The Wicked and the Dead by Melissa Marr

Geneviève Crowe makes money from killing draugr, the again-walkers of New Orleans. She also kills them because she feels she has to. She realizes the danger but she feels compelled to keep humanity safe. But something weird is happening. The newly risen draugr are acting like they've been dead for decades. Rather than shambling lumps, they are fast-moving and coherent.

As she starts to solve the mstery, the world Marr built starts to unfold. It's very much like ours, but a little more magical. It is also inhabited by fae, including Gen's friend Eli. There's an underlying attraction between the two but she doesn't want to ruin what relationship they have and a romance could change that. But they'll have to work together to figure out what this new venom is and why people who are generally against the existence of the draugr are the once being targeted.

This was an interesting start to a series but there was a lot of info dump and some of the plotlines were a bit disjointed. 

Three stars

This book came out September 2, 2020

Novella follows Blood Martinis & Mistletoe

Followed by The Kiss and the Killer

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

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

April Rereads

As always, opinions are my own

Miraculous Mysteries

Anthology put together by Poisoned Pen Press

Three stars

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

Isabelle works for a publishing company. She is not an editor as she thought she would be at this point. Nor is she a writer. Instead, she is still an editorial assistant. But while on a trip to California, she overhears her boss complaining about how a rich and entitled Hollywood scion hasn't turned in his manuscript. So Isabelle volunteers to go and help him get working on it. She does not expect him to be quite as cranky as he is. She REALLY doesn't expect to end up staying in his fabulous California villa and working her regular New York hours, then helping him in the afternoons. And the fact that he might not be as grumpy as he originally seemed might be the biggest surprise of all. 

This Beauty and the Beast adaptation was adorable. I wish we had seen a little bit more of the relationship developing and had hoped to see more about what happens with Isabelle's coworker but it was an enjoyable book overall. 

Four stars

This book comes out May 3, 2022

Follows If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

ARC kindly provided by Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh

We saw Danny and Catie meet as teens in Cherish Hard. They are siblings to the characters in that book but are now in their mid-20s. Yes, they are still squabbling like nobody's business but they are comfortable in their relationship and they still look out for each other. Which is evident in the opening scene as Catie sees Danny across the floor at a dance club and realizes he doesn't look right. In fact, he looks as though he's been drugged. She's able, with the help of his friend Viliame, to get him to the hospital. Unfortunately, rumors are now flying about them being a couple. See, Danny is a super famous rugby dude and Catie is famous in her own right for competing in the Paralympics and apparently people have been 'shipping them for quite a while.

Lots of deep discussions in this book about expectations, limb loss, parental relationships, and more. Singh is such a delightful writer though that all of these are handled with a deft touch while going from friends to lovers in a fake relationship is a joy to read.

Hard Play#4

Four and a half stars

This book comes out May 3, 2022

Follows Love Hard

ARC kindly provided by TKA Distribution and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as ebook from Libby March 2024

Orchid by Jayne Castle

Rafe Stonebraker is a strat-talent. He should have been the one to take over his grandfather's corporation but he got out when he was young, knowing that he could not work for his grandfather. But now that his grandfather is about to retire, the only person in line to be CEO is his vengeful cousin who wants to take the company down. Rafe is ready to step back into the picture but the board is fairly conservative and, in a society that prizes marriage, he's going to need at least a fiancée for the board to consider him. Since his marriage counselor seems hesitant, Rafe decides to find a bride himself by hiring out local prism agencies to help him in his work as a private investigator.

Orchid Adams is a romance writer by day and a prism for hire by night. She is a special kind of prism, a rare ice prism. There are few in existence and, awhile ago, three were used by a local lab to see if their particular prisms could help focus for crazy people and maybe make them sane again. That didn't work. But now Orchid's old life is crossing over with Rafe's current investigation.

I like Zinnia and Nick's romance a little bit better but this story is the best in the trilogy.

Three stars

This book came out May 1, 1998

Follows Zinnia

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann

I was so excited to see who the lady's man Izzy Zanella would end up with because he is such an awesome character but... I was a little disappointed. I know that Brockmann plays with relationships, but having a character so young (Eden's only nineteen) is a little disconcerting. 

Izzy has had rough times with Eden's brother Danny who is a member of Seal Team Sixteen. The man thinks that Izzy seduced his sister, got her pregnant, and then left her. The truth is, Izzy helped Eden through a hard time, fell deeply in love with her, and has been trying to get back in touch with her ever since. Eden doesn't want to be with Izzy. Not because she doesn't love him, but because she's always been told she's worthless, even by Danny.

Danny is hurt in action at the beginning of this story. Izzy uses his own blood to save Danny's life and almost dies in the process. That doesn't make them besties by any means. 

Eden is in Las Vegas trying to rescue their brother Ben from her mother and the latest boyfriend. See, 

Ben is gay and the parents are trying to send him to one of those extreme Christian camps that supposedly "straightens" kids out.

So, Danny comes back to the States with his girlfriend Jenn (whose name Eden uses when she becomes a stripper.) They think that they can get custody of Ben. Of course, Eden and Izzy, having been married for a year (did I mention that?), are really going to look better if they have to go into court. 

There's also a girl who has escaped from sexual slavery. Ben sort of befriends her but she seems to only be in as a plot device so that Jenn and Eden can be in danger later.

Brockmann uses multiple plotlines in most of her books so that wasn't really annoying, but... I really missed the regular run of characters. Only Danny, Izzy, Jenn, and Eden were from previous series. I think I may have also had high expectations because Izzy has been so involved in other books in the series. Will re-read to see if it gets better. (It did, I think because I knew what to expect)

Three stars

This book came out March 22, 2011

Follows Hot Pursuit

Followed by Headed for Trouble

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own