WHAT ARE WE READING & REVIEWING IN NOVEMBER 2024? This will stay up until Dec 5.

TELL US WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO READ IN NOVEMBER?

Carol's Reads For November
🦃 - ★
41/41
🦃Fake Out - Edna Finley - ★ (Friend)
🦃Trunk Music - Michael Connelly- 5★ (Group Read) (2)
*****************************************************
🦃Crow's Fate – Kim Fielding - 5★
🦃Transparent Is a Color - Kaje Harper - 3★
🦃The Falcon and The Foe - A.J. Truman - 5★
🦃Burner Account - L.A. Witt -5★
🦃Moving On - Felice Stevens - 5★
🦃In Step - Jay Hogan - 4★
🦃Unloved: The Unlucky Ones- Marley Valentine 4.5★
🦃His Boy - Bink Cummings - 2★
🦃Lethal - Reece Knightly - 4.5★
🦃Rough - Reece Knightly - 4★
🦃The Mermaid Murders - Josh Lanyon - 4.5★
🦃Friends Like Them - Aimee Nicole Walker - 4.5★
🦃Second Chance at First Love - N.R. Walker - 5★
🦃Preston's Christmas Escape- Brigham Vaughn - 5★
🦃Tied Down - Kate Hawthorne - 5★
🦃Tamarillo Tart- Jay Hogan - 4.5★
🦃Love in Slow M'Ocean - Gianni Holmes - 3.5★
🦃Daddy on Demand - A.W. Scott - 4★
🦃Embracing His Shame - Brigham Vaughn - 4.5★
🦃Flipping the Switch - Brigham Vaughn - 4.5★
🦃Forget and Forgive - L.A. Witt - 4.5★
🦃Jilted Jaren - Nora Phoenix - 4.5★
🦃Tide to You - J.J. Harper - 4★
🦃Love in Spades- Charlie Cochet 5★ (24)
*****************************************************
🦃Valentine - Elizabeth Wetmore - 2.5★
🦃Only If You're Lucky - Stacy Willingham -3★
🦃The Soulmate - Sally Hepworth - 4★
🦃The Only Survivors - Megan Miranda -5★
The Night She Disappeared - Lisa Jewell -★ (England)
🦃Violet - Scott Thomas - 5★
🦃A Mew to a Kill - Leighann Dobbs - 4★
🦃Thornyhold - Mary Stewart - 3★
🦃Fire - John Boyne - 3★
🦃Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby VanPelt - 5★
🦃The Covenant of Water - Abraham Veerghese - 2.5★
🦃My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix - 5★
🦃The Hollow Kind - Andy Davidson - 5★
🦃Thousand Words - Jennifer Brown - 3.5★
Survive the Night - Riley Sager -4.5★ (15)
*****************************************************

Fake Out - Eden Finley - (New York)
Fake Boyfriend Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Friends to Lovers
4.5★
Not quite what I expected. I was expecting a fake relationship that, near the end of the book, developed into a genuine one. Instead, it was a fake relationship that quickly became a real one and the couple’s dealings with other problems in their lives. It was great that we got to see Damon and Maddox be really and truly together and not just put on an act. Yes, they had their issues about starting a relationship and how they would work through them, but they talk to one another and did it together. They really brought out the best in each other. There were a lot of secondary characters, and I liked most of them...with the exception of Eric, who I would have happily done away with and hid the body. Stacy was so-so. Although she was the one that brought them together, I just couldn’t fell much of anything for her. Her behavior was selfish and immature, and she annoyed me in general. The point-of-view also alternates on every chapter, making it difficult to distinguish whose point of view we were reading. None of this was bad enough to ruin the story or to earn it a bad rating. Fake Out was a great story and an interesting journey with the revelation of some long-overdue truths, a great deal of love, some stubborn misunderstandings. The two guys shared a lot with their loved ones and slowly came to the realization of how important it is to be true to who you are. There were some severed relationships...but also some salvaged ones. I'm looking forward to the next story in the series.

Crow's Fate - Kim Fielding - (Illinois)
Carnival of Mysteries Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Magic
5★
Crow has always known that he’s different. He just didn't know how different he was until his eighteenth birthday, when his world comes tumbling down around him. He was abandoned by his mother as an infant and raised by his grandparents on a farm in Illinois. Crow believes that his life feels unreal and totally upset. The thing is...he can't understand why. Then he meets Simeon Bell, a roustabout at a traveling carnival, who seems to be a visitor from another time and another place. Simeon becomes his friend and then becomes his spiritual guide, when the two young men face the adventure of their lifetimes. The story has been written to be far more emotional than I can find words to describe. Crow’s journey is a constant struggle to understand the "who" and the "how" he is supposed to be in this world. It's a horror story, but also a love story. Crow is a fascinating character, but Simeon is nothing short of...remarkable. You can't help but love him and wrap him up in cotton. I tried to state simply, what the book is really about. The best and most honest thing I can think of to say is it's about relationships...the relationships among the various players. The plot quite cleverly has been created to keep the reader on edge right up to the very end... but it is the ever-changing personalities of Crow and Simeon that emotionally drives the story. Crow is confused and isolated by his life and his fate. Simeon has always accepted what life has given him with the attitude of a survivor. He sees in Crow the opportunity to help his friend become more than he believes he is, while experiencing for himself a world he could never have imagined. When Simeon enters his life Crow started to question who he was and why he was pursued by monsters.... both real and figuratively, but more importantly, Simeon gives Crow the gift of hope...hope not only for his future…but hope fortheir future. This is a series written by a variety of different M/M Romance authors, with a magic theme.

Miss Julia Meets Her Match– Ann B Ross
3***

Miss Julia is back in the 5th book of this charming series about a Southern lady of a certain age and her household. This time practically the entire town joins Miss Julia in her favorite “exercise” – jumping to conclusions. From Hazel Marie to Pastor Ledbetter and his wife Emma Sue everyone is ready to act on suspicions.

Of course there is some real drama going on as well. An itinerant “pastor” has convinced Miss Julia to lease him some land just outside town so he can build a “Walk Where Jesus Walked” theme park. He seems to be backed by a rather oily door-to-door salesman with a private jet. Before Miss Julia can get to the bottom of this, she gets embroiled in several closer-to-home scandals, including the return of her friend’s prodigal son, back home from ten years in New York, now calling himself Tonya and wearing designer dresses. And Lillian’s five-year-old granddaughter has come for an extended stay. So, Miss Julia has her hands full!

Not to mention that Sam will not stop asking her to marry him and she is just not ready to say yes. At least not until she discovers that SHE is the subject of unfounded rumors of “unseemly behavior.” So, she decides to give them something to talk about and asks Sam to get her a fake ring that will stop tongues wagging. He couldn’t be happier to comply and comes up with a real whopper!

I love this series. It’s like spending time with old friends you haven’t seen in a while and relishing all the news and gossip over a nice glass of lemonade (perhaps fortified with a little extra something).

The Only Survivor - Megan Miranda - (North Carolina)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense Thriller
5★
You'll be very busy from the beginning of this story trying to figure out what exactly had happened in the past...while Cassidy and her friends are trying to figure out what is now happening in the present. Cassidy and her former high school classmates consisting of the high-achieving Oliver, the charming Josh, the solid - as a rock, Brody, sometimes overly sensitive Grace, the free-spirited Hollis, the perfectionist of the group, Amaya.... have gathered together every year on the anniversary of THE tragic accident. They do this to check on one another...but also to remember, that one of them took their own life on the first anniversary of the tragedy. Then another of them died under circumstances that were "suspicious". The group are all still feeling the grief over the accident and the loss of their classmates. They also appear to be suffering from guilt, and not just "survivors’ guilt". What are they hiding and what do they know about the incident that happened ten years ago? Strange things are going on at the house where they have gathered now and every year since. Is someone outside the group out to get them or is one of them coming after the others? I did guess who was responsible for some of the misdeeds, but only because I was reminded of a book, I had read last year. I thought the past & present narrative was very effective and kept the story moving at a nice pace, offering a little more information for the reader to guess with, each time. Overall, the book is a really enjoyable to read. This is not a fast-paced thriller by any means, but it is so worth your patience in the end.

Canary Girls – Jennifer Chiaverini
Book on CD narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
3.5***

Chiaverini turns the reader’s attention to the British women who, during The Great War (i.e. World War I), worked in munitions factories to produce the shells the British men fighting on the continent needed to win the war. She focuses on four women: April, Marjorie, Lucy and Helen.

April and Marjorie are young housemaids who leave service to join other women working as munitionettes in the factories producing weapons for the soldiers. Lucy is a bit older, a married women with two children who also joins the women at Thornshire Arsenal, doing her part to ensure her husband and other soldiers will have the tools they need to win the war.

Helen Purcell is also married – to the owner of the factory. But she wants to work not only for the cause, but for the health and wellbeing of the factory workers. For these workers who are handling large quantities of TNT every day are exhibiting significant side effects, the most noticeable of which is the yellow hue of their skin, hence their nickname of Canary Girls. This reminded me of the nonfiction work, The Radium Girls.

While I knew about the many “Rosie the Riveter” workers during WW2, I was completely unaware of this part of the history of WWI. I really appreciated learning more about this, and about the way the women in the various factories formed football clubs (soccer to Americans) and showed that women COULD not only play but excel. In this respect, the book reminded me of the movie A Leage of Their Own.

Saskia Maarleveld does a fine job of performing the audiobook. She has a lot of characters to deal with, many of them women, but I never felt confused about who was speaking.

Preston's Christmas Escape - Brigham Vaughn - (Michigan/California)
Naughty in Pembleton series Book #5
Genera: M/M Romance/Christmas
5★
Blake and Preston are the last of their friend group to fall in love.... well actually to fall in love "again". They’d been in love since high school, but it all fell apart due to unforeseen circumstances. Preston went to California to become a huge Hollywood star, and both of them thought that was it. They’d lost their one chance at finding and keeping what they both knew was their true soulmate. Preston found out the hard way that Hollywood is not forgiving of the lifestyle for those in certain "other lifestyles". Once Preston’s secret BDSM lifestyle is splashed all over the news channels and papers for everyone to see, he runs to the only man, and the only place that he knows he’ll be truly safe.... his home state of Michigan and the man he has never stopped loving, Blake. It's the Christmas season which makes this a sweet, even if sometimes sad, Christmas romance. It’s a romance that would have worked pretty much any time of year, but the added influence of both the men’s truly well-meaning families, makes their reconnection all the more poignant. Both Blake and Preston have grown and matured in the time they’ve been apart. The "kink" lifestyle and the chemistry they shared was never the problem, it was always the distance...the separation...so it wasn't too much of a surprise that they more or less easily take up where they left off. It’s what happens after Christmas that makes this sweet, spicy romance so very worth the read. It's almost like it's straight out of a Hallmark movie and there is a "happy ever after" after a mature compromise on all sides. I really enjoyed this particular story as it is set in my adopted, but well loved, state of Michigan and the characters visited the cities of Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek...cities that I live in and frequent all the time. I look forward to reading many more stories by Brigham Vaughn.

Hunting a Cat in Dogtown / Michael Geczi
2.5 stars

A continuation of the authors “Killer Dead, Victim Alive”, the victim from that book, Chrissy Weeks, is back and now in jail. But the people who worked on that previous case are receiving weird things delivered to them, things that they surmise Chrissy must have sent, but how? Meanwhile, there are new murders that appear to be mimicking the series of murders that were just solved.

This started well, but I think the books (at least for me) really hinge on the unstable character, Chrissy. Once Chrissy was gone, I just kind of lost interest. There were a lot of characters and I had trouble figuring out who was who, and I just didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the book. It’s too bad because I really liked “Killer Dead…” and I thought I might continue this series, but I think I’ll pass on the rest.

Valentine - Elizabeth Wetmore - (Texas)
Genera: Suspense/Thriller (I'm not really sure)
2.5★
Possible Triggers: Racism, Bigotry, Brutal Rape
It's February 15, 1976, when the story opens in the small Texas town of Odessa. A Mexican teenager has been raped by a young oil field worker. The story is told in 15 chapters by 7 different women who are directly or indirectly affected by the crime. We hear from: the victim herself, the farmer's wife, Mary Rose with whom she seeks and finds refuge and who has agreed to testify as a witness in the upcoming trial, the neighbor Corinne and 4 other women in the vicinity where the rape occurred. This town is not going to receiving any Chamber of Commerce hospitality awards. You would have to be desperate and trapped there, as I can't imagine anyone actually choosing to live there, especially if you are female. The book has received numerous awards so I know someone out there must have liked it... a lot...I just wasn't one of them. If you consider yourself to be a rational, fair-minded person, with even a smidgen of morals, this will have you squirming and your blood pressure in the danger zone. I cannot in all honesty say that the author is not a good writer...to tell this tale took an abundance of talent, and I know from other reviewers that I am totally in the minority, but this will really, really, disturb some people.

The Paris Apartment – Lucy Foley
Digital audiobook performed by Clare Corbett, Daphne Kouma, Julia Winwood, Sope Dirisu, Sofia Zervudachi, and Charlie Anson.
4****

Jess is broke and alone and calls her brother, Ben, to ask if she can crash with him for a spell. He reluctantly agrees. When she shows up she’s surprised by what a nice building and apartment this is, and even more surprised that Ben isn’t in the apartment. Where is he? The other residents of the building seem unconcerned and certainly unwilling to help Jess discover the truth of what has happened to her brother.

Foley has crafted a mystery / thriller with more twists and turns than the most treacherous mountain road. Not a single character – including Jess – is to be trusted. Everyone has a hidden agenda, a secret they wish to keep hidden. Most are master manipulators and accomplished prevaricators. I was engaged and enthralled throughout and could not put it down.

The audiobook is masterfully performed by a full cast of talented voice artists, each taking on one of the narrators. This is very helpful in keeping this large cast of characters straight.

>11 BookConcierge: I also really liked this. I bet the audio would have been fun. (As I lament that I won't be listening to nearly as many audio books in the near future...)

Thousand Words / Jennifer Brown
4.5 stars

At the urging of her friends (and after feeling ignored by her boyfriend for most of the summer before he leaves for college), a slightly drunk Ashleigh takes a naked picture of herself and texts it to Kaleb. It works (temporarily) to get his attention, but after Kaleb leaves for college, they eventually break up. And Kaleb passes on Ashleigh’s picture and it makes the rounds. Ashleigh is charged (as is Kaleb) with distributing child pornography after it has blown up and Ashleigh is doing 60 hours of community service where she has to research and write a pamphlet on sexting.

The community service bit we know from the very start of the book, and it goes back and forth in time to explain how Ashleigh got there. Wow, a (yes, huge) mistake made by a teenager and this book shows how badly it can blow up and affect that teenager, as well as her friends and family. And, of course, as we know from news stories (there was a big one in Canada maybe a decade or so ago), some kids, after the constant bullying, kill themselves, so there can be awful consequences. In the author’s note at the end of the book, she does mention that there are states where teenagers can be charged with distributing child pornography in a situation like this (and Kaleb in this book – as an adult at 18-years old – faces a lifetime “sexual offender” label). There can be (and sometimes are) enormous consequences.

Tied Down - Kate Hawthorne - (New York/California)
Trophy Doms of New York Series Book #2
M/M Romance/BDSM
5★
All these wonderful characters in this series and the ones that were in her other "Trophy Doms" series that was set in California, have different needs, different dreams, and some different kinks, but they have the same all-encompassing passion for their friendship and for each other. Ford brings a nearly overpowering hunger to this relationship, a desire to own and to claim, intensified by the overwhelming feelings he's dreamed of having but never had the desire to actually experience before...until Boston...the 4-minute younger twin brother of one of his best friends, Kale. I had to chuckle when I read the two brother's names together and realized that Kate Hawthorne had named them after two types of lettuce:) Ford and Boston both work for Kale...and Kale had long ago let all his "Dommy" friends know that his younger, "straight", brother was off limits to them. Another case of adults telling adults what they can and can't do that I just don't get. Anyway...neither Ford nor Boston could resist one another, and Boston found out that even though he had only dated women before...he now wanted to date Ford, and they would tell Kale when the "time was right". It took almost 300 pages before 'the time was right". Ford and Boston were just so absolutely perfect for one another, although sometimes they came across as a bit needy, but it only added to, and never distracted, from the growing romance, or the story. They do such a delicious "dance" as they work and sort through all the new experiences that they discover they both have, and all of the wild, uncontrollable things that they both are feeling.... Boston for the first time and Ford...never before like this. This is book #2 in the series...keep them coming Kate, and I'll keep buying and reading them! Please don't stop with just New York and California. There are 48 other states with thousands of cities that surely would have some sexy Doms and submissives.

My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix - (South Carolina)
Genea: Paranormal/Horror
5★
POSSIBLE TRIGGERS: Demon Possession
The wonder of friendship supersedes all other powers when an ancient demon possesses a teenage girl. Grady Hendrix is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. He adds to his winning streak with a nostalgic, if blood-soaked, horror story to grab the hearts and memories of those of "Generation X". “The Exorcist is dead!”, we read in the first line of the story...and Abby Rivers, a middle-aged divorcée, begins to reflect back on the friendship that has pretty much defined her, her whole life. In flashbacks, Abby recalls meeting with her best friend, Gretchen Lang, at her 10th birthday party in 1982. This party forever sealed their friendship. The majority of the story is set in 1988 and is an unabashed love remembrance of all the things that drove the parents crazy, but the young folks loved and JUST HAD TO HAVE...like big hair, heavy metal, and all the other pop-culture trappings of that era. I thought it clever that Grady Hendrix used song titles from that era for chapter titles, everything from “Don’t You Forget About Me” to “And She Was.”. Things go really off kilter when Abby, Gretchen, and two other friends set off to a cabin in the woods to experiment with LSD. Gretchen disappears and when she returns...she's not the same girl that left.... she's changed The author walks a fine line in his portrayal...leaving the story open and allowing the reader to doubt or wonder, if Gretchen is actually possessed or has simply fallen prey to the vanities and duplicities of high school and perhaps her youth. He also has managed to capture and make us remember all the frustrations of adolescence, as Abby seeks adult help in her plight and is relentlessly dismissed by the adults. She finally finds help in Brother Lemon, a member of a Christian boy band, the "Lemon Brothers Faith and Fitness Show", who agrees to try and help her. When Abby’s demon finally shows its true colors in the book’s denouement, it’s not only a spectacularly grotesque and profane depiction of exorcism...remember all those gruesome, gory scenes from the Exorcist movie and then multiply them by about a thousand, then let that picture sit in your brain. I do have to admit that this was a truly inspiring portrayal of the resilience of the bond of friendship. In spite of how much I like this author and have now read almost everything he has written, I truly warn that this book is certainly NOT for all readers, but anyone that may want to travel back to 1971 and relive William Peter Blatty’s infamous "The Exorcist" shouldn’t miss this one.

Carnegie's Maid / Marie Benedict
3.5 stars

Clara Kelly has come to the US from Ireland. When she gets off the boat, she is mistaken for another Clara Kelly and ends up in a much better place than she otherwise would have been – as a lady’s maid to Mrs. Carnegie (yes, Andrew Carnegie’s mother). She quickly learns what she needs to know to make her way and falls for Mrs. Carnegie’s oldest son, Andrew. Clara, though a farmer’s daughter in Ireland, was well-read, thanks to her father, and is smart. She and Andrew have some good conversations, including business conversations and fall for each other, though Clara, especially, tries to fight her feelings.

I liked this. I listened to the audio and had no problem following what was going on. In the author’s note at the end, we learn that Clara was, of course, a fictional character, as the author wanted to imagine what might have changed him from the business tycoon he was to the philanthropist he became (paying for libraries and museums that anyone could enjoy), regardless of monetary wealth or social class.

Love in Slow M'Ocean - Gianni Holmes - (Maine)
Destination Daddies Series - Season Two
Genera: M/M Romance / Daddy/little
3.5★
It was a rather unique take on an established Daddy/boy relationship - age gap, some hurt/comfort, forced proximity, and a really fun setting - but I also found it a little frustrating. Hence the 3.5-star rating. The characters were sweet together and the plot line presented a relationship that I have to admit was something I hadn't previously encountered in a "Daddy/boy" story. Jeff isn't Peters biological father, but he was married to Peter's mother and for several years was Peter's stepfather, until she took Peter and returned to his abusive biological father. Peter was "in the way" and the man had no love at all for him. He considered Peter a burden and mistreated him badly. When Peter's mother died, he ran away and the only person he thought of or could bring himself to seek out was Jeff. Jeff immediately takes him in... he had always loved him...but was worried because he loved him more than as just a stepson and Peter returned that love in spades. Jeff is convinced that this inexperienced "boy" needs to play the field before choosing him as his forever "Daddy". Peter reluctantly agrees to go on dates with Jeff's carefully selected list of possible "Daddies" while on a Cuffd Club cruise. Peter made several new "little" friends on the cruise and the two "Daddies" that Jeff had chosen, finally opens his eyes to all he stands to lose. Speaking of the cruise, there were many cameos on the cruise by some of the author's characters from some of her other books. Peter was a "little" who spent a good deal of the story in his "little" headspace which didn't let us see Peter as the adult...which gave the story a bit of a strange vibe with the already slight taboo element of Jeff being Peter's former stepdad. That was more or less explained away but Jeff still struggles to reconcile, and it makes that stay in the forefront of the reader's head. Some of that also feeds into why Jeff repeatedly refused Peter's advances for years. In spite of never having had a romantic relationship, their connection runs deep - all the devotion, all the spoken declarations of love, all other manner of intimacy, is there, but it just felt like they had a lot of "connecting" to do before they could go further. These cuffd club cruise stories are written by various authors...they always include a cruise to somewhere in the world.... they are all fairly short books with very likeable characters and low on the angst, but best of all they always have a happy ending.

Tamarillo Tart - Jay Hogan - (New Zealand)
Southern Lights Series Book #2
Narrator: Gary Furlong
Genera: M/M Romance
4.5★
Stef is in town to visit his best friend, Tanner, who relocated after finding the "love of his life". They received as a gift, a tour of Stef’s favorite movie location in New Zealand by Tanner’s boyfriend, Ethan. It was a tour of "The Lord of the Rings" movie locations and sets. At the last minute, Tanner had to drop out, but persuades Stef to go ahead and go. The problem is, Stef hates camping, is terrified of horses. But he’s already at the pick-off point and the Tour Guide, Cass, has seen him. Cass is an amazing Tour Guide. He prides himself of the kind of experience their clients get when they go on their tours. His family owns a few hundred/thousand acres of land that encompasses some parts of the most scenic spots in this part of New Zealand, including those that were part of some really big movie productions. Seth is an accountant that handles three accounts of Cass's businesses. Cass loves what he does, especially the horses and so he guides the tours himself. Fellings are being hidden from his father by Cass that will soon blow wide open. Before Stef, he never considered showing anyone his feelings for guys...or women. A bad storm and an accident will change the lives of both Seth and Cass. The last part of the story will have you holding your breath and waiting for the bottom to drop out of Seth and Casses budding attraction. It was a sweet story of true love that only comes one time in your life...worth any risk just to be with the one you are meant to be with...no matter what obstacles are thrown in the path. Really enjoyable story in spite of the several times my heart almost stopped...and a great job of reading by Gary Furlong.

Thank You for Your Service / David Finkel
3 stars

The author is a journalist who followed soldiers as they returned home from wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to try to fit back into their previous lives with their families, but so many of them brought back psychological trauma, whether a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some have become abusive and/or want to kill themselves. Some of them try to get treatment to varying degrees of success. The wives/girlfriends are also interviewed, and their husbands’/boyfriends’ issues take a toll on them, as well.

This is sad. It does jump around, sometimes without “warning” (that I noticed, anyway), which sometimes made it a bit harder to follow and to figure out who was who. Of course, the people the author focused the most on were easier to remember. It was tough to see how, not only are the soldiers, themselves, affected, but how their issues affect their families, as well.

A Mew to a Kill - Leighann Dobbs - (New Hampshire)
Mystic Notch Series Book #3
Genera: Cozy Mystery
4★
Paisley Brown is used to finding ways to get people to do what she wants...in this case getting a coveted spot in the arts festival. Though lacking in talent as a photographer, her skills as a manipulator assured her success, all though it was only temporary. In the early hours of the next morning Paisley's photography studio burns to the ground and her body is found in the ruins. This isn't the end of Paisley's manipulation, however.... her ghost appears in Willa's bookshop seeking justice. Paisley needs Willa to find her murderer so she can pass to the other side. The question is, was her death linked to the art festival, or did Paisley's tendency for blackmail finally catch up to her? Meanwhile, Pandora learns about a special kitten that was saved from a fire the previous summer. Could this kitten be the one from the prophecies? As in the last in this series that I read, (I've only read one other one), the cats taking over is entertaining, if not more entertaining than the human parts of the mystery. Although the cats are intelligent and communicate with each other, they keep their dispositions and personalities entirely feline. It's like they are saying "If you can't be a cat, why bother?". What I really liked most was that at the end of the story the animals that needed a loving home are adopted by the humans who will give them that in spades. It's a really cute little series.

Fire - John Boyne - (England)
The Elements Trilogy - Book #2
3★
Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, Rape, Child sexual Assault
The story centers around the character of Freya during a court case. She is a well-respected doctor who specializes in burns and skin grafts. She has spent her entire career building up a reputation as one of the best surgeons in her field. Something traumatic and horrific happened to her in her childhood, which has affected her in some very dark and disturbing ways. This is a fairly short story, 176 pages, but some reviewers have said it is possibly the most disturbing of the trilogy thus far. The book was handed to me by a neighbor who had read it and was 100% determined that I understand that she DID NOT WANT IT BACK! I understood her reasoning after a couple of chapters. To be kind...because I have read this author before and I have liked his writing...but I was surprised by this one. I know how much time and effort is spent in writing a book and getting it published...and this is a trilogy so there is one before (Earth) and one more to come after this one, (Water). The book didn't have the same effect on me that it did my neighbor...believe me I have read worse...and it may not bother others at all...it will be taken it for what it is, a work of fiction....at least you will sincerely hope it is... but be aware that it is still harrowing, uncomfortable and deeply, deeply, traumatic and shocking. Please pay attention to the trigger warnings. A great many emotions have been crammed into these 176 pages.

Daddy on Demand - A.W. Scott
Genera: M/M Romance/Family
4★
From the book: Want a Daddy but you’re low on time? Curious if you’re a Little or Middle but don’t have a club near you? That's the beauty of Daddy On Demand, the new app brought to you by Stryker Global. Here at DOD, your new Daddy is just a click away.

What made this pretty awesome was the fact that a big, burly firefighter was exploring the idea of being a “little”. Throw in a young daughter as a minor character and it should have made a great addition to the story. I just didn't care for the daughter...the longer she was in the story, the more obnoxious I found her to be. That aside...I loved the characters of Smith and Zach. The story focuses mainly on Zach, a firefighter who has been envious of his “little” friends who have daddies of their own. He had his eye on this little girl’s dad at a school where he and his colleagues would bring their fire truck and allow children to see it up and close. It turns out the girl’s dad is the principal of the school. Smith, who developed this “Daddy on Demand” app where interested participants would have to answer a questionnaire then they would pair the participants based on their answers. Smith has a profile on the "Daddy on Demand" app and he was paired with a guy who was wanting to be a “little”. The man he was paired with didn't have very much experience, so Smith would help him and answer questions. The participant he was helping told Smith that he was very interested in someone. Smith didn't know who, but he gave this participant support and encouraged him to let this person he was interested in knowing more and see where it all went. You can probably guess who Zach's mystery man" turned out to be. If you're looking for a low angst read, with a cuddly "boy" learning what he wants from a sweet "Daddy", then you may want to consider adding this one, or any of A.W. Scott's book to your reading time.

Everything We Didn’t Say – Nicole Baart
2.5**

From the book jacket: Juniper Baker was nineteen when her world was torn apart. As fireworks lit up the summer sky, her neighbors were brutally murdered right outside their barn, and Juniper’s younger brother became the prime suspect. She escaped, pledging never to return. Until now. Officially, she’s back in town to help a friend. But really, she’s here to repair her relationship with her teenage daughter, and to solve the infamous Murphy murders. As a dogged local true-crime podcaster starts sniffing around, the race to the truth puts past and present on a dangerous collision course.

My reactions:
Been there, read that. There’s all kinds of crazy going on in small town Jericho, Iowa. Juniper’s secrets are par for the course, as her parents, her brother and just about everyone else in town seems to harbor secrets. I get that authors use this device to help build suspense, but I just found it tiresome. Also, I am so tired of the ubiquitous dual timeline.

The whole teen romance and best-friend-now-enemy subplot was unnecessary. And I felt that Baart left enough loose threads to knit a sweater.

Still, it held my attention throughout. I had not figured out the culprits of either the long-ago murder, or the recent harassment before they were revealed. And I can see the appeal for a great many readers. So, my final rating is just shy of “okay.”

The Indifferent Stars Above – Daniel James Brown
Digital audiobook narrated by Michael Prichard
4****

Subtitle: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride

Brown looks at the events that led to and resulted from the infamous Donner Party trapped in a blizzard in the mountains near present day Lake Tahoe. I think that most people today have at least heard of the Donner Party, and for most of us the single thing we remember is their descent into cannibalism, but Brown gives us a more complete picture. We learn of their goals, hopes, and dreams, of their preparations and survival skills. We also learn about their mistakes and disagreements.

He chose to focus on one particular young woman, Sarah Graves, who was a 21-year-old newlywed when the group, which included her new husband, her parents and younger siblings, set out from Illinois bound for California, and who survived the ordeal. Brown did extensive research, interviewing descendants, pouring over historical reports, and actually replicating parts of the journey so that he could get a real sense of walking through waist-high fields of prairie grasses, experience the blinding whiteness of walking across salt flats in summer, feel the bitter wind of a snowstorm in the mountains. This made the tale more personal, even visceral, and helped this reader feel connected to Sarah and the entire Donner party.

Michael Prichard does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. Nonfiction – even narrative nonfiction – can be dry at times but his delivery kept me engaged and interested in hearing the story.

Transparent Is a Color - Kaje Harper
Genera: M/M Romance/Fiction
Part of the Subpar Superhero Series
3★
This is a strange yet rather witty story, with an intriguing title...at least it got MY attention:) The story is good although a bit on the "out there" side. It manages to show how dangerous the world can be...but didn't we all already know that? Perry is a subpar superhero, and Deckard is the member of the bomb squad team who has to deal with him...or maybe that should be "has to support and woo him". Perry comes from a line of “supers,” but his ability to change the surface color of things does not make him "special" like some of the others of his kind...at least not as far as his mother is concerned. What she and the rest of the world don’t know is that Perry can make the surface of objects transparent, after long practice with his ability. Perry has to be very persuasive, if he wants to be able to do what is needed because of his "superness". He has not yet fully explored his ability.... but he's working on it. With a bomber stalking the city, Perry is about to find out just how far his ability will take him. I have to admit, believe it or not, that the story does actually begin to grow on you. I would almost have to call it an amusing read...if nothing else it's certainly cleverly done. I don't believe i will be visiting with these guys again anytime soon...but for sci-fi fans...this will probably go over great.

Thornyhold - Mary Stewart - (England)
Genera: Historical Romance
3★
The only word I can come up with for my justification for the 3-star rating, is "uneven". The story is about a woman living in a picturesque cottage in the country, puttering about in her garden with her pets and falling in love with her handsome next-door neighbor. Some suspenseful elements were threaded throughout, and the theme of witchcraft runs fairly rampant throughout the entire book, which would have added greatly to the plot if the author had ever gone anywhere with it. The plot just rather meanders along and then slowly peters out and then becomes wrapped up very quickly...although I have to admit, it was done pleasantly, and they all do manage to live happily ever after. You also have to be prepared to accept the idea that suddenly the two main characters are head over heels in love, or in lust when you take into account that the two of them had only met three times before they decided to get married. This story had a great deal of potential, but it didn't have any real feeling of suspense, and the ending was diffidently rushed. The book is set in the aftermath of WWI, so I would have thought that dark part of history for the world, would have been played out more in the storyline. It's one of those books that the reader is going to totally love or totally be disappointed with.

Embracing His Shame - Brigham Vaughn - (Michigan)
Naughty in Pendleton Series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/Heavy BDSM
5★
I can imagine that it must be a tricky undertaking, for any author that writes a book that is 98% about BDSM...even when it is between two consenting adults, to not experience the pressure to "get it right" and present an accurate and responsible portrayal of the lifestyle...without "turning off" 75% or more of the population of readers. I think Brigham Vaughn has well succeeded in "getting it right". I've read a few reviews that the reviewers stated that they didn't understand the title...what did the main characters have to be ashamed of? Acceptance was on the radars of the participants and who cares if the rest of the population accepted it or not? One reviewer even asked if someone could explain the title. Okay...I the title confused me at first...then as I read along, I think I "got it". It's not that Forest was ashamed of his particular kink...absolutely NOT! It was that folks in the small Lake Michigan town that knew him as the mild-mannered accountant, would have happily plastered the label of "SHAME" on him if they knew, suspected, or even speculated about his "kink" preferences...and I will admit that his preferences were a bit hard to understand...but then...neither I, nor anyone else has to understand it... "consenting adults" are the key words here. Jarod was the town mechanic, and he was also a member of the "kink" community but as a Dom, not submissive. Then Forest found him and their relationship started out as really "rough playtime" then over time, it morphed from only "rough playtime" to sometimes soft "playtime" that developed into a connection that neither man ever expected, but neither wanted to ever end. This story is really heavily BDSM laced, with humiliation and bondage...so it will diffidently NOT be for all readers...even readers that are into kink to some degree, may find it difficult. I read a lot of "strange" and different things...so I will have to give Brigham Vaughn 5 stars for the characters of Forest and Jarod alone. I have really enjoyed this Pemberton series and look forward to meeting more of the town's residents.

Burner Account - L.A. Witt
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Isaiah hasn’t had very good luck with boyfriends; his last one was a first-class jerk that did a real number on his self-confidence. He is stunned when he finds out that his online friend of 4-years is not only an NHL hockey player...but A STAR NHL PLAYER...and one of his favorites! He also can’t believe that this shining star, Tanner, actually wants to spend time with him and wants to date him and build a relationship with him. I'm not crazy about hockey, but I am crazy about good stories that have wonderful, sweet, hot characters that don't spent most of the book, being "on again, off again"..."I'm not good enough for you...blah, blah blah". Isaiah and Tanner truly wanted to be together, get to know everything about one another, and work hard to make it happen, and work hard to keep it going. There is all of that in this story. I kept waiting for the big "gotcha" to come but was relieved that it never really happened. Isaiah's insecurity was a bit nerve wracking. He kept hearing his abusive ex's voice in his head telling him garbage, but he handled that pretty well and Tanner always helped him when that happened. This was a tender love story between an insecure teacher and a hockey player who was nine-years his junior. There were some close calls. Isaiah's mother and sister butting into their romance that was none of their business...I couldn't believe that people that were supposed to love him would nearly wreck what he was working to build. Talk about negative reinforcement to everything he was already hearing to in his head! Tanner kept him on track, but it was sometimes close. In the end, Tanner was finally able to convince Isaiah that he was indeed the right man for him and that their age, salary differences, or body-type didn’t amount to a hill of beans and nothing about him made him any less worthy of Tanner’s love. These two guys didn’t disappoint me at all.... but it's L.A. Witt so I'm not too surprised.

Explosive Eighteen – Janet Evanovich
Book on CD performed by Lorelei King
3***

Ah, Stephanie Plum. So, this starts with a bang as Stephanie is on a plane coming BACK from Hawaii, alone. Grandma Mazur notices she has a tan line on her left ring finger and wants to know about the wedding. For that matter, so do Lula, Connie, and just about everyone else. Don’t expect ME to tell you…

The main plot focuses on a mysterious photograph Stephanie found in her messenger bag as she unpacked. She knows she didn’t put it in there. There is no identification on it and she figures she accidentally picked it up when she bought a magazine in the airport. So, she tosses it in the garbage. Then two guys who say they are FBI agents appear at her door asking for the photograph. And then two more guys also claiming to be FBI agents ask about the photo. And a crazy man accosts her with a knife, also wanting the photo. And a woman claiming to be engaged to the man who took the photo also wants it. What’s so special about this photo?

There are the usual stops at Cluck-in-a-Bucket, the usual “problems” with Stephanie’s car(s), the usual skips who refuse to be captured, the usual viewing at the funeral home and the usual push/pull between Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve read one of these, and I’m sure that’s why I found it so entertaining.

Lorelei King does a great job performing the audiobook. She has a gift for voices, and I particularly enjoyed how she voiced Lula, Connie, Ranger and Grandma Mazure.

Violet - Scott Thomas
Genera: Horror/Mystery & Suspense
5★
The start of the book sets the stage, and the readers expectations, for the remainder of the story. "The smell of death permeates the house, but it's only a dead bird". Sadie didn't need any more death in her life, so Kris quicky removes it...but it stills feels like an omen. It's not long before Kris starts seeing shadows where there shouldn’t be any, and Sadie now has an imaginary friend that might not be quiet so imaginary. Then, there are those horrible memories of the summer of 1988, when Kris’s mother was dying of cancer in that very same house. Kris has never come to terms with her mother’s death, and each moment seems to have been waiting until now to turn into something dark and unearthly that’s just been waiting for Kris to return. This is a slow burn story that is guaranteed to stay with you long after the book is closed as the author's ability to build a scene is profoundly effective. As the summer goes on and Kris keeps pushing back the cobwebs from the house and from her memories, the horrible truth that has followed her for nearly 30 years comes crawling up to the surface and it just may be connected to the multiple disappearances of young girls that has plagued the town for many years. This is not a top vacation spot as you soon learn. There are lots of things to digest and think about here, and Scott Thomas just keeps moving them around, showing you that while it was a good thought...it was the wrong thought...try again. As the story continues it becomes even more chilling. It becomes almost more than just a horror story, and you can bet your bottom dollar that it diffidently that! It's also a devastating and masterful portrayal of grief and guilt wrapped in frights that are both shocking and glimpses of things seen just out of the corner of the eye but have disappeared when you try to take a second look. I hope this author has plans for a second book.

The 57 Bus / Dashka Slater
4 stars

True story. Agender teenager Sasha was on a bus in Oakland California in Fall 2013 and fell asleep. When they woke up, they were on fire. Another teenager on the bus, Richard, saw a “boy” in a skirt and decided to light his lighter to the skirt, thinking it would just peter out, but it didn’t. Sasha had terrible burns to their legs. The author looks at both their lives leading up to the incident, and their lives during the aftermath.

The author set up the background of both Sasha and Richard – that is, their lives up to that point. Richard was a black boy, poor and though, ultimately, a good person, he hung around with a bad crowd. Next came the ride on the bus that resulted in Sasha’s being burned and Richard charged as an adult because it was a violent crime (although Sasha and their parents would have preferred he be tried as a juvenile).

There is a lot for people to learn in this book, particularly about Sasha and how they felt in their skin, initially as a boy, but then coming out as agender with their friends and parents. Sasha had been accepted and supported and didn’t have bad experiences due to their agender-ness, up until the incident on the bus. I had a (much) harder time feeling badly for Richard, despite studies about how teenagers’ brains are wired and although they know right from wrong, they can still be compelled to do things they know are wrong and do feel badly for afterward. I still had (have) a hard time getting past what Richard did, while knowing it was wrong. The book is aimed toward a YA audience, but I think there is so much in this book (particularly about gender) that adults can (and maybe should) learn, too. It’s an eye-opening book, for sure, and well worth reading.

The Mermaid Murders - Josh Lanyon
The Art of Murder Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Mystery/ Art Thieves
4.5★
This is a reread from several years ago. Josh Lanyon was the first M/M Romance author that I ever read, and along with my other early authors of the genera that I love, Morgan Brice & L.A. Witt, I make it a point to reread their books at least once a year as well as anxiously await others. I posted this review the frst time I read this book, and I haven't changed my mind about anything so I will repost the original.

As Kennedy and West begin their investigation, it is clear that Kennedy would prefer to work alone but he takes it in stride and soon discovers that West’s art history knowledge and experience offers a complimentary dynamic to the team. I kept wishing that they could have at least "liked" one another more and been less antagonistic, since they both must have at least felt the attraction from the start from the things that were thought and said. After interviewing residents and pouring over old case notes, clues start to reveal possible suspects. While West is open about his sexual orientation, Kennedy remains an enigma until one night Kennedy makes his preferences known, and I thought "well about time!". Being total opposites, there is already tension that you could cut with a dull knife, but they do manage to find a working balance that opens the door to a bit more chemistry. Kennedy shares just how appealing he finds West and thought things were off to some type of relationship, working and otherwise. The mystery of the dead girls and the mermaids is more than good. I had my suspicions from the beginning but was wrong more than once and NEVER would have guessed the end. The way the clues revealed some twists, it kept my interest until the very end. I am looking forward to continuing this series to see what transpires between Kennedy and West. For those who enjoy a murder mystery and don’t mind the main characters being a same sex couple, will like this series. Josh Lanyon can do few things wrong in her books.

The Covenant of Water - Abraham Veerghese - (India)
Genera: Fiction/India
2.5★
The workers at my library are still laughing at my expression when they delivered this massive tomb of a book. Do you have any idea how much a hardcover filled with 772 pages weighs??? I didn't realize that I was requesting something that weighed as much as a small car!! It begins with the marriage of a child to an adult man. She lives with him for several years until anything is consummated. Everything about this I'm sure was fascinating to some folks...the customs, the rules, and the overall lay of the land. I did enjoy the parts that took place in the tropical forests came alive for me, which was pretty epic by the time I got to that part. The characters also were very well done. I do have to warn that there is a lot of tragedy in this book. Everyone knows after all these years that I read some really weird books and try to always view the contents as fiction, but parts of the tragedy part, was almost too much for me. I'm almost sure that parts of this were NOT fiction at all and that is even more disturbing. Just when things were getting to be too bleak, the story would switch, or something would happen to lighten the storyline and try to draw the reader back in. The author also did something that was very confusing...he switched back and forth between chapters. You would read a chapter with one character, and suddenly you are moved on to another, and then another, and then returned to the chapter you were reading before. Not only was the GIANT SIZE of the entire book more than daunting... it was nearly impossible to get invested in one story just to be ripped away to one of the other characters’ story lines. Now I have to lug this thousand-pound book back to the library. I can't imagine what this would look like in paperback!

The President’s Hat – Antoine Laurain
4****

A fable for adults. Can a hat make a difference in one’s life? Apparently.

It begins when a man, alone for the evening, has dinner at a restaurant and President Miterand and his party happen to sit next to him. After they leave and Daniel finishes his wine he reaches for his coat and realizes that the president has left his hat. Daniel, almost without thinking, puts it on and wears it home. The next day he impresses his boss with his analysis of a financial plan and gets a promotion. He feels it is due to the hat, which gives him great confidence.

But a few days later he leaves the hat on the train, and it is picked up by a woman who is on her way to meet her married lover. The hat works its magic once again and the woman is the better for it. And so it goes. The hat moves from one person to another, and each person who temporarily wears the hat has a significant improvement in their situation.

I found the entire story charming and fun. I loved roaming the streets of Paris along with each person who had possession of the hat. I liked learning about each one of them, what made them tick, why they felt “less than” and how they found their courage to move on and up. It left me feeling happy and optimistic. Just delightful.

The Falcon and The Foe - A.J. Truman
Single Dad's Club Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
The story follows two single dads, Russ & Cal, who only know each other from seeing one another attending events at their kid’s school. The only thing they have in common is they both like men… they just don't like each other. Cal works at a grocery store during the day and does voice overs at night. That is the way he is sure to make time for his son. He’s an over-weight "bear" who, in the eyes of the mothers at the PTA meetings, just doesn’t have his life together because he doesn’t live in lifestyle, they think he should have..., namely lavish. But he’s outgoing and tries to meet and b friendly to everyone, which will make you love him immediately. Russ is a widower who only just lost his husband in a car accident the past year. The hurt is still very fresh. Russ is the PTA president; he works a desk job and is really toned and fit. He’s also uptight about almost everything, including the Falcon Troop that he’s the scout master of. When Cal and his son join the Falcon Troop, it certainly wasn't for military training! It was to make friends and have fun together… so needless to say, Russ’ way of doing things was in no way, Cal's way, or his idea of "FUN"! Obviously, they butt heads...so much so that Cal offers to become co-leader with him, so he can just make sure the kids have fun. Things go from bad to worse before they start to see that each may have a valid point and begin to try to work together...for the sake of their boys, they tell themselves to start with. The banter in this book was perfect, as was watching these two opposites attract and then ignite.

Moving on - Felice Stevens - (New York)
Narrator: Kale Williams
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
When Sean loses his apartment because of a storm and then loses his job, he first comes to live with his sister, until she offers Sean an apartment owned by her husband Ryan, in the city. Yet even here Sean is not so lucky, because his brother-in-law, Ryan has told his employee, Tristan, that he could stay in the apartment until he can find another, but Sean's sister doesn't know that. So, SURPRISE!!!! Sean and Tristan decide that they just have to make the best of the situation, which they soon find is easier said than done...they are so very different in everything. Tristan is a grumpy and introverted, but not an unsympathetic character whose behavior can be well be understood when we learn about his past. Sean isn't a exactly a "ray of sunshine" either, but he's usually in a fairly good mood, even if he hasn't always been on the best of terms with life or life with him. Actually, the two guys fit well together, if you keep in mind the motto that "opposites attract". It does take a bit of time for the two to get closer...but once that happens, you couldn't pry them apart with a crowbar. I like the "hot scenes" that usually happen regularly in these types of stories, but the main focus of Moving On is not on the hot scenes or at least not only on the hot scenes, but rather that Tristan and Sean have to come to terms...or at least an understanding...with the living situation and begin to slowly get to really know and care about one other. The character development and the evolution of their relationship was easy and natural. It was good to watch their authentic and realistic feelings for each other develop gradually. There were, of course, some heartbreaking scenes and a brief moment of shock towards the end...but be assured, there IS diffidently a happy ending. The story is wonderfully written, with a pleasant pace that kept me captivated. The enjoyment was also enhanced by the narration efforts of Kale Williams, who, as usual did an absolutely fantastic job bringing the story to life. He portrays the emotions beautifully as well as having a pleasant voice and a great pace of presenting the characters and the story. This author and this narrator make a perfect match.

Silver Borne / Patricia Briggs
4 stars

Mercy, a mechanic and coyote shapeshifter who grew up in a werewolf pack and is now mated to one of the alpha werewolf males in the Tri-Cities region, is also best friends with Samuel, another high ranking werewolf. When Samuel, a doctor, is suddenly his wolf, Sam, and won’t turn back to human, something is very wrong and Mercy will help and protect him until they figure out how to help him. Meantime, a bounty hunter appears at her shop, apparently looking for a wolf he has been paid to kill.

And there’s so much more. I really liked this one. It’s the 5th in the series. This might be one of the higher ranked ones (for me, anyway). I like Samuel and liked the focus on him, but as mentioned there was way more going on than just what Samuel was going through. This one had lots of action and I really enjoyed it.

The Hollow Kind - Andy Davidson - (Georgia)
Genera: Horror
5★
Nellie is fleeing an abusive relationship with her 11-year-old son...but she's taking him to a different type of danger... a place she once called home. The story tells us of danger, but also greed, revenge, and obsession. This horror tale tells the story of the unforgivable trespasses that cost multiple generations their very souls. The year is 1989 and Nellie Gardner is fleeing her nursing school, her home and her abusive husband with her son, Max, to Georgia. Her abusive husband, Wade Gardner, is an academic with a quick, hot temper. The story then takes a slight detour...same place, but the year is now 1917, and we are now with Nellie’s grandfather, August Redfern and his wife, Euphemia, who have started a turpentine enterprise in the southern Georgia wilds and soon are the parents of twins Charlie and Hank. Hank goes on to be Nellie’s father. The twins soon learns that the land they are defiling for profit demands more sacrifice in the full meaning of the word, than mere greed can satisfy. Nellie settles into her grandfather’s creepy Gothic mansion and is soon confronted by local "snake oil" salesman Lonnie Baxter, who has always thought that the property and the house was his birthright. Her reunion with Hank doesn't go well and leads to an uneasy discussion between father and daughter, and soon Nellie and Max are also threatened by some unpredictable phantoms; the ghost of a young girl; a dead bear who won’t seem to stay put; and the resurrected Dr. Gardner. Of course, we were expecting something on this order...after all if you hang out in dusty old mansions that are populated by long well-kept secrets, along with guilt, remorse, and madness, something unwanted, unexplained and undead is bound to come slithering out of a moldy hole. I really liked the way Andy Davidson deftly sloughed his way between bated-breath anticipation and a downright unexplained horror. By the end I was thinking this would make a great horror movie...move over Shirly Jackson.

Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby VanPelt - (Washington)
Genera: Fiction
5★
"Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures". Marcellus the Octopus

The above quote from the book was what Marcelus, the Octopus and star of the story, had to say about we humans. Hopefully we will continue to prove him right.
This was a warm and almost enchanting story about a lonely woman who discovers that sometimes humans don’t have all the answers no matter what we think. Tova Sullivan’s very best friend is an octopus. That's right... a giant Pacific octopus to be exact, named Marcellus, to be precise... and he is that...precise about many things! The story begins with the first of several short chapters that are all told in the first person, by Marcellus himself. He quickly points out that he is capable of a great many things...things humans, in spite of supposedly being the smartest animals, don’t know he can do. The one thing he can’t do is escape from his captivity in the small aquarium in the fictional town of Sowell Bay, Washington. Tova also has lived in the town for most of her life, in the house built by her father. She's 70 years old, and stoic, but lives with numerous layers of grief. Her brother, who she has been at odds with and separated from for years, has just died, with no reconciliation between them. Added to her grief was the death of her husband a few years before, from cancer...But the worst and most open wound is the disappearance of her only child, 30 years ago. Her son, Erik was only 18 when he vanished, and the police, though they didn't find a body, believe he killed himself. Tova NEVER believed that for one second. She's made a life for herself by filling her days visiting with longtime friends...a group of eccentric women who call themselves the "Knit-Wits" and filling her nights cleaning at the aquarium. While cleaning she chats with the aquarium's inhabitants, but she saves her "deep conversations" for Marcellus. She’s began to be concerned about the way he's been escaping from his tank and cruising through the other enclosures for "live snacks", and sometimes visiting other nearby rooms, which she knows is a risk to his life. Tova is too preoccupied to pay much attention to the sweet but slightly awkward flirting of Ethan, the man from Scotland that runs the nearby grocery store, but she does get drawn into the complicated life of a young man, Cameron who wanders into town. Tova’s determination to find out what happened to Erik, brings her back and forth into many of the character's lives, and occasionally into a special friend's tentacles. I loved the relationship between the characters and the remarks and opinions from Marcelus the octopus.

The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World
Sarah Weinman
4/5 stars
What a very interesting true-life book about Sally Horner who was kidnapped and killed at the age of eleven. Lolita, the movie was based on Sally's life. Non-Fiction

The Rose Code – Kate Quinn
Book on CD narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
3.5***

Quinn uses her talent for historical fiction to explore the women (and men) who worked at Bletchley Park during WWII, and who were credited with breaking the German Enigma code. The novel focuses on three women: Osla (a debutante who is dating Prince Phillip), Mab (self-made, rising out of poverty and intent on making an advantageous match), and Beth (a mouse of a girl living under her mother’s thumb, but with a head for ciphers). And, as had become almost mandatory in this genre, there is a dual timeline. Though at least here, both are historical: 1940 and 1947.

I was fascinated to learn more about the goings on at Bletchley Park. The secrecy required of workers there was paramount, even long past the end of the war. One result was that the workers became their own community, with sports teams, dances, dining and affairs helping to relieve the stress of their work. Still, the emotional toll resulted in several workers breaking down and some even being confined to high-security mental asylums, as the government could not risk the possibility that they would leak information. Quinn shows all these aspects in the novel.

She also highlights a strong friendship between three women who would never have met were it not for the war work they undertook. I really liked how Quinn showed how the friendship between these three developed. And how their loyalty to one another, though severely tested, became central to the conclusion of the story.

Saskia Maarleveld does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. She has a lot of characters to handle, men and women, young and old, from different regions of England, and she is up to the task.

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory
by Ben Macintyre
4/5 stars
Interesting WWII book surrounding an operation about using a dead man to fool the Nazis into thinking that the Allied Forces were going to attack Greece or Sardinia instead of Sicily. Non-Fiction

Flippin the Switch - Brigham Vaughn - (Michigan)
Naughty in Pendleton Series Book #3
Genera: M/M/M Romance/Heavy BDSM
4.5★
We met Jude in a previous book, and I will admit that I was NOT in any way, his biggest fan. He has totally redeemed himself in this story. We learned more about him and could begin to understand why he was the way he was in the book #2. Then there was Tony. He was just the sweetest guy and so patient with his father's dementia. He was nearly worn down by life and it was so good to see him have the courage to come out of his shell and learn to fight for his happiness and the two guys that he loves and love him. Logan was a wonderful character from the very beginning. He's the oldest of the trio and a friend of Jude's father. The younger two men draw him out and allow him to explore what and who he is meant to be as a Dom. This trio work perfectly together and I adored how well they balanced each other. I have always loved "Grandma June" and hope she appears in future books! Actually, I hope they ALL appear again in future books. This was a really great story and a lovely end to the series...but I hope Brigham Vaughn doesn't let this be our last visit to Pendleton or the last we see of these characters. While I can whole heartly recommend this series...the reader should be aware that the three books are heavy on the BDSM lifestyle which may not be for everyone.

Forget and Forgive - L.A. Witt
Genera: M/M Romance/Fantasy
5★
I'm not crazy about fantasy type stories but I found the premise of Forget and Forgive to be unusual as well as fascinating. Owen paid a fae for a potion to cause amnesia allowing him to forget the heartache of his partner cheating. Waking up the next morning alone in his bed he had no memory of the entire last year of his life...including buying the potion from the fae. This presented the perfect lure to make me want to see how this would play out, plus it was written by one of my all-time favorite authors, L.A. Witt. The fantasy element was there but it was minimal, making this an easy to read, otherwise contemporary M/M romance story. You couldn't have any real hate for what Matteo did on his conference trip to Toronto...but he obviously carried a heavy weight of guilt, and he had planned to confess to Owen...but fate and a fae potion, sped up the process. I liked the way Owen had to work to trust his own instincts, and how both Owen and Matteo explored their past experiences and what had happened in Owen's forgotten year. The flow of this story and the heartfelt emotions that both men felt during this process, was perfect for setting up the eventual outcome. It's a fairly short book, just a little over 200 pages, but so much emotion is presented there...decisions like did Owen really want to remember that lost year and what would happen to the fragile trust that he and Matteo were gradually rebuilding if he returned to the fae and got the potion to return his memory? It was really an unusual interesting and fascinating twist on a story of any genera.

The Book of Merlyn by T. H. White
4**** (down from original 5 *****)

Below is my original review of this book from the first time I read it in 2013. What I would add to it is that White's heavy-handedness with his POV on war, individualism vs. everyone else, and Merlyn's other long diatribes felt unnecessary. Yes, there are parts where Arthur is looking at his own upcoming death and the ending of his Round Table, but. They got in the way of Arthur coming to an understanding of his role in the history of humanity until the final few pages. Which are poignant and so very meaningful.

Anyway, here's my review:

What an amazing book. I started reading it late last year after not having read Once and Future King for about 30 years, and it didn't quite make sense. So I re-read King and am now reading this book to finish the story.

Once again, Merlyn arrives to teach Arthur, but it is an aging King whom he sees bent over his war plans with tears on his face. Merlyn realizes that the King has forgotten the lessons of the Wart, as so many of us do when we become older and forget the beauty and joy that was sometimes in the world when we were younger. The idea of a single thing that could grab your attention to the exclusion of all else - this is a remembrance that Arthur finds when he is with the geese.

As polarized as this country is now, there are some who will object to T.H. White's thinly-veiled essays against war. The geese do not fight against their own kind "just because": they see the world as one great big planet over which they fly and land when they need to. Different species share the same rock in the middle of the North Atlantic. By the same token, ants from different "tribes" will start the drumbeat and the propaganda for war the minute another ant arrives.

And of course, it is into misunderstanding and an ultimate war that Arthur faces as his reign comes to an end. He is heartbroken that his Round Table has come to its end: his best friend is exiled, his wife is trapped in the Tower of London, and his son wants to kill him. It is a tragic end to an otherwise beautiful story, and I am glad that White wrote these chapters and that they were finally published.

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi
3 1/2 ***

Hmmm. Well. Don't get me wrong, I love me some John Scalzi. His biting sense of humor (what one might call snark) is always a welcome relief in a world full of opinions and influencers.

This book got off to a great start with a bureaucratic meeting of interplanetary trade negotiations, and the history of the chief human negotiator and the non-human species, the Nidu. The set-up is hilarious, icons are mocked, and set-ups across the negotiating table had me laughing and reading parts out loud.

But then Scalzi gets involved in his next set-up, and the next history of characters, and then a bit of the story advances, with a few more set-ups, until we wind up in a shopping mall. With bouncing tennis shoes. And I almost put it down at that point as a DNF.

The fact that I picked it up again is the half star in my rating. When he finally got around to telling a story and remembered the "show, don't tell" advice of any writer, there was a heck of a story in here. But until that point, I got tired of being told and the myriad of characters who were supporting, but then weren't, and so on. This was a book that, while I wanted to enjoy it, I was just glad it ended.

Friends Like Them - Aimee Nicole Walker - (Georgia)
Redemption Ridge Series Book #4
Genera: M/M Romance/Second Chance/Friends to Lovers
4.5★
This is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance with two good friends finally sharing themselves with each other. Owen has locked his deepest secrets away so deep, he’s not sure if he could, or should unbury that particular box, but a chance encounter in a photo booth opens the floodgates. Tyler’s never realized that when Owen interfered into his life, it was actually him showing his love and concern. When he finally understands, he’s eager to confess his own feelings. This story is entirely about Owen and Tyler revealing their personal histories and working on building a love with each other. There are very few appearances from the usual other characters. We get to experience Owen and Tyler as they form an unbreakable bond with one another and also make some strong connections with their families. Tyler has avoided his close-knit and loving family out of guilt and fear, and Owen’s love helps him find the courage to show who he actually has always been with them. Not everyone is into cowboys and ranches, so I can assure you that this book in the Redemption Ridge series spends less time on the ranch life. A fair amount of the story takes place away from the ranch. Owen and Tyler visit with their families, introducing their partner as their boyfriend and telling their parents exactly what they mean to each other. Owen has a learning disorder that Tyler's mother...a language teacher, helps him learn ways to overcome and as a result opens up to him the world of reading and understanding of what he's read...and Tyler learns to roller-skate...which was rather amusing. The story is filled with tons of tenderness and the family dynamics were a pleasant experience. It's a series that you wish could go on forever.

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust
Alan Bradley
4/5 stars
Flavia de Luce is back again in a mystery about a case of poisonous mushrooms eaten by a neighbor, Major Greyleigh. Greyleigh used to be a hangman. The cook is a suspect but Flavia believes that she didn't do it. This is one of my favorite series! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List

Yellow Rambutan Tree Mystery
by Ovidia Yu
This is book 6 in the Crown Colony and Su Lin Mysteries by Yu. The setting is Singapore just after WWII and the British have returned. It is not a happy reunion. The British don't have the money to make the needed repairs and return Singapore to prosperity and instead act like the conquering heroes who want things to return to the way it was before the war. It is Chinese New Year and Su Lin and the family are sick with some bad food poisoning and then a murder occurs just outside their doorstep. Su Lin begins to investigate and discovers that her mentor, Le Froy is back from his postwar stay in England. However, the round of sickness at home continues and solving the murder becomes Su Lin's primary focus. This is the best one of this series so far. It has a more complex mystery in it and with all the returning characters from previous books the scope is widening. This makes for a nice complex cozy mystery that I enjoyed reading at the end of a long day.

Mango and Peppercorns: A Memoir of Food, an Unlikely Family, and the American Dream
by Tung Nguyen, Kathy Manning and Lyn Nguyen.
This was an easy relaxing book to read and I enjoyed reading it. The book takes place in Vietnam and in Miami, Florida. I try to read one "food" book about food, or a chef, or the restaurant industry every year. This was my last minute selection for this year. It was a good one. It is the story of Tung and Kathy. Tung was a Vietnamese refugee and Kathy was the big-hearted midwesterner who sponsored her when she came to the US. Tung was the cook and Kathy was the organizer. Together they created one of the top restaurants in Miami. Their relationship wasn't always easy but they managed and made it to the top of the restaurant world. The restaurant they owned is now closed but Tung is still cooking and now both women are telling their story.

Mary Boleyn / Alison Weir
3.5 stars

This is a nonfiction “biography” of Mary Boleyn. Mary lived during the first half of the 16th century, and was most likely a mistress to Henry VIII before he divorced his first wife, Kathrine of Aragon, and married Mary’s sister, Anne Boleyn.

There really isn’t a whole lot known about Mary, so the author took a lot of sources, both primary and secondary, and analyzed them to figure out what she could of Mary’s life. I expected this. She did also explain why she thought some of the sources were (likely) correct or not. So there is still much speculation, but the author did want to correct some obvious things that people think about Mary due to recent popular movies and tv shows (that, yes, I also enjoyed!).

I did learn a little bit, too: apparently, the likely affair between Henry and Mary was the same in the minds of people at the time, with regard to not allowing Henry and Anne to marry, as Henry marrying Katherine (his brother’s widow), which is what Henry used to annul his first marriage – it was considered incest, and shouldn’t have allowed him to marry Anne. But no one (at least who was willing to outwardly oppose Henry and Anne’s marriage) knew about it to bring it up.

This is, of course, a bit of a longer read, not in terms of pages, but it’s nonfiction, so a little more dense. But, still interesting!

Lethal - Reece Knightly - (Alaska, California)
Operation Justice Force Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
4.5★
This story...the start of the Operation Justice series, brings suspense, love and as the series title suggests...the fight for justice. Dalton and Adam fell in love when they were very young but didn’t know then how to make it work. Thirteen years of wasted time and Adam, aka "Sphinx", is blacklisted in the CIA. Dalton and "Pegasus" were assigned to find him and bring him in, but the meeting had been compromised. Adam and Dalton recognized each other’s voices while they were shooting at each other. At that point I just wanted to scream at them to "STOP SHOOTING"!!! Adam quickly decided he needed to change location and decided to go home which just happened to be Dalton's families' house. Dalton and "Pegasus" had been both given the Christmas holidays off and he was by this time, really missing Adam. Knowing that Adam would be there, he quickly made off for his house. He had for some time suspected that Adam might be "Sphinx" but he couldn’t find evidence enough to prove it. Adam wasn't sure that Dalton wouldn't just arrest him and ask questions later...so he again withheld his identity...but then his location was again compromised. Finally, he started putting the pieces together but needed Pegasus to help catch the "bad guys". By now my head was swimming and I just wanted the two of them to get it together. Overall, it was a pretty good love story when Dalton and Adam finally came to the conclusion that hey. we're both on the same side. I like books with "Happy Ever After" endings and this one didn't disappoint. On to book #2.

Trespasses – Louise Kennedy
Digital Audiobook narrated by Brid Brennan.
3.5***

From the book jacket: In Northern Ireland during the Troubles, a young woman is caught between allegiance to community and a dangerous passion. Amid daily reports of violence, Cushla lives a quiet life with her mother in a small town near Belfast. By day she teaches at a parochial school, at night she fills in at her family’s pub. There she meets Michael Agnew, a barrister who’s made a name for himself defending IRA members. Michael is not only Protestant but older, and married, yet Cushla lets herself get drawn in by him and his sophisticated world, and an affair ignites. But a violent incident sets in motion a chain reaction that will threaten everything, and everyone Cushla most wants to protect.

My reactions
I had not heard of this book before one of my F2F book club buddies recommended it for discussion. Kennedy packs a lot into a slim volume. I had read Patrick Radden Keefe’s marvelous nonfiction book about the Troubles, Say Nothing, so I knew something about the strife, struggle and terrorism that characterized this time period. But Kennedy’s book made it so personal. It made me think of how often I want to just hide from what is happening around me and be left in peace to live my life – to sing, to dance, to love, to carry on – rather than to face the issues head on and DO something.

Cushla is a marvelous character. She’s caring and passionate about her teaching. She longs for a steady life on her own. She does her best to help her students navigate this troubling time. She wants to understand what cannot be understood. Mostly she wants to live her life without strife and terror. She comes to love Michael despite all their obvious differences – class, religion, politics. Of course, he is married, and I wanted desperately to warn her about the dangers of such a liaison, but …

Brid Brennan does a great job of narrating the audiobook. I did have a few moments where I had trouble understanding phrases in a vernacular with which I’m not familiar, so I was happy that I had the text handy to read those passages.

Nevernight / Jay Kristoff
2.25 stars

Mia is a teenager who ends up at some sort of assassin training school or something. She makes friends and enemies. People end up murdered (at least one of the assassins-in-training, anyway… not sure if there were more murders or not, maybe more). There was something to do with revenge, too.

Listened to the audio. I have no idea why I added this to the tbr; I am not a fan of fantasy. Maybe the assassin/revenge theme was of interest? I don’t know. Periodically, an interesting thing would happen, but mostly I didn’t care that much.

Only If You're Lucky - Stacy Willingham
Genera: Mystery & Suspense
3★
I think this book should come with a warning that reads ..."If you are over a certain age you might want to close this up and look for something else'. It's not by any means a bad story...but it seems to be an age dividing story. I just could not get into any of the characters or have any sympathy for them. I found their actions to be juvenile...their ideas to be on the lunatic side...if I felt anything for them it all it was judgmental. I can only remember closing and not ever going back to one book in my entire life and I was determined that THIS WAS NOT GOING TO BE MY SECOND ONE, DARN IT! ... so... I just plowed on and finished it while quietly yelling at the characters. I will say that the best part of the whole book was the ending. I'm not being super critical...the ending got it my 3-star rating. If the entire book had been as good as the ending it would have got a 5-star rating.

In Step - Jay Hogan - (New Zealand)
Painted Bay Series Book #3
Narrator: Gary Furlong
Genera: M/M Romance
4★
30-year-old Kane Martin is the bully who has made Judah Madden’s life miserable since they were in school, and he had even viciously attacked him at one time. Kane was living and working on his family’s farm until six months ago, when Cora, Judah’s mother, found him literally living in his car and offered him a job working for the family's mussel farm. His brother, Leroy, was not in the least pleased by this as he and Judah had only recently started to try to repair their broken relationship. Leroy wasn’t about to do anything that would throw a wrench into their efforts. To keep the fragile peace, he offers Kane a job but makes it very clear that coming to work for him was conditional on Judah saying it was fine. Now we meet 44-year-old, Abe who has worked to make a career as a freelance choreographer. He loves this work and the opportunity to travel that goes with it. Then he meets Kane and starts to think the impossible...that he just might want to settle down in the type of small town he'd promised himself to never to live in again. Abe and Kane are attracted to each other from the start, but Kane isn’t "out" and tries hard to keep his distance. He's spent years hiding his sexuality and keeping his attraction to this other man a hidden secret. The chemistry between him and the "silver-fox" choreographer eventually becomes too much to ignore, and they agree hook-up secretly for the rest of Abe's visit. Abe has other commitments...and doesn't plan to stick around taking away any hope of a relationship for either of them. Except… what they’re doing and what they feel for each other very quickly stops feeling like "just a fling" and starts feeling like…something else. There was a lot of anger in this story and a lot of homophobic judgement that I could have happily done without. However, if you can get past all that, the story is full of insight and genuine emotion that will often bring a tear to the eye. I don't understand parents that can disown or mistreat their children, no matter what their age, for who they love. Gary Furlong is a great narrator. I have listened to him present many stories, but the accent does take a bit of getting accustomed to.


Jilted Jaren - Nora Phoenix - (Washington)
Foster Brothers Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
This is the first book in a new, for me, series by Nora Phoenix. Jaren is one of four guys that grew up in the foster system and banded together labeling themselves as "brothers" at a young age. Their early life in the system had created a bond that makes them closer than blood brothers could ever be. Jaren seemed to be the "straight" one of the four, though he admits that he doesn’t think anyone is truly 100% straight. He’s admired men before, but he’s never wanted to act on it, never felt any real attraction. Reid's sister, Becky, and Jaren were supposed to be getting married...the invitations were out...more money than most people can even comprehend had been spent by both Becky and Jaren, but she called the whole thing off the day before...with no explanation whatsoever. Jaren has no place to stay now, so Reid makes the offer for Jared to stay with him in his townhouse. Even if you don't read romances of any genera...you know already how this is going to turn out. It was a change of pace in most romances, that Reid gave Jared lots of room allowing their relationship to be built first on friendship and not sex. He gave Jaren the gift of time to find who he truly was and to figure out what he really wanted out of life. As he’s doing that, he’s able to recognize his attraction to Reid and have the courage to begin to explore it. The story is relatively low angst. The thing I liked the most is the amount of communication that went on, between Jaren and Reid in particular, but with all the secondary characters as well...which surprised me. Jaren and his ex-fiancé, Bridget, have their moment to hash things out and be honest with each other. There was very little blame here, and no one was the "bad guy". The book is also a slow burn in regard to the romance, and where that may not work in all stories, it worked perfectly here. Reid is understanding and sweet, and he wants nothing more than for Jaren to be happy. He really wants that to be them together and be happy, but he doesn’t push it and is willing to accept whatever conclusion Jaren comes to. Jaren is, understandably, cautious and thoughtful about expressing his emotions. Reid, on the other hand, wears them in capitals on his sleeve. The connection between the four "brothers" is simply beautiful. As much as I liked all the characters and the storyline, and as much as I love low angst stories, this one had some moments where things seemed to be resolved a little bit too easy.... but hey it's Nora Phoenix and this was a wonderful start to a new-to-me series. I have the 2nd & the 3rd book and will soon have the 4th one...and then be sad that it's over. But there are rereads!!!

The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott
3.5***

Prescott’s debut is a literary espionage novel. The story is told from the perspectives of three different women. Sally has adopted a glamorous and sophisticated persona, which she has created by practicing deceit all over the world to pry secrets out of men. Irina is the daughter of a Russian immigrant, and the newest member of the CIA’s typing pool. Olga is Boris Pasternak’s mistress and muse. When the Soviet government refuses to allow Pasternak to publish his masterpiece, Doctor Zhivago, Olga helps arrange for it to be published in Italy. It becomes an international sensation, and the CIA hatches a plot to smuggle the book back into the USSR. Irina is recruited to help, and Sally is tasked with training her.

Although I have gotten tired of the multiple-narrators device, I have to admit that Prescott did a good job of it in this novel of intrigue and manipulation. Sally and Irina, in particular, each had information that the other lacked, and their push/pull relationship had to be affected by this. I was drawn into their dynamic and thought Prescott gave us a perfect ambiguous ending to their story.

I remember what a blockbuster hit the movie of Doctor Zhivago became. My friends and I all wanted fur hats (yes, even in Texas). At that age I had no idea of the political ramifications the novel had in Russia. I’m glad that Prescott chose to tell this story and enlighten me.

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
Anne Glenconner
4/5 stars
Interesting autobiography of Anne Glenconnor. She was friends of the royal family and acted as a Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation along with being a Lady In Waiting to Princess Margaret. Well written! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List

Rough - Reece Knightly - (California)
Operation Justice Force Series - Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/ Military/ Thriller
4★
Mason and Gage are a case of total opposite attracting. They don't even want to like each other, much less fall in love, but neither can avoid the pull. Mason doesn't want a commitment, and Gage can't afford anything with his family life. However, both men realize they can't fight it, and they can't stop it. I was surprised that Mason caved in so fast, but I guess for him it was the ultimate solution to take care of Gage's issues, so off he goes. Both guys are very likeable characters, their chemistry too off a bit fast but then, it really wasn't instant attraction. It would have been nice to have had more background information on both Mason and Gage. It was obvious that their troubled pasts should have left more issues and deeper scars than we were told. While there is not a lot of overlapping from the first book, but the busy, turbulent world of the Justice Force sometimes made it difficult to remember who everyone was and why something that happened obviously mattered. I really like this author and look forward to getting the next book in the series.

The Secrets of Vesuvius / Caroline Lawrence
2.5 stars

This is the second in a series of children’s mysteries, this one set in ancient Italy. Flavia is our main character; she and friends are given some kind of riddle (I’m not sure why). Later on, they try to help a boy find his biological parents. Then, the volcano at Vesuvius erupts.

All of that in a very short book. I listened to the audio and, like with the first book, there was too much I missed because it didn’t hold my attention. After the first one, I had decided to give the series another try (this one), but I think I’ll stop here. Maybe I could try a non-audio, but I don’t think I will. The boy and the volcano were the most interesting, though.

Second Chance at First Love - N.R. Walker - (Australia)
Prequel to The Storm Boys series
Narrator: Glen Lloyd
Genera: M/M Romance/second Chances
5★
Paul is content working in his dream job running tours for tourists in Kakadu National Park. Paul does his best to live in the here and now, not dwelling on the past or the beautiful man he left behind, but he simply can't seem to forget. Then the name Derek Grimes shows up on his next tour list. Does he dare to dream its “his” Derek. If it is, how will he feel about seeing him again? Derek is nervous about seeing Paul again also, but he needs to know how he is doing and what his feelings are since the last time they were together. Derek knew that he had to learn to live without Paul and move on, but he's been unable to do that ever since Paul left. He thinks to himself, "what's the worst thing that can happen?" Paul could tell him to leave, go back home and leave him alone or just perhaps, there is the slim chance that Paul has missed him just as much as he's has missed Paul. He will never know if he doesn't give it a try. The first meeting is awkward, but as the week goes on, things get much better after they both realize that the flame that once burned so bright those five years ago, is alive...still burning there. They can rekindle it if they want to...if they recognize that they are not the same people they were back then. This is such an endearing story that really touches the heart. I love second chance stories that the people actually work on making something happen. As I said, I have already visited this park with other guides and other couples that found their second chance or even their first...but even if I hadn't read the others, I would have found this story to be a great start and I can absolutely recommend this great series. Glen Lloyd does a fantastic job on the voices.

The Missing Ones / Patricia Gibney
4 stars

A woman is murdered in a church. Not long after, a man is found hanging in his yard. It turns out there is a connection between the two people. Detective Lottie is in charge of the team trying to solve these murders. Despite her own family having troubles (she has three teenagers and her husband died a few years earlier), she does her best to sort out what’s going on, even as more murders pile up. In addition, there is a connection to a local former orphanage, St. Angela’s, but what is that connection, exactly?

There is a lot going on and a lot of characters, but it did make it trickier to figure out who might have done it (not that I ever – well, rarely, anyway – actually figure it out before it’s revealed, anyway!). I really liked it, though. There were short chapters that made it easy to keep going. Note that parts of this book are quite dark. This is the first in a series that I will definitely be continuing.

Love in Spades - Charlie Cochet - (Florida)
Four Kings Security 5eries Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Suspense/Action
5★
Four Kings Security is composed of four ex-military friends and brothers in arms ...Ace, King, Red and Lucky...who have one of the most well-known and successful security business in the state of Florida. They’ve had their nicknames since their time together in Special Forces in the service. They decided to carry them over into their business as well. The names, tattoos, the business motto, logo, etc. all form the foundation and basis on which the business was formed. As is Charlie Cochet's style, she has given us great characters who are charismatic, and fun, yet tough and not afraid to be emotional. It's so easy to see the bond and love that these men share and just how much they mean to each other. One of the Kings, Ace, is the one selected to provide security to Colton, the son and heir to a well-established business. He has absolutely no interest in having personal bodyguards...but Four Kings Security has been hired by his soon-to-be retired father, so there isn’t much he can do except go along...but not willingly. Colton has good reasons for not wanting anyone to have control of his life and puts up a good fight in the beginning. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Ace can give as good as he gets, and it doesn't matter that Colton doesn't want his protection...he's been given a job to do and darn it, he's going to do it come Hell or high water! Before long Colton starts to look at Ace differently and they start to form a truce, while the threats start to escalate into something much more serious. Now the sparks start to fly between Ace and Colton, and when the attraction takes over, things really explode. There is a bit of reluctance on Ace’s part, as he has so much to lose, and doesn't want to let his "brothers" down. They realize quickly that there is something special between them that makes it all worth the risk. Needless to say, they made a really great couple and were absolutely 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". I believe Red next, and that looks like it will be a great addition as well, with an "opposites attract" type of relationship. I definitely recommend this series to anyone that likes stories that show true friendship, love and respect along with some really hot romance. Just keep in mind that it is two guys.

The Soulmate - Sally Hempworth - (Australia)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
4★
It's the story of two women who each thought she’d found a once in a lifetime love. One depends on memories to reconcile the partner she thought she knew, who is now suspected of murder. The other one speaks from beyond the grave. The women’s stories are intertwined although we don't learn that right away. Pippa has it all. She has a successful career, two beautiful little girls, a husband, Gabe, who thinks she sets and rises the sun, and a magnificent new waterfront house that sits on a cliff. There’s just one drawback...that same cliff is a frequent location for suicides. Right after they move in, Gabe takes on the role of guardian and has talked multiple people out of committing suicide. One night, a woman, Amanda, approaches the cliff and, despite Gabe’s pleas, jumps to her death. At least, that’s what Gabe told the local authorities who think otherwise. As Pippa reflects on her relationship with her husband, she sees that her life has consisted of many lost jobs and all too sudden moves, as had Amanda's who jumped from the cliff. Past and present soon collide as we learn the reasons for Amanda’s trip off the cliff, and the extent to which Pippa has worked to protect the man she loves. The story becomes complicated and deadly as the author slowly reveals the deadly tale of the lives of the individuals. None of the characters are good, but neither are they really bad. The reality becomes far more interesting and intense, filled with professional ambitions, struggles for power in the boardroom as well as the bedroom and, for Pippa and Amanda, a never-ending quest to understand the men to whom they were devoted. One-character deals with severe mental illness, which is also revealed and analyzed in ways both sensitive and very true to life, and another one holds onto a family secret with disturbing consequences. From the beginning to its final twisted end, the story will keep the reader wondering how well someone can really know anyone, especially their partner.

>58 JulieLill: My main reaction to this fascinating memoir - The rich ARE different!

The Unbearable Lightness of Scones – Alexander McCall Smith
Book on CD performed by Robert Ian Mackenzie.
3***

Book number five in the 44 Scotland Street series, featuring the residents of a particular apartment building in Edinburgh, as well as a few of their neighbors. All the regulars are here: Bertie, his mother Irene, his dad Stuart, Matthew, Elspeth, Brian, Angus (and his dog Cyril), Domenica and Big Lou. There’s a wedding, a possible romance, and a breakup. Bertie joins the scouts, but still can’t get away from Olive. Angus tries to help Domenica with a neighbor dispute and just gets in deeper. And Cyril, that scamp, has fathered a litter of SIX puppies!

I really enjoy reading these books; they are just a lovely summer delight for me. It’s like visiting with old friends. This one, like all the episodes in the series, bounces around from character to character, so the reader gets a glimpse of Bertie, then of Angus, then of Matthew, etc. It’s the same way we frequently experience our friendships. You don’t learn someone’s entire life story in one sitting but get snippets here and there before you eventually truly feel you know him or her.

Robert Ian Mackenzie does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He has a lot of characters to deal with and he is up to the task.

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act / Bob Joseph
3.5 stars

This book goes through to explain parts of Canada’s Indian Act, originally created in 1876. Though there have been some updates, much remains. The author also includes, in an appendix, all 94 calls to action in the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Ultimately, though some (Indigenous people) are concerned about ramifications of getting rid of the outdated Indian Act altogether, the author (also Indigenous) believes it should go, and explains why.

Most people don’t know much about the Indian Act. I didn’t until earlier this year when I took an extremely comprehensive online (free!) course from the University of Alberta called Indigenous Canada (highly recommended, though it does take a chunk of time). So, I had heard (via that course) a lot of what the author mentions in this book. But that doesn’t mean a reminder wasn’t a good thing, because it is. It’s a short book; it sounds like the author did that on purpose. It’s not super-exciting reading (it’s explaining legal things), but it’s something that Canadians should read and educate themselves about.

Half-Life of a Stolen Sister by Rachel Cantor
4****

This is a haunting, nuanced, interesting and amazing book. According to the author's acknowledgement, it took her 10 years to write. I began reading it and thought it might be a long read, but nope. I finished the last half of it in one evening.

The book is told as a series of letters, journal entries, observations, and thoughts by each of the Brontë sisters and Branwell. And their mother as she lays dying. And the telling (re-telling?) takes place in the modern era, so Branwell talks about going downstairs from the apartment with the baby on his shoulder to shop for diapers. Or all the children running through the streets to get to the park, where they can run wild and free. I saw it as a bit of overlay, of one time over another, with just enough hint of the "true" Brontë voice for the authenticity. There were passages where I wondered if Rachel Cantor had merged passages from their diaries, just for a moment, as she recounted an episode in their lives.

So yes, the book begins with Maria's death as she reaches out to her children. Then the perspective shifts to the two older sisters as they return, barely more than skeletons, from their horrendous boarding school. Several chapters then include Maria's sister, the children's aunt, who comes to take care of them just after their mother dies. And Patrick's advertisement for a new wife which could easily have been an authentic piece of writing.

It's haunting - it's as though the author has gotten into the heads of Lotte, Em, Annie, and Bran and given them emotions, thoughts, and experiences we only read about as a biography. Some time is spent in the creation of Glass Town, the created world of Emily and Anne, other time is spent with the sisters ignoring their brother, the Only Boy, and his toy soldiers. As the sisters age, we share their experiences as governesses (Lotte), then as hotel staff (Lotte and Anne), then in a journey to Rome (Lotte and Em).

It's also not an easy read. Children left to their own fate because a mother dies and a father is too involved in his own work to care for them is difficult to read. Em describing her self-hatred is difficult to read. Maria coming back as "just a skeleton" and covering her scars is difficult to read. But maybe that's the point: we're not just reading a few sentences in a biography or catching up on details on Wikipedia. We're reading the tragic history of this remarkable family.

Death Comes Ashore by Corinne O'Flynn
3 1/2 ***

Truly, I was not impressed by this volume. I liked the premise (magick on an island keeping it invisible to the 'danes, police investigations, a tough woman police investigator), and it fit a group challenge. Definitely building on the premise of Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magick, the action takes place on an island off the Northeastern coast.

The murder mystery portion, and the international scope of it, was well-told and gripping. The originality of a cartel preying on young women could be taken right out of the headlines. And the initial re-telling of the magical abuse of the main character, Corey, was well-done and an important facet of her character. But. It didn't stop with the initial re-telling, nor the second mention a page later, or on the following few paragraphs. It became more navel-gazing or a character stuck in her past than a well-told murder mystery.

And Corey's reaction to having to face her own panic attacks is another realistic part of recovery. But again, the format of a magical murder mystery is not the place for exploring how PTSD affects survivors, page after page after page. The flow of the mystery was too broken up with Corey's musings, fears, and feelings to garner my continued interest.

Thousand Words - Jennifer Brown
Genera: YA
3.5★
It is so easy, and we are all so quick to put information out there on the internet for who knows who to see and maybe use. stories like Thousand Words can be real eye openers about the damage that an online world can have with just one simple error in judgment. Especially to someone as young as Ashleigh who is in an age where people are starting to feel invincible. Mistakes happen, friends often can and do, betray each other, and boyfriends and girlfriends may or may not last. Things on the internet are permanent. Once words or pictures, go out there, there is no deleting them, EVER. This book gives us a realistic, well-handled story of something so very undoable, so scandalous, that hopefully it will send an important message to anyone who may not realize how easily a situation like this can come about. There is a past and present POV that allows us to learn Ashleigh’s story. We first meet her when she’s starting the community service she was sentenced to. Yes...our Ashleigh is no angel. She’s slowly making a new friend and trying to make the best of her tattered her life. Some of the chapters go back to before anything ever happened, allowing us to learn what lead up to her taking the risk that she will regret for the rest of her life. It also makes it easy for the reader to put themselves in her shoes. We see and feel her regret and humiliation. While some people, adult and teens, would have become an emotional wreck in her shoes, you have to admire how strong Ashleigh stayed through it all, and if anything, she became even stronger. The author explores a different side... the side where the character does not get overrun with emotional and mental anguish. Instead, Ashleigh takes back her life and that, to me, is the second most important message of the story. Even when things are at its worse, how you react and take charge of your mistakes are what most times will make a difference in the end. The story has just the right amount of heart, friendship, family, and emotion; it grabs you, but it remains a quick and easy read.

Trunk Music - Michael Connolly - (California/Nevada)
Harry Bosch series Book #5
Genera: Mystery & Suspense
5★
Harry has returned to the job after an involuntary leave of absence. His first case back is a little more than he bargained for. B-grade L.A. movie producer Tony Aliso is found shot twice in the head and stuffed into the trunk of his Rolls Royce – what looks like “trunk music,” a Mafia hit. Harry is not so sure and follows the money to Vegas. Tony had enemies, and the investigations quickly gives Harry his own share of them also, everyone from Vegas thugs to his own department's Internal Affairs, to Tony’s killers. Harry is not all hung up on his own issues, he’s instead concentrates on getting the job done. Even the involvement of a former love, Eleanor Wish, is only a sidelight. He’s not as sad or angry as he has been at times, which was a good change. I have always liked Harry, but sometimes he just needed to stop thinking so hard and get back to solving the case. Actually, the plot in this one was better than the characters. The ending is, as usual, exciting and of course unexpected. That's a Michael Connolly specialty. The clues were there, and how it all fell in place was simply well-done.

Unloved - Marley Valentine
Unlucky Ones Series Book #2
Narrators: Zachary Johnson, & Michael Gallagher
Genera: M/M/M Romance/Found Family
4.5★
The story is mostly about finding love even when you aren't looking for it and finding the absolutely perfect people who complete your life in the best way imaginable. It also revolves around the foster and found family of Lennox, Arlo, Frankie, Clem, and Remy...but this is Lennox's story. He has a life changing football injury that leaves him deaf. While saddened and working through how this will alter his life, his friends rally around and try to support him, especially his best friend Samuel and a new friend, Rhys. Samuel has had secretly had feelings for Lennox for quite some time, but has his reasons for keeping them to himself, but it was in those moments when Sammy thought Lennox might not ever e the same, that he made the decision not to let the man he loved slip through his fingers, and they became inseparable during and after those life changing moments. Their love for one another is beautiful and just as easy as putting two puzzle pieces that are a perfect fit together. However, this easy love has another glitch in this intricate relationship and his name is Rhys. While his presence brings a sense of peace to everyone around him, Rhys' life is anything but peaceful or easy. His inner turmoil is messy and brings an emotional flair to the story that may require tissues. Don't worry, he is also the glue that holds everyone together. He is one of those characters that brings life to a story. This is a beautiful story about growth and understanding, especially in the arms of those who love and care for you.

>71 Carol420: Love the Harry Bosch series!

>73 BookConcierge: Me too. This was our November group read. You should join us. Andrew does a wonderful job as our leader.

The Night She Disappeared - Lisa Jewell
Genera: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
5★
The story begins with a daughter disappearing, leaving behind a franticly worried mother who is willing to do anything to find her, and a young baby boy. Theses character from the start are vivid, literally coming to life on every page. Tallulah is a mother in her teens, so when she is reported to be missing, the police assume she's overwhelmed with motherhood and has just run away leaving the responsibility for her baby. A boyfriend is in the picture, so they assume that they are together. Kim knows her daughter. Knows she is better than this...more responsible despite her age. No matter how hard it is for her to be a young mother she would never abandon her baby. Kim's sense of loss stands out on the pages, and the mystery behind her disappearance is unbelievably compelling. As the story goes on even more questions arise, and other characters come into the story, each holding and hiding a piece of the puzzle. The story alternates between the present with Kim trying to find out what happened to her daughter, and the past from Tallulah's perspective as she moves toward the night she disappeared. As we reach the ending, we actually can feel the frantic race between the mother, Kim and the daughter, Tallulah. Two conclusions come about... Kim discovering the truth, and Tallulah forever living it. I've read several books by this author and have to say that they have always felt like a treat. She manages to always add a depth to her characters that takes the story to another level.

Stars Between the Sun and Moon / Lucia Jang
3.5 stars

The author grew up in North Korea but soon learned she wanted out. She went through abusive relationships, two children (one who was sold, not by her choice), landed in jail more than once, went back and forth between China, and more. Eventually, she got out for good and made her way to Canada.

I listened to the audio. Unfortunately, that meant it was a while before I got interested. And it was interesting (and awful for her) once it was holding my attention, but I’d already missed a bunch of what was going on by that point, and I continued to lose focus at times. You could say there were some technical issues with the audio that didn’t help, but it’s hard to say if that would have made a difference in the rating or not. I actually thought I caught more than I did, but in reading some of the other reviews, I guess I missed more than I thought, even.

Survive the Night - Riley Sager - (Ohio)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
4★
Charlie's best friend has been murdered; so, Charlie Jordan decides that she has to get away from Olyphant University, she has to go home. She’s posted a flyer looking, asking, begging for someone to give her a ride. Then she "just happens" to meet a stranger who "just happens" to be going her way. Riley Sager is so incredibly good at psychological horror. If you have read any of his other books, then you know that high-concept plots are always there. In this one the whole tale unfolds over one long, eventful night in 1991. Charlie is a girl that doesn’t seem to be very interested in self-preservation; or else she's just careless or too trusting for her own good.... or she just behaves in ways that are just plain stupid, doing this again and again and again. In the start of the story, she spends a lot of time wondering if it seems reasonable for a young woman who just lost her friend to a serial killer to travel across two states with a man she’s never met. DAH! No Charlie...it's NOT reasonable at all!!! The whole first half of the story is Charlie discovering that her driver may not be who he says he is, and guess what???...she wonders if he may plan to harm her. He certainly doesn't want her looking in the trunk! A great deal lot of time is spent on establishing something that everyone is already assuming. The end of this tale is filled with twists, turns and realizations. Some are genuinely surprising because they are what any half intelligent human being would already have figured out. But... they are as inevitable. There’s also something about Charlie’s love of classic films and history of trauma that is used to create a one-time condition where she momentarily leaves reality behind and gets lost in cinematic fantasy. This made very little sense, but you can surmise how it's supposed to be important to the plot and helps to remind us that Charlie may not be playing with a full deck. Despite these flaws, it's the reader who gets to decide if they want to just give in and go along for the ride. If you do, you will have an interesting and sometimes frustrating few hours ahead of you. It is a good story, even though it sometimes seems to be a flawed story. Overall...it can be described as suspenseful...and sometimes...silly.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
5*****

This was absolutely a 5 star read for me, despite the difficult subject matter and need to put it down half-way through. It's intense, and there are moments of violence that may be triggers for readers.

The story is told mostly from the point of view of young Bird, now known as Noah, who is 12 and who lives with his father in a student college dormitory. His father shelves books at the college library, and Bird's/Noah's mother has not been part of their lives for about three years. It is during encounters at a pizza place, and recollections of a school friend, that we the reader learn of the PACT act and violent anti-Asian sentiment in the US.

At about the half-way point, we meet Bird's mother, daughter of Chinese immigrants, and learn how this violent campaign against not just Asians but also protesting the government and banning books began. How inflation and a loss of jobs led to picking one group to blame, with scrutiny of library shelves for subversive books being just one of the results. This latter is important because Margaret, Bird's mother, wrote a book of poetry that is one of the books removed from library shelves.

There is also the PACT Act, a law enacted during the Crisis, that allows the government to remove any children from any household deemed too "radical" for the child to stay. Spying on one's neighbors is encouraged, and signs are posted in windows of houses and shops both with messages that sound eerily similar to the slogans from "1984" by George Orwell.

How Bird copes with his loss, how his mother copes with her loss, and how millions of Americans are affected by the chaos of a few difficult years makes this a timely and prescient book.

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
3 1/2 ***

This is a well-researched historical novel by two acclaimed novelists. They began their foray into describing the perils of racial inequity in their first collaborative book, "The Personal Librarian," and are up-front with the encounters they had with their readers during their book tours. So they collaborated again and we now know that Mary MacLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt were good friends. Which came as quite a pleasant surprise to me.

And rightly so - they were strong forces of nature in an era when women could be strong, they just couldn't be seen being strong. Especially not in the South, and especially not when one's mother-in-law is indulgent to her son, Franklin. We see both Bethune and Roosevelt through their eyes as the chapters alternate between each woman and her encounters with her family or in meetings with one another. The time between the Depression and World War II are the backdrop to this novel and chapters may be days or months apart, depending on what actions or meetings each woman had.

But, and this is what lost a half star for me, the constant surprise/astonishment/realization or moment of understanding/acceptance became too much. Too repeated, too much a part of each chapter, each shared experience, each conversation, each visit to one another's home or office or tea room. Yes, I get that it was during the era of Jim Crow. Yes, I get that having the First Lady photographed with Dr. Bethune was seen by many as the height of impropriety. Maybe the authors were responding to their audience members who asked "How do I create this friendship that you have?" with this book. But I felt that the tale of these women's accomplishments and friendship could have been just as strong with a little less repetition.

Did She Kill Him? A Victorian Tale of Deception, Adultery, and Arsenic / Kate Colquhoun
4 stars

In the late 1800s, Florence was an American who married James Maybrick from England, although he was 24 years older than she was. He was a hypochondriac who took a lot of “medicines”, including many with various poisons in them, including arsenic. Florence and James were having trouble in their marriage and both were cheating. He went through a time period where he was in all kinds of pain and he eventually died. Florence, along with servants and two brothers and various doctors were all trying to help him. But James’ brothers didn’t trust Florence and pointed a finger at Florence suggesting that she may have killed him with arsenic. A couple of the servants also reported things they found odd that Florence did, indicating a possible poisoning by James’ wife.

So, it seems Florence’s trial was… maybe not undertaken in the best way. The jury was (of course, due to the time frame) all men, but also all farmers and tradespeople. Not people who might easily understand a confusing array of medications and how much arsenic was or was not in each of many different bottles. Even the experts disagreed on whether or not arsenic was even what killed him. The judge seemed predisposed to find her guilty, but not because he necessarily thought she killed him, but because she was a middle class woman with loose morals – that is, he didn’t like that she had had an affair. The judge wasn’t the one to decide anything, but he did summarize for the jury… in a way that seemed somewhat biased. Anyway, this was interesting and frustrating to read about this case, well-known at the time. Fun fact: James Maybrick has been suggested as a possible Jack the Ripper (this wasn’t discussed much in the book, just mentioned, so I don’t know why he has been suspected – something about a diary… that has not been proved to be his or to be real?).

>78 threadnsong: Loved this book. Great review.