A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas

The last few books have ended on something of a cliffhanger or with something left undone. I liked that this book differed a bit; Olivia and Stephen might not have a happy ever after but it sure is a lot closer than what we've seen in other books. And We also get to see a bit more about her relationship with Lord Ingram which is running the way she would like and they solidify a bit more where they are going in a completely nerdy and adorable manner. 

Lady Sherlock #8

Four stars

This book comes out June 25, 2024

Follows Tempest at Sea

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica and Stoker very nearly declared themselves in the last book. But they were interrupted by Stoker's brother, Tiberius. After that, Veronica fled halfway around the world for six months, afraid of her feelings (whether or not she'll admit that to herself). She's barely back when Tiberius lures her to a remote island, to  a house party in a castle with promises of the larvae of a rare butterfly. Veronica knows he has ulterior motives but she's willing to do what it takes to get the butterfly. And maybe to tweak Stoker's nose a bit as she poses as Tiberius' fiancée. 

But it is even more mysterious than it first appears. Three years ago, a woman disappeared on her wedding day and the family has been in hiding ever since. This house party is their first toe into coming back into society. But a seance brings a ghost back to life and old secretes rise again.

The story was fine but the real draw for me was the growth for Veronica. A bit for Stoker as well but their story moved enough to be an enjoyable read.

Four stars

This book came out March 12, 2019

Follows A Treacherous Curse

Followed by A Murderous Relation

Opinions are my own

A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn

We finally get to meet the elusive Caroline, the woman who done Stoker wrong. And with his best friend. Whom she then married. Who is now missing. Who is accused of stealing a valuable diadem from an Egyptian dig site. And Stoker and Veronica have been asked to investigate. Of course, Veronica is ready to charge toward danger and drag Stoker behind with her.

A lovely addition to the series. We get a great peek into Stoker's past and a bit of an explanation as to how his character has been built.

Four stars

This book came out January 16, 2018

Follows A Perilous Undertaking

Followed by A Dangerous Collaboration

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Tempest at Sea Lady Sherlock by Sherry Thomas

Charlotte Holmes is dead. At least that's where she was presumed to be at the end of the last book. Now, she has the chance to come back under the protection of Lord Remington (not a fail safe but no small measure) if she can help him find a missing dossier. It has been some time but she has hopes that she will be able to get some information from a governess, Frau Schmidt, who will be sailing on the Provence. Coincidentally, Charlotte's sister Livia will be on board as will Charlotte's lover, Lord Ingram and his two children. Also boarding the ship are an old adversary of Charlotte's, Inspector Brighton, and the man who made such a massive failure of Charlotte's attempt to ruin herself, Roger Shrewsbury. 

Shrewsbury once again marks himself inept as he makes an unpleasant remark about a young woman boarding the boat with her brother. Her brother, a wealthy man, takes exception to the remark and punches Shrewsbury. So the trip is off to an interesting start. It gets more interesting when the brother is murdered and Inspector Brighton is asked to look into the mystery. Is he actually solving the crime or is he trying to suss out more information about Holmes?
The mystery is not exactly linear as beats of the story are interspersed with more information about what actually happened the night of the crime. I think regular readers will enjoy the story but there is a lot of information that gets tacked on, especially at the end, that has no bearing on this story.

Lady Sherlock #7

Four stars

This book came out March 14, 2023

Follows Miss Moriarty, I Presume?

Followed by A Ruse of Shadows
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Guild Boss by Jayne Castle

The Vortex saga continues... on another planet in the future. This time, the Jones family is brought in through Gabriel. He's a special sort of Hunter, one who is after a specific person in the book's beginning, Lucy Bell. It seems like she wandered away drunk from a wedding and got lost in the underground tunnels. Her family has put out a big bounty for her and Gabriel is the one to notice that there is a dust bunny showing up to get a free pizza every night. He follows the bunny, Otto, and finds the girl.

BUT, that is just the beginning of the story. Lucy objects to the fact that everyone blames her; in fact, she was drugged. But that's not what makes a good story and she loses her clientele. And she blames Gabriel for that fact because... he left? I guess fiction doesn't have to make sense but this seemed odd for a character who otherwise was fairly level-headed.

Gabriel does come back though. He needs someone with Lucy's particular set of talents and he knows what she can do underground. Plus, he just wants to see her again.

There is a lot going on in this story which, even though it's number 14 in a series, seems to be setting up some new storylines. With all of Krentz's books lately, the endings seem to go on and on as in, you think this is the end of the book but then there's another chapter. And another. I also wish we had seen more interactions with Lucy's family. However, Gabriel and Lucy were both great characters and I liked seeing how their relationship went from rescuer/rescued to equal partners. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out November 16th, 2021

Ghost Hunters #14

Follows Illusion Town

Followed by Sweetwater and the Witch

ARC kindly provided by Berkley and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible May 2024

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas

When Moriarty shows up on Charlotte Holmes's doorstep, she is immediately ready to put into place the safeguards she's put up and she gets ready to run. But Moriarty shocks her - he wants Holmes to find his daughter. They were not close but he still worries when he hasn't heard from her in a long while. 

Living as Miss Baxter, the daughter has good reasons not to contact her father. But is she safe behind the walls of the Garden of Hermopolis? Or is it a cult that has sucked her in and will not allow her to leave? And why, when Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to the remote locale, is everyone loathe to talk to Miss Baxter? Or even let them see her?

I enjoyed having the third person view focused on Mrs. Watson. It is definitely a throwback to the Doyle stories and made the story interesting, even if we had a narrator who might not be observing everything and decoding it like Charlotte did. 

Four stars

Follows Murder on Cold Street

Followed by A Tempest at Sea
This book comes out November 2nd, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Berkley and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

When examining the effects of a lady mountaineer, recently deceased, Veronica is shocked to see that the rope holding the woman on her last climb looks to have been cut with a knife. The lady's death was not the accident everyone assumes. Veronica is anxious to investigate and gets her chance when the Princess Gisela of the Alpenwald disappears and, as an unexpected lookalike, Veronica is asked to step into her place. 

As usual, Raybourn has a lot going on in her book but she weaves it together seamlessly in a thoroughly enjoyable story. It did take me a little bit to get through the middle of the book but I enjoyed seeing the character growth in Veronica and Stoker. There was not much building about their relationship but I think there are some hints that there may be more in the next book.

Veronica Speedwell #6

Four stars

Follows A Murderous Relation

Followed by An Impossible Impostor
This book comes out March 2, 2021

ARC kindly provided by Berkley and Edelweiss Plus
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby January 2024

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

It is a truth universally acknowledged that, if a series is set in the late 1880s, at some point, they will introduce Jack the Ripper as an element. Does it always work successfully? No. And with this book it was... okay. It set off the series of events that lead to Veronica and Stoker meeting the crown prince of England at a... rather scandalous house. Coming face-to-face with a part of her past is jarring to Veronica. But that's not the only part of her past she'll have to face and this one might just be the thing that finally kills her.
Still a good book in the series but didn't feel as if it read as fast as other books in the series. I still think regular readers will not be disappointed.

Veronica Speedwell #5

Three stars

This book came out March 10th, 2020

Follows A Dangerous Collaboration

Followed by An Unexpected Peril
ARC kindly provided by Berkley
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby January 2024 (liked it better; three and a half stars)

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz

The book opens with Catalina Lark and Olivia Dayton, teenagers spending the night in the local cave, witnessing a murder. They save themselves but it's a near thing and they spend the night trapped in a nightmare. When they come out, the townspeople are happy to believe that it was a hallucination. After all, Fogg Lake was the site of a paranormal disaster fifty years ago and the people of the town have been dealing with psychic repercussions ever since.
In the present day, Catalina and Olivia are private investigators, using their psychic powers to help their clients. One the same night that Catalina goes to save a client, Olivia is kidnapped. Luckily, Slate Arganbright has already come to town looking for her. He is also psychic but is still getting over being locked in his uncles' "attic" after being dosed with an unknown chemical that they thought might be driving him crazy. He might've been for a little bit but now he's here to help Catalina find her friend as well as trying to figure out why collectors of psychic items are dying.
There is some overlap with the Arcane Society novels (Vortex is a "bad guy" in that series as well) but I think this might actually be a similar, but new, world. Because it is so very similar, it took some time to adjust to the fact that this is a new series but there is a LOT of world building so we don't really get to see the relationshp between Catalina and Slate develop.

Three stars

Followed by All the Colors of the Night
This book came out January 7th

ARC kindly provided by Berkley and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Reread November 2020 as audiobook from Overdrive, August 2022, January 2024 as audiobook from Libby