Not Your Crush's Cauldron by April Asher

Olive loves her triplets. She does. And she's ecstatic that they've found the loves of their lives. But. Could she maybe catch a break? Chubby, with dirty blond hair that doesn't hold a curl or a color, Olive is generally happy about her life but she really could use a break. Or two. Moving into her crush's apartment isn't exactly the break she was hoping for. However, she's decided to take on the assignment she's given her students and try to stretch her wings. And now that her roommate seems happy to help...

Baxter Donovan is a Guardian Angel but he doesn't much like the position. He likes it even less now that he's been assigned to guard Olive. There are three rules to being a guardian angel: don't tell your Assignment you're their designated guardian, don't get your Assignment Killed, and don't fall in love with your Assignment. Bax has come a little too close for the Guardian Angel Affairs lately and his father isn't pleased. It's just too bad that this latest assignment might find him breaking more than one of the rules. 

Three and a half stars

Supernatural Singles #2

This book comes out February 13, 2024

Follows Not Your Ex's Hexes

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Random in Death by J. D. Robb

A young girl is attending an under 21 concert at a local club. Someone elbows her harshly, but it's the needle stick masked by the movement that kills her. She ends up dying in the arms of the lead singer.

In the way of things in the "In Death" books, that lead singer is Jake, amour of Eve Dallas's friend, Nadine. He is able to get ahold of Eve so that she becomes entwined in the story. The bigger problem of this story that this girl is only the first. Someone out there is targeting teens but there is no discernible connection between the victims. 

It will be up to Dallas and Peabody to figure out what is going on before the killer takes any more lives.

This is one of the Dallas stories where we see the point of view of the killer so we know a little more than Dallas does. There are also a number of characters from past stories and they are becoming more and more entwined as the Dallas stories go on. A few too many people (felt like some were shoehorned in) but a solid addition to the In Death series.

In Death #58

Four stars

This book comes out January 23, 2024

Follows Payback in Death

Followed by Passions in Death

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby February 2024

Inheritance by Nora Roberts

Is it trite to walk in on your fiance having sex with someone else right before the wedding? Yes, but that doesn't mean it's not happening to Sonya. It's just too bad that he takes the breakup badly and that she works with him. So she quits her job and branches out on her own.

Sonya's able to get even a little more space when she finds out that she's inherited a large house from the uncle she never knew she had. It's in Maine and she has to live in it at least 40 weeks for the next three years. Though trepidatious, Sonya's ready to take the leap. It doesn't even take three weeks for her to decide she's going to go for it. It takes a little longer for her to convince her best friend Cleo that she should move there too. 

Roberts is a master and this book just shows it once again. You think you've read books similar to this one -- old ghost angry about life and taking it out on the living; two friends moving to a new place and finding handsome men; playful and adorable dogs. But this book has enough of a twist and some nuances in the characters that make it worth reading to see what happens next. 

Four stars

This book comes out November 21, 2023

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! by Donna Andrews

A main reason I love these books is that Meg Langslow is just so darn pragmatic. Is she an amateur detective? Yes, she is. Does she share all of her information with the police chief? Does she actively hide evidence or mess up crime scenes? No she does not. She's smart, she solves crimes, and she does so without being an bumbling idiot. 

Even better, she's competent at any number of things (though she has her failings) and her blacksmithing, which sometimes takes a back seat, is out in full force during this book. There is a reality competition being filmed at Ragnar's estate and Meg is there as a general dogsbody. She has been asked to be in the show but prefers not to. However, when someone attacks her friend and mentor Faulk, Meg reluctantly joins so that he won't lose the investment money he and his husband put into the filming the show which was thought up by another one of Faulk's students. 

I got ARCs of both the ebook and audiobook. The ebook was not as good though I had some personal stuff going on which made it harder to concentrate. The audiobook, and Bernadette Dunn, were amazing as always. 

Meg Langslow #34

Four stars

This book comes out October 10, 2023

Follows Birder, She Write

Followed by Between a Flock and a Hard Place

ARC kindly provided by MacMillan and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Payback in Death by J. D. Robb

The first two chapters of this book show us a rare glimpse of Eve and Roarke on vacation. But the relaxed mood is short-lived. The night they return to New York, Eve gets a call from an old friend, one who needs a favor. His mentor is dead and it has been set up to look like a suicide. But there are a number of reasons to believe it is a setup. 

Because the deceased was an IAB (internal affairs) detective, he had many enemies over his long career. So Eve, Peabody, and the team begin the long process of crossing names off. And there are many people who do still bear grudges but just as many who seem to have moved on.

There are some side stories with more being done on Mavis and Peabody's house; one of our side characters getting a promotion; and an IAB cop who seems to have it out for Eve. 

A lovely addition to the series

Four stars

This book comes out September 5, 2023

Follows Encore in Death

Followed by Random in Death

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby September 2023

Birder, She Wrote by Donna Andrews

Meg is looking forward to a quiet afternoon in her hammock. Of course, that's not going to happen, she's got too much going on. Some of the new people moving in to Caerphilly have complaints (again) including against Edgar Brockton, the man who has been helping Meg's dad with his bees. Which is interesting because Meg herself has just gotten a new delivery. Her dad has come over to help get the hive set up when her grandmother Cordelia arrives with a journalist in tow. The journalist is following Cordelia around and that's going to include looking for a pre-Civil War graveyard. Too bad they stumble across a dead body.

If you are a regular Andrews reader, you can probably predict most of the beats of this story but that doesn't mean it's unenjoyable. It is a nice addition to the series.

I also got to listen to the audiobook and, as always, Bernadette Dunn only makes the story better. 

Four stars

This book comes out August 1, 2023

Follows Dashing through the Snowbirds

Followed by Let It Crow, Let It Crow, Let It Crow

ARC of ebook kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

ARC of audiobook kindly provided by NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Identity by Nora Roberts

Okay. Definitely a book that is terrifying to read if you are a single woman. Not only does our main character have her identity stolen by a man she meets in a bar but he also sticks around and does much worse things. I can't say much more without plot spoilage but it is alarming. 

Morgan Albright is finally setting down roots. She's been able to buy a small house which she shares with her roommate and good friend, Nina. And she's met a charming man at the bar. One who will change her life forever.

A lot of this book is Morgan moving back home and trying to build back a life after a major devastation but we get to see her relationship with her mom and grandmother as well as her romantic relationship grow. 

Four stars

This book comes out May 23, 2023

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Not Your Ex's Hexes by April Asher

For most of her life, Rose Maxwell had been assumed to be following her grandmother to be the Prima Witch, a force in the supernatural world. In the first book of the series, it was discovered that her sister, Violet, is actually the most powerful of her triplets, it just came in late. And Rose... was relieved. Now, however, she's not really sure what she's supposed to be doing with her life. So she's trying to figure it out. Unfortunately, she misfires on her first foray and ends up neeeding to do some community service with the local veterinarian. Too bad he's her former one-night stand. The one she wouldn't mind repeating. 

Damian is a half-demon who tried to make his father proud until the night he accidentally broke a girl's heart and she hexed him. He wants to love Rose but is afraid of what will happen. And his old life still keeps calling and trying to drag him back in.

I didn't connect with Rose and Violet as much as I did with Violet and Lincoln and that's okay. I just didn't see her growing as much as Violet did and there were a few more glossings-over that were fine but could have been played out a little more. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out February 7, 2023

Follows Not the Witch You Wed

Followed by Not Your Crush's Cauldron

ARC kindly provided by MacMillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Encore in Death J. D. Robb

Big time star Eliza Lane has fulfilled her dreams and is living her best life; even returning to the play that made her a star, this time as the mother. She is throwing a party to celebrate but it soon turns into panic when her husband, Brad Fitzhugh, big time star himself, dies. 

Dallas and Peabody are thrown in among the bright stars, many of whom have secrets to hide, some of them decades old. But is the motive for this murder rooted in the past or the present? And who really was the intended victim? 

There were a lot of red herrings and unexpected twists in this story. I was very much reminded of a particular Agatha Christie mystery which I won't name because I think there are hints to the ending of the story. Some of the red herrings were dealt with a little too quickly but overall I really enjoyed this addition to the Dallas series.

Four stars

This book comes out February 7, 2023

Follows Desperation in Death

Followed by Payback in Death

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones

Sunny's day is not going well The local pervert has been stabbed with a knitting needle, right after one of the town's older ladies threatened to do that exact thing. Her daughter is still pushing all of her buttons and Sunny is still reeling with the knowledge of who her daughter's father actually is. Now she just has to figure out how to tell Auri. Oh, and now there's a girl on the side of a cliff who has been assaulted and left for dead. So, a lot going on. 

Like other books in this series, there's a lot of disbelief suspension required and there's a LOT going on. Still. It's fast, fun, and fluffy and there is a lot of character and plot development in all of this. 

Four stars

This book comes out December 6, 2022

Follows A Good Day for Chardonnay

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Dashing Through the Snowbirds by Donna Andrews

This reminds me of an early Langslow in the best of ways. Large ensemble of characters we know and love (though Michael and the boys weren't as prominent in this one, that's okay,) all of them gathered for holiday, getting glimpses of Caerphilly as Meg tries to solve a murder, and Mutant Wizards!

A Canadian genetics company has teamed up with Rob's computer folks to try and develop a better website. They are a small company currently headed by the owner's son, Ian. The son has decided that the entire genetics team needs to be in Caerphilly even though it means most of them will be missing Christmas with their families. Even worse, he did NOT plan well and they should up in town with no place to stay. In Caerphilly, known for their Christmas festival. So, once again, Meg and Michael are hosting any number of people in their house. 

At least the house is furnished and warm. And cousin Nora is there to feed everyone so all Meg has to do is keep her temper around Ian, even as she learns more and more and it makes her less and less impressed by the man. Of course, that means he's probably the one who will end up dead. 

Among the suspects are the young women Ian hit on, the woman who is stalking him, and a convicted killer who was released because their genetics company says that his DNA was not the one found at the scene.  

Four stars

This book comes out October 11, 2022

Follows Round Up the Usual Peacocks

Followed by Birder, She Wrote

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread December 2022 as audiobook

Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb

Ufda. This one was a hard read. Robb often deals with dark subjects and this particular book hits close to home for Eve.

The first chapter opens with a little history for Dorian Gregg. She was taken off the streets and now lives... exists... in the Pleasure Academy. She's not sure how long she's been their but she knows she doesn't like it. Well, most of it. The French is okay but the pleasure classes? A no go. So when she meets Mina and Mina has a plan to get out? Dorian is all in. Except that they don't make it far. Mina dies and now Dorian is on her own, hurt, in New York City.

Lots of characters from the past come back though we do get a little bit of character growth for Dallas as well as one of her employees. Hard reading; justice in the end (though it could have lasted a little longer.)

Four stars

This book came out September 6, 2022

Follows Abandoned in Death

Followed by Encore in Death

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023

Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Meg's nephew Kevin has started a true crime podcast with his friend Casey. Everything is going well, their audience is growing, but when Casey is nearly run over, they suspect that they may have stirred up a hornet's nest. They are able to narrow down the episodes most likely to have caused some problems to three. One is a rumor about cheating at the Caerphilly College Business School twenty years ago, a young woman who disappeared, and a man who was possibly wrongly convicted in Clay County. The last, Meg decides to leave to the regular police. After talking to the man, Lucas, Vern Shiffley is also wondering whether he got a fair shake. 

But that leaves two cases for Meg to chase down. 

stars

This book comes out August 2, 2022

Follows The Twelve Jays of Christmas 

Followed by Dashing Through the Snowbirds

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Nightwork by Nora Roberts

Roberts is an amazing writer and has moved slowly from strictly romance, to romance with some bigger story, to some bigger story with some romance. As the books have gotten longer, they've often gotten a little more meandering with a slightly slower pace. I think this book is written just as well as many of her others, it just didn't hit as well for me at this time. 

The book opens with nine-year-old Harry Banks starting a life of thievery. His single-parent mother is sick with cancer and he needs some way to help the situation. Well, in the options of what a child can do to earn big money, this is maybe the least damaging for his psyche.

We follow Harry as he really starts to hone his craft. He is incredibly intelligent, learning languages and picking up social queues as he goes through life. Of course, he picks up some romances but he also picks up one very big enemy who threatens his love and then even his life (though he's more concerned about the former.)

Three stars

This book come out May 24, 2022

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb

Flipping between past and present, the latest of the "In Death" series starts with a young mother at the end of her tether and then her now-grown-up-son who just wants to replace her. And he's doing so by kidnapping women who look similar to her. When these women fail to live up to his expectations though, he kills the "bad mommy."

Eve is brought into the story when the first body is found at a playground not far from Mavis and Leonardo (and Peabody and MacNab's) new house. They are still going full bore on renovations and the proximity shakes Dallas. There seems to be no sign that any of her friends will be affected but she doesn't want to take that chance. 

I don't remember another book in this series doing a similar thing with the past and the present overlapping in the same book (especially while rotating through third person narration with both Eve and one of the victims) but, then again, after fifty-three books, I definitely don't remember them all. It's not a favorite plot device of mine but I appreciated Robb trying something new and it worked for this particular book, especially give who the killer ended up being. 

Four stars
Follows Forgotten in Death

Followed by Desperation in Death
This book comes out February 8, 2022
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread as hard copy from the library August 2023

The Twelve Jays of Christmas by Donna Andrews

If you've read Donna Andrews before, the beats of this book are going to feel very familiar including the victim and the murderer. It is a major holiday and Meg Langslow is busy. This time, Michael and the boys are skiing while she is left at home because of a severely sprained ankle. But that doesn't mean that life is any less busy. Rob and Delaney are almost back from vacation but Delaney's mother has arrived to confer with Meg's mom on how they can transform the upcoming nuptials from the small affair that Rob and Delaney want to something more grand. Meg is also hosting a visiting artist who is working on pictures for her grandfather's new book. Unfortunately, the artist, Castlemayne, is not only grumpy, he's a jerk. He's let birds out in the house that are now dive bombing people, he is smoking in the library, and the doorbell rings constantly from people trying to track him down. Mostly to pay his late bills. How do they know where he is? A new gossip blog that is spilling all of the town secrets.
Of course, Castlemayne is going to be the one who ends up dead. And there are plenty of people who might have wanted him that way including two ex-wives, a long-suffering assistant, and a reporter who wants the full scoop.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out October 19, 2021

Follows Murder Most Fowl

Followed by Round up the Usual Peacocks

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Forgotten in Death by J. D. Robb

The day starts with a fresh corpse in a dumpster and continues with two more walled into some construction (Roarke's unfortunately). Lieutenant Eve Dallas is not enjoying her day. It doesn't help that her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, bubbling over with enthusiasm for the home project she's working on. It's not exactly a topic that Eve is interested in but she'll listen if she has to. Then it turns out the previous owners of the site have ties to the Russian mob and her day just keeps going downhill.

When it turns out there might be a connection between the two cases, Eve is astonished. But that doesn't stop her from working on justice for all involved, even righting wrongs that the first person had done to them decades ago.

I liked that there was a concentration on Eve and Roarke, then on the mystery and to some extent what was going on with Peabody and her house. At book 53, there are a lot of characters in this series and sometimes it feels like they are all shoehorned in. Not so with this one.

Four stars

This book came out September 7th, 2021

Follows Faithless in Death

Followed by Abandoned in Death

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023 as audiobook from Libby

The Cure for What Ales You by Ellie Alexander

Sloan Krause is once again in the middle of a mystery, this time concerning her own past. When a woman, Maureen, comes to town who strongly resembles her, Sloan's past starts to affect the present at full force. Maureen has some strange tales and Sloan is not sure what to believe. Plus, there seems to be a mysterious "bad guy" who Maureen says is coming for Sloan and her family. And some of that urgency is even more strongly conveyed when the head housekeeper at the hotel where Maureen was staying is murdered in Maureen's room. 

Is Maureen right? Is Sloan in danger? Or are these the ravings of a woman who has been running for too long?

This story didn't hold together as well as some of the earlier books. The last story ended on a rather shocking note that seemed to be leading to a greater story but was wrapped up in a few sentences in the front of this book. Sally seems to be a greater and greater part of Sloan's life but I"m struggling to remember if we've ever seen her on page. And this book was very full-speed-ahead then slow then full-speed-ahead and a slow down. 

Three stars
Follows Without a Brew

This book comes out October 5th, 2021
Ebook kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Murder Most Fowl by Donna Andrews

Something's afoot when Meg's twins find what appears to be a hand in the local woods. Thank goodness it just ends up being some interesting-looking mushrooms. She's already got a lot going on. Their rambling house is once again full of actors; this time Michael is directing Macbeth and some of the actors might be truly be trying to bring their roles to life. There's also a camp of medieval reenactors in the neighborhood who might be taking their vow to live like those in Macbeth's time a little too seriously, especially because they're not doing it well. Just ask the sheep they "liberated" from Seth Early's farm. 

To add on to everything else, there's a filmmaker capturing it all on camera and he's not just annoying because of his noise level, it seems like he's trying to film something more like an expose than a straight up documentary. When his first edit is screened in the library, somebody sees something they don't like and the documentarian ends up dead with his trailer trashed and all of the raw footage gone.

Another enjoyable book. Many mysteries overlap to make for many people but not overly complicated.

Four stars

This book comes out August 3, 2021

Follows The Gift of the Magpie

Followed by The Twelve Jays of Christmas

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread January 2022

Lark! The Herald Angels Sing by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow is once again embroiled in a Christmas mystery. This time, she is in charge of the Christmas pageant when a second baby Jesus shows up. But this one is a girl and the note that was left with the baby points at Meg's brother Rob as being her dad.

This is bad because Rob was planning on proposing to his girlfriend and, with a rash of past girlfriends popping up, Delaney doesn't seem like she's going to accept any time soon.

All of this is tied into a murder in nearby Clay County (often the bad guys in this series) and it will take Meg to tie it all together.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 16th, 2018

Follows Toucan Keep a Secret

Followed by Terns of Endearment

Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible book December 2023