Books from the Backlog - You'll Never Find Me

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:  You'll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan

Blurb:  Working alone as a private investigator is tough. Estranged from her PI family, Margo Angelhart does what she must to get by—including taking on sordid cases that pay the bills, even if she’d rather be helping those the justice system has failed.
That is, until a cheating husband case she’s working intersects with her siblings’ corporate espionage investigation, forcing Margo to cooperate with the Angelhart firm. Now, as the siblings compare notes, it’s clear they need to work together before a white-collar crime escalates to murder.

With far more questions than answers and a key suspect on the run, they’ll need the whole family to pitch in. But as they investigate the ever-twisting mystery, Margo isn’t sharing everything. Can she learn to trust her family and heal their once-close relationship before her secrets put those she loves most in danger?

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I've been wanting to read this author for awhile.  This is the first in a series and it looks intriguing.

A Body at the Book Fair - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  A Body at the Book Fair (A Secret Bookcase Mystery #6) by Ellie Alexander

Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  In the gripping conclusion to The Secret Bookcase series, Annie Murray races to untangle the ultimate plot twist…

Life is good for she’s found healing at the Secret Bookcase, her beloved Agatha Christie-themed mystery bookstore in the cozy town of Redwood Grove, and is on the brink of launching her very own detective agency. But she's still haunted by one unsolved the murder of her best friend Scarlet ten years ago.

When Annie heads to Santa Clara for their annual book fair, she’s looking forward to meeting fellow booklovers. And she’s also got a secret she’ll be close to Silicon Summit Partners, the powerful investment firm she just knows had a hand in Scarlet’s death. But when an industry colleague is murdered at the book fair, Annie is first on the scene to investigate. The suspect list reads like a book lover’s who’s a celebrity author with a suspicious agenda, a rival with a grudge, and even a kindly grandmother pursuing her lifelong dream of owning a bookstore.

With her fellow bookseller and crime-fighting partner Fletcher playing Watson to her Holmes, can Annie catch the killer before they strike again? And will it distract her from her mission to finally bring her best friend Scarlet’s murderer to justice?

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've read all the books in this series and enjoyed them so of course I had to pick up this final book!

My Impression:  This is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors and while this isn't my favorite series by her I have really enjoyed it.  I was excited to see this was the final book as that means we are getting answers to the mystery that has run through the previous 5 books in the series.  Annie has been so affected by the murder of her college roommate and best friend, Scarlet that I was so excited to see her get answers.  

Annie and her business partner and friend, Fletcher, are heading to a book fair as they are taking over The Secret Bookcase bookstore.  This isn't an element of the book business I know that much about so I was really curious to see more about that.  While I missed the community of Redwood Grove (and all the time spent in the fabulous bookstore) I did enjoy this field trip - especially since most of my favorite characters were there too.

I enjoyed this mystery and the time spent with the characters.  I enjoyed following along with Annie as she came face to face with the mystery that has haunted her for years.  It's not the most memorable mystery - except for the bookstore which is on my top 5 list of places I wish were real - but it is enjoyable with likable characters and a great setting.   While the series is ending I'm looking forward to seeing what the author does next in the world she's created.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  This is one of my favorite cozy authors and I'm looking forward to her next book.

Would I Recommend this Book?   If you enjoy cozy mysteries this is a good series to pick up though I recommend starting at the beginning.

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

Top Ten Tuesday - My Summer TBR

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 Summer TBR.  I love writing the seasonal TBRs even though I very rarely accomplish them all.  Here are 10 books I'm hoping to read this summer.

1.  Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell - I've really enjoyed other books by this author and this looks so creepy!

2.  A Moment's Shadow by Anna Lee Huber - The previous book in this series ended with a lot of unfinished business so I'm looking forward to seeing how everything plays out for the Kents.

3.  Something Whiskered by Miranda James - This is an enjoyable cozy mystery and there have been some big changes for the main character so I'm curious to see what happens next.

4.  For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews - I love this series and can't wait to see what hijinks and catastrophies are happening in Meg's world this time.

5.  The Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna - I loved the first book in this series and have been so looking forward to this one!

6.  Guess Again by Charlie Donlea - I've read two thrillers by this author in the last year or so and really enjoyed them.  I'm looking forward to reading this newest book.  

7.  The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander - This looks fun!  I've also really enjoyed previous books by this author so this looks like a good read with bookish elements.  

8.  Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell - I always look forward to a new Lisa Jewell book and this one sounds interesting.  

9.  The Lost Book of First Lovers by RaeAnne Thayne - I've had mixed results with Thayne's stand alones though I love her series books.  This one sounds really good and like one I'd really enjoy.

10. Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca - This is the second book in the Boneyard Key series.  I really enjoyed the first one and can't wait for this one - I just have to make it to September 9th!

What are you hoping to read this summer?

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau - Historical Fiction Review

Goodreads:  The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

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

Description:  Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance.

But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette’s four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane’s body was found floating in the Seine—but the bracelet was nowhere to be found.

Seventy years later, Colette—who has “redistributed” $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations—has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time—and who owns it now—she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn’t the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she’s forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.

Genre:  Fiction - Historical 

Why I Picked This Book:   I have been wanting to read something by this author for quite some time and this one really caught my eye.

My Impression:  Oh, this one broke my heart time and time again.  From a number of events that happened during the war to missed opportunities and secrets held for too long during the present day storyline there were several times I had to pause for a minute.   Colette's background is tragic and infuriating and it makes her focus understandable.  I loved her devotion to her goddaughter, Aviva, and her friendship with Max.   I also really liked Aviva and her desire to help this woman who has been a constant safe harbor in her life even if she's shocked with everything that gets revealed.

After a somewhat slow beginning I was really pulled into the story, and it was one I thought about even if I wasn't reading.   I've read a number of World War II historical fiction but this book had a different angle as it touches on the French Resistance in a very direct way.  As well, the main characters are Jewish but their friendship with a Jewish family is a focal point.   The 1940s timeline did drag at times as I found myself more interested in the search for the truth and the question of how does one find the truth when the records are gone and the memories of those left are quickly fading.

Colette drove me crazy at times.  For her background and training she is impetuous and impatient at times when it is most important for her to be measured and careful.  That and the somewhat slow beginning kept this from being a full 5 star book though I did really enjoy it.   This is the first book I've read by this author and I'm looking forward to reading more by her.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. 

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy historical fiction I think you would really enjoy this one.

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

This Week in Reading - June 15

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:

Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell - I'm so excited about this one.  It looks gorgeously creepy. (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  A Body at the Bookfair by Ellie Alexander and Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Listening:  The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

We finally had some sun!  I went over to a friend's house for a pool day and apparently wasn't as vigilant with the sunscreen as I should have been so I got a bit scorched.  Now it's raining again and is supposed to do so for the next few days.  

Have a great week and happy reading!

Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

 

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2025.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

Blurb:  Down-on-her-luck Lori Shepherd thought Aunt Dimity was a pretend character in her mother's bedtime stories ... until the Dickensian law firm of Willis & Willis offers the possibility of large inheritance -- if she can discover the secret hidden in letters between Dimity and her mother.

My Thoughts:  The premise of this one is absolutely bonkers but in a fun cozy way.  Lori is not quite at rock bottom but not doing well when she receives an inheritance - from a person she thought was fictional.   Lori took some getting used to before I warmed up to her and even then she's not someone I feel like I'd need to be friends with.  Life hasn't exactly been kind to her and she does seem to stumble from one struggle to another.  That is until Willis and Willis come into her life and she soon finds herself in a picturesque cottage in an English village.  The plot doesn't make the most sense but it does provide a tool for Lori to learn more about those who are important to her.  Overall, I really enjoyed this read.  It was a bit unusual but with lots of good characters, a ghost with an interesting way of communicating, and a lovely setting.  This series has been on my radar for decades but I never really read any of the books.  It was so fun to pick this one up and I'm looking forward to reading more of Aunt Dimity's adventures.  My Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Friday Fives - Five Cozies that Take Place in Summer

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.   My reading tastes have moved a bit away from my usual cozy mysteries and I've found myself reading more fiction but I miss my cozies at times!   Since summer is starting to show up here - I picked a few cherry tomatoes this week and the temps are firmly in the 90s - I'm picking 5 cozies that are set during summer that I'm looking forward to reading.

1.  Steamed Open by Barbara Ross - I've read and really enjoyed this series set on the coast in Maine and am looking forward to reading this one set in the sumer.

2.  Magic and Macaroons by Bailey Cates - I've enjoyed the beginning books in this series and this is next up so I'll have to pick it up soon.

3.  Partners in Lime by Bree Baker - I've heard great things about this series and this is such a summery cover.

4.  Sour Crime Donuts by Ginger Bolton - This doesn't come out until later this summer but I've really enjoyed this series - even if it makes me want to eat all the donuts.

5.  Live and Let Fly by Clover Tate - I picked up the whole series involving a kite shop at a used bookstore and this looks so wonderful and summer-y.

Do you have any summery reads on your TBR?  Have you read any good cozies lately?