Mrs. Brodie's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies by Shana Galen, Theresa Romain

I can't remember why I put this on my wishlist in 2018 but I finally got this book this year. It was... fine. Not worth the wait though.

In the first story, Jack and Marianne were childhood sweethearts. He married someone else and now he's hunted her down for... reasons? Closure? She's a cook at the school and he's there to sweep her away from a life that she basically enjoys. He's an ass and she's not much better. 

In the second story, Bridget and Caleb were sweethearts (a theme) but he left her to pursue his career as a spy. He's not even really back right now but, when he finds out they had a son, he's ready to help her find their boy and head for a new life in Canada.

I can see how this would have been an amazing series but was woefully underdeveloped in two short stories by authors I normally enjoy.

Two stars

This book came out September 14, 2018

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

I hadn't read a Hannah Swensen book in a long time but a friend told me that they had gone off the rails in sort of a fun way. So. I wasn't expecting this one to be a prequel to the series. This story involves Essie, an older woman who has been beloved by the community for her storytelling skills, and the hotel that she and her husband used to own. 

It is set three weeks after her father died so her family is grieving and figuring out what they are going to do next. Hannah's mother has retreated to her bedroom and isn't coming out. But when Essie goes to the hospital, her friends rally her under the guise of helping Essie. When Hannah and her mother go to Essie's house, they find a stack of writing that becomes a story within this story. This becomes a second mystery that is connected to the "present" but, gosh, it made both mysteries simplistic. In addition, there's a lot of filler and the need for a total suspension of disbelief. 

Hannah Swensen #23

Two and a half stars

This book came out September 25, 2018

Follows Raspbery Danish Murder

Followed by Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief by Dorothy Gilman

The book opens with Mrs Pollifax standing in the rain at a funeral. She's been asked to take pictures by her old friend Farrell. The same Farrell who's sent out an SOS asking her and Curtis to come to Sicily. Curtis can't make it but Mrs Pollifax is up for the challenge.

She meets not only Farrell there, but also a young CIA agent named Kate. Kate and her aunt are the ones to hide Mrs. Pollifax and Farrell when they are followed from their meeting spot. There is something interesting going on with Kate's aunt and the village that she supports with her art. Somehow it overlaps with the work that Farrell has been doing, trying to retrieve a supposed signature of Julius Caesar. Oh, and old enemy rears his head once again.

Oh, these books are dated. Terms that were maybe acceptable in the early 80s now cause a twinge. Is this book believable? No. Does it need to be? Also no.

Three stars

This book came out in 1993

Follows Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish

Followed by Mrs. Pollifax Pursued 

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Murder in an Irish Pub by Carlene O'Connor

Siobhan O'Sullivan is working with the rest of the Garda to make sure the town stays safe while a major poker game is going on. There are some very famous players coming in including The Octopus, Eamon Foley (anyone's guess as to whether his nickname refers to his good poker hands or how he acts around women), Clementine Heart, and Shane Ross. 

During the first game, Eamon is dealt the Dead Man's hand. Major foreshadowing there as he later ends up dead but not before he's accused of cheating to win the hand. There was a lot going on with accusations that his wife was carrying a child that wasn't Eamon's, a bet involving a valuable racehorse, and longstanding rivalries. 

The actual answer comes somewhat out of left field. An interesting story and you don't need to have read the rest of the series to understand what it going on.

Three stars

This book came out February 26, 2019

Follows Murder in an Irish Churchyard

Followed by Murder in an Irish Cottage

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Florida Woman by Deb Rogers

Jamie found herself in jail for... reasons. As a part of her release, she is wearing an ankle monitor and volunteering at Atlas. It's a shelter for rescue macaques. It's also a former midwife school. It's also the home of Flora whose daughter seems to be in charge of Atlas.

The longer Jamie stays, the more she finds herself drawn to the women running the program. But she is also confused by a number of strange things that are happening in the sanctuary. She doesn't want to mess up her chance at staying out of jail so she's sticking to the letter of the law. But things are starting to make a little less sense than usual.

I KNOW I've read a book with similar themes and beats. I knew what was going to happen even before the author started dropping broader and broader hints. It was an enjoyable book but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the All the Books crew did.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 5, 2022

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

The Odd Job by Charlotte MacLeod

Another book in the series where we don't see much of Max since he is away on a trip to Argentina. Instead, Sarah is left at home to uncover what happened to Dolores Tawne. In life, she was (unofficially) the person who ran the Wilkins Museum. She was also a former art forger who Max had uncovered. In fact, the Bittersohn/Kelling family has had many ties with the Wilkins over the years which allow Sarah to find out what actually happened to Dolores which she feels some urge to do because Dolores set Sarah up as her executrix. Sarah didn't think Dolores had much but she finds the keys to two bank boxes, one of which has six hat pins which look startlingly familiar, mostly because Dolores was killed by a similar object, one that was mailed to Sarah. And it seems that the hatpins have a history of their own, one linked to the Wicket Widows.

This book was a wild ride. This death was rooted in the past which allowed MacLeod to bring back Uncle Jeremy but the timelines didn't quite make sense and I couldn't figure out the ages of some of the characters which would have made this story a little more fairly clued. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out in 1996

Follows The Resurrection Man

Followed by The Balloon Man

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

A is for Audra by John Robert Allman, Peter Emmerich

This is one of the books from NPR's Best Book that intrigued me. And it's a delightful book though I think you need some Broadway knowledge to really appreciate. Going from A to Z (with a couple of stretches), this book lauds the divas of the Great White Way. The poems are short and easy; the illustrations are delightful. 

Four stars

This book came out November 12, 2019

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Divided in Death by J.D. Robb

We've seen Roarke's secretary, Caro, in previous books. She's a savvy, competent woman who was skeptical of Eve but has grown to appreciate her through the series. And it's good, because her daughter, who also works for Roarke, is now under investigation for the murder of her husband and his lover.

Of course, first appearances can be deceiving and Eve trusts that Roarke knows his employees and digs deeper, discovering that the husband and his lover were not who they really seemed and perhaps there is more to this death than mere jealousy.

Four stars

This book came out January 26, 2004

Follows Imitation in Death

Followed by Visions in Death

Hard copy I didn't keep 

Opinions are my own

Full Bloom by Jayne Ann Krentz

In her late twenties, Emily Ravenscroft is finally feeling like she is coming into her own. She's been under her family's thumb for too long. But this is the last straw, chasing off a man she wasn't even seeing. If her parents or brother had bothered to ask, she would have let them know. Worst of all, they brought back their favorite enforcer, Jacob Stone, who Emily once had an unrequited crush on. 

Jacob Stone has left the Ravenscroft's employ but he came back to help out when he heard it was for Emily. Now a grown woman, Jacob is ready to be with the woman he's always adored. 

This is definitely an eighties book with a masterful man though the woman isn't quite so helpless. Lots of misunderstandings though that drove me nuts.

Two and a half stars

This book came out in 1988

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Less of a Stranger by Nora Roberts

Megan Miller (who the hero calls "Meg" throughout the book though the narrator and her grandfather both use her full name) is twenty-three and an artist. Well, she's an artist when she's not working at her grandfather's amusement park. The same amusement park that Katch is interested in. Oh, but now he's interested in him as well. But she's not interested in him. Now she is. Now she isn't. But he's going to control the whole relationship. Just... blergh. One of Roberts's early romances that just didn't age well. 

Two stars

This book came out June 1, 1984

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard

Bailey Wingate married her boss. Yes, he was fabulously wealthy, but she didn't marry him for the money, but as a favor. The man's son and daughter are not good people and he didn't want to leave his company and money to them. His hope was that the son's hatred of Bailey would kick him into being a better worker and person. It hasn't worked so far. In fact, the son has started threatening Bailey's life. 

But she's just going to go get away from it all. It's a rafting trip, which she doesn't love, but it's with her brother and his wife, which she loves. Unfortunately, the charter trip is not going to be fun because her regular pilot is sick and his business partner doesn't really like her. But, the day just doesn't get any better when the plane crashes and the pilot has a major gash on his head and can't help. The two have to work together to get down the mountain.

Maybe not my favorite writer but this book is pure Howard and will delight anyone that reads her books.

Three stars

This book came out July 17, 2007

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Trouble Brewing by Dolores Gordon-Smith

Something is rotten at Hunt's coffee. Mark Helston, the apparent heir, has just up and disappeared. Jack Haldean is called in by the owner, Mr. Hunt, to investigate. As he's looking into it, the man's niece, Patricia, is having problems in her marriage and Jack gets pulled in as her best friends is one of his good friends as well. Then, Pat's first husband returns from the dead with a story of amnesia having coincidentally worked at Hunts coffee in Argentina, the same place that Hunt is having difficulties with. 

It took me a LONG time to read this book. It's fine but it just didn't capture my attention like some of Gordon-Smith's books have. Luckily, I know that some of the later books are great so I'm going to continue the series.

Three stars

This book came out November 1, 2012

Follows Off the Record

Followed by Blood from a Stone

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas

A friend recommended this book to me and, while it took me a long time to finish the book, I overall enjoyed the start of this series very much though I can very much say that the villain was not at all fairly clued. 

Thomas Llewelyn is very much down on his luck (just got out of prison, kicked out of school, wife has died) when he reads an advertisement for a position with Cyrus Barker. The position has "some danger involved" and Llewelyn finds out very quickly how true that is. He is introduced to parts of London that he didn't know and ethnic groups that are outside his norm. 

The case that Barker has recently been called upon to help with is that of a rabbinical student who looked a lot like a 19th century version of Jesus. The man was murdered with an anti-semitic comment left nearby. But was that really the reason the man was murdered?

Four stars

This book came out March 8, 2005

Followed by To Kingdom Come

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

A second generation of Wallflowers is on the loose. Pandora Ravenel grew up in a household where girls were not valued. She and her sisters were pretty much allowed to grow up feral (really? Even if boys were the prime offspring, girls needed to be married off so they would have had at least a nanny or something) so she never learned she was supposed to be stupid and interested in marriage. Instead, she wants to market her board games and run an industry. Of course, if she gets married, all of her property will automatically become her husband's.

Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, though super-eligible, isn't really ready to get married. He's too busy being ashamed of himself for banging a married woman because she's tied him to her with super-kinky sex (or so we're told.) But all of that falls away when he accidentally compromises Pandora and immediately falls in love. No, really, he pretty much decides that, after five minutes of conversation, she will be his wife. And then he gets upset because her family doesn't immediately force her to marry him. So they all get invited to Evie and Sebastian's country house (my faves from the Wallflower series) where they get to know each other better. 

And then the story starts to get really crowded with Gabriel's ex (and, even though he was all angsty about his "dark side," Pandora's innocence makes him learn to love vanilla sex again (?)) and a plot to blow up the aristocracy.

Overall a nice book with just a few to many things included as well as a few thing not really explained.

Three and a half stars

This book came out February 21, 2017

Follows Devil in Disguise

Followed by Hello Stranger

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Fierce * Conversations Achieving Success at Work & in Life by Susan Scott

This book hasn't aged particularly well (sexism and ageism are the basis of some of the examples) but some of the points are good ones. One takeaway I liked was asking anyone after a meeting, based on what you discussed, they will be implementing in the next thirty days. Many of the other thoughts 

This would be a good book for a new manager in a corporate setting who needs some reminding that hard conversations are best done quickly and done well.

Three stars

This book came out in 2002

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Lost and Found by Jayne Ann Krentz

Cady Briggs works with antiquities but that isn't the reason her great aunt Vesta left her the majority of shares in her company. The gallery is about to be a part of a big merger and one of Cady's cousins is the CEO of Chatelaine. So, why did Vesta leave those shares to Cady only? In fact, Vesta's death seems very mysterious. But Cady has a secret weapon: Mack Easton. They've worked together to uncover antiques and then verify them before. Mack knows the business and he knows Cady. Plus, he's her Fantasy Man.

Some of Krentz's stories age well. I would not lump this one in with them. Not just the technology but the attitudes of the characters and some of the secondary characters.

Three stars

This book came out November 1, 2001

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Shady Characters by Keith Houston

Each chapter of this book dives deeply into the history of a particular typographical mark. How is it used today? Why is it used that way? When did we start using the mark? Was that it’s original use? All of these questions are considered and most are responded to for each symbol.

I never knew that a * preceding a date meant birth while a dagger meant death. 

A series of microhistories, this book is a fascinating read though I would recommend it more as something to read a chapter of each night rather than devouring it in one sitting. I also learned that, in modern-day, an em dash is equal to the height of the font-size. An en dash is now half of that of an em dash. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 24, 2013

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz

This is a book that is definitely dated (references to PDAs and characters who don't know how to email) but is still pretty fun.

Desdemona Wainwright meets Sam Stark because she caters his wedding. The opening scene has her talking to Sam about the bill for his aborted wedding. She knows that he is attracted to him and, as he comes out of his stupor, he realizes that he kind of likes her as well. Desdemona is a little worried that he is still upset over his wedding and invites him to an experimental theater show that stars members of her family. It is drilled into us over and over again that the Wainwrights are emotional, emoting, theater people and that Sam is akin to a robot (does he not have feelings or does he just hide them?). But he and Desdemona manage to get together, even managing a relationship around Sam's two half-brothers who show up at his house unexpectedly.

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 1, 1995

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Flash by Jayne Ann Krentz

Olivia Chantry has recently inherited 49% of her late-uncle's business. This is a problem for her and the rest of the family are nervous about an outsider joining the company. Jasper Sloane is slightly more excited about inheriting the other part of the company. He's been out-of-sorts lately and this job seems like it will be a good challenge, one he's looking forward to. If only he can get Olivia to see things his way... and work on figuring out who a murdering blackmailer is.

One of Krentz's works from the late 90's that I re-read every couple of years. Of course, some of the technology is dated but the love story holds up pretty well.

Four stars

This came out in 1998

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

The Gladstone Bag by Charlotte MacLeod

I'm fairly certain that I picked this book up at a garage sale. Or a thrift store? I had it on my TBR shelves for about 2 years before I finally picked it up. And it's taken me a LONG time to get through it. Not that it was bad, it just kept putting me to sleep. It's the first in the series for me and, based on the name of the series, I'm assuming that the main character in this book is not the recurring detective. Which I actually really like as a plot conceit (and still do on re-read when I'm working through the series.) Rather, it is Sarah's Aunt Emma who is involved in a mystery.

Emma seems to be your stock New England older woman from a small town; pragmatic, part of the community. She is heavily involved in the local theater and, when a friend asks Emma to act as hostess for a group of artists and writers on an island, Emma takes along the costume jewelry to make some repairs.

Well, on the ferry, Emma is drugged and her bag disappears. But it quickly shows up in the men's restroom. Why was the bag taken? And why has a mysterious man with amnesia shown up on the island? A man who soon dies. And who are are these strange people that have been invited to the island? Including one man who calls himself "Count" and wants to search for treasures and a woman who is supposedly psychic who is suddenly not feeling well enough to come out of her room?

Page 147: "I've noticed the strap's getting a bit chewed" "Aren't we all?"

Four stars

This book came out February 1, 1990

Follows The Silver Ghost

Followed by The Resurrection Man

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own