Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Ufda. The casual racism in this book does NOT hold up well. The story is, as usual, quite funny but it is not a book that aged like a good wine.

Bertie has gotten hold of a banjo. If you've read previous books in the series, you realize that this is going to be a problem. In fact, it not only gets Bertie kicked out of his apartment, Jeeves leaves him as well. Big Problem. Except Bertie doesn't see it that way. He hires another valet and gets himself out of London since one of his previous fiancee's was seen in the company of two of his former antagonists. Well, it turns out that he might not have reason to worry since the former fiancee is now more interested in his friend Chuffy. But the course to true love never does run smoothly in fiction and it may be that Jeeves's intervention is needed after all.  

Two stars

Follows Very Good, Jeeves!

Followed by Right Ho, Jeeves!

This book came out in 1933

Audiobook borrowed from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

 The book opens with Bertie once again being engaged. Well, he's reminiscing about being engaged to a woman, Florence, who wants Bertie's help in stopping his uncle's memoirs from being printed. Jeeves appears to help but the manuscript making it to the publisher means that Florence has dropped the engagement. We also see Bertie almost get engaged but luckily Jeeves helps him out again. 

We also see more of Jeeves' family with his niece in one story and a cousin in another. And one story from Jeeves's point of view, how he is able to manipulate Bertie.

Wodehouse is just really good at weaving in stories and picking up threads from one book to another. If you haven't read previous books in the series, you are probably okay but if you have, there is so much more to enjoy in terms of humor because you get layers of the story.

Three stars

Follows The Inimitable Jeeves

Followed by Very Good Jeeves!

This book came out in 1925

Audiobook from Audible Premium plus

Opinions are my own

Three Witnesses by Rex Stout

Three stories all hinging on the clues provided by one significant witness. In "The Next Witness," a man bribes an answering service to listen in on his wife's phone calls. When one of the women at the service ends up dead, the man is put on trial. It is during the trial that Nero Wolfe (who seldom leaves his home), has an inkling towards the truth and actually joins Archie in the field, interviewing the other women of the answering service.
"When a Man Murders..." features a man who makes it back from the war, only to be murdered in a hotel. Was it the man's wife who has now married another man? She also used her rather large inheritance to purchase her new husband's business though they both claim to be ready to give back the money if only they can stay together. Of course, it could also be the man's aunt or her two children  who mutually inherited the other half of the man's estate.
The last story, "Die Like a Dog" relies on some rather interesting coincidences for Archie to end up with a black lab whose owner has just been murdered.
A fun read and nice to have short stories that are easy to get through.

Four stars

Follows Before Midnight

Followed by Might as Well Be Dead

This book came out March 10th, 1956

Hard copy I kept 

Opinions are my own

Bring the Heat by G.A. Aiken

Aidan the Devine and Branwen the Awful have fought together before. This time is definitely to help save a nation. But this time they are not on the front lines. Instead, Branwen, Aiden, and a group of others will have to work behind the scenes to make sure that the eyeless zealots don't kill off everyone. 

This book ends the arc that has been flowing through most of the series so there is a lot of wrapping up to do but we still do get to see Branwen and Aidan go from war buddies, to sex buddies, to something more. The world building of this series was so fun, I hope that the series is not entirely over but am satisfied with the ending if it is.

Dragon Kin #9

Three stars

This book came out August 27th, 2017

Follows Feel the Burn

Characters next found in The Princess Knight

Ebook borrowed from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible plus audiobook January 2024

Love at First by Kate Clayborn

Will Sterling isn't sure why his uncle left Will his apartment. The only memory he has of his Uncle Donny is of a day when Will was fifteen and his mother had gone to Donny for help. He had refused. So... not exactly good memories. But he can't sell the apartment for one year. His mentor, Dr. Gerald Abraham, suggests  that Will talk to Gerald's ex-wife who seems to be making a lot of money by doing Airbnb-type rentals. Will figures he might as well.
Eleanora "Nora" Clarke loves the apartment building in which she lives. Almost everyone has lived there for decades and they are pretty much an extended family at this point. She does not like the idea of having strangers in the building. So she does her best to thwart Will's plans. It's too bad that he's so good looking. And such a good guy. And so willing to help her break out of the stasis she's been in both in her home and her life.
This book was really enjoyable. We get to see Nora and Will at a point in their lives where both are growing up a little bit. We also get to see how they fall in love and why they work as a couple. It might take a little bit but each is willing to fight for the other and to compromise when they need to.

Four stars

This book came out February 23rd, 2021

Ebook borrowed from Libby

Opinions are my own

Styx & Stone by James W. Ziskin

Ellie Stone is a "girl reporter". Not in her own mind but that how she's thought of in the 1960s. However, now the story is about her, or at least, her father. He's been attacked in his own home so she goes back to her childhood home to figure out what is going on. It seems that her father's attack might be related to another death of one of his colleagues.
I didn't love the solution to the mystery because it was a little bit out there but I did like the character development of Ellie and the writing. Very Golden Age of Mystery with lots of references to classics and classical music. A bit noir with some darkness and the protagonist sleeping around.

Three stars

Followed by No Stone Unturned

This book came out October 15th, 2013

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Kate and Curran are worried about their Pack's children. Too many of them are going Loup. There is a cure in Europe but the Europeans aren't sharing. Well, unless the American Beasts come and protect a woman who is being used as a pawn by several European shifter factions. She's pregnant by two men (it happens) and which ever twin is born first will inherit a good chunk of land.

This is going to be a slog anyway but then it turns out that Kate's father's right hand, Hugh D'Ambry, is hosting the entire mess.

I liked this one, but it did make me sad in places,which is fine but I'm not a good place in my life to deal with the deaths of even fictional characters. (Even on re-read, this one hurts.)

Three and a half stars

Follows Magic Slays

Followed by Magic Breaks

This book came out July 30th, 2013

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own