January 2025 Rereads

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley

Four stars

This book came out July 1, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Kindle

The Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters

Three and a half stars

Vicki Bliss #0.5

This book came out in 1969

Followed by Borrower of the Night

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz 

The Lost Night Files #1

Three and a half stars

This book came out January 3, 2023

Followed by The Night Island

Audible book of mine

The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews

This book comes out August 4, 2020

Meg Langslow #27

Follows Owl be Home for Christmas

Followed by The Gift of the Magpie

Audible book of mine

The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #28

This book came out October 20, 2020

Follows The Falcon Always Wings Twice

Followed by Murder Most Fowl

Audible book of mine

Murder Most Fowl by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #29

This book came out August 3, 2021

Follows The Gift of the Magpie

Followed by The Twelve Jays of Christmas

Audible book of mine

The Twelve Jays of Christmas by Donna Andrews

Three and a half stars

Meg Langslow #30

This book comes out October 19, 2021

Follows Murder Most Fowl

Followed by Round up the Usual Peacocks

Audible book of mine

Round up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #31

Four stars

This book comes out August 2, 2022

Follows The Twelve Jays of Christmas 

Followed by Dashing Through the Snowbirds

Audible book of mine

Dashing Through the Snowbirds by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #32

Four stars

This book came out October 11, 2022

Follows Round Up the Usual Peacocks

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Birder She Wrote by Donna Andrews

Four stars

This book comes out August 1, 2023

Meg Langslow #33

Follows Dashing through the Snowbirds

Followed by Let It Crow, Let It Crow, Let It Crow

Bo

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz
Fogg Lake#1
Three and a half stars (bumped up a half star on reread)
Followed by All the Colors of the Night
This book came out January 7th, 2020
Audiobook from Libby

All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz

Fogg Lake #2

This book came out January 7th, 2021

Follows The Vanishing

Followed by Lightning in a Mirror
Audiobook from Libby

Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz 

Fogg Lake #3

Three and a half stars

This book came out January 18th, 2022

Follows All the Colors of Night

Audiobook from Libby

The Last Eligible Billionaire by Pippa Grant

Three stars

This book came out March 3, 2022

Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited

Not My Kind of Hero by Pippa Grant

Four stars
This book came out August 15, 2023

Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited

The Gossip and the Grump by Pippa Grant

At her best friend's wedding, Sabrina told a secret about her fiance. She thought Emma knew the secret so when their third best friend spilled said secret and Emma didn't know, Sabrina was wrecked. She immediately set out to balance her karma. One of her good deeds? Pretending to be the significant other of a man at a bar so that the scary woman hitting on him would go away. She ended up spending a significant amount of time with the man she only knew as "Duke". Imagine her surprise when he shows up in Snaggletooth later, the man who's bought her family coffee house.

Greyson is shocked to see his one night stand in the tiny mountain town. He's even more shocked to learn that she's the cousin of the man he's trying to get revenge on. But will their burgeoning relationship dreail his plans?

I didn't competely love their story but it was generally entertaining.

Four stars

This book came out October 5, 2023

Three BFFs and a Wedding #2

Follows The Worst Wedding Date

Followed by The Bride's Runaway Billionaire

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Cursed Princess Club Volume Four by LambCat

In the last book, Nell predicted that one of the cursed princesses would die. The princesses are trying not to think about that. In fact, Gwen is thinking about planning a dinner party. And she asks Frederick for help. She is finally starting to feel better about herself, her reflection isn't showing as many cracks. But, of course, she's not there yet. 

Four stars

This book comes out January 28, 2025

Follows Vol. 3

Followedy by Vol. 5

ARC kindly provided WEBTOON Unscrolled and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Mistress by Amanda Quick

Believing the Earl of Masters to be dead, Iphigina Bright takes on a daring role pretending to be his mistress in order to uncover the identity of the person blackmailing her aunt.

But the Earl is not dead, and he's come to town to claim his mistress.

Four stars
This book came out June 1, 1994

Borrowed audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

The Ink Master's Silence by C.J. Archer

 In a previous book, a man, one India thought was a friend, published an article releasing the knowledge that magic is real. Now, the man's editor is dead. But was the person aiming for Oscar Barratt or was the editor the actual target. 

There is no shortage to the number of people who would prefer that magic would be shoved back into Pandora's Box. But it's too late and now India's become a focus for the people who find magic to be a source of amusement. 

Three stars

This book came out September 5, 2017

Glass and Steele #6

Follows The Convent's Secret
Followed by The Cheater's Game

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Snowed in with Mr. Heartbreaker by Pippa Grant

I'm not much for age gap nor for novellas but this one was fine. Fine-ish. I finished it. 

We've got a friend of a heroine from a previous books and the next-to-last member of Bro Code. 

Aspen and Cash were texting each other before she started living in the smaller house behind his house. Then they met in person and were instantly attracted but each have their own reasons for not wanting to make a move on the other. 

Now, it's Christmas and they're at a Christmas party. They are caught under the mistletoe but Aspen runs. Cash follows her to a small cabin but they are in the mountains, there's a storm, and a bear, and a tree. They have to spend some time alone but near enough to each other to share heat. 

There was the whole storyline of Aspen not liking Christmas but then it was resolved "off screen" and that annoyed me.

Two and a half stars

Copper Valley Bro Code #5

This book came out January 7th, 2021

Follows The Hot Mess and the Heartthrob

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Mystique by Amanda Quick

One of Amanda Quick's rare foray's into historical fiction not of the Regency genre. Alice is a woman of learning in the 1600's. She's a little bitter because she wasn't able to save her father's estate for her crippled brother. However, she takes solace in her studies. When she buys an unusual green stone, which is subsequently stolen from her, she crosses paths with Hugh, the Relentless, who is also looking for the stone. Hugh decides that, though Alice is a little older and more outspoken than the usual bride, she is his choice. There is some wrangling, Alice is headstrong and doesn't obey orders, she wrecks Hugh's plans for revenge, but in the end, they fall in lurv.

Four stars

This book came out June 1, 1995

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

A Tail of Two Cities by Erik Henry Vick

Leery and Dru are about to team up with a team from another precinct. There is someone frying people and stealing gems. Once they figure out it is Dr. Agon who's a dragon, Leery ends up near death. It will be up to the rest of the team, and some of the side characters, to go up against this dragon and his lawyer daughter who is determined to keep him out of jail.

Three stars

This book came out October 2, 2020

Claw & Warder #7

Follows Gnome Schooled

Followed by 'Sure Locked

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Crazy as a Loon by Hailey Edwards

I've read any number of books about young covens and thought this one looked interesting. I'm not sure how well it landed. You've got a cranky old lady (who is still working against the monsters) whose husband is in a Billy the Bass object. We are not told why in this particular book. 

Out of her coven, Ellie is the only one who is still out in the field but she still hangs out with her old group. One of them, Betty, adopted a number of shapeshifters when she was younger. It is the youngest who comes to Ellie's house asking for help. His young nephew has been sent home from camp. There is something terrorizing the campers. So it's up to Ellie to help.

I wish the book had been longer because there were so many things hinted out but never carried through in the narrative.

Three stars

Yard Birds #1

This book came out July 4, 2023

Followed by Dead as a Dodo

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke

Kate Valentine made a name for herself with her detective series starring a no- nonsense bartender named Loretta. But then her boyfriend and book editor, Spencer, cheated on her with an heiresson the marketing team, Kennedy. Now the two are getting married and Kate has been invited. Normally, she wouldn't think of attending but she received a handwritten letter from Kennedy's aunt Rebecca, specifically inviting Kate to the island mansion. 

As she's getting onboard the yacht taking her to the island, she discovers that someone else she knows has been invited. Jake, the hot Australian (or as her friend Marla says, "Hotstralian"). However, when they get to the island, the wedding planner doesn't seem to have Jake's name. The two will have to share a room. And that's not the worst part of the weekend. It seems that someone may be trying to kill the bride. And Kate seems like the perfect suspect.

I was honestly annoyed by Kate for the first half of the book. If this hadn't been an ARC, the very manic-pixie-dream-detective of it all would have had me DNFing the book. I did end up making it through and generally enjoyed the book but you really do have to be in the mood for a lot of over the top situations. 

Three stars

This book come out January 21, 2025

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

Opinions are my own

You're So Extra Finding by Angela Casella

Delia works as a rent-a-granddaughter but she has a chance to be an extra on a movie. A movie where her high school crush is the star. Normally, that high school crush would be the hero of the story but not in this book. Instead, she finds herself hanging out with another extra on the movie, Lucas. 

Lucas is going by one name because his last name is rather recognizable. His family is pretty awful. But he's trying to make amends. Still, it might be a problem when Delia finds out exactly who he is. 

This is definitely part of a series so there were missing parts but I have a feeling we'll find out more in subsequent stories.

Three stars

Finding You #1

This book came out July 1, 2023

Followed by You're So Bad

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

Never Too Late Detective by Sally Rigby

Twenty years ago, unknown assailants left Rob Walker with brain damage so bad he couldn't even remember the attack. He wasn't the most well-behaved of young men so it could have been any number of people. But his memories are starting to return so his sister, DCI Whitney comes to Sebastian Clifford for help.

Clifford was formerly part of the police but is now a private investigator. He has worked with some local police and is trying to convince one of them to come work with him. But she's thinking it over because her partner is having some health issues of his own.

Three stars
This book came out July 14, 2021

Detective Sebastian Clifford #3

Follows Speak No evil

Followed by Hidden From Sight

Audible book I own

Opinions are my own

Spy x Family, Vol. 13 by Tatsuya Endo

I missed vol. 12 so I'm a little behind but we are still with the Forger family in this story. Yor's brother Yuri suspects Loid of being the arch spy, Twilight but fails to find proof after a big fight. Meanwhile, Damian is trying to balance the scales after Anya helped him out in a previous book but he's having trouble getting her alone. And she wants to be alone so she can have the cakes that are only given out to a select group but their friends keep chasing them and they can't know that she helped him out. 

Other stories show Yor's friendship with one of the more powerful families in this world and how misunderstandings can happen so quickly. 

A nice addition to the series. 

Four stars

This book came out January 14, 2025

Follows Vol. 12

Followed by Vol. 14

Borrowed as ebook from Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

The Convent's Secret by C.J. Archer

Matt and India still need a healing magician. Their search leads them to a convent where the boy was given up for adoption. But there are secrets the convent wants to keep; more than just the disappearance of one magical boy. It will be up to the pair and their friends to track down two nuns and two little boys that disappeared within the time frame of 27 years ago, the night a magician connected to Matt's watch was murdered.

Three stars

This book came out September 5, 2017

Glass and Steele #5

Follows The Magician's Diary
Followed by The Ink Master's Silence

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

'Til Heist Do Us Part To Have and to Heist #2 Sara Desai

The group is back together again. Like many heist movies, there are some additions to the crew. And, like many heist movies, the additions are necessarily allies. 

At the end of the last book, the team had successfuly stolen and sold a necklace that, while it wouldn't set them up, certainly would set them up for the long run.

This book opens with Jack and Simi having broken up and Detective Garcia making some inroads. The others have, sort of naturally, drifted apart. And into that void comes a demand. A demand that the necklace be returned or the conspirators will be killed. Or maybe their families. But the necklace has been sold. And who has it now? Jack's former flame, Clare. In order to get the necklace back, Simi's team is going to have to do something for her. And that job is going to be even more outrageous and more dangerous. And the team is going to have to be working with the potential betrayal of one of their own.

Four stars

This book came out August 20, 2024

Simi Chopra #2

Followed by 'Til Heist Do Us Part

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

The Magician's Diary by C.J. Archer

Finding Chronos was supposed to solve all of their problems. But he is only half of the solution. Now, Matt, India, and their friends are going to have to not only find the diary of the healing magician who helped create Matt's watch in the first place, they're going to have to find another healing magician. They think that they've found one but the man is killed. Could it be the guilds who want to hide the existence of magicians? Or is it some reason more closely connected to the two of them?

Three stars

This book came out September 5, 2017

Glass and Steele #4

Follows 
The Apothecary's Poison

Followed by The Convent's Secret

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Margaritas, Marzipan, and Murder by Harper Lin

Ugh. I knew I wasn't enjoying this series but had already gotten  the book from the library so I listened to this one. I REALLY don't like characters that aren't intelligent about their sleuthing and Fran was actively getting in the way of the police investigation. Add into that that this book once again brought in a murderer from out of left field... I will stick to Lin's historcal mysteries.

Two stars

This book came out November 1, 2015

Cap Bay Cafe Mystery #3

Follows 
Tea, Tiramisu, and Tough Guys

Followed by Lattes, Ladyfingers, and Lies

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Remember When by Mary Balogh

Balogh's Ravenswood series around the Ware family and it's matriarch Clarissa's turn to find love. 

Before she married the Earl of Stratton, Clarissa was a Greenfield and her best friend was Matthew Taylor. Matthew was the younger son of a nearby land owner so their friendship was a little over the line considering how wealthy her family was but nothing scandalous. Though they loved each other, Clarissa had a chance to marry the catch of the season and she loves him too. Was that a mistake? Now in her early fifties, she is wondering that fact. But she doesn't think so. Though she and her husband did not have a true love match, they did love each other. But he's gone and Matthew is still here. What could that mean for them?
Matthew was heartbroken when Clarissa married. He also married but his wife died in childbirth. He left to travel the world but returned to the place where he grew up. Now, he's the village carpenter, making beautiful furniture. That's the reason Clarissa stops by, to request a cradle for her coming grandchild. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out January 7, 2025

Ravenswood #4

Follows Always Remember

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group

Opinions are my own

Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

The last of the Dreamlight Trilogy, the lines of Winters and Jones cross lines once more. Now, Adam Winters has become the Head of the Frequency City Ghost Hunter guild but he needs the help of the newly appointed Head of Jones and Jones. It appears that the Winters curse of becoming a Cerebrus (a crazy three-talent)has finally hit him and he needs a dreamlight reader, Marlowe Jones to help him. While they're meeting for the first time, someone takes a potshot at them, trying to chase them into the Underground Jungle. People can get lost and go crazy down there. Luckily, Winters is a full spectrum talent and is able to get them out of there. Now they just need to find the Dreamlight Lamp (before some rogue triplets do) and use it to stabilize the Underground Jungle in order to save their entire world.

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 1, 2010

Ghost Hunters #6 

Dreamlight Trilogy #3

Arcane Society #9

Harmony #7

Follows Obsidian Prey

Followed by Canyons of Night

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Tea, Tiramisu, and Tough Guys by Harper Lin

Franny is contending with another death when a local man is murdered outside a gym. She is bemused to discover that the man who owns the gym was the big man on campus from her high school, Todd. She's even more surprised to find that he's more handsome than ever. He also seems to be the prime suspect. And that, Franny decides, is a shame. So she's going to investigate. Because Todd's too hot to be a killer. 

This was a two and a half star book for me. Franny was ridiculous, Matty was being kind of a jerk, and the killer came out of nowhere. I would probably stop this series and concentrate on Harper Lin's others which I like better, except that I do have the third book already from the library. 

Two and a half stars

This book came out September 18, 2015

Cap Bay Cafe Mystery #2

Follows Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse

Followed by Margaritas, Marzipan, and Murder

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Shattering Dawn by Jayne Ann Krentz

Ever since she woke up from a night she didn't remember, Amelia's talents for seeing people auras has magnified. She can't see them during the day, but at night, she sees a fog of emotions that people have left behind them. This new sight has made it so that she fears going out at night. She's even seeing a therapist for it. But now, her life has gotten stranger since there seems to be a man stalking her. So she calls in some help. 

Gideon Sweetwater is a private investigator. He's wealthy enough to be able to pick his own cases. And he's interested in Amelia's. While he's not exactly sure she's actually seeing what she thinks she sees, he's willing to take a chance. And thank goodness he does, because there actually are some forces after Amelia and not everyone in her life is as they appear. 

You don't HAVE to have read the other books in this series to enjoy it but it would help. 

Four stars

This book comes out January 7th, 2025

The Lost Night Files #3

Follows The Night Island

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as hard copy from library March 2025

Flashpoint by Catherine Coulter

Characters from previous books return in this one. The first is Lady Elizabeth Palmer. She was caught in a plot that would have killed any number of people. Since then, she's been trying to live a simple life. But now, someone is trying to kill her. Could it be linked to the man who pulled her into his web last year?

The second character is Autumn. She's twelve and is watching a younger boy for the summer while his father goes on a belated honeymoon with his new, young wife. But while Tash's father is away, Autumn discovers that she and Tash share some abilities. And his are warning him that his father is in danger.

I still read this series even though it's a little off the wall for me.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 2, 2024

FBI Thriller #27

Follows Reckoning

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own