The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

Tao left her homeland when she was a child. She predicted her father's death and, when it came true, her whole world came crashing down. Now, she roams the countryside of her new home, telling small fortunes. Those are easier than life changing fortunes and allow her to make some money. Right now, she's just trying to stay one step ahead of the guild. Her life is better than it was before she left, but she's lonely. 

In this story, she starts to meet people (and animals) who are going to make it so that she has a core group of friends who can help her to continue to lead her life the way she wants.

This was a cute story. It dragged in a couple of places and I'm not sure that everything wrapped up cleanly but I generally enjoyed the story. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 5, 2024

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Roommate Mistake by Pippa Grant

I feel bad but every once in awhile a Grant just doesn't land for me. This was one of them; I didn't buy Ziggy and Holt as a couple. Too much insta-love and not a lot of reasons why. And this was one of those stories where there would have been no story if the two of them had just talked to each other so there was a lot of filler, not a lot of plot. 

Two stars

This book came out February 6, 2025

Copper Valley Pounders Rugby #2

Follows Until it was Love

Borrowed as Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life by Anu Partanen with narrator Abby Craden

This is one of the books that probably could have been a Ted Talk (and maybe it was.) Partanen has personal experience with moving from a Nordic country and now living in the United States and her comparisons are very interesting. When they're initially stated. But then there's not much depth. It seems like some sentences and ideas are just restatements. 

I enjoyed her explanation of the Nordic theory of love.

Three stars

This book came out June 28, 2016

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Edge of the Crazies by Jamie Harrison

A small town writer is shot in his office... but he doesn't seem overly concerned about it. He is a womanizer and has plenty of enemies so Jules, the local sheriff, has his work cut out for him. 

It's not like Jules is even sure he wants to do this job. His father died on the job and being back in Blue Deer, Montana, is fairly confining for him. He's not sleeping (though he is doing some sleeping around) and before the book is over, there will be some deaths. How much does this have to do with a death over twenty years ago? 

There was a lot of character building. Place was almost as much of a character. I got distracted trying to figure out which town the fictional Blue Deer was based off of. 

This book was written in the nineties and the story very much has that feel. There was just a certain rhythm to mysteries written during that time and this book fits very much into that pattern.  

Three stars
Jules Clement Mystery #1

This book came out in 1995

Borrowed as hard copy from the library   

Opinions are my own

We Solve Murders We Solve Murders by Richard Osman with narrator Nicola Walker

Amy Wheeler enjoys her life. Yes, being the bodyguard for wealthy people can be boring and annyoning but she enjoys the job. She's really enjoying working for author Rosie D'Antonio. But something is going on at the firm she works for. One of the owners recently left and the other has shown up at her father-in-law's house. Someone may or may not be trying to kill him (there's been a number of deaths lately, including one of their clients) and someone is trying to frame Amy for the murder.

Suddenly, Amy and Rosie are traveling around the world trying to avoid being killed. And the only one they can trust is retired policeman Steve who has quite nicely settled into his rut. 

I tried to read this as an ebook but couldn't get into it. As an audiobook, however? I quite enjoyed it. 

Four stars

This book came out September 17, 2024

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

To Kill a Badger by Shelly Laurenston

Like some of the later books in this series, this is really more about moving along the overarching story than a focus on romance. Like other books in the series, there are so many exclamation points! Like, a lot a lot of them! And there are more and more names added to these books so I would really recommend that readers start at the beginning of the Honey Badger Chronicles so you have a fighting chance of remembering who is who. 

We've met Nelle Zhao in previous books in the series. Her family (and thus she) is family wealthy and she uses that money to help her friends, whether they want it or not. Sometimes though, people don't want her help. Like her friend Maddie who would still be living with cardboard furniture and few clothes if Nelle hadn't stepped in. Or Keane Malone, whose story arc has crossed over the last few books of this series. 

Keane Malone is used to going it on his own, or at least just his own family. His father was murdered when they were children and no one stepped in to help them. Not his extended family, not his mother's family, not the company his father was working for. He would prefer not to have help at all. Which is why it's annoying that his family is suddenly stepping up to help. At least Nelle is good to look at. 

The two will have to join forces to take down the de Medici pride who are after Nelle and her friends. The badgers took down the lion's patriarch and they're out for blood. 

Three and a half stars

Honey Badger Chronicles #6

This book comes out August 26, 2025

Follows Born to Be Badger

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing

Opinions are my own

Reread December 2025

The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro with narrator Imogen Church

As a nurse who worked with Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War, Gemma has seen a lot of death. But she wasn't expecting to have to deal with the death of her twin brother in a carriage accident. This changes the trajectory of her life in major and unexpected ways. It's especially strange that he left two odd sentences in his reporter's notebook. She takes his notes to the police. They're not interested until she gets to talk to Sebastian. 

An inspector on the force, Sebastian was rocked by the death of his wife. These days he's getting by through copious applications of alcohol and opium. He knows it's interfering with his life, and he's definitely going to quit. Tomorrow. 

The two team up to solve the murder of not only Gemma's brother but the young woman who was hung up on a cross in the cemetery with a pig's heart strung around her neck. 

This was darker than I was expecting with more explicit violence. Not a series I'd want to read at night, but an interesting start.

Three and a half stars

Tate & Bell #1

This book came out February 29, 2024

Followed by Murder at Traitor's Gate

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own