Friday Fives - Five Quick Reviews for Series I'm Reading

 

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  I'm working on catching up on series and decided to put a few reviews of them all together here.

1.  Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen - This is the 7th book in the Royal Spyness series around great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Georgianna (Georgie) Rannoch.  In this book Georgie has landed on her feet at an estate of a misbehaving Duke and his newly discovered heir.  When tensions finally explode there is a dead body found and an investigation begins.  Georgie and Darcy are quickly caught up in it as they try and keep the innocent from being accused.  This was a fun read with an odd mix of characters.  Thankfully, while Queenie, Georgie's maid, is present her role is very small.  If I made a list of top 5 least favorite side characters she would definitely be on it.  The reveal was well done and a bit of a surprise.  I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  My Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)

2.  A Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle - This is a fun series with lots of gorgeous bookish mentions and talks of bookish restoration.  I like Brooklyn and Derek and how they work together.  This one focused on Brooklyn's sister, Savannah, who is a professionally trained chef and a group of former colleagues as one of them opens a new restaurant.  The mystery was an interesting one with an end that did surprise me a bit.  What kept me from enjoying this was basically that Savannah is a brat.  Brooklyn is trying to express perfectly reasonable concerns or ask logical questions and Savannah seems to almost always react like a cranky toddler.  If I was Brooklyn, I'd have left her to her own devices and let her restore her own book and figure out who the killer was.  This isn't one of my favorite series but I do enjoy it and look forward to the next book in the series.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

3.  Keeper of the Castle by Juliet Blackwell - This is book 5 in the Haunted Home Renovation series and Mel finds herself leading a reconstruction of an ancient Scottish castle being rebuilt to be a wellness retreat in California.  There's a couple of ghosts who are causing serious trouble and the who reason Mel is now in charge is because the previous lead is in jail accused of murdering a building inspector.  No one believes he did and nothing is making sense - including the ghosts.  I enjoyed the mix of historic restoration, ghost hunting, and investigation.  Mel's a fun main character and I like that she's genuinely good at her job and cares about those around her.  This was a quick read in a series I always enjoy though I'm very glad I don't have deal with unsettled ghosts!  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

4.  Panic Button by Kylie Logan - I am not a crafty person and my grandmother finally gave up on teaching me how to sew or quilt after multiple attempts.  My interest in buttons is also pretty low but I thoroughly enjoy this series.  Josie runs the Button Box and is in the middle of appraising an heirloom button string when the owner changes her mind and demands to take the string home.  When the owner is found dead her mentions of a curse suddenly don't seem quite so silly.  With some help from her police detective maybe boyfriend Nev, Josie dives into the victim's past and investigates all who knew her.  It turns out the victim wasn't exactly who she seemed and almost everyone who knew her has a motive to kill her.  Josie does cross the line into overly nosy a time or two but it worked with the premise and the characters.  This was a fast paced read and a fun cozy.  I have one more book in the series and am looking forward to reading it.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

5.  Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews - Meg is back with her signature chaos and hijinks.  While I was not a huge fan of the previous book in this series this was has reconfirmed this series as one of my favorite cozy mystery series.  This time Meg is temping at her brother's tech company trying to figure out if there is a mole among the group.  Things quickly go off the roles when the office prankster is found dead on the mail cart.  There's also rogue therapists, an assortment of animals, Meg's dad, and a cast of rather quirky programs - some with a secret or two.  The mystery was a fun one and I love that we meet Chief Burke who becomes a regular in the series moving forward.  There were some red herrings and a surprise reveal.  This series has a big cast of characters and while you don't need to read all of them it would probably make this one more enjoyable if you read at least the first book just to understand who is who.  I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and will be keeping an eye out for new books.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Books from the Backlog - Swept Away

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

Blurb:  Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun with a stranger. She deserves one night for herself, doesn't she?
Zeke is looking for love. But for one night with a woman like Lexi, he'll break his rules . . .

Sparks fly at the pub, one passionate kiss leads to another and they end up stumbling home to the marina together.

The next morning, hungover and shaken by an amazing night together, Lexi is more than ready for Zeke to leave. There's just one small problem . . . the houseboat they stayed on has been swept out to sea.

As their supplies start to run dangerously low, and the waves pick up, Zeke and Lexi soon realise there's much more on the line than their new relationship.

How long can they really survive on a drifting houseboat in the North Sea? Will search and rescue find them? And who will they be if they both make it back to dry land?

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  It's been high up on my TBR since it came out and it looks like a fun bit of escapism.

What I'm Reading - April 8

I always have a few books going.  Here is what I'm reading and what I'm thinking about them.

Ebook

Too Close to Home by Seraphina Nova Glass - I'm enjoying this one but it is a bit stressful.  I really don't love thrillers or tense mysteries where children are even loosely involved.

Print Book:

Soyangri Book Kitchen by Jee-Hye Kim - So far, I'm really enjoying this one.  It's set up in a connected short story format and I love all the book references.

Audio Book:

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth - This took me a little bit to get into but I'm about 24% in and am hooked.

Slow Read:  

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna - I'm really loving this though I had to take a break from it while I was struggling through a couple of books.  I'm hoping to finish it soon or I'll have to take another break because I'm starting a new book that sounds like it has a similar feel.

What are you reading today?  

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books Set in Places on My Bucket List

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Books Set in Places on My Bucket List.

1.  Prince Edward Island, Canada - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - PEI is on my Bucket list because of the Anne books.  It also looks incredibly beautiful!

2.  Torquay, England - So many Agatha Christie books as well as being the area where she grew up.

3.  Greenway Estate in Devon, England - Christie based the setting of a number of her books here and I would just love to visit here.

4.  Amsterdam, Netherlands - Midnight Blue by Simone van der Vlugt - I more want to see the Netherlands in general but of course I would start with Amsterdam.

5.  Scotland - Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters - Scotland is so stunningly beautiful.  I'd love to explore it one day.

6.  Japan - We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida - The diversity of experiences in Japan is really interesting -  from stunning nature to Disneyland Tokyo and everything in between.  

7.  Ashland, Oregon - Sticks and Scones by Ellie Alexander - There's actually a cozy mystery festival in this small Oregon town.  I'd love to visit the Shakespeare Festival as well as see all the places that feature in this cozy mystery series.

8.  Newport, Rhode Island - Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell - I'd love to tour all the Gilded Age cottages in Newport (and revisit the Biltmore which is decidedly not in Newport but maybe I could take a detour on the way).

9.  Seoul, South Korea - Soyangri Book Kitchen by Kim Jee Hye - South Korea is just fascinating.  It's definitely a place I would love to visit.

10.  Ireland - Tara Road by Maeve Binchy - There are so many places I want to visit in Ireland I think I could easily stay there a month.

11. Iceland - Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson - Granted the book itself is a bit grim but Iceland is high on my list.

This could easily be a Top 100 list.  There are so many places I want to visit both in the US and outside it!

Not All Books Are Winners ...

And these two definitely weren't.  These were two books that I was really looking forward to reading and both just fell flat for me.  

Goodreads:  A Cruise to Die For by Heather Graham

Blurb:  Special Agent Chloe McMurray has been asked to do many things in the name of her job. Going undercover on a cruise ship leaving from her home port of Miami, however, is a new one. Not only that, but she’s tasked with posing as the wife of her federal counterpart, Special Agent Wesley Law.  Their investigation? A string of murders and suicides across three states that seem unrelated, until they uncover a deadly technological connection. Every victim was an expert in technology and had some connection to Milestones, a megacorporation with ties to many industries...including the cruise industry.
Chloe and Wesley must successfully go undercover as tech employees on the ship hosting the ten-year anniversary of the Milestones cruise company. A tough ask when the two have never met before. They’ll infiltrate the technology events, investigate their fellow passengers and try to uncover what’s really going on.
However, danger is never far behind. Their killer can use tech to do the job without lifting a finger, and at sea, there’s no escape if their covers are blown.

My Thoughts:  I really like Heather Graham's books generally.  They're not fine literature but they're usually fun popcorn reads with great settings and creepy mysteries.  I was excited about the cruise setting.  The mystery was intriguing and while the premise for getting the 2 agents on the ship was a bit of a stretch I was fine with it.  Unfortunately, when it came to the actual execution the book went off the rails.  I've read a number of previous books by Graham and it is hard to believe this was written by the same author who wrote the Krewe of Hunters series.  The repetition alone was hard to get through.  If one character said that the ship was nice than ALL the characters had to repeat that the ship was nice and this happened with every single comment.  Then for long periods of time nothing happened (except the food was great, the ship was nice, the main couple was so perfect, and weren't the classes fantastic repeated continuously).  Then suddenly they figured out who the bad guy was with no real clues or investigation.  There was also an excessive use of exclamation points to point it was distracting and I very rarely notice grammar issues.  I finished this one, but I probably wouldn't have if it wasn't a review book.  My Rating: Not For Me (1 Star)

Goodreads:  The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne by Summer N. England

Blurb:   All gardener Clara Thorne wants is to live "happily ever after" in her beloved town of Moss, magically growing herbs and vegetables and trying to write her book. But Fate has other plans when The Goddess unexpectedly bestows her with an impossible quest. Clara has one month to travel to the cursed and abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. If she fails, she will be banished.
Only Clara's magic doesn't work outside of Moss, a fact she has kept hidden for years. Worse, the Goddess has assigned the absurdly sexy, annoyingly cheerful Hesper Altanfall to keep her safe. All leather and crossbows, Hesper is as determined to protect Clara as she is full of secrets—but Clara would rather eat thorns than accept help. Nevertheless, the two can't help but grow closer as they make their way across enchanted woods, share one too many tavern beds, and work together to rebuild Dwindle one garden bed at a time.

Clara, however, refuses to give in to their blossoming romance. She’s had one too many losses, and Hesper might the one to break her beyond repair. But if Clara can find the key to opening her heart, she may just unearth the life and love she's always believed to be impossible.

My Thoughts:  This was a bit of a journey for me.  For the first 40% of the book, I was really not sure I would make it to the end.  Nothing happened except for Clara whining, sobbing, weeping, and being covered in a number of dreadful things - mud, snot, tears, water, blood at some point, etc.  Clara is probably one of my least favorite main characters ever.  She's unpleasant and stubborn to the point of TSTL.  Even when multiple people try to help her or are kind to her, she responds with either tears or rage.  After about 40% Clara and Hesper finally started on their journey and the book became more readable and less of a slog (except for Clara's character.  I was rooting for Hesper to drown her or leave her to the wolves). The last quarter of the book I actually enjoyed and while I wouldn't want to hang out with Clara I was no longer rooting for the demon wolves to take her out.  I did enjoy the side characters in the last half of the book as well as the story itself.  I would give the first half of the book 1 star and the second half 3 - 3.5 stars.  I'm curious to see what this author does next.  Based off the strength of the second half I'm curious to try another book by her.  My Rating: 2 Stars (Just Okay)

What I Read in a Month - March Reading

Monthly Reading Total: 18 - I did break my 20 books a month streak but I'm almost finished with 3 books so I think I'll hit it again for April.  March had a couple of books I really struggled to finish which definitely slowed me down.

Type:

Print: 8

Ebook: 5 

Audio: 5

Genre:

Mystery - 14

Fiction - 1

Romance - 2

Nonfiction: 1

Favorite Books of the Month:

Favorite Audio:  A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson - I love a thriller on audio and this was a really fun one.  It kept me hooked without crossing the line into too graphic because I'm kind of a wimp in that area.

Runner Up:  Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern - This was a completely different listen but it was one I really enjoyed as well.  

Favorite Read:  When in Rome by Sarah Adams - I was in the perfect mood for this romance and really look forward to revisiting the world of Rome, Kentucky.

Armchair Travel:

Domestic Travel:  I visited Kentucky, South Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Virginia and Massachusetts for the first time this year and revisited New York, Connecticut, and California (twice).

International Travel:  I did quite a lot of virtual international travel visiting 1930s Yugoslavia, Switzerland, France, and the southern Caribbean.  I also revisited England twice.

How was your reading in March?  Where did your books take you?

Friday Fives - April TBR

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. Since this is the first Friday in April, I'm planning my January TBR.  Here are 5 books I plan on reading in April. 

1.  Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutano - I love the Vera Wong series by this author and this one looks fantastic.

2.  Under the Stars by Beatriz Williams - This is on my priority list for this year.  I have a bit of a mixed history with this author but the premise of this one sounds really good.  

3.  Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery - This is an old favorite that I don't reread nearly enough.  I've been wanting to reread this for years and I'm looking forward to revisiting it this month.  

4.  A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey - I enjoy what I've read by this author and this is one I wanted to read as soon as it came out but for whatever reason never got to it.

5.  Alice With a Y by Anna James - This book's springy cover is just impossible to resist this April and I do enjoy a middle grade read.  

What are you hoping to read in April?