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

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  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.  Beyond a Reasonable Stout (Sloan Kraus #3) by Ellie Alexander - I love this series and thoroughly enjoyed this latest entry in this series set in a microbrewery in Leavenworth, Washington.  This time unofficial town mascot April is a suspect in the murder of an unpopular local politician and demanding that Sloan help prove her innocence.  I really enjoyed watching Sloan work on figuring just who the murderer is along with running the brewery and running her life in general.  There's some progress in an intriguing series arc that I can't wait to see play out more.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4 Stars)

2.  Bookman Dead Style (Dangerous Type Mystery #2) by Paige Shelton - I have enjoyed the 1st and 3rd book in this series but somehow missed the 2nd book in this Utah based cozy series set around Clare and Chester, the owners of a typewriter repair shop called The Rescued Word.  This mystery focused on the film festival celebrity world as celebrities flock to this Utah town and one of the most well known stars is arrested for murder - right after buying personalized notecards at Clare's shop.  Clare is drawn into the investigation much to the annoyance of her best friend Josie, one of the town's police officers.  I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and seeing more of Clare, her grandfather Chester and the rest of the characters in this series.  The mystery kept me guessing and I liked the little side mystery as well.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4 Stars)

3.  Killer Keepsake (Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery #4) by Jane K. Cleland - From the beginning of the series Josie's assistant Gretchen has been a solid steady part of Prescott Antiques.  She's likable and good support for Josie but she was always close mouthed about her past.  After this book that's no longer the case.  Gretchen has more than a few skeletons in her closet and with her sudden disappearance Josie has to figure out what they are.  This was probably my favorite book of the series so far.   It was fast paced and kept me hooked as Josie worked to solve a current day murder mystery and figure out just how the murder was connected to Gretchen's past secrets.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)

4.  Verse and Vengeance (Magical Bookshop Mystery #4) by Amanda Flower - I like this series.  Violet is a fun main character and I love her little tuxedo cat Emmerson and the crow Faulkner.  There's a good group of side characters and I love the premise of the magical bookstore - even when it misbehaves by giving the new store assistant, Richard, every book he could possibly dream of having.  There is also some progress in Violet's personal life which I appreciated.  While I did enjoy this mystery it wasn't the most memorable of reads as it's been a week or two since I finished it and I remember very little of what happened.  That said it was fun and entertaining and I will be picking up the next book in the series.  My Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)

5.  This Old Homicide (Fixer-Upper Mystery #2) by Kate Carlisle - This is the 2nd book in the home renovation mystery series featuring  contractor Shannon Hammer who specializes in restoring old houses in the community of Lighthouse Cove.  I love the community feel of the series as Shannon has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances as well as the beginning of a romance with thriller writer Mac.  Unfortunately, Shannon loses one important member of her world when her neighbor Jesse is found dead on his couch.  It quickly becomes apparent that Jesse's death is not from natural causes and Shannon and her friends scramble to determine which one of Jesse's tall tales was the truth.  The mystery of Jesse's death was an interesting one and well wrapped up and I enjoyed getting to the bottom of it.  There's a bit of a side mystery involving the renovation of Shannon's friend Emily's house that I'm hoping will be at least a side plot in the next book as it felt a bit rushed and wasn't as resolved as I would have liked it to be.  I have enjoyed all the books in the series that I have read and really enjoy the contracting and home renovation aspects of the book.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

Books from the Backlog - The Shadow of the Wind

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:  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Blurb:  Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals from its war wounds, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax's books in existence. Soon Daniel's seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona's darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I know so many people who absolutely loved this book.  My mother loved it so much she bought me a copy and it still sits on my shelf.

A Sinister Revenge - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads:  A Sinister Revenge (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery #8) by Deanna Raybourn

Rating:  Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Veronica must find and stop a devious killer when a group of old friends is targeted for death in this new adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica’s natural-historian beau, Stoker, has been away in Bavaria for months and their relationship is at an impasse. But when Veronica shows up before him with his brother, Tiberius, Lord Templeton-Vane, he is lured back home by an intriguing job offer: preparing an iguanodon for a very special dinner party.

Tiberius has received a cryptic message—along with the obituaries of two recently deceased members of his old group of friends, the Seven Sinners—that he too should get his affairs in order. Realizing he is in grave danger but not knowing why, he plans a reunion party for the remaining Sinners at his family estate to lure the killer out while Veronica and Stoker investigate.

As the guests arrive and settle in, the evening’s events turn deadly. More clues come to light, leading Veronica, Stoker, and Tiberius to uncover a shared past among the Sinners that has led to the fatal present. But the truth might be far more sinister than what they were prepared for.

Genre:  Mystery - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:  I have really enjoyed this series and the previous book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger for Stoker and Veronica.

My Impression:  Oh I so enjoyed this book!  This series has long been a favorite of mine but the previous book was a little flat though it did have Stoker and Veronica heading into new territory with their relationship.

From the very beginning I was pulled into this story.  I loved seeing the new dynamic between Veronica and Stoker. As well, I enjoyed seeing the Templeton-Vane family home and seeing more of the relationship between the brothers and seeing Tiberius as a young man.  

The mystery hooked me at the beginning of the story and kept me guessing from start to finish.  I did guess one tiny aspect but the rest had me questioning the whos and the whys.  

This may be one of my favorites of the series so far.  I felt like I learned more about Veronica and Stoker and his brothers than I had in the previous books but at the same time it never got in the way of the plot.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  I have enjoyed every book I've read by this author.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would definitely recommend this author and this series.  This is a series best read in order so I don't think I would recommend starting with this book.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Ten New Releases I Want to Read

I am absolutely terrible about keeping up with new releases but I was procrastinating about being productive and ended up scrolling through new releases on Goodreads and now I want to read pretty much all of them.  Here are ten I'm especially looking forward to reading.

1.  Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig - I just read and enjoyed a book by this author and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.  

2.  The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis - I really enjoyed a biography by Loftis that I read last year and I'm so intrigued to see that he has a biography on Corrie Ten Boom coming out .  The Hiding Place is a book I got so much out of and I'm looking forward to reading more about this remarkable woman.

3. Homecoming by Kate Morton - This is another favorite author and one that I'm so excited to see that she has a book coming out soon.  My main debate is if I want to get it in audio or print format.

4.  The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak - I'm a bit hit or miss with this author but I have really enjoyed her more fiction type books involving women who are held together by some kind of bond - either of family or friendship.  Plus how can I resist that title?

5.  Deep Tide by Laura Griffin - It's been awhile since I've read anything by this author and I really love romantic suspense so I need to pick up more of her books.

6.  Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson - I absolutely love this series and am so excited to read the next book.

7.  Shadow of Death by Heather Graham - I really loved the first book in this series about FDLE agent Amy Larson and FBI agent Hunter Forrest but was kind of meh about the second book.  I'm hoping the third book redeems the series and am looking forward to it.

8.  Identity by Nora Roberts - Roberts seems to do one romantic suspense title a year and I didn't love last year's book but this one looks really intriguing so I'm super excited to pick it up.

9.  Atlas by Lucinda Riley - I am beyond excited about this one.  I've loved the Seven Sisters series and can't wait read Pa Salt's story even if it was fully written by Riley.

10.  Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay - I love McKinlay's cozy mysteries but haven't read much of her fiction or romances.  This is about a bookworm looking for his unknown father and a non-reader chef .

Are any of these are your TBR?  What new releases are you looking forward to?

What I'm Reading Today - March 6

 

It is most definitely a Monday and I'm as tired as Rover is after a playdate on a sunny day.  Today I'm linking up with Kathryn over at Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?  Here's what I'm reading today:

Withering Heights by Dorothy Cannell - Not sure how I'm feeling about this one.  The writing style is pretty well paced but the main character is kind of annoying me.

Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas - So far so good but I'm not surprised as this series is pretty solid.

Strike Out 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton - So fun!  And also not a surprise as I've enjoyed every book in this series so far.

And I just started listening to:

Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart - I just started this one so I don't really have an opinion of it yet but I've enjoyed everything I've read by this author so far.

What are you reading today?

My Week in Reading - March 5

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Last week I didn't get any books.  This week more than made up for that and I'm not thinking about the Book Outlet order that is currently out for delivery!  That's a problem for next week's me.

A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly - I absolutely loved a pervious book by this author and this looks fascinating.

Strike Out 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton - I love this cozy series and have already started it.  Annoyingly, it is not listed anywhere on Goodreads yet.

Fiddling with Fate by Diane Kelly - Love this series set in Chattanooga about a moonshine store.  Can't wait to see what trouble the main character gets into next.

Digging Up Daisy by Sherry Lynn - This is the first book in a new cozy series and it sounds really fun.

Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson - I love this historical mystery series and always look forward to the new books.

Who Cries for the Lost by C.S. Harris - Ditto above

A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas - also ditto above

Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin - I really got a lot out of The Happiness Project by this author so I'm curious to see what information this one holds.

The Last Drop of Hemlock by Katharine Schellman - I have really enjoyed another series by this author and am curious to try this one.  

Birder, She Wrote by Donna Andrews - This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and even if it wasn't how could I resist that title!

Identity by Nora Roberts - I may have done a bit of a happy dance featuring jazz hands when this one arrived.  I love Nora Roberts' romantic suspense books and have really high hopes for this one.

This looks even more daunting when listed out!  These are all for review from the publishers.

Currently:

Reading:  First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen and Strike Out 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton

Listening:  The Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart

This was a good week.  Will was feeling pretty good other than a bit of pain in his feet and hands.  This is an expected side effect from 2.5 years of chemo but is getting better and is expected to go away completely in a few months.  I'm feeling almost back to normal after covid except for still having a bit of a cough.  We got several days of school in and it's been very encouraging to feel like we are very slowly starting to find our footing and our routine again.  The focus for the remainder of the school year is to settle into a routine, build his stamina and attention span back up and start making progress on getting caught up.  He will also still be taking a lab science with a local group.  

This week was the last week of puppy class which made me a sad.  I always love all the puppies but there were several in this class that I really fell in love with.  Luckily we will have a new group in a few weeks.  Rover and I are finished with scent work until April but will start an Agility fundamentals class in the next few weeks along with still taking Rally.  He's doing great in Rally and I think we will be ready for a trial in the next couple of months but I'm a little worried about how he'll do in Agility.  We both have a lot to learn!  

Have a great week and happy reading!

Reading Recap - February 2023

Monthly Total: 17 - Definitely not my best month but being sick and then having my son sick really slowed me down.

Monthly Breakdown: 

Print: 6

Ebook: 5

Audio:  6

Mystery:  8

Fiction:  4

Nonfiction: 1

Romance: 4

Favorite Book of the Month:

Unearthing the Secret Garden by Marta BcDowell - This was just a joy of a reading experience  - and it made me want to reread The Secret Garden.  Apparently, the author has other books that take a look at other children's books and I'm really looking forward to picking up another book by her.

I also really loved all the mysteries I read this month with my favorites being:

A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn

Killer Keepsake by Jane K. Cleland (this series is normally a solid 3.5 stars but this one was a lot of fun and I flew through it)

Wined and Dined in New Orleans by Ellen Byron (I had been a bit meh about the first book but thoroughly enjoyed this second book)

Least Favorite Book of the Month:

I did have a DNF this month but in terms of least favorite books I read it has to be Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries.  It wasn't bad but it didn't wow me as much I was expecting.

Where My Reading Took Me This Month:

Domestic Travel:

I visited New Hampshire, Louisiana, Maryland,  New Mexico,  and Tennessee 

and revisited California and New York

International Travel:

 

I went to England multiple times this month (in multiple time periods) but no other countries

Where did your reading take you this month?