachi is a wonderful character. She holds her family together and helps to lead them into the future. And there are several humorous exchanges that help to lighten the mood.

And that ending. My heart swelled.

I appreciated the medical information I gleaned from this, as well as the information regarding certain historical events that I hadn’t previously learned about.

Verhgese narrates the audiobook himself. He excelled at voicing the various Indian characters, but his European accents failed. Towards the end, I had to remind myself that Digby was a Caucasian Scot.

Shiver - Jocelynn Drake - (Ohio)
Unbreakable Bonds series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance
4.5★
This is the story of Lucas Vallois and Andrei Hadeon...a bodyguard and the person he’s protecting who fall in love. Yes...it's been done before but still... it’s awesome. There are four primary characters, Lucas, Snow, Rowe and Ian. They have an "unbreakable bond" that's been forged through hardships. Lucas and Snow have known each other since childhood, they met Rowe in the military, and Ian after that. They’re all have very different personalities. Lucas is the protector and a businessman. Snow is a surgeon and he's rather dark and lost. Rowe is the military man, and later the owner of Ward Security, and Ian is sweet and caring, and a chef. While this book is about Lucas and Andrei, it’s also about the four friends and they all play a big part in the story. Andrei wasn't quite as developed as the other characters, but enough that we understood where he was coming from. There was hesitation on parts of both men in terms of their sexuality. Lucas considered himself bisexual but preferred to portray as straight in his business circles. Andrei considered himself bi-curious with little experience. They both had to move past their hesitations, but honestly, that wasn’t a problem in this story, just something that both characters had to work through, and it never stopped the relationship developing. Parts of the story were unpredictable, and some that were very predictable...such as he teams need for rescue after the undercover operation. This is definitely a "character-driven" book. It was an easy and very enjoyable read. I’ve started and finished the next book, which is Snow’s story, and will post them together.


Shatter - Jocelynn Drake - (Ohio)
Unbreakable Bonds Series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
When Rowe’s wife Melissa dies in a car accident that leaves Ian severely hurt, Snow has a hard time dealing with it. Then when Rowe blames Snow for not being at the hospital to save her, Snow shatters. We meet Jude Torres who is there to help him focus on what’s important. Of course, we know that the crash was probably not really an accident, and someone is trying to frame Snow for murder. Snow is 98% sure that he knows who it is. He saw the guy but doesn't tell his friends and co-workers until he absolutely has to. Someone from Ian's past may be back for revenge. The police are on their side which is unusual in these types of stories. Jude is getting more involved and that is something that Snow doesn't want to happen. He has feelings for Jude but doesn't want him to know...but that is starting to become impossible. This book is just as exciting and has as much suspense as the first book, Shiver We know that Jude will be the perfect partner for Snow...he just has to open his eyes and see that Jude isn't going to break his heart. Snow is equally scary and amazing, loyal and loving. He has the idea that it is his sole responsibility to protect his family and his lover with his life if necessary. I liked the book a bit more than the first one, but I think that was due to knowing the characters better this time. I know there has got to be two more books since there are still two guys that haven't told us their stories. I'm on a mission now:)

Note: the link to this book's cover has decided not to work tonight. Clicking the link below will take you to this book, though

Last Train from Atlanta by A.A. Hoehling
5*****

Where to begin with a review of this book? It is an extraordinary look at the soldiers and citizens who were involved in this siege and serves as a good counterpoint to the minutes on screen in "Gone With the Wind" or a few sentences of a book about the Civil War.

Hoehling has done a thorough job of finding letters, newspaper articles, and diaries for this time period. He has arranged this book on a daily basis, so each month is its own section. It starts with July, 1864 when the Union (Northern) army has left Chattanooga and is marching towards Atlanta. This capital city is important as a centerpiece of commerce due to its many railroad lines that supply goods to the rest of the Confederacy (Southern forces). The long, drawn-out Civil War can be brought to an end by destroying these rail lines and the city where they reside.

Starting on July 3, Hoehling provides an edited newspaper article from The Daily Intelligencer (Atlanta), then follows it with an overview of troop movements, weather, background to the upcoming seige, and overall view of the life in the city for a normal Sunday: church services, gatherings, hotels, and hospitals. On July 4, he provides an excerpt from the same Daily Intelligencer as well as an excerpt from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, a newspaper out of New York. And on, and on, daily through the first bombardments, to the cavalry movements, to the barricades and battles, to the bombs falling in the railroad lines and among the homes and businesses.

Each newspaper article is accompanied by a flag indicating whether it is a Union or Confederate publication. Diary entries form more of the daily events in this book as the siege progresses, since women were more inclined to keep journals/diaries. They range everywhere from a nine year old girl discussing knitting socks in the underground bunker outside her family home, to a nurse receiving the wounded (often from both sides) in Jonesboro (south of Atlanta). Decatur resident Mary Gay writes about opening up her ceiling to store Confederate uniforms and then re-plastering it so as to escape notice.

The most obvious exclusion from this book are the slaves, both newly-freed and those staying with their owners. A desire to capture their oral traditions is not part of this book, so while Mary Gay references communicating with "her" girl Talitha, who was deaf, we do not know Talitha's thoughts on the matter. She only communicated through signs. Literacy for enslaved peoples was not allowed in this place at this time. And sadly, Mary Gay's journey into Atlanta for supplies causes such hardship and stress on "her" boy, Toby, that he sickens and dies when they return to her Decatur home. There is a telling paragraph where she confesses to him the truth of "I have not always been just to you . . . " that speaks volumes.

July goes into August, and day after day the entries are the same from the citizens. Day after day of hot weather, the noise of shells, the death of soldiers and citizens both; the sameness of these days' writings emphasize the unrelenting bombardment of what it was like to live in a city under seige.

Finally, by the autumn, the battle is won, families are given the choice to leave and go north and start again, or join the lines of trains going south. Also to start again. Observations of the Union soldiers are most accurate here. And a letter from Union General William T. Sherman, leader of the Union forces, to the losing Confederate General, John B. Hood, who is complaining about the death, destruction, and removal of civilians from Atlanta, says it best:

In the name of common sense, I ask you not to appeal to a just God in such a sacrilegious manner. You, who in the midst of peace and prosperity have plunged a nation into war, dark and cruel war, who dared and badgered us to battle, insulted our flag, seized our arsenals and forts that were left in the honorable custody of a peaceful ordnance sergeant . . . you tried to force Kentucky and Missouri into the rebellion in spite of themselves, falsified the vote of Louisiana, turned loose your pirates to plunder unarmed ships, expelled Union families by the thousands, burned their houses, and declared by act of your Congress the confiscation of all debts due Northern men for goods had and received.

Parts of Us, The Game - Cara Dee - (Nevada)
The Game series - Book #14
Genera: M/M/M/M Romance/Fairly heavy BDSM
5★ (and then some)
I am one of "The Game" series, biggest fans. The characters are all a part of a big happy family belonging to a club... that never needs to, nor ever will, apologize for its existence. It's much, much more than just a "let's get together and have coffee" social club. All the members filter, by degrees, throughout each book. This one, ties in heavily with characters and plots with Doll Parts, Book #4. Doll Parts focuses primarily on the relationship that is building between Noa and KC, including how that relationship shifts the already solid bond between Noa and his best friend, Cam. We also get glimpses into the Lucian/KC, Lucian/Noa, and KC/Cam dynamics that are essential to building a solid foundation when multiple relationships intersect. The most solid of those dynamics involved Lucian and Cam, who make their total power exchange (TPE) seem so effortless that it’s easy to believe that they were always just meant to be together. The only real bit of angst in this story is a relationship conflict that arise from a medical condition....and it's short lived. We met KC and Lucian early on in the series...book 2 or 3 (?) I believe and have watched them grow in each book thereafter. This one shows the D/s relationship they share with their boys, form and solidify into a more than satisfying framework for their lives together. The book is long... over 400 pages...that was fine with me...more time to spend with the guys from "McClain House" or "House McClain"...the guys, usually the subs against the Doms, playfully tease and take sides about just what is the "proper" thing to call their club. This book, nor the series, will be something that everyone will approve of or want to read. There are some very intense BDSM scenes throughout...all consensual. We even get to take a vacation cruise with some of the guys and we are privileged to witness a very emotional, touching scene between KC and Noa...Lucian and Cam...and KC and Lucian. All good, but tear producing, nevertheless. As far as I'm concerned Cara Dee can stop writing everything else and just bring us more of this series with all of these wonderful characters. If she writes it, I will buy and read it! Oh...and I want a "squishmallow"!

Utopia for Realists / Rutger Bregman
3.5 stars

People with a basic income. No stings attached money for poor people. 15 hour workweek. These are some of the things suggested by the author to make life better for all. There are studies to back him up and, though we have been conditioned to think differently, it does not cost more to just give poor people money to do with as they will and they don’t (the vast majority) spend it on drugs or alcohol. In fact, for the most part, they do use it to better their lives in an ongoing way.

These are just some of the things the author talks about. Of course, I already agree with much of this, but there are economic reasons, too – reasons we wouldn’t immediately think.

Ms Demeanor – Elinor Lipman
Digital audiobook performed by Piper Goodeve
3***

An attorney is spotted by a nosy neighbor with binoculars engaging in consensual sex on her rooftop patio. The outraged busybody calls police and Jane Morgan is convicted of indecent behavior and sentenced to six months of house confinement. With no job and stuck at home, life looks bleak. But then her doorman lets slip that there is another resident of her building who is also wearing an ankle monitor. And so Jane meets Perry Salisbury, whose white-collar crime doesn’t completely put him out of the picture.

This is a delightful modern-day rom-com with an interesting plot twist, or three. I just love Lipman’s sense of humor!

Jane’s twin sister provides moral (and financial) support. Her relationship with Perry moves along nicely. But wait … why are police knocking on Jane’s door once again? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

The audiobook is performed by Piper Goodeve, who does a fine job. She sets a good pace, and I was engaged and entertained from beginning to end.

The Sandcastle Girls / Chris Bohjalian
1.5 stars

Current day – an author (?) is investigating some family history of her grandparents that included the Armenian genocide in 1915.
1915 – a couple of storylines. Elizabeth and Armen in Syria. Also a little orphan girl and someone who tries to help her.

Sad summary, I know. I just never got interested, so I really didn’t care or pay attention to what was happening in the book. The author’s note tells me he is Armenian.

Murder on Black Swan Lane / Andrea Penrose
1.5 stars

A minister (reverend? clergy of some sort) is murdered. A woman named Charlotte (?) has been looking after (in a way) two boys and trying to teach them to speak “the King’s English”, as well as some manners. A second murder happens partway through. There is some society called “The Ancients”.

Second book in a row where I was not interested enough to really pay attention to what was going on nor did I really care. I was curious about the two boys, but it wasn’t enough to know what happened in the book. This is the first in a series and I obviously won’t continue.

The Price of Blood / Patricia Bracewell
4 stars

Emma of Normandy became queen of England in the early 11th century. Aethelred was her husband, the king… much older than Emma was and they rarely got along. In fact, Emma was attracted (and it was mutual) to Aethelred’s oldest son, Athelstan. Aethelred had many children from his first wife, many close to Emma’s age. When one of the top nobles is murdered in 1008, his daughter (Elgiva), fearing for her life, runs. She ends up marrying the heir to the Danish throne. The Danes and Vikings are teaming up to attack England. Emma wants to keep her toddler son close, but Aethelred wants to keep her away from him, so sends him to be raised by his daughter and her husband, who is Aethelred’s closest advisor… one who really doesn’t have Aethelred’s best interests in mind.

This is the second in a trilogy, and I didn’t even remember the first book (or that there was one) until I looked it up after finishing (though it wasn’t that long ago – 3 years – since I listened to the audio). Given that, I’d say you don’t need to read the first one to read this one. This is a time period I don’t think I’ve read anything else of, but I really liked Emma’s strong character. Elgiva was also a strong character, but she wasn’t a terribly nice person. Now, all that being said, in reality, there isn’t much known about these women, so their roles in history, as portrayed in this book, are fictional. Luckily, there is a good cast of characters at the beginning of the book (also luckily, I wasn’t listening to the audio, so it was easy to refer to), since many of the characters have names starting with E or AE! There is also a glossary, and an author’s note at the end.

What The River Knows- Isabel Ibanez - (Egypt)
Secrets of The Nile Series Book #1
Genera: Historical Fiction
4.5★
It's 1884, and a 19-year-old Argentine and Bolivian heiress sets sail to Egypt to investigate the mysterious deaths of her parents. Inez Olivera grew up in Buenos Aires largely without her mother and father, who often were in Egypt, assisting Tío Ricardo, her uncle who was an archaeologist, with his expeditions. Word comes that Inez’s parents have disappeared in the desert and are presumed to be dead. She makes it her mission to find out exactly what happened to them. Whitford (Whit) Hayes, a former British soldier who works for Tío Ricardo, orders him to send Inez back to England for her own safety. Inez has a mind of her own and other ideas and repeatedly ignores his demands. She finds that a gold ring that her father had sent from Cairo before he disappeared has somehow given her a gift of magic that may help find Cleopatra’s tomb. Tío Ricardo, a historian who opposes the colonial exploitation, is desperate to find it before treasure hunters can rob Egypt of its artifacts. As the story continues through Inez and Whit’s alternating points of view, the chemistry between them starts to sizzle, and they run into danger and deception at every turn of their quest. All this takes place while they remain unsure if they can trust one another. The first half is "wordy" but it was worth sticking with it for the fast-paced conclusion loaded to the gills with numerous and shocking twists. A word of warning though...it's a cliffhanger that leave the reader questioning everything and hoping that there will be a sequel. I haven't checked yet to see if there is one, but if it exists, I will diffidently want to read it

Renegades - E.M. Lindsey
Breaking the Rules series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Possible Trigger: Mental Abuse
As usual this author does a fantastic job of writing about and bringing out the difficulties faced by different members of society without ever making the book specifically or entirely about those differences. Kane experienced the occupational and subsequently the financial issues that follow a felony conviction all the while balancing the quiet internal stigma of being a domestic abuse survivor. At first, Soren makes living with his physical disability look easy, until one of the darker moments of the book forces him to focus on his limitations long before he had planned. All this is happening while dealing with the fallout of a divorce and child custody problems, which can be just the same as a M/F marriage even when it was a M/M or F/F marriage. Together, the men must acknowledge the burgeoning feelings between them, even when it feels like the odds are stacked against them. However, when in need, Kane and Soren show up for each other, despite how it might add to their personal difficulties. That is one of the major cornerstones of a real relationship...you just have to heal the best you can. It a well written fantastic story about two men who were broken in completely different ways but find a way to fix each other's broken hearts.

Wonder - R.J. Palacio - (New York)
Genera: Bullying/Kindness/Friendship
4.5★
Note: I volunteer with a group of LGBTQ kids. They are actually two groups of 10- 12- & 13–17-year-olds. Usually the "Rainbow Readers" (they named it), groups read books either written by gay authors or books with gay characters...but for the month of May they all chose this one...the character is not gay , nor is the author as far as I know...but the book was their choice and they thought that Auggie shared some common things with them and they wanted to share their thoughts on the story.

My Review:
Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, and he’s worried: He's always, that is until now, been homeschooled. Will he even fit into middle school when he looks so different than everyone else? Will the other kids laugh or make fun of him? He's almost sure he knows the answers to those last two questions without leaving his house. Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct the face he was born with...the face that has earned him those cruel, hurtful nicknames, like "Freak", "Freddy Krueger", "Gross-out" and "Lizard face". “his features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle” and he’s used to people averting their eyes when they see him. He’s an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He’s smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending “a lamb to the slaughter.” R.J. Palacio divides the book into eight parts, interspersing Auggie’s first-person narrative with the voices of family members and his classmates, then expanding the story beyond Auggie’s viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie’s arrival at school doesn’t only test him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him. It's a story that will stay with you long after the last page is read, and the book is closed. It's a story of kindness, courage and simply...wonder.

The kids Views on the story:
Jason 15 - "How can people be so cruel? The story made me want to cry, after I finished hitting someone." (Note: Jason is honest...but he didn't hit anybody:)

Abby 9 - "I felt sorry for Auggie". It doesn't feel good to be laughed at".

Sarah - 11 - "The story made my stomach hurt".

Tony - 13 - "I thought Auggie was brave to try and talk to the kids that were making fun of him".

Matt: 16 - "I came out as gay when I was 12 and it was the scariest thing I ever did. The guy that I had been best friends with since I was 4-year-old wasn't allowed to come to my house or go to the movies with me anymore...I didn't get it...I was the same person; with the same feelings I had when I was 6...12...or 14. I felt so sorry for Auggie and just wanted to hug him...but there would probably be people that wouldn't understand that either."

I liked this quote from the book: WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND.

My Perfect Fit - M.A. Innes
Genera: M/M Romance/ Age Play (Dom/s)
My Perfect Pieces Series Book #2
4.5★
The first book really needs to be read if you truly want to understand how Maddox and Bryan's relationship developed, and how it continues to become stronger. This book reads like it's only been weeks since that they started this dynamic. They only have the summer off from college...and their time away is quickly winding down...but their budding "Daddy Dom/sub" relationship is growing stronger by the day...and they know that returning to college is going to change some things. This story is about how they are working hard to stay together and make everything just work no matter where they are. This summer break was a learning experience for both of them. Maddox is learning more about what he likes in the lifestyle and how to take care of Bryan and be the best Dom and "Daddy" for his "boy". Shy Bryan is learning to be more open and share his own wants and needs with his "Daddy". Together their chemistry is off the charts. The well-meaning friends and overly aggressive flirts from the lake that we met in the first book are back and being just as annoying as ever. I can't understand why they even had a part in these books except that maybe they gave Maddox and Bryan a lesson in choosing your friends carefully, or so that Maddox and Bryan would learn how important it is that they keep their attention focused on each other. There are warm, loveable and understanding characters throughout, (except for the lake gang) ...There's Byran's understanding and accepting mother, Richard and Sophie, who are new friends from the adult toy-store who share good advice from a long-time experience, and Bryan's elderly neighbor whose lawn ornament Bryan destroyed with the lawn mower. They all add so much to an already perfect story. Now on to book 3. Sigh...last one in this little series, but knowing M. A. Innes... I literally have a shelf full of her books...there will be lots of other great reads. I know everyone has different "likes" in any genera, but I can't recommend her books enough if you like M/M Romances.

Ruddy Gore – Kerry Greenwood
3***

Book number seven in the delightful Phryne Fisher series of cozy mysteries set in 1920s Melbourne, Australia.

Phryne is attending the latest performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta Ruddigore, when the star actor collapses on stage. Her friend, and theater producer asks her to investigate. Seems it was not a heart attack, but rather, poison. To further compound matters, a ghost is terrifying the other performers and staff, and the theater is in trouble.

I like Phryne as a character. She is her own woman and quite modern in her thinking. She’s independent, curious, observant and can take care of herself. She’s also beautiful and wealthy. And she quite enjoys time in the bedroom with a gentleman. Brava, Phryne!

Our Perfect Puzzle - M. A. Innes
Perfect Puzzle Pieces Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance/Daddy/Boy relationship
5★
These three short books are packed with good times and sweet men. They really should be read in order to get the full joy of the stories while watching the relationship turn from a summer "thing" into what they hope will become a lifetime of happiness. in the last book we saw them spend their month off from college classes getting to know one another, not just as individuals, but as future partners... someone they each may want to spend the rest of their lives with. Summer is ending & the guys only have a few days before going back to college. Maddox is so comfortable with his role as "Daddy" and Bryan is happy and content to be his "boy". They know that returning to college would change some things, but they had confidence that they could make it work. It HAD to work. When they both got "roommates from Hell"...things had to change quicker than they had thought it would. It was so much fun watching them take control...not only with the roommate situation but also with the college and Maddox's cold, controlling parents as well. These were three sweet and warm little stories that overflowed with love. Wish there was going to be more,

Ghoul - Brian Keene - (Pennsylvania)
Genera: Horror
5★
Three twelve-year-old boys that are looking forward to spending the summer in their hidden fort, doing what boys of that age do...eating junk food, reading comic books, and talking about girls. Things are right on plan until the boys are faced with having to battle monsters...both real life ones in their own homes and the ancient terror that has taken up residence in their town’s cemetery: a ghoul. I have always liked this type of horror because it’s such a definitive time in our lives. It's been many years, but I remember being twelve. Everything seemed larger than life, and even the smallest thing felt like the world as I knew it was surely going to end before I went to bed. At that age so much of our mortal existence depended on the adults in our lives. If something should have happened that you were sure was "Twilight Zone" fodder, something that threatened your stable young life, you could just tell the adults in your world that were surely put there to grant your every wish... (HA HA), and even though they never really believed it...they would try to make "IT" go away" and make you feel better. In horror stories the children are always to be believed, even if they tell their adults that there is a glowing, naked ghoul that is hell-bent on impregnating the women of the town...those that it isn't planning to have for lunch...in its lair right under the town's cemetery! That pretty much describes what the boys encountered in this story.... an overly excited, corpse-eating ghoul in the "home life" of two of our young protagonists, Doug and Barry. I won’t go into details because that’s for the reader to discover. You’ll go into this book expecting a "creature-feature" offering with only blood and carnage, but you will close the book with tears in your eyes and your heart torn in half. This author is very, very good at presenting this kind of story. He will take you on a journey with Ghoul, and it will be visceral, painful and emotional. If this is your first time with Brian Keene, consider this an amazing introduction to horror at its stellar best.

First Gen – Alejandra Campoverdi
3***

Campoverdi’s memoir details her experiences and that of her family, particularly the women. From growing up poor in a single-parent household with her grandmother, three aunts, and mother, the author writes about her path from Los Angeles to Harvard to the White House.

She speaks about her anxiety and her feelings of not belonging, her struggles with debilitating panic attacks, and feeling like an imposter. She frames all this in what she calls being a “The First and Only.”

Her story is an interesting one, but I didn’t really identify with her experiences, and felt she was not fully identifying the causes of her feelings of inadequacy.

Were it not a book-club selection, I probably would not have picked it up.

To Not Fall For My Doc - Gianni Holmes
The Simple Rules Series, Book#1
Genera: M/M Romance
4★
Austin Villiers had been dumped by Bryce...his boyfriend that he though had been kind and thoughtful for being with him throughout his cancer treatment and therapy. But now he knows that he only to used him to get recognition, popularity points and praise. Seven years of friendship and what he though was love although something never felt totally right to him and now, he knows why. Bryce's cheating makes much more sense now. When his long-time oncologist, Dr. Malcolm Greer, questions Austin he breaks down "vomits" out the whole story. Soon Dr. Greer's compassion and kindness causes Austin to realize that it’s Dr. Greer that really catches his eye and he begins to pursue him endlessly. Austin never gives much thought to begin with about what will happen to Malcolm’s career if he actually gives in and reacts to his own secret desires for Austin...his patient. I think that Austin and Malcom over thought this too much. They were following the proper protocols. Austin’s care was turned over to one of Malcom's colleagues, and Austin was always truthful about their attraction and budding relationship... to his mom, to his best friend and anyone else that asked. Malcome was also honest about it to anyone at the hospital that asked. I really couldn't see that they had broken any of the "forbidden rules". You can’t control who you fall in love with or where you meet them. They did follow the proper channels but were still ostracized by Malcolm’s peers/colleagues. Malcom's job was never in jeopardy at the Cancer Center, just his reputation and they each took major emotional hits. You can't help but feel for both men. They couldn’t fight their mutual attractions any longer but still had to fight so much unnecessary oppression. This is the first book in a new series. It appears that the books don’t interconnect but follow a connected theme instead....so they can be read in any order.

Cooper - Jacki James - (Texas)
Blue Collar Daddies Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance/Age Play (Daddy/boy)
5★
Cooper is a landscaper and Gavin is a rich boy who was used to people only wanting him for his money. His parents have sent him off to Texas to stay with his uncle. Gavin thought it would only be for the summer, but it turns out that his parents had actually banished him from their lives. Out of sight ...out of mind. By the time that Gavin got and digested this news he had met Cooper...who never wanted a cent of his money...he just wanted Gavin...for just who he was. I have really enjoyed all three of these books so far, especially when we learned that Cooper is a "Daddy", and he wants Gavin for his very own...his special "boy". Gavin is still being controlled by his parents, and he soon learns that he's not ever welcome to come home...he has been forever banned from their lives to Texas...but that suits him just fine. Cooper has his back and his heart and did such a beautiful job of bringing Gavin out of his shell and allowing him to discover who he wanted to be. Each book not only has a new couple for us to meet but brings back couples and characters from the previous books, so we still get to visit and find out what is happening to them. It’s not necessary to have read the others in this series, but I can honestly say that they are just as awesome as this one, I can recommend them all. Overall, this series can be described as sweet, no-angst daddy/boy stories, always with a happy ending.

Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes
5*****

A magnificent poem, full of courtly graces and a couple's travails in the court of King Arthur. It is the first romance to show Arthur's court not as the warrior king of Welsh legend in "Culhwch and Olwen," but rather as a landed sovereign and giver of great gifts.

The story opens with a pleasure ride with Erec, Guinevere, and one of Guinevere's maids meet with a knight, his lady, and the knight's dwarf. Because the dwarf strikes the maid across the face, Erec challenges the dwarf to combat and then rides after the knight, with a promise to Guinevere that he shall return in 3 days.

He does, after finding a Count's castle where an older lord has fallen onto hard times, and who has the loveliest of daughters, Enide. In true romance fashion, the young people fall in love, Erec promises lands and castles to her father, and he bests the earlier knight at his quest to obtain a hunting hawk.

The two young people return to Arthur's court, feasting and a wedding ensue, and then they pretty much take to their marriage bed for a couple of years. Because Enide has overheard some of the knights at court whisper that Erec has lost his questing prowess, she weeps at this unfortunate stain to his reputation. Erec becomes enraged at Enide and forces her to journey with him in search of a quest.

And quests ensue. And multiple single combats with worthy opponents, swords that cleave shields and heads in twain, and on in French romance fashion until the final combat. It is called Joie de la Cort (explained in the Afterword as a play on several words) and has resulted in the deaths of nearly 80 worthy knights. But Erec wins, spares the other knight's life, and a return to court with his reputation restored ends this tale.

It is presented and translated as a poem, rather than as prose, and the translator has taken pains to retain the metre and the feel of the original rather than the rhyme. All of which made reading the short phrases easier, though certainly less poetic, and still evocative of the medieval romantic world.

The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country / Neil Gaiman.
4 stars

In this 3rd volume of Gaiman’s “Sandman” series, there are four separate short stories presented, though they all involve dreams and the characters Death or Dream in some way. One was about an author with writer’s block, who acquired the muse Calliope to help him out. One was a cat who told a story trying to get other cats to dream with her to become more powerful than humans. The third was Will Shakespeare and his son Hamnet, travelling and performing for one patron “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The last one involved some kind of supernatural creature who cannot die who is lonely and desperately wants to find a way.

I quite liked this one. I don’t always like short stories, but I think I like them better in graphic novel format. I like Death portrayed as a woman, as it was on the last story, but the first story was my favourite. Included at the end of the book is Gaiman’s script on how one of the stories (Calliope, my favourite one) should be drawn and formatted. That was interesting to see how he writes his graphic novels (though he specifically explains that not everyone does it the same way).

Roped In - Jodi Payne & B A Tortuga - (New York & Texas)
Lone Star Series Book #2
Genea: M/M Romance/Rodeo Cowboys
5★
I have almost everything that these two authors have written and have read them all more than once. B A does love her cowboys and loves telling us all about them. This sweet romance between Rope and Jude that spans from New York City to a ranch in Texas, is no exception. Their chemistry is instantaneous, but the men knew that already...they had had short encounters before. Theirs is not what exactly what could be called an instant romance, but perhaps a reignition of that first-time flame that they had let die away due to their youth and other life circumstances. We now find both men at the top of their careers... Rope, a top-rated rodeo bull-rider and Jude, a New York City financial advisor...and both still have issues in their personal lives. They both are willing and determined to put the necessary work into forming a new relationship despite the things that keep them from "riding off" together right away. Rope is near retirement and has some minor health issues and Jude has a 7-year-old son, Silas, and is still feeling some grief from the death of his husband. To say that Silas wants to be a cowboy would be an understatement!!! Silas was cute without ever being obnoxious like some child characters in books can be. You could see that Rope, Jude and Silas were a "family", even it was in name only, almost from the very start. Silas actually served as a great connection to the two guys without taking anything away from what was already growing between Jude and Rope... (who names their kid "Rope"?) I really liked how these two authors just let everything move along smoothly for these three wonderful characters. The entire story was completely low angst...and this one as well as the first book in this series, Tending Tyler, can easily be read as standalones...but the characters do cross over...which is also something that I really like also. The story is a M/M romance, but it also highlights the importance of "home' and "family" with a happy, happy ending. I hope that there is going to be a book #3 ladies!!!

The Right One - Felice Stevens - (New York)
Genera: M/M Romance
3★
Leo and Morgan are as opposite as can be. Leo is the motorcycle riding, tough talking, emotionally closed off owner and landlord of Morgan’s new apartment building. Morgan is a sweet, innocent, kindergarten teacher who really didn't understand about or how bad things could happen in the big city, but who soon learns up close and personal about the ugliness of life and some of the people who claim to love you. Morgan and Leo first meet when Morgan moves into a run-down apartment, in Leo's building. Morgan is a bit of a disaster. He’s still skittish about his ex-husband coming to find him and nervous about living in the city on his own. Whether due to anxiety or just natural predisposition, Morgan is a klutz, wreaking havoc in and around his apartment. Leo alternates between being annoyed and downright angry at his troublesome new tenant. Then he makes a snap judgment that Morgan is a snob who doesn’t belong in Leo’s dump of a building. I tended to somewhat agree with him, about Morgan not belonging in that building. Actually, no decent human being belonged in that building. What resulted was a situation that somehow, they went from enemies to lovers, way too quickly. Both men have ugly pasts and secrets, that not unexpectedly, impacts their personalities and reactions to each other. Felice Stevens has done an excellent job with this dynamic in her other books...but here, it was less successful. Leo is a character that it was almost impossible to portray in any positive way because he consistently comes across as a nasty mannered creep that constantly makes degrading comments that are intended to stir Morgan up.... but his behavior is portrayed as being equivalent to mere child play. The story explains that Leo’s background has caused his grouchy personality and emotional unavailability, but there’s obviously much more to Leo, and the author was simply unable to make it remotely believable. I couldn't understand why Morgan would even want any part of him. I usually really like this author's work, and this wasn't a terribly bad or unreadable story...but it was a very nerve-racking and frustrating story.

The Scapegracers / H. A. Clarke
3.75 stars

Sideways is at a party and “plays” a little bit with magic. Three other girls from school are willing, and they recruit one more from a neighbouring school. But it’s dangerous. Sideways is not sure what happened when she wakes up the next morning. One of the girls is missing, and they find her at the bottom of an empty pool with three dead deer arranged closeby. Despite the danger and not knowing exactly what happened or how, the girls love the attention they get out of it and want to do more with magic.

I mostly liked this, though none of the characters was terribly likable (except Sideways’ two dads). It is quite graphic at times, as well (this is just an fyi… graphic doesn’t usually bother me, and it didn’t this time). Also a lot of profanity, which I disliked more than the graphic-ness. And it doesn’t quite finish, so not sure how long the series is (or will be) or if there is just one sequel or if it’s a trilogy, but I’ll read the next one.

The Neon Rain - James Lee Burke - (Louisianna)
Dave Robicheaux series - Book #1
Genera: Mystery & Suspense
3★
A New Orleans homicide cop confronts arms-smugglers, the Mafia and his own private demons in this suspenser, the latest offering from James Lee Burke (Robicheaux is on a fishing trip when he discovers the body of a young black woman floating in the water. The trail leads to Julio Segura, a Nicaraguan vice king who is in exile, but still funding the Contras with dope money. He has also put out a contract on Dave Robicheaux's lite. Segura is soon killed by Dave's partner. The others involved in the arms-smuggling force cover Dave in alcohol and leave him to die in a burning car. He does manage to survive the fire but doesn't do so well with his superiors on the police force, who quickly suspend him without pay, figuring since he had had a problem with booze before that he's drinking again: We find out that Dave is an "arrested alcoholic, with a marriage and combat service in Vietnam behind him. The only thing keeping him staying sober is Annie Ballard, the sweet little blonde he collected somewhere along the way.... who encourages and believes in him. Dave still has unfinished work...like dispatching more bad guys from other cases and in a development unrelated to the arms-smuggling, taking on the local Mafia head. Somehow...unknown hands stow away the hood's body, the remaining arms-smugglers are brought to justice, and Dave is reinstated...but still not really trusted or loved by his fellow cops. This entire story is the story of one cop, and the cases read more like an afterthought taking away the excitement of all the kills... But what the heck? There were still eight very bad guys that came to violent bloody ends. In spite of that there are still some good investigative scenes that are filled with close calls and excitement....and a little romance. I read this book 20 or so years ago and have read many of the later books in the series...so I know that the series is a very worth the time effort...it just takes some time and patience to get there.

Flying Solo – Linda Holmes
Digital audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan
3***

From the book jacket: Smarting from her recently canceled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety-three. Alongside boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie’s curiosity is piqued, especially after she finds a love letter to Dot. As she works to uncover the mystery behind Dot’s duck, Laurie comes face-to-face with her own past, and has to make a decision about her future.

My reactions
This was a fun rom-com / mystery / heist caper! Laurie is a conflicted woman, resolutely a loner but clearly attracted to her old high-school boyfriend (who is now divorced). She’s assisted in her tasks by her best friend, June, as well as librarian Nick (aka old boyfriend), and one of her brothers, who is an actor. As she works to get answers to Dot’s past, she meets a variety of colorful characters in town, including several elderly residents who have a few stories to tell.

Julia Whelan does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. She has a lot of characters to handle and manages to give them sufficiently unique voices so that I was never confused about who was speaking.

Strike A Chord - K.M. Neuhold
Replay Series Book #4
Genera: M/M Romance/Rock Band
4★
Every few months I reread a favorite series... or a part of a favorite series. K.M. Neuhold's Strike A Chord from her "Replay series" won the coin toss. Always worth a reread.
This four-book series is about the band members of Downward Spiral, sharing their fame and showing how it changed their lives....and not always for the better. Benji has always been the “good one” in the band. He just did his job and never made waves like the others. All he wants to do is go home for Christmas to see his mom and dad and hang out with his best friend, London. What he doesn’t expect though, is for London’s identical twin brother...Paris, cute...I wonder where Rome is. Too bad they weren't triplets:) Sorry, I regress sometimes. Benji has had a crush on Paris ever since the moment he first saw him trying to open his locker in high school...him being home for the holidays was a big surprise. Paris hasn't had a good year... there was a shoulder injury, which required reconstruction surgery and 10 months later he's still in therapy...and last, but certainly not least, his cheating boyfriend dumps him. London has a bright idea and suggests that Benji and Paris pose as fake boyfriends for publicity reasons and at first, they both say, “no way”. But very soon opportunity opens that door again, and the question becomes; "can we really “fake it”. They both have long time hidden feelings for each other without the other realizing it. I have given the first 3 books well deserving 5-star ratings, but this one will only get 4, as the ending felt rushed after the big "fake/real boyfriend build up. Overall, K.M. Neuhold is one of my favorite M/M romance authors so I would have been surprised if the story had been anything other than a worthwhile read with wonderful, hot and sexy characters. Maybe it was just knowing that this was the last book in the Replay series that made me want just a wee bit more.

The Ten-Thousand Doors of January - Alix E. Harrow - (Vermont)
Genera: Fantasy
4.5★
When a young girl discovers a blue door in a field she views, another world, taking her into a path of discovery, destiny, empowerment, and love. I have read a couple of this authors later books so when I found this one at a book sale and that it was Alix Harrow's first book, I was curious to how much, if any, the writing had changed, plus it was a good price and I had liked the others that I had read...so I gave it a "home". The story centers on a young girl, January Scaller, who grew up under the watchful eye of two men...the wealthy Cornelius Locke who was her father's employer, and Julian, her father whose job it was to travel the world in search of the "odd" object and valuable treasures for his employer's collection. This strange collection is housed in Mr. Locke's sprawling Vermont mansion. January lives what could be considered a "charmed" childhood, but she feels stifled by the "good old boys" club that Mr. Locke and his friends belong to. They all treat her like she's a curiosity, which she kind of is. A lot of that is because she is a mixed-race child with a long, long precocious streak. She is forced to wear elaborate clothes, which she hates...and to show lady-like, docile behavior, which is certainly NOT in any way...her "thing"...nor is the many society gatherings she is forced to attend. Then when she's 17, her father just disappears, and January finds a book that will change her life forever. She has friends; allies, in the persons of Samuel, the grocer’s son; Jane, the Kenyan woman sent by Julian to be January’s companion; and her best friend ever...Bad, her dog. With them, January embarks on an adventure that will lead her to discover secrets about Mr. Locke, the world and all its hidden doorways as well as her own family. The method that the author uses to draw a "picture" of the door with words, was both clever and interesting. (From the book) “Sometimes I feel there are doors lurking in the creases of every sentence, with periods for knobs and verbs for hinges” Vivid imagery can be found on almost every page. The book also has quiet a diverse cast of characters with a very strong lead character. Though this portal is a huge part... actually the backbone of the story...it doesn’t take away from any of the things that help it succeed as an interesting, and well-done story.

Dearly Devoted Dexter Jeff Lindsay - (Florida)
Dexter Series Book #2
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller/Serial Killer
5★
Diffidently NOT for the squeamish
It's not easy being a serial killer, especially when you absolutely hate blood even though your job is in a crime lab in a police department doing blood analysis. But, hey... somebody has to do it, and these are all folks that absolutely deserved to die...so he's just "helping them out". If you watched the TV show... (and of course I did), I think I even have a few seasons on DVD...then you will feel right at home with the Dexter books. He's been described as a "killer with a conscience"...and it's been said that "It takes a monster to catch a monster." There are 7 of these books and each one will take you back and seat you in front of your TV. You might want to skip the refreshments. If you have a really dark and twisted sense of humor, and like reading about rather dark and twisted vigilantes, then you definitely need to spend some time and make friends with Dexter Morgan. Note: The author, Jeff Lindsay, reads the books on audio.

The Last Seance / Agatha Christie
2.5 stars

This is a collection of horror short stories, written by Agatha Christie. Apparently they hadn’t before been collected into one anthology until more recently.

I listened to the audio, which was maybe a mistake… between it being short stories + Agatha Christie. Sadly, most of what I’ve read by her, I’ve not been terribly excited about. Short stories are often not my thing, either + on audio… if I get distracted at all, there isn’t as much time to catch the storyline later and fill in the blanks. I had hoped to like it better because these ones involve the supernatural, and there were a few stories that I liked better than the others, but overall, I still can’t rate it very highly.

Prairie Tale / Melissa Gilbert
4 stars

Melissa Gilbert is best known for playing Laura Ingalls Wilder in the tv show “Little House on the Prairie”. This is a memoir she has written. She was adopted at about 24 hours old, and was very overprotected by her mother. Despite this, they were quite close. Her parents did divorce, but tried to keep things as normal as possible for the kids; sadly, her father passed away when she was only 11-years old.

As she grew up, she went through a succession of on-again, off-again relationships, her first (that lasted quite a few years) with Rob Lowe. She later married (twice) – her first husband, Bo, was a piece of work, but she had a son with him. There were plenty of bumps along the way with her second husband, Bruce, as well, but they love each other and came through. Melissa also battled with alcoholism. (Just looked her up and see there was more to her story after the book was published.)

I quite liked this. I learned a lot about her that I didn’t know. There was a short bit, as she described her time as president of the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) that I was less interested in, due to the business nature of what she was describing. She did, of course, have a wonderful relationship with Michael Landon, which was nice to read about.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffery
5***** and ❤️

Still one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. And to think it was written waaaay back in 1968! It shows a smart, flawed heroine, political maneuverings, and a world-building that came from thinking and postulating about what might have happened when the spaceships grew tired of their mission.

Lessa is the last survivor of the ruling family of Ruatha Hold, one of the oldest fortresses answering to the oldest Weyr, Fort Weyr. How these got the names and designations they did is not part of this book. Instead, we are picking up with Lessa's life, her past told in bits, and the visit of two dragonriders to her hold. And what results.

What I did not grasp as a smart 16-year-old when I first read this is the need to tell the story of why the adults in charge have brought dragonriders into such disrepute. And why the dragonriders F'lar and his half brother, F'nor, are working so hard to help Lessa succeed once she has impressed the new queen dragon, Ramoth. It's all about complacency and a forgetting of the reasons for the old ways and old ballads.

Lessa learns about the civilization on Pern, the ballads, the teachings, what it means to be Weyrwoman, over the couple of years it takes for her queen to mature. When Ramoth has her first mating flight, Lessa is partnered with the rider of the bronze dragon who mates with her, F'lar, and the two quickly work to bring in better ways of running the Weyr.

Part of the fall of dragons into disrepute is the lack of a reason for their existence. Dragons of Pern chew firestone and flame away Threads, which fall on Pern from a neighboring planet every 200 years for about 50 years. In this story, the Threads have not fallen for 400 years so the Holds are wondering why they need to sustain the population of the last remaining Weyr, Bendan Weyr. And for some strange reason, the other Weyrs have been abandoned for many hundreds of years with no record of their inhabitants' whereabouts.

Then Thread begins to fall, otherwise complacent Holds watch their crops and greenspaces burned away, and the existing dragonriders realize that they do not have the numbers to effectively guard against the destruction of Thread. How Lessa puts together the bits and pieces of dragons and their riders, what they are capable of as a duo, leads to a rejuvenation of the reason for dragonriders and is the latter part of this book.