Through the Wilderness by Brad Orsted

I sort of peripherally know the author having worked with his ex-wife and was curious about the book. I knew a little bit about their story (that they had a child who had died) but didn't know the whys and wherefores. And that story is enough to bring anyone to their knees.

Orsted talks through his life with a bit of a description of his childhood through meeting his wife and kids, his daughter's birth, and death. Interspersed with these stories are his life after it changes irrevocably. He moves to Montana, on the border of Yellowstone National Park. 

More and more studies are showing the healing powers of being in nature and Orsted is certainly proof of that. His story is a hard one to read but hopeful in the end with a great look at Yellowstone and the joys of living in the wild. 

Four stars

This book came out June 27, 2023

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Light My Fire by G.A. Aiken

Elina Shestakova of the Black Bear Tribe of the Midnight Mountains of Despair in the Far Reaches of the Steppes of the Outerplain (Elina) has been tasked with killing the dragon Queen. She does not succeed but, then, Celyn didn't think she tried very hard. That's why Elina is put in jail rather than killed. And it works out because, even though Celyn forgets that she is in jail, Elina is needed later to help broker a deal between the dragons and her people.
It was nice for Celyn to get his HEA after being harassed by his cousin so much for sleeping with the woman who eventually became his cousin's mate. These books are getting longer and I'm sort of convinced that it's the length of the names.

Dragon Kin #7

Three stars

This book came out November 25, 2014

Follows How to Drive a Dragon Crazy 

Followed by Feel the Burn

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus 

Opinions are my own

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman, Greg McKeown

This book looks at the ways that leaders can get the most out of their employees. They divide leaders into those who multiply the talents of their employees and those who diminish. This book shows us the ways we can be multipliers as bosses. I really liked the fact that Wiseman tells readers that they can't ever embody all of the suggestions in the books but they can do the best they can and be as aware as possible of how we manage. 

Four stars

This book came out June 1, 2010

Audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

When He Was Bad by Shelly Laurenston

Miss Congeniality by Shelly Laurenston

Professor Irene Conridge doesn't have time for anything that isn't work. Like many of the people in this series, she was a child prodigy. Her area of expertise is... science...y... stuff (?). But more important, she's caught the attention of Niles Van Holtz. Well, she caught it seven years ago when he thought she was a freshman on campus and he hit on her. She was actually a visiting professor.

Magnus Pack #3.5

Three stars

This book came out June 1, 2008

Follows Here Kitty, Kitty

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

This book centers, as the title would suggest, around Miss Margery Benson. Her life is a drudgery. Teaching is not fulfilling and a drawing one of her pupils does of her wakes her up to her reality. She basically implodes her life that day. Her last effort? A trip to New Caledonia to find the golden beetle that reminds her of the happiest times in her life. But first she must find the perfect traveling companion. She ends  up with Enid Pretty, a young flibbertigibbet whose past is not at all spotless and who meets none of the requirements Miss Benson had advertised for. But, as often happens (especially in fiction),  Miss Pretty is exactly what Miss Benson needs.

I didn't love the ending though, with this being a more literature-minded book, I guess I should have expected it. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 23, 2020

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

My Kind of Town by Shelly Laurenston

Emma Luchessi isn't sure why she's drawn to Smithville but this New York girl is down in the south to see what is leading her here. She's not expecting to end up in the hospital in a town where everyone is a giant and strangely good looking.
Kyle Treharne likes living in Smithville. Yes, it's a wolf town and he's a cat but he can't choose who his father married (his half sister is the snaggle-toothed cousin in the Pride series). He is interested in Emma but isn't sure she's going to stick around. She's not sure about it either but it may be up to fate.
A cute little story but short and not a lot of depth. 

Long Island Coven #1

Three stars

This story came out June 1, 2007

Followed by Belong to the Night

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose

An inventor, Elihu Ashton, has been murdered and his body is stumbled over by Lord Wrexford and Sheffield. The inventors widow comes to Wrexford to ask for help. It seems Ashton has just come up with a new invention and she is anxious to find out why he has been killed before the goose laid it's golden egg. She has some suspects but Wrexford isn't sure. 

While standing over the body, Wrexford sights the two young boys he calls "the Weasels," Raven and Hawk. The two are still living with Charlotte Sloane though she is about to move houses and is very anxious as she is not sure what that will mean for either her, leaving behind the home she shared with her late husband, or the two boys who only barely seem to want to stay with her. 

While Charlotte and Wrexford are working together, they also grow closer. I was a bit startled at how fast the two got closer but that might be the product of being older, knowing yourself, and having been in some danger. I also thought the initial theories as to why Ashton was killed could have been drawn out but this was a good story over all and I'm looking forward to the next.

Wrexford & Sloane #2

Three stars

Follows Murder on Black Swan Lane

Followed by Murder at Kensington Palace

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own