Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs

There are a lot of threads in this story, the main ones being that Mercy is still unhealed from what happened in the least book and now her brother has landed on their doorstep, unable to communicated. It turns out that he too has come in contact with a fae artifact and the owner of the artifact is wreaking havoc with certain weather patterns until it is recovered. The storm is centered around a lodge outside of Libby, Montana where there are hot springs. A lodge that is supposed to be hosting a billionaire's wedding but is, instead, snowed in with thirteen people, not all of whom are human. 

There are some side stories about other wolves in the pack. Mary Jo has broken up with her boyfriend Renny, Darryl is protecting a group of white witches in New Mexico, someone has tried to push Sherwood in front of a train. Most of these are small vignettes showing that there are things going on outside of Mercy and Adam. It could be a build up to a bigger story but it is also proof that their pack can take care of themselves and don't need their leaders to rush in and solve everything for them. 

And Bonarata is still tormenting Mercy though that ends up being a smaller part of the story. 

A somewhat quieter story but I really enjoyed that there weren't as many bodies as some of the others. 

Four stars

Mercy Thompson #14

This book comes out June 18, 2024

Follows Soul Taken

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Mystery at the Manor by Matthew Costello, Neil Richards

This is an interesting series. More novella-in length than a full book but that keeps it quick and interesting. I'm hoping we see some more character development as the books go along. 

In this book, a manor house burns down, but our intrepid somewhat amateur detectives Jack and Sarah (only somewhat since Jack is former NYPD) are suspicious about it's causes. The two are going to team up to see about a few things including what was hidden on the floor that the manor's owner was found dead on, in a room he forbade anyone from entering. They will also figure out why the owner's children, none of whom seem like particularly nice people were cut out of his will.

Three stars

Cherringham #2

Follows Murder on Thames

Followed by Murder by Moonlight

Audible audiobook

Opinions are my own

The Witch Hitch by Elizabeth Bass

Bailey Tomlin is engaged to be married. So she has cold feet. Well, actually, she's been having a lot of electricity lately but that's just weird too. Plus, there's the woman who's been following her around. The one who looks a lot like her. And the man who just appears out of nowhere claiming he's from the 1930s. And the fact that she suddenly seems to have family that she never knew about. Family who are not quite normal...

I remember enjoying the first book but couldn't quite get into this one. One, it's labeled as a romance but Bailey is engaged to be married and Seton Attenbury was married in the 1930s. Yes, we see that his wife moved on and that he wasn't particularly happy with her, but I didn't feel like Bass overcame those obstacles. Plus, we rarely see the two of them interact. I'm not exactly sure why they would have fallen in love except that they both love jazz. 

It tipped barely into the three star category for me since we got to see previous characters in the series but I was mostly frustrated reading this book.

Three stars

This book came out July 25, 2023

Cupcake Coven Romance #2

Follows A Letter to Three Witches

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Pippi's Inn for Wandering Spirits by Erin Ritch

Pippi has inherited a haunted inn from her aunt. Luckily, she (mostly) knows what she's getting into. She's talked to the dead for most of her life. And, it seems like her aunt may have stuck around to give her some extra help getting used to checking people in and out, organizing excursions, and working with the giant spiders that live in the attic. 

This was a really nice start to the story. But then, there started to be So Many Things going on. There's a love interest who's a giant NoNo for reasons, a ghost who is somehow going to be related to the love interest, a death, a breach of innkeeping, a giant snowstorm, and so. much. more. It was just a little too much, all in one book and the shift in pacing was a bit much. 

Three stars

This book comes out June 10, 2024

ARC kindly provided by BooksGoSocial and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

My favorite Carl Hiaasen. This one starts when Chaz Perrone dumps his wife Joey over the side of the cruise they are taking in to celebrate their second anniversary. But she was a collegiate swimmer and makes it to the island where Mick Stranahan is living. Instead of going to the cops, Joey tries to figure out why Chaz tried to kill her. It turns out that Chaz is using his job as a biologist to cover up the fact that Red Hammernut is polluting the Everglades. 

Fun and craziness ensues. I love it.

Four stars

Skink, #5; Mick Stranahan #2

This book came out in 2004

Follows Sick Puppy; Skin Tight

Followed by 

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

There is a lot of dirty talk in this book. A lot. It is not a trope I love but I really did enjoy it from Stein. I would have rated this book higher but I did not like the Big Misunderstanding nor how it was resolved. 

Alfie Harding has made a mistake. Well, actually two. The grump ex-footballer has agreed to sell his memoirs AND he's insulted the woman who is going to ghostwrite them. Well, she will if he doesn't freak her out by following her around looking like a stalker. Okay, three mistakes.

Mabel Willicker has the magic touch but she's not sure about working with Alfie. He is so VERY grumpy after all. But she sees beneath the hardened armor, especially after the two are spotted together and they begin a fake relationship to hide what they are really doing.

Four stars

This book came out February 6, 2024

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen

The first Mick Stranahan book. In this book, an old case is coming back to bite him in the butt. A nurse is blackmailing the doctor who killed a patient and has told the doctor that Stranahan is actually the one doing the blackmailing. The doctor hires a seven-foot tall, pasty white guy who has burns all over his face from electrolysis gone wrong. Meanwhile, a Maury Povich-type television personality is also on the case with his producer and a camera man. He is determined to get a big story any way he can, even getting plastic surgery from the doctor. Hijinks ensue

Four stars

Mick Stranahan #1

This book came out September 1, 1989

Followed by Skinny Dip

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own