WHAT ARE WE READING AND REVIEWING IN OCTOBER 2022?

Tell us what you plan to read in October.

Carol's October Reads
👻 - ★
45/45
October
👻 Stronger Than Longing - Katheryn McIntyre -5★
👻 Ripples - Robert Innes -4.5★ - (Pick A Winner Make a Friend)
👻 The Midnight Lock - Jeffrey Deavers - 5 -★
👻 Code Blue - Max Walker -5★
👻 Muscle and Bone - Mary Calmes- 5★
👻 Wildfell – London Clarke - 5★ -
👻 Little Girls Sleeping - Jennifer Chase - 3★
👻 Real Danger- Elle Keaton - 4.5★
👻 Real Risk - Elle Keaton- 5★
👻 Real Hazard - Elle Keaton -5★
👻 Daybreak - Kate Hawthorne 3.5★
👻 Pet Semetary - Stephen King - 5- ★
👻 Take Care of You - Gianni Holmes - 3★
👻 No Hiding Place - M.A. Comley - 4★
👻 Tough Luck - Annabeth Albert - 5★
👻 Bad Deal - Annabeth Albert - 5★
👻 Hometown - Matthew Keville - 5★
👻 Beyond The Grave - R W Wallace - 5★
👻 Hanging House - Dean Rasmussen -5★
👻 The Breaking Point - Jefferson Bass -4★
👻 The Girl From Silent Lake - Leslie Wolfe - 3★
👻 Daphne - Josh Malerman - 4.5★
👻 Night Chills - Dean Koontz - 2 ★
👻 Unkinked- M.C. Roth - 4★
👻 Whisper Down the Lane - Clay Chapman - 5★
👻 From Below - Darcy Coates - 5★
👻 Sapphire Spring - C. Travis Rice - 3★
👻 Mine - Robert McCammon - 5★
👻 The Girl in Room 16 - Eva Sparks - 2.5★
👻 Blaze Returns -Bill Runner - 3★
👻 Make Me Soar - K C Wells & Parker Williams - 5★
👻 Dom of Ages - KC Wels & Parker Wiliams - 5★
👻 The High-Tech Knight - Leo Frankowski - 3★
👻 Lincoln's Park- Parker Williams - 5+★
👻 Galen's Redemption - Parker Walker - 5★
👻 Stained Hearts - Parker Williams- 5★
👻 Hidden in Darkness - Alice Winters - 3★
👻 The House on Cold Hill - Peter James - 5★
👻 The Secret of Cold Hill - Peter James - 5★
👻 Worth the Fight - Kate Hawthorne - 3.5★
👻 Worth the Wait - Kate Hawthorne - 4★
👻 Learning To Feel - N.R. Walker - 5★
👻 Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk - 3★

The Midnight Lock - Jeffery Deaver - (New York)
Lincoln Rhyme series Book #15
5★
A woman awakes in the morning to find that someone has picked her apartment’s supposedly impregnable door lock and rearranged personal items, even sitting beside her while she slept. The intrusion, the police learn, is a message to the entire city of carnage to come. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to investigate and soon learn that the sociopathic intruder, who calls himself "the Locksmith,” can break through any lock or security system ever devised. With more victims on the horizon, Rhyme, Sachs and their stable of associates must follow the evidence to the man’s lair… and discover his true mission. Their hunt is interrupted when an internal investigation in the police force uncovers what seems to be a crucial mistake in one of Rhyme's previous cases. He’s fired as a consultant for the NYPD and must risk jail if he investigates the Locksmith case in secret.

Jeffery Deaver has outdone himself with this one. His character "The Locksmith" breaks into the apartments of women in New York, simply by just easily picking their locks. Once he is in, he moves their belongings around and sits and watches them sleep. Then he takes a single knife from each of the apartments. This we learn, "bothers Lincoln". Yeah, Lincoln... do you think??? It more than bothered me! Lincoln believes that the perp could eventually escalate to murder before he can be stopped. With this installment with Lincoln Rhymes, Jeffery Deaver has created a tense, exciting and mystery packed story in which nothing is as it appears, and deception and treachery are the main part of the game. Creepy doesn't begin to describe the feeling you get reading about what these women find when they awake and find that someone was a close as sitting in a chair by your bed, watching every breath you take. The sense of threat, is overwhelming, producing a scenario that has your pulse pounding without anyone having to even take a step. The "Locksmith" delights in knowing that he can ruin everything for his victims and leave them with only fear as a companion. There is of course a threat to their lives, but what he does and how he makes them feel is maybe far worse. The ideas and possibilities of how easy home invasion, stalking, and potential threat to life actually is, will have you locking and double locking doors and checking them all twice as this story stays with you long after the last word on the page. One of the best stories to come out of the 15 Lincoln Rhymes books.

Ripples - Robert Innes - (England)
Blake Harte series Book #3
4.5★
When Detective Sergeant Blake Harte is given the opportunity of a relaxing week away at a spa manor, he jumps at the opportunity. He can take one person with him - and who more than Harrison Baxter deserves time away from Harmschapel after everything he has been through? But once at the Manor of the Lakes, the rest and relaxation they both crave is quickly brought to an end, when Blake and Harrison witness a man being murdered, by a mysterious hooded figure who appears to have the ability to walk on water. How is it possible for someone to defy the laws of physics? And Blake’s problems are only just beginning. The visit to the manor finds him coming face to face with figures from his past – and one in particular who could ruin any chance of Blake and Harrison ever being happy together. The ripple effect is well and truly in play.

I have read this series so out of order, but it doesn't seem to matter. I did have the good sense to read book 1 first. I didn't like Blake Harte to begin with. He seemed rough and rude to everyone and condescending to those that only wanted to help him, even to Harrison who had a major crush on him from day one. As their relationship has grown, he's mellowed a bit. I know that Blake has been trying give Harrison time to recover from his prior relationships....and he's had quite a few. Blake also has to find an emotional conclusion to his feelings about Nathan, his last ex. I would think that enough time has passed that Harrison would to be more secure in the person he has become. He really needs take a deep breath and accept that he is worth being loved. This author seems to be progressively better with each book in this series. The mystery is well written and this one is for lack of a better word, clever. As I have said, the romance needs a little work. I can't imagine why someone hasn't turned these books into a great mystery series for TV.

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, by Emily Austin
27yr-old Glinda, an atheist and a lesbian, has been a familiar face in the local ER for a while now, always with symptoms that suggest anxiety disorder, maybe depression, possibly borderline personality disorder. Most of the time she is sent home without any idea what is really going on or what she can do to feel better. She's hit rock bottom, just about, losing her job and running out of money and groceries, and has no one she can really confide in or rely on. She winds up at a Catholic church while looking for a therapy site from an advertisement, and finds herself a job working in the church office, where everyone assumes she is a heterosexual Catholic.
This is a good book on mental health and mental illness. Glinda's family has a variety of mental health issues too, but they either don't believe in mental illness, or they are in denial of their problems in hopes that by overcompensating to 'act normal' as hard as they can, they will get over their problems. Glinda has to find professional psychiatric help and get her life sorted out, while dealing with her family and the consequences of all the lies she has buried herself under.

From Below - Darcy Coates -(Australia)
5★
Hundreds of feet beneath the ocean's surface, a graveyard waits... Years ago, the SS Arcadia vanished without a trace during a routine voyage. Though a strange, garbled emergency message was broadcast, neither the ship nor any of its crew could be found. Sixty years later, its wreck has finally been discovered more than three hundred miles from its intended course…a silent graveyard deep beneath the ocean's surface, eagerly waiting for the first sign of life. Cove and her dive team have been granted permission to explore the Arcadia's rusting hull. Their purpose is straightforward: examine the wreck, film everything, and, if possible, uncover how and why the supposedly unsinkable ship vanished. But the Arcadia has not yet had its fill of death, and something dark and hungry watches from below. With limited oxygen and the ship slowly closing in around them, Cove and her team will have to fight their way free of the unspeakable horror now desperate to claim them.

I don't think even Stephen King, (who I love), can equal Darcy Coates when she is in her grove when it comes to writing the perfect story dripping with suspense and horror. I have only read one book by her that I gave less than 5 stars. The very idea that anyone would want to deliberately and willing go 300 feet down in the ocean was almost horror enough for me. But what they encountered there only added to it. The time periods switched from 100 years ago when the Arcadia went down to modern time when the diving team found more than they bargained for and encountered something that should only have inhabited their nightmares. This is truly a scary, edge of your seat nightmare. Are you brave enough to take a trip on the SS Arcadia?

>8 JBarringer: Great review. Poor Glinda...she had two strikes against her to start with. Hope she found a "Happy Ever After".

Magic Bites – Ilona Andrews
Digital audiobook narrated by Renée Raudman
3***

Paranormal fantasy is just not my thing, but this was really quite fun to read. I loved that the main character is a kick-ass woman who does not suffer fools (or vampires or shapeshifters or demons, etc) lightly. Kate Daniels is a strong woman in both body and mind, and that’s only part of what makes her a successful mercenary.

There were parts of the story line that reminded me of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files stories. Both deal with the various factions in the netherworld and both get themselves into trouble with the ruling groups. Harry has his staff, and Kate has her sword.

The action is nonstop and there’s some interesting sexual / romantic tension. If I need another paranormal fantasy for a challenge prompt I just might turn to Andrews in the future.

Renée Raudman did a great job on the audio narration. She brought these characters to life and I really liked the way she interpreted Kate Daniels.

Stronger Than Longing - Katherine McIntyre - (Massachusetts)
Chesapeake Days series book #3
5★
Taran's always been the reliable one. Safe. Which is why he keeps getting dumped by the assholes he dates. And after the latest round of "too boring," he's ready to drink his blues away. That's until Silas King shows up​​-the gorgeous guy he'd swooned over through high school. Silas wants one more night of distraction before his new reality sets in, and he sets his sights on Taran, his friend's little brother who's looking sexier than ever. It's not like he can get in any more trouble than he's already found himself in. After Taran and Silas spend one unforgettable night together, feelings emerge, ones quickly stamped out when Silas confesses why he's back in town. He's returned to meet his three-month-old daughter. With that chaos in his life, Silas can't pursue anything further with Taran, and having longed for Silas his whole damn life, Taran isn't sure he'll survive the aftermath. Yet the more they try to avoid their connection, the more they keep colliding... until the passion between them detonates.

This is the third book in this series that I have been fortunate enough to be able to read and review for Early Reviewers on LibraryThing. I loved this series from book #1 Stronger Than Hope. One of the things that I especially liked about it, other than the hot guys, is that the characters reappear in all the books. This one featured Silas and Taran's story...and what a sweet perfect story it was. All the characters had attended high school together. Silas wasn't a popular guy then and he grew up a loner. Taran knew him from school, but he ran with a different crowd. After Taran had unceremoniously been dumped by his boyfriend, he met Silas in the bar where he was either drowning his sorrows or celebrating the good luck after the breakup from the creep, Kevin. Taran and Silas hit it off from the start. Now Silas knew he had reasons to celebrate. Here was a man that loved him warts and all. Silas got another surprise when a onetime encounter presented him with a sweet baby daughter, Fiona. Silas fought to keep his daughter when her mother ran away and left her. After a brief walk-out by Taran when he learned that Silas was going to let his baby girl go to her grandparents to raise because he didn't think he was good enough for her...they gave it another chance and came together to form, perhaps not a perfect family, but a family that had love to spare and friends that supported them. This was something that was new to Silas as his mother was his only support for most of his life. Stonger Than Longing was just as beautiful and heartfelt as the other two books were. I'm going to be sorry to see this series end, but I know that Katherine McIntyre will give us more, sweet, loving, hot guys in future series. Thank you, Ms. McIntyre and Hot Tree Publishing, for giving me the opportunity to visit with the guys of Chesapeake Days.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Hot Tree Publishing and Katherine McIntyre in exchange for an honest opinion. The views expressed by this reviewer are entirely my own.

Paper: An Elegy / Ian Sansom
3 stars

This is a history of paper. Not just paper, including how its made (pretty much the same as it has been for hundreds of years, except now by machines instead of by hand), but it also looks at the histories of various items made with paper: books, games and puzzles, origami, art, and more.

The intro started off really interesting, also taking us through a day without paper. The rest of the book – though it had some interesting tidbits -- just wasn’t quite as good. There was a lot of references to literature and art, and that kind of lost my interest there. Overall, though, I’m rating it “ok”, but I feel like that might be a bit generous.

Code Blue - Max Walker - (California)
Sierra View series Book #3
5★
Ethan Winter's world is rocked after a tragedy leaves him an empty husk of who he once was. He lives his days focusing solely on his patients and not much else. He used to have it all and now found himself empty handed. There was nothing that could make him feel any better. Crow Kensworth is ready for the time of his life. He just recently came out of the closet and is preparing for his first national tour, his music career taking off. Things couldn't get any better. When Ethan's world crashes into Crow's everything gets thrown off course. Suddenly, Ethan is reminded of how good it feels to hold someone. At the same time, Crow is learning how good it feels to be held. The two men start believing things actually could get better. Then the letters begin, and Crow's world is threatened by a stalker who seems to have their eyes fixed on the swoon-worthy singer. Both Ethan and Crow will need to find strength in each other as the stalker becomes desperate for Crow's heart, going to lengths that neither of them ever imagined possible.

One thing that I really liked about this one was that there is an instant attraction between Dr. Ethan Winter and rising music star Crow Kensworth. so many times, we have to wait almost half the story or more for the two main characters to decide if they like each other even a little bit. Not here...good vibes right off the bat. Those vibes sizzled and flamed throughout the rest of the story. I knew after just a few chapters who Crow's stalker was but the author built the tension up by throwing in some red herrings. I'm glad Ethan and Crow got everything they deserved, and I thank Max Walker for another 5-star romance and letting us share Ethan and Crow's amazing love story. I have always loved everything this author has ever written, and I loved every part of this one also.

Hidden in Darkness - Alice Winters - (Illinois)
In Darkness series Book #1
3★
When Felix is hired to take care of a recently blinded man, he thinks his life might finally be turning around. It has to be better than where he came from, but he has no idea what he’s signed up for. Lane is depressed, rude, and difficult to be around. It doesn’t help that Felix is clearly not qualified for the job, especially since he can’t even make oatmeal right. But Felix is trying to make his life better, so he’ll put up with the man even if it requires some unconventional methods. Felix’s humor soon pulls Lane out of his depression, and Felix feels like things are finally going right in his life. That is, until he’s attacked by someone who wants to keep Lane quiet. It’s clear that Lane isn’t who he’s pretending to be, and Felix should probably walk away. But Felix has finally found a place where he belongs and he’s willing to go to great lengths to stay by Lane’s side. Even if it involves kidnapping, stealing, and Felix’s overwhelmingly bad ideas, Felix will do just about anything because Lane is there for him unlike anyone else has ever been. Felix might be out of his element, but one thing he is sure about is that he doesn’t want to leave Lane… even if it costs him his life

I listened to the audio version of this which is something that I seldom do. I can read faster than the narrator reads, and I don't always like the emphasis that the reader puts on the voices of the characters. It has taken over a week to get through what is a bit over 300 printed pages. I did like the idea of the story, but most of Lane's actions seemed implausible. I just don't think an agent of any type would drag a care giver off and involve him in the dilemmas that Felix put Lane into. I realized that they were running for their lives and a blind man, and a care giver is not the same as having a seeing eye dog although the dog would have been better trained for the job. The one thing that held my attention and got me to the end was the humor that popped up so unexpectantly between Felix and Lane throughout the story. Felix would come up with some of the craziest and funniest off the wall remarks. Loved the part where Lane was trying to get evidence of drug smuggling for Felix and wound up in a brothel in Vegas trying to pretend to want to hire one of the girls and that he wasn't a gay man at all. The characters are such opposites that they shouldn't have worked at all...but somehow, they did. I think I'll get the book and see if it works more for me.

Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk - (Oregon)
3★
The story is actually 23 short stories in one book. The writers all answered an ad giving them a three-month retreat. If you think that sounded too good to be true you would be right...of course, it was. One of the requirements for the people leaving on the bus hours before dawn was that they had to cut off all contact with the outside world. I thought they were either very brave or very, very stupid...perhaps a little of both in equal measures. Red flag number two, they could tell no one where they were going or about the ad. They arrived to find themselves being locked in an old theater with no way out and a limited supply of food. Their creepy host for the retreat, Mr. Whittier, wants them to use their isolation to create some kind of "masterpiece", invoking the Villa Diodati, where Lord Byron, Shelley, among others, produced their classics of gothic horror. It’s quickly obvious, however, that we’re far from the land of Shelley with this band of losers, who seem more interested in heightening their own suffering in order to have a better sell for the movie or memoir rights they will assuredly be offered once rescued. The author must be a master of torture when he isn't writing scary novels because he sets out to make absolutely certain that we have little sympathy for the characters, and anyone that has read any amount of horror stories knows that these people are DOOMED. To begin with I believe that they must already hate one another or perhaps sarcasm is their most gifted talent. They begin to belittle one another and give each other names like "Comrade Snarky", "Miss Sneezy" and "Chef Assassin", showing how little respect they have for their fellow captives...because the reader knows by now that this is what they are...they just haven't had sense enough yet to realize it. This continuous sabotage goes on throughout the remainder of the book. The characters’ back-stories, which make up the bulk of the novel, also show them to be a selfish, grubby and, more often than not, murderous lot, so when all Hell breaks loose and the bloodletting starts, few tears are shed. At this point Palahniuk drops us right into a nasty, vile core of base desire where all good deeds are punished and nobody escapes unscathed (let’s just say that cannibalism pops up about a third of the way in, and in spite of the fact the reader can't image it...things get much, much worse from there on. And while several of the stories here are ingenious, in an evil, vile and devilish sort of way, the constant barrage of wicked sadism soon palls. It can, in a nutshell, be described as stomach churning horror that takes a bit too much joy in its diabolic deviousness.

Midnight Sun / Stephenie Meyer
3.5 stars

This is, of course, “Twilight” from Edward’s point of view. Edward and his vampire family live in Forks, Washington when Bella arrives to live with her Dad. Edward, who can hear people’s thoughts, is drawn to Bella, as he is unable to hear hers and they fall madly in love.

It’s been a long time since I read (and enjoyed) “Twilight”. This was pretty slow-moving (as was the original, I believe), and I didn’t think this one was as good, but it was interesting from the other point of view. I know some people found Edward’s stalking of Bella creepy, but I didn’t see it that way in the original. It really stood out from Edward’s POV, though, since we could now see how often he really did watch her! I had forgotten much of what had happened in the first book. The book really didn’t pick up much until the baseball game, but things moved quickly after that (this was likely the case in “Twilight”, too). I sure don’t like Rosalie! I listened to the audio and, overall, I’m rating it good.

Daphne- Josh Malerman - (Michigan)
4.5★
It's the last summer for Kit Lamb: the last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend. The last summer before her life begins. But the night before the big game, one of Kit's players tells a ghost story about Daphne, a girl who went to their school many years ago and died under mysterious circumstances. Some say she was murdered, others that she died by her own hand. And some say that Daphne is a murderer herself. They also say that Daphne is still out there, obsessed with revenge, and will appear anytime someone thinks about her to kill again. After Kit hears the story, her teammates vanish, one by one, and Kit begins to suspect that the stories about Daphne are real...and to fear that her own mind is conjuring the killer. Now it's a race against time as Kit searches for the truth behind the legend and learns to face her own fears. Or else the summer of her lifetime will become the last summer of her life. Mixing a nostalgic coming-of-age story and an instantly iconic female villain with an innovative new vision of classic horror, this is an unforgettable thriller as only Josh Malerman could imagine it.

After a member of the girls' high school basketball team is gruesomely murdered, her surviving teammates fear an avenging ghost of local legend, a 7-foot woman named Daphne is responsible and is coming for the rest of them. It's a ghost story that was shared amongst team members of the high school basketball team. Old terrors are reignited when a name that’s not supposed to be spoken, much less thought, suddenly becomes what everyone can't stop thinking about. Their small Michigan town, which I, as a Michigan resident, can tell you only exists only in the authors mind, has been home to not just one serial killer but two. Decades ago, a seven-foot-tall, denim jacket-wearing, cigarette-smoking human monster abducted and ate children. She was eventually killed, but like so much else surrounding "Daphne", it’s hard to know exactly the who or what or why of her story because the town seems to have collectively forced themselves to forget her. Confused yet? I was on the road to "mind numbing" by the time this part was revealed. As I learned that thinking about Daphne summons Daphne I had to laugh. That of course was like saying don't think about red things...All you can then think about then is EVERY red thing you have ever seen. The character of Daphne is as much a monster as a moniker. She (it) is unavoidable. She (it) is unstoppable. She (it) lives, for lack of a better word, in the deepest, darkest corners of our minds, lingering at the edges of our thoughts, waiting to be remembered. Josh Malerman gives our anxieties and nightmares a shape by transforming them into a terrifying, murdering monster, but he also gives us the key for survival...simply face your fears head-on. The book will stay with you, rather you wish it to or not, long after the last page. Another outstanding one Mr. Malerman.

Real Danger - Elle Keaton - (Washington)
West Coast Forensics Series Book #2
5★
How can one man be so incredibly frustrating but so sexy at the same time? Ryder knows two things. Tragedy can strike at any moment, so you have to hold tightly to the gift's life gives you. And Shay is one of those gifts. To Ryder their fifteen-year age difference is nothing, Shay is the man he wants. Now he just needs an opportunity to plead his case with the sexy lawyer. He gets his chance when Shay asks him to assist on a case involving a missing person, but the investigation quickly turns perilous. A stomach-churning rollercoaster ride of what the hell is going on, puts both men in danger—but from whom?
Will the two get their chance at love, or will a brutal criminal tear the future from their grasp?

Ryder was a fun and lively character that just wouldn't take no for an answer. Shay thought of every excuse under the sun to not start any type of relationship with Ryder, mainly using the 15-year age difference as the main reason. Ryder refused to listen to him. Not only is this eventually a good love story, but it's also a pretty good mystery. I never guessed what was happening and it had a good resolve and a surprise in the end. The end of Ryder and Shays's story had a wonderful surprise also. I really have enjoyed Elle Keaton's series even though what story belongs with which series can be a bit confusing. I finally just gave up trying to sort it and bought them all. Problem solved.... Happy Camper! The characters are realistic and are all so engaging that you can't wait to see them visiting in the other books.

Sapphire Spring - C. Travis Rice - (California)
Sapphire Cove series Book #2
3★
Possible Triggers: Bullying, Alcoholism, Homophobia
Naser Kazemi has never met a problem a good spending plan couldn’t fix. But working as the chief accountant for his best friend’s resort isn’t turning out to be the dream job he’d hoped for. It doesn’t help that his fashion designer sister is planning an event that just might bring Sapphire Cove crashing down all around them. When the wild party unexpectedly reunites him with Mason Worther, the gorgeous former jock who made his high school experience a living hell, things go from bad to seductive. The former golden boy’s adult life is a mess, and he knows it’s time to reform his hard partying ways. But for Mason, cleaning up his act means cleaning up his prior misdeeds. And he plans to start with Naser, by submitting to whatever the man demands of him to make things right. The offer ignites an all-consuming passion both men have denied for years. But can they confront their painful past without losing each other in the process?

C. Travis Rice, is the son of writer, Ann Rice, so I was interested to see if the genes were past on. The writing is good, it's the believability of the plot that lowered the rating. I see that this is the 2nd book in this series, so I plan to look for the first one, {Sapphire Sunset, to see if the entire series contains these beyond damaged men. It's the characters past with one another that makes the plot of this story extremely hard to believe. Naser is the controller for the Sapphire Cove resort owned and managed by his best friend, Connor. One night during a party at the hotel he sees Mason, one of guys that bullied him through high school. Mason hasn't changed much. He's still a diehard, partier and raging alcoholic, living and slowly destroying his life with the bottle. Part of this could be because he has always had to tolerate horrible verbal abuse from his father who is also his boss and doesn't have a redeeming, likeable bone in his entire body. He is a despicable, homophobic and somehow Mason has picked a best friend (?), Chadwick, who is just like his father (another hard to imagine scenario). Chadwick was one of Naser’s other bullies. Naser and Mason start to spend more time together due to a business transaction...and as hard as it is to believe, one thing leads to another. I thought the very ideas of this was preposterous. I just can't see or accept that Naser had a crush on and fantasized about Mason during high school while Mason and two friends were actively bullying him daily, nor can I fathom why, after three years of hard-core bullying, the very sight of Mason wouldn’t trigger him or lead to thoughts of PTSD. It's by no means a bad book and there are positives such as really likable secondary characters like Naser’s mother and sister, and Mason’s next-door neighbor. The alcoholism subplot is interesting and seemed realistic. I will assume that the author researched the subject before writing about it, particularly the ins and outs of AA meetings, rehab, and recovery. A lot of time is spent on Mason’s alcoholism. There are numerous, compelling chapters devoted to Mason and his father’s relationship along with Mason’s drinking. I found these parts of the book more interesting and believable than I did the romance that would have gone beyond enemies to lovers. If you can take these scenes at face value, you will certainly enjoy this story.

The House on Cold Hill - Peter James - (England)
5★
They said the dead can't hurt you . . . They were wrong. Moving from the heart of Brighton and Hove to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for Ollie and Caro Harcourt and their 12-year-old daughter Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House—a huge, dilapidated Georgian mansion—Ollie is filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, he has dreamed of living in the country since he was a child, and he sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, the perfect base for his web-design business, and a terrific long-term investment. Caro is less certain, and Jade is grumpy about being separated from her friends. Within days of moving in, it becomes apparent that the Harcourt family aren't the only residents of the house. A friend of Jade's is the first to see the spectral woman, standing behind her as the girls talk on FaceTime. Then there are more sightings, as well as increasingly disturbing occurrences in the house. As the haunting becomes more malevolent and the house itself begins to turn on the Harcourts, the terrified family discover Cold Hill House's dark history, and the horrible truth of what it could mean for them.

This is the third time I have read this book and it more than likely won't be the last. It's a perfect book at any time, but even more so during the Halloween season when the book sites have challenges that need haunted, ghostly, shivery books to fill challenges. I love Peter James's Roy Grace series so was slightly surprised when I encountered this jewel 7 years ago. I am the "ghost-story junkie" and this one was like an overdose of horror combined with heart pounding excitement that I just couldn't put down or be persuaded to turn the lights off. The story is based on an actual house in a real village. The house stayed vacant for years...no one that did move in ever stayed more than a few weeks or even days. Some say the house "wouldn't let them move in".... others say that it wouldn't let them leave. Doors and windows slammed and locked, the family in resident when this story takes place didn't notice anything for weeks and then the husband and father was first affected with the overbearing need to stay and try to appease something that he hadn't seen but only felt. The young daughter had been telling her parents from the day she walked in the door for the first time, that a lady was walking through the house. Rather it is really haunted or not is up for debate and seems to depend on the individual. Some that have stayed there for a night say diffidently...others felt or saw nothing. Does anyone reading this want to give it a try? Peter James wrote a second book, which I am also going to reread for the Halloween challenges, entitled The Secret of Cold Hill where he tells the reader what may have caused the stories to begin to start with and how some are affected by the houses atmosphere and others notice nothing they can put a finger on but all say they at times felt that they were being watched or sometimes worse. The family that this story is written about stay but their world as they know it is never the same.

Learning To Feel - N.R. Walker - (Maine)
5★
Resigned to living a sexless, loveless life, Doctor Nathan Tierney knows something is missing. In a rash decision, he leaves his life-consuming job at Mass General Hospital, Boston, to be the small-town doctor in Belfast, Maine. With the job comes a house, and with the house comes a handyman-painter. Trent Jamieson, a nomadic artist, and his dog Bentley are offered free accommodation for the few weeks he fixes up the hospital-owned house. Nathan is transfixed by this free-spirited, undeniably gorgeous man. Confused but amazed to feel any kind of attraction - much less to a man - Nathan convinces himself to put aside any preconceived ideas and allows himself to just feel. As their attraction for each other grows, one man learns to live, the other learns to love. But just who is teaching who?

This book had several really good vibes going for it. 1. I love this author. 2.It was read by Nick J. Russo, one of the best narrators I have ever head. The man could read the telephone book and I would listen to every word. 3. The characters were realistic and completely lovable even when Trent was having doubts and Nathan wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do or feel, and last be not least, 4. Bentley, the toast with strawberry jam for breakfast eating dog He was simply adorable. This entire book is sweet, an amazing learning to love and trust story...and of course, sexy! There were moments that Treat seemed ready to bolt. There were moments that Nathan was unsure about what he was doing or how to do it...but they worked together to find their happy ever after. I loved Nathan's family. They were supportive when Nathan told them that he was gay. They loved Trent, the man that their son loved and who loved their son in return. It was just one magnificent story told by two of my favorite people.

Little Red House / Liv Andersson
4.25 stars

In 1997, Eve’s daughter Kelsey has disappeared. Eve tracks her to a small town in New Mexico where the trail ends, but Eve is sure Kelsey is there somewhere. But the townspeople not only don’t help, they seem to be covering up something. Twenty-some years later, Eve has died, and her adopted twin daughters Lisa and Connie are left with very different inheritances. Lisa, the “good” daughter, is left with pretty much everything of value. Connie was left a small house in a town she’s never heard of in New Mexico… a town where strangers aren’t welcome, and the house leaves something (or a lot of somethings) to be desired. There are a lot of rules to this inheritance for both Lisa and Connie. Connie was never treated well by Eve.

This was really good. It pulled me in quickly and kept me wanting to read to find out what was going on. I’ve read a lot of mystery-thrillers the past couple of years and sometimes they have blended into one another. I think this one will stand out in my memory. Have to say that Eve sure was a hateful character – both in 1997 and in Connie’s memories as she looks back on how Eve treated her. I should add that the book does go back and forth in time – in 1997 from Eve’s perspective, and in the present day from Connie’s.

Real Risk - Elle Keaton - (Washington)
West Coast Forensics Series Book #3
5★
Chief Devon Flynn is fighting smoke and flames, tirelessly protecting the lives and property of his fellow islanders from yet another spate of fires. Arson or accident? When injury puts him on the sidelines, West Coast Forensics Arson Investigator Kimball Frye offers his assistance. Frye is The Most Irritating Man in the World, a condescending know-it-all who rubs Devon the wrong way. Or does he? Decades ago, an arsonist stole his family from him since then Frye has devoted his life to putting them behind bars. At forty-nine, he doesn't believe in permanent relationships, instead preferring the company of interchangeable younger men. Is the arsonist trying to shift the blame onto Devon, or trying to kill him? If it's the latter, it just might work. Feeling the pull of attraction to Devon as the firebug grows bolder is inconvenient. Will Kimball listen to his heart or his head? The younger men he's always preferred are nothing like the solid, stalwart Fire Chief.

There is just something about the setting, Piedras Island off the coast of Washington, as well as Elle Keaton's warm, wonderful, sexy as all get out, characters that keeps drawing me back to her Shielded Hearts, Veiled Intentions and West Coast Forensics series. The characters all overlap from each of the series so it's very hard to tell sometimes where one series stops and another begins, but it really doesn't matter because it is a great story that you just don't want to end. Fire chief Devon Flynn had no real interest in anything but protecting his island with his small fire department that was composed mostly of volunteers, but West Coast Forensics chief officer, Kimbal Frye soon changed all that. Someone is setting fires on the island, one of which injured Chief Devon Flynn...which instantly involved Kimball's Frye's organization to find the fire bug. That he volunteered to stay and help the injured fire chief only helped to further solidify their budding relationship that neither man was sure what to do with...or even if they really wanted to do anything or did they want to do everything? Devon and Kimball are similar in so many ways, but so very opposites in many others. I loved their bantering about everything from Devon's empty cupboards to what they were going to watch on TV. When Devon is accused of setting the fires, Kimball becomes his main protector and number one ally. They proved that opposites sometimes really do attract.

The Bullet that Missed: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman
342 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

The Thursday Murder Club is back! This time they are investigating the 10-year-ago death of Bethany Waites, a researcher and reporter for the local television station. When they start investigating, which involved a money-laundering scheme, Elizabeth gets a message from someone unknown - she needs to kill former KGB spy Viktor Illyich, or Joyce will be killed.

A very enjoyable read! I thought this one started slowly - it didn't grab my attention right away, but it moved quickly and became very engaging. I still love Bogdan, and Stephen is quite endearing.

Mine- Robert McCammon - (Georgia, Michigan, California)
5★
Laura Clayborne faces a terrifying journey into a world of madness and obsession when her newborn son is taken from the hospital by Mary Terrell, a battered survivor of the radical Sixties who now lives in her own hallucinatory world of murderous rage.

I am a big fan of Robert R. McCammon's work. I have never read a book of his that I didn't really, really like. What I mainly like about his work is that each book is completely different. He can write suspenseful thrillers, coming-of-age stories, mysteries, as well as what I believe he really succeeds at...horror. His writing talent appears to be endless. In this one he has created one of the most diabolically un-hinged characters that I have ever encountered...Mary Terrell, also known as "Mary Terror". He created someone you could weirdly relate to and at times even like, but then be presented with the horror at the things she does and the things that she says...a female Hannibal Lector. Mary was once a member of the fanatical Storm Front Brigade in the 60's and is completely convinced that their surviving leader and Mary's one time lover, Jack, wants to build a life with her. In her crazy, twisted mind she feels she can't reunite with him without bringing a baby with her to replace the one they'd lost. She now precedes to steals a newborn from a hospital. Laura, the mother of the stolen child can't wait for the police, so she goes after this psychopath through three states no less. David is the newborn son of iron-willed journalist Laura Clayborne. Laura had just dumped her unfaithful husband and was determined that she's not about to lose her child too, so when the FBI knows that the kidnapper is Mary, who has now killed several people while escaping Atlanta Laura sets after the madwoman on her own. - Laura picks up Mary's trail in Michigan that sets off a ferocious chase that features, among other over-the-top events a blizzard, several enraged pit bulls, homegrown surgery, a mutilated FBI agent on a rampage, and a completely predictable resolution. Overall, this is a book of blood, guts and crazy road trips, but and one that is nearly impossible to put down.

Pop Goes the Weasel / James Patterson
4 stars

Geoffrey Shafer works at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. and has diplomatic immunity. He also plays a role-playing game with three other men around the world he was in the army with years earlier. His character is Death. Unfortunately, Shafer’s fantasy game is now a reality for him as he acts out murders on real people, mostly people in the poor neighbourhoods where the police tend to not spend too much time or money investigating what happened.

But Alex Cross and a few of his detective friends are working on some of these cases in their spare time. At the same time, he tries to spend time with his family and girlfriend. Unfortunately, when they all head to Bermuda on holiday, things become personal.

I really liked this one. Although it got really frustrating with the diplomatic immunity. I don’t understand the why of that… people with diplomatic immunity can just go murder people in other countries and are not able to be punished for it? I just don’t get it! Maybe (in reality) it’s not quite that simple?

Real Hazard - Elle Keaton (Piedras Island, Washington)
West Coast Forensics Series Book #4
5★
They're not looking for love, but it catches them anyway. Can two very different men find common ground and claim a future... together?

I've really liked the character of Foster Jennings throughout the other books when he made short appearances and was anxiously awaiting him to get to tell his story and get his special guy. Then here was Dutch, who also needed to tell his story and he could use someone in his life also. Good matching here Ms. Keaton. Younger Dutch was not an angel by any means, but he did what he had to do to survive. He gave that life up and turned his own life around when he took sole custody of his baby daughter, Hazel. Foster Jennings is an EMT that raised his younger sister when their parents were killed in an auto accident when she was 7 years old. Now she's ready for college and Foster is ready for "someone more", that "special" someone in his life...and that brings him together with Dutch and Hazel. Forster was presenting a safety program at Hazel's school when she called Dutch's attention to "the pretty man" and then invited him to their house for a tea party. The exciting part of the story comes around when Dutch's former life, that he thought he had escaped, unexpectantly come back in spades. I thought the reason that Dutch's past came back at all was a bit on the weak side. We had not anywhere in the story previously been led to believe that this was ever the case. I've read enough of this series to know that things so far have always worked out and our two featured guys will get all that they so much deserve. The whole little island community seems to be one big mostly closeknit family that is always ready to help their friends. So, when everyone, (characters from all the previous books), figured out the relationship that was growing between Dutch and Foster...and that Dutch desperately needed help, they were there to lend aid, support and encouragement. I have never found anything to complain about in one of Elle Keaton's books. Keep up the good work, Elle. I hope we get to visit Piedras Island in many more books. I'm glad there is always rereads.

Worth The Fight - Kate Hawthorne
Giving Consent Series Book #3
3.5★
Justin and Micah Townsend thought they had it all. With six happy years behind them, Keith tumbles into their world and throws the expectations for their life and their future to the wind. Keith Warren thought he'd made the right decisions. After fleeing an abusive partner and starting over in a new city, he's now getting an education about things he never knew existed. With Justin and Micah leading the way, Keith focuses his energy on being a good submissive and a deserving partner. Micah is quick to see the good Keith can bring to his marriage, but Justin is hesitant. Thinking toward the future, Justin's only concern has always been keeping Micah, and his heart, safe. His worst fears come true when Keith vanishes out of their lives, and his guard is up when he unexpectedly returns. Justin, Micah, and Keith come together once again in an explosion of desire that forces Micah to admit he wants more than his husband and requires Justin to recognize he has room in his heart for not one, but two partners.

I have read books that the story was centered around a BDSM theme and have found that 99% of them are very well done. This one was not an exception. I don't have anything against those that choose this lifestyle as long as it's consensual. The saving grace of this one was that the three men sincerely loved one another. I didn't believe I was going to like Justin...not because he was a bad guy, but his personality was demanding and unnecessarily gruff. That, of course, was the role that he was destined to take in the relationship as the dom. The book is filled with so many different emotions as well as characters who evolve and grow from the very first page. It has some turns I did not see coming and didn't always understand. I really liked the ending chapter and how the three guys worked out a life that worked perfectly for them.

Woman at 1,000 Degrees / Hallgrimur Helgason
3.25 stars

80-year old Herra lives in Iceland in a garage by herself with her laptop, and she is waiting to die. She was told 18 years earlier that she had 3 months to live due to cancer… and here she still is. She does expect it will finally happen soon. She is thinking back on her life with a focus on when she was about 10-15 years old or so during WWII. When her father joined the German army to fight for Hitler, she and the rest of her family left for Denmark. The book goes back and forth in time.

There were a few amusing parts, I thought, including Herra calling the local crematorium to make an appointment for her own cremation! Initially I found her current day situation more interesting, but as things progressed during the war, I liked those parts better. She wasn’t a very likable woman, though that wasn’t necessarily the case when she was younger. Although she also wasn’t treated very well by her three sons nor their wives. Overall, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to rate it 3 stars (ok) or 3.5 (good), so going with the in-between.

Night Chills - Dean Koontz - (New York)
2★
Designed by top scientists and unleashed in a monstrous conspiracy, night chills are seizing the men and women of Black River—driving them to acts of rape and murder. The nightmare is real. And death is the only cure.

Possible Triggers - Sexual abuse and rape
I can read almost anything, but I actually checked to make sure there was not another author named "Dean Koontz" that wrote this. This was a really early work of Dean Koontz, 1976. I've read better...much better...by this author. It does have a few things going in its favor...suspense, drama, mystery, but the realistic possibilities are majorly scary. Fortunately, the events that took place in Black River is hopefully still in the realms of fiction. Mind control has been the theme of many books over the years. The very idea that every action, idea or decision can easily be taken away from us without us even realizing that it's happening...that control of our lives, our thoughts, our dreams, is totally in the hands of some strangers that push the strange ideas that would cause us to lose all our control over our bodies and our very souls is mind boggling. This book contains material that I have never seen in a Dean Koontz book. I would strongly advise that the future reader read some reviews that are more detailed than this one. It's not the Dean Koontz that we are familiar with, and I can't imagine what the movie was like.

Little Girls Sleeping- Jennnifer Chase - (California)
Detective Katie Scott Book#1
3★
He looked down at the little girl, sleeping peacefully, her arms wrapped around a teddy bear. He knew he was the only one who could save her. He could let her sleep forever. An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memories, Katie vows she won’t rest until she discovers what happened to Chelsea.

I didn't especially like Katie. A lot of the story was spent explaining her unnecessary life story and dealing with her PTSD...none of which added anything to the story of the missing little girls. The antagonist had an off-the-wall, more than crazy motive for his murderous crimes with the little girls. We read mostly from his point of view, and there were very few clues to help us guess who this nut might be. Actually, there were lots of possible suspects, the story moved along so quickly there wasn't really time to digest it all. I suppose that it's an okay beginning of a new series, but what it lacks is creditability. Katie’s background needs lots of work if we are expected to believe that she became a detective almost overnight much less a skilled crime investigator. Most of the side characters were okay although I had my doubts about Dr. Dean who fawned over Katie like she was royalty.

Lincoln's Park - Parker Williams
Links in the Chain Series Book #1
5+ ★
Lincoln Merriweather was born an entitled brat with a silver spoon lodged so deep, it might never have come out. At the BDSM club or in business, Lincoln was a storm, blowing in and disrupting the lives of everyone he touched, until the day he met a man who peeled away the tarnished layers to expose a decent person. Lincoln found—then lost—love. Since then, he’s tried to atone for his past, including walking away from his family’s wealth. He opened a diner, hiring people to work for him that he would have spit on before his epiphany. He’s found peace, which he’s about to lose to a hazel-eyed man. Noel Simmons wound up on the street when his parents discovered he was gay. His path leads him to Lincoln’s diner, where he asks for a job. He’s thrilled when Lincoln agrees to hire him but finds his new boss perplexing. Can anyone be this kind and decent? What starts out as business becomes something more. Noel discovers he needs Lincoln in order to feel safe. Lincoln needs Noel to complete him. But when Lincoln’s past gets in the way of his present, will the two have a future?

I've read every book by Parker Williams that I could find and loved every last one of them...including this one. These two men will grab your heart from the first sentence and will absolutely own it by the last one. Lincoln and Noel come from completely different worlds. Lincoln from a rich, controlling family...Noel from an average family that turned their backs on him when they found that his sexual orientation didn't meet their ideas. Lincoln owned a struggling diner and hired Noel. Noel soon found his way into Lincoln's heart. Lincoln thought that would never happen after the death of his former partner, but here was Noel. It's a perfect love story in every way imaginable. It's built on trust, truth, and more love than you would think any heart could hold. I recently read a book that featured a ton of BDSM that I commented was almost overwhelming...This one features a softer side of the lifestyle and only added immeasurably to this story. A beautiful love story about two men that get a second, much deserved chance at happiness with one another.

Dumplin'
Julie Murphy
4/5 stars
In this coming of age novel, we meet teen Willowdean Dickson who is fatherless and lives with her mother and grandmother. Her mom was a former teen pageant winner and runs the local pageant. Life is hard for her but she has a best friend to lean on. Her self-confidence is not good with her being overweight and with her luck with boys, but she decides to enlist in the pageant and convinces some of her friends to join her. What a wonderful about confidence and being yourself!

Wildfell - London Clarke -(England)
5★
After a traumatic experience with her graduate school professor, Anne Fleming disposes of all her possessions, boards a plane, and plans to check out of life. A chance meeting on an international flight leads her to Wildfell, a gothic mansion north of London. At first glance, Wildfell seems like the perfect place to hide out, and Anne is intrigued by its strange atmosphere and history of disappearances and deaths. Soon, echoing voices, ghostly mists, a mute girl with a sketchbook full of murders, and a possessive landlady force her to confront her deepest fears. Anne’s budding romance with gorgeous Irish actor Bain Tierney holds her to the house. But when Wildfell tenants begin disappearing and dying, Anne must decide if she trusts Bain. Is anyone in the house who they claim to be? Or are supernatural forces at work inside Wildfell? And will they ever let her leave?

I love paranormal, and supernatural stories, and the cover of this one alone promised that. I wasn't at all disappointed. Wildfell is creepy and dark, with just the right amount of suspense and plenty of chills. It's a ghost story that the "Ghost Story Junkie" would highly recommend. Visitors will want to visit every room in the old manor and explore everything from the grand and decaying expansive manor, have a talk with the mysterious elder mistress...watch the shadows and listen for the midnight footsteps traveling up to the turret room. Along with the creepy child and paranormal activity that leaves the characters questioning reality and their own sanity, you have now explored. Wildfell. Even though its set-in modern times, as soon as I entered the doors of Wildfell, I felt as though I had traveled back to the 19th century and what a fabulous journey I had creeping along the darkened halls, holding my breath as the shadows emerged and cheering on while biting my lip as the characters faced their fears and battle the most unmentionable. The reader will wonder at times as to what and who is real and with some unexpected twists, you will find yourself wanting to return to Wildfell for much more.... if you survive.

Tough Luck - Annabeth Albert (California)
A-List Security Series Book #1
5★
My best friend’s little brother needs a bodyguard. Now I’m the one in danger… I’m a SEAL. Or rather, I was. Retired at the grand old age of thirty-eight, I’m at loose ends. My best friend wants me to join his security team. I’m not sure I’m bodyguard material, but he needs someone to protect his kid brother. How hard can spoiled brat duty be? Somehow, I missed the part where former child star Danny Love went from dorky TV darling to all grown up and disturbingly attractive. All the gossip about his wild ways fails to mention that he’s trying hard to clean up his act. But now he’s got a stalker. Hiding out together in a remote mountain cabin, alone, the temptation keeps building. I’m feeling things I never have before. Secrets I’ve kept even from myself bubble to the surface every time Danny looks my way with those puppy dog eyes. I’m a SEAL. We leap into danger. So why is it so terrifying when that danger comes with the softest pair of lips I’ve ever known? At some point we’re going to have to return to Hollywood and our vastly different lives. Will Danny still want me around when he doesn’t need me for protection? Can I be brave enough to give him a reason to?

Danny, who had ADHA, has chosen to step away from acting which he had done most of his 25-years on Earth and bought an old mansion in a ritzy neighborhood. He never wanted to go back to his old life which included drugs. His old life has brought a stalker into his new life. Danny's half-brother runs a security service that employees some of his former Naval buddies...all who happen to also be former SEALS. Cash recently retired and needs a job, so he allows himself to agree to look out for Danny. What they thought was a mere over enthusiastic fan, turns out to be a stalker that seems to not stop at anything including leaving dead rats and pictures that he should never had a way of getting and knowing where Danny will be almost all the time. Cash and Danny were attracted to one another from the start, but it took a while for them to admit it or to act on it...using to excuse of the 15-year age difference. Why is that ALWAYS the excuse? I really liked that Cash didn't have to put on his "white knight" persona but had the room to help Danny see that he was plenty strong and capable on his own. That level of support is worth several dozen red roses. It's a sweet story that dwells more on the prospects of a future and worries less about the past, with two beautifully portrayed characters.

Galen's Redemption - Parker Williams (Illinois)
Links in The Chain Series Book #2
5★
A rich man is about to set foot into an unknown world, while a Good Samaritan fears he’ll have to close the charity he’s spent his life building. Poised to lose it all, they might find what they need most in each other. Son of a wealthy importer, Galen Merriweather lives to broker deals, and he’s damn good at it. But it’s getting harder to ignore the kind of man his father is - a man who would pay Galen’s brother’s lover to leave...a man who’d demand Galen retrieve a quarter-million-dollar check from a struggling homeless shelter. Robert Kotke knows the money is too good to be true, but it’s a godsend that could help so many people. Still, he hands it over when Galen shows up. But he isn’t done with Galen yet, and he’s going to challenge everything Galen ever believed. Galen will face an impossible decision: the redemption he’s come to realize he wants, or the life he’d always dreamed of.

I loved the first book in the series, Lincoln's Park, and the wonderful characters, and I was happy to find that this one was equally as good. Too bad there sems to only be these two books in the series. This is the story of Galen, Lincoln's brother who owns the diner in the first book, and Robert, Lincoln's & Noel's friend that runs the homeless shelter. I felt sorry and frustrated with Galen, in equal measures. I was also so very proud of him for the way he handled his father. I wish we; the readers could have seen what happened to the "old buzzard", but we did get to see the happiness that Robert and Galen brought to not only themselves but to hundreds of less fortunate people. It had a great ending and I hope that somewhere there is another book in this series so we can find out what the future has in store for Tom, Robert's brother, whose husband was dying of cancer, but was still holding on at the end of this story. If there is really only going to be these two stories, then I guess that we can use our imaginations to make up visions of all the happiness that all these wonderful people deserve, but what we can remember is that Galen no longer had anything to lose when he took a chance and won it all.

The Secret of Cold Hill - Peter James - (Englnd)
Cold Hill Book #2
5★
Cold Hill House has been demolished to make way for a new housing estate. Luxury-living at its best with high specification gadgets all thrown in – part-exchange available for the right buyers. The first two families move in, and as soon as they do, the unearthly residents of Cold Hill begin to make themselves known. Nobody who moves into Cold Hill reaches their fortieth birthday, and the old couple that have just arrived . . . let’s just say their days are numbered.

I liked the first book just a bit more and I believe it was because I knew what was going to happen in this one after that one ended. I was still anxious for the adventure and hoped to learn the "whys" and "hows" that the spirit was there to start with and what it wanted. That was not really ever addressed in the first book. You don't have to read the first book to enjoy this one, but it will give you some helpful background information to some of the events mentioned here. Jason and Emily Danes and Maurice and Claudette Penze-Weedell, are polar opposites to each other. Jason is an up-and-coming artist, and his wife, Emily, is a chef, They wanted a bigger house with a large kitchen and a studio for Jason. These two characters were intelligent and thought about things and the possible reasons they came up with for the events that occurred were plausible and well thought out. The Penze-Weedells were simply awful. The wife, Claudette spent all her time comparing her house and everything in it to the Danes while constantly complaining that their house just didn't "live up to" the other and wondering why they didn't get something bigger and more expensive. The fact that her husband, Maurice, had lost his job a few months earlier and money was tight, but he wanted her to have the house seemed never to cross her mind. Maurice was 100% more likeable, but I hated that he so often gave in to his wife's poor behavior. I think Peter James must have had a good time creating these characters. Both couples have moved into their individual houses that had been built on the site of the old house, (from the first book), known for its paranormal activity as well as its continuous string of bad luck for those that lived there. The author made Jason a blabbermouth and he gave away a lot that the author should have left for the reader to discover and work out. I still don't know exactly what the spirit wanted or why it was there to begin with. I think it was just angry about a lot of things and being dead was probably at the top of it's list. The chapters are short, and the events move quickly, the story has a good creep factor, and everything ties together in the end. I guess the spirit must by now have the house to herself.

Hour of the Witch / Chris Bohjalian
3.5 stars

In 17th century Boston, Mary has been married to Thomas for 5 years. He is incredibly abusive toward her, both physically and mentally, but always when there is no one else to notice anything askew. When Mary finally decides she can take it no longer (after he has put a (new-fangled) fork (aka Devil’s tines) through her hand), she is determined to divorce him. In the meantime, though, there have been whisperings of witchcraft. There is a woman in town who dislikes Mary, and Mary and Thomas’ indentured servant also suspects Mary of witchcraft (in part, due to those forks!).

This was good. It felt slow-moving even though we got to Mary’s petition for divorce fairly early on in the book, but of course, this wasn’t the entirety of the story. There were a couple of twists toward the end. I found the bit about the forks interesting – that is, they were a new item and people looked on them suspiciously. I had no idea! I did like the book, but there are others by the author that I’ve liked better.

The High-Tech Knight - Leo A. Frankowski
Adventures of Conrad Stargard Book#2
3★
Somehow, Conrad Stargard, faithful Roman Catholic and stalwart Socialist of the Peoples Republic of Poland, 20th Century, had been marooned in Poland, A.D. 1231. Somehow, Conrad found himself under investigation by the Inquisition, got himself knighted, was granted his own fief, and made a few enemies.
Somehow, he had to round up a few vassals, build himself a city, and figure out how to survive armed combat against the Champion of the Teutonic Knights, one of the "Toughest Men Alive". Then he'd have time to worry about the Mongols . . .

Honestly, I should not even be attempting to reviewing this book. I read it for...you guessed it...a challenge. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the writing or the topic...IF you are into sci-fi, which I am 10,000% NOT. This was ten million miles out of my element. I did find the character of Conrad very brave and actually smarter than some of the characters in other genres that I've recently read. At least he wasn't messing up good relationships or hob-knobbing with possible serial killers. I even found myself rooting for him several times. I could easily see some of my friends eating this up and asking for more. I gave it 3 -stars because, while I can't say that I actually liked it...I didn't hate it either and I felt that was only fair to Leo Frankowski for the effort that he put into producing this. I haven't seen my name gracing the cover of a book recently.

I've been "on the road" the last couple of weeks, traveling with a friend. But I'm back now and WAY behind in posting reviews. Please bear with me as there will be a larger number than usual posted in the next week or two.

Have a Little Faith – Mitch Albom
Audiobook read by the author
3.5***

As he did with his breakout work, Tuesdays With Morrie, Albom recounts his interviews / conversations with his rabbi, who asked him to give the eulogy at “The Reb’s” funeral. Albom figured he needed to know more about the man and spent several years visiting with the Reb, learning about his way of living his faith.

In the meantime, Albom also came across a compelling story on his Detroit beat. Henry Covington was the pastor of I Am My Brother’s Keeper Ministry. He, too, was called “The Reb” but his congregation was very different from that of Rabbi Lewis, and his path to the pulpit was unusual, to say the least.

And yet, both men, in the ways they led their lives exemplified faith and compassion and dignity and humility and courage and love.

There were a couple of times when I bristled at the feeling of being emotionally manipulated, but I knew going in what kind of work I was likely to experience. This isn’t the first book by Albom that I’ve read. In the end, I found it moving and thought-provoking, comforting and challenging.

Albom narrated the audiobook himself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of it.

The Spook In the Stacks – Eva Gates
Digital audiobook narrated by Elise Arsenault
3***

Book number four in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. Lucy Richardson is the librarian for the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library of the coast of North Carolina. In this episode the Bodie Island Library is vying with a university library for a collection of North Carolina historical documents, when the potential benefactor, a wealthy business, is found dead in the library during a Halloween program.

What can I say? It’s a cozy mystery with a leading lady who, despite her completely amateur standing, simply HAS to investigate. Her romantic interest (sorta) is the town’s Mayor, who naturally cautions her to stay out of it. On the other hand, there’s her cat, Charles Dickens, who frequently points Lucy to an important clue. Her main foil, however, is Louise Jane, a young woman who is determined to insinuate herself into library business, as a volunteer if necessary, since they will not put her on th board. Let’s just say that her interests in the paranormal and ghost stories fit perfectly with a Halloween theme.

A fun, fast, enjoyable cozy mystery.

Elise Arsenault does an adequate job of narrating, though the voices she uses for the men are laughably over-the-top.

Five Days in London, May 1940 – John Lukacs
3.5***

Historian John Lukacs has written over twenty books, several dealing with World War II. In this book he focuses specifically on Winston Churchill and the five days from May 24 to May 28, 1940. Churchill did not win the war in those five days, but his actions and leadership ensured that England would NOT lose the war.

Lukacs did extensive research, pouring over diaries, letters, journals, official memoranda, and newspaper reports of the time, to illuminate and reconstruct the thought-processes and leadership that ultimately ensured the Allies’ success. We obviously know the outcome already, but Lukacs manages to convey the sense of urgency and tension and uncertainty of this moment in history.

This is a slim volume, but very dense and I had to remind myself a few times that the timespan was a mere five days.

Bad Deal - Annabeth Albert - (California/Oregon/Georgia)
A-List Security series Book #3
5★
I’m a bodyguard and far from ideal boyfriend material, but agreeing to this fake dating scheme might be the best bad deal I’ve ever made…
I’m a fixer. As a SEAL chief, I succeeded in impossible no-win situations. Now I’m retired and determined to improve the lives of my former military teammates through our Hollywood security firm. Plus, I get to guard intriguing people like Ambrose Sterling, creator of one of my favorite TV shows.
Of course, I want to keep Ambrose safe. When he’s attacked, I leap into action to save him and his scrappy little therapy dog. But my good deed results in a coastal road trip with me pretending to be Ambrose’s boyfriend to keep him out of more danger. Can I turn this fake boyfriend gig into the real thing, or am I just a guest star?

I have really enjoyed this series and as hard as it is to believe, I have actually read them in order. Harley and Ambrose don't have a lot in common...most of the characters in these books don't...but you just have to love them and hope that Annabeth loves them too and lets them have a happy ending. Book #3 of this series is the story of Harley, one of the security specialists at A-List, who falls in love with Ambrose, a TV show creator/producer. Fake boyfriends...attracting opposites... but no big age gaps to deal with in this one since both guys are in their forties. All the characters in the series have also loved animals and in this one we meet Hercules, a 10-pound Chinese Crested...who lives better than some people I know:) Hercules is Ambrose's therapy dog, so he is a part of every page with Harley and Ambrose, but it's cute and funny and takes nothing away from the two guys finding that there is something "There" worth further exploring. I held my breathe toward the end afraid that Harley was going to make a BIG mistake, but Annabeth allowed his friends from previous books to "help out" and all's well that ends well allowing another good one. Not a Bad Deal at all.

This is Hercules:

A Tale For the Time Being – Ruth Ozeki
Book on CD read by the author
4****

This is Ozeki’s most widely-read work (if the Goodreads ratings are any indication). It was nominated for both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and it won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

The novel is told in a dual timeframe with two distinct narrative arcs. We have Ruth, who is an author living on a remote island off the coast of British Columbia in about 2013; and we have Nao, a US-born Japanese student living in Tokyo some 8-10 years earlier. What brings them together is Nao’s diary / journal, which Ruth discovers on the beach near her cottage, along with other items a young teen might accumulate, all preserved in a plastic bag inside a Hello Kitty lunchbox.

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this. Yes, I’ve read other books with multiple narrators and with multiple time lines. But there is an ethereal quality to Ozeki’s novel that I can’t remember ever encountering. I felt transported and immersed in these characters’ lives.

Not that I always wanted to be there. Nao’s story is particularly distressing with the bullying she endures, her family’s disastrous financial situation and her father’s deep depression. But, like Nao, I find some solace in the time spent with her grandmother – a bald, Buddhist nun living a life of quiet contemplation.

The audio edition is read by Ozeki, herself. I can’t imagine anyone else doing a better job of it. Clearly this is a very personal sort of story for her to tell. Others have complained about her droning voice in certain segments, but I found this effective when used for these sections of the book (although, yes, I also disliked the voice).

Evans Above – Rhys Bowen
3***

Book # 1 in the Constable Evans mystery series. I can’t really call it a cozy because our lead character is a policeman, after all, and NOT an amateur sleuth, but it has many of the hallmarks of cozies: a small quaint village setting, a supporting cast of eccentric characters, a nascent romantic interest (or two), and the murders happen off the page.

There’s clearly a backstory of how PC Evan Evans came to the Welsh village of Llanfair, especially since he seemed on track to become a full-fledged investigator in the big city. But we don’t learn many details here.

I enjoyed the book, though it was a bit slow-moving. PC Evans is a capable man and he has a way of dealing with the village residents that engenders their cooperation and admiration. I liked Major Armstrong, though he had little to do in this book, and I would hope that he appears again in the series. And, of course, I’m interested to see how PC Evans’ love life works out.

The Wedding Girl – Madeleine Wickham
Book on CD narrated by Katherine Kellgren
3***

Milly is engaged to Simon, the son of the immensely wealthy Harry Pinnacle. Her mother couldn’t be more excited, and the “wedding of the century” is being planned. But Milly has a huge secret that is likely to derail all plans.

I found Milly hugely irritating. What a complete idiot! She’s prone to go off on an emotional tirade, and burst into tears and just want to put her head in the sand – over and over and over again. Simon is a stubborn fool, just as prone to emotional reactions and to speaking without thinking – or listening.

Still, despite two lead characters I would have absolutely no use for in real life, I found this an entertaining, somewhat comedic, romp. Milly’s not the only one with a secret, and if there’s any lesson to be learned it’s that secrets always get revealed.

Katherine Kellgren does a fine job of performing the audio book. She kept the pace up and I loved how she interpreted Milly’s mother!

The Girl From Silent Lake - Leslie Wolfe
Detective Kay Sharp Series Book #1
3★
Detective Kay Sharp vowed she’d never return to her childhood home. On the night of her thirteenth birthday her broken family was shattered beyond repair and leaving was the only option. Unable to fix her own past, she’s been an FBI profiler for over a decade, desperate to save others. But now Kay’s back and only she can solve the crime that has rocked the tight-knit community of Mount Chester to its core. A dead woman has been found by Silent Lake under the dew-covered Fall leaves, her hair braided, and her body wrapped in a blanket. This small town may be a stranger to murder, but Kay recognizes the signs of a serial killer. She’s certain that the ritualistic nature of the scene means it’s just a matter of time until he strikes again––unless she catches him first. As yellow do-not-cross tape flaps in the biting wind, another woman is reported missing.

Possible Trigger Warnings: Torture, child and mother abduction
The Girl from Silent Lake is the first in a new series by Leslie Wolfe and the first book of hers I have read. The story follows the path of most crime/detective series and is a worthwhile read. I had a few problems with the believability of the actions by this "seasoned detective"...(the author's description, not mine). Kay was an FBI profiler, not an agent, that quits her job to return to her hometown when her brother is arrested for a "barroom brawl". Problem question#1 - Why in the world would a "seasoned profiler" quit a position like that just because of an arrest for "a bar-room brawl"? He didn't kill anyone...he was only held overnight so the police must not have considered him a danger to anyone...but here is his now unemployed sister.... Humm. Now Question #2- While getting acclimated at her old home and town, Kay "offers some advice on a local murder" and ends up "helping in the investigation of a serial killer." Kay was not an agent although I'm sure she had some knowledge as a profiler, but she is not even employed any longer by any law enforcement agency...so she is now a civilian like the rest of the town. "She goes to the crime scene to see what she could discover but has no credentials now to take an official role in the case." This doesn't seem to be problem for the detective, Elliott, who says her brain is " bigger than an ol' pickup truck." I'm still laughing over that bright remark. Since when would a civilian, more or less off the street, no matter how big her brain is, be asked or allowed to participate in a serial killer manhunt for just offering some advice? I could see that they might ask her to profile the killer but not help hunt for him. In spite of my two main questions, the story is fast paced, interesting, and I never guessed the killer...but the reader needs to be aware that there is also a HUGE TRIGGER WARNING in this book. The victims are mothers that are kidnapped with their children and there are vivid descriptions of the victims being tortured. The story idea is not bad, but you will need to be a really big crime novel fan to overlook parts of it. I guess you will need a brain "bigger than ol' pickup truck." :)

Legacy – Nora Roberts
2**

From the book jacket: Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her – before her mother, Lina, stepped in. Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland… Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. … A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos. She’s just as coolheaded and ambitious as her mother. But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian receives as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling.

My reactions
If that synopsis seemed long, imagine how this 400-plus-page-long tome feels. Lord, but it takes forever for the “thriller” part of the plot to come to fruition. And the romance takes just a long to blossom. The only thing more boring would be to actually watch all the yoga / fitness videos she describes.

There was a nugget of an interesting romantic thriller here, and it’s a pretty fast read. Certainly kept me entertained while I spent hours waiting in an emergency room.

Thea Stilton and the Dragon’s Code – Thea Stilton
2**

Written by Italian author Elisabetta Dami under one of her pseudonyms, this is a children’s chapter book, aimed at (I would guess) ages 6-8.

Thea Stilton is a star alumna of Mouseford Academy and has been invited to return as a professor of journalism. On the ferry ride to Whale Island, on which the Academy is situated, she meets five young mouselings who will be her students: Nicky, Colette, Violet, Paulina and Pamela. Once they arrive, however, things start to go missing and they join together to solve the mystery.

Okay, I get that I’m not the target audience (by a couple of generations), but I don’t think I would have liked this when I was a young kid. I find the “cuteness” of using “mouse” as an alternative spelling for any adjective normally ending is “mous” (e.g. famous) and adding all sorts of “special effects” to the printing by changing fonts and colors irritating. Just tell a good story! And this one isn’t all that good.

I also do not get why the author uses as a nom de plume the name of her main character, who is a mouse!

I’ll give it two stars because I know she’s sold bajillions of books and kids, apparently, really like them. But, frankly, I wouldn’t buy them for any kid I know and I wouldn’t encourage them to read them. There are many far better children’s books out there.

>51 BookConcierge: I like your review, Tessa, and I thought the book looked interesting. I completely agree with you. I wouldn't buy them for any child that i know or encourage them to read them either. One of my friend's granddaughters likes to show me what she's reading and sometimes likes to read something to me. She's 7 now and reads at a fifth-grade level. Her parents are very choosy that the books they buy for her are interesting but also challenging.

The Book Of Magic – Alice Hoffman
Book on CD performed by Jennifer Ehle
3.5***

This is the fourth book Hoffman has written about the Owens family witches, and also the fourth as far as chronology of the family story is concerned. However, it’s listed as “Series # 2, because the second and third books she wrote were prequels to the first, Practical Magic.

I came late to the Hoffman fan club. I’m not terribly interested in reading about witches and magic, and I had seen the movie of Practical Magic, which I thought was terrible. But I finally read that first in the series last year and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like it. So here I am again.

The focus of the plot in this work is the search for a way to break the family curse, and the action covers two continents. What I really like about the books is the relationships between the generations of women, though I really appreciated the storyline exploring Franny and Jet’s brother, Vincent.

Hoffman moves back and forth between various characters, exploring their stories and actions, which all come together in a satisfying conclusion. She does this quite well, keeping the story flowing and the reader turning pages. It’s not great literature, but it is entertaining.

Jennifer Ehle (yes, Elizabeth Bennett in the hit A&E Pride and Prejudice miniseries) does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook version. There are a lot of characters here: male, female, young, old, Americans, British, French. And Ehle handles the multitude with skill. Brava!

Muscle and Bone - Mary Calmes - (Illinois)
Breaking Tradition Book #1
4★
"You belong to me, and I know it down deep, in muscle and bone, where my wolf lives". Then a chance encounter at a party changes everything.

It's a romance... a werewolf romance. Something a bit different than Mary Calmes usually writes. Sure, she does cops, and she does romance but these are werewolf cops and a lot more than "puppy love". The author has structured this perfect, almost believable, werewolf and human world. I have loved Mary Calmes ever since I read Frog about 8 years ago. You always know what you are going to get with her...a story with wonderful characters, a lot of excitement and with almost more love than the pages can barely contain. In a nutshell, Graeme is an extremely high-ranking alpha who would love to meet his mate but has more or less given up, thinking it’s not going to happen. At a gathering held where alpha’s go to find omegas to bond with when not finding their mate, he first encounters Avery. Avery is his true mate whose family is hosting this event. Avery is an omega like no other as his loving parents raised him to be strong, resourceful and independent. He’s a police detective and loves his job so when he meets Graeme he’s unsure what to do. He really wants to see him again, but he has no intentions of giving up his job and independence. Their delightful romance was interspersed with a murder mystery that had to be solved before Graeme can begin to plan a life with any mate. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, like all of Mary Calmes books, A very well written shifter romance with a dash of mystery and a wolf Shaifer that actually owns a cat. I bet just like fully humans...the cat owned him:)

Her Royal Spyness – Rhys Bowen
3***

Book #1 in the “Her Royal Spyness” mystery series introduces us to Lady Victoria Georgina Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch, and thirty-fourth in line to the throne. But Georgie, as she is known, is impoverished. Her brother has inherited their late father’s estate, and all his debts as well. It is 1932 and the Great Depression is affecting everyone, including minor royals. Georgie’s allowance has been cut off in hopes of pushing her towards a suitable marriage, but she has no interest in the Romanian prince everyone else has picked out for her. Instead, she heads to London to try to find a way to earn her own way. She’s just getting started opening a “domestic cleaning service,” when she discovers a body in her bathtub.

I have to say the “spyness” in the title is what originally caught my attention, and Georgie IS asked by the Queen to “spy” on the Prince of Wales and some American woman he seems besotted with (i.e. Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson), but there is really very little spying involved. Instead, it’s a pretty typical cozy mystery.

Georgie is an interesting character and she’s supported by a host of colorful upper-class friends and family. She certainly has a way of getting into – and out of – sketchy situations, which adds to the fun of the storyline. Her ace in the hole, though, is her maternal grandfather, a retired beat cop, who offers advice and is able to get some inside info to help her own investigation to clear her name, and that of her brother.

It was a fun, fast read, and I’d be willing to read more of this series.

Just one little quibble re the cover. In the text, her friend Belinda refers to Georgie's "red hair" ... but the cover shows a platinum blonde.

Daybreak - Kate Hawthorne - (Vermont)
Vino & Veritas series part 12
3.5★
Liam Luckett is on an adventure. He's dropped out of his master's program without telling his overbearing parents and set off on a road trip across the country. Armed with little more than his guitar, he's looking for his best life. He never expected his car to break down in the middle of nowhere Vermont with a huge storm pending, leaving him stranded and at the mercy of a hunky local mechanic. Jasper Cunningham is in a holding pattern. Three years after the death of his husband, he still hasn't moved on. A hot, younger stranded tourist is exactly the sort of complication this mechanic has been avoiding. But he also can't leave him in the snow. He brings Liam home and lets him sleep on the couch. The air is heavy with more than snow, and when the power goes out, the two men become closer than either of them expects. Every silken note Liam sings on that guitar thaws Jasper's heart a little. Suddenly, Liam's itchy feet aren't so eager to move on. When their feelings get too big to ignore, the bond they've formed is tested. Will daybreak leave them going their separate ways?

I like audio books, but my mind tends to wander too much when I listen, so I don't do as many of them as print books, but that was the only format that Hoopla had it in and it was being read by two of my favorite narrators, Kale Willaims and Kirt Graves. I liked the characters a lot, but I felt like I missed the reasons they fell in love, other than need and proximity. I became frustrated with both characters fairly early in the story. Laim was an adult...he didn't have to get the degree his father wanted or go into politics if he didn't want to or go back to California. Jasper was into the third year of his husband's death and was trying to put his life back together and he obviously wanted Liam as part of it, so why didn't they just sit down and have the discussion and work out the kinks? I guess it would have made for a really short book if they had followed my suggestions. The two guys drew a breath of fresh air and worked on a promise of a future together, so that was really all that mattered. The books in this series are all written by a different M/M Romance author, and they are supposed to tell a story without a lot of drama and this one met the criteria, and I did enjoy it.

Lightning Men – Thomas Mullen
Digital audiobook performed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
3.5***

Book two in the Darktown series continues the story of a newly integrated Atlanta police force in the 1950s. Officer Danny Rakestraw (“Rake”) and “Negro Officers” Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith have their hands full. Rake’s brother-in-law tries to rally the Ku Klux Klan to “save” their all-white neighborhood after a handful of black families, including Smith’s sister, beginning moving in. Boggs and Smith, meanwhile are trying to shut down the supply of white lightning and drugs.

There’s a lot going on here from the basic police procedural involving the crimes the officers are trying to solve, to the racism on the force, to the ugly and dangerous tactics of the Klan, to some personal marital issues, to political corruption. It certainly captured my attention, but I felt a little lost regarding the relationships between the characters. Still, Mullen crafts a tight thriller, with complex characters, and a couple of stunning scenes.

I came to this book because it was recommended for my F2F book club by one of the members. I hadn’t read the first book in the series and I think I really missed something because I didn’t fully understand the interrelationships of the characters. When I asked the person why she didn’t recommend the first book, she said she thought this one was better written, and that “If you are interested enough in the characters you’ll go back and read the first book.” Clearly, she doesn’t understand the concept of spoilers. I expect that knowing what will happen to these people will completely spoil the author’s attempt to develop of their relationships in book one. S*I*G*H.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II does a good job of narrating the audiobook version. He sets a good pace and tries to give the many characters sufficiently unique voices to distinguish them from one another.

These Things Hidden - Heather Gudenkauf - (Iowa)
4★
When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn—shy, quiet Brynn—who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her. But then Allison is released to a halfway house and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged sister. Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

It's complicated story about the ties that bind us to our families and friends. The first thread in the story was that no one planned on Alison making the mistake of dating an older man or becoming pregnant. No one planned on Alison tossing her newborn baby girl in the Druid River. The second thread of the story is Claire. Faced with infertility, Claire happily adopts a baby boy whom someone has left at the Linden Falls fire station. She and her husband own a bookstore where she meets many members of the community, including Alison. Few people know that Alison is “that girl” ...the girl that killed her newborn. When Claire hires Alison to work at her bookstore, the truth begins to unravel. Two other women, Charm, a nursing student, and Alison’s sister, Brynn, play an important role in this drama. At age sixteen, Allison Glenn was sentenced to ten years in prison. After serving five years, she was released early for good behavior. Alienated from her sister, Brynn, Allison has a strong desire to reconnect, but Brynn wants nothing to do with her, nor do her parents. They disowned Allison beginning the night she was arrested for a crime so heinous that the people in the small town of Linden Falls, Iowa want nothing to do with her. Before jail Allison had hopes and plans that included valedictorian, a volleyball scholarship to college and then to law school. She was the perfect high school student until she became interested in a twenty-two-year-old man she kept secret from her parents. There was a couple of things I wanted to know more about. What were the exact details of what happened that night to end Allison in jail? It seemed there was more to the story that was being revealed. How were these characters (Allison, Charm and Claire) lives connected? There also appeared to be more there also and it also seemed to have been important. Overall, it was a really good story and there was nothing predictable about it.

Dark Matter
Blake Crouch
4/5 stars
Jason Dessen, physicist lives with his wife and son in the suburbs but one day everything goes wrong and he is kidnapped by unknown assailants. He awakes to find himself in a large cube in a laboratory not knowing where he is. He finds out that he had built a cube that allows the person in the cube to move between infinite worlds and infinite possibilities. Will he be able to get back to his original family or will he end up traveling through time forever? Very interesting!

The Lost Village / Camilla Sten
4 stars

Alice is a filmmaker still looking for her big break. Maybe this is it? Her grandmother grew up in a small isolated town in Sweden where something odd happened in 1959. Everyone disappeared. All almost-900 of them. (Alice’s grandmother had already moved to Stockholm by then.) There was one decomposing woman tied to a post in the town square and one baby still alive. 60 years later, Alice gets together five people to go film a promo to raise money to create an entire documentary trying to figure out what happened in this town all those years ago. But things go very very wrong...

The start of this book pulled me right in. It did go back and forth in time between Alice and her crew there for five days filming and back in time to the townspeople and what went on at the time. It did slow down for a while with some set-up, but it picked up again. Creepy… those isolated buildings just left with stuff still on the table, etc. It was all so sudden.

Forever Liesl: A Memoir of The Sound of Music / Charmian Carr
3.5 stars

Charmian Carr was the actress who played Liesl in “The Sound of Music”. She was actually 21-years old playing 16. The first half of the book is memories of making the movie, and the second half looks at some of her own life and family, as well as the ongoing friendships she had with the other children from the movie (and more). Before each chapter is a brief reminisce of someone who loved the movie. And there are plenty of photos throughout.

“The Sound of Music” is one of my all-time favourite movies. Every time she mentioned a scene or some dialogue or a song, I was able to easily picture it in my head. So it was fun to learn of so much that happened behind the scenes. Have to admit I knew none of the child actors’ names (until now!). At 21, but playing one of the children, Charmian was sort of between the adult and child actors on the set.

She was primarily very positive with things she said about the people and the making of the movie. But there were a few little things. But I really think she is sincere in how much making the movie meant to her. So I did learn a few things about Christopher Plummer (Chris) and Julie Andrews, as well. There was a chapter near the end that told more of the actual von Trapp family and their real story, since so much of the movie was fictionalized; that was very interesting.

I was tempted to rate this a bit higher, but I’m certain that’s only due to how much I love the movie itself, so I’ve kept it at a “good” rating.

Unkinked - M.C. Roth
It's A Kink Thing Series Book #2
4★
Two broken men. One secret addiction. No turning back. When Derreck stumbles upon Maddy, who is sitting in his car and nearly sweating to death under the summer’s sun, he is at his breaking point. But Maddy is just as lost, searching for a Dom he only knows by name and waiting in his car outside the club Unkinked on the tiny chance that the Dom might find him. When it is revealed that Derreck is the man Maddy has been searching for from the very beginning, it seems fate couldn’t get any sweeter. Derreck invites Maddy into "Unkinked" as his guest, with the promise of the pain that Maddy so desperately craves. A scene that should have been simple opens Maddy’s mind to a new world and community that aren’t riddled with guilt or judgment. Derreck knows he can’t let his sub slip away, but Maddy is keeping secrets from his new Dom—secrets that could change their relationship forever.

New author for me, but one that I think I'll be exploring more of. As is a habit of mine I started with the second book not realizing that this was a series. I'll have to go back to the first book since they each, (there's currently 3), pick up where each of the previous ones leave off. It's listed as an M/M romance but there really isn't as much romance as you would think...but I 'd have to say that there is a great deal of love. "Unkinked" is a BDSM club. The first books I ever read that featured a BDSM club was K.C. Wells & Parker Williams "Collars and Cuffs" series, which I'm still reading and remains one of my absolutely favorite series, but this was nothing like that series other than the club type and that the two main characters had an "over the moon" type of dynamic that gave the reader hope that Maddy was going to get what he was so desperately searching for. I can only think of two words that really describes this story, "raw" and "addictive".

Whisper Down the Lane - Clay Chapman
5★
Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage, a first chance at fatherhood, and a quiet life as an art teacher in Virginia. Then the body of a ritualistically murdered rabbit appears on his school’s playground, along with a birthday card for him. But Richard hasn’t celebrated his birthday since he was known as Sean . In the 1980s, Sean was five years old when his mother unwittingly led him to tell a lie about his teacher. When school administrators, cops, and therapists questioned him, he told another. And another. And another. Each was more outlandish than the last—and fueled a moral panic that engulfed the nation and destroyed the lives of everyone around him. Now, thirty years later, someone is here to tell Richard that they know what Sean did. But who would even know that these two are one and the same? Whisper Down the Lane is a tense and compulsively readable exploration of a world primed by paranoia to believe the unbelievable.

the story is absolutely gripping, as well as terrifying in its realism. It's about the power of fear, false narratives, what you “want” to hear, and the urgency that drags people along long after the lie has been exposed. I was hooked from the very beginning and devoured this book in just three hours. Of course, sleep took a backseat, but it was worth it. It's a tough reality but the story shows that the mistakes of the past always come back to be atoned for and sometimes, the price is one’s own life. I thought it was going to be a cheesy story about some kids experimenting with the occult, but I was pleasantly surprised with how interesting the story got and the ending was a real surprise. It's laced in eeriness and small-town controversy. Is fear the greatest motivator and are innocent children always to be believed?

Mia In the Mix – Coco Simon
3***

Book two in the popular Cupcake Diaries series for middle-school children. This time the focus is on Mia Velaz-Cruz, who is the fashionista in the Cupcake Club. She’s dealing with divided loyalties as she share an interest in fashion with the girls in the Popular Girls Club, but doesn’t want to alienate her friends in the Cupcake Club. She’s also dealing with her parents’ divorce and having moved from Manhattan to the suburbs and her mom’s new boyfriend.

What I like about the books is that Simon writes believable tweens. Their concerns, likes, family issues and school dynamics are all completely believable and relatable. Simon soft peddles positive messages of kindness, loyalty, honesty, hard work and trust. And I like the relationships the girls have with their parents as well.

And the cupcake recipes at the end of each novel are a definite plus! Had I known about them when there were first published, I would definitely have given them to my youngest niece.. She’d have been the target age, and she loves to bake!

Pied Piper –Nevil Shute
4****

This work of fiction was written in 1942, and set in 1940, so the events portrayed were contemporary. The basic story line involves an elderly British man, John Howard, who goes on holiday to France’s Jural Mountains, near the border with Switzerland in April, planning to stay three months. But the Germans begin to cross into France while he is on holiday, and he must make the decision to return to England. A British woman staying at the same small inn with her two children, asks him to please take the boy and girl with him to their aunt in England. He agrees, expecting a non-eventful journey of two days. But …

This is a road trip and a suspense thriller with an undercurrent of family relationships and love. Mr Howard is a marvelous character. He’s unaccustomed to children but does his best; the boy and girl are only eight and five, after all. They don’t know to be frightened of German soldiers or tanks or airplanes. They’re excited by the adventure. They also need to be fed and clothed and bathed and given shelter. Sometimes they need to be entertained or to play. Sometimes they just don’t want to walk any more, or eat dry bread, or speak French. Along the way Mr Howard encounters other refugee children. He can’t very well leave them alone, so he takes them along as well.

There are several people who help Mr Howard – a ride here, a place to sleep there. I really liked the subplot of Nicole, a young French woman whose father once befriended Mr Howard and who agrees to help him. Their conversations help to uncover the hurt and pain each has suffered and that they share. And the reader witnesses how they open up to one another and begin to heal from past hurts.

Courage does not always involve fighting the enemy. Mr Howard and Nicole display the kind of quiet courage that comes from a deep conviction that what they are doing is correct, and a strong faith that somehow, they will prevail.

Pet Semetary - Stephen King - (Maine)
5★
When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift graveyard in the nearby woods where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard where another burial ground lures with seductive promises and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. As Louis is about to discover for himself sometimes, dead is better.

This is one of my favorite books and favorite movies by the "Master of Horror", Stephen King. I have read the book at least a dozen times and watched the movie almost as many. In case you're wondering, I like the book more. My favorite quote from the book AND the movie was "The soil of a man’s heart is stonier, Louis,” the dying man whispered. “A man grows what he can . . . and tends it.” Poor Louis. Nothing went even close to right for him after he brought the cat back by burying it in the "Pet Semetary". I knew what he was going to do at the end after his young son was hit by a truck and after his wife died. I believe the end of the book that said, "And then the hand fell on his shoulder", was by far one of the scariest things that could have happened because YOU JUST KNEW what Louis had done in spite of the warnings, and how he was going to be..."tending it". I believe that the two most effective characters for setting the tone for both the book and the movie are Jud, (the next-door neighbor that tries to warn Louis), and the undead cat. They set the feeling of dread throughout and demonstrate the character of the force that lurks in the Indian burial ground. So glad to have had the chance to read it yet again. No one personalizes true horror like Stephen King.

Make Me Soar - K. C Wells & Parker Williams - (England)
Collars & Cuffs Series Book #6
5★
Collars and Cuffs: Book Six Anyone who frequents Collars & Cuffs knows Dorian Forrester is built for pain, including Dorian himself. But everyone has it wrong. For six years, Dorian’s chased a feeling that remains tantalizingly out of his reach. Unteachable, Dorian can take anything and everything a Dom can throw at him. Still, it’s not enough. Dorian needs… something more. Something he won’t find at Collars & Cuffs. Dorian’s search takes him out of the safe environment he’s known for years, out of his depth, and into a realm of deep, dark trouble. Alan Marchant has been watching Dorian with interest for a while and knows there’s more to Dorian than his label of “pain slut” suggests. When Dorian disappears, Alan and his friend Leo set out to find him. But the disoriented young man discovered cowering in a hotel room is not the Dorian they know and love. That Dorian is shattered. It’s up to Alan to pick up the pieces and show Dorian there are better ways to fly. They may be off on a new journey together, but their destination will rock them both to the core.

This is my absolutely favorite M/M Romance series. I read the first 5 books, several times, on Hoopla and when they didn't get the rest of the series, I bought them. I will more than likely buy the first 5 so I will have them at my reading beck and call. I love the characters and their attitudes with their partners, their friends and the way they operate their club, Collars and Cuffs. This book...as are the first 5 in one way or another... is about finding self-respect, learning to recognize and deal with your mistakes, self-discovery, and learning that you are worthy to love and be loved. The story is beautiful just for watching the relationship between Alan and Dorian evolve. Even though there are 5 books ahead of this one I have never felt lost or confused about the characters or story lines. Good thing because I ALWAYS read out of order. Book 1 probably should be read first just to get a sense of how different this BDSM club is from all others, and to meet Leo and Thomas the owners and manages of the club. In reading this series out of order I would have to say that all of the books work perfectly well as a stand-a-lone.

>65 BookConcierge: I enjoyed that book!

Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape
by Jenna Miscavige Hill
4/5 stars
This is the fascinating true life story of Jenna Miscavige and her life in Scientology. She describes her and her family’s life and roles in Scientology, where life for children and adults are very different and highly structured from those on the outside. Children are harshly punished for disobeying and parents and children are separated at an early age and forced to work doing menial tasks. Definitely, a page turner.

Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story
by Chris Nashawaty
4/5 stars
This is the wonderfully interesting book on the making of the film Caddyshack. Nashawaty dishes all the dirt surrounding the production of the movie. Definitely for film buffs!

>69 JulieLill: Glad you liked "Beyond Belief"! I read it - maybe a year ago or so, and also thought it was very good (4 stars)

The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams
4 1/2 ****

Two dogs escape from an experimental research station in the Lake District, where they have been horribly tortured and mistreated in the name of science. As they run for their lives on the hard fells they attempt to survive wild and free. But the hunt is on . . .

What do I begin with reviewing this book? It is more than just a book about two dogs who escape their cages in an animal research facility. It is about humanity, and the bond between domesticated dogs and humanity, and thoughtlessness and politics, and really just everything.

**Trigger Warning - animal experimentation**

The book begins with the larger of the two dogs, a large black Lab mix named Rowf, almost ready to finish his time in the tank. This is an experiment that documents how long he is able to maintain consciousness in a large metal tank full of water, until he finally sinks from exhaustion. When he is revived, he returns to his pen where his neighbor, Snitter, is finding a possible way out. And Snitter has undergone brain surgery to test who knows what. While humans can't see it, he has now a gift of the Sight without fully understanding how or why.

The two dogs make their way through the animal experimentation building till they are able to escape into the Lake District fells and thence away. Snitter, a fox terrier who had been a good man's pet until a horrible traffic accident, can't understand where all the houses and roads and men are. Rowf, who has never known anything but trouble from humans, is a little less confused but equally savvy that they have to learn to hunt. They are helped in this endeavor by a canny tod (fox for us Yanks) who teaches them how to kill sheep and raid a chicken coop. Naturally, these activities don't make them popular with the inhabitants of Coniston and Dunnerdale.

The storyline moves simultaneously between the dogs and tod, the sheep farmers, the men who run the animal research station (acronym A.R.S.E.), newspaperman Digby Driver, and various supporting characters. Richard Adams makes it clear in his preface that all the good people are real (though not necessarily alive at the same time) and all the bad people are made up. As an added bonus, this edition has marvelous drawings and maps of the extraordinary Lake District, and the local dialects are written as they would have been spoken.

Not an easy book to get through (see "Triggers" above), but definitely worth the effort.

Hometown - Matthew Keville - (New York)
5★
It's the Fall of 1994 in the small mill town of Belford, New York. The leaves are turning, the kids are going back to school, and the heat of Summer is giving way to a cool, misty season. It happens every Fall. Only this Fall, people are disappearing into that mist. Some people are found torn apart, some people are found dead for no reason, and some people aren't found at all. Other people see strange things in the mist: ghosts and campfire stories. There's something out there in that mist. Something old. Something that has slept for a long time, but has now woken up hungry. Maybe the people of Belford could resist it, but as the terrible Fall wears on, more and more of them start...changing. Acting bizarre and violent. In the end, only a small group of teenage defenders are left to make their stand.

There's a great evil growing in the small town of Belford. A group of high school seniors begin to suspect that the sudden uptick of strange disappearances, sudden deaths, and savage murders are more than coincidence. They're outsiders that are bullied by other kids and singled out unfairly by teachers. They go to various authority figures but are turned away and their concerns dismissed. Sometimes they won't even listen. They are indeed, entirely on their own. The kids find they're trying to fight a supernatural enemy, which makes it even less likely they are going to succeed. They later learn that their small town has a secret history of recurring blood and mayhem. The kids have so many issues ranging from alcohol to drugs, sex and abusive behavior. The book is over 700 pages. The story is good and interesting but way too long. One of the things I really liked was the way the history was worked into the story with paraphrases and commentary on old newspaper articles. It diffidently deserved the 5-star rating.

The Eight by Katherine Neville
3 1/2 ***

New York City, December 1972. Musician, painter, dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. About to head off to her new assignment in the barely twentieth-century culture of Algeria, Cat meets some friends at a Fifth Avenue hotel on New Year's Eve and has her palm read by a mysterious fortune teller//The South of France, Spring 1709. Mireille de Remy and her cousin Valentine are young novices at the fortress-like Montglane Abbey. With France herself aflame with the Revolution, the two girls burn to rebel against the constricted convent life that awaits them.

A very dense book, traveling between the French Revolution and its aftermath, and during the early 70's in the nascent OPEC coalition. The basis for the mystery is a chess set, the Montglane Service, given to Charlemagne by Moorish allies, that contained a formula and a power of raising and destroying great kingdoms. The Service is hidden for a thousand years in the Montglane Abbey until events leading up to the French Revolution cause it to be scattered throughout France, Algeria, Russia, and England.

The book opens with two young novices at Montglane Abbey, Valentine and Mireille, who are called upon to be a conduit for the pieces as the Abbey is broken up and the pieces are scattered in 1792. These two young women are sent to live with the painter David as his wards and are later to get caught up in the September Massacres. Notable figures who have an interest in this chess set include the Bishop d'Autun (Charles-Maurice Talleyrand), Maras, Charlotte Corday, and Catherine the Great of Russia.

Fast forward to early 1970's New York, where a young computer programmer is given the task of creating a program to chart the oil output of the Middle Eastern countries that are becoming OPEC. Catherine (the narrator) is brought into events, all unwittingly, through the chess prowess of the Russian chess master Solarin, her cousin Lily and Lily's wealthy family, a mysterious friend named Nim who seems to have an understanding of the forces at work, and her contacts in Algeria, Dr. Kamel and Sharrif.

Both time periods have action that takes them from their native countries to Algeria with trusted guides, and both Mireille and Catherine grow to realize the burden of the tasks they are called upon: to find and guard the chessboard, its embroidered cover, and the fantastically wrought chess pieces. Because hidden within the formula carved on the pieces, the board, and embroidered in the cloth is the secret to their use and their power. The burden lies in discovering what piece they themselves represent on the board and how to keep the pieces from falling into the wrong hands.

It's been compared to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and I tend to agree: once the reader suspends belief and becomes involved in the story, it becomes a rousing adventure. But the denseness of the narrative and the meandering nature of the events cause the readability to be difficult and its non-linear writing at times distracting.

The Lake House / Marci Nault
3.5 stars

Victoria grew up in a small community in New England where all the families knew each other. She and her friends all thought they’d grow up, get married, and have their kids there (or in nearby Boston, but eventually make their way back again). Victoria’s plans changed, however, and she went to California to become an actress (which she did), and rarely returned. But now, at 70+ years old, she has returned for good. One friend, Molly, is happy to have her home and is welcoming but the others are not impressed.

Heather is a writer of a travel column in one of Boston’s newspapers. Her relationship with her fiancee and agent, Charlie, has soured, however. When Heather decides to leave, she buys a house in Victoria’s old community. But she doesn’t realize she’ll be the only resident under 70 years old! The houses simply passed down the generations of the older people (but the next generations haven’t stayed). And most of these elderly neighbours don’t want someone young living next to them (the noise, the parties!).

I liked this. It didn’t move quickly, but I honestly didn’t really notice that about it until the end. I liked the relationships Heather ended up having with some of her neighbours and how those evolved (as well as the relationship with the grandson of one of the neighbours).

Dom of Ages - K.C Wells & Parker Williams - (England)
Collars & Cuffs Series Book #7
5★
Collars and Cuffs: Book Seven Eli may only be thirty, but he has had enough of "pretend submissives". When he spies Jarod in a BDSM club, everything about the man screams submission. So, what if Jarod is probably twenty years older than Eli. What does age matter, anyway? All he can see is what he’s always wanted―a sub who wants to serve. Jarod spent twenty-four years with his Master before fate took him. Four years on, Jarod is still lost, so when a young Dom takes charge, Jarod rolls with it and finds himself serving again. But he keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because there’s going to come a point when Eli realizes he’s a laughingstock in the club. Who would want to be seen with a fifty-year-old sub? After several missteps, Eli realizes that in order to find happiness, they will need friends who will understand. At a friend’s insistence, he visits Collars & Cuffs, where they are met with open arms. As they settle in, to their new life, Eli begins to see things differently and he dares to think he can have it all. Until a phone call threatens to take it all away

I discovered this series several years ago when my two friends that bring me books brought the first 4 books in the series. I was hooked. I finally purchased the last three since Hoopla didn't carry them and my two guys didn't have them. Now they say I have to loan these to them:) Collars and Cuffs is more than a BDSM club...it's a warm, caring, close-knit "family". On second thought, some families should be so lucky. I thought after the first chapter that I was going to have to invest in Kleenex stock. I ached for Jared, a 50-year-old submissive with his broken heart and bone crushing, mind numbing loneliness, caring the weight of grief for his lost "Master" and his own need to just belong. He remained so hopeful even when things went wrong, and ageism reared its ugly head over and over. Ageism is something that effects people as much as any of the other, ugly "isms" that some people seem to get a great deal of pleasure from inflecting on different members of our societies. It's a nasty. ugly thing that can cause irreparable damage to the extent that some never live their lives to the fullest because of. I loved that Jarod was brave enough to continue his fight to find his happiness again and that Eli was the type of man that he was. The story line of this book is quite unique. All of the other characters...whose stories we have already read if we follow the series, were present throughout the story as in all the books, playing major roles in the outcome. There was a huge cliffhanger at the end that scared me to the bottom of my heart...but lucky me I have book #8 and spent another hour of sleep time to see if it was going to be something that I was going to have to invest more Kleenex money in. From the very first book, the characters draw the reader in and nicely bundle them up. This story of Eli and Jarod, like all the others was so beautifully well written. I have loved everything that K.C. Wells and Parker Williams have ever written, both individually and as a team.

Poirot Investigates – Agatha Christie
Book on CD narrated by David Suchet
3***

From the book jacket: What do a movie star, an archaeologist, a French maid, a prime minister, a wealthy dowager, and an Italian count have in common? Half of them have fallen victim to a terrible crime. The others have fallen under suspicion. Leave the deductions to Hercule Poirot.

My reactions
This was the first collection of short stories featuring the little Belgian and his “little grey cells” that Christie compiled. I love Poirot and I really appreciate the friendship and banter between him and Captain Hastings.

Of course, I am also a huge fan of the PBS series, starring David Suchet as Poirot, and recently I re-watched a number of episodes. As a result several of these stories were somewhat anticlimactic for me, because I knew the culprit from the beginning.

I do cringe at the way Christie characterizes certain characters who are not white men. But these are a product of the time and there was, unfortunately, little sensitivity to or tolerance of “others.” The short stories, also, do little to give the reader many of the clues which Poirot spends time thinking about, and rely heavily on his explanations to Hastings at the end of each episode outlining his “methodical thinking.” The full-length novels are much better at giving the reader more of a chance to match wits with Poirot.

Even so, he is still among my favorite detectives, and I enjoyed these stories very much.

The audiobook is marvelously performed by David Suchet. He is such a talented actor and well able to give the many characters unique voices, even doing a passable job with the women. However, the audio did not contain all the stories that were in the print version, so I read four of them in text version.

Blaze Returns - Bill Runner - (Nevada)
Axel Blaze series Book #1
3★
“I wasn’t expecting trouble when I pulled off the highway.” Ex-deputy US Marshal Axel Blaze is doing what he knows best – dealing with trouble. Ten years in the special forces and five years in the US Marshals have made Blaze a trained investigator and expert in combat. Blaze does not fight his opponents; he puts them down. He strikes first. And hard. Takes them out. Fast. Deputy Marshal Carter has gone missing in Little Butte, Nevada. The Dawsons own the town. The Mexican cartel is moving in on their meth business. A gang war is coming to town. Director Flynn asks Blaze to return for one last assignment. It's up to Blaze to find Carter before all hell breaks loose.

I actually didn't expect he book to be this good. I was using it as a "means to an end" for another challenge and found that I was soon fully invested in finding out how this somewhat vigilantly lawman, was going to handle the situation that he had found himself in. He was asked to come back acting as a US Marshall for just one mission...to locate Joe Carter, another US Marshall and Blazes friend, who has simply vanished. Carter had been looking into two other men that disappeared while they were in witness protection. The Dawsons, a most unlikeable group, and a Mexican cartel have been running over the little town in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. That certainly ends once Axel appears on the scene. The cartel and the Dawsons can’t figure out just exactly how to deal with this seemingly unstoppable man who’s not letting anything stand in his way in his search for his friend. In the middle of the no ending action, Axel does manage to take a minute to charm a lady interest...Daphne. I would have to describe it as interesting with greater possibilities IF...the author doesn't begin treating his main character like he's in a 1950's cereal sponsored western and please, please, change that awful name. Who could take someone name "Axel Blaze" seriously?

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten
255 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
88-year-old Maud, who once in while has to do someone in, finds the police are leaning on her a bit heavily, so she books a holiday trip to South Africa. While on the plane, Maud begins to think about her past - rescuing her sister Charlotte from the neighborhood bullies, getting her full-time teaching position, Charlotte's death, a friendship with her neighbor, revisiting a friend in Cape Town while rescuing a girl from a rapist.

I enjoyed these short stories. It took a while to see where the last one was headed, but enjoyable none-the-less. I really liked getting a glimpse of Maud's humanity (especially her friendship with her seamstress neighbor) and Maud's wrap-up of her estate. Very charming - just don't eat any cookies she's made for you!

No Hiding Place - M.A. Comley - (England)
D.I. Sally Parker Series Book #2
4★
A family ripped apart by secrets... A country lane which holds hidden terrors. The villagers are restless. It's up to DI Sally Parker to ease their understandable fears. It's terrifying to imagine what lurks in the dark nights around every corner! With the suspect list growing and Sally's frustration mounting, can she arrest the culprit before they find a way of escaping her clutches for good? It's shocking when reality strikes... Killers come in all shapes and sizes.

The only thing I can say that was slightly off-putting, was that it bordered more on the side of a novella than actual book...177 pages and only 20 short chapters. It did have, in that short space, two gruesome murders...shocking family secrets...and people and things that weren't what they seemed to be. Overall...the author managed to tie everything up without leaving any hanging threads. A good read and totally worth the time.

Stained Hearts - Parker Williams - (Illinois)
Links in The Chain series Book #3
5★
Can two hearts stained by past pain find healing together? Tom Kotke held his husband of twenty-five years on the day he died and spent nearly a year adrift. Determined to force Tom back into the world, his family takes him to the Park View Diner, where he meets young stained-glass artist Aiden Dawson. For a brief moment, Tom doesn’t think about his deceased husband―a terrifying prospect. Slowly, Aiden draws Tom out of his shell and helps him feel alive once more. But Tom isn’t the only one who has suffered. Aiden fears no one sees beyond his wheelchair. Even if Tom can convince him he’s different, they’ll still have to overcome their age difference and a secret that could destroy their future together.

At the end of the last book, I was so in hopes that Parker Williams wouldn't leave us wondering what happened to Tom after Brian, his husband of 25 years died from his cancer. I didn't want to think of Tom wondering around in that big house with only his memories of Brian. Seems that Brian didn't want that for Tom either. Brian and their friend went to some extraordinary lengths while he was alive to see that that would never happen. It would probably not ever happen outside the pages of the book, but it added a beautiful touch to the story. Tom and Aiden's story is one of the most beautiful, heart wrenching things I have EVER read. Makes you believe that magic maybe is real, and that heartache can, and will heal with a partner that will give you time, patience and love, I loved all of this series, but I think this one is without a doubt, the very best. It made me cry in the first chapter, actually the first paragraph. and continued to get better. If I keep reading these types of stories, I'm going to have to diffidently check on buying lots of Kimberly Clarke stock...but I want Parker William to keep writing them.

The Masterpiece – Fiona Davis
Digital audiobook performed by Cassandra Campbell
3***

In this work of historical fiction, Davis turns her attention to another New York City landmark: Grand Central Terminal.

As has become de rigueur for historical fiction these days, Davis uses a dual timeline, though, in this case, both timelines are historical. In 1928 Clara Darden is an art instruction and illustrator, working at the Grand Central School of Art (yes, an art school WAS really housed in the terminal building). And in 1974 Virginia Clay, desperate for money after a divorce, gets a job at the information desk of a now dilapidated (and scheduled for demolition) Grand Central Terminal.

Both of them have to fight against institutional bias against women. Clara can’t achieve her potential as “Clara” because the men in charge of most work assignments can’t begin to see her value and are too afraid of bucking the system. (“We can’t let the public know a woman designed this car interior; they wouldn’t trust the product and wouldn’t buy it.”) Virginia has been the typical housewife, married to a successful attorney, and no one can imagine that she “needs” a job now. She’s also suffering from very low self-esteem, partly as a result of a mastectomy which makes her ashamed and embarrassed about her “disfigured” body.

Their stories merge as Virginia becomes aware of the history of Grand Central and joins the fight to save the structure as a landmark.

I really wish Davis had focused more on the building’s historic past, the many reasons it achieved landmark status, and the fight to save it -or- on the feminist issue of unrecognized artists (or other contributors) due to gender bias. Trying to do both resulted in a work that didn’t fully explore either theme. It was a pretty fast read, and I kept turning pages (or listening, in my case), but I was left with a “Is that all?” feeling.

Cassandra Campbell does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. She’s become one of my favorite audiobook performers.

Troilus and Cressida by Geoffrey Chaucer
5***** and a Heart

Words fail to describe how wonderful this book is. I bought it on a whim and just fell in love with the English language all over again. George Krapp did a re-translation of Chaucer's English, keeping the stanzas and rhyme scheme like the original, and bringing out the beauty and the ancient-ness of English. He also provides a history in the Prologue of how Chaucer's tale came about, what his sources were, and how he delved into Homer's small mention of Troilus to create this tale. And Eric Gill has pen-and-ink drawings in the margins, repeated throughout, that are quite lovely. And more than a little racy.

The story is one of Troilus, a younger son of Priam, who falls in love with the fair Cressida. Her uncle, Pandar, sees the emotions between the two, realizes the possibilities, and arranges a dinner party for them to meet. And encourages Troilus to arise from his couch in a swoon and declare his love to Cressida. All proceeds apace, the lovers are oft-united, she loves him, he loves her,

Until the parliaments of Troy decide that Cressida should be sent to the Greeks in exchange for Antanor. And despite the wails and tears (it is a bit on the swooning side of melodrama) of the two lovers in private, they realize their duty is to Troy and since they are not betrothed, nor likely to be, Cressida is sent to the enemy to be a carefully guarded prize.

Betrayal ensues, death ensues, and there Chaucer leaves it. Krapp gives an additional ending by a Scottish poet, Robert Henryson, to Cressida's fate after Troilus is killed in battle.

And if there are any authors out there who are looking for re-tellings of ancient women's lives, Cressida's would be a marvelous tale to re-tell.

The Girl in Room 16 - Eva Sparks
Darcy Hunt FBI series Book #1
2.5★
Eighteen years ago, FBI Agent Darcy Hunt’s life changed forever when her little sister was abducted right under her nose—murdered by a crazed guild of misguided zealots. Now, as she spends her days and nights hunting down the very worst of humanity, Darcy receives an unexpected call directing her to the sleepy small town of Miller’s Grove. Local law enforcement is unable to make sense of a chilling case, one that will prove to be the most complex and baffling of her career. Small towns harbor big secrets, and as Darcy peels back the layers of Miller Grove’s past, some of the residents start to get nervous. Never one to back down, Darcy must call on every bit of her training and experience as the investigation takes a sharp turn and forces her to confront a harrowing past she thought had finally let her go. Meanwhile, someone lurks deep in the shadows, watching her, drawing her in closer and closer to the edge of truth that has lain hidden for all these years. A puzzle slowly emerges, one that has taken years for a sick and twisted mind to carefully conceive, and it is only when a third girl goes missing that Darcy begins to realize that the grim events from her own past might be the only key to stopping an emboldened and fearless monster.

I was completely disappointed with this story and with, Darcy Hunt, the main character. I read through so much repetition of what Darcy was thinking. It added nothing worthwhile to the story and certainly was one of the things that kept the plot from ever really forming. I also learned at least twenty or more times how "devoted she was to her career" and how she had solved cases that "NO OTHER AGENT COULD" and her personal life...don't even get me started on that. AHHH! We learned that a triangle symbol with the number 16 was left at the first crime scene... but then, nothing is ever revealed why the number 16 was used or was important. I would have thought that that info would have helped, considering the title of the book, which by the way NEVER had a girl or anyone else in a room #16. I also can't believe that Darcy is a "top FBI agent". If that is the FBI's "top" I'd sure had to see their "bottom". I had to laugh and then wanted to stab her with a fork to get her attention when the murderer actually enters a restaurant and delivers food to this "top agent". She stated that she "recognized the killers voice", but then what does she do...or not do? Does she arrest him? No.... Does she call for back up? No ... Does she call for someone to follow him? Nope. She sits like a deer caught in the headlights and does absolutely nothing as the murderer waltzes out on his merry way probably to his next victim. So... after all that, what got it the 2.5 stars? I did love the book cover, the book description, and also the interesting title even if it wasn't ever explained...but that was as far as my appreciation could go for this one.

The Big Four – Agatha Christie
Digital audiobook narrated by Hugh Fraser
1*

Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings are on the trail of an evil syndicate trying to take over the world.

That sounds like a James Bond novel synopsis more than a murder mystery featuring the famous Belgian detective and his “little grey cells,” and that is the crux of the problem. Originally these were short stories and Christie tried to weave them together into an espionage thriller, but without much success.

The action takes place over several years. There are multiple attempts on Poirot’s and/or Hastings’s lives. I never really knew what this syndicate was after (other than world domination) or why. Most of the scenarios seemed incredibly far-fetched and unrealistic. And worse, they were under-developed.

One thing that DID capture my attention (however briefly) was mention of Hastings’s wife. What? He’s married? I don’t recall any other mention of his beloved in any of the other books I’ve read, nor in the TV miniseries. And he’s always on about “auburn-haired” women and mooning over them in the other books..

Skip this one and concentrate on the traditional mysteries.

Hugh Fraser does a respectable job of narrating the audiobook. I like David Suchet’s interpretation of Poirot better, but that isn’t Fraser’s fault.

Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History / Tori Telfer
4 stars

This book looks at historical women serial killers. There are a number of stories of different women in different places and times, from the 13th century up to the 1950s.

As interesting as I found all of these stories as I read them, they do read like short stories, so (unfortunately) by the end, I have already forgotten details of the earlier stories in the book. Even so, I was certainly very interested and very much “enjoyed” reading the stories.

Many of the women killed via poison, but not all. There were a few very cruel women included (that is, they killed by other cruel ways); the two that immediately come to mind were both nobility in their respective countries and time periods. I really liked the author’s writing style, and she even injected a bit of humour at times. I also liked that the author was also able to find out personal information on these women, not just information about the murders they committed (she talks in the afterword about cutting out a couple of people she wanted to include, but she just couldn’t find enough info on them).

Beyond The Grave - R W Wallace - (Norway)
Ghost Detective series Book #1
5★
When someone dies with unfinished business, their souls linger until they find closure. Sounds simple enough.... Wrong. Not when the ghost is stuck within the confines of the cemetery, with no means to affect the world of the living, while their murderers walk free. Robert and Clothilde jump at the chance to escape their prison. And find the perfect person to help them out. Beyond the Grave is the first novel in the Ghost Detective series, following Robert and Clothilde’s search for justice.

Oh Yeah...I LOVED this book! A small graveyard, two ghosts. One teenage girl, Clothilde, and one lousy cop, Robert. For 30 years they have been hanging out not knowing that they are buried almost together.... Robert in an unmarked grave next to Clothilde's grave marked only with her name and date of death. Clothilde was always what can only kindly be described as "rebellious" A small bump in the ground next to her grave marks former police officer, Robert's final resting place. so, we have a small graveyard, two ghosts. One teenage girl, and one not very good cop that for 30 years have been side by side. Thirty years they've laid in the ground with not one single visitor for either of them. Their ghosts are confined within the cemetery borders but both yearning for closure to move on and go after the people who killed them...but they can't, that is until Clothilde receives her very first visitor and along with it, the means to escape the cemetery and find their killer(s). Robert proves he's a better ghost than he was a living man by helping other ghosts pass on to next life and Clothilde hangs around in teenage fashion and enjoys his company. One day that all changes for our two ghosts when the police come and exhume her body, in the process they find an unmarked wooden box lying right next to her. An investigation begins to find out why he is buried beside her and why both had been murdered. This becomes an opportunity for both ghosts to leave the cemetery and get involved in the investigation and find the culprit. I can't wait to visit more with Robert and Clothilde in the next book Unveiling the Past.

The Kindest Lie – Nancy Johnson
Book on CD narrated by Shayna Small
3***

Ruth Tuttle is a chemical engineer married to a marketing executive and living the good life in Chicago. Obama has just been elected President and Ruth’s husband feels the time is right for them to start a family. But Ruth isn’t so sure. What Xavier doesn’t know is that she had a child when she was in high school and gave up that child so she could continue her education. Now she feels she needs to go back to Ganton, Indiana and confront her family about what happened to her baby.

There’s a good premise here and some interesting family dynamics, but I thought Johnson relied too much on the secrets and failed to make sense of the present. Ruth is supposed to be this brilliant scientist and yet she behaves just as impulsively as Midnight, the young white boy she befriends. I get that this is an emotionally fraught situation, but she doesn’t seem to ever sit and think things through before acting.

And I was really bothered by the situation with Midnight, a child who desperately needs parenting. I can understand why he acts out as he does – he’s just a kid and lacks stability at home. And I totally get it that children in these kinds of situations rarely have a happy ending. But Johnson seems to just drop Midnight’s storyline without so much s a by your leave.

Still, Johnson captured my attention early and kept me turning pages (or changing discs). I wanted to know what would happen to these people and how their stories would play out. This is her debut novel, and I think a little more work (and editing) might have made this a very memorable work.

Shayna Small does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She has a believable voice for the 10-year-old Midnight, as well as the many adults in the novel.

I've never before thanked an author...but I cannot begin to tell these two authors how much happiness they have given me with this series. They may never see this, but if they do, they'll know that I really "couldn't stop reading"...nor have I, or will I.

Endings and Beginnings - Parker Williams & K C Wells (England)
Collars & Cuffs Book #8
5++★

At the end of book #7 there was an ending sentence that almost had me afraid to open this book. I'm sure I was not alone and luckily it was all more than okay. Big relief. I had already come to the conclusion that judging by the title of this one that I was going to being saying farewell to the wonderful, warm, loving couples that I had grown to love in this series. The two authors did a magnificent job of ending it, but as the title says, creating new beginnings. They brought together each of the couples and some of the side characters to tell the readers that they were going to go on and their happiness was going to grow. It took nearly 400 pages...but they did it! Two of the characters whose story I had just recently read are going to carry on the theme in a different location and a different club...one that they now own in London... but I'm sure that if the authors follow the format of this series that the new series with a new club called "Secrets" will see some of the old friends from Collars and Cuffs coming to visit. I and I'm sure thousands of other fans of this series are thanking Parker Williams and K C Wells for not killing off any of the people as many ending TV series are in the habit of. I have already bought the 4 books in the "Secrets" series, and I will, I'm positive, reread them as often as have Collars and Cuffs. Thank you to both of the authors for the time and the obvious thought that went into creating, Leo, Thomas and all the other characters that made this series what it was.

Hanging House - Dean Rassmussen
Emmie Rose Haunted Mystery series Book #1
5★
An unsolved murder. A reluctant psychic. Hanging House never sleeps, and neither will you. Emmie just wants to get as far away from her psychic past as possible. Who can blame her? Seeing dead children isn’t a “gift." It's heartbreaking terror. But once she loses her job in the big city, there’s only one place for her to go: back into the heart of her trauma and fears. Her childhood home...Hanging House. Determined to make the best of her new life, she soon realizes she can’t outrun the ghosts of her past. She needs to face and conquer the looming darkness, or she won’t get out alive.

This was a really magnificent story complete with believable and intriguing characters. The mystery surrounding the house is spine chilling, and the suspense will keep you glued to the pages until the end. A terrible accident had taken place at the old place, and "something" still walked there looking for revenge. or perhaps more victims. The story was spooky enough for the "Ghost Story Junkie". Anyone who loves ghost stories and suspenseful tales will love it. It touches on so many theories and questions about life after death and the paranormal...who can say what is fact and what is fiction?

Breaking Point - Jefferson Bass - (California)
Body Farm Series Book #9
4★
It’s been ten years since Dr. Bill Brockton created the Body Farm—the world’s first postmortem research facility dedicated to advancing the frontiers of forensic science—and the researcher is at the pinnacle of his career. Under his leadership, the University of Tennessee’s forensic anthropology program has become the most prominent in the world, and Brockton’s skills and knowledge are in high demand among top law enforcement. Calling him in for a number of high-profile cases, the FBI now wants him to identify the charred remains of a maverick millionaire, killed in a fiery plane crash. A storm is about to hit Brockton with cataclysmic force.

The book is well titled as the reader almost reaches the "Breaking Point" before they're finished with this one. Not that it's a bad story or that it's not as good as the past ones, it's that you feel like you are in the eye of a hurricane and being thrown into the path of a tornado only to be hit by a freight train traveling 100 mph. Way too much is happening at one time to our poor Bill Brockton. Too many horrible, surprises before the surprise that really didn't surprise me much by this point was delivered. It's a well-done mystery combined with a profound, tear producing story of undying true love. A beautiful, but not the usual type of journey we are accustomed to with this series.

Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury
Book on CD performed by Christian Rummel
5*****

Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway are neighbors, best friends, and born just minutes apart. The 13-year-old boys live in the small town of Green Town, Illinois and are looking forward to Halloween. But this year, Halloween will come early, because on Oct 24, just after midnight, Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show will come to town with its carnival rides, mirror maze, sideshow freaks, and a carousel that can change your life.

Bradbury was a master of suspense and sci-fi. Here he turns his imagination loose on every child’s dream – and nightmare. Clowns and fortune tellers are both fascinating and frightening. A trip inside the funhouse mirror maze elicits feelings of adventure and claustrophobia. And who doesn’t love to be scared on a carnival ride – whipped around on the Tilt-a-Whirl, feeling your heart drop as you round the top of the Ferris wheel, made dizzy as the carousel spins round and round? Parents are old and useless, except when they are inventive and heroic.

This book scared the beejesus out of me – and I was listening ONLY in broad daylight, during my daily commute. Like the best roller coaster, Bradbury S-L-O-W-L-Y drew me up the incline of suspense, dropped me into terror, and then evened out to let me catch my breath, only to realize there was another, steeper, incline ahead. When, finally, the ride was over I was giddy with relief … and wanted to “go again!”

Kevin Foley’s performance on the audio was magnificent. His youthful enthusiasm for Jim and Will made me willing to go along on this adventure that I would NEVER attempt in real life. Just remembering his oily voice for Mr Dark gives me the shivers.

Update 30Oct2022 I first listened to the audio performed by Kevin Foley in July 2012.
Ten years later I decided to re-read (or re-listen) to this classic – a perfect Halloween book!. I searched all the libraries in the county for Foley’s performance, because it was so memorable, but it was no longer available. Well, Christopher Rummel was more than up to the task. He is a talented voice artist. His Dust Witch and Mr Dark are perhaps even more frighteningly evil than Foley’s! As I did before, I listened ONLY during broad daylight. Still scared the beejesus out of me. Bravo!

>91 BookConcierge: I have read this book at least a dozen times and watched the movie almost as much. I liked the book a lot more than the movie. The "atmosphere" and the creeps were much better.

Rebound - L A Witt -(Washington)
5★
A forty-something single dad, a twenty-something hockey star, and a whole lot of baggage. No, this couldn’t possibly blow up in their faces. Officer Geoff Logan has his plate full. His cop’s salary and Marine retirement aren’t enough to make ends meet. He’s got war wounds and demons that are in it for the long haul. His teenagers are, well, teenagers, plus they’re pissed that he left the boyfriend they loved. Can’t a guy catch a break? Seattle Snowhawks center Asher Crowe has it all. A seven-figure salary. A literal house on a hill. A stable, loving relationship with an amazing boyfriend. At least, that’s what the world sees. Behind closed doors, he’s been living in a private hell, and when he finally works up the courage to end things, his boyfriend refuses to go quietly. One call to the cops, and suddenly Geoff and Asher’s paths cross. But is the connection between them simple chemistry? Kindred spirits? Or just a pair of lonely hearts looking for a hot distraction? Even if it’s more than physical, is there really a future for two men from such vastly different worlds...especially when the past comes knocking?

I'm not especially a hockey fan but I'm diffidently a LA Witt fan...so I was willing to see what this one had to offer. I loved the two main characters, but I hated what they went through with their individual ex's. Geoff is a cop, and he's just left a long-term relationship where he was emotionally bullied and manipulated. He was so strong in the face of everything else that I just couldn't picture this happening...but it did and I'm sure in reality, it does. His teenage children had no idea what was going on behind the scenes and resented their father for leaving the "stepdad" who had treated them so well. Actually, he was the stepdad that bought them everything and anything that his money could buy that their little hearts desired. Expensive things that their father couldn't afford on a cop's salary and then he emotionally blackmailed Geoff all the many times that Geoff tried to end the relationship. Then we have Asher the ice hockey star. When he tries to break up with his physically abusive boyfriend in a "safe, public place", the cops end up being called and that's how Geoff and Asher meet. Geoff goes seriously out of his way to help Asher after the scene at the breakup scene at a restaurant between Asher and his mentally and physically abusive boyfriend. Overall, throughout the majority of the book both men were dealing with the aftermath from their ending relationships that they had been in as well as the way they'd been treated by their respective partners, but between them, they managed to make it a sweet and steamy story.

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America / Ijeoma Oluo
3.5 stars

I’m having trouble finding the words to describe the book. It made sense while I was listening (to the audio), but hard to sum up in a short couple of sentences. The author is looking at how US society came to be so focused on white male power. How it’s a sort of benchmark, and even mediocre white men tend to have more power than many others (people of colour, women, lgbtq+, etc.).

As for the audio book, it was read by the author herself and she did a great job; it held my interest. As with many anti-racist books, there are some things that are hard to hear and (as a white woman), it’s sometimes hard to wrap my head around some of the horrible experiences of people of colour. I think I’m also lucky that I work in a female-dominated profession.

Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt
5*****

Bess Southerns, an impoverished widow, lives with her children in a crumbling old tower in Pendle Forest. Drawing on Catholic ritual, medicinal herbs, and guidance from her spirit-friend Tibb, Bess heals the sick and foretells the future in exchange for food and drink. As she ages, she instructs her best friend, Anne, and her granddaughter, Alizon, in her craft. Though Anne ultimately turns to dark magic, Alizon intends to use her craft for good. But when a peddler suffers a stroke after exchanging harsh words with Alizon, a local magistrate tricks her into accusing her family and neighbors of witchcraft.Suspicion and paranoia reach frenzied heights as friends and loved ones turn on one another and the novel draws to an inevitable conclusion.

What an amazing book. It is gripping in its style, its language, its subject matter, and just kept drawing me in. And it had to, given that the trials of the "Witches of Pendle Hill" were a tragic, actual event in Lancashire in 1612. Given how much I've read about Thomas Cromwell and the Wives of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, this volume shows the tragedy that the dissolution of the Abbeys under Cromwell brought about. And is a good balance to the lives of the rich and royal.

It is written in two voices, Bess Southern ("Demdike") and her granddaughter, Alizon. Bess remembers the Old Ways, when life was still hard for the poor but there was Whalley Abbey and its monks to provide food and alms, and the Feast Days and the Saints to provide some joy and beauty in life. What we now call "work-life balance." The juxtaposition between Bess' earliest girlhood memories and the life under Puritans is stark. And harsh.

Bess recounts those years and goes on to describe how she met her familiar, Tibb, and how he brought her joy and light in the dark years after her girlhood. This information was recorded at her trial, so the historical record is accurate in its description. Once she meets him and is able to understand how he can help her, she begins to use her new-found powers for healing and comfort.

Her girlhood friend is Anne ("Chattox") whose personality is quite different. Both women are single (Bess abandoned, Anne widowed twice over) and they struggle to raise their daughters on their meager begging. Anne's daughter attracts the eye of a nobleman's son, and Bess teaches her how a clay figure could be used to balance the scales in her favor. Which draws Anne into Bess' work with charms and potent magic, and Anne's personality is more given to redressing grievances.

The second part of the book is the growing up of Alizon, Bess' granddaughter, who is raised in a much different household. The effects of Puritanism are all around her, familiars and healing work are seen as bad things, even though her grandmother heals, and Alizon's "Mam" wants nothing to do with these little magicks. So Alizon tries to be good and does not learn from her Gran, and realizes too late what such learning could have meant for her life.

Written in the cadence of what Bess and Alizon and their neighbors might have spoken, all of which furthers the drawing into the events. And the tragedy is not the final entrapment, imprisonment, and trial; it is also the ending of ways that the changing of the Church brings about, due to one man's lust for power and a new wife.

Book Clubbed / Lorna Barrett
3.5 stars

Tricia’s sister Angelica is now president of the town’s Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, they don’t have a real place to work out of, so the secretary (Betsy) is working in Angelica’s business space. It’s not long before there is a ruckus in the back and Tricia and Angelica discovery Betsy’s body in the back crushed by a book case! Betsy wasn’t well-liked, so when it’s discovered it wasn’t likely an accident, there are a number of people who might have done it. Tricia, as usual, chats up people around town to see what she can find out.

I liked this one (although I’m not sure there are any in this series I have disliked yet). It’s the 8th book in the series, and I really enjoy many of the characters, though there are definitely some odd “ducks” in the crowd! Tricia’s (current lack of) love life is a bit creepy, though, as two former suitors are still interested and trying to win her back. But really, I think this series (at least for me) is just as much about the characters and their relationships to each other as the mysteries themselves. There was one extra worrisome (and surprising) bit in the book toward the end.

Worth The Wait (Giving Consent) - Kate Hawthorne
Giving Consent Series Book #2
4★
Finally ready to dip his toe into a lifestyle he’s only been a bystander to, Callum Jardine convinces himself long-distance is the safest bet, and he activates an online dating profile. Almost immediately, he receives a message from Jack Martin, a handsome, older man who lives across the country and offers Callum far more than he ever expected. Jack Martin has no intention of getting involved with anyone seriously, let alone with someone who lives so far away. It’s been so long since he had someone worth taking care of though, and Callum triggers all of his "Daddy" inclinations.

I thought that the long-distance relationship was doomed from the start, and I was right as the distance soon became an issue. It didn't take long for the things they both liked about the relationship, soon became the thing they hated. Since they were willing in the beginning to settle for this, I really didn't see much effort being put into it on either of their parts. Unexpected feelings occur and what started out online becomes something real, so Jack starts a move across the country. That in itself has its own complications. They have built the foundation of their relationship over the months that they spend communicating online, and 3,000 miles away. Now time has been added to the relationship issues. Jack and Callum find that there have been no changes to their work schedules, even though they are now within the same city...and it came as no surprise to me that Cullum's trust and insecurity issues that caused him to pursue this type of communication to start with, was a big glaring issue. Cullum is sweet...and Jack is patient, so it works out, but it was missing some of the heat that the first book had. Still a good read and I'll get book #3.