Capture the Sun by Jessie Mihalik

We met both Lexie Bowen and Nilo Shoren in previous books in this series. And I do believe it would help to have read the other two books. I know I've read at least one of the two and still felt like I was missing some information. Besides, Mihalik is a fun writer and you might as well enjoy them all.

So, Nilo took a job from Lexie (and that is, frustratingly, never really talked about to clear up exactly why but maybe it was in the book I haven't read) and she's concerned he's about to do it again. Instead, he is on Valovia to save her from a trap. And they go from one adventure to the next. There is not a lot of relationship building in this story but it is still a fun read and I feel like there might be more coming in this series. 

Four stars

This book comes out June 20, 2023

Follows Eclipse the Moon

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyage and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Murdle by G. T. Karber

This is a really interesting idea, turning a number of logic puzzles into a series of short mysteries. And the logic puzzles are already built into the book which is wonderful, if you have the print book. 

Four stars (printed book)

This book comes out June 13, 2023

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

Opinions are my own

A Cornish Seaside Murder by Fiona Leitch

It's Jodie's first book back on the force and she's already got another murder to solve. At least it gets her out of being a mermaid... 

It's Merrymaid Week in Penstowan and the story goes that the ugly mermaid turns into a beautiful one as she runs through town with the children chasing her. While hypothetically a lot of fun, Jodie is set up to be the ugly mermaid but never completes her run; she's found a dead body, that of a local fisherman. It seems like someone may be trying to tie it into the legend because the statue of a mermaid usually stored in a church seems to be missing as well. 

As usual, Jodie eventually solves the mystery though there is a bit of a twist at the end of the story.

Four stars

This book comes out June 8, 2023

Follows A Cornish Recipe for Murder

ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins UK and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Monthly Rereads May 31, 2023

 No rereads this month! I'm not sure if that's ever happened. Too much fun in the sun, I guess. 

The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall

This was a nice start to what I assume is going to be a series. If it's not, it was still a nice book. There could have been more between the two main characters. When I closed the book there didn't seem to be much other than he was hot and he's been attracted to her since she was seventeen but I was okay with it. 

Aria is moving back to her home town. London was an okay escape for awhile but her latest job has gone bust and it works out that she's been invited to participate in a contest to take over the local gardens. She needs to win; this is the garden that supplies her grandmother's potion store. Do you know how hard it is to find a supplier these days?

Callan has also been invited to compete. His face graces the covers of many magazines in the witching world. He's handsome and rich, the right combination to break any number of hearts. Except Aria's, he broke hers many years ago when one of his projects means she can no longer connect to her grandfather. 

In the very first round, Aria and Callan are paired up. While working together, she discovers more about him and a lot about herself. But I didn't feel like we learned a lot about Callan. He could have been fleshed out a little more but the story was overall just very charming. 

Four stars
This book comes out June 2, 2023

Followed by How to Fake-Date a Vampire

ARC kindly provided by Bonnie Doon Press

Opinions are my own

Big Nate: Next Stop, Superstardom! by Lincoln Peirce

I knew that Big Nate had been turned into a TV show and wondered if this was the book version of that. It is. And, at some point it may be successful to go that way with a comic book but this book... is dark. Like, physically dark. There's a running internet joke about how hard it is to see television and movies these days because the producers make things so dark and I feel like the artists in this book took that to heart. I thought at first it might be a metaphor for being at school because some panels have Nate in his house which is fully lit but I was really overthinking the process. 

There are three stories in the book. The first is a decent one about a baking competition against Jefferson middle school and trying to fake a haunting and Nate's dad dressing up as clown to go to a funeral. 

The second has Nate being pushed into figure skating for gym. He needs a partner to make it work but the only decent skater, Chad (who seems to have a lot of chest hair?) is forbidden from skating by a family curse. 

This one has a subplot with Nate's friends trying to teach his dad how to say no to Nate. 
The third story is Nate's dad trying to find a job which leaves an opening for Nate's band to step into a wedding. 

At the end of each of the stories is a page from the original comic is was based on. And, I feel like a curmudgeon typing this but, the (original) book was better. 

Two and a half stars

This book comes out May 25, 2023

ARC kindly provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews

I think everyone knew that Kate and Curran would never be able to keep a low profile. They managed for seven years after they left Atlanta but it's all about to blow up for them. And it starts when Conlan brings his friend home. The friend's family member has been stolen by a local group that collects children but was the teen targeted? Kate is ready to go mete out some justice. Curran agrees that she should do it but asks that she keeps a low profile. It should be something that Kate can do but there's only so low a profile you can keep an underwater cult, a maybe god, and a Kraken that are all involved. 

It's good to see these two again and watching them build their lives is like revisiting old friends.

Four stars

This book came out January 17, 2023

Follows Magic Triumphs
Followed by Magic Claims

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own