Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood, Evie Hargreaves (Narrator)

Belladonna (Bella) Blackthorn works in a bookstore. She used to love her job but the owner’s son has come in  and is trying to stamp out all of the charm of the place. She does living with her best friend and she is about to turn thirty. To her surprise, turning thirty is going to be a bigger deal than she thought. 
Apparently, when witches turn thirty, they have to go in front of a tribunal and there is a full review of the way they’ve used their magic since it was granted when they turned fifteen. If they’ve used it for good, they get to keep their magic. If they’ve used it for evil, it gets taken away. Bella… hasn’t really used it. So she is going to have the month of October to try and push the needle either one way or the other. And she’s getting a tutor. It’s the last of the magic people who had their magic taken away. 
I’m not sure why I finished this story except that I had paid for the audiobook so it seemed like I should listen to it. I really, really did not like Bella. Throughout the whole book, she was naïve and passive. More like a new adult than someone turning thirty. And the twists and turns ended up being a bit too much for me. There was a LOT of story in one little book. 

Two and a half stars
This book came out September 19, 2024

Audible book I own

Opinions are my own

Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie, with narrators Hugh Fraser, Nigel Hawthorne

Dead Man's Mirror
Gervase Chevinix-Gore writes to Poirot. He's well known for being incredibly proud of his family. But he never had biological children. His only daughter was adopted from a deceased, distant family member. He's asking Poirot to come because he's afraid he's being defrauded. But Poirot arrives too late, Gervase is dead.

The Incredible Theft
A weekend party starts off well but goes down hill when plans vital to winning the war disappear.

Murder in the Mews
Barbara Allen is dead of an apparent suicide. But her flatmate is insistent that it is murder. And all of the clues do seem to point in that direction. Will Hercule be able to discover what actually happened?

Triangle at Rhodes
Hercule observes two couples at Rhodes. It seems like the handsome husband of one would be better matched with the stunning woman of the other. Then, one of them dies. Who dies and why?

Four stars

This book came out in 1937

Hercule Poirot #16

Follows Cards on the Table

Followed by Dumb Witness

Audible book of mine

Opinions are my own

Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie

I love Tommy and Tuppence. I think that's actually how I started my review for "The Secret Adversary." But they are just so much fun. In this book, the not-so-newlyweds, well, Tuppence, is bemoaning how boring life has become. Luckily, their old boss walks in and asks if they would like to help catch some spies. What follows is a series of short stories, some having to do with the spies, some not. All fun. There's even the added enjoyment of Tommy and Tuppence pretending to be classic detectives along the way.

Five stars
Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries #2

This book came out in 1927

Follows The Secret Adversary

Followed by N or M

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

 Love, love, love Tommy and Tuppence. This is the first of their adventures together, starting just after WWI, both Tommy and Tuppence are at loose ends and short on cash. Meeting up for lunch, they decide to start a partnership called the Young Adventurers. Even as they leave lunch, a man stops Tuppence and asks her to help out with a project. When he asks for her name, she comes up with the first name she can remember, "Jane Finn." It was a name that Tommy had overheard and mentioned. When she says the name, it sends a bolt of electricity through the man and he accuses Tuppence of playing him. This sets off a chain of events that has them meeting up with an American millionaire in search of his cousin, a woman who has been in hiding for over five years, and a group of men who are trying to overthrow the British government.

Five stars
Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries #1

This book came out in 1922

Followed by Partners in Crime

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz

This book starts seemingly somewhat in the middle of the story. Some major things have already happened to Pallas Llewellyn and Ambrose Drake before they meet. One of the things involves Pallas meeting her two friends Talia March and Amelia Rivers who we do not get to see much of at all in this book and, even knowing their books are coming, I was sad not to see more interactions to tie the series together.

Pallas is one of a trio of podcasters who investigate interesting cases. She is in town because Ambrose has contacted her. Her own past is complicated by a lost night that amplified her psychic powers. 

Ambrose has his own lost night and his family believes it is driving him mad. But he knows that someone died in a mental hospital and he wants help. Pallas... will be that help. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out January 3, 2023

Followed by The Night Island

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own 

Reread as audiobook January 2023, January 2025

When She Dreams by Amanda Quick

Krentz revisits a former theme and has a main character who practices lucid dreaming. This book doesn't go quite as much into this skill as previous books and I wish we had seen more of Maggie using it to solve what exactly is going on at a California-based psychic dreaming conference. 

There is more reliance on the skills of Sam Sage. Former-police-inspector (now disgraced) private eye Sam doesn't believe in woo-woo type of stuff. But Maggie does make a comment about his coat rack that has him wondering. Really though, she's hired him to figure out who is impersonating her employer, Aunt Cornelia, an advice columnist. 

The romance was great but the mystery felt a little shaky. Still worth a read. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out May 3, 2022

Follows The Lady Has a Past

Followed by The Bride Wore White

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread November 2022 as audiobook from Libby; March 2025 as audiobook I own

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts

Hope Beaumont was introduced to the series in book one, The Next Always, when she joined the Boonsboro in as the innkeeper. When she and Ryder Montgomery saw each other for the first time, a bolt of lightning hit each. Then they took an instant dislike, each assuming the other was some sort of snooty or snotty. So of course, we the readers knew they were some day going to fall in love. 

It's a good, steady Roberts story with a little bit of the supernatural thrown in. In this book, we get to find out about Lizzie and her lover and they get their happy ending as well (it's a romance, this is not a spoiler.)

Three and a half stars

Inn Boonsboro Trilogy #3

This book came out November 1st, 2011

Follows The Last Boyfriend

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread July 2025 as audiobook from Audible

The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews

It's time to get out of town for the summer! Meg's grandmother is hosting a Ren Faire on her property. Of course, hyper-organized, super-solver Meg is involved, especially behind the scenes, and her professor/actor husband is in charge of the semi-improv actors one of whom, Terrence, has set himself up as the jerk of the troupe. Technically, that is his role in the fair but he tends to act that way both on the job and off. Thus it is no surprise to the reader that he is the one who gets bumped off.
The murderer was fairly easy to guess but does anyone really read to try and solve the mystery? Longtime readers will love this book as Andrews does what she does best. All of our favorite characters grow, even with the requisite time jumps (which are an awesome plot device; not only does she move the place around but adds in these breaks of, sometimes years, so that the sheer number of bodies Meg runs into seem a little more plausible. Okay, not a ton but a little.)
Could first time Meg Langslow readers start with this book? I think so but you'd miss some of the depth of the characters that regular readers have gotten to know and love. Plus, you'll just want to go back to the start anyway so why not just begin there?

Four stars

Meg Langslow #27

This book came out August 4, 2020
Follows Owl be Home for Christmas

Followed by The Gift of the Magpie
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread January 2022,  Audible book January 2025

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

Ada von Hasenberg is a child of one of the three head houses of the High Council but, as a younger child, she is of little value unless she marries. And her father did contract a marriage for her to Richard Rockhurst. Ada decided she didn't want to get married and fled. She's got a bounty on her head and, two year later, has finally been captured by a merc ship. But she's not their only bounty. The ship also has the notorious Marcus Loch, the man who was rumored to have killed his entire troop during the Fornax Rebellion. If Ada wants to escape, she's going to need to team up with Marcus so that she can figure out why she has suddenly become so valuable to the Rockhurst house. What she uncovers will shake the entire High Council and lead to a house war.
Great world building and an introduction to a world that is just fun to read. I like the second book in the series just a little bit more but this is second in my heart.

Four stars
This book came out February 5th, 2019
Followed by Aurora Blazing
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Reread November 2025 as Audible audiobook

Chaos Reigning Jessie Mihalik

As a child, Catarina von Hasenberg was often sick. But what no one other than she, her father, and a handful of scientists know that she wasn't really sick, her family was experimenting on her trying to play with her genes to make her faster, stronger, etc.  She was the youngest in a family of six so she was more expendable and her father is more interested in a way to gain power than keeping his family alive. Her bonds with her siblings are tight and Catarina is willing to help them in the fight against the Syndicate, a group that is trying to take over power from the Royal Consortium of which the von Hasenbergs are one of the three High Houses.
Cat has been invited to a house party at one of the family's that is suspected to be plotting against the Royal Consortium. Her sister Bianca is worried about her safety and sends two people along with Cat, Alex and Aoife. Aoife will be her bodyguard and Alex is going to pose as Cat's newest boy toy. Since no one knows about Cat's skills, she chafes against the restrictions but realizes why her sister might want to send her extra help, especially since she's the youngest and everyone is used to thinking of her as being weak.
I would definitely read the first two books in the series before this one. I don't think you necessarily have to but the series as a whole is amazing and worth reading. Of the three heroines, I think I connected to Cat the least but I couldn't put my finger on why. She is just as kick ass as her sisters  but I think the mask she had to wear annoyed even me. It also took me a bit of time to get into the story but, once it picked up, it really became wonderful.

Four stars

Consortium Rebellion #3
Follows Aurora Blazing
This book comes out May 19, 2020
ARC kindly provided by Harper Voyager Trade and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread November 2025 as Audible audiobook

Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik

Bianca von Hasenberg has done more than enough for House von Hasenberg. She married a monster who changed her in ways no one should have to suffer. But she now uses her differences, the differences she can never tell anyone for fear of being a medical experiment for the rest of her life, to enhance her information network. Also working for her? Woman who were in similar positions until Bianca saved them. Their gossip keeps her in the know, both for her family and for herself. Since her husband died, she has also become a security expert while tucking away money for herself. It is all of her skills that make her think she can save her brother when he is kidnapped. Of course, she was targeted at the same time but that doesn't worry her as much. Nor does the fact that someone is setting her up to be the fall guy for her brother's disappearance. Too bad her path is further complicated by one of her father's security guys, her former love, Ian.
I hadn't finished the first book but my library book was about to expire so I listened to this one and didn't feel like I had missed anything. Mihalik managed to add enough of the first book for backstory but without the info dump.

Four stars

Consortium Rebellion #2
Follows Polaris Rising
Followed by Chaos Reigning
This book came out October 1st, 2019
Borrowed this as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Reread November 2025 as Audible audiobook