Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Randomly Grabbed Off My Shelves

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 I Randomly Grabbed Off My Shelves.  I used a random number generator to make it as random as I could!

1.  Tempest in the Tea Leaves by Kari Lee Townsend - I haven't read this one but I love the sound of a cozy mystery involving a fortune teller.

2.  Read to Death by Terrie Farley Moran - I've read one book in this series and really enjoyed it.  I bought the rest of the series and am looking forward to picking these up at some point.

3.  Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - I've read this one several times and always enjoy it.  

4.  Curtain by Agatha Christie - This is the final Hercule Poirot and while I know so many people love this one it is not one of my favorites though it is a very clever mystery.

5. Double Whammy by Gretchen Archer - I read this cozy mystery that takes place in a casino ages ago and while I don't remember much I do remember enjoying it.  

6.  Postcards from a Stranger by Imogen Clark - I had seen several good reviews for this author from my friend Tina over at Squirrel Head Manor and picked this one up when I saw it at a used bookstore.  Unfortunately, I still haven't read it yet.

7.  Smoke and Mirrors by Barbara Michaels - This is on my Keeper Shelf and I just recently reread it and really enjoyed it.

8.  The Toymaker's Apprentice by Sherri L. Smith - This a Middle Grade retelling of The Nutcracker.  I read about a third of it several years ago and really enjoyed it but got pulled away by review books and just haven't gone back to it.

9.  Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie - Back to the Christie shelf!  I really like this one though I don't remember much about it between rereads.

10. Rome in Love by Anita Hughes - This is an ARC that I read several years ago when it first came out and remember enjoying it.

Have you read any of these?  

The Bride Wore White - Historical Romantic Suspense Review

 Goodreads:  The Bride Wore White (Burning Cove #7) by Amanda Quick

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description: Being Madame Ariadne, Psychic Dream Consultant, wasn’t Prudence Ryland’s ideal gig, but it paid well which was reason enough to do the work—until she realizes that her latest client intends to kill her. But Prudence, a master at reinvention, finds a new job and home as far away as possible and is finally able to relax—which turns out to be a big mistake. Letting her guard down means being kidnapped and drugged and waking up in a bloodstained wedding dress in the honeymoon suite next to a dead man. With the press outside the hotel, waiting with their cameras and police sirens in the distance, it’s obvious she’s being framed for the man’s murder. Prudence knows who is responsible, but will anyone believe her?

It doesn’t seem likely that rumored crime boss Luther Pell or his associate, Jack Wingate, believe her seemingly outrageous claims of being a target of a ruthless vendetta. In fact, Prudence is convinced that the mysterious Mr. Wingate believes her to be a fraud at best, and at worst: a murderer. And Jack Wingate does seem to be someone intimately familiar with violence, if going by his scarred face and grim expression. So no one is more shocked than Prudence when Jack says he’ll help her. Of course, his ideas for helping her involve using her as the bait for a killer, but Prudence feels oddly safe with Jack protecting her. But who will protect Prudence from her growing fascination with this enigma of a man?

Genre:  Romantic Suspense - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:   I have really enjoyed the previous books in this series and I couldn't resist the cover of this one.

My Impression:  This is such a fun series and this one was no exception.  Prudence is a psychic turned researcher who finds herself in the middle of a messy situation where she could be on the hook for a murder she didn't commit.  Thankfully, her friend Maggie was the main character in the previous book and puts her in touch with Luther Pell to get everything sorted out.

I loved Prudence and Jack.  Jack struggles with emotions and leans heavily into analytics and numbers.  Prudence prefers her life as a researcher to her past as a psychic but doesn't feel ashamed of any aspect of her life.  She's practical and resourceful and while she needs help she doesn't really need to be rescued.

This wasn't the most unpredictable book I've read but I enjoyed the read and being back in 1930s Burning Cove enough that it didn't bother me in the slightest.  This is a fun read and a lovely bit of escapism that kept me pulled in and turning pages.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Of course!  I'll read anything by this author and now want to read more of The Arcane Society books.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy romantic suspense and love a 1930s setting this series is so much fun.

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

This Week in Reading - April 30

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:

A Fatal Groove by Olivia Blacke - I really enjoyed the first book in this cozy mystery series involving a family owned record store and can't wait to read the second book.  (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry and Born in Shame by Nora Roberts

Listening:  The Ghost and Mrs. Jeffries by Emily Brightwell

I'm still very slowly recovering from an upper respiratory infection which is driving me slightly crazy.  My energy level is still on the low side and I still sound like I could cough up a lung at any moment but I'm slowly feeling better.  I was able to get back to my dog classes this week which was lots of fun.  I did skip agility because that involves running and I just didn't quite feel up to it but this week I'm going to give it a try.

Tomorrow is the beginning of my birthday month which has kind of snuck up on me.  I normally celebrate the entire month but I haven't made any plans so far!  I need to figure out what to buy and things to do!

Have a great week and happy reading!

Spider's Web - Classic Mystery Review

 Goodreads:  Spider's Web by Agatha Christie and Adapted by Charles Osborne

Rating:  Liked It (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is given to daydreaming. ‘Supposing I were to come down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?’ she muses. Clarissa has her chance to find out when she discovers a body in the drawing-room of her house in Kent.

Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician, Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police inspector that there has been no murder at all.

Genre: Mystery - Classic

My Impression: This is the last of the 3 plays written by Agatha Christie adapted into novel form by Charles Osborne.  As usual while it is very readable and has a good flow I could definitely tell it had originally been in play form.  This is both good and bad as there are times it felt like I was reading stage directions but it also made it very easily to visualize how the action plays out.  

Clarissa is an entertaining main character  She loves jokes and pranks but at the core is a kind and loving woman.  I loved her relationship with her stepdaughter Pippa and I loved her frustration over when she told the truth she couldn't get anyone to believe her.  

The mystery is interesting but definitely not as well done and detailed as her actual novels.  This is a fun treat for Christie fans but maybe not the best choice for someone new to Christie's mysteries.  It does make me want to see more Agatha Christie plays!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Yes.  While this wasn't my favorite I would definitely read more of this combination of authors.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you are a Christie fan this is a fun way to get another Christie story but if you are new to her mysteries start with one of her many excellent novels.

Friday Fives - Five Things I Think About When I Think About Spring

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.  Spring has fully arrived here where I live with temperatures well into the 80s but the humidity is fairly low so it feels like spring here.  Here are 5 things that I think about when I think about spring.

1.  Flowers!  Especially daffodils and tulips.  They're my favorite.  I love when everything starts getting green again and start blooming.

2.  Allergies - Because of everything getting green again and starting to bloom it means my allergies to outside stuff makes my regular allergies much much worse.

3.  Stormy weather - Season change here means lots of storms and the occasional tornado.  So far this year has been pretty mild weather wise with just lots of rain so hopefully it'll stay that way.

4.  Easter candy - I have a weakness for caramel Cadbury eggs.  I like the other kinds but the caramel is by far my favorite.  And the Reeses eggs are pretty good too.  I get so excited when I see Easter candy starting to show up on store shelves.

5.  Sleepiness - Between allergies, allergy medicine, and the whole Daylight Savings spring forward nonsense where we lose an hour of sleep I am a zombie for the bulk of spring.  Daylight Savings really kills me.  I love when we gain an hour in fall but this losing an hour thing is not my favorite.

Books from the Backlog - The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables

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 Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables by Catherine Reid

Blurb:  Anne of Green Gables is a worldwide phenomenon that has sold over fifty million copies and inspired numerous films, plays, musicals, and television series. It has turned Prince Edward Island into a multimillion-dollar tourist destination visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year. In The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables, Catherine Reid reveals how Lucy Maud Montgomery’s deep connection to the landscape inspired her to write Anne of Green Gables. From the Lake of Shining Waters and the Haunted Wood to Lover’s Lane, readers will be immersed in the real places immortalized in the novel. Using Montgomery’s journals, archives, and scrapbooks, Reid explores the many similarities between Montgomery and her unforgettable heroine, Anne Shirley. The lush package includes Montgomery’s hand-colorized photographs, the illustrations originally used in Anne of Green Gables, and contemporary and historical photography.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  Anne is one of my favorite books and this will be a pleasure to read thru but for some reason I haven't even opened it and I've had it for a ridiculous amount of time.

Murder on Bedford Street - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads: Murder on Bedford Street (Gaslight Mystery #26) by Victoria Thompson

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

Description:  Hugh Breedlove is far from the most agreeable client private investigator Frank Malloy has ever had, but his case is impossible to refuse: his young niece, Julia, has been wrongfully committed to an insane asylum by her cruel and unfaithful husband, Chet Longly. Though Breedlove and his wife seem more interested in protecting the family reputation than their niece’s safety, Frank and Sarah agree to help for the sake of Julia and the young son she left behind.

Frank and Sarah’s investigation reveals a dark secret—a maid at the Longly home died suspiciously under Chet’s watch, and now it seems Julia’s son might also be in danger. The Malloys fear they are dealing with a man more dangerous than they had anticipated, one who will do anything to defame his wife. But all is not as it seems in the Longly family, and perhaps another monster is hiding in plain sight....

Genre: Mystery - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoy this series so of course I had to pick this one up!

My Impression:  This is one of my favorite series for a very good reason.  Right from the start I was pulled in and the scene where Sarah explains how a sane woman could end up incarcerated into an asylum gave me absolute chills.   

The mystery in this book isn't so much a whodunnit but more of a digging into secrets and motivations and separating fact from rumor.  Maeve takes a starring role here and definitely proves herself  as being able to take care of herself and a capable investigator.  I changed my mind about a dozen times as to just what was going on and couldn't wait to watch Frank, Sarah, Gino, and Maeve get it all sorted out.

I love seeing Sarah's parents.   Not only are they incredibly helpful in investigations but I love how much their grandchildren.  As well I also enjoyed seeing Sarah step into her midwife profession again.  While that is a huge aspect of who Sarah is it frequently falls by the wayside of murder investigations.  

This is a solid read with characters you can't help but connect with and an interesting mystery involving sorting truth from lies and good from evil.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Definitely!  I will always grab the next book in the series and am looking forward to going back to the start and reading the earlier books I've missed.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy historical mysteries this is a series you shouldn't miss!

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