pickLove me some Ruby Vaughn. 🧡
My review on this one is rather long (it‘s a definite 5⭐️ for me), so if you‘re interested, here‘s the GR link:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6562240496
And I‘d recommend starting with its predecessor The Curse of Penryth Hall to get the full effect. 😉
so-soThis debut suspense novel is the story of a group of folks stranded on Trouble Island, a stop-off place for prohibition criminals between Canada and the US (Lake Erie). Pretty much all of them are keeping secrets and are morally gray characters with plenty of double-crossing going on. The story is told through the eyes of Aurelia Escalante, the maid to the wife of the powerful criminal prohibition gangster Eddie McGee, who has been basically 🔻
pickI really enjoyed the first in series, and I must say that I think this one was even better. I think often the first book in establishing a series can be a bit tedious with all the details, backstories, etc. But both books have been entertaining and engrossing and not the least bit tedious. This finds Catriona struggling as she has lost her reporter job and is coming to terms with her new engagement. She throws herself into charitable work 🔻
pickI was happy to discover this debut author‘s first in series historical mystery set in London. I was so happy with it that I went ahead and read the next book immediately after. Catriona Winters is a young woman working at her father‘s newspaper who struggles to be taken seriously and treated with respect in her field of journalism. She‘s a bit on the rebellious side (which will eventually lead to her banishment from the office) and 🔻
pickSo happy to have discovered this mystery series set in 1815 London. It‘s fun (with a smart, unabashedly original and funny heroine), has great storylines so far and introduces Lady Petra, a confident and courageous young woman for her time.
Lady Petra shockingly discovers that her current paramour Duncan Shawcross might have murdered her fiancé three years earlier. She‘s also tasked by Queen Charlotte with an undercover assignment into a death ?
pickSecond in the Dr. Julia Lewis mystery series set in the Victorian era, and I‘m still enjoying Dr. Julia‘s strength and determination in forging inroads as Scotland Yard‘s first female medical examiner. She is supported by the intelligent and upstanding Detective Inspector Richard Tennant. Love them both and how they complement each other in their jobs.
This mystery involves the art world, specifically a group of female artists and artist 🔻
pickAnother good outing for American heiress Stella and her new husband Lyndy as they journey to visit some of Stella‘s never-before-met relatives and also attend a prestigious golf tournament. With unexpected guests, murderous deeds (there is some offscreen sexual abuse as well), and Lyndy‘s perceived guilt there‘s a lot going on. Definitely more sad parts than usual but well crafted and an enjoyable read. 4.25/5⭐️
pickWhen I began this book, I had not done any research on it and did not know that it was a "cozy". I'm glad that I did not as that might have put me off reading it (I'm not a big cozy fan).
Alice Beeton (50+), as the owner of the Good Household Management Agency and descendant of the famous authoress Mrs. Beeton (The Book of Household Management) discreetly meets the needs for top household staff for the rich and influential. She is normally very?
pickI'm always excited when another book releases in the Gilded Age mystery series, and as usual, this one doesn't disappoint.
Prudence is called upon by a friend to help protect her cousin's rights as a playwright for the authorship of a play that promises to be big at the box office. However, when murders begin racking up connected to the play, both ladies go undercover to try and flush out the dastardly villain(s). With their lives in peril, 🔻
pickI‘m enjoying this series more and more as I go along. Another good outing here with industrial espionage/theft in the forefront. 4.5/5⭐️
pickAnother good entry. The plot got a little convoluted at times, but I enjoyed it just the same. 4.25/5⭐️
pickBest of series to date. A bit gruesome and a good plot line.
Keep them coming. 4.25/5⭐️
pickA novella adding more nuance and depth to Cassia and Leonidas‘ relationship.
Plan to continue with the series as I‘m getting more invested. 4/5⭐️
pickFirst in series. The writing seemed a little simplistic, but overall it was an OK read. 3.75/5⭐️
pickA delightful novella in the time travel series, I really enjoyed this one set around Mallory's first Christmas in Victorian Edinburgh and showcasing Duncan's former love, Lady Inglis. Mallory and Duncan are asked to uncover the identity of a blackmailer and recover risqué love letters between Lady Inglis and a friend with benefits. The villain wants a payoff, or the letters will be released to the press. I loved that this storyline was a bit ?
pickI enjoyed this adventure in Romansy.
Strong heroine, a bit of an arrogant (but sweet) hero, deadly monsters, great banter, and oh yeah, dragons (although I think we‘ll see more of them in the next book).
Just a heads up, there is physical, mental and emotional abuse for the heroine to endure at a young age.
Looking forward to the next outing. 4/5⭐️
pickI am still enjoying this series and plan to continue with it as it goes along. I especially enjoyed the plotline in this one, very twisty and turny and tension filled. As in the previous outing, I still wished for more fleshing out of the heroine, Gemma, but I'm becoming more and more excited and intrigued by how Gemma and Sebastian's relationship will continue to bloom. They are both empathetic and good-hearted characters and are easy to 🔻
pickThis book was exciting, romantic and adventurous with the heroine Nieve definitely one to root for.
The story revolves around Nieve, a member of the Talin race who are hidden mages who harness the power of their Ocean deity. She is an outcast as she is the only member of her village without powers. As the Ocean's powers begin to wane, the Talin's struggle with a dying environment (food shortages, etc.), and Nieve, in order to prove herself 🔻
pickAnother long review, another 5⭐️…I could get used to this. 😂
If interested, here‘s my GR review link.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6873656041
pickAnd yes, she does it once again. Long proves why she‘s my number one pick in historical romance.
My review is EXTREMELY long (see what I did there? LOL), so I‘ll post my GR review link here if anyone‘s interested.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6925145266
Here‘s my #BookSpin / #DoubleSpin list for November….guess I need to start my Christmas shopping. 🤣🤣😳😳
Thanks, Sarah! 💚
I had a bit of a mixed bag with #BookSpin / #DoubleSpin and #ReadYourKindle this month.
FI - DNF
AMMFM - 4.25/5⭐️
MS - 3.75/5⭐️
TBOBL - DNF
S&B - 4.25/5⭐️
REPOST for @LitsyBirthdays :
With Halloween fast approaching, here's the list of our November Birthday Littens.
Would you like to have #BirthdayLove sprinkled on your special day? Contact the #BirthdayFaries via litsybirthdays@gmail.com, send us your birthday and Litsy handle and we'll add you to the calendar.
🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈
pickI liked the premise of this book set in Regency England...original, spooky, kind of Gothic...also included great atmospheric world-building. There are also some false herrings thrown in to muddy the waters between the "good guys" and the villains...some surprised me, some I saw coming.
There were parts of the book that dragged a little for me...not a lot going on. And I must admit to some frustration and disappointment with how the main ?
pickIn this second outing of the Evelyne Redfern series, Evelyne takes on her first official assignment following her spy craft training to assist her country during WWII. She is tasked with investigating the efficacy of security measures at a weapons testing facility in rural Sussex, but ends up being plunged into a double murder investigation along with her handler/partner David Poole. I am continuing to enjoy this series, especially the 🔻
pickI'm really enjoying the Kate Shugak series, so I thought I'd give this one a try.
While I'm sure it's not fair to compare the two series, I must admit that I would give the Shugak series the edge. While this first in series was fine, I did not connect as well with the main lead. I found Liam Campbell's a bit naive, a bit immature for his age and just a bit unlikable at times. All of that said, I would be willing to give the second
pickThis installment had me laughing out loud for a good chunk of the story.
Kate finds herself working as a roustabout for an oil company in AK. As much as she‘s conflicted about the environmental issues, she can‘t walk away from the money offered to shut down a drug ring that‘s causing havoc and even death. After she arrives she also discovers artifacts are being stolen and sold for an exorbitant profit. She finds herself unexpectedly enjoying 🔻
pickI‘ve had some longer reviews lately so rather than post ad nauseam here 🤣 I‘m just going to leave my GR link if you‘re interested.
4.5/5⭐️
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6908581263
pickI absolutely loved this novella in the Molly the Maid series...every single thing about it.
I love that it's centered around Christmas. I love that we get to see more of Molly as a child with her beloved gran, their traditions and their heartfelt moments. I love, love, love Juan Manuel in this one as we get to see more of his love and devotion to Molly. And I love that we don't have to contend with murder during ⬇️
pickThis felt like a supernatural, almost Gothic-like thriller.
This is a dual timeline story stretching from the main character's teenage years to current day (my preference being the younger Nicola's story). But while the writing and plotline were OK, I did have some frustrations with Nicola as I didn't feel much connection with her and became exasperated with her wishy-washy attitude toward the "ghost" aspect of the story. Yes, she sought out ⬇️
pickIn this second in series, we have a change of scenery as Ellie and Adam have traveled to Egypt in an effort to find a holy relic before a ruthless gang of antiquity art thieves, the same nefarious group from their prior adventure. We are introduced to Ellie's archaeologist brother Neil (Adam's best friend) on the fateful dig, and Constance (Ellie's best friend) who's along for the ride and trying to avoid her matchmaking mother.
pickAnother good addition to this historical mystery series.
I sensed some possible changes in the storyline going forward as one character, in particular, seemed to be having some personal issues (or perhaps just some questioning of their lives), and if I'm reading that correctly, I wonder where that arc might lead.
This one pretty much involved ALL of the characters, and I love to see that as Penrose has some interesting and entertaining ⬇️
pickThis was a cute but kind of average romance for me...with some added depth. It was definitely a slow burn which is one of my favorite tropes, but sometimes it felt a little too slow.
The depth came from both main characters as one was dealing with guilt and grief (both her own and others close to her), and the other was dealing with social issues and emotional abuse. I enjoyed watching as these two began to see outside themselves, recognize ⬇️
I was able to read my #DoubleSpin this month and 3 of my #readyourkindle.
None of them were bad, but THC was tops. 😊
I‘m late in posting, but I wanted to share this cool birthday bundle that I received from my sweet friend @squirrelbrain ! Such beautiful and framable cards! I think they are seasonal bookshelves? But regardless of any “theme” I absolutely love them. ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you, Helen!!! 🥰🥰
The #birthdayfairies are excited to celebrate this lineup of awesome Littens on their special days next month!
Want a little extra #birthdaylove on YOUR special day?
Send your name, Litsy handle and birthdate to litsybirthdays@gmail.com , and add some extra celebration to your day. 🎉
🎈💜🎈💜🎈💜🎈💜🎈💜🎈💜
Thanks for the tag @JenlovesJT47 , but I honestly don‘t read scary books or watch scary movies for that matter…too much of a wimp. 🤣🤣
#ThreeListThursday
#TLT
Not high scorers here unfortunately. The Stormwalker series are pretty much fluff with some action but too much sex (🙄) and some cringy, awkwardly sexist dialogue between the mains.
The Webb book was a disappointment for me. I‘ve always loved her various series (dark, gritty), but even though this is a fairly recent one, it felt more like a beginning effort from an author just getting her feet wet. 😔
I‘m halfway through this one, and I‘m just hoping it will lighten up soon. I‘ve contemplated giving up on it (it‘s heavier than I anticipated), but I‘m now determined to stick with it and give it a chance.
