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

Accidentally His by Sabrina Jeffries

Lady Verity is the last of the three sisters who run Elegant Occasions to find a long-term partner. She assumes that she would never marry but fate may have other plans even as she is sure it will remain true. 

We've met Rafe Wolfford in previous books as a man who is interested in Verity and her family, but not primarily for reasons of marriage. Instead, he is trying to figure out if someone from her family is feeding information to the enemy (France.) This same someone shot the uncle who raised him. Though the man was strict, Rafe still loves him and would like to find the culprit.
The two are brought together in deceit but the attraction that they have is visible to all and, when the chance is offered, the two may decide to stick it out for the long run. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out January 23, 2024

Follows What Happens in the Ballroom

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

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