Moon Called review

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs is the first book in the Mercy Thompson series and I really enjoyed it.

The Mercy Thompson series is loosely connected to the Alpha and Omega series with crossover characters but I don't think you need to read the Alpha and Omega series to understand and enjoy the Mercy Thompson series.

Mercy, or Mercedes, is a coyote shifter and is fairly kick ass. She was raised with werewolves, not easy for a coyote shifter, and doesn't put up with much from anyone. She also runs a successful garage. Mercy also lives next to the local Alpha, Adam, who she enjoys annoying for being too controlling. But when Adam is attacked and his daughter kidnapped, Mercy takes charge and doesn't give much of a damn what the Pack thinks about it. Of course, there is the small problem of the wolf who broke her heart showing up but what's one more thing to deal with, really? :)

Briggs gives us a lot of different kinds of paranormal characters in the series beside shifters. There are also vampires, who are hidden from humanity like the shifters, and fae, who revealed themselves to humans with not so good consequences. She also builds an interesting world that is pretty much like our own but with these hidden communities of paranormals. It makes me wonder who the new neighbors might be!

If you enjoy a strong female lead and like a variety of paranormal characters, I recommend you check out Moon Called and the Mercy Thompson series.

Synopsis

Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water...

Undead Sublet reiew

Undead Sublet by Molly Harper is a novella in the anthology The Undead in My Bed and the first story I've read by Harper.

I found Undead Sublet to be both fun and funny although I felt the end was a little abrupt but that's often the problem with novellas. In Undead Sublet, we find that vampires are "out" - they are known to the human population with the expected mixed reactions.

Tess, the main character and a chef, goes a little crazy (literally) so she takes a vacation to a small town where her mentor lives. Upon arrival, she finds that there is a vampire in the basement of the house she has rented. I love that she's the kind of woman who isn't afraid to get into a prank war with a vampire :)

The secondary characters are great as well. Three women that Tess becomes friends with - Jane, Andrea, and Jolene - remind me of my closest friends. They accept her as she is but aren't afraid to call her on her craziness either.

All in all, a fun story and I'll be looking for more of Harper's work.

Synopsis

After overworked Chicago chef Tess flips out (can everyone hear that arugula talking, or is it just me?), she rents a quiet house in Half-Moon Hollow for a month of R & R. But when she finds the place occupied by a drop-dead gorgeous vampire, Tess’s tastes—for comfort food, for small Kentucky towns, and for her irresistible lover—become nearly insatiable!

Silence of the Library review

I received an ARC of The Silence of the Library by Miranda James in exchange for a review. The Silence of the Library is the fifth book in the Cat in the Stacks series and is pretty consistent with the previous books.

Beloved characters Charlie and Diesel find themselves entangled in yet another murder mystery when the Athena Public Library’s planned exhibit of children’s books for National Library Week - yes, that’s a real thing - leads to a murder. The plot is well-written and flows quite well. I enjoyed the interspersing of excerpts from a fictional children’s mystery book and the secondary characters have the same love of books that I do.

As for the mystery, unfortunately, it wasn’t very mysterious. I had figured out what was going on by the time I had read a third of the book. That didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of the book but if you are looking for a true mystery, this might not be for you. 

The things I’ve enjoyed the most about this series - wonderful main characters, colorful and entertaining secondary characters, solid police work by the local authorities, and book references galore - continue in The Silence of the Library making it a solid addition. 

Synopsis

Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows Charlie Harris, the librarian with a rescued Maine coon cat named Diesel. He’s returned to his hometown to immerse himself in books, but a celebrated author’s visit draws an unruly swarm of fanatic mystery buffs…and one devious killer.

It’s National Library Week, and the Athena Public Library is planning an exhibit to honor the centenary of famous novelist Electra Barnes Cartwright—creator of the beloved Veronica Thane series.

Charlie has a soft spot for Cartwright’s girl detective stories (not to mention an extensive collection of her books!). When the author agrees to make a rare public appearance, the news of her whereabouts goes viral overnight, and series devotees and book collectors converge on Athena.
After all, it’s rumored that Cartwright penned Veronica Thane stories that remain under wraps, and one rabid fan will stop at nothing—not even murder—to get hold of the rare books…

The Final Cut review

The Final Cut by Catherine Coulter and JT Ellison is the first book in the Brit in the FBI series. A globe hopping mystery, Coulter and Ellison give readers an interesting and entertaining story.

Murder, jewel theft, international diplomacy, and cops from multiple countries all come together in The Final Cut. A once in a lifetime exhibit at the Met in New York of the Crown Jewels from London leads to the murder of a Scotland Yard inspector. Was she a random victim? Was she killed because she knew something? Or was she a dirty cop? Nicholas Drummond, heir to a barony and a chief inspector in London, is determined to find out why his friend and colleague is dead and the FBI isn’t going to stop him.

Agent Michaela Caine, known as Mike, must solve the murder of a foreign cop and work with Nicholas despite her misgivings. When the murder case turns into a jewel theft investigation and more murders occur, the pieces start to fit together - only to fall apart again during the opening reception of the jewel exhibit.

The thief’s identity was pretty easy to figure out even before the reveal but the twisty turns of the various murders and the subsequent investigations, kept me guessing until the authors revealed the final piece. Starting in New York and then through the streets of Paris and the banks of Switzerland, The Final Cut is a wild ride that I couldn’t put down. 

Synopsis

Scotland Yard’s new chief inspector Nicholas Drummond is on the first flight to New York when he learns his colleague, Elaine York, the "minder" of the Crown Jewels for the "Jewel of the Lion" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was found murdered. Then the centerpiece of the exhibit, the infamous Koh-i-Noor Diamond, is stolen from the Queen Mother’s crown. Drummond, American-born but raised in the UK, is a dark, dangerous, fast-rising star in the Yard who never backs down. And this case is no exception.

Special Agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich from Coulter’s bestselling FBI series don’t hesitate to help Drummond find the cunning international thief known as the Fox. Nonstop action and high stakes intensify as the chase gets deadly. The Fox will stop at nothing to deliver the Koh-i-Noor to the man who believes in its deadly prophecy. Nicholas Drummond, along with his partner, FBI Special Agent Mike Caine, lay it on the line to retrieve the diamond for Queen and country.

Broken Music review

Broken Music by Marjorie Eccles is a murder mystery set in the aftermath of World War I Britain. It’s a cozy mystery but with the murder having taken place years in the past. Herbert Reardon, our detective, is determined to solve the murder despite its having been declared a suicide. 

Eccles does an excellent job of portraying the village and the era in Broken Music. It’s got a definite sense of place and time and is very vivid in that respect. I think fans of Downton Abbey would very much like Broken Music as it has the same sort of relationships portrayed as on the show. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy Broken Music very much for a couple of reasons. First, it jumps around in time a great deal and that is something that regular readers of this blog will know bothers me. I’m fine with the occasional flashback but I want stories to be told mostly in a linear fashion. Second, I didn’t really feel anything for any of the characters. I didn’t particularly like any of them or hate any of them. If I don’t feel deeply about the characters, then I’m not invested in the story. Third, I want a murder mystery to be a murder mystery and Broken Music is more of a solved cold case being re-investigated rather than a murder mystery to me. 

If you don’t mind jumping around in time and are a fan of Downton Abbey, Broken Music just might be for you.

Synopsis

The year is 1919 and the population of Great Britain is still struggling to its feet after being hit by the atrocities of the First World War. Progress is slow, even in quiet spots like the village of Broughton Underhill, on the edge of the Black Country. Gradually soldiers return, wounds begin to heal, and people try to move on with their lives. Former police sergeant Herbert Reardon has returned to the village, determined to solve an old murder--a woman was found drowned in the lake when the war was just beginning.

However, as Reardon begins to investigate, it becomes clear that secrets still abound and lips are staying sealed. When Edith Huckaby, a maid from Oaklands Park, is found murdered in exactly the same spot, Reardon is convinced that the two cases are linked. As he endeavors to discover the hidden truth, his suspects and witnesses are painstakingly trying to rebuild their lives, in a world that has been changed and scarred forever.

Broken Music is a masterful portrait of the horrors of the front line and the anxiety of the home front, as the loves and losses of wartime Britain are woven together and the truth slowly dawns on a local tragedy.

Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends review

I suspect that many, perhaps even most, romance readers are like me in that they got their start in the romance genre by reading fairy tales. In fact, my favorite fairy tales (the cleaned up, kid friendly versions my parents let me read and watch) were the ones with a paranormal element - think Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty - which explains a lot of my reading choices as an adult :)

These days I like my romantic heroine's to be a little less damsel in distress and a little more independent and kick ass - which is why I enjoyed Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale so much.

Featuring Raven Queen, the Evil Queen's daughter, as the protagonist and a storyline teaching kids that they don't have to follow the path the world sets for them, Ever After High was a fun, intelligent, and well paced book. Obviously geared toward children, Hale kept me entertained and interested through the whole book and did so with a great deal of humor. I particularly enjoyed Madeline Hatter, daughter of the Mad Hatter and her quirky yet pragmatic view of the world and the people in it.

Interesting questions arise from the story - Can the next Evil Queen really be friends with the next Snow White? What happens to Prince Charming's younger brother? Is your future set in stone or are you master of your own destiny? - blending life lessons and fairy tale enchantment in such a way that kids won't feel like they are "learning" but that adults will appreciate.

If you enjoy fairy tales or have kids who enjoy fairy tales, I highly recommend Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends.

Synopsis

At Ever After High, an enchanting boarding school, the children of fairytale legends prepare themselves to fulfill their destinies as the next generation of Snow Whites, Prince Charmings and Evil Queens...whether they want to or not. Each year on Legacy Day, students sign the Storybook of Legends to seal their scripted fates. For generations, the Village of Book End has whispered that refusing to sign means The End-both for a story and for a life.

As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven Queen's destiny is to follow in her mother's wicked footsteps, but evil is so not Raven's style. She's starting to wonder, what if she rewrote her own story? The royal Apple White, daughter of the Fairest of Them All, has a happy ever after planned for herself, but it depends upon Raven feeding her a poison apple in their future.

What if Raven doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends? It could mean a happily never after for them both.

Book, Line, and Sinker review

Book, Line, and Sinker by Jenn McKinlay, is the third book in the Library Lover's series. The first two books are Books Can Be Deceiving and Due or Die. I've been enjoying this cozy mystery series more with each book.

I didn't guess the murderer in Book, Line, and Sinker so it was a good mystery. I enjoyed the growth of the various secondary characters, especially Chief Daniels, and feel that McKinlay's strength lies in her ability to write wonderful characters outside the protagonist. The new characters were entertaining and the returning characters were as interesting as I remember them from the second book. The Crafternoon Club members are still tons of fun and I often find myself chuckling when they are featured.

The pacing and action is well done and the historical aspect of the murder is fleshed out without causing the story to bog down. I like that McKinlay rounded back to a historical Briar Creek mystery that was discussed earlier in the series and brought it to a close with the solving of the current day mystery. That kind of attention to detail from book to book makes for a wonderful reading experience.

Seeing Lindsey's growth in Briar Creek, especially when her ex-fiancee shows up, was really fun. I especially loved the Lindsey and Sully relationship - right up until Sully turned into an idiot male.

Overall, Book, Line, and Sinker is a solid addition to the series. For fans of cozy mysteries, I definitely recommend the Library Lover's series.

Synopsis

"Avast" in pirate speak means what?*

Answering tricky reference questions like this one provides plenty of excitement for library director Lindsey Norris. But when a shocking murder is committed in her cozy coastal town of Briar Creek, Connecticut, the question of who did it must be answered before an innocent man gets the book thrown at him...

Lindsey is enjoying her second year in Briar Creek as the library director, meeting with the crafternoon club, and happily dating tour boat captain Mike Sullivan. But when a salvage company arrives in town to dig up treasure buried on Pirate Island over three hundred years ago, the locals are torn between protecting the island and welcoming the publicity.   

In spite of the squabbling, Charlie Peyton, Lindsey’s downstairs neighbor, takes a job with the salvage company. But when Trudi Hargrave, the local tourism director who hired the company, is found murdered at the excavation site, Charlie becomes the chief suspect. To help him, Lindsey must do some digging of her own before the real killer buries the truth for good….

*Stop